By Jade C. Zaldivar

TWO major taxi operators associa-tions in the city are mulling to sub-mit a petition for a P10.00 increase

in taximeter flag down rate.Land Transportation Franchising and

Regulation Board (LTFRB) 11 chief admin-

istrative officer Edgar Violan said two as-sociations of taxi operators have spoken to him about thepossibility of increasing the current flag down rate of P40 to P50.00.

“They have manifested their desire to submit a petition to the LTFRB which will formalize their request for a P10.00 hike,” Violan said yesterday during Club 888 fo-

rum at The Marco Polo Davao.Violan was referring to the Metro

Davao Taxi Operators and Drivers Associa-tion (Medatoa) and the Durian City Trans-port Service Cooperative (DCTSC).

“Ang chair ng Medatoa, si Willy Vas-cones, is also the president of the Davao City Taxi Operators Association so it is as-

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DAVAO

CLARK-DAVAO CONNECTIVITY. Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General Ra-mon Gutierrez, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, USAID Mission Director Gloria Steele and Clark International Airport Corporation President Victor Jose Lucianio (from left to right) sign on

Wednesday the Clark-Davao Sister Airport Agreement. The agreement was showcased by the maiden flight of AirAsia’s direct Clark-Davao route. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

CITY Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte garnered perfect scores in a survey conducted in the city’s

2nd District.Both Dutertes got 100% in popularity and

trust ratings according to the respondents of

the 2nd District.The results of the 2nd district survey

show the Dutertes garnering slightly higher ratings compared to the earlier first district survey wherein the Dutertes tied with 98.8 percent in their trust rating and 99.4 on popu-

larity rating.Survey results from the 2nd district were

released yesterday while those from the 3rd district will be released next week, said Dr. Maria Linda Arquiza, director of the recently established IPO of the Unitversity of Mind-

Sara, Rody achieve 100% trust,popularity ratings in 2nd district

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 20122 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

By Lorie A. Cascaro

THE South Eastern Mindanao Diversi-fied Driver’s Opera-

tors Cooperative (SEMD-DOC) filed a petition last Friday with the Land Transportation Franchis-ing and Regulatory Board 11 (LTFRB 11) for a P2 fare increase for the first four kilometers.

It also is asking for an additional P.35 to the exist-ing P1.40 per succeeding kilometer.

Guesting at Club 888 Forum at The Marco Polo Davao last Wednesday, Manuel Duran, SEMDDOC president, said that the Davao region needs such a fare increase.

A provisional fare increase of P.50 for PUJs was approved by the Land Transportation Franchis-ing and Regulatory Board

(LTFRB) last March 20.However, the order on

fare adjustment does not include region 11 along with regions 12, 13 and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

In Mindanao, only the regions of Zamboanga (R9) and Cagayan De Oro (R10) are authorized to increase fare by P.50 for the first four kilometers, but no in-crease in the succeeding kilometer/s.

The order states that all other regions which have no pending Peti-tion for Fare Increase and Prayer for Provisional In-crease have no fare adjust-ment.

No petition for fare in-crease was received by the LTFRB 11 until last Friday which was filed by SEMD-DOC.

First timeNot including Davao

region in the latest LTFRB order of provisional P.50 fare increase in PUJ fares is the “first time” in history, according to chief admin administrative officer Ed-gar Violan, also at the Club 888 Forum.

“Experience -wise kung ano ang naapruba-han sa national office, na-tionwide ang application,” he added.

Duran said his group was surprised about it be-cause during the public hearing with LTFRB, it was region 10 (CDO) which should not be included due to the recent calamity there.

Duran said there must have been problems in making the order.

“Natingala mi kay nab-aliktad man hinuon. Naa man mi didto paghearing,” he told reporters.

Thus, the group,

which is affiliated with 1Utak, decided to file a petition in Region 11 to justify the need for fare increase.

“Para sa amo ang kin-aon sa Manila nga drayber ug diri pareho lang. Mas mahal pa gani ang gaso-lina diri, ang Diesel diri,” he said.

The LTFRB order was based on the petition filed by Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philip-pines (FEJODAP), Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTO-DAP), Liga ng mga Tsuper at Operator sa Pilipinas, Inc. (LTOP), Alliance of Concerned Transport Or-ganization (ACTO) and Pangkalahatang Sanggu-niang Metro Manila and Suburb Association (PAS-ANG-MASDA).

PUJ group files for P2 hike

PETITION. Edgar Violan, LTFRB Chief Administrative Officer, said on Wednesday that the LTFRB is currently looking on the petition of a local transport group for a P2 fare hike. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

A little bit more quar-rying and, perhaps, people shall experi-

ence nature’s cruelty.This is the fear ex-

pressed by residents of Barangay Mandug, Davao City,who are with disloca-tion should the quarry op-erations.

Yesterday, they peti-tioned the city mayor’s o ffice asking for a stop to the earthfill quarrying op-erations on the boundary between Brgy. Indangan (Sitio Salvacion) and Brgy. Acacia.

The City Environment and Natural Resources Of-fice (CENRO), saying that the quarrying work is has a permit, told the peti-tioners to ask Mayor Sara Duterte to act on the mat-ter.

They requested for a team to be sent to their area for ocular inspection, particularly the upper part of Sitio Danaw near the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf

and Country Club, where some 200 Muslim families reside.

“Gamay na lang pag-kubkob niining mga quar-ry, malagmit matagamtam na gayod namo ang kaban-gis sa kinaiyahan!” they said.

Based on the terrain configuration conducted by the CENRO, the peti-tioners said the largest volume of water from the mountain of Danaw will gush through Mandug and not through Indangan and Acacia.

They also mentioned the two flooding inci-dents in Mandug last year which were caused by the effects of quarrying, mostly affecting the Mus-lim community in Danaw.

Parkopil Montera, Barangay Kagawad of Mandug and one of the petitioners, said he hopes that the quarry opera-tions will be stopped as he had experienced the

flood in May 2011.Last week, a baran-

gay resolution requesting for assessment and evalu-ation of existing quarry operators in Mandug and Indangan was submitted to the CENRO.

CENRO officer in charge Joseph Felizarta told Edge Davao that the report on the evaluation will be finalized today.

Montera said CEN-RO’s evaluation did not involve community participation when the residents can exactly de-scribe the situation in their area.

“Dili participatory ang evaluation which is not a good practice na may stake ang mga taga komunidad,” he added.

The quarry operators were identified by the pe-titioners as Mc Pjay San Pedro, Ambao Magulint-ang, Platinum Corpora-tion, Robert Uy, and Ba-guhin. [LORIE A. CASCARO]

Mandug residents wantmayor to stop quarrying An initiative of the

Davao City Cham-ber of Commerce

and Industry, Inc., the Davao-Clark sister air-port agreement ushers in a new beginning for the tourism sector.

So said DCCCII presi-dent, Maria Lourdes G. Monteverde, during yes-terday’s ceremonial sign-ing of the said document at the Marco Polo Davao.

The bond, she said, is the beginning of the “pro-motion of interconnect-edness among the islands in the Philippines from North to South.”

“The need to inte-grate is a challenge being posed to us in order to foster greater competi-tiveness,” she said.

The agreement was signed by Ramon Gutier-rez, director of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and Victor Jose Luciano, president of Clark Inter-national Airport Corpora-tion.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, to-gether with Mayor Mari-no Morales of Mabalacat, Pampanga, and Gloria Steele, mission director of USAID, witnessed the ceremonial signing.

Yesterday’s arrival was also the maiden flight of the low rate Phil-ippines’ Air Asia from Clark to Davao.

Art Boncato, re-gional director of DOT 11 said the sister agree-ment connects Davao and Clark, Pampanga, which is now a major airway hub.

Enrico L Basilio, president of Research, Education and Insti-tutional Development (REID) Foundation, said the agreement exempli-fies the concept of public and private partnership in the tourism industy.

REID Foundation is a private research and advisory institute that assists the Convergence Program of the Depart-

ment of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Pub-lic Works and Highways (DPWH) supported by the USAID.

It is at the stage of finalizing the list of tour-ism infrastructure proj-ects covering all regions to be included in the 2013 budget.

In the 2013 bud-get appropriation, the priority tourism infra-structure projects led by the Department of Trans-portation and Communi-cation, DOT and DPWH will get P12B. This is part of the entire 2013-2016 Convergence Program with almost P50 B bud-get.

Congress appropriat-ed P6B in the 2012 bud-get for the priority list of tourism infrastructure projects.

Basilio noted the close working relation-ship of the DOT and DPWH, and institutional-ization of the program in the DOT. [LORIE A. CASCARO]

Davao-Clark sister agreement,a new beginning for tourism

THE Mindanao De-velopment Au-thority (MinDA)

Wednesday said that President Benigno Aqui-no III has taken decisive action on the Mindanao power problem.

The first step, ac-cording to MinDA chair Luwalhati Antonino, was that President Aquino was set to meet with

power industry stake-holders in Mindanao, including key local lead-ers in the island, to firm up parallel tracks of im-mediate and medium to long term solutions to the Mindanao power problem.

In a statement, An-tonino said the Presi-dent wanted to per-sonally convey specific

measures taken by the government and the proposed steps needed to secure a reliable and sustainable Mindanao power generation.

Antonino said Min-DA, in collaboration with the Department of En-ergy (DOE), is making the necessary prepara-tions for the conduct of a dialogue with Mindanao

Summit set to tackle Mindanao power woes

FSUMMIT, 13 FGOV’T, 13

THE Philippine Med-ical Association (PMA) and the Ho-

tel and Restaurant Asso-ciation of the Philippines (HRAP) have thrown their full support behind HB 5479, maximizing the contribution of Indig-enous Peoples to nation building, granting bene-fits and special privileges.

A technical work-

ing group (TWG) of the House Committee on Na-tional Cultural Communi-ties is now fine tuning a proposed law, authored by Rep. Nancy A. Catamco (2nd District, North Cota-bato), to consider amend-ments introduced by re-source persons during the series of public hear-ings on the measure.

The 1987 Constitu-

tion has “very wisely given the highest prior-ity to the protection and promotion of the rights of indigenous cultural com-munities to ensure their economic, social, and cul-tural well-being,” Catam-co stressed.

“It is therefore the intent of my proposal to recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples (IPs)

Gov’t, private groups supports draft IP bill

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012 3THE BIG NEWSEDGEDAVAO

anao under its Research and Publication Center.

Arquiza said that based on the results, the city may-or and the vice mayor are trusted mist by the younger generation aged 18-29 years as well as adults aged 36-42 years.

She added that those who belong to the low in-come groups, especially the unemployed, “have faith in the leadership of the father-daughter tandem.”

“Survey results revealed that district 2 respondents gave their absolute trust to the Dutertes. They are those who either finished high school or have reached some level of college education,” she said.

Both the mayor and vice-mayor are most popular and trusted by married females than married males, the IPO director said, adding that the self-employed and business people also manifest high trust in the two.

Arquiza also noted that the Dutertes received a ‘rela-tively strong support’, specifi-cally in Agdao district.

“This is expected as this was the place of the contro-versial and famous ‘Davao Punch’ episode during a de-molition incident,” she said.

Arquiza was referring to Mayor Duterte-Carpio’s heat-ed reaction to a court sheriff Abe Andres’s denial to delay demolition in Barangay Soli-man in Agdao while she was still attending to flood vic-tims July of last year.

As for the trust rating of second district representa-tive, Mylene Garcia, she did not receive ratings as high the two Dutertes’.

However, she enjoys high popularity at 91% with a slightly lower trust rating of 88.1 percent.

Arquiza said the profile of the people who give their trust to Garcia ‘is no different from the people who trust the Dutertes.’

“This is implicative that those who trust the mayor and the vice mayor will also trust those who are attached to these leaders,” she said.

“This has a beneficial ef-fect for the Congresswoman. Also, the long experience of her relatives in politics may have given positive impres-sion to the people in district 2,” Arquiza added.

MethodologyData analyst specializing

on politics and governance, Adrian Tamayo of the same university, said the respon-dents were given questions which would reveal the trust and popularity of public of-ficials.

“We asked respondents if they know the public offi-cials and whether they trust the public officials based on five categorical questions,” Tamayo said.

“Our questions are no different from the questions used in conducting trust rat-ings. Our questions are tai-lor-fit for those of the Pulse Asia and other SWS (social weather stations)” he added.

A city-wide survey was conducted last February 4 to 13 on a total of 1,007 respon-dents aged 18 and above.

Tamayo said a propor-tionate sampling size was determined for each of the three districts ‘to establish respresentativeness with the population.’

Dr. Cuizon Reynaldo, re-search coordinator, said they cannot reveal their question-naire to the public as this is against their ethics.

“The questionnaire is available for viewing, but we cannot disseminate it to the public. This is part of our eth-ics,” Reynaldo said.

District 2 comprises the sub-districts of Agdao, Bu-hangin, Bunawan, and Pa-quibato. It has 46 barangays with an estimated popula-tion of about half a million.

District 2 councilorsCouncilors from the 2nd

district received high popu-larity ratings as well.

Garnering the highest popularity rate is Councilor John Louie Bonguyan with 91.8%, followed by Tomas Monteverde 89.0% and in third place with 88.6% each are Councilors Dante Apostol and Jimmy Dureza.

“These high ratings of the top three councilors are not surprising. For one, Bonguy-an is the son of Lius Bonguy-an who served Davao City as vice mayor for 12 years,” Ar-quiza said.

Following with 87.8% is Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre, Arnolfo Cabling with 85.7%, April Marie Dayap with 84.5, and Marissa Salvador-Abella with 80.4 percent.

As to the trust ratings, Bonguyan topped with 89.8, followed by Monteverde with 86.1, Dureza with 85.3.

Councilors Apostol and

Alejandre each received with 84.1, followed by Cabling with 82.8, Dayap with 79.6 and Abella with 78 percent.

City department headsLanding as the two top

most trusted and popular department heads are Leon-ardo Avila, officer in charge of the City Agriculture Office, and Dr. Josephine Villafuerte who heads the City Health Office.

Avila received a popu-larity rating of 42.9% while Villafuerte received 40.8. As to their trust rating, Avila received 33.1% while Villa-fuerte garnered 29.0 percent.

In 3rd spot on popular-ity rating is former City In-formation Office head Rizal Giovanni ‘Bong’ Aportadera with 37.6%, followed by City Social Services and Develop-ment Office head Ma. Luisa Bermudo with 34.3 percent.

Assistant City Admin-istrator Erwin Alparaque, who also heads the Human Resources Management Of-fice, followed with 25.7 per-cent.

On the department head’s trusted rating, in the third spot is Bermudo with 24.5%, followed by Aportadera with 24.1%, and Acting City Administra-tor Zuleika Lopez with 17.2 percent.

Popular programs, proj-ects

The IPO also conducted a survey on the city’s pro-grams and projects, in seek-ing whether the populace perceives such projects serve their welfare.

The projects of traf-fic signalization, the city’s emergency response unit Central 911, and the Peo-ple’s Parks sit on the top three positions, according to the popularity and welfare ranking.

Fourth most popular city project is the Traffic Eagle Squad, followed by the Solid Waste Management, the Drainage Program, the Shelter Program, the Sani-tary Landfill, and the Food for Work Program.

Taking the fourth spot on the welfare rating is the Shelter Program, while on fifth spot are both the Drain-age Program and the Traffic Eagle Squad.

Still on the welfare rating are the Solid Waste Manage-ment program, the Sanitary Landfill, and the Food for Work program.[JADE C. ZALDIVAR]

FFROM 1Sara... Popularity Rating Trust Rating

Mayor Sara Duterte 100 100

V-Mayor Rodrigo Duterte 100 100

Cong. Mylene Garcia 91.0 88.1

Popularity Rating

Rank Trust Rating

Rank

Abella, M. S. 80.4 7 78.0 7

Alejandre, A. R. 87.8 4 84.1 4

Apostol, D. 88.6 3 84.1 4

Bonguyan, J. L. 91.8 1 89.8 1

Cabling, A. 85.7 5 82.8 5

Dayap, A.M. 84.5 6 79.6 6

Dureza, J. 88.6 3 85.3 3

Monteverde, T. 89.0 2 86.1 2

Sara

Abella

Cabling

Lopez Alparaque

Dayap

Dureza MonteverdeAportadera Bermudo

Alejandre

Apostol

Bonguyan

Avila Villafuerte

Rody Garcia

By Lorie A. Cascaro

THE Institute of Pop-ular Opinion (IPO) launched by the

University of Mindanao (UM) this month said their maiden survey on trust in public officials in Davao City is not a pre-conditioning to the 2013 local elections.

Presenting the survey results in city’s District Two , IPO director Maria Linda Arquiza said politi-cal topic was chosen for their first survey to facili-tate easy conduct in the future.

“We want IPO to be known by the public nga importante diay ilang opinion. Naa diay way nga mapadayag nila ang ilang opinion, then we will be

serving our purpose,” she said during the Club 888 Forum at The Marco Polo Davao last Wednesday.

IPO presented the survey results in District One last March 20, show-ing the Dutertes being the top among public officials in the trust survey, which are also evident in the District Two results.

“Leading towards an election survey is far different from what we are doing,” Prof. Adrian Tamayo, IPO research co-ordinator.

He said the IPO sur-vey was about defining how people trust their leaders because gover-nance should be at the forefront of real develop-ment.

“It’s another thing when we talk about popu-

larity. There goes the pre-conditioning,” he added.

Dr. Reynaldo Cuizon, also a research coordina-tor for Zone 2, said the survey is not only ben-eficial to the officials but also to the people.

“Sa atong pagsalig sa atong opisyal duna ni siya kalambigitan sa atong partisipasyon,” he said.

Tamayo also men-tioned that reminding the officials that they are accountable to their per-formance is already one of the most important re-sults of the survey.

Also the vice presi-dent for research of the UM, Arquiza said the IPO is fully funded by the uni-versity under its research center, and that it is not being funded by any indi-vidual.

Survey not geared to 2013 polls

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012

The Davao Interna-tional Airport terminal is expected to be expanded in 2014 as traffic is expected to increase to 2.8 million passengers by the end of the year.

Jose Emmanuel L. Sad-dam, airport assistant geeneral manager, said the project, which is based on the plan of the Civil Avia-tion Authority of the Philip-pines, the agency that runs the airport, is to be funded internally with about P60 million appropriated for it, including the setting up of another taxiway to facilitate the faster exit of arriving passengers.

“Right now we only have two carousels,” Sad-dam said at a briefing conducted in his office. Last year, there were about 2.5 million passengers, or about 17.5% higher than the previous year. Of this number of people, 1.284 million were in-bound pas-sengers.

“Actually the number (of passengers last year) was already big,” said Saddam, pointing out that based on the estimates of the airport authority, the number of passengers would only be about 1.2 million annually.

Although Tiger Air-ways was reported to have planned to stop its Davao-Singapore service by next month, Air Asia Philip-pines, a local subsidiary of the budget airline Air Asia, is scheduled to start its Davao-Clark daily flight on March 28.

The airport can already accommodate wide-bodied aircraft, like the Boeing 747 and the A-330 after the Asian Development Bank funded its expansion as nine aircraft can park at any given time compared with just four before the expan-sion.

Antonio T. dela Cruz, Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry vice president for trade and commerce, welcomed this development, saying it would boost tourism in the city. “We hope the entry of Air Asia will result in the

growth of the city’s econo-my,” he said.

With the entry of the new airline, the airport will serve seven airlines with about 60% of the flights aircraft of the Cebu Pacific Air, the Go-kongwei-led company also known for its budget fares. Early this month, Mid-Sea Express started its Sunday Manado-Davao-Bohol ser-vice with the hope of sus-taining the Manado-Davao route which was abandoned by several airlines.

With the increase in the number of passengers, the airport is also expected to increase its incomne to about P513 million by the end of the year from about P466 million at the end of last year, its data pointed out. Saddam said about 60% of its revenues was derived from the P200 terminal fee collected from passengers. [AD]

4 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

‘THE Philippines, being a helpless observer, may be bet-ter off staying that way. Our ef-forts are limited to using our dip-lomatic channels with our neigh-boring countries, to speak as one voice with them.’

--Senator Panfilo Lacson, Senate defense committee chair, on North Korea’s plan to blast a satellite into space

Quips

POLICE authorities here are hunting for killer the of a Chi-

nese businessman whose body was found with mul-tiple stab wounds inside his grocery store in Toril, this city Monday morning.

City police director Sr. Supt. Ronald dela Rosa identified the suspect as Ingracio Madangga, a na-tive of Malungon, Saran-gani province, and a tran-sient boarder of a house in Toril.

Madangga was tagged in the murder of Henry Lu

Ong, 55, owner of the Uni-versal Grocery.

Ong’s body was dis-covered at around 8:30 a.m. by his wife, Ana Azar-ias Ong, at the third floor of their establishment.

Dela Rosa said several circumstantial evidence point to Madangga, in-cluding a bloodied T-shirt taken from his boarding house and a pair of slip-pers found at the crime scene.

The pair of slippers is owned by the suspect’s boardmate, who also con-

firmed to police investiga-tors that his slippers were borrowed by Madangga.

Further police investi-gation revealed that Ong had caused the impris-onment of Madangga for theft last year.

Dela Rosa theorized that Madangga might have wanted to avenge his fate last year.

However, dela Rosa revealed that the suspect had already sent sur-render feelers and nego-tiations are underway for his surrender. [PNA]

Davao cops hunt killerof Sino businessman

DCWD wants to start Tamugan water project

The Davao City Water District is hoping to start its P8.5 billion Tamugan surface water project in 2013 so it can be opera-tional by 2017 because of demand for water of the city is growing by 3.24% annually.

The water district is already considering which among the feasibil-ity studies it will use to make the project, whose costing is based on the 2009 prices, more viable.

In a briefing conduct-ed at its office Tuesday, Ariel L. Noble, Corporate Planning Department manager, said the the water utility will choose between the feasibil-ity studies conducted by

Woodfields Consultants Inc. and the Poyry IDP Consult Inc.

Noble said the Poy-ry study, which is part of the Urban Water and Sanitation Project-Project Preparatory Technical Assistance, is set to be submitted by the end of the month. The water district shoul-dered the fund for the Woodfields study, which was already completed last 2010, at about P8 million, while the Poyry study was part of the package funded by the Asian Development Bank for the study of two water districts, the one in Cebu costing about $2.2 million. Imelda T. Magsuci, spokes-

person of the water dis-trict, said the project is necessary to address the growing demand for po-table water considering that the city has become a fast-growing economic center in Mindanao.

“We need this project to address the increas-ing demand for water by the city,” Magsuci said, adding that without the project, there is the dan-ger that not only will it be unable to expand its services to all the 180 barangays, those that it is servicing will not also enjoy 24-hour service. At present, the water district is servicing 106 barangays with its eight water systems, but a few

DAVAO PUNCH. To welcome the guests of Davao, the Marco Polo Hotel offers a unique concoction that named as “Davao Punch” that was inspired by the incident when Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte punched a sheriff who refused to heed her request. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

Davao airport to expand terminal

FDCWD, 13

FAQUINO, 13

For the first time in its history and in celebration of its 25th year since re-activation, the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) will have President Benigno S. Aquino III and Ombuds-man Conchita Carpio-Mo-rales as keynote speakers during its 2-day by-invi-tation only 16th National Press Forum on April 23-24 at the Traders Hotel Manila.

This also marks the 48th founding year of the Institute since 1964. It was rendered moribund during martial law, re-activated after the People Power Revolution, and in-corporated in 1987.

President Aquino will be the first head of state to address the only an-nual gathering of owners, publishers and editors from Luzon, Visayas and

Mindanao, represent-ing 72 publications. The President is expected to deliver a message on the “protection and preser-vation of press freedom and democracy” in the opening ceremonies on April 23. Justice Con-chita Carpio-Morales will keynote the Community Press Awards, honoring the best civic journalism reportage of the previous year.

Justice Carpio-Mo-rales administered the oath of office to President Aquino on June 30, 2010, the first female magis-trate to do so. The PPI Board was inducted by the President on October 3, 2011 in Malacañan.

The National Press Forum is the only confer-ence of its kind when the collective leadership of

the nation’s influential publications convene in Manila to discuss matters concerning the industry and issues affecting the professional and ethical practice of journalism. This year’s conference theme “Media Account-ability and Public Engage-ment” will serve as op-portunity for the media to assess itself since the restoration of democracy over 25 years ago. At-tendant issues to be dis-cussed will be the Asian Media Barometer: The Philippine Study, media self-regulation and the safety and welfare of jour-nalists.

Since 2009, the annual National Press Forum, one of the most-antici-pated print media events, is being consistently sup-ported by The Coca-Cola

Aquino, Morales PPI press forum speakers

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012 COMMUNITY SENSE 5EDGEDAVAO

Barangay Bucana celebrates success!“We’re growing fast! Life

is here too!”This is how Baran-

gay 76-A Bucana Barangay captain Robert Olanolan describes the gain that the barangay has achieved and experienced.

Celebrating its 24th Founda-tion Day which culminates on April 8, the barangay features activities that highlight the divergence of its residents.

The activities include the com-munity visit of ABC 5’s popular show Face To Face, the holding of the Kasalan ng Bayan, Hiyas ng Ginoong Barangay, Fun Run, Flu- vi-al Float Parade, Bangka Competi-tion, Singing and Dance Contest, Isda Festival and Live Band Concert and Culinary Day.

T h e 466-hect-are village, popularly called Bu-cana has

t w o

barangay halls: one in in the SIR and the other at Seawall.

Bucana is home to 108,000 peo-ple, 86,000 of whom are registered voters. With its huge population and vast area, it has a whopping P32-million share in the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).

The village has crafted its own development plan, outlined by the barangay development council to address the economic, social and h e a l t h concerns of the resi- dents by estab- l i s h i n g t h e i r own sys-tem of L i n g a p Para sa B a r a n -gay, to answer the ur- g e n t m e d i c a l n e e d s of its con-s t i t u e n t s , and the

a c -

creditation of a funeral home for indigent families.

For social and medical services, P1.2million has been allotted for this year; while another P2-million will go to the establishment drain-age facilities in five identified flood prone areas in the barangay.

“The focal program of our ba-rangay services is centered on women and children alongside with our economic and infrastructure development,” says Olanolan.

Barangay secretary Marc Gerald Sescon said the declaration of the coastline as Coastal Park generated active support of the community to protect the environment as their level of awareness increased.

Fishing and the flourishing un-derground economic activities help pump prime the local economy.

The strong leadership of Ola-nolan and the barangay council

promotes the maintenance of peace and order in the city’s most populous barangay.

Olanolan presides over the session

Captain Robert Olanolan and Indonesian Consul General Ito during the Fun Run held to support the development of the Coastal Park

Amy Perez and the entire Face To Face family join Brgy. Capt.Robert Olanolan and his constiuents in one of the Araw ng Bucana activities.

Barangay Council in session

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012

Stat Watch

MONTHLY AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE (January 2009 - December 2011)

Month 2011 2010 2009

Average 43.31 45.11 47.637December 43.64 43.95 46.421November 43.27 43.49 47.032October 43.45 43.44 46.851

September 43.02 44.31 48.139August 42.42 45.18 48.161

July 42.81 46.32 48.146June 43.37 46.30 47.905May 43.13 45.60 47.524April 43.24 44.63 48.217

March 43.52 45.74 48.458February 43.70 46.31 47.585January 44.17 46.03 47.207

3.5%4th Qtr 2011

3.7%4th Qtr 2011

USD 3,342Million

Nov 2011USD 4,985

MillionNov 2011

USD -1,643Million

Nov 2011USD -114

MillionDec 2011

P4,442,355Million

Nov 2011

4.71%Oct 2011P128,745

MillionNov 2011

P 4,898Billion

Oct 2011

P 43.65Dec 2011

3,999.7Sept 2011

128.1Jan 2012

3.9Jan 2012

3.4Dec 2011

284,040Sept 2011

19.1%Oct 2011

6.4%Oct 2011

1. Gross National IncomeGrowth Rate(At Constant 2000 Prices)

2. Gross Domestic ProductGrowth Rate(At Constant 2000 Prices)

3. Exports 1/

4. Imports 1/

5. Trade Balance

6. Balance of Payments 2/

7. Broad Money Liabilities

8. Interest Rates 4/

9. National Government Revenues

10. National government outstanding debt

11. Peso per US $ 5/

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

16. Visitor Arrivals

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

Cebu Pacific Daily 5J961 / 5J962 5:45 Manila-Davao-Manila 6:15Zest Air Daily Z2390 / Z2390 5:45 Manila-Davao-Manila 6:25Cebu Pacific Daily 5J593 / 5J348 6:00 Cebu-Davao-Iloilo 6:30Philippine Airlines Daily PR809 / PR810 6:10 Manila-Davao-Manila 7:00Philippine Airlines Daily PR819 / PR820 7:50 Manila-Davao-Manila 8:50Cebu Pacific Daily 5J394 / 5J393 7:50 Zamboanga-Davao-Zamboanga 8:10Cebu Pacific Daily 5J599 / 5J594 8:00 Cebu-Davao-Cebu 8:30Cebu Pacific Daily 5J347 / 5J596 9:10 Iloilo-Davao-Cebu 9:40Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri/Sun 5J963 / 5J964 9:40 Manila-Davao-Manila 10:10Philippine Airlines Daily PR811 / PR812 11:30 Manila-Davao-Manila 12:20Cebu Pacific Daily 5J595 / 5J966 12:00 Cebu-Davao-Manila 12:30Silk Air Mon/Wed/Sat MI588 / MI588 18:55 Davao-Cebu-Singapore 13:35Cebu Pacific Thu 5J965 / 5J968 12:55 Manila-Davao-Manila 13:25Cebu Pacific Tue/Wed//Sat 5J965 / 5J968 13:35 Manila-Davao-Manila 14:05

Silk Air Thu/Sun MI566 / MI566 18:55 Davao-Singapore 15:20Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri 5J507 / 5J598 15:00 Cebu-Davao-Cebu 15:30Philippine Airlines August 15:55 Mani2Mani 16:50Zest Air Daily Z2524 / Z2525 16:05 Cebu-Davao-Cebu 16:45Cebu Pacific Daily 5J967 / 5J600 16:35 Manila-Davao- Cebu 17:05Philippines Airlines Daily PR813 / PR814 16:55 Manila-Davao- Manila 17:45Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat 5J215 / 5J216 18:00 Cagayan de Oro-Davao- Cagayan de Oro 18:20Cebu Pacific Daily 5971 / 5J970 18:40 Manila-Davao- Manila 19:10Cebu Pacific Tue/Sat/Sun 5J973 / 5J974 20:00 Manila-Davao- Manila 20:30Cebu Pacific Daily 5J969 / 5J972 20:30 Manila-Davao- Manila 21:00Airphil Express Daily 2P987 / 2P988 20:30 Manila-Davao-Manila 21:00Philippine Airlines Daily except Sunday PR821 / PR822 21:20 Manila-Davao-Manila 21:50

as of august 2010

6 THE ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

“THERE is a need to ad-dress the problem on crop shifting, especially

for irrigated rice areas.”This was stressed by the

new Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Regional Executive Director of the Department of Agricul-ture-XI Constancio C. Magha-noy, Jr. during the Area-wide Public Consultations on the Draft Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Plan (AFMP) for 2011-2017, held recently at the Insular Hotel, Lanang, Davao City.

Maghanoy, in his Davao Region agricultural situa-tion report, said based on Bureau of Agricultural Sta-tistics (BAS) data, of the to-tal irrigable areas in Region XI, around 60 percent is fully irrigated, and these are locat-ed mostly in major rice areas

However, due to eco-nomic considerations, some of these irrigated rice areas have been shifted to other crops such as banana, Magh-anoy said.

Maghanoy added there is no law preventing farmers from shifting to other more profitable crops, but the local government can exert their efforts to deter farmers from doing so, such as increasing taxes on investments on new

crops, among other mea-sures.

Other issues tackled dur-ing the consultation include the proposal for inclusion of cacao in the value chain anal-ysis; the problem on incur-sion of commercial fishing vessels on municipal waters; constructing water catch-ment areas in the uplands to prevent flooding in the lowlands; and strengthening research development and extension, among others.

On the same occa-sion, OIC for the Office of the DA Undersecretary for Pol-icy, Planning, Research and Regulation, Agnes Catherine T. Miranda said the goals of the AFMP are to raise rural incomes, ensure food secu-rity and enhance global com-petitiveness, and increase sustainability and resilience, especially in the midst of the real threats posed by climatic change and global warming.

She added that some of the guiding principles in formulating the plan are modernization of the sector through gendered value chain approach, mainstreaming of climate change concerns, and inter-agency convergence to reduce sector-wide transac-tion costs for delivering pub-

lic goods, among others.Ariel T. Cayanan, Execu-

tive Director of the National Agriculture and Fisheries Council (NAFC), stressed the importance of consulting the public in the process of formu-lating the plan to promote the feeling of co-ownership of the program.

“When you feel that you are co-owners of the program because you are part of the

planning and formulation pro-cess, then you automatically become supportive of the pro-gram,” Cayanan said.

Also present during the activity was Regional Develop-ment Council-XII Chairperson, Darlene Antonino-Custodio, along with key representa-tives of the different public and people’s organizations and the academe of Regions X, XI and XII. [AGGIE MEDIA SERVICE]

DA forms group to address crop-shifting problem

AGRICULTURE MODERNIZATION PLAN.   OIC-Regional Executive Director  of the Department of Agriculture –XI Constancio C. Maghanoy, Jr. (extreme left) addresses the participants of the Area-wide Public Consultations on the Draft Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Plan (AFMP) for 2011-2017, held recently at the Insular Hotel, Lanang, Davao City.  Seated at the presidential table are (R-L): NAFC Executive Director Ariel T. Cayanan;   OIC for the Office of the DA Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, Research and Regulation, Agnes Catherine T. Miranda  and OIC, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PMED) Eva Natural.

IF revenue collection in the first two months of the year were a proof of the

year-round performance, 2012 would be another fruitful year for the Bureau of Internal Rev-enue-Revenue Region No. 18 (BIR-RR 18) or BIR-Soccsksar-gen.

Atty. Rozil Lozares, BIR RR-18 regional director, today announced cumulative collec-tion from their five districts sur-passed the January – February target by 12.11 percent.

Data showed that BIR -Soccsksargen was able to col-lect P 794,225,483.09, which was P85,762,483.09 higher than its two-month target of P708,463,000.

Collection chief Lilia Basa revealed that compared to rev-enues in the same period last year, this present collection was 30.59 percent higher.

Basa added that of the five revenue districts only Sultan

Kudarat/Tacurong City (Rev-enue District No. 109) failed its target. It only collected P96,299,213.93 against its tar-get of P113,314,000

Percentage wise, Cotabato Province led all RDOs by exceed-ing targets by 34.38 percent by collecting P115,554,826.21 against its goal of P 85,992,000.

Maguindanao Prov-ince-Cotabato District (RDO No, 107) collected P 212,529,062.41, which was 23.86 percent higher than its P171,585,000 target.

South Cotabato-Koronadal District (RDO No. 111) and Sarangani Province-Gensan District (RDO No. 110) col-lected P167,666,866.14 and P202,175,514.40, respectively.

Considering this trend, Lozares is hopeful that the revenue region will succeed in attaining its 2012 collec-tion target amounting to P5,126,213,000.00.

Soccsksargen breaks tax targets in Jan-Feb

RECRUITMENT FAIR on March 30-31

The Philippines’ largest national flag carrier, Cebu Pacific (PSE:CEB) seeks over 200 pilots, cabin crew, and technical and non-techni-cal support crew in a recruit-ment fair from March 30 to 31, 2012, from 9am to 3pm at Ballroom A of Dusit Thani Ma-nila, Ayala Center, Makati City.

“We are expanding in the Asia-Pacific region, and we need fun and dynamic indi-viduals who can be part of the Cebu Pacific family. This year, CEB offers even more high-paying jobs to key positions, especially with the scheduled delivery of 52 more aircraft until 2021,” said CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.

“Aside from unlimited travel benefits, competitive compensation packages, annu-

al performance bonuses and a fun working environment, our employees also enjoy career opportunities that keep them close to their families. We en-courage everyone to join us in providing high-quality service across the Asia-Pacific region,” Iyog added.

She said only cabin crew applicants will be accom-modated during the one-day processing on March 30, 2012 (Friday). Requirements for be-ing a CEB cabin crew include a dynamic personality, at least 5’3” in height, weight that is proportional to height, clear complexion and good eyesight, and a Philippine passport, among others.

Meanwhile, interested ap-plicants for pilots and techni-cal and non-technical support crew can attend the recruit-ment fair on March 31, 2012 (Saturday).

Cebu Pacific aims to fill up over 200 vacancies

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012 7GAME CHANGERSEDGEDAVAO

Even with her internation-al franchise of Tumble Tots, Ilagan-Bian set the benchmark for what kind of preschools the toddlers of today deserve. Who would have thought of bringing a three-month old baby to an educational facility before Tumble Tots?

“It is very easy to follow, but it is more profitable to be the trailblazer as you will be the one who will set the bench-mark. Unlike if you come in second or third, the first one has already set a benchmark. Chances are, you will have to set your prices lower or ex-tremely high,” Ilagan-Bian said. “It challenges me to be able to set the benchmark.”

Now, there are about three preschools in the city that offer similar curriculums, the same level of exclusivity, and caters to the same mar-ket, when ten years ago there was nothing of that sort in the consciousness of Dabawenyos.

“When I start something new, its always 60 percent gut feel and 40 percent is based on my knowledge of the mar-ket,” Ilagan-Bian said. “It is very important to make the market understand why you are changing the rules of the game, people should be able to appreciate your innovations. Otherwise, you will just lose the game. At the end of the day your goal is to win the game.”

“Understanding your mar-ket is also a key. You cannot have a product that will ap-peal to all markets and that is one thing that you have to un-derstand.

But changing the rules of the game is not as easy as just changing the rules of the game. “You have to know the stakeholders who will be af-fected, directly or indirectly, when you change the games. “

But what made her en-ter the vocational school business, her primary busi-ness, which changed the sys-tem of education in the city and the rest of Mindanao.

It all started when she heard complaints from her friends in the business indus-try that their secretaries were only good in one thing and not in all aspects. “One com-plained that her secretary was only good in answering the telephone but does not know how to use the typewriter, while another one complained that his secretary was good in answering phones and the typewriter but doesn’t know how to deal with people,” says Ilagan-Bian.

Then fresh out of college,

Ilagan-Bian decided to put up a vocational school that will give holistic training that was capable of meeting the demand of the market at that time.

Starting with four class-rooms along Anda St., in Davao City, Ilagan-Bian opened her Joji Ilagan-Bian Career Center in the early 1980’s. “What set us apart immediately from all other vocational schools at that time was that we made sure that we had the best fa-cilities, our classrooms were air conditioned, and our stu-dents wore nice uniforms. We showed them that even if it is a vocational school, we can still look good, even better,” says Ilagan-Bian, who finished Hotel and Restaurant Manage-ment at the University of the Philippines.

One of the things that must aspiring school own-ers must understand is that schools – pre schools, tu-torial centers, vocational schools, high schools, col-leges, and even review centers – are not the same as any other product that you can just sell. “In our case, the products are different. The products are our graduates,” says Ilagan-Bian.

She is now working on her recently opened culinary school in Gen-eral Santos City. “It’s still the same drill as if we were sill start-ing with our very first school 20 years ago. Al-though we are more familiar with the pro-cess, it is still the same feel-ing every time we open a new school,” says Il-agan-Bian, who personally in-spects the location, the classrooms, the equipment, and even the curriculum.

Her hands-on approach is the only thing that has not changed over time. While she has school administrators as-signed to oversee the daily operations of the different schools, Ilagan-Bian remains to be on top of things, having the final say in the decision-making.

While her schools may not be what is traditionally considered like universities are, Ilagan-Bian has definitely changed the rules of the game in education. Not only with tertiary education but even

with pre-school.“There are

many people who try to introduce new rules in this game, but only those who can make the market appreci-ate and understand the new rules eventu-ally win,” Ilagan-Bian said.

Considering her-self a market leader in the education sector, Ilagan-Bian is already busy thinking of another business she plans to put up in her newly acquired property in the city.

Setting the benchmark“It’s more profitable

to be a trailblaz-er than

being a follower.”

Text by Carlo P. MalloPhoto by Marjorie Osorio, M.D.

There are entrepreneurs who change the way people live and there are entrepreneurs who change people’s lives. For Joji Ilagan-Bian, the vocational schools that

she started changed more lives than she could have ever imagined.

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012

IT was only expected that Rose became

a CAT officer in high school, and dreamed of join-ing the PMA when she entered col-lege. So it was a dream come true for her when con-gress passed a bill that allowed PMA to accept female cadets.

Her hopes were dashed when she failed to pass the height require-ment and was not allowed to take the exam. Teary-eyed, she went home with a promise to herself - that she would be-come a soldier even without the PMA.

After a few years of working for a government agency and as a com-puter instructor in a college, Rose was convinced these were not her calling. A chance meeting with a former ROTC batch mate who had just graduated from military training paved the way for her to join the military, much to the misgiving of her mother.

“She cried when I told her I was joining the army. She thought I had for-gotten my desire to be a soldier. I told her this is what I want in life,” Rose said.

While serving the military is her dream, she does not discount the dan-ger that goes with the job. Her courage was built over time in missions she was sent to. Despite the anxiety of poten-tially engaging in an armed encounter, Rose was resolute to answer the call of duty.

She shared a particularly tense sit-uation in one mission that fortunately turned out to be a false alarm. After that, Rose’s troops joked to her about it, saying “Ang bilis mo palang tumakbo, Ma’am.” She laughed along with them.

But the danger is real. While preg-nant in 2006, Rose was dissuaded by some well-meaning members of her troop to join a 3-day Peace and Devel-opment Seminar in a suspected rebel-infested area in Samar. Although she wanted to go, two female soldiers (an Officer and an Enlisted Woman) that she trusted convinced her to stay, and went in her stead. They were ambushed and the female officer was killed.

“I believe everything happens for a reason, and if it’s God’s will, so be it. Now, having two children, my commit-ment towards work hasn’t changed but I am more determined to make a differ-ence.,” Rose bravely declared.

It is her love for what she does that makes Rose stay, despite the challenges she might face as a woman in a largely male-dominated field. “When you love what you’re doing, kahit mahirap na bagay magiging madali na lang. I am also lucky that most of my bosses are really good mentors and easy to work with,” she said.

Still, it must be daunting because as a former commander of an Artil-lery Battery and the Special Operations Company, she has a total of 251 person-nel under her. But for Rose, challenges are not barriers but opportunities to improve herself.

“As the most senior female officer of the 10th ID, being a woman is not an issue for me because I know myself and what I can do. Instead of expecting too much from the organization, I think more of what I can do for the organiza-tion because it’s where I chose to be,” she said.

So where does she get the courage to pursue a military career, and what keeps her going during challenging or stressful times? “My family, because I am also doing this for them. I go home, hug my kids and I’m okay,” she said with a smile.

8 VANTAGE POINTS

EMBATTLED world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is in the worst stage of prepara-tions for an upcoming world title fight. He

was reported to have been coddling a fugitive carnapper, and now, is facing a tax contempt case with the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Last Monday, Manny finally cried enough is enough. He admits this is not the best time to face this tax case and prepare for a big fight. Manny says he is being singled out.

Manny’s tax woes stems from his alleged fail-ure to submit tax documents to the regional office of the BIR. These documents include his recent endorsement contracts, pay per view earnings and other incomes a prizefighter. To be clear about it, this case is not a tax evasion case. This is a con-tempt case for failure to submit documents.

Did the BIR pick on a big catch like Manny? Some sectors believe that picking on Pacquiao is the shortest way to gain publicity, and for an agency that has been lumped in the ‘least popu-lar’ basket, this could well be a shot in the arm in terms of public confidence and trust. True enough, this issue has risen to the top of the trending de-partment on social media and discussion rooms. However, the agency has clarified that they are not picking on the big names list in order to improve its image. They maintain they are just doing their work.

Manny is not a tax evader. In fact, he ranks among the top individual taxpayers. In 2009, Manny paid Php 50 Million in tax remittances to the BIR. The following year, the amount dropped dramatically to only Php 7 Million. The sudden drop had the BIR raising its colletive eyebrows.

While Manny’s earnings went up in his latest fights in the past two years against Cotto, Clot-tey, Margarito, Moseley and Marquez, and his endorsements multiplied as his market value soared in the global sports scene, Manny’s earn-ings overseas were nonetheless presumably taxed under the laws of the United States. Mean-ing, taxing Manny again for his earnings overseas which he brought into the country could be a case of double taxation.

The BIR should have first diligently looked into this angle. It could have also considered the timing and its effect on a national treasure like Manny. Not that we afford him special treatment. If our laws can extend tax credits as incentive, why not extend due respect, prudence and dili-gence in ascertaining taxable incomes, especially those which are already taxed at source.

It is hoped that this latest aggravation in the life of our “national treasure”—Manny the Pac-man—is merely another tempest-in-a-teapot. Wala yan! Bring on Timothy Bradley and let’s get reeady to rumb-l-l-l-l-e!

Did the BIR pick the right fight?EDITORIAL

EDGEDAVAOProviding solutions to a seamless global village.

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KARLOS C. MANLUPIG • JOSEPH LAWRENCE P. GARCIALEANDRO S. DAVAL JR.,

PhotographyARLENE D. PASAJE

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EDGEDAVAO

Mother and soldier(Conclusion)

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012

CA N D I D SHOTS – We, as a

people, have all too often been fragmented into factions, each chasing after its self-interest without regard for the common good. Perhaps, this is the reason we are confronted with life-and-death threats – a magnitude of complex and interlocking problems, arrogance and neglect that have allowed political grievances to remain un-redressed and utterly lack a sense of unity. If we do not pull this off, we risk turning the Philippines into a country torn apart by endemic political conflict.

oooOoooDAVAO CITY SPEEDING UP BUSINESS

DEVELOPMENT – Modern malls, retail chains, restaurants and entertainment centers are proliferating in the busy resi-dential areas and activity-filled streets in the city.

Since early last year, when a mam-moth, glitzy mall opened its doors here cramped with a collection of stores deal-ing in signature apparels, shoes, jewelry, bags, watches, sportswear, cameras, cell-phones, electronic gadgets and accesso-ries and many more.

It seems Davao City is rapidly devel-oping into an entertainment and mall-rat haven. The tangible proof is that two more huge shopping malls are in the works while another existing one located in the southern part of the city has re-cently completed its multi-million expan-sion project.

Well, I really have no idea if this sign of growth has been a godsend for Da-bawenyos like me. Do major corporate players strongly believe that people in the city today belong to the high-spend-ing crowd that they, the major players, have been enticed to invest billions of pe-sos in the city?

Has there been a fundamental eco-nomic change happening that the “arti-ficial” consumer boom is on full display, or is there a new breed of consumers in Davao City? Actually, in the not-so-distant past, such shopping destinations which deal mainly in expensive signature brands were off limits to all but a fortu-nate middle-class.

But big investors according to noted economic experts are optimistic that a rapidly changing economy is making the medium to higher life available to more and more of the city’s million-strong population. These well-established en-trepreneurs who are pushing their way into the city probably find it a more siz-able market for their businesses than in other bustling cities in Mindanao.

How did Davao City become host to many of the country’s leading investors, it might be asked? The simple truth: a sign of growing interest among prospec-tive investors are strategic business loca-tion, abundant supply of raw materials, cheap labor, ample water supply and power sources. And there’s more – a mul-tiplying number of privileges, such as a lower tax come-on, healthy elements of a vibrant and robust business atmosphere, environment-friendly surroundings, liv-able community and most importantly the well-sustained peace and order and security measures.

What we have in the city today is a flourishing economic development. But we cannot talk about development without thinking of the big businesses that keep pouring into the city. The city government, as a matter of fact, provides prospective investors investment space and has decided to speed up develop-ment, encourage investments from other regions, Manila-based capitalists and for-eign investors.

IT TOOK me nearly 12 years before I found

out what happened to a friend of mine, a furniture manufacturer and distributor whose factory, I thought, went belly up at the height of the global financial crisis that hit the Philippines sometime in 2008.

Although the country’s financial sector was in a better shape and better prepared to shield itself against the ripple effects of that crisis, weaker companies with heavy loans from banks went bankrupt when they could no longer come up with checks to pay back their loans.

That friend of mine---let’s call him Mario---was saddled with bank loans he used to import factory machinery and equipment that make parts of wood furniture which are assembled into sala sets, dining sets, kitchen sets, etc. It was easy meeting the schedule of loan payments at first in early 2000, but the cash flow slowed to a trickle when sales of furniture for Davao home subdivisions declined during the years 2007-2008 at the height of the crisis.

That was devastating, of course, to Mario who had payrolls to meet, rentals, office bills and bank loans to pay. What made it worse, was when people close to him, including his in-laws, were allowed to manage the fast-rising company, but were overwhelmed by the huge demand for low-cost furniture popular among lower to middle-class families in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Mario wasn’t prepared to admit that the global crisis itself had something to do with his downfall because the market demand for low-cost furniture in fact, was still rising at the time and they couldn’t keep up with the demand.

Orders for his cheap furniture were in the millions of pesos which his company couldn’t meet, he admitted, because

the family group that was running his company wasn’t familiar with the nuances of the business, thus missing production timetables and deliveries. In short, they were losing grip on a fast-growing company that was running faster than they were.

In certain ways, my friend allowed the company to finally collapse and default on payments of its loans the banks, so he could take over again and regain full control of the company he had started from scratch in Davao. His total losses came to about P60 million.

I can only surmise that when this was happening, I was working in Cebu then as a forex trader, soliciting clients to trade their US dollars in the global forex market, without knowing what I was doing, admittedly a very lousy job.

Now, more than 12 years later since I last saw him, snippets of conversations from my encounters with friends in government and business here in Davao slowly formed a hazy picture of Mario slowly rising from the ashes of a totally devastated firm.

Even as many of his friends avoided him, he dusted the ashes away from that devastation and stood up entirely on his own, without any help from anyone because he wanted his dignity intact to prove to the world he could survive, that he could make it back to the top where he had fallen from. Some of his friends offered him new capital, a couple of millions, but he politely turned them down, thanking them for caring, telling them he could make it on his own.

Someone from Jollibee, a franchise manager who was once Mario’s associate, tipped me off on how he was and where he could be found, and what he was doing this time. Years ago, when Jollibee started its first store in Davaoon the corner of Bolton and Rizal streets, Mario’s office was used by the first Jollibee operations staff as their temporary office.

This Jollibee manager told me he was deeply impressed how Mario had

recovered fast, operating an entirely new business--- running a transport terminal and other smaller businesses--- all without borrowing a single centavo from a bank.

This time, Mario told me, after we finally met and reunited after 12 years, he won’t deal with banks or lenders anymore who are unforgiving when you miss on your loan payments. “This time, I’ll try to do everything on cash, no more bank loans for me. Never again will I depend on banks to run my business,” he said

A more revitalized entrepreneur today, Mario revealed that he kept all his factory machinery and equipment safe somewhere at a bigger site, where one day, he plans to revive his furniture factory in the midst of a fast-growing Davao housing market--- which needs low-cost house furniture.

This is a dream Mario had kept to himself all these years since his furniture business collapsed, defaulted and disappeared from Davao at the height of the global crisis.

He recalled the day he collapsed while all alone at home with wrenching chest pains, half his body paralyzed. “I won’t allow myself to die,” he told himself as he crawled out the front door of his house to take a taxi to a hospital. “I will not die! I won’t allow myself to die! There are still so many things I need to do!”

Fortunately for him, the doctor found him only suffering from stress, tension and anxiety which caused vital parts of his body to temporarily stop functioning. After minor treatment and medication, Mario was back in action at his terminal office, pursuing his dream of reviving his furniture business.

“Don’t quit when everything is falling all around you. If you fail a hundred times, stand up and try again a hundred times,” my friend told me by way of advice--- at a time when I really need it most….

(Comments? Email: tradingpost_davao@yahoo.com)

SOMETIME last week the paramili-tary group New Indigenous Peo-ple’s Army Reform (Nipar) issued

a statement owning up to the murder of Jimmy Liguyon, barangay chair of Dao, San Fernando town in Bukidnon and leader of another Lumad group. On Monday, March 26, Nipar’s ac-knowledged founder and rebel turn-coat Aldy “Butsoy” Salusad declared over dxDB-Malaybalay that he indeed killed Liguyon.

That Salusad admitted to the crime is not the story but the fact that he did it publicly and on re-cord. Such effrontery can only mean two things: either he is unaware of its implications on him as a suspect or he is confident he is beyond the reach of the law. The second leads to another scenario: he has powerful pa-trons who are pulling the strings in Dao, where illegal gold panning activi-ties have thrived for decades.

Liguyon had refused to endorse the application of the San Fernando Matigsalug Tribal Datus (Sanmatrida) for a small-scale mining permit in Dao, a plan that would enable the group to control gold mining activities in the area. Arguably, he was worried that al-lowing Sanmatrida to enter Dao – with

Salusad’s Nipar as its de facto armed force – will displace individual gold panners.

At the moment, nobody can say with certainty whether Salusad act-ed upon the prodding of his invisible patrons or on his own. What is clear for now is that Liguyon was a major stumbling block to whoever wishes to control the mining industry in Dao, if not the whole of San Fernando. If local residents evacuate due to fear, getting things done would be a lot easier.

Salusad is trying to obscure the real reason for the murder of Liguyon by harping on the victim’s alleged con-nection with the New People’s Army and Alamara, another Lumad armed group.

But this is where Salusad – or whoever coached him – contradicted himself. Alamara, just like Nipar, is a paramilitary group operating in San Fernando and neighboring areas and has been accused of harassing suspect-ed NPA supporters. How can a person support two conflicting parties at the same time?

More disturbing is the fact that the authorities appear reluctant to go after Salusad and prosecute him. The March 21 dialogue facilitated by Vice Gov. Jose Ma. R. Zubiri Jr. failed to as-sure the residents of Dao that they can return safely to their homes. There has been no categorical statement from the military that they will protect the people being harassed by Nipar much less exert efforts to disarm the group.

The military’s relative silence on the issue is “understandable”. Benja-min “Nonong” Salusad, father of Aldy and also a former NPA rebel, has be-come a member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit after his sur-render last year. It would not want to displease the elder Salusad and his followers. And since Nipar is anti-com-munist too, its existence is not a prob-lem for the military.

The people of Dao therefore will have to endure living under constant threat from Nipar, whose members can enjoy virtual immunity from prosecution based on how authori-ties have treated the younger Salusad. After Liguyon, Butsoy has become the law in Dao. [H. Marcos C. Mordeno can be reached at hmcmordeno@gmail.com.]

9VANTAGE POINTS

Monkey Business

EDGEDAVAO

Butsoy’s law

(First of 2 Parts)

No such thing as never-ending economic boom

BY MARCOS C. MORDENO/MINDANEWS

SOMEONE ELSE’S WINDOWS

‘Don›t quit when everything is falling apart’

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012

THE Davao City Wa-ter District man-agement updated

employees of its 2011 and 2012 operations during the annual employees’ forum held in ten batches from February 2 to March 14, 2012. Highlighted were DCWD’s 2011 per-formance report and the plans and programs for 2012 as guided by its NIC-ER agenda which stands

for Non-revenue water reduction, Infrastructure development, Customer satisfaction, Environmen-tal protection and Re-source management.

In his message, acting general manager Edwin V. Regalado expects every-body to deliver exempla-ry performance in their respective fields to help the water utility attain its goals for 2012. He also

reminded everyone that each one is important because it takes all the members of an organiza-tion to achieve a common good. “Lahi-lahi man ang atong trabaho, makighiu-sa ta sa pagkabot sa atong tumong busa magpaday-on ta sa atong matinud-anon na serbisyo (We may have different tasks but we need to be united in order for us to achieve

our goals, thus we need to continue giving sincere service.),” he said.

A workshop on effec-tive communication strat-egies in the workplace was given by renowned resource speaker Rene Gerardo A. Lizada. He gave insights on how em-ployees can improve com-munication with their superiors and workmates to better improve their professional relation-ships among one another. There was also another workshop on how to in-tegrate the water util-ity’s TIES (Teamwork, Integrity, Excellence and Stewardship) core values in the workplace to guide employees in accomplish-ing their everyday tasks.

The forum was an ideal venue to get feed-back from employees re-garding DCWD’s opera-tions in 2011. It has also been a proven means for management and labor to exchange ideas, clarify concerns, and agree to pursue goals of public water service and envi-ronmental care. [JOVANA T. DUHAYLUNGSOD]

10 COMMUNITY SENSE EDGEDAVAO

DCWD updates employees on plans and programs

DCWD employee’s forum. OIC assistant general manager for administration Midlred G. Aviles enjoins employees to be more active in helping the water utility achieve its plans and programs for 2012.

THE first Mindanao Environment Sum-mit will be hosted

by Davao City this com-ing April 20-22.

The summit, is a gath-ering of various stake-holders and concerned citizens with the aim of finding a common ground on answering the current problems brought about by climate change par-ticularly in Mindanao.

“The impact of cli-mate change is very clear to us; one example is Sen-dong which hit Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.” Says Ibno Hajar Turabin, chairperson of EarthSoul Solutions, a Mindanao-based environmental ad-vocacy non-government organization; EarthSoul is spearheading the sum-mit and the related event Green Caravan.

Turabin says that with divergent approach-es in solving the climate change problems, they would want to find a common ground.

The summit will also highlight best environ-ment-friendly practices in the fields of agricul-

ture, forestry and solid waste management.

Among these ideas which will be highlighted in the summit is a flower-based biological control method for agri-pests, a do-nothing, spend noth-ing reforestation strat-egy and organic natural farming.

Turabin says he will refrain discussing in de-tail the ideas to be pre-sented so that people will be more curious in going to the summit.

Also various ideas in the summit will be com-bined into a Mindanao Environment Protocol, which will also be signed during the event.

Apart from the sum-mit, the Green Caravan slated April 17 to 19 will gather various en-vironmental and natural farming advocates from the cities of Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Surigao, Cotabato and Davao at Peoples Park in this City.

The caravan will dis-tribute educational ma-terials on environmental protection and organic farming with the aim

of raising awareness among Mindanaoans on serious environmental issues and the need to take resolute action.

Meanwhile City Ag-riculture Office OIC head Leo Avila said that the City Government of Davao is fully supportive of the event in line with its mandate of promot-ing sustainable organic agriculture.

He bared that the City Mayor Sara Duterte herself immediately acted on the request of the Summit and Caravan organizers for the City to host the event which replied by offering the sprawling People’s Park as the venue for the cara-van.

In return Turabin said that the group is fully supportive of the City’s leanings on organ-ic agriculture, particu-larly in sharing techni-cal assistance to organic farmers. He said that the local government is the first LGU in the country to have an Organic Agri-culture ordinance. [PIA 11/RG

ALAMA]

Davao City to host Mindanao environment summit OVER a thousand

Davaoenos are ex-pected to groove

into a dance craze once the world goes into a sixty-minute voluntary blackout from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm in observance of Earth Hour 2012 on March 31.

A choreographed dance moves called the Davao Dance Craze togeth-er with black-light and fire dancing will mark the cer-emonial switching-off of lights in the country’s 5th Earth Hour celebration aimed to save power and the environment.

Davao City is set to be in festive and street party mood during the event at SM City Davao which is chosen by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philip-pines (WWF) to be the official switch-off site for Mindanao.

Maia Melencio, WWF marketing services man-ager, said the Earth Hour celebration in Davao will highlight a Kadayawan-themed parade around SM City Davao to start at the mall’s annex building at 6:00 pm.

Melencio told the me-dia in a press conference on March 23 that WWF-Philippines National Am-bassador Marc Nelson will

host the event in the city where tribal dances and candle lighting will also be featured.

She said that SM City Davao has asked dance troupes in the city to de-velop the Davao Dance Craze which could be viewed at the mall’s offi-cial Facebook fun page for Davaoenos to learn and master before the event.

SM City Davao mall manager Lynette Lopez said they have invited schools and other estab-lishments in Davao City to join the whole country and other parts of the world in this year’s one-hour switching-off of lights.

Lopez said teachers and students from En-rico T. Nograles National High School and Sta. Ana National High School will also participate in the pa-rade and street party.

“We’re inviting all Davaoenos to come and join us in this gathering for the environment conser-vation. There will be many surprises,” she urged. [PIA-11/CARINA L. CAYON]

WWF-Philippines has partnered with SM City Davao and Green Alliance for Davao in staging the Earth Hour activities in Davao City.

Aside from Davao, the Earth Hour ceremonies will also be held at Ayala Triangle in Makati City as central hub for Luzon and at Plaza Independencia in Cebu as the official site for Visayas.

Activities in the WWF-led switch-off points will be live streamed where the speech of Earth Hour founder and executive di-rector Andy Ridley of Aus-tralia could be heard.

Ridley is expected to celebrate Earth Hour 2012 in the Philippines which has been rewarded for be-ing number one in terms of town and city participa-tion level for three straight years.

WWF-Phils. Earth Hour communication head Gregg Yan hoped that the country could still make it to the top this year. The country was the first Asian nation to pledge full support to Earth Hour in 2008.

Yan said the Philip-pines has set a record-breaking in 2011 as 1,661 cities and municipalities switched off their lights, making the country a three-time Earth Hour champion and official Earth Hour ‘Hero Country.’ [PIA-11/CARINA L. CAYON]

Dance craze to mark local Earth Hour celebration

THE Lenten season is just around the corner. For most

people, it is the time to pray for the forgiveness of our sins, to reflect, and to commemorate the pas-sion and death of Jesus Christ.

But if you feel like tak-ing a break or a quiet re-treat, San Remigio Beach Club (SRBC) is an ideal place to spend the Holy Week.

San Remigio Beach Club – located in Ba-rangay Tambongon, San Remigio, Cebu, is not a huge resort but it makes guests comfortable with its abundant coconut trees, lush greens, and co-lourful flowers that make for a beautiful and peace-ful environment. The re-sort’s serene atmosphere is perfect for meditation.

From April 5 to 8, the SRBC is offering afford-able Holy Week rates for people seeking an out-of-town hideaway with com-plete tranquillity in this season of Lent.

For a minimum of two nights stay, SRBC accom-modation rates per night are pegged at: P3,550 for Premium rooms, P4,200 – Deluxe, P5,500 – Fam-ily, P6,200 – Executive,

P7,200 – Ambassador, and P9,750 for Dormitory Room. Extra person will be charged P600 per head with free breakfast.

Entrance fee for day use is P360 per head with a choice of buffet lunch or dinner. Day guests will be entertained by the Se-ranaders while having their lunch or dinner.

Holy Week guests will be treated to live perfor-mances by Fire Dancers, who will also be doing tu-torials on fire dancing as well. Live ethnic and pop music will be likewise provided by tribal band “Lupon Anduyo” and all-female Femme Aura, re-spectively.

Guests at the SRBC can also do lots of activi-ties including swimming on the pool or beach, run-ning on the white sands, snorkelling, scuba div-ing, basketball, volleyball, badminton, billiards, and island hopping.

San Remigio Beach Club, 2-3 hours north from Cebu City, is defi-nitely a haven away from home where guests can do just about everything – from relaxing and frolick-ing on the beach to enjoy-ing water recreation and active sports.

San Remigio Beach Club ideal Holy Week retreat

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012 11SUBURBIAEDGEDAVAO

THE Department of Energy (DOE) has called on constitu-

ents in Davao Region to practice proper power saving measures in an aim to contribute to the nation’s energy efficiency and conservation (EE&C) efforts.

Marlon Romulo Do-mingo, DOE senior sci-ence research specialist, urged every household in the region to embrace the EE&C measures dur-ing yesterday’s “Seminar on Electricity Conserva-tion in Households and Schools.”

Domingo raised DOE’s call through the mothers, school heads, students and representatives from the local and natonal gov-ernment agencies who attended said seminar held at the Abreeza Mall this city.

Domingo provided tips on energy conser-vation, starting with a pointer on the impor-tance of basic energy au-dits such as knowing how many appliances and how much energy the ap-pliances use.

Part also of the audit is to identify proper EE&C measures, he stated dur-ing the seminar spear-headed by DOE in part-nership with the Philip-pine Information Agency and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as a preliminary activity for the worldwide celebra-

tion of the Earth Hour 2012 on March 31.

Domingo advised the participants to buy more efficient appliances cit-ing a tip on buying air conditioning units, which consume the most elec-tricity.

In his cooling tips, he recommended air condi-tioning unit with higher Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER), adding that units should be installed in coolest and shady part of the room.

He said that air condi-tioning unit should only be used during warm days like in summer sea-son, and advised to use electric fans in conjunc-tion with the air condi-tion units.

Thermostat of air conditioning unit must be set at comfortable temperature, and the electric fan setting must be set at comfortable lev-el, he said.

Domingo also ad-vised regular cleaning for both aircon and electric fan units, and that cool-ing system of the aircon should be checked annu-ally.

In heating water, the DOE official recommend-ed the following tips: lower thermostat; repair faucet leaks; reduce the amount of water use; insulate water heater and pipes; install aerat-ing, low-flow faucets and showerheads; and con-

duct regular inspection.Domingo gave out

cooking tips emphasizing the suggestion of not us-ing the stove as heating device; using pressur-ized cooker; and avoiding the use of microwaves to heat foods.

He reminded house-holds and office employ-ees as well as the stu-dents to always turn off lights when not in use in any room, and rec-ommended to use Com-pact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) instead of the In-candescent Bulbs (IBs).

For the drivers, Do-

mingo provided tips such as monitoring fuel con-sumption; planning trav-els; driving sensibly and to gas up wisely.

He also emphasized to get rid of all extra weights from the vehicle; to turn off engine while waiting; observe proper maintenance and to keep tires properly inflated, among others.

He told the partici-pants to always remem-ber that every liter of gasoline that a car burns puts 2.4 kilograms of car-bon dioxide into the air which causes air pollu-tion and brings harm to humans and to the envi-ronment.

Domingo concluded his talk underscoring DOE’s slogan dubbed as “Do Right. Be Bright. Bright Now!” [PIA-11/CARINA L. CAYON]

DOE urges Davao Region house-holds, schools to save electricity

LET THERE BE FISH. A vendor weighs newly harvested bangus (milkfish) from the nearby aquaculture farm at the mega market of Alabel, Sarangani’s capital town. The province is the home of the largest exporter and best tasting bangus in the country. Fish in land ponds are farmed in a careful mix of fresh water and salt water of Sarangani Bay to prevent them from developing an unpleas-ant muddy flavor and odor. Sarangani Bay’s biodiversity is twice richer than Carigara Bay in Northern Leyte, Sogod Bay in Southern Leyte, Bais Bay in Negros and Illana Bay in Northwestern Mindanao.

TRANSPARENT GOVERNANCE. Provincial Administrator Vicente Camacho III (right) and Board Member Virgilio Clark Tobias (center) receive the plague of recognition given to the provincial government of Sarangani under the leadership of Gov. Migs Dominguez in recognition of his commitment and dedication to engage in the “Budget Tracking for Transparent Accountable Governance in Mindanao” (BTTAG) during the flag raising ceremony at Capitol Monday morning, March 26. The award was given to Sarangani budget office recently on the occasion of the BTTAG 2nd Policy Dialogue in Davao City.

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 201212 WORLD/NATION EDGEDAVAO

NATION BRIEFS WORLD TODAYSEIZED

FIJI’S military re-gime said it had seized control of

national carrier Air Pa-cific from Australia’s Qantas Wednesday be-cause it did not want foreigners to own or control Fijian airlines.

The South Pacific nation’s government, which took power in a 2006 coup, denied the move amounted to na-tionalisation, saying it fixed an anomaly that gave Qantas control of the carrier while hav-ing only a 46.3 percent stake.

REBUKED

THE Japanese government on Wednesday ap-

proved three new high school textbooks that claim Dokdo as Japanese territory, sparking pro-tests from the Korean government.

Dokdo still remains a thorny issue between Korea and Japan. Locat-ed in the East Sea, the small islets are admin-istered by Korea, which has its Coast Guard sta-tioned there.

SPY

FACEBOOK is turn-ing out to be a spy’s best friend,

after it was used in the theft of private data of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials. Senior British military officers and Ministry of Defence offi-cials were among those who fell for the scam, according to a report on UK’s The Telegraph.

The report said the officials accept-ed “friend requests” from a bogus account for American Admiral James Stavridis, NATO’s supreme Allied com-mander.

RECORDED

THE man who went on a shooting spree in a French

Jewish school may have recorded his crime with an extreme sports video camera strapped to his chest, Interior Minis-ter Claude Gueant said Tuesday.

The unidentified man thought to have been behind three re-cent shootings, includ-ing Monday’s killing of three children and a teacher at the school in southwestern city Tou-louse, may want to post his footage on the Inter-net.

INTEGRATE

THE government is exhausting all means to be part

of the region’s capital market to enable compa-nies to be at level playing field vis-à-vis their coun-terparts overseas, said Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima on Tuesday.

He explained that there are huge funds sloshing in the global economy but local com-panies are being hin-dered by the size of the domestic economy along with some regulations in tapping these prospec-tive investments.

ON ALERT

THE Philippine Na-tional Police (PNP) on Wednesday

has placed all its units on alert footing as large numbers of people are going home to their re-spective provinces for the Holy Week holidays.

“The alert status of the entire PNP is placed at full alert status effec-tive 5 p.m. today,” PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr., said, adding that the alert or-der was issued to pre-vent the possibility of occurrence of accidents, crimes, and terror attack during Lenten season.

JOINT TRAINING

THE Philippine Navy (PN) plans to send a contingent

of Filipino sailors to the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN)’s Naval Shipyard X46 for training on the art of modern warship construction.

Naval Shipyard X46, also known as Hai Long Shipbuilding, is equipped with state-of-the-art shipbuilding equipment and is capable of con-structing modern, high-speed warships weigh-ing up to 500 tons. This proposal came up during PN flag-officer-in-charge Vice Admiral Alexander Pama’s visit to Vietnam early this month.

NO DECISION

PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III is leav-ing the decision

whether or not to annul the voter’s registration list of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mind-anao to the Commission on Elections en banc.

In an interview dur-ing a lull in a meeting he presided over to discuss and get updates on said list, the President said the COMELEC en banc would know “how to exactly proceed” in ad-dressing the issue.

MY A N M A R ’ S commander-in-chief defended

the army’s political role and vowed to protect the junta-drafted constitu-tion Tuesday at the first armed forces day parade since military rule ended.

General Min Aung Hla-ing said unelected mili-tary representatives sit-ting in parliament were acting “in the national interest” and “just per-forming a national politi-cal duty.”

“I would like to say that the Tatmadaw (mili-tary) is just participating in the leading role of na-tional politics of the coun-try with its true national spirit as well as the union spirit,” he said.

The general was speaking to about 13,000 troops at a relatively low-key parade for armed forces day, which marks the day Burmese troops rose up against the Japa-nese in 1945 towards the end of World War II.

It was the first armed forces day celebration since a nominally civilian government took power on March 30 last year, ending nearly five de-cades of outright military rule.

The armed forces re-tain much of their power, however, with 25 percent

Myanmar military says it’s acting in national interest

WITH the peace talks between the government

and Muslim rebel ongoing and the ceasefire mecha-nism in place – the road to peace is brighter than ever with the infusion of P8 billion by the govern-ment as stimulus fund for various projects in the Au-tonomous Region in Mus-lim Mindanao (ARMM).

Its initial project is the development of the multi-million pesos Makar-Mid-sayap national highway in Central Mindanao dubbed as the “Road to Peace,” the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Pro-cess (OPAPP) said.

Initiated by the pro-vincial government of Maguindanao under Gov. Esmael “Toto” Mangu-dadatu, the road project was funded under the P8-billion stimulus fund ear-marked by the ARMM.

During the ground-breaking ceremony early this week, ARMM Officer-in-Charge Regional Gov-

ernor Mujiv S. Hataman said that the initiative is “the regional govern-ment’s commitment to deliver development proj-ects to its constituency.”

“The people should feel that there is indeed true good governance in ARMM and we are here to do that for you. This road project is among the many things we want to deliver in the region for all of you to benefit from,” Hataman said. The groundbreaking coincided with the “Kan-duli” (Muslim feast).

Deputy Gov. Samsu-din Dimaukom, on the other hand, said that “the project is an important avenue for boosting the town’s economy because it will facilitate the trans-port of goods and prod-ucts from and to the mar-ket.”

Also present during the “Kanduli” ceremony were 6th Infantry Divi-sion Commander Major General Rey C Ardo AFP, 6th Infantry Division

commander of the Phil-ippine Army, members of the Nonviolent Peace Force, and various local executives of Maguin-danao, namely Mayor Za-hara Ampatuan of Shariff Aguak, Mayor Zajid Man-gudadatu of Pandag and Mayor Ibrahim Ibay of Parang.

Meanwhile, the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hos-tilities (CCCH) has been instrumental to Mindan-ao development efforts by securing conflict-af-fected areas where infra-structure projects are be-ing implemented.

Apart from their duty of keeping a watchful eye the truce between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation (MILF), the CCCH is also helping bring develop-ment in the region.

The GPH-CCCH, the joint ceasefire mecha-nism irons out security issues that concern the

implementation of farm-to-market roads and oth-er infrastructure projects in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao, specifically the Makar-Midsayap Na-tional Highway at the section of Barangay Pa-gatin, Datu Salibo; Brgys. Libutan, and Tukanalipao in Mamasapano in Magu-indanao.

Government and MILF members who were present during the con-ference manifested cor-dial relationship, which is a strong indication that the ceasefire is holding very well. The CCCH is composed of members from the GPH and the MILF, as well as neutral parties.

Established in 2003, it has been tasked to monitor the implemen-tation of the GPH-MILF Agreement on the Ces-sation of Hostilities and resolve complaints over ceasefire violations so that small skirmishes do not intensify. [PNA]

Road to peace in Mindanao pushed

SALUTE. Myanmar’s army chief General Min Aung Hlaing (C) salutes military officers and attaches during a ceremony marking the 67th anniversary of the Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw

of seats in parliament re-served for the military under the 2008 constitu-tion enacted by the then ruling junta.

“Our Tatmadaw has to respect and obey as well as preserve the state constitution, which is the same as our country’s life, together with all nation-als,” Min Aung Hlaing said.

“I would like to say that our Tatmadaw will protect and maintain the constitution as its main duty while building a new modern and developed democratic nation,” he said.

President Thein Sein, a former general, was not

present at what was a purely military affair, with just 400 guests, including officials, veterans and me-dia.

Also absent was for-mer junta chief Than Shwe, who ruled with an iron fist for almost two de-cades and retired as head of the military days after handing power to the new government last year.

Unlike Than Shwe, who used to inspect troops from an open topped car, General Min Aung Hlaing reviewed the soldiers on foot.

The 2010 elections which swept the army’s political allies to power

were marred by wide-spread complaints of cheating and by the ab-sence of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was again in deten-tion and released a few days afterwards.

But the new regime has since surprised even critics by implementing sweeping changes, includ-ing welcoming Suu Kyi’s party back into main-stream politics and releas-ing hundreds of political prisoners.

Suu Kyi is standing in April 1 by-elections which could see her win a seat in a parliament dominated by the military and its al-lies.

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EDGEDAVAO

Republic of the PhilippinesDepartment of Transportation and Com-

municationsLAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING AND

REGULATORY BOARDRegional Office No. XI

Davao city

Petition for Renewal of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate a FILCAB

Ordinary Regular Service.

JOVELYN P. TESTA, Petitioner Case No.2000-XI-01403

x- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - xNOTICE HEARING

Petitioner is a grantee of a Certificate of Public Convenience issued in this case authoriz-ing the operation of a FILCAB Ordinary Regular service on the route: TIGATTO ROUTE with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certificate will expire on December 31, 2012. In the petition filed on January 31, 2012, petitioner requests author-ity to extend the validity of said certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit previously authorized.

NOTICE, is hereby given that this petition

will be heard by this Board on APRIL 4, 2012 at 09:40 a. m. at this office at the above address.

At least, FIVE (5) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Mindanao

Parties opposed to the granting of the petition must file their written opposition sup-ported by documentary evidence on or before the above date furnishing a copy of the same to the petitioner, and may if they so, desire appear on said date and time.

This petition will be acted upon by this Board on the basis of its records and the docu-mentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive additional documentary and/or oral evidence.

WITNESS the Honorable BENJAMIN A. GO, CESO V, Regional Director, this 31st day of January 2012 at Davao City.

TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZ Chief Transport Development Officer

/hocCopy furnished:Petitioner, Jovelyn P. Testa, Prk. 2 Km. 8, Ti-gatto, Davao City Counsel, Atty. Napoleon F. Sango, Rm 204, Caritas Bldg., CM Recto St., Davao CityNOTE: Affidavit of Publication and newspaper where notice was published must be submitted three (3) days before the scheduled hearing.

sumed that this is the gen-eral opinion of other taxi associations,” Violan said.

The LTFRB officer said that out of the 3,500 ap-proved taxicabs in the city, Medatoa has 2,500 units while the DCTSC has about 50 taxis.

Violan said taxi opera-tors have long manifested their desire for a fare hike.

“It was supposed to be before the Araw ng Davao pa nga eh, pero naabutan sila ng Araw ng Davao so na-delay,” he said.

“Perhaps after ng Se-mana Santa, they will file their petition for a P10.00 flag down rate hike,” Violan added.

Meanwhile, Violan said the LTFRB 11 has pending approval for hundreds of new taxi units in addition to the 3,500 registered tax-is in the city.

“We have upcoming 700 new taxis in the city but these are still pending,” he said.

The LTFRB national board’s en banc decision increasing the flag down rate from P30 to P40 was implemented starting Jan-uary of last year.

The P2.50 rate for ev-ery 300 meters following the first 500 meters was also increased to P3.50.

power stakeholders slat-ed in Davao City after the Holy Week.

“The President un-derstands the full ac-count of the Mindanao power situation and has taken quick steps to ad-dress the power short-age problem with great resolve,” she said.

Antonino also said that “the President wanted that solutions be discussed as shared con-sensus of the Mindanao stakeholders.”

She said MinDA had been doing initial rounds of consultations with Mindanao power stakeholders, industry players, local chief ex-ecutives and lawmakers to generate common un-derstanding of the pow-er issue and draw out collective recommended measures.

“The President’s ob-jective is for everyone to be part of the effort to stabilize power sup-ply situation in the short term with lesser impact possible on power rates, and ensure sustainable long term energy secu-

rity in Mindanao,” she said.

Without giving fur-ther details as these would form part of the discussion during the scheduled Mindanao dialogue, Antonino said the identified immedi-ate measures so far were projected to generate an indicative aggregate ca-pacity of 219 megawatts (MW), which is enough to address current 150-170-MW power deficit.

Meanwhile, the As-sociation Mindanao Ru-ral Electric Cooperatives (AMRECO) noted that electric cooperatives and distribution utilities have responded positively to the recent circular of DOE which ordered com-pliance to certain direc-tives aimed at addressing the power situation in Mindanao.

Clint Pacana, AM-RECO executive director, said the DOE circular restored confidence and trust in the power system and that voluntary adher-ence and compliance by those concerned could be very well expected. [PNA]

to take their proper place in society and for govern-ment to give full support to the improvement of their well-being and their full participation in the community and to nation building considering that they are an integral and vital part of Philippine society,” she explained.

However, during the latest committee hear-ing, presided over by Rep. Maximo Dalog (Lone District, Mt. Province) in lieu of Chairman Teddy Brawner Baguilat, Jr., although appreciative of the need to provide privileges for the IPs, the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippine s argued that for healthcare servic-es, the bill may no longer be necessary if Congress amends the Philippine Health Insurance Corpo-ration (Philhealth) Law.

Atty Edsel Manuel of Mercury Drug Corpo-ration lauded the noble purpose of the bill but urged the committee to recommend that the 20% discount given to quali-fied IPs be treated as a tax credit, which was what they enjoyed under the first senior citizens law but later changed to tax deductible income when the law was amended.

“The discount per-centage and other pro-visions are subject to further determination and review by the TWG before a final version is approved by the commit-tee,” a committee spot re-port revealed.

A Qualified Indige-nous Person is a bona fide

member of the Indige-nous Cultural Communic-ties/Indigenous Peoples, who is at least eighteen (18) years old and has an income of not more than P60,000,00 per annum subject to review by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) every three (3) years.

Catamco’s bill also grants exemption from the value-added tax pur-chases of medicines and other essential medi-cal supplies; profes-sional fees of attending physician/s in all private hospitals, medical facili-ties, outpatient clinic and homecare services; medi-cal and dental services, diagnostic and labora-tory fees including medi-cal supplies in all private hospital and similar insti-tutions.

The proposed dis-count privileges would also cover actual fare for land transportation trav-el in public utilities, light rail transit, air and sea vessels, and services of hotels and similar lodg-ing establishments, the-aters and other places of cultural leisure and amusement, restaurants, and funeral and burial services.

The Catamco bill also grants a minimum of 5% discount on, among other services, the utilization of water and electric-ity supplied by public utilities, provided that their monthly consump-tion does not exceed 100 KWH and the meters are in the name of the quali-fied IPs. (30) dpt

barangays, especially in the hinterlands, “are only partially served.”

Magsuci said that if the water district does cannot get a loan from the Local Water Utili-ties Authority, there “are many banks that have already expressed interest to fund it.” The fund for the project is part of the P11 billion that the water district is proposing for its 2011-2018 Medium Term De-velopment Plan.

The project, which will be in three phases, with the last phase get-ting on board by 2026, is expected to provide wa-ter services to 11 new ba-rangays and improve its water delivery in about 20 barangays which are partly served, said Engr. Jonalei E. Bermudez of the engineering depart-ment.

This year, the water district is spending about P1.3 billion, with about P300 million intended for capital expenditures, including the start of the repiping of its trans-mission system within the downtown area. The repiping of the trans-mission system in the downtown area needs about P624 millon, said Magsuci, adding that the water district is slowly

implementing the project by phase.

Based on data from the water district, the government-owned wa-ter utility will producec about 320,830 cubic me-ters by the end of this year to serve its 180,305 consumers, with about 59,198 cubic meters in capacity excess. Last year, the supply rated capac-ity was at 305,493 cubic meters with a demand of 257,511 cubic meters.

The water district is adding about 600 connec-tions a month, or about 7,000 connections a year. The water district is also anticipating a spike in the demand because of the continuing growth in real property developments, like the establishment of malls. One of these malls, the SM Lanang, is expect-ed to open in August.

The water utility de-cided to include in its plan surface water develop-ment based on the recom-mendation of the National Water Resources Board.

Earlier, the water dis-trict tried to block the entry of the Hedcor Inc., a subsidiary of the Aboitiz Power Corp., which was planning to also use the Tamugan River for its hy-droelectric plant. The two utilities eventually agreed to co-exist in the area.[AD]

Export Corporation (TC-CEC) under its long-term project on “Building Bet-ter Communities Through Civic Journalism” which started in 2002 with training programs.

This year, St. Luke’s Medical Center stands as the exclusive forum part-ner. Other major spon-sors are Chevron Philip-pines, Inc., First Philip-pine Holdings Corpora-tion, Liwayway Marketing Corporation, Metro Pacif-ic Investments Corpora-tion, Anflo Management Investment Corporation, United Laboratories, Land Bank of the Phil-ippines, Pilipinas Shell, McDonald’s Philippines, Smart Communications, Inc., and Petron Philip-pines. The United Print Media Group (UPMG) is the print media partner. Tv5 agreed to give full cov-erage of the event.

The Philippine Press Institute is the national as-sociation of newspapers. Its principal mandate is to protect press freedom and continuously profession-alize newspapers via sem-inars, workshop, forums and strategic partnerships with other media organi-zations. It also collabo-rates with corporate sup-porters for the conduct of these activities.

NPAs in Mindanao up 20 percentTHE communist-led

New People’s Army (NPA) in Mind-

anao has grown in num-bers over the last two years, according to rebel spokesman Jorge Madlos, a.k.a. Ka Oris.

“We have formed additional platoons and increased our armed strength by almost 20 percent,” Madlos said in a statement sent to report-ers on the eve of the 43rd founding anniversary of the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

He claimed the gue-rilla fronts of the NPA have increased to 42, up from 32 fronts three years ago.

“We have maintained 42 guerrilla fronts island-wide and increased the number of company-sized fronts,” Madlos said.

The communist reb-els claim they have five re-gional party committees inmainland Mindanao.

Each regional party committee is report-edly maintaining at least a company-sized main regional guerrilla unit (MRGU) apart from sev-

eral platoons of front guerrilla units (FGUs) dis-tributed throughout the island.

The CPP-NPA rebel-lion is Asia’s longest run-ning insurgency move-ment.

The NPA was found-ed on March 29, 1969 in Sta. Rita, Pampanga from remnants of the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan (HMB), the armed wing of the old Partido Komuni-sta ng Pilipinas (PKP).

From an under-sized platoon of poorly equipped fighters with less than 25 rifles and handguns, the NPA has expanded throughout the archipelago and became a major threat to na-tional security during the Marcos dictatorship. It is believed that more than half of the total armed regulars of the NPA today are in Mind-anao, also the seat of the Moro secessionist move-ment.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has placed the total strength of the NPA nationwide at a little over 4,000 fully

armed regulars.Early this year, AFP

Chief of Staff Gen. Jes-sie Dellosa said the mili-tary is tightening its grip “against the NPA bandits with our focused combat operations.”

The AFP has been claiming that it has re-duced the number of NPA regulars to its current strength from a high of 24,000 armed guerrillas during the height of the Marcos dictatorship.

Some estimates however said the armed strength of the NPAs in Mindanao has already equaled its 1980s level when the underground movement was at its peak. The communist rebels shocked the military and the national government when they launched simultaneous attacks against three mining companies in Surigao del Norte in October last year.[EDWIN ESPEJO / MINDANEWS]

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 201214 SPORTS EDGEDAVAO

CHAMPS. Members of the Montana Pawnshop celebrate after winning the Araw ng Dabaw Invitational Basketball Tournament over Phoenix Vega at the Davao City Recrea-tion Center. (Boy Lim)

TWO Davao chess players bagged indi-vidual titles and an-

other finished third in the recent 2012 Gov. Moreno Natinal Age Group Chess Championship in Cagayan de Oro City.

Pocketing titles for Team Davao City are Ella Grace Moulic who bagged the Under-14 firls title and Austin Jacob Litera-tus who claimed the Un-der-16 boys title. Mary Is-rael Palero finished third in the Under-20 girls.

Moulic and Literatus will automatically earn the right to represent Philippine Team in the 13th ASEAN Age Grou Championship to be held in Hue, Vietnam on June 10-30.

Palero will join others in 2nd-5th places in an eliminator to determine the last 3 slots to qualify.

James Infiesto, NCFP regional vice president, congratulated the three woodpushers for their feat. “Their effort paid off in the tournament. I know they really prepared hard and they deserve their victory,” Infiesto said.

2 Davao woodpushersqualify for Asean tilt

CEBU CITY– AJ “Ba-zooka” Banal said he is ready for a world

title fight after his abbre-viated fight with Mexican Raul Hidalgo Saturday night in the main event of Pinoy Pride 13-Road to Glory at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City.

”I’m ready for a world title fight. I’m ready for anyone they place in front of me,” Banal said.

Banal (27-1-1, 20 KOs) unloaded a devastating left hook to the head that knocked the senses out of Hidalgo (16-6, 12 KOs).

After receiving the vi-cious blow, the 23-year-old Mexican continued to punch but his legs wob-bled awkwardly and his head was facing down.

To save Hidalgo, ref-eree Danrex Tapdasan quickly intervened and waived the fight off in 2:29 of the first round.

The referee’s deci-

sion had mixed reactions from the crowd, and some thought it came too early.

However, Tapdasan firmly stood his ground that he did the right call.

”The fight shouldn’t continue because his legs were wobbling and shak-ing. I’m not a doctor but he was in a convulsion and it’s a dangerous situ-ation. He wasn’t himself and he was punching me and the punches were really weak. One more strong punch and it could lead to a coma. The safety of the boxer should come first before entertain-ment,” Tapdasan said.

Hidalgo, who was for a moment disoriented by the debilitating haymak-er, felt that the referee stepped in too soon.

”The referee should have counted. I’m mad because it was stopped. Banal doesn’t hit hard,” said the young Mexican prospect.

ALA Promotions pres-ident Michael Aldeguer felt that the stoppage was the discretion of the ref-eree.

”I don’t know if it was the right call. He (Hidal-go) looked a bit weird. It’s a judgment call,” he said.

Aldeguer said that it’s likely that Banal will be challenging for the World Boxing Organization ban-tamweight crown this year.

But Banal’s title fight depends on the decision of current titleholder Jorge Arce.

If Arce, who is slated to see action in the un-dercard of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley fight, decides to move up a different weight division and leave the bantamweight title vacant, then No. 1-rated Banal and No. 2-ranked Thai Pungluang Sor Singyu will face off for the belt. [PNA]

Banal ready for world title fight

VANTAGE RUN. Edgar Ponce (right), Area Business Manager of Castrol Philippines, discuss the details of their sponsorship of the forthcoming Vantage Sports Run with the Masters on

April 15 at the Davao Crocodile Park during the weekly Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Sports Forum at the Tower Inn. With him are Vantage Sports’ Honey Sai and Kenneth Sai.

Back to the old basketball formula

AFTER a successful program that re-stored the respect,

if not total glory, to the Philippines in Asian bas-ketball, the Philippines is going back to its old for-mula.

It is retaining the brand, however.

Thus, the next Smart Gilas will be composed again of mostly PBA stars loaned out to the national team. It has dumped Ra-jko Toroman, the man which restored that re-spect and reinstated an old hand in Chot Reyes. Not that I have less faith in our home-grown men-tors, I believe Chot de-serves the post too.

And I believe too that we owe Toroman our new-found respect.

So we are dumping the old formula of invest-ing on amateur talents and keeping them togeth-er for a long time while honing their potentials as a team by giving them the much-needed inter-national exposure.

Smart Gilas I has proven that formula works. The result was a semifinals finish in the recent FIBA Asia, our first stint in the Final Four in 16 years.

In place is an old sys-tem of picking up players from the PBA, train for a few weeks while keeping the PBA schedule on hold, and then hope that their individual skills will com-pensate for lack of team-work.

In international play, there is too much impetus on teamwork and it boils down to familiarity. Un-like talent, familiarity is not acquired nor inborn. It is honed in practice, in the sweaty gyms behind all the screaming fans.

Shaquille O’Neal, a

member of the Dream Team II, said that he be-lieves European coun-tries will catch up on the United States in no time despite playing with NBA superstars.

Reason? Individual talent is not what inter-national play is all about. It is back-to-the-basics basketball. Touch pass-ing, a lot of running and premium on perimeter shooting, most specially the three.

This is not to lay pre-mature judgment on the Smart Gilas II but I am simply confused why we have to go back to the old formula when this new one has been proven to work. Why do we al-ways have to go back to square one and destroy an emerging working de-sign?

How many times do we have to be taught the painful lesson that our basketball pros are not made for the internation-al game? Sonny Jaworski, Jong Uichico, Tim Cone, Chot Reyes—they all tried that before. Never worked.

The Smart Gilas I was close to making it and it took them three years of playing together to reach the quality of play in the Asian level, until it was disbanded. Three years were not even enough. Much less three months or so.

I hope I am wrong here. Maybe Chot has something up his sleeves.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On a night of swings and dips

and controversy and dra-ma – and one catastrophic error – the United States’ Olympic dreams were washed away amid a flood of tears.

The most rudimentary of follies from substitute goalkeeper Sean Johnson in the final seconds of in-jury time eliminated USA from the CONCACAF qual-ifying tournament in the cruelest fashion possible, as El Salvador snatched a 3-3 draw at LP Field.

The suddenness of it all, the end of an adven-ture that was supposed to span several more months and cross the Atlantic to London, was too much for

many players and head coach Caleb Porter to bear.

Porter bravely fought back tears in his press conference, nerves still raw and shredded, scarce-ly able to believe the hand fate had dealt him and his young team. Olympic soc-cer is played by squads of players in the Under-23 age bracket and, for some, Monday may have been their final night in a USA shirt.

Porter and Johnson had embraced in the lock-er room; the coach tried desperately to find some words of solace to offer a young man whose world collapsed with a mistimed dive that he would nor-mally complete without a second thought.

Costly error ends USA’s Olympic hopes

Freddy Adu’s Olympic dreams came to a heartbreaking end with a 3-3 draw to El Salvador in CONCACAF qualifying.

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012

EDGEDAVAO

By Carlo P. Mallo

ONE of the greatest luxuries in life is having the time to take long lunches. If you think that an hour of lunch is long enough, then you

are eating too fast.

Out for lunch

FOOD

I have always believed, or it must have been the influence of Spain on me, that lunch should be two to three hours long, filled with good food, flowing conversations, and a bot-tomless jug of sangria. Yes, I’m feeling espagñole that way. Last Sunday, while the sun was scorching and beating down on Davao City like there was no to-morrow, I traveled halfway across the city to the Pearl Farm Marina in Lanang to partake of the newest Span-ish restaurant in town, Dos Mestizos. Originally from the is-land of Boracay, Dos Mes-tizos offers a concoction of dishes that have origins traced from Spain but are actually recipes passed on from generation to genera-tion of mestizo families in the country. Owner Binggoy Reme-dios, who grew up in Davao City, decided to bring in his restaurant to the city upon the invitation of his good friend and frequent diner, Tonyboy Floirendo, anoth-er mestizo.

If you think that there are already too many mes-tizos in Dos Mestizos, wait until you see the menu. We started lunch with a glass of sangria, perfect for the hot, sunny weather of Davao City. “Our sangria is made with fresh fruits fer-mented for three to seven days,” Binggoy said while I was taking my second glass even before the tapas were served. As with any Spanish res-taurant, baskets of bread were served with pesto, and olive oil and balsamic vinegar, to signal the start of lunch. This was followed by Bacalao ala Vizcaina or dried salted codfish in to-mato sauce, which I should say had the perfect level of saltiness to it. Callos con grabanzos, chorizo hecho por Dos Mestizos, salpicao de vaca, gambas al ajillo, and the mind-blowing croquettas de quezo azul came in one after the other, keeping our mouths busy munching and talking to each other in between gaps. If there were two dishes that I will have to recom-

mend, it would have to be the croquettas de quezo azul, or blue cheese and béchamel croquettes, and the chorizo hecho por Dos Mestizos, or homemade Spanish sausage. The main course was of course paella, paella negra and paella de mariscos. While it may seem like a

carbohydrate overload, you’ll forget about the world and all its problems with the wonderful burst of flavors that the two kinds of paella will give your palate. As lunch was about to come to a close, I realized that one more thing that made Dos Mestizos the ideal place for lunches – it

was near the beach and the view offered greenery, the sea, and of ships passing through the Davao Gulf – could a view be more ideal than that? And of course, there’s no better way to en-joy the view when you have just finished lunch at half past two and a fresh jug of sangria to finish.

Bacalao ala vizcaina

Sangria

Paella de MariscosGambas al ajillo

Croquettas de Quezo Azul

Callos con garbanzos

Chorizo hecho por Dos MestizosPaella NegraSalpicao de Vaca

INdulge!

IF there is anything that can bring together government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, businessmen, cor-porate executives, members of the academe, artists, restaurant owners and chefs, it is good food.  And this is exactly what happened when inveterate traveler, writer, and chef extraordinaire Claude Tayag recently launched Linamnam: Eating One’s Way Around the Philippines at The Podium’s Atrium in Ortigas Center.

A2 INdulge! VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012 EDGEDAVAOEVENTS

Claude Tayag’s ‘Linamnam’ launched at The Podium, SM Clark and SM Davao

Published by Anvil Pub-lishing, Inc. the book is co-written by his wife Mary Ann Quioc-Tayag.  It is a food and travel guide that documents the couple’s adventures as they journey around the country in search of native specialties in each region. Filled with reviews about places the couple has dined in, the book features cuisines that are arranged geograph-ically from north to south—ranging from the empanada and bagnet of Ilocos Norte to the paksiw na bangus of Nueva Ecija; from Iloilo’s ba-tchoy to Zamboanga City’s curacha. The pages of the food guide are regaled with photos of the scrumptious authentic dishes as they are served in their respec-tive establishments. Entries also come with complete contact information, to help foodies and interested par-ties get in touch with the establishments. Readers are also in for a special treat, as the couple features food they consider as “house spe-cialties,” like pancit, longgan-isa, tamales, okoy, as well as bottled goodies. The featured essays re-ceived much praise from both local and international foodies and personalities. Sunday Inquirer Maga-zine food columnist Margaux Salcedo calls Claude and Mary Ann the “it” couple of the foodie scene in Manila, while author Ada Mabilan-

gan says that they are the perfect team, melding cre-ativity and practicality to come up with the most fan-tastic creations. Tom Parker Bowles, food editor at  Es-quire magazine, U.K., claims that the couple opened his “eyes (and belly) to the won-ders of Filipino food,” while Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos encourages every-one to “discover the thrill” of the dishes featured in the book, capping it off with an invitation “Mangan tayo!” During the event, The Podium’s Atrium was filled with foodies and food lov-ers who had come to con-gratulate Claude on his new book.  These included Phil-ippine cuisine icons Glenda Barretto and Nora Daza, former Congressman Teddy-boy Locsin and wife Louie, UNESCO Commissioner Fe-lice Sta. Maria, writer Mickey Fenix, as well as owners of the restaurants featured in the book. Members of the diplo-matic corps also graced the book launch – HE Former Philippine Ambassador to the United States Willy Gaa and wife Linda, HE Ambas-sador to the United Nations Philip Mabilangan, and DFA Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and African Af-fairs Oscar Valenzuela. It was also a gathering of art-ists – National Artist BenCab, Impy Pilapil, Reimon Gutier-rez, and photographers Neal

Oshima and Wyg Tysmans. Claude’s fellow Kapampan-gans also came in full force with his family members taking the lead. SM execu-tives led by Vice President for Marketing Millie Dizon, Regional Operations Man-ager Christian Mathay, and The Podium Mall Manager Michael Ong welcomed them. Linamnam was also launched in SM malls – at SM City Clark in Claude’s hometown oin Pampanga, and in SM City Davao.   An-geles City  Mayor Edgardo “Ed” Pamintuan and Angeles City Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting led the guests in Clark, which included many members of Claude’s fam-ily.   More recently, Linam-nam was launched last February 16 with restaurant owners such as Mr. Philip Ang of Ahfat Seafoods Plaza, and Mr. and Mrs. Vermil Sato of Palovince Restaurant, as well as Olive Puentespina, Davao’s famous cheese-maker. Linamnam’s partner es-tablishments include the Department of Tourism, the Pampanga Tourism Office, Clark International Airport Corporation, Manila North Tollways Corporation, ACCU Maps, Unilever, PLDT, Bank of the Philippine Islands, San Miguel Pure Foods, National Bookstores, and SM. The book launch of Linamnam: Eating One’s Way Around the Philippines is one of the many exciting events at The Podium, SM City Clark, and SM City Davao.

Ambassador to the United Nations Philip Mabilangan and the iconic cookbook author Nora Daza with Claude Tayag

Chateau 1771 and Sentro owner Ricky Gutierrez, Linamnam Author Claude Tayag, Chateau 1771 and Sentro Executive Chef Vicky Rose Pacheco

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Middle East  and African Affairs Amb. Oscar Valenzuela and Mrs. Valenzuela

Architect and biodynamic farmer  Reimon Gutierrez, artist Impy Pilapil, Linamnam Author Claude Tayag, Doren Tayag, and Silverworks’ Lou Gutierrez

Linamnam Author Claude Tayag with former Philippine Ambassador to the United States of America Willy Gaa and wife Linda; and members of the author’s family Carmen Tayag-McTavish, Our Tribe‘s Mario Tayag, Lito Tayag, and Uppercrust’s Doren Tayag.Davao’s famous cheesemaker Olive Puentespina (middle), rubber consultant Jack Sandique (right) and wife Joanne (left) receive their copy of Linamnam from Claude and Mary Ann Tayag

Angeles City Mayor Edgardo “Ed” Pamintuan with Claude and Mary Ann Tayag

Carmen Tayag-McTavish,  National Artist  for Visual Arts BenCab and Annie Sarthou

Linamnam author Claude Tayag and Mary Ann Tayag with Cabalen’s Ian and Dianne Tiongson

SM Vice President for Marketing and Communications Millie Dizon and Regional Operations Manager Christian Mathay receive their copy of the Linamnam from Claude and Mary Ann Tayag

Former Makati Representative  Teodoro Locsin, Jr. with wife Louie and Claude Tayag

UNESCO Commissioner Felice Sta. Maria, Anvil Publishing Assistant General Manager Karina Bolasco, and former National Historical Commission Head Serafin Quiazon

By Carlo P. Mallo

BY far the hottest vampire on television, Ian Somerh-alder, who plays the role of the dashing Damon on hit TV series Vampire Diaries, is going to haunt Davao City on April 29. The actor will be at Abreeza Mall here in Davao, part of his Ayala Malls hopping during that weekend. Aside from his bold blue eyes, here are more facts about Ian Somer-halder that will explain what the fuss is all about: *Began modeling at age 10, mod-eled for Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabanna, Gucci, Versace and Guess. *Was the face of Guess? for two consecutive Fall seasons. *He doesn’t like to talk about his modeling career because of the im-pressions people might get of him as being just another pretty face. *Played varsity football and base-ball. *The first actor to be cast as one of the survivors in “Lost” (2004).*In 2005, he bulked up, adding about 20 to 30 pounds of muscle to his slim frame, so he would be considered for more leading-man-type roles.*Has said in an interview he was planning to buy a home in Hawaii

when filming the hit show “Lost” but couldn’t after his character was killed off in the show.*He has a brother, Robert (Bob), and a sister, Robyn. Their parents di-vorced when he was thirteen.*His father, Robert Somerhalder, was a building contractor of French and English descent, and his mother, Edna, who is of Irish and Choctaw descent, grew up on a pig farm in Mississippi.*Grew up with his mother, whom he has described as being “very spiri-tual”.*Attended Catholic school. (Trivia compiled by iMDB)

A3INdulge! VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENT

Ian Somerhalder to haunt Davao

“I have a million acquaintances but just two or three true friends. I can’t hide anything from them.”

I cringe whenever someone invites me to an eat-all-you-can meal. Not only does it set me back weeks in my diet, but to remember each and every calorie and how much effort I need to do to burn them off makes me avoid such meals like the plague.

A4 INdulge! VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012EDGEDAVAOFOOD

Pofta Buna:The start of something delicious

This means that I try and make every calorie count and that only great tasting food makes its way onto my plate. This philosophy of mine though often leads me to problems especially when almost everything tastes good. One such time was during the recently held Pofta Buna food festival last March 16 to 17 at the Pryce Business Park. Pofta Buna gathered a mouth-gathering array of restauranteurs, caterers, chefs, and even food hobby-ists together, giving Davao’s urbanites a small sampling of what these food estab-lishments offer. And boy were the offers diverse!

From grilled burgers, to Ilo-cano favorites; tasty kebabs, to scrumptious paella, the food festival was like a vir-tual tour of the Philippines and beyond. One of my personal fa-vorites from Pofta Buna are Ilocano bibingkas from Vi-gan Delicacies with texture as soft as Japanese mochi but served with a little salty cheese on top. I actually went and tasted this even before I went about tasting other offerings. I admit I am an appe-tizer, dessert person, so entrees usually take the back seat whenever I eat about. Thus another favor-ite from the festival would be the egg tarts and asian style breads (think Bread-Talk) by Homemade Joy. I know I am a sticker when it comes to egg tarts yet their egg tarts somehow bring me back to Hong Kong, maybe. Is it because of the

pastry chef ’s training in Hong Kong? There were of course other shining stars on the side of the entrees too, like Belito’s Paella Negra, Café Aseya’s Pad Thai and Satay, and of course Gino’s oh so juicy burgers (which were served an hour late but which I also ate nonethe-less, no sense in wasting good food). I wanted to try the many other offerings but sadly, I can only consume SO much. Maybe, I should leave more space for the next Pofta Buna food fes-tival? [Follow me on twitter @kennethkingong for more foodie and travel finds.]

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 2012 15EDGEDAVAO SPORTS

firmed that McGee has signified his desire.

“Just heard from Coach Chot [Reyes] that the Philippine na-tional team is about to be formed. Would love to represent the Phil-ippines if given the chance,” wrote McGee on his Twitter account.

According to reports, the Smart Gilas organi-zation has already made representations with a congressman for the sponsorship of the natu-ralization bill. Natural-ization is a process of vesting citizenship to a non-citizen and bestow-ing upon the naturalized individual all the rights

of a citizen as if he is a natural-born citizen.

If McGee acquires Filipino citizenship, he will be among the active NBA players playing for national teams in Asia. The others are Hamed Hadidi of the Houston Rockets who plays for Iran and Yi Jianlian who plays for China.

On the other hand, New York sensation Jer-emy Lin is half Taiwan-ese and could be eligible for Chinese-Taipei if he elects to pick Chinese-Taipei as his citizenship without need for natu-ralization.

McGee is a first round pick of the Wash-

ington Wizards in 2008 and was traded midway through this season to the Denver Nuggets. He averages 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in the 2012 NBA season.

Only last Tuesday, MacGee moved into the starting line-up for the Nuggets and quickly made an impact. Making his first start as a Nug-get, he had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the win over the Chicago Bulls.

Will the naturaliza-tion of McGee prosper?

This many basketball fans hope is no longer rumor.

FFROM 16MCGEE-LAS...

GILAS II. (Clockwise) James Yap, Gary David, Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot and Jason Castro, and Marcio Lassiter.

NE W LY- i n s t a l l e d SMART-Gilas Pili-pinas coach Chot

Reyes has named his ini-tial 16-man PBA pool for the national program.

Named to the elite 16 pool were guards Jimmy Alapag, Alex Cabagnot, Jayson Castro, LA Teno-rio, Gary David, and Ryan Reyes, swingmen James Yap, Larry Fonacier, Gabe Norwood, and Marcio Lassiter, forwards Ar-wind Santos, Ranidel de Ocampo, Marc Pingris, and Kelly Williams, and

centers Enrico Villanueva and Sonny Thoss.

The list includes six players from two-time defending Philippine Cup champions Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, which Reyes is sched-uled to leave at the end of the season to take over SMART-Gilas duties full time. Two players each from the Alaska Aces, B-MEG Llamados, Petron Blaze Boosters, and Pow-erade Tigers were named to the pool, while one player each was selected

from the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Barangay Ginebra Kings. No players were chosen from the Air 21 Express, Meralco Bolts, and Barako Bull Energy.

Notably absent from the list are standouts from the original SMART-Gilas Pilipinas program such as JV Casio, Chris Lutz, and Japeth Aguilar. Lassiter, Williams, De Ocampo, and Alapag all suited up for the national team in the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.

This is not yet the final

lineup, as it is still subject to approval by the PBA and the individual teams. But PBA chairman Mam-erto Mondragon said the league is open to expand-ing the list.

“We wanted to give Chot nga up to 20 players to be enlisted in the pool, then bahala na sya kung anong plano niya for the players,” Mondragon said.

Apart from PBA play-ers, the new SMART-Gilas program will also include top amateur and colle-giate standouts.

16 PBA stars named to Gilas II

JIMMY IN, JV OUT. Jimmy Alapag (left) will take over the starting role as point guard for Team Pilipinas replacing JV Casio (right) who was snubbed in the Chot Reyes list.

KEY BISCAYNE, Florida—Serena Williams’ bid for a

record sixth Key Biscayne title ended Tuesday night when she lost in the quar-terfinals of the Sony Eric-sson Open to former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, 6-4, 6-4.

“I made her run,” Woz-niacki said.

Wozniacki served well and was content to keep the ball in play from the baseline, us-ing her retrieving skills to extend rallies until Williams would make a mistake. Williams hit 34 winners to 12 for Wozni-acki, but also committed 36 unforced errors to the Dane’s 13.

“Everyone I play al-ways plays the match of the year,” Williams said.

Williams, seeded 10th, was playing in her first tournament since Janu-ary after being sidelined by a left ankle injury. She hasn’t won a title since August.

“I probably played about 20 percent,” Wil-

liams said. “I just made a tremendous amount of errors. There’s no reason for that. I’m older and I shouldn’t do that. There’s no excuse. I’ve just got to stop that. It’s silly.”

Rafael Nadal swept five consecutive games midway through his match, propelling him to a 6-4, 6-4 win over Kei Ni-shikori to reach the quar-terfinals.

The victory was by far Nadal’s most taxing of the tournament, and he took a medical timeout late in the opening set for treat-ment of his troublesome left knee. Even so, he’s one round closer to his first Key Biscayne title.

“I am not probably in perfect condition today with the left knee,” he said. “But the important thing is to try to win as many matches as pos-sible. For me this is an im-portant tournament, and every victory has very, very big value for me, es-pecially without being perfect.”

Nadal, a three-time

Wozniacki drops Serena 6-4 6-4

runner-up at Key Bis-cayne, lost the final last year toNovak Djokovic, and they could meet again Sunday. The top-ranked Djokovic reached the fi-nal eight by beating No.

17-seeded Richard Gas-quet7-5, 6-3.

No. 2 Maria Sharapo-va became the first semifinalist when she drubbed reigning French Open champion Li Na

6-3, 6-0. Sharapova had lost their previous four meetings.

“I just really wanted to change that,” she said, “so I was extremely fo-cused and, you know,

looking forward to the match.”

Like Nadal, Sharapova seeks her first Key Bis-cayne title. She lost the final in 2005, 2006 and last year.

STRETCHED. Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark reaches out for the ball during her match against Serena Williams of the USA on day 9 of the Sony Ericsson Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, Florida.

VOL.5 ISSUE 19 • MARCH 29, 201216 EDGEDAVAOSPORTS

J a v a l e M c G e e ,

the slam-dunking forward of the Denver Nuggets will be the next natu-ralized player for the Philippines.

That’s the rumor.Sixteen PBA play-

ers were named to the pool of play-ers to make up the Smart Gilas II.

That’s the news.Shortly after

newly-designated national basket-ball coach Chot Reyes named his 16-man pool from the PBA ranks, re-ports also broke out of the pos-sible natural-ization for the

NBA star who has himself

declared a desire to play for the coun-try.

T h e

7-foot McGee, a Uni-versity of Nevada-Reno alum, is reportedly in-terested to play for the country after playing in the Smart Ultimate All-Stars Games here last year in the height of the NBA lockout. He came back to sign as endorser for Smart making ap-pearances in the coun-try including Davao.

Smart Gilas opera-tions manager Butch Antonio revealed in a news report that they are already working on the naturalization pa-pers of McGee to make him eligible to play as a naturalized player. Last year, Marcus Dou-thit was formally given naturalization by vir-tue of House Bill 2307 which allowed the 6-11 former-Lakers draftee to play for the Gilas in the FIBA championships where the country fin-ished fourth, its best fin-ish in 16 years.

Reyes himself con-

MCGEE-LAS!Yes, he can dunk with two balls, but will Javale McGee slam it for both NBA and Smart Gilas?By Neil Bravo

FMCGEE-LAS, 15

PROSPECT. Javale McGee of the Den-ver Nuggets (shown here in the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk contest) could be the next naturalized player for the Smart Gilas.