MINDANAO TIMES, March 22, 2023

One import trade possibly neglected by the BoC

BY VIC N. SUMALINOG

on PAGE 6

• City positioned as top Mice destination Rising to the top

DESPITEthesevereimpactoftheCOVID-19pandemic,thecityissteadfastinits commitment to becoming a premier Mice (meetings, incentive travel, exposition, and convention) destination in the country.

To showcase its preparedness to entice Mice organizers to bring their events to the city, it hosted the Mice Conference (MiceCon) 2023 event early this month.

In her speech during the event, Tourism Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina G. Frasco praised the city for leading the way in

terms of Mice and becoming a model for other Mice destinations in the country to follow.

"Davao has shown us the way. It has become a model for us to follow and a springboard from which we can launch even more exciting MiceCons in the future and we will," Frasco said.

The city leverages its strengths and unique offerings, including the tagline "From Islands to Highlands," to promote both beach and inland resort destinations. As cited by Frasco, the city showcases new developments, culturalheritage,naturallandscapes,culinarydelicacies, and vibrant hospitality for

the world to see.

In her 10-minute speech, Frasco said that through the event, the city has also shown itself a "shining example to all Mice destinations across the country" and emphasized that the city will continue to lead the way in terms of Mice.

However, there is still so much work to be done.

AccordingtoMaryAnnM. Montemayor,apillarinthe

tourismindustryinthecity, amongtheimmediatesteps forthecitytotakeistoconduct a thorough inventory of its Mice facilities and encourage more investors to put up more facilities.

Among the key issues that need to be addressed, Montemayorsaid,isaneed for tourism-related establishments to improve their service standards.

For those wanting to invest in facilities, the

government should offer them more incentives so they "will help fill in the vacuum," she added.

In 2018, LTS Holdings announced its plan to build a convention center and a world-class hotel, but the plan fizzled after the world was hit by the pandemic. There has yet been no announcement from the company, known for its retail stores in Mindanao

BY CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO ( /RISING/11)

MEMBERS of the crowd converge on the center of San Pedro St. Saturday, March 18, after witnessing the Araw ng Dabaw Parada Dabawenyo, while waiting for another event on that day. The civic-military parade is just one of the highlights of the annual foundation day celebration this year. Celebrations like this help the city position itself as a top destination for meetings, incentive travel, expositions, and conventions (Mice) as it hosted the Mice Conference early this month. BING GONZALES

Tight security for Ironman

BY RHODA GRACE B. SARON

THEsecuritycomponentoftheupcomingIronMan70.3hasbeenheightenedwith the deployment of 5,000 personnel, a top official of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) said Monday.

Major Catherine dela Rey, DCPO spokesperson, saidthatofthenumber,half of them will come from their ranks.

“Dinhi sa IronMan mas dako atong deployment compared sa Parada Dabawenyo. Naa sa mga 2,500 sa part pa lang sa Davao City Police Office na i-deploy kay mas taastaasmangudangstretchsa kadalanannai-covernato," said dela Rey.

The security coverage

willalsoextendtotheIronGirls marathon on March 25, with a full deployment of forces on March 26 for theIronMan70.3Triathlon Race,shesaid,pointingout that the DCPO will secure thestretchbetweenLanang ang Lasang.

Jurisdiction over the security coverage of the race will be turned over to the Davao del Norte Provincial Office in areas outside of the city, particularlyPanaboCity,Carmen,

Students urged:

Jjoin free startups coaching program

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews) – Students in the Davao Region aspiring to establish their own startup businesses are encouraged to avail the free threemonth intensive entrepreneurship and technopreneurshipcoachingprogram of the Davao City-based business incubator Upgrade Innolab (Upgrade).

Rob Gumba, Upgrade communications and marketing head, told MindaNews on Monday that the InnoVersity Business LeadersProgram(InnoVersity),whichisimplemented under the Innovation and Development Accelerators Consortium for Startups (IDEAS Davao), seeks to ( /STUDENTS/11)

and Tagum City.

Due to road closures to make way for the races, Dela Rey urged citizens to plan their trips wisely and, if possible, avoid driving through the race routes.

"Tan-awon nila tong advisory sa CTTMO sa mga oras na naay road closure para sigurado mo nya dili mo ma-traffic or mapurnada ang inyohang mga lakaw, so planohan na ninyo daan kani na mga

( /BANNED/13)

Delvo vows to maintain peace and order in Region 11

DAVAO CITY(PNA) – Brig. Gen. Alden Delvo, the newly installeddirectorofthePolice Regional Office in Davao Region (PRO-11), has vowed to maintain peace and order in the area.

Delvo, who replaced Brig. Gen. Benjamin Silo Jr. in a turnover ceremony on Monday, emphasized the importanceofcontinuousefforts to ensure peace and order in theregion, whichis aprimary concern of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Delvo outlined his guiding principles for the PRO-11 personnel during his speech, stating that police officers should always be aware of theirsworndutiesandprovide good service to the people.

He emphasized that policemen from the rank of patrolman to captains should conduct patrolling and be well-versed in investigation, and that commanders and head of offices should guide their subordinates well.

Hesaidtheopinionofthe

people of Davao should be considered as a gauge of the servicesrenderedbyPRO-11. Before his appointment, Delvo served as chief of the AreaPoliceCommandinEasternMindanaoandwasaformer police officer in Davao City. Hewasalsonamedoneof thetenoutstandingpolicemen of the Philippines in 2009. Delvo is one of those includedinthemajorreshuffling of commands order by PNP chiefGen.RodolfoAzurinlast week. (PNA)

400 LGUs not ready for full devolution: exec

MANILA – The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Tuesday said around 450 local government units (LGUs), particularlyfourthandfifth class municipalities, are not ready to assume their devolvedfunctionsbynext year.

DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman made

this remark following a sectoralmeetingwithPresidentFerdinandR.Marcos Jr. to discuss Executive Order (EO) 138 on the full devolution of certain functions of the national government to local governments as ordered by the Supreme Court in the Mandanas-Garcia case.

EO 138, signed by

former President Rodrigo Duterte on June 1, 2021, orders the full devolution of the provision of basic services and facilities to LGUs before the end of 2024.

Marcos earlier directed the review of functions that should be devolved to LGUs and that should remain with the national

government as well as the extension of the period for the devolution of some functions up to 2027.

During the meeting, Pangandaman said Marcos instructed concerned agencies to further study possible amendments on the EO as several LGUs ( /400LGUS/13)

RACE director DaxAng briefs reporters and some participants on the Salomon X Trail Pilipinas Run 2023 in Kaputian, Island Garden City of Samal slated on May 7 during the launching of the event which is expected to draw 500 participants for the two categories: 15-kilometer XTrail Run and 30-kilometer Mountain Run. With Ang are Igacos tourism officer Jennifer Cariaga and Judy Colaljo of Department of Tourism. BING GONZALES

PH banks way stronger than US counterparts, say

MANILA – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Monday said domestic banks remain strong amidst the increased challenges brought by the collapse of two United States-based banks, citing their lower market risk exposure and diversified lending base.

In its Notes for the President regarding the stability of the domestic bankingsystem,whichBSP Governor Felipe Medalla shared to journalists, the centralbanksaidPhilippine financial institutions are “lesssusceptibletochanges infairvaluewhereas,security holdings of SVB (Silicon Valley Bank) (were) larger in relation to their capital.”

SVB is one of the two banks that collapsed more thanaweekagoduetobank run as the California-based financial institution faced some financing health issues. This is the second largest bank failure in the US to date.

It was followed by the collapseofNewYork-based Signature Bank after its depositors withdrew large amount of funds following

the news about SVB.

Despite these developments, the BSP said domestic banks are more resilientthanUSbanksbecause the formers’ losses, “including estimated net unreleased losses on security holdings due to the risinginterestrateenvironment, are expected to be smaller (as a percentage of assets).”

Anti-OSAEC efforts boosted (OCSE).

THE Philippines’ largest integrated telecommunications network PLDT, Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. have been tapped as the exclusive telco partner of the SCROL (Safety For Children and Their Rights Online) Project by Terre des Hommes Netherlands inAsia,andtheCebu-based Bidlisiw Foundation, Inc., to combat online child sex-

NGCP, gov’t agency partner to protect transmission system

POWER transmission network operator NGCP reinforces its commitment to deliver reliable transmission services across the country by enhancing the safety and security of its transmissionassetsthrough the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA).

NGCPsealeditspartnership with NICAin a signing ceremony at the Malacañan Palace on 13 March 2023 witnessedbynolessthanthe President of the Philippines,

HisExcellencyFerdinandR.

Marcos, Jr.

Signing the MOU are NGCP President and CEO

Mr. Anthony L. Almeda andNICADirectorGeneral Retired Police Lt. Gen. Ricardo F. De Leon.

UndertheMOU,NICA commits to supply NGCP with intelligence information to support the protection of power transmission assets operated and maintained by NGCP across the country, while NGCP commits to provide technical assistance to NICA to support and further es-

CebuPac, Singapore renew partnership

CEBUPacific(PSE:CEB), the Philippines’ leading airline, has strengthened its partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to help travelers reimagine the Lion City and visit Singapore.

CEB and STB previously signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in April 2022 to mark the reopening of Singapore’s borders. With the successes of the past year, both parties today renewed the MOU to intensify their collaboration to promote travel to Singapore, which is one of the top-of-mind destinations for visitors from the Philippines. Key projects in this 2023 MOU willincludejointmarketing and promotions, and joint

business development in the areas of fly-cruise and meetings and incentive corporate groups.

“We are delighted to renew our partnership with Cebu Pacific, which contributed greatly to Singapore’s strong tourism numbersfor2022,”saidMs.Juliana Kua, Assistant Chief Executive for International Group, Singapore Tourism Board (STB). “Philippines is a key market for Singapore,andtheattractivepromotions from Cebu Pacific will be complemented by STB’s ‘SingapoRewards’ programme, which offers a freeexperienceforeveryeligible tourist to Singapore.

SingapoRewards[1] is a new programme that will

tablish their cybersecurity capability.

“NGCP has dealt with sabotage and bombing incidents in the past years whichaffectednotonlythe reliable delivery of power in the areas affected, but other incidents also resultedintheinjuryoftransmission line personnel and military escorts patrolling the areas to conduct line clearing and maintenance activities. The Memorandum of Understanding

that NGCP and NICA will be signing today will be a shared commitment to exchange intelligence and provide support to accomplish our respective mandates”, NGCP said.

Inhisspeech,President Marcos highlighted the importance of the MOU in reinforcing the country’s security measures. "Since NGCP is a critical, critical part of our security, (...) now we have made more

ual exploitation.

Terre des Hommes Netherlands in Asia is an organization that provides assistance to children, while Bislisiw Foundation is a Philippine social development agency that aids urban poor families. Bothadvocaciesaregeared towards combating Sexual Exploitation of Children (SEC),inparticular,Online Child Sexual Exploitation

“Asatechnologycompany and an Internet ServiceProvider,werecognize the immense responsibility that we need to fulfill to help end any form of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children or OSAEC, especially in the Philippineswhichhasbeen identified by the United Nations as a global hotspot

Firm sets out to revolutionize adtech, data

GLOBE Group’s AdSpark Holdings,Inc.haschanged its name to Brave ConnectiveHoldings,Inc.(BCHI), as it brings together under its umbrella the companies that will help businesses strengthentheirconnection with customers through the use of data, analytics, targeting, and storytelling.

BCHI provides a holistic adtech and data ecosystem through its four

companies: AdSpark, Inquiro,m360,andDeepSea, currently undergoing the spin-off process. BCHI is on a mission to support brandsandbusinesseswith the tagline “Courageous Brands Connect Better.” BCHI aims to address pain points in adtech and data experienced by many B2B customers. These include the lack of capability

WIB:Pandemic-promptedworkchanges bring slight progress for women leaders

MANILA – Grant Thornton’s 2023 Women in Business (WIB) Report shows that while post-pandemic changes in work practices have contributed to the increase in the number of womenholdingseniormanagementrolesinmid-market firms, there remains a lot to be done to address gender disparity in the workplace.

The report, which tallied results of a survey of more than 100 mid-market companiesinthePhilippines acrossvariousindustriesand whichspecializeindifferent linesofbusiness,showsthat nearly half or 49% of senior management roles are held by women, notches higher than 39% recorded in the 2022 WIB report.

Majorityofrespondents shared that the corporate positions held by women within their organizations

include Chief Finance Officer and Human Resources Director.Nearlyhalfor42% of firms interviewed also said that their Sales Directors are women.

Pandemic-related shifts inorganizations’workmodels were seen to have been beneficial for women leaders. More than half of midmarket firms surveyed said thattheirorganizationshave been utilizing a hybrid work model post-COVID, with 52% agreeing that their current work framework will help ensure visibility for more women staff.

“During the pandemic, we have seen the versatility of women in a phenomenon that experts called the ‘doubleshift’,wherefemalestaff juggled office work alongside their essential roles at home. It is interesting to see

Mindanao medical centers receive support from Hedcor and Aboitiz Fdn.

HEDCOR and Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. donated essential medical supplies, equipment, and furniture worth P350,000 to two newly refurbished sub-health centers in Sitio Centro Pogpog and Lib-in, Barangay Sibulan, Municipality of Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur.

“Our health workers need sufficient supplies and reliable equipment to provide quality health services to patients and residents which include the Bagobo Tagabawa tribe living in Barangay Sibulan and nearby areas,” Hedcor President and COO Rolando Pacquiao said. “These donations will definitely aid the operations of the health facilities and be able to better respond to the health needs of the community.”

In2021,HedcorandAboitizFoundationsuccessfully implemented the repair of the sub-health centers. As a continuingproject,thehealthcentersreceivedmedicines, applianceslikeclinicbeds,tables,anddrawers,plusother medicalequipment. Theseareexpectedtoboostthecommunities’healthcareservices,makingitmoreaccessible, usable,andavailable,especiallytotheindigenouspeoples in the province.

Santa Cruz Municipal Health Officer Dr. Raygene Manuel shared that the barangay health workers (BHW) feel blessed to receive Hedcor and Aboitiz Foundation's donations.

“We know that not all communities were given this kind of health assistance, and we are truly fortunate to receive these. I am proud to say that our BHWs are very dedicated and always ready to be of service,” she said.

Meanwhile, in the Province of Bukidnon, Hedcor turnedoveracompletedcoveredpathwayworthP250,000 to the Municipality of Impasugong’s Health Center as part of Hedcor and the local government unit's belief of

placing health as a priority.

Thecoveredpathwayisbeneficialinahealthcareenvironment, as it serves as a linkway between the regional health unit's building; providing staff, patients, and visitors protection from bad weather. Thirteen barangays in the Municipality of Impasugong have access to the Rural Health Unit services.

"This is a milestone being undertaken by the local government unit and Hedcor to ensure that the health servicesandthehealthneedsofImpasugongaregivenutmostimportance,"sharedMunicipalMayorAnthonyUy.

To further improve the delivery of health services, barangay and municipal health workers in Bukidnon and Davao Del Sur will also receive refresher courses on how to respond to health emergency situations from the Department of Health and Municipal Health Office representatives.

"Maytheseregenerativeprojectscontinuetostrengthenourrelationshipwithourcommunityinpursuitoftransformingenergyforabetterworld,"Pacquiaounderscored.

Hedcor is a renewable energy subsidiary of AboitizPower.

Rogen Inn exhibits M.I.C.E. proficiency

BUSINESS, leisure or a mix of both- bleisure, Rogen showcased its capabilities as a competent meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) venue in DavaoattherecentlyconcludedMICECon 2023.

The increasing demand for meeting spaces in the last few months prompted Rogen Inn to convert spaces in the inn to conference rooms.

The events that transpired in August andlastquarterof2022,whentheballroom of the inn was the venue to private events and corporate meetings filled the weekday daytimeballroomcalendar,wastheindicationthatmoremeetingspaceswereneeded.

“Wewentthroughalltheprosandcons of converting each of the spaces in the inn. Considering that Rogen Inn targets businessmen as its main market, the needs of

this group make it our priority,” said Gene Bangayan,” manager of Rogen Inn.

Since Rogen Inn opened its doors less than a year ago, the inn has been the venue to countless business meetings in the planning of the MICEcon2023 scheduledearly this March. With the hotel manager taking a significant role in the Davao Organizing CommitteeasCo-Chairpersonrepresenting theprivatesector,RogenInnplayedhostto the frequent pre-event meetings.

RogenInnwasoneofthesevenpartner hotels during MICECon 2023, the premier gathering for top-notch industry leaders in the travel, tourism and event management. The inn was one of the residences for delegates during the three-day conference.

“During the duration of the MICECon 2023, Rogen Inn accommodated around 10% of the total number of delegates who

arrived for the face-to-face conference in Davao. Emerging from the pandemic, this year’seditionoftheconferencewashybrid withabout2,000delegatesjoiningtheconference online,” shared Bangayan.

Beyondtheroleofaccommodatingthe delegatescomfortablyinthedeluxerooms, RogenInnwashosttooneoftheluncheons.

With the expertise of an event stylist, the Rogen Inn ballroom was transformed into a dreamy forest to fit the MICECon “Flora and Fauna” luncheon theme of the day. The table settings were accentuated withDavaotribetrimmingstocomplement the “Celebrating Diversity” sub-theme of theday’sconference.BoththethemeshighlightNature-basedTourismandSustainable Tourism,inwhichtheMICEindustryplays a crucial role in its growth.

The spotlight was on Davao cuisine.

Catering for 200 delegates,Villa Margarita prepared a curated meal that integrated several local must-eat on the menu including tuna and Davao’s fresh fruits in season.

“Rogen Inn is ready for big MICE events in Davao. Aside from MICECON, the recent Integrated Bar of the Philippines Convention joins the list of the biggest events Davao has hosted. Rogen Inn had its share of delegates accommodated in the innfrombothprestigiousevents,”shesaid.

With328Deluxeroomsandaselection of function halls that can accommodate smalltobigmeetingsandevents,RogenInn is always ready to welcome MICE affairs.

RogenInn,aDepartmentofTourismXI accredited establishment, is located at the corner of Mt. Apo & Lopez Jaena Streets, Davao City. For reservations call 0917 687 6436oremailreservations@rogeninn.com.

Ahard rain's a-gonna fall

ATTHEheightoftheheavyrainlastnight,a rottingtreebythemainroadfellandbrought down with it, an electric post. Hours later nearing midnight, when the rain was finally down to a monotonous drizzle, the lull of a silent night, thankfully robbed of karaoke, yapping dogs and shrieking neighbors from a block away, had finally laid us down to a peacefullightslumber.Intothatrestfulzone between wakefulness and deep sleep where dreams are just revving up. But only for a full ten minutes.

To describe what happened next, I’m reminded of a similarly-dark and silent night many years ago in a secondary forest in Lakewood, Zamboanga. Our Subanenfriendandguidehadwokenandshushedusthat we listen. About two hundred meters away, a once-dry creekviolentlyawoke,creakingtothethunderousrolling of felled trees, huge rocks and all sorts of forest debris, signaling the crackling start of a frightening flash flood. Back to real time, a similar decibel of noise had come when our next-door neighbors had arrived. I kid you not, thecomparisontothunderousnoiseisaccurate,especially when you’re already half-asleep. Sadly, you’d would think one already has had a basic understanding of the civilworld.Thenyou’resuddenlywitnesstoaseeminglyunbelievablemomentyou’dleastexpect,theutterlackof even a bit of empathy for a sleeping neighborhood.

Relatedly, it’s also akin to witnessing people still going out during the height of COVID-19 two years ago, withnaryacareintheworldtheymightcontaminatetheir loveonesincasetheybringhomethedreadedvirus.Duringthattime,I’vepersonallyknownoftwoinstanceslike that with fatal results.Adding every bit together, nothing seems to make any sense anymore.

One import trade possibly neglected by the BoC

LAST Monday while our vehicle driven by our son was cruising along the C.P. Garcia Diversion Highway-San Rafael By-Pass Road we were flagged down by a group of traffic enforcers. We were wondering what could have beenourtrafficviolationwhen the road had only a few vehiclesusingatthatmid-morning hour.

Whenwewereinfullstop weaskedthefirsttrafficenforcerwhoapproachedusforour violation and he said we were running over the speed limit in that particular thoroughfare. We were told that there is an existing speed limit imposed by the local government on certain streets including the highways and those in the downtown area.

Of course we told the traffic guy that we know. What we did not know is the speed limit of that by-pass road considering that the place could not anymore be covered as within the city proper. The traffic enforcer told us that we were running at about 50 kilometers per hour or roughly ten kph faster than the prescribed speed limit in that road.

Interestingly, some among us actually haveunwrittencriteriaonwhatreallymakes forgoodneighbors.Livinginsuburbia,first among many is that we should mind own business.Truthbetold,asfarasIcanrecall, us pinoys do not want to be told what to do. This is why in the culture, being straightforward or honest, is often frowned upon as rude behavior and treated as a big no-no. Perhaps this is why “chismis” or rumor mongering is common. It’s much easier not to be straightforward. As such, Maritesses of the world unite.

Lastly, during the week before, I was on one of those modern India-made transports when a coed sitting next to me had her phone playing loud music. After a while, when I politely asked if she had an earphone in her bag, she just frowned and moved further away to the opposite side of the car. Generational or not, I guess this is the new world. Get away, old man. Once again, I’m imagining thunderous rolling of felled trees, giant rocks and all sorts of forest debris, signaling the cracking start of a frightening flash flood.

EDITORS’ NOTE:

Wepleadedbecausehonestly,notonlythatweareaware of the 40 kph speed limit told us by the traffic man but because we were getting late for an important meeting with someone in a downtown coffee shop which was at ten a.m. and it was running 10:05 already because we were stuck in a humongous traffic at Crossing Ma-aAnd Diversion Road which had us stranded for about 30 minutes.

It was a good thing the group gave us a first-offender considerationafterseeingthedriver’slicenseofourson.But we given a very stern warning that should such violation of the speed limit be repeated the full force of the ordinance will be heaped on our son-driver.

Our haggling with the traffic enforcement guys was settled after some 15 minutes with the promise that we will endeavortolearnwhatroadsinthecityarecoveredbythe30 or 40 or 60 kph speed limit so we will unlikely be repeating our son’s traffic infraction.

Honestly, we were ashamed of what we have done if only to skirt with a local ordinance. But we were happy and thankful to the men of our idol community relations guy of theDavaoCityPoliceOfficeduringhisactiveservicein the force, Colonel DionisioAbude (Ret.).

Last Monday’s incident was one occasion where the saying, “Ignorance of the law excuses no one” was given some little flexibility as it is also clear that there are some weaknesses in the speed limit ordinance. One of these is the lack of massive information dissemination as to what roads inthecityarecoveredbythedifferentspeedlimitcategories.

When we finally reached our designated meeting place ourfriendhadalreadyconsumedhisthirdcupofcoffee. We were so apologetic even as he told us the almost one hour delay of our arrival did not bother him much really.

Again we thank the traffic enforcement guys for being considerate to one unintentional first timer traffic ordinance violators.AndsorrytootoouridolComRelguyCol.Abude. Please be considerate as well to your men in the field.

Bytheway,forthosewhodidnotknowColonelAbude was a national awardee from the PNP for that category of service – Community Relations -in addition to the regular duties of a police officer. *****************************

We wonder if our market goers or even those who do errandsforthehouseholdsindrygoodsstores,areawarethat most of these establishments are using wrappers out of old newspapers seeminglyfromSouthKoreaascanbegleaned from the prints and alphabets of the news items and other related articles published?

Even as personally we were having several instances of noticing these Korean newspapers piled in bulk in stores and the ones used to wrap sold dry goods and sometimes even those that belong to the “wet” category. For the many months past that we had been running errands for the woman in the house hardly had we seen Philippine newspapers being used as wrappers.We assume that either the Filipinos are becoming wide readers and compilers of newspaperissuesforfuturereference,orthatthePhilippine publishersarelosingmoneythusnecessitatingthereduction of copies they print.

However, we are also thinking that some shrewd and innovative businessmen – perhaps some Koreans now doing business in the Philippine, some Filipinos or FilipinoChinese now into importing trash from Korea including old newspapers which may have been turned into a lucrative ( /ROUGH/7)

LASTFridayIwasinvitedtowitnesstheawardingofthe victorsoftheDavaoUnityAwards,whichisacelebration of the brilliance of the brains of the college students. It is one of the highlights of the 86th Celebration of Araw Ng Dabaw.

The conference’s theme “Academic Research TowardsInnovativeandGovernance”wasappropriategiven the City’s progress, values, and intentions, at present an in the conceivable future.

Mayor Baste reveals that he wanted to celebrate and give due recognition to student theses which are worthy ofapplicationeitherasabusinesssnippet,apolicytrigger, or by itself a major intellectual breakthrough.

Mayor Baste wanted to recognize these brilliant studentsgiventhekindofpositiveeffectitwouldoffertoour younger generation. The best proof to that is the Mayor Baste himself, whose thesis group was awarded as best thesis while he was doing his college degree.

I am just very thankful to realize where the idea of Davao UnityAwards came from.

Iwasoneofthejudgesforthepapersintheeconomy and tourism category. MinDA Secretary Maria Belen Acostaassignedmetohandlethetaskinreflectionofour taskasaplanningandcoordinatingagencyfortheoverall development of Mindanao.

WhenIreceivedthesetofpapers,Itooktheperspectiveofasocialscientisttryingtofindthelinkofanything of value of the research to development.

The questions I want to be answered as I read the manuscripts are, how will the project add to the Futures of Davao? What value-adding it offers to Davao? How can the project add to the aegis of Davao City as the city enters the wide road of progress?

I will talk here lengthily about the best paper.

The winning research able to impress me.

DavaoCityasagloballylivablecity,beingacenterof

EGALITARIAN

patternsoftrafficaccidents,touristdecisions,hugecapital inputs, flashfloods patterns, crime patterns, victimization configurations,improvementinthecompetitiveadvantage suchasourdurian’spredictedfutureintheglobalmarket, orperhaps,ourcacaowherewhichwearealsoknownof.

I am happy, that the questions are courageously addressed by the winning research among a hundred of researches submitted.

While the world is on the huge debate on the gains and losses of artificial intelligence especially with the induction of ChatGPT as a powerfulAI, amidst the intellectual humdrums, we noticed a courageous attempt to useAI for Cacao.

BY ADRIAN M. TAMAYO

excellence and governance, investment, tourism, climate change adaptation, disaster resilience, and sustainable growth characterized by empowered residents, need to haveonitshilttechnologies,disruptiveoradaptive,tothe changing demands of time, on space, and values.

While we have these things to happen to us as Dabawenyos, we should also pay notice that the world is abuzz with the so-called artificial intelligence (AI).

Some scientists are uncomfortable aboutAI.

They are professing of a future to have cars without drivers, grocery stores without cashiers and attendants, planes without pilots, children play and control avatars, and CEOs meet in the augmented reality.

And what if in the same future we can see patterns to predictearthquakes,detectearlygenomesthatwillleadto cancer, anticipate multiple outcomes of a financial decision, or predict the patterns of pandemic.

Or in our case, as Dabawenayos, what if we can seek

Davao Celebrates as well as Recognizes Afish-take

BERN, Switzerland (MindaNews) -- Mayors making presscons from City Hall rarely make for interesting news. But not whenayoungfirst-timemayortargetslocalbusinessmeninhis campaign to bring down the high prices of fish in his marine resource-rich city.

I was intrigued when Surigao city Mayor Pablo Yves Dumlao III, in a presscon posted by Radio Station DXRS on its Facebook Meta page on March 14, 2023, claimed that middlemen were manipulating the local prices of fish.

Mayor Paul, as he is referred to, was pointing his finger at theSUCFIBBAortheSurigaoCityFederationofFishBuyersBrokers Association as the group which over the years had established a monopoly over the sale, distribution and pricing of fishes sold in the city.

SUCFIBBA,saidthemayor, controlsfishsuppliescoming in at the fish landing, a project initiated by the Diwa Partylist but constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) using public funds, and had built illegal structures when they added private walled partitions in the public infrastructure.

ThefisherfolkmeanwhilewerekeptindebtthroughfinancialloansorothermoneysupportextendedbySUCFIBBA,the mayor said, adding that SUCFIBBA members also controlled up to 70 percent of the estimated 100 fish stalls at the market, with a few members owning up to 20 to 30 stalls.

Mayor Paul even charged that SUCFIBBA managed to cheat the city government of taxes and revenues by underdeclaringtheirgrossrevenuesandtheworthfromtheirfishcars. “A single ten-wheeler fish car can carry up to 20 to 30 tons of fish. Even at just 100 pesos for 30 tons of fish, that is already

ROUGH...(frompage6)

endeavor by the importers of garbage.

Shortly before the pandemic when a brother-in-law of ours was engaged in some business requiring wrapping of his merchandise with newspaper, the item was selling at P20 a kilo. Today a kilo of old newspaper may already be at either P30 or P40.

Now if Korean trash like old newspapers could be imported in so less a cost, then selling the same to Filipino entrepreneurs and other users could be earning double or even triple the import value.

May be it is now time for the Bureau of Customs to look into this trade. Who knows if the men of the Bureau aresofixatedonrunningafterpossiblesmugglingofonions, rice and sugar which is in hundreds of millions of pesos in value, they unintentionallyneglected a seemingly harmless trade–importingorperhapsevensmugglingtrashorgarbage from South Korea.

ALPSIDEDOWNED BRADY

EVIOTA

three million earnings in a year! You declared your business gross revenue at just over one million in a year. Waya kamo mangasipog?” thundered the mayor in his presscon.

But what happens when the fish harvest or season - locally called a “dabos” - comes, and fish prices should lower because of the abundance? But the mayor claimed SUCFIBBA brings out the fishes to other places so that they could profit more. “How can the Surigaonons enjoy our resources that we are close to the sea?”

The executive said City Hall has made a study on how the system works at the fish landing, and its statements from its sources indicated that the fish buyers-brokers group operated mafia-like by cornering the market and keeping out outsiders; and that a link diagram or a matrix has even identified the leader-whichthemayortaggedas“Mr.Lampornas”or“Mister Dominant” - because he reportedly owns up to 15 fishing boats and many market stalls.

SUCFIBBA reacted by calling an emergency meeting of its members and the next day held its own presscon led by its president Engr. Ambrosio Lambus Jr., aside from presenting fishermen, a fish supplier and a fishing vessel owner to back their position.

In an 11-point statement that he read, Lambus denied the mayor’s claims, saying that the association does not control the fishlandingorownsomanymarketstallsorfishingboats,adding “our system is open trading or open dispatching.”

The high prices of fish in the city, he said, result from the economics of demand and supply; inflation; and the changing weather conditions.

SUCFIBBA does not set the prices of fish, he said, it is the fishing boat captains or “kapitans,” or by the fish traders or suppliers bringing in fishes from outside when the supplies in the city are low.

“Ourroleasfishbrokersintheeconomicactivityinthefish landingisnoteasy,”saidLambus.“Itisabigchallengetoensure that the city has enough fish supply,” adding that fish brokers “only facilitate to dispatch fish supplies arriving in the city.”

Lambusdeniedthattheybuycheapfromfishermenandsell higher to the “liners” or “compradors” or the market vendors.

“We only get a commission,” he claimed (a 10% commission if the fisherman advances fuel, rice and food while they are at sea and money support for their families back home; and 7 to 8% “kunway konsumo”).Whatisnotclear,however,ishowmany hands the fish stocks pass through in the city before reaching the market buyers or consumers.

But the battle lines are drawn and the mayor seems set on

Who knows, with a bigger candor, and better atmosphere for inquiry, reflecting and thinking, we can solve some or most problems that skid us off or prevent us, individually or collectively, from entering the wide road of progress.

The idea that the research espouses is very promising, it allows us to see a future today. So let us be happy for amidst us we have a researcher who developed the study “Development of a Cacao Disease Identification and ManagementApp using Deep Learning”.

Who knows this researcher will challenge his intelligence to employ AI in the many sectors of human engagement to improve humanity.

After all, as AI can generate an infinite learning, so does the potential of its application being contoured by the spheres of human intelligences and virtues, we are sure to take benefit to Davao’s advantage.

Andmaybe,justmaybe,inthecelebrationofthe87th Araw Ng Dabaw, presentations would be on the optimal use of the technologies locally developed. It is but a joyful the victories and achievements of Davao City is one of the keystones that can unlock the multiple potentials of Mindanao.

breaking up the monopoly in the fish landing.

“We are trying to correct that mistake,” said the mayor, a civil engineer who is now heading the family business in road andbridgesconstruction.“Whatwearesayingisthatthebrokers areillegallyoccupyingthefishlanding.Wewantfreeeconomic enterprisewithfreeaccesstopublic.Thefishtradingareashould be open to public, not limited to SUCFIBBAmembers.”

MayorPaulcitedthesituationinthenearbytownofPlacer which he said practices free enterprise. “They have their own cold storage plant, their own ice plant and the public gets to enjoy those infrastructure.”

As a longtime radio commentator in the city puts the situation in the city: ”An fish landing (in Surigao) taghimo na cuarto-cuarto na dormitoryo; an cold storage nahimo na warehouse na pang-storage.”

Then the mayor in his presscon made a bold move, presenting a scenario which no local executive had ever made: he urged the fishermen to bring their supplies straight to the market, bypassing the fish brokers; and also told the fishermen to neglect the payment of their “loans” to the brokers, saying that SUCFIBBA has no legal permit or authority to engage in “financing.”

“I am calling on our Suriganoon fishermen”, said mayor Paul. “Pwede kamo mo-landing didto sa pantalan uno, direkta kamo baligya sa tiangge. (You can land at Pier 1 and proceed to the market to sell). Who will arrest you, si Mr. Lampornas? Sanan jaon ijo mga utang kan Mr. Lampornas, kalimti na nijo jaon, waya may jaoy sija lisensiya para magpautang sa ijo” (Whoever owes debts to Mr. Lamporanas, forget them. He has no license as money lender)

At the start of SUCFIBBA’s presscon, as Jun Lambus was speaking,asuddenheavydownpourdrownedouthispleadings for the city government to present them the city’s “black and white” formal plans for the fish landing.

Already, the city engineering group had deployed city trucks and other equipment at the fish landing and market sites supposedly to prevent the association’s vehicles and fish cars from using the road as their personal parking area or “garage.”

Would the city wait awhile for other solutions to the impasse? And will Mayor Paul find the political will and the public support that he needs to “liberalize the system” in the fish landing area?

In more direct political terms, a radio commentator asked on air, “Is the mayor not afraid of losing votes?” This is a concrete test for a neophyte politician in Surigao city who won under the Nacionalista Party and broke the stranglehold of the Matugas clan in city politics and is now gaining a reputation as areformer.(MindaViewsistheopinionsectionofMindaNews. BradyEviotawroteandeditedforthenowdefunctMediaMindanao News Service in Davao and also for SunStar Cagayan de Oro. He is from Surigao City and now lives in Bern, the Swiss capital located near the BerneseAlps)

9GEMS Pawnshop Inc.

All pawned items that expired during the month of MAY, 2015 if not renewed or redeemed on or before JULY 14, 2015 will be sold to the public on JULY 16, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. at our pawnshop premises.

All pawned items that expired during the month of JANUARY 2023, if not renewed or redeemed on or before JANUARY 2023 will be sold to the public on MARCH 16, 2023 at 9:00a.m. at our pawnshop premises.

Gipahibalo ang tanan na ang FIRST COLOR PAWNSHOP magasubasta sa tanan nga nag-expired sabulansaENERO2023.Angtananprendaibaligya sa publiko karong MARSO 16, 2023 sa alas 9:00 sa buntag.

Gipahibalo ang tanan na ang FIRST COLORPAWNSHOPmagasubastasatanan nga nag-expired sa bulan sa MAYO 2015. Ang tanan prenda ibaligya sa publiko karong HULYO 16 sa alas 9:00 sa buntag.

DAVAO

FIRST COLOR

#47 Lao St., Toril, Davao City Tel. No. 295-2460

Egger Bldg., Matina Crossing Davao City Tel. No. (082) 285-7069

NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE

ALL PAWNED ITEMS EXPIREDON FEBRUARY 2023 ANDGADGETSTHATEXPIRES ON MARCH 2023 WILL BE DISPLAYED IN A PUBLIC AUCTION ON APRIL 18 , 2023 AT 9:00AM.

NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE

ToyBldg.,Lapu-lapuSt.,Agdao,DavaoCity

NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE

All Pawned Items that expired during the month of OCTOBER2022mustberenewedorredeemedTwo(2) days before theAuction Schedule stated below. If not redeemedorrenewed,itwillbesoldtothepubliconits respectiveauctionscheduleandpremises@9:00A.M.

GibpahibaloangtananngaangDIAGOLDPAWNSHOP, INC.magsubastasatanannganagexpiredhangtodsa bulan sa OKTUBRE 2022, ang tanang prenda ibaligya sa publiko sa mga petsa na nakabutang sa ubos, sa oras nga 9:00 sa buntag.

EXPIRY DATES AUCTION DATES

JANUARY 23, 2023MARCH 09, 2023

All pawned items that expired during the month of AUGUST 2022, if not renewed or redeemed will be sold to the public on FEBRUARY 16, 2023 at 9:00a.m. at our pawnshop premises.

Gipahibalo ang tanan na ang AL-JOS PAWNSHOP magasubasta sa tanan nga nag-expired sa bulan sa AGOSTO 2022.Ang tanan prenda ibaligya sa publiko karong PEBRERO 16, 2023 sa alas 9:00 sa buntag.

All Pawned items that expired until the month of JUNE 2022, must be redeemed or renewed Two (2) days prior theAuctionSchedulestatedbelow.Ifnotredeemedwill besoldtothepubliconitsrespectiveauctionschedule and premises at 9:00 A.M.

angtananngaangGOLDVALUEPAWNSHOP, INC., maga subasata sa tanan nga nag-expired kung dili malukat ibaligya sa publiko sa alas 9:00 sa buntag.

NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE

All pawned items that expired during the month of DECEMBER 2022 , must renewed or redeemed two (2) days prior to the Auction Schedule stated below. If not renewed or redeemed, it will be sold to the public on its respective auction schedule and premises @ 9:00 a.m.

Gipahibalo ang tanan nga ang NARDING PAWNSHOP, INC., maga-subasta sa tanan nga nag-expired sa bulan sa DISYEMBRE 2022. Ang tanan prenda ibaligya sa publiko sa mga petsa nga nakabutang sa ubos, sa oras nga 9:00 sa buntag.

CPB-NGI PAWNSHOP, INC.

NOTICE OF AUCTION

SALE

All pawned items that expired during the Months of SEPTEMBER 2022 (Regular Items) and OCTOBER 2022 (Gadgets) must be redeemed or renewed two (2) days prior to the Auction date schedule as stated below. If not redeemed or renewed will be sold to the public on its respectively auction date schedule at its premises at 9:00 AM

Main – San Pedro Cor. Anda Street Davao City

Tel. Nos. (082) 221-1477; (082) 221-0355; (082)222-5039

Email us @ rosegoldpawnshopdavao@gmail.com

Highest Appraisal and Low Interest Rates at 3%

Rosegold Pawnshop

Lapu-lapu Street, Agdao Davao City Tel. No. (082) 225-3637

(Fronting Queen Bank) Tel. No. (082) 222-1561 ; (082) 321-0128

Email: goldstandardpawnshopdavao@gmail.com

Rosegold Pawnshop Ilustre Street, Davao City (BesideNCCCHardwaremaxx) Tel. No. (082) 295-6199

NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE

All Jewelry and other articles pawned at Rosegold Pawnshop San Pedro-Main, Rosegold Pawnshop Ilustre, Rosegold Pawnshop Bolton, Rosegold Pawnshop,Agdao and Rosegold Pawnshop Buhangin from SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 TO OCTOBER 15, 2022

If not redeemed or renewed on or before MARCH 17, 2023 will be sold to the Public Auction on MARCH 20-22, 2023 at Rosegold Pawnshop San Pedro-Main from 9:00am to 6:00pm.

Accepts:Jewelry,wholesalerand retaileronallkindsofjewelry

Highest Appraisal and Low Interest Rates at 3%

NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE

All jewelry and other articles pawned at Goldstandard Pawnshop San Pedro, from SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 TO OCTOBER 15, 2022 if not redeemed or renewed on MARCH 17, 2023 will be sold to the Public Auction on MARCH 20-22, 2023 at our Pawnshop premises from 9:00am to 6:00pm.

NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE

All pawned items at METRO GOLDBRILL PAWNSHOP that expired if not redeemed or renewed Two (2) days before the Auction will be sold to the public on MARCH 15, 2023.

GipahibaloandtanannaangMETROGOLDBRILL PAWNSHOP magasubasta sa tanan nga nagexpired kung dili malukat o matubuan duha (2) ka adlaw una ang pagbaligya sa publiko karong MARSO 15, 2023.

EURO CIRCLE PAWNSHOP

SAN PEDRO ST., DAVAO CITY - TEL. NO.: 227-0521

EURO MAIN PAWNSHOP

ILUSTRE ST., DAVAO CITY - TEL. NO.: 227-7511

MATI CITY, DAVAO ORIENTAL - TEL. NO.: 306-0665

EURO STAR PAWNSHOP

ILUSTRE ST., DAVAO CITY - TEL. NO.: 227-0667

EURO SUN PAWNSHOP

SAN PEDRO ST., DAVAO CITY - TEL. NO.: 227-3321

RoqueBldg.,MatinaCrossing,DavaoCity

Tel. # 234-6367

PAWNS NOT REDEEMED/RENEWED WITHIN FIVE (5) DAYS AFTER EXPIRY DATES WILL BE AUCTIONED ON MARCH 15, 2023 AT 10:00 A.M. AT THE RESPECTIVE PAWNSHOPS WHERE THE ITEMSWERE PAWNED.

GABBY’S BRILLIANT PAWNSHOP INC. / GABBY’S INFINITE PAWNSHOP INC.

All Pawned items at GOLDVISION PAWNSHOP, INC., that expired must be redeemed or renewed Two (2) days prior theAuction Schedule stated below. If not redeemed will be sold to the public on its respective auction schedule and premises at 9:00 A.M.

GipahibaloangtananngaangGOLDVISIONPAWNSHOP,INC.,magasubasata sa tanan nga nag-expired, kung dili malukat ibaligya sa publiko sa alas 9:00 sa buntag.

BRANCHES AUCTION DATE TEL. NO.

General Lao, Toril

MARCH 16, 2023

MARCH 16, 2023

MARCH 10, 2023

MARCH 03, 2023

MARCH 28, 2023

MARCH 16, 2023

TEL NO.: 321-2185 / 234-4844

All Pawned items at GABBY’S BRILLIANT PAWNSHOP, INC. and GABBYS’SINFINITEPAWNSHOP,INC.thatexpiredmustberedeemed or renewed Two (2) days prior the Auction Schedule stated below. If not redeemed will be sold to the public on its respective auction schedule and premises at 9:00 A.M.

GipahibaloangtananngaangGABBY’SBRILLIANTPAWNSHOP,INC. and GABBYS’S INFINITE PAWNSHOP, INC. maga subasata sa tanan nga nag-expired kung dili malukat ibaligya sa publiko sa alas 9:00 sa buntag.

(formerly Cabaguio

MARCH 21, 2023

MARCH 24, 2023

DAVAO VAULT SP

JULY 2022

AUGUST 2022

MARCH 16, 2023

MARCH 16, 2023

MARCH 16, 2023

Door #7Realty Bldg. beside Lakitan Mall San Pedro street, Davao City (Tel No.: 228-9322

BRANCHES AUCTION DATE TEL. NOS. SAN PEDRO MARCH 14, 2023 321-2185 ILUSTRE MARCH 02, 2023 234-4844

RISING...(fromfrontpage)

and Palawan and several tourism establishments.

Some hotels and other tourism-related facilities have remained closed due to the pandemic, including the Marco Polo Hotel, the first five-star hotel located rightatthecenterofthecity

and considered as among its landmarks.

Montemayor also pushed for the opening of more air connectivity that will feature the city to attract more travelers, particularly those looking for spots that the city and

STUDENTS...(frompage2)

help individuals develop “their business acumen towardsbuildingtheirdream startups.”

Registrationisongoing until March 31. Upgrade is theleadimplementerofthe consortium.

Gumba said the InnoVersity, which will start from April to June 2023, is an “ideation-to-validation” program where students will be taught about the fundamentalsofstartingand runningascalableenterprise, refinetheirstartupideasand validate their markets to see its potential for launch.

The program includes, among others, a series of learning sessions on entrepreneurialmindset,technopreneurship, design thinking, market research and validation, business model canvas and finance, and a deep mentoring session.

Headdedthatthatthey welcome participants in education,agriculture,sustainabilityand smartindustries, to name a few.

Gumba noted that they hope to have around 50 startup teams, with five members each, for the learning sessions.

At least 10 teams will be picked for deep mentoring and incubation with partner technology business incubators (TBIs) in the city at the end of the program, he said.

He said that TBIs may assist and connect their incubates to potential investors or co-write proposals for possible funding.

“There is usually no direct funding or investments when startups undergo business incubation programs from the TBIs. The amount of seed fund that the startups may get, if everthereareindeedinvestorswhichisrareforearlystage startups, depends on many factors, including valuation, needs and due diligence,” he said.

According to a briefer, InnoVersity is designed to spur the interest of partici-

the nearby areas can offer.

"We still lack air connectivity," she lamented, suggesting that both the private sector and government tap their partnership to ensure that the city becomes the focal point of Mice in the country.

pants “in entrepreneurship andtechnopreneurshipasa catalyst for social impact, mainstream a culture of innovation in addressing socialproblems,andpromote technopreneurship as an alternative career pathway for the youth.”

Topics will include Psychology of Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Development Goals and Impact Business, Design Thinking, Design Sprint, Team Work and Dynamics, Technology Design, Business Model Canvas and Development, Market Validation, Go-To-Market Strategy, Finance 101, and Pitching, it said.

It added Upgrade has partnered with the Singapore-based youth-focused startup accelerator Reactor School, Malaysia-based businessacceleratorE3Entrepreneurs Hub, and several universities in Davao Region through IDEAS Davao. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

BANNED...(frompage2)

adlawaspeciallyangMarch 26," said Dela Rey.

The IronGirls run course on March 24 will seethenorthboundlanesof R. Castillo Avenue - from Azuela Cove to corner San Nicolas Road- closed from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The northbound lanes of R. Castillo -fromAzuelatoCornerJerome Street- will be closed onMarch25from5a.m.to 9 a.m. to make way for the IronKids bicycle route.

For the IronMan 70.3 on March 26, the southbound lanes from Alcantara to Lasang, all the way

ANTI...

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for these crimes.We aim to support advocacy groups such as Terre des Hommes and Bidlisiw through the services that we offer,” said Marylou Gocotano, Head of Visayas Relations at PLDT and Smart Stakeholder Management Group.

SCROL will debut in the Philippines with Cebu as the initial launch site. Specifically, the program will be implemented in Naga City and in the municipalities of Minglanilla, Bantayan,andSta.Fe.Outside of the Philippines, SCROL has been making strides in Nepal, Kenya, and Cambodia.

“OSAEChasbeenproliferating nowadays. Our prevention work involves ISPs, telecommunication companies, money transfer agencies, and technology companies, among others. Thus, working together withthem,specificallywith PLDT and Smart, is one step closer to finding solutions to these aggravating issuesaffectingthechildren and the youth. Bidlisiw

NGCP...(frompage4)

robust the defenses against any possible attacks on our power systems, on any other elements in our everyday lives that require power, and for that matter, thatrequiretheexchangeof secureinformationamongst ourselves in society.,” said Pres. Marcos.

“I thank the NGCP for taking the initiative here. There have been fears that the involvement of any foreign entity in our power transmissionsystemwould present a security threat to the Philippines. (…) This is a very good step towards answeringthatchallenge.,” the President added.

President Marcos also emphasized that, “It is but one step because we are continuing to do this not onlywithNGCPbutweare developing our cybersys-

to Panabo, Carmen, and Tagum will be closed from 3 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., while from 3 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., thenorthboundlanesofthe same stretch will be closed to traffic for the race’s bike course. For the IronMan 70.3 running course, the northbound lane from J.P. Laurel toAlcantara will be closed from 3 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The IronMan 70.3 triathlon race is an international sporting event that bringstogetherworld-class athletesandtriathletesfrom all over the globe.

highly anticipates a meaningful and productive collaboration with these identified sectors to end online sexual exploitation,” said PamelaUy,BidlisiwFoundation, Inc. Deputy Executive Director.

PLDT and Smart have made strides to curtail online abuse of children. In January of this year, PLDT and Smart's Cyber Security Operations Group (CSOG) prevented more than 200,000 attempts to access OSAEC materials through the pioneering Child Protection Platform.

The PLDT Group commits its full support to boost the implementation of the SCROL project in the pre-determined areas andparticipateinthewider fight against OSAEC. This underscores the group’s long-term commitment to help the country attain UNSDG#16thatpromotes just,peacefulandinclusive societies including the end to abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violenceagainstandtorture of children.

400LGUS...(frompage2)

remain either financially or technically unprepared to assume their devolved functions.

The DBM chief chairs the Committee on Devolution (ComDev) which monitors of the implementation of the detailed transition plans (DTPs) of the LGUs.

“Iba-iba ang level ng capacity ng ating LGUs. Of course, yung nasa cities medyo advanced at developed na ‘yan and because they have enough funding, meronnarinsilangenough manpower to implement the projects (LGUs have different levels of capacity. Of course, there are cities that are advanced anddevelopedandbecause they have enough funding, they also have enough manpower to implement the projects),” Pangandaman said.

“But there are LGus

that we know are really lagging. Hindi nila kayang iimplement ang mga projects kasi kulang ang kanilang (They cannot implement the projects because they lack) technical expertise and capacity to implementthoseprojects,” she added.

Under EO 138, she said disadvantaged and lagging LGUs will receive financial assistance through the Growth Equity Fund (GEF) to help them fully implement their devolved functions and services.

Despite getting bigger share in the collections of national taxes, Pangandaman said there is still an issue on whether or not LGUs know how to properly utilize these funds.

“SabisaaminngLMPs [League of Municipalities in the Philippines] (told us that), it’s not only about

PHBANKS...(frompage4)

Itattributedthistoseveral factors, one of which is the larger hikes in the FederalReserve’skeyrates which came from lower levelscomparedtotheBSP rates.

The Fed’s key rates have been increased by a total of 450 basis points since March 2022, bringing it to between 4.50 to 4.75 percent as of Feb. 1, 2023.

BSP’s key rates have been hiked by a total of 400 basis points since May 2022, to 6 percent for the overnight reverse repurchase (RRP) rate.

The RRP rate was reduced to record-low 2 percent last year to help

cushion the impact of the pandemic on the domestic economy by encouraging lending.

The Notes from the central bank’s Supervisory Policy and Research Department (SPRD) further said yield curve in the Philippines “did not invert similar to the US yield curve”, and bond holdings of US banks have longer tenors,at30yearsthemost, compared to the maximum tenor holdings of domestic banks at 15 years.

It said domestic banks also have strong risks governance and risk managementsystemand“maintain sufficient capital to absorb unexpected losses from

the money. Of course, they are happy that they have additional money now, but iniisip din nila (they are thinking) how will they use the money, properly utilize it, and implement it,” she said.

Todate,shesaidcapacity-building, trainings and seminars are being carried out to help prepare LGUs to stand on their own feet.

Shelikewiseexpressed hope that the ComDev would come up with amendments to EO 138 in two months.

“There are a lot of studies already done by different academic institutionslikePIDS[Philippine Institute for Development Studies] and even our developmentpartners.Maybe we can just look at them again. Siguro (Perhaps) in just two months baka mayroonnapokaming(we already have a) study and

policy rate increases.”

“(Philippine banks) are highly liquid and tend to rely on a wide depositor base compared to US banks,” it said, adding domestic banks “do not have material exposure to the failed banks.”

Despite the resiliency of the domestic banking system, the BSP said it “will continue to closely monitor developments, assess their impact on the banking system and respond accordingly.”

Meanwhile, banking giant UBS has agreed to buy its rival, Credit Suisse, for about USD3.25 billion, amoveseentoaddresssentiments and avoid a global

we are able to show this to the President already,” she said.

Think-tankLocalGovernment Development Institute(LGDI)earlierurged Marcos to heed LGUs' request to move the implementation of full devolution to 2027, instead of 2024,stressingtheneedfor a more gradual transfer of programs.

LGDI executive director and former DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malayasaidtheappropriate interventions must first be given to the LGUs.

Last month, Marcos assured that his administration is "very serious" in weighingtheconsequences offulldevolutionofcertain functions of the executive branch to LGUs.

He said the national government would be "all ears" as they relay their concerns. (PNA)

banking crisis.

Credit Suisse earlier said it plans to borrow up to USD54 billion (50 billion francs) from the Swiss National Bank to help address the drop in its shares andtoreassureitsinvestors and customers.

Medalla said the deal “means CSG (Credit Suisse Group AG) is too big to fail.”

“It does not look like that other Globally SystemicallyImportantBanks (GSIBs) have the same problem, in which case the impact on the global economy (and therefore the Philippines) will not be significant,” he added. (PNA)

tems so that we are secure and so that the data that we need to collect and to disseminate is available to us, and we are able to do and handle the data in a secure fashion without the risk of it being used somehow againstthePhilippines.Let thisbeanexampletoallthe other sectors that could be assessed to be at risk when itcomestocybersecurity.It is a good signal to all of us who have concerns in this regard – that we are doing many things to make sure thatthePhilippinesremains secure, that the Philippines remainsinaccordancewith international law, that the Philippines and its people can rest assured that their territory, their data, their personal information will not be used against us, and that they can feel secure.”

that more businesses are making significant changes to their organizational policies as they recover and adapt to the demands of the post-pandemic normal,” P&AGrantThorntonChairperson & CEO Marivic Españo said.

“Butaswecanseefrom the results of our Women in Business Report, progress in narrowing the gender disparity has been, for the longesttime,justanoffshoot effect of solutions to other workplace issues. The time is ripe to adopt strategies focusedanddedicatedsolelyto bridging the gender gap still present today,” she added.

Global figures

While progress on the overall number of women in senior leadership in the Philippinescontinues,Grant Thornton’s latest research reveals that global progress hasbeenslow,withthenumber of senior management positions in mid-market

businesses held by women increasing only half a percentage point to 32.4%, and 13 percentage points since the research was first undertaken in 2003.

Karitha Ericson, global leaderofnetworkcapability and culture at Grant Thornton International Limited, emphasizedthatunlessbusinesses develop cultures that empower people through flexible ways of working and take additional steps to support women into senior leadership positions, only 34% of senior leadership positions in mid-market businesses globally will be held by women in 2025.

“Businesses must take intentional actions to accelerate progress and strive for40%ofseniorleadership roles to be held by women by 2025, so that they can reap the benefits of greater diversity,” Karitha said in a statement, pertaining to the global initiative to increase

the proportion of women in senior leadership roles.

Factorstopromotegender parity

To more effectively address the global gender gap, Grant Thornton is making strongerglobalcallsformidmarket businesses to push for gender parity and understandsthatintentionalaction frombusinessesisneededto accelerate progress.

The Grant Thornton report identifies factors which will support this acceleration. Firstly, women now hold a great number of senior management positions. This trend is likely to lead to new diversity strategies focused on increasing diversityattheseniormanagementlevelandpushingmore businesses towards gender parity.

Secondly,externalpressures around Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) policies demand the creation of new strategies,

includingadeterminedpush towards more women in senior leadership. The establishment of global ESG standards and regulations is putting pressure on firms to form diverse leadership teams.

The most significant boosttowardachievinggender parity could come from a continued commitment by businesses to provide increased flexible working. The IBR research also foundthatbusinesseswhich offer flexible, hybrid and home-based models have the highest levels of women inseniorleadershiproles.In businessesthathaveadopted a hybrid way of working, 34% of senior leaders are women, while in businesses that are fully flexible where staffchoosehowtheywork, it is 36%. Meanwhile, only 29% of senior management roles is held by females in businesses with predominantly office-based models.

to execute effective digital campaigns, ineffective sourcing and use of data for digital marketing or advertising, inefficient audience targeting and digital media buying, and directto-customercommunication challenges.

“With the rebranding, wearepositioningourselves asanend-to-endadtechand data partner for businesses. This move was born out of the recognition that connecting with customers is not only about the data or the technology, but also about the brave decisions that brands make to bring their businesses closer to their customers – being more daring to experiment, take risks, and question things,” saidNikkoAcosta, BCHI President and CEO.

“With our four companies, we’re creating a comprehensive ecosystem of data, media, and fulfillmentpartnersthattranslates the curiosity of businesses about their customers and their behavior, into datadrivencampaignsthatresonate with their audience,” he added.

In2022,GlobeGroup’s adtechanddatagroupwasa significantcontributortothe growthofGlobe’snon-telco revenues.

AdSpark, a full-service, data-driven digital advertisingagency,services enterpriseclientsbymanaging campaigns, generating creatives,performingmedia

provide international visitors with an opportunity to try one of nearly 40 new or “off-the-beaten-path” experiences in Singapore for free, across the whole of 2023.

CEB provides strong connectivity to Singapore asitcurrentlyfliesfromManila,Cebu,Davao,andstarting in April, from Clark, Pampanga.

“We value this partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board. With recovery in place and our growth plans set in motion, our main goal now is to fly every Juan to exciting destination such as Singapore and enjoy all the offering in this beautiful destination that we missed doing during the pandemic,” said Candice Iyog, Chief Marketing and Customer ExperienceOfficerofCebu Pacific.

CEB currently flies thricedailybetweenManila and Singapore, providing passengers easy access to theLionCity,toexperience its famous culinary scene, see its scenic spots, engage in thrill-seeking activities, or go shopping.

outreach, and recommending other adtech services across 149 clients in 2022.

M360, the leading A2P messaging platform in the country, reaches at least 150 million mobile users and 45 million OTT users. Itenablesbusinessestosend and receive messages to 227 global destinations via its 700 partner mobile operators. Currently, it serves over 2,000 direct clients andatleast10,000accounts across its 75 partner aggregators.

Inquiro, which provides AI-powered products enabling quick actionable insights and data-driven business decisions, has 94 million profiles and 29 million Mobile Advertising IDs (MAIDs) across 478 data points. It is currently growingitspartnershipbase to enrich the use of data attributes in business.

Meanwhile, Deepsea is in programmatic advertising designed for effective audience targeting across online channels. It is gearingupfor2023asitpartners withthirdpartiesforprivate marketplace (PMP) and data management platform (DMP) capabilities aimed atrevolutionizingtheuseof first-partydatainmarketing campaigns.

BCHI is excited to be at the forefront of digital marketinginthePhilippines and looks forward to workingwithmorebusinessesin the country.

Passengers from the Visayas may also conveniently reach Singapore throughCebuPacific’sdaily flights from Mactan Cebu InternationalAirport.

CEB will also increase its Singapore flights from Davao up to 4x weekly startingonMarch26,2023.

Travelers from Northern Luzon will also have a new gateway as CEB starts its daily Clark – Singapore flight onApril 28, 2023.

To spur travels to Singapore, CEB travelers can book their flights for as low as PHP499 one-way base fare,exclusiveofsurcharges and fees on March 13 until March 15, 2023. The travel period is from June 1 to November 30, 2023.

Passengers with existing Travel Funds may use these to pay for flights and other add-ons. Apart from the Travel Fund, other payment options such as paymentcenters,creditordebit cards, and e-wallets may also be used.

CEB now flies to 34 domestic and 25 international destinations, spanning acrossAsia,Australia, and the Middle East.

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PCUP pledges support for QC’s poverty reduction program

MANILA – The Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) has vowed support for Quezon City’s new poverty reduction program, the “Buhay at Bahay”: Urban Poor and Human Settlement Service Caravan 2023.

In a press release on Tuesday, the PCUP announced that it was among the signatories of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Quezon City2ndDistrictCouncilor MikeyBelmonte,chairpersonofCommitteeonUrban Poor and Human Settlement,tosignifyitssupport.

Other government signatories of the MOU include the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, National Housing Authority, National Home Mortgage Finance Corp., Social Housing Finance Corp., HomeDevelopmentMutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund, Cooperative Development

Authority and Technical Education and Skills DevelopmentAuthority.

The MOU signing was held at the Commonwealth High School on March 17.

It comes after PCUP’s enhanced efforts to establish stronger ties with the LGUs and the private sector.

As part of the caravan, PCUP housed its information booth together with other national government agencies and the private sector to address the issues and concerns of the urban poorandurbanpoororganizations from the district.

The commission was abletopromoteandinform its stakeholders of the four PCUP banner programs namelyPisoko,BahayMo; Lingkod Agapay Maralita Program; PCUP Satellite Offices; and the PCUP Goodwill Ambassadors Program.

Partners present during the event were Mer-

alco, Maynilad, PLDT, PLDT-SMART, Metro Pacific Investments, One Meralco Foundation, Microsoft, SMART, SHFC, DHSUD,and Pag-IBIG Fund.

The Buhay at Bahay program aims to generate potential immediate and long-term programs and projects from national and

international partners that cancomplementandamplifyongoinginterventionsof the city government to reduce poverty and promote theattainmentofthehuman development potential.

It features a two-day convergence of government programs tailor-fitted to the needs of the people. Belmonte, in his

speech, underscored the need to address poverty in every area possible using adaptive programs.

“Ang kahirapan ay multi-dimensyonal kungkaya’t ang mga programa natin ay dapat kayang tugunan ang lahat ng manipestasyon nito. Hindi masusugpo ang kahirapan kung kanya-kanya ang mga ahensya (Poverty is multi-dimensional so our programs must be able to address all its manifestations. Poverty cannot be eradicated if the agencies gotheirownway),”hesaid.

Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, for his part, emphasized the importance of building partnerships and relationships betweentheurbanpoorand the national government.

“Malaking bagay ang caravan na ito para sa mga urban poor.Ang goal natin ay bumuo ng relasyon sa lahat ng mga komunidad

at partners natin para mapaunladangbuhayngating mgakababayan.Maraming magagawa kung magtutulunganatidadaansamaayos na usapan (This caravan is a big deal for the urban poor. Our goal is to build relationships with all our communities and partners to improve the lives of our countrymen. A lot can be done if we work together andhaveandcommunicate with each other),” he said.

ThePCUP,createdduring the administration of the late former president Corazon Aquino in 1986, is under the Office of the President and is tasked to promote and protect the rightsofurbanpoororganizations and communities, including informal settler families.

Specifically, it responds to poverty-related issues like demolitions, reclamation and housing. (PNA)

OPAPRU focused on peace promotion, won’t engage in intimidation

MANILA – The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on Tuesday said that it would never be involved in any acts of intimidation as all its initiatives are conflictsensitiveandpeacepromoting (CSPP).

OPAPRU Presidential AssistantWilbenM.Mayor made this remark after the Gabriela partylist alleged that the agency's personnel harassed one of its members, Elizabeth Maynigo, last March 17.

“Mariinponatingitinatanggi na nangyari itong insidente na ayon sa Gabriela, involved po ang mga kasamahan natin dito (We strongly deny that this incident, being claimed by Gabriela, involving our personnel)," he said in a statement.

Mayor said OPAPRU is guided by its vision of bringing a "just and lasting peace for the nation and all Filipinos" and its mission "to manage, direct, integrate, and supervise the

implementationoftheComprehensive Peace Process."

He said these interventions also aim to promote and reinforce national reconciliation and unity based on Executive Order 158, which reorganized the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) as OPAPRU.

Mayor said OPAPRU’s mandateisdovetailedtothe Marcos Administration’s Five-Point Peace, ReconciliationandPeaceAgenda, which includes the “ending of local communist armed conflict by expanding the transformation programs for local conflict peace process.”

Mayor said this is the reason why the agency is spearheading the Local Peace Engagement (LPE), as well as a transformation program under the government’s “whole-of-nation” approach in addressing the decades-long communist insurgency.

The LPE and its transformation program are beingimplementedbytheNa-

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE WITH SALE

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late GODOFREDO I. GESTA, JR. who died intestate on November 14, 2022 at Southern Philippines Medical Center, City of Davao;

That the deceased at the time of his death left the following properties covered by TRANSFER CERTIFICATEOFTITLENO.146-2011009699aparcelof land (Lot 834-C-2-1-3, PSD-11-090297), being a portion of Lot 834-C-2-1, PSD-11-087594, situated in the Barrio of Catalunan, City of Davao, containing an area of One Hundred Eighty (180) Square Meters more or less; That pursuant to Sec. 1 Rule 74 of the Revised Rules on Court of the Philippines, the abovementioned described property has been the subject of EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE WITHSALEmadeandexecutedbyandamonghisheirs per Doc. No. 117; Page No. 25; Book No. 76; Series of 2022 of the Notary Public JOSELITO D. SEVILLA of Davao City.

(Mar. 15, 22 & 29, 2023)

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THEESTATEOFVIVENCIOM.MAGLAYA and GREGORIA A. MAGLAYA

NOTICE is hereby given that the estate of the late VIVENCIO M. MAGLAYA who died intestate on December 29, 2011 and mother GREGORIA AMARANTE MAGLAYA who died intestate on October 4, 1993;

That the deceased at the time of their respective death left certain real properties located in the City of Davao covered by 1). TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-14619 with land area ofTHREE HUNDREDTWENTY(320) Square Meters more or less situated at Barrio Obrero City of Davao and; 2). TRANSFER CERTFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-8774 situated at Bacaca Road, City of Davao with land area of Five Hundred Forty Nine (549) Square Meters more or less; ThatpursuanttoSec.1Rule74oftheRevisedRulesonCourt of the Philippines, the above-mentioned described properties has been the subject of EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLELEMENT OF THE ESTATE OF VIVENCIO M. MAGLAYA and GREGORIAA. MAGLAYAmade and executed by and among theirheirsperDoc.No.361;PageNo.74;BookNo.76;Series of 2023 of the Notary Public ATTY. JOSELITO D. SEVILLA of Davao City.

(MT- Mar. 22, 27 & Apr. 3, 2023)

tionalTask Force to Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict’s (NTF-ELCAC) LPE Cluster, which is cochairedbytheOPAPRUand the Department of the InteriorandLocalGovernment.

Mayor explained that theLPEaimstohelpformer rebels (FRs), now referred to as "friends rescued," in returning to the fold of the law to reintegrate themselvesintomainstreamsociety, and becoming peaceful and productive members of their communities.

Meanwhile, he said the Transformation Program seeks to provide the necessary socio-economic assistance that will enable the FRs to sustain their peace journey and successfully complete their transition into civilian life.

Mayor is confident that the initiatives being carried out by the OPAPRU under the LPE and transformation trogram are now gaining major headway due to the positivechangesseeninthe lives of FRs and their communities. (PNA)

Davao Ros-Ver Pawnshop, Incorporated

Ilustre St., Davao City

Tel # 224-1204; 222-6086

AUCTION SALE!

TheDAVAOROS-VERPAWNSHOP,INC.andNEWPAG-ASAPAWNSHOP will be having its JOINT AUCTION on all unredeemed pawned items left during the month of January 2023. The said items will be sold to the public at the following VENUE AND DATE.

Gipahibalo ang publiko na ang DAVAO ROS-VER PAWNSHOP, INC. og ang NEW PAG-ASA PAWNSHOP; magsubasta sa tanang prenda nga naremata atong Enero 2023. Ang tanang prenda dungan nga ibaligya sa publiko sa mga sumusunod nga dapit og petsa:

AFFIDAVIT OF SELF-ADJUDICATION OF THE ESTATE OF MARY ANN F. ALBAY

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late MARYANN FRANKERAALBAY who died interstate onAugust 27, 2022 at Southern Philippines Medical Center, City of Davao; That at the time of her death she was single and had no child of her own. She was the owner of a savings account, to wit:

Name of BankBranchAmount

Bank of the Philippine Islands Cotabato R. Alonzo PHP______

That pursuant to Sec. 1 Rule 74 of the Revised Rules on Court of the Philippines, the above-mentioned described property has been the subject of AFFIDAVIT OF SELFADJUDICATIONOFTHEESTATEOFMARYANNF.ALBAY made and executed by her only sibling RICKY FRANKERA ALBAY of South San Juan, Brgy., Centro Agdao, City of Davao per Doc. No. 187; Page No. 79; Book No. 87; Series of 2023 of the Notary Public Antonio L. Laolao, Jr., CPA of Davao City.

(MT-Mar. 15, 22 & 29, 2023)

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH ABSOLUTE SALE

Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late ANASTACIO MONDANO who died intestate on January 11, 1987 at Barangay Pinut-an San Ricardo, Southern Leyte, married to ELENA MADIS who died intestate on September 21, 1992 at Barangay Pinut-an San Ricardo, Southern Leyte; WHEREAS, Anastacio Mondano is the absolute and registered owner of Twenty Thousand (20,000) Square Meters of land more or less located at Barangay Bobon, Mati, Davao Oriental covered by TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. P-11309; That pursuant to Sec. 1 Rule 74 of the Revised Rules on Court of the Philippines, the above-mentioned described property has been the subject of EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTAE WITH ABSOLUTE SALE made and executed by and among their heirs per Doc. No. 134; Page No. 28; Book No. 5; Series of 2023 of the Notary Public ATTY. JANE KARLA BORBE of Davao City.

(MT-Mar. 22, 27 & April 3, 2023)

AFFIDAVIT OF SELF ADJUDICATION WITH SALE

NOTICE is hereby given that the estate of the late TEODERICO R. PETALCORIN who died intestate on December 10, 2004 at Davao City; That the deceased Teoderico R. Petalcorin at the time of his death left a property described as follows:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-103205

A parcel of land (Lot 5, Blk-1,Pcs-11-0001501, being a portion of Lot 336-D-F-E, F&G, Psd-11-008390), situated in the Barrio of Talomo, City of Davao, Island of Mindanao, containing an area of One Hundred Eighty Seven (187) Square Meters more or less;

That pursuant to Sec. 1 Rule 74 of the Revised Rules on Court of the Philippines, the above-mentioned described property has been the subject of AFFIDAVIT OF SELF ADJUDICATION WITH SALE made and executed by his only heir THELMA PETALCORIN per Doc. No.118; Page No. 25; Book No. 76; Series of 2022 of the Notary Public Atty. Joselito D. Sevilla of Davao City.

(MT-Mar. 8, 15 & 22, 2023)

DEED OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT

NOTICE is hereby given that the estate of the late ANTONIO GERONAN MENSIS who died intestate on May 3, 2007 at Davao City; That the deceased at the time of his death left the following parcels of land to wit: TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-239824 situated at Indangan City of Davao, containing an area of Three Hundred (300) Square Meters more or less; ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. P-2646, situated atIndangan,CityofDavao,containinganareaofSeventy ThousandTwoHundredTen(70,210)SquareMetersmore or less; That pursuant to Sec. 1 Rule 74 of the Revised Rules on Court of the Philippines, the above-mentioned described properties has been the subject of DEED OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT made and executed by andamonghisheirsperDoc.No.137;PageNo.28;Book No. 1; Series of 2007 of the Notary Public Atty. Arnolfo Ricardo B. Cabling of Davao City.

(Mar. 22, 29 & Apr. 5, 2023)