P 15.00 20 PAGESwww.edgedavao.netVOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 2015

DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte does not want a repeat of an all-out war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as many people including Manila Mayor and former President Joseph Estrada are calling for.There should be a resumption of the talks. It might not sound good to everybody but we do not have a choice because we cannot go to war again, Duterte told reporters in an interview at The Royal Mandaya Hotel on Wednesday afternoon.He also said government must continue the discussion on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) despite the Mamasapano, Maguindanao encounter that killed at least 44 members of Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF).Duterte, however, said he is personally not ready to talk with the MILF leadership since he is still saddened by the incident.Magapahungaw una ta (Let us calm down first), he said.Duterte condemned the brutality with which some MILF men killed the SAF members. Accounts of the incident had said many of the SAF operatives were shot in the face or head.Puwede ka namang pumatay isang bala lang (You

can kill even just one bullet). That is really painful, as warrior, hindi naman dapat ganun (that should not have been done)... Hindi naman kailangan rakrakan yung mukha (you did not need to strafe the faces), he said.Who gave the order?Duterte said the Maguindanao incident should be investigated to pinpoint what agency had the full responsibility of ordering the SAF to go in the area.The problem there is who ordered the poorly planned (operation)? Was there a plan at all or was it just a very reckless adventure? he said.

He said the government invested a lot in trainings the SAF men since it is the striking force of the PNP, but the men were just thrown into a mis-adventure.Duterte said there is an existing agreement between the MILF and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in situations like the one last Sunday that led to the deadly clash.I am angry because if there is an agreement, huwag ka munang pumasok sa bahay ko habang hindi tayo nagka-areglo (do not enter my house if have not yet come to an agreement), he said.

NO TO WAR

EDGE Serving a seamless societyDAVAOEDGE Serving a seamless societyDAVAO

FNO, 14

Duterte: Dont repeat all-out war vs MILF

MASTER PLAN. Megaworld senior vice president Jericho P. Go (right) and head of public relations and communi-cations Harold C. Geronimo (left), together with Suntrust Properties, Inc. president lawyer Harrison M. Paltongan, present the Davao Park District master development plan and the proposed design of the companys first resi-

dential tower, the One Lakeshore Drive, during a press conference yesterday at The Marco Polo, Davao. They also announced that One Lakeshore Drive is almost sold out and the second tower is being launched ahead of schedule. See story on page 5. Lean Daval Jr.

INSIDE EDGE

ECONOMY page 5

INDULGE page A1

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.abf@edgedavao.net

MEGAWORLD LAUNCHES 20-STORY CONDO

PULSATING TO PLANA FORMA

VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 20152 EDGEDAVAOTHE BIG NEWS

THE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) has ordered all police stations in the city to maximize the deployment of their police officers in all places of convergence in their respective areas.Speaking in yesterdays I-Speak Media Forum, DCPO spokesperson Senior Inspector Milgrace C. Driz told reporters said the station commanders have been told to deploy their Police Integrated Patrol System (PIPS).Driz said the PIPS has been deployed since the city is now on heightened alert status following the series of blasts in some parts of Mindanao.Police presence and visibility in all areas of convergence should be intensified, she said. Driz asked for the cooperation of the public for the safety of everyone in the city. She said the people should also be vigilant especially as violent incidents have been happening in some parts of the island. We need your vigilance and share it through your reports by calling our police, she said.Driz said aside from the high alert status, the DCPO also wants the stations to exert more effort in solving crimes in their AOR (area of responsibility) and increase the implementation of city ordinances.Driz said DCPO director Senior Superintendent Vicente D. Danao Jr. wants the station commanders to have a higher apprehension on drug cases in the city.DCPO increases deploymentafter Mindanao explosions

THE Philippine National Police held a sendoff ceremony for 42 policemen slain in Mamasapano whose remains were airlifted to Villamor Airbase in Manila Thursday morning.Fellow policemen carried the 42 caskets, each draped with the Philippine flag, from the gymnasium in nearby Camp Siongco, headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division, into waiting Army trucks.The trucks then whisked the caskets to the tarmac at airport where three Air Force C-130 planes waited to take them to Manila.The bodies of two other slain elite policemen were brought to Zamboanga City earlier so they could be buried immediately in accordance with Muslim practice.Senior Supt. Noel Armilla, police director of the Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said a sendoff ceremony fit for fallen heroes were accorded to the slain policemen.The bodies of the

officers were carried above the shoulders of their fellow officers. The bodies of enlisted personnel were carried below the shoulders. That is our tradition, Armilla said.At least four senior police officers and 40 other police commandos died in last Sundays clash involving the PNP-Special Action Force, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao.

Twelve other policemen were injured while the MILF suffered at least 16 dead.Armilla said none of the families of the dead policemen were present at the vigil at the 6ID gymnasium Wednesday night.Police officers nationwide will wear black ribbons on their badges in solidarity with the families of the slain policemen.In Cagayan de Oro City, a Requiem Mass with be offered at the St. Augustine Cathedral on Friday.

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.abf@edgedavao.net

PNP holds sendoff rites for slain copsTHE Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) will be promoting Davao City as an investment hub to both local and foreign investors as it resumes the Davao Investment Conference (iCon) in July this year.We believe that (iCon) should be a continued project with city government, reelected DCCCII president Antonio dela Cruz said in an interview during the 47the Annual Installation of Officers and Board of Trustees of the DCCCII last Wednesday at The Royal Mandaya Hotel.Dela Cruz said that iCon was stopped because the chamber was already conducting various business events like the annual Davao Trade Expo, among others.The iCon will be revived in July with about 300 to 500 delegates expected to participate. The probable venue of the conference is SMX Lanang Convention

Chamber to revive iConcrc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

FCHAMBER, 14

NEW OFFICERS. Newly-elected Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) officers and Board of Trustees members led by president Antonio T. dela Cruz (left, front row) and chairman of the board John Y. Gaisano Jr. (right, front row) pose for a group photo before the groups 47th annual installation ceremony administered by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte on Wednesday night at The Royal Mandaya Hotel. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 2015 3NEWSEDGEDAVAO

THE Toril Police Station wants to pull out from the Anti-Cybercrime Group the subscriber identity module (SIM) card of a witness against a police officer who had been relieved of his post for allegedly tipping off a drug pusher that an operation had been mounted against him.Toril Police Station commander Chief Inspector (PCI) Hamlet Lerios said they submitted the request to the Anti-Cybercrime Group last year when the latter failed to unlock the SIM because it had a personal identification number (PIN) code and the witness against Police Officer (PO)2 Luis Gabrinao could no longer be found.Late last year pa kami nag submit ng letter sa kanila para makuha namin yung unit, kasi hindi daw nila mabuksan dahil sa PIN code. Hindi na din namin macontact yung witness ngayon kaya pull out na lang din namin (We sent the request late last year so that we could get the unit because they could not open it because of the PIN code. We cannot contact the witness anymore so we just want to pull it out), Lerios said.

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

Police want to turn overwitness SIM card to NBI

AN indigenous peoples alliance accused Senator Alan Peter Cayetano of fanning anti-Moro sentiment and of being painfully unversed in the intricacies of the peace problem in the country.In a statement Thursday, the Kalipunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KAMP) said Cayetanos reactions on the clash between Moro rebels and the Special Action Forces of the Philippine National Police stirred up public opinion against the Moro people.Forty-four SAF operatives died Sunday in a clash with Moro rebels in Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano town in Maguindanao. The policemen went to the area to arrest suspected terrorists Zulkifli Bin Hir alias Marwan, allegedly a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah, and Basit Usman of the Abu Sayyaf.KAMP also criticized Cayetanos withdrawal of co-sponsorship of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) on Tuesday, citing the MILFs lack of commitment, to peace, development, and the rule of law.The senator must understand that the rule of law inscribed in the Philippine constitution is not the basis of the peace talks. The peace talks should be based on the unity to address the root causes of insurgency that is necessary for a just and lasting peace. To demand to play by one sides rules is a display of condescension which is unfruitful in the negotiating table, KAMP

spokesperson Piya Macliing Malayao said.In announcing his withdrawal of support to the BBL, Cayetano accused the MILF of merely wanting power more than peace and planning to put up a totalitarian kingdom that will be a safe haven for terrorists.But KAMP said the senator only fanned popular anger over the death of the policemen, and placed the blame entirely on the MILF.Malayao said the peace process is not a mere question of power. The peace process is aimed to address the long-wrought oppressions of the Moro people, and empowering the Moro people to realize their right to self-determination.It is sad that a legislator,

more so a senator, harbors such ignorance of the peace process, she said.Instead of focusing on how to address the historic injustice against the Moro people, Senator Cayetanos words and actions is adverse to the pursuit of a just and lasting peace in Mindanao, she added.Aside from Cayetano, Senator JV Ejercito also announced he was withdrawing his support to the BBL.Both PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina and Local Governments Secretary Mar Roxas declared they did not know about the operation.Roxas said the question of who ordered it will be tackled by the board of inquiry.

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 12 has adopted this city as among the priority expansion areas in the region this year of the World Bank-supported Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP).Amalia Jayag-Datukan, DA Region 12 executive director, said Thursday they have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the city government to facilitate the inclusion of the area into the P27.5-billion flagship rural development initiative.She said they already endorsed the MOA for evaluation and approval by the PRDPs Mindanao Project Support Office based in Davao City.Once approved, she said the local government could immediately propose and avail of infrastructure and enterprise development

grants for its priority commodity sectors.She said it could pursue sub-projects under the PRDPs I-BUILD component or the Intensified Building-Up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development and the I-REAP or the Investments in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity.There are a lot of opportunities for expansion in terms of agricultural development here in GenSan that the PRDP could assist, she said in a press conference here.Datukan said they initially encouraged city officials to propose for projects that would further improve its thriving asparagus industry.She said the PRDP could assist in the expansion of asparagus plantations, enhance production and THE Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will expand to 11,000 households this year the coverage of its health insurance program for residents in various conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.Ramon Aristoza Jr., PhilHealth executive vice president and chief operating officer, said Thursday the move was based on the additional allocation received by the agency for the programs implementation for 2015.He said the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) has allocated a total of P128.9 million for the initiative through the PAyapa at MAsaganang PAmayanan (PAMANA) and the Sajahatra Bangsamoro programs.This will enable us to provide health insurance coverage to 11,000 Sajahatra Bangsamoro and PAMANA program beneficiaries until Dec. 31, 2015, he said in a statement released by PhilHealth Region 12.Aristoza, who is a former PhilHealth regional vice president for Region 12, said OPAPP specifically earmarked P47.7 million for beneficiaries under the PAMANA program, P26.4 million for the renewal of Sajahatra Bangsamoro program enrollees, P50.4 million for the targeted beneficiaries under the socio-economic component of the normalization process and P4.4 million for the 3,698 enrollees in 2013 under the Sajahatra Bangsamoro.He said targeted new enrollees will come from

Lumad group hits Cayetano forfanning anti-Moro sentiment

DA includes GenSan aspriority area in PRDP

PhilHealth to expand to morehouseholds in conflict areas

NO WAR. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte opposes the idea of an all-out-war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front despite the deadly Ma-guindanao clash which claimed the lives of 44 members of the Philippine

National Police (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF) last Sunday. Duterte made his comment in an interview with media at The Royal Mandaya Hotel on Wednesday night. Lean Daval Jr.

FDA, 14FLUMAD, 14

FPHILHEALTH, 14

FPOLICE, 14

CHINESE NEW YEAR. Davao Chinatown Development Council public relations officer Jasper Huang (right) and PopeeManapat promote the activities of the upcoming Chinese New year celebration on February 18 in Sta. Ana Avenue. Huang and Manapat were guests of yesterdays I-Speak media forum at City Hall. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 20154 EDGEDAVAOBIGGER PICTURE

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino has declared to-day (January 30, 2015) as National Day of Mourning for the fallen Philippine Na-tional Police-Special Action Force (SAF) members in Ma- guindanao.In a briefing in Mala-caang Wednesday evening, the President said he, like the rest of the Filipino people, wants to know what really happened in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Sunday.He, however, said that he is leaving it up to the Board of Inquiry, which has been formed to assess and submit a report on the incident.At least 44 elite mem- bers of the SAF were killed in a violent firefight with mem-bers of the Moro Islamic Lib-eration Front (MILF).The SAF members were assigned to capture Malay-sian Zulkipli bin Hir, a.k.a. Marwan, and Filipino Ab-dul Basit Usman, reported-ly bomb experts who are linked with the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah and who are being hunted by the Unit-ed States. The incident has been dubbed by the Department of Interior and Local Gov-ernment (DILG) as a mis-encounter since there is an existing ceasefire in the area. (PNA)JAPAN was studying the latest message purported-ly from the Islamic State group, which extends the deadline for Jordans release of an Iraqi prisoner, while officials worked feverishly Thursday to try to free a Jap-anese journalist held by the militants.The message, read in En-glish by a voice the Japanese government said was likely that of hostage Kenji Goto, was released online late Wednes-day after Jordan offered to hand over the al-Qaida-linked would-be suicide bomber to the Islamic State group in ex-change for Jordanian air force pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh.The recording says Jordan must present Sajida al-Risha-wi, an Iraqi woman convicted of involvement in deadly Am-man hotel bombings in 2005, at the Turkish border by sun-set Thursday in exchange for Gotos life or the pilot would be killed. It wasnt clear what Gotos fate would be if the woman wasnt returned.In Tokyo, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Thursday the govern-ment was in close communi-cations and deeply trusts the Jordan government. He said Japan was doing its utmost to free Goto, working with na-tions in the region, including Turkey, Jordan and Israel.

Suga refused comment on the specifics of the talks with Jordan, saying the situation was developing. The Cabinet met to assess the latest devel-opments, but did not issue any updates.Efforts to free al-Kase-asbeh and Goto gained urgen-cy after a purported online ul-timatum claimed Tuesday that the Islamic State group would kill both hostages within 24 hours if Jordan did not free al-Rishawi.Japan has scrambled to deal with the crisis that began last week with the release of a video by the Islamic State group showing Goto and an-other Japanese hostage, Haru-na Yukawa, kneeling in orange jumpsuits between a masked man who threatened to kill them within 72 hours unless Japan paid a $200 million ran-som.That demand has since shifted to one for the release of al-Rishawi. The militants have reportedly have killed Yukawa, 42, although that has not been confirmed.This heinous terrorist act is totally unforgivable, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in parliament Thursday.Goto, a freelance journal-ist, was captured in October in Syria, apparently while trying to rescue Yukawa, who was taken hostage last summer.

In Tokyo, Gotos mother, Junko Ishido, has been desper-ately pleading for the govern-ment to save her son.Kenji has only a little time left, she said Wednesday.In his announcement that Jordan is ready to trade al-Rishawi for the pilot, gov-ernment spokesman Mo-hammed al-Momani made no mention of Goto.Releasing the would-be hotel bomber linked to al-Qa-ida would breach Jordans usu-al hard-line approach to the extremists and set a precedent for negotiating with them.It would also be a coup for the Islamic State group, which has already overrun large parts of neighboring Syria and Iraq. Jordan is part of a U.S.-led military alliance that has car-ried out airstrikes against the extremist group in Syria and Iraq in recent months.Jordanian King Abdullah II faces growing domestic pres-sure to bring the pilot home. The pilots father said he met on Wednesday with Jordans king, who he said assured him that everything will be fine.The pilots capture has hardened popular opposition among Jordanians to the air strikes, analysts saidPublic opinion in Jordan is putting huge pressure on the government to negotiate with the Islamic State group, said

Palace declares National Dayof Mourning for SAF members

FALLEN POLICEMEN. Fellow police officers carry the caskets of slain policemen involved in the Mamasapano clash to be loaded intoPhilippine Air Force C-130 planes that will take them to Manila Thursday morning. MindaNews photo by Froilan Gallardo | Ready story

Japan studying latest message in Mideast hostage crisis

Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, second right, speaks during a hurriedly held ministerial meeting on Japanese hostage Kenji Goto taken by the Islamic State group, at the prime ministers official residence in Tokyo Thursday. AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, Pool

Marwan Shehadeh, a scholar with ties to ultra-conservative Islamic groups in Jordan. If the government doesnt make a serious effort to release him, the morale of the entire mili-tary will deteriorate and the public will lose trust in the po-litical regime.Jordan reportedly is hold-ing indirect talks with the mil-itants through religious and tribal leaders in Iraq to secure the release of the hostages. In his brief statement, al-Moma-

ni only said Jordan is willing to swap al-Rishawi for the pilot. He did not say if such an ex-change is being arranged.The 26-year-old pilot, al-Kaseasbeh, was seized af-ter his Jordanian F-16 crashed in December near the Islamic State groups de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria. He is the first foreign military pilot the mili-tants have captured since the coalition began its airstrikes in August.Previous captives may

have been freed in exchange for ransom, although the governments involved have refused to confirm any pay-ments were made.The Islamic State group broke with al-Qaidas central leadership in 2013 and has clashed with its Syrian branch, but it reveres the global terror networks former Iraqi affili-ate, which battled U.S. forces and claimed the 2005 Amman attack. ELAINE KURTENBACH and KARIN LAUB

VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 2015 5EDGEDAVAOECONOMY

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPONGIANT land developer Megaworlds Suntrust Properties, Inc. of the One Lakeshore Drive, a resi-dential component of Davao Park District, launched on Thursday the second 20-story condominium for its township project .This, after Suntrust Prop-erties Inc. president Harrison M. Paltongan announced that about 70 percent of the total units of the first condo tower were sold out in less than two months after it was launched to the public in November last year.We are very happy with the overwhelming reception of Davaoeos to our first residen-tial project in the 11.2-hectare Davao Park District. Our expe-rience is far beyond what we have expected, Paltongan said during a press conference at the Marco Polo Davao yester-day.Paltongan said Suntrust is expecting at least P2-billion in sales in One Lakeshore Drive this year.One Lakeshore Drive is a four-tower residential condo-minium cluster that will rise at the center of the township which has an estimated land area of one hectare.The residential area will be just beside a one-hectare man-made lake surrounded by lush

greeneries and its own leisure and recreational facilities.Residents will have direct access to the lake and some of them will have this exclusive view of Samal Island, Mt. Apo and Davao Gulf right outside their windows, Paltongan said.Paltongan said that each tower will be 20-storey high, offering studio (up to 27 square meters (sqm)); exec-utive studio (up to 40 sqm); one-bedroom (up to 50 sqm); and two bedroom units (76 sqm).He said that unit owners in One Lakeshore Drive will have an exclusive third-level amen-ity that features 20-meter infinity pool overlooking the lake, wood deck pool area, wet lounge, kiddie pool, outdoor fitness station, gazebo, chil-drenss playground and pocket gardens. Other amenities includ-ing business center, day care center, function rooms, indoor fitness gym, and commercial area will be located at the ground level of each tower.Paltongan said they also partnered with PLDT HOME, a leading multimedia solution provider, to provide every resi-dent with connectivity through Fibr, Telpad and DSL services.Our partnership with PLDT Home makes One Lake-

Megaworld launches 20-story condoshore Drive a modern, high-tech and future ready resi-dential property. Fiber optic cables will be installed in each tower, bringing a new level of township lifestyle to our future residents. With this, installing home facilities for internet, ca-ble TV and CCTV cameras will

be convenient and hassle-free, he said.Megaworld senior vice president Jericho P. Go said the company is ramping up the masterplan of the township project to make living, working and playing in Davao Park Dis-trict a truly world-class.

Our future residents in One Lakeshore Drive will soon see refreshing modern con-cept of mixed-use develop-ment and a central business district that only Megaworld can ever build for Davao City, Go said.Paltongan, meanwhile,

said the land development has started for the construction of the first condo tower which is expected to end by the last quarter of 2019.Megaworld is allocating P15-billion for the develop-ment of Davao Park District in the next five to seven years.

Megaworld Corporation senior vice president Jericho P. Go, Suntrust Proper-ties, Inc. president lawyer Harrison M. Paltongan, executive vice president and chief operating officer Deanna Jean A. Claveria and first vice president for

marketing and business development division Jerry R. Rubis lead the ground-breaking ceremony of the Davao Park Districts roads and facilities in Lanang, Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 2015EDGEDAVAOTHE ECONOMY6

FISH production in Davao Region dropped by 28 percent last year.Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 11 Fisheries and Regulato-ry Law Enforcement Divi-sion chief Jose Villanueva said the drop in fish production may change because collection of data is not yet completed.Based on the BFAR 11 Na-tional Stock Assessment Pro-gram (NSAP), total fish pro-duction from January to Octo-ber of last year reached only 2,508.50 metric tons (MT), lower compared to the 2013 total production of 3,468.79 metric tons.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) 11 regional director Maria Lourdes Lim said that based on the data gathered by the Department of Agriculture- Bureau of Agriculture Statis-tics (DA-BAS), production of fish in the region dropped by only 22 percent.Villanueva said the de-crease in production was due to the closed season imple-mented in Davao Gulf during the spawning season from July to August last year.During the closed season, commercial fishing vessels were not allowed to conduct any fishing activity inside the

gulf, according to Villanueva.Even though theres a continuing fishing activity among small fishermen, this is not enough to cover the catch of commercial fishing vessels, Villanueva told Edge Davao Thursday.He, however, was quick to point out that the closed season received positive feed-backs because both local and commercial fishing vessels caught bigger fish that had a higher market value.Villanueva said the effect of the closed season, which will be an annual event start-ing from June to August, will be felt five years from now.

Other regions, like in Zamboanga, that implemented closed season also experience a drop in the volume of fishes caught in the first few years of implementation, he said.

The BFAR 11 officer also attributed the decrease in the number of commercial fishing vessels from General Santos operating in fishing ground of Davao Region.

The fishes they caught in the east coast of the region as well as inside the gulf were not listed under the region. It goes to General Santos, Villanueva said.Region 12, he said, has an increasing volume of fish

production over the years al-though it has a lower area of fishing ground compared to Davao Region.Villanueva added that most boats and fishing vessels operating in Davao Gulf are not designed for open seas where there are more fishes to be caught.Most of vessels from Gen San are capable of operating on the east coast of the region where there is stronger cur-rent compared inside the gulf, he said, adding that most of the fishing vessels here are made of wood while others are made of steel.

As a result, a group of fish-

ermen from Baganga, Davao Oriental is building a steel fishing vessel that is capable of operating on open seas, ac-cording to Villanueva. He explained that the northeast monsoon affects the production of fishes in the re-gion.Since our boats here are made of weak material, it can-not survive strong wind and sea current, he said.Villanueva, however, said that monsoon is not new to fishermen. He was more wor-ried that climate change is one of the reasons that affect the volume of fish produced in the region.

Davao suffers drop in fish productioncrc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

FIVE top officials and the customs broker of a steel importing firm faces smuggling related cases filed by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for attempting to ille-gally import steel products worth around P14.3 million.Smuggling-related cases were filed by the BOC in the Department of Justice (DOJ) against officials of Stellent Cor-poration, led by Chairman of the Board Rico Rigor Cayunda Cinco (aka RecoRigor), Board Members Charmayne De La Pea Angeles, Asuncion Petra Angeles, Maria Rhezy G. Ilada,

Ruge Robert S. Illada, and Cus-toms Broker John Philip Mali-nao Yap for alleged unlawful importation of steel angle bars from China.Cinco and the others are facing charges for violation of the Bureau of Products Standards Law for bringing into the country fifteen (15) 20-foot container vans of steel angle bars without the necessary Import Commod-ity Clearance (ICC) from the Department of Trade and Industry-Bureau of Product Standards (DTI-BPS).The said law requires im-

porters to have proper BPS certification prior to impor-tation of steel angle bar prod-ucts. The respondents unlaw-ful importation also violated section 3601 in relation to Section 101 of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philip-pines (TCCP) as amended by Republic Act (RA) 7651. The shipment arrived at the Port of Manila from China in July 2014. Although there is a strong demand for steel prod-ucts, we cannot let these ille-gal and unsafe products enter the local market, said Cus-

toms Commissioner John P. Sevilla. We are working very hard to prevent the technical smuggling of substandard products that pose danger to people who will use them.The smuggling attempt was foiled on the basis of an Alert Order issued by the BOCs Intelligence Group after receiving derogatory infor-mation about the shipment. The Alert Order was hoisted over the shipment to place it under special attention and to allow Customs personnel to validate the veracity of the derogatory information.

Stellent faces raps for steel smugglingSMUGGLING RAPS. Bureau of Customs Commissioner John P. Sevilla, flanked by DOJ Undersecretary Frank Baraan III and Deputy Commissioner Maria Edita Tan, explains the smuggling case filed by the BOC against the top executives of Stellent Corporation.

THE Philippine sugarcane industry is ready for the ASEAN Economic Inte-gration. At the onset of ASEAN Eco-nomic Integration, the sector has developed the Sugarcane Industry Roadmap and the Hu-man Resource Development (HRD) Master Plan for the Sug-arcane Industry.This HRD master plan led by the Department of Labor and Employments (DOLE) Bu-reau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC) tackles how the industry can be competi-tive and productive particularly its workers who are identified among the labor forces vulner-able sector. The HRD Master Plan is complemented by the Sugarcane Industry Roadmap of the Sugar Regulatory Admin-istration (SRA).BWSC Director Ahmma Charisma Lobrin-Satumba said the plan has undergone vari-ous consultation process start-ing off with a plantation level focus group discussion, district level planning, regional action planning, Island-cluster plan-ning, the national validation and presentation and finaliza-tion of the HRD Master Plan.As this is a convergence effort, we involve as many sec-tors so that stakeholders un-der the sugarcane industry will have ownership of the HRD plan, Satumba said. Other key players in the convergence include Depart-ments of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Trade and In-dustry, Professional Regulation Commission and the Regional

Tripartite Wages and Produc-tivity Board.Satumba added the plan aim to support the industry, more importantly its workers to be more competitive and productive.This week BWSC is holding here the Mindanao cluster con-sultation workshop on HRD Plan, the 2nd leg of the four-leg major island cluster consul-tation. Sugarcane industry is operating on 23 provinces in the whole country. Mindanaos major sugarcane producer is Davao del Sur, Bukidnon and North Cotabato. Sugarcane is the Philip-pines fourth largest crop after coconuts, corn and rice which provides direct employment. Among ASEAN region, the countrys sugarcane industry

covering 423,000 hectares with 28 sugar mills and 14 sugar refineries ranks 2nd to Thailand. In 2013-2014, the in-dustry contributed close to P88 Billion to the national economy. The industry has more than 700,000 workers with 5 mil-lion dependents.DOLE Davao region assis-tant regional director Veneran-do C. Cebrano said this conver-gence is good avenue for the convergence paving the way towards protection of work force the sugar industry.With the advent of the ASEAN Integration we need to be fully cognizant of its impact to the sugar industry in terms of employability, competency and work productivity, Cebra-no said. (Sherwin B. Manual/DOLE11)

HRD Plan prepares sugar industry for ASEAN IntegrationAIRASIA Philippines, the Filipino low cost car-rier that flies hand in hand with AirAsia, yesterday announced it will start flights between Manila and Davao on March 27, 2015.To celebrate the re-intro-duction of the Manila-Davao route, AirAsia Philippines is offering promotional seats with all-in-fares from as low as P799, one-way. Promo seats are available for booking start-ing today until 1st February 2015 at www.airasia.com with travel period from 27th March 2015 to 26th March 2016.AirAsia Philippines Chief Executive Officer, Joy Caeba said Davao City is an important gateway to Mindanao. We are partnering with Local Govern-ment Units and various stake-holders in the region to devel-op products and services to

further boost tourism and pro-mote Davao as a major tourist destination to local and foreign visitors, she said.Access to Davao-Cebu is also available on AirAsias twice daily flights from Davao International Airport to Mac-tan Cebu International Airport. More than just a center of trade and commerce for Mindanao, Davao is host to a myriad of tourist attractions. Nature lovers can hike their way up to Mount Apo to en-joy the lush scenery from atop the nations highest peak or indulge in various activities at Eden Nature Park, while the Island Garden City of Samal offers a chance for sun-seekers to go beach-hopping around the many pristine shores sur-rounding the resort island. Meet the countrys national

AirAsia resumesManila-Davao flights

A PHILIPPINE official says the country no longer deserves to be branded the sick man of Asia after its economy grew more than 6 percent for a third consecutive year.Hampered by natural di-sasters, growth of the $300 billion economy slowed to 6.1 percent in 2014, but still out-paced most other countries in Asia, officials said Thursday.The 2014 performance ranks the Philippines as the second fastest growing Asian country behind China, which posted 7.3 percent growth, and ahead of Vietnams 6.0 percent growth, Socio-Economic Plan-ning Secretary ArsenioBalisa-can said. The Philippine econ-omy grew 7.2 percent in 2013.Our country can no longer be called the sick man of Asia, Balisacan said. Our econom-ic growth is becoming more competitive with our East and Southeast Asian neighbors.The Philippines has been blighted by decades of corrupt governments and the archipel-ago nation is also vulnerable to frequent natural disasters such as typhoons and floods. Investor perceptions of the country have improved under

the government of President Benigno Aquino III, who was elected in 2010 with promises to combat endemic graft and poverty.The numbers tell us that we are moving in the right di-rection, Baliscan said. Clear-ly the economic policies and strategies we are implement-ing to achieve sustained and inclusive growth are bearing fruit, he said.National Statistician Lisa Bersales said the robust per-formance of industry, partic-ularly manufacturing and con-struction, lifted growth in the fourth quarter to 6.9 percent from 6.3 percent a year earlier.She said services contrib-uted 3.4 percentage points, industry 2.5 percentage points and agriculture 0.2 percent-age points to the 2014 GDP growth of 6.1 percent.Business process out-sourcing was one of the con-tributors to the expansion of services, according to Balisacan. Outsourcing cur-rently employs 1.052 million Filipinos and the industry is targeting 1.3 million full time employees and $25 billion in revenue by 2016. (Oliver Teves/AP)

Growth shows Phl no longersick man of Asia: Balisacan

FAIRASIA, 14

VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 2015 7

THERE is a need to pro-duce more seaweeds in the Philippines. The global demand is big and is growing by leaps and bounds. Thats because seaweed products are used in a wide range of indus-tries, reported Zac B. Sarian in his monthly column in a re-cent issue of Agriculture.The source of his informa-tion was Maximo Ricohermo-so, chairman of the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines. He was the main speaker of the technology fo-rum of Seaweed Fiesta that was held at the Passig Islet in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur re-cently. It was convened by the Philippine Council for Agricul-ture, Aquatic and Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), a line agency of the Department of Science and Technology.The gathering, which was co-sponsored by the Davao-based Southern Mindanao Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Council (SMARRDEC), was made to report the latest developments in the project while at the same time hoping to inspire other people to get into seaweed farming.One of those who attended the gathering was 41-year-old Ethelmark Bohol of Baganga, Davao Oriental. He grows two kinds of seaweed: Eucheuma alvarezzi and Kappaphycus cottoni.

The first one is known lo-cally as Bermuda, which is highly suitable for eating as part of a fresh salad. Sarian reported that Bohol grows 10 lines of seaweeds, each line measuring 220 meters long. From this, he harvests 5-10 ki-los each day and sells them at P30 per kilo in the local mar-ket. As for the second type of seaweed, the color is very white and seems to have been bleached without using any bleaching agent. Actually, the original color is brown but it when sundried, soaked in wa-ter overnight, and then sun-dried again, it becomes very white. So white that it can be used a replacement for the usual buko in a fruit salad.While there is money in growing seaweeds, the indus-try is still beset with problems. Foremost is marketing of the produce. Sarian, in his column, wrote: Seaweed growers in remote areas with poor trans-port facilities have a problem with marketing. Government assistance is needed so more people will go into seaweed farming.If theres no financial sup-port from the government, the industry will remain a

promise without fulfillment. As Sarian puts it: Even if they (farmers) can produce a lot of seaweeds, if they cannot mar-ket their harvest as a profit, they will just look for other projects to undertake.In a primer, the PCCAARD identified the coastal villag-

Seaweed: Underwater gold mineText and Photos By HENRYLITO D. TACIOes of these provinces as the leading producers of sea-weed: Western Mindanao, Central and Eastern Visayas, and Southern Tagalog. They reportedly account for more than 60 percent of the coun-trys production.Seaweeds are marine plants that grow abundantly

in shallow reef flats and in la-goons with a water depth of less than two meters at high tide. They differ from plants because they lack the stems, leaves, roots, and vascular sys-tems that are common in high-er plants.Technically, seaweeds are multicellular forms of algae and are classified into three main divisions: brown algae, red algae, and green algae. Brown algae, commonly called kelp, are the largest variety. Pacific species can reach 65 meters in length and have structures that superficially resemble leaves and stems.On the other hand, red algae are composed of sever-al species, including the Irish moss. They are abundant in clear tropical waters. Mean-while, green algae which are sometimes called sea let-tuce are commonly seen at low tide, along rocky shores in northern seas.The Philippines is one of the pioneers in seaweed farming. Cultures of Porphyra, Eucheuma, and Caulerpa in the Philippine marine farms have been recorded as early as the 1960s. Through the initia-tive of Dr. Max Doty, a marine botanist at the University of Hawaii, and his local counter-parts, the first technology for culture of Eucheuma was in-troduced to industry in 1973.Commercial seaweed farmers first succeeded in cul-tivating Eucheuma in the reef areas of Mindoro, Aklan, Cuyo, Zamboanga, and Tawi-Tawi. Since then, seaweed produc-tion has gone overboard.Ideally, the conditions for growing the seaweeds are wa-ter depths of one foot to two feet at low tide, water tem-perature of 27 to 30 degrees Centigrade, salinity of 31 to 34 parts per thousand and mod-erate water movement (20 to 40 meters per hour). Exces-sive sunlight, strong currents, and the presence of plant-eat-ing fish like danggit (siganid) can be detrimental to seaweed growing.In the Philippines, some 390 species have been identi-fied as having economic value as food, animal feeds, fertil-izers, diet supplement, med-icines, and raw materials for industrial products.At least 60 Philippine va-rieties are reportedly edible, including gulamang dagat, gamet, pocpoclo, culot, lato, guso, barls-barls, bulaklak bato, and balbalol-ang. Some of these varieties can be processed into jams, jellies, candies, pickles, babys food, and gulaman bars.The food value of sea-

weeds varies in different species. Average chemical analyses of 46 species of ma-rine algae in the Philippines show that the crude protein content (percentage of dry weight) is 7.44, 6.40, and 9.29 for the green, brown, and red seaweeds, respectively. This is about two to three times the protein content of common green leafy vegetables, which is 3.27 percent dry weight.Four species Halimada, Hypnea, Sargassum, and As-paragopsis have been used as feed or fodder for livestock. Species of Cladophora, Enter-omorpha, Chaetomorpha, and Gracilaria are used to supple-ment or substitute for fishfood for cultured herbivorous fish.The high potassium con-tent of brown seaweeds like Sargassum, Turbinaria, Hor-mophysa, and Hydroclathrus make them ideal substitutes for costly fertilizer. In Kidap-awan City, North Cotabato, Jose Riga has developed an all-purpose seaweed-based organic fertilizer and soil con-ditioner in stabilized pellets. The fertilizer, called Sea Crop, is made from brown seaweed, cattle manure, stabilizing compounds and an organic binder fortified with soluble compounds of a number of nutrients.Seaweeds have also some medicinal values. They are used to treat or prevent goi-ter, glandular troubles, stom-ach disorders, intestinal and bladder difficulties, unusually profuse menstrual flow, high-blood pressure, and high plas-ma-cholesterol level. Gracilar-ia species are used locally as pain relievers and ointments.Commercially, seaweeds are valued for their colloids or gluey substance, particularly agar, carrageenan, and algin. Both agar and carrageenan are

extracted from red seaweeds, while algin is extracted from brown seaweeds.Agar, which derived its name from the Malay word for seaweed, agar-agar, is used in making jellied desserts, as stabilizer in pie fillings, pip-ing gels, icings, cookies, cream shells, and as thickening and gelling agent in poultry, fish and meat canning.In the medical and phar-maceutical industries, agar serves as a laxative, suspend-ing agent for barium sulfate in radiology, ingredient for slow-release capsules and in suppositories and surgical lu-bricants, and as a disintegrat-ing agent in tablets. It is also used as impression materials to make accurate casts in pros-thetic dentistry, criminology and tool manufacturing.Carrageenan, on the other hand, is used in making oint-ments, as a stabilizing agent in frozen dairy products, as emulsifying agent in water-in-soluble drugs and herbicides, and as texturing agent in toothpaste and powder. The Philippines is the worlds top

carrageenan exporter. Algin or alginic acid, mean-while, is used as another stabi-lizing agent for several food products, as a sizing agent in paper manufacture, and as thickening agent in print pastes and painting coatings.

A type of seaweed.

Seaweed for eating

Another type of seaweed.

EDGEDAVAO

AGRITRENDS

VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 20158 EDGEDAVAOVANTAGE

Quo vadis, sick man of Asia?EDITORIAL

Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON EDCER C. ESCUDERO AURELIO A. PEA ZHAUN ORTEGA BERNADETTE ADDIE B. BORBON MARY ANN ADI C. QUISIDO LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., NIKKI GOTIANSE-TAN NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN EMILY ZEN CHUA CARLOS MUNDA Economic Analyst: ENRICO GICO G. DAYANGIRANG JONALLIER M. PEREZ

OLIVIA D. VELASCOGeneral Manager

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Columnists: CARLOS MUNDA HENRYLITO TACIO MA. TERESA L. UNGSON EDCER C. ESCUDERO AURELIO A. PEA MARY ANN ADI C. QUISIDO LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN VIDA MIA VALVERDE Economic Analysts: ENRICO GICO G. DAYANGIRANG JONALLIER M. PEREZ

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Lifestyle

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PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTEthe national association of newspapers

ITS time to burry the one referred to as the sick man of Asia.With the Philippines economic performance from 2010 to 2014, the country is poised to drop that tag for good. The country closed 2014 with a 6.9 percent GDP growth and with that, economic planners are looking at the country moving on to a long-term growth path. With the same bullish outlook, we are looking at a 7 percent GDP growth by this year.The Philippines economic performance also indicated it went over the hill and avoided the dreaded boom-and-bust cy-cle it faced in previous decades. Now, the Socioecomonic Plan-ning department said we have become more competitive with our East and Southeast Asian neighbors.The country has rebounded strongly in 2014 after posting the highest growth in Asia next only to powerhouse China. Overall, we went 6.1 percent in growth last year with that big jump to 6.9 in the final quarter. Credit that to a strong farm output and construction activity.Now, with that performance, the Central Bank may also be poised to leave policy rates on hold for some time.That should mean a good start for the year.The forecast is placed at 6.5 percent this year and given a 2.6 trillion peso national budget, it now depends on how the Philippine government is going to spend that budget.Hopefully, the growth in economy will not just remain fig-ures for grizzled economists to understand but translate to tangible growth that will overcome the perennial problems of poverty and unemployment.

HEAR this! By 2050, at least 13.6 million Filipinos are at risk of being displaced. Not by war or floods but by sea level rise. Thats according to Addressing Climate Change and Migration in Asia and the Pacific, which was published by the Manila-based Asian Develop-ment Bank.The report considered the Philippines as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. It ranked the country fifth in terms of number of individuals affected by sea level rise.Most scientists who attended the climate conference at Oxford University a few years back believed that a rise of at least two meters in the worlds sea levels is now certain. The cul-prit: global warming. Oxford speakers used history to back up their arguments on rising seas. Three million years ago the planet was 2-3 degrees warmer and the sea 25-35 meters higher, and 122,000 years ago 2 degrees warmer and 10 meters higher, they said.If the world limited warming to 1.5 degrees then it would still see two meters sea-level rise over centuries, according to Dr. Stefan Rahm-storf, a widely recognized sea level expert from Germany. Even then, the world will still see some island nations disappear.A new study contends that sea-level rise is accelerating faster than in the past. The cur-rent sea-level rise -- which started in 1990 -- is 2.5 times faster than it was from 1900 to 1990, according to the study published in the journal Nature.A continuing rise in average global sea level would inundate parts of many heavily populat-ed river deltas and the cities on them, making them uninhabitable, and would destroy many

beaches around the world, said the Intergovern-mental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of 2,000 scien-tists which ad-vises the United Nations.This is bad news for Davao City and those areas near the Davao Gulf. The recent Business Risk Assessment and the Man-agement of Climate Change Impacts, published by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), said that sea-level rise may create problems for Davao Citys ports.Located along the relatively shallow chan-nel between the city and Samal Island, these port facilities are a nerve center for Davao Citys economy, and serve a variety of ships handling both cargo and passengers, the risk assess-ment said.These days, when theres heavy rain, Davao City is immediately flooded. How much more when the sea level rises? A few years back councilor Leonardo Avila, during a seminar, said that when the sea level rises, the following areas will be completely submerged: Agdao district, Panacan, Sta. Ana wharf, part of the Lanang, Bajada and Matina areas, the whole of downtown area, including the City Hall. These areas will virtually be part of the Davao Gulf, he pointed out.

What happens next is anyones guess. But 40 percent of the citys total population will be forced to evacuate to higher areas like the dis-tricts of Buhangin, Catalunan Grande, Calinan, Mintal and Paquibato. Since the downtown area is already inundated, businesses have also to be relocated to higher areas.Sea level rise is also expected to make groundwater becomes salty in taste. So, resi-dents of Davao City should not be surprised if in the future the water they are drinking will taste like sea water.Davao has traditionally tapped surface wa-ter from its rivers as its main water source, the WWF/BPI report said. It prides itself in the rel-atively high quality of its drinking water. How-ever, salt intrusion has already been reported in city districts to shore, especially in portions of the city where groundwater extraction contin-ues. Sea level rise may aggravate this situation.Salinity intrusion into groundwater re-sources occur naturally to some extent in most coastal regions via the hydraulic connection between groundwater and seawater including through canals and drainage channels, ex-plained the World Bank report, Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts and the Case for Resilience.Another bad news: salty water is hazard-ous to your health. The most common conse-quence of excessive salt ingestion is hyperten-sion, the World Bank report said. Along with hypertension, there is a broad range of health problems potentially link with increased sa-linity exposure through bathing, drinking, and cooking; these include miscarriage, skin dis-ease, acute respiratory infection, and diarrheal disease.

All these because of climate change. Cli-mate change has caused many nations to suf-fer stronger typhoons, sea level rise, more flashfloods, and more devastating droughts, commented Senator Loren Legarda during the National Climate Change Consciousness Week two years ago. If proof is what we need to sub-stantiate these claims, we already have more than enough.According to Legarda, the Philippines has consistently gone up in global rankings on cli-mate vulnerability. In 2009, the country was the number 12 most at risk from cyclones, floods, earthquakes and landslides based on the Mor-tality Risk Index by the United Nations Interna-tional Strategy on Disaster Reduction.In 2010, the Philippines was the sixth most climate-vulnerable nation according to the Cli-mate ChangeVulnerability Index. In 2013, the country made it to the third most vulnerable by the United Nations Universitys Institute for En-vironment and Human Security.Climate change could still be curtailed if greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide could be limited. Carbon dioxide occurs naturally and is vital to life, but excessive quantities of it are re-leased by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas).The consequence of global climate change are so pressing that it doesnt matter who was responsible for the past; what matters is who is responsible for the future and that means all of us, declared actor Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was still the governor of California.The rich nations and the poor nations have different responsibilities. But one responsibility we all have, and that is action action, action, action! said The Last Action Hero star.

The rising sea levelVOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 2015 VANTAGE POINTS 9EDGEDAVAO

Henrylito D. Taciohenrytacio@gmail.com

THINK ON THESE!

SO much is said about the role and value of the family. Well and good. Because family is the most basic of our roots and our loy-altiesour basic identity, support group, and wellspring of our individual and collective ego. It is why the Pope took pains to remind us that family is the greatest treasure of any countrythe cornerstone of society.Unfortunately, theres a downside to exces-sive family obsession and loyalty, the kind that subordinates the welfare of community and so-ciety and places family interests above others. It is what characterizes the reign of political dy-nasties throughout our archipelago.Family ambition, pride, or obsession trumps any other consideration, overpowering the de-mands of the common good, exacerbating in-equality, raising discontent in community after community.This unseemly social/political phenome-non causes family units to subvert instead of enhance communal well-being, worsening in-equality and lack of opportunity in our society.*****By any measure of fairness or justice, it makes no sense for a family or clan to crowd everybody out of choice places in the public do-main by stocking it with relatives and cronies.Family or clan monopoly is abhorrent to de-mocracy just as mono-cropping is abhorrent to agriculture or the natural environment.This social problem has been spawned by the dominance of traditional politicos (trapos) in our politics, along with the cupidity of their cronies in the economy. Their dominance draws

attention away from elementary democratic principles and the ethical values of the commu-nity.And the broad scale of their dominance has made greed and the urge to aggrandize appear perfectly normal and fashionable.*****Unmindful that human diversity is just as important for societys survival as natures di-versity is essential for environmental survival, they mindlessly go power-tripping in defiance of whats socially acceptable and whats legally frowned upon.As a result, community solidarity is shat-tered as trapos sacrifice harmony and mutu-al consideration on the altar of ambition and greed. In the process, they spread ill-will and resentment as they go about merrily in search of plunder, loot, and advantage.The capture of politics and the economy by these shameless trapos has spread and institu-tionalized corruption as never before. Support-ed by dynasties with no sense of civic responsi-bility, they are driven by the spirit of opportun-ism, the urge to aggrandize, and thus expand up their familys fortunes.Cheered on by cronies and sycophants eager for a share of the loot they acquire from being in power, they dominate every level of our political system without compunction.*****

They have a stranglehold on politics and economics because they are devious and un-scrupulous and do not hesitate to exploit the tol-erant nature of the typical Filipino community.Meanwhile, because we, the people, do not apprehend what it means to be a sovereign cit-izenand the sacred duties it entails, we can-not or do not act to push back the attrition they cause to our values and institutions.We seem unable to understand that it is we who make government possible, establishing it at every level. It is we who fill its bureaucracy with people like ourselves, but who inevitably get corrupted by the dominance of corrupt bu-reaucrats and their perverted values.We cant act responsibly and decisively un-less we keep in mind that because it is we who vest officials with authority, delegating to them the powers that belong to us, the task also falls to us to discipline, remove, or replace them.*****Although it is writ large in our Constitution that Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them (Article II, Section 1) we dont exemplify what it means; we dont act accordingly.We lack awareness that our government, lo-cal or national, derives its power and authority from us; that therefore it is our duty to see the same exercised responsibly, honestly, account-ably, and transparently.Not only that, we need to understand that irresponsible citizens create irresponsible or illegitimate governments; and that to prevent this from happening, we must be civic-minded

and do our duties accordingly.We do need always to be mindful of the fact that all official corruption is made possible by the improper or corrupt exercise of our power (sovereignty) and authoritywhich we merely lend to our officials. It is our power. It is authori-ty we delegate it to them by electing them.*****But although it is our duty to see that the same is exercised responsibly or honestly we dont do so. We dont keep politics on the straight path and let it perform to our satisfac-tion.And so the ruling families can indulge in corrupt and perverted practices to their hearts content. It is we who allow them to be venal and unfocused on their mandates. It is we who let wrong family values prevail, allowing public servants to turn our government into a self-ser-vice enterprise.It is time to put family values in perspective, time to stop dynasties from gutting the resourc-es of our community and society at every level; time to penalize the malefactors.We must put a stop to the culture of impu-nity. And to do it, we need to start with family and clan!(Manny is former UNESCO regional direc-

tor for Asia-Pacific, secretary-general of South-east Asian Publishers Association, director at Development Academy of Philippines, vice chair of Local Government Academy, member of the Cory Governments Peace Panel, and PPI-UNICEF awardee for outstanding columnist. valdehue-sa@gmail.com)

Families subverting our values and institutionsBYMANNY VALDEHUESA

THE WORMS EYEVIEW

VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 2015

FOR the seventh quarter in a row Facebook beat profit and revenue fore-casts, continuing to win more mobile advertising revenue as most users shift to using the site on smartphones and other portable devices.The worlds biggest online social network said Wednesday that advertising revenue jumped 53 percent to $3.59 billion for the fourth quarter with mobile ad revenue representing 69 percent of the total. That per-centage has grown steadily in each quarter of this year.Facebooks massive user base also expanded. It had 1.39 billion monthly active users at the end of the year, up 13 percent from a year earlier. Daily users totaled 890 million, up 18 percent. Mobile monthly active users jumped 26 percent to 1.19 billion.The bigger Facebook gets, it cements its position as one of the most dominant players in digital media, and it has the size and reach to change the rules of digital ad-vertising and convince others to play by them, said Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst at research firm eMarketer.Facebook, which turns 11 years old this year, began of-fering mobile ads in 2012, the year its stock began publicly trading. More recently, Face-book expanded into video ads, which are very lucrative, and last year it re-launched Atlas, a tool for marketers to better target people across devices, platforms and pub-lishers and to measure how

well the ads work.Facebook had a strong quarter capping off a really great year, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said in an interview.She called 2014 the year Facebook completed the shift to mobile, and said the com-pany will continue to make investments to build its busi-ness this year. When it comes to Facebooks ad business, the focus is squarely mobile. Sandberg said that in the U.S., 25 percent of consumers time spent on various media is spent on mobile while only about 10 percent of ad-vertising budgets goes to mo-bile.What that says to me is that we have opportunity for growth, she said.The company is still a long way from catching up to rival Google Inc. in the digital advertising market, though. In 2014, Facebook had a nearly 8 percent share of the market compared with Goo-gles 31 percent according to eMarketer. Thats an increase for Facebook and a slight de-crease for Google from 2013.After paying preferred dividends Facebook earned $696 million, or 25 cents per share, in the October to December quarter, up from $520 million, or 20 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier.Adjusted earnings totaled 54 cents per share. Analysts, on average, were expect-ing adjusted earnings of 48 cents per share, according to FactSet.Revenue grew to $3.85 SAMSUNG Electronics Co. said its quarterly earnings dropped 27 percent in the fourth quarter as it struggled in its battle of big phones with Apple. But its result still beat forecasts thanks to component busi-nesses that performed bet-ter and a modest improve-ment in high-end handset sales.The worlds top smart-phone maker reported Thursday that its Octo-ber-December earnings were 5.3 trillion won ($4.9 billion), compared with 7.3 trillion won a year earlier.Samsungs quarterly net income has dropped over a year earlier for four straight quarters. Still, the bottom line was a moderate recovery from the previous quarters 4.2 trillion won and higher than analysts forecasts of 4.4 trillion won, according to financial data provider FactSet.Sales fell 11 percent to 52.7 trillion won from a year earlier while operating profit slumped 36 percent to 5.3 trillion won, in line with Samsungs preview earlier this month.The Korean companys mobile business began to struggle in 2014 while Apple enjoyed record-high sales of bigger iPhones that were re-leased in September.Samsung is still believed

10

Profit, revenue beat expectations

Samsungs 4Q profit drops but beats forecast

EDGEDAVAO

ICT HUBFACEBOOKS STATUS UPDATE

billion from $2.59 billion a year earlier, also topping an-alysts $3.78 billion forecast. Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia said the company has made it clear that it expects revenue growth rates to slow due to tough comparisons to year-ago results, but added that this should not be a big concern, especially for long-term investors.Facebook, which owns the popular photo-sharing app Instagram and the mes-saging service WhatsApp, has launched stand-alone mobile apps of its own, in a move that helps it take up more real

estate on peoples phones. Besides its Messenger app, though, these apps have seen limited success.CEO Mark Zuckerberg has promised that Facebook will continue investing in new areas that might not pay off for a long time. This includes its purchase of Oc-ulus, a small company that makes virtual reality goggles, last year. The companys am-bitious Internet.org project, meanwhile, aims to connect everyone on Earth to the In-ternet.Zuckerberg said recently that its a misconception that

Facebook does everything for business reasons.I can promise you that if what I cared about was mak-ing more money, I would take the engineers and the people who are working on Internet.org and spreading connec-tivity around the world and have them go work on our ads product, he told an au-dience recently in Bogota, Colombia.Case in point, costs and expenses for the fourth quar-ter rose 87 percent to $2.72 billion from a year earlier.Shares of Menlo Park, California-based Facebook

slipped $1.09, or 1.4 percent, to $75.15 in extended trading after the results came out.Some analysts attributed the after-market pullback to profit-taking by short-term investors.Investors are getting accustomed to better than expected results, said Ed-ward Jones Analyst Josh Ol-son, adding that he sees any weakness as a buying oppor-tunity. Mobile continues to be a success. They are real-ly redefining the mobile ad market right now. BARBA-RA ORTUTAY, AP Technolo-gy Writer

to have retained its lead over Apple in smartphone unit shipments during the last quarter, but Apple must have narrowed its gap with Samsung, analysts said.Apple reported stellar earnings on Tuesday thanks to its new plus-sized iP-hones that hit record-high sales. Apple sold 74.5 million iPhones during the three months that ended Dec. 31. Samsung does not give its smartphone sales figures, but Lee Jae-yun, an analyst at Yuanta Securities Co., esti-mated that Samsung sold 77 million smartphones.Samsungs IT and Mobile division that makes Galaxy phones recorded operating profit of 1.96 trillion won in the October-December quarter, less than half of the 5.47 trillion won operating profit in the same quarter of 2013. But that was better than the July-September pe-riods 1.75 trillion won oper-ating income.The recovery from the previous quarter showed

that the dramatic decline in its smartphone business may have stopped. The com-pany said its mobile phone businesss performance improved from the three months earlier because the Galaxy Note 4 and oth-er high-end smartphones saw higher sales that offset a drop in sales of cheaper phones.Its management of mar-keting expenditures was ef-ficient, its statement said.The company was shy of giving a clear guidance of how its mobile business would perform during the current quarter. It said it will focus on the successful implementation of its new product line-up strategy.Facing a dramatic fall in smartphone sales, Samsung vowed last year to reduce the number of smartphone models to streamline busi-nesses and to adopt a change in design by using metal in more high-end models. YOUKYUNG LEE, AP Tech-nology Writer

VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 2015 11EDGEDAVAOSUBURBIA

AT least 1,000 wom-en wearing hijab are expected to walk the streets of Marawi City on Feb. 1 as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) joins in the celebra-tion of 2015 World Hijab Day.The ARMMs Regional Commission on Bangsamoro Women (RCBW) is organiz-ing the event.Sittie Jehanne Mutin, RCBW regional chair, said they expect women from all sectors to join the celebra-tion and help draw atten-tion to the need for women to participate in the political and economic development of Bangsamoro.She said participants would come from different parts of the region, regard-less of religion and social standing.Hijab refers to the veil and the dress that covers the entire body that most Mus-lim women wear.Mutin said this years celebration would carry the theme Hijab WALK (Wom-ens Access to Livelihood ay Karapatan), which is aimed at emphasizing womens important role in society and promoting their right to decent livelihood, develop-ment, justice and empower-ment.Last year, ARMM marked the World Hijab Day celebra-tion with the participation of more than 500 women in hijab in a fun run. (PNA)

ARMM to mark World Hijab Daywith symbolic walk of 1,000 women

THE Housing and Urban Development Coordi-nating Council (HUDCC) recognized the city govern-ment of Tagum for its sound legislative actions, pragmatic policies, innovative anti-squat-ting programs and projects, and its effective implementa-tion of its efforts and initiatives in housing.The HUDCC, headed by Vice President Jejomar Binay, said this enhanced the capac-ity of the local government in addressing housing and urban development concerns that are recognized by the national Tagum City cited for housing efforts

RECOGNITION. Vice President Jejomar Binay hands a plaque of recognition to Engineer Bernardo Castor representing Mayor Allan R. Rellon for Tagum Citys housing program at the Coconut Palace in Manila recently. Contributed Photo by LHB-TWG

VETERINARY person-nel in South Cotabato vaccinated a total of 38,000 dogs in parts of the province last year as part of intensified campaign against the deadly rabies virus.Dr. Flora Bigot, acting provincial veterinarian, said Wednesday they expanded their anti-rabies vaccination program in 2014 as a strat-egy to eradicate rabies cas-es within the provinces 10 towns and lone city.Giving of anti-rabies vaccine to dogs is still the most effective strategy to eradicate rabies, she said.From January to Decem-ber last year, the official said they were able to attend to some 21,000 dogs in the area.Polomolok town topped the list in terms of the num-ber of dogs that were vacci-nated last year with 8,000, followed by Banga with 6,187 and Suralah with 6,000, she said.Bigot said they have scheduled anew a year-round vaccination drive this year and they are targeting to cover all 199 barangays of the province during the period.She said they will initially visit the remote or far-flung barangays and areas where rabies cases were previously recorded.The anti-rabies team

will be following a schedule but if there are emergency cases or if we receive re-quests from concerned ba-rangay councils, then we will prioritize them, she said.The official said they usually spend an entire day during their barangay visits to make sure that all dogs in the area would be vaccinated.Aside from the baran-gay vaccination drives, Bigot said they also offer the same services to other pet owners in key localities at a minimal fee. She said they were able to collect a total of P349,000 in anti-rabies vaccination fees last year and they even-tually used the funds to serve

2,458 indigent owners.Rabies is a deadly vi-rus which is transferred by warm blooded animals like dogs, cats, bats, and horse to human through bites. It causes inflammation in the human brain that will lead to the victims death.In South Cotabato, at least 10 persons died last year due to confirmed rabies infection.A human anti-rabies vac-cine costs P1,500 per vial and the local government pro-vides them for free through its Animal Bite Center locat-ed at the out-patient section of the Integrated Provincial Health Office in Koronadal City. (PNA)

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 12 honored on Wednesday a community volunteer and a coordinating team of its Kalahi-CIDSS program for winning top awards at the recent 1st Bayan Ka! Awards of the agency.Bai Zorahayda Taha, DSWD Region 12 di-rector, said the regions awardees were recog-nized during the awards as champions and mod-ern-day heroes of com-munity development.She said the agency earlier launched the na-tionwide search as part of its enhanced infor-mation and promotions campaign for the Kala-hi-CIDSS, which stands for Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehen-sive and Integrated Deliv-ery of Social Services.The campaign pro-motes the involvement of local stakeholders in community development by encouraging them to put their community (bayan) first before their own selves.Were fortunate that we have our own cham-pions of our communi-ty-driven development strategy here in the re-gion, she said.The awardees from the region were commu-nity volunteer Santos Bal-ilid, who took the Best Indigenous Peoples Vol-unteer Award, and the programs staff assigned in Isulan town in Sultan Kudarat who won the Best Area Coordinating Team (ACT) Award.

The awards were con-ferred in a ceremony held at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City last Jan. 23.Taha said Balilid is one of their long-time program volunteers in Barangay Sinapulan, Columbio town in Sultan Kudarat.She said Balilid was recognized due to his con-tributions as volunteer, dedication to his commu-nity and determination to improve the lives of the tribal or indigenous peoples in the area who were left behind in terms of development.The ACT of Isulan, which spearheads the implementation of Kala-hi-CIDSS at the munici-pal level, was recognized for its efforts in terms of strengthening the aware-ness of local communi-ties through consultative dialogues and rigorous engagements with the people.Kalahi-CIDSS, which is implemented by the DSWD, is one of the na-tional governments flag-ship poverty-reduction programs.It utilizes the commu-nity-driven development concept as a strategy, with the aim to empower com-munities to achieve im-proved access to services and ensure their partici-pation in more inclusive local planning, budgeting, and implementation.In Region-12, it is now implemented in the 16 municipalities in the provinces of Sultan Kuda-rat, Sarangani and North Cotabato. (PNA)

38,000 dogs get anti-rabies vaccines DSWD 12 honorsBayan Ka! awardees

government.The recognition, which was presented through a plaque, was bestowed at the Coconut Palace, the official residence of the Vice President in Manila, and was received by Engineer Bernardo Castor, who heads the technical work-ing group of the Local Housing Board chaired by Mayor Allan L. Rellon.This is still part of the national governments drive against professional squatters and squatting syndicates in its goal of recognizing best prac-tices in the local government. Tagum City has eight exist-ing relocation sites which are developed by the local govern-ment.Aside from Tagum, other local government units that were recognized were Butu-an City, San Carlos City, Island Garden City of Samal, Marikina City, Kidapawan City, Quezon City, and Malabon City. Louie Lapat of CIO Tagum

File photo by Lean Daval Jr.

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AS SOON as the telltale burn hit my thighs a few minutes into our exercise, I started to com-prehend why Plana Forma produced afi-cionados that they affectionately call thigh warriors. I had just been initiat-ed into Plana Forma by way of their For-ma Asana class. The 8:00am session last January 23 kicked off their second Pop-up here in Davao, held at the Damosa Fairlane clubhouse. The 2-day series of classes included the Forma Asana class, Zumba and the Be-ginners class all full body workouts incorporating ele-ments of yoga, dance and Pilates that tone and stretch the mus-cles at the same time. Plana Forma is a new and revolutionary think-ing in the local world of physical fitness. It con-forms to the principles of Physique 57, which uses a mix of isometric exercises and orthopedic stretches to simultane-ously lengthen and tone muscles. It differs from most of the other exer-cises that uses machines and isotonic or dynamic movements as it primar-ily utilizes the bodys own weight and the aid of the barre. Though it makes

VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 2015

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use of static exercisesmake no mistake, a ses-sion of Plana Forma is 55 minutes of challenging workout which stretches and contracts muscles to the point beyond exhaus-tion. It generates intense heat in the muscles that will remain and continue burning calories even af-ter the session has ended. Despite the young age of Plana Forma in the country, its platform is one that many have rap-idly taken to. Both its studios in Metro Manila have carefully mapped out classes that cater to all levels. From the 30 min-ute Intro that is recom-mended for purposes of learning proper form and alignment of the body to

its much-beloved Zumba class that is as carefree and high-intensity a workout as you can get. Gearing towards opening their first studio outside Manila early this year at the soon-to-open Felcris Centrale, their forays into the South have proven encouraging as fitness fiends slowly be-gin to discover why this evolving form of exercise only grows stronger and more resilient such as the bodies it shapes. For more information regarding Plana Forma, visit their website at for-ma-asia.com. You can also contact them through their email info@forma-asia.com, and contact numbers 09178094392 and 5530870.

A2 INdulge!STYLE

VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 2015EDGEDAVAO

Davao designers dress upMISS PHILIPPINES

If I were to dress MJ Las-timosa, I would make her wear a sweetheart neckline accentuated with drapes on the hips to emphasize her hour glass figure. Appliqued with lace and beads on the bodice down to her hips with tulle gathers on a subtle panels.

MJ Lastimosa is such a beauty and I would love for her to slip into something elegant with a fun twist. I want her to wear an iron-pleated cut-out piece in turquoise that will let her sashay around the stage in high-spirit-ed charm and oozing self-con-fidence.

I would have loved to dress MJ up in a fully sequinned floral gown with 3D effect Appliqus. Theres a little bit of flirtiness added to it by incorporating a skintone tulle on the waist part scattered with small floral appli-ques. This look will emphasise MJs tiny waist and elongate her body.

I will have MJ wear a red terno made of Pia fiber for the evening gown competition to emphasise the unique-ness Filipino design as well as Filipino creativity featuring locally sourced materials. The lines of the gown are simple to emphasise her figure as well as make her look taller.

MUCH has been said about the gown that Miss Philippines Universe Mary Jean Lastimosa wore during during the Miss Universe competition, that it was ill-designed and did not flatter the Philippine bet was one issue, that it was not designed by a Filipino designer was another. Binibining Pilipinas chair Stella Marquez-Araneta defended the gowns designer, saying in an interview that the gowns produced by Filipino designers were just not good enough for the pageant. This prompted Filipino fashion designers to cry foul and made Pinoy netizens demand that the organization look for Filipino designers for future excursions. Indulge! asked some local Dabawenyo fashion designers what they would have had MJ wear instead. Here are some of their designs and thoughts.

MJ has a beautiful figure and a red gown that emphasises her curves as well as flows with her walk would be the perfect evening gown for her during the competi-tion. Lace floral appliqus as well as crystal embroidery should draw the eye to hey tiny waist as well as elongate her body making her look taller than the competition.

WILSON LIMON

MAIZY COLLEEN TAN

DON MAKI

BOBBY CASTILLO

JOHN BELANDRES

INdulge! A3VOL. 7 ISSUE 225 FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 - 31, 2015 EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENT

VINA MORALES and Denise Laurel both admit that they can relate to their charac-ters when it comes to love in ABS-CBNs newest afternoon drama series Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita.

Vina and Denise become stronger because of love

Yagit gets overwhelming support from viewers and online netizens

I can really relate to Cecilias life because we both have to be strong as single moms for our children. Like her, I have become tougher as a person and as a mother because of my experi-ences in love, said Vina about her role in one of the newest Kapamilya Gold teleseryes. According to Denise, she can see herself in the personality of her char-acter Toni when it comes to love. For me, Toni

and I share similarities when we fall in love be-cause we are both ready to sacrifice and do ev-erything to let our loved ones know how we feel for them, she said. Meanwhile, TV view-ers will surely be more thrilled in the next epi-sodes of Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita now that teen stars Jane Oineza, Jerome Ponce, Joshua Garcia, and Loisa Andalio will soon appear in the series as Corinne,

KAPUSO Afternoon prime drama series Yagit contin-ues to grab the attention of viewers and netizens. The well-loved characters of Chlaui Malayao, Zymic Ja-ranilla, Judie Dela Cruz, and Jemuel Ventinilla never fail to capture the hearts of viewers. Portrayals by Yas-mien Kurdi, James Blanco, LJ Reyes, Renz Fernandez, Kevin Santos, Bettina Car-los and Wowie De Guzman plus Paolo Contis are also highly-anticipated. Based on the overnight household ratings data re-corded in National Urban Philippines from December 1-January 16, Yagit scored a 13.2 percent household rating versus ABS-CBNs Kapamilya Blockbusters (Dec.1-Jan.14) 10.4 percent and Thank You Sa Mala-sakit (TYSM): Pope Francis sa Pilipinas 10.9 percent.

In Urban Luzon, it scored a 15.1 percent household rating compared to Ka-pamilya Blockbusters 8.9 percent and TYSMs 9.2 percent while in Mega Manila, Yagit posted 15.7 percent against Kapamilya Blockbusters and TYSMs 7.8 percent. From intense to dramat-ic scenes, theres no doubt why Yagit continuously captivates viewers atten-tion. Witness what Dolores can do for her daughter Eliza. Will Victor continue to keep Eliza away from Dolores? Yagit airs Mondays to Fridays after The Half Sis-ters in the Afternoon Prime block of GMA. Dont forget to follow the official Face-book fanpage www.face-book.com/Off icialYagit and Twitter account @Of-ficialYagit.

Ryan, Joel, and Bea, re-spectively. Dont miss the new-est teleserye that will show the different fac-es of love, Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita, everyday, 3:15PM, after Flordeliza on ABS-CBNs Kapamilya Gold. For more information about Nasaan Ka Nang

Kailangan Kita, log on www.abs-cbn.com, or follow @abscbndotcom on Twitter. Viewers may also catch up on full episodes and past episodes of Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita through ABS-CBNmo-bile. For more informa-tion, please go to www.abscbnmobile.com.

Davao designers dress upMISS PHILIPPINES

I will have MJ wear a red terno made of Pia fiber for the evening gown competition to emphasise the unique-ness Filipino design as well as Filipino creativity featuring locally sourced materials. The lines of the gown are simple to emphasise her figure as well as make her look taller.

MUCH has been said about the gown that Miss Philippines Universe Mary Jean Lastimosa wore during during the Miss Universe competition, that it was ill-designed and did not flatter the Philippine bet was one issue, that it was not designed by a Filipino designer was another. Binibining Pilipinas chair Stella Marquez-Araneta defended the gowns designer, saying in an interview that the gowns produced by Filipino designers were just not good enough for the pageant. This prompted Filipino fashion designers to cry foul and made Pinoy netizens demand that the organization look for Filipino designers for future excursions. Indulge! asked some local Dabawenyo fashion designers what they would have had MJ wear instead. Here are some of their designs and thoughts.

BOBBY CASTILLO

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January 28-February 3, 2015

Promising to serve a contemporary taste of the American South, Huck-leberry offers comfort food that harkens back to the Carolinas, Louisiana, and beyond such as Slow-roasted Beef Belly, South-ern Fried Chicken, Nash-ville Hot Chicken Wings, and Pork Belly with Apple Salad and Mashed Pota-toes. More than just offer-ing American soul food, Huckleberry is a one-of-a-kind watering hole with a bar that carries some of

the best premium spirits of the world such as Mon-key 47 Dry Gin, Tequila Ocho, Tres Agaves, and Siete Leguas, which hand-

in-hand with the food and craft cocktails are the rea-sons why Huckleberry is winning fans all over the city as evidenced by the many guests who arrived for the opening party. Huckleberry Southern Kitchen and Bar is located at the ground floor of the Oboza house at the cor-ner of Rizal and Bolton Streets. Follow me on Insta-gram or on Twitter at @kennethkingong for more happenings in, around, and beyond Durianburg.

A4 INdulge!EVENT

The Durianburg food scene is once again making waves as Huckle-berry Southern Kitchen and Bar finally opened its doors last Janu-ary 28 after a dry-run last December. A brainchild of cousins Kim and Chris Pamintuan, the restaurant is earning praises and fans all over the metro with its fresh new concept in dining.

Southern comfort at

HUCKLEBERRY

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