figures of the week

A & A Securities, Inc.JIFFYCAR Bldg., Ecowest Drive

(Beside SM City Davao), Davao CityTel. Nos.: 299-0199, 297-7233,

303-0555, 297-8090, 0917-7000911, 0922-8831358

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As of May 20, 2010

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VOL. 4 NO. 34OctOber 24-30, 2011

T h e B u s i n e s s P A P E R

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Davao trade surplus widens to US$ 45.5M

THE BUSINESS PAPER

2 OctOber 24-30, 2011VOL. 4 NO. 34

On the cover

n Neda Director lim reports good performance in employment, governance, tourism

DAVAO Region contin-ues to enjoy a favorable balance of trade this

year with the value of exports surpassing the value of im-ports.

In a presentation during the Philippine Economic Brief-ing last Friday, National Eco-nomic and Development Au-thority (NEDA) regional direc-tor Maria Lourdes D. Lim said the trade surplus has widened this year at US$45.5 million, from US$ 29 million in 2010 due to increased export value for coconut (copra) and gold shipments.

Fresh bananas are the re-gion’s top export commodity at US$100.6 million in export receipts.

Lim said that despite the disasters that hit Japan, the volume of banana shipments was not adversely affected and in fact increased by 7% during the 2nd quarter of this year.

Gold, in semi-manufac-tured form, maintained its rank as another top export earner and grew remarkably by 56% over its 2010 level. The commodity upgraded its rank to 5th place with an export value of US$8 million from US$5.2 million in 2010.

Aside from copra, other top exports are commercial fruits such as pineapple man-go, guava and mangosteen, natural rubber and activated carbon.

In terms of imports, rice did not dominate the import commodities unlike the pre-ceding years.In fact rice was

not among the top 10 imports in the first quarter.

This year, Lim said petro-leum oils and mineral/chemi-cal fertilizers accounted for the largest chunk of imports, fol-lowed by uncoated Kraft paper and paperboard and insecti-cides and fungicides.

EmploymentLim said fresh invest-

ments poured into the region generated more employment.

“More people were able to find full-time employment during the 1st half of the year due to more job opportunities, particularly in the construction and wholesale and retail trade subsectors,” she said.

Out of 17 regions in the country, Davao Region was one of only four regions in the country that posted lower unemployment and underem-ployment rates.

The region’s unemploy-ment rate as of July this year dropped to 18.6% from 23.9% in 2010.

“The region was sus-tained by private construction for commercial purposes, no-tably the expansion of a shop-ping mall, bank and a hotel renovation project,” said Lim.

Project commitments registered with the Board of Investments already amount-ed to P1.4 billion. The top investments are for five mass housing projects account-ing for 99% of the total cost of registered projects. The rest are for manufacture of packaging materials (P97.5 million) and business process

Davao trade surplus upBy Greg G. Deligero

EDGEDAVAO

NeDA director MA. lourDes liM

louie rAbAt

through Good Governance” which showed members of the Aquino government’s eco-nomic team reporting on their achievements.

Private sector reactions were delivered by banker Flo-rante G. Santiago, first voice president of the Rizal Com-mercial Banking Corporation and Louie Rabat, chairperson of the Wood Industry Cluster.

PraisedIn his reaction, Santiago

praised the Aquino adminis-tration for strengthening of the country’s economic fundamen-tals and the emphasis on the war on poverty.

Rabat asked government to focus on significant projects that President Aquino had earlier prioritized as those ad-dressing power supply and development of the mining sector.

He said “let’s decide once and for all what we want to do and focus on them. If we say we like to improve our energy sector and develop mining, government should eliminate the stumbling blocks.”

Of the team, only Public Works and Highways Secre-tary Rogelio Singson and Na-tional Competitivenes Council co-chair Guilermo Luz were present. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Amado Tetangco Jr., Budget Secre-tary Florencio Abad, NEDA Planning Secretary Cayetano Paderanga, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Tourism Sec-retary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. and Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo only sent representa-tives.

Program host and mod-erator was BSP IRD Executive Director Claro Fernandez.

A LEADING business leader and no less than an official of the

Bureau of Customs identi-fied the poor state of the port of Davao under the Philippine Ports Authority as one of the problems and constraints in the conduct of trade and commerce of the Davao Region.

During the Philippine Economic Briefing at a downtown hotel in Davao last Friday, businessman Louie Rabat, chairperson of the private sector Wood Industry Cluster of the Re-gional Development Coun-cil 11, told members of President Aquino’s econom-ic team to act on the state of disrepair of the main port of the region at Sasa under PPA and the BOC.

Due to the failure of government to provide suf-ficient and efficient port ser-vices at Sasa, private firms engaged in the export and import business have been forced to patronize private

ports, if not build their own, Rabat said, adding that such failure of government is one of the major problems of do-ing business in the region.

Part of the economic team present representing Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima was Finance Un-dersecretary Gil Beltran.

Rabat echoed a similar lament aired a day before by Davao Customs Collec-tor Martiniano M. Bangcoy. Bangcoy, who just assumed less than a month ago, told a tiny group of Davao edi-tors and station managers BOC is facing a constraint in its desire to increase its collections as the container yard of the PPA is not only crowded, it is also very small.

PPA’s problem facilities has prompted the agency from approving the exist-ing privately-run container yards to accommodate in-coming cargoes.

Due to the limited area of PPA, Bangcoy said some

Poor Davao port facilities scored

outsourcing at P1.2 million.Lim noted a continued

shift of employment from the agriculture sector to the ser-vices sector in 2011. The ag-riculture sector absorbs 42% of employment while the ser-vices sector takes 46% and the remaining 12% are in the industry sector.

GovernanceLim said the cities of

Davao and Tagum instituted reforms to expedite business transactions that would con-siderably cut cost of doing business.

“In fact Davao City has been recognized by the World Bank as the second fastest LGU to streamline its process and make business start-ups easier, and the first in terms of processing of construction permits. The massive infusion of invest-ments for building construc-tion, as well as other busi-ness interests is a result of good governance practices by our Local Government Units,” she said.

TourismThe tourism sector was

able to sustain its growth with 428,155 tourists recorded in January to July 2011 or an in-crease of 9% from 393,034 in the same period in 2010.

Domestic travelers in-cluding Balikbayans account-ed for 92% of total visitor arrivals and posted a higher growth at 10.3% while for-eign tourist arrivals declined “as global economies experi-enced a slowdown and slow-er than-expected recovery.”

Among the foreign tour-ists, Americans (8,620), Japa-nese (5,578) and Koreans (2,758) accounted for the bulk.

InfrastructureLim reported the comple-

tion of four foreign-assisted projects in 2011.. Among them, the construction of the Culaman Bridge in the munici-pality of Jose Abad Santos in Davao del Sur had the largest cost at P47.6 million.

For nationally-funded projects such as roads, school buildings, water supply fa-cilities, she said that a total of P532.9 million has been dis-bursed wherein Davao City got the biggest share at P142.8 million.

InflationIn terms of inflation,

however, Lim said that during the first 9 months of 2011, the inflation rate in the region was slightly higher at 5.7% than the national inflation rate at 4.9%.

She said that the rising costs of education, transport, medical and recreation ser-vices push the inflation. The region’s inflation last year was only 4.3%.

The economic briefing was preceded by an audio vi-sual presentation on the theme “The Philippines: Reach-ing for Investment Grade

1,150 meter with a control-ling draft of 10.6 meters. “The berthing facility can only accommodate between four to six vessels at a time,” Bangcoy said. Although he could not ascertain big should the wharf and its container yard be, Bangcoy said for a primary wharf of the country it should be big-ger.

The ports authority re-vealed that there is already the plan to improve the Sasa wharf, but Mr. Bangcoy said the expansion will take time to be completed. Two years ago, then President Gloria M. Arroyo led the inaugu-ration of the P420-million expansion project as part of the rool-on-roll-off project of her government. That expansion included the rehabilitation of the quay and the construction of the concrete wharf, back-up area, mooring and fender-ing area, drainage system, lighting and rockworks.

The project was com-

pleted that year. Despite the expansion, cargo mov-ers still complained that the wharf area is still small. In January this year, the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association wrote the ports authority to complain that because the container yard is crowded, movement of cargoes has been delayed.

“It has been established that during peak hours, the process (in the wharf, whether loading or unload-ing cargoes) takes more than two hours to complete for every van,” said the as-sociation, the main group of banana exporters. Although the agency said in response to the letter that there was already a proposed expan-sion project, nothing was specified.

In a related develop-ment, Bangcoy did not com-ment on the controversy surrounding the designated examination area (DEA) as there are still cases before

the courts and the Office of the Ombudsman involving the area. The People’s Al-liance Against Corruption earlier said the group will ask newly-appointed Cus-toms Commissioner Rozza-no Rufino Biazon to revive the DEA concept as this had been found effective in ef-fectively curving smuggling and corruption at the port.

Businessman Rodolfo Reta, whose company Aquarius Container Yard op-erated the designated area, filed cases against former top officials of the Customs after the agency revoked the 25-year agreement that des-ignated the area as inspec-tion area. The order to stop the operations of the area came out after Reta uncov-ered an attempt to sneak a cargo of rice passed on as spare parts of vehicles. In-stead of ordering an investi-gation on the reported tech-nical smuggling, Reta said the agency accused him of not doing his job.

collector Bangcoyimporters have opted to bring their cargoes to pri-vately-run container yards and that storage payment for these cargoes, instead of going to the government, goes to the owners of the yards.

Although the Sasa wharf has about 19 hectares in area, its container yard is “still very small.” The berth-ing facility of the wharf, where the ships dock, is just

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

3OctOber 24-30, 2011 VOL. 4 NO. 34

EDGEDAVAOTHE BUSINESS PAPER

4 OctOber 24-30, 2011VOL. 4 NO. 34

THE Department of Trade and Indus-try (DTI) and Department of Inte-rior and Local Government (DILG)

issued a joint Memorandum Circular on the Formulation of Local Investment and Incentives Code (LIIC) to enhance com-petitiveness of local government units (LGUs) and attract more investors at the local level.

The memorandum circular was signed by DTI Secretary Gregory Domin-go and DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo during the 20th anniversary of the Lo-cal Government Code at the PICC, Pasay City. The signing was witnessed by DILG officials, representatives of different leagues of LGUs, and other stakeholders present in the event.

According to the memorandum, the DTI, particularly the Board of Investments

(BOI), being the lead agency in invest-ments promotion and industry develop-ment, would assist the LGUs in the review and formulation of their own local invest-ments code and investment priority areas, as well as to help them in their investment promotion activities such as investments conferences, business matching sessions, inbound and outbound investment mis-sions, among others.

BOI will also make available to DILG and LGUs its expertise in the formulation of local investments code, project prepa-ration, development and implementation of capacity building, training and techni-cal assistance programs.

The DILG and the LGU leagues, on their part will advocate to the LGUs re-forms in local investment climate through formulation or updating of their local in-

vestments and incentives code (LIIC) and implementation of investment promotion programs.

Also, the DILG will design and imple-ment a monitoring tool to track the status of LIIC preparation and address the bot-tlenecks in the implementation of capac-ity building activities for LGUs related to investment promotion.

DILG, through its regional offices, will also provide support to BOI and its regional branches, the Local Government Academy (LGA) and other agencies in the conduct of local training and capacity de-velopment interventions for local govern-ments.

The memorandum will make LGUs more competitive in terms of their invest-ment policies and regulations and will be more conducive to businesses. [PNA]

the economy

Catchment basins eyed for flood control

DTI, DILG align investment, incentives code

DavOr on the road to rice self-sufficiency: Governor

MoNthlY AVerAge eXChANge rAte (January 2009 - January 2011)

Month 2011 2010 2009Average 45.11 47.637December 43.95 46.421November 43.49 47.032October 43.44 46.851

September 44.31 48.139August 45.18 48.161

July 46.32 48.146June 43.37 46.30 47.905May 43.13 45.60 47.524April 43.24 44.63 48.217

March 43.52 45.74 48.458February 43.70 46.31 47.585January 44.17 46.03 47.207

1. GNP Growth Rate(At Constant 1985 Prices) 2. GDP Growth Rate(At Constant 1985 Prices)

3. Exports 1/

4. Imports 1/

5. Trade Balance

6. Balance of Payments 2/

7. Broad Money Liabilities

8. Interest Rate 4/

9. National Government Revenues

10. National government outstanding debt

11. Peso per US $ 5/

12. Stocks Composite Index 6/

13. Consumer Price Index 2006=100

14. Headline Inflation Rate 2000=100

15. Core Inflation Rate 2000=100

16. Visitor Arrivals

17. Underemployment Rate /7

18. Unemployment Rate /7

iNDiCAtior lAtest1.9 %

2nd Qtr 2011

3.4 %2nd Qtr 2011

USD 4,128 million

Jun 2011

USD 4,503 millionJun 2011

USD -376 millionJun 2011

USD 222 millionJun 2011

P4,423,849 millionJun 2011

4.48%Apr 2011

P100,139 million Jun 2011

P 4,777 billion May 2010

P 42.81Jul 2011

4,503.6Jul 2011

126.4

Jul 2011

4.6Jul 2011

3.7Jul 2011

317,443Apr 2011

19.4%Apr 2011

7.2 %Apr 2011

stAt wAtCh

cebu Pacific Daily 5J961 / 5J962 5:45 Manila-Davao-Manila 6:15Zest Air Daily Z2390 / Z2390 5:45 Manila-Davao-Manila 6:25cebu Pacific Daily 5J593 / 5J348 6:00 cebu-Davao-Iloilo 6:30Philippine Airlines Daily Pr809 / Pr810 6:10 Manila-Davao-Manila 7:00Philippine Airlines Daily Pr819 / Pr820 7:50 Manila-Davao-Manila 8:50cebu Pacific Daily 5J394 / 5J393 7:50 Zamboanga-Davao-Zamboanga 8:10cebu Pacific Daily 5J599 / 5J594 8:00 cebu-Davao-cebu 8:30cebu Pacific Daily 5J347 / 5J596 9:10 Iloilo-Davao-cebu 9:40cebu Pacific Mon/tue/thu/Fri/Sun 5J963 / 5J964 9:40 Manila-Davao-Manila 10:10Philippine Airlines Daily Pr811 / Pr812 11:30 Manila-Davao-Manila 12:20cebu Pacific Daily 5J595 / 5J966 12:00 cebu-Davao-Manila 12:30Silk Air Mon/Wed/Sat MI588 / MI588 18:55 Davao-cebu-Singapore 13:35cebu Pacific thu 5J965 / 5J968 12:55 Manila-Davao-Manila 13:25cebu Pacific tue/Wed//Sat 5J965 / 5J968 13:35 Manila-Davao-Manila 14:05

Silk Air thu/Sun MI566 / MI566 18:55 Davao-Singapore 15:20cebu Pacific Mon/tue/Wed/Fri 5J507 / 5J598 15:00 cebu-Davao-cebu 15:30Philippine Airlines August 15:55 Mani2Mani 16:50Zest Air Daily Z2524 / Z2525 16:05 cebu-Davao-cebu 16:45cebu Pacific Daily 5J967 / 5J600 16:35 Manila-Davao-cebu 17:05Philippines Airlines Daily Pr813 / Pr814 16:55 Manila-Davao-Manila 17:45cebu Pacific Mon/tue/thu/Sat 5J215 / 5J216 18:00 cagayan de Oro-Davao-cagayan de Oro 18:20cebu Pacific Daily 5971 / 5J970 18:40 Manila-Davao-Manila 19:10cebu Pacific tue/Sat/Sun 5J973 / 5J974 20:00 Manila-Davao-Manila 20:30cebu Pacific Daily 5J969 / 5J972 20:30 Manila-Davao-Manila 21:00Airphil express Daily 2P987 / 2P988 20:30 Manila-Davao-Manila 21:00Philippine Airlines Daily except Sunday Pr821 / Pr822 21:20 Manila-Davao-Manila 21:50Philippine Airlines Sunday Pr821 / Pr822 22:20 Manila-Davao-Manila 22:50

as of august 2010

EDGEDAVAO

AS used in other urban centers, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is bent to push

for the establishment of catchment or retarding basins to address problem on flooding.

Attending the first hop of the Philip-pine Economic Briefing held in this city Friday (Oct 21), DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson bared plans of using this catch-ment model as a means of flood control.

“With climate change, the rainfall that is suppose to be for 2 months are felt in 3 days that’s why we have excessive flood water. Thus, we need to retard that water upstream to be used for irrigation and most especially control flooding.”, Singson said.

Instead of allowing all the water to flow downstream at a time, the strategy rather recommends to establish retard-ing basins that would temporarily hold the water for a time, put it into good use instead of having it flow at once and cause flooding in lowlands.

The official believed on this strategy as this has been applied in Fort Bonifa-cio when the place was converted into a developed area. This, too, according to Singson is proven effective in other ur-ban settings.

DPWH focuses on Davao City, look-ing at a river system that will have to integrate a river monitoring system with that of the PAG-ASA forecasts.

“ We will be creating a model to protect

the city from flooding by working together with Pag-asa. What we have now is just a rainfall forecasting but we also hope to come up with a flood forecast.”, he added.

As for the budget, DPWH relies on the convergence program of the national government involving the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Concerned agencies will all look into a river system and have it as reference for future programs.

Singson said the government could not afford to continuously experience flooding in the next five years as dam-age cost would definitely be higher than the cost of programs intended for these years. [PIA11/MAI GEvErA-MAcAPAGAT]

FROM 42% rice-sufficiency when she assumed office, Davao Orien-tal Governor Corazon Malanyaon

reported that the province is now 60% rice-sufficient, and it will not rest until the province reaches its goal of total rice self sufficiency. This she was in an interview with the diocesan radio sta-tion, DXHM-AM.

“I am reiterating my call to all the farmers in the province to plant rice so we can achieve our goal. We will see to it that we will not experience rice shortage ever again,” she said, adding that by ensuring a sufficient supply of rice, the province will no longer have to rely on outside sources.

To achieve the goal, the provincial government is looking at other areas for rice production, aside from the munici-palities of Lupon and Banaybanay which form the rice basket of the province.

The municipality of Cateel prom-ises to be the next most appropriate area for rice production. It is for this reason that Cateel has been chosen as the site of one of the biggest irrigation projects in the region which will soon be launched with Agriculture Secre-tary Proceso Alcala expected to wit-ness event,” Malanyaon said, explain-ing that the provincial government has to open other areas for rice production after a big piece of riceland in the mu-

nicipality of Banaybanay was bought by a foreign investor.

BizQuiPS‘IN Senate investigations,

some are brazen in their display of ignorance of the rules of court—that is a crime in itself!’

--Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago in a forum at the University of the Philippine College of Law

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

5OctOber 24-30, 2011 VOL. 4 NO. 34

EDGEDAVAOTHE BUSINESS PAPER

6 OctOber 24-30, 2011VOL. 4 NO. 34

prOperty forum

CAMELLA Northpoint remains to be the only condo community in

the city that allows its unit owners to enjoy all the bene-fits of condo living within the laid-back charm of a subdivi-sion setting.

This landmark Brit-ish colonial-themed condo development of Camella scores many benefits with its mid-rise buildings and pine-filled surroundings nestled in the heart of north Davao’s growth area.

Guaranteed security, privacy and exclusivity. Resi-dents of condo communities housed in multi-use buildings lose their sense of privacy be-cause of other people’s access to the common areas. This is true with high-rise condo buildings that house com-mercial establishments and business offices. The idea of sharing the lobby, entrance, exit, elevator, and parking with non-unit owners dilutes the sense of privacy and ex-clusivity of the condo com-munity.

While living in a condo next to a mall or commercial center may be convenient, unit owners can kiss privacy and exclusivity goodbye be-cause prying eyes will never be far away from their condo windows. Worse, their com-ings and goings can become fodder for those hanging out at the mall.

While Camella North-

point has a commercial area, it is outside the condo’s main gates and a reasonable dis-tance from the buildings. It will feature specialty shops, fine dining restaurants, a boutique hotel, and other lifestyle options that will en-hance the lives of the condo residents.

It also allows its resi-dents to enjoy privacy and exclusivity in the real sense of the word, with its 24/7 security bolstered by a state-of-the-art entry-exit system at the main gates, secure pe-rimeter fence, and CCTV.

Relief from the hustle and bustle. With the higher traffic of high-rise condo build-ings, it’s no wonder the hustle and bustle is just outside the door of unit owners. There is no gradual easing into the city’s commotion when going out of a condo home located right in the middle of the city’s hurly-burly.

While Camella North-point is located within the center of north Davao’s busi-ness and commercial district, it is tastefully tucked away from the city’s turmoil. Once residents enter the condo property, they are surround-ed by lush greenery and wide open spaces that dissipate noise from city traffic.

Its fresh and serene am-biance is enhanced by over P4 million worth of imported Caribbean pine trees that can grow to over a hundred feet

tall, making it a veritable pine estate, a refuge from the stresses of city life. Yet its location is quite close to all the modern conveniences and daily essentials everyone needs.

No jostling for elevator space. High–rise buildings over 12-storeys tall have a denser population that re-sults to over-crowding, ren-dering condo unit owners competing for elevator use. While the elevators navigate the many floors of a high-rise tower, unit owners will have to wait longer for it to reach their floor. With more people using the elevators, there’s lesser and tighter space for them.

Camella Northpoint of-fers low-rise advantage that high-rise condo buildings do not have. Its six-storey and 10-storey buildings are low- to mid-rise structures that house a population that is less dense, discouraging over-crowding. With lesser people, there are no long waits and no jostling for el-evator space.

Residents have the luxu-ry of a short ride up or down the elevators or can even take the wide, airy staircases to make their comings and goings as fast or as leisurely as they want it to be. To have this option is sweet, especial-ly during rush hours when al-most everybody has to leave for work at the same time.

Camella Northpoint’s mid-rise advantageCONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR

Qualifications:• Civil Engineer/Architect not over 35 years old.• Knowledgeable in the following:

o Building materials, their proper handling and storageo Construction and land developmento Interpreting architectural plans and sketching details for in-

structional purposeso Administration work involving the workplace, contractors and

employees as well as the conduct of meetings and preparation of reports

o Work job control measures to ensure the quality of construc-tion and their completion within timetable

• Fit and willing to work long hours to complete the project.

The contract or employment compensation is negotiable.

For interested applicants you may send your resume at ajsmelocoton@gmail.com, addressed to the HR MANAGER.

Feel free to contact Ms. Grace Fadriquela at Tel. No. (082) 234 2994, local 214 for further inquiries.

we are hiring

7

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

OctOber 24-30, 2011 VOL. 4 NO. 34

agritrends

THE coconut sugar firm in Bansalan, Davao del Sur is a role model of

the Department of Science and Technology’s flagship program on countryside de-velopment.

DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo commended the Lao Integrated Farms, Inc. based in Barangay Eman, Bansalan for bringing im-provements into the rural area of the province, using appropriate technology in-novations.

Montejo said the in-ventor and producer of the Donnabelle coconut sugar and syrup products made from coconut sap, epitomizes DOST’s countryside develop-ment program as an effec-tive and equitable strategy in realizing President Benigno Aquino’s goal for an inclusive economic growth.

He explained that coun-tryside development covers the program of developing appropriate technology, im-proving existing products to be world-class and generat-ing jobs around the area.

He said the enterprise “clearly exemplifies” this, cit-ing particularly the present employment that the firm has provided for the rural folk.

“The Lao Integrated Farms is a very, very good ex-ample,” he said, adding “It is a perfect model in the middle of the countryside helping people and creating world-class products.”

“We hope that the com-pany would allow itself to become a model of the pro-

DOST hails DavSur’s coco-sugar business

gram,” the DOST official said during his visit to the farm last week to see the impact of the DOST-assisted projects under the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Pro-gram (SETUP).

The DOST-SETUP pro-vided the Lao Integrated Farms financial assistance of P660,000 with no interest, payable in three years.

The amount was used to purchase a double jacketed steel pasteurizer and rotary dryer project which made improvements in the produc-tion process and the quality of coconut syrup in compli-ance with export market standards.

During the visit, farm

owner and chief executive of-ficer Benjamin Lao informed the DOST secretary on how the business had improved a lot from the time it started ten years ago from a barren land in Brgy. Eman.

Lao recalled that he started developing the one-hectare coconut farm and introduced organic farming. Today, Donnabelle coco sug-ar and syrup products are ex-ported to Australia, Germany and Japan.

The business has also expanded to other coco sug-ar-based products such as ginger tea, moringa, lemon grass and seasonings.

Lao said he had only seven workers prior to the

DOST assistance. The com-pany now has a workforce of 86 toddy suppliers and 35 regular employees.

He plans employing 50 additional workers when he expands the business to Japan by the last quarter of 2012.

Lao is a national award-ee as Outstanding Farmer and Magsasakang Syentista. The provincial government also recognized Lao for his exceptional contribution not only in improving the agri-culture sector, but also in up-lifting agri-entrepreneurship through his invention and production of the coconut sugar/syrup. [PIA-11/cArINA L. cAyoN]

“IT would normally cost a farmer or an establishment a

whooping, P100,000 but now , the Department of Agriculture (DA) is giving a 100 percent subsidy for or-ganic farming certification fees.”

This was bared by Or-ganic Agriculture regional focal person, Dominador Dizo, during the briefing and orientation on the Or-ganic Agriculture Act con-ducted recently at the Gov-ernment Center, Mankilam, Tagum City.

However, Dizo cau-tioned organic agriculture practitioners not to be hasty in availing of this incentive.

Before you apply for certification, be sure you have satisfied all the re-

quirements, because there is a provision attached to this offer, stating that, in case the establishment or farm fails the certification process, it shall reimburse all the expenses incurred by the certifying group,” Dizo said.

Other salient provisions of the Organic Agriculture Act or RA 10068 which was signed into law on April 6, 2010 and published in na-tional broadsheets on June 18, 2010, are the following: creation of the National Organic Agriculture Board (NOAB); creation of a Lo-cal Technical Committee for Organic Agriculture, which shall be headed by the local chief executive; accredita-tion of organic agriculture certifying body; registra-

tion of organic food and in-puts producers; labelling of organic produce; incorpora-tion of organic agriculture in formal and non-formal education; incentives; and penal provisions, among others;

Dizo said the NOAB shall be composed of rep-resentatives from the de-partments of: Agriculture; Interior and Local Govern-ment; Environment and Natural Resources; Agrar-ian Reform; Science and Technology; Education; and Health. Small farm-ers are also given three slots in the Board, and one representative each from non-government organiza-tions, the academe and the private or business sector. [AGGIE MEdIA SErvIcE]

Free certification made availablefor organic farms, products - DA

THE Department of Ag-riculture (DA) has out-lined strategies to con-

trol fusarium wilt, a destruc-tive fungal disease reportedly ravaging banana plantations in Mindanao.

Regional director Oscar Parawan said his office is cur-rently working with private companies and local govern-ment units (LGUs) to save the local banana industry.

Fusarium wilt which is also known as Panama dis-ease, since it was first discov-

ered there, is one of the most destructive plant diseases. It is a soil-borne fungus that at-tacks the banana plant’s vas-cular system and obstructs the uptake of water and soil nutrients resulting to wilting and death of the pants.

Parawan said the DA through its High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) has already orga-nized a task force that will work on implementation of quarantine measures and in-formation drive.

“The task force is a composite team from na-tional and local govern-ment as well as from the private sector, particularly the PBGEA [Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters As-sociation] and MBGEA [Mindanao Banana Grow-ers and Exporters Associa-tion],” he said adding:

“Mapping and surveil-lance of severely affected areas is going on to identify and assess the extent of the damage.”

Strategies vs banana disease set

THE barangay of Las Amigos in Mintal dis-trict of this City will be

celebrating their Pantatan Festival on October 25-28.

The festival’s name is derived from Pantat the na-tive word for catfish which is the prime aquatic produce of this highland barangay.

According to Angelico Santander, barangay captain of Los Amigos, there are 36 registered fishponds in the area. These registered fish-ponds belong to the group Los Amigos Aquaculture Produc-ers Organization Incorporated.

He said the registered ponds net an average of 1,500 kilos of fishes a day or about 547,000 kilos annu-ally. An equal number are es-timated to be produced from non-member ponds.

Aside from fishponds the barangay is also known for pantatan or hitoan, food es-tablishments serving catfish. Santander says that there are at least 17hitoan eateries which line the highway tra-versing the barangay.

He says that Los Amigos catfish has become famous not just in Davao but also across the country being one of the tastiest. Santander re-call that then Agriculture Sec-retary Arthur Yap during his visit to Los Amigos declared that among the hito he tasted from across the country, the fishes in Los Amigo is among the best-tasting.

Los Amigos celebrates catfish fest

THE provincial govern-ment of Davao Orien-tal—through the Provin-

cial Agriculture Office, held what in called a Corn Harvest Festival in Barangay Bobon, Mati City where 52 farmer co-operators benefited from the 1.8 million pesos worth of corn production from what was dubbed “Davao Oriental Corn Enhancement Project” under the Pagkain at Kita program, a brainchild of the Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon.

The first cycle alone had a total corn production of 50 metric tons of white corn and 136 metric tons of yellow corn from the 59-hectare area. The figures, however, are projected to increase as the agriculture sector remains determined to double its production in the second cycle.

Rotchie M. Ravelo, tech-nical assistant to Pagkain at Kita Program was clearly elat-ed, saying that this year’s big-gest area in the entire city of Mati in terms of corn produc-tion is in Barangay Bobon.

Fifty-nine hectares was harvested out of the total 110 hectares established corn proj-ect site, 20 hectares of which were planted to the white corn variety and 39 hectares to the yellow variety.

The shelled white corn were valued at 13 pesos per kilo and the yellow corn at 9 pesos per kilo.

Ravelo added that the in-come would have been much higher if the produce was sold at higher cost.

“We will study how to balance the price so that we can compete with the market price,” said Malanyaon.

The provincial govern-ment is thinking of selling the

produce outside the province, a marketing strategy that is guaranteed to get a better price, thus increasing the local farmers’.

“For marketing support, the government bought a hauling truck (Forward truck) for P950,000 for transporting corn to Tagum City where it can be sold at a higher price,” Ravelo said.

Moreover, a new farm tractor worth 2.4 million pe-sos was bought through a counterpart scheme between the provincial government which granted 1.2 million pesos and the Department of Agriculture allotting 1.2 mil-lion pesos. “This only proves how strong the commitment of our government is to pro-vide our people with a better life,” said Ravelo, who added that the income generated per hectare from white corn alone has reached P30,000.00 and P35,000.00 for the yellow corn. The 1.8 million total val-ue of production (1,228,500 pesos for the yellow corn and 600,000 pesos on the white corn) has encouraged more corn farmers to further boost their production.

To realize this project, the provincial government has subsidized 800,000 pe-sos as counterpart of the 1.2 million-budget allotted. This includes trainings and semi-nars for the farmers, farming inputs such as corn seeds and fertilizers, as well as the pro-vision of the tractor. The city government of Mati, the ba-rangay LGU, and the cooper-ators themselves will contin-ue to support to the programs of the provincial government in its thrust of advancing the agriculture sector.

P1.8-million profitfrom corn farming

THE provincial agriculture office (Pagro of Davao del Norte is preparing

to wage a massive early detec-tion and prevention campaign against the proliferation of Fu-sarium wilt known as Panama disease.

In an interview, Pagro chief Dominador Encarnacion said his office is set to conduct an information and education campaign to let the public know more about the fungal infestation that is beginning to spread in banana plantations of the province.

During the campaign, Pagro will also warn banana growers against allowing farm animals such as chicken and pigs among others, to roam around their plantations as

they are liable to spread the fungus.

Encarnacion said the Fu-sarium wilt is a soil borne-fun-gus which could have already been present in local banana plantations and was spread by the frequent flashfloods in pre-vious months.

Encarnacion said about 50.4 hectares of banana plan-tations in Davao del Norte have been found infested with Fusarium wilt.

The most affected areas are in New Corella where more than 30 hectares of cav-endish banana plantations were found with Fusarium, so with 17 hectares in Sto. Tomas. There are 17,000 hect-ares of banana plantations in the entire province..

DavNorte joins fightvs  Panama disease

BizQuiPS‘THErE is a possibility of

a gold rush, because gold is the safest commodity right now. But we have to manage our resources well..this is not the kind of mining we want to encourage.’

--Environment Secretary Ramon Paje on the resurgence of mining in Mt. Diwata due to high price of gold.

EDGEDAVAOTHE BUSINESS PAPER

8 OctOber 24-30, 2011VOL. 4 NO. 34

After gadhafi, what?EDITOrIal

LIBYANS celebrated last week’s capture and subsequent execution of Moammar Gadhafi who was

Libya’s brutal dictator for more than 40 years.

In the early days of his reign, Gadhafi was openly supporting rebel movements in many countries, including reportedly the Moro National Liberation Front of Dr. Nur Misuari in the Philippines. He would openly say then that he intented to export the revolution, through which he rose to power as a firebrand and young agent provocateur.

Gadhafi later hosted the peace talks between the Philippine government and Misuari’s group which resulted in the so-called Tripoli Agreement in 1974.

At the height of his rule, he was linked to numerous acts of terrorism directed against the United States of America and its allies.

Despite his villainous rule as dictator and his murderous reactions against those who opposed him, the civilized world is now clamoring for an investigation into the circumstances

surrounding his death. Initial reports and television grab indicate that he was still alive when captured but was lynched like an ordinary felon an hour after. At least one of his sons suffered a similar fate in the hands of euphoric rebels on the rampage.

With Gadhafi’s sudden albeit ignominious death, the world is spared of a long spectacular trial of the late dictator for crimes against humanity. But was it right to kill him like a subjudicated mad dog, without trial?

The hunt for the late strongman’s mind-boggling wealth secretly stashed in some banks in different parts of the world has likewise begun. One early television account has it that Gadhafi’s deposits are in the vicinity of more than 200 billion US dollars.

Now, there is also the question of the future of a post-Gadhafi Libya. Who are going to be the leaders? There is a worrisome perception that some of the anti-Gadhafi leaders have links to the dreaded Al Qaeda.

Looking at the big picture, after Gadhafi who’s the next dictator to fall?

Vantage PoInts

BizQuiPS

I WAS driving in Quezon City when I encountered an apparition that is

common in Davao but rare-ly seen in Manila’s major thoroughfares: a trisiboat. With the streets typically congested to road rage-in-ducing levels, trisiboats are not normally found head to head with other vehicles in QC. But there it was, inch-ing its way slowly ahead of my car as I moved forward with the green light, stall-ing my progress and forc-ing me to reduce speed to 10 KPH, until we were both in the middle of the inter-section as the light turned orange. Then I heard a whistle from an MMDA en-forcer. Being a law-abiding citizen, I complied with the enforcer’s hand signals and pulled over, while the trisi-boat went its slow and mer-ry way. I asked the enforcer what my offense was, and he replied that I was going too slow and delaying other vehicles as a consequence. I politely pointed out that the reason for my turtle speed was the trisiboat that cut me off as I was moving forward, and why wasn’t its driver arrested? The enforc-er told me that he couldn’t stop the trisiboat, because it was not registered and therefore, no sanctions could be placed on it.

I was dumbfounded. Here I was -a polite, law-abider driving a registered vehicle with a valid driver’s license, a taxpayer who had fully paid a year’s worth of road taxes - and I was being unjustly punished because a trisiboat had cut me off.

Such occurrences may be rare in Manila, but not in Davao. Here, my daily drives will always include a close encounter with trisi-boats, trisikads, tricycles, a payong-payong and all forms of slow motorized and non-motorized convey-ances that transport people, animals, vegetables, scrap metal, eggs, gasul tanks, beds and sofas and the kitchen sink - and trailing behind them, a long line of vehicles driven by flab-bergasted motorists whose pace is being dictated by an oversized rolling junk.

The trisiboat problem

is like a large tumor that indicates a cancer lurking beneath. It is an indicator of poor governance. More than a traffic problem, it is an indicator of a system that allows people with the audacity and impunity to ignore rules, while the law-abiding suffer.

I used to rant that these pseudo-vehicles should be totally banned from Davao. But some local officials tell me banning them will deprive Davao’s poor of a means of livelihood. Giv-en this humane argument then, how to solve the trisi-boat problem? The answer is to regulate them.

First, require registra-tion. Unregistered trikes must be impounded.The city government can deter-mine a fair rate for registra-tion - one that inculcates a sense of responsibility and accountability.

Second, regulation. I believe such modes of transport have no place on national and major roads and the downtown area. These conveyances are re-dundant when jeepneys ply their route. They should only be an option within and to and from residential areas where public trans-port is absent.

Third, standardization. This means strict guide-lines on how they should look (e.g. color-coding for those plying a specific, offi-cial route, including assign-ing body numbers for easy monitoring), how many passengers they are allowed to carry (for safety’s sake) and maybe even a uniform for its drivers (to give them some dignity while they pursue a living, not just a pathetic excuse for liveli-hood).

I am looking forward to the day when trisiboats and their pesky cousins shall have found their rightful place - a place that respects my rights as a motorist, and where Davao City will not allow them to multiply to the point of being a nui-sance. Only then will I be able to say with pride that, indeed, Life Is Here!

Please send your reac-tions to nic_agustin@yahoo.com.

solving the trisiboat problem

‘THESE are just some of the many more charges we are going to file against those who violate the law. There will ne no sacred cows at the bureau under my watch.’

--Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

9OctOber 24-30, 2011 VOL. 4 NO. 34

THE ambush by some 80 Moro Islamic Lib-eration Force (MILF)

of 41 Philippine Army sol-diers in Al-Barka, Basilan last week that killed 19 of the troopers and wounded many more of their com-rades was not the first, nor will it be the last, bloody encounter with the armed groups like the MILF, er-cetera.

Nor is it true that the army troopers initiated the attack as alleged by the MILF leadership, by way of washing its hands off the murder, which it was, plain and simple. It is highly illogical for a 41-man army group to attack an MILF-controlled area. It’s like “walking into the tiger’s den” as the saying goes. In situations like that, an attacking force would certainly consist of a large number of heavily armed men, supported by artillery, armored cars and helicop-ter gunships as in the case of the successful attack on the MILF’s Camp Abuba-kar during the administra-tion of President Joseph

Estrada. That certainly was not the case in the Basilan clash last week. The gov-ernment troopers belonging to a Special Force were in Al-Barka to arrest a certain Dan Asnawi, allegedly an MILF member who had a warrant on him for having participated in the behead-ing of Philippine Marines in Basilan some years back. He had been captured but subsequently escaped from detention along with two dozen other detainees.

What could have hap-pened was probably a mis-take on the part of the Army commander of the 41-man Special Forces unit for ven-turing mindlessly into un-known territory without thinking of the consequenc-es. They were too trusting.

The latest Al-Barka ca-per has raised the hackles of many Filipinos who are averse to the unnecessary spilling of blood. Some of them even threaten to de-rail the undergoing peace process between the MILF and the government, with a good number of people asking for the suspension of the peace talks, an under-standable knee-jerk reac-tion. Still some others are calling for an all-out war with the MILF whose lead-ership has been flaunting the MILF’s growing arsenal of arms and men—11,000 as of last count (“their” count, that is) by way of bragging rights.

How a self-respecting republic can countenance having heavily armed pri-

vate armies within its bor-ders is beyond me. Past ad-ministrations are to blame for tolerating this anomaly, more for political reasons than anything else. Today they have grown into un-wieldy, threatening armed forces that have been test-ing the government’s re-solve to control them.

While we don’t believe it is necessary, despite what has happened many times in the past, to resort to an all-out war against the MILF, still there is a need for the government to reas-sert its sovereignty over a place like Al-Barka, nay, the whole of Basilan itself, by throwing the full might of its military to confront the armed renegades over there and restore order once and for all on an island province over which the Philippine flag flies.

Is the Aquino admin-istration ready, able, and willing to prove it has self-respect by doing what needs to be done to rid that island province of its lawless elements? Tama na, sobra na!

‘cErTAINLy, no government in its right mind should give away for free its natural resources to private business enterprises, local or foreign, amidst widespread poverty among its people.’

--Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio

‘HE made a business out of the elections. (He debased the elections). Now, when his benefactors are no longer in power, he’s suddenly coming out like he’s a hero. He should go to jail.

‘I knew his handler back then. He had no money. He just wanted to help the opposition. The other side learned about the plan and offered a big amount to Moner. That’s why when he appeared with a signed affidavit at the Senate then, he denied everything.’

--Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada

EDITORIALEditor In Chief | Antonio M. AjeroAssociate Editor | Gregorio G. DeligeroEditorial Consultant | Ramon M. MaxeySection Heads | lifestyle | Kenneth Irving K. Ong sports | Moses P. BillacuraStaff Writers | Maria Teresa UngsonCartoonist | Arlene D. Pasaje Columnists | Alex C. Roldan • Aurelio A. Peña • Nicasio

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Photos | Joseph Lawrence P. GarciaPre Press | Alven Flordelis

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vantage PoInts

BizQuiPS

fACe off on former shariah Judge Nagamura Moner

‘THErE’S a saying that it takes a thief to catch a thief. It’s difficult to get an angel for a witness, who has personal knowledge of all the evils committed. He cannot expect to get a perfect witness, who would speak on wrongdoing committed in the past.’

--Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero

tama na, sobra na!

Pontius Pilate and politicians are soulmates (?)

A NUMBER of spe-cial days were given global or worldwide

emphasis in September and October namely, World Teachers Day (Sept. 10), World Bread Day (Oct. 11), International Day of Non-violence (Oct. 2), Global Handwashing Day (Oct. 15) and United Nations Day (Oct. 24).

UN Day has been ob-served for more than six decades without fail and with much fanfare because it is the founding day of the world body. That’s under-standable.

All of these interna-tional days have their own unique significance and im-portance. For the moment, however, our main talking point is handwashing day, the latest and least known of global days which started only three years ago.

Although washing of hands is an ordinary com-mon and simple activity, I found it quite intrigu-ing, albeit, trivial, because of its biblical implication. But health authorities say that observing this day will stress the importance of good and correct health habit which will serve as a preventive measure against sickness and diseases. Cel-ebrating the day is worth our time and thoughts, they add. I have no quarrel with that. After all, health is wealth.

The term washing of the hands reminds us of that encounter between Je-sus of Nazareth and Pontius Pilate, Roman Procurator of Judea in the year 29 A.D.

The Jews accused Jesus of being revolutionary and an enemy of Rome. After his arrest, he was brought before Pilate for trial. Af-ter some questions about His character ( which Jesus refused to answer) Pilate declared Jesus innocent of the charges, and drama-tized his verdict by wash-ing his hands, saying that he had nothing to do with the blood of an innocent man. Then he endorsed Je-sus to the crowd. And we all know what happened to Jesus.

Pilate washed his hands of responsibility for the death of Jesus. He did

so for fear of negative pub-lic opinion because he was concerned about his politi-cal future.

That was probably the first handwashing day in the world. And Pilate start-ed it all.

Speaking further of washing the hands, our politicians and government officials are experts at it. They have that rare talent of washing their hands of responsibility for bungled jobs, shady deals, scams and all sorts of anomalies involving the money of the people.

In fact, they have de-veloped handwashing into an art. They wash their hands not with soap and water, but with bogus inno-cence and pompous rheto-ric. Their trademark or standard statement is: “My conscience is clear.” (But their hands are not. COA sees their fingers dipping into the government cookie jar)

Remember the Luneta hostage crisis not too long ago? Eight Chinese tour-ists died as a result of in-competent handling of the rescue operation. All those assigned to resolve the cri-sis washed their hands of any responsibility. They chorused they were not to blame. The Aquino bright boys were not man enough to accept or won collective blame for the failed opera-tion.

HISTORICAL NOTE: Pontius Pilate served as procurator of Judea for 10 years. His job was to keep the peace and dispense Ro-man justice in Judea. He was ousted because of a massacre of Samaritans in Samaria. He was said to have embraced Christian-ity together with his wife Procula. Believe it or not, they are now both revered as saints by the Catholic Coptic Church, a native-Egyptian Christian church now known as Orthodox Church.

This is just a sugges-tion: Maybe our politicians should honor Pontius Pilate as their patron saint. They have one wishy-washy thing in common. Besides, they are probably soulmates.

ooOoo

EDGEDAVAOTHE BUSINESS PAPER

10 OctOber 24-30, 2011VOL. 4 NO. 34

cOmpetitiVe edge

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources

11 is confident it will meet its 2011 target for the Na-tional Greening Program.

Alfredo Zarasate DENR 11 Forestry Re-sources Management Divi-sion chief said that of the 5,504 hectares replanting target in the region under this year’s NGP they have already covered 4,952 hectares or 83% of the tar-get.

“With still three months to go, we are confident of hitting the target.” Zarasate said.

About 2.2 million seedlings, mostly forestry and agro-forestry species, have been planted of the target of 2.7 million for 2011.

Most of the areas tar-geted for reforestation are Community-Based Forest-ry Management (CBFM) areas. Most of the species

planted were coffee, cacao, abaca, rubber, mahogany and narra which were re-quested by the CBFM ben-eficiaries.

The planters consist-ed mainly of CBFM ben-eficiaries and other vol-unteers, mostly students, government employees and private entities which have also adopted replant-ing sites.

Zarasate said that for 2012 the target will be about 9,500 hectares and, aside from CBFM areas, the NGP will also cover an-cestral domains and pro-tected areas.

He said the seedlings are still sourced from the DENR clonal nursery in Tagum City which sup-plies about 80% of the seedling needs while the rest are sourced from the CBFM beneficiaries who have been tapped to look for other seedling sources. [PIA 11/rG ALAMA]

DENR on target for NGP coverage

PHOENIX Petroleum Philippines’s TV com-mercial ‘The Journey’

bagged the award for Best TV Ad-Branded under the ad-vertising category in the 33rd Catholic Mass Media Awards Night held on October 19, 2011 at the San Carlos Semi-nary Auditorium in Edsa, Guadalupe, Makati City.

The CMMA annually recognizes and honors the best values-oriented works in radio, print, television, cin-ema, music, and advertising. It is considered one of the most prestigious and credible award-giving bodies in the country.

The award is Phoenix Pe-troleum’s first CMMA recogni-tion.

The first corporate TV advertisement of Phoenix il-lustrates how far a man would go to be with his family, and the company that brings him there. It is a touching story of love for family, a moving story of a man in a long, hard jour-ney and the faith that over-comes distance.

It was launched early this year for the company’s “Ikaw, Anong Trip Mo?” campaign.

CMMA’s criteria for judg-ing are based on the late Pope John Paul II’s Ethics in Me-dia and the document of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II). It in-cludes: love for God, love for truth, respect for natural en-vironment, promotion of posi-tive Filipino values, and love for family and life.

The Catholic Mass Media Awards was organized in 1978 through the Archdiocese of Manila by His Eminence Arch-bishop Jaime Cardinal L. Sin. For years, it has been receiving thousands of entries from all over the country.

Phoenix Petroleum Phil-ippines is the fastest grow-ing independent oil company today with an expanding network of operations nation-wide. It is engaged in the busi-ness of trading refined petro-leum products and lubricants, operation of oil depots and storage facilities, and allied services.

Phoenix Petroleum wins Best TV Ad in 2011 Catholic Mass Media Awards

LAST October 14, SM City Davao with part-ners from Department

of Health, World Health Organization, UNICEF and Unilever joined the rest of the world in promoting chil-dren’s health through prop-er hand washing with soap.

This is SM Davao’s third year in joining the cause. The celebration was done simultaneously across 41 SM Supermalls nation-wide as part of SM Cares Committee on Children’s Welfare.

At SM City Davao, the celebration was supported

by the local government of Davao through the Office of the City Mayor represented by Sanitation Inspector Cur-tis Lazarraga, City Health Office, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protec-tion and Girl Scouts of the Philippines.

Pre-schoolers from Begin-nings Child Care Center, Circu-lar Homes and Project Hope of SIR Matina participated in the celebration of the Global Hand Washing Day.

In her opening remarks, mall manager Lynette Lopez shares “…the responsibility to care for people is not just

a task of one, but of many. We know as we collabo-rate shared efforts towards a common goal we will achieve our objectives not only for the future genera-tions but in our own. There must be a conscious effort by all to care for the health of one another. And since we would not be here if not for our customers, our part-ners, we hope to give back, reach out and help educate children because SM Cares.”

SM City Davao joins globalcampaign for hand washing

A PLANNED two-sto-rey facility inside the Davao del Sur Provin-

cial Hospital compound will house maternal health ser-vices and facilities.

The first phase of con-struction will include rooms for X-ray, ultrasound, emer-gency, nursery and central supply.

The second floor of the building will accommodate the obstetrics-gynecology wards.

The Department of Health central office re-leased the first tranche of the funding that amounts to P60 million through the Health Facility Enhancement Pro-gram (HFEP).

The remaining P103 million will be released after the first phase project has been completed. This project is expected to be finished by December next year.

The hospital has a 170 bed-capacity that caters to

pregnant women to avail of obstetrical service.

It intends to put up 80 additional beds, hopefully towards the last quarter of 2014 or first quarter of 2015.

Two OB-Gyne consul-tants will be hired to ensure better maternal health care and services.

Provincial health officer Dr. Azucena Milana-Dayang-hirang said maternal health services should be strength-ened to reduce the maternal mortality rate.

Governor Douglas Ca-gas has been supporting this cause and is closely working with the Provincial Health Office for the upgrading of hospital facilities to provide better service to his constitu-ents.

Only recently, regional director Dr. Teogenes Balu-ma of the DOH-Region 11 Center for Health Develop-ment turned over a check amounting to P44.5 million

to the governor for the imple-mentation of hospital infra-structure upgrading project.

The amount represents 50 percent of the whole DOH funding of P89 million for Davao del Sur which also covers other hospital recipi-ents such as Gregorio Matas District Hospital, Malita Dis-trict Hospital, Tomas Lachica District Hospital and Saran-gani Municipal Hospital.

Joining the health force are Rural Health Units and Barangay Health Stations to work hand in hand in the cre-ation and promotion of safe birthing facilities in the munic-ipalities of Jose Abad Santos, Kiblawan, Padada, Magsay-say, Hagonoy and Sarangani.

The remaining local government units will be given a budget allocation in the coming days. This project is aimed at targetting the Mil-lennium Development Goals towards 2015. [PIo-dAvSur/NILdA S. ANIñoN]

Maternal health facility to riseat DavSur provincial hospital

A PHOTO of a group of Ata tribal elders and leaders being inter-

viewed for a documenta-tion on Testimony of Elders emerged as first place winner in the national photo con-test in connecton with the 2011 Philippine Civil Service Anniversary (PCSA).

The winning photo taken in Panubaran, Sitio Pamantawan, Barangay Malabog, Paquibato district, Davao City was submitted by Lyn A. Balanza, a staff of the National Commission on

Indigenous People (NCIP) in the region.

In a simple ceremony held in last week’s Monday convocation at the NCIP re-gional office, Civil Service Commission 11 regional director Atty. Annabelle B. Rosell awarded a certificate and cash prize of P10,000 to NCIP-11.

NCIP-11 representa-tive Engr. Elvie Jabines, who was featured in the winning photo as the interviewee, received the certificate and cash prize of the 2011 PCSA

“Give It Your Best Shot” pho-tography contest.

The agency’s acting re-gional director Leonor O. Quintayo and its division chiefs and employees witnessed the awarding ceremony.

The documentation on the Testimony of Elders is one of the mandatory activi-ties of the Social Preparation Phase in the application for a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) as per NCIP Administrative Order No. 1, Series of 2008. [NcIP-11/ALMA vILLArEAL]

NCIP 11 wins Civil Servicenational photo competition

BizQuiPS‘I think that’s a good offer from them but

I don’t think at this point in time it would be in the best interest of the people if the government were to re-run Petron – at least as far as refinery operations are concerned.’

--President Noynoy Aquino

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A TOTAL of 88 parent leaders from the 12 LGU-beneficiaries

of the Pantawid Pamily-ang Pilippino Program at-tended the assembly con-ducted by the provincial government of Cotabato last October 10-12, 2011 in Kidapawan City.

The forum served as a venue for the Parent Leaders to identify gaps, issues and concerns con-fronting the implementa-tion of the 4Ps program. They were also oriented on the Compliance Veri-fication System (CVS), Grievance Redress Sys-tem (GRS), Supply Side Assessment (SSA) and Beneficiary Update Sys-tem (BUS) as well as lead-ership and teamwork.

Of the issues dis-cussed, the BUS was perceived to be the most controversial where sev-eral questions were by the parent leaders.

Most of the parent leaders who attended the forum were mothers, an indication of gender equality and empower-ment of women proving to society that mothers also have capabilities to successfully lead groups.

The province has a total of 41,320 house-hold-beneficiaries among whom clusters were formed, each cluster chose a parent leader. Today, there are 1,489 organized parent groups.

These parent leaders lead their groups in all meetings, develop rap-port with the members of the assembly; follow up and monitor the at-tendance of household grantees in the communi-ty assemblies and family development education sessions; follow up and conduct home visits to households grantees who have not been attending

the community assembly and disseminate informa-tion to household benefi-ciaries.

With the crucial func-tions of the parent lead-ers in the implementation of the Program, Panta-wid Pamilya, the forum helped them strengthen their roles and equipped them to be more effective as partners in the imple-mentation.

“The provincial gov-ernment is strongly push-ing for efficient and ef-fective implementation of the program since this is the biggest single instru-ment of the government to improve the human capital,” said Gov. Em-mylou “Lala” Taliño-Men-doza.

“Let’s not put to waste the government’s money. We should see to it that the program served its purpose,” she said. [Edv]

Parent leaders attend assembly

PHILIPPINE Ports Au-thority (PPA) formally launched the Interna-

tional Organization for Stan-dardization (ISO) Quality Management System (QMS) for the Port of Davao with the Facilitation of Vessel En-trance and Clearance (VEC) as its core business process here last October 17, 2011.

VEC, a frontline service of the PPA entail four (4) core procedures, namely, 1) Entrance Formalities; 2) As-sessment of Vessel Charges; 3) Collection of Charges (for both computerized and non-computerized ports) and; 4) Departure Clearance.

Said procedures as em-bodied in the Quality Proce-dures Manual shall be imple-mented in the next three months before the respective internal and external audits.

QMS refers to the or-ganizational structure, re-sponsibilities, procedures, processes and resources to implement a service or come up with a product.

Once the manualized processes are operationalized and enforcement is perfected based on the standards au-dits, the Port of Davao (also known as Sasa Wharf) will eventually be qualified to ap-ply for an ISO 9001-2008 ac-creditation.

“After several months of tedious work, I am very

pleased to announce that Davao is finally ready to be an ISO-compliant port,” Port District Manager and concur-rent PMO-Davao Port Man-ager Atty. Christian V. San-tillan said during his inspi-rational message at the QMS launching.

PPA General Manager Atty. Juan C. Sta. Ana, in a taped message, conveyed his congratulatory message-cum-challenge for the PMO-Davao to consistently improve its frontline services in order to fully realize its certification from the ISO within the set schedule.

Acting Port Operations Services Department Man-ager of the PPA Head Office Roberto Aquino, who pre-sented the QMS VEC Project Overview, likewise imparted the crucial timeline to be ob-served within the next five months for the timely compli-ance with the requirements for the full accreditation from an ISO certifying body for years 2012 to 2016.

Representatives from both the private and public sector who serve as partners in the VEC include the Amer-ican President Lines (APL), Bureau of Customs (BOC), Davao Pilots Association, Inc. (DPAI), Davao Integrated Port Stevedoring Services Corp. (DIPSSCOR), Filipi-nas Port Services, Inc. (FIL-

PORT), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Phil-ippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine Liner Shipping Association (PLSA) were in attendance during the QMS project launch.

The mandate to pursue QMS ISO accreditation stems from the national directive through Executive Order No. 605 issued by the then Presi-dent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pushing for the Government Quality Management Pro-gram (GQMP). It is aimed at debureaucratizing workflow and simplifying frontline ser-vices for the public as well as enhancing national competi-tiveness to be at par with inter-national counterparts.

To heed such call, PPA revised its corporate vision which was formerly pegged at year 2010 focusing on meeting international stan-dards on port services and facilities into: “By 2030, cus-tomers doing business in our ports shall experience full and sustained productivity, efficiency, comfort, connec-tivity, safety and security.”

PMO-Davao also took the QMS VEC project launch-ing as an opportunity to reveal PPA’s newly-crafted vision to the public by a cere-monial unveiling of a marker engraving said vision as well as the Authority’s mission statement. [PPA]

ISO-QMS jumpstarts in Davao Port as PPA casts new vision

Put on those eye-patches and grab those jagged swords as Eden Nature Park and Resort takes you to a swashbuck-ling adventure at “Aye! Aye! Halloween” on October 31, 2011.

Be in your best Jack Sparrow and other pirate-inspired outfits, or show off your favorite sea animal or mythical sea creature cos-tumes. Head to Eden Nature Park and have the mari-TIME of your life! Fun Halloween games, exciting prizes and a tsunami of SEA-prises are in store for all pirates and guests to the party.

Take advantage of Eden Nature Park’s Halloween overnight packages, available for as low as PhP 1,500 (per hut on Campsite 1, good for 5 persons) with free ticket to the Halloween party.

Halloween overnight packages inclusive of free ticket to the Halloween par-ty, dinner, breakfast, use of swimming pool and entrance to the Fishing Village are also available for as low as PhP 1,902 (Aster room, twin shar-ing).

Halloween party tickets with dinner are also available for only PhP 530 (adult)/ PhP 430 (4-10 years old)/ PhP 200 (0-3 years old). Par-ty starts at 5:00 PM.

Anchors away! It’s the ul-timate pirate adventure only at Eden Nature Park and Re-sort…Naturally! Make your reservations now - call tel. nos. 299.0313/299.1020/ 296.0791, mobile no. 918.930.7590, email info@edennaturepark.com.ph, or visit the website at www.edennaturepark.com.ph.

Pirate-themed Halloweenset at Eden Nature ParkGET ready to sail the

Seven Seas and hunt for hidden treasures.

BizQuiPS‘AS a general rule, we are

doing what we can to try to improve the business climate. The World Bank study indicates we still have some work to do on this. But investors can rest assured that we’re working on it.’

--Secretary Ricky Carandang of the Presidential Communications Ddvelopment and Strategic Planning Office.

EDGEDAVAOTHE BUSINESS PAPER

12 OctOber 24-30, 2011VOL. 4 NO. 34

weekly winners

october 14 Mildred Ilognon Raquiel N. Lagrama Lyza D. Uayan Anne T. Langbid

october 15Clara Aurelio Elmar Doctoka Frances Mariel M. Paulin Melvin P. Asumbrado

october 16Neila Batucan Sylvia Salarza Minda T. Somosot Manuel U. Chu

october 17Alvin T. Teves Roy O. Donesa Carmi C. Duarte Jane J. Dela torre

october 18Merlina M. Tan Catherine Z. Demandante Gemma Tiu Leo Montalban

october 19Josephine Manliguez Welinda Elorde Fredie A. Te Glory bee D. Delos Reyes

republic of the PhilippinesreGIONAL trIAL cOUrt

11th Judicial regionbranch 16Davao city

SP.PROC. NO. 11,546-11

IN re: PetItION FOr cOrrectION OF eNtrY IN tHe certIFIcAte OF LIVe bIrtH OF AILeeN PArAcUeLLeS cAbALLerO IN tHe LOcAL cIVIL reGIStrAr OF DAVAO cItY AILEEN PARACUELLESPetitioner

versus-

THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF DAVAOrespondent

x----------------------------------------------------xORDER

Acting on the verified amended petition filed by petitioner through cousel in which it is prayed of this Honorable court that the certificate of Live of the Petitioner be corrected particularly Item No. (2) thereof from Male to Female which is the correct sex/gender of the Petitioner.

Finding the said petition to be sufficient in form and in substance, it is hereby ordered that said petition be set for hearing on November 25, 2011 at 8:30 A.M. on which date, time and place, all persons whoare interested may appear and show cause if any, why said petition should not be granted.

Let a copy of this Order be published in a newspaper of general circula-tion at least once a week for three (3) consecutive issues at theexpense of the petitioner.

the Local civil registrar, Davao city and the Assistant city Prosecutor are cited to appear on said date of hearing, in order to show cause, if any, why said petition should not be granted.

SO OrDereD. Davao city, Philippines, September 27, 2011

(SGD) EMMANUEL C. CARPIO Presiding Judge

Serve on:Office of the Solicitor GeneralPros. Victoriano M. BelloOffice of the Civil Registrar, D.C.Atty. Gerardo C. OlaguerOffice of the Clerk of Court-RTC, Davao CityPetitioner-c/o Atty. Gerardo C. Olaguer

ict hub

october 20Maria Editha C. Monje Maria Chona T. Cañesares Erwin. C. Ruales Gemma de Jesus Piculados

october 21 Vilma Cidro Perpetua R. Resada Rosemarie Jaucian Joseph C. Liwaliw

THE Philippine PC mar-ket is surging, posting record numbers in unit

shipments for the second quarter of this year. Accord-ing to a study from market data provider IDC, the coun-try received 465,000 units (190,000 desktops/ 274,000 portable), which amounts to a 30 percent increase year-on-year.

The higher ship-in commitment from vendors is mostly attributed to the popularity of entry-level 14-inch notebooks. According to IDC’s Asia/Pacific Quarterly Tracker, the 13+-inch note-book segment experienced a 35 percent quarter-over-quarter increase. This is in contrast to the numbers for mini-notebooks.

The market segment, which has been in decline in spite of cheap prices, experi-enced an 8 percent drop for the quarter. “With the rise of media tablets and smart-phones, competition in the secondary IT device is heating up and this is also affecting the demand for mini notebooks,” said Ng Juan Jin, the market analyst for personal system re-search at IDC Asean.

The smaller price gap between netbooks and note-books have caused consum-ers to migrate towards full-featured portable PCs. “Dis-cerning home users are now willing to spend on larger form factors, which provide more bang for the buck.” Juan Jin added.

BPOs also contributed

PHP posts record numbers in PC shipments

to the rise in PC shipments. Companies that fall under the large and very large en-terprise segments caused an 8 percent increase in over-

all commercial PC spend-ing. SMEs also added to the growth; the study claims that SME-centric notebooks re-ceived a favorable response.

KASPERSKY Lab, one of the world’s leading IT security companies, is

calling on all undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students of colleges and uni-versities across the Philippines to send their best original re-search papers on internet se-curity and cybercrime for the 2012 Kaspersky Conference for Young Professionals.

The most interesting and innovative submissions will be chosen by the conference committee of Kaspersky Lab experts and IT security pro-fessors. Authors of selected papers will be invited to pres-ent his/her work at the con-ference to be held on March 21-23, 2012 at the City Uni-versity in Hong Kong.

All travel and accommo-

dation expenses for the cho-sen participants will be paid for by Kaspersky Lab.

Winners in the confer-ence will receive generous cash prizes and an invitation to attend the international Fi-nal stage of the conference in Europe in May 2012.

Registration is ongoing and deadline of submission of papers is on December 1,

2011.The conference with

the theme, “IT Security for the Next Generation,” aims to bring together students, young professionals, experts, scientists, researchers and professors from all over the world in a collaborative en-vironment to present and discuss issues relating to cy-bercrime.

Kaspersky Lab wants students to research on security/cybercrime

TWITTER CEO Dick Costolo revealed the microblogging web-

site is still growing fast and is close to reaching a new milestone of 250 million tweets per day, up from 90 million a day in September 2010.

Twitter’s global active user base has ballooned to include more than 100 million people around the world, half of which sign in daily.

Technology blog Mash-able reports that Dick Costo-lo said, “We had 30% of our monthly active users loggin (sic) in every day at the be-ginning of the year. Now it’s over 50%” while talking about Twitter at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Fransico, USA.

The launch of Apple’s Twitter-friendly iOS 5 up-

date has helped increase new sign-ups for the plat-form. Since Apple’s new operating system was launched on October 14 Twitter sign-ups from iOS devices have tripled, said Costolo.

According to technol-ogy blog TechCrunch, Cos-tolo added, “We think that we can be on 2 billion de-vices around the world, and reach every person on the planet, and the way to do that is through simplifying.”

To put those figures in context, Facebook has more than 800 million us-ers of which more than 50 percent log on in any given day, and Google CEO Larry Page revealed that Google+ had more than 40 million users during the company’s earnings conference call on October 13.

Twitter boasts 250 million tweets a day

FACEBOOK is becoming an increasingly popular place to book prostitutes

online.“Malaysia No 1 Call

Girl Service. 3C Agent: 012959****” is one of the pages set up to enable clients to hire girls from China, Thai-land and Indonesia.

As of 7pm on last Thurs-day, it had 2,080 “likes”, re-ported Sinar Harian.

“Service will be pro-vided only around Klang Valley. Please don’t call us to confirm, we don’t provide service in other countries, please cooperate,’’ said a post on Thursday.

The website asked cus-tomers to check into a hotel, call the 3C Agent to request the type of girl wanted and make payment before the

service is provided.A reporter from the daily

tried calling the number but it went unanswered.

Later that day the page owner wrote another post stat-ing “We are full this month and too busy to entertain cus-tomers, we only take SMS.”

The cost ranges from 180 ringgit (US$57) to 700 ringgit ($223) and clients can view the pictures of the women before purchasing.

Federal Criminal Investi-gation Department principal assistant director of anti-vice, gaming and secret society deputy director SAC Abdul Jalil Hassan said: “We are aware of the existence of the Facebook page. So far no one has been arrested for offering sex through the Internet,” he added.

Facebook is popular to book prostitutes

13

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

OctOber 24-30, 2011 VOL. 4 NO. 34

cOmmunity sense

IN celebration of the Na-tional Indigenous Peoples’ Month this year, Aboitiz-

Power’s wholly-owned sub-sidiary Hedcor Sibulan, Inc. honored tribal community by giving half a million pesos to Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe as their annual royalty share from the 42.5 MW Sibulan Hy-dropower Plant.

The share covers the third quarter of the year to be allotted to livelihood pro-gram, education, medicines, reforestation, and the main-tenance of their ancestral Tudaya Falls. The turnover ceremony is witnessed by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) commissioners led by Atty. Roque Agton, Jr of Region XI.

“We are sincere in car-rying out what we promise to share to our host commu-nities. This share is over and above what the law has required from us,” said Vice President in Mindanao Op-erations Rolando Pacquiao.

Hedcor regularly un-dertakes Corporate Social Responsibility projects focus-ing on education, health, re-forestation, energization, and livelihood.

“Sa karon, daghan na sa amo ang aduna nay mapak-aon sa among mga anak, daghan ng mga bata ang naka

ShoWeR oF BleSSInG. Atty. Roque Agton of NCIP Reg. XI witness the turnover of royalty share to IP community represented by Datu Gideon Tolentino (left) and Datu Rudy Agtag (second from left) in acceptance of a check amounting to P 527, 075. 60 from Hedcor vice presidents Gregorio Jabonillo (right) and Rolando Pacquiao (second from right) at the newly inaugurated Tribal Purok at Barangay Sibulan, Davao del Sur.

Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe receives 500T from Aboitiz-owned Hedcor

skwela, daghan ng mga naay sakit nga naayo. Kini tanan tungod sa Hedcor. (Now, plen-ty of us can feed our children, plenty of kids go to school, and many who got sick were cured. These are all because of Hed-cor.),” Datu Rudy Agtag ex-pressed his gratitude of thanks to Hedcor.

“The shares we re-

ceived from Hedcor is a big help in reclaiming our land that has been sold long time ago”, Datu Agtag added.

Before the RA 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Act of 1997 was implemented, some land of the IP was sold from them.

Atty. Agton explained that no one can buy the an-

cestral land after the RA 8371 was implemented ex-cept for immediate members of the family.

Hedcor is the largest developer and the leading producer of run-of-river hy-dropower facilities in Ben-guet, Ilocos Sur, and Davao with a total generating capac-ity of 150 MW.

RESIDENTS of Surigao City are celebrating this week the 67th anniver-

sary of the Battle of Surigao Strait which occurred before dawn of October 25, 1944 between ships of the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Theme of the celebra-tion is “Peace across Cul-tures”.

The US 7th Fleet Task Force 77 commanded by Vice Admiral Jesse Oldendorf comprising 6 battleships, 6 cruisers over 20 destroyers and nore than a dozen Patrol Torpedo (PT) boats engaged a large Imperial Japanese Navy “Southern Force” led by Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura in a night battle at Surigao Strait, through which the Japanese fleet was sailing towards Leyte Gulf to attack

the American beach head where Gen. Douglas MacAr-thur had landed 250 thou-sand troops for the liberation of the Philippines.

Caught by surprise, the Japanese Southern Force was routed in one of the greatest naval battles in his-tory. That battle and subse-quent engagements in Phil-ippine waters reduced Japan to a 5th class naval power and marked the beginning of the end of the war in the Pacific which culminated ten months later in the two atomic bomb strikes on the cities of Hiroshima and Na-gasaki and the unconditional surrender of Japan.

Naval historian Howard Sauer described the battle as the “Last Big Gun Naval Battle” involving ship-to-ship exchanges of artillery salvos

where Oldendorf achieved a classic tactical manuever “Crossing the T” formation where the Japanese single column of ships sailed per-pendicular like the body of a letter “T” towards the hori-zontal line of American ships which formed the “cross” thereby being able to concen-trate firing broadsides on the leading Japanese ship which could fire only its forward guns. The one sided battle forced the Japanese ships to turn and attempt to escape from the trap. Only a few survived the American bom-bardment and the American beachhead on Leyte was saved. Thousands of Suriga-onons had a sleepless night watching in awe the historic battle from the safety of the beaches.

Invited to attend the an-

niversary celebration were officials of the embassies of Japan, Australia, the United States and the Philippines.

The event consisted of welcome messages by City Mayor Ernesto T. Matugas, Gov. Sol F. Matugas and Rep. Guillermo A. Romarate Jr. Also on the program were a Memorial Service, Ecumeni-cal Prayer in Japanese, Eng-lish and Surigaonon dialect, the playing of the national an-thems of Japan, USA, Austra-lia and the Philippines, Light-ing of the Memorial Flame, Lighting of the Sky Lantern, Wreath Laying, Drum Roll, Gun Salute, Floral Offering (at sea) and various sports and musical events.

Invited as guest of honor was Maj. Joel A Dopp, Assis-tant Air Attache, representing the U.S. Embassy. [rAM]

67 years afterBattle of Surigao Strait recalled

TWO-HUNDRED ben-eficiaries who are members of the GSIS

Dahican Neighborhood As-sociation, Inc. received on Tuesday (Sept. 21) the Deed of Assignment of their respec-tive residential lots awarded by Governor Corazon Malan-yaon at the project site, Gov-ernment Center, Barangay Dahican, Mati City, Davao Oriental.

Following a series of consultations with the So-cialized Housing Committee and the association’s officers, Malanyaon ordered the fast tracking of the transfer and awarding of lots to the ben-eficiaries.

“After the long wait, the members of the association finally received their lots om which they can start build-ing homes on,” said Flor Ta-banao, Socialized Housing Office in-charge.

The project site is lo-cated within a 10 hectare government-owned prop-erty divided into three ar-eas, namely, Muslim Village (three hectares) which was already awarded to its ben-

eficiaries, NASA (four hect-ares) an established residen-tial area, and finally the GSIS Dahican (three hectares).

The project, includ-ing administrative, lot sur-vey and development, cost 3,660,461 pesos.

During the awarding of the Deed of Assignment, the governor congratulated the residents. “Your dream of fi-nally having your own hom-elot is finally realized,” she said.

The Deed of Assignment stipulates the rules and obli-gations of the beneficiary and entitles him/her to claim the lot assigned to him/her.

As part of the program’s thrust to provide affordable housing to the people of Davao Oriental, the residents who have acquired the said lots will have to pay 180 pe-sos per square meter payable in five years or an average of only 250 pesos per month.

Telling the beneficiaries to take care of the lots, the governor added that these should only be transferred through hereditary succes-sion.

Cora awards lots to 200 beneficiaries

THE Department of En-vironment and Natural Resources 11 is confi-

dent it will meet its 2011 tar-get for the National Greening Program.

Alfredo Zarasate DENR 11 Forestry Resources Man-agement Division chief said that of the 5,504 hectares replanting target in the re-gion under this year’s NGP they have already covered 4,952 hectares or 83% of the target.

“With still three months to go, we are confident of hitting the target.” Zarasate said.

About 2.2 million seed-lings, mostly forestry and agro-forestry species, have been planted of the target of 2.7 million for 2011.

Most of the areas tar-geted for reforestation are Community-Based Forestry Management (CBFM) areas.

Most of the species planted were coffee, cacao, abaca, rubber, mahogany and narra which were requested by the CBFM beneficiaries.

The planters consisted mainly of CBFM beneficiaries and other volunteers, mostly students, government em-ployees and private entities which have also adopted re-planting sites.

Zarasate said that for 2012 the target will be about 9,500 hectares and, aside from CBFM areas, the NGP will also cover ancestral do-mains and protected areas.

He said the seedlings are still sourced from the DENR clonal nursery in Tagum City which supplies about 80% of the seedling needs while the rest are sourced from the CBFM beneficiaries who have been tapped to look for other seedling sources. [PIA 11/rG ALAMA]

DENR on target for NGP coverage

CHRISTITU Decena used to be the boat captain of Joraya Fishing In-

dustry, a commercial fishing company that dominated fish catch in the municipal waters surrounding Lupon, Davao Oriental.

He earned no less than P30,000 every month through the dynamite-fishing method the company in-dulged in to ensure abundant fish catch.

However, each time he came home bringing enough seafood for his family he would also see the sorry eco-

nomic situation of his neigh-bors whose form of living was small-scale fishing.

“ Dagku ko ug kita apan nakita usab nako nga makal-uluoy gyud ang akong mga siilingan nga mga gagmayng mangingisda. Wala silay makuhang saktong isda kay nahurot na sa mga dagkung commercial fishing compa-nies.” (I earned much but I could see the pitiful state of my neighbors who were smalltime fishermen. They could not get enough catch because of the monopoly big fishing companies).

From the start, he was aware that commercial fish-ing and the method of fishing used has been killing the live-lihood of ordinary fisherfolks and their families. Christitu, no matter how he justified his job, had sleepless nights knowing that he contributed to the dearth of fish catches and the suffering of his fellow fishermen.

This prompted him to resign as a boat captain and devote most of his time do-ing volunteer work for the Lupon Fisheries and Aquat-ic Resources Management

Council. It is the body cre-ated by virtue of Executive Order 240 to help the gov-ernment with its role as rec-ommendatory and co-man-agement body in achieving sustainable use of coastal and marine resources.

In 2000, he left Joraya Fishing and decided to work on his own. He then allotted time to join the other council members hold their regular pulong-pulong sa barangay where they explained to ev-ery fisherman the dangers of dynamite fishing and other illegal methods.

From dynamiters to sea protectors THE Local Government of Tagum City had intensified its “social

responsibility” with the esti-mated production of 15,000 pieces of school furniture which will be produced out from the first batch of turned-over confiscated hot logs that will be distribut-ed to the different schools lacking in school chairs in the Provinces of Davao del Norte and Compostela Val-ley.

Tagum City Mayor Rey T. Uy made this pronounce-ment last October 19, 2011 when he led in the distribu-tion of 223 chairs to Sonlon

National High School in the Municipality of Asuncion, Davao del Norte which is 35 kilometers away from the City of Tagum.

His team also went to New Corella National High School in the Municipality of New Corella last October 18, 2011 to personally de-liver 220 armchairs to the said school which painted a huge smile in the faces of both teachers and students.

At New Corella, Mayor Uy personally went to each classroom and saw for him-self the dismal state of their armchairs: swinging, no writing board and old.

Tagum provides free armchairs

EDGEDAVAOTHE BUSINESS PAPER

14 OctOber 24-30, 2011VOL. 4 NO. 34

gOVernance

THE Department of So-cial Welfare and De-velopment (DSWD) 11

is intensifying its monitoring on reported cases of misuse of Pantawid Pamilya funds and pawning of ATMs used in withdrawing cash grants.

Regional Grievance Of-ficer Odissa Esther Kilayco said Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) links at the community level are giving emphasis on the pro-hibition of ATM pawning and misusing of 4Ps cash grants during assemblies with beneficiaries.

They are also warning beneficiaries of the possible suspension of cash grant re-lease if they are found guilty of using it to purchase goods or services other than for the education and health of their children.

“Dapat focus lang jud ang kwarta sa education ug

health sa mga bata,” she said in a radio interview over DXRP Radyo ng Bay-an Davao.

Kilayco admitted that complaints on diversion of 4Ps cash grants, particularly to alcoholic drinking sprees, and pawning of 4Ps ATM cards had reached DSWD, but added that the accused were not outright delisted because due process has to be undertaken.

The complainant has to fill in a form stated his or her accusation. There will be fact-finding to be conduct-ed and if found guilty, the accused will be warned ver-bally. A written warning will follow the succeeding offense and the accused is given 15 days to explain.

4Ps beneficiaries will also be delisted if they file a waiver stating their ineligibil-ity for such government cash

grant which is intended only for the survival needs of the poorest of the poor.

If found having a regular source of income during the conduct of eligibility check routine (ECR), 4Ps beneficia-ries will be removed from the list.

M e a n w h i l e , Sheryll Sanico, 4Ps regional information officer on the same occasion said, 4Ps has now registered a total of 125,057 beneficiaries in the Davao region covering four provinces, three cities, 32 towns and 625 barangays.

These beneficiaries are in Davao City (16,557); in eight towns of Davao del Sur (34,084); in two cities and eight towns in Davao del Norte (24,454); in nine towns of Davao Oriental (24,576); and in seven towns of Com-postela Valley (25,186). [PIA 11/jEAN duroN-ABANGAN]

BeneFIcIARIeS. 4Ps beneficiaries forming a long line to withdraw their cash grants from a Land Bank ATM machine.

DSWD to act against misuseof 4Ps funds, ATM pawning

AURORA Rep. Juan Ed-gardo Angara is seek-ing to plant the seed

of a deeper multi-cultural understanding among Filipi-nos-- Christians, Muslims and Lumads alike -- especially in Mindanao by proposing the this should be fully incorpo-rated in the country’s educa-tional system.

“We all, as Filipinos, must build on the under-standing and appreciation of these values. It is not impos-sible for unity to flourish in diversity,” Angara declared.

Angara, chairman of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, is author of House Bill No. 270 which proposes the inclusion in the curricula of all levels of education and training in all schools in the country, start-ing in Mindanao, of the study and understanding of Moro history, culture and identity.

“We must always high-light the positive relations

among Filipinos, especially Muslims and Christians, as well as their common origins and other points of common-ality. We may have our dif-ferences but we have more in common, on top of which, is the clamor for peace,” An-gara pointed out.

Angara stressed the need for a deeper understanding of the so-called Moro prob-lem which he considers as a “historical and systematic marginalization and minori-tization of the Islamized eth-no-linguistic” groups in the Mindanao islands.

“This happened first during the colonial powers, Spain then the U.S., and more recently by succes-sor Philippine governments dominated by an elite with a Christian-Western orienta-tion,” he recalled.

“It is said that peace be-gins in the hearts and minds of persons. One of the most important institutions for this

is the school or educational system,” Angara stated. He believes that the vertical top-level peace negotiation with Muslim groups should be complemented with horizontal people to people peace among the Moros or Muslims, Christian settlers and their descendants, and the Lumads, especially at the community level.

House Bill No. 270 like-wise mandates DepEd and CHED “to initiate and main-tain regular programs and special projects to provide venues for information and discussion of Moro history, culture and identity, includ-ing the utilization of informal education and other means to stress the importance of respect therefore.’

“This measure should be able to redirect our educa-tional system towards equity and justice among all citizens of the republic,” Angara con-cluded.

Angara seeks inclusion of Moro history in the Philippine Educational System

OLDER persons who were elected or ap-pointed to govern-

ment service will soon be covered by life insurance of the Government Secu-rity and Insurance System (GSIS).

Rep. Philip Pichay (1st District, Surigao del Sur), author of House Bill 5327, said Republic Act 8291 that created the GSIS and its implementing rules and regulations failed to recog-nize the services of those who heed the call of public service despite their being beyond the mandatory re-tirement age of 60 years.

Under the bill, any per-son who is elected or ap-pointed to a public office af-ter reaching the mandatory retirement age shall be cov-

ered by life insurance under the GSIS. The bill will cover government officials in the local and national levels.

The bill provides that upon his separation from such office, the official shall be refunded all life insur-ance premiums remitted to the GSIS, with the applica-ble legal interest, including both his personal and the government’s shares.

The bill covers any per-son who, at the time of his election to public office, al-ready reached the mandatory retirement age, or persons appointed to a government position by the President of the Philippines who, at the time of his appointment al-ready reached the mandatory retirement age.

Pichay said the bill in-

tends to accord them with certain benefits by extending the mandatory life insurance under the GSIS and mandat-ing refund of all life insur-ance premiums remitted to the GSIS with the applicable legal interest, including their personal share and the gov-ernment’s counterpart.

“The amount refunded would go a long way in helping them cope with the challenges of old age with-out additional cost to the GSIS,” Pichay said.

The alleviation of stan-dard of living among gov-ernment workers and the improvement of their ben-efits once they leave the service will also serve as a major factor in weeding out corruption in the govern-ment,” Pichay said.

GSIS to give premiums to elected,appointed senior public servants

THE communication and information of-ficers of national gov-

ernment agencies and lo-cal government units have organized themselves into a regional formation in their bid to make a wider impact in communicating government development programs and services. They also elected week the first set of officers at the culmination of the two-day training in basic journalism, photography and media re-lations at the training cen-ter of the National Develop-ment and Economic Author-ity (NEDA-11).

The NEDA also serves as secretariat of the newly formed organization called the Regional Development Council’s Communication for Development Network (RDCCDN).

Some 50 government information officers (IOs) participated in the training workshop on communica-tion for development (TW-C4D) on October 11-12 that preceded the election from among themselves five members of the board of di-rectors (BOD).

The provincial informa-tion officers of Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Com-postela Valley and Davao Oriental as well as the IOs of Davao City and NEDA-11 automatically became mem-bers of the BOD.

NEDA-11 regional di-rector Ma. Lourdes D. Lim administered the oath taking of the following RDC-11 C4D Network officers: president, Romulo Tagalo (Davao del Norte); vice-president, Ir-vin Brabat (Davao del Sur); secretary, Catherine Lagues-ma (NEDA-11); treasurer, Rosa Ma. Cristina Manuel (10th ID, Armed Forces of the Philippines); and busi-ness managers, Fe Maestre (Compostela Valley) and Roldan Gorgonio (Davao City Information Office).

The other BOD mem-bers who also took their oath of office were Jenielito Atillo (DepEd), Dr. Rita Fe S. Cor-dova (DENR, Peter Niel Aren-dain (CHR) and Mika Chan-Magtulis (DILG).

Lim said the TW-C4D and the creation of the RDC-11 C4D Network will posi-tion the IOs in a regional undertaking to disseminate

to a wider audience the ben-eficial impact of the projects under the Philippine Devel-opment Plan 2011-2016.

She said that the train-ing workshop was intended to “capacitate our PIOs from partner NGAs/LGUs and the RDC 11 Secretariat with knowledge and skills that will aid in the communica-tion and advocacy work of the RDC 11”.

The TW-C4D empha-sized the working relation-ship with media partners “to bring government closer to the public”, aimed at providing the participants the basic skills on news and news-feature writing, pho-tography, and techniques in the preparation of new articles for print and broad-cast media.

“It is said that good public relations, not only increases recognition, but more importantly, improves the credibility of an indi-vidual or organization,” Lim saidd, adding that “It also projects the attribute of ac-cessibility, not only to de-velopment partners, but to the general public.” [PIA 11/cArINA L. cAyoN]

NEDA 11 forms communication body for development networkIGaCoS’ Pride Campaign to

focus on biodiversity concernsties to take control and own-ership over their resources to secure the benefits for cur-rent and future generations.” Daquiaog said.

The local government of IGaCoS unveiled its Scallop Shell Mascot as its partner in the promotion for marine re-source conservation.

Also, the Pride Cam-paign song and jingle will be first heard by the Samalenos as local officials launched the jingle at Barangay Beach Park.

Scheduled in the after-noon of the launch were sup-port activities like collection of Crown of thorns, Scuba-surero, Swimming and Shoal clean up.

All these activities were aimed at telling not just lo-cal fishers but everyone in the community to take own-ership, and understand the benefit, of no-take-areas and support essential manage-ment activities. [PIA 11/MAI GEvErA-MAcAPAGAT]

BizQuiPS

SANIPAAN Marine Park on the Island Garden City of Samal

(IGaCoS),famous for its coral reefs, is the focus of the Pride Campaign, an initiative that inspires residents to do their share in marine management and protection.

The launching of the Pride Campaign was in coop-eration with Rare, the leader in social marketing for biodi-versity conservation.

This non-profit orga-nization has proven its effi-ciency after partnering with more than 50 countries and providing assistance to help community folks help them-

selves preserve marine biodi-versity.

After launching the campaign, Rare is set to train and support leaders from the world’s top environmental organizations, local grass-roots groups and government units.

IGaCoS information offi-cer Noel Daquioag explained that this campaign is an-chored on social marketing, considered and used by the private sector as a marketing tactic to better understand audiences and promote posi-tive community behavior.

“Pride campaigns focus on inspiring local communi-

‘oNcE we stop our flights, it will send a signal that doing business in the Philippines is very difficult and no European carrier will fly to the Philippines.’

--Cees Ursem, country manager of Air France-KLM

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HEALTH

OktOberfest is here; the time where we can unabashedly celebrate the most glorious gold-

en beverage in the planet: beer. ever since i could remember, Ok-toberfest has always been a huge deal for partyphiles everywhere, and it seems like one of the hap-piest times of the year. The truth is the reason why we keep coming back to beer, aside from the taste and the intoxication is the cama-raderie it brings along with it. it seems to me that people who share a beer eventually foster a fondness for each other. in a sense, beer is like glue that keeps partyphiles, from different social strata, to-gether. This is why, for this instal-ment of CoaP, i’m going to give you everything you need to know about beer.Dorothy Falcon asked: What is beer made of?Answer: it is made from malted ce-real grains; most commonly malted barley or malted wheat. it is usually flavored with hops (which lends the bitter flavor to the beer).

Dann Basilio: Where can I buy the cheapest beer?Answer: in Davao City, your best bet is the friendly neighborhood sa-ri-sari store or right from the facto-ry. The cheapest beer i’ve purchased was in Jupiter street in Makati at a place called top Grill. They sold 5 bottles of red Horse for only 99 pesos.Alf Rae Tan: Is Red Horse the strongest beer? What beer is the mildest?Answer: in the Philippines, Colt 45 is probably the strongest beer with 7.2% alcohol. However, this does not even come close to the world’s strongest beer. it is made by scot-tish brewery named brewdog and is called “The end of History”. it has 55% alcohol. it is also said to be the world’s most expensive beer, rang-ing from Us$500 to Us$700. As for

the mildest, non-alcoholic beers are now sold in beer specialty shops.Jeremy Yap: What is the proper way of drinking beer? Answer: first of all, always store your beer in the fridge, and in an upright position to prevent oxi-dization. Use a cold glass or beer mug when drinking beer, and do not add ice as it waters your beer down. Next, pour the beer high above the glass to give it some bubbles. Connoisseurs usu-ally suggest three-fingers worth of head. “Head” refers to the bubbles. it must be as thick as three of your fingers. After producing the proper amount of bubbles, you may then slowly sip the beer while enjoying its aroma.Lish Falcon: Which country con-sumes the most beer?Answer: The Czech republic con-

All about beersumes about 158.1 liters of beer per person each year. That’s about 400 ml of beer everyday.Doy Bijis: Why do people act stu-pid when they drink beer?Answer: When beer or any type of alcohol hits your cerebral cortex, you start being more talkative and less inhibited. Once it hits the hippo-campus it causes memory loss and exaggerates your emotions. One it hits your cerebellum, it makes you lose balance and coordination.Beer Recipes: Here are some unique ways you can enjoy your beer; simple cock-tails that are bound to help you see beer in a different light and maybe inspire you to celebrate beer a little differently this Oktoberfest. Mango Shandy: simply grab a glass, fill it halfway with ice and then fill half the glass with canned mango juice. top it with Light beer. Spicy Beer: pour cold beer in a huge mug and then grab a Jalapeno, create a slit in the middle of the chilli by scoring it with a knife, and then drop it in the beer. it will slowly steep and will make your beer extra spicy. The contrast is perfect with ice cold beer. Honey Beer: in a glass with ice, pour some dark beer (Cerveza Negra works wonderfully) and then top it with two tablespoons of Honey. The effect is a deep, dark beer, with a

sweet undertone. Danger Cocktail: simply grab

a glass, pour one or two shots of Vodka, then top it with strong beer.

EDGEDAVAOTHE BUSINESS PAPER

16 OctOber 24-30, 2011VOL. 4 NO. 34

EVENT

CONSISTENT with its com-mitment to

excellence as our core value, Zion Ac-cuprint, Inc. has re-cently acquired the modern Computer-To-Plate (CTP) im-aging technology wherein an image created in a desktop publishing applica-tion is output-ed di-rectly to a printing plate.

The CTP, a major capex investment this year of the company, coupled with a set of two-color Heidelberg printing machine, will en-hance greatly Zion’s capabil-ity to deliver quality, reliable, best-value printing solutions.

Red is red. Blue is blue. No color distortions. No off-

registrations. The new ma-chines likewise assure ad-vertisers of Edge Davao, the business paper, best value for their money.

The state of the art equipment were unveiled during an open house and blessing ceremony last Octo-ber 1.

Commitment to excellence

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

17OctOber 24-30, 2011 VOL. 4 NO. 34

At t e N t i O N please to all, specially the male readers of

The edge Davao!!! This is a testosterone Alert!!! Many men may be tak-ing supplements of the male sex hormone tes-tosterone to boost their sex drive, but it may not be that helpful after all. A new study of men 60 and older who had low or borderline low levels of testosterone showed that testosterone re-placement therapy did not improve erectile dysfunction (eD) or their ability to achieve and maintain an erec-tion, compared to a pla-cebo gel. Men who used either a low dose or a conventional dose of testosterone gel showed no improvements in their sexual function during the course of the year-long study, compared with men who used placebo gel. “it appears that testoster-one supplementation will not improve eD, though it may have other benefits on sexual function that were not evalu-ated with this data,” says study researcher Lauren W. roth, MD, an obstetrician/gynecolo-gist at the University of Colo-rado in Denver. sexual function is one of many reasons that many men are turning to testosterone therapy. With a laundry list of promises from a boost in sex drive and more energy to an increase in muscle mass and mental acuity, testosterone therapy can be tempting for many men who want to feel and look younger than they do. but, according to some experts, the hormone may be more harmful than helpful for some men. “i am quite concerned about the rampant use of testoster-one replacement therapy for

very soft indications,” says re-becca sokol, MD., professor of medicine and obstetrics and gynecology and the director of the andrology program at the keck school of Medicine of the University of southern California in Los Angeles. “it is very much a buyer beware situ-ation.” “We have to be very cautious about who we do and do not start on testosterone,” sokol says. There are risks attached to the use of testosterone. “This hormone may cause the pros-tate gland to increase in size, and there is also the theoretic risk that we can stimulate the growth of cancer cells in the prostate. We have been looking carefully to see if testosterone initiates prostate cancer and there is no data to indicate that it does at this point.” testosterone may also in-crease levels of LDL “bad” cho-lesterol while decreasing levels of HDL “good” cholesterol, she says. Men who are considering taking testosterone need to weigh the pros and cons care-fully with their doctor. “The patient really needs to be evaluated by a physician

who is an expert in hormones and male reproduction,” sokol says. “The indication for treat-ment needs to be very clear and verified by evaluation and physical exam.” Part of the problem is that men are getting their testoster-one from non-expert sources, including their buddies in the gym and online, says Joseph P. Alukal, MD. He is an assistant professor of urology and the director of male reproductive health at New York Univer-sity’s Langone Medical Center in New York City. testosterone replacement does have a role in treating some men with erectile dys-function who also have low levels of the hormone, he says. “testosterone is one of the treatments we have, but it’s not the only one.” The first step is to measure a man’s testosterone levels to see if they are low. This needs to be done on more than one oc-casion to make sure the results are accurate, he says. if levels are low, and there are no other health problems that may be causing the problems with sexual functioning, testoster-

one replacement therapy is an option, says Alukal. in some men, eD can be a red flag for heart problems. in these cases, men will likely need to see a cardiologist, he says. “Hormones are powerful,” Alukal says. “They have tre-mendous benefits and signifi-cant risks, so to go on them requires proper monitoring by a physician who understands their risks and benefits and knows how to monitor men.” Doctors who prescribe tes-tosterone should monitor the prostate gland closely, he says. Alukal added, “We know that there is some relationship between testosterone and the growth of the prostate and the development of prostate can-cer, but we don’t fully under-stand the relationship,” so before popping any pill, consult your doctor first to en-sure that what you’re actually taking is improving your health rather than making it worst. Always practice caution with regards to your health. Con-sult proper professionals and of course do your own readings and research too.

HEALTH

Testosterone alert

In some men, ED

can be a red flag for heart problems. In these cases, men will likely need to see a cardiologist.

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TRUE TO THE CELEBRATION’S objective of uniting nations worldwide, SM City Davao mounts the coolest activities in-spired by different nations from around the world! On October 22, Little Pearls of Heaven showcases colour-ful cultural dances from different countries. Circular Homes presents hip and eco-friendly fashion ideas for moms and kids on Oct 23, 1 PM while More than Medals show off their Wushu routines at 4PM. To cap the celebration, all schools with students ages 4-7 are invited to join the grandest Parade of Nations on October 24. Two kids (girl and boy) with the best costume will each win Php 5,000 worth of gift certificates while the second placer gets Php 2,000 worth of gift certificates. Plus, teachers who come in costumes also get a chance to win Php 3,000 worth of gift certificates! Criteria for judging are: creativity (40%), overall appeal (40%) and audience impact (20%). Experience United Nations at SM City Davao where we all come together! For inquiries, please call the SM Davao Marketing De-partment at 297.6998 local 126. Visit www.smcitydavao.blogspot.com or like SM City Davao for event and promo updates.

October 24 is United Nations Day at SM Davao!

UP AND ABOUT

19

EDGEDAVAO THE BUSINESS PAPER

OctOber 24-30, 2011 VOL. 4 NO. 34

Real Madrid, support Maharlika

games

sophie gustafsongolfer of the week

SOPHIE Gustafson is a Swedish professional golfer. She is a mem-

ber of U.S. based LPGA Tour and a life member of the Ladies European Tour. She has five LPGA and 21 inter-national wins in her career. She is a four-time LET Or-der of Merit winner and has represented Europe in the Solheim Cup on each team since 1998.

Gustafson turned pro-fessional in 1992 whilst studying marketing, eco-nomics and law at Aranass-kolan & Komvux University in Sweden. In the next three years she played 12 Telia Tour and four Ladies Eu-ropean Tour tournaments. On the Telia tour she had six top ten finishes. Her best finish on the LET was a 22nd at her home tourna-ment in Sweden.

1995 saw her join the La-dies European Tour gaining two top 10 finishes in 13 starts. 1996 was her first full year on the La-dies European Tour. She gained her first professional wins, winning once on the Telia Tour at the Rörstrand Ladies Open and once on the Ladies European Tour at the Déesse Ladies Swiss Open. In 1997 she earned her first win on the Ladies Asian Tour at the Thailand Ladies Open and finished T40th at LPGA Q School to earn non-exempt status for 1998.

In 1998 Gustafson won twice on the LET at the Do-negal Irish Ladies’ Open and at the Marrakech Palmeraie Open, finish second on the

Order of Merit and was voted Waterford Players’ Player of the Year. She also played four times on the LPGA tour, recording a sec-ond-place finish at the co-sanctioned Women’s Brit-ish Open. She also won the Telia Tour Finale and made her debut in the Solheim Cup, replacing the injured Trish Johnson at the last minute. During 1999, Gus-tafson played on both the LPGA and Ladies European Tours. Her best result was a tie for 2nd at the Ladies’ German Open on the Ladies European Tour. [Pr]

THE vaunted athletics squad from Team Bro-kenshire College got

some energy boost for their sojourn to the ongoing 2011 Unigames in Capiz City.

Leading vitamin brand Enervon will supply the team’s vitamin require-ments for the Unigames which runs until October 29.

Leo Aquino, Local Area Marketing Professionals of Unilab’s Consumer Health division, formally turned

over the Enervon vitamins to the Brokenshire Leopards headed by athletic director Dr. Arlene De Vera. Brave-tower Events Promotions manager Neilwin Bravo fa-cilitated the sponsorship of Enervon.

Bravetower also is the marketing arm of the WN-CAA Mindanao.

“We are thankful to En-ervon for this blessing and we hope this will inspire us to do our best,” said De Vera who will also be the team’s

head of delegation.Team Brokenshire is

bannered in the annual meet by multi-titled long distance ace Anthony Nerza along with Michael Ian Con-stantino, Jierty Calderon, Arnie Macaneras, Michael Absalon, Rolly aderna, Lebert delos Santos, Brix Rabago and El Brix Javier. Coaching the squad is Char-ly Hifarva.

“Enervon and Unilab are proud to be part of a champion squad like the

Enervon supports Brokenshire College athletes in Unigames

JUST recently, football de-velopment in Sta.Cruz, Davao del Sur received a

big boost from Real Madrid Foundation and Mapfre Insu-lar Insurance Corp.

Rosa Roncal Gimenez, Real Madrid Foundation’s head of International Projects and Corporations, her col-league Antonio Garcia and Javier Warleta, president and CEO of Mapre Insular Foun-dation were accompanied by Davao Football Association of-ficials led by secretary general Erwin Protacio to personally inspect the facilities and play-ing venues in Sta. Cruz.

Underprivileged children, some 70 of them, under the care of ANAKK-Sta.Cruz, a non-government organization, will be taught to play the sport under Davao coaches who will first receive training from a Real Madrid FC coach.

Next month, the program formally starts and the ben-eficiaries are already excited, including football officials who had high praise for Real Madrid and Mapre Insular of-ficials.

Hala Madrid! Hala Ma-drid! Hala Madrid!

Ole, ole, ole Mapre Insu-lar!

* * *Martial arts fans in Davao

are crossing their fingers as Steve Grandeza goes into ac-tion on October 31 for the WBC Muay Thai title against champion Reinheirt Badato of Australia.

Steve, the World Kick-boxing Federation (WKBF) welterweight champion, has been training hard for the fight that will be played at the posh Resorts World Manila with the backing of Phoenix Petroleum Philippines. Resorts World Manila is one of the country›s most exciting tourist destina-

tions after combining top-class hotel Marriot, budget hotel Remington, casino hotel Max-ims Tower, restaurants, sports, games and entertainment fa-cilities plus a mall in just one area.

We hope for a good outcome because the Davao fighter has also been prepar-ing for his WKBF title defense in Dubai.

* * *Maharlika Charity

Foundation›s coffers will soon be filled after the Merco 65th Anniversary Fun Run.

The Ferrazzini family led by Johnny and son Anton of the famous Merco has been or-ganizing sports events to raise funds for the foundation in or-der to sustain its noble role of serving the poorest of the poor in Mindanao.

Those who cannot af-ford the high cost of cataract, squint, cleft lift, burn or gen-eral surgery go to Maharlika including those that need den-tal and hearing aid services. Low-income parents whose children have disabilities or are found to be autistic avail of the services provided by top-notch doctors who have showed compassion to those who have less in life.

The Ferrazzinis would love to see a lot of runners at the Rizal Park on Sunday be-cause the more participants, the more they will be donating to the foundation.

If you don›t have a good feeling to run, then, simply chipping in P150 for the regis-tration fee will for sure make you feel better that day be-cause you know your donation is for a good cause.

* * *Happy birthday to Oibone

Enobio, Ateneo classmate Addie Borbon and Ateneo champion basketeer Raf Presbitero.

republic of the PhilippinesDepartment of transportation and

communicationsLAND TRANSPORTATION

FRANCHISING AND REGULATORY BOARDregional Office No. XI

Davao city

Case No. 2011-XI-00820Petition for renewal of certificate of Public convenience to operate a FILcAb Ordinary regularService

EUSEBIO C. MEJOS, JR. Petitioner

x- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - xNOTICE HEARING

Petitioner is a grantee of a certificate of Public convenience issued in this case authorizing the operation of a FILcAb Ordinary regular service on the route: ecOLAND SUbDIVISION (SM cItY OF DAVAO )rOUte with the use of ONe(1) unit,   which certificate will expire on December 31, 2011. In the petition filed on September 28, 2011, petitioner requests authority to extend the validity of said certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same units previously authorized.

NOtIce, is hereby given that this petition will be heard by this board on NOVeMber 15, 2011 at 09:50 a. m. at this office at the above address.

At least, teN (10) days prior to the above date petitioner shall publish this Notice once in a one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Mindanao

Parties opposed to the granting of the petition must file their written opposition supported by documentary evidence on or before the above date furnishing a copy of the same to the petitioner, and may if they so, desire appear on said date and time.

this petition will be acted upon by this board on the basis of its records and the documentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the board deems it necessary to receive additional documentary and/or oral evidence.

WItNeSS the Honorable beNJAMIN A. GO, ceSO V, regional Director, this 28th  day of September 2011 at Davao city. 

TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZtransport Development Officer

 

titleholder Rotary Club of Sta. Ana Davao are the main protagonist in the final showdown today, Sunday, of the 25th Davao Inter-Ro-tary Bowling Tournament at the NCCC B3 Center.

RC East, skippered by Nandie Subido, notched a total of 1,488 pinfalls, over-taking RC Sta Ana from the No. 1 spot, but with a lead of only 7 points.

Governor’s cup Both teams and four

others –RC Digos, RC South Davao, RC Davao, and RC Matina Davao, -- will dis-pute the coveted Governor’s cup, during the tourney’s fourth and final outing to-day.

District Governor Leon-cio “Nonoy” Villa-Abrille cut short his Bohol visit to hand the trophy to the team that would emerged the cham-pion.

Also in contention for the top plum in the

tourney’s President’s Divi-sion are RC South Digos, the leader, RC Downtown Davao, RC Central Davao, RC Toril, RC North Davao and RC Davao 2000.

According to senior as-sistant governor Vir Sojor, tournament director, the rest of the three teams –RC Waling-waling, RC West Davao and RC Pag-asa/RC Calinan – competing in the Fellowship Division, Sojor said.

Top scorersSojor also released the

list of top individual top scorers as of October 18. RC East Davao’s Anita Subido and RC Toril’s Lucy de Leon tied for the highest average individual female scorer with 139 points, followed by Armel Servanez of RC North and Bing Cabardo of RC South Davao.

Highest average in-dividual scorers among males was Sammy Talaboc

Final showdown between RCs East,Sta. Ana in bowling championshipDEFENDING champion

Rotary Club of East Davao and erstwhile of RC Sta. Ana with 179

points, followed by Rene Dalayon of RC Davao and Jules Mejos of RC Down-town Davao.

Highest female indi-vidual scorer is Armel Ser-vanez of RC North Davao , while the highest individual male scorer is Sammy Tal-aboc of RC Sta. Ana.

Talaboc, Dalayon and Mejos also lead the top 20 bowlers as of October 16 who will compete for the tournament’s masters cham-pion to be played in two games. The other are Rotar-ians Marc Fernandez, Art Galendez, Ramsey Tancon-tian, Danny Amen-amen, Nel Arendain, Nandie Subi-do, Rudy Abellana, Dads Mahipus, Oca Escudero, Eric Choo, Boy Risonar, Tony Batao, Ryan Ma, Soc Cadayona, Billy Parilla, Bal Sarabia and Paul Basan.

(Left-right) Sherwin Bahani, Atty. Manases Carpio, Patrick Castro, Ramon T.Y. Garcia, and Eugene Go enjoy a light moment during the recently-concluded uPAA Davao “Tee-for-Two” golf tournament at the Apo Golf and Country Club sponsored by Anflocor, Cr8v Mat Inc., upbrofil Logistics Inc., uP Brotherhood of the Filipinos 1955, Tranzealand Inc., Maer Summit, Environment Counselors Inc., and Japan Consul General Yoshiyuki Isoda. The tournament benefitted the uPAA-Davao Math Literacy Project and the uP Mindanao Oblation Plaza. [Rene A. eStReMeRA]

EVELYN Quinsay’s prep-aration for the delayed PAL interclub tourna-

ment has paid off when she and teammate Virgie Herm-iston topped the UP Alumni Association-Davao “Tee-for-Two” Golf Tournament, re-cently, at the Apo Golf and Country Club.

Quinsay and Hermiston came up with better scores to clinch the women’s divi-sion title and share the top honors with over-all gross champion Vincent Gumapac

and Chikoy Saavedra.The father-son tan-

dem of Faisal Samanodi and Kureish settled for first runner-up honors while Soc Cadayona and Ting Castillo followed as second runner-up.

In Division A, Ramon T.Y. Garcia and Joel Yamya-min bagged the net crown over first runner-up Andy Ugdoracio and Tebor Mar-celino and second runner-up Jun Diano and Dexter So.

Jake Ortega and John Gross ruled Division B over first runner-up Ronald Chan and Tomas Aquino and second runner-up Randy Arevalo and Ma-haleel Bermas.

Frank Bautista and Chiboy Apostol emerged top winners in Division C besting the efforts of first runner-up Ferdie Pascua and Alex Maramba and second runner-up Butch Jocom and Edwin Villa-rino. [MPB]

Quinsay, Hermiston top UP golfest

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