Edge Davao | Vol 11 Issue 242 | Tuesday, February 26, 2019

P 15.00 • 16 PAGES

www.edgedavao.net

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

CTTMO TO REGULATE PASSENGER TRICYCLES P2

EDGE DAVAO Serving a seamless society

LGUS BACK SPORTS PROGRAMS TO SHIELD YOUTH FROM DRUGS SPORTS P11

RAILWAY MESS Monteritz homeowners oppose Mindanao Railway route MODERN WAY. Gov. Emmylou “Lala”Talino-Mendoza of North Cotabato leads the ceremonial tapping of budded rubber seedlings in a farm owned by the family of Myrna Gonzales in Kisante, Makilala, North Cotabato over the weekend. Lean Daval Jr

Pinoys ready for cashless era: GCash

By LEEBAI SINSUAT AMBOLODTO

I

s the Philippines ready to engage in cashless transactions? GCash says yes.

GCash is a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas-regulated mobile money service that lets you buy load, purchase items, send and receive money, pay bills, and more using telecommunications providers Globe, TM, or any other network. It’s

like having your wallet inside your phone giving you hassle-free and safer ways to go cashless.

GCash vice president and Corporate Communications Group head Ney Villasenor said that at present the company has over 20 million Gcash app users who prefer hassle-free day-to-day transactions. The figure in-

FPINOYS, P8

By REY ANDREW R. ALONSAGAY

H

omeowners of Monteritz Classic Estates, a middle-class subdivision in Maa, Davao City, oppose the construction by the government of a portion of the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP) which passes through Phase 1 of the subdivision.

The group’s opposition was explained during yesterday’s presentation of the Kapehan sa Dabaw media forum at SM Annex.

Jesito V. Villamor, president of the Monteritz Classic Estates Homeowners Association, Inc. (MCEHAI), together with Dr. Anthony Alberto C. Angala, MCEHAI director,

told reporters their group was not consulted about the proposed alignment of the MRP, particularly the Tagum-Davao-Digos segment of the railway project.

Villamor explained that during the dialogue between the representatives of the Department of Transportation (DoTR)

and its project consultant (ARUP) and the board of directors of MCEHAI last January 22, the members of the board of MCEHAI noticed that DoTR and ARUP made some adjustments in the railway project’s alignment due to objections and/or reactions from certain landowners from other areas like in Cabantian, Davao City to save a part of the subdivision and in Mintal, Davao City to save a subdivision with a golf course.

In the case of MCEHAI, instead of saving the subdivision, the railway alignment somewhat condemned the subdivision, when DoTR

and ARUP realigned the railway, from the original plan of passing through a soon-to-be constructed Monteritz Town Plaza to the middle portion of Phase 1 of the subdivision, which already has townhouses and residential houses.

Villamor said that 40 homeowners and 67 lot owners would be affected if the new plan pushes through and he believed it could adversely affect the quality of life of the subdivision’s residents.

“We’re looking at the emotional cost that cannot be quantified because imagine the over 100

FRAILWAY, P10

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

TOP 15. Ginoong Davao top 15 candidates pose for a photograph at the sidelines of Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao on Monday. Lean Daval Jr

CTTMO to regulate passenger tricycles

By RALPH LAWRENCE LLEMIT

T

he Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) is now going to regulate motorized tricycle for hire (MTH) and pedal-operated tricyle or known as “trisikad” or “pedicabs” starting this year.

CTTMO chief Dionisio Abude said that the move was made in order to make an inventory of the number of tricycles that would operate in a certain area.

Abude said that the move aims to decongest the traffic situation of

the city, in time with the implementation of the High Priority Bus System (HPBS).

“Under our supervision, manufacturers and fabricators of all MTH and trisikad, are no longer allowed to create the sidecars without

All promises fulfilled except EDSA trafficmess: PRRD

P

resident Rodrigo R. Duterte said that he has fulfilled almost all his campaign promises in 2016 except solving traffic congestion on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA).

Duterte said that halfway into his term, he already fulfilled most of his promises including the signing of notable measures into laws such as the free tuition, universal health care and Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

“Alam mo... ang TRAIN... nangako ako sa inyo. Wala akong pangako na hindi ko

natupad except ‘yang Edsa (You know, TRAIN…I made promises to you. I never made promises I couldn’t keep except Edsa),” Duterte said in a speech during the PDP-Laban campaign rally in Biñan City, Laguna.

“Nangako ako na free tuition, nandiyan na ang batas. Nangako ako na free universal health care, pirmado ko na ang batas (I promised for free tuition, the law is signed. I promised free universal health care, it’s also signed),” he added.

Duterte noted that

FALL, P8

being registered to the CTTMO. We will also be assigning numbers, to be indicated in the body of the sidecar, after it ia registered,” Abude said.

He also said that bicycles and all repair shops will also have to be registered under CTTMO. The registration of MTH is currently under the Transport Regulation Division of the City Legal Office. However, it was moved to Mo-

tor Vehicle Franchising and Regulation Division (MVFRD) of the CTTMO. While the trisikad is under the Traffic Group of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO).

Abude said that the CTTMO is also doing this to identify colorums that continue to operate illegally.

The registration for trisikad and bicyles will start in March, while MTH will be in May.

PRRD reiterates vow to end illegal drug trade

I

f he would live until the end of his term in 2022, President Rodrigo R. Duterte reiterated his “solemn” campaign promise to end the illegal drug trade.

“Kung paabutin ako ng Diyos three years from now… tatapusin ko ‘to ito, itong… P***** i** ninyo tatapusin ko talaga ito. (If God will let me keep my post three years from now…I will finish this. I will really finish this),” Duterte said during the PDP-Laban campaign rally in Biñan City, Laguna on Saturday night.

“I’m posing this challenge.

Nandito lahat ang networks eh. Tapusin na natin ito (All networks are here. Let’s finish this).

I’ll make you that solemn promise,” he added.

Duterte claimed that illegal drugs, particularly

shabu, affect around 7 to 8 million Filipinos.

“There are 7 to 8 million Filipinos reduced to slaves to a drug called shabu.

Seven to eight million lost souls,” Duterte said.

He also encouraged the youth to stay away from illegal drugs.

“Kayong lahat na hindi pa naka-umpisa, kayong mga bata, lumayo kayo (Those of you who haven’t started taking illegal drugs, especially you kids, stay away from them),” Duterte said.

“I’m pleading to you, almost on bended knees. Huwag kayong pumasok at i-control ninyo ‘yang droga kasi papatayin talaga ang bayan natin. Sayang ang Pilipinas. So ako umaasa talaga sa inyo (Don’t enter

FPRRD, P8

Tightened security for EDSA anniversary rites

T

he Eastern Police District (EPD) has intensified security and is on full alert status on Monday to ensure the peaceful 33rd commemoration of the EDSA People Power revolt.

EPD Director, Chief Supt. Bernabe Balba, said some 1,000 police personnel will be deployed to the vicinity of the

People Power Monument and the EDSA Shrine, where rallies are expected.

“We are on full alert status, all applied leave of PNP (Philippine National Police) personnel are cancelled to ensure (that) all PNP personnel are present. Thus, the district headquarters red team will be conducting surprise

inspections in PADs (police assistance desks) and all posts, where policemen are on duty to make sure (there is a) 100 percent attendance of the more or less 1,100 deployed and reserve personnel,“ Balba said.

He said the civil disturbance management contingent has been in place since dawn of Feb-

ruary 23. He also urged the public to report suspicious activities.

Police are coordinating with local government units and private establishments in the eastern part of Metro Manila for the event, Balba said.

Flyers on safety tips will be distributed in places of convergence. (PNA)

NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

3

4 inmates shot dead PRO 11 probes drug trade in city jail

T

he Police Regional Office (PRO)-11 is set to investigate the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Davao after Saturday’s Greyhound Operation at the Davao City Jail in Maa yielded contraband, including illegal drugs found inside the prisoners’ cells.

“This time, they have to explain why illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, and bladed weapons were found inside the cells during a greyhound operation,” PRO-11 director, Chief Supt. Marcelo Morales said on Sunday.

Morales said the operation dubbed “Durian Wall” at Davao City Jail was planned following reports that illegal drugs proliferated inside the jail.

“There were reports from inside that there were BJMP personnel who allowed the entry of illegal contrabands and citing previous buy-bust operations conducted outside the City Jail na allegedly mga courier din sila ng illegal na droga papasok ng city jail (allegedly they were also courier of illegal drugs in the city jail),” Morales said.

He vowed that all BJMP

personnel would be investigated after the incident.

Morales said he was happy with the result of the operation.

“This is a continuing effort to reduce and even stop the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the facility,” he said.

The pre-dawn operation on Saturday resulted in the confiscation of various drug paraphernalia and contraband that included two sachets of suspected shabu with an estimated value of PHP160,000.

It also left three members of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) wounded and four inmates killed when the latter allegedly attacked the policemen.

The incident occurred after PO3 Mark Anthony Cameros asked inmates of Cell No. 3 to go out for body search and inspection of the cell. Instead of going out, one inmate attacked Cameros with an improvised gun called “sumpak”.

Cameros had a bullet hole in his armored vest.

Cameros was forced to retaliate to neutralize the inmate.

The inmates were iden-

F4 INMATES, P8

DILG welcomes PNP’s new rank classification

T

he Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) today welcomed the signing of a new law which modifies the rank classification in the Philippine National Police (PNP) as it will ensure improved and smooth coordination between the police and its military counterparts as well as address the public’s confusion with the ranks.

“We are grateful to President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Congress for the approval of Republic Act 11200 because this will result to enhanced relations and cooperation between the police organization and other law enforcement agencies as well as those from foreign police de-

partments,” DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said.

He said that the law will also eliminate the confusion from the public in addressing police officers who are used to calling them by their military rank equivalent.

He explained that Filipinos are still not used to the current police ranks like inspector or superintendent “so to avoid confusion, we would rather that they use military ranks”.

“I have noticed during conferences and meetings that even police officers still address each other with their military ranks so it is better that we stick to what they are accustomed to,” said Año, who is a former Armed

FDILG, P8

RAILWAY PROJECT. Monteritz Classic Estates Homeowners Association, Inc. (MCEHAI) director and president Jesito Villamor (right), together public relations officer Dr. Anthony Alberto Angala, talks about the group’s vehement objection to the alignment of the Tagum-Davao-Digos railway project which will pass through

within the premises of the subdivision’s Phase 1. Villamor said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao on Monday that the railway project will affect forty (40) homeowners, sixty seven (67) lots, and ten (10) road lots and parts of Phase 2. Lean Daval Jr

By RALPH LAWRENCE LLEMIT

Teacher (ACT) Davao division president Reynaldo Pardillo said the proposal should not be enforced.

“Their (DOH’s) policy will break the goal that ‘no student should be left behind’, “ Pardillo said.

He said that parents cannot be totally blamed for their hesitation to have their child vaccinated, after the Dengvaxia vaccine crisis broke out when some children vaccinated with the drug suffered complications.

Dengvaxia-related deaths have also been reported.

Mindanao Peace Coun-

‘No vac, no enrolment’ draws mixed reactions A

group advocating women’s and children’s rights said on Monday that the “No Vaccination, No Enrolment” policy proposed by the Department of Health (DOH) is a violation of the right of the child to education.

Executive Director Jeanette Ampog of Talikala said the government should explore other means that would educate both the parents and communities on the importance of vaccination.

“Vaccination should not be a pre-condition to enrolment.

Why are the children made to suffer for the decision of

their parents?” Ampog said.

She also said that partnership with the private sectors and medical professionals should be intensified to make the information and services accessible especially to areas located far from health centers.

Alliance of Concerned

F’NO VAC, P8

TUCP urges ECOP: respect working mothers

I

ADVOCACY VS INCINERATION. No Burn Pilipinas’ Lorenzo De Vera expresses his group’s disagreement against the Davao City’s plan to build an incineration plant for its waste to energy project during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao on Monday. Lean Daval Jr

cil (MPC) secretary general Vince Molejon also opposed the proposal saying that it is “overboard and unconstitutional”.

“What the DOH and DepEd can do to bring back the confidence of parents to vaccination is to teach them correct principles about vaccines and vaccination and let them decide for themselves,” Molejon said.

Last week, DOH urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to disallow parents from having their child enrolled in schools if he/she

t is scientifically proven that nursing mothers need at least more than 100 days to heal and recover completely after giving birth. It is also scientifically suggested that mothers and their newborns must completely bond after birth, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said.

Thus, ECOP’s statement saying companies will discourage hiring women workers due to alleged disadvantages it causes to the firm once the Expanded Maternity Leave Law is enforced is disrespectful to women, working moms and newborn babies, according to TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay.

“Such statement made by ECOP is irresponsibly disrespectful to working mothers and nursing employees.

ECOP should respect these biological and psychological needs of women employees and their newborns and encourage their member companies to abide and respect these basic human rights,” Tanjusay said.

“In fact, mas kailangan ng mga kumpanya ang Expanded Maternity Leave para hindi magkasakit at magkaroon ng post-natal issues ang kanilang child bearing women workers kung sila ay nagtrabaho agad matapos manganak. Employers need expanded maternity protection to retain their experienced women workers.

So yung mga ganitong pahayag ng ECOP ay nagpapakita ng kawalan ng respeto ng ECOP sa kanilang mga manggagawang kababaihan,” Tanjusay added.

4 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

Navy needs more fast craft to secure Mindanao waters

A

SUCCESS. Edna Villegas-Cheng of the Truly Rich Club (TRC) promotes the upcoming forum dubbed Trailblazing Success on March 16 at Pinnacle Hotel during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao on Monday. Lean Daval Jr

n official of the Philippine Navy (PN) said they need an additional 10 to 12 fast craft units to secure the waters of Mindanao from pirates, smugglers, and terrorists.

“If we can get at least 10 ships, we can secure the waters (of) Mindanao from being used by the enemies of the state,” Navy flag-officer-in-command, Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad, said in an interview with reporters Sunday.

A fast craft is a small, quick and maneuverable ship fitted with missiles, torpedoes, and automatic cannon.

It weighs 80 tons to

PRRD includes Alunan in Senate slate

Gabriela warns firms‘cold’ P on EML not to violate law

By RALPH LAWRENCE LLEMIT

W

ny or to the country are wrong. Countries that are economically advanced also have women enjoying gainful employment and involved in politics,” Lindo said.

She also said that the EML benefits “is nothing compared to lifelong exploitation of professionals which is being practiced to ensure corporate profit.”

President Rodrigo Duterte recently signed the EML, granting all working mothers in the government and private

sector are guaranteed with 105 days of paid maternity leave credits, with 7 days transferable to fathers. An additional 15 days of paid leave will be granted to single mothers. Under the previous law, employed women are entitled to 60 days of paid leave for normal delivery and 78 days for caesarean delivery.

Prior to the law’s passage, there had been reports that some companies will prioritize hiring men over women in order to avoid paying extra benefits.

The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the EML has yet to be released within 45 days after its signing.

As this developed, veteran lawyer and Law School dean Edison Batacan said that the law in other countries has a wider coverage, as com-

pared here in the country. He admitted that the benefits that the law mandates is a setback to the employers.

“If I am the employer and I know that this employee who would eventually get married then gets pregnant, I will be giving additional benefits to them, probably that would discourage me from hiring that prospective employee,” Batacan said.

Alexandra Borja-Dionisio, moderator of Dawow Moms Group Community, said that the 105 days provided by the new law is very important, especially for first time mothers.

“The first three months postpartum is very crucial for the mom’s healing and the baby’s development.

This will definitely help

neering Co., Ltd., and EEI Corporation last February 20.

“The Shimizu Joint Venture will be pursuing the design and build of the Subway’s partial operability section, which consists of its first three underground stations (Quirino Highway, Tandang Sora and North Avenue), tunnel structures, the Valenzuela Depot, and the building and facilities for the Philippine Railway Institute,” the DOTr said in a statement over the weekend.

The Metro Manila Subway will have 15 stations from Quirino Highway in

Quezon City to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Parañaque City, which is seen to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

The underground rail system is expected to serve up to 370,000 passengers per day, with a capacity of serving up to 1.5 million passengers per day once it starts its full operations in 2025.

“Our countrymen will finally see that the dream of a railway system running underground in this country is soon becoming a reality. Of course there will be some inconvenience along the way, but

that is nothing compared to the long-lasting comfort this project will bring to the Filipino people,” DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

Tugade and other officials were in Osaka, Japan last week to inspect tunnel boring machines that will be used for the construction of the Metro Manila Subway.

The Philippine and Japanese governments signed a loan agreement for the subway project, with an initial tranche amounting to PHP51.37 billion (104.5 billion Japanese yen), in March last year. (PNA)

ith the passage of the Expanded Maternity Leave (EML) law getting cold reception from some business establishments, militant women’s group Gabriela issued a reminder that discriminating women workers because of the new law’s additional benefits is discriminatory and violates the Magna Carta for Women.

Gabriela Southern Mindanao chairperson Jean Lindo welcomed the signing into law of the expanded maternity leave benefits but she also slammed some business firms which claimed that they will be adversely affected by the law’s passage. The Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act No. 9710) is a comprehensive law that seeks to eliminate discrimination against women.

“Those who think that hiring women will bring huge loss to the compa-

FGABRIELA, P9

DOTr signs deal for Metro Manila Subway’s first 3 stations

T

he Department of Transportation (DOTr) has signed a deal with a private contractor for the design and build contract for the first three stations of the Metro Manila Subway System.

The subway system, which will have its groundbreaking on Wednesday, is expected to start its partial operations in 2022 with three stations: Quirino Highway, Tandang Sora and Mindanao Avenue.

The DOTr signed the contract with the joint venture of Shimizu Corporation, Fujita Corporation, Takenaka Civil Engi-

800 tons and is generally used for patrol and interdiction missions.

Having these ships in the fleet will ensure that no “enemy of the state” can use the waters for illegal activites.

These proposed vessels will be equipped with weapon systems that have “pinpoint accuracy” to target threats easily.

Empedrad said the Navy is also in need of new fast craft that can stay at sea for seven to 10 days, noting that the existing units cannot do much patrolling work as they need to go back to port to refuel and re-stock on provisions every three days. (PNA)

resident Rodrigo R. Duterte has included former Interior Secretary Rafael “Raffy” Alunan III in his senatorial lineup for the upcoming May 2019 mid-term elections.

Alunan himself confirmed this during the campaign rally of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan City, Laguna.

“Malaking karangalan (It is a huge honor) to be part of the President’s team for May 2019,” Alunan, one of PDP-Laban’s guest candidates said during the event.

Duterte, in his speech, said Alunan is “the brightest” Cabinet member under President Fidel Ramos.

“Wala ka nang makita pinaka-bright sa panahon ni Ramos (You can’t see someone brighter during the time of Ramos). He was the brightest Cabinet member,” Duterte said. ”And he knows best what he’s doing because he was

once upon a time the DILG Secretary. Secretary Alunan,” he added.

Alunan also served as Tourism Secretary under President Corazon Aquino.

Duterte further described as Alunan “a thinking guy.”

This is Alunan’s second attempt to run as Senator after losing in the 2016 Senate race.

He is now running under the Bagumbayan Party of Senator Richard Gordon.

Aside from Alunan, other guest candidates being endorsed by Duterte are folk singer Freddie Aguilar, Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and reelectionist senators Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito and Cynthia Villar.

Duterte is endorsing five senate bets from PDP-Laban namely former Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go, former Presidential Political Adviser

FPRRD, P10

Developer eyes completion of New Clark City Gov’t Center by Oct

M

alaysian infrastructure developer MTD Capital Berhad eyes the completion of Phase 1A of the National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) of New Clark City (NCC) by October 15.

“We are on track to complete by October 15.

In terms of progress on site, it’s already at 55 percent. It is a very fast track because we only started work effective March 2018. To complete (the development) in 19 months was a big challenge, but we are on track to achieve the target,” MTD Chief Financial Officer Tee Kim Siew said.

About 4,000 workers are now engaged in the construction works at the NGAC, and as the construction accelerates, MTD will add 2,000 to 3,000 more workers on site.

“90% of the project

is purely local content ranging from design, materials, workers, and contractors,” the official furthered.

Tee assured that MTD has the technical capability and financial capacity to ensure that they deliver with quality.

NGAC is a 40-hectare project that is part of the 9,450-hectare NCC in Capas, Tarlac.

It has sports facilities that will host the 30th South East Asian Games this November namely a 20,000 seater Athletics Stadium, 2,000 seater Aquatics Center, and 525 unit Athletes’ Village.

Also for completion under Phase1A is a seven-storey government building which will serve as an integrated operations center for government agencies involved in disaster risk reduction

FDEVELOPER, P9

ECONOMY

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

5

DOE: Whether oil prices go up or down, save on energy

T

he Department of Energy (DOE) is appealing to the public for the deliberate and prudent use of energy, as the upward movement of oil prices in the world market has again raised the prices of petroleum products in the country.

WORLD MARKET ADJUSTMENTS The surplus in oil production in 2018 was a result of the anticipated US-led economic sanctions on Iran which triggered members of the Oil Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-members to ramp up production to make up for an expected shortage of oil. To the surprise of many, the sanctions were not imposed and instead a six-month waiver was implemented, causing an excess supply in the market. This accounted for lower prices.

To correct the surplus supply, oil-producing countries have agreed to cut back on production in order to bring both oil supply and prices to normal which have been observed. However, recent political events in Venezuela, along with the waiving on the sanctions on Iran expiring on April, caused prices to steadily increase affecting the local market.

ENERGY EFFICIENT LIFESTYLE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said, “We are imploring the public to be conscious of their energy and fuel usage, especially during these times, as world oil pric-

es are steadily climbing to high levels due to economic and geopolitical factors which we are bound to experience as an oil importing country. But even if oil prices go down, it is imperative that we embrace the efficient way of using our energy resources.“ He added: “We would like to remind fellow Filipinos that we are responsible for our individual actions.

If we come together with the common goal of energy conservation through energy efficiency, we can achieve a lot in terms of immediate in-pocket savings and energy sustainability in the long term.”

MORE TRANSPARENCY As part of its initiatives that will provide sufficient energy sources and guide lawmakers in examining the current policies that may affect the DOE’s plans and programs, the Department consulted oil industry players on a policy for more information and unbundling for items that affect the prices of petroleum products.

“It is in times like this that we should do our roles, from consumers to industry players, to be of service to one another.

We are seeking everyone’s cooperation as the government works to address the nation’s energy needs. We aim for transparency at every turn so that we can give the people the best products for their value,” Secretary Cusi said. (DOE)

New technology gives hope for rubber industry’s growth

M

AKILALA, North Cotabato -- A rubber farmer, who benefited from the Rubber Development Program of the North Cotabato provincial government, is bringing hope to more farmers to increase production using a new technology and good farming management at a lower cost.

The Myrna Gonzales Farm, which uses the “big bag” technology with budded rubber seedlings in its 1,800 rubber trees, conducted a harvest on Saturday — the second for the mother (Myrna) and his son, who both applied for the province’s Plant Now, Pay Later program for farmers in the province.

The Gonzaleses combined four hectares of land planted to rubber

trees and their farm has become a showcase of the province’s rubber program initiated

by Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza to help farmers improve production, increase income, increase buying price of latex, and stop the “dummy system” practiced for many years in North Cotabato.

Mendoza said the technology was introduced through a partnership with the Platinum Rubber Development Inc., which has been engaged in rubber plantation using the expertise that was shared by a former executive of Goodyear Tires Philippines. The same technology is being used by another multi-million tire manufacturing firm abroad.

FNEW, P9

DISTRIBUTION OF CASH GRANTS. President Rodrigo Duterte leads the ceremonial distribution of cash grants to the Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) beneficiaries at the Cebu Technological University Gym in Cebu City on Sunday. Assisting the President is Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rolando Bautista.

PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

PRRD urged to‘promptly’ appoint next BSP chief

P

hilippines’ economic journalists have called on President Rodrigo R. Duterte to “promptly” name the successor of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Nestor A. Espenilla Jr., who died of cancer Saturday, to address any market uncertainty.

“Even as we mourn, we urge President Rodrigo Duterte to ease market uncertainties by promptly filling the void with someone just as suitable and committed to the BSP’s mandate of price and financial stability — one who can hit the ground running and ensure policy continuity,” the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) said in a statement on Sunday.

EJAP dubbed Espenilla, 60, as “an exemplary public servant who heeded the call of duty even when he was grappling with

his own health issues”.

“Governor Espenilla’s nearly four-decade service to the country was marked by dogged banking supervision while pioneering the use of digital means to achieve financial inclusion,” it added.

The BSP chief was diagnosed with tongue cancer in November 2017.

He took time off from his work several times since then to seek medical treatment, including the one overseas last January.

He headed the BSP starting July 3, 2017 after the end of the

two six-year terms of BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. Prior to this, he was Deputy Governor responsible for the central bank’s Supervision and Examination Sector, which oversees banks and non-bank institutions.

BSP’s policy-making Monetary Board, in a special meeting Saturday, “designated Deputy Governor Almasara Cyd Tuano-Amador as BSP Officer-in-Charge effective immediately until such time that Duterte shall have designated an OIC or appointed a successor”.

Espenilla graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in business economics from the University of the Philippines.

He also had a mas-

ter of science degree in policy science from the Graduate Institute of Policy Science in Tokyo, Japan.

He is survived by his wife, Maria Teresita Festin Espenilla; daughter, Jacqueline Joyce and son-in-law, Ben Baltazar; sons Nikko Nestor and Leonardo Nestor; and, grandchild, Zev Eron.

Relatively, Voyager President and Chief Executive Officer Orlando B. Vea said Espenilla’s death “is a sad day for the country and the financial services industry”.

He described Espenilla as a “humble public servant, progressive central banker, and relentless champion of financial inclusion”.

“His legacy lives on in every effort that we all do to serve the un-

ing back at household levels the water tanks and water drums to catch rainwater from flowing through canals and to rivers.

“The water collection system can be of much help at the household level,” she said. “We have to encourage local government units (LGUs) to set up water collection system at the community level. If that could be done that is something.”

Households may no longer be keeping water tanks and water drums

as water faucets have made it very easy to draw water but Alegre pointed out the need to “revive such practice” as a way of easing the volume of floodwater. She also suggested to examine the “land cover” for presence of trees and vegetation to absorb water.

Managing debris was also among the suggestions that Alegre offered after noticing the volume of banana trunks that obstructed the flow

Water catchments crucial in flood control, says OCD

T

AGUM CITY - On top of a comprehensive flood control system, community water catchment facilities, debris management and re-greening are deemed by Office of Civil Defense in Davao Region (OCD-11) as crucial elements in addressing massive flooding in Davao del Norte province.

Speaking at the recent Kapihan sa Kapitolyo, OCD-11 Asssistant Regional Director Leni Duran Alegre said

major rivers in Davao del Norte will continue to overflow and communities will continue to suffer from flooding.

“It will continue because that is inherent in your place,” she said, citing the low-lying location of most areas of Davao del Norte which hosts the Tagum Liboganon River Basin, one of eight river systems in Mindanao.

To her, the solutions to massive flooding are acts as simple as bring-

FWATER, P9

6 VANTAGE EDGEDAVAO

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

EDITORIAL Balking on the ‘no jab, no school’

T

he ‘no vaccine, no enrolment’ proposal being pushed by the Department of Health to all schools is directly clashing with the rights of the child to education, hence, there is a need for government to modify its approach.

While there is wisdom in pursuing full vaccination coverage to prevent possible outbreak of diseases among school children, the proposal to deprive children of education because they have not been vaccinated is pushing the campaign over the wall. Every child has the right to an education. Education is more than just a fundamental right; it helps pave the way to a successful and productive future. More children are now taking part in early childhood education, which is critical for their developing brains.

According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), education is more than just a fundamental right; it helps pave the way to a successful and productive future. Unicef reported on its website that more children are now taking part in early childhood education, which is critical for their developing brains. Globally, enrolment in early childhood education increased from 33 per cent in 1990 to 50 per cent in 2011.

Now, if the government insists on the no vaccination, no enrolment

EDGEDAVAO

Providing solutions to a seamless global village.

Printed by Zion Accuprint Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Building, Quirino Avenue, 8000, Davao City, Philippines Tel: (082) 224-1413 301-6235 Telefax: (082) 221-3601 www.edgedavao.net editorial@edgedavao.net marketing@edgedavao.net edgedavao@gmail.com

ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

the national association of newspapers

RALPH LAWRENCE G. LLEMIT ADAM B. MORRELL Reporter

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

BAI FAUZIAH FATIMA SINSUAT AMBOLODTO Social Media Manager/Lifestyle KENNETH IRVING K. ONG MEGHANN STA. INES NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN Lifestyle

ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. JAN MIKKO CANARIAS CHA MONFORTE Correspondent

DR. MAURO L. PUYOD LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. Cartoonist Photography Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • ZHAUN ORTEGA • BERNADETTE “ADDIE” B. BORBONHENRYLITO • MARY ANN “ADI”• GREGORIO C. QUISIDO LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NIKKI ANGELO AGUSTIN • EMILY Columnists: D. TACIO G.•DELIGERO • JOHN CARLO TRIA • VIDAGOTIANSE-TAN MIA S. VALVERDE•• NICASIO FRED C. LUMBA • ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA ZEN CHUA • CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO• DENNIS “GICO” R. G.GORECHO DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER M. PEREZ MUJAHID NAVARRA • HAROLD CAVITE

OLIVIA D. VELASCO D. MARATAS RICHARD C. EBONA OLIVIA D. VELASCO JASPERSOLANI V. BACSAL General Manager Finance Advertising Specialist VP Operations General Manager JOCELYN S. PANES Director of Sales

policy, it will have a strong backlash even in the international community.

In some countries like Australia, there is no vaccination requirement for enrolment in the compulsory phases of school. None of the eight states and territories have legislated a vaccination requirement for enrolment in the compulsory phase of school, regardless of whether the school is private or public. However, a report/request of vaccination history is required to be submitted. The purpose is for the non-vaccinated child to get the shots needed.

The Department of Health can learn from this policy instead of insisting on the mandatory vaccination rule.

When enrolling a child, parents may be requested or required to provide a vaccination status / history statement showing which, if any, vaccines their child has received. This information may be collected to enable unvaccinated children to be temporarily excluded in the event of outbreaks of so-called vaccine-preventable diseases.

As it stands now, the proposal will not withstand legal scrutiny although the intention is laudable. There is a better way of doing it and the DOH should act within the bounds of existing legal parameters.

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance

GENERAL SANTOS CITY OFFICE MANILA MARKETING OFFICE CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING MARKETING OFFICE Richard C. Ebona | Product Development officer LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager EDMUND D. RENDON Unit 6, SouthbankMarketing Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts.Address: 04 Orilla St. Purok 4B Lower Bicutan, Taguig City Specialist Cellphone number: 09472652969 General Santos City Cagayan de Oro City Email Address: edgedavao@gmail.com Mobile: (Smart) 09382022120 Tel: (088) 852-4894

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

VANTAGE POINTS

7

All about milk

T

“

hat is how politics work; if you don’t drink wine, they will consider to bring you milk.” – M.F. Moonzajer When someone mentions the word “milk,” what comes to your mind right away? Milk in cans, those being packed in plastics or cartons, or simply placed in bottles?

The first food we ever tasted is milk from our mothers. Experts usually ask mothers to breastfeed their babies first before using other types of milk. The reason: mother’s milk has colostrum, which contains antibodies that provide protection to the newborn baby as well as the nutrients and growth factors.

“A woman’s body is a sacred temple,” wrote Suzy Kassem, author of Rise Up and Salute the Sun. “A work of art, and a life-giving vessel. And once she becomes a mother, her body serves as a medicine cabinet for her infant. From her milk she can nourish and health her own child from a variety of ailments.”

The Geneva-based World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and breastfeeding in addition to other food for at least two years. I have known some mothers who breastfeed their children even up to three to five years.

P

hilately, the collection and study of postage stamps issued by postal offices worldwide, has a special place in local history, Davao region being no exemption. But, in dating postal imprints, some collectors adopt or introduce ‘future link’ in the attribution of stamps to places.

For instance, the Philippine postal office issued in 1994 (the year the Philippines hosted the Miss Universe) a stamp bearing the face of 1973 Miss Universe Margie Moran who, by this time, was already married to Antonio R. Floirendo, Jr., son of the country’s late banana magnate.

Following the demise of National Artist for Painting Victorio C. Edades (18951985), whose family migrated to Davao in 1967, the postal office issued a stamp in his memory. Posthumously, in 1986, he and his wife, Jean, an American language writer, were bestowed the Datu Bago Award, the highest honor Davao City gives to its distinguished sons and daughters.

Arguably, the first ‘true’ Davao stamp was issued in 1987, which coincided with the 50 th founding anniversary of Davao City; It was also the first year that Kadayawan’s predecessor,

Milk is considered to be a complete food. Nutritionists claim milk contains several important nutrients: a glass of milk gives you calcium, protein, iodine, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins B2, B12 and D, and zinc.

Unfortunately, we Filipinos don’t drink milk just like we do with coffee or soft drinks. “Milk isn’t traditionally part of the Filipino diet,” said Corazon Cerdena, who conducted the 1997 Formative Research on Milk and Milk Products for Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI).

Perhaps one of the main reasons why we don’t drink milk when we are already teenagers and adults – most of us believe milk is only for children! – is because we really don’t have a dairy industry.

It was bared during the National Dairy Congress in Camiguin last year that we import about US$800 million of dairy products each year, with local producers only supplying one percent of demand.

Dairy products are the third-most imported agricultural product in the country – after wheat and soybean.

About 85% of what we import is in powder form. The powder is then processed into liquid form before it is shipped for local consumption.

The Global Agricultur-

THINK ON THESE!

Henrylito D. Tacio

al Information Network (GAIN) report from the United States Department of Agriculture said that 39% of the dairy products we import come from New Zealand. United States trailed with 24% and Australia with 6%.

In 2016, the Philippines was the fifth largest market for US dairy products with a value of US$227 million.

Most of these imports were in the form of nonfat dry milk powder (US$163 million), whey (US$11 million), and cheese (US$6.6 million).

According to USDA, the Philippines is a large and rapidly expanding market for milk and dairy products with annual per capita milk consumption at 22 kilo-

grams. “Other factors contributing to the long-term trend of strong growth in dairy consumption are expanding cold chain capacity, an increasing number of supermarkets, and a blossoming food processing industry,” it said.

Senator Cynthia Villar, chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, knows this very well. In fact, she expressed her continued support to the development of the dairy industry as pointed out in her speech during the 5th Cagayan Valley Dairy Business Conference and Stakeholder’s Forum in Tuguegarao City.

“Among (agricultural) sub-sectors,” she said, “it is really the dairy industry, where we urgently need to make an improvement, particularly in increasing local dairy production. Our dairy producers meet only one percent of the demand for milk and other dairy products.”

In the Philippines, the three sources of liquid milk are cattle, carabao and goats. At least 64% of our liquid milk comes from the cattle while 33% are from carabao. The remaining 3% are from goats.

Among the three livestock, goats are the most convenient to raise and the cheapest.

“Compared to cow’s milk, goat milk has higher nutritional value, is

highly digestible, and causes less allergenic reaction,” a press release from the Department of Science and Technology stated.

More importantly, goat milk has higher commercial value than cattle or carabao milk. It is reported that in Region 3, raw goat milk is sold at P70 per liter to processors who pasteurize, bottle, label and sell them in commercial stands at P150 per liter.

Mindanao has now big dairy goat farms. They are located in Davao, Misamis Oriental and North Cotabato. In Luzon, they can be found in Batangas, Tarlac, Sorsogon, and Camarines Norte.

The Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur, sees goat milk as one possible solution to the problem of malnutrition among children going to school.

“If only farmers will raise dairy goats in the farm, then we can be assured that children will have a regular supply of milk every day,” says Jethro P. Adang, the current MBRLC director.

A study conducted by FNRI in 2003 showed that “a total of 26 out of every 100 primary school-age children (aged 6 to 10 years old) were underweight and 37 out of every 100 were underheight.”

Davao College was honored with four philatelic issuances to mark its 60 th founding. The stamps separately depicted the Bajada Camus Façade, Palma Gil; Mabutas Halls, Grade School & High School Buildings, and Babak & Camudmud Campuses.

A year later, Davao City again got another stamp during its 75 th year anniversary. Five kinds of stamps were issued, depicting independently the Kadayawan Festival, Indak-indak (street- dancing), City Hall, Orchid, and Mount Apo with the an inset of the Philippine eagle.

The waling-waling orchid, interestingly, was also the face of the stamp that celebrated the 29 th Orient and Southeast Asian Lions Forum held in the Philippines.

On September 30, 2016, the postal office issued an orchids quadrant that featured the waling-waling (Vanda sanderiana), the dancing lady orchid (Oncidium sp.), the Mrs. Sanders dendrobium (Dendrobium sanderae var. luzonicum), and the moth orchid (Phalaenopsis sp.). But there were also pre-millennial waling-waling stamps, among them the issuances made on March 9, 1962; August 28, 1986; and October 18, 1990.

In 2014, University of Mindanao, the largest in southern Philippines, was honored with two stamps after it became the first certified school in the country, institutional category, to be recognized as ISO 90012008.

Three years later, Davao region was thrice honored in commemorative stamps: first, the ‘ASEAN 50, Philippines 2017’ stamp was issued to honor the Philippine chairmanship of the ASEAN in Davao City on January 15, 2017; second, Davao del Norte celebrated its 50 th founding anniversary (1967-2017) and, third, the oath-taking on June 30, 2017 of former Davao City mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte as the 16 th Philippine president.

But there were also philately issuances with links to Davao region. In 1981, Jesuit priest Saturnino C. Urios, a former parish priest in Davao town, was featured in a stamp that commemorated the fourth centenary of the arrival of the Jesuits in the Philippines.

In 2002, the Philippine postal office issued the ‘Christmas in the Philippines’ stamp that featured, among others, the painting of Ang Kiukok, Davao-born national artist for Visual Arts.

Davao and the world of stamps

the Apo Duwaling (after Mt. Apo, Durian, and Waling-waling) Festival, was launched.

Seven years later, another stamp was issued to highlight the first East ASEAN Business Convention (and Exhibit), the first international conference hosted by the city. The event, originally slated on May 27-30, 1994 but was inauspiciously moved to Nov. 15-20, 1994, carried the theme ‘The Power of the Polygon.’ This was the official launch of BIMP-EAGA, which stands for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area.

ASEAN, formed on July 31, 1961, stands for Association of Southeast Asian Nations and is a regional inter-governmental body composed of ten countries committed to promote cooperation and hasten economic, political, security, military, and socio-cultural integration among its members and other countries in the Asian continent.

The next year, in honor of the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), which was declared national bird on July 4, 1995 under Proclamation No. 615, three stamps were issued.

In 1998, during the 50 th year of the founding of

FAST BACKWARD Antonio V. Figueroa the iconic Apo View Hotel (1948-98), a stamp was aptly released. Two years later, the post office came out with an issue on the First Millennium Sunrise in the Philippines at Pusan Point, Davao Oriental.

The post-millennial period was more colorful, philatelically speaking. Several issuances were made, including two stamps on Mount Apo, one of which was on mountain climbing.

In 2008, Ateneo de Davao University registered as a first for an educational institution in the region when it was honored with four different stamps, chiefly depicting its iconic buildings, on its 60 th founding (1948-2008) anniversary.

In 2011, Holy Cross of

8

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

COMPETITIVE EDGE

30 FRs and IPs undergo training TESDA

T

ESDA Davao City/Sur Provincial Office, headed by OIC-Provincial Director Bayani E. Gofredo, in collaboration with Ltc. Rey P. Pasco, Commanding Officer of the 16th Infantry (Maglilingkod) Battalion of the Philippine Army (16IB), Brgy. Capt. Rommel Cozo of Brgy. Fatima and Engr. Edilberto G. Garay, Chairman of G.E. 64 Enterprise, Inc., conducted an orientation on KASH – an Apprenticeship Program on February 21, 2019 at Brgy. Fatima, Paquibato District, Davao City.

Thirty (30) Former Rebels (FRs) and Indigenous People (IPs) from various barangays in Paquibato District, were screened and selected thoroughly by the 16IB as beneficiaries of the program. They are expected to be trained and employed as operator, driver and mechanic of different Heavy Equipment such as Hydraulic Excavator, Backhoe and Dump Truck with G.E 64 Enterprise, Inc. Part of their training is to inculcate them with values formation, company rules and simulation of the equipment before their actual immersion and performance in the company’s plant. They will be guided accordingly with senior operators and

mechanic of the company.

The beneficiaries/ apprentice will receive not less than 75% of the existing minimum wage for a contract of four (4) to six (6) months. After their apprenticeship, the company has the option to hire them as regular employee based on their performance. The company also committed free lodging while they are on training.

The training will commence officially on February 25, 2019 at G.E. 64 Enterprise, Inc. at Maa, Davao City, where the beneficiaries will have their first week of training and will be transferred at the company’s plant in Callawa, Davao City for their actual performance.

cludes yuppies, merchants, overseas workers and millennials.

“But we are also aiming to reach the underserved and even the non-smartphone users in rural areas”, Villasenor added.

Gcash converts mobile phone into a virtual wallet.

Through the app, one can pay for items, transact online and send money at the speed of a text message.

“We have been doing bonus efforts to make the service available even to non-smartphone users.

We really have to democratize the service,” Villasenor said.

The GCash app is open to all networks – Globe, Smart, Sun, Talk n’ Text or TM. In line with their aim to go cashless, GCash vice president for Financial Institutions Joseph Lim provided a walk through of GCash’s app money service that they offer for free. With Gcash, a customer only needs a smartphone, funds in their Gcash account, bank details and a reliable internet connection.

Lim added that with the GCash service, fund transfers which are usu-

ally long and time-consuming, will now take less than three minutes to complete. “GCash is now fully integrated to the banks in the Philippines”, Lim said.

“With GCash, you can use the funds in your GCash account and deposit it to any of the 30 plus banks supported nationwide.”

For its fund transfer service, GCash uses the InstaPay platform introduced

by BSP. InstaPay is an Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) service that enables customers to transfer funds instantly, between and across accounts, of participating BSP-supervised banks and non-bank e-money issuers in the country. In March this year, GCash is launching a massive campaign that will further strengthen their goal to reach the underserved areas. The campaign focuses on Visayas and Mindanao.

At present, there are 1,647 active GCash merchants in Davao City – including public markets, TODA, and those establishments operating outside the malls. Likewise, there are some 576 active mid fat tail merchants.

in the illegal drug trade and control it, because it will really kill our country. The Philippines will be put to waste. So I really am relying on you),” he added.

The President also blasted human rights groups and advocates for criticizing his aggressive campaign on illegal drugs noting that all they did was “complain.”

On Feb. 20, Duterte said he wanted the war on illegal drugs to be “harsher in the coming days” noting that he did not want the country considered as a “failed state” because of drugs.

“I decided but I think I’d be more -- well I said harsher in the days to come,” Duterte said in his speech in Malacañan Palace.

“I will not allow my country to be destroyed by drugs. I will not allow my country to end up a failed state because of drugs. And I am declaring war and I said I will kill anybody who stands in the way,” he added.

He acknowledged that nobody might be able to solve the illegal drug problem in due time but stressed that he wanted to finish what he started. (PNA)

PINOYS... FROM 1

PRRD... FROM 2

ALL... FROM 2 his administration has also increased the wage of soldiers and policemen and will soon adjust salaries of teachers.

He also promised to negotiate with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the faction of Nur Misuari.

Moreover, Duterte renewed his vow to end the illegal drug trade in the Philippines in the remaining three years of his term.

He also “pleaded” to the public, especially the youth to stay away from illegal drugs.

Meanwhile, Duterte asked the crowd to tell him what other promises he failed to keep so he could fulfil them.

“Ano pa naman gusto (What more do you want)?” Duterte asked.

Emergency powers?

Last year, Duterte admitted that the country’s worsening traffic crisis cannot be solved without money involved.

Duterte said his request for emergency powers would have sped up transport projects that would help mitigate traffic.

‘NO VAC... FROM 3 “Edsa, right at the beginning, we raised the possibility of being granted emergency powers. You cannot improve on things without money nowadays,” Duterte said in a televised tête-àtête with Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo at the Malacañan Palace on September 11, 2018.

Duterte said he would no longer push for emergency powers and leave Edsa “as it is” since some legislators doubted the integrity of his Cabinet members and his promise to lead a government that is free of corruption.

“Kung wala kayong tiwala sa’kin, di ‘wag na. Ako na ngayon ang tumanggi, ayoko na (If you don’t trust me, then never mind. I’ll be the one to refuse, I no longer want it),” Duterte said.

He further said he respected the independence of Congress but if he could not mitigate traffic in Metro Manila and other urban areas, perhaps “somebody else” could.

“Let it be done by somebody else. (It’s) somebody else’s turn not mine,” he added. (PNA)

4 INMATES... FROM 3 tified as Alvin Celis, Dexter Delfino, Flor Leonard Resturo and Jerry Fernandez.

They allegedly refused to heed orders to come out of the cell for the search operation, which would include body search and random drug test.

The four, according to policemen, drew bladed weapons and attacked the lawmen forcing them to retaliate to immobilize the prisoners.

All four inmates died while undergoing treatment

at the Southern Philippines Medical Center.

The Davao City Police Office and other law enforcement agencies that included the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Region 11 conducted a random drug test on all BJMP personnel and inmates in the main building.

Nine inmates and a ranking jail official identified as Chief Insp. Roman Hernandez, administrator of BJMPDavao del Sur, tested positive for illegal drug use. (PNA

is not fully vaccinated. The DOH said that the proposal was “in view of the rising number of measles cases in the country as a result of low vaccinations against the disease.

“The health department also said it will be a great strategy to help the government in its campaign to have every Filipino children immunized. DepEd, meanwhile, said the agency is currently studying the proposal, to be implemented in public schools.

“As much as there is a growing need to reinvigorate the campaign for the importance of vaccination, Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said that the proposed policy must take into consideration the human rights of learners, especially their access to quality basic education.”

The education department made assurance of its

commitment with DOH in ensuring that the learners are protected.

Davao City Councilor Mary Joselle Villafurte said that the proposed policy would be helpful in the immunization targets of DOH and the World Health Organization (WHO).

“I am very happy that DepEd is now our partner in meeting these goals. In order to prevent future outbreaks of preventable diseases,” Villafuerte said in a text message.

However, the concurrent chair of the committee on health said that massive information and education campaign to famillies through the Parents-Teachers Assembly (PTA) should be done religiously to make them understand the importance of complete vaccination to children, in order to prevent future outbreaks of preventable diseases.

Forces Chief of Staff.

Republic Act 11200, which was signed on Feb. 8 provides for a new rank classification in the PNP, amending Section 28 of Republic Act 6975 or the DILG Act of 1990.

Under the new law, the PNP rank classification will still be distinct because the ranks will be preceded by the word “Police” as follows: Director-General to Police General; Deputy Director-General to Police Lieutenant General; Director to Police Major General; Chief Superintendent to Police Brigadier General; Senior Superintendent to Police Colonel; Superintendent to Police Lieutenant Colonel; Chief Inspector to Police Major; Senior Inspector to Police Captain; Inspector to Police Lieutenant; SPO4 to Police Executive Master Sergeant; SPO3 to Police Chief Master Sergeant; SPO2 to Police Senior Master Sergeant; SPO1

to Police Master Sergeant; PO3 to Police Staff Sergeant; PO2 to Police Corporal; PO1 to Patrolman/Patrolwoman.

The DILG Chief dismissed speculations that the modified ranks signals the militarization of the PNP. “I assure you that the PNP will continue to be civilian in character. They have won the hearts and the support of the people that way with their continuous engagement with the community and their service-oriented perspective,” he said.

He said that no matter how police personnel are addressed, what is important is their professionalism, discipline, and competence in serving the public.

“More than their ranks and how they are called, the police should ascribe more value on what those ranks represent – and that is the unique opportunity to serve and protect the public,” Año said. (PIA InfoComm)

DILG... FROM 3

INdulge!

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

TRAVEL

IT WAS as if I woke up from a dream that I never really was asleep from. The familiar sounds that woke me up in the mornings during my childhood somehow found their way to rousing me up from slumber here in Canggu, Bali. Reorienting myself again, it took me a few seconds to remember that we just landed in Bali the previous night.

Visiting the Island of the Gods this year wasn’t part of the immediate plans I had it from last year, save for the fact that I always knew I’d already fallen in love with Bali way before I even set foot on its soil.

Arriving on Saturday night, any first-timer would immediately be charmed by the depth of culture found almost in every corner of the airport. It took a while for me to get used the idea that I was in a country not my own. I was awed looking at art installations, and even the ambient music in toilets and hallways were so strongly influenced by their culture.

Bali has charmed me right off the gates in the airport. It was already midnight that we were able to get on the road and travel to Canggu where we would be spending six days before heading to Nusa Penida, and finally to Ubud where we’d zen out and chill with the remaining days before flying back to the Philippines.

The airport’s external design was jaw-dropping—intricate artwork resembling temples

EDGEDAVAO

BALI

I could work in an office with this view all day.

beautiful

Art at one of the fairs in Canggu.

Bali’s already using glass bottles instead of plastic mineral water bottles.

from the Bali Hindu traditions and some Javanese elements.

Even their malls didn’t also look like one as we passed by a mall that resembled more of a temple than a commercial center.

Arriving in Canggu, the first thing I noticed when I stepped out of the car was how quiet

it was. I was surprised to find this kind of calm unlike the many parts of Siargao where I would say must be the “closest” thing to the experience here in Bali sans the preservation of culture.

We didn’t have plans for the first day, but we knew we had to recover from the day of

Somebody couldn’t contain her excitement at the waves. travels. We got up from brunch and walked a kilometer until we reached Batu Bolong Beach.

Along the way, there were so many shops that had unique and local offerings—it was just so hard not to stop!

What I particularly loved and will go back for was the bazaar where a big surfing

brand had a branch, and it was kikay plus hipster heaven combined. You could come in and leave the place with more rings for your 10 fingers. I loved the sarongs, the art and the jewelry on display there. I am sure I’d revisit the same place the following day when we’ll pass by.

Now, my friend, Johnlery, kept telling me to calm down as soon as we saw a peek of the beach. I knew the waves were pumping as our driver, Agus, said when I asked how the surf was. He said, “Oh, it’s big, maybe 3-4 meters.” I did the instant math in my head and got a little worried that the waves would be too big for me but when we arrived at the beach it was just the way I wanted it! Challenging but still fun once you get the courage to overcome fear.

We stayed at Seaweed, a restaurant overlooking one of the surf breaks at the beach, and it was instant entertainment for me. I could hardly eat because of the excitement watching the waves and observing the surfers as they rode them.

Stay tuned next week to read more about my Bali adventure.

EDGED

A2 INdulge!

TRAVEL

Basking under the GenSan sun

VACATIONS need not be grand – luxurious even. An unplanned trip to the mall, beach or to a resort is but a most wonderful vacation that allows everyone to enjoy and leave all the worries of work behind. And in General Santos city, water plays an integral role in making everyone happy.

Today, many notable resorts cater to locals and tourists who include GenSan on their list of must visit places when in Mindanao. Before it became the tuna capital of the country, GenSan has been known for its many beautiful beaches and resorts. Of which, many travel to the city to experience a different baskingunder-the-sun-high. From families to groupies, many find the GenSan water scene rejuvenating and relaxing.

Barangay San Isidro, General Santos city has been making waves with the newest addition of a farm resort that has been a favourite by many. From the onset, Kay-zoe Farm Resort looks like a typical resort but as you explore and widen your horizon, you’d find that it’s basically surrounded with fruit bearing trees and a vast corn and rice field that adds to its already beautiful façade. Aside from that, the resort farm also features a number of fish pen to the delight of the visitors.

Kay-zoe Farm Resort boasts of a big enough pool that can accommodate a number of people all at the same time. All around, you’d be treated to a colourful surrounding that ignites a spark of happiness to the eyes. More so, the farm resort has a handful of cottages all around conveniently situated along the sides of the pool for easy access.

Owned and managed by Sarangani Province Provincial Jail officer, Bosoy Sales, and his wife, Marilou Barrera Sales, Kay-zoe Farm Resort provides a relaxing ambiance that’s very homey and familiar. What was once a retirement place for the couple has since been open to the public to enjoy.

Truth be told, vacations need not be expensive nor needs a plane ticket to be memorable. Gather the fam and peers and enjoy basking under the GenSan sun at the newest farm resort that will surely be your next favourite destination.

Kay-zoe Farm Resort is located at Prk. Masunurin Brgy. San isidro, General Santos City

The pool is protected with a see-throughcover that will have you swimming even when its raining.

Kay-zoe farm resort has a picturesque background for that instant social media pose.

The new cultural hotspot Xiqu Centre.

A Mecca for art and local culture enthusiasts

A VISIT to Hong Kong in March will leave you with more than just amazing photographs and feeds.

March is the perfect time to explore Hong Kong’s cultural life.

Those visiting the city are more than welcome to participate in a plethora of arts and cultural events around town -- including the internationally renowned Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central, which provide rare occasions for enjoying famous art pieces and rubbing shoulders with the glitterati at the same time. And with the latest cultural venues and street artworks, art and culture enthusiasts will surely find Hong Kong the perfect subject matter to immerse in an artsy ambience while on vacation.

International art at Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central Art Basel Hong Kong (29-31 March 2019) ; Art Central (27-31 March 2019) On its seventh year, Art Basel Hong Kong will return to the conveniently located Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre with 242 galleries from 36 countries, 21 of which are new to the show.

Also boasting a strong line-up is Art Central, where over 100 galleries will showcase art from around the globe. The fifth edition will also feature carefully curated performances, large-scale installations, new media art and talks. Appreciating art aside, patrons will be served a riveting view of Victoria Harbour and the city’s signature skyline at the Central Harbourfront venue.

New cultural hotspots to capture

In the Mills, visitors can learn about the history of Hong Kong’s textile industry and experience the manual cottonspinning process using traditional spinning instruments. a slice of history Dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Cantonese opera, the Xiqu Centre is noteworthy not simply for being the first venue in the much-anticipated West Kowloon Cultural District to open its doors, but also for its striking architectural design that juxtaposes traditional and modern elements.

With a futuristic form and a steel structure, the eight-storey edifice is in fact a reinterpretation of the traditional Chinese lantern, whereas its façade is shaped to resemble the parted curtains on a performing stage. While admiring the architecture, visitors are encouraged to enjoy an intimate Cantonese opera viewing experience over traditional tea and dim sum at the Tea House Theatre.

The Mills, an innovation and cultural hub transformed from a textile factory. Situated in Tsuen Wan, once an industrial area and now a major residential district,

The Mills celebrates the golden days of Hong Kong’s textile industry and carries on the legacy by nurturing the city’s creative talents.

Inside the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT) that is set to open in March, visitors can learn about the history of Hong Kong’s textile industry and the current local and global textile arts landscape. Visitors are warmly invited to experience the manual cotton-spinning process using traditional spinning instruments at CHAT’s Welcome to the Spinning Factory.

Tai Kwun, one of the city’s largest heritage revitalisation project which took a decade and HK$3.8 billion to complete. Three iconic declared monuments are now part of this cultural destination that houses a world-standard contemporary art museum, some of the city’s chicest restaurants and boutiques.

The new cul hotspot Tai Characte for local The ar Kong is n events an open, art ners of d inviting t these livi Take a st Wan and in the hip where mu seas artis of old bu you will b front of m street art ers jealou Canvas”,

EDAVAO

ultural i Kwun. erful neighbourhoods street art rt experience in Hong not limited to standalone nd places. Out in the t has penetrated the cordifferent neighbourhoods, the curious to explore ing “street art museums”. troll at Central, Sheung d the latest “ARTLANE” pster Sai Ying Pun area, murals by local and oversts can be found on walls uildings and staircases, be able to take photos in many instagram-famous t and make your followus. More so, “HK Urban , depicts the unique

INdulge! A3

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

ENTERTAINMENT

Stand-up comedian Mitch crowned “Miss Q & A Intertalaktic 2019”

Mural artworks at the “ARTLANE”.

STAND-UP COMEDIAN Mitch Montecarlo Suansane proved her wit and humor could make her dreams come true as she bagged the crown at the “Miss Q and A InterTALAKtic 2019” grand finals on Saturday (February 23) at the Araneta Coliseum.

The beauty queen from Bataan outshone her fellow grand finalists based on the scores of the judges for her answer to the final question “What is the main reason society finds it hard to fully accept your gender or sexual orientation?”

In her brave response, Mitch attributed the prejudice against the LGBTQ community to the Philippines being predominantly Catholic and explained that Filipinos were raised on the idea that only men and women are acknowledged in the Bible. She also added that gay people are “part of everything” and all people are created equally by God. Mitch beat this season’s only hall of famer, Czedy Rodriguez, who was named first runner-up, and her fellow stand-up comedian Chad Kinis Lustre-Reid, who finished as second runner-up.

As the “Miss Q & A InterTALAKtic 2019,” Mitch took home a brand new throne, a trophy, and a crown worth P450,000, a “pampafresh” package worth P200,000, a livelihood package worth P200,000, an all-expense paid winter trip for two to South Korea, a brand new car and P50,000 worth of products from Aficionado, a “retoke” package

worth P500,000, and P2 million.

Mitch is known for impersonating her idol Celine Dion, and came back to the competition as a “resbekie” in the “resbak” or wildcard week, and successfully qualified for the semifinals and the grand finals.

From ten grand finalists, Mitch made it to the top six, then beat crowd favorite Brenda Mage in the “Debattle” round to place in the final three.

The “Miss Q and A InterTALAKtic 2019: The Final Chukchak…

Vaklang Twooo!” grand finalists were assessed by a panel of judges, composed of Jugs Jugueta and Teddy Corpuz, Karylle, Ricci Rivero, Joel Cruz, Nicole Cordoves, Maymay Entrata, James Reid, Bea Alonzo, and Charo Santos-Concio.

Host Vice Ganda opened the show wearing a yellow gown that said “You don’t gain anything from hurting us” and introduced the

candidates who wore blue, white, and yellow costumes to symbolize the colors of the Philippine flag.

The “Miss Q and A” grand finals also gave out special awards, such as the Beks in Costume to Elthon Bequio, Beks in Chukchak or introduction to Dionisia Clara Dela Fuente, Beshie ng Bayan or Miss Congeniality to Brenda, Beks in Long Gown to Ayesha Lopez, and the “Ganda Ka?” award or most photogenic to Anne Patricia Lorenzo.

After the run of “Miss Q and A InterTALAKtic 2019,” “It’s Showtime” is launching the new segment “KapareWho,” a compatibility game featuring single and widowed people who are 40 and older, and looking for a second chance, friendship, and companionship. The leading noontime show also continues its countdown to its tenth anniversary this year.

Kiana Valenciano to release first full-length album

personalities and stories behind local shops.

More than meets the eye (and the lens) Those who seek more sensory stimulation will find a plethora of performing arts events, the most notable of which is the Hong Kong Arts Festival. With a history of over four decades, the annual bonanza featuring opera, theatre, music, dance and more has been an artery of the city’s cultural life. Visitors will enjoy 166 performances and over 300 exciting array of outreach activities by over 1,700 artists from around the world from 21 February to 23 March 2019.

Kiana Valenciano is all set to shake airwaves with her much-awaited “See Me” album, consisting of ten original tracks, under Tarsier Records and top-gun producers Moophs and Marcus Davis.

Her “baby” as she calls it, “See Me” shows off Kiana’s writing ability to cross genres without losing her sonic brand. She pushed her limits to find the perfect balance between what she wants and not making the songs seem too generic. More than all the technical details and artistic creation, however, the hardest to deal with was the vulnerability of showing her true self.

Working on the album, she developed a renewed perspective: being unapologetic about her craft. This resulted to her having bursts of writing sessions that took as quick as an hour with “Want You” to “See Me” that took a full month. In the creative process Kiana aimed to focus on her emotions as well as the rawness of her music.

“See Me” lists 10 tracks including the carrier single “5:30,” a soulful summer score on that ‘can’t-getenough-of-you’ feeling, and “Keep It Secret,” a reunion with rapper Curtismith.

“See Me” will be out on all digital music platforms starting March 1 (Friday). For updatesand the freshest releases, follow @tarsierrecords on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

A4 INdulge!

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

GABRIELA... FROM 4

NEW... FROM 5

in all aspect, most especially im battling against post partum depression (PPD),” Dionisio said.

She said that prior to the law, pregnant employees were forced to

file for unpaid leave of absence so they could rest before giving birth while others would opt to resign because of the uncertainty of being employed after giving birth.

and management, a 525 unit condominium type housing for government employees dubbed as “The Residences”, a commercial facility, and a River Park.

For her part, Governor Susan Yap expressed gratitude to the national government for putting their trust in investing in the establishment of a smart, green and disaster-resilient city like the NCC, which is projected to create more economic opportunities in Tarlac.

“NCC has always been the dream for the Tarlac community. This new city will enable people in our province to be part of a huge economic activity awaiting the country,” Yap said.

“I’m happy that the Philippines’ first smart city will be built here in Capas. Soon, huge investments will be pouring in our municipality, and locators will see the great economic potential in Capas,” Mayor Reynaldo Cat-

acutan said.

NGAC’s near completion marks the first step in decongesting Metro Manila, according to Engr.

Joshua Bingcang, Bases Conversion and Development Authority Senior Vice President for Business Development and Operations.

“By establishing a modern government center in Clark, we’re contributing to the vision of President Duterte to spur growth and investments in areas outside the capital. NGAC was designed to bring equal access of public service to the Filipinos,” Bingcang said.

NGAC is patterned after the Federal Territory of Putrajaya, Malaysia’s administrative center, developed to decongest the capital Kuala Lumpur. It is envisioned to bring longterm and viable solutions to decongest Metro Manila and eventually spur growth and investments in Central Luzon. (CLJD/ WLB-PIA 3)

“The new variety is being used to catch up with the gestation period,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza said she also wanted to end the “dummy system” wherein a person who does not have land gets tree seedlings for free from the government then sell them to the lowly farmers. Some seedlings do not even have roots.

The current buying price of latex is pegged at PHP22 per kilo at the North Cotabato’s “bagsakan” and is hoped to increase to PHP27–28 per kilo.

Under the program, Mendoza said a farmer with a one-hectare land can get 500 budded rubber tree seedlings, which has only 10 percent mortality rate compared to the old technology wherein a farmer loses 50 percent of the seedlings.

Mendoza admitted it was a challenge to go against the traditional practice of using only seedlings in small bags that rubber farmers have been using for many years.

Remedios Hernandez, acting provincial agriculturist, explained that under the program, if a farmer implements good practices from planting to harvest time and maintains the farm well, he will no longer be required to pay the loan.

She said the farm will be monitored from time to time like what the gov-

DEVELOPER... FROM 4

9

EDGEDAVAO

WATER... FROM 5 ernment did for the Gonzales Farm. If planting is not successful after a year, the farmer will be asked to re-plant.

The Gonzales Farm availed of the program in 2014, and was given a PB260 variety for both small and big bag.

The advantage of using the “big bag” technology is early rubber tapping in four or five years.

Hernandez said the Gonzaleses harvested in December 2018, four years after the planting.

Jack Sandique, president of Platinum Rubber Development Inc., said he wants North Cotabato to become the new rubber capital of the country — a tag currently held by Basilan province.

Sandique said he is counting on the new technology that will be fully utilized in North Cotabato rubber farms.

According to him, a farmer can spend between PHP150,000 and PHP180,000 per hectare or PHP500 per tree from land preparation, planting, maintenance to harvesting.

Sandique is sharing the technology to all farmers. “It will be a full bloom technology in North Cotabato. We are aiming as the number one rubber capital,” he said with optimism.

The province is also set for the next bidding of rubber tree seedlings for those who will avail of the program.

of floodwater, which spread across areas way far from river courses.

She viewed the recent massive flooding in

Davao del Norte through drone-taken videos and noticed banana trunks obstructing river channels. (PIA 11)

event that was also graced by gracious hosts Iloilo City Mayor Joe Espinosa III and Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Sr. The opener was also attended by PSC commissioners Ramon Fernandez, Charles Maxie, Celia Kiram and Arnold Agustin and national project director Atty.

Guillermo Iroy.

“We’re hoping one among these children could emerge as a Manny Pacquiao, a Lydia de Vega-Mercado or an Elma Muros,” said Ramirez.

For hosting, Ramirez said Iloilo will receive P15 million worth of sports equipment. “Apart from it, we’re also making Iloilo as

a training center in this region,” he said.

About 3000 athletes from 71 local government units across the region have come here to compete and gain a spot to the National Finals set in October this year in either Tagbilaran, Bohol or Ormoc City.

Cebu City has the biggest delegation after fielding in a strong 317-man delegation and is expected to be the LGU to watch out for since it dominated last year’s Visayas Leg in Dumaguete.

Host Iloilo is expected to come out and challenge the Cebuanos and has entered 311 athletes followed

by Cebu Province with 297.

12-and-a-half minutes of play while frustrating the Kazakhstan frontline.

Clemmons put up 27 points, four rebounds, nine assists, four steals, and one block while carrying the fight for Kazakhstan, but in the end, the locals lost steam at crunch time.

At the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex in Zouk Mikael, South Korea sti-

fled Lebanon in the final quarter, only conceding eight points, that eventually knocked the latter out of contention, giving Jordan, which owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Lebanon, a free pass to the World Cup. Jordan even put the exclamation point with an 86-80 upset against New Zealand. (NJB with a report from PNA)

BATANG... FROM 11

ESCANDOR... FROM 12

10 SCIENCE EDGEDAVAO

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

Saving beleaguered marine resources from extinction Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

(First of Five Parts)

T

he Philippines has about 7,107 islands, but no one for sure know how long the country’s coastline is. The United States measured it as 36,289 kilometers but the Philippine government sets a far more conservative: 17,500 kilometers.

“The true figure will surely depend on parameters of the measurements criteria, but whichever you choose, it’s long,” writes Lindsay Bennett in her globetrotter island Guide, Philippines.

Senator Loren Legarda, in one of her recent speeches, said the “coastline is indented with several bays and gulfs.” She added that country has “about 132 principal rivers throughout the archipelago which drain through the coastal zones.”

The country claims some 220 million hectares as its territorial waters: 193.4 million hectares of which are part of the oceans and the remaining 26.6 million hectares belong the what is called as Exclusive Economic Zone.

“Suffice to say that the country is truly blessed with its bounty of natural resources thriving in these water bodies,” said a position paper from Philippine Economic, Environmental and Natural Resources Accounting (PEENRA).

It is not surprising that fish is the second staple food of Filipinos – after rice. About 56% of Filipinos’ animal protein comes from fish, and 91% of fish caught in-country are consumed domestically, pointed out Oceana Philippines, an ocean conservation and advocacy organization.

“Not only is fish a vital food source, it also provides livelihood for millions of Filipinos,” it said in its press statement.

More than ever, the demand for fish is greater as population continues to grow. The Philippines is now home to more than 100 million people. In 2015, Filipino households consumed

about 101 grams per capita per day of fish and fish products, the Food and Nutrition Research Institute said.

The bad news is that the country’s fishery resources are fast dwindling. “During the past decades, Athe people have enjoyed the abundance of the Philippine marine fishery resource,” the PEENRA paper noted. “Ask the old fisherfolks how they culled their harvests. Many of them would say that fish sized with less than a foot rule will automatically be thrown back to the water.

Back then, they even have the luxury to choose the most palatable fish among the wide variety of species thriving in a particular fishing ground.”

But such is not the case anymore. “We are running out of fish and running out of time,” decried Vince Cinches, Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia. “For a country known for marine biodiversity, there are very few fish left to catch.”

As a matter of fact, some of the fishes that used to abound in the country’s waters are now facing extinction, according to the Switzerland-based International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Take the case of tawilis (scientific name: Sardinella tawilis), which may disappear from swimming in the waters of Taal Lake in Batangas.

The IUCN has included the freshwater fish as endangered species. “Within Lake Taal, there are major threats to fish diversity and this species due to overexploitation, pollution and competition and/or predation with introduced fishes, resulting in continuing declines in habitat quality and number of mature individuals,” it said in a statement.

Late last year, the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity reported that the Ark of Taste International has listed tawilis in the “catalogue of endangered heritage foods of the Philippines.”

A species is considered endangered when it is seriously at risk of extinction.

The inclusion of tawilis in the endangered list is a “wake-up call,” to quote the words of Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos of the National Academy of Science and Technology, for Filipinos as tawilis can only be found in the Philippines and it is the only freshwater sardine in the world. “(Tawilis) is found in the third largest lake in the country with an area of more than 66,000 hectares and average depth of 60 meters,” said Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, a fishery expert who popularized tilapia as the country’s most popular fish after bangus.

“The fish was landlocked with the formation of Taal Volcano, about 100,000 years ago, which separated the body of water from the sea.”

Although small, about six- to seven-inches long, tawilis is the most dominant fish catch in the lake.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Research (BFAR), a line agency of the Department of Agriculture, said the fish is caught by gill net, beach seine, ring net and motorized push net.

Taal Lake is a tourist destination as it has been described as “a lake within a lake and a volcano within a volcano.” We had been to lake once but unfortunately haven’t tried tawilis. People who have tasted the fish said tawilis is really mouth-watering.

Dr. Aristotle Carandang, chief science research specialist at the Department of Science and Technology, considers tawilis as “the pride of Southern Tagalog.”

He says, “Tawilis is best eaten as dried (for frying), deep fried (eat everything), and as pinais (paksiw na nakabalot sa dahon ng saging.

There are also bottled tawilis sold in supermarkets.”

“I love the deep-fried style,” says Dr. Richard T. Mata, a physician from Panabo City who never fails

to order tawilis whenever he goes to Tagaytay. “They always say that the beauty of tawilis is that you can eat the whole fish without removing the bones. My son loves it, too.”

In addition to raw consumption, tawilis is also processed into various food products. It is one of the many fish species dried, salted and sold as daing in the country. They are also smoked and bottled in oil, and sold commercially.

Overfishing has been cited as the primary culprit on why it has become an endangered species. “The major cause of the drastic decline in the tawilis catch of the fisherfolk in the lake is overfishing, wherein the rate of human exploitation of the fish surpassed the ability of the fish to replenish itself,” commented Dr. Guerrero, who used to be the director of the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development.

The Marine Wildlife Watch in the Philippines (MWWP), in an infographic that was posted in its Facebook, reported that the tawilis population has decreased by at least 50% in the last decade. It said that the reported total catch of tawilis was 1,672 metric tons in 1998. The total catch of the fish dropped to 240 metric tons in 2005 and further dipped to 107 metric tons in 2010.

The use of illegal fishing gear has also contributed to the fish’s demise. “The illegal use of trawlers and ‘superlights’ to attract the fish at night in the past almost wiped out the species,” Dr. Guerrero claimed.

Something must be done to save the tawilis from extinction. Or else, the country will lose an icon culturally, a significant fish historically and a big loss to Philippine cuisine. “Ecologically, without tawilis, Taal Lake will become less biodiverse, unbalanced, and less resilient to environmental changes,” explains Dr. Ar-

nel “AA” Yaptinchay, MWWP founder and director.

Once tawilis is gone from the waters of Taal Lake, it will be gone forever. “If lost, it can never be replaced again,” Dr. Yaptinchay reminds.

Several things can be done to keep tawilis from thriving. “Address all the threats simultaneously,” Dr. Yaptinchay suggests. “Government needs to step in and regulate activities in the lake and manage fishing activities by introducing closed seasons for tawilis, and probably even a temporary ban until a non-determent finding is done.

“More biological and ecological studies should be conducted, especially in culturing the species,” he adds.

Here’s a good news. Dr. Maris Mutia of the National Fisheries Research and

Development Institute has already submitted her recommendation for a closed season (period of no fishing) during the peak spawning time of the tawilis to the Protected Area Management Board and the local government unit in Aside from tawilis, there are other sardine species like Sardinella lemuru and S. gibbosa (usually canned or dried) that also need to be properly managed.

“We need to make sure that there is science-based management of sardines, do more scientific studies on the matter, and implement conservation measures to ensure that we will have sardines forever,” pointed out Oceana Philippines, a non-government organization trying to save the world’s oceans. (To be continued)

homeowners affected. Ito yung hard-earned money na binili dun sa subdivision ngayon for retirement or whatever purposes they would want,” Villamor said.

He said that the association is opposing the construction of the new railway. “We are not against the railway. The problem actually is the railway will actually pass through Phase 1,” he said.

Villamor said the group will exhaust all legal means available to resolve this issue.

The Mindanao Railway Project will consist of five phases and the first phase of the project will have the following stations, namely: Tagum City, Carmen, and Panabo City in Davao del Norte; Mudiang and Toril in Davao City; Sta. Cruz and Digos City in Davao del Sur.

Francis Tolentino, PDP-Laban President and reelectionist senator Aquilino “Koko” PImentel III, Maguindanao Rep. Zajid Mangudadatu, and former Philippine National Police and Bureau of Corrections chief Roland “Bato” Dela Rosa.

Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President does not think that he possesses

any “magical” power to make candidates of his choice win the elections after analysts said the May elections would test the President’s power to endorse his candidates.

Panelo disagreed with remarks that the failure of administration allies to win seats would mean voter rejection of the Duterte administration. (PNA)

RAILWAY... FROM 1

PRRD... FROM 4

11 SPORTS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

LGUs back sports programs to shield youth from drugs

I

LOILO CITY--Local government officials on Sunday vowed to support grassroots sports programs in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s goal to shield the youth from illegal drugs.

“The city government supports the program of the President that through sports we stop illegal drugs in this part of the country,” Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III said in his welcome message during the opening of the Batang Pinoy Visayas leg at the Iloilo Sports Complex here.

“They (youth) are the future leaders of our community that we should protect and preserve,” he added as he welcomed 2,849 athletes from 71 local government units (LGUs).

Espinosa encouraged everyone to ensure that the Philippines “will be in good hands” by seeing to it that the future generations are free from influence of illegal drugs.

He thanked former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go for helping him to get an appointment with the President for his program “Utos ni President, Utos ni Mayor: No to Corruption, No to Criminality, No to illegal drugs”.

Go together with former Philippine National Police Director-General Ronald dela Rosa graced the opening ceremonies of the week-long sport event.

In a media interview, Go said the Batang Pinoy is a program of the government to protect children from the drug menace.

“This will be one of our priorities, sports

C

Former Special Assistant to the President Bong Go and PSC Commissioners Charles Raymond Maxey and Arnold Agustin during the opening of the 2019 Batang Pinoy Visayas Leg in Iloilo City on Sunday.

development, especially for the grassroots,” Go said.

He said athletes should get the much-needed support and big incentives.

“They should be supported from the start up to their training, especially those with potentials,” he said.

Go, a senatorial aspirant like dela Rosa, pointed out that the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) should be given additional budget.

Batang Pinoy is the PSC’s grassroots sports development program for children 15 years old and below with national winners bound to get opportunity to be part of the national pool.

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Sr., for

oach Yeng Guiao can now take a good 8-hour sleep.

I know how Yeng works.

You saw the eyebags as he appeared on TV interviews prior to the two critical games against Qatar and Kazakhstan, respectively.

Well, Guiao and his coaching staff did their homework well.

After successfully hurdling the two obstacles, the Philippines officially made it to the FIBA World Cup in China next August when South Korea tripped Lebanon on the same night that Blatche and company were ripping apart the Kazakhs Sunday night. Take it from me, the outstanding allaround performance of naturalized ex- NBAer Andray Blatche, kept our country’s hopes alive.

As he did in totally outclassing the Qataris on their homecourt,

his part, also expressed strong support of the provincial government to the PSC’s grassroots program.

Defensor is hoping the country’s first ever Olympic gold medalist will come from Batang Pinoy.

“The Philippines since it joined the Olympic Games has not won a gold medal. Maybe through the Batang Pinoy, they can discover athletes who can compete and win the coveted gold medal in the Olympics” he said.

The opening rite was also attended by PSC chairperson William Ramirez and Commissioners Charles Raymond Maxey, Arnold Agustin and Ramon Fernandez. (PNA)

Batang Pinoy Viz Leg underway I LOILO CITY—Battle lines will be drawn when action in the Visayas Leg of the 2019 Philippine National Youth Games-Batang Pinoy begin hostilities on Monday in various fronts including medal-rich athletics and swimming at the Iloilo Sports Complex here.

A total of 14 gold medals will be staked in Day One of the track and field competition including the girls’ 2000-meter walk where the very first golden winner of this weeklong event for in and out-ofschool youth athletes will come.

Also staking mints early are the boys’ long jump, girls’ shot put and high jump, girls’ discus throw, while the afternoon events

will stake golds in girls’ 3000m and triple jump and boys’ discus throw, girls’ 100m hurdles, boys’ 110m hurdles, girls’ 100m, boys’ 100m , girls’ 400m and boys’ 400m.

Over at the pool, 14 golds will also be contested starting with the boys and girls 200m individual medley for 12 years old and under and 13 to 15 years old.

Other swim events in Day One are 100m freestyle (four), 50m backstroke (four), 1500m freestyle (one) and 800m free (one).

Gold medal winners are also expected to emerge in archery at the West Visayas State University field, arnis at the Iloilo Science and Technology

Team Pilipinas qualifies in FIBA

Blatche proved, that if he were in excellent shape, nobody from the opposing squads can match up against him.

This might be a sweeping statement and it is.

I hated Blatche when he came home overweight and out of shape which prompted Yeng to de-list him from the roster when Team Pilipinas (TP) (I like the tag “Team Pilipinas” better than Gilas) lost to Qatar and Kazakhstan some time ago in our home court.

The Kazakhs big men could not penetrate the Pinoys’ solid fortress with the presence of Blatche in the middle. He scared their wits out, literally.

Just to emphasize Blatche’s contribution to the team, he put in 41 points, 2 blocks, 14 rebounds, and issued several assists.

SPORTS KEN Fred C. Lumba Wow, superhuman? No, just herculean. LOL. Despite the easy victories over Qatar and Kazakhstan, I had noticed some

offensive and defensive lapses which I thought needed to be plugged by the TP coaching staff. One, they could not sustain a running game which is Guiao’s trademark as a bench strategist of note and second, the Pinoys’ trapping full- court press.

China, Japan and South Korea are aware of these twin strategies usually employed by all Filipino coaches. Watch how they also try to copy the Filipinos’ playing style and improve on it.

For the FIBA main draw, I would suggest that Guiao tap – if healthy - Greg Slaughter to sub for Blatche and maintain two tall men every minute of the game.

Slaughter can be paired with Japhet while Blatche and JunMar Fajardo team up.

This strategy will ease defensive burdens on Andray and

University, karatedo at the SM City Iloilo, pencak silat at the Times Square ICC Gaisano, and taekwondo at the Robinson’s Pavia.

Other events coming off the wraps today are badminton at the Jaro Gym, baseball at the La Paz Football field, basketball and chess at the Iloilo Sports Complex covered gym, boxing at the Dungon Jaro covered court, futsal at the West Visayas State U field, lawn tennis at the La Paz court, sepak takraw, volleyball and softball at the Central Philippines University Gym, and beach volley at the Joe III Garden.

No less than Philippine Sports Commission chairman William “Butch” Ramirez ushered in the

FBATANG, P9

help him avoid committing unnecessary crippling fouls.

China has three young but experienced seven footers while SK and Japan are also fielding tall line-ups, even if we concede that these three countries don’t really need the services of naturalized American imports.

Guiao needs to gather and prepare his boys for a longer period of training time. As you probably noticed, they still were rough around the edges and tentative because they needed to familiarize more.

Jayson Castro, who normally would have run rings around his guards, couldn’t find his rhythm; Marcio Lassiter took more time to get heated up and so was Paul Lee with their long toms.

Make no mistake about it, TP will face an uphill battle in the FWC.

12 EDGEDAVAO Sports

VOL.11 ISSUE 242 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

TRIPLE THREAT Rancho Palos Verdes sending 3 teams to PAL Interclub

By NEILWIN JOSEPH BRAVO

R

PAL SENIORS INTERCLUB. The 33rd Philippine Airlines Seniors Interclub gets underway in Cebu Feb. 27 with PAL President Jaime J. Bautista (2nd from left) leading the ceremonial tee

off at Alta Vista Golf & Country Club. A record 108 teams local and foreign - are registered to play.

Escandor, Maxey hail Gilas’win

D

avao City’s prominent sports officials praised the determined bid shown by the Team Pilipinas in Sunday night’s win-orgo-home battle for the last bus to the 2019 FIBA World Cup. “The team was really out there to win which was the first thing we need to do. And then, we got lucky after Korea beat Lebanon in the other match. It was really meant to be for us,” said Presidential Adviser for Sports and Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas regional head Glenn E s candor.

“Kudos to the team, t h e y d e s e r ve d to be in the World C u p , ” a d d e d Escandor who closely followed the match along with former Davao Eagles coach

Ronel Leuterio, now the SBP 11 operations officer.Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) commissioner Charles Maxey said: “It was a big win for us considering the Filipinos’ passion for basketball. We got to play in the FIBA World Cup again and that’s something to cheer about and for us to be proud of.”

M a x ey also commended the decision of coach Y e n g Guiao to set aside his personal convictions and recall to the national team duty its naturalized player Andray Blatche.

“It was a good decision to insert Andray Blatche back Andray Blatche led the Philippines with 41 points. FIBA photo

into the lineup,” Maxey said.

Gilas booked the much coveted seat to the global tournament with a 93-75 rout of Kazakhstan. South Korea also won, 84-72, over Lebanon early Monday (Philippine time).

At the Republican Velodrome in Astana, Blatche prevailed over Anthony Clemmons in the battle of naturalized players and Gilas avenged its Window 5 defeat to Kazakhstan in style.

Gilas erupted for 26 points in the third quarter behind the late surge of Jayson Castro before limiting Kazakhstan to just 15 in the final frame to close out the game.

Blatche, despite being hobbled by foul trouble, finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and four steals for Gilas, which will enter the WC as the best fourth placer following Japan’s 96-48 blowout in Qatar.

Castro added 15 points, going 4-for-4 from long range, three rebounds, and one assist off the bench.

Junemar Fajardo showed that he can still deliver, contributing nine points, seven rebounds, and one assist in

FESCANDOR, P9

ancho Palos Verdes will try to do a second championship dance as the core of its 2018 Seniors Sportswriters division champion squad returns to defend the title this year. Then it will go full throttle in the Regular Men’s tournament with two teams heading to the Cebu for the PAL Interclub Golf Tournament which runs from February 27 to March 9 in four Cebu courses.

Newly-installed club manager Tommy Inigo confirmed RPV’s threeteam contingent in the biggest amateur team golf event in the country.

The Seniors squad which will defend the Sportswriters division title at the Alta Vista and Club Filipino courses set on Feb. 27 to March 2 will be captained by Randy Cadiogan with regulars Nor Taojo, Josue Tesado, Eugenio Serado, Ellias Arriba, Lito Dublan and Deo Cura.

The team will sample the courses on Monday at

Alta Vista and on Tuesday at Club Filipino de Cebu,” said Inigo.

The Cabantian-based swingers will field two squads in the Men’s tournament on March 6 to 9.

RPV 1 will be bannered by team captain Roderick Lo, Christopher Tan, Jaime Jong Tan Jr., Ronald Galicia, EJ Casintahan, Jose Briones, Leo Yap, Jorge Martinez, Jean Paul Marfori and Leo Abellera Magno.

RPV 2 will also be a formidable squad with Jerico Bajo as skipper and mainstays Ludwig Van Ledesma, Jessie Tan, Brian Davila, Oscar Rebosura, Regino Capa, Alejadro So, Wendell Adlao, Vincent Valdellon and Jaime Tan. According to Inigo, RPV 1 is scheduled for practice in Mactan (March 4 at 12 noon) and Cebu Country Club (March 5 at 6 am) while RPV 2 will practice at Cebu Country Club (March 4 at 12 noon) and Mactan (March 5 at 6 am).

Rancho Palos Verdes

won the 71st edition of the PAL Seniors’ Sportswriters division title braving the gusty winds of Binitin’s Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club on final day the RPV swingers took the championship with an aggregate 103 points for a 454 total on the four-day tournament--the 32nd edition of the Seniors side of the biggest club golfest in the country.

Its men’s team finished fourth in a powerhouse-laden Aviators Division field of the Regular Men’s Interclub also in Bacolod last year.

This year’s Interclub is sponsored by Asian Air Safari and Radio Mindanao Network. Also extending support are ABS-CBN Global Ltd. (The Filipino Channel), Rolls Royce, Primax Broadcasting Network, UM Broadcasting Network (Mindanao), Fox Sports, GECAS, Boeing, Lufthansa Technik AG and Manila Standard.

Official hotel is Quest Hotel Conference Center Cebu.