By Jade C. Zaldivar

A 19-year old female college stu-dent yesterday filed a rape case against four male acquaintances.

Accompanied by her mother, a younger sister, and lawyers, the com-

plainant lodged the case before the Re-gional Trial Court for Davao region, ac-

cording to a TV report.Requesting for anonymity, the com-

plainant said that on the night of last April 28 she was in the company of four male acquaintances for a drink at a bar along Vinzons St., Barrio Obrero, this city.

EDGE

By Aurelio A. Pena

IN A MOVE apparently linked to the Phil-ippines’ protest against China’s claims over the oil-rich Pagasa Reef, the Chinese

government has started banning the entry of Philippine bananas into China’s mainland.

“We’re being harassed. We’re being bullied by Chinese authorities who are imposing very strict quarantine rules on every shipment of Philippine bananas

entering China’s ports. We’re living in a very dangerous time,” said Stephen An-tig, executive director of the Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Associa-tion (PBGEA).

Antig said losses from rejected ship-

P 15.00 • 24 PAGESwww.edgedavao.net

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012

Coed accuses4 pals of rape

Serving a seamless society

FCOED, 13

FBANANA, 13

n Victim and respondents are students of a prestigious uni-versity.

Follow Us On

DAVAO

Banana industry collapse fearedNAVY. A World War 2 veteran, the BRP Magat Salamat, which recently joined the Coordinated Border Patrol Operation with Indonesia, is due to sail to General Santos City on Monday. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

SportsPage 15

IndulgePage A4

AgritrendsPage 7

China bullying us—PBGEA

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 20122 THE BIG NEWS EDGEDAVAO

n Says Tagum has more seized logs

By Lorie A. Cascaro

COMMANDER Luzvi-minda A. Camacho is the first and only

female commaanding of-ficer of a Philippine Navy ship.

She is the skipper of BRP Magat Salamat Pa-trol Ship (PS) 20, a more than 60-year old warship which is docked at the Philippine Navy Feranil Pier, Panacan, Davao City until May 14.

With a crew of 32and six officers under her command, majority of whom are men, she has no problem with the per-sonnel who all respect her rank.

“When I assumed my command, I told them ‘If you don’t want to serve under my command, you are free to leave.’ But, for-tunately, nobody has left,” she said.

Born in Bayambang, Pangasinan, this 47 year-old lady commander had never in her wildest dreams saw herself be-coming a member of the uniformed service, much less as a ranking officer.

It was her father, ENS Francisco C. Camacho (PN), a retired service-man, who inspired her to join the military service.

She started as a “can-didate soldier” at the School for Basic Soldiery, in Camp Capinpin, Tanay Rizal, and ended up join-ing the Philippine Navy

on November 18, 1988.She was commis-

sioned in the regular force and called to active duty on August 16, 1990 after graduating from the officer candidate course.

Before being promot-ed to command a navy ship, she held various positions in the Women Auxiliary Corps (WAC) such as Senior Tactical Officer of the School for Basic Soldiery at the AFP Training Command, Ad-min Officer at the Naval Adjutant, and Asst. Adju-tant at the Philippine Ma-rine Corps, among others.

From WAC, she changed her branch of service to Philippine Navy line officer and pursued her shipboard assign-ment.

In her more than 23 years in the naval ser-vice, she has commanded four naval commissioned vessels--two patrol gun-boats under the Assault Craft Force and two patrol ships under Patrol Force Seahawk of the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao.

“It depends on lead-ership handling,” Cama-cho said, adding that there is not much differ-ence in having a woman commander.

A single mother, she dedicates all her achieve-ments to her only son, Praise Bisleg, who is now in the third year of Bach-elor of Science in Marine Transportation at the

Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific and inspired by his mom.

BRP Magat SalamatDerived from Magat

Salamat, the son of the great Rajah Sulaiman of Tondo, Manila, the BRP Magat Salamat PS20 is a patrol craft escort com-missioned to the Philip-pine Navy on February 7, 1977.

Built in 1943, it was formerly known as USS Gayety of the US Navy.

“This is the Patrol Ship of the Year 2011,” Camacho said, adding that it has several achieve-ments, such as respond-ing to illegal fishing and logging within its area of responsibility.

It is stationed at Po-lioc Wharf, in Parang, Maguindanao under the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao Command, and joined the CORPAT PHIL-INDO, a joint coordinated patrol exercise with the Indonesian Navy last April 24 to May 2.

“We have the usual maintenance ng barko, kasi kung hindi naman mini-maintain yung ma-chineries, hindi na tatak-bo yung barko. Siguro, we’re just lucky in the Philippine Navy that we are good in maintaining aged ships like this. Ang tagal tagal na ng barko, we still maintain the facil-ities and the navigational equipment aboard the ship,” she said.

This Philippine Navycommander is a lady

FEMALE NAVAL COMMANCER. CDR Luzviminda Camacho, commanding officer of the BRP Magat Salamat and the first female naval commander in the history of the coun-

try, said that she is more strict in implementing policies compared to male officials. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

By Jade C. Zaldivar

SURPASSING the 40,000 mark in the number of school

chairs delivered, Tagum City Mayor Rey Uy, who heads the Care for School Chairs Program, is en-couraging more “chair requests” in the wake of more logs seized that could manufactured into schoolroom chairs desks, tables, etc.

Uy said last Wednes-day that Tagum City is de-termined to make full use of the seized logs it has in its possession for school use.

“There is still a large volume of seized logs de-posited in Tagum’s motor-pool in Tipaz, Barangay East,” he said.

The Care for School

Chairs Program has al-ready delivered 40,144 pieces of new chairs since its conception in August 2011 to schools in Tagum City, Davao City, and the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Compostela Valley.

On May 8, Tagum City received a total of 2,461 pieces (490.21 cubic me-ters) of illegally-cut lauan logs which were confiscat-ed by the Anti-Illegal Log-ging Task Force (AILTF) headed by Louie Ceniza, last May 6 in barangay Kasapa, Loreto, Agusan.

The logs, valued at P3.4 million, were turned over to Tagum City Mayor Rey as AILTF’s support for Tagum City’s school chairs

program.On May 9, Payatas

Elementary School (ES) in Quezon City, Metro Manila became the most recent beneficiary when it received 195 school chairs.

The local government of Tagum in Davao del Norte earlier received a re-quest from Undersecretary Ernesto Adobo, Jr. of the field Operation of the De-partment of Environment and Natural Resources Of-fice for 100 school chairs in time for the Payatas ES new classroom inaugura-tion on May 11.

Uy ordered that 95 more chairs be added to Adobo’s request, saying “We are glad to reach out to Payatas and to answer more such requests.”

Payatas ES is the first recipient school out-side the Davao region.

Uy encourages ‘school chair requests’

A lady legislator has filed a bill requir-ing the Department

of Education (DepEd) to annually procure school desks and/or armchairs for public elementary and secondary schools nationwide made from Philippine bamboo to promote and strengthen the country’s bamboo in-dustry.

Rep. Sharon Garin (AAMBIS-Owa Party-list) said House Bill 4920 aims to promote, strengthen and create jobs through the local bamboo indus-try by prescribing its sci-entific propagation, pro-cessing, utilization, and business development as a priority program.

HB 4920 seeks to use bamboo as planting ma-terial for annual refores-tation and rehabilitation program of the Depart-ment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Aside from the refor-estation program, Garin

also aims to use bamboo in livelihood programs. The Department of Labor and Employment, in co-operation with the Coun-cil and local government units, shall formulate and implement bamboo livelihood programs with preference employment to special groups and organizations of Person with Disabilities (PWDs), marginalized sectors, the unemployed, and re-trenched Overseas Fili-pino Workers (OFW).

The livelihood pro-gram shall include ap-propriate trainings and/or skill-retooling compo-nents to be provided by the Commission on Infor-mation and Communica-tions Technologies (CICT) in coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Au-thority (TESDA) or allied government institutions.

The bill is also push-ing for the creation of the Philippine Bamboo Indus-try Development Coordi-

nating Council (PBIDCC), which will be referred to as the Council, adminis-tratively attached to the Department of Trade and Industry.

The Council’s func-tion will be the coordi-nating council of all the activities of various agen-cies and instrumentalities to ensure the success of the Philippine Bamboo Framework for Develop-ment.

The Council will be composed of the Sec-retary of DTI as chair-man, Undersecretary of DTI-regional Operations and Development Group (DTI-RODG) as head of the council secretariat, Executive Director of the CICT as Head of the Bam-boo Technical Working Group.

Other members of the council includes the Sec-retaries of the following agencies, DENR, Depart-ment of Agriculture (DA), DepEd, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR),

Solon wants bamboo chairs and desks for public schools to promote bamboo industry

FSOLON, 13 FSOLON, 13

A lawmaker has filed a bill imposing stiff-er penalties for the

prohibited publication of derogatory information on any individual.

Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco (Lone District, Marinduque) said House Bill 5833 increases pen-alties for such offense from arresto mayor or fine ranging from P20 to P2,000 or both to arresto mayor or a fine ranging from P1,600 to P160,000.

The bill seeks to amend Article 357 of Act 3815 also known as the Revised Penal Code, Velasco said.

According to Velasco, under the Revised Penal Code, any reporter, editor or manager of a newspa-per, daily or magazine, who shall publish facts

connected with the pri-vate life of another and offensive to the honor, virtue and reputation of said person, even though said publication be made in connection with or un-der the pretext that it is necessary in the narra-tion of any judicial or ad-ministrative proceedings wherein such facts have been mentioned shall be penalized with arresto mayor or fine ranging from P20 to P2,000 or both depending on the discretion of the court.

The amounts of mon-etary fines or penalties punishing crimes remain unchanged despite the devaluation and inflation the country’s currency has undergone for more than eight decades, Velas-co stressed.

Velasco said under the bill, the penalty of arresto mayor or a fine ranging from P1,600 to P160,000, or both, shall be imposed upon any re-porter, editor or manager or a newspaper, daily or magazine, who shall pub-lish facts connected with the private life of another and offensive to the honor, virtue and reputation of said person, even though said publication be made in connection with or un-der the pretext that it is necessary in the narra-tion of any judicial or ad-ministrative proceedings wherein such facts have been mentioned.

“The massive infla-tion and devaluation our currency has gone through renders the puni-tive fine component of the

Stiffer penalties soughtfor derogatory information

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012

MUSSAH Tulawie, wife of Temogen “Cocoy” Tulawie,

together with their five kids, has launched a fund-raising drive in Davao City for his bail bond.

“Hindi pa isinalang yung petition for bail pero baka kasi anytime isa-salang na ng mga lawyers natin. Kailangan magpre-pare na kami para sa bail bond,” she said yesterday during the human defend-ers forum with the Com-mission on Human Rights at Villa Margarita Hotel, JP Laurel Avenue, Davao City.

Tulawie, accused of multiple frustrated mur-der and multiple attempt-ed murder by Governor Abdulsakur Tan of Sulu province, was arrested last January 14 in Davao City.

He is prepared to file an application for bail for his temporary release pending final resolution of his cases on the ground that the evidence of guilt is not strong.

The bail amount for his first case is Php 320,000 and for his sec-ond case, the bail amount has yet to be set by the court.

He is currently de-tained at the Davao City jail in Ma-a while his cases are pending in Branch 11, Regional Trial Court, Davao City, under presid-ing Judge Virginia Hofileña Europa.

Mussah hopes that in selling advocacy shirts at P250 each and asking do-

nations from friends, rela-tives and supporters, she may be able to raise the amount for her husband’s bail that she expects may be more than P600,000.

She also mentioned that her husband is in good condition in jail even as Judge Europa gave in-structions to heighten his security.

Together with Tu-lawie’s support group, Mussah is calling for a speedy trial as he has been detained for 118 days as of press time.

“Gaya ng sinasabi na-min lagi na justice delayed is justice denied. Ang gus-to lang namin umusad na yung kaso, mapabilis. Ma-hirap talaga,” she added.

Meanwhile, Lawyer Raissa Jajurie, one of Tu-lawie’s legal counsels, said Tan’s petition to transfer the trial of Tulawie’s crim-inal cases from Davao to Manila is a delaying tactic.

“Ang sinasabi nila, Davao is not a neu-tral place, kasi dito siya naaresto at ang grupong sumuporta sa kanya while he was wanted ay nandito rin sa Davao, so yun ‘yong kanilang basehan for filing the case,” she said.

She added that last

May 4, Judge Europa is-sued an order suspending the proceedings due to the refusal of Davao City pros-ecutor Marte Melchor S. Velasco to handle the case unless he has an authori-zation from the Supreme Court.

“Kasi ang case ay nanggaling nga sa Jolo dapat kukuha siya ng au-thorization to prosecute it here in Davao,” Jujarie said.

Tulawie’s side filed a motion for reconsidera-tion last Thursday, and its hearing will be on May 25.

She said the pending petition to transfer venue filed by Tan is not a ground to suspend the case as transfer of venue takes a year, adding that Tulawie’s transfer from Jolo to Davao took almost two years.

“Definitely, yung pag-file nila ng petition is some-thing that will prolong the process kasi naresolve na yan e. Actually with finality yung Supreme Court order na i-transfer yung kaso sa Davao, then they filed an-other case parang another motion for recon on a final decision of the court. So tingin namin, delaying tac-tics din yun,” she added.

3THE BIG NEWSEDGEDAVAO

FQUARRYING, 13

FMINDANAO, 13

By Lorie A. Cascaro

EARTHFILL quarry operations in Si-tios Danao and Si-

lag of Barangay Mandug will soon come to an end when Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio signs the cease and desist order (CDO).

The Davao City Min-ing Regulatory Board (CMRB) recently submit-ted a CDO dated May 2 to the mayor against all commercial earthfill per-mittees/operators in the areas.

The CDO was based on reports from its in-spection team upon in-struction by the Mayor last April 3 and 12 in re-sponse to the complaint filed last March 19 by ba-rangay officials and resi-dents of Muslim Village of Mandug.

The inspection team was composed of CMRB members and complain-ants headed by Kagawad Delfin Darama as well as concerned barangay of-ficials.

Based on the team’s observations, the topog-raphy of the quarry site is lower than Barangay In-dangan, which is approxi-mately 120-140 meters above sea level.

It was also reported that during heavy rains, water ran to the lower portion where Barangay Mandug is located.

The team found that there are three water res-ervoirs in the area which are sources of drinking water for the two sitios, while there were traces of earlier landslides in the area.

Also inspected were two preniously approved quarry areas of in Brgy.

Mandug owned by one Ambao Magulintang whose quarry permit will expire on May 18; and, Oyong Magulintang, whose permit expired early this year and appli-cation for its renewal is pending after he failed to secure a barangay resolu-tion for its approval.

The team recom-mended for a stoppage order to be issued to Am-bao Magulintang as his approved area is within 258.24 meters (in terms of radius) from the reser-voirs; the area is prone to landsline; and, its opera-tion will cause flooding in the area as it is only 513.21 meters from the creek.

Meanwhile, Oyong Magulintang’s renewal application for commer-cial earthfill will not be granted as recommend-ed by the team since his quarry area is adjacent to the area of Ambao Magu-lintang.

The team discovered that another quarry op-erator, Jeremias T. Bago-hin, had operated beyond his approved area which is 258.24 meters from his allowed area but not beyond the boundary of Mandug.

Considering his vio-lations of the terms and conditions of his permit, the team recommended to immediately advise Bagohin to be extra care-ful in his operation and confine his extraction of earthfill materials within his approved area.

A CDO for Bagohin had been signed by the mayor last April 26 for having conducted quarry operation outside his per-mitted earthfill area.

The team also rec-

Quarrying halt orderawaits CM signature

POWER ISSUE. Workers in Ateneo de Davao University attach the streamer of the Mindanao Consumer Summit that aims to tackle the response of the people of Mindanao on the issue of the power situation in the island. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

THE Philippine agri-culture gained 1.08 percent or P341.1

billion, for the first three months this year, which was attributed to the in-crease in the production of poultry, livestock and crop subsectors.

Livestock production increased by 3.17 per-cent while poultry sub-sector production grew by 7.06 percent.

Crops subsector also raised by 0.80 percent in production.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning Romeo Recide said the slight increase in crop production was due to the movement of cal-endar planting in some regions of the country.

“We have to know that a little change in the planting calendar can move everything. There would be a slight delay in production but we expect an increase in harvest next quarter,” he said.

The total agricultural output for the first quar-ter of the year, however, was recorded at 3.14 per-cent lower than last year as fisheries subsector de-clined by 7.06 percent.

Agriculture Secre-tary Proceso Alcala said that crop production is not all a setback since its record output registered 4.037 million metric tons (MT).

“Our palay produc-tion target remains on track, as we expect to harvest 3.846 million MT in the second quarter based on standing crop, and another 3.423 mil-lion MT in the third quar-ter based on planting in-tentions,” he noted. [PNA]

PHL agriup in Q1

THE Pulangui IV is back online adding 200MW to the Mind-

anao grid after undergoing repairs and rehabilitation of the headrace channel which started last April 17.

“The successful re-pairs and rehabilitation was completed nine days ahead of schedule. We have received reports in-dicating that there are no more rotating blackouts in Mindanao in the past two days,” DOE Secretary Jose Rene Almendras an-nounced yesterday.

“We congratulate the National Power Cor-poration (NPC) and their contractors who have completed the repairs

way ahead of schedule. We also wish to thank the National Grid Corpora-tion of the Philippines, the electric cooperatives and distribution utilities that supported our initiatives to bring about these solu-tions. We look forward to your continued support as we address the solu-tions for 2013, 2014 and subsequent years ahead,” Almendras added.

Almendras, how-ever, noted that while the situation in the region improved, the Mindanao power situation is still at a critical level.

“I must insist that the power supply in Mindanao is still critical as there are

Mindanao power situation improves

Tulawie’s family raising money for his bail bond

‘IN the over-all scheme of things our system remains very strong, highly-capital-ized, highly liquid, and this is just one of those things that happen.”

--Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Gov. Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. on the closure of Export Import Bank.

Quips

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012

MUSSAH Tulawie, wife of Temogen “Cocoy” Tulawie,

together with their five kids, has launched a fund-raising drive in Davao City for his bail bond.

“Hindi pa isinalang yung petition for bail pero baka kasi anytime isa-salang na ng mga lawyers natin. Kailangan magpre-pare na kami para sa bail bond,” she said yesterday during the human defend-ers forum with the Com-mission on Human Rights at Villa Margarita Hotel, JP Laurel Avenue, Davao City.

Tulawie, accused of multiple frustrated mur-der and multiple attempt-ed murder by Governor Abdulsakur Tan of Sulu province, was arrested last January 14 in Davao City.

He is prepared to file an application for bail for his temporary release pending final resolution of his cases on the ground that the evidence of guilt is not strong.

The bail amount for his first case is Php 320,000 and for his sec-ond case, the bail amount has yet to be set by the court.

He is currently de-tained at the Davao City jail in Ma-a while his cases are pending in Branch 11, Regional Trial Court, Davao City, under presid-ing Judge Virginia Hofileña Europa.

Mussah hopes that in selling advocacy shirts at P250 each and asking do-

nations from friends, rela-tives and supporters, she may be able to raise the amount for her husband’s bail that she expects may be more than P600,000.

She also mentioned that her husband is in good condition in jail even as Judge Europa gave in-structions to heighten his security.

Together with Tu-lawie’s support group, Mussah is calling for a speedy trial as he has been detained for 118 days as of press time.

“Gaya ng sinasabi na-min lagi na justice delayed is justice denied. Ang gus-to lang namin umusad na yung kaso, mapabilis. Ma-hirap talaga,” she added.

Meanwhile, Lawyer Raissa Jajurie, one of Tu-lawie’s legal counsels, said Tan’s petition to transfer the trial of Tulawie’s crim-inal cases from Davao to Manila is a delaying tactic.

“Ang sinasabi nila, Davao is not a neu-tral place, kasi dito siya naaresto at ang grupong sumuporta sa kanya while he was wanted ay nandito rin sa Davao, so yun ‘yong kanilang basehan for filing the case,” she said.

She added that last

May 4, Judge Europa is-sued an order suspending the proceedings due to the refusal of Davao City pros-ecutor Marte Melchor S. Velasco to handle the case unless he has an authori-zation from the Supreme Court.

“Kasi ang case ay nanggaling nga sa Jolo dapat kukuha siya ng au-thorization to prosecute it here in Davao,” Jujarie said.

Tulawie’s side filed a motion for reconsidera-tion last Thursday, and its hearing will be on May 25.

She said the pending petition to transfer venue filed by Tan is not a ground to suspend the case as transfer of venue takes a year, adding that Tulawie’s transfer from Jolo to Davao took almost two years.

“Definitely, yung pag-file nila ng petition is some-thing that will prolong the process kasi naresolve na yan e. Actually with finality yung Supreme Court order na i-transfer yung kaso sa Davao, then they filed an-other case parang another motion for recon on a final decision of the court. So tingin namin, delaying tac-tics din yun,” she added.

3THE BIG NEWSEDGEDAVAO

FQUARRYING, 13

FMINDANAO, 13

By Lorie A. Cascaro

EARTHFILL quarry operations in Si-tios Danao and Si-

lag of Barangay Mandug will soon come to an end when Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio signs the cease and desist order (CDO).

The Davao City Min-ing Regulatory Board (CMRB) recently submit-ted a CDO dated May 2 to the mayor against all commercial earthfill per-mittees/operators in the areas.

The CDO was based on reports from its in-spection team upon in-struction by the Mayor last April 3 and 12 in re-sponse to the complaint filed last March 19 by ba-rangay officials and resi-dents of Muslim Village of Mandug.

The inspection team was composed of CMRB members and complain-ants headed by Kagawad Delfin Darama as well as concerned barangay of-ficials.

Based on the team’s observations, the topog-raphy of the quarry site is lower than Barangay In-dangan, which is approxi-mately 120-140 meters above sea level.

It was also reported that during heavy rains, water ran to the lower portion where Barangay Mandug is located.

The team found that there are three water res-ervoirs in the area which are sources of drinking water for the two sitios, while there were traces of earlier landslides in the area.

Also inspected were two preniously approved quarry areas of in Brgy.

Mandug owned by one Ambao Magulintang whose quarry permit will expire on May 18; and, Oyong Magulintang, whose permit expired early this year and appli-cation for its renewal is pending after he failed to secure a barangay resolu-tion for its approval.

The team recom-mended for a stoppage order to be issued to Am-bao Magulintang as his approved area is within 258.24 meters (in terms of radius) from the reser-voirs; the area is prone to landsline; and, its opera-tion will cause flooding in the area as it is only 513.21 meters from the creek.

Meanwhile, Oyong Magulintang’s renewal application for commer-cial earthfill will not be granted as recommend-ed by the team since his quarry area is adjacent to the area of Ambao Magu-lintang.

The team discovered that another quarry op-erator, Jeremias T. Bago-hin, had operated beyond his approved area which is 258.24 meters from his allowed area but not beyond the boundary of Mandug.

Considering his vio-lations of the terms and conditions of his permit, the team recommended to immediately advise Bagohin to be extra care-ful in his operation and confine his extraction of earthfill materials within his approved area.

A CDO for Bagohin had been signed by the mayor last April 26 for having conducted quarry operation outside his per-mitted earthfill area.

The team also rec-

Quarrying halt orderawaits CM signature

POWER ISSUE. Workers in Ateneo de Davao University attach the streamer of the Mindanao Consumer Summit that aims to tackle the response of the people of Mindanao on the issue of the power situation in the island. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

THE Philippine agri-culture gained 1.08 percent or P341.1

billion, for the first three months this year, which was attributed to the in-crease in the production of poultry, livestock and crop subsectors.

Livestock production increased by 3.17 per-cent while poultry sub-sector production grew by 7.06 percent.

Crops subsector also raised by 0.80 percent in production.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning Romeo Recide said the slight increase in crop production was due to the movement of cal-endar planting in some regions of the country.

“We have to know that a little change in the planting calendar can move everything. There would be a slight delay in production but we expect an increase in harvest next quarter,” he said.

The total agricultural output for the first quar-ter of the year, however, was recorded at 3.14 per-cent lower than last year as fisheries subsector de-clined by 7.06 percent.

Agriculture Secre-tary Proceso Alcala said that crop production is not all a setback since its record output registered 4.037 million metric tons (MT).

“Our palay produc-tion target remains on track, as we expect to harvest 3.846 million MT in the second quarter based on standing crop, and another 3.423 mil-lion MT in the third quar-ter based on planting in-tentions,” he noted. [PNA]

PHL agriup in Q1

THE Pulangui IV is back online adding 200MW to the Mind-

anao grid after undergoing repairs and rehabilitation of the headrace channel which started last April 17.

“The successful re-pairs and rehabilitation was completed nine days ahead of schedule. We have received reports in-dicating that there are no more rotating blackouts in Mindanao in the past two days,” DOE Secretary Jose Rene Almendras an-nounced yesterday.

“We congratulate the National Power Cor-poration (NPC) and their contractors who have completed the repairs

way ahead of schedule. We also wish to thank the National Grid Corpora-tion of the Philippines, the electric cooperatives and distribution utilities that supported our initiatives to bring about these solu-tions. We look forward to your continued support as we address the solu-tions for 2013, 2014 and subsequent years ahead,” Almendras added.

Almendras, how-ever, noted that while the situation in the region improved, the Mindanao power situation is still at a critical level.

“I must insist that the power supply in Mindanao is still critical as there are

Mindanao power situation improves

Tulawie’s family raising money for his bail bond

‘IN the over-all scheme of things our system remains very strong, highly-capital-ized, highly liquid, and this is just one of those things that happen.”

--Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Gov. Nestor A. Espenilla Jr. on the closure of Export Import Bank.

Quips

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 20124 EDGEDAVAOSCIENCE/ENVIRONMENTNATION/WORLDNATION BRIEFS WORLD TODAY

Day of mourning

THE Butuan City gov-ernment declared yesterday a day of

mourning for the 17 fe-male workers who were killed in the fire that gutted a commercial building here last Wednesday.

Butuan City Vice Mayor Lawrence Fortun said all Philippine flags in govern-ment offices, schools, and public places were un-furled at half-mast.

Off the air

THE Movie and Tele-vision Review and Classification Board

(MTRCB) yesterday or-dered a 20-day preventive suspension of TV5 televi-sion show “T3: Kapatid, Sagot Kita,” hosted by the Tulfo brothers - Erwin, Ben, and Raffy - in light of the alleged indecent utter-ances by the hosts in the show’s May 7, 2012, epi-sode.

This was unanimously decided at a hearing held by the MTRCB yesterday at its office in Timog Av-enue, Quezon City. It was attended by TV5 lawyers Christine Ona and Nicho-las Bondoc, MTRCB legal counsel Jonathan Pesquito, and board members Noel del Prado, Liezl Martinez, and Jay Revestir.

Vowed

MAVERICK business-man Ramon S. Ang, who heads diver-

sifying conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and has now taken over the helm of Philippine Airlines, has vowed to turn Asia’s oldest carrier around in a year and create a new breed of air service.

In an interview follow-ing the annual stockhold-ers meeting of SMC’s liquor unit Ginebra San Miguel yesterday, Ang said his goal is to keep the struggling airline flying and turn it into a five-star value car-rier.

Nullification

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III is set to certify as urgent the

resolution calling on the Commission on Elections to nullify the current vot-ers’ list of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mind-anao and conduct a new general registration.

“The President is... pre-pared to certify the mea-sure as urgent so as to en-sure its speedy enactment by Congress,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Laci-erda said at a press state-ment.

No mergers

THE Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-

Kampi-CMD) party will just rely on other alliances to take care of their poten-tial senatorial candidates for the midterm elections next year, one of its leaders said Wednesday.

House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, Lakas-Kam-pi-CMD co-chairman, said the party will not entertain any mergers, but will only rely on “reciprocity” with other political groups.

NORTH Koreans are clandestinely enjoy-ing access like never

before to foreign DVDs and radio, shaping the views of a people cut off for decades from the outside world, a US study said Thursday.

The report commis-sioned by the State De-partment made clear that North Korea remains one of the world’s most closed nations but said that many of its people “are beginning to look more critically” at their government.

The communist re-gime’s ultra-rigid controls began to deteriorate dur-ing the famine in the 1990s and North Koreans “today have significantly greater access to outside infor-mation” than they did 20 years ago, the study said.

One of the steepest ris-es has been in DVD viewer-ship. DVD players are not illegal, making it easier for North Koreans -- usually in secret groups -- to watch banned movies from South Korea.

In a survey of 250 North Korean refugees and overseas travelers in 2010, 48 percent said they had watched foreign DVDs while inside the country, up from just 20 percent two years earlier, the study said.

The study’s principal author Nat Kretchun, as-sociate director of the InterMedia consulting group, said that South Korean dramas -- popular across Asia -- provided North Koreans a welcome

Foreign media opening N.KoreaUS study

ENJOYING. People pass a movie studio in Pyongyang in 2010. North Koreans are clandestinely enjoying access like never before to foreign DVDs and radio, shaping the

views of a people cut off for decades from the outside world, a US study said.

break from their usual diet of stern, humorless propa-ganda.

“When you get very well-produced, compel-ling South Korean dramas -- a picture into a place that you’ve been fascinat-ed with your whole life, because so much North Korean propaganda re-volves around South Ko-rea -- that’s extremely powerful,” he said.

While not overtly polit-ical, South Korean produc-tions are an eye-opener to North Koreans. They show that the supposed arch-enemies are well-fed, well-dressed and can devote time to love and leisure instead of mere survival.

However, the study found that DVDs had less influence on how North Koreans view the United States which remained too foreign to comprehend.

The report also found a consistent audience for foreign radio -- with elites looking for outside sourc-es of news and less edu-cated North Koreans pre-ferring to tune in to music or cultural programs.

North Korean authori-ties force radios to be set to official broadcasts and jam foreign broadcasters -- namely US-funded Ra-dio Free Asia and Voice of America, along with the Seoul-based Korean Broadcasting System.

But in a sign that foreign radio is getting through, the study found that nearly three-quarters of North Koreans said they would search for another channel when they con-sidered foreign content uninteresting. In previous studies, most North Kore-ans said they would keep listening to foreign chan-nels even if their interest waned, indicating a lack of choice.

Around one-quarter of North Koreans said they had access to foreign television content, but the reach was limited to people living in areas bor-dering China and South Korea, the study said.

SENATOR Ralph Rec-to on Friday pressed for the immediate

deployment of a contin-gent of economic and business diplomats that would engage China and its business leaders in spirited discourse on the joint exploration of the vast economic potentials

of the West Philippine Sea.

“As the tension esca-lates in Panatag Shoal, I think it’s better for busi-nessmen to talk than politicians talking. Maybe we can salvage a peaceful resolution,” Recto, Senate ways and means commit-tee chair and Senate for-eign relations committee member, said.

He noted that the tension in the West Phil-ippine Sea could be ap-proached from a purely business perspective rather than from an agi-tated politico-military angle.

“It’s time for economic and business diploma-cy. Instead of deploying our military ‘Avengers,’ let’s send our ‘Economic Avengers’,” he said.

He added: “Let’s fo-cus on things that unite us than those that divide us. Let’s expand our trade and business with China

through project tie-ups in West Philippine Sea and elsewhere.”

The lawmaker said he hopes Filipino tycoons with Chinese lineage would lead in engaging their Chinese counter-parts in exploring tie-ups.

He nevertheless said joint deals with China must also be forged to set up manufacturing plants in the country that would cater to Southeast Asian market in preparation for the breaking down of tariff barriers under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) by 2015.

Recto said the eco-nomic diplomatic route must be seized aggres-sively as the “hawks” and “doves” inside the Chi-nese hierarchy constantly struggle for dominance in pushing for their own agenda in the West Philip-pine Sea.

“We better start talk-ing to the doves now than be waylaid by their mili-tary hawks,” he said.

The senator said the latest move to shut down commercial flights to and from China and the can-cellation of tourist pack-age tours bound for the country could be an indi-cation that the “hawks” in the Chinese politburo have gained the tempo-rary upper hand.

Recto likewise ap-pealed to the Philippine and Chinese governments to refrain from further agitating their own peo-ple by dishing out heated statements and instead issue a call for national sobriety.

“We don’t want this to further escalate. Both sides should take a pause and allow national-ist emotions to simmer down. Everybody should stop stoking the fire,” he said.

Recto pushes for deployment of business diplomats to China

Mayan calendar

ON the wall of a tiny structure buried un-der forest debris in

Guatemala, archaeologists have discovered a scribe’s notes about the Maya lunar calendar, which they say could be the first known re-cords by an official chroni-cler of this ancient civiliza-tion.

These notes pertain to the same Maya calendar that is sometimes errone-ously thought to predict the world’s end on or about December 22, 2012. The researchers who helped uncover and decipher the wall’s inscriptions said the Maya calendar foresaw a vast progression of time, with the December 2012 date the beginning of a new calendar cycle called a bak-tun.

‘Walking dead’

A man pronounced dead following a car crash by Australian

paramedics who then left the scene has been dis-charged from hospital after making a remarkable re-covery, a report said Friday.

Daniel Huf, 30, was trapped upside down in the wreckage of a Porsche in a Melbourne suburb and was declared dead after be-ing treated at the scene on April 1.

Hollywood star

PRESIDENT Barack Obama said his sup-port for gay marriage

is a “logical” milestone to-wards a fairer America, as he was feted at a Holly-wood fundraiser hosted by George Clooney tipped to make a cool $15 million.

Obama praised his host’s support for liberal causes but also gently teased the A-list actor and Democratic activist at the Tinseltown love-in at Cloo-ney’s Hollywood Hills man-sion.

Long shadow

A push by Chinese Pres-ident Hu Jintao to shrink the size of the

nation’s nine-member lead-ership body, as revealed by Reuters this week, could have far-reaching implica-tions for his anointed suc-cessor and for future eco-nomic and political reform.

Outgoing leaders in China can cast a long shadow, and Hu’s desire to cut the politburo standing committee to seven in the twilight of his decade-old administration has fuelled talk that he wants his allies to influence the next one to preserve his legacy.

Preventive pill

US health advisers urged regulators to approve Truvada,

made by Gilead Sciences, as the first preventive pill against HIV/AIDS instead of just a treatment for in-fected people.

The favorable vote came after clinical trials showed Truvada could lower the risk of HIV in gay men by 44 to 73 percent, and was hailed by some AIDS advo-cates as a potent new tool against human immunode-ficiency virus.Recto

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012 THE ECONOMY 5EDGEDAVAOStat Watch

MONTHLY AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE (January 2009 - December 2011)

Month 2011 2010 2009

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

September 43.02 44.31 48.139August 42.42 45.18 48.161

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

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

3.5%4th Qtr 2011

3.7%4th Qtr 2011

USD 3,342Million

Nov 2011USD 4,985

MillionNov 2011

USD -1,643Million

Nov 2011USD -114

MillionDec 2011

P4,442,355Million

Nov 2011

4.71%Oct 2011P128,745

MillionNov 2011

P 4,898Billion

Oct 2011

P 43.65Dec 2011

3,999.7Sept 2011

128.1Jan 2012

3.9Jan 2012

3.4Dec 2011

284,040Sept 2011

19.1%Oct 2011

6.4%Oct 2011

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

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

3. Exports 1/

4. Imports 1/

5. Trade Balance

6. Balance of Payments 2/

7. Broad Money Liabilities

8. Interest Rates 4/

9. National Government Revenues

10. National government outstanding debt

11. Peso per US $ 5/

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2006=100

15. Core Inflation Rate 2006=100

16. Visitor Arrivals

17. Underemployment Rate 7/

18. Unemployment Rate 7/

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

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

as of august 2010

China tightens entry of PHL bananasBy Carlo P. Mallo

EXPORTERS of Philippine bananas are having a hard time entering the ports of

China due to sudden changes in its importation policies. The Chinese government has given banana exporters until June 1 to comply with their require-ments.

“We are being bullied,” Ste-phen Antig, executive director of the Pilipino Banana Grow-ers and Exporters Association, said. A letter from the agricul-tural ministry of China in part said, “If pests are detected again from the fruits imported from your country, the Chinese will take action to return the cargo, destroy the product, or suspend the importation.”

While the banana umbrella group has started looking for other countries that can com-pensate for the Chinese market, no market can match the mar-ket of China.

In 2011, PBGEA member companies exported more than 358,000 metric tons of fresh fruits to China, which is roughly 24 million boxes worth $96 million or P4 billion. Projection growth of the Chinese market this year is10 percent.

On the other hand, small banana growers who are not part of PBGEA ship at least 45 million boxes to China annually.

“The requirements would have been okay if there are enough ports in China that can accommodate the shipments, such as plug-ins, but they don’t,” Antig said. As of today, there are 1,500 reefer vans that are still waiting approval of entry from the Chinese gov-ernment.

“If we cannot resolve the issues, it will adversely affect

the banana industry and the more than 500,000 people de-pendent on the industry,” Antig said. The Chinese government has raised issues regarding the quality of packing plants used by the banana companies.

According to unofficial re-ports, shipments of bananas that have reached the various ports of China have remained unopened by their quarantine officers for reasons that con-

tinue to evade the banana in-dustry.

“We pay more than P2 bil-lion in taxes annually. Based on that alone, you can see the important role of the industry in Mindanao. We are operating in 15 provinces throughout the island,” Antig said.

The problem of the ba-nana industry started as early as March 5, when a shipment from the Philippines was said

to have arrived with a kind of pest that is also reportedly present in coconuts.

By May 4, the Chinese government has identified 43 banana exporters from the Philippines in their list, whose shipments are flagged for quar-antine inspection. The Chinese government on the basis that exports from these companies have arrived in their country with pests compiled the list.

Department of Agricul-ture (DA) Secretary Pro-ceso Alcala has called for

a tighter inspection of banana and pineapple exports after China recently rejected some shiploads from Mindanao.

During a press briefing Thursday at the DA central of-fice in Quezon City, Alcala said they will create a Task Force that would monitor and check on banana and pineapple ship-ments being exported to other countries, including China.

He added that Task Force members, if needed, would ac-company the export shipment to monitor quarantine proce-dures in its destination.

“We cannot contradict with their (China’s) statement

that they detected pests from our exported bananas. So what we can just do is to issue an order, along with DTI (Depart-ment of Trade and Industry), to create a Task Force that would monitor our exported bananas and pineapple in China, tight-ening up our rules before its release,” quipped Alcala.

Alcala admitted that the banana industry plays a big role in the growth of the econ-omy so they are looking for al-ternatives to solve the problem such as finding potential coun-tries where they could also ex-port bananas.

Alcala said we have to tighten exportation proce-dures on bananas including pineapples as China is now the

largest consumer of Philippine Cavendish bananas

“We cannot become hel-ter-skelter in deciding on the matter. We must admit that noting the number of people they have in China, they can help a lot in our economy,” he added.

Alcala added they are working closely with the DTI, Bureau of Plant Industry, Chi-nese Embassy and the Philip-pine Embassy to address the recent issue and will imme-diately implement the strict inspection of banana and pineapple products to assure other countries of the qual-ity of Philippine products, in-cluding bananas.

Recently, some 43 ship-

loads of bananas from Mind-anao failed quarantine tests in China allegedly because of pest infestation.

But the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters As-sociation (PBGEA) said they have been exporting Caven-dish bananas to China for over a decade now. They added that banana exporters from Mindanao have been using the most advance and high-end technology to process the fruits.

The banana industry shares about 24 percent of the country’s total agricultur-al exports. It is the country’s fifth-largest export today and the second in Mindanao, it said. (PNA)

FOUL. Stephen Antig, executive director of Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association, cries foul over the new require-ments that China imposes on Filipino banana exporters. PBGEA

believes that it has to do with the Scarborough Schoal conflict be-tween the Philippines and China during PBGEA’s press conference at their office in Rizal St., Davao City. [LEAN DAVAL, JR.]

Tighter inspection of agri exports ordered

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 20126 THE ECONOMY EDGEDAVAO

It figures

AMOUNT of money the Sandi-ganbayan has directed businessman Her-minio Disini to return to the government. The amount represented commission re-ceived by Disini for brokering the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) deal.

TOTAL number of members of the Government Service Insurance Sys-tem (GSIS) in the Davao Region who may apply for educational loan of P4,000 each as assistance from the government.

GROWTH rate of the economy of Indonesia during the first quarter of 2012 compared to a year ago, despite the problems in Europe and the United States of America, as industries such as, agricul-ture and forestry, expanded.

DOLLAR reserves of the country in April, which is lower than the gross international reserves of $76.13 billion in March, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Dollar reserves are indica-tor of capacity to pay foreign obligations as well as the mirror of the strength of the local currency.

REPORTED price per square me-ter in the Bajada and Barrio Obrero areas in Davao City as a result of a boom in property development oin the area.

AMOUNT gained by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. in 2011 after he sold his 20-percent stake in the Philippine Star Group last year. The ad-ditional asset made the Speaker the third richest member of the House, behind Sa-rangani Rep. Manny Pacquaio.

65,000P443million

$75.96billion$5 - million 6.3percent

P43,000

THE Philippine ag-riculture indus-try grew by 1.08

percent (%) in the first three months of 2012, bannered by the poultry, livestock and crop sub-sectors, while fishery pro-duction contracted due to conservation meas-ures and high operation costs. The total value of the country’s agriculture output for the first quar-ter of 2012 amounted to P341.1 billion at current prices, 3.14% less than last year for the same three-month period.

Together, the pro-duction of major crops, livestock and poultry commodities expanded by 2.26%. The three sub-sectors accounted for 82.4% of the total agricul-ture industry, while the fishery subsector shared 17.6%. The production of major crops increased by 0.8%. Corn harvest increased by 5.38% to 2.017 million metric tons (MMT), while palay output declined by 1% to 3.99 MMT. The first quarter palay production is not at all a setback, as last year’s 1st quarter pa-lay output was a record at 4.037 million metric tons, said Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alca-la. “Our palay production target remains on track, as we expect to harvest 3.846 million metric tons in the 2nd quarter based on standing crop, and an-other 3.413 million met-ric tons in the 3rd quarter based on planting inten-tions,” said the DA chief, citing estimates of the DA’s Bureau of Agricul-tural Statistics (BAS).

The third quarter palay harvest may still increase as a result of the early planting scheme adopted by farmers served by major irrigation systems in Luzon, where at least 150,000 hectares are covered, Secretary Alcala added. In all, the DA-BAS said the first se-mester palay production is forecast to reach 7.838

MMT, 3.4% more than in 2011, while the January to September 2012 palay output may top 11.251 MMT, 4.7% more than last year’s nine-month output of 10.746 MMT. Produc-tion of other crops like coconut, pineapple, coffee and rubber registered re-spective increments.

The crops subsec-tor, which contributed 52.8% to total agricul-tural output, grossed P195.1 billion at current prices, 7.5% less than last year. The livestock sub-sector recorded a 3.17% gain in production. It ac-counted for 15.5% of total agricultural output. The growth was mainly attrib-uted to the 3.4% increase in hog production.

The hog indus-try comprised 85% of the livestock subsec-tor, whose total value amounted to P49.86B at current prices. The poul-try subsector, contribut-ing 14% to total agricul-tural output, expanded by 7%. The growth was boosted by the 7.4% growth in chicken pro-duction.

The chicken industry contributes 74% to total poultry subsector, whose production amounted to P41.64B at current prices. Finally, the fisher-ies subsector recorded a 4% decline, as conserva-tion measures were im-plemented, particularly in Zamboanga Peninsula, where a moratorium was imposed early this year to allow fish species like tamban (sardines) to re-generate. However, pros-pects are bright for the rest of the year, as the DA-BFAR moratorium in Zamboanga Peninsula has been lifted.

Likewise, commercial fishers can now engage in tuna fishing in the West-ern Pacific, as the ban has been lifted, too. The total value of fishery produc-tion, which shared 17.6% to total agriculture out-put, amounted to P54.53 billion at current prices.

Agri growth up 1% in Q1

THE garbage col-lected in the city daily by the City

Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) has been reduced by as much as 100 tons (per day) with the implementa-tion of the waste segrega-tion ordinance.

CENRO chief Atty. Jo-seph Felizarta said that before the segregation policy was implemented the city was collecting about 500 to 570 tons of garbage per day.

In 2011 it went down to 420 tons and in 2012 it was further reduced to 402 tons according to Felizarta. The reduction translates to savings of

P37-million a year from the operating expenses of hauling garbage from col-lection points to the land-fill.

The “No Segregation, No Collection Policy” or-dinance was implemented in July 1, 2011 and is in compliance with Repub-lic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act. The ordinance stipulates that only residual wastes shall only be collected by garbage collectors for dis-posal at the city’s landfill in New Carmen.

The CENRO chief said that based on current dai-ly collection the modern landfill in New Carmen can take in garbage for

about 10 years before it is going to be filled up. Fel-izarta said that about 20% of the landfill’s first layer has been filled up.

Meanwhile the CENRO will be implementing the ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags and Polysty-rene (Styrofoam) food containers starting June 28. The ban is in accor-dance with the provisions of the Davao City Ecologi-cal Solid Waste Manage-ment Ordinance of 2009 or City Ordinance 0361 series of 2010 (Section 7, Article V) which only per-mits recyclable and biode-gradable plastic bags and containers.

Felizarta said that some

biodegradable plastic bags are already being sold in the market or are used by supermarkets and big de-partment stores. He said that one major test of a bio-degradable plastic is that it turns brittle when exposed to temperatures reaching 80 degrees Celsius.

He said that an additive is usually added during the manufacturing process of these plastics to make it biodegradable.

According to the or-dinance, mall and shop owners who violate the provisions will face pen-alty ranging from P300 to P5,000 or imprisonment for about six months. (PIA/RG ALAMA)

Daily garbage collection in city reduced by 100 tons

FIRE. A firetruck is parked outside the Decoarts warehouse after a fire engulfed the property on Wednesday evening reaching the 5th alarm status. [KARLOS MANLUPIG]

PETRON Corporation, the country’s largest oil refining and mar-

keting company, reported a net income of P2.5 bil-lion for the first three months of 2012, 28 per-cent lower than the P3.4 billion income posted during the same period last year.

In a statement, Petron attributed the drop to lower export volumes and higher production costs.

Export volumes dropped by 23 percent to 1.1 million barrels in the first quarter of the year compared to 2011.

At the same time, the benchmark Dubai crude oil averaged $ 116 per barrel in the first quarter of 2012 versus $ 100 per barrel last year over the same period, increasing production costs. Sales revenue increased by 17 percent for the period to

P74.7 billion.Despite the diffi-

cult business environ-ment, Petron managed to strengthen its leadership position. The company posted gains in sales vol-umes in all major market segments, including re-seller, industrial, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), and lubricants.

Total domestic vol-umes rose 8 percent to nearly 11 million barrels.

As a result, overall market share increased to 38.5 percent -- top in the local oil industry.

“With RMP-2 and the network expansion programs underway, we are confident that Petron will continue to grow and enhance its position as the leading oil refining and marketing company for many years to come,” Petron chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said.

Petron income down 28%

‘WE recently held a meeting and shared the same appre-hension that we may lose the valuable market in China as a result of the dispute over the shoal.’

--Stephen Antig, president of the Pili-pino Banana Growers and Exporters As-sociation (PBGEA). PDI

Quips

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012 7AGRITRENDSEDGEDAVAO

If someone mentions the words “organic farm-ing,” what comes into your mind right away?

Environment-friendly, natural, not using pesti-cides and other chemi-cals, sustainable, regen-erative, and healthy – these are the words use to describe this method of farming which has recent-ly captured the attention of many countries around the world.

Thanks to Republic Act 10068, organic farm-ing is now being pro-moted in the Philippines. More popularly known as the Organic Agricul-ture Act of 2010, the law is a state policy that pro-motes, propagates, and further develops the prac-tice of organic farming in the country.

President Benigno Aquino III, during the 8th National Organic Ag-riculture Conference in Hacienda Luisita last year, directed the Department of Agriculture to allocate 2-percent of its annual budget for the implemen-tation of the department’s programs and policies on organic agriculture.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture (FAO), in its report, Or-ganic Agriculture and Food Security, explicitly states that organic farm-ing fights hunger, tackles climate change, and is good for farmers, con-sumers and the environ-ment.

Organic farming, ac-cording to FAO’s Nadia Scialabba, is “a holistic production management system that avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and ge-netically modified organ-isms, minimizes pollution of air, soil and water, and optimizes the health and productivity of plants, animals and people.”

In Mindanao, farmers growing rice are prov-ing once and for all that organic farming can im-prove one’s income. Last year, Benjamin R. Lao was named by the Depart-ment of Agriculture as an outstanding organic farmer. “We want to teach Filipino farmers the right way of farming through

the natural method, with-out using commercial fer-tilizer or pesticides,” he said of those people who come to his farm in ba-rangay Eman in Bansalan, Davao del Sur.

Organic farming caught the attention of Lao after training at the Mindanao Baptist Ru-ral Life Center (MBRLC) in nearby barangay of Kinuskusan. “I was im-pressed by the way they conserve the soil and the farming systems they have developed through the years,” he said.

The MBRLC is at the forefront in promoting or-ganic farming not only in Mindanao but also in oth-er parts of the country. Its former director, American missionary and agricul-turist Harold R. Watson, received a Ramon Mag-saysay Award for peace and international under-standing in 1985 for en-couraging international utilization of the center’s farming technologies.

MBRLC is credited for coming up with four sustainable systems for the uplands: Sloping Agricultural Land Tech-nology (SALT 1), Simple Agro-Livestock Technol-ogy (SALT 2), Sustainable Agroforest Land Technol-ogy (SALT 3), and Small Agrofruit Livelihood Technology (SALT 4).

In all these systems, the MBRLC uses various nitrogen-fixing species as hedgerows to keep

the soil intact. “We are following the concept of rice terraces of Banaue,” says Roy C. Alimoane, the current director. “But in-stead of using stones to form terraces, we utilize several plants grown in double hedgerows and planted following the contour lines.”

The hedgerows are cut every 30 to 45 days at knee high. “We use the cuttings are fertilizer for our crops,” Alimoane explains. “We don’t ap-ply commercial fertilizer since the cuttings are al-ready good sources of ni-trogen, phosphorus and potassium.”

The cuttings also serve as mulching materi-als during the rainy sea-sons. “Once there is rain, the rain would not direct-ly hit the soil, thus help-ing minimize the erosion of topsoil,” he says. “The double hedgerows also aid in abetting the flowing of the soil going down.”

A study conducted at the MBRLC farm showed the rate of soil loss in a SALT farm is 3.4 metric tons per hectare per year, which is within the toler-able range. Most soil sci-entists place acceptable soil loss limits for tropi-cal countries within the range of 10 to 12 metric tons per hectare per year. The non-SALT farm has an annual soil loss rate of 194.3 metric tons per hectare per year.

The SALT scheme re-quires careful manage-ment of the space be-tween the hedgerows. A combination of perma-nent, semi-permanent, and annual crops is rec-ommended so as to re-build the ecosystem and maximize yields while enabling farmers to orga-nize their work time effi-ciently.

Every third strip of available land is planted to permanent crops. Ex-amples include cacao and

coffee, which were rec-ommended by President Benigno S. Aquino III dur-ing his second State of the Nation Address. “Both cacao and coffee have steady markets,” says Ali-moane. “Cacao has a po-tential of becoming one of our agricultural exports.”

A combination of vari-ous cereals (upland rice, corn, and sorghum) and vegetables (beans, pulses, tomato, eggplant, ampala-ya, and sweet pepper) are planted on the remain-ing two strips of land. Each has its own specific area so that there can be a seasonal rotation. For instance, an area planted to corn previously will be planted with mung bean in the next cropping sea-son.

“Crop rotation helps to preserve the regenera-tive properties of the soil and avoid the problems of infertility typical of tradi-tional agricultural prac-tices,” explains Alimoane on the importance of reg-ular rotation of crops.

SALT offers many valuable ecological ad-vantages. “This farming system greatly reduces the risk of drought, land-slides, floods, and silting over of low-lying land, and wind erosion, all of which are linked to the radical transformation of the natural environment and destruction of the mountain forests,” Alimo-ane says. “It also replaces ugly eroded and denuded slopes with the luxuriant beauty of abundant veg-etation.”

Examples of nitro-gen fixing trees and shrubs are kakawate (Gliricidia sepium), ipil-ipil (Leucaena leuco-cephala) and the intro-duced species Flemingia macrophylla,Desmodium rensonii, and Indigofera anil. These species are also excellent fodder for goats.

That’s why in its SALT

2 model, the above spe-cies are also planted in the lower portion of the farm. In this half-hectare system, 12 does are raised together in a barn located at the center of the farm. Another small house is built in the nearby for the buck.

The cut hedgerows are brought to the barn as fodder for the goats. The goat manure are collected and used as fertilizer for the hedgerows and the crops (which are planted at the upper portion of the farm). The goats, which are dairy type, are milked two times a day: in the early morning and late afternoon.

A study conducted by the Department of Sci-ence and Technology showed that goat’s milk as per 200 milligram serving can provide 20 percent of the daily requirements for calcium, four percent for vitamin A, and eight percent for iron.

The MBRLC also bats for reforestation through its SALT 3 system. “In two hectares, we try to combine agriculture and trees,” Alimoane says. One hectare is planted to crop while the other hect-are is grown with trees.

Alimoane talks about “tree time zones” of 1-5, 6-10, 11-15 and 16-20 years, within which pro-gressively more valuable products are harvested. Some very valuable trees could be left longer, and he dubs this “the grand-child project.” He ex-plains, “Plant something for your grandchildren.”

Among the tree species planted in the

SALT 3 model farm are bamboo, Sesbania ses-ban, “ipil-ipil,” Acacia auriculiformis and A. mangium, Swietenia macrophylla,Pterocarpus indicus (more popularly known as narra), and Sa-manea saman (rattan is planted below it). Some of these are planted basi-cally for fuelwood while others are for furniture purposes.

In the lowlands, the MBRLC promotes a non-conventional garden-ing scheme called Food Always In The Home (FAITH). According to Alimoane, the method can also reduce a farmer’s heavy reliance on chemi-cal fertilizers and pesti-cides which pose health hazards and wreak havoc on the environment.

“FAITH is a type of vegetable gardening that can provide the necessary protein, vitamins and mineral requirements needed by a family with six members,” Alimoane points out. “We designed it in such a way that it re-quires minimum labor.”

As the name suggests, there will be vegetables – and some fruits – all throughout the year if its recommended plant is properly followed. Based on a study, the garden can provide 300 grams (or one bowl) or fresh veg-etables daily.

Another organic farm-ing technique MBRLC endorses is vermicom-posting and the use of fermented juices of plants and fruits. “Use of natu-ral inputs is sometimes regarded as unscientific,” Alimoane says. “But sci-ence is actually catching up.”

Vermicomposting re-fers to the process of us-ing earthworms to turn organic waste into ver-micompost – also known as vermicast, worm com-post, worm castings, worm humus or worm manure – a high quality natural fertilizer and soil conditioner. Vermicast is being used in the center’s FAITH and ornamental gardens. It is also used in bagging some of the planting materials.

“We would be happy to have people come to the center. We can show to them what we are do-ing and how we are do-ing them,” Alimoane con-cludes.

‘YOU do have now an excel-lent legal framework for disas-ter risk reduction and excellent legal framework for climate change adaptation.’

--United Nations special envoy Margaretta Wahlstrom

Quips

Looking for organic farming systems?Text and Photos by Jims Vincent T. Capuno

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 20128 EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012 9EDGEDAVAO

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 201210 VANTAGE POINTS EDGEDAVAO

Drug problemEDITORIALS

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

NEILWIN L. BRAVOSports and Motoring

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

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

Telefax: (082) 221-3601www.edgedavao.net

editorial@edgedavao.netmarketing@edgedavao.net

CAGAYAN DE ORO MARKETING OFFICELEIZEL A. DELOSO | Marketing ManagerUnit 6, Southbank Plaza Velez-Yacapin Sts.Cagayan de Oro CityTel: (088) 852-4894

MANILA MARKETING OFFICEANGELICA R. GARCIA | Marketing ManagerBlk. 1, Lot 10, La Mar Townhomes, Apitong St.,Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel: (02) 942-1503

CARLO P. MALLOFeatures and Lifestyle

ALBERTO DALILANManaging

GREGORIO G. DELIGEROAssociate

RAMON M. MAXEYConsultant

JOCELYN S. PANESDirector of Sales

RICHARD C. EBONAIMELDA P. LEE

Advertising SpecialistsAGUSTIN V. MIAGAN JR

Circulation

SOLANI D. MARATASFinance

Honesty is the Best!

THE RATE of drug abuse in the Davao region is rising, according to authorities of the Philippine Drug

Enforcement Agency (PDEA) themselves.The growth of the problem is indicated

by an 11-percent increase in the number of arrests during the first four months of the year, said PDEA regional director Em-erson Rosales.

Though the rate of increase has not reached an alarming stage, still it is a big enough challenge to Rosales and his men. There is a need for them to be more thor-ough and creative in their job. They must

not allow the situation to deteriorate to a point that Davao would lose the reputa-tion of having one of the lowest rates of drug abuse among the six regions in Min-danao.

One thing going for the Davao PDEA is precisely the increasing number of ar-rests, from 145 in the first four months of 2011 to 165 during the same period this year. At least, Rosales has honestly attributed this to an increase in drug de-pendence instead of boasting about it as an achievement as other officers tend to do.

IN the same league as a P a c q u i a o -

Mayweather bout, perhaps the most anticipated enter-tainment circus in current times is the return of the Corona impeach-ment trial on tele-vision. As with the beginning of the trial, the focus of the prosecution is still on the SALN of the Chief Justice – what is there, what is not there, and how what is there is the way that it is (read: zonal versus fair market val-ues).

I remember my father telling once, when I was still in government, that if a person wanted to cheat his way to riches in public service, the way to do it would be to actually over-declare the value of his assets to bloat his net worth – so that when he accumulated the material gains from his corruption, he would have a high baseline to justify them right from the start. My father had a point: the mere possession of riches by a pub-lic servant does not necessarily mean that those riches were ill-gotten if he had them prior to joining government in the first place. My father warned me though to never even consider it.

The SALN, despite being created as a tool to help identify grafters and corrupters, may also be used to mask the fact of graft and corruption if one knows how to use it. In the end, the figures and entries in a SALN may be interpreted in the most disparately extreme ways, depending on one’s agenda and motives.

Nowadays, the buzz on the impeach-ment trial is whether Corona will take the witness stand to clarify, once and for all, the charges against him. Focus is on the exis-tence of what is rumored to be ten million dollars’ worth of undeclared bank deposits. Defense lawyers consider this juicy piece of gossip as exactly that – gossip – and are fighting tooth and nail technically to stymie the presence of Corona on the witness stand.

I am not a lawyer, and I can be easily dis-combobulated with the technicalities that a legal expert can throw into the court. What I know, though, is that I concur with the Dalai Lama when he once said that, “at the end of the day, the only person we would have to live with is our self. “

Corona knows the existence or fiction behind these purported dollar accounts, and I leave it to the Senate to put forth their judgment based on facts beyond reasonable doubt and on the provisions of our laws.

But this is not about Corona. My ultimate concern is how much importance we give towards our concept of honesty, and how much we practice this value as reflected in our integrity.

It has been a month since April 15. Did you pay the right taxes? Cheating on them compromises our government’s ability to provide basic social services to the people. Do you pay your employees the right wag-es? There is great power and even greater responsibility in being able to dictate the quality of life of the people who work for us. Do you provide the goods and services you promised to your customers? Providing the market with something that is not the best you can offeris an insult to both the market and to yourself. Are your prices fair and give value for money? When the answer is no - that makes you a cheater.

We are not mere spectators in the im-peachmenttrial. The moral high ground from which we precariously perch does not make us righteous judges on this case against Corona.

It is only when we know we do not lie, cheat, corrupt and give in to avarice can we sleep at night. This is what I wish not only for Corona, the Senate and all government offi-cials and employees but, most importantly, for every Filipino with or without a SALN to his name.

Honesty is not supposed to be a lonely word.

ABREEZA, the classy mall, turns one-year old today, twelve months of giving Dabawenyos

and visitors a different kind of shop-ping experience.

Inevitably, Abreeza will become a community institution, an indispens-

able cog in the city’s robust economy.Today, its commanding presence

and the strong patronage that it en-joys are happy indicators of a leveling up of customers’ sophisticated taste and buying power.

Congratulations!

Congratulations

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012

WITHOUT i n te n d -ing to,

Bukidnon Vice Gov. Jose Ma. R. Zubiri Jr.’s verbal antics on Monday confirmed what had only been known through the grapevine, that he has always wanted Gov. Alex P. Calingasan to resign so that he (Zubiri) can regain his former post. Reports on a local radio station said the vice governor harangued the governor with words that don’t deserve a space here.

The Catholic church-run dxDB reported that Zubiri aired his tirade against Calingasan during a convocation program at the capitol. It was the first time that Zubiri openly hit his long-time ally, although frictions between them had surfaced as soon as they switched positions in 2010.

Zubiri cited reasons for his attack on Calingasan. But he omitted one rea-son – the real one – which the governor explained to dxDB: Zubiri was incensed over reports Calingasan will seek reelec-tion in 2013.

Calingasan denied he is running for

the same post next year and maintained he won’t go against Zubiri. He said it was the people around the vice governor that sowed intrigues between him and his acknowledged patron.

The governor did not stop there. He said that before the May 2010 election he agreed to Zubiri’s imposition to re-sign six months after sitting as governor. Zubiri would then negotiate for Calin-gasan a Cabinet position granting Sena-tor Manuel Villar won.

Although an ally of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Zubiri sup-ported Villar’s bid for the presidency.

Calingasan said that since Villar lost, Zubiri told him to stay put [as governor].

But based on reports from my sources at capitol, relations between the two highest provincial officials have turned sour after the elections. A source said that in a function attended by capi-tol employees Calingasan announced his plan to lay off some job order and con-tractual workers to optimize the budget for other purposes.

However, in his speech during the same event Zubiri declared no em-ployee would be removed. His word prevailed over Calingasan’s, my source

added.This and other incidents relayed to

me by my sources suggest that Calin-gasan was just being diplomatic when he told dxDB that Zubiri did not press him to resign after six months as gov-ernor. The vice governor’s actuations indicated impatience, if not annoyance, over having to wait for 2013 to get his old post back.

Calingasan did the right thing in not resigning despite the reported agreement with Zubiri. Neither of them – Zubiri in particular – has the right to consign a sovereign decision to political whim. Even the fact that Zubiri played a key role in Calingasan’s victory is no reason to treat electoral mandate as an ordinary chip that can be disposed at will.

Zubiri had already enjoyed three straight terms as governor, and before that, three straight terms as congress-man. Is three years too long too wait?

Or – and this is what I really want-ed to ask ever since – isn’t it time to try new faces? [H. Marcos C. Mordeno main-ly writes on the environment, human rights and politics. He can be reached at hmcmordeno@gmail.com.]

11VANTAGE POINTS

Monkey Business

EDGEDAVAO

Why can’t Joe Zubiri wait? Help eliminate poverty,

invest in women

Non-Aligned Movement and global changes

MINISTERS of Non-Aligned Movement countries have pledged to continue to pro-

mote multilateralism, especially by strengthening the central role of the United Nations, to protect the interests of developing countries.

Wrapping up the two-day session in Egypt’s Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh, the ministerial meeting called for a bigger role in the international po-litical arena, given the great challenges confronting peace and security, evelop-ment and progress.

“Such a conference is of great im-portance to Egypt, as it sends a mes-sage to the world that Egypt still has its leading regional role despite domes-tic changes and instability,” said Noha Bakr, professor of political science at the American University in Cairo.

During the conference, member states discussed the importance of pro-moting the movement’s effective role to keep pace with current world changes.

NAM was born in the Cold War era due to concerns over the serious con-frontation between the Eastern and Western military blocs, in which a num-ber of less powerful nations suffered a lot.

Currently, the movement consists of 120 UN member states and a number of observers.

The group’s goal is to avoid align-ment with any major diplomatic or political bloc and promote both sover-eignty and development.

“The movement should continue to work as the conflicts increase globally. But the conflicts between the states take different forms as compared with

those between the world’s two big powers,” Bakr said.

“The existence of such a movement is very important for world peace, al-though the peace keeping is the mis-sion of the UN and the Security Council. The movement can play a role in this regard,” said Akram Hossam, political expert with Cairo-based Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

However, Abdel-Monem Saed, analyst with the same center, said the movement plays no effective role ex-

cept the organization of meetings. Participants urged the NAM to play

a bigger role in the efforts for a new world order.

They agreed the emerging econo-mies will drive global growth and that the developing countries need to play an increasingly important role in the world’s economic affairs.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mo-hamed Kamel Amr asserted the impor-tance of the movement in the UN, refer-

ring to the number of members which increased to 120 as an indication to the movement’s importance.

“Non-Aligned movement includes more than 120 countries, and is consid-ered the second grand cooperation af-ter the United Nations, it also includes more than 60 percent of the UN mem-bers, so its decisions are influential,” Bakr said.

The movement is believed to face challenges in enhancing its role in a changing world.

“The challenges lie in its weak in-ternal structure. Firstly, the members have no economic or political similari-ties. The more the members are, the more need for economic and political similarities. Secondly, there is a lack of common strong will among its mem-bers because they have different politi-cal interests,” Hossam said.

“The movement faces many prob-lems, which it should solve for the member states, such as problems relat-ed to the soft security ventures like the natural disasters due to climate change, the rising prices of food and energy and the accelerated monetary volatility,” Bakr said.

According to Saed, the movement’s achievements diminished after the end of the cold war. But Hossam believed the movement’s achievements are go-ing on.

“It’s not important for a movement to make global achievements to prove its effectiveness, but it’s enough to achieve the member states’ goals and enhance economic cooperation. And this happened with the movement,” Hossam said. [PNA/XINHUA]

BY SHAIMAA BEHERY, LI LAIFANG

ANALYSIS

BY CHRISTINE GRUMM

COMMENTARY

THOSE familiar with the issue of poverty might know that although women perform two-thirds of the

world’s unpaid labor and grow more than half the world’s food, they repre-sent 70 percent of those living in pov-erty.

But what is just coming into focus is that women represent an underutilized resource in alleviating that poverty. When government and philanthropic dollars are invested in financially disad-vantaged women, the potential impact is vast.

Research shows that investing in women’s education and leadership in Africa can increase agricultural yields by more than 20 percent there. It is esti-mated that for every year beyond fourth grade that girls attend school, their wages rise 21 percent. The United Na-tions reported that eliminating gender inequality in Latin America would in-crease national output by 5 percent.

On top of that, evidence from micro-credit lending indicates that women have superior repayment rates, invest more productively, and are more risk-averse than men in similar situations.

Through programs administered by an international alliance of nongov-ernmental organizations known as the Women’s Funding Network and by other international organizations including UNIFEM, experience illustrates the ef-fectiveness of investing in women. These programs support training and better working conditions for women. They also build entrepreneurship and sup-port asset-building and financial literacy for them.

A hallmark of this work – and key to its effectiveness – is empowering women living in poverty to help direct funding, and to take leadership in the programs it makes possible.

In Washington, programs funded by the Washington Area Women’s Founda-tion have helped low-income women in and around the area collectively in-crease their assets by $17 million in 2-1/2 years.

Consider Christine Walker, a single mother and university student earning less than $35,000 annually. She watched her personal debt mount even as she pursued the degree that would lead to a better-paying job. Thanks to two pro-grams funded by the foundation, Chris-tine learned how to save $4,000 in just six months. This has made it possible for her to earn her degree in public policy without having to use her credit card to cover school expenses.

Another program supported by the Washington foundation enabled Sharan Mitchell, recently released from prison, to train in construction. Within three months she was helping to build Wash-ington’s new baseball stadium and earn-ing a steady paycheck.

On the other side of the globe, a UNIFEM-supported program in Taiwan proved a lifeline for a domestic worker from the Philippines. The program was designed to educate domestic workers about savings. As part of the program, the participants formed a savings club. Eventually they pooled their $19,000 in collective savings and bought a rice mill. One of the participants managed the mill, which soon employed four full-time workers and another four part-time workers during harvest. This woman has risen from domestic worker to man-ager, benefiting her family and those around her through her new economic impact. And she and the women who in-vested with her in the rice mill are now owners of an asset that promises to grow in value.

Evidence, and examples from women like these around the world, is both con-vincing and compelling. When a woman prospers, a family prospers. When fami-lies prosper, communities prosper.

[Christine Grumm is president and CEO of the Women’s Funding Network, a global alliance of grantmaking organizations di-recting social investments for women.]

‘They agreed the emerging economies will drive global

growth and that the developing countries need

to play an increasingly important role in the

world’s economic affairs. ‘

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012SUBURBIA12 EDGEDAVAO

GOVERNOR Rodolfo P. del Rosario said the Province of

Davao del Norte is now safer and more disaster-resilient with the ap-proval of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Plan of the province for 2012.

The PDRRM Coun-cil approved the disaster plan of the province dur-ing its regular meeting last May 10, 2012 presid-ed by the governor.

Gov. del Rosario said

the plan instituted the framework that would enable the province to prevent, prepare for, mitigate the impacts of, respond to, and recover from, a range of disasters that could adversely af-fect the communities.

The plan, which has a budgetary requirement of P61.2 million, include, among others, the estab-lishment of the PDRRM operation center; pur-chase of a rescue armory vehicle and fiber boat; es-

tablishment of province-wide automatic early warning system; institu-tionalization of incident command systems from the province down to the barangay level; improve-ment and repair of roads and drainage systems; purchase of amphibious backhoe for desilting of river systems; and, provi-sion of various assistance to disaster victims.

The governor ex-pressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Council,

particularly to the sec-toral committees for their effort in crafting the plan.

Yet, while he urged the members of the coun-cil to make the plan “a true and reliable instru-ment to reduce and man-age risk”, he encouraged the communities to do their part in preparing for disasters, especially dur-ing normal periods.

“Risk reduction is an everyday concern for everyone,” del Rosario said. [NOEL BAGUIO/DAVNOR PIO]

Davao del Norte ready for disastersGov. Rodolfo P. del Rosario presides over the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council meeting, which approved the 2012 PDRRM Plan of the province, which has a budgetary requirement of P61.2 million. Noel Baguio/DavNor PIO

ALONG with the in-stallation of a radio communications

network to link baran-gays in every town and the establishment of one automatic weather sta-tion in Amas, Kidapawan City, the construction of various infrastructure projects to negate and/or preempt calamities, especially flooding, the provincial government of Cotabato procured a total of P16 M worth of rescue equipment to strengthen its rescue and disaster ca-pabilities.

Last April 17, Gov-ernor Emmylou “Lala” J. Taliño-Mendoza inspect-ed the first batch of res-cue equipment compris-ing of Flood Water Rescue Equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Fire Fighting Sup-plies, Basic Rescue Hand Tool Set and PPE Kit, In-dividual Rescuer PPE and Deployment Set (RDS), Vehicular Extraction Equipment, High Angle Rescue Equipment, Earth-quake/Collapse Equip-ment, Emergency Medical Supplies, and Emergency Medical Supplies (EMS) Equipment.

With the latest rescue equipment, Taliño-Men-doza is confident that the Cotabato rescue agencies and personnel will be able to satisfactorily re-spond to the challenge of any disaster or calamity and minimize casualties during any emergency.

In order to take full advantage of the life-sav-ing gear and parapher-nalia, she said that the government will organize trainings for the proper handling of the procured equipment to effectively perform rescue opera-tions whether it may be

flood, landslide, earth-quake or vehicular acci-dent.

“But the ability of our community to combat calamities does not rest solely on the presence of the latest rescue tools. A vital part of strengthen-ing our rescue and disas-ter capabilities is to arm our citizens with knowl-edge in the face of pos-sible crisis,” Taliño-Men-doza stated.

The provincial govern-ment has already distrib-uted a Mines and Geo-sci-ences Bureau geo-hazard maps to the municipali-ties of the province. Vis-ibility of these maps will forewarn the public of the disaster prone areas. If they are living in one, they will be prepared in case of any calamity oc-curring, she added.

During heavy rains, the municipalities of Mlang, Tulunan, Kabacan, Pigcawayan, Midsayap and Aleosan, classified as low-lying disaster-prone towns surrounding the Ligawasan Marsh are submerged in water as rivers and irrigation sys-tems overflow, destroy-ing hundreds of hectares of rice fields in these towns. The mountain-ous towns of Arakan, Ala-mada, Magpet and some portions of Matalam, and Kidapawan City are iden-tified as landslide-prone areas on the geo-hazard maps.

Bolstering of the res-cue and disaster capabili-ties of Cotabato province is financed under the P45 M Disaster Risk Reduc-tion Management Fund through Provincial De-velopment Council Reso-lution No. 10 – Series of 2011 approved last Sep-tember 26, 2011.

North Cotabato strengthens rescue, disaster capabilities

Governor Migs Dominguez expresses his thanks to “Sarangani Big Brother: Reading is Fun!” volunteers saying, “thank you for making our lives easier”, at the culmination program Wednesday, May 9, of the whole day summer read-ing class for 15 days in Malungon Central Elementary School. The remedial

reading program of the Office of the Governor through its Quality Education for Sarangani Today (QUEST) is in partnership with the Alcantara Foundation, Department of Education and Sangguniang Kabataan.

Board Member Eleanor Saguiguit pins the ribbon to “Sarangani Big Brother: Reading is Fun!” learner Arjun Espinosa for being the most participative and best in reading. Saguiguit is assisted by Sangguniang Kabataan chairman Earl Jared Galvez Wednes-day, May 9, at the culmination program of the summer reading remedial class of the Office of the Governor through its Quality Education for Sarangani Today (QUEST) in partnership with the Alcantara Foundation, Department of Education and Sangguni-ang Kabataan in Malungon Central Elementary School.

Mayor Reynaldo Constantino challenges parents and teachers to contribute to the education reform agenda of the provincial government during the culmination pro-gram of “Sarangani Big Brother: Reading is Fun!” culmination program Wednesday, May 9, at Malungon Central Elementary school.

Marynald Quintayo, a Sarangani Big Brother (SBB) learner, shows her reading skills by story-telling Wednesday, May 9, at the culmination program of the 15-day sum-mer reading program of the Office of the Governor through its Quality Education for Sarangani Today (QUEST). The reading program is in partnership with the Alcantara Foundation, Department of

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012

ments are running into billions of pesos since China’s strict quarantine policy started last March 5 when Chinese inspec-tors claimed to have found some pests from coconuts as well as “mealy bugs” normally found in green bananas.

A newly-implement-ed procedure by Customs Immigration and Quaran-tine (CIQ) in the mainland, requires inspection of ev-ery container van in every banana shipment coming from the Philippines, ac-cording to Antig. “If just a single pest or insect is found in a carton box, the whole container will be rejected, sent back to the Philippines, or dumped by the Chinese govern-ment into the sea,” he told reporters the other day.

Since yesterday, nearly 1,000 refriger-ated 40-footer container vans had already been rejected by Chinese quar-antine authorities com-ing o, different shipments made by 43 banana ex-porters, mostly from the Davao region. With losses estimated at P174 mil-lion per week for Davao exporters, Antig said this China move against Philippine bananas has racked up losses of near-ly P2 billion pesos and

adverselyaffecting farm-ers, shippers, growers, suppliers, truckers in the region.

Several refrigerated ships carrying about 200 container vans of fresh green bananas, were re-ported yesterday to be stuck and waiting for inspection at the three ports of Shanghai, Dalian and Xi Gang in mainland China, according to An-tig. “Many Chinese buy-ers have either cancelled or reduced their orders for bananas from the Philippines with export-ers shipping at their own risks since payment is re-leased only after the car-ton boxes are unloaded at the port,” Antig said.

Jaime Estimada, technical adviser of Min-danao Banana Farmers, Exporters Association or MBFEA, pointed out that if this current crisis with China is prolonged a few more months, he fears the eventual collapse of the country’s banana in-dustry. “This situation cannot be allowed to continue, otherwise the whole industry will col-lapse. So much is at stake here. Over 35,000 farm-ers will lose their source of earnings, about a half

million workers will have nothing to eat,” he told reporters.

In a faxed memo, Chi-nese quarantine authori-ties have imposed a dead-line for banana planta-tions in Davao to rehabili-tate their packing plants. In it were strict orders to cement the floorings, produce running water, install insect nets around the entire packing plant, etc and warning that if they find insects or pests in any carton box, they will destroy the whole shipment and suspend all banana imports from the Philippines.

China, according to Antig, is not totally de-pendent on Philippine bananas as it can easily replace them with banan-as coming from Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala and Costa Rica in Cen-tral America. The Philip-pines on the other hand,

has become dependent on the huge Chinese fruit market, even with its tra-ditional markets of Japan and the Middle East. “The consumer market for fruits in Japan is no lon-ger growing compared to the fast-growing market of China whose consum-ers are now willing to pay for Class A fresh ba-nanas, no longer Class B bananas,” Antig told the Philippine News Agency.

Of nearly 80 million boxes of fresh bananas shipped by the Philippine banana industry annually to global markets, about 70% are shipped to Chi-na, making the country more and more depen-dent on the huge Chinese fruit market. Around 35% of the total fruit vol-ume of the banana export industry are supplied by small farmers in Mind-anao who are mostly MB-FEA members.

13EDGEDAVAO

‘THESE beauty pageants are virtually used as a hunt-ing ground by some politicians looking for innocent victims.’

--Gabriela party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan.

Quips

FFROM 1

FFROM 2

FFROM 2

FFROM 3

FFROM 1

Coed...

Solon...

Quarrying...

Mindanao...

Banana...“Everything was go-

ing fine until I blacked out. Someone must have placed something in my drink,” said the complain-ant, who could not re-member anything after she lost consciousness, but upon waking up near dawn, she realized that she had been abused.

“Someone was hurry-ing to put clothes on me. I recognized the place to be my acquaintance’s place but I didn’t remember how I got there,” she said.

Learning of her older sister’s whereabouts, the complainant’s younger sister rushed to the living quarters of one of the sus-pects.

“When I opened the door Lloyd and Jason (among the suspects) hurried out of the room. I knew something was wrong because I saw my sister lying with her

clothes in disarray. The shorts she was wearing was not hers. Her under-wear was on the floor,” said the sister.

During the initial meeting between the victim’s party and the respondents, the victim said one of the respon-dents admitted to the crime.

“Everybody here (Davao City) are my friends, relatives, but I can no longer come here. I can no longer live a nor-mal life. All my relatives know what happened, my family. What am I going to do?” she said bitterly.

The victim and the respondents are students of a prestigious univer-sity.

The complainant however requested to make no mention of the university, for obvious reasons.

Department of Science and Technologies (DOST), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Representatives from the following; League of the Municipalities of the Phil-ippines, League of Cities of the Philippines, rep-resentative from a repu-table Private Industry Association, from Bam-boo farmers/producers or processors, and from a non-governmental Orga-nization.

The Philippine Bam-boo Framework for De-velopment shall formu-late a ten-year frame-work for development

and shall serve as guide to the formulation and implementation of plans, projects, programs, and policies for the scientific propagation, processing, utilization, and business development of the Phil-ippine Bamboo.

To further encour-age farmers, producers, processors and exporters of bamboo and bamboo products, the bill pro-vides that an incentive such as cash reward, and tax exemption be given to them in recognition of their efforts and coopera-tion to the development of the bamboo industry.

ommended that the three water reservoirs should be preserved, protected and conserved by way of planting trees in the sur-rounding area.

Massive tree plant-ing of trees should also be conducted, particularly within the border line of Brgys. Mandug and Indan-gan to avoid future prob-lems in the area after the team reported rampant il-legal cutting of trees in the complaint site.

The CMRB is com-posed of five members: the Mines and Geosci-ences Bureau of the De-partment of Environment and Natural Resources represented by Engineer Joel Catulong as the chair-person; the mayor as vice chair (represented by law-yer Joseph Felizarta), of-ficer in charge of the City Environment and Natural Resources; quarry opera-tors, represented by the president of Davao City Quarry Masters, Beth Ora-cion; the private sector, represented by Engr. Silor Guevarra of Holcim Phil-ippines, Inc.; and non-gov-ernment organizations, represented by Kinaiya-han Foundation, Inc.

no contingency reserves. Thus, in the event of a fail-ure in any of the power generation equipment, this will automatically result to a shortfall and blackouts. Therefore, we must not be complacent. We must continue to acknowledge the urgency to increase the generation capacity in Mindanao,” Almendras stressed.

To be able to address the critical power supply, Almendras enumerated the important initiatives that must be pursued:

Resolution of the problems in operating and rehabilitating the Iligan Diesel Power Plant that could add 100 MW in 7-8 months;

Rehabilitation and transfer of 120 MW of pri-vately owned power barge generation; and

The most cost efficient and speedy rehabilitation and transfer to Mindanao of the 96 MW of power barges presently operated by NPC;

“It is important to highlight that despite the absence of curtailment re-sulting to rotating black-out, we should focus on the urgent measures that we have to follow through,” Al-mendras said.

Thus Almendras ap-pealed to all the people in Mindanao and the local government units to coop-erate and support these initiatives.

“We must accelerate new power generation projects, both traditional and renewable energies,” he noted.

He adds that there are several generation projects, including renew-ables, in Mindanao which should have been started in 2010 and could have contributed to the Min-danao power supply by early 2013, that are still not implemented.

“We appeal to every-one to allow these initia-tives to be started and ac-celerated as soon as possi-ble.” Almendras stressed.

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 201214 EDGEDAVAOCOMMUNITY SENSE

     

   

 

 

For  Inquiries:  Please  Call   :   PRYCE  CORPORATION  c/o  SONNY  MOLE  Contact  No.   :   0922-­‐879-­‐0036  /  (082)  224-­‐2686  Email  ADD   :   sonitomole1223@yahoo.com  

LOCATION   AREA  (sq.m.)   PRICE/sq.m.  Matina,  

Davao  City  17,940   P2,500  

Matina(Diversion)  Davao  City  

3,831   P1,500  

Bunawan,    Davao  City  

41,408   P800  

Indangan,  Davao  City  

7,056   P1,200  

Bincungan,    Tagum  City  

27,411   P1,000  

LOCATION   AREA  (sq.m.)   PRICE/sq.m.  Villa  Josefina  Resort  Village,  Dumoy  Toril,  Davao  City  

Minimum  of  240  sq.m.  

P5,985  

St.  Joseph  Homes,  Sirawan,  Toril,Davao  City    

Minimum  of  150  sq.m.  

P3,600  

LOCATION   Lot  Area   Flr.  Area   PRICE  Blk.  4,  Lot  10    

Villa  Josefina  Resort  Village  Dumoy,  Toril,  Davao  City  

240  sq.m.   177.31  sq.m   P4.8  M  

The Villar Foun-dation led by its Managing Director,

former Las Piñas Repre-sentative Cynthia Villar, has been repatriating dis-tressed OFWs and helping them and their relatives as part of its key advoca-cies.

“We are happy that we are in a position where we can help our coun-trymen, especially our OFWs who unfortunately encounter different types of problems abroad. We cannot rescue them all, so it is good that both the private sector and the government are extend-ing similar help to OFWs,” said Villar.

The Villar Foundation has repatriated thou-sands of OFWs. This, in coordination with the Office of Senator Manny Villar as well as related government offices such as the Department of For-eign Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment and the Overseas Work-ers’ Welfare Administra-tion (OWWA) as well as the Blas Ople Center and Migrante.

According to Villar, “Besides repatriation, we also extend other forms of help to OFWs and their relatives. We help them get reintegrated into the society through liveli-hood trainings and assis-tance; medical assistance; and we even organized an OFW summit with Go Negosyo for them to en-courage them to become entrepreneurs.”

Arriving back in the country from Dubai, Unit-ed Arab Emirates (UAE) aboard flight GF154 via Gulf Airlines, the OFWs are a picture of relief and happiness to be back home safely to be with their families and loved ones.

Their stories, no dif-ferent from most OFWs, are stories of hope and ambition that turned into desperation. But now back home, thanks to the Villar Foundation, they can start anew.

Bukidnon native, 31-year-old Romelyn Da-guplo, worked as a domes-tic helper in Dubai, UAE. Undetected by authori-ties, she left the country

in March last year, already pregnant. Since pushis-ments for pregnant un-married women are harsh in an Arab country, she got scared and ran away from her employer. This prompted her mother, who works as a house-maid here, to seek the help of Sagip-OFW.

Joanalin Pascua suf-fered in the hands of her employer in Dubai. She was underpaid, over-worked and worst, sexu-ally harassed. She sought refuge at Philippine Over-seas Labor Office (POLO-OWWA) in Dubai, until her repatriation.

Jacquelyln Costuna , a 24-ear-old resident of Manila, left the country for Dubai in October last year only. She ran away from her employer because she suffered from maltreat-ment and verbal abuse. She also stayed with PO-LO-OWWA Dubai until her repatriation on Monday.

For more details about OFW-related activities and other programs of the Vil-lar Foundation, please visit its website: www.vil-larfoundation.org

Villar Foundation continuesassisting distressed OFWs

A 12-hour water interruption is scheduled to af-

fect some Sasa areas specifically Km. 9-13, Parola, Sasa Wharf, Sasa Public Market, Pakipu-tan Wharf, Zones 1-5, Suha, ICSAMA, Sapaha and DPWH Depot on May 12 from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. These areas are served by the Du-moy Water Supply Sys-tem.

Said water cut is needed to allow the DCWD crew to repipe

the damaged 200mm di-ameter steel pipe along the Davao-Agusan Road in front of Flying V Gaso-line Station in Sasa after it was hit by a backhoe during the road widen-ing.

DCWD acting gen-eral manager Edwin V. Regalado appeals for the understanding and cooperation of af-fected customers. He also advises them to store enough water as water supply may be restored earlier if work

goes smoothly or later if unforeseen problems arise.

The general pub-lic may call the DCWD trunk line at 221-9400 and press “1” on their phone dial to listen to the latest daily water updates, or contact its call center through the 24-hour hotline 221-9412 or 0927-7988966 for updates, complaints, queries and other mat-ters pertaining to DCWD services. (JOVANA DUHAYLUNG-SOD)

Advisory

Water interruptionset in Sasa, May 12

INDONESIA NATIONAL POLICE RANKING OFFICIALS VISIT PRO 11. The Regional Director, North Sulawesi, Indonesia National Police (INP) BRIG. GEN. DICKY D ATOTOY, and other INP ranking officials paid visit to the Police Regional Office 11, Catitipan, Davao City on May 10, 2012. (Left photo) PSSUPT FEDERICO L DULAY JR. (left), Deputy Regional Director for Operation, PRO 11, leads the arrival honors for BRIG. GEN. ATOTOY. (Right photo) PRO 11 Regional Director PCSUPT JAIME H MORENTE, CEO VI (left), welcomes the visitors during the conference held at PRO 11 Conference Room. Sitting right is BRIG. GEN. ATOTOY.

My shopping mantra has always been Desiree’s song “You Gotta Be” as I firmly believe it speaks of me and my hobby. Come with me as I explore the many reasons why I love the Abreeza Mall. 1. I gotta be BAD. Abreeza mall gets the best and the worst out of me. Best as I am able to make choices in a snap without having to think (at times:-)) and worst as I tend to shop til I drop-- literally. As my Mama said, shopping takes patience and practice to perfect. As my all time favorite shopping buddy, well next to my Dad that is, Mama is just like me. We both shop until we can-not handle it. And her best place to be here in the city is Abreeza mall. (She calls the mall her home:-)) 2. I gotta be BOLD. Abreeza feels like my walk-in closet with its end-less shops carrying for-eign and local clothing brands, shoes, bags and accessories,gadget kiosks and restaurants that offer an explosion on my pal-ette, Abreeza allows me to explore and express myself through the choices I make. 3. I gotta be WISER. Believe it or not, shop-ping makes me wiser -- get-ting the most out of some-thing is but the best part of shopping. Having to see numerous choices literally makes my head and wallet dizzy but because of the nu-merous choices, I am able to hold back my gusto to buy and settle for things that I believe I need. And believe me, it takes more will power

than Incredible Hulk can suppress. 4. I gotta be HARD. Abreeza mall person-nel are all too sweet and friendly like those in Cal-vin Klein Jeans, Marlboro Classics, Debenhams and Gap to name a few. Sales people are so down to earth and helpful and I get easily lured in with their friendly smiles and gestures. That is why I have to be hard and be snobbish at some point. I am sorry but if I don’t do

such rude thing I would end up buying more than I need. But nonethless, I still end up buying from their boutiques. 5. I gotta be TOUGH. I believe that reading de-lays alzheimer’s to build up. I am a bookworm and I can stay inside a bookstore for hours while browsing, skim-ming and reading through them and its tough for me to resist buying a book or two. When Fully Booked opened in Abreeza, I was so elated that I immediately went there to grab copiess of books and cookbooks that I have been waiting for months. Nowadays, when-ever I am in the mall, I have to drop by Fully Booked to get my dose of knowledge. 6. I gotta be STRON-GER.

Funny how i equate be-ing strong with the mall. Well for starters, I have to be strong to be able to with-stand the shopping frenzy, walking to and fro shops and boutiques and not to men-tion carrying paper bags of shapes and sizes for hours. More so, stronger ability to resist temptation to buy im-pulsively and even stronger stomach to withstand eating from its sumptuous restau-rants. Yum yum! 7. I gotta be COOL.

Let’s face it, being in Abreeza gives one a certain boost of confidence. For starters, I do not under-stand how that is possible but whenever I see kids and tweeners and the likes, they exude a certain aura that I have not seen or felt when I am in any other malls in the city. Is it true or is it just me and my wild imagination? 8. I gotta be CALM. The relaxing atmosphere that Abreeza has, for me, is one of its best features. I love how the landscape was designed, the trees that make the surroundings green, the pond with its koi fishes and the nature like ambience outside makes it all soothing for me. A great escape from the hustle and bustle inside the mall. 9. I gotta STAY TO-

GETHER. Family bonding is as important to me as air and water. Given that my par-ents are here only once a month, we always make it

a point to bond whether through eating, shopping or coffee breaks, we make surewe have time to talk and catch up. Abreeza al-lows us to do everything

we want without having to leave and transfer to anoth-er place. 10. I gotta be ME. This is Abreeza. This is Me.

INdulge! VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012

EDGEDAVAOSPECIAL FEATURE

10 reasons why I love Abreeza

by Bai Fauziah Fatima Sinsuat Ambolodto,MBA

I am a self-confessed shopaholic and shopping usually gets the best and worst out of me. I can shop all day long and that is usually my bonding time spent with my Dad and Mom who are also shopping enthusiasts (now I know where I got my shoppimg genes from ), my friend Freah(if shopping was a subject, we’d ace it for sure), my cousins (we shop, we eat, we shop,

we eat...) and my yayeys (my ever reliable buddies) to name a few. Even some of my guy friends are so much into shopping that I feel at ease when I am with them.

I love how the landscape was designed, the trees that make the surroundings green, the pond with its koi fishes and the nature like ambience outside makes

it all soothing for me.

WELL, Time sure got people’s atten-tion with its latest cover. The Twitterverse has erupted over the weekly magazine’s May 21 cover, featuring a defiant-faced Jamie Lynne Grumet breastfeeding her 3-year-old son. (Who’s old enough to stand on a chair, suckle and look at the camera at the same time.) And when the hoi polloi piles on, the celebrities are sure to follow... First off, Mayim Bialik—an outspoken advocate of breastfeeding and attach-ment parenting—prom-ised to “go to bat” on be-half of  “all of the amazing women who helped me be the mother i was meant to be.” “This is for you, La Leche League International and

for every lactation consul-tant and fellow mama war-rior who held me while I cried. this is not easy, to try and speak for all of us, but i will do my best to make you proud,” the Big Bang Theory star wrote. But she tweeted, “Cover of TIME magazine looking to be inflammatory about [attachment parenting] much? Dear goodness.” Alyssa Milano also thor-oughly supports breast-feeding but not the Time cover. “@Time, no! You missed the mark! You’re supposed to be making it easier for breastfeeding moms. Your cover is exploitive & extreme,” she chided via

Twitter, recommending another article for people to read instead. Then there were the,er, less heartfelt reactions from folks like Dane Cook. “Time Magazine’s cover is pretty ballsy or tittsy,” the comedian tweeted. “The kid looks nourished. Won-der if they call that the yum yum chair.” “Time magazine cover is pretty disturbing!” tweet-ed model Joanna Krupa. “Breast feeding a 3yr old is wrong! What’s wrong w ppl!” Rush Limbaugh used the controversy as an op-portunity to get a dig in: “Improving Time’s cover: Replace the mother with

a Statue of Liberty... and you’ve got the Obama platform. #rushbabes.” “That TIME cover’ll prolly save the whole magazine industry,” tweeted actor-comedian Paul F. Tomp-kins. Folks will hear about that cover, and then be like, I GOTTA GET SOME MAGAZINES!” “The new TIME maga-zine cover looks like Rock-well and Mapplethorpe decided to do a project together,” observed come-dian Jim Norton. Noted Late Night With Jimmy Fallon producer Gavin Purcell: “The kid on the cover of this week’s Time magazine is really go-ing to hate Middle School.”

Twitterverse erupts over Time cover controversy

A2 INdulge! VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

“Time Magazine’s cover is pretty ballsy or tittsy,” the comedian tweeted. “The kid looks nourished. Wonder if they call that the yum yum chair.”

IN the case of John Does 1 and 2 vs. John Travolta, the anonymous plaintiffs have a hefty burden of proof on their shoulders. “An attorney has filed a federal lawsuit, which is very serious, and he is making some serious allegations about sexual assault,” civil litigator Anahita Sedaghatfar, an expert in sexual harassment cases, tells E! News. “I’m actually very concerned for [the plaintiffs’ attorney, Okorie Okorocha] and I hope that he has thoroughly vetted his cli-ents. I hope he has evidence to back up his claims.” Supposed evidence that Travolta’s attor-ney, Marty Singer, is already gearing up to shoot down. Not to mention he’s already promised legal retribution. “Marty is known as a pit bull for a reason,” Sedaghatfar says. “He has a stellar record. And that is why time after time celebrities in trouble go to him.” In this case, Singer has already publicly stated that Travolta is not in trouble because he wasn’t in California when John Doe No. 1 claims in the lawsuit the actor tried to man-handle him during a massage appointment in Beverly Hills, and that the additional claims of John Doe No. 2—that Travolta exposed himself and groped the masseur during a session in his Atlanta hotel room—are just as “absurd and ridiculous as the first one.” Sedaghatfar tells E! News that if it were her client being sued, she would first ask the plaintiffs, “Where is the police report?” (A criminal complaint does not have to be filed before a civil suit.) “If this goes down the way Marty Singer says it will, I think Mr. Okorocha is in big trouble, I really do,” Sedaghatfar says of the John Does’ attorney. “For Marty to go out on the record and

confidently say that he believes he can get the case thrown out, I think is something he wouldn’t say unless he had the evidence to present to the judge to achieve that.” Singer said in a statement to Radar On-line today: “The problem in America is any-one can sue anyone. However in this case this unidentified plaintiff and his lawyer will regret they filed this fabricated suit. We in-tend to sue both of them for malicious pros-ecution.” Travolta, who has two children with his wife of 21years, Kelly Preston (son Jett died in 2009), has denied stories that have im-plied he’s anything other than heterosexual. He told Rolling Stone in 1983 that “every-body” is the subject of a rumor about being gay at one time or another. “That’s a notorious rumor,” the Grease star said. “They say that about me, Marlon Brando, every male, epecially the first year that you become a star.”

NOT all of the American Idol marbles were at stake—but, still, there were plenty of marbles up for grabs, the biggest being the chance to be treated like royalty during the upcoming hometown visits. Surely whoever finishes fourth gets plen-ty of positive attention when they return from whence they came, but...it’s nothing like finishing in the Top Three, now is it?! “At least I get to sit down,” Phillip Phillips said good-naturedly after Ryan Seacrest put him through the usual review of last night’s performance and then just sent him to the couch to “hang out,” rather than give the final results. But, not too surprisingly, the journey ended tonight for the adorably accented Hollie Cavanagh, who stumbled early on, but persevered to make it this far. And deservingly so, when you factor in “The Climb,” “Faithfully” and other tunes that she sang the heck out of. Sure enough, she chose “The Climb” as her swan song af-ter learning it was her show to close. Later this week, Chula Vista, Calif.; West-lake, La.; and Leesburg, Ga., will be giving heroes’ welcomes to Jessica Sanchez, Josh-ua Ledet and Phillip. Are you happy with this top three? Share your thoughts.

ENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

Will the sexual harassment charges prosper?John Travolta saga

Hollie Cavanagh is out! Jessica Sanchez is in American Idol’s top 3!

A3INdulge! VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012 EDGEDAVAO

A4 INdulge! VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012EDGEDAVAOSPECIAL FEATURE

EDGE Davao’s life-style columnists and writers share their thoughts on why the love Abreeza Mall.

Nikki Gotianse-Tan Being a tenant at Abree-za, I am there almost ev-eryday. So in between many store visits, I have been able to really explore the mall and see how it has grown from day 1 last year. For Dabawenyos like me who love to eat and try new restaurants, the din-ing choices there is the most obvious draw. So are the specialty boutiques that carry great clothing choices for the entire fam-ily and accessories for the home. The Tinalak store is a particular favorite of mine, along with Mother-care. Abreeza provides a great backdrop for one to unwind alone or with friends. The smattering of coffee shops around the mall promises one a satis-fying mid-shopping drink or snack. The entire vicini-ty of the mall is also well-lit and very well-maintained, making it a very comfort-able place to be ensconced in for hours on end. Lastly, I have spent many a date night with my husband at their cinema. I like that the cinema is fully integrated with the Ayala Malls’ Sure Seats program, making it easy to reserve and buy tickets to the latest movies that are showing. Abreeza has certainly upgraded how Dabawenyos experi-ence shopping and leisure and as their landscape continues to expand and develop, I believe we can only expect better things to come.

Carlo Mallo Shopping will never be the same again in Davao City. One year after Abree-za Mall opened its doors to Dabawenyos, the surprises still keep on coming day after day, week after week, making shopping and dining better each time at Abreeza Mall. More shops have opened and the list seems endless!

Now, one can easily hop from shopping and din-ing without having to go to different places. And, one more thing, there is something for everyone at Abreeza - from designer brands to the basic staples. It’s just great to have a mall like Abreeza here in the city. Cheers to the first year anniversary of Abreeza, and to many more years of shopping and dining in-dulgence!

Kenneth Ong With it’s unique archi-tecture and artwork all around, Abreeza has been a breath of fresh air for the Dabawenyo urban-ite. Throughout the year, foodies have been given

more choices on places to wine and dine with family, friends, and guests. I espe-cially love the alfresco din-ing experience, where one can wine and dine with a spectacular view of the mall’s lush gardens, which gives a nice cosmopolitan feel to the area. I also love the four modern cinemas that are comfy and bring the latest digital viewing experience for those who love mov-ies. The Ayala Cinema’s Sureseats also allows me to book tickets online, skip-ping the lines and provid-ing a hassle-free cinema visit. All this in just 365days since Abreeza’s opening, I just can’t wait to see what the coming days bring.

Loving Abreeza

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012 15EDGEDAVAO SPORTS

THE AMA Computer College Davao will be the official I.T.

solutions provider of this year’s Davao Summerfest.

The agreement was formalized on Thursday by AMACC Davao school director Ernesto Raphael Robillo and festival orga-nizer Duaw Davao Festi-val Foundation executive director Lisette Marques.

“We are happy to part-ner with AMA Computer College Davao in our ac-tivities for the Summer-fest. Their presence will greatly help us in assuring the smooth flow of Secre-tariat requirements, re-sults and data base,” said Marques.

For his part, Robillo said, “we now officially declare that AMA Com-puter College of Davao will power the Davao Summerfest.”

The agreement will have the computer learn-ing institution as the provider for all I.T. re-quirements of the Sum-merfest like registration, results, and setting up the data base for the vari-

ous events of the festival, including manpower and equipment.

The Davao Summer-fest officially rolled off last April 27 with the staging of the Opening Ceremo-nies at the People’s Park. This week, the summer-long sports camps also opened for such disci-plines as football and bas-ketball.

Today, some 79 teams will vie for honors in the Davao Summer Games Football Festival—the competition phase of the Davao Summerfest—to be held at the sprawl-ing Davao Crocodile Park football complex.

On Monday, the 3-day SWEAT (Sports Wellness, Exercise, Acclimatization and Training) Sports Con-ference will also open at the Davao City Recreation Center. The conference is free to interested par-ticipants and will have as speakers former Olympi-an Elma Muros-Posadas, and Philippine Center for Sports Medicine’s Dr. Ale-jandro Pineda and Rox-anne Narciso.

AMACC Davao powers Summerfest

WITH a record cast of 79 teams, the city’s biggest

summer football event for-mally kicks off today at the Davao Crocodile Park foot-ball complex.

The Davao Summer Games Football Festival, the first event in the com-petition stage of this year’s Davao Summerfest orga-nized by the City Govern-ment of Davao thru the Duaw Davao Festival Foun-dation, begin this morning with 8 division titles up for grabs.

Gene Bangayan, chair-person of the Duaw Davao Festival Foundation, will preside over the ceremoni-

al kick off along with Davao Football Association presi-dent Edward “Chaya” Lam.

Competitions for Satur-day are Players 6, Players 8, Players 10, Boys 12, Girls 14, Boys 14, Boys 18 and Women’s Open. On Sunday, the competitions swing to Players 7, Players 9, Boys 11, Boys 13, Girls 13, Girls 16, Boys 16, and Men’s Open.

As of last count, 79 teams including visit-ing squads from Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, Cotabato City, Digos City and Sultan Kudarat, have already signed up for the 2-day tournament sanc-tioned by the DFA.

Football Festival kicks off today

14 teams will be slug-ging it out in the pre-mier men’s open division which offers a cash kitty of P15,000, P10,000 and P5,000 to the top 3 squads

courtesy of the City Gov-ernment of Davao under the leadership of Mayor Sara Duterte and Vice May-or Rodrigo Duterte.

Entered in the men’s open are multi-titled Hoo-

ligans of Davao City, In-tangibles FC of Lupon, CF Garelli-A, CF Garelli-B, PTA Boys, Davao Crocodile FC, Instatech Seniors, KMMPC, Belisario Futbol, Cotabato City, FC Super Coffee, M7 United, Ebocci FC, and Fil-Chi United.

In the women’s open, confirmed teams were Bernaldez Angels, DDS and Solido FC.

This far, the confirmed entries are:

Players 6—Blue Mon-keys, Davao Crocodile FC, ADDU FC.

Players 7—Sakya FC, Davao Crocodile FC-A, Davao Crocodile FC-B, Mintal United.

Players 8—ADDU FC, Davao Hynas Soccer Team, Mintal United, Black Knights, Davao Crocodile FC.

Players 9—Sakya FC, ADDU FC, Mintal United, Black Knights, Davao Croc-odile FC.

Players 10—Black Knights A, Black Knights B, Davao Crocodile FC-1, Davao Crocodile FC-2.

Boys 11—Mintal Unit-ed, Black Knights-A, Black Knights-B, Davao Crocodile FC, MAPFRE FC, Don Bos-co-Cebu, Intatech Juniors.

Boys 12—Black Knights, Davao Crocodile FC, MAPFRE FC, Team Garbo Davao del Sur, Don Bosco-Cebu, Mintal United.

Boys 13—Sakya FC, Mintal United, Black Knights, Davao Crocodile FC.

Boys 14—Black Knights, LRCA Football Team, Solido FC, Team Gar-bo Davao del Sur, OLLES FC.

Girls 13—Team Garbo Davao del Sur, Ateneo, In-statech Dragonites United.

Girls 14—Team Garbo Davao del Sur, ADDU, In-statech Dragonites United.

Girls 16—Solido FC, Malaybalay FC, Medvil FC.

Boys 16—Holy Child Paladines, RVA, Black Knights-A, Black Knights-B, Black Knights-C, Solido FC, Malaybalay.

Boys 18—Dabaw Unit-ed, PN Roa FC Tabudogs, Panabo.TEACH ‘EM YOUNG. A young girl learns ball handling skills in the ongoing Davao Summerfest football camp held at the Davao Crocodile Park football field.

The month-long football camp is one of the highlights of this year’s Summerfest. (Boy Lim)

An Ateneo standout (left) muscles his way against the tight defense of a Holy Child player during one of the matches of the ongoing Coca Cola PBA Youngstars tournament held at Genesis 88 Gym. (Boy Lim)

Summer Games

VOL.5 ISSUE 49 • MAY 12, 2012SPORTS16 EDGEDAVAO

Change we need for these NSAs

ON facebook, I posted this poll question: Which

NSAs in Davao need a change in leadership?

There are some NSAs (National Sports Associ-ations) which our sports community already detest for either over-staying or underachiev-ing. In most cases, both overstaying and under-achieving.

Take the case of box-ing, for a long time it has not progressed since the glory days of amateur boxing ended with the uncle-nephew tandem of Nonoy Garcia and Bing Reta. Today, amateur boxing in Davao City has plummeted down in terms of accomplish-ments and sustainable development.

There is also the case of athletics which badly needed new leadership. I believe it is time to pass the torch to a new and energetic leadership. No

offense here but no one should have a Torrens title to the NSA strong-hold.

Another is cycling and this is pathetic. For decades, this has been under the rule of one man. Ask around the cycling community and they will tell you a litany of disgust. This will hurt but I have to also air the sentiment of the bik-ing community who has long dreamed of reforms and according to them, it starts with credibility.

I agree perfectly with that. Credibility is an uncompromising element of leadership. This is the first measure for a sports leader to be thrust with the respon-sibility of steering the association. Add to that is vision and genuine dedication.

They say they could not find it in the long-staying leadership.

You need not look

further. A man’s track record will show.

So just like the other NSAs, I leave it now to the community to air their common stand via the poll question we posted. They can read it at the SCOOP page ad-ministered by my good friend Lito delos Reyes. Or you can email me at bravoneil@rocketmail.com.

After posting it Thursday night, the re-sponse has been tre-mendous.

The polling got off quickly.

You know who the frontrunner is for the changes?

Your guess is as good as mine.

SUMMERFEST CAMP. Coach Jose Mari Cabalfin teaches a young kid how to handle the ball in one of the sessions in the on-going Davao Summerfes Football Camp at the Davao Crocodile Park. (BOY LIM)