P 15.00 • 20 PAGESwww.edgedavao.netVOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

INSIDE EDGEDAVAO City Mayor

Rodrigo R. Duterte advised police officers

who are using drugs to resign or face his wrath.

“Kanang pulis nga anaa sa droga, pahawa namo (All police officers who are into drugs must resign),” Duterte told reporters in an interview Monday night at the Davao City Recreation Center.

The statement came hours after a member of the Davao City Police Office

(DCPO) tested positive in a surprise drug test initiated by city police director Senior Superintendent Vicente Danao Jr.

The mayor said the police officer must resign now and not wait to be “butchered.”

In a separate interview yesterday, DCPO spokesperson Senior Inspector Milgrace C. Driz identified the policeman as Senior Police Officer (SPO1) Librado Nalzaro Jr. of the

Mobile Patrol Group.Driz told Edge Davao that

the DCPO gave Nalzaro 15 days to challenge the result of the drug test.

She said Nalzaro tested positive for methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu).

Driz said Nalzaro was appointed as a police officer in 1986 under the Police Constabulary-Institute of National Police (PC-INP). He was removed from the service in 2000 because of alleged

involvement in illegal drugs but was reinstated in 2010 due to his appeal from the national office.

“We will give him due process regarding the result to give him fair treatment,” she said.

Driz said depending on the final report, Nalzaro could be slapped with either removal from the service or forced retirement. She said forced retirement is for police officers above 50 years of age.

EDGE Serving a seamless society

DAVAO

QUIT OR ELSEMayor tells drug-using cop to resign

Indulge A1

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

WORK FOR PEACE. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte reiterates the need to resume peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) despite the recent Mamasapano incident so the dream of every Mindanaoan of lasting peace will be realized. Duterte was guest speaker of the 39th Diocesan Clergy of Mindanao Convention fellowship night at the Davao City Recreation Center on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

STYLE &IMAGE

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 20152 EDGEDAVAO

THE BIG NEWS

LIGHT MOMENT. Davao City Archbishop Romulo G. Valle and other priests laugh while listening to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte’s humorous statements during the 39th Diocesan Clergy of Mindanao Convention fellowship night at the Davao City Recreation Center on Monday. Lean Daval Jr.

A BUKIDNON town police chief and his deputy died when

another policeman lobbed grenades at them after a gathering and dinner Monday night, reports said.

The fatalities were identified as Senior Inspector Crisanto Molina and Inspector Dexter Garcia, both of the municipality of Cabanglasan which is

situated in Bukidnon’s border with Agusan del Sur.

The suspect, Police Officer (PO)1 Gorospe Cairo of the Cabanglasan municipal police who was reported to have tested positive in a drug test, is at large, municipal officials said.

Police Inspector Jiselle Ester Lou M. Longakit, Bukidnon provincial police

office public information officer, said manhunt operations are ongoing against the suspect.

Hansel Echavez, chief of the Bukidnon Provincial Public Affairs and Information and Assistance Office, quoted Cabanglasan Vice Mayor Lolita Obsioma as saying that Cairo lobbed the first grenade at the dining hall.

The blast killed Molina instantly after being hit with shrapnel in the head and back. Garcia ran after the suspect, but the latter threw another grenade, killing Garcia.

Before the incident, local officials cited requests they made to pull out two police officers in Cabanglasan who were reported to have tested positive in the drug

test.Molina was quoted to

have said he was waiting for the order from the regional and provincial police offices for the pull out.

Longakit said Cairo was supposed to report to the Bukidnon Provincial Police Office on Tuesday while undergoing the process of pre-charge evaluation of the administrative case that will

be filed against the erring police officers.

Both Molina and Garcia, she added, joined the Philippine National Police through its Lateral Entry Program, a scheme that allows professionals from select fields to enter the police force obtaining inspector ranks without going through the Philippine National Police Academy.

THE Davao City council’s committee on finance, ways and means, and

appropriations might resort to amending the 2005 Rev-enue Code of Davao City to make some vague provisions more specific.

This was opened when City Council Secretary Chari-to N. Santos asked the com-mittee, chaired by councilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang, for legal opinion on the appropri-ate fees to be charged for re-quests of copies of Ordinance No. 0546 series of 2013 or the new Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Zoning Ordi-

nance.The existing tax code

does not include charges for newspaper publication of the ordinance.

In an interview yesterday, Dayanghirang said there is a need to amend the tax code because it does not state the “determination of payment” on the copies of ordinance publication.

He said he will ask the General Service Office (GSO) to identify the charge for newspaper publication, whether it would be per page or per copy.

“Dapat pud i-resolve ni

sa GSO kay sila man ang na-kabalo ana (The GSO should also resolve this matter since it is the one that knows about this),” he said.

The request was ap-proved on first reading in yes-terday’s regular session and was referred to the commit-tee of Dayanghirang.

Earlier, City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) head Rodrigo Ri-ola said his office is now final-izing the draft of the revised tax code that will be submit-ted to the mayor’s office.

He said after the evalua-tion of the proposal from the executive department, his of-

fice will submit the proposal to the City Council for delib-eration.

Riola had earlier said it is high time for the existing code to be revised since it was approved in 2005 and imple-mented in 2006.

It was supposed to be re-vised in 2012 but the process was postponed.

Under section 191 of Republic Act 7160 or the Lo-cal Government Code of the Philippines, local units “shall have the authority to adjust tax rates as prescribed herein not oftener than once every

THE Davao City Council is in a bind as to how it can deliver on the pro-

posal of the Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte to allocate P1 million for the educational fund of the children of the 44 members of Special Action Force (SAF) slain in Mamasapano, Maguin-danao on January 25.

Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Dute-rte told reporters in an inter-view yesterday that as of the moment the proposal cannot materialize since there is an existing rule of the Commis-sion on Audit (COA) that the

city government cannot allo-cate funds for the purpose.

“We tried our best. I even talked to city administrator Melchor Quitain. We also asked the COA and it was stip-ulated in their rules that we cannot release money for that matter,” Paolo said.

He said that they are studying alternative ways to donate money for the children of the slain SAF members.

“The easiest way is through the donations from the public or from us as gov-

Town police chief, deputykilled in grenade attack

Dayanghirang wants to amend tax codeCouncil in a bind on P1Maid for SAF men’s kids

FCOUNCIL, 14 FDAYANGHIRANG, 14

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015 3NEWSEDGEDAVAO

PEACE. A Muslim woman flashes the peace sign during a peace rally in Davao City yesterday in support of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as the solution to Mindanao conflict. Lean Daval Jr.

THE National Commission on Indigenous Peoples

(NCIP) has asked the Davao City Council to reinstate former Indigenous People Mandatory Representative (IPMR) Berino Mambo-o Sr. in the meantime while the assumption of incoming IPMR Halila Sudagar is yet to be resolved.

In an interview yesterday, Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte told reporters that the NCIP and tribal chieftains of the different IP tribes of the city made a resolution asking the Council for the reinstatement of Mambo-o on a holdover capacity.

Paolo said the Council

will adopt the resolution because there should be no vacuum in any government position. The IPMR has been vacant for a month after Mambo-o’s term expired last January 10.

Paolo said the NCIP also informed the Council that if no complaint is filed against Sudagar by February 20, it will issue a certificate of affirmation (COA) to her.

“We will accept Sudagar as the new member of City Council if she will bring her COA on February 20,” Paolo said.

But if a complaint is filed against Sudagar, the Council will take Mambo-o in a holdover capacity up to six months.

“While there are complaints we cannot determine how long the case will run,” he said.

In yesterday’s regular session, councilor Karlo S. Bello, who is the proponent of the amendment of City Ordinance No. 0448-10 series of 2010 or An Ordinance Providing Mandatory Representation of Indigenous Peoples, said the continuous vacuum on the position deprives indigenous peoples the services due them.

Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte had earlier said he will call the members of Kagan tribe in the city to an assembly to find out if they

really want Sudagar to sit as the IPMR in the City Council.

He said if the whole tribe in the assembly will say they want Sudagar to sit as IPMR, he will accept it.

The mayor said that said he also intends to talk to Sudagar to ask if the selection process was really fair.

He said he noticed in the selection that all the Baragwas or council of elders in the 37 Kagan communities were all members of Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod, which is his political party.

Duterte said he does not want it to appear that the party will monopolize the positions in government.

MALL TIME? High school students spend time inside a mall yesterday – during school hours. Lean Daval Jr.

MUSLIMS from all over Davao Region con-verged at Rizal Park

in Davao City yesterday to urge lawmakers to resume and speed up the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

This after the 75-mem-ber ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives led by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez decided to suspend the deliberation of House Bill No 4994 or the proposed BBL early this week.

Senator Ferdinand “Bong-bong” Marcos Jr., chair of the Senate committee on local gov-ernment, had also decided to suspend hearings on the BBL until the issues surrounding the Mamasapano clash on Jan-uary 25 have been clarified.

“We have organized the Davao Peace Movement for BBL (DPM) to call on Congress to speed up the passage of the BBL which has been stalled

due to the Mamasapano trag-edy,” DPM steering committee chair Abdul Rasad Sawat said in an interview yesterday.

Sawat said the Mamasa-pano tragedy is not reason enough for Congress to derail the passage of the BBL.

He said the peace talks between the Moro Islamic Lib-eration Front (MILF) and the Government of the Philippines (GPH) has gone too far that it should not be stopped just because of the Mamasapano incident.

Sawat said the passage of the BBL is just one of mech-anisms written in the Com-prehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB) that will give the people of Mindanao the pace and development they have been calling for since the start of decades-long armed struggle in the island region.

Sawat said mass move-

COMMISSION on Higher Education (CHED) 11 regional director Raul

C. Alvarez Jr. yesterday said the launch of the manual “Ethical Review of Research Involving Human and Non-Human Populations” by San Pedro College was timely in light of the integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year.

SPC had launched the manual yesterday for the ad-vancement of research and development studies of stu-dents in both undergraduate and graduate studies.

In his speech during the launch, Alvarez said improv-ing the protocols in conduct-

ing researches will improve the Philippines’ competi-tiveness as one of the nation members of the ASEAN.

He said the Philippines has been noted for its low performance when it comes to science and technology advancement and the con-duct of quality research and development studies when compared with other ASE-AN countries like Vietnam and Thailand.

He said based on the 2012-2013 ranking present-ed to the World Economic Forum, the Philippines ranks 86th when it comes to the capacity to do innovation.

When it comes to com-

EASTERN Mindanao C o m m a n d ( E a s t M i n C o m )

commander Lieutenant General Aurelio Baladad yesterday said Camiguin Province has been declared “insurgency free.”

In an interview, Baladad said Camiguin joins two oth-er areas in the EastMinCom area of responsibility that are now free of the presence of armed groups. The two other areas are Dinagat Is-land and Davao Oriental.

EastMinCom spokesper-son Major Ezra Balegtey also said records show there is no

presence of armed groups in Camiguin.

“As of Tuesday morn-ing, Camiguin is now an insurgency-free area. The presence of the military in the area is also minimal,” Balegtey said.

Dinagat Island was de-clared insurgency-free in December last year. Balegtey said there is also no armed group present in the area.

However, in Davao Ori-ental, which was declared in-surgency-free in April 2013, there is still a minimal num-

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

Muslims convergefor passage of BBL

NCIP asks Council to reinstateMambo-o on holdover capacityBy ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.netCamiguin now‘insurgency free’By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

CHED director pushesfor higher quality R&D

FMUSLIMS, 14

FCAMIGUIN, 14

FCHED, 14

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

NORTH Cotabato Gover-nor Emmylou Mendoza on Monday vowed to

provide funds for the construc-tion of a covered court inside Mindanao’s biggest Boy and Girl Scout camp.

Mendoza said an initial amount of P150,000 annual-ly will be released for the Girl Scouts of the Philippines-North Cotabato Chapter for the cov-ered court construction.

During the culminating program of 25th Regional Girl Scout Encampment in Baran-gay Bulatukan here Monday, Mendoza urged the young girls

and women to be active coun-terparts of men in building a better society not only in their communities but the entire country as well.

Mendoza said women should take the lead or become active partners in building communities and productive citizens.

“Become model citizens, develop your potentials and become responsible individu-als in the community,” Mendo-za told girls scouts from all over Mindanao who ended their five-day encampment.

4

FNORTH, 14

OFFICIALS of two lo-cal government units from Luzon visited

Tagum City last week saw for themselves the best local government practices imple-mented by the city govern-ment of Tagum.

The group from the Mu-nicipality of Gerona, Tarlac benchmarked the city’s eco-nomic enterprises, specifical-ly how the local government was able to rehabilitate the city’s public cemetery in Ba-rangay La Filipina.

The group was composed of the Sangguniang Bayan members and bigwigs from its Municipal Planning and Development Office and Mu-nicipal Engineering Office.

The group was wel-comed at the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) building by councilors Francisco Remi-tar and Oscar Bermudez, city engineer Roosevelt Corporal,

City Economic and Enter-prise head Grace Terante, city health officer Arnel Florendo, and SP secretary Rey Buhion.

“It’s a good thing they chose us as benchmark for the rehabilitation of their public cemetery. This only manifests that we have done something good in the re-habilitation of our cemetery that other LGUs can repli-cate,” Terante said.

Another set of visitors from LGU Daraga, Albay also came to benchmark the city’s Night Market Program, which was dubbed by the Philip-pine Daily Inquirer as the city’s longest dining hall and was recognized with a Galing Pook Award last year.

The visitors from Dara-ga were composed of Vice Mayor Carlos V. Baylon, San-guniang Bayan members, and employees of the LGU. Gleiza Delgado of CIO Tagum

THE Davao Oriental pro-vincial government and Department of Social

Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Region 11 continue to distribute more housing aid to more families who lost their homes during Typhoon Pablo in 2012.

Under the Modified Hous-ing Program (MSAP), Davao Oriental Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon led the distribution of permanent shelters to some 1,840 families in three ty-phoon Pablo-hit areas Bagan-ga, Cateel and Boston towns.

Malanyaon said the sup-port from local and interna-tional community has made her province grow stronger and resilient, knowing that despite the mounting chal-lenges, “there are still people with generous and kind hearts that will help meet the urgent needs and help the province build resilience.”

Davao Oriental Informa-tion Officer Karen Lou Deloso said MSAP is a joint venture

between the DSWD, which bankrolls the funds, and the provincial government which shoulders the acquisition of resettlement sites.

Deloso said based on the MSAP reports, Baganga town received 920 shelters, Cateel 770, and Boston 150.

DSWD11 was also opti-mistic that all remaining hous-es targeted for construction will be completed by the end of March this year underscoring the benefits of the partnership that hastens delivery of assis-tance to the survivors.

Deloso said there are now 13,780 housing units that were already implemented on the ground, offering typhoon survivors opportunity for a fresh start.

Deloso said the DSWD also highlighted the resiliency and the socio-economic develop-ments making Davao Oriental a model in development and became the country’s bench-mark in disaster response and rehabilitation. (PNA)

Tagum best practices benchmarked

DCWD’s pipeline bridgeconstruction under way

North Cotabato gov’t to constructcovered court in Girl Scout camp

Pablo-hit areas getmore housing aid

WELCOME. Officials of the city government of Tagum welcome their counterparts from the Municipality of Gerona, Tarlac who recently visited the city to benchmark the local government’s best practices in governance. Photo by Gleiza Delgado of CIO Tagum

CONSTRUCTION of Davao City Water District (DCWD)’s 1000-millime-

ter diameter suspension-type pipe bridge crossing between Governor Generoso Bridges 1 and 2 is on-going and is esti-

mated to be completed by the end of March 2015, about 300 calendar days after the notice to proceed was granted to con-tractors on June 2, 2014.

The project costs P115 million and consists of the

installation of a 1,000 mm di-ameter steel pipeline with a total length of 184 linear me-ters and the construction of a 167.50-meter long steel truss, concrete pier column with bored pile footing, concrete py-

ONGOING CONSTRUCTION. Excavation works for the bridge’s abutment at the Matina side.

EDGEDAVAO

SUBURBIA

lon, abutments at both sides of the bridge crossing, and cables.

In a recent assessment re-port of DCWD’s Project Mon-itoring Office, current works include the installation of scaf-folding, rebars and formworks and concrete pouring for the concrete pylon; excavation for the valve box at Bankerohan and Matina sides; concrete pouring for the abutment at Bankerohan side; and excava-tion of the abutment at Matina side.

DCWD general manager Edwin V. Regaldo said once the project is completed and the new pipeline is laid, around 64 percent of the approximately 53,844 service connections being served by Line 1 of Du-moy Water Supply System will enjoy improved water supply. These service connections situated in downtown and northern areas of Davao City were the most affected when DCWD’s pipe bridge crossing collapsed, damaging the origi-nal 600 mm diameter and 750 mm diameter transmission/distribution pipelines on De-cember 16, 2012.

Although DCWD tempo-rarily laid two 400 mm di-ameter by-pass pipelines, the water supply has not been enough and the affected cus-tomers experience low water pressure to no water during peak hours.

Regalado said once the project is done, water pres-sure will increase by seven percent.

The contractor for the in-frastructure work is the joint venture of RD Policarpio & Co. Inc., Allado Construction Com-pany, Inc., and TGV Builders Inc. (Jovana T. Duhaylungsod)

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015 5EDGEDAVAO

ECONOMY

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

THE Regional Develop-ment Council (RDC) 11 will prioritize this year

the conduct of a study on op-timal electric power develop-ment in Davao Region.

Davao del Norte Gov. Ro-dolfo R. del Rosario. RDC 11 chair, said they had proposed the study to the Department of Science and Technology-Phil-ippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Tech-nology Research and Devel-opment (DOST- PCIEERD) for possible regional research and development (R&D) support fund during a recent media interaction.

“The study aims to estab-lish and assess information of all power facilities and services in the region,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario said the result of the study will be utilized for the formulation of a 20-year power demand-supply fore-

cast covering each of the elec-tric cooperatives and utilities; identify existing and emerg-ing gaps and issues in electric power industry.

The study on optimal elec-tric power development in the region will be used as basis for possible recommendations on viable green power generation technologies that could bal-ance power generation mix of the region.

“The study would serve as a guide or reference for pri-vate power industry players in scheduling of investment, and for the government in provid-ing development directions on power and electrification in the region,” Del Rosario said.

NEDA 11 regional director Maria Lourdes Lim reported in the same event that 76 percent of the households in Davao region were already provided

THE Department of Tour-ism (DOT) 12 on Mon-day said that this city

was second in terms of most number of domestic and for-eign tourist arrivals in 2014 in the region’s five cities.

This despite negative re-ports on violence in the city and its environs.

Region 12 is composed of the provinces of North and South Cotabato, Sultan Kuda-rat and the cities of Cotabato, Kidapawan, Tacurong, Koro-nadal and Gen. Santos City.

Data released by the DOT-12 showed Gen. Santos City registered the highest num-ber of arrivals from January to December 2014 with 271,051 visitors followed by Cotabato City with total of 38,596 tour-ists recorded.

Koronadal City came in third with 35,757 tourists. Kidapawan City placed fourth and fifth Tacurong City with 33,232 tourists and 12,479 visitors, respectively.

The DOT gathered the data through reports from hotels and resorts in the whole re-gion.

The Cotabato City Tour-ism Office attributed this recognition to the thriving so-cio-economic situation and the improving peace and order in

Del Rosario: RDC to prioritize studyon optimal power development

GenSan istop touristdestination

FDEL ROSARIO, 14

FGENSAN, 14

SLICE IT UP. A sidewalk vendor slices green mango which she sells at P25 apiece along City Hall drive in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015EDGEDAVAOTHE ECONOMY6

“Last year’s fun sale was focused on

shopping, but now it’s bigger because

the whole tourism sector of Davao City is included,”

- City Tourism Operations Office head

Lissette Marques on the Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDFS) slated from April 3 to May 17.

Quips

BUSINESS confidence is still up in the Autono-mous Region in Muslim

Mindanao (ARMM) as new investments hit more than P863 million early this year, the ARMM Regional Board of Investments (RBOI) an-nounced Monday.

A P741.8 million nickel ore mining project in Pangli-ma Sugala, in Tawi-Tawi Prov-ince and a P121.25 million petroleum depot project also in the same province were among those listed by the RBOI Management Commit-tee as being readied for final approval from its Board of Directors.

“With the recent incident in Maguindanao, this is a

welcome development which shows that business players are still bullish about Min-danao,” said Sec. Luwalhati Antonino, chair of the Mind-anao Development Authority (MinDA).

The nickel ore mining project is estimated to pro-duce 1,000,000 metric tons of ore per year, while the pe-troleum trading project will have a holding capacity of 7.6 million liters after the comple-tion of its infrastructure and facilities.

Antonino explained that with genuine peace in place, Mindanao has the capacity to accelerate its growth and develop much faster than the rest of the country.

Mindanao’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domes-tic Product (GDP) in 2013 is 14.32 percent, ahead of Vi-sayas’ 12.57 percent, which translated 0.9 percent contri-bution to the 7.2 percent do-mestic GDP growth recorded by the country in 2013.

“It is undeniable that peace is a precursor for growth and development, and that Mindanao could generate a much higher growth rate if lasting peace is achieved by the island-region and its peo-ple,” she added.

Antonino said that while we seek justice for the Ma-guindanao incident, we must also be determined to pursue development.

Atty. Ishak Mastura, chair of the ARMM RBOI announced that a potential multi-billion peso logistics center in the Port of Polloc in Parang, Ma-guindanao is also being eyed by several investors who are currently receiving support from the ARMM RBOI and the officials of the Port of Polloc.

He added that his de-partment is also processing investment projects in Ma-guindanao particularly in the establishment of oil palm and banana plantations, and the creation of additional ca-pacities in renewable energy, specifically biomass power plants.

During the BIMP-EAGA and IMT-GT Trade Fair and

Business Leaders Conference held in October last year, a leading Malaysian company expressed interest to supply oil palm seedling to Maguind-anao, while discussions were also conducted to establish connectivity between the Port of Labuan in Malaysia and Port of Polloc.

BIMP-EAGA stands for Brunei Darussalam In-donesia Malaysia the Phil-ippines East ASEAN Growth Area, while IMT-GT stands for Indonesia Malaysia Thai-land Growth Triangle. Both economic groupings were formed with the goals of pro-moting trade, investment, and tourism in less-developed states and provinces in the

ASEAN sub-groups.“As we push for a more

investment-friendly ARMM, we must prioritize peace and infrastructure development in order for the region to play its strategic role in the BIMP-EA-GA, in the greater context of the ASEAN integration,” said Antonino.

She added that with the collaboration of both private and public sectors, Mindanao and its people will continue to pursue sustained peace and will ensure that public and private investments across the region will continue to ac-celerate and deliver progress and transformation particu-larly among the region’s con-flict-affected areas.

PUNONGBAYAN & Araullo (P&A), one of the coun-try’s leading accounting,

tax, advisory and outsourcing services firms, was appointed auditor of several companies under the M Lhuillier Group.

Staying true to its commit-

ment to unlock the potential for growth of dynamic orga-nizations, P&A’s responsive team of experts will provide professional services to these companies. P&A hopes to support the Group’s continu-ing growth by providing high

quality service. Present during the signing

of the engagement contract were (from L): M Lhuilli-er Group owners Michael Lhuillier and President Mi-chel Lhuillier; P&A Chair and CEO Marivic Españo; P&A

Managing Partner and COO Jun Cuaresma; and P&A Au-dit & Assurance Partner and Partner In-charge of Branches Chris Ferareza.

M Lhuillier Group is a lead-ing financial services provider to Filipinos all over the world.

Increase of investments boosts business confidence in ARMM

M. Lhuillier Group engages P&A as auditorNEW AUDITOR. Present during the signing of the engagement contract were (from left): M Lhuillier Group owners Michael Lhuillier and President Michel Lhuillier; Punongbayan & Araullo Chair and CEO

Marivic Españo; P&A Managing Partner and COO Jun Cuaresma; and P&A Audit & Assurance Partner and Partner In-charge of Branches Chris Ferareza.

MERCHANDISE exports grew by 9 percent for full-year 2014

despite the 3.2 percent drop in December due to lower outbound shipments of manu-factures, total agro-based, and petroleum products, accord-ing to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

“Compared to other econ-omies in the region, the Philip-pines’ full year exports growth performance was relatively strong despite the challenging external environment. This is a good indication of the grow-ing resiliency of our sectors given that economies in the Euro area, Japan and China re-main sluggish, causing region-al trade flows to soften,” said Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.

Total revenue from Phil-ippine exports declined to US$4.8 billion in December 2014 from US$5.0 billion in

December 20l3. However, to-tal sales receipts for the full-year 2014 rose to US$61.8 bil-lion from US$56.7 billion the previous year.

As for the performance of major commodity groups, ex-port earnings from manufac-tured goods posted US$ 4.18 billion in December 2014, down from US$4.23 billion registered in December 2013.

“This can be traced main-ly to year-on-year declines in other manufactured products, wood manufactures and elec-tronic equipment and parts. Nonetheless, outbound sales of electronic products, machin-ery and transport equipment, garments, miscellaneous man-ufactured articles and chem-icals remained buoyant,” said Balisacan, who is also NEDA Director-General.

Likewise, sluggish out-turns in coconut products and sugar products pulled down revenues from total agro-

based products by 24.9 per-cent from US$388.7 million in December 2013 to US$291.8 million in December 2014.

“While outward sales of other agro-based products reached US$81.7 million, high-er by 10.2 percent compared to US$74.2 million in Decem-ber 2013, decline in coconut oil exports drove outward shipments from coconut prod-ucts to drop from US$145.1 million in December 2013 to US$79.5 million in the same month of 2014,” said Balisacan.

Moving forward, he also warns of a possible slight tem-pering in the exports sector in 2015 given weakness in China and Euro deflation.

“What could provide an upside support to exports is the continuing US recovery and possibly some respite from Japan, which may realize economic expansion towards end-2015,” said Balisacan.

Meanwhile, the PSA’s lat-

est Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries (MISSI) report showed the manufac-turing sector growing at 7.5 percent in 2014.

In December 2014, the Volume of Production Index (VoPI) and Value of Production Index (VaPI) also grew by 7.5 percent and 4.2 percent, re-spectively, owing to robust do-mestic and sustained exports demands for certain products and services such as printing, beverages, basic metals, wood, and wood products.

“The Philippine manufac-turing sector is on a catch-up phase. Reforms undertaken thus far have helped the man-ufacturing sector get back on track to a higher-growth trajectory. Moreover, expecta-tions remain high in the first quarter of 2015 due to bright-er job prospects, stable prices of commodities, and higher household incomes,” said Bal-isacan.

PH exports remain relatively strong in region

THE Municipal Govern-ment of New Corella, province of Davao del

Norte and the University of the Philippine (UP)–Mindanao signed last February 6 a Mem-orandum of Agreement for the tourism development of the municipality.

Dennis Sumaylo, professor from UP Mindanao, said the partnership will be comprised of two areas--infrastructure development and community development.

“In the infrastructure de-velopment, we will focus on establishing structures that will relate to the culture and nature of the area,” Sumaylo said.

He said that on commu-nity development, they will focus on cultivating the sense of accountability from the people.

“As the town’s slogan say ‘I am New Corella,’ we will let them feel that this is their place and that they will pro-tect and beautify it,” Sumaylo said, adding that part of the project is the development of the products of the municipal-ity and the sustainability of the

community groups.He also said that the part-

nership could last longer de-pending on the needs of the program.

“Initially the first phase, which will consist of the Panas Eco Cultural Park and Balaang Bukid (Holy Mountain), will go on around six months,” Su-maylo said.

Mayor Nestor Alcoran ex-pressed his gratitude to UP for helping their municipality in developing their tourism po-tential areas.

“This is a big help to us as the project will develop not only the place but also the people in the municipality,” he said.

According to Sumaylo, the project with the munici-pal government is part of the extension program of the uni-versity.

“As of now, the university is deploying two faculty mem-bers to look into this project,” he said.

He added that as an ex-tension program, they are not receiving any remuneration from the municipal govern-ment. (PIA 11/Michael Uy)

New Corella, UP Mindanao inktourism development accord

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015 7

YES, William Shakespeare – touted to be the Father of English literature –

wrote some lines on Valentine. So did Samuel Pepys (of Diary distinction) and poet Robert Herrick. And scores of others.

Throughout the world, including the Philippines, Feb-ruary 14 is observed as “a day for lovers.” But the question is: What is this thing called love? This, that they call “the great-est of all sentiments”?

True, love has a colossal force. The Hanging Garden of Babylon, for instance, came to be because of – yes, you’re right! – love. The Taj Mahal in Agra, India was another won-der wrought by love. In fact, it is known as “the world’s great-est monument to love.”

In like manner, love has served as the inspiration which has given artists the reach to touch genius. The great Italian Petrarch indicat-ed lines to an unrequited love (for his beloved Laura) and in the process gave the world the sonnet. Two disappointments in love drove the post-impres-sionist painter Vincent van Gogh to devote all his time to his painting, in the process creating eloquent portrayals of the tragedy of modern man.

The tender love story of Romeo and Juliet lingers to tit-illate the imagination of many. The undying and unselfish love of Cyrano de Bergerac for Roxanne makes people, partic-ularly the ladies, misty-eyed. Jane Eyre finding fulfilment at last in the love of brooding Ed-ward Rochester sends tingles up and down our spines. In all these stories, love conquers all.

Skeptics, however, dismiss

the fact that these great ro-mances are mere products of the imagination and that they only nurture our escapist ten-dencies. Romantic tales they may be, but there could be some factual bases or real-life models behind each great love story.

For real life romances can be more intriguing and com-plex than the fictional yarns. And wrought with more twists and tangles and sub-plots than are possible in any Mills and Boon or Barbara Cartland novel.

Andre Laurent and his beautiful wife Catherine were honeymooning in the snowy Austrian Alps. Both were keen rock climbers. That’s how they met, and that’s why they went to Austria on their honeymoon.

Then an accident hap-pened. Andre was climbing a frost-covered rock face. Cath-erine was waiting at the bot-tom of the cliff while her hus-band made the first ascent. He was 60 feet above the ground when he slipped and fell.

Catherine had no time to act – just react. She did what her heart told her she must do: she threw herself under the body of her husband. “Cath-erine broke her husband’s fall and saved his life,” a friend commented. “But she did it at the cost of her own.”

While replete with hap-piness, love can also be tragic indeed. Just how many crimes have been committed in the name of love? There was that case of a woman who aban-doned her mansion and sailed away when she failed to con-vince her boyfriend to settle down in peace and quiet as a plain and ordinary citizen. She

This inscrutable thing called loveBy HENRYLITO D. TACIOTomorrow is Saint Valentine’s Day,All in the morning bedtime,And I a maid at your window,To be your valentine.

– William Shakespeare in Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5

EDGEDAVAO

BIGGER PICTURE

died on a desert rocky isle in the Caribbean Sea.

Police blotters are clut-tered with cases of unrequited, ill-fated loves. Perhaps that cel-ebrated wit Oscar Wilde was right when he wrote: “Every man kills the thing he loves; the coward does it with a kiss, the brave with a sword.”

So, what is love?Frank Tyger once com-

mented that in tennis, love is nothing. But in life, love means everything. As Bernard Raskas puts it: “If we do not love, we are nothing. And, if we do not love ourselves, we are nobody.”

Charles Galloway has this further explanation: “The need to love and be loved is the sim-plest of all human wants. Man needs love like he needs the sun and the rain. He perishes without it. His basic longing is to be the object of love and to be able to give love. No other need is quite so significant to his nature.”

Love, Shakespeare wrote, is blind. But that’s not true, ac-cording to Rabbi Julius Gordon. “Love is not blind,” he pointed out. “Love sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less.”

Love is indeed too hard to define. “When we try to anal-

yse what love really is,” wrote Rev. Dexter Irisari, “we are confined to our own limita-tions to conclude that it is an irresistible feeling which stirs and thrills us immensely. It is not so strange that we cannot often look at it as rational and deliberate. Human love is only human so it suffers human limitations. Actually, we love in our hearts – making love a rea-sonable feeling.”

Evelyn Millis Duvalls de-fines love as a language that expresses everything from po-etry to profanity. In her book, Love and Facts of Life, she says in part: “Love is something deep inside the individual. It makes one aware of other per-son’s feelings and sensitivity – making one sustain the other, and the two of them endure together whatever life has to offer.

“Love is creative,” she con-tinues. “It creates a union of people seeking a new mean-ing in life. It makes them dis-cover things and reach for new heights and dimensions. It gives the lover a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and achievement. It is this creative factor in love that motivates the lover to be more produc-tive, to try to be what his loved

one expects him to become.”“When love fills the heart,”

notes Prophet Ellen G. White, “it will flow out to others, not because love is the principle of actions. Love modifies the character, governs the impuls-es, subdues enmity and enno-bles the affections.”

Poet Kahlil Gibran penned these lines: “Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor it would be possessed; for love is sufficient unto love. When you love you should not say, ‘God is in my heart,’ but rather, ‘I am in the heart of God.’ And think not you can di-rect the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

“Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must needs have de-sires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night; to know the pain of too much tenderness; to be wounded by your own under-standing to love; and to bleed willingly and joyfully. To make at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving. To rest at the noon hour and meditate on love’s ecstasy. To return home

at eventide with gratitude; and then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.”

From the time of Adam and Eve to the death of Jesus Christ – and even until now. Love still exists. Why is this so? Og Mandino, the author of bestselling The Greatest Sales-man in the World, sums up the answer in these words: “My reasoning they may counter; my speech, they may distrust; my apparel, they may disap-prove of; my fact, they may reject; yet my love will melt all hearts, liken to the sun whose rays soften the coldest clay.”

But perhaps, the best defi-nition of love comes from the Bible: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always pro-tects, always trusts, always hope, always perseveres. Love never fails” (I Corinthians 13: 4-8).

It ends with this state-ment: “And now these three re-main: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13:13).

Love is in the air (Photo by Michael H. Chan)

Love is forever (Photo by Michael H. Chan)

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 20158 EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

Life or deathEDITORIAL

BY any reckoning, a single police officer caught using drugs is one too many. That was the case in Davao City last Monday when a policeman belonging to

the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) tested positive for the use of methamphetamine hydrochloride (more common-ly called shabu). True, there were almost 500 cops who underwent the surprise test, and all but one failed, but as the cliché goes, the presence of just one bad egg spoils the batch. It is also reasonable to suspect that there would be more offenders among the other police officers who have not yet been tested.

Couple that story with what happened yesterday in a town in Bukidnon and the entire thing takes on a terrifying twist. The commander of the police station in Cabanglasan, a town straddling Bukidnon and Agusan del Sur, was killed when a police officer who had tested positive for drugs lobbed a grenade at him. When the attacker fled, the dep-

uty ran after him and was promptly killed when the erring cop threw another grenade at him. Quite apart from the operational lapse that may have occurred – why would a policeman run after a suspect without verifying if the lat-ter was carrying another grenade? – the incident shows just how dangerous it is for a cop to be involved in drugs.

Whether it likes it or not, the DCPO’s name is already sullied by the involvement of one of its men in drugs, and we have to ask what assurance it can give that we can rely on the police force to protect us. The rhetorical question needs to be asked at this point: Who protects us from our protectors? How sure are we that, with the incident in Bukidnon as our background, our own police officers will not train their guns or grenades at us? This is a serious issue that the DCPO must address. It is not just a matter of one cop testing positive for drugs; it is, in a very real sense, a matter of life or death.

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

OLIVIA D. VELASCOGeneral Manager

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015 VANTAGE POINTS 9EDGEDAVAO

SENATOR Alan Peter Cayetanos’s statements illustrate his callousness against many of us in Mindanao. He played to the angry sentiments

of his Metro Manila constituents on an issue that does not truly affect them as much as it does affect us down here on this forgotten island.

At this point I implore him to reserve his comments until after a full investigation is at least underway. His words carry weight – enough to entertain many of us with a fake bravado that only serves to fan sectarian flames that cause enmity between peoples. As a senator, I would expect that he sees beyond the myopia of a national government that for generations have referred to a “Muslim problem” as though it were the handiwork of religious leaders that can be met by appeasing demands. The tentative tone of his speech sounds really frustrating, as if he were fed what to say.

The same is true with Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos. Contrary to his call to restore faith in the peace process, the cake in this issue is taken himself above all, as I believe must finally shed light on what actually happened in the Jabidah Massacre more than 40 years ago. Many historians believe this to be the emotional spark that created the Moro rebellion that we know of today. Had Marcos not formed this commando unit that tried to take over several towns in Sabah,

Malaysia, the massacre of these men would not have taken place in Corregidor Island in Cavite. It is alleged that then-President Marcos himself ordered the execution of these trainees. The key question is whether we should anchor any faith or levy any credibility on Bongbong’s words.

The fault of both senators is that they comment on a situation they barely understand. What’s worse is that they try to gain political points on an issue they really don’t care about. None of them can truly understand what waging peace in Mindanao means, so they better just keep quiet and let those with real involvement speak out. Perhaps the best suggestion both senators can make is to allow Mindanao’s leaders to lead the peace effort. Only Mindanaoans can lend the proper experience to

the conflict resolution process.All that said, the peace process, much like that

of Northern Ireland, for example, is an opportunity to thoroughly flesh out and address the roots of the conflict. Yes, it is a political solution, and the military force employed is but a means to arrive at a negotiating table from a position of strength to enable proper discussion of issues. Time and expertise are invested in learning about why the protagonists seem so angry with each other, and what their core and long term interests are, not just their present demands and positions on issues. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to collectively examine the historical and structural roots of the conflict, far beyond and before the activities and supposed crimes of current protagonists. The depths of the conflict are examined, no matter how far ago – they must be resolved, lest new forms of protagonists and new conflicts rise up citing the same sense of historical injustice. Often the result of conflict resolution transcends legal bounds and the limits of history.

What matters most is moving on to the future with pride and decency, both emerging winners eager to work together to prevent the same conflict, killing, and animosity from happening again. Easier said than done, but for the sake of future generations the sacrifice to wage and build peace must be done.

WHEN a politician-actor was involved in a scandal some years back, his sister – a model-turned-actress – told reporters:

“Don’t judge my brother, he is not a book.” Well, she was actually paraphrasing the most-

often quoted statement: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The Bible puts it this way: “Stop judging by mere appearances,” (John 7:24).

Read the story below and tell me what you think of it:

A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the president’s outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn’t even deserve to be in Cambridge. She frowned.

The husband asked the secretary if he could see the president but she answered that he would be busy all day. “We’ll wait,” the wife joined.

For hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn’t. And the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted to do.

“Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they’ll leave,” she told him. And he sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn’t have the time to spend with them, but he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple.

“We had a son that attended Harvard for one year,” the wife told the president. “He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus.”

The president wasn’t touched he was shocked. “Madam,”” he said gruffly, “we can’t put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.”

“Oh, no,” the wife explained quickly. “We don’t want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.”

Upon hearing this, the president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit. “A building,” he exclaimed “Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical plant at Harvard.”

For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now.

The wife turned to her husband and said

quietly, “Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don’t we just start our own?”

Her husband nodded. The p r e s i d e n t ’ s face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.

Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the university that bears their name, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about!

“Men are not to be judged by their looks, habits, and appearances,” Sir Roger L’Estrange once said, “but by the character of their lives and conversations, and by their works.”

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer quips: “When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.” John Mason adds: “Judge thyself with a judgment of sincerity, and thou wilt judge others with a judgment of charity.” Honore de Balzac reiterates: “The more you judge, the less you love.”

In a speech delivered at Pittsburgh, Thomas Woodrow Wilson declared: “One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty councils. The thing to do is to supply light and not heat. At any rate, if it is heat it ought to be white heat and not sputter, because sputtering heat is apt to spread the fire. There ought, if there is any heat at all, to be that warmth of the heart which makes every man thrust aside his own personal feeling, his own personal interest, and take thought of the welfare and benefit of others.”

Judgment means a stale state of mind. And the mind always wants judgment, because to be in an unknown process is always hazardous and uncomfortable. This story happened in the days of Lao Tzu in China:

There was an old man in a village, very poor, but even kings were jealous of him because he had a beautiful white horse. Kings offered fabulous prizes for the horse, but the man would say, “This horse is not a horse to me, he is a person. And how can you sell a person, a friend?”

The man was poor, but he never sold the horse. One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. The whole village gathered and said, “You foolish old man! We knew that someday the horse

would be stolen. It would have been better to sell it. What a misfortune!”

“Don’t go so far as to say that,” the old man said. “Simply say that the horse is not in the stable. This is the fact; everything else is judgment. Whether it is a misfortune or a blessing I don’t know, because this is just a fragment. Who knows what is going to follow it?”

People laughed at the old man. They had always known he was a little crazy. But after fifteen days, suddenly one night the horse returned. The horse had not been stolen; the animal had escaped into the wild. And not only had the horse return, the animal brought a dozen wild horses along.

Again the people gathered and they said, “Old man, you were right. This was not a misfortune, it has indeed proved to be a blessing.”

The old man said, “Again you are going too far. Just say that the horse is back... who knows whether it is a blessing or not?” It is only a fragment. You read a single word in a sentence - how can you judge the whole book?”

This time the people could not say much, but inside they knew that he was wrong. Twelve beautiful horses had come.

The old man had an only son who started to train the horses. Just a week later he fell from a horse and his legs were broken. The people gathered again, and again they judged. They said, “Again you proved right! It was a misfortune. Your only son has lost the use of his legs, and in your old age he was your only support. Now you are poorer than ever.”

The old man said, “You are obsessed with judgment. Don’t go that far. Say only that my son had broken his legs. Life comes in fragments and more is never given to you.”

It happened that after a few weeks the country went to war, and all the young men of the town were forcibly taken for the military. Only the old man’s son was left because he was crippled. The whole town was crying and weeping, because it was a losing fight and they knew that most of the young people would never come back. They came to the old man and they said, “You were right, old man - this has proved a blessing. Maybe your son is crippled, but he is still with you. Our sons are gone forever.’

The old man said again, “You go on and on judging. Nobody knows! Only say this: that your sons have been forced to enter the army and my son has not been forced. But only God, who sees the total picture, knows whether it is a blessing or a misfortune.”

Norman Schwarzkopf said: “Judge them as you find them. Never prejudge anybody, based upon any of those things that sometimes people are prejudged on.”

Judge not

Henrylito D. Taciohenrytacio@gmail.com

THINK ON THESE!

Dear Senators Alan and Bongbong, please understand the PEACE PROCESS

Catholicizationof Davao

BY THE ARCHIVIST

FAST BACKWARD

A DECREE issued on July 30, 1860 by Queen Isabel II led to the creation of a politico-military government in Mindanao and its

neighboring islands. Under Article 13 of the edict, which was published in the Gaceta of Madrid on August 5, Mindanao was subdivided into six districts, including Davao, and gave the Jesuits the task to “engage in the spiritual care of the island and will replace the present parish priests with missionaries of its own in accordance with the increase in available personnel and conform to the way it deems convenient.”

Expounding this provision was another royal order issued on September 10, 1861 that gave the Jesuits “exclusive task of founding and thereafter developing mission stations and… they will be charged with the administration of the parishes and missions stations which have already been established by the Augustinian Recollects.” The order also stated that if no Jesuits could momentarily take over the parishes if these are vacated, the ministerial function would remain with the Recollects, unless “actually vacated and entrusted to the Society of Jesus.”

The first Jesuit to set foot in Davao on March 5, 1860 was Fr. Jose Fernandez Cuevas, the first mission superior of the restored Society. He took the ship Elcano, the steamer used in the Oyanguren campaign, from Polloc, a port in Maguindanao. His arrival, which took place before the royal order was signed, was significant given that during the past two months Davao did not have a priest. The Recollect parish priest had earlier died from a malignant fever without even receiving the last rites for lack of communication with the next nearest mission. For a few days, Cuevas administered sacraments before returning to Polloc.

Cuevas’ visit was awe-inspiring. He did not only get a distant view of the sulfurs of Mount Apo which was described as looking “like snowfields in the sunshine,” his arrival was welcomed by the commander of the tercio civil and the vice governor of Zamboanga who was at the gulf on a special mission. He was also brought to the main settlement situated just a few hundred meters upstream from the mouth of the river where he observed filth that could have caused the death of the Recollect priest.

At the time Davao had only about 830 residents “distributed between the capital [Davao] and the visita of Sigaboy.” Some of them were former exiled convicts who joined the Oyanguren expedition and were amply rewarded with appointments in the police force.

Unwilling to construct their own domiciles, they also refused to till the land or embrace agriculture but contented in subsisting on meager salaries allotted from the tributes or from earnings from small barters. Years after Datu Bago’s fall, the settlement remained sluggish, and was remotely visited by colonial managers from Manila.

Fr. Peter Schreurs, MSC wrote about the condition at the time:

“There was only one poor school in the village, which was run by somebody calling himself a teacher, who was allotted a salary of two pesos a month. For the defense of the stockade, which was built of light materials, there was a garrison of one hundred men of the tercio civil under the command of four officers from the ranks of sergeants and corporals of the regular army. Their captain earned a pay of twenty pesos a month, the lieutenant of seventeen pesos and the soldiers of three pesos. In four years, not a single steam-propelled warship had been in the waters of the gulf and only once a year it was visited by an interisland ship.”

By 1873, the Jesuits started taking over the Recollect missions outside Davao. During this period, Fr. Francisco Martin Luengo, the parish priest of Surigao, made a reconnaissance trip to Sigaboy, and, upon reaching the coastal village of Caraga, he was impressed by the beauty of the place. He wrote: “Caraga, o que nombre este! Y cuantas ideas me despiera!” (Caraga, what a name! And how many thoughts does it rouse in me!)

John Triaecisouth@gmail.com

MY TWO CENTS’

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 201510 EDGEDAVAO

ICT HUB

BRUCE Jenner was not texting while driving when he got into a

chain-reaction crash in Mal-ibu that left a woman dead, a publicist for the Olympic gold medalist said Sunday.

Jenner will provide his cellphone records if request-ed by investigators looking into the cause of the four-ve-hicle crash on Pacific Coast Highway, Alan Nierob said.

“The evidence will show that Bruce was not texting at the time of the accident,” he said.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officials said in-vestigators will likely seek cellphone records for all the drivers to determine if dis-tracted driving played a role in the accident.

Jenner was driving a black Cadillac Escalade when he rear-ended a Lexus sedan that slammed into a Toyota Prius that had slowed down or stopped on the famous coastal highway, sheriff’s Sgt. Philip Brooks said.

The Lexus veered into oncoming traffic and col-lided head-on with a black Hummer.

The driver of the Lexus — Kim Howe 69, of Calaba-sas, California — was pro-nounced dead at the scene.

In his first comments since Saturday’s crash, Jen-ner called the accident “a devastating tragedy” and vowed to cooperate with in-vestigators.

“My heartfelt and deep-

est sympathies go out to the family and loved ones, and to all of those who were involved or injured in this terrible accident,” Jenner said in a statement Sunday evening. “It is a devas-tating tragedy I cannot pretend to imagine what this family is go-ing through at this time. I am praying for them.”

The moment of impact was captured by celebrity photog-raphers, who quickly posted the images on the Internet. The pho-tos show the white Lexus mangled in the front and back, facing the Hummer, which had a heavily damaged engine and its hood popped open. Jenner’s Escalade, which was pulling an off-road ve-hicle, had a damaged front end.

There was no indi-cation Jenner was being chased by paparazzi at the time of the crash, au-thorities said. “Being a ce-lebrity, he is often followed by paparazzi. He was aware of that, and it doesn’t appear he took any evasive action to avoid the paparazzi,” Brooks said.

Authorities said Jenner passed a field sobriety test and voluntarily submitted a blood sample to determine whether he was intoxicated.

The sheriff’s department

IN the George Orwell clas-sic novel 1984, Oceania’s ruling party monitors its

citizens through telescreens, which are both television sets and security cameras. It

was chilling look into a pos-sible future – a future that is apparently here. Now.

Samsung recently admit-ted that its Smart TV – which it advertises with the tag-

line, “TV has never been this smart” – can and does record all conversations within its microphone’s range. The manual actually says this:

If you enable Voice Rec-

ognition, you can interact with your Smart TV using your voice. To provide you the Voice Recognition feature, some voice commands may be transmitted (along with

Bruce Jenner wasn’t textingduring fatal crash: publicist

Careful: Samsung’s SmartTV records your living room talk

has custody of all the vehicles and will be inspecting them to ensure they are mechan-ically sound or whether a defect prevented somebody from stopping in time.

Investigators could also request search warrants, if necessary. The information gleaned from those records could help inform prosecu-tors, if they were to consider charges against the drivers involved.

However, Brooks said it is difficult to determine if a driver was texting at the exact time of a collision. In-vestigators will look at signs of driver behavior such as multiple texts that span a pe-riod of time leading up to, or including, the crash, Brooks said.

The crash comes at a time of widespread talk that Jenner, 65, is becoming a woman. Though Jenner him-

self has declined public com-ment, his appearance has gradually become more tra-ditionally feminine. Those in his inner circles have not challenged speculation that he is preparing to live as a woman and perhaps will ap-pear in a new reality series about his transition.

Jenner won a gold med-al in the men’s decathlon at the 1976 Summer Games, but he is known to a young-

er generation as Kim Kar-dashian’s stepfather. He and Kris Jenner appeared on the reality series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” along with their children, and the pair’s relationship and its troubles have been featured prominently on the show. The two finalized their di-vorce late last year, ending 23 years of marriage. TAMI ABDOLLAH, Associated Press

information about your de-vice, including device identi-fiers) to a third-party service that converts speech to text or to the extent necessary to provide the Voice Recognition features to you.

In addition, Samsung may collect and your device may capture voice commands and associated texts so that we can provide you with Voice Recognition features and evaluate and improve the fea-tures.

Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data cap-tured and transmitted to a third party through your use of Voice Recognition.

In an article on CNET dat-ed February 8, writer Chris Matyszczyk says a Samsung spokeswoman told him: “Samsung takes consumer privacy very seriously. In all of our Smart TVs we employ industry-standard security safeguards and practices, in-

cluding data encryption, to secure consumers’ personal information and prevent un-authorized collection or use.”

The problem is who can do such authorizing, and for what.

Corynne McSherry, in-tellectual property director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said judging by the privacy policy, it seems Samsung is collecting voice commands mostly to im-prove the TV’s performance.

“It looks like they are using a third-party service to convert speech to text, so that’s most of what is being disclosed here,” she said.

But she added, “If I were the customer, I might like to know who that third party was, and I’d definitely like to know whether my words were being transmitted in a secure form.”

Samsung has so far not identified the third party that is processing the data collected from its smart TVs. Edge Davao

The SUV with a trailer belonging to Bruce Jenner is seen the scene of a car crash where one person was killed and at least seven other’s were injured, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015. Olympic gold medalist Jenner was in one of the cars

involved in the four-vehicle crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif., that killed a woman, Los Angeles County authorities said. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015 11

By OLAN FERNANDEZ EMBOSCADO

EDGEDAVAO

THE TRAVEL TELLER

THE Island Garden City of Samal has always been Southern Mindan-

ao’s premier beach and island destination. It is dotted not only with pristine white sand beaches and crystal clear wa-ters but with eco-adventure destinations one should not miss when visiting the island.

Considered by some as the largest resort city in the coun-try, Samal Island is home to fin-est beach resorts in the region. Every year new beach resorts – even highland and inland ones – are being constructed to cater to more visitors flocking to the island. The newest addi-tion is SECDEA Beach Resort.

SECDEA Beach Resort is conveniently located in San Isidro, Babak District. It is eas-ily accessible whether by a pri-vate car or the island’s famed habal-habal ride. It is about 15 minutes travel if you’re coming from Babak proper or 25 minutes from Peñaplata. More than the resort’s proxim-

ity, SECDEA’s modern facilities and amenities are among the reasons it should be the place of your choice on your next vis-it to Samal.

SECDEA Beach Resort boasts a stunning beach atmo-sphere with state-of-the-art amenities and facilities, con-temporary designed beach vil-las and cottages, and unique-ly-designed architecture. It is ideally designed to provide convenience and recreation whether basking on the beach, frolicking in the sand, or just roaming around the 56-hect-are property.

One of the most recom-mended things to do while in SECDEA is the Mangrove Walk. It features wooden and concrete bridges perfect to stroll around the mangrove mini-forest. Inside the area is a mangrove nursery where Pa-tapat and Bakhaw are grown.

Another feature of this first class resort is the huge lagoon and fish pond perfectly

SECDEA BEACH RESORT:Comfort and leisure at its Best

Get yourself a refreshing guy-abano shake too – just perfect for a sunny beach day.

What about day-tour trip-ping? Worry not, SECDEA of-fers day tour trip for only P750 pesos and that comes with a sumptuous buffet lunch, free use of the pool, mangrove walk, and tour around the re-

sort.Whether you’re here for a

day tour or for a night or two, SECDEA Beach Resort will em-brace you with warmth and comfort, giving you another feel of the “charm of tropical island living.” After all, SEC-DEA is Samal Island ‘s newest comfort and relaxation desti-

nation.For more information, you

may check the details and re-lated information below.SECDEA Beach ResortSan Isidro, Babak DistrictIsland Garden City of Samal(082) 305 2774https://www.facebook.com/secdeabeachresort

built near the main entrance. It serves as a charming welcom-ing sight upon entering the vi-cinity of the resort. Here, fish-ing is allowed where one can catch tilapia and bangus – and yes, you can have them cooked fresh for you.

SECDEA’s infinity pool by the restaurant is a charmer. It offers a magnificent panoramic view of the Davao Gulf and the two famous Liguid Islands – a very therapeutic and relaxing sight to behold. In addition to that are the enticing colors of the white shoreline, the azure skies, and the blue seawaters that perfectly blend to define a perfect tropical haven.

SECDEA’s villas, lodg-es, and seaside cottages are designed with coziness and comfort – all come with clean, spacious, and modern bath-rooms. For those who wish to stay, there are seaside cottages for couples, spacious lodges for a family of four, and comfy villas for bigger groups or fam-ilies. Room rates range to from P3,500 to P12,000.

There are so many things one can do at SECDEA. You can sweat it out and climb up the 124-step stairway that will lead you to the hill overlook-ing the view of Davao Gulf and the entire resort. Trust me, the view from the top is just breathtaking.

You can also roam around the entire property by riding or driving a golf cart. Vehicles are not allowed inside the main resort but a spacious parking area is located just beside the main entrance. Golf carting around SECDEA is an amazing experience. But wait, it also has bicycles that you can borrow and go wander around the property.

What about the food? SEC-DEA serves oh-so-delectable dishes that will make you feel like you’re in the comfort of your own home. I’m highly rec-ommending its own version of bagnet pinakbet and adobo.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 201512 CLASSIFIED

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

EDGEDAVAOINdulge! WOMEN

FASHION styling is one of the fast growing careers in this modern day and age. Given the power and influence of tri-media and online channels, most industries have invested more attention and effort in brand and image. Part of mar-keting and advertising brands is communicating values and image to your audience by way of visuals and imagery. Both require expertise in putting to-gether style elements into one set, putting a scene into life by way of providing all the essen-tials, including wardrobe, that each set up requires. This is where a stylist comes in handy. Pam Quiñones, Liz Uy, Ranier Dagala… These are just few of the names that ring a bell when the term fashion styling comes to mind. The demand for fashion stylists originated from the need for a professional and creative eye to help improve a person or a company’s image and concep-tualize ideas for commercials, film productions and magazine shoots. Most of the people of this profession work freelance while some are employed in publishing and events companies, advertis-ing agencies, fashion designers, retail brands, etc.

STYLEIMAGE Ella Canave Anung

&

In Durianburg, one of the many who are slowly creating a name for himself/herself is Angela “Ella” Canave Anung, a 24-year-old Accountancy gradu-ate. Her foray into the fashion scene proved to be a sensible choice as she had always been fascinated with clothing design as early as high school age. “I knew where my passion lies, so I summed up my guts to do some self-study and email professional stylists for tips and info on how to make a career in fashion,” says Ella. “I also messaged photogra-phers and designers in town, of-fered them my services as stylist for their pictorials. I knew I had to establish myself first by cre-ating a good portfolio to show everyone what I can do.” Soon, Ella got calls from clients asking

for her help in engagement shoot while some are for collaborative work for magazine and portrait shoots. “When I do styling projects/stints, I always ask for the theme and peg of the shoot, considering the point of view of the photogra-pher and client. Then I ask about the personalities of the subject/s or model/s. Are they comfortable wearing anything or they just want to stick on a certain type of selections? It’s also important to see the model, or at least a full body photo, so I can be familiar with the body type I’m going to style. I, then, create the ideal shape for the subject/model. The purpose is to find a focal point and come up with a creative style

Photos by Paul Borromeo and Your Ever After Studios

STYLE A4

PEOPLE born in the Year of the Sheep are good na-tured, kind hearted, polite, clever, and easily taken by sympathy. They work very hard to accomplish their goals, and are good team workers. It is said that Sheep have fan-tastic luck. They usually meet the ones who will assist them and will care deeply for them. They obtain their wishes without force, they are the masters of soft sell tech-niques. Sheep are artistic, talented, and have a great sense of fashion. They are generous to share what they have, and thus have close friends and families. SM Children’s Accessories cel-ebrates Chinese New Year with a collection of cute, lovable, and huggable sheep plush toys that will make playtime and sleep time lots of fun. Bring home hugs, joy and luck with these cute little Sheep’s, avail-able in SM Children’s Accessories department of the SM Store.

A2 INdulge!UP AND ABOUT

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015EDGEDAVAO

Make Valentine’s Day extra special with Seda Abreeza’s Reflections of love. Have a four-course set dinner paired with wines paired for every course at Misto with a live Bossa Nova performance from the talents of Muzicskool for only Php1,480 nett per person. For inquiries and reservations, please call (082) 3228888 or email dvo@sedahotels.com.

Say BAA-BAA bye-bye to the Year of the Horse. And say hello to 2015, the Year of the Sheep!

Cheer up with your buddy sheep backpack.

Lucky, lovable sheep toy for kids of all ages. Fun time with Sheep.

Adorable sheep plush toys from the Children’s Accessories Department at the

SM Store!

THIS Year of the Sheep, maximize your auspicious en-ergies. Get some tips on how to at-tract good fortune when you visit SM Lanang Premier this Lunar New Year. On Wednesday, Feb-ruary 11, 5 pm, interna-tional Feng Shui master Marites Allen will be at

the Atrium to share her forecast for 2015. Find out your lucky colors, numbers and elements this year through free consultations brought to you by the metro’s pre-mier shopping and life-style hub. For a glimpse of Chi-nese culture and artis-tic traditions, catch the time-honored Lion and

Dragon Dance on Febru-ary 19 at 10 am and mar-vel at the Chinese Cultur-al Show on February 21, 5 pm, at The Atrium. Welcome the Chinese New Year at SM Lanang Premier! For more de-tails, contact 285-0943 or visit SM Lanang Pre-mier on Facebook, Twit-ter and Instagram for event updates.

at SM Children’s Accessories

LUCKY SHEEP

Discover your fortune forecast with Marites Allen at SM Lanang Premier

INdulge! A3VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015 EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENT

Make Valentine’s Day extra special with Seda Abreeza’s Reflections of love. Have a four-course set dinner paired with wines paired for every course at Misto with a live Bossa Nova performance from the talents of Muzicskool for only Php1,480 nett per person. For inquiries and reservations, please call (082) 3228888 or email dvo@sedahotels.com.

Say BAA-BAA bye-bye to the Year of the Horse. And say hello to 2015, the Year of the Sheep!

Choose your Sheep at Children’s Accessories Department at the SM Store!

Playtime is fun time with a sheep plush toy

THE “JaDine” love team of James Reid and Nadine Lustre will make TV viewers fall in love in the up-coming Valentine’s Day episode of ABS-CBN’s “Maalaala Mo Kaya.” James and Nadine will play the characters of Yong and Carmina, who were initially bound by the latter’s fascination with romance novels and the list of love signs which she thought led her to Mr. Right. Can Yong and Carmi-na’s relationship found-ed on superficial hints last when challenges take their toll on them? Also part of the up-coming “MMK” Valen-tine special this Saturday

(February 14) are Shar-maine Arnaiz, Hyasmin Neri, Andre Garcia, Aina Solano, Erin Ocampo, Myrtle Sarosa, Nicole Barranda, Kyra Custodio,

Axel Torres, Onse, Noel Colet and Marites Sam-son. It is directed by Fra-sco Mortiz and written by Benson Logronio and Arah Jell Badayos. “MMK” is led by busi-ness unit head Malou Santos and creative manager Mel Mendoza-del Rosario. Capturing the hearts of Filipino viewers all over the world for the past 23 years, “Maalaala Mo Kaya” has legions of fans from different generations who cried,

KAPUSO teen star Julian Trono is defi-nitely set to con-quer bigger stages and win bigger au-diences. Last week, he was cited as an example of youngsters who go through K-Pop training in the Arirang morning show ‘Korea Today’. “[The] Korean system [is] more of smooth [and] very strict when it comes to steps. And of course when it comes to sing-ing, [the Koreans are] more practical. There [are] a lot of differences between the Philippines and Korea… [The] Ko-rean system is very, very unique,” he said. The actor, singer, and dancer is currently in Ko-rea as part of a three-year partnership between GMA Network and JU

Entertainment. He is set to release a single called ‘Wiki Me’ wherein he col-laborated with a Korean composer. He is also scheduled to guest in the music and variety program ‘Show

Champion’ on MBC, a free TV channel in South Korea. On his arrival back to Manila, his single ‘Wiki Me’ will be launched in Sunday All Stars on Feb-ruary 22.

James, Nadine to star in “MMK’s” Valentine special

Julian Trono talks about his Korean training in Arirang’s ‘Korea Today’

PG13/

*R16

R13

PG 1311:40 | 2:15 | 4:50 | 7:25 | 10:00 LFS

R-16

JUPITER ASCENDING

Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum

R18 11:35 | 2:05 | 4:35 | 7:25 | 10:00 LFS

PADDINGTON / *EVERLY

12:40 | 3:00 | 5:40 | 7:40 | 10:00 LFS

THE WEDDING RINGER

Kevin Hart, Josh Gad

12:25 | 2:00 | 4:15 LFS / *6:10 | 8:05 | 10:00 LFS

Hugh Bonnevilles, Xian Lim (Voice of Paddington) / * Salma Hayek

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan

February 11, 2015

laughed, fell in love, and got inspired through the real-life narratives of the show’s letter-senders. Don’t miss the lon-gest-running drama an-thology in Asia, “MMK,” every Saturday, 7:15PM, after “Home Sweetie Home” on ABS-CBN. For more updates, log on to MMK.abs-cbn.com, follow @MMKOf-ficial on Twitter, and “like”Facebook.com/MMKOfficial. Tweet your thoughts about this Sat-urday’s episode by using the hashtag #MMKSign-sOfLove.

A4 INdulge!WOMEN

STYLE A1that falls at a flattering an-gle. For example, exposing skin below your neck down to the boob cleavage can finely draw the eye down-ward, giving an illusion of a longer upper body silhou-ette. From there, I research for ideas on how to make the peg unique and atten-tion worthy (e.g. poses, hair and makeup, lighting, clothing textures, possible props, etc.). After that, I scout, gather and produce the props needed.” Sharing her insights on the modern day woman, Ella takes into consider-ation a utilitarian ward-robe to complement the versatile woman in this cosmopolitan world. “A modern woman has a clas-

there’s wrong with print on print; as long as it doesn’t blind the eyes. Or button-downs paired with a leath-er pencil skirt paired with sneakers are quick fixes for you. Just take note, street casual calls for a laidback and effortless flair.”

Formal “Understand the dress code. Consider wearing clothes that can be dressed up or dressed down. If you think you’re overly dressed, convert your look to a semi-formal one by maybe removing an accessory or removing the tie for men and opening one button on top. I encourage ladies to fit their chosen dress a day/s before the event. This will give you time to make the necessary alterations. With accessories, avoid being so matchy-matchy. Accessories should com-plement your entire look. Perfect fit is the key! You must be confident enough to strut your look! Kapag bongga ang fit sayo at na-kakaflatter ang dress, mas masarap irampa! With accessories, avoid being so matchy-matchy. Acces-sories should complement your entire look. Then heels for the ladies! Nude ones are the safest choice. However, if the shoe design complements the look, I’d say, why not?”

sic sophistication which can get her through the many seasons without sacrificing comfort and function. She follows her instincts and I believe we are more knowledgeable of which cuts and prints flat-ter her curves and smile. She is able to pull off a look and make it seem effortless for her.”

Style tips from Ella:Corporate Wear “Remember, you want to look respectable and styl-ish. You can always play with colors (such as teal, burgundy, plum) and prints (stripes, bold pat-terns) -- though for me it’s best to keep your colors in the same hue but different shades. Neutrals are your best friend. Choose flats

or heels either but best to say no to embellishments, gems, or anything with glitters.”

Cockatail Events“Keep your look some-where between low-key and posh. You don’t want to look like a walking chandelier, ey? But be-fore choosing your ward-robe, know the theme of the event. Keep your skirt length at knee-low or mid-thigh high (at most).”

Street Casual “Your best weapon is your personality. Whatever you want to echo when you’re out in the streets or just strolling in the mall, go for it. Mix and match if you want, just keep everything in moderate. Let’s say,

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015 13EDGEDAVAO

ZION ACCUPRINT PUBLISHING, INC.

MACHINE OPERATOR (Printing Press)

Door 14 Alcrej Building, Quirino Ave., 8000 Davao City, Philippines

E-mail: marketing@edgedavao.netzion_publishing@yahoo.com

Telefax: (082) 2213601Website: www.edgedavao.net

Qualifications:- At least high school graduate, not more than 30 years old

- Physically and mentally fit- Can handle minor repairs of the machine

- Has the ability to be cool under pressure of deadlines and complex projects

- Experience of at least one year

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 201514 NEWS

Del Rosario...

GenSan...

Muslims...

Camiguin...

North...

Council...

Dayanghirang...

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FFROM 5

FFROM 3

FFROM 3

FFROM 4

CHED...FFROM 3

FFROM 2

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EDGEDAVAO

Republic of the PhilippinesDepartment of Transportation

and CommunicationLAND TRANSPORTATION

FRANCHISING AND REGULA-TORY BOARD

Regional Office No. XIDavao City

Petition for Renewal of a Cer-tificate of Public Convenience to operate a FILCAB Ordinary Regular Service

Case No.2001-XI-02353

UNITED HOMEOWNERS TRANSPORT SERVICE COOP-ERATIVE (UHTSC) Petitioner

x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - --x

NOTICE OF HEARING

Petitioner is a grantee of a Certificate of Public Conve-nience issued in this case autho-rizing the operation of a FILCAB Ordinary Regular service on the route. DOÑA PILAR SUBDIVI-SION VIA JP LAUREL AVENUE with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certificate will expire on December 20, 2015. In the pe-tition filed on January 23, 2015, petitioner requests authority to extend the validity of said certif-icate 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 FEBRUARY 24, 2015 at 09:00 a.m. at this office at the above address.

At least, TEN (10) days pri-or 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 supported by documentary ev-idence 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 documen-tary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it necessary to receive addition-al documentary and/or oral ev-idence.

WITNESS the Honorable TERE-SITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZOfficer In-Charge, this 23rd day of January 2015 at Davao City.

EDGAR CRISANTO R. VIOLOAN Acting Chief Transport Devel-

opment Officer

with Electric Power Supply last year, higher than the 74 percent in 2013.

“There were 896 Baran-gays and 4,496 Sitios in the Region that were energized as of November 2014, bringing the 2014 accomplishment rate to 76 percent, higher by 2 per-centage points from 2013’s 74 percent,” Lim said.

She said the current ac-complishment had already achieved the end-of-Plan tar-get of 70.28 percent.

“This noteworthy achieve-

ment is attributed to the prior-itization of rural electrification by the National Government through implementation of countryside electrification programs such as the Sitio Electrification Project (SEP) and the Expanded Rural Elec-trification Program,” Lim add-ed.

Lim said that both projects aim to improve the quality of life and widen access to basic social services for the margin-alized sectors in remote and geographically isolated areas.

Cotabato City. Mayor Japal J. Guiani, Jr. is hoping more tour-ists will visit the city in 2015.

“This year, we are ex-pecting many investments to come in the city. We have sev-eral shopping malls that are expected to open this year and we also have foreign in-vestors who are interested in exploring the potentials of Cotabato City,” he said.

The Department of Tour-ism in Central Mindanao is targeting two million tourists arrivals in the region in 2015.

Moreover, the city is also in its initial stage of building a Visitors Informa-tion Center, that will serve as the hub of information for tourists regarding dif-ferent attractions and des-tinations in the city. (PNA)

DAVAO HELEN’S PAWNSHOP CORPORATION

Davao City:252 San Pedro St.,167 San Pedro St.,

CVA Bldg., C. M. Recto St.,G/F Victoria Plaza Bajada

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2nd Level Gaisano Mall Bajada,G/F NCCC Bldg., R. Magsaysay Ave.,

Centerpoint Plaza MatinaFronting San Pedro College Guerrero St.,

Carlson Bldg., Lapu-lapu St.,AgdaoNCCC Mall MatinaSaavedra St., Toril

Gaisano South Citimall, Ilustre St.,Km. 11 Sasa

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DAVAO HELEN’S PAWNSHOP CORP.De Guzman St., Davao City

Telefax (082)225-4473

NOTICE OF AUCTION SALEAll unredeemed items pawned during the month of September 2014,if not redeemed/renewed

on February 15, 2015 will be put on Auction Sale February 20, 2015 at 9:00 A. M. to 5:00 P.M.Pahibalo nga ang tanang wala malukat nga prenda sa bulan Setyembre 2014,kung dili malukat

sa Pebrero 15, 2015 isubasta sa bulan sa Pebrero 20, 2015 sa alas 9:00 sa buntag hangtud sa alas 5:00 sa hapon.

ernment officials, but if it will be from the money of the city government which is the mon-ey of the people of Davao City, it is prohibited according to COA,” the vice mayor said.

Earlier, Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte said he will ask the City Council for P1 million

for the education of the SAF members’ children, adding he will seek a foundation that will manage the fund.

He also said Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada already gave P1 million to the families of the 44 fallen SAF members. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

five years, but in no case shall such adjustment exceed 10 percent of the rates fixed un-der this code.”

The revision will be based

under section 143 of the law so that the increase will be lower than the provision of the existing tax code. Arman-do B. Fenequito Jr.

ments will continue in the re-gion if the proposed law will not get the nod of Congress.

He said members of the Muslim communities in Davao Region believe the advocacy of President Benigno Aquino in attaining genuine peace in Mindanao.

Yesterday’s peace rally was participated in by members of Muslim communities from Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, and Compos-tela Valley.

Sawat said the peace rally was simultaneously conducted

in different part of Mindanao and Luzon. Among the areas were Isabela, Pagadian, Coto-bato, Davao, General Santos, Tacurong, Marawi, Iligan, Que-zon City, and the municipality of Pikit in North Cotabato.

He said the movement was spearheaded by the Muslim Alliance for Peace and allied organizations .

Sawat said the groups aim to gather six million signa-tures for a manifesto that will be submitted to lawmakers to push for the passage of the BBL.

ber of armed groups.He said this is because

the province is near Com-postela Valley Province, which is still a hot bed for the New People’s Army (NPA).

“May nagagawi pa din doon na mga armed groups

(Some armed groups still stray into the province),” Balegtey said.

He said one such incur-sion in December last year resulted in an armed en-counter between the rebels and government troops.

ing up with quality scientific research and development studies, the country ranks 102nd.

“The government is not spending enough for re-search and development. Some ASEAN countries are allotting 10 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but ours is less than that,” he said.

Alvarez said a shift in heart and culture is needed to uplift research and devel-opment in the country.

However, he said he did not blame the government because many higher educa-tion institutions (HEIs) like SPC are taking initiatives in making their R&D competi-tive.

HEIs, however, need to conduct researches that are based on the needs of the in-dustries, he said.

Alvarez urged other schools and universities in the region to make their own initiatives in uplifting their respective research and development protocols in order to be at par with the ASEAN nations.

For his part, SPC chap-lain Fr. Ramon Claro G. Men-dez said the protocols used in research should not be

based on the market but on the “higher purpose” of ben-efitting society.

During the ceremony, SPC president Sr. Annabella A. Roña said the manual was made “in response to the newly crafted vision, mis-sion statement and goals of SPC. The vision which puts emphasis on the poor and disadvantaged is ensured of the ethical protocols which the vulnerable populations as subjects are given pro-tection as a provision in the conduct of the study.”

Roña said the manual will serve as guide to stu-dents, faculty, and other researchers conducting re-searches in their respective field.

She said it is very im-portant for SPC to have an ethical protocol in conduct-ing research especially be-cause SPC’s curricula are generally focused on health related profession.

“It is no doubt that most of the subjects of the study will involve human and ani-mal populations and studies may also involve the use of microorganisms,” she add-ed.

Marleonie M. Baluyot, Ethics Committee chair and

editor of the manual, said the book compiled relevant provisions as protocols pri-or to implementation of any research proposal.

“It ensures compliance of review of the proposal which will provide better outcomes in the conduct of research,” he said.

Baluyot added that the manual “sees to it that in-vestigator/s, aside from the scientific and/ or technical review, addresses those provisions required by the ethics as suggested by the International Ethics Review Committee consisting of three members to compose the panel”.

Baluyot said the manu-al generally adopted most protocols of the World Health Organization (WHO) to make sure that the stan-dards and practices of the College in reviewing re-search protocols are aligned with the generally accepted standards.

The manual was pre-launched in February 2014 and was later on adopted by SPC as a protocol to re-view all research proposals in the undergraduate and graduate studies. CHENEEN R. CAPON

WALK FOR PEACE. Muslim women join the peace demonstration along the main thoroughfares of Davao City yesterday to call for the resumption of the discussions on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress. Lean Daval Jr.

“The GSP takes an active part in molding the society and that it is very imminent that it will be a major sector that will determine or shape the future,” Mendoza said, adding that women are now empowered in the country.

About 1,652 young girls the provinces of Basilan, Lanao

del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Sulu, Sul-tan Kudarat, Maguindanao, and North Cotabato and the cities of Marawi, Zamboanga, Cotabato, Tacurong, and Kidapawan.

The theme of this year’s girl scout’s regional encampment was: “Imagine: Girl Scouts Ig-niting the Future.” (PNA)

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015 15SPORTSEDGEDAVAO

I WOKE up with a message from Martz Angeles Coleman, aunt of United States fencer Lee Kiefer, last Sunday morning. Her big news? Lee just won the gold in

the Algers World Cup. That should be big news indeed. A

gold in the World Cup is no mean feat for a young fencer like Lee.

But wait, that’s not enough. Lee won the gold in style and when I

mean in style, she did it against the tough-est of opposition. The teen fencing sensa-tion defeated no less than Ariana Errigo of Italy, the world’s no. 2 fencer in wom-en’s foil and the same lady who ended the Olympic run of Lee in 2012 in London.

Oh, if you have not heard of Lee, she is a half-Pinay fencer for the United States

team and she is currently ranked no. 4 in the world. Her mother is a Dabawenya doctor Teresa Bacani Kiefer who is now based in Ken-tucky. Lee has been to Davao when she was 12 and she stayed at an aunt’s house in El Rio Vista Village in my neighbourhood.

Lee is only 19 and is the United States’ biggest hope for a fencing medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

I sent a message to her coach Amgad Abd El-Halim Khazbak and the very ac-commodating mentor responded excited-ly to announce that Lee has improved to world no. 4 from no. 5.

“Our goal is not only to go to Rio but to have a medal,” coach Amgad said in a message.

Coach Amgad said the qualifying school for the Rio Olympics will be held next month in Havana, Cuba for the Hava-na Grand Prix.

In Algers, Algeria, Lee defeated the veteran Errigo 15-14. Lee gave up around five inches to the tall Italian fencer ranked no. 2 in the world. Earlier in St. Mauer, Lee also defeated 2012 Olympic gold winner Elisa Di-Francesca of Italy for the silver in

the St. Mauer World Cup.She also won the Juniors World Cup

gold medal last year and anchored the US team to a silver medal finish early this year in the Gdansk World Cup.

Her aunt in Davao, Dr. Janice Bacani Carandang must be very proud of Lee. A stint in the 2016 Olympics is now on sight for the Kiefer family and they all look for-ward to cheering for Lee in Rio.

Prior to that though, let’s pray Lee sur-vives the Havana Grand Prix—her pass-port to Rio hinges in this event.

We are all rooting for you Lee, way to go.

Postscripts: Listen to “Let’s Get It On with Neil Bravo” on 105.9 Balita FM every Saturday 8-10 a.m.

Lee Kiefer is closing in on Rio

Neil Bravo

LET’S GET IT ON

DREAM no more people of Davao City.

The realization of having a modern sports facil-ity for Davao City, a long-time dream, is finally taking place under the administration of Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte.

“The funding is already there. It’s just a matter of implementing the plan and building the sports complex,” City Administrator Atty. Jesus Melchor V. Quitain told partic-ipants to the recent 2015 Cath-olic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) Mind-anao Games at the University of Immaculate Conception (UIC) Bajada campus gym.

“We hope that the con-struction will start soon, and we hope that the construction will continue before the end of the term of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte,” Quitain added.

Nestled in a 20-hectare lot inside the University of the Philippines-Mindanao in Mint-al, Tugbok District, the facility will be called the Davao City Sports Complex.

Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro T. Ungab said the budget allocation was already included in the General Ap-propriations Act 2015 and that construction works for

the sports complex will com-mence either in May or June this year.

First phase of the project will cost P250 million, consist-ing of the auditorium (P100 million), indoor gym and multi-purpose building (P50 million), track oval, lightings and outdoor sports (P50 mil-lion) and road leading to the sports complex (P50 million).

Rep. Ungab said the au-ditorium, indoor gym and multi-purpose building and road construction is now up for bidding. On process is the bidding for the track oval and outdoor sports.

Ungab said it was May-or Duterte himself who first brought the idea of building a modern sports facility for the people of Davao several years back.

“It’s a realization of a common dream. I was still in the City Council when Mayor Duterte first laid out the idea of establishing sports complex in the city,” said Ungab, chair of the committee on appropria-tions in the House of Repre-sentatives.

“Now, we can see this dream turning into a reality,” he added.

It can be recalled that the

GREGG Popovich’s grand plan has produced plenty of wins.

The Spurs made it an even 1,000 for him on Monday night.

San Antonio rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter defi-cit and got an 18-foot baseline jumper from Marco Belinelli with 2.1 seconds left to give Popovich a milestone 95-93 victory at Indiana.

‘’I’ve been here a long time and I’ve had good players. That’s the formula,’’ Popovich said. ‘’Getting the players is dif-ficult, but I’ve been fortunate to have good ones. The time, that’s the most important el-ement. You have to be around for a while I guess.’’

Popovich celebrated in his typical low-key way. He walked to midcourt, putt an arm around Pacers coach Frank Vo-

gel, hugged one of his former players and stoically strolled into the Spurs’ locker room though he later acknowledged he might drink some wine.

While Popovich does have five NBA championships, few midseason wins have come with this much fanfare.

Only two coaches, Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, reached 1,000 wins faster than Popo-vich. Only one other coach, Jer-ry Sloan, achieved the feat with one team. Sloan won 1,127 games with Utah. Popovich is 1,000-462 in 19 NBA seasons, all with San Antonio.

His regular-season win-ning percentage (.684) ranks fifth all time. His playoff win-ning percentage is seventh (.623) though only two men in front of him coached more than 100 postseason games, Jackson

and Billy Cunningham.And it came on the most

fitting stage of all for the Indi-ana native. Popovich was born in northwest Indiana and grew up playing high school basket-ball in Merrillville, Indiana.

But it was Popovich’s play-ers who wanted this win most - and it showed as they erased a nine-point deficit over the final 5 1/2 minutes.

Belinelli finally tipped the game with his jumper just be-fore the shot clock expired, and George Hill’s 3-pointer for the win bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

‘’A thousand wins, that’s a lot of wins and I feel very lucky that I’ve been with him for a lot of them,’’ Tony Parker said after scoring 19 points. ‘’We’ve expe-rienced so much stuff together. I’m just very happy for him.’’

Popovich played this one with some caution.

After Sunday night’s loss in Toronto, he deactivated Manu Ginobili and carefully tracked the minutes of Parker and Tim Duncan. Parker and Duncan, who had 15 points and eight rebounds, each played 30 min-utes, 23 seconds and didn’t en-ter the fourth quarter until just before the closing run began.

‘’We just weren’t solid enough down the stretch and gave them too many extra possessions,’’ Pacers forward David West said. ‘’We’re disap-pointed we let this game get away.’’

West finished with 10 points and a season-high 18 rebounds for Indiana. Rodney Stuckey had 19 points as the Pacers’ three-game winning streak came to an end.

TIGER Woods hasn’t been this low in the Official World Golf Ranking since

1996, the year he turned pro. Woods checks in at No. 62

in the latest world ranking, his worst ranking since the week after he won his first PGA Tour event in Las Vegas in October 1996 (No. 75). If Woods contin-ues to struggle similarly as he did in Phoenix two weeks ago or is sidelined with injury, he will plummet further.

Without getting too deep, the Official World Golf Ranking is determined based on results from the prior two years (104 weeks). Players earn points in events based on their finish and the strength of the competition they beat. Those points hold their full value for approximate-ly three months (13 weeks)

before losing value in 91 equal increments to match the rolling nature of the ranking formula. The points earned are divided by the number of events in which a player competes in that 104-week span (with a minimum value of 40) to get an average, the measure that sets the rank-ing’s pecking order.

Woods is yet to earn any ranking points in 2015 and earned less 7.39 points for all of an injury-plagued 2014. He’s set to lose very little the next two weeks, but will lose the remaining points for his 2013 WGC-Cadillac Championship win in March. Currently, Woods is not eligible for the event. Lat-er in the month, he’ll lose points from winning the 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational, which could be replaced with a modest finish.

Davao City Sports Complex to finally riseDREAM COME TRUE

Popovich earns win No. 1,000 as Spurs get past Pacers

City Government of Davao and UP-Mindanao entered into an agreement several years ago to establish the sports com-plex, but the plan never really get going because of funding problems and that there were informal settlers living in the

area where the facility will be constructed.

Today, these two main concerns have been addressed under Mayor Duterte and through the help of Rep. Ung-ab.

“Because of the help of

Congressman Ungab, the fund-ing has been made available for the construction of the sports complex,” Quitain said.

“That is one information, one development that every Dabawenyo is waiting for,” her added.

Ungab said the sports complex to be constructed is a progressive type.

“It’s a dream come true,” Ungab said. “It’s been a long time since we hoped to have a sports complex. “Now, it’s a reality.” (SDD-CMO)

Tiger at his lowest OWGR position since 1996, could plummet further

WBO Intercontinental Junior Featherweight champion Genesis “Azukal” Servania punches Mexican challenger Juan Luis “Perla Negra” Hernandez during their title fight at USEP Gym in Davao City Saturday evening. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 233 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

RIO IN SIGHT16 EDGEDAVAOSports

UNITED States fencer Lee Kiefer, a daugh-ter of a doctor from

Davao, finally scored a break-through win beating Arriana Errigo of Italy in the finals of the Algers World Cup by the skin of her teeth, 15-14, in Al-giers, Algeria last Sunday.

The 19-year old daughter of Doctor Teresa Bacani Kief-er, now based in Kentucky, USA, survived the veteran Errigo who also denied her of a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2012 London Olym-pics. Errigo went on to finish with a silver in London after

bowing to compatriot Elisa Di Francesca for the gold.

News of Kiefer’s win was relayed to Edge Davao by her US-based aunt Maritz Ange-les Coleman.

“So happy and jumping for joy, my niece Olympian Lee Kiefer won gold at the

Algers World Cup over 2012 Italian silver medallist Erri-go,” Coleman told this writer in a message on Facebook.

Kiefer’s US coach Amgad Abd El-Halim Khazbak also told this writer in a message that the win shoved Kiefer to the no. 4 ranking in the

world.“Yes, she is ranking 4th

now and out goal (is) not only to go to Rio, but have a medal there,” said coach Kha-zbak.

Khazbak also added that their next tournament is the Grand Prix in Havana next

month which is the qualifiers for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The Algers World Cup was held last February 6-8 and is being participated by the players ranked by the in-ternational fencing body FIE (Federation Internationale D’Escrime).

Half-Pinay fencer wins World Cup gold

By NEILWIN JOSEPH BRAVO

GOLD MEDAL. Half-Pinay Lee Kiefer (second from left) of the United States is crowded at the podium by the other medalists including Ariana Errigo (left) whom she beat in the finals of the Algers World Cup las Sunday. (USFA photo)

VICTORY HUG. Lee Kiefer celebrates with coach Amgad Abd El-Halim Khazbak after beating Ariana Errigo of Itay. (USFA photo)