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DAVAO

If it’s Hanoi, it must be Davao too

Streets are always full of motorbikes.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 20162 EDGEDAVAO

COVER STORY

I THOUGHT I was still in Davao City. But I was not dreaming. I had traveled

by plane from Davao City to Manila for one hour and 20 minutes. From Manila, the flight to Hanoi took three hours and 15 minutes.

I arrived when it seemed everyone was still sleeping -- except those who were at the airport and the staff at the hotel where I was billeted. Although it was already 3 in the morning when I hit the bed, I still managed to wake up early and explore the out-side surrounding of the hotel which was built in 1901 yet.

I walked around and the streets were so clean. It was so clean I could not see any cigarette butts. I was thinking of Davao City, where cigarette smoking in public is strictly prohibited. I walked further and I told myself: I am not in Davao City anymore. The motor-bikes seemed to tell me: you are now in Hanoi. Yes, Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam.

Actually, I wasn’t alone. In fact, I was not the only one from Davao. Together with me was Ruben Gonzaga, the winner of the Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition. It is his second trip abroad. The first time was in Beijing, China, where we were to-gether also.

Actually, this trip -- and that of Beijing -- was part of the prize we won in the 9th Bright Leaf Agriculture Jour-nalism Awards, sponsored by the PMFTC, Inc. I won the Best Feature Story Region-al for the three-part series I wrote for Edge Davao last year.

On the other hand, Gon-zaga, the host of ABS-CBN’s “Agri Tayo Dito,” wrote a segment in his popular TV show which earned the pro-gram the Best Radio Story, the same category it won the previous year.

I had been to several other Asian countries but it was my first time to be in Vietnam. I had no intention of coming to Hanoi due to what I have read in newspa-pers and those I had seen in motion pictures. But I was completely wrong.

I have read that Hanoi today is one of the top tour-ist destinations. It has been said that its phenomenal in-crease in tourist traffic in recent years is largely due to the safety factor. It means that just like Davao City, Ha-noi is one of the safest places in the world to travel.

And Ruben and I can attest to that. On our third day in the city, Ruben tried to roam around. He wanted me to go with him but I was so tired since we went to Ha

Long Bay (yes, you read it right, the place which was included in the World Her-itage List by the United Na-tions Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO).

“I walk alone going to the Hoan Kiem Lake,” Ruben told me later. “In fact, I took some photos.”

He showed me his pho-tos and I envied him. I should have accompanied him so I could have taken what he had shot with his camera.

Like Davao City, Hanoi is a very safe place -- especial-ly for foreigners and tour-ists. But still, you have to be aware of what’s going on and to keep your presence of

mind. “The Vietnamese are by and large honest, friendly and helpful, and friendships forged here often lead to re-peat visits,” wrote one blog-ger. “Nevertheless, every city, Hanoi included, has its share of tricksters who are not averse to taking advantage of new arrivals. But by follow-ing principles of common sense, as well as keeping a look-out for the following types of villain, you should survive unscathed.”

Generally, when I am in another country, I don’t go out usually -- except when I am with a group. But going out alone in another country, it’s a big no-no (although I did it once -- when I was in New York!). In Hanoi, I was

able to walk alone -- with-out fear of being snatched, mugged, or worse, stabbed.

It occurred to me that Hanoi is indeed very, very safe. I was able to go from one place to another without feeling stressed out. It feels like I was in Davao City!

The only thing I never felt at ease was when I was shopping. I am not use to buying things in thousands. Imagine buying a T-shirt at 100,000 dong. I became an instant millionaire when I exchanged my US$100 to a whopping 2 million dong. And by the way, our peso cur-rency is accepted there.

Walking around Hanoi is one thing but crossing across the street is another story. Hung Nguyen, our tour guide, said Hanoi is home to about 7 million people. And there are 3 million motorbikes. It means that every other per-son has a motorbike!

“Crossing the road can be a heart-stopping activity in Hanoi, as pedestrians come lowest in the pecking order of road usage,” the blogger I quoted earlier wrote. “Wait for a reasonable let-up in the traffic, then cross at a steady pace and allow the cars and motorbikes to flow round you.”

One good thing about the tour was that it was still win-ter time. That’s one big dif-ference between Davao and Hanoi. We were at the time when temperatures average 17-22⁰C.    I  am  not  so  good when it comes to description so allow me to use the words of Alfred “Krip” A. Yuson, who accompanied us.

In his column, “Kriptot-

kin,” which appeared in Phil-ippine Star, he wrote: “That means thick-wear weather -- while marveling at parks, lakes, lagoons and temple grounds redolent with flow-ering pink peach blossoms and golden kumquat high-lighting potted trees with symbolic good fortune.”

Wherever you go, flow-ers abound. Yuson said it well: “Streetsides in Hanoi are spring-pretty with rows of pansies, asters, geraniums, marigolds and cosmos, with dark-red poinsettias are still in full bloom.”

Davao and Hanoi may be several thousand miles apart -- there is a time difference of one hour between the Philip-pines and Vietnam -- but the two may be same in one way or another. The No-Smok-ing policy, clean streets and warm people -- these are just some of the common denom-inators.

If Hanoi has millions of motorbikes, Davao has thou-sands of jeepneys plying the busy streets. Hanoi has tax-is but it also has cyclo taxis. Davao, on the other hand, has also taxis and it has the habal-habal.

As we left Hanoi, the words of “Memory about Hanoi” sung by Hồng Nhung, kept ringing in our ears. “Wherever we go, Hanoi al-ways stays in our heart. Our dear Hanoi, the beloved cap-ital, that has undergone war and peace. Memory of the an-cient streets shaded by trees, lulling sounds of the cicadas in summer noons. Memory of the newly built parks, your footsteps on the path were still there clinging…”

If it’s Hanoi, it must be Davao too

Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

I walked further and I told

myself: I am not in Davao City

anymore.  The motorbikes

seemed to tell me: you are

now in Hanoi.  Yes, Hanoi, the

capital city of Vietnam.

Most streets are ultra clean.

You get see like this selling various goods in the street.

Looks like it was taken at the Bankerohan Public Market.

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NEWS

How will people vote in this election?By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

SPECIAL REPORT

THE conduct of the 2016 national and local elec-tions is just few months

away, but before the day of the polls, people are look-ing on some parameters in choosing whom to vote.

On top of everything, ma-jority of the people are look-ing on the surveys as one of their parameters in choosing their candidates.

For Aimee Farah Vira-dor, English instructor at San Pedro College, the results of election surveys can influ-ence the people in selecting a candidate in an elected po-sition.

“I think maka-influence sya kay naa’y uban na didto kung asa ang kusog (I think it

may influence because other people will choose candidate who is leading the surveys),” she said.

Virador claimed she doubts on the credibility of re-cent survey results especially in the presidential race be-cause it seems like the survey is only concentrated in Luzon.

“I think of those election surveys as not really credible in showing the pulse of the mass, because it seems like they just get their respon-dents in Luzon but I am not sure about this. Then their se-lection of sample, how varied it is?” she said.

Marketing and Opinion Research Society of the Philip-pines Inc., president Nicco de

Jesus, however, negated the common notion of the people, just like Virador, on surveys that it could condition the mind of the voters who are they going to elect.

De Jesus explained sur-veys do not really influence the choice of the voters.

“What influences their choice are issues,factors, emotions and feelings, that are relevant to the voters or to the respondents at the time of the survey was taken,” he told EDGE Davao in an interview.

He said whatever the media reported in the tele-vision and radio broadcast, newspapers and online new page, on who are the leading candidates in the survey has

no bearing in the minds of the people.

De Jesus said that based on the research of the World Association on Opinion Re-search (WAPOR) published at wapor.org, it shows that the proportion of the voting pop-ulation during the conduct of the surveys do not have huge effect during the election.

He said the other factor that a candidate can win is the debt of gratitude of the people to a certain candidate.

“Let us say, yung pamilya ko is natulungan nag isang kandidato before, yung kan-didato hindi siya leading but because he is obligated to vote for the candidate, he will vote for it (Let us say, my family re-

ceived a help from a candidate before,then that candidate will be voted by the person because he or she is obligated to vote for it),” he said.

De Jesus said the support-ers or the political strategist may use the survey result for the benefit of their candidate but at the end of the day it will always on the people on who are they going to elect.

“Surveys can hardly predict on who will win the election because this are es-sentially snapshots of how people feel about the different candidates when the surveys are taken,” he said.

De Jesus said usually pol-iticians or their team will re-ally commission surveys for

them to be guided what area they need to improve and what sectors are the going to work on.

“If the end users of the survey are the poilicians or strategist, it is their guide on how they will startegize their campaign,” he said.

He said the cost of a sur-vey with 1,200 respondents wil range up to P6 million.

For the media, de Jesus said the survey will help their audience guide on who are they going to vote based on the existing issues.

De Jesus urged the people not only concentrate on the figures but to the issues and how their platforms can solve it.

THE camp of PDP-LABAN standard bearer Rodrigo Duterte vehemently de-

nied claims that Sen. Grace Poe and her vice presidential run-ning mate Chiz Escudero were barred from conducting a rally in Davao City.

This accusation is “simply baseless if not ridiculous,” Pe-ter Laviña, Duterte’s spokes-person, said.

“Their organizers are lazy. They did not do their job. That’s not our fault or the city government of Davao’s fault,” he added.

Groups conducting rallies in Davao City’s public parks are required to pay only PHP150 for use of electricity.

They are also required to coordinate with the Traffic Management Center and the Central 911 for standby emer-gency unit. The processing of permits is usually completed within a day.

“We learned that there was an application, but this applica-tion was not pursued. Hindi na bumalik ang nag-file. Tamad, napagod siguro o naghahanap ng rason. Kaninong kasalanan yan?” Laviña pointed out.

He said it is not the nature and character of Duterte -- or Davao City for that matter -- to curtail the freedom of groups and people to use public spac-es.

APPLICANTS for local absentee voting (LAV) have until March 7 to

submit their applications on-line to be able to participate in the forthcoming polls, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

The poll body urged those who would like to avail of the LAV to visit its website, www.comelec.gov.ph for them to be able to register online.

At the same time, the Comelec reminded govern-ment officials and workers as well as members of the Phil-ippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP); and mem-bers of the media, including the technical and support staff not to be confused of the reg-istration process, they just fol-

low the instructions.“Online Application Forms

(OAF) are being made avail-able from a secure site that uses Open Source security cer-tificate. If this may sound for-eign sounding to you, do not worry. It simply means that we are trying to secure your information from unscrupu-lous people who may want to steal them,” the poll body said.

It added, “If you access an Online Application Form for the first time from a computer or a mobile device, you may get a message (which is dif-ferent for every web browser) telling you that the connection is untrusted or unsafe.”

Applicants may use the following browsers, Mozil-la Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, An-

droid, iOS.Those who can avail of the

LAV are registered voters only.Government workers,

PNP and AFP personnel are eligible to the LAV since they are assigned to perform elec-tion day duties in places where they are not registered voters.

On the other hand, mem-bers of the media may also avail of the LAV since they will not be able to vote on election day due to the performance of their functions in covering the conduct of elections.

Based on Comelec Resolu-tion No. 10003, those looking to apply to become local ab-sentee voters can start sub-mitting their applications until March 7, 2016.

Government officials and employees as well as the

police and military may file their applications before their heads of offices, supervisors, and commanders while mem-bers of the media may file theirs before the Office of the Election Officer or Office of the Provincial Election Supervisor or, in the case of those in Met-ro Manila, at the Comelec-Na-tional Capital Region (NCR).

The applications of the members of the media are re-quired to be accompanied by a certification from their com-panies that they are “bona fide members of the media”.

The voting for LAV has been set from April 27 to 29 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will be electing for president, vice president, senators, and par-ty-list organizations.

Duterte camp deniesbarring Poe in Davao

Local absentee voters have until March 7

F LOCAL, 10F DUTERTE, 10

Nicco de Jesus

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ART TALK. SM’s Art for Everyone curator Rodney Yap (left), together with participating artists Bryan Cabrera (right) and Dinky Munda, promotes the two-day art fair set to start today at SM Lanang Premier. The three artists were guests of FAST Fridays media forum. Lean Daval Jr.

SET FOR ANNIVERSARY. SM City Davao marketing manager Haila Babela (left) walks members of the media through the scheduled activities of the malls in celebration of SM Supermalls’ 30th anniversary. Babela was joined by SM Lanang Premier marketing officer Arianne Pombo during FAST Fridays media forum. Lean Daval Jr.

PHILIPPINE security forc-es killed as many as 42 Muslim rebels claiming

links with Islamic State and captured their stronghold during five days of fighting in the mountains of a southern island, an army spokesman said on Friday.

Three soldiers were killed and 11 wounded when the forces seized the bastion of an affiliate of Jemaah Islamiah, a Southeast Asian network of Islamist militants, in the prov-ince of Lanao del Sur.

“Our troops were able to seize a stronghold of the ter-rorists on Thursday night,” the spokesman, Major File-mon Tan, told reporters by telephone from the southern island of Mindanao, estimat-ing that about 42 militants had been killed.

“We are still pursuing the rebels, using armored assets.”

Tan said the army was

shelling rebel positions with 105-mm howitzers on Friday, while air force planes dropped bombs and helicopters fired rockets near the town of Butig, a base of the country’s larg-est Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

But the MILF stayed away from the skirmishes and helped about 8,000 people dis-placed from their homes when the fighting began on Feb. 20, the military said.

The Philippines signed a peace deal with the MILF in March 2014, ending 45 years of conflict that killed more than 120,000 people, displaced 2 million and stunted growth in the poor but resource-rich south.

Army and police officials believe some Muslim rebel fac-tions, including the small but violent Abu Sayyaf group, have

THE EcoWaste Coalition, a zero waste advocacy group, has unveiled an

array of useful items recycled from illegal election campaign paraphernalia seized by the government from unautho-rized display areas.

At a makeshift outdoor showroom, the group yester-day presented various tarpau-lin-based products that were among the tons of unlawful campaign materials removed by the Metro Manila Develop-ment Authority (MMDA) and given to the EcoWaste Coali-tion for recycling.

“With an ounce of creativ-ity, we can make a variety of practical crafts out of politi-cians’ tarpaulins and prevent them from being dumped or burned, which can aggravate environmental pollution,” said Aileen Lucero, EcoWaste Coa-lition coordinator.

“Repurposing the cam-

paign tarps will help keep these plastics out of dump-sites,” she said.

With the message “Tarps: Dump Not, Burn Not” as back-drop, the group put on display the innovatively repurposed items.

Among the items in view were sturdy shopping bags in various sizes, petite carry bags, shoe bags, ball bags, laundry bags and purses.

Other items on show were workers’ aprons, tool belts, bill and magazine organizers and receptacles for office and household recyclables such as papers, newspapers, glass and plastic bottles and aluminum and tin cans.

The tarps can also be used as a sun and rain shield for pedicabs, tricycles and jeepneys, as well as impro-vised awnings for homes and shops, the EcoWaste Coalition

CITING a 2013 report by the Philippine Soci-ety for General Internal

Medicine, Vice Presidential candidate and Senate Major-ity leader Alan Peter Cayeta-no today said that 6 out of 10 Filipinos die without seeing a doctor.

“This is simply unaccept-able! Sobra na ang gulo at hi-rap sa buhay ng tao. Pati ser-bisyong pangkalusugan, hindi maasahan ng maraming Pilipi-no,” he lamented.

“A healthy Filipino is a pro-ductive Filipino. Wala dapat Pilipino ang pinagkakaitan ng medical assistance at health care services,” Cayetano add-ed.

Cayetano made the state-ment as he visited Cebu City on Friday (Feb. 26) to listen to

the plight of indigent patients at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

During the Duterte-Cay-etano “Ronda Serye” listening tour, Cayetano said the lack of proper health care system in the country’s provinces adds to the disorder and suffering in the lives of ordinary people.

To address this, Cayeta-no vowed to ensure the full coverage of the Philippine Health Insurance Company (PhilHealth), a promise made by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III in 2010. Cayetano said he will also push for the full implementation of Phil-Health’s “zero billing” services to members.

Cayetano lambasted the government for telling the people that they have 100%

coverage and for advertising its zero billing health services, when this is simply not true.

“Pinaasa ninyo ang tao, this had been the DOH and Philhealth system in the last few administrations. It’s time for real change,” Cayetano said.

He added, “Aanhin ng tao ang Philhealth kung walang mga ospital o mga ospital na walang pasilidad o equipment na magamit.”

Cayetano stressed that he and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, plan to establish regional spe-cialty hospitals in Visayas and in Mindanao. He said Northen Luzon, Southern Luzon, Vi-sayas and Mindanao should have their own Heart Center, Kidney Center, Lung Center, Orthopedic Center and Chil-

dren’s Hospital and Cancer Re-search and Treatment Center. These are National Hospitals/Centers found only in Metro Manila.

“Through Philhealth, Sin Taxes and the national bud-get, Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao should have specialty hospi-tals. It is technically and finan-cially viable and good for the people,” Cayetano explained.

The senator said prob-lems in the health care sec-tor can only be remedied by leaders who have the courage and strength of character to create real change. “Kailan-gan ng matapang na solusyon at mabilis na aksyon. Ito ang dala ko at ni Mayor Duterte sa eleksyong ito,” Cayetano con-cluded.

Duterte, Cayetano to fix PHL health care system

THE Department of Bud-get and Management (DBM) announced today

that a total of P24 billion will be released to agencies start-ing Monday to implement the compensation adjustments for civilian personnel and ad-ditional allowances for mili-tary and uniformed personnel (MUP).

This release, sourced from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF) of the 2016 General Appropriations Act, is part of the P57-billion appropriation covering the first tranche of compensation adjustments mandated by Ex-ecutive Order no. 201, series of 2016.

The amount is based on the data generated from the Government Manpower Infor-mation System (GMIS) on the number of filled positions as of

December 31, 2015, according to DBM Secretary Florencio B. Abad.

“Of the P24 billion, P18.64 billion will augment the com-pensation of civilian person-nel, while P5.36 billion will go to the allowances and hazard pay of MUP. The remaining P33 billion appropriated for compensation adjustments has been set aside for new-ly-filled positions, and for the mid-year bonus, which will be released not earlier than May 15 of this year,” said Abad.

The amount for civilian personnel includes the fol-lowing differentials as a result of salary adjustment: salary differential, step increment due to length of service, 13th month pay differential, Phil-Health differential, ECIP dif-ferential, and RLIP differential.

DBM to release P24Bfor pay adjustments

Zero waste group recycles seized campaign materials

Philippine Army kills42 Islamist militants

F PHILIPPINE, 10

F ZERO, 10

F DBM, 10

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ECONOMY

A PHILIPPINE senior of-ficial to Brunei Darus-salam, Indonesia, Ma-

laysia, Philippines - East Ase-an Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) said the creation of trade activities in Mindanao will entice investors on sea and air connectivity among member nations.

Prudencio Reyes, who also sits as the undersecre-tary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), said “there’s no load factor” which refers to the stable volume of

passengers or cargoes which will use direct linkages.

Reyes, told reporters in a round table press conference last Friday trade activities will increase load factor either in the number of travelling businessmen or cargoes ship-ment.

Reyes said there are 44 signatories including inter-national airline companies which expressed interest on establishing direct linkages between BIMP key cities when the sub-economic region was

created in the late 1990’s.However, the lack of load

factor prohibited the entry of international airlines and es-tablishment of intercity direct linkages between Mindanao and other members of the sub-economic region.

Connectivity and trans-portation remain as one of the challenges of the economic region in attaining its goal of strengthening connectivity be-tween other member nations and Mindanao through Davao and Zamboanga and Palawan

through Brooks Point.He said the issue in the

connectivity and transporta-tion also affected trade and commerce.

Reyes said the infrastruc-ture sector of Mindanao which includes airports and seaports must be improved in order to increase the competitiveness of the island.

Included in the Implemen-tation Blueprint of BIMP-EA-GA are identified infrastruc-ture projects like port mod-ernizations.

THE Davao City Chamber of Commerce and In-dustry said the govern-

ment should offer incentives or subsidy to housing devel-opment projects who will im-plement additional 10 percent green space.

DCCII president Daniel Lim made this pronounce-ment despite the earlier an-nounced veto on the proposed additional 10 percent green space requirement on top of the existing 30 percent open space for subdivision projects.

Lim said that while the DCCII is in support of the veto-ing of the bill the government may give incentives instead to developers implementing the additional green space.

“We respect the decision of the Mayor because he is the highest official of the city,” Lim told reporters at the sidelines of the 2nd General Member-ship Meeting of the DCCCII at the Grand Regal Hotel last Friday.

The proposal to amend the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) was vetoed by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte last Monday, saying in his veto message that the amended version was “vague and ambiguous, prejudicial to public interest and an exercise of legislative power in ultra vi-res (beyond the powers).”

He added that he was “particularly disturbed with the legal issues resulting from the amendment introduced.”

“The amended Ordinance is vague and ambiguous. It is not clear whether, in the de-velopment of green spaces, this shall be done within the allotted open space of the proponent, set back areas of home lots or sidewalk strips based on PD 957 or BP220

design standards,” he said. (Presidential Decree 957 is about “regulating the sale of subdivision lots and condo-miniums” while Batas Pam-bansa 220 is about “estab-lish[ing] and promulgat[ing] different levels of standards and technical requirements for economic and socialized housing projects in urban and rural areas.”)

“It is also prejudicial to public interest and an exercise of legislative power in ‘ultra vires’.

This is manifested by the use of the modal verb ‘shall’, connoting a mandatory re-quirement for the turnover of these green spaces to the homeowners association for proper maintenance. There is now the unwarranted bur-den of maintaining the green space, passed on to the home-owners association, which exceeds the requirement of PD 1216, (which states) only parks and playgrounds of the entire open space may be do-nated to homeowners associ-ations,” he stated. (Presiden-tial Decree 1216: “Defining ‘open space’ in residential subdivisions and amending section 31 of PD No. 957 re-quiring subdivision owners to provide road alleys, sidewalks and to allot open space for parks or recreational use.”

Lim believed that the May-or disapproved the proposal for the greater good of the ma-jority not only of homebuyers but also those developers who were not properly consulted.

Lim said that some sub-division developers were not consulted of the proposed amendment aside from envi-ronment advocate groups.

Lim said allowing the de-

PROSPECTS for the Phil-ippine economy remain bright in 2016, as gross

domestic product (GDP) is forecast to expand at a faster pace in the first quarter ahead of the May elections.

“We think GDP should ex-pand at a faster pace in first quarter 2016 as the govern-ment keeps the taps open as election day nears, consumer spending still strong, especial-ly when compared to a fairly low base in the same quarter last year,” said First Metro In-vestments Corp. (FMIC)-Uni-versity of Asia & Pacific (UA&P) Capital Markets Re-search.

In the latest issue of its Market Call, FMIC-UA&P said the economy should slow down in third quarter, but resume its robust growth in fourth quarter.

It sees brighter outlook for the economy this year despite various challenges such as the weak global economy and the effects of El Niño.

“Continuing low crude oil

prices, going below USD 30 per barrel (WTI) in most of January, should provide a bal-ancing factor to expected high-er food prices in the face of El Niño and election spending,” added FMIC-UA&P.

It said exports may only slightly improve in 2016 given the troubles plaguing the glob-al economy and peso’s com-petitiveness undermined by the larger depreciation in East Asia and emerging markets.

“With relatively weak exports and OFW (overseas Filipino workers) remittances compared to the past, and the US (United States) economy poised to expand further, albe-it at a historically lower trajec-tory, should continue to pres-sure the peso. However, we ex-pect greater volatility since the US growth may not be linearly upward bound,” it said.

The country’s GDP grew 6.3 percent in the fourth quar-ter of 2015 driven by invest-ment and consumer spending, bringing full-year growth at 5.8 percent. (PNA)

KEY business players from Lahad Datu of Tawau in Sabah re-

cently met with business counterparts from Mindan-ao to explore joint-venture collaborations in agribusi-ness, tourism, logistics and the manufacturing sector.

The 27-business delega-tion from Sabah participat-ed in the business-to-busi-ness meetings held in con-nection with the Strategic Planning Meeting (SPM) of the Brunei Darussalam In-donesia Malaysia the Phil-ippine East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) held at the Marco Polo Hotel in this city.

“We welcome this initia-tive from the business sec-tor of Sabah, since this will greatly contribute to our efforts of enhancing trade and investments within BIMP-EAGA,” said Mindan-ao Development Authority (MinDA) Undersecretary Janet Lopoz, while adding “the visit is also a great op-

portunity for Mindanao to showcase our local products to our EAGA counterparts.”

More than 20 busi-ness representatives from Mindanao met with the Sabah delegation and dis-cussed potential areas for collaboration particularly in banana production, ha-lal restaurant, coffee shop franchising, logistics, tour-ism, construction, and other agri-based commodities.

A businessperson from Palawan also participated in the meetings to explore partnerships in tourism development between Pala-wan and Sabah.

“We expect succeeding business sessions to occur within the year to allow for the finalization of partner-ships and joint ventures that were developed from these business-matching sessions,” explained Lopoz.

Mindanao and Palawan are the two focus areas of the Philippines in the BIMP-EAGA sub-regional

grouping.Datuk Roselan Johor

Mohamad, BIMP-EAGA Business Council Chairman, who steered the Sabah del-egation’s visit to Mindanao, encouraged more business groups from the sub-region to actively participate in in-ter-EAGA business ventures.

“EAGA’s private sector play the crucial role of stir-ring the sub-region’s busi-ness climate and we urge them to pursue joint-ven-ture collaborations that will expand their market reach,” he said.

Under its Trade and In-vestment Facilitation Clus-ter, BIMP-EAGA pursues small and medium enter-prises (SME) development by streamlining of trade fa-cilitation processes within the sub-region and beyond. Business and trade missions are regularly organized to engage the private sector, specifically those represent-ing the SMEs in enhancing the sub-region’s business

climate. Regular investment fairs

and business conferences are also being conducted such as the BIMP-EAGA and IMT-GT Trade Fair and Busi-ness Leaders’ Conference to facilitate trade and in-vestments among member countries.

“The growth and suc-cess of BIMP-EAGA is truly dependent on the commit-ment and active participa-tion of our private sector, and enabling policies from the governments of the member countries,” said Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecre-tary Prudencio Reyes, Phil-ippine Senior Official to the BIMP-EAGA.

Reyes added that after the huge turnout of partici-pants from both the govern-ment and private sectors in the SPM, the sub-region is anticipating another pro-ductive year with more vi-able projects and business partnerships in the pipeline.

GROUNDBREAKING. Auxillary Bishop George Rimando presides over ther groundbreaking rites of the Building 2 project of The Matina Enclaves on Saturday. Also in photo are (l-r) ESDEVCO project head Gerald Kent Garces, president/CEO Glenn Escandor and his mother Violeta. NJB

Trade activities to lureinvestors to BIMP-Eaga

crc@edgedavao.netBy CHENEEN R. CAPON

Sabah, Mindanao traders meet

DCCII: Give incentives, subsidy to green space implementers

Phl economy seenexpanding in Q1

F DCCII, 10

VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 20168 EDGEDAVAO

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PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTEthe national association of newspapers

Better safe than sorryIT’S an age-old adage that still works up to the digital times. Yes, it

is better to be safe than sorry.Take the case of this new dreaded virus called Zika. How much

do we know about this virus that has since sent several advanced countries scampering for research to find the cure or at least immu-nization from this disease.

In the Philippines, we are still battling dengue and chikungunya virus when this new disease came about. Although there are no re-ported cases yet, the fear for Zika is both realistic and urgent. After Brazil first reported cases of Zika infections in 2015, the virus has spread to 31 countries and territories in the Americas.

According to experts, diagnosis of Zika virus infections is import-ant, especially for the care and monitoring of pregnant women be-cause of the possible link between the virus and the birth of babies with microcephaly and other congenital malformations.

At this point, we can only wait for the progress of research made in countries with reported cases of the dreaded virus. The latest from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and a network of diagnostic laboratories reported new guidelines to confirm Zika

infections using a new algorithm to differentiate that virus from oth-er mosquito-borne illnesses.

With dengue and chikungunya circulating in the country, diagnos-ing Zika should also be a great challenge.

Zika is said to be difficult to diagnose because it contains genetic material that is similar to that of dengue and chikungunya. All three illnesses are transmitted by infected Aedes mosquitoes.

The new guidelines consist of an algorithm based on an estab-lished platform for surveillance of Dengue, using data from 22 na-tional reference laboratories in the network. The purpose of the new guidelines is that it will serve to rule out or confirm dengue, chikungunya and Zika, and can be adjusted to the conditions of each country.

Early education by the Department of Health about Zika should help us understand what this new disease is all about and at the same time, prepare ourselves to at least be cautious, careful and prepared. It starts again with the cleaning of our surroundings and eliminating its carrier Aedes mosquitoes.

Again, it is better to be safe than sorry.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 2016 VANTAGE POINTS 9EDGEDAVAO

WHAT is the proper role of business in society? The question certainly is not new.

Debates about the private sector’s re-sponsibility for its economic, social and environmental impacts have been raging since the dawn of capitalism.

What is new is the emerging global consensus that business is the engine of economic growth and international development, and that business can and must play an indispensable role alongside government, civil society and communities to solve complex, global (and local) challenges like hun-ger (food security), poverty (inclusive growth), inequality (wealth sharing), unemployment (dignity comes with a job) and climate change (renewable energy). Please take note that the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) is focusing on many of these challenges.

The role of business in society is highly contested ground. Private sector firms- from leading multinational cor-porations to small and growing busi-nesses to start-up social enterprises – have unique and essential assets and capabilities to combating major glob-

al (and l o c a l ) challeng-es. But there are also ques-tions and concerns a b o u t h o w , w h e n , w h e r e and why the private sector engages in develop-ment. For those of us involved in this debate, it is clear that power struc-tures, motives, performance measures and clarity of definitions matter. With-out that clarity, we will never find our-selves on the same page and will lose energy in debating rather than in do-ing.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Creating Shared Value (CSV) practices offer differing perspectives: do these efforts actually contribute to the sustainable welfare of communi-ties and community members?

You can see the influence of the CSR movement by looking at today’s busi-

ness language: corporate citizenship; sustainability; triple bottom line; ESG (environmental , social and gover-nance); inclusive business; cause re-lated marketing (CRM); pro-poor value chains; bottom of the pyramid business models (BOP); socially responsible in-vesting and impact investing; social enterprise; social purpose, public-pri-vate partnerships; green economy; collective impact; license to operate / license to lead; corporate ethics (integ-rity); and corporate volunteerism and employee engagement.

CSV has gained credibility, legitima-cy and momentum as a new way of do-ing business. The concept is now em-braced by many of the world’s leading corporations and the framework and language of shared value has spread quickly beyond the private sector to governments, NGOs, civil society and academia.

The distinction between CSR and CSV can be puzzling and there is a con-siderable amount of confusion and de-bate about the difference:

CSR is fundamentally about tak-ing resources from the business and investing those resources in being a

good corporate citizen: recycling, giv-ing money to social causes, reporting on social and environmental impact, and engaging employees in community work.

CSV is aimed at changing how the core business operates – strategy, structure, people, processes and re-wards – in order to deliver triple bot-tom line returns.

The fundamental distinction is that CSR is about doing something separate from the business and CSV is about integrating social and environmental impact into the business, using that integration to drive economic value. Forward thinking businesses want to be part of the solution to tackling the complex problems facing our world. Companies and employees know that charitable donations are important are important. However, they want to expand their engagement so that their core business models improve the well-being of people and the planet, reduce or eliminate negative externali-ties, and earn a profit.

In conclusion, we are all called upon to ramp up our CSR and CSV efforts on complex local (and global) problems.

TO be objective about it, pro-ponents and organizers of the presidential debates held in

Cagayan de Oro did a decent job in staging the event.

However, as in all good endeavors, we cannot help but noticed some loop-holes. Foremost was the time format of 90 seconds for the first speaker to articulate his/her opinion and 60 secs for the rebuttal of the second speaker and 30 ticks for the counter rebuttal of the first speaker.

I found this allocation of time inad-equate for each candidate to fully ex-pound his/her individual thoughts on the issues propounded to them with depth, clarity and substance. The for-mat benefitted the speaker gifted with a glib tongue like Roxas and Grace Lla-manzares (why does she insist on us-ing Poe as her surname excluding her husband’s?) who both spoke fluent Tagalog.

The time format disadvantaged slow talkers like VP Jojo Binay who stuttered like the old man that he is, the fractured Tagalog and heavy Ce-buano accent of Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte and much more Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago who was better off speaking in English.

But to the credit of these three presidential wannabes, they stood

their in-d i v i d u a l g r o u n d s a n d s p e w e d out their best ideas.

A c -cording to the subse-quent on-line sur-veys by In-quirer and GMA7, Duterte was voted number one by netizens with a huge gap between him and the second plac-er.

I kinda noticed that Mike Enriquez asked petty questions first on the per-sonal faults of Duterte than confront him with more pertinent, pressing major issues. He did not ask Roxas nor Poe embarrassing personal questions as he did Duterte. I also heard his pre-vious live radio interview with Digong over DZBB and Enriquez did not seem friendly. May kinakampihan ba siya?

Would it not have been better if the debate organizers and proponents lengthened the time allocation to say, 5 minutes for the first speaker and two minutes for rebuttals?

The debate would have been smooth-flowing – content-wise - had

organizers and proponents focused ONLY on, say, twenty major issues of national proportions in the areas of peace and order, the illegal drugs trade and criminality, Bangsamoro, agricul-ture and food security, public health care, education (perennial problem of lack of school buildings and class-rooms, tuition fee increases), labor and employment, the CCT or 4Ps, mining and environment, tourism and investments, national defense/PNP, government reactions to disasters and natural calamities and the island-grab-bing spree of China, etc.

The moderators also committed the basic error of shooting complicat-ed and complex questions. The basic rule in debates is just to ask one direct query, no more second and third ques-tions within that tended to complicate.

Roxas did not say anything new. He indeed is a clone of PNoy, known for his laid-back work ethics, as he stub-bornly stressed Daang Matuwid. But he was able to subtly parry the Yolan-da backlash by getting back at Binay’s alleged corruption record.

Yes, Binay was stymied by his vague declarations, side-stepping the issue on corruption and straining to explain his family’s stand on political dynasty.

Mrs. Grace Llamanzares for a while started great but her short resume

in executive leadership surfaced as she dealt in generalities especially on how to curb crime and the narcotics problem enveloping our barangays, the youths and the moral fiber of the people. She was forced to admit sheep-ishly her shallow experience. She also parroted the style of her political men-tor and vice presidential tandem Chiz Escudero.

I cannot imagine Mrs. Llamanza-res to effectively lead the military and solve the insurgency and secession problems in an O-J-T capacity. Look how the under-trained PNoy messed up the situation with the brutal slaying of 44 SAF personnel at Mamasapano. Hilong talilong siya.

I pitied Miriam as she was clearly hampered with some difficulty but she nevertheless came out swinging. Still, I doff my hat to her.

My personal take is that I don’t think the Philippines is ready to have another woman president in the per-son of Llamanzares who is very ob-viously not cut out for the herculean task more than if the Filipinos choose the brash but positively-focused Dute-rte who has proven his worth by clean-ing up his turf, making Davao City the fourth safest city in the world. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) God bless the Philippines!

Henry J. Schumacher

EUROPE BIZ

Fred C. Lumba

SPECKS OF LIFE

Corporate Social Practices

Presidential debates format faulty

VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 201610Local... FROM 4

Duterte... FROM 4

DCCII... FROM 7

Philippine... FROM 6

Zero... FROM 6 DBM... FROM 6

EDGEDAVAONEWS

ART FOR EVERYONE. A young mall-goer checks out a stonecast entitled Ruins- Rock Castle by Brando Cedeño on display in the two-day Art for Everyone fair at SM Lanang Premier yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

Midbrain Training – Bring out your childs’ geniusTRAINING a child’s brain

to learn new things, whether academically,

in sports or other extracurric-ular activities sounds simple enough. And it can be that simple with the revolutionary new technique of Midbrain Activation, which is quickly gaining popularity throughout East and South East Asia.

The science behind this concept of Midbrain Activation is the technique of optimizing the function of our middle brain, which is the ‘bridge’ be-tween the left and right brain. Having this ‘bridge’ activated allows for the retrieval of infor-mation between the left and the right brain, which leads to more efficiency in learning and absorbing information. It also brings out and strength-ens characteristics such as cre-ativity, memory, application skills, self-confidence, and the ability to concentrate.

Many of us have heard that we are either left-brained or right-brained and have ca-pabilities and qualities that define how we learn and gain knowledge. Midbrain Activa-tion allows the brain to func-tion as a whole, rather than only utilizing one part of the brain. Most theories suggest that right-brain dominant in-

dividuals are guided by the more emotional, intuitive right hemisphere while those who are left-brain dominant respond in sequential, logical ways, guided by the left hemi-sphere of the brain. Therefore, individuals who are middle brain oriented can have strong qualities from both hemi-spheres. They can benefit from logic from the left and intuition from the right. This is the basic principle behind Midbrain Ac-tivation.

Midbrain Activation al-lows the middle brain act as a control panel for left and right hemispheres. This activates both parts of the brain and en-hances the capacity and ability to learn.

T h e i d e a l c a n d i -dates for Midbrain A c t i v a -tion are children between the ages of 6 and 12 years. The tech-nique is more suc-c e s s f u l in young children

because their brains are more easily trained and can adapt to new ways of learning. It is the same theory on why children are able to pick up and learn different languages more eas-ily than adults.

Midbrain Activation is a new concept in Philippines, but children, students, par-ents, educators, coaches, and trainers will soon have the opportunity to take advan-tage of the workshop and training sessions which will commence on April 2, 2016 and be conducted for the first time in Davao City by a Mid-brain Activation expert based in New Zealand, Mr. Raymond Fernando. The workshop will

also be offered not only for children ages 6-15 years old but also for student aging 16 years and above as well as for the working adult.

Children who undergo this training will not only have the ability to absorb informa-tion and excel academically, but also be able to learn more easily and perform in sports and arts programs. It’s all about teaching the brain to act as a whole and utilize the power of both hemispheres. Students are already excelling in different fields just by utiliz-ing one side of the brain more dominantly than the other. Imagine the limitless possibili-ties of their abilities when they are able to engage both parts of the brain. It can certainly lead to higher performance in school and exams, greater per-formance on the sports field, and serve as a path to a bet-ter future. The child will have more opportunities available to them and be able to achieve bigger and greater goals later in life, as well.

For more information about the Midbrain Activation Workshop, you may contact Genius@Work at (0939)340-0900 or (0997)413-3030 for the schedule. Register your child now, limited slots only.

Government officials and employees as well as the po-lice and military will be voting at designated voting centers to be identified by the superiors/commanders not later than

April 12.For media men, they are

set to vote at the Comelec offic-es where they also filed their applications to avail of the LAV. (PNA)

“Davao City is known for its respect and tolerance to groups and people who want to exercise their freedom and use public spaces to protest and express grievances or po-litical views or religious beliefs peacefully,” Laviña pointed out.

Even progressive organi-

zations are free to use parks and other public spaces to con-duct rallies in Davao City.

“It is unfortunate that the senator’s camp is twisting the facts, making it appear like a permit was not granted be-cause of politics,” Laviña dis-closed. (PNA)

velopment of an additional 10 percent for green spaces can add premium to housing de-velopment projects here.

He said most of the high-end housing projects here allocate a huge slice of the to-tal area for green spaces like parks but remain saleable.

This is contrary to the claim of some developers here pushing for the amendment that the additional 10 percent affects their profit as well as the buying price of a housing unit.

Some developers during the heated debate for the pas-sage of the proposal in the city council level said the ad-ditional 10 percent will only decrease the number of hect-

ares developers can turn into housing units.

This could lead to price mark-up just to cover the ex-penses.

Lim said the most affected sector of housing is develop-ers that are into socialized and low-cost projects.

“If they could develop the whole area into houses and none for green spaces, then they will,” he said, adding that it will increase profit.

Lim proposed that the city government could sub-sidize or incentivize housing developers to ensure that the added cost will not be passed on to the buyers. (Cheneen R. Capon with reports from Mindanews)

pledged allegiance to Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syr-ia, but say they have found no evidence to support this.

Elsewhere in Mindanao, soldiers were also chasing

the Abu Sayyaf group, which is holding captive several for-eigners, including a Japanese, a Dutch national, two Canadians and a Norwegian.

added.In pushing for the repur-

posing or recycling of cam-paign tarps for non-food pur-poses, the group stressed that doing so will help cut the vol-ume, as well as the toxicity, of discards that are disposed of in dumpsites.

“Dumping these tarps will lead to their chemical ingredi-ents leaching into the soil, as well as to surface and ground waters,” cautioned Lucero.

“Burning these tarps, which are mostly made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plas-tic, will create and discharge extremely toxic pollutants, namely dioxins and furans, that can contaminate the food supply chain and harm human health,” she added.

However, the group point-ed out that repurposing the tarps is a temporary measure that will only delay their even-tual disposal.

“What is really needed is for the plastic industry to re-move the harmful chemicals in tarps, for the government to issue a health-protective reg-ulation and for consumers to insist on toxic-free tarps. This will surely make the recycling of tarps safer and less compli-cated,” Lucero said.

“While the industry has yet to switch to safer formulations, we urge candidates for the May 2016 polls to moderate their use of tarps and to take full responsibility for their tarps after the campaign period is over,” she emphasized. (PNA)

The amount for MUP includes monthly Provisional Allow-ance, monthly Officers’ Allow-ance and Hazard Pay increase from P240 to P390 per month.

“We want to ensure the immediate implementation of the new salary rates and the release the MUP differentials, as well as the release of the pay and allowance differen-tials as the compensation ad-justments apply retroactively to the start of the year,” Abad said.

“We also want to empha-size that the first tranche of salary adjustments includes a mid-year bonus equivalent to one month’s salary and a Productivity Enhancement Incentive (PEI) in the amount of P5,000. Given that benefits not exceeding P82,000 are ex-empt from tax, public servants with salary grades 1 to 11 will receive both bonuses tax-free, while salary grades 12 to 16 will receive the entirety of their mid-year bonus,” he added.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 2016 11EDGEDAVAO

AGRITRENDSEasy way of detecting tungro in riceBy HENRYLITO D. TACIO

RICE, known in the sci-ence world as Oryza sativa, is “the principal

food for over 60% of man-kind,” said the Laguna-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The crop is especially important in Asia where over half of the world’s population lives.

Rice has been cultivated for such countless ages that its origin must always be a mat-ter of conjecture. D.H. Grist, in his book entitledRice, pointed this out: “We do not know the country of origin of rice, but the weight of evidence points to the conclusion that the cen-ter of origin of rice is south-east Asia, particularly India and Indo-China, where the richest diversity of cultivated forms has been recorded.”

Grist further noted: “Cul-tivation of rice dates to the earliest age of man. Carbon-ized paddy grains and husks, estimated to date 1000 to 800 B.C., have been found in excavations in Uttar Pradesh, India. Specimens of rice have been discovered in China dat-ing from the third millennium B.C.

“Paddy cultivation is of great antiquity in the Philip-pines. It is thought that im-migrant people from south China in the second millenni-um B.C. constructed the won-derful system of terraces on the mountainsides of Banaue and its neighboring areas. These people were reportedly driven into the hills by subse-quent invasions of Malays.”

Filipinos consider rice as their staple food. The late epicurean Doreen Fernandez wrote: “If we did not have rice, our deepest comfort food, we would probably feel less Filipino.”

In his survey of rice in the visual arts, Patrick D. Flores wrote: “Because rice inscribes nature, it makes of it as endowment, a source of life that is socially produced. Rice is produced by and produc-es this culture as nature and its transformations are per-formed as a rite of passage, a cycle of seasons, and the prac-tice of internalized habits.”

Like most crops, rice is attacked by various pests and diseases. In 1939, a rice crop failure at Buenavista Estate in Bulacan was reported and the cause was a viral pathogen that stunted the crop. The Ilo-canos called it “tungro,” which means “degenerative growth.” The term caught the attention of the rice-growing world and the name stuck.

As affected rice plants by tungro are stunted, they have reduced number of tillers. The young emerging leaves develop interveinal chlorosis leading to discoloration of the leaves, starting from tip downwards. More often than not, the whole leaf is discol-ored; plants infected at an early stage generally die pre-maturely.

According to IRRI, infect-ed plants take more time for maturity because of delayed flowering. The panicles are of-

ten poorly developed and the grains are also often covered with dark brown blotches and are lighter than those of healthy plants. “Grains, if any, are usually brown or rusty,” Grist wrote.

The disease is transmit-ted by rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) and it is now widely distributed not only in the Philippines but also in other rice-growing areas in South and South-East Asia, and in southern China.

Plantwise.org reports: “Tungro became a serious problem after the release of high-yielding rice cultivars which are short statured and photo-insensitive, have short-er growth duration, and allow rice growers two crops of rice in a year. Staggered planting under the double-cropping rice systems is the major rea-son why tungro disease pre-dominated after the 1960s.”

IRRI says tungro disease viruses are transmitted from one plant to another by leaf-hoppers that feed on tun-gro-infected plants. The most efficient vector is the green leafhopper.

“Leafhoppers can acquire the viruses from any part of the infected plant by feeding on it, even for a short time,” IRRI says. “It can, then, imme-diately transmit the viruses to other plants within 5−7 days. The viruses do not remain in the leafhopper’s body unless it feeds again on an infected plant and re-acquires the vi-ruses.”

Tungro in-fection can occur during all growth stages of the rice plant. However, it is most frequently seen during the veg-etative phase. “Rice plants are most vul-nerable at tillering stage,” IRRI says.

Rice tungro dis-ease is one of the most destructive diseases of rice in the Asian tropics, the plantwise.org says. The incidence of tungro is gener-ally high in irrigated areas, where rice is planted throughout the year. It is generally endemic but oc-casionally becomes epidemic and causes devastating losses over huge areas.

But there’s a good news. Scientists at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (Phil-Rice) have adapted a simpli-fied method to detect RTBV in rice plants even before com-mon symptoms become no-ticeable by using the loop-me-diated isothermal amplifica-tion (LAMP) technique.

“Through this applica-tion, major rice virus diseas-es and insect vectors can be diagnosed in a fast, efficient, and accurate method,” said Dr. Emmanuel Tiongco, who headed the team composed of Dr. Xuan Hoai Truong, Ma-ria Johna Duque, and Dr. Ru-bigilda Paraguison-Alili (who is based from Central Luzon State University).

LAMP assay has been proven useful in detecting vi-ruses in animals and humans. The team, however, extended the application of this method to rice viruses in the country.

Using the method, RTBV can be detected 1 day after in-fection, said a press statement released by PhilRice. The widely used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELI-SA) detects RTBV 3 days after infection.

In addition, the LAMP assay detects the rice ragged stunt virus (RRSV) and the rice dwarf virus (RDV) not only in rice plants but also in their respective brown plan-thopper and green leafhop-per vectors, according to Dr. Tiongco.

“This way, the impending virus spread is known even before rice crop establish-

ment,” Dr. Tiongco says.The current existing virus

detection tools, according to Dr. Tiongco, have difficulties in detecting viruses that are of low titer (strength of a sub-stance’s solution) aside from being arduous and time con-suming.

“Easy to follow proce-dures, cheaper equipment required, high level of speci-ficity, and simple result deter-mination by merely looking at the change in color of the test solution are among the

advantages of the newly de-veloped method,” the press statement said.

Once a rice plant is in-fected by tungro, it cannot be cured. “Preventive measures are more effective for the con-trol of tungro than direct dis-ease control measures,” IRRI cautions. “Using insecticides to control leafhoppers is often not effective, because green leafhoppers continuously move to surrounding fields and spread tungro rapidly in very short feeding times.”

Tungro-Infected field (from IRRI)

Green leafhopper (from IRRI)

Tungro-infected plant (from IRRI)

VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 201612CLASSIFIEDS EDGEDAVAO

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EDGEDAVAOINdulge! VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 2016

A double milestoneTIME FLIES, indeed. A year ago, The Matina Enclaves broke ground for Building 1 of The Residences condo-minium sector of its sprawl-ing mixed use complex. On Saturday, Building 1 offi-cially marked its Topping Off ceremony and Building 2 broke ground.

Escandor Develop-ment Corporation (Es-devco) marked these twin milestones with a double celebration witnessed by clients, associates, sales team, members of the me-dia and stakeholders. The first condo building was formally topped off mark-ing the end of the structural phase of construction. The Residences’ building 1 tow-ers majestically next to the Clubhouse at Matina En-claves (CAME) which was also inaugurated last De-

cember 2014.The occasion also

marked the groundbreak-ing of Building 2 with Auxilliary Bishop George Rimando blessing the time capsule before the first family of Esdevco led by its president Glenn Escan-dor officially laid it down on the ground. Also doing the honors were Escandor matriarch Violeta Escan-dor, vice president Gerome Escandor, Glenn’s wife Michelle and children Irra Zarina, Irene Glenne and Francis Gabriel, and project head Gerald Kent Garces.

Garces thanked every-one for gracing the event and for the support of all stakeholders. Turnover for Building 1 is expected by the end of the year while Building 2 will be by the end of 2017.

ESDEVCO president Glenn Escandor lays down the time capsule.

It’s the turn of Mik-Mik Escandor and children Irina Glenne, Irra Zarina and Francis Gabriel to do the shovel rites (left photo). Right photo shows Escandor matriarch Violeta, vice president Gerome Escandor and president Glenn Escandor.

TIME CAPSULE. Matina Enclaves project head Gerald Kent Garces with vice president Gerome, president Glenn Escandor,

Violeta Escandor, Irina Glenne Escandor, Michelle Escandor, Irra Zarina Escandor and Francis Gabriel Escandor.

A2 INdulge! EDGEDAVAOFOOD

GREAT NEWS! LITTLE WHITE BOX BAGS ARE NOW ON SALE! Avail of our Buy One Get One on all items from February 23 - 29, 2016. What are you waiting for! Head on to Branded Accessories Department to see exciting items that await you.

Farm to table dining at

GRACE PARK

D A B AW E N Y O S ARE ALWAYS SPOILED when it comes to the quality of food we eat. This is thanks to the fact that we rely less on things that have to fly thou-sands of miles to get to our table and more on the things that are harvested close by, which is why I was pleasantly surprised to discover Grace Park, Margarita Fores’ or-ganic “farm to table” food concept during a quick romp around Rockwell in Makati together with fellow Dabawenyos Otoi and John. The interior of the res-taurant exuded a country feel, complete with mis-matched tables and chairs, cracked floors and wood-en shelves stocked full of various jams, oils, and other conserves. Grace Park’s menu consists of many dishes which once would qualify as comfort food. From the soups to the pasta as well as mains that are arranged under Water (fish dishes) and Earth (chicken, duck,

lamb, and beef). The back of the menu listed all of Grace Park’s suppliers which included Davao’s very own Malagos Farm-house cheese. Since it was officially time for meriyenda, we all decided to go a bit light. John ordered the Spinach Fettuccine Bolognese, I ordered the long-word-ed Spaghetti, Uni, Live Shrimp, Red Wine, Toma-to and Rucola, while Otoi ordered the Classic Ham and Cheese and Sour-dough sandwich. As an appetiser, we also ordered Fried Squash Blossoms, with Ricotta and Prosciutto. The squash blossoms lent a nutty taste to the rich ricotta filling with the Prosciutto lend-ing some salt and earthi-ness to the dish. The pasta of the Spin-ach Fettuccine Bolognese was made fresh in-house.

The pairing of the rich bolognese sauce complimented the light fla-vour and silky texture of the fresh pasta. My linguine on-the-other-hand was a virtual bouquet of the sea with the uni lending its innate umami and brininess to the dish. The live shrimps snapped to the bite which was an indication of its freshness. Otoi’s sandwich was beyond his expectation as it came with sides of potato fries, a light salad, ketch-up and jam. Prepared much like

a Monte Cristo where the bread is buttered up and then grilled on the skillet, the sandwich was crispy on the outside yet gooey and richly flavoured on the inside. The addition of the sweet orange conserve balanced out the rich-ness of the sandwich. We all know that organic and healthy food is the in thing, but organic and healthy should not mean bland tasting food, and as what Margarita Fores and Grace Park demonstrates, organic and healthy can make exciting eats.

Squash Blossoms with Ricotta Cheese and Prosciutto

Otoi, me and John at Grace Park.

Classic Ham and Cheese and Sourdough Sandwich.

S p i n a c h Fettuccine Bolognese

Spaghetti, Uni, Live Shrimp, Red Wine, Tomato and Rucola

VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 2016

INdulge! A3EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENT

Julia Montes thankful for Gawad Tanglaw best actress award

CERTIFIED OTWOLISTAS AND LOYAL FANS filled the Araneta Coliseum as they showed their love and support for today’s hottest love team and “On the Wings of Love” stars James Reid and Nadine Lustre in their sold out concert “JaDine in Love” held last Saturday. James and Nadine did not disappoint their fans in their first major concert as they gave out spectacular performances and brought overflowing kilig to their fans. Cheers and applauses filled the Big Dome all throughout the show, but fans went wilder during the pair’s wedding number where they danced to “On the Wings of Love” sung by the Queen of RnB Kyla. James also sent the crowd into a frenzy when he expressed his feelings and said “I love you” to Nadine, drawing louder screams from everyone. Aside from kilig, the tandem also showcased their singing and dancing prowess that impressed the audience. James serenaded the whole coliseum with his rendition of his favorite OPM songs and grooved to Michael Jackson’s greatest hits. He also showed his smooth

moves and vocals as he did a Justin Bieber tribute. Nadine, meanwhile, stole the show with her performance of her hit song “Para-Paraan” and showed her edgier side as she danced to Jennifer Lopez’s “Get Right.” A heartfelt performance from Nadine also captivated the audience with her rendition of the OPM classic “Kanlungan,” which she dedicated to her grandmother. Also joining the kilig fest were Vice Ganda, Elmo Magalona, Yassi Pressman, and Myrtle Sarrosa. As the concert ended, James and Nadine thanked their

supporters for their unwavering support and for the phenomenal success of their primetime series. As “On the Wings of Love” ends this Friday (Feb 26), certified Otwolistas will have the chance of meeting the whole cast in “OTWOL’s” finale live viewing party, which will be held at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City at 7pm. Free tickets will be given away on Friday (Feb 26) starting 1pm at the Ynares Center. Tickets will be distributed on a first come-first served basis. The rest of the world also won’t get left behind as TFC subscribers from Japan, Middle East, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Australia are set to witness the live simulcast of “OTWOL’s” Philippine airing starting this Monday (Feb 22) and will be joined by Kapamilyas from Canada and USA on Friday (Feb 26). Meanwhile, Kapamilyas abroad will also have the chance to watch “JaDine in Love” concert as James and Nadine with Yeng Constantino and Jay-R are set to take a tour around the world. Don’t miss the hottest loveteam JaDine in Doha, Qatar on March 18 and in Dubai, UAE this March 19. They are also set to perform in London, UK on March 26 and Milan, Italy on March 27.

KAPAMILYA ACTRESS JULIA MONTES was once again hailed as the Best Actress for TV in the 14th Gawad Tanglaw Awards 2016 for her portrayal of twins Kara and Sara in the afternoon series “Doble Kara.” “It is an honor to be recognized once again by Gawad Tanglaw. I am very happy and thankful that they appreciated my portrayal of the twins,” said Julia, who first nabbed the Best Actress Award for “Ikaw Lamang.” She added, “More trials and conflicts will face the twins and the other characters in the story that the viewers will surely not want to miss.” Julia also wants to thanks afternoon viewers for tuning in to the series, which consistently wins against its rival program in its timeslot. According to the latest data from Kantar Media, “Doble Kara” recorded a national TV rating of 17.2% last Tuesday (Feb 23), higher than that of GMA’s “Wish I May,” which only hit 10.7%. Meanwhile, the series get even more thrilling now that Lucille (Carmina Villaroel) tried to win Kara back and clashed with Laura (Mylene Dizon) in the process.But Kara didn’t let Lucille deceive her once again as she stood by her real mother and protected her family from Lucille’s wrath. Will Lucille’s plan of bringing the Suarezes down stop? Can Kara and Sara have the peaceful life they have always wanted? Don’t miss the exciting scenes in “Doble Kara,” Mondays to Fridays, after “It’s Showtime” on ABS-CBN Kapamilya Gold. For more information about the program, visit the official social networking site of Dreamscape Entertainment Television at Facebook.com/DreamscapePH, Twitter.com/DreamscapePH, and Instagram.com/DreamscapePH.

Thousands of fans show lovefor Jadine in Araneta Concert

GMA Network leads the Philippine finalists in the prestigious 2016 New York Festivals’ “World’s Best TV and Films” Competition as nine of its entries are shortlisted this year. Topping the list of finalists are GMA’s highly-esteemed news and public affairs programs. The country’s longest running documentary program I-Witness is a finalist under the Community Portraits category for “Dorm 12”, a touching episode where Kara David interviewed aging inmates at the Correctional Institute for Women. Investigative news magazine show Reporter’s Notebook’s “Hikahos sa Lungsod”, meanwhile, is nominated in the Social Issues category for tackling urban migration in the Philippines. Front Row’s “Maestra Salbabida” is shortlisted in the Community Service Programs category. The episode centered on the invaluable dedication of Elizabeth Miranda, a teacher from Mindoro Occidental who crosses rivers using a makeshift floating device

or salbabida to reach the barrio where she teaches. Earning a nod from the New York Festivals as well is the first-ever bayaniserye on Philippine primetime TV, Ilustrado. Topbilled by Kapuso star Alden Richards who played the role of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, Ilustrado is a finalist in the Mini Series category. GMA News TV programs received finalist status, as well. Bawal ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie is vying for the Best Interview award for its “Yaman

ng Palawan” episode. Brigada’s “Ginto ng Smokey Mountain”—a special report on how kids scour the former landfill for gold —is a finalist under the Community Portraits category. “Isang Paa sa Hukay”, produced by documentary show Reel Time, was nominated in the Human Concerns category. The episode told the story of small-scale mining in Camarines Norte. Two projects from the network’s Program Support Department were also shortlisted: Ilustrado’s opening billboard (OBB) in the Entertainment Program Opening Title category and GMA News TV’s Father’s Day plug in the Graphic Design: Promotion/Open and IDs category. The New York Festival’s “World’s Best TV and Films” competition recognizes TV programs and films from over 50 nations. Last year, the Kapuso Network brought honor to the Philippines as it took home a total of eight awards: four World Medals and four Finalist Certificates for its News and Public Affairs programs.

9 GMA Network finalists atthis year’s New York Festivals

VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 2016

G

PG

PG12:40 | 3:00 | 5:20 | 7:40 | 10:00 LFS

ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE

Gerald Anderson, Arci Muňoz

R16/*R13 11:25 | 1:35 | 3:45 LFS / *6:00 | 8:00 | 10:00 LFS

KUNG FU PANDA 3(Sneak Preview)

12:00 | 2:30 | 5:00 | 7:30 | 10:00 LFS

GODS OF EGYPT

Gerard Butler, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton

12:00 | 2:00 | 4:00 | 6:00 | 8:00 | 10:00 LFS

Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman

DEADPOOL / *THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR

Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin/

*Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sisto

February 29 – March 1, 2016

A4 INdulge!UP AND ABOUT

BE PART OF THE G L A M O R O U S WORLD of the Os-cars anywhere with the live streaming of the Oscars red carpet and the awards show this Monday Feb 29 at 9:30AM on HBO GO the video on de-mand site of HBO, exclusively available in the Philippines on SKYcable. SKY subscribers can watch the live telecast of the Oscars from the red carpet all the way to the awards ceremony through HBO GO and can catch-up on Monday (Feb 29), 7PM until March 13. HBO GO is free for HBO PAK subscribers or on select SKYbroadband plans. Subscribers will also be treated to a complete Oscar’s experience from the most-awaited awards night in Hollywood with the live airing of the 88th Annual Academy Awards on HBO, to added features on E! HD, TCM, and Cin-emaWorld –cable channels available only on SKYcable. In fact, Oscar fans have more reasons to watch the

live tele-cast on SKYcable. O n e l u c k y SKYcable subscriber will have a chance to experi-ence the f a m o u s red car-pet of the Oscars in 2017 by tuning in to the live telecast and answering the question that will be revealed during the awards show. Meanwhile, avid SKY-cable movie buffs can even relive the best of Os-car-winning films before tuning in on Monday via HBO, CinemaWorld, and TCM. The roster of Oscar-winning films that will be shown on HBO include American Sniper (Feb 27, 9PM) and Boyhood (Feb 28, 9PM). CinemaWorld will air the 2007 Best For-eign Film The Counterfeit-ers (Feb 27, 7:15PM), while TCM will air the 1935 Os-cars Best Picture film Mu-

tiny on the Bounty (Feb 28, 8:30PM). Be part of the complete Oscars experience only on SKYcable. For 25 years, SKY has es-tablished itself as a pioneer-ing leader in digital cable TV, offering unmatched entertainment and con-stantly innovating to pro-vide the best experience to its valued subscribers. SKY subscribers should look forward to better and brighter things as SKY con-tinues to bring world-class, accessible entertainment to every Filipino home in the future. For more details on #Os-carsLiveonSKY, visit me-andmysky.com.ph.

Witness winning moments at theOscar Awards exclusively on SKYcable

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 2016

VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 2016 CLASSIFIEDS13EDGEDAVAO

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DAVAO KORONADAL PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS

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njb@edgedavao.net

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

EDGEDAVAOSports

THE exciting Color Manila Black Light Run invades Davao City on March 19

beginning and ending at the SM Lanang Premier.

The unique night run will be staged over three distanc-es—3-kilometer, 5-kilome-ter and 10-kilometer—with a shower of powdered neon colors sprayed along the en-tire route. All runners will be wearing neon singlets and black lights on their heads as freebies that come with the registration fee of P850.

It will be the first time

Davao will experience such an outrageous combo of run-ning innovation and the same group that brought Color Ma-nila morning run is responsi-ble for the event.

“We promised last year that we will be bringing the black light run as many people have requested for it. We were not able to bring it late last year but now, finally it’s hap-pening,” said Justin Cordero of Color Manila Run Inc. during the event launch at the Park Inn by Radisson on Saturday.

“Davao City will be the first

to experience it this year. Our Manila leg will be staged after Davao so you are lucky to be the first ones to experience it,” added Jay Em.

The race route will take off from SM Lanang Premier with assembly time at 6:30 pm and the first wave of runners in the 10-K division taking off by 8:30 pm. The runners will proceed to JP Laurel Avenue with sep-arate turnarounds for the 3K, 5K and 10K.

“It’s for everyone to expe-rience how fun it is. No timing devices, you can walk, run and

just go through the course at your pace,” Cordero said.

Registration may be done online, through SM Cinemas nationwide or by buying a pre-paid card. Special discounts are given for groups of 10 and 20.

Proceeds of the event will, in part, go to worthy charities of Color Manila Run Founda-tion Inc. Some 50 to 100 chil-dren from local communities will also be treated to a Black Light Run experience as part of the social responsibility com-ponent of Color Manila.

CHRISTOPHER “Bong” Go essayed a Stephen Cur-ry-like performance as

the City Mayors Office (CMO) walloped Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), 107 – 95, in their friendly basketball game on Fri-day night at the Davao City Rec-reation Center Almendras Gym.

Inspired by the incredible showing of Golden State’s su-perstar Curry, the reigning NBA MVP who scored 51 points in 34 minutes of action on Thursday, Go put a mind-blogging showing on the way to his own 51 point outburst.

Go, who sported a red Cur-ry 2 Under Armour shoes, was dazzling at behind the arc, hit-ting 13 triples, three more than that of Curry, to lead the City Hall dribblers to victory over the much younger and versatile BPI squad.

The trusted executive aide of presidential contender May-or Rodrigo Duterte made 51 points despite never going to the foul line and a visibly wea-ry body coming from a five-day campaign sorties that started in Cagayan de Oro on Feb 21 and

ended in Cebu on Thursday with activities in Balance Luzon and Metro Manila in between.

BPI played its type of game - run and gun - but was by and large struck by the performance of Go to drop its first exhibition game against the CMO this year.

Burly forward Francis Cutin, Jed Edulan and Rivera took the pace for the Bankers finishing 24, 22, 20 points respectively.

It was a see-saw battle in the early going of the match with both teams traded superb shooting that kept the game fas-cinating.

Rivera, Edulan and Ericson Baranda mounted a spur for the BPI midway of the final half that poised a threat to the City Hall dribblers.

But Go caught on fire, hitting catch and shoot treys and pull up jumpers, one after the other to put down the lid for the Bank-ers en route to victory.

JR De Guzman contributed 18 points as Glenn Escandor added 12 for the CMO.

BPI got 14 points from Carl Tech and Baranda while its boss Art Perez had six. (Rico Biliran)

EDDIE Bagtas fired 50 points as Luisita hiked its lead over defending cham-

pion Canlubang by 12 points halfway through the 30th Phil-ippine Airlines Senior Interclub golf team championships Friday at the Mimosa Golf and Country Club.

Bagtas, who topped the in-dividual category last year in Cebu City, had one birdie against five bogeys to lead Luisita at the

SMART, the country’s unri-valed mobile services pro-vider and UFC, the world’s

largest mixed martial arts organi-zation, have announced a multi-year partnership that will bring the world’s fastest growing sport closer to more Filipinos.

As part of the partnership, Smart will be the official and ex-clusive mobile carrier of the UFC in the Philippines, and will intro-duce exciting consumer promo-tions and marketing activities that are set to provide unique experiences to UFC fans and sub-scribers of Smart Bro, the telco’s mobile broadband brand.

These consumer promo-tions will give Smart Bro sub-scribers special access to UFC fan events and experiences, as well as the exclusive opportunity to meet and interact with top UFC athletes. Moreover, Smart Bro subscribers will enjoy exclusive access to live viewing parties

throughout the year, and chances to get their hands on premium co-branded items.

Smart will also be a provid-er of UFC FIGHT PASS, a digital platform providing fans with ex-clusive UFC content and access to the world’s largest library of fight content. This will be made avail-able through Philippines’ largest and fastest mobile broadband network.

“Beyond providing the coun-try’s fastest, widest and most reliable mobile broadband con-nection, Smart always goes out of its way to support the many passion points of our subscrib-ers with awesome experiences. We are very delighted to partner with UFC, and we can’t wait to bring the sport to our subscrib-ers through our unparalleled services and offers,” said Oscar A. Reyes, First Vice President and Wireless Consumer Broadband at Smart.

BLACK LIGHT RUN. Justin Cordero and Jay Em of Color Manila Run Inc. demonstrate the black light which will be used by all runners during the Color Manila Black Light Run on March 19 during the event launch last Saturday at the Park Inn by Radisson. Lean Daval Jr.

SAFELY OUT. Joe Tesado of Apo Golf and Country Club hits

from the sandtrap on hole no. 9 of the Mimosa Golf and Country Club

in the ongoing 69th PAL Interclub Seniors tournament. Pool

Color Manila Black Light Run on March 19

LIKE STEPHGo explodes for 51, hits13 treys in rout of BPI

Luisita hikes lead vs. Canlubang to 12Acacia and Lakeside composite course.

Benjamin Sumulong, play-ing for Luisita for the first time, birdied the closing ninth hole for 48 points while Herminio Maravilla rounded out scoring with 44.

Bong Sison signed a wrong scorecard and was promptly disqualified.

Luisita has a two-day total of 288 points.

Luisita non-playing captain Jeric Hechanova said they will try to protect the lead.

All eight players of Luisita have now seen action and Hech-anova hinted a possible reshuf-fle of lineup to ensure victory.

Canlubang, which had a his-tory of come-from-behind wins, failed to reduce the overnight eight-point lead despite fielding top gunner Tommy Manotoc.

Manotoc, still a force to reckon with at 67, shot 51 points behind three birdies against six bogeys.

No other Canlubang player, however, scored better than 44.

Rolly Viray had a tough day, posting 44 points while rookie Zaldy Villa had an embarrassing finish, needing five blasts to get out of the greenside bunker on the final hole. He picked up and limped with 43 points.

Tony Olives did not count for the second straight day with 41.

“We better do something on Saturday, hopefully reduce the deficit to six or seven,” Olives said.

While Luisita and Can-lubang fight it out in the cham-pionship division, Mimosa con-tinued its remarkable play in the

Founders division.The host club collected 140

points from Enrico Santos (49), Noel Yamzon (48) and Danny Abad (43) to improve to 289, a point better than Luisita.

Mimosa moved into a good position to become the first team outside the championship division to win the Interclub.

Ramontito Garcia shot the day’s best score – 53 points – to lead Cebu Country Club into sec-ond place behind Mimosa with 275 points. Third was Orchard with 266.

Eagle Ridge grabbed the lead in the Aviator division af-ter posting 150 points, the day’s best score. It now has 278 points, 13 points ahead of Negros Occi-dental Golf and Country Club.

The 69th PAL Interclub is sponsored by People Asia, Travelife, Mareco Broadcasting Network (Crossover), Manila Broadcasting Corporation, Air-bus, Business Mirror and Philip-pine National Bank.

Other supporters are Philip-pine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer.net, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, Tanduay Distillers, Asia Brewery, Splash Corporation, RFM Corpo-ration, Goldilocks, Eastgate Pub-lishing Corporation, Robinsons Land and Rolls-Royce.

The division leaders:CHAMPIONSHIP – Luisita

288 (146-142), Canlubang 276 (138-138)

FOUNDERS – Mimosa 289 (149-140), Cebu Country Club 275 (133-142), Orchard

266 (129-137), Pueblo de Oro 260 (133-127), Manila Golf 260 (131-129), Alta Vista 244 (126-118), Socal Redhawks 241 (118-123), Alabang 238 (118-

120), Vancouver ABC 217 (114-103), Lanang 214 (112-102), SF Maharlika 191 (96-95), North-bay Boys 188 (103-85)

AVIATOR – Eagle Ridge 278 (128-150), Negros Occi-dental 265 (130-135), Villam-or 245 (120-125), Wack Wack 230 (117-113), Riviera Golf 229 (121-108), Davao City 224 (111-113), Guam Seals 220 (111-109), Zamboanga 215 (111-104), Camp Evangelista 210 (109-101), Team Brookside 205 (106-99), San Juanico Park 204 (99-105), Filcansa 200 (96-104), Manila Southwoods 187 (121-66),

SPORTSWRITERS – Forest Hills 235 (113-122), Del Monte 230 (127-103), Club Intramur-os 225 (108-117), Iloilo 220 (116-104), Fil-Am Fairfield 215 (113-102), Philam Golf of Cen-tral Florida 209 (109-100), Ba-guio Country Club 202 (105-97), Sienna Plantation 199 (108-91), Lumbia 194 (99-95), EZ-PAR 189 (77-112), Bay City Alameda 189 (102-87), Travelers 188 (94-100), Via Verde Los Angeles 182 (97-85), IAGC 176 (94-82), Club Filipino de Cebu 176 (94-82), Fort Bonifacio 154 (83-71)

FRIENDSHIP – PGA British Columbia 218 (107-111), South Cotabato 217 (114-103), UP Tee Jots 189 (96-93), Parbreak-ers 188 (107-81), Bay Area 187 (107-81), Team Taotaomuna 185 (82-103), Mt. Malindang 179 (113-66), CANPHIL 166 (70-96), Fil-Am SFO 163 (89-74), Guam Seniors 161 (70-91), Tri-City Golf 157 (87-70), Leyte 150 (78-72), Brotherhood Sharp 149 (85-64), Melbourne Pinoy 145 (68-77), West Covina War-riors 142 (82-60)

UFC, Smart announcemilestone partnership

VOL. 8 ISSUE 241 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - 29, 201616 EDGEDAVAO