P 15.00 • 20 PAGES www.edgedavao.net VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015 THE YOUNG AND THE DAMNED EDGE Serving a seamless society DAVAO House Committee moves vote to May 18, 19, 20 INSIDE EDGE Bigger Picture P11 GAS UP. A pump attendant fills a customer’s vehicle with gasoline at a gas station along E. Quirino Avenue in Davao City yesterday. Petroleum companies implemented another oil price increase for the fourth consecutive week early morning yesterday. Lean Daval Jr. BBL VOTE RESET T HE Ad Hoc Commit- tee on the Bangsam- oro Basic Law (AH- CBBL) on Monday night announced the resetting of its voting on the pro- posed law to May 18, 19 and 20, some three hours after Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Com- mittee chair, asked before adjourning the meeting at around 4:45 p.m.: “Are we ready for tomorrow’s vot- ing? Yes we are.” Voting would be “sec- tion by section” and there would be no explanation of the vote as that would be done during the plena- ry, Rodriguez said. But after a meeting with House leaders, Tues- day’s voting was cancelled and the new schedule is on May 18, 19 and 20. May 18 was supposed to be the start of the ple- nary debate. “We have to consol- idate all the proposed amendments including the numerous amend- ments proposed this afternoon and those to be submitted tomorrow (Tuesday),” Rodriguez told MindaNews. The Committee meet- ing for Tuesday has been called off “but we will receive proposed amend- ments,” he said. The 75-member com- mittee was scheduled to vote on the BBL on May 11, 12 and, “if necessary,” Rodriguez said, “on May 13.” No voting But no voting took place on Monday after- noon, as more amend- ments were introduced, including a list of pro- posed amendments read by Davao del Norte Rep. Anthony del Rosario FBBL, 10
Transcript
P 15.00 • 20 PAGESwww.edgedavao.netVOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015
THE YOUNG AND THE DAMNED
EDGE Serving a seamless society
DAVAO
House Committee moves vote to May 18, 19, 20INSIDE EDGE
Bigger Picture P11
GAS UP. A pump attendant fills a customer’s vehicle with gasoline at a gas station along E. Quirino Avenue in Davao City yesterday. Petroleum companies implemented another oil price increase for the fourth consecutive week early morning yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.
BBL VOTE RESETTHE Ad Hoc Commit-
tee on the Bangsam-oro Basic Law (AH-
CBBL) on Monday night announced the resetting of its voting on the pro-posed law to May 18, 19 and 20, some three hours after Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Com-mittee chair, asked before adjourning the meeting at around 4:45 p.m.: “Are we ready for tomorrow’s vot-ing? Yes we are.”
Voting would be “sec-tion by section” and there would be no explanation of the vote as that would be done during the plena-ry, Rodriguez said.
But after a meeting with House leaders, Tues-day’s voting was cancelled and the new schedule is on May 18, 19 and 20.
May 18 was supposed to be the start of the ple-nary debate.
“We have to consol-
idate all the proposed amendments including the numerous amend-ments proposed this afternoon and those to be submitted tomorrow (Tuesday),” Rodriguez told MindaNews.
The Committee meet-ing for Tuesday has been called off “but we will receive proposed amend-ments,” he said.
The 75-member com-mittee was scheduled to
vote on the BBL on May 11, 12 and, “if necessary,” Rodriguez said, “on May 13.”
No votingBut no voting took
place on Monday after-noon, as more amend-ments were introduced, including a list of pro-posed amendments read by Davao del Norte Rep. Anthony del Rosario
FBBL, 10
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 20152 EDGEDAVAO
NEWS
HOT DAY. A security guard of a pawnshop along Bolton Street in Davao City uses a large envelope as fan to beat the heat while the area experiences an hour-long blackout yesterday. Davao Light and Power Company is implementing rotating outages due to low power supply. Lean Daval Jr.
THE Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC)
should inform the Davao City government before it proceeds with the P17-billion modern-ization project of Sasa Port.
In an interview yesterday, councilor Danilo C. Dayang-hirang said the DOTC should explain to the city why the project cost reached such a huge amount when the feasi-bility study of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) was only around P4.5 billion.
Dayanghirang said the bid-ding of the project is set in De-cember and the city has not yet being consulted about it.
“Under the Local Govern-ment Code of the Philippines, all the local government units (LGUs) should be informed and consulted because it will
affect our constituents,” he said.
Dayanghirang said al-though the DOTC will say the government will not spend any amount for the project since it is under a Private-Public Part-nership (PPP), “common sense will say that the taxpayers will still pay for this project.”
“The city government de-serves an explanation on what this project is all about,” he said.
He said the DOTC should present the economic viability study of the project since the city will not just follow what the national government dic-tates especially given the huge cost of the project.
Dayanghirang said even the PPA has no copy of the project proposal of the DOTC.
FOLLOWING the flooding in the meat section of the Bankerohan Public
Market yesterday because of a heavy downpour on Mon-day night, the Davao City Economic Enterprise (CEE) is targeting to finish the neces-sary minor repairs by June in time for the start of the rainy season.
“We are now on the pro-curement of material that will take a maximum of 22 days,” CEE economic enterprise co-ordinator Reynan C. Librado told reporters yesterday.
Librado said the flooding problem in the meat section of the one-hectare Bankero-han Public Market has been
a problem for many years be-cause of its topography.
He said the meat sec-tion area is a catchment ba-sin whenever it rains. Even though there are two nearby drainage systems, the stored water in the area cannot be flushed out of the drainage pipe because of its elevation.
“The water needs to rise up so that it can flush out of the drainage pipe,” he said.
“The flooding problem in this section has been a prob-lem for many year. But yester-day’s was much better than before. It has been raining for a few weeks now but it was only yesterday that I received a call pertaining to that flood-
ing problem,” Librado said.“We are doing our best to
remedy this flooding prob-lem,” he added.
Librado said the problem is exacerbated by some undis-ciplined market vendors.
“There are still some ven-dors who throw their garbage anywhere, causing the pipe to be clogged up,” he said.
He said to control this, the city government has imple-mented a two-notice rule to make market vendors more disciplined.
He said the previous ad-ministration was “lenient” and in implementing rules and regulations.
“The CEE would issue first
and second notices to ven-dors, but if the office did not receive any response from the vendor, it will send another batch of notices,” he said.
“But now we stick to our two-notice rule… When Atty. Jophee Agustin-Avanceña sat as the head of CEE, we initially implemented a lot of closure orders to show the market vendors that we are serious about our policies,” he said.
He said the CEE has five inspectors that conduct moni-toring daily in different public markets in the city.
Librado said disciplining vendors is not a job that can be done overnight but a job that would take years.
VICE Mayor Paolo Duterte disagreed with his father, Mayor
Rodrigo Duterte, on arming Traffic Management Center (TMC) enforcers.
In yesterday’s Pulong
Pulong ni Pulong, the vice mayor said giving firearms to TMC enforcers might lead to bigger trouble.
Mayor Duterte had earlier said he was con-sidering issuing firearms
to personnel of the TMC after a TMC personnel was gunned down while on duty at McArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City.
Duterte said the recent killing of TMC enforcer
Ruel P. Siacor has given him the idea that traffic personnel should carry firearms.
The mayor, however, admitted that arming traf-fic enforcers could scare
the people.“Maybe this is the time
to arm them. Ang problema baka umabuso naman (The problem is they might be-come abusive),” he said.
Yesterday, the vice
mayor said traffic enforc-ers already have a stressful job and arming them could make things worse.
He added, however, that the matter is for the mayor to decide.
DOTC told to inform city of Sasa port projectBy ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.
POST-EVENT CLEANUP. Two utility personnel clean up the oval track of the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism in Tagum City with blower days after the end of Palarong Pambansa 2015. Lean Daval Jr.
SHOELESS. A barefoot man, accompanied by his pet dog, pushes his cart loaded with used plastic bottles and scrap items towards a junk shop along Lapu-lapu Street in Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.
PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Offi-cer-in-Charge, Depu-
ty Director General Leonar-do Espina on Tuesday said the fight against terrorism will continue even after the death of Filipino bomb maker Basit Usman.
“(The death of Malay-sian bomb makers Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and Basit Usman) definitely led to a marking of major ac-complishments in the fight versus terrorism. However, we’re not going to put our guards down” Espina said in a chance interview at Camp Crame.
He said that there were
many other terrorists at large, but PNP was deter-mined “to account for all ... especially those who would create havoc.”
According to Espina, PNP is set to catch Jemaah Islamiyah member, Amin Baco, next.
Amin, 31, a Malaysian terrorist and a Jemaah Islamiyah member, is be-lieved hiding with the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu, together with four other militants wanted by Malaysian police. They were reported to have fled to Mindanao following police crackdowns on mil-itant activities in Malaysia.
“Mamasapano is just
an operation to reach an objective. All objectives are very noble and for the bet-terment of general public. We will not stop until highly valued terrorists are all ac-counted for,” Espina said.
Meanwhile, PNP awaits submission of more evi-dence needed to determine Usman’s DNA.
“PNP Crime Laboratory and the Criminal Investiga-tion and Detection Group (CIDG) personnel in the field are busy collating all pieces of evidence that are relevant to the determina-tion of the DNA” said Espi-na.
The PNP-OIC also said
that the PNP would request proximate relatives, like parents” to cross-match with the DNA of Usman.
Usman, who was killed last May 3 in a Moro Islamic Liberation Front-controlled area.
Usman were among the targets of the bungled oper-ation in Mamasapano, Ma-guindanao with Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir or “Marwan,” who was killed in the Jan. 25 mission. The police operation, however, cost the lives of 44 Special Action Force troopers, 16 Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters and three ci-vilians. (PNA)
AN alliance of Indigenous Peoples (IP) groups in Mindanao lauded the
Davao City government for the approval of the mining ban or-dinance last week.
In yesterday’s regular ses-sion, councilor Antoinette G. Principe-Castrodes read the open letter of the Kalumaran or Kusog sa Katawhang Lumad sa Mindanao which her office received last Monday.
The group said the ap-proval of the ordinance is an-other landmark legislation as Davao City now joins the ranks of more than 10 local govern-ment units (LGUs) that have passed similar legislation.
“We congratulate the peo-ple of Davao City especially those who were in the front-
line of thee protest movement against the Philippine Mining Act of 1995, for this hard-earned victory against an an-ti-people, anti-mining law,” the statement said.
Kalumaran commend-ed the leadership of Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte and Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte for the “pro-people and environment legislation prohibiting mining company to enter the city.”
“The bias for the unbridled extraction of mineral wealth by multinational corporations has only fuelled violence in the communities and brought un-speakable destruction to the environment,” the group said.
“The so-called benefits are just myths created by those
DAVAO City Councilor Danilo C. Dayanghi-rang wants the con-
struction of the Davao City Water District (DCWD) pipe bridge in Bankerohan to be hastened so that there will be enough water supply in the city, especially in some areas in the second district.
“I hope they will make it fast because there are some areas in the second district (that) have water supply problems,” Dayanghirang told Edge Davao in an interview.
He said he hopes the DCWD will look into the prob-lem of the delay of the com-pletion of the pipe bridge.
“I hope they will explain to the people why there is a delay,” he said, adding the DCWD should make a pub-lic statement to explain the problem to the people.
DCWD spokesperson Ber-
nardo D. Delima had earlier said the project has suffered further delays due to conges-tion at the Port of Manila from where the pipes would be de-livered to Davao City.
The project was initially scheduled for completion on March 28 but was moved to April 27 due to congestion at the Port of Manila from where the pipes would be delivered to Davao City.
The contractors, however, still missed the last deadline for the same problem.
DCWD spokesperson Bernardo D. Delima said DCWD will impose a penalty of 1/10 of 1 percent per day of the unfinished work item on the consortium of RD Poli-carpio & Co., Inc., Allado Con-struction Co., Inc., and TGV Builders, Inc.
Delima said the contrac-
VICE Mayor Rodrigo Duterte yesterday confirmed talking to
his father, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, about their plans in the 2016 election.
Speaking to reporters, the younger Duterte said he and his younger brother Sebastian talked with the mayor two weeks ago.
The vice mayor, howev-er, clarified that his younger brother does not have plans to enter politics.
He also did not divulge further details about their talk.
Asked about his own plan to run for mayor next
year which he had con-firmed in March, Paolo said it will depend on the Hug-pong sa Tawong Lungsod, the dominant local political party.
“Mag paabot lang ta kung unsa man ang desisyon sa partido (Let’s wait for the party’s decision),” he said.
Paolo had said he would run for mayor if his father decides to run for Presi-dent.
The mayor had earlier said he wants his daughter, former Mayor Sara Duterte, to run again for the position which she held from 2010 to 2013.
After Usman, PNP to getJI member Amin Baco
IP group lauds cityfor banning miningBy ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.
Paolo confirms talkingpolitics with DuterteBy FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA
FIP, 10
FDAYANGHIRANG, 10
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015 5EDGEDAVAO
PROPERTYCranes up forAeon Towers
THE tower cranes are up, signifying the start of the elevation development
for the 33-level Aeon Towers, the signature project of local developer FTC Group of Com-panies.
The project’s engineer-ing team has intensified work round-the-clock for the future tallest skyscraper in Mindanao.
With the construction side is now shifting to vertical de-velopment, its marketing team likewise intensified its sales campaign for the keenly-await-ed project.
“We are excited about the project, and so are our inves-tors. Our sales team is doing well and right now we are fo-cused on putting the phases of the project right on schedule,” said FTC Group of Companies president Ian Cruz.
FTC regularly holds Open House at the Aeon Towers Showroom along J.P. Laurel Av-enue.
Aside from the regular Open House, FTC also holds an Inves-
tors Night slated every end of each month. Prospective inves-tors of the Aeon Towers project meet with the marketing team and get a walk-through of the project and its updates.
Aeon Towers is a 33-level mixed use high-rise venture. It is the signature project of local developer FTC and, when com-pleted by 2016, is reputed to be the tallest building in Mindan-ao.
This marvellous skyscrap-er will house 473 residential units, a four-star hotel, office spaces, retail mall, and base-ment parking.
For people who wish to know more about Aeon Tow-ers, the project can be experi-enced at its Showroom or at SM Lanang Premier’s main atrium and at SM City Davao where ongoing exhibits are mounted. Real-time updates of construc-tion can also be viewed.
Facebook users may also access the Aeon Towers page and see the latest promos and construction updates.
THE Tourism Council in Davao del Norte re-corded P200 million
in tourism revenue for the host province from the recent 2015 Palarong Pambansa.
Araceli Ayuste, Tourism Council president, said the six-day sports competition staged mainly in Tagum City drew some 23,000 partici-pants and spectators that re-sulted to the high revenue for the province.
“This is very conservative estimate,” Ayuste said during Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex.
Ayuste said the revenue was derived from summing up the estimated daily ex-penses of about 10,000 ath-letes whish was at P1,000, not including other expenses of local spectators, chaper-ons, coaches and parents.
“All hotels and accommo-dation (establishments) were fully booked. We even have to implement home-stay pro-gram for those who wasn’t able to book their accommo-dations on hotels,” she said.
The province has 1,500 rooms and accommodation establishments that are locat-
ed in Kapalong, Tagum City and Panabo City.
Ayuste the recent na-tional game event boost the sports tourism sector of the province and also opened new opportunity for the busi-ness sector.
“We would like to project the province as a center of sport tourism in the region and in Mindanao,” she said.
Ayuste added that with a sport facility that can hold big events like the Palarong Pam-bansa, the provincial gov-ernment of Davao del Norte is also planning to host local
sports event like the Batang Pinoy and international events like the South East Asian (SEA) Games which will be held in Singapore this year after a 22 year-long hia-tus.
Both the public and pri-vate sector of the province should work together to fur-ther improve tourism-related establishments like hotels and accommodations, ac-cording to her.
“We’re targeting to dou-ble the number of existing ac-comdations which is pegged at 1,500,” Ayuste said.
The government and tourism sector are targeting to have at least 3,000 rooms three years from now to be able to host big sport events such of SEA Games, which is being participated by 11 countries in the Southeast Asia.
Aside from accommoda-tions, the government has to improve further the sports facilities in Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex in Tagum City.
Among several sport-ing facilities in the complex are the 3,000-capacity main
grand stand, an rubberized eight-track athletics oval, an Aquatic Center featuring a ten-lane Olympic size swim-ming pool (50 meters) with a warm up pool (12 me-ters) that has a grandstand with 500 person capacity, two lawn tennis courts, an air-conditioned multi-pur-pose gymnasium (Rodolfo P. Del Rosaio Gymnasium, RDR Gymnasium) that can be used for indoor games, two football fields (one inside the track oval and one beside it), a football field, archery range and a clubhouse.
Palaro earns DavNor tourism P200M
WITH the enactment of the Compostela Valley Investments
and Incentives Code in 2013, this province is flexing its mus-cle to become a major invest-ments player in Davao region.
Known as a land of gold, Compostela Valley main-tains an estimated reserve of 181,745 metric tons. In 2007 alone, the province’s gold production totaled more than 166 kilograms worth PhP179 million nailing further its rep-utation as the top producer of the precious metal in Davao region and Mindanao.
“Except for gold, there is so much about Comval that is unknown to many people, par-ticularly potential investors in Mindanao or Luzon … and we hope to change that,” Gover-nor Arturo Uy said.
The province, which is buffeted by Caraga Region in the north, Davao Oriental in the east, and Davao gulf in the south, is also a major producer of some fruits.
“In fact Compostela Val-ley is also the top producer of rubber, banana, rambutan, lanzones, sweet potato, egg-plant, yam, and ginger in the
region and second in the pro-duction of durian, calamansi, mangosteen, pineapple, car-rots, cassava, chayote, peanut, pepper, and tomato produc-tion. Change will be a gradual process like a baby learning to take its first step,” Uy said.
The major processes would include strengthening the newly created provincial investments centre’s data-bank, firming up its operation-al system, and learning from the experiences and best prac-tices of leading investments centres.
“The direction of the province is to develop a busi-ness-friendly environment to encourage the entry of new enterprises and investors that will provide job opportunities and spur economic activities in communities. The ball is now on the side of our invest-ment centre … with the full support of my office,” the gov-ernor clarified.
Last May 5-6, a team from the investments centres of the province and four munic-ipalities in the province with investments codes, visited Davao del Sur, Sta. Cruz town in the same province, and
Davao City to study and learn from their experiences.
And on May 12-15, the Provincial Government of Compostela Valley in coop-eration with the provincial offices of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will lead a 28-man delegation that will include local mayors to benchmark the successful investments and business per-mits and licensing experiences of Batangas City, General Trias of Cavite, Laguna, and Taguig City in Luzon.
On their first day the dele-gation will meet with Board of Investments Assistant Secre-tary Felicitas Agoncillo-Reyes and DTI Regional Operations Group Under-Secretary Ze-naida Cuison-Maglaya to dis-cuss investments initiatives and other issues and concerns.
DTI-Compostela Valley chief Lucky Siegfred Balleque said the trip would be “very significant” to the participants by way of replication of the best practices of the centres and the municipalities to be visited.
Balleque noted that Com-
postable Valley, is one of the fastest-growing provinces of Davao region with rich nat-ural and mineral resources that contributed greatly to its continuing economic growth. Moreover, he said the pro-vincial leadership is “highly aware” of what investors need and, as a businessman him-self, Governor Arturo Uy is confident that his province’s rich natural endowments and resources would be a magnet to them.
“These developments,” according to the DTI officer, “have made the provincial government determined to commit to providing a wel-come environment for inves-tors by enhancing the local government units’ permits and licensing system. Our tar-get municipalities for the visit are known to have successful-ly implemented business per-mit and licensing reforms and have ranked on the Top 3 most competitive units nationwide,” he added.
The province’s capital town, Nabunturan, ranked fifth overall most competitive municipality and fifth in the
Comval bids as major player for investments
PHILIPPINE merchan-dise exports increased by 2.1 percent in March
following three consecutive months of decline since De-cember 2014, according to the National Economic and Devel-opment Authority (NEDA).
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the to-tal revenue from Philippine ex-ports reached US$5.4 billion in March 2015 from US$5.3 bil-lion in the same period last year.
“Increased sales in manu-facture and mineral products kept growth afloat in March, counteracting the declines in total agro-based and petro-leum products,” said Econom-ic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.
Among selected econo-mies in the East and Southeast Asian region, only the Philip-pines and Vietnam recorded positive growth in March while others posted negative export growth outturns.
“Considering that exports have been declining since December 2014, the perfor-
mance of the country’s exports for March 2015 is a welcome development as exports are starting to revert back to pos-itive territory,” the Cabinet offi-cial said.
“Moving forward, growth in exports will likely be driv-en by favorable economic environment in the United States, and in part supported by cheap oil prices and accom-modative monetary policy in the European Union,” added Balisacan, who is also NEDA Director-General.
Overseas sales of man-ufactured goods, which ac-counted for 84.4 percent of to-tal exports, rose by 2.8 percent in March 2015. It was mainly supported by increased reve-nues from electronic products, machinery & transport equip-ment, chemicals and garments.
Similarly, exports of miner-al products increased year-on-year by 20.8 percent in March 2015 to US$335.2 million from US$277.5 million in March 2014. The double-digit growth was mainly propelled by high-
Phl exports recover
THE Social Security System (SSS) will have 1,800 new members
every year from three coop-eratives that it recently ac-credited as partner agents in collecting member’s contri-butions and providing other social security services.
“We are continuously accrediting cooperatives to reach out to our Informal Sector Workers.” Ma. Nym-pha M. Ragel, Department Manager III of Cooperatives and Informal Sector Depart-ment said.
The three new accredit-ed cooperatives are the Mar-agusan Growers Multi-Pur-pose Cooperative (MAGROW MPC) in Compostela Valley; Abra Diocesan Teachers and Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ADTEMPCO) in Abra; and Center for Ag-riculture and Rural Develop-
ment (CARD), Inc. in Laguna.In total, these three co-
operatives have 956,581 members that SSS aims to cover as self-employed members.
The cooperatives are authorized to collect so-cial security contributions, member loan and housing loan amortizations, miscel-laneous payment as well as screen registration docu-ments for SSS applications of their members. For the three newly-accredited co-operatives, SSS will collect P6.5 million in contributions annually.
“SSS follows stringent accreditation procedures for partner agents. They must be duly registered with the appropriate regulatory body or government agency and passed the financial crite-
SSS covers members from three coops
Former Sarangani governor Miguel Dominguez (left) checks out the vicinity map of Alsons Properties’ latest project, the Northtown Davao, during the ground-breaking ceremony of its club house, The Club, over the weekend. Lean Daval Jr.
FCOMVAL, 10 FSSS, 10
FPHL, 10
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015
EDGEDAVAOINdulge! WOMEN
REKADO FILIPINO COMFORT FOOD:A celebration of family and tradition STEP INTO REKADO, a new restaurant con-cept that has won the hearts of discerning pal-ates across the metro.
A bright and cheery atmo-sphere welcomes you as you find your seat in their spa-cious and comfortable din-ing room. A mere glance at their menu leaves you curi-ous and anticipating, while a bit of every bite can stir taste buds. I was privileged to check out this place during a pre-view dinner with the owners’ friends and select visitors. Even during the restaurant’s pre-opening stage, the dishes already got the approval of its first audience. We were treated to a visual and gas-tronomic play of colors and
flavors, robust with taste and character, if I may say so. Add to that the clever and inven-tive presentation of each dish
Metro Mom A1 Sisters and partners, Tisha and Pauline Benedicto.
A2 INdulge! VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015EDGEDAVAOUP AND ABOUT
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PET ZOOFARI:Changing the way you look at pet stores
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A BOUTIQUE pet shop designed to give pets and pet lovers an experience and a sense of discovery that have never been offered before has re-cently opened at the Lower Ground Level of SM Lanang Pre-mier. Pet Zoofari, which lets you see pets in a place that mirrors their natural habi-tat, aims to bring the con-cept of a pet store to a new level. It invites people to explore and get fascinated in the barking, meowing, splashing, crawling and slithering world of ani-mals and bring home the excitement by having their own pets. Believing that “pets de-serve more,” Pet Zoofari strives to be a store where animals are placed in the comfort of their natural surroundings – the key to having happy and healthy pets. From the design alone, Pet Zoofari boasts of a zoo-safari-jungle ambi-ence for the benefit of both pets and pet lovers. Earth tone colors and the instal-lation of a tree, grass and wood planks inside the store make it possible for pets to feel close to nature. These are also a rare treat for pet lovers who enjoy the outdoors-inspired look and feel of the store while admiring the view of their favored domestic ani-mals. Jungle music, beat-ing drums, chirping and howling monkey sounds make one feel like they have stepped into a tropi-
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Zoofari at 296-0826 or visit its first and only branch in Davao at SM Lanang Pre-mier. You may also check out SM Lanang Premier on Facebook, Twitter and Ins-tagram for updates.
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data roaming services for a complete full-day cycle, without having customers worry about the expiration of their data roaming sub-scriptions at the stroke of midnight. Prepaid customers trav-elling to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China,
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Prepaid Roam Surf. Roam Surf for Globe Pre-paid offers customers the ability to choose from three variants, P599 for 24 hours, P1797 for 3 full days and P2995 for 5 full days. Cus-tomers can dial *143# and access the International and Roaming menu to register to the service without hav-ing to memorize registra-tion keywords. “Launching the Globe Prepaid Roam Surf is part of our commitment to enable more Globe customers to
maximize their digital life-style even while abroad. We know Filipinos love to share their experiences as they happen, and with Globe Prepaid Roam Surf, cus-tomers can “virtually” bring their friends along on any travel adventure without being dependent on Wi-Fi,” says Coco Domingo, Vice President for Globe Plati-num and Roaming Business. “With the Globe Prepaid Roam Surf, prepaid users no longer need to buy local SIMs and change numbers
Pet Zoofari at SM Lanang Premier is open to serve customers.
Pet Zoofari’s staff is trained to brief you on pets and pet products.
Heart-shaped parrot fish and other fascinating animal species are available at Pet Zoofari. A leopard gecko rests in a nature-like habitat inside the pet store.
Tension rises between Carlos and Gael in ‘Bridges of Love’
ABS-CBN TVplus brings pay-per-view experience of Pacquiao-Mayweather megafight to public communities
termined as Alexa to put Gael down. Dont miss this story like no other only on “Bridges of Love,” week-nights after “Forever-more” on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida. For ex-clusive updates, log on to Twitter.com/StarCre-
ativesTV and Instagram.com/StarCreatives_TV. Meanwhile, viewers may also catch up on full epi-sodes and past episodes of “Bridges of Love” through ABS-CBNmo-bile. For more informa-tion, please go to www.abscbnmobile.com.
TENSION RISES this week in the hit primetime series “Bridges of Love” after Mia finally confessed to Carlos her past with Gael. Feeling fooled and betrayed, Carlos now sees Gael as a threat to Mia. Aside from the fact that Gael hurt Mia so much, Carlos also ques-tions Gael’s intentions as to why he kept the truth from him all this time. Can Carlos and Gael keep things profes-sional between them? How sure is Mia about her feelings for Carlos? Will Mia and Gael get to rekindle their love now that they will see each other more often? With their lives inter-
twined, can Mia serve as a bridge for the truth to find its way to both clue-less brothers? As the three deal with matters of the heart, Al-exa still gets her plans in place to take revenge on Carlos. Lorenzo, meanwhile, is just as de-
INMATES were filled with excite-ment as they gathered at the gym of Quezon City Jail to watch the live, uninterrupted broadcast of a Manny Pacquiao bout live for the first time last May 3. This optimal real-time viewing experience was brought by ABS-CBN TVplus for free to areas with limited access to pay-per-view service, including Camp Crame, Tahanang Walang Hagdanan, Phil-ippine General Hospital, and San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. For inmates at the Quezon City Jail, having been granted the op-portunity to watch the real-time action of the “fight of the century” also meant uniting in support of the Pambansang Kamao in the biggest fight of his career. “We are thankful to TVplus be-cause this is a first for the inmates. We were very excited to watch the fight,” said Jayrex Bustinera, the institution’s chief of public rela-tions. Meanwhile, members of the Philippine National Police in Camp
Crame initially raised funds to avail of the pay-per-view (PPV) coverage of the fight, but found it difficult to collect the required amount for payment. When they were granted free PPV coverage by ABS-CBN TVplus, they instead utilized the raised funds to pro-vide free meals to the PNP mem-bers and their families during the
fight. Their digital TV experience did not end there, as ABS-CBN TVplus donated the Mahiwagang Black Boxes used during the screenings to PNP offices for their future use. Cheers and screams filled the public screening venues as spec-tators saw the fight in crystal clear picture, which, historically, is only accessible to cable or pay TV sub-scribers. Pacquiao may have lost the “fight of the century” but for those who attended ABS-CBN TVplus’ screenings, Pacman remains an idol and inspiration for his deter-mination and persistence to over-come life’s struggles and making the Philippines proud. For questions, call (632) 488-8888 and 1800-10-4888888 (outside Met-ro Manila), or text 23661. For addi-tional information on ABS-CBN TV-plus, visit http://tvplus.abs-cbn.com.
KIM CHIU IS MYX’S “MS. RIGHT” FOR MAY – MYX finds its perfect match this May in Kim Chiu as the “Ms. Right” singer returns as a MYX Celebrity VJ for May. The Chinita princess is back for the third time in MYX to present all the chart-topping music videos and video requests of the month. Kim’s first MYX celebrity VJ stint was in September 2007 followed by a VJ comeback in July 2008 with Gerald Anderson. Catch Kim on May 3 to 9 on Pop MYX, May 10 to 16 on Pinoy MYX, May 17 to 23 on Mellow MYX, and May 24 to 30 on My MYX. For more on #MYXCelebVJKimChiu, stay tuned to MYX and keep logging on to MYXph.com. Follow MYX on Facebook (facebook.com/MYX.Philippines), Twitter (twitter.com/myxphilippines), and Instagram (Instagram.com/myxph/).
PG
R13
R13 12:25 | 2:20 | 4:15 | 6:10 | 8:05 | 10:00 LFS
R-16
HOT PURSUIT
Sofia Vergara, Reese Witherspoon
PG 12:00 | 2:30 | 5:00 | 7:30 | 10:00 LFS
PARA SA HOPELESS ROMANTIC
12:25 | 2:20 | 4:15 | 6:10 | 8:05 | 10:00 LFS
MAGGIE
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin
12:00 | 2:00 | 4:00 | 6:00 | 8:00 | 10:00 LFS
Nadine Lustre, James Reid,
Julia Barretto, Inigo Pascual
PITCH PERFECT 2
Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson
May 13, 2015
A4 INdulge!WOMEN
that’s so instagram-worthy, one cannot resist taking a few clicks before digging into an overload of goodness. What drew more of my interest into this culinary experience, apart from the good food and ambiance, is the fact that the very heart and “rekado” that made this concept come to life is a fam-ily’s love and tribute for their mother. It was through the will and passion of two sis-ters and their mom that set this new ship, or vinta, as the logo showcases, to sail. Theirs is a story that inspires every humble soul and adds flavor to family ties and tra-dition.
A family affair For sisters Tisha Bene-dicto-Sebastian and Pauline Benedicto, their love for food started when they were kids. They saw their mom cook in the kitchen and re-member how they love every bite of the food served on the family dining table. It was always heaven. “Our mom is the greatest chef in the world,” declared the sisters in unison. I guess this passion runs in the blood. It took a good number of years before the woman who created the
day,” explains Pauline. How did this all start? “We grew up to a restau-rant business,” Tisha nar-rates. “We travel a lot and eat out a lot, yet somehow, mom’s food always tasted better for us. The recipes she had, however, didn’t fit the restaurants she ran, so we decided to create a special place where we can serve the delicious food.” Pauline adds, “We grew up in a household that loves home-cooked meals. I must have inherited my love for cooking from my mother. I love to experiment on food. So, with Rekado in mind, I went on to a culi-nary school to become more knowledgeable. I wanted a formal training on food set-up and handling. I wanted to professionalize and upgrade my skills, and now I am here in Rekado’s kitchen.” Why Filipino Comfort Food? For Tisha, who has expe-rienced living and raising a family abroad, comfort food tides you over whenever nostalgia hits you. “Nothing can bring us back home or to the memories of home better than the food our mothers cooked for us. This is what brought us back to Davao, our mother’s food, and we would like to share the cuisine we grew up with to the rest of the Dabawenyos.” “The memories of home-cooked food by our moth-ers always make me smile,” recalls Pauline. “I guess that’s what it does to ev-eryone all the time. That’s what we want to share in Rekado. We want diners to
brands Golden Brown Spe-cialties and Patok sa Manok finally saw her genetic “cu-linary” make-up inherited by, not one, but two of her daughters. While the proud mother, Lena Benedicto, gives credit to her daughters for taking a bold step into this new venture to run their own kitchen, the sisters shift the attention back to their mom. “Rekado is a home built for the love of Filipino comfort food, a tribute to our mother’s cooking and a showcase of her recipes,” beams Tisha. It took five years of plan-ning with late night discus-sions before Rekado finally materialized—the sisters were finally ready, Davao is ready. Both believed that the timing was perfect. With the blessings of their par-ents, Rekado was opened. Apparently, the new res-taurant’s wide in-door and al fresco dining areas are not big enough to hold the ea-ger clientele that flock the restaurant. They have to turn down late diners with their house specialties run-ning out early in the night. “I don’t want to do it, but I want our customers to be able to enjoy the food they came to Rekado for. So I ask them to come back the next
discover the different flavor profiles of Rekado’s food. You wont see it, but you get to can taste it. The sym-phony of flavors is present. You will know that there are many ‘rekados’ in it.” “We wanted to put Pi-
noy food on a platform, elevate it,” injects Tisha. “We want it to be an experi-ence whenever you eat our food. The touch is up-dated in many ways. We tweak the recipes to intensify the flavors. It’s modernizing
Rekado’s inteior may be modern but it is warm and welcoming, just like the food the Sisters serve.
Metro Mom A4 mom’s recipes, I’d say.” The restaurant logo also pays homage to the rich cul-ture and history of this part of the country. The vinta featured in the logo repre-sents the ship that brought in the spices from abroad during the Spanish times. “We used the vinta to make it very Mindanao, a touch of home. Our food is cooked with well-chosen and fresh ‘rekados’ or ingredients. The spices we use in our recipes are sourced out locally.” Rekado is exactly what the family envisioned it to be. The house, as how they would refer to the modern restaurant, was built to pay tribute to Fili-pino Comfort Food --- a cuisine modernized with the family’s signature fresh touch. While the menu and dining space are contem-porary in look and feel, the sisters and mom made sure it is bright, welcoming and comforting... just like any Filipino home we are invited to dine in. REKADO Filipino Com-fort Food is located at 1050 Jacinto Extension, Bgy. 11-B, Davao City. It is open dai-ly from 11AM -2PM & from 5PM-11PM. For more in-formation, call (082) 284-2136 or 0915-722-9299. You can also find them at face-book.com/RekadoDavao or follow @RekadoDavao on Twitter and Instagram.
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015EDGEDAVAO
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015 THE ECONOMY 7
AROUND 2,000 house-holds in three baran-gays of this town will
benefit from the rehabilitation of a 4.1-kilometer farm-to-market road (FMR) here.
The P41.4-million worth of road project, which will con-nect the barangays of Pinuyak, Simpak and Maranding, is also expected to serve 1,700 hect-ares of rice, corn and coconut areas.
Meanwhile, around 6,000 hectares of rice, coconut and vegetable production areas in the town of Kapatagan are set to be served by the construc-tion and rehabilitation of the 13-kilometer Buenavista-Tia-congan-Bagong Silang FMR.
The P142-million worth of infrastructure project will traverse eight barangays in Kapatagan, benefiting 1,500 households.
The infrastructure proj-ects are funded under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), which aims to build rural infrastructures that will support the value chain of priority commodities.
“The goal of PRDP is to develop a strategic network of climate-resilient rural in-frastructure and facilities to enhance productivity and give value-added qualities to prod-ucts in the agri-fishery sector,” said Department of Agricul-ture Secretary Proceso Alcala, who led the groundbreaking
ceremony.He said that the said proj-
ects are part of the P332-mil-lion worth of agri-fishery as-sistance poured by the agency for Lanao del Norte during the Farmers and Fisherfolks Fo-rum held recently in the prov-ince.
As of April 2015, Region 10 LGUs have proposed a total of 38 infrastructure subproj-ects worth P1.79 billion con-sisting mostly of FMRs.
Aside from farm-to-mar-ket roads, PRDP will also build single-lane bridges, irrigation facilities, potable water sup-ply (PWS) systems and post-harvest facilities, among other critical infrastructures.
DA-10 Regional Director Lealyn A. Ramos and Lanao Del Norte Governor Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo as well as the towns’ local chief executives also led the groundbreaking ceremony of the two big-ticket FMR projects in Lala and Kapa-tagan.
Proposals for infrastruc-ture projects are submitted by local government units (LGUs) and are evaluated by PRDP through site validation and technical review of proposed works.
Under PRDP, one of the cri-teria for selecting infrastruc-ture projects is its economic impact to enterprise develop-ment and agriculture produc-
Lanao del Norte gears up for P183-M PRDP projects
S. Korean firm to submit study on proposed LRTSOUTH Korean-based
Korean Engineering Construction (KEC) is
set to submit the result of its pre-feasibility study next month for the construction of a proposed Light Railway Transport (LRT) system.
Davao City Investment Promotions Center (DCIPC) chief Ivan C. Cortez said the study will focus on the fea-sibility of proposed areas where the LRT is planned to be constructed.
KEC is eyeing two routes for the LRT. On the southern area of the city it will start in the Davao Golf and Coun-try Club going to the Fran-cisco Bangoy International Airport in the northern
area and vice versa.In a press conference,
Cortez urged nearby local government units to be participative on this project given the implementation of the project will be also possible if there is a mar-ket.
“In order to encourage the project to be imple-mented, the city should have a traffic of 20,000 to 25,000 passengers daily to make its operation profit-able,” Cortez said. “Nearby regions like the Caraga Re-gion and the rest of Davao Region are encouraged to use the project once the op-eration starts.”
At present the city has
only 8,000 to 10,000 pas-sengers who can use the proposed LRT.
The City Government of Davao is pushing for this transport project because of the worsening transpor-tation situation in Davao City. As the city’s econo-my grows, the number of passenger population also grew.
In June last year, the city government signed a Mem-orandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Korean firm for the conduct of a feasibility study.
Then, in October last year, Davao City Mayor Ro-drigo Duterte visited South Korea to meet the KEC en-
gineers.The mayor has pushed
for an LRT because it can convey many passengers with only one line.
Duterte had earlier said that by 2020, the city is seen to experience heavy traffic congestion with the number of vehicles expect-ed to increase dramatically.
A train system, Duterte said, is better than a bus system since it could also lessen air pollution because it has only one machine.
The local chief executive had also asked the group to recommend a cost-efficient train system so the city can afford it. (CRC/ with report from Armando Fenequito)
A DUBAI-BASED investor is interested in develop-ing a 105-hectare gov-
ernment-owned area in Cati-gan, Toril District in Davao City for a tourism and recreation facility, an official of Davao City Investment Promotions Center said.
DCIPC chief Ivan C. Cor-tez told Edge Davao that the Dubai-based firm saw the via-bility of the area as a tourism destination after the area was presented by Philippine dele-gates during the 2015 Annual Investment Meeting in Dubai last March 31 to April 1.
“The investor will be here by June for an ocular inspec-
tion,” Cortez said.The DCIPC, he said, pro-
posed the area for a develop-ment of a theme and recre-ation park.
The 105-hectare area in Barangay Catigan, Toril Dis-trict is part of the Three Ridges Integrated Area Development (TRIAD) which is being pro-moted by the DCIPC and De-partment of Tourism 11 for investment and development related to agri-business and tourism.
Other barangays include-din the TRIAD are Eden and Tagurano, also located in Toril District.
Under the Davao City
Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Clup) 2013-2022, these three barangays in Toril Dis-trict were identified as the Eden-Catigan-TaguranoTour-ism Development Zone.
Cortez said the number of foreign investors inquiring from their office continued to rise in the past three months.
“We received at least three inquiries from foreign inves-tors every week,” he said.
Cortez projected that this positive growth in foreign in-vestment in the city will con-tinue for the next three years as a result of peace and order, good governance and the growing popularity of Davao
City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte.Aside from a possible in-
vestment, a business magazine in Dubai is also interested in featuring Mayor Duterte for its September issue.
“The group will be here by July,” Cortez said.
The AIM will be probably the last international invest-ment meeting that the city will participate because of limited budget.
However, Cortez said DCIPC will continue to partic-ipate in local events that will help in promoting Davao City as an investment haven in the Davao Region. CHENEEN R. CAPON
Catigan eyed for tourism development
A LEADING Malaysian agribusiness firm en-tered into an agreement
with a Misamis Oriental-based agricultural company on Mon-day to distribute one billion of high quality oil palm seeds to farmers in Bukidnon and Mis-amis Oriental.
Felda Global Ventures (FGV) Vice President S. Pala-niappan hailed the signing of the business partnership with Bali Oil Produce Corporation of Misamis Oriental as “a mile-stone.”
Palaniappan said the oil palm seeds they intend to distribute to farmers in the two provinces are assured of quality as these are backed by extensive research and devel-opment by their firm.
“This a milestone in col-laboration. The quality of our seeds is supported with extensive research and devel-opment by our company,” Pa-laniappan said.
He said they plan to dis-tribute one billion oil palm seedlings to farmers in Bukid-non and Misamis Oriental through the help of Bali Oil Produce Corporation.
FGV is a leading agribusi-ness firm in Malaysia which uses its cutting edge tech-nology from its research and
development department to boost production of palm oil.
Manuel Boniao, chair of Bali Oil, said they will distrib-ute the seedlings to farmers in the towns of Kalilangan , Maramag in Bukidnon and Tagoloan and Villanueva in Misamis Oriental.
He said they intend to cov-er 50,000 hectares in the first year of the arrival of seedlings.
“One major thing that is different here is that the farmers still own and till their lands unlike other agricultural companies that produce pine-apple and bananas,” Boniao said.
“We are just adding more value and profitability to the farmers,” he added.
Boniao said they have tied up with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Cooperative Develop-ment Authority to provide soft loans to the farmers.
He said DBP has already agreed to provide loans to 1,750 farmers in the towns of Kalilangan, Pangantukan and Talakag towns in Bukidnon.
The distribution agree-ment between FGV and Bali Oil also included technology training for the farmers and nursery operations. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
Malaysian, MisOr firms inkdeal on P1B oil palm seeds
EDGEDAVAO
FMR GROUNDBREAKING. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala leads the ground-breaking ceremony of the multi-million farm-to-market road (FMR) projects in La-nao del Norte under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP). Sec. Alcala is
joined by Lanao del Norte Gov. Khalid Dimaporo and DA 10 regional director Lealyn Ramos, who is also PRDP’s project director for Mindanao cluster. (Vanessa Mae S. Siano/DA-RAFIS 10)
FLANAO, 10
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 20158 EDGEDAVAO
VANTAGE
Enforce gun lawsEDITORIAL
THE issue of arming traffic enforcers of the Traffic Management Center (TMC) is not as easy as it seems. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has said he is considering
arming these enforcers after one of them, Ruel P. Siacor, was shot dead early last week while manning his post. Police are still investigating the incident, but it is perhaps safe to say that the unarmed Siacor never stood a chance against his at-tackers. That is one of the gravest risks anyone in authority faces, and on the part of our traffic enforcers the risk is exac-erbated by the fact that their work places them in a particu-larly vulnerable spot: right in the middle of the road, where there are few places for them to run for shelter.
The problem with arming traffic enforcers, as the mayor and now his son Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte have said, is that people are unpredictable, even those who undergo exhaus-tive training and stringent screening. The mayor has said he is concerned that the enforcers would become abusive, something that we have seen numerous times in the cases of
police or military officers and even civilians who have bran-dished their guns in public when things were not going their way. In many instances this has taken a tragic turn, with in-nocent people and even bystanders getting killed because the gun holders could not control their temper – or had be-come drunk with the power the guns lend them.
So how does the city protect the traffic enforcers while ensuring the safety of the people surrounding them? The first step, of course, is making sure the police are doing their job in the first place. The shooting death of Siacor has only shown that while the city is general peaceful, there are still firearms on the loose and in the hands of criminal minds. We cannot rightly call ourselves an orderly city if some people can carry guns without being detected, ready to use them whenever the opportunity arises. If the government wants to keep traffic enforcers – and the general public, for that matter – safe, then it would strictly enforce gun laws with-out fear or favor.
Columnists: MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • 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
Printed by Zion Accuprint Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Building,
Quirino Avenue, 8000, Davao City, PhilippinesTel: (082) 301-6235
I REMEMBERING years ago, somewhere in southern Mindanao, a local festival director brought an entire nuclear family belonging
to an indigenous community as live exhibit at the Mall of Asia in Metro Manila. Somewhere in northern Mindanao, a government-owned destination features select members of Bukid-non tribes. They actually live on site, away from their original communities, as added attrac-tions for tourists. We think it is wrong to do so.
Cultural tourism is a very popular subcat-egory of tourism, currently one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Its biggest market audience is from Western Europe, particularly the aging sector. They are the ones with substantial excess funds from their pensions, bored and are in need of something worthwhile to contribute to. Of course, caring for other people, particularly those in Third World countries, is a strong tradition among Western Europeans. This was based on a study conducted on the consumer behavior of select tourists where Asians are more interested in shopping and gambling while Americans and other Westerners are more attracted to na-ture-based adventure activities and foods and drinks.
Cultural tourism has its own pitfalls, how-ever. It has the potential to disrupt indigenous
lifestyles of a cultural community and eventu-ally threaten its integrity. Without proper safe-guards, especially when destination managers are so desirous of generating more tourist traffic and profit, unique cultures become di-luted, therefore becoming impure and no lon-ger authentic. Common examples take place during festivals in big cities when lowlanders try to imitate indigenous arts and music, inject their own artistry and heavily modify what is original. In the end, the audience gets a surreal image, technically a misrepresentation of an in-digenous culture.
(This part is contributed by Hannah Joy N.
Bento)Lake Sebu is home to the T’boli people,
proud dreamweavers in South Cotabato fa-mous for their T’nalak fabric. It is a scenic town with three lakes and the famous Seven Falls and Lang Dulay, the National Artist for Fabric and Textile Design who recently passed away. There are four known surviving dreamweav-ers in a remote village few minutes away from Lang Dulay’s weaving center. Right now, no government support is extended to them.
Lang Dulay’s death reminds me of the con-stant struggles we, members of the indigenous community in Lake Sebu, face every single day. I am a T’boli princess myself, modesty aside, but a princess bereft of a palatial domain. We have daily struggles, just like anyone else. To a simple peasant in the mountains, his battle maybe is how to feed his own family. For fresh graduates like me, the struggle is how to make childhood dreams come true. To a cultural community, like in Lake Sebu, the daily struggle is on how to eliminate discrimination and de-molish those stereotypes. The bigger struggle is how to protect, preserve and promote our authentic culture given rapid modernization and increased tourist traffic flow to my home-town.
Driven by poverty, many young T’boli boys
and girls migrate to the lowlands and cities to find work, instead of going to school. For oth-ers who can afford to acquire college degrees, most of them end up working for big corporate entities and in the government. Many have forgotten their cultural roots. Many are even ashamed of speaking the vernacular and would prefer to converse in other dialects even with a fellow T’boli.
This brings me now to the need to secure the integrity of our local culture. Lake Sebu is the summer capital of SOCCSKSARGEN Region and is the center for development for the whole BIMP-EAGA growth area for community-based ecotourism. The T’nalak fabric is known world-wide and has inspired the main festival of the whole province. Right now, immediate need is to help sustain efforts in teaching young T’bo-li children about their indigenous knowledge and tradition. If one is to secure the future of our people and its culture, one must begin with the children.
(Notes: On May 17, friends and fellow vol-untourists from Davao City will be distributing school supplies to 150 kids or so in Barangay Bacdulong in Lake Sebu. It is a grassroots advo-cacy of kindhearted people desirous of extend-ing little help, and aiding us secure the future of the indigenous children. Tey bong s’lamat!)
“IF we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change,” Buddha once said.Oftentimes, life is compared to that of
a rose. It has two compelling attributes: beautiful petals and unwanted thorns. “A thorn defends the rose, harming only those who would steal the blossom,” said a Chi-nese proverb.
“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose,” poet Kahlil Gibran wrote. Tom Wilson, in a Ziggy comic strip, observed, “You can complain because ros-es have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.”
“But he that dares not grasp the thorn,” Anne Bronte advices, “should never crave the rose.” A Persian proverb said it in a dif-ferent manner: “He who wants a rose must respect the thorn.”
“The sharp thorn often produces del-icate roses,” Ovid reminded. If you don’t believe, ask any gardener. “He or she un-derstands that the strongest and most productive plants aren’t grown in the hot-house but amid the harsh extremes of real life,” explained the late Dr. Samuel Farina. “People are a lot like plants. We bloom best when under stress. We rise to a challenge and grow stronger through adversity.”
As a child, Mary Groda did not learn to read and write. American experts labeled her retarded. As an adolescent, she “earned” an additional label, “incorrigible,” and was sentenced to two years in a reformatory. It was here, ironically, in this closed-in place, that Mary – bending to the challenge to learn – worked at her task for as long as
16 hours a day. Her hard work paid off. She was awarded her high school diploma.
But more m i s f o r t u n e came her way. After leaving the reforma-tory, she got pregnant and was left alone to take care of the baby. Then, two years later, a second pregnancy resulted in a stroke, erasing her hard-earned powers of reading and writ-ing. Wit the help and support of her father, Mary battled back, regaining what she had lost.
In dire financial straits, Mary went on welfare. Finally, to make ends meet, she took in seven foster children. It was during this period that she started taking courses at a community college. Upon completion of her course work, she applied to and was accepted by the Albany Medical School to study medicine.
This was what happened, according to a news dispatch released by the Associat-ed Press: “In the spring of 1984 in Oregon, Mary Groda Lewis – she’s married now – paraded in full academic regalia across the graduation stage. No one can know what private thoughts went through Mary’s mind as she reached out to grasp this el-oquent testimony to her self-belief and perseverance, her diploma that announced
to all the world: Here stands on this small point of Planet Earth a person who dared to dream the impossible dream, a person who confirms for all of us our human di-vineness. Here stands Mary Groda Lewis, M.D.”
Life is a continuous struggle. Every sin-gle day, we have to face ups and downs. It may be shining today but you can never tell if it rains tomorrow. “Thorns and roses grow on the same tree,” a Turkish proverb reminds.
Like marriage, life is not “a bed of ros-es,” to quote the words of Robert Louis Ste-venson. “If your life is not a bed of roses, then take heart,” suggests Dr. Farina. “Find success and satisfaction in the midst of stress and struggle!”
“When the going gets tough, the weak get going,” someone once said. That’s the basic root of failure – the inability to “tough it out.” You should consider tough times as a way to prove yourself that you can make it no matter how.
Although Henri Matisse was nearly 28 years younger than Auguste Renoir, the two great French artists were dear friends and frequent companions. When Renoir was confined to his home during the last decade of his life, Matisse visited him fre-quently. Renoir, almost paralyzed by ar-thritis, continued to paint in spite of his infirmities.
One day, as Matisse watched his friend working in his studio, fighting tortuous pain with each brush stroke, he suggest-ed, “Auguste, why do you continue to paint when you are in such agony?”
Renoir replied simply: “The beauty re-
mains; the pain passes.” And so, almost to his dying day, Renoir put paint to canvas. One of his most famous paintings, The Bathers, was completed just two years before his passing, 14 years after he was stricken by the disabling disease.
“But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats,” said Paulo Coelho. No one can avoid them. But it’s better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you’re fighting for.”
In 1962, four young American wom-en wanted to start a professional singing career. They started performing in their church and doing small concerts. Then came their time to cut a record. It was a flop. Later, another record was recorded. The sales were a fiasco. The third, fourth, fifth and on through their ninth recordings were all failures.
Early in 1964, they were booked for The Dick Clark Show. He barely paid enough to meet expenses and no great contracts re-sulted from their national exposure. Later that summer, they recorded “Where Did Our Love Go?” This song raced to the top of the charts, and Diana Ross and the Su-premes gained national recognition and prominence as a musical sensation.
No matter what, don’t stop trying. Winners never quit; quitters never win. If you fail, try and try again. Until you will get there. “It is a mistake to suppose that men succeed through success; they much oftener succeed through failures,” Samuel Smiles pointed out. “Precept, study, advice, and example could never have taught them so well as failure has done.”
Protecting cultural integrity in Lake SebuRANDOM THOUGHTS
By Jonallier M. Perez and Hannah Joy N. Bento
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 201510 NEWSBBL... FROM 1
IP... FROM 4
Comval... FROM 6
SSS... FROM 6
Lanao... FROM 6
Uber... FROM 12PHILBEX... FROM 12 Phl... FROM 6
Dayanghirang... FROM 4
DOTC... FROM 2
EDGEDAVAO
which he said was based on a meeting of around 20 colleagues.
What del Rosario read was referred to by some Committee members as the “LP version.” Some of the proposed amend-ments carried the recom-mendations of the Peace Council that the President tasked to look into the BBL.
Quezon City 6th Dis-trict Rep. Christopher “Kit” Belmonte, son of Speaker Feliciano del Monte, manifested he was submitting proposed amendments in writing.
Rodriguez said the proposed amendments introduced by lawmak-ers on Monday and the younger Belmonte’s writ-ten proposed amend-ments would be complied as an “addendum” to the Committee version of the BBL earlier distributed to the Committee members, a product of several hear-ing
He said there would be no discussion anymore on amendments so they can proceed to voting the next day, Tuesday.
Rodriguez addressed the members: “if you’re agreeable vote yes, if not, vote no,” adding the chair has already “bended rules” because “we do not want to shut out anybody who has not been able to present amendments to
the BBL.”Zamboanga City Rep.
Celso Lobregat, who was “ready to vote because I’ve read it, I’ve studiit,” told MindaNews after the meeting that “there should still be a discus-sion.”
“We were all made to stay for the additional amendments and to dis-cuss it, then all of a sud-den may proposal si Con-gressman Kit Belmonte na isu-submit daw niya in writing and then we will not discuss it anymore? Bakit ganon?” he asked.
Rep. Luz Ilagan of Gabriela wonders why amendments were still allowed when they were supposed to vote already. “It seems there are a lot of amendments/ propos-als which are obviously to soften the stand of the vocal anti BBL,” she told MindaNews.
“Why were these amendments not brought up during the days we tackled the bill lne by line? And surprise proponent and proposal suddenly come out of the wood-work. The new amend-ments have a common thread – they dilute and weaken the original BBL , the ‘autonomy’ so ardent-ly sought for is being tak-en away. And to think we scrapped the ARMM law,” Ilagan said. (Carolyn O. Ar-guillas / MindaNews)
He said the engineer Froilan Rigor of the City Plan-ning and Development Office (CPDO) told him the project should pass through the City Development Council (CDC) and local PPP board before it is pursued.
“Even the Mega Harbour
reclamation project is now pending for discussion in the local PPP board,” he said.
The Mega Harbour Devel-opment Corp. plans to devel-op a 200-hectare reclamation project from Magsaysay Park to the mouth of Davao River in Bucana.
who want to control the ex-ploitation and utilization of the country’s natural resources,” it added.
Kalumaran said it expects political pressure from Mala-cañang and mining companies to strike down the mining ban ordinance.
The group assumes that President Benigno Aquino will invoke Executive Order No. 79 “Institutionalizing and Implementing Reforms in the Philippine Mining Sector Pro-viding Policies and Guidelines to Ensure Environmental Pro-tection and Responsible Min-ing in the Utilization of Mineral Resources.”
The group claimed that two US-based mining compa-ny will mobilize their lobby machineries. “These com-panies are eyeing to explore
17,000 hectares in Paquibato district which is home of the IPs,” it added.
“We are also encouraging the people of Davao to contin-ue our vigilance and defend this hard-earned victory. Let us not allow the self-serving policy imposition to clip the power of the people to de-termine their appropriate lo-cal economic development,” Kalumaran said.
The group called for the repeal of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and the enactment of the People’s Mining Bill au-thored by the Makabayan Bloc in the House of Representa-tives “to re-orient the mining industry to a rational manner of national industrialization and local development within a framework upholding social justice.”
tors were not able to fabricate the steel pipes in time due to the delay on the delivery of the raw materials.
DCWD has not given a new target date for comple-tion of the project.
The mainline pipe that
supplied water from the Du-moy pumps to the downtown area up to Sasa area was bro-ken in December 2012. The pipe was replaced with two smaller ones with a diameter of .725 meter. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.
infrastructure category in the 2014 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index of the National Competitive Council.
Under the province’s in-vestments and incentives code, investors would be ex-empted for one year from the 35 percent share of the prov-ince of the real property tax on buildings, machinery, and
other improvements and a 50 percent franchise tax cut for the same period.
From Butuan City, travel to Compostela Valley takes only three hours and one hour and 30 minutes from the capital Nabunturan to Davao City’s International Airport and Sasa wharf. (jpa/pgo-tourism/ids/jmm)
ria set by SSS. We require a minimum of at least three years of operation prior to the date of filing of applica-tion for accreditation and they should also be regis-tered with SSS as employ-er-member,” Ragel said.
The SSS Account Officers regularly monitor and check the performance of the ac-credited cooperatives to en-
sure that the contributions of their members are prop-erly remitted and reported to the SSS every month.
As of December 2014, SSS has already inked part-nerships with 30 coopera-tives as partners in collec-tion and non-collection ser-vices with a total collection of P19.28M covering 55,438 members.
er earnings from the exports of copper metal, gold and other mineral products.
Despite the recovery of exports in the March 2015, the NEDA chief stressed the need to actively pursue and continue current initiatives of strengthening the capacity of various industries to be resil-ient against calamities and ex-treme weather conditions.
These initiatives include Climate Smart Agriculture for the agriculture sector, the Na-tionwide Operational Assess-ment of Hazards (NOAH), and the establishment of agro-me-teorological stations in highly vulnerable areas, among oth-ers.
“Over the the near-term, production disruptions from
unpredictable weather pat-terns remain one of the the biggest risks in attaining the country’s export targets, par-ticularly in the agro-based products,” said Balisacan.
He clarified that although agro-based commodities only account for less than 10 per-cent of the country’s export revenues, these are very sig-nificant in terms of the agricul-ture sector›s employment con-tribution as well as its linkages with industry and services sectors.
“Over the medium term, infrastructure development as a means to support agriculture production must be prioritized in order to improve the com-petitiveness of the sector,” said Balisacan.
tion in the area, particularly priority commodities identi-fied in the provincial commod-ity investment plans (PCIP).
PRDP is a six-year, DA-im-plemented project that aims to provide key infrastructure and enterprise development inter-
ventions to raise incomes, pro-ductivity and competitiveness in the countryside, and is joint-ly funded by the World Bank, national government and local government units. (Vanessa Mae Siano, DA-10 with Jay Ro-sas, PRDP Mindanao)
expect to yield bountiful in-spiration from the Architects’ gallery and the Interior Design gallery where capsule presen-tations will be mounted for ev-eryone to feast their sights on.
Following the success of last year’s presentations, the 2nd PHILBEX Davao is intent on making a meaningful mark not only as it showcases the latest in cutting-edge con-struction and building prod-ucts but also as it calls out the world’s attention to the sui generis nature of Mindanao’s aesthetic heritage.
Known for its humble yet bountiful reserve of organic materials such as abaca, rattan, coconut husks, and other exot-ic elements, Mindanao’s design DNA is marked by subdued elegance and effortless luxury.
As young and talented artisans emerge bearing a bountiful source of fresh and innovative perspective, the result is a har-monious marriage of heritage and modernity – resulting in a truly remarkable and distinct design aesthetic that defines today’s Mindanaoan style and design.
Immerse your senses in the rich and multi-faceted world of Mindanao in all its glory at the 2nd Philippine Building and Construction Exposition Davao. From the latest product and service in-novations to the most astound-ing design creations that the region has to offer, revel in all its glory on May 14 to 17, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center, Davao City. For more informa-tion, go to www.worldbex.com.
hending Uber vehicles after intervention form the DOTC.
First of its kindFor his part, Uber Tech-
nologies senior vice president of policy and strategy David Plouffe said the Philippines “has officially become the first country to create a nation-al dedicated framework for ridesharing.”
“This first-of-its-kind or-der is a shining example of how collaboration between government and industry can advance urban mobility, cre-ate new economic opportu-nity and put rider safety first,” Plouffe said.
Uber said under the new regulation, ridesharing “has officially been recognized as a vital part of the Philippine Government’s long-term solution for delivering safe,
efficient and reliable trans-port options to the people of Metro Manila and beyond.”
“The regulation rep-resents a groundbreaking approach that brings the ben-efits of smart technologies to all commuters and the trans-portation industry in the Phil-ippines,” the company added.
“Abaya and Land Trans-port Franchising and Regu-latory Board Chairman Win-ston Ginez have shown great vision in recognizing that in-novative technologies have a key role to play in upgrading transport services. In adopt-ing this new approach, they have sent a clear message that embracing innovation, supporting consumer choice and ensuring the safety of riders should be a top prior-ity for governments in every market,” Uber said.
NO PROTECTION. The dilapidated overpass over the main junction in Bunawan, Davao City gives pedestrians little protection from both the scorching heat during summer time and the rains due to its tattered roof. Lean Daval Jr.
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015 11EDGEDAVAO
BIGGER PICTURE
The young and the damnedTEXT AND PHOTO BY HENRYLITO D. TACIO
“THEY go by hard-ly noticed, moving about in urban areas
as if they did not exist. But they are there, and their presence is a strong indictment on the coun-try’s failure to share the wealth with the mass-es. Children as young as five are working as scav-engers, accompanying their older siblings and sometimes their parents as they collect trash that can be sold to junk shops for a few pesos. They are also in factories, in ports, in farms, toiling all day with hardly enough time to rest.”
That was part of an editorial which appeared in the October 8, 2014 is-sue of Edge Davao. It came out after an earlier report which said: “Instead of playing and learning their ABCs, some children as young as five years old are working as garbage collector or scavengers in the streets of Davao City.”
The report quoted Florie Mae Tacay, execu-tive director of Kaugma-on Foundation, who said that as the children grow older, the work these chil-dren are doing become even harder.
According to Tacay, these children work be-cause of the necessity to provide basic needs of a poor family which be-come a shared respon-sibility between parents and children. “It is unfor-tunate that some parents cannot stop their children from becoming child la-borers because of pover-
ty,” she said.In the Gospel of Mat-
thew (chapter 19, verse 14), Jesus rebuked his disciples for turning away a group of children. He told them, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
Still persistingDespite the recogni-
tion of government and even the plea from Jesus Christ, children are still suffering. Although child labor is fiercely debated -- and mostly outlawed -- in industrialized countries, it continues to persist in developing world.
A survey done by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2011 showed some 5.59 million child laborers in the country. Out of the 29 million Fil-ipino children aged 5-17 years old, about 19 per-cent or 5.59 million were already working, the sur-vey found. Of the 5.59 million children, just over 3 million were considered child laborers while 2.9 million were reported to be exposed to hazardous working conditions.
“It is lamentable that there are children who are forced into domestic work, doing household chores in their employer’s home instead of going to school,” deplored Sena-tor Loren Legarda. “It is a sad fact there are children who are forced to work to support their families and are deprived of their childhood and their right
to education.”Stunted in height,
child laborers look much older than their years. The legal definition of child labor, according to the United Nations Chil-dren’s Fund (UNICEF) is “exploitative labor among children below 17 years of age.”
Exploited to the max
Most of child labor-ers in the country are ex-ploited to the hilt. “Some unscrupulous individuals take advantage of the sit-uation – the innocence of the child on human and labor rights, and cheap la-bor costs – by employing kids as laborers,” a law-maker once pointed out.
Take the case of Pre-cious, who shared her story in “Bibili Ka Ba?,” a video documentary that details the lives of women in prostitution in Davao City. She came from a very poor family. At age 14, she was pushed into the world of prostitution not because she wanted to but because of pover-ty. If she didn’t do so, her younger brothers and sis-ters will die of hunger.
Being a minor and a victim of gang rape, she decided to use her body to earn a living and support her siblings. “I didn’t have any choice then,” she said. She still doesn’t have any choice today; now at 19, she’s still selling her body.
“They called me differ-ent words which all mean prostitute. They won-dered as to what kind of a woman I am since I go
home in the early morn-ing. I was only 14 at that time,” Precious said in her vernacular.
Talikala, Inc., a non-government organi-zation which sponsored the film forum, reported about 4,000 document-ed prostituted women in Davao City today. Forty percent of them are mi-nors, with nine years old as the youngest.
Irresponsible parents
Borongan Bishop Crispin Varquez of East-ern Samar said poverty and irresponsibility of some parents had been among the leading caus-es of child labor in the country. “First, some par-ents are really irrespon-sible that’s why children are forced to work. Sec-ond, parents do not have enough income... poverty,” the bishop wrote in an ar-ticle posted on the Catho-lic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news site.
In the sugar fields of Northern Mindanao, the use of child labor is so common that some land-owner shrug it off as a way of life. “The parents beg us to include their children to work,” one landowner said. “They like to have their children employed because there’s more income for the fam-ilies.”
In Davao City, pover-ty has also been cited as the reason why some mi-nors are engaged in the flesh industry. “We can-not blame them for get-ting into that,” said Jea-
nette Ampog, executive director of Talikala, on prostituted children and women. “We also cannot decide for them. We can only let them realize what is right.”
Other causes
Apart from poverty as the principal cause of child labor, there are oth-er contributing factors, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). These are: in-creasing pattern of family breakdown and weaken-ing of the extended family system and other support groups; high population growth and changing family values and life-styles which may lead to unwanted children, pro-miscuity and solo parent-hood; poor enforcement of laws due to ignorance of the law, corruption or apathy; socialization of children into work; and support for children’s work in formal education.
As stated earlier, most child laborers work under exploitative conditions. Wages of child laborers are often below adult rates, even if they work adult hours, usually six days a week and even do-ing overwork time. Chil-dren do not get the bene-fits guaranteed by law to regular workers.
One author wrote: “Some children are hired because they can be paid a lot less than the mini-mum wage, they require less food intake, tire less easily and they have no need to apply for such
things as medical plans, SSS (Social Security Sys-tem) or retirement. Tasks like carrying heavy ce-ment bags are assigned to these children because they are said to be stron-ger anyway.”
“Robbed of their child-hood” was the title of the Edge Davao editorial. It said: “Children are espe-cially vulnerable to offi-cial neglect, and we see this in the existence of kids who at their young age are forced to work before they can even read. And that is the greater tragedy: already forced to grow up way ahead of their time, their future is also taken away from them because they are unable to go to school.”
Nobel Peace Prize
Some must be done. And there are glimmer of hope. Last year, the Norwegian Nobel Com-mittee named Indian ac-tivist Kailash Satyarthi, who has dedicated his life to campaigning against child labor, as co-recip-ient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Bachpan Bachao Andolan, the organization he founded in 1989, has focused on providing ed-ucation and protection to disadvantaged children.
Now 60, Satyarthi said he wanted to dedicate the world’s most coveted prize to all of those he had not yet been able to help. “It’s an honor to all those children still suffering in slavery, bonded labor, and trafficking,” he was quot-ed as saying.
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 201512 EDGEDAVAO
COMPETITIVE EDGE
US-BASED transporta-tion network Uber yes-terday confirmed that
it will expand to other areas in the Philippines – including Davao City – after the Depart-ment of Transportation and Communication (DOTC)’s decision to allow “app-based services” offered by Trans-portation Network Compa-nies (TNC) to operate in the Philippines.
The company, however, could not say when the ex-pansion would begin.
“Expansion is on the cards, but we do not have a
THE Philippines, with all its glorious pock-ets of rich culture and
heritage, takes form through robust regions that possess great potential for growth and development. Formidable yet vibrant, Mindanao is known not only for its precious re-sources and breathtaking na-ture but also for its exception-al cultural heritage. Situated all the way down south of the country, Davao is its biggest city and serves as the heart of the robust region.
In its never-ending quest to tap into the abundant yet often untapped promise of the country, Worldbex Ser-vices International (WSI), the country’s leading events and exhibitions organizer, began to embark on a journey to un-earth the limitless potential that thrive within the region as it launched the first-ever Philippine Building and Con-struction Exposition Davao or simply, PHILBEX Davao in 2014.
This year, there is no stopping WSI in its steadfast mission to embolden the re-gion’s construction and design industry, most especially in light of the global ASEAN in-tegration. Presenting the 2nd PHILBEX Davao, set to unfold on May 14 to 17, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center Davao at SM Lanang from 10AM to 7PM.
Beyond merely seeking to generate Davao’s economic ac-tivity, WSI took it upon itself to foster and enrich the region’s cultural brilliance by shedding light on the talent and edge of its design sector. Last year, the urgent call to advocate environmentally conscious-ness was answered by PHIL-BEX Davao’s staunch focus on product innovations and design trends that champion resiliency and sustainability.
This time around, PHIL-BEX Davao positions itself as the biggest design destina-tion of the season that will champion the magnificent cultural heritage of Mindan-ao through the world-class
designs and artistic creations of its people. The past years have shown that the region is home to a growing communi-ty of top caliber designers and architects alongside budding artisans that are churning out masterful creations that infuse Mindanao’s signature design aesthetic with elements of modernity.
Naturally, as this year’s PHILBEX Davao banners the theme of “Building Visions in the Realm of ASEAN Integra-tion,” the four-day trade show will showcase an all-inclusive exposition that will boast of products and services that promote the embody that distinct Mindanaoan edge. With over 130 exhibiting com-panies and 240 booths, the 2nd PHILBEX Davao will be mounting an exciting range of booths and pavilions that will cater to all-things construc-tion and building related, and most importantly, design-cen-tric – making it a destination hub as much as it is the biggest construction expo to hit the region.
In keeping with the key thrust of the event, which is to elevate the region’s con-struction and design industry to global acclaim, PHILBEX Davao teams up with local Mindanao artisans, Interior Design students, as well as the Philippine Institute of Interior Design with a unified mission to give prominence to the bur-geoning design industry of the region, as well as provide a platform for Mindanao de-signers and creatives to exhib-it their creations.
As such, trade players and industry professionals looking to discover the next big thing in design and architecture are bound to take on an awe-in-spiring journey through the di-verse design landscape of Min-danao with event highlights such as the Developers’ gallery where they can observe and discuss with top property de-velopers spearheading in the industry. Meanwhile, design-ers and enthusiasts alike can
Uber to expand throughout Phl
PHILBEX Davao: A Marriageof Heritage and Modernity
A BETTER FUTURE. Finally, senior citizens of Davao City now have a place to call their own in downtown Davao City. Through the efforts of the office of city administrator Melchor Quitain and the City Environment and Natural Re-sources Office (CENRO), together with Therma South, Inc., The Aboitiz Elderly Center materialized as a representation of appreciation towards the senior citizens of Davao City.
The center was greatly anticipated by the Federation of Se-nior Citizens of Davao. Easily accessible and ready for use, the center is located inside Osmeña Park, Davao City. Photo shows (From left) Quitain and wife, Federation of Se-nior Citizens of Davao president Albina Sarona and mem-bers, with AboitizPower corporate branding and commu-nication manager Willy Rodolfo III (right).
specific timeline for this to announce just yet,” Uber com-munications head for South Asia and India Karun Arya told Edge Davao in answer to an emailed query.
Arya said the expansion strategy is being handled by Uber’s “dedicated expansion team.”
“I don’t have visibility on their plans for now. However, I am sure Davao would be on the cards for future expan-sion,” he said.
Arya said the company’s current focus in on “ensuring greater reliability and cov-erage in and around Metro Manila.”
“What that means is be-ing able to provide our rid-ers with a safe, convenient, comfortable ride anytime and anywhere in Metro Manila. Whether that is 100 cars or 100,000 cars, our objective is to ensure a person can get a ride within a couple of min-utes,” he said.
“To put things into per-spective we’ve reduced the average ETA to get a car in Metro Manila from over 12 minutes a year ago to about 5 minutes today,” he added.
The DOTC decision was announced last Monday, making the Philippines the first country to establish reg-ulations for ride-hailing and ride-sharing apps like Uber.
“Today is a historic day not only for the Philippines but for the entire Asia Pacific region,” Uber said in a post in its blog yesterday.
“Philippine Transporta-tion and Communications Secretary Joseph (Jun) Abaya enacted a new department order on ‘Promoting Mobility,’ which aims to modernize and improve transport services to the commuting public by rec-ognizing new forms of trans-port solutions that can have a significant impact on reduc-ing congestion while creating thousands of new opportuni-ties for drivers,” Uber said.
Many governments and taxi companies around the
world have protested against Uber, alleging that its use of unlicensed, crowd-sourced drivers was unsafe and illegal.
Last year, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LT-FRB) imposed a P120,000 to P200,000 fine for the use of the Uber app on public utility vehicles and sedans, respec-tively, because Uber does not have an approved franchise.
PHILBEX Davao envisions itself not only as a construction destination but as a captivating design hub.
Mindfully conceptualized, PHILBEX Davao will showcase the world-class talents and visions of Mindanaoans for all the world to see.
Walk into Davao’s design landscape and discover a remarkable celebration of heritage and modernity.
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015 13NEWSEDGEDAVAO
NOTICE OF LOSSNotice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS
CONSOLIDATED INC. that CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s)
21068516 under Loyola Contract No(s). 10164863-0 MRO 530008438 issued to DARLEN Y. MACABUDBUD
Plan Transfer Form Nos. 2402-07135, 2402-07137, 2402-07145, 2402-07148, 2404-11298-11299, 2402-15704-15705,2402-15712-15715 issued to TERESITA F. ERAMIS
were lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.4/29;5/6,13
NOTICE OF LOSSNotice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS
CONSOLIDATED INC. that CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s)
58767 under Loyola Contract No(s). 505981-1 issued to JUANITO B. JADENA
26532 under Loyola Contract No(s). 708363426 issued to ESTER F. BARZAwere lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.
4/29;5/6,13
Gensan, Sarangani all set for Pacquiao hero welcomeTHE local governments of
Sarangani and this city are all set for the homecom-
ing festivities on Thursday for world boxing icon and Saran-gani Rep. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao.
Lawyer Glenda Narcilla, spokesperson of the City May-or’s Office, said Tuesday the necessary arrangements are already in place for the grand hero’s welcome for Pacquiao, who is returning home nearly two weeks after losing his epic fight with undefeated American fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr. in
Las Vegas.She said Pacquiao, along
with his family and team mem-bers, is scheduled to arrive in Manila on Wednesday and will fly home on Thursday.
The boxing sensation was initially scheduled to return last May 8 but was reset to pave the way for an operation on a shoul-der injury he suffered weeks be-fore the fight.
Narcilla said that based on their arrangements with Sa-rangani officials, the hero’s wel-come will be a joint undertaking of the two local governments.
PACQUIAO-MAYWEATHER FIGHT. File photo shows art sign maker Chris Aclo, a former boxer himself, making final touches on his painting showcasing Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. at his shop at Kaimo and Gemina Streets in Surigao City days before the fight. Photo by Roel N. Catoto
Upon Pacquiao’s arrival at the city airport, she said he will be given military honors by a joint Army and police contin-gent.
She said city and Sarangani officials led by Mayor Ronnel Rivera, Vice Mayor Shirlyn Nograles and Sarangani Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon will then line up to meet and greet Pacquiao.
“We have prepared a festive theme for his arrival,” she said in
an interview with a local televi-sion station.
The official said they have set up a stage where Pacquiao will give his arrival message to the welcoming crowd.
After the brief program, Narcilla said Pacquiao and his family will be joined by local officials to a float parade around the city.
She said it will later con-clude at the SM City GenSan mall where a press conference
and another welcome program will be held.
“We advised our barangay councils and business establish-ments to put up welcome ban-ners to make the float parade more festive,” she said.
The local governments of Sarangani and this city earlier decided to give Pacquiao a he-ro’s welcome even as he lost his fight against Mayweather.
Mayweather defeated Pac-quiao via unanimous decision
to wrest the unified World Box-ing Association, World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Council welterweight belt.
Mayor Rivera, who is a close political ally of Pacquiao, said the latter remains a champion for the city and deserves a he-ro’s welcome despite the result of the fight.
“Congressman Manny is still the champion for us. He deserves a hero’s welcome,” the mayor said. (PNA)
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 201514
GENERAL SANTOS CITY MARKETING OFFICEEDMUND P. RENDONMarketing SpecialistGeneral Santos CityMobile: (Sun) 0925-357-3460 (Smart) 0907-202-3844
DAVAO CITY MAIN OFFICEJOCELYN S. PANESDirector of SalesDoor 14 ALCREJ Bldg.,Quirino Ave., Davao CityTel: (082) 224-1413Telefax: (082) 221-3601
MANILA MARKETINGOFFICEANGELICA R. GARCIA Marketing Manager97-1 Bayanbayanan Ave.,Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel: (02) 654-3509
GO BOLD GO COLOUR• All text
• Telephone Number (bigger point size)
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Price: 100.00 Price: 175.00 Price: 230.00
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CLASSIFIED EDGEDAVAO
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015
AFTER Floyd Mayweather’s conquest of Manny Pac-quiao, I have not written
any piece about the fight that I thought is almost like one run on a script.
I’d be brutally frank about this. Except for the millions of us ‘outsiders,’ Manny’s injury was no secret to many. Perhaps not even to Floyd’s camp. Perhaps not to the media insiders around Manny.
If there was a ‘conspiracy’ that Manny had complained about, maybe the ‘conspiracy’ be-gan from within.
I wonder. Why hadn’t the media inside Manny’s camp truthfully revealed that Manny was injured? Didn’t they suspect something wrong when the spar-mates of Manny were sent home
packing?However, these are merely
my afterthoughts.The fight was ‘forced’ to hap-
pen as scheduled because there was too much money involved. Manny’s camp cannot gamble setting it off to another date and risk losing it. Floyd’s got very unpredictable mind that Manny cannot just risk toying with him.
So they went on with the fight. Manny acted like he was perfectly alright. He was in a joy-ous mood in the presscon and in the weigh-in. He was doing sel-fies even up to the final walk to the ring.
In the end, I won’t blame Manny for electing to conceal an injury that eventually decided the fight. The money was just too much to resist.
Manny knew even if he lost, he would still be adored by mil-lions of Pinoys back home. He would be adored for his bravery and stayed on his feet until the end of the fight when he could have done a Duran “no mas, no
mas” act after the fourth round.However, Manny cannot al-
ways rely on that adulation.Sometimes, he gets too care-
less.Let me point out some of the
statements Manny should have said and not have said and done.
1. KEEP CALM, I’M THE ONE FIGHTING. Manny repeat-edly said this to his camp. If he knew he was not okay, and those around him knows he’s not, there is no reason to make that assur-ance.
2. SELFIES. Manny selfied his way in the welcome party at Mandalay Bay. He also selfied with Freddie Roach in the walk to the fight. These were clearly manifestations of unsettledness. It was his way out of the grim re-ality that he is fighting with only
one good arm. It was meant to tell everyone he is calm when he is not.
3. I FEEL I WON THE FIGHT. Contrary to his words, Manny knew he did not win the fight. Having said that, it gave the ver-dict some tinge of doubt.
4. I HAVE A SHOULDER INJURY. I remember a mes-sage painted on a factory—“My brakes are defective, tell it to the mechanic, not the doctor, not the judge.” Manny said this at a wrong time. He should have said this before the fight or at the mo-ment he knew he was injured. If he wanted to use this as an alibi for losing, it does not speak well of a champion.
5. I’M GOING ON A VACA-TION. Manny answered in the in-terview after the fight on what he
plans to do. Manny forgot that he is an elected government official. The fight had already taken him around three months out of his office. Saying that he is going on a vacation is almost like a betrayal to a sworn duty as public official.
6. I’M GOING TO BACK TO THE PBA AND COACH KIA. An-other careless remark. Why couldn’t he love his job in Con-gress more?
Not taking away anything from Manny, he is still our boxing hero. However, Manny is not just a boxer now. He has made himself one with so many hats to wear. He just had to keep his mind into these many roles he play.
Postscripts: Listen to “Let’s Get It On with Neil Bravo” on 105.9 Balita FM every Saturday 8-10 a.m.
15
STEVE Kerr challenged his Golden State Warriors to ratchet up the intensity to
playoff-level. With MVP Stephen Curry leading the way, they re-sponded and looked like the team that cruised through the regular season.
Curry scored 21 of his 33 points by halftime, and the War-riors snapped their two-game skid Monday night by routing the Memphis Grizzlies 101-84 to tie the Western Conference semifi-nals at 2-2.
‘’Tonight we took a step to-wards understanding that sense of urgency and kind of compet-itiveness and physicality to the game,’’ Kerr said. ‘’It was probably our most competitive effort, defi-nitely of the series, but probably of the playoffs just in terms of un-derstanding you got to play every second.’’
The Warriors hadn’t lost three straight games all season, and they never came close as they took back home-court ad-vantage. Curry hadn’t scored more than 23 points in a game in this series, and he nearly had that by halftime.
Draymond Green had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Warriors while Klay Thompson
had 15 points, Harrison Barnes 12 and Andre Iguodala 11.
‘’We set the tone the first quarter and kept the foot on the gas pedal the whole way, and that’s how we play,’’ Curry said.
Marc Gasol had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis while Zach Randolph had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Mike Conley finished with 10 points and seven assists but was 4 of 15 from the field. Memphis pulled its starters with 3:00 left.
Game 5 is Wednesday night at Golden State.
‘’This series could have been close to over if we hadn’t come out like we were supposed to to-night,’’ Warriors center Andrew Bogut said. ‘’You know it’s nev-er over until the end, but being down 3-1 going home is a pretty tough task, so 2-2 right now in a three-game series and we like our chances.’’
Memphis coach Dave Joerg-er had given his Grizzlies a his-tory lesson reminding them of previous blown 2-1 leads in the postseason. It didn’t help as the Grizzlies lost their fourth straight Game 4, the third of those on their own court. They just didn’t play with the same defensive in-tensity as the last two games.
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors dunks against Vince Carter of the Memphis Grizzlies during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals for the NBA Playoffs on Monday at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
Warriors rout Grizzlies
SUDDENLY, the Atlanta Hawks went from so-so in the playoffs to looking a bit
more like a No. 1 seed.‘’That’s how we play. That’s
how we’ve been playing all year,’’ forward Paul Millsap said. ‘’Things we didn’t do, pretty much all series, we did tonight.’’
Jeff Teague scored 26 points, Millsap added 19 points, six as-sists and five rebounds, and Al Horford had 18 points and 10 rebounds as three of Atlanta’s four All-Stars played significant roles to help the Hawks beat the Washington Wizards 106-101 on Monday night and evened their second-round series at two games apiece.
Washington’s lone All-Star, point guard John Wall, missed a third consecutive game with a broken left hand.
Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night at At-lanta.
‘’To me, personally, I think this is the best we’ve played all series,’’ said Millsap, who had
eight points in Game 3, when he was dropped from the starting lineup because of flu-like symp-toms. ‘’Thirty assists, the way we played defense, the way we stepped up, the way we helped each other, the way we moved the basketball, the way we set screens.’’
Is that all, Paul?‘’That was midseason form
right there,’’ agreed Kyle Korv-er, Atlanta’s fourth All-Star, who was limited to four shots and six points, but all of the attention Washington paid to slowing him opened room for other Hawks. ‘’I thought we played with just a lot of juice, and a lot of energy, and a lot of purpose.’’
Still, this one wound up be-ing tight toward the end.
Two days after hitting a buzzer-beater to win Game 3, Washington’s Paul Pierce missed a 3-point attempt that would have tied the score coming out of a timeout with 9.5 seconds left.
‘’Thought I got a great look,’’ Pierce said.
SPORTSEDGEDAVAO
What Manny should and should not have said and done
Neil Bravo
LET’S GET IT ON
Hawks hold off Wizards to tie series at 2
VOL. 8 ISSUE 29 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015
Phoenix supports UFC Fight Night Manila16 EDGEDAVAOSports
INDEPENDENT oil company Phoenix Petroleum Philip-
pines backs up the first ever UFC event in the Philippines on May 16, 2015 as the event’s of-ficial fuel partner.
The UFC Fight Night Manila which will be held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay City, will feature the much awaited featherweight bout between former UFC Lightweight cham-pion Frankie Edgar and former WEC Feather-weight champion Urijah Faber.
Aside from the main event, Filipino UFC fans also look forward to witnessing live the oth-er matchups most espe-cially the fight of Filipi-no-American Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Ma-chine” Munoz with Luke Barnatt of England.
Win or lose, Muñoz has announced that this will be his last bout.
Before the big night, Phoenix Petroleum also presented the UFC Fighter Tour: Alistair ‘The Reem’ Overeem
on April 19, 2015 at SM Megamall, Manda-luyong City, where UFC fans, mall goers, and lucky Phoenix Petro-leum Facebook page fans got the chance to meet and greet Over-eem, one of the most powerful UFC heavy-weight fighters.
The Ultimate Fight-ing Championship (UFC) is the fastest growing sports organi-zation in the world and is viewed as the pin-nacle of MMA by both athletes and fans. With more than 40 fights ev-ery year, the UFC hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the world.
Phoenix Petroleum Philippines is the num-ber one independent and fastest growing oil company today with an expanding network of operations nationwide. It is engaged in the business of trading re-fined petroleum prod-ucts and lubricants, operation of oil depots and storage facilities, shipping/logistics and allied services.
Phoenix Petroleum President and CEO Dennis Uy (3rd from left) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Executive Vice President and General Manager of Asia Kenneth Berger (2nd from left) seal the partnership on March 19, 2015 in Taguig. With them are UFC Partnership Activations Manager Jamie Eng (left) and Phoenix Chief Operating Officer Romeo de Guzman (right).
RAFA Nadal’s slide down the ATP rankings means if he wins a record-extend-
ing 10th French Open title early next month it would go down as one of the greatest achieve-ments of his illustrious career.
The Spaniard dropped three places to seventh on Monday as a consequence of his 6-3 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Brit-ain’s Andy Murray in the final of the Madrid Masters the previous day.
And with another 600 points to defend at this week
Rome Masters, the 28-year-old could fall to his lowest ranking for 10 years by the time play be-gins at Roland Garros on May 24.
Not since April 2005, just before his maiden French title, has Nadal been lower than sev-enth.
The Spaniard insisted after losing to Murray that he was beginning to feel the “old sensa-tions” again after struggling to find his best form in the wake of the wrist injury and appendicitis issues that undermined him last year.
But the fear factor that once inhibited opponents on the red clay appears to have disap-peared.
In Monte Carlo, he was soundly beaten by world num-ber one Novak Djokovic. He then lost to Italy’s unpredictable Fa-bio Fognini in Barcelona and in Madrid, after appearing to be getting back on track with wins against Grigor Dimitrov and To-mas Berdych, he was stopped in his tracks by Murray.
Murray had never beaten Nadal on clay and was thrashed
in last year’s French Open semi-final, but on Sunday he won with nonchalant ease.
“I will just stay with the good things that happened this week, and there are a lot of them, more good than bad. I will try to recover the good feelings in Rome,” Nadal said.
“Whatever will happen will be. It’s something that we have to realise, all of us, that what’s happening during these last years, it’s very complicated to be 10 or one years without leaving the top four.”
