Mindanao Daily Set A (April 20, 2017)

MINDANAO DAILY T H E P U RV E YO R O F T R U T H , J U S T I C E , A N D D E V E LO P M E N T

Volume VI, No. 264

Website: www.mindanaodailynews.com

Thursday

April 20, 2017

P15.00

Iligan City beefs up firepower to counter terror threat

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- The City of Iligan, 88 kilometers west of here, is beefing up the armament of the local police to boost their capability to counter terror threats from neighboring areas.

“The City Council of Iligan has approved the acquisition of two armored personnel carriers (APC), five 60 caliber light machine guns, and one 50 caliber Barret (a high-powered sniper weapon with an effective range of 1,000 meters),” Jo Pantoja, the city’s spokesperson, said Wednesday.

In a telephone interview, Pantoja told the Philippine News Agency that the items would likely be delivered by mid-year after the Department of National Defense (DND) gave the city government the clearance to acquire the military asset.

Aside from the APCs and the high-powered weapons, the city government has also approved the purchase of a Helicopter that would conduct regular aerial patrol in the borders and the outskirts of the city, Pantoja said.

He said that the helicopter is expected to be

delivered early next year as the DND and the city government exchanged notes on who and how the helicopter is going to be maintained.

Iligan City Mayor Celso Regencia has been using his approved PHP 70 million “peace and order fund” to acquire the war materiel to beef up the capability of the local police in the fight against all forms of criminality, Pantoja said.

According to Pantoja, the local police in Iligan City has a fleet of 18 newly acquired patrol cars that conduct regular patrol around the city.

Last February, a carnapped pickup vehicle from Cagayan De Oro City was recovered in the outskirts of Iligan City after the local police gave chase when alerted of the incident.

One suspect was killed and another arrested and was charged in court, Pantoja said, adding the suspects thought that only one police patrol vehicle was chasing them.

He said that the suspects were taken by surprise when they were cornered by about a dozen police patrol cars, See beefs, page 6

NutriHani’s First Car Achiever A Teacher from Malaybalay City

By Joel Escol Feature Editor

“I liked the system. I saw ordinary people changed their lives, from miseries to financial prosperity. I am a professional teacher but my heart belongs to helping other people improve their lives. From the time I mastered the system I just follow it and never stop.”

This is the strong message uttered by Nutrihani’s top earner and first car achiever, Mr. Roger B. Gelacio, during an exclusive interview. He started the business the NutriHani way, just last year, but now already owns a brand Toyota Avanza 2017 model, for bagging the number 1 spot in the company’s top performer and leadership award.

The NutriHani management said they gave the Leadership Award to

Mr Gelacio, as he was very active every day, going to places and does one on one and group business presentations. Gelacio, report said,

became the top performer, thus, achieving the goals and visions of NutriHani.

“Hinayhinay lang ta basta kanunay. Moabot ra lage ta

sa kinatumyan ug mahimong magmalampuson, the very humble awardee said.

See achiever, page 6

Comelec survey says ‘Pinoys’ want village elections held in October 23

AEMs, ABE AGREE ON LIBERALIZING REGIONAL TRADE. The ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) led by Chair and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez (right) met recently (6 April) with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (center) and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Minister Hiroshige Seko (left) during the AEM Roadshow in Japan to discuss the initiatives of ASEAN, Philippines, and Japan to stimulate continuing globalization and freer trade by limiting protectionism in fiscal policies. Secretary Lopez, along with the other ASEAN Economic Ministers, also pushed for liberal regional trade through the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to spur a more competitive market for consumers. During the discussion, Lopez extended President Duterte’s well wishes to PM Abe who was warmly welcomed by the Filipinos and President Duterte in Davao last January. The vibrant and continuing dialogue of ASEAN and the Philippines with Japan signals a good indication for the recognition for the RCEP. The ASEAN Economic Ministers will continue their discussions with Japan today (7 April) on trade and investment cooperation. photo supplied

Majority of respondents in an informal survey conducted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Twitter believe that the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls should push through on October 23.

Based on the Twitter polls created by Comelec Education and Information Department (EID) Director James Jimenez, 72 percent of the 58 people who joined the survey does not want the October polls to be rescheduled.

Only 12 percent want the elections to be postponed

while another 16 percent admitted being clueless regarding calls to again postpone the village and youth polls.

The survey only lasted for 24 hours and ended Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Any user of the social networking site is capable of creating his/her own survey in a bid to get the public’s opinion on any issue.

On the other hand, Jimenez noted that the Twitter polls will not be used by the Comelec.

“That Twitter Polls is merely for fun and engagement,” he explained.

Earlier, Comelec had said that it is impartial as to the plans on whether the scheduled electoral exercises should be postponed anew.

President Rodrigo Duterte has earlier called to postpone anew village polls as part of efforts to wipe out ‘narco-politics’ in the country.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers has filed House Bill 5359, which is seeking to postpone the Barangay and SK elections to May 2020 and give the President the power to appoint village officials. (PNA)

MINDANAO DAILY SECOND FRONTPAGE mark francisco, Section Editor EDITOR: RUEL V. PELONE

Thursday

2

April 20, 2017

Philsaga Mining Corp. President Raul Villanueva (right with safety helmet) briefs Environment Secretary Gina Lopez about the safety of the mine dam while she took a brief tour in the area.

Photo by Chris Panganiban for Mindanao Daily

Mining dams wont collapse, mining firm assures Lopez

By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN Contributing Editor

ROSARIO, Agusan del Sur--- A top executive of a gold mining company here has allayed fears of a dam collapse that would hit a public school down below saying the mine waste tailing ponds could withstand even an intensity seven earthquakes apart from their plan to build another second embankment dam

in July this year.

Lawyer Raul Villanueva, president of Philsaga Mining Corporation, assured Environment Secretary Gina Lopez there would no mining disaster that would take place because the dams have been built with the best engineering structure that complied with global standards.

Lopez visited the mining site of Philsaga after her

office received complaints from residents of Bayugan 3 village about the possibility of a dam collapse that would cascade towards Bonifacio Elementary School located a kilometer away below the mine dams.

But Villanueva said a third-party audit team has certified after a thorough inspection of the structure to be in best condition that can endure even a strong

intensity seven jolt.

Philsaga was among the few mining companies in Caraga region that passed the mining audit conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources last year. Villanueva said the audit team spent nine days in their mine site to check of any environmental law violations before they certify that the company passed

the standards.

Lopez agreed that good practices of Philsaga like engaging on underground tunnel mining and good engineering system made them passed the audit.

She was ecstatic to learn that Philsaga will build a large butterfly sanctuary within their mining site funded through their yearly P50 million Social Development and Management

Program and the Corporate Social Responsibility program.

“We will work with you and we’ll build paradise here,” Lopez told Villanueva during their talk while she was making a brief tour around the tailings ponds site.

Villanueva said the butterfly garden that will be built within the See lopez, page 7

644,000 coconut trees to be felled in Basilan, Zamboanga due to pest

By Antonio L. Colina IV of MindaNews

THE coconut scale insect (CSI), known to farmers as “cocolisap,” which affected farmers in the Calabarzon Region, has already reached Mindanao, forcing the eradication of about 644,000 Coconut trees in Basilan.

MindaNews file photo by Bobby Timonera coconut trees in Zamboanga

City and Basilan province to contain the infestation, an official of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) said.

Speaking in Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw, Roque Quimpan, member of the board of the PCA, reported that Basilan reported the biggest damage with 500,000

trees affected while Zamboanga City with 144,000 trees.

He said a massive cutting of trees in Basilan is ongoing while it has yet to commence in Zamboanga, pending the approval of the PCA board and the budget needed to implement the eradication measure.

Quimpan said the co-

colisap outbreak reached alarming proportions because the PCA could not penetrate these areas to implement major interventions due to the peace and order condition.

“It grows by the day and can damage severely the industry in just a few See pest, page 7

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GRP, NDFP informal bilateral meeting today

In Focus

Thursday, April 20, 2017

3

By Antonio L. Colina IV, MindaNews

AN informal bilateral meeting will be held today (April 20) in Manila to assist Reciprocal Working Committees of the government (GRP) and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) clarify and reconcile some contentious issues in their respective drafts of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER).

In statement released Sunday, Alan Jazmines, member of the of the NDFP’s reciprocal working committee on social economic reforms (RWC-SER), said results of these bilateral meetings will be submitted to their RWC-SER for approval and will be taken up on the fifth round of formal peace talks scheduled for May 26 to June 2, 2017 in Noorwijk aan Zee, The Netherlands.

Jazmines said that “any formal negotiations between the Negotiating Panels in the country is contrary to the letter and spirit of The Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) with regard to the holding of peace negotiations in a foreign neutral venue.”

The Hague Joint Declaration and the Agreement on the Formation, Operationalization and Sequencing of the RWCs mandates the RWCs-SER to draft the CASER, which would then be submitted to their respective Negotiating Panels for formal negotiations, approval and signing.

“We share in the optimism that peace can be achieved once the much-needed social and economic reforms that squarely address the root causes of the armed conflict are genuinely undertaken,” Jazmines said.

Another joint agreement signed during the third round of talks in January in Rome stipulates that formal meetings of the RWC-SER will be held simultaneous with, and in the same venue as, the formal meetings of the negotiating panels.

During the fourth round of talks held April 3-6 in the Netherlands, the GRP and NDFP panels agreed that the free land distribution will be the “basic principle” of the agrarian reform, one of the components of the See meeting, page 7 Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRAIL COURT OF LANAO DEL SUR 12th JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 10 Hall of Justice, Marawi City IN THE MATTER OF CANCELLATIONN OF THE CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH OF FAIROSE MAMADRA ABDULCARIM Under Registry No. 92-105 IN THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF MARAWI CITY

6.

SPL PROC., 2425-16

FAIROSE MAMADRA ABDULCARIM,

Petitioner,

- Versus -

7.

THE ADMINISTRATOR and CIVIL REGISTRAR GENERAL OF PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY And the CIVIL REGISTRAR OF MARAWI CITY, LANAO DEL SUR

Respondents, X---------------------------------------/

8.

FISH VENDOR. A fish vendor chops a whole fish into the choice of cuts for the waiting customer at the Buenavista Public Market in Agusan del Norte on April 19, 2017. Photo by Jun Ayensa for Mindanao Daily

Another NGCP tower in North Cotabato bombed ALEOSAN, North Cotabato--Unidentified men set off an improvised explosive device on a steel tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in Aleosan, North Cotabato on Tuesday night, an NGCP official said.

Milfrance Capulong, speaking for NGCP southern Mindanao, said the tower was not toppled.

The bomb attack did not affect power transmission

Petitioner is consistently using and reflecting FAIROSSE as her true and correct first name in all her transaction as evidenced by her IDENTIFICATION CARD (ID) issued by the Philippine Muslim Teacher’s College, Bangon, Marawi City: IDENTIFICATION CARD (ID) issued by the St. Louis Review Center, Iligan City, VOTER’S IDENTIFICATION CARD (ID) issued by the COMELEC, OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT OF RECORDS (TOR) issued by the Philippin Muslim Teacher’s College, Bangon, Marawi City, DIPLOMA issued by the Philippines Muslim Teacher’s College, Bangon MArawi City, CERTIFICATION issued by the Office of the City Civil Registrar, Marawi City and NBI CLEARANCE issued by the National Bureau of Investigation, Iligan City, copies of which are hereto attached and marked as Annexes “C”, “D”, “E”, “F”, “G”, “H” and “I” respectively and made integral part hereof; The petition is filed without any slightest intension to defraud or prejudice the government or any person, its ultimate purpose is to rectify erroneous entries in the public records of the Civil Registry reflective of the petitioner’s true and correct first name as appearing in all her records.

Petitioner submits that nobody will be prejudiced by granting this petition nor is there a pending case filed against her.

ORDER

Finding the aforesaid petition to be sufficient in form and substance, it is hereby ordered that the same be set hearing before this Court on MAY 10, 2017 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning.

Before this court is a verified petition for cancellation of the certificate of live birth of FAIROSE MAMADRA ABDULCARIM dated December 7, 2016, and which reads in part:

Let a copy of this Order be published at the expense of the petitioners in a newspaper of general circulation in Lanao del Sur or Marawi City or Iligan City for three (3) consecutive weeks.

1.

The Local Civil Registrar of Marawi City and the Civil Registrar General, or any person or party who has interest in the petition, may file his/her opposition thereto within fifteen (15) days from notice of this Petition or from the last day of publication of this Order.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Petitioner is of legal age, single and a resident of Kilala, Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur. Where she may be served with summons and other court processes; Respondent Civil Registrar of Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur is the custodian of all records of birth in Marawi City, whose office is located at the City Hall Compound, Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur where he/she may be served with summons and other court processes, Respondent Civil Registrar General and Administrator of Philippines Statistics Authority is the central custodian of all records ofbirth in the country and may be served with orders and other court processes at the NSO Building East Avenue, Diliman Quezon City; Petitioner was born on 27 January 1992 to parents Papala Dimaampao Mamadra and Jaber Baralongcan Abdulcarim, whose birth was belatedly registered by her mother under Registry No. 97-3474, a copy of said Certificate of Live Birth is hereto attached and marked as Annex “A” and made integral part hereof; Unknown to the petitioner, her birth was registered in the year 1992 under registry No. 92-105, under which her first name was erroneously entered as FAIROSSIE instead of her correct first name, FAIROSE and such error was discovered only when the petitioner secured Security Paper (Secpa) of her Certificate of Live Birth from the Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA), a copy of said erroneous Certificate of Live Birth of the petitioner under registry No. 92-105 is hereto attached and marked as Annex “B” and made integral part hereof,

Further, let this Order be posted for fifteen (15) days prior to the date of hearing in the Bulletin Board of the Local Civil Registrar of Marawi City and the Bulletin Board of this Court at the expenses of the petitioner.

The petitioner is directed to notify this Court of the publication of this Order not later than three (3) days before May 10, 2017.

Furnish copies of this Order, together with the copies of the petition to the Local Civil Registrar of Marawi City, the Hon. Solicitor General, Makati City; and the Hon. Civil Registrar General, Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA) Sta. Mesa. Manila.

SO ORDERED

Marawi City, Philippines. February 28, 2017

SGD. WENIDA B.M. PAPANDAYAN

Presiding Judge

MDN: Apr 6, 13 & 20, 2017

in the area, she said.

It was the second bombing of NGCP tower this year in North Cotabato.

Citing a police report, Capulong said an improvised explosive device went off on Tuesday night at Tower 68 of the KibaweKabacan 138KV line in Barangay Pagangan, Aleosan town.

She said repair works will commence once security in the area is assured. The

same Tower 68 had been bombed last year.

Last March 1, unidentified men also tried but failed to topple NGCP Tower 138 of the Kibawe-Kabacan 138KV line located in Barangay Kayaga, Kabacan, North Cotabato.

The North Cotabato police and the Army’s 602nd Infantr y Brigade have launched manhunt operations against the suspects of the latest bomb attack.

In a statement, the NGCP appealed to the public to help secure NGCP lines to prevent power outages and inconvenience to the locals.

Due to the series of bombings of steel towers last year in this town, the local government of Aleosan and the police had put up bamboo perimeter fences on 10 of 17 electric transmission towers in the town.

No one has claimed See bombed, page 7

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Thursday, April 20, 2017

Opinion

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Why rice hoarders, smugglers thrived in RP

LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “… Aliens residing among you shall ascend above you higher and higher, while you shall descend lower and lower. They shall lend to you but you shall not lend to them; they shall be the head and you shall be the tail…” (Deuteronomy 28:43-44, the Holy Bible).

-oooWHY RICE HOARDERS AND SMUGGLERS THRIVED IN RP: Even now, many farmers are already highly appreciative of the efforts of President Duterte and Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol to make sure that no further rice importation of any kind will be allowed at this point in time, particularly considering the assessment that current rice production, and the volume of rice already imported under the Duterte government, are already highly sufficient.

In fac t, Pinol’s announcement that efforts by rice hoarders and rice smugglers to create an artificial rice shortage, a shortage they have already perfected in creating through the years despite bumper rice harvests by Filipino farmers, would be dealt with severely by the government through raids of known warehouses where rice is hidden, had been similarly

RODRIGO B. SEVILLA Regional Editor-Davao

JOE FELICILDA Editorial Consultant JOE PALABAO Feature Editor

ATTY. MARIO T. JUNI

NOTARY PUBLIC- JUNI LAW OFFICE CELL NO: 09352379999/ (088) 8573595 CRUZ TAAL ST., CAG. DE ORO CITY Legal Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------

bureau and mktg staff candy macabale - 09161326483 RIZA O. ARES - 0915-9753-277/0926-2242-653 MISOR - LOLONG NABONG - 0906-875-8650 GINGOOG CITY-MANNY ANSIHAGAN-0936-287-7788 North Buk. - DAHLIA S. BENEMERITO-0955-150-6602 VALENCIA CITY - PHILIP PHIL CALUMBA-0905-652-5407 MARAMAG - roFINA CUALES - 0926-336-1585 quezon, buk. - ROSE GENON Iligan City - JEFFREY OPONDA-0936-1174378 tangub city - bobby mag usara OROQUIETA CITY - PJ TREMEDAL-0919-3452375 ARMM - Sony Sudaria-0947-4810371 cotabato - ANALISA ESPAÑOLA-0916-9351714 davao - tom a. caballero-09756023684 davao - tomas canoy avancena jr.-09177017010 davao del norte - sarah castor - 09263988293 digos city, dvo sur & kidapawan - romeo d. sanchez davao city - rene s. arias (Photo Journalist,) COMVAL PROVINCE AND DAV. OR. - Rhodel javier butuan - PAT SAMONTE-0912-8091093 san frans - CRIS PANGANIBAN-09277974193 San Francisco - deding PANGANBAN-0927-7974193 Pagadian City - GRACE FRANCISCO -0912-8484037 ZAMBOANGA - AL JACINTO -09177103642 Member: ORO CHAMBER Philippine Press Institute

(one peso) per sack of rice that is imported into the country would already yield for the graft-prone officials multi-million peso grease money per importation.

Rice importation, in itself, therefore constitutes a highly-profitable enterprise, so much so that even supposedly level-headed leaders of government scramble on top of one another to allow importation even if there is sufficient local production.

Even a cursory analysis of what is happening now in the government agencies directly dealing with rice importation will show inordinate interest on the issue.

-oooFOREIGNERS LORDING IT OVER RICE INDUSTRY PREDICTED TO HAPPEN: Be that as it may, this lording it over the local rice industry by businessmen of foreign descent is a phenomenon that was much prophesied and predicted to happen in the Bible. Browsing through the Bible’s Book of Curses, we find this admonition: the foreigners residing among you will prosper greatly, while you sink in poverty irretrievably.

The same prophecy tells us that these foreignerbusinessmen will be the ones to lend to us, and that

Atty. Batas Mauricio

we will never lend to them.

In fact, this economic power in their hands was predicted to propel them to positions of political leadership in the country, transforming Filipino natives as followers of foreigners in their own land.

How do we, native Filipinos, address this malady? The Bible has the answer: start listening to, and obeying, God and His commands, sincerely and truthfully. In the first place, the curse of the prosperous foreigners came to us because we are no longer listening to, and no longer obeying, God. Let us listen to, and obey, God now, and things will change.

-oooWATCH “ANG TANGING DAAN”, “KAKAMPI MO ANG BATAS”, AT FB LIVE: Please watch “Ang Tanging Daan”, a roundthe-clock Bible Exposition and prayer session at www. facebook.com/angtangingdaan; and “Kakampi Mo Ang Batas”, a legal counseling and news commentary program at www.facebook. com/kakampimoangbatas.

Reactions: 0917 984 24 68, 0918 574 0193, 0977 805 9058. Email: batasmauricio@yahoo.com.

The striker

Take care everyone

PAT SAMONTE CHRIS PANGANIBAN Regional Editor Caraga Regional Editor-Davao

Rene Michael BaÑos uRIEL C. QUILINGUING Regional Editor Northmin Contributing Editor FOUR members of the New

AL JACINTO Regional Editor-WestMin

met with glee.

This decisive action against manipulation of rice supply, usually by businessmen of foreign descent who have been thinking of nothing but to profit by the millions at the expense of Filipino farmers, is something totally unheard of in past regimes. Many are now saying there were no similar campaigns in the past against rice hoarders because officials during those times were in reality in cahoots with hoarders and smugglers for fat fees.

-oooMERE P1.00 COMMISSION PER SACK OF IMPORTED RICE BRINGS MILLIONS: How did it happen that businessmen of foreign descent, who, in the past, were content with the buy and sell merely of bote garapa, tanso, and aluminum rejects, now control the country’s vital rice supply? The clear answer would be that, as we already pointed out here, corrupt Filipino officials conspired with them to give them that control.

As Vic Somintac (my partner in the daily radio program “Tambalang Batas at Somintac” at DZEC 1062 kHz, which airs from 6 a.m. to 7.am.) have been repeatedly expounding, a commission of just P1.00

People’s Army (NPA) were killed in a gunfight with the government soldiers in the boundary of Bukidnon and Cotabato recently.

No fatalities in the side of the government. The army are pursuing the retreating rebels.

The much publicized climate change, now we know, does not make changes only in our planet but actually includes the attitudes and behavior of people. To say the least, it is general change that we must be aware of.

The advent of mentallywrecked people with ideas not to preserve life but destroy its future.

What I am trying to emphasize is the great changes in the way people in the criminal world are handling.

They have introduced new ways to fool us and make us victims of their illegal activities. Series of crime lurk behind the scene that attack us in various fronts. And while people sleep, criminals are awake 24 hours a day.

I am not so certain but the fact is the armed bandits, the rebels, the ordi-

nary criminals etc. seem to have agreed to strike at the same time to cripple our government and soldiers. What seemed to be a coordinated actuations is giving us headaches and indeed killed some of our men in battle.

Our soldiers and police are battling the enemies of the state in many places.

They strike in Davao, in Cotabato, in Lanao, Agusan and so many other places that naturally divided the attention of our law enforcers. There is ingenuity in the midst of stupidity.

It is a good thing our armed forces are so strong and determined to annihilate our enemies and the country survive well. This scenario never took place in the past and I should commend our people for their efforts and cooperation that helped a great deal the authorities.

I suspect some countries, we thought are our friends, are behind the proliferation of drugs and other modern day crimes. The reason is to benefit their lust for money while at the same time

weaken our country. Once this happens, the country of interest can make us kneel and beg for mercy.

I wish to reiterate my suggestion to make a tremendous increase in the amount of bail bonds for the temporary liberty of accused in all crimes.

Presently, criminals are not afraid to commit crimes because they are aware they get out in a few days and naturally back to their old ways.

In many countries more particularly in the USA, criminals just could not afford to pay bail bonds because of the large amounts imposed thus deter in some ways the commission of crimes.

Another thing is tax declarations of real properties are accepted as bail bonds thus making a mockery of our justice system.

I hope the future of our government will not allow animals to be offered as personal bail bonds or we shall call it extremely foolish.

Reducing the incidence of crimes require many

Ben Emata Jr.

things. It needs some groups of wise and knowledgeable people to craft an ideas and not the kind of some senators who are dull headed uneducated. There are many angles to consider and not the idiots in public service.

If North Korea is really posing danger to mankind because of its inventions of bombs of mass destruction, I would say it is time for all people around the globe to stop it before things go wrong. If all kinds of diplomatic maneuvers fails, we must do harsh actions to pulverize the country’s nuclear laboratories and send to their graves the foolish leaders.

I am not in favor of war much less any form of killings but mischievous world leaders must not exist in our midst to kill us. Civilization must live no matter what even if we need to kill the bad elements of society.

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Letters from Davao

TADECO

Where are you untouchable public officials

PUBLIC officials, especially, the elected ones should have moral compass, should have integrity, should have virtue and cultured with a highest degree of honesty.

Honest to the core, so to say; as role model in the bureaucracy; as role model in our society; as role model to people that they ought to serve under oath.

However, it is sad to note that there are elected public officials who are not true to their promises during campaign period.

Such promises would be eclipsed with their pursuit of their personal vested interest upon assumption to office.

It is appropriate to say that they are greedy, only wanting to grasp all the power, influence, gold and silver that politics certainly deals.

They sometimes or more often than not act as dictator.

Those resistant few will be liquidated. If they cannot liquidate the one who is at the totem pole of power like Iligan City Mayor Celso G. Regencia, they will make illegal accusations based on strange laws that would ultimately result to his sus-

pension through the influence of the power that be, and after his suspension, he was incarceration as a consequence of a fabricated crimes leveled against him even devoid of hard evidences to warrant a declaration of a probable cause.

It might so because the accusers: former City Vice Mayor Ruderic Marzo and former Cong. Vicente Belmonte Jr. felt like they have the influence similar to former Pres. Noynoy Aquino, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas and the Secretary of Justice Leila De Lima.

As experienced, to be imprisoned without committing any crime is very horrible to consider.

City Mayor had languished in jail for more than a year without committing any crime; the way I so also languished in jail for more than a year without committing any crime. What a misfortune for people like us to suffer punishment despite that we are innocent ones?

Why should some public officials that would dare step on the neck of other people without due respect

in order to promote their political and personal vested interest?

Perhaps, they failed to consider one of the Bible principles by heart that says: “For what does it profit a man gaining the whole world and lose his own soul!”

Besides, it is fact conclusive that if you sow hatred, you will also reap hatred in the end.

Any conspiracy being made by you should always be reciprocated with a tragedy more horrible than that of what you did to an innocent man like Mayor Regencia.

The announcement and/ or declaration of Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte that the two former public officials of Iligan City, namely: Vicente Belmonte Jr. and Lawrence Lluch Cruz were involved in illegal drug business could be a tragedy for them more horrible than that of what they did to Mayor Regencia, unless, of course, the president would retract his declaration regarding their involvement in drug business, which is very remote.

The humiliation they inflicted against Mayor Re-

5

Thursday, April 20, 2017

By Jun Ledesma PNA Demosthenes P. Maglasang Sr.

gencia would just be likened to a passing shadow because truth has come out into the open and its brilliance is like that of a noon day sun.

Yes, he was out of the dungeon, because of new evidences that coming out now into the open in favor of Mayor Regencia.

He was considered innocent by the Department of Justice of the accusations leveled against him by former Cong. Belmonte, Jr. on its Resolution declaring, among others, the withdrawal of the first probable cause issued before by the Prosecutors who prosecute the case against Mayor Regencia.

Such withdrawal of the probable cause was reinforced by the landmark decision of Judge Ferdinand C. Baylon of the Regional Trial Court 77 of Quezon City, exonerating him beyond reasonable doubt.

In that instant of his exoneration, without doubt whatsoever, his name is diluted with pride and honor.

Theirs if proven that they really are in illegal See PUBLIC, page 7

WHAT is it about the Tagum Agicultural Development Corporation that makes it different from the rest of the players in the banana industry. First we have to correct some impressions that the latter’s contract with the Bureau of Corrections which is under the Department of Justice, is but a simple lease. The truth is that it is a Joint Venture Agreement and a standing committee whose membership includes the DOJ, BUCOR, the Davao Penal Colony and TADECO reviews that JVA regularly.

The JVA between BUCOR and TADECO, in fact, is an excellent partnership model which should merit credence in the successful rehabilitation of Dapecol convicts which were hired as farm laborers who enjoy just compensation and an individual trust funds which were released to them once their prison terms end and help them start a new life and livelihood. Most of them by the way had opted to stay as regular workers of TADECO. As an aside let me say that the world over, different types of public and private endeavors have evolved.

Today, you see the vast expanse of banana fields when airline pilots announce, “cabin crew prepare for landing” as it approaches the Davao International Airport. Many interest groups look at Tadeco with awe and envy. But over 30 years ago nobody would give that wetland or wasteland a second look . Let me bring you back in history.

Only a small portion of the land grant to Dapecol was arable in the late 1960’s when the venerable Antonio Floirendo, Sr. offered to develop the rest of the marsh land that is now Tadeco. That strip of arable land then was planted with abaca. Floirendo who was a pioneer in Davao, was dealer of Ford motors but his first love was actually agriculture. He himself has 1,020 hectares of land adjacent to Dapecol. There were others who were also awarded similar areas. It was that time when abaca was fetching a good price in the export market. It was before World War II that Japanese nationals first introduced abaca in Davao and they enjoyed the bonanza of the abaca industry. This, however, ended abruptly when the war broke out.

To the astonishment See TADECO, page 7

6

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Thursday, April 20, 2017

Achiever... from page 1

He said he did not expect to receive the leadership award because he is not thinking of it. He just did what is expected of him as a leader of the very promising MLM company based in Bukidnon.

“Until the management told me I was the company’s top performer in terms of sales and productions this early. I was very happy. Nagbunga jud akong paghago, traveling from places to places around Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro.” CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY TO SUCCESS The journey of the 38 year old teacher from Malaybalay City was never easy. There were lots of challenges, he said, that almost toppled him down.

“At the very start of

my MLM business, my wife was very negative and those were really very difficult to handle. My sister and brothers and all other relatives were also negative of the business.”

“I had no choice but to prove myself first that I was right in my chosen career path. I was determined to achieve, so no amount of challenges could ever stop me from achieving success. Thanks God, I am now harvesting the fruit of my sacrifices.

Thanks to my mentor and to all the positive people around me, especially my business partners.”

Gelacio said MLM business is a new business system that each business partner will only follow and will surely give success in the long run. “The system is only duplication and you can’t go wrong if you just follow it and be

Publication Notice R.A. 9048/10172 NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC In compliance with the publication requirement and pursuant to OCRG Memorandum Circular No. 2013-1, Guidelines in the Implementation of Administrative Order No. 1 Series of 2012 (IRR on R.A. 10172), Notice is hereby served to the public that LUISITO CINCO SUMASTRE has filed with this Office, a petition for Change of First Name from “MANSUETA” to “LUISITO” and Correction of entry in Child’s Sex from “FEMALE” to “MALE” and Date of Birth from “AUGUST 19, 1960” to “AUGUST 29, 1960”, in his Certificate of Live Birth, born at Gingoog, Misamis Oriental under Registry No. 973 and whose parents are RAINERIO SUMASTRE and MARJORIE CINCO. Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his/her written opposition with this office not later than FEBRUARY 23 2017 .

(SGD.) ATTY.MARGIE LUSTRE LUMA-AD

City Civil Registrar MDN: Apr 20 & 27, 2017

able to duplicate.”

TOP QUALITY PRODUCTS Gelacio was very proud that aside from the very supportive management of NutriHani and the very down to earth CEO and president Noel J. Blanco and his wife Cora, the health and wellness products of the company are also of top quality and the packaging is great.

Among the products of NutriHani include Nutri Up, Nutri Choco, Nutri Coffee, Nutri Juice, Argan oil, Liniment oil, Aya Whitening Lotion, Aya Insta White, among others.

AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN THIS YEAR Meanwhile Nutrihani President and CEO Noel J. Blanco also announced the company will have more satellite branches in the coming months, as part of its aggressive marketing campaign this year, to reach out to more people in the countryside.

Right now, the company is already operating in Batangas, Palawan, Davao, General Santos, Cotabato City, Wao, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro City.

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ZONE 3, CROSSING HIGHWAY, TEAKWOOD HILLS, AGUSAN, CDOC

GROUNDBREAKING OF MULTI-PURPOSE BUILDING CUM EVACUATION CENTER. VICE GOVERNOR JOEY G. PELAEZ and PROVINCIAL BOARD MEMBER JIGJAG G. PELAEZ led the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a Multi-purpose Building cum Evacuation Center at Sta. Ana National High School in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. This Multi-purpose Building cum Evacuation Center is made possible through the initiative of Vice Governor Pelaez who personally sought the help Senator Loren B. Legarda to guarantee that the residents of the said place will have a safe area to seek refuge from especially in times of typhoon and flooding. A number of municipalities in Misamis Oriental have been affected by massive flooding in previous months.

Vice Governor Pelaez is also actively involved in ensuring and facilitating the construction of National Care and Development Centers in the Province of Misamis Oriental with the help of the Early Childhood Care and Development Council.

Beefs... from page 1

before they could escape to the neighboring city of Marawi in Lanao Del Sur, 39 kilometers southwest of Iligan City.

“The carnapped pickup, a Ford Ranger, was recov-

ered and turned over to the rightful owner,” he said.

Pantoja said that since the filing of charges against one of the suspects, the city government and the city’s Hall of Justice had been receiving threats of terror attacks by the Lanao del Sur-based Maute terror group.

While the city’s peace and order situation remains stable, the terror threats prompted the city government to be extravigilant and decided to acquire the war materiel to deter any attempts by criminal elements to sow terror in the city, Pantoja said. (PNA)/ CD

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NOTICE is hereby given that the intestate estate of the late PRUDENCIO V. CAFÉ consisting a parcel of land designated as Lot No. 3541, Pls-67 containing anMAIN area BRANCH of 711.80 CAGAYAN DE ORO P & J Lim Bldg., Tiano Brothers square meters located Sts., at Barangay Kalambagohan Tel. # (08822)Agusan 727-829 *del Sur 1, San Telefax Francisco, # (088) 856-1947 covered by Katibayan ng Orihinal na Titulo Blg.CAMIGUIN P24810 inBRANCH theMambajao, Register of B. Aranas St., Poblacion, Camiguin Tel. #del (088) 387-0491 Deeds of Agusan Sur registered CORRALES BRANCH in the name of Galicana V. Café is Corrales Ave., Cagayan de Oro City the subject of Extra Judicial AdjuDIVISORIA BRANCH dication Among Heirs with Deed Atty. Erasmo B. Damasing Bldg., #61 Don A. Velez St.,Sale Cagayan de Oro of Absolute under the City notarial Tel. # (088) 857-3631 registry of Atty. Julie C. Sansaet per LAPASAN BRANCH Doc. No. 37, Page No. 8,deBook No. Lapasan Hi-way, Cagayan Oro City (088) 231-6739 75, SeriesTel.of#2016.

CARMEN BRANCH Vamenta Blvd., Cagayan de Oro City MDN:Tel. Apr 20, 26 & May 3, 2017 # (088) 231-2011

CDO MAIN BRANCH P & J Lim Bldg., Tiano Brothers Kalambagohan Sts., Tel. # (08822) 727-829 * Telefax # (088) 856-1947

DIVISORIA BRANCH Atty. Erasmo B. Damasing Bldg., #61 Don A. Velez St., Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 857-3631

CAMIGUIN BRANCH B. Aranas St., Poblacion, Mambajao, Camiguin Tel. # (088) 387-0491

LAPASAN BRANCH Lapasan Hi-way, Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 231-6739

CORRALES BRANCH Corrales Ave., Cagayan de Oro City

CARMEN BRANCH Vamenta Blvd.,Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 231-2011

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Public... from page 5

drug business, with the approval of “Death Penalty,” most probably, they will end up into the gallows.

They may be likened to what Isaiah had once said: “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star; son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who laid low the nations!

You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will set enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit,” (Isaiah 14:12-15).

In fact, the “Motion for Reconsideration” on the Landmark decision of Judge Baylon regarding the Exoneration of Mayor Regencia, was being denied in its totality.

Could we say now without fear of exaggeration that they are now on the run to save their lives?

They are cruel, but never be brave indeed.

(AGREE OR DISAGREE! City Information Office Staff, Office of the City Mayor, City of Iligan)

TADECO... from page 5

of Davaowenyos, the Japanese farmers turned out later to be soldiers and officers of the Imperial Army.

But that is another story.

When peace finally settled after the war, pioneers from Visayas and Luzon came in drove to many places in Mindanao in search for new opportunities. My own parents (from Negros) opted to move to Cotabato while the rest from Visayas preferred Bukidnon and Davao. Mindanao was a frontier land. Cebuanos looked for dry lands as they were corn farmers while Ilocanos and Ilonggos the low lands for they preferred to plant rice. But a number of pioneers from Luzon eyed the timberlands so you know who to blame for our denuded forest lands.

An exception from those who practically were the exclusive owners of timberland licenses in Mindanao was a newly-wed couple – a handsome mining engineer Antonio Floirendo Sr., and his equally lovely wife Nenita del Rosario Floirendo.

But before this, soon after the war, the young Floirendo and his friends pooled their money to buy salvaged military vehicles and other equipment which were gathered together in Guam from different countries in the Pacific war arena. These properties were auctioned in bulk. Floirendo and his pals would divide among themselves the items they bought and shipped to Manila then resold these for profit. A savvy salesperson that he was, Floirendo would dispose of his lot quickly and

then later would venture to Guam on his own. He impressed the American officer who, after the war, was later hired by Ford Motors to be in-charge of its sales in the pacific markets.

When Ford established its presence in the Philippines, it farmed out franchises in Luzon Visayas and Mindanao. Floirendo was given an option and chose Mindanao with base in Davao City.

Floirendo sales performance must have impressed Ford Motors that when it launched the first Asian Utility Vehicle called “Ford Fiera” they did it in Marapangi, Toril, Davao City with Cristina Ford as principal guest.

But Floirendo has another secret love. Agriculture.

His Marapangi estate, was planted with abaca and he put up a hog farm. When these were not enough to realize his dream, he acquired 1,020 hectares in Sto. Tomas which was just then a barrio of Tagum (This is how Tadeco got its name).

There he expanded his abaca plantation which was a top money maker then.

But in mid-1960’s, the burgeoning abaca industry suffered a double whammy.

A deadly banana virus called “mosaic” virtually wiped out 80 percent of abaca plantations in Davao, Floirendo and BUCOR’s farm included.

As though this was not enough, in the world market abaca fiber was replaced with a much tougher synthetic three-strand nylon ropes which, compared to abaca fiber, was a lot cheaper and last longer and resists chemicals, crude and rough surfaces to name a few.

With income dwindling, BUCOR through the Department of Justice started entertaining other alternative projects. Gomez Cellulose, I remembered, offered to produce cellulose fibers made up not just from abaca but from other plants.

Floirendo whose farm was just adjacent to BUCOR proposed to develop Cavendish banana plantation.

In those time, as it is true today Cavendish had great demands in the US, Europe and Japan consumers. The struggle as to who will the contract be awarded to even reached the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Those who are in the opposite political spectrum today will find it interesting that Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., Chairman of the powerful Blue Ribbon Committee then valiantly defended Tadeco’s offer. He sealed this decision by asserting that the country was in dire need of dollar revenues and that Floirendo’s project could address that problem.

The rest is history.

The conversion and development of what was then a veritable marshland was not a walk in the park.

It must have been around 1969 when massive work to drain the marsh land started.

The place was abuzz with farm tractors and laborers. Through the cloud of

Thursday, April 20, 2017 dust was always seen a man wearing a white buntal hat and in cowboy shoes sans the spurs. Mr. Floirendo would be giving a litany of instructions to now retired Davao Governor Rodolfo del Rosario, his brother in-law, and Anthony Sasin a trusted man by the family. The elder Floirendo is known to be a workaholic and a slave driver even to his senior executives.

To drain the wetland, TADECO had to construct a wide and deep canal and dredged Ising river which meander through the town of Carmen and ran all the way to the Davao Gulf.

Carmen which is midway between Tagum and Davao City only had a one-lane road in those days which becomes so muddy during rainy season and dusty during summer. This was the bucolic scene of Davao province in the 1960’s.

A little over a decade later, the marsh lands, not only of Dapecol but those of neighboring towns, were transformed into productive rice lands which we see today. The area developed

by Tadeco had been crisscrossed with drainage canals revealing a vast expanse of land fully planted with Cavendish bananas and rice fields.

Many administrations came and go. Tadeco withstood the vagaries of politics simply on account of its unprecedented farm practices, management and work culture and care for its employees and laborers. It was and still is the primary engine of growth in the regional economy.

It survived and withstood the destructive years of Cory Aquino’s revolutionary government when just mere suspicion that one is a crony of Marcos the demonic sequestration forces would pounced like hungry hyenas on the properties of those perceived to be close to the so-called conjugal dictatorship. But even when Floirendo and his Davao-based firms were found out to be “giver” (a term used by a late head of a sequestration team which I interviewed him years back), Floirendo was forced to fork out PHP600-million and gave up his Lindenmere Estate in New York which the new centurions of the Cory government suspected to be owned by the Marcoses.

Then were the days.

These days TADECO, the flagship of ANFLOCOR Group of Companies, is Mindanao biggest single employer. It is the best managed banana plantation firm in the world. Its yield per hectare is unbeatable worldwide.

As a farmer’s son, I love to tell this success story of how a virtual wasteland and wetland metamorphosed into what it is today. The man who developed this had gone to the great beyond but he left, not only for his farm workers and employees, a legacy incomparable by

any standard. Tadeco and Floirendo are synonymous to industry, courage, determination and success.

Floirendo is known as the Father of the Banana Industry in the Philippines while Tadeco an excellent model of what today is PrivatePublic Parnership. (Mr. Jun Ledesma is a community journalist who writes from Davao City and comments from the perspective of a Mindanaoan)

Bombed... from page 3

responsibility for the attack.

Last year, at least 17 steel towers were destroyed across Mindanao due to bombings, which inconvenienced power consumers in the region.

The outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and extortion groups were blamed for the bombings. (PNA)

Meeting... from page 3

CASER. It said agreeing on common principle was the “main message of the bilateral meeting of the RWCs-SER and an achievement of the Fourth Round of Talks.”

In that meeting, the RWCs-SER exchange d their respective comparative “color-coded matrices” identifying both contentious and acceptable provisions of the GRP and NDFP’s respective drafts of CASER. These contentious provisions were then clustered into nine major topics: coverage, confiscation, compensation, lease/leaseback and plantations, international agreements/domestic law, political power/implementation mechanisms, land use, private insurance, and terminologies.

During RWCs-SER’s initial discussions, both agreed to convene bilateral teams, as defined during the third round of talks, to compose of three members from each side and supervised by RWCs-SER members to “to work on the sections on the ARRD and National Industrialization and Economic Development (NIED).”

It added the bilateral teams will hold meeting in Metro Manila, Philippines or in a mutually agreed venue agreed upon by both parties.

The first meeting will be on April 20; meeting of the editing team to reconcile the draft minutes of the third round of RWCs-SER bilateral meetings on April 22; exchange of comments on the contentious provisions of the NIED drafts on May 2; meeting of the NIED bilateral teams on May 4; submission of reports of the bilateral teams to the RWCs-SER and submission of GRP’s comparative color-coded matrices on Environmental Protection and Rights of the Working People and Livelihoods to NDFP on May 19; exchange of draft minutes

7

of the fourth round of the suffer if a single death or RWCs-SER bilateral meet- disability will occur because of the consumption of a ings on May 20. chemically-laced coconut,” SCM said.

The group maintained from page 2 months’ time. It can kill that coconut farmers can the industry if not properly use biological control approach to combat cocolisap, addressed,” he said.

He added that some for instance, employing P606 million – P500 mil- a certain species of wasp lion for Basilan and P106 called Paratisoid tetratimillion for Zamboanga chus, a fly-like insect that – would be needed to re- belongs to aphytis family.

The Parasitoid tetratihabilitate and replant the chus, known as pest-predaffected areas.

While the plantation ator, can combat cocolisap areas are recovering, Qui- by laying eggs to its host. mpan said the PCA will (Antonio L. Colina IV / provide the affected farmers MindaNews) with livelihood projects like dispersal of goats and chickens, or other projects from page 2 reforested area of the that would fit the Muslim company will cover four farmers.

Cocolisap is an insect hectares like that of Butwith small, flat yellowish terfly Haven Lamesa Eco scale with semi-transparent Park in Quezon City.

He said he prefer the or whitish, waxy coversite within the reforested ing. A female cocolisap lays about 90 eggs over a area so that visiting school period of nine days and children will not only aphas a lifecycle of 32 days. preciate the several species Three species of co- of butterflies but to let them colisap have been identified learn the different kinds of in the Philippines: Aspidio- endemic trees.

The company maintains tus destructor, Aspidiotus a 120-hectare reforested rigidus, and Aspidiotus excisus. In other parts of area located within the the world, 66 species of mining area complex where Aspidiotus have already dipterocarp species including Lauan, Almont, Mobeen listed.

Aside from eradication, lave, Narra and Kamagong Quimpan said they also planted since 2010 are now employ pruning, spraying of fully-grown.

The sturdy trees can be insecticides, and injecting the trunks as interventions seen atop the hill on the original mine portal of to prevent infestation.

But the Save the Coco- the company and traversnut Movement (SCM), in a ing around the perimeters position paper, opposed the through Saga Shaft and chemical trunk injection the ongoing construction with neonicotinoids be- E15 Service Shaft and the cause it is “banned in most company tree seedlings countries” and is proven to nursery.

A site officer appointed be responsible for colony collapse disorder (CCD) by DENR will ensure proper among bee colonies, which maintenance of the butmay affect the bee industry. terfly sanctuary of which It also said that the the company will shoulder neonicotinoids is not 100 the salary.

Philsaga spearheaded percent effective and could even cause illness, dis- the planting of mangroves ability or death if the nuts covering five hectares in from the injected trees are the coastal areas of Barobo town in Surigao del Sur consumed.

“The coconut industry where 90 percent of the as a whole will suffer if plants have already surforeign buyers will refrain vived. It has also develfrom buying chemically- oped a 12-hectare giant laced coconut products bamboo farm situated near from the Philippines while the tailings ponds where the local industries that some 8,000 seedlings were depend on coconut will planted.

Pest...

Lopez...

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Thursday

billboard April 20, 2017

8

Smart shortlisted as Asia’s top digital services provider Smart Communications is one of only three companies shortlisted at the prestigious Asia Communication Awards (ACA) as the continent’s best digital services provider.

Also in the running for the award are Indosat Ooredoo of Indonesia and Singtel Dash of Singapore.

The winner will be announced on May 24 in an awarding ceremony in Singapore.

S m a r t ’s We l c o m e Change campaign has also been shortlisted as Best Brand Campaign, along with projects from the Bankai Group, Airtel Business in India, and Progresif Cellular in Brunei.

Organized annually by London-based industry publication Total Tele-

com, the ACA recognizes outstanding performance

by Asian carriers, multimedia content providers, vendors, and other communication service providers.

Digital transformation In 2016, Smart and parent company PLDT launched a $1-billion digital transformation program to enable their fixed and mobile networks to support the rising demand for digital services.

Smart has committed to progressively deploy LTE services to 95% of the country’s cities and municipalities by end-2018.

The company is combining low-band frequencies for better indoor penetration and wider coverage, with high-band frequencies for

additional capacity.

Smart has finished its LTE deployment in Boracay and Metro Davao, where average LTE download speed has quadrupled to 17 Mbps. Efforts are ongoing in Metro Cebu and Metro Manila, but improvements are already being felt. For instance, an average download speed of 16.3 Mbps and an average upload speed of 13.4 Mbps on Smart’s LTE service have been recorded in the southern Metro Manila cities of Las Piñas, Taguig, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa.

Welcome Change To communicate its digital pivot, Smart unveiled a new logo resembling the Greek letter Delta which means change. Smart

also launched the Welcome Change campaign to encourage Filipinos to empower themselves through digital and mobile innovations.

To help Filipinos discover what the digital life has to offer, Smart is expanding its library of relevant content through partnerships with the likes of iflix, Netflix, Cignal, ABS-CBN’s iWantTV, and recently, Fox. Smart is also partnering with device makers like Vivo, Oppo, O+ USA, MyPhone, and Starmobile to be able to offer smartphones, especially LTE devices, at different price points.

On top of these efforts, Smart continues to introduce affordable and value-packed products

such as GigaSurf50 which offers 1.3GB of data valid for three days, for only P50.

String of int’l accolades Smart has won several awards at the ACA, including Operator of the Year

in 2011 and 2012.

Last year, Smart TechnoCart – a mobile digital laboratory donated to public schools to develop literacy among kindergarten students – won the Social Contribution Award.