On leave

Sports journalism award

The submission of entries for the 1st Vic Sai Sports Journalism Awards closed last Wednesday. The submitted entries for best sports news, best sports feature, best sports column and best sports photograph were evaluated today by the board of judges, shown here:

Jonathan Santes (left) former newspaper editor/publisher and now Information Officer of the Sunday Runners Club; Jimmy Torres, veteran broadcaster and cable television host; and freelance writer and photojournalist Aurelio Pena.

The winners will receive their awards on April 4 in a dinner hosted by Pagcor-Davao. The sports journalism awards is a project of the Davao City Sports Council, Inc. in partnership with San Miguel Corporation and Nestle Philippines.

Alumni Induction

Atty. Wendel Avisado (2nd from left) administers the oath of office of the new board of the Davao City National High School Alumni Association.

Inducted were (from right) Directors Norma Occena (Class 1969), Allan Fernandez (1980), PIO Henry Babiera (1973), Auditor Rainerio Gomez (1985), Treasurer Lourdes Monteagudo (1948), Assistant Secretary Atty. Arlene Lorejo Cosape (1984) and me (exteme left) as President (1974).

Not shown were Executive VP Fr. Jose Marie Escuadro (1983), Internal VP Aurelio Marasigan (1956), External VP Engr. Armando Matuguinas (1960), and Advisers Immediate Past Presidents Nestor Purugganan (1960) and Tess Yu-Javellana (1973).

Only for the brave!

Are you brave enough to love?

Do you have the heart and the skills to build?

Well, here is your chance to help, to build a house, to build friendship and to build a nation.

Join the 4th Gawad Kalinga GK1MB Bayani Challenge 2009: Only for the Brave!

The event to build houses will be held in far away Sulu, where recent kidnappings led to more military actions and excitement. But this is not about the adventure, according to Ricky Villanueva of GK Davao City. He says this is “challenging ourselves to go beyond our comfort zones so we can make a difference in the lives of others.”

Go get in touch with him at gkdavao@gmail.com or call +63823042009.

I cannot go myself but I am willing to help provide tools for those joining on April 13-17.

Dabaw Kaisa

Congratulations to the new officers of the Dabaw Kaisa Foundation, the local Tsinoy (Filipino-Chinese) association in the city, namely:

William O. Go – Chairman of the Board

Arch. Daniel T. Lim – President

Sergio Y. Haw – Internal Vice President

Edgar L. Te – External Vice President

Irene D. Lavares – Secretary

James Edwin O. Go – Treasurer

Directors:

Tian Beng C. Ang

Sebastian L. Angliongto

Charito Azarias

Dr. Romeo R. Du

James Y. Gaisano, Jr.

Gerald Arnold King

James A. Lao

Vicente T.  Lao

Lafayette A. Lim

City Council Agenda March 17

Calendar of Business of the City Council today:

Invocation by Councilor Rachel P. Zozobrado (3rd Dstrict);

Pambansang Awit; Tayo ay Dabawenyo

Roll Call

Reading & Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Session on March 10;

Privilege Hour;

First Reading – 15 Item (Nos. 1811 – 1825)

Third & Final Reading – 3 Items,namely Item No. 1672 – MOA among the City Government, Barangay 7-A and Davao Doctor’s College on the adoption by the DDC of a pre-school at Barangay 7-A (Proposed by Councilors Ma. Belen Acosta and Tomas Monteverde IV) ; Item No. 1268 – Ordinance regulating motorcades within Davao City (Proposed by Councilor Bonifacio Militar) and Item No. 1652 – Ordinance upgrading, reclassifying and creating new plantilla positions in the City Government’s Structure and Staffing Pattern (Proposed by Councilor Peter Lavina);

Unfinished Business – 1 Item – Item No. 1247 Reclassification from “Protected Light Industrial” to “Heavy Industrial” zone at Barangay Binugao for a softdrink bottling plant of InterBev Philippines (Proposed by Councilor Arnolfo Ricardo Cabling);

Second Reading (New Committee Reports) – 13 Items, e.g. Item No. 1250 – Petition to lower the rental fees at the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal Proposed by Councilor Ma. Belen Acosta); Item No. 1747 – Supplemental Budget No. 1 for Calendar Year 2009 (Proposed by Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang); Item No. 1459 – Application for Development Permit (DP) by Villa de Mercedes for Phase 3 and 5 of the subdivision located at Barangay Catigan containing an area of 29.7 hectares (Proosed by Councilor Arnolfo Ricardo Cabling)

Araw ng Dabaw

It’s a holiday today in Davao City for its 72nd founding anniversary celebrated in the colorful Araw ng Dabaw.

So, Im off for the street parties.

On TV

I was on TV yesterday for the Araw ng Dabaw special edition of the Kapamilya Winner Ka! game show at ABS-CBN featuring the Movers and Shakers of Davao City.

Sorry folks, no acutal video footage. But here’s a photo from Joji Alcantara posted on Facebook.

Incidentally, our team lost. But it was a lot of fun!

Lucky lunch

Friday the 13th and I had a lucky lunch with Manila and Davao bloggers.

I came first at Tadakuma Japanese Restaurant at the Damosa Business Center in Lanang. And this was what welcomed me:

A neatly arranged table for the bloggers for their Food Appreciation Tour aka “food trip”

The taste test tour of several local resto was organized by Blogie Robillo, shown here with our young hosts – Toby and Tisha Ang.

Among the celebrity bloggers in town from Manila is no other than MLQIII himself (left below) with Blogie, Kim and me:

Visit the blogosphere for the many posts about the food trip. I am sure you would enjoy the fun as I did.

Was the food ok? Here’s what was left of my plates and bowls!

Definitely a place I would recommend not only for my family and friends, but to Davao visitors as well. Call 082-234-8813 for reservation.

Activities today

9 am – Meeting of the Disctrict C Barangay Nutrition Scholars at Barangay 22-C;

10 am – Senate public hearing at Central Bank;

11 am – Davao Sportswriters Forum at Tower Inn;

1;30 pm – Mayor Rody Duterte Dialogue with the business sector at Grand Men Seng Hotel;

5 pm – Unveiling of the Datu Bago mural at the Museo Dabaweyno;

6 pm – Induction of the new officers of the Davao Tourism Association (DATA) at Pantawan Hall, Pagcor-Davao, Grand Regal Hotel

Araw ng Dabaw

The agro-trade fair of the Araw ng Dabaw celebration opened yesterday at the grounds of SM Mall.

Here are some fotos of the event organized by the Floriculture Industry of Southern Mindanao, Davao Floriculture Industry, Inc. and Orchid Society of Davao.

Vicky Jimenez of FICSMIN, Councilors Peter Lavina and Susabel Reta, Abdullah Aquino of OSD, and Sally Luenberger of FIDI, among the guests who led the ribbon cutting.

Mutya ng Dabaw finalists join leaders of the floriculture industry of Davao.

The five beauties with me and my wife Evelyn, VP for Agribusines of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry. One of the finalists at left is Vanessa Ruth “Barbie” Q. Chan, niece of my high school classmate, Leony Quinonez, a nurse working in New York.

City Council Agenda today

I will render two committee reports today, one under the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Industry and the other under the Committee on Appointments and Government Reorganization, namely

Item No. 1654 – Mini-trade fair at Toril Plaza;

Item No. 1652 – Request of Mayor Rodrido Duterte for the upgrading, reclassification and creation of new plantilla positions in the city government of Davao;

Other highlights of today’s City Council agenda are:

First Reading – 23 Items (Nos. 1782 – 1809)

Unfinished Business – Item No. 1247 – Request for reclassification by Interbev Philippines, Inc. of property at Barangay Binugao as site for softdrink bottling plant from “protected light industrial zone” to “heavy industrial zone;”

Second Reading (New Items)

Item No. 1268 – Proposed Ordinance regulating motorcades in the city of Davao;

Item No. 1775 – Updated list of the Local Development Investment Plan (LDIP) for Calendar Years 2008-2010 consistent with the Comprehensive Development Plan of 1996-2021 of the City of Davao.

Inventors Week

Today starts the celebration of Inventors Week in Davao City. I authored the City Council Resolution declaring such last November to help promote science and technology and local inventors.

The week’s celebration include the opening today of the Mindanao Inventors Competititon & Exhibit at the SM Mall. We expect about 200 inventors and science students to showcase their various inventions and science projects.

Intellectual Property Director General Adrian Cristobal will lead guests at the opening this morning. Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro will award winning inventions during the closing on Wednesday. She would also inaugurate along with UP President Emerlinda Roman the P20 million Biotech Laboratory at UP Mindanao on Friday.

Makati Mayor Jojo Binay is the guest during the inventors dinner tomorrow.

Aside from the exhibit, product demonstrations and competition, there are science quiz shows and cultural presentations.

Kudos to Sam Abrenilla, Vir Sangutan and Edgar Delibo, the chair, president and vice president, respectively, of the Filipino Inventors Federation, DOST Region XI Director Ed Tesorero, Rene Estremera of UP-Mindanao for spearheading preparations for these activities.

Women’s Day

Happy International Women’s Day!

Special greetings to Grace Torejas, president of the Urban Workers Homeowners Association of Davao shown here (standing extreme right) during their assembly last Thursday.

She was elected today as National Council member of the newly-formed Aksyon Mindanaw! (Action Mindanao!) party-list group.

Grace represents a new breed of women community leaders – articulate and dynamic.

Hot spots

Jakarta was named in a study as the “most vulnerable” to climate change in southeast Asia.

Metro Manila ranked 7th in the list of hot spots.

Southern Mindanao or the Davao Region was 103rd among 341 districts surveyed in 7 countries in the region.

The study was based on five climate related risks – tropical cyclones, floods, landslides, droughts and sea-level rise.

But this is not a reason to celebrate even if Davao ranked low among the hot spots.

We need to care for the environment and help fight climate change.