THE City Prosecutor’s Of-fice cleared a young banker from complicity in the “rob-

bery with homicide case” of an American national in a posh sub-division in Davao City, January, this year.

Insufficiency of evidence part-ly brought about by sloppy police work saved the day for Ramon S. Jungco, a bank manager, accused of killing Basil Joseph Griffin, 73, an American national inside his

house at 2345 Champaca Lane, Woordrige Park Subdivision in Ma-a, Davao City on January 3, 2012.

The robbery with homicide case was filed by Police Officer 3 Wilfredo M. Gallego, officer on case, who acted as complainant since the victim did not have a relative in the city.

In dismissing the case against Jungco, assistant city prosecu-tor Marte Melchor S. Velasco said that pieces of evidence submit-ted by complainant police officer Gallego were not strong enough to sustain a finding of probable cause.

Velasco said the complain-ant’s witnesses had different ver-

sions of the factual circumstances and “that the more they state what the facts are, the more that it excludes the respondent (Jung-co) from the commission of the incident.”

“There is no evidence linking the respondent to the grisly kill-ing of Griffin except that he was the last person to visit the said victim,” Velasco said, adding that “this alone however would not

THE mayor of the munici-pality of Jose Abad Santos and his six security aides

were arrested by combined elements of the Philippine Na-tional Police (PNP) for alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosives in a raid on the mayor’s house, dawn of Thurs-day.

Mayor James “Jimmy” Y. Joyce and his men were ar-rested at around 1:30 a.m. by operatives of the Regional In-

telligence Unit 11 led by Supt. Leonardo A. Felonia, Davao del Sur Police Provincial Office Public Safety Company under Supt. Querubin Manalang and 4thSpecial Action Force Battal-ion led by Chief Insp. John Mi-chael Mangahis.

Felonia identified the may-or’s aides as Ronnie Pandamon, Arnel Dionesio, Victorino Ve-nancio, Hernan Miguel, Floro Arquillano and Boroy Tilo.

He said the operation was

conducted by virtue of a search warrant issued by Manila Ex-ecutive Judge Marino dela Cruz Jr of the Regional Trial Court National Judicial Region Branch 22 against the house of Joyce lo-cated in Sitio Talisay, in Cabuar-an Small.

A total of 12 high-powered firearms, including an AK 47 assault rifle, and ammunition were seized during the raid.

Felonia said the operatives were in a convoy on board nine

vehicles travelling for nine hours from Davao City’s Mintal staging area.

Upon arriving in the area, a SAF team immediately went into action against seven pre-designated premises to clear and neutralize members of Po-lice Auxiliary Group (PAG) in one broad sweep in prepara-tion for the RIU-11 search party together with lawyer Richard Patriarca to serve the search

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VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012

FDAVSUR, 12

FBANKER, 12

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Sports

The Big News Page 3

Page 13

n Cops scored for sloppy police work

Sugod na ang mga kalingawan sa Kadayawan.

Science/Environment Page 4

DavSur mayor, 6 aides held following gun bustBy Anthony AlladaCorrespondent

Banker cleared of American’s killing

Serving a seamless societyDAVAO

By Antonio M. Ajero

COLORFUL. Personnel of City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) erect colorful flags for the Kadayawan Festival around at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport yesterday. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012

THE relocation of the people living in dan-ger areas and the

implementation of more flood mitigating programs are some of the key pri-orities of the Aquino gov-ernment, a senior govern-ment communications of-ficial said on Thursday.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, Presiden-tial Communications De-velopment and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ramon Carandang bared that over P10 billion has been allocated by the gov-ernment to pursue these projects to lessen the vul-nerability of the people during typhoons and en-sure their safety in times of calamities.

“As you know may programa tayo to relocate some of the people liv-ing in the danger areas… we’ve allocated over 10 billion pesos to these and that work is ongoing but clearly naabutan tayo ng ulan, those projects are ongoing and we’re hope-ful that over the next few years we will see the ef-fects of these programs,” Carandang said.

“One is further flood mitigation, second is relo-cation… I think that’s been announced in the past hin-di pa tayo natatapos dun, that’s not going to happen overnight... so we can ex-pect at least for the next few months we will con-tinue to help communities

living in these areas,” he added.

Carandang further noted that the Aquino gov-ernment, through its vari-ous concerned agencies, has been coordinating to assess the situation and formulate the necessary actions to be taken for the safety of the people.

“What we’ve seen from the storms over the last few days is that it looks as if more work can be done… what we’ve seen over the last two days is that the zero casualty re-mains an aspiration that we’re working for... We will have an assessment of this and we will take ap-propriate actions based on

PRESIDENT Be-nigno S. Aquino III has issued Execu-

tive Order No. 81 creat-ing the Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee (MPMC) to facilitate all initiatives aimed at im-proving the energy supply in the southern region.

Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said on Thursday that under E0 81 signed by President Aquino July 30, the coor-dinating body will moni-tor, harmonize and inte-grate recommendations designed to address the concerns of the Mindanao power industry sector.

“The President ap-proved the formation of the MPMC since there is a need for a team or a body that will study the feasibility of recommen-dations to address the power situation in Mind-anao,” Ochoa said. “It will ensure that coordination and monitoring are in

place to better the power situation in Mindanao.”

The Mindanao Devel-opment Authority (Min-DA), which was estab-lished under Republic Act No. 9996 and is currently chaired by Luwalhati An-tonino, will oversee the MPMC. The coordinating body also serves as the secretariat.

Other members of the MPMC are the De-partment of Energy, the Energy Regulatory Com-mission, National Electri-fication Administration, National Power Corpora-tion and the Power Sec-tor Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. Rep-resentatives from the Mindanao Electric Power Alliance and Association of Mindanao Rural Elec-tric Cooperatives are like-wise enjoined to become members of the commit-tee.

The President direct-ed the MPMC to develop

a database on pertinent information regarding the power sector in Min-danao, assess the energy situation in the region and evaluate the viability of the recommendations put forward following the Mindanao power summit, among others.

Government agencies, including state-owned and -controlled corpora-tions, are asked to assist the MPMC to help it carry its mandate.

Ochoa said initial funding for MPMC will come from the contingent fund and other sources that may be determined by the Department of Budget and Management. The subsequent budget will be incorporated in the regular appropriation for MinDA.

EO No. 81 takes ef-fect immediately upon its publication in a newspa-per of general circulation. [PNA] 

THE BIG NEWS2 EDGEDAVAO

FRELOCATION, 12

A resettlement area in the Island Garden City of Samal is being de-

veloped with the support of the Housing Urban Develop-ment Coordinating Council.

Nancy Binay Angeles, representing Vice President Jejomar K.Binay, Sr., chair-man of Housing Urban De-velopment Coordinating Council (HUDCC), witnessed the signing of the Memoran-dum of Agreement between the National Housing Au-thority (NHA) 11 by Engr. Carolina Angel, regional director, and the govern-ment of Island Garden City of Samal by Mayor Aniano P. Antalan at the P20M Tambo Resettlement Project, Pe-ñaplata Freedom Park on Thursday, July 26, 2012.

Earlier that day, Binay together with the officials of HUDCC Region 11, NHA11I and IGaCoS department heads joined the ground breaking and laying of a time capsule in the 3.7 hectare re-settlement area at Barangay Tambo, Babak district.

The ground breaking ceremony was in time for the Madayaw Hugyaw Samal Celebration Opening Pro-gram.

“Saludo kami sa sector ngpabahay ninyo, sa proyek-tong ito hindi na mapa-alis sa tinitirahan ang ating ma-mamayan at magkaroon na sila ng sariling tirahan” ( We salute the local housing sec-tor for this project, citizens won’t be forced from their houses and they would have their own houses), Nancy Binay Angeles said.

Binay commended the city government for giving priority to the resettlement program.

Mayor Antalan appreci-ated the presence of Binay and the fund extended by NHA which he said is of great help to reduce the housing backlog of the city.

The NHA fund assis-tance will be used for site development of the reloca-tion area to cover reloca-tion, subdivision survey and monumenting, earthworks,

roadworks, drainage, septic tank provision and water system.

Architect Maria Alma Valenciano, NHA manager for Mindanao, lauded the IGaCoS government, par-ticularly the City Housing Board for the establishment of the housing project. The city expects to collect 50% of the funding from the ben-eficiaries to be returned to the NHA and with the re-maining 50% to be retained as seed money of the city for another housing project.

The Tambo Resettle-ment Project area has 271 lots to accommodate home-less settlers residing along the shoreline of Barangay Pichon and Barangay Tam-bo, Babak district.

The relocation and re-settlement of informal set-tlers residing in danger zones is one of the priority programs of the city. This is to protect settlers from untoward disasters and also to give way for the develop-ment of the city. [Samal CIO]

Social housing project in IGaCoS is unveiled

WIDOWS. Beatriz Ogao cries while listening to Jose-phine Catagman, both widows of Datu Causing, during an AFP/PNP press briefing yesterday at the Philippine

Information Agency office. Datu Causing, a tribal leader, allegedly killed by the New People’s Army (NPA) last month in Marilog, Davao City. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

STRANDED and un-employed Overseas Filipino Workers

(OFWs) in Saudi Arabia have reportedly been forced to sell their blood to hospitals for their daily sustenance, according to reports reaching some Philippine lawmakers.

Rep. Ma. Carmen Zamora-Apsay of Com-postela Valley fully agrees with the proposal of Rep-resentatives Rufus Rodri-guez of Cagayan de Oro City and Maximo Rodri-guez Jr. (Party List Abante Mindanao for the House

to look into the reports.The Rodriguez broth-

ers filed House Resolu-tion 2542 urging the House Committee on Overseas Workers Af-fairs chaired by Rep. Walden Bello (Party List, Akbayan) to conduct an inquiry and invite all concerned officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Philippine Overseas Em-ployment Administration (POEA), Migrante Middle East and other agencies and entities to shed light on the matter.

Rodriguez said unem-ployed OFWs are forced to sell blood to hospitals on a monthly basis in or-der to raise money for their daily needs as well as to support their fami-lies back home.

Saudi Arabia hospitals pay around 300 to 500 Saudi Riyals per 500cc of blood.

Rep. Zamora-Apsay said the Bello committee had received such reports as early as October of last year but the Philippine Embassy there denied such reports.

Zamora-Apsay backs probe on OFWs’ selling blood in KSA

Creation of Mindanao Power Monitoring Committee okd

Relocation from danger zones govt.’s key priority program

MAKE way for the King of Festivals.

Davao City rolls out its bounties for the much-anticipated Kaday-awan Festival which for-mally opens this afternoon in elaborate and meaningful rites at the People’s Park.

Festival organizers have released a sneak peak of to-day’s opening ceremonies but would rather say the unique program should be a “touching moment.” Kaday-awan, Davao’s annual festival of thanksgiving for a year-round bounty, will feature its ten proud tribes -- Sama, Ma-ranao, Maguindanao, Kagan, Tausog, Clata, Manobo, Ata, Matigsalug, Tagabawa.

In a fitting tribute to its theme “Ten Tribes, One Vibe”, leaders of the ten tribes will

join City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio in the rites aptly called “pagtinapok-tapok” (convergence).

Today’s opening cer-emonies at 4:30 in the af-ternoon will begin with a convergence of street danc-ers depicting the diverse ethnicities of Davao. Before sunset, Mayor Duterte-Car-pio will beat the large agong to sound off the official start of the Kadayawan.

She will then be joined by the ten tribal leaders--Hadja Estrellita Tanjili Ma-hamud of the Sama Tribe (Sama), Gapor Usman, Al-Hadj of the Maranao Tribe (Illanun) Esmael Nakan (Ma-guindanao Tribe), Nicanor Mohamad, Al-Hadj of Kagan Tribe, Kagan or Kalagan), Masil Ahalul, Al-Hadj (Tau-

sog), Bae Herminia Ortiz (Clata), Omelis Duyan (Obu Manuvu), Roel Arthur Ali Sr. (Ata Tribe), Datu Carlito Guinto Sr. (Matigsalog), and Bae Gregoria Uy (Tagabawa).

The highlight of to-day’s opening ceremonies is the Ritual sa Panaghiusa and the Gasa sa Malabuong Tuig where Mayor Duterte-Carpio presides over the unveiling of the giant durian fruit which peels off to a big basket of an assortment of Davao fruits.

“It’s something new, it’s an entirely new concept and this is just the start of the many new things to expect from this year’s Kadayawan,” said Gene Bangayan, chair-person of Duaw Davao Fes-tival Foundation, lead orga-nizer of the Kadayawan.

Kadayawan opens today

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012 3EDGEDAVAO

FIT, 12 F3D, 12

THE BIG NEWS

THE ambitious e-UP project of the Univer-sity of the Philippines

system will greatly benefit UP Mindanao says UP Min Chancellor Gilda Rivero.

“A lot, it makes it more efficient,” Rivero said when asked if the IT project would yield benefits to the Mind-anao campus.

Rivero cited e-UP’s ben-efits in terms of enhancing manpower efficiency. “UP Mindanao is lean particu-larly on manpower.” she said adding that the IT proj-ect will help them perform their tasks more efficiently.

The chancellor also said that the university can share its resources more par-ticularly in talent sharing. “We have so many talents. It would be easy for other constituent universities to tap the resources available.”

Rivero also cited that with academic resources being made available online, the IT project makes UP Min more relevant particularly in giving support to Mind-anao’s agriculture.

The e-UP project is an ambitious 3- year program which aims to put in place integrated, interconnected and interoperable Informa-tion and Communication Technology (ICT) systems

and infrastructure in and across all UP campuses.

A flagship program of UP President Alfredo E. Pascual, the e-UP project is scheduled to be implement-ed in UP Mindanao by 2013. Currently the project is in the design stage of various information systems.

According to Dr. Elvira Zamora, UP Systems vice-president for development, the project is initially worth P750-million but reiterated that it is a running budget citing the different needs of specific constituents in the UP system.

The project covers five components namely: 1.) policy formation, organiza-tion and mobilization, 2.) benchmarking and IT audit, 3.) acquisition/ develop-ment and installation of in-formation systems, 4.) ICT infrastructure development and 5.) ICT competency building.

Among the tangible in-frastructure will include en-hancements of wi-fi access, upgrading of fiber-optics procurement of top-of-the-line software.

Added capabilities in-clude video-conferencing, online enrolment, wi-fi campuses, online learning

IT project benefits UP Min students

LAND USE. Community volunteers paint the 3D relief model according to type of land use.

A 3D relief map, any-one?

Yes, Davao City has a three-dimensional relief model of the Talo-mo-Lipadas, Panigan-Tamugan and Matina wa-

tersheds, another “first” that Dabawenyos can be proud of, a symbol of their serious concern on the health of the environ-ment that means so much for their survival.

The unique relief map is an additional attrac-tion of the People’s Park.

Members of the Davao City Watershed Manage-ment Council (WMC) headed by Mayor Sara

Duterte-Carpio viewed the still unfinished 3D map undergoing finish-ing touches inside at the Park. The WMC will soon be the owner and custo-dian of the unique model

3D relief model of watershedsnow on view at People’s ParkBy Antonio M. Ajero

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 20124 SCIENCE/ENVIRONMENT EDGEDAVAO

THE Pacific region is set to experi-ence in the next

three months an El Nino weather pattern, which can bring dry weather and affect crops, New Zealand scientists said on Wednesday.

Sea surface tempera-tures in the equatorial Pacific are warming, and tropical sea temperatures are near El Nino levels.

“Conditions in the tropical Pacific are cur-rently on the brink of El Nino, and it is likely El Nino will develop during the early spring period,” the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere (NIWA) said in its latest climate outlook.

“The majority of cli-mate models which NIWA monitors predict that the El Niño threshold will likely be exceeded during

the August to October pe-riod.”

The El Nino typically brings rainfall below the average to the Asia-Pa-cific region, threatening the yields of agricultural crops, while parts of Latin America and the conti-nental United States may be hit by weather that is wetter than average.

The U.S. grain belt is now suffering its worst drought in 56 years, which carried corn and soybean prices to record highs last month on expectations of lower production.

Weather scientists in Australia and Japan last month warned of devel-oping El Nino conditions.

NIWA said the South-ern Oscillation, an indica-tor of changing weather patterns, was close to zero last month, which signalled El Niño condi-

tions were not yet fully in place.

Current indications are that most of New Zealand, whose econo-my is driven by agricul-ture, would have nor-mal weather conditions through to October, it said.

However, it added, there might be less rain-fall than average in the eastern South Island, home to hydropower stations supplying more than two-thirds of the country’s power.

A La Nina pattern of cool water in the equa-torial Pacific, which nor-mally brings colder, wet-ter conditions to parts of the continental United States, ended this year, and there had been talk of an El Nino pattern de-veloping before year’s end.

Pacific region on brink of El Nino

JULY 3, 2012 was a Red Letter day for Mother Na-ture in Davao City.On that day, the City

Council of Davao stood tall and proud before their constituents by uphold-ing a little-known city or-dinance which disallowed new memorial parks and cemeteries to be put up on top of water resource areas despite questions on its al-leged infirmity.

The battle between the pro and anti-memorial park camps had taken much of the session time of the legis-lative body since the contro-versial items became part of the council agenda from April this year.

Up to the last two ses-sions – June 26 which lasted up to 11:00PM and July 3 when the two memorial park applications were vot-ed upon by the body – the final arbiter was the untried and untested Davao City Water Resource Manage-ment and Protection Code or Ordinance No. 117-01 which the 11th Council en-acted in 2001.

It was a classic case of science being overturned by the objectives of the law.

A noted columnist and a friend, Rene Ezpeleta Bar-tolo, at one time a member of the core management group which prepared the proposed ordinance start-ing June of 1997, wrote in his column Ricochet (MT, July 4, 2012):

“Today, the Water Code is at the center of a raging controversy: the plan to construct at least two pri-vate cemeteries on top of the aquifers of Baliok and Dumoy (this should read Lu-bogan and Baliok) and the bitter opposition from resi-dents of subdivisions within the locality.

“The developers and some members of the City Council are using the law as an excuse; the oppositors are using it as a defense. Hence, the controversy,” Bartolo wrote.

To put the debate in perspective, the Water Code defined the locations of water resource areas through a map and a num-ber of sections: Calinan to Dacudao, Calinan to Mala-gos and Sirawan. A fourth section merely stated: “And other water resource areas as the Council may define and identify…” This was the problematic section in the ordinance.

Left out in the definition of water resource areas are the water rich-barangays from Lubogan to Ulas where 39 out of the 54 produc-tion wells of the Davao City Water District (DCWD) op-erate and where 900,000 Dabawenyos get their fresh, sweet, and nice tasting “Du-moy Water”.

The non-mention of the Dumoy water resource area in the Water Code is being used as an excuse by pro-cemetery proponents to recommend the approval of new burial sites on top of the Dumoy water resource ar-eas. “No law is violated,” they intoned..

Prior to the climactic July 3rd voting and the June 26th appearance of a surprise speaker, retired Judge Jesus V. Quitain, the pro-cemetery camp practically had all the aces up their sleeves. The pros were far ahead, llama-dong-llamado, as gamblers would put it.

Testimonies of more than a dozen experts were supported by certifications from mandated agencies, among them, the DCWD, HLURB, DOH, CHO, CEO,

CENRO, MGB, DAR, City Plan-ning and Development, the City Development Council, the memorial part investors themselves and their geolo-gists and hydrologists, on top of the barangay resolutions from host barangays Baliok and Lubogan interposing no objections to the proposals.

Their message was loud and clear: everything was documented and scientific. There was no danger of con-taminating the underground water resource; the pro-posed park sites were a safe distance away from existing DCWD wells and protesting communities.

In the subcommittee level hearings, from early part of 2011, the opposition side was never heard, un-til late March of 2012 when a petition from the United Residents and Homeowners Association of Dacoville, Inc (URHADI) board of directors led by president Conrado Vidanes, in Dumoy, dated November, 2011 was finally referred by the City Plan-ning and Development Office and the DCWD, to the sub-committee on housing and subdivisions (middle end), chaired by Councilor Dr. Ber-nard Al-ag. There was a gap of four months!

The URHADI board reso-lution cited reasons for the opposition: proximity of the planned burial site to Daco-ville, and to several DCWD production wells. Moreover, the burial site in general is part of an environmentally critical area wherein devel-opment is highly regulated and limited due to the pres-ence of the aquifer below it. Besides there was no public consultation with four other affected communities.

In early March, the Du-moy barangay council head-ed by punong barangay Dr.

Jessie Mar Y. Culaste initiated an urgent public consulta-tion with the five Dumoy-based subdivisions near the Baliok boundary, to deter-mine actual public senti-ments. Their unanimous re-sponse: No to the new Baliok burial area! Immediately, the council came out with a resolution strongly opposing the project. Some 1,100 per-sons later signed petitions, including those of two doz-en working media persons, proving the memorial park project in Baliok did not have social acceptability.

The first attendance of the opposition in the Al-ag subcommittee hearing in April was foreboding. The protesters were told: “why come only now at this late of day, when we have just about wrapped up our find-ings based on numerous ex-pert testimonies and ready to submit our recommen-dations to the council as a whole for second reading? But you will be welcomed just the same in the plenary session.”

Part II of this six-part se-ries will report how the op-position slowly gained the upperhand especially after the Water Code was intro-duced in plenary by Coun-cilor Melchor V. Quitain. The ordinance was providential, completely taking the pro-cemetery camp by surprise. Very few people knew it ever existed. By order of the pre-siding chair, the memorial park item was ordered re-turned to subcommittee lev-el to reconcile recommenda-tions with provisions of the Water Code. The opposition considered the chair’s deci-sion a first round victory of sort in the battle for Mother Earth, especially for the pro-tection of the precious Du-moy water resource.

Science vs lawBattle over the Dumoy water resource(Part 1)By Ricardo Jr. A. Jimenez A travelogue spanning

more than five decades in academe and inter-

disciplinary human ecology.This best describes Dr.

Percy E. Sajise’s book “Ecol-ogy, Environment, and Sustain-able Development: Reflections Spanning Five Decades”.

The book is co-published by the Southeast Asian Re-gional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Ag-riculture (SEARCA) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) through its School of Environmental Sci-ence and Management (SES-AM) and College of Human Ecology (CHE).

It brings together the discipline of ecology and the perspective of human ecology in analyzing environmental problems over time and space in the landscape of the Phil-ippines, Southeast and East Asia.

Highlighting significant lessons learned from the anal-ysis of case studies, it reflects Sajise’s collective experiences from his travels, publications, and interdisciplinary research and development engage-ments.

The experience spans more than four decades across communities, farms and forests as well as universi-ties and research institutions worldwide.

With his vast work in Asia, the Pacific and elsewhere, Sajise is an internationally recognized ecologist, environ-mentalist and mentor.

He is currently a SEARCA Senior Fellow and served as SEARCA Director in 1994-1999.

He is an Honorary Re-search Fellow of Bioversity International and a member of the World Academy of Arts and Science.

Sajise was recently ap-pointed as a member of the Advisory Group to the Secre-tariat of the Commission on

Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of the Food and Agriculture Organization. The Advisory Group plays a key part in the preparation of the State of the World’s Biodi-versity for Food and Agricul-ture.

He is also a member of the advisory body of the Center for Biodiversity and Indig-enous Knowledge based in Yunnan, China.

Sajise is a prolific writer and is a member of the edito-rial board of research journals, including the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development, Environmental Science Jour-nal, Journal of Environmental Science and Management, and Wageningen Journal of Life Sci-ences.

He is now an Adjunct Pro-fessor at the UPLB-SESAM, where he had devoted most of his professional life.

He was the Dean of UPLB’s CHE and College of Arts and Sciences as well as Director of the Institute of Environmen-tal Science and Management, the forerunner of SESAM. He spearheaded the Southeast Asian Agroecosystems Net-work and the Environmental Education Network of the Philippines.

Sajise was Regional Direc-tor of Bioversity Internation-al’s Office for Asia, Pacific and Oceania in 2000-2008.

He obtained his doctorate in plant ecology from Cornell University and was a Research Fellow at the Environment and Policy Institute, East-West Center, Hawaii, and a Visiting Professor at Leiden Univer-sity, The Netherlands.

“Ecology, Environment, and Sustainable Development: Reflections Spanning Five Decades” will be launched on August 6 at 4:30 p.m. at SEARCA, a Los Baños-based international research center currently headed by Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit, Jr. sciencenews-philippines@gmail.com

Human ecologyin space and time

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012 5EDGEDAVAO THE ECONOMY

MONTHLY AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE (January 2009 - December 2011)

Month 2012 2011 2010

Average 43.31 45.11December 43.64 43.95November 43.27 43.49October 43.45 43.44

September 43.02 44.31August 42.42 45.18

July 42.81 46.32June 43.37 46.30May 42.85 43.13 45.60April 42.70 43.24 44.63

March 42.86 43.52 45.74February 42.66 43.70 46.31January 43.62 44.17 46.03

Stat Watch5.8%

1st Qtr 2012

6.4 %1st Qtr 2012

USD 4,931million

May 2012USD 4,770

millionApr 2012USD -135

millionApr 2012USD -209

millionMar 2012

P 4,580,674 million

Apr 2012

4.1 %May 2012P131,403

millionMay 2012

P 5,075 billion

Apr 2012

P 42.78Jun 2012

5,091.2May 2012

130.1 Jun 2012

2.8 Jun 2012

3.7 Jun 2012

349,779Apr 2012

18.8 %Jan 2012

7.2 %Jan 2012

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

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

3. Exports 1/

4. Imports 1/

5. Trade Balance

6. Balance of Payments 2/

7. Broad Money Liabilities

8. Interest Rates 4/

9. National Government Revenues

10. National government outstanding debt

11. Peso per US $ 5/

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

16. Visitor Arrivals

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

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

Silk Air Thu/Sun MI566 / MI566 18:55 Davao-Singapore 15:20Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri 5J507 / 5J598 15:00 Cebu-Davao-Cebu 15:30Philippine Airlines August 15:55 Mani2Mani 16:50Zest Air Daily Z2524 / Z2525 16:05 Cebu-Davao-Cebu 16:45Cebu Pacific Daily 5J967 / 5J600 16:35 Manila-Davao-Cebu 17:05Philippines Airlines Daily PR813 / PR814 16:55 Manila-Davao-Manila 17:45Cebu Pacific Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat 5J215 / 5J216 18:00 Cagayan de Oro-Davao-Cagayan de Oro 18:20Cebu Pacific Daily 5971 / 5J970 18:40 Manila-Davao-Manila 19:10Cebu Pacific Tue/Sat/Sun 5J973 / 5J974 20:00 Manila-Davao-Manila 20:30Cebu Pacific Daily 5J969 / 5J972 20:30 Manila-Davao-Manila 21:00Airphil Express Daily 2P987 / 2P988 20:30 Manila-Davao-Manila 21:00Philippine Airlines Daily except Sunday PR821 / PR822 21:20 Manila-Davao-Manila 21:50Philippine Airlines Sunday PR821 / PR822 22:20 Manila-Davao-Manila 22:50

as of august 2010

TWO budget hotels will be open for business any-time this year along Claro

M. Recto Street in downtown area, this city.

Jason Magnaye, Davao City Investment and Promotion Center (DCIPC) head, said the six-storey Hotel Uno will be opening its doors to guests and tourists this month in time for the 27th Kadayawan Festival celebration.

Magnaye said Hotel Uno, which is being developed by 3S Realty Corporation, is a bud-get hotel designed to cater to travellers, families and friends, and even businessmen who demand conducive relaxation

during their stay in the city.He said Hotel Uno has a to-

tal of 148 rooms, with specific classification in each room to meet the guests’ needs. The rooms are classified as non air-conditioned rooms, single superior, single deluxe, double superior, double deluxe, twin deluxe, junior luxury and lux-ury sweet.

Magnaye said another proj-ect is a three-storey building with a total of 50 rooms whose construction will start early next year.

He said the Davao Rogien-ald Corporation will introduce the Brooklyn and Walters Ho-tel and Mainstreet Claveria,

also known as Oroderm City along C.M. Recto Street.

Davao Rogienald Corpora-tion allocated some P120 mil-lion for the construction of both projects, he said.

Magnaye said the first phase of the project is the Mainstreet Claveria or the Oroderm City, a commercial building hous-ing a total of 40 units. This will be opened in the last quarter of the year while the Brook-lyn and Walters Hotel will be erected behind the commercial building, he added.

He said the firm allocated some P80 million for the reno-vation of the hotel’s infrastruc-ture. The area where the struc-

ture is standing used to be an old and deserted building with a total area of 3,726 square meters.

Magnaye said these busi-ness establishments will sup-port city efforts to revive Claro M. Recto, the city’s busiest commercial district way back in the 90’s.

“I’m thankful to the devel-opers for introducing these ho-tels on Claro .M. Recto Street,” Magnaye said.

He said the opening of new establishments, as well as commercial spaces in the whole stretch of the street will support new developments in city.[PNA]

Two budget hotels up in Davao CityBy Anthony S. Allada

DELICACY. Neatly wrapped “toron” and other banana delicacies displayed in a stall along Ponciano Reyes Street attract customers who love to eat cheap but heavy snack. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

EASTWEST Bank, one of the fastest-growing banks in the country today, has

received the approval from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to operate as a universal bank.

With its unibank license, the Bank now has the authority to expand its businesses to non-allied undertakings.

Even with this license, East-West said it still intends to focus on serving the retail and corpo-rate middle-market sectors.

“We have no plans to put up an investment banking subsid-iary at this time. We are looking to form a unit inside the Bank which will offer investment banking services,” said EastWest President & CEO Antonio C. Mon-

cupa, Jr.At this point though, Moncupa

said, EastWest will continue to focus on commercial and retail banking.

“Our primary target markets remain to be mid-sized corpo-rates and the consumer segments. The added capabilities from our unibank license will primarily be directed to serve these market

segments better,” he said.Aside from the basic invest-

ment banking services like under-writing, arranging, and advisory, Moncupa said the Bank is also looking into leasing.

Earlier this year, EastWest successfully listed its shares at the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), the first bank to do so in eight years. [PNA]

EastWest Bank secures BSP’s ok to operate as a universal bank

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 20126 THE ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

SM Development Corporation (SMDC) continued to sur-

prise the market as its 2012 first half home sales surged by 85% to P19.8 billion. Correspondingly, the number of units sold rose sharply by 72% to 8,007 from only 4,655 units during same period last year.

Financial perfor-mance for the period remained very strong as revenues from real es-tate rose 73.6% to P11.9 billion. Net income from real estate for six months ended June 30, 2012 grew 31.8% to P2.51 billion while con-solidated net income in-creased by 38% to P2.7 billion for a net margin of 22%. EBITDA also rose by 32.6% to P2.97 billion translating to an EBITDA margin of 25%.

Henry T. Sy, Jr. SMDC vice chairman and chief executive officer said, “We are highly gratified

by the warm response that the market contin-ues to give to SMDC’s products. Our homebuy-ers encourage all of us to work even harder to match their expectations or even exceed them in terms of quality, life-style and convenience. SMDC’s residential con-dominiums are being designed and developed to cater to the Filipino’s growing need for pri-vacy, sophistication, and greater access to retail and home-related ser-vices which offer greater convenience and time for families to live a more balanced life.”

All of SMDC’s proj-ects are conveniently lo-cated near malls, trans-port hubs, and schools. They provide amenities such as swimming pools, hotel-like lobbies, and function rooms which, in the past decades, were beyond the reach of mid-range homebuyers. [PNA]

SMDC net income surge 38% to P2.7B

THE Government Ser-vice Insurance System (GSIS), the social in-

surance institution secur-ing the future of all local government employees, and Globe Business, the group in Globe Telecom serving small, medium and large en-terprises in the Philippines, announced the successful implementation and roll-out of the GSIS Wireless Au-tomated Processing System (GWAPS) kiosks.

GWAPS is a secure sys-tem that performs remote, paperless transactions. A GWAPS kiosk resembles an ATM and adopts world-class technologies such as radio-frequency identification or RFID recognition, biomet-rics and virtual private net-works.

The easy-to-use termi-nals are powered by Globe Business and allow GSIS members to carry out vari-ous transactions through the GWAPS, including loan applications and checking of personal records.

The GSIS also plans to deploy an additional 350 units within the year, includ-

ing the rapid-deployment type, which can be quickly set up in typhoon-affected areas.

In all, GWAPS kiosks in GSIS offices nationwide as well as in other government offices will number more than 1,000, ready to serve millions of government workers and pensioners when they perform trans-actions such as updating of personal records and loan applications.

“We are pleased to part-ner with Globe through the GWAPS kiosks project. Our 750 kiosks deployed across the country offer greater convenience to our 1.7 mil-lion members and pension-ers. They can apply for their loans, check their records or request to update their ac-counts, without the need to visit our offices,” GSIS presi-dent and general manager Robert G. Vergara said.

For his part, Globe Busi-

ness head Jesus Romero noted that the GWAPS proj-ect is one of most innovative projects initiated by Globe and GSIS, leveraging on the ICT competencies of Globe Business to provide simple, seamless and relevant ser-vices to millions of state workers and pensioners.

“We are delighted to be in a strategic partnership with GSIS. Providing inno-vative services to the public has always been one of the key initiatives of Globe, and we want to help GSIS realize its new slogan ‘Maaasahan ng Lingkod-Bayan’ by de-livering efficient and effec-tive solutions to the nation. Through GWAPS, millions of government workers and pensioners need not travel to GSIS offices and can in-stead process transactions in a quick and easy manner. This is truly an example of expedient public service, made possible through

the effective use of ICT by Globe,” said Romero.

Globe Telecom has been in partnership with the GSIS for over a decade, with ICT solutions spanning voice, mobile and data con-nectivity. Aside from the GSIS, Globe Business has been successfully collabo-rating with various govern-ment offices in employing relevant products and ser-vices that enhance the level of service given to the pub-lic sector.

Globe works with gov-ernment institutions in order to improve the qual-ity of services and increase operational efficiencies in enforcing public policies.

As a full-service ICT provider, Globe Business understands the needs of various small, medium and large enterprises in the Phil-ippines and provides them with a comprehensive range of solutions relevant to their specific needs. This suite of solutions comprises mo-bile, wire line, broadband, data connections, Internet, managed services and IT-enabling services. [PNA]

GSIS taps Globe Business for automation project

n Successful partnership benefits over 1.7M stakeholders

MAIDEN FLIGHT. Candice Iyog, vice president for Marketing and distribution of Cebu Pacific (4th from left), together with Engr. Jose Emmanuel Sadam, CAAP assistant airport area manager-Francisco Bangoy International Airport (ext. left), Jason Magnaye, Davao City Investment Promotion Center and City Tourism Operations Office OIC (3rd from left), Edward Bangayan, general

manager of Summit World (3rd from right) and Art Boncato, regional direc-tor of DOT XI (extreme right), grace the cutting of ribbon during Cebu Pacific’s Davao City-Puerto Princesa maiden flight yesterday at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport. [LEAN DAVAL JR.]

ENERGY Secretary Jose Rene Almen-dras is optimistic

the remaining 36,000 si-tios nationwide will get electricity by 2016.

Almendras said the 32,000 sitios will be con-nected through the grid while the remaining 4,000 sitios not connected to the grid will use renewable-energy technology.

He cited as example Polilio Island, now 100 percent with power through solar energy.

“If we can do 6,000 si-tios this year and 9,000 si-tios in the next 3 years un-til 2016, kaya ang target,” Almendras told reporters at the sidelines of the 33rd Annual General Member-ship Meeting of Philreca.

“Hindi pa po natin na-subukan gawin ito pero dahan dahanin natin and let’s get used to it [We haven’t done this before but let’s take it slowly and let’s get used to it],” he added.

Almendras said the Aquino administration has set a record after 1,500 si-tios were connected with electricity in 90 days, ben-efiting more than 30,000 households in far-flung areas.

“We’ve never done this in the past. This year, we’ll hit 6,000 sitios,” Almen-dras said.

The President, who was present at the event, vowed to energize the re-maining 36,000 sitios by 2016. [PNA]

36,000 sitios to get electricity by 2016

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas will again review its foreign re-

serves target for 2012 after preliminary July 2012 level surpassed the US$ 77.5-78 billion target.

“We will most likely re-view that because the capi-tal flows are very strong the past months,” BSP Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr. said at the sidelines of the House

Committee hearing of the proposed 2013 national budget.

During the hearing, Tetangco told lawmakers preliminary July 2012 gross international reserves is placed between US$ 77-79 billion.

The initial foreign re-serves in the seventh month this year is higher than last June’s US$ 76.3 billion.

Tetangco traced the continued expansion in the foreign reserves to the robust remittance inflows and capital flows among others.

He said the capital in-flows remain strong be-cause of the improvement in the country’s fundamen-tals and the anticipation for an investment grade credit rating in the near term.

Last June, monetary of-ficials scaled down the GIR target for this year from the previous level of US$ 79 bil-lion on account of the im-pact of volatilities overseas.

Aside from the GIR, the BSP also lowered its 2012 projections for foreign di-rect investment, foreign portfolio investments, and balance of payment sur-plus. [PNA] 

BSP to review 2012 GIR target anewSECURITY Bank Corp. (Security Bank) gained P5 billion

from the issuance of sev-en-year Long Term Ne-gotiable Certificates of Deposits even as the offer period was closed ahead of schedule.

In a disclosure with the Philippine Stock Exchange Wednesday, the bank said issuance was upsized from the P3 billion initial offering.

The offer period was closed Tuesday this week instead of August 8 was announced earlier.

Issue date is on Aug. 15, 2012 and Security Bank will pay the interest on a quarterly basis.

Security Bank tapped Deutsche Bank AG Ma-nila branch and Standard Chartered Bank as joint lead arrangers for the is-suance.

LTNCD has a minimum denomination of P10,000 and minimum investment size is P50,000.

It is a deposit product that gives higher returns and longer maturities compared to regular time deposits.

Security Bank gains P5 billion

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012 AGRITRENDS 7EDGEDAVAO

AT least two farmers in the country’s far southeastern prov-

ince of Davao Oriental have good reasons to be upbeat these days.

One, Jaime Taya of Brgy Salingcomot in Baganga, was able to har-vest 2.8 tons of corn out of 5.5 kilos of seeds he plant-ed on his almost arid land through the help of the government’s PAMANA program.

The Office of the Presi-dential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said Wednesday Taya had the harvest with proper know-how in farming taught to farmers and full support by government in the supply of farm imple-ments.

PAMANA or “Payapa at Masaganang Pamayan-an” is the government’s Peaceful and Resilient Communities program.

It is a framework for peace and development in conflict-affected com-munities in the country and covered by existing peace agreements.

It aims to reduce pov-erty, improve governance and empower communi-ties in these areas.

Oliver Binancilan, PAMANA manager, said Taya started with 5.5 ki-los of seeds and harvested 2.8 tons.

Another farmer, Carli-to Bendanello, also a corn grower, was able to con-struct his dream house and a motorcycle from the earnings of his three-hectare corn farm.

“Until the day I die, I will never forget this,” OPAPP quoted Bendanel-lo as saying during the festival.

During the event, com-munity members of Sitio Tayudong shared their successful experience of “panag-uban,” the coming together for the common goal of peace and devel-opment.

“We know that this province experiences poverty due to persistent armed conflicts. We want the community to know that the government is on their side, helping fami-lies who have long been affected by conflict and violence,” Binancilan was further quoted as saying.

He said prior to the corn production initia-tive, nobody believed that Baganga’s type of soil and terrain could yield tons of corn.

PAMANA had previ-ously assisted Baganga in rubber production through a P1.7-million fund.

This year, the town is set to receive another P2 million to expand its corn production and an additional P2.3 million in 2013 for the purchase of post-harvest facilities.

Other government agencies such as Agri-kulturang Makamasa Ba-rangay Extension Techni-cian, Barangay Nutrition Specialist, Agriculture Technologist, and Sang-guniang Bayan, helped in the implementation of the PAMANA program. [PNA]

Corn production project thrives in Davao Oriental

RICE farmers from two districts in Vietnam have suc-

cessfully implemented a community action plan to thwart rodent damage to their crops – thus reduc-ing damage caused by the pests and giving them a 20% boost in income.

Every year, Vietnam loses 10% of its rice pro-duction to rats. In years of rat outbreaks, this rises to 20–30%.

“Farmers in many rice-growing countries see rats as one of their top three pests,” says IRRI rodent expert Grant Singleton. “The situation is depress-ing – especially for small-holder farmers in Asia who already depend on what limited harvest they can get from their land for their own food needs.”

Rats cause hardship and food insecurity to farmers by eating grains or parts of the rice crop; spoiling grain through their droppings; bringing diseases to humans, poul-try, or livestock; destroy-ing personal possessions; or, sometimes in extreme cases, biting humans in their sleep.

“The key to outsmart-ing rodents is ecologically based rodent manage-

ment, but, to be effective, it should be implemented strategically with commu-nity participation or col-lective action,” says Single-ton.

In a three-year project, Singleton and his team worked alongside village cooperatives and people’s committees of two dis-tricts of Ha Nam Province in Vietnam, Binh Luc and Kim Bang, to implement ecologically based rodent management practices with the local community.

Ecologically based ro-dent management uses knowledge about when and where rats breed, and other ecological and biological information, to control rodents effectively without relying on roden-ticides.

Practices adopted by the community included synchronized commu-nity planting (if crops are planted at different times, there is a continuous food source for rats that favors their breeding), timely community rat control campaigns, smart trap-ping systems, hunting female rats, and proper sanitation of fields. “These are all important steps a community must take if it is to successfully reduce

rat populations in fields since rats don’t recognize borders, and are apt to move from field to field,” said Singleton.

“Just like rats, humans must adapt if they are to prevent rats from causing more poverty, hardship, or food insecurity, and work-ing together as a commu-nity to control rats before they breed is an essential step,” he added.

Farmer An Van Lai, who got involved in eco-logically based rodent management, notes that, before the project, the farmers had no hope to control rats. Thus, even when they knew that ro-denticide was not good, they didn’t have much of a choice.

However, with com-munity action at the early stage of the crop, they found themselves effec-tively managing rodent populations. When they studied dead pregnant rats in one community action activity, they saw many rat embryos. They also saw and caught many baby rats in the burrows at the side of the rice paddies. So, the fear that rats would return disap-peared.

The rodent manage-

ment community project resulted in 93% less ro-dent damage in rice areas, a 10–14% increase in rice yields, 20% higher eco-nomic returns, and 50% less rodenticide use.

“Using electrocution as a way to get rid of rats has also stopped,” says Dr. Nguyen Huu Huan, deputy director general of Vietnam’s Plant Protec-tion Department. “Some-times, farmers get acci-dentally killed when us-ing this method, and this has been reported by the local press.”

According to IRRI so-cial science expert Flor-encia Palis, who is also involved in the project, it was easier for ecologi-cally based rodent man-agement to be adopted in northern Vietnam, where there is a history and cul-ture of community coop-eration.

“We are also doing work on ecologically based rodent manage-ment in other countries such as Bangladesh, Indo-nesia, Laos, and the Phil-ippines,” she concludes. “But, sometimes, the hardest challenge is to try to break those cultural perceptions that rats are smarter than humans.”

Farmers team with scientists to make the perfect rat trap

THE Department of Ag-riculture is proposing a medium-term na-

tionwide rural development program, called the Philip-pine Rural Development Program (PRDP), which will initially cover six regions (4A, 4B, 5, 6, 7 and 8) in Luzon and Visayas, and all provinces covered under the current Mindanao Rural De-velopment Program Phase 2 (MRDP2).

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said the PRDP will be funded through a $500-M loan from the World Bank (WB), which has also bankrolled the MRDP2, a $120-M counterpart from the Philippine government and beneficiary local gov-ernment units (LGUs), and a

$7-M grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

He made the announce-ment during a July 31 press briefing, at the DA-Bureau of Soils and Water Manage-ment, in Quezon City, as part of the ongoing 11-day (July 31 to August 10) 8th World Bank (WB) review mission.

He said the PRDP will be patterned after the five-year MRDP2, which was also funded by a $83.75-M WB loan, and about $40-M worth of counterpart from the Phil-ippine government particu-larly the DA and beneficiary-LGUs. MRDP is implemented by the DA in partnership with the ‘enrolled’ LGUs and project beneficiaries. [CATH-ERINE NANTA, DA INFORMATION SER-VICE]

DA proposes $627-M rural dev’t program

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 20128 VANTAGE POINTS

Gahi’g uloEDITORIAL

EDGEDAVAOProviding solutions to a seamless global village.

ANTONIO M. AJEROEditor in Chief

OLIVIA D. VELASCOGeneral Manager

LORIE ANN A. CASCARO • JADE C. ZALDIVAR • MOSES C. BILLACURAStaff Writers

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

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

PhotographyARLENE D. PASAJE

Cartoons

KENNETH IRVING K. ONGCreative Solutions

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Printed by Zion Accuprint Publishing Inc. Door 14 ALCREJ Building,

Quirino Avenue, 8000, Davao City, PhilippinesTel: (082) 301-6235

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EDGEDAVAOSocial media and the new Cold War

HARD-HEADED. STUBBORN. This is how Bucana (Barangay 76) village chief Robert Olano-

lan describes many of his constituents who insist on staying in their shanties along the shore which is constantly battered by monsoon waves. These “squatters,” euphemistically referred to in government reports as “informal set-tlers,” have actually accepted relocation and assistance, but eventually return to the area after a time.

Olanolan has come to realize that this situation cannot go on forever and that a more lasting solution must be found. Although exasperated no end, the vil-lage chief is not about to give up on this seemingly never-ending problem in his barangay.

He is seeking the assistance of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to find a relocation site for the shoreline dwell-ers where the threat of monsoon waves will become a thing of the past.

Relocate them, only to see them re-turn to the area later? Perhaps, Olano-lan has finally found the formula for a lasting solution to his the perennial problem. He should be encouraged to do this and not be ridiculed for his ob-stinacy to find a solution.

We suggest that Olanolan pay a visit to Dumaguete City where a beautiful seaside boulevard has existed since time immemorial without being taken over by squatters. Or he can cross the Pakiputan Strait and see how the local government unit of Island Garden City of Samal is proceeding with its massive removal of coastal dwellings. They must be availing of an existing law which em-powers LGUs to relocate people and structures from coastal and other ar-eas where they are at risk from disas-ters like monsoon waves, tsunamis and floods.

Mr. Olanolan must know that if there’s a will, there’s a way.

BY PHILIP N. HOWARDCOMMENTARY

THERE is a new Cold War starting. It does not involve opposing military forces, but it does involve compet-

ing ideas about how political life should be organized. The battles are between broadcast media outlets and social-me-dia upstarts, which have very different approaches to news production, own-ership and censorship. And some of the biggest battles are in Russia, where the ruling elites that dominate broadcast media are pitted against the civil society groups that flourish through social me-dia.

Whereas broadcast media is most useful for authoritarian governments, social media is now used by citizens to monitor their government. For example, in early 2012, rumors circulated that a young ultranationalist, Alexander Bo-sykh, was going to be appointed to run a Multinational Youth Policy Commission. A famous picture of Bosykh disciplining a free-speech advocate was dug up and widely circulated among Russian language blogs and news sites, killing his prospects for the job (though not ending his career).

These are not simply information wars between political elites and per-secuted democracy activists. There is a deep structural rift between the orga-nization and values of broadcast media and those of social media. Putin is me-dia savvy, but his skills are in broad-cast media. The Kremlin knows how to manage broadcast media. Broadcasters know where their funding comes from, and they know what happens if they become too critical. Indeed, Putin’s re-cent changes to the country’s media laws are specifically designed to protect broadcast media and burden social media.

In Russia, critics have been driven into social media, where they have culti-vated new forms of anti-government, civ-ic-minded opposition. Russian political life is now replete with examples of online civic projects doing things the state can’t or won’t do. Liza Alert helps coordinate the search for missing children. Other sites track complaints about poor public services and coordinate volunteers. (Dis-closure: I recently accepted financial sup-port from Moscow State Humanities Uni-versity for research and travel expenses.)

The most recent battle in the Me-dia Cold War involves the government’s webcam system for monitoring elections. To prepare for the last election, the gov-ernment spent half a billion dollars on webcams for every polling station in the country. With widespread skepticism about the transparency of Putin’s regime, this move was designed to improve the credibility of the electoral process.

The election was held on March 4, 2012, and a highlight reel of election antics went up on YouTube. For Putin’s political opponents, the webcams dem-onstrated citizen disinterest in the elec-tion. For Russia’s ultranationalists, the webcams revealed no systematic fraud. Alas, the elections commission decided that video evidence of fraud would not be admissible. The video feeds were not sys-tematically reviewed, and the electoral outcomes were never in doubt.

What’s happening in Russia is hap-pening elsewhere. Digital activism is on the rise globally, and the impact of these activist projects grows more impressive year by year. The Arab Spring involved countries where citizens used social me-dia to create news stories that the dicta-tor’s broadcasters would not cover. Both Bouazizi’s self-immolation and Said’s murder became the inciting incidents of uprisings because of social media. Tuni-sia’s Ben Ali and Egypt’s Mubarak were definitely caught off guard by social-media organizing. In Iran, the opposition Green Movement uses Facebook to ad-vance its cause, while the mullahs’ pro-paganda response comes in the form of a movie.

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012 9VANTAGE POINTS

Monkey Business

EDGEDAVAO

Trade diversification

BY MICHAELA DEL CALLAR

SPECIAL FEATURE

Bringing passport services to shopping malls 

ADDING A BIT OF VALUE – At present

we have seen a lot of interest from Tai-wan in Davao City’s economic activities. The Taiwanese are more interested than other foreign entrepreneurs in business diversification. Taiwanese investors are now looking locally after their success in the global market. Diversification and hands-on management have been very important to Taiwanese merchants.

They have been enthusiastically partici-pating in trade and investment in the country most particularly in the city for quite some time. Their business undertakings specifi-cally dealing in retail trade is very strongly signified in the city and they intend to contin-ue doing that. Well, I’m not an investment or financial analysts but I firmly believe Davao City is a place where Taiwanese capitalists find with an entrepreneurial spirit. The local economy may be facing some sort of a slow-down due to other concerns, but that’s only temporary.

The long-term economic outlook for the city is superb. I think the logic of our com-mon interests suggest that the city gov-ernment should offer tax incentives and somewhat relaxed business regulations to lure other foreign investors aside from the Taiwanese in establishing business in the locality. Every now and then we are looking around and searching to see if we do come up with anything interesting. Hence there is some degree of confidence in the city’s busi-ness trend enabling the Taiwanese traders to get on with running their retail business smoothly, and of course, profitably.

But it was exactly the astonishing oppor-tunities and the business disciplining effect that made the Taiwanese financiers so much more efficient and competitive locally. As elsewhere in the country, this kind of traders proved to have the steadiness of nerve and vision to take advantage of any opportunity that crosses their paths. One of the most en-couraging things that came about as a result of the “Taiwanese invasion” was that Ramon Magsaysay Avenue and its nearby commer-cial areas and touted as the city’s Chinatown are now the business hubs to these intrepid people.

Davao City is much more important to the dauntless Taiwanese businessmen. The city has got a sizable consumer base com-pared to other bustling metropolis outside Greater Manila and Metro Cebu. From the point of view of an investor looking for a strategic business location and safe harbor, it certainly bolstered the notion that doing business in the city will succeed in such an environment. The time therefore is right for a lot of growth in the retail business. With the Taiwanese showing themselves to be very re-sponsive, the retail trade has great prospects in the city if they will offer good quality prod-ucts at very reasonable costs.

Filipino entrepreneurs should make the Taiwanese businessmen as good example. Their country’s electronic companies be-came global players in terms of component supply. They have about 30% to 40% of the global market and had a long history of being an electronics exporter. But if you will look at the composition carefully, a lot of products – ranging from appliances, electronic gadgets, computer software, smartphones, accesso-ries, garments, sports gear, cosmetics, kitch-enware, hardware to food products or think of anything else, name it and they have it.

Right now, Dabawenyos accept that the Taiwanese investors are now part of the city economically and in other ways too. Local consumers can’t panic in the face of the first person who criticizes products made in Tai-wan. They buy because they want them and consumers think the price is economical. However, the debate for all of us, particularly the city government, is how we can make sure the business activities undertaken by Taiwanese entrepreneurs are actually adding a bit of value to the people’s lives.

SHOPPING malls used to be asso-ciated with buying sprees, eating out, watching movies and leisurely

strolls but now an important chore can be added to the list: getting a passport.

Filipinos welcomed a Department of Foreign Affairs move to bring passport processing services to popular shopping malls, saying it is convenient, fast and lit-erally, cool.

Droves of mallers witnessed the launching of the Department of Foreign Affair’s first-ever passport processing outlet at the upscale Marquee Mall in Angeles, Pampanga Monday and ex-pressed relief that the days of long lines and waiting amid sweaty crowds are coming to an end.

“It’s more comfortable here and cool,” Blessing Dizon, a 24-year-old call center agent, told the PNA as she watched DFA officials inaugurate the passport pro-cessing office, located near Marquee’s movie houses and a row of trendy res-taurants and shops.

“When you get a passport, you will not get exhausted because it’s cool, there are many restaurants nearby while you wait, you see many things and you can go shopping,” said Dizon, who was strolling at the Pampanga mall with her family while on home vacation from her overseas job in Singapore as a call center agent.

“Getting a passport used to be very tough because you’re made to wait for a long, long time and you have to travel very far,” said Dizon, who secured a pass-port in the past from the DFA’s consular office in San Fernando, Pampanga be-fore she traveled to Singapore last year to work.

IT worker Troy Mercado, 33, wel-comed the marriage of passport applica-tion and the joys of malling.

“I haven’t applied for a passport in a mall,” Mercado said. “But I expect it to be much faster compared to traveling to Manila. It’s more comfortable here in the mall because you can stroll while you wait. You won’t get bored.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the new DFA offices in the Angeles mall “is an example of how we reach beyond our grasp.”

“Our new consular facility here at the Marquee Mall is a total makeover of what once was the Clark Satellite Office.

It is the result of an out of the box approach that the Department pursued last year to make our services more ac-cessible to the public,” he said in remarks at the inauguration rites.

Mallers watched the ceremonies with curiosity, including mothers with children and teen-aged students, stroll-ers and office workers.

Aside from convenience of appli-cants, bringing passport services to malls would decongest crowds at regu-lar DFA consular offices and bring huge revenues to the government’s coffers.

The new passport initiative, which started last year, is among several proj-ects under the Public-Private Partner-ship drive of President Benigno S. Aqui-no III’s administration.

It is expected to generate P1.14 bil-lion in government savings from operat-ing costs in the next 10 years.

After the outlets in the Pacific Mall in Cebu, Robinsons Starmills in San Fer-nando, Pampanga, and Marquee Mall in Angeles City, Del Rosario said the DFA will soon open passport offices at the Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Lipa, Robinsons Bacolod, Robinsons Duma-guete, Robinsons General Santos, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong, SM Manila, SM Baguio, SM Davao, Pacific Mall Le-gazpi and Metro Gaisano Alabang.

The Secretary said the public can

also look forward to the opening of pass-port offices in Laoag, Batangas, Iloilo, Tacloban, Puerto Princesa, Butuan and Cagayan de Oro before 2014.

Just last week, the DFA concluded negotiations for the hosting of consular offices at the Pacific Mall in Legazpi City

and at Metro Gaisano at the swank Ayala Town Center in Alabang.

Del Rosario said the DFA is in the fi-nal stages of negotiations with private sector partners for the hosting of con-sular offices in several other locations.

DFA Angeles, which is being hosted by Ayala Land, is one of the largest mall-based consular offices of the DFA with a floor area of 811 square meters. It is configured to accommodate at least 500

passport applicants per day.“Those of you who have been served

in our former offices would certainly see the difference in terms of how we look and the service we provide,” Del Rosario said.

“But we are not stopping there,” he noted, adding the mall-based consular offices will operate in line with mall hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mondays to Saturdays for added public convenience.

It will also be open half-days on Sun-days to enable applicants to claim their passports even on weekends.

By December, Del Rosario said the DFA hopes to put in a place a dedicated call center that would allow applicants to schedule the time and day they prefer to be served at any of the DFA’s consul-ar locations in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

“With this, we hope to finally be able to deal with the long lines that have be-come synonymous with the passport ap-

plication process,” he said.In Central Luzon, people either have

to go to the San Fernando consular branch of the DFA or travel all the way to the main office in Manila to get a pass-port, often after waiting for hours to se-cure a passport.

All that is coming to an end for Vilma Agustin, a 52-year-old food stall owner at the Angeles City Hall canteen.

“Now, we don’t have to travel any-more to San Fernando to apply for a

passport,” Aqustin said.Another stall owner, Aurora Mirande,

said she is “happy” that the DFA consul-ar office is near the city hall, where she operated her business.

“It’s just a few minutes from the city hall. Very convenient for me and other people who work there,” she said.

The Philippine passport has under-gone changes itself. On August 11, 2009, the first Philippine biometric passport was released by the DFA.

The new e-passport has various se-curity features, including a hidden en-coded image, holographic laminate and a tamper-proof electronic microchip. It costs 950 pesos for the two-week regu-lar processing or P1,200 for rush pro-cessing that takes 10 days.

Over the years, there has been a huge demand for passports among Filipinos, particularly those who travel abroad for employment.

About 10 million Filipinos - about a tenth of the entire population – work or live abroad.The money sent home by overseas Filipino workers each year spark domestic consumption that keeps the local economy afloat. They remitted an all-time high of .76 billion in 2011.

Applying for a passport has been lik-ened to a nightmare before.

Aside from passport services, the new mall-based DFA offices in the prov-inces will also entertain migrant work-ers’ concerns. Many OFWs and their families hail from far-flung rural areas and they could now be served better and faster in the DFA’s provincial mall offices.

For Milagros Timbang, a mother of two, getting a passport now have turned from an ordeal into a lively ac-tivity in the cool and secured confines of the chic Marquee mall.

With a mall as the destination, even kids can tag along.

“Getting a passport used to be a lot of hassles,” she said. “Now it’s more convenient for the whole family.” [PNA]

“Those of you who have been served in our former

offices would certainly see the difference in terms

of how we look and the service we provide.”

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 201210 EDGEDAVAOSUBURBIA

THE implementation of Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Com-

prehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-Cidds) has revolu-tionized government sys-tem because it has allowed the communities to have a say in choosing what they need for development.

Edgar Flor V. Saulon, mayor of this municipality, said what he appreciates about the project is that it helps the “community to open their mind.”

“Maganda ito kasi walang menu (This project is good because it has an open menu),” Saulon said, explaining that this system has allowed the community to help in coming out with sub-projects that they really need.

The community-driven development (CDD) ap-proach of the project, he explained, shows that the democratic system has ma-tured as it indicated the evolution of government processes from being too centralized to tapping the involvement of those who truly need the project.

“So if it is for the peo-ple, paano mo iimplement yung mga programs and

projects na talagang toto-ong pupunta doon sa taong bayan, hindi doon sa taong malalalim yong bulsa (How should one implement the programs and projects that will truly benefit the people and not those people with deep pockets),” he said.

The KALAHI-CIDSS, a DSWD-implemented proj-ect, is done through com-munity consultation from sub-project conceptualiza-tion until implementation. The community is not only consulted, but its involve-ment extends even in the disbursement of funds and the procurement of materi-als and services.

“I really appreciate how this program was conceptu-alized,” Saulon said, point-ing out that its beauty is the involvement of the commu-nity in the processes.

“Ito ang maganda, kasali sila. Sila pa yung mag can-vass, magpa-bidding. Tinu-turuan yung mga tao na maging engineer. Baka yung mga engineer natin hindi na kailangan (The beauty of the project lies in the com-munity’s involvement. Peo-ple in the communities do the canvassing and the bid-ding. They are also taught engineering matters. Per-

haps our engineers will not be needed),” he added.

He reasoned that allow-ing the people to partici-pate in project implementa-tion provides them self-de-termination including the leeway of allowing them to find solutions to their im-mediate needs.

Eh kung hindi na nila kaya (If they cannot do it), if they need my assistance, that’s the time I will help. Kasi kung every time nand-un ka, hindi sila matuto (Because if you are always there for them, they can-not stand on their own), he added.

The KALAHI-CIDSS im-plementation has also al-lowed the people to widen their horizon. “Nagre-react na sila. Marunong na silang mag observe (They now re-act, they now know how to observe)” he said, adding that this has led the public officials to be on their toes.

He said it has empower the people and that this has led to a “very strong com-munity.”

“In the long run, at least nale-less na yung mga pa-saway (at least now we lessen rogue officials),” he concluded. (RIGA/JDA/DSWD/LES-LIE LAO-FRANCISCO-PIA11)

DSWD project creates better communities – San Isidro Mayor

COMBINED aver-age performance of elementary and

secondary schools in this year’s National Achieve-ment Test (NAT) has placed Sarangani on top of all provinces and cities in Region 12.

“With pride and honor Sarangani is the number one division in Region 12 because we are number one in secondary and we are number two in the el-ementary,” Dr. Allan Far-nazo, Sarangani schools division superintendent, told principals and super-visors in a Management Committee (Mancom) meeting.

In the elementary NAT result for school year 2010-2011, the regional ranking was: 1. Cotabato Province with mean per-centage score (MPS) of 79.43, 2. Tacurong City – 77.01, 3. General Santos City – 73.25, 4. Cotabato City – 72.44, 5. South Co-tabato – 69.93, 6. Sultan Kudarat – 69.26, 7. Sa-rangani – 67.57, 8. Koro-nadal City – 67.28, and 9. Kidapawan City – 64.44.

This year, Sarangani is number 2 with MPS of 73.43. The rest of the ranking is: 1. Cotabato Province – 79.26, 3. Gen-eral Santos City – 71.59, 4. Tacurong City – 71.28, 5. South Cotabato – 70.22, 6. Kidapawan City – 66.00, 7. Cotabato City – 63.81, 8. Sultan Kudarat – 63.78, and 9. Koronadal City – 61.55.

What pulled up Saran-gani division to the com-bined highest rank this year was its high school NAT result as number 1.

Governor Migs Dominguez, who at-tended the Mancom held Friday (July 27) in the mountainous campus of San Roque National High School, congratulated the Department of Educa-tion (DepEd) supervisors, principals and teachers “for achieving something that we never believed we could achieve.”

“Because we all said that we can believe in ourselves, in our leader-ship. We can believe in the children, first time that we have said that we can

become number one,” the governor told Sarangani’s top educators.

“Sarangani was al-ways a joke, isn’t it?” Dominguez said. “In sports we are already happy at number 7, num-ber 8, 9. In examinations and contests, we just scratch our heads as long as we are not in the bot-tom.”

Farnazo said the re-sult of NAT held last March was a “good lead.”

In last year’s NAT re-sults, Sarangani ranked number 7 and number 6 in elementary and sec-ondary, respectively.

“And suddenly we be-came number 1,” Farnazo said. In previous years though, Sarangani was already posting an “up-ward trend.”

The schools division chief attributed the “me-teoric performance” to the “hardworking teach-ers, to the effective su-pervisors who did the instructional supervision and to the huge invest-ment of the province of Sarangani.”

Sarangani students top National Achievement Test

FORTY-FIVE inmates from Cotabato District Jail will

undergo skills training under the livelihood pro-gram which the Cotabato provincial government launched yesterday, July 31, to train detainees skills helpful in improv-ing their lives.

This program is in collaboration with Kidapawan City Skills Training Center Inc. (KC-STCI) and the Techni-cal Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) where inmates will be trained in differ-ent livelihood skills such

as cooking and handi-crafts making.

Also, the program will enable them to collect funds that can help sup-port their daily needs.

Florante Herrera, Co-tabato Tesda provincial director stated that their office provided P50, 000 for the training of the de-tainees. In line with the training, inmates will be given national certifi-cates from Tesda.

On the other hand, in her message during the launching, Cotabato Governor Emmylou Men-doza expressed her full support for the program

since she believes that it will help improve the lives of inmates.

“I hope this will change the lives of the detainees, making them better persons once they are outside,” Mendoza said.

The governor also thanked Tesda and KC-STCI being partners in promoting “Serbisyong Totoo.”

The livelihood pro-gram for the inmates of Cotabato district jail is anchored on the theme, “Kasanayang Teknikal sa Piitan, Daan Tungo sa Kaunlaran”. (SJD-PIA12) 

Skills training for NoCot inmates THE Provincial Disaster

Risk Reduction and Management Council

(PDRRMC) strengthened its incident command system (ICS), while fast tracking the establishment of the mechanism in all the baran-gays.

The council reinforced the ICS in compliance with Governor Rodolfo P. del Ro-sario’s directive to raise the level of disaster prepared-ness in the province, espe-cially during normal times.

According to PDRRMC Action Officer Sonio San-chez, who was also desig-nated as the incident com-mander of the province, the governor has ordered the council to strengthen its di-saster response capability, along with the sectors of preparedness, mitigation, and rehabilitation.

This is to make sure all the mechanisms vital for the safety and well-being of the people are put in place before, during and after the onset of calamities.

To be more pro-active, the Response Committee of the PDRRMC met on July 31, 2012 to strengthen its organizational structure and clearly define the roles and functions of its subsec-tors based on the ICS.

Team leaders were sub-sequently identified for the sub-sectors of the search, rescue and retrieval opera-tion; medical emergency; evacuation, relief and evac management; transporta-tion; and, security.

Del Rosario enjoined the reinforcement of the ICS, as a standard on-scene disaster response and management system that

ensures a unified and well-coordinated action in times of emergencies.

“The governor wants the Capitol and the LGUs to be truly prepared and be able to respond more effec-tively and mitigate the im-pacts of disasters,” Sanchez said in the vernacular.

He bared the system was already established in all the city and municipal governments, including the 64 flood-prone baran-gays in the province. The PDRRMC aims to set up the mechanism in all the other barangays this year.

He added his office is now completing the disas-ter operations manual of the province, which will form part of the local public safety code being reviewed at the Sangguniang Panlala-wigan.

Davao del Norte beefs up incident command system

Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario enjoins members of PDRRMC of Davao del Norte to heighten level of preparedness, particularly during normal times, during the last council meeting. [NOEL BAGUO/DAVNOR PIO]

PDRRMO Trainor Redentor Cardinal poses with the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of Brgy. San Jose, Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte led

by Brgy. Captain Henry Dejisica after their DRM and ICS seminar last May 2012.PDRRMO

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012 11COMMUNITY SENSEEDGEDAVAO

MAYOR Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio will be showing also her

artistic side as she displays her own painting in the com-ing Mindanao Travel and Tour Expo (MinTTE) 2012 set on August 17 to 19 at The Atrium Annex of SM City Davao.

This was announced by art curator Vic Secuya dur-ing the MinTTE 2012’s me-dia launching held Tuesday at the mezzanine floor of the Royal Mandaya Hotel.

Secuya, also a renowned artist, showed the mayor’s painting that will be join-ing the artworks of lawyer Domingo Duerme and busi-nesswoman Elizabeth Du-reza, who are making their first back-to-back visual art exhibit entitled “D2D: The Duerme-Dureza Art Exhibit”.

“This is a one of a kind art exhibit, a very important event here in Davao,” said Secuya.

Duerme and Dureza are also both important per-sonalities in the tourism-business sector. Duerme is

the vice-president for Min-danao of the Philippine Air-lines while Dureza owns the Seagull Resorts.

Dureza, wife of former Presidential adviser for Mindanao Atty. Jesus Du-reza, started painting when she accidentally fractured her foot at her resort in Buda.

“It was the best time to paint and it also helped me remove stress,” said Dureza, who loves to paint flowers including her favorite Sun-flower using acrylic paint.

Secuya said that “Du-reza’s artworks are impres-sionistic, with still life and more on landscapes”.

“She paints freely with-out inhibitions, very sin-cere, expressive of herself. The spirit of Beth is over-flowing with dynamism,” said Secuya.

Duerme, on the other hand, according to Secuya is more on watercolors which is “a very difficult material to manipulate.”

“He (Duerme) will soon become a professional

painter after he retires from PAL. His paintings are al-ready of professional qual-ity,” said Secuya.

Secuya said that Du-erme’s favorite subjects are “figurative, mother and child, boy and a carabao that will capture you also.”

“(The) compositions are his strength. He puts his fig-ures in the right position,” Secuya added.

The three-day event, held also in celebration of the Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival, is presented by the Cebu Pacific Air and co-presented by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. It is supported by the City Mayor’s Office, Department of Tourism and SM City Davao.

The Expo is participated in by the key players in the tourism and trade related industries from all over the country and some selected international guest exhibi-tors. For inquiries, contact mobile nos. 09228577868 (Lino) or 09228434561 (Chato).

Mayor Sara Duterte to display her own painting in MinTTE

ART curator Vic Secuya (right) shows the painting made by Mayor Inday Sara Duterte that will be on display dur-ing the Mindanao Travel and Tour Expo (MinTTE) 2012 set on August 17-19 at the Atrium Annex of the SM City

Davao. Also in photo is Charito Aranda, president of the organizing Davao Tourism Operators Association (Dab-toa). Photo taken during the media launching held at the Royal Mandaya Hotel last July 31.

DAVAO City Water Dis-trict customers in some areas in Catalunan

Grande, S.I.R. Matina and Deca Homes Subd. in Cabantian will experience temporary water service interruption on Au-gust 3 and 4 as DCWD crews will conduct various service improvement projects.

First set is on August 3 from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM due to tapping of 100mm diameter Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipeline to the existing 100mm diameter PVC pipe-line for the mainline improve-

ment along Edullantes Com-pound at Sitio Felomina in Catalunan Grande to accom-modate additional new ser-vice connections in the area. The water cut will affect areas from corner of Sitio Guada-lupe road to Matina Pangi Re-location including Samantha Homes, Sitio Toril, Restauro Village in Catalunan Grande and in Matina Pangi specifi-cally Matina Pangi Relocation and Saavedra Relocation.

Second and third set is scheduled on August 4 from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM at en-

tire S.I.R. Phase 2 in Matina and its immediate environs and at entire Deca Homes Subd. in Cabantian. The Op-erations and Maintenance De-partment (OMD) will tap the newly installed 160mm Poly-vinyl Chloride (PVC) pipelines at S.I.R. Phase 2 in Matina as part of the DCWD’s mainline replacement project. Simulta-neously, the OMD crews will install gate valves to the by-pass line at the entrance Deca Homes Subd as part of the utility’s District Metered Area project.

Water service interruption Aug. 3 -4WATER ADVISORY

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materials among many oth-ers. Zamora said that the project will optimize the IT resources of the UP system integrating it based on the state university’s guiding spirit “One University, One UP.

Zamora and Rivero also allayed fears that the sub-sequent modernization will lead to lay-offs of university

workers. “Nobody would lose his or her job but the nature of the jobs had changed.” Zamora said. She added that part of the proj-ect includes competency building where personnel will be trained on IT mat-ters.

The system also has in-putted costs for continuous upgrades to protect the sys-

tem from obsolescence and also the budget of the IT program will not eat up to existing budgets of different constituencies.

The funding allocation of the e-UP project would come from reprogrammed funds of the UP system and additional funding from the Commission of Higher Edu-cation. [PIA/RG ALAMA]

to be donated to itby the Foundation

for the Philippine Envi-ronment (PFE) and the Interface Development Interventions (IDIS).

The 3D model may be viewed by park-goers who want to learn more about the watersheds on the slopes of Mt. Apo and Mt. Talomo, a dormant volcano said to have last erupted in 1600.

The Davao Medical Society headed by Dr. Analiza Moscoso-Lanuza volunteered to partly fi-nance the construction of a protective shed for the relief map.

A paper on the project obtained by Edge Davao from IDIS has this de-scription:

“The 3D relief model of the TL-PT-M Water-sheds is a component of the

‘Up-scaling Forest Restoration Efforts in Key Biodiversity Areas Project,’ a nationwide reforestation project being implemented by the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE) and funded by the United States Agency for International Develop-ment (USAID).

“The project intends to help mitigate the de-cline of the Philippine forests by enhancing the management and protec-tion of key biodiversity areas and reforesting at least 480 hectares of for-est areas in eight target sites all over the country.

“In Southern Mindanao, FPE partnered with the In-terface Development Inter-ventions (IDIS) due to its track record in implement-ing advocacy and environ-ment projects to protect the Panigan-Tamugan and Talomo-Lipadas Watershed areas of Davao City.

“FPE provided IDIS with a financial grant to imple-ment the following project components: Knowledge Management, Partnership Building, Natural Resource Management and Sustain-

ability. The creation of a 3D watershed relief model falls under the Knowledge Management Component which aims to institutional-ize a site-based knowledge bank/center of forest res-toration programs and es-tablishment of a centralized repository of reliable and updated data on the various local efforts undertaken on forest restoration.

“IDIS contracted the Philippine Association for Intercultural Development, Inc. (PAFID), a social de-velopment organization to facilitate the 3D mapping activity. PAFID pioneered and refined the commu-nity approach to 3D mod-elling, having used it many times to support ances-tral domain claims of their partner peoples organiza-tions. As technical expert, PAFID took the role in fa-cilitating the participatory process which resulted in the 3D model.

“Participatory 3D Mod-elling (P3DM) is a valuable tool because it integrates the people’s local geograph-ical knowledge with the traditional spatial informa-tion (contour lines) maps to produce a stand-alone relief model that can be used for a variety of purposes, both at the local and city level.

“Advantages of the P3DM process:

·The activity provides local communities and city agencies with a powerful model to illustrate extensive and far-flung areas, allow-ing for more public partici-pation in land/resource use planning and management.

•It is an efficient com-munity organizing tool because it allows people to share information and concerns. The community elders get to share history by passing on information about particular places in the community, thereby, enriching the information which can be provided by the traditional contour sur-vey maps.

·The coding system allows the 3-D model to function like a rudimen-

tary community-based GIS accommodating layers of information . This is ex-tremely useful in establish-ing visual relations between resources , tenure, their use and jurisdiction.

“Representatives from 53 barangays all around the watershed areas were requested to participate in order to validate the color codes which depicted land use areas . This is essential because while the eleva-tions, the river tributaries and other geographic fea-tures were accurately mod-eled based on existing topo-graphic maps, the specific uses of each land use area depended on local knowl-edge. For instance, while data from topographic maps showed which area was forested, barangay repre-sentatives were needed to validate which forested ar-eas were of primary growth, secondary growth or agro-foresty areas.

“This is the primary value of the P3DM activity: the integration of people’s knowledge of their area with the spatial information taken from survey maps.

“For two weeks, com-munity volunteers from Brgy Tawantawan worked on the relief model at the Tawantawan public gym. Using enlarged topo-graphic maps, the eleva-tion contours are used as templates for cutting out rubber sheets (to express the vertical scale). These cut-outs are progressively superimposed to build the 3D relief. The whole model is then covered with epoxy to strengthen and protect it from the elements.

“When the epoxy has dried, barangay repre-sentatives, using their knowledge of their area, then depict land use and cover and other features on the model by the use of pushpins (points), yarns (lines), and paint (poly-gon). The resulting model is a 3D depiction of the en-tire watershed areas and the extent of land use along its slopes.”

the assessment,” Caran-dang said.

When asked on the administration’s political will to implement these programs considering the coming elections next year, Carandang assured that it will never be a fac-tor for the national gov-ernment.

“As far as the national government is concerned ‘yung elections is not going to be a factor, these people are living in areas which could put them in danger next time there’s a storm and that is going to be the primary consideration, so we will coordinate with the local governments, we will listen to their con-

cerns but the number one priority will be to continue and perhaps even has-ten our efforts to relocate these families,” Carandang stressed.

Over the past week, Metro Manila and some provinces in Northern and Southern Luzon were greatly affected by the re-cent weather disturbanc-es.

The National Disas-ter Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that the continuous rains brought by typhoon ‘Gener’ (inter-national name: Saola) has left at least 23 people dead and five injured.

It added that some

49,118 families or 234,487 persons have been affect-ed by the recent typhoon.

The NDRRMC report also revealed that a total of 1,172 houses were dam-aged with 31,457 families or 156,681 individuals taking shelter in evacua-tion centers.

In its continuous con-tingency efforts for the ty-phoon victims, the govern-ment has already provided P1.530 million worth of assistance to the different regions of the country.

The destruction caused by “Gener” was placed at P2.130 million based on the initial esti-mate of the government. [PNA] 

warrant.Felonia said the mayor

did not resist arrest even as the operation was doc-umented by crews of ABS-CBN and GMA and two ba-rangay kagawads.

First to be seized in one area were two M16 standard armalite rifles, two M16 baby armalite rifles, one Ingram machine pistol, one colt .45 caliber

pistol, one rifle grenade and assorted magazines with ammunition.

In another search, re-covered were one AK 47 assault rifle, one Tavor 5.56 assault rifle, two M16 bushmaster rifle, one .40 STI caliber pistol, and assorted magazines, rifle bags and scope.

Joyce and his compan-ions were taken to the

Davao del Sur Provincial Police Office for proper disposition and filing of criminal cases for viola-tion of RA 8294 against the suspects in court.

Mayor Joyce was quoted by a television re-port that all his firearms are licensed. He said politics was behind the police raid. He did not elaborate.

give a peremptory conclu-sion that it was Jungco who committed the acts com-plained of unless there is additional evidence linking him to the said crime.”

The prosecutor also noted that of the six wit-nesses presented by the po-lice officer -- Kim Datoon, alleged lover of Griffin; Jo-mar Enerio, who had a joint account with Griffin; Ar-nold Denzon Pagales, chief security officer of Woord-rige; Jerry Sabacan, Jocelyn Songcoya Depaz and taxi driver Allan Amante – only

one, Amante, appeared dur-ing the clarificatory hear-ing of the case.

Jungco, the respondent, attributed “sloppy investi-gative work on the part of the investigators whey they singled him out as the sus-pect in the death of Griffin and the loss of his money.”

Aided by his defense counsel, lawyer Ramon Edi-son C. Batacan, Jungco like-wise questioned why the police investigators did not look into the angle of who would be the beneficiary of Griffin’s estate whose prop-

erties where in his lover’s name. Jungco said Griffin’s death would be a bonanza for the persons in whose names Griffin’s properties are registered, but the in-vestigators failed to delve into it.

Jungco also stated that an alleged constant com-panion of Griffin who might possibly be his lover was dismissed by him sometime in December 2011 for no apparent reason. Surpis-ingly, the identify of this person was not pursued by the police investigators.

CONSTRUCTION of the first mall-cum-hotel in the Caraga Region

by Robinson’s Land Corpo-ration (RLC) is now under-way in Butuan City.

Robinson’s investment in the regional capital of the so-called “Timber City of the Philippines” is seen as prime indicator of the city and region’s potentials as among the vibrant econo-mies in Mindanao, which include the cities of Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Gen-eral Santos.

RLC will be construct-ing a shopping mall with a 100-room budget hotel on its top floors in partnership with Go Hotel Butuan. It started construction in the second quarter of this year and is expected to be com-pleted in the third quarter next year.

The five-story building, which will be situated at the city’s major thoroughfare at J.C. Aquino Ave., will have a

gross floor area of 45,300 square meters.

This property develop-ment also boosts the city and region’s assertion in becoming a regional hub to watch out as the city holds the 21st Mindanao Busi-ness Conference starting today. Hundreds of trad-ers, as well as big property developers, entrepreneurs, decision-makers, govern-ment officials, foreign dig-nitaries, observers and various stakeholders, are already gathered at the Al-mont Inland Hotel here for the grand opening in the afternoon.

“Butuan is a progres-sive city that is increasingly becoming the commercial and business hub of north-eastern Mindanao. We are glad to be part of its devel-opment through this proj-ect that will surely generate thousands of employment and attract even more in-vestments into the city,”

said Arlene Magtibay, RLC general manager for com-mercial centers division.

The mall will feature shops, restaurants and four cinemas, including the first 3D film theater in the re-gion.

“This is good because there will be additional entertainment available in Butuan, including a new theater,” local resident Nonoy Amarille said.

The hotel, meanwhile, is being developed by Go-Hotels.ph Butuan, which will offer among the most affordable rates to local and foreign tourists. Room rates range between P400 and P2,000, depending on one’s budget. Guests can even have advanced book-ings by accessing the Go-Hotels website. The rooms will have amenities like Windsor beds, rain show-ers, flat-screen TV and wireless Internet connec-tion.

Robinson’s mall-cum- hotel construction ongoing in Butuan

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012 13EDGEDAVAO SPORTS

LONDON -- The morning after his decisive opening win, Mark Barriga re-

turned to work, shadow boxing, punching mitts and doing some stretching in a 45-minute ritual under the guidance of coach Roel Velasco on Thursday.

They would do the same later in the afternoon on a long strip of grass near the plaza in the heart of the Athletes Village, doing their thing there like the rest of the athletes who are still in contention or haven’t played yet.

In between, the coach and the boxer would study tapes of Kazaksthan’s Birzhan Zhakypov’s victorious outing against Jeremy Beccu of France also on Tuesday and his losing effort against a Cuban in the last world championship.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mis-sion Zhakypov has begun.

“Magaling din. Pero parang wala lang kumpiyansa,” said Barriga, bumping into a team official as he went out of the el-evator after the practice session.

He was humming a few lines of the old song I Started A Joke of the Bee Gees when he was ushered into his room by amateur boxing official Ed Picson, winking and smiling, his youthful exuberance in full display.

“Head hunter. Matang-kad pero medyo manipis ang katawan,” said Velasco when

asked to describe the 28-year-old foe standing between Mark and a place in the quartefinals.

On Tuesday, the 19-year-old Panabo City native passed his baptism of fire in the Olym-pics with flying colors, easily beating Italy’s Manuel Cappai, 17-7, behind masterful coun-ter-punching and an amazing defense in their light-flyweight division clash.

Zhakypov made it to the round of 16 the hard way, need-ing a lot of doing in the third and final round before beat-ing Beccu, 18-17, and setting the stage for a showdown with Barriga on Saturday at ExCel center.

According to Velasco, he will tell Mark to go for the body since the Kazakh is also taller at 5-foot-6 like Cappai, and seems to be weak in the belly as what was found out in his close win over the Frenchman.

Being the taller guy, Velas-co said Zhakypov will most likely do “jab, straight, hook, jab, straight, hook” against Bar-riga unless he has something up his sleeves when they mix it up at 1:30 p.m.

“Alam mo, malalambot ang mga tiyan ng mga Europeans. Kaya yun ang tutumbukin na-tin,” said Roel, a bronze medal-ist in the same division during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, who spent his first few years as a coach handling women box-

ers.“But he might change tac-

tics at fightime,” added Velasco.The two fighters know each

other pretty well. They haven’t met in any international tourna-ment, but have sparred at least three times during the world Olympic qualifier in Kazakst-han where Barriga trained.

The going will definitely gets a lot tougher in case Bar-riga gets past the Kazakh since it will either be flashy Cuban light-fly Yosbany Veita Soto or reigning titlist Zou Shiming who’ll be waiting in the wings.

In one of the most lopsid-ed bouts of the day, Soto, fast with his hands and quick with his feet, made Australian Billy Ward look as if he belonged in another sport by taking an easy 26-4 decision that merited a big applause from the big crowd.

Boxing being a good source of medals in the past, Barriga is one of only two athletes in Team Philippines who’s given a fight-ing chance of ending a medal drought in the last three Olym-pic Games.

The other is BMX rider Danny Caluag, who is set to see action on August 8.

Curiuosly, it was Roel’s younger brother Mansueto, or Onyok to family and friends, who delivered the country’s last medal by capturing the silver during the 1996 Atlanta Olym-pics.

Barriga: Eyes on the prize

Mark Barriga will have his eyes only trained on a gold medal in the Olympics.

WIMBLEDON, Eng-land (AP) -- John Isner will play

on Centre Court at Wim-bledon for the first time on Thursday, a privilege that he eagerly awaits. The bonus? It’s his first Olym-pics, and his opponent is Roger Federer, winner of a record-tying seven titles at the All England Club.

What an opportunity.“It’s going to be a very

fun experience,” said No. 10 seed Isner, who de-scribed the chance to play the world No. 1 on Wim-bledon’s main court in the quarterfinals as “pretty special.”

After that match, third-seeded Maria Sharapova plays Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals on the same court. Sharapova, who ral-lied past No. 15-seeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany, 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-3, said she and the Belgian, who plans to retire after the U.S. Open, know each other’s games well even though it is their first meeting on grass.

“She’s such a tough competitor, such a great mover,” said Sharapova, who is herself known for competitive fire. “She has so many great qualities as a tennis champion.”

Isner, playing for the U.S., is not just looking

to experience a moment on the big stage when he plays Federer. While he is 1-3 against the Swiss, he beat Federer in four sets when they played in Davis Cup in February. Isner said that having the knowledge that he can defeat Federer “under his belt” is critical and that he will go into the match believing that he can win.

Then there is his fero-cious serve, a weapon that is especially effective on the fast surface of grass.

“I feel my serve is pretty effective no matter the surface,” Isner said. “I don’t care if it’s mud or grass or clay or hard.”

Isner had 22 aces, nev-er faced a break point and won 54 of 59 points on his first serve in a 7-5, 7-6 (14) win over No. 7 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in the third round. Isner needed six match points to close the victory, which came when Tipsarevic double-faulted.

Federer endured two rain delays and beat De-nis Istomin of Uzbekistan, 7-5, 6-3, and later lost in doubles with Stanislas Wawrinka, with whom he won a gold medal at Bei-jing in 2008. The four-time Olympian has yet to win a singles medal.

“We know he’s got one

of the best serves on tour, if not the best,” Federer said of Isner, who is 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 meters) tall. “That obviously makes it complicated getting into rallies, into rhythm. That’s grasscourt tennis.”

Isner said he knew exactly what he needed to do, and not do, against Federer.

“He’s the hottest guy on the tour, he’s back to No. 1 in the world. I’m go-ing to have to serve well,” said Isner. He described his own form coming into the Olympics as “on a roll,” with wins in seven of his eight previous matches and a title on grass at New-port in the United States.

He lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Colombian Alejandro Fal-la, who in turn lost to Fe-derer in the first round of the Olympics.

“I have to go for my shots. Anytime I get a ball I can hit, I’m going to have to hit it big because I can’t rally with Roger,” Isner said. “It’s as simple as that. If I try to get in rallies with him, he’s going to beat me.”

He said he planned to be aggressive on his ser-vice returns, without be-ing “too crazy,” and that he didn’t stand a chance if Federer took the offense.

Michael Phelps swims to his 19th Olympic medal. He has two more events left.

Federer plays first-time Olympian Isner

Vera Zvonareva of Russia reacts during her loss to Serena Williams of the United States at the All Eng-land Lawn Tennis Club in Wimble-don, London at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 201214 EDGEDAVAO

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A few weeks ago, I answered some of your questions about partying and/or drinking alcohol. Since then, more and more queries got to me through so-cial networking sites and the ever-trusty BBM. Thus, here is the second part of You Asked, Partyph-ile Answered for the year.Bo asks: What is your ideal Chill-Out party?Zhaun answers: My idea of a perfect Chill Out party has all white interiors, mu-sic from Telepopmusik, Angela McCluskey, and Frou Frou, lounge chairs, bean bags, and lush car-peting. Also, they have to have light, comforting food items that are easy to eat, and alcoholic bever-ages that are easy on the palette. It would also be a huge help if they assigned a butler per table.Sid asks: What piece of ad-vice can you give the youth about drinking alcohol?Zhaun answers: Stop it! Seriously though, learn how much you can take ad never exceed your limit. Never try to compete with other people because ev-eryone has different alco-hol tolerance.Jon asks: Does partying always need to involve al-

cohol?Zhaun answers: Of course not! I’ve been partying without drinking since early this year. If you are in the right company, party-ing is fun with or without alcohol.Carlo Gabriel: Do low-calorie alcoholic beverages prevent you from getting fat?Zhaun answers: If you

drink a whole case, then it wouldn’t. As with anything, the key here is moderation. The truth is, any type of al-cohol stimulates the pro-duction of cortisol which makes you gain weight. But if you had to drink, stick to low calorie beer instead of alcopop which has the same amount of calories as a hundred grams of lechon per bottle.Bianca asks: How do you avoid bar fights if the bar is full of jerks?Zhaun answers: Avoid the bar.BJ asks: What is the best way to keep someone who is intoxicated with alcohol calm?Zhaun answers: If he gets wild when he’s drunk, I suggest that you take him

home. If that doesn’t sober him up, wake his mother up and let her deal with him. If he refuses to go home, leave him at the beer. Sometimes, the best type of love is tough love.Ezra asks: How do I get rid of my hangover?Zhaun: Stay hydrated and eat some protein. Scram-bled eggs with cheese is probably the easiest to make when you have a hangover and is very ef-fective. Avoid caffeine and sports drinks, wake up at your normal waking time, drink more water, then go back to sleep.Ryan asks: How do you organize a party?Zhaun answers: That’s very difficult to answer because I would have to know what type of party you plan on organizing but the basic elements to consider are the: guest list, the food, the drinks, the theme, the interiors, the invitations, the entertain-ment, the giveaways, ad the program. There are a lot of unique ideas online and a little research can help you a lot.Diane asks: Do you get drunk faster at night or during the day?Zhaun answers: It actu-ally depends on where you drink. If you drink in a cold place, you get drunk faster because your metabolism slows down.

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012

EDGEDAVAOUP AND ABOUT ENTERTAINING

You asked Partyphile answered 2

ENJOY the bounties and splendor of nature while staying at Eden Nature Park and Resort for as low as PhP 288!  Take part of the festivities in the month of the Kadayawan and avail of great deals on selected accommodations at Eden Nature Park and Resort’s “Kadayawan Room Sale” from August 1-30.  Simply book and buy a room of your choice and avail them anytime between September 1 and November 30, 2012.  You can have a choice of their Aster Room, on sale for only PhP 288; Begonia Room, on sale for only PhP 668; Holiday Lodge, on sale for only PhP 602; Vista Cottage, on sale for only PhP 708; Gardenia Room, on sale for only PhP 577; Camellia Room, on sale for only PhP 722; and Gardenia Room, on sale for only PhP 772.  Rooms are subject to availability. A maximum of 5 gift cer-tificates is given per individual buyer. The room sale is now applicable for seminars, corporate events and weddings. Un-used ticket after November 30 will be forfeited.  Book and buy now! For reservations, call or visit the Sales Office at Matina Town Square, Matina or call tel. nos. 299.0313/299.1020/ 296.0791, mobile no. 918.930.7590, email  info@edennaturepark.com.ph. Check out their website at www.edennaturepark.com.ph. Like us on Facebook.

THIS Kadayawan month, everything is at SM City Davao as it showcases everything uniquely Davao this Kadayawan Festival. Feel the vibe as SM Davao hosts the official Kadayawan Phoenix Run on August 12, the spectacular Sayaw Mindanaw on August 14-16 and the grand Moda Mindanaw on August 19. Highlighting Davao’s rich peoples, authentic indigenous groups of different tribes are also set to perform around the mall for the Lumadnong Bantawan on August 17. The country’s biggest Agri Trade Fair opens its doors on August 6-31 at the Parking C, featuring Mindanao’s bests in agriculture, floriculture and horticulture; while DABTOA mounts one of the biggest travel marts in the region with the Mindanao Travel and Tours Expo 2012 on August 17-19 at The Annex. Plus, the brightest stars join the Kadayawan festival frenzy at the ABS CBN Kapamilya Caravan on August 18 and the GMA Kapuso Night on August 19, all happening at the SM Davao Parking C. Along with the colorful cultural festivities, SM City Davao treats Davaoeños and its guests to a week-long Kadayawan Sale on August 13-19. Amazing discounts await everyone, as much as 70% off on great selections mall-wide. To give its valued shoppers more time to shop, the city’s hippest hub is extending its mall hours until 10 PM on August 17 and until midnight on August 18 for the Kadayawan Sale. For inquiries, please call 297.6998 local 126. Like SM City Davao on Facebook, follow them on Twitter (@smcitydavao) or visit www. smcitydavao.blogspot.com for event and pro-mo updates.

THE Philippines’ largest na-tional flag carrier, Cebu Pacific (PSE:CEB) further strengthens its most extensive route network in the Philippines, with the launch of 6 more inter-island routes. Starting October 4, 2012, CEB will launch thrice weekly flights between Cebu and Busuanga, and between Tacloban and Legazpi. Both routes will operate on a Tuesday, Thursday and Sat-urday frequency, using an ATR 72-500 aircraft. Starting October 5, 2012, the airline will also launch the follow-ing flights using an ATR 72-500 aircraft: Davao – Butuan (Mon-

day, Wednesday, Friday and Sun-day), Davao – Dipolog (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), and Tacloban – Iloilo (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Meanwhile, CEB will launch an Airbus A319 service between Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro starting October 20, 2012. This will be a thrice weekly ser-vice, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. “CEB currently offers 63 domes-tic routes to 32 domestic destina-tions, providing passengers with

the fastest access to key cities and destinations in the country. With these six new routes, CEB can of-fer the best connectivity options and the lowest fares to its guests, as well as promote trade and tourism in the destinations it flies to,” said CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog. “We will accept delivery of three more brand-new Airbus A320 aircraft in the 2nd half of 2012, and 7 more in 2013. We look forward to expanding our route network to better serve the

ever-growing traveling public in the Philippines,” she added. CEB holds an introductory P488 all-in seat sale for these new routes until August 2, 2012 or until seats last. This is for travel from October 4 to December 18, 2012. P488 all-in seats are available from Davao to Butuan or Di-polog, from Tacloban to Legazpi or Iloilo, from Cebu to Busuanga, and from Cagayan de Oro to Zamboanga. Meanwhile, CEB also holds

a seat sale for its recently an-nounced new routes, for travel from November 8, 2012 to Janu-ary 31, 2013. Passengers can also buy P488 all-in seats from Iloilo to Puerto Princesa and General San-tos, and from Cagayan de Oro to Bacolod. P1,488 all-in seats are also available from Iloilo to Hong Kong or Singapore. For bookings and inquiries, guests can go to www.cebupaci-ficair.com, or call the reservation hotlines (02) 7020-888 or (032) 230-8888. The latest seat sales and promos can also be found on CEB’s official Twitter and Face-book pages.

Kadayawan room sale at Eden Nature Park

SM Davao sets Kadayawan sale on August 13-19!

CEB launches 6 more inter-island routesOffers P488 all-in introductory seat sale

INdulge!

IF like us you were wondering who the other girl that was sitting next to Zsa Zsa during the wake and necrological ser-vices for Dolphy was, aside from singer Zia Quizon, it’s no other than the adopted 22-year-old Nicole who is currently living and studying in Australia. And she is set to inherit half of the entire estate of the late Rodolfo “Dolphy” Vera Quizon. The 16 liv-ing children of Dolphy will have to share the remaining half. Legally, under Philippine laws, Nicole, being legally adopted by Dolphy, is the only legitimate heir. Dolphy did not marry any of the mothers of his children. In the GMA News On-line report, it stated that the Philippine laws on succes-sion prioritize legitimate children, Nicole Quizon – legally adopted by Dol-phy in 1990 – gets a much bigger inheritance under the law than any of her sib-lings. Lawyer Toni Coo of the law firm Coo & Partners explained to GMA News Online that under the Do-mestic Adoption Law, a le-gally adopted child is con-sidered legitimate. Coo & Partners specializes in suc-cession cases. “In this situation, since Nicole is the only legitimate child, she will be entitled to half of the entire estate of Dolphy,” Coo explained. The rest of the Quizon brood will divide the re-maining half of Dolphy’s estate among themselves, Coo said, citing Article 895 of the Civil Code. Lawyer Angelo Cabrera, Executive Counsel of AMC Law Office, which handles estate and inheritance-related issues, agreed with Coo’s opinion. “If it is true that Nicole is indeed legally adopted, she does get half of Dolphy’s es-tate,” he said. Dolphy had 18 children with six different women. His fourth child, Freddie, died in 2005. According to law, only the living can inherit property from the dead. However, Freddie’s three children are entitled to his share. According to Dolphy’s memoir, “Hindi Ko Ito Narating Mag-isa,” Nicole

Quizon, Dolphy’s 17th child, was legally adopted by him, making her the only legitimate child in the brood since her siblings were born out of wedlock. “Si Nicole, dinala sa akin sa Hizon’s, at gusto raw ng nanay, sa akin mapunta. She was just a few months old,” the late comedian wrote. Nicole’s family and friends also call her Coco, the second to the youngest of Dolphy’s children and sent by Dolphy to Australia for her college education. “Nakilala ko ‘yong ina. Gustuhin man niyang bawiin ang bata, hindi pu-wede. Legally adopted e,” he added. Dolphy’s last will and testament Dolphy’s long-time part-

ner Zsa Zsa Padilla and his son Eric Quizon have revealed that the comedy king did leave a last will and testament, of which they are co-executors. However, both Cabrera and Coo said that Dolphy’s will might not even be fol-lowed. According to Philippine law, leaving a will does not mean that a person can freely distribute his or her properties after death. The law requires a portion of the deceased’s estate to be reserved for certain heirs called “compulsory heirs.” In this case, the compulsory heirs are Dolphy’s children. Cabrera explained that whatever is in Dolphy’s will, which has not been divulged publicly, the law

already requires half of his estate to go to Nicole, and the other half to her sib-lings. Nothing of Dolphy’s estate would be left to be given out by will. Coo further pointed out that the mothers of Dol-phy’s children are not en-titled to inherit from him. Zsa Zsa’s share not her inheritance On the other hand, prop-erties acquired during the partnership of Dolphy and Zsa Zsa are a different mat-ter altogether, Coo said. The comedy king and the singer-actress were to-gether for the last 23 years, though it was only in May 2011 that her marriage to Dr. Modesto Tatlonghari was annulled. Dolphy and Zsa Zsa have

no conjugal properties to speak of because they never wed. But the law does not discount the fact that they acquired properties jointly while they were together. Any property Zsa Zsa gets from the dissolution of her long-time civil relation-ship with Dolphy must not be misconstrued as inheri-tance. Rather, those prop-erties never became part of Dolphy’s estate, Coo said. Effect of annulment of Zsa Zsa’s previous marriage Coo said that during the first part of Dolphy and Zsa Zsa’s partnership – when her marriage was a “le-gal hindrance” for him to marry her – only their “ac-tual contributions” to their illicit union belonged to them both while they were still living together. Article 148 of the Fam-ily Code also provides that “if one of the parties is val-idly married to another, his or her share in the co-ownership” belongs to the married couple once the extra-marital affair ends -- which, in this case, ended with Dolphy’s death. After Zsa Zsa’s marriage was annulled, her union with Dolphy then fell un-der Article 147 of the Fam-ily Code, which governs the relationship between a man and a woman – both single – who live exclusively with each other as husband and wife without getting mar-ried. Under Art. 147, their wages and salaries shall be owned by them in equal

shares and the property acquired by both of them through their work or in-dustry would be governed by the rules on co-owner-ship. Coo said in this case the couple share equally in the properties, regardless of ac-tual contribution.No sign of resentment Despite the unique status of Nicole as the only adopt-ed and legitimate child of Dolphy, and thus the heir of a larger portion of the late comedian’s fortune, there has been no sign of resent-ment from her siblings. In the weeks before and after his death on July 10, no word of family discord leaked out and their public appearances have exuded only warmth and unity. Nicole herself said in her eulogy for her father that he loved them all. “Ganitong klaseng tao si Papa. May 17 siyang anak sa labas, isang ampon,” she said during Dolphy’s necro-logical service at the Heri-tage Park Memorial Cha-pel in Taguig City on July 12. “Lahat tayo minahal ni Papa. Lahat tayo napagtu-gunan niya ng pansin.” “18 children, saan niya nahugot lahat ng energy at pagmamahal na lahat kami well-provided for all through our lives kahit sa pagtanda namin, lahat nai-bibigay,” she said, thanking her father and mother Zsa Zsa for the opportunity to study in Melbourne, Aus-tralia, where she still lives. – GMA News Online

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A2 INdulge! VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012 EDGEDAVAO

Adopted daughter to inherit half of Dolphy’s estate?

GMA News Online has the first dibs!

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VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012 INdulge! A3EDGEDAVAO

THE Jackson family is ready to give peace a chance. Last week, Katherine Jackson temporarily lost custody of her grandchil-dren Prince, Paris and Blan-ket to T.J. Jackson (Tito’s son and Michael’s nephew). Katherine, 82, was “dev-astated,” but not for long: Katherine’s attorney, Perry Sanders, tells E! News that on Thursday, paperwork will be filed naming T.J. and Katherine joint guardians. But the drama doesn’t end there. Earlier this week, Ja-net, Randy and Jermaine Jackson were barred from their mother Katherine’s Calabassas, Calif., home. T.J.’s lawyer, Charles Shultz, confirmed to E! News that a letter had been given to security making it clear that none of the family members involved in an in-cident on July 23 would be allowed into Katherine’s home. On Wednesday, Jer-maine issued a statement about the touchy situation, saying, “Enough has be-come enough.” “Yesterday, I had a phone call with my son Jaafar that broke my heart. He asked, ‘Is it true that we cannot visit grandmother’s house as a family anymore?’” Jer-

maine said. “After much soul-searching, it is clearly time for us to live by Mi-chael’s words about love not war. In this spirit, I offer this statement by way of extending an olive-branch. Accordingly, I rescind my signature from the let-ter which was sent to the estate, and which should never have gone public.” On July 17, Janet, Jermaine, Rebbie, Tito and Randy fired off an angry letter to the two men overseeing Michael’s estate. There has been speculation the rea-son for this was to invali-date their late brother’s will, which provides an $86,000 a month allowance to the guardian of Michael’s chil-dren. Tito has since retract-ed his signature from the letter. Jermaine still holds “deep reservations about many issues involved the estate” and “will continue to bring scrutiny and a resolute voice wherever we have cause for concern.” He points out, however, that “the way to address such matters is through the proper channels and via a private dialogue, not public conflict.” “Whatever the tabloid and online misrepresenta-tions have led people to believe, my primary con-

cern has only ever been rooted in the welfare of our mother in the environ-ment where she lives,” he says. “No one outside has a clue about the stresses and pressures she has been under long before recent events and I, like everyone in the family, adore the ground she walks on.” Jermaine goes on to deny there was ever “a ma-licious attempt to ‘block’ the kids from talking” with Katherine when she was in Arizona. He says the family was simply “worried a call home would first entail, or lead to, conversations with individuals we are in dis-pute with and that would, therefore, increase pres-sure on Mother—and pres-sure was what a doctor said she didn’t need.” “Mistakes have been made and irrational things have been said on both sides in a highly-charged emotional environment,” he adds. “It is time for us all to draw a line in the same and move towards peace, cooperation, love and heal-ing. I truly hope that we can find it in our heats to do so. Because above and be-yond anything else, what matters…is family.” Let’s hope for the kids’ sake everyone can keep it civil.

WHILE Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson’s future may be uncertain, the two will have to come together soon enough: To promote the final installment in their vampy saga, Breaking Dawn: Part 2. Rumors swirled that, in the wake of Kristen involvement with Snow White and the Huntsman director Ru-pert Sanders, R.Pattz canceled press opportunities for his next film Cos-mopolis. Rob’s rep and the film’s dis-tributor have since shot those stories down. Studio reps confirm that the New York City premiere for Cosmop-olis is set for Aug. 13 and that Rob is expected to attend. But what about the usual whirlwind world tour that accompanies a Twilight movie? “While it is studio policy not to comment on the personal lives of actors,” Summit’s president of world-wide marketing, Nancy Kirkpatrick, told Entertainment Weekly. “Summit is moving full-steam ahead and look-ing forward to this November’s open-ing of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2.” While no specifics were mentioned concerning what the press tour this time around will contain, Kirkpatrick continued, “We are confident that the film delivers amazing entertainment for our passionate fans and general audience alike.”

And the month or so leading up to it should surely deliver a different kind of spectacle. Rob and Kristen, of course, play happily wedded vam-pires with a newborn (and a pack of undead foes dead set on destroying the Cullen clan, but no biggie) in the last Twilight film. In real life, the couple is having their

every move speculated upon—from where each is currently holed up to whether or not they’re communicat-ing and everything in between—so it will certainly be interesting (and water cooler-worthy) watching how they must interact together in public. And by interesting, we mean awk-ward!

REESE Witherspoon brought her South-ern hospitality all the way to Califor-nia. The 36-year-old preg-nant star let her Water for Elephants costar Robert Pattinson crash at her Ojai estate last week, a source confirms to E! News. The Twilight hunk is, however, “gone now” from Wither-spoon’s tranquil vacation home. (She let Elle Décor, who has the full story on her lovely estate, take a glimpse inside her home in the mag’s latest issue.) Pattinson, 26, pre-sumably wanted a calm, private getaway follow-ing the news of Kristen Stewart’s “momentary indiscretion” with Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders. Witherspoon’s sprawling,

seven-acre ranch—com-plete with a swimming pool, horse barn and guest cottage—probably provided just that. But don’t think Pattin-son plans to hide out and then shirk his professional obligations due to a bro-ken heart. A report yes-terday claimed the actor had ditched a press ap-pearance for Cosmopolis, but Pattinson’s rep told E! News he hasn’t canceled any of his commitments. “Cosmopolis is a film that Robert is very proud of and looks forward to supporting,” the rep said in a statement. “No con-firmed engagements have been canceled. Any reports to the contrary are inaccurate.” Good thing Rob has a pal like Reese to help him through the tough times.

The Jackson Family Feud‘Let’s give peace a chance’

How will Robsten promote Twilight finale?Why is RobPat at Reese’s house?

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A4 INdulge! VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012EDGEDAVAO

Kapuso and Kapamilya stars highlight SM City Gen San openingSM City General Santos, which will officially open its doors to the public on August 10, 2012 at 10am, continues to give excitement to its shoppers by bringing in stars on August 10, 11 and 12, 2012. Have fun with the Ital-ian-Filipino Car Racer Mat-teo Guidicelli and Gen-san’s very own first grand champion of ABS-CBN’s noontime show “Show-time”, XB GenSan, as they perk up the grand open-ing on August 10 at the Atrium of SM City General Santos at 11am. The casts of the top billed romance-drama royalty-themed television series “Princess and I”, Kathryn Bernardo and Khalil Ramos will also entertain shoppers at 4pm on the same day. Catch the biggest stars of Kapuso in their mall show led by no less than Kapuso leading man Ding-dong Dantes together with GMA’s most gorgeous actresses Bianca King, Chynna Ortaleza, and Ryza Cenon on August 11 at 4pm.

Kapamilya stars, Filipino actor, model and televi-sion host Paulo Avelino and actress-singer Denise Laurel will both meet their fans at the Atrium of SM City General Santos on Au-gust 12 at 4pm. SM City General Santos will also house its two-sto-rey Al Fresco strip with res-taurants to enliven Gen-San’s night life. The row of dining establishment promises a refreshing and a more relaxing ambience as shoppers listen to the natural sound of acoustic music. Juris, the former lead singer of acoustic group

MYMP, will serenade shop-pers and diners on the evening of the opening day, August 10, 7pm at the Al fresco open plaza. Catch the acoustic heartrobs Jimmy Bondoc on August 11 and Nyoy Volante on August 12 at 7pm only at Al fresco Strip, SM City General Santos. A grand fireworks show also happens on August 10, 11, and 12 at 9pm. For more details, call (083) 552-7647 or like SM City Gener-al Santos on Facebook for event and promo updates. Catch all these exciting events for free only at SM City General Santos.

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 2012 15EDGEDAVAO SPORTS

EFREN “Bata” Reyes advanced to the final 16 of the Predator

World Tournament of 14.1 (straight pool) in New York City.

Reyes remained un-beaten after defeating Brandon Shuff, 150-33, as he continues to roll in the tournament.

The legendary Filipino

pool player drew a first-round bye in the knockout stages after going unde-feated as the third-seeded player.

Reyes is joined in the round-of-16 by nine-ball stars Thorsten Hohm-ann, Darren Appleton and Johnny Archer.

Hohmann defeated Mika Immonen, 150-44,

Appleton overcame Zaid Thweid, 150-108, and Ar-cher won over Earl Strick-land, 150-73.

Strickland and Im-monen, however, still made it to the final 16 after winning in the los-ers’ bracket. Strickland downed Holden Chin, 150-65, while Immonen ousted Steve Lipsky, 150-27.

Bata reaches final 16

MEDAL COUNT

ARCHER Mark Ja-vier is mulling re-tirement after he

was eliminated from the men’s recurve competi-tions of the 2012 London Olympics.

Javier lost to American Brady Ellison, 1-7, in the round-of-32.

The 30-year-old Javier, who also fell at the same stage in the Beijing Games four years ago, posted his plans on the social net-

working site Facebook hours after losing to El-lison.

“Thank you all for your encouraging words before my game. I’m proud and honored to represent the Philippines in two Olympic games but for now I think I have shot my last arrow,” Javier said on his Facebook post.

“Archery has given a lot to me specially the memories that I will al-

ways cherish. To my teammates and friends thank you so much guys,” he also said.

Aside from two Olym-pic appearances, Javier also has the 2007 Asian championship and the 2012 World Champion-ship in his resume.

Female archer Rachel Ann Cabral also didn’t make it past the first knockout round in Lon-don.

Phl Archer thinking retirementSerena Williams of the United States reacts during her match against Vera Zvonareva of Russia at the All Eng-

land Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday.

Bata Reyes advanced to the Round of 16 in New York.

VOL.5 NO. 109 • FRIDAY - SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 - 4, 201216 EDGEDAVAOSPORTS

THE IOC is urging the Chinese, South Ko-rean and Indonesian

national Olympic com-mittees to investigate the coaches of the badminton players who were dis-qualified for trying to lose matches.

“We have asked the NOCs to look into the en-tourage issue to see if there are questions to be an-swered there,” IOC spokes-man Mark Adams said Thursday.

The International Olympic Committee wants team coaches, trainers or officials to be punished if they encouraged or or-dered the players to lose deliberately.

Four women’s doubles teams were kicked out of the competition Wednes-day after playing badly to secure a more favorable draw in the next round - conduct that strikes at the heart of Olympic rules on fair play and sportsman-ship.

Adams said the three national committees are now in the process of ex-pelling the players from the games completely - taking away their accreditations, removing them from the athletes village and sending them home.

“We’re making sure that

at this stage that they con-sider also the entourage, in this case the coaches, just to make sure it isn’t just the athletes who are punished for this,” Adams said. “We will ask them if they are looking at it.”

The doubles teams - the top-seeded pair from China, two pairs from South Ko-rea and one from Indone-sia - deliberately conceded points in an apparent at-tempt to lose their round-robin matches so they would face easier opposi-tion in the knockout stage.

“We’re keen to make sure that on the ground it wasn’t just the athletes that were being punished, and that if there are some peo-ple to be looked into then the national Olympic com-mittees will do that,” Ad-ams said. “We have to leave them to take their decision. We’ll be following what they do and what they say.”

If the IOC isn’t satisfied, it could intervene to take its own disciplinary action.

“The NOCs are now making sure those athletes are leaving the village and are on their way home,” Ad-ams said. “The games are about good sporting experi-ence and that’s what we’re encouraging. When that doesn’t happen we need to take action.

IOC asks for probe of badminton coaches