P 15.00 • 20 PAGESwww.edgedavao.netVOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

IS IT LOVE TRIANGLE?

Miraculous win by THRMH-CMO in Kadayawan cagefest Page 16

EDGEDAVAOSports

Police probe deeper into MMA champion’s death

EDGE Serving a seamless society

DAVAO

British detainedfor child abuse P2Bello: BBL has slimchance of passing P3

INSIDE EDGE

IN THE LAND OF GIANTS. Life can be challenging for photojournalists as in this scene where Edge Davao lensman Lean Daval Jr. tries to squeeze in between giant-sized basketball players to take a photograph of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte delivering a speech during the Kadayawan Basketball Tournament opening. NJB

THE Davao City Police Of-fice (DCPO) is now look-ing into the possibility

that a love triangle was behind the murder of former Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC) champi-on Ale Cali on Sunday morning in Ulas, Davao City.

In an interview yesterday after the flag raising ceremo-ny, DCPO director Senior Su-perintendent Vicente Danao Jr. said the love triangle angle was “more probable” in Cali’s killing.

“We see this as an isolated case, another case of love tri-angle because it is more prob-able that we are looking for,” he said.

Danao, however, would not reveal the persons involved in the love triangle since the the-ory is still unconfirmed.

But he said the case is “more of a personal grudge.”

Danao also said investiga-tors will not rule out other an-gles such as possible involve-ment in illegal drugs or unpaid debts.

Meanwhile, a source said a week before Cali’s death, the victim sought the help of the National Bureau of Investiga-tion-South Eastern Mindanao Regional Office (NBI-SEMRO) because he was receiving threats.

This was confirmed by NBI-SEMRO regional director Dante Gieran in a telephone interview with EDGE Davao yesterday.

“Kasuap niya ang agent ko si Atty. (Arcelito) Albao, nag-re-quest siya for investigation (Cali talked to my agent Atty. Arcelito Albao and requested a

investigation),” he said.Gieran, however, said he

could not disclose what the threat was all about since he did not speak to Cali personal-ly. He said Albao could also not give information because no investigation was started.

Initial investigation con-ducted by Talomo Police Sta-tion showed that a witness, who was at the scene of the crime at around 10:45 a.m. on August 16, noticed a gray Honda Fit car at the shoulder of MacArthur Highway.

The victim came out of the car and opened the left back door when a gunman walked up from behind him and shot him three times, causing his immediate death.

The gunman fled south-ward on board a waiting black Honda Wave motorcycle driv-en by another person.

Scene of the Crime opera-tives found three empty shells at the scene of the crime.

Police said Cali sustained a total of four gunshot wounds in the head. Two bullets did not exit while the third caused entry and exit wounds.

Cali became famous in 2012 after he won the PXC fly-weight title against Jesse Tai-tano of Guam in a third-round technical knockout (TKO).

He defended it with a third-round win against fel-low Filipino Erwin Tagle nine months after he won the title.

However, Cali was de-throned by Louis Smolka in a first-round TKO in November 2013. Cali was also defeated in March 2014 by Ernesto Mon-tilla Jr.

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

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 20152 EDGEDAVAO

NEWS

A BRITISH national charged with child abuse is still detained

in the Davao City Jail. This was learned from sources at the Davao City Prosecutor’s Office.

The same sources said that Lennox James Ellis, 71, of Butterfly Grove 12 Woodridge Park, was detained after Branch 33 of the Davao Re-gional Trial Court denied his

petition for bail on the child abuse case.

The foreigner may be in deeper trouble as a graver case of human trafficking filed against him was being investi-gated by the city prosecutor’s office.

A source told EDGE Davao the trafficking case has been submitted for resolution. That resolution is expected to come out sometime during

the end of this month. A resolution indicting the

British for human trafficking means he would have to be detained indefinitely because under the law, Republic Act 9208 or Anti-Trafficking in Person Act of 2003, no bail shall be recommended for an accused for cases involving violation of Section 4 (Acts of Trafficking) in relation Sec-tion 6 (Qualified Trafficking)

during the pendency of the case.

Meanwhile, four children aged 13, 12, 11, and 8 who are the alleged victims of abuse and trafficking, are in the cus-tody of the Department of So-cial Welfare and Development in Region 11.

The children are in good hands, according to DSWD Regional Director Priscilla N. Razon yesterday.

THE Davao City Demoli-tion Unit is now inten-sifying its operation in

the Bankerohan area to strict-ly implement the one-third, two-thirds policy on sidewalk and street vendors.

In an interview, Demoli-tion Unit head Yusop Jimlani told reporters that the prod-ucts of all vendors who will be caught violating the policy in the area will be automatically confiscated and will never be returned.

Jimlani went to Bankero-han near Mercury Drug last Friday afternoon with more than 50 members of his unit and three huge dump trucks.

It was the same area where some members of the unit were wounded in a riot two weeks ago. The riot en-sued when vendors refused submit their products to the demolition unit.

“We are showing them that we are not afraid to them since we are the authorities,”

Jimlanin said on Friday.He said the vendors in the

area are his unit’s main con-cern because these people do not follow the policies of the city government on sidewalk use.

Jimlani said the vendors in the area occupy majority of the road, causing traffic jams.

“Sa isa ka vendor sobra usa kalibo katao ang nahasol (Every vendor causes incon-venience to more than a thou-sand people),” he said.

Jimlani said the vendors who pelted the members of his unit with stones have al-ready been identified and cas-es will be filed against them any time.

He said the nose of one of his men was broken after he was hit by a big stone during the riot two weeks ago.

Jimlani he also cited the death of one of his members last December after being gunned down by some of the

PARTIDO Demokratiko Pilipinas-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-LABAN) is eying an

alliance with another political party to strengthen its bid for the 2016 presidential election.

Former Senator Aquili-no “Nene” Pimentel said as a small political party, PDP-LA-BAN needs to form an alliance with another party because it cannot win the presidency all by itself.

“That is important kay di ma mahimo nga ang PDP ga-may nga partido sulohon niya maka padaog og presidente. That is not possible,” he said.

Pimentel, however, said there is still no confirmation as to what party the PDP-Laban will ally itself with.

He said the alliance will

still depend on which party will support the same advo-cacies, among them a shift to federalism which he has long been supporting.

Pimentel said among the possible presidential candi-dates, it is only Davao City May-or Rodrigo R. Duterte who has a clear platform on federalism. He said no one in the PDP-La-ban will oppose Duterte’s be-ing the party standard bearer.

Duterte had re-entered the PDP-Laban last February and had been tagged as the party’s presidential candidate should he decide to run for the posi-tion.

Duterte is widely believed to be eying the presidency, although he has consistently denied it.

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has filed a case

against a miner who was inter-cepted in a checkpoint in Sir-awan, Toril on Sunday carrying methamphetamine hydrochlo-ride (shabu) worth P540,000.

The suspect was identified as George Boligao, 44, a miner residing in Barangay Poblacion Maragusan, Compostela Valley Province.

He was submitted for in-quest procedure before the City Prosecution Office yester-day.

Boligao is being charged for violating the Comprehen-sive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and for illegal possession

of firearm.The PDEA said Boligao was

on board on a public utility van when a member of Task Force (TF) Davao checked inside the vehicle and found a .45 caliber pistol with seven live ammuni-tions in his possession.

TF Davao then frisked Boligao and found 12 sachets of shabu worth P540,000 as well as drug paraphernalia.

In an interview with re-porters, Boligao said he was transporting the shabu from Cotabato City to Maragusan in Comval.

PDEA 11 regional director Adzhar Albani said his office is considering Boligao as a big-time drug pusher.

THE PLEDGE. Newly promoted members of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) pledge to serve the people. Armando B. Fenequito Jr.

British detainedfor child abuseHuman trafficking case submitted for resolutionBy ANTONIO M. AJERO

Demolition unit intensifiesoperations in Bankerohan

PDP-Laban mulling alliancewith another party: PimentelBy FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

Miner faces drug rapsBy ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

FDEMOLITION, 10

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015 3EDGEDAVAO NEWS

UNA ang Barangay Ating Paunlarin (1-BAP) par-ty-list Rep. Silvestre H.

Bello III yesterday said the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has a slim chance of being approved at the Low-er House despite the effort of President Benigno Aquino to woo lawmakers.

“The Lower House can-not start the discussion of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law which will create the proposed Bangsamoro Area because a lot of legislators are usually not present. There’s no qorum,” Bello said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex.

Bello, a member of the 75-member ad hoc commit-

tee on the BBL, said some legislators do not attend ses-sions intentionally for various reasons.

“This will further delay the passage of the bill,” he said.

Bello said some members of Congress personally do not like the bill, especially those who are non-Muslims from Mindanao.

“They don’t like the bill because their constituents don’t like the bill neither,” he said.

Bello said the opt-in pro-vision in the original version of the bill could lead to an au-tonomous Mindanao instead of just an autonomous region to be called as Bangsamoro.

“The Supreme will not al-

low this because it may lead to the creation of an autono-mous Mindanao. According to the provision, an area contigu-ous to proposed Bangsamoro area can be part as long as 10 percent of its population vot-ed to be part of it, but it has to be ratified in a plebiscite,” he said.

He also said the members of the Makabayan block in the Congress also expressed their opposition to the bill as well as the proposed amendments to the provisions of the ad hoc committee in the Lower House.

“We have deleted 32 pro-visions from the original pro-posed bill made according to the Comprehensive Agree-

ment for the Bangsamoro and Framework Agreement for the Bangsamoro of the gov-ernment and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),” he said.

One of these is the provi-sion pertaining to the power of the Shariah Court, which he said is unconstitutional.

“Under the constitution, it is only the Supreme Court that has the judiciary power. Decisions made by the Shari-ah Court should be subjected to the review of the Supreme Court,” he added.

He also said the bill will have a long way to go in the Senate after Senator Ferdi-nand Marcos Jr. filed a substi-tute bill.

DAVAO City first district Rep. and House Commit-tee on Labor chairman

Karlo B. Nograles has announced that his committee has approved and endorsed for second reading the much-anticipated Philippine Green Jobs Act (PGJA) which seeks to open job opportunities in the field of green technology and environment conservation.

Nograles said that House Bill 4969 has already passed the scrutiny of the House Committee on Appropriation and the Ways and Means Committee to deter-mine the fund viability of the pro-posal. The Senate, through Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, has also promised commitment to pass Senate Bill 2893 or their version of the Green Jobs Act, which was hailed by the United Nation’s International Labour Or-ganization (ILO) as the “first of its kind” and a creative innovation to address the challenges of climate change.

The so-called “Green Jobs Bill” by Nograles seeks to pro-mote work that produces goods and services that benefit and preserve the environment. These particularly involve business en-terprises that use lesser natural resources in their production processes.

“With the adverse effects of climate change being felt around the world and its increasing threat to lives and properties, na-tions have found it imperative to facilitate and guide the process of making industries less harmful to the environment,” Nograles said.

The Nograles measure is also pushing for fiscal incentives and tax perks to encourage indi-viduals and enterprises to par-ticipate in the creation of green jobs, practice the use of envi-ronment-friendly techonologies and produce green goods and services.

Nograles said that the so-

AS it is holding only three session days per week, Congress has only 18 ses-

sion days left from August 17 for the interpellation, period of amendments, voting and bicam-eral conference on the substitute bills on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) — HB 5811 in the House of Representatives and SB 2894 in the Senate – before the plenary debates on the budget begins on September 28.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on the BBL told the Metro Manila-based radio sta-tion DZBB Sunday morning that he hopes his colleagues would be present on August 17 “until we finish this bill for the second and third reading in the middle of September” because according to the calendar of the Committee on Rules, the 2016 budget will be debated in the plenary by Sep-tember 28.

“There will be no more de-bates (on) BBL, so therefore the real deadline (for the passage of the BBL) is on or before Sept. 28. Dapat tapos na sa (this should be finished in the) House,” Rodri-guez said.

MindaNews counted only 18 session days from Mondays to Wednesdays between August 17 and September 23, a Wednesday.

Congress goes on recess from October 10 to November 2.

Within the recess is the filing of certificates of candidacy on Oc-tober 12 to 16, by those who are running for elective posts in the synchronized elections of May 9, 2016.

If no BBL is passed before Congress goes on recess, elec-tions in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the regional body that would be abolished once the Bangsamoro Transition Authority takes over after the ratification of the BBL, will proceed as scheduled in 2016.

At the Senate, the period of interpellation is scheduled to be-gin on August 17.

Both substitute bills — in the House and the Senate – are being criticized for paving the way for a Bangsamoro that will be “less than the ARMM that it seeks to replace.”

At the House of Representa-tives, the period of interpellation for HB 5811 started on June 2 and was suspended on June 10 when Congress adjourned sine die. By then only eight of 38 rep-resentatives who had signed up, had finished their interpellation.

Interpellation was supposed to resume on August 4 but there was no quorum on August 4, 5, 10 and 11.

Quorum problemsOn August 12, only two

THE Office of the Om-budsman has dis-missed the complaint

against Mayor Sheila Mae Orquina-Cebedo of Bacuag town in Surigao del Norte and two other respondents for alleged violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The five-page resolution issued by the Ombudsman dated June 15 but only re-ceived by the parties last Thursday said Cebedo, mu-nicipal engineer Panfilo Ochavez, and contractor Rob-ert Yuipco could not be held liable for any violation of RA 3019.

Lawyer Mario F. Sison, regional director of National Bureau of Investigation-Cara-

ga filed the complaint against the three respondents on Oc-tober 30, 2014.

His complaint alleged that the covered court in Barangay Payapag, Bacuag was con-structed without conforming to the approved plans and specifications.

He said that based on the project inspection report of the Commission on Au-dit-Caraga the end portion of every truss beyond the roof beam was made of an angle bar instead of a channel bar.

He added the project was completed on March 28, 2008 and turned over a day before the completion.

But Yuipco maintained that the project followed the

Bello: BBL has slimchance of passing

ABSENTEEISM. Rep. Silvestre Bello III (right) of 1BAP party-list discloses that many congressmen tend to go absent in order to avoid controversial bills like the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and the Anti-dynasty Law. Bello

was joined by councilor Danilo Dayanghirang during yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

Time running out for BBL

Graft charge vs lady mayor of Surigao Norte dismissed

Nograles committee endorsesGreen Jobs bill for 2nd reading

FRIENDLY MATCH. The Royal Mandaya Hotel owner Glenn Escandor exchanges pleasantries with boxing superstar Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquaio before the start of a game between their respective basketball teams at the Davao City Recreation Center on Saturday night. Lean Daval Jr.

FTIME, 10

FGRAFT, 10

FNOGRALES, 10

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 20154 EDGEDAVAO

SUBURBIA

THE City of Mati, last year’s Kadayawan Festi-val Indak-indak sa Kada-

lanan Grand Champion, will have another entry this year and is determined to go for the win once again.

It will be represented by its own Sambuokan Festival Indak-Sayaw grand champion 2014 from Dawan National High School.

Last year’s entry, repre-

sented by Matiao National High School, also won as grand champion of North Cotabato’s Kalivungan Festival 2014, Sa-ranggani Province’s Lubi-Lubi Festival 2014, after winning as Kadayawan Festival Indak-in-dak sa Kadalanan 2014 grand champion.

They also represented the City of Mati, Davao Oriental and had a respectable finish in the national Aliwan Festival

2015 held in Manila. The City of Mati is all set to

defend its crown as the grand champion of Indak-indak sa Kadalanan and is hoping for another honor.

“It is with great pride that we are able to send another entry this year to Kadayawan Festival to also showcase our culture and heritage and our very own festival, the Sambuo-kan, which happens every last

week of October” said Mayor Carlo Rabat during the view-ing of the general rehearsal at Dawan National High School.

The entry is also being supported by Governor Cora-zon Malanyaon and Rep. Nel-son Dayanghirang.

“We are hoping that we will be able to give another spectacular performance for this year’s Kadayawan” added Mayor Rabat.

MORE than five hun-dred pregnant, lactat-ing, and childbearing

women in Davao City availed themselves of free medical ser-vices during the Kalinga Kay Inay (KKI) health fair on July 24 and 25, 2015 in Bankero-han and Matina, respectively.

KKI is a tripartite effort of CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI), a so-

cial development organization based in San Pablo, Laguna and US-based organizations Freedom From Hunger (FFH) and Microcredit Summit Cam-paign (MCS).

“KKI health fairs are open to all microfinance clients of CARD MRI and partner mi-crofinance institutions as well as non-microfinance clients in the local community,” CARD

MRI health coordinator Tria Marie Torres said.

The project aims to con-tribute in improving health knowledge and promoting behavior change to more than 600,000 women by the end of 2015 and help decrease the high maternal mortality rate in the Philippines, thus helping to address the country’s poor performance on Millennium

Development Goal (MDG) 5.The Local Government

Unit of Davao City, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) 11, and Depart-ment of Health 11 gave their full support to the project.

PhilHealth agreed to set up a booth in the venue to invite beneficiaries of the health fair to enroll in PhilHealth. It also

THE Provincial Govern-ment of Davao del Norte made it to the 2015

Seal of Good Local governance (SGLG) for its sustained effort in promoting transparency and accountability while beef-ing up programs that directly benefit the people.

In a letter received by the Provincial Administrator’s Office on August 11, 2015, In-terior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas informed Governor Rodolfo del Rosario that the province earned the recognition.

“Congratulations for mak-ing it,” Roxas said.

He said the province has met all the criteria of the core components of the award, particularly good financial housekeeping (GFH), social protection and disaster pre-paredness.

The province also met the requirements for all the other essential components of the Seal, to include busi-ness-friendliness and com-petitiveness, environmental management, and peace and order.

Roxas said the award entitled the PLGU to access the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) for this year in the amount of P7 million.

Other privileges due the province include securing of

GFH certification for loan pur-poses, as well as, availing of other national program win-dows like Bottom-Up Budget-ing Program and the SALIN-TUBIG program.

Del Rosario welcomed the award, saying it is a man-ifestation of the success of his reform initiatives under his human-centered P.E.O.P.L.E. development agenda.

“More than the glow-ing recognition and awards heaped upon us, it is more valuable to touch lives and create a tripple effect by which those lives can touch more lives,” the governor said in his recent State of the Prov-ince Address.

The SLGL succeeded the Seal of Good Housekeeping (SGH) award, of which the province was also a recipient in the past years.

DILG Secretary Mar Rox-as previously said the SGLG was introduced to provide greater challenge to local gov-ernments to continue good governance practices while providing better services.

Conferment of the SGLG marker and the PCF cheque is tentatively scheduled for the third to fourth week of August, according to the DILG memorandum signed by Un-dersecretary Austere Panade-ro. (PNA)

TWENTY-TWO farm-ers in Kidapawan City recently honed their

skills in natural farming tech-nology (NFT) intended to boost their income-genera-tion capability.

The three-day train-ing-workshop which focused on crop production was rolled out by the World Vision Development Foundation Inc. in partnership with the De-partment of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Marion Abella, provincial agrarian reform program of-ficer II, explained that NFT is a farming system which promotes indigenous farm-ing techniques that could help achieve high productiv-ity and profitability and pro-mote sustainable agriculture, particularly among the ben-eficiaries of the national gov-ernment’s agrarian program.

“We always want to help our farmers, especially the agrarian reform beneficia-ries, to increase their house-hold income by looking for ways to help them reduce their production cost,” Abella said.

Abella emphasized that DAR never stops promoting agricultural concepts and technologies such as the nat-

ural farming system technol-ogy that will turn farms, espe-cially the CARP covered lands, into gainful enterprises.

Meanwhile, Ian Oliver Ga-leos, economic development specialist of the World Vision, said that NFT is a response to clamour of farmers in Kidapawan City on low farm productivity and high cost of farm inputs.

“The spiralling cost of farm inputs always put our farmers at a losing end. As a result, farmers earn low in-come and thereby not able to provide all the needs of their family,” Galeos said.

To help reduce cost in farm inputs, farmers from the villages of Ginatilan and Pe-rez in Kidapawan City were taught in preparing fertiliz-ers and pesticides using NFT concoctions.

“NFT concoctions are easy to prepare and the ma-terials are readily available within the vicinity of their house and farms,” he said.

After learning the tech-nology, trainee-farmers are encouraged to share their knowledge with other farm-ers in their respective com-munities, thereby increasing the possibility of technology

Mati City to defendIndak-indak crown

GO FOR THE WIN. Mayor Carlo Rabat gives a pep talk to students after viewing the general rehearsal at Dawan National High School.

Dabawenya mothers get free medical services

Davao del Norte givengood governance seal

Farmers train in naturalfarming technology

FDABAWENYA, 10

FFARMERS, 10 HEALTH CHECK. A doctor checks on two young mothers and their children during the Kalinga Kay Inay (KKI) health fair in Davao City.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015 5EDGEDAVAO

ECONOMY

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

GREENHOUSE TECHNOLOGY. Israeli Chamber of Commerce of Philippines president Eyal Ben Ari (center) discusses the effort of the Israeli government to help improve the agriculture industry in Davao City and other provinces of the country through the green house technology. Ari was joined by former

North Cotabato governor Manny Piñol (left) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 11 director Joffrey M. Suyao in yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex. Lean Daval Jr.

MAYOR Rodrigo R. Duterte is bent on transforming Davao

into a major food production area by introducing the green-house technology in the city.

Former North Cotabato governor Manny Piñol said Duterte gave the go-signal for the establishment of the man-ually-operated model green-house after a presentation of the greenhouse technology by the Israeli firm Gur Lavi Corp. at Hotel Elena Sunday night.

“The mayor is very excited about it,” Piñol said, “He wants to make food available and af-fordable in every table.”

Piñol said the model greenhouse will be established either in Mintal or Calinan in two month’s time.

The 272-square meter model greenhouse will in-crease yield on agricultural products and transform the city into a major food produc-tion area.

“Hopefully, this will start a revolution in Philippine ag-riculture,” Piñol said in yes-terday’s regular Kapehan sa Dabaw media conference at SM City Annex.

The project is a joint ven-

ture between the Israeli com-pany and the City Government of Davao.

“Mayor Duterte wants to turn the city into a major (food) production area,” Piñol said. “It will serve as show window for greenhouse tech-nology in Davao and eventual-ly encourage farmers to adopt the technology.”

The first crop to be planted in the pilot greenhouse will be cucumber, according to Piñold.

“But, it can be also planted with lettuce, cabbage and even strawberry,” he said.

Piñol said Duterte met with Gur Lavi Corp. chairman Eyal Ben Ari to discuss the es-tablishment and adoption of the green technology which Israel has been using.

Despite the good climatic and soil condition as well as huge labor force, the Philip-pines continue to import basic agriculture products like on-ion and garlic whereas Israel, which is mostly dessert, have higher productivity of cash crops like bell pepper, tomato, lettuce.

“A study conducted by Gur Lavi revealed that an open field farm with a total area of

Davao introduces green technologyPiñol: Duterte wants to make city major food production area

1,000 square meters can only produce 4,000 kilogram (kg) of tomato per year while the same area which uses green-

house technology can yield up to 25,000 kilograms (kg) con-tinuously per year,” Piñol said.

“Per kilogram of tomatoes

in our market is cheaper com-pared to your tomatoes here,” firm president said Be Ari, also president of the Israel Cham-

ber of Commerce of the Phil-ippines.

Ben Ari said a kilo of toma-FDAVAO, 10

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015THE ECONOMY6 EDGEDAVAO

TAKE YOUR PICK. Durian fruit lovers choose from the different varieties sold at Magsaysay Park fruit stand in Davao City on Saturday. Lean Daval Jr.

COUNCILOR Leonardo R. Avila III will propose an ordinance that will

prohibit the transportation and selling of illegally-refilled butane canister with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

Avila, chair of the City Council committee on envi-ronment, said the proposal came after the meeting last week of the task force tasked to look into the issue of illegal-ly-refilled butane canister.

The task force has already confiscated a total of 3,000 canisters, which were still un-disposed because of the lack of a final disposal facility.

“My committee is now finalizing the proposal and I will be presenting it to the City Council for first reading in the

next few weeks,” Avila said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex yesterday.

Avila said there is no exist-ing law that regulates the re-filling, transportation as well as selling of this refilled canis-ter. Only the product standard of the Department of Trade and Industry looks into the matter.

The confiscation also did not fall under the mandate of the Bureau of Fire as defined by the Fire Code of the Philip-pines.

But, petroleum and energy regulator Department of Ener-gy (DOE) has already issued a statement that refilling butane canister is illegal because of its “inherent danger”.

The problem, Avila said, is

that refilled butane canisters are cheaper compared to 14 to 15 kilogram of LPG tanks which costs around P700.

Each canister costs P30 to P40 and can last three to five days.

The first district councilor said the city should have an ordinance which will prohibit the selling and transporting of refilled gas following the three incidents that caused injury and damage to property.

The Bureau of Fire in Davao City recorded three fire incidents caused by explosion of illegally refilled butane can-ister in Davao City.

One incident was the June 20, 2014 fire at the Miniforest, Barangay 23-C .The total dam-age to property during the

June 20 fire incident reached almost a million pesos.

The second incident trans-pired at the Davao City Special National High School located at Km. 7, Bangkal, Talomo, Davao City on August 1 last year during the celebration of Nutrition month where two students and a teacher was injured.

The third was the fire inci-dent that happened in Purok 12, Barangay 76-A, Bucana, Davao City.

“Illegally-refilled butane canisters are considered dan-gerous. The canister is not thick enough to hold the pres-sured LPG gas,” Avila said.

He added that butane can-isters are not designed to be refilled because it is very thin.

Ban vs sale of butanerefill canisters pushed

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

PROPERTY giant Mega-world is set to launch a new hotel brand in New-

port City this year. To be called Newport Belmont Hotel, this local brand by Megaworld will be first introduced within the company’s 25-hectare town-ship in Pasay City, just across the Ninoy Aquino Internation-al Airport Terminal 3.

Set to be fully-operational in October this year, Newport Belmont Hotel is a 10-storey business-class hotel consist-ing of 480 rooms and suites ranging from 23 to 33 square meters in size.It is located right in front of the new Mar-riott Grand Ballroom, which is touted to be the biggest pil-larless hotel ballroom in the country today. It is also just within walking distance from Resorts World Manila and Newport Mall.

The hotel features a con-temporary architectural de-

sign with each room having a curtain wall (floor to ceil-ing glass wall) to maximize the light permeability. One of the hotel’s highlights is its tropically landscaped atrium, which provides an amazing view of Resorts World Manila and the entire township.

“The entry of Belmont Ho-tel in Newport City is a timely opportunity as the existing hotels experience remark-able monthly occupancy rates since they opened a few years ago. We are bringing a new brand to cater to the discern-ing tastes of business travel-ers,” explains Lorenzo Tang, General Manager, Newport Belmont Hotel.

Newport Belmont Hotel boasts of first-class amenities that includepodium gardens, a 24-hour fitness center and workout area, lap pool with in-water pool lounge, paved sunbathing lounge, massage

deck and seating area, pool spa, steam and sauna rooms as well as its own business center and medical clinic.It will also have a dining and shopping arcade at the ground level.

This will be the first ho-tel under the Belmont brand to be opened, and the fourth hotel brand to rise in the vast Newport City township, which also houses Resorts World Manila and three other hotels, namely: Marriott Ho-tel Manila, Maxims Hotel and Remington Hotel.

Currently, these hotels have a total of1,137 rooms that enjoy an average of at least 85-90% occupancy rate every month.

Last year, Megaworld chairman Dr. Andrew L. Tan announced that the real es-tate giant along with its sister company Travellers Inter-national Hotel Group will be

building hotels around the country with a total of 12,000 rooms.

In the next five years, both companies will be expanding to an additional 10,000 new hotel rooms, all of which will be in Megaworld’s township developments.

“By the year 2020, we envision our group to be the largest hotel developer in the Philippines,” Dr. Tan an-nounced.

Just this year, Megaworld has also opened the 12-storey, 149-room Richmonde Hotel Iloilo inside the 72-hectare Iloilo Business Park in Man-durriao, Iloilo City. This is the first under the Richmonde Hotel brand to open outside of Metro Manila.

To date, both Megaworld and Travellers Internation-al have already built 2,049 rooms in its existing hotels:

Megaworld to open first Belmont Hotel in Newport

AS Davao continues to be the major economic hub in southern Philip-

pines, international hospitali-ty brand Dusit International is optimistic in providing job op-portunities to the local com-munity via its on-going prop-erty development projects.

Particularly, the world-re-nowned hotel brand has part-nered with Torre Lorenzo to bring in Dusit Thani Residenc-es and dusitD2 Hotel. With these projects, the partner-ship aims to provide upscale luxury accommodations for high-level business travelers and tourists from around the globe.

The Philippine Statistics authority recently reported that the Davao region post-ed the fastest gross domestic product (GDP) growth among the 17 regions in the country. According to

Ryan Chen, Dusit Inter-national director of develop-ment for Asia Pacific, they are confident that their projects will further boost this growth.

He noted that the projects are set to open job opportu-nities for hotel staff and crew who will be trained by Dusit International.

“Dusit will be primarily tapping the local labor force to service the properties in line with our global quality stan-dards. We will also be entering into contracts for linen, food and other supplies needed in the day-to-day business of managing a hotel,” Chen said.

Chen noted that with the entry of the aforementioned luxury projects, Davao entre-preneurs could expect to cater to a more diversified tourist population that will include those with high-end prefer-

ences.“Dusit International be-

lieves in the Davao market and the tourism prospects for this province. We are optimis-tic about what Davao has to offer business investors and leisure travellers by way of being a destination for con-ventions, summits, as well as more personalized, high-end tourism activities,” Chen said.

Dusit International earlier announced that Davao is host to the first Dusit Thani Res-idences in Asia, as the com-pany’s other serviced apart-ments are located in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It will be nestled within the Siam 8000 community project, a master planned community located along Maryknoll Drive in Ba-rangay Pampanga, Davao City.

The property is sched-uled for turnover in 2018. It is designed with the security and well-being of its guests in mind, featuring a centralized theater for its amenities, as well as thoughtfully designed landscapes and gardens that create a sense of relaxation for its users.

Meanwhile, dusitD2 Hotel is Dusit International’s brand of contemporary and casual accommodations for the sav-vy, stylish traveler.

The hotel will feature high-tech and modern conve-niences coupled with chic and playful design that matches Davao city’s youthful vibe. This will be the first dusitD2 Hotel in the Philippines.

Dusit International will oversee the day-to-day oper-ations of the said properties, following their 65-year tra-dition of Thai hospitality and creating an enlivening experi-ence for all guests.

Int’l hotel projects in Davaoto boost job opportunities

THE Department of Trade and Industry on Friday challenged the organiz-

ers of the annual Mindanao Trade Expo (MTE) to help the products of micro, small and medium enterprises compete with exports coming from neighboring countries.

DTI 11 director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi said the orga-nizers can do this by expand-ing their network of designers, inventors, and technology pro-viders.

Ambi said this will pro-vide MSMEs more options for product development in preparation for the Asean Economic Community (AEC), which will take effect in De-cember this year.

“With the full implementa-tion of the AEC, it is definitely necessary to take more ag-gressive and innovative mea-sures in building the capaci-ties of our MSMEs, thus, keep up with the challenges and capture opportunities in Ase-an and the rest of the world,” Ambi said in her message at the opening of the MTE 2015 at the Abreeza Mall.

She noted that the hold-ing of the MTE has benefited the MSMEs, as it has provided them an opportunity to link up with the local market for two decades already.

“It has become one of the ‘must participate’ market en-counter by micro, small and medium enterprises in this part of the country wanting to introduce and exhibit their products and find markets or expand their markets,” Ambi said.

Benjamin L. Kalalo, trust-ee for houseware sector of the Philippine Exporters Con-federation Inc. pointed out that Asean, which has about 600 million consumers, offers wide market opportunities for local exporters.

He added the free trade agreements “provide avenues for us to be integrated in pro-duction or supply chains.”

This year’s MTE gathered around 100 exhibitors coming from different parts of Min-danao, according to Marian Mahinay, executive director of MTE Foundation Inc. (MTEFI).

Foundation urged to helpMSMEs become competitive

FMEGAWORLD, 10 FFOUNDATION, 10

In the meeting of the Board immediately after the directo-rial elections, she emerged at the top, followed by Officers JCI Sen. Richard Eric T. Tandoc as Executive Vice President, JCI Sen. Ramona R. Naidas as Vice President for Internal Affairs, JCI Sen. Edely Tarrazona as Vice President for External Af-fairs, JCI Sen. Anna Marie Fanlo Candari as Treasurer and JCI Sen. Gavin S. Tulio as Secretary General. Others elected as Di-rectors of the Board for the year 2015 were: JCI Sen. Jeremaine Cua, JCI Sen. Bayani S. Estan-islao II, JCI Sen. Teddy Garcia, JCI Sen. Ryan Gaw, JCI Sen. Danilo Gotera, JCI Sen. Jesus Leonardo Mabaquiao, JCI Sen. Salvador Nagal, JCI Sen. Karlo Alexei Nograles, JCI Sen. Anto-nio Nicolas Partoza III and JCI Sen. Ralph E. Aviola, Immediate Past President, Ex-Officio. JCI Senator Jocelyn Tagle-

Ledesma, simply Jocy to friends and family, is definitely no stranger to positions of lead-ership. For one, in 1985, in an historical landmark among the Jaycees of Davao, she was elect-ed President of the Davaoeña “Daba-Daba” Jaycees, the first and only lady chapter in the City then. The new chapter was extended by the Davao Jaycees headed at that time by JC James Lee as President. With Davao City’s booming population now, that first and only lady chapter has increased to three exclu-sively-women chapters and, af-ter thirty years, the Davaoena “Daba-Daba” Jaycees remains as strong as ever. Prez Jocy, as she is now fa-milialy called by her officers and members of the Davao Jaycee Senate, has been a JC Senator for the past ten years, having been one of the first female Jaycees to become Davao JC Senator in

2005. After her presidency in the Davaoena Jaycees, JCI Sen. Jocy took time off from the world of civic life and married Davao business executive Francis R. Ledesma. Fully concentrating on raising a family, she bore a total of six children: five boys and one girl. Now ranging in age from 14 and 27 years old,

they are: Jose Francisco, the eldest, Paolo Javier, Isabela An-drea, Martin Alfonso, Benjamin Lorenzo and Francis Jacob, the youngest. A product of the At-eneo de Davao University with a degree in Liberal Arts, major in Sociology and minor in Psy-chology , with undergraduate studies in Industrial Psychology from the Ateneo de Manila Uni-versity tucked in her belt, Sen. Jocy did not remain a fulltime housewife for long. As her chil-dren grew, with some graduat-ing from the best Jesuit schools and working, Sen. Jocy got back in track and put her creative leadership skills into use once more to pursue various advoca-cies. She immersed herself in Christian teaching and training. In 2006, she co-founded the Leaders United for Missions and Development or LUMAD, giv-ing much of herself to the Orga-nization to provide medical and dental missions, education, and school buildings to their adopt-ed tribal communities in Ara-kan Valley, North Cotabato (on the way to BUDA), and training the lumads in sanitation, gar-dening , reforestation and more importantly, evangelizing them. She has gone through numer-ous trainings herself in foster-ing her career as a pastor/Bible teacher, such as at the Gary V. Johnson Leadership Training Institute (1998-2000) and the Haggai Leadership Institute in Maui, Hawaii in 2011. She co-founded as well the Family of Faith Church International in 2006 and remained as Associate Pastor and Training Director

until 2013. Matching Sen. Jocy’s religious zeal are her active business and civic endeavors, such as being a licensed real estate broker, a member of both the Davao Real Estate Board, Inc. and the Phil-ippine Association of Real Es-tate Brokers. Earlier, she was a member of the Ventures Club of Davao, a club for aspiring young women-enterpreneurs. She is a long-time officer as well, of their family business, the well-estab-lished Tagle Marketing based in Juna. Lately, she and her hus-band Francis set up Saddleback Haven, an emerging tourist des-tination up in the mountain in Baracatan. On top of all these, Sen. Jocy is the local representa-tive of Aklat Gabay Aruga tun-go Sa Pag-Angat at Pag-Asa or “AGAPP,” a non-profit organi-zation engaged in the construc-tion and development of library/pre-school classrooms in public schools. In Davao City and Re-gion XI alone, AGAPP has built 29 schools or 58 classrooms from 2010 to the present. Pres. Jocy is the local representative of Pinky Aquino-Abelleda, co-founder of AGAPP. Indeed, Senator Jocy has tamed and excellently handled the intimidating role of being a wife, mother of six, business-woman, pastor and community leader. And now, being the first woman President of the Davao Jaycee Senate is no doubt a sin-gular achievement, a crowning glory of leadership for the amaz-ing lady. The Davao Jaycee Sen-ate must truly be proud.

EVENT

EDGEDAVAOINdulge!

FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT LEADS DAVAO JC SENATE

The 2015 Davao Jaycees Senate BOD’s: (Front Row) Director Karlo Nograles, SG Gavin Tulio, Dir. Ryan Gaw, Treas. Annie Candari, Pres. Jocy Ledesma, VP Rona Naidas, IPP King Aviola, Dir. Vadz Nagal, Asst. Treas. Nick Partoza. (Back Row) Dir. Jojo Cua, Dir. Teddy Garcia, Dir. Danny Gotera, EVP Richard Tandoc and Asst. SG Toto Mabaquiao

Senators Bdul Arana, Danny Gotera, King Aviola, Pres. Jocy & husband Francis, Sen. Jeffrey Catotal, Nonnie & Annie Candari, Marga & Karlo Nograles.

With Pres. Jocy are Senators John Enerio, Vadz Nagal, Nonnie & Annie Candari, Rona Naidas, Ninna & Nick Partoza. Seated are Atty. Art & Len-len Tan.

JCI Sen. Bobby and Joy Orig & JCI Sen. Karlo and Marga Nograles.

JCI Senators’ Lovely Ladies (Seated L-R): Lory Chua, Pres. Jocy, Sen. Narda Lu, Tess Valenzuela, Ching Bonguyan (Standing): Treas. Annie Candari, Evelyn Grapa, Len-len Tan, Cathy Guino-o, Ninna Partoza, Alice Reyes, Tessie Angliongto, Lucie Jeng, Joy Orig, Nina Lee, VP Rona Naidas.

JCI Sen. & Past President James Lee receiving the 2014 Most Outatnding Senator Award presented by IPP King Aviola and JCI Senator Toto Mabaquiao.

FOR the first time in its 45-year history, a woman heads the male-dominated JCI Senate Davao (Davao Jaycee Sen-ate). JCI Senator Jocelyn Tagle-Ledesma was elected the 2015 President of the Organization in the annual elections that coincided with its Christmas Party.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

GUESTS can truly look forward to an exception-al dining experience at Marco Polo Davao this Kadayawan season. For only P1,200 for lunch and P1,500 for dinner, you can have a taste of lo-cal Filipino favorites like kinilaw (ceviche) lumpia ubod (spring rolls),

lechong baboy, Jamon Serrano, and rice at Café Marco. A wide variety of Grilled Sea-food and Malagos cheese, two of Davao’s signature delicacies, will also be available. Kakanin, halo-halo, Lumad desserts (like Wadjet maka durian, daral and pasong) will give you a memo-rable dining experience during

this most festive time of the year. Chef Alex Destriza, the new-ly appointed Executive Sous Chef of Marco Polo Davao, will also be serving his Kadayawan dishes at Polo Bistro at The Deck. His set menu includes two choices of a three-course meal for only P888. The Lotus Court will also be serving its signature Cantonese dishes. You can also get a chance to win a 2-night stay for two in Marco Polo Gateway and Mar-co Polo Hong Kong Hotel for a minimum purchase of P888 nett as the hotel is currently running its Dine-and-Stay with Marco Polo Hotels promotion until September 30, 2015. The Kadayawan Specials at Café Marco and Polo Bistro will also be available from August 17 until August 23. For reser-vations and more information call the Marco Polo Davao at +63.82.221.0888.

PASSENGERS depart-ing from Changi Air-port can now look for-ward to a speedier and more flexible check-in experience as Changi Airport Group (CAG) partners Singapore Airlines and its region-al wing, SilkAir on their Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) check-in trial in Terminal 2. The trial will build up to a full suite of FAST op-tions in 2016, giving pas-sengers of both airlines more choices for check-in as well as faster pro-cessing through the au-tomated check-in kiosks and bag drops. From today, passen-gers travelling on Singa-pore Airlines and SilkAir flights from Terminal 2 can use any of the 24 check-in kiosks. Another 24 kiosks will be intro-duced in Terminal 3 sub-sequently. For passengers with baggage to check in, FAST check-in is a simple two-step process. They first obtain their board-

ing pass and bag tags at the kiosks. Once they have tagged their bags, passengers drop them off at the bag drop coun-ters. There are instruc-tional videos, signs and staff on ground to guide passengers on this pro-cess. Passengers with carry-on bags only may print their boarding passes at the kiosks and proceed directly to Departure Im-migration. Alternatively, passengers who have done online or mobile check-in may also skip the counters and pro-ceed to Departure Immi-gration with their home-printed or mobile phone boarding passes (offered on selected itineraries). Based on past trials conducted by CAG, 97% of passengers polled in-dicated that they were satisfied with the FAST check-in experience and would consider us-ing it again. The entire FAST check-in sequence – including printing of boarding pass and bag

tags, together with tag-ging and baggage drop off – can be done in a matter of minutes. The time taken is expected to reduce as travellers gain familiarity with this mode of processing, given the growing use of automated check-in op-tions in airports around the world. In addition to provid-ing passengers with a faster and more flexible check-in experience, au-tomation will also help raise efficiency and pro-ductivity of check-in operations, thereby pro-viding cost savings for airlines. Mr Jayson Goh, CAG’s Senior Vice President for Airport Operations Management, said: “The adoption of FAST initia-tives is in line with a wid-er global push towards self-service options at airports to improve pro-ductivity and efficiency, while at the same time providing passengers with greater flexibility and convenience. CAG

is pleased to partner Singapore Airlines and SilkAir on the FAST jour-ney and will work closely with the airlines to con-tinuously refine the pro-cess where necessary, so as to bring about a greater travel experience for our passengers.” “We welcome the new FAST initiatives, which will streamline the check-in process for our customers. This reflects our ongoing efforts to offer customers more options and improve their travel experience with us,” said Mr Tan Pee Teck, Singapore Airlines Senior Vice President Product & Services. “We are pleased to see the introduction of the various FAST initiatives to our customers, which will provide them with a more seamless check-in experience and contrib-ute to the overall en-hancement of our cus-tomers’ journey with us,” said Mr Goh Boon Hwee, SilkAir’s Vice President Operations.

A2 INdulge! EDGEDAVAOUP AND ABOUT

Changi Airport rolls out FAST check-in with SIA and SilkAir

Kadayawan Food Highlights at MARCO POLO DAVAO

The SM Store holds Kadayawan Festival Sale

CELEBRATE KADAYAWAN FESTIVAL at The SM Store Davao and Lanang Premier now until August 23 and enjoy up to 50% off on great selection storewide! What’s more? Shop with your SM Advantage, SM Prestige or BDO Rewards card to get a Voyager Lug-gage for only P888 with a minimum P3,000 single-reciept purchase only on August 21 to 23. Enjoy the Kadayawan Festival happening only at The SM Store Davao and Lanang Premier.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

ABREEZA MALL gears up for a mas-sive Kadayawan celebration with showbiz’s bright-est celebrities set to take the stage, in addition to a mall-wide sale, a major shopping promo, and different pock-et events all meant to honor Davao City’s biggest an-nual festivity. On August 21 at 4pm, the stars of ABS-CBN’s ASAP 20 will be livening up the Activity Center; namely, Maja Salvador, Sam Milby, Rayver Cruz, Erik Santos, Daryl Ong, Sofia Andres, Bryan Ter-mulo, Alexa Ilacad, and Nash Aguas. On August 22 at 5pm, it’s singing superstar Zsa Zsa Pa-dilla’s turn to entertain Davaoeños with a mu-sical performance. On August 23 at 3pm, The Rich Man’s Daughter stars Rhian Ramos and Mike Tan and Kapuso talent Mikael Daez will be bringing the GMA Kapuso Mall Show to the Activity Center. All celebrity shows are free admission. Abreeza Mall is a major shopping haven until August 23 while the mall-wide Kaday-awan Sale runs, with mall merchants offer-ing discounts of up to 70% off. Also running until August 23 is the Kadayawan Shopaholic

Challenge, where shop-ping sprees worth a to-tal of P100,000 are up for grabs: Seven winners will take home Ayala Malls electronic gift cer-tificates worth P10,000 each, and one winner walks away with an elec-tronic gift certificate worth P30,000. The elec-tronic gift certificates work like a debit card and are valid for use at participating Abreeza Mall merchants with BPI terminals. To partici-pate in the Kadayawan Shopaholic Challenge, shoppers must collect stamps by presenting single or accumulated receipts corresponding to merchant categories and purchase require-ments indicated on the promo coupon. A total of five stamps per cou-pon are required to en-ter the raffle. For inqui-ries, shoppers may visit the Kadayawan Shopa-holic Challenge booth near the Main Concierge at the Ground Floor. Kadayawan revelers will enjoy a combination of great music, grilled delights, and good times at Kasadya Nights at the Third Floor Roof Garden from August 20 to 23 at 6pm. YouTube sensation Jireh Lim will be dishing out his hit songs on Au-gust 21, while local acts Thea Pitogo, Gap 69, and Negative Four will take the stage on August 20, 22, and 23, respectively.

Other mall activities happening simultane-ously make Kadayawan at Abreeza Mall truly something to look for-ward to. The Mindanao Trade Expo brings to-gether a showcase of crafts by Mindanao-based micro, small, and

medium enterprises at the Activity Center and Supermarket Hall-way until August 20. Meanwhile, back for its second year is Abreeza Mall’s Kadayawan Open Volleyball Tournament in partnership with Bale-bolista de Dabaw, which

ASAP’s newest boy group, “Harana,” with Joseph Marco, Marlo Mortel, Bryan Santos and Michael Pangilinan heats up Kadayawan at SM City Davao on August 23. Harana’s single, Num-ber One, is part of the OPM Fresh Album which is an exclusive compila-tion of the newest and the freshest artists from Star Music. The group of teen heartthrobs also re-corded the theme song of the movie “You’re My Boss.” With good looks and charm, the quartet

will surely make every young Davaoeña’s heart beat fast. Shop at SM City Davao and get a VIP seat with every purchase of at least P 1,000. Take a photo with the Harana Boys with a purchase of

their album. Albums will be available onsite. Meet and greet more of your favorite artists at SM City Davao this Ka-dayawan season. Catch Marimar stars Megan Young and Tom Rodri-guez on August 21, as

well as the cast of Pasion de Amor and Coco Mar-tin on August 22 at the Kapamilya Karavan. Get into the Kaday-awan vibe at SM City Davao! Enjoy the up to 70% discounts at the Ka-dayawan Sale with ex-tended shopping hours until 10PM on August 14-15, 21 and 23, as well as until 12MN on August 22. For inquiries, call 297.6998. Like SM City Davao on Facebook or follow @SMCityDavao on Twitter and @SMDavao on Instagram for event and promo updates.

INdulge! A3EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENT

ASAP 20 stars, GMA Kapuso stars, and Zsa Zsa Padilla to grace Kadayawan at Abreeza Mall

Harana Boys to sing at SM City Davao on August 23

runs all weekends of Au-gust at the Open Court. For inquiries and up-dates on Abreeza Mall news and events, please visit the Main Concierge at the ground floor or

call (082) 321-9332. Stay updated by liking www.facebook.com/Abreeza-Mall and following @abreezatweets on Twitter and @iloveabreezamall on Instagram.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

PG /*R13

PG

PG/ *R16 11:30 | 1:40 | 3:50 LFS / *6:00 | 8:00 | 10:00 LFS

R-16

FANTASTIC 4 / * ATTACK ON TITAN Part 1

Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan/

*Haruma Miura, Kiko Mizuhara

R13 12:00 | 2:30 | 5:00 | 7:30 | 10:00 LFS

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 5/ *NO ESCAPE

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

THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

Alicia Vikander, Henry Cavill, Hugh Grant

11:50 | 2:30 | 5:10 LFS / * 7:50 | 10:00 LFS

Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson/*Owen Wilson, Pierce Brosnan

THE LOVE AFFAIR

Bea Alonzo, Dawn Zulueta, Richard Gomez

August 17 – 18, 2015

A4 INdulge!UP AND ABOUT

THE KADAY-AWAN FESTIVAL of Davao City is known as the “fes-tival of festivals” in Mindanao, drawing tens of thousands of people from across the country, as well as international tourists. This annual event is a celebration of good harvest, giv-ing thanks for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture and the serenity of living. Visit Davao and discov-er the sights and sounds of the city’s most colorful fes-tival. Book the Kadayawan Room package at Park Inn by Radisson Davao priced at only P5, 000 per night. The package includes an overnight stay in our modern Standard room accommodation inclusive of breakfast for two adults

and two children. Package also includes a Quickfire lunch (4-course set meal) for a family (2 adults and 2 children) at RBG, our all-day dining restaurant. For an extra adult, a supple-ment rate of P1,800 nett

per person per night will be charged. Special limited offer un-til August 31, 2015. Book your rooms through +63 82 272 7600 or email res-ervations.davao@parkinn.com.

Experience Kadayawan at PARK INN BY RADISSON DAVAO

EDGEDAVAO VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015 7EDGEDAVAO

BIGGER PICTURE

Fun run and rave partyText and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

SATURDAY is the time when I give myself time off from

whatever I am doing. That’s the only day I can have fun and go out. Most of the time, Saturday is when I go to some places or have some relaxation with friends. After all, I am tied up with my work from Mondays to Fridays.

A few Saturdays back, I was invited by Roxan Obregon, the general manager of Big 8 Corpo-rate Hotel in Tagum City, Davao del Norte. Actual-ly, I got the invitation a few weeks earlier. At that time, I had some commit-ments but when the date was rescheduled, I decid-ed to come.

I was glad I did. I had fun joining the Electro Run followed by Pool Party. Ever heard of run-ning at night with color-ful lights placed in your body? It’s as if you were electrified.

But that’s going ahead of the story.

Registration for the participants started at 7 in the evening. At 7:45, one of the hotel’s staff did the opening prayer. The hosts of the program welcomed all the partic-ipants, about 200 people more or less.

To warm up before the fun run, some Zumba in-structors led the group to follow the way they strut-ted and moved. It was just the beginning of the fun.

Past 8 in the evening, the hosts gave some reminders to the par-ticipants. By 8:20, the countdown to the electro run started. And then off they went. There were so

many in the beginning but only very few made it to the finals.

All those who were able to finish the race were welcomed with lots of foam at the covered parking area of the hotel. And yes, they were given applause by those who saw them coming.

If you care to know, it was a five-kilometer run. The top three fin-ishers, men’s division, were Jhong Mahinay, who clocked 18:55 minutes. He was closely trailed by Junald Gucor, who did his best at 21:04 minutes. Finishing third was Mark Kenneth Suarez, whose record was 25:22 min-utes.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the list of the top three finishers in the women’s division.

After the run, some of those who participat-ed in the fun run went to the pool party. Two songs from the past were played: 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. From there, the so-called mil-lennium songs followed.

And yes, after that, there was the Rave Party.

‘Firstly, I would like to thank all those who ‘ig-nited the night’ with us. I’m happy that it was suc-cessful,” Bobet Oliver, the hotel’s sales and market-ing head, said as he also thanked the city mayor and those who sponsored the fun run.

“It was a different kind of running as it was not really competitive as ev-erybody was just enjoying the lap and they were not really conscious of their time to finish the race. One thing was very obvi-

ous from the warm-up ‘til the race was finished, all the guests in the hotel had fun watching the runners. The bystanders along the route were also intrigued and they seemed to have a good time,” Oliver added.

The Electro Fun Run and Rave Party was just one of the many events which the Big 8 Corpo-rate Hotel hosted. In the

past, there were the con-certs of Rex Smith (whose front act singer was Jason Dy, who later on became “The Voice” champion), the lead singer of the Cas-cades, and rock legends Kenny Cetera of Chica-go and Bobby Kimball of Toto.

Big 8 started its oper-ation in July 2012 and to-day it has become the pre-

mier destination for busi-ness and leisure in Tagum, which is touted as the City of Pines. “Its accessibility to Tagum’s recreation and business center makes it the finest hub for discern-ing travelers, seeking for a comfortable yet elegant accommodation,” its bro-chure said.

But it’s not only ac-commodation that the

hotel is noted for. Its food served at Vilma’s Oriental Cuisine is also a come-on. And for those who want to be entertained at night, they can go to the summit of the hotel where Billy’s Lounge is located. The highest point in the city, you can drink, eat and hear songs of yesterday. You can even sing with the singer if you want.

Run run

Zumba The winners getting their prize.

Pool dancing. Delicious foods served at Vilma’s Oriental Cuisine.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 20158 EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

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

OLIVIA D. VELASCOGeneral Manager

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EDITORIALGuns on the loose

WITH street killings once again surfacing in Davao City over the past days, one wonders if there is a resur-gence of the activities of the so-called Davao Death

Squad (DDS), which has been blamed for hundreds of similar murders in the past two decades. The recent killings certain-ly bear familiar markings: the murders are done in very public places, and the killers flee on board unmarked motorcycles. At least one of the victims is said to have links to the illegal drug trade, and one fatality was allegedly himself the one who mur-dered a cabbie a few days before he was killed in an alleged shootout with the police. And the last victim was a former mixed martial arts champion whose killing grabbed national attention.

With the Kadayawan Festival being celebrated this week, it is natural for residents and visitors to fear that the security in the city has been compromised. After all, the murders mean firearms are loose in the city, and that men with no conscience are more than willing to pull the trigger. The Davao City Police

Office (DCPO), in trying to assuage the fears of the people, seem to be missing this point. On the one hand, we hear them say that they are on their toes making sure the city is safe; on the other hand, we see men being shot dead right in our streets.

It is the proliferation of guns that makes it difficult for us to fully believe it when the police say the city is secure not just during the festival but during the rest of the year. Indeed, this has been the biggest failure of the DCPO: it claims that the city is one of the safest in the country, and yet every once in a while we are confronted with incidents like these that are left unresolved. With the killers not getting arrested, it means the firearms they use are still in criminal hands. The fear is that it is only a mat-ter of time before these guns are used to kill not just suspected criminals but innocent and law-abiding citizens as well.

The police and the people may treat the killings in cavalier fashion, but make no mistake: the killings are a threat to our safety, and we will not feel secure while firearms are loose in the city.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015 VANTAGE POINTS 9EDGEDAVAO

“START spreading the news, I’m leaving to-day…”

It was December 2000 and I was singing the Frank Sinatra hymn while packing my bag. For the first time in my life, I would be going to the United States of America, the country that most Filipinos dream of going to.

“Where are you going this time,” my moth-er inquired. I had not been telling anyone about this trip since I didn’t want them to know just in case I didn’t get a US visa (but I did!). The Big Ap-ple, as New York is sometimes called, I told her.

She stood not moving for few seconds. My mother couldn’t believe what she just heard. Af-ter all, when I was still a little boy, I told her that one of my dreams was to visit the United States. “Yes, it’s a dream come true,” I replied as I wiped the tears falling from her eyes. She never said a word after that but instead hugged me tightly. “I will be there for just a few weeks,” I said.

Had it not been for Don Hinrichsen, an American environmental journalist, I would not have been able to go to the US. He invited me to co-write a position paper on water and popula-tion for the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. We had never met in person although we communicated every now and then via e-mail. Both of us were writing for People and the Planet.

I was looking forward to seeing the city that Wood Allen always featured in his movies. The night before the trip, I was not able to sleep well. I was afraid I might be late in going to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. So, even if it was still three in the morning, I woke up and took a bath. Afterwards, I took a cab and went directly to the airport. There was a long queue while checking in but it didn’t matter to me.

Our flight from Manila to Tokyo was long – about four hours. We disembarked at the Narita International Airport and stayed there for a cou-ple of hours. Then, we boarded another plane bound for the United States.

The flight was even longer. For the next thir-teen-hours-and-a-half, I was doing what most

passengers were also doing: eat-ing meals, read-ing books and n e w s p a p e r s , walking around, drinking coffee or green tea, playing cards, watching mov-ies, and sleep-ing (most of the time).

It was not my first time to experience a long flight (I had one before, from Singapore to Johannesburg, South Africa). Feeling bored, I watched other passengers. But before long, I dozed off to sleep – only to be awakened as the stewardess was serving another meal. No, I was not complaining at all.

Thirty minutes before we landed at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, the captain told us that we would soon be in New York. My heart started to beat fast. I could not relax any-more. This is it, I said to myself. I asked for wa-ter, then another, then another. Then, our plane landed smoothly. I was on terra firma again.

I followed other passengers going to the im-migration area. There was a long queue; I took my passport and other papers and waited for my turn. Twenty minutes later, I was in front of the immigration official. “What’s your purpose of coming here?” he inquired. I explained to him my reason for coming using some technical terms. I was not sure if he was satisfied with my answer but he stamped my passport anyway.

Welcome to New York, the sign said. Thank you, I said to myself, but my biggest problem was: how do I get to know Don Hinrichsen, whom I had not met yet? Five days before my flight, he e-mailed me that he would be waiting for me. Asking how I would recognize him, he re-plied, “At the airport’s waiting area, just look for

a tall person with mustache and wearing a hat.” He must be joking!

Just to be on the safe side, I also e-mailed Dr. James Hansen, a former colleague who now works at Columbia University in New York. He answered back that he would pick me up at the airport, too. Now, if Don won’t be able to make it, then there was still James. Or, vice-versa.

Since I knew James, I looked for him at the waiting area. He wasn’t around; maybe he was late, I consoled myself. Now, I was searching for a tall man with mustache wearing a hat. I spot-ted three men. Who among these three was Don? Bravely and nicely, I approached one per-son and asked him if he was Don. He answered affirmatively. Still not convinced, I requested for his identification card.

He showed his ID without much ado. Yes, it was the Don I was looking for. We were talking when suddenly, someone from behind called my name. It was James. “Sorry, I wasn’t able to rec-ognize you, Henry,” he apologized. “But when I heard your voice, I was sure it was you.”

Since Don knew the hotel where I would be staying in New York for the next 10 days, I sug-gested that I would go with him. James under-stood the situation. But before he left, he asked Don about the hotel and then told me that he would pick me up by Saturday morning. It was still Thursday when I arrived. “See you by then,” James said, hugged me, and then he left.

As the taxi entered Manhattan, I was com-pletely mesmerized. I only saw these tall build-ings in the movies. Now I was looking at them!

We arrived at the hotel safely. When I checked in, the receptionist asked me if I had a credit card. I told her I didn’t have any but said I would pay in cash. When Don heard it, he brought out his credit card and gave it to the re-ceptionist.

That was one of the biggest lessons I learned. When you go abroad, be sure to carry a credit card. Most hotels don’t accept cash unless you have a credit card.

Before leaving, Don told me not to sleep.

After all, it was still two in the afternoon. “Okay, thanks for the advice,” I replied. When I was alone in my room, I tried to do push ups. I watched television while lying in bed. Before long, I was already slumbering. I woke up at 8:30 in the evening and was very hungry.

I went out and looked for a place where I could eat. Not far from my hotel, I saw one Mex-ican restaurant, not very fancy but was serving pizza, short orders, and drinks. Not knowing what to eat, I ordered pizza, chicken wings, and soft drink. I ate my food with gusto.

The following night, I went again to the same place. The same waiter was serving me and I ordered the same thing. On the third night, I still went to same place. The same waiter was there. But before I could place my order, the waiter said, “Do you want pizza, chicken wings and soft drink, sir?” Now, he knew me very well!

My first three days in New York were all right; there was no chilly weather. But on the fourth day, I ventured to visit the Central Park, which was not very far from the hotel where I was staying. I woke up very early in the morning and went outside the hotel. I was about three meters away from my hotel when I felt the un-pleasantly cold air. As if I was taking a bath with an icy cold shower.

I had to rush back to the hotel. “Anything wrong, sir?” the bellboy who saw me asked. Feeling embarrassed, I answered, “I just forgot something in my room.”

It was already January when I returned to the Philippines. But I had with me fond mem-ories about my first US trip. In fact, I had my first Christmas snow when I visited my sister in Hibbing, Minnesota (but that’s another story to write).

“How was your trip?” my mother asked as I arrived. “It was fun,” I answered. I opened my bag, took something and gave her my pasalu-bong. “This is for you,” I said. “Thanks,” she said. “But the best gift is having you back home safe.”

She smiled and hugged me tightly.“If I can make it there…”

First US trip remembered

Henrylito D. Taciohenrytacio@gmail.com

THINK ON THESE!

ALL of us have probably heard the expres-sion, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” But have you ever wondered

why life keeps giving you lemons in the first place? Other people get grapes, apples, banan-as, even coconuts – but not you. You’re just a regular lemon magnet.

Here’s a thought. Maybe the reason you have that vat of lemonade in your kitchen is you planted an orchard-full of lemon trees in your backyard in the first place. Which leads us to that other interesting adage about fate, and how it can come back to bite you in the ass: “You reap what you sow.”

We live the life that we make for ourselves. If we are not satisfied, then it is time to stop making do with what we get and start over. Cut down those lemon trees. Cut them down today. Replant your orchard with the fruits that you want to have in your life. Or flowers, if that’s what suits you. Whatever it is, that’s what you should be doing. You owe it to yourself to be happy, now, today, this very minute.

Find your star. Your guidepost. But don’t look to the skies. Look inside you. Deep inside. Into your heart. That’s where you will find it. Hopefully you haven’t buried it too deep, un-der layers of doubt, regret, and insecurity. If you can find that spark, if you can dig it out, then let it shine. And the glow it gives will light your path, as well as for the others who have

also lost their way.

So go for it. You are never more powerful than when you are doing what you are meant to do. The trick is to find it and get to it before time runs out. Many people search all their lives and never do settle on what lights them up, but that’s OK. Because the search is part of the fun. The never settling is what’s important. The struggles of a lifetime of wandering from peak to peak is better than the comforts of a home in the valley.

---

I hate rude taxi drivers as much as anyone else – and those who know would even say that I hate them more than everyone else com-bined. But as much as I think what they are do-ing is wrong, I will never agree that a bunch of private car owners moonlighting as high-end chauffeurs have the right to arbitrarily grab a chunk of their hard earned livelihood simply

because it’s more convenient. If there is a problem with misbehaving

drivers or dilapidated cabs, then let’s deal with those. I don’t see how allowing the equivalent of taxi vigilantes to roam the streets is a solu-tion. If only the entitled crowd could find the time to look beyond their own discomfort and see it from the perspective of those whose live-lihood is being threatened.

Here are the facts. Uber, despite all its convenience, is an illegal commercial public transport service that is skirting the law with its continued operations. If those who insist on having Uber are really serious about helping the riding public, then make it a free car pool-ing service. No charge. Until then, warts and all, the law and common decency says that our hard working taxi drivers are the ones who need to be protected.

---

I was watching History Channel earlier to-day when the plug for a documentary on Ni-noy Aquino came on. It had a clip of Guillermo Luz of the Makati Business Club saying that “after Ninoy got shot, everyone said enough is enough.”

It is now thirty-three years after. Look at the people who are in politics. Names may have changed but the game remains the same.

We are still dogs tied to the same post, but with a different chain. What’s even worse is that sig-nificant parts of that chain were just recycled from the old, rust and all.

Filipinos have been said to be a forgiving people, I disagree. Our problem is we don’t for-give, we just forget. That, and we don’t know what enough means.

---

I was reading an article the other day on the need to have context when working with social media content and it reminded me of the quote (but not the author), “there can be no meaning without context.”

With the rush towards social media as the new tool to build brands, a lot of companies are churning out materials for their audiences without really understanding the impact that it’ll have. For many content management strat-egists, its quantity over quality.

This kind of thinking is the reason why a lot of the things companies do in and for social media don’t get any traction, because they are not rooted in the context of the medium’s role in people’s lives. Most of the stuff, particular-ly those relating to marketing and/or adver-tising, are just plucked from their trad-media campaigns and plunked down onto their social media programs. No wonder they don’t fit.

Stop making lemonade... and start cutting down those lemon trees

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 201510NEWS

Davao... FROM 5

AT&T... FROM 11

Dabawenya... FROM 4Demolition... FROM 2 Graft... FROM 3

Nograles... FROM 3

Time... FROM 3

Megaworld... FROM 6

Foundation... FROM 6

Farmers... FROM 4

EDGEDAVAO

to in Israel is only around P30, but in the Philippines the price ranges from P30 up top to P70 depending on the season.

Gur Lavi agronomist Be-atrize Anne Cortez said higher and quality production will be achieved and sustained with the use of innovative tech-nology, which aims to control various factors that affects the growth of crops such as hu-midity, temperature and water.

“This is very applicable to our country,” Cortez said, add-ing that the greenhouse have aluminum shade nets, which

will inhibit the entry of too much heat but still trapping only necessary heat to attain favorable temperature inside the greenhouse.

Cortez added it will adopt Israel’s drift irrigation system.

“This will allow the farm-ers to save from applying too much fertilizer and water,” she said.

Meanwhile, Piñol said the same group will be meeting officials of Maguindanao and North Cotabato like Sarangani Province Rep. Manny Paquiao in the next few weeks.

accepted payment of contri-butions, printed MDRs, and re-sponded to other queries and requests.

The Social Insurance Offi-cer II of PhilHealth 11, Kleah Gayle Dublin, thanked CARD for having them in the event. PhilHealth and CARD had been a partner in community em-powerment since 2005.

“The extensiveness of awareness of mothers on ma-ternal health varies on many aspects, but the root cause of it is the lack of education on con-traception and access to facili-ties,” said Dr. Grethel Vasquez, OB-GYN, when asked about the level of awareness of women on maternal health.

Vasquez also shared that some of their pregnant pa-tients in the health fair were as young as 13 years old.

The weak foundation on the application of contracep-tion leads to the short birth intervals, Vasquez added. “Ed-ucating mothers to have pre-natal check-up during the first trimester and informing them the many programs of LGUs (and CARD) will be a good help.”

At least 12 OB-GYNs, three general physicians, one pe-diatrician, eight nurses, five Barangay Health Workers (BHW), one Nurse Phleboto-mist and one Medical Technol-ogist (MedTech) rendered the free services to beneficiaries.

The health fair included urinalysis, medical consulta-

tions and ultrasound check in the services rendered. Moth-er’s kit for pregnant women, free medicines and health awareness lecture were also given to beneficiaries. Inside the mother’s kit are liquid mild soap for babies, cotton balls and buds, newborn diapers, baby oil, alcohol and digital thermometer.

The Kalinga kay Inay was launched in 2014 and already had its community health fairs in Palawan, Bicol and Sa-mar-Leyte-Biliran. This is the fourth community health fair conducted and the project is planning to have its last com-munity health fair in North-ern Luzon before 2015 ends. To date, KKI already reached 5,524 pregnant, lactating and childbearing women through community health fair and 279,441 women through cred-it with education (CwE).

The CwE is part of the project’s aim to contribute to the improvement of women’s maternal health knowledge and promote behavior change. The module is “Healthy Preg-nancies Make Healthy Com-munities.” Further, the said CwE has been delivered in Bicol, Palawan, Leyte and Pan-ay Island. Over the next six months, implementation of the said module will take place in four areas in Visayas, eight in Luzon and five in Mindanao, and is expected to reach more than 860,431 women by end of 2015.

dissemination in their area.After the training, farm-

ers were given vegetable seeds and NFT concoctions for immediate application of

learned techniques on their gardens and farms. (DE-Doguiles-PIA 12 with report from ROrejudos-DAR North Cotabato)

describing the link between the agency and the company.

AT&T’s “corporate rela-tionships provide unique ac-cesses to other telecoms and I.S.P.s,” or Internet service pro-viders, according to another NSA document.

AT&T started in 2011 to provide the NSA more than 1.1 billion domestic cellphone calling records daily after “a push to get this flow opera-tional prior to the 10th anni-versary of 9/11,” referring to

the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the Times reported.

AT&T’s providing of for-eign-to-foreign Internet traffic has been especially import-ant to the NSA because large amounts of the world’s In-ternet communications pass across US cables, the Times reported. The company gave access to contents of transiting email traffic years before Veri-zon started in March 2013, the Times reported.

Richmonde Hotel Ortigas; Eastwood Richmonde Hotel; Marriott Hotel Manila, Max-ims Hotel and Remington Hotel in Newport City; Fair-ways and Bluewater in Bora-cayNewcoast and Richmonde

Hotel Iloilo. With the opening of Newport Belmont Hotel in Newport City, the total hotel rooms in Megaworld town-ships across the country will already reach 2,500 by the end of this year.

Last year, it gathered around 140 exhibitors and earned some P141 million in revenues.

Advocating empow-erment through entrepre-neurship, the foundation has trained 20 residents in Car-men, Davao del Norte on new livelihood in a bid to provide them with a steady source of livable income with the sup-port of the local government and Department of Agrarian Reform. Some of them are housewives, tricycle drivers, and vendors.

“They are developing wa-ter hyacinth to make slippers. But next year, we will expand the products to housewares and fashion accessories and other products,” Mahinay add-ed.

According to farmers, Carmen has 17 hectares of water hyacinth, also known as waterlily, which clogs the waterways causing floods in the town.

For a start, they are pen-etrating the local market for their slippers.

MTEFI president Rosevic

del Rosario-Cembrano add-ed the staging of MTE seeks to showcase the potentials of water hyacinth from being wastes to products.

“The showcase, on the other hand, will give the show’s visitors a better under-standing on the usage and de-veloopment of water hyacinth, from raw, semi-processed, ful-ly-processed materials ready for product development and a product,” she added.

She cited that some local products in Mindanao have become known not only local-ly but also globally.

One such product is Yvette’s Bags that was first showcased in the early years of MTE. The brand has already reached Europe and other Asean countries.

“More importantly, this year’s MTE will highlight the skill and craftsmanship of our local designers, craftsmen and artisans who have not only product award-winning cre-ations, but have also won in prestigious international com-petitions,” she said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)

vendors.He said if vendors are re-

ally sincere in only wanting to earn a living, then they must

follow the rules because the government is willing to help them. ARMANDO B. FENEQ-UITO JR.

representatives managed to complete their interpellation: Anakpawis Rep. Fernando Hicap and Coop-Natco party list Rep. Crescente Paez. Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon started his inter-pellation and will continue when sessions resume, if a quorum is mustered.

Rodriguez admitted in the DZBB interview that quorum is a problem and urged the Speaker and the Majority leader “to ap-peal to all the congressmen to at least come to have a quorum and stay until the deliberations are finished.”

He said the he believes that through the Speaker’s leader-ship, “marami ang mag-attend at saka through his appeal ay mag stay after the roll call and be able to finish.”

He told DZBB Sunday morn-ing that only 17 representatives are left out of the remaining 30 who had signed up to interpel-late.

“There’s only 17 left. That is not a big number anymore. Some of them also, I have heard, in view of our amendment that we have proposed in the substitute bill and the declaration by our lead-ership that the opt-in provision will be removed…I think some of those who are listed there will not anymore interpellate.”

Rodriguez told MindaNews Sunday evening that there are “only 16 representatives left to interpellate,” as some of those who signed had backed out. He said the 16 includes Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat and Bi-azon, who have yet to complete their interpellations.

But Rodriguez maintained in the DZBB interview that that if there is a quorum only during the roll call but the representa-tives do not remain in the plena-ry hall, “mahihirapan” (it will be difficult).

“At the rate we are going, ma-hihirapan talaga”(it will really be difficult), adding that “it is of pri-mary importance now that there should be a quorum and the quo-rum stays probably until 10pm. Or from 5 to 8 p.m. we have three hours. Then we will be able to fin-ish at least three to four (interpel-lations). At the rate we are going, hirap talaga tayo dyan” (it’s really very difficult), Rodriguez said.

He appealed to Speaker Fe-liciano Belmonte and to his col-leagues to “be present.”

“After all, if they are against it, in the voting they can vote against it,” he said.

He said the Speaker can talk to each party which is part of the coalition in the house, and appeal to the party leaders “so that they will be able to have the members attend and have the quorum stay on and we can have more inter-pellators.”

Rodriguez also appealed to those who are against HB 5811 to allow a debate on the measure because the bill’s sponsors are ready to answer questions. “To delay it to prevent voting will not be good for our Congress and the people in Mindanao,” he said

“Really frustrated” He admitted he is “really frustrat-ed that many of our members do not see that our first duty is to come especially during ple-nary. They may not be present in the committee hearings, it is their prerogative. But in the ple-nary, especially now that we are discussing one of the important measures that will bring peace to Mindanao… I really appeal that they should be able to be there.”

Rodriguez admitted there are “hard core” representatives

who do not want the BBL delib-erations to move, who want its passage delayed or not be voted upon. “But the majority of the members of Congress, I think, are in favor of this,” he said.

But Rodriguez acknowl-edged that it is now “almost the start of the political season” with the filing of certificates of can-didacy for all elective positions scheduled on October 12 to 16.

“Right now, the congress-men are back in their districts, organizing already for their par-ties and their slates for the 2016 elections. But that should not mean that they will not be able to come (to the sessions). After all, they can also do that (election preparations) from Thursday up to Sunday. Our session is only Monday to Wednesday.”

At the Senate, Senator Ferdi-nand Marcos, Jr., chair of the Sen-ate Committee on Local Govern-ment delivered his sponsorship speech on SB 2894 on Wednes-day. Marcos said the substitute bill addresses the constitutional flaws of BBL, protects the coun-try’s interest and sovereignty, and promotes the interest and aspirations of the Bangsamoro people.

Marcos said he expects a lively debate on SB 2894.

“In a measure as conten-tious as this one, you can expect many of the other senators to propose amendments that we can introduce to further refine the provisions of the bill,” Marcos was quoted as saying in a press release posted on the Senate website.

Senate Committee report Seventeen senators signed his committee report, but many ex-pressed their intention to inter-pellate and introduce their own amendments to the measure.

Aside from Marcos, the 16 others who signed and their comments are: Senators Teofisto Guingona, chair of the Committee on Peace, Unification and Recon-ciliation (“will amend”); Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. (“will interpellate/amend”); Antonio Trillanes (will interpellate/amend”); Pia Cay-etano (“with reservations; will interpellate/amend”); Paolo Be-nigno Aquino IV (“will amend”); Loren Legarda (“with reserva-tions. amendments, will inter-pellate”); Sonny Angara (“may amend/interepellate”); Cynthia Villar (“I agreed to allow this bill to go to Plenary. This is not a yes to the BBL”); Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay (“with reserva-tions, will amend and interpel-late”); Grace Poe (“will amend and interpellate”); Gregorio B. Honasan II (“w/ reservations”): Joseph Victor G. Ejercito (“with reservations; will amend and integrate”); Ralph Recto (“will amend”); Vicente Sotto III (“with reservations and amendments! agreeing to the Title! BAR Law”); Alan Peter Cayetano (“I vote No. Yes to strengthening the Auton-mous Region that will result in a Just, inclusive, lasting Peace. To BBL in present form, No! This version has addressed many [majority of objected provisions/issues. But many more have to be addressed/amended”). Senator Manuel Lapid signed with no no-tation.

Marcos expects the debates to take about six weeks but Sen-ate President Franklin Drilon, he said, “will have to assess how the deliberations are proceeding so he can decide if we need to speed things up–if we need to have morning sessions, things like that.” (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)

approved specifications and that COA’s report is not reli-able saying it was made six years after completion.

The contractor added that had he been informed of any defect, he could have undertaken repairs within the period of the contractor’s warranty.

In their counter-affida-vit, Cebedo and Ochavez said that it has been more than six years since the project was completed, inspected, audit-ed and utilized by the general public.

They cited that since COA did not have any adverse au-dit findings at the time, they believed that everything was in order.

“This office rules that there is no probable cause to hold respondents liable for any of the provisions of the R.A. 3019. There is no alle-gation nor evidence to prove that the contract entered by respondents Cebedo and

Ochavez was manifestly and grossly disadvantageous to the government. Instead, it is clear that COA finds the con-tract cost reasonable,” the Ombudsman said.

The resolution was signed by Ombudsman Con-chita Carpio-Morales; Ma Faith Llanito-Fresbitero, graft investigation and prosecution officer; and Marco Anacleto P. Buena, officer in-charge for Evaluation and Investigation Bureau.

Cebedo said she heaved a sigh of relief after she got the news.

“Ang matarong mopati-ugbabaw gayod hilabina kon politically-motivated. Kad-tong nagbiay-biay sa akoa, karma lang gyod ang ila, (The righteous will prevail espe-cially if it’s politically motivat-ed. Those who humiliated me will get their karma)” Cebe-do told MindaNews over the weekend via Facebook. (Roel N. Catoto/MindaNews)

called “green companies” or business enterprises that are involved in the production of en-vironment friendly products and those that offer services to pro-mote environmental protection and conservation will be entitled to fiscal incentives that may in-clude additional deduction of labor expense and duty free im-portation of capital equipment. Under the Nograles proposal, the incentives shall be determined and administered by the Depart-ment of Finance.

With this bill, Nograles said he looks forward to the estab-lishment of many “green invest-ments” in the Philippines such

as those that are involved in the production of electronic vehicles, solar panels and even power companies that use renewable resources.

“This is the future. I think that in the next 10 to 20 years, we will already see a lot of homes equipped with their own solar panels and homes that have their own water recycling facilities. What we need now is to encourage more investments on green technology. This is like in the early 90s’ where mobile phones were only for the rich whereas today, every Filipino has their own cellular phone,” Nograles said.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015 11EDGEDAVAO

ICT HUB

MAJORITY of investors, especially retail ones, are using online trad-

ing services to buy and sell stocks, bolstered by the coun-try’s various programs and products to drum up interest in the local stock market.

A stock market investor profile report released by the Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. (PSE) showed a 35.1-per-cent surge in the number of stock market online accounts to 174,592 in 2014 from 129,255 in 2013. Of this total, 99.6 percent or 173,895 were retail accounts.

“The growth in online accounts continues to be im-pressive and validates our strategy of expanding the re-tail investor base through this platform. Online accounts now comprise 27 percent of total stock market accounts from a mere 6 percent share in 2009,” PSE President and Chief Exec-utive Officer Hans B. Sicat said.

Total investor accounts, which include traditional and online accounts, also rose to 640,665 in 2014, higher by 9.4 percent from the previous year’s 585,562.

Of the total investor accounts, 95.3 percent or 610,773 were retail accounts while the remaining 4.7 per-cent or 29,892 were institu-tional accounts. Majority of the accounts were held by local investors with a 98.5 per-cent share while 1.5 percent was foreign accounts.

“We are pleased that more investors actively participated in the market last year, when the PSEi gained almost 23 per-cent. There is still a long way to go in terms of reaching the one million target but we are definitely on the right track,” Sicat added.

The data for online ac-counts was provided by 18 on-line brokerage firms, including those using the PSETradex platform.

The PSE also conducted a survey to profile the demo-graphics of retail investors,

showing an increase in the share of investors aged 18-30 years old and those aged 31-44 years old, cornering 13.1 percent and 37.1 percent of investor accounts in 2014, re-spectively.

Investors between 18-44 years old comprised 50.1 per-cent of stock market accounts in 2014 from a share of 46.4 percent in 2013.

The income profile of in-vestors has also become more skewed to the lower income bracket. Those earning an an-nual income of P500,000 or less represented 44 percent of investor accounts in 2014 from 37.3 percent in 2013.

The results of the survey also show an increasing par-ticipation from investors out-side the Metro Manila area.

Majority of the investors continued to be based in Met-ro Manila with 68.5 percent of the total retail accounts in 2014, while those based in Luzon accounted for 18.7 per-cent.

Retail investors from the Visayas and Mindanao com-prised 4.4 percent and 2.3 percent of the total accounts, respectively. Investors based overseas accounted for 6.1 percent.

“Technology levels the playing field in providing ac-cess to our stock market as shown by the higher share of online investors from Visayas and Mindanao. We are delight-ed that more brokers are now offering online trading ser-vices,” Sicat said.

Recognizing the scalabil-ity and efficiency of using technology platforms for its market education programs, the PSE introduced in 2014 its stock market 101 webinars and has continued to offer more this year, including we-binars about exchange traded funds or ETFs.

In 2014, the PSE also held various provincial roadshows in Batangas, Pampanga, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Davao. (PNA)

GLOBE Telecom’s cus-tomer base soared to a new record high in the

first half of the year, reaching 52.7 million, a 17 percent jump from 45 million a year earlier as Globe continues to be the leading network of choice by smartphone users amid continuing customer shift to a digital lifestyle.

Following robust custom-er acquisition, the company booked record-breaking fi-nancial performance in the first half of the year, generat-ing service revenues of P53.8 billion, a 13 percent jump from a year earlier, resulting in a core net profit of P8.6 billion, a 14 percent growth from P7.6 billion a year ear-lier.

“Globe is the Filipinos’ leading choice of network for their digital lifestyle, ev-idenced not only by robust growth in customer base but also by strong growth in mobile data revenues, which now contribute 23 percent of total revenues compared with 16 percent from a year

earlier,” Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu said in a state-ment.

“We expect this trend to persist amidst the growing number of smartphone users and as we continue to offer products and services that provide relevant content that will further enhance our cus-tomers’ digital lifestyle,” he added.

Globe mobile subscribers totaled 48.4 million at the end of the first half, a 13 per-cent rise from 42.7 million a year earlier. Strong gains in customer acquisition in the company’s mobile business helped underpin mobile service revenues to climb 10 percent to P41.6 billion, compared with P37.8 billion a year earlier.

Total mobile gross ac-quisitions in the first half of the year reached 21.6 mil-lion, a 15 percent increase from a year earlier as Globe maintained its dominance in the postpaid segment, driven by sustained growth in high-quality customers.

At the end of June this year, Globe had 2.3 million post-paid customers, up 12 per-cent from the 2.1 million in the same period of last year. The continued success of Globe Pospaid’s myLifestyle Plan, with a wide range of device offers and innovative deals, helped boost gross acquisitions to reach a new record high of 478 thousand in the first half of the year, a 23 percent increase from 389 thousand a year earlier.

Globe Prepaid gross ac-quisitions at the end of June this year grew 14 percent to 9 million compared with 7.9 million a year earlier while TM also generated an impres-sive gross acquisition of 12.2 million in the first half, up 16 percent from a year earlier following the Free Facebook and Free Viber promotions.

The company’s broad-band customers, on the other hand, surged 55 percent to 3.5 million from 2.2 million from year-ago level. This helped realize a remarkable 24 percent growth in broad-

band and fixed line reve-nues, totaling P12.3 billion compared with P9.9 billion a year earlier. Impressive gains in customer take-up was at-tributed to the success of the latest roster of broadband products and services, which offer exclusive access to a portfolio of entertainment content to enrich Globe cus-tomers’ digital lifestyle.

Fixed line data segment sustained its growth momen-tum with P3.1 billion reve-nues registered in the first six months of the year, up 20 percent from P2.6 billion a year earlier, fueled by the strong demand for domestic and internet services, sus-tained circuit base expansion and the increasing popularity of cloud services. The compa-ny’s continuing commitment in offering innovative prod-ucts and services to cater to the evolving needs of its cor-porate clients contributed to its continued success. The company has additional 849 thousand customers from its fixed line voice business.

US telecommunications company AT&T Inc has provided extensive

assistance to the US National Security Agency as the spy agency conducts surveillance on huge volumes of Internet traffic passing through the United States, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing newly disclosed NSA documents.

The newspaper reported that the company gave tech-nical assistance to the NSA in carrying out a secret court or-der allowing wiretapping of all Internet communications at the headquarters of the United Nations, an AT&T customer.

The documents date from 2003 to 2013 and were pro-vided by fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the Times reported. The com-pany helped the spy agency in a broad range of classified

activities, the newspaper re-ported.

The documents describe how the NSA’s working rela-tionship with AT&T has been particularly important, en-abling the agency to conduct surveillance, under various le-gal rules, of international and foreign-to-foreign Internet communications that passed through network hubs in the United States.

AT&T installed surveil-lance equipment in at least 17 of its US Internet hubs, far more than competitor Veri-zon Communications Inc, the Times reported. AT&T engi-neers also were the first to use new surveillance technol-ogies invented by the NSA, the Times reported.

“This is a partnership, not a contractual relationship,” ac-cording to one NSA document

DOST targets half million web-basedworkers from countryside by 2016

Investors go onlineto buy, sell stocks

AT&T helped NSA spy on Internet traffic: report

THE Department of Science and Technol-ogy-Information and

Communications Technology (DOST-ICTO) targets 500,000 Filipinos in the provinces to be freelance web-based workers in different online job platforms by 2016.

According to Emmy Lou Delfin, program manager of ICTO’s e-Innovation Group, the country has more than one million freelance on-line-based workers who deal with different clients around the world.

She said through the Ru-ral Impact Sourcing Program, ICTO targets to generate more career opportunities for those in socio-econom-ically disadvantaged areas by providing meaningful ICT-enabled jobs. The ICTO conducts regular workshops in different provinces to help the residents to learn how to become successful workers in the digital era.

Evan Tan, regional di-rector of Freelancer.com in Southeast Asia, said a major benefit of working online is

that it negates the necessity of moving to the big cities to find a job.

Tan said that working on-line could give everyone an equal opportunity to pursue what he or she wants to do, no matter what his economic, social, and educational back-grounds are.

Tan also noted that stu-dents can start practicing their profession even before they graduate with the avail-ability of online jobs, espe-cially those that do not re-quire a college degree such as

creative and IT-related jobs.Tan said traditional em-

ployment will no longer be the norm and it will be re-placed by contingent work-ers such as freelancers and part-time workers.

“The long-term trend of hiring contingent workers will continue to accelerate with more than 80 percent of large corporations planning to substantially increase their use of a flexible workforce,” said Tan, and added that on-line freelancing is the future of work. (PNA)

Globe customer base reaches record high

NEW RECORD. Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu (center) announces the company’s record-breaking performance in the first half of the year at a recent analyst briefing. Joining him from left are Chief Finance Officer Albert De Larrazabal, Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Daniel Horan , Executive Vice President  and Chief Operating Officer for International and Business Markets Gil Genio and General Counsel Atty. Froilan Castelo. FAT&T, 10

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 201512

GENERAL SANTOS CITY MARKETING OFFICEEDMUND D. RENDONMarketing Specialist

Mobile: (Smart) 0909-424-7990

DAVAO CITY MAIN OFFICEJOCELYN S. PANES

Director of SalesDoor 14 ALCREJ Bldg.,

Quirino Ave., Davao CityTel: (082) 224-1413

Telefax: (082) 221-3601

MANILA MARKETING OFFICEANGELICA R. GARCIA

Marketing Manager97-1 Bayanbayanan Ave.,

Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel: (02) 654-3509

CLASSIFIED EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015 13NEWSEDGEDAVAO

PRA STEPS UP PREPARATIONS FOR ASIA’S GRANDEST RETAILING CONFERENCE. Preparations for the Manila hosting of the 17th Asia Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition (APRCE) 2015 set on October 28 to 30 at the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex – Manila is entering the final stretch, with the Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) committing to take every effort to ensure the successful staging of the biggest and most important retail industry event in the Asia Pacific region. This was stressed by PRA officials led by APRCE 2015 Over- All chairman and PRA chairman Frederick D. Go (5th from right), president of Robinsons Recreation Corp.; PRA president Lorenzo “Enchong” C. Formoso (5th from left), COO of Duty Free Philippines; PRA chairman emeritus Samie Lim (4th from right), chairman of BLIMS Lifestyle Group and Canadian Tourism and Hospitality Institute; PRA

vice chair Jorge T. Mendiola (4th from left), president of SM Stores; PRA vice president Bienvenido V. Tantoco III (3rd from left), president of Rustans Supercenters, Inc.; PRA vice chairman Ma. Alegria “Bing” Sibal- Limjoco (3rd from right), president of Central Books and Phoenix Publishing; PRA vice president Chan Kok Bin (2nd from right), chairman and CEO of Celine Marketing Corp.; PRA vice president Rosemarie B. Ong (right), EVP-chief operating officer of Wilcon Builder’s Depot (right); PRA vice chairman Roberto S. Claudio (2nd from left), chairman of Toby’s Sports; and PRA vice president Atty. Paul A. Santos (left), president of Picture City, at the APRCE 2015 grand media launch at Intercontinental Manila in Makati City over the weekend. PRA, the country’s recognized organization of retailers and suppliers to the retail industry,  hosts the 17th  APRCE which is organized by the Federation of Asia Pacific Retailers Association (FAPRA), the regional organization of 17 recognized national retail associations in the region which is expected to attract over 2,000 foreign and local retailers and retail executives from 17 member economies in the Asia Pacific. 

MAYOR Rodrigo Duterte urged police, Army, and

other security forces to extend utmost goodwill in conducting “stop and frisk” on people, includ-ing tourists, as the au-thorities heightened the security level in the city for the Kadayawan Festi-val.

“Smile. It doesn’t cost you even two hundred pe-sos to smile,” Duterte told police and army through his Sunday’s Gikan sa Masa Para sa Masa tele-vision program. He said he already ordered them to extend courtesy to the people.

The mayor discour-aged them from being hostile and antagonistic and “not make an identi-ty crisis” because Kaday-awan is for all people, be they Lumad or Muslims.

At the same time, Duterte also rallied the people for their cooper-ation, telling them to ex-pect a lot of searches and checkpoints as part of the security plan for the weeklong Kadayawan ac-tivities, which kicked off

formally yesterday.“I want a safe city,”

Duterte said, emphasizing that he will fully assume responsibility and lia-bility “if something goes wrong because I am the one giving orders.”

The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) is deploy-ing about 3,000 police and force multipliers. The number does not include members of Task Force Davao.

DCPO spokesperson Senior Inspector Milgrace Driz said they will adopt the same security mea-sures for big events.

“We will implement stop and frisk for any sus-picious looking persons,” she said. Driz advised the public not to bring back-packs, canisters, bottled water, and firearms inside activity or event venues.

Driz also emphasized the strict implementation of the liquor ban, speed limit, smoking ban.

Task Force Davao, the Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Coast Guard are also on alert in their respective areas of re-sponsibility. (PNA)

Davao City on heightened alertas Kadayawan Festival begins

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 20151414 EDGEDAVAO

COMPETITIVE EDGE

FOLLOWING reports that delegates attending Asia-Pacific Economic

Cooperation (APEC) events are complaining over steep hotel rates in Cebu, a tourism official said that this news was hardly a surprise.

Department of Tourism

(DOT) Assistant Secretary Art Boncato said because the hotel industry is driven by markets, it only made sense to jack up rates during special and international events such as APEC.

“Rates are normally jacked up when countries

host APEC meetings,” Bonca-to told the Philippines News Agency in an interview. “It’s not something that can be changed or modified.”

“The hotel industry is al-ways driven by markets so the rate structure follows and it depends on a hotel to hotel

basis,” he added.Boncato further said be-

cause the Philippines is host for APEC, the best deals and arrangements usually offered by hotels are also provided.

“It’s still a business and we don’t want our hotels to lose money in the process,”

Boncato said.The DOT official also gave

assurance that concerned government agencies main-tain connections with the pri-vate sector to make sure rates are still within standards.

He said hoteliers also take into consideration rates

that are at par with certain countries.

“If they veer away from that standard it’s where we should come in and see where we can have the best available rate for all of our APEC delegates,” Boncato said. (PNA)

CONTINUING with the themed focus on small and medium enter-

prises (SMEs), state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) hosted Dr. Ganeshan Wig-naraja, an advisor to Asian Development Bank (ADB), to present on “SME Internation-alization and Finance in Asia” at a PIDS Pulong Saliksikan.

Picking up where Dr. Ma-rio Lamberte and Ammielou Gaduena discussed SMEs and access to finance in a previous seminar, Wignara-ja expounded on the state of SMEs across the Asian region. His presentation covered the SME policies in Asia, the role of SMEs in regional growth, and how the Philippines can help enhance the role of local SMEs in global value chains (GVCs).

Studies consider SMEs as a vehicle for inclusive growth both at the national region-al levels. Based on the latest statistics compiled by the De-partment of Trade and Indus-try, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) made up 99.6 percent of the total enterprises in 2011. They accounted for more than 61 percent of total employment across the country. These contributions are, however, not reflected in trade in terms of direct exports, says Wigna-raja.

But he noted that trade itself is no longer about direct exports. Nowadays, trade is about being involved in fac-tories across the world. It means supply chain trade. Asian entry in GVCs accounts for the growth in Asia we see today. ASEAN share of

world supply chain exports accounted for 9.3 percent of world supply chain trade.

Wignaraja pointed to size, scale of production, ac-cess to technology, foreign equity, and access to credit as essential requisites. When it comes to size, being a big firm naturally begets advantages to expand due to larger scale of production, possibly better access to technology, and so forth. But Wignaraja said that being small can also work for an SME. By clubbing in clusters, SMEs can overcome some of the disadvantages of size and rely on the benefits of interdependence.

In the resulting open fo-rum, Lamberte reminded the audience the fact that banks don’t lend to SMEs because all banks are not designed to lend to SMEs. They don’t

know how to evaluate proj-ects and SME ventures.

They do a lot of consumer and big firm and corporate lending, but little SME lend-ing, despite the laws requir-ing them to do so. “The idea is for them to think about innovations so they can in-troduce in their system ways of lending with SMEs,” said Lamberte.

Lamberte added that banks often require business plans and financial plans. Many of the SMEs that really need credit don’t have the ca-pacity to prepare these plans. SMEs have the single entry accounting system; the banks expect to see something more complex. The solution comes down to educating and designing programs to educate SMEs and improve their capabilities to scale up.

GLOBE Telecom was hon-ored as Telecom Service Provider of the Year and

Mobile Service Provider of the Year for 2015 by Frost and Sul-livan Philippines following a remarkable performance due to efforts and initiatives in the past year.

Coming from its extensive transformation posted out-standing results by end 2014, Globe figured prominently in revenue growth, market share growth, product introduction and innovation, consumer ac-quisition, growth in subscrib-er base and business/market strategy. These resulted in Globe catapulting to leader-ship in the Philippine telecom-munications industry.

“We have established our-selves as the preferred telco brand in the country as mani-fested by impressive business gains across all business seg-ments and expansion of both mobile and broadband. We were successful in creating business opportunities rid-ing on the strong mobile data adoption, as well as increasing smartphone penetration. We thank Frost and Sullivan for this recognition given to us,” said Globe Chief Finance Offi-cer (CFO) Alberto De Larraza-bal who received the award on behalf of Globe.

The annual Frost and Sulli-van Best Practices Awards rec-ognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstand-ing achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological in-novation, customer service, and strategic product develop-ment.

De Larrazabal also served

as keynote speaker for the Cus-tomer Experience Philippines Summit 2015 organized by Frost and Sullivan Philippines with the topic “Visionary In-novator and Thought Leader: The Future of Telecom” which discussed the transformation journey of Globe.

De Larrazabal shared how Globe embraced innovation and the need to transform in order to remain relevant in the market. “We have made leaps in our transformation jour-ney which led to where Globe is now today. Our initiatives which translate to being quick-er and more efficient in serving our customers plus our strong culture of innovation have al-lowed us to achieve leadership in the mobile industry in the country.”

The Globe CFO concluded with a quote. “ With the fast paced landscape of telecom and technology, one must be aware of what the future will look like. Now that we have a view of what it can become, we must be able to adjust and invest in the foundation of the company. We must deliver the best possible network, an innovative brand, and a cus-tomer centric organization that keep up with the changing trends. We are trying to build Globe to last. “

Frost & Sullivan’s inaugu-ral Customer Experience Phil-ippines 2015 summit focused on the needs of changing busi-ness models, new technology evolution, support for cloud services, the effects of regula-tion, and real-time customer insight analysis in order to pro-vide superior customer experi-ence and drive better business outcomes.

Hotel rates normally go up when countries host APEC: Boncato

‘SMEs need access to finance,technology, to go international’

Globe is Telecom and MobileService Provider of the year

File photo of Asian Development Bank (ADB) adviser Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja

AWARDS. (From left) Frost and Sullivan Vice President for ICT Practice Ajay Sunder, Globe Chief Financial Officer Albert de Larrazabal, and Globe Head for Investor Relations Jomari Fajardo pose as Globe Telecom receives the Telecom Service Provider of the Year and Mobile Service Provider of the Year awards.

A NEW Business Process Outsourcing company has opened its doors in

Davao City.Benjamin Davidowitz,

chief executive officer of Open Access BPO, said the decision to locate to Davao City was its being a Next Wave City, a loca-tion which offers a wide-base skilled professionals and reli-able infrastructure.

“Davao provides educated and skilled English-speaking agents at 30 percent cost re-duction. This gives us the op-

portunity to save more money for those companies looking to cut costs while maintaining the same standards,” Davidow-itz said during the blessing of their new office last August 11.

The new call center office, located at Filandia IT Center in Quirino Avenue of this city, can accommodate approximately 180 employees.

Davidowitz said they are planning a campus in Davao City which is capable of host-ing 500 agents.

Founded in 2006 in San

Carlos, Californa by Davidow-itz and Henry Chang, the BPO firm specializes in multilingual content moderation and cus-tomer support for business-es worldwide, cutting across many industries like technolo-gy and internet-based sectors.

The company’s operations are located in Makati City and in Taipei, Taiwan. The office in Davao City is its third location.

Davidowitz said their operation here is proof that Davao City is one of the most outsourcing destinations in

the country as recognized by the International Business Process Administration of the Philippines (IBPAP) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

“Investors will benefit through lower business costs and a progressive business environment. These factors together with Davao’s econo-my and business boost makes it (Davao City) the frontrunner among all emerging offshoring sites in the country,” Davidow-itz said. (PIA)

New call center opens in Davao

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015 15SPORTSEDGEDAVAO

MAKE YOUR MAMA PROUDFil-Aussie Justin Day wins firts Majors title

RAIN or Shine’s famed ‘Extra Rice Inc.’ frontline may soon split up.

A day after news leaked out that Rain or Shine was trading Jervy Cruz, coach Yeng Guiao expressed his willing-ness to trade Beau Belga as well amid news that two teams are interested in the beefy big man.

Guiao had a long meeting with Belga’s agent Danny Es-piritu before the start of Rain or Shine’s first practice of the off season on Monday morn-ing at the NEGA gym in Green-hills where they discussed the options of a player who blossomed under the veteran coach’s wings.

The outspoken Rain or Shine coach said that much as he wants to keep the main man of his famed ‘Extra Rice Inc.’ frontline, he doesn’t want to get in the way of his player

seeking greener pastures - so long as the player ‘makes an honest indication of his inten-tion.’

“Kung ako ang tatanungin mo, gusto ko nandiyan si Beau. Ang desisyon na lang na ‘yan kung lilipat siya o hindi eh nasa kanya na ‘yan,” said Guiao. “Sa team naman namin, if you want to be traded, just make an honest indication of your intention.”

Espiritu did not deny that two teams are now ready to begin negotiations for a possi-ble deal with Rain or Shine for Belga, a former PCU Dolphin who turned into an All-Star after he joined Rain or Shine in 2011.

The outspoken player agent refused to divulge the identities of the teams, but sources told Spin.ph that Bara-ko Bull and the San Miguel Beer are both interested in

the 28-year-old former Gilas Pilipinas reserve, who signed a three-year, maximum deal with Rain or Shine in 2013.

“May mga feelers na kay Belga. Dalawang teams, secret na muna,” said Espiritu smil-ing.

“Kung i-o-offer mo sa mar-ket ‘yan, may mga interesado talaga, although hindi naman natin ino-offer sa market ‘yan, hindi naman pina-o-open ng team sa atin. So naghihintay na lang tayo kung sino yung mga team na magsasabi, pinaparat-ing natin sa coach,” he added.

Guiao, however, made it clear he will only trade Belga if the team gets the players it wants in return.

“Sa akin, wala akong plano na i-trade siya, pero kung may-roong gustong team sa kanya at mayroong magandang offer at gusto niya, pwedeng i-consid-er,” said the fiery mentor.

“I did not bring it up. Kung ako masusunod, ayaw ko si-yang i-give up, pero kausap ko si Danny kanina, ang sinasabi niya kung magiging open ako kung merong mga proposals. Sabi ko kailangang makita ko muna kung ano ang proposal,” he said.

Guiao started rebuilding his frontline by agreeing to send Cruz to GlobalPort for Jewel Ponferrada and a second-round draft pick, but admitted he is far from done.

“Hindi pa ako kontento (sa frontline ko),” Guiao said.

Belga, meanwhile, was careful with his statements, saying he wants to stay at Rain or Shine but at the same time is willing to look at whatever deal his agent can secure for him.

“Syempre masaya pa ako rito. Masayahing team to eh. There’s no other reason to be sad. I am happy,” said Belga.

A MULTI-BILLION peso min-ing company is stepping forward as a ‘neutral body’

ready to back future national teams amid the crisis over the formation of the Gilas squad to the Fiba Asia men’s basketball championship.

Nickel Asia is offering its help as an independent company neither affiliated with Manny V. Pangilinan’s organization nor the San Miguel Corp. group which could stand behind the national in the coming years, in the hope of reuniting Philippine basketball again.

Lawyer Bodeck Fernando, vice president for legal and hu-man resources of Nickel Asia, told Spin.ph that he will immediately talk to vice president for corpo-rate affairs JB Baylon to work on a proposal for a sponsorship of the national team when the com-pany’s board meets this week.

“Basta kung papayagan kami, why not? For as long as we get the necessary approvals (from our company, the PBA,

and the Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas), okay kami,” said Fer-nando.

“We have been monitoring the pulse of the Filipinos, and I personally believe that it’s high time a neutral company, not af-filiated with any PBA team, come in to help Pilipinas basketball,” he added.

The unconditional offer comes in the wake of the pullout of players from the Gilas camp specifically those belonging to the SMC umbrella, a known rival faction of the MVP group, whose head also happens to be the pres-ident of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SMB).

Not a single player from the SMC organization is part of the current Gilas pool, drawing the ire of fans despite SMC manage-ment’s statement that the three players included by Gilas coach Tab Baldwin in his 16-man train-ing pool – June Mar Fajardo, LA Tenorio, and Marc Pingris – were all given the go-signal to join the team.

THE Pilipinas Legends bannered by some of the PBA’s greatest play-

ers of all time bested Davao All-Star-City Mayors Office in a high scoring friendly game, 122 – 116, on Sunday at the Davao City Recreation Center Almendras Gym.

Egay Billones, Gerome Ejercito, Nelson Asaytono and Rodney Santos rendered a superb performance to the delight of the basketball fa-natics who packed the venue.

Billones put up 23 points as Ejercito made 20 and As-aytono had 17 points for the Pilipinas Legends.

Rodney Santos scored 16 points but it was his excep-

tional effort on both ends that made him as the game MVP.

Christopher “Bong” Go shared the spotlight as the Davao All-Star-CMO sniper put up a best shooting show in the contest.

Go hit a total of ten three pointers all the way to game-best 44 points that left every-one in the audience buzzing and wanting more trey each Davao All-Star-CMO play.

Davao All-Star-CMO came out strong early as Go sniping stirringly and Weng Farochillen and JR De Guz-man controlled the paint to keep pace with the Pilipinas Legends.

But they had to play

catch up game in the final half as the Pilipinas Legends started to impose their will down the stretch.

It was a tight contest before Billones, Ejercito and Tolomia spearheaded a run and gun type of play that en-abled the Pilipinas Legends to distance themselves.

Tolomia and Gibert Mal-abanan chipped in 15 and 12 points respectively for the Pilipinas Legends who got minimal support from John-ny Abarrientos and Alvin Pa-trimonio in limited action.

Farochillen scored 16 points while De Guzman had 14 for the Davao All-Star-CMO. (Rico Biliran) MVP. MX3 Legends’ Rodeny Santos receives his MVP prize as the rest of the MX3 squad pose from the background. NJB

AUSTRALIA’S sporting fra-ternity saluted Jason Day’s victory in the PGA Champi-

onship as a triumph over ad-versity.

Day is the fifth Australian to win

the PGA title and the 12th to

win a major champion-ship — the

first since A d a m Scott in the 2013 Masters.

And with a Filipi-no lin-e a g e — his

mother

Dening migrated to Australia three decades ago — Day’s win was also quite huge in basketball-crazy Phil-ippines.

After Day closed with a five-un-der 67 at Whistling Straits for a three-shot victory and a majors-re-cord 20-under total, Australian ten-nis and cricket players and racing drivers were among those quick to congratulate Day.

Growing up in the regional Queensland state towns of Beau-desert and Rockhampton, Day lost his father, Alvin, to cancer when he was 12 and battled alcohol and ag-gression at a young age.

It was Alvin who enrolled Day as a junior member at Beaudesert Golf Club at age six and gave him his first golf club, but it was moth-er, Philippines-born Dening, who — worried at her son’s increasing waywardness — later scraped to-gether the money to send Day a few hours away to board at Kooralbyn International School and then Hills International College.

At Kooralbyn — which had a golf course attached to its grounds — Day met coach Colin Swatton, who has been both caddie and con-fidant throughout his professional career.

After Kooralbyn closed, Day and Swatton moved to Hills Inter-national College, which had a ded-

icated golf program. It was there that Day borrowed a book about Tiger Woods from a roommate and was spurred to take his golf even more seriously, practicing up to 30 hours a week.

Dening Day was at work and missed watching the final holes of the PGA Championship, relying in-stead on updates on the PGA web-site.

“It takes a long time before it gets updated,” she told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio on Mon-day. “It gets a little bit anxious.”

That anxiety turned to elation when it became clear what Day had achieved.

“I was so excited, I was so proud of him,” Dening Day said. “It has been a long time coming for him. It’s a culmination of all his hard work.”

Day expressed his own relief that he would no longer be known as the best golfer not to win a ma-jor, tweeting “Ding, dong the witch is dead” after the victory.

Congratulations came from contemporaries and compatriots.

Two-time US Open champion Greg Norman wrote on Instagram “congratulations to my fellow Queenslander and Australian (Ja-son Day) and his beautiful family Ellie and Dash for joining the elite club being a major winner.”

Belga on the trading block

Pilipinas Legends outlast Davao-CMO 122 – 116

Nickel Asia to the rescue

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 201516 EDGEDAVAOSports

THE clock showed a little over four minutes left in

the finals and Montaña Pawnshop enjoying a 54-45 lead. At one corner sat The Royal Mandaya Hotel-CMO team owner Glenn Escandor shaking his head on the spectre of losing another cham-pionship run.

“It’s over. I think we’re done,” said Escan-dor who sat next to this writer from the back of the Hoteliers’ bench.

“Miracles do hap-pen,” mumbled Land Transportation Office as-sistant regional director Macario Gonzaga who also sat beside Escandor.

Like a storyline cut out from the movies, TRMH-CMO resurrected back to life from a time-out, set themselves out for a suffocating pres-sure defense and forcing four crucial turnovers which spritely guard Jeff Viernes converted into 10 points, six from the

stripe in a steel-nerved performance that netted him the Most Valuable Player of the finals hon-ors.

The Hoteliers la-bored through over three agonizing quarters that saw them trail by up to 12 before that final closeout did the job for a 63-57 win over Montaña Pawnshop in the finals on Sunday night before what could be the big-gest basketball crowd at the Davao City Rec-reation Cen-ter in recent memory.

Vi e r n e s started that c o m e b a c k with a fastbreak layup off a steal on Bi-boy Clavel followed by Jojo Tangkay and Mike Har-ry sinking four charities for a 51-54 deficit, 3:13 left. Hans Thielle gave Montaña a 57-51 cushion with a

MIRACLESDO HAPPENTRMH-CMO scores miraculous comeback to win Kadayawan title

LITTLE HERO. Mark Macapagal takes a piggback ride on diminutive game hero Jeff Viernes. Lean Daval Jr.

LEGENDS. The MX3 Pilipinas Legends and Davao All Stars-CMO Matina Enclaves pose after their friendly game on Sunday at the Davao City Recreation Center. NJB

VOL. 8 ISSUE 99 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

njb@edgedavao.net

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

BATTLE OF THE GIANTS. Beau Belga of TRMH-CMO takes a baby hook off Landry Sanjo of Momtaña Pawnshop. Lean Daval Jr.

booming triple but Vi-ernes forced two turn-overs and went to the line four straight times where he went perfect 8-for-8 to shove THRMH-CMO on top 59-57, 1:29 left.

After a miss by the erstwhile unbeaten Pawnbrokers, Beau Belga fished a foul and calmly sank two chari-ties to stretch the lead to four, 61-57, 1:15 to go.

Montaña and TRMH-CMO exchanged turn-

overs on expired shot-clock in the next two plays and the ex-pro Tangkay sealed the win with two free

throws after fishing a foul off a steal with 16 ticks remaining.

The hardworking Harry topscored for

the Hoteliers with 14 points and had timely blocks during the end-game while Viernes had a total of 13 with 10 com-ing in that fourth quarter rampage alone.

“We were just lucky. The game had a lot of bad calls and non-calls but in the end, our desire willed us through,” said Escandor.

TRMH-CMO coach Roy Josol bagged his first Kadayawan cham-pionship and expressed thanks to his coaching staff composed of assis-tants Miggy Solitaria, Mark Bonifacio, Cadel Mosqueda and Dindo Pastor.

MP Pacman won third place after beating deposed champion Gold-star 86-79.