Edge Davao 8 Issue 226

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DAVAO

Davao has beenenriched by theChinese overthe centuries

Chinese-Filipino Mestizo during Spanish era

VOL. 8 ISSUE 226 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7-8, 2016

Japanese-sponsored Davao Chinese Association. Alfonso, who was assassinated on April 15, 1946, begot ten children.

Born Ang Hwa Shing, Ang Kiu Kok (1931-2005), who graduated high school at the Davao Chong Hua High School, was the son of Xiamen mi-grants who made Davao their second home. He took up Art at the University of Santo To-mas under Filipino masters. His art style, known as ‘figu-rative expressionism,’ was a fusion of cubism, surrealism and expressionism.

In the 1960’s, he attained prominence as an emerging artist, gaining decades later commercial success for his ‘ugly’ paintings, so called for their violent and at times gruesome imagery. On April 20, 2001, he was conferred the honor as a National Artist for Visual Arts by virtue of Presi-dential Proclamation No. 32, s. 2001.

Tony Tan Caktiong, born to Chinese immigrant par-ents from Fujian, took up ele-mentary at Davao Chong Hua High School while his father worked as a cook in a famous local restaurant. He later pur-sued secondary course at Chi-ang Kai-Shek College in Pasay City and finished undergradu-ate studies at the University of Santo Tomas in 1975.

Starting with a franchise from Magnolia Dairy Ice Cream, he later founded the iconic Jollibee, the country’s biggest fastfood chain, and later acquired close to a doz-en firms, including the Chi-nese fast food chain Yonghe Dawang and the Chowking oriental food outlets. In 2014, he was awarded the presti-gious Ernst & Young ‘World Entrepreneur of the Year’ in Monaco.

Ega Uy and wife Tao Sui Eng, from the province of Fu-jian, China, married during the war in Magugpo (Tagum) and

2 EDGEDAVAO

COVER STORY

THE first unnamed Chi-nese to settle in Davao was a carpenter who

was part of the early wave of settlers; he was mentioned in Estadistica de Davao, written in 1870. This immigrant was one of the first converts when the old pueblo was organized with the appointment of the first set of cabezas de barangay in 1850.

Jesuit priest Fr. Quirico More, SJ, in a letter dated Nov. 18, 1879 written from Davao, mentioned “four or six Chinese in the pay of the commercial houses in Davao.” While in Sigaboy, Fr. Domingo Bove, SJ, in a letter dated Dec. 30, 1879, narrated that while at Cape San Agustin, a Chinese gave him a chalice acquired for a certain amount of mastic from a Manobo who told him the vessel was made by the Magu-indanaoans.

Four years later, writing from Cuabo, in Mati, on July 12, 1883, Father Bove noted that the waves along the coastline where he was temporarily re-siding destroyed an old tree standing “beside the Chinese trader’s shed.” In September 1884, Father More reported that an unbaptized Chinese named Antoco was murdered in Lawa (Kulaman), in Malita, Davao Occidental.

ImpressionsIn missionary accounts,

the Chinese and Chinese mes-tizos were depicted as oppor-tunists who exploited the il-literate tribes by pricing their goods discriminately, burying tribesmen in huge debts. The liability, at times, was the rea-son why entire settlements had to move out whenever the Chinese retailers arrived to collect the payments.

A similar remark was made by Fr. Mateo Gisbert, SJ, in a letter from Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur, dated Feb. 22, 1888, who reported “the Chi-nese and the other retailers who have gone to their [na-tives’] ranches… [were] more immoral and godless than the mountaineers themselves.” Most likely, these are the same entrepreneurs Fr. Saturni-no Urios, SJ, cited in his Apr. 30, 1894 letter, as “obtaining crumbs from Santa Cruz” and

exporting sacks of cacao at fab-ulous prices.

On the other hand, Fr. An-tonio Benaiges, SJ, in crossing the gulf from Malalag, Davao del Sur, wrote in his Jan. 28, 1894 account that he boarded a frail boat, later battered by waves upon reaching Samal waters, owned by a Chinese named Choa.

In the end, the animosity between the natives and the Chinese, according to a letter by Fr. Gregorio Parache, SJ, dated Dec. 29, 1898, written while in Mati, was resolved, at least in one instance, when both parties united to oppose an unpopular gobernadorcillo appointed by Fr. Salvador Gi-ralt, SJ.

Some Chinese traders, however, were better than others. While in Davao, Father Urios mentioned of a Chinese who “donated finished clothes and materials for others to tai-lor.” There were also Chinese in Santa Cruz and Arapiles who helped the missionaries, “proving their goodwill in their desire to be on our side.”

And there was also this Chinese in Mati who, according to Fr. Manuel Rosello, SJ, in his Oct. 31, 1898 letter from Vera de Moncayo (Veruela, Agusan del Sur), paid P50 for each of the three passengers, includ-ing the missionary, for them to be able to board a ship toward Sandakan (Borneo) instead of sailing directly to Zamboanga.

China tiesKeen interest in local Chi-

nese residents did not happen until the later part of the first quarter of the 20th century. On June 2, 1923, Chou Kuo Shian, consul general of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Phil-ippines, arrived in Davao for observation tour. The visit led to the opening of a Chinese school for children in the area. As a result, Te Chiu Im, a local Chinese resident who was into beer distribution, was ap-pointed first honorary consul of Davao (1923-28). He was instrumental in the formation of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Davao and was its first chairman.

Chinese presence in Davao during this period was affect-ed by the leadership struggle

Davao has beenenriched by the Chinese

over the centuries

Ang Kiukok was a graduate of the Davao Chong Hua High School

FCOVER, 13

Long Hua Chinese temple (Photo by Lean Daval Jr.)

By Antonio V. Figueroa

inside the National Party (Kou-mintang) in China. In 1924, Chiang Kai-shek, the conquer-or of Shanghai, had just been appointed head of the Wham-poa Military Academy.

The following year, after Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Republic of China, died, Chiang Kai-shek emerged as leader of the Kuomintang. In 1926 he led the army in an effort to unify China, defeat-ing the communist army and forcing the survivors to march to Shensi.

Chinese schoolsChinese legacy in Davao is

also noticeable in the fields of Education and Religion.

The city’s oldest Chinese school is Davao Chong Hua High School, formerly Davao Central High School and Davao Chinese High School. It was Chou Kuo Shian, Republic of China’s consul-general, who proposed the idea of a school for Chinese kids be opened in Davao, which led to the found-ing of the Davao Chinese Ed-ucational Association, with Chua Chin San as first Board chairman.

To pursue the undertak-ing, Te Chiu Im closely coordi-nated with Chua in generating funds, recruiting teachers, and getting government approval for the school. On June 3, 1924, the institution opened at San Pedro Street, in two rented classrooms that accommodat-ed thirty pupils.

But as the DCEA enroll-ment improved, the associa-tion was forced to find a per-manent site for the school. The Board broached the idea to Francisco Villa-Abrille who do-nated a one-hectare land along Santa Ana Avenue in what is now the home of the school.

After the war, another school was funded with mon-ey from donations. Stella Maris Academy was established in 1953. It was Bishop Clovis Thi-bault, PME, DD, of the Diocese of Davao who launched the Chinese Catholic Apostolate in the city. Fr. Gaudiose Gag-non, PM.E, with the help of the Davao Chinese Catholic Asso-ciation, made contacts, home visits and meetings with the local Chinese community and propagated the idea of build-ing a school.

Registered as Davao Chi-nese Catholic Kindergarten School, the academy first opened near Santa Ana Church and remained there until 1957. It was managed by two Rosari-an nuns, Sisters Chao and Yang, from Manchuria, China, who stayed briefly. The Mission-ary Sisters of the Immaculate (MIC) took over as administra-tor. In April 1958, the prelature bought a tract of land at Obre-ro, at Nicasio Torres Street, which is now the permanent

campus of the institution. Established on Jan. 14,

1953, Davao Christian High School, formerly Davao Chi-nese Gospel Church Kinder-garten School, was the brain-child of the Davao Evangelical Church, formerly Davao Chi-nese Gospel Church, which wanted to provide Christian education to the youth. It first opened its kindergarten class-es in a residence along Rizal Street.

In 1988, the school moved to Victorino Mapa Street where it opened a new, three-story building. Two years later, an air-conditioned auditorium with a 1,100-seating capacity was inaugurated. To address the expanding need for more space, another three-story ac-ademic and athletic building was added in 2007, housing the high school classrooms, covered basketball court, and science and home economics laboratories.

Two other Chinese-ori-ented schools that have made a name in the city are the Co-legio de San Ignacio and the Philippine Academy of Sakya (Davao), Inc., which is devoted “to sharing in the mission of the Lord Buddha and molding students to be upright citizens of the country.”

Six Chinese houses of wor-ship, meanwhile, can be found in Davao City, namely: the Tao-ist Bell Church, Philippine Yuan Ming Tao Sanctuary, Mindanao Taoist Temple, Long Hua (Lon Wa) Temple, the largest Bud-dhist temple in Mindanao, Pulian Temple, and the Taoist Santiago Church.

Successful SinosResiliency, patience, and

diligence are inviolable traits associated with Chinese suc-cess in business. In the past one hundred fifty years, their commercial practices have greatly shaped the way trading in the region has been defined. By 1939, the Chinese popula-tion in Davao was 3,595, quite sizeable given that the Japa-nese living in Davao at the time was already close to twenty thousand. Overall, when war broke out, a fifth of those resid-ing in the region had Chinese blood up to the second-degree of consanguinity.

Up to this day, Chinese descendants up to the fifth generation control most of the big enterprises that dot the city’s business landscape. Intermarriage and adoption of Filipino-sounding names have make it difficult to iden-

tify them as Chinese, but the attitudes that have made them significant social players of de-velopments are indisputable. Some of the Chinese stalwarts (and their scions) that have made a named in Davao in-clude the following:

Lim Chuan Juna, a native of Tong Sua, Fujian, reached Davao in 1878 at age 32. Stiff competition in Sulu forced him to look for areas where opportuni-ties were plenty. He married Tan Sipo, baptized as Maria Loreto, t h e “ d a u g h t e r of Tan Joson (a Chinese) and his common law wife, a Mora [Muslim wom-an].” He took Francisco Vil-la-Abrille as his Christian name.

He set up his first business at Piapi, a community with predomi-nantly Tausug population. He later transferred his store to Claveria Street, near San Pedro Cathedral. In Jan. 4, 1890, the couple converted and mar-ried as Catholics. Known as a philanthropist, Lim donat-ed the lands where many of today’s landmarks are built, among them the Philippine Women’s College, Davao Cen-tral High School (then known as Davao Chinese High School), Davao Mental Hospital, Boys Scout of the Philippines (BSP), and part of Ateneo de Davao (Matina).

Alfonso Angliongto, be-fore establishing a name in lo-cal shipping, originally settled in Siasi, Sulu, with elder broth-er Ang Kang (Antonio Ang-kang), born in 1894 in China. Originally known as Ang Liong To, Alfonso, born in 1896, and his brother were encouraged by their father, Ang Tong Liong, to join a relative in Sabah who was a trader. But the brothers opted instead to settle in Sulu, then the pearl capital of the islands.

Lured by good prospects in Davao as related by fellow Chinese traders, Alfonso de-cided to transfer residence to the city where he opened a shipping business and made a fortune from it. Here, he found his spouse and built a family whose brood would become prominent social figures. He later became president of the

VOL. 8 ISSUE 226 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7-8, 2016 3EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 8 ISSUE 226 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7-8, 20164 EDGEDAVAO

NEWS

CATCH OF THE DAY. Residents in communities near Sta. Ana Wharf gather around a vendor selling fresh fish for as low as P30 per kilo. Lean Daval Jr.

THE Mindanao Business Council (MinBC) has withdrawn its intent to

pass a resolution endorsing the immediate cancellation of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)’s ex-isting contract as grid operator.

This after the NGCP pre-sented its side during last Thursday’s meeting in Davao

City attended by Mindanao’s power stakeholders, including the private sector, Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Regu-latory Board (ERB), and Mind-anao Development Authority (MinDA).

“Let’s give NGCP a chance to improve their services. Some of the problems are also created by Transco (National

Transmission Corporation) so we will have to work together to solve this,” MinBC chair Vi-cente T. Lao told EDGE Davao in a text message last Saturday.

Lao said among the con-cerns NGCP presented during the meeting was the right of way (ROW) problem which it said it had inherited from Transco and which remains

unresolved until now.Lao said the Mindanao

power situation is threatened not by a tight power supply but by the ROW problem and the frequent bombing of NGCP towers.

Last year, a total of 19 tow-ers in Mindanao were bombed, of which nine were toppled

MinBC withdraws call to axe [email protected]

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

THE Davao City Veteri-narian’s Office (CVO) has urged all pet owners to

have their dogs and cats vacci-nated against rabies.

“We are encouraging the people to be with us in our vac-cination drive in the districts. We hope they will cooperate and bring along their dogs and cats for immunization,” CVO disease prevention and control head Dr. Gay Z. Pallar said in a recent interview.

Pallar said the dogs and cats should be vaccinated to prevent the ] spread of rabies in the city. “Our campaign is to intensify the vaccination,” she said.

She said the CVO received around 150,000 anti-rabies vaccines from the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Bureau

of Animal Industry. The CVO is aiming to make the city ra-bies-free by 2020.

She said vaccination start-ed on January 20, 2016 in the barangays in Talomo district where her office vaccinated a total of 19,346 dogs and cats.

She said the team will go to the barangays in Toril district on February 9 up to March 1.

Pallar said the Animal Con-trol Unit (ACU) is also intensi-fying the catching of stray dogs in the streets because these are vulnerable to rabies.

Dogs that are caught in the streets will be brought to the City Dog Pound and will be im-pounded for three days. If no one claims the dogs, they will be subjected to euthanasia, which is one of the preventive measures against the spread of

rabies.Pallar said the ACU will

also be present during the vac-cination drive because dogs will be impounded if their owners refuse to have them vaccinated.

She said there are penal-ties for owners who refuse to immunize their pets as stipu-lated in the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007.

Owners will be fined P2,000 for failure to register and immunize their dogs. A fine of P10,000 will be im-posed on owners who refuse to place their dogs under ob-servation after they have bit-ten a person.

There is also a fine of P25,000 for refusal to shoul-der the medical expenses of the bitten person.

City Vet pushes for rabies immunizationBy ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

[email protected]

Council leads Chinese New Year feteTHE Davao City Chinatown

Development Council ( DCCDC), institutional-

ized 13 years ago by the city government under Mayor Ro-drigo R. Duterte through City Ordinance No. 0179-03, will spearhead the celebration of the Chinese New Year wel-coming the Year of Fire Mon-key with a 9 a.m. mass at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish today, Sunday.

“Since time immemorial, the Chinese –Filipino commu-nity has played an important role in the historical. Cultural and economic development of Davao City,” says a letter of in-

vitation sent by the DCCDC to the leaders of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and In-dustry, Inc.

The ordinance “aims to empower the Chinese-Filipino community in Davao City in charting their own develop-ment as an essential part and soul of the city”, according to the letter signed by the 10 members of the council.

At 6 p.m., also today, Feb-ruary 7, the center of the fes-tive activities will move to the Rizal Park within the City Hall premises where “a fusion of traditional and modern Filipi-no-Chinese celebrations will

be held.”Earlier, City Tourism Offi-

cer Lisette Marques said that the holding of the Chinese new celebrations at the Rizal Park, not within the Chinatown in Sta. Ana District is symbolic of the assimilation of the Filipino and Chinese cultures.

The 12 Council members who signed the invitation let-ter to all interested Dabawen-yos are former City Councilor Susan Isabel Reta, James Ed-win Go, Johnny Loyola, Lafay-ette Lim, So-Peng Kee, Edgar Te, Nancy King Ong, Jasper Huang, Benedicto Lim Jr. and Amado So. AMA

A FIRE at a hotel in Iraq’s Kurdistan re-gion on Friday has

killed 17 people, including 14 Filipinos, a Philippine Embassy official said.

“We have just been in-formed that 14 Filipinos were among the 17 people who died in a fire that struck a hotel in Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, this evening,” said Elmer Cato, charge d’affaires of the Phil-ippine Embassy in Baghdad.

“We will be taking the earliest flight tomorrow to allow us to coordinate close-ly with authorities of the Kurdistan Regional Govern-ment in identifying and re-

patriating the remains of our kababayans,” Cato added.

The incident, he said, is now under investigation.

“We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and will do everything we can to bring them home as soon as possible,” Cato said.

In 2012, the Philippine government lifted the ban on Kurdistan region – an auton-omous region in Iraq – amid growing foreign labor de-mand, but deployment ban is being enforced by Manila in other parts of the country.

Except for Kurdistan, Manila is imposing manda-

14 Pinoys die in fire

OUTLAWED Bangsam-oro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on Fri-

day tried but failed to blow up a vital bridge in Maguindanao, the military on Saturday said.

Colonel Felicisimo Ba-diongan, commander of 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade based in Datu Saudi Ampat-uan town, said alert civilians informed the military about the presence of suspected im-provised bomb planted over a bridge still undergoing con-struction in Barangay Butalo,

Datu Salibo town in Maguin-danao.

“While our troops were conducting clearing opera-tions and bomb disruption, the BIFF were firing at us,” Badiongon said in a phone interview.

An Army official who Capt. Joan Petinglay, 6th In-fantry Division spokesperson did not identify was slightly injured in his head.

“He is safe now, he only sustained minor injuries,”

BIFF tries to blow upbridge in Maguindanao

FMINBC, 13

FBIFF, 13

F14 PINOYS, 13



AT least 21 persons were arrested by police au-thorities in separate

drug buy-bust operations in South Cotabato Friday, author-ities on Saturday said.

Three men were arrested in the act of sniffing meth-amphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) during police oper-ations led by Chief Inspector Dennis Madriaga, police chief of Noralla, South Cotabato.

Arrested were Warren Valenzuela, owner of a house where the pot session was conducted, Jericho Echanova and John Paul Castillo.

Madriaga said the sus-

pects also peddled illegal drugs based on the informa-tion contained in Valenzuela’s mobile phones. A motorbike, several sachets of shabu and il-legal drug paraphernalia were seized from the suspects.

Early Friday, during the implementation of “One Time Big Time Operation” in Purok Looban, Barangay Zone 3, Koronadal City, police arrested 17 persons, including a minor.

The raiding team seized shabu, mobile phones, mar-ijuana joints, a handgun and other shabu paraphernalia.

Superintendent Barney

6NEWS EDGEDAVAO

MEAL TIME? This crocodile replica inside People’s Park is an instant hit with young park-goers, especially those who love animals. Lean Daval Jr.

FORMER political pris-oners, other victims of the martial law regime

and human rights advocates launched on Thursday a cam-paign to thwart attempts by the Marcoses to recapture Malacanang.

Called CARMMA or Cam-paign against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang, the group “says NO to Bongbong Marcos as vice-president be-cause he is not the guiltless son that he presents himself to be,” Bonifacio Ilagan, vice chairper-son of SELDA or the Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto, said in a press release Thursday.

Senator Ferdinand “Bong-bong” Marcos Jr. is running as vice president in this year’s elections.

Ilagan, quoting from CAR-MMA’s manfesto, warned that if Bongbong Marcos wins as vice-president, “the Marcos

grand scheme to recapture Malacañang is just a stride away, given their billions of pesos in war chest, courtesy of the evil genius of Ferdinand Sr.”

The manifesto listed six “sins” of Marcos Jr. as bases for campaigning against his bid for the vice presidency.

It said that “while the sins of the father may not be passed on to the son, the son could very well inherit the ill-gotten wealth of the father. And Bong-bong, with the family, did in-herit the fruits of the legendary Marcos plunder amounting to hundreds of billions of pesos, much of which has yet to be uncovered, and which Bong-bong will never reveal and give back.”

It accused Marcos Jr. of covering up “the unprecedent-ed plunder and economic sab-otage that his father commit-ted in 20 years of his misrule, 14 of which were under the re-

pressive martial law.” It noted that the son hailed his father’s dictatorship as “the best form of governance the Philippines has ever had.”

Marcos Jr.’s third “sin”, the manifesto said, is that “Bong-bong arrogantly peddles the lie that his father’s wealth was legitimate.”

It said: “Bongbong white-washes the Marcos dictator-ship’s crony capitalism, of which he had been a part. In 1985, when Bongbong was 26 years old, his father ap-pointed him chairman of the board of the Philippine Com-munications Satellite Corpo-ration (Philcomsat), receiving a monthly salary of anywhere between $9,700 to $97,000. This, despite that fact that he had no duties in Philcomsat and rarely even went to office.”

It added that Marcos Jr. has continued to deny that his fa-ther was a “ruthless dictator”

whose regime was accused of torture, summary killings and other abuses.

“Bongbong even had the gall to dismiss the 9,500 plus members of the human rights Hawaii class suit who won the case against the Marcos estate, as purely motivated by com-pensation. ‘Pera-para lang ang habol ng mga yan,’” Ilagan said.

CARMMA further said that Marcos Jr. has yet to explain how his P100-million pork barrel allocation was spent.

Victims of martial law filed and won a class suit against the Marcoses in a court in Hawaii after the ouster of the dicta-torship. A US aircraft brought the Marcos family to Hawaii as thousands of Filipinos stormed the gates of Malacanang as the four-day Edsa uprising in Feb-ruary 1986 reached its climax.

Thousands were jailed during martial law, mostly

A L O N D O N - B A S E D peace-building group has urged President

Benigno Aquino to pour funds into the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindan-ao (ARMM) as the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) failed to pass in the 16th Congress.

In a statement, Interna-tional Alert-Philippines com-munication specialist Judy T. Gulane said the Aquino government, in its remaining months, must continue to pour in funds that the region needs.

The incoming govern-ment, she added, must heed

the region’s growth require-ments.

“With or without a new law, livelihoods must be cre-ated. This gains urgency in the wake of frustration over the BBL’s non-approval and rising radicalism among Moro youth,” Gulane said.

Gulane said while wait-ing for the new adminis-tration and for the 17th Congress to be constituted, government should give im-portance to sustaining the development of Muslim Min-danao.

“As they contemplate their next moves, we urge

A 6 . 4 - M A G N I T U D E earthquake in south-ern Taiwan early Sat-

urday morning damaged several buildings, with at least one building collapsed, trap-ping hundreds of residents, according to local media re-ports.

The mainland earthquake monitoring center put the scale of the quake at 6.7-mag-

nitude.Rescuers have saved

more than 160 people, with two losing signs of life, local media reported.

By 7:10 a.m., rescuers saved 127 people from a 17-storey collapsed building in Tainan, among which 29 were hospitalized. About 200 people are believed to have been living inside the high-

rise building.A 10-day baby girl and a

40-year-old man lost signs of life, according to local media report.

The earthquake hit Kaoh-siung of Taiwan at a depth of 15 kilometers at 3:57 a.m. Beijing Time on Saturday, according to China Earth-quake Networks Center. The epicenter was monitored at

22.94 degrees north latitude and 120.54 degrees east lon-gitude.

According to the island’s weather and earthquake monitoring agency, the earth-quake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale and with a depth of 16.7 kilometers, was centered about 27 km north-east of Pingtung county seat. (PNA/Xinhua)

Martial law victims startcampaign vs Bongbong

Int’l group urges gov’tto keep funding ARMMBy ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

[email protected]

Hundreds trapped as strong quake hits TaiwanFMARTIAL, 13

FINT’L, 13

FSOUTHCOT, 13

SouthCot drug raidsresult in 21 arrests



ECONOMY

THE country’s first-ever Pekin duck producer and exporter Vicente T.

Lao is eying to participate in this year’s Gulf Food exhibi-tion at the Dubai World Trade Center on February 21 to 26 in a bid to increase his market as well as promote other Mindan-ao premium products.

“We’re targeting to book a pavilion for Mindanao in the six-day exhibition,” Lao told reporters in a recent interview.

The annual Gulf Food exhi-bition is an international event which draws over 90,000 visi-tors from 160 countries. Apart from exhibitions of food pro-cessors, technology, and indus-try movers, there will be also

a specific exhibition for Halal Food.

According to the Gulf Food website, the 3rd Halal World Food will showcase thousands of halal products, including energy drinks, vegan and veg-etarian food, meat and poultry, canned goods, and gourmet and fine food.

The website also said the Halal World Food exhibition “also generates significant inward investment opportu-nities for major international businesses eyeing regional buyers, suppliers, logistics pro-viders and storage and trans-port solutions.”

The show will also see halal food policy-shapers and

government organizations coming together to discuss the implementation of far-reach-ing standardizations and certi-fication frameworks, it said.

Dubai is currently posi-tioned as the forefront in Halal food industry. Lao said Dubai holds a huge potential not only for his Pekin duck which re-cently garnered its Halal certi-fication from the Dubai Minis-try of Water and Environment but also other agricultural products of Mindanao.

“The presence of OFWs in Dubai is just one of the seg-ments where Mindanao can market its premium products,” Lao said.

Products like pineapple,

banana, cacao, and other ag-ricultural commodities have huge potential of penetrating the country, he added.

At present, Lao is already exporting his Pekin duck to Japan under his company Ma-harlika Agro-Marine Ventures.

His products are also avail-able in local grocery stores and supermarkets.

Lao said he plans to put up a small restaurant in Davao City to allow more people have a taste of his Pekin Duck.

“We’re targeting to reach the C, D, E market,” he said, adding the restaurant will be established later this year in a property he owns along San Pedro Street in Davao City.

PANABO City Mayor James Gamao pledged to put up infrastructures to boost the

Anflo Industrial Estate.In a recent interview, Gamao

said he instructed the city engi-neering office to pave the Baran-gay San Vicente roads going to the economic zone to start this year.

“We will tap the road going from San Pedro Quasi Parish to the Diversion-Coastal Road as pe-ripheral for the economic zone,” Gamao said.

The mayor added that in or-der for the people to know about the zone, the city government will also put up a promotional arc to

welcome guests.He also said major roads

leading to the economic zone will soon be stretching to four lanes.

Gamao saidthe city govern-ment will support the economic zone through its policies.

On Monday (February 1), the Anflo Group of Companies launched in a groundbreaking ceremony the 63-hectare AIE, the first agro-industrial economic zone in Davao del Norte.

The economic zone is a self-sustaining area divided into 60 lots with back-up electricity and water plants, opened initial-ly for agro-industrial companies. (PIA11, Michael Uy)

THE Department of Labor and Employment sees no decrease in the employ-

ment of Overseas Filipino Work-ers (OFWs) especially in the Mid-dle East even with the continuing decline of oil prices.

In a press briefing Friday, La-bor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz presented the weekly monitoring report of the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices showing no direct effect on the OFW employment due to oil prices slump.

Baldoz said there are no mon-itored reports on a drop in job offers in Riyadh and Kuwait. The Labor Office in Dubai reported an 18.78 percent decrease in job orders but not in the oil sector. There is an observed 1.11 percent decrease in job orders processed in Eastern regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, however, it is not directly attributed to the oil price decline. Rather, it is possibly due to Saudization and fiscal constraints of companies.

The DOLE, however, moni-tored an 82 percent decline in job orders in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from 85 in the first week to 16 in the fourth week of the month. Oil and gas HR personnel reported less manpow-er demand because of non-renew-al of projects and suppliers con-tract termination.

Presidential Communica-tion Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Sonny Coloma said the national government has been en-

suring a whole of government ap-proach in looking into the welfare and safety of OFWs.

Following the instruction of President Aquino, the DOLE has prepared to ensure employment and livelihood opportunities for returning OFWs who may be af-fected by political and economic security threats and emergencies.

“Using a scenario of 10 to 20 percent returning OFWs for semi-skilled category, there are avail-able local jobs for them in the con-struction, transport, and logistics sectors in the country if they wish to avail such,“ Baldoz said.

Some 44,000 jobs are also created from the 12 Public-Private Partnership projects that have been awarded and could particu-larly offer potential employment to semi and low skilled workers especially in the construction sec-tor.

The DOLE also spearheads a Human Resource Development Roadmapping exercise in cooper-ation with various sectors to com-plement their respective industry roadmaps.

Semi and low-skilled OFWs may qualify for the HR require-ments of mass housing, aerospace, iron and steel, metal casting, cop-per, and petrochemicals.

The professionals and skilled workers may take available jobs particularly for nurses, engineers, managers and accountants. (PIA-ROD/FGM)

BARCLAYS continues to discount any adjust-ment in the Bangko

Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) key rates this year and only sees this in the second quarter of 2017 since inflation remains below-target as of January 2016.

In a research note, the British-headquartered fi-nancial firm said the Philip-pine central bank “appears comfortable with its policy stance.”

Rate of price increases picked up in November-De-cember last year to 1.1 per-cent and 1.5 percent, respec-

tively, after bottoming to 0.4 percent last September-Oc-tober.

Last January, it decelerat-ed to 1.3 percent and this was attributed to sustained drop in oil prices, which fell below US$ 30 per barrel recently.

The research note be-lieves that “the BSP is likely to stand pat on policy rates, emphasizing that growth and inflation risks stem largely from poor weather and the uncertain global backdrop.”

“We continue to expect BSP’s next policy move to be a hike, though we see only see a first hike coming in Q2 2017.

We think the central bank is likely to hike when growth has recovered sufficiently and inflation is high enough to justify an increase in interest rates,” it said.

“Although there is external uncertainty in the form of the Fed rate hike cycle, we think the Philippines’ strong exter-nal position and low level of short-term debt provide BSP with enough policy space to maintain an accommodative stance even if US rates head higher,” it added.

To date, the central bank’s overnight borrowing or re-verse repurchase (RRP) rate is

at four percent and the over-night lending or repurchase (RP) rate is at six percent.

These were last adjusted in September 2014 when it was hiked by 25 basis points. That year, the key rates were increased by a total of 50 basis points to reign in the surging inflation rate and prevent it from exceeding the upper end of the government’s three to five percent target.

Inflation in 2014 peak-ed at 4.9 percent in July and August but went down to 4.4 percent in September due in part to the BSP’s policy mea-sures. (PNA)

Pekin duck growereyes Dubai exhibition

[email protected] CHENEEN R. CAPON

DOLE monitors effectof oil slump on OFWs

Panabo mayor backsAgro-Industrial Estate

Barclays to increase in BSP Q2 ‘17 key ratesFOOTLOOSE. A customer walks through piles of slippers at a store along Magsaysay Avenue that sells wide array of footwear. Lean Daval Jr.

Vicente T. Lao



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PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTEthe national association of newspapers

Hope in the Chinese New YearTHE 2016 Chinese New Year falls on February 8, Monday.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, it is the Year of the Monkey. The Filipinos, with a rich Chinese influence

owing to a huge portion of our population composed of Chinoys or Chinese-Pinoys, consider the Chinese New Year as part of our annual celebration. It has been that for decades and so it is not surprising if it is declared a public holiday this year.

Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival, has more than 4,000 years of history. It is the grandest and the most important annual event for Chinese people.

Being one of the traditional festivals, it is the time for whole families to reunite together, which is similar to Christmas Day to the westerners.

The festival, China’s longest, lasts for 15 days from the 1st to 15th day of the first lunar month, and in folklore it starts even earlier, from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month.

Most employees in China will have seven days off work, while students take one month absence from school.

Tracing back to its beginnings during the Shang Dynasty (17th - 11th century BC), the festival used to be observed to fight against the monster “Nian” who liked to eat children and livestock. The monster was afraid of red color and loud sound. Therefore, people decorated their houses in red and set off firecrackers to expel it.

It is just ironic that given the rich China influence, China is also our worst enemy in the territorial battle over the Kalayaan Islands in West Philippine Sea. Hopes for a peaceful resolution of the claims over the territory may still be alive. Whether the luck and charms the Chinese New Year influence will have its toll on this issue appears to be of different significance.

We can only wish that the lunar year bring forth a spring of hope for us and the good men at the helm of China. Kung hei fat choi, peace everyone.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 226 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7-8, 2016 15Chinese-Dabawenyos

Debby GoI am a bit biased, since

my cousin Karina owns Lit-tle Dynasty which serves all the traditional food that our family eats whenever we get together during special oc-casions including significant Chinese celebrations such as Chinese New Year. The food

reminds me of home and family.

I usually order their crispy shrimp, pork dump-lings, beef noodle soup, mapo tofu, white chicken, and beef with asparagus.

Patrick CoMy family goes to Emer-

WHENEVER I look for a place to eat when I travel, I always ask for help from the locals on where and what to

eat. I decided to take this concept and asked some local Chinese-Filipino friends where they usually go to in Davao to satisfy their Chi-nese food cravings. Here are some answers:

ald Seafood Palace often not because it is close by but we find the food at Emerald bal-anced and flavorful not like other Chinese restos here in Davao that tend to have fla-vours that tend to be sweet. We usually order the basics like lemon chicken, satemi, beef brisket with raddish, taro cakes with seafood and to finish off the meal, buchi!

Caitlyn YaoMe and my family usual-

ly go to West Empire to satis-fy our Chinese food cravings. We usually get steamed live lapu-lapu, crabs with salted egg, and finish it off with a birthday noodle. We also make sure we order some soup as well as their hot prawn salad.

Alyssa LimMy family and I love

to eat at Grand Men Seng. Their Chinese food is really good and they have private rooms where we can have our privacy where we can

laugh, talk, eat all we want without being conscious of other people. We usually order their shark fin soup, mini lechon, and the chicken with rice inside, it is sooooo good!

Kerwin LuI would go to West Em-

pire for my Chinese food fix. The owner is a very good friend as well as a partner in business. I usually order xiao long bao and soup to start then some seafood.

Joey LimI go to Emerald Seafood

Palace for the sweet and sour pork and tofu with ab-alone sauce. I recommend Ahfat for the steamed pigik!

Jazzie Tan-CruzMe and my husband ac-

tually have two favorite Chi-nese restaurants and these are Ahfat and the Marco Polo Davao’s Lotus Court.

At Ahfat, we would usu-ally order hot prawn salad,

recommend Chinese restosBy Kenneth Irving Ong

pacific clam, and steamed pampano. While at the Lotus Court, we would order their lemon chicken, shrimp balls, and shrimp with broccoli. Their dimsum is also our fa-vorite.

Mary LimFor me the Marco Polo’s

Lotus Court has the best Chi-nese food here in Davao. I especially love their Peking duck which is perfect for dinner or any special occa-sion.

Tobi AngRight now it’s West Em-

pire. They have the best salt-ed egg squid and dried scal-lop fried rice. Their manager Tina is also the best when it comes to service.

Debbie Tan-HaoEmerald is my go-to Chi-

nese restaurant. I’m big on crabs and the one smoth-ered with salted egg yolk is so finger-licki’n good! After all the meat is exhausted, sucking the egg yolk- coated shell is nirvana! I could for-get all my other orders. It’s my ultimate guilt trip.

Day UykingTo be totally honest, I

always choose restaurants that serve western cuisine, but if I had to choose one, I’d choose to eat at Grand Emer-ald because their dishes are

CULTRURE & ARTS

more authentic as my mom would put it. And their food is good.

I like ordering hot prawn salad, kailan for our veggies. If kailan not available, then I would order broccoli with beef or Chinese cabbage. I would also recommend their steamed fish, spicy pork ribs, and seafood hot-pot with sea cucumber. █

Debby Go

Jazzie Tan-CruzDebbie Tan-Hao

Day Uyking

Patrick Co

Mary Lim

Caitlyn Yao

Alyssa Lim

Kerwin Lu

Joey Lim

Tobi Ang

VOL. 8 ISSUE 226 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7-8, 201616CLASSIFIEDS EDGEDAVAO


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those mentioned earlier, oth-er famous Fire people are J. K. Rowling (the British novelist, screenwriter and film produc-er best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series), Sandra Bullock (who was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side), Paris Hilton (the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels) and Alfred Hitchcock (an English film director and producer, often nicknamed “The Master of Suspense”).

But in some instance, there are Fire people who are dramatic and eccentric due to their explosive temperament. Examples: Adolf Hitler and Kim Jong Un.

Forewarned is forearmed,

so goes a saying. In the Year of Monkey, there are more peo-ple travelling, in particular for people born in year and day of Tiger, Horse, Dog, and also people born in year or day of Pig, Rabbit, and Goat. As so many people have chance to travel, it will also trigger traffic accidents.

“In general Monkey and Tiger are land animals, hence the accidents are often involve car crashes,” Lo wrote. “How-ever, as it is year of fire which is related to airplanes, and the Monkey is also mother of wa-ter, we need to beware of air and sea traffic disaster as well in 2016.”

Lo recalled that in 1956, the last fire monkey year, was a year of air and sea disasters. On June 30, a TWA airplane and an United Airlines DC-7

airplane collided in mid-air over the Grand Canyon in Ar-izona, killing 128 passengers.

On July 25, an Italian Ocean liner sank after colliding with Swedish ship SS Stockholm in heavy fog, killing 51 people. On December 9, a Trans-Canada airline crashed into a moun-tain in British Columbia killing 62 passengers.

This year will also bring explosion and fire disasters. It must be recalled that on Au-gust 8, 1956, 262 miners died in a fire in a coal mine in Bel-gium. On May 28, 1896, anoth-er coal mine in Pennsylvania exploded killing 58 miners.

By the way, the following people were also born in the Year of Monkey, although not specifically Fire: Federico Fel-lini, Walter Matthau, Milton Berle, Harry Truman, Eleanor

R o o s e v e l t , Mick Jagger, John Milton, Paul Gauguin, Lyndon B. J o h n s o n , Joan Craw-ford, Bette Davis, Mary H e m i n g -way, Nelson Rockefeller, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Dickens, Ed-ward Kenne-dy, and An-drew Young.

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 226 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7-8, 201618 EDGEDAVAOCLASSIFIEDS

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VOL. 8 ISSUE 226 • SUNDAY-MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7-8, 2016 19SPORTSEDGEDAVAO

A LARGE San Antonio contingent in the Dal-las crowd chanted ‘’go,

Spurs, go’’ during a timeout with the Mavericks on their way to the biggest halftime deficit in franchise history.

The home team never gave its fans much of a chance to respond.

Kawhi Leonard scored 16 of his 23 points in the first half and the Spurs cruised through the second half of a 116-90 blowout of the Mavericks on Friday night.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 14 points and 10 rebounds in his first game in his home-town since signing a four-year, $80 million contract with the Spurs. San Antonio (42-8) matched its best 50-game start with its 14th win in 16 games against its Texas rival.

‘’Guys are just locked in,’’ said Aldridge, who was com-ing off consecutive games of a season high in scoring. ‘’We understand that on the road is hard, so guys are always more locked in on the road.’’

Patty Mills added 10 of his 16 points before halftime, when the Spurs led by 36 at 62-26 to top Dallas’ biggest previous deficit by a point from Dec. 29, 1992, at Sacra-mento. That 58-point loss to the Kings (139-81) was the worst in Dallas history.

‘’Against a good team like Spurs, we just got from 10, 15, 20 and it’s hard to chase a good team like that,’’ said Dal-las center Zaza Pachulia, who was ejected after a second technical in the third quarter. ‘’From the beginning you have to be aggressive and we were not aggressive today.’’

The Spurs had little trou-ble ending a rare two-game road skid - losses to Golden State and Cleveland - in the first game since Manu Gino-bili underwent surgery for a testicular injury that will sideline him at least a month. Tim Duncan missed his sixth straight game with right knee soreness.

Dirk Nowitzki was the only Dallas starter in double figures with 10 points. All the starters were on the bench by late in the third quarter with both teams traveling for the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday night.

Charlie Villanueva and rookie Justin Anderson had 13 points apiece to lead the Mavericks, who easily fell short of their previous season low for a half of 34 points in the second half at Indiana in December.

Dallas dropped to 2-10 against winning teams since beating Golden State without Stephen Curry.

THE return of old rivals Canlubang and Luisita is expected to raise the

level of competition in the 69th Philippine Airlines In-terclub golf team champion-ships set March 2 at the Mi-mosa Golf and Country Club in Clark, Angeles, Pampanga.

Defending champion Ma-nila Southwoods will have its hands full against returning champions Canlubang and Luisita which boast national players and standouts from the junior ranks.

Canlubang, the most successful club in Interclub history with 17 titles, will be led by national champions Rupert Zaragosa and Jobim Carlos while Luisita will field top junior players Gido Man-danas and Dan Cruz.

Manila Southwoods won its third championship last year in Cebu City, edging Or-

chard Golf and Country by two points.

The Carmona-based squad will miss the services of Tonlits Asistio, who turned pro, but still has national player Justin Quilban in its fold.

“It’s gonna be tougher, but we’re quite confident we can still compete,” said South-woods official Jerome Delari-arte.

Among the holdovers from last year’s squad aside from Quilban are Vince Lau-ron and Junjun Plana. They will be joined by current club champion Yuto Katsuragawa, Aira Alido, Ivan Monsalve, Ryan Monsalve, Brixton Aw and Chepe Dulay.

Aside from Zaragosa and Carlos, Canlubang is fielding Gab Manotoc, Marco Olives, Luis Castro, Carlo Villaroman, Carl Corpuz, Aldrich Chan,

Jose Campos Yulo and veter-an Abe Rosal.

Zaragosa, Carlos and Rosal were members of the team that won its last Inter-club title in 2010 before its disbandment.

Luisita, winner of eight crowns, the last coming in 1998, is fielding a young, talented crew built around Mandanas and Dan Cruz. The other members include Basti Lorenzo, Santi Lorenzo, Tom Kim, Brian Kim, Luigi Guerre-ro and Ivan Ferreras.

The lifting of the handicap system in the championship division has prompted the return of two old champions.

Not to be discounted are Orchard, Cebu Country Club and Del Monte, three other teams that have won the In-terclub in the last five years.

The 69th PAL Interclub is sponsored by People Asia,

Travelife, Mareco Broadcast-ing Network (Crossover), Ma-nila Broadcasting Corpora-tion, Airbus, Business Mirror and Philippine National Bank.

Other supporters are Philippine Daily Inquirer, In-quirer.net, Plantation Bay Re-sort and Spa, Tanduay Distill-ers, Asia Brewery, Splash Cor-poration, RFM Corporation, Goldilocks, Eastgate Publish-ing Corporation, Robinsons Land and Rolls-Royce.

Trophies in four other divisions will be disputed. The Founders class has been divided into two because of the big number of participat-ing teams. The other divisions are Sportswriters and Friend-ship.

Both courses of the Mi-mosa will be used for the four-day event that will be preceded by the seniors’ event on Feb. 25.

LaMarcus Aldridge posts a double-double in his first game in his hometown after signing with the Spurs. AP

UNDEFEATED fighters “Prince” Albert Pagara and Mark “Magnifico”

Magsayo will be returning to action in Pinoy Pride XXXV which will take place in Cebu late this month.

Pagara expects a tricky fight against Nicaragua’s Yesner Talavera, while Mag-sayo is seen to have a tough challenge against Eduardo “Fierita” Montoya of Mexico.

The Prince and Magnifico are coming off stellar perfor-mances in Carson City, Califor-nia where they recorded a pair of stoppage wins.

Pagara, the reigning WBO intercontinental junior feath-erweight king, said Talavera has an amateurish style, which is meant to score points rather than finish off opponents.

Pagara, however, refuses to underestimate the Nicara-guan, who has a professional record of 15 wins and three losses.

“Napanood ko yung la-ban niya, medyo amateur ang style pero hindi natin pinagku-kumpiyansahan,” he said in an interview with reporters in Quezon City. “May power naman siya, may pasok labas.”

Pagara said he wants to show off a dominant perfor-

mance to make a case for a world title fight.

“Pinaghahandaan ko lang para pagkatapos ng laban, kung sakaling isabak ako sa world title fight, handang han-da ako,” he said.

For his part, Magsayo also wants to give an impressive performance against Montoya, who has 13 knockout victories under his name.

Magnifico said a domi-nant win may help him clinch a bout against the US’ Chris Avalos in the undercard of Nonito Donaire Jr.’s super bantamweight title defense against Zsolt Bedak in April.

“’Pag nakuha ko yan, mas maganda ang record ko, ipang lalaban ako kay Chris Avalos sa undercard ni Donaire,” said the IBF youth featherweight champion.

Magsayo described his Mexican foe as more of a boxer rather than a brawler. He add-ed that Montoya also tends to play safe.

“Hindi naman siya talaga brawler, parang suntok takbo na naman,” he said. “[Pero] malakas din yung suntok niya, kaya kelangang iimprove ko ang power ko, speed ko at galaw ko para mabilis ko si-yang mahabol.”

WBO Intercontinental Jr. featherweight champion ‘Prince’ Albert Pagara (right) and IBF Youth featherweight titleholder Mark ‘Magnifico’ Magasayo.JUN MENDOZA

BASKETBALL superstar June Mar Fajardo tow-ers above a long list of

personalities to be cited for major awards by the Philip-pine Sportswriters Associa-tion (PSA) in its coming Annu-al Awards Night presented by San Miguel and MILO.

The 6-foot-10 Fajardo, main man of back-to-back PBA Philippine Cup champion San Miguel, will be honored for his excellence in pro bas-ketball after winning a second straight Most Valuable Player (MVP) plum last season.

It will be the second PSA major award for the pride of Pinamungahan, Cebu, who was also the honoree for the same category last year by the 67-year-old media orga-nization, the oldest ever in the country.

Rey Mark Belo and Mark Cruz of champion teams Far

Eastern University and Le-tran, respectively, are the ma-jor awardees in amateur bas-ketball. Both players emerged as Finals MVP of the UAAP and NCAA.

Eleven other athletes who made their mark in their re-spective sports are going to be honored with a major award during the Feb. 13 affair at the One Esplanade with the Phil-ippine Sports Commission (PSC) as major sponsor and with support from the Phil-ippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Sen. Chiz Escudero, SM Prime Holdings, MVP Sports Foundation, Smart, Maynilad, National University, One Es-planade, Rain or Shine, Global-port, Philippine Basketball Association, and the Philip-pine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

The major awards list in-clude Southeast Asian Games

sprint double gold medalists Eric Shauwn Cray, pool teen sensation Chezka Centeno, cycling champion Santy Bar-nachea, Cyna Rodriguez and Princess Mary Superal, repre-senting pro and amateur golf, and rider Raniel Resuello.

Not to be missed out are wushu world championship gold medal winners Divine Wally and Arnel Mandal, jock-ey Jonathan Hernandez, and the tennis pair of Katharina Lehnert and Alberto ‘AJ’ Lim.

On top of the honor roll list are the duo of world boxing champions Nonito Donaire Jr. and Donnie Nietes, along with Asian Tour winner Miguel Tabuena, all of whom will be feted with the prestigious Ath-lete of the Year honor during the formal rite to be hosted by Quinito Henson and Patricia Bermudez-Hizon.

Coach Tab Baldwin and

his Gilas Pilipinas team which clinched a surprise runner-up finish in last year’s FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship in Changsha, China is the PSA’s choice as President’s award, the Wushu Federation of the Philippines gets the nod as the National Sports Association (NSA) of the Year, and sports great Filomeno ‘Boy’ Codinera will be feted with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Talented and highly-pop-ular Alyssa Valdez is again named as Ms. Volleyball, while cage stars Terrence Romeo and Calvin Abueva will share the award for Mr. Basketball.

An award for the Execu-tive of the Year will likewise be handed out.

The gold medalists in both the Southeast Asian Games and the Para Games lead those to be handed out with citations.

Spurs rout Mavs

Canlubang-Luisita rivalry returns at PAL Interclub

‘Prince’ Pagara, Magsayo headline Pinoy Pride 35

Fajardo leads major awardees to be honored in PSA annual rites


Donaire reaches dealwith Hungarian foe

20 EDGEDAVAOSports

THE stage is set for Noni-to Donaire’s title defense against Zsolt Bedak.

The contract has been fi-nally signed for the WBO su-per bantamweight title fight.

Carl Moretti of Donaire’s promoter Top Rank told ESPN.com that the fight is scheduled to take place on April 23 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

“It’s a great opportunity

for Nonito to defend his world championship in his home-land against a world-ranked and extremely capable oppo-nent,” Moretti said.

Donaire reclaimed the WBO strap by hacking out a decision victory against Mex-ican toughie Cesar Juarez last December.

The “Filipino Flash,” a four-division world cham-pion, first won the crown

when he outpointed Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in 2012.

He later vacated the title to campaign in the feather-weight class, where he won the WBA featherweight belt. But after losing via sixth-round knockout to Nicholas Walters in 2014, Donaire re-turned to the super bantam-weight class.

He has since won three straight bouts.

Nonito Donaire

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Edge Davao 8 Issue 226