Rep. Pulong vows to intensify programs, efforts for Filipinos

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January 5, 2024 6:38 am

Davao City First District Rep. Paolo "Pulong" Duterte says the approval of House Bill 9021 is a big step to enact the proposal and provide a remedy for the poor service of telecom companies and other internet service providers (ISPs). LEAN DAVAL JR

Davao City First District Representative Paolo ‘Pulong” Duterte vowed to intensify his programs and efforts for needy Filipinos.

The multi-awarded lawmaker issued the statement following the distribution of assistance from the staff of his office to the 500 fire victims in Davao City.

“As we have done in previous years, we shall accord the resilience of our Filipino families with much-intensified efforts through our programs and services. Whatever circumstance it may be, those in need can rely on us for support and assistance,” he said.

The Office of the First Congressional District’s Pulong Pulong ni Pulong (PPP) program tendered a banquet for at least 500 fire victims of three separate fire incidents in Davao City with a banquet including 20 lechon on December 31, 2023.

The activity started in Barangay Leon Garcia in Agdao at 4 p.m.

The PPP team handed out food and cash to the fire victims comprised of 133 owners, 165 sharers, 44 renters, and 34 boarders and caretakers.

Rep. Pulong’s team also visited the fire victims of San Francisco De Asis Village in Barangay 74-A Matina Crossing and distributed assistance to over 100 fire victims.

The said fire, which happened on December 31, 2023, razed 17 houses.

The fire victims, comprised of 17 owners, two sharers, 17 renters, and eight boarders received food packs. The team also distributed hot porridge and new clothes to them.

The PPP team served seven roasted pigs and other dishes (chicken barbecue, grilled fish, and bihon or rice vermicelli) with boiled rice and ice cream.

Rep. Pulong’s team then proceeded to Purok 33, Ramon Magsaysay, Calinan to extend immediate assistance to the fire victims of the January 1, 2024 fire.

The fire razed three houses and a commercial building affecting around seven families.

Market reminder

By

Lean Daval Jr.

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January 5, 2024 6:31 am

To maintain an orderly operation at Bankerohan Public Market in Davao City, a personnel of the City Economic Enterprise Office roams around the market and remind the vendors using a megaphone on Thursday to always follow the policies and stay at their designated areas. LEAN DAVAL JR

PH debt increases to P14.51T as of end of November 2023

By

Edge Davao

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January 5, 2024 6:30 am

27davaobuildings — The Davao City Tourism Operations Office (DCTOO) says the city’s tourism industry needs to push for foreign as well as local tourists to visit the King City of the South after it was included among 18 of Asia’s “underrated” places reported by CNN Philippines. Lean Daval Jr.

The Philippines’ sovereign debt ballooned to a new record high as of the end of November 2023 as the government increased its local borrowings.

Data released by the Bureau of the Treasury on Wednesday shows that the national government’s running debt balance as of end-November last year stood at P14.51 trillion, up 0.19% from P14.48 trillion seen as of end-October 2023.

The Treasury said the month-on-month increment in the government debt stock was “primarily due to the net issuance of domestic securities.”

In an emailed commentary, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. chief economist Michael Ricafort said the higher debt incurred during the period was amid the new government borrowings needed to fund the continued budget deficits since the start of 2023.

Of the total running debt, the lion’s share or 69.09% were sourced locally while the remaining 30.91% were from foreign sources.

The country’s domestic debt totaled P10.02 trillion, up 1.23% from P9.9 trillion as of end-October 2023 “due to the net issuance of government securities.”

“New domestic debt issued during the month totaled P171.091 billion while principal redemption amounted to P45.14 billion, underlying a net issuance of P125.95 billion,” the Treasury said.

Ricafort, likewise, said the higher domestic debt was “due to net new local debt issuance, higher prices/inflation that increased government expenditures that led to the continued budget deficit that needs to be financed by new government borrowings, as well as higher interest rates that increased financing costs of the government.”

Nevertheless, the domestic debt pile’s increase was partially offset by the P3.87-billion effect of peso appreciation on foreign currency-denominated domestic securities.

Year-to-date, domestic debt registered an increase of P816.02 billion or 8.86%.

Meanwhile, the country’s external debt amounted to P4.48 trillion, down 2.06% from P4.6 trillion as of the end of the prior month.

“For November, the lower level of external debt was due to the net repayment of foreign loans amounting to P1.08 billion and favorable foreign exchange movements, wherein the P109.37 billion reduction attributed to peso appreciation against the US dollar far exceeded the upward adjustment linked to third-currency appreciation of P16.30 billion,” the Treasury said.

The country’s debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio, which measures the amount of the government’s debt relative to the size of the economy, improved at 60.2% as of the third quarter of the year from 61% of the second quarter.

This came after the faster economic growth seen in the same period of 5.9%, from 4.3% in the second quarter.

A lower debt-to-GDP ratio indicates that the country can pay off its debt without having adverse impacts on the economy.

Under the administration’s Medium Term Fiscal Framework, the government aims to bring down the debt-to-GDP ratio to less than 60% by 2025 and further shrink it to 51.1% by 2028.

Dabawenyos urged to wear masks, practice proper hygiene vs. flu virus

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Philippine News Agency

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January 5, 2024 5:00 am

A vendor takes advantage of the high foot traffic and the warm weather to sell ice cream during All Souls' Day celebration at Wireless Cemetery in Father Selga Street, Davao City on Wednesday. Edge Davao

A physician from the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) urged the public here Wednesday to wear face masks and practice proper hygiene to avoid contracting the flu virus.

In a virtual press briefing, Dr. Alisa Betina Lim, the chief resident of the SPMC-Department of Emergency Medicine, warned that mycoplasma pneumonia, also known as “walking pneumonia,” is present in the country.

“Since it’s a respiratory symptom, and we can prevent it by wearing face masks, especially in crowded areas,” Lim said.

She clarified though that there is no reported case of mycoplasma pneumonia yet in the city.

Despite this, she reminded residents to remain vigilant against the ongoing threat to public health.

Lim noted that SPMC dealt with numerous emergency flu cases only last month, as December is considered a flu season.

She pointed out that proper handwashing and hygiene are necessary to prevent the spread of the virus.

Mycoplasma pneumonia is less severe compared to the typical pneumonia.

However, patients with underlying health conditions and weak immune systems may experience severe symptoms. (PNA)

DCOTT online booking system smoothens travel transactions

By

Maya Padillo

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January 5, 2024 5:00 am

Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) manager Aisa Usop says the terminal's online booking system has helped passengers to have a smoother travel transactions specially during the holidays. LEAN DAVAL JR

Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) manager Aisa Usop disclosed on Thursday that the online booking system helped passengers with smoother travel transactions at the terminal, particularly during the holidays.

Usop said DCOTT is facing a massive influx of passengers especially since many passengers are travelling back to Davao City or to their provinces after the New Year celebration. However, she said it is being managed well without reported untoward incidents.

“Maybe nakatabang pud ang online booking nato sa pagkapaspas sa flow. Naay nag avail sa atoang online booking,” she said over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Thursday.

In December last year, DCOTT relaunched its online booking system where passengers can buy bus tickets online. When a passenger has their ticket printed online, they simply head to the bus they have been assigned or they requested.

Usop said several passengers have availed of the online booking system based on DCOTT management’s query to the passengers.

Usop also said that despite the influx of passengers, DCOTT was peaceful and orderly from December 1, 2023 until December 31. 2023.

“If we are going to compare last year ug karon mas daghan ang pasahero karon. Kaya lang dili sila matanggong ug dugay sa sulod sa terminal kay makasakay dayon sila. Amo pud gipreparahan ang after New Year in which tama gihapon ang atong pangagpas. Even gahapon (Wednesday) grabe ang influx sa pasahero. On Jnauary 2 hangtod gabii naa gihapon mga pasahero,” she said.

Usop shared that according to the bus controllers, their income is much better today.

“Nag ask pud ko sa mga bus controllers ngano makasulti sila nga mas daghan karon, sulti nila ang income. The income will depend on the number of bus trips,” she said.

Usop also announced that they exceeded last year’s income.

She said DCOTT has reached its target of P44 million for the year 2023 with an excess of more or less P8 million.

“Yesterday (Wednesday) the City Treasurer’s Office reported that it is almost P53 million meaning the excess is more or less P8 million,” Usop said.

US willing to invest in Mindanao Railway Project, envoy says

By

Philippine News Agency

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January 5, 2024 4:24 am

The United States has offered to support the stalled Mindanao Railway Project, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said on Wednesday.

In a text message, the envoy said the US has indicated its interest in investing “over a billion dollars” in the infrastructure program, with the financing expected to come from the US International Development Financial Corporation (DFC).

The envoy first made the announcement in his December 31 Philstar column as part of his yearend report to the Filipino community in the US.

“The US has also offered assistance for the Mindanao Railway Project, with financing expected to come from the US International Development Financial Corporation (DFC) that invests in infrastructure and development projects to help developing countries create jobs and foster economic growth,” he penned.

“The Mindanao Railway Project was supposed to be financed by China but last November, the Philippines decided not to pursue Chinese official development assistance (ODA) financing for the construction of the railway,” he added.

Romualdez said a representative from the DFC will also be part of the highly-anticipated US presidential trade and investment delegation that will visit the Philippines in March 2024.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista earlier said the country has dropped China as a source of funding for the Mindanao Railway Project due to lack of progress in negotiations.

The Transportation chief also confirmed that the government is looking for other sources possibly a “combination of Philippine government support, ODA, and private sector support” to fund the PHP81.7 billion Mindanao Railway Project Phase 1 Tagum-Davao-Digos Segment. (PNA)

PH sports in 2023 ‘a major breakthrough, 2024 a tough challenge’ – POC

By

Philippine News Agency

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January 5, 2024 3:53 am

0705obiena — OLYMPICS-BOUND ANEW. Pole vaulter Ernest John "EJ" Obiena has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics during the 2023 Stockholm Diamond League in Sweden on July 2. It will be his second trip to the Summer Games after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. (Contributed photo)

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino has expressed his satisfaction with the country’s performances on the international stage in 2023.

“From a scale of 1 to 10, I give Filipino athletes a high mark of 8.5 to 9 for 2023,” Tolentino told RP2 Sports Radio’s Headline Sports host Judith Caringal during a live interview on Wednesday afternoon.

“Yes, I’m very much contented—after breaking those records and bringing back the glory—all of those accomplishments were hard-earned, both by the athlete and their coaches and the stakeholders,” the mayor of Tagaytay City, Cavite added.

Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, the first Filipino to qualify for 2024 Paris Olympics, made record-breaking performances at the Hangzhou Asian Games and Cambodia Southeast Asian Games and a historic men’s pole vault silver at the world championships.

The national men’s basketball team, known as Gilas Pilipinas, pocketed the gold medal in Hangzhou, the first for the country since the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

“But all these gold medals, these achievements belong to all of us, all Filipinos, all of those who prayed hard,” he said. “It was all about the athletes’ and Team Philippines’ dedication, motivation and inspiration.”

While last year was considered a successful one, Tolentino said this year will be a tough one for the Philippines with the Paris Olympics not far away.

“This will be a tough year for us, Paris is just around the corner. And before we get there, there are tough competitions for our athletes to qualify,” Tolentino said.

Obiena, Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist boxer Eumir Felix Marcial and gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan have qualified for Paris and the Philippines can get more slots via universality in athletics and aquatics.

“It will be very good if we again have 19 Olympians, but if we don’t have those numbers, the focus will be on the podium. Hopefully, we haul more in Paris,” Tolentino said.

With the Philippines celebrating its centennial participation in the Olympics, Tolentino hopes to surpass Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo’s weightlifting gold medal, Nesty Petecio and Carlo Paalam’s boxing silver and Marcial’s bronze at the Tokyo Games.

“We’re not the only country preparing for Paris, everybody else is preparing hard for the Olympics. We need all the support—moral, financial, among others,” he added.

Meanwhile, Tolentino announced that Peter Joseph Groseclose, 16 (speed skating short track); Avery Uriel Balbanida, 14 (skiing, cross-country); and Laetaz Amihan Rabe, 14 (freeski slope style and freeski big air) will compete in the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1 in Gangwon, South Korea.

“I’m proud to announce their qualification and participation in Gangwon. We Filipinos have defied limitations and embraced the challenges of competing in winter sports through the years. We’re living in a tropical country, but our spirit simply knows no boundaries,” he said.

Other matters discussed by Tolentino during the interview were the International Olympic Committee’s decision on allowing boxing icon and former Senator Manny Pacquiao to compete in Paris by March, construction of the country’s first indoor International Cycling Union-certified velodrome in Tagaytay City, POC Golf Cup Legislators Edition on March 13, and the ratification of the POC’s amended charter. (PNA)

Theory and Practice: On Racism

By

Christopher Ryan Maboloc, Ph.D

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January 4, 2024 9:50 pm

Racism is fundamentally wrong. As an ideology, it violates the dignity of human beings. Racism is rooted in the belief that one race is superior and another is inferior. While this is apparent from a cultural perspective, racial prejudice caused great atrocities, the most infamous being the Holocaust which resulted in the murder of six million Jews on orders of Adolf Hitler. Hitler misinterpreted Charles Darwin and wrongly applied the theory of evolution. The Nazis saw themselves as human gods and Jews were labeled as sub-humans. When the Nazis rose to power in 1933, they implemented a policy of repression and intimidation to terrorize Jews.

Idolatry may have something to do with Nazi fanaticism. Heinrich Himmler and his henchmen even went to the Himalayas in the name of pseudo-science to prove the superiority of the Aryan race. The Nazis created pogroms, separating Jews from the general population. Auschwitz, Dachau, and Treblinka ring horror. In these extermination camps, Adolf Eichmann transported two million Jews in Europe to gas chambers, in a program called
The Final Solution. The Holocaust was a result of Hitler’s hatred for the Jewish people.

Nazi SS commandos, composed of young men recruited by Himmler, led these systematic mass murders, all in the name of the state. SS officers were not docile individuals. They were men and women of letters – doctors, academics, economists, philosophers who convinced their fellow Germans that the Jews are the enemy of the state.

Joseph Goebbels, through state propaganda, controlled and manipulated the German population to believe that Jews caused their misery. In a totalitarian society, people worship false leaders, false gods, and false beliefs.
But the evil that is racism dates back to the slave trade. Natives in the African continent were hunted and captured like beasts, brought into the New World and sold to work in plantations in the Southern states of America. The American Civil War was rooted on a singular question – the right to own slaves, a thing that Abraham Lincoln wanted to abolish. That all men are born equal remains to be the most fundamental principle in political theory. Recently, the Netherlands has apologized for its role in the slave trade.

In 1905, US scientists started a eugenics program meant to create a perfect race. The science of eugenics was meant to correct infirmities in the human species by selecting the best breed. This was copied by the Nazis. The T4 program, approved by Hitler, sterilized thousands of couples. Parents surrendered 400,000 children with mental impairment or physical deformity only to be euthanized by Nazi doctors and nurses. Joseph Mengele, the physician known as the angel of death, performed horrendous experiments on innocent children.

In Kosovo, 8,000 Albanians were run over by tanks on orders of Slobodan Milosevic. In 1994, Hutus massacred 800,000 Tutsis in the Rwandan ethnic cleansing. More than 500,000 Rohingya people have been driven out of Myanmar, many of them, reports from Human Rights groups indicate, raped by the military and militiamen. Racism kills and as history has taught us, it has resulted to the suffering and deaths of millions of human beings.

Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi dedicated their lives against the subjugation of people. Racism has no place in this world. It wrongly privileges a people who see themselves as intellectually, culturally, and socially superior. Jesse Owens proved Hitler wrong in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, and Edmund Husserl were Jews who contributed so much to the advancement of human knowledge. Without their important contributions, human society will not be able to understand the underlying principles in the sciences and philosophy.

Racism is a plague that must be put to an end. It is pure evil. George Floyd’s death has since ignited a radical protest that intends to usher a social consciousness against racism. Racism is used to demean, degrade, and dehumanize the powerless. Human achievement sees no color in our skin. Reason knows no boundary. Human intelligence is not exclusive to any race or nation. No man has a right to deprive another of one’s moral worth. We are equal not only as humans. We are all equal in dignity as humans.

Two women stabbed to death inside rented room

By

Maya Padillo

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January 4, 2024 9:47 pm

0617policeline — Accident or crime scene cordon tape, police line do not cross. It is nighttime, emergency lights of police cars flashing blue, red and white in the background

Two women were stabbed to death at their rented room in Purok 1, Barangay 2-A, Davao City early morning of Thursday.

San Pedro Police Station identified the victims as Coral Oral Andagit, 20 years old; and Jazel Joy Casantao Indoy, 15 years old, both from Purok 10, Brgy. Salumay, Marilog District, Davao City.

Authorities identified the suspect as 52-year-old laborer and widower Marcial Marzan Gonzales.

San Pedro Police Station operatives reported that according to Nenet Tana Gil, a neighbor of the victims, while she was sweeping at the doorstep of her home, she saw the suspect went out of the rented boarding house of the victims and yelled: “Panawag namo og 911 kay gipatay na nako ang duha ka babae diha.”

Based on the investigation of San Pedro Police Station, the victims were lying on the floor with multiple stab wounds in different parts of their bodies from an undetermined sharp object.

Responding Central 911 personnel declared the victims dead due to loss of blood.

The Scene of Crime Operative (SOCO) that processed the crime scene recovered one blue backpack containing one wrist watch, one silver necklace, one pack of Walter cigarettes, one pair of sandals, one piece underwear, one pink wallet, one cellphone charger, one black sling bag, one lotion, one cologne, napkins, and other cosmetics.

The bodies of the victims were brought to Angel Funeral Homes for autopsy and the motive of the crime is yet to be determined.

San Pedro Police Station said its personnel are currently conducting a follow up investigation for possible apprehension of the suspect.

2024 one-stop renewal of mayor permit starts

By

CIO Davao City

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January 4, 2024 9:36 pm

03bizrenewal-copy — EARLY BIRDS. A handful of traders renew their business permits at the “One Stop Shop” site at the Almendras Gym, Davao City on Wednesday (3 January 2024). According to city government personnel, they are expecting more number of clients on the third week of January. MindaNews photo

The City Government of Davao reminds taxpayers about the renewal of business permits from January 2 to January 31, 2024.

Business Bureau Head Maribel Paguican, in an interview with the City Information Office on Tuesday, said that there are 10 processing sites for the convenience of Dabawenyos.

These are at the SP Building for the Poblacion District; Almendras Gym for the Talomo and Agdao Districts; Gaisano Grand CitiGate Mall for Buhangin District; Baguio District Treasury Office for Baguio District; Marilog District Treasury Office for Marilog District; Tugbok District Treasury Office for Tugbok District; Calinan Gym for Calinan District; Toril District Treasury Office for Toril District; Bunawan District Treasury Office for Bunawan District; and Paquibato District Treasury Office in Paquibato District.

The schedule of the renewal is from 8 am-5 pm, with separate schedules set for January 28 and January 31 available on the City Government of Davao Page.

“We invite everyone to avail of our online platform via https://appbts.davaocity.gov.ph. and renew your Business Permit on or before January 31, 2024, to avoid penalties and surcharges,” Paguican said.

She said that those who opt to pay manually are advised to get/print their application for renewal of business permit online from https://appbts.davaocity.gov.ph.

“Kindly print in two copies on long bond paper and you can already directly proceed to Step 2 at the City Treasurer’s Office for assessment and payment,” Paguican said.

Paguican said that Real Property Tax clearance is also no longer a requirement for the renewal of a business permit. CIO