P 15.00 • 20 PAGESwww.edgedavao.netVOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015

EDGE Serving a seamless society

DAVAO

POLICE arrested a big-time drug pusher in a buy-bust opera-

tion along Bonifacio Street, Davao City yesterday af-ternoon, seizing almost P400,000 in shabu (meth-amphetamine hydrochlo-ride) from the suspect

Police identified the sus-pect as Allan Tee Yap, 46, a resident of Hillside Subdivi-sion, Davao City.

Police said Yap was in his white Avanza car with plate number LGR 486 when he was apprehended by the au-

thorities along Bonifacio Street.

Police said Yap owns several cars that he used in peddling illegal drugs.

San Pedro Police Station commander Inspector Ron-ald Lao

said they have been mon-itoring Yap for more than a month although he had been identified as a drug pusher for quite some time now.

Reporters tried to inter-view Yap but he refused to answer questions.

Authorities recovered from his possession four sa-chets of shabu, his driver’s license, PhilHealth ID, cell-phone, P2,000 in marked money, and other docu-ments.

Police will file a case of

P400-K BUSTPolice arrest big-time pusher in buy-bust operationBy FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

FP400-K, 10

BUSTED. Drug suspect Allan Tee Yap, 46, is restrained by police upon his arrest yesterday afternoon along Bonifacio Street, Davao City. Photo courtesy of Ang Balita Davao

INSIDE EDGE

SPORTS page 15

THEWAITING GAMEManny just waitingfor Floyd to sign contract

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 20152 EDGEDAVAO

THE BIG NEWS

THE state-run National Power Corporation (Na-pocor) will still manage,

operate, and maintain the Agus Hydroelectric Power Complex in Lanao del Norte even when the proposed Bangsamoro is created by the second semes-ter of the year.

Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) director for Investment Promotion, Inter-national Relations and Public Affairs Romeo Montenegro made the comment during last Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw in response to speculation that

the Bangsamoro government will control one of Mindanao’s main sources of power.

Napocor operates six hy-dropower plants in the Agus Complex. It is one of Mindan-ao’s major sources of cheap and renewable power supply that has an installed capacity of 727 megawatts (MW).

Earlier, lawyer Al Jukilfi, a member of the legal team assisting the Philippine Gov-ernment in peace talks with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said the proposed Bangsamoro parliamentary

government cannot control the power plant because it supplies power to the whole Mindanao grid and not only to the proposed Bangsamoro area.

“Only power plants inside the area generating power to the proposed Bangsamoro area will be under its jurisdic-tion,” Jukilfi said.

He cited the annex on the revenue generation and wealth sharing of the Framework on the Bangsamoro (FAB) which says the Bangsamoro “shall have authority and

control over existing govern-ment-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) and fi-nancial institutions operating exclusively in Bangsamoro ter-ritory, after the determination of an intergovernmental fiscal policy board of its feasibility.”

Jukilfi said consumers should not expect a power rate hike once the Bangsamoro is created in the second quar-ter of this year because it will still be the Energy Regulatory Board (ERB) that will deter-mine any change in the power

THE next Indigenous People Mandatory Rep-resentative (IPMR) to

the Davao City Council will be revealed today as the tech-nical working group (TWG) meets to choose its new rep-resentative.

In a privilege speech in yesterday’s regular session, outgoing IPMR councilor Be-rino L. Mambo-o Sr. said the TWG will conduct their selec-tion process for the next IP councilor of the city.

“I hope you will extend to (the next IP representative) the best accommodation like what you did to me and sup-

port his programs and aspira-tions,” he said.

Mambo-o was attending his last session as councilor as his term will end on January 10.

Mambo-o said in his three years as a member of the Council, he learned and expe-rienced the essence of being a public servant.

“I have exerted my best efforts to protect the ances-tral domain of the Indigenous People and pursue self-gover-nance, self-determination, so-cial justice, human rights, and their cultural identity” he said.

Mambo-o thanked his col-

leagues for the support they gave him especially in times when he found it difficult to express his sentiments as he conveyed the concerns and is-sues of the IPs in the city.

Mambo-o had earlier said the TWG also will help eval-uate the selection process of the next tribe that will repre-sent the IP, which is the Kagan tirbe.

He said the Kagan tribe has six aspirants to be the next IPMR. The whole tribe will have a consensus on who their representative to the City Council will be.

Last month, Mayor Ro-

drigo R. Duterte said he had already identified the next Indigenous People (IP) repre-sentative to the City Council.

“Naa na koy natarget (I al-ready have someone in mind). But I will divulge his name in the proper time,” the mayor said.

Duterte, however, con-firmed the earlier statement of Mambo-o that the next IP representative will be from Kagan tribe.

“Ilis-ilis ng mga IP repre-sentative. Iniikot yan… Para makapahimulos tanan (The IP representative post is rotated

COUNCILOR Danilo Dayanghirang yesterday urged the city govern-

ment to drop the proposal to cut down trees along Dacudao Avenue, saying it is “a direct contravention to our constitu-tional policy of conservation and protection on a balanced and healthful ecology.”

In a privilege speech in yesterday’s regular City Coun-cil session, Dayanghirang cited section 16, article 2 of the Con-stitution which says the state “shall protect and advance the right of the people to balanced and healthful ecology in accor-dance with the rhythm and harmony of nature.”

He said the reconstruction of sewerage system in Dacud-ao to prevent flood in the near-by areas does not entail the cutting of trees.

“In applying the aforesaid constitutional provision and jurisprudential rule, it is very clear that cutting of tress must be avoided,” he said.

Dayanghirang said there other ways to reconstruct the drainage without cutting down the trees if the intention is to rehabilitate it to prevent flood.

“Cutting of trees is akin to a sacrificial lamb,” he said.

Taks Force Drainage chair

A PHILIPPINE-BASED pri-vate firm is interested in developing the area

fronting Rizal Park where the City Building Office and City Engineer’s Office, among oth-ers, are located.

Davao City Investment and Promotion Center (DCIPC) officer Ivan C. Cortez said the company, which he did not yet identify, is eyeing to develop the area where most old build-ings are made of wood.

“The old buildings in the area are already fire hazards and it would be better if they are replaced,” he said.

The development includes

the construction of a 20-story building that will be called the government center.

“Based on initial talks, about four to six floors will be allotted for city government offices while the rest will be for commercial use,” Cortez said.

He said the center will serve as one-stop shop of dif-ferent city government offic-es for the city’s constituents seeking various government services.

Another four floors will be used as a condotel for visitors of the city government.

“The city government will

Napocor to control Aguseven under Bangsamoro

JUST A LITTLE RAIN. Dabawenyos seeking assistance from the City Mayor’s Office (CMO) shield themselves with umbrellas against a sudden downpour while waiting for their turn along City Hall drive on Monday afternoon. Lean Daval Jr.

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

Firm wants to put up 20-story gov’t center

FNAPOCOR, 10 FDAYANGHIRANG, 10

FIP, 10FPRIVATE, 10

Dayanghirang: Don’tcut down Dacudao treesBy ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.

abf@edgedavao.net

IP rep to be chosen today

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 3NEWSEDGEDAVAO

DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte warned business own-

ers, especially real estate developers, not to bribe any city government employ-ees during this period when business permits are being renewed.

“Giingnan nako ning mga developers – Ayala, Mega-world – na mabalitaan gani nako na nagahatag sila ilabay nako ilang applications sa basurahan (I told real estate developers like Ayala and Megaworld that I will trash their applications if I hear that they bribe any govern-ment employee to fast-track the process),” Duterte said during last Sunday’s Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa, his Sun-day morning program.

Duterte said he also told other millionaire entrepre-neurs operating in the city to “not corrupt the employees of the city government.”

At the same time, the mayor warned city employ-ees that they will be dis-missed outright if they are found guilty of extortion. He said he will personally file extortion cases against erring employees.

Curiously, Duterte turned softer when it came to fixers.

“I’m OK with fixers be-cause there are enterprises, mostly the small ones, that don’t have ample time to pro-cess their business renewal,” he said.

Earlier, Business Bureau officer-in-charge lawyer Lawrence D. Bantiding said

about 35,000 business es-tablishments are expected to process their permits at the Kadayawan Hall of NCCC Mall of Davao in Matina and lobby area of the City Council Building from January 3 to January 20.

Business owners can have their permits renewed in both venues in the follow-ing schedules:

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Janu-ary 3 and 4 and January 10 and 11

8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Jan-uary 5 to 9

8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Janu-ary 12 to 16 and 19,

8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Janu-ary 17 and 18.

Bantiding said business-es can process their renewals during the last day of renew-

al on January 20 at the NCCC Mall from 8 a.m. to midnight.

Requirements for the renewal of the business per-mits are: original copy of pre-vious mayor’s/business per-mit, notarized list of all em-ployees, authority to transact the renewal of the business permit with the Business Bu-reau, clear photocopy of valid ID of all signatories and the transacting person, original copy of barangay clearance, certified copy of proof of ex-emption, if any, and available financial statement of the previous year.

He said that businesses that will not be able to renew their business permits on January 20 will be fined with a 25 percent penalty upon re-newing their permits.

THE wives and relatives of three policemen who were snatched by the

New People’s Army in Surigao del Norte almost two months ago on Monday asked the mil-itary for a troop pullout from the province’s hinterlands to facilitate the safe release of their loved ones.

“I’m asking the military to abide by the Suspension of Mil-itary Operations for the quick and safe release of our hus-bands because news reports said military operations are still ongoing. We’re afraid that our loved ones would be en-dangered and this (operation)

is preventing the release of the captives,” Matosalem L. Polvo-rosa, wife of PO3 Democrito Polvorosa Jr. said in Cebuano.

PO1 Jonry Amper’s wife, Christine, and relatives of PO1 Marichel Unclara Contemplo, another captive policeman, aired a similar appeal.

Amper was taken in Mali-mono town last Nov. 12 while Polvorosa and Contemplo were seized in Alegria town last Nov. 16.

Amper was driving his XRM Honda motorbike in Ba-rangay Bunyasan in Malimono town at 9:45 a.m. on Nov. 12

BANNED firecracker piccolo emerged anew as the leading cause of

firecracker-related injuries in the recent Christmas and New Year revelries in South Cotaba-to province.

Dr. Rogelio Aturdido Jr., South Cotabato Integrat-ed Provincial Health Office (IPHO) chief, said Tuesday they recorded a total of 89 in-jury cases due to piccolo out of the 112 firecracker-related injuries recorded in the area during the holidays.

He said such figure was based on the monitoring con-ducted by the IPHO’s epide-miology and surveillance unit from Nov. 30 to Jan. 5.

“Piccolo was again the number one cause of injuries and the victims were mostly children aged 10 years-old and below,” he said.

Aturdido said their mon-itoring showed that the total firecracker-related injury cas-es in the province increased by eight percent in the recent hol-idays, specifically to 112 from the previous 104.

He said majority of the cases involved children aged three to 10 years-old, followed by those within the 11 to 21 years-old age range.

The youngest victim was a three year-old boy, who was in-jured due to piccolo explosion, and the oldest was a 60 year-old man.

A 43 year-old resident of Surallah town lost a finger on Christmas Eve due to an acci-dental explosion of the whistle bomb firecracker.

A 13 year-old boy from Barangay Namnama in Koro-nadal City lost two fingers and suffered serious burns due to an explosion of collected fire-cracker powders.

Aside from piccolo, Aturdi-do said six residents were in-jured by accidental explosions of kwitis or sky rocket and four others by pla-pla and flying ti-ger firecrackers.

Koronadal City posted the most number of injuries with 27, followed by the municipal-ities of Tupi with 21 and Polo-molok with 17, he said.

GOVERNMENT workers should not be discour-aged when they encoun-

ter difficulties and problems in rendering public service. This was the admonition of Re-gional Director Mariano Alqui-za of the Department of Public Works and Highways during the joint flag-raising ceremony of national government agen-cies at the People’s Park in Davao City Monday morning.

Alquiza delivered a pep talk to some 100 fellow gov-ernment officials and workers attending the flag ceremony as president of the Association of Regional Executives of Nation-al Agencies in Region 11 (ARE-NA 11).

He cited the parable of the big boulder blocking a road that prevented the passing of people and good in a certain

kingdom.Instead of doing some-

thing to improve the situation, as decreed by the king, the people just folded their arms akimbo and stayed on the side-walk looking at the big stone helplessly.

Then, a peasant came and started pushing the boulder with all his might with none of the bystander doing some-thing to help him.

When the peasant suc-ceeded in removing the big stone from the road, the peo-ple, with their automobiles, carriages and horses rushed to the road and continued their journey leaving the peasant without thanking him.

Then the peasant notice a big box right where the stone used to be. When he opened

FKIN, 10

FMOST, 10

FPARABLE, 10

Kin of cops held by NPAwant troops to pull out

Rody warns againstbribing city workers

I’M LISTENING. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s executive assistant Christopher “Bong” Go listens to the problems of people seeking assistance from the City Mayor’s Office (CMO) at City Hall on Monday afternoon. The mayor was out for an important appointment at the time. Lean Daval Jr.

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

Most firecracker injuriesin SoCot due to piccolo

PARABLE OF THE ROAD BOULDERAlquiza tells gov’t workers: Make problems opportunities

FAREWELL. Councilor Berino L. Mambo-o gestures as he delivers his farewell speech during the City Council’s first regular session of the year at the Sangguniang Panlungsod building yesterday. The three-year term of Mambo-o as indigenous people’s (IP) representative to the City Council officially ends on January 10. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 20154

FRUIT SNACK. A customer buys inexpensive snacks at a fruit stall along City Hall Drive in Davao City. Fruit stands like these are mushrooming all over the city, giving rise to health concerns. Lean Daval Jr.

EDGEDAVAO

ECONOMY

THOUSANDS of Dabawenyos blew their horns at the stroke of

midnight on January 1 to wel-come not just the New Year but also Visit Philippines Year 2015 (VPY2015) during the 2nd Davao Torotot Festival in Davao City.

During the countdown, Department of Tourism (DOT) Assistant Secretary Art Boncato Jr. said the Phil-ippines is all set to become an even more exciting destina-tion in 2015 with VPY2015.

He urged the revelers to join the DOT in inviting visi-tors to the country to experi-ence the enduring promise of the worldwide tourism cam-paign “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”

A short clip showed “15 Ways to Have Fun in the Philippines” that started the countdown revelry.

During the formal launch of the VPY2015 in September 2014, DOT Secretary Ramon

R. Jimenez Jr. said the cam-paign aims to highlight differ-ent regions in the country.

“DOT is applying very sharp pressure to move tourism out of Manila and for people to go to Bohol, Davao. Kung saan masigasig ang local, doon malakas ang turismo,” he said.

The Davao region re-ceived close to 1.8M visitors in 2013 and the DOT is con-fident of an increase in 2014 with numbers to be finally tallied at the end of January 2015.

To drive further growth during VPY2015, the Davao Region has registered major events in the VPY2015 calen-dar like the Visit Davao Fun Sale, Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge, and Visit Samal Islands.

To find out what’s hap-pening around the Philip-pines and how to actively sup-port the campaign this year, log on to visitph2015.com.

THE Supreme Court (SC) was asked on Tuesday to stop the Energy Regula-

tory Commission (ERC) from implementing its order allow-ing the National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) to charge its clients with an additional P0.04 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in their electric bills starting January 2015 to shoulder the cost of renewable energy (RE) under the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) scheme.

The P0.04 per kWh will eventually be passed on start-ing this January to all electric-ity consumers like the sub-scribers of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) custom-ers in Metro Manila and the

nearby provinces.Named respondents in the

petition are the ERC, Depart-ment of Energy (DOE), Trans-Co, National Renewable Ener-gy Board (NREB), and Meralco.

In his petition, lawyer Re-migio Michael Ancheta told the SC that the FIT rules and regulations insofar as they implement the FIT Allowance (FIT-ALL) of P0.0406 per kWh and the ERC order dated Oct. 7, 2014 which granted TransCo’s application for a provisional FIT-All are unconstitutional.

With the ERC’s order, dis-tribution utilities like Meralco are mandated to adopt the necessary modification in their

THE Palace on Monday said the decision to in-crease the fares of Met-

ro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 and Light Rail Transit (LRT) Lines 1 and 2 may not be pop-ular but it must be done.

“This is not a popular de-cision insofar as the MRT-rid-ing passengers are concerned, but we are doing this because this is the right thing to do,” Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told report-ers during a press briefing in Malacañang.

Lacierda said the govern-ment has not completely cut its subsidy for the mass trans-port system but has merely reduced the subsidy from P12 billion last year to P10 billion this year.

“We did not take away the subsidy. The subsidy is still there,” he said.

He noted that President Benigno Aquino has already explained that the subsidy for the MRT/LRT fares needs to be reduced so that the gov-ernment could allocate its re-

sources to regions that do not benefit from the MRT/LRT service.

“So, of the P2 billion that we can save, we are going to allocate the resources to oth-er areas like Visayas and Min-danao,” Lacierda said.

He pointed out that the increased MRT/LRT fares are still lower than air-condi-tioned or regular bus fares.

An air-conditioned bus traversing the Monumen-to-Taft Ave route via EDSA charges P42, an ordinary bus

P37, and an FX taxi P40. The MRT meanwhile charges only P28 for the same route.

Lacierda assured the pub-lic that the government will continue to improve the ser-vices of the mass transport system.

“We can assure the MRT-riding passengers that rehabilitation is forthcom-ing. Rehabilitation has been planned this year. We are go-ing to improve the services of the MRT,” he said. (PNA) CTB/PND/SSC

THE government is ap-pealing to importers and cargo owners to

withdraw their cargoes from the Manila ports ahead of the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Friday and the Pope’s arrival in the country next week.

“Our appeal is: Saturday and Sunday gamitin po na-tin and kung pwede, move as much of your containers out of the port before the Feast of the Poong Nazareno on Friday and then resume Saturday before the Pope’s arrival on Thurs-day,” said Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras in a Pal-ace press briefing.

Almendras said they ex-pect a disruption on the nor-mal flow of traffic across the metropolis during these two big events, thus affecting the flow of goods from the ports.

“All the government offices are open to make sure that you have the opportunity to pull it out,” he said.

Almendras particularly cited the significant increase in refrigerated vans or reefers that are not being pulled out from the ports.

“There is not enough space in the port for refrigerated vans of the volume that we are now seeing. As a matter of fact, we have doubled the number of refrigerated vans in our Port of Manila today than is nor-mal,” he stressed.

Almendras said that even as the country does not expect export cargoes to be brought to the pier, the government is moving out as much empty containers during the three-day holiday due to Pope Fran-cis’ visit. (PNA)

Torotot Fest ushers inVisit Philippines Year

MRT/LRT fare hike must be done: Palace SC asked to stop Transco’sP0.04/kWH power rate hike

Businesses urged to move cargofrom Manila ports for Papal visit

FSC, 10

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 5EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015EDGEDAVAOTHE ECONOMY6

CUTBACKS in the prices of petroleum and electric-ity with lower increases

in the price of most food items brought headline inflation down to 2.7 percent in Decem-ber 2014 from 3.7 percent in the previous month, the Na-tional Economic and Develop-ment Authority (NEDA) said.

This is the fourth con-secutive month that headline inflation slowed down, which pulled average inflation for full-year 2014 to 4.1 percent. Thus, the government stayed within its inflation target of 3.0 to 5.0 percent for 2014.

“The lower inflation out-turn in December bodes well for consumption growth in the fourth quarter of 2014. Also, this shows that government policies remain supportive of a manageable inflation rate,” Economic Planning Secretary and NEDA Director-General Arsenio M. Balisacan said.

Core inflation, which ex-cludes selected volatile food and energy prices, also eased to 2.3 percent from 2.7 per-cent in November 2014 and

3.2 percent in December 2013. For full-year 2014, it averaged 3.0 percent.

Meanwhile, December 2014 recorded contractions in the price indices of petro-leum electricity, gas and other fuels (-8.3% from -2.6%) and operation of personal trans-port equipment (-6.0% from -1.2%).

“Electricity rates were lower year-on-year in Decem-ber 2014 after a decline in generation and transmission charges was noted on the back of improved availability of power plants and lower cost of fuel,” Balisacan said. Meralco charges were down anew in December 2014 by 13 percent, equivalent to a reduction of P0.73 per kilowatt hour.

Moreover, the sharp de-cline in Dubai oil prices, which fell to its lowest levels since 2010, translated to lower do-mestic petroleum prices. Price reductions were recorded in December 2014 for unleaded gasoline prices (-19%), diesel (-26%), kerosene (-23%) and in liquefied petroleum gas or

LPG (-32%).Also, despite the holiday

season, year-on-year food inflation in December 2014 slowed to 5.5 percent from 6.5 percent in the previous month. This is mainly due to high food prices in the same period of 2013 partly arising from ty-phoon Yolanda which hit the country in early November.

“The absence of new ma-jor economic shocks, which could considerably affect food supply, as well as the normal-ization of supply chain of other food products in part resulting from the augmentation of rice stocks from imports and the lifting of the expanded truck ban in September 2014, may have also contributed to the decline in inflation in Decem-ber 2014,” Balisacan said.

Despite the low inflation figures, the government is still wary of possible inflation risks for 2015 such as pressures associated with higher water rates at the start of 2015 and the impact of destructions brought by typhoons “Ruby” and “Seniang” on prices of ag-

SENATOR Paolo Benig-no ‘Bam’ Aquino IV on Tuesday promised to

support government’s bid to add more teeth to the Con-sumer Act to protect con-sumers against substandard goods and services.

“Strengthening the Con-sumer Act will further em-power our citizens in their purchase of goods and ser-vices,” Aquino, chair of the Senate committee on trade, commerce and entrepre-neurship, said.

Recently, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)

called for amendments to Republic Act (RA) 7394, also known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

“Our consumers have worked hard to earn a living and they deserve to get value for their money,” Aquino said.

Aquino said his commit-tee will act immediately once it receives a draft bill from the DTI that contains the needed amendments for the Consumer Act.

“This must not wait be-cause consumer protection is paramount and should be prioritized,” he stressed.

Aquino said his office has been receiving different con-sumer complaints, ranging from substandard quality of products and inefficient ser-vice.

Some of the amendments being eyed by DTI are the in-clusion of heavier penalties for violators of the Consumer Act, increasing the minimum penalty of P500 to P50,000 and the maximum fine of P300,000 to P1 million.

The DTI also seeks to expand the membership of the private-public National Consumer Affairs Council to

make it more effective in pol-icy framing and addressing the needs of consumers.

The department is also proposing the inclusion of online commerce-related practices in the scope of the law and the regulatory duty of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipi-nas (BSP) over all financial transactions.

The Senate recently passed its first pro-consum-er measure in the 16th Con-gress, the Philippine Lemon Law which protect car buy-ers from defective vehicles. (PNA)

IN a one-on-one meeting with all labor attaches shortly before the close of

2014, Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said she had extracted a pledge that all the overseas posts of the DOLE will make sure that the Balik Manggagawa (BM) online system will be fully im-plemented in 2015.

“I hold them accountable to this promise of 100 percent implementation of the BM on-line system,” Baldoz said, as she expressed confidence the online system will make the usual long queue of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) at the Philippine Overseas Employ-ment Administration (POEA) counters and at overseas posts waiting for the processing of their overseas employment certificates (OECs) a thing of the past.

Baldoz, citing a report from POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, said BM online has already earned praises from many vacationing OFWs for making their OEC transactions more convenient, particularly for those who are returning to the same employers.

With an operational BM online, OFWs returning to the same employer can log on to the POEA website where they can fill out forms and submit the document for processing. If the name of the employer indicated in the form matches the name of the employer in the POEA database, the sys-tem will readily approve the returning OFW’s “new record.”

“The balik manggagawa needs only to proceed to pay the fees electronically and print out the OEC either at the comfort of their homes or

A NEW general manager for the Metro Rail Tran-sit 3 (MRT-3) was ap-

pointed on Monday, a day after the implementation of the con-troversial MRT fare increase.

Engineer Ramon Buenafe, who is also a businessman, replaced Renato San Jose who was appointed as offi-cer-in-charge last September. The latter remains as the MRT director for operations.

“(Buenafe) was appointed and took his oath this morn-ing,” Department of Transpor-tation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said.

Buenafe is a graduate of the Philippine Science High School and earned his Bach-elor of Science degree in Me-chanical Engineering at the University of the Philippines. (PNA)

Gov’t reaches full-yearinflation target for 2014

ricultural commodities.“Given the lingering pos-

sibility of El Nino occurrence in the first quarter of 2015, we should intensify efforts to implement programs that will help the areas that are highly and moderately vulnerable

to the adverse impact of a dry spell,” he said.

Balisacan also noted that logistical issues continue to pose risks of inflation. “While the easing of the truck regula-tion in Manila’s ports may have possibly contributed to the

moderate inflation outturn, it is critical to continue exploring a more lasting solution to the congestion problem to avoid future disruptions in the do-mestic supply chain that could result in higher transportation costs,” he explained.

All posts to implement 100%Balik Manggagawa online

New MRT generalmanager named

Balisacan

TOP IT OFF. An S&R New York Style Pizza kitchen staff member puts on the garnishing on one of its famous pizzas at the newly-opened outlet at Abreeza Mall in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr.

Bam backs changes to Consumer Act

FALL, 10

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 7

THERE is increasing evidence that natural disasters will be more

frequent, intense, and costly in the coming decades.

“Every year, between 600 and 800 natural disasters oc-cur, some small and localized, others affecting several coun-tries and many thousands of people,” writes Bob Hansford, disaster risk management advisor at Tearfund, a Chris-tian relief and development agency.

Climate change has sig-nificantly contributed to these disasters. “Climate change is expected to lead to more intense typhoons, higher sea levels, and storm surges,” says the World Bank report, Turn Down the Heat: Climate Ex-tremes, Regional Impacts and the Case for Resilience.

The regional office of the Department of Science and Technology issued this state-ment during the recent “Iba Na Panahon: Science for Safer Communities”: “(The) Philip-pines has experienced differ-ent kinds of natural calam-ities for the past few years. In December 2012, typhoon Pablo (Bopha), the strongest tropical cyclone to ever hit Mindanao in Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley, left thousands of homeless and hundreds of fatalities.

“In October 2013, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake shocked the whole province of Bohol and nearby provinc-es including Cebu. A month later, the deadliest super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), flattened the Visayas area, destroying hundreds of hous-es, trees, buildings and other properties, leaving a thou-sand of dead people.”

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

Getting ready for natural disasters

“The calamity that comes is never that

one we had prepared ourselves for.”

-- Mark Twain

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje has urged Filipi-nos to accept the increasing numbers of natural calamities lashing the country as a way of life. As he said in a television interview: “There is nothing we (can) do but adapt to cli-mate change, and the only way we could be prepared for the impact of climate change is to accept that these recent devel-opments in our country, like intense weather disturbances, heavy rainfall, as well as (the) long dry season, are now the ‘new normal.’”

“The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone plac-es on Earth,” says Kathleen Tierney, director of the Natural Hazards Center at the Univer-sity of Colorado. “They’ve got it all. They’ve got earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, tropical cy-clones, landslides.”

“When disaster strikes no one is indispensable,” says Wilhelm Suyco, the regional of-ficer-in-charge of the Depart-ment of Interior and Local Gov-ernment in Davao region. “We need to be prepared for the worst impacts of the natural calamities brought by climate change,” urges the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGA-SA).

The World Wide Fund for Nature, in its edict titled Busi-ness Risk Assessment and the Management of Climate Change Impacts, recommends that Davao City be ready for the possible calamities that will befall the country’s largest city.

“Davao City is likely to face the impacts of sea level rise, increases in sea surface tem-peratures, ocean acidification, and inter-annual variability of rainfall. It is also likely that Davao will become the refuge of many migrants – a trend, which has already begun,” the study says.

In a speech delivered during the Davao workshop, Dr. Mario Montejo, the Secre-tary of Department of Science

and Technology (DOST) said he believes science can be used “to better understand and improve our disaster plan-ning and preparations at the national and local community levels.”

His science-based formula in dealing with natural calam-ities: “Early warning leads to early action. Early action min-imizes loss. Therefore, reduced amounts of loss leads to early recovery.”

Based on the lessons of Super Typhoon “Yolanda,” the DOST has come up with a 4-point agenda to guide com-munity disaster preparedness: (1) increase local risk knowl-edge, (2) capacitate hazards monitoring, (3) test warning and communications protocol, and (4) build response capa-bility in communities.

“Filipinos should make it like a part of their lives. They should be like Japanese who are always prepared; in fact, they have some survival kits which have already become a part of their day-to-day ac-tivities,” said Dr. Teofredo T. Esguerra, a flight surgeon who is an expert on emergency medical services, when asked how Filipinos can respond to disasters.

Indeed, preparedness is the key to reduce the impacts of disaster. On November 8, 2013, super typhoon Yolan-da (Haiyan) battered Tulang Diyot, a 1.5-kilometer long by 500-meter-wide island in Ca-motes group of islands, level-ling the houses to the ground. With more than 1,000 people, no casualty was reported.

A day before Yolanda hit Eastern Samar, former may-or Alfredo Arquillano told the residents to evacuate to higher grounds with no ifs or buts. “It’s a good decision,” he says. “It’s fair to say it saved everyone’s life. There is not one house left standing on the island; everything was wiped out.”

His secret: he heeded the warnings of government agen-

cies like the weather bureau. “It just shows that prepared-ness pays,” he says. “We have been working for years on early warnings, evacuations. The awareness level of the community was so high that it went well.”

The world’s weather has completely changed. Filipi-nos should not be complacent when it comes to disasters. Senator Loren Legarda, who chairs the Senate Committee on Climate Change, reminds us: “There will be many more

typhoons, earthquakes and other natural hazards that will come our way. But, let us not be content in having beautiful sys-tems for disaster response and relief. The challenge at hand is to do more and to do better in prevention and risk reduction.”

EDGEDAVAO

ENVIRONMENTMount Pinatubo eruption (from Wikipedia)

A house destroyed by an earthquake in Bohol (from Wikipedia)

Flooding (Photo courtesy by Dr. Ted Esguerra)

Yolanda aftermath (Photo by Darrell Blatchley)

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 20158 EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

The Philippines is not just Metro ManilaEDITORIAL

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

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WE’VE said this once before in this space, but the mat-ter bears repeating in light of the current opposition and even protests to the newly implemented fare

hike in the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT). Even a number of lawmakers – among them Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Grace Poe – are questioning the move, with Poe going so far as saying the implementation of the increase was “treacherous” on the part of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC). In the grass-roots level, average train riders are going all over social net-works to post their “selfies” in protest of the fare hike. And of course, the matter has actually been brought to the Supreme Court, with former Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco urging the high court to issue a restraining order to halt the implementation of the fare increases.

What can we say to all these but that those in Metro Manila obviously believe that the taxes of the entire country should be used only for their benefit? Few apparently know that the train rides they enjoy on a daily basis comes at a cost, and that 60 percent of this cost is shouldered by the government

which, in turn, uses the people’s money to subsidize the oper-ations of the MRT and LRT. Ultimately, it is the average work-ing person living far away who labors long and hard to make sure the good folks up in Metro Manila get to take their train rides at a highly subsidized rate.

As pointed out by DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, the subsidy is not being pulled out completely. Riders, how-ever, will pay a fare that is closer to the actual cost, and that would leave P2 billion in savings that government can use for projects outside Metro Manila. This is equivalent to 8,240 classrooms, 82 kilometers worth of farm-to-market roads, or 11,440 hectares’ worth of irrigated farmlands. To put it an-other way, not raising the MRT and LRT fare would actually deprive the people in other regions of 8,240 classrooms, 82 kilometers worth of farm-to-market roads, or 11,440 hect-ares’ worth of irrigated farmlands. And all for what? So that Metro Manila residents can enjoy their cheap train rides? It’s time for those in the capital to look at the plight of the people in the other areas of the country. The Philippines, after all, is not just Metro Manila.

AS an entrepreneur, best-selling au-thor and peak performance trainer, Singaporean Adam Khoo has trav-

eled to various parts of Asia. On a plane to Kuala Lumpur, someone came to him and with a shocked look inquired, “How come a millionaire like you is traveling economy?”

Without much ado, he replied, “That’s why I am a millionaire.”

His answer baffled the man – along with others who have read his Secrets of Self-Made Millionaire. Oftentimes, they wondered, “What’s the point in making so much money if you don’t enjoy it?”

In his blog, Khoo posted this timely thought: “The thing is that I don’t really find happiness in buying branded clothes, jewelries, or sitting first class. Even if buy-ing something makes me happy, it is only for a while, it does not last. Material hap-piness never lasts, it just gives you a quick fix.”

When it comes to materials things, hap-piness is elusive. In fact, a study done in the United States showed that happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have. The result, which appeared in Psycho-logical Science, found that people can grow accustomed to their possessions and there-by derive less happiness from them.

The researchers claim that people can

continue to want the things they have and that those who do so can achieve great-er happiness. “Simply hav-ing a bunch of things is not the key to hap-piness,” said Texas Tech U n i v e r s i t y psychologist Jeff Larsen, who headed the study. “Our data show that you also need to appreciate those things you have. It’s also important to keep your desire for things you don’t own in check.”

Who doesn’t know Abraham Lincoln, one of the most beloved American presi-dents? At one time, he said, “Most people are about as happy as they choose to be.” I couldn’t agree with him more. He should know. He went through much anguish in his life – the death of his fiancée, lost elec-tions, the Civil War, and other major disap-pointments. But he chose to be happy and obtained inner joy and peace in those last years before he was assassinated.

In a recent survey I conducted, family, health, and religion are the top three most important things that make Asians happy. This is particularly true in the Philippines, according to a study conducted by the Na-tional Statistical Coordination Board. The study showed that Filipinos ranked family as the most important source of happiness, giving it a score of 9.45 on a scale of 1 to 10. Health came next, with a score of 8.95, while religion ranked third with 8.59.

Clarence C. Martinez works in a ship building company about 60 kilometers away from his home in Cebu City. “I go home only on weekends or on Wednesday evening,” says the Filipino executive. “So af-ter a long work at the office, I drive almost two hours and honk the horn of my car to announce my arrival and also as a signal to open the driveway. You can just imagine my happiness when I see my son coming out and hugging me.”

Some Asians find inner joy from their work. “Examining newborn babies” is a dose of happiness for Professor Zulkifli Ismail. “Babies are so lovable and I am grateful that my job actually lets me look at and cuddle them everyday,” says the pediatrician at the Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

His work also tops the list of Dr. Gerard

Chuah, a senior consultant eye surgeon at the Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre. “Be-ing able to save someone’s eyesight and al-low them to lead a normal life – that gives me a sense of fulfillment and lets me feel my existence on this planet.”

People become happier with age, ac-cording to findings from a three-decade-long survey conducted in the United States. “With age comes happiness,” wrote Univer-sity of Chicago sociologist Yang Yang, who wrote a report published in the American Sociological Review.

When asked what makes her happy the most, Dr Emmanuela L. Gutierrez said it was being 70 years old, healthy, and her senses still intact. “I can still read and com-prehend, see the beauty of nature, hear well, smell the aroma of foods and flowers and plants, and can talk and feel,” explained the Filipino physician who now lives in the United States.

Really, happiness is a matter of choice. An ancient proverb suggests: “Dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one were listening, and live each day as if there were no tomorrow.”

And remember, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence,” the phi-losopher Aristotle reminds us.

In pursuit of happinessVOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 VANTAGE POINTS 9EDGEDAVAO

Henrylito D. Taciohenrytacio@gmail.com

THINK ON THESE!

PRACTICALLY everyone claims to want good governance for the coun-try, for their province, their city, and

so on down the line. Yet bad governance persists, on most levels—wrongful, corrupt governance.

It’s not as if people don’t know what good governance means; it’s just another term for good management—conducting the affairs of a jurisdiction responsibly, effi-ciently, profitably for all, and in accordance with law.

Despite its obvious meaning, however, the long dominance of traditional politi-cos (trapos) has distorted the view of our citizens about governance. It developed in them the habit of relying on pretentious officials to make vital decisions for the community without involving, consulting, or even informing its members. A colonial hangover.

Officials are public servants but the tra-pos manage to redefine the term “servant” to mean the opposite, enabling them to dic-tate how government goods, services, and benefits are distributed and to whom. Tra-po governance has institutionalized depen-dency, and mendicancy, among the mass-es, deepening the root of corruption at the foundation of our Republic.

*****Unless the educated sectors of the com-

munity do something to neutralize this pernicious trapo influence upon the grass-roots, there is no way we can arrest our country’s downward slide to the status of a failed state.

The professionals in our society—ed-ucators, churchmen, lawyers, etc.—are a vital sector of the grassroots, being ba-

rangay citizens themselves, but they seem to be in denial. Either they deny that they are also barrio folks, or they just ignore the unmistakable signs of creeping anarchy at the base of the Republic and the worsening scale of corruption in our institutions.

These A and B socioeconomic catego-ry of barangay citizens seem unconcerned about the future of the Republic and de-mocracy itself. They show no appreciation for the role of the grassroots as the determi-nant of stability and progress, oblivious to the effect of their apathy, unconcerned that their smug non-involvement in the affairs of their community will ultimately under-mine what privileges they enjoy at present, that such detachment could become the oc-casion for enemies of society to take over.

*****Their non-involvement is unfortunate,

for it’s their leadership or at least their show of interest for the wellbeing of the community that society needs in order to neutralize and avert the malicious efforts of trapo elements to exploit the weaknesses of the grassroots.

It is they who can show everyone the essential role that citizens must perform to safeguard the Republic in the face of multi-ple threats, local and alien. There’s simply no substitute for good governance in the community to keep the nation stable and able to progress.

Without their active participation, the masses cannot shake off the habit of relying

upon trapos that exploit them in exchange for patronage and dole out. Reliance upon corrupt local officials makes them highly vulnerable to corruption—to the extent of allowing their votes to be prostituted.

The urgent need for political education at grassroots level can no longer be ig-nored; it needs to be undertaken now, not later. But not the formal sort. What’s need-ed is education that flows from edification, or the concrete demonstration of a citizen’s role—affirmative action.

*****Such edification must be led and pro-

vided by the pace-setters and movers of the community. The objective must be to es-tablish a regime of good governance in the barangay—which is the prime conditioner of good governance at upper levels.

If corruption and bad governance per-sist in the barangay, the same will be rep-licated at upper levels. One must keep in mind that upper level officials are elected by barangay votes—which barangay offi-cials manipulate if left undisturbed (as in the past).

There are attitudes and practices to change, including the common misappre-hension even of educators and profession-als that the powers of government are per-formed exclusively by the bureaucracy and the elective or appointive officials in it.

Most people are unaware of the unique nature of governance in a barangay—where the citizens have an essential role, a role that must be performed if there is to be good governance.

*****This role is most important at the low-

est level of government in accordance with

principle of subsidiarity—which requires that citizens must tend to their community (its arrangements, its development, its gov-ernance) and not surrender said responsi-bility to public servants or to upper levels.

Towns, cities, and larger jurisdictions are primarily the concern of officials elect-ed to administer them, but the barangay is the direct concern and responsibility of its citizens.

Everyone needs to be reminded that the battle for the presidency and all other positions is won in the barrios, among the impressionable masses.

Unless sensible citizens tend to the wrong attitudes and practices of their neighbors, this country will be deluged next year by trapos pushed up by the igno-rant and corrupt voters of the 42,000-plus barangays. We shall then have more Lito Lapids and Manny Pacquiaos in Congress, along with the likes of Jojo Binay and his unscrupulous style of governing.

Thus the time to be attentive is now, not during the election period. It’ll be too late by then; the trapos and big-money inter-ests are already out snaring the votes of the masses through patronage and deception even now.

(Manny is former UNESCO regional director for Asia-Pacific; secretary-gener-al, Southeast Asia Publishers Association; director, Development Academy of Philip-pines; member, Philippine Mission to the UN; vice chair, Local Government Acad-emy; member, Cory Government’s Peace Panel; awardee, PPI-UNICEF outstanding columnist. He is president/national conve-nor, Gising Barangay Movement Inc. val-dehuesa@gmail.com)

Tend to your community now, not later!

BY MANNY VALDEHUESA

THE WORM’S EYEVIEW

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015EDGEDAVAO10 NEWS

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wherever they are conducting the online transaction,” Baldoz explained.

The OEC print-out con-taining a special bar code will be presented to the immigra-tion officer at the airport upon departure. As soon as the im-migration officer opens the POEA database and finds the balik-manggagawa’s “new re-cord,” the OFW will be cleared for exit.

According to Administra-tor Cacdac, around 70 percent or approximately 500,000 returning OFWs are expected to benefit from the BM online initiative, and he encouraged OFWs who have benefited from the BM online’s con-venience to help the POEA spread the word.

“We at the POEA could benefit from an assist or two from OFWs who could share their experience in the BM online with a friend or fellow OFW,” he said.

The POEA chief, in his trav-el to the Middle East last year to accompany Secretary Bal-doz during the latter’s visit to eight POLOs, brought with him a “props” announcing the BM online system. The props was a hit among OFWs who posed in photos with Cacdac with the announcement.

Administrator Cacdac said the appointment system (per-sonal processing at the POEA

Central Office) will only apply to the following:

* Returning OFWs who are changing employers (match could not be found in the POEA database)

* OFWs who have not passed through POEA (e.g., visit visa holders or ASEAN tourists)

* Household service work-ers

“However, OFWs still have the option of not going through the appointment sys-tem at the POEA Central Of-fice and instead secure their OECs from our Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (PO-LOs) or POEA regional and satellite offices,” Cacdac said.

But more importantly, it is in the POLOs that the BM online system should already be in place this year, or as ear-ly as the first quarter, Baldoz said.

“The BM online system not only speeds up the pro-cess of securing OECs, but more significantly, it provides convenience to our vacation-ing OFWs. Many of our work-ers will be able to accomplish this transaction from any lo-cation where there is online connection,” the labor and employment chief said.

“This will also provide timely updating of the OFW and employer database of POEA,” she added. (PNA)

violation of Republic Act (RA) 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002 against Yap.

The buy-bust operation was the fourth this year and had the biggest drug haul for the police.

Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Director Senior Su-perintendent Vicente Danao Jr. said the series of buy-bust operations shows that police

are serious in their campaign to eliminate illegal drugs in the city.

“This is also a response to the call of our City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on his cam-paign against illegal drugs, knowing that our Mayor is a known advocate against ille-gal drugs,” Danao said.

Danao also vowed that the police will continue to operate against drug pushers.

billing and collection systems in order to enforce the Fit-ALL as a separate line item in the billings of consumers and re-mit the same in accordance with the FIT-All Guidelines.

The petition cited that a residential Meralco customer consuming 200 kWh a month should expect an additional charge of P8.12 under the FIT system.

The FIT-All is a uniform charge similar to the universal charge that is imposed on all on-grid electricity consumers who are supplied with elec-tricity through the distribu-tion or transmission network.

It is essential to the imple-mentation of the FIT system that was set up under Section 7 of Republic Act No. 9513, or the “Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (RE Law)”.

The funds generated by TransCo will enable it to ex-ercise its duty as a fund ad-ministrator and pay the RE developers on time their enti-tled FIT rate, thereby allowing continued production of RE electricity.

The petition added that the FIT Rules and Guidelines erroneously provided an ad-vance collection to pay the RE developers.

It argued that under the RE Law, the establishment of FIT System is for electricity produced from wind, solar, ocean, run-of-river hydro-power and biomass.

The petition said that the ERC committed grave abuse of

discretion when it issued the FIT Rules and FIT Guidelines that expanded the implemen-tation of the RE Law.

With the abuse commit-ted by the ERC, electricity consumers are now being compelled to pay in advance considering that the plants covered by the FIT program have yet to operate or have yet to be constructed.

“Otherwise stated, the public would be made to pay for electricity that has yet to be generated,” the petition said.

It said that based on TransCo’s 2015 forecast on national sales of 68.01 trillion kWh, the FIT-All fund would be P 230.12 million a month or about P2.7 billion this year.

“Unless this Honorable Court strikes down this un-reasonable and oppressive attempt to collect from the public an amount that they can otherwise use for basic necessities, the consumers will be required to bear the burden by the start of the year 2015,” the petition said.

“The Department of En-ergy (DOE) and ERC chose means that are beyond what is necessary to achieve the purpose of the law to the prejudice of the public i.e., by mandating the advance col-lection of the portion of the payment to the FIT-eligible RE developers even before actual electrical energy is produced by them and transmitted to the grid,” it said. (PNA)

rate in Mindanao.He said the issue on the

control of the Agus complex-es arose during the conduct of public consultations in different areas in Mindanao by the 75 members of the ad hoc committee of the House of the Representatives from September to December 17 last year.

Another issue is the wealth sharing that will be generated from Lake Lanao, the country’s second largest lake and main source of the water for the operation of the Agus Complex.

In an earlier report, Dri-za Liningding of the Bangsa Moro Peace and Development Council said that Napocor “pays the local government units one percent of their gross sales or receipts every year as stipulated by Section 291 of the Local Government Code of 1991.”

Liningding added that the town of Saguiaran in Lanao

del Sur, where Agus Hydro 2 plant is located, receives P2 million per quarter while Marawi City with its Agus 1 receives P800,000

She said the creation of the Bangsamoro will hope-fully provide a solution on this issue, adding that it will protect the Lake Lanao from becoming overused.

However, businessmen from different parts of Mind-anao issued a resolution last September during the Min-danao Business Conference in General Santos City for the exclusion of Lake Lanao from becoming exclusive to the Bangsamoro.

The resolution said the complex’s vital role in Min-danao makes it necessary for the government to “re-tain control not only of the complex but also of its water source, Lake Lanao, in order to achieve a reliable, sustain-able, and affordable power regime for Mindanao.”

be able to save a lot if it will have its own accommodation facility instead of sending them to hotels here,” Cortez said.

He said parts of the planned building will be allot-ted for private offices and for business process outsourcing (BPO) firms.

Aside from offices, the investor is interested in con-structing a basement where employees and non-employ-ees of the city government can park their vehicles.

“At present, there are a lot of vehicles parked outside the vicinity that sometimes results in traffic congestions in nearby streets,” Cortez said.

He said the project has an

estimated cost of P2 billion and will be implemented un-der a public-private partner-ship scheme.

This will be similar to the government center located in Calamba, Laguna inaugurated last December 3 worth P2.5 billion.

Cortez said the company started conducting the feasi-bility study in November last year. He would not say, howev-er, when the project will start.

Cortez said the city gov-ernment is still assessing the actions that will be taken on business establishments oper-ating within the vicinity of the area that will be developed. [CRC]

Yusof Jimlani had earlier said based on the initial report of the technical working group (TWG) that conducted a tag-ging of the trees located along Dacudao Avenue, a number of trees need to be cut and pulled to allow personnel to clean the Dacudao canal.

Jimlani had said the trees fence off the canal, giving his team a hard time cleaning the silt along the canal.

He said the alternative plan is to cut some trees and replant them later or buy ma-chinery capable of siphoning the silt in the creek.

so that all tribes have equal opportunity),” he said.

Duterte said he will also reveal next year the name of the person who will assume the seat left by city adminis-trator J. Melchor Quitain, who was councilor only from July to September 2013.

Duterte said he will select someone from the Muslim sector to replace Quitain.

“Ang ako man gud…. Kung mahimo lang kanang ang tan-an nga sector nay represen-tante (What I want is for all sectors to be represented),” he said. [ABF]

it, he discovered that it was full of gold coins with a note from the king that the peasant could have the treasure as a reward for the role that he played in removing the road obstacle.

Driving lesson from the parable, Alquiza said that workers should consider prob-lems and difficulties as oppor-tunities to work harder and an

inspiration to discover creative solutions.

He asked his listeners to try his advice and assured them of positive results.

It was learned that the joint flag-raising ceremony and convocation is done by the government workers ev-ery first Monday of the month. AMA

when he was flagged down by at least eight heavily armed suspected NPA members. He was believed to have been brought to the mountainous part of Barangay Tinago, also in Malimono.

The rookie cop was con-ducting discreet surveillance on reports that unidentified armed men were roaming in Bunyasan.

Four days after, Polvorosa and Contemplo were abduct-ed on the way to Barangay Pungtod aboard a patrol car supposedly for a meeting with personnel of the Department of Social Welfare and Devel-opment and local residents for the Pantawid Pampamilyang Pilipino Program.

In an email sent to Min-daNews on December 21, Na-tional Democratic Front-Min-danao said they will release all the nine “prisoners of war” they were holding at the time.

Of the nine captives, only the three police officers from Surigao del Norte have re-mained in the hands of the NPA, said Jorge “Ka Oris” Mad-los, spokesperson of NDF-Min-danao.

Madlos told MindaNews during the 46th Anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines on December 26 in Marihatag, Surigao del Sur that military operations in Surigao del Norte continued despite the SOMO declaration prevent-ing the release of the remain-ing captives.

He said government forces were still deployed in Claver, Gigaquit, Bacuag, Placer, Tubod and Alegria towns and some parts of Agusan del Norte.

The government issued a unilateral declaration of cease-fire from the Christmas season to the visit of Pope Francis this month.

The NDF on the other hand declared a shorter truce, from Dec. 24-26, Dec. 31-Jan. 1 and Jan. 15-19.

“We ask the government to be sincere in their declara-tion of suspension of military operations and the suspension of police operations from De-cember 18, 2014 to January 19, 2015 to pave the way for the safe release of the captives in as soon as possible,” Madlos said.

On Tuesday, MindaNews

called Lt. Col. Arsenio Sadu-ral, commanding officer of 30th Infantry Battalion based in Bad-as, Placer, Surigao del Norte but he failed to answer the call.

Sadural also did not reply to a text on the alleged pres-ence of troops in the moun-tains around Surigao del Norte.

Bishop Rhee Timbang, of the Philippine Independent Church in Surigao del Norte said his group also called on the military higher-ups for a troop pullout.

Timbang heads the third party facilitators that success-fully negotiated for the release of four policemen abducted by the NPA also in Alegria town in July last year.

“We made this call since the military itself admitted its continued presence in moun-tain communities for its Com-munity Organizing for Peace and Development program,” he said.

Minutes after he said this, a military official from of the 4th Infantry Division called the bishop via his mobile phone to assure there would be no movements of troops.

The bishop responded that he and his group would look into it.

Other personalities also called for a troop pullout in the area for the safe release of the captives.

Former Surigao del Norte provincial board member Atty. Victor Bernal said had the mil-itary suspended their opera-tions and had the Provincial Crisis Management Committee acted decisively, the captives would have been long released.

“In short, the Provincial Crisis Management Commit-tee and the military which is always pursuing the captors are the ones who don’t want the release [of the captives]. If possible, Governor [Sol] Matu-gas should ask the Philippine Army in Bad-as to stop the mil-itary operations,” Bernal said in Cebuano.

He urged Matugas to con-vene the committee to con-vince the military to stop their operations.

The governor did not reply when asked by MindaNews through text to comment on Bernal’s statements. (Roel N. Catoto/MindaNews)

He said all 10 towns and lone city of the province re-corded cases of firecracker-re-lated injuries, with Tampakan posting the least with four.

As early as November, the IPHO launched a mas-sive advocacy and awareness campaign against the use of firecrackers and fireworks in various parts of the province.

The campaign is mainly focused on children and teen-agers that posted the most number of firecracker-related

injuries in the area in the pre-vious Christmas and New Year holidays.

In the previous Christmas and New Year holidays, the province posted a total of 104 firecracker-related injury cas-es, 50 of which involved chil-dren aged 2 to 10.

Piccolo caused the most injuries with 78 victims, fol-lowed by kwitis with 10, five-star with four and, pulbura and sparklers with three each. (MindaNews)

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015

IN 2014, Sun Cellular re-mained steadfast in deliv-ering on its commitment

to provide best-value services that Filipinos have come to know and love. The year marked significant Sun Cellu-lar milestones and offers that further empowered the in-creasingly mobile Filipino.Sun-powered connec-tions--anytime, anywhere in the Philippines

The backbone of every mobile service is its network and Sun Cellular focused on expanding its network reach to various regions within the country. With stronger sig-nals reaching even the farthest regions of the Philippines, Fil-ipinos can enjoy the benefits of Sun Cellular’s expanded

coverage areas outside the Metro, including Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Mindoro Is-lands, Romblon, and Sorsogon in Southern Luzon; Apayao, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Cagayan, La Union, and Mountain Prov-ince in Northern Luzon; Capiz, Aklan, Bohol and Southern Leyte in the Visayas; Bukid-non, Agusan del Sur, Misamis Occidental, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental and North Co-tabato in Mindanao. #FREEInternet

With the unrivaled net-work capacity of parent-firm, PLDT, Sun Cellular, together with Smart and Talk ‘N Text, in an unprecedented move, pro-vided free Internet access to postpaid, prepaid and broad-band subscribers. The service

is designed to give more Fil-ipinos the opportunity to try out, experience, and enjoy the benefits of the Internet. To avail of the free mobile in-ternet offer, Sun Cellular sub-scribers must maintain a bal-ance of P1 and must register each day, by simply sending “FREE” to the number “9999.” Wearable tech within ev-eryone’s reach

In an effort to empower more Filipinos with the lat-est technology trends, Sun Postpaid offered wearables through insanely affordable and value-laded packages. Through the light-on-the-pocket Sun Plan 499 or Plan 649, Sun Postpaid subscrbers can now get their hands on these incredible wearables,

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Bicolanos, like most Filipi-nos, have always turned to the radio for information prior to, and during disasters.

For broadcast journalist Pio Fernandez of DZGB-AM Legazpi, having his listeners rely on his radio program to disseminate information need-ed for their safety is a task he takes seriously.

Fernandez is one of the re-cipients of the short messaging service (SMS) blast from the Albay Public Safety and Emer-gency Management Office (APSEMO) on any information about an incoming typhoon or any other hazard that puts the safety of the public into ques-tion.

The SMS blast is done via the Infoboard, a web-based SMS solution developed by Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) to help facilitate effec-tive, fast, and efficient dissemi-nation of information to target communities.

“Through the years and through many disasters, our radio station has helped guide our listeners to safety based on information provided us by APSEMO, which we then ‘translate’ to be easily under-stood by our listeners. We get important tips from APSEMO morning, noon, and evening even when there are no disas-ters. These are discussed on air, and these have helped fur-ther educate our listeners on the importance of prepared-ness and safety during disas-ters,” said Fernandez.

DZGB, the biggest radio station in Legazpi, is heard throughout Bicol, and world-wide on webcast, making it an

effective channel with which to reach the most number of peo-ple and bring them to safety during disasters.

“The Infoboard provides us with significant communi-cation support specifically to our warning and evacuation bulletins as a means to achieve zero casualties. It allows us to disseminate timely emergency advisories and weather bul-letins directly to the barangay level. It also helps us circulate report and press releases for media updates, and public information and awareness,” said Dr. Cedric Daep, executive director of APSEMO.

“Disaster message alerts are most effective when they’re used by a disaster pre-paredness organization exe-cuting a preparedness plan because the messages are sent to identified individuals who have been trained in this plan and therefore understand or know the meaning of the mes-sages being sent to them,” said Ramon R. Isberto, head of Pub-lic Affairs at Smart.

“A specific concern for mobile messaging is that mes-sages are short at only 160 characters. Without proper training, short messages can be misunderstood or misinter-preted. But with proper train-ing even short messages can trigger life-saving actions be-cause the people who receive them know what to do,” added Isberto.

The Infoboard offers var-ious SMS facilities with differ-ent functions and capabilities catering to the needs of a com-munity, including customized SMS solutions, and text broad-

INTERNATIONAL Con-tainer Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) has an-

nounced the appointment of Anders Dommestrup as Chief Executive Officer of its Australian subsidiary, Victo-ria International Container Terminal Ltd. (VICTL).

VICTL is a subsidiary of ICTSI, an international op-erator of common-user con-tainer terminals serving the global container shipping industry. ICTSI is the largest port operator in the Philip-pines and has a portfolio of 29 container terminal oper-ations in 21 countries across six continents

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Mr. Dommestrup into the ICT-SI Group. With his exten-sive and leading industry experience and expertise, we believe that he can pro-vide exceptional leadership to our new project at Webb Dock East in the Port of Melbourne,” said Christian R. Gonzalez, ICTSI Head of Asia-Pacific and the Subcon-tinent.

Prior to ICTSI, Domme-

strup was Chief Operating Officer of Modern Terminals Ltd. (MTL). Since 2005, he had been overseeing the operation and business de-velopment of MTL’s opera-tions in Hong Kong and in the mainland Chinese ports of Taicang in Shanghai and Dachan Bay in Shenzhen. Before this, he was part of the AP Moller Group from 1989 to 2005 in various ca-pacities.

Dommestrup brings to ICTSI industry leading skills in port project development and container terminal man-agement honed from over 25 years of experience in the ports and shipping industry.

Dommestrup’s track re-cord includes not only the successful involvement, management, and opera-tions of some of the largest and most modern container terminals in the world but also considerable experience in the Liner industry. Apart from his native Denmark and China, his work has taken him to Dubai, Singapore and Malaysia where he served in local or regional capacities.

Smart Infoboard as an emergencycommunications tool gains traction

A year of good choices from Sun ICTSI names headfor Australian unit

cast to pre-registered Smart and Talk ‘N Text subscribers.

It allows various govern-ment agencies such as the National Disaster Risk Reduc-tion and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Sci-ence and Technology-Philip-pine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Ad-ministration (DOST-PAGASA), the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), and the Office of Civil Defense to send free

alerts to their respective disas-ter preparedness networks.

For instance, in prepara-tion for Typhoon Ruby, the NDRRMC, PAGASA, the Region 8 (Tacloban) office of PIA and the provincial governments of Albay, Cebu, Southern Leyte, Bohol, and Batangas, and the city governments of Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Danao, and Malabon sent out close to a million messages for free to its disaster preparedness net-

works. A week before Ruby

struck, about 3,000 students of Leyte Normal University (LNU) in Tacloban City had been receiving preparedness tips and updates on the ty-phoon’s track on their mobile phones from the school ad-ministrator.

Dino Amascual, LNU chief administration officer, said the Infoboard was useful in reach-ing students.

“Majority of our students are based in Tacloban but their homes and families are dispersed in the provinces of Leyte and Samar. The In-foboard provides us with an efficient communication tool for preparedness and warn-ing during disasters. It has become part of our standard operating procedure (SOP) to send out safety tips prior to ty-phoons and during disasters,” said Amascual.

Smart recently turned over the Infoboard service to the Archdiocese of Palo in Leyte for their internal and disaster communications. In photo are (from left) Fr. Chris Arthur Militante, Archdiocese of Palo’s Information and Social Communications Officer; Archbishop John Du of the Arch-diocese of Palo; and from Smart Public Affairs, Sally Aldaba, department head for corporate communications, and Atty. Jane Paredes, senior manager for PA VisMin.

HISTORY. At the Miss World Philippines pageant, Sun Cellular made history by being the first telco to launch a text-voting service which enabled Sun subscribers to vote for their favorite candidates with just a few clicks on the mobile phones. The crowned beauties made rounds of Sun Shops after the pageant.

which also come with a smartphone, plus unlimit-ed Sun calls and texts, texts to other networks, mobile surfing and unlimited music streaming via Spinnr. For just P499 a month, one can choose from either the Alcatel Boom-band with the Alcatel Pop D5 smartphone and the Polaroid Pogo smart watch with the Polaroid Prof 700. While for P649 a month, one can get the Nokia Treasure Tag, with the Nokia Lumia 630. Future-proofing SMEs

To empower more small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to be ASEAN-ready, Sun Business together with PLDT SME Nation, Smart Enterprise ushered in the convergence of its fixed and wireless ICT solutions, includ-ing robust access solutions and value-added connectivity packages, geared to enhance the competitiveness and capa-bilities of SMEs in the country. Now, SMEs can enjoy the best of everything—from expert offerings of PLDT, innovative solutions by Smart Enter-prise, to value-rich tools from Sun Business. With the PLDT Group’s world-class ICT solu-tions under one roof, it is much easier for the SME sector to communicate to the market, to respond to customer demands, and to future-proof their busi-nesses with a greater level of competitiveness and efficiency.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 201512 CLASSIFIED

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015

EDGEDAVAOINdulge!

AT THIS TIME of the year, every year, most of us find ourselves scribbling on brand new planners, jotting down resolutions. From yesterday’s disappointments and long list of shoulda, woulda, coul-da’s, we come up with a list on how we wish to redirect our lives for the better --- starting with bullet points that summarize in detail goals that are to be achieved within a span of 12 months.

Giving resolutions an attitude

WOMEN

There are quite a num-ber or resolutions we com-monly hear of. Leading the pack are weight loss, savings, travel and keep-ing away from stress. Some even plan on doing some-thing crazy. My friend joked that we should be wise in choosing our ad-ventures because, after all, “You only YOLO once.” Looking back, how many of those resolutions were you able to check off your bucket list? Try as we might, we cannot deny that, come middle of the year, we tend to lose as much interest in keep-ing those commitments as we enthused over list-ing them down during the first month. Have you ever asked yourself why? I turned to my husband for sound advice and he pointed out, that, maybe, everyone should either give those resolutions a different approach or trim the list down to realistic (not idealistic) goals. Majority of the problem

lies on that fact that we treat those goals as rem-edies to a tired soul. We aim at a “grand” change instead of accepting a gradual one. By doing so, you limit your happiness only to big things you achieve. Our mere fixa-tion with this doesn’t ig-nite any motivation in us to look at different ways of making a happier life, one step at a time. My husband suggested, “You shouldn’t put undue expectations on yourself. Focus on personal growth rather than milestones beyond your control. You can simply start by com-

mitting to start fresh this year. Don’t forget that at-titude and disposition also affect how you eat (some eat their emotions away), how much you spend (re-tail therapy, girls) and how defiant or vulnerable you are to stressors.” I’m no expert in self help, but I believe a sim-ple shift in mindset and perspective can actually alter the way you live in

your environment. For example, you can change the way you respond (not react) to a stimuli or stressor. That minimal shift can already save you

from bingeing on gazil-lion of calories. You have the power to minimize the impact of any stressor or be it a toxic person. Try being a “good finder” in-stead of a “fault finder.” We also have to keep in mind that resolution takes two things: accep-tance and action. They have to meet half way. You can never aptly motivate yourself to making things

happens by acting on something you’re not sure of. Once you acknowledge your feeling/s, you’re able to make conscious choices on how to address your needs, wants and dislikes. From these realizations and choices come a chain reaction which pushes us closer to our bigger goals.

“I don’t have budget to travel --- I’ll try to save more.”

“I can’t breathe in my pants --- I’ll exercise and watch what I eat.”

“I’m easily irritated --- maybe I need to get the right amount of sleep.”

“I’m sickly --- maybe I’m not eating the right food.”

Let’s all start the year right. Let’s resolve to pay attention to our emotional well-being. Our attitude and behavior are keys to creating a life that we long for. Leave old bag-gages, consider the glass half-full, learn to breathe through difficult times and consider living an at-titude of gratitude. Happy New Year, ev-eryone!

Majority of the problem lies on that fact that we treat those goals as remedies to a tired soul. We aim at a “grand” change instead of accepting a gradual one. By doing so, you limit your happiness only to big things you achieve.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING frenzy is not over yet. SM City Davao runs its End of Season Sale with up to 70% off on great se-lections on until January 11! Great finds at best deals await everyone at SM City as joyful holiday shopping continues. Gear up for 2015 at SM City Davao’s End of Sea-son Sale! For inquiries, please call 297.6998. Like SM City Davao on Facebook or fol-low @smcitydavao on Twitter and @SMDavao on Insta-gram for event and promo updates.

A2 INdulge! VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015EDGEDAVAOUP AND ABOUT

End of Season Sale is on at SM City Davao

International media summit in Cebu to tackle citizen media, freedom of information,

digital security, and internet activism

Smart Free Internet promo now available until February 5, 2015

What better way to welcome the year than a SALE! Enjoy great discounts from participating brands at Abreeza from January 2 to January 18.

WIRELESS SERVICES lead-er Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has announced that its Free Internet offer for all Smart, Talk ‘N Text and Sun Cellular subscribers is now available until February 5, 2015. Through the Smart Free Internet promo, all 69 million Smart, Talk ‘N Text and Sun Cellular subscribers all over the country, can use their data-enabled cellphones to access the In-ternet without data charges, for up to 30MB daily. “The positive response to the Smart Free Internet promo -- a real game-changer in the industry in that it introduced mobile Internet to more people than ever before -- gave us a very strong indication of Filipi-nos’ propensity for mobile data use,” according to Charles A. Lim, head of wireless consumer business at Smart Communications and Sun Cellular. “This is why we are very pleased to extend it and continue providing our subscribers -- many of whom already have the mobile devices ca-pable of accessing the internet but have yet to use them to go online – the opportunity to try out and expe-rience the Internet. This way, Smart can truly push ‘Internet for all’ and spread the benefits of the Internet in the fastest and most effective way possible,” Lim added.

Increased mobile data traffic

Alongside the extension, Smart also announced that its network is ready for the expected surge in mobile data traffic in 2015, as the increasing af-fordability of data-hungry smart-phones encouraged more Filipinos to snap up devices in the last few weeks of 2014. Over a fourth of Smart and Sun Cellular’s combined over 69 million subscribers are already using smart-phones, helping drive a robust 112% increase in mobile data traffic within the network, equivalent to 27,000 terabytes worth of data exchanged from January to September 2014, compared with just 13,000 terabytes of data for the same period last year. “We can only expect these vol-umes to increase exponentially in the months ahead,” Lim added. Through the Smart Free Internet promo, all 69 million Smart, Talk ‘N Text and Sun Cellular subscribers just need to register by texting FREE to 9999, to start using their data-enabled cellphones to access the In-ternet without data charges, for up to 30MB daily. It is available across all network platforms – from 2G to 3G to 4G speeds in the country. Smart continues to have the larg-est mobile network in the country today, with a total of 24,938 cellular/broadband base stations, including 9,946 active 4G/HSPA+/Long-Term Evolution (LTE) base stations, sup-ported by more than 90,000 kilome-ters of fiber-optic cables around the

country.

Fully modernized network“We have prepared and fully mod-ernized and expanded our network for this uptrend, in terms of reach and availability. Beyond that, we are also accelerating our data capacity build-out, as part of our continuous efforts to future-proof our network in light of increased demands in mo-bile data for the coming months and years,” said Ramon Isberto, head of Public Affairs at Smart and PLDT. Smart and Sun Cellular’s parent company PLDT reported in No-vember higher capex levels for 2014, projected to be approximately P34.5 billion, compared to an earlier pro-jected number of P32 billion. This capex is expected to be carried over into 2015, given the market’s con-tinued appetite for data services, as more Filipinos start using smart-phones. According to the latest smart-phone sales tracking report from Gartner, released in December 2014, worldwide sales of smartphones grew 20 percent in the third quarter of 2014 – with much of the growth attributed to emerging markets in Asia and Africa. This mirrors Philip-pine data, showing smartphone sales in the country growing by about 22 percent in the same period, accord-ing to a report released in October 2014 by Singapore-based research firm GfK.

A two-day international summit that will be held in Cebu City on January 24-25, 2015 will tackle some of the latest issues on citizen media, free-dom of information, digi-tal security, indigenous languages and multilin-gualism online, and in-ternet activism. Global Voices, an interna-tional citizen media network founded in 2004 at Harvard University, will be holding the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit in time for the organi-zation’s 10th anniversary, at the Cebu Provincial Capitol. Over a hundred international bloggers, citizen media advo-cates, and tech experts from over 60 countries across the globe will gather for the event which will highlight talks, pan-els, and workshops on the rela-tions between open Internet and social movements around the

world. Leading the summit dis-cussions are Global Voices co-founders Ethan Zuckerman and Rebecca MacKinnon. Zucker-man is also director of MIT’s Center for Civic Media while MacKinnon is the author of the book Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for In-ternet Freedom. The first day of the summit will open with a talk, led by Lon-don-based Media Legal Defense Initiative Legal Director Nani Jansen, on protecting the open internet against government policies and corporate practice imperil Internet users’ rights of free expression and privacy. There will be a session on Freedom of Information Laws, featuring experts led by Philip-pine Center for Investigative Journalism Executive Director Malou Mangahas who will share their first-hand experience using these policies for greater trans-

parency and accountability. Among others, there will be a panel on how Filipino Citi-zen Media has been used in mobilizing street protests and coordinating disaster relief and response efforts along with bar-riers it face from the cost and quality of internet connection to online regulations. The second day of the summit will open by bringing the spot-

light on indigenous language digital activism, including a ses-sion on Filipino Indigenous Lan-guages in Citizen Media which will explore the ways indigenous languages are being promoted online. Some of the panel discussions would include one on digital se-curity and privacy, online cen-sorship and freedom of speech worldwide, and a roundup of

Magna Carta of Internet users from all over the world. Like in the past Global Voices Summits in the UK, India, Hun-gary, Chile and Kenya, the Glob-al Voices Media Summit 2015 promises to be a productive site for inspiring fresh ideas, sharing experiences, and forging cross-border collaborations. Members of the public can register to attend the event at http://summit2015.global-voicesonline.org. The cost of ad-mission for the two days is PHP 2,000 for Filipino residents, with a special student rate of PHP 1,000. The Global Voices Sum-mit 2015 is sponsored by the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Google, the Prov-ince of Cebu, Knight Foun-dation, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, Sun Star Publishing, Open Soci-ety Foundations,Yahoo, and PRWorks.

AWARDS SEASON shifts into high, booze-soaked gear Sunday when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler return to host the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards. While the Globes may not have quite the same prestige as the Acad-emy Awards, they still have a storied history and stat lines all their own. And like the Oscars, they re-ally, really, really love Meryl Streep. Here are 15 fun facts to wow guests at your own soiree for Holly-wood’s biggest party of the year.1. Meryl Streep has an absurd amount of Gold-en Globe nominations. If you thought Streep had a lot of Oscar nominations (18), that’s nothing com-pared her Golden Globe tally. Her Best Supporting Actress nod for Into Woods makes 29 nominations to-tal from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Twenty-nine! (She has translated those nods into eight wins.) 2. Helen Mirren has the second most nomina-tions among this year’s movie contenders. The dame (nominated for The Hundred Foot Journey) now has 13 total for her television and movie work. She has won three times, for her first nomination (the 1996 TV movie Losing Chase), as well as the 2006 double play for The Queen and the TV movie Elizabeth I.3. Robert Duvall has the second most wins among this year’s movie con-tenders. The Judge ap-pointee Robert Duvall has a not-too-shabby four previous Globe wins (for Apocalypse Now as well as three TV movies) in six prior noms.4. Reese Witherspoon dropped out of one Globe-nominated movie for another. The Walk the Line winner knows how to pick ‘em. Witherspoon left another project in or-der to play Pacific Crest Trail hiker Cheryl Strayed in Wild, which could very well land her another tro-phy. The project Wither-spoon was originally at-tached to (along with Ryan Reynolds): Tim Burton’s Big

Eyes, which itself racked up three Golden Globe nomi-nations, including one for Amy Adams, who took over the role of painter Margaret Keane.5. Benedict Cumber-batch is a distant relative of Alan Turing. Cumber-batch is quickly proving to be one of the best per-formers of his generation, but he may have also had genetics on his side in making for such a convinc-ing Alan Turing in The Imi-tation Game. Researchers from the genealogy web-site Ancestry claim they’re related. Well, 17tgh cous-ins to be exact, but still… (Cumberbatch is also re-portedly related to King Richard III. Do we smell an-other biopic in his future?) 6. There are three dou-ble-nominees this year. Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, and Bill Murray will all have twice the chance of winning Sun-day. Moore is up for two movie categories (Best Ac-tress, Drama for Still Alice and Best Actress, Musical or Comedy for Map to the Stars); Ruffalo (Foxcatcher, The Normal Heart) and Murray (St. Vincent, Olive Kitteredge) represent in both big- and small-screen

categories.7. Jake Gyllenhaal has the best injury story. The Nightcrawler nominee suf-fers for his art. Not only did he drop 20 pounds to play super-creep Louis Bloom, he also became so entangled in his character’s psyche that at one point during production he punched a mirror, breaking it, and landing him in the hospital for stitches. 8. Fake noses equal awards gold. Best Ac-tor, Drama nominee Steve Carell (Foxcatcher) is the latest in a long line of ac-tors who wore prosthetic noses on the way to gar-nering Golden Globe nom-inations. Others include Nicole Kidman (who won for The Hours), Will Smith (nominated for Ali), Robin Williams (won for Mrs. Doubtfire), Al Pacino (nom-inated for Dick Tracy), Steve Martin (nominated for Rox-anne), and Robert De Niro (won for Raging Bull).9. Acting in biopics helps, too. Among the 10 nomi-nees in the lead drama categories, six are up for playing real people: Felic-ity Jones (Jane Hawking in The Theory of Every-thing), Reese Witherspoon (Cheryl Strayed in Wild),

Steve Carell (John du Pont in Foxcatcher), Benedict Cumberbatch (Alan Turing in The Imitation Game), David Oyelowo (Martin Lu-ther King Jr. in Selma), and Eddie Redmayne (Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything). Let’s all be glad that Louis Bloom is not a real person.10. Obama votes Boy-hood. If the commander in chief had a say, Richard Linklater’s 12-years-in-the-making opus would take home the night’s top prize, Best Picture, Drama. The president recently called it his favorite film of the year.11. Meryl Streep is on a roll. Yep, another Meryl Streep tidbit. The awards queen owns the lon-gest streak of consecu-tive Globe nominations. Into the Woods marks her fourth in a row after Au-gust: Osage County, Hope Springs, and The Iron Lady. There are also two actors who’ve now been nomi-nated three years running: Joaquin Phoenix (Inher-ent Vice, Her, The Master) and Amy Adams (Big Eyes, American Hustle, The Mas-ter).12. It’s Hulk vs. Ex-Hulk in Best Supporting Actor. The man who currently plays Bruce Banner, Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher), will smash against predeces-sor Edward Norton (Bird-man) in this category. Un-fortunately neither stands a great chance against the heavily favored J.K. Sim-mons (Whiplash), who also dabbled in the superhero realm as J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.13. It’s not a great year for diversity. (File this one under not-so-fun fact.) Among the 29 acting nom-

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 EDGEDAVAO INdulge! A3ENTERTAINMENT

15 fun facts about the 2015 Golden Globe Nominees

inees in the movie catego-ries, only two are people of color: David Oyelowo, who plays Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, and Quvenzhane Wallis, who plays the titular orphan in Annie. (By com-parison there were five last year, but only one the year before.)14. The Jolie-Pitt clan will still be represented. Though Angelina Jolie was doubly snubbed by the HFPA, for both her villain-ess turn in Maleficient, and, more surprisingly, for di-recting and producing Un-

broken), her other half still has a dog in this race. Brad Pitt is one of the producers of Selma, nominated for Best Picture. (Jolie’s father, Jon Voight, is also up for the TV series Ray Dono-van.)15. Among the 29 movie nominees, 8 are first-time Globe nominees. Welcome to the club, Fe-licity Jones, Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), David Oy-elowo, Eddie Redmayne, Quvenzhane Wallis, Ethan Hawke (Boyhood), Mark Ruffalo, and J.K. Simmons.

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A4 INdulge!STYLE

Romancewith a hintof Marsala

A NEW YEAR means a new Pan-tone colour for the year and this 2015, Pantone’s colour of the year is the naturally robust and earth

wine red, Marsala. Impactful, elegant, and seductive, Marsala is a grounded statement colour that pops and is a strong accent to many other colours as well as a rich hue that stands out on its own. Drawing on the sophisticated hue, Plains & Print’s newest collection features pops of Marsala to spice up the festivities of a new year. Plains & Print’s latest collection is available at all Plains & Prints outlets. In Davao Plains & Prints is located at Chimes Specialty Store Sales, SM City Davao, and Abreeza Mall.

By Kenneth Irving Ong

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 13REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

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-versus- EJF-REM CASE NO. 14,959-14

ARNULFO S. LUMANLAN, married to VIRGINIA S. LUMANLAN,Mortgagor/s

x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x

NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE

Upon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135, as amend-ed, filed by HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND OR PAG-IBIG FUND against ARNULFO S. LUMANLAN, married to VIRGINIA S. LUMAN-LAN with postal address at LOT 319-B, BLK.00 55 ROLLS ROYCE ST., DAVAO EXECUTIVE HOMES, MATINA, DAVAO CITY to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness in the total amount of ( P 731,495.84 ) Philippine Currency, inclusive of interest and penalty charges, as of April 28, 2014 plus attorney’s fees equivalent to TEN ( 10%) of the total indebtedness plus other legal expenses incident of foreclosure and sale; the undersigned Sheriff IV of the Regional Trial Court, Davao City, will sell at public auction on January 16, 2015 at 10:00 A.M. or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of Hall of Justice, Ecoland,Davao City to the highest bidder for Cash or MANAGER’S CHECK and in Phil-ippine Currency, the following real property mentioned and described below together with all the improvements thereon, to wit:

Transfer Certificate of Title No. T- 146-2010009723

“A parcel of land (LOT 379-B-2-C-1-D-1-0, PSD -11-020047, XXX) situated in the Barrio of Matina , City of Davao, Island of Mindanao…xxx Containing an area of ONE HUNDRED FIFTY (150) SQUARE METERS, more or less”

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date,it shall be held on FEBRUARY 13, 2015, without further notice.

Prospective buyers are hereby enjoined to investigate for them-selves the titles herein described real property/ies and the encum-brances thereon, if any there be.

Davao City, Philippines, DECEMBER 02, 2014

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO PROV’L SHERIFF:

(SGD.) ROBERT M. MEDIALDEA Sheriff IV

Noted by:

(SGD) ATTY. EDIPOLO P. SARABIA, JR.Clerk of Court VI & Ex-Officio Provincial Sheriff

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EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 201514 SPORTS EDGEDAVAO

Republic of the PhilippinesDepartment of Transportation

and CommunicationsLAND TRANSPORTATION FRAN-

CHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD

Regional Office No. XIDavao City

Petition for Renewalof a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate aPUJ Ordinary Regular Service

JEEPY D. ANDOYO, Petitioner

Case No.2011-XI-00851

x- - - - - - - - -- - - -----x

SECONDNOTICE OF HEARING

Petitioner is a grantee of a Certificate of Public Convenience issued in this case authorizing the operation of a PUJ Ordinary Regular Service on the route: MA-A-AGDAO with the use of ONE (1) unit, which certificate will ex-pire on February 17, 2015. In the petition filed on June 17, 2014, petitioner request authority to ex-tend the validity of said certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit pre-viously authorized.

NOTICE, is hereby given

that this petition will be heard by this Board on FEBRUARY 4, 2015 at 09:00 a.m. at this office at the above address.

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

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

This petition will be acted upon by this Board on the basis of its records and the documentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it neces-sary to receive additional docu-mentary and/or oral evidence.

WITNESS the Honorable BENJAMIN A. GO, CESO V, Region-al Director, this 10th day of De-cember 2014 at Davao City.

TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZChief Transportation Development Officer

Republic of the PhilippinesDepartment of Transportation

and CommunicationsLAND TRANSPORTATION FRAN-

CHISING AND REGULATORY BOARD

Regional Office No. XIDavao City

Petition for Approval of Sale and Transferwith Renewal of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate an AIRCONDITIONED UV EXPRESS Service

JOCELYN L. FUENTES, Petitioner-Vendor

JERWIN A. PIZON, Petitioner-Vendee

Case No.2014-XI-00981(2011-XI-00552)(2012-0408)

x- - - - - - - - -- - - -----x

NOTICE OF HEARING

Petitioners request authority for the Approval of Sale and Trans-fer executed by JOCELYN L. FUEN-TES in favor of JERWIN A. PIZON of a Certificate of Public Conve-nience with Equipment issued in this case authorizing the opera-tion of an AIRCONDITIONED UV EXPRESS service on the route DAVAO CITY-BUTUAN CITY AND VICE VERSA with the use of ONE (1) unit, which Certificate will expire on March 24, 2015. In the same petition filed on November 26, 2014, petitioners likewise re-quest authority to extend the va-lidity of said certificate to operate along the same route with the use of the same unit previously autho-rized.

NOTICE, is hereby given

that this petition will be heard by this Board on FEBRUARY 3, 2015 at 09:10 a.m. at this office at the above address.

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

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

This petition will be acted upon by this Board on the basis of its records and the documentary evidence submitted by the parties, unless the Board deems it neces-sary to receive additional docu-mentary and/or oral evidence.

WITNESS the Honorable BENJAMIN A. GO, CESO V, Region-al Director, this 26th day of No-vember 2014 at Davao City.

TERESITA DELA PEÑA-YÑIGUEZChief Transportation Development Officer

ANDY Murray has taken to the courts of Abu Dhabi and Perth in the past few

days in a stylish new range of sportswear from his latest kit sponsor Under Armour.

The former Wimbledon champion has signed a four-year contract - estimated to be worth £15m - with the lesser known American brand after his deal with adidas came to an end.

And it looks like the new clothing could breathe new life into the British number one’s game as he emerged as the vic-tor of the Mubadala World Ten-nis Championship.

His winning streak contin-ued today as he beat French-man Benoit Paire in the Hop-man Cup mixed-team event in Perth, Australia.

The victories comes after Murray, 27, had a lacklustre sporting year in 2014 as he failed to build on his grand slam success as Wimbledon cham-pion in 2013 thanks to coming back from shoulder surgery.

Murray won his latest title after world number one Novak Djokovic withdrew through ill-ness ahead of the final.

While Murray did not have to play to win the exhibition match, he proved his form has improved by beating Rafael Nadal to reach the final, which should give him a confidence boost ahead of this month’s Australian Open.

Murray showed off gar-ments from his new kit sponsor when he collected his trophy on court on Saturday.

He wore a flattering, grey zip-up long-sleeved top by the brand, which was founded in 1996 by former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank.

The Scot was later pictured wearing the same top as he landed in Perth, Australia, for the Hopman Cup in which he will team up with fellow Brit Heather Watson to play in the mixed team tournament.

Murray was accompanied by his mother, Judy, who is back on the tennis circuit follow-ing her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. The 55-year-old has become accustomed to glamorous ballgowns and glitzy dresses during her time on the BBC show but was back in com-fortable jeans and a floral top as she arrived in Australia.

While playing, Murray will wear Under Armour’s technical

T-shirt that has been developed to provide compression to ath-letes’ muscles and wick perspi-ration off the skin.

The brand, who do cloth-ing for men and women, say the T-shirt ‘works with your body to regulate temperature and enhance performance.’

The tennis star played in black and white versions of the lightweight shirt in Abu Dhabi.

And he certainly put the fabric technology to the test today as he played in tempera-tures reaching 44 degrees in Perth.

His white T-shirt was satu-rated with sweat by the end of the match and the Scot joked afterwards that the conditions were not what he was used to growing up in Dunblane, Scot-land.

He said: ‘It was a bit of an eye-opener when we arrived at the practice court this morning and it was 44 degrees outside. I’m from a small town in Scot-land and the weather is not quite like that there.’

When he signed his con-tract with Under Armour, Mur-ray said: ‘I am very honoured and excited to be joining Team Under Armour and to help them tell their story globally.

‘They are committed to providing innovative apparel, accessories, and footwear, with an unmatched focus on training and performance.’

Murray is the most famous British sports star to be spon-sored by the U.S. brand who also have American football players, skiers and snowboard-ers on their books.

They have already made inroads into promoting them-selves in the UK by sponsor-ing football team Tottenham Hotspur.

The brand’s story is a clas-sic ‘rags to riches’ tale. Plank went from selling T-shirts from his grandmother’s house to becoming the U.S’s second bestselling sportsbrand behind Nike a decade later.

He started the business with just $15,000 (£9,800) sav-ings plus as much money as he could loan from credit cards.

Of those early days, Kev-in told The Washington Post: ‘It was a challenge, and I had to learn to really focus on my business. But acting like a pro-fessional company and running it out of a residential neighbor-hood is not the easiest thing to do.’

His big break came when Under Armour became the official supplier to the American football NFL Eu-rope League.

Now the foot-ball player turned entrepreneur is a self-made billion-aire thanks to the rise and rise of his brand.

Speaking of his success, Plank said: ‘Success doesn’t happen quickly. It hap-pens from do-ing the same thing over and over, becoming great at it, and d e l i v e r i n g great value to consumers. It takes time, and that’s w h y I ’ m

such a n

a d v o -cate for, if

you have an idea, get it out there, find out if it c a n sell, and i f does, move t o ve r s i o n two, m o v e t o v e r - sion t h r e e , and find a way.’

While well-known in their home country, signing global stars like Murray will propel them to even greater heights.

The tennis player will be a brand ambassador and feature in major marketing campaigns.

On signing Murray, Ryan Kuehl, Under Armour said: ‘Signing Andy is really a spe-cial moment for the brand, as we continue to elevate and di-versify our athlete roster and expand our international pres-ence. Andy’s remarkable char-acter, competitive spirit and unmatched ability make him the perfect fit for our family.’

The sports brand state that they started out with the ‘sim-ple plan to make a superior

T-shirt’ b u t h a v e s i n c e

branched into making other sport-ing clothing and accesso-ries.

However, they have y e t to devel- o p tennis shoes f o r M u r r a y so he will continue to wear adidas trainers until they have developed footwear specifical-ly for him - a process which is estimated to take at least six months.

The brand showed a flair for fashion by matching the co-lour of his shorts to his adidas shoes.

Murray will be hoping to improve his form in 2015 after he dropped to a year-end rank-ing of number six in the world.

However, while 2014 may not have been a vintage year for him in terms of sporting achievement, it was a special one for him in his personal life as he popped the question to long-term girlfriend, Kim Sears, 26.

UNDER ARMOUR-EDAndy Murray wears new kit for new season

EXPANSION. The sports brand state that they started out with the ‘simple plan to make a superior T-shirt’ and are now sponsoring global stars like Murray, whose contract is estimated at £15 Million.

ACCESSORISING. Murray’s new kit has been colour coordinated with his trainers - which are still adidas as Under Armour are currently working on their own footwear for the star.

UNDER ARMOURED. Murray has played in black and white kit from Under Armour, who were founded by Kevin Plank. The football player turned enterpreneur has become a billionaire thanks to the brand’s success.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 15SPORTSEDGEDAVAO

MANNY Pacquiao bared that he’s just waiting for

Floyd Mayweather to sign the contract for their me-ga-fight.

Days after Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz confirmed to Ring Mag-azine that negotiations are indeed ongoing, the eight-division and cur-rent WBO welterweight champion posted on his

Instagram account that the ball is on Mayweath-er’s court.

“Floyd brags about his lifestyle and everything! I don’t care! I’m just wait-ing here for him to sign the contract! #fightpac-quiao,” posted Pacquiao.

The negotiations be-tween the Mayweather and Pacquiao’s camps have remained mostly si-lent. Previously, the two

camps discussed details of the contract in the open including the purse split and the drug testing pro-tocols.

However, no news has come out of either camp regarding the details of the negotiations.

After beating Chris Algieri via wide unani-mous decision last No-vember, Pacquiao openly challenged Mayweather

to a fight. Weeks after, the undefeated Ameri-can said he too wants the mega-fight to happen and suggested May 2 as the date.

There were rumors that Mayweather was siding towards a rematch against Miguel Cotto in-stead of fighting Pacquiao but the Puerto Rican’s camp denied that they have received any offers.

WITH a disap-pointing per-formance so

far in the ongoing UAAP Women’s Volleyball Tourament, the National University Lady Bulldogs have reportedly replaced head coach Dante Dela Cruz and tapped the ser-vices of veteran coach Roger Gorayeb, the for-mer head coach of the Ateneo Lady Eagles and the current head coach of the San Sebastian Lady Stag in the NCAA.

The move was first announced on Twitter on Monday mid-after-noon.

During his five-year stint (2008-2013) in the UAAP with Ateneo, Go-rayeb, also the current athletic moderator of San Sebastian College, piloted the Lady Eagles to back-to-back Finals appearances in Seasons 74 and 75. Gorayeb was also the predecessor of current Ateneo head

coach Tai Bundit.Moreover, Gorayeb

was also known as the mentor of Ateneo’s “Fab Five” of Fille Cainglet Cayetano, Gretchen Ho, Dzi Gervacio, Jam Ferrer and Aillysse Nacachi.

After manning the helm at Ateneo until 2013, Gorayeb went back to San Sebastian College, his alma mater, to focus on its volleyball team.

In addition, Gorayeb also served as the head coach of the PH Women’s Volleyball team during the 2014 FIVB Women’s World Championship Qualification held in Khe Sanh, Vietnam. He also called the shots for PLDT in the Shakey’s V-League last year.

Currently at sixth place and with a dismal 2-3 record, the Lady Bulldogs will be squar-ing off against the UST Golden Tigresses this coming January 7 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Manny just waiting for Floyd to sign contractTHE WAITING GAME

CH R I S T O P H E R “Bong” Go came up big once again

as the City Mayor’s Of-fice blasted Everball Columbia Computer Center, 102 – 82, in Game 2 of their 2015 Basketball Friendly Se-ries at the Davao City Recreation Center Al-mendras Gym on Sat-urday night.

Go delivered a bar-rage of raining three pointers from all an-gles to propel CMO to a 2 – 0 series lead.

The sweet-shoot-ing trusted-aid of May-or Rodrigo Duterte finished the game with 43 points, account-ing nine baskets from behind the arc that mostly came over the outstretched arms of an Everball Columbia defenders.

After a tight open-ing period, the City Hall went into scoring spree in the second frame to grab a com-manding edge that peep CMO to take an-other dominating win.

Everball Columbia continued to play be-low par as a team in the final half as CMO never threatened the rest of the way.

Macarandan scored team-best 18 points as leading-scorer Rico Kwan Tiu tossed 17 for Everball Columbia. Mcatabog had 16.

Joel Aberilla con-tributed significantly for CMO with 14 points so did Warren Cloriblel and Rhodelio Poliquit who had 13 and 10 points respectively.

Go, who had 51 points in Game 1, was two triples shy of ty-ing his season open-ing game output of 11 treys that towed CMO to a 113-72 decision.

CMO won six straight games before Everball Columbia managed to score its first win last season. (Rico Biliran)

Box scores:CMO – 102 – GO 43,

ABERILLA 14, CLORI-BEL 13, POLIQUIT 10, LABOR 6, FLORES 6, REYES 4, SUMAGANG 4, PELOTON 2, APOS-TOL 0, ROSAL 0.

EVERBALL COLUM-BIA – 82 – MACARAN-DAN 18, KWAN TIU 17, MACATABOG 16, MA-LIGRO 10, MENDING 6, ANGSINCO 6, SUAREZ 4, BAMBI 4, CABALLE-RO I 1, DEVEZA 0, CA-BALLERO J 0.

NU sacks coach, tabs former Ateneo mentor

I’M WAITING. WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, during his recent world welterweight title boxing match against WBO junior welterweight champion Chris Algieri of the U.S. at the Venetian Macao in Macau. Pacquiao has called out Floyd Mayweather to a fight but has yet to see the flamboyant American make a tangible response. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

SACKED. NU head coach Ariel Dela Cruz (above photo) instructs his players during the match between University of the East (UE) and National University (NU) of the UAAP Women’s Volleyball Season 77 games, held at the San Juan Arena on 7 December 2014. Dela Cruz has been sacked by NU and replaced by former Ateneo coach Roger Gorayeb (below photo). (Dante Diosina Jr/NPPA IMAGES)

Go take charge anewas CMO takes 2-0 lead

VOL. 7 ISSUE 208 • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015

Another Haro comes along16 EDGEDAVAOSports

By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO

REMEMBER the ten-nis-playing Haro sisters?

Early in 2000, Joyce and Jessica used to rule the tennis courts, not just in the region but in the entire coun-try as well, with consistency much like the vaunted Wil-liams sisters.

Both are no longer active in competitions but they have not left tennis entirely. Joyce

has become a teaching pro and younger sister Jessica a teacher.

While Joyce hits balls to train tennis aspirants, Jessica hits balls these days with a special student—one on one. She has in fact signed herself up as personal coach of this young boy.

Lucky lad, he must be.The kid’s name is Kurt Jer-

THE SON RISES. Kurt Jerick Haro hits the

ball during training.

ick and his family name rings a bell—Haro. Yes, Kurt Jerick, don’t call him by his initials (KJ), is Jessica’s 11-year old son.

If you think Jerick is made to be a tennis player, think again. He did not wield a rac-quet until he was eight—by tennis standards, a not so very early age to hit balls if you have the DNA of a champion. But Jessica swears he did not impose tens on Jerick.

“He just picked it up one day and we went to the court,” said Jessica.

Jerick started learning ten-nis at a summer camp in 2013. “That was his first lesson and he said he liked it,” she told Edge Davao.

After a year, Jerick start-ed joining age group tour-naments in Davao City. His biggest achievement so far is when he advanced to the finals of the qualifying tour-nament for the 2015 Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) meet where he placed runner-up in boys sin-gles, losing only to John David Velez.

Not bad if you know who Velez is. He is just the reigning no.1 junior netter in the under 12 category in the entire Phil-ippines.

“Kulang pa po sa exposure

pero at least progressing naman po,” said Jessica.

Jerick has not won a boys title yet but he has consistently reached quar-terfinals in his age group.

“Baguhan pa po talaga siya kaya hanggang quarterfinals pa lang inaabot niya,” said Jes-sica who is patiently working on her son with a regular training regimen.

The mother-son tandem are high o n their

prepa-r a -tions for the 2015 D A V R A A meet set in Mati, Davao Oriental next month.

Jessica is excited to return to Mati City where she has won several titles in the past as an age group campaigner along with sister Joyce. However, this time she will relegate herself to the side-lines blurting out instructions and cheering his son on.

She now takes a back-seat as another Haro comes along.

MOTHER-SON TANDEM. Former top-ranked age group tennis cam-paigner Jesicah Haro with son Kurt Jerick.