SM Davao payphones make life easier for Dabawenyos

PLDT phone booths that have been conveniently installed near the rest rooms of SM City Davao is making life easier for Dabawenyos especially those who need to make an emergency call only to find out they do not have cellphone loads.

What makes these pay phones a cut above the old pay phones installed by PLDT before is the fact that it accepts a minimum of P1 for local calls and P3 for NDD. Customers who need to call a cellphone (but don't have one or who does not have enough batteries) can also take advantage of the P7 minimum for local calls and P8 for international cell phone calls.

Now, that's what you call customer service.

Davao Tourism Gets Big Boost

Davao City’s tourism got a boost after Cebu Air, Inc. made the city its third hub of operations and another gateway for the country. The management of Cebu Pacific came up with the decision after realizing that 30% of its Cebu-Singapore and Cebu-Hong Kong passengers come from the city.

This development is significant for Dabawenyos (and other passengers from Mindanao) who can now travel from Davao to Hong Kong or Davao to Singapore directly. Grand Air used to fly the said route but stopped its operations. Silk Air also operates a Davao-Singapore route daily.

Under the promotional rates which will be applied from November 13 to 20, 2007, Dabawenyos only need to pay P999 for both routes (Davao-Singapore or Davao-Hong Kong). This however excludes the taxes and other surcharges.

Not to be left behind, direct international flights from Davao to Hong Kong is also in the offing according to Philippine Airlines senior vice president for Mindanao Domingo Duerme said. He added that the airline is also considering two more destinations in China.

BIMP-EAGA Tourism Council chair Mary Ann Montemayor said Cebu Pacific’s move will encourage more tourist arrivals in the city not only from EAGA but also from other countries. BMP-EAGA or the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asian Growth Area is an organization of similar economies in East Asia which aims to promote several areas of cooperation among themselves including communications, transportation and telecommunications.

Montemayor, who just attended the 3rd BIMP-EAGA Travel Exchange in Kuching,
Malaysia, announced that they have entered into a partnership with Malaysia’s Sabah Tourism Association. The agreement is expected to further improve tourism between the two countries.

She said a total of 3 million and 2.8 million foreign tourists visit Sarawak and Sabah (respectively) every year compared to the only 3 million foreign tourists targeted by the Department of Tourism for the whole Philippines. By linking to Kuching, the city can get a certain percentage of that foreign tourist arrival.

Digong vs Nogie

Two Davao political bigwigs clash anew

The conflict between Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte and Davao City 1st District Congressman Prospero “Nogie” Nograles is finally out in the open.

Duterte spent 55 minutes of his “Para sa Masa…” program at ABS CBN last Sunday cussing and berating Nograles for a lot of reasons primarily because of the manhunt against Diwalwal miner Tata Sala. Sala, who has a pending warrant of arrest, helped Duterte’s candidate during the recently-concluded barangay elections.

Despite the warrant, Sala acted like a free man, even campaigning for Talomo barangay captain candidate Alex Vidal (Duterte’s candidate who won) versus Nograles candidate Art Jimenez. Duterte said Nograles used his influence to resurrect Sala’s case and warrant to get back to the latter for campaigning against his candidate last election.

The conflict between the two started as far back as 1988 until they formed a political alliance during last year’s local elections (with the agreement that both will respect each other’s jurisdiction and support each other’s decisions- local politics for Duterte and national politics for Nograles). However, the animosity between the two was resurrected even before the end of the election due to politics again.

Duterte also castigated Nograles for sending local broadcaster Alex Adonis to jail for libel after the latter tackled Nograles alleged trysts with a married television host.

Duterte and Nograles were interviewed during today’s Umagang Kay Ganda TV program with Nograles live at the studio and Duterte on a phone patch. Duterte showed why he is touted as the original bad boy of Davao City when he cussed Nograles on national television saying “Put…Ina ka ngano ginapaburan man nimo ang mga Koreano laban sa mga Pilipino” as he accused Nograles of owning Apo View Hotel and getting a casino franchise for the hotel.

Recent Job Openings

Still looking for that perfect job? Davao Dateline will try to post the latest job requirements in Davao City and nearby cities to guide netizens looking for their first jobs or their nth job!

Landco Pacific Corporation, a real estate development company, is looking for the following for their offices in Davao City and in Zamboanga.

Documentation Staff
Accountancy graduate with experience in sales admin

Field Sales Admin Specialist
Accountancy graduate (preferably CPA) with 2 years experience in Sales Admin or Finance

Billing and Collection Staff
Accountancy graduate with experience in billing and collection

Project Engineers
Licensed Civil Engineer with at least 3-5 years experience in vertical, large horizontal projects or land development

Project Coordinator
Graduate of any Business course

These are urgent requirements and you can send in your resume with latest photo at applicants@landcopacific.com or applicants_mindanao@yahoo.com

Incidentally, callbox sales and marketing solutions is now in Davao City and is in need of call center and other workers. They conducted a special recruitment at NCCC Mall last November 9-10. If you’re interested, you an email them at WorkInDavao@Callboxinc.com or text DAVAO to 09186607744

Poverty, Anyone?

National News: PGMA proudly annnounces there are fewer poor Filipinos now


Davao News: 12-year old girl commits suicide due to poverty


A day after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced that her administration has improved the quality of life in the Philippines, with fewer Filipinos suffering frompoverty, here comes a twelve year old girl from Davao City who hanged herself (using a rope) out of sheer desperation and poverty. Sources claimed the girl has stopped going to school for a few months now because she had no money for fare.
A girl this age should be looking forward to growing up, finishing high school so she can get a college degree. On the contrary, this girl was suicidal because she was not allowed to work in a factory. That would have meant income for her, for school, for food...
The government admitted accountability for what happened and said they are already addressing the issue.
While we should not let the government off the hook, isn't it time we ask ourselves if we are making this world a better place for the young? Should adults procreate when they could not even feed themselves properly?

What do you think?

Winning through positive affirmation?

I have just been through several articles on positive affirmation and while I was doing research and writing some of them I suddenly realized that I have given up my luck on lotteries, raffles and any other contests I do not have a direct control on (except perhaps when writing my name and address on the stub!). I came upon some ideas stating that the subconscious mind can be trained into projecting only positive thoughts until you make your positive thoughts a reality.

I came upon an announcement saying that Manila Freelancer is giving away “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferris. However, I can only get that copy by posting a comment, blogging about it and then when “we” reach 50 then the winner will be drawn.

I’m trying positive affirmation this time. I’m gong to win The 4-Hour Workweek and learn the secrets to accumulating wealth in just several hours a week! Wow! That’s positive thinking!

SP Building: cracking under pressure

The SP Building, home of Davao City's vice mayor and councilors, is slowly but surely cracking up under pressure, literally. An election has passed and new leaders have been elected and yet no one seems to be brave enough to conduct an honest to goodness investigation as to how the total budget for the construction, repair, renovation adn then repair (again!) of the SP building was spent.


The new SP building was constructed during the time of former vice mayor Luis Bonguyan. He has retired from public service (as of now!) and his son is now a councilor. A new vice mayor has replaced him in the person of no Atty. Sara Duterte. Months has passed since the new councilors were sworn into office and yet no concrete effort yet to investigate what went wrong with the SP building construction.


Davao media has not been remissed and the issue on the "cracking up" of the SP building has in fact been a favorite issue among radio commentators. And yet no one has lifted a hand to really discover what went wrong with the construction of the SP building.


In the meantime, the basement parking area of the SP building has started to show structural weaknesses. The offices of some councilors are a sight for sore eyes during rainy days because the ceilings and the walls drip. How many SP employees (and the transacting public) are in real danger just because no one is brave enough to ask why the SP building is in such a state, considering the money spent for its supposed renovation?