MDM November 17, 2018

By AYAN MELLEJOR 

DAVAO CITY — President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones to distribute all government lands to the people, 

ncluding the resort island of Boracay which is set to reopen to the public on October 26. 

In his message during 

the opening of 

Gaisano Grand 

Citygate Mall in Buhangin, 

this city last Friday, Duterte 

said even members of the 

New People’s Army (NPA) 

are to be included as 

beneficiaries of agrarian 

eform. 

“Akong giorderan ang 

ecretary of Agrarian 

Reform nga tanang yuta 

sa gobyerno ihatag na sa 

awo, hastang mga NPA, 

nyo na (I have ordered the 

ecretary of Agrarian 

eform to distribute 

overnment-owned lands to 

he people, even the NPA. 

hat is yours),” the 

President said. 

Last month, Castriciones 

said Malacañang, in 

consultation with the 

Department of Agrarian 

Reform (DAR), is reviewing 

an Executive Order that will 

distribute governmentowned 

lands to farmers for 

free. 

Castriciones said 

President Duterte wants 

some government-owned 

lands to be awarded to 

deserving farmworkers. 

He said while the 

issuance of notice of coverage 

for land distribution 

under the Comprehensive 

Agrarian Reform Program 

(CARP) has ended, 

“ 

Akong giorderan ang 

Secretary of Agrarian 

Reform nga tanang yuta 

sa gobyerno ihatag na sa 

tawo, hastang mga 

NPA, inyo na. 

” 

LAND 

government still has more 

lands to be distributed for the 

second phase of the 

program. 

In his speech last Friday, 

the President gave emphasis 

on Boracay, saying he 

declared agrarian reform in 

the interior areas to protect 

its people, with the express 

order to give the land to the 

natives. 

“Ang akong gibuhat 

aron dili maalkanse ang 

mga pobre, ang likod sa 

Boracay akong gibara 

ang expansion, gi-land 

reform nako, gihatag 

nako sa mga nitibo didto,” 

he said. 

(What I did so that the 

poor people will not be 

shortchanged is declare land 

reform over a portion of 

Boracay. It will be given to 

the natives.) 

The President said if he 

had not done so, only the rich 

would benefit from the 

cleanup government is doing 

in Boracay. 

Duterte had declared 

the closure of the entire 

island from tourists for six 

months starting April 26, 

2018 after seeing the 

degradation it had suffered 

from years of neglect. 

Duterte had called 

Boracay “a cesspool,” with 

the waters along the beaches 

TO THE PEOPLE/page 2

214 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 

LAND TO THE PEOPLE 

THE MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR 

Duterte orders DAR to give gov’t land to the people 

Go to push free school supplies 

from page 1 

million tourists in 2017, sa Ipanema?” he said. because he was a military who was assigned here. I reform nako. Muadto ko 

accounting for 34 percent of (Why did I declare general and Armed Forces showed him the problem and ngadto, dili ko sa Boracay. 

Western Visayas’ 5.8 million agrarian reform? Because if of the Philippines (AFP) told him I’d assign him there. Adto — landing ko bukid 

experiencing algal bloom tourist arrivals. 

I didn’t, then the rich would Chief of Staff before He’s my friend, all of manghatag kog titulo. Di 

which environmentalists Duterte said he does come in and start putting up becoming a Cabinet them. I said, ‘Ikaw ang na ko moagi diha kay 

have said is an indication of not want only the rich to hotels and subdivisions. Secretary. 

DENR, linisin mo ‘yang matintal kag tan-aw,” he 

pollution and deteriorating benefit from Boracay’s Boracay is world-class and “Tingala sila nganong... 

Kani si Cimatu The President reiterated 

Boracay.’”) 

said. 

ater conditions. 

reopening. 

there are many beautiful 

(I said six months. I said 

With the completion of “Mao na kay ngano? women, Americans who General man, assigned his promise to distribute the 

he six-month cleanup 

I would close Boracay. I will 

Og dili, daghang manulod would go there. The white man na ngari. Pakitaan land to the natives, saying he 

pproaching, the President 

give away the interior portion 

nga mga dato, tindog og ones who are not — who nako sa problema. would go not to Boracay’s 

aid he made the decision to 

of it to the people through 

mga hotel, tindog og mga would remove their bras. So Ingon nako ibutang nako beaches but to its mountains. 

istribute the island to the subdivision. Unya kay people will flock here. siya. Amigo ko man gyud He also managed to joke that 

land reform. I will go there 

people despite it being one world-class ni Boracay, Would into another na, kana silang tanan. he wants to avoid getting but not to Boracay. I will go 

f the top tourist draws in the naay daghang mga Ipanema?) 

Ingon nako, ‘Ika’y DENR, “tempted” to look at other to directly to the mountains 

ountry. 

gwapang moanha, mga The cleanup of Boracay linisin mo ‘yang women. 

instead to distribute land 

According to the Amerikana, adto motapok was overseen by Boracay,’” the President “Ingon ko six months. titles. I don’t want to pass 

estern Visayas regional tong mga tawo, ‘tong mga Environment Secretary Roy said. 

Ingnan nako sirhan nako by Boracay because I will 

ffice of the Department of puti nga dili — tanggalon Cimatu, who Duterte said (They were wondering na. Ang likod ana ihatag be tempted to look [at the 

ourism, Boracay had two ang mga bra. Pareho na was effective in the job why... Cimatu is a General nako sa mga tao, land women].) 

DAVAO CITY — 

hristopher Lawrence 

Bong” Go will push for the 

provision of free school 

upplies and other 

equirements for students in 

rder to make education less 

burdensome. 

In his speech at the 

National Youth Parliament 

ere on Monday, Go said he 

lso plans to put up a Sports 

nd Development Center in 

very local government unit 

that will provide free 

raining, equipment, coahing, 

and even mentoring in 

ntrepreneurship to our 

oung citizens.” 

“I am very glad to see 

ur youth leaders gathered 

ere to acquire the 

ecessary tools, knowledge, 

nd skills in advocacy and 

policy-making,” Go told the 

participants. 

By AYAN C. MELLEJOR 

“This will certainly be 

useful in performing your 

duties as Sangguniang 

Kabataan leaders and in 

honing your abilities as future 

leaders of your communities, 

localities and our country,” 

he added. 

In an earlier interview, 

Go lamented the fact that 

young people are being used 

by drug syndicates in their 

illegal activities. He urged 

youth leaders to encourage 

their peers to avoid using 

drugs. 

“Marami po ang 

nabik-tima ng droga, kayo 

po ang pwedeng magencourage 

sa kanila na 

lumayo (Many people have 

fallen victim to drugs. You 

are the ones who can 

encourage them to stay ouf 

of it),” he said. 

Go also highlighted the 

key role the youth play in the 

development of the country, 

especially since they will 

be the ones who will benefit 

from their own good work. 

“Sana ay ipagpatuloy 

ninyo ang inyong magagandang 

gawain at sana ay 

ibahagi niyo rin ang mga 

natutunan ninyo sa kaganapang 

ito sa mga kabataan 

sa inyong lugar. Higit 

kailanman, kailangan ng 

ating pamahalaan ng mga 

kabataang magiging 

kaagapay sa pag-aangat 

ng ating bayan,” he said. 

(I hope you will continue 

your good work and that you 

will share what you learn in 

this event with the youth in 

your respective places. Now, 

more than ever, our government 

needs young people 

who can be partners in 

pushing our nation forward.) 

PCOO exec prods youth to help eradicate drugs 

DAVAO CITY — 

residential Communiations 

Assistant Secretary 

amon Cualoping has 

hallenged the country’s 

outh leaders to help the 

overnment in eradicating 

he illegal drugs problem. 

“The government 

annot do this alone. We 

eed you, the hope of this 

beautiful land,” Cualoping 

aid during a speech before 

he 12th National Youth 

arliament at the Waterfront 

otel here on Sunday. 

Cualoping urged youth 

eaders to incorporate in 

heir proposed policies plans 

nd legislation that would 

elp address drug addiction. 

He said the right path to 

nding the illegal drugs 

problem is to help the 

overnment build solutions 

nd transform the “horrors 

f drug addiction” into 

success stories. 

“As the saying goes, it 

takes a village to raise a 

child,” he said. 

Cualoping, who spoke 

for the PCOO and the Inter- 

Agency Committee on Anti- 

Illegal Drugs at the youth 

leaders’ gathering, lauded the 

activity as it serves the best 

platform to bring out the 

ideas and proposals, 

especially on illegal drugs — 

one of the major agenda of 

President Rodrigo Duterte’s 

administration. 

Cualoping reiterated that 

the administration’s fight 

against drug addiction aims 

to provide a safe and 

comfortable life for the 

Filipinos. He admitted the 

war against drugs has been 

challenging. 

“There have been a lot 

of detractors, a lot of 

disinformation. A lot of 

misgivings from those who 

could not accept that this 

campaign is necessary and 

just,” he said citing the 

bloated numbers of alleged 

state-sanctioned extrajudicial 

killings 

Cualoping said critics 

even continue to add or 

multiply numbers without 

basis to discredit the 

administration. He asked 

youth leaders not to believe 

in the accusations. 

“There has been no 

state-sanctioned killings. Our 

enforcers have been 

transparent,” he said. He 

added that reporters and 

religious organizations are 

even invited to join police 

operations. 

“The government has 

nothing to hide. What’s the 

point of engaging in a 

senseless bloodbath?” he 

stressed. 

CHRISTOPHER Lawrence “Bong” Go delivers a speech at the gathering of the Political 

Officers League of the Philippines (Polphil) at SMX Davao yesterday. ARJOY M. CENIZA 

“We dismiss disinformation 

through #Real 

Numbers, and provide only 

the verified numbers 

regarding the government’s 

illegal drug-related 

operations through 

#realSolutions,” he added. 

Despite continued 

criticisms, Cualoping said the 

government hopes to win the 

war against illegal drugs. 

“The executive branch 

is committed to save and 

reform those who can’t do 

reformation by themselves,” 

he said. 

He highlighted the 

government interventions, 

mechanisms, and programs, 

such as Rehabinasyon, to 

address the illegal drugs 

problem. All these he said 

aim to ensure a bright future 

for the children and the 

future generation. Ayan 

Mellejor 

Federalism, BOL go 

hand in hand: DILG 

MANILA — Shifting to 

a federal form of 

government perfectly aligns 

with the Bangsamoro’s hope 

for local autonomy, an 

official of the Department of 

the Interior and Local 

Government (DILG) said 

Monday. 

“Federalism will cement 

in the Constitution the 

asymmetric relationship 

between the autonomous 

region of Bangsamoro and 

the federal government,” 

DILG Assistant Secretary 

Jonathan E. Malaya said in 

a news release. 

He said this to assure 

the people of Bangsamoro 

that federalism will not undo 

the developments of the 

Bangsamoro Organic Law 

(BOL), but rather, will serve 

as the necessary push and 

support that Muslims in the 

region need for the autonomy 

they have been longing for. 

The Consultative 

Committee’s (ConCom) 

proposed Bayanihan Federal 

Constitution recognizes the 

cultural framework of the 

Bangsamoro people brought 

about by their Muslim faith. 

“Our Muslim brothers 

and sisters have a lot to look 

forward to when we shift to 

a federal system because it 

will only help you further the 

programs and projects 

needed to handle autonomy,” 

Malaya said. 

In Article XI of 

ConCom’s proposal, the 

Federal Republic will have 

18 regions, 16 of which will 

be symmetrical in natural. 

Meanwhile, the Bangsamoro 

and the Cordilleras 

will have an asymmetrical 

setup due to provisions for 

their autonomy, recognizing 

ethnicity, culture, religion, 

customs, traditions, language 

and distinct identities of 

the Bangsamoro people. 

DILG

MDM 


P18 

P3 

Mirror Image 

China’s Xi to 

visit PH next week 

‘DARNA’ star Liza Soberano. Instagram:@perrytabora 

MANILA — Following 

the exit of director Erik 

Matti from Star Cinema’s 

“Darna,” lead star Liza 

the big-screen project is 

undergoing changes with 

Jerrold Tarog at the helm. 

Soberano shared the 

development with ABS- 

CBN News during the 

is Love,” the media giant’s 

Christmas station ID set to 

premiere on November 18. 

With creative changes 

to “Darna” underway, the 

20-year-old actress will 

focus in the meantime on 

the recently announced 

Black Sheep production 

co-starring Enrique Gil 

and directed by Antoinette 

Jadaone (“That Thing 

Called Tadhana,” “Love 

You to the Stars and Back”). 

“We actually have a 

due date for the movie,” 

Soberano pointed out. 

“I think we’re going to 

‘Darna’ has to be focused 

relationship with Xian Lim 

As Tito Boy pointed, 

Kim Chiu has never said it 

outright. She would always 

let her and Xian Lim’s 

super sweet actions speak 

for them, all the while 

that they’re a couple. 

Until this Wednesday’s 

“Tonight with Boy 

Abunda” interview that is. 

acknowledged that she is 

Lim’s girlfriend, answering 

“yes” when asked if they’re 

really together. 

“Oo naman. Yes. Oo, 

oo,” she said, after being 

persuaded to admit the real 

score between her and the 

actor. 

She went on to 

defend Lim for being 

“misunderstood,” explaining: 

“Kung magpapakita 

siya ng sweetness, doon 

matutunaw ka na talaga 

kasi iba siya mag-surprise, 

mag-express.” 

She also admitted that 

while they’re happily in a 

relationship, they have yet 

to consider marriage in the 

near future. 

“Hindi rin namin 

pinag-uusapan kasi siya 

rin. Mayroon pa kaming 

priorities, marami pa 

kaming gustong mangyari 

sa bahay. And bata pa 

naman,” she reasoned. 

Chiu has said that she and 

despite years of speculation 

based on their sweet 

showings. 

She was on the late 

night talk show as one of 

its special guests for its 

third anniversary special. 

She followed an interview 

with Miss Universe winner 

Pia Wurtzbach. ABS CBN 

News 

on by the new director. 

He’s taking over now, so 

there are going to be some 

changes.” 

Tarog, who drew 

wide acclaim with 2015’s 

“Heneral Luna” and its 

2018 follow-up “Goyo: 

Ang Batang Heneral,” 

was announced as the new 

director of “Darna” in early 

October, a day after Matti 

parting ways due to creative 

differences. 

“We actually have a 

due date for the movie,” 

Soberano said. 

At the time, Tarog 

said he was in the process 

of studying multiple 

tweet addressing one fan’s 

question about a possible 

shooting date for “Darna.” 

“I’m waiting to meet up 

with him,” Soberano said 

of Tarog. “I think [we will 

meet] sometime this month, 

so we get a feel of how we 

are, like how he is, and how 

I am. I’m really excited!” 

Soberano was 

introduced as the new 

MANILA -- Francis 

Concepcion, Mackie 

Empuerto, and Kiefer 

Sanchez, better known as 

the TNT Boys, announced 

on Thursday that they 

will be part of the newly 

reformatted musical variety 

show “ASAP.” 

The young trio made 

the announcement at the 

press conference for their 

upcoming concert “Listen: 

The Bigshot Concert” on 

November 30 at the Araneta 

ONSCREEN partners Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil pose for 

MICHAEL BAGTAS, ABS-CBN NEWS 

Darna actress in May 2017, 

three years after the project 

was originally unveiled 

with Angel Locsin as the 

superheroine and Matti as 

director. (Locsin had to 

give up the role due to a 

spine injury.) 

After Matti’s departure 

from the project, the 

exchanged warm parting 

words through social media, 

with respective photos of 

TNT Boys will be 

part of new ‘ASAP’ 

Coliseum. 

“Regular na po kami 

sa ‘ASAP.’ Mayroon po 

kaming makakasamang star 

-- as in star na star po siya 

-- at kakanta po kami ng 

isa lang pero the best na,” 

Empuerto said. 

The group said it’s an 

honor to be part of the longrunning 

Sunday musical 

show as one of its youngest 

performers. 

“Isang karangalan 

po ‘yon sa amin. Kasi 

their dinner meeting. 

“I’m just thankful to 

have gotten the chance 

to work with him, and 

I still want to be able to 

Hopefully, in the future, 

if our schedules permit, 

and there’s a really a good 

script that he’s going to be 

directing, I would wouldn’t 

with him,” she said. ABS 

CBN News 

po bilang Filipino gusto 

naming makapagbahagi ng 

kanta sa lahat,” Empuerto 

added. 

Meanwhile the trio 

said they will also release 

a Christmas album next 

month under TNT Records. 

The trio also announced 

that they have joined 

an international singing 

competition but refused 

to give details. ABS-CBN 

News 

HOLIDAY PLAYGROUND. Christmas, they say, is for the 

children, and this Christmas tree at a government office 

proves to be a colorful holiday playground for this little girl. 

DAVAO CITY – Mayor 

Sara Duterte has lauded the 

(DCPO) for its anti-crime 

programs that resulted in 

ahuge drop in crime volume 

of the year. 

“I thank the men and 

women of DCPO for 

their continuous efforts 

to maintain the peace 

and order in the city so 

that the Dabawenyos can 

enjoy their daily activities 

here,” Mayor Sara said on 

Wednesday, adding lower 

and secure city. 

DCPO records show 

that the city’s crime volume 

hit a three-year low. 

A municipal councilor 

escaped while a barangay ofoperatives 

simultaneously 

swooped down on two villages 

in Jose Abad Santos (JAS) 

town in Davao Occidental to 

serve search warrants at dawn 

Friday. 

The targets of the search 

warrants were JAS Municipal 

Councilor Jessel Atay 

and Harold Mark Seteota, the 

barangay councilman of Barangay 

Butulan of the coastal 

town. 

Police said both are in the 

drug watch-list of President 

Rodrigo Duterte. 

(PRO)-11 Chief Superintendent 

Marcelo Morales said 

DCPO recorded 8,325 

crime volume from January 

to September 2016. It 

dropped to 6,132 from the 

same period last year and 

further decreased to 3,856 

the same period this year. 

Last year, the 

Philippine National Police 

hailed DCPO as the Best 

second in a row for the 

local police force. Senior 

Superintendent Alexander 

Tagum, DCPO director, 

attributed the award to the 

local police personnel, as 

well as the strong support 

of the city government. 

Since 2017, DCPO has 

been implementing its Oplan 

Kalinaw, which is aimed 

By AYAN MELLEJOR 

Atay was able to elude arrest 

when the raiding team arrived 

at his residence in Barangay 

Caburan at around 2:30 

a.m.. 

Morales said during 

the search, the raiding team 

composed of members of 

the Regional Drug Enforcement 

Unit (RDEU)-11, the 

Regional Mobile Force Battalion 

(RFMB)-11, and the 

JAS Municipal Police operatives 

seized four medium size 

heat-sealed transparent plastic 

sachets containing suspected 

shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride). 

Operatives arrested Seteota 

in his home and recovered 

six small size heat-sealed 

transparent plastic sachets 

ARJOY CENIZA 

MDM Photographer 

at intensifying proactive 

policing measures, coupled 

with community outreach 

activities and crime prevention 

education. 

Mayor Sara also 

cited DCPO’s high Crime 

at 86.26 percent during the 

year. 

Recently, DCPO 

opened a new police substation 

on Roxas Avenue to 

further beef up the security 

in the area--especially at 

the Roxas Night Market, 

locals and tourists. 

The Roxas police 

sub-station has 52 police 

personnel. PNA 

containing suspected shabu. 

drugs chooses no one. Kahit 

sino ka pa, small time o big 

time, tutugisin namin kayo 

dahil kasiraan kayo sa kapayapaan 

at kaunlaran ng ating 

bansa (Whoever you are, 

small time or big time, we will 

hunt you because you destroy 

the peace and progress of the 

country),” Morales said. 

He said he considers Atay 

and Seteota high-value targets 

in the illegal drug trade. 

Morales has ordered the 

are among those listed in 

Level 2 of President Rodrigo 

Duterte’s drug watch-list in 

Davao Occidental. 

MANILA -- Chinese 

President Xi Jinping will 

make a two-day state 

visit to the Philippines 

on November 20 and 21 

this year, Malacañang 

announced on Thursday. 

“The Palace wishes to 

announce the forthcoming 

State Visit of Chinese 

President Xi Jinping,” 

Presidential Spokesperson 

Salvador Panelo said in a 

statement. 

Panelo said Xi’s visit, 

President in 13 years, was 

upon the invitation of 

President Rodrigo Duterte. 

Panelo said during the 

state visit, Duterte and Xi 

will exchange views on 

areas of mutual concern 

and chart the course for the 

future of Philippines-China 

bilateral relations. 

Panelo said he does not 

know if major agreements 

between the Philippines 

and China will be signed 

during Xi’s visit. 

“None that I know but 

I think he is going over 

to the Philippines with a 

good opportunity to discuss 

certain issues that requires 

attention,” Panelo said 

in a media interview in 

Singapore where Duterte is 

attending the 33rd ASEAN 

Summit and Related 

Summits. 

The Philippines-China 

relations had achieved 

positive turnaround since 

Duterte embarked on his 

October 2016. 

Xi had described 

Beijing as a “milestone” 

that mended the two 

countries’ ties derailed by 

arbitration case against 

China in 2013. PNA


lampposts light 

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MARAWI CITY -- 

The United States Agency 

International Development 

(USAID) and Mindanao 

Development Authority 

(MinDA) handed over 

Thursday (November 

14) the completed solar 

centers and temporary 

relocation sites here. 

The project includes 

those completed in 

September for Sarimanok 

Evacuation Sites 1 and 

2 and on October in 

Sagonsongan temporary 

relocation site, said MinDA 

Secretary Abul Khayr 

Alonto. 

Alonto said the 

part of the P11.7 billion 

“Building Low Emissions 

Alternatives to Develop 

Economics Resilience 

and Sustainability” or 

B-LEADERS, which is 

funded by the USAID. 

He said the 

B-LEADERS solar 

implemented all over the 

Philippines until 2030 and 

is mainly focused on armed 

For this city, the project 

has already installed 205 

solar street lights along 

the main road of Bahay 

Ng Pagbabago Temporary 

Relocation Site in Barangay 

Sagonsongan, where 

around 1,200 temporary 

houses are occupied by 

displaced families. 

A total of 27 solar 

lamp posts have also 

been installed at two sites 

of Sarimanok area in 

Barangay Poblacion where 

around 200 tents are being 

occupied by displaced 

families who are still 

waiting to be transferred 

to more comfortable 

temporary housing units. 

Task Force Bangon 

manager and Housing 

Assistant Secretary Felix 

Castro said families 

currently staying in the 

evacuation centers outside 

Marawi City will be given 

priority for the next batch 

of temporary shelters. 

“We still have 

displaced families in 

tents. If all of them will be 

given temporary houses, 

then those coming from 

the MAA (most affected 

area) who are home-based 

will be our next priority-- 

if there are still available 

units,” Castro said. PNA 

Koronadal to install 

KORONADAL CITY 

-- The city government is 

planning to install more 

street intersections here 

to address the worsening 

City Mayor Peter 

Miguel said studies 

are underway for the 

installation of additional 

main commercial zone and 

other areas that experience 

perennial vehicle 

congestion, especially 

during peak hours. 

The mayor led on 

Thursday the inauguration 

and formal switch-on of the 

along the national highway 

junctions of Posadas and 

Arellano streets. 

“This is just the 

beginning. We will be 

lights all over the city,” 

Miguel said in his speech 

during the program. 

The city government 

unveiled the P16-million 

project after several weeks 

of tests by contractor Trion 

Electronics. 

installed in coordination 

with the Department 

of Public Works and 

Highways-South Cotabato 

Engineering District and 

the Land Transportation 

Zaldy Gayosa, project 

lights will be operational 

from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. 

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NOTICE OF AUCTION 

The DAVAO ROS-VER PAWNSHOP, INC. and NEW PAG-ASA PAWNSHOP will be 

having its JOINT AUCTION on all undredeemed pawned items left during the month of 

SEPTEMBER 2018. The said items will be sold to the public at the following VENUE AND 

DATE. 

Gipahibalo ang publiko na ang DAVAO ROS-VER PAWNSHOP, INC. og ang NEW 

PAG-ASA PAWNSHOP, magsubasta sa tanang prenda nga naremata atong SETYEMBRE 

2018. Ang tanang prenda dungan nga ibaligya sa publiko sa mga sumusunod nga dapit og 

petsa: 

DAVAO CITY 

Agdao 1 

Agdao 2 

Agdao 3 

Bajada 

Buhangin 1 

Buhangin 2 

Sasa 

Panacan 

Mintal 

Tibungco 

Cat. Grande 

Cabantian 

Calinan 

Matina 

CM Recto 

San Pedro 1 

Toril 

Davao Del Sur 

Venue and Date 

BAJADA 

Nov. 6, 2018 

at 9:30 am 

PANACAN 


at 9:30 am 

CATALUNAN 


at 9:30 am 

MATINA 


at 9:30 am 


San Pedro 2 

Legaspi 

Boulevard 

Grand Regal 

Hotel 

Ilustre 

Bankerohan 

Legaspi 2 

Bucana 

Davao del Norte 


BOULEVARD 

Nov 22, 2018 

at 9:30 am 

GRAND 

REGAL HOTEL 


at 9:30 am 

BUCANA 


at 9:30 am 


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1. on addressed to 

For Nurses and Nursing Aide/ Nurse t: 

ELVIRA S. MERCADO, RN, MN 

Director of Nursing 

ANDA RIVERVIEW MEDICAL CENTER, INC. 

Magallanes Street, 

Davao City 

For Non-nursing Applicants: 

MISS PRINCESS MAY ANNE ACERA 

HR Officer 

ANDA RIVERVIEW MEDICAL CENTER, INC. 

Magallanes Street, 

Davao City 

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4. Photocopy of Diploma 

5. Photocopy of Birth Ce ficate 

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Verdon Parc developer 

D.M. Consunji, Inc. 

(DMCI), the construction 

arm of DMCI Holdings, 

Inc., is eyeing a more active 

role in the government’s 

infrastructure modernization 

in 2019. 

“2019 will be a 

busier year for public 

construction, and we are 

very eager to participate 

in the infrastructure 

modernization program of 

the government,” DMCI 

President and Chief 

A. Consunji said in a 

statement. 

DMCI signed P10.6 

billion worth of new 

projects from January to 

September this year. This 

increased its total order 

book by eight percent to 

P28.5B compared to P26.3 

billion during the same 

period last year. 

Building projects 

accounted for most of the 

The Philippine 

Tax Academy (PTA) is 

planning to team up with 

the University of the 

Philippines-Los Baños 

(UPLB) in offering a 

post-graduate program 

MANILA -- The 

Bases Conversion and 

Development Authority 

(BCDA) on Thursday 

named a Filipino-Israeli 

consortium as the winning 

bidder for New Clark City’s 

water supply services. 

In a statement, BCDA 

order book at P12 billion, 

closely followed by 

infrastructure projects at 

P11.9 billion. Contracts for 

plant and utilities breached 

P2.5 billion while energy 

projects totaled P2.1 

billion. 

“Right now, our 

order book is skewed 

towards private sector-led 

construction projects, but 

we expect more big-ticket 

projects under the Build, 

Build, Build program to 

come on-stream within 

the next few months,” 

Consunji said. 

Among the newlysigned 

projects of 

DMCI are Metro Manila 

Skyway Stage 3 Nagtahan 

Rampway, Connor 

of Ortigas & Co., the 

STRC Apartment Ridge 

of ST 6747 Resources 

Corporation, Expansion 

Projects of JG Summit 

Petrochemical Corporation, 

DLS-College of St. 

said the consortium of 

Prime Water Infrastructure 

Corp. with PAVI, MGS 

Construction, Inc., and 

Israel-based TAHAL Group 

submitted the lowest bid 

for water and wastewater 

infrastructure project in 

New Clark City. 

Benilde Academic, Sports 

and Dormitory Buildings, 

among others. 

Meanwhile, major 

ongoing projects include 

the Cavite-Laguna 

Expressway project of 

MPCALA Holdings, Inc., 

the Bued Viaduct and 

Roadway of Private Infra 

Dev Corporation, the LRT 

2 East (Masinag) Stations 

under the Department of 

Transportation, Maven 

at Capitol Commons of 

Ortigas & Co. and Anchor 

Grandsuites of Anchor 

Land Holdings. 

DMCI recorded a 

standalone net income of 

P1.1 billion from January 

to September, a 21 percent 

improvement from P896 

million during the same 

period last year. 

For the third quarter 

alone, its standalone net 

income rose 19 percent 

year-on-year from P288 

million to P343 million. 

Tax Academy eyeing 

post-grad program with UPLB 

the Department of Finance 

(DOF) and its attached 

agencies. 

Finance Undersecretary 

Gil Beltran said the 

proposed joint program 

with the UPLB Graduate 

School on post-graduate 

education will be offcampus 

and will run for 

three semesters. 

“Under this plan, the 

DOF will cover the tuition 

employees. The class 

will be held at the DOF 

or the whole of every 

Friday,” Beltran said in his 

report to Secretary Carlos 

Dominguez III during a 

recent DOF Executive 

Committee (Execom) 

meeting. 

Employees from 

the Bureaus of Internal 

Revenue (BIR), of 

Customs (BOC), and of 

Local Government Finance 

(BLGF) can also apply 

under the post-graduate 

program. 

Beltran told 

Dominguez during the 

Execom meeting that the 

PTA plan is for DOF senior 

the teaching 

team as adjunct professors. 

The PTA will conduct 

the pre-requisite courses 

on journal writing skills 

and other minor courses, he 

said. 

Earlier, Beltran said 

the PTA is also exploring 

a possible partnership with 

the Centre of Development 

Studies of the UK-based 

University of Cambridge in 

developing a study program 

on integrity education as a 

continuing course offering 

of the Academy. 

The PTA’s program, 

curriculum and syllabus 

were developed based 

on ASEAN University 

Network Standards. PNA 

The consortium offered 

P9.45 per cubic meter rate, 

which is lower than Manila 

Water Company’s proposed 

rate of P11 per cubic meter. 

“The proposed P9.45 

per cubic meter rate 

shall apply for the water 

supply only. The same 

VERDON PARC along Ecoland is one of the most notable projects of DMCI in the city. VERDON 

PARC PHOTO 

MANILA -- The Bank 

of the Philippine Island’s 

(BPI) Baa2 rating with 

by Moody’s Investors 

Service on Thursday, citing 

that the bank’s deposit 

rating is underpinned by its 

baseline credit assessment 

(BCA). 

These ratings cover the 

Ayala-led bank’s local and 

foreign currency deposit 

and foreign currency senior 

unsecured debt. 

In a statement, the 

debt rater said it also 

BCA and adjusted BCA, 

(P)Baa2 foreign currency 

senior unsecured MTN 

program rating, P-2 local 

and foreign currency 

short-term deposit ratings, 

amount shall be charged 

for wastewater services 

equating to a total rate of 

P18.90 per cubic meter for 

year joint venture period,” 

the BCDA explained. 

BCDA said that the 

competitive water rate to be 

Baa1/P-2 local and foreign 

currency counterparty risk 

ratings, and Baa1(cr)/P- 

2(cr) counterparty risk 

assessments. 

It explained that 

the bank’s BCA takes 

into account the bank’s 

“consistently robust capital 

disciplined and prudent 

business growth.” 

Another factor that 

backs the BCA is the 

bank’s “track record of 

above-industry-average 

supported by its dominant 

presence in the domestic 

corporate and consumer 

segments; as well as 

the high credit risk 

concentration in BPI’s asset 

portfolio, which exposes 

provided by Prime Water 

inside the New Clark City 

will help attract investors 

in the well-planned urban 

development in Central 

Luzon. 

The proposed rate is 

even lower than the current 

rate of P35.48 per cubic 

the bank to vulnerabilities 

in single-name credit 

cyclicality.” 

It noted that the 

asset quality of the bank 

has improved in the last 

few years and new nonperforming 

loan (NPL) 

formation remain low. 

BPI has also addressed 

its legacy problem loans, it 

said. 

half this year, the bank’s 

gross NPL ratio is 1.8 

percent, almost near the 1.9 

percent industry average 

backed by robust loan 

expansion, stable net 

interest market and lower 

credit costs. PNA 

Prime Water wins as New Clark City water supplier 

meter for those in the 

Maynilad service area and 

P25.50 per cubic meter for 

Manila Water customers. 

BCDA targets to 

sign the contract with the 

consortium by end of this 

month. PNA 

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Lord. AMEN.



MANILA -- Twelve 

differently-abled girls 

showcased their talents 

and brilliance on Saturday 

(November 10) in vying for 

the 2018 Miss Possibilities 

title. 

Miss Possibilities is 

with special needs. It is also 

an inclusive fashion show 

with Filipino celebrities. It 

aims to provide girls, who 

are 12 years old and above, 

an opportunity to showcase 

their unique character and 

charisma on stage through 

a fashion show, talent 

exhibition, and question and 

answer session. 

After three hours of 

scrutinizing each candidate’s 

individual presentations, 

the judges of the pageant 

declared Samantha Pia 

Cabanera as this year’s 

winner. 

Cabanera, 19, has 

Asperger’s, a form of autism, 

since she was 18 months old. 

She is currently a senior 

high school student at St. 

Theresa’s College and plans 

to take creative writing at the 

University of the Philippines. 

While she appears 

sociable and smart, Cabanera 

told the Philippine News 

Agency (PNA) that she still 

has challenges in making eye 

contact, socialization, and 

mastering her emotions. 

“If I trust myself and 

listen to other people, 

I believe I can. Maybe, 

someday, I could write for an 

online magazine for autistic 

people,” she added. 

Cabanera said she was 

surprised about being the 

winner of the pageant, since 

she made a mistake during 

her song performance. 

“I feel very nervous 

and thankful at the same 

time because I just want 

to showcase the talents of 

people with disabilities 

(PWDs),” she said. 

Cabanera added she 

wants to advocate for people 

with autism and PWDs to 

remove the social stigma that 

comes with their condition. 

“I encourage other kids 

like me to join pageants 

like this to build their selfthem 

if they want to join, 

but it’s not just about joining 

pageants, it’s also about 

believing in themselves and 

JUDGES. (From left) Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, Facebook Country 

Director John Rubio, and Miss Philippines-Universe 2000 Nina Ricci Alagao are three of the 

five judges in the Miss Possibilities 2018 pageant. MA. TERESA MONTEMAYOR 

MISS POSSIBILITIES 2018. Samantha Pia Cabanera, 19, is crowned as Miss Possibilities 2018 

at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater in Ateneo de Manila in Quezon City on Saturday (November 

10). MA. TERESA MONTEMAYOR 

what they can do,” she said. 

The advocacy 

Suzanna Pavadee 

Vichienrut Yuzon, founder 

and president of Miss 

Possibilities Foundation, told 

the PNA that she started the 

foundation and the pageant 

four and a half years ago. 

“When we started, it was 

just in a restaurant in BGC 

(Bonifacio Global City) and 

the next year, we included 

the celebrity fashion show 

to show that celebrities and 

even athletes care for our 

children with special needs,” 

she said. 

Starting with just four 

mothers whose children have 

down syndrome, the Miss 

Possibilities Foundation has 

expanded to 28 members, 

who have children with other 

special needs. But some of 

their volunteers are single 

people who believe in the 

cause. 

Yuzon shared her 

inspiration for establishing 

the foundation is her daughter 

Joey, who is diagnosed with 

down syndrome. 

“She was a bit 

premature, but she was all 

right we never knew that she 

had down syndrome until we 

had the blood test,” she said. 

Stressing that the blood 

test costs P3,000 to P4,000, 

Yuzon said their foundation 

wanted to gain support from 

the government. 

“Just last year, February, 

the month for down 

syndrome, we have put in a 

for people with down 

syndrome and other special 

in Congress. Congressman 

Cuaresma and Congressman 

Dy are there, but we want 

more congressmen to support 

us,” she added. 

Yuzon pointed out 

that people with down 

syndrome and their families 

the Department of Health 

(DOH) to ask help from 

because typical children are 

usually prioritized for their 

medical needs. 

“Kids with down 

syndrome die unnecessarily 

because they don’t receive 

medical attention and 

therapies. They need help 

with early intervention or 

heart surgery because of 

health issues. Most of them 

have heart issues,” she said. 

Citing that being a 

working mom or hands-on 

Yuzon shared that being a 

mom of a child with special 

needs is being that and more. 

“There are medical, 

therapy issues, and one 

heartbreaking issue is that 

we don’t have a good future 

as in typical kids, I noticed 

that because I have a child 

with special needs and a 

child who’s a typical child,” 

she pointed out. 

Sometimes, Yuzon 

continued, she’s tempted to 

complain when their family 

has put in a lot of work but 

the pay-off and milestones 

remain hard to reach for 

their daughter. But she’s 

reminded of how blessed 

they are compared with 

other families, who don’t 

have access to therapies and 

activities for their children 

with special needs. 

“Ultimately, we’re here 

to change the stigma that 

sometimes we still have for 

th0e people with special 

needs like you feel sorry 

for them and the family and 

just to show that they have 

value to the society, and with 

a little understanding and 

acceptance, they could be 

productive in the society,” 

she said. Ma. Teresa 

Montemayor/PNA 

FARMERS’ CONGRESS. Senator Cynthia Villar delivers her 

message during the 4th Farmers’ Congress in Palayan City, Nueva 

Ecija on Thursday, November 15. PHOTO BY MARILYN GALANG 

P10-B budget for agriculture programs 

NUEVA ECIJA - The 

government is set to allocate 

P10 billion for agriculture 

programs including 

farm mechanization, seeds 

and trainings. 

This was bared by Senator 

Cynthia Villar, chair of 

the Senate Committee on 

Agriculture and Food, during 

the 4th Farmers’ Congress 

here on Thursday. 

Villar, asked farmers 

MANILA -- 

Philippines’ main 

equities gauge rose for 

the second consecutive 

day ahead of Bangko 

Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) 

announcement on its latest 

policy rate decision, while 

the peso also regained 

lost ground, reverting to 

the 52-level against the 

greenback on Thursday’s 

session. 

The Philippine Stock 

Exchange index (PSEi) 

increased by 0.43 percent, 

or 29.51 points, to 6,952.59 

points. 

Bank of the Philippine 

Islands (BPI), in its 

market report, said the 

main index rose before 

the announcement of 

another hike in the central 

bank’s key policy rates 

by 25 basis points to 4.75 

percent for the overnight 

reverse repurchase (RRP) 

facility rate to 4.75 percent, 

effective November 16, 

2018. 

work of producing food for 

every Filipino, even as she 

assured them of full support 

under the administration 

of President Rodrigo 

Duterte. 

She said Duterte is set 

to sign next year the Rice 

Competitiveness Enhancement 

Fund and half of the 

fund will go to farm mechanization. 

The fund aims to 

help rice farmers mechanize 

and produce good 

seeds. 

Villar cited the crucial 

role of farmers in society 

and the lives of every Filipino. 

“Huwag ninyong 

Local markets up due 

partly to BSP rate hike 

To date, BSP’s policymaking 

Monetary Board 

(MB) increased the central 

banks key rates by a total of 

175 basis points. 

Rates of the overnight 

repurchase (RP) facility 

and the overnight deposit 

rate were also increased by 

25 basis points. 

Additional factors that 

lifted the PSEi are reports 

about the positive earnings 

The improvement 

of the main index was 

mirrored by the All Shares, 

which rose 0.30 percent, or 

12.63 points, to 4,254.87 

points. 

It was a mix among the 

sectors, with the Financials 

and Industrial rising by 

2.52 percent and 0.63 

percent, respectively. 

On the other hand, 

Holding Firms declined by 

0.38 percent; Mining and 

Oil, 0.32 percent; Services, 

0.27 percent; and Property, 

0.07 percent. PNA 

mamaliitin ang kontribusyon 

niyo sa ating bansa 

(Do not underestimate your 

contribution in our country),” 

she said. 

The Farmers’ Congress 

is an annual undertaking by 

the city government under 

Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas 

as an opportunity to 

honor agricultural workers 

and provide an avenue for 

discussion among them, as 

well as with representatives 

of various government 

agencies. PNA 

MANILA -- Aver- 

2018-20 were raised after 

the Monetary Board (MB) 

took stock of more recent 

economic developments 

both here and abroad. 

The Bangko Sentral ng 

Pilipinas (BSP) made this 

announcement alongside 

the additional raising of its 

key rates by an additional 

25 basis points. 

BSP Department of Economic 

Research (DER) 

Director Dennis Lapid said 

the 2018 forecast was hiked 

to 5.3 percent from 5.2 percent 

during the rate setting 

meet last September 27. 

On the other hand, the 

percent from 4.3 percent, 

while for 2020, to 3.3 percent 

from 3.2 percent. 

During the same briefing, 

Deputy Governor 

Maria Almazara Cyd Tuaño-Amador 

attributed the 

change in forecasts to the 

bill, which has been approved 

in both the House 

of Representatives and the 

Senate, and the announced 

suspension of the second 

phase of oil excise tax for 

2019 amounting to P2 per 

liter. 

She said the impact of 

- 

ure, which will still be deliberated 

in the Bicameral 

Conference Committee, 

“should be felt soon.” 

She explained that the 

- 

tion “used to be part of the 

(but) now considered in the 

recast 

for 2019.” 

5.2% to 5.3% due to recent 

economic developments. 

- 

ment of Finance (DOF) 

have proposed the imple- 

- 

cation in a bid to ensure 

enough supply of rice in the 

country. 

The price of rice surged 

in the early part of 2018 

due to supply issues, but 

this was addressed after the 

government implemented 

several measures such as 

the release of rice stocks 

from all warehouses of the 

National Food Authority 

(NFA). 

On the suspension of 

the second oil excise tax 

hike for next year, Tuaño- 

Amador said this “comes 

with a considerable degree 

of certainty”, adding that 

this was also part of the 

but is now also a part of the 

baseline forecast.


MANILA -- While 

were given, freedom of 

in the disputed South China 

general by the Philippines 

and other member states 

of the Association of 

Southeast Asian Nations 

(ASEAN), Foreign Affairs 

Secretary Teodoro Locsin 

Jr. said on Thursday. 

“The freedom of 

navigation theme was 

universal and then that it 

should include everything, 

all kinds of vessels,” he told 

reporters when asked if the 

bloc issued comments on 

the United States operations 

in the region. 

“There’s absolutely 

no distinction made,” he 

stressed. 

Last month, tensions 

between China and the 

US grew after a close 

encounter between its 

respective destroyers near 

in Spratlys. Beijing then 

accused Washington of 

violating its “sovereignty” 

“ 

The freedom of 

navigation theme was 

universal and then 

that it should include 

everything, all kinds 

of vessels. 

” 

in the strategic waters 

claimed by littoral 

countries, including the 

Philippines. 

President Rodrigo 

Duterte earlier expressed 

concern over the 

discord between the 

two superpowers, as the 

Philippines could be 

dragged into if China and 

the US engage in military 

confrontation. 

In the chairman’s 

statement for the 33rd 

ASEAN Summit, the bloc 

navigation as well as its 

commitment towards a 

“full and effective” code of 

conduct in the South China 

Sea. 

importance of maintaining 

and promoting peace, 

security, stability, safety 

and freedom of navigation 

the South China Sea and 

having the South China 

Sea as a sea of peace, 

stability and prosperity,” 

the statement reads. PNA 

Local leaders endorse 

Go for senator 

MANILA -- An 

organization of leagues 

of local governments 

has issued a resolution 

endorsing former Special 

Assistant to the President 

(SAP) Christopher 

Lawrence “Bong” Go for 

senator. 

In a statement, the 

Union of Local Authorities 

of the Philippines (ULAP) 

said Go is a humble 

and simple man with an 

enormous heart for public 

service capable of a 

senatorial position. 

“He [Bong Go] has 

he never misses a 

chance to demonstrate 

empathy, compassion, and 

‘malasakit’ to those who 

are in need,” it added. 

The resolution, which 

was issued on November 

8, was signed by ULAP 

Secretary General and 

Davao City Councilor 

Danny Dayanghirang and 

ULAP National President 

and Albay Governor Al 

Francis Bichara. 

ULAP is an umbrella 

organization of all leagues 

of local government units 

(LGUs) and locally elected 

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General 

Mrs. Cherrylyn Albayalde, leads the ceremonial lighting of a Christmas tree 

and lanterns at Camp Crame, Quezon City on Thursday (November 15). PNA 

PHOTO BY RICO H. BORJA 

Court junks Palparan plea to reverse conviction 

MANILA -- A Malolos 

Regional Trial Court (RTC) 

judge turned down the 

motion for reconsideration 

Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan 

appealing his conviction 

for the disappearance 

of two University of the 

Philippines (UP) students 

in 2006. 

In a two-page order 

dated October 19 and 

released on Thursday 

(November 15) by 

Malolos RTC Branch 15 

Presiding Judge Alexander 

Tamayo, the court said 

Palparan failed to raise 

new arguments that would 

warrant the court’s reversal 

of its decision which 

sentenced him, along with 

Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado, Jr. 

and S/Sgt. Edgardo Osorio, 

to imprisonment of up to 40 

years. 

“Finding no additional 

and/or new points raised 

to outweigh the settled 

position of the court, the 


...is denied for merit,” the 

court said, adding that “the 


compel this court to modify 

or reverse the assailed 

decision dated September 

17, 2018”. 

The court also denied 

Palparan’s supplemental 

motion seeking 

reconsideration of the 

penalty imposed on him due 

to presence of mitigating 

circumstances, particularly 

his “voluntary surrender.” 

It explained that the 

crime of kidnapping with 

serious illegal detention 

under Article 267 of the 

Revised Penal Code (RPC) 

as amended by Republic 

Act 7659 (which imposes 

death penalty on heinous 

crimes) is punishable with 

reclusion perpetua to death 

which is an indivisible 

penalty. 

It added under 

Article 63 of RPC, when 

the commission of the 

act is attended by some 

mitigating circumstances 

and there is no aggravating 

circumstance, the lesser 

penalty shall be applied. 

“The penalty being 

indivisible, the lesser 

penalty is reclusion 

perpetua. Thus, whether the 

mitigating circumstance is 

appreciated, still, the lesser 

penalty to be imposed is 

reclusion perpetua,” the 

court pointed out. 

In its original decision, 

the court also directed the 

accused to pay P300,000 

each in civil indemnity 

and moral damages to the 

families of UP students 

Sherlyn Cadapan and 

Karen Empeño who were 

abducted from a house 

in Barangay San Miguel, 

Hagonoy, Bulacan on June 

level of trustworthiness, 

dependability and sense 

personal and professional 

capacities as he served the 

President and the country,” 

the resolution stated. 

“Bong is always ready 

decisiveness as appropriate, 

3 days given to local absentee 

voters in mid-term polls 

MANILA -- Local 

absentee voters will have 

three days to cast their votes 

for the mid-term elections 

starting April 29 next year. 

Based on Comelec 

Resolution No. 10443, the 

Local Absentee Voting 

(LAV) period, will be 

from April 29, 30 and May 

1, 2019 for government 

members of the military 

and the police, and media 

practitioners who are 

expected to be on duty on 

election day, May 13, 2019. 

“Local absentee voters 

shall vote on any day from 

April 29, 30, and May 1 

from 8 in the morning to 5 

in the afternoon,” the poll 

Moreover, the 

Philippine Councilors 

League (PCL), League 

of Municipalities of the 

Philippines (LMP), and 

CARAGA governors also 

issued separate resolutions 

expressing their support 

for Go in the upcoming 

senatorial race. PNA 

body said. 

The said voters are 

allowed to vote ahead of the 

rest of the country for the 

positions of senators and 

party-list organizations. 

For those who would 

like to avail of the LAV, they 

later than March 11, 2019. 

supervisors/commanders or 

designate, not later than 

April 9, 2019, the place 

of voting for government 

well as military and police 

personnel. PNA



DAGUPAN CITY -- 

Filipino delegates to the 

4.01 million, Jiang Fan of 

Fujian Provincial Foreign 

XIAMEN VISIT. 

China-Philippines Youth 

Exchange Program 

delegates pose for a group 

photo during the welcoming 

dinner at Royal Victoria 

Hotel in Xiamen by the 

Xiamen Foreign 

Affairs Office. 

HILDA AUSTRIA 

Youth Friendly Exchange 

Program commended the 

technological advances 

and the preserved Chinese 

cultural heritage in Xiamen 

City in China. 

“Very impressive ang 

Xiamen. Ang ganda ganda 

ng city, nakuha nila yong 

mga industries and tourism 

(Xiamen is very impressive. 

It is also very, very beautiful 

and they were able to develop 

appropriate industries and 

tourism). The China national 

government fully supports 

its development. Hopefully, 

in the our country, we would 

also develop other provincial 

cities like Cebu, where I 

live, not just Manila as the 

provincial cities also have a 

lot of potential,” said Tyler 

Abad, one of the delegates 

from Cebu City. 

Jessa Mae Sato was 

astonished by how the city 

developed into a “smart city” 

within a span of only 40 

years. 

“Mabilis napaunlad 

ang city within 40 years 

lang. Maganda lalo na yong 

underwater subway nila. 

Nag-ask ako paano kapag 

lumindol pero may nagsabi 

na malayo sila sa 

nakaready 

yong structure para sa mga 

ganoong instances (The 

city developed swiftly 

within the span of 40 years. 

It is beautiful specially 

the underwater subway. I 

asked what if there will be 

an earthquake, somebody 

answered that the city is 

is ready for such instances),” 

Sato said. 

Li Xiangping, director 

general of Xiamen Foreign 

and Overseas Chinese 

welcome remarks during 

the delegates’ visit there on 

October 24, said the city was 

set up as Special Economic 

Zone (SEZ) in 1980 upon 

the approval of the State 

Council. 

“We are putting together 

our strength and working 

together like a dragon boat,” 

he said. 

Xiamen comprises 

six districts within its 

jurisdiction, covering 

land area of 1,699 square 

kilometers, and has a 

residential population of 

“Xiamen has a most 

competitive economy in 

China. As one of China’s 

rapid economic and social 

development. The city’s 

competitiveness ranks top 

among all large and mediumsized 

cities in China. It is 

also one of the 10 most 

innovative cities in China 

and a National Model City 

for Balanced Development,” 

he added. 

Song Yuan Zhuang of 

Xiamen Information Group 

said the city uses real-time 

monitoring. 

“Passengers can check 

the actual location of the 

buses at the bus stops, while 

every resident in the city uses 

electronic cards (e-cards) 

for payment, whether for 

transport, shopping, among 

others,” he said. 

Song admitted that 

the use of e-cards, which 

also serve as the resident’s 

strengthened the city’s 

security system. 

“If another person uses 

another person’s e-card, the 

system can detect hence, 

identity theft or e-card theft 

can be prevented,” he noted. 

Song disclosed that 

with the city’s smart or high 

technology monitoring, 

recorded crime rate on 2017 

is only at 5 percent, or a ratio 

of 300 crimes per 100,000 

population average crime 

rate. 

“There advances in 

technology is high-end 

compared to other countries 

and they are thoughtful 

on ensuring their people’s 

security. This is like a 

challenge for us (youths) to 

someday lead our country 

to development like Xiamen 

City,” said Shanylle Reluya, 

one of the Filipino delegates 

from Cebu City. 

The delegates in the 

recent China-Philippines 

Youth Exchange Program 

were toured in Gulangyu 

Island, one of the most 

popular tourist spots in 

Xiamen, where they rode a 

ferry to get to the island. 

Xiamen’s other tourist 

attractions are Wanshi 

Mountains, South Putuo 

Temple, Hulishan Fort, and 

Jimei University, among 

others. Hilda Austria/ 

PNA 

BENI, DR Congo | AFP 

| - Eight United Nations 

peacekeepers were killed in 

an operation against a rebel 

militia in eastern DR Congo, 

the UN Security Council said 

on Thursday. 

One Tanzanian and seven 

Malawian peacekeepers were 

killed, the council said, raising 

the toll from an earlier count. 

The deaths mark the 

biggest loss by the large 

UN force in the Democratic 

Republic of Congo since the 

rebels killed 15 troops nearly 

a year ago. 

Earlier Thursday, General 

Bernard Commins, deputy 

head of the MONUSCO 

peacekeeping force, said 

a joint operation had been 

launched with DRC troops 

on Tuesday against the Allied 

Democratic Forces (ADF), 

a jihadi group blamed for 

bloody attacks on civilians. 

MIGRANTS from poor 

Central American countries 

-mostly Hondurans- moving 

towards the United States in 

hopes of a better life, walk 

along the road between 

Zapopan and Tequila 

in the Mexican state of 

Jalisco, on their trek north, 

on November 13. Defense 

Secretary Jim Mattis said 

Tuesday he will visit the 

US-Mexico border, where 

thousands of active-duty 

soldiers have been deployed 

to help border police 

prepare for the arrival of a 

“caravan” of migrants. 

ULISES RUIZ 

AFP Photographer 

North Korea tests new 

‘ultramodern tactical weapon’ 

SEOUL, South Korea | 

AFP | - North Korean leader 

Kim Jong Un has overseen 

the testing of a “newly 

developed ultramodern 

tactical weapon”, Pyongyang’s 

state media reported 

Friday, in a move that will 

raise the temperature over 

denuclearization talks. 

report of a weapons test by 

North Korea in nearly a year 

since it launched a delicate 

diplomacy with Washington 

over its nuclear and missile 

program. 

“Kim Jong Un...visited 

the test ground of the 

Academy of Defense Science 

and supervised a newly 

developed ultramodern 

The offensive aimed at 

Kididiwe, about 20 kilometers 

(12 miles) from Beni, a city of 

between 200,000 and 300,000 

inhabitants, said Commins. 

“We are holding Kididiwe 

at present, after violent 

At present, we are evacuating 

wounded Congolese troops 

and Blue Helmets,” he told 

AFP. He added he was unable 

to provide any information 

about reports at that time of 

fatalities. 

Malawi’s armed forces 

its soldiers with MONUSCO 

-- a sergeant and three privates 

aged between 29 and 38 -- had 

been killed on Wednesday. 

The military “has lost 

courageous, hardworking 

and disciplined soldiers who 

were always ready to serve to 

ensure that peace prevails,” 

tactical weapon test,” said 

News Agency. 

It said the test was 

successful but did not specify 

the type of device involved. 

Pyongyang’s suspension 

of testing for nuclear 

weapons and ballistic 

missiles has been key to 

this year’s rapid diplomatic 

developments and North 

Korean-US negotiations, and 

has been repeatedly praised 

by President Donald Trump. 

Trump and Kim met in a 

historic summit in Singapore 

in June, where they signed a 

vaguely worded document 

on denuclearization of the 

peninsula. 

Progress has since 

the Malawi Defense Force 

said in a statement. 

It gave no further details 

on where or how they died. 

Commins described 

Kididiwe as a “major 

stronghold” of the ADF. 

speaking on condition of 

anonymity, said the town had 

been used as a springboard 

for militia attacks on Beni’s 

suburbs this year. 

On Wednesday, Commins 

said MONUSCO had deployed 

attack helicopters against 

ADF forces threatening UN 

troops in the Mayangose area, 

northeast of Beni. 

The region is also battling 

an Ebola outbreak that has 

left more than 200 dead. 

Insecurity is hampering efforts 

to contain the disease, the UN 

spokesman said. 

In its statement the 

Security Council “underlined 

stalled as Washington and 

Pyongyang spar over the 

meaning of the document, 

and a return to testing would 

cast grave doubts over the 

future of the process. 

The use of the word 

“tactical” in the KCNA 

report suggests that no longrange 

ballistic rocket or 

nuclear device was involved, 

and there were no immediate 

indications any such test had 

been detected by the South. 

However, one of the 

as accompanying Kim was 

by the specialist website NK 

Leadership Watch, as head 

of the Korean People’s Army 

Artillery Command 

that deliberate attacks 

targeting peacekeepers may 

constitute war crimes under 

international law.” 

The Council called for 

a swift investigation from 

Congolese authorities and 

warned that attacks against 

UN personnel constitutes a 

basis for sanctions. 

Notorious militia 

The ADF is an Islamistrooted 

group that rose in 

western Uganda in 1995, led 

by Jamil Mukulu, a Christian 

turned Muslim. 

Forced out of Uganda, it 

operates in the border area in the 

DRC’s North Kivu province. 

It has been blamed for 

recruiting and using child 

soldiers, killing hundreds of 

civilians since 2014, as well 

as 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers, 

who died in an attack in 

December 2017. Agence 

France-Presse 

reports, Adam Mount of 

the Federation of American 

Scientists tweeted: “That 

pit of dread you felt in your 

stomach when you read this 

is your reminder that the 

DPRK missile test pause is 

voluntary, partial, and can 

fail without notice if it isn’t 

DPRK is the abbreviation 

name. 

Running out 

Kim expressed “great 

satisfaction” and said the 

test marks “decisive turn 

capacity” of the North’s 

military, KCNA said. Agence 

France-Presse 

CHINA’S President Xi Jinping waves as he leaves his plane 

upon arrival at Port Moresby International Airport on 

November 15, ahead of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 

(APEC) Summit. SAEED KHAN/AFP 

PORT MORESBY, 

Papua New Guinea | AFP | 

into the unlikely venue of 

Port Moresby Saturday for a 

summit developing into a tugbetween 

an assertive China 

and an increasingly withdrawn 

United States. 

Donald Trump is skipping 

the two-day APEC meeting, 

sending Vice President Mike 

Pence in his place, who is 

leaving after one day and 

staying in Australia rather 

than the dusty and notoriously 

crime-ridden Papua New 

Guinea capital. 

The contrast with China 

could hardly be more stark. 

President Xi Jinping arrived 

two days before the summit 

for a state visit, and will open 

a road and school -- both 

funded by Beijing. 

Papua New Guinea has 

rolled out the red carpet for 

the new road and images of 

the Chinese leader beaming 

down from massive billboards 

around Port Moresby. 

In an opinion piece 

published ahead of the visit, 

Xi vowed to “lend fresh 

impetus to our common 

US studying Turkey's 

demands to extradite preacher 

WASHINGTON, United 

States | AFP | - The United 

States is studying Turkey’s 

demands for the extradition 

of preacher Fethullah Gulen, 

who is accused by Ankara 

of orchestrating a failed 

2016 coup attempt, the State 

Department said Thursday. 

But spokeswoman 

Heather Nauert rejected the 

allegation in an NBC report 

that the White House is 

seeking a way to extradite 

Gulen -- who reportedly has 

a US Green Card -- in a bid 

to reduce Turkish pressure on 

Saudi Arabia over the murder 

of a dissident journalist. 

“We have received 

multiple requests from the 

Turkish government... related 

to Mr Gulen,” Nauert said. 

“We continue to 

evaluate the material that the 

Turkish government presents 

development” and “expand 

practical co-operation with 

trade and investment.” 

Ben Rhodes, former 

president Barack Obama’s top 

foreign policy advisor, said 

Trump’s absence had “opened 

up an enormous opportunity 

for China to expand its 

Beijing has a “historic 

opportunity to make inroads 

across the region during 

Trump’s presidency,” Rhodes 

told AFP. 

Setting the scene for 

a potential clash in Port 

speaking ahead of the summit 

accused Beijing in engaging 

in “dangerous debt diplomacy 

throughout the region.” 

Several countries in the 

accepted loans from Beijing 

that are “not transparent,” 

declined to be named. 

war between the world’s two 

largest economies -- as well 

as tit-for-tat tariff measures -- 

will also serve as a backdrop 

to what could be a tense 

gathering. Agence France- 

Presse 

requesting his extradition,” 

she said. 

But Nauert insisted that 

“there is no relation” between 

the Gulen extradition issue 

and Turkish pressure on Saudi 

Arabia over the murder of 

journalist Jamal Khashoggi 

at the kingdom’s consulate in 

Istanbul. 

The White House “has 

not been involved in any 

discussions related to the 

extradition of Fetullah Gulen,” 

she said. 

NBC, citing four anonymous 

sources, reported that 

had asked law enforcement 

agencies about “legal ways 

of removing” Gulen, 77, from 

the US to persuade Turkey’s 

president “to ease pressure 

on the Saudi government.” 

Agence France-Presse

The Mindanao Daily Mirror 



EDITORIAL 

What is not yours is not yours. It took a century for America to put 

historical Balangiga bells of Eastern Samar. The bells are priceless 

because they symbolize the pride and bravery of Filipino soldiers 

who fought against American soldiers during the Philippine- 

American war in 1901. Though the bells were instrumental in wiping 

out an army of American soldiers, the foreigners retaliated by killing 

dozens of Filipino soldiers and carted away the church bells. From 

The bells stayed in American soil for decades, with the 

Americans stern in their position that the bells are a monument 

of the American soldiers’ allegiance to their country. The bells, 

for them, were war trophies in memory of their slain soldiers. For 

decades the Philippines through numerous Presidents and war 

veteran organizations fought for the return of the bells on the 

symbolism they hold rightly belongs to the Filipino people. The tug 

of war continued for too long, with each country laying claim to the 

bells. But while the Philippines is always right in its contention, the 

reality was that the bells were in the territory of the Americans, and 

as such we were at their mercy when it came to their return. 

The issue of the Balangiga bells has always been a thorn on 

the relationship between the two countries. Indeed, how can 

the US claim to be the Philippines’ friend and ally when it keeps 

the bells would be returned, we can begin the process of healing 

and, perhaps eventually, truly embracing each other as equals. 

That, after all, is the symbolism of the return of the Balangiga bells: 

that a superpower has admitted it wrong to take possession of 

spoils of war that properly belong to the Filipino people. We are no 

longer their colony but their equals, and the return of the bells is a 

testament to that fact. 

Jason Silva is a 

TV personality, master 

maker and philosopher in 

his own right, produced this 

Are We So Unhappy? 

Silva correctly points 

out that a major malady of 

the modern age—this age 

of information, of almost 

miraculous technology, of 

the internet, of the world 

as a global village—is that 

“we remain perpetually 

that we humans are “wired 

never to be content” and that 

we are “insatiable wanting 

machines, designed to 

desire.” This has pushed 

us to transcend—both 

as a species and as 

individuals—to greater 

heights in almost every 

level of human enterprise. 

However, at the same 

time this state of perpetual 

dissatisfaction also makes 

the daily grind of life (work, 

family, responsibilities, 

never ending bills ad 

nauseaum) so unbearably 

boring, and for many, 

seriously depressing. This 

conundrum has turned 

us into “perpetually 

living in urban centers 

drowning in consumption.” 

Silva then asks, “What do 

we do?” He ends the story 

with a frank admission, 

“I don’t know, I haven’t 

resolved that yet, I 

haven’t resolved that yet.” 

Anticlimax 

I guess this state 

of unresolved angst of 

perpetual dissatisfaction is a 

major reason why people— 

people who seem to have 

it all e.g., Kate Spade and 

Anthony Bourdain, et. al.— 

like fame and fortune, were 

actually in a state of being 

“dazed and confused” (to 

borrow a title from Led 

Zeppelin) about life. 

In this modern 

information and audiovisual 

chaos, perhaps it’s 

helpful to go back and 

listen to more ancient 

voices, like that saintly 

old guy named Augustinus 

Aurelius (or more 

popularly St. Augustine). I 

think this towering ancient 

this modern malaise in his 

maxim, desiderium sinus 

cordis (‘longing makes 

the heart deep’). This 

“longing” is something 

unquenchable, a desire for 

something that is ultimately 

purely humanistic terms, 

and perhaps insatiable in 

the here and now. 

Another voice that 

echoes this tune is from 

the academic don, author, 

and children’s books writer 

(Narnia series) C. S. Lewis. 

He expounded something 

similar in his talk of 

desire which is itself more 

desirable than any other 

satisfaction.” Lewis points 

out that our very own nature 

betrays us here; we go for 

an experience, a thrill, or a 

thing we most desire; and 

true enough, it’s good while 

it lasted. However, later 

we’re rudely awakened to 

the fact that we’re still quite 

still hungry; a hole, a void 

still remains, craving to 

Then off we go pursuing 

more desires; another 

experience, thrill, or thing, 

somehow hoping wittingly 

or unwittingly that this time 

we will get that satisfaction 

we so deeply yearn for. 

Only to end up saying with 

Silva, “I haven’t resolved 

that yet, I haven’t resolved 

that yet.” C. S. Lewis 

captured this poignantly, 

“The books or the 

music in which we thought 

the beauty (this longing 

for “joy”) was located will 

betray us if we trust to 

them; it was not in them, 

it only came through them, 

and what came through 

them was longing. These 

things – the beauty, the 

memory of our own past – 

are good images of what we 

really desire; but if they are 

mistaken for the thing itself 

they turn into dumb idols, 

breaking the hearts of their 

worshippers. For they are 

not the thing itself; they are 

we have not found, the 

echo of a tune we have not 

heard, news from a country 

we have not visited.” 

Perhaps this nature 

of the human being 

as “insatiable wanting 

machines” is among those 

that eminent sociologist 

Peter Berger calls, “signals 

of transcendence,” or a 

window that opens up to 

a world transcending the 

mundane, ordinary, the 

material realm of physics 

and chemistry. Perhaps. C. 

S. Lewis, I believe, was 

on to something when he 

ourselves with a desire that 

nothing in this world can 

satisfy, the most probable 

explanation is that we 

were made for another 

world.” Hmm. Now that’s 

something we need to think 

about, deeply. 

Go south - (Idiomatic) 

to become unfavorable; to 

decrease; to take a turn for 

the worse 

There are other 

is the same, the idiom 

going south has a negative 

connotation. 

According to accounts, 

the phrase going south 

probably traced its origin to 

the 1920s where fugitives 

disappear south to Mexico 

or Texas to escape pursuit 

or responsibility. 

This was reinforced by 

Native American beliefs 

that the soul journeys south 

after death. 

That connotation 

may no longer hold true 

sometime in the future – 

at least when it refers to 

Davao City. 

After President Rodrigo 

Duterte’s upset victory in 

the 2016 elections, there 

was a notable shift not only 

in terms of geographical 

direction but in many other 

aspects. 

Suddenly, Davao City 

the map, no longer just 

an inconsequential dot in 

a country that imperial 

Manila has dominated for a 

long time. 

Not bad for a city that 

was once a virtual basket 

case where violence ruled 

the streets and fear gripped 

the residents. 

It was then Mayor 

Duterte who turned things 

around and almost singlehandedly 

turned the city 

around to become as the 

most vibrant economy in 

Mindanao. 

With the onslaught of 

the Duterte administration, 

adjustments were made. 

President Duterte brought 

in many of his trusted 

political lieutenants and 

bureaucratic experts to 

Manila. 

This, of course, did not 

augur well for those who 

had always believed – at 

least subconsciously – that 

nothing good could come 

out of Davao City. 

With attention slowly 

shifting to Davao and 

its people, pockets of 

resistance are coming out 

of the woodwork. 

So what if former 

are now occupying 

prominent positions in the 

national government? For 

Going south 

sure, there is no law against 

that. 

On the contrary, their 

experience in the local 

government should in fact 

be a plus factor for them 

going up the stepladder into 

the national government. 

Incidentally, one factor 

that might have worked 

against this country was 

its preference mostly for 

legislators to sit in the 

highest executive position. 

Only Presidents Carlos 

Garcia and Erap Estrada 

served as local executives 

before assuming the 

presidency. 

And both did not 

sit long enough to leave 

Garcia fell in his reelection 

bid to President Diosdado 

Macapagal while Erap 

was ousted to give way 

to a former presidential 

daughter, Gloria 

Macapagal-Arroyo. 

President Duterte, however, 

is made of different – 

and sterner – stuff. 

Perhaps the most 

maligned, the most insulted 

and the most underestimated 

chief executive in a vicious 

propaganda campaign 

waged by displaced interest 

groups has so far weathered 

all storms that came his 

way and, surprisingly, 

continues to enjoy a trust 

rating that is the envy of 

other politicians. 

His endurance and 

staying power continues 

skeptics. Contrary to the 

dire predictions of jaded 

experts, President Duterte is 

on course not just complete 

his term but even play a 

major role beyond it. 

This explains the steady 

pilgrimage south. 

More and more 

people are eager to see 

for themselves what was 

in Davao City that bred a 

President. And what is in it 

that may bred yet another 

one. Those who doubt this 

can always check the hotel 

reservations. 

During his campaign, 

President Duterte made a 

bold promise: change is 

coming. 

There is one change 

that probably didn’t cross 

his mind: he just might give 

the idiom “going south” 

a new - and positive - 

meaning. 

FROM THE MAIL 

It’s full steam ahead for PNA 

The Philippine News 

Agency is once again being 

given the attention it so 

rightfully deserves as partnerships 

are being forged 

with different state news 

agencies around the world 

and rightfully so. 

It is with sheer pride 

current administration, a 

credible state news agency 

- 

sents itself within the nation 

and throughout the world. 

It is rather surprising (or 

not) therefore, for Rappler 

to be in a state of caution 

rather than collaboration as 

the Philippines forges partnerships 

with state news 

agencies - particularly that 

of Russia’s Sputnik. 

The 21st century has 

proven how the world is 

within our reach and media 

has certainly been the key 

in helping nations forge 

fruitful collaborations. I can 

very well attest to how such 

the Philippines through the 

learning of a foreign language. 

Having had the opportunity 

to once work at the 

Department of Education 

where we signed a valuable 

Memorandum of Agreement 

with the Kingdom of 

Spain, Instituto Cervantes 

and AECID (Spanish Cooperation 

Agency for International 

Development), we 

were not only able to bring 

back to the curriculum a 

language that was once 

By PIA ROCES MORATO 

considered a lingua franca 

but also, commit to partnerships 

in the areas of commerce, 

culture and disaster 

assistance. 

In other words, there 

is more to gain in learning 

from each other in the hopes 

of strengthening global co- 

- 

ryone involved. 

While it is no secret 

that Rappler Holdings Corporation 

is in the thick of 

things as the Department of 

Justice has found probable 

cause to charge them with 

tax evasion over the sale of 

its Philippine Depository 

Receipts to two foreign entities, 

it is probably in their 

best interest that they focus 

rather than implying that a 

PNA partnership with Sputnik 

is a cause of concern 

with regard to sharing news 

and information especially 

when the focus is on news 

relevant to Filipinos. 

Since its establishment 

in 1973, PNA has been regularly 

sharing news content 

with counterpart state news 

agencies in the ASEAN and 

- 

ing Russia. 

As state news agencies 

around the world continue 

to advance in the 21st century 

through mutual understanding 

and exchange, it 

is high time that the Philippines 

does the same. It 

is precisely why it is full 

steam ahead for the Philippine 

News Agency.

Swimmers brave pollution 

to dive into Gaza waters 

YOUNG Palestinian swimmers participate in a group exercise on the beach during a training 

session in Beit Lahia in the Northern Gaza Strip on October 4. Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP 

Rooney brace propels D.C. into 

MLS Cup playoffs, Galaxy stays alive 

Former Manchester 

nited and England Star 

ayne Rooney scored twice 

o push D.C. United to a 3-1 

ictory over New York City 

C and into the MLS Cup 

playoffs on Sunday. 

The victory in the 

penultimate weekend of the 

egular season capped a 

emarkable resurgence for 

.C. United, which was 

anguishing at the foot of the 

able when Rooney arrived 

n Washington in July. 

Until that point they had 

just two wins from 14 

matches and appeared 

headed for another 

disappointing season. Now 

they have won 12 of 18 

games to clinch their spot in 

the post-season. 

Rooney opened the 

scoring in the eighth minute, 

tapping in his team-leading 

11th goal of the season after 

Luciano Acosta eluded three 

New York defenders to reach 

the end line and cut the ball 

back to Rooney. 

Acosta doubled D.C.’s 

lead in the 24th minute, 

curling in a strong shot from 

outside the area.( Rooney 

converted from the penalty 

spot in the 74th minute after 

Alex Ring handled the ball 

in the penalty box. 

Spain’s David Villa 

pulled back a goal for New 

York in the 78th minute, but 

his low shot that went in off 

the far post wasn’t enough 

for a New York City FC side 

that had already punched 

their post-season ticket. 

Agence France-Presse 

LYDIA Ko teeing off at the Shanghai LPGA golf tournament on October 21. Photo by 

JOHANNES EISELE/AFP 

On one of the world’s 

most polluted coastlines, 30 

young Palestinians dive head 

first into the sea off the Gaza 

Strip, their minds filled with 

dreams of Olympic glory. 

Aged between 11 and 16, 

they make up a rare 

swimming club in the 

Palestinian enclave, and 

perhaps its only mixed-sex 

one. 

Coach Amjad Tantish 

talks through a warm-up 

before they race from the 

trash-strewn beach into the 

sea as he continues to bark 

instructions. 

Conditions are far from 

perfect; the waves make 

serious training difficult and 

they have little equipment. 

But Tantish explained that 

there are no free public 

swimming pools in the Gaza 

Strip, so they had to brave the 

sea. 

“We lack even the 

simplest equipment such as 

goggles and swimsuits,” he 

said. “We don’t have any 

funding.” 

The Mediterranean hugs 

the entire 40 kilometer (25 

mile) western border of the 

Gaza Strip, but almost no one 

enters its waters. 

The desperate shortage of 

energy and lack of sanitation 

infrastructure mean around 

100 million litres of poorly 

treated sewage are pumped 

into the sea every day, 

according to the United 

Nations. 

In the worst spots along 

the shore the sea is tinted 

brown. 

More than 95 percent of 

tap water is polluted, and 

water-related diseases are the 

primary cause of child 

mortality in Gaza, according 

to the World Health 

RUSSELL Westbrook looks on during a 

game against the Sacramento Kings on 

October 22. 

Organization. 

- Olympic dreams - 

The UN says the situation 

has come about mainly 

because of Israel’s crippling 

land and sea blockade of 

Gaza, warning recently the 

enclave is “imploding”. 

Israel says the measures 

are necessary to isolate 

Hamas, the Islamist group 

that runs Gaza and with which 

it has fought three wars since 

2008. It accuses the group of 

squandering international aid 

on arms and fortifications. 

Israel has seized dozens of 

diving suits and other 

swimming aids it says Hamas 

was seeking to smuggle into 

Gaza for military purposes. 

For those still willing to get 

wet, environmental experts 

say the water near Beit Lahia 

in northern Gaza has the 

lowest rates of pollution. 

Agence France-Presse 

Golf ‘phenom’ Ko keen to move on from teenage wonder years 

Lydia Ko made global 

sporting headlines in 2012 

when as a bespectacled 15- 

year-old amateur she 

triumphed at the Canadian 

Women’s Open, becoming 

the youngest winner of an 

LPGA Tour event. 

But spectators in 

Shanghai, where she finished 

tied second in the inaugural 

Buick LPGA event on 

Sunday, could have been 

forgiven for failing to 

recognise the Seoul-born 

New Zealander. 

Now 21 and with the 

glasses long-since ditched in 

favour of contact lenses, Ko 

has dyed her hair blond 

and by her own admission 

lost weight over the past 

year. 

Is the new look — she 

first sported the striking hair 

colour two weeks ago — an 

attempt to break with the 

past? 

“If I keep comparing 

myself to when I was player 

of the year or I was doing 

this, that or other things, it 

makes it so much harder,” 

the good- natured Ko told 

AFP in Shanghai. 

“Rather than say, ‘Hey, 

oh my god, I did this then, 

I’m just not up to that 

standard’... I’m just trying to 

play the best golf I can 

currently and I think that’s a 

better mindset to put myself 

in.” 

Ko’s stunning win in 

Canada was the start of a 

run that saw her surge to 

ZACH BEEKER 

NBAE/GETTY IMAGES/AFP 

number one in the world at 

17, the youngest to do so in 

men’s or women’s golf. 

In 2014, Ko was named 

by Time magazine as one of 

its 100 most influential 

people, and majors followed 

in 2015 and 2016, together 

with a Rio Olympic silver 

medal. 

Then came leaner times. 

In 2017, Ko endured her 

first year without an LPGA 

victory since joining the USbased 

tour in 2014. There 

was twice a change of coach 

and caddie. 

But in April this year she 

snapped that barren spell, 

taking victory at the LPGA 

Mediheal Championship in 

California. Peter Stebbings/ 

Agence France-Presse

Juan GDL posts 

UAAP’s 1st triple 

2018 Acosta Cup kicks off 

double in 12 years 

Fighting Maroon Juan 

omez de Liaño recorded his 

irst collegiate triple double 

n Sunday in a game against 

he University of the East 

UE) Red Warriors. 

The former high school 

tandout and UAAP juniors 

VP has been under 

onstant pressure from 

ponsors and supporters of 

he University of the 

hilippines (UP) Fighting 

aroons since he decided to 

play for the Diliman school 

in 2017. 

Juan GDL came into 

Sunday’s game eager to 

perform after spending the 

past week with a flu that 

affected his performance 

during UP’s second-round 

game against the Ateneo de 

Manila University (ADMU) 

Blue Eagles. 

Juan GDL came out of 

the game with 15 points, 12 

rebounds, and 12 assists; the 

first triple double in the 

UAAP since 2006. 

Unfortunately, Juan’s 

older brother Javi was not 

present to witness the 

younger GDL’s amazing 

feat, as he was made to serve 

a one-game suspension 

following a technical foul 

called on him on Sunday, 

October 14, in UP’s game 

against Ateneo. 

Coincidently, the previous 

player to record a triple 

double in the UAAP was 

Marvin Cruz, who was also 

a Fighting Maroon. 

Cruz scored 22 points 

and got 11 rebounds and 10 

assists in a game against 

Ateneo in 2006. 

Aside from being a spectacular 

individual accomplishment, 

Juan GDL’s triple 

double significantly helped 

UP win against UE, 94-81. 

Nuggets hold off Warriors, 

ings spoil Westbrook debut 

Juancho Hernangomez 

ame up with the gameaving 

block Sunday as the 

enver Nuggets held off the 

wo-time defending NBA 

hampion Golden State 

arriors 100-98 in a thriller 

n Denver. 

The unbeaten Nuggets 

anded the Warriors their 

irst defeat of the young 

eason, staking their claim to 

ontender status in the 

powerful Western Conference. 

Denver led by as many 

s 11 points in the fourth 

uarter, but the Warriors, led 

by 30 points from Stephen 

urry, whittled the deficit, 

notting the score at 97-97 

ith 1:29 remaining. 

Three missed free 

hrows by the Nuggets in the 

inal 1:18 opened the door for 

he Warriors, but the visitors 

ouldn’t take advantage. 

Raymond Green had a 

chance to tie the game when 

he missed one of two free 

throws with 10 seconds 

remaining and the Warriors 

trailed by two on their final 

possession. 

Curry drove to the rim, 

drawing two defenders, and 

passed to Damian Jones. As 

Jones rose for the shot, 

Hernangomez dived in to bat 

the ball away from behind. 

At 3-0, the Nuggets are off 

to their best start since 

opening 5-0 in 2009. A day 

after his impressive tripledouble 

against Phoenix, 

Nikola Jook scored 23 points 

with 11 rebounds and six 

assists. Gary Harris added 28 

points and the Nuggets 

forced 18 turnovers in a solid 

defensives effort against the 

prolific Warriors. Golden 

State led by as many as 12 

in the first quarter, and by 

two at halftime, but were outscored 

33-21 in the third 

period. 

- Thunder lose on 

Westbrook’s return - 

Russell Westbrook 

showed little sign of rust in 

his NBA season debut but his 

32 points, 12 rebounds and 

eight assists weren’t enough 

to lift Oklahoma City to a 

first win of the young 

campaign. 

Former NBA Most 

Valuable Player Westbrook 

had missed the first two 

games of the season as he 

continued his return from 

arthroscopic knee surgery 

on September 12. 

He started in his 

customary spot and played 

35 minutes — the most of 

any Thunder starter — but 

it was the Sacramento Kings 

who came up with their first 

win of the season 131-120 

in Oklahoma City. 

CEREMONIAL kickoff during the opening day of the 2018 Acosta Cup on October 21 at the 

Tionko Football Grounds. Photo from MABEL SSUNGA ACOSTA FB 

The Acosta Cup, which 

is a ladies’ football tournament 

organized by Councilor 

Mabel Sunga Acosta, kicked 

off on Sunday, October 21, 

at the Tionko Football 

Grounds along Quimpo 

Boulevard, Davao City. 

Opening day featured 

games between Sikat Alab 

FC (W) and the RMC 

Bulldogs, and CR7 Food 

Truck (W) and D’Davao 

Survivors. 

A ceremonial kickoff 

was taken part of by organizers 

and players to open the 

tournament officially. 

The current Acosta Cup 

is the 15th straight season of 

the tournament. 

It is organized through 

the initiative of Councilor 

Mabel Sunga Acosta with the 

help of the Office of the City 

Mayor, Ulticon Builders Inc., 

TRAE Young goes to the basket against the Cleveland 

Cavaliers on October 22 at the Quicken Loans Arena. 

Photo by DAVID LIAM KYLE/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES/ 

AFP 

Norminring Motorbikes, St. 

John Paul II College of 

Davao, Anflocor, Medvil 

Farms Inc., Lapanday 

Foods, Vibrant Helicopters 

Agricultural Corp., Southern 

Tourists Inn, Kudos Trucking 

Corp., Jollibee, and RDL 

Pharmaceutical Labs Inc. 

Games under the 

tournament will take place on 

Saturdays and Sundays at the 

Tionko Football Grounds. 

Trae Young scores 35 

in 1st rookie showdown 

The Cleveland Cavaliers 

remained without a victory since the 

departure of superstar LeBron 

James, who landed with the Los 

Angeles Lakers via free agency after 

last season. 

The Cavs, who have played in 

the last four NBA finals and won the 

title in 2016 with James leading the 

way, dropped their home opener to 

the Atlanta Hawks 113-111, falling 

to 0-3. 

In a game billed as a showdown 

between rookie point guards Trae 

Young and Collin Sexton, Atlanta’s 

Young exploded for 35 points and 11 

assists, with six three-pointers. 

Young, drafted fifth overall, 

became the third rookie since 2000, 

after James and Golden State star 

Stephen Curry, to surpass 35 points 

and 10 assists in an NBA game. 

His exploits helped the Hawks 

overcome an early 15-point deficit 

to notch their first win of the young 

season. Agence France-Presse

MDM November 17, 2018

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