Davao City's Non-Smoking Law A Farce?

Davao City joined the ranks of several European countries when the city government imposed a non-smoking rule on public areas and strictly regulated establishments with smoking areas. However, the hype created by the city's non-smoking regulation may just be a farce, with more establishments now allowing smoking in public without following the law to the letter.

The recent PLDT MyDSL affair and Kadayawan expo in Market! Market! in Damosa is a ase in point. A lot of people were smoking inside the tents unmindful of the presence of children inside and well, the existence of the no-smoking law. This happened within the "seeing" distance of various Philippine National Police officers. I even told one policeman "manong di ba bawal and smoking sa public places bakit yang mga taong yan di mo hinuhuli?" Smokers even abound inside the Market!Market especially the side near the parking area where there are restaurant stalls.

Another example of an establishment with very liberal smoking rules is Belly's Grill in Quirino. This is the place where the Sunday Riders usually hold their meetings but they usually disallow other customers in the open-air area when the Sunday Riders meet there. Belly's Grill is divided into two areas: the air conditioned area and the open air area where kids usually gather because it has a playground.

I asked the waitress why they allow customers to smoke there in the open-air area (but still with a roof) when there are plenty of kids around and with the non-smoking law in existence. She replied " sabi ng may ari pwede man daw mam!" One customer even had the gall to sit in one of slides where the kids are playing and smoke there. We told him to back off since there were plenty of kids there. Later on, the waiters started telling the smokers to just smoke near the grilling area.

Davao City's tennis courts are also not shielded from smokers. One example is the tennis court in SIR Matina where smokers smoke wantonly even with kids present and even when inside the club house. I caught one smoker and called 911 immediately. That was 9AM. I waited until 3PM but no 911 came. Sayang naman and budget nyo!

This is absurd. And Davao City's non-smoking ordinance is not just absurd, It is also a FARCE!

GRP-Business Forum On MILF MOA Pushes Through Today

August 18 may be a holiday but the Mindanao Business Council considers it a regular working day by sponsoring a whole day Dialogue between the business sector and the government of the Republic of the Philippines . The Dialogue will focus on the Memorandum of Agreement that would have been signed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front just this month had the Supreme Court not issued a TRO.

The MOA which was based on the Tripoli Agreement on Peace of 2001 between the MILF and the Philippine government has become controversial not only because of the Ancestral Domain Aspect but because it placed additional Mindanao territories under the MILF management sans consultation from the local government units concerned. The economic and political liberties that would have been given to the MILF as a result of the MOA has also stirred majority of the Filipinos since it would in effect create a separate republic.

Among those who will attended today's forum are Government of the Philippine Negotiating Panel-MILF(GPNP-MILF) chairman Secretary Rodolfo C. Garcia, National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Undersecretary Nabil Tan, Office of the Presidential Assistant of the Peace Process or OPAPP lawyer Jose Lorena, Mindanao Economic Development Council Chair Virgilio Leyterana, North Cotabato Vice Governor Manny Pinol, Sultan Kudarat Vice Governor Donato Ligo as well as officials of other local governments in Mindanao.

The various business sector representatives from the Chambers of Iligan City, Cagayan de Oro City, Kidapawan City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Cotabato City and Midsayap will also be present during the Dialogue. Also expected to be present are Department of Agriculture Director Roger Chiu, Department of Agriculture Director Ricardo Calderon, Department of Trade and Industry Director Marizon Loreto, and Department of Justice's Atty. Antonio Arellano.

PLDT MyDSL Sponsors Drifting In Time For Kadayawan

PLDT MyDSL did it again! Conquer the hearts of Davao City's racing fans by sponsoring a Drifting exhibition at the Market!Market Complex in Damosa this City last Sunday, August 16, 2008 as part or the Kadayawan celebration.

The same drifting exhibition was held in the city at almost the same time last year and it also featured Nancy Castiliogne as celebrity guest. This year's drifting exhibit was however more exciting as it was attended by more people and it also caught the attention of celebrity writers from Manila like Dolly Ann Carvajal.

Racing events are a rarity in the city especially with the dismantling of the Speed City to pave the way for high rise condos. While the exhibition was sponsored by PLDT MyDSL, the event was not however exclusive to Smart since Globe and TM were also spotted selling and promoting their stuff just adjacent to the exhibition area.

P70M Watts Call Center Opens At NCCC Mall Today

A 250-work station call center located at the 4th floor of NCCC Mall in Matina opens in Davao City today. This is the largest mall-based call center in the city with a capitalization of P60 to P70 million.

Derek Rice, Facility Director of Western Watts, said they will start its operations with only 250 seats but looks to open another 400 seats for the second phase of the project bringing the total to 650 seats by August next year. Western Watts is considered one of the largest data collection companies in the United States with expertise in market research.

Western Watts is one of the pioneering BPOs in Cebu but the company's operations there experienced some problems leading to a massive layoffs in December last year.

Unlike most call centers in the city which is experiencing a fast turn over of agents due to the work schedule and pressure of selling, Western Watts call center agents are expected to stay on because they only have one shift and that is from 4:30AM to 11:30 AM. No selling for these agents, only cold calling for market research.

Rice said they are eyeing an expansion by next year and when the facilities and the staff are ready then they might add additional shifts for calling UK and US companies.

Seamen's Hospital Opens in Davao City

The first hospital specifically geared towards seafaring clients opened in Davao City along R. Castillo Avenue, Agdao District yesterday. The GIG OCA ROBLES Seamen’s Hospital will cater to the medical and hospitalization requirements of seamen from Davao City and from Mindanao as well as their families.

"Davao and Mindanao seafarers as well as their families can avail of tooth extraction and major operations for from the hospital," councilor Pilar Braga told Datelinedavao. Braga said the hospital came to life through the efforts of Captain Gregorio S. Oca. It is being managed by Dr. Richard John Pecson.

Braga said "the Seamen’s Hospital could serve as an inspiration and as a model for other organizations and even government in mobilizing resources to achieve a noble project."

SC Issues TRO On Questionable MILF-GOP MOA

The signing today of the questionable Memorandum of Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was stopped albeit temporarily after the Supreme Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order as petitioned by various Mindanao government officials like Governor Sacdalan of Cotabato.

An en banc session of the SC yesterday ordered the hearing of the oral arguments of the petitioners on August 15. It also ordered the Solicitor General to submit a copy of the MOA to the SC by August 8.

Aside from the inclusion of additional Mindanao areas in the autonomous region, the the MOA would have given the MILF immense power and control over the covered areas' banking, legal system, civil service and even the internal security force. The agreement may have been the government's way of solving the peace crisis in some parts of Mindanao but there are Mindanao officials who believe this is a sell-out.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said this was a setback in the peace process but Malacanang press secretary Jesus Dureza said they submit to the court's discretion.

PGMA's SONA Bloopers

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's announcement that cell phone companies will lower SMS charges to P0.50 was a blooper after all. Apparently, the telecom firms had no plans of lowering their charges on a regualr basis but this was part fo their promotion which would last for three months.

Either PGMA was plainly stupid enough to think that Filipinos are stupid to take her words hook, line and sinker or she was given false information by her staff. In journalist lingo--nakuryente! Head should roll....