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Briefly Handicraft training DAVAO Ci t y - - H a n d i c r af t producers and exporters under the industry cluster teams of Bicol Wearables & Homestyles and Visayas Gifts Decors & Homewares are set to go to Japan for a benc hmarking mission from August 25 to September 2013 this year. Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya who endorsed the par ticipants for the twoweek mission to Japan, said these cluster teams under the National Industry Cluster Capacity Enhancement Project (NICCEP) will join a training program of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), titled “Research and Learning Japanese Market Trends for Natural Merchandise”. Ei g ht par t i c i pant s wh o will join this Japan mission are expected to study and benchmark on the latest bags, baskets and crafts design trends there that would eventually help them penetrate the Japanese market, according to Maglaya.

Reef bud project MAMBAJAO, Camiguin -- Some 450 reef buds were installed in three sites here, after typhoon Pablo ravaged the Cantaan Giant Clam Sanctuar y and shattered live coral cover in the island, last year. Each unit is a mixture of both organic and inorganic composite artificial reef, molded in coconut husk to mimi c un d er water calcification. This project was initiated to demonstrate application of successful coral reef rehabilitation technology. A technique, along with other local management intervention, devised to improve the country’s ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change.

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AS MINDANAO ENERGY SUPPLY DWINDLES

Another power barge ready for deployment By CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO Correspondent

Caraga region, ‘country’s poorest region no more’

P

O W E R producer T h e r m a Marine, Inc., which operates two power barges in Mindanao rated at close to 100 megawatts (M W) each, is prepared to bring another barge to the island if demand for electricity erodes the island’s alreadythin reserves further before planned new supply goes online.

J o v y P. B a t i q u i n , chief operating officer of the Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower) subsidiary, said in a recent interview that Therma Marine has barge/PAGE 11

WHERE’S THE ROAD? A motorist negotiates the heavily-flooded road in Brgy. Dayawan, Villanueva, Misamis Oriental as water overflows the spillway due to almost 4 hours of rain Tuesday night. Residents in the area are seeking government’s attention to solve the recurring problem during rainy seasons. photo by rolando sudaria

Gov’t to give a face, name for fisher folks By BUTCH D. ENERIO, Correspondent

UNIT II: One of the four units acquired by AboitizPower.

CLOSE to t wo m i l l ion f ishermen in t he entire country would soon have a face and a name t hat government could identify for support and for other benefits due them. The Bureau of Fisheries a nd Aqu at ic Resou rces (BFAR) 10 launched on Wednesday its regional task of implementing the national

prog ra m for mu n icipa l Fisher fol k Reg ist rat ion (FishR) in Cagayan de Oro City. The Northern Mindanao FishR was attended by more than 500 participants from cities and municipalities and provinces in Region 10 who will be capacitated as required under the Fisheries fisher/PAGE 11

BU T UA N C it y - - T he Caraga region has been out of the cellar as “the country’s poorest region,” a top regional trade and industry official told a press conference Monday. Director Brielgo Pagaran, Dept. of Trade and Industry Caraga Regional Director, in a press forum at the DTI regional office conference said for some years, the region which had been listed as 16th in the bottom as the Philippines’ “poorest region,” just a notch higher than the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Now it has jumped to 11th12th place, tying with Region V, following the region’s two consecutive years of high growth in its gross regional domestic product based on the 2012 first semester official provincial poverty statistics repor t of t he Nat iona l Statistica l Coordination Board released April this year, he said. Pagaran said however that Caraga has a lot more to do. “We should aim to be at the top five regions in the country,” he said. In 2010 and 2011 the reg ion’s g ross reg iona l domestic product registered no more/PAGE 11

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5 cities, 7 towns in Caraga in Top 50 most competitive BU TUAN CITY—Five cities and seven municipalities in the Caraga Region have made it to the top 50 in the country’s overall competitiveness ranking.

The Caraga cities that made it to Top 50 are Butuan City, the 4th in the list of “most competitive city” in the country; Surigao City (13th), Bislig City (36th), Tandag City (45th) and Cabadbaran City (49th). Relat ively, the municipality of San Francisco in Agusan del Sur was named a s t he cou nt r y ’s “most competitive municipality” among 163 municipalities included in the ranking. Department of Trade and Industry Regional Director Brielgo O. Pagaran explained that the rankings formed part of the highlights of the first cities and municipalities comp e t it ivene s s i nde x, which the NCC formally

u nvei le d to t he publ ic during the recent regional competitiveness summit held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City. T h e i n d e x pr e s e nt s economic development and competitiveness indicators at the local government levels. It was developed by the NCC together with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the INVEST Project. The index ranked the cities and municipalities by three main factors: economic dy na m ism, gover n ment efficiency and infrastructure. The data gathering was undertaken in partnership top/PAGE 10

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Business subject in high school urged

ENTREPRENEURSHIP, which is one of the key drivers of the economy, should be included as a subject in the high school curriculum to promote business growth and opportunities, Sen. Cynthia Villar said. Villar said small and medium-scale business create jobs and people exposed to entrepreneurship were more creative, have higher self-esteem and overall sense of control over their own lives. “Many experienced business people, political leaders, economists and educators believe that fostering a robust entrepreneurial culture will maximize … economic and social success,” she said. Villar has filed a bill titled “An act requiring inclusion of entrepreneurship as a separate subject in the high school curriculum.” She is a former college professor. Entrepreneurship is the practice of starting new businesses to fill up a need or a response to new opportunities. It range in scale from solo undertakings to major projects urged/PAGE 10

Gov’t poverty reduction trails growth THE government will most likely miss its 2015 target of halving poverty incidence to 16.6 percent, despite the rapid economic growth over the past two years. T he cou nt r y ’s g ros s domest ic produc t g rew

6.8 percent in 2012 and 7.8 percent in the first quarter this year, prompting debt w at c he r S t a nd a rd a nd Poor’s Ratings Services to label the Philippines as the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia. Pover t y incidence in the Philippines, however, was among the highest in the region as the economic growth failed to trickle down to the poor. Nat iona l Economic Development Aut horit y Director-General Arsenio Balisacan said under the Millennium Development Goa ls, t he countr y was supposed to lower poverty incidence to 16.6 percent by 2015 from 33.1 percent trails/PAGE 10

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AseanWatch

Exporters ready for AEC 2015 — Philexport THE Philippines is gearing to build export industries where it has competitive advantages and will enable the country to exploit opportunities arising from ASEAN integration come 2015. “It is important to note that the greater majority of our exports today are more and more being influenced by the dynamics of the global value chain,” said Sergio OrtizLuis Jr., Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) president, in a statement. Ortiz-Luis identified the big-ticket items and export winners, which include electronics and semiconductors, automotives and machineries, and consumer goods such garments, furniture and some agriculturebased products.

He said that services, being largely call centers and shared services of multinational companies, are investment-driven and also form part of the global value chain. Ortiz-Luis also cited the potential of creative industries particularly animation, mov ie ma k ing, book publishing and interactive media. He said t hat t he industr y and its stakeholders aim to expand indigenous exports that utilize mainly local raw materials and make full use of the creative energies of Filipino artisans, artists and craftsmen. These export products include fine and fashion jewelry and furniture and home furnishings. However, the export sector leader

underscored the bigger challenge posed by ASEAN 2015 in these sectors. “We produce almost similar products with those of our ASEAN counterparts. But our edge can come from our workers’ natural f lair for design, creativity and commitment to quality and hard work,” Ortiz-Luis said. He also cited various programs aimed at addressing gaps in improving productivity and efficiency of the workers. “This is imperative to help us comply with the regional and even global standards that are increasing in number and importance if manufacturers want to secure global markets,” Ortiz-Luis said. He said that the sector’s ASEAN 2015

agenda also cover facilitating a competitive currency, fast tracking infrastructure projects, institutionalization of the Export Support Fund starting in the budget year 2014, completion of reforms at the Bureau of Customs and the approval of relevant bills. “We are hoping that the next 18 months in preparation will be enough to put the country at the same level as our neighbors who have prepared ahead of us,” Ortiz-Luis said. The ASEAN market remains to be the Philippine second top export destination, accounting for a 22-percent share in the total merchandise exports in May 2013 at $1.2 billion. (MT)

firms skeptical One voice on China issues adopted US on AEC 2015 goal THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to try to convince China to hold “negotiations” instead of mere “consultations” for the crafting of the Code of Conduct (CoC) in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) when the two sides meet in Beijing in September. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretar y Albert del Rosario said that he and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh were able to convince China to draft a binding code in the region through negotiations and not mere consultations. “With solidarity and the intention of speaking with one voice, the ASEAN has taken the position that they will urge China to agree to an expeditious CoC,” he said. Del Rosario added that the 10-member-bloc ASEAN aims to turn the “consultations” to “negotiations” when China and the ASEAN countries meet at the end of August. Del Rosario said t he ASEAN bloc also agreed to allow Vietnam to speak to China on the CoC in behalf of the bloc. “For one thing we’ve voted to speak with one voice on

the CoC, and to that objective we have selected Vietnam to speak for all of ASEAN when it comes to CoC. We all want to make sure that ASEAN speaks truly with one voice, so we’ve elected a spokesperson to do this for us,” he explained. Del Rosario admitted that the meeting with China would not be that simple but he hopes that Beijing would agree with the 10-member countries. Vietnam is one of the six claimant-countries of the resource-rich region. Other claimant countries are China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam. The CoC was drafted under the 2002 Declaration on the Code of Conduct (DoC) that was signed by ASEAN and China to reduce adopted/PAGE 10

SINGAPOR E—Two leading American business groups have said US firms operating in ASEAN countries are skeptical the regional bloc can meet a 2015 deadline to establish a single market. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations has set 2015 as the target for creating a single regional economic market known as the Asean Economic Community (AEC). In a survey of 475 senior US business executives from the region–jointly conducted Representatives of China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations by the American Chamber of Commerce (ASEAN) pose for group photos during the opening ceremony of ASEAN- in Singapore and the US Chamber of China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kunming, capital of southwest Commerce–52 percent said they “do not China’s Yunnan Province on Jan. 25, 2011. think that the AEC’s goals will be realised by 2015.” Of those who doubt ASEAN will reach its deadline, nearly 60 percent “think that ASEAN will not reach AEC’s goals until YANGON—The incoming chairman We want to see an agreement within 2020 or later”. Only 23 percent of a ll executives of the Association of Southeast Asian our chairmanship,” Htut said. Nations said on Wednesday that it “But it takes both sides to tango. questioned believe that ASEAN will meet would rally the bloc into crafting a ASEAN is our friend and China is its 2015 goal, the poll showed. Despite their skepticism, the survey binding Code of Conduct (CoC) that our friend,” he added. would govern maritime disputes in But ahead of its chairmanship showed that US companies are optimistic of the ASEAN and the crafting of about overall business prospects in the the South China Sea. But at the same time, presidential the CoC, Myanmar said it would region. spokesman and Deputy Information confront allegations of human rights US firms said their level of trade and investment in ASEAN rose over the past Minister Ye Htut underscored the abuses in the country. need to strike a balance between President Thein Sein vowed to two years and expect this figure to climb advancing the ASEAN-CoC and tackle allegations of human rights, over the next five years. Indonesia was maintaining friendly ties with but added that he would keep the issue named the most attractive country for new of the Rohingya Muslim refugees business expansion, followed by Vietnam, neighboring superpower China. maritime/PAGE 10 Thailand and Myanmar. (MST) “We will try to push for the CoC.

Maritime CoC pushed

Angara, Aquino broaches need Gov’t prepares M’nao as AEC 2015 gateway for PHL to prepare for AEC 2015 TWO neophy te senators have co-filed a resolution seeking a Senate inquiry to determine the potential “risks and opportunities” for Filipino workers and industries that may arise from the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. Senators Juan Edgardo Angara and Paolo Benigno Aquino IV co-filed Senate Resolution (SR) 191, directing the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce to conduc t a n i nqu i r y, i n aid of legislation, on the impending integration to help the country prepare for and even take advantage of the “The Philippines should be well prepared in anticipation of the ASEAN economic integration and must be poised to take advantage of

the opportunities that will be brought by such initiative,” Angara and Aquino, who chair the Committees on Ways and Means and Trade and Commerce, respectively, said in SR 191. The AEC, the culmination of ASEA N ef for ts to achieve regional economic i n t e g r a t i o n b y 2 01 5 , envisions a single market a nd product ion base, a highly competitive economic region, a region of equitable economic development, and a region filly integrated into the global economy. The senators said the AEC “is supposed to be beneficial to the Philippines by promising equitable economic growth while spurring regiona l competitiveness, creating more industr y and jobcreat i ng oppor t u nit ies, removing barriers to free trade, and fostering a more

peaceful and cooperative relationship with member countries.” But they said that in a recent forum organized by the Management Association of the Philippines, “it had been repor ted t hat ou r financial institutions are not yet ready and need more time to prepare for the proposed

integration in 2015.” “ T here a re lo om i ng concerns that our domestic businesses, manufacturing industry and labor sector may not yet be ready to c omp e te a ga i n s t ot her ASEAN countries, as foreign businesses will be able to freely enter the country, prepare/PAGE 10

AS the Philippines gears up for its integration into a single ASEAN market in 2015, Mindanao pushes regional growth corridors as its gateways to the ASEAN Economic Community. “Growth corridors can spur economic activities in rural areas and urban centers, providing more opportunities for our industries and enabling them to participate in the ASEAN community through our export gateways,” said Luwalhati Antonino, chairman of Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA). Antonino said that growth corridors are development strategies aimed to accelerate economic development in Mindanao and designed to provide equitable opportunities for rural enterprises to grow and become more competitive. Called the Mindanao Innovation and Growth Corridors Development Program, MinDA has crafted its framework and is advocating the initiative as part of a larger and more long-term development program for Mindanao’s socioeconomic growth. In support of this, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said that it has allocated P34 billion for Mindanao’s infrastructure development for 2014. DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said that separate infrastructure support to Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) totaled P8.78 billion, inclusive of other projects funded from 2011. The presentation of other cabinet secretaries also showed support to the much needed infrastructure development in Mindanao. For one, DOTC will improve the transport gateway/PAGE 10

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CAAP lifts Zest Air suspension THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines lifted on Tuesday the suspension on Zest Airways “effective immediately,” but said individual aircraft will be released for flights only after these are inspected for airworthiness by the Flight Safety Inspectorate Service (FSIS).

Captain John C. Andrews, CAAP officer-in-charge, lifted the suspension slapped on the airline on August 16 for violating safety standards. “Release for aircraft for flight subject to inspection by F SIS a i r wor t h i ne s s inspectors. As of now, three aircraft has been released for flight,” he said, identifying them as Airbus A32Os with the registry numbers RPC8994, 8996 and 8993. “Other aircraft inspected requires closure on some open items, will be cleared once closed,” Andrews added. The low-cost carrier has a fleet of 10 Airbus A320s and one A319. In a statement, Zest Air said its operations will be resumed “as soon as possible.”

“ T he y have a l lowe d us so far three out of 11 aircraft. We are using them to mount rescue flights on flights cancelled because of the order,” Joy Caneba, Zest Air director, said in a text message. “We w i l l go back to normal operations as soon as possible and because of this we are more determined to be the best player in the market -- be bigger and give only best service to passengers,” she added. Earlier, Caneba said that all issues raised against Zest Air does not merit grounding of airline, adding that the compa ny is losi ng P70 million and 8,000 passengers are inconvenienced each day of the suspension.

The airline is ta k ing delivery of the two aircraft in the fourth quarter of the year. CAAP suspended Zest Air’s air operator certificate after the agency’s monitoring revealed that the carrier committed a series of serious deviations and infractions of the rules and standards prescribed u nder t he Philippine Civil Aviation Regulations (PCARs). In suspending the airline, the CAAP cited the following: • N o q u a l i f i e d accountable manager • Fa i lure to check aircraft logs, flight manifest, weather etc. • Failure to present to authorities the airman license • A s e r i e s o f occurrences that affected several flight operations • R e f u e l i n g w i t h passengers on board • Excessive flight duty time

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THINK

“Pork barrel turns lawmakers into swines”

Don’t defeat yourself

hink a minute.Recent studies show that only 1 A Minute out of 3 people have healthy By Jhan Tiafau Hurst self-confidence. That means 2 out of every 3 people simply don’t know the ability they already have to be successful, even though it’s right there in their hands! If you want others to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself first. Remember: “No one can make you feel inferior unless you let them.” A successful businessman says: “You can’t push anyone up a ladder unless he knows he can climb himself.” Think a minute.Recent studies show that only 1 out of 3 people have healthy self-confidence. That means 2 out of every 3 people simply don’t know the ability they already have to be successful, even though it’s right there in their hands! If you want others to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself first. Remember: “No one can make you feel inferior unless you let them.” A successful businessman says: “You can’t push anyone up a ladder unless he knows he can climb himself.” One of the most lethal weapons that will kill your success in life are these 2 little words: “I can’t.” Did you know people used to believe that if human beings traveled faster than 30 miles an hour it would stop our circulation of blood and kill us? Thank goodness a few people didn’t believe that silly, wrong thinking or we wouldn’t be riding in cars, busses, and flying on airplanes today. You’ll never know until you try. Roger Bannister was the first human being to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. But before he did it, most people in the world didn’t think it was even possible. Yet only a few months after Bannister did it, suddenly runners all over the world began running a mile in less than 4 minutes! If we believe something can be done, we’ll usually do it. hurst/PAGE 11

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IFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “… What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, in Matthew 16:26, the Holy Bible). -ooo “ABOLISH PORK BARREL”: Here’s one perspective on pork barrel funds, given by former Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson, in a privilege speech delivered on March 11, 2003 before the Senate: “Mr. President, I rise today on a question of personal and collective privilege. Last week, we passed the Senate version of the General Appropriations Bill of 2003. “No less than the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and principal sponsor of the bill aptly described the 2003 budget as “bare-bones”, thus appealing to his colleagues to contribute their share to arrest the projected budget deficit which our economic managers expect to hit the PhP300B mark by year-end. I now answer the call. “I call for the scrapping of a very corrupt and corrupting system in our political institutions. All I ask are a few minutes of your precious time - and of your mind. We

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now must move to abolish the akampi pork barrel system. We must Mo A ng Batas see its end during our watch By Atty. Batas Mauricio without need to mourn its loss. It is a virus of corruption that must die. -ooo “PORK BARREL GIVES US SHAME”: “And, there is no better hall on this space on earth to make it happen than the Senate---expectedly, a place of men and women with mature age, with honor, with dignity, with integrity. Further, there is no better time to declare its end than now, when the country’s budget deficit is at an alarmingly uncontrollable pace. For the past year, it was PhP213B. Of course, we do not believe the numbers. “One thing, I may say is apodictic. It is still counting. There is nothing in the pork barrel system that gives us batas/PAGE 11

K

Thrift banks

had the privilege of witnessing the changing of the guard of the Chamber of Thrift Banks during CTB’s recent annual convention. TG Limcaoco, president of BPI Family Bank, took over the helms of the chamber from Patrick Cheng, president of HSBC Savings Bank. It was an auspicious occasion for the thrift bankers whose convention theme was Building for Broader Horizons in 2013. The event was graced by BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr., BSP Monetary Board Members (Peter Favila, Andy Suratos, and this writer), Deputy Governor Nesting Espenilla, and other BSP senior officials. Gigi Montinola, president of Bank of PI, himself a former president of the Chamber of Thrift Banks, was also a guest and a resource speaker during the convention’s morning session. For our non-banker readers, thrift banks, refer to that classification of banks which consist of savings banks, private development banks and savings and loans associations. In terms of size and banking activities, thrift banks occupy a notch below commercial banks but above rural banks. Thrift banks focus on retail lending, specializing in such areas as small business loans, housing, auto and personal loans. I got my first car loan and subsequently my house improvement loan from a thrift bank. As TG Limcaoco aptly put it, “Thrift banking is not about thrift, but really, about financial inclusion. In the early days, and even up to today, thrift banks set themselves up in areas where the larger commercial banks were hesitant

ROSE MARY D. SUDARIA, Ph.D. General Manager

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to open.” Today, thrift banks are O ut present throughout the country By Ignacio Bunye through 1,600 branches, 70 per cent of which are located outside Metro Manila. It is estimated that thrift banks provide banking and bankrelated services to close to 5 million Filipinos. In 2012, the thrift banking i ndust r y g rew it s a sset s almost 10 percent to P666.17 billion. Compare that to the situation years ago when, as Gigi Montinola described it, “the sum of the entire thrift bank industry then (was) the size of one major thrift bank today, both from the asset and capital perspective.” With respectable asset growth and an expanding network, Limcaoco said: “We can and should be the engines of the countryside.” But to be able to do that we need “ to build our skills, our capabilities, our institutions so that we can do more for our customer base.” Taking the cue from the BSP, Limcaoco added: “We need to take a leadership role in financial literacy so the general population understands how to use the financial system responsibly and to their benefit.” The road ahead for the entire banking industry looks bunye/PAGE 11

SPEAKING

Spiritual investments and dividends

believe everyone likes to make money and really to be successful in business or in whatever endeavor he likes to get into. That desire is part of our nature, and is even sanctioned in the Bible when God told Adam and Eve to go and dominate the world. Making money is part, not of course the whole, of what is meant by dominating the world. I also believe that of all the businesses and endeavors we can get involved in, the most important and the one that would take care of all our other projects is that of taking care of our spiritual life. We need to be very good, shrewd businessmen in that area, an excellent, most creative and visionary entrepreneurs in that field. And the basis for this assertion can be that passage in the gospel where Christ says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” (Mt 13,46) In another part of the gospel, Christ talks of the parable of the talents that shows how he wants all of us to profit from the gifts he has given us. (cfr Mt 25) Those who do good business with their talents would be rewarded generously. Those who do nothing with their talents would be punished. Obviously, like in any business, to be successful in our spiritual life, we would have to make a lot of investments. I would say that in this spiritual business, there is no danger in being lavish with our investments, since unlike in our worldly businesses, this one is sure and guaranteed, whatever may be their outcome in merely human terms.

That basis for that assertion a re t he words of Christ and Traces himself when he said that By Fr. Roy Cimagala we have to love God with everything we have and to love our neighbor as ourselves. It’s commandment that is perfected with what he calls as the new commandment: to love one another as he has loved us. And that’s a love that goes all the way to death on the cross. We need to be keenly aware then that everyday we should be ready to make some investments in terms of prayers, sacrifices, self-denials, development of virtues, more recourse to the sacraments, more grounding in the knowledge of our faith, etc., in view of the potential dividends we can reap later on that are already guaranteed by Christ himself. We should have this kind of mentality if we are truly serious with our spiritual life. Our usual problem is that we often take this duty for granted, putting ourselves many times under the delusion that we can achieve holiness only with good intentions but without the appropriate deeds. And this duty can be carried out any time. It can always take advantage of any situation we may be in. And since ordinarily, our situation would just involve little things and affairs of our daily routine, this duty can and should cimagala/PAGE 10

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - (from left) Dorothy Pabayo, Chair City Tourism Council; Mrs. Arlene Moreno, City Tourism Council Honorary Chair; City Mayor Oscar Moreno; Roldan Yacapin - President of Florikultura de Oro; Eileen San Juan, Chair of the Fiesta Activities 2013; DOT-10 Regional Director Catalino "Butch" Chan III in the ceremonial ribbon cutting of the Florikultura Garden Show at the re-developed Duaw Park, August 19. (located below the tennis courts, near the St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral). Photo by Mike Baños

The MissCdeO 2013 Candidates in their swimwear. Photo by Glenn Palacio

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Capitol University - Graduate School (GS) and CU - Alumni Association awarded 2 plaques of recognition to Dr. Mitchel Villaceran - Rodriguez, Master of Arts in Education Batch 2007 and Doctor of Philosophy Batch 2012 graduate for having adjudged as one of the 10 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Teachers of the Philippines for 2013 and for living Capitol University’s core values of competence, character, commitment, and culture during the CU Graduate School Acquaintance last August 17, 2013 at VIP Hotel, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. (from left) Dr. Francis Thaise A. Cimene, Dean of the Graduate School, Professor Rolando L. Aligsao, President of the GS Student Body Organization Dr. Luvismin Sy-Aves, CU Vice President for Academic Affairs, Mr. Espejo J. Rodriguez, Dr. Mitchel’s husband, Professor Clifford Jose G. Roa, President of the CU Alumni Association, Dr. Mitchel V. Rodriguez, Metrobank Awardee, Dr. Fe R. Juarez, Capitol University Executive Vice President, Dr. Enrique S. Guevarra, Immediate Past President of GS Student Body Organization.

LEGENDS in CdeO. PBA Legends and Team CdeO clash in an exhibition game Saturday, August 17, at the Xavier University Gym. Cagayan de Oro 1st District Congressman Rolando "Klarex" Uy leads the ceremonial toss at centercourt. In Photo (from left) are PBA Legends Vince Hizon, Bong Hawkins and Marlou Aquino. Team CdeO's Mayor Oscar Moreno and Son Oscar Junior with Bal David and Kenneth Duremdes. PHOTO SUPPLIED

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with the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) in the regions. Caraga’s RCC submitted for ranking the region’s six cities and nine municipalities. NCC, Pagaran said, will be working for a wider rollout of the index to eventually include a ll LGUs in the future. (PNA)

Urged... from page 2

that require creating an organization. Villar, whose family is engaged in a multi-million real estate business, said future generations will benefit f rom ent re preneu r sh ip training and it will help Phi lippine economy to flourish. She sa id t he subjec t will teach such topics as management, fund sourcing, values and skills that business people need to compete in the various industries here and abroad. Entrepreneurship education in other countries starts in the elementary school and it progresses to high school, college and post-graduate levels, Villar said. (MST)

Trails... from page 2

in 1991. Data from the National Statistica l Coordination Board showed that as of the first semester of 2012, about 27.9 percent of the Philippine population still lived below the poverty threshold. Social Watch Philippines, a non-government organization, said despite the huge budget allotted for the conditional cash transfer program for the poor, poverty incidence has remained unchanged over the past six years, at 28.8 percent in 2006, 28.6 percent in 2009 and 27.9 percent in 2012. B a l i s a c a n , howe ve r, said the government was still committed to meet the poverty reduction target over the next two years. “It is very challenging but not impossible to reduce poverty effectively in the country,” he said. Ba lisacan said t he Philippines only started to grow strongly in t he past two years, making it impossible for the country to feel the effects of such growth immediately. “We have been growing at six to seven percent in the past two years,” he said. Malacañang welcomed the latest report by S&P which labeled the Philippines as the leading country in Southeast Asia in terms of economic growth. Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the S&P’s baseline forecasts projecting growth at 6.9 percent, 6.1 percent and 6.5 percent for 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively, was a welcome development. S&P upgraded the Philippines’ credit rating

to investment grade from “BB+” to “BBB-” with a stable outlook in May. “If you compared the economy to a pie, we are very pleased that international media, and also ourselves, we recognize that the pie has grown,” Lacierda told reporters at a press briefing. “We’re happy that the pie has grown—has grown bigger… It’s also important for us to ensure that more people get a slice of the pie, that’s what we call inclusive growth,” Lacierda added. The government’s National Statistica l Coordination Board, however, said the rich was benefitting more than the poor from the current economic growth. NSCB Secretary-General Jose Ramon Albert said the income of the rich Filipinos was rising faster than that of the poor. “We find that those from high income classes have incomes rising much faster than those in the middle and low income classes. While the high income class comprises only 15.1 to 15.9 percent of the total population, the share of their income to national income is about three fifths,” he said in a report about income equality in the country. Albert said that in 2011, the growth in the incomes of the upper income class in the country was 10.9 percent, much faster than the middle income group’s 4.3 percent and the low-income group’s 8.2 percent. Data showed that in 2011, the high-income group had a per capita GDP of P713,678, or more than four times the middle income group’s per capita income of P168,667 and more than 15 times the low-income group’s per capita income of P46,237. A lber t a lso sa id t he Philippines had one of the lowest per capita income in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “A m o n g A S E A N countries, Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia are the top three countries showing the highest per capita GDP in PPP dollars. For example in 2011, per capita GDP of Singapore is at $60,888; Br u nei at $51,76 0 a nd Malaysia at $16,051. The Philippines per capita is much lower at $4,119 and this is side by side with Indonesia at $4,636 and Vietnam at $3,412,” he said. President Benigno Aquino III, in his State of the Nation Address, vowed to further improve the lives of the Filipino people by achieving inclusive economic growth. “O u r s t r at e g y i s to maximize opportunities for all, especially for those most in need. We are not content to wait for the trickle-down effect,” the president said last month. (MST)

Adopted... from page 4

political tension and prevent claimant-states from acting aggressively on their claims. The drafting of the CoC w i l l be made to govern

maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Aside from the Philippines and Vietnam, other members of the Asean are Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Mya n ma r a nd Br u nei Darussalam. Earlier, Beijing said in a statement that it want to take the process slowly through three “effective” ways to resolve the dispute. The Coc has been pending for more than a decade but the push for its final draft had never been materialized especially after tension emerged among Manila, Hanoi and Beijing due to China’s intrusions into territories within the Philippines and Vietnam’s boundaries. Manila and Hanoi had been very vocal on Beijing’s aggressive stance toward the disputed islands, But recently, Vietnam appeared to have softened up and agreed on a maritime agreement with China that would protect both countries’ fishermen in the disputed sea. Despite this, the Philippines has remained firm in its position and even strengthened its military and naval capabilities with the help of its treaty ally, the United States. The “consultations” in September, which will be held in Beijing, marks the first time that China would be speaking to the ASEAN as a bloc. T he Asia n economic powerhouse has repeatedly frowned upon multilateral negotiations, and had insisted on bilateral discussions with claimant-countries. The relations between Manila and Beijing took a dip in April last year when Chinese vessels intruded into the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a Philippine-claimed territory that sits 124 nautical miles off the province of Zambales in Luzon. A naval standoff between the two countries lasted for more than two months with the Philippines eventually bringing the issue before the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (Itlos). Beijing ref used to participate in the arbitral proceedings, but Manila had pushed through with the case that would hopefully invalidate China’s “excessive” nine-dash line claim. (MST)

Maritime...

from page 4 out of the agenda. But according to Eva Kusuma Sundari, president o f t h e A S E A N I n t e rParliamentary Myanmar C a u c u s , t h e j u nt a - l e d government cannot hide behind the bloc’s policy of non-intervention to skirt the issue of violence against minority Muslims. “Myanmar cannot hide behind the non-intervention principle as the Rohingya has affected other members of the region, especially Malaysia and Indonesia,” Sundari said. Htut had said that the

2 014 cha i r ma n sh ip (of t he ASEAN) w i l l be a n opportunity to showcase the democratic reforms in Myanmar. “Even though Myanmar is a member of ASEAN, we are still considered the black sheep of the region. We want to reclaim our rightful place in ASEAN,” Htut said. Recent ly, China has agreed to consu ltat ions with the regional bloc amid concerns of militarization in disputed areas. After years of rejecting efforts to start talks for a binding CoC, Beijing has agreed to host talks between senior ASEAN officials in September. B e i j i n g , h o w e v e r, continues to intrude into Philippine territory, with the deployment of Chinese vessels have been deployed i n Pa nat a g Shoa l ne a r Zambales and in Ayungin Reef in Palawan, which are both within the country’s 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. The Chinese presence in both the Panatag and Ay u n g i n h a s a l r e a d y deprived hundreds of Filipino fishermen of their livelihood. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario earlier vowed that the Philippines would “exert efforts towards the early conclusion of a binding Code of Conduct.” Manila has adopted a policy of not engaging the Chinese intruders amid a pending arbitration case before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. China has refused to a c k now le d ge b ot h t he diplomatic protests filed by t he Ph i l ippi nes a nd the UNCLOS case which prompted the Philippines to ask the tribunal to issue a decision that would, among others: (1) declare China’s rights in regard to maritime areas in the South China Sea, like the rights of the Philippines, are those that are established by UNCLOS, i nclud i ng r ig ht s to a n exclusive economic zone and extended continental shelf; (2) declare China’s ma rit ime cla ims in t he South China Sea based on its so-called nine-dash line are contrary to UNCLOS and inva lid; (3) require China to bring its domestic legislation into conformity with its obligations under UNCLOS; and (4) require t hat Chi na desist f rom activities that violate the rights of the Philippines in its maritime domain in the West Philippine Sea. (MST)

Prepare...

from page 4 which is feared to cause more harm than good in t he re g iona l e c onom ic integration process,” they said. In view of such concerns, the senators believed the government “should consider the opportunities, risks, and implications of integration on the country’s inclusive growth strategy, ensuring that the inclusive growth

is not sacrif iced in t he country’s pursuit of global competitiveness.” For the same reason, they said there was “an urgent need to prepare the Philippines’ micro, small, and medium enterprise sector— which comprises 99 percent of the country’s economic backbone—to ensure that small players are not left behind in the integration initiative.” Among the questions to be raised during t he proposed Senate inquiry is the benefits to be derived by the Philippines from the AEC, considering that its major export partners a re most ly non-ASEA N members. Japan accounts for 18.5 percent of Philippine exports; t he United States, 14.8 percent; China, 2.7 percent, Hong Kong, 7.7 percent; and South Korea, 4.6 percent. “The Philippines might be at a disadvantage being geographically separated f rom t he ot her ASEA N countries in the region,” the senators said. The two senators also said it was the government’s responsibility to inform the people of the AEC “and t he resu lta nt r isk s a nd opportunities that go along with it, in order to better prepare for what lies ahead for the country’s workforce and domestic market.” “Our people have little awareness regarding the AEC in 2015, much less the actions necessary for the ASEAN integration, and the possible economic scenarios that will arise from such initiative,” they said. ASEAN groups Brunei, Ca mbodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Ph i l ippi nes, Si ngapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. (BM)

Gateway... from page 4

the transport and logistics system by rehabilitating 15 airports and 46 ports all over Mindanao. Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the Davao-Sasa port will undergo modernization and privatization, and the Davao International Airport will be improved in time for APEC in 2015, which the Philippines will be hosting. The DOTC will a lso complete the development of the new Laguindingan Airport and pursue the night-rating of Dipolog Airport, Ozamiz Airport and Cotabato Airport. DOTC will also undertake the P56.5-billion Central Spine RoRo Project to create the Manila-Panay-Negros-CebuBohol-Northern Mindanao route, cutting down travel time from Manila to Mindanao to about 20 hours. To enhance maritime connectivity in the region, the Asean RoRo Initiative will create a route between General Santos and Bitung, Indonesia, with the possible inclusion of Davao via a private port in Lanang. Antonino said enhancing infrastructure and logistics support in key production areas will improve Mindanao’s

connectivity within the islandregion and to the rest of the country, as well as to the ASEAN community. The program includes establishment of Mindanao Food, Agribusiness and Logistics Corridor comprising of Mati, Tagum, Davao, Island Garden City of Samal, South Cotabato, General Santos, and Sarangani, of which economic activities are largely on agriindustry, agri-processing, and mineral resource-based industry. Antonino also said that the improvement of the TagumDavao-General Santos road link and the proposed Davao City by-pass Road is intended to integrate these road networks to the Davao-General Santos City export gateway. The Mindanao Industrial Trade Corridor will encompass Surigao Nor te, Butua n, Pagadian, Dipolog, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and the rest of the Northern Mindanao province, while the Mindanao Food Basket Corridor covers Cent ra l Mi nda nao a nd Bukidnon. “Well-placed infrastructure will allow Mindanao’s top exports sourced mainly from rural areas to expediently reach urban centers for processing and marketing, and arrive at our export gateways faster and in better shape,” Antonino said. (MT)

Cimagala... from page 6

lived in those circumstances. The investments needed may just be a matter of more patience, more hope and optimism when the going gets a little rough, or giving more impulse of perseverance in our prayer when we feel a bit dry and uninspired to talk with God… It may e ven be t he resolution to smile more, to be more cheerful and positive in outlook and speech, if only to prop up an otherwise heavy atmosphere or drooping mood because of some unpleasant events. It may just be the resolve to give ourselves a little less comfort if only to follow what Christ said about entering by the narrow gate and avoiding the wide one. Sanctity, heroism and generosity need not involve extraordinary occasions to show themselves. They can and should be pursued and lived precisely in our little day-to-day affairs. That’s where we usually meet God, and where we prepare ourselves to meet and follow him when the circumstances demand extraordinary faith and effort on our part. Remember what Christ said: “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. And he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.” (Lk 16,10) Don’t you think this is the best business we can get into, since it’s what brings us to our ultimate end, and since it is very much doable and is guaranteed, besides, of success, by Christ himself? May we be generous with our spiritual investments then! The promised dividends are sure, tremendous and lasting.

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more barges to deploy, but that it will send a third barge here only if customers -consisting of distribution utilities -- will sign new supply contracts. “There are (customers) who have asked us (for more power), but we cannot just bring a power barge (to Mindanao) if no one signs a contract,” Mr. Batiquin said. T h e c o m p a n y, M r. Batiquin said, has a power barge stationed in Navotas that could be moved, but bringing it to Mindanao would “take a lot of resources and even preparation.” He said there have been t a l k s w it h prosp e c t ive customers, but nothing has been finalized. T he Web site of t he National Grid Corporation of the Philippines showed that Sunday -- when demand is supposed to be low -- saw Mindanao with a 17-MW deficit due to an estimated system peak of 1,211 MW that outstripped 1,194 MW in system capacity. This, despite recent rains. Mr. Batiquin said he expects the island’s situation to worsen again when summer months arrive. Hydroelectric plants -- particularly those at the Agus and Pulangi facilities -- which depend on rivers that risk running dry in the hot months, provide more than half of Mindanao’s power supply. The company already operates its two power barges moored in Maco, Compostela Valley and Nasipit, Agusan del Norte at an average of 16 hours a day. The two power barges, with combined capacity of 192 MW, have provided a palliative solution to the power problems of the islands since 2010. During the Mindanao Business Conference held here a week ago, business leaders asked the government to come up with permanent solut ions to t he power problem. Government projects that if all planned power projects are completed within the next two years, Mindanao will likely have a power surplus. Wit hin t he next t wo years, additional power of at least 500 MW is expected to be online when Therma Sout h, Inc., anot her AboitizPower subsidiary, and Conal Holdings Corp. of the Alcantara Group start operating their 300-MW and 200-MW power plants, respectively. Two other companies -SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. of San Miguel Corp. and FDC Misamis Power Corp. of Filinvest Development Corp. -- are building 600MW and 405-MW power plants, respectively. All these new plants are coal-fired, taking more of the burden for the entire island’s electricity requirements from hydro power. Therma Marine is

wholly owned subsidiary of AboitizPower, which in turn is the power generation and distribution arm of the Aboitiz Group. Therma Marine currently supplies a total of 70 MW to 12 power distributors in Mindanao: Agusan del Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Ag usa n del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Surigao del Sur I Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Surigao del Sur II Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Misamis Occidental I E lec t r ic C ooperat ive, I nc .; Sout h C ot abato I Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Sout h Cotabato II Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Cotabato Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Zamboanga del Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative, Inc.; and Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative, Inc. AboitizPower saw its net income decline by 25% to P4.9 billion last quarter from P6.6 billion in the same three months last year.

Fisher... from page 1

Code of 1998 that stipulates the registration of fisher folk. “For more than 50 years the fishery sector has never been given the attention it deser ves, particularly the people behind one of t he cou nt r y’s economic contributors,” said Asis Perez, BFAR bureau director, adding that “now we can give them a name and a face to properly attend to their welfare.” BFAR said that there are about 1.7 million fisher folk in the country that need to be identified, and at present only 85,000 have been registered. Perez said that FishR would address the backlog within one year, that by late 2014 a data base will be completed. He said that that despite the high in production of the fishery sector, many fishermen or 51 percent, have remained below the poverty line. “This has to be corrected and teach our fishermen, in particular those fishing in municipal waters, how to utilize the resources of the sea and in the process improve their living conditions.” Perez said. BFAR said that the fishery sector contributes about 80 percent to the economy that translates to about 4 to 5 percent of the gross domestic product. Perez said that FishR is the key to progress where it will validate whether government support reach the sector. BFAR said that those who will be registered are 18 years old and above who will qualify to members of Philippine Health Insurance. And once registered they are automatically insured by the Philippine Crop insurance Corp. where their coverage include accidents at sea or while fishing. Coastal and inland local chief executives and chairmen of the municipal/city aquatic

resources management will be oriented on the implementing guidelines of the Fisheries Registration System (FRS). The Provincial Fishery Of f icers, Municipa l Agricultural Officers and technicians, on the other hand, will be trained on F R S d at a m a n a ge ment system to faci litate t he reg ist rat ion proce ss a s project implementers, and they will be oriented on the mechanics of registration and the information education and communications (IEC) strategies that they can adapt in their locality. The said program is aimed at collating information as benchmark for nationa l database of fisher folk from the municipalities. The collected data would then be used in designing programs to aid the local municipalities for managing, re g u l at i ng , c on s er v i ng a nd prote c t i ng f i sher y resources and establishing a comprehensive f ishery information system.

No more... from page 1

at 8.5 percent, and on 2011 to 2012 a 10.6 percent. The total GRDP of Caraga at present, according to him, is P122.4 billion pesos. When Caraga first became a region, according to him, Caraga’s GRDP was at about P34 billion pesos in 1995. But according to him, Caraga Region has a P200 billion-peso GRDP potential. (PNA)

Hurst... from page 6

Too many of us spend our lives looking around instead of looking up to the One Who made us and knows our potential. So why don’t you look up to Jesus Christ today? Ask Him to take full charge of your life, personally and professionally. You’ll be surprised how much more you can do. Just Think a Minute.

Batas... from page 6

There is only everything t hat ma ke s u s h ide i n shame. It should not matter anymore under what name the system sounds. Be it the Countrywide Development Fund, or the Congressional Initiative Allocation, or the Priority Development Assistance Fund. It is, and will remain to be a fund of compulsive corruption. “The name itself traces its origin to the pre-civil war days in the United States when, in periodic fits of generosity, white masters would give their black slaves salted pork in barrels. More often than not, the eagerness of the slaves would result in ugly shoving and rushing to grab more pork than the others. The more pork one could grab for himself, the more triumphant he would appear than the others who were meek and reluctant. -ooo “PORK BARREL TURNS

L AW M A K E R S I N T O SWINES”: “We may not realize it, but the Filipino people would sometimes see us behave like slaves rushing to the pork barrel. A critic has a worse description - that of swines rushing to get more slabs than they can consume. “M r. P re sid ent , ou r countrymen expect to see every peso of their taxes wisely spent on every project. They become profoundly disillusioned every time they are robbed of it. Let me say now what they hate to hear. But they must hear what we have been afraid to say. “Under the pork barrel system, only less than half of the ta xpayers’ money actually goes to the programs of work. More than half habitually goes to the pockets of corruption. Occasionally, depending on the insatiability of the corrupt, a shameful twenty percent of the fund is left to finance the project. Holy mackerel!” There is more of this in next issue, God willing. -ooo REACTIONS? Please call me at 0917 984 24 68, 0918 574 0193, 0922 833 43 96. Email: batasmauricio@yahoo.com, mmauriciojr111@gmail.com.

Bunye... from page 6

rosy – thanks to a strong growthlow inflation rate scenario, a robust externa l position, stronger consumer confidence, and just a few days ago – a country investment grade rating.

But the industry needs to do more. To further broaden the thrift banking industry’s horizon, Governor Tetangco and Gigi Montinola left precious words of advice for the thrift bankers. During the recent Chamber of Thrift Banks (CTB) annual convention, BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr. and former CTB President Gigi Montinola, had these words of advice for the CTB. Specifically, the chamber could broaden its horizons by elevating its vantage point. In other words, thrift banks should see the big picture. Let me paraphrase Governor Tetangco. As market opportunities expand, we need to also work together so we can maintain strong credit discipline and avoid imprudent lending and investments. In a low-interest-rate situation, according to Tetangco, banks may be tempted to chase after higher yields. This should not distract banks from maintaining, even tightening, their credit underwriting standards not just for real estate activities (as the BSP recently mandated) but also for auto loans, credit card receivables and other consumer loans. “This is to ensure that we don’t end up financing lemons.” Tetangco also urged the chamber to also “actively participate in the culture and practice of financial education and consumer protection.” “These are not just fancy buzz words. In fact, in the BSP, we take these twin advocacies seriously. We undertake outreaches to raise

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the awareness of the financial consumer so that each of them can make informed saving and investment choices. “Thrift banks need to consider lending more to the MSME economic segment. A healthier MSME sector will help ensure our economic growth is broad-based and inclusive. “Thrift banks, however, must not just lend more in terms of nominal amounts. The challenge to the industry really is to ensure that such lending continuously creates further opportunities.” For his part, Montinola said that if he were still a president of a thrift bank, he would always keep the following in mind: “Product performance is now as important as personal relationship, and multi bank banking is becoming the norm, and not the exception. “Therefore, thrift banks must invest in analyzing customer needs, developing products to suit their needs, and training their staff to appropriately sell their products. “Second, bank owners in the Philippines must commit to professionalize their banks or fall by the wayside. Bank owners should stick to their other businesses and let the professionals run their banks. “Third, unless banking is your main business, I think that there are merits in either partnering with a number of other banks or even going in the merger and consolidation route. The alternative will be to keep the bank small and well managed, focusing on a particular niche area.” Points very well taken, indeed.

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