P 15.00 • 20 PAGESwww.edgedavao.netVOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015

DOUBLE RED ALERT

THE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) is now on double red alert sta-

tus after the police station in Mati City, Davao Oriental was attacked by suspected New People’s Army (NPA) mem-bers on Sunday night.

In an interview, DCPO spokesperson Senior Super-intendent Milgrace C. Driz told Edge Davao that after learning of the attack in Mati City Police Station on Sun-day night, DCPO director Se-nior Superintendent Vicente

D. Danao Jr. immediately released an order to all sta-tion commanders to mount checkpoints in their areas to help the Police Regional Of-fice (PRO) 11find the alleged rebels.

“CD (city director Danao) talked to the police to intensi-fy our checkpoints in the ar-eas that need them,” Driz said.

The attack on the Mati City Police Station by about 50 NPA members resulted in the deaths of four soldiers and one rebel.

An undetermined num-ber of rebels were injured.

Driz said Danao doubled the alert status so that police officers can inspect all hos-pitals and clinics to verify if wounded NPA members are being treated there.

She said Danao also told the police stations in Marilog and Paquibato, areas that are known to have NPA presence, to stay vigilant and strength-en camp defenses.

“If they have strong camp defense just as Mati City Po-

lice Station had, the enemy will not be able to penetrate their stations,” she said.

Driz said aside from the strong camp defense, the presence of the Regional Pub-lic Safety Battalion (RPSB) 11 also helped Mati police over-throw the rebels.

She said the RPSB had been sent to the Mati City Po-lice Station to augment secu-rity in the city for the upcom-ing Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) meet

EDGE Serving a seamless society

DAVAO

Indulge A1

INSIDE EDGE

DCPO braces after Mati attackBy ARMANDO B. FENEQUITO JR.and FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

CHARMED. An exhibitor examines a Chinese New Year decoration charm she will sell starting today at SM City Davao’s Chinese New year bazaar at the Annex. Lean Daval Jr.

FDOUBLE, 14

ANGKOR WAT:CITY OF TEMPLES

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 20152 EDGEDAVAO

THE BIG NEWS

TRIBAL DANCE. Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay, the only known woman tribal chief of the Lumad Ata-Manobo, dances with her tribe from Paquibato District at the junction of Roxas and C.M. Recto Avenues during the One Billion Rising Revolution 2015 in Davao City on Saturday afternoon. Lean Daval Jr.

THE Davao City Council will discuss today the additional P600-million

budget for the city’s Solid Waste Management Project.

To be tackled on second reading in today’s regular session is the proposed resolution “to enact an ordinance granting legislative authority Supplemental Budget No.1 of the City Government of Davao for Calendar Year 2015,

Consisting of the Budget for the Development Fund with a total amount of P600 million.”

The Local Finance Committee and other resource persons have been invited to today’s regular session.

Based on the report of the committee on finance, ways and means, and appropriations headed by councilor Danilo C. Dayanghirang, the funds of the proposed SB 1 will be sourced from loans from Land Bank of

the Philippines.“This is to augment the

Upgrading of Solid Waste Management and Collection System of the City,” the report said.

The report said the project, spearheaded by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), is very important in order to procure all the equipment needed for the upgrade in the garbage collection in the city.

CENRO plans to acquire 22 garbage compactors with a total cost of P364.135 million.

CENRO also wants to procure 13, 566 mobile garbage bins with a total cost of P235.860 million.

The committee report said the additional loan availment of P600 million, chargeable against the balances of drawdown from the P3 billion Omnibus Term Loan Facility duly approved

by the Land Bank of the Philippines Board last June 2009, is the unavailed portion of the Other Term Loan out of the P2.8 billion funds under the SB Numbers 1 and 2 Calendar Year 2009.

CENRO head Engineer Elisa Madrazo had earlier said the city needs additional trucks to collect all the garbage especially in the areas where collection is seldom done.

Madrazo said ideally, 100

new trucks should be used in garbage collection to make sure all areas are served, especially in the distant areas in the second and third districts.

She said the additional bins will be also used to replace the damage and missing bins.

There are more than 10,000 bins installed in the designated collection area of CENRO.

THE Terminal Facilities and Services Corpora-tion (TEFASCO) was

found to have complied with the Drug-Free Workplace Ordinance of Davao City through a random drug test with its officials and employ-ees on February 6, 2015.

In a statement, the Phil-ippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 11 said at least 10 percent of the total workforce of TEFASCO un-

derwent the test. The company hired a De-

partment of Health (DOH)-ac-credited private drug testing center which was dully su-pervised by PDEA.

PDEA said the random drug test was in accordance with the company’s work rules and regulations for the purpose of reducing risk in the workplace.

PDEA 11 regional direc-

LOW cost carrier AirAsia Philippines will relaunch its Manila-Davao route

with three daily flights starting March 27 this year.

“Davao City is an important gateway to Mindanao,” AirAisia Philippines chief executive officer Joy Cañeba said in a statement.

Cañeba said AirAsia has partnered with local

government units (LGUs) and various stakeholders in the region “to develop products and services to further boost tourism and promote Davao as a major tourist destination to local and foreign visitors.”

The statement cited Davao City as “more than just a center of trade and commerce for Mindanao” because the region is a host to a myriad of tourist

attractions.“Nature lovers can hike

their way up to Mt. Apo to enjoy the lush scenery from atop the nations’ highest peak or indulge in various activities at Eden Nature Park, while the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) gives sun-seekers the chance to go beach-hopping around the many pristine shores surrounding the resort

island,” the statement said.Starting March 27, AirAsia

will fly from Manila to Davao at 7:50 a.m., 3:05 p.m., and 7:40 p.m.

The Davao-Manila flights are scheduled at 10:15 a.m., 5:30 p.m., and 10:05 p.m.

Aside from the Manila-Davao route, AirAsia is already offering two daily Davao-Cebu flights.

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

City Council to discussP600-million SB1 today

TEFASCO passesrandom drug test

AirAsia relaunches Manila-Davao routecrc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

FTEFASCO, 14

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015

HUNDREDS of Moro ci-vilians from outlying villages here and in

nearby Pikit, North Cotabato fled following clashes since Saturday night between ri-vals Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Is-lamic Freedom Fighters.

Children and work an-imals in tow, the villagers carrying valuables evacu-ated the interior villages of Kalbugan in Pagalungan and Buliok in Pikit Sunday night en route to the Pagalungan gymnasium in Barangay Po-blacion and in Mahad School in Poblacion Pikit, respec-tively.

“Walang tigil ang pu-tukan, pina-bakwit kami ng mga barangay kapitan,” (There was endless gunfire, the village chiefs told us to evacuate) one of the evacu-ees said.

Obviously tired of the long walk, the children fell asleep easily at 9 p.m. Sun-day. Others entertained themselves by viewing mov-ies on portable DVD player.

In the gymnasium the children slept close to each other on the concrete floor covered with tarpaulins, malong (shawls) and car-tons.

Carabaos, cows, goats and chickens litter around the Pagalungan town hall

compound.More civilians arrived

early Monday morning in Pa-galungan Poblacion, fearing an escalation of hostilities following the death of one MILF commander.

Villagers said the MILF and the BIFF have been fight-ing since Saturday night. The fighting intensified following the reported death of Com-mander Falcon of the MILF in a clash with the group of BIFF commander Kagui Karialan.

BIFF spokesperson Abu Misri Mama said four oth-er MILF rebels were killed when they attacked the group of Karialan.

Capt. Joanne Petinglay, 6th Infantry Division spokes-person, said both armed groups have been “staring at each other since last week.”

“On Saturday night they clashed, leaving one MILF commander dead,” she said, adding the encounter site was deep inside the Maguin-danao marshland.

She said they the BIFF who figured in a clash with PNP Special Action Force (SAF) commandos in Ma-masapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25 wanted to cross North Cotabato from Magu-indanao but the MILF pre-vented them from coming in.

She said the Army is on

stand by and did not inter-fere in the fighting but en-sured the safety of civilians.

Meanwhile, some of the equipment of the 44 SAF members who died in the Mamasapano clash had been turned over to police author-ities in Maguindanao, a po-lice official said.

Senior Supt. Rodelio Jocson, Maguindanao police provincial director, said an unidentified civilian volun-teered Saturday to turn over a Kevlar helmet, one two-way radio set and a ballistic plate for a bulletproof vest.

Jocson said the civilian requested anonymity for his security.

He said the Maguindanao PNP with the help of the local government of Mamasapano has sent feelers to civilians and armed men who may have the equipment of fallen policemen to turn them over to them.

“The civilian said he re-covered the items in Baran-gay Tukanalipao after the encounter on January 25. I am hoping that the firearms of fallen 44 will be turned over to us soon,” he said.

Aside from the 44 police commandos, 18 Moro reb-els and at least four civilians were also killed in the Jan. 25 operation to get terror

DEPARTMENT of So-cial Welfare and De-velopment (DSWD)

11 regional director Priscilla Razon warned erring bene-ficiaries of Pantawid Pamily-ang Pilipino Program (4Ps) that they could be delisted for their activities.

“We’re receiving feed-backs regarding pawned ATMs (automated teller ma-chine cards) of 4Ps benefi-ciaries in the region who are into gambling, among oth-ers,” Razon said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex yesterday.

She said more than a thousand 4Ps beneficiaries have been delisted since the implementation of the pro-gram in 2009.

In a message to Edge Davao, DSWD information of-ficer Carmela Duron said 929 were delisted because of in-clusion error while 143 were delisted for being involved in fraud.

Aside from gambling, some beneficiaries resort to pawning their ATM cards because of unprecedented incidence of sickness among family members.

Others were delisted because of non-compliance with the provisions of the conditional cash transfer pro-

gram.Razon said some parents

were delisted from the pro-gram for not sending their children to school.

She said families recom-mended for delisting under-go due process and the Re-gional Development Council (RDC) 11 assesses the rec-ommendation and issues a resolution.

Under the program, the government gives poor fami-lies P300 per child per month for education and P500 per child per month for health.

Razon said a total of 230,000 individual fami-lies in the region have been receiving cash grants since 2009.

The largest chunk of the beneficiaries are in the prov-ince of Davao del Sur with more than 10,000, followed by Davao Oriental.

“The first set of 4Ps ben-eficiaries in the region were from Manay and Caraga, the poorest municipality in the region, located in the prov-ince of Davao Oriental,” Ra-zon said.

For this year, the regional office of DSWD is targeting to list 700,000 individual fami-lies in the region for possible inclusion in the 4Ps program

PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 11 said it

arrested Nabunturan, Compostela Vallay Province’s “Shabu Queen” in a buy-bust operation on Friday night inside a room at the King and

Queen Drive Inn in Barangay Sta. Maria, Nabunturan.

The operation was conducted by PDEA led by regional director Emerson Rosales, the Compostela Valley Provincial Police Office led by Senior Superintendent

Albert Ferro, the Nabunturan Municipal Police Station, and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of Compostela Valley Province.

The suspect was identified as Rasmia Didato, alias Madam Rose, 41, a resident of Purok 5,

Pangutusan, Nabunturan.Also arrested were Ramon

Jumalon, 32, and Primitivo Dela Cruz, 52, also residents of Nabunturan.

They were arrested after a PDEA agent bought one sachet

3NEWSEDGEDAVAO

FNABUNTURAN, 14FDSWD, 14

FCIVILIANS, 14

ADOPTION CONSCIOUSNESS WEEK. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 11 director Priscilla N. Razon announces the hold-ing of “Legal na Ampon Ako: Anak na Totoo,” an event which is part of the

Adoption Consciousness Week set on February 19 and 21. Razon was a guest of the Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao yesterday. Lean Daval Jr.

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

DSWD warns erring4Ps beneficiaries

Nabunturan’s ‘Shabu Queen’arrested in PDEA buy-bustBy FUNNY PEARL A. GAJUNERA

Civilians flee as MILF, BIFF clash

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 20154 NEWS EDGEDAVAO

CHINESE DELICACIES. A staff member of SM City Davao displays tikoy and other Chinese products in preparation for the Chinese New Year bazaar at the Annex of SM City Davao. Lean Daval Jr.

THE city government forcibly evacuated 46 families from an

urban coastal community here on Sunday following the emergence of a suspected sinkhole in the area.

Joseph Alvin Veneracion, chair of Barangay Dadiangas South here, said Monday they cleared a portion of Purok Tinago in their village of all its residents to prevent possible disasters resulting from the sinkhole, which was initially estimated at around 40 meters in diameter.

He said the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) issued the evacuation order as a precautionary measure pending an evaluation by geology experts of the occurrence.

“We did a forced evacuation of the area as we deemed it quite risky for residents to remain there at this time,” he told reporters.

The village official said the sinkhole reportedly emerged early Sunday at the shores of Purok Tinago, specifically

near the pier and anchorage area of motorboats ferrying passengers and cargo to and from this city and Balut Island in Davao Occidental.

The area is adjacent to the city’s Queen Tuna Park and several commercial establishments, including a hotel and a gasoline station.

Veneracion said the sinkhole was just a few meters from a community that hosts some 46 households and threatened the stability of some of the houses there.

He said the affected

families, which comprise a total of 206 individuals, are currently taking temporary shelter at the covered court of the Irineo Santiago National High School.

Personnel from the City Social Welfare and Development Office are currently attending to the needs of the evacuees, he said.

Brenda Maniago, one of the evacuees, said they initially noticed the unusual occurrence in the area at around 5 a.m. Sunday.

A RUMOR about rapists’ cult victimizing children

and women – even pregnant ones – has been circulating in Panabo City since last week but a city councilor said it was just that: a rumor.

In an interview yesterday, councilor Ferdinand Gocon said he has not received any report or text message from the officials of the city’s 40 barangay or from city police director Thor Valiente

Cuyos about the supposed rapists’ cult or about recent rape incidents in the city.

Gocon called on the people not to circulate the rumor further through text messages of through Facebook, saying it has alarmed many residents.

He said a report about people mobbing members of the cult in Barangay Cagangohan on Sunday was false and turned out to be just “children playing and chasing to each others.” Cha Monforte, Correspondent

THE Department of Health (DOH) has ap-proved the release of

around P70 million in grants for the expansion and upgrad-ing of two hospitals in South Cotabato province.

Dr. Rogelio Aturdido Jr, South Cotabato Integrat-ed Provincial Health Office (IPHO) chief, said Monday they are now completing the requirements set by the DOH central office to facilitate the release of the funds and the implementation of the proj-ects.

He said the grant will mainly fund the construction of additional facilities at the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital in Koronadal City

and the completion of the Su-rallah Municipal Hospital in Surallah town.

“The DOH has committed to complete the upgrading of these facilities before the end of the year,” the official said in a statement.

Aturdido said the two hospitals were among the 20 DOH-retained and local gov-ernment-run facilities that the agency has prioritized for development and upgrading this year.

He said the implementa-tion of the two hospital proj-ects will be funded by the agency’s continuing Health Facilities Enhancement Pro-gram.

As required by the DOH,

he said the local government submitted earlier this month the floor plan of the proposed expansion works at the pro-vincial hospital.

He said the plan was de-veloped by the Provincial En-gineering Office, in coordina-tion with the IPHO.

Aturdido said the floor plan covers the upgrading of the provincial hospital’s main building, expansion of the second level or second floor to house a burn unit and the improvement of the hospital’s emergency room.

Aside from the P70-mil-lion grant, he said South Cota-bato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuen-tes is currently seeking additional funds from the

national government to facili-tate the construction of a new three-storey building for the hospital.

He said the local govern-ment has already committed to fund the initial implemen-tation of the project, which is mainly intended to increase the hospital’s bed capacity.

“This will eventually an-swer the problem of conges-tion at the provincial hospital,” he pointed out.

For the Surallah Municipal Hospital, which is also known as the provincial hospital an-nex, Aturdido said the DOH grant will be utilized to for the upgrading of vital sections of the hospital, especially its

A TOXICS watchdog group yesterday urged the chief execu-

tives of 12 cities in Mindanao to clamp down on the un-lawful trade of contraband cosmetics containing mercu-ry that it says is “taking place right under their noses.”

In a press release, the Quezon City-based EcoW-aste Coalition urged the mayors of Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Davao, General Santos, Koronadal, Iligan, Malaybalay, Marawi, Tacu-rong, Tagum, Valencia, and Zamboanga to assist the na-tional government in purg-

ing the market of dangerous cosmetics, particularly skin whitening creams with ex-cessive mercury content.

EcoWaste said the ille-gal trade of mercury-laden skin whitening cosmetics is rife in most of these cities and are often sold in retail outlets such as herbal and beauty product stores, Chi-nese drug stores, and general merchandise stores.

“The market surveillance we conducted confirmed the unrestrained sale of skin whitening products banned by the health authorities for

GenSan coastal area evacuatedbecause of suspected sinkhole

Mayors asked to clamp downon mercury-laced cosmetics

DOH okays P70M for SouthCot hospital upgradingRapists’ cult yarnin Panabo belied

FGENSAN, 14 FMAYORS, 14

FDOH, 14

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 5EDGEDAVAO

PROPERTY

Camella is offering its new-est affordable home option, Lessandra -- two-storey town-houses with cleverly designed spaces that are the trademark of all Camella homes.

Lessandra is ideal for Davaoeños and out-of-town-ers who want to live in this city where life is. It is the homebuy-ers’ ticket to an affordable home that allows them to live an ele-vated lifestyle.

Lessandra homes are nes-tled within a Camella communi-ty with deluxe facilities normal-ly found only in high-end de-velopments. Lessandra home-owners will get to enjoy the subdivision clubhouse and its amenities such as a swimming pool and playgrounds. There are also pocket gardens, nature parks, tree-lined avenues, and round-the-clock security.

Lessandra homes debunk the belief that affordable houses are only found in subdivisions that are devoid of amenities. Other developments that offer homes within reach of average income-earners are usually just rows of houses jam-packed in tight spaces with very limited open areas, if any. Homebuyers will be hard-pressed to find a clubhouse, much less a swim-ming pool and other amenities in these subdivisions.

Camella communities go

Lessandra – Camella’s affordable home option

beyond the usual standard as it offers desirable amenities for the enjoyment of its homeowners. It reflects Camella’s brand of de-veloping communities, giving its homeowners a convenient and pleasant lifestyle while living in a beautiful home.

So while other develop-ers put a stiff price tag on their subdivisions that have ameni-ties, Camella provides the same amenities in their communities while offering reasonably-priced home options such as Lessandra. For Camella, it’s not just about building subdivisions, it’s about developing communities where residents are able to live a full life.

Lessandra townhouses can

be acquired in easy-on-the-pocket monthly amor-tization of only P7,168, quite within the means of middle income workers. Homebuyers are urged to call 226-3100 or visit Camella at Delgar Bldg., JP Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City, to find out how to get their Lessandra homes now.

A big plus is the availability of Lessandra town-houses through Pag-ibig financing, making it more accessible to a wider spectrum of homebuyers. It is rare to get a good chance to buy an exquisite home within a community with a high-end brand such as Camella, and be actually able to afford buying it.

With the affordable Lessandra townhouses, Ca-mella communities are now closer to more people than before. This is good news to many, especially those who have been aspiring to live in a Camella community but thought they could not afford it. Now, with the Lessandra townhouses, they know they can afford it.

IF you think living in an exclusive and amenity-filled sub-

division is beyond your reach, think again. Ca-mella is making it easy for average income-earn-ers to make their dream come true - own a Ca-mella home and live in one of its well-appointed communities.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015

THE Department of Pub-lic Works and Highways (DPWH) 11 got a total

of P14 billion budget for infra-structure this year, higher by almost 50 percent from last year’s allocation.

DPWH 11 director Maria-no Alquiza said last year’s allo-cation reached P7.8 billion for infrastructure projects.

“We have 227 regular infrastructure projects and a total of 723 infrastructure projects for the region,”Alqui-za said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex yes-terday.

He said most of the proj-ects are already bidded-out but (the construction) have not started.

Alquiza said the regional office of DPWH in Davao has to complete documents con-taining the winning bid prize that will be submitted to the the central office of the con-struction agency for funding.

“Once approved by the

central office that’s the only time we can issue contractors with permit to pursue con-struction of the project,” he said.

One of the delayed proj-ects was the construction and widening project in Bacaca Road because of problems on encroachment, according to Alquiza.

“We’re already bit late. We have already completed 69 percent of the project,” he said.

Alquiza said his encroach-ment problems started from JP. Laurel to El Rio side.

Aside from encroachment and erring homeowners from El Rio Subdivision Alquiza said that the telecommunication and electric companies have to perform some tweaking on their lines and electric posts because it will be affected by the construction of the road.

Among the major projects of DPWH 11 amounting to

6 EDGEDAVAO

ECONOMY

A F O R E I G N - B A S E D business process out-sourcing (BPO) com-

pany will initially establish its Davao City office at the Matina IT Park by the third quarter of this year.

Jasper Huang, vice presi-dent of Plaza de Luisa Devel-opment Inc., the developer of Matina IT Park, said the company is planning to set up 5,000 seats in the four of

IT Park’s the 7-storey facility.Huang, however, did not

name the firm yet.He said the first building

of the planned three facilities in Matina IT Park, a Philip-pine Economic Zone Authori-ty (PEZA)-accredited zone, is “good to go.”

“Unlike any other IT Parks in Davao City, ours will have dining and restaurant establishments that will be

located the ground floor of the building,” Huang told re-porters Monday..

Aside from contact cen-ter, the area will be also avail-able for commercial purpos-es.

“Unlike in call centers in Manila and Cebu, we noticed that most BPO centers in Davao City don’t have com-mercial dining areas for BPO workers and outside custom-

ers,” Huan said.Earlier reports bared that

the first structure has a total area of 7,423 square meters, with an estimated project cost amounting to around P100 million. The construc-tion of the first phase began middle of 2013.

All three buildings will have seven levels, with a combined lease area of 19,790 square meters, the

report added.Huang said Plaza de Lu-

isa Development Inc. will start the construction of the second building by the end of the year while construction of the third building will start right after the completion of the second.

“We’re implementing the project by phase,” he said.

The whole project of Ma-tina IT Park, the biggest IT

Park in Mindanao, is estimat-ed to be finished by 2017.

On the other hand, Huang announced during the “Kapehan sa Davao” at SM City Annex that all is set for the Chinese New Year on February 19, Thursday.

He said there will be sets of event from 4 p.m. of Feb-ruary 18 to 12 mignight of Thursday at the Sta Ana Av-enue.

Foreign-based BPO firm to setDavao City office by 3rd quarter

crc@edgedavao.net

By CHENEEN R. CAPON

REVIEW. Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 11 director Mariano Alquiza reviews the agency’s data before the start of Kapehan sa Dabaw at the Annex of SM City Davao yesterday. He

told reporters that DPWH 11 got a P14 billion budget for infrastructure this year, higher by almost 50 percent than last year’s allocation. Lean Daval Jr.

FAMILIES belonging to younger generation of the Francisco Bangoy

clan are reviving a move to have the government pay for the more than 60 hectares of land used for the old Davao Airport.

This was learned from some sources who requested anonymity for lack authority to talk about the move.

Representatives of fam-

ilies consisting of third and fourth-generation heirs of the Bangoy clan have been holding a series of meetings reportedly to strategize on their move for payment which could reach billions of pesos.

The move to have govern-ment pay the land which forms part of the new international airport was hatched after re-search and queries failed to establish that the land was

covered by a valid donation document.

The preliminary move for payment was made by a team headed by Vicente Pichon, grandson of Francisco Bangoy and Jose Ignacio, in law of the Bangoy family, who are both deceased now.

At the time, the value of the land being discussed by the heirs and some government officials under then President

Erap Estrada was in the vicin-ity of P6 billion.

Talks with some high of-ficials of Congress then had started at the time, but they were halted when Estrada was impeached and subsequently ousted as President.

Being hotly discussed now by the members of the clan are the arrears in real estate tax-es estimated to have reached some P75 million. AMA

Bangoy clan to claim paymentfor 60-hectare old airport land

DPWH has budgetof P14B for 2015

ORGANIC products from North Cotabato are again on display in

the World Organic Products Trade Exhibit in Nuremburg, Germany.

For the second time in two years, these two highly acclaimed organic food prod-ucts are again part of the lead-ing and considerably the most significant organic trade fair in the world today – the BIO-

FACH.The Tree of Life Coco Sug-

ar of Carmen and Bios-Dyna-mis Black and other rice vari-eties were exhibited in the fair held at the Exhibition Center of Nuremberg, Germany from Feb. 11-14, 2015 along with other distinguished organic food products from all over the world.

Jimmy Sta Cruz, North Co-tabato Media affairs spokes-

person, said the fair is a gath-ering of organic products from around the globe. It is there where they showcase natural products, household supplies as well as organic ag-riculture marketing and me-dia services.

BIOFACH also offers man-ufacturers and buyers a per-fect international platform for positioning themselves in the market and discussing the is-

sues, Sta. Cruz said.This brings the two prod-

ucts from Cotabato at par and created a strong brand pres-ence that placed the province on the ‘organic’ world map as it competes with the world’s major organic players like the US, Europe, Middle East and other Asian Countries.

The highly admired Tree Life Coco Sugar and Bios Dy-

North Cotabato organic products shine in Germany

DEPARTMENT of Agricul-ture (DA) Secretary Pro-ceso Alcala has ordered

the temporary ban on the im-portation of domesticated and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs and semen, from Haifa, Israel.

Alcala set the temporary ban through Memorandum Order 4, series of 2015, to protect the health of the local livestock population and food safety in the country from the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influ-enza (HPAI). It was reported by the Office of International des Epizooties (OIE) that there has been an outbreak of HPAI virus in Avi’el, Hadera, Haifa, Israel that started on Jan. 14, 2015.

The outbreak, according to the OIE, was caused by H5N1 HPAI virus affecting turkey fattening farms as confirmed

by the Kimron Veterinary In-stitute, Avian Diseases Labo-ratory through real-time poly-merase chain reaction.

The OIE Animal Health Information Department said that the H5 HPAI virus is among the notifiable OIE-list-ed terrestrial animal diseases, infections and infestations in force in 2014.

Under the orders, the Sec-retary specified emergency measures such as the immedi-ate suspension of the process-ing, evaluation of application and issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Import Clearance to import the afore-mentioned commodities from said location; and stoppage and confiscation of all shipments of aforementioned commodities from said locations, except heat-treated products with slaughter/production date be-fore Oct. 31, 2014. (PNA)

Alcala orders ban onIsrael poultry products

FDPWH, 14

FNORTH, 14

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 7

Some like it hotterWHEN I was still a kid, I

only knew two kinds of peppers: atsal

(bell or sweet pepper) and sili (hot or chili pepper). I never knew that both were members of the same group of family So-lanaceous, which also include eggplant and tomato.

In 2000, when I went to the United States for the first time, I found out that atsal came in different sizes and colors. There were as huge as my fist and you can pick what caught your fancy: violet, or-

EDGEDAVAO

AGRITRENDS

Text and Photos By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

ange, green, yellow, or red. My sister Elena smiled

when I tried to touch all of them. “They’re for real, Manoy,” she said. “They are not plastic.” Please, pardon my ignorance. I grew up in a country where bell peppers are red.

The December 2014 issue of Agriculture featured hot peppers in various forms, siz-es, and colors. The article was written by my favorite agricul-tural writer, Zacarias B. Sarian, the editor of the magazine and a recipient of the Ramon Mag-saysay Award.

“Did you know that some-body is making ice cream with hot chili and other non-tra-ditional ingredients?” wrote Sarian. “One version is made of chili, ginger, and coco cream and he calls it ‘Be Cool Express.’ Other variants are chili cala-mansi and tablea chili.”

When hotness or coldness of the day is measured, tem-perature is used. But in chili peppers, the measure of “hot-ness” is through the Scoville Heat Units (SHUs). It was Wil-bur L. Scoville who developed the Scoville Organoleptic Test in 1912 while working at the Parke Davis pharmaceutical company.

chili peppers get their kick from a chemical called capsa-icin located in the inside wall of the pepper pod. Capsaicin is reportedly about 100 times hotter than the active principle piperine of black pepper. In an article, Rico R. Magda wrote: “The compound capsaicin is almost insoluble in water and needs to be emulsified if used in food. Capsaicin extracted by organic solvent becomes gum-

my or oily syrup when concen-trated.”

In his article, Sarian re-ported of a chili pepper called Trinidad Moruga Scorpion which, according to the New Mexico State University’s Chili Pepper Institute, “the hottest chili in the world.” A native of the district of Moruga in Trin-idad and Tobago, it has a mean heat of more than 1.2 million SHUs; some individual plants have a mean heat of more than 2 million SHUs.

One in four people eats

chilis every day, according to Reader’s Digest intrepid re-porter Robert Kiener. chili peppers are used around the world to make a countless va-riety of sauces, known as hot sauce, chili sauce, or pepper sauce.

Indian cooking has mul-tiple uses for it – from simple snacks to wonderfully complex curries. It is dried, roasted and salted as a side dish for rice varieties. Sambal is a versatile relish made from chili peppers as well as other ingredients such as garlic, onion, shallots, salt, vinegar and sugar, which is popular in Indonesia and Malaysia.

In Italian cuisine, crushed chili pepper flakes are a common ingredient on piz-za, among other things. The leaves, mildly bitter but not nearly as hot as the fruits that come from the same plant, are cooked as vegetable in Filipino cuisine, where they are used in the chicken soup (tinola). In Korean cuisine, the leaves may be used in kimchi.

Ripe chilis contain high amounts of vitamin C and car-otene. Unripe fruits contain a considerably lower amount of both substances. In addition, chili peppers are a good source of most B vitamins, and vita-min B6 in particular. They are very high in potassium, mag-nesium, and iron. (The leaves are excellent sources of calci-um, and iron and a good source of phosphorus, vitamin B, and vitamin A.)

chili peppers originated in South America. They have been a part of the human diet in the Americas since at least

7500 BC. There is archaeolog-ical evidence at sites located in southwestern Ecuador that chili peppers were domesticat-ed more than 6000 years ago, and is one of the first crops cultivated in Central and South America that is self-pollinating.

Christopher Columbus was one of the first Europe-ans to encounter them (in the Caribbean), and called them “peppers” because they, like black and white pepper of the Piper genus known in Europe, have a spicy hot taste unlike other foodstuffs.

Upon their introduction into Europe, chilis were grown as botanical curiosities in the gardens of Spanish and Por-tuguese monasteries. But the monks experimented with the chilis’ culinary potential and discovered that their pungen-cy offered a substitute for black peppercorns, which at the time were so costly that they were used as legal currency in some countries.

chilies were cultivated around the globe after Colum-bus. Diego Álvarez Chanca, a physician on Columbus’ sec-ond voyage to the West Indies in 1493, brought the first chili peppers to Spain and first wrote about their medicinal effects in 1494. From there, chili peppers spread into their other colony, the Philippines, and from there to India, China, Indonesia, Korea and Japan.

Chili peppers are not only known for their food uses but also for their medicinal prop-erties. Arlene May C. Corpus, a therapeutic dietitian at the Manila Adventist Medical Cen-ter, shares the following health benefits:

Analgesic: The capsaicin in chili pepper depletes then blocks the production of “Sub-stance P,” the main chemical messenger of pain from the peripheral sensory nerves to the brain. Substance P breaks down the cartilage cushions in joints that contribute to osteo-arthritis. Without Substance P, no pain signal is received.

Digestive aid: Add chili pepper to your dish. Its cap-saicin soothes the digestive tract and stimulates the flow of saliva and stomach secretions. Capsaicin also detoxifies the colon, relieving the symptoms of constipation.

Antitussive: chili pepper helps ease cold and flu mis-eries by thinning the mucus. Mixing chili pepper with water is an effective gargle for sore throat.

Blood circulation: chili pepper regulates and equal-izes the flow of blood from heat to feet. It increases heart action without raising blood pressure and pulse rate, de-creasing the risk for heart at-tacks. chili pepper also helps

reduce blood clot formation by causing an increase in fibrino-lytic (clot-dissolving) activity of the red blood cells. It is also effective in reducing cholester-ol levels.

Weight loss: chili pep-per has thermogenic qualities causing the body to burn more of the calories consumed in food, particularly those that are high in fat.

In her article, Corpus also mentions some precautions that should be taken when us-ing chili pepper for medicinal purposes. These are:

· While it is safe to eat chili pepper during pregnancy, it should not be taken as a sup-plement.

· Those who are allergic to kiwi, chestnut, latex, banana, or avocado should avoid chili pepper.

· Capsaicin may make aspirin less effective as pain reliever. It may also increase the risk of bleeding associated with aspirin since it causes irri-tation to the stomach.

· Capsaicin may increase the risk of bleeding associated with certain blood-thinning medications (such as warfa-rin) and herbs (ginger, ginseng, and garlic).

· Regular use of chili pep-per may cause your body to absorb too much theophylline, a medication used to treat asthma to toxic level.

Green chili pepper

Commercialized chili pepper

Growing chili pepper

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 20158 EDGEDAVAO

VANTAGE

RecklessEDITORIAL

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

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THE New People’s Army (NPA) attack on the police station of Mati City, Davao Oriental on Sunday night was an ob-vious reaction to the claim made by the Armed Forces of

the Philippines (AFP) a few days prior that the province is “insur-gency-free,” devoid of the presence of the NPA. While the military tempered its statement by acknowledging that Davao Oriental is adjacent to Compostela Valley Province which is a known rebel hot bed, the message was still clear: from the AFP’s viewpoint, it had already won the war against the NPA in the province, and it was celebrating accordingly.

The NPA, feeling the need to assert itself, launched a brazen at-tack right in the heart of a budding urban center. Mati, while con-sidered a small city, is a center in its own right and is home to more than 120 thousand people. More than that, it is visited by thou-sands of outsiders every year who are drawn to its many tourist at-

tractions, making the NPA attack a particularly sinister as it placed many visitors in harm’s way. Staging an operation against a police target, no matter how “legitimate” it may have been in the eyes of the rebels, was a dangerously reckless act.

The AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) should be lauded for not letting their guards down even in the wake of the military’s declaration of an all-clear in Davao Oriental. Proof of this is the fact that despite the stealth tactics of the NPA when 50 of its fighters attacked the police station, the police and military were still able to repel them and push them back. Four soldiers were killed in the process, but it was a sacrifice that ensured the safety of the civilian population of Mati City. The authorities may have de-clared Mati safe from armed groups, but they never let their guards down and continue to provide protection for the people. For this the people are grateful.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 VANTAGE POINTS 9EDGEDAVAO

GOVERNMENT and media reports on po-lice and military operations in Mindan-ao’s localities and other regions rarely

mention the role, if any, of the local govern-ments or the people in them.

This is bad; it belittles the local govern-ments and the people to whom national agen-cies are answerable. And it discourages the no-tion that constituents and their local adminis-trators are primarily in charge of arrangements in their own community, including its security.

Local governments have primary jurisdic-tion over local affairs; it’s their constituents that are affected. It’s not right that external au-thority—civilian, military, or police—take over their jurisdiction at will.

It’s bad enough that the local governments are not adequately capacitated to react to emergency, disaster, or armed threat. It’s worse that no program keeps constituents in a state of readiness for any contingency.

*****There should be measures to minimize

harm to persons and property in case of emer-gency or assault like the one staged by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) over a year ago. Civilians ought to be oriented and trained to mitigate damage and disruption to their lives.

This need is all the more important in view of the fact that more and more people are get-ting marginalized or displaced by natural or man-made disasters, scattered and reduced to

disarray as conditions keep getting worse. It accounts for the rising population in slums—increasing stresses in the community, adding trauma, discomfort, and misery all around.

Local governments, especially barangays, and their constituents should be assisted so they can cope better with emergencies.

The grassroots need appropriate training and orientation. They need to be empowered and ushered into the proper ways of political involvement so they can more effectively man-age their community and mitigate poverty and privation.

*****Take what happened in Tacloban City

when Super Typhoon Yolanda struck. Scores were killed, lifeless remains of victims of all ages lay scattered on the streets. But neither the officials nor the constituents reacted in a disciplined, organized manner. Ill-prepared and taken by surprise, they were stunned, par-alyzed into inaction.

Many of them could only stare at the sight of unexpected devastation, uncomprehending, unable to act. They didn’t know what to do. If a similar tragedy strikes again, will they act the same way?

It’s a valid concern, because there has

been no mention of preparedness training or organizing for disaster so far. Nothing has been heard about local mobilization systems or models for coping with the unexpected. Not even a citizens’ orientation on their role in as-suring good local governance, no drills or simu-lation exercises for communities or barangays.

*****Then there’s what happened in Mamasapa-

no in Maguindanao, a municipality consisting of 18 barangays where close to 30,000 people live.

The “misencounter” between the elite po-lice units and the Moro forces took place in two barangays—Tukanalipao (population: 1,605) and Pidsandawan (population: (1,167), each populated by several hundred families.

Reports from the government and media made no mention of the local officials in them, or their constituents. It would seem that the of-ficials and their constituents played no role in the operation. Nor were precautions reported on what were done to ensure their safety.

It’s as if the affected municipal and baran-gay governments were insignificant or irrele-vant when in fact they have primary claim to their community’s security and wellbeing. Af-ter all, they are the sovereign citizens there.

*****The impression given is that neither the of-

ficials nor the people matter, that they can be taken for granted and simply shunted aside, left to their own devices as they face dangers from

cross-fire or worse.This is an all-too-familiar scene when po-

lice and military operatives overrun neigh-borhoods in Mindanao. People are left to fend for themselves, scattering in all directions, dis-placed as chaos disrupts their lives.

What hurts to contemplate is when such predicament results from badly planned, badly executed, or poorly-led operations. And now they make a big deal out of investigating what really happened, to discern what lessons can be derived from the debacle.

What this tells us is that the decades of tur-moil, trauma, and displacement of hapless Min-danaons have not taught the authorities how to handle predictable disasters caused by violent encounters and botched initiatives.

The biggest fallout from all this is the dam-age to attitudes of officials and constituents. Conditioned to being taken for granted, to be blithely manipulated, they cannot cope with-out dictation from above. The idea of autono-my, self-governance, or self-reliance, is lost on them.

Manny is former UNESCO regional director for Asia-Pacific; secretary-general, Southeast Asia Publishers Association; director, develop-ment academy of Philippines; member, Philip-pine Mission to the UN; vice chair, Local Govern-ment Academy; member, Cory Govt’s Peace Pan-el; awardee, PPI-UNICEF outstanding columnist. He is chairman/convenor of the Gising Barangay Movement Inc. valdehuesa@gmail.com

FROM being called “Murder City” (a so-briquet bestowed by the defunct Asi-aweek) to one of the world’s safe cities,

Davao City indeed has gone a long, long way.Out of the 349 cities ranked by the web-

site Numbeo.com, Davao City was the only metropolis in the Philippines that made it to the top 10. In fact, it was considered the fourth safest place.

If the city has a high safety index, the website said, it is considered “very safe.” The safety index of walking alone during daylight in Davao City is 93.75 percent while it was 76.69 percent at night.

Davao City, with a land area of 224,000 hectares (approximately 7.8 times the size of Cebu and three times that of the entire Metro Manila), has a very low crime rate. “A great land mass cannot be considered as a hin-drance to secure the city’s perimeter and give the 1.8 million Dabawenyos their security,” said a document obtained by this columnist. “The stability of peace and order in the city is manifested in the downward trend of the average monthly crime rate in every 100,000 persons.”

According to the Investigation and De-tective Management Branch of the Davao City Police Office, the average monthly rate in every 100,000 persons was 60.46 in 2009, 57.94 in 2010, 45.67 in 2011, 47.34 in 2012, and 50.03 in 2013.

The document traced the low crime rate in the city to “the increased visibility of the police through the highly reliable 24/7 oper-ations of the city’s Central 911.” It contends that Central 911 “has put into concrete ac-

tions the city government’s strong commit-ment to mini-mize, if not to-tally suppress, all forms of criminalities.”

That brings us to Central C o m m u n i -cations and Emergency Re-sponse Center, or more pop-ularly known as Central 911. “(It) has made a tremendous impact in ensuring peace and order to the city and keeping the citizens of Davao safe at all times,” the document said. “With a relatively high crime solution effi-ciency,” Davao City has become “the safest city in the Philippines and in the world.”

Central 911 was launched in September 2002 “to address emergency calls for crimi-nal incidents needing police assistance.” With that, the Philippines became the only coun-try outside of North America to adopt the system.

In the United States and Canada, dialing 911 from any telephone will immediately link the person to an emergency dispatch center -- called PSAP (Public Safety Answer-ing Point) by the telecom industry -- which can send emergency responders to the call-er’s location in an emergency.

Davao City, however, is not the only city in the Philippines which uses 911 as the num-

ber to be dialed in case of emergency. The other city is Kidapawan in North Cotabato.

Since its inception up to 2013, Central 911 received over half a million distress calls or 543,240 to be exact. Each day, the center receives an average of 190 calls.

According to the document, Central 911 puts in place a fully integrated, computerized response system which enables authorities to locate where distress calls are coming from. The system even tracks how fast the police could respond to emergency calls.

“By dialing 911, residents needing assis-tance can immediately summon responders to the scene of emergency,” the document said. “Central 911 has simplified the process by integrating in one system all the govern-ment’s emergency response resources: am-bulance, rescue technicians, firefighters, K-9 and the police.”

In an article I wrote for Reader’s Digest on medical emergency, the allotted time for emergency response is matter of only six minutes. More than that, the person is most likely to die.

“As a doctor I take high pride of Davao’s 911,” said Dr. Richard Mata, a Davao physi-cian. “In medical care, time is gold.”

Today, Central 911 now boasts of its ca-pability to respond to almost any type of emergency. Aside from police services, it also responds to emergency medical services, ur-ban search and rescue operations, fire auxil-iary services, and K-9 units.

“The presence and the availability of a response mechanism resulted to increased awareness among the constituents and visi-

tors of Davao City to report crime and emer-gency incidents which serves to mitigate or avoid further aggravating the situations and minimize the loss of lives and properties,” the document said.

I have been to other parts of the world and yet I can still say that Davao City is still the best place to live, the best place to visit, and the best place to unwind yourself from the stress of too much work.

But like any developing cities in the world, Davao City is not spared from criminal activities -- even terrorism -- and casualties during calamities (like typhoons, landslides, floods, and sea level rise).

“Serious accidents happen every so of-ten and natural calamities strike everywhere leaving a trail of destruction on its path,” the document said. “There is a growing specter of crimes and terrorism, a global phenome-non, which potentially changes the lifestyle and landscape of countries and cities.

“These are the ever present threats that the citizens and government can only deal with through vigilance and preparation,” the document added. “It is in this light that the city government of Davao has placed a heavy emphasis on calamity preparedness and in-creased the notch in emergency response and crime prevention through the establish-ment of Central 911.”

In his first State of the City Address on January 28, 1990, Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte pointed out: “Comparatively speaking, Davao City today is a much safer place to live in than say, two, three or four years ago.”

Today, Davao City still is!

A safe city, indeed

Henrylito D. Taciohenrytacio@gmail.com

THINK ON THESE!

Belittling, taking local governments for granted

BY MANNY VALDEHUESA

THE WORM’S EYEVIEW

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015

YOU’VE heard of the iP-hone and iPad. How about the iCar?

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has hired hundreds of people to work on a secret project — code name “Titan” — to develop an electric vehicle. The newspa-per cites people familiar with the project who spoke under condition of anonymity.

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr declined to com-ment.

The article says that the vehicle will resemble a min-ivan and that it would be branded as an Apple product.

Apple’s industrial design team is staffed with several people with automaking ex-perience, the article says. That group includes Marc Newson, a designer who once created a concept car for Ford.

Apple has confirmed that Newson is on its staff.

If Apple does sell an elec-tric car, it will face some com-petitors.

General Motors an-nounced on Thursday that it

10 EDGEDAVAO

ICT HUB

A HACKING ring has stolen up to $1 billion from banks around the world in what would be one of the biggest banking breaches known,

a cybersecurity firm says in a report scheduled to be delivered Monday.

The hackers have been active since at least the end of 2013 and infiltrated more than 100 banks in 30 countries, according to Russian security company Kaspersky Lab.

After gaining access to banks’ computers through phishing schemes and other methods, they lurk for months to learn the banks’ systems, taking screen shots and even video of employees using their computers, the company says.

Once the hackers become familiar with the banks’ operations, they use that knowledge to steal money without raising suspicions, programming ATMs to dispense money at specific times or setting up fake accounts and transferring money into them, according to Kaspersky. The report is set to be pre-sented Monday at a security conference in Cancun, Mexico. It was first reported by The New York Times.

The hackers seem to limit their theft to about $10 million before moving on to another bank, part of the reason why the fraud was not detected earli-er, Kaspersky principal security researcher Vicente Diaz said in a telephone interview with The Associ-ated Press.

The attacks are unusual because they target the banks themselves rather than customers and their account information, Diaz said.

The goal seems to be financial gain rather than espionage, he said.

“In this case they are not interested in informa-tion. They’re only interested in the money,” he said. “They’re flexible and quite aggressive and use any tool they find useful for doing whatever they want to do.”

Most of the targets have been in Russia, the U.S.,

Hackers steal $1B from banks

Apple ‘workingon electric car project’

Germany, China and Ukraine, although the attackers may be expanding throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, Kaspersky says. In one case, a bank lost $7.3 million through ATM fraud. In another case, a financial insti-tution lost $10 million by the attackers exploiting its online banking platform.

Kaspersky did not identi-fy the banks and is still work-ing with law-enforcement agencies to investigate the

attacks, which the company says are ongoing.

The Financial Services In-formation Sharing and Anal-ysis Center, a nonprofit that alerts banks about hacking activity, said in a statement that its members received a briefing about the report in January.

“We cannot comment on individual actions our members have taken, but on balance we believe our mem-bers are taking appropriate

actions to prevent and detect these kinds of attacks and minimize any effects on their customers,” the organization said in a statement. “The re-port that Russian banks were the primary victims of these attacks may be a significant change in targeting strategy by Russian-speaking cyber-criminals.”

The White House is put-ting an increasing focus on cybersecurity in the wake of numerous data breaches

of companies ranging from mass retailers like Target and Home Depot to Sony Pictures Entertainment and health in-surer Anthem.

The administration wants Congress to replace the existing patchwork of state laws with a national standard giving companies 30 days to notify consumers if their personal information has been compromised. MAE ANDERSON, AP Technology Writer

iCAR? Italian industrial designer Franco Grassi’s version of a possible Apple “iCar.” (from coroflot.com)

will build an electric car, the Chevrolet Bolt, with a 200-mile (320-kilometer) range at a factory near Detroit. The car will cost $37,500, not in-cluding a $7,500 federal tax credit, GM said. The car will be built starting in 2017.

Silicon Valley au-tomaker Tesla Motors plans to start selling a 200-mile (320-kilome-ter)-per-charge car about the same time. The price of Tesla’s Model 3, including the tax credit, is likely to be

well below $30,000 after the tax credit.

Nissan is already sell-ing an electric car, the Leaf, though not many — 158,000 around the world.

The Journal notes that Apple is always experi-menting with new prod-ucts, many eventually aban-doned. But it says the senior people involved in the elec-tric car project suggest that it is serious venture. BER-NARD CONDON, AP Busi-ness Writer

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 11EDGEDAVAO

SUBURBIA

TO help children in con-flict affected villages here, the health de-

partment of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) appealed for do-nations of used but playable toys.

Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr, regional health secretary of the ARMM, is seeking help from anyone to donate “used but playable toys and chil-dren books” to help children in conflict afflicted town of Mamasapano, Maguindanao overcome fear and anxiety.

Sinolinding led a series of medical and psychosocial intervention in the village of Tukanalipao and other areas in Mamasapano following the January 25 carnage that left 44 elite police, Moro reb-els and civilian killed in the 10-hour fire fight.

“After a series of health interventions in the war af-fected communities in Ma-masapano, we found out that trauma brought about by the January 25 clashes is the most difficult to manage,” Sinolinding said of the chil-dren of Mamasapano.

“Fears, anxiety, uncer-tainty and worries were the most common terms to de-scribe feelings of the affected population,” he added.

“Five or six of 10 chil-dren have been traumatized

and we pity them. We need to help them cope with the sufferings they are in now,” Sinolinding said.

To arrest the psycho-logical effect of the conflict, Sinolinding launched a cam-paign aimed at giving the population an intervention for them to overcome fears and anxiety.

Dubbed “Laruang Pam-bata, Alay sa Kapayapaan,” the campaign solicits dona-tions in kind such as toys, children’s books, and other toys that will help the young minds forget about the con-flict and refocus their atten-tion on something worth-while.

“May I therefore appeal for used but playable toys, children books and maga-zines for children of Mama-sapano,” he said.

“Please avoid items that will remind them of war like toy guns, blades, weapons, and toy tanks,” he added.

“Please help us help these Mamasapano children cope with the effects of con-flict so they will leave like normal children in other ar-eas,” he said.

For those who have extra used toys and would like to donate, Sinolinding suggest-ed that these be dropped off at collection units in the ARMM.

IN a bid to aid 16 couples reach their goal towards marital bliss, the city gov-

ernment of Tagum launched the “Kasalan sa Palengke,” a civil mass wedding held at the Bagsakan area of Tagum City Public Market on February 13, 2015.

The event, which was offi-ciated by Mayor Allan L. Rellon

by virtue of Section 444, Para-graph 18 of the Local Govern-ment Code, was sponsored by the city in partnership with the City Economic Enterprises Office, the City Civil Registrar’s Office, select members of the 6th City Council, and various associations of dealers, stall-holders, and vendors of the Tagum City Public Market.

The 16 couples whose wedding rites were fully spon-sored by the groups were some of the laborers, vendors, and butchers of the public market.

The celebration and all the legal processes prior to its holding, including the facili-tation of the couples’ applica-tion for marriage at the LCR,

ARMM health chief calls for toys, books for Mamasapano children

16 couples wed in Tagum’s‘Kasalan sa Palengke’

Tagum City

Collection units include all Rural Health Units and government hospitals in the ARMM. The region is com-posed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

Sinolinding also sought partnership with local me-dia organizations in Central Mindanao region with its of-fices as drop-off points.

Donors outside the

region may contact Dr. Tato Usman, Dr. Analyn Di-mapanat and Ms. Faisalea Ungkakay at Department of Health (DOH-ARMM) regional office in Cotaba-to City through telephone numbers (064)421-6842 and (064)421-3988, email www.doharmm@yahoo.com or visit its website www.doharmmgov.ph. (PNA)

Mamasapano, Maguindanao

was part of the EAGLE WINGS program of the current admin-istration under Social Services.

In his message, Rellon said the city government co-spon-sored the wedding rites of a select number of people who work in the public market as a measure of acknowledging them as having contributed to the city’s economy.

Prior to the launching of the Kasalan sa Palengke, the city government, through the City Human Resource Man-agement Office and the City Civil Registrar’s Office, cele-brated the second year of Kas-alanan ng Bayan, Para Sa Mga Kawani, a civil mass wedding involving employees of the city for a total of 14 couples on February 13.

It also co-sponsored with Pag-ibig Fund-Tagum Branch the fourth installment of a civil mass wedding dubbed “I Do. I Do. Araw ng Pag-ibig” with a total of 56 couples on Feb-ruary 12. Richi D. Gulle of CIO Tagum

SEALED WITH A KISS. Sixteen couples seal their love with a kiss at the Kasalan sa Palengke organized by the city government of Tagum on February 13 and officiated by Mayor Allan L. Rellon. Kelvin Palermo of CIO Tagum

PEACE WALK. In this file photo, Mamasapano school children stage a “peace walk” as they march around town calling for an end to the violence in their municipality. MindaNews photo by Ferdinandh Cabrera

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 201512 CLASSIFIED EDGEDAVAO

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

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

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

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The thing that attracted me: Angkor Wat, the magnificent Hindu temple built by King Suryavarman II at the height of the Khmer empire in the 12th century. After all, it is included in the World Heritage List of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organi-zation (UNESCO) which recog-nizes sites with cultural, histori-cal and natural significance. Nate Thayer, in a piece which appeared in the book, All-Asia Travel Guide, described it in these words: “Angkor, the world’s largest temple complex, is spread over 228 square ki-lometers and consists of sand-stone temples, chapels, cause-ways, terraces, and reservoirs. The walls of the temples are covered with thousands of carv-ings or battles between gods and demons from classical Hindu mythology, sensual dancing women, and royal processions with kings riding elephants.” Since then, Angkor Wat was on my bucket list of places to visit. So, when an opportunity came, I immediately grabbed the occasion. Actually, I was invited to cover an international gathering but since we arrived a day earlier, we had time to go to the famed temple. UNESCO, in its website, considered Angkor Wat as one of the most important archaeo-logical sites in Southeast Asia. “It contains the magnificent remains of the different capi-tals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th centuries,” it said. “The influence of Khmer art, as developed at Angkor, was a profound one over much of South-East Asia and played a fundamental role in its distinc-tive evolution.

“Khmer architecture evolved largely from that of the Indian subcontinent, from which it soon became clearly distinct as it developed its own special characteristics, some indepen-dently evolved and others ac-quired from neighboring cul-tural traditions. The result was a new artistic horizon in oriental art and architecture,” the UN agency further stated. “(Angkor Wat) is of such ex-traordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of.” That was what Antonio da Madalena, a Portuguese and one of the first Western visitors to the temple. The tourism office of Cam-bodia describes Angkor Wat in these words: “… In its beauty and state of preservation, (Ang-kor Wat) is unrivaled. Its might-iness and magnificence bespeak a pomp and a luxury surpassing that of a Pharaoh or a Shah Ja-han, an impressiveness greater than that of the Pyramids, an artistic distinctiveness as fine as that of the Taj Mahal.” Actually, Angkor was aban-doned in the 15th century as Cambodia turned to Buddhism and the capital was moved to near its current location in Phnom Penh. Good that it was “rediscovered” by a French explorer in the 1860s that it re-mains the symbol of Cambodia today. French experts worked to restore the temple only to be driven out by war in 1970. Actually, Angkor Wat is just one of more than 70 temples and monuments in the area.

The Bayon temple, known as Angkor Thom, features more than 200 magnificent, slightly smiling stone faces. Although it is a Buddhist temple, it retains elements of Hindu cosmology and imagery. Standing in the exact center of the walled city, it represents the intersection of heaven and earth. The Japanese Government Team for the Safeguarding of Angkor has described the temple as “the most striking expression of the baroque style” of Khmer architecture, in com-parison to the classical style of Angkor Wat.

Equally famous as the Ang-kor Wat is the Ta Prohm. The Lonely Planet described it this ways: “It is a series of dark gal-leries and pillars held hostage under the iron clasp of gigantic roots. The walls are decorated with carvings of sensuous ce-lestial nymphs with smaller roots crawling across them like a rash.” The Sanskrit inscriptions on the walls said the temple held thousands of pearls, pre-cious stones and golden dishes weighting more than 500 kilo-grams. But unfortunately, this temple has been neglected and

largely left to the clutches of the living jungle. You see great trees tower the temple with leaves fil-tering the sunlight. The trees growing out of the ruins are perhaps the most dis-tinctive feature of Ta Prohm, and “have prompted more writ-ers to descriptive excess than any other feature of Angkor.” Maurice Glazie, an Angkor scholar, deplores: “On every side, in fantastic over-scale, the trunks of the silk-cotton trees soar skywards under a shadowy green canopy, their long spread-ing skirts trailing the ground and their endless roots coiling more like reptiles than plants.” According to Thayer, the tem-ple complex near Angkor is best done in two to three days, but all can be viewed in one full day. Some people to go Angkor Wat by hiring a tuk-tuk, a mo-torcycle with a cabin attached to the rear. Since automobile traffic is still not that bad -- unlike in Bangkok, Thailand -- tuk-tuk is the most common form of ur-ban transport. You can hire a tuk-tuk and driver by the day. Be sure to negotiate first.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015

EDGEDAVAOINdulge! TRAVEL

HOLLYWOOD movies have a big influence on me. After watching the movie, Killing Fields, I told my-self: “I will never, never visit Cambodia!” But that changed after I watched another Hollywood movie, Tomb Raider, which starred Angelina Jolie.

ANGKOR WAT:Text and Photos by Henrylito D. Tacio

Ta Prom.

Tuktuk.

City of Temples

A battle between love and time in ‘Future’s Choice’

GLOBE TELECOM’S pioneering direct car-rier billing service for apps on Google Play and Apple App Store has become a ma-jor driving force in the continuing shift to digital lifestyle, as more smartphone owners are now get-ting into the habit of purchasing apps for a richer mobile experi-ence. The number of Globe customers per day who have either bought an app or bought items inside apps on the Google Play Store have more than dou-bled since the service was launched in October 2014. Meanwhile, there are over 300,000 customers using the GCash American Ex-press® Virtual Pay to date, allowing them to con-veniently purchase apps from the Apple App Store, with iTunes App purchas-es comprising 27% of total GCash American Express® Virtual Pay purchases in 2014. Total transaction growth of GCash Ameri-can Express® Virtual Pay from 2013 to 2014 was re-

corded at 65%. Globe introduced the direct carrier billing ser-vice for Android smart-phone users last year to enable customers to pur-chase apps and charge their purchases to their postpaid bill or prepaid load without the need for a credit card. It has since at-tracted a significant num-ber of customers to buy premium apps and other content on the Google Play Store. Aside from the direct carrier billing service for Google Play Store, cus-tomers were able to pur-chase apps, media, and games from the Apple Store using the GCash

American Express® Vir-tual Pay since 2012. Cus-tomers just need to regis-ter their GCash American Express® Virtual Pay card details to their Apple ac-count and begin purchas-ing right away. “As the leading digital service provider in the country, Globe pioneered direct carrier billing ser-vice in the country in line with our commit-ment of providing prod-ucts and services relevant to our customers. We are delighted to see that this particular service provid-ed an impetus in making customers’ lives easier and more convenient as they shift to a digital lifestyle,”

Dan Horan, Globe Senior Advisor for Consumer Business Group. Horan pointed out that prior to Globe Telecom’s introduction of direct car-rier billing service, many Filipinos availed only of free apps to use on their mobile devices, due to non-ownership of a credit card, which remains to be the most popular way of paying for premium apps on Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. Based on the CIA Fact Book in 2013, only 4% of Filipinos own credit cards. To begin purchasing apps on Google Play Store, first time users just need to select the app they wish to purchase, accept the app permissions and on the payment options menu, select “Enable Globe Tele-com Billing”. After agree-ing to the Terms of Ser-vice, register your phone number, name and ad-dress then payment will be processed successfully. For succeeding purchases, customers need to enter your Google ID and pass-word to continue process-ing the payment. Over a

million apps are available to customers on Google Play Store. Meanwhile, users can get a GCash American Express® Virtual Pay ac-count via different plat-forms such as the GCash mobile app available on the App Store, Google Play Store, BlackBerry App World and GCash website. GCash American Express® Virtual Pay is a virtual pre-paid card linked to a user’s GCash wallet that allows a secure way of shopping from online retail sites that accept American Express. With the service, buyers can transfer funds to their GCash wallets by cash-ing in from the customer’s bank account or through any of over 7,000 GCash outlets nationwide. GCash American Ex-press® Virtual Pay al-lows buyers to provide a personalized US address where the item can be de-livered to, granting Filipi-nos direct access to exclu-sive US goods. From this address, the item will then be shipped to the buyer’s preferred delivery address in the Philippines.

A2 INdulge!UP AND ABOUT

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENT

TAKE the whole family and celebrate a brand new start. Usher in the year of the Sheep at SM City Davao. Discover your fortune forecast at the Chinese Zodiac Wall located at the Ground Floor of the Annex. On February 19, catch the Lion and Drag-on dances around the mall as we bid farewell to the year of the Horse and start a fresh year. Learn to harmonize the forces of the environ-ment. Solicit Feng Shui tips from expert Richard Yu on February 20-21. Chinese charms fit for your zodiacs as well as traditional Chinese treats and trinkets are available at the Chinese Bazaar lo-cated at the Event Cen-ter. Also, immerse in tra-ditional Chinese culture

with live performances at SM malls on the week-end. To complete the cele-bration, dine at SM Food-court and get a free bean cake for a minimum pur-chase of P250. Usher in prosperity and good fortune at SM

City Davao this Chinese New Year! For more in-formation and event up-dates, call 297.6998. Like SM City Davao on Face-book and follow @SMCi-tyDavao on Twitters and @SMDavao on Instagram for event and promo up-dates.

Fortune forecast, performances, and free treats at SM City Davao Chinese New Year weekend

Globe direct carrier billing service drives customer shift to digital lifestyle

KAPAMILYA teen star Janella Salvador’s character is ready to take on a new mis-sion in ABS-CBN’s most-watched day-time program, “Oh My G.” “I’m excited for the new challenge that Sophie is about to face as she search-es for the mysterious Anne Reyes,” said Janella about her character’s mission to find the woman whom her father Paul (Eric Quizon) wanted her to look for. “Because of Anne, Sophie will discover a lot of things about her life and the pur-

pose of everything that has happened in her life,” shared Janella, who feels so blessed to be a part of the Kapamilya series, which, according to her, teaches viewers important values in a very light and fun way. Now that she is already convinced that God is the one who is communicating with her, Sophie is willing to do everything to decipher the signs and messages He is telling her. Who is Anne and how is she related to Sophie? How will G (God) be able to help her in her mission? Don’t miss the continua-

Janella takes on new mission in ‘Oh My G’

The Year of the Green Wooden Sheep is trotting in to the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao. On February 19, celebrate and bring in prosperity with a Lion Dance at the Lobby and hang angpaos on the Prosperity Tree, Head right over to Cafe Uno for an opulent and authentic Chinese-themed lunch buffet for only Php888 nett per person. Come in a group of five and one gets to dine for free. For reservations and inquiries, call the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao at (82) 3008881 or 2332881 local 8700.

REGRET is one of the most heart-breaking truths of life. Mistakes are made, and some-times we wish we can go back in time to correct them. Lucky (or not?) for Mirae Na, an old lady claiming to be her future self travelled all the way back to her time to guide her in making big decisions. Witness how it can be possible to stand against the course of fate as GMA Network brings a funny, yet heartwarming asianovela Future’s Choice. The story tells about the life of Mirae Na (Yoon Eun Hye), a 32 year old tele-marketer, who dreams to be part of the broadcast-

ing industry. Despite be-ing warned not to work for YBS station, she follows her dream and gets a job as a writer at the company. She meets and catches feelings for an obnoxious and over-thrown news anchor, Brix Kim (Lee Dong Gun) who is apparently responsible for her future’s misery. Xander Park (Jeong Yong Hwa) is the secret successor of YBS, and works a cam-eraman to learn the ways of the company in preparation of taking over the position as CEO. Quiet, reserved, and passionate, he gets drawn to Mirae’s straight-forward personality. His being a gentleman attracts a career-oriented Tori Seo (Han Chae-ah) who tries to work her charm on him.

However, he remains to be unfazed by it and only has the eyes for Mirae. Their lives will be med-dled with by the older Mi-rae played by Choi Myung-gil, as she tries to provide herself a better future. Feel the struggle of changing the past with the show’s theme song, ‘Kung Maibabalik Ko Lang’ sung by Julie Anne San Jose and be part of the time-inflicted love story of four people who will struggle as they choose between love and career beginning February 16 after My Name is Kim Sam Soon on GMA. For more updates, like the official Facebook page of Future’s Choice https://www.facebook.com/GMA-FuturesChoice.

A battle between love and time in ‘Future’s Choice’

INdulge! A3VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 EDGEDAVAOENTERTAINMENT

DIFFERENT and challenging. Those two adjectives de-scribe the upcoming role of Kapuso Pri-metime King Ding-dong Dantes in his newest program in GMA Network. In the story conference of Pari ‘Koy last Friday, February 13, the Kapuso actor expressed his ex-citement. “I’m very ex-

cited and very energized to go back to work. Ito ay isang storya na magbibig-ay inspirasyon sa mga manonood.” It will be Dingdong’s first time to portray a priest, as Father Kokoy. According to the Kapuso Primetime King, “Si Kokoy ay lumaki sa isang magan-dang pamilya na pinili ang landas ng pagsisilbi sa simbahan. Na-assign siya

sa isang community kung saan masusubukan ang kanyang kakayahan dahil sa mga taong nakapaligid sa kanya. Bilang mga Pili-pino, we have our ways of practicing our faith kaya naman malapit talaga sa puso ko ang role ko rito.” Pari ‘Koy is under the helm of award-winning director, Maryo J. Delos Reyes. Direk Maryo and Dingdong first collabo-

rated in the primetime se-ries, Pahiram ng Sandali. Pari ‘Koy also stars Gab-by Eigenmann, Sunshine Dizon, Chanda Romero, Jeric Gonzales, Carlo Gonzales, JC Tiuseco, Rap Fernandez, Luz Valdez, Dexter Doria, Hiro Peralta, Jojit Lorenzo, Lindt John-ston, Jhiz Deocareza, and Jillian Ward. Pari ‘Koy is set to air this March in GMA Telebabad.

Dingdong Dantes back in primetime this March in GMA’s ‘Pari ‘Koy’

pose of everything that has happened in her life,” shared Janella, who feels so blessed to be a part of the Kapamilya series, which, according to her, teaches viewers important values in a very light and fun way. Now that she is already convinced that God is the one who is communicating with her, Sophie is willing to do everything to decipher the signs and messages He is telling her. Who is Anne and how is she related to Sophie? How will G (God) be able to help her in her mission? Don’t miss the continua-

tion of the feel-good drama series that will bring every-one closer to God, “Oh My G,” weekdays before “It’s Showtime” on ABS-CBN Prime-Tanghali. For more information about “Oh My G” log on to www.abs-cbn.com, or follow @abcbndot-com on Twitter. For more updates, log on to www.abs-cbn.com or follow @ab-scbndotcom on Twitter. Meanwhile, viewers may also catch up on full epi-sodes and past episodes of “Oh My G” through ABS-CBNmobile. For more infor-mation, please go to www.abscbnmobile.com.

Janella takes on new mission in ‘Oh My G’

PG13/

*R16

R13

PG13/

*PG13 12:30 | 3:00 | 5:30 LFS / *8:00 | 10:00 LFS

R-16

JUPITER ASCENDING/ *THAT THING CALLEDTADHANA

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

R18 11:40 | 2:15 | 4:50 | 7:25 | 10:00 LFS

PADDINGTON / *EVERLY

12:40 | 3:00 | 5:20 | 7:40 | 10:00 LFS

THE WEDDING RINGER

Kevin Hart, Josh Gad

12:25 | 2:20 | 4:15 LFS / *6:10 | 8:05 | 10:00 LFS

Hugh Bonnevilles, Xian Lim (Voice of Paddington) / * Salma Hayek

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan

February 16-17, 2015

A4 INdulge!TRAVEL

THE 16th to 17th centuries saw the flour-ishing of the spice and tin trade between Asia and Europe. This rise in interactions between cultures gave rise to many towns that eventually became trading centers where cultures mix creating unique archi-tecture as well as fabulous cuisines.

floors, huge wooden altar, and old wooden furni-ture. The menu of Kocik Kitchen was simple and straitforward, with dish-es that are immediately familiar but with a Per-anakan twist. For starters I had the Lemak Nenas Prawn which had delicious fresh prawns and lots of spicy coconut gravy. This was followed by some Chicken Ngo-Hiang Rolls which are reminiscent of the Ngo-Hiang Rolls we have in the Chinese restaurants here in the Philippines. Kocik Kitchen also has Chicken Ponteh, consid-ered one of Malacca’s sig-nature dishes, which is a light chicken stew that is reminiscent of our Hum-

Peranakan cuisine:A fusion of cultures and flavours

One product of the fusion of cultures is the Peranakan of Peninsu-lar Malaysia, Singapore, and some portions of Thailand. Primarily de-scendants of Chinese immigrants who have intermarried with the lo-cals, Peranakan culture as well as their food form a unique mix unlike any

other in the world. I was able to have my first taste of Nyonya (what they call the Peranakan women) cuisine at Kocik Kitchen just off Jonker Street at the UNESCO Heritage Town of Malacca. Occupying a tradition-al shophouse, I was imme-diately transported back in time with its checked

ba but less sweet. I later found out that most Peranakan were of-Hokkien Chinese descent; no wonder the dishes were immediately famil-iar yet tasted slightly dif-ferent. Case in point was the stir-fried wing beans which we would normal-ly have here in the Phil-ippines with just garlic. Kocik Kitchen’s stir-fried wing beans came with an

added punch of blachan, fermented shrimp paste formed into cakes, and spices. There were also vari-ous ‘kweys’ or Peranakan desserts, but due to the lack of time for the on-ward road trip to Johor, I was not able to taste them. Hopefully I will be allowed to go back to Malacca to finally sample these treats.

Many thanks to Tour-ism Malaysia which is currently celebrating the Year of Festivals this 2015, kicking it off with the Lunar New Year cel-ebrations this coming February 19. Follow me on Insta-gram or on Twitter at @kennethkingong to share your travel and food sto-ries from Durianburg and beyond.

The storefront of Kocik Kitchen.

A delicious Nyonya spread.

Stir-fried wing bean with blachan.Chicken Ngo Hiang rolls.

Inside Kocik Kitchen.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015EDGEDAVAO

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 13EDGEDAVAO

NOTICE OF LOSSNotice is hereby given by LOYOLA PLANS

CONSOLIDATED INC. That CERTIFICATE OF FULL PAYMENT No.(s)7280 under LOYOLA PLAN Contract No.(s) 295942-4 issued to CARMENCITA F. BUENAFE was lost. Any transaction entered into shall be null and void.

2/17,24/3/3

THE Department of So-cial Welfare and De-velopment (DSWD)

Regional Office here high-lights the Department’s 64th Founding Anniversary by giving tribute to its devel-opment partners through the Pagkilala sa Natatang-ing Kontribusyon sa Bayan Awards (PaNata) on Feb-ruary 20 at the Grand Men Seng Hotel, this city.

DSWD 11 regional di-rector Priscilla N. Razon said the PaNata Awards recognizes non-government organizations (NGOs), local government units (LGUs), People’s Organizations (POs), media persons and organizations, as well as vol-unteer groups and individu-als who have selflessly dedi-cated their time, energy, and resources in helping DSWD carry out its mandate of im-proving the lives of the dis-advantaged sector of society.

She said the recognition likewise aims to encourage more individuals, groups, and organizations to sup-port the programs and ser-vices of the Department.

PaNata Awardees for this year are the Davao City Police Office, Sta. Ana Police Precinct, Pagasa Youth As-sociation of the Philippines, Gov. Corazon N. Malanyaon, Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipi-na-Gov. Generoso, Davao Del Norte Province, LGU Braulio E. Dujali, Federation of Se-nior Citizens Association of

DSWD 11 to give awards topartners, employees, media

the Philippines-Davao City, LGU Maragusan, Commis-sion on Higher Education, Josephine R. Delos Reyes, Manuelito C. Uy, El Shaddai Teaching Ministry, Padre Pio’s Home for Children, Lope Maglana and Camilo A. Sevilla.

PaNata recipients under Gawad Ulat are GMA Net-work, Inc., UNTV, Sun Star Davao Superbalita, Mind-anao Times, The Mindanao Daily Mirror, RGMA Super Radyo, DXMF Bombo Radyo, Marilyn C. Roque, Rhona O. Goc-Ong-Villariasa, Temujin B. Ocampo, Louell T. Requil-man, Jan Christian L. Bautis-ta, Leonila G. Duallo, Alger P. Dura, Arnold B. Colama, Renato B. Lumawag, Seth C. Delos Reyes, Robert Vincent G. Gonzales, John Quineth G. Rodriguez, Davao Press Club, Philippine Information Agency, and the Philippine News Agency Davao Bureau.

Meanwhile, PaNata

Awardees for Gawad Listah-anan are the municipalities of Malalag, Asuncion and New Corella.

Employees with out-standing performance will also be honored along with employees who have served in the Department for five, ten, 15, 25, 30, 35 or 40 years, who will be presented with the Loyalty Award.

With the theme DSWD@64: Tuloy ang Pag-babago at Pag-unlad, the re-gional office will run a week-long observance culminat-ing with the Thanksgiving Mass, PaNata Awards, and Opening of Sports Festival on Friday.

Other activities lined up include Bazaar and Products Festival, Cheer Dance Com-petition, setting up of Adop-tion Inquiry Desk at SM City Davao and SM Lanang malls, participation in the Kapehan sa Dabaw Press Conference, and Radio Guesting. (PNA)

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on February 24 to 28.Gun battleIn a press conference

yesterday, Eastern Mindan-ao Command (EastMinCom) chief Lieutenant General Au-relio Baladad said the rebels belonging to the Pulang Ba-gani Command (PBC) 3 and 6 attacked the police station at around 7:30 p.m. on Febru-ary 15, 2015.

The rebels disarmed desk officer Police Officer (PO)3 Danilo Babao and then en-gaged the police officers in a gun battle.

Babao was injured in the firefight while a rebel was killed.

Baladad said a reinforce-ment team from the 701st brigade immediately re-sponded to the incident.

Baladad said three sol-diers were hit when an Im-provised Explosive Device (IED) exploded. Two were killed on the spot while an-other one died in a hospital yesterday.

The three slain soldiers were identified as Private First Class (PFC) Daniel T. Da-mansila Jr., PFC Wil Christian S. Resuello, and Private Ryan M. Amigo.

Another soldier, iden-tified as Sergeant Adel Lu-canan of the 67th Infantry Battalion and reportedly a bodyguard of Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanya-on, was killed in a checkpoint set up by the NPA.

Two NPA members were apprehended following the incident, one of whom was identified as a certain “Kadoy.”

The military also recov-ered 31 backpacks, one Elf

truck, and two Toyota Hi-ace vans at the Mati City Police Station.

Insurgency-free?The attack came days af-

ter the military claimed that Davao Oriental, along with Camiguin and Dinagat Island, was “insurgency-free.”

The military, however, also admitted that there are still armed groups in the area due to its proximity to Com-postela Valley Province which is still a hotbed for the NPA.

Baladad said the NPA mounted the attack to show that it still has a presence in Davao Oriental.

“The NPA wants to show that it is still strong in Davao Oriental, but then again we will protect Davao Oriental especially the boundary area. They are now targeting soft targets like the PNP which is located in an urban area,” he said.

He said as early as Feb-ruary 3, the military was al-ready verifying intelligence reports that the NPA was planning to attack several places in Davao Oriental.

10th Infantry Division Commander Major General Eduardo Año said the mili-tary engaged the NPA in sev-eral encounters last week as part of the counterattack on the rebels.

Meanwhile, the convoy of regional police director Chief Superintendent Wendy Rosa-rio encountered a land mine at around 9 a.m. yesterday while heading to Mati City.

The military said one ci-vilian was injured in the ex-plosion. The AFP right now is on hot pursuit operation against the NPA.

tor Emerson Rosales com-mended TEFASCO for its ef-forts in fighting illegal drugs in the workplace.

Rosales also urged all business establishments in the region to promote and implement the national Drug-Abuse Prevention Program in the Workplace.

“This program is a big help in establishments, par-ticularly in the use and pro-liferation of illegal drugs in the workplace. You can also ensure the safety of your es-tablishments and employees as well as the welfare of your customers,” he said.

PDEA said pursuant to City Ordinance Num-ber 0506-16 series of 2013 known as “Drug-Free Work-place Ordinance of Davao City,” all business establish-ments are required to con-duct mandatory random drug testing on their officials and employees as well as

contractors and concession-aries.

Service-oriented estab-lishments are mandated to conduct mandatory random drug testing in 2015 as a pre-requisite for the renewal of their permit for 2016, and every three years.

Also, service and prod-uct-oriented establishments are mandated to conduct a mandatory random testing this year as a prerequisite of their renewal of their permit for 2017 and every three years.

Product-oriented estab-lishments are mandated to conduct the mandatory ran-dom drug testing in 2016 as the prerequisite for the re-newal of the permit in 2018.

PDEA said all drug testing activities will be done in coor-dination and supervision of its office. If not, it will be de-clared null and void. Arman-do B. Fenequito Jr.

of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) with street value of P2,000 from them.

Recovered from their possessions were one sack of suspected shabu with street value of P600,000.

The suspects are now temporarily detained at the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) detention facility, while the seized shabu

was submitted to Regional Laboratory of PDEA Regional Office XI for qualitative and quantitative examination.

Cases for violation of Section 5 in relation to Section 26 and Section 11, Article II of Republic Act 9165 otherwise known as The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are being prepared against the suspects.

of the government.Razon said that the re-

gion is planning to hire about 1,600 encoders and enumer-ators to attain their goal.

She said that the national annual budget for 4Ps pro-gram for 2015 is 2,900 per-cent higher than 2014.

“From P3-billion it went up to 109 Pbillion,” she add-ed.

Razon said Davao Region has received a total of 4.5 bil-lion for 4Ps Program.

However, there will be no increase in the amount of the cash grant because the target is to widen the coverage of the program specially in the remote areas of the region.

Razon also said that the agency will be intensifying the modified cash transfer program for Indigenous Peo-ple (IPs).

She said that about 3,000 were already listed from Paquibato and Marilog, Davao City. CRC

suspects Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and Abdul Basit Us-man. Marwan was reported-ly killed but Usman managed to escape.

Earlier, PNP acting chief Deputy Director Leonardo

Espina appealed on national TV for Moro rebels and ci-vilians to turn over the fire-arms, mobile phones and other equipment of the slain policemen. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera/MindaNews)

“We saw the sand slowly sinking and with bubbling water coming out of it. It was a small area at first but it expanded after a few hours,” she said.

She said the sinkhole engulfed a huge concrete structure where operators or owners would usually pitch their motor boats while on anchor.

Maniago said one of their neighbors dived into the sinkhole on Sunday afternoon and tried to determine its depth and possible cause but failed to make any progress.

Veneracion said they

have assigned some of their personnel to watch over the sinkhole and prevent residents from getting near it.

He said the CDRRMO has also sent some of their employees to assist in the monitoring of the affected area.

He added that personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Region 12 and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and seismology are scheduled to study and assess the site on Monday. (MindaNews)

containing mercury above the permissible limit,” EcoW-aste Coalition coordinator Aileen Lucero said.

“We appeal to the good mayors to seize the dan-gerous goods and castigate unscrupulous traders to pro-tect their constituents and the environment from the toxic effects of mercury,” Lu-cero said.

The Food and Drugs Administration, in line with the ASEAN Cosmetics Direc-tive, has set 1 part per mil-lion (ppm) as the allowable limit of mercury in cosmet-ics. Since 2010, the FDA has banned 116 skin whitening products for their mercu-ry content or for being sold without the required market authorization from the agen-cy.

To ascertain the prev-alence of illegally traded mercury cosmetics in the country, the EcoWaste Coa-lition deployed its “AlerToxic Patrollers” to 50 cities in Lu-zon, Visayas, Mindanao and the National Capital Region from November 9, 2014 to February 2, 2015.

The group said out of the 355 samples of skin whit-ening cosmetics procured and screened for mercury using a handheld X-Ray Flu-orescence (XRF) device, 316 were found to contain mer-cury above 1 ppm. 139 of the 355 samples were from Min-danao with 110 of the 135 testing positive for mercury.

EcoWaste Coalition said the top 10 samples from Mindanao with the highest concentrations of mercury are:

1. Xuefujiaolan Herbal Whitening and Embellish Classic Set (3 small jars) from CDO, with 96,100 ppm of mercury,

2. Beauty Girl Egg White and Tomato 6 Days Specific Eliminating Freckle Whiten-ing Cream from CDO, with 48,700 ppm of mercury,

3. Yu Dan Tang Gingseng and Green Cucumber 10 Days Whitening Speckles Removed Essence from CDO, with 48,700 ppm of mercury,

4. Feique Cucumber Anti-Wrinkle Whitening Set from Zamboanga, with

25,800 ppm of mercury,5. Zi XIn Mei Face Beau-

ty Vegetable Red in White Series (purple and gold box) from Zamboanga, with 10,700 ppm of mercury,

6. Zi Xin Mei Face Beau-ty Vegetable Red in White Series (pink and white box) from Zamboanga, with 9,839 ppm of mercury,

7. Collagen Plus Vit E Day and Night Cream from Zamboanga, with 9,003 ppm of mercury,

8. Jiaoli Herbs Essence Whitening AB Set from Marawi City, with 6,758 ppm of mercury,

9. S’Zitang 10 Days Whit-ening & Spot Day Night Set from Zamboanga, with 5,092 ppm of mercury, and

10. Erna Whitening Cream from General Santos, with 5,012 ppm of mercury.

The high levels of mer-cury in these contraband cosmetics pose a signifi-cant health risk to users and non-users, including children and women of child-bearing age who are most prone to the toxic ef-fects of mercury, the group warned.

According to the re-port “Beauty and the Risk” published by the EcoWaste Coalition, users of mercu-ry-containing skin whitening cosmetics may experience skin discoloration, rashes and scarring and reduced skin’s resistance to bacterial and fungal infections, while repeated applications can cause damage to the brain, the nervous system and the kidneys.

For non-users, the re-port, citing a US health advi-sory, said that “the mercury spreads from the hands of anyone using the cream to other things they touch (and) then gets into the air and anyone in the home can breathe it in.”

General signs and symp-toms of mercury exposure include abdominal pain, ane-mia, depression, diarrhea, heart abnormalities, muscle cramps, nausea, nervous-ness, numbness or tingling in hands, feet, or around the lips, pink hands and feet, tremors, and weight loss.

wards.The DOH and the pro-

vincial government signed a memorandum of agreement in July last year for the oper-ationalization, expansion and development of the hospital.

The agency allotted an initial P63 million in 2014 to fund the necessary improve-ments on the facility, which would later be converted into a regional medical center.

Under the agreement, the DOH will fully assume the administration and manage-

ment of the hospital as well as its expansion and develop-ment.

The provincial hospital annex sits on a five-hectare property beside the national highway in Barangay Dajay in Surallah that was donated by the municipal government.

The construction of the fa-cility was completed in Octo-ber 2013 but its opening was put on hold by the provincial government due to the lack of personnel and problems with its budget. (MindaNews)

more than P200 million were the P238 million concreting of Asuncion-San Isidro Bar-aela Road at the Compostela Valley , P242, 650,000 con-creting of Cateel–Composte-la Valley road on the Davao Oriental side; P264million for the construction of Davao City Diversion Road to TorilBang-kal- Puan section; and P250 million for concreting of Mon-tevista-Cateelroad in Compos-tela Valley.

Alquiza said the P264-mil-lion project that includes the construction of extension of the Diversion road is one of the big ticket projects in Davao City..

Alquiza said that the road

will be from Diversion Road to Old Davao-Cotabato road. It has an estimated length of less than 3 kilometers and will includethe construction of a bridge along Talomo River.

For 2014, Alquiza said that as of January 31 DPWH 11 has an accomplishment of 90.61 percent.

“Given with that percent-age we were not able to main-tain being number one even last December nag slide down kami to number two in the na-tional ranking,” Alquiza said.

DPWH was cited for being the highest performing re-gional office for two consecu-tive years in 2012 and 2013. CHENEEN R. CAPON

namis black rice and other rice varieties make the Prov-ince of Cotabato as one of the ‘what not to miss’ booths of the fair.

Part of the success of Tree Life Coco Sugar and Bios-Dy-namis organic rice is the sup-port of the Provincial Govern-ment of Cotabato who knows the potentials of these two companies in organic food production.

Gov. Emmylou “Lala” J. Taliño-Mendoza and a team from the province personal-ly went to the trade fair and helped in overseeing the ex-hibit as well as marketing of the products in Nuremburg.

“Organic farming and or-ganic food production contin-ue to gain support from the

people of North Cotabato and on our level as provincial of-ficials, we are extending wide support to this endeavor,” said Gov. Taliño-Mendoza.

“We are aware of the high potentials of organic foods in the global market that’s why we encourage everyone to patronize them especially that it came from our very own province” she added.

The governor again mani-fested strong support to Tree Life Coco Sugar and Bios-Dy-namis this year by sending Board Members Shirlyn Ma-casarte and Airene Claire Pa-gal along with Romano Lau-rilla, Manager of Don Bosco Multi-Purpose Cooperative (DBMPC) of M’lang to the 4-day trade fair.

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 15SPORTSEDGEDAVAO

This is actually a watered down version of my column which should have come out yesterday. Due to some glitch, I had to make some tweaks to make it still relevant today.

By this time, the NBA All-Stars would have been a foregone conclu-sion. The West, which I picked to win, celebrated in the grandest stage in New York. I did not correctly pick the MVP though. Russel Westbrook made it after exploding for 41 points.

I picked the troika of James Harden with the Splash Brothers Klay Thomp-son and Steph Curry to be the MVPs. Just the same, the trio gave us a great show.

As I was revising this earlier, there were a lot of unexpected winners in the All-Star sideshow. Steph Curry had won the three-point shootout over his Splash Brothers partner Klay Thomp-son in a battle of Golden State’s top guns. Klay was my bet in that contest to beat defending champ Marco Belinelli but Steph was just in the zone.

Zach LaVine won the Slam Dunk ti-tle with a creative twist of the between-the-legs slam that was first executed by Isiah Rider with his infamous “East Bay Funk” dunk. LaVine’s “Space Jam” dunk was the clincher last Sunday.

A n d then there was Patrick B e v e r l e y s n a t c h i n g the Skills C h a l l e n g e title. I say ‘ s n a t c h e d ’ because I placed Isiah Thomas as the man to beat in that contest. Team Bosh won the Shooting Stars Challenge and that meant I lost with my bet Team Curry.

Before the All-Star game was de-cided and this column got botched, let me share my thoughts on the 64th edi-tion of the mid-season classic.

West coach Steve Kerr is not known to be a fast ballplayer when he playing for the Chicago Bulls and the San An-tonio Spurs. He was a spot up shooter constantly looking for pick-and-roll screens to pop his three-pointer from time to time.

Yesterday morning, Kerr steered a Western Conference All-Star squad that’s meant to run like a Ferrari and fire like a machine gun.

It’s crazy looking at the line-up of this Western squad. Imagine this as Kerr’s starting unit: James Harden, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson form-ing a three-guard combo and Marc Gas-ol manning the middle. Dirk Novitzki (replacing Anthony Davis) is the 4-guy slash pistolero.

Off the bench, Kerr had these su-perstars at his beck and call: Kevin Du-rant, Tim Duncan, Russel Westbrook and Chris Paul.

The East All Stars are no pushovers if at all that word is not a misnomer in analysing All-Star games. Lebron James teams up with Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol, John Wall and first-time selec-tion Kyle Lowrie. Off the bench there’s Chris Bosh and the Hawks connection of Paul Millsap, Kyle Korver and Jeff Teague.

How did I saw that game shape up to be?

I placed my bucks on the West and by now, I would have known if I’d eat my words or chill my drink. Harden and the Splash Brothers should be a joy to watch. But the question was how Steve Kerr could put the acts together of this deadly trio. Steve needed to make the three form a boys choir humming the same tune, then he’s off to heaven. Oth-

erwise, Steve had better jump off a sky glider with both hands tied on his back.

This year’s All-Stars was with-out some familiar faces—Kobe Bry-ant, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Paul George, Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Blake Griffin.

Was it less glitzy without these stars? Naah. Not a bit. That usual raz-zle-dazzle plays was taken cared of by the young guns in Lowry, Damian Lilliard, Teague, Kyrie Irving and of course, Harden, Thompson and Curry.

Before yesyerday, I had this weird thinking the All-Star game may end with three co-MVPs—Harden-Thomp-son and Curry. Not far-fetched. Or there’s Melo torching the hoops at home in Madison Square Garden like a Mamasapano madman.

But Westbrook had other plans. He went 27 after the first half for an All-Star record and his total of 41 was just one shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s mark.

So goes another All-Star break. I hope you enjoyed it, buddies. A drink on hand, chips on the side. Next up, the final push for the season.

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

West as I placed my bet

Neil Bravo

LET’S GET IT ON

DON’T get too excit-ed, boxing fans.

Unbeaten fight-er Floyd Mayweather said Sunday that neither he nor Manny Pacquiao have signed a deal for a May mega-fight, but he still hopes to get into the ring with the Filipino icon.

Mayweather, attend-ing the NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Gar-den, said in a brief tele-vision interview during the contest that global reports about a virtually done deal for the long an-ticipated bout were pre-mature.

The Sunday Tele-graph in London, citing a source in the Pacquiao camp, reported “Pac-man” had signed a deal for a fight expected to be worth $250 million.

“That’s not true,” Mayweather said. “I ha-

ven’t signed yet and he hasn’t signed yet.

“It’s just been specu-lations and rumors,” May-weather said. “But I’m hopeful we can make the fight happen.”

Buzz about a poten-tial Pacquiao-Mayweath-er fight on May 2 in Las Vegas has been growing all month after the Asian star’s promoter Bob Arum said a deal could be looming.

Filipino southpaw Pacquiao is 57-5 with two drawn and 38 knockouts while Mayweather is 47-0 with 26 knockouts.

The two were long-time rivals as the “best pound-for-pound” boxers of their generation, but the dream fight has never materialized to the disap-pointment of the boxing world.

Various issues have

scuttled previous at-tempts to make the fight, including a falling-out be-tween Mayweather and Arum.

Drug testing protocol issues contributed to the breakdown of talks five years ago, but after the fighters met at an NBA game in Miami in late Jan-uary talks seemed to be progressing.

One issue that must be resolved is the fighters’ contracts with rival tele-casters.

Mayweather has a contract with Showtime while Pacquiao has a deal with HBO, so the rival telecasters must also de-cide how to divvy up the spoils.

The last time Show-time and HBO made such a deal was for a Mike Ty-son-Lennox Lewis match-up in 2002.

NOT YET SET

Boxing superstars Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi vies with Levante’s midfielder Jose Luis Morales Nogales.

LIONEL Messi marked his 300th La Liga appearance with his

31st Barcelona hat-trick as the Catalans moved within a point of Real Madrid at the top of the table with a 5-0 win over Levante.

However, champions Atletico Madrid remain seven points off the top in third after losing 2-0 at Celta Vigo.

Barca have now won

11 straight matches in all competitions and never looked in danger despite coach Luis Enrique mak-ing eight changes from the side that beat Villar-real in the Copa del Rey in midweek.

Messi teed up Ney-mar to open the scoring early on and then took over scoring duties him-self to push out his all-time La Liga tally to 269 goals.

Yet, even the Argen-tine was upstaged by a stunning overhead kick from substitute Luis Su-arez to round off the scor-ing.

Victory tied Pep Guardiola’s best ever run of consecutive wins during his hugely suc-cessful four-year spell in charge at the Camp Nou.

But Enrique insisted it is winning at the sea-son’s end which matters

most.“Records are obvi-

ously positive, but they don’t interest me,” he said.

“The players aren’t overly euphoric because they know how hard it is to win titles.

“If the fans are eu-phoric then great. We need to be optimistic, but it isn’t important how many games we have won. What counts is if they help us to win trophies.”

Floyd disputes report that megafight with Manny already a done deal

Messi hat trick helps Barca sinks Levante

VOL. 7 ISSUE 237 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 201516 EDGEDAVAOSports

OKLAHOMA City’s Russell West-brook poured in

41 points to lead the Western Conference to a 163-158 victory over the East in a record-set-ting NBA All-Star Game.

The total points scored in the 64th edi-tion of the mid-season showcase on Sunday surpassed last year’s 163-155 Eastern Con-ference win for the high-est-scoring NBA All-Star Game in history.

Westbrook earned Most Valuable Player honors as he fell one point shy of the All-Star game record of 42 set by Wilt Chamberlain back in 1962.

Westbrook’s 27 first-half points were a record for an All-Star half and he closed out the contest with two free throws -- a rarity on a night when spec-tacular offensive moves were the order of the day and defense was conspicuously absent.

The Western Conference’s 25 three-pointers were the most ever for one team in an All-Star Game, and the combined 48 three-pointers from both teams were also a record.

“It’s amazing,” Westbrook said after he accepted the MVP tro-phy from NBA commis-sioner Adam Silver.

“I came out and made a few shots and when I made a few shots, I stayed aggres-sive,” Westbrook added.

In fact, Westbrook made a dazzling eight of his first nine at-tempts and finished by connecting on 16 of 28 from the floor.

Westbrook, who has had to shoulder the load in Oklahoma City at times this season with reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant missing 27 games so far because of injuries, said he was looking forward to the rest of the campaign.

WEST SIDE STORY

West Team’s Russell Westbrook, of the Oklahoma City Thunder, dunks during the first half of the NBA All-Star basketball game on Sunday in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

RUSSELL Westbrook was the brightest All-Star in the Big Apple.

Westbrook scored 41 points - one shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s 53-year-old record - and was selected MVP of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night af-ter leading the West to a 163-158 win over the East at Madison Square Garden.

Oklahoma City’s flashy point guard set a record with 27 first-half points and nearly topped Chamberlain’s mark set in 1962. Westbrook didn’t re-alize he was within reach of Chamberlain until it was too late and the West was

trying to maintain its lead.‘’I missed about six or

seven layups,’’ he said. ‘’I could definitely have had it.’’

Westbrook is a show-man and he delivered a scintillating performance on basketball’s biggest stage, pleasing a crowd that included President Bill Clinton, Jay-Z, Beyonce and some of the game’s all-time greats.

Westbrook became the third player to score 40 points in an All-Star Game, joining Chamberlain and Michael Jordan, who had 40 in 1988.

‘’It’s definitely an

honor to be grouped with those two guys,’’ he said.

In the first half, West-brook helped the West build a 20-point lead that was eventually erased. And beyond his array of high-flying dunks - he grazed his head on the bottom of the backboard on one slam - drives and 3-pointers, Westbrook cel-ebrated almost every one of his buckets with some kind of celebration, either strutting back down the floor, raising his arms or pointing to the crowd.

‘’It was a spectacular show of athleticism,’’ said Golden State guard Ste-

phen Curry.Westbrook’s biggest

basket came with 2:22 left when he drained a 3-pointer to give the West a 158-149 lead. He made the most of his 25 minutes on the floor, attempting 28 shots. Chamberlain played 37 minutes, shot 17 for 23 and had 24 rebounds when he set the record.

With the West clinging to a three-point lead in the final seconds, Westbrook went to the free throw line for two shots. He made the first and then arched his second attempt high, trying to miss. It went in anyway.

West outlasts East

Westbrook named 2015 All-Star MVP