Friday, October 22, 2010

Halloween Tattoo and Music Fest



Expect Davao City's Halloween to be hot, hot hot, as the Ancheta brothers spearhead a tattoo and music competition on October 30, 2010 starting 2 p.m., at the Offroad Bar, Central Park corner Bangkal.

Dubbed as the "HALLOWEEN TATTOO and MUSIC FEST", the event will feature band performances of mix genre, tattoo competition and lots of fun!

Interested? Registration fee is P600 inclusive of an I.D., certificate, shirt and food. Registration forms are available at Anito Depot, 2nd Floor, NCCC Mall, Maa, Davao City.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Aboitiz bent on building coal-powered plant in Davao City




Fresh from the development of the Sibulan Hydropower Plant in Davao del Sur, Aboitiz Power is now bent on developing another source of energy for Mindanao but this time it has set its eyes on the development of a non-renewable source namely a coal powered plant right in Davao City.

Aboitiz Power called for a press conference yesterday to announce its plan to establish a coal-powered plant in the city. Earlier, its executives met with Davao City mayor Sara Duterte and Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and members of the City Council to get their pulse on the proposed coal-powered plant. They also met with members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Inc. yesterday evening.

The proposed coal-powered plant, with an estimated cost of $400 million, is expected to bring in lots of investments and employment opportunities for the city, not to mention up to 200MW of power.

However, coal mines, from where the coals used to power the plants come from, are known to be the largest contributor to global warming and to climate change problems due to the mine's high emission of methane, carbon dioxide and other waste products including thorium, radioactive contaminants and uranium.

Coal mines are said to result to groundwater interference and water table levels and have high impact on the flow of water in rivers. Aboitiz is looking at Indonesia as its source of coal.

The combustion of coal, is seen as a large contributor to air pollution and acid rain. Erramon Aboitiz however admitted that coal-powered plants have earned a negative reputation in the 1930s but coal-powered plants now use more modern technologies and coal generation has become greener.

Coal-powered plants are however still know to produce emissions of sulfur dioxides, nitrogen and carbon dioxides in the air, thereby contributing to global warming and climate change.

For a city blessed with one of the cleanest waters in the world, having a coal-powered plant right on top of its aquifers can spell nightmare not only for Dabawenyos but for the whole world. But then again, it is still a question of priorities---power or environment.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Ms. Universe Margie Moran with more substance in her 50s

Ms. Universe 1972 Margarita Moran-Floirendo made the Philippines proud when she won the coveted crown several decades ago. But after more than 30 years, she continues to make her countrymen proud by proving that real beauty does not fade.

DatelineDavao made it to the former Ms. U's 57th birthday party at the Tadeco Clubhouse in Panabo last Saturday and realized how this stunning beauty has become more than a pretty face.

Moran-Floirendo still looks regal but has achieved more depth in her personality. With her as one of the executive directors of the Habitat for Humanity Philippines, they have built over 3o,oo0 houses for those who have less in life.

She however emphasized that they do no believe in dole-outs so the houses they built are not free. Aside from the equity paid by the homeowners which is as low as P5,000, the community also contributes their labor in house building.

One would expect a very big event when a celebrity like her celebrates her birthday. Instead, the party was very intimate with no more than 80 guests, all belonging to the people she works with in the community of Panabo and nearby municipalities.

"I prefer it this way so I can interact with everyone," she said. Moran-Floirendo said she is planning to establish more projects in Panabo and in Davao City which she considers her home. She may not have been born in Davao, she said, but she is a real Dabawenyos by heart.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Filariasis: another mosquito-borne disease

If you think that Dengue and Malaria are enough to terrorize you, then here's another mosquito-borne disease to watch out for especially in endemic areas like Mindanao and the Davao Region.

Remember those illnesses classified by villagers as caused by "buyag" or "usog" that results to thickened and swollen legs,arms, scrotum or even breasts? Medical professionals have warned Dabawenyos about the prevalence of Lymphatic Filariasis in the region.

The mosquitos that case Lymphatic Filariasis usually abound in banana plantations and in abaca farms.

"One of the symptoms of Filariasis is elephantiasis which is manifested in swollen arms, breasts, scrotum, and legs among other body parts," Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan said. Locals usually call this "malaking bayag".

While it is not as popular as Dengue or Malaria, he said, up to 25 million Filipinos are at risk of getting Lymphatic Filariasis.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

MinDA has new chair---Dureza out; Antonino in

After weeks of speculation whether Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chair Jesus Dureza will be replaced or will stay on, the people of Mindanao finally got an answer.

MinDA, which used to be known as the Mindanao Economic Development Council, was an offshoot of Republic Act 9996.

MinDA has a new chairperson after President Benigno Aquino III has accepted the resignation of Dureza, who would have been guaranteed a six-year term had he not resigned as MinDA chair.

Dureza handed in his resignation voluntarily to give Pnoy a chance to appoint a Chair of his own choice.

Former South Cotabato Representative Lualhati Antonino, mother of new General Santos Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio, has been formally designated by Pnoy as the new MinDA head during the opening of the 12th National Tuna Congress last Friday. The appointment was announced by former Senator Manuel Roxas who delivered the keynote speech for the Congress.

During an earlier interview and prior to his resignation, Dureza revealed his plans to relocate the MinDA office somewhere in Maramag to make it easily accessible to the other Mindanao cities and provinces.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

One Stop Shop Business Registry to Cut Red Tape in RP


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Business registration will be easier and a lot faster once the Philippine Business Registry project is implemented.

Department of Trade and Industry-PBR Program Manager Whilmer Morales is now holding a press conference at the Philippine Information Agency, to report on the update of the project, which is expected to be implemented before end of the year.

The PBR is the Philippine government's response to the World Bank report stating that it takes 50 days and 11 processes to register a business in the Philippines.

"This will not only hasten the business registration process but will also lessen red tape in government," he said. The small and medium enterprises are expected to benefit from this program.

Once implemented, the business owner can register his business with the Department of Trade and Industry, which will act on the application in one day. DTI will then pass the documents to the different agencies concerned like the local government unit concerned, Philhealth, SSS, Pag-Ibig and Bureau of Internal Revenue among others.

Monday, August 16, 2010

SM kicks off Kadayawan





Barely a day before the official start of the 2010 Kadayawan sa Davao, SM City Davao is already abloom with everything Kadayawan starting from the weekend sale which ended yesterday.

August 16 is officially the start of Kadayawan sa Davao. SM's Entertainment Center was ready for the festival as it already gave shoppers a preview of the festivities through a pre-Kadayawan photo exhibit by the Camera Club of Davao. Some indigenous costumes were also already on display yesterday.

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