P 15.00 • 20 PAGESwww.edgedavao.netVOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015

GARMA PROBEDSTA. Ana Police Station

commander Superin-tendent Royina Garma

is under investigation after a detainee managed to es-cape last week when a jail guard tasked him to throw out the garbage.

Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 Investigation Di-vision head Superintendent Joseph Sepulchre said an investigation is being con-ducted to find out if it has been the practice of the Sta.

Ana Police Station to use detainees in cleaning the office.

Sepulchre said the In-vestigation Division will review how the station han-dles its detainees, especial-ly if it has been a practice to use detainee with more minor offenses to perform chores.

“We have to review how they handle their detain-ees especially if they allow detainees who have minor

cases like theft to go out and clean the station,” he said.

Sepulchre said letting detainees go outside the police station to do chores is not allowed based on the rules of the Philippine Na-tional Police (PNP).

If proven that the Sta. Ana Police Station practices this, Garma will be included in the case that will be filed, Sepulchre said.

On February 9, Police Officer (PO)3 Roman Baslan

brought out detainee Reymart Padada to throw garbage outside the station.

Police said Padada fled towards nearby Mini Forest after pushing Baslan.

Operatives of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) have also mounted a man-hunt operation against Padada, who had been de-tained for a theft case.

Meanwhile, Baslan re-mains in his post at Sta. Ana Police Station.

EDGE Serving a seamless society

DAVAO

Sta. Ana Police chief in hot water over detainee’s escapeBy FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

UNMASKED. Without a facemask, a vendor refills big baskets with coconut charcoal in his makeshift store at Bankerohan Public Market in Davao City yesterday, apparently not realizing that inhaling charcoal powder can cause a variety of health issues. Lean Daval Jr.

INSIDE EDGE

Economy P5

FELCRIS CENTRALEGRAND OPENING

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 20152 EDGEDAVAO

THE BIG NEWS

ISSUES. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte appears on Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy’s “Give Us This Day” program to discuss some issues in the city and in the country. Duterte said he asked Quiboloy to have him as guest so he can explain certain issues, particularly his listening tour on federalism. Photo By Armando Fenequito Jr.

DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte urged Senate, House

of Representatives, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to stop their investigation on the January 25 Mamasapano, Maguindanao incident and let the Philippine National Police (PNP) Board of Inquiry (BOI) do its job.

Speaking in Pastor Apollo

C. Quiboloy’s television program Give Us This Day on Monday night, Duterte said the incident was a “military matter” that the Senate, Congress, and DOJ should not meddle in.

“Hayaan niyo muna sila na mag imbestiga (Let the BOI investigate first) and if it will release the result, then that is the time they would validate

the investigation,” he said. “If it is the truth, they can

go ahead and find it out why it happened,” the mayor added.

Duterte said the anger felt by the lawmakers and the justice department is making them “like bumble bees and mosquitoes” that are very eager to investigate the incident.

“You should rise about

your anger,” he said.The mayor also asked the

lawmakers who withdrew their support for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) not to abandon talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“I am passionate with the talks because we are the battleground every time there is war,” he said.

At the same time, Duterte said President Benigno Aquino will be the key to the investigation.

“President Aquino alongside with the other guys over there (can be the key to the investigation). That is assuming that they will tell the truth and if their truth will be similar to one another,” he said.

Duterte said being the commander-in-chief, Aquino plays a vital role in the planning stages of an operation like the one mounted by the Special Action Force (SAF) in Mamasapano.

“He plays a vital role because he is the President. If he does not give the order, then it cannot proceed,” he said.

THE Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 has given assurance

that the athletes who will join the Davao Region Athletic Association (DAVRAA) which will be held in Mati City on February 24 to 28 will be safe.

In an interview, PRO 11 spokesperson Superintendent Antonio Rivera said regional police director Chief

Superintendent Wendy Rosario mandated the Mati Municipal Police Station to strengthen its defenses following the rebel attack on Sunday night.

“RD (regional director) mandated Mati Municipal Police Station to strengthen its defenses through target hardening, (which means) meaning make the station difficult to

attack or harass,” Rivera said.

Four soldiers and one rebel died when about 50 NPA members attacked the Mati Municipal Police Station on February 15, 2015.

Rivera said prior to the attack, the PRO 11 sent around 20 members of the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) to the Mati police station to augment its force

because the DAVRAA was going to be held there.

He said police also received intelligence reports that the NPA was planning to attack the city.

“A large augmentation force was sent to Mati City because of the upcoming DAVRAA, plus the military also received intelligence reports about an imminent NPA attack,” Rivera said.

A H I G H - R A N K I N G leader of the New People’s Army (NPA)

was arrested by elements of the 10th Infantry Division in Barangay Taguibo, Mati City on Monday night, a day after rebels attacked the po-lice station of Mati.

The alleged NPA lead-er was identified as Prince Wendel Olofernes alias “Edoy” or “Doy,” whom the military said was the com-mander of Sentro de Grabi-dad (SDG) Front-18 of the NPA Southern Mindanao regional Command (SMRC).

The military said Olofernes was wearing a military uniform when cornered by government troops.

The military said Olofernes assumed as com-mander of SDG Front-18 of the NPA following the arrest of its former leader, Jordan Donillo alias “Talyo,” in De-cember 2014.

Meanwhile, the rebel who was killed in Sunday night’s rebel attack on the Mati City Police Station has already been identified.

Duterte to Congress, DOJ:Stop, let BOI do its work

Police assure safety of DAVRAA athletes in MatiRanking rebel arrested

By ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR. and FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

By FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

FRANKING, 14

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 3NEWSEDGEDAVAO

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

NEGATIVE. Councilor Mary Joselle Villafuerte discloses in her privilege speech during yesterday’s regular session that two Dabawenyos suspected of having been infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus

(MERS-CoV) have tested negative of the disease while another one is still at the isolation ward of Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC). Lean Daval Jr.

THE two Dabawen-yos suspected of having been infect-

ed with Middle East Re-spiratory Syndrome-Co-rona Virus (MERS-CoV) have tested negative of the disease.

In yesterday’s regu-lar session of the Davao City council, committee on health chair council-or Mary Joselle D. Villa-fuerte said the 39-year-old woman from Talomo South and 48-year-old man from Buhangin were found negative through a Nasopharygeal swab test.

In a privilege speech, Villafuerte said the two samples were submitted to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) last February 13 and the result was re-leased last February 16.

“The DOH-RESU (De-partment of Health – Regional Epidemiolgy Service Unit) and SPMC (Southern Philippine Medical Center) Isola-tion Unit were monitor-ing the two who left Sau-di Arabia on January 31 and arrived in Manila on February 1,” she said.

Villafuerte said an-other nurse from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia opted to be quarantined since she had the symptoms of the virus.

She said the suspect-ed MERS-CoV patient was admitted to the SPMC Isolation Unit last February 15 and under-went swab test. The re-sult is still pending.

Villafuerte said there

is nothing to worry about since MERS-CoV is not fatal unlike Ebola.

She added, howev-er, that if a person has a weak immune system there is a possibility of death. “If you have pre-existing respiratory and lung diseases you could be killed by pneu-monia,” she said.

In Zamboanga City, four residents who were with the flight that car-ried the Filipina nurse who tested positive of the vuris have been placed on home quaran-tine, City Health Officer Dr. Rodelin Agbulos an-nounced Monday.

The Filipina nurse arrived in the country aboard Saudi Flight 860 last February 1 from Sau-di Arabia. The plane was carrying over 200 pas-sengers.

Agbulos said the four are among the five res-idents of this city that were together with the nurse who arrived in the country aboard Saudi Flight 860.

He identified them as two males aged 28 and two females aged 32 and 41, adding they were lo-cated through contact tracing.

He said they have tak-en swab samples of the four which were sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine of the Department of Health for laboratory analysis.

Agbulos said the re-sults of the laboratory analysis are expected to be released on Thursday,

DAVAO Light and Pow-er Company’s front-line services will

be available for the public on February 19, Thursday, which has been declared a special no-work holiday in celebration of Chinese New Year.

Payment and customer

services in the full service centers at SM Lanang Pre-mier and at SM City Davao in Ecoland will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, Panabo City branch customer services will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and its payment ser-vices will be from 7 a.m.to 5

p.m.Toril and Calinan pay-

ment offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, and from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Only Sto. Tomas payment office is unavailable during holidays.

Emergency service will remain available 24 hours through 229-DLPC (3572).

Two Dabawenyos test negative for MERS-CoV

Davao Light customerservices open on Feb 19

February 19.“We were able to trace

the (whereabouts of the) four. They are with their families and we advised them home quarantine for the moment until the results arrive,” he said.

He said the four were asymptomatic, which means they did not show any symptoms of MERS-CoV.

The signs and symp-toms of MERS-CoV, which is a viral illness, include cough, fever, shortness of breath and diarrhea.

MERS-CoV was first reported in 2012 in Sau-di Arabia. With a report from MindaNews

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015

THE suspected sinkhole that appeared near a coastal community

here over the weekend and triggered the evacuation of 46 families could be a case of coastal erosion, the Depart-ment of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Region 12 said.

Roger Tamayo, MGB-12 mining engineer, said their initial assessment showed that the huge hole that devel-oped at the shores of Purok Tinago in Barangay Dadian-gas South here could have been caused by the degener-ation of coralline limestones situated underneath the ar-ea’s shoreline.

He said the breakdown of the limestones might have triggered the erosion of its

sand covering that eventually appeared liked that of a sink-hole.

“(But) this is just our ini-tial or partial assessment. We have no basis for now to con-clude what really happened here as that can only be made through further geological assessment,” he said.

MGB Region 12 director Constancio Paye Jr. sent Ta-mayo and his team to assess the site on Monday and ver-ify whether it was indeed a sinkhole.

The suspected sinkhole, which was initially estimated at around 40 meters in diam-eter, emerged early Sunday morning, prompting the city government to order the forced evacuation of 46 fam-ilies settled near the area.

4 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

LUMAD PROTEST. Indigenous Peoples (IP) from the hinterlands of Davao City converge at Freedom Park yesterday to stage a protest rally against the military, whose presence they say is causing unrest in their communities. Lean Daval Jr.

Duterte approves 50-50sharing with Sta. Cruz

COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT TAX

DAVAO City Mayor Ro-drigo R. Duterte will let the municipal gov-

ernment of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur have an equal share in the local business tax (LBT) of Therma South Inc. (TSI)’s coal-fired power plant.

In an interview, Duterte told reporters he will give the 50-50 share of the LBT being asked for by Sta. Cruz Mayor Joel Ray Lopez to solve the sharing dispute.

“OK lang ko ana. Nganong magdinalo man pud ta... walay

problema tutal Pilipino man pud ang tagaan (It is OK me. Why should we be selfish? It’s not problem especially since Filipinos will be the ones to benefit),” Duterte said.

“If that is the fastest solu-tion, I am OK with it,” he add-ed.

Duterte said Sta. Cruz also has the right to an equal share since the coal plant is situated in one of its baran-gays.

He said the share should not just be based on where

the facilities and buildings are situated because the en-tire plant will not operate if the whole complex is not used.

“Do not focus on one building alone, it is not laid out that way,” he said.

Earlier, city administrator Jesus Melchor V. Quitiain said that during a meeting last week, Lopez said Sta. Cruz wants an equal share of the remaining 70 percent of the LBT since Davao City will automatically receive 30 per-

cent of the tax since the main office of TSI is in Davao City.

Davao City officials, how-ever, want a higher share. Quitain had said the city should have the biggest share and therefore he was not in favor of equally sharing the remaining 70 percent.

City treasurer Rodrigo Riola had also said the city should have a bigger share of the LBT since the city got the higher percentage of equip-ment of the coal plant com-pared with Sta. Cruz.

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

INDIGENOUS peoples in the city’s uplands who are beneficiaries of govern-

ment’s conditional cash trans-fer program are among those that have availed of the con-traceptive Implanon, a health official said Monday.

Assistant City Health Of-ficer Samuel Cruz said in an interview they have at least 1,000 available units of Im-planon monthly.

He said each Implanon unit costs from P10,000 to P15,000 in the market but the

CHO is giving it for free. He added they will hold regular sessions for women who wish to avail of the product.

Priscilla Razon, Depart-ment of Social Welfare and Development regional di-rector said at the Kapehan sa SM Monday that 8,000 in-digenous peoples in Marilog, Paquibato and Baguio dis-tricts have availed of the mod-ified conditional cash transfer program.

Razon, however, said she could not give as yet the ex-

act number of Lumad women who are using the contracep-tive but confirmed it was the DSWD that helped identify the beneficiaries.

Non-Lumad women who are beneficiaries of the cash transfer program have also availed of free Implanon units, she added.

The city has partnered with the DSWD in distribut-ing the contraceptive to poor beneficiaries through its Listahanan program.

Implanon prevents preg-

nancy up to three years and has been approved by the World Health Organization.

Cruz said the distribution of the contraceptive is based on the Responsible Par-enthood and Reproductive Health Law, or Republic Act 10583, which was signed by President Benigno Aquino III in 2012.

He said distribution of the contraceptive is assured at least until the end of the Aqui-no administration in 2016.

SEVEN members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in a se-

ries of encounters in Sarangani Province on Monday.

The military said members of the 73rd Infantry Battalion engaged the rebels in two gun battles, one at 8 a.m. and the other at 3:30 p.m., in Sitio Tubal, Barangay Datal Anggas,

Alabel, Sarangani Province.After the battle, the

government troops were able to seize two AK-47s, one M653 rifle, and six M167 rifles.

According to reports, the soldiers encountered around 30 NPA members led by a certain Lucas, the secretary of the NPA Far South Mindanao

GenSan sinkhole likelycaused by coastal erosion

Lumad women given free contraceptive implantsSeven NPA men killedin Sarangani encounterBy FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

FGENSAN, 14

FLUMAD, 14FSEVEN, 14

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 5EDGEDAVAO

ECONOMY

FELCRIS Centrale for-mally opens its doors to the public today

with business leaders from Mindanao welcoming the newest addition to the ev-er-changing real estate landscape of Davao City.

“Good! The more the merrier,” Mindanao Busi-ness Council (MinBC) chair-man Vicente T. Lao told Edge Davao in a text mes-sage yesterday as Felcris Centrale opens for busi-ness starting today.

Felcris Centrale, a flag-ship development project of homegrown Felcris Ho-tels and Resorts Corpora-tion of the Yap family, just had its blessing and inau-guration yesterday after-noon.

The project, located in a 5.9-hectate lot along Quim-po Boulevard in Barangay Bucana, has a 12-storey commercial complex with a 10-floor office space and a two-level retail and en-tertainment center com-plete with supermarket, boutiques, restaurants and shops.

The Davao City Cham-ber of Commerce and In-dustry Inc. (DCCCII) lauded the opening of Felcris Cen-trale and congratulated its management for realizing the project.

“This is a manifestation of their trust and confi-dence to the city govern-ment,” DCCCII president Antonio Dela Cruz said.

“This is a manifestation of their trust and confi-dence to the city govern-ment,” Dela Cruz added.

On the other hand, Davao City Investment Pro-motions Center (DCIPC) chief Ivan C. Cortez said he is generally happy that another urban landmark is opened to the public.

“Felcris Centrale will of-fer another options and ad-ditional spaces for business activities. In the nearest future, the immediate win-ners here will be the end users,” Cortez said.

Felcris Centrale is ac-cessible to the neighboring business establishments, government offices and residential areas.

PHILIPPINES and Singa-pore are allowing more flights between the two

countries following the inking of an agreement last weekend, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said.

CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla said this de-velopment not only opens up more opportunities for airlines of the two countries, but also allows both to increase the limit on the frequencies for fifth freedom to 10 per week from eight per week.

Fifth freedom rights is the right to operate services to a third country from a country with which an airline’s resi-dent country has an air ser-vices agreement.

Furthermore, co-terminal points for Singaporean carri-ers were also expanded to Iloi-lo and Bacolod, which adds to the current list of Cebu, Davao, and Puerto Princesa

From now on, Singapor-ean carriers can fly to Cebu for example and then proceed to Davao.

He said both countries also agreed on a third country code sharing, which allows airlines from both countries to share marketing services with third-party countries.

CAB also said that the new air pact increased the capacity entitlements between Manila and Singapore by 7.1 percent to 18,888 seats per week from the current 17,627 seats per week. (PNA)

Felcris Centrale grand opening todaycrc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

PHL, SG sign new air pact

NEWEST MALL. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, Architect Felino A. Palafox (leftmost), Felcris owners Felipe (second right) and Cresencio Yap (rightmost) cut the ceremonial ribbon during the inauguration and blessing of Felcris Centrale in Quimpo Boulevard yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015EDGEDAVAOTHE ECONOMY6

THE province of Davao del Norte will get the biggest chunk of the

P2.02 budget allocation for the construction of tourism-relat-ed infrastructure projects in Davao Region this year.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 11 information officer Dean Ortiz said that out of the 30 tourism-related projects that

were identified by the Depart-ment of Tourism (DOT) under the DOT-DPWH convergence program for 2015, seven of these are for Davao del Norte.

Ortiz said the seven proj-ects have a total amount of P810 million and will be im-plemented within the fiscal year.

Earlier, DPWH11 director Mariano Alquiza said during

the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex on Monday that bulk of the budget will go to Davao del Norte as DOT is planning to project the prov-ince as prime tourist destina-tion in the region.

Alquiza said most projects will be implemented in the Is-land Garden City of Samal (Ig-acos), known as a resort island because of its white sand and

pristine beaches.Other than the seven proj-

ects in Davao del Norte, Davao City will have 10 tourism-re-lated infrastructure project this year with a total cost of P455.5 million, followed by Compostela Valley with five projects that cost P330 mil-lion, Davao del Sur with five projects costing P274.2 mil-lion, and Davao Oriental with

three projects amounting P153,224 million.

In addition, Ortiz said the DPWH will implement more tourism infrastructure proj-ects for Davao Region this year.

Ortiz also said that the convergence between DPWH and DOT resulted to the im-plementation of a total of 30 tourism infrastructure proj-

ects this year with a total proj-ect cost of more than P2.02 billion.

This year is higher com-pared than last year because we only had 28 projects worth P1.9 billion.

“This will be the first time that the province of Compos-tela Valley will have a tour-ism-related project,” Alquiza said.

KALILANGAN FESTIVAL 2015. General Santos City Mayor Ronnel C. Rivera signs the memorandum of agreement with RMMC president and event co-chair Kristoffer Franz Mari R. and Festival director Marthin Anthony L. Millado and Councilor  Shandee Llido during the recent launching of Kalilangan jingle, festival design and videos.

IN a meeting today chaired by the President of the Republic of the

Philippines, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board approved six infrastructure projects.

“Most of these projects aim to have a more reliable and efficient transport in-frastructure system. These are consistent with the gov-ernment’s thrust to increase investment in connective in-frastructure,” said Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.

Among the approved projects is the Panguil Bay Bridge, with the Depart-ment of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as imple-menting agency. The project involves the construction of bridge across Panguil Bay connecting the City of Tan-gub in Misamis Occiden-tal and the Municipality of Tubod in Lanao del Norte. The project is one of the high priority development proj-ects in Mindanao.

The bridge will poten-tially reduce travel time along the 100-kilometer na-tional road between Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao del Norte from 2.5 hours to 37 minutes. The project’s total estimated cost

is P5.09 billion to be fully fi-nanced by the government and targeted to be imple-mented starting 2015 until 2018.

Moreover, there are two projects approved under the North-South Railway masterplan. First is Phase 1 of the North-South Commut-er Railway (NSCR) Project, which the Department of Transportation and Com-munications (DOTC) will implement, involves the construction of a 36.7-kilo-meter narrow-gauge elevat-ed commuter railway from Malolos to Tutuban. It aims to improve efficiency of land transportation capacity of Metro Manila and provide a more environmentally sus-tainable mode of transport.

Also, the NSCR Phase 1 will use the Philippine Na-tional Railway’s (PNR) right-of-way with 10 stations and a depot at Valenzuela. The project’s total estimated cost is P117.30 billion and target-ed to be implemented from 2015 with a 35-year opera-tion period starting 2020.

Another is the North-South Railway Project – South Line, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project of the DOTC, which has a total estimated cost of P170.70

THE Philippines’ coffee industry is urged to increase quantity and

improve the quality of coffee produced in order to take ad-vantage of the Php21-billion local coffee industry.

Philippine Coffee Board, Inc. (PCBI) chair Nicholas Matti, in a briefing on Monday, said the demand of coffee is at 100,000 metric tons (MT) which continues to grow year-on-year by 3.0 to 5.0 percent.

Matti, however, said the current local production is only at 20,000 to 22,000 MT.

He mentioned that local coffee harvest for this year is an “off-year”, following a cycle,

which is expected at 20,000 MT. This means as 2015 is an off-year, next year will be a bountiful harvest which the PCBI target to breach 25,000 MT.

He noted that coffee farm-ers need support through tech-nical assistance and providing financial programs to leverage equipment and process of pro-ducing coffee.

Moreover, Matti said that there are also larger demands for ARABICA COFFEE than Ro-busta coffee.

Around 60 to 70 percent of the world’s coffee demands are Arabica coffee while 30 percent are for Robusta. But

the country produces more Robusta than Arabica, accord-ing to Matti.

Meanwhile, PCBI presi-dent Pacita Juan mentioned that foreign markets such as the U.S., Japan and South Ko-rea are looking into Philippine coffee.

“It is important to bring up production and improve the quality of our coffee,” she said.

In 2014, Philippine cof-fee gained international awards after PCBI brought Davao-produced coffee in Bangkok, Thailand for the Thaifex Roasters Choice Awards where the local cof-fee bagged two awards. (PNA)

Davao del Norte gets biggest sliceof tourism infra projects for 2015

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

NEDA Board approves6 transport infra projects

Phl urged to hike production

CEBU-BASED Premier Family Business Consulting (PFBC) is

planning to seal an agree-ment with the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) for the conduct of workshops and seminars on the impor-tance of family enterprise planning.

PFBC founder Jonathan A. Ramos said the partner-ship will enable the firm to

have access and be able to offer services to the fam-ilies in business in Davao Region.

Ramos said family en-terprise planning “aims to strengthen the family foun-dations – their relation-ships and shared core ideol-ogies and at the same time carefully plan fundamental preparations of a sustain-able family enterprise.”

PFBC has been extend-

ing consultancy services on family unity building, lead-ership succession planning, ownership succession plan-ning, and family financial planning for more than 10 years.

“We chose Davao City because we would like to infiltrate families in busi-ness in Mindanao and ex-tend our consultancy here,” Ramos said.

More than that, Ramos

said the firm is in Davao because it wants to raise public awareness on the importance of consultancy in making family business-es sustainable and efficient even after changes in man-agement.

He said in the Philip-pines, 80 percent of busi-nesses are family-owned and controlled.

“Family businesses

Firm aims to help family businessesFAMILY TIES. Premier Family Business Consulting Group chief executive officer Jonathan Ramos (left) and chief operating officer Neil Montesclaros discuss their group’s advocacy of helping family businesses transition from one generation to another during a press briefing with local media yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

FFIRM, 14 FNEDA, 14

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 7EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 20158 EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

Hot waterEDITORIAL

THE members of the Sta. Ana Police Station, along with its commander Superintendent Royina Garma, have found themselves in hot water over the escape last week of a

detainee who had been tasked by a police officer, acting as jail guard, to take out the garbage. Once outside, the detainee ap-parently pushed the cop aside and made good his plan to flee into a densely populated area – from which he has not been re-covered as of press time. The man had been detained on a theft case, a minor offense compared with, say, murder or kidnap-ping, and perhaps because of this he was in good enough terms with the officers to be trusted with handling the day’s trash. Unfortunately for the police station – and for Garma – the guy did not intend to stay in the detention area and took advantage of his being treated as a convenient helper.

Now letting detainees do the dirty job in police stations is not unheard of. Some repeat offenders are detained so frequently that they virtually become friends with police officers. This may not be a prevalent practice, but it is seen often enough to make

civilians wary of entering police stations for fear of meeting a detainee who is on the wrong side of the cell. And of course, many police stations throughout the country have little space for detention cells, and many times offenders are allowed to stay outside.

And then there is the case of Sta. Ana Police Station, which apparently makes helpers out of detainees. Perhaps the offi-cers have been thinking that they are the ones pulling one over the offenders, but really, what detainee would not jump at the chance of going out for a breath of fresh air, even if it is, as it were, to take out the garbage? And in last week’s incident, it was the detainee who pulled one over his jail guard. The in-vestigation by the Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 will focus on whether or not Sta. Ana police regularly use their detainees as helpers, which is a clear violation of Philippine National Police (PNP) rules. It is certainly hoped that the probe will finally put a stop to this practice and, ironically, make police stations safe for the people.

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

OLIVIA D. VELASCOGeneral Manager

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VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 VANTAGE POINTS 9EDGEDAVAO

THE September 17, 1862 battle of Antietam creek was the Ameri-can Civil War’s bloodiest one-day

fight. On September 4, America’s great-est general, confederacy’s Robert E. Lee, attacked the state of Maryland hoping to bring Maryland into the rebel’s fold. Sensing that Maryland would not join, Lee’s hurriedly retreated. Facing him was Union General McLellan whose forces outnumbered that of the rebels 3 to 1.

On September 13, Lee’s entire op-erational plan (Special order 191) was seized by Union troops. On September McLellan already knew what Lee would do. All he had to do was attack with his superior force’s Lee’s weakest points. McLellan did nothing on September 14 and 15 while Lee retreated. He could have chased and attacked Lee’s weak forces in Antietam on September 16 but did not. When he finally attacked on September 17, Lee’s comrade General Stonewall Jackson arrived, thus stop-ping the Union from winning that day.

The indecision of McLellan from September 13 to 16 was compound-ed when he ordered General Burnside to capture the bridge at Rohrback on September 17 at 8 a.m., cross it, and at-tack Lee from behind. Burnside instead attacked at 10 a.m. Again a tired rebel

brigade arrived in time to reinforce the small defending force, thus stopping Burnside from crossing the bridge, up to 3 p.m.

By 4 p.m., McLellan was about to charge Lee’s weak exposed side, when for the third time a tired bloodied reb-el division arrived, thus stopping Mc-Lellan’s drive. The fight ended at 5 p.m. However, on September 18, McLellan did not chase the retreating Lee, oth-erwise Lee’s army would have been de-stroyed. The Civil War would have end-ed that year, 1862. Instead it dragged on until 1864.

McLellan gave many excuses. Presi-dent Lincoln sarcastically asked “are you not overcautious when you assume that you cannot do what the enemy is con-stantly doing?” McLellan was removed and never given a command again.

After the June 6, 1944 invasion, the world’s attention was on the heroic of US armies and Generals Patton, Bradley, and Eisenhower. The Allied’s No 2 com-mander, England’s Montgomery, felt the British forces and he needed pogi points to balance the limelight. He planned an

airborne attack deep in German held Holland in Nijmegen (82nd Division) and Eindhoven (101st Band Brothers/Screaming Eagles). The prize target and the farthest from allied line, the key cross road city of Arnhem; he reserved for the British airborne division (Red Devils) and a polish parachute brigade.

Days earlier, Dutch guerillas told allied intelligence that two German Panzer Divisions were in Arnhem, but Montgomery brushed off the report and proceeded with the plan. One of staff looking at the map and seeing Arnhem was deep inside Holland asked, “Is it not a bridge too far?” (Cornelius Ryan) it was called operation Market Garden, market the code for airborne troops, and garden, code for the British ground force who were suppose to charge Ger-man Lines and link with the Red Devils in Arnhem.

On September 17, the two American airborne divisions parachuted and cap-tured their targets. The British division dropped into the middle of two German Panzer (Tank) divisions who were re-fitting in Arnhem and was chopped to bits. The British armor who was to link with the airborne troops in Arnhem was stopped by strong German resistance many miles away.

Think Arnhem (British) as Tagum,

Eindhoven (US) as Panabo, and Nijme-gen (US) as Davao. The roads connecting the three places crisscrossed by bridges and canals were in German hands but the two US divisions were ready to go Arnhem if ordered. From September 18 to 24, Montgomery was undecided. On September 25, eight days later, Mont-gomery instead of ordering the two US division and the British armor to rush to Arnhem to the trapped Red Devils is to retreat. Of the 9000 British and Pol-ish airborne troops, only 2,400 reached allied lines.

A chicken moves fast. When facing a snake, it becomes paralyzed with fear not knowing where or when or how to run so it is swallowed. A command-er must decide and move fast because delays/indecisions could cost the lives of his men. In World War II, the British long range desert group, a special force, had this motto: “Who dares, wins.” The old cliché about, great warriors is that they were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat (Rommel, Patton Spruance), not that they were able to snatch defeat from the jaw of victory.

Gladiators in Rome’s coliseum faced the Roman crowd and the Emperor, raise their weapons, say Morituri Salu-tamos (we who are about to die salute you), then fight to the death.

“THERE is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control,” Amer-ican Congressman Jan Schakowsky

once said. “We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we can-not prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help.”

This statement came to mind while reading a report last that there are more Filipinos who are hungry than ever. Ac-cording to a new survey by pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS), more Filipinos experienced hunger in March last year, with about 3.9 million Filipino families saying they had nothing to eat at some point during that time.

In its poll conducted from March 19 to 22, 2014 and posted on its media partner “Business World,” SWS said that the 3.9 million families or 19.2 percent of Filipi-no families that experienced hunger was higher than 16.3 percent in December.

This was despite a decline in self-rat-ed poverty to 52 percent during March, or some 10.6 million families, from 54 percent in December, the SWS noted. It added hunger increased among both the poor and the non-poor, even as it pointed out March’s figures were still below the record 23.8 percent recorded last year.

Hunger is the physical sensation of de-siring food. When politicians, relief work-ers, and social scientists talk about people suffering from hunger, they usually refer

to those who are unable to eat sufficient food to meet their basic nu-tritional needs for sustained periods of time.

Hunger is common not only in the P h i l i p p i n e s but through-out the world. In 2007 and 2008, rapidly increasing food prices caused a global food crisis, increas-ing the numbers suffering from hunger by over a hundred million. Food riots erupt-ed in several dozen countries; in at least two cases, Haiti and Madagascar, this led to governments being toppled.

A second global food crisis occurred due to the spike in food prices of late 2010 and early 2011. Less food riots occurred due in part to greater stockpiles of food being available for relief; however sever-al analysts have argued it was one of the causes of the Arab Spring.

Is there a solution in sight? “I now say that the world has the technology – either available or well advance in the research pipeline – to feed on a sustainable basis a population of 10 billion people,” No-bel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug

pointed out. “The more pertinent question today is whether farmers and ranchers will be permitted to use this new technol-ogy?”

Dr. Borlaug, touted to be the “Man Who Saved A Billion Lives,” was referring to biotechnology. “While the affluent nations can certainly afford to adopt ultra low-risk positions, and pay more for food produced by the so-called ‘organic’ methods, the one billion chronically undernourished people of the low income, food-deficit na-tions cannot,” the American agronomist deplored.

Biotechnology, for the information of the uninformed, encompasses an array of tools and applications that allow scien-tists to manipulate the genetic materials of plants, microbes, and animals. These methods provide ways to modify the char-acteristics that are passed from one gen-eration to the next.

Ismail Serageldin, during his time as vice-president of World Bank, sees bio-technology playing a crucial part of agri-culture in the 21st century. “All possible tools that can help promote sustainable agriculture for food security must be mar-shaled,” he said, “and biotechnology, safely developed, could be a tremendous help.”

Biotechnology’s primary contribution to the agricultural sector will be to in-crease the actual amount of food that can be grown on the planet. “At current rates of population growth, conventional tech-

niques may soon be insufficient if farming is to keep pace with the scale of increases required in the 21st century,” wrote Victor Villalobos in an article which appeared in Ceres, a publication of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Genetic engineering, Villalobos be-lieves, will not only provide varieties with higher yields, shorter maturity periods and broader resistance characteristics, “it will also greatly reduce the time needed to evolve and screen them.”

All is not rosy, however. “I believe that this kind of genetic modification takes mankind into realms that belong to God, and to God alone,” deplored Prince Charles in 1998.

Dr. Peter Wills, a theoretical biolo-gist at Auckland University, agrees: “By transferring genes across species barri-ers which have existed for eons, we risk breaching natural thresholds against un-expected biological processes.”

“If the naysayers do manage to stop ag-ricultural biotechnology, they might actu-ally precipitate the famines and the crisis of global biodiversity they have been pre-dicting for nearly 40 years,” Dr. Borlaug deplored.

One sage puts it in perspective: “A man who has enough food has several prob-lems. A man without food has only one problem.” Or as the poet Horace puts it: “Only a stomach that rarely feels hungry scorns common things.”

The hunger games

Henrylito D. Taciohenrytacio@gmail.com

THINK ON THESE!

He who hesitates is lostBY JESUS QUITAIN (PART TWO)

EDGEWISE

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201510 EDGEDAVAO

ICT HUB

GLOBE Telecom marked the launch of its partnership with

leading Japanese telco Bras-tel with the introduction of their co-branded reload-able calling card. The prod-uct was developed for the 250,000 overseas Filipinos in Japan and offers calling rates to Globe and TM in the Philippines that are as low as half the cost of other of-fers in the market.

“Globe is starting 2015 with a great proposition for our kababayans in Japan whether as residents, tem-porary workers, students or visitors,” said Globe EVP & COO for International and Business Markets Gil Genio.

“We have forged ties with a respected company such as Brastel in order to provide Filipinos abroad with more affordable

means to communicate with their loved ones back home,” he added.

Globe SVP for Inter-national Business Rizza Maniego-Eala said Japan has always been an im-portant market for Globe because of the hundreds of thousands of Pinoys based there.

“This partnership with Brastel gives us an oppor-tunity to offer good quality calls, superior rates and a widely-accessible reload-able card product avail-able in over 44,000 outlets across the said country,” he added.

For his part, Brastel CEO Wilson Kendi Kawai said since the company’s founding in 1996, “we at Brastel aim to give our cus-tomers a voice by providing them with the best packag-

es and offers.”“Through our partner-

ship with Globe, we are delighted to enable stron-ger connections between overseas Filipinos in Japan and their family and friends back home,” he said.

The Globe-Brastel card is available for free at Filipi-no stores across Japan. To make a call, dial the access number, country code, area code, and phone number from any landline, mobile, or payphone.

Reloading the card is easy via the widely-ac-cepted Smart Pit payment gateway at partner conve-nience stores such as Fam-ily Mart, Mini Stop, Circle K, and Lawson. It can also be reloaded via the Brastel website using a credit card in denominations of 2,000 yen up to 10,000 yen.

ALMOST 700 students have enrolled and are taking the mobile app

development online course offered by Smart Communica-tions, Inc. (Smart), in partner-ship with the University of the Philippines Open University (UP-OU), proving the increas-ing popularity and pervasive potential of mEducation for the country.

The course is the coun-try’s first Massive Open Online Course (MOCC) to date and it was co-developed with UP-OU, the nation’s Center of Excel-lence in Distance and Open Learning. It started accepting online students for the course in July last year.

The online course is part of Smart’s Internet for All efforts in the areas of mEducation and mLearning to help extend the reach of educational insti-tutions through Internet and mobile technologies. Smart will be expanding the number of courses and is working with UP-OU to further improve the online learning system.

To further boost efforts in mEducation, Smart is also set to commence with the launch

of the eUP Project, a key ini-tiative under the University of the Philippines’ Strategic Plan with the goal of making the state university more com-petitive in the region. For this project, Smart is providing WiFi connectivity and access points that will link all of its seven campuses and its Open University program.

Under the agreement, websites whitelisted by UP and Smart can be accessed for free over WiFi inside UP campuses. Sites that are not whitelisted can be accessed for free within a set limit of minutes per day. Data usage beyond that period will be charged the usual rates. For the project, Smart will install numerous hotspots in various UP campuses.

Smart’s project comple-ments the initiative of PLDT which won the competitive bidding for the core programs needed to run the eUP Project. Under the contract, PLDT will enable the university’s elec-tronic management system that help provide an integrat-ed infrastructure across all UP campuses and units.

Smart and PLDT are in dis-cussions for similar efforts in other colleges and universities across the country.

“On top of connecting learning institutions with broadband infrastructure, it’s important also that students have access to the mobile In-ternet as well as relevant dig-ital services. Increasing digital literacy among our youth and teachers will definitely help make our emerging workforce more competitive worldwide.” said Ramon R. Isberto, Smart public affairs group head.

“That’s why we’re com-mitted to be a partner not just in terms of providing in-frastructure but also through education and development programs that can benefit the nation.” he added.

Aside from the schools WiFi initiative, Smart has been pioneering in the mEducation space through various offer-ings. For example, Smart has its Alternative Learning Sys-tem app – available for down-load on Google Play –and an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) solution that contains courses that can be accessed

Smart’s online course withUP-OU gets positive response

Globe, Japan’s Brastel tie upfor co-branded call card ASUS announces local

availability of MeMOPad 7Japan-based Filipinos get more affordable IDD calls to Globe, TM

TIE-UP. Officials in the photo, from left: Carmina Velayo-Villo - Head of Marketing for Globe International Business; Rizza Maniego-Eala, Senior Vice President for Globe International Business; Jorge Tatsuki Takata - General Manager for Carrier Operations & Support, Brastel.

HI-TECH LEARNERS. Students from the University of the Philippines stand to benefit from the eUP project. Smart is providing WiFi connectivity and access points that will

link all of its seven campuses and its Open University program. The telco is also offering an online open course on Android Development for distance learners.

through feature phones to help non-formal mobile teach-ers and learners, including Out-of-School Youths (OSYs).

These solutions form part of Smart’s support for the National Youth Commission program Abot Alam and the initiative has been cited by international agencies such as the GSM Association as a “first commercial collabora-tion with multi-stakeholder

partnerships for mEducation to support OSYs” in its country report last December 2014.

To help develop indus-try-ready graduates in the technology sector, Smart has been running its industry-ac-ademe innovation initiative SWEEP (Smart Wireless En-gineering Education Program) since 2003 and to date, the program has produced thou-sands of successful engineers

for the work-force as well as a number of technology startup founders.

“mEducation and mLearn-ing will help bridge socio-eco-nomic divide through digital inclusion. With technology, even young people from fam-ilies with limited financial cir-cumstances can have a fight-ing chance to have a boost in life through education,” Isber-to said.

THE ASUS MeMO Pad 7 was created for those looking for a value tablet. The 7-inch MeMO

Pad 7 punches well above its weight, boasting features and specifications more commonly found on tablets. It sports the powerful Intel dual-core processor can easily handle multiple tasks and deliver an immersive en-tertainment experience.

It comes with Android 4.3 and features ASUS ZenUI, the all-new mobile user interface exclusive to ASUS devices. ASUS ZenUI is packed with more than 1000 software en-hancements and sports a new visual design with modern ‘flat’ icons, cus-tomizablee vivid color themes that match the device color, animations, new ringtones and notification sounds, and a clean layout to clearly present information.

ASUS ZenUI also includes two features — What’s Next and Do It Later — designed to free users from actively having to manage the mul-titude of information they are con-fronted with daily, and enable them to be more productive. What’s Next puts the information currently most important and useful to the user — such as upcoming appointments, new messages and missed calls from VIP contacts, weather at the next destination, and more — front and center on the lock screen, the home screen and in the notification drawer.

ASUS MeMOPad 7 (ME70C) is available for only P3,995(8GB) and P4,495(16GB) in all ASUS autho-rized re-sellers nationwide.

SPECIFICATIONSASUS MeMOPad 7 (ME70C)

Processor Intel® Atom™ Z2520 dual-core (1.2 GHz)

Operating system Android™ 4.3

Display 7-inch, TN(1024 x 600)

Cameras 0.3MP front camera

2MP rear camera

Memory & storage 1GB LPDDR2 RAM

8/16GB eMMC

64GB microSD

5GB ASUS WebStorage free for life with an additional 11 GB for the first year

Wireless 802.11b/g/n Wi-FiBluetooth 4.0

Connectivity 1 x High-quality speakers

1 x Micro USB

1 x Micro SD card reader, up to 64GB SDHC

Sensors G-Sensor Battery 3220mAh for up to 8 hours use [1] Colors Black, White Size 192 x 110 x 12.5mm

Weight 270g

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 11EDGEDAVAO

THE TRAVEL TELLER

Tupi, South Cotabato:Simply beautiful

One of the towns in the province richly endowed with this natural resource is Tupi, known as the fruit capital not only of South Cotabato but the whole of SoC-CSKSarGen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos City). It boasts of vast pineapple plantations located just along the national highway with the imposing view of the majestic Mt. Matutum dominating the background. Aside from pine-apple and other fruits, Tupi is also known for its vast cut-flower and vegetable plantations.

Along the national highway is the Tupi Fruit Stand which sells tropical fruit produce and preserved fruits from Tupi. It is strategically located along the national highway within Barangay Kablon and Polonuling. If you’re into bottled fruit jams, perhaps you’ve heard of Kablon Farms. It’s from Tupi.

In the heart of the town is the charming Tupi Munic-ipal Hall and Town Plaza. Its unique architectural design with attention-grabbing colors possesses a stunning appeal that has become a unique attraction to passers-by. Believe me, I was also captivated by this structure when we passed by the town.

By OLAN FERNANDEZ EMBOSCADO

SOUTH Cotabato, now slowly being known as the Land of the Dream-weavers, is best known for its vast

plantation of fruits and vegetables. The province owes its fertile soil to the volcanic waste that eroded from the orifice of the magnificent Mt. Matutum.

A 20-minute drive from the town proper is the Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape. Deep into this forest reserve is the Linan Tarsier Sanctuary situated in Sitio Bagong Silang, a small B’laan village in Barangay Linan.

Long before the strict conservation of tarsier and other wild life in this protected area, B’laans used to cut trees and burn them to make charcoal as source of live-lihood. When the local government implemented the protection of the wildlife in the site, it found it hard to convince the B’laans to stop this practice. But with the alternative livelihood program and intense information drive introducing to the community to the necessity of protecting the habitat, the locals eventually realized the importance of wildlife and the need to conserve it.

Today, Linan Tarsier Sanctuary is managed both by the local government and the B’laan community with the support of NGOs and other agencies. Together, they work hard to preserve the tarsiers (locally called tukay

mal or small monkey) and other wildlife that can be found at the foot of Mt. Matutum like squirrels, flying foxes, civets, and several species of eagles.

Those who would like to the Visit Linan Tarsier Sanctuary can also experience immersion program with the B’laan community. B’laans are a generally hospitable and good-natured people. Here, you will experience indigenous culture, local food, and their way of life. You will not only be amazed by the wild-life of Sitio Linan but also by the rich culture of the IP community living in and protecting the area.

So the next time you visit South Cobatabo, don’t just pass by Tupi. Perhaps you can park your car on the side, run to the vast pineapple plantation, and get yourself a striking selfie there with Mt. Matutum as your background. Or perhaps, take a selfie at the Mu-nicipal Hall or maybe a selfie eating pineapple at the Tupi Fruit Stand. Or better yet, go to Linan and spend the night there with the B’laans and the tarsiers. Be-cause just so you know, Tupi is beautiful.

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The majestic Mt. Matutum

Experiencing B’laan culture

A B’laan House in Sitio Linan

I was captivated by the Municipal Hall when we passed by the town

Sweet fresh delicious pineapple

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201512 CLASSIFIED EDGEDAVAO

GENERAL SANTOS CITY MARKETING OFFICEEDMUND P. RENDONMarketing SpecialistGeneral Santos CityMobile: (Sun) 0925-357-3460 (Smart) 0907-202-3844

DAVAO CITY MAIN OFFICEJOCELYN S. PANESDirector of SalesDoor 14 ALCREJ Bldg.,Quirino Ave., Davao CityTel: (082) 224-1413Telefax: (082) 221-3601

MANILA MARKETINGOFFICEANGELICA R. GARCIA Marketing Manager97-1 Bayanbayanan Ave.,Marikina Heights, Marikina City Tel: (02) 654-3509

GO BOLD GO COLOUR• All text

• Telephone Number (bigger point size)

• Bold Header

• Background• Text

Price: 100.00 Price: 175.00 Price: 230.00

ADD-ON

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they settle into home life 

Rabbit ParentChild:Rat: Sel-centeredOx: Very devoted and helpful to Rabbit-parent Tiger: Maintains close relation-ship with the Rabbit-parent

Rabbit: Very loving and caring to the Rabbit-paren Dragon: Full of surprises 

Snake: Reserved but full of love and devotionHorse: Mature and can relate to adults Goat (sheep): Loving and true Monkey: Might cause some problems but will maintain a tight bond with Rabbit-parent. Rooster: Needs independence but remains devoted to Rabbit-parent Dog: Quiet and re-served Pig: Will be a Rab-bit-parent’s best friend and source of comfort 

Dragon ParentChild:Rat: Takes on the unrealized ar-tistic aspirations of the Dragon-parent Ox: Have different views and in-terests from the Dragon-parent Tiger: Dragon-parent needs to be more understanding and open to Tiger-child to avoid dis-agreements Rabbit: Obedient to Dragon-parent Dragon: They will enjoy the comforts given to them by the Dragon-parent Snake: SensibleHorse: Mature Goat (sheep): Needs great atten-tion and open communication Monkey: Perfect companion for the Dragon-parentRooster: Follows his own in-stinctsDog: Might always disagree with the Dragon-parent Pig: Loving and affectionate to

Rat-parent will be a friend to a Snake-child, while parent and child of the same gender might have disagree on certain mattersHorse: Rat-parent needs to make a conscious ef-fort in bridg-ing the gap with a Horse-childGoat  (sheep): Rat-parent should make it very clear to the Goat-child that all lines of communication are open and they will be accepted

by family no matter whatMonkey: Smart but stubborn, needs clear guidance and strong support from the Rat-

parentRooster: Devoted to the Rat-parent, except when the issue is concerning what they feel most emotional aboutDog: Might start off as disobe-dient as a child, but will later on surprise the Rat-parent with something they will be proud of when the child grows old Boar (Pig): Needs a good

amount of caring and loving from a Rat-parent

Ox ParentChild:Rat: Intelligent and smartOx: Hard-workingTiger: Active and full of lifeRabbit: Source of happiness to an Ox-parent

Dragon: Very partic-ular with their com-fort zone or personal bubble, territorialSnake: Might some-times try to outsmart the Ox-parentHorse: They always want to declare inde-pendence.Goat  (sheep): Ox-parent needs to keep open the communica-tion lines to a Goat-child Monkey: Mischievous Rooster: Full of happy surprises Dog: Ox-parent needs to give more vote of confident to the Dog-child to appreciate his ef-fortsPig: Warm and affectionate

Tiger Parent Child:Rat: May start off as wanting for independence but later on devel-ops a closer relationship with the Tiger-parent Ox: Stubborn and rebellious Tiger: Might refuse to follow the Tiger-parent’s footprintRabbit: A source of happiness to the Tiger-parent Dragon: A source of pride to the Tiger-parent 

Snake: Might have difficulty relating to the Tiger-parent the way the parent wishes to Horse: They might be more open to others rather than the Tiger-parent 

Goat (sheep): Loving and dedi-catedMonkey: Needs direction and guidance.Rooster: Might want to leave the comforts of family but will stay affectionate to the Tiger-parent Dog: Finds mutual bond with what the Tiger-parent takes de-light in.Pig: Most likely to depend on the Tiger-parent to provide as

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015

EDGEDAVAOINdulge! WOMEN

UNDERSTANDING a child’s troubling behav-ior is a never-ending pro-cess. Every parent goes through this at different stages of their offspring’s life. It’s challenging, baf-fling, and sometimes nerve-wrack-ing. Couples try to develop their own sys-tem of un-dersta nding of what their child wishes to communi-cate even in the midst of tantrums and outbursts be-cause, after all, behavior has meaning and it is one means of expression.  There are many ways you work out and establish a good relationship with your child.  Keeping an open mind and heart allows you to see through every tear and scream. Your responses vary depending on the situation and condition. Taking Chinese astrology in consideration (as we are also welcoming the Chinese New Year), there is a framework on building relationships by un-derstanding characteristics and compatibility through horo-scope. This is not to help you predict or pattern your child’s future, but simply a more com-prehensive outline on how char-acteristics can manifest behav-ior.  The following information could help you understand how you can maintain and improve your understanding and re-sponses to your child’s behavior. By this, you can may also reflect on your own shortcomings and how you can manage your own parenting style by loving and ac-cepting your child’s through the best and worst times.

Rat Parent Child:Rat: They are very idealistic and would want to get away from their Rat-par-ent’s shadowOx: Devoted to family and home, even when he grows olderTiger: A source of pride and worry for a Rat-parentRabbit: Impulsive, full of sur-prises and they are likely to do things without warningDragon: They will never cease to amaze the Rat-parentSnake: Of opposite sexes, a

Parent-child relationships and theCHINESE

ZODIAC

PARENT-CHILD A4

MOTHER MONSTER is getting married! Lady Gaga is engaged to longtime boyfriend and Chi-cago Fire actor Taylor Kinney. She announced the news on Monday, two days after Valentine’s Day, with an Ins-tagram post that included a photo of a heart-shaped dia-mond engagement ring. “He gave me his heart on Valentine’s Day, and I said YES!” she said. The 28-year-old pop star, who also debuted a new look on Valentine’s Day, and her 33-year-old beau met on the set of her 2011 music video “Yoü And I” and later started dating. They have kept their relationship mostly private, making few public appear-ances together. “When you meet some-one that’s not intimidated by the amazing people that are around you [or] by the love that you receive—that’s love,” Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Ange-lina Germanotta, told  Fash-ion  magazine in 2013. “Men weren’t always happy for me. It was very challenging

to watch a woman be so suc-cessful.” Also that year, the singer talked about her relationship with Kinney on The Ellen De-Generes Show. “Well, he’s a hidden weir-do,” she said. “He is extreme-ly strange, actually, and we

Lady Gaga is engaged to Taylor Kinney

A2 INdulge!EVENT

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENT

THE Toscana Garden in Balesin Island was trans-formed into a wonderland to celebrate the beginning of the fairytale-like love sto-ry of Senator Chiz Escudero and now Heart Evangelista-Escudero. After being blessed with the sac-rament of marriage, the newly-wed Chiz and Heart treated their guests to a night of excellent gastronomic experience and heart-warming music. Mrs. Escudero came to the ban-quet wearing a Chantilly lace dress with off-the-shoulder neckline and sparkled with Swarovski crystals designed by Mark Bumgarner. Mr. Escudero was still clad in the same crisp tuxedo tailored by Paul Cabral for their wedding. Traditions of the reception fol-lowed. The couple had their first dance as husband and wife. Then they proceeded to cutting their cake and sharing a toast. Jonalyn Viray and Kyla rendered emotional performances during the post-wedding festivity. Heart also sang, dedicating the song “Wind beneath my wings” to her sisters Mich, Lissa, and Camille. What sent Heart to more tears was when her cousin Happy read the letter sent by her father, Mr. Reynaldo Ongpauco, making it one of the night’s most touching mo-ments. It began, “Isa sa pinakamasakit para sa isang ama ay mawala ang anak na babae sa kanyang poder.

A lovely reception for Heart and Chiz

ABREEZA MALL has made it its mission to kick off each year with a free, fun-filled cel-ebration for its customers. From the massive success of last year’s 3D mapping outdoor party, this time around, Abreeza Mall ush-ered in 2015 with an exciting, robo-tastic ex-perience for all.

On January 24, Sat-urday, over 3,000 guests flocked to Abreeza Mall’s Park Dining area front-ing JP Laurel Avenue for the Electrostatic 2015 New Year welcome party. Be-sides boasting sensational mixes by Manila-based,

Dutch-Tunisian main act DJ Samir Ayeb and homegrown talents in the local club circuit such as Tien Batu, Wacky Mas-bad, Torch Gacuma, Uno Tupas, Jin Chan, and Niel Recinto, Electrostatic 2015 showcased an extraor-

dinary attraction: three-meter-tall Universo Robot

performers who danced among the crowd and hyped up partygoers with their flashing LED suits, blasting CO2 cannons, and other visually stun-ning gimmicks. Lucky partygoers also got to take home raffle prizes such as brand-new LG smartphones and gift certificates from Ayala Malls and TGI Fridays—a special New Year bo-nus from Abreeza Mall to mark greater treats to come in 2015. Electrostatic 2015 was organized by local event production group Manic Nightnings Productions and featured acts of Ma-nila-based event outfit The Loop. Last year, Abreeza Mall hosted the Reverie

2014 New Year welcome party—the first event in Davao and in Mindanao to feature 3D projec-tion mapping, turning the formidable façade of Seda Abreeza Hotel into a screen on which mind-blowing visuals were flashed. With Electrostatic 2015, Abreeza Mall con-tinues its streak of offering Davaoeños an awesome way to welcome the year ahead. For inquiries and up-dates on Abreeza Mall news and events, please vis-it the Main Concierge at the ground floor or call (082) 321-9332. Stay updated by liking www.facebook.com/AbreezaMall and following @abreezatweets on Twitter and @iloveabreezamall on Instagram.

Robots, Samir Ayeb, and Davao DJs at Abreeza Mall’s ELECTROSTATIC PARTY

Dutch-Tunisian DJ Samir Ayeb.

Wacky Masbad and Torch Gacuma with performers of Manila-based outfit The Loop.

The Universo Robots light up the scene.

to watch a woman be so suc-cessful.” Also that year, the singer talked about her relationship with Kinney on The Ellen De-Generes Show. “Well, he’s a hidden weir-do,” she said. “He is extreme-ly strange, actually, and we

complement each other’s weirdness,” Gaga told U.K. paper  The Times  last fall, “He’s the first man that I have dated that, when I sing onstage, he cries.” “That means more to me than anything,” she added.

THE Cinema One Originals 2014 film “That Thing Called Tadhana,” has lived up to its hype as it reached the P100 million mark last February 15, only less than two weeks since it hit theaters nation-wide. The Cinema One Origi-nals breakthrough movie of Antoinette Jadaone is tagged as the “Ultimate Hu-got Film” of the year, with thousands praising it for its simple yet exceptional storytelling. Angelica Pan-ganiban and JM de Guz-man star in the romantic-comedy hit, which bagged the Audience Choice Award and Best Actress Award for Panganiban last November at the Cinema One Originals film festival. The sought after film-maker has been making waves in the industry since her critically acclaimed Cin-ema One Originals 2011 entry, “Six Degrees of Sepa-ration from Lilia Cuntapay,”

which won six awards at the Cinema One Originals film festival. For the 2014 film festival, Jadaone sub-mitted “That Thing Called Tadhana,” which she calls as her dream film. Its screen-play received its first seal of approval even before it was filmed when it won the prestigious 2014 Don Carlos Memorial Palanca Awards for Literature where Jada-one won third place. Jadaone’s romantic film was picked up for nation-wide distribution by Star Cinema, ABS-CBN’s film outfit its pre-Valentine’s of-fering for the year. “That Thing Called Tadha-na” is a story of two Filipino strangers, Mace (Angelica Panganiban) and Anthony (JM de Guzman) who meet in Rome and eventually travel together up north to Baguio and Sagada in search for the answer to the question: “Where do bro-ken hearts go?”

Lady Gaga is engaged to Taylor Kinney‘That Thing Called Tadhana’, a certified box-office hit!

INdulge! A3VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENT

THE Toscana Garden in Balesin Island was trans-formed into a wonderland to celebrate the beginning of the fairytale-like love sto-ry of Senator Chiz Escudero and now Heart Evangelista-Escudero. After being blessed with the sac-rament of marriage, the newly-wed Chiz and Heart treated their guests to a night of excellent gastronomic experience and heart-warming music. Mrs. Escudero came to the ban-quet wearing a Chantilly lace dress with off-the-shoulder neckline and sparkled with Swarovski crystals designed by Mark Bumgarner. Mr. Escudero was still clad in the same crisp tuxedo tailored by Paul Cabral for their wedding. Traditions of the reception fol-lowed. The couple had their first dance as husband and wife. Then they proceeded to cutting their cake and sharing a toast. Jonalyn Viray and Kyla rendered emotional performances during the post-wedding festivity. Heart also sang, dedicating the song “Wind beneath my wings” to her sisters Mich, Lissa, and Camille. What sent Heart to more tears was when her cousin Happy read the letter sent by her father, Mr. Reynaldo Ongpauco, making it one of the night’s most touching mo-ments. It began, “Isa sa pinakamasakit para sa isang ama ay mawala ang anak na babae sa kanyang poder.

Mula nang pinanganak ka, ikaw at ang mga kapatid mo ang buhay namin. Marami kaming sinakripi-syo at ang tanging hangad lang namin (ay) mabigyan lang kayo ng magandang kinabukasan at buong pamilya.” “This is it. You are about to en-ter a new chapter in your life. Your mom and I taught you the proper values in life. And you are old enough to know what’s right or wrong. My only wish is to see both of you happy. Alam mo anak, gus-

tong gusto kitang ihatid sa altar. Sino ba naman ang ama na ayaw makita ang kanyang anak sa pina-ka-importanteng araw ng buhay niya. But a lot of things have hap-pened that hinder us from going,” Heart’s dad expressed in the letter. Mr. Ongpauco also addressed the groom. “Sana Chiz, mahalin mo nang buong buo ang anak namin. Accept everything about her. Take care of her and love her uncondi-tionally. Just like her mom and I loved her unconditionally. This is

my promise -- when the day comes that I see both of you truly happy, when I see Chiz loving you the way you deserve to be loved, I will come knocking at your door. I may not be there right now but i am thinking of you, Heart.” Mr. and Mrs. Escudero capped the night with a spectacular lights and pyrotechnic display for their families, friends, and guests. The night ended beautifully; sim-ply the perfect send off to a new chapter in the life of Chiz and Heart.

A lovely reception for Heart and Chiz

Photo by Pat Dy.

Photo by Pat Dy.

PG13/ *PG13

R13

R1611:40 | 2:15 | 4:50 | 7:25 | 10:00 LFS

R-16

KINGSMAN:

THE SECRET SERVICE

Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson

R18 12:00 | 2:30 | 5:00 | 7:30 | 10:00 LFS

THAT THING CALLED TADHANA /*JUPITER ASCENDING

12:20 | 2:45 | 5:10 | 7:35 | 10:00 LFS

DRAGON BLADE

Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody

11:30 | 1:20 | 3:10 LFS / * 5:00 | 7:30 | 10:00 LFS

Angelica Panganiban, JM De Guzman/ *Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan

February 18-24, 2015

A4 INdulge!WOMEN

PARENT-CHILD A1the Dragon-parent

Snake ParentChild:Rat: Follows his own line of thinkingOx: Needs guidance from Snake-parent

T i g e r : Difficult but not r e b e l -lious Rabbit: S ou rc e of hap-p i n e s s

to the Snake-parent Dragon: Expressive and opinionated Snake: Will always be in close contact and com-munication with the Snake-parent Horse: Might not share the same interests with Snake-parent, might choose to keep thoughts to himself Goat (sheep): Attuned to the ways and nature of the Snake-parent Monkey: IndependentRooster: Fol-lows his dreams but needs guid-ance from Snake-parentDog: Requires more attention and affection from Snake-

parent Pig: Loving and devoted

Horse ParentChild:Rat: Might want to follow his own dreams and am-bitions Ox: Independent but helpful Tiger: Source of happi-ness to the Horse-parentRabbit: Sensitive Dragon: Re-quires more sup-port and under-standingSnake: Might start off with frustrations but will find his own comfort and gain stability when he grows old Horse: Close to the Horse-parentGoat (sheep): Might turn out to be the most loved by the Horse-parent.Monkey: Will follow in-stincts and find other  in-terests Rooster: IndependentDog: Loyal and helpful 

Pig: Car-ing and af-fectionate

G o a t (Sheep) ParentChild:Rat: Inde-

pendentOx: Aggressive and stub-born Tiger: A source of happi-ness to the Goat-parent Rabbit: A source of hap-piness to the Goat-parent Dragon: Have different views and interests from Goat-parent, but will re-main very respectful Snake: LovingHorse: Loving and caring 

Goat  (sheep): The favorite child.Monkey: In-d e p e n d e n t and secretiveRooster: Joy-ful and pro-ductive Dog: Difficult but deter-

mined to find better ways on life Pig: Gentle and loving

Monkey Par-ent Child: Rat: Warm and lovingOx: Trustwor-thy, generous and responsibleTiger: Enjoys his personal spaceRabbit: Might disagree with the Monkey-parent’s views and opinions Dragon: Smart and intel-ligent

Snake: Reserved but amiableHorse: Respon-sible and genu-ineGoat  (sheep): Might prefer to be left on his own by the Monkey-parentMonkey: Needs more support Rooster: Full of life Dog: Loving and caring Pig: Needs more affection and attention 

Rooster ParentChild:Rat: Independent Ox: Reliable and respon-sible Tiger: Needs close super-vision Rabbit: Carefree, needs guidanceDragon: Full of surprisesSnake: Source of pride

and honor to the Rooster-parentHorse: Indepen-dentGoat  (sheep): Af-fectionate and car-ingMonkey: Needs direction and sup-port from the

Rooster-parent Rooster: Might need a bit of independence from a clingy Rooster-parent Dog: Loyal and caringPig: Gives comfort and

assurance to the Rooster-parent

Dog ParentChild: Rat: A source of happiness to the Dog-parentOx: Dog-parent

should not be dominat-ing over the Ox-child so as not to hinder the child’s personal and intellectual growth Tiger: Talented, an

achieverRabbit: Dog-parent should find means how to open the Rabbit-child to communicate with himDragon: Responsible and solution-orientedSnake: Ambitious and have aspirations which might not be easily ac-cepted by Dog-parentHorse: Well cared for by the Dog-parentGoat  (sheep): Might en-counter challengers in ro-mance and business later on in life, needs guidance Monkey: Energetic and mischievous 

Rooster: IndependentDog: A good companion to the Dog-parentPig: Affectionate and warm

Pig (Boar) ParentChild:Rat: Doesn’t show much interest on matters im-portant to Pig-parentOx: Brings a lot of joy and satisfaction to the Pig-parentTiger: Enjoys the comfort of homeRabbit:   Source of happi-ness to  Pig-parentDragon: Pig-parent should not be too domi-nating or overly protective of Dragon-childSnake: IndependentHorse: Serious, strong and responsibleGoat  (sheep): Will give honor and great advan-tages to the Pig-parentMonkey: Energetic Rooster: Will show a great potential in a lot of  fields and skills Dog: Loyal to home and Pig-parentPig: Happy, cheerful and full of life

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 13EDGEDAVAO

Coordination key to ensuring birdwatchers,tourists not caught in crossfire in KitangladCOORDINATION is key

in ensuring birdwatch-ers and other tourists

visiting Mt. Kitanglad’s at-tractions avoid a repeat of what happened to seven for-eigners and two tour guides who got caught in a crossfire between government forces and the New People’s Army last Friday.

All seven foreigners es-caped unhurt while one of the local tour guides was wounded.

Bae Inatlawan Adelina Tarino, spiritual leader of the Bukidnon Daraghuyan tribe and head claimant of the ancestral domain where the bird watching site is lo-cated, said the foreigners and their tour operators did not seek a free and prior in-formed consent (FPIC) from the elders of the tribe before entering the bird watching site in Sitio Mangasa in Ba-rangay Dalwangan.

Obtaining the FPIC is one of two conditions stat-ed in the visitors’ permit approved by the Protected Area Superintendent (PASu) to the group on January 29 for their February 11 to 14 visit. The other is to “coor-dinate with the local gov-ernment units (LGUs) in the locality.”

Tarino said she has re-minded tour guides helping

visitors to submit to the con-sent process to pay respects to the spirits of the area and to avoid problems.

“I hope they will now learn from this experience. They have ignored our ap-peal before,” she said citing most of the visitors coor-dinate only with the tour guides.

According to the visitors’ permit obtained from the PASu office of the Depart-ment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the group planned to go on bird watching in Mt. Kitan-glad . The group’s contact person is Peter Simpsons of United Kingdom and tour guide Carlito Gayramara of Dalwangan. The group was billeted at the Del Monte Lodge for the four-day, three night visit.

Gayramara, whom the PASu described as an expert tour guide, was hit on his left arm. After going through an operation for a broken bone, he was moved to the inten-sive care unit of the Malay-balay Polymedic General Hospital as of February 14. His family told MindaNews, his son-in-law, Danilo Do-cenos, also a tour guide who assisted him in guiding the foreigners, suffered some scratches.

Coordinate

HAND THAT FEEDS. A farmer throws synthetic fertilizer into a rice field in barangay Lemon, Butuan City. MindaNews photo by Erwin Mascarinas

Tarino, who is mandato-ry representative to the Dal-wangan barangay council, said the tour guide and the visitors also did not coordi-nate with the LGU.

“The least they could have done was to log in at the visitors’ log book of the

village,” she added, speaking in the vernacular.

Forester Daniel Somera, deputy PASu, said the inci-dent is an eye-opener for all parties involved to improve on the process. He added that obtaining the FPIC, for one, is left to the responsi-

bility of the visitors.PASu staff admitted that

the application for visitors’ permit involves emails, calls, and electronic transfers of the US$ 15 per person per-mit fee. One staff admitted that they don’t even get to meet the visitors as they

proceed to the local guide.Somera said they are

willing to submit to a group effort to discuss possible improvements. He said the city government scheduled a coordination meeting on Monday, February 16, to FCOORDINATION, 14

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201514 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

comprise the majority of business in most countries across the globe according to the facts by the Family Firms Institute,” Ramos said.

PFBC executive direc-tor Neil Arnold C. Montes-claros said it is urgent for families in businesses in the region to avail them-

selves of consultancy be-cause of the opportunities and challenges of the ASE-AN economic integration.

According to Monte-sclaros, family business have an impact on family relationships. He said a business can either make a family stronger or weak-er.

Montesclaros said poor family dynamics can result in long standing conflict that divide the family and even result in expensive court battles and business closure.

Aside from family uni-ty, passing core values to the next generation who will manage the business

to make the family busi-ness sustainable is an-other challenge faced by many entrepreneurs here.

He said passing on leadership to the next gen-eration can be a difficult process especially when the next generation is not trained to run the busi-ness. CHENEEN R. CAPON

Firm...

Ranking...

Coordination...

GenSan...

NEDA...

FFROM 6

Seven... FFROM 4Lumad...FFROM 4

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FFROM 13

FFROM 4

FFROM 6billion. This project consists of commuter railway opera-tions between Tutuban and Calamba, Laguna. It also in-cludes a long haul railway operation between Tutuban and Legaspi, Albay and on the branch line between Calamba and Batangas and an extension between Le-gaspi and Matnog.

The NEDA Board ap-proved three more PPP proj-ects.

First is the expansion of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) of the DPWH from two (one lane per direction) to four lanes (two lanes per direc-tion), which entails an esti-mated government support of P2 billion. Full project cost for TPLEX Ultimate Stage is P24.303 billion for the de-sign, financing, construction, O&M of the 88.5 kilometer expressway from the termi-nus of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) in Tar-lac City to Rosario, La Union.

Next is the NLEX-SLEX Connector of the DPWH, with a total estimated cost of P20 billion, which will now proceed through unsolicit-ed mode subject to a Swiss Challenge, involves the con-struction and operation and maintenance (O&M) of a

13.4 kilometer 4-lane elevat-ed expressway over the PNR right-of-way, which starts in Caloocan City and ends in Buendia, Makati. This will connect the North Luzon Ex-pressway (NLEX) and SLEX to decongest traffic in Metro Manila.

Third is the rebidding of the Cavite-Laguna Ex-pressway f the DPWH, for the highest premium for the government, with a floor of P20.105 billion. The total project cost is estimated at P35.4 billion. With a total of 47.018 kilometers, the proj-ect will start from the Cavite Expressway in Kawit and will end at the SLEX-Mam-plasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.

There will be nine in-terchanges in areas such as Kawit, Daang Hari, Gov-ernor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Sta. Ro-sa-Tagaytay, Laguna Blvd., Technopark, and a Toll Bar-rier before SLEX.

“These projects will sup-port the government’s goal of increasing infrastructure spending to at least 5.1 per-cent in 2016. We hope that they will be implemented ef-ficiently and effectively,” said Balisacan, who is also NEDA Director-General.

The military identified him as Brian Alfonso alias “Sim,” the vice-commander of the SDG front 18.

Four soldiers were also killed in the resulting gun battle.

10th Infantry Division Commander Major General Eduardo Año vowed that the military will continue to hunt down those who were involved in the Mati City at-tack.

“We will continue to hunt down these lawless armed elements and we will make sure the sacri-fices of our brave soldiers who perished in defense of Mati City will not be put to waste,” Año sadi.

Various criminal charges will be filed against Olofernes and his col-leagues after the foiled NPA attack. Funny Pearl A. Ga-junera

The 206 evacuees are currently taking temporary shelter at the covered court of the Irineo Santiago Nation-al High School here.

Citing their assessment, Tamayo said the shoreline opening could not be consid-ered a sinkhole as there was no “igniter” like an earth-quake that happened before it emerged.

He said its likely cause could be coastal erosion as it appeared that there is al-ready a pattern of such phe-nomenon in the area.

“According to some res-idents, this is the third time that happened in the area these past years,” he said.

Tamayo explained that coralline limestones or fos-sils are natural features in some coastal areas.

In parts of the Visayas, he said the coralline limestones have led to the emergence of small islets, and with trees and plants growing in some due to their sand covering.

But the official said they will still confirm their assess-ment through the agency’s

geologists, who are currently attending a training in Ma-nila.

He said the geological study will be aided by the agency’s ground penetrating radar, which will specifically determine what is under-neath the opening.

In the meantime, Tamayo advised the city government to keep a close watch of the site and prevent anybody from getting near as it is “very dangerous.”

He said the nearby com-munity should remain off limits to residents pending the conduct of the geological assessment.

The affected area is lo-cated near the pier and an-chorage area of motorboats ferrying passengers and car-go to and from this city and Balut Island in Davao Occi-dental.

It is adjacent to the city’s Queen Tuna Park and sev-eral commercial establish-ments, including a hotel and a gasoline station, as well as a crowded residential com-munity. (MindaNews)

Regional Committee.The Philippine Air Force

sent two MG-520 attack helicopters that provides close air support to the ground soldiers.

The bodies of the slain

rebels were brought to Angel Funeral in Alabel while they were yet to be identified as of press time.

The military said no one was injured on the side of the government troops.

He said the CHO has trained its doctors to admin-ister the non-intrusive drug.

Implanon is a 68mg etonogestrel rod-shaped im-plant that is inserted in the

arm.Cruz also said the CHO

was planning to include non-indigents in its distribu-tion of Implanon. (MindaN-ews)

APOLOGIES. It may cause inconvenience now, but this drainage system project along C.M. Recto Avenue in Davao City is intended to help prevent flooding in the area. Lean Daval Jr.

include representatives from tourism, the DENR, the police, the military and oth-er sectors.

Honolo Cruzin, Malayba-lay city tourism officer said there is a need to review the guidelines to receive guests, especially foreigners, who will go on bird watching in Mt. Kitanglad to ensure co-ordination. She recognized that the PAMB, the policy-making body for the Mt. Ki-tanglad Range Natural Park, has existing guidelines on the matter.

“Maybe we will just have to check and review to improve so precautionary measures be strengthened and coordination will be established among parties concerned,” she added.

Cruzin said the city tour-ism did not know about this group of foreign bird watch-ers because travel operators went directly to the PASu.

First time But she noted that this

is the first time an incident like this has occurred, that’s why it is “shocking.”

“It was OK and smooth

in the past,” she added.The city government has

earmarked funds to help improve road conditions to a lodge near the bird sanc-tuary for better access. She said they are worried about a travel advisory asking for-eigners to stay away from the mountain.

“I hope everything will be OK soon,” she added, citing the luck that the for-eigners were not hurt in the incident.

On Friday, the Gayra-mara family alleged that soldiers physically abused Docenos after they mistook him as a rebel. A family member who spoke to this reporter via telephone said they did not think there was an encounter at the bird watching site.

Major Jennan Montealto, spokesperson of the 403rd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, denied the allegation via telephone Friday and in-sisted only Gayramara was guiding the group. He said there was an encounter but no one was hurt from the

Army’s side.Montealto said the

Army had clashed with the NPA three days before the incident in nearby Baran-gay Capitan Anghel, also in this city. He cited that they have continued operations to pursue the rebels.

Tarino said although they could hear gunfire from their village she be-lieved it is in the boundary of Capt. Angel and Dalwan-gan, outside their ancestral domain.

Peace ZoneWith over 125 species

of birds, about half of them endemic to the area, includ-ing the Philippine Eagle, Mt. Kitanglad is one of the favorite destinations of bird watchers, the DENR noted.

An average of 800 bird watchers visit Kitanglad in a year, 4% of them foreigners, Somera said.

In 2012, the 403rd Bri-gade submitted to a ritual with the Bukidnon Dara-ghuyan tribe declaring the area a peace zone.

The military vowed to secure an FPIC from the

Bukidnon-Daraghuyan tribe the next time they will enter their ancestral do-main in Mt. Kitanglad.

Col. Romeo Gapuz, then commander of the 403rd Infantry Brigade, made the promise in a ritual of rec-onciliation held at the Mt. Kitanglad Cultural Heritage Center following the pro-test from the tribe over the bombing conducted by the military in late April 2012 in parts of their territory.

He admitted then that they need to educate their personnel about the need for FPIC if they enter the sa-cred grounds of the tribe’s ancestral domain. He said they are also willing to de-clare the ancestral domain of the tribe as a peace zone, and accused the NPA of al-legedly violating it.

Tarino, who described the 2012 bombing as a vi-olation of their culture and an affront to their ances-tral territory, said there has been no further violation to the “FPIC before entry” so far. (Walter I. Balane/Min-daNews)

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015 15SPORTSEDGEDAVAO

AN arbitration panel or-dered Lance Armstrong and Tailwind Sports

Corp. to pay $10 million in a fraud dispute with a promo-tions company for what it called an “unparalleled pag-eant of international perjury, fraud and conspiracy” that covered up his use of perfor-mance-enhancing drugs.

Dallas-based SCA Promo-tions announced the 2-1 deci-sion against the former cyclist when its lawyers said Monday they had asked Texas’ 116th Civil District Court in Dallas to confirm the arbitration ruling, dated Feb. 4. The panel includ-ed a neutral chairman, who ruled in favor of SCA, and one person selected by each side.

Tim Herman, a lawyer for Armstrong, insisted the ruling is contrary to Texas law and predicted it will be overturned by a judge.

SCA paid Armstrong and Tailwind, the since-dissolved team management company, about $12 million in bonuses during Armstrong’s career, when he won seven Tour de France titles. Those victories were stripped after Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Service teams were found to have used banned performance-enhanc-

ing drugs.SCA disputed the bonuses

in arbitration in 2005, and the case produced the foundation of the doping evidence later used against him. Despite alle-gations of cheating, Armstrong continued to deny doping and the company settled with Arm-strong and paid him $7 million in 2006.

The company sued Arm-strong to get its money back af-ter Armstrong’s cheating was exposed by a report from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and a televised confession interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The case was sent back to the original arbitration pan-el of independent chairman Richard Faulkner, SCA selec-tion Richard Chernick and Armstrong pick Ted Lyon.

In the 2005 arbitration hearings, Armstrong testified under oath that he did not use performance-enhancing drugs.

“Perjury must never be profitable,” the majority wrote in the new decision. “Tailwind Sports Corp. and Lance Arm-strong have justly earned wide public condemnation. That is an inadequate deterrent. De-ception demands real, mean-ingful sanctions.”

Lance Armstrong was stripped of his Tour titles and given a life ban from cycling by USADA in 2012 for using a cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs (AFP Photo/Joel Saget)

AMARE Stoudemire asked out of his con-tract with the New York

Knicks because he wants to make a run at a championship.

The veteran forward has apparently decided Dallas is the place to spend the rest of this season chasing his first title.

A person with direct knowledge of the talks said Monday night that Stoudemire has agreed to sign with the Mavericks after taking a buy-out from the Knicks. He can’t make his verbal commitment official until he clears waivers Wednesday.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity be-cause the deal wasn’t official, told The Associated Press that Stoudemire could be available

when Dallas returns from the All-Star break Thursday at Oklahoma City.

The 32-year-old Stou-demire was waived Monday after requesting the Knicks buy out the remainder of his contract that was set to expire after this season. He’s likely to clear waivers.

‘’I will be forever grate-ful for the opportunity to contribute positively on the court and in the community,’’ Stoudemire said. ‘’Although I leave the Knicks with a heavy heart, I wish the organization the best of luck. Once a Knick always a Knick.’’

Dallas has needed front-court help since trading Brandan Wright in a deal that brought point guard Rajon Rondo from Boston.

Armstrong loses $10M fight

CANLUBANG will be armed to the teeth this week when the Sugar

Barons try to wrest the Philip-pine Airlines (PAL) Seniors In-terclub title away from arch-ri-val Luisita at the Mactan Is-land and Club Filipino layouts in Cebu.

Tommy Manotoc returns to the Cangolf roster after a two-year absence and will again lead the squad when it seeks to bounce back from a narrow loss to the Luisitans last year in Bacolod.

Senior action gets go-ing tomorrow with the Reg-ular Men’s Championship to start Wednesday next week at Club Filipino and Cebu Coun-

try Club. Orchard is the defend-ing men’s champion.

Manotoc served two years as president of the National Golf Association of the Philip-pines during his absence and battled health issues that pre-vented him from also playing the Interclub.

Back in peak health and able to play a lot of golf again after stepping down last year, Manotoc is again listed as the man to beat in individual play and will be the anchor of Can-lubang that last won also in Ce-butwo years ago.

“I’m excited to see old friends and play with them again,” Manotoc, whose term as NGAP president included a

first championship in 17 years for the Philippines in the Putra Cup in 2013, said.

“Playing in the Interclub, especially for Canlubang, and doing battle with Luisita is something we look forward to every year,” Manotoc, a ma-ny-time individual champion, said. “The competition will be fierce but friendly at the same time.”

Old hands Dave Hernan-dez, Rolly Viray, Mari Hechano-va and Tony Olives will again be there for the Sugar Barons, while Francis Gaston, Richie Garcia and ex-pro Eddie Bag-tas will again spearhead the Luisitans.

Final round action will be

at Club Filipino, a bending, up-and-down course designed in a mountain where precision will be the premium.

Fielding will as usual be key for both sides with the event to end at Mactan, a course right beside the airport where the greens are small and the roughs tall.

Hotel H20, Travelife, Boeing International Corp., Business Mirror and GE Avia-tion are sponsoring the twin events. Other backers include Mareco Broadcasting Net-work (Crossover), People Asia Magazine, Whealth Inc., Aero-space, Uniglobe Travelware Co. Inc., Tanduay Distillers and Intercontinental Manila.

Manotoc returns for Sugar Barons;Seniors action tees off tomorrow

Stoudemire commits to Mavs after Knicks

SUNDAY night right about dinner time, my brother-in-law and three nieces were greeted by a loud burst of gunfire. They

ducked for cover and crawled to a room. The gunfire, according to my niece who was still cry-ing when she recounted, last about 15 minutes.

This was in my hometown Mati City, fast-emerging as a tourism destination with its pristine beaches and laid-back country ambi-ance.

I have not been home for a long while and being here Down Under makes me just give flashes of memories of good old Mati.

The house where my sister’s family lived was just right behind the Mati City Police Sta-tion where New People’s Army rebels stormed a day after Valentine’s Day.

Lost in the fierce gunbattle were one NPA rebel, and four Army men. A policeman and an-other Army soldier were also wounded accord-ing to the report. A friend told me a civilian was

injured but the fact could not be confirmed.

My heart bled for Mati upon knowing of the incident. I condemn such act by any revolutionary group. This new city is just about to blos-som into one of the country’s promising tourism destinations and is bracing for the upcoming Davao Regional Athletic As-sociation (DAVRAA) meet on February 24 to 28.

After the incident, coming off at the height of the Mamasapano massacre probe, Mati City

suddenly became what it once was—a ghost town. Stores closed early, people stayed in their homes, tricycles stopped plying early, and prac-tically no solitary soul in the streets.

The threat of the NPAs still roaming around the city and the spectre of another attack are gripping everyone in fear.

The city’s hosting of the DAVRAA is now in peril. The possibility of cancellation is looming large. I could understand the concerns and the fears.

But Mati City is never known to be a prob-lematic place in terms of peace and order. Con-trary to growing notion, it is not rebel-infested. It’s a quiet locality where most people know everyone.

Not since an attack in the Provincial Cap-itol in the 70s and the grenade-throwing inci-dent during the Southern Mindanao Regional Athletic Association (SMRAA) meet, the prede-cessor of DAVRAA, in 1978 where my mother

was one of those hit by a shrapnel, Mati City is relatively peaceful.

It would be unfair, to say the least, to lay judgment on Mati this early just because of the February 15 attack. I winced as I read posts on social media of very sweeping statements, some overly exaggerated, about how danger-ous it is to go to Mati.

Like any place whose peace is disturbed, Mati should not be faulted for this atrocity and made to suffer for the mishap. If you ask me if the DAVRAA in Mati should push through, I’d tell you “yes” a hundred times without hesita-tion.

There’s only one February 15 in a year. Don’t punish her for the rest of the days.

Mati will bounce back. It’s just a matter of time.

Postscripts: Listen to “Let’s Get It On with Neil Bravo” on 105.9 Balita FM every Saturday 8-10 a.m.

My hometown Mati

Neil Bravo

LET’S GET IT ON

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201516 EDGEDAVAOSports

Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex. Photo by Astro Phil

FOLLOWING the in-cident of insurgency in Mati City Davao

Oriental, Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario of Davao del Norte said that the Palarong Pam-bansa Committee will have to review again their secu-rity plan to prevent similar incident to happen during the sporting event on May 3-9.

Around 50 New Peo-ple’s Army members in army uniform attacked Mati City Police Station yes-terday evening, in which the hot pursuit operations of the joint PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP) after the attack re-sulted to three dead sol-diers.

“Given the situation of

the attack in the Mati City Police Station, we have to adjust the security plan to strengthen it and make it better preventing any un-toward incident like this,” Governor Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario said that this should not be taken for granted as this involved the safety of the players from all the regions in the coun-

try. “But we have to contin-

ue with our preparations to deliver the best Palarong Pambansa,” he added.

He suggested to the Philippine National Po-lice (PNP) to be alert at all times because this they have been the usual targets of the New People’s Army like what happen in Pana-

bo City.“This is not new and I

think that’s how they (NPA) operate; so the PNP should have a continuing alertness always,” Del Rosario said.

In March 2011, days before the start of the cele-bration of the annual Araw ng Panabo celebration, a group of NPA rebels at-tacked the Panabo Police

Station resulting to the death of two cops.

Del Rosario also said that the military should look into their blocking force on how these NPA troops entered Davao Ori-ental particularly its capital city, Mati City, as the whole province has been declared as insurgency free last 2013. (PIA11, Michael Uy)

REEVALUATIONRDR to review security plan for Palarong Pambansa after Mati City incident

AGDAO District took ad-vantage of Tugbok’s depleted line-up by

exploding in the final quarter to win 78-68 and enter the fi-nals of the Duterte Basketball League (DBl) Inter-Political tournament Monday (Feb. 16) at the Almendras gym.

Agdao will play against top-qualifier Poblacion B in Game 1 of their best-of-three championship series on Tues-day at 10 a.m.

Agdao first struggled in the opening as Tugbok took a 22-17 lead until the final half, 31-27. But Kagawad Roy Bangcas, one of Tugbok’s two

main gunners re-injured his left knee at with 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Tugbok, who only showed up with seven players was al-ready exhausted going to the final half as the 12-man Agdao squad continued with their running game.

“May session kasi yung ibang kasama namin kaya wala sila,” said Barangay cap-tain Ruel Ayog.

The game had several lead changes until last four min-utes of the 3rd quarter at 46-all. Agdao, however, exploded a 14-0 bomb to grab the lead, 60-46 at the end of the quarter.

Barangay Duterte Kaga-wad Flordelito “Dodong” Cagampang (who earlier won the 3-point shootout for Kaga-wads) and Randibol Villasen-da led Agdao with 17 and 12 points, respectively.

Epe and Renato Roble each added eight points, while Roel Laurel and Barangay Cap-tain Roger Galido had six and five points.

Bangcas never came back to the game but still contrib-uted 13 points for Agdao. His partner Jeje Juntong scored a game-high 42 points, 22 were all in the final quarter.

Tugbok will face Bunawan

in the battle for third place at 1 p.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 17) according to tournament chair Goldie Delvo, officer-in-charge of the organizing City Sports Development Division.

The boxscores:AGDAO (78) - Cag-

amapang 17, Villasenda 12, Epe 8, Roble 8, Laurel 6, Galido 5, Godoy 4, Salas 4, Cañeda 2, De Lara 2, Crisanto 2, Gillo 1.

TUGBOK (68) – Juntong 42, Bangcas 13, Ayog 6, Alfone 2, Ramos 2, Caparoso 2, Cebal-los 1.

Quarterscores: 17-22, 27-31, 60-40, 78-68

(LDR/CSDD-CMO)

THE 2015 Gov. Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza Age-Group Chess Cham-

pionships (Mindanao Quali-fying Leg) is set on March 12 to 16 at the Amas Provincial Capitol in Kidapawan, North Cotabato.

“We are bringing here the Mindanao Qualifying Leg to give more chances to our young chess players especially in Cotabato to be able to play in the national or internation-al competition,” said Gov. Lala Taliño-Mendoza.

The top three winners from each category will qualify

to this year’s Grand Finals of the National Age-Group Chess Championships slated in San Juan City in Metro Manila on April 12-19.

The National Chess Fed-eration of the Phils. (NCFP) headed by its chairman and president Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. will send the national winners to represent the coun-try to the 16th ASEAN + Age-Group Chess Championships in Singapore on June 8-17.

The tournament is open to all youth players from 20 years old and below both boys and girls. The categories are 20

and below, 18 and below, 16 and below, 14 and below, 12 and below, 10 and below and 8 and below.

Cash prizes, medals and trophies are up for grabs in the 6-round Swiss System event.

Registration fee is P300. All players must submit a copy of his/her birth or baptismal certificate as proof of age. Time control shall be 90 minutes with 30 seconds increment for each player to make all the moves necessary to finish the game using the digital clocks or two hours using mechanical clocks. Recording of moves in

Algebraic notation is manda-tory.

Tournament director is GM Jason Gonzales, secretary-gen-eral of NCFP while chief arbiter is IA Gene Poliarco.

Gov. Lala Taliño-Mendo-za has already made an initial organizational meeting for the said Mindanao Qualify Leg with NCFP XI regional direc-tor IA James Infiesto together with North Cotabato provin-cial sports coordinator Romeo “Boy” Anito, provincial gover-nor’s office coordinators Allan Matullano and Ronald Olay.. (PGO-Sports)

VOL. 7 ISSUE 238 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015

Agdao rips Tugbok to enter DBL finals

2015 Gov. Mendoza Nat’l Age-Group Chess Championships March 12-16