P 15.00 20 PAGESwww.edgedavao.netVOL. 9 ISSUE 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016

AND NOW, 5 HOURS

EDGE Serving a seamless societyDAVAO

EDGEDAVAOSportsDLPC adds one more hour to rotational brownoutsBY A MILE Warriors beat Spurs, become second team to win 70

games in a season

crc@edgedavao.netBy CHENEEN R. CAPONBRACE yourselves for lon-ger blackouts.The duration of ro-tating power interruptions will be longer by another hour as Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) announced five hours blackouts within its franchise areas which include Davao City and portions of Davao del Norte.

Total supply deficit with-in the Davao Light franchise is now at 103 megawatt (MW), the DLPC said in a statement yesterday. DLPC, which is also a sub-

sidiary of Aboitiz Power, es-timated that a 20MW deficit will result in a maximum of one hour of rotating outages.

The power firm attributed the longer outages to the de-creased power supply alloca-tion from the National Power Corporation- Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Manage-ment Corporation (PSALM).Supply allocation from NPC-PSALM to Davao Light continues to decrease due to the lowering water level of major hydro plants due to El Nino (water level is now be-

low critical level), it said.The failure to restart of the Unit 1 with net capaci-ty of 130MW of the 300MW coal-fired power plant of Aboitiz-owned Therma South, Inc., which Davao Light has a 50MW contract, also caused for the DLPCs total power supply to decrease. TSI announced that the cause of the inability to start of the 150 megawatt Unit 1 of the 300 MW coal-fired power-plant in Barangay Binugao, To-ril was due to the boiler tube leak.

After an investigation conducted today, it was found out that the unit has a boiler tube leak, TSI president and chief operating officer Sebas-tian R. Lacson said in a state-ment last Thursday.Lacson said the Unit 1 automatically shut down at 2:40pm last Wednesday as a safety measure after the 138 kilovolt (kV) transmission line 1 of the National grid Corpora-tion of the Philippines (NGCP) in Toril tripped on the same day.

MOBBED. Presidential bet Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte and his running

mate Senator Alan Peter Cayetano are mobbed by supporters eager to catch a glimpse of him during their motorcade

around Puerto Princesa where they held a campaign rally on Thursday. (Rody

Duterte: The Real Change photo)

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 20162 EDGEDAVAONEWS

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

A FILIPINO parachutist drowned after he ac-cidentally landed at waters near the Subic Bay Airport International Air-port in Zambales Thursday afternoon.The incident took place at 3:45 p.m. as 10 Filipino soldiers, including the vic-tim, were conducting a pro-ficiency jump/static jump exercise, said Philippine Balikatan public affairs of-fice chief Capt. Celeste Frank Sayson.All then jumped out of United States Air Force (USAF) C-130 cargo plane.He said the victim was a

member of the 710th Spe-cial Operations Wing of the Philippine Air Force.During the jump, the fa-tality landed in waters near the Subic Bay International Airport having a depth of 30 feet.Sayson said the victim was recovered by rescued divers at 4:55 p.m. by USAF rescue personnel who re-vived him and rushed him to Unihealth Bay Point Hos-pital for medical treatment.However, at around 5:55 p.m., the Filipino soldier was declared dead by this at-tending physicians.

THE Commission on Election (Comelec) 11 urged all barangay captains not to be involved in partisan activites in the 2016 national and local elec-tion.Comelec 11 assistant regional director Marlon Casquejo said the poll body will not allow the barangay officials to campaign for any candidate or political party since they are being dep-utized to assist the polling body in different activities

during election.Once the barangay cap-tains will be deputized they are not allowed to campaign to any candidates because they are now our partners in all of our activities, he said.Casquejo said if the ba-rangay captains will be al-lowed to campaign while they are under Comelec, conflict of interest may arise.He said the example of the activities that will be assigned to the barangay officials is the removal of

campaign materials posted in the non-designated areas.Maybe, the support they can give to the candidates is the permission to use any facility of the barangay for the campaign rally such as covered court, he said.Pero kana gyung lan-

taran na motindog sa stage during the public rally, tapos mopadayag gyud siya, man-gampanya, para sa amoa bawal gyud na siya (But, if they really show themselves supporting the candidate

that they will speak and campaign for the candidate in public rally, we will not al-low that), he added.Casquejo said any baran-gay officials will be charged for electioneering once caught campaigning for any candidates.Earlier, the Civil Service Commission Chairman Ali-cia Bala said elected baran-gay officials are barred from campaigning for any candi-date but can follow them on social media.

Comelec: Barangay captains cantcampaign for candidates, parties

THE legal counsel of North Cotabato Gov. Em-mylou Talio-Mendoza refuted the graft case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman for illegal procurement trans-action in 2010.

This after the Office of the Ombudsman charged Talio-Mendoza with three counts of violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act on last Friday.The charge was based on the legal provision causing any undue injury to any par-ty, including the Government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest

partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence. This provision shall apply to officers and employees of of-fices or government corpora-tions charged with the grant of licenses or permits or other concessions.The resolution showed that Mendoza approved the release of P2.4 million from the provincial funds to pay for 49,526.72 liters of diesel fuel used for one road grader and four dump trucks utilized during the two-day road reha-bilitation projects.No public bidding was conducted for the procure-ment of the fuel. Instead, Men-doza directly contracted with the gas station owned by her mother, the resolution said.In a statement, lawyer

Vincent Paul Montejo said the fuel was procured after going through bidding process as allowed under the Govern-ment Procurement Act and as recommended by the Bid and Awards Committee.Any accusation of partial-ity, preference or bias in favor of any gas station has no ba-sis. What should be borne in mind is that Gov. Mendoza is not a member of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), he said.Montejo said Talio-Men-doza did not handpick or se-lect any particular station as the provinces supplier for the P2.4 million fuels.Montejo said the Ombuds-man also ignored evidence that fuel was actually utilized for the provinces road proj-

ects.It is unfortunate there was a probable cause on the charges filed against her, he said.He, however, said Talio-Mendoza remains con-fident that she will be able to address the caseOmbudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said, in a sep-arate statement, there was no compelling justification for dispensing with the require-ment of public bidding.In the approved resolu-tion released on Friday, the Ombudsman said that the great disparity between the estimated 552 liters of die-sel actually consumed for the two-day road maintenance project in Magpet vis--vis the

Counsel refutes graft raps vs NorCot governor

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is ready for the conduct of the overseas absentee voting (OAV) for Filipinos abroad, which is set to start on Saturday, April 9.All systems go for over-sees absentee voting, said the head of the Comelec Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) in a text message.With this, he urged the over 1.3 million registered Filipino overseas voters to participate during the one-month voting period and should not wait for the last minute to vote.We are expecting a good turnout from our 1,386,087 overseas voters even as we

appeal that they come out and vote early starting April 9 to May 9 and not wait for the last day, Lim said.The poll body official added, Mahalaga ang boto ng bawat isa sa atin at tayoy makilahok para as kinabu-kasan ng ating bansa.According to the Comelec OFOV, 30 posts will be utilizing the vote counting machines (VCMs). They are: Agana, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, Ottawa, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, Wash-ington, London, Madrid, Mi-lan, Rome, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka, Seoul, Sin-gapore, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi,

One-month absenteevoting overseas starts

Filipino parachutist diesin Balikatan accident

INDICTED. Gov. Emmylou Talio-Mendoza of North Cotabato gestures during Thursdays Senate Inquiry held at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) in Bo. Obrero, Davao City. Mendoza has been accused of for buying P2.4

million worth of fuel from a gasoline station owned by her mother. She was charged before the Sandiganbayan with three counts of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Lean Daval Jr.

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016 3EDGEDAVAO

DAVAO City Water District apologizes to customers experi-encing low water pressure to no water especially in areas served by Line 2 of Dumoy Water Supply Sys-tem (WSS).DCWD general manag-er Edwin V. Regalado ex-plains that the consecutive power interruptions by the Davao Light and Power Company affecting DCWD facilities and the emer-gency transmission line leak repair along Diversion Road near Ma-a on April 8 caused the intermittent water supply.Whenever there is power outage, DCWDs fa-cilities temporarily shut off. Once power is restored, additional time is needed for re-switching on of af-fected facilities, pressure build up and line delivery. This means that the fre-quent and longer the pow-er interruptions in areas where DCWD facilities are situated, the longer for the water level in the pipelines and reservoirs to recover. Regalado cited the suc-cessive 15-minute sched-uled power outage starting April 5 until April 7 that affected DCWDs Talomo

pumping station and Du-moy WSS production wells among other water facili-ties. As a result, DCWD ad-vised of a scheduled two-hour low water pressure to no water from 6:00AM-8:00 AM on said dates. However, while water supply was able to recover in less than two hours in some areas, recovery took longer in far and elevat-ed areas such as Bajada, Buhangin, Obrero, Agdao, areas at the back of Davao Doctors Hospital towards Circumferential Road up to Madapo, Lanang, Pampan-ga and Sasa. With this sit-uation, DCWD has already started water rationing in these hard hit areas partic-ularly in Lanang, Pampan-ga and Sasa.Water supply would have already started to normalize but another water service interruption transpired on April 8 at 3:45 AM due to an emer-gency transmission line leak repair along Diversion Road near Ma-a. Again, this emergency water cut affected areas served by Line 2 of Dumoy WSS par-ticularly: Ma-a (from Em-erald Village to Diversion Road), Buhangin, Tigatto,

DDF Mandug, Poblacion (Barangays 5 to 13), J.P. Laurel Avenue and envi-rons, Cabaguio, Angliongto / Mamay Road and some Lanang, Pampanga, Sasa and Panacan areas. The re-pair finished around 7:30 AM on same day, however, as with water interrup-tions caused by power cuts affecting DCWDs facilties, recovery in far and elevat-ed areas would also take longer.On behalf of the DCWD management, Regalado asks for the understanding and cooperation of affected customers and apologizes for the inconvenience the intermittent water supply is causing. Further, he ad-vises them to store water whenever supply is avail-able.For queries and further updates, the general public may visit DCWD website (www.davao-water.gov.ph) and official Facebook page (www.facebook.com/davaowater) or call the Central Information Unit / Call Center through the 24-hour hotline 297-DCWD (3293), 0927-7988966, 0925-5113293 and 0908-4410653. (Jamae Concep-cion G. Dela Cruz)

DCWD explains low waterpressure, no water

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MAYOR Rene Rubino denied reports in-sinuating the local government has been remiss in its duty to extend rice as-sistance to farmers severely affected by the long dry spell.We have been distribut-ing rice to our farmers, it was not true we failed in helping them, Rubino told reporters.Many farmers from Ara-kan joined the March 31 protests in Kidapawan City that ended up bloody, leaving three persons killed, includ-ing one of his constituents.We did not abandon them, we have prepared rice assistance for all drought victims, I personally did not know they joined the pro-test, Rubino said, adding the local government of Arakan has documents to prove that rice distribution has taken place in Arakan and that all farmers identified by the so-cial welfare office have been given rice since October last

year.The Arakan government has already extended burial assistance in cash and a sack of rice to the family of Darwin Sulang, one of the fatalities in the April 1 bloody dispersal of protesters.Rubino also appealed to all his constituent farmers to return home and receive the assistance prepared by the local government and to be distributed by the Philippine National Red Cross as provid-ed for by the Omnibus Elec-tion Code.Starting Monday, the North Cotabato provincial government will start dis-tributing rice assistance to farmers in 17 municipalities and Kidapawan City through the PNRC.About 2,000 farmers, not 6,000 as claimed by organiz-ers, went to Kidapawan City asking for rice and blocked portions of the Cotaba- MALACAANG has de-nied the allegation of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who is running for vice president under PDP-La-ban Party, that the funds to mitigate the effects of El Nio were released only last month.In a statement issued on Thursday, Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. refuted Senator Cayetanos claim that the late release of funds could have prevented the violent incident in Kidap-awan City, North Cotabato that resulted in the death of three farmers on April 1.Some 200 people, includ-ing policemen, were also in-jured when the police tried to disperse protesting farmers who have been barricading the Cotabato-Davao Highway since March 30. The farmers were asking the government for the release of rice subsidies and rehabilitation funds.Senator Cayetanos alle-gation is untrue and unfound-ed. Since the creation of the Cabinet-level El Nio Task Force, funds and resources were deployed to mitigate the effects of El Nio and assure stable food and water supply, Coloma said.The comprehensive Roadmap to Address the Im-pact of El Nio (RAIN) that was drawn up last August 2015 is still being implemented and fine-tuned to ensure that gaps in service delivery are ad-dressed. Government is aware that the El Nio crisis affects the poorest and most vulner-able among our people and is firmly determined to see to

THE Provincial Police Of-fice of North Cotabato was under fire Thurs-day at the Senate probe on the April 1 bloody dispersal of protesters along the national highway in Kidapawan City, for using live ammunition in its dispersal operations.But Senior Supt. Alexan-der Tagum, provincial police chief of North Cotabato, said he did not order members of the Special Weapons and Tac-tics (SWAT) and Special Action Forces (SAF) to fire shots as it was their judgment call to do so after seeing their comrade, SPO2 Ricky Untalan being beaten by angry protesters.Tagum has been ordered relieved by Philippine Na-tional Police Director-Gener-al Ricardo Marquez pending results of an ongoing inves-tigation into last Fridays vi-olent dispersal of protesters

in Kidapawan City that left at least two persons dead and scores of protesters, police and fire department person-nel wounded.Tagum said not one of the members of the Civil Distur-bance Management (CDM) unit was armed but admitted they brought members of the SWAT and SAF as part of the security contingent.But Chief Inspector Adri-el B. Gran, legal officer of the Police Regional Office 12, said the armed contingent was dispatched outside the 100-meter limit, which he said, is allowed in the manual of the Philippine National Po-lice (PNP).Tagum said he heard shots fired when he called on his men to get Untalan.In his presentation, Tagum said they received in-telligence reports that there

might be armed members of the New Peoples Army (NPA) among the protesting farmers.The threat that there might be armed men in the rally is real, he said during the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights Public Hearing and Consultation on the Violent Dispersal of Farm-er Protesters in Kidapawan on Thursday at the Social Hall of the University of Southeast-ern Philippines.Tagum claimed that PO2 Reynaldo C. Roque Jr. was hit by a low caliber pistol on his left leg while Insp. Arvin John D. Cambang and SPO2 Ricky Untalan sustained head inju-ries. Untalan is still critical at the Kidapawan Doctors Inc.Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said SWAT and SAF members trainings are different from that of the members of the CDM units who are trained on

how to handle rallies where maximum tolerance is en-forced.He said the police are not supposed to use firearms during rallies, citing Batas Pambansa 880, also known as the Public Assembly Act, which ensures the free ex-ercise by the people of their right peaceably to assemble and petition the government.He said Section 13 (E) pro-hibits the unnecessary firing of firearms by a member of any law enforcement agency or any person to disperse the public assembly while Sec-tion 13 (G) prohibits armed police within 100 meters area of activity.He said the police are only allowed to carry, among oth-ers, batons and shields.Chief Inspector Adriel B. Gran, of Regional Legal Of-

FOR the past weeks, the implementation of the rotating power interrup-tions within the Davao Light and Power Co. franchise has continued. This is due to the further reduction of the power supply from major hydropow-er plants in Mindanao caused by the worsening effect of the El Nino Phenomenon as advised by the National Grid Corporation of Philippines (NGCP).However, starting yester-day, April 6, the duration of the rotating outages in Davao Light has increased from a maximum of two hours to four hours.The reason was due to the emergency shutdown of one of the units of the Therma South Inc. (TSI) coal-fired power plant, which Davao Light has a 50 MW contract. TSI has ad-vised that it is still conducting investigation to determine the problem.Davao Light emphasizes

that due to no reserve in the Mindanao grid, any major plant that will undergo shut-down will extend the length of time of the rotating brownout including Davao Light. New generating plants mostly coal-fueled power plant in Mindanao, which Davao Light has contracted addition-al power supply, are coming in May and August 2016.Ross Luga, Davao Lights Communication officer said that Davao Light will contin-ue to optimize on its supply contracts with the other gen-erating plants, activate the In-terruptible Load Program and run the standby Bajada Power Plant.The company will also continue to give its customers daily updates on any changes in the power supply situation.For schedule of the rotat-ing power interruption, please refer to the following official media: call center at 229-3572 (DLPC)

HACKADEMY. Ingenuity Global consulting, Inc. head of trainings Jefford Mamacus says Hackademy, a fun, accessible and affordable way for students to learn and acquire programming skills, aims to bridge the gap between the academe and the information technology (IT) industry in the country.

Mamacus, who was joined by the companys business development and community manager Betsy Tulio in yesterdays FAST Fridays media forum, announced the basic courses which will be offered during the upcoming Hackademy. Lean Daval Jr.

Firing at rallyists in Kidapawan bloody dispersal: Judgment call, says police

FIGHTING EL NIO. A gardener does his every morning routine of watering the plants at SM Lanang Premiers car park as temperature continue to rise due to the ongoing El Nio phenomenon which is affecting majority of the country. Lean Daval Jr.

Davao Light franchise area sufferinglonger duration of rotating power outages

North Cotabato mayor calls on protestingfarmers to return home and get rice aid

Palace refutes allegation of late release of El Nio funds

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VOL. 9 ISSUE 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016 5EDGEDAVAOECONOMY

crc@edgedavao.netBy CHENEEN R. CAPON

LOCAL share prices rebound-ed on Thursday, taking its cue from Wall Streets pos-itive performance, as investors cheered strengthening oil prices.The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) snapped a two-day decline, ris-ing 52.42 points to 7,232.97 from previous days 7,180.55 finish.The rebound on Wall Street and the surge in oil prices boost-ed the local bourse, said RCBC

Securities Inc. in a market report.The United States (US) oil and Brent crude soared over 5 percent on the US government reported surprise decrease in crude inventories for last week.All counters finished in the positive territory, except services that lost 1.90 percent.Value turnover reached PhP5.61 billion after 873.30 million shares changed hands.

(PNA)

AGRICULTURE Secre-tary Proceso Alcala on Thursday assured that the countrys corn and feed milling industries will contin-ue to thrive with the issuance of the joint department circu-lar that regulates the propa-gation of genetically modified (GM) crops.Alcala said that in spite of some threats posed by opposing groups, who still wanted to question the GM guidelines validity, he was optimistic that the essence of the bio-safety protocols, which they had spelled out with four other government agencies, would give it more merit than unwarranted claims.We are not sure kung

wala nga ba problema ito sa future kasi hindi lahat ng mamamayan ay nakikiisa sa ating aksyon. May mga gru-po na gusto pa ireklamo ito. Hindi natin alam kung saang court ito ihahabol. Neverthe-less we believe that this is the best inter-agency work that we have done so far hindi la-mang po isa ang nagbigay ng AO (Administrative Order), kung hindi lima pong kaga-waran ang nagtulungan upa-ng mabuo ito, he noted.The feed-milling industry will be allowed to continue the importation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), yellow corn and soybean meal -- key components of animal feeds.The DA, together with the

departments of Science and Technology (DOST), Environ-ment and Natural Resources (DENR), Health (DOH), and Interior and Local Govern-ment (DILG), recently signed Joint Department Circular (JDC) No. 1, which provides the rules and regulations on the research, importa-tion, use and propagation of GMOs.Those with the valid permits could pursue their importation of GM prod-ucts. Those without or with expired permits had to go through the stringent proto-cols of the joint circular, said Alcala.The country imports about 2 million metric tons (MT) of soybean meal annu-

ally, according to DA records.The DA chief said the JDC would also ensure the stable production of corn.He said that majority of the yellow corn produced by the country went to ani-mal-feeds production.Alcala noted that with the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) as the lead agency for DA in implementing the JDC, there should be no short-cuts and follow it to the letter in undertaking all the proto-cols cited in the guidelines.We could gladly turn this over to the next government administration with the clear intention and mandate that we have indeed fulfilled what was asked of us by the high court, he said. (PNA)

A TOTAL of 2,503 com-bined hectares of rice and corn production areas and 2, 564 farmers in the Davao Region are already affected by the long dry spell, the Department of Agriculture (DA) 11 said.DA 11 regional director Remelyn Recoter said data from January to April 8 bared that both the rice and corn production were the most af-fected seasonal crop by the El Nio.For rice, Recoter said a total of 1,183 hectares of rice production areas are already affected by the dry spell, of which 14 hectares are totally damaged. Amount of damage to the rice sector in terms of volume has reached P12 mil-lion.Recoter said the amount of damage is still negligible for the whole region, but it has a big impact on the individual lives of small rice farmers. She said a total of 1,390 farmers were already affected by the dry spell.Farmers yield drop from 180 sacks to only 80 sacks per hectare as a result of the El Nio, Recoter told reporters at the press conference for the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) at the Marco Polo Davao.However, he said damage to corn for this year was low-er than the same period last year. We have to consider that

most of our farmers were able to harvest during the months of January and February be-fore the dry season peaked.Meanwhile, damage to re-gions corn industry already reached to a total of P25 mil-lion, she said.A total of 1,320 hectares of corn production areas are already affected by El Nio, of which 977 hectares are al-ready totally damaged, Reco-ter added.The director said the de-partment also recorded dam-age due to the long dry season in the high value crop (HVC) sector.Most affected crops un-der the HVC were coffee, ca-cao, and banana, she said,

adding a total of 1,544 hect-ares of areas planted with HVC were affected by the El Nio. Howver, she said the data is still being validated by a team of agriculturists.Recoter said the local gov-ernment units of Lupon, San Isidro, Kapalong, and Tagum City for Davao del Norte; Tarragona and Mati City for Davao Oriental; and Hagonoy declared state of calamity af-ter attaining damage from the long drought season which is expected to end by June.She said the Bureau of Soils and Water Management of the DA has allocated budget for the cloud seeding activities around the region to aid affect-ed farmers.

THE DINOSAUR STILL WORKS. The Davao Light and Power Co. (DLPC) old power plant in J.P. Laurel Avenue continues to work as back up source of power as the Therma South, Inc. coal plant remains to be offline and

supply allocation from the NPC-PSALM continues to decrease due to the El Nio phenomenon. DLPC has announced yesterday that it will implement a 5-hour rotating power interruption. Lean Daval Jr.

El Nio damage to rice,corn now worth P37M

DA: New GM guidelines to boost agri sector

PHL stocks rebound as oil prices recover

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the in-dictment of some execu-tives of Kentex Manufacturing Corp. (Kentex) for trademark infringement after offering and selling to the public their sandals which are allegedly imitations of the Havaianas sandals.This after the CA dis-missed the motion for recon-sideration (MR) of Kentex for failure to present new argu-ments which shall warrant the reversal of their previous ruling.In a two-page resolution dated March 15, 2016, written by Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando and released on Friday, the CAs Fifth Divi-sion maintained its previous findings and granted the pe-tition for review filed by Sao Paola Alpargatas S.A. (SPASA).The CA reversed and set aside the resolutions of the Department of Justice (DOJ) dated May 28, 2013 and Dec. 5, 2013 which cleared Kentex.After a careful perusal of private respondents argu-ments, we find that the latter have not advanced any com-pelling reason that would war-rant the reconsideration of our

decision. The question on the existence of grave abuse of dis-cretion raised in the present motion for reconsideration has been already resolved in the affirmative and covered extensively in our decision, the resolution said.It can be recalled that the fire at the Valenzuela City fac-tory owned by Kentex that made rubber slippers claimed 72 lives on May 13, 2015 and sparked outrage over the al-legedly unsafe conditions, which contributed to the high death toll.Some families of the peo-ple who died in the incident have allegedly dropped their claims against Kentex in ex-change for a Php151,200 set-tlement.However, that case differs from SPASAs complaint, a Bra-zil-based company, and the registered owner of the trade-mark Havaianas wherein their products are made avail-able in the Philippine market through Terry S.A. Inc., SPASAs exclusive distributor in the Philippines.

The SPASA filed a com-plaint for trademark infringe-ment and damages before the

CA orders indictment of Kentex executives over fake Havaianas

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THE World Bank yesterday started to review the Phil-ippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) implemented in various parts in Mindanao by the Department of Agriculture (DA) with the aim of examin-ing the planned, proposed and ongoing implementation of the various project components.PRDP task team leader Frauke Jungbluth led the two-day World Bank review mis-sion. The team is already doing the socialized implementation support mission to see how the program works and whether there is need of adjustments to be made. We are jointly discuss-ing this with DA to determine whether there is need of addi-tional things to make the pro-cess more efficient, Jungbluth said, adding that the team is looking at some projects in the field and we are very happy with what weve been seeing.Aside from being de-mand-driven, the team would like to make PRDP commodity- and market-driven.The review includes infra-structure, enterprise develop-ment, planning and support.Lealyn Ramos, project director of PRDP in Mindan-ao, said that as of last month, Mindanao already had a total indicative portfolio of P12.33

billion worth of projects under the infrastructure development component.There has been a surge in the projects submitted to PRDP specially the Mindanao Cluster since the last World Bank mis-sion and since the first World Bank mission in August 2015, Ramos said.She noted that there is a 30-percent increase from the first World Bank Mission when Mindanao cluster project com-pared to P9.91 billion in the pre-vious year.Of all the projects being im-plemented through the PRDP in Mindanao, infrastructure got the biggest share in financing.As of today, we have already approved P13 billion worth of infrastructure projects and about P400 million worth of en-terprise development projects, PRDP national deputy project director Arnel de Mesa said.Mesa also assured that good governance will be observed through transparency and ac-countability measures at all stages of the project develop-ment cycle.We review and approve projects proposals by techni-calities. Theres no politics, only soundness and technical feasi-bility of projects, de Mesa said. BY KRIZZA FEB UDAL AND NOLI ANN SERDONCILLO

WB team reviews PRDPprojects in Mindanao

VOL. 9 ISSUE 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 20166 EDGEDAVAOTHE ECONOMY

MAJORITY of Philip-pine-based business executives expect im-provement in the countrys economic performance this year, the Makati Business Club (MBC) Executive Outlook Sur-vey reported on Thursday.Heading into the 2016 elections, majority of Makati Business Club members have an optimistic outlook for the year, generally expecting the Philippine economy to im-prove on its 5.8 percent GDP (gross domestic product) growth in 2015, MBC stated.Aside from higher GDP growth, MBC executives also see better investment approv-als and trade value -- both ex-ports and imports -- this year.The survey showed that 52 percent of the respondents expected GDP growth for this year higher than the 5.8-per-cent expansion in 2015 while 39 percent answered eco-nomic growth for the year to be stable from last year and 9 percent said GDP growth will be lower than 2015s level.Likewise, 54 percent of surveyed businessmen see better investment approv-als for this year than the PHP106.6-billion level from first to third quarter of 2015 while twenty-six percent

expects the same level of in-vestment approvals and 20 percent forecasts lower level of approved investments this year from 2015 figures.In terms of trade, 38 per-cent of executives said they expect exports revenue to be higher and 62 percent had an outlook of increasing imports receipts.A positive outlook is also seen in terms of corporate performance for 2016, as ma-jority of respondents project an increase in both gross rev-enues and net income in the coming year, the business group stated.The MBC survey showed that 82 percent of the respon-dents forecast higher gross revenues this year while 74 percent expect improvement in net income.Majority of the business-men said that they will make additional investments and will hire more workers this year.Furthermore, MBC execu-tives noted that developments in the following area should be the top priorities of the next administration: improving in-frastructure, fighting corrup-tion, peace and order, address-ing poverty, job generation, and agriculture. (PNA)THE Social Security Sys-tem (SSS) said Thursday it has relocated the office of SSS Tagum Branch to bet-ter serve more than 103,000 members and over 9,000 em-ployers based within and near the city.SSS senior vice president for Mindanao Operations Group Eddie A. Jara said that the SSS Tagum Branch is now located at Gaisano Grand Mall along Apokon Road.Within its vicinity is the Tagum City Hall and commer-cial establishments such as the Banco de Oro and Metrobank branches.With its new site, SSS Tagum is now bigger and more comfortable. Transacting cli-ents using public transpor-tation also have little trouble traveling to SSS because of the Tagum branchs accessible and convenient location, Jara said.SSS Tagum, which was

inaugurated on April 5, pro-vides social security services to two provinces in Mindanao, namely Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley. It serves Tagum City and the munici-palities of Asuncion, Kapalong, Talaingod, San Isidro, New Corella, Maco, Mabini, Pan-tukan, Mawab, Nabunturan, Montevista, Compostela, New Bataan, Monkayo, Maragusan and Laak.As a full-service branch, SSS Tagum offers transactions such as issuance of Social Se-curity numbers for members, Employer ID numbers and Certificates of Registration for employers; data capture services under the Unified Multipurpose Identification System; receipt and processing of applications for salary loans, educational loans and funeral grants; and receipt of benefit applications for sickness, ma-ternity, disability, retirement

and death.SSS Tagum supervises the operations of the SSS Service Office located at the NCCC Mall and the smaller-scale SSS Representative Office in Mar-agusan. These SSS offices also cater to the needs of members and employers in the area, many of which are small and medium enterprises as well as those engaged in agriculture, banking, trading and general merchandise.SSS Tagum handles an average of 2,400 transactions and 1,800 walk-in claimants on a daily basis, while SSS Service Office at NCCC Mall in Tagum receives over 600 transactions and about 260 claimants per day, Jara noted.The lessor of the new SSS Tagum Branch shouldered the renovation expenses that included the lighting, electri-cal and connection outlets, air-conditioning and struc-

tured cabling, which are all based on SSS requirements and office standards.The SSS Tagum Branch in-auguration and blessing was part of the SSS Regional Visit in Southern Mindanao headed by President and Chief Executive Officer Emilio S. de Quiros, Jr. from April 4 to 6. The regional visit, with senior SSS officials among the participants, in-cluded activities such as the SSS Stakeholders Forum for employer and labor represen-tatives and the Kapihan sa SSS for the local media.Jara explained that as the number of members and employers served by SSS con-tinued to grow, the state-run institution remained on the lookout for new locations to upgrade its existing offices and provide additional venues for members and employers to transact with SSS.

THE Philippine peso has gained strength on Thursday finishing the day at 46.10 against the US dollar.The local currency gained 0.10 from Wednes-days closing at 46.20 to a dollar.It opened the day on the upside at 46.11 from the pre- vious days opening settled at 46.30.Peso traded throughout the day at low of 46.07 and high of 46.17 bringing the average level at 46.13.Volume of trade like-wise increased to USD738.5 million from the previous days volume amounting to USD665 million. (PNA)THE Regional Board of Investments in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (RBOI-ARMM) has gathered major stakeholders from different sectors to review and update the 2016 ARMM Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) in Parang, Maguindanao, officials said.Lawyer Ishak Mastura, RBOI-ARMM chair, said the gathering was held in Parang, Maguindanao Wednesday to include the people in this booming municipality to ac-tively participate and share their insights and concerns on investments generation in the ARMM.It is also in Parang where the Polloc Freeport and Eco-zone is located.

Mastura said that the IPP is the basis for RBOI to grant fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to registered enterprises. The active participation of the gov-ernment and private sectors in the development planning of the region is one key to sus-tainable development.Combined strengths of different sectors can create a conducive business environ-ment and enhance regional competitiveness.Mastura explained that IPP consultations are avenues to assess the regions econom-ic investment performance, issues and opportunities. Oth-er IPP consultations are also scheduled in other areas in the ARMM within the year.Mastura said that so far,

RBOI has registered P1.3-bil-lion investments in the first quarter of 2016 through the registration of Gintong Agri Corporation which is into oil palm plantation development in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguin-danao.Last year, RBOI registered P6.5 billion in total invest-ments.We have reached our 2016 target which is to reg-ister P900 million worth of investments and confident to register additional P1 billion or more this year, Mastura said.ARMM Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman said in a text message that the challenge for the ARMM government is how to sustain the growth

of investments which the re-gion is currently experiencing particularly in the areas of ag-riculture, renewable energy and petroleum as core indus-tries.Mlang Madal, Regional Planning and Development Office (RPDO) assistant direc-tor, presented during the con-sultation that in 2011, ARMM had negative -0.3 growth growth rate but in 2014, it has increased to 3 percent.This means that the economy of ARMM is improv-ing and picking-up with the rest of the country and one reason is the increase of in-vestments, he said.According to RPDO re-port, good governance re-

STABLE PRICE. A rice store worker fixes display of different varieties of rice at the rice section in Agdao Public Market yesterday. Prices of commercial rice in the citys public markets remain stable despite reports that theres a possible increase due to the dry spell. Lean Daval Jr.

RBOI-ARMM to review investment priorities

SSS relocates Tagum branch office

PHP strengthens vs USD Thursday

Businessmen expect better economy in 16 - MBC survey

THE online filing of in-come tax return (ITR) is encouraging more in-come earners to file their ITR this year.Bureau of Internal Rev-enue (BIR)-Region 19 acting chief of document processing division Dr. Susan Tusoy said the online system contributed to the increase in the number of tax filers.It really helped increase the numbers of tax filers, she said.Tusoy said they see this as a good sign since they were not able to meet their target last year.Davao Regions target for 2015 was pegged at P14.3 bil-lion.Tusoy reminded taxpay-ers however to do away with beating the deadline.Do not wait for the dead-line on Apirl 15, she urged.She said taxpayers could avoid congestion if they file

their income tax early.This year, BIR is targeting P20 billion. BIR is optimistic it would achieve their target with the leadership of Davao Region internal revenue direc-tor Romula Aguila, Jr.Tusoy said they will do their best to achieve the target.Tusoy also announced the holding of tax clinics at SM City Davao on April 8 to 9 from 10 am to 7 pm that will help those taxpayers on how to accom-plish and use the electronic BIR forms for filing income tax returns on line.Meanwhile, Tusoy said they will pursue other pro-grams on proper tax collec-tion. He said they had beefed up their campaign on Oplan Kandado program and contin-ue running after tax evaders under Oplan Kalso RATE (Run After Tax Evaders).

There are 30 specific proj-ects included in the BIRs list of

Online income tax returnsfiling results in more filers

F RBOI, 10

F SSS, 10 F ONLINE, 10

VOL. 9 ISSUE 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016 7Disasterlooms over Davao region

Text and photos by Henrylito D. TacioNATURAL disasters come without notice. Just like a thief on the night, they strike anytime, anywhere. They come when everyone is not ready. Most people think that di-sasters wont happen but they do. In time of peace, reminded a Japanese adage, prepare for war. And in time of war, pre-pare for peace.Currently, some parts of Davao Region is experiencing drought caused by El Nino, the weather phenomenon that dis-rupts the natural variations in climate. Everyone is trying to do something about the hun-ger that drought brings. Water rationing is done in other ar-eas. But no one talks about the typhoons that will come one after another after El Nino. Forewarned is forearmed, so goes a popular saying. But despite this, people are still caught by surprise. Mention Pablo (international name: Bopha) and they will tell you that it is the strongest tropical cyclone to ever hit this part of the country. When it made a landfall on December 3, 2012, it was listed under Category 5, a super typhoon with winds of 280 kilometers per hour.Pablo moved swiftly on its predicted path, sending roofs flying off houses, hectares of coconut trees tumbling, rivers bursting their banks, cancel-ing flights and ferry services, church bells ringing and sirens wailing in a large part of Min-danao where the Category 5 storm passed, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported. In Montevista, Compostela Valley, six barangays drowned in floods. An Associated Press said that flood waters ram-

paged down a mountain, en-gulfing emergency shelters and washing away an army truck.Normally, the Philippines experiences tropical cyclones of up to 20 a year. But in re-cent years, stronger typhoons have become more frequent, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Admin-istration (PAGASA).The reason for the occur-rence of super typhoons in recent years, experts claim, is global warming caused by cli-mate change. Extreme weather events are expected to occur in the Philippines more frequently and with more intensity in this era of climate change, dis-closed Greenpeace, a world-wide environmental group. Within Southeast Asia, the Philippines is expected to suf-fer most from extreme weath-er events.The green planet, as the world is called, has been warming since prehistoric times, but mans tampering

with the environment has made the temperature change faster.While human activities during the past century have damaged a long list of nature systems, most of these prob-lems are local or regional in scope and can be reversed in years or decades if suffi-cient effort is exerted, wrote Christopher Flavin in his book, Slowing Global Warming: A Worldwide Strategy.Changes to the earths at-mosphere, on the other hand, are global and -- for all practi-cal purposes -- irreversible not only in our lifetimes but in our

childrens and grandchildrens as well, Flavin added.It was Dr. James E. Hansen who first raised the problem. The top climate scientist at the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration told a US Senate hearing in 1988 that the greenhouse effect is changing our climate now.Robert James Bidinotto, in an article published in Readers Digest, explained greenhouse effect in these words: When sunlight warms the earth, cer-tain gases in the lower atmo-sphere, acting like the glass in a greenhouse, trap some of the heart as it radiated back into space. These greenhouse gas-es warm our planet, making life possible.Because concentration of greenhouse gases have been steadily rising in recent years, many scientists believe it has affected the climate condition of the planet. The unimped-ed growth of greenhouse gas emissions is rising the earths temperature, reported the International Food Policy Re-search Institute.Carbon dioxide is the pri-mary greenhouse gas. It oc-curs naturally and is vital to life, but excessive quantities of it are released by burning fos-sil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas). The current concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide is about 380 parts per million (ppm) -- and is increasing at roughly 2 ppm annually.In 35 years, if the atmo-spheric carbon dioxide will continue to increase by the current rate, it will reach a threshold of 450 ppm of car-bon dioxide, considered by many scientists to be an irre-versible catastrophe.Other greenhouse gases are almost exclusively pro-duced by human activity such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are used in refrigerants. Still other greenhouse gases include methane, nitrogen compounds, and ozone.Now we are in the face of a climate crisis, said Senator Loren Legarda in her keynote speech delivered during the 31st Climate Reality Leader-ships Corps Training held in Manila recently. I believe we are gathered here today be-cause we want to be part of the

global effort to limit the Earths warming and allow our com-munities to adapt to climactic changes that are already inev-itable.One inevitable conse-quence of climate change is sea level rise, which will affect a larger percentage of the Phil-ippine coastline, according to a World Bank report.By the end of this centu-ry, sea levels in the region are expected to rise by about 125 centimeters, exceeding the global average by 10-15%, noted the bank report, Getting a Grip on Climate Change in the Philippines. Even assuming the sea level in the region ris-es at the global average rate of about 100 centimeters, about 14% of the Philippines total population and 42% of its to-tal coastal population will be affectedThe Davao Region (com-posed of Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley and Davao Occidental) is not spared. Lets take Davao City as a case in point. The Business Risk Assess-ment and the Management of Climate Change Impacts, pub-lished by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), said that sea-level rise may cre-ate problems for Davao Citys ports.Located along the rela-tively shallow channel between the city and Samal Island, these port facilities are a nerve center for Davao Citys economy, and serve a variety of ships han-dling both cargo and passen-gers, the risk assessment said.When the Pangi River in Davao swelled to new heights in June 2011, 29 people lost their lives and 50,000 residents had to flee their homes. Former Press Secretary Jesus G. Dureza, however, be-lieves that the constant flood-ing happening in Davao City in recent years is due to sea level rise. My calculation is that (the sea level) has risen by one foot over a period of 20 years, he wrote in his column, Advocacy Mindanao. Hence, rain wa-ters and floods no longer easily flow or empty out into the sea. They are clogged in the water-ways and spill out into the riv-erbanks.

EDGEDAVAO

BIGGER PICTURE

Dureza said that when flood waters rush down during high tide, they get stuck, at times and worse, a backflow of seawater during high tide. When seawaters rise high, it flows back inland through riv-ers. Hence, low-lying areas or subdivisions or residential ar-eas around or near riverbanks are in trouble.I know this because I personally witnessed how the sea level had gone up over the years, he pointed out. Our family lived for four years in our resort house by the sea in Davao City in the 1990s (or about 20 years ago) while we were slowly renovating our house in the GSIS area inland. Our beach house was in fact built over the water, jutting out into the sea, with stilt cement posts and under our floor was sea water rising and ebbing.According to him, the high-est water level during high tides left water traces on the cement posts. I would notice because every time I woke up in the morning, I could see the water markings, he said.Sea level rise is also ex-pected to make groundwater becomes salty in taste. Davao City is already experiencing this. Davao has traditional-ly tapped surface water from its rivers as its main water source, the WWF/BPI report

said. It prides itself in the rel-atively high quality of its drink-ing water. However, salt intru-sion has already been reported in city districts to shore, espe-cially in portions of the city where groundwater extraction continues. Sea level rise may aggravate this situation.Climate change also threat-ens the biological diversity (biodiversity), some of which are still undiscovered. When asked by Philippine Daily In-quirer how climate change will affect the Philippines, former American vice-president Al Gore replied: We are seeing the loss of endangered species. Already, the Philippine eagle is endangered.Most of the endangered Philippine eagles can be found at the Philippine Eagle Cen-ter in Malagos, 30 kilometers northwest of Davao City. By using the Philippine eagle as the focal point of conservation, we are, in the process, saving wildlife and their habitat, said Dennis Salvador, the centers executive director.According to the Nobel peace laureate and global cli-mate activist Gore, half of all living species on the planet, including endemic birds in the Philippines, would be lost in a century if we dont arrest this dangerous trend. Are you listening?

Sea level rise

Davaos 911: Always ready for disasters

Will Davao City be under water soon?

VOL. 9 ISSUE 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 20168 EDGEDAVAOVANTAGE

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EDITORIALMake believeTHIS is one sad reality. The government continues to act in make beliefs.It believes airport manager Jose Angel Honrado and DOTC

Secretary Emilio Abaya are doing their jobs efficiently. It believes in DA Secretary Proceso Alcala that there is enough rice supply in Kidapawan City enough to feed El Nino-hit residents. It also be-lieves in PNP chief Ricardo Marquez that the three police officials seen with LP presidential bet Mar Roxas in a meeting did not com-mit any election violation.So what else is new?It believes in its candidate Mar Roxas as the solution to the coun-trys woes and the hope of continuity for its Daang Matuwid pro-gram.Oh yes, above all that, this government believes in this Daang Matuwid slogan as the doctors prescription to all our problems.The frailties of this government has caused a lot of lives, proper-ty and opportunities. From the Yolanda relief operations, to the Ma-masapano SAF 44 massacre, to the Zamboanga siege, to the NAIA 3 brownout and now Kidapawan dispersal. The government wants to

make believe they did the right things.Imagine, Yolanda and Mar Roxas pretensions as a hero. Imagine the NAIA 3 brownouts and Honrados excuse that it was sheer bad luck, and Scretary Abayas blaming on Meralco for the brownouts. And now, heres Secretary Alcala telling us that there is enough food in North Cotabato in contrast to the claims of protesting farmers who were shot by police in a brutal encounter. Three lives were lost in this ensuing carnage and the good Secretary maintains there was no problem.What has gone of this government? President Aquino remained mysteriously silent in the midst of all these sad events. He elected to hit candidates like Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as he continued with his all-out campaign for his anointed bet Roxas notwithstanding the troubles already happening right on his face.This culture of make believe in the administration distances the governnment away from the grasp of reality on the ground. Presi-dent Aquino is just all too protective of his flock believing that they, like him, are doing their jobs not realizing that there is a world of difference between just doing ones job and doing things right.

Q: WHATS the difference between Noynoy Aquino III and Bongbong Marcos, Jr.?A: Bongbong refuses to apologize for the sins of his father.Noynoy refuses to apologize for his own sins of omission and commission.--- 0 0 0 ----Roxas proud of his Yolanda achievements. Now thats what you call false pride.--- 0 0 0 ----Aquino mum amid Kidapawan outrage.Its difficult for an intellectual slowpoke to respond promptly to a crises. Apparently, Mr. Aquino suffers from mental blackout aggravated by emotional paralysis everytime crisis erupts.

--- 0 0 0 ----Poe confirms meet with INC minister.Well, well, well, still a polit-ical greenhorn, Poe is already showing shade of a political tra-po by engaging in patronage politics. So what else is new? The girl is a fast learner. She is not a political ignoramus, after all.If Poe captures Malacanang, expect special

favors to go INCs way.--- 0 0 0 ----80% of private armies keep ideouts in Min-danao.PNP top honcho Ricardo Marrquez dis-closed that these armed groups are in two Min-danao regions ARMM and Central Mindanao. These are all under intense surveillance, he add-ed. So, General, Sir you know these groups exist and operate. Arent you supposed to get rid of them, disarm them, dismantle them, erase them from the face of the earth? You just keep them in your watch list and you just keep watching them move around unmolested. Nice job, General.

--- 0 0 0 ----Bishop urges voters to use 10 command-ments.Archbiishop Socrates Villagas, head of the CBCP, has issued a six-page Pastoral letter ad-monishing Catholic voters to make the Ten Commandments the basis of choosing the right candidates in the national and local elections.For me, that Pastoral letter is not necessary and has minimal impact on the Catholic faithful. It is an exercise in futility.I guess if politicians put to heart the Fifth Commandment Thou shalt not steal this country will be in good hands.That Pastoral letter could be reduced to three words, and to be addressed to all candi-dates Thou shall not steal.FROM bush fires to urban conflagration, it is quite difficult even for seasoned chas-ers to track down what fire is the biggest, most expensive, and with the most number of victims, including killed, missing, or displaced. Comparatively speaking, pre-war fires, when the Philippine peso was the equivalent to an American dollar, were not as extensive as those that have transpired in the post-war era. Then and now, the visible differences lie in the number of population affected, total damage

inflicted, and the number of structures razed, wholly or partially. A browse through some of the centu-ries-old records and recent accounts has yield-ed interesting fire facts, most of them happen-ing in Manila and chiefly affecting population centers. It was only in recent years, though, that forest fires have become such a huge threat given the absence of an institution equipped with personnel and skill to combat this specific menace.Colonial firesOn April 20, 1907, Paco, Manila, then a bus-tling settlement, was razed to the ground, near-ly rendering an entire community into a waste-land. Three years later, the Great Fire of Manila that almost wiped out Binondo, Manilas Chi-natown, left thousands without homes. Cost of that disaster, in pre-war money, was estimated at over Php2 million.

In 1915, two big fires threatened Baguio City, the summer capital of American admin-istrators. One of the fires spread to Camp John Hay and killed an American officer who, with a contingent of Scout soldiers, were sent to put out the fire. The other one threatened to de-vour some of the buildings of Baguio Hospital.

One and a half decade later, a big fire wiped out Singalong, San Marcelino and San Andres streets in Manila on March 13, 1930. Nearly a thousand residences were burned while some 4,000 people were displaced. Six years later, at the beginning of April 1921, a big fire hit San Lazaro District, in Manila, which rendered thousands of people homeless.Fire prevention

In the Philippines, fire prevention, as it suggests, means the reduction of incidences related to conflagration. This was embodied

in Presidential Proclamation No. 115A, which declared March as the official Fire Prevention Month. Ironically, official records around the archipelago would show that March, which is the start of summer, is also the month with most fires.The proclamation, signed by then Presi-dent Ferdinand E. Marcos on Nov. 17, 1966, abolished Safety and Accident Prevention Week and in its lieu declared every year as Safety and Prevention Year, was premised on three vital points.First, it concedes that there is indisput-able evidence of a considerable rise in accident occurrence every year not only in industrial, commercial and agricultural enterprises, but especially on the highways, in schools and even in our homes, most of which are unrecorded.Moreover, the edict said, these accidents not only cause heavy financial losses and con-sequent economic dislocation among those affected and to our country at large, but also immeasurable human suffering.The decree also stipulated that there is now, more than ever as a part of our national development, an impelling and constant need for propagating safety consciousness among our people every day of the year as a positive preventive approach to a problem that can be solved by more caution, vigilance, sobriety, exercise of common sense and respect for the law.A city on fire

Unlike typhoons, fires leave victims almost nothing but burned structures and ashes. This was the experience of Davaos central business district when it underwent a huge conflagration that nearly wiped out its commercial center on Feb. 10, 1964. Though no death was recorded and the incident traced to faulty electrical wir-ing, the blaze, which started at Davao Superette at Anda-Rizal junction, was one of the biggest fires to hit the city in post-war years.

The morning flames ate up Lyric Theater, Universal Theater, and Liberty Barber Shop, and all the stores along Anda and San Pedro streets, including the Vera Cruz Hotel. Mirac-ulously, the houses of the Magallanes, Mon-fort and Oboza families were spared. The fire moved westward, consuming a second block that left the homes of Dizon, Sasin, Pineda, and Panganiban families, situated across the pres-ent Phil-Am building, untouched.Embers from the burning blocks were fanned by strong winds that helped start an-other fire on a third block to the left of the first block. Stores like Gift Mart, Three Sisters, Tung Chong Grocery, and Farmacia Pascual were re-duced to ashes as the conflagration sped in the direction of City Hall. Similarly, the flying em-bers from the second block crossed to the near-by chunk, gobbling up Liberty Theater. Only the Carriedo residence was spared.

From the third block, the fire jumped to another, burning the old Brokenshire Hospital (where Grand Men Seng Hotel now stands). From the first block, the conflagration crossed Ponciano Reyes Extension, or Crooked Road, in the direction of San Pedro Church, swallowing on its way Gems Theater at corner San Pedro and Bolton streets, Lolengs Refreshment Parlor, and the pre-war residence of the Lizada family. Except for the gutted trees at the govern-ment center, the iconic San Pedro Church, the Immaculate Conception College (then housed at the church auditorium which now serves as parish rectory), and the City Hall were past their worst.More infernosFor those who have resided in Davao City in the past sixty years, there were equally devastat-ing fires that really left significant, if traumatic, memories. For instance, in 1965, the areas between

Rosemarie Road and Santa Ana Avenue, home to numerous warehouses stocked with articles costing millions, were razed to the ground. The fire, fortunately, was locked in by the old Carpen-ter and F. Bangoy streets.Notable among the casualties were the National Rice Corporation (NARIC, todays Na-tional Food Administration) and the National Marketing Corporation (NAMARCO). The iconic Luc Tian Restaurant, which has since faded to oblivion, and the old Prudential building, which now houses an eatery known as Blue Carabao, were spared.

After the fire, what was left were the moun-tains of burned rice, bloated canned goods, and other commodities stored in over a dozen ware-houses within the gutted premises.In the fourth quarter of 1976, a huge fire gobbled up the area from Piapi Public Market to the Mini-Forest, leaving thousands of families

displaced. The shantytown fire started after two kids were left inside an old two-story structure where they were playing with matches.Years later, the Mabini section of Quezon

Boulevard entered the fire list after it was hit by a huge conflagration that torched hundreds of houses and left thousands without homes, possibly the largest displacement in the citys fire history.

Recent blazesOn April 5, 2014, in what is construed by some pundits as the citys largest fire, thousands of people, numbering 3,000, were displaced af-ter the villages of Isla Verde 23-C, 21-C, and 22-C, composed mostly of structures clumsily built from light materials, were razed to the ground. The fire took six hours to contain and it left an estimated damage of Php15 million in proper-ties. The entry of March 2016 as Fire Prevention Month also ushered in two huge fires that hit Barangay 27-A Bucana, the citys largest settle-ment. The first fire struck Purok 13-B, Kasilak Riverside, on March 8, 2016, razing 61 houses and displacing 230 persons. Damage was placed at Php5 million. Early press accounts reported one killed and three missing.

Meanwhile, the second Bucana fire struck on March 10, 2016, at Purok 12 St. John, burn-ing around 150 houses. One was reported dead while two were missing.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016 VANTAGE POINTS 9EDGEDAVAO

Headline talk

A fragmented history of fires (Part 1)

BY THE ARCHIVIST

FAST BACKWARD

VOL. 9 ISSUE 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 201610 EDGEDAVAONEWSAND NOW... FROM 1

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The repair on Unit 1 is expected to last 14 days. Unit 2 (130 MW net) remains opera-tional, Lacson said.Davao Light stressed that due to lack of reserve in the Mindanao grid, any major plant that will undergo shut-down will extend the length of time of the rotating brownout including Davao Light. New generating plants mostly coal-fueled power plant

in Mindanao, which Davao Light has contracted addition-al power supply, are coming in May and August 2016.Ross Luga, DLPC Commu-nications officer, said that the power provider will continue to optimize on its supply con-tracts with the other generat-ing plants, activate the Inter-ruptible Load Program and run the standby Bajada Power Plant.

20,833 liters actually paid for, is proof that the fuel-purchase transaction is illegal and that this transaction is obviously a scheme to pocket government funds.The Ombudsman added that [respondent] made it appear that the diesel fuel was

procured and used in a gov-ernment project when in truth, only a small portion of the fuel was actually used and the rest was converted to cash for the benefit of those who were in-volved in the fraudulent trans-action. (ARMANDO B. FENEQ-UITO JR. WITH PNA REPORT)

Beirut, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Manama, Al Khobar, Riyadh, and Tel Aviv.A total of 26 posts will be using the personal manual voting system, or the man-ual casting of votes in the designated polling precincts. These are Lisbon, Bangkok, Brunei, Chongqing, Dhaka, Dili, Guangzhou, Islamabad, Jakarta, Macau, Manado, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taipei, New Delhi, Phnom Penh, Shanghai, Vientiane, Xia-men, Abuja, Amman, Cairo, Muscat, Nairobi, Pretoria, and Tehran.Another 26 posts over-seas will adopt the post-al manual voting system, wherein the ballots will be mailed directly to the reg-istered voter, who will then mail it back to the polling center after accomplishing it. They are Brasilia, Buenos

Aires, Mexico, Santiago, An-kara, Athens, Berlin, Berne, Brussels, Budapest, Geneva, Holy See, Moscow, Oslo, Par-is, Prague, The Hague, Vien-na, Warsaw, Beijing, Canber-ra, Hanoi, Port Moresby, Syd-ney, Wellington, and Yangon.The Philippine posts in Baghdad, Damascus, and Tripoli, will have no elec-tions due to prevailing con-flicts in the said areas. In-stead, the Comelec OFOV said they will be allowed to cast their votes in adjacent Philippine posts.Filipinos abroad will be voting for national positions only namely: president, vice-president, senators and party-list group.The voting will begin on Saturday, April 9 (8 a.m., host country time), to Mon-day, May 9 (7 p.m., Philip-pine time). (PNA)

He declined to identify the fatality pending notifi-cation of the latters next-of-kin.We withheld name of the Filipino soldier for his

familys concern, although Balikatan 2016 leadership is on the process of informing them. All details will follow as soon as we obtained it, Sayson stressed. (PNA)fice 12, claimed the police were dispatched outside the 100-meter limit, which is also allowed in the PNP manual.He said members of the CDM unit were stationed in front of the five fire trucks that sprayed water cannons at the protesters who, in turn, threw rocks at the responding offi-cers.A video taken by a drone camera of the Kidapawan City Government on the rally was also shown where the protest-ers could be seen retreating and later returning hurling stones at the police officers who eventually also retreated, with Untalan left behind.But Senators Cayetano, Teofisto Guingona, and Aqui-lino Pimentel, chair of the jus-tice committee, complained they could not identify when the guns were fired, as the video had no audio.Gran insisted that no member of the CDM carried firearms at the time of the incident and that warning shots were fired only when a member was beaten up.He said the 30 armed se-curity contingent underwent paraffin tests shortly after the violent dispersal.Pimentel said if the police officers wanted to help they should not fire their guns.These procedures are contained in your manual. You dont fire your guns, he said.Arlyn Oti Amar narrat-ed at the Senate hearing that they were shouting bugas dili bala (rice not bullets) when they were given five minutes to disperse.We did not come down to

create trouble. We came to ask for rice, she said in Cebuano.Nagtinulakay among mga kauban, gipangbunalan ang mga tiil, gipangbunalan mga ulo. Wa mi nisukol. Nia-tras mi. Pag atras namo, (ni)sulod sa among hanay mga pulis. Nakit-an namio mga kauban dugo-on na. Nibati mig kaluoy sa mag-uuma nga-no gyud ingon ato, (Our com-panions were pushing. They were hit on their feet and their head. We did not fight back. We retreated. When we did, the police came to our ranks. We saw our compan-ions bloodied. We pitied the farmers why did they do this to us?) Amar asked.Roger Emoy, who sus-tained gunshot wound on his left elbow said they tried to resist the dispersal but moved back when he realized he sus-tained a gunshot wound.Commissioner Gwen Pi-mentel of the Commission on Human Rights said they had gone around Kidapawan and talked to most of the stake-holders involved but cannot as yet share its findings as they are still vetting informa-tion and evidences.But Pimentel acknowl-edged that there are indeed disturbing findings which we are still pursuing in terms of investigation.She said she saw three pregnant women and a lot of senior citizens who were de-tained and asked the Philip-pine National Police to please review the cases they have filed individually against these people . (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

it that our peoples needs are met in a timely manner, he added.Coloma said Budget and Management Secretary Flor-encio Abad likewise belied Cayetanos allegation.Wala pong katotohan-an iyang paratang ni Senador Cayetano. Ang mga ahensya ay may kani-kanilang pondo para sa mga calamity at emergency requirements na nakalakip sa kanilang mga regular bud-gets. Dagdag pa rito, may mga quick response funds pa sila. Kabilang ang mga pondong ito sa comprehensive release na maaga pong natanggap ng mga ahensya. Kaya, halimbawa, November 2015 pa lang, may mga cash-for-work at food packs nang ipinamahagi ang DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), Coloma quoted the DBM chief

as saying.Abad further said that lo-cal government units (LGUs) also distribute rice and food coming from their calamity funds.Ang mga LGUs, katulad ng provincial government ng North Cotabato, mayroon ding pinamamahaging bigas at pag-kain mula sa kanilang calamity funds. At kung kukulangin pa ang lahat ng pondong ito, halos di pa po nagagalaw ang ating NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Manage-ment Council) fund at puwede pa itong pagkunan ng tulong para sa mga tinatamaan ng El Nio. Pakiusap lang: huwag is-ama sa pulitika ang kundisyon ng mga naghihirap nating mga kababayan, said Abad.The Philippine National Police is investigating the trag-ic incident. (PNA)

Caloocan City Office of the City Prosecutor (OCP) against Ong King Guan and Mary Grace Ching, Kentexs treasurer/general manager and corpo-rate secretary, respectively.It alleged that Kentexs Havana sandals are color-able imitations of the marks owned and registered under the name of SPASA.However, the OCP-Caloo-can City denied SPASAs claims.This prompted SPASA to seek redress with the DOJ through a petition for review but to no avail.This time SPASA elevated the case to the CA.In its Oct. 14, 2015 ruling, the CA said that then DOJ Sec-retary Leila De Lima commit-ted grave abuse of discretion in affirming the dismissal of petitioners criminal com-

plaint before the OCP-Caloo-can City.In the present case, we are convinced that there clear-ly exist facts sufficient to en-gender a well-founded belief that the offense of trademark infringement has been com-mitted and that private re-spondents [Guan and Ching] are probably guilty thereof, the CA said.The OCP-Caloocan City is ordered to file an Information charging Guan and Ching, as owners/officers/employees of Kentex Manufacturing Corp. (Kentex) with trademark in-fringement under Section 155 of Republic Act No. 8293, as amended, it added.Concurring with the rul-ing were Associate Justices Jose Reyes and Stephen Cruz. (PNA)

forms spearheaded by the Regional Governor Hataman is the primary factor for the growth of the ARMM econ-omy since the national gov-ernment entrusted him with billion pesos worth of projects particularly on infrastructure such as roads and bridges.Another presenter, Re-gional Economic Zone Au-thority Director and OIC Manager of Polloc Freeport, Eshan Karl Mabang, present-ed on the current status of the Freeport as the only economic zone in the region and how this can help grow industries and spur economic activities in the ARMM and nearby mu-

nicipalities and cities.The IPP shall correspond to the Regional Development Plan of ARMM in accordance with the 2011-2016 Philip-pine Development Plan.Investments projects shall be founded on the following parameters: (1) projects net value added, (2) job genera-tion, (3) multiplier effect and (4) measured capacity.Though the 2014-2016 IPP to include the ARMM List is a rolling three-year plan to ensure continuity, consistency and predictability however, it is subject to annual review over the three-year period. (PNA)

This is why as part of the SSS Regional Visit in Tagum, Davao and Toril, the SSS con-tingent also visited the pro-spective locations for the Ti-bungco and Calinan Service Offices in Davao City for the benefit of members and em-ployers in Southern Mindan-ao, he said. (PNA)

priority programs to include among others the tax compli-ance verification drive, CRM-POS post evaluation, project Non-VAT to VAT, project IBO-TO MO, SLSP Monitoring, proj-ect on commission of online agents of hotels and resorts, intensification of collection from delinquent accounts, re-vision of zonal values.Others are on project quarry and other mineral

products, LGUs/NGAs with-holding tax monitoring, proj-ect monitoring of profession-als, monitoring of the Commis-sion on Audit (COA) findings on due-to-BIR accounts, proj-ect livestock and other agri products, project on locally manufactured wines/liquors and project no payment re-turn. They are also gathering data on taxi operators and on contract growing. (PNA)

to-Davao highway.Some farmers claimed they were deceived to join the journey to Kidapawan City from the hinterland towns of Arakan, Antipas and Pres. Roxas because the National Food Authority (NPA) will

distribute rice to farmers af-fected by drought. Another farmer also ad-mitted that communist gue-rillas agitated them to join the protest. He asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. (PNA)

ARTISTS AT FAST FRIDAYS. Davaoeo artist Ega Carreon (right), together with Tabula Rasa Davao Art group president Dinky Munda, promotes Visit Davao ART Fun Sale set to open today at the atrium of SM Lanang Premier

during yesterdays FAST Fridays media forum. Visit Davao ART Fun Sale is the biggest art exhibit in Mindanao that will feature 30 artists and 300 art works. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016 EDGEDAVAO 11

The Vote2016

EDGE DAVAO AN official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged overseas Filipino voters (OFWs), who will be participat-ing in the one-month absentee voting starting April 9 to support candidates based on the four P -- program, protection, promo-tion, and prosecution.Atin pong sundin ang apat

na Ps sa pagpili ng ating kandi-dato: Programa sa trabaho, Pan-gangalaga sa buhay at sa inyong mga mahal sa buhay na naiwan,

Paggalang sa inyo at sa inyong karapatang pagkatao, at Pagpa-parusa sa mga nanglilinlang, um-abuso at nagpahamak sa inyo, said Bishop Ruperto Santos of the CBCP-Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in a pastoral statement addressed to Filipino workers abroad.He noted that the country needs leaders who can provide livelihood generation programs and can protect them from abus-es, maltreatment, and exploita-

tion. At the same time, Santos said that aside from the academic and professional qualifications, mo-rality is still an important attri-bute to consider in choosing the countrys next leaders.Let us now use our hands in choosing and voting for true and a moral person, he said.The Balanga bishop remind-ed the voters to also support can-didates who defend life, promote the dignity of the human person, and who can prosecute lawless

elements.We are the ones who will benefit from the people whom we voted. And we are the ones who will also be affected from whoever we elected to govern-ment posts, he said.Over 1.3 million registered voters for the OAV are expected to participate in the month-long elections which will start on Sat-urday and will run until May 9.Filipinos abroad will be vot-ing for president, vice president, and party-list group. (PNA)DAVAO City Mayor Rodri-go R. Duterte on Thurs-day (April 7) reiterated that the Philippines is not pre-pared to go to war with China over the disputed West Philip-pine Sea. If war breaks out under his presidency, Duterte said he is willing to die to protect the countrys sovereignty. I will ask the Navy to de-liver me to the nearest area tol-erable to them and I will ride a jetski and carry a pole and

a flag. When I reach Spratlys I will erect the Philippine flag, Duterte said at a press confer-ence in Puerto Princesa Thurs-day night. You want to shoot me with your missile, fine, he added.This declaration draw cheers from the audience. Duterte, now a frontrun-ner in surveys for the May 9 presidential elections, insist-ed that the Philippines is the rightful owner of the disputed Spratly Islands despite claims made by China. I am insisting it is ours,

Duterte said. The tough-talking mayor, however, said he will not go to war with China as the coun-trys military is not prepared. We cannot go to war be-cause we cannot win it. I will not waste the lives of Filipino soldiers and policemen, Dute-rte said. The Philippine Govern-ment had file arbitration pro-ceedings with the United Na-tions (UN) Tribunal followings its dispute with China. The Tribunal is expected to give its verdict in July just in time when the country has a new president. Duterte, however, said should China not insist on ownership, he is ready to have a joint exploration with the Asian superpower. The 71-year-old mayor added that he will also ask Chi-na to build railways in Mindan-ao and Luzon. Do not talk about own-ership and I will not make a noise. For the six years that Im president Ill shut up, Duterte said. VICE presidential can-didate Senator Fer-dinand Bongbong R. Marcos, Jr. today said the Kidapawan tragedy may happen again unless the government adopts a sound agricultural policy that tru-ly addresses the needs of the farmers.Marcos has condemned the violent dispersal of farmers who staged a pro-test rally in Kidapawan City to demand rice and release of the calamity fund be-cause their families were suffering from hunger as a result of the drought brought about by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

Marcos had filed also Senate Resolution No. 1739 calling for a Senate inquiry

on the violent dispersal op-eration that resulted to the death of three and injury to hundreds of others, say-ing it is important to give justice to the farmers and provide them the help they need as soon as possible.But for the long term, we must put in place a sound agricultural policy that takes care of farmers, because unless we do this, there is danger the tragic Kidapawan incident may happen again, said Marcos.He said the govern-ments neglect of the agri-cultural situation has led to the anomalous conse-quence where those who produce our countrys food are the ones suffering from hunger.

For instance he noted that despite the recurring El Nino phenomenon and the resulting drought in many places, the government has failed to expand the irri-gation system and devise alternative means to store abundant water during the rainy season.We all know that with-out water farmers cant plant their crops, so it is crucial that we improve and expand our irrigation sys-tem, he stressed. Marcos has been calling too for the scrapping of irrigation fees the government charges from the farmers to lessen their burden. Among others, Marcos had also proposed cheaper credit facilities for farmers,

better crop insurance cover-age, research and develop-ment to develop drought or flood-resistant crops, con-struction of more post-har-vest facilities and strategic farm-to-market roads to fa-cilitate transport of harvest.Marcos said his long experience as governor of Ilocos Norte had taught him that if farmers get the help they need from the govern-ment, their lives not only improve but they also help boost the economy.We must provide our farmers all the necessary assistance so that we not only alleviate any adverse impact of natural calamities but also help them produce more so they wont go hun-gry again, said Marcos.

THE Liberal Party [LP] on Thursday challenged other presidential candidates to follow the example of its standard-bearer Mar Roxas who vowed to fight for the countrys sovereignty amid Chinas continued encroach-ment in the West Philippine Sea.Rep. Barry Gutierrez, LP spokesman, said that oth-er presidential candidates should now speak out and make a stand on the West Philippine Sea dispute be-tween the Philippines and China after the latter con-tinues its creeping invasion and massive reclamation activities in the disputed territory.

We challenge the oth-er candidates who have not stood up for what is ours, to come out, make a stand, and speak out - how low will you bow to China? For a true leader, politics always takes a back step when sovereign-ty is at hand, Gutierrez said.Gutierrez cited Roxas clear stand on the West Phil-ippine Sea dispute.Roxas earlier vowed to fight for the countrys terri-torial sovereignty and said he will seek for treaties with allied countries to strength-en the Philippines defensive capability.The LP standard-bearer particularly noted the ha-rassment being done by Chi-nese ships against Filipino

CBCP official urges OFWs votersto support bets based on 4Ps

Duterte ready to diefor PH sovereignty

Kidapawan tragedy to happen again unless govt adopts sound agri policy: Bongbong

LP challenges other bets to makea stand on West PH Sea issue

PHILIPPINE NATIONAL ELECTIONS 2016. Philippine Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes assists one group of Special Board of Elections Inspectors in setting up one vote counting machine to be used at the April 9 to May 9 Overseas Voting in United Arab Emirates (UAE). Photo by Prashanth Mukundan of The Gulf Today (UAE).

fishermen in the West Phil-ippine Sea.Lets support Mar who stood by what is ours and is ready to fight for our coun-try, Gutierrez said.On Tuesday, China light-ed a 55-meter high light-

house on Subi Reef, which is being claimed by the Phil-ippines and Vietnam, in the West Philippine Sea.Gutierrez said that such a move clearly showed that China will push for its claim of the entire Kalayaan Island

Group or the Spratlys.China continues to en-croach on our territory. The lighting of the lighthouse is a clear symbol of their inten-tion to permanently claim the sea that gives our fish-ermen livelihood and gives

food to our countrymen, contrary to their claims of peaceful intentions, Gutier-rez said.We should not allow ourselves to give in to fear and starve in our own land, he concluded.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 27 SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 201612 EDGEDAVAOCOMMUNITY SENSE

AT LEAST 7,000 Pantaw-id Pamilya beneficia-ries here were served through Tepok Lamok-Anti Dengue Campaign Project of RGMA Super Radyo Davao in partnership with Department of Social Welfare and Develop-ment (DSWD).Covering a total of 10 ba-rangays here, the RGMA Ser-bisyo Publiko was also made possible with the support of City Social Services and De-velopment Office (CSSDO), Church of the Latter-Day

Saints Charities, and City Health Office (CHO).Prioritized areas were Ma-tina Crossing, Matina Aplaya, Talomo Proper, Toril Proper, Baliok, Ula, Buhangin Proper, Sasa, Tibungco and Biao Joa-quin.These barangays have high cases of dengue, revealed CHO Tropical Diseases Pre-vention and Control Division Chief Elizabeth Banzon.As part of our corpo-rate social responsibility, this year we want to focus on the

health aspect of the poor and disadvantaged communities in Davao City. Pantawid Pam-ilya beneficiaries are the ones prioritized because we know that these people are the most vulnerable in crisis situation, Super Radyo Station Manager Arnie Delfin said.The team distributed den-gue kits containing Ovicial/Larvicidal Traps (device used to control aedes mosquito population), organic insect repellent (citronella oil) spon-sored by T.K.O., grocery items

and other giveaways.An orientation for Pantaw-id beneficiaries on the Preven-tion of Dengue Cases was also done in every barangay to en-sure that families are knowl-edgeable on health issues like dengue outbreak and on how to maintain cleanliness in their communities.Feeding program was also conducted in the 10 baran-gays.We really appreciate the efforts of Super Radyo in this kind of Serbisyo Publiko be-

cause we feel that they are with us in serving the poor families like our Pantawid beneficiaries. We are happy also that they use Listahanan data in their programs and services, DSWD Regional Di-rector Mercedita P. Jabagat said.RGMA Super Radyo has been a Listahanan data user since 2013. All programs and services it offers always pri-oritize Listahanan-identified poor families. Further, Super Radyo actively refers to DSWD

and to other appropriate agen-cies their radio listeners need-ing assistance. Listahanan is a data man-agement system of DSWD that identifies who and where the poor are, while Pantawid Pamilya is a human develop-ment program of the national government that invests in the health and education of poor households primarily of children aged 0-18. To, date there are 233,985 Pantawid beneficiaries in Davao Region. (DSWD)

7K Pantawid recipients benefit from Super Radyo project

PANABO City, Davao Del Norte -Gusto ko makata-bang sa akoang isig katawo kay kabalo ko nga kung sila pud sa akong kabahin motabang pud sila. Boluntaryo gyud nga pag-panerbisyo akoang ginahatag (I want to help my fellow beneficia-ries because I know that if they are in my shoes they will also do the same. I am offering my service voluntarily), said 45-year old Marriette Mordeno of Barangay New Visayas, Panabo City, Davao del Norte. Marriette has been a Pan-tawid Pamilya Parent Leader since 2010. Being an active over-all Parent Leader serving around 200 members in 6 clusters did not hinder her from being a lov-ing mother of four -18-year old Alfritz John who is in 3rd year college taking up BS Human Re-source Management; Mark An-thony, 16, an upcoming 1st year college student; Alyzza Marrie, 14, who is in Grade 8 and 8-year old Alfaye who is in Grade 4. Her husband, Mezraim, 45, works as a Maintenance Crew at AsiaPro earning P 301 per day. Marriette also suffered from a mild stroke when she was 28 which resulted to her having Bells Palsy, a facial nerve paral-ysis. But even her disability did not stop her from doing what she loved most serving. Before Pantawid Pami-lya