Davao to install 130 more CCTV’s worth P100M in time for Kadayawan

Davao City is set to install additional 130 close circuit television (CCTVs) worth P100 million in its bid to reach its goal of up to 300 CCTVs all over the city in the future.

“The cameras which will be designed by IBM will be installed for protection and traffic management,” Public Safety and Security Command Center Chief, Retired P/Chief Superintendent Francisco Villaroman said during the iSpeak Media Forum held at the Davao City Hall Thursday.

He said there are at present around 130 CCTV cameras all over the city. These and the additional ones will ensure that the urban centers and the main intersections are properly covered, he said.

“We really need the CCTVs to be up especially in time for the Kadayawan,” he said. The Kadayawan Festival will kick off on August 9 and will culminate on August 17 and 18.

However, he said, the new cameras will be installed on installment basis. The executives from IBM Manila were in the city Wednesday and met with the Abratique Group to coordinate the installation of the CCTVs, he added.

Villaroman said these are no ordinary CCTVs because these are sophisticated and multifunction cameras that can be used as evidences in court later on for traffic violation or even criminality. “The CCTVs are so sophisticated that if we are looking for a certain vehicle color, it will be easy to monitor all vehicles with that specific color and we can check their plate numbers,” he said.

The new CCTVs will make Davao a model around the world when it comes to these types of cameras, he said. This is also the first time that IBM will design such a camera and not even Makati has this type of camera, he added.

Once the additional CCTVs are fully installed, he said, we will request more IT and engineering personnel to man the center which is now operating on a 24-hour shift with 12 hours each shift. Villaroman said there is a plan to still operate 24 hours but on three shifts, with 8 hours per shift to make the people more efficient in monitoring the cameras.

Davao CCTVs fail to monitor fleeing kidnap gang due to wrong info

The remaining 10 members of the “Bye-Bye” kidnap-for-ransom-gang which evaded the authorities after a shoot-out in C.M. Rector Avenue Thursday may have already left the city, although no one knows for sure.

Two of the gang members were kicked on the spot outside Allied Bank while another one died on the way to the Southern Philippines Medical Center. The fourth member is now in the custody of the authorities but ten more are on the run and the authorities have no idea where they were headed after the shootout.

“Unfortunately the witness gave the people on the ground wrong information as to the description of the vehicles so our cameras were not able to monitor them,” Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) Chief, Retired P/Chief Superintendent Francisco Villaroman said during a press conference Thursday.

Villaroman said a CCTV was installed right in front of the area where the shootout happened. However, he said, “hindi pa nakakabit ang monitor when the incident happened so we cannot really see.”

He said the witness, who was still in shock after the incident, gave the wrong color and type of vehicle so the cameras nearby and along the way were not able to zero in on the appropriate getaway vehicle.

The authorities earlier asked the public to watch out for Montero vehicles with plate number FBU 1238. However, he said, the kidnappers are not stupid enough to use real plate numbers which the authorities can easily flag down during their trip from Manila to Davao.

“But Dabawenyos should not be scared because the kidnappers are actually based in Central Luzon and in Manila, not in Davao,” he said.

Villaroman said they have received a phone call asking for assistance but he did not elaborate on this, saying that giving away more information may warn the kidnappers. He also reiterated that the authorities are not allowed to conduct an illegal search so what they follow is the Plain View Doctrine.

The kidnap-for-ransom-gang was in Davao with their victim Sally Chua, to withdraw the P15-million ransom money from the bank but the authorities were able to intercept them.

Airlines not feeling the pinch of foreign travel advisories

Most of the airlines flying to and from Davao City are not affected by the different foreign travel advisories issued by their governments against the cities of Davao, Zamboanga and Cotabato.

Photo courtesy of Rudolph Alama

Among the countries that have issued the travel advisory separately are big tourism markets including Australia, Canada and the United States of America.

“We had informal discussions with the airlines but we are still gathering data for possible cancellations as a result of the travel advisories,” City Tourism Officer Lisette Marques said during Thursday’s iSpeak Forum at the Davao City Hall.

Marques said Silkair is a regional airline and these countries are their market so it is of course affected by the travel advisory. However, she said, most of the airlines in the city are focused on the domestic market so they are in no way affected by the advisories.

She said they have not also seen cancellations in relation to the Kadayawan as a result of the advisories. “The Ad Congress cancellation is another matter since it was a result of internal problems,” she added.

Marques said there are many indications that Davao City is growing as a destination. She said she has just received information that a medical association has already scheduled a convention in the city for May 2014 with a delegation of 3,000 people.

When asked about the preparedness of the city when it comes to accommodation, she said “this is a happy problem” because it is an indication that many people are visiting the city.

However, she said that this is also a problem for businesses who build more rooms which are fully booked only during peak seasons.  She said the city would be better prepared if the visitors reserve their rooms ahead.

P2.5M Padre Pio Chapel to rise in Davao del Sur

Padre Pio devotees bent on raising chapel funds 

Devotees of the miraculous Padre Pio are set to build a P2.5 million green chapel in barangay Lago in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur to serve as a source of enlightenment for everyone and not just for Catholics.

Padre Pio, who has become popular worldwide for his many miracles, got the gift of stigmata while kneeling in front of as crucifix in 1918.

“This is not only a chapel but is set to become a religious landmark in Davao del Sur,” devotee and Padre Pio Movement in Davao member Edgar Canda said during ISpeak last Thursday at City Hall.

Canda’s family, who hails from Davao del Sur, has donated 2,000 square meters of land where the chapel will be built. An elevated portion of the land will be allocated for the Padre Pio Chapel while the lower level will be for the Bagobo Museum, he said.

“By building the Padre Pio Chapel here we want to promote culture and faith as one,” Canda said. But what sets the Chapel apart, he added, is that it will be based on green architecture as designed by Architect Daniel Plenos.

He said the Sta. Cruz Chapel, which will hold its groundbreaking on July 22 this year, will be patterned after the San Giovanni Rotondo Shrine of Padre Pio in Italy.

“Since the Chapel will be built in a hilly location that overlooks Davao del Sur, the architecture will blend in with the environment and not destroy it,” he said.  The location is a virgin forest, he said, so it is a priority to maintain the beauty of the terrain.

To help raise funds for Padre Pio Chapel, the devotees will sponsor a Piano Concert at the Grand Ballroom of the Marco Polo Hotel on July 21 at 7 PM. The devotees will bring in pianists from Thailand, Guam, California and HongKong to perform during the concert.

Philexport to look into closure of Iran banana market due to shipment problems

The Philippine Exporters Confederation is set to form a group that will look into the possible closure of the Iran banana market to Davao banana exporters due to the United States economic embargo on Iran.

“We are not aware that our banana exports are no longer being sent to Iran but we will surely look into this especially with the Mindanao Exporters Congress,” Philexport XI Chairperson Domingo Ang said during Club 888’s media forum held at the Marco Polo Davao Wednesday.

The Mindanao Development Authority reported that banana is the number two dollar earner of Mindanao next only to coconut, with a 14.94 percent share in the total Mindanao export. Mindanao’s banana exports increased by 33.85 percent, from $467.3 million in 2011 to $625.5 million in 2012.

Ang said the problem will definitely be discussed during the Mindanao Exporters Congress slated in the city on August 1 to 3, 2013. The Congress will focus on topics like Improving Exports to Increase Philippine Competitiveness as well as Strengthening the Enabling Environment for Mindanao’s Export Growth.

The Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) earlier expressed its concern about the possible P4 billion losses that will be incurred by the region’s banana industry as shipping companies stopped all shipments to Iran this year, including the shipment of exported bananas from Region XI.

PBGEA executive director Stephen Antig said Mercury Steamship Agencies, Inc., an agent of the Pacific International Lines which ships bananas to Iran, has advised them about the suspension of its operations. A letter sent to its valued clients indicated the last acceptance of cargoes bound for Iran was last June 15, 2013. The Mercury officials said that they have suspended the shipment of cargoes to Iran as of June 16 this year.

Antig said the suspension of shipments to Iran was part of the commitment of the shipping companies to foreign trade regulations in view of the economic sanctions imposed by the US against Iran which happens to account for 50 percent of the banana market in the Middle East.

“We have had difficulty in exporting bananas to Iran a long time ago but some exporters have found a way to export bananas through the long way although that is more expensive,” banana industry player and Cacao Industry Development Association of Mindanao (CIDAM) President Ireneo Dalayon said.

Another option, according to Antig, is the APL or the American Presidential Line which is willing to load bananas and ship them to Iran bound for Iran if the exporter has a license from the US Treasury.

Antig said he has already written the concerned government agencies including the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry and is waiting for their response.

Coconut still top priority over palm

The Mindanao Development Authority reiterated that coconut is still a top priority for the government despite the growing popularity of palm oil.

“The production of palm oil is only being encouraged and promoted in idle lands and in no way should palm compete with the existing coconut plantations,” Mindanao Development Authority’s Romeo Montenegro said at a press conference held at the Marco Polo Hotel.

He said coconut copra and palm kernel remains the top dollar earner of Mindanao with a 21.26 percent share in the total exports of Mindanao as of 2012. However, he said that coconut exports decreased by 19.48 percent, from $1.1055 billion in 2011 to $.89 billion in 2012.

The MINDA report shows that coconut or copra got the largest share of Mindanao’s exports to the United States amounting to $359 million or 43.2 percent of the total exports to the US. Coconut copra was also Mindanao largest export to the Netherlands amounting to $303.68 or a share of 61 percent of the total exports to the said country.

“Despite the challenges faced by the coconut industry demand continues to increase but there seems to be a reduction of supply,” he said. Montenegro said this is why the government is encouraging the planting and production of more coconut and its byproducts.

He mentioned the increasing demand of Franklin Baker which enjoys robust demand for its coconut water in the export market. Farmers are also encouraged to intercrop coconuts with cocoa and coffee as these are also in demand top commodities.

Daniel Padilla concert aims to raise P1M for seminary repairs, scholarship

The Association of Former Seminarians of the St. Francis Xavier College Seminary in Davao City are hoping to raise P1 million through the “Daniel Padilla Live!” Concert slated at the Holy Cross Gym on August 3.

“This is a fundraising concert that aims to raise funds to help rehabilitate the seminary,” former seminarian Dodong Ocon said yesterday. He said there are many dilapidated buildings in the seminary that needs repair and improvement.

Greg Calamba, Association Cluster Head, said they also need funding for the scholarship program of the seminary because there are many seminarians who cannot afford to pay for the studies as well as their bed and board. He said they need roofing for the dormitory and the refectory or dining area.

“There are around 150 seminarians studying at the College now,” he said. Each seminarian needs at least P20,000 for bed and board. While he does not have the exact amount, he said that each seminarian needs more or less P500,000 to complete four years of college.

Calamba said they chose Daniel Padilla as their featured artist for the concert because marketing value is very important to raise funds for a good cause and Padilla’s popularity will surely help them raise the needed funds. He said Padilla’s handler also agreed to lower his talent fee because the concert is after all for a good cause.

Tickets for the concert are priced at P500 for VIP, P300 for Lower Back and P150 for General Admission. The repertoire will be a mixture of songs considering that they expect the sons and daughters of former seminarians and priests to perform during the concert. The concert features the singing priests of the Archdiocese of Davao Father Al Botero, Father Jovil Bungay and Father Ed Labagala.