URC flour mill: From Davao to the world

Ever tried Magic Flakes, Presto and the various flavors of Nissin Instant Noodles food brands? Then you have probably tasted something that's partly made in Davao!

You may not be familiar with the brand name URC Flour but it has been in the industry for 49 years and is one of the top flour millers in the country. For sure, you have tested and tasted its product as it supplies flour products to URC's Branded Consumer Foods Division. 

"From Davao City to the ASEAN and the rest of the world," might as well be the new tagline of the Universal Robina Corporation (URC) as it inaugurated it's over a billion-peso flour mill in Km.10 in Sasa Thursday, March 21.

“Opening the plant here in 1994 was fueled by our desire to help support the growth in the area and be a vital catalyst to spur the export business in the South-East Asia region from this part of the Philippines,” according to JG Summit Holdings Chief Executive Officer Lance Gokongwei.

URC's flour mill in Davao is expected to serve as the company’s export base for the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). After all, it is the only flour mill in Southern Mindanao and the second URC flour plant in the Philippines.

With the expansion, the plant's milling capacity is increased from 600 metric tons to 900 metric tons of high-quality flour per day.

"This is a strategic move for the company to help support the growth in the area and export business for Southeast Asia, ” Gokongwei said.

URC has chosen strategically to locate here and be the sole flour plant in South Mindanao because of its belief in the prospect for growth that will be spurred by developments in the region.

The flour mill will not only serve the entire Davao Region’s 7 million population but the entire Visayas-Mindanao area and the ASEAN.

Our current capacity enables us to serve the Mindanao market and by increasing our manufacturing capacity we will now be able to tap into the export market. 

URC has adopted six schools in Davao through its Flourish Pilipinas campaign that provides multi-media toolkits for senior high-school teachers and students for their bread and pastry production. The company has donated a year's supply of flour to these schools. 

“It's been 26 years since we planted our seed here in Mindanao and it has continued to flourish. Let me reiterate our Group's commitment to our vision of making lives better for the Filipinos with the expansion of our flour facility here today,” he said.

TRAVEL BA IKA 'NYO?

Ordinance to institutionalize permeable paving systems in Davao

The City Council has approved last week an ordinance institutionalizing Permeable Paving Systems in the construction of car parking spaces, walkways, open spaces, low-traffic roads of establishments in Davao City is set to be institutionalized with the approval last week of the ordinance

“Permeable Paving System (PPS) is a storm water management facility that allows water to move through void spaces within the pavement and eventually infiltrate into underlying soils,” said Councilor Jesus Joseph P. Zozobrado III, chair of the committee on public works.

Zozobrado said Article 3, paragraph 3 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change provides as a guiding principle that the Parties to the convention should take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent, or minimize the causes of climate change and mitigate its adverse effects;

“The use of the PPS is one of the alternative options eyed to solve the environmental problems caused by conventional concrete,” he said.

Zozobrado said Section 16, Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution declares that the State shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature. He added that the Local Government Code (LGC) expressly and/or impliedly grants the Local Government Unit the powers to efficiently and effectively carry-out its function and promote the general welfare.

“The local government code also empowers the Sangguniang Panlungsod to enact ordinances aimed at regulating the use of streets, avenues, alleys, sidewalks, bridges, parks, and other public places and approve the construction, improvement, repair, and maintenance of the same,” he said.

Zozobrado said the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance of Davao City (Zoning Ordinance) was enacted for the purpose of, among others, promoting and protecting the environment, health, sanitation, safety, peace, comfort, convenience, and general welfare of the inhabitants in the locality; 

The committees on Public Works and Highways and Environment and Natural Resources jointly convened in July to push for the ordinance after the Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) Inc. requested the passage of more environment-friendly construction policies in the city.

IRR for Mental Health pushed

 Mental health advocates are pushing for the enactment of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for Republic Act 11036 or the Mental Health Law, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in June this year.

The Act establishes “a National Mental Health policy for the purpose of enhancing the delivery of integrated mental health services, promoting and protecting the rights of persons utilizing psychiatric, neurologic and psychosocial health services.”

“Before, drug addicts were jailed and even killed but with the passage of the law, drug addiction is now considered a disease,” said Atty. Genevieve Brandares-Paulino, Dean of the Cor Jesu Law School in Digos, Davao del Sur.

Her husband Patrick G. Paulino, runs the Serene Valley Recovery Center, Inc. in Digos, a spiritual recovery center that reaches out to those with substance use disorder, most of who could not afford the expensive treatments available.

Patrick himself has the disease of drug addiction and is trying to recover from the illness even as he goes around conducting fora to make young people aware of mental illness and the disease of drug addiction.

With the passage of the law, which was pending in Congress for 20 years, the approach now is for the recovery and reintegration of drug addicts to the society. The principal authors of the law are Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo for the House version and Senator Risa Hontiveros.

The Law defined drug addiction as a “chronic relapsing disease of brain reward, motivation, memory andrelated circuitry. Dysfunctions in the circuitry lead to characteristic biologicalpsychological, social and spiritual manifestations.”

Data from the Department of Health (DOH) and World Health Organization show that seven Filipinos commit suicide every day, with one in every five Filipino adults suffering from a form of mental health concern with depression and schizophrenia as the most common. In 2012 alone, a total of 2,558 suicide cases due to mental health problem was recorded in the country.

“Mental health is a basic human right and full access to mental health services is a fundamental human right,” Brandares-Paulino said. Rehabilitation and medical help is very expensive, she added.

In Digos City alone, there are many hospitals all capable of addressing a person’s physical health. “But there is no mental hospital in Davao del Sur because Congress did not find mental health important.”

The Mental Health Act mandates Philhealth to “ensure that insurance packages equivalent to those covering physical disorders of comparable impact are available to patients affected by mental disorders.”

At present, Philhealth has a package rate of P7,800 but it only covers the fees for hospitalization brought about by acute attacks of mental and behavioral disorders.

“Rehabilitation is very expensive and we hope that the IRR will already cover psychiatric consultations and medicines,” she said. As it is, patients and their family have to wait for an attack before they have Philhealth coverage.

Senator Sonny Angara earlier urged Philhealth to cover the psychiatric consultation fees and medicine so those who are afflicted with mental illness can get early intervention which is crucial in treating the condition.

Despite the increasing awareness on mental illness, there is still stigma attached to the condition. It is hoped that the signing of the law, whic

h came amid high profile suicides including that of Chef Anthony Bourdain who reportedly had problems with drugs, will help society understand mental health better.

The Law mandates local government units to integrate mental health care in its basic health care services and update local hospitals with such services and personnel capable of providing mental health services.

Chapter IX of the Law on Mental Health for Drug Dependents specifically mentions the voluntary submission of drug dependents to confinement, treatment and rehabilitation.

Brandares-Paulino narrated how the family “adopted” someone suffering from depression, but who hanged himself and took his own life despite the love and care. “It was a big blow to us. We gave him love but we are not doctors.”

Mental health disorders and drug addiction are complicated condition. And as Brandares-Paulino said, “it is wrong to believe that mental disorders can be chased away by positive thinking without the help of a mental health professional.”

Adopting Baron Geisler: Wild Child No More?

In the course of the couple’s advocacy to help people deal with their mental disorders, they met celebrity Baron Frederick Von Geisler, who was also suffering from his own demons.

Before he became known as the WIld Child of television reality show “Pinoy Big Brother”,  Baron Frederick Von Geisler or simply Baron Geisler to fans was on his way to becoming one of the local cinema’s best actors. He may have started his career with a stint in “Ang TV”, “Tabing Ilog” and some teeny bopper roles along the way but he has proven himself worthy to becoming one of the better actors among his batch and he even has Cinemalaya and PMPC Awards to prove that. Baron acted so naturally that he took over his character, whatever role he was playing at any given time.

But along with the accolades came the series of accusations against him including sexual harassment, unruly behavior and alcohol addiction among others. Baron was playing the bad boy role to the hilt for years. Unfortunately, he was not acting.

Some people thought that fame and fortune got into Baron’s head or simply a case of a celebrity whose ego has grown too big for comfort. However, it turns out that he was suffering from mental illness even before he entered show business.

“As a child I already showed signs of ADHD. I had plenty of toys and I always got what I want, if not I would cry the entire day and throw tantrums,” Baron said. 

He attributed this attitude to having this feeling of “entitlement”, and it developed through the years and even when he entered show business.

“At the age of 12 (which was almost around the time he entered showbusiness) I started drinking alcohol, at 13 I started taking shabu.” He also narrated how he tried to commit suicide at the age of 10 just because “I didnt have it my way!”

Despite having a mother who was a disciplinarian and who won “use her belt to discipline me” Baron said his condition got worse because of peer pressure.

Since he was already earning his own money, he had his own car at 16, and at 21 had a mansion and was a “multimillionaire.”

“I had a lot of anger towards my mother.” he started seeing a psychiatrist at 19. But being in showbiz and hanging out with the wrong crowd did not help.

While he had not thought of it at that time, he realized now that he had a big house and lots of money but there was an “existential vacuum.” He had a comfortable life and a nice family, “but I was not satisfied with my life and so I was drinking and drugging.”

All of these were taken from him in many instances. “Our house burnt down, I was slapped with so many cases, acts of lasciviousness.”

Baron hit rock bottom when his mom died last year. Worse, his family got tired of his antics and gave him “tough love.” One of the worst things he did was to smoke inside a plane and that cigarettes “was the most expensive I smoked since I paid P50,000 for one stick so I would not end up in jail,” he added.

“I was given many chances nothing mattered because when I’m up there lumalaki ang ulo ko and I forget everything. That was until my friends in the business asked me to join their cell group and introduced me to Christ,” he said.

In October last year, a friend urged him to check into a rehabilitation center. “But I never believed in rehab; I had no God, I even pledged allegiance to Satan at one time” he said.

A violent altercation with his brother-in-law due to money issues sent Baron to jail. This, he believed, was his life’s turning point.

“I had to lie on filth and since no one visited me I had to beg so the guards would give me scraps of rice and fish; it was so degrading i had no choice but to ask God to get me out of that rotten place. And if he did, i promised to dedicate my life to him,” he said.

No one wanted to talk to him in jail, he settled for a dead cockroach which he named “johnny”. “I was so lonely for many days I was sleeping beside the cockroach and conversing with it, it was insane. The only thing that kept me sane was god’s word”

Then one day, a miracle happened. His sister and brother-in-law visited him and decided to dismiss the case against him. 

“I asked their forgiveness and asked them to please bring me to Cebu as I want to be cured there,” he said. Finally, Baron found a center where he foudn meaning in is life. It was only then when he realized he had a purpose in life and that life was meaningless without god.

Despite that realization, Mr. von Geilsler admitted that every waking hour is a battle. He said he wakes up everyday feeling bad, and so he prays and ask god’s grace to cover him.

Baron said he has survived this far not only because of God’s words but also with the help of medication. It is important to see a doctor if you have a mental condition, he added.

“Keeping myself sober is hard. I am still a work in progress,” he said.

Baron has a different aura these days. He goes around talking to young people about his life and his struggle against mental illness. There is, however, no guarantee that he will totally recover, or even maintain being sober or sane. What’s important is that he has found his god, and he believes.

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale goes to Davao

Dabawenyos have been salivating for months now after the Big Bad Wolf, perhaps the biggest book sale in the world, went to Manila and then to Cebu. The wait is over because the BOOK SALE will finally come to Davao City particularly at The Tent at Azuela Cove from November 23 to December 2 this year.

Malaysian book shop BookXcess has finally relented to the unceasing demand from Davao bookworms. The venue may be a lot smaller than the usual venues of the Big Bad Wolf BOOK SALE but they are definitely not letting that issue stop them from letting Dabawenyos experience the event.

“Any book sale event usually costs an estimated US$3 to US$5 (roughly P160 million to P288 million) depending on the country and the size of the event,” BookXcess co-founder and executive director Jacqueline Ng said in Monday’s press conference where they officially declared Davao as venue of the next Big Bad Wolf Book Sale.

While she did not mentioned the exact amount needed to mount the event, Ng said staging the world’s biggest book sale requires costly logistics to include rental of the venue and the payment for hundreds of event workers, not to mention the cost of the books.

“In Davao the venue is quite small and we will be selling one million books compared to Jakarta where the venue is a 20,000 square meter area with up to five million books,” she said. The Davao venue is a lot smaller with a 2,000 square meter area with only a million books up for sale which means the overhead costs involve could be lesser.

The brand new books, which includes fiction, non-fiction bestsellers, young-adult fiction as well as an extensive collection of children’s books, will be sold at a discounted price of 50 to 90%.

Ng did not disclose the target sales they expect from Davao but given that the one million books will be sold at P200 each, the book sale will have an estimated sales of P200 million.

However, she said they do not really consider the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale as a business-for-profit venture since the objective is to just “make ourselves sustainable and we do not go bankrupt.”

She said they work with sponsors who help with the logistics and in the event publicity. The goal is to provide people with better access to books and at a cheaper price, she added.

“If we looked at it in cents and dollars then the company would not have started at all,” she said.

Big Bad Wolf Philippines Marketing Head Miguel Mercado said it took a lot of effort to bring the Big Bad Wolf in the city given the challenge of choosing a venue for the book sale. The book sale, which will be open to the public 24 hours a day, will be held for 10 days.

Mercado said the Big Bad Wold Book Sales has always attracted hundreds of thousands of people, with the biggest number of visitors recorded in Jakarta with 700,000 people. This is followed by Kuala Lumpur with 500,000, Bangkok with 300,000, Manila with 250,000 and Colombo with 150,000.

Since the Big Bad Wolf Book Sales was first held in 2009 at Dataran Hamodal, Petaling Jaya in Malaysia, it has been to eight cities. The largest number of books sold so far was in Kuala Lumpur with 4.5 million books.

“In the next year or two we will be in 30 cities. Dubai Book Sale just happened, then Europe, South America and Central America,” he said.

A miracle called Padre Pio

“Health and wealth,” were among the things Bon Camores wished for through the intercession of Padre Pio or Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. Camores started lining up at the Ateneo Grade School Gymnasium as early as 1pm Sunday to get the chance to see, and even touch Padre Pio’s incorrupt heart relic, and hope for a miracle. After all, Padre Pio, who was born Francesco Forgione before he joined the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, was known for many miracles including the miracles of healing and conversion. While he looked like most of the devotees who were lining up for favors, he stood out from the rest as he was holding his three-week old baby. He said he went there because he wanted to ask for a very special favor.

Septuagenarian Diosdado Maloto (77 years old) came all the way from Makilala, Cotabato to wait for the arrival of Padre Pio at the Ateneo. He was at the venue as early as 8am to make sure he does not miss this once-in-a-lifetime event of seeing Padre Pio’s heart relic.

“Deboto ko ni Padre Pio ug ang akong kalipay nisangko sa atop (I am a devotee of Padre Pio and my happiness is over the roof),” he said. His wishes were good health for everyone and peace for the country.

Camores and Maloto have different personal circumstances and reasons for braving the throng which Fr. Ilde Dimaano, representative of the National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio in Batangas and social communications director of the Archdiocese of Lipa, estimated at 50,000. But just like everyone else, they wanted to pay their respects to Padre Pio and maybe get the miracle they were hoping for.

Padre Pio became popular for exhibiting the stigmata, or wound-like bleeding marks much like the wounds of Jesus Christ. He had the stigmata for 50 years up to his death but no one could explain its cause and why the blood smelled like flowers or perfumes.

He also had a vision of having been pierced on his side which the religious call transverberation or “piercing of the heart.” Fr. Ilde called this an indication of Padre Pio’s union of love with God. Surprisingly, when Padre Pio was exhumed on March 3, 2008, 40 years after his death on, they saw his chest part already decayed but his heart showed signs of transverberation.

“The heart of Padre Pio is a national treasure of Italy and they try hard to protect it that it is never allowed to be out in public,” Fr. Ilde said. Davao and the Philippines is considered so blessed since it is only the fourth country to be visited by the heart relic following America, Argentina and Portugal.

Fr. Ilde believes that this occasion should inspire the Filipinos to change the nation’s social and political ills. The visit of the heart relic was chosen by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) as a good model for the Year of Clergy and Consecration. This is also the longest visit made by th

e heart relic since it usually just stays for four days but it will be in the Philippines for 20 days, from October 6 to 26.

The people who lined up to touch the relic heart of Padre Pio led busy lives. Others had obligations to fulfill. And yet, they left everything and braved the heat and the long queue, and armed with their handkerchiefs and faith, touched the glass-encased relic heart. Each one praying, and hoping that the miracles they hoped for would indeed come true.

For the skeptics, hoping for a miracle is just a waste of time. But as Fr. Ilde said, “miracles are only for believers.”(lovelycarillo)

Davao down one step, but still among top 5 competitive RP cities

The city has gone one rank lower from its previous ranking as the third most competitive highly-urbanized city in the country, but still made it to the top 5. 

Davao City bagged the Fourth Most Competitive City in the Highly-Urbanized category during the 2018 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index Awards at the 6th Regional Competitiveness Summit held at the Philippine International Convention Center on August 16, 2018.

“The skid from 3rd to 4th can be explained by the different concepts in the business permitting processes,” Davao City Planning and Development Office Chief Ivan Cortez said.

He said last year “it was okay to count actual time spent per office then accumulate spent time per office divide by eight hours per day.The imposed system this year is that every office or every step in the process, regardless if it will only take a few minutes, they counted it as equivalent to one day. “

Cortez said that with the new system, the whole process of getting a permit is counted as a 5-day process if the applicant has to go to different offices even if the permit is released in just one day.

“Davao City has consistently ranked among the top 5 most competitive cities in the Philippines in the past years,” he said.

The city ranked fifth most competitive highly-urbanized city in 2015 and 2016 but got the third place in 2017. The award is given annually by the Department of Trade and Industry-National Competitiveness Council on the basis of each city’s ranking in economic dynamism, government efficiency, and infrastructure.

In 2016, Davao City ranked 8th for economic dynamism category, 4th for government efficiency category, and 6th for infrastructure.  A new category, the resiliency award, was added last year and Davao City ranked first in this category. Last year, it was also the only city in Mindanao that made it to the top five, following Quezon City and Manila City.

“The award is the testament of all the efforts made by all of the departments of the City Government to bring development to Davao City. With this award, we can see that the government is unceasingly giving its best to continue to improve its services,” Cortez said.

Davao City placed third in Economic Dynamism, one step higher from the previous year’s ranking according to the Davao City Investment Promotion Center. Among the factors considered for this category are the size of economy, sources of material, structure of economy, safety compliance of businesses, cost of living, financial deepening involving the number of financial institutions within the city and number of people employed.

The city also got third prize in the Infrastructure category, which include roads, water and power utilities, telecommunication, number of transport vehicles, education and health facilities and financial technology capacity.

From its previous first place ranking, the city this year ranked second in Resilience, which is measured based on land-use planning, disaster risk management plan, early warning systems and emergency infrastructures.

The cities and municipalities competitiveness index measures a local government unit’s competitiveness and presents an opportunity for local governments to better understand their performance against global standards.

Mayor Sara Duterte earlier attributed the city’s awards and achievements to the vibrant partnership between the city government and the private sector.