P 15.00 • 28 PAGESwww.edgedavao.netVOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015

LTO APOLOGIZESFOR LICENSE ERROR

Warriors make NBA history asfirst team to start season 16-0 P14

SWEET 16EDGEDAVAOSports‘System error’ replaces year1948 with 2048

EDGE Serving a seamless society

DAVAOFEARLESS WORKER. An employee of Davao City’s General Services Office (GSO) assembles the metal structure of the city’s Christmas tree which will be the center of attraction in the upcoming opening of this year’s Pasko Fiesta set on December 4. Lean Daval Jr.

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

THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) 11 apol-ogized for a “system

error” in its new licensing ma-chines that showed the birth year of people born in 1948 as 2048 in their licenses.

Speaking in yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps briefing, LTO 11 assistant regional di-rector Macario Gonzaga said the error was part of the ad-justment period of the agen-

cy’s new system provider for plastic licenses.

Gonzaga said it was just last August when Allcard Plas-tics Philippines entered as the new provider, replacing Amal-gamated Motors Philippines Incorporated (AMPI) which had supplied cards to the LTO for more than 20 years.

“We still have a period of transition because their date (those born in 1948) will not

be captured,” he said.Gonzaga also said even

some of the address informa-tion are not encoded in the sys-tem because the new provider is still calibrating them.

He said the problem is not just in the region but nation-wide, which is why the region-al office asked the LTO central office to waive the fee for the revision.

He said the revision of in-

formation has a fee of P100, which had to be paid by the drivers even if it was caused by a system error.

“We asked LTO assistant secretary Alfonso Tan that the regional office will do the re-vision without fees,” Gonzaga said.

Gonzaga said Tan already responded to the request and the fee for revision is now waived.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 20152 EDGEDAVAO

NEWS

THE regional office of the Land Transportation Of-fice (LTO) is just waiting

for the order of Department of Transportation and Com-munication (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya on the suspension of administrative order AVT 2015-029 mandat-ing all applicants for profes-sional driver’s license to sub-mit clearances from Philippine National Police (PNP) and Na-tional Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Abaya had announced the suspension on Tuesday night when Senate President Frank-lin Drilon and Senate Pro-Tem-

pore Ralph Recto questioned the new requirements.

“We are just awaiting the lifting order,” LTO assistant re-gional director Macario Gonza-ga said in yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps conference at the Garden by the Bay. “We have already asked DOTC Assistant Secretary Alfonso Tan for the new guidelines.”

Gonzaga said drivers who had already gotten ther NBI and PNP clearances can con-tinue the process since the LTO will still accept the clearances.

“(But) if you want to wait for the order to lift, maybe to-morrow (November 26) the

new guidelines will arrive,” he said.

Gonzaga said Abaya signed the order imposing the addi-tional requirements because he wanted to to upgrade the public utility drivers and to ensure the safety of the pas-sengers.

“But because of the com-plaints of our drivers, Abaya has to balance the economic and the livelihood of the driv-ers,” he said.

On Tuesday, Drilon and Recto asked the DOTC and LTO to suspend the order and re-view the guidelines in order to provide a “win-win solution.”

In a report from GMA news online, Drilon said the guidelines are affecting ‘the very small people that are trying to earn a livelihood and unfairly affected by such arbi-trary decisions.’

Earlier, LTO 11 operations chief Eleanor Calderon admit-ted that no public consultation was made on the additional requirements for those who want to apply for or renew their professional licenses.

According to Calderon, or-der did not state why the ad-ditional requirements for the applicants of driver’s license were imposed.

A NEW power utilization scheme that will be more dependent on coal

and diesel instead of the usual hydroelectric plants for Mind-anao is now in the final stage of study before the Department of Energy (DOE) that is seen to counter the possible impact of long dry spell on the island’s energy supply.

This scheme called the Economic Reverse Dispatch Protocol will switch Mindan-ao’s baseload to coal and diesel from hydropower sources.

During the Information Drive on the Mindanao Ener-gy Plan and the Impacts of El Niño to the Mindanao Power Sector at the Pinnacle Hotel and Suites on Monday, Ro-meo Montenegro, director for Investment Promotions and Public Affairs of Mindanao De-velopment Authority (MinDA), told reporters that Mindanao’s current dispatch protocol is highly vulnerable to the impact of El Niño since the hydropow-er plants are heavily depen-dent on the amount of rain and water level.

The Agus-Pulangui Hydro-power Complexes comprise 55 percent of the total energy mix of Mindanao.

The baseload plants are being run to supply power 24 hours while the peaking plants are there for backup when the demand for electricity is at its highest, he said.

During El Niño, he said that the water levels in Lake Lanao and Pulangui River go down, which will result in the lower generating capacity of the Agus-Pulangui Hydro Pow-

er Complexes, with an installed capacity of 800 MW.

Under this new dispatch protocol, the diesel and coal plants will be utilized more than the hydroplants.

“When hydro is precarious because of El Niño, baseload are there to provide necessary amount requirement by the consumers. The hydro is fluc-tuating depending on the peak requirements,” he said.

Before its implementation, he said they are coming out with a price simulation before the year ends to see how much would be its impact in the elec-tricity bills, although a spike in the electricity rates are already expected because diesel and coal are expensive sources of power.

“If you use hydro for lon-ger periods of time, the cheap-er your electricity rates will become,” he said.

Hydro only costs less than P1 per kilowatt hour while that of coal ranges from P5.50 to P6 a kWh, but the current rate for Mindanao’s energy mix is P3 per kWh.

By 2017 though, he said the renewable energy’s share in the Mindanao mix will be 30 percent while 70 percent will be coal and diesel.

Although its implemen-tation might address power supply shortfall, he said there are considerations that have to be taken whether this reverse dispatch protocol will still be beneficial after the entry of new power plants in the next few years and the extent of El Niño’s impact.

DESCRIBED as a “com-plete enumeration” of the entire Philippine

population, the 2015 Census has ignored crucial data on a significant sector: persons with disabilities (PWD).

The exclusion of questions on disability in the August cen-sus does not only leave out a group already lamenting its in-visibility in society, but it could also have consequences for the country’s overall development agenda.

“It’s an outright denial of the rights of persons with dis-abilities to be counted,” said a

fuming Carmen Zubiaga, Na-tional Council on Disability Af-fairs (NCDA) Acting Executive Director.

On Thursday, leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) who met in Manila included PWDs in their declaration, saying they “recognize the significance of enabling the full participation of all sectors and segments of our society.”

PWDs are mentioned thrice in the 2015 declaration, which capped the recently concluded APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM).

“I am personally so disap-pointed with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for not consulting (PWDs) or even NCDA for the 2015 census,” Zubiaga said in an email to VERA Files.

Sought for comment, PSA only said, “(The) main objec-tive of the 2015 Census of Pop-ulation (POPCEN 2015) is to update the population count. Question on disability will be included in the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (2020 CPH).”

Yet, this runs counter to what the PSA itself says on its

website as the main goal of the exercise: not to simply count the population but to provide useful data.

“The POPCEN 2015 aims to provide government ex-ecutives, policy and decision makers, and planners with population data, especially up-dated population counts of all barangays in the country, on which to base their social and economic development plans, policies, and programs,” the PSA census primer reads.

Specifically, the primer lists the usefulness of data for

Order to shelve police,NBI clearance awaited

RELAUNCHING. Guests of honor Councilors April Marie Dayap (third from left) and Al Ryan Alejandre (fourth from right) are joined by Anflocor Group of Companies senior vice president Ricardo Floirendo (third from right), chief executive officer Alexander Viloria (second from right), chief financial officer Oscar Grapa (rightmost), Damosa Land,

Inc. vice president Cary Lagdameo, and general manager Edgardo Villaver lead the cutting of ribbon to mark the re-launch of Market Basket yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

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

Census leaves out PWDs, angers disability council

El Niño threatens Mindanaohydroelectric power plants

FEL NIÑO, 10 FCENSUS, 10

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015

SPECIAL Investigation Task Group (SITG) ‘UV Express’ is still looking

for the person matching the composite sketch of the sus-pect who planted an impro-vised explosive device (IED) inside a public utility van (PUV) in Ecoland, Davao City last week.

“We are following this per-

son now with regards to his whereabouts,” Davao City Po-lice Office (DCPO) spokesper-son Chief Inspector Milgrace C. Driz said in yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Crops briefing at the Garden by the Bay.

Driz said the suspect was identified and described by a witness.

According to the witness,

the suspect stands 5’1” to 5’2” in height, is of medium built, aged between 35 and 40, and with white complexion.

Driz said the police investi-gators learned that the suspect frequently travels between Davao City and Maguindanao.

Driz said the SITG is now closely coordinating with the law enforcement agencies in

Maguindanao for the immedi-ate arrest of the suspect.

Although the suspect was seen alone, he could be part of a group that was testing him.

Driz said the suspect was also spotted in a Close Circuit Television (CCTV) footage in Pikit, North Cotabato when he was about to ride the van last

3NEWSEDGEDAVAO

THE prestigious Titus Brandsma Awards is honoring five individu-

als this year, two of them Min-danawons: broadcast journal-ist Abner Francisco for Leader-ship in Community Communi-cation and singer-songwriter Gary Granada for Leadership in Culture and Communica-tion.

Francisco anchors the morning public service pro-gram over DXCA Charm Ra-dio in Kidapawan City while Granada, now based in Laguna, was born in Maco, Compostela Valley, where he finished ele-mentary and high school.

The other awardees are Yvonne Chua of VERA Files, for Leadership in Journalism; Fr. Fran-Josef Eilers, SVD for Leadership in Social Commu-nication and Raymund Villan-ueva for Emerging Leadership in Journalism. The awarding ceremony is on November 27, at the Titus Brandsma Media Center in New Manila.

Initiated by the Titus Brandsma Media Center, a Carmelite Media Ministry, the Titus Brandsma Awards is a biennial award given to indi-

viduals and groups especial-ly to journalists in print and broadcast media. The TBA is the local version of the interna-tional Titus Brandsma Award given by the Union Catholique Internationale dela’ Presse, the world forum of professionals in secular and religious media.

Francisco, awardee for Leadership in Community Communication, has been hailed for his works not only as a journalist but also as a com-munity catalyst and facilitator. He is known for uplifting the lives of the people in North Co-tabato and Mindanao through his brand of innovative and participatory journalism.

Francisco is noted for his leadership and advocacy for good governance in the province being the convener of the Watchful Advocate for Transparent, Clean and Honest Governance (WATCH) North Cotabato.

Granada, awardee for Leadership in Culture and Communication, is an award-winning composer for his pop/folk music artistry. He is known for his songs like

POWER consumers here are asking why the mul-timillion-peso modular

generator sets purchased by the Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative Inc., (SURNECO) were not used to augment power during a prolonged out-age in the city and in 11 munic-

ipalities of Surigao del Norte last Sunday.

“Where are the multi-mil-lion generator sets of SURNE-CO?” Bimbo Patino, one of the power consumers, asked on his Facebook account.

Annette Villaces, informa-tion officer of the city govern-

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

RUSH. Vendors peddling flowers and garlands rush to a passenger alighting from a taxicab in front of SM Lanang Premier where the graduation rites of the University of Mindanao was being held at SMX Convention Center yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

Cops running aftervan blast suspect

2 Mindanawons amongTitus Brandsma awardees

VERBATIM

― Presidential hopeful Mar Roxas, when asked by an Inquirer editor during yesterday’s “Mar Roxas Meets Inquirer Multimedia” event what his hashtag for Mayor Rodrigo Duterte would be.

#Asapamore

Surigaonons ask: Where are the generators?

THE University of the Philippines Mindanao’s Communicators’ Guild

of the BA Communication Arts Program will hold the 1st Regional Student Communi-cation Research in the Philip-pines (Student CoRePH) Con-ference on December 9, 2015 at Top of the Apo, Apo View Hotel, Davao City.

With this year’s theme “New Voices, New Inquiries in Communication Research,” the Student CorePH will convene communication researchers from universities and colleges from Mindanao region and UP constituent universities.

This conference aims to raise awareness among college and university students on the essence and impact of commu-

nication research. Among the research pa-

pers to be presented include four communication research studies for Health and Devel-opment Communication, and 13 for Media Studies. The best papers will be submitted for possible publication in Banwa, the peer reviewed journal of UP Mindanao.

To give an overview of the state of the communication researches in the country, Phil-ippine Association of Commu-nication Educators Foundation Incorporated (PACE) Presi-dent Marco M. Polo will grace the event as keynote speaker.

This will also be participat-ed by undergraduate and grad-uate students of Mass Commu-

SUSPENSION. Land Transportation Office (LTO) 11 assistant regional director Macario Gonzaga tells reporters in yesterday’s AFP-PNP Press Corps briefing that the regional office is still waiting for the order from the central office

suspending the requirement for all professional driver’s license applicants to submit clearances from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and National Bureau Investigation (NBI). Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

UP Min CommGuild setsfirst Student CoRePH gab

ment, was among hundreds who got pissed off by Sun-day’s blackout that stretched to 17 hours. She said it should have been reduced had the generator sets were utilized.

Roland A. Legaspi, techni-cal crew of a local radio station, said the generators are “use-less” because these have not been functioning as intended.

“I hope the generator sets would now function because these have been on standby for two months already,” said Vin-cent Irresari, a local vendor.

But SURNECO general manager Narcisco I. Caliao Jr. said the generators could not

be used commercially right now pending the necessary permits sought by its contrac-tor, Cost Plus, Inc., from govern-ment line agencies.

Caliao said Cost Plus has been waiting for the environ-mental permit from the De-partment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and certificate of compliance to be issued by the Department of Energy (DOE).

He explained that the pro-visional authority from Energy Regulatory Commission is now ready but it needed the permits from DENR and DOE.

FPOLICE, 10

FSURIGAONONS, 10

F2 MINDANAWONS, 10

FUP MIN, 10

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 20154 EDGEDAVAO

SUBURBIA

Region 11 local executives urgedto improve education programsTHE local chief executives

in Davao Region were urged to improve their

respective programs and sup-port to the education system following a survey result that revealed a high rate of out-of-school youth in the region.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recently re-leased the results of the 2013 Functional Literacy, Educa-tion and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), showing that Re-gion XI was third among the regions to have the highest rate of OSY in the entire country.

With 12.2 per cent of OSY aged 6-24 years old, Davao Region followed the trail of Region XII or the SOCCSKSAR-GEN area with 12.3% and Au-tonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao with the highest rate of 14.4%.

Apart from Davao and SOCCSKSARGEN, Central Lu-zon, Zamboanga Peninsula, Caraga and MIMAROPA have

a higher percentage of out-of-school children and youth as compared to the national fig-ure of 10.6%.

The percentage of out-of-school children and youth is lowest in CAR with 7.1%.

PSA Demographic and Health Statistics division chief Benedicta A. Yabut said the local government has a very crucial role to strengthen its education program.

“It’s a wake-up call for the LCEs to exert efforts in the ex-isting education programs,” Yabut told the media during the Dissemination Forum of the 2013 FLEMMS Davao City.

According to PSA, the OSY children and youth are school age children and youth who are unable to avail of the ed-ucation opportunities of the normal school system or who dropped out of formal elemen-tary or secondary education (RA 9155).

OSY children are defined in

the FLEMMS as persons aged 6 to 14 years who are not attend-ing school. Out-of-school youth as persons aged 15 to 24 years who are not attending school, have not finished any college or post secondary course, and are not working.

The 2013 FLEMMS results also showed that 7 out of 10 youth in the 16-24 age group are not currently attending school, and the primary reason was employment or looking for work with 26 percent.

DepEd Region XI Planning and Research Division chief Marilyn Madraso corroborat-ed the results revealing a big discrepancy in the number of enrollees from elementary to secondary public schools.

Madraso bared that the en-rollees in the primary schools in school year 2014-2015 reached to 796,705, while only 273,836 were enrolled in high school.

In the current school year

(2015-2016), the elementary students attending school are 791,036, while only 283,776 are in high school, she said.

Madraso said DepEd has several programs to address drop-out rates, citing pro-grams such as Abot-Alam, Al-ternative Delivery Mode, and the Alternative Learning Sys-tem.

The other FLEMMS re-sults disclosed that around 27 percent of the estimated 4.2 million six years old and over in Davao Region had attended elementary grades but did not complete the elementary level.

Although with the quite high rate of 95.2% of the popu-lation of 10 years old and over are basically literate, Yabut said the basic literacy rate of the region did not significantly improved from 2008 to 2013.

The basic literacy rate among females (96.4 %) is higher compared to their male

POWER OUTAGE. A candle lights up a sari-sari store in Barangay Punta Bilar, Surigao City Sunday night as the city and 18 towns of Surigao del Norte suffered

prolonged power outage lasting as much as 17 hours on Sunday and Monday. MindaNews photo by Roel N. Catoto

NorthCot performerswin NAMCYA awardETHNIC performers in the

province, particularly from the Datu Inda Ele-

mentary School of President Roxas, were recently chosen as one of the winners of the prestigious National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) award.

The school’s 15-mem-ber ethnic dance troupe performed the ‘Sunggod Te Kamanga’ (Feeding the Whet-stone), a Manobo-Kulamanen tribal dance which depicted the rich culture and tradition of the Indigenous Peoples (IP) in President Roxas and in oth-er Indigenous People commu-nities.

Emmanuel Lumayon, di-rector of Datu Inda Elementary School Dance Troupe, said that during the provincial and re-gional level, the Manobo-Kula-manen children gave their best rendition of the ethnic dance in portraying the life of the indig-enous people.

The performance was blended with the sound of tra-

ditional musical instruments such as gongs, tagungguan, lantoy, badil, saluray, and du-wagey.

“The children gracefully showcased their native dance and conveyed the message of life, love and unity of the IPs despite of their different tra-ditions and beliefs,” Lumayon noted.

Meanwhile, Lito Fernan-dez, DepEd Cotabato Schools Division Program Coordinator, said the other winners include Bolton Elementary School Cul-tural Dance Ensemble, Pantun-gan Elementary School Dance, Arts and Literary Develop-ment (DALID) Troupe,P. Kin-dat Elementary School Music Ensemble and Sangasang Ud Liwang Ethnic Ensemble.

“This is a great feat not only for DePed Cotabato but for the entire province and a proof that our students are highly competitive in cultural, sports and academic competi-tions,” he stated.

2nd phase of Davao Norte’s OplanANDAM to go full swing next yearTHE second phase of

Oplan ANDAM cam-paign on disaster man-

agement of the provincial gov-ernment will take a full swing next year, targeting coastal barangays.

Climate Change Adapta-tion-Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Coun-cil executive director Romulo Tagalo in an interview said this move comes after initially covering seven barangays this year.

Taking a more enhanced implementation on disaster preparedness and manage-

ment, the second phase of Oplan ANDAM (Advocacy on Natural Disaster Awareness and Management) “prepares communities on occurrence of storm surge and tsunami,” Tagalo said.

“One good thing about this is that it really uses the maps hazards produced by DOST PAGASA (Department of Sci-ence and Technology Philip-pine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Administra-tion),” he said.

Through Oplan ANDAM 2, the provincial government through CCA-PDDRMC, makes

use of the geo-hazard maps as guides to identify which ba-rangays should fall under the priority list of Oplan ANDAM 2.

Aside from site planting of mangroves and information drive, the Oplan ANDAM 2 sor-tie also brings to target baran-gays some disaster warning signage and device which are of help in keeping members of the community aware when and where to evacuate to safe grounds in case of disaster.

“When they hear the bell rings that signifies that they have to do something; that is

FROM youth savers to young entrepreneurs, Aflatoun members of TC

Youth Laboratory Cooperative were engaged in a hands-on session on Business Expense Savings Training (BEST) on November 7 at the Function Hall of Tagum Coop Main Building.

About 45 elementary stu-dent-participants from nine elementary institutions joined the training, which aimed at developing entrepreneur-ial skills and inculcating the values of entrepreneurship among Tagum Coop child-sav-ers.

Participating pupils were from Laureta Elementary School (ES), Mankilam ES, Ma-gugpo Pilot Central ES, Magug-po Pilot Imelda ES, Apokon ES, Maco Central ES, Rizal ES, Don Ricardo Briz ES, and La Filipina ES.

Necitas Lazaga, Davao del Norte Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) specialist,

taught and trained the partici-pants to practice the values of entrepreneurship by injecting active and fun activities, and by using materials to boost the pupils’ participation.

In groups, children experi-enced how to put up, manage, and run their own businesses through a step-by-step process from budgeting, buying, pro-ducing, selling, computing, and bookkeeping.

Lazaga introduced games and simulation activities to make the whole day training memorable by making the par-ticipants solve a puzzle, pur-chase supplies from a mock-up supermarket, construct sam-ple products from paper ma-terials, sell the products from a mock-up store, tally and com-pute their expenses and sales.

Each of them got an as-signment or position, from Manager, Treasurer, Book-keeper, down to the employees or working staff.

Tagum Coop young savers go BEST

COOP TRAINING. Young participants join in one of the activities of the Business Expense Savings Training (BEST)FTAGUM, 10

FNORTHCOT, 10 FREGION 11, 10

F2ND PHASE, 10

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015 5EDGEDAVAO

ECONOMY

FLAG carrier Phil-ippine Airlines (PAL) on Monday

night rolled out an en-hanced version of its loyalty program, Mabu-hay Miles, which now in-cludes a new logo, new cards, and many new offerings.

The new program now provides custom-ers with greater mile-age rewards, expanded program-partner op-tions, more flexibility in earning and redeeming miles, additional travel perks and ancillary of-ferings.

It also offers great-er seat availability per flight for rewards re-demption which will provide members the chance to convert miles to seats even on peak season.

Upcoming service in-novations are the Mabu-hay Miles Travel Card, the only multi-currency prepaid card in the mar-

ket that allows a mem-ber to earn and redeem miles for every purchase made with partner-mer-chants, and myPALshop which will be PAL’s on-line store.

The new Mabuhay Miles logo, which carries the tagline “Life Gets More Rewarding” has a bolder and bigger word “MILES’ on it.

The new logo will also be placed on the new cards—Mabuhay Miles Elite, Premier Elite and Million Milers. Clas-sic Members will receive their new permanent cards for free as long as he/she is active, with one valid activity for the past 24 months. For new members, once he/she makes his/her first valid activity, he will be sent his new card again for free.

PAL president Jai-me Bautista, during the unveiling ceremony, welcomed the airline

company’s latest devel-opment noting that the program is meant to be one of the key drivers in making PAL the ‘airline of choice’.

“We thank our loyal patrons for their all-out support through the years. As part of the PAL family, we shall endeav-or to offer them what they deserve - a more rewarding mileage and rewards program,” Bau-tista said.

On the other hand, PAL vice president for Ancillary Business Group Kevin Hartigan – Go echoed Bautista’s statement, adding that Mabuhay Miles is more than just a frequent flyer program.

“It has become a symbol of PAL’s com-mitment to delight loyal customers by providing perks and privileges that are at par and even beyond its competitors.” Hartigan-Go said. (PNA)

PAL boosts loyalty program offerings

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 20156 EDGEDAVAOTHE ECONOMY

SOME 200 stakeholders from different Muslim areas in Mindanao con-

vened in Davao City for a three-day Sharia’h Conference to craft a seven-year road map for the implementation of the Islamic financing starting next year.

The activity, which started last November 25 at the Ritz Oasis Garden Hotel, is dubbed “Islamic Financing in the Phil-ippines: A Step towards the

First Seven Year” and aims to identify strategies that will boost the advocacy of Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) on Sharia’h-compliant financ-ing in the country.

PEF partnership and pro-gram manager Richard Tor-res said the PEF, which has financing programs, aims to boost its investment in Islam-ic Financing believing it would alleviate poverty in the Bang-samoro areas.

“We will be implanting the plan by next year,” Torres said in a press conference yester-day. “The first year will focus on information drive and in-creasing the public awareness on Islamic financing.”

He said the PEF together with partner international organizations like Cordaid of The Netherlands will be capacitating more personnel next year to ensure the suc-cess of Islamic financing here.

Torres said the PEF target to increase in current invest-ment of P25 million to Islamic Financing which are imple-mented by their seven partner organizations with more than 700 families beneficiaries.

“By 2020, we are target-ing to invest additional P100 million to Islamic Financing,” he said, adding that the PEF also targets to solicit addition-al P500 million investments from other foundations.

The PEF will be increas-ing its partner organization to 30 by the end of 2020 which will be offering different Is-lamic Financing products like microfinance, insurance, and loan, among others.

World Bank representa-tive Maharlika Alonto said in the same press conference that Islamic financing has a huge potential in the promo-tion of inclusive growth, espe-cially in Muslim areas.

Alonto said Islamic financ-ing will help in addressing economic problem in Muslim area especially with foreseen peace as a result of the ongo-ing peace talk between the government and Muslim reb-el.

Alonto said there have been success stories in other Muslim countries in Middle East and in Southeast Asia that the Philippines can pat-tern its development plan.

Road map for Islamic financingcrc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

A TOTAL of 2,021 mega-watt (MW) potential capacity from different

renewable energy (RE) proj-ects are expect to enter the Mindanao grid after receiving service contracts from the De-partment of Energy (DOE).

Based on the summary of awarded RE projects as of October this year released in the DOE website, bulk of the capacities will be coming from hydroelectric power plants with a total potential capacity of 1,431 MW.

There will be also addi-tional potential capacities from other RE projects, in-cluding from solar power

plants amounting 398 MW; geothermal power plants with 110MW; biomass power plants with 76MW; and ocean power plants with 6MW po-tential capacity.

Engr. Rolando J. Fara-on, DOE Mindanao senior science research specialist, earlier said that power companies award-ed with service contract can proceed with the pre-develop-ment of the power projects.

It would also allow compa-nies to proceed with the com-pliance the needed documents, certificates, and endorsements and conducting their feasibili-ty studies (FS).

Among the big ticket hy-

droelectric power projects awarded with service contract of DOE was the 225MW Agus III of the Maranao Energy Corp. in the municipalities of Pantar and Baloi and Saguiran in the two provinces of Lanao.

The DOE also awarded ser-vice contract to the Bukidnon Hydro Energy Corporation for the 150MW Bulanog-Batang Hydroelectric Power Project in Lanao del and Philnewriver Power Corp. for the setting-up of the 110MW Kabulnan 2 Hy-droelectric Power Project in Isulan Sultan Kudarat.

For the Davao region, the DOE awarded service con-tract to power companies for

17 power projects with the 140MW Davao Hydroelectric Power Project of the San Lo-renzo Ruiz Olympia Energy and Water, Inc in Davao City as the biggest.

Among the power compa-nies that receive service con-tracts were the Sta Clara Pow-er Corp. for five hydroelectric power projects in the munici-pality of Maco in the province of Compostela Valley with a combined potential capacity of 16MW and the Euro Hydro Power Asia Holdings for the 2.40MW New Bataan Hydro-electric Power Project.

For the province of Davao

RE projects to provide over 2,000 MW

AGRICULTURE personnel in Sarangani have stepped up their efforts to contain the

worsening rat infestation in farm areas in parts of the province.

Jonathan Duhaylungsod, chief of Sarangani’ Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAG), said Wednesday they have dis-patched their technical teams to assist local farmers in combatting the infestation.

Citing their monitoring, he said the infestation already affect-ed corn and palay areas in the mu-nicipalities of Alabel, Malapatan, Malungon and Malapatan.

The OPAG is still validating the affected areas but initial field reports noted significant damages in corn areas in Alabel town.

The official attributed the problem to the onset of the dry spell triggered by the strong El Nino Phenomenon that is already affecting parts of the country.

Sarangani was earlier iden-tified as among the vulnerable areas in terms of the negative im-pact of the El Nino, which was pre-

dicted to last until the first quarter of 2016.

Duhaylungsod said they have distributed rodenticides, specifi-cally zinc phosphides, through the Municipal Agriculture Offices to combat the rat infestations.

“We’re also working on re-leasing some assistance to farm-ers who were directly affected by the infestation,” he said in an interview over a local television station.

The current rat infestation is the second occurrence in Saran-gani this year.

The province’s corn and pa-lay areas suffered heavy damages due to massive infestation at the height of the long dry spell that hit the area in the first half of the year.

Based on their assessment, Duhaylungsod said the earlier rat infestation was triggered by the dry spell that started in late 2014 and extended until May this year.

He said the dry spell affected the traditional food sources of the rats and prompted them to invade the farm areas. (PNA)

Sarangani LGU steps updrive vs rat infestation

DOUBLE-DIGIT increas-es in the importation of raw materials and in-

termediate goods, capital and consumer goods kept Phil-ippine merchandise imports afloat in September 2015, according to the National Eco-nomic and Development Au-thority (NEDA).

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported today that total payments for imports increased by 6.7 percent to US$6.2 billion in September 2015 from US$5.8 billion in the same month last year. This is the fourth consecutive month since June this year when imports have increased.

“Upbeat sentiment from the business sector and an overall improvement in con-sumer expectations for the coming quarter will likely keep imports afloat, especial-ly those in the manufacturing and construction sectors. Im-proved purchasing power due to low inflation will also keep consumer demand vibrant in the succeeding months, and will further be ramped-up by holiday spending,” said Eco-nomic Planning Secretary Ar-senio M. Balisacan.

“The growth registered in capital goods for September (40.7%), which is the highest for the year, is also an indica-tion of robust economic activ-ity moving forward,” he added.

Capital goods increased to US$2.0 billion from US$ 1.4 billion in the comparable period last year. Raw materi-als and intermediate goods also increased by 20.1 percent in September 2015 to reach US$2.7 billion compared to US$2.2 billion recorded in the same month last year. Raw materials and intermediate goods serve as inputs in the production of final goods, while capital goods include equipment and materials in which firms invest to expand production and make produc-tion more efficient.

Also, import bills for con-sumer goods grew by 10.1 percent to US$876.8 million in September this year from US$ 796.4 million in Septem-ber 2014, mainly on higher purchases of durable goods particularly of passenger cars and motorized cycle.

However, payments for non-durable goods, primari-

Imports growth remains buoyant in September

HOMEGROWN restau-rant and yogurt-mak-er Bahay ni Tuding

will be offering new experi-ence to yogurt lovers with its dessert.

The new offering called “Create-Your-Own Dessert” is expected to attract food lov-ers who are health conscious.

“We are developing new ways to enjoy yogurt,” Bahay ni Tuding training officer Mel Pangan told reporters.

Instead of topping a scoop of yogurt with papaya-ginger or guyabano jam, diners can either top their yogurt to their

own home-baked cake slice or splash it with coffee liquer, or both for only P85.

Pangan said the restau-rant decided to offer the “Cre-ate-Your-Own Dessert” to give health buffs a guilt-free and healthy snack and dessert.

The proliferation of cake shops as coffee shops in Davao also prompted the four-year restaurant and inn to offer the dessert.

Bahay ni Tuding is using Philippine produce coffee li-quor.

Bahay Ni Tuding has been making buzz in the social me-

dia because of its homemade yogurt.

Pangan said it took them two to three months of ex-perimentation before they come up with the perfect yo-gurt serve to their guests and walk-in clients for only P40.

Different from the yogurt brands available in markets and grocery stores here, yo-gurt at Bahay ni Tuding is one that is thick and creamy.

Fermented for only a few hours, the yogurt in Bahay ni Tuding is not really sour and is suited for sweet tooth who are looking for an ice cream-

like experience.“We have also experi-

mented on different jams that can be topped to our yogurt,” Pangan said. “We now have homemade papaya-ginger and guyabano as toppings aside from chocolate chips, nata de coco, beans, among others.”

Aside from serving yo-gurt, the Bahay ni Tuding has also accommodation rooms and function halls. It has a total of 12 rooms and three function rooms with a capac-ity of more than 200. CHE-NEEN R. CAPON

Bahay ni Tuding and its yummy dessert

FIMPORTS, 10 FRE PROJECTS, 10

HOLIDAY CHEER. Seda Abreeza Hotel general manager Ken Capulong poses beside the hotel’s Christmas tree during the lighting of its Christmas decorations on Tuesday night. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015 7EDGEDAVAO

SCIENCE

When sea level rises

THE sea level is rising fast!According to a new

study published in Na-ture, the world’s oceans are now rising far faster than they did in the past. The current sea-level rise rate -- which started in 1990 -- is 2.5 times faster than it was from 1900 to 1990.

The study found that for much of the 20th century, sea level rise was about 30% less than earlier research had figured. “But that’s not good news because about 25 years ago the seas started rising fast-er and the acceleration in 1990 turns out to be more dramatic than previously calculated,” wrote Seth Borenstein in a dis-patch for Associated Press.

“We’re seeing a significant acceleration in the past few decades,” study lead author Carling Hay, a geophysical re-searcher at Harvard University, was quoted as saying.

According to the report written by Borenstein, previ-ous research showed that be-tween 1900 and 1990, the seas rose about two-thirds of an inch a decade. The new study recalculates the 1900-1990 rate to less than half an inch a decade. Old and new research both say that since 1990s seas are rising at about 30 millime-ters a decade.

“The implications are troubling -- accelerated ocean warming, ice sheet collapse and sea level rise -- all point to more and more sea level rise in the future, perhaps at a faster rate than previously thought,” noted Jonathan Overpeck, co-director of the Institute of the Environment at the Univer-sity of Arizona. “This will make adaptation to climate change more difficult and costly.”

As a consequence of cli-mate change, project sea-level rise is a highly difficult, com-plex, and controversial scien-tific problem, according to a report released by the Wash-

ington, D.C.-based World Bank.Using the analysis of

“semi-empirical” approach -- projecting global sea-level rise by taking into account the ob-served relationship between past sea-level rise and global mean temperature over the past millennium -- a 50 cen-timeter sea-level rise by the 2050s “may be locked in what-ever action is taken now.”

The World Bank report -- entitled Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts and the Case for Re-silience -- maintained: “Limit-ing warming to 2⁰C may limit sea-level rise to about 70 cen-timeters by 2100, but in a 4⁰C world over 100 centimeters can be expected, with sea-lev-el rise in the tropics 10-15% higher than the global aver-age.”

Let’s take a closer look at our region, Southeast Asia. “Due to location of the region close to the equator, sea-level rise along the South East Asian coastlines projected by the end of the 21st century relative to 1986-2005 is generally 10-15% higher than the global mean,” the World Bank report said.

While the sea-level rise near Yangoon (Burma) and Krung Thep (Bangkok) is a bit lower, for all locations in the region, the projected sea-level rise will “be considerably high-er than the global mean,” with Manila at the high end.

“For these locations, re-gional sea-level rise is likely (more than 66% chance) to exceed 50 centimeters above 1986-2005 levels by about 2060 and 100 centimeters by 2090, both about 10 years be-fore the global mean exceeds these levels,” the World Bank report said.

According to the Philip-pine Atmospheric, Geophysi-cal and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), an increasing trend in the sea lev-

el in the country was observed way back in the 1965 yet.

A research conducted by the Philippine Country Study to Address Climate Change, the Manila Bay is already subjected to several hazards, including flooding and storms. “Shore-line changes due to reclama-tion for housing, ports, coastal roads, buildings and other ur-banized development are high, adding to an increased threat of inundation,” the study said.

Let’s take Davao City as a case in point. The recent Business Risk Assessment and the Management of Climate Change Impacts, published by the World Wide Fund for Na-ture (WWF) and Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), said that sea-level rise may cre-ate problems for Davao City’s ports.

“Located along the rel-atively shallow channel be-tween the city and Samal Is-land, these port facilities are a nerve center for Davao City’s economy, and serve a variety of ships handling both cargo and passengers,” the risk as-sessment said.

Sea level rise is also ex-pected to make groundwater becomes salty in taste. “Salin-ity intrusion into groundwater resources occur naturally to some extent in most coastal regions via the hydraulic con-nection between groundwa-ter and seawater including through canals and drainage channels,” the World Bank re-port said.

A United States Agency for International Development study in 2013 projects chang-es in salinity intrusion under a 30-centimeter sea-level during the 2045-2069 peri-od, “which are expected to be moderate during the wet season but significantly more severe during the dry season.”

Salty water is bad for your health. “The most common consequence of excessive salt

Powdery white sand beach like this will soon be gone.

More lands will be under water as sea level rise continues.

As sea level continues to rise, the livelihood opportunities of small fishermen are at stake.

ingestion is hypertension,” the World Bank report said. “Along with hypertension, there is a broad range of health prob-lems potentially link with increased salinity exposure through bathing, drinking, and cooking; these include miscar-riage, skin disease, acute respi-ratory infection, and diarrheal disease.”

Salt intrusion is indeed bad news. In Davao City, for instance, the sources of wa-ter are in danger of becoming salty. “Davao has traditionally tapped surface water from its rivers as its main water source,” the WWF/BPI report said. “It prides itself in the relatively high quality of its drinking water. However, salt intrusion has already been reported in city districts to shore, especially in portions of the city where groundwater extraction continues. Sea level rise may aggravate this situa-tion.”

Scientists claim that for every meter the sea level ris-es, some three kilometers of

inland would be inundated. The sea will literally rise to flood the plains. “Are the peo-ple ready for such scenario?” someone asked.

Sea level rise is one of the certain outcomes of climate change. It was Dr. James E. Hansen of the US National Aeronautics and Space Ad-ministration who first raised the problem of climate change. In 1988, he told an American Senate hearing that the green-house effect “is changing our climate now.”

The greenhouse effect is a natural warming process. According to Dr. Perez, carbon dioxide and certain other gas-es are always present in the at-mosphere. These gases create a warming effect that has some similarity to the warming in-side a greenhouse, hence the name “greenhouse effect.”

Here’s what happens: “Vis-ible sunlight passes through the atmosphere without being absorbed; some are back-scat-tered. Some of the sunlight striking the earth is absorbed

and converted to heat, which warms the surface. The surface emits heat to the atmosphere, where some of it is absorbed by greenhouse gases and re-emitted toward the surface. Some of the heat is not trapped by greenhouse gases and es-capes into space.”

The planet has been warming since prehistoric times, but man’s tampering with the environment has made the temperature change faster. “While human activities during the past century have damaged a long list of nature systems, most of these prob-lems are local or regional in scope and can be reversed in years or decades if sufficient effort is exerted,” wrote Chris-topher Flavin in his book, Slow-ing Global Warming: A World-wide Strategy.

“Changes to the earth’s at-mosphere, on the other hand, are global and -- for all practi-cal purposes-- irreversible not only in our lifetime but in our children’s and grandchildren’s as well,” Flavin added.

Text and photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 20158 EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

EDITORIALSystem error?

THE good news is that the Land Transportation Office (LTO), upon the direction of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya, has

suspended the implementation of administrative order AVT 2015-029 mandating all applicants for professional driver’s licenses to submit clearances from Philippine National Police (PNP) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). This after Abaya himself was called upon by Senate President Franklin Drilon and Senator Ralph Recto to shelve the order because of its adverse effects on people who, by the very nature of their license, earn their living by driving. Getting a police and NBI clearance, after all, is no joke. It entails expense that many drivers of public utility vehicles can ill afford, and it also means drivers have to leave their work and spend many hours lining up for the two permits. With the current state of government bureaucracy, getting these required pieces of paper means sacrificing a significant chunk of money that would have otherwise been used to feed the drivers’ families. The suspension is thus a welcome development.

The bad news is that this is not the LTO’s only problem. The other day a Davaoeño posted a photo of his father’s driver’s license that indicated something extraordinary: the man had not been born

yet — at least according to his license. Born in 1948, the gentleman’s birth year was printed as 2048 on his plastic license, one hundred years from his birth date and still a good 33 years from now. At the LTO office, he was told that when he renews his license a few years hence, he would have to bring his official NSO (National Statistics Office) birth certificate — apparently to prove that he had actually been born already. Talk about absurdity.

The LTO has blamed the mistake on a “system error” on the part of the contractor that, for some reason, affects those who were born in the year 1948. The agency has graciously offered to waive the fee for fixing it, but really, should there even be a charge for a mistake that was committed by the LTO itself? The LTO and its contractor, identified as Allcard Plastics Philippines, has had ample time to fine-tune the system so that it is free of errors, but instead we find that the system is still prone to this and perhaps a number of other mistakes. This is on top of the delays in the release of the plastic cards that has hounded the LTO for quite some time now. It seems that this office has thrown all semblances of efficiency out the window and is comfortable in being a pariah among the agencies that a large number of Filipinos have to deal with.

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

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NOT surprisingly, Senator Chiz Escudero’s tirade against May-or Duterte for supposedly “us-

ing” his presidential candidate Grace Poe as a reason to run exploded in his face. The bigger question, as Vice Mayor Pulong Duterte asked, is “who is using who?” Seems like Chiz is too immersed in showbiz politics (an ac-tress wife, and a one-time actress for a running mate) that he forgot his logic and timing. In the realm of show busi-ness, everything is personal, and all is subject to some kind of crass emo-tional response just to be seen and heard by a public most of whom care about nothing more than what they see and hear than what the sights and sounds actually mean. Unfortunately, this “patuchada” dynamic is what sells these days, and Chiz cannot afford not to sell himself as the campaign period

nears. Sadly for him, he has to es-chew logic in exchange for this. Chiz should have focused on s o m e t h i n g other than what he said in order to have some-thing to say. His good reputation as a former law professor is now stained.

What Chiz failed to understand is that Duterte decided to run on the principle that an American President should never be allowed to rule over the Philippines. Whether or not you agree with him, it’s the principle. It is not personal, not about Grace Poe, and

could well have been Ronnie Nathan-ielsz or well anybody else with the same constitutional infirmity, basing the bottom line is that she is not nat-ural born and cannot be President. Duterte was spot on. Chiz just lost it.

Dan Fernandez is another charac-ter. The lesser known actor running for Santa Rosa City Mayor sent forth by his party, as some suggest, to belt his statements against Mayor Duterte, belittling his track record in turning Davao around in 20 years by saying he could do the same in 10. What I am sure he may not know is that he is played the fool, as another one of the actor politicians known more for their mouth and looks than his congressio-nal track record as a three year repre-sentative from Laguna, or of his per-formance as a Laguna Vice Governor. How can he compare himself with a

mayor with two decades of experience over a multicultural city known then for violence.

His logic, like Escudero’s, is not set very well, like a tile needing more adhesive, It can stick just to be seen by the quality inspector, but will fall off the bathroom wall once dried. He can claim to do the same as Duterte in 10 years maybe if he were a small town mayor. He is obviously oblivious to what Davao is. His city in Laguna is practically a suburb of Metro Manila, has no seaport, no airport, no indig-enous peoples, no insurgency prob-lems. He ought to do it in five.

Fernandez and Escudero come from the same showbiz elite. They make statements to be heard and pro-mote themselves, not to inform and in-spire. I’m just sorry for them. I worry for their constituents.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015 VANTAGE POINTS 9EDGEDAVAO

Rounds 1 and 2 to Duterte

WITHOUT water, we cannot cook rice, our staple food. Without water, we can-

not clean meat, fish, and vegetables. Without water, we won’t have any ice, which we use to make our juices cool.

But more importantly, without water, we won’t have any food to eat. Rice, vegetables, and fruits need wa-ter in order for them to grow. Tilapia, swine, goats, chickens, and other live-stock can’t be raised without water.

“Water for agriculture is critical for food security,” pointed out Dr. Mark W. Rosegrant, a senior research fellow at the Washington-based In-ternational Food Policy Research In-stitute (IFPRI).

“The agriculture of tomorrow will need a lot more water,” observed Col-in Chartres, the director-general of the World Bank-funded International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

This is particularly true in Asia, where agriculture accounts for 86% of annual water withdrawals, com-pared to 49% in the Americas and 38% in Europe.

“Water has contributed most to the growth in rice production for the past 30 years,” said Water: A Looming Crisis, a report released by the Lagu-na-based International Rice Research Institute.

According to a joint document by World Resources Institute and Inter-national Food Policy Research Insti-tute, it takes 1,000 times more water to grow food for an individual than to meet that person’s need for drinking.

About 70% of freshwater goes to irrigation. “Irrigated land in the devel-oping world is expected to increase

by 20% and water with-drawals for i r r i g a t i o n by 14% in the next 25 years, since i r r i g a t i o n i n c r e a s e s the yield of most crops by 100% to 400%,” a re-port said.

A combination of very little new land left for cultivation, an increas-ingly unpredictable climate and water supplies stretched to the lim-it means the only realistic option to feed people in the future will be better management of existing wa-ter supplies, according to the report published jointly by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and IWMI.

“There is no new land or water to develop so we have to make more use of what we have. Existing irrigation systems are often 50 to 70 years old. They are leaking and water is evapo-rating. We urgently need a new gen-eration of irrigation. That is the only way we are going to feed everyone,” Chartres pointed out.

“If we don’t (invest) we will see food crises like the one in 2007 re-peated over and again. That was an early warning. If nothing is done, you are going to get an increase in social unrest, migration and a fertile ground for terrorism,” he added.

Since the demise of communism and the rise of the free market, farm-

ers have increasingly opted to take ir-rigation into their own hands, mainly using cheap Chinese-made pumps. Tens of millions of smallholders have invested in their own pumps so that they can extract water from shallow aquifers whenever they choose.

In the Philippines, agriculture has the highest demand of all water use with 85% while the other sectors – industry and domestic – have a com-bined demand of only 15%.

“With the demand for water grow-ing in all three categories, competi-tion among sectors is intensifying, with agriculture almost always los-ing,” says Lester Brown, president of Washington, D.C.-based Earth Policy Institute.

Within the agricultural sector, crop production receives the greatest attention, but fish and livestock also require water.

“Animals (including fish) consume a relatively small volume of water in comparison to crop consumption and can produce a very high value of output,” says Dr. Ruth Meinzen-Dick, a development sociologist who has done extensive research on water management. “As worldwide demand for animal products increases, the im-portance of supplying water for aqua-culture and livestock is also likely to increase.”

When it rains, it pours, go goes a popular saying. In Davao City, when it rains, it does not only pour. In just a matter of few minutes, some areas are already flooded. Among commut-ers, it is such a hassle.

Most of these rainfalls are wasted. Once they hit the ground, they satu-

rate the area creating a mini-lake. If the rainfalls keep pouring, the after-math is flooding. Some businesses stand still because people cannot move as they are afraid they might get wet.

Rainwater, before it hits the ground, can be used in some ways. Although the water may not be fit for drinking -- as it may be contaminated with some chemicals while on the air -- it can be used for watering plants and flushing the toilet.

This must be the reason why the local government passed a law re-cently which requires all new busi-ness or residential buildings to in-clude a rainwater catchment system design when applying for building permits.

The ordinance reprimands “per-son or persons, owners or residential buildings, business entities or corpo-rations a fine of one thousand pesos but not exceeding ten thousand pesos or imprisonment of six months but not exceeding one year for violations.”

“Water is everywhere,” said an of-ficial of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “In our bodies, in the air we breathe, in the food we eat and in the country-side around us. It’s part of our history and our religions.”

Of course, water is free. The UNE-SCO official begs to disagree: “It may be free when it’s flowing in a river or splashing against rocks, but it isn’t as soon as people start using it. It costs money to make good quality water available from taps and then return it to the environment after being treat-ed.”

No water, no food

Henrylito D. Taciohenrytacio@gmail.com

THINK ON THESE!

John Triaecisouth@gmail.com

MY TWO CENTS’

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 201510

Tagum... FROM 4

NorthCot... FROM 4

HISTORY... FROM 13

2nd phase... FROM 4

RE projects... FROM 6

Surigaonons... FROM 3

El Niño... FROM 2

Census... FROM 2

Police... FROM 3

2 Mindanawons... FROM 3

UP Min... FROM 3

Imports... FROM 6

Region 11... FROM 4

EDGEDAVAONEWS

Jenalyn Rivera, the Youth Program officer of Tagum Co-operative, said the activity was centered on “capability-build-ing” of savers to engage in en-trepreneurship so they may have income to sustain their savings in the Cooperative.

“They can also use the skills in the future” Rivera add-ed.

Vice-chairperson of TC Board of Directors (BOD) Mon-ica L. Salido and BOD members Edgardo T. Silagan and Nenita R. Malbas, who all formed part of TC Laboratory Cooperative’s Board of Advisers, personally came to support the activity along with General Manager Juris D. Perez.

“Sa kagamay sa inyong lawas, higante ang inyong in-terest… dili jud ni makalimtan (In your small bodies, you have giant interest… you will never

forget this)” Salido said in her message.

The Aflatoun coordinators from the participating schools also came to help in facilitating the training.

“Thank you for the oppor-tunity, naa pa unta’y sunod (I hope there is still a next one)” an Aflatoun coordinator from Maco Central Elementary School said.

Aflatoun is a school-based savings program of Tagum Co-operative intended to collate savings from elementary pu-pils in accredited elementary schools in Tagum and other parts of ComVal, Davao del Norte, and Davao City.

BEST will continue running through the remaining Satur-days of November at Tagum Cooperative Branches namely Nabunturan, Carmen, and Sto. Tomas. (Tagum Cooperative)

Both Lumayon and Fer-nandez expressed their grati-tude to those who supported Datu Inda Elementary School especially the DepEd Cotaba-to Schools Division and the Provincial Government of Co-tabato.

The provincial govern-ment extended assistance for the airfare and food of the par-ticipants.

“We aim that the youth of

the province to continue giving their best and becoming pro-ductive individuals and future leaders,” the governor said.

The participants are now in Manila not only for the awarding but also for a week-long presentation at the Cultur-al Center of the Philippines and to different universities and colleges. (SJDuerme-PIA12 with report from NorthCot Media Center)

counterpart (94.1 %), the 2013 FLEMMS results bared.

Basic simple literacy is de-fined as the ability of a person to read and write with under-standing a simple message in any language or dialect.

“These (results) pose a great challenge to Davao Region which considers the

youth as one of the critical human resources of the re-gion on which its future de-velopment directions could be gauged upon,” commented National Economic and Devel-opment Authority (NEDA-XI) regional director Ma. Lourdes Lim. (PIA-XI/Carina L. Cay-on)

to run to safe areas. So with the maps, the guides and the bell, these complete the early warn-ing system,” Tagalo said.

Firmed up only in Sep-tember 2015, Oplan ANDAM 2 earlier covered the seven ba-rangays of JP Laurel in Panabo;

Liboganon in Tagum City; Ki-nawitnon, Tambo and San Jose in the Island Garden City of Sa-mal. The last two sites for the year are barangays Cauag and Balet in the Island Garden City of Samal. (PIA XI/ Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)

pioneers of the area have gone, the old Santa Cruz chapel, the first landmark to welcome a visitor in the community, still stands proud although weathered. On a yearly basis, the fiesta celebration fills the area with good cheer. In par-ticular, the nearby billiards hall owned by the Pavo family has survived decades of tourna-ments, and each has become a silently witness to the annual May fiesta.

There’s no legend attached to why the settlement has ad-opted Soliman as its name. What is known is that it is one

of four secondary roads in the Agdao area named after Filipi-no chieftains, the three others being Lakandula, Lapu-lapu, and Urduja.

Today, Soliman has be-come a village of concrete structures lined on either side of the concrete road, a testa-ment to the changes it has ab-sorbed as a result of progress. The clear seawater where frolicking kids swam has long been gone, and the mangroves that were the source of liveli-hood and food for some resi-dents are forever buried under layers of bagasse.

ly rice, registered a decrease during the period because of lower rice volume purchased on a year-on-year basis.

“The drop in rice imports may only be temporary as the government allowed for additional rice imports in the fourth quarter of the year given the prevailing El Nino, which is still affecting domes-tic rice production,” said Bali-sacan, who is also NEDA Direc-tor-General.

Among the monitored trade-oriented economies in East and Southeast Asia, only the Philippines and Viet Nam recorded positive imports in September this year.

Trade-in-goods deficit ex-panded to US$5.6 billion for January to September 2015 compared to US$1.8 billion deficit in the same period last year. The increase in trade deficit was due to the 24.7 per-

cent decline in merchandise exports recorded in Septem-ber 2015, the largest contrac-tion since September 2011.

“On the back of sluggish global growth, economic policies should continue to encourage investments that cater to domestic demand. Continuous improvements in product quality, innovation and infrastructure support to local industries should be sus-tained in order to elevate the competitiveness of the domes-tic industries, and make them at par with imported prod-ucts,” the Cabinet official said.

“Local industries can also take advantage of the lower prices of commodities in or-der to beef up inventory and expand capacity. At the same time, the purchasing power of consumers, especially the poor, needs to be strength-ened,” said Balisacan.

del Sur ,the DOE recorded four power projects with a total capacity of more than 21MW. The Davao del Sur Electric Co-operatives, Inc will be building the 5MW Ruparan Hydroelec-tric Power Porject while the LGU of Malita will be setting up the 2.50MW Malita Hydroelec-tric Power Project (HEPP).

The Hedcor Sibulan Inc is also securing necessary per-mits for the building of the Tudaya 1 and 2 HEPP in Sta

Cruz with a combined installed capacity of 13.60MW.

Other projects are located in Davao Oriental, namely the 11MW Baganga River HEP and 16MW Cateel River HEPP of the Global Sibagat Hydro Power Corp. and the 2MW Osmeña HEPP of LGS Renew-able Energies Corp in Caraga and the 23MW Sumlog 1 and 2 in Lupon of the Alsons Energy Development Corp. CHENEEN R. CAPON

“We will opt to it as a pos-sible recourse when the situa-tion gets worse,” he said.

Noriel Christopher Reyes, science research specialist II at the Department of Ener-gy’s Electric Power Industry Management Bureau, also said four units of coal-fired power plants with a combined power capacity of 550 megawatts will be connected to the Mindanao grid in the first half of 2016.

Two units will start in the first quarter: the 150-MW unit of the Therma South Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power, in Binugao, Toril in Davao City; and the 100-MW unit of the Sa-rangani Energy Corporation in

Maasim, Sarangani Province.The San Miguel Power

Corporation will start com-mercial operation of its two power plants, each having a capacity of 150 MW, in the second quarter, according to Reyes.

From November 2015 to February 2016, he said, the impact of El Niño will be more evident with a projected pow-er deficiency placed at 100-200MW.

But Mindanao’s power situation will normalize with the entry of the new power capacities on the grid, he add-ed. Antonio L. Colina IV/Min-daNews

the government in formulating “policies concerning various segments of the population (children, youth, elderly, wom-en of reproductive age, voting age, and working age)” as well as “policies and programs rel-ative to the delivery of basic services, such as on health, ed-ucation, employment, housing, infrastructure, disaster relief, and other socio-economic con-cerns.”

PSA did not respond to further follow-up questions, but did provide copies of the basic questionnaire it used in the 2015 census.

The non-inclusion of dis-

ability questions in the census would make the country re-miss in its obligation as a sig-natory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of PWDs (UNCRPD).

Article 31 of the CRPD di-rects state parties to “collect appropriate information, in-cluding statistical and research data” on disability.

As a UN member state, the Philippines is also bound by the sustainable development goals (SDGs), launched this year to replace the expired mil-lennium development goals (MDGs). Jake Soriano/VERA Files

November 18.“The person in the video is

also the same person in the fa-cial composite as described by the witness,” she said.

Driz said the team is still holding on to extortion and personal grudge over illegal van terminals as possible an-gles.

Driz had earlier said the van driver, identified as Her-man Daag, and the son of the van owner told her that some groups in North Cotabato were extorting money from the owner.

Driz also said it is possible that the bomb was planted by people disgruntled by Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte’s earlier order to dismantle all illegal

terminals in the city.The improvised explosive

device went off inside a mov-ing passenger van around 9:45 a.m. of November 18 along Eco West Drive, Ecoland.

The white PUV bearing a plate number MVW 553 had unloaded passengers at the SM City Davao van terminal and was traversing the area when the bomb exploded from its rear section.

No one was killed in the blast but the van’s helper, identified as Tata Basañes, sustained minor injuries when he was hit by shrapnel in the nape.

Some cars parked in the area were also hit by the frag-ments of the IED.

Salamat sa Musika, Kahit Kon-ti, Mabuti Pa Sila, Saranggola sa Ulan, among others. A musical genius who produced jingles that became popular songs like Kapag Nananalo/Natatalo ang Ginebra, Iba na ang Pinoy, Alay Mo Buhay Ko, Bangon Na, Mag-impok sa Bangko,

Lakbayin Natin ang Pili-pinas and Tagumpay Nating Lahat, Granada has also writ-ten books on teaching nation-alism, globalization, women’s rights and intellectual prop-erty to students in the middle school up to college.

In his book which also in-cludes chords and lyrics of his songs, Granada said he is first of all a teacher who happens to know about music. He taught at the University of the Philip-pines College of Development Communication and College Algebra at the UP Los Baños.

Titus Brandsma Awards has recognized different indi-viduals in the mainstream me-dia for their exemplary works like Kara David and Howie Severino of GMA News, Pa-tricia Evangelista of Rappler, Carolyn O. Arguillas of Min-daNews.

Aside from Arguillas, an-

other Mindanawon awardee is MindaNews columnist Patri-cio Diaz who was honored in 2002 with a “Lifetime Achieve-ment Award” for his “commit-ment to education and public information to Mindanawons as Journalist, Educator and Peace Advocate.”

Two Mindanawon jour-nalists were conferred posthu-mous awards by Titus Brands-ma in 2009: Edgar Damale-rio and Marlene Esperat for having stood for the truth “in times of threats, compromis-es, despite odds and reprisals from the powers that be.”

Damalerio, managing ed-itor of the weekly newspaper Zamboanga Scribe and a com-mentator on DXKP radio sta-tion in Pagadian City was killed while on his way home from a press conference on May 13, 2002 while Esperat, a chemist of the Department of Agricul-ture turned whistleblower and columnist of the Tacurong City-based Midland Review, was gunned down while hav-ing dinner with her children in her residence in Tacurong City on Maundy Thursday, March 24, 2005. (John Frances C. Fuentes/MindaNews)

nications, Communication Arts and other communication-re-lated degree programs, as well as faculty members, media and communication practitioners and professionals from all over the region.

Registration fees will be waived for presenters and participants inclusive of con-ference kit and lunch. Partici-pants shall register to ensure seats at the venue.

Last year, the 1st Davao

Communication Research in the Philippines (CorRePH) Conference was launched, which also highlighted various researches in the field of com-munication and studies.

The Communicators’ Guild (CommGuild) is the ac-ademic organization of the BA Communication Arts program of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Uni-versity of the Philippines Min-danao.

March last year SURNECO conducted a bidding for five units of diesel-fired modular generator sets with the ap-proved budget of P205 million from National Electrification Administration, funded by the P4-billion Malampaya Funds.

Caliao said the five units, which could generate at least 10 megawatts, had been in-stalled and commissioned last September 24.

“These five units have been tested two times a day, one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening, for al-most two months now but we cannot operate these for com-mercial use pending necessary permits,” he said.

“The power generated from the daily testing is being dispatched to lines and it’s free of charge since we are waiting for permits for commercial op-eration,” Caliao stressed.

He said once permits are completed, Cost Plus would start commercial operations. The company will supply elec-tricity exclusively to SURNECO.

Caliao said SURNECO has

a daily power deficit of 4-6 megawatts.

The National Grid Cor-poration of the Philippines’ preventive maintenance work caused the blackout last Sun-day. Aside from SURNECO’s franchise areas, it also affected the nine towns under the Siar-gao Island Electric Cooperative Inc.

The prolonged blackout in the city on Sunday drew flak from residents who blamed it on the local power distribution firm.

Sunday’s scheduled black-out affected 20 towns in Su-rigao del Norte and Surigao City. While it lasted 12 hours, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., in most of the affected areas, it stretched to 17 hours in this city and in the municipalities of San Fran-cisco and Malimono.

Caliao asked for consider-ation and patience on the part of the consumers for the coop-erative’s failure to restore pow-er as scheduled. He attributed the delayed restoration of pow-er to a technical glitch in one of their substations. Roel Catoto

FOOD

EDGEDAVAOINdulge!

Vikings’ Sous Chef Richtofen Barraquias (right) rolls out the Roast Turkey.

Roast Turkey with Apple and Bacon Stuffing.Vikings’ Clark serves up a pan of Oven Roasted Shellfish.

Grandma’s Meat Loaf Muffin.

Pumpkin Squares.Crab and Roasted Corn Chowder.

Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad.

ASIDE from the Fourth of July, there is nothing that is more Ameri-can than Thanksgiving. Normally celebrated on the fourth Thurs-day of November, Thanksgiving Day is a day of giving thanks for the blessings of the harvest and of the preceding year. People in the United States often call Thanksgiving “Turkey Day” as the huge bird often takes center stage in any Thanksgiving Feast.

Thanksgiving tales from a

With a desire to give each Dabawenyo Urban-ite an honest to goodness feast of plenty, Vikings recently rolled out its new and exciting Thanksgiving buffet items that are sure to bring the Thanksgiving experience to diners. New for the holiday buf-fet spread is Viking’s Crab and Roasted Corn Chow-der - a hearty soup that is reminiscent of seafood chowder with the added smokiness of roast corn. Also new on the menu is the light and tangy Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese

Salad which is sure to please those who want to eat light and right. Inspired by an Ameri-can clam bake, the Oven Roasted Shellfish with Lemon, Garlic and Butter Dressing is sure to keep seafood lovers busy with its rich briny flavour ac-

cented by a hit of fresh zesty lemon. The star of any Thanks-giving feast though should be the Roast Turkey. Vi-kings serves their roast turkey complete with an apple and bacon stuffing, vegetable sides, and a rich demi glace sauce that ac-

centuates the moist turkey meat. “The turkey is the star of the holiday season and we take hours to prepare and slowly roast the bird to perfection,” said Vikings Lanang’s Sous Chef Rich-tofen Barraquias “Diners can expect to taste Vikings Lanang’s Roast Turkey for Thanksgiving Dinner as well as weekends after that all through Christmas.” Given another fact that Thanksgiving is the offi-cial start of the Christmas Season, I would say that this year’s holidays are sure to be a belly busting celebration. Follow me on Instagram or on Twitter at @kenneth-kingong for more travel sto-ries, foodie finds, and hap-penings in, around, and beyond Durianburg.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015

Today, as I celebrate another year, I would like to get personal and share with you some of my favorite weekend perk-me-up-coffee-fixins. Yes, weekends are when I ex-periment in the kitchen and come up with con-coctions to add to my list of favorites. This here is a compilation that fu-eled my weekend mood. Enjoy! And remember, you can always mix and match your pairings! Before anything else, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude and thanks to those who re-membered. For more years, cheers my fellow royalties! xoxo #theroyal-chef

White Chocolate and Butterscotch Latte Something I experi-mented with. Took some excess chips after baking and this happened! 3 cups almond or soy milk 1/3 cup white chocolate chips 1/3 cup butterscotch chips 2 tablespoons coffee gran-ules 1 teaspoon vanilla extract In a saucepan over low heat, stir milk, chips and coffee granules until melt-ed. Stir in vanilla extract.

Pour evenly into mason jars. Garnish with cinna-mon powder.

Sweet & Creamy Iced Coffee Sometimes, I want something sweet and iced. This is my go-to. 2/3 cup coffee granules 6 cups hot water 1 can condensed milk In a pan, dissolve gran-ules in hot water. Add condense milk and stir well. You can adjust the sweetness to your liking. Also, I add a pinch of cin-namon powder for a bold-er kick. Allow to and serve in glasses with ice.

Coffee and Cream Coffee and ice cream? Why not! ½ cup hot water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons coffee gran-ules

MY EVERY MORNING begins with a cup of hot, aromatic coffee. Be it instant, pressed or however, I always start the day with one. It’s like a life-line that com-pletes my any day. More so, it sets the mood for my day. So, yeah, a cup of cof-fee, for me, is more than just a cup – it’s part and parcel of my life.

A2 INdulge! EDGEDAVAOFOOD

Quick and easy

COFFEE MIXES

solves. Add cold water and mix well. By teaspoonfuls, drop vanilla ice cream into coffee mixture. You can also use chocolate and coffee flavored ice creams. Mix. Serve immediately. At times, I’d add slices of fresh banana.

Frozen Banana Latte Banana is a staple at home and so is coffee. So, why not marry the two for an amazing taste! 1 ½ cup strong black cof-fee ¾ cup almond or soy milk 2 frozen bananas, cut in half

2 tablespoons chocolate li-queur (can also use choc-olate syrup) ¼ cup sugar ½ cup ice cubes In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until frothy. Pour into glasses and serve imme-diately. And this is my ultimate favorite…

Peppermint Mocha Coffee This is my end of the year drink from Star-bucks. So, instead of wait-ing for the year to end be-fore I can have this, why not have some at home – all year ‘round! 3 cups almond or soy milk ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa 1/3 cup sugar 3 cups brewed coffee 6 peppermint candy canes In a medium saucepan over medium heat, com-bine milk, cocoa, and sug-ar. Mix well. Stir in coffee, heating until hot. Pour into mugs and garnish each with candy cane. If you want, you can top it with cream and pinch of mixed coffee granules and cinnamon powder. Make #TheRoyalChef your Thursday habit. Tag me on instagram (@her-royalheiress) for your de-licious food finds!

3 ½ cups cold water vanil-la ice cream, softened In a deep bowl, combine

hot water, vanilla extract and granules. Stir until granules completely dis-

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015

AFTER MUCH anticipation, GMA Network’s Royal Couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera finally welcomed their first born last Monday, November 23. Marian gave birth to a baby girl, Maria Letizia, whom the couple named after Dingdong’s grandmother and Marian’s aunt. The proud father posted a photo of him holding the baby’s hand on Instagram (@dongdantes) on

Monday night with the caption: “Twenty-three November, 2015: The day God decided to deliver His most precious gift. This morning, I witnessed a miracle... and during that moment, I realized that life will never be the same again. As we welcome this new graceful chapter with open hearts, we thank everyone who prayed with us through this sweet journey. Friends, say hello to Maria Letizia. @therealmarian.” Throughout Marian’s pregnancy, the couple

FROM November 25 to 30, celebrate Thanksgiving with your family and friends in SM Lanang Premier and get up to 70% off when you shop at participating stores mallwide. SM Advantage, Prestige and BDO Rewards Card holders can also enjoy an additional 10% off on November 25 at The SM Store, Ace Hardware, Forever 21, Kultura Filipino, Our Home, Toy Kingdom and Watsons. Enjoy Thanksgiving Specials in SM Lanang Premier! Check out SM Lanang Premier on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates.

INdulge! A3EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENT

UP AND ABOUT

Dongyan welcome first bornphotos of them preparing for the arrival of their baby. Dingdong and Marian announced that they’re expecting their first child in April - four months after the couple got married in a lavish wedding in December last year. Marian was still very much visible on TV as one of the hosts of GMA’s Sunday PinaSaya before she took a leave earlier

this month. Dingdong, on the other hand, continues to host the latest edition of the artista search, Starstruck while fulfilling his responsibilities as Commissioner-At-Large of the National Youth Commission and Chairperson of YesPinoy Foundation. Sunday PinaSaya and Starstruck air worldwide on GMA’s flagship international channel, GMA Pinoy TV.

Merry Markdowns, Thanksgiving Specials in SM Lanang Premier

excitedly shared their journey to parenthood

with their fans on Instagram, often posting

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015

PG

PG

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

THE GOOD DINOSAUR

Raymond Ochoa, Jeffrey Wright

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

VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN

11:40 | 2:15 | 4:50 | 7:25 | 10:00 LFS

THE HUNGER GAMES:MOCKINGJAY 2

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson

12:40 | 3:00 | 5:20 | 7:40 | 10:00 LFS

Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy

A SECOND CHANCE

Bea Alonzo, John Lloyd Cruz

November 25 – December 1, 2015

Stories of Love Unfold on SKY Pay-Per-ViewRIGHT BEFORE THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS, SKY Pay-Per-View brings two romantic movies that reveal two contrasting stories of love. And in line with SKY’s 25th anniversary, these movies may be enjoyed for only P25 each.

That Thing Called Tadhana began as an independent hit that enjoyed a limited run in select cinemas. When fans on and offline called for a wider national release, the film starring Angelica Panganiban and JM de Guzman sky-rocketed to blockbuster status. The appeal of the film didn’t just come from the very relatable, down-to-earth back stories of the protagonists, but also from the natural charm and chemistry that the actors exude on-screen. Now for only P25 pesos, you can tune

into the three-day unlimited viewing of That Thing Called Tadhana from the 15th to 30th of November 2015. The movie can be viewed through these channels: Ch. 702 (HD) and Ch. 22 (SD). You can also visit www.mysky.com/tadhana to immediately activate your Pay-Per-View subscription.

Jericho Rosales stars in the Cinema One Original Film, Red. The film revolves around the life of Red, an orphaned boy who was raised by the kindly Molo, the manager of a local girly bar. As the story progresses, viewers can witness how he grew into the town’s best fixer, attending to the needs of everyone around him – even if they belong to criminal elements. Fans of the independent movie scene can expect a moving story, on how Red pursues his love for Mai amidst all the

chaos around him. Watch Red in both standard or high definition for just P25. The movie is available for a three-day unlimited viewing from the 15th to 30th of November 2015 on the following channels: Ch. 703 (HD) and Ch. 23 (SD. To activate your Pay-Per-View immediately, you can visit www.mysky.com.ph/red.

These two heart-warming Pay-Per-View features can also be availed via SMS. To begin the registration process, text SKYBUY REG <insert your cable account #> <smartcard #> and text to 2331 (for Globe, TM, ABS-CBN, and Sun Cellular) or 231 (for Smart, and Talk ‘N Text). Once registered, text SKYBUY TADHANA SD (or HD for high definition), to subscribe to That Thing Called Tadhana; or SKYBUY RED SD (or HD for high definition), to subscribe to Red. For SMS registration,

the standard rate of P2.50/text applies. Both Pay-Per-View movies can also be accessed via SKY On Demand.

Interested in getting SKY Pay-Per-View? Simply visit www.mysky.com.ph, or call the 24-hour customer service hotline at 305-5456. You may also send a text for free to the text hotline 23662. The customer service team can also be reached via this email address: skyserves@skycable.com.ph

Only SKY cable provides quality home entertainment with the widest-range of standard and high definition digital channels; with over 200 channels, and other top-of-the-line services such as flexible subscription options via SELECT; iRECORD that records, pauses, and rewinds live TV; as well as real-time coverage of live concerts and sporting events via FREE VIEW and PAY-PER-VIEW.

A4 INdulge! EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015

LICENSE – shall mean the privilege or the authority granted by the office of the City Mayor, through a recommendation from the City Tourism Operations Office to own, generate and maintain a tourist-related establishment and/or facility covered by this Ordinance;

OFFICE – refers to the City Tourism Operations Office;REGISTRATION – refers to the act of listing of all tourism-related establishments

including those activities and promotion programs, after such tourism-related establishments have been certified by the City Government of Davao, through the City Tourism Operations Office, as having conformed with the minimum standards/requirements in accordance with the Ordinance;

COMMUNITY-BASED ECOTOURISM – a form of ecotourism that promotes the participation of the locals in the tourism trade of their locality, where they have a stake in the benefits and profits thereof. Community-based ecotourism ensures and improves the natural ecosystems of the locality as part of their income generating and locality development strategy, and more importantly, the well being of the locals themselves.

LOW-IMPACT (VISITOR) BEHAVIOR – the proper etiquettes observed by the visitor during his/her stay in the locality. This behavior must be an aid in sustaining the natural ecosystems in the locality where he/she is visiting, and ensures that his/her actions bring no harm or injury towards the environment and to the locals. Such respect and caution shall also be observed by the locals towards their visitors.

TOURISM ENTERPRISES – refers to facilities, services and attractions involved in tourism, such as, but not limited to, travel and tour services, tourist transport services, whether for land, sea or air transportation; tour guides; adventure sports services involving such sports as mountaineering, spelunking, scuba diving and other sports activities of significant tourism potential; convention organizers; accommodation establishments, including, but not limited to, hotels, resorts, apartelles, tourist inns, motels, pension houses and home stay operators; tourism estate management services, restaurants, shops and department stores, sports and recreational centers, spas, museums and galleries, theme parks, convention centers and zoos. It could either be:

A. PRIMARY TOURISM ENTERPRISE – refers to facilities, services and attractions that are directly related or involved to tourism such as, but not limited to the following:

1. HOMESTAY – refers to an alternative service accommodation offered by the locals that allows visitors to rent a guest room in the local’s home. Basic accommodations are to be expected, but additional services, not contrary to law, public order, good morals and customs, may be offered.

2. HOTEL – refers to full service accommodation with reception and guest rooms generally offering private facilities with an onsite restaurant, room and bar services available. Additional facilities such as business centers and conference rooms are expected;

3. RESORT – refers to full service accommodation located in a more natural, relaxed environment, with reception and guest rooms generally offering private facilities with an onsite restaurant, room and bar service available. Additional recreation facilities and tour services are expected;

4. SELF-STYLED ACCOMODATION ESTABLISHMENT – refers to any edifice or premises or a completely independent part thereof, which is used for the regular reception, accommodation or lodging of travelers and tourists for a fee which is not otherwise classified as a hotel, resort or motel, including, but not limited to, the following, to wit: APARTMENT HOTEL (APARTEL), CONDOTEL, DORMITEL, HOSTEL, HOMETEL, HOMESTAY, and BED & BREAKFAST;

5. PENSION HOUSE/ INN – a private or family-operated establishment that regularly caters to tourists and/or travelers, containing not more than twelve (12) independent lettable rooms where meals are provided for guests;

6. MOTORIST HOTEL (MOTEL) – any structure with several separate units, primarily located along the highway with individual or common parking spaces, at which motorists may obtain lodging and, in some instances, meals;

7. TRAVEL AGENCY – an entity which may either be a single proprietorship, partnership or corporation regularly engaged in the business of extending to individual or groups, such services pertaining to documentation of travel papers, ticketing, sales and/or accommodation, handling and/or conduct of tours within or outside the Philippines, whether for a fee, commission or any form of compensation;

8. TOUR OPERATOR – a commercial enterprise which may either be a single proprietorship, partnership, corporation or cooperative that engages in business pertaining to domestic inbound tour

9. TOURIST TRANSPORT OPERATOR – an entity that may either be a single proprietorship, partnership or corporation extending to individuals or groups such services pertaining to tourist transportation;

Republic of the PhilippinesCity of Davao

Office of the Sangguniang Panlungsod

B1

17th City Council41st Regular SessionSeries of 2014

PRESENT: Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte - Presiding Officer Councilor Nilo M. Abellera Jr. Councilor Ma. Belen S. Acosta Councilor Victorio U. Advincula Jr. Councilor Bernard E. Al-ag Councilor Al Ryan S. Alejandre Councilor Leonardo R. Avila III Councilor Karlo S. Bello Councilor Joanne M. Bonguyan-Quilos Councilor Louie John J. Bonguyan Councilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang Councilor April Marie C. Dayap Councilor Jimmy G. Dureza Councilor Leah A. Librado-Yap Councilor Rene Elias C. Lopez Councilor Diosdado Angelo A. Mahipus Sr. Councilor Berino L. Mambo-o Sr. Councilor Bonifacio E. Militar Councilor Tomas J. Monteverde IV Councilor Mary Joselle D. Villafuerte Councilor Rachel P. Zozobrado

ON OFFICIAL BUSINESS:

Councilor Edgar R. Ibuyan Sr. Councilor Antoinette G. Principe-Castrodes Councilor Marissa P. Salvador-Abella

ABSENT:

Councilor January N. Duterte - On Sick Leave Councilor Myrna G. L’Dalodo-Ortiz - On Sick Leave

ORDINANCE NO. 0231-14Series of 2014

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE TOURISM CODE OF DAVAO CITY

Be it ordained by the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Davao City in session assembled that:

ARTICLE ITITLE OF THE ORDINANCE

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE - This Ordinance shall be known as the Amended Tourism Development Code of Davao City.

ARTICLE IIDECLARATION OF POLICY

SECTION 2. DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES - This Ordinance shall observe the global code of ethics for Tourism and Ecotourism; and shall be guided by the following principles: low-impact visitor behavior, balance conservation, development, ecological integrity, community-based involvement and family oriented while it protects its cultural heritage through the promotion of sustainable, economically viable and socially equitable tourism. This Ordinance shall further observe the principles of community-based ecotourism of building respect for the environment and providing financial benefits for the long-term preservation and effective conservation of natural ecosystems. It shall also encourage the raising of cultural awareness and the provision of direct financial benefits to, as well as the empowerment and involvement of, the locality. Finally, this Ordinance shall include in its principles the assurance of the positive experiences of the visitors and the locals, and the raising of sensitivities to our city’s political, social, and environmental climate.

ARTICLE IIIDEFINITION OF TERMS

SECTION 3. DEFINITION - For purposes of this Ordinance, the following terms shall mean:

ACCREDITATION – a certification issued by the Department to a tourism enterprise that officially recognizes it as having complied with the minimum standards for the operation of tourism facilities and services;

CITY – refers to the City of Davao;

COUNCIL – refers to the Tourism Council of Davao City;

DEPARTMENT – refers to the Department of Tourism;

EDGEDAVAO CLASSIFIED

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015

10. TICKETING AGENT/TICKETING COMPANY – a commercial enterprise engaged solely in selling tickets for land, air and sea transportation services;

11. TOUR GUIDE – an individual licensed by the city to guide tourists for a fee;

12. MICE – refers to Meetings, Incentives, Convention and Events services and facilities;

13. MICE ORGANIZER – shall mean to include Professional Convention Organizer, Professional Exhibition Organizer and Event Organizer

a. Professional Convention Organizer (PCO) – an enterprise providing professional services in organizing and managing meetings and conventions/congresses, whether creating and organizing its own meeting, convention or congress or for another entity. Its capability is to provide services from conceptualization to implementation of an event;

b. Professional Exhibition Organizer (PEO) – an enterprise providing professional services in organizing and managing exhibitions or trade fairs/trade shows whether creating and organizing its own exhibition or managing an exhibition for another entity. Its capability is to provide services from conceptualization to the implementation of an event;

c. Special Event Organizer – an enterprise providing professional services in organizing and managing special events or shows, whether creating and organizing its own event or managing an event for another entity. Its capability is to provide services from conceptualization to implementation of an event;

14. MICE FACILITY – refers to facilities or venues that cater to meetings, incentives, conventions, events and exhibits;

B. SECONDARY TOURISM ENTERPRISE – facilities and services that may be related to tourism such as, but not limited to, the following:

1. RESTAURANT - any commercial establishments offering meals, beverages and drinks to the public;

2. MALL – an establishment, usually a large, often enclosed area comprising of a department store, grocery, shops, fast food and food stations, as well as recreational facilities;

3. SHOP – a retail establishment offering specific lines of goods and services such as crafts, souvenirs, fruit stands and other similar items;

4. DEPARTMENT STORE- a store that sells or carries several lines of merchandise and that is organized into separate sections for the purpose of promotion, service, accounting and control;

5. SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES – these include aquatic and water sports facilities, golf courses, diving spots, and other similar facilities forming part of a property;

6. ECOTOURISM - a form of sustainable tourism within a natural and cultural heritage area where community participation, protection and management of natural resources, culture and indigenous knowledge and practices, environmental education and ethics, as well as economic benefits are fostered and pursued for the enrichment of host communities and the satisfaction of visitors;

7. HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER - is an establishment that has a holistic approach to health and wellness, rest and relaxation that aims to treat the body, mind and spirit by integrating a range of professionally administered health, wellness, fitness and beauty, water treatment and services, such as, but not limited to:

a. Spa – a facility that exudes a tranquil environment offering various amenities and services intended to relieve stress, pamper the body and make one feel relaxed and rejuvenated to promote a healthier way of life;

b. Day Spa – a spa offering a variety of professionally administered spa services to clients on a day use basis;

c. Destination Spa – a spa which has for its sole purpose to provide clients with lifestyle improvement and health enhancement through professionally administered spa services, physical fitness, education programming and on-site accommodations where spa cuisine or healthy food is offered;

d. Resort/Hotel Spa – a spa owned by and located within a resort or hotel providing professionally administered spa services, fitness and wellness components;

8. MEDICAL TOURISM – refers to a travel to another country, place or destination for the purpose of receiving some form of medical treatment in such country, place or destination;

9. MEDICAL TOURISM FACILITY/CENTER – a medical facility of international standards or accredited and/or certified by international bodies that has specific fields of expertise;

10. ENTERTAINMENT –refers to establishments that offer entertainment and recreation to visitors and tourists, which may include the following:

a. Bar – is any place or establishment whose principal business is the sale of alcoholic beverages or liquors of any kind to be used and consumed within its premises. A bar may or may not include music, liveband as a form of entertainment. A bar that allows dancing within its premises shall be considered a night club, cabaret, or dance hall;

b. Restobar – is a restaurant that includes in its package a mellow sound thru piped in music or live band

c. Videoke bar – an establishment where people come to eat, drink and sing.

11. MUSEUM - a structure, open to the public and is intended for educational purpose. It displays permanent collections which are being preserved and depict the immediate lifestyle, culture and tradition of the community. It is either a public or private institution with collections ranging from children, art, visual, science and ethnographic;

12. THEMED PARK – a specific type of amusement park where the landscaping, buildings, rides and attractions are based on a particular theme;

13. MARINA – a type of port for nautical tourism characterized by a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats;

14. AGRI-TOURISM – involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or agricultural area suitable for planting crops, vegetables and fruits, for raising and breeding of livestock, fish (freshwater/sea water), cattle, etc., and for other agricultural development and production where lectures on farming (organic/inorganic) methods are conducted, where crop/fruit/vegetable picking and fishing may be availed by the public, and where crops, fruits, vegetables and trees endemic to Davao City;

15. COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM – aims to include and benefit local communities, particularly indigeneous peoples and villages with tourism projects that gave local people a fair share of benefits or profits of tourism and have a say in deciding how incoming tourism is managed.

ARTICLE IVCHAPTER I - GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS

SECTION 4. CODE OF ETHICS – Both primary and secondary enterprises, owners/keepers/managers and/or their sectoral associations, must conform to the existing Tourism Code of Ethics, which shall govern the conduct of their respective members in dealing with one another and the conduct to be observed by their staff or employees towards each other and/or their clients.

SECTION 5. ENLISTMENT OF AID, ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT OF OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES - In the implementation of the provisions of this ordinance and circulars and enforcement of orders and decisions, the office may enlist the aid, assistance and support of any and all government agencies, whether civil or military.

SECTION 6. COMPLIANCE WITH EXISTING LAWS, ORDINANCES, RULES, AND REGULATIONS – All primary & secondary tourism enterprise must comply with existing laws, ordinances, rules & regulations covering their business operations in the City of Davao, such as, but not limited to, the following ordinances, to wit: “The Women Development Code”, “Anti-Smoking Ordinance” and the “Liquor Ban Ordinance”.

CHAPTER II - CITY TOURISM OPERATIONS OFFICE- POWERS AND FUNCTIONS

SECTION 7. CITY TOURISM OPERATIONS OFFICE – The City Tourism Operations Office shall process and recommend to the City Mayor for approval the application of any person, partnership, or corporation or other entity to maintain, operate, or engage in the business of the primary and secondary tourism enterprise within the territorial limits of the City.

The objectives of these provisions are:

a) To formulate a sustainable development strategy compatible with the effective conservation of natural ecosystems and the maximum involvement of the locals and their culture, to ensure that they have an equitable share in the benefits of tourism.

b) To ensure the proper development of the tourist and hospitality industries, bearing in mind the interest of community and the implications of such;

c) To establish the City Tourism Office as the body to administer and carry out the formal requirements of the ordinance and be responsible to the City Mayor to monitor and make policy adjustment to meet the ongoing needs of the public and the industry;

d) To provide a taxable system with formality or legal technicality as may be practicable for the administration of this ordinance;

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e) To provide a legislative framework which will minimize any violation of this ordinance.

SECTION 8. CONFIDENTIAL CHARACTER OF CERTAIN DATA – Information and documents received by and filed under this ordinance shall be treated as confidential and shall not be divulged to any private party without the consent of the party concerned.

SECTION 9. POWER TO HEAR AND RESOLVE COMPLAINTS – The City Tourism Operations Office shall receive, hear and resolve complaints filed against tourism enterprises, including those recommendations/resolutions endorsed by the Tourism Council. If necessary, the Office shall refer the same to the concerned agency or office for their appropriate action and resolution of the said subject matter.

SECTION 10. MANDATORY SUBMISSION OF REPORTS – Every accommodation facility and other tourism enterprise that may be required shall mandatorily submit their monthly Occupancy Report, indicating therein the number of rooms occupied for a month, the average length of stay of guests, the breakdown of guest by nationality. Tour operators and MICE facilities shall likewise submit monthly the necessary data or report as may be required of them by the Office.

CHAPTER III - REGISTRATION

SECTION 11. REGISTRATION AND MAYOR’S PERMIT – No person, natural or juridical, shall keep, manage or operate any building, edifice or premises or a completely independent part thereof, for the purpose of engaging in the business of tourism enterprises without first having issued a Certificate of Registration by the Office and a Mayor’s Permit to operate as such by the City Mayor. Such application for registration and Mayor’s Permit shall be processed in accordance with the procedures provided in the Revenue Code and in this Ordinance.

SECTION 12. APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION – Any person, partnership, corporation or other entity desiring to keep, manage or operate any building, edifice, premises or an independent part thereof, for the purpose of engaging in a tourism enterprise shall accomplish in quadruplicate and file with the Davao City Tourism Operations Office an application form for registration prescribed for the purpose.

SECTION 13. APPLICATION EXECUTED UNDER OATH – Where the application is made by a corporate body, partnership, association or other entity, it shall be signed by the person duly authorized to conduct for and in behalf of the applicant.

SECTION 14. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED WITH THE APPLICATION – An application to operate a tourism enterprise shall be supported with documents as provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of this Ordinance.

SECTION 15. APPLICATION ENTRY BOOK – The Office shall provide itself with a well-bound application entry book in which shall be entered, in chronological order, names of applicants applying for registration and the corresponding filing date and hour of application.

SECTION 16. INSPECTION COMMITTEE OR TEAM – If the application form has been duly accomplished by the applicant for purposes of operating a tourism enterprise, the Office should create an inspection committee or team, for the purpose of inspecting secondary tourism enterprises. It shall be composed of the following:

a. One (1) representative from the City Tourism Operations Officeb. One (1) representative from the Tourism Council of Davao Cityc. A third or independent party auditor to be determined in the Implementing

Rules and Regulations.

The City Tourism Operations Office shall be the lead office of the aforementioned inspection committee or team.

SECTION 17. OCULAR INSPECTION – Upon receipt of its assignment, the inspection team shall conduct an ocular inspection of the property and its immediate premises for the purpose of determining whether it has complied with the provisions of the ordinance and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.

Within five (5) days from the date of the inspection of the building/edifice and its immediate premises, the committee or team shall render a report of its findings and/or recommendations to the office concerned. The applicant shall be furnished a copy of the report of the team within three (3) working days from the receipt of the copy of the report of the team. The applicant may submit a comment thereon, specifying in detail the portion/s of the report where there are any objections. The comment of the applicant shall be coursed through the Office.

SECTION 18. DECISION OF THE OFFICE – The Office shall decide the contested findings or case as stated above within thirty (30) days upon receipt of the recommendations, in such manner that the applicant may know the various issues involved and the reasons for the decision rendered.

SECTION 19. CONDITION TO BE SATISFIED TO MERIT ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION – No certificate of registration as a tourism enterprise shall be issued unless the applicant has passed all the conditions provided in this ordinance, the Fire and Building Codes, and other city ordinances, including the requirements set forth in the provisions of Republic Act No. 9593 for DOT Accreditation, in relation to the primary enterprises. As to secondary enterprises, the minimum standards required of this Ordinance must likewise be complied with.

SECTION 20. ISSUANCE BY THE OFFICE – If in the opinion of the office the applicant has satisfactorily complied with the requirements prescribed for the

business for which registration is applied for, the office shall issue the certificate of registration to operate as a tourism enterprise upon payment of the registration fees prescribed in this ordinance and its implementing rules and regulations.

SECTION 21. VALIDITY OF CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION – The certificate of registration shall be applied with the office once, at the start of operation of the business. It should be reapplied if the business has ceased operation for at least six (6) months or if its Mayor’s permit has been revoked. The business establishment shall only pay the registration fee once, unless it has reapplied for reasons cited.

SECTION 22. TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP – Any change of ownership in the tourism enterprise shall be reported to the Office within ten (10) working days from the date of transfer.

SECTION 23. DISPLAY OF CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION – The certificate of registration of the property shall be displayed in a conspicuous place in the public part of the establishment.

ARTICLE VCOMMUNITY-BASED ECOTOURISM

SECTION 24. This ordinance shall observe the principles of community-based ecotourism of building respect for the environment and providing financial benefits for the long-term preservation and effective conservation of natural ecosystems. It shall also encourage the raising of cultural awareness and the provision of direct financial benefits to, as well as the empowerment and involvement of, the locality. Finally, this ordinance shall include in its principles the assurance of the positive experiences of the visitors and the locals, and the raising of sensitivities to our city’s political, social, and environmental climate

In applying these principles, the local government unit employing such kind of ecotourism shall employ strategies that seek to enhance the quality of living of the locals therein and to encourage them to be part of the community-based tourism. The involved parties shall work towards minimizing visitor impact to the natural ecosystem, maximizing earned profits to be used in the preservation of the locality and the environment. Moreover, when the need arises, or when there is opportunity improve local businesses and development strategies reliant upon the tourism trade of the locality, the local government unit may acquire the assistance or enter into partnerships with the government, private, and/or non-profit organizations to improve and develop their tourism trade’s current systems. This shall ensure that the tools, schemes, as well as policies, are up to date with current trends and good business practices.

These measures must always aim for sustainability and equitable sharing.

TITLE I: PRIMARY ENTERPRISE

ARTICLE VIACCOMMODATION ESTABLISHMENTS

CHAPTER I – CLASSIFICATION OF ACCOMMODATION ESTABLISHMENTS

SECTION 25. CLASSIFICATION OF ACCOMMODATION ESTABLISHMENT - For purposes of registration and licensing, all commercial temporary accommodation properties shall be classified into the following categories:

A. HOTELB. RESORTC. SELF-STYLED ACCOMMODATIOND. PENSION HOUSE/INNE. MOTEL

CHAPTER II – STANDARD REQUIREMENT FOR EACH CLASS OF ACCOMMODATION

SECTION 26. BASIC MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR HOTELS - The classification of hotels as well as the minimum requirements for their establishment, operation and maintenance shall be in accordance with the National Standards as defined by the Department. If these minimum requirements are satisfied by the accommodation establishment, it shall then be accredited by the Department.

Such accreditation shall be a sine qua non requirement for the registration of the hotels in accordance with Section 19 of this Code.

Further, all accommodation establishments must comply with the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance of the City.

SECTION 27. BASIC MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR RESORTS – Resorts may be categorized in accordance with the National Standards as prescribed by the Department.

SECTION 28. BASIC MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR OTHER ACCOMMODATION ESTABLISHMENTS – Other accommodation establishments such as the Self-Style Accommodation, Pension House/Inn and Motel must satisfy the National Standards set forth by the Department for them.

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CHAPTER III - MANDATORY SUBMISSION OF OCCUPANCY REPORT

SECTION 29. MANDATORY SUBMISSION OF OCCUPANCY REPORT – All accommodation establishments shall submit to the Office a copy of their monthly Occupancy Report. Failure to do so would subject the enterprise to the following penalties:

First Offense – Fine of not less than P 3,000.00 and/or imprisonment of three (3) months, at the discretion of the court;

Second Offense – Suspension of their Registration, a fine of not less than P4,000.00 and/or imprisonment of six months, at the discretion of the court; and

Last Offense – Cancellation of their Registration and revocation of their License, a fine of not less than P 5,000.00 and/or imprisonment of twelve (12) months, at the discretion of the court.

CHAPTER IV - INSPECTION OF ACCOMODATION ESTABLISHMENTS

SECTION 30. INSPECTION OF THE PROPERTIES – Inspections for accreditation will be done by the Department according to their own rules.

When necessary and upon valid reason, the Inspection Team led by the Office will conduct a periodic spot check or inspection of the accommodation establishments to determine whether they are being kept and/or managed in accordance with the standards set by the Department for the class for which they are accredited or whether it follows the existing Ordinances of the City, including this Ordinance.

Upon its finding of any violation of this Ordinance or any of the standards of the Department, including any defects in the establishment, the Office shall report the same to the proper agencies or local authorities for the enforcement of the appropriate sanctions.

SECTION 31. HOURS OF INSPECTION – Inspections for accreditation may be done during the day but ordinary/periodic inspections to check whether or not they are complying with laws and ordinances may be done at any time. Surprise inspections, even during night time, should be done especially in case where there are reports of illegal activities.

SECTION 32. ACCESS OF INSPECTORS TO RECORDS AND PREMISES – The Department, Office or its inspection team shall have access to the resort’s records and premises, and the right to copy there from, to the person in charge, and investigate any fact, condition or matter which may be necessary to determine compliance with, or in aid of, the enforcement of any provision of this ordinance or circulars issued by the Office.

SECTION 33. DEFECTS AND DEFICIENCIES FOUND DURING THE INSPECTION – When certain defects and deficiencies have been found in the course of the periodic inspection, the Office shall give the property owner/manager a reasonable time from the date of notice to rectify the defects or deficiencies. Otherwise, necessary sanctions or penalties shall be imposed as provided for in this Ordinance.

SECTION 34. EXTENSION OF THE PERIOD – The Office may, for good cause, extend the period within a reasonable period to remedy the defects or deficiencies.

SECTION 35. PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO REMEDY THE DEFECTS – If the accommodation establishment fails to remedy the defects or deficiencies noted, the Office shall recommend to the City Mayor or to the appropriate agencies such fact for the imposition of the proper sanctions.

Provided, that where the accommodation establishment has continuously failed to rectify the defects or deficiencies noted, the City Mayor upon recommendation of the Office, shall revoke or suspend the Certificate of Registration and the License of the establishment for such period as may be justified under the circumstances.

CHAPTER V – SANCTIONS

SECTION 36. GROUNDS FOR THE IMPOSITION OF FINES / SUSPENSION / CANCELLATION OF REGISTRATION AND/OR NON-RENEWAL OF MAYOR’S PERMIT – Any of the following acts, omission of offense shall be sufficient ground for the imposition of fines/ suspension/cancellation or non-renewal of the Certificate of Registration and Mayor’s Permit, to wit:

1. Making any false declaration or statement, or making use of any such declaration or statement or any document containing fraud or any act of misrepresentation for the purpose of obtaining the issuance, grant, or renewal of any Certificate of Registration of Mayor’s Permit;

2. Failure to comply with or to contravene any of the conditions set forth in the Mayor’s Permit;

3. Failure to meet the standards and the requirements for the operation of the accommodation establishment property, as prescribed by the Department or these rules;

4. Serious physical injury or loss of life of any guest due to the fault or negligence of any official or employee of the property;

5. Allowing or permitting the property, including any of its facilities, to be used for illegal, immoral or illicit activities;

6. Violation or non-compliance with any of the provisions of these rules, including the non-submission of tourism data such as the monthly Occupancy Report as prescribed by the Department.

ARTICLE VIITRAVEL AND TOUR AGENCIES

CHAPTER I – REGULATION OF TRAVEL AND TOUR AGENCIES

SECTION 37. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – Every travel and tour agency shall establish and maintain a principal office within the City of Davao, following the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance of the City. A branch office may be established by any travel and tour agency in the same manner. Travel and tour agencies must likewise comply with the minimum requirements set forth by the Department.

SECTION 38. REGISTRATION AND LICENSE – An application to operate a travel agency, tour operator and tour guiding services shall be supported by documents as provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of this Ordinance. The rules as stated in Article IV Chapter III of this Ordinance must likewise be followed.

SECTION 39. INSPECTION OF AGENCY’S RECORDS – Within a reasonable time and during regular business hours, the books, accounts and other pertinent records of the agency may be examined by the concerned authorized representatives of the government in order to determine their compliance with the applicable laws and ordinances.

SECTION 40. TOURISM ACTIVITIES – Tourism activities organized and conducted by travel agencies and local tour operators duly accredited, registered and licensed by the Local Government of the City of Davao or those travel agencies and tour operators affiliated with the latter shall be entitled to privileges, incentives and tax exemption upon the recommendation of the City Tourism Operations Office and as it may be deemed proper by law. Any and all non-local tour operators shall be subject to the standard mandate of this Ordinance such as, but not limited to, the following:

a. Registration with the City Tourism Operations Office;b. Accreditation of non-local travel agencies, tour operators and tour guides

including tour coordinators as well as their tour packages and promotions;c. Certification of approval of the Davao Tour promotional packages offered to

both domestic and foreign residents of the City; andd. Proper payment of applicable local taxes and/or fees.

CHAPTER II – PROHIBITED ACTS AND PENAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 41. PUNISHABLE ACTS – The following are considered as punishable acts under this Ordinance:

a. Failure to renew the permit as required under this Ordinance or non-compliance with the requirements provided under this Ordinance;

b. Fraudulent representation, written or oral, by the Chief Executive Officer or Manager of the agency for the purpose of securing the issuance of any license;

c. Gross and evident bad faith in dealing with their client or fraudulent solicitation of business;

d. Employment or hiring of tour guides who are not holders of a license issued by the Office;

e. Making any false declaration or statement or making use of any such declaration or statement or any document containing the same for committing fraud or any act of misrepresentation for the purpose of obtaining the issuance, grant or renewal of any Certificate of Registration or license;

f. Failure to comply or the contravention of any of the conditions set forth in the license;

g. Failure to meet or comply the standards and requirements for the operation of tour and travel agencies as prescribed by this Ordinance and its corresponding Implementing Rules and Regulations, including the non-submission of tourism data;

h. Serious physical injury or loss of life of any guest due to the fault or negligence of its officials or employees;

i. Allowing, promoting or permitting tour and travel agency, including any of its facilities, to be used for illegal, immoral, illicit activities, such as, but not limited to, gambling, prostitution, sex tours and the like;

j. Tolerance of gross misconduct, discourtesy, dishonesty or misrepresentation and/or fraudulent solicitation of business committed by any of the officers or employees against their clients to the detriment of the tourism industry;

k. Willful violation of agreements and/or contracts entered into by the tour and travel agency and its clients;

l. Failure to pay the required fees, dues and contributions imposed under existing laws;

m. Failure to submit a notice of any change in its personnel within fifteen (15) working days from such change;

n. Employment/hiring of employees who are not holders of a license issued by the licensing agency or non-Filipino employees, whether contractual or permanent, without valid working visa and work permit;

o. Opening of any branch without prior registration with the City Tourism Operations Office;

p. Any other similar acts/omissions that worked against the interest of the tourism industry.

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ARTICLE VIIITOUR GUIDES

CHAPTER I – CLASSIFICATION OF TOUR GUIDES

SECTION 42. CLASSIFICATION OF TOUR GUIDES – Tour guides may be categorized in accordance with the National Standards as prescribed by the Department.

CHAPTER II – MINIMUM REQUIREMENT

SECTION 43. BASIC MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – In order to be licensed and registered by the Office, a tour guide applicant must show proof that he or she has passed a seminar for tour guides duly conducted by the Department or other agencies duly authorized by the Department to conduct the seminar. Other documents to support their application will be identified by the Office.

SECTION 44. TOUR GUIDING CARD – A Tour Guiding Card shall be provided by the Office to the applicant upon his/her compliance with all the requirements needed for his/her permit or license. Such card shall be worn by the tour guide at all times while in the performance of his/her duties.

CHAPTER III – PROHIBITED ACTS AND PENAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 45. PUNISHABLE ACTS – It shall be unlawful for any person to:

a. Conduct tour guiding without first being licensed by the Department as a tour guide;

b. Operate as a travel agent or tour operator when he/she is only licensed as a tour guide;

c. Conduct tour guiding without first complying with the requirements of the Office, such as but not limited to acquiring a health certificate;

d. Assist agencies which are not affiliated with accredited or local licensed travel agencies, to engage in the business of conducting tourism activities in the City;

e. Conduct/offer/assist tourists in illegal, immoral or illicit activities such as but not limited to gambling, prostitution, sex tours and the like.

ARTICLE IXTOURIST TRANSPORT OPERATORS

CHAPTER I – TOURIST LAND TRANSPORT VEHICLES

SECTION 46. REQUIREMENTS – Tourist land transport vehicles shall conform with the standards as set forth by the Department and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

SECTION 47. CLEARANCE – In case of original registration and/ or transfer of ownership of tourist transport, the necessary clearance from the appropriate unit of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) shall be secured prior to its registration.

CHAPTER II – REGULATION, CONTROL AND SUPERVISION OF TOURIST TRANSPORT OPERATORS

SECTION 48. MANDATORY MAYOR’S PERMIT – No person, natural or juridical, shall manage, operate or engage in the business of tourist transport services without first having secured a valid Mayor’s Permit to operate the same. The requirements for such application shall be determined by the Office together with the Business Bureau. The Mayor’s Permit shall be valid for a period of one (1) year from its date of issue until the 31st day of December of the year of issuance of the license unless sooner revoked for a cause by the Office.

CHAPTER III – IMPOSITION OF FINES, SUSPENSION, CANCELLATION AND/ OR NON-RENEWAL OF LICENSE

SECTION 49. GROUNDS FOR THE IMPOSITION OF FINES, SUSPENSION, CANCELLATION AND/ OR NON-RENEWAL OF LICENSE – Any of the following acts or omissions shall be sufficient ground for the imposition of penalties as prescribed under this Ordinance:

a. Violation of any of the provisions of this Ordinance, circulars and orders of the Office;

b. Fraudulent representation, written or oral by the owner/ general manager of the company, for the purpose of securing issuance or renewal of license;

c. Tolerance or gross misconduct, discourtesy, dishonestly or misrepresentation committed by any of the operator’s officers or employees against its passenger to the detriment of the tourism industry;

d. Willful violation of the agreement or contract entered into by tourist operators and its clients or passengers;

e. Failure to pay fines, as well as fees, dues and contributions imposed under

existing laws;

f. Any other act/or omission that works against the interest of the tourism industry;

g. Operation of the tourist transport vehicle without the required Mayor’s Permit.

SECTION 50. VISITORIAL POWER – In the discharge of the regulatory functions, the Office shall exercise visitorial powers over the operations of the licensed transport operations.

CHAPTER IV - TOURIST WATER TRANSPORT VESSELS

SECTION 51. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – For purposes of accreditation, the minimum requirements for the operation and maintenance of water transport vessels must comply with the standards of the MARINA and the Department.

SECTION 52. IDENTIFICATION – It shall be mandatory for all tourist water transport vessels to print on its sides identifying marks for the easy identification of the vessel as a tourist water transport vessel.

SECTION 53. ACCREDITATION FEE AND VALIDITY – A certificate of accreditation shall be issued to a qualified operator for a fee which shall be valid for one (1) year from the date of issuance.

SECTION 54. RESPONSIBILITIES – It shall be the responsibility of the operator to maintain the standards set by the Office. Failure to do so shall be a sufficient ground for the cancellation of its license.

ARTICLE XMEETINGS, INCENTIVES, CONVENTION AND EVENTS (MICE) ORGANIZER

CHAPTER I – LICENSING

SECTION 55. MANDATORY LICENSING – No person, natural or juridical, shall operate as a Professional Convention Organizer (PCO) and as a Professional Exhibition Organizer (PEO) without first being accredited by the Department and registered and licensed by the Office. With respect to Special Event Organizer (SEO), it will only undergo registration and licensing from the Office.

SECTION 56. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – The basic requirements to be a licensed MICE Organizer, to include the Professional Convention Organizer (PCO), Professional Exhibition Organizer (PEO) and Special Event Organizer (SEO) are those provided for under the National Tourism Standard of the Department.

SECTION 57. LICENSE FEE – Upon approval of the application, a license shall be issued to the applicant upon payment of an annual fee to be determined by the Office.

SECTION 58. VALIDITY OF REGISTRATION/LICENSE – The certificate of registration or license shall be valid for a period of one (1) year from the date of issuance thereof. Application for the renewal of license shall be supported by the documents as listed by the Department in their National Standards.

CHAPTER II - REGULATION, CONTROL AND SUPERVISION OF MICE ORGANIZER

SECTION 59. VISITORIAL POWERS – In the discharge of regulatory functions, the Office shall exercise visitorial powers over the operations of the licensed MICE Organizer.

SECTION 60. TRANSFER OF LICENSE – No MICE organizer shall transfer or alienate in whatever manner its license without prior approval of the Office. Any transfer shall comply with the requirements and procedures for the issuance of license as prescribed herein, including its accreditation with the Department.

SECTION 61. DISPLAY OF LICENSE – The license shall be displayed in a conspicuous place in the Office of the MICE organizer.

ARTICLE XIMEETINGS, INCENTIVES, CONVENTION AND EVENTS (MICE) FACILITIES

SECTION 62. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – Meetings, Incentives, Convention and Events (MICE) facilities must conform with the existing minimum standards stipulated by the Department.

SECTION 63. ACCREDITATION – For the MICE facilities to be accredited, it must satisfy all the requirements needed by the Department.

SECTION 64. MANDATORY SUBMISSION OF REPORT – All MICE facilities must submit on a monthly basis their MICE Utilization Report to the Department and the Office.

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TITLE II: SECONDARY ENTERPRISE

ARTICLE XIIRESTAURANTS

SECTION 65. TYPES OF RESTAURANTS – For the purpose of this ordinance, Restaurants shall be classified in accordance with the existing standards of the Department.

SECTION 66. MINIMUM BASIC REQUIREMENTS – All fixed/permanent restaurants must conform to the National Standards as set forth by the Department. Further, fixed/permanent restaurants must follow other ordinances imposed by the City. Any violation of the said standards, laws and ordinances will warrant a cancellation or revocation of the registration and permit to operate.

SECTION 67. REQUIREMENTS FOR MOBILE RESTAURANTS – Mobile Restaurants are allowed to operate on specific locations allowed by law and permitted by the city government. The owners/vendors of such restaurant must comply with the ordinances of the City as well as the rules of the City Health Office on sanitation. Any violation thereof will warrant a cancellation or revocation of their permit to sell.

ARTICLE XIIIMALLS, SHOPS AND DEPARTMENT STORES

SECTION 68. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – Malls, shops and Department Stores shall conform with the existing standards as provided for by the Department.

ARTICLE XIVSPORTS, AMUSEMENT AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

SECTION 69. TYPES and CLASSIFICATION OF SPORTS, AMUSEMENT AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES: For purposes of accreditation and licensing, sports, amusement and recreational facilities maybe of two types:

1. Indoor – situated in an enclosed space or building such as SPA, gym or badminton courts.

2. Outdoor – are those facilities that are situated in an open space or is conducted in an open space.

These facilities are further classified into the following sports:

1. Eco-Adventure/Extreme Sports (close to nature) – such as but not limited to climbing, Spelunking, Biking, Zip line, bungee jumping and camping;

2. Aqua Sports – such as but not limited to diving, surfing, rafting, tubing, parasailing, wakeboarding and dragon boating;

3. Other Recreational Sports such as but not limited to dart, off road, shooting, golf, tribal sports and motorcross.

SECTION 70. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – Sports, Amusement and Recreational Facilities shall conform with the standards as set forth by the Department for purposes of their accreditation with the Office. Sports, amusement and recreational facilities must also comply with the existing laws and ordinances of the City prior to the approval of their registration.

ARTICLE XVMUSEUMS

SECTION 71. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – The operation and maintenance of museums shall conform with the standards of the Department for purposes of accreditation.

ARTICLE XVIHEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER AND MEDICAL TOURISM FACILITY

SECTION 72. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – For purposes of accreditation and registration, the operation and maintenance of the health and wellness center and medical tourism facility shall conform to the standards as provided for by the Department. They must also satisfy the requirements of other laws and ordinances of the City, including the standards of the Department of Health for the employment of properly trained medical practitioners and surgeons, licensed therapists and the like.

ARTICLE XVIIENTERTAINMENT

SECTION 73. MINIMUM STANDARD REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTERTAINMENT – The following are the minimum standard requirements for entertainment.

a. LOCATION – No entertainment facility shall be established within a radius of 100 lineal meters from any public building, school, library, church and hospital;

b. BUILDING REQUIREMENTS – An entertainment facility shall be well lighted at all times leaving no dark corners and shall be maintained under “good sanitary conditions. There shall be no private rooms nor separate compartments except

those assigned for lavatories, bar counter where liquors are on display, owners’ room, dressing room for ladies and kitchen;

c. RESTRICTIONS(1) Minors under eighteen year (18) of age, persons carrying deadly

weapons or firearms of any description except peace officers in proper police uniform especially detailed therein to keep order and those in special mission to apprehend criminals and other law violators and intoxicated persons shall not be admitted nor allowed to remain in entertainment establishments;

(2) The following signs: “MINORS ARE NOT ALLOWED” and “PLEASE DEPOSIT YOUR FIREARMS HERE” will be displayed in the entrance. Further;

(3) No person shall be employed as entertainer, drink or food server in any entertainment establishment unless he/she is at least 21 years of age and without having obtained a certificate from the City Health that she is free from contagious or infectious diseases. For this purpose, corresponding certificate authenticated by National Statistics Office (NSO) must be presented and submitted;

(4) No person shall be employed as entertainer, chef/cook, drink or food server in any entertainment establishment without having obtained a certificate from the City Health Office that she is free from contagious or infectious diseases;

(5) No entertainer, drink or food server or any other staff, other than those authorized by the owner to secure and ensure the safety of the place, shall be allowed to remain in the premises after its closing;

(6) No establishments shall employ or use women as object of entertainment (as in prostitution and other lewd activities) as stipulated in the Women Development Code.

SECTION 74. GENERAL RULES FOR THE OPERATION OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

1. The operator of entertainment establishment before employing any worker must require the presentation of NSO authenticated birth certificate and health certificate;

2. Complaints – Any person who believes that the bar is established or located in any place not authorized by this ordinance or is not operating or conducting business in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance may file a complaint before the Office, which shall then refer the same to the appropriate agency or office after proper investigation and resolution;

3. Prices of Drinks – the operator is required to post on strategic place inside the hall a billboard showing the different kinds of drinks for sale and their respective prices;

4. Penal Provisions – Operators and owners, AFP and PNP personnel and any person who are found to have violated any provision of this ordinance shall be made to pay a fine of FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (Php 5,000.00) or by imprisonment of not less than six months (6) but not more than one year or both. Such fine and imprisonment is at the discretion of the court.

ARTICLE XVIIITHEMED PARKS

SECTION 75. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – Themed Parks shall adopt internationally recognized standards, recommendations, and set of procedures or guidelines to further ensure the quality and safety of their parks, amusement rides and devices.

A team or board shall be created in accordance with the applicable law, which shall be the one to recommend the registration and accreditation to the Office as well as to do the following: conduct the inspection of the equipment, the operation and use of the equipment, guidance of visitors and safety information, emergency procedures, use of signages, etc.

ARTICLE XIXMARINA

SECTION 76. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – Ports for nautical tourism such as the marina must comply with minimal conditions prescribed by the national law or that of the appropriate agency.

General minimal conditions may refer to, but not limited to the following, to wit:- proper operation and functioning of appliances/installation and equipment- electric energy supply- supply of sanitary safe water- basic services offered in the port (use of telephone, facilities for refuse and waste materials disposal , warden and reception service)- premises for personal hygiene of tourists - boaters- facilities and equipment for environmental protection- fire safety

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015

- personnel- rooms for personal hygiene of personnel

Special minimal conditions may likewise be satisfied depending on its type, and they refer to:

- obligatory structure of installation and equipment- minimum of basic services that must be offered- minimum additional services (shops, catering etc.) that a port must provide for its tourists-boaters.

ARTICLE XXAGRI-TOURISM

SECTION 77. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – Farms in order to be considered of tourism value must be exclusively used for planting of crops, fruits and vegetables, or for the raising and breeding of livestock, fish, cattle, etc. which use must conform to the standard of the City Agricultural Office and any standard as may be required by the Department or the Office.

ARTICLE XXICOMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM

SECTION 78. MINIMUM REQUIREMENT – There has to be a community that can both be managers and beneficiaries of the area, such as but not limited to homestay farming, handicrafts making and other cultural activities. For one to be considered under this category, it has to follow the standards of the Department or the Office before it can be registered as one.

ARTICLE XXIIBARANGAY TOURISM, ARTS AND CULTURE CENTER

SECTION 79. CREATION OF THE BARANGAY TOURISM, ARTS AND CULTURE CENTER – It is the policy of the government to advocate a culture of tourism and promotion of a domestic marketing campaign. This aims to afford the local government units (LGUs) a better understanding and appreciation of the tourism industry and its role as a stakeholder with a responsibility of building a sound tourism environment to spur socio-economic activity in the countryside and uplift the dignity and livelihood of all Filipinos. In building such a tourism environment, the private sector and the government sector are envisioned to work closely together. Such cooperation will be amplified and realized through the formation of a Barangay Tourism, Arts and Culture Center, which shall be the one to take care of community-based tourism.

SECTION 80. COMPOSITION – The Barangay Tourism, Arts and Culture Council shall be composed of people from the private sector and barangay officials from the barangay unit concerned on a 40% government and 60% private sector proportion.

The barangay officialswho will comprise the 40% membership of the council shall be chosen and appointed by the Barangay Captain concerned.

The 60% membership from the private sector shall be filled up by invitation from the barangay unit concerned through its barangay officials.

The members and officers of the council shall not receive additional compensation and emoluments.

The officers shall be elected by election among the members of the Council, as follows:

OFFICERS OF THE BARANGAY TOURISM, ARTS AND CULTURE COUNCIL CHAIRMAN BARANGAY CHAIRMAN CO-CHAIR CHAIRPERSON OF THE BARANGAY COMMITTEE ON TOURISM SECRETARY TREASURER MEMBERS ACADEME BUSINESS SECTOR

EXISTING ASSOCIATION IN THE BARANGAY

SECTION 81. TERM OF OFFICE – The Chairman shall sit in such capacity for the duration of his term as Barangay Chairman of the concerned barangay and his appointees shall hold office with the Barangay Tourism, Arts and Culture Council, coterminous with the tenure of the appointing Barangay Chairman.

SECTION 82. FUNCTONS – The functions of the Barangay Tourism, Arts and Culture Council shall be as follows:

a. To take care of the tourism aspect for each local community;b. To identify its cultural heritage, place or site with tourism values;c. To undertake steps to promote and preserve the identified cultural heritage or

site for tourism;d. To develop a culturally sensitive tourism plan for the preservation of local sites

and traditions.

ARTICLE XXIIIESTABLISHMENT OF THE TOURIST POLICE

SECTION 83. CITY TOURIST POLICE – A special city tourist police force shall be established under the supervision and control of the Philippine National Police in Davao City in coordination with the City Tourism Office to immediately address the concerns of visitors/tourists visiting the City, in support of the Tourism Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOPCOP) of the Department.

ARTICLE XXIIIIMISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

SECTION 84. PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS:

a.) VIOLATION BY A LICENSEE OR HOLDER OF AUTHORITY – Any person, whether natural or juridical, licensed by the City Mayors to engage in the operation of the establishments or business mentioned herein who shall violate or cause another to violate any of the provisions of this ordinance shall, upon conviction by a competent court, suffer the penalty of imprisonment of not less than six (6) moths or a fine of five thousand pesos (P5,000.00) or both, at the discretion of the court. In additional thereto, the license issued by the City Mayor shall be deemed automatically withdrawn and revoked.

b.) VIOLATION BY NON-HOLDER OF AUTHORITY – Any person who is not a holder of a license issued by the City Mayor’s Office who shall violate any provision of this Ordinance, upon conviction by a competent court, shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment not exceeding one (1) year, a fine of not less than two thousand pesos (P2,000.00) but not more than five thousand pesos (P5,000.00), or both, at the discretion of the court.

c.) PENALTY IMPOSED UPON OFFICERS OR JURIDICAL PERSON – If the offender is a corporation, partnership, firm or association, the penalty shall be imposed upon the officer or officers who have been responsible for the violation, and if such or officers is/ are alien, he/ they shall, in addition, be subjected to deportation.

SECTION 85. ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTIES – Without prejudice to the application of the above sanctions, the City Mayor may impose an administrative fine of not less than one thousand pesos (P1,000.00) but not more than five thousand pesos (P5,000.00) against any person who shall violate any provision of this ordinance and circulars, or suspend or revoke the license of the person.

SECTION 86. INCENTIVES – Incentives, which shall be identified by the Office shall be given to all tourism establishments who shall be compliant with this Ordinance.

SECTION 87. IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS – The City Tourism Office, the Department and the City Legal Officer in consultation with the City Tourism Council and sectoral associations, shall draft the Implementing Rules and Regulations for the purpose of enforcing the provisions contained in this ordinance.

SECTION 88. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE – The provision of this Ordinance are hereby declared valid, and in the event that one or more of such provision are declared invalid, the validity of all our provisions shall not be affected thereby.

SECTION 89. REPEALING CLAUSE – Any Ordinance, rules or regulations, or any parts thereof not consistent with this ordinance are hereby repealed, amended or deemed modified.

SECTION 90. EFFECTIVITY – This Ordinance shall take effect 15 days after its publication in a local functional newspaper of general circulation.

ENACTED, November 11, 2014, by a majority vote of all the Members of the

Sanggunian Panlungsod.

CERTIFIED CORRECT:

CHARITO N. SANTOS Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Government Department Head II)

ATTESTED:

PAOLO Z. DUTERTE Vice Mayor cns/clad APPROVED:______________, 2014

RODRIGO R. DUTERTE City Mayor

ATTESTED:

ATTY. JESUS MELCHOR V. QUITAIN City Administrator

EDGEDAVAO B7CLASSIFIED

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015EDGEDAVAOB8CLASSIFIED VOL. 8 ISSUE 172 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 201512 EDGEDAVAO

Republic of the PhilippinesCity of Davao

Office of the Sangguniang Panlungsod

17th City Council27th Regular SessionSeries of 2015

PRESENT: Councilor Louie John J. Bonguyan - Temporary Presiding Officer Councilor Ma. Belen S. Acosta Councilor Bernard E. Al-ag Councilor Al Ryan S. Alejandre Councilor Leonardo R. Avila III Councilor Karlo S. Bello Councilor Joanne M. Bonguyan-Quilos Councilor April Marie C. Dayap Councilor Jimmy G. Dureza Councilor January N. Duterte Councilor Edgar R. Ibuyan Sr. Councilor Leah A. Librado-Yap Councilor Rene Elias C. Lopez Councilor Diosdado Angelo A. Mahipus Sr. Councilor Bonifacio E. Militar Councilor Myrna G. L’ Dalodo-Ortiz Councilor Antoinette G. Principe-Castrodes Councilor Marissa P. Salvador-Abella Councilor Halila Y. Sudagar Councilor Mary Joselle D. Villafuerte Councilor Rachel P. Zozobrado

ON OFFICIAL BUSINESS:

Vice Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte - Acting City Mayor

ABSENT:

Councilor Nilo M. Abellera Jr. - On Domestic Emergency LeaveCouncilor Victorio U. Advincula Jr. - On Sick LeaveCouncilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang - On Sick LeaveCouncilor Tomas J. Monteverde IV - On Sick Leave

ORDINANCE 0378-15Series of 2015

AN ORDINANCE REQUIRING BUSINESSES AND ESTABLISHMENTS IN DAVAO CITY WHICH OFFER “HALAL” PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO ACQUIRE HALAL CERTIFICATION FROM THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR MUSLIM FILIPINOS (NCMF) ACCREDITED CERTIFY-ING BODIES, PRIOR TO THE POSTING OF THE WORD “HALAL” WITHIN THEIR PREMISES OR TO USE THE “HALAL” LOGO IN THEIR BUSINESS NAME

Be it ordained by the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Davao City in session assembled that:

SECTION 1. TITLE. - Be it ordained that this Ordinance shall be also known as the “Halal Ordinance of Davao City”;

SECTION 2. PURPOSE OF THIS ORDINANCE.- It is the purpose of this Ordinance to require businesses and establishments which offer “Halal” products and services to ac-quire “Halal” accreditation from the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, prior to the posting of the word, “Halal” within their premises or to use the “Halal” logo in their business name in order to advance and protect the rights, culture and lifestyle of Muslims to consume religious-sanctioned products and to improve and maintain the harmony, un-derstanding and social peace and order of Davao City for the promotion of sustainable progress and development;

SECTION 3. DEFINITION OF TERMS.-

A.) Halal- refer to food and non-food products allowed for consumption or use by Mus-lim as permitted by the Shari’ah or Islamic law;

B.) Businesses and Establishments offering halal products and services- refer to all businesses and establishments which produce, manufacture, process and supply halal food and non-food products;

C.) National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF)- is a National Commission mandated, under Article II (Section 8, paragraph H) of Republic Act No. 9997, to promote and develop the Philippine Halal industry and accredit halal-certifying entities/bodies for the utmost benefit of Muslim Filipinos and in partnership or co-operation with appropriate agencies, individuals and institutions here and abroad;

D.) Accreditation- is the procedure by which a government agency having jurisdiction formally recognizes the competence of an inspection and/or certification body to provide inspection and certification services;

E.) Certification- is the procedure by which official certification bodies and officially recognized bodies provide written or equivalent assurance that foods and non-food or control systems for food and non-food conform to requirements;

SECTION 4. COVERAGE.- the Ordinance shall cover the following:

A.) All hotels, restaurants, fastfood chains, eateries, food stalls and like establishments, school or university canteens and other food establishments in this City serving “Halal” foods and beverages within the territorial jurisdiction of Davao City;

B.) Halal foods and beverages served in any occasion in any function hall in Davao City including, but not limited to, seminars, workshops, meetings, forums, weddings and birthdays;

C.) Any business and establishment that produces, manufactures, processes and sup-plies Halal food and non-food products and services in Davao City;

SECTION 5. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF OWNERS, PROPRIETORS, MAN-AGERS AND STAFF OF ALL BUSINESSES AND ESTABLISHMENTS IN DAVAO CITY WHICH OFFER HALAL FOOD AND NON-FOOD PRODUCTS.- Owners, proprietors and managers of all businesses and establishments in Davao City which offer Halal food and non-food products are required to perform and undertake the following measures in their operation:

1.) To acquire “HALAL” certification from NCMF Accredited halal certifying entities/bodies, in case the establishment offers such halal-processed food and non-food products;

2.) To display the Philippine Halal logo in front of the business or establishment offer-ing Halal-processed food and non-food products;

3.) To display the necessary documents within their premises pertaining to the Halal cetification acquired from the NCMF accredited halal certifying entities/bodies;

SECTION 6. PROHIBITED ACTS- the following acts are hereby prohibited:

A.) For any business or establishment to display the Halal logo or halal word in their premises if they are not certified Halal by NCMF accredited halal certifying enti-ties/bodies;

SECTION 7. PENALTIES- The following are the penalties for any violation of this Ordinance:

A.) Owners, proprietors or managers of businesses or establishments or any person violating any provisions of this Ordinance shall be penalized by:

i. First offense Fine of not less than P500.00 but not more than P1,000.00, at the discretion of the court;ii. Second Offense Fine of not less than P1,000.00 but not more than P2,000.00, at the discretion of the court;iii. Third Offense fine of not less than P2,000.00 but not more than P5,000.00 and revocation of business permit and license to operate and closure of the business or establishment, at the discretion of the Court;

SECTION 8. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE- Should any of the provision of this Ordinance be declared inoperative by the Courts for being inconsistent with the Constitution or the law, the other unaffected provision of this Ordinance shall remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 9. REPEALING CLAUSE- Any and all ordinances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby repealed or modified ac-cordingly.

SECTION 10. EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE- The Ordinance shall take effect after its approval and following its publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the City of Davao;

ENACTED, on the 21st day of July, 2015, by a majority vote of all the Members of the Sanggunian present, there being a quorum.

CERTIFIED CORRECT: CHARITO N. SANTOS Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

(City Government Department Head II)

ATTESTED:

(SGD.) LOUIE JOHN J. BONGUYAN City Councilor Temporary Presiding Officer cns/fdg

APPROVED:______________, 2015

RODRIGO R. DUTERTE City Mayor

ATTESTED:

ATTY. JESUS MELCHOR V. QUITAIN City Administrator

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015 11EDGEDAVAO

COMPETITIVE EDGE

Cement industry bests 32 othersectors in sustainable developmentTHE Cement Manufac-

turers’ Association of the Philippines (Ce-

MAP) was inducted into the Sustainable Development Initiatives Hall of Fame at the 2015 Federation of Philip-pine Industries (FPI) General Membership Meeting held re-cently at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City.

FPI awarded CeMAP as the first and only Hall of Fam-er in the industry category, besting 32 other industry sub-sectors to win the award cov-ering the last 5 years.

It won the award in all four Sustainable Develop-ment categories of Corporate Social Responsibility, Man-agement of Waste, Health and Safety, and Optimum Use of Resources

CeMAP won the award for

Corporate Social Responsibili-ty in 2011.

It improved the wellbeing of the nearby communities with livelihood, health and education programs, as well as minimizing the use of envi-ronmentally damaging dump sites.

During that year, it also won in Management of Waste with initiatives such as using significantly more waste ma-terials instead of fossil fuel for their industry needs.

CeMAP won the Health and Safety award in 2012 be-cause of their commitment to the well-being of their employees, contractors, and third-party companies. They strictly followed the leading Indicator approach designed to promote safety, resulting in a record low incident of acci-

dents and injuries. In 2013, they won the

award for Optimum Use of Re-sources among its members. They promoted efficiencies in the use of resources such as water, electricity (kWh/ton), coal (gigajoules/ton), and less raw materials (limestone, mined minerals, clinker) per cement metric ton. They also institutionalized the use of Alternative Fuel and Raw Materials (AFR) among all its members.

CeMAP President Ernes-to M. Ordoñez welcomed the recognition and received the award on behalf of the indus-try.

“Each of our mem-ber-companies has taken to heart this commitment by car-rying out their sustainable de-velopment programs ,” he said.

CeMAP members include CEMEX Group of Companies Philippines, Lafarge Holcim Philippines, Republic Cement (a CRH-Aboitiz company), Northern Cement, and Taihei-yo Cement Philippines. It was through the synergistic part-nership among the members that they were able to attain the high standards they hold today.

Part of FPI’s annual gen-eral membership meeting is the recognition of companies, industries, and Local Gov-ernment Units (LGU) in sus-tainable development. This year’s meeting was graced by Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, De-partment of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, and Bureau of Internal Revenue Commis-sioner Kim Henares.

HALL OF FAME AWARDEES. The Cement Manufacturers’ Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) and the United Pulp and Paper Company (UPPC) were inducted into the Sustainable Development Initiatives Hall of Fame at the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) General Membership Meeting held recently in Makati. It is the first time in five years that the Hall of Fame award

was given out. CeMAP represented the only sector out of 33 industry sectors to win the award, while UPPC was the lone winner out of 120 corporations. In photo, from left: Jesus Arranza, FPI Chair; Ernesto Ordoñez, CeMAP President; Eleazar Dela Cruz, UPPC official; and George Chua, FPI President.

Davao Doctors College offersscholarship for senior high

Black Friday, Cyber Mondaymore accessible with GCash

HS teachers invited to join astronaut training and dev’t

IN line with the school’s mission of making quality education accessible to all,

Davao Doctors College is open-ing its doors to graduating Grade 10 students from both public and private Junior High Schools by offering scholarship grants to the top 10 qualifiers for Senior High School based on the results of its Entrance Examinations.

The Senior High School Scholars of Davao Doctors College will receive a cash sti-pend of P1,000 per month. The recipients of the scholar-ship grant will be announced during the Araw ng Dabaw fes-tivities on March 16, 2016.

Under the government’s K-12 program, DEPED will issue vouchers to qualified re-cipients who will enroll in the SHS Program. The voucher is intended to cover the school fees of the recipient for one school year.

Through the Voucher sys-tem, students and families are given greater opportunities to make choices about where to enroll in SHS that is relevant to their needs and future careers.

Vouchers will be given to all public school Grade 10 com-pleters and Education Service Contracting (ESC) recipients.

The voucher system is set up in tiers and the amount of the voucher will depend on the school from where the student graduated Junior High School as well as the location of the school where the recip-ient is enrolled for Senior High School.

As stipulated in DepEd Or-der 11, series of 2015, the full SHS Voucher, as determined by the location of the school, is valued at P22,500 in the Na-tional Capital Region (NCR), P20,000 in other highly urban-ized cities (HUC) outside the NCR, such as Davao City, and P17,500 in non-HUCs.

In support of this initiative, DDC will charge a flat school fee of P20,000 per year only for Senior High School, which is the amount of the voucher that the Department of Education (DepEd) will give to graduates of Grade 10 from public Junior High Schools who will enroll in a private school like DDC.

Senior High School enroll-ees whose vouchers are less than P20,000 will pay only the difference, while those without the government-issued vouch-ers will pay the full amount of P20,000 only.

With this move, the school is offering an equal opportu-nity for all students to enjoy quality education from highly competent instructors and the use of modern facilities at af-fordable fees, thereby allowing them to have a good founda-tion for their chosen career.

DDC conducts free en-trance examinations for in-coming SHS applicants and offers scholarships to the top ten examinees.

For reservations and in-quiries on DDC’s Senior High School Program, interested applicants may contact the Ad-missions Office at (082)222-0850 local 112.

BLACK Friday and Cy-ber Monday, two of the most anticipated shop-

ping sales in the United States, are made more accessible and affordable to digital-sav-vy GCash customers through the international shipping provided by GCash American Express Virtual Pay in partner-ship with My Shopping Box.

“This is the fourth year for GCash American Express Vir-tual Pay to participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale and once again we’re giving our customers a better way to enjoy the biggest discounts and most amazing shopping deals from their favorite inter-national online retail stores,” said Xavier Marzan, President and CEO of G-Xchange Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom, operator of

GCash.With a waived annual fee

of USD 25 from My Shopping Box, GCash American Ex-press Virtual Pay customers will also be able to enjoy an ad-ditional 3% rebate in their in-ternational shipments. GCash American Express Virtual Pay’s subscription fee for this year was also waived.

To be celebrated on No-vember 27 this year, Black Friday is the day after Thanks-giving which marks the unoffi-cial start of the U.S. Christmas season and is often associat-ed with huge shopping dis-counts. Cyber Monday, on the other hand, happens on the Monday after Thanksgiv-ing which falls on November 30. It also involves large price cuts from smaller online re-tailers.

TEACHERS of math-ematics and science around the world, in-

cluding the Philippines, are invited to apply for the 2015 Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy (HESA) pro-gram, a simulated astronaut training and professional development program of Honeywell at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Created in partnership with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in 2004, HESA is de-signed to address the trends in science, technology, engi-neering, and math (STEM) ed-ucation by providing teachers with new technical skills and teaching techniques that help motivate students around the world. Since the inception of the program, Honeywell has sponsored more than 2,375 teachers from 55 countries to participate in the HESA pro-gram, including eight teach-ers from the Philippines. These teachers have further inspired over two million stu-dents.

“Over the years, HESA has brought remarkable trans-formations among teachers globally by providng valuable

opportunities for them to approach advanced technol-ogies and innovative training methodologies,” said Jim Bu-jold, president of Honeywell Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Phil-ippines). “We’d like to see more educators in the region involved in this program and gain unforgettable learning experience to inspire the next generation of scientists.”

Each successful appli-cant will receive a full schol-arship following a rigorous and lengthy application and selection process involving competing teachers from around the world. Scholar-

ships include tuition for the five-day program, roundtrip airfare, meals, accommoda-tions, program materials, and flight suits, all sponsored by Honeywell and contributions from Honeywell employees.

Honeywell Educators will participate in 45 hours of professional development, as well as an intensive edu-cator curriculum focused on space science and explora-tion. Activities include class-room, laboratory, and field training exercises linked to international science and math teaching standards. Each teacher will also under-go simulated astronaut train-

ing including a high-perfor-mance jet simulation, scenar-io-based space mission, land and water survival training, and interactive flight dynam-ics programs.

The application deadline for the 2016 Honeywell Ed-ucators @ Space Academy is Monday, January 4, 2016. Applicants will be assigned one of the two sessions: June 8 - June 14, 2016 or June 15 - June 21, 2016. Acceptance notifications will be made by early January 2016.

For more information on the program and application details, please visit http://ed-ucators.honeywell.com.

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CULTURE & ARTSHISTORY OF DAVAOA settlement called SolimanBy ANTONIO V. FIGUEROA

THEN a mangrove forest, the place is known as the ‘birthplace’ of the

right-wing vigilante group, the Alsa Masa (Arise, mass-es!). It was here that the first anti-communist resistance in Davao City was launched, and this was also the place where assassinations against state enemies were clandestinely planned.

Named after Rajah Sulay-man, Soliman is a strip of land that links Leon Maria Garcia Sr. and Francisco Bangoy streets, just adjacent to the booming Agdao area. Garcia was origi-nally known as Frank Carpen-ter, after the American gov-ernor of Mindanao and Sulu, while Bangoy is in honor of the former Davao governor after whom the city’s international airport was named; the street hosted the popular Gotamco Lumber, the largest sawmill in the area.

In the sixties, the area was an informal settlement inside a lush forest that was washed daily by seawater passing the Agdao Creek. It was a patch of land bordered by Rosemarie Street (named after a parlor) to the east and the creek, to the west. It was a middle-class vil-lage of around 50 residences,

mostly built on concrete stilts to keep the floors from being flooded during high tide.

Agdao CreekAgdao Creek, which orig-

inally stretched from Davao Gulf to an area less than a ki-lometer inland, was the pas-sageway for logs bound for the defunct Davao Bay Lumber; these were hauled by barges. Decades later, due to erro-neous planning, part of the waterway was concreted into a road that now traverses an abandoned bus terminal in-side Agdao Public Market.

In the early 1960’s, at a time when environmental issues were a misnomer, the swampland adjacent to the forest that linked Soliman to Rosemarie Street started to disappear as a result of recla-mation. On a daily basis, dump trucks full of sawdust hauled from L.S. Sarmiento Sawmill in Panacan were unload-ed, irretrievably burying the mangroves and its denizens, and draining the seawater. A reminder of this activity is an empty lot that is now used as a taxi garage and cock farm.

The old Soliman (minus the extension that now links it to Lizada Street on the north)

was a vibrant, peaceful com-munity of wooden structures connected by a long platform that served as an improvised bridge for use by residents. Many of its original settlers were gainfully employed com-pared to other populated vil-lages and shantytowns.

Early settlersSoliman Street, as it was

already known, hosted fam-ilies with surnames such as Ferolino, Diems, Francisco, Bacus, Pavo, Algabre, Veloso, Rivera, and Murillo, to name a few. Though an informal settle-ment, it was a beehive of pro-ductively employed people.

There were musicians, drivers, garbage collectors, seamen, state workers, electri-cians, barbers, and other pro-fessionals. At night, the hushed voices of mahjong players kept the place alive with the sound of jumbled dice and the laugh-ter.

Like any informal settle-ment, crimes and public spats were part of daily life. Among the most prominent ‘crime figures’ to hog the local head-line was the son of a port ste-vedore, who was implicated in the planned assassination of then city mayor Luis T. Santos.

It was also here in Soliman that Valentino ‘Tenny’ Banzon, the late broadcaster and city councilor, tendered his nup-tial banquet, just in front of his in-laws’ residence, in 1964. He married Jessie Diems, the granddaughter of an American immigrant and the daughter of a mariner.

(On a personal note, as young kids, we would sneakily enter the tent where the food were prepared and almost al-ways came out of the pergola with a handful of steals.)

Flora and faunaThe forest behind the

settlement, during its halcy-on years, was covered with mangroves (Sonneratia pa-gatpat Blanco), the species that produces heart-shaped fruits. In the swamp, there was no shortage of mud crabs (alimango), swimming crabs (kagang), sea snakes (tangk-ig and walo-walo), congers (kasili), sea cucumber (ba’at), mudskippers (tambasakan), lobsters (takla), silver-band-ed whiting (asuhos), flathead grey mullet (gisaw), and silver perches (bugaong).

During the high tide, when the seawater flooded the swamp floor with food

for plankton feeders, the forest became host to col-orful plumes, mostly avian varieties. Birds like the kingfisher (tingkarol), Philippine black crow (galansiyang), egret ( t i k l i n g ) , p a r r o t ( p e r i k o ) , owl (kuwa-go), Phil-ippine coucal (kokok), and tur-tledove (limukon) were exciting sights to behold. And during low tide when sand mounds appear, the invasion of the hermit (umang) and fiddler crab (agu-koy) was always an in-teresting observation.

At night, aside from the chirping of cicadas (gangis), the flapping of the wings of bats (kuwak-nit and kabog), reminded the residents that eve-ning was nigh. On a clear dusk, thousands of bats passed by the settlement from their colony at Samal Island.

RemindersLong after the

FHISTORY, 10

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015

Barca routs Roma

14 EDGEDAVAOSports

LIONEL Messi marked his return to the Barcelona starting line-up after

injury with a scintillating per-formance in the 6-1 win over AS Roma Tuesday in the Nou Camp which sealed top spot in Group E for the Champions League holder.

Messi, who has not start-ed for the Catalan power-house since September 26, scored twice, his opener after a sublime move involving ev-ery outfield player having a touch of the ball and nearly 30 passes.

The Argentina ace came on as a substitute in Barca’s rout of Real Madrid in El Cla-sico Saturday, but here he was able to weave his magic for the full 90 minutes, ably supported by the brilliance of Luis Suarez, who also grabbed a double.

“Messi is the best in the world and I’m happy for him,” said Suarez after the match, but it has been the Uruguayan and Neymar who have carried

the Barcelona attack in his prolonged absence.

“It felt good to play the 90 minutes. Little by little I’m feeling better,” said Messi.

Gerard Pique, with a tap-in after being set up by Messi, and Adriano after a late pen-alty from Neymar was saved, added the other goals for the totally dominant home side.

Luis Henrique’s men had already qualified for the last 16 before taking the field af-ter BATE Borisov and Bayer Leverkusen drew 1-1 in Be-larus, but needed a point to seal top spot with one round of matches still remaining.

The result was never in doubt after Suarez grabbed the opener after 15 minutes and Messi added the second, chipping in his finish.

Suarez made it 10 goals in six games just before half time with three more, including Messi’s second, coming after the break.

Edin Dzeko saw a late penalty for Roma saved by

Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but at least had the scant consola-tion of scoring an injury time goal for the Italian side.

Bayern Munich, who many see as the only team ca-pable of mounting a challenge to Barcelona in the compe-tition, also booked a last 16 place Tuesday after a thump-ing 4-0 win against Olym-piakos in Germany. It is the 18th time Bayern has reached this stage in the Champions League.

Douglas Costa, Robert Le-wandowski, Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman were on target for the Bavarians, who could even afford to lose Hol-ger Badstuber to a red card early in the second half.

Bayern’s victory, which sealed top spot in Group F, also allowed Arsenal to stay in the competition as Alexis Sanchez scored twice in a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb at the Emir-ates.

Mesut Ozil put the Gun-ners on the way to a vital victo-

ry, but Arsene Wenger’s peren-nial qualifiers for the knockout stages still trail Olympiakos by three points and must next go to Greece to decide who finish-es second in the group.

“We have to win. Let’s for-get that for now and focus on Norwich (In the EPL) on Sun-day,” said a relieved Wenger.

English Premier League champion Chelsea moved closer to qualification from Group G with a 4-0 win at Maccabi Tel Aviv but Dynamo Kiev’s 2-0 win in Porto leaves all three teams with a chance of progressing after the final round of matches.

Elsewhere, Zenit St Peters-burg continued to impress by making it five wins from five in Group H, beating Valencia 2-0 with goals from Oleg Shatov and the prolific Artem Dzyuba.

Gent, whose fans were prevented from traveling be-cause of security fears, won 2-1 at Lyon thanks to Kalifa Coulibaly’s late goal to move into second spot behind Zenit.

FLOYD Mayweather Jr. has denied his interest in a rematch with newly

crowned middleweight cham-pion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, saying he “whooped” the Mex-ican during their first bout.

Canelo and promoter Os-car De La Hoya both agreed they’d consider a fight with the Moneyman, but the un-defeated Mayweather said on Tuesday he has no interest in the contest—retorting in typ-ical fashion, per Ben Thomp-son of FightHype.com:

Canelo, you a good fighter, but you already know what it is when you face me, boy. Class is in session! I faced Canelo, [Miguel] Cotto, and [Manny] Pacquiao, and I know who’s the best out of the three. I know how they all rate, and I know something all three of them guys got in common.

They got their ass whooped by me. So this is

for everybody that’s always speaking about my accom-plishments and everything that I’ve done. When the his-tory books is written and when we’re all gone, there’s only going to be one m----------n’ name that they’re talking about and that’s Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather!

Canelo hammered his way to a unanimous-points win in Las Vegas, and Mayweather criticised Cotto, taking aim at the boxer’s trainer, Freddie Roach.

Money told Thompson (h/t Keith Idec of BoxingScene.com) that Roach gave the Puer-to Rican bad advice during the contest, ultimately leading to his downfall. Mayweather also questioned Roach’s creden-tials as a “legendary coach,” criticising his methods.

However, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated said Roach still commands substantial re-

spect, and he is a popular fig-ure in the boxing community:

Mayweather has also been linked with a return to face Amir Khan, with the Brit claiming the icon is afraid to fight him.

Khan said to Indian me-dia outlet Rediff (h/t Edward Chaykovsky of BoxingScene.com) the American “pulled out” of talks to arrange the fight, and Mayweather is “scared” of facing him: “We were this close to finalising the fight. But his team backed out at the last moment. They knew that I would beat him. It was so disappointing. I could have knocked him out. It was such a shame that I didn’t get the op-portunity.”

Money will continue to be linked with every top fighter in his weight class in the coming months, and despite profess-ing his contentment in retire-ment, there will surely be a

POLICEMAN Jonathan Pido and Olive Firmeza stamped their class in

ruling the Team Titans Davao 70K National Ultramarathon Season 2 held recently in an out-and-back course at the Victoria Plaza.

Pido of the Titans-PRC-PNP clocked six hours, seven minutes and 11 seconds in topping the men’s division. He was followed by Lloyd Malinao of Davao Striders at 6:22:00.

Third was Dr. Ian De-fameliz of Tri SOS at 7:10:51.

Firmeza of Team Phil-Health, on the other hand, submitted a time of 7:49:52 in the distaff side. Second was Giegs Castillo of PNP-Sunrun at 9:44:54 followed by Sylva-na Navales of Titans Davao at 10:47:15.

Barefoot runner Man-

ingVismanos, 68, was the old-est participant while 18-year old Jefferson Botea was the youngest.

A total of 92 runners from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao participated one of the most awaited ultramarathon events in the country.

“We had 22 teams with 85 veterans, seven newcomers. 79 male and 13 female,” said TTD founder Dr. Ric Audan.

Last year’s footrace had a total of 70 runners.

“The proceeds will be do-nated to the Southern Philip-pines Medical Center Pediat-ric Ward.

TTD will also have it ear-ly gift giving program for its adopted community of In-digenous Peoples in Sitio Ma-likongkong in the 3rd District of Davao on November 29. LITO DELOS REYES

WORLD number one Jor-dan Spieth is gunning to join Jack Nicklaus

and Gary Player as only the third non-local player to win back-to-back Australian Opens this week -- but a “fired-up” Adam Scott is standing in his way.

It was a year ago the Ameri-can ignited a “dream” 10 months by winning in Sydney, and a week later claiming the Tiger Woods-hosted World Challenge.

He went on to capture the opening two majors of 2015, along with two regular PGA Tour victories and the season-ending Tour Championship in a break-through season.

Spieth said he was thrilled to be back at The Australian Club for the tournament’s 100th edition, where a final-round, course-re-cord 63 carried him to an impres-sive six shot success last year.

Now he is seeking to become the first overseas player in nearly 40 years to lift the trophy twice in a row after Nicklaus completed his double in 1976.

“Anywhere you can go back and you have great memories can

help you out and it just puts good vibes in going forward,” Spieth said.

“So I am looking forward to trying to do the exact same thing as last year.”

In contrast to Spieth, Aus-tralia’s world number 12 Scott is seeking a first win since capturing the 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitation-al Colonial.

But he said he was highly mo-tivated to win on home turf with the “whole golf world” watching as Spieth defends his title.

- ‘Fabulous season’ -“I am very fired-up to win the

Australian Open this week,” said Scott, a former world number one who finished fifth in Sydney last year.

“I’ve been building it in my own my mind just knowing Jor-dan has come back to defend and as the number one golfer in the world.

“It’s important and it’s great that he is here because the whole golf world will be watching what happens this week, so he’s doing a huge favour for Australian golf this week.”

Floyd denies interest in Canelo rematch

Pido, Firmeza rule TTD 70K Ultramarathon

Floyd Mayweather Jr. hits Canelo Alvarez with a right straight to the face during their WBC and WBA super welterweight titles fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 14, 2013.

FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi scores past AS Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Spieth gunning to match Nicklaus, Player with Aussie double

bout that generates the dollars that would force him to put his gloves back on.

Canelo is not the draw that would interest Mayweather, but he has not faced or beaten

Khan, and the Brit would pack out a huge venue and sell tick-ets.

However, Floyd May-weather Sr. believes Khan would be an “easy fight” for

his son, as cited by Dave Kidd of the Daily Mirror, but the Brit’s skill set and speed would cause Money problems as the years finally catch up with the superstar.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015 EDGEDAVAO

SWEET 16SPORTS15

INTERIM coach Luke Walton believes the time will come when the Golden State War-

riors finally lose a game.‘’I doubt it, I highly doubt it,’’

joked NBA MVP Stephen Curry.The defending champions

set the record for best start in league history at 16-0, as Curry had 24 points and nine assists in a 111-77 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

With their coach sidelined, the Warriors surpassed the 15-0 starts by the Washington Capitols of 1948-49 and the 1993-94 Houston Rockets.

Confetti streamed down when the final buzzer sounded and Golden State’s players bare-ly celebrated.

‘’It’s a special accomplish-ment any time you can do some-thing that hasn’t been done be-fore,’’ Curry said. ‘’It’s not going to be total dominance for 82 games.’’

Kobe Bryant shot 1 of 14 for just four points, matching the

worst-shooting performance of his career in a game where he had at least one basket. The Lakers dropped to 2-12 with the second-worst record in the NBA.

‘’I could have scored 80 to-night, it wouldn’t have made a damn difference,’’ Bryant said.

Draymond Green added 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Warriors extend-ed their franchise-record home winning streak to 27 games with coach Steve Kerr watching from behind the scenes while recovering from complications following two back surgeries.

Walton is leading the way, and it might have been a little sweeter to set the record against the Lakers franchise he helped win two titles.

‘’Anything’s possible,’’ Wal-ton said. ‘’Eventually we will lose. It’s natural to let down at some point.’’

Golden State became the sixth team in NBA history to win 20 consecutive regular-season

games, a streak dating to last season. The Suns have the next shot at stopping this incredible start when the Warriors visit Phoenix on Friday night.

Now, the Warriors can aim for two more NBA records: 33 straight or 72 total wins.

Curry only had to play 30 minutes, taking a seat for good with 6.5 seconds remaining in the third to huge cheers from a sellout crowd of 19,596 that was really closer to 20,000 with all the standing-room only tickets sold.

Bryant went 1 for 7 from 3-point range in 25 minutes as Los Angeles lost its fourth in a row and eighth in nine. He also finished 1 for 14 last season against San Antonio, according to STATS.

Klay Thompson had 11 points but missed his first seven shots and, as has been the case in a handful of these wins, the Warriors took a few minutes to get rolling - and then they were

off and run-ning.

‘’We’re a young team, very hungry and we’ve got great veterans that won’t let us be complacent,’’ Thompson said. ‘’Hopefully it sends a mes-sage throughout the league that we’re here to stay for a while.’’

G o l d e n State missed five of its first six shots before Curry’s 3-pointer from the left wing at 8:28. The Warriors knocked down five of their first 12 from long range to build a 27-9 lead with 1:41 left in the opening pe-riod.

INDIANA forward Paul George thinks his team doesn’t get enough atten-

tion.With more nights like

Tuesday, the Pacers will.George scored a sea-

son-high 40 points and made seven 3-pointers, part of a franchise-record 19 by the Pacers in a 123-106 victory over the Washington Wizards.

C.J. Miles added 32 points, his most since joining the Pacers before the start of last season, as Indiana won for the ninth time in 11 games follow-ing an 0-3 start.

‘’We always get over-looked,’’ George said. ‘’We’re still getting used to the system, but now we’re flowing.’’

Miles was 8 of 9 from be-yond the arc, and George also missed only once from deep as the Pacers tied their sea-son scoring high set Saturday against Milwaukee.

Indiana also finished 73.1 percent (19 of 26) from 3-point range, crushing their previous season high of 44.4 percent (12 of 27).

‘’First time I’ve seen some-thing like that,’’ said George, smiling and shaking his head.

Said frustrated Wizards guard Bradley Beal: ‘’When I’m standing this close to you and you’re still making shots, I mean, what else do you want us to do?’’

Gary Neal scored 23 points off the bench for the Wizards, whose three-game winning

streak was snapped.Beal added 20 points and

John Wall scored 18 for Wash-ington, which has lost five of its six games when it allows more than 110 points.

‘’We have to let this one go,’’ said Wizards coach Ran-dy Wittman, who at times this season has criticized his team’s defense. ‘’I thought our guys played hard, I don’t have a problem with that. We just ran into a hot team shooting the ball.’’

Even with George and Miles combining to shoot a perfect 9 of 9 beyond the arc before halftime, the Wizards remained close for much of the first half and even led for stretches of the second quarter before the Pacers pulled away.

Miles finally missed his first 3-point attempt midway through the third, but an-swered with his seventh and longest of the game to beat the shot clock and make it 81-74.

George’s turnaround jumper later in the quarter pushed it to 86-77, and then his pull-up 3 from the left wing made it 91-81, the first dou-ble-digit lead for either team.

‘’We’ve been talking about making people try and pick their poison,’’ Miles said of his partnership with George. ‘’There’s a lot of space out there when he does what he does. I just try and move in the gaps and find spaces and be aggressive when I get my chances.’’

THIS visit to Portland ended on a much happi-er note for Derrick Rose

than the last.Rose returned after miss-

ing two games with a sprained left ankle and scored 17 points in the Chicago Bulls’ 93-88 vic-tory over the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.

Rose hadn’t played in Portland since he tore the me-niscus in his right knee against the Blazers in November 2013, ending his season. The disappointing injury came af-ter he missed the entire previ-ous season because of surgery on his left knee.

‘’I’m just happy I got off the court,’’ Rose joked afterward. ‘’I think we played an all-right game. We won so that’s the only thing that matters.’’

Jimmy Butler had 22 points for the Bulls, who have won five of their last six. But-ler’s highlight came at the end of the first half, when he hit a half-court buzzer beater that put Chicago in front 48-39.

But the Blazers didn’t make it easy.

Rose’s floating jumper stretched Chicago’s lead to 78-65 early in the fourth quarter, but Portland rallied within 78-76 on Ed Davis’ tip shot.

Damian Lillard missed a 3-pointer to tie it for Portland with 2:25 left, then missed the second of a pair of free throws with 20.7 seconds left that would have also pulled the Blazers into a tie.

CJ McCollum’s quick layup got Portland within 89-88 with 13 seconds to go. But af-ter Butler made a pair of free

throws, McCollum missed on a 3-point attempt and Taj Gib-son hit free throws for the final margin.

Lillard finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but shot 4 of 22 from the field. McCollum added 18 points.

‘’I thought I got a lot of good looks at the rim, the shots just didn’t go in,’’ Lillard said. ‘’I was more disappointed with the free throw that kind of just went halfway down the basket and came out.’’

The Blazers had won two straight after a seven-game losing streak, including a 107-93 victory on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. Still without Meyers Leonard because of a dislo-cated left shoulder, the Blaz-ers started Noah Vonleh to go against Nikola Mirotic.

It was also the Bulls’ first win in Portland since 2007. Rose missed last year’s game in Portland because of a ham-string injury.

Going into Tuesday night’s game, Rose said his minutes wouldn’t be restricted be-cause of the ankle injury. His return came at an opportune time for the Bulls, who were without Aaron Brooks for the second game because of a sore hamstring.

‘’I felt all right. There were some plays where I had no lift on my shot as far as like driv-ing the ball, but that’s going to come the more I play and the stronger it gets,’’ said Rose, who logged nearly 35 minutes.

The Bulls pulled ahead 39-29 midway through the sec-

Bulls beat Blazers in Rose’s returnond quarter on Gibson’s 14-foot jumper. Portland pulled within six points before the break, but Butler’s 47-footer extended Chicago’s lead just before they left the court.

Portland opened the sec-ond half with a 7-0 run and pulled within 48-46 on Von-leh’s 3-pointer followed by a layup. But the rally was short-lived and Butler’s reverse layup put the Bulls ahead 62-

52.The game got chippy in

the final minutes when Butler and Mason Plumlee got into it. In the aftermath, Plumlee was served with a flagrant foul, and Butler got a technical. After the game, Plumlee said he deserved the tech for hit-ting Butler hard through the screen.

Pau Gasol had 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls.

Pacers make 19 3s to beat Wizards 123-106

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls shoots the

ball against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday

at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. (Photo

by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)

Warriors make NBA history asfirst team to start season 16-0

VOL. 8 ISSUE 173 • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 201516 EDGEDAVAO