No sad stories, only hard work for Ateneo de Davao bar topnotcher

Unlike other Bar topnotchers with sad and emotional stories, Ateneo de Davao University Law School's Justin Ryan D. Morilla, No. 5 in the 2016 Bar Examinations, passed the bar because of sheer hard work.

"I'm just a typical law student who dreamed of becoming a lawyer...not much emotional story for me," said the 25-year old new lawyer who got an 88.4% grade in the bar examinations.

Morilla hails from Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat and graduated with a BA Political Science degree at the UP Visayas. He now works with the Sycip, Salazar, Hernandez, Gatmaitan Law Office in the city.

He said there is no formula for topping the bar but he studied hard during his review, and regularly slept at 11 p.m. after studying most of the day. The most difficult subjects for him during the Bar are Mercantile Law and Criminal Law, while he considers Taxation as relatively easier than the other subjects.

"It is important to have discipline, establish a routine and focus, and leave behind emotional and other baggage behind," he said. During the bar, he added, one should not burden one's self with unnecessary stress. 

ADDU College of Law Assistant Dean Atty. Lydia C. Galas said the Ateneo usually have more than 200 first year enrollees every year. This started right after the impeachment proceedings against  then President Joseph Estrada.

"Since then we have had five sections for the first years every year but this would eventually taper off to 30 students for the fourth year," Ms. Galas said,

Dean Manuel Quibod said the Ateneo Law School has performed well in the last even before this year's Bar Examination result. He attributed this to a good faculty mix and good school facilities.

"It is not important that you have many bright students because while it counts, it is not crucial, there are always late bloomers later on, he said.

Mr. Quibod attributed the increasing number of bar topnotchers from the provinces to the availability and increased access in law school reading materials. Unlike before when they had to scamper to get hold of the SCRA which usually arrives late in Davao City, law students can now easily access the Supreme Court decided cases through the internet.

"The existence of the law school is really built by these two gentlemen who were unattached except to the law," Pre-Bar Review Director Father Agustin L. Nazareno said. He was referring to former Deans Epifanio E. Estrellado and Hildegardo Iñigo. The present Dean, Atty. Quibod, is only the third in the law school in its almost 56 years of existence.

Boiling Crabs & Shrimps now at SM Annex

"It's time to be messy," so says the people behind Blue Post Crabs & Shrimps. So what can food lovers do but follow their lead?

Boiling Crabs & Shrimps launched its third branch in Davao at the SM Annex yesterday where they gave their guests a chance to experience how it is to be truly messy in a classy way.

The restaurant's interiors will make you feel like you are really enjoying your lunch or dinner right next to the seashore. Ambience-wise, this homegrown restaurant will really make your gastronomic adventure well worth it.


So how's the food? Before being thrown into a feast of crabs and shrimps, I was about to ask Anthony Ang, Chief Executive Officer of AA Group of Companies, what makes Boiling Crabs & Shrimps stand out from the rest. The company owners silenced our group by serving us their new concoctions, drowning the questions with nods of approval.

While other restaurants serving crabs just go through the motion of cooking the crabs the traditional way, this restaurant reinvented the crab relegating its competitors in the background.

If you like your crabs boiled with corn and everything nice in it, then order the blue Posts Boiled Crabs. Or you can get the Crabs in Garlic Lemon Sauce.

Better yet, try the Blue Posts Boiled Shrimps and choose from the many extras including corn on the cob, potatoes, pork sausage, Hungarian sausage or plain rice.

But please make mine Crabs in Salted Eggs! 

BFAR eyes more fish landing centers

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Davao Region is eyeing the establishment of more Community Fish Landing Center (CFLC) in the region to improve the socio-economic condition of the fisherfolk communities.

“We have noted a 9.5% increase in fish production last year. The establishment of the CFLC is another strategy to further increase production this year,” BFAR Davao Regio Director Fatma Idris said.

The CFLCs, which is part of the Targeted Actions to Reduce Poverty and Generate Economic Transformation (TARGET) of the Bureau launched in 2014, aims to reduce post-harvest losses in the fisheries sector to 18% from the present 25%.

Among the three programs under TARGET are the fisherfolk registration, Boat Registration and the CFLC.,

Idris said with the CFLCs, BGAR aims to put up more infrastructure projects in order to house marine-entrepreneurs and fish farmers so they could get more opportunities to make their livelihood sustainable.

She said there were five CFLCs proposed in 2015 with an allocation of P2,850,000 each. The CFLC in Mati City, Davao Oriental was the first to be inaugurated on March 23, 2016.

"The remaining four CFLCs are still undergoing construction stages," Idris said. Up to 15 CFLC sites with a total budget of P45,000,000 are targeted for 2016.(lac)

Fish catch in the Davao Region up in 2015

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the Davao Region has recorded a 9.5% increase in fish catch in the Davao Gulf.

“We noted an increase of 9.5 percent in fish catch following the strict implementation of the closed season and other programs of BFAR last year,” BFAR-Davao Director Fatma Idris said.

Idris said the growth in the fisheries production resulted to a 22 percent fish sufficiency in 2015. This confirms that the region is still one of the top contributors in the country’s fisheries production.

"This implies that the production can suffice the 22 percent of the fish requirement in the region given the number of population," Idris said.

The Bureau has recorded a total fish production of 251,342 metric tons from 2012 to 2015 based on the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) data.

There was however a 22.5 percent decrease in the production from 2013 to 2014 due to the series of tropical storms, but the production bounced back from 2014-2015.

Idris said the increase can be attributed to the ongoing implementation of the Closed Season for the Conservation of Small Pelagic Fishes at Davao Gulf and increase in aquaculture and marine municipal sub-sectors.

The implementation of the Targeted Actions to Reduce Poverty and Generate Economic Transformation (Target) Program in the Fisheries Sector has also helped increase fish production in the region.

The five mariculture parks in Panabo City and Samal in Davao del Norte, Pantukan town, Compostela Valley, Mati City in Davao Oriental, and Malita in Davao Occidental had a major share in the increased fish production.

From 2012 to 2015, a total of 20,099 metric tons of bangus and other high value species were produced from the five mariculture parks, including mariculture zones in Malalag, Sta. Cruz, Sta. Maria towns and Digos City in Davao del Sur.

PSA data shows that  the total production of bangus was at 90,922 metric tons from 2012 to 2015, while seaweeds had a total production of 18,076 metric tons in the same period.

"The remarkable production has provided job employment opportunities and livelihood in Davao region," Idris said.

Closed season in Davao Gulf starts

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will implement for the third year the closed fishing season for pelagic fishes in the Davao Gulf from June 1 to August 31 this year.

"We are reminding our fisherfolk that June 1 signals the end of the open fishing season in the Davao Gulf which lasted from September to May, and the start of the three-month close season" BFAR Davao Region Fatma Idris said.

Joint Administrative Order No. 02 of the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior and Local Government prohibited the catching of pelagic fishes in the Davao Gulf from June to August every year.

Under the terms of the Closed Season, fishermen or fishing companies will not be allowed to catch pelagic fishes using ringnet and bagnet. The ban also applies to small-scale to large scale commercial fishing with vessels from 3.1 gross tons (GT) to more than 150 GT.

The declaration of a closed fishing season was implemented by BFAR as a strategy to increase fish production in the concerned areas where the fishing ban is being implemented namely Davao, Zamboanga, Palawan and Zambales.

BFAR National Director and Undersecretary Asis Perez said they expect the country’s fish catch to increase and to grow bigger with the declaration of a fishing ban in these areas.

Asis said the closed season will give pelagic fishes a time to spawn and multiply which will ultimately benefit fisherfolk later on. 

Before the Closed Season only 50 percent  of the fishes caught were big but after the first year of implementation, he said, it has increased to 78 percent which means the pelagic fishes have successfully reproduced during the Closed Season and are ready for harvesting.

Among the pelagic fishes that have notably grown bigger in size after the close season are: Bilong-Bilong (Mene maculata) which has grown up to 19 centimeters in length after the closed season compared to its regular size of 11 cm.; Pirit (Auxis rochei) has grown in length from 8.5 cm to 23.5 cm. With an increased production of 40,000 in 2014 from the 15,000 during the previous year and Matambaka (Selar crumenophthalmus) with an increase in production of 170,000 in 2014 from 120,000 during the previous year.

Aside from its main goal of protecting the pelagic fishes in the Davao Gulf during their spawning season, the Closed Season is also being implemented to strengthen the country’s campaign against Illegal, Unreported and Uncontrolled Fishing (IUUF).

3-month closed season in Davao Gulf set

The three-month closed season for the Davao Gulf will resume beginning June to allow tuna and other fish species to spawn.

A Joint Administrative Order by the secretaries of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior and Local Government mandated the implementation from June 1 to August 31 of the closed season in the Davao Gulf.

“The closed season for commercial fishing boats aimed to conserve marine resources, to secure the spawning period of pelagic fishes in the gulf and improve the country’s compliance with the European Commission’s regulations specifically on unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing,’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Davao Region Director Fatma Idris said.

She said the Davao Gulf is an ideal and potential spawning and breeding ground for tuna and tuna-like species. Of the 49 municipalities in the region, 30 are categorized as coastal.

Idris said study confirms that tuna spawns inside Davao Gulf where most of them can be found near the mouth of the gulf. Thus, she added, special attention and strict enforcement s should be given near the mouth and eastern portion of the gulf where high concentrations of tuna was found.

The government's campaign against IUUF is one of the measures being implemented to remove the country's yellow card tag given by the European Union (EU).

Perez said unless the country shapes up and complies with the other conditions set by EU then it may be banned from exporting its fish resources in one if its main markets. The Philippines has exported P9.4 billion of fish products to the EU in 2014.

Under the terms of the Closed Season, fishermen or fishing companies will not be allowed to catch pelagic fishes using ringnet and bagnet. The ban also applies to small-scale to large scale commercial fishing with vessels from 3.1 gross tons (GT) to more than 150 GT. (lovely carillo)

Fisherfolk affected by El Nino gets to get free fingerling from BFAR

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the Davao Region is ready to provide fingerlings to fisherfolk affected by the El Nino phenomenon.

"BFAR can readily provide assistance to fisherfolk in terms of fingerlings dispersal," BFAR Davao Region Director Fatma Idris said. However, she added, the beneficiaries should prepare their fishponds because fingerling dispersal would be wasted if the ponds have dried up.

There must also be a report from the city government that the fisherfolk are really victims of the El Nino for freshwater areas.

City Agriculturist Rocelio Tabay has reported that the El Nino has resulted to production losses in the fishery sector involving 304,985 Metric Tons (MT) specifically 11,185 MT of tilapia and 293,800 MT of hito.

The damage to the fishery sector due to the dry season is estimated to cost P33,324,650. A total of 927 fisherfolk have been affected as their ponds are already in the harvestable stage.

Idris said there must be a declaration of a state of calamity since most of the barangays have been affected.

The City Council failed to make the declaration due to lack of quorum with only 14 councilors present during last week's session. Regular session will resume on May 24 since the session hall is still being used for the counting of votes.

Councilor Bernard Al-ag however said the declaration of a state of calamity can be made through an emergency session called for such reason.