Davao City News April 2017

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Davao City - Archived News
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The Seal of Davao City
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Davao City Hall
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Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

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Davao City Aerial View
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Entrance to Davao City
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Nat'l Hwy Through Davao City
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Davao City Victoria Mall
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Old Davao City Airport
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Current Davao City Airport
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Mangrove forests are critical for the stability of coastal areas and the sustainability of fish and marine resources which provide food and livelihood to people in more than 800 coastal towns in the Philippines. USAID, through the Philippine Environmental Governance Project, assisted the local government (Davao City) in establishing, through a local ordinance, the mangrove area as a marine protected area.
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USAID, through the Philippine Environmental Governance Project, assisted the local government (Davao City) in establishing, through a local ordinance, the mangrove area as a marine protected area. A crucial part in effective coastal resources management is law enforcement with Bantay Dagat teams playing a crucial role by safeguarding local waters. In Davao City Philippines, Bantay Dagat members protect mangrove areas from illegal cutting, thus conserving areas for fisheries and marine biodiversity habitats.

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

Azalea eyes expansion in Davao

By Ace June Rell S. Perez

AZALEA Hotels and Residences, another premium hotel and accommodation firm, plans to expand in Davao City to cater the increasing tourists visiting the city.

Adrian Ramirez, Azalea Group marketing communications manager said in a recent interview during the AirAsia-Philippines familiarity tour in Caticlan-Boracay that the plan of establishing another branch in Davao City is in the pipeline.

“We are looking at realizing the plan in two to three years’ time,” he said.

However, Ramirez emphasized that the plan is still being finalized.

Azalea Hotels and Residences is also set to rise in the cities of Cebu and Angeles.

He added that the expansion plan is part of the hotel’s vision -- to offer the same comfort and convenience in key destinations in the Philippines.

Azalea, as a player in the country’s hospitality industry, pioneered the largest all-suite hotel in Baguio City and was considered as the first 4-star quality serviced apartment hotel in Boracay in Malay, Aklan.

The hotel is known for combining world-class service standards, modern-day amenities and thoughtful attention to details.

One concrete reason why establishing new accommodation facilities are needed is the continued hike of tourist arrivals in the city.

In a previous report, the Davao City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) noted a 13.13 percent increase in tourist arrivals in March this year.

Data from CTOO showed that tourist arrivals in March increased to 166,451 from 147,126 in the same period in 2016. Araw ng Dabaw is being held every April.

Davao CTOO head Generose Tecson said the increase can be attributed to the raised awareness about the city especially with the arrival of different business delegates from other countries during the past months preceding Araw ng Dabaw.

Davao-GenSan-Bitung trade route seen to spark more linkages in BIMP-EAGA

By Digna D. Banzon (PNA)

DAVAO CITY (PNA) – The Davao-GenSan-Bitung Roll-On Roll-Off (RoRo) service could spark more sea and air linkages in the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) in the future, an official said.

Secretary Abul Khayr Alonto, chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), said Thursday he expects "more transactions among business partners as a result of the Davao-GenSan-Bitung sea link."

The new sea link will make the Philippines and Indonesian backdoor cities busier trading hubs, he added.

Alonto said it is "necessary to establish a direct air connectivity" and more sea routes from Davao City to Bitung as a result of the new trade link.

He said that Malaysia is also eyeing air links to Davao City and Palawan.

"Definitely, air connectivity is necessary for the movement of people," he said.

The Davao-GenSan-Bitung RoRo service will be launched on Sunday in Kudos, Sasa Port here by President Rodrigo Duterte and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

The route will be serviced by Super Shuttle RoRo, which is owned by Asian Marine Transport Corporation.

Alonto said the sea link is a result of a feasibility study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency as part of the ASEAN Connectivity Masterplan, the United States Agency for International Development, through Dr. Henry Basilio, and the Research Education and Institutional Development Foundation in 2010.

”It is a commitment made by President Duterte during the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) held in Vientiane, Laos in September 2016,” Alonto said.

Indon President to visit Davao City

(PIA/RG Alama)

DAVAO CITY April 27 (PIA)- Indonesian President Joko Widodo will be visiting Davao City this Sunday (April 30) for the launching of the Davao-General Santos-Bitung Roll-On Roll-Off shipping service.

He will join President Rodrigo Duterte during the launch at Kudos Port in Sasa, Davao City.

According to Mindanao Development Authority Chair Abul Khayr Alonto several Indonesian businessmen will accompany President Widodo to the trip.

The shipping service aims to bring cheaper trade of goods between Bitung and the cities of General Santos and Davao.

Planned exports to Indonesia thru this route include fruits, hala-certified poultry, packaging products for tuna canning. Imports from Indonesia include guano, activated carbon, corn and coconuts.

Meanwhile security preparations for the Indonesian President’s visit has been intensified. The Eastern Mindanao Command thru Task Force Haribon has committed to assist the Presidential Security Group (PSG) in securing the visit.

The Davao City Police Office will also be deploying their personnel along the Sasa area. Random checkpoints will also be conducted.

President Widodo is the second chief-of-state to visit the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Davao City in January of this year.

Davao City Council approves P286-M disaster fund

By Karina V. Canedo

THE 18TH Davao City Council approved on Tuesday, April 25, the P286 million Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) for the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (LDRRMP) for 2017.

A total of P286,200,000 has been allocated for the programs identified by the Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

A total of P102,124,980 is allotted for relief and recovery during disasters while the remaining was divided to fund 13 programs for disaster mitigation.

Some P50 million is assigned for the construction and heavy equipment and other machinery equipment to respond during disasters. To ensure immediate mass transport, P30 million was also allotted for mass transport project.

The construction of Central 911 FAS base at the Public Safety and Security Command Center, which is sourced from the 70 percent of the LDRRMF fund, got the third highest amount for disaster mitigation with P25 million.

The LDRRMP also allocated budget for flood mitigation, Geographic Information System, mass transport evacuation, quick delivery of relief goods, interoperability of the local incident management team, mobile animal clinic, establishment of rain water catchment, establishment of Disaster Response Cluster Specialized Teams, improvement of the public safety security complex communications system, and enhanced emergency response capability of District Health Offices of Davao City.

Each project will be handled by identified implementing offices which include the City Engineer’s Office, City Planning and Development Office, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, City Veterinarians Office, City Agriculturist’s Office, Central 911, Public Safety and Security Command Center, and City Health Office.

This year's budget was initially pegged at P386,200,000 but was reduced upon the decision of the council to remove the Davao Riverbed Desiltation program, which was supposed to be implemented by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office.

Davao City Councilor Nilo Abellera Jr., in an interview on Tuesday, said they found that the allotment for the said project is not necessary because many contractors from the private sector have expressed intention to fund the project.

Tourist arrivals in Davao in March up by 13%

By Jennie P. Arado

THE Davao City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) noted a 13.13 percent increase in tourist arrivals in March this year.

Data from CTOO showed that tourist arrivals in March increased to 166,451 from 147,126 in the same period in 2016. Araw ng Dabaw is being held during this month every year.

Davao City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) Head Generose Tecson said the increase can be directly attributed to the raised awareness about the city especially with the arrival of different business delegates from other countries during the past months preceding Araw ng Dabaw.

“The increase has many factors but most especially it is because of the increased awareness about Davao, our promotions especially of the marketing of the private sector. We hope that Dabawenyos will also help in the campaign by posting nice things about Davao in their social media pages regularly and invite their relatives and friends to come visit Davao,” said Tecson.

The office also noted an increase in the arrivals of domestic tourists and foreign tourists in the same period. Domestic tourist arrivals increased by 13.93 percent to 153,844 from 135,032 while foreign tourist arrivals increased by 9.88 percent to 10,421 from 9,484. However, the arrival of balikbayans decreased 16.25 percent to 2,186 in March this year from 2,610 in the same period in 2016.

"This goes to show that everybody is really interested in coming to Davao and in seeing what we have here," Tecson said in a separate interview last Saturday, April 22, during the inaugural launch of new AirAsia routes between Davao City and Cebu, Clark, Caticlan, and Puerto Princesa. She also urged Dabawenyos to work together to sustain the growth of the tourist arrivals in the city.

"We can sustain this by being proud of who we are and remembering that we Dabawenyos are disciplined," Tecson said.

"I would also like everybody to post pictures on Facebook of how nice Davao is and of what we have here. Let us also invite all our friends and relatives to visit," she added.

In 2015, annual tourist arrivals in the city reached up to 1.7 million which was increased by about 100,000 by last year.

For 2017, CTOO targets around 2 million tourist arrivals for the city.

Groups gear up to help kids with disabilities in Mindanao

(PNA), LCM/Alexander Lopez

DAVAO CITY (PNA) – Real estate developer DMCI Homes and the Junior Chamber International are gearing up for an annual fun run in support of CURE Philippines, also known as Tebow CURE Hospital, which offers pediatric orthopedic surgical care for children.

The fun run will benefit children with treatable conditions such as clubfeet, clubhands, cleft lip, post-burn scar releases and palate and spinal deformities.

The event, dubbed as “Putting the FUN back on the Run” is slated on May 28, where more than 1,000 runners are expected to join to help raise funds for Tebow CURE Hospital to finance the medical surgeries of children with disabilities.

“The race will be held inside the three-hectare Verdon Parc of DMCI located along Ecoland Drive,” Joie John Baquero, project sales manager of Verdon Parc, told reporters here on Saturday.

Baquero said the support to Tebow CURE Hospital is part of DMCI’s “Kaakbay ng Pamayanan Program,” a corporate social responsibility that provides services to communities.

“We are supporting this activity to help CURE achieve its mission,” said Alvin Ang, vice president for community development of JCI-Davao.

Ang urged interested individuals to join the upcoming race as thousands of children with disabilities in Mindanao, especially those who belong to poor families who urgently need medical interventions such as surgery, will benefit from the activity.

Vincent Bitana, development sustainability officer of Tebow CURE Hospital, said there are over two million children living with treatable physical disabilities in Mindanao and the whole country.

Surgeries for these children require considerable costs, Bitana added, saying that a normal clubfoot surgery may cost PHP70,000 to PHP120,00.

Bitana sad Tebow CURE Hospital is a charity hospital that subsidizes the expenses on surgeries of children aged 0 to 18.

The subsidy is derived from the support of donors and programs of the government particularly from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Philhealth and others.

The Tebow CURE Hospital is built and operated by CURE International, one of the primary outreach initiatives of Tim Tebow Foundation

Tim Tebow Foundation is one of the major sources of funding of the Tebow CURE Hospital here in Davao City.

This year’s race is aiming to put up enough funding to help around 10 children to undergo medical surgery, organizers said.

The categories of the upcoming run will include 3K with a registration of PHP300, 5K with PHP500, and 10K with PHP750.

Davao firm banks on research to produce better chocolates

(PNA), LCM/Digna D. Banzon

DAVAO CITY, April 23 (PNA) — International awards for its chocolate products are not stopping a local manufacturer here in pursuing research to produce the best chocolates.

Rex Puentespina of Malagos Chocolate said they continuously conduct research to produce the best "tree to bar" chocolates.

The Malagos Chocolate is a 2-Star Winner (3-star highest) at the 2016 Great Taste competition, the "Oscars" of the food world, held in London in August. In April 2016, it won Silver Award for Best Unflavoured Drinking Chocolate at the 2016 Academy of Chocolate Awards in London. And in 2015, it won its first award – Bronze for the same category at the 2015 Academy of Chocolate Awards in London.

Puentespina said they pay attention to the appearance, aroma and moisture content of their product.

"We also need to be very careful in the preparation of the cacao beans thru the fermentation process," he said Saturday.

Puentespina said they will continue to join competitions.

In producing the Malagos chocolate, he said they only use coco sugar.

Malagos chocolates has already penetrated international markets, including Keton, a diet specialty store in Japan that orders a thousand kilos of chocolates monthly.

Puentespina said they also ship to high-end restaurants in Singapore and Thailand for use by pastry chefs.

"Our Thailand exposure had gained interest among diners as young chefs explained its (chocolates) distinct taste, the fruity flavor and the source of the cocoa," he said.

He said they are proud to market their chocolates as made in Davao City.

DOST 11 to install 30 warning posts in Davao Region

By Antonio L. Colina IV (MindaNews)

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 22 April) — At least 30 early warning posts will be installed in the Davao Region this year to raise the efficiency of the local government units (LGUs) in disaster management, Mirasol Domingo, assistant regional director of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said.

Mirasol told MindaNews in an e-mail Saturday that at least five warnings posts will be installed in each province of the region — Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, and Davao Occidental) and Davao City upon recommendation of their respective City and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices.

“DOST 11 is also committed to provide innovative solutions in the aspect of DRR (disaster risk reduction), especially on the prevention and mitigation,” she said.

She added the DOST 11 will install the first warning post at the Samuel Village, Brgy. Lizada, Toril on May 5 and will test it before it will be fully operational after the flood drill and information education campaign (IEC) scheduled on May 17 and 18.

She said the selection of the locations will be done based on the reliability of the phone signals and there should a hydro-meteorological device, or automated rain gauge and water level monitoring station in place within the vicinity of the river basin of the proposed site.

She said data that would be generated by the devices will be processed to determine the possibility of flooding.

Each warning post has a beacon, a siren, and a public address system that is audible within the 300-meter diameter based on the test conducted by the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute, she said.

“The warning posts have four levels of warning. For each level, there is a corresponding sound that is then followed by a spoken instruction. It can be manually triggered from the DRRM Office or on the warning post itself,” she said.

She added they are planning to integrate all early warning devices in the region, be they owned by the government or the private institution, to make the information accessible online.

RA 10121 or the “Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010” encourages tlocal government units to use science-based tool towards efficient and effective disaster risk reduction and management with the aim to have safer communities.

She said the DOST maintains Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment and Hazards) and deploys early warning system such as the automated weather sensors, water level monitoring sensors, automated weather stations, and radar system.

4 food places in Davao City to get cold treats on hot days

By Kriztja Marae G. Labrador

TEMPERATURE is already rising which means that it is now officially the summer season here in the country. Other than our trusted “pamaypays,” electric fans and air conditioners, summer is also the season where we crave for some cold treats. So here’s a list of local food places here in the city where you can get your quick cold treat fix this summer.

1. Bing Soo (Korean shaved ice) – Noon Saram

I have known about Bing Soo through a Youtube food tasting video and it has put me on a hunt for a Korean Resto that serves it in Davao. It was like winning a jackpot prize when I found out that Noon Saram is serving it. (I really love food. lol).

To sum it up, Bing Soo is like a very fancy halo-halo. This Korean shaved ice will surely be a hit this summer because other than its yummy taste, the ice shaving is just the finest that I have ever tasted – it’s really the bomb and a must-try! Noon Saram has a ton of flavors to choose from and it comes with different sweet sauces as well.

Noon Saram is located at Sta. Ana Avenue, Davao City.

2. Ice cream cookie sandwiches - Ice Cream and Cookie Café

If you’re into ice cream sandwiches, then you can cool down with their different selections available. They have a number of cookies and ice cream flavors to choose from and of course, you also have their syrup which is placed inside a syringe for additional sweetness.

Ice Cream and Cookie Café is located at Mabini St. corner Araullo St. (fronting StockBridge/Tumble Tots).

3. Freak Shakes – Confex & Co Bakehouse

If you are into milkshakes, then Confex & Co’s Freak Shakes will surely be your savior on hot summer afternoons. This is not just your average milkshake as it is topped with different pastry selections of your liking. A perfect way to ease the city heat.

Confex & Co is now located at The Site in E. Jacinto Street Extension.

4. Yoghurt Ice Cream – Yoh Frozz

If you are into a much healthier option in beating the summer heat then Yoh Frozz’s yoghurt ice cream selections is for you. From yoghurt soft serve, bar and even ice cream sandwich there are a lot of options and flavors to choose from.

Davao Autoville Center in F. Torres Street (near Nonki and Let’s Crab Eat).

Hope this list will help you in beating the heat this summer. Also, do not forget to always stay hydrated!

Record number of turtle hatchlings in Cleanergy Park

(PIA/RG Alama)

DAVAO CITY April 19 (PIA)- This year has seen a record number of Hawksbill Turtles being hatched in Cleanergy Park since it was opened in 2014.

This year they have found four nesting sites with about 571 eggs. About 541 hatchlings have been released (including yesterday’s release) this year.

About 2,300 turtle hatchlings has been released in the park since 2014 this includes the 186 hatchlings released yesterday (April 18).

Fermin Edillon, community relations manager of the Aboitiz-owned Davao Light and Power Company says they are securing the nesting sites of these turtles.

The April 18 release was the third release of the turtle hatchlings for this year.

The first release held last March 21, was graced by City Mayor Sara Duterte, another hatchling release is slated by next month.

Edillon said that usually the nesting season happens second quarter of the year, but nesting occurred in January and February.

“The reason why turtles would nest here because there is no disturbance. Turtles prefer a nesting site that is peaceful. “ says Edillon.

During nesting season the white-sand beach is off limits to visitors.

According to Edillon the Hawksbill Turtle is the only sea turtle specie coming to the Cleanergy Park to nest. He says that the Hawksbill can navigate through the rough rocky terrain of the Punta Dumalag Beach.

Formerly the Pawikan Sanctuary, the four-hectare park (along with a 37-hectare Marine Protected Area) located in Davao City’s Punta Dumalag is a model habitat conservation and biodiversity management program of the Aboitiz Group of Companies.

Despite developments like a playground, nursery, a knowledge center, weather station and a mangrove boardwalk, the park was largely left undisturbed. A white-sand beach, mangrove forests and a large swath of beach forest occupy much of the park.

Though open to the public, entrance to the park must be made by appointment and is strictly regulated, it has been visited by students, researchers, and conservationists.

Davao City is very lucky since there is a nesting site within the urban area. Edillon said citing the importance of the Cleanergy Park.

He said that only 1 to 3% of the hatchlings survive into adulthood, thus the need to protect these nesting sites, an initiative essential for the conservation of the sea turtle.

Metro Pacific eyes Davao expressways

By Darwin G. Amojelar

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. on Tuesday said it is interested to build the planned expressway projects in Davao City.

MPTC president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco told reporters the company was looking at proposed expressway projects in Davao City of the Public Works Department.

“We would take a look and see if viable as PPP (Public-Private Partnership). If viable, then we’ll be interested. But we don’t know yet if those are really suitable for PPP or whether they would be government-funded,” Franco said.

The Public Works Department has proposed the P24.5-billion Davao City Expressway, a 23.3-kilometer expressway within Davao City proper connecting the Sta. Ana Port near the outskirts of the city proper in Panacan Road and Carlos P. Garcia National Highway.

The project aims to improve and decongest traffic congestion within Davao City by connecting its port to the outer part of the city

The agency is also proposing the Davao-Digos Expressway, which will start at the Bukidnon-Davao National Highway in Davao City and terminate at Digos-Sultan Kudarat Road.

It has an indicative length of 60 km. The project will traverse the town of Toril and Santa Cruz and will serve as an alternative route for the Davao-Cotabato National Highway (AH26).

The project provides an alternative route between Digos City and Davao City since the lone primary road connecting the two cities will be prone to traffic congestion in the coming years.

MPTC operates Manila Cavite Expressway, North Luzon Expressway and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

The company is also building expressways in Luzon and Visayas worth over P150 billion in the next three years.

Among the expressway projects in the pipeline are the P23.3-billion NLEx-SLEx Connector Road, the P55.9 billion Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAx) and the P11.7-billion Cavitex C5 South Link to link expressways in the north and south of Manila.

Work on the P27.9-billion Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway in the Visayas, meanwhile, has started.

Mexican investors keen on Mindanao

By Jennie P. Arado

MEXICAN investors are keen on investing in Mindanao with a focus on agriculture, tourism, and telecommunications, said Julio Camarena Villaseñor, Mexican Ambassador to the Philippines.

Villaseñor, who visited the Malagos Garden Resort on April 11, said they are looking, more particularly, into new investments that would help boost tourism-related industry as construction of new hotels and restaurants in Mindanao.

“I think Mindanao is one of the fastest-growing areas in the Philippines. I think I find the entrepreneurship approach of the Filipinos very active. Many more are coming,” the ambassador said, adding they would also want to invest on information technology industry including call center agencies.

“We’re studying the different sectors of the economy to see what’s more effective. We want to explore areas of telecommunication, manufacturing, and any exchange of workers,” he added.

During Villaseñor's visit in Davao City last April 11, he said within 2013 to 2014, Mexico was the number one investor of the Philippines, bringing around 6.8 billion US dollars. By 2015 until last year, Villaseñor said Mexico is still included in the top five investors in the country.

“We’re working on the balance of trade (between Philippines and Mexico). Now the most important thing is the investment. Investments do not only produce development of the economy. Investments are more important than trade. Investments produce employment. So, we have investments that produce employment, trade, and infrastructures,” he said.

He added that there had been regular Mexican business delegations and investments coming to the Philippines which produced two of the top Mexican investments in the country, the Mexican cement and the Coca-Cola Femsa companies. The latter, Villaseñor said, had recently announced another million-dollar investment in the Philippines.

The visit of Villaseñor also represents Mexico’s and the Philippines’ existing trade ties for more than 200 years.

Part of his visit was to hand over the book, The Manila Galleon (El Galeon de Manila): Traversing the Pacific, which talks about the history of galleon trade including that of Mexico and the Philippines. The book is now displayed at the Chocolate Museum.

The ambassador’s dedication on the book read: “To the Malagos Chocolate Museum and the Puentespina Family: The Acapulco/Manila Galleon connected our two nations for 250 years. May exchange of products including chocolate bring friendship for life.”

“Coming to the Malagos Chocolate Resort is wonderful. (It shows the) history of our country and your country and how our countries are together and how we are united. This chocolate farm represents again our deep historical ties between the Philippines and Mexico. Mexico had been very close to the Philippines,” Villaseñor said.

Davao City terminal to have 2 walk-thru scanners

By Karina V. Canedo

THE Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) will soon have two walk-through scanners, one for males and another for females, as the Davao City Economic Enterprise (CEE) is now processing the documents for the procurement.

“Naa na’y proposal pero ginaprocess pa namo ang pagpalit, ginapangitaan namo ug paagi aron madali kay kinahanglan na siya for security reasons (We already have a proposal and we are now processing the procurement process, we are now finding ways to fast tract this because we know that it is needed for security reasons,” said CEE chief Maribeth Lumactod.

Each scanner will cost between P80,000 to P90,000, she said.

The DCOTT plan to install the scanners within the year.

DCOTT head Aisa Usop, in a media interview last Monday, April 10, said that 20 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras had been installed in the terminal, of which two are revolving cameras.

The priority now are the two scanners for males and females. They may purchase more, for persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and pregnant women, but only when the need arises, Usop added.

Usop said they also plan on installing baggage scanners, but not in the near future.

“Our baggage scanner will be delayed because we have to renovate the terminal entrance,” she said.

In the same interview, Usop assured that the enough security forces are in the area for the expected influx of passengers during and after the Holy Week.

ICT Davao eyes training program to add more IT workers

By RG Alama (PIA)

DAVAO CITY- The group of ICT (Information Communication Technology) stakeholders in Davao is proposing a training program aimed at adding more IT workers to the growing demand in the city.

Belinda Torres, corporate secretary of ICT Davao said they have submitted a proposal to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte on their SWIT (Skills for Work in IT) program.

“SWIT is a training program whose objective is to train 700 qualified talents and be employed.” Torres said.

The trainings will delve on those needed by the current competency demand of the account, among these competencies are software development, game development.

According to Torres the proposal will involve funding the trainers instead of the students. Anyone can apply based on the account’s competency requirement

She said they already had an initial presentation to the city mayor and are just awaiting their review. “Hopefully by June we can start if they (city hall) are ok with the proposal.” Torres said.

Davao City IT industry needs an estimated 5,000 new IT workers at any given time but t 40% to 60% of the 5,000 are not filled up. The SWIT can help fill the backlog.

Torres said the 700 SWIT trainees will have a tremendous impact to the econonmy. An entry level IT worker in Davao City will earn P15,000 per month. Also an employed IT worker will benefit three people working in ancillary services such as food, retail and transportation.

Mexico eyes Mindanao's agricultural products

(PNA), LCM/DIGNA D. BANZON

DAVAO CITY (PNA) – Mexico is eyeing to source agricultural products from Mindanao.

Mexican Ambassador to the Philippines Julio Camanera revealed this during a visit here Tuesday to explore trading partnerships with the local business sector.

In an interview at the Davao Chocolate Museum in Malagos Garden Resort, he said that trade relations between the Philippines and Mexico continue to flourish. He visited the museum to hand over a book entitled the "Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade."

Camanera said that during the galleon trade, the two countries exchanged agricultural products.

During that period many products were exported to the Philippines such as corn, tomato, squash, singkamas (turnip), sayote (chayote), chikoo (sapodilla) and guyabano (soursop).

Camanera said Mexico imported mangoes from the Philippines during that time. Mexico is also importing coconuts from the country, he added.

While he signified the intention of Mexico to source agricultural products from Mindanao, he stressed that his country remains one of the top investors in the country.

"In 2013-2014, Mexico was the top foreign direct investor in the Philippines with US$ 6.8 billion in investments," he said, citing some of the Mexican investments like Semento Mexicano, Femsa Coca-Cola and those in the business process outsourcing and information technology sectors.

Mindanao has vast lands planted to banana, pineapple and coconut, to name only a few.

500 foreign investors eyed to join Davao Icon

By Ace June Rell S. Perez

MORE than half of the 1,000 expected delegates of this year’s Davao Investment Conference (Icon) are foreign investors.

Davao Icon marketing head and Jobs Solutions, Inc. representative Belenda Torres said they are targeting those from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-member countries, the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga), United States, United Kingdom and Australia, among others.

“We strengthened our digital marketing for this year, we expect delegates around the world but we are eyeing those from our neighboring countries and those who already showed interest in investing in the city through their official visits here,” she said.

This year’s Icon, which is organized by Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industries Inc. (DCCCII), will be held at SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang on July 20 to 22.

The three-day event, she said, will highlight business matching among delegates.

Torres also said they are looking at forging two to three sisterhood agreements with foreign countries and cities.

Icon 2017 Chairman Arturo Milan said earlier that they will highlight the key investment areas in Davao which are manufacturing, infrastructure and connectivity, agriculture, and tourism sectors.

Cabinet members like Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III have confirmed their attendance at the conference.

DCCCII President Ronald Go also said President Rodrigo Duterte confirmed his attendance at the conference.

With the theme, “Davao: The Gateway to a World of Infinite Investments,” the event aims to bring together potential buyers and investors as well as industry leaders and government experts to discuss Davao and Mindanao business opportunities.

For agriculture, Milan said they are looking into inviting large corporate agriculture investors especially of palm oil, rubber, cacao, and coffee to also provide job opportunities for upland people.

As for the infrastructure, Mindanao Development Authority Chairman Secretary Datu Abdul Khayr Alonto will also be coming to speak about the Mindanao Railway Project.

“This is one big infrastructure project that I would say has long been delayed already. We need mass transport and the railway is really the answer to this,” Milan said.

Torres also said that they support the city’s stand of carefully filtering the kind of investments that come to the city.

“We welcome investments but what the city is considering is its capability in absorbing investments and making talent available to the firms coming in,” Torres said.

Revitalizing Davao's seaweed industry

By Jennie P. Arado

AS THE Department of Agriculture (DA) eyes the revitalizing of seaweed industry in the country, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) conducts specific activities and provides planting materials in different areas in the city, specifically in Tibungco, to support DA’s campaign.

Last Tuesday, April 4, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol met up with Ocean Harvest Technology Ltd (OHT) Quality and Resource Manager Dr. Simon Faulkner. Piñol decided that a seaweed roadmap be made to give a clearer vision for the National Seaweed Program under the current administration.

This is in connection with the country’s preparation in bringing the Filipino farmers to the global and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) market.

Faulkner proposed that their company will purchase ulva or sea lettuce from the Philippines which they would sell to Vietnam for processing to animal feeds. Currently, OHT targets 3,000 tons of dried local seaweed.

According to National Seaweed Coordinator Irma F. Ortiz, BFAR targets to increase current seaweed production of the Philippines by five percent annually from 2017 to 2022. This is a project BFAR sees to be fulfilled in partnership with Department of Science and Technology and Department of Trade and Industry.

As for her part, BFAR Davao Regional Director Fatma Idris said for Davao Region seaweed culture is promoted along coastal areas with calm water and no nearby freshwater supply like river.

“Aside from income generating and economic boosting effect of culturing seaweed, seaweed serves as mitigation measure to address climate change,” said Idris.

As a means to further promote better seaweed production, BFAR came up with three programs. The first program, Mas Saganang Ani, intended for production of climate-resilient species. According to Idris, in connection with this program, they have provided seaweed propagules for the farmers’ planting materials and for grow out specifically in Tibungco, Davao City.

For the second program, Mas Siglang Saganahan (Entrepreneurship training), Idris said technical trainings as to how to grow good seaweeds for viable markets is conducted before the beneficiaries are given the planting materials.

Idris added that for Davao City, Tibungco remains to be the community that BFAR eyes to develop into a seaweed production champion.

Trade expo to raise awareness on Halal products, services

By Jennie P. Arado

WITH the objective of promoting and raising awareness about Halal food, products, and services, the Universal Islamic Center Foundation (UICF) will hold the first Philippine Halal Trade and Tourism Expo at Seda Hotel on May 4, to be followed by a Muslim Attire Fashion Show on May 5 to 7 at Abreeza Ayala Malls, Davao City.

UICF president Marilou Walohan Ampuan, during the weekly press conference at Habi at Kape at Abreeza Ayala Malls last Wednesday, April 5, said the expo is part of their effort in making Davao City as the “model of halal.”

"We already have existing ordinances here in Davao City related to Halal. In fact, we have this local ordinance that says we cannot simply use halal logo in any establishment if it is not certified halal. Aside from that, we also have another ordinance, I'm not sure if it's already approved, which separates halal lane area in leading supermarkets," Ampuan said.

Ampuan is also the chairperson of the Halal Committee of the Tourism Congress Philippines.

She also said this expo will be important for hotels, restaurants, and other tourism-related establishments to be able to strictly implement halal processes in their establishments, especially those who are certified halal already.

The UICF president said this will help the city's tourism as Muslim tourists sometimes experience difficulty in finding halal restaurants or establishments during their stay in the city.

"The information about Halal, the schedule of prayer, where the nearby mosques are, will be included in the Tourism Halal Services that will be showcased during the expo," Ampuan said.

"Based on our study in Malaysia, there are no specific guidelines yet for Halal services but for the food. We have this existing guidelines, and for the products as well. This is international. But for Islamic Banking and Finance, we don't have that in the Philippines because we are not an Islamic country. But Malaysia, Indonesia, and some countries in the Middle East have this," she added.

Philippine Halal Trade and Tourism Expo, with the theme "Aggressive development and promotion in Halal Business and Tourism Industry: Moving towards change in Philippine market", targets to raise awareness and knowledge in relation to halal processes, not only to the non-Muslim members of the community but also to the establishments in the city to be able to make Davao City a Muslim-friendly environment.

Davao City is among top 4 tourism priority areas

By Karina V. Canedo

DAVAO City is one of the top four priority areas in the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) along with Siargao, Palawan, and Bohol.

Davao City Tourism Operations Officer (CTOO) Generose Tecson said Friday that groups from the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the World Bank met with them to get ideas of tourism projects that the city will need.

“They asked what the city envisions to be and Lemuel Ortonio of Davao City Investments and Promotions Center said that city aims to be a meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions destination,” she said.

She added that aside from being a Mice destination, they also relayed the city's plan to preserve the culture of its indigenous peoples, being the home of 11 tribes from all over Mindanao.

She said the CTOO is coordinating with DOT and World Bank to craft the tourism plan that will be aligned with the 2017-2022 NDTP.

Tecson added that by the end of April, the DOT and World Bank representatives will meet again with the department heads of CTOO, Davao City Investment Promotion Center, City Planning and Development Office, City Engineering Office and Public Safety and Security Command Center.

Davao City eyes more mobile libraries

By Karina V. Canedo

THE Davao City Library eyes to have more mobile libraries by the end of the year, an official said.

Davao City Librarian Pedrita Badar, during the I-Speak media forum held on Thursday, said they proposed a P6 million worth of mobile library to expand the coverage of the project to more than 25 barangays.

She said the purchase of the current functional mobile library was pegged at P4.5 million, five years ago, but they have now increased the budget to P6 million.

"We will be purchasing another mobile library by the end of this year. There is a plan to procure two mobile libraries to serve 182 barangays because Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio wants more mobile libraries," she said.

Badar said the only mobile library in the city is making rounds in 25 barangays here. It stays for 14 days in a barangay before it goes to another barangay.

"The farthest [that the mobile library reached] is Datu Salumay in Marahan, and we also go to Paquibato district only during Christmas season," she said.

She added that one mobile library is available for their use.

"The other bus we have has a mechanical defect so we temporarily placed it in Calinan," Badar said.

Elmer Amarillo, in-charge for mobile library, said the mobile library prioritizes far-flung areas in Districts 2 and 3.

"We visit according to the schedules we have set," he said.

He said among the services they give through the mobile library is the storytelling where they utilize the use of screen pictures to catch the short attention span of the children.

They also offer computer literacy and give children tutorial on how to manipulate electronic gadgets and they also have film showing.

"Para ma motivate sila ug mawala ang fear of technology (This is to motivate them and to reduce their fear of technology)," he said.

Amarillo said they intend to expand their coverage.

He also said last 2016, they noted a three percent increase on the number of clients served.

"We recorded 42,792 clients served in 2015, and we also recorded 58,236 clients served in the year 2016," he said.

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the e-library modernization in the city library is also being drafted.

She added that with the modernization, the public will have access to e-books, e-magazines, and e-journals. "The MOA is almost done, and it may be passed two months from now in the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council)."

Badar said that they seek to build a three-storey building for the e-library. The building was earlier planned to be built near the Central 911 building but there is still no identified location. She also said that they get annual allocation of books from the National library and they also receive book donations.

She said that on April 24, a Chinese corner in the city library will be established.

DICT to replicate Davao's IT-BPM promotion strategy in rural areas

By Ace June Rell S. Perez

In accelerating “impact sourcing” under the Duterte administration, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) plans to replicate the Davao City’s ways of championing the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry in the country.

ICT secretary Rodolfo Salalima said in the 1st Philippine Impact Sourcing Conference media briefing at the Royal Mandaya Hotel Wednesday, April 5 that the industry’s continuing battle is to bring technology outside the major cities and focus on digital education and employment in the countryside.

“One way of developing the countryside is to bring technology there, providing them ICT jobs directly or indirectly, we encourage all the investors from Manila or outside the country to spread their presence throughout the country,” he said.

He explained that Rural Impact Sourcing is considered as outsourcing which focuses on providing meaningful jobs and other related opportunities in socio-economically disadvantaged areas, mostly rural areas of the country where there is high population but low employment due to lack of investors.

DICT Undersecretary Monchito Ibrahim, for his part said, in looking at Davao City a lot can be learned for rural areas to thrive in ICT.

“The first Piscon event was staged here (Davao) because ICT industry here is very active. We even consider Davao as one of the biggest freelance online hubs and home of numerous local and foreign BPM firms,” Ibrahim said.

Of the estimated one million freelance online workers, some 154,000 of which are from Davao City.

Recognizing that impact sourcing is still a relatively young practice for IT-BPM firms in the Philippines, Salalima said accelerating infrastructure, expediting regulatory processes in the local government units, developing efficient and fast internet, and ensuring available talent pool are some of the things to consider to realize the agency’s end goal.

The Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) has committed to fully support DICT in its efforts to further develop and grow impact sourcing in the city.

CCAP President Jojo Uligan said they are optimistic of its growth.

“We all see its (impact sourcing) potential as a truly sustainable and scalable business model for many IT-BPM firms here,” he said.

Based on the IT-BPM industry’s New Roadmap 2022, the industry was able to create more than 300,000 jobs outside Metro Manila for the last 15 years.

The industry already experienced a high growth rate of 11 percent in the provinces and seven percent in Metro Manila. Just for the last year alone, 80 percent of its members already established operations in new provinces such as Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Balanga in Bataan and in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte.

“We know there is a tremendous potential for impact sourcing. For our businesses, it means access to talent pools in vast, untapped communities where there is high quality work which are cost effective coupled with incredible drive and commitment by the employees. It is a unique way to grow our businesses and at the same time create palpable positive impact to the community,” Benedict Hernandez, CCAP Chairman of the Board, said.

Dabawenyas empower women by conducting free sports camps in Mindanao

By Neil Bravo

EMPOWERED women continue to change society for the better, and this bunch of Dabawenyas is adding to the cause.

They’re not just the adventurous, outgoing women, but they got heart. And yes, they got game. These brave ladies make up Girls Got Game Philippines, a non-profit organization doing their share of free community service in the form of sports. GGG Philippines is composed of a bunch of twenty-something girls who now devote their time conducting free sports camps around the country.

Founded in 2015, GGG has two branches so far — the first one in Manila and another in Davao City which only commenced in January this year.

Heading the GGG Mindanao branch is 23-year old managing director Celina Jaldon, a former member of the Ateneo de Manila women’s football team. It was Jaldon and another Atenean, Paola Salvador, who convened the Davao branch of GGG.

The team is composed of girls with diverse backgrounds, including Kai del Corro, a finalist in the 2016 Mutya ng Davao pageant.

“It’s very fulfilling to be a part of this team,” Del Corro, one of the non-athletes, told Edge Davao.

“Ako naman not an athlete, but I'm the link to Gawad Kalinga. That's my contribution,” added the former apprentice-reporter of Edge Davao who is now the GGG team’s Athletes Manager.

The GGG camps usually run for two days and are for girls 10-12 years old. The participants are from marginalized low-income communities or areas that do not have much access to sports.

“We teach four sports: basketball, football, volleyball, and rugby. The camp usually runs for two days and within those days we make it a point that the girls have fun learning these different sports while integrating our key values when coaching: discipline, respect, teamwork, perseverance, and integrity,” said Jaldon.

“GGG Philippines aims to empower young women through sports - fostering an environment of friendship where they can have fun and learn something they may have never experienced firsthand before or to entice them to redirect their energies into activities that could provide them with positive opportunities,” she added.

Aside from Jaldon and Del Corro, other members of the team are Paola Salvador, Karina Salvador, Karilla Mozar, Hiromi Takeda, Rica Andico, Ann Monroid, Vina Ansaldo, Daphne Sy, Blessie Delos Santos, Bea Reyes, Darlene Lallen, Anna Santos, Miguel Herrera, Philippe Manalaysay, and Marice Magdolot.

Not all members are girls, though. There are also male members who act as coaches.

Jaldon described the core team as ‘women (mostly) and men from diverse backgrounds, but are all involved in sports or appreciate using it as a medium to teach life lessons.’

GGG recently held its first camp last Aprl 1-2 in Barangay Mintal at the Mintal Elementary School with 40 girls aged 10-12 years old taking part. The next camp will be in Los Amigos, Tugbok on May 13-14.

GGG may have just taken off but at the rate things are going and with the team’s passion and energy, these women have blazed a new trail in sports volunteerism.

Davao road reconstruction, bridge widening ongoing

By Anna Angelica Sotto

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Davao bared the ongoing reconstruction of the Slaughterhouse Road and the widening of the F. Torres Bridge.

DPWH Chief Information Officer Dean Ortiz, in an interview with SunStar Davao, said the ongoing construction is the second project of the first legislative district in Davao City.

"Kailangan na talaga ayusin yung road dun sa countryside section and of course we need to widen the bridge to avoid any traffic congestion in the area," Ortiz said.

The 3.238-kilometer (km) road started with its reconstruction in January 2017 along with the other major road projects of DPWH.

"We are currently on the first phase. As of the date of completion, we still do not know but let's hope next year matapos na," he added.

Ortiz said a budget of P469 million is earmarked to fix the Davao City Diversion-Countryside-Riverview Road up to SM De Erio Avenue and Domsat Road.

"There are three phases for this project, the second and the third will begin once we finish the first phase," he said.

Ortiz added the longest phase with 2.045 kms along the Davao City Diversion Road is near its completion. He said the Countryside-Riverside section is yet to begin its development by May 2017.

"The widening of the F. Torres Bridge will be the last phase of the project," he said.

The Davao City Diversion Bypass Road is one of the 10 road projects in Davao City intended for 2017.

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