P 15.00 20 PAGESwww.edgedavao.netVOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016

EDGE Serving a seamless societyDAVAO

EDGEDAVAOSportsCitys donation to farmers stalled as DA insists there is no rice shortage By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

DUTERTE: LET DA SOLVE ITWITH the Departent of Agriculture insisting that there is enough food and rice in El Nino-hit ar-eas of North Cotabato, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte said he might forego the do-nation of 15,000 sacks of rice worth P31.5 million which the City Council approved last Tuesday.The City Council had giv-en me authority to donate rice, but (Department of Agricul-ture (DA) Secretary Proceso)

Alcala said there is no short-age (of rice). So it behooves upon the government to give them the rice, Duterte said in an interview on Wednesday night at SMX Convention Cen-ter. Duterte quoted Alcala in some reports saying that while many farmers have been affected by the long dry spell due to El Nio, there have been bumper harvests of rice and corn in Kidapawan City, Car-men and other areas in North

Cotabato, and in Regions 11 and 12.The mayor also quoted the DA secretary saying that the farmers protest was political-ly motivated and mounted by local politicians in Mindanao identified with the group of former North Cotabato Gov-ernor Emmanuel Piol who is supporting his presidential bid.Sabi ni Alcala na mayroon pala, e di sila na lang. Si Alcala na lang ang magbigay (Alcala

said there is enough rice, so let them do it. Let Alcala give rice to the farmers), he said.Duterte said he will just reserve the money for some future emergency use since theres no telling how long the drought would be (because of) El Nio.Earlier, Duterte vowed on Friday that he will give food assistance to the victims of drought after the bloody dis-persal of protesting farmers in F DUTERTE, 10

Kobe loses in penultimate home game P15

PROBE. Vice presidential candidate and Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, together with

Senator Koko Pimentel, asks some of the drought-affected farmers details of the Kidapawan City

protest and road blockage incident during yesterdays Senate Inquiry held at the University of Southeastern

Philippines (USeP) in Bo. Obrero, Davao City. The incident has resulted in bloody confrontation between the farmers and the police force injuring hundreds and

claiming two lives. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016

PDP-LABAN vice presi-dential bet Senator Alan Peter Cayetano blamed the national government over the violent dispersal in Kidap-awan City, North Cotabato last week.In an interview yesterday after the Senate hearing con-ducted by the committee on human rights at University of Southeastern Philippines, Cayetano said the province of North Cotabato was left behind by the national gov-ernment.Napakagulo ng sitwasyon at maraming nangyari pero on thing is clear, North Cota-bato was left behind by the national government (The sit-

uation is chaotic a lot of things happened but one thing is clear, North Cotabato was left behind by the national gov-ernment), he said.He said there were al-ready reports from January to February submitted to the national agencies that the damage caused by drought is already widespead.The damage two months ago was just P200 million then the North Cotabatos money was only P100 mil-lion. Now, the damage cost already reached P1 billion, the national government has not yet declared the areas of province under state of ca-lamity, he said.

Cayetano said that this kind of situation is similar to case of Tacloban which was hit by typhoon Yolanda in 2013 and other untoward events where the government somehow did not learn from the past.Maging sa Yolanda, maging dito, bahala na ang local, bahala na kayo sa sit-wasyon niyo (Whether in Yolanda or in North Cotabato, the burden is still passed on the local government and the people will still suffer the bur-den), he said.He said the national gov-ernment did not even try to think that the resources and authority of the local govern-

ment units (LGU) are only limited.We are not a Federal State, the local government has no enough resources and authority to deal with this problem, he said. Natutulog ang nation-al government (The national government is sleeping), he added.Cayetano criticized some concerned cabinet secretar-ies and government officials who did not show up in yes-terdays hearing.Cayetano was referring to the secretaries of Depart-ment of Budget Management (DBM), Department of Social

2 EDGEDAVAONEWS

AN association of pub-lic school teachers in Cagayan de Oro City on Wednesday filed a formal com-plaint on the non-inclusion of its members in the Local School Board (LSB) here.

City Councilor Adrian Bar-ba, chair of the city council committee on education, said that the committee has for-warded the complaint to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Education (DepEd) for action.He said that the Cagayan De Oro Public School Teachers and Employees Association Inc. (COPSTEA), an SEC-reg-istered teachers association, has sought the assistance of the City Council to intercede

on the issue of representation with the LSB.In a resolution submitted to the City Council, the COP-STEA complained that the members of the association are registered and regular em-ployees of public schools in the city.

Barba said that the resolu-tion contended that as a duly recognized chapter of the Phil-ippine Public School Teachers Association, the COPSTEA is entitled to the membership in the LSB.The COPSTEA com-plained that the City Mayor Oscar Moreno and the City Schools Division Superinten-dent refused to recognize the COPSTEA, instead, appointed

Non-inclusion of public school teachers in LSB questioned

FOCUSED military operations (FMO) will continue despite threats of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) to kill the four captives from their Island Garden of Samal City raid in September 2015.Armed Forces of the Philip-pines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Hernando DCA Iriberri made this statement during a chance interview at PNP headquar-ters, Camp Crame, Quezon City.We are looking at this very seriously and we (will) continue to conduct our FMO to address the situation and hopefully resolve the matter, he said.The ASG deadline for ran-som payment for three of the foreign captives is set to lapse on Friday, exactly a month after the bandits, in video clip posted in the Internet, threatened to kill the hostages if their ransom demands are not met.These hostages are Cana-dians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, Norwegian Khartan Sek-kingstad, and Filipina Marites Flor.The ASG bandits are re-portedly seeking a PHP1 billion ransom from the governments of their foreign hostages.Iriberri declined to give details on the ongoing FMO as this could endanger the lives of the victims.We cannot go into details because it might even further endanger the victims, so (it) suffice to say that operations are ongoing with the intention of resolving the problem, he added. (PNA)

FMO to continue despite ASG threat to kill Samal hostages

THE Department of the Interior and Local Gov-ernment (DILG) has vowed that there will be no stones unturned in its investi-gations into the confrontation between farmers and police-men in Kidapawan City last week.DILG Undersecretary for Public Safety Peter Irving Corvera said the DILG parallel probes will ferret out the truth and get into the bottom of the confrontations cause.With respect to the in-vestigation, nobody will be spared in terms of identifying (the perpetrators). But as to

sanctioning them, we can only sanction those that are directly under our supervision, Corve-ra said during the media forum held at Kapihan sa Manila Bay.For individuals who are not under jurisdiction of the DILG which are found to have violated the human rights of the Kidapawan farmers, he said they would be referred to the proper venues.Earlier, DILG Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento created two fact-finding panels to assess the circumstances behind the Kidapawan confrontation last April 1.

The first panel is focused

on the operational aspect of the dispersal and is headed by National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Job M. Mangente. The second panel is focused on the local government units (LGUs) and is headed by Director Manuel Q. Gotis of the DILGs Bureau of Local Government Supervision (BLGS).

The Napolcoms fact-find-ing panel is focused on the ac-tions made by Philippine Na-tional Police (PNP) personnel and their commanders who were on the ground when the incident happened, while the LGU panel is looking into mea-

sures taken by the concerned LGUs in addressing the El Nino problem in their area of re-sponsibility.Corvera said Sec. Sarmien-to is keen on digging out the truth especially since there are members of the PNP who were injured and are still uncon-scious because of the incident.Our problem is a lot of speculations and annotations came out on social media be-fore we can even start our for-mal investigation on the mat-ter. This has stirred confusion among people regarding what really happened on that day,

DILG vows transparent, thorough probe on Kidapawan dispersal

Cayetano blames natl govt for bloody Kidapawan dispersal

RESOURCE PERSONS. Gov. Emmylou Talio-Mendoza of North Cotabato (center), National Food Authority (NFA) deputy administrator Ludovico Jarina (left) and lawyer Christopher Cabelenn, representative of Mayor Joseph

Evangelista, take their oath as resource persons before the start of yesterdays Senate Inquiry held at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) in Bo. Obrero, Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

F DILG, 10F NON-INCLUSION, 10

F CAYETANO, 10

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

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 3EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016THE Davao City Water District (DCWD) has ad-vised the public to con-serve and store water as their production wells facilities are affected by the rotational pow-er interruption of the Davao Light and Power Company.In a text message, DCWD spokesperson Bernardo De-limo said areas, such as Baja-da, Buhangin, Obrero, Agdao, Madapo, including the back of Davao Doctors Hospital to-wards circumferential road up to madapo, lanang, pampan-ga, and sasa will have longer recovery time as pressure build-up is harder because of successive rotational brown-outs. Other areas will experi-ence 2 hours or less recovery time, he said.Delima said water ra-tioning has now implemented

in Lanang, Pampanga and Sasa since these are the hardly-hit areas when it comes to recov-ery time lasting a day.The DLPC has implement-ed the rotating power inter-ruptions within its franchise for the past four week.In a statement, DLPCs communication officer Rosan-no Luga said the rotating out-age is due to the further reduc-tion of the power supply from major hydropower plants in Mindanao caused by the wors-ening effect of the El Nino Phe-nomenon as advised by the National Grid Corporation of Philippines (NGCP).Starting yesterday, April 6, the duration of the rotating outages in Davao Light has in-creased from a maximum of two hours to four hours, he said.

4 NEWS

THE Office of the Ombuds-man (Ombudsman) on Wednesday charged for-mer Bukidnon Rep. Candido Pancrudo, Jr. and five others with two counts of violations of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, one count each of malversa-tion and malversation through falsification, for illegally using the Php 8-million Priority De-velopment Assistance Fund (PDAF) allotted for Pancrudos congressional district in 2008.Facing trial with Pancrudo before the Sandiganbayan are National Agribusiness Corpo-ration officials Alan Javella-na, Rhodora Mendoza, Maria Ninez Guaizo and Victor Ro-man Cacal, and Mark Espinosa, corporate secretary of Uswag Pilipinas Foundation, Inc. (UPFI), the non-government organization (NGO) which Pancrudo personally chose as a conduit of the ghost proj-ects funded by his PDAF.In a 14-page order re-leased on Wednesday, the Om-budsman denied the motions for reconsideration (MRs) filed

by the respondents for lack of merit.The indictments against them, as written in the Reso-lution, STAND, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said on Wednesday.In the 47-page resolution issued by the Ombudsman in 2015, several irregularities were found to have attended the disbursement of Pancru-dos PDAF, among them in-cluded the choice of UPFI as conduit without the benefit of a public bidding and without basis in law or ordinance; fail-ure to verify UPFIs existence or capacity to deliver;UPFI was chosen as con-duit for the funds despite its ineligibility in violation of COA Circular No. 2007-001; respondents facilitated the ap-proval of vouchers and the re-lease of Php 1,193,100 despite inconsistencies in the support-ing documents; and respon-dents facilitated the approval of vouchers and the release of Php 6,760,900 with the use of falsified reports, receipts, in-voices and other documents. (PNA)THE Philippine Nation-al Police (PNP) on Wednesday has strongly condemned the abduction of

three police officers by New Peoples Army (NPA) brigands in the province of Bukidnon last April 3.In a statement, PNP Spokesperson Chief Supt. Wil-ben Mayor tagged the NPAs kidnapping of SPO4 Rene Rombo, SPO1 Warren Hansol Coales and PO3 Edwin Panis Castor at Sayre Highway as an unlawful act.We ask the New Peo-ples Army for the immediate release of our fellow police officers as they are also, like ordinary people have their own family to look into, May-or said in a statement.

Just like all citizens, these policemen deserve the guar-anteed right to life and liberty. These police officers are but citizens who are working for the improvement of the stan-dard of living of the people in Region 10, he added.Mayor also said that all personnel are reminded to observe personal security measures to prevent becom-ing victims of similar atroci-ties.As efforts are being exert-ed to ensure the safe release of these kidnapped policemen, our primary concern is the safety of the community. We assure the kin of these police-men that the PNP will exhaust all possible means to bring

QUESTIONABLE LICENSE. A foreigner argues with police officers after he presented a questionable license at a Commission on Elections (Comelec) checkpoint along Quimpo Boulevard on Wednesday night. Lean Daval Jr.

EMOTIONAL. Arlyn Oti Amar, who is one of the farmers involved in the Kidapawan City rally, cant contain her emotion while sharing her experience during yesterdays Senate Inquiry held at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) in Bo. Obrero, Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

Rody to Mar: Try holdingshabu, Ill shoot youPRESIDENTIAL bet Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Dute-rte refuted the statement of Mar Roxas that he was mak-ing false promises when he said he can eradicate crime in three to six months.Takot kang pumatay? Ta-kot kang mamatay? Subukan mo ako. Maghawak ka ng sha-bu sa harap ko, pasasabugin ko yang ulo mo (Are you afraid to kill? Are you afraid to die? Try me. Try holding shabu [meth-amphetamine hydrochloride], I will shoot you in the head), Duterte told reporters in an interview at SMX Convention Center in SM Lanang Premiere on Wednesday night.Roxas had told reporters in Oriental Mindoro on Wednes-day that Dutertes promise to rid the country of crime in three to six months was pam-bobola (making false promis-es).

Itong 3-6 months na ito, pambobola ito eh. Lahat ng eksperto na nakakaalam sa krimen, nagsasabing imposible ito (This three to six months it is just a false promise. All experts in criminal justice are saying it is impossible), Roxas had said.Duterte said it is possi-ble to eradicate criminality in a short period of time if one commits to it.E kung patayin ko yan lahat sa isang araw, anong pa-kialam mo? Ginawa ko na yan noon e di gagawin ko uli (What if I kill them all in one day, what is it to you? I did it before, I can do it again), he said.Asked about Roxas asser-tion that Davao City has the fourth highest crime rate in the country, Duterte said his rival has his facts wrong.Wala kang alam. (You know nothing) You dont know

about the local government, about the laws, he said.In his speech at the Nation-al Convention of Civil Registry Personnel and Partners in Civ-il, Duterte told members of the Philippine Association of Civil Registrars that if he becomes President, the first thing he will do is order the police and the military to hunt down crime lords.If they offer resistance, kill them, he said.Addressing criticism that his administration would be bloody if he becomes Presi-dent, Duterte said it was true.Pag durugista ka, kidnap-per ka, talaga papatayin kita (expletive deleted). Akala nila nagbibiro ako. Bakit ako mag-bibiro (If you are a drug pusher or a kidnapper, I will really kill you. They think Im joking. But why would I joke about that)? he said.

Pagka kriminal ka, magrape ka ng bata (If you are a criminal, if you rape a child), I will hunt you like a dog and i will kill you.) Bakit kita bubu-hayin (Why would I let you live)? he added.In earlier interviews, Dute-rte said the crime volume in the city is high because the police statistics include mi-nor violations like smoking in public. He had also said more crimes get reported in Davao City because it is easy to do so through the 911 Emergency Response Center which can be contacted even by mobile phone.Duterte also pointed out that as mayor, he does not have direct control of the police and that it was in fact Roxas who was on top of the Philippine National Police (PNP) when he was Secretary of the De-

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

PNP condemns NPA abductionof 3 police officers in Bukidnon

Ombudsman raps ex-Bukidnonsolon, 5 others for PDAF scam

EDGEDAVAO

F RODY, 10

F DCWD, 10

DCWD warns public of water shortage due to power outages

F PNP, 10

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 5EDGEDAVAOECONOMY

crc@edgedavao.netBy CHENEEN R. CAPON

THE International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has cited the Phil-ippines potential to emerge at the forefront of the third green revolution through improved information and satellite tech-nology.Ensuring food security still remains to be an agri-cultural challenge in the 21st century with several factors jeopardizing efforts to signifi-cantly increase crop produc-tivity. Among these include extreme weather events fur-ther compounded by climate change, thereby resulting in the rise of crop losses.The problems of food security, of course, are not limited to the Philippines. The problems of food security are shared all across the globe, said Dr. Bruce Tolentino, IRRI deputy director general for communication and partner-ships.Rice is a vital crop for global food security as it is the staple food for the worlds poor. Tolentino noted 90 per-cent (or about 140 million hectares) of the worlds rice is produced and consumed in Asia.However, the rice crop is frequently exposed to the damaging effects of tropical storms, drought, and flooding. Delivering timely and accu-rate information on rice (i.e. crop area, crop growth, and losses due to calamities) is

therefore essential for most Asian nations.It was believed that the first green revolution came in the 1960s up to 1970s when farmers used plant breeding to increase the yield of rice and corn. The second revolution, on the other hand, remained in progress, where knowledge on plant and animal genetics as well as the pulling of better genes to boost rice traits are being applied by farmers.Tolentino said that the Philippines is propelling a kind of green revolution-- the third green revolution that provides timely seasonal data on rice area and yield, as well as assessment of crop health and damage in the event of a typhoon, flood, or drought. In fact, it is the only country in Southeast Asia to have such an operational system.Tolentino highlighted a major breakthrough pio-neered by the Philippines, which mainly relies on syn-thetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery for rice crop moni-toring.Through a collaborative project involving the Depart-ment of Agriculture (DA), the Philippine Rice Research Insti-tute (PhilRice) and the IRRI, an infrastructure called the Phil-ippine Rice Information Sys-tem (PRISM) aims to develop a monitoring and information system for rice production in the Philippines. (PNA)

PHL to lead thirdgreen revolution

FOLLOWING the Mt. Apo fires, the Bureau of Fire (BFP) 11 said having an air asset to put off forest fire is still a dream despite the bu-reaus modernization program.Weve done our best in making requests to the na-tional office on the assets we need here. However, having air assets like helicopters is still a dream for us , Davao City dis-trict fire marshal Supt. Carlos T. Dueas told reporters at the sidelines of the yesterdays I-Speak Media Forum.

Dueas said the BFP re-gional office doesnt have the air assets which supposedly can attend to the more than two-weeklong forest fire in Mt. Apo. The bureau has to ask assistance from the Air Force of the Philippines whose heli-copters are designed for rescue operations, and not for stop-ping blaze.

For a fire district with only P100,000 budget quarterly for the maintenance and opera-tions of the fire trucks alone, Dueas admitted that the bu-reau has a long way before it can provide all assets neces-sary for all fire operations.In Davao City alone, he said, the number of fire stations here is not proportionate to the area of the city which covers

2,444 square kilometers.With a total of 182 baran-gays and more than 1.5 million populations, he said, the city has only 11 public fire stations. This does not include volun-teer fire stations.For a city as big as Davao, it should have a total of 37 pub-lic fire stations, he added.Aside from lack of enough fire stations, Dueas also said the city has only 15 fire truck, of which only five are new.Others are already de-cades-old.Dueas said procurement of fire trucks is still the bu-reaus top priority. Recently, the municipalities with no fire equipment from all over the country received fire trucks from the bureau.Meanwhile, Dueas said the fire district here recorded a total of 211 fire incidents in Davao City for the first quar-ter of the year. This was higher than the 130 fire incidents on the same period of last year.

Majority or 117 fire inci-dents in Davao City were grass-fires, while the rest were res-idential, he said. Total cost of damages reached P25 million.

The recent triple fire raz-es in barangay 76-A was the largest so far with P7.5 million worth of damages, he said.

BFP 11: Air asset still a dream

INSUFFICIENT POWER. Davao City residents are once again experiencing a four-hour rotational brownout as the 150-megawatt unit of the coal-fired power plant of Therma South, Inc. automatically shut down as a

precautionary measure after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines Toril 138 kilovolt (kV) transmission line 1 tripped on Wednesday afternoon. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 20166

crc@edgedavao.netBy CHENEEN R. CAPON

EDGEDAVAOTHE ECONOMY

WITH the second edi-tion of Madrid Fu-sion Manila set to return to the Philippines this week, the tourism chief has expressed pride in once again being host the biggest gastro-nomical event in the world.Madrid Fusion became the entry point to strength-en the position of the Philip-pines as a center of modern gastronomy in Asia, Depart-ment of Tourism (DOT) Sec-retary Ramon Jimenez said.After allowing the world to discover the Filipino food, this years edition will be highlighting how the Philip-pines has influenced world cuisine through the Ma-nila-Acapulco Galleon Trade, he added.The second edition of Madrid Fusin Manila, which will take place from Thursday to Saturday at the SMX Con-vention Center, Pasay City, will highlight the interaction between the east and west in celebration of the 450th anni-versary of the Galleon Trade that linked Asia to the West-ern World.This years theme The Manila Galleon: East meets West will focus on the influ-ences made by two diverse parts of the world, particu-larly in the global gourmet scene.The aftermath of the Gal-leon Trade made strides in the worldwide culinary map because of the trade of spic-es, sweet corn kernels, flame colored chilies, earthy bitter cacao, scarlet atsuete seeds, creamy green flesh of avoca-do, among others.Jimenez, however, em-phasized that the success of Madrid Fusion Manila is attributed to all the pas-sionate Filipino and foreign chefs who have shared their culinary talents, stories, and techniques.

Philippine cuisine will share the spotlight with the different cuisines of the world, as foreign celebrity chefs bring the influences of their culture to the table this year at Madrid Fusion Ma-nila, the DOT chief said.Good food has always played a big part in the fun element of our culture and a vital component of Filipino hospitality, he added.Madrid Fusion Manila is composed of three landmark activities including the Inter-national Gastronomy Con-gress, where Michelin-star chefs from across the globe will share talks about pro-gressive gastronomy and their practices.It will also feature a Trade Exhibition, which will showcase the finest food and ingredients from Europe and Asia and Flavors of the Philip-pines, which is a month-long festival featuring a diverse array of exciting food-relat-ed activities from food trips, special restaurant menus, gourmet markets, street food festivals, to special dinners with celebrity chefs, hotel food festivals, fiestas and food exhibits.This year the department expects around 1,500 local and foreign delegates joining the Gastronomy Congress, which is slighter higher than the 1,100 delegates who at-tended the same congress last year.Delegates will be coming from 13 countries namely Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Sin-gapore, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, United State of America, Canada, Mexico and Nigeria.Meanwhile, there will be 217 booths this year com-pared to the 171 booths last year in the Madrid Fusion Ma-nila Trade Exhibition. (PNA)

TOP editors in the region on Wednesday commit-ted to become active partners in fully promoting awareness and opportunities in the ongoing integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).A resolution was inked at the end of the two-day ASEAN Editors Summit on Wednes-day afternoon at the Royale Chalan Hotel here attended by more than 100 editors and top executives from various news agencies and other media out-lets in the region.Under the resolution, ed-itors committed to enhance media cooperation to help achieve ASEANs visions, goals and aspirations and report on programs and activities of member states under the po-

litical-security, economic and socio-cultural pillars of an ASE-AN community.We do hereby agree to leverage upon the print, elec-tronic and new media to reach out further and provide a deeper understanding of ASE-AN to the peoples of the region, promote a sense of belonging to the ASEAN identity, support the building of an ASEAN com-

munity and facilitate ASEAN integration, the resolution read.The dditors agreed to con-sistently adhere to the highest standards of professionalism and responsible journalism in covering ASEAN events to pro-mote harmony and solidarity in the region.They also agreed to estab-

DAVAO Citys Business Bu-reau is yet to dispose the 4,000 confiscated butane canisters refilled with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) due to lack of a corresponding ordi-nance.

The confiscated canisters are temporarily stored at the citys sanitary landfill, bureau chief lawyer Lawrence Bantid-ing said during the I-Speak me-dia forum yesterday.

The canisters were confis-cated last year from vendors who were mostly operating in different public markets in the city. Were still waiting for the approval of the ordinance which will cover the proper dis-posal of these refilled canisters as well as other hazardous and flammable chemicals, Bantid-ing said. It is already in the

office of the City Legal for legal opinion.The proposed measure has not been sponsored by any city councilor in the council.Bantiding said the execu-tive order inked by Mayor Ro-drigo Duterte in May of 2014 did not include mechanisms on

disposing confiscated refilled canisters.The EO 23 only focused on the creation of a multi-agency task force that will regulate and ensure safe practices of persons and entities handling and engage in business involv-ing flammable abnd dangerous chemicals and other hazardous and toxic substances. Under the order, the local government unit of Davao City has the power to confiscate re-filled canisters as well as revoke permits of businesses engaged

in the illegal refilling. There is still no licensed butane refilling station in the Philippines, he added.

Late first district Leonardo R. Avila III had earlier proposed an ordinance that will prohibit the transportation and selling of illegally-refilled butane can-ister with LPG.The task force has already confiscated a total of 3,000 can-isters, which were still undis-posed because of the lack of a final disposal facility.There is no existing law that regulates the refilling, transportation as well as sell-ing of this refilled canister. Only the product standard of the De-partment 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 Philippines.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.Meanwhile, DOE- Mind-anao Field Office reiterated the danger of using illegally refilled canisters.

The problem is that refilled butane canisters are cheaper compared to 14 to 15 kilogram of LPG tanks which only costs P630, DOE science research specialist Nilo Geroche said.Each canister costs P25 and can last three to five days, Geroche said. However, he said the public will be able to save from using LPG rather than re-filled butane canisters. Do not compromise your safety, he said yesterday.

No ordinance, no disposalfor seizes LPG cannisters THE Aboitiz-owned Davao Light and Power Company (DLPC) said the duration of rotating pow-er outages in its franchise area will still be at a maxi-mum of four hours a day.This after the Unit 1 of the 300 megawatt coal-

fired power plant of Therma South, Inc. failed to go online since yesterday.Efforts at restarting TSI Unit 1 have been so far un-successful. Today, April 7, we will investigate further to determine the acuse of the inability to get the unit run-ning, Wilfredo Rodolfo III, branding and communica-tions manager for Mindanao of the Aboitiz Power, said.Rodolfo said TSI Unit 1 which has an installed ca-pacity of 150 MW shut down Wednesday afternoon, after the 138 kilovolts (kV) trans-mission line 1 of the Nation-al Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in Toril, Davao City tripped.

Milfrance Q. Capulong, NGCP corporate communi-cation officer for Mindanao, said the line was damaged by a fallen tree last Wednes-day but was also repaired at around 4 p.m. on the same day.While the Unit 1 of the coal-fired power plant re-mained unsynchronized to the Mindanao grid, Rodolfo said the Unit 2 of TSI is gen-erating 130MW net.As of yesterday, the Agus-Pulangi Hydro Com-plex generated only 135MW out of its 982MW total in-stalled capacity. The derated capacity of major hydroelec-tric power plants in Mindan-ao is due to the worsening El Nio.

The 210MW coal-fired power plant of Steag in Mis-amis is also on its full opera-tion as well as the 200 mw two diesel-fired power barg-es of Therma Marine, Inc. in Maco, Compostela Valley. CHENEEN R. CAPON

TSI bogs down anew, DLPC says 4-hr power outages to continue

THE Bureau of Inter-nal Revenue (BIR) on Thursday filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) a PHP20.5-million tax evasion case against a suppli-er of Globe Asiatique.In a press conference, BIR Deputy Commissioner Estela V. Sales said that they charged G.A. Concrete Mix, Inc. (GAC-

MI), its president Delfin S. Lee

and treasurer Dexter L. Lee for willful attempt to evade or de-feat tax and deliberate failure to supply correct and accurate information in their corporate income tax returns (ITRs) for taxable years 2009 to 2010 in violation of Sections 254 and 255 of the Tax Code.GACMI is a domestic cor-poration with its address lo-cated at Xevera, Barangay Cal-

ibutbut, Bacolor, Pampanga.It is engaged in the busi-ness of manufacturing, im-porting, exporting, buying, selling or otherwise dealing, at wholesale or retail, such goods as ready mix prod-ucts, any and all equipment, materials, supplies used or employed in or related to the manufacture of such finished products.

A certification from the BIRs Information Systems Development and Opera-tions Service (ISDOS) said that Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corporation (GAR-HC) made income payments to GACMI amounting to PHP34.06 million in 2009 and PHP15.31 million in 2010.Despite receiving said in-

BIR files P20-M tax evasion raps vs Globe Asiatique supplier

Good food plays big part in makingPHL a fun destination -- DOT chief

ASEAN editors to promote regional integrationRESPITE. An elderly vendor selling ballpens, cotton buds, combs and other items takes a much needed rest in front of Sangguniang Panlungsod after braving the searing heat of the sun while peddling his goods. Lean Daval Jr.

F ASEAN, 10

F BIR, 10

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 7EDGEDAVAOENVIRONMENT

Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIO

(Second of Two Parts) ONCE it is gone, it is gone forever. Along with it is the disappearance of one of the countrys natural treasures and the sad reality of the state of our environment.When the last eagle dies, it shall be the sign of the worst yet to come: The death of our environment, deplored Den-nis Salvador, the executive di-rector of the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), Inc.The PEF is a private,

non-profit, non-stock organi-zation dedicated to saving the majestic Philippine Eagle. It is the acknowledged leader in raptor and wildlife manage-ment in the country today.By using the Philippine eagle as the focal point of conservation, we are, in the process, saving wildlife and their habitat, Salvador said, adding that PEF is committed to promote the survival of the endangered bird, the biodi-versity it represents, and the sustainable use of forest re-sources for future generations to enjoy.In 1992, PEF made histo-ry when it was able to hatch

Pag-asa, making it the first tropical eagle born in captivi-ty. Pag-asa connotes hope for the continued survival of the Philippine eagle, hope that if people get their act together, it shall not be doomed to die, Salvador pointed out.In the past, Philippine ea-gles abound in the forests of Mount Apo and other parts of Mindanao. They can also be seen flying over in the forests of Sierra Madre in Luzon and Samar and Leyte in the Visayas.Today, Philippine ea-gles inhabit those places but their number has dwindled.

In fact, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has de-clared the Philippine eagle as an endangered species.Less than 400 pairs of Phil-ippine eagles can be found in the country and about half of them are living in the forests of Mindanao. The Philippine Ea-gle Center in Davao City houses more than a dozen pairs.The Philippine eagle is the largest predator we have, Salvador points out. By using the Philippine eagle as the fo-cal point of conservation, we are, in the process, saving wild-life and their habitat.The Philippine eagle is second only to the Madagascar sea eagle in rarity. In size, it beats the American bald eagle; it is the worlds second largest -- after the Harpy eagle of Cen-tral and South America.

This bird of prey was first discovered in 1896 by English naturalist John Whitehead in Samar. He first called it the monkey-eating eagle because he thought it fed primarily on monkeys and gave it the scien-tific name, Pithecophaga jeffe-ryi. The scientific name came from two Greek words: pite-kos (monkey) and phagien (to eat). Jefferyi was the dis-coverers tribute to his father, Jeffrey, who funded his expe-dition.In 1978, the old name was dropped and given its present name through Presidential Decree No. 1732 after it was learned that monkeys com-prise an insignificant portion of the birds diet, which con-sists mostly of flying lemurs, civet cats, bats, rodents, and snakes.As stated earlier, Philip-pine eagle is a majestic bird as it stands a meter high, weighs

Saving Davaos endangeredspecies: Philippine eagle

comes from denudation of the countrys forest cover. Citing data from the Department of Environment and Natural Re-sources, Salvador was quoted by a national paper as saying that 90% of the forest cover in the country had been denuded due to human activities. In each territory, the ea-gles are faithful to their nests and they like to live in large and old growth trees, Salvador said. Unfortunately, based on deforestation data since the early 1900s, when nearly ev-erything was green, now we are left with few old growth forests.Studies have shown that a pair of Philippine eagle needs at least 7,000 to 13,000 hect-ares of forest as a nesting ter-ritory. If Filipinos dont get their act together for the cause of the endangered bird, it shall be doomed to die, Salvador says.Efforts to save the Philip-pine eagles started in 1965 by Jesus A. Alvarez, then director of the autonomous Parks and Wildlife Office, and Dioscoro S. Rabor, another founding father of Philippine Conservation ef-forts.American aviator Charles Lindberg, who described Phil-

ippine eagle as the worlds no-blest flier, spearheaded a drive to save the bird from 1969 to 1972. Within this time frame, several helpful laws were passed.In July 1995, then Pres-ident Fidel V. Ramos signed Proclamation No. 615 nam-ing the Philippine eagle as the countrys national bird (dislodging maya). He said that the eagle is found only in the Philippines and as such should be a source of national pride.If the national bird dies, Ramos said, so will all the countrys efforts at conserving its natural resources and trea-sures.In 1987, the PEF and the Forest Management Bureau published a pamphlet on Phil-

ippine eagle. One of those that caught ones attention is the words of the bird as if it was talking directly to human be-ings. It goes this way: I have watched forests disappear, rivers dry up, floods ravage the soil, droughts spawn uncontrolled fires, hun-dreds of my forest friends van-ish forever and men leave the land because it was no longer productive. I am witness to the earth becoming arid. I know all life will eventually suffer and die if this onslaught con-tinues. I am a storyteller, and I want you to listen.The statement of Dr. Ra-bor is still apt and timely. We should do our best to save this wonderful creature because when it is gone, it is gone from the list of animals in the world.

anywhere from four to seven kilograms and has a grip three times the strength of the stron-gest man on earth, according to PEF.With a wing span of near-ly seven feet and a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour, the Philippine eagle can grace-fully swoop down on an unsus-pecting prey and carry it off without breaking flight.Unlike men, Philippine ea-gles are monogamous. Once it has selected a partner, it is for keeps forever. Once an ea-gle reaches sexual maturity -- at around five years for males -- it is bound for life with its mate. They can be seen soar-ing in pairs in the skies, PEF states.According to PEF, the breeding season ranges as ear-ly as July to as late as February. During the breeding season, the eagles do aerial courtship and mate in the nest or near it. The eagles nest is ap-proximately 80 feet above the ground (usually on tall trees) in prominent mountain peaks overlooking a river or stream to give a good view of its ter-ritory.The female eagle lays only one egg every two years, PEF informs. Both parents alter-nately incubate the egg for about 60 days, although the female spends more time in-cubating while the male hunts.Upon hatching, the eaglet remains in the nest for about 5.5 months. Once it fledges, the parents will continue to look after the young eagle for as long as 17-18 months teaching it how to fly, hunt, and to survive on its own. The young eagle matures in about six years.Our data suggests more than 90% of juvenile ea-gles die before they reach maturity, discloses Salvador. A large part of this is caused by humans. Eagles were shot, trapped, and hunted.

But the biggest threat

By using thePhilippine eagleas the focal point of conservation, we are, in the process, saving wildlife and their habitat.

I have watched forests disappear, rivers dry up, floods ravage the soil, droughts spawn uncontrolled fires,

hundreds of my forest friends vanish forever and men leave the land because

it was no longer productive. I am witness to the earth becoming arid. I know all life will eventually suffer and die if this onslaught continues. I am a storyteller, and I want you to listen.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 20168 EDGEDAVAOVANTAGE

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

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EDITORIALInsulting the electorateNO doubt, Sen. Grace Poes biggest chance at the presidency hing-es on how she will capitalize on her adoptive parents celebrity status.That is her strongest anchor. Maybe even her only anchor.

To be frank about candidate Poe, there is nothing significant nor earth-shaking to talk about Grace Poe as far as her very short career as a public servant is concerned. To set things straight, if she had no parents as popular as the late Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces, Ms. Poe will not be in the Senate. But thats Philippine politics. We dig deep into emotions and treat our politics like a teleserye. Ms Poe made it to the Senate as she was catapulted by the legions of FPJ supporters in the 2013 Senatorial polls. Now, all of a sudden, she emerges as a presidential candidate and brandishes the slogans of her late father, a number of which uttered in movies, as her launching pad for the presidency.Her citizenship and residency issues notwithstanding isnt it insult-ing to the Filipino electorate to be wooed by someone who positions herself as the messiah who will avenge the injustice committed to her father when the latter ran and lost the presidency?

There she goes telling us that she will continue what her father has started. What on earth did FPJ even start as a politician, with all due respects to the late actor? There she goes telling us that like her father, she will fight poverty, criminality and corruption. But these were in the movies. The presidency is not a silver screen. Its real-time. It demands ones decisiveness and critical thinking. We remember during Round 2 of the Presidential debates when Mayor Rodrigo Duterte tested Sen. Poes re-al-time decision-making and she obviously faltered unlike the memo-rized lines she uttered when asked of her campaign programs.The presidency calls for decisive thinking and quick response. Poes memorized lines wont come handy when the going gets tough and where spit-second decisions are asked of the situation.

If airline pilots are required a number of flying time before they can fly a commercial aircraft where lives and properties are placed in their hands, we do not see a difference in this test of competency for on to steer this country.Poes insistence is a putdown to the political maturity being aspired for by this countrys electorate.

THESE two nouns go together. They are partners. They complement each other.Like a man and a woman that God has joined, they cannot be separated from one another; it is a union which no man can set asunder.On May 9, 2016, the nation will elect the next Chief Executive of the country. Sover-eignty resides in our hands, therefore, we have the right to demand from the leaders we install in office to convey to us their leg-acy and set the highest form of leadership by example. The Philippines is blessed with so many natural resources that other countries envy us for. However, to our collective dismay, only a privileged and profligate few are enjoying them. Many more millions are getting poorer which influences the Machiavellian thinking that the Philippines is sitting on top of a so-cial volcano that is ready to erupt anytime.Who among the candidates running for president and vice-president - the two most coveted positions in the government hierar-chy - can be described as having a legacy and

in possession of an unsul-lied leader-ship?A legacy is an inher-itance the leader is supposed to bequeath to his constit-uents. This, the entire nation must studiously examine from each one so that the voters can make a very informed choice come polling time.Leadership simply means public service, how to do good by bringing the government closer to the people. Basically, it is how basic social services are delivered to the people. In short, it is GOOD GOVERNANCE, nothing more, nothing less.It is a sad commentary that we hear can-didates rolling out a long list of promises, ac-

companied by excellent Shakespearean rhet-oric designed to engulf the millions of gullible Filipinos.We are faced with a host of fundamental concerns but I think that three major issues confront the daily life of Juan dela Cruz. These are corruption, peace and order (secession and insurgency, criminality and illegal drugs trade) and poverty (unemployment, food se-curity, education and livelihood).These are the obstacles to good gover-nance. How can the Philippines the Filipi-nos in particular overcome these?There is a school of thought emerging from the ranks of those who say that the vir-tues of idealism are no longer entertained today. They argue that for good governance to succeed we have to elect a servant leader who is ready and prepared to subordinate his personal and family interests to the interest of the country and to the common good.I think this philosophical approach is very relevant. That is why the topic of todays piece legacy and leadership all the more becomes an imperative argument on how to

properly size up all the candidates for presi-dent and vice president.Aspirants to the highest elective posi-tions must reflect from within themselves the idealism based on their personal public service track records.All great people of history, all the heroes, heroines and leaders and innovators had clear visions of the paths they travelled. They led their people out of darkness and into the light, from ignorance and poverty to enlight-enment and prosperity.Who among the candidates can be de-scribed to have the clearest vision by which he/she could lead this country out of its huge plethora of problems and mountains of di-lemma?Who are the genuine leaders? Who are the copycats? Who are the fakes?Without being religious (or irreligious), let me paraphrase the Bible in Matthew 20:28: The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.

(Email your feedback to fredlumba@ya-hoo.com.). God bless the Philippines!

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 VANTAGE POINTS 9EDGEDAVAODENGUE is a water-borne disease and so the best possible solution to it might be in water, too. Its simply water in versus water out issue, explains Dr. Richard T. Mata.I came to know Dr. Mata a few years back when I attended a seminar convened by the Department of Science and Technology at Mar-co Polo Davao. He is an unassuming physician who caught my attention because of his inven-tion in using computer instead of writing down the prescription to patients.A few weeks later after that encounter, I found out he is a pediatrician who has a clinic in Panabo City, which has been plagued by den-gue every now and then. Caring for dengue patients have become almost an everyday task, he admits.It was just a matter of time that he learned so many things about dengue. Today, he is known for his anti-dengue advocacy. In fact, he makes his own website -- www.solving-den-gue-fever.com, which he updates regularly -- to educate thousands of people around the world on the truth about dengue fever.Its about hydration, pointed out Dr. Mata. What he is referring to is the process of provid-ing an adequate amount of water to body tis-sues of a dengue patient. In dengue, our blood vessels will appear to have some holes through it and so the fluid, which we call as plasma, leaks out and causes dehydration among patients, he explained.

But its not only water, which plasma con-tains, that comes out but platelet as well. This is the reason why the platelet decreases because it comes out of the holes of the blood vessels, he said.Dr. Mata said that just like an ordinary wound, the blood vessel holes heal within six days. Thats why in dengue, the platelet is ob-served to have decrease until the sixth day of fever and from there, the platelet starts to in-crease again as the holes begin to close, he said. What really kills a person with dengue is

not due to low platelet counts but dehydration. It occurs when a person loses more fluid and his body doesnt have enough water and other fluids to car-ry out its normal functions. Dehy-dration is the kill-er, he declared, low platelet is only secondary.Dr. Mata pointed out that even if the platelet continuous to decrease each day for as long as the patient is fully hydrated with dextrose and oral fluids, the patient is safe. The best indication the patient is fully hydrated is that he keeps on urinating with an interval of one to three hours, he said. If the patient does not urinate for more than 5 hours and looks very weak and sleepy, he can be in a brink of either hypotension (low blood pressure) or kid-ney failure. To further explain the dengue problem, he talked of another disease called idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). This is a disease where in the child has a low platelet from weeks to years in duration, he said. I have some patients who have this dis-ease. Some will have platelets as low as 10 or lesser, but once you see them you cant believe that their platelet are that low. They are still playing and active despite the fact their blood platelet status is low.The ITP patients may have low platelet count but they are not suffering from dehydra-tion, which is not part of ITP but it is present in dengue cases. According to him, if an ITP pa-tient will develop severe diarrhea and will not be brought to the hospital, he or she will devel-op severe bleeding just like dengue.

In simpler terms, its the fluids that matter.

The low platelet will only cause harm if the pa-tient is dehydrated, Dr. Mata declared.Here is his explanation: The truth is that even if the platelet of a dengue patient is low, but as long as the patient is properly hydrated, the patient will not give us any problem. There-fore we need to bark at the right tree, the right tree is the fluids and not the platelets. In his experience, Dr. Mata discovered that dengue comes in various types. Not all dengue cases are created equal. Some are very mild and some are very strong, he said. To under-stand it, we need to still look at it in the degree of fluid dehydration. The ones that are mild are those not so dehydrated and those that are toxic are those severely dehydrated. Now, going back to his theory about those holes in the blood vessels of dengue patients, thus causing the fluids and platelet to sip out. He classified dengue into mild, moderate, se-vere and very severe. What made these den-gue types different from each other are simply the sizes and the amount of the holes it gives the blood vessels of the patient, he explained.

To illustrate, he used a plastic bag filled with water. If I will use a needle and put a few tiny holes through it, will the water inside drain im-mediately? he asked. Certainly not. This is therefore the mild one.According to him, drinking lots of fluids can easily compensate the minute loss. Thats why you can hear dengue patients who survived without even being admitted in the hospital,

they fortunately have small holes, he said. But what if I will use a nail and place holes in the plastic bag? Of course the leaking will be faster and sooner than you expect. If only all dengue patients come in with tiny leaks in their blood vessels then everything will be easy and not messy.It is in those having big holes that water re-placement is a necessity -- and immediately. It will just be a matter of time the patient will de-hydrate that can cause the kidney be damaged

and result to other organ failures, Dr. Mata said.This is the reason why dengue is very differ-ent from diarrhea, which is also a disease of de-hydration. In diarrhea you can easily estimate the amount of fluids that goes out with stool and thus estimate the amount that is needed back to compensate the loss, he said. In den-gue, you cannot see the fluid coming out liter-ally because the plasma leakage only brings the fluids outside the blood vessels but still inside the body.This is what Dr. Mata believed: The major-ity of dengue deaths are caused by lack of fluids that come in compared to the amount of fluids that come out of the blood vessels.There are those who believe that other den-gue deaths are due to too much fluid that caused congestion in the lungs. His answer: Conges-tion in dengue is caused by lack fluids in the first days of illness causing kidney failure which resulted to inability of the body to urinate. The outcome: congestion. Thus, it is still dehydra-tion to begin with. Solving this balance will solve dengue. There are also those who think some den-gue patients die because of low platelet which causes gastro-intestinal bleeding. Those deaths were not really due to low platelet but due to de-hydration that cause low blood supply to the in-testines. This causes ulcer formation that result-ed to bleeding. Plus the fact that theres a low platelet the bleeding wont stop. But if there was no dehydration -- even if the platelet is less than 10 -- the patient will still not develop intestinal bleeding. I have proven that so many times in my practice, Dr. Mata assured.Although there is now a vaccine for dengue, there is still no specific treatment for the disease.

But Dr. Mata recommends aggressive fluid replacement. Dextrose plus oral fluids is the key, Dr. Mata declared. If the patient is already admitted, he needs to continue taking oral fluids like Oresol and water to push him to urinate at one- to 3-hour interval.

Water vs. dengue

Legacy and leadership

Henrylito D. Taciohenrytacio@gmail.com

THINK ON THESE!

Fred C. Lumba

SPECKS OF LIFE

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 201610 EDGEDAVAONEWSDUTERTE... FROM 1

Cayetano... FROM 2

DCWD... FROM 4

DILG... FROM 2

Rody... FROM 4

PNP... FROM 4

BIR... FROM 6

Comelec... FROM 13

Non-inclusion... FROM 2

ASEAN... FROM 6

DOLE 11... FROM 11

Kidapawan City, North Cotaba-to last week.The dispersal resulted to two deaths from the group of the protesters and dozens were wounded from the police and farmers.The ordinance states the Office of the City Mayor has is-sued a certificate of urgency on April 4, requesting for the ap-proval to support then farmers of North Cotabato.It said North Cotabato has been experiencing drought and rat infestation as the re-sult of dry spell which affected 31,663.70 hectares of agricul-tural lands in the province.There are 13,286 farmers who are suffering from the P1.47 billion damage based from Damage and Assessment Needs Analysis report of the DA 12.Meanwhile, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano also criticized Alcala for saying that the farm-

ers protest was politically mo-tivated and mounted by local politicians. Cayetano said it is not important whether or not the barricade of the protesting farmers in Kidapawan City was politically motivated, because the people there were already hungry due to the drought.The point is gutom yung mga tao pero ang sinasabi ni Secretary Alacala sa TV hindi totoo na may gutom (The point is the people were hungry but Secretary Alcala said in tele-vision that it is not true that hungers exists in the region), Cayetano said in a separate interview yesterday during the Senate hearing at the Universi-ty of Southeastern Philippine Social Hall.He said in his visits to the provinces the farmers told him that they are already buried in debt because there is no assis-tance coming from the nation-al government.

partment of Interior and Local Government (DILG).Ikaw yung may hawak ng

pulis, hindi kami. Kaya tawag nyan national police (You were the one who had control of the police, not us. Thats why its

called the national police), he said.Speaking to reporters in Davao City, Duterte said Roxas himself cannot do it because he is soft and is not willing to kill people.companies offering 223 job va-cancies who will join the Job-Start Program in Tagum.Participating companies are: LYR Marketing, Sibling Selection, McDonalds, Black Fighter Security, Mabuhay Emission, Garden Drianca, Sky Cable, Hijo Resources, Tagum Doctors, Toyota Cars, Big 8 Hotel, BPI, Perfect Milling, and Penongs.Registration will start on April 11 to 14 at the New City Hall and the life skills training will be on April 18 to 29.

Qualified applicants

should be aging between 18 to 24, at least a high school grad-uate (and may include college graduates and undergrads); have no job experience or have not more than one (1) year of experience; currently not in employment, nor enrolled in school or in any training, and actively seeking employment.During the registration, applicants are encouraged to bring their valid IDs and copies of their birth certificate, latest school transcripts or training certificates. Kriztja Marae G. Labrador/LCO-DOLEXI

Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Na-tional Defense (DND), De-partment of Interior and Lo-cal Government (DILG), and Philippine National Police (PNP).He said there were ques-tions yesterday that could not be answered by the regional directors of different offic-es because their secretaries are the ones who know the implementation of the pro-grams.

I am hoping that the national government could solve this problem before the second hearing, he said. Ang gutom ba ay namim-ili kung Kristyano ka, ke Mus-lim ke kaliwa ke kanan ka o gitna ka (Does hunger chose whether you are Christian, Muslim, left, right or in be-tween), he said.He said he believed that there was wrong information transmitted to the national government.

he said.The DILG Undersecretary said preliminary findings of the agencys probe indicate that what transpired last week was not a typical mob incident but an organized activity.In light of these initial findings, the DILG would also like to know who is behind this, what was the motivation behind the instigation, and who financed the organized action that led to the violence, he added.Corvera likewise appealed to members of the media and the public in general to review the six minute video drone submitted by the local govern-ment of Kidapawan that would clearly show who initiated the attack.He acknowledged that the concerns of farmers in terms of food due to drought are legiti-mate. However, he maintained

that the government is doing its best to assist the farmers in Region 12, which is the second region in the country that has been badly hit by the El Nino phenomenon.He also noted that the na-tional government, through the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA), has already shelled out PHP42.8 million worth of rice and corn inter-vention, and has also provided financial assistance to farmers as early as last year.We understand that other government and non-govern-ment groups are also conduct-ing efforts to get to the truth as regards the Kidapawan inci-dent. We see this as the DILGs contributions to such efforts, and call on the public to dis-cern for themselves as various details on the incident come to light, said Corvera. (PNA)

Luga said the reason was due to the emergency shut-down of one of the units of the Therma South Inc. (TSI) coal-fired power plant, which Davao Light has a 50 Mega Watts (MW) contract. TSI has advised that it is still conduct-ing investigation to determine the problem.Davao Light emphasiz-es that due to no reserve in the Mindanao grid, any major plant that will undergo shut-down will extend the length of time of the rotating brownout including Davao Light, he said. He said new generating

plants mostly coal-fueled pow-er plant in Mindanao, which DLPC has contracted addition-al power supply, are coming in May and August 2016.Luga said the DLPC will continue to optimize its supply contracts with the other gen-erating plants, activate the In-terruptible Load Program and run the standby Bajada Power Plant.The company will also continue to give its customers daily updates on any changes in the power supply situation, he said. ARMANDO B. FENEQ-UITO JR.

them back, he noted.Mayor also said that the PNP asks the public to provide the police with relevant and timely information regarding presence of Communist Ter-rorist in their area thru (twit-ter accounts: @PNPhotline and @pnp.pio; and facebook page: Philippine National Police) or thru contact num-bers Dial 117, Text 2920, and Isumbong Mo Kay Tsip 09178475757. (PNA)

teachers from a non-registered teacher association as mem-bers of the LSB.

Barba said that the COP-STEA issue involves matters that the DILG and the DepEd should resolve because the City Council is not the proper

venue to determine the prob-lem.He said that the local gov-ernment code determines the composition of the members of the LSB, which has jurisdic-tion of the issue raised by the COPSTEA. (PNA)

lish a permanent forum and meet regularly to play a more effective role in communicat-ing ASEANs visions and goals which included a proposal to establish an ASEAN News Agency network that was ini-tiated by the summit host and Indonesias Antara news agen-cy. We hereby agree to look into ways an ASEAN News Agency possibly with support from the ASEAN Secretariat in efforts to facilitate the ex-change and dissemination of news on ASEAN and promote the further integration of the media in ASEAN, the resolu-tion added.During the last session of the summit, Antara proposed to host the next round of talks in Indonesia to further thresh out some issues to immedi-ately realize the establishment of the ASEAN News Agency grouping. Among the issues raised was the establishment of news agencies in Singapore and Brunei.During the session, editors and officials also discussed the need to improve content, not only in mainstream media but also in social media, and come out with more interesting sto-ries to become relevant and showcase to the world the re-gions identity, culture, tourism

destinations and opportunities within ASEANs huge market worth over USD 2.5 trillion and its close to 650 million popula-tion.Commitments and the res-olution signing was held at the end of the summit participated in by Philippines News Agency Acting Executive Editor Luis A. Morente and News and Infor-mation Bureau (NIB) Director Danilo Jamora.

The first ASEAN Editors Summit was organized and hosted by the Malaysian gov-ernment through the Ministry of Communications and Multi-media headed by Minister Da-tuk Seri Dr. Salleh Said Keruak and its Secretary General, Dato Sri Dr. Sharifah Zarah Syed Ahmad, in cooperation with the Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA) and the Jakarta-based ASEAN Secre-tariat.Representatives from the Philippines include summit speakers Roby Alampay, Busi-ness World Editor-in-Chief; and National Press Club (NPC) president and Manila Times senior reporter Joel Sy Egco. Also in attendance are Ma-nila Times president and CEO Dante Francis Ang II and Radio TV Malacanang writers Nellie Faith Bombase and Ryan Tulio. (PNA)

come payments, GACMI only declare sales of PHP13.4 mil-lion in 2009 and PHP10.63 million in 2010 thereby sub-stantially underdeclaring its taxable sales by 154 percent or PHP20.66 million in 2009 and by 44 percent or PHP4.68 million in 2010.Sales said that as a con-

sequence of which, GACMI and its responsible corporate officers were assessed an es-timated aggregate deficiency income tax liability amount-ing to PHP20.5 million, inclu-sive of surcharges and inter-ests, such as PHP16.71 million in 2009 and PHP3.79 million in 2010. (PNA)

THE Land Transporta-tion Franchising and Regulatory Board (LT-FRB) said Wednesday it will hear the transport groups motions for reconsideration regarding the status of the Php 30 flag-down rate of taxis on April 12,Earlier on Tuesday, LT-FRB announced that the flag-down rate for taxis was re-verted from being fixed to its provisional status.

LTFRB Chairman Atty. Winston Ginez said that this was to ensure that the Board would be able to strike a bal-ance that was economically beneficial for both the riding

public and the operators and their drivers.To recall, the Board issued consolidated decision on March 8 approving the per-manent reduction of the ex-isting taxi fare nationwide to

Php 30.00 for the flag-down rate, Php 3.50 for every suc-ceeding 500 meters and Php 3.50 for the waiting time per 90 seconds.It also ordered the re-im-plementation of its previous Order on provisional reduc-tion of the existing flag down rate of Php 40.00 to Php 30.00 of all taxi services nationwide (except in the Cordillera Ad-ministrative Region) and Php

35.00 to Php 30.00 of taxi ser-vices in the CAR.However, since various motions for reconsideration on the consolidated deci-sion of the Board have been filed by transport groups, the Board has decided to hear them once again.

LTFRB said that the filing of a motion for reconsider-ation by any party adversely affected by the Boards deci-sion, order or resolution stays the immediate execution or implementation of the as-sailed decision, order or res-olution.Transport groups have earlier expressed disappoint-

ment over the Boards deci-sion to fix taxi flag-down rates to Php 30.These groups include Metro Davao Taxi Operators Association, Taxi Operators and Drivers in Cagayan De Oro City, Metro Cebu Taxi Op-erators Association, Inc. (MC-TOA), Dumper Philippines Taxi Drivers Association, Inc. (Dumper), Association of United Taxi Operators in the Cordillera Administrative Re-gion (AUTOCAR) and Angat Tsuper Samahan ng mga Tsu-per at Operator ng Pilipinas Genuine Organization Trans-port Coalition (STOP & GO). (PNA)

OUTGOING Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Her-nando Iriberri made his last official visit to the Davao City-based Eastern Mindanao Com-mand (EMC) Wednesday.Iriberri was received by EMC chief Lt. Gen. Rey Leonar-do Guerrero and his staff and

accorded military honors.During his visit, he lauded the EMC for its efforts in win-ning and securing the peace in eastern Mindanao.He reminded the troops about their role in the coming May polls, emphasizing that the Filipinos trust the AFP to make the elections safe and

secure.Continue doing your job. Gawin lang natin palagi ang tama nang ang ating mga ka-babayan ay mamuhay ng pay-apa, Iriberri said.Following his visit in EMC, he also visited the Compostela Valley-based 10th Infantry Di-vision and 25th Infantry Bat-

talion, his former unit in Davao Del Sur in 2001.Iriberri, a member of Phil-ippine Military Academy Class of 1983, will retire from the service on April 22 after reach-ing the mandatory retirement age of 56.He was appointed as AFP chief last July 10, 2015. (PNA)

Outgoing AFP chief visits Eastmincom

LTFRB to hear petition on taxi flag-down rate

know this because they will commit an election offense if they bring voter receipts out of the precinct. Voter receipts are treated as copies of the ballots and therefore are protected by the same legal provisions on ballot secrecy, he added. Likewise, the Comelec

brings vote counting machines (VCMs) to communities, schools, and other establish-ments in voter education ses-sions.Bautista also asked the help of organized citizen groups to do their part in help-ing reach more voters. (PNA)

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016 11EDGEDAVAOCOMPETITIVE EDGEINSUFFICIENT sleep is now a becoming a major health concern in the Philippines. Today, Filipinos are having trouble sleeping due to poor lifestyle habits. Lack of sleep is quite alarming, as it can greatly affect the performance of an individual and lead to chronic diseases. It leaves the individual out of focused that can resort to road accidents and occupational errors. It also increases the probability of an individual to develop depres-sion or other chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. Sleep is an essential part of our well-being. It allows our bodies to recover from daily activities and more impor-tantly, it leaves our minds re-freshed to gather and process information. It also affects our emotional stability and deci-sion making. says Cherry Tan, Marketing Director of Uratex Philippines. A recent study shows that the Philippines has been ranked as one of the countries in Southeast Asia with poor sleeping habits. More than half of Filipinos sleeping less than six hours a day. There are a number of fac-tors that attribute to this such as unbearable traffic, constant access to the Internet, busy work schedules, and un-comfortable sleeping environ-ments. There are ways to help battle this problem. It is im-portant to change our current lifestyle to achieve quality sleep, says Tan. According to the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM), there are 10 Commandments of Sleep Hygiene. These are as follows: maintain a fixed sleep sched-ule; reduce daytime naps in 45 minutes or less; avoid intake of caffeine such as those in coffee, tea, most sodas, including choc-olate 6 hours before bedtime; avoid heavy, spicy or sweets 4 hours before bedtime; exercise regularly but not before bed-time; maintain an ideal sleep temperature in a well-ventilat-ed room; block out noise and light as possible; limit use of the bed to sleeping; and finding comfortable bedding. Promoting good sleep has always been the sole mis-sion of Uratex. Simply put, we help improve sleep routines by adapting to a healthier lifestyle, a positive mindset towards life, and choosing the correct mattress that can support our bodys shape and contours, explains Tan. For more than 48 years, Uratex has been recognized as

the countrys industry leader in manufacturing foams and mattresses. As a commitment to excellence, it continues to innovate itself by applying lat-est technologies and research to deliver exceptional comfort and support in every mattress. Uratex offers different technologies that cater to a persons sleeping needs. As summer is fast approaching, there is a need to maintain an ideal sleep temperature that can reduce tossing and turning during the night. Uratexs latest collection include the Uratex Airlite Foam Mattresses which combines 3D spacer fabric and

open cell technology to allow air to flow freely in the mattress, for a cool sleep. For a more luxurious comfort feel, Uratex Premium Mat-tress presents the Senso Memory Ultima Mat-tress. Formulated with Hydragel technology, its pre-mium memory foam is infused with gel beads which absorb heat and provide optimal air-

flow. It has been proven to low-er body temperature by up to 2C than those of a traditional memory foam, helping you to fall asleep faster. As an added feature, Sanitized treatment is applied to safeguard against growth of bacteria, odour, mil-dew, and dust mites. Aside from its product of-ferings, Uratex partners with different organizations in its pursuit for better sleep. Re-cently, the Philippine Society of Sleep Medicine (PSSM) part-nered with Uratex in celebrat-ing the World Sleep Day. The 2016 campaign, Good Sleep is a Reachable Dream, expresses a desire for everyone to attain a good, sound sleep. The PSSM held symposiums to discuss about the important elements of good sleep which are Dura-tion or the sufficiency of sleep to become well rested and alert the following day; Continuity, which means sleep time should be continuous and unbroken; and Depth, that sleep should be deep enough to be restor-ative or invigorating.

To find out more about the Sleep Specialist, call the Uratex Consumer Hotline (Domestic Toll Fee), 1800 10 888-6800 or visit www.uratex.com.ph.

Achieving Better Sleepwith the Sleep Specialist

DOLE 11, PESO Tagum sign MoA

School in Paquibato receives5th electrical lab from DaLight

RIBBON CUTTING. Davao Light and Power Co.s Panabo Branch Manager and AVP Engr. Ronald Chan as assisted by Davao City 2nd District Congressman Mylene Garcia-Albano and DepEd Division- Davao City Chief

of School Governance Operations Division Teresita F. Del Valle initiates the ribbon cutting ceremony at Malabog National High School last February 26, 2016.

33 KILOMETERS away from Panabo proper, Malabog National High School situated in Brgy. Mal-abog, Paquibato District re-ceived an Electrical Laboratory (e.Lab) from Davao Light and Power Co., in partnership with its social development arm the Aboitiz Foundation Inc., last February 2016.The idea of the e.Lab was created in Davao Lights sup-port to the Department of Ed-ucations Technical Vocational

Courses, such as the Electrical Installation and Maintenance (EIM), which is under the K-12 program.The project will help pro-vide public schools a suitable laboratory training center that would have the tools and basic equipment necessary in the learnings of the students who have enrolled in the EIM Tech-Voc Course.The e.Lab will also help prepare those students who want to explore a vocational

career in electricity.The senior students, who have finished and passed the EIM Course, will be issued by TESDA with a National Cer-tification (NC) II to become full-fledged electricians. This will give them better opportu-nities for employment should they not pursue college yet or might be encouraged to con-tinue and take up Electrical Engineering. said Fermin Edil-lon, Davao Lights Community Relations Manager.

The e.Lab is just one of the Corporate Social Responsibili-ty projects of Davao Light that is aimed at supporting educa-tion.MNHS is the fifth school that received an electrical lab-oratory from Davao Light af-ter Davao City National High

School, Bernardo Carpio Na-tional High School, Crossing Bayabas National High School and Panabo National High School. Six more e.Labs will be turned over this year.

WITH the upcoming implementation of the first phase of the JobStart Program in Davao Region, the Department of La-bor and Employment (DOLE) XI conducted another Memo-randum of Agreement (MoA) signing with participating em-ployers in Tagum City, the sec-ond pilot area of the project, on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.The MoA signing, held at the Tagum New City Hall, headed by DOLE XI Regional Director Joffrey M. Suyao and Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon together with the Tagum City Public Employment Services Office (PESO).Another MoA signing was held last Monday for Davao City which is the first pilot area in Region XI for the implemen-tation of the program.Jobstart Philippines is a DOLE implemented project funded by the Asian Develop-ment Bank through the gov-ernment of Canada. It is being implemented through the local PESO offices of the target ar-eas.

Qualified JobStarters will undergo ten days of life skills training, up to three months of JobStart-funded technical training and another three months of work experience

with a matched employer/establishment. The interns in return will be receiving at least 75% of the minimum wage in the relevant city/municipality.120 JobStarters will be selected for Davao City and Tagum City to join the first phase of JobStart.During his speech, Direc-tor Suyao said that this is just the first batch as another set of applicants will be select by the end of the year for the second phase of the program.This is just the start be-cause we are looking at ex-panding the coverage of our

JobStart program because we see that this full cycle employ-ment program facilitation is what we need now, he added.Director Suyao said that the program, is a good avenue to reduce unemployment of fresh graduates as it will em-power them with both the soft skills and hard skills needed for them to be employable to the different industries.As I think of the JobStart program, this opens a new chapter in our press to reduce unemployment program in the city of Tagum in particular and in the country, Mayor Rellon

said during his message.Frederick Rubinos, Presi-dent and CEO of LYR Marketing and Furniture, also expressed his gratitude in behalf of all the employers involved for giving them the opportunity to join the program.Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this. We are truly hopeful that we, as employ-ers will provide positive and conducive training crucial for our trainees to be productive employees of the community, Rubinos said.There are a total of 14

JobStart Tagum MoA Signing.jpg: FULL SUPPORT. DOLE XI Regional Director Joffrey M. Suyao, Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon, Tagum PESO Manager Rogeneth P. Llanos and DOLE Davao del Norte Provincial Head Erlinda G. Mamitag together with one employer participant during the MoA signing in Tagum City last Wednesday, April 6. KMGL/LCO-DOLEXI

F DOLE 11, 10

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 201612

EDGE Serving a seamless societyDAVAO GENSAN PARTNERS

EDGE Serving a seamless societyDAVAO PARTNER ESTABLISHMENTS

CLASSIFIEDS EDGEDAVAO

EVENT

EDGEDAVAOINdulge!

URBANISSIMO A4

IT WAS A LATE EVENING WHEN I GOT A TEXT MES-SAGE FROM MY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MR. TONY AJERO asking me to keep the third of April open for me to attend a spe-cial meeting of the Ambassadors Club at the Waterfront Insu-lar Hotel Davao. Since I will be in the general area for an earlier event (and since he IS my boss), I gladly said yes.

An evening with the Ambassadors

To be honest I am not fa-miliar with the Ambassa-dor Club nor its workings but from what I gathered, I learned that the Ambas-sador Club is an interna-tional association that has no political or religious affiliations. Both men and women may be members. True to form, members regard themselves as am-bassadors for a society with humanitarian values and will strive to further international understand-ing. The well-attended meet-ing promptly opened with

welcome remarks from Ambassador Club Davao president Scott Nimmo and was followed by the introduction of guests by Ambassador Club Philip-pines past president Leon-cio Villa-Abrille. In attendance were the ambassadors of the Am-bassador Club Davao, the reigning Mutya ng Davao and her court, new mem-bers, and guests of honours Mr. Mario Delvecchio, IAC secretary and Mr. Franz Gut, International Ambassador Club (IAC) world president who pre-sided over the induction of new members for the Davao Club. After the induction, Mr. Gut had a short message to update the members in Davao on the latest hap-penings of the IAC, one of which is the upcoming del-egates meeting of the IAC

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016

A2 INdulge! EDGEDAVAOEVENT

A bold initiative that aims to further the local fashion scene has landed in Davao: Fashion Weekend Davao, organized by the Philippine Womens College of Davao and the newly cre-ated Davao Fashion Design Council (DFDC) in partnership with Abreeza Mall.

A spectacle of vision, talent, & STYLE Envisioned to be Davao and Mindanaos premier annual fashion event and lifestyle platform and the core event of the first-ever local celebration of Design Week Philippines, Fashion Weekend Davao consisted of a series of runway shows held from March 18 to 19 at Abreeza Mall. On March 18, the first of the runway series, Luxe Retail, showcased on-trend

ensembles and active life-style looks from the lat-est collections of Abreeza Mall premier brands such as Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Esprit, Flossy, Fox, GAP, Giordano, GRIND, Guess, Mags, Mango, Mango Man, Marks & Spencer, Nautica, Original Penguin, Petrol, Promod, R.O.X., and SOUL. Following Luxe Retail, the New Generation show

proved the unique vision and immense talent of Davaos rising designers; namely, Andi Amora, Jun Artajo, Edzel Balofinos, Aries Buenvenida, Lala Chua, Ronnia de Leon, Joey Hambala, Jozel Ignes, Neil Jimlani, Kenny Lad-aga, Samantha Liao, Wil-son Limon, Ronnie Nacua, Nikole Rule, Bianca Sabel-lano, Jerson Tandingan, Frances Tendencia, and Mandy Velasco. Meanwhile, the New Establishment fashion show paraded pieces by the DFDC, which counts

among its members estab-lished names in the citys fashion design scene: Egay Ayag, Aztec Barba, Dodjie Batu, Edgar Buyan, Emi Englis, Bamba Limon, Windell Mira, and Benjie Panizales. On March 19, it was the turn of promising fashion students to impress the au-dience through Generation Next, the PWC Fashion Design graduation show. The show debuted designs by the programs gradu-ating class, undergradu-ates, and faculty members. Achievement awards were also presented to the out-standing students in the graduating class. Fashion Weekend Davao was graced by re-nowned fashion designer Albert Andrada, Mega Magazines Suki Salva-dor, Preview Magazines Loris Pea, Stylebible.phs Zoe Laurente, Pilipi-nas Mens Fashion Weeks Nico Agustin, and Style & Design Academy Manilas Cathy Binag, who judged the works of the graduat-ing PWC fashion students along with DFDC presi-dent Aztec Barba. Besides attending the shows, the special guests were also on hand to critique the

students works and of-fer helpful tips in a special forum held at the Seda Abreeza Hotel. Also part of the first-ever local observance of Design Week Philippines were vignette exhibitions on display from March 16 to 20 in various locations around Abreeza Mall. The Ground Floor Supermar-ket Hallway was turned into a gallery of works by award-winning Davaoe-o designers, the Second Floor Hallway near Wran-gler was home to a display of local textiles, the Second Floor Hallway near Bambu housed an exhibit of works inspired by Mindanao folklore, and the Ground Floor Fashion Hallway presented upcycled gar-ments and accessories and also hosted a series of talks on cultural visual identifi-ers and Mindanao themes in design. For inquiries and up-dates on Abreeza Mall news and events, please vis-it the Main Concierge at the ground floor or call (082) 321-9332. Stay updated by liking www.facebook.com/AbreezaMall and following @abreezatweets on Twitter and @iloveabreezamall on Instagram.

VOL. 9 ISSUE 26 FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2016

INdulge! A3EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENT

Hero TV to air new favorites for April

Who is Aicelle Santos dream collaborator?

GMA introduces new Sanggres in Encantadia 2016Kylie Padilla, Gabbi Garcia, Sanya Lopez and Glaiza de Castro bag much-coveted roles

HERO TV brings a new wave of Japanese series to kick off summer! The Japanese manga series Your Lie in April, which premieres on April 6 at 9PM, follows the story of Kousei Arima, a young pianist who loses his ability to hear the sound of his own piano after the demise of his mother. When he meets a beautiful violinist, his world is once more shaken as he sets on a new journey to face music again. Meanwhile, Yuki Yuna Is a Hero is a series that takes place in the Year 300, also known as the era of the gods. The heroine, Yuuna Yuuki tries to live an ordinary life of a student. Her ordinary life becomes interesting as the club she is secretly a member of, the Hero Club, faces a mysterious being called Vertex.

Learn more about Yuuna Yuukis secret life as the show premieres on April 11 at 7PM. Anime fans should watch out for the epic action-horror film, Resident Evil 3 starring Milla Jovovichon Hero Theatrixx on April 10 at 12AM. Resident Evil 3 is the third installment in the Resident Evil film series based on the Capcom survival horror series Resident Evil. Continuing on Hero TV are fan favorites Love Live! School

Idol Project Season 1 and 2, Haikyu, The Devil Is Part Timer, Digimon Frontier, Digimon Savers, Inazuma Eleven, Karneval, Kokoro Connect, Ao Haru Ride, and Majestic Prince. Hero TV is available on SKYcable Channel 44. For updates, like Hero on Facebook (facebook.com/myheronation) and follow their Instagram (@herotvofficial) and Twitter (@myHEROnation) accounts.

GMA NETWORK PROUDLY ANNOUNCES ENCANTADIA 2016 LEAD STARS. Kylie Padilla, Gabbi Garcia, Sanya Lopez and Glaiza de Castro bagged the much-coveted roles of the four Sanggres. The Kapuso actresses participated in a series of auditions and delivered convincing performances all throughout, making them the perfect choice for the roles of the four sisters: Pirena, Amihan, Alena and Danaya. Versatile star Kylie Padilla will portray the role of Amihan, the keeper of the Jewel of Air. Alena, the keeper of the Jewel of Water, will be portrayed by talented young actress Gabbi Garcia. GMA Artist Centers Sanya Lopez will play the

role of Danaya, the keeper of the Jewel of Earth. And multi-talented actress Glaiza de Castro will breathe life to Pirena, the eldest among the Sanggres and the keeper of the Jewel of Fire.

Completing the cast are the following: Playing special roles are Kapuso Primetime King and Queen Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera-Dantes as Raquim and Ynang Reyna,

respectively. Mga Lirean: Solenn Heussaff as Cassiopea, Pancho Magno as Hitano, Carlo Gonzalez as Muros, Kate Valdez as Mira, Mikee Quintos as Lira and Rocco Nacino as Aquil.

Introducing Starstruck winners: Klea Pineda as Muyak and Migo Adecer as Anthony. Mga Hathor: Rochelle Pangilinan as Agane, Vaness del Moral as Gurna and John Arcilla as Hagorn. Mga Mandirigma: Christian Bautista as Apitong, Buboy Villar as Wantuk and Ruru Madrid as Ybarro. During the series story conference,