Edge Davao Volume 13 Issue 17 | Friday, May 1, 2020

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RAFA, GETTING FEDERER TO ON KNOW MOVE TO THIRD ROUND COVID-19

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Applications for building, zoning permits increase

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he Office of the Davao City Planning and Development Coordinator is swarmed by applicants for locational clearance, zoning, building and other permits with at least 500 applications submitted on a weekly basis.

The increase in applications is an indication of Davao City’s booming construction industry and infrastructure development, the city noted.

Assistant City Planning and Development Coordinator Roy Ryan Rigor said the influx of permit applicants on a weekly basis is very high, causing delays in the issuances of permits.

Rigor said the issuance of some permits, such as for locational applications, needed actual surveys by their personnel and this contributed to the delay.

“There are really too

many applications that we receive and it is not only limited to the zoning permits, but there are also a lot more,” he said.

He also underscored submission of incomplete sets of requirements that further slows down the process of issuing the permits.

“There are some clients whose documents have discrepancies, and that causes the delay in the issuance of the permit. Another example is when the area needs to be reclassified and that needs the approval of the city council first,” Rigor said.

FSIGNS, P10

MINDANAO HERITAGE THROUGH MODERN FASHION

►INDULGE A1

RAISING A MILLENNIAL FAMILY FOREMOST IN ESDEVCO’S MIND

►PROPERTY P9

SAP-

SERVED

More than 84,000 beneficiaries in Davao City receive SAP assistance STORY ON P2

A vegetable trader in Bankerohan Public Market’s vegetable bagsakan area uses socialPresident media platform to sell TOURISM. Rodrigo Duterte her products as an alternative earn profit responds toway the todiscussions duringwhile the the city government of meeting Davao imposes shortertourism retailpartand with the Japanese wholesale business hours of theHotel implementation nersasat part the Imperial in Tokyo, Japan of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to stop the on Wednesday night.

PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO spread of Covid-19 in the city. Edge Davao

2 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 17 • FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020

SAP-SERVED More than 84,000 beneficiaries in Davao City receive SAP assistance

By MAYA M. PADILLO

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total of 84,992 beneficiaries in Davao City have received the government’s Social Amelioration Fund (SAP) assistance from implementor Department of Social Welfare and Development 11 (DSWD11).

Grace Subong, regional director of DSWD, said the agency has distributed worth P149 million of SAP. Of the entire beneficiaries, there are 52, 502 falling under the non-Pantawid program and 32, 420 under Pantawid program.

Subong said as of April 28, 2020, DSWD

11 has distributed assistance to a total of 428,527 beneficiaries in Davao Region amounting to P2,228,174,200.

She said in Davao del Sur, the agency has served 44,320 non-Pantawid beneficiaries and 29, 470 Pantawid beneficiaries while in Davao Occidental

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has bared in her radio program on Tuesday that a vendor of Pag-asa Marfori Annex Market in Bankerohan, Davao City has tested positive of Covid-19. The 59-

46,134 beneficiaries composed of 13,002 from non-Pantawid program and 33,132 from Pantawid program were given assistance.

In Davao del Norte, a total of 62,407 beneficiaries comprised of 56,844 non-Pantawid and 5,563 Pantawid beneficiaries received assistance while 37,499 beneficiaries under non-Pantawid and 62,258 beneficiaries under Pantawid in Davao de Oro. In Davao Oriental, 20,613 beneficiaries under non-Pantawid and 40,104 beneficiaries under Pantawid were also served.

Subong said

on April 22, SAP funds amounting to P7,822,000 for Talaingod, Davao del Norte was transferred by the agency to the local government unit. However, she said the municipaliHouse Speaker Paolo Duterte says he will file a measure ty has not yet started Deputy repealing the Republic Act 10912 or the “Continuing Professional its distribution to the Development (CPD) Act of 2016,” which sets mandatory requirements for the renewal of the Professional Identification Card, for beneficiaries.

“All local govern- being a "burden" on the country's professionals. Edge Davao ment units have already received their funds for the social amelioration program,” the regional chief said.

Subong stressed that it is the goal of the lmost four years es and continue the DSWD to give the SAP since the enact- practice of their proto the beneficiaries, ment of Repub- fessions,” the presiupon receipt of the lic Act 10912 or the dential son pointed fund transfer which is “Continuing Profes- out. seven to ten days. sional Development Duterte, the city's (CPD) Act of 2016,” first district repreDeputy Speaker Paolo sentative, described "Pulong" Duterte said the law -- introduced it is time to repeal the by Senator Antolaw for being a "bur- nio Trillanes IV -- as den" on the country's against the interest of professionals. the professional secIn a statement tor. late Tuesday evening, “We can actualDuterte said he will ly help our profesfile a measure repeal- sionals meet global ing the law, which sets standards through mandatory require- other means, without ments for the renew- passing the burden to al of the Professional them,” the lawmaker Identification Card. said.

The law provides Duterte said the that anyone who repeal of the CPD law works within a sector would also serve as a that is formally reg- gratitude to the proulated is likely to be fessional front-liners required to track and who "continuously progress their CPD to render their service maintain their license to the country espeto practice or profes- cially during the time sional qualifications. of crisis."

“While we sup“We have witport lifelong learn- nessed the selfless ing among our pro- acts of our profesfessionals to further sional front-liners. their craft, the re- They do not deserve quirements set by the the CPD law,” he said.

CPD law just adds to "This is long overthe burden they have due. We will not just to deal with. After a file it for the sake long day of work, they of filing. We will file are forced to spend a this bill, seek support bulk of their salary, from our colleagues take absences from in Congress, and work, and go through make sure that this unreasonable hard- is enacted as soon as year old female vendor, who is now confined at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), allegedly owns a stall in this portion ships just so they can possible," he added. renew their licens- (PNA) of the said market. Edge Davao

Pulong seeks repeal of CPD law

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NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 17 • FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020

COVID-19 WATCH

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Households, streets, compounds on lockdown

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fter implem e n t i n g purok-wide lockdown, the city government of Davao has stepped up its efforts in combating the spread of COVID-19 by placing some households, compounds, and streets on lockdown.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio reported that 22 lockdowns were implemented to the streets, compounds and households in Davao City after some residents were tested positive for COVID-19.

As of April 28, there are 17 houses, four compounds, and one street from various barangays: one in Sto. Nino, one

in Tacunan, one in Daliao, one in Ilang, one in Brgy 21-C, three in Brgy 23-C, two in Leon Garcia in Agdao, two in Bago Gallera, two in Catalunan Grande, one in Baliok, one in Talomo, one in Brgy.

Angliongto, three in Buhangin proper, and two in Cabantian are on lockdown.

The lockdown was implemented upon the recommendation of the City Health Office (CHO), which leads the contact-tracing team and the Epidemiology Surveillance Unit.

“The lockdown was implemented by the security group ?HOUSEHOLDS, P10

Vendor tests positive

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59-year-old female vendor at Pag-Asa Marfori annex wet market in Bankerohan was tested positive for coronavirus.

Barangay Captain Edgar Ibuyan Sr., of Brgy. 5-A, said the patient, who is now confined at Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), apparently was not protected while tending her store when she got infected.

“Pagpanginabuhi

lang jud iyang gihunahuna,” he said.

Ibuyan said the family members of the patient and her neighbors, who were exposed to her, have been scheduled for swab test.

He also said the barangay will be providing support to the family of the patient.

Ibuyan added that Pag-Asa Marfori annex wet market is operated and owned by the Marforis. By Maya M. Padillo

President Rodrigo Duterte gives updates on the government’s efforts in addressing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on Monday evening. Duterte has ruled out the

PNP open to probe human rights accusations over ECQ

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he Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday said it welcomes any investigation on accusations of human rights violations supposedly committed by police personnel during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) guidelines.

“As I have said, all those who are accusing the PNP that we have committed many cases of human rights

violations, we are open to a (full investigation),” PNP chief, Gen. Archie Gamboa said in a virtual press

briefing.

This comes in the wake of recent incidents such as the fatal shooting of former Army Cpl. Winston Ragos at a quarantine checkpoint in Quezon City, the altercation between a foreigner and police officer in Dasmariñas Village in Makati City, and the incident where police officers allegedly shouted at residents of a condominium in Taguig City for supposed social distanc-

T vestigation on the hospitals that reportedly refused to administer emergency treatment to patients. Edge Davao

ing violations.

Gamboa, however, reminded police officers manning the checkpoints to respect the rights of the people.

“On our part, we keep on reminding our policemen and if ever there is an incident that transpired, we will have an impartial investigation...” he added.

He said M/Sgt. Daniel Florendo, the suspect in Ragos’ kill?PNP, P10

DSWD 11 to do ‘catch up’ for total SAP distribution

By MAYA M. PADILLO

?GOV’T, P10

Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go gestures while speaking in a gathering in this undated photo. Go called on concerned government agencies to conduct an immediate in-

peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) following the series of attacks waged by the New People’s Army (NPA), against government troops. Presidential Photo

he regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD 11) plans to roll out a ‘catch up’ plan to complete the distribution of the Social Amelioration Plan (SAP) in Davao Region.

“Since SAP distribution must not go beyond May 15, the agency will employ new plans and strategies especially in the distribution particularly in Davao City,” Grace Subong, regional director of DSWD, told media in a virtual presser.

Subong cited challenges that caused delay in the distribu-

tion of SAP such as the assignment of special disbursing officers, and processing and validating the list of the qualified beneficiaries.

“We cannot ask for assistance from other DSWD regional offices because of the lockdown. We instead asked for assistance from the local government of Davao City to give us additional staff to help us validate the lists,” she said.

According to the regional director, every local government unit (LGU) and the DSWD that manage the distribution of ?DSWD, P10

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NEWS

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 17 • FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020

Employees raise funds for SPMC frontliners I

n contribution to help beat the COVID-19 pandemic, Davao Light and Power Company employees donated money from their own pockets to help the medical frontliners of Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) who are currently providing care to CoViD 19 patients in Davao City.

Employees of Davao Light and Power Company donated money from their own pockets to help the medical frontliners of Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) providing care to CoViD 19 patients in Davao City.

Kite flying activities near power lines affect customers, hospitals

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avao Light is urging the public to help strengthen its campaign against kite flying near power lines that has affected customers and vital installations during the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

To date, Davao Light has recorded 216 kites entangled on our power lines flying-related incidents affecting more than 23,000 customers within the Davao Light franchise specifically in the areas of Sto. Tomas, Panabo, Tigatto, Mandug, Indangan, Matina and Maa. “Kites that were entangled in the power lines is now one of the major causes of power interruptions in the Davao Light franchise. Its power

lines are designed to automatically shut off power whenever something has come in contact with it for safety purposes. Hence, when kites touch the lines, a power interruption may happen.” said Davao Light AVP for Engineering Operations Orville O. Lazaro.

“One should never try to remove a kite that has been caught on the electric lines and must release the string immediately because it can expose

the person to electrocution, which could be fatal.” added Lazaro.

U n f o r t u n a t e l y, some of the affected customers due to kite flying were vital installations such as hospitals in the Davao del Norte area namely Rivera Medical Center Inc. Hospital, Metropolitan Polymedic Community Hospital Inc., Matutes Medical Clinic and Hospital, and Estela Medical Clinic and Pharmacy. These hospitals experienced service disruption twice, last March 4 and April 16, all caused by kite flying.

“As we face the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic, having a continuous power supply especially in hospitals is vital. Aside from the fact that it ?KITE, P10

After the 9-day fundraising campaign period, 72 employees have raised a total amount of Php 175,500. The money was used to buy 300 DIY face shields, 5,000 pairs of medical gloves and 30 liters of alcohol.

The initial items were turned over to SPMC through Task Force Davao last

April 4 and the additional items will be given once the supply is available.

This donation and fundraising campaign is one of the Davao Light employees' ways to show their care and support to the frontliners in the fight against COVID-19.

The Business Units under the ?EMPLOYEES, P10

5 ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 17 • FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020

A shopper undergoes body temperature scanning, which is being strictly employed by the management of a supermarket as Covid-19 positive cases in Davao City is constantly increasing, upon entering the establishment in Brgy. Sasa, Davao City on Thursday. Edge Davao

DOF to push for CITIRA approval to stimulate economic rebound

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he Department of Finance (DOF) will further push for approval by Congress the proposed Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Reform Act (CITIRA) to drive economic bounce back initiatives.

During the webinar of the Harvard Business Group PH on Wednesday, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said people are focusing on the issue of tax incentives removal when they talk about CITIRA, which should not be the case.

Dominguez said the proposed measure is actually primarily about tax cuts thus, the Finance department will push for its approval.

“In that way, we are prepared to help everybody across the board by reducing corporate income taxes. So, I think, that could be a big stimulus program to the economy,” he said.

Dominguez further said the proposed measure aims to make incentives

more targeted, citing the country’s incentives law only benefited the investors and not the government or the economy for the last 40 years because it is a “one size, fits all” measure.

“That is, I think, is the wrong way to go about,” he said.

Dominguez said what should be done is to know what the investors need so that the government can make policies tailor-fitted for a specific industry.

The DOF is supporting the proposed CITIRA bill in the Senate, or the Senate Bill (SB) No. 1357, since this version is targeted to make the country highly competitive in the region.

Under this proposal, foreign companies are given two options, one of which is an income tax holiday (ITH) for two to four years, and then a special tax rate on gross income for three to four years.

If the measure is approved this year,

PH, ADB sign $200-M loan pact for cash assistance

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he Philippines and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed Tuesday an agreement for a USD200-million loan on additional financing for the government’s efforts to provide unconditional emergency cash assistance to poor and vulnerable households that have been adversely affected by the quarantine measures imposed to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

This loan accord is the second additional financing provided by the ADB under the Social Protection Support Project (SPSP), which supports the government's conditional cash transfer (CCT) program or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Wel?DOF, P10 fare and Development

(DSWD).

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III signed the loan agreement on behalf of the Philippine government, while ADB Country Director for the Philippines Kelly Bird signed it on behalf of the bank.

“We thank the ADB for its swift and continuing support for the Duterte ad-

ministration's efforts to blunt the impact of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak on our people and the economy," Dominguez said.

"This SPSP loan will help the government achieve the No. 1 priority set by President Duterte in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, which is to save lives and extend a lifeline to millions of poor and low-income Filipinos who lost their incomes and livelihoods following the pandemic-driven work stoppage," he added.

For his part, ADB Vice President Ahmed Saeed said, “We commend the Philippine government for rolling out the emergency subsidy program aimed at helping poor and vulnerable Filipinos get through this health and economic crisis, as the pandemic curve is flattened.

This USD200 million

loan to assist the government in financing Covid-19 cash grants to poor households under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) will help achieve this purpose.”

The SPSP aims to provide cash grants to beneficiary-families under the 4Ps covered by the emergency subsidies under Republic Act 11469 or the" Bayanihan To Heal As One Act".

This budget-support loan will help bridge the immediate financing requirements of the government's response to this coronavirus crisis through the distribution via cash cards of cash grants to beneficiaries of the 4Ps. The loan for the project, which carries a maturity period of 29 years inclusive of an eight-year grace period, is expected to be ?PH, P10

6 VANTAGE VANTAGE EDGE DAVAO EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 17••FRIDAY, FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1, 2020 VOL.13ISSUE ISSUE 10 MARCH 2020

5 NEW CASES IN DAVAO REGION Regional Situation Update on COVID-19 in Davao Region as of April 30, 2020 DOH Davao Center for Health Development reported five new cases of COVID-19 in Davao City and one in Davao del Norte, bringing the total number of cases in the region to 135.

DOH Davao also reports two new deaths, and five new recoveries ( PH 3202, PH 3105, PH 5263, PH 5466 and PH 7424) bringing the total number of With the situation the Philippines is facing amidst the coronavirus threat, it takes everyone’s utmost patience, recoveries in Davao to 79.the hill. understanding and compassion to getRegion the country through

EDITORIAL

Be significant

Hence, businesses must first take consideration of their workers rather than their profits or losses. The reason why the community quarantine is not working 100 percent is that the lowly workers are forced to report to work under fear of losing their jobs and not earning their keep. The spectre of having no mey to feed their families is a far bigger threat than dying because of the virus.

In the minds of the ordinary folks: “We will die just the same.”

Only those who have enough food in their pantry, those who can afford to panic shop, and those who can afford to order online for deliveries will survive. But for the bigger chunk of the society, the equation remains “no work, no food.”

Thus, it is a welcome relief that there are initially 10 companies made the supreme sacrifice of to compensate their workers during the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine period. This will greatly help those in Metro Manila where people still go to work

Source: DOH11 #itsyourEDGE

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ANTONIO M. AJERO Editor in Chief

NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Managing Editor

MAYA M. PADILLO Senior Reporter

KENNETH IRVING K. ONG ATHENA JILLIAN BRAVO NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN MEGHANN STA. INES FERINA SANTOS Lifestyle

LEANDRO S. DAVAL JR. Photography

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

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

despite the order.

The 10 firms reported by the Department of Labor to have made the compensation package are Aboitiz, Asian Terminal/Solaire Resort Hotel, Ayala Group of Companies, JG Summit, Jollibee, Lucio Tan Group, Manny V. Pangilinan Group, San Miguel Corporation, SM and Udenna Group.These firms answered the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to take care of their workers and employees during this time of national emergency.

DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III lauded the companies and said their compassion and good example should inspire other enterprises whose source of wealth is the labor of their workforce.

While big companies can take some hit, it is a different story for smaller firms and this is where the government should come in. For sure, there are already some formulation to this effect being done.

For now, the best thing to do for everyone is to try to be significantly helpful instead of adding up to the problem and it all starts with following orders.

SOLANI D. MARATAS Finance

CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICE MANILA MARKETING OFFICE RICHARD C. EBONA LEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing Manager Unit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez-YacapinProduct Sts. Development officer Cagayan de Oro City Address: No. 18 Purok 4B, Madelo Street, Lower Bicutan, Taguig City Tel: (088) 852-4894 Mobile number: +63 947 265 2969(smart); +63 916 955 8559(globe)

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 17 • FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020

VANTAGE POINTS

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ICONIC DAVAO BUS COMPANY During American period, long-distance travel by land using public transport was almost exclusively done by autobus.

Given the absence of ‘roll on, roll off’ maritime transport in crossing islands, buses were limited to ply routes within contiguous territories or as stipulated in their franchises. Davao was not spared from this restriction.

Before it was chartered, Davao was the only city in the archipelago without animal-drawn vehicles. Public utility vehicles were in four wheels, and there were no horse-drawn rigs, such as the tartanilla (carriage) or the calesa (calash), to speak of.

Actually, Davao was then home to Davao Autobus Co. Inc. (Dabusco), one of the pioneering transport firms in Mindanao founded in 1931; the firm was fully owned by Filipinos. For some reason, after only a year of operation and with fourteen buses in its fleet, a new management took over. As a result, new buses, the oldest being two years old only, were imported.

Riding a Dabusco unit was always associated with safety and comfort, given that all its buses were in A-1 condition, and its fleet regarded as the most modern in Mindanao, even comparable to the neatness of the Manila Railroad Company fleet in Manila.

Better still, Dabusco’s drivers and conductors, according

to a story that appeared in a national publication, were “always neat, courteous and helpful... [and the drivers] are noted for the care they take in the safety of the passengers.”

Promptness was an indispensa b l e aspect of the company’s s e r vices.

T w o of the m e n credited for making the autobus f i r m a cut above all other similar outfits were Norman W. Ramsay, the resident manager, and Cipriano de los Reyes, its president and general manager.

By 1936, Dabusco, under case No. 45372, filed an application with the Public Services Commission to extend its operation to Davao Penal Colony and Lapanday. Pursuant to Act No. 3108, the commission heard the application on March 27, 1936.

Earlier, it also applied for an increase in equipment with the same agency, but the authority granted to it was ordered with-

drawn after it failed to submit copes of certificates of registration.

The use of public utility autobuses as passenger transport in Davao region was attributed to various reasons. The Tribune,

“The willingness to forgive is a sign of spiritual and emotional maturity. It is one of the great virtues to which we all should aspire. Imagine a world filled with individuals willing both to apologize and to accept an apology.” – Gordon B. Hinckley, Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes

and he wrote a letter to the board of health which would end her career as a nurse. He called her in and read the letter to her. She listened in shame and misery, saying nothing.

After reading the letter, Dr. C r o nin inquired, “Have y o u nothing to say?”

T h e nurse shook h e r head.

S h e had no excuse to offer.

Then she did speak, and this is what she said, “Give me another chance.”

The story is not about the little boy, the doctor, or the nurse. It is about clemency and understanding. It is about pity and forgiveness. “To err is human,” Alexander Pope wrote in An Essay on Criticism, “to forgive, divine.” “Forgiveness is our command,” C. Neil Strait declared. “Judgment is not.”

A story which Steve Goodier wrote came to my mind when I read Strait’s statement.

A young man secretly misappropriated several hundred dollars from the business where he was employed. When the shortage was discovered, the senior partner called the young man into his office.

Immediately, the young man knew he would be fired and sent to prison. His employer asked the worried man if he

was guilty. He replied that he was. Then the executive surprised him. “If I keep you in your present capacity,” he said, “can I trust you in the future?”

The astonished employee replied, “Yes, sir, you surely can.

*** Some years back, I received some electronic mails from friends. Some of those are quotable quotes on life, others were stories about life. I have saved some of them not knowing that I will be able to use them in the future.

One of the stories that caught my attention is the story below. I really don’t know who the original author of it but it exemplifies the virtue I am discussing here. I am not sure if the story really happened but go ahead and read it: As a young man, Dr. A.J. Cronin was in charge of a small hospital. One evening, the Scottish physician performed an emergency operation on a little boy. It was a very delicate operation, and the doctor felt great relief when the little fellow breathed freely after it was over. He gave orders to the young nurse and went home filled with gratitude for the success.

Late that night came a frantic call for the doctor. Everything had gone wrong, and the child was in desperate conditions. When Dr. Cronin got to the bedside, the little boy was already dead.

The nurse had become frightened and had neglected her duty. Dr. Cronin decided she should not be trusted again,

in its April 29, 1939, article titled ‘Motor Transportation Widely Used in Davao City’, described in detail the suitability of fielding buses in the region: “The use of PU automobiles in the city for passenger transportation is the result of several conditions. In the first place, the city has a vast area. It is an agricultural city dotted with more than fifty hemp plantations employing several hundreds of laborers. These plantations have built private roads as feeders to government roads. Being third

class, these roads are not fit for heavy traffic and for this reason, plantation laborers prefer fast, convenient and light automobiles.”

This impressive management style, moreover, would be replicated from year to year.

By 1939, Dabusco was already operating fifty mode r n buses, serving all parts of the c i t y and the province. The services it offered were greatly admired and its units were getting the best attention. As its fleet expanded, it opened new terminals at Hospital Avenue and Bankerohan, within the city proper. Another station was built at Talomo on the south, and another one was erected at Tibungco in the north. The bus company’s efficiency was featured glowingly in the same report: “The public has admired the efficiency of the service of

‘Dabusco.’ It maintains its own shop and garage which are equipped with modern conveniences for servicing its buses.

Well-trained mechanics periodically inspect the buses. Each bus is inspected immediately after its return from a trip and drivers are requested to report the defects noted. This accounts for the keeping up of time schedules and the avoidance of accidents result in from engine troubles.

“The company gives good attention to its employees. The drivers, conductors and mechanics are well paid. Every Christmas, they are given bonuses. They are also given their regular wages while undergoing medical treatment.

“One of the recent innovations introduced by the company is the building of shade or waiting stations in strategic places of the city.”

Official records for the years 1936, 1937 and 1938 showed that Davao region was slowly racking up its transport population of automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles. For 1936, the registry showed 628 automobiles, 320 trucks, and five motorcycles. The following year, a slight numerical appreciation was noted: automobile, 640; trucks, 366; and motorcycles, five. By 1938, the transport inventory remained on the rise: automobiles, 654; trucks, 359, and motorcycles, 14.

spite being a Christian, man still has a hard time giving a person forgiveness for the wrongs done to him. “People have to forgive,” said an inspirational author named C. JoyBell C. “We don’t have to like them, we don’t have to be friends with them, w e don’t have to send them hearts in text messages, but we have to forgive them, t o overlook, to forget. Because if we don’t, we are tying rocks to our feet, too much for our wings to carry.”

But in some cases, the hardest person to forgive is yourself. “One of the saddest mistakes we make is a lack of forgiveness, especially to ourselves,” wrote Richard Carlson in Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff at Work. “We constantly remind ourselves of our flaws and previous mistakes. We anticipate future mistakes. We’re highly critical of ourselves, frequently disappointed, and ruthless in our self-judgement. We badger and blame ourselves, and often we’re our own worst enemy.”

To illustrate his point, he cited the story of Jack, a broker for a large financial institution.

At one time, he convinced his client to put all the money in mutual funds. It was a bad ad-

vice; his client lost a huge sum of amount. The client was not alone; there were others. As a result, Jack “became despondent and self-destructive. He lost his self-confidence and eventually changed careers.”

“All this because he simply couldn’t forgive himself,” Carlson noted. “His friends, colleagues, even his clients, tried to convince him that his judgement and rationale at that time were solid – and that, by most standards, his clients had all done exceptional well. He should be proud. When someone is unforgiving of himself, however, logic isn’t usually received with open mind.”

“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward,” wrote Steve Maraboli in Unapologetically You: Reflections in Life and the Human Experience.

Forgive and then forget.

These two must go together – like cart and carriage. One is useless without the other. “Remember that forgiveness too is a power,” reminded Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale. “To beg for it is a power, and to withhold or bestow it is a power, perhaps the greatest.”

Again, bestowing forgiveness is easier said than done. “I want to be the kind of person who can do that,” Susane Colasanti, the woman behind Waiting for You, admitted. “Move on and forgive people and be healthy and happy. It seems like an easy thing to do in my head. But it’s not so easy when you try it in real life.”

But just remember: give that person a second chance.

SECOND CHANCE

I’ve learned my lesson.”

His boss must have detected the repentant man’s sincerity. “I’m not going to press charges and you can continue in your present responsibility,” he said. Then, he added, “I think you ought to know, however, that you are the second man in this firm who succumbed to temptation but was shown leniency. I was the first.

What you have done, I did. The mercy you are receiving, I received.”

Jesus told us to forgive others just as He has forgiven our sins. His discipline Peter, if you recall, denied him three times. And yet, He appeared to Peter after He resurrected and forgave him. He asked Peter to show his love by “feeding his sheep.”

People who follow Christ are called Christians. But de-

8 BIGGER PICTURE EDGEDAVAO

disease has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people.

“Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly,” Tedros pointed out. “It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.”

Some health experts were surprised with the declaration.

For instance, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a coronavirus related to Covid-19, which affected 26 countries and resulted in more than 8,000 cases in 2003, did not reach pandemic status.

The last time a pandemic was declared was in 2009 yet when a novel influenza A called H1N1 – called popularly as swine flu – spread quickly from the United States to the world. The CDC estimated “151,700 to 575,400 people around the globe died from infection during the first year the virus circulated.”

More art than science was how Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in February should a pandemic be declared.

“Pandemics mean different things to different people,” he said. “It really is borderline semantics, to be honest above what is normal- used for a more limit- with you.” ly expected in the pop- ed geographic area.

“This is not just a ulation in the affected Pandemic refers, public health crisis, area. Outbreak carries according to the At- it is a crisis that will the same definition of lanta-based CDC, to touch every sector – epidemic, but is often an epidemic when the so every sector and

GETTING TO KNOW

COVID-19

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

“I

n the case of biological threats, that sense of urgency is lacking. The world needs to prepare for pandemic in the same serious way it prepares for war.” – American billionaire Bill Gates

On March 9, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of World Health Organization (WHO), said during a press conference about coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19): “Now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real.”

Media seemed not to notice it. But two days later, the WHO finally declared the viral disease that has spread from China in almost all parts of the world, infecting more than three million

and killing more than 200,000 as a pandemic. “This is the first pandemic caused by coronavirus,” he said at a briefing in Geneva.

At first, the novel coronavirus was just an outbreak in Wuhan, where it started. Then, it became an epidemic when it spread not only in Wuhan but in other parts of China.

Now, it is officially a pandemic.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consider a disease an epidemic when the increase, often sudden, in the number of cases

VOL.13 ISSUE 17 • FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020

every individual must be involved in the fight,” Tedros said of Covid-19. “I have said from the beginning that countries must take a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach, built around a comprehensive strategy to prevent infections, saves lives and minimize impact.”

As the world is trying to find some possible treatments for COVID-19 and the discovery of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, there were some reports that the virus is not natural. “If it is natural, it wouldn’t have adversely affected the entire world like this,” Japan’s Nobel prize-winning Professor Tasuku Honjo, was supposed to issue a statement. “Because, as per nature, temperature is different in different countries.

“If it is natural, it would adversely affect only those countries having the same temperature as China,” Prof. Honjo allegedly said. “Instead, it is spreading in a country like Switzerland, in the same way it is spreading in the desert areas.

Whereas, if it were natural, it would have spread in cold places, but died in hot places.”

But VERA Fact Check said that the statement, which circulated in social media, was actually fake news. “There are no news reports of him saying such a thing,” it said. “In his most recent media engagements with The Mainichi and Nikkei Asian Review, no such claim was made either.”

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 17 • FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020

The fake post surfaced on public social media pages a week after another Nobel prize winner, French virologist Luc Antoine Montagnier claimed in a media interview that the novel coronavirus was “created in a laboratory.”

Dr. Montagnier labelled SARS-CoV-2 as “a professional job… a very meticulous job,” and described its genome as being a “clockwork of sequences.”

When asked by the CNews interviewer what the goal of whoever developed the virus, the Nobel laureate said he had no idea.

“My job,” he pointed out, “is to expose the facts.” His proclamation was picked by various news outlets, particularly those in India (The Week, The Hindu Businessline, and Times of India).

French experts, however, refuted his claim. “The world of viruses is a world in perpetual evolution,” explained Jean-Francois Delfraissy, an immunologist and head of the scientific council that advises the French government on the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I rather think that COVID-19 is a coronavirus which had an animal reservoir and passed into humans for reasons that are not well known yet,” Dr. Delfraissy was quoted as saying by French television BFM TV. A study, which an-

alysed the new virus’s genome, published the result in the journal Nature Medicine.

The conclusion: “Our analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus.”

A paper released by the United Nations health agency said the first human cases of COVID-19 were first reported in Wuhan City, China in December 2019. “While some of the earliest known cases had a link to a wholesale food market in Wuhan, some did not,” it said. “Many of the initial patients were either stall owners, market employees, or regular visitors to this market.”

SARS-CoV-2 was identified in early January and its genetic sequence shared publicly on January 11-12, 2020. “The full genetic sequences of (the virus) from the early human cases and the sequences of many other virus isolated from human cases from China and all over the world since then show that SARS-CoV-2 has an ecological origin in bat populations,” the report said. “All available evidence to date suggests that the virus has a natural animal origin and is not a manipulated or constructed virus.”

All available evidence for COVID-19 suggests that SARSCoV-2 has a zoonotic

source. “Since there is usually limited close contact between humans and bats, it is more likely that transmission of the virus to human happened through another animal species, one that is more likely to be handled by humans.

This intermediate animal host or zoonotic source could be a domestic animal, a wild animal, or a domesticated wild animal and,

as of yet, and has not been identified.”

The COVID-19 virus is transmitted from one person to another via droplets, contact, and fomites.

“It is transmitted when one individual talks, sneezes, or coughs producing ‘droplets’ of saliva containing the COVID-19 virus,” says the Department of Health (DOH). “These droplets are then inhaled by another per-

son.”

According to the United Nations health agency, other people can catch the COVID-19 virus by touching infected objects and surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

The WHO says COVID-19 transmission usually occurs among close contacts, including family members and healthcare workers. As such, it

9

is very important to maintain a distance of more than one meter away from any person who has respiratory symptoms.

Unlike the dengue virus, COVID-19 virus cannot be transmitted by a bite of a mosquito. “To date, there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes,” WHO says.

10

EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 17 • FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020

HOUSEHOLDS from 3

but through the rec- ed by CHO,” Duteommendation of the rte-Carpio said. By health group head- Maya M. Padillo

DSWD from 3

funds aim to ensure that the financial assistance will be given to qualified beneficiaries.

She added that even if the lists were already validated by the LGUs, the agency still find entries that didn’t match the cri-

teria set for beneficiaries.

DSWD 11 and the LGUs, Subong said, are collaborating to speed up the validation with many areas in the region going to general community quarantine.

can cause fatality due to electrocution, the other worst thing that could happen is disrupting power supply of the Southern Philippine Medical Center and the facilities of the City, where the Suspected/Probable COVID patients are currently housed.

Hence, we are calling everyone to strictly follow the rules under the ECQ by staying at Instead of a wooden cart, a vendor uses an improvised infant stroller in peddling boiled corn along Old Airport road in Brgy. Sasa, Davao home and not flying City on Thursday. Edge Davao kites near overhead power lines.” said Davao Light President from 3 and COO, Rodger S. Veing, is now under re- ing a machine. All of sponse to the exten- on March 17, there has lasco. strictive custody while these things are being sion of ECQ in Metro been a significant de“Davao Light is the action of Senior M/ evaluated by the Direc- Manila, Central Luzon, crease in the number now seeking help from Sgt. Roland Madrona torate of Logistics un- Calabarzon, and se- of violators particularin dealing with Span- der the procurement lected provinces and ly during the period of from 5 ish national Javier Par- management commu- cities across the coun- the first extension on ra was justified. nity who deliberates try and as well as to all the third and fourth disbursed by June this year.

As a non-viola- on what to procure,” the others areas under week of April.

Last April 24, the tive option, the PNP is he added. the General Communi“These are encourconsidering the use of In response to the ty Quarantine or what aging signs of how the ADB and the Philiptasers in Quarantine national government’s we shall henceforth people will eventually pines signed another Control Points (QCPs). actions to contain the come to know as the adapt to the “new nor- loan agreement that would let the Duterte Procurement of pandemic, the PNP new normal,” he said. mal”, he said. the said equipment is has laid down plans He encouraged As they take a administration access under evaluation of to implement the gen- the public to remain proactive stance on up to USD1.5 billion the Directorate for Lo- eral community quar- mindful of minimum another ECQ exten- in budgetary support gistics, Gamboa point- antine and extended standards on physical sion, Gamboa said he from the Manila-headed out. enhanced community or social distancing, already instructed the quartered lender to “Yes, it’s part of the quarantine in some ar- especially in those ar- PNP Unit command- augment funds for its efforts plan of the PNP. We eas in the country. eas under GCQ with ers to optimize rota- stepped-up call that non-violent or “A newly-crafted relaxed quarantine tion of personnel to to contain the global those equipment other PNP action plan is out measures. make sure that they health crisis.

This loan for the than the firearm. Aside of the drawing boards Gamboa also said get enough rest and from tasers, there is that will strategize that based on their are well prepared Covid-19 Active Rethis equipment that police operations and assessment since the for front-line duties. sponse and Expenditure Support (CARES) will gather people us- administration in re- ECQ was implemented (PNA) program is the largest budget support ever extended to the Philfrom 4 ippines by the ADB, Aboitiz Group in Min- Therma Marine Inc., have raised a total nation’s frontliners according to ADB danao namely the Cotabato Light, Apo of P479,200 from its and all those affected President Masatsugu Aboitiz Power Corpo- Agua, and Aboitiz employee-fundraising during the ongoing Asakawa. ration, Davao Light, Equity Ventures campaign to help the health crisis.

The CARES program loan is under the ADB’s Countercyfrom 5 clical Support Facility the special tax rate on lier said the ITH and enhanced deductions labor expense to pro- Pandemic Response gross income will be special rate under the for five to eight years, mote job creation, up Option, which is a increased from the first option can be ex- which could be ex- to 100 percent addi- quick-disbursing budcurrent 5 percent to 8 tended up to 12 years, tended by three to four tional cut on research get-support facility to percent this year, and which is longer than years. and development aid countries like the then by 1 percent each the five-year period The proposed de- (R&D) to promote in- Philippines in mitiin 2021 and 2022. being offered by Thai- ductions under the novation, and up to gating the severe ecoFormer Finance land. second option include 50 percent additional nomic shocks caused Undersecretary and The second option up to 50 percent addi- deduction on domestic by the Covid-19 pannow acting Socioeco- provides investors tional cuts on power input expense to en- demic and bankrolling nomic Planning Sec- the regular corporate expenses, up to 50 per- courage domestic sup- measures to prevent retary Karl Chua ear- income tax rate with cent additional cuts on ply chain. (PNA) the further spread of

the barangays to ask for their involvement in reporting any incident that may disturb or obstruct power lines such as kite flying and planting of tall-growing trees.” Velasco said.

Moreover, the company is also strengthening its campaign on Republic Act No. 11361 or the Anti-Obstruction of Power Lines Act which prohibits the planting of tall-growing plants and trees, construction of hazardous improvements, and the conduct of any hazardous activities near power lines.

KITE from 4

PNP

PH

EMPLOYEES

DOF

this highly contagious virus.

Asakawa said ADB’s financing for the CARES program loan “is part of a well-sequenced support package that will provide financial and technical advice to help the [Philippines] meet the challenges posed by a crisis that is wreaking havoc both globally and nationally.”

The ADB president has commended the Philippine government for “its strong leadership and decisive actions to halt the spread of Covid-19 and quickly implementing financial assistance packages to families and small businesses to address the economic downturn.”

The ADB was among the first multilateral development institutions to provide assistance to the Philippines’ Covid-19 response efforts with its delivery of a USD3-million grant for the government’s purchase of medical supplies for its front line health workers. (PR)

11 SPORTS EDGEDAVAO

VOL.13 ISSUE 17 • FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020

As a prelude to the 14th Davao City Baseball Cup, the Mindanao Youth Baseball Camp 2020 was held at the Davao City National High School on January 11, 2020. Attended by Consul General Yoshiaki Miwa, the event was co-organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with Japan’s professional baseball team Yomiuri Giants, the Department of Education (DepEd), Mindanao Kokusai

Daigaku (MKD) and Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai International School (PNJK-IS). The baseball camp was attended by some 300 elementary and high school students and coaches from Davao City and nearby areas. (Photos from the Consulate General of Japan in Davao)

14th DC baseball cup and sports for peace

I

sometimes would wonder, if events are just meant to just happen.

Probably, I am just thinking that way because of the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

Come to think of it, nobody knows this pandemic will hit the sports community.

Dr.Bong Presbitero, father of six-foot-two Jose Mari who plays for the Bataan Risers in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), said there’s “Alaw ng Dabaw” sports. Alaw gyud, kay wala man gyuy duwa.

The sports community members always look forward to the annual Araw ng Dabaw Sports Festival but Mayor Inday Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio was quick to decide to halt all public gatherings, and that includes sports which has

always been a crowd drawer. Maayo ra gyud.

Before the pandemic, a special sports event actually took place.

Last February, the 14th Davao City Baseball Cup, sponsored by our Japanese friends through the Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai School was successfully organized.

Fourteen years ago, Datu Tatsuo Uchida and his grandson Yusuke through the Datu Uchida Development Foundation, Tokyo Kichijoji Lions Club and the Philippine Nikkei Jin Kai International School started it all. All for the love of baseball and the beneficiaries were public schools.

That show of love by the Uchida family has grown as the years go

by. Boy oh boy, 14 years na ang nilabay, naa pa gihapon.

If it is meant to happen, it will happen. Hmmmm, mahitabo gyud, all for the love of public school baseball players in the City of Davao. *** Another special event to me that was really meant to happen took place in far-away Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.

Asa na?

If you are standing at the edge of the Municipality of Bongao's boundary, you’ll see Sabah, Malaysia. Yes, didto na.

I never had the chance to go that far, but if I can, I will be there, all for the Sports for Peace program in Mindanao.

Luckily, we have a brave Prof. Ed Fernandez (isog ni kay iyang loving Lolo sundalo baya) who brought the Children’s Sports for Peace program in that far-away and beautiful

island.

Prof. Ed worked closely with a Sama Tribe leader named Al Trekee Dayan who was able to gather the children of Bongao and volunteers to successfully organize the event.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman William “Butch” Ramirez has truly not forgotten the children of Mindanao, no matter how far they are.

“Para sa Kabataan, Para sa Kapayapaan, Para sa Inang Bayan” has been the guiding motto for the good chairman and the hard-working staff, and that’s the very reason they have continued to pursue peace through sports.

Bongao Mayor Jimuel Que came to

support the children of Bongao and in coordination with the Tawi Tawi School of Arts and Trades (High School and Elementary Departments), the event brought happiness to the children of Bongao.

You see, when the good chairman started the sports for peace program in 2009, he really meant when they crafted the mission statement stating: “Our mission is to make sports a vehicle to strengthen the emotional well-being of individuals, the character of peoples and the souls of the nation; to make sports a way to promote dialogue, harmony and understanding among nations and communities of different cultures,

traditions and beliefs; to make sports an avenue for people to share cultures, values, and beliefs thereby fostering greater understanding, respect, and brotherhood among nations and communities.”

Sports is not just dula dula anymore.

The sports for peace co-workers have made it their mission to plant the seeds of peace and hopefully, in the future, these children will compromise not to fight for whatever reason, because they can remember and recall, “Hala, kadula man nako ni siya tong Children’s Sports for Peace sa una.

Ngano mag barilanay man mi?”.

Di ba nindot na siya?

sion (PSC) instituted several belt-tightening measures to ensure that it can keep its commitment to continue to support the members of the national team.

Led by Chairman William Ramirez, the agency’s top officials held a virtual board meeting Wednesday and discussed ways and means they could meet outstanding commitments of the

agency.

The PSC announced that all sports activities are canceled until December of this year, in compliance with the IATF directives.

Consequently, the board also decided to finally withdraw further financial support to the twice-postponed 10th ASEAN Paragames. The PSC shall, however, honor its previous commit-

ments with the APG organizing committee to cover initial operations expenses.

“We heed the call of the national government to cut expenses as we reroute majority of our resources to fighting the pandemic, but we also stand by our commitment to keep supporting members of the national team,” explained Ramirez.

Ramirez an-

nounced that there is a status quo on allowance releases for national athletes and coaches, and thanked the PAGCOR for its steady remittances to the agency.

With the present lockdown however, PAGCOR’s income has been greatly affected, and shall probably impact its remittances to PSC subsequently.

“We continue to study projections and pro-

posals and the board is ready to take necessary actions should they be needed,” said the sports chief.

Commissioners Celia Kiram, Ramon Fernandez, Arnold Agustin and Charles Maxey joined Ramirez along with Executive Director Merly Ibay, Deputy Executive Directors Dennis Rivera and Atty. Guillermo Iroy, as well as Chief of Staff Marc Velasco.

PSC enforces belt-tightening measures to keep commitments

F

ollowing the consecutive directives of the Department of Budget Management (DBM) on projects that will be discontinued (National Budget Circular 580) and the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases on prohibited activities even beyond the Enhanced Community Quarantine, the Philippine Sports Commis-

12 SPORTS

PACQUIAO VS CRAWFORD A STALEMATE?

I

t’s been almost a year since Manny Pacquiao fought in the ring against Keith Thurman whom he soundly beat last July to claim the WBA welterweight title.

Word is that Manny’s former business manager, Bob Arum, is trying to arrange a possible encounter with Terence Crawford, current WBC welterweight champion, who is also looking to make big bucks in what could be Pacquiao’s farewell performance.

(Persistent rumors are creeping out of the grapevine that the senator from Sarangani is considering a serious run for higher office in 2022).

Arum is looking to stage the mega-dollar meeting in a neutral country outside of the US and the Philippines.

T h e problem is that there are no takers yet from the oilrich Middle East nations where funding is not a problem because Arum is not too much of a byword there.

It seems that British promoter Eddie Hearns, Arum’s rival in the boxing promotion business, is the person Middle East bigwigs would only want to deal with.

That means, even if the Pacman is very much welcomed to fight before his Muslin fans in this region, the supposed promotion against Crawford will not happen because it is Arum who is arranging it solo.

Hearns and Arum don’t see eye to eye and this is the major reason why they cannot make it a co-promotion in the Middle East, perhaps in Dubai, UAE or elsewhere around the area.

I have it on good authority that a young Filipino boxing promoter in the LA area – whose identity I cannot as yet reveal - is eager to help

EDGEDAVAO VOL.13 ISSUE 17 • FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020

Arum in this regard.

If the American promoter is not too picky, this young Pinoy might be able to swing the deal provided the tieup (co-promotion) is clearly delineated.

According to the message I got, both Pacman and Crawford will be given their prizes tax free. Wow, if they hold this battle else-

where the taxes to be deducted will definitely reduce their individual prize money.

I understand also that the host country – let us assume it agrees to stage the title fight – is also willing to underwrite the guaranteed purses of the fighters.

Where can you get this kind of spoiled treatment?

You can’t get it in the US where the mandatory 32% withholding tax is automatically taken when the check is handed over to the camps of each boxer.

That is huge, right? One third of, say $10M, is already $3M less.

Ugh! Anyway, Arum, he of a Jewish descent, is said to be a shrewd businessman.

With the CoVid 19 completely putting every government and all the citizens of the world on their knees, the Pacquiao-Crawford tiff may have to be temporarily delayed.

T h i s doesn’t mean it is going to be shelved altogether.

The ball remains in Arum’s hands whether he would agree to a co-promotion with the young Pinoy promoter.

The truth is that, the business side of the promotion, will earn a lot more because of the tax-free incentive which every promoter worth his salt is always looking forward to.

I am not also privy whether Pacquiao’s agreement to the co-promotion deal is being sought and is necessary.

That’s the score, folks. Talk to you some other time. Cheers!

(Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.)

GOD PLEASE GET RID OF THE CORONA VIRUS IN JESUS NAME AMEN!