P 15.00 • 20 PAGESwww.edgedavao.netVOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015

EDGE Serving a seamless society

DAVAO

HELPER CHARGED

THE Davao City Po-lice Office yesterday filed charges against

a 39-year-old house helper who allegedly abducted a 4-year-old boy from his home in Catalunan Grande, Davao City last Friday.

The Talomo Police Sta-tion filed a case of kidnapping against Julita A. Quijoy, who is from San Miguel, Zamboanga

del Sur, before the City Prose-cution Office yesterday.

Quijoy was submitted for inquest proceedings before Prosecutor Faizal Padate.

The suspect was arrested at 5:45 a.m. on Saturday in-side the COMPATSI terminal in Cotabato City while she was about to leave with the boy for Pagadian City.

The boy was rescued and

immediately brought to the Women’s and Children’s Desk for debriefing and immediate medical examination.

Based on the report of Talom police, the boy’s fami-ly’s driver went to the station to report that Quijoy had left with the boy at around 9:30 a.m. on Friday without the consent of the boy’s parents.

The boy was declared

missing after Quijoy failed to return the child to his home. The police then immediately conducted an investigation.

Police traced the sus-pect’s location to Kabacan, North Cotabato. This was confirmed when Quijoy sent a text message to another helper telling her not to tell the police that they were go-ing to Zamboanga del Sur.

INSIDE EDGE

SPORTS page 15

Housemaid accused of kidnapping boy

ARMED. Kiwanis International district secretary Uldarico C. Liberato demonstrates the capabilities of an artificial limb that his organization will distribute to 500 qualified children beneficiaries. Liberato, together with district governor Allan J. Sira, graced yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

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

SO ISNEW SPORTS COUNCIL PREXY

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 20152 EDGEDAVAO

THE BIG NEWS

MEMBERS of the Sa-mal City Resorts As-sociation (SCROA)

has elevated their case to the Court of Appeals after the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Panabo City favored the local government of the Island Gar-den City of Samal (IGACOS) on the legality of the revised zon-ing ordinance prohibiting the construction of jetties.

This was confirmed yes-terday by Davao del Norte Provincial Tourism Council president Araceli L. Ayuste, who is also the proprietor of

the Punta del Sol Samal beach resort in IGACOS and adviser of SCROA.

Speaking during yester-day’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao Annex, Ayuste said 17 of the 32 members of the association filed a petition before the CA during the first week of December last year.

“Marami kaming kontra (Many of us are against it) be-cause the passage of the city ordinance (did not undergo) due process,” Ayuste said.

She said the city govern-ment of IGACOS did not com-

ply with all the requirements before City Ordinace 2009-10 or the revised zoning ordi-nance was implemented.

“There are a lot of ques-tions there, which is why we elevated it (to the CA),” she said.

Ayuste said under the ordinance, even structures that were built before it was passed are to be demolished. “Wala man tay balaud na ret-roactive (We have no laws that are retroactive),” she said.

Ayuste said the resort owners are willing to compro-

mise so that they would not have to suffer the penalties under the ordinance.

“Our proposal is for us to pay a form of tax instead of a penalty,” she said.

Ayuste said among the association’s offers is to pay three percent of tax to the gov-ernment annually.

Earlier, SCROA president Engineer Pastor M. Lozada Jr. said that the city government ‘s zoning ordinance is penal-izing the resort owners “P200 per cubic meter (cu.m.) on jet-

KIWANIS Philippines South District will give out a total of 500 pros-

thetic arms made of polypro-pylene for free to patients in Mindanao.

“We are still looking for beneficiaries who could re-ceive the prosthetic arms,” the group’s governor Allan J. Sira said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao An-nex yesterday.

Sira said Kiwanis has a partnership with the Ellen Meadow Prosthetic Hand Foundation, also known as LN-4 Foundation, starting last year after Kiwanis met offi-cials of the foundation in an event in Roxas City, Capiz.

“We need to identify at least 100 beneficiaries in order for the members of the foundation to come over

here,” he added.He said Kiwanis is target-

ing to give out a total of 500 units of prosthetic arms, each having an estimated commer-cial value of P3,000 to P5,000.

Sira said interested indi-viduals may contact him at (0920)6327570 or visit the Kiwanis Philippine South Dis-trict Facebook page.

Aside from the prosthetic arms, Kiwanis, in partnership with the provincial tourism office of Davao del Norte, will be conducting a six-month pe-riod feeding program in four elementary schools in Talikud Island in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS).

Sira said the feeding pro-gram, called “Balay ni San Jose,” will start on January 15 and will run until the third

THE New People’s Army last week an-nounced it has put on

hold the planned release of three policemen in Surigao del Norte it has held cap-tive since November last year with the rebel group accusing the military and local officials for refusing to agree to conditions for their freedom.

Communist rebels snatched PO1 Democrito Bondoc Polvorosa and PO1 Marichel Unclara Contem-plo of the Alegria Police Station on Nov. 12, and PO1 Junrie Amper of Malimono Police Station on Nov. 16

last year.National Democratic

Front-Mindanao spokeper-sons Jorge “Ka Oris” Mad-los said the military and the provincial crisis commit-tee headed by Surigao del Norte Gov. Sol F. Matugas failed to reciprocate their own unilateral ceasefire.

Madlos alleged that military operations have continued despite the gov-ernment’s declaration of suspension of both military and police operations from Dec. 19 to Jan. 19, the last day of Pope Francis’ visit in the country.

The government issued

a unilateral declaration of ceasefire, from Dec. 19 to Jan. 19.

The NDF responded by declaring a truce covering the periods Dec. 24 to 26, Dec. 31 to Jan. 1, and Jan. 15 to 19.

The rebel group how-ever announced it was observing a supplemental ceasefire for Surigao del Norte, from Jan. 6 to 19, for the safe release of the three policemen.

But the group accused the military of not recipro-cating the move by continu-ing to launch operations.

The NDF responded by

announcing last Wednes-day it was postponing the release of the captives.

Madlos did not give a specific date but said the policemen might be freed after the Pope’s visit.

The Pope will be in the country from January 15-19.

Matugas had written the Army to request a lull in operations to facilitate the release, but the group Third Party Facilitators (3PF) called such move “too little, too late.”

Bishop Rhee Timbang, a member of 3PF said both

THE selection process of the next Indigenous People Mandatory

Representative (IPMR) to the Davao City Council was deferred a second time by the National Commission on Indigenous People’s (NCIP)-Davao del Sur.

NCIP Davao del Sur pro-vincial director Cristito In-gay told Edge Davao that the selection process, which was scheduled for yesterday, was postponed because they had

learned last week that the venue, which was the Sang-guniang Panlungsod rooftop, could not accommodate the expected 400 participants.

Ingay said they tried to book the Davao City Recre-ation Center (DCRC) but it was not available for yester-day morning.

He said the “Baragwas” or councils of elders of the 37 Kagan communities were then informed by text mes-

Samal resort ownersfile appeal before CA

CHRISTMAS IS OVER. A Davao City General Services Office (GSO) employee helps his co-workers dismantle the 35-foot Christmas tree at Rizal Park along San Pedro Street in Davao City yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

Kiwanis to give out500 prosthetic arms

Reds postpone release of 3 cops in Surigao Norte Lack of venue snagsselection of IP repBy ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

FSAMAL, 10FKIWANIS, 10

FREDS, 10 FLACK, 10

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015

KAAMULAN, Bukidnon’s annual ethnic festival, will be held in October

instead of March.Gov. Jose Ma. R. Zubiri an-

nounced the postponement in his radio program last Wednesday and again at the Capitol’s convocation program Monday.

Zubiri cited lack of budget and insufficient time for prepa-rations for the deferment of the festival to October, which is commemorated as Indigenous Peoples’ Month.

Zubiri said only Bukid-non’s two cities – Malaybalay and Valencia — and three towns would join if Kaamulan

2015 will be pursued in March.The governor clarified

however that the postpone-ment will only be for this year.

Zubiri broached the possi-bility of postponing this year’s Kaamulan during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Dec. 16 last year, records at the SP show.

But he said he was leaving it to the SP to decide on his sug-gestion.

Bukidnon traditionally holds Kaamulan from Febru-ary to March. But last year it was held in August in time for the province’s centennial cele-bration on September 1.

GOVERNOR CORAZON N. MALANYAON invited capitalists to invest in

Davao Oriental as the biggest province of the Davao Region is now ready as an investment destination in various indus-tries.

The governor made a pitch for her province in a speech before some 100 capitalists, business executives, and so-cio-civic leaders attending the 44th induction ceremony of the Young Men’s Christian Association of Davao, Inc. (YMCA) at The Marco Polo, Davao Friday night.

After lauding the numer-ous achievements of YMCA in developing Christ-centered leaders among the youths, the governor, who holds the distinction of being the only

female president of YMCA Davao in its history, enumer-ated the industries and areas in business ventures wherein Davao Oriental is prepared to host investments. These are agri-industry with emphasis on food production and pro-cessing, marine and fishery development, tourism, renew-able energy development and connectivity enhancement.

In earlier talks, the gov-ernor and her executives said that Davao Oriental’s strategic as “gateway to the Pacific” is one of the province’s compar-ative advantages.

It is proximate to such Pacific countries as Palau, Mi-cronesia, the Marianas, Guam, Taiwan, and a portion of Indo-nesia.

These territories are net

importers of foodstuffs and other consumer goods, and are looking for sources of ply-wood and other construction materials, resins and other products which can be traded.

Coconut, cacao, abacaOther investment oppor-

tunities are offered by coco-nut, cacao and abaca, which are foremost products of Davao Oriental, especially in value-adding.

Aside from copra, its main product, Davao Orien-tal’s 105,000 hectares of co-conut plantations also offer opportunities for high value by-products like water, meat, fiber, husks, shell, oil and oth-er derivatives.

With its 15,000 hectares planted to abaca, Davao Ori-ental is the biggest abaca pro-

ducer of the region, but recent soil analysis indicated that some 50,000 hectares more are suited to abaca.

Davao Oriental’s ca-cao-coconut intercropping program holds another prom-ising prospects as the provin-cial government already has an initial market and technical tie-up with international buy-ers.

Other areas ready for big-time investments are oil palm, coffee, corn, banana, livestock and poultry, feed milling, meat processing, aquaculture and mining, among others poten-tial industries.

Governor Malanyaon was guest of honor and speaker and chief inducting officer in the installation of the 2015 THE National Union of

Journalists of the Phil-ippines is “appalled” at

the court’s decision to grant bail to Sajid Islam Ampatuan, one of the accused perpe-trators of the November 23, 2009 Ampatuan Massacre, and the youngest son of Andal Ampatuan, Sr.

“While we may under-stand last year’s grant of bail to 41 policemen accused of the slaughter that claimed the lives of 58 persons, including 32 of our colleagues, we find it incredulous that a key mem-ber of the clan whose pres-ence at the meetings during which the massacre was planned has been established could be accorded the same privilege,” the NUJP said in a statement.

“These meetings were ba-sically clan councils in which, as is common in Filipino cul-ture, silence means consent. And it is stretching credulity to think that Sajid Islam, who was then acting Maguindanao governor, had absolutely no participation in the planning and execution of what was ob-viously a major operation in his domain, involving a verita-ble army of retainers and po-lice personnel,” the NUJP said.

Sajid ran for vice governor while his father, Andal Am-patuan, Sr., ran for governor in the elections of 2007. The patriarch resigned in January 2009. Sajid assumed the post of OIC Governor immediately after but in mid-November 2009, in what turned out to

3NEWSEDGEDAVAO

SUSPECT. A tearful Julita Alison Quijoy, who allegedly abducted a 4-year old boy last Friday, is presented to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte at the Grand Men Seng Hotel on Saturday afternoon. The Talomo Police Station filed a kidnapping case against Quijoy before the City Prosecution Office yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

FNUJP, 10

FBUKIDNON, 10

FMALANYAON, 10

DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte urged the public to

be more cautious in hiring house helpers so as not to compromise their securi-ty.

Duterte made the statement after a house helper from Zamboanga del Sur was arrested for al-legedly abducted a 4-year-old boy last week.

“Kamong mga taga Davao pagbantay mo sa pagpili sa inyong help-er, ug di na mangawat… Kung lalaki na, ang imong asawa o imong anak ba-sin ma-rape pa diha (You Dabawenyos should be cautious in choosing your helper, they might steal from you… If the helper is male your wife or daugh-

ter might get raped),” he said.

Duterte urged people to be wary even of those hired through job agen-cies because it is easy to fake records such as police clearance.

Last Saturday, Duterte presented Julita A. Qui-joy to the media after she was arrested for allegedly abducting her employer’s 4-year-old son.

“Buti pa na makapatay ka nang tao sa away kasi mapapatawad pa kita (It is better if you had just killed someone in a fight because I can forgive you),” the mayor said.

Duterte told Quijoy that her case was non-bailable and could earn her a life term in prison.

Duterte: Be carefulwhen hiring helpersBy ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

Malanyaon invitesinvestors to DavOrBy ANTONIO M. AJERO

Bukidnon postponesKaamulan to October

NUJP ‘incredulous’ at bailgrant to Sajid Ampatuan

MALANYAON INVITES INVESTORS. Gov. Corazon N. Malanyaon (left) enumerates areas of investments in Davao Oriental now ready to capi-talists, business executives, and socio-civic leaders attending the 44th installation of officers of Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Davao

City headed by District Engineer Fernando “Boie” S. Ongkingco Jr. of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), replacing outgoing president Leoncio “Nonoy” Villa-Abrille last Friday.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 20154 EDGEDAVAO

SUBURBIA

The Department of In-terior and Local Gov-ernment (DILG) Re-

gional Office handed over to the Provincial Govern-ment a total of P10 million in cash assistance for the implementation of the pro-vincial government’s Deep Sea Tuna Fishing Project.

The check was person-ally handed over by DILG Regional Director Wilhelm M. Suyko to Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon on December 26, 2014 at the Provincial Governor’s Of-fice, Capitol Building, City of Mati.

The DILG said the allo-cated budget will be used to acquire new motorized bancas that will direct-ly benefit more than 380 fishermen in the typhoon Pablo-hit areas of Boston, Cateel, Baganga and Cara-ga.

In order to cover more recipients who could benefit from the project, Rotchie M. Ravelo, Provin-cial Agriculture Office De-partment Head, said that each boat will be shared by two beneficiaries who

are related or kin. In Boston, a total of 42

units will be given to 84 fishermen in the villages of Carmen, Sibahay, Po-blacion and Cabasagan. A total of 108 fishermen in Cateel will also receive 54 units in barangays San Vi-cente, San Antonio, Mainit, Alegria, Santa Felomina, San Rafael, Poblacion and Baybay.

The most number of beneficiaries is in Baganga with a total of 132 fisher-men who will receive 66 units in barangays Lucod, Central, Lambajon, Sao-quigue, Kinablangan, Ban-ao, Dapnan and San Victor. Sixty fishermen will also receive 30 units in Caraga, particularly in Barangay Manorigao, Poblacion, Sta. Fe, Santiago, San Jose and San Luis.

The Deep Sea Tuna Fishing project was ap-proved for funding by sets of Memorandum of Agree-ments between DILG and the Provincial Govern-ment upon resolved by the Sangguniang Panalalaw-igan Resolution No. 14-

EIGHT days into the year and 46 households from Barangay Liboga-

non are in for a fresh start as the city government of Tagum awarded home lots to quali-fied beneficiaries of the Libo-ganon Resettlement Site last January 8, 2015 in an effort to aid constituencies in attaining one of life’s basic necessities.

The awarding of Notices of Award, which was spear-headed by the Local Housing Board of the City of Tagum under the chairmanship of

Hon. Allan L. Rellon, was wel-comed by the beneficiaries of the city’s Shelter Assistance Program who have been given until June 30, 2015 to vacate their currently occu-pied parcel of land registered under the name of Angelmar Dawal.

The soon-to-be vacated lot belonging to the Dawal Family is the same parcel of land which was purchased by the City of Tagum for the P3-million-worth Multi-Spe-cies Hatchery project of both

the city and the Department of Agriculture 11-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Re-sources.

The awarding of the no-tices of award is a prelude to the awarding of lot titles any-time this year.

In his message, Rellon said the awarding of lots to the resettlement beneficiaries of Barangay Liboganon was done expeditiously in com-parison with other identified resettlement sites in the city.

Also present during the

ceremony were the Local Housing Board Vice- Chair Hon. Nicandro T. Suaybaguio, Jr., and the LHB Members Mr. Alfredo H. Silawan, Engr. Elias M. Ragos, Ms. Nora H. Lupiba, Mr. Eduardo E. Eugenio, Ba-rangay Captains Edwin Ball-esteros and Jan Dmitri S. Sa-tor, Engr. Bernardo D. Castor, Jr., Engr. Roderick C. Onong, Engr. Constancio M. Alban, and other key personnel of the Technical Working Group of the Local Housing Office. Richi Gulle of CIO Tagum

DavOr gets P10-M livelihood fund

Tagum awards lots to 46 families

141-07-2014. Considering the prov-

ince’s vast resources in fishery and marine and having the longest coast-line in the region of 513.2

kms, the provincial gov-ernment poises this sec-tor as another emerging industry with vast poten-tial of spurring economic growth in these coastal

towns, thus, would highly benefit rural fisherfolks.

With this project, the provincial government believes that aside from helping fisherfolks get

back on their feet after the past disaster, this proj-ect will also further boost their means of income. By Van Jorain O. Rufin, Photos by Eden Jhan Licayan

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Region 12 has

opened a new display center for various local products in a shopping mall here in a bid to enhance their promotion and marketing.

Richard Arceño, DTI Re-gion 12 information officer, said Monday the expanded pasalubong center at the SM mall is now fully operational, catering to products from 113 micro, small and medium en-terprises in the region.

He said the facility serves as the main display area for unique handicrafts and food products made out of raw materials that are available in Region 12.

Also known as Soccsksar-gen, Region 12 comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Co-tabato.

Arceño said they pushed for the opening of the new pasalubong center, which is located at the second level of the SM mall, to better pro-mote the region’s products that now carry the “Treasures of Region 12” brand.

“The pasalabong center is a component of our product development and marketing strategy for the Treasures of Region 12 brand,” he said in a statement.

Arceño said the center showcases a variety of prod-ucts like processed fruit jams and jellies, sinamak vinegar, pinasugbo, banana and taro

chips, processed tuna, native coffee, cacao tablea, and fruit juices like mangosteen, pas-sion fruit, kalamansi and guy-abano concentrate.

Also displayed are unique handicrafts made of bamboo, beads and brass as well as fashion accessories and other collectible items, he said.

“Through the facility, our MSMEs now have the chance to offer their products in an accessible and convenient lo-cation,” he said.

Arceño said another at-traction at the pasalubong center is the “corporate give-aways showcase” developed by the agency.

He said the showcase is mainly an exhibit of different product packages that may be offered as gifts or tokens for various occasions.

The packages are com-posed of around 20 assorted items like coffee, processed fruits, chips and dips, and handicrafts and with each package sold from P500 to P1,500.

Among the center’s top patrons are local shoppers, tourists and vacationers who are looking for items to bring home as pasalubong and sou-venirs.

Arceño said they are currently coordinating with other MSMEs in the region to further expand the range of products displayed at the center.

He said MSMEs could get in touch with their field of-fices to avail of the chance to display their products at the facility. (MindaNews)

DTI-12 opens productshowcase in city mall

DEEP SEA TUNA FISHING PROJECT. DILG Regional Director Wilhelm M. Suyko hands over a check for P10 million to Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon at the Provincial Governor’s Office last December 26.

HOME LOT. Mayor Allan L. Rellon hands a Notice of Award to one of 46 beneficiaries in Barangay Liboganon. Photo by Kelvin Palermo of CIO Tagum

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015 5EDGEDAVAO

ECONOMY

TOTAL business cap-italization in Davao City went up by

3.94 percent in 2014 over the previous year, Davao City Investment Promo-tions Center (DCIPC) offi-cer-in-charge Ivan C. Cor-tez said yesterday.

Speaking in yester-day’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao, Cortez said the Business Bureau recorded a total of P211 billion total in capitaliza-tion last year, higher than the P203 billion in 2013.

He said the newly-in-augurated P3-billion steel plant of Steel Asia Manu-facturing Corporation in Bunawan, Davao City was the biggest investor that came in the city last year.

The Business Bureau was able to issue a total of 33,906 business permits as of November 2014, but the number is expected to grow if the 2,555 other applications filed last year are issued.

Cortez said the total business capitalization in the city has been growing for the past five years.

For the last five years, investments reg-istered with the Busi-ness Bureau increased by 11.39 percent, from P182,282,132,042.90 in 2009 to P203,040,250,187.39 in 2013.

Cortez said the in-crease recorded in 2014 was simply because of the growing demand for more services to be offered to the Dabawenyo market.

He also contributed the positive growth in in-vestment to the positive business climate in the city, which itself is brought about by good gover-nance, peace and security, and the tax incentives giv-en to investors.

Cortez said the stable inflation rate in the city makes the Davao City at-tractive for investments.

Davao business capitalizationgrew 3.94% in 2014: DCIPC

Q&A. Davao City Investment Promotions Center (DCIPC) officer-in-charge Ivan C. Cortez answers reporters’ questions at the sideline of yester-day’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao Annex. Lean Daval Jr.

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015EDGEDAVAOTHE ECONOMY6

SEVEN companies imple-mented another big time rollback on their primary

petroleum products on Mon-day, January 12.

Petron Corporation, Phoe-nix Petroleum Philippines, PTT Philippines, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (PSPC), Seaoil Philippines Inc., Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI) and Eastern Petroleum cut gas prices by P1.70 per liter and diesel prices by P1.50 per liter.

Moreover, Petron Corpo-ration, PSPC, Seaoil and CPI made a reduction on kerosene

prices by P1.6 per liter.Based on the Department

of Energy’s (DOE’s) oil price monitoring in Metro Manila, diesel was being sold at a com-mon price of P29.25 per liter at gas stations, while gas was offered at a common price of P40.25. It noted it was ob-served after the first rollback of 2015 on January 5.

DOE said diesel was be-ing sold at a range of P27.05 to P30.40 in the Metro Manila area.

For gasoline prices, the monitor said it was playing be-

tween the amount of P36.05 to P42.20.

Also, the oil price chart indicated that 2014’s total roll-back for gas totaled P13.29, while diesel was reduced by P15.03.

DOE Undersecretary Ze-naida Monsada earlier said the previous price reductions were brought by the oversup-ply of oil in international mar-kets, which was triggered by shale oil production’s boom in North America and consistent oil production from the Orga-nization of Petroleum Export-

ing Countries (OPEC), along with Non-OPEC members.

Last week, Business In-sider reported Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, Saudi Aramco, will lower its Febru-ary delivery discount to Asian markets to US$1.4 per barrel, from the previous US$2 per barrel. It stressed Asia pur-chases more than half of Sau-di’s oil exports.

Philippine refineries com-monly obtain crude supply from Saudi Arabia, which could mean rollbacks in Febru-ary will not be that huge. (PNA)

DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Gregory L.

Domingo is expecting the pric-es of goods and services to go down this year, pushed by low-er fuel retail costs and change of commodity’s prices on some products.

Domingo told reporters that consumers should bene-fit from the significant decline in prices of oil products which has direct effect on some sec-tors, particularly in logistics.

He cited three components of declining goods and services prices:

* The effect of fuel on the delivery of manufacturers’ products to their customers;

* Direct effect of electricity and fuel costs on the products outside of the delivery cost; and,

* The effect of fuel and electricity on the raw material prices which include the de-livery of raw material to the manufacturers and the indi-rect cost of fuel and electricity cost on the production of raw material, noting that the third component has longest lag ef-fect on retail price reduction.

DTI Undersecretary for Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Victorio Mario A. Dimag-iba, on the other hand, has noted that the lower oil prices reflect a 3.0 percent decline on distribution cost of a suggested retail price (SRP) or 0.08 per-cent to 12 percent reduction of the published SRPs.

Based on DTI’s price mon-itoring for the last quarter of 2014, most of the monitored retail prices of basic and prime commodities are mostly un-changed or lower by 0.06 per-cent to 23.53 percent than the published SRPs.

Oil prices in the world market have gone down from US$110 per barrel to US$50, Domingo said.

“There should be reduc-tion on SRPs on some products to reflect the lower cost of fuels and change of commodity’s prices on certain products,” the DTI chief noted.

“This should reflect to low-er prices of goods and services this year,” he added.

“Most of our industries work under competition but there are some which have no competitive landscape. Those uncompetitive sectors, they are those who do not pass on the benefits. But to the extent that the industries are com-petitive, they really pass on, because they are pushed by the competition. Someone will always offer a better price if they’re able to lower their cost so the others will be forced to follow soon,” he explained. “It’s the industries or the sectors that are monopolistic or oli-gopolistic that sometimes are not passing on the benefits.”

He added that the lower prices of goods and services this year will also reflect to lower inflation rate and will contribute to a better gross do-mestic product (GDP) growth this year.

Domingo, in a previous interview, projected that GDP growth for this year will reach 7.0 percent and above with the growing industrial and services sectors, public and private sectors’ infrastructure projects, and various events happening in 2015 in the Phil-ippines such as election cam-paign, Papal visit, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit hosting, among oth-ers. (PNA)

7 oil companiesroll back prices Lower prices

seen in 2015

THE Manila Electric Com-pany (Meralco) has filed an application with the

Energy Regulatory Commis-sion (ERC) to source 55 Mega-watts (MW) of capacity from Toledo Power Corporation (TPC) and Panay Power Cor-poration (PPC) for the pro-jected Luzon reserve deficit during summer.

It was filed by Meralco, but will be joined by Toledo Power Corporation and Panay Power Corporation as co-ap-plicants, which have a 40 MW diesel power plant in Cebu and a 72 MW diesel power plant in Iloilo, respectively.

TPC and PPC will file another petition joining Meralco’s re-quest.

In the application, the distribution utility shown in a chart will receive 55 MW of capacity from TPC and PPC during Monday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Meralco said the contract price with TPC for the capac-ity costs P10.84 per kilowat-thour (kWh), while its effec-tive capacity delivered price amounts in Feb to P11.54.

Moreover, it said the con-tract price with PPC amounts to P10.82 per kWh, adding that the delivered capacity

price costs P11.93 per kWh.The distribution utili-

ty deal with TPC and PPC is much cheaper than Whole-sale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) rates, bringing in generation charge savings of P0.03 and P.02 per kWh, re-spectively.

Under the deal, TPC and PPC will pay WESM costs, benefits to host communities charges, VAT brought by the business of the power suppli-er, while Meralco will pay VAT on contract energy, WESM line rental charges for the electric-ity flow to Meralco’s node and the National Grid Corporation

of the Philippines’ transmis-sion charges.

The petition notes the right and obligations of the parties begin when the En-ergy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approves the petition, but notes the agreement is effective after the signing and will expire on July 25, 2015.

Meralco urges the ERC to approve the petition immedi-ately, so it will not be forced to source from WESM during the volatile pricing that comes with the summer months.

“Consequently, if the In-terim Power Supply Agree-ments (IPSAs) are not im-plemented during the period when the reserve capacity will be below the required contin-gency reserves, MERALCO will be constrained to source from the WESM, where prices are volatile, especially during the summer months of 2015,” it said.

The company stressed the approval is critical to reliable electricity supply and reason-able prices for its consumers during the summer months, expected from the scheduled maintenance shutdowns and forced outages of major coal and gas-fired power plants in Luzon. (PNA)

Meralco to source 55 MW from Visayas for summer

The Toledo Power Corporation facility in Cebu. Photo from the TPC website

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015 7

INDIAN film actor and pro-ducer Abhishek Bachchan once said: “A birthday is

just another day where you go to work and people give you love. Age is just a state of mind, and you are as old as you think you are. You have to count your blessings and be happy.”

These days, birthdays are celebrated as if they were part of our existence. In the past, birthdays were considered a time when the bad spirits can harm a per-son as this day he enters a new phase of his life. It was believed that the only way to keep the bad spirits away was to have friends and fam-ily around the person who is celebrating his birthday. The good wishes and presents from his loved ones would keep the evil spirits at bay.

According to birthdaycel-ebrations.net, the custom of lighting candles originated with people believing that the gods lived in the sky. By lighting candles and torches, the birthday celebrants were sending a signal or prayer to the gods hoping these would be answered. Blowing out the candles and making a wish is another way of send-ing a signal and a message.

How did the birthday cake come into the picture? Credited for introducing it were the Greeks, who baked round cakes representing the full moon for their moon god-dess, Artemis. They placed candles on the cake to make it glow, like the moon.

The Germans are also credited with the first cakes and candles. They used a sweet, layered cake and they put a large candle in the cen-ter of the cake to represent “the light of life.” Some peo-

ple believe the smoke from extinguished candles carries their birthday wishes up to heaven.

The first balloons were believed to have been chil-dren’s toys, made from ani-mal bladders and/or intes-tines, often filled with water. The Aztecs used to blow air into the bowels of sacrificed cats and twisted them into animal shapes and present-ed these to the gods as a sacrifice. Toy balloons were introduced by pioneer rub-ber manufacturer Thomas Hancock.

Now, let’s talk about the birthday song, which is tout-ed to be more than one hun-dred years old. It was written in 1893 by two sisters, Patty and Mildred Hill, who were schoolteachers in Louisville, Kentucky. History records showed that the tune was originally a morning greet-ing to their students entitled “Good Morning to All.” The lyrics were copyrighted in 1935, 11 years before Patty’s death, and the ownership has swapped hands in multi-mil-lion dollar deals ever since. Currently, the copyright is owned by Warner Commu-nications, which purchased it in 1989 for more than US$22 million. “Happy Birth-day,” one of the three most popular songs in the En-glish language, is recognized around the world and has been translated into dozens of other languages. Around the world, many cultures have one or more coming of age birthdays, according to Wikipedia. Jewish boys, for instance, become bar mitz-vah on their 13th birthday. In Canada and the United States, families often mark a girl’s 16th birthday with a

Text and Photos by HENRYLITO D. TACIOCelebrating birthdays

EDGEDAVAO

CULTURE & ARTS

“sweet sixteen” celebration.In India, on a child’s first

birthday, their head is shaved while being held by a spe-cial fire. Removal of the hair cleanses the child of any evil in past lives, symbolizing a renewal of the soul. In the Philippines, girls on their 18th birthday or boys on their 21st birthday celebrate a debut.

In some Asian countries that follow the Zodiac cal-endar, there is a tradition of celebrating the 60th birth-day. In Korea, many celebrate a traditional ceremony of Baek-il (Feast for the 100th day) and Doljanchi (child’s first birthday). In Japan there is a Coming of Age Day, for all of those who have turned 20 years of age.

The birthdays of histori-cally significant people, such as national heroes or found-ers, are often commemorated by an official holiday marking the anniversary of their birth.

In the United States, Washington’s Birthday, commonly referred to as Presidents’ Day, is a federal holiday that celebrates the birthday of George Washing-ton. President Washington’s birthday is observed on the third Monday of February each year. However, his actual birth date was either Febru-ary 11 (old style), or Febru-ary 22 (new style).

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is also a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of King’s birthday, Jan-uary 15.

In India, every year Octo-ber 2 which marks the Birth-day of Mahatma Gandhi, is declared as a holiday. All the liquor shops are closed across the country in honor of Gand-hi not consuming liquor.

The current Japanese Em-

peror Akihito’s birthday is De-cember 23, which is a national holiday in Japan.

Catholic saints are re-membered by a liturgical feast (sometimes on a presumed birthday). The ancient Ro-mans marked the anniversa-ry of a temple dedication or other founding event as a dies natalis, a term still sometimes applied to the anniversary of an institution (such as a uni-versity).

Traditions and religions play a big part in birthday par-ties. While most Christians accept the practice today, Je-hovah’s Witnesses and some sacred name groups refrain from celebrating birthdays. They believe that birthday cel-ebrations are portrayed in a negative light in the Bible and have historical connections with magic, superstitions, and paganism.

Besides rejecting birthday customs on account of pagan, God’s servants of old likely rejected them on principle as

well. Why? These were hum-ble, modest men and women who did not view their arrival in the world as so important that it should be celebrated (Micah 6:8; Luke 9:48). Rath-er, they glorified God and thanked him for the precious gift of life (Psalm 8:3, 4; 36:9; Revelation 4:11).

Hindus, on the other hand, celebrate the birth anniversa-ry day every year when the day that corresponds to lunar month or solar month of birth and has the same asterism as that of the date of birth.

In North Korea, people do not celebrate birthdays on July 8 and December 17 be-cause these were the dates of the deaths of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, respectively. More than 100,000 North Koreans celebrate displaced birthdays on July 9 or December 18 to avoid these dates. A person born on July 8 before 1994 may change their birthday, with official recognition.

Happy birthday!

Birthday celebration with friends (from left): Rudolph Ian Alama, Wilfredo A. Rodolfo III, Darrell Blatchley, Dante Comedido, the author, and Wilson Catin-gub. (Photo by Armand Mortejo)

Birthday cake

Foodies for birthday

Cake and baloons

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 20158 EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

Treating nature rightEDITORIAL

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

OLIVIA D. VELASCOGeneral Manager

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Columnists: CARLOS MUNDA • HENRYLITO TACIO • MA. TERESA L. UNGSON • EDCER C. ESCUDERO • AURELIO A. PEÑA • MARY ANN “ADI” C. QUISIDO • LEANDRO B. DAVAL SR., • NICASIO ANGELO AGUSTIN • VIDA MIA VALVERDE • Economic Analysts: ENRICO “GICO” G. DAYANGIRANG • JONALLIER M. PEREZ

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WITH the Samal City Resorts Association (SCROA) elevating to the Court of Appeals their case over the ban on jetties in the island, it would be pru-

dent for all concerned– the resort owners, the city gov-ernment of the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS), and most importantly the people – to review the laws that sur-round construction on any beach in the Philippines. It has become common practice for resort owners in many areas in the country to put up jetties, fences, and other perma-nent structures right on the shore in an attempt to keep the public away. Indeed, the practice is so prevalent that many Filipinos actually believe they can be prevented from stepping on the beach in such establishments.

But according to the handbook “Managing the Philippine Foreshore: A Guide for Local Governments” produced by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), everyone has the right to have access to the shore. “Yet, in many areas, such access is often denied the public

because of permanent structures (either private, such as walls or fences constructed by owners of adjacent lands, or public, such as wharves, seawall, causeways),” the hand-book says. It also cites Article 51 of Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1067, otherwise known as The Water Code of the Philippines, which states that the banks or rivers and streams and the shores of the seas and lakes “are subject to the easement of public use. No person shall be allowed to stay in this zone longer than what is necessary for rec-reation, navigation, frottage, fishing or salvage or to build structures of any kind.”

The lower court has already upheld the IGACOS ordi-nance against jetties and other structures, and the way the CA will handle will have far-reaching effects not just on Sa-mal but throughout the rest of the country. Beaches are not just the playground of tourists but are a vital resource for the people, and the way we treat them – or allow them to be treated – will reflect on our priorities as a people.

THE president of the country when I was growing up was Ferdinand E. Marcos. In 1972, he declared Martial

Law and was still the president until 1986 when he called for a snap election.

Thanks to People’s Power, Corazon A. Aquino became the president. She was fol-lowed by her anointed Fidel V. Ramos. Then former actor-turned-politician Joseph Es-trada became the country’s top official but his presidency was cut short due to another People’s Power. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) was sworn as the president. When a regular election was held, she again tri-umphed, although most people believe that it was actor Fernando Poe Jr. who actually won the presidential race.

GMA is the daughter of a former pres-ident, Diosdado Macapagal. He defeated Carlos P. Garcia, the only president outside from Luzon as he was from Bohol. Garcia became the president as he succeeded Ra-mon Magsaysay, who died in a plane crash.

When Magsaysay died, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund established an annual award to perpetuate the late president’s example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism with-in a democratic society. The prize -- called Ramon Magsaysay (RM) award -- was estab-lished in April 1957.

I have had the honor of meeting of some of the RM winners. Rev. Harold Ray Watson, an American missionary from my hometown, was an RM Awardee for interna-tional understanding in 1985. In that year, one of my favorite film directors, Lino Broc-ka, was also honored.

Watson was the first RM awardee I ever met. He became my boss when I joined a non-government organization based in Ki-nuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur, where he served as director.

For almost two decades with him, I learned so many things from him. It was from him that I learned the trick of beating stage fright. “If I faced the goats and talked with them, I don’t feel nervous,” he once told a group of visitors. “When I go to the place where rabbits are raised and talked with them, I don’t feel nervous, ei-ther. So, when I talk with a huge audience like this, I treat half of you as goats and the other half as rabbits.”

The second RM recipient I had close en-counter with was Grace Padaca, the former governor of Isabela. In 2008, she was given the RM award for “empowering voters in the Isabela Province to reclaim their democratic right to elect leaders of their own choosing and to contribute as full partners in their own development.”

She was still a reporter of Radyo Bombo when I met her. Both of us were given a trip to Palawan as part of our prize in winning a climate change contest that was set by then Senator Heherson Alvarez.

In one of our trips, she told me: “You are in a better position. You are writing for Ma-nila-based papers.” I don’t remember what my response was but her statement was em-bedded in my mind.

In that trip, I was together with my sister Elena, who now lives in the United States. When I reminded Padaca about our sojourn, she texted me: “I know the feeling. You two

were part of my first Palawan trip.”The third RM-awarded person I met was

Randy Halasan, one of the youngest win-ners of the coveted award. Last year, he was given the Emergent Leadership award for “his purposeful dedication in nurturing his Matigsalug students and their community to transform their lives through quality educa-tion and sustainable livelihoods, doing so in ways that respect their uniqueness and pre-serve their integrity as indigenous peoples in a modernizing Philippine.”

I had the pleasure of meeting him three times already: when I interviewed him be-fore he left for the awarding ceremony in Manila, during the awarding of The Faces of Teachers, and during the Christmas Par-ty of Edge Davao. He was supposed to come to join my pre-birthday celebration but he begged off since he was attending a batch reunion in the Island Garden City of Samal that night.

“Rich or poor, there’s no boundary or limitations in helping our fellowmen espe-cially the poor. Nobody get rich from the teaching profession, but a teacher like me gets rich from sharing knowledge, values, and positive attitudes to the community,” he said in a speech delivered during the award-ing of the 2014 RM Awards.

I also had the opportunity of working with two organizations which were RM re-cipients. The first one was Press Founda-tion of Asia, a news organization based in Manila. In 1991, it earned the international understanding citation for “guiding Asia’s press to look beyond national borders and speak intelligently to complex issues of re-gional change and development.”

It was actually Antonio M. Ajero, then the editor-in-chief of Sun.Star Davao, who introduced me to PFA. He told me that there were some articles I had been writing for the

paper that can be used by PFA through it weekly dispatch, DEPTHnews.

I did try -- and before I knew it, I was already writing several articles and features for the dispatch. Among my editors were Erlinda Bolido (who is now with Philippine Daily Inquirer) and Paul Icamina (now with Pahayagang Malaya). I also had the chance of meeting Vicente Tirol, PFA’s training offi-cer, in some of workshops I attended which PFA convened.

In one of the workshops I attended abroad, in Bangkok, Thailand (my first in-ternational trip ever), I met Juan Mercado, who would later become my mentor. Like me, he is a recipient of a journalism award given by the Rotary Club of Manila.

The other RM-awarded organization I worked with was the International Insti-tute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), which is based in Silang, Cavite. It received the in-ternational understanding award in 1986 for training agrarian development workers from four continents, “enabling them to share ex-perience and ideas for more effective prog-ress.”

IIRR’s founder, James C. Yen, was also a recipient of RM award. In 1969, he was cited for international understanding for his “con-tinuing concern for the whole man and mold-ing his social institutions, rather than simply refashioning the physical environment.”

At one time, I also used to write features and articles for International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and University of the Phil-ippines at Los Baños (UPLB). Both were RM recipient; IRRI in 1969 and UPLB in 1977.

I also used to write for Agriculture, a monthly publication published by the Manila Bulletin. It is edited by Zacarias B. Sarian, the first Filipino to receive the RM award in 1974 award for his work in development journal-ism.

Those RM awardeesVOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015 VANTAGE POINTS 9EDGEDAVAO

Henrylito D. Taciohenrytacio@gmail.com

THINK ON THESE!

THE commitment we make to the god of our choice, and when we practice this belief without hurting others, is

freedom of expression. Perhaps there was a time when religions were the main reason why people came together, and as such, re-ligion is, in many cultures, the “spirit” upon which the governance and authority is an-chored. Of course, driving through mega Manila (where about half of Filipinos live and reside) today shows us how technolo-gy and capital have pretty much supplant-ed the old agrarian culture which was once Christianity’s hotbed of influence. But with the traffic, the shifting work schedules, and the basic lack of time for many things, you have a mass of people for whom every min-ute is meant to bring some sort of material benefit. Its me above my neighbor, even if it hurts him. We see this among the poor and rich alike. Greed, self-centeredness, and avarice know no class. Daily prayers are forgotten, basic morals and love of neighbor sacrificed on the altar of convenience, in the search for comfort and acceptance and ma-terial gain. Hence, everything is a mad rush for the rats and their individual existence. In such anarchy, the strong have the right to trample upon the weak. The strongest are those able to most effectively and effi-

ciently secure material gain against others. They cheat, lie, and steal. Mon-ey and power above all.

Yet religion as an organiz-ing principle is hard to beat. It outlasts and outper forms all manner of government, even those established by the people, and the strong. Though imperfect, it has lasted longer and maintained fervor much longer than Marcos, Hitler, Alexander the Great, and Mao combined. It’s making a comeback in an increasingly affluent China and is in-creasing its intensity in developing Malay-sia. As human beings, we have the capacity to think and imagine beyond what we can see. As such, a belief in a reality beyond the material world is every ones birthright, pushing us to seek possibilities in the fron-tiers of science, art, and creativity. Religion is the means by which this view beyond the world is nurtured, encouraging us to be

our better selves. Remove this and we are all relegated to animals, who work together only on the pursuit of daily food or sex, or both.

Having helped many realize themselves, faith, belief, and the religion we choose to nurture it lie at the deep personal core of our beings. These contain the strengths we draw from in times of adversity, when we lack enough money to survive the daily grind, when friends desert us, when loved ones pass away, and when the state fails to deliver on its promises of development. Many religious organizations deliver basic services to those the government has no re-sources for, and which capital will ignore. It is what brings individuals together and al-lows greatness to take place.

The real question is: Should we al-low antireligious sentiment to take root in Davao? Here, where various beliefs live harmoniously in the village that comes to-gether to raise my son. The diversity and mutual respect we uphold is something we take for granted, yet lie at the core of that harmony, and the bone of our shared part-nership. Unfortunately, the misplaced ex-pression has created a culture of bullying and offense that negates such respect. All of a sudden, social media has given us the

tools to unleash many hidden sentiments that may or may not be respectful of others. This perhaps is why the State legislates that offending religious feelings merits prison time. These beliefs and religious feelings are the core of their beings, whether Chris-tian, Muslim, Lumad, and all the iterations in within and in between are what put our hearts in the place we call right. Hurt these and you provoke either a slow or quick re-action that upsets the social balance, the organizing principle and solidarity melting away in the rushed violence or slow indif-ference. Much of the cultural and political strife on this island has this at the core, and a lot of the social cancers eating within and between us away stem from the same dis-respect.

We in Davao have come far as a society with the shared respect for each other, and the belief in this diversity being taken more seriously than the rest of the country in the same way our Regional GDP is higher than the nation’s. Chastising, bullying, or openly defiling another’s core belief, whether sec-ular or religious, is taboo. It is an affront to their freedom of expression. Respect is the norm, and in today’s world, a discipline that takes courage to practice. Perhaps this same respect should be the norm once again.

Religious feelings, Charlie and Celdran, and what Davao can teach

John Triaecisouth@gmail.com

MY TWO CENTS’

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015EDGEDAVAO10 NEWSKiwanis...

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Bukidnon...

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quarter of the year.“Our feeding program will

hopefully address the malnu-trition incidence in chosen elementary schools in Talikud Island,” he said.

For his part, Kiwanis dis-trict secretary Uldarico C. Lib-erato said the organization, which has thousands of mem-bers in Davao region, will be using Manna Pack Rice forti-fied with vitamins and nutri-ents needed by elementary students.

Davao del Norte Provin-cial Tourism Council president Araceli L. Ayuste said the part-nership sprouted from the re-alization that the Department of Education (DepEd) does not have the enough budget to

cater to all public elementary schools in remote areas.

“There are kids who are not covered by the national feeding program of DepEd because of limited budget. That’s why we partnered with Kiwanis so that the balance of DepEd will be covered,” Ayuste added.

Kiwanis is now feeding a total of more than 15,000 ele-mentary school children from different parts of Mindanao, including Davao del Sur with three schools, General San-tos City with 20 schools, and Davao City with a total of 25 schools.

The feeding program has been ongoing for four consec-utive years. [CRC]

ties or structure constructed from the shoreline towards the sea.”

Lozada said that the local government of IGACOS gave resort owners three options so that the yearly penalty will not be enforced on the resort: demolish the jetties or struc-ture at owner’s expense; pay the yearly P200/cu.m. of jetty or structure constructed; and enroll the resort or apply to the Special Incentive Program of IGACOS by putting up a P30 million to P70 million of investment in the Resort De-velopment.

However, Ayuste said that

if there is no other way, it is very possible that the mem-bers of the association would be willing to comply with the ordinance.

However, she said all af-fected stakeholders should sit down and discuss the matter.

“We have to have an agreement that will be be-tween the local government unit (LGU), Department of Environment and Natural Re-sources (DENR) and resort owners,” she added.

Aside from being the advi-sor of the association, Ayuste is also one of the 17 petition-ers.

the military and Matugas should take the blame for acting too late and for not showing enough sincerity to the agreed release plan.

Timbang, whose group was instrumental in the release of four kidnapped policemen late last year, noted that the abductions took place as early as No-vember, and hardly a word was heard from the capitol.

Former Surigao del Norte provincial board member Victor Bernal, an-other 3PF member, pointed out that had the military suspended operations and had the governor’s crisis team acted decisively, the captives would have long been released.

“In short, the Provincial Crisis Management Com-mittee and the military which is always pursuing the captors are the ones who don’t want the release [of the captives]. If possi-ble, Governor [Sol] Matu-gas should ask the Philip-pine Army in Bad-as to stop the military operations,” Bernal said in Cebuano.

He urged Matugas to convene the committee to convince the military to stop their operations.

The governor did not reply when asked to com-ment.

On Friday, MindaNews received a compact disk from the NPA containing videos of the captives in an undisclosed location.

Polvorosa, Contemplo and Amper asked the mili-tary to withdraw from the hinterlands just for their safe release.

The captives also called on President Benigno S. Aquino III to help expedite their release.

Ka Maria Mala-ya, spokesperson of NDF-Northeastern Min-danao Region, earlier warned the ceasefire would only take effect once all po-lice, military and paramil-itary units cease all offen-sive actions, including the Community Organizing for Peace and Development.

The ceasefire, she said,

covered four towns in Su-rigao del Norte – Claver, Bacuag, Alegria, and Gigaquit – and Kitcharao town in Agusan del Norte.

“This is a supplemen-tal ceasefire to the 10-day ceasefire declared by the NDFP at the national level,” Malaya said.

She explained this would provide security and safety for the families of the “prisoners of war,” 3PF members and others who will attend the actual release.

In a separate letter, the NDF-North Eastern Mind-anao also issued an order of release for the three captives.

“Heeding the request of the family and loved ones of the POWs, the ND-FP-NEMR deemed it nec-essary not to proceed with the preliminary investiga-tion and trial proper, and thus ordered their imme-diate release,” Malaya said.

“This local ceasefire declaration and the even-tual release of the prison-ers of war in Surigao del Norte form part of the con-fidence building measures of the National Democrat-ic Front of the Philippines for the resumption of the peace talks,” she said.

She warned that if gov-ernment forces “remain adamant in their position, and in effect jeopardize the security of the NPA custo-dial force and the POWs themselves, the NDF-NEMR shall have no other recourse but to cancel the release.”

Only the three po-licemen from Surigao del Norte have remained in the hands of the NPA, Mad-los said.

Six other captives were released in December last year.

The policemen were supposed to be freed be-fore Christmas Day last year but the rebels said continuing military opera-tions in Surigao del Norte prevented their release. (Roel N. Catoto/MindaN-ews)

sage that the selection was moved to January 21 at 9 a.m. at the DCRC.

Ingay said because of the confusion that marked the selection process last week, the NCIP also asked repre-sentatives from the five other tribes in the city to witness the proceedings.

“Just to show them (Ka-gan tribe) that the IPMR will not only represent their tribe but the whole IP community of Davao City,” he said.

Ingay said the NCIP re-quired at least five repre-sentatives from each tribe to attend. They were also asked to come in their ethnic attire.

The city has a total 330,921 IP population: 30,962 Ata tribe, 15,887 Ka-gan Tribe, 135,229 Klata-Ba-gobo tribe, 30,010 Matigsa-log tribe, 18,501 Ovu Manuvu tribe, and 100,332 Tagaba-wa-Bagobo tribe.

Ingay said the delay in the selection of the IPMR to the City Council could caused delays in the delivery of ser-vices to the IP community.

Ingay said the term of outgoing IP councilor Beri-no Mambo-o Sr. expired last January 10 but the city gov-ernment can opt to issue a hold-over on the position since there is a valid ground.

Last week, the NCIP deferred the selection due to tension and confusion during the proceedings.

Ingay said the selection was moved to yesterday (January 12) because some “Baragwas” went home when they thought the eight aspirants had already cho-sen the person who will represent the IPs in the City Council.

The next IPMR is to come from the 37 Kagan commu-nities since the IP repre-

sentative rotates among the city’s indigenous tribes.

The aspirants are Janor Balo, Macapayao Apadan, Bobby Mohammad, Jafar Pandadagan, Larry Caba-guio, Joel Bustamante, Lito Lapitan, and Halila Sudagar

During the presentation of the aspirants, four of them – Mohamad, Pandadagan, Cabaguio, and Bustamante – withdrew their candidacy in favor of Macapayao Apadan.

Lapitan expressed sup-port for the decision of his co-aspirants but firmly said he was not withdrawing his candidacy.

Sudagar, who was the Sangunniang Kabataan Fed-eration president of the city from 2007- 2010, also opted not to quit the race.

In the presentation, Su-dagar said she believes she also had the capability to represent the IPs in the city.

The NCIP tried to pursue the selection process be-tween Sudagar and Apadan but it was not able to proceed because only a few Baragwas remained inside Davao City Recreation Center.

Ingay said they were supposed to continue the selection process on Monday between Apadan and Su-dagar but Lapitan objected, saying he did not withdraw his candidacy and so must also be included in the selec-tion.

After Lapitan’s motion to include his name in the list of selection, the other aspirants who had already withdrawn their candidaces also said they wanted their names in-clude in the list.

The NCIP then decided to include all the name of aspirants, but Lapitan again objected, saying they had al-ready conceded.

During the SP delibera-tions, Datu Magdalino Mayda Pandian, provincial indigenous peoples mandatory repre-sentative initially said budget should not hinder the holding of important rituals and activ-ities of a simplified celebration.

But board member Man-uel Dinlayan said that for this

year it must be done in October and available money should be spent on scholarships for in-digenous peoples.

The SP planned to file a resolution postponing Kaam-ulan 2015 tentatively to Octo-ber 29 in time for the IP month celebration. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)

YMCA Davao set of officers led by Fernando “Boie” S. On-gkingco Jr., an engineer who heads the city engineering district of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as president. Ongk-ingco took over from Leon-cio “Nonoy” P. Villa-Abrille, a lawyer-civic leader, who was president for the last two years.

The other newly-inducted officers are Jose B. Custodio, first vice president; Paciencio Rosalem Jr. , second vice pres-ident; Wehelito Pepito, corpo-rate secretary; Jekris-Shalom D. Mendoza, assistant secre-

tary/youth director; Ricardo V. Villegas, treasurer; Henry Braceros, assistant treasurer; Jose N. Valenzuela Jr., auditor; and Antonio M. Ajero, press relations officer; directors: Vicente R. Banes, Reynaldo B. Sazon, Mariano R. Alquiza, Manuel S. Tagud, Isagani G. Javier, and Melody Ann V. Rico (youth director).

As immediate past pres-ident, Villa-Abrille will con-tinue to serve by supervising special projects.

One of the initial projects of the group is to visit Davao Oriental on invitation of Gov-ernor Malanyaon.

be his last press conference, then ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan, in response to a reporter’s query on who real-ly was the OIC Governor, said it was his father, Andal Ampat-uan, Sr.

The Philippine Star re-ported on January 10 that Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes, through a 12-page omnibus order, granted bail to Sajid but denied the bail petition of his elder brother Anwar Ampat-

uan, Sr., and son-in-law of Ak-mad “Tato” Ampatuan.

The judge set the bail for P200,000 per murder count or a total of 11.6 million for the 58 victims.

The NUJP statement not-ed that with the vast resourc-es amassed by the Ampatuan, the bail of 11.6 M bail for Sajid is “peanuts to the family.”

The NUJP said it was “ut-terly dismaying” Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes’ observation that

the prosecution panel failed to establish strong enough ev-idence to ensure Sajid Islam’s continued detention over the course of the trial.

“This can only mean that those tasked and, more im-portant, pledged to ensure justice for the victims of the worst incident of electoral vi-olence in the country’s recent history and the single deadli-est attack on the press ever, have betrayed their mandate,”

the NUJP said.“Is it any wonder why,

more than five years after this most heinous of crimes, jus-tice remains a distant hope for the families of those who died?” it asked.

“We demand that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who has staked the title she now holds on the successful pros-ecution of the killers, to make good on her word,” the NUJP said. (MindaNews)

JETTIES. Davao Region Tourism Council vice chair and resort owner Araceli L. Ayuste tells reporters covering yesterday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Davao Annex that the IGACOS ordinance banning jetties did not go through due process. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015 11

ELECTRICITY is so much a part of our daily lives that one or two hours of

no service is not at all conve-nient. Though it may sound unimaginable, there are still a few communities that live each passing day without it.

One of these are the Indig-enous Peoples, mostly of the Matigsalog Tribe, in Baran-gay Gumitan, Marilog District Davao City. Barangay Gumitan belongs in an off-grid area which is around 78 kilome-ters away from the city proper. The nearest power line is still at 30 kms. away.

Last December 27, 2014 has been a very remarkable event for them. It is when the Davao Light and Power Co. formally turned over a solar charging station initially ben-efiting 30 households residing in the area. This community was identified with the help of the Davao City local govern-ment unit.

After a four-hour travel from downtown and two-hour arduous trek, the Davao Light team composed of Fer-min Edillon, Community Re-lations Manager together with his staff Sherilyn Puno, and

Daniel Cabigon, Streetlights and Pole Utilities Department (SPUD) Manager with his team members Rolando Recto and Jonel Padillo reached Ba-rangay Gumitan. With them are the 30 units of deep cycle batteries and 90 LED bulbs which will also be given to each of the household benefi-ciary.

Days prior, the SPUD team of Cabigon together with Rec-to, Padillo, Ariel Digao and Severino Ando Jr. conduct-ed installation of electrical house wiring, bulb recepta-cles and convenience outlets

to the houses of the 30 bene-ficiaries in preparation of the near completion of the solar charging station.

Thus, on the day of the turn-over, the residents excit-edly switched on their light bulbs and were overwhelmed seeing the new facilities.

“Dili matungkad ang among kalipay nga niabot ning adlawa na matagaan kami ug paagi aron kami makakuryente. Bisan pa sa kalayo sa among lugar, nian-hi ang mga taga Davao Light aron kami tabangan. Daghan kaayong salamat!” said Baran-

gay Gumitan Captain Fernan-do Banayao.

“The far distance and the tiresome travel were never a hindrance for us to contin-ue the project because we know how important this is to the community. It is our pleasure to be Davao Light’s instrument to bring blessing to the Lumads in Barangay Gumitan.” said Cabigon who together with his SPUD team worked hard to make this project realize.

Meanwhile, Davao Light also partnered with Min-danawon of the Ateneo de

Davao University, a Lumad focused organization, in or-ganizing the women’s group called the Gumitan Women Farmer Development Associ-ation. They will be in charge in the day to day operations like collection, maintenance and other activities necessary for the solar charging station. Related training will follow to help them sustain the opera-tions including technical assis-tance.

The Matigsalog Tribe in Barangay Gumitan now enjoys not only a happy new year but also brighter years to come.

AFTER a thorough val-idation process and deliberation, the Davao

Agricultural Ventures Corpora-tion (DAVCO) Bukidnon Farm attained the Tripartite Certifi-cate of Compliance with Labor Standards (TCCLS) award un-der the Incentivizing Compli-ance Program of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

DAVCO Bukidnon Farm,

with pineapple plantations lo-cated in Don Carlos, Quezon, Kadingilan, and Dangcagan in the province of Bukidnon, received the TCCLS award for meeting the General Labor Standards, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards, and Child Labor Laws.

Operating for more than 10 years, DAVCO Bukidnon Farm is looking forward to being nominated for the Secre-

tary Seal of Excellence Award, the highest honor given to companies for sustained and consistent compliance to La-bor Laws.

The estimated 1,700 hectare-plantation is also a recipient of the Global Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certificate for six consecutive years, an award certifying the company’s excellent practices in farming, food safety, envi-

ronmental sustainability, and the welfare of its workers.

DAVCO is a joint venture between ANFLOCOR and Del Monte Fresh Produce Philip-pines Inc. (DMFPPI) that ex-ports high quality fresh pine-apples to Japan, Korea, Middle East, Russia and New Zealand. DAVCO’s other farm is located in Cawayan, Calinan, Davao City with an estimated land area of 1,472 hectares.

ANOTHER batch com-posed of 193 partic-ipants of the Tagum

City Musical Instruments Workshop conducted a musical recital as a culmi-nation of their three-month musical workshop offered for free by the City Govern-ment of Tagum.

The Musical Recital held at Tagum City Pavilion last January 9, 2015 was attended by proud parents and children in high spirits who were excited to per-form.

The program is trail blazed by the City Govern-ment of Tagum under its Music Management Pro-gram Office headed by Ro-dolfo Gayem who oversees and implements it.

Under the program,

participants aged from sev-en years old attend week-end musical classes in the period of three months where they are taught how to play different musical instruments. The students are supervised by LGU-paid trainers

Six different musical instruments were taught during the latest workshop: Electric Keyboard (43), Acoustic Guitar (63), Bass Guitar (14), Drums (10), Saxophone (16), Trombone (16), Trumpet (16), Clari-net (8) and Violin (23).

Gayem said his office will now commence the tutorial session for next batch, which started with an orientation last January 10. Gleiza Delgado of CIO Tagum

193 kids, teens performin grand musical recital

DOLE grants DAVCO Bukidnon TCCLS Award

New year, new life for IPs in Marilog barangay

EDGEDAVAO

COMMUNITY SENSE

POWER FROM THE SUN. The solar charging station in Barangay Gumitan, Marilog District Davao City which will initially benefit 30 households residing in the area.

GETTING READY. Barangay Gumitan residents with the assistance of the Davao Light team prepare the bat-teries for usage.

MUSICAL KIDS. A total of 193 kids and teends perform in a recital on Janu-ary 10 at the Tagum City Pavilion. Kareen Jane Gomez of CIO Tagum

AWARD. HRMD head Jovanie G. Paden, Laborer Union (DBLU) president Rosemarie B. Lagare, and Labor Relation Officer Janice S. Briones of DAVCO Bukidnon receive the TCCLS award from Elna B. Seguiro LEO III and DOLE regional director Raymundo G. Agravante on December 8, 2014 at Centrio Ayala Mall Activity Center, Cagayan de Oro City.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 201512 CLASSIFIED

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015

EDGEDAVAOINdulge! FOOD

Eat this in SingaporeEVERYONE travels for a reason, whether to shop, to explore, or to have a jolly good time. But a growing trend I have noticed in Pinoy travellers is travelling to eat, and one of the best places in the world to eat is Singapore.

With a mix of Chi-nese, Malay, and Indian cuisines peppered with Western influences. Sin-gapore’s food scene is one of the most vibrant in the world with various world renowned chefs setting up shop right beside more known local brands and the various hawker stalls that are dotted around the city state. Top of the list on any Singaporean food safari is most definitely the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice,

but for the more adven-turous here is a short list of other delicious fare one should not miss tasting.

SatayEither in pork or chicken, grilled meat on a stick is a sure way to good eats. The satay is lightly spiced and then paired with a delicious peanut sauce and slices of cucumber to balance the richness of the dish.

Baby SquidIndividuals who love calamares will definitely love baby squid. Crispy on the outside yet tender on the inside, the dish is normally found in specialty Cantonese cuisine hawker stalls. Beware though as it can be a bit on the spicy side.

StingrayOne of the more exotic dishes I would recommend is stingray. Normally difficult to cook, stingray is expertly prepared at the hawker stalls and is served with a spicy sambal-based sauce. The meat of the stingray is tender and literally melts in the mouth, just be careful of the stingray’s cartilage.

Cereal PrawnAnother dish that is uniquely Singaporean is the Cereal Prawn, deep fried prawns served with bit of salty sweet cereal and spic-es. The innate sweetness of the prawns pairs well with the punchy and flavour-ful cereal topping which is perfect with lots of steamed rice.

Follow me on Instagram or on Twitter @kenneth-kingong for more travel stories, foodie finds, and happenings in, around, and beyond Durianburg.

Roasted Chicken WingsAlthough Hainanese Chicken may be the king of Sin-gapore’s street food, these roasted chicken wings are a real treat when visiting the Lion City. Sporting a com-plex flavour of five-spice, anise, and grilled to perfection, it is hard not to resist using your hands to dig into extra servings of this simple-looking yet flavourful dish.

THE RED CARPET is where style pun-dits take aim at the stars and weed out the fashion luminaries from the fashion disasters and the scene at this year’s Golden Globe red carpet was filled with hits and misses.

Best dressed Taking home the best dressed award this year is Naomi Watts with her sunshine yellow Gucci gown paired with an eye-popping Bulgari ser-pent necklace. Also part of the honour roll are Kate Hudson in Versace and Kate Beckinsale in Elie Saab.

Worst Dressed While some stars shone on the red carpet, some went out looking like a mess. It’s a sad occasion when Claire Danes lands on the worst dressed list. The Homeland star’s Val-entino gown was heavily weighed down by jew-elled embroidery galore. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rosamund Pike’s Vera Wang gown could’ve used one more fittingas she showed a lot of skin on her upper half. But the worst dressed award of the night would go to Lena Dunham who wore a boxy red Zac Posen gown. Kiera Knightly goes home as the first runner-up in the list with her frumpy Channel gown.

THE 72nd Annual Golden Globes are fi-nally being handed out this evening at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Here is the list of winners as of press time.

Supporting Actor, Motion Picture: J.K. Simmons, WhiplashSupporting Actress, Miniseries: Joanne Froggatt, Downton AbbeyBest Miniseries: FargoLead Actor, Miniseries: Billy Bob Thornton, FargoLead Actress, TV Comedy: Gina Rodriguez, Jane the VirginBest TV Comedy: TransparentBest Original Score: The Theory of EverythingBest Original Song: John Legend and Common’s “Glory,” SelmaSupporting Actor, TV: Matt Bomer, The Normal HeartComedic Actress, Motion Picture: Amy Adams, Big EyesBest Animated Film: How to Train Your Dragon 2Supporting Actress, Motion Picture: Patricia Ar-quette, BoyhoodBest Screenplay: BirdmanLead Actor, TV: Jeffrey Tambor, TransparentBest Foreign Language Film: Leviathan Lead Actress, Miniseries: Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honourable WomanBest TV Drama: The AffairLead Actor, TV Drama: Kevin Spacey, House of CardsBest Director: Richard Linklater, BoyhoodLead Actress, TV Drama: Ruth Wilson, The Affair

A2 INdulge!ENTERTAINMENT

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015EDGEDAVAO

The best and worst dressed stars of the 2015 Golden Globes

Meet the winners of the 2015 Golden Globes

Kate Hudson Kate Beckinsale Diane Kruger Naomi Watts Lena Dunham

Gina Rodriguez wins Best Actress in Comedy SeriesGINA RODRIGUEZ, star of the CW’s Jane the Virgin, shocked the Golden Globes by winning Best Actress in a Comedy Series over vets like Edie Falco and  Julia Louis-Dreyfus! And judging by her reaction at her name being read aloud, she was just as shocked as everyone else! “Wow. Thank you god for making me an artist,” Gina, who was visibly emotional and moved by the win, said when she took the stage. After thanking her bosses at the CW and at Jane the Virgin, she moved onto her two families: her fellow cast-members and her actual family. “Thank you to my entire cast. I am nothing without you,” she gushed. “Thank you to my mom and my dad who tell me to dream big and never stop dreaming. Thank you to my sisters and my siblings...for being the biggest role models.” While Jane the Virgin lost the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Se-ries to Amazon’s Transparent, Gina knew that standing there holding that statue was more than enough validation. “This award is so much more than myself,” she said, getting choked up. “It represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes. My father used to tell me to say every morning: ‘Today is going to be a great day. I can and I will.’ Well, Dad. Today is a great day. I can and I did.”

Gina’s big win comes on the same day that the CW announced that it was renewing Jane the Virgin for a

second season. Basically, the gor-geous 30-year-old actress is having the best damn day ever.

GOLDEN GLOBES

KAPAMILYA teen stars Nash Aguas, Al-exa Ilacad, and Ella Cruz are excited for the big changes that are bound to happen in the lives of their characters as their top-rating primetime drama series on ABS-CBN “Bagito” opens a new chapter this January. “‘Bagito’ has been such a big blessing for us in 2014. And to bring back the joy that our viewers gave us, we promise them more ex-citing events and revela-tions in the story that will keep them glued to their screens including the changes in Drew’s life as a teenager, a father, and a son,” shared Nash, who plays Drew in the story. “Viewers, especially teenagers like us, will surely relate with the ‘new chapter’ of Drew, Camille, and Vanessa’s lives. They will learn more lessons about love, friendship, and obedi-ence to our parents,” added Alexa who plays the role of Drew’s best-friend Camille. “Everyone should watch out for the chang-es in Drew and Camille’s

friendship now that Van-essa is back, and the sac-rifices that they all have to make to raise Baby Alby properly,” shared Ella, who is now known to viewers as Vanessa, the mother of Drew’s son. Meanwhile, to provide more guidance to view-ers, “Bagito” teams up with the institution Cen-ter for Family Ministries (CEFAM) in launching the “Bagito Hangout” online forum where netizens can ask questions and advice from the counsel-ors of CEFAM. It will be-gin on January 19 (Mon-day), 6:30PM to 7:30PM

at http://bagito.abs-cbn.com/hangout. Aside from Nash, Al-exa, and Ella, completing the powerhouse cast of “Bagito” veteran actors Agot Isidro, Ariel Rivera,

and Angel Aquino. Also in the series are Paolo Santiago, Alex Diaz, and the members of the ris-ing boy group Gimme 5 Joaquin Reyes, John Ber-mundo, Grae Fernandez,

INdulge! A3VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015 EDGEDAVAO

Nash, Alexa, and Ella ready to face a new chapter in “Bagito”

The best and worst dressed stars of the 2015 Golden Globes

and Brace Arquia. It is di-rected by Onat Diaz and Jojo Saguin. Don’t miss the newest chapter of the drama se-ries that will awaken the hearts and minds of the youth, “Bagito,” week-nights, after “TV Patrol” on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida. For more updates about “Bagito,” visit the

program’s official social networking sites at Twit-ter.com/DreamscapePH and Instagram.com/DreamscapePH. Viewers may also catch up on full episodes and past episodes of “Bagito” through ABS-CBNmo-bile. For more informa-tion, please go to www.abscbnmobile.com.

Kiera KnightlyRosamund PikeClaire DanesLena Dunham

PG 13

PG 13 / *R 13

PG 1312:00 | 2:00 | 4:00 | 6:00 | 8:00 | 10:00 LFS

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SEVENTH SON

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THE AMAZING PRAYBEYT BENJAMIN / * LOVE ROSIE

Vice Ganda, Richard Yap /

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Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE

OF THE FIVE ARMIESMartin Freeman,Ian Mckellen,

Richard Armitage

January 8, 2015

A4 INdulge!EVENT

A Waterfront welcome for 2015WHETHER it was part of their yearly tra-dition or they just wanted to experience something new, Dabawenyos flocked to the countdown party of Waterfront Insu-lar Hotel Davao last December 31 at the hotel’s Garden Pavilion. Titled Fusion: An Evo-lution of Music Through the Ages, patrons and guests all came to cel-ebrate the year that was and to welcome the New Year. After a Thanksgiv-ing Mass held at the Kalaw Function Room, partygo-ers were all treated to a sumptuous buffet spread, complete with live musical entertainment provided by the Gap 69 band. Once

everyone was nearly done indulging their appetites, the energetic DJ George Booke, who served as the host for the night, started the program with a gen-erous raffle draw. Lucky winners brought home all sorts of gifts and prizes, such as umbrellas, limited edition tumblers and gift certificates. Fun and exciting games were also played

by good-natured guests, who all took home good memories along with their prizes. Closing off the pro-gram was a lovely dance medley production per-formed by the Sining Tala Dance Company. Their feisty and entertaining interpretation of music’s finest tunes got every one in attendance in the party mood. Nearing the stroke of midnight, Davao’s hot-test disk jockey, DJ Torch, livened up the crowd with awesome tracks that got everyone kicking up their feet and dancing to the beat. It was a good thing Cocktails and Dreams was also there to quench the thirst of each and ev-ery one present. Once the clock hit 12:00, the sound of more cheers, deafening horns, confetti cannons and raining balloons all wel-comed the entry of the year 2015. With greetings and well wishes of happi-ness and prosperity, revel-ers were in such good spir-its, making the ushering of the New Year at Water-front Insular Hotel Davao so memorable that it is no wonder that it is already a tradition for both local and foreign guests. It was definitely a fantastic expe-rience celebrating the start of a New Year.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015 13ZION ACCUPRINT

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 201514 SPORTS EDGEDAVAO

LEBRON James declined to speak to reporters after Cleveland’s latest

loss without him. His Cava-liers teammates had another quiet night, too.

DeMarcus Cousins had 26 points and 13 rebounds and the Sacramento Kings beat Cleveland 103-84 on Sunday, handing the Cava-liers their seventh loss in eight games with James out with a strained back and sore left knee.

Cleveland has lost five straight and is 1-8 in its last nine games to drop to 19-19. The Cavaliers fell behind by 15 points in the second quar-ter and the Kings maintained a double-digit lead.

‘’They came out and punched us in the mouth. The first time we got into a dou-ble-digit deficit we just hung out heads,’’ said Kevin Love, who had 25 points and 10 re-bounds.

In addition to James’ ab-sence, the Cavaliers are play-ing for a new coach, adjust-ing to offseason moves and the additions last week of JR

Smith and Timofey Mozgov.We’re going through a lot

of trials and tribulations, a lot of changes,’’ Cleveland coach David Blatt said. ‘’We’re mak-ing adjustments on the fly. Tonight was definitely not a step forward. It wasn’t a good performance, you can’t sugar coat it.’’

Kyrie Irving had 21 points and had seven assists for Cleveland. Mozgov, acquired from Denver last week, had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

‘’LeBron being out, that’s 27 points we have to make up every game,’’ said Irving, who was ineffective after hit-ting four 3s and scoring 14 first-quarter points.

Smith struggled after scoring 27 points in his sec-ond game since joining Cleve-land in a trade with New York. He had four points on 2-of-10 shooting in 30 minutes.

Rudy Gay added 23 points for Sacramento. Dar-ren Collison had 16, and Carl Landry 11.

It was a rare lopsided victory for Sacramento. The Kings have struggled mightily

since opening the season 9-5 record. It was only their sev-enth win since Nov. 26.

“I know when we do play we are pretty hard to beat,’’ said Collison, who had six as-sists and none of the team’s season-low five turnovers. ‘’We were just talking about how we let the last game slip away. It’s a learning process. The thing that’s been it for us is being inconsistent as a team. When we commit to playing defense, then it be-comes a lot easier for us.’’

The Kings were at their best in the second quarter, sharing the ball and forcing the Cavaliers to take perim-eter shots. Ben McLemore made a 3-pointer, and Gay and Cousins followed with baskets as Sacramento closed out the quarter with sev-en straight points to take a 15-point halftime lead.

‘’When we defend the way we can, it’s going to lead to easy offense,’’ said Cousins, who had three blocks. ‘’We’ve just go to come out and be consistent every night if we want to be a defensive team.’’

Sacramento Kings guard Darren Collison dribbles the ball up the court during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Sleep Train Arena. (Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports)

Kings rout LeBron-less Cavs

HASSAN Whiteside spent the summer dialing NBA teams seeking

a tryout. No was always the response until he heard yes from Miami coach Erik Spoel-stra.

Whiteside proved his worth with career highs of 23 points and 16 rebounds in the Heat’s 104-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sun-day.

‘’It means a lot,’’ Whiteside said. ‘’It’s crazy that I’m on a team called the Heat because there’s always been a flame inside me. I always try to come in and just play as hard as I can and keep proving people wrong.’’

Chris Bosh scored 34 points and Dwyane Wade had 17 points on 5-of-15 shooting and 10 assists to help the Heat

end a three-game road skid.Whiteside signed with the

Heat as a free agent around Thanksgiving and has played four games in the D-League this season. The Clippers were among the teams that turned down his workout request.

‘’We didn’t look at him be-fore, me and 29 other teams,’’ Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. ‘’He’s playing terrific.’’

They had no answer for the 7-foot Whiteside in his third year out of Marshall. His offensive display ran the gam-ut from tip-ins to dunks to jumpers. About the only thing Whiteside didn’t do was try a 3-pointer. He was 10 of 13 from the field and 3 of 4 from the line in 28 minutes.

‘’He changed shots down low on defense and got us of-fensive rebounds, putbacks,

dunks, layups, and did a real-ly good job of controlling the paint,’’ Bosh said.

Blake Griffin scored 26 points and Chris Paul had 23 points and nine assists for the Clippers. They had won two straight and six of their previ-ous eight.

Paul, Matt Barnes, DeAn-dre Jordan and Jamal Craw-ford were whistled for tech-nical fouls and the team spent much of the game barking at the referees.

The Clippers took a 19-6 lead, helped by 3-pointers from J.J. Redick, who finished with 14 points, and two by Paul. From there, it was all Miami.

‘’That’s the thing that is so frustrating,’’ Griffin said. ‘’We started the game well and just didn’t do a good job after

that.’’Whiteside replaced Chris

Andersen halfway through the first and propelled the Heat on a 24-10 spurt, includ-ing 13 in a row when Jordan and Paul earned technicals, to give Miami a 30-29 lead. Whiteside was 5 of 6 from the floor and had six rebounds in 6 minutes in the quarter.

‘’We gave him too many easy buckets right at the glass,’’ Griffin said. ‘’He played extremely well. His efficiency was great. He was the biggest difference in the this game.’’

Miami ran off the first eight points of the second quarter, extending its lead to 38-29. A pair of free throws by Anders-en completed a 25-point swing for the Heat, having gone from 13 down in the first to up 12 in the second.

MARC Gasol struggled through regulation and the first over-

time before finally getting un-tracked.

Gasol scored the first sev-en points of the second over-time, Zach Randolph had 27 points and 17 rebounds and the Memphis Grizzlies outlast-ed the Phoenix Suns 122-110 on Sunday night.

Gasol was 2 of 10 from the field before the second over-time.

The difference?‘’The ball went in,’’ Gasol

said.Gasol finished with 12

points. Mike Conley added 25

points and eight assists and Courtney Lee had 18 points.

While Gasol didn’t elabo-rate on his play, others provid-ed credit to the center.

‘’Marc was huge,’’ Conley said. ‘’Early on, it seemed like he wasn’t as aggressive, and fi-nally, it clicked. He wanted the ball.’’

Isaiah Thomas led Phoenix with 20 points, but had a costly turnover trying to get the ball into the front court with the Suns leading late in the first overtime - one of seven turn-overs for Thomas.

The miscue led to a pair of free throws from Lee to tie it at 108, sending it into the sec-

ond overtime where Memphis missed only one of seven shots compared to the Suns hitting only one of 11 shots.

Markieff Morris added 17 points for Phoenix, while Alex Len had 14 points and 13 re-bounds. P.J. Tucker, Eric Bled-soe and Marcus Morris had 11 points apiece.

Bledsoe had a chance to win it in the first overtime, but his off-balance shot in the lane banged off the front of the rim at the buzzer.

‘’He went in with a little pump fake, but it looked like he slipped, and he couldn’t get off a decent shot,’’ Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said.

Phoenix has lost two straight.

The Grizzlies were without forward Tayshaun Prince and swingman Quincy Pondexter, awaiting the completion of a three-team trade. On Satur-day night, a person familiar with the deal said the Grizzlies, Boston Celtics and New Orle-ans Pelicans have agreed on a five-player trade that would send forward Jeff Green from Boston to Memphis. The per-son spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonym-ity because the trade hasn’t been announced and formal approval by the NBA isn’t ex-pected until Monday.

Heat beat Clippers to end 3-game road skid

Grizzlies outlast Suns 122-110 in 2OT

Marc Gasol (right) of the Memphis Grizzlies defends the ball against the Phoenix Suns during the game on Sunday at FedExForum in Memphis, Ten-nessee . (Photo by Andrew Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

THE streaking Atlanta Hawks made it look easy against the Wash-

ington Wizards.‘’At this point, I don’t

think we’ve played a better game,’’ guard Kyle Korver said. ‘’We had that 6-min-ute stretch in the second quarter, but otherwise that’s about as good as we’ve done this year.’’

Korver scored 19 points and DeMarre Carroll added 16 to help the Eastern Con-ference-leading Hawks win their eighth straight game, 120-89 over Washington on Sunday.

Improving to 16-3 at home and 29-8 overall, the Hawks got 15 points from Al Horford and 11 each from

Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Mike Scott. Teague finished with a game-high 10 assists.

Atlanta has won 13 of 14 and 22 of 24. It leads the Eastern Conference this late in the season for the first time in 21 years.

Aggressively defending Washington from the open-ing tipoff, the Hawks kept the sellout crowd - their fourth in the last five home games - engaged throughout.

‘’This is my eighth year, and I’ve never seen us like this besides the playoffs,’’ Horford said. ‘’I feel like the fans are starting to come out, they’re starting to believe and it’s exciting to see. We have a good team and we need their support.’’

Hawks pummel Wizardsfor 8th straight victory

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015 15SPORTSEDGEDAVAO

CALL it plain coincidence, but I would like to think it’s providential.

By tradition, we always make it a point to make chang-es at the start of the year, be that change as a form of a res-olution or a change in outlook, and the most common of it all, a change of address.

I got a text message from good friend Ben Sur, the cor-porate affairs manager of Phoenix Petroleum who hap-pens to be president of the Davao City Sports Council Inc., last week for an invitation to a regular DCSC meeting. Be-cause I’m still here in Perth, Western Australia, I could not readily send him back a mes-sage.

Pardon me, for that Ben.So what is it about Ben

this time? Well, Ben just got a new mandate last December for a second tour of duty as DCSC president, and he was all set to sail on for 2015 until something came along.

Ben, a sports leader and former athlete (bodybuild-ing), did one honorable thing many other sports leaders cannot afford to do—step down when he thought it was time.

Over the weekend, Ben officially stepped down as president, not even com-pleting a new term after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stepped in to question the manner of elections conducted last De-cember. As it turned out, the technicality led to Ben decid-ing to step down and pave the way for the holding of a snap elections.

As a result, Dexter So, grandson of the man who gave birth to the council itself, was elected president.

I received another text from Ben again to thank ev-eryone in sports for the sup-port to the council under his helm. Said he: “When you flip the page and you come to the last, that’s the end.”

Sweet.

Well said, Ben.That’s very honorable.

Mark of a great leader. I would say, a good leader knows how to pass on the reins to the next when the end comes—whether the business is fin-ished or unfinished. Unlike many elected leaders, Ben did the right thing to never ‘recycle’ and enmesh himself to the leadership like a stub-born leech. Many in sports do that. It surprises me to these days why. What on earth are they clinging on the position for when they cannot even accomplish simple standard leadership functions like en-suring the legitimacy of the association’s personality.

Ben accomplished that with the DCSC. He was able to register it with the SEC after decades of being technically having no juridical personal-ity.

Ben has rightfully justi-fied his existence and what can we ask for?

It’s time the reins f the DCSC pass on to the younger leaders like Dexter who has the heart to keep the legacy of his grandfather So Kim Cheng going.

To Ben, I doff my hat for a job well done and most of all for being such an honorable man. May others in sports and in other disciplines follow suit.

To Dexter, good luck to you and we trust that the DCSC will vault to new heights under your stewardship.

Again, the word is stew-ardship.

We are but stewards. Not owners of titles bestowed by mere election.

THE grandson of the late founding president of the Dabaw City Sports

Council (formerly Davao City Sports Council) is now the new elected president of the group.

Dexter So, grandson of the late sports leader So Kim Cheng, was elected as the new DCSC president Friday night during a re-election held at the Apung Kula restaurant.

The 35-year old So, who heads the Wushu Philippines in Davao, replaced body-building’s Beethoven “Ben” Sur, who resigned after the Securities and Exchange Com-mission informed them that there was “something wrong” with their election last month during a general assembly.

“SEC told us that we should have had elected only the four key positions from president, vice-president, sec-retary and treasurer,” Sur said.

DCSC earlier elected nine members to the Board of Directors, who later voted among themselves the presi-dent, 1st vice-president, 2nd vice-president, secretary, as-sistant secretary, treasurer, auditor, business manager and PRO.

Sur also resigned from the Board together with two others Ronnnie Tabudlong of chess and Bing Grandeza of Moo Duk Kwan, who were previously voted as secretary and business manager, re-spectively.

This paved way for Arnis Philipppines’ Mario Palazuelo, Muay Thai’s Neil Jone Astudi-llo and Tenpin Bowling’s Ian Ancheta to join the board.

Palazuelo was later elect-ed as the new business man-ager while Astudillo, who was represented by his wife Cathy, is now the secretary.

Athletics’ Belen Taala and karatedo’s Rommel Tan re-mained as vice-president and treasurer, respectively.

The board also voted to retain D’Artagnan “Daks” Yam-bao of volleyball and Jerson Tamayo of duckpin bowling as auditor and PRO, respectively. Dancesports’ Dennis Bunayog was appointed as assistant secretary.

“When you reach the last page, close the book,” said Sur, who extended his gratitude to all his fellow council members and officers.

“The journey towards sports excellence with all of you is one of the most won-derful and memorable one for me. I can not thank you enough. My snappy salute to all of you!,” Sur added.

So, a former 1st vice-pres-ident, accepted his new posi-tion and vowed to work hard together with his fellow offi-cers.

“This is a big challenge for us since we are almost new here. Mag-tulungan lang po sana tayo,” said So, a third generation of the So family, who has been a partner and supporter of the DCSC in the annual So Kim Cheng Sports Awards held every July.

So said they will have their first meeting later this month to plan their year-long programs which includes a Sports Science Seminar for coaches, athletes and P.E. teachers.

So is new sports council prexy

CITY Administrator J. Melchor V. Quitain on Monday hailed the

Davao City athletes who gave Davao City shining moment in an international competition in December last year.

“Congratulations for

bringing honor not only to the city but also to the Philippines,” Quitain told the athletes and their coaches during the regu-lar flag-raising ceremony yesterday morning hosted by the Sports Development Division-City Mayor’s Of-

fice.“This is another feather

in our cap, so to speak,” he added.

The City Government of Davao thru the SDD-CMO had sent a 53-member delegation to the biennial meet last December 6 to

10 and the athletes didn’t disappoint, winning three gold medals five silvers and four bronzes.

Davao City took part in athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, sepak takraw and badminton. (SDD-CMO)

Changingof the guards

Neil Bravo

LET’S GET IT ON

Quitain hails Davao athletes

City Administrator Atty. J. Melchor V. Quitain (center) leads Davao City athletes, coaches and officials in flashing the No. 1 sign at the Quezon Park fronting City Hall Monday morning. The Davao delegation, which won three golds, five silvers and four bronze medals in the 8th BIMP-Eaga Friendship Games in

Labuan, Malaysia last December, was presented during the regular flag-raising ceremony. Also in photo are SDD officer-in-charge William “Butch” Ramirez (right), delegation head Ma. Tisha Goldie Delvo and Luz Imsave P. Obial (beside Quitain). (MORIE AGUILAR /City Tourism Operations Office)

Dexter So

KOBE Paras and com-pany fell four points short of what would

have been a remarkable comeback, as Cathedral High School lost to Fairfax High School of Los Ange-les, 55-59, in the champi-onships of the Huntington Park Tournament.

High school basketball experts consider the unde-feated Fairfax as one of the top teams in the country.

Cathedral was down by as much as 19 points,

before a surge in the final three minutes brought them to within three points in the final moments.

Paras scored 12 points, including a three-point-er that sparked their late game run, but fouled out in the final minute in an effort to save game time.

Cathedral now has a 12-2 win-loss record and will enter another tour-nament before beginning their league play on Friday night.

Paras, Cathedrallose to Fairfax

VOL. 7 ISSUE 212 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015

Pacman-Mayweather bout could be announced soonGETTING CLOSER

16 EDGEDAVAOSports

THE fight the world has been waiting to see should be confirmed this

month, according to Manny Pacquiao.

His highly-anticipat-ed mega bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr., thought to be worth at least $300m, is set to take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with a preferred date of May 2.

It’s been five long years since the dream match-up was first mooted, and at one point all hope was thought to be lost after negotiations to pit the two world champions against one another failed on numer-ous occasions.

However, the drums are now beating louder than ever for the fight to happen, with positive noises coming out of both camps.

“We will make an an-nouncement before the end of the month. I think it will hap-pen,” Pacquiao said.

Reports in the United States suggest the venue has been agreed, as well as a drug testing programme.

The final stumbling block appears to be a dispute over the purse split, with May-weather refusing to agree to a

50/50 division.“The fans want to see this

fight and I want to go out with a bang,” said the 37-year-old Mayweather.

“We’re tired of you guys fooling the public, fooling the critics. Before when we tried to make the fight happen you didn’t want take random blood tests, so that’s why the fight didn’t happen.

“Then I offered you $40 million then you didn’t want to make the fight happen. You lost twice and now you’re coming back begging for the same money. That’s not going to happen.

“Let’s make this fight hap-pen for the people and for the fans. Mayweather versus Pac-quiao - May 2.”

Before Christmas Pac-quiao told reporters that mon-ey isn’t a concern of his and that this bout would be about the legacy he is building as one of the best boxers ever to grace the ring.

“Someone told me that Mayweather posted a video of me when I was knocked out and lost to Marquez. So it means he thinks I am easy to knock out, so he should fight me,” he said. Manny Pacquiao believes his long-awaited fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be announced before February.