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Briefly ‘Same side’ P R E S I D E N T I A L Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda gave assurances Monday the Aquino administration is “on the same side” with the public in the fight against corruption, especially on the misuse and abuse of public funds.

Lacierda’s statement came as scores of thousands of angry, but civil, Filipinos -- including some government officials and prosecutors from the Dept. of Justice -- flocked to the sprawling bayside Rizal Park in Manila to condemn the misuse of “pork barrel,” public funds for local projects secured by legislators.

Banana congress KORONADAL City -- Banana industry stakeholders are heading to General Santos City for the Mindanao Banana Congress on August 29 -August 30.

The Mindanao Banana Congress, which will be held at Phela Grande Convention, is being spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture (DA) 12’s Regional Agriculture and Fishery Council (RAFC) and the Banana Industry Council Organization (BICOR).

R AFC head Dionisio Bautista said the assembly of banana industry stakeholders aims to gather stakeholders to showcase production and market opportunities; provide recent technology updates and best farming practices ; disseminate new and proven technologies for effective control of banana pests and diseases.

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‘Certify bill to scrap pork barrel urgent’ PROTESTERS CHALLENGE AQUINO

By NELSON V. CONSTANTINO Editor-in-Chief BUTCH D. ENERIO, Correspondent with Wire Reports

P

ROTESTERS may have failed to reach the projected one million mark at Luneta Park yesterday, but across the country ordinary c i t i z e n s s we l l e d i n numbers as they joined the simultaneous protest action dubbed “Million People March” calling for the total abolition of the graft-laden Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). bill/PAGE 11

BUTCHER THE CORRUPT. (R) Wearing a porcine mask and tightly tied-up, a barong-clad protester personifies a congressman embroiled in the scandalous pork barrel controversy during yesterday’s protest action in Cagayan de Oro City. Above photo, youngsters are among those calling to scrap the pork barrel fund. photos by rolando sudaria

Govt urged to use pork to ‘climate-proof’ PHL

By BONG D. FABE, Associate Editor

NO TO PORK BARREL. Some 300 protesters marching in Surigao City to join calls for the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel. mindanews photo by roel n . catoto

A GROUP of environment activists has urged government to legally divert the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel to fund measures that will “climate-proof ” the Philippines.

“The pork barrel should be abolished and its fund should be rechannelled to operationalize ‘climate priority’ policies and programs such as the People’s Mining Bill, the One Million Solar Roofs Bill and the National Flood Management Master

Plan, which will improve our climate resiliency and reduce climate changerelated disasters in the Philippines,” the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) said in a statement emailed to the Business Daily.

With at least 20 typhoons and storms visiting the Philippines annually, much-needed funds should be allocated to prepare the country for their impacts, which are being urged/PAGE 11

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Economy

SM to put up SMX convention center in CDO DAVAO CITY—After establishing SMX in Davao City, the SM group of tycoon Henry Sy is looking to bring the brand to North Luzon and the Visayas, riding on the growing meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions market.

“Clark is a very good candidate for North Luzon…We will have also in Cebu. I think the SRP (South Road Properties) project

is a possible facility for us. And we are looking at another one (also in Visayas),” SMX Convention Specialist Corp. general

manager Dexter Deyto told reporters here.

Deyto said they are planning to put up another convention center in Mindanao, this time in Cagayan de Oro City.

He said t hey intend to cover key destinations in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Deyto bared that while its flagship SMX in Pasay City is enjoying a high occupancy

rate of 65 to 70 percent, those of newer ones located inside SM Lanang Premier here and SM Aura in Taguig City are still low at 40 to 50 percent.

“It (market) is still predominantly domestic. So we really would like to see more events coming in very soon,” he noted.

SMX/PAGE 10

GPH, MILF achieve ‘substantial progress’ DTI-13 highlights in power sharing, normalization annexes accomplishments KUALA LUMPUR—The Government of the “During the four-day meeting, the for 1st semester Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has ended the 39th round of formal exploratory talks on a positive note, resolving several issues on the two remaining annexes on power sharing and normalization.

In a joint statement, the parties said they have achieved “substantial progress in the discussions towards finalizing the Annexes on Power Sharing and Normalization to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB).”

Parties worked towards the resolution of some of the most crucial issues. Despite the sensitivity of these issues, the Parties remain committed to the problem-solving approach in order to reach consensus,” they stated.

“In the spirit of partnership and mutual understanding, they are confident that an agreement will be reached soon. They agreed to meet again in September 2013.”

The parties also discussed the composition achieve/PAGE 10

B U T UA N C I T Y—T h e Department of Trade and Indu st r y (DT I) C a raga headed by Regional Director Brielgo Pagaran reported on Monday the highlights of its accomplishments for the first semester of 2013, as well as updates on the region’s economic development.

Pagaran bared that Caraga region now ranked 11th among the poorest regions in the country with a rate of 34.1% in the First Semester Poverty Incidence Among Families, and having P9,779 Per Capita Poverty Threshold in the first semester of 2012.

“The fact that instead of being No. 17 or being the poorest region in 2006 and 2009, the latest National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) report in 2012 has placed the region now at No. 11 to 12 tied with Region 5.

Trailing us are regions 10, Dti/PAGE 7

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2GO cites revenue improvement

Steve Ballmer has been CEO at Microsoft Corp for eight years, but he will finally get to move into the corner office vacated by Bill Gates, the college friend who brought him to the company nearly three decades ago.

Microsoft’s Ballmer, friend and foil of Bill Gates

SAN FRANCISCO - Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s outgoing chief executive, was a close friend of company founder Bill Gates, but in many ways his opposite.

Ballmer, known for his competitive nature and outspoken, bombastic style, contrasted with the famously nerdy Gates.

The two were close friends at Harvard University, but Ballmer managed to graduate, while Gates became one of the venerable school’s most famous drop-outs.

Ballmer, the best man at Gates’s wedding in 1994, joined Microsoft in 1980 as operations manager, after a stint with consumer products group Procter & Gamble.

A native of Michigan, Ballmer grew up in the Detroit area, where his father was a Ford executive.

Ballmer earned his Harvard degree in applied math and economics, and later attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

While Gates was the quiet, skinny computer nerd, Ballmer was a beefy, brash jock who liked playing basketball and once had to have surgery on his vocal cords after screaming out “Windows! Windows!” at a 1991 meeting in Japan.

Before becoming CEO in 2000, Ballmer was senior vice president of sales and support, senior vice president of systems software and vice president of marketing.

Ballmer/PAGE 9

Globe Telecom launches program for prepaid subs GLOBE Telecom says it has a new unlimited text and call program for prepaid subscribers that bundles the messaging services of some of the most popular free messaging service brands for only P 30 a day.

This was learned Sunday f rom t he mobi le phone company which launched the Globe Prepaid GoUnlii30 that allows subscribers to send and receive calls and messages via messaging services as Viber, Kakao Talk and Facebook

Messenger and other socalled over-the-top players without the need for Wi-fi or additional data charges.

Available for only P 30 valid for 1 day, Globe Prepaid GoUNLI30 allows subscribers to connect with Globe/TM network via unlimited calls and texts, with subscribers from other Philippine mobile networks via unlimited texts, and with over 1 billion users from all over the world via access to the different instant messaging apps. (PNA)

2GO Group, Inc. saw its bottom line swing to profit last quarter and in the first half, boosted particularly by improved revenues from its passenger service, according to a financial report the shipping f irm disclosed through the bourse on Friday last week.

Unaudited consolidated statements of income in the report showed the shipping firm recorded a P450.462million net income last quarter -- turning around from a P190.703-million net loss a year ago -- as revenues grew 16% to P4.184 billion from P3.607 billion, outstripping a rise in costs and expenses, which edged up just 1.8% to P3.569 billion from P3.505 billion.

Passenger revenues led earnings from other items like sale of goods and service fees, growing 15.09% to P1.196 billion from P1.039 billion, while freight revenues fell by 10.89% to P1.217 billion from P1.366 billion.

Second-quarter earnings drove the company’s bottom line to register a net income of P509.906 million in the first half, compared to a P403.926million net loss a year ago.

In the same comparative six-month periods, revenues grew by 11.74% to P7.683 billion from P6.875 billion, with passenger revenues rising

7.92% to P1.702 billion from P1.577 billion and freight revenues dipping 2.74% to P2.794 billion from P2.873 billion.

In comparison, costs and expenses slipped by 1.14% to P6.902 billion from P6.982 billion.

“During the first half of the year, its non-shipping businesses -- largely logistics and supply chain solutions -- rebounded with a hefty 31% increase as a result of various service upgrade initiatives and deliberate focus on key domestic and international

accounts,” the firm, which is a subsidiary of Negros Navigation Company, Inc., said in its report.

The report also quoted Su l f icio O. Ta g ud , Jr., president and chief executive of f icer of bot h Neg ros Navigation and 2GO Group, as saying: “We will continue to underta ke serious steps to f u r t her solid i f y ou r competitive position by r apid ly ex pa nd i ng ou r log ist ic s a r m w it h t he objec t ive of i ncreasi ng customer traf f ic a nd

solidif y ing our leading position within the areas where we operate…”

The company attributed lower ex penses “to t he stringent cost management and control as well as the rea lization of sy nergies arising from the integration of Negros Navigation and the 2GO Group.”

Vessels of the company and of another shipping firm, Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp., figured in a collision off Cebu last Aug. 16 that killed at least 81 people. The incident is under investigation.

Alsons unit to spend $292M for power plant SAN RAMON Power, Inc., a u nit of listed A lsons Consolidated Resources, Inc. (ACR), w i l l spend about $292 million to build a 105 -me gaw at t (M W ) coal-fired power plant in Zamboanga City, a company official said on Saturday.

“On the project cost, $292 million is the estimate; but as with most projects, there will be room for adjustment,” Oscar Benedict E. Contreras III, Alsons Power Group corporate communications manager, said.

M r. C ont re r a s s a id that San Ramon will start construction of the plant

“either fourth quarter of 2013 or by 2014 at the latest.”

“As to the commencement of operations, we are still targeting 2016.

We will determine exact 2016 date before we begin construction,” he added.

The project will be built in Sitio San Ramon, Barangay Talisayan in Zamboanga City.

A check with the Energy department showed that San Ramon is currently negotiating w it h power distributors in Zamboanga for sale of the plant’s output.

In December last year, San Ramon tapped Daelim

Philippines, Inc. as t he engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project.

AC R , t h r o u g h i t s subsid ia r ie s , pr i ma r i ly engages in power generation, prop er t y de velopment , mining and product distribution business.

The company, through Mapalad Power Corp., owns and operates the 98-MW Iligan diesel plant in Lanao del Norte. The company also operates a 100-MW diesel power plant in Zamboanga Cit y t h rou g h We s t e r n Mindanao Power Corp. and a 55-MW diesel plant in

Sarangani through Southern Philippines Power Corp.

ACR s aw ne t prof it climb 25.71% to P609.81 million in the first half of from P485.10 million in the same six months last year.

Revenues grew 12.75% to P1.68 billion from P1.49 billion, while expenses rose by 5.43% to P927.54 million from P879.77 million.

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Criminalize spitting in public places – Magsaysay A LAWMAKER has proposed to criminalize spitting in public places to prevent the spread of tuberculosis (TB) and other contagious and airborne diseases.

Rep. Eulogio “Amang” Magsaysay (Partylist, AVE) filed House Bill 299 or the AntiSpitting Act of 2013, which he hoped would also “help spread environmental and health consciousness among the citizens apart from changing societal habits and lifestyles.”

“With the occurrence of global pandemics like SARS (Severe Acute Respirator y Syndrome), bird flu and other contagious and airborne diseases, there is an urgent need to change hazardous society habits like spitting,” Magsaysay said.

The bill prohibits any person from carelessly or intentionally spitting saliva, phlegm, mucus or other substances from the mouth in public places such as city streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks, malls, markets, streets, public carriers, public halls, buildings, banks, public squares, terminals, shopping and business centers, schools, churches, hospitals and other similar areas.

Any person caught spitting in public places shall be fined with P500 for the first offense and P1,000 for the second offense.

The three-time offender shall pay a fine of P2,000 and attend a health seminar conducted by the Department of Health with the local health units or face a subsidiary imprisonment not exceeding six months or both at the discretion of the court.

Magsaysay filed the bill as he noted that spitting has been identified as one of the factors in the spread of TB, which, though curable, ranks sixth among the top leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the Philippines.

“Recent data reveal that the number of deaths due to TB stands at an average of 75 Filipinos every day. It is contagious and airborne as mycobacterism tuberculosis, the bacteria, which causes TB, can survive in a dried state for weeks up to eight months,” Magsaysay said.

According to Magsaysay, Metro Manila mayors approved a resolution in 2003 prohibiting spitting in public places as a means to combat Severe Acute Respiratory Spitting/PAGE 10

DENR-Caraga to use drones Solon files bill regulating importation, Bill banning in campaign vs illegal logging sale of toys with toxic substances use of styrofoam SURIGAO CITY—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Caraga Region is going hi-tech in its campaign against illegal logging.

It wants to use unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in an effort to closely monitor the activities and movement of timber-poaching operations in the remote mountain areas in the region.

Nonito M. Tamayo, regional executive director of DENR, said that the agency is adopting the unmanned aircraft, popularly known as drone, developed by Filipino scientists and engineers.

Skyeye Inc., the operator of the UAV, gave a briefing on operating the drone to DENR officials in a move to have a better understanding and appreciation of the technology.

Tamayo said that the DENR will have this technology

by September.

He said the cost of operating the drone depends on the project. But he said that in the case of one project, flying over the area costs around half a million pesos.

Tamayo said that several attempts have been made in the past to solve illegal logging activities but little breakthrough has been achieved so far.

“We cannot afford to relax our campaign. Those timber poachers and log smugglers are always there waiting for every opportunity to break in and transport those illegal logs,” he stressed.

But the UAV, he said, will help the DENR stand in the way of the illegal loggers.

Tamayo said the UAV technology is expected to minimize the high risk of lives among DENR personnel engaged in anti-illegal logging campaign at the front lines.

Some anti-illegal logging advocates said that the planned use of the UAV is “an excellent idea.” drones/PAGE 10

A LAWMAKER from Mindanao has sought the regulation of importation, manufacture, sale and distribution of kids’ toys, articles and school supplies laced with toxic and hazardous chemicals to protect children’s health.

Rep. Anthony del Rosario (1st District, Davao del Norte) authored House Bill No. 62, to be known as the Safe and Nontoxic Children’s Products Act, pursuant to Section 15 Article II of the Constitution which states that “the State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them.”

Del Rosario filed the bill as he expressed alarm over the presence in the local market of children’s toys, articles and school supplies, which contain toxic and hazardous substances that are dangerous to kids.

He cited the result of the test conducted by the environment watchdog EcoWaste Coalition in July 2011 using screening technology utilized by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the United States of America.

“The test yielded disturbing and alarming results: 30% of the 200 local and imported toys were tested positive of at least one toxic metal while some even contained more.

In the samples tested, six toxic metals in the Priority Chemical List such as lead, antimony, cadmium, mercury, chromium and arsenic were discovered,” Del Rosario said.

“Exposure to these toxic chemicals

can cause adverse health effects ranging from ast hma and a l lerg y sy mptoms, acute poisoning, neurological disorders, hyperactivity, deficits in fine motor function, lowered intelligence performance, kidney and skin problems and even cancer among others,” Del Rosario stressed.

Del Rosario said regulation of these products is necessary to protect the health and welfare of the children.

The bill provides for the creation of the Children’s Product Safety Council composed of the secretary of the Department of Health as chairperson, Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry as vice chairperson and secretaries of the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Interior and Local Government, Education, Finance, director of the Food and Drug Administration, the National Consumer Affairs Council as well as representatives from government and non-government organizations engaged in consumer rights and and environmental protection as members.

The CPSC shall, among others, provide coordination and linkage mechanisms between and among its members, government agencies concerned, local government units, the private sector and other stake holders.

The FDA shall serve as CPSC’s secretariat and operational arm.

The bill mandates the DOH to establish a website to be maintained by the CPSC, which shall provide basic data on manufacturer, files/PAGE 10

pushed

A MEASURE was filed in the House of Representatives on eliminating styrofoam in fast food chains, restaurants and other food establishment.

House Bill 6836 author Manila Rep. Ma. Theresa Bonoan-David said styrofoam “is equally, if not a more dangerous product to health and environment compared to plastic products or materials.”

She said the material bears the trade name polystyrene, a petroleum-based plastic, which is very light weight, because it was produced with 95 percent air filling.

The main component of the material is controversial, the proposed measure noted.

“Styrene is a possible carcinogen, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Workers producing polystyrene and other styrene products have reported acute problems as well including headache, skin and eye irritation, breathing problems and gastrointestinal maladies,” Bonoan-David said. pushed/PAGE 10

DavOr congressman lauds nomination of Mt. Hamiguitan in World Heritage List REPRESENTATIVE Nelson Dayanghirang (1st District, Davao Oriental) has lauded the nomination of another natural wonder in the Philippines in the list of United Nationsprotected world heritage sites for its outstanding universal significance.

Dayanghirang, the vicechairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Transportation in the 15th Congress, said the inclusion of Mt. Hamiguitan as one of UNESCO’s heritage sites is a recognition that the country has very important ecological jewels that may contribute to human knowledge and advancement.

“This recognizes an urgency to protect these jewels from deterioration and neglect as we should to our environment in general,” Dayanghirang said.

Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary in Davao Oriental, one of the habitats of the rare Philippine eagle, is among the 32 sites nominated for inclusion in the World Heritage List.

According to the UNESCO website, Mount Hamiguitan is highly significant to the Philippines’ status as the 7th of the 17 biologically rich countries of the world.

T he U N E SCO website added that this sanctuary is a conservation interest at the

national level. At a global scale, it is known to be a habitat of globally important species of plants and animals.

T h e Wo r l d H e r i t a g e Committee of UNESCO is set to consider the inscription of the new sites during its session from June 16 to 27 in Cambodia.

If considered a world heritage site, Mount Hamiguitan will bring to six the total number of UN-protected areas in the Philippines.

The other f ive are the Tubbataha Reef, the Cordillera Rice Terraces, the Puerto Princesa Underground River, the town of Vigan, and local baroque churches. (HoR)

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UN tells big firms to report their environmental impact UNITED NATIONS/OSLO—Big companies shou ld re por t t hei r i mpac t on t he environment in addition to their earnings under a UN plan to boost economic growth and ease poverty by 2030, according to recommendations by a panel of world leaders released recently.

Slowing climate change and protecting the environment should be at the core of global development, said the 27-member panel, led by British Prime Minister David Cameron, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

“There is one trend - climate change which will determine whether or not we can deliver on our ambitions,” the report said. “Without environmental sustainability,

we cannot end poverty; the poor are too deeply affected by natural disasters and too dependent on deteriorating oceans, forests and soils.”

The report recommended 12 so-called illustrative goals to replace eight Millennium Development Goals that were aimed at reducing poverty and hunger. Those goals were agreed to by world leaders in 2000 and expire in 2015.

The goals recommended will be the basis for a two-year debate among the 193 UN members on a development agenda for 20152030. Like the Millennium Development Goals, which included a bid to halve extreme poverty, any specific new numeric targets will be non-binding.

Among the recommendations, the 69-

Girl scouts try hand at media production for environment VERY seldom do we encounter a gaggle of kids who are able to contain their enthusiasm despite the exciting work at hand. For the second time, we proved that the girl scouts are generally a refined, disciplined lot, eager to learn and share and admirably, can work despite severe time constraints.

Coming from all over the eastern seaboard of Mindanao were 72 girl scouts and 30 adult troop leaders who spent the weekend with us in the vast sprawl that is Camp Alano in Davao, a good half hour from the airport. The GSP camp sits on a five-hectare tree-lined property which the amiable Naty Genargue, Eastern Mindanao regional executive director, described as “given by God for girl scouts to mind as stewards.”

The pre-workshop measurement pegged the participants’ level of knowledge about photography and videography at four percent.

For under 24 hours spread in three days, the participants of the media training organized by the National Council for Children’s Television yielded a total of nine short films and scores of eloquent photographs. By workshop’s end, the post-test score on learning had jumped by two percent.

The works were tweaked around climate change for thematic focus. Nina Lim Yuson, president of Museo Pambata and herself a senior executive of the national girl scouts movement ran a pace-setting session discussing the environment.

Noted children’s TV writer Doc Luis Gatmaitan held the class spellbound with his engaging discourse on scripting while young media mentor PJ Veril guided everyone through other modules with the help of Kayla Lapiz.

Veril recounts that everyone was floored by the best production, a comic story about how a tech-savvy girl, who uses electricity profligately, turns over a new leaf after a near-gothic encounter.

“Most works were about saving electricity, some portrayed how a child can be of great help in saving the environment, while other works showed how parents sometimes don’t measure up to what is asked by proper segregation,” explains Veril, the course director. (MB)

page report said large businesses should be obliged to report social and environmental impacts, in addition to their financial accounts. About a quarter of businesses now make environmental reports, it said.

“We suggest that a mandatory ‘comply or explain’ regime be phased in for all companies with a market capitalization above $100 million equivalent,” the report said. “The same principle should apply to governments. National accounting for social and environmental effects should be mainstreamed by 2030.”

Last year, Britain became the first country to force major companies to publish their greenhouse gas emissions in corporate earnings reports. The requirement applies to 1,800 companies listed on the London

SoCot to showcase ‘best environmental practices’

GENERAL SANTOS CITY—Environment personnel in South Cotabato province are pushing for the establishment of a special facility that will serve as a venue to showcase the province’s best environmental practices.

Siegfred Flaviano, acting Provincial Environment Management Office chief of South Cotabato, said Thursday t he initia l preparations are now underway for the development of a multifunctional environmental complex in Koronadal City.

Dubbed Integ rated Provincial Environment Management Center, he said the planned facility w i l l ma i n ly ser ve a s a demonst rat ion center for t h e pr o c e s s i n g or production of various “ecofriendly” products through recycling and other “green” technologies.

“We’ ll be showcasing env i ron ment-f r iend ly technologies and products like bricks and bags that are made out of recycled waste materials,” Flaviano said.

The complex w ill be used as storage area for confiscated illegal logs, other products and paraphernalia as well as serve as a training center and venue for various env i ron ment-related

activities.

The official said they are planning to utilize the center for the production of vermicompost and as a treatment facility for hospital wastes.

He said it will mainly cater to the five public hospitals t h at a re op er ate d a nd supported by the provincial government.

The waste treat ment facility will also be opened later on to the province’s 17 private hospitals, he said.

“The establishment of facility is not only beneficial to our environment but also makes good business sense,” Flaviano said.

Based on the project’s development plan, it will be constructed on a progressive basis and its full completion will take about five years.

Flaviano said he recently d iscussed w it h Sout h Cotabato Gov. Daisy AvanceFuentes t he details and development plans for the project, which will require a funding of around P25 million. (PNA)

quality and technical issues.

“We are the only country in the world that uses CME in diesel and yet government

did not conduct independent studies when they mandated the initial 2% blend. Despite repor t s of re sidue a nd microbial contamination in CME, there are now moves to increase the CME blend to 5%,” KKK Executive Director Dr. Ed G. Alabastro said.

“A s a p i o n e e r i n using CME , isn’t it our responsibility to conduct more comprehensive and scientific tests not just for our own use but something we can share with the rest of the world?”

Alabastro said that he has encountered reports of residues and bacterial growth in diesel with a 2% CME blend. These residues reportedly cause fuel line clogging in storage tanks KKK/PAGE 10

KKK to gov’t: Slow down on CME ENVIRONMENTAL group Kaibigan ng Kaunlaran at Kalikasan (KKK) urged the government, specifically t he Nat iona l Biof uels Board (NBB), to go slow on proposals to increase the level of Coco Methyl Ester (CME) in diesel from current 2% until extensive i n d e p e nd e nt t e c h n ic a l studies are conducted.

Ot her w ise, it sa id, government may be misdirected in mandating the planned increase which will directly affect millions of vehicles and motorists as well as industrial facilities.

In a statement, the group said that since the passage of the Biofuels Law of 2006 (R A 9367) 6 yea rs ago, the NBB has not done any comprehensive and scientific

study on the effects of CME in vehicles and industrial engines such as for power plants despite reports of

Stock Exchange.

Jim Leape, director general of the World Wide Fund for Nature, said this was a welcome change from the earlier goals which he said had barely addressed the environment.

“Nearly fifteen years on, there is finally recognition that poverty cannot be eradicated and the well-being of people across the globe cannot be secured without addressing the grave pressures on the environment,” he said in a statement.

The UN panel proposed goals for 2030 such as doubling the share of renewable energy in consumption, phasing out harmful fossil fuel subsidies and doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency from buildings to transport. (APM)

Lake Sebu, the famous tou rism destination and environmental showcase of South Cotabato is in danger of being a “Paradise Lost” because of pollution due to the operations of fish cages in the world-famous lake.

SoCot creates pollution control officers pool GENERAL SANTOS CITY—To enhance its campaign against pollution, the provincial government of South Cotabato has established its own pool of pollution control officers (PCO).

Siegfred Flaviano, acting South Cotabato provincial environment management office chief, said they have assigned some of their personnel to undergo the basic course for designated pollution control officers and eventually seek proper accreditation.

He said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Environmental Management Bureau and the Philippine League of Local Environment and Natural Resources Officers have agreed to facilitate the accreditation of the province’s PCOs. “This is part of the national government’s efforts to devolve the duties and responsibilities to local government units (LGUs) in controlling pollution,” he said.

Flaviano said it is important for LGUs to have their own accredited PCOs so they can immediately act on problems and implement pollution control regulations and measures within the area’s 10 towns and lone city.

Flaviano said PCOs will also be tasked to spearhead the planning for the proposed establishment of waste water treatment facilities at the city and municipal levels in the province.

The basic course for the designated PCOs covered modules on the program and their roles; the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999; Toxic Chemicals and Hazardous Waste Act; basic standard air sampling methodology; water quality guidelines; water effluent standards; water sampling methodology; pollution adjudicatory board rules and regulations; and, self-monitoring report and permitting requirements.

The duties and responsibilities of accredited PCOS include the implementation of “devolved functions to LGUs and coordinate the pollution control and prevention creates/PAGE 10

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Procrastination is a thief of dreams

My way

T

THINK

hink a minute…A little boy was not obeying his A Minute mother.

By Jhan Tiafau Hurst So she told him to sit down and stay there until she said he could stand up again.

The little boy angrily sat down and said: “I’m sittin’ down, Mom…but inside I’m standing up!”

There was a popular song made famous by Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, and Elvis Presley called “My Way.” It’s about a man at the end of his life who’s proud of how he lived, even with all his mistakes, because he says, “I did it my way!”

That song was so popular because it says how we all feel: I’m going to live my life my way and be my own boss!

I’m not going to let anybody tell me how to live—not even my Maker.

Remember John Lennon of the Beatles?

He and his fellow Beatles helped lead the rebellion of the 60’s against many traditional beliefs and lifestyles.

They also made popular the use of both marijuana and hard drugs.

Many of their followers and fans often boasted that the secret to a happy life was simply to live for today.

The problem was they were so high on drugs they never knew what DAY it was!

John Lennon was also very proud of being a devout atheist.

He did not believe in God. In fact, in 1966 John Lennon said: “Christianity will die out.

We, the Beatles, are more popular than Jesus now.

I don’t know which will go away first: rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity.”

Then Lennon himself was the first to go when he was suddenly shot and killed on the streets of New York City.

You see, our Creator gave us our freedom so we can choose whose way we want to live: His way or our way.

But Jesus strongly warned us that our way is definitely the wrong way; because no matter how hard we try we can’t ever be fully satisfied by living our way.

What’s worse, Jesus said it will only lead us into hell - a hurst/PAGE 9

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“Whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” (Colossians 3:23).

W

hen I open my eyes to a glorious new morn, I take a few more luxurious minutes in bed stretching & anticipating my day. I always face the day excited and happy. I take my time browsing over some spiritual reading, then on to a slow breakfast & idle chatter with members of the family.

These rituals are enjoyable & harmless by themselves.

But before I know it, my morning is gone. The tiny minutes frittered away on some pleasant indulgences soon add up to huge chunks of valuable time lost. The sad part is, they have become a habit with me, and have set the standard of a pampered life. I didn’t realize it, but I have become a slothful person.

I can argue that I deserve this. That I am just enjoying the well-earned fruits of my labor. Didn’t I work myself to the bone for the past 3 decades?

The sluggard will find nothing wrong with a lifestyle of comfort & ease. But for a person with a purpose, for a worker in God’s vineyard, this is disgraceful behaviour.

L

T

“Resign, so new elections can be held”

IFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “…The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth…” (Psalm 34:15-16, the Holy Bible).

-ooo “RESIGN, SO NEW ELECTIONS CAN BE HELD”: Beatriz Gonzales of Camarines Norte (according to her Facebook profile, that is) has been sending quite many a reaction to what I have been writing in this column, and the latest of those reactions pertains to our column entitled “Hoodwinking Filipinos re: pork barrel”. Interestingly, Beatriz is saying that, based on the latest pork barrel scandal, Filipinos need “a fresh beginning, from a clean slate”.

Here is the entirety of her view, also posted in Facebook, on August 25, 2013: “It takes an upheaval for us to realize what kind of government and most politicians we have now. With our electoral processes hijacked thru pcos (precinct count optical scan machines), we have no way to (rightly) choose our leaders anymore except, God forbid, (through) radical means.

“Sana mag-resign na lang lahat (sila in the) interim (I hope all of them would resign in the interim); palitan (ang mga nasa) Comelec (change those who are with the Commission on Election, with persons) from reputable academe (or, maybe, academic institutions) and conduct manually (a genuine) general elections. We need a fresh

W

I will not call myself lazy. he usiness I can be counted on to deliver O f H appiness a good job. The problem is, I

By Girlie Gualberto-Suan know I can do better.

The good job can still be transformed into a masterpiece.

And I should not just deliver, I should yield an abundant harvest.

If we are not giving our very best to our work, to living a life of victory, then we have to concede that we are slothful people. We can do more, but we are procrastinators.

I’m not talking about being busy. There are countless persons who have their nose relentlessly on the grindstone.

For them, life has become a never-ending drudgery of toil and work. A donkey’s world.

I’m talking about the majority who can’t seem to harness their time, energy and willpower for greatness. suan/PAGE 7

B

K

beginning from a clean slate. akampi That is the long and short of Mo A ng Batas it.”

By Atty. Batas Mauricio -ooo SPIRITUAL UPHEAVAL N E E DE D F OR R P : My reaction: “Salamat sa Diyos sa Ngalan ni Jesus, Beatriz Gonzales. But what kind of an `upheaval’ are we looking at?

We already have the Revolution of 1896, the Revolution of 1986, and the Revolution of 2001 (or 2000, I do not care to recall now, for that, too, is the greatest waste of all), but look at where we still are at present.

“The upheaval we really need is a `spiritual upheaval’, not only for our leaders, but for our people as whole as well.

Let us try to move heaven and earth so we can bring our people, of any faith or religious denomination, to be more `spiritual’, or more godly, by reading their respective Holy Books, and then meditating on them, and then carefully obeying them.

“Then and only then will we have real change hereabouts.

Otherwise, we are doomed to really be destroyed, as the Holy Book of the Christians in our midst is saying.” batas/PAGE 7

Joy in this vale of tears

e have to learn how to find joy in this world that is often called a vale of tears. We cannot escape from disappointments and frustrations in this world, to say the least. And we even have good basis to expect great suffering and painful contradictions.

Finding joy is a matter of choice. If we want it, we will have it. If we look for it, we surely can find it. What we have to avoid is the attitude of simply waiting for it to come. More than that, we have to make sure that our understanding of joy is the right one.

We should dodge the many bogus but showy, noisy and seductive ones that proliferate around. They at best can give only some measure of escapism, but not real joy. We should ward off feelings of envy toward those who may appear to be enjoying life because of these false causes of joy.

So we should try our best to exert the effort to look for the true reason for joy that can express itself in many, very varied ways. Let’s avoid being casual or cavalier about this task. With current world conditions that burden us with many pressures and problems, our laxity in this duty to find joy can be very costly, even fatal.

To put it bluntly, true joy is matter of being with God. We cannot have it any other way. Joy derived simply from some earthly and temporal good or value does not last. It may appear to last for quite a while, as sometimes happens.

But it certainly will not last forever. It simply does not have what it takes.

Joy as a product of being with God will certainly involve some suffering in this life of ours in this world. We can only have the joy of bliss, of pure happiness in heaven.

But in this life, our joy will always be accompanied by

the cross.

At least three reasons and Traces can explain that. First, our By Fr. Roy Cimagala natural human condition alone generate tension due to the many parts and aspects of our life that we need to coordinate and integrate.

Second, our nature has been wounded by sin that in itself already causes all kinds of suffering, from the most simple ones to the most complicated and ultimate one, like death.

Third, coping with the consequences of sin, trying to recover what we think is our original state proper to us, attempting to heal what is wounded, certainly inf licts some pain to us also.

Yet, in all these, we can always manage to find joy if we only know how. And that is to be with God who makes himself available to us by sending his Son to become man, Jesus, and who in turn has left us his very own self through the Holy Spirit respiring in the doctrine of faith, the liturgy, especially the Holy Eucharist, and the Church in general.

Only in Christ would we know how to derive meaning and joy in the many predicaments we can encounter in life. Christ shows us how to live our life in this world. It will always be a life of joy in spite of, and even because of, the pains and sufferings. cimagala/PAGE 7

HINTS

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7

Bukidnon towns receive P23.9M worth of infrastructure projects. “Hinaut unta ampingan kini nato…kung gusto pa nato nga ma-sustain ang maong proyekto ug modugay, ato gayud ning mentinahon (We hope that you would be able to maintain the project, if we intend to make it last.),” says DA-10 Regional Technical Director for Operations Roxana H. Hojas (top right photo, extreme left) to the beneficiaries of the newly upgraded 2.265-km Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) project (bottom right) in Dahilayan, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. The said project is funded through the Mindanao Rural Development Program-Adaptable Program Loan Phase 2 (MRDP-APL 2) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) which implements poverty-reducing interventions in rural farming communities across Mindanao. Moreso, the town of Kibawe also receive assistance for the rehabilitation of the 3.784-km Labuagon-Vialan-Old Kibawe FMR (bottom left). Manolo Fortich Mayor Rogelio N. Quiño (top right photo, 3rd from right) and Kibawe Vice Mayor Luciano Ligan (top left photo, extreme right) accepts their responsibilities for the proper operation and maintenance of the infrastructure projects in their respective towns which will benefit 701 farming households with an influence area of 1,770 hectares where corn, cassava, coffee, coconut and other high value crops are grown. The newly constructed road sections amounting to a total of P 23,902,331.84 opens more opportunities for development of potential areas surrounding it, makes hauling and transportation of goods easier and is also seen to boost the agri-tourism industry of the above-mentioned towns. # (VANESSA MAE S. SIANO, DA-RAFID 10)

Suan... from page 6

Your dreams are too wonderful to dump in the garbage bin of procrastination.

How do you know if you are a procrastinator?

If you are just taking tiny baby steps toward your dream, making soft little decisions, never straying from your comfort zone, and easily cast down by excuses, you are a procrastinator.

Be bold. Ride life like a bull. Take it by the horns.

Procrastination is not only a thief of time, it is also a stealer of dreams.

The longest job to finish is the one that took you too long to start.

T he work you ke e p postponing, is the work you won’t finish.

A work once begun, is already half done.

Everytime you plan to do your work tomorrow, or next week, or very soon, your dream is sailing farther away from you.

The best time to build your dreams was a decade ago; but the next best time is right now!

So how do we demolish o u r t e n a c i o u s e n e my, Procrastination?

Focus all your attention and determination in doing the work that needs to be done at hand. Do it immediately.

Instantly. Right away.

Without delay. Pronto!

Don’t wait until some

conditions have been met, or some other chore has been accomplished first, or when you are feeling good, or in the mood. Just jump right in. Attack the task.

When you feel overwhelmed at the enormity of your goal, ask yourself, what’s the next step?

Then just take that one step.

You only need to take the next step.

You are not required to jump to the top of the mountain of your ambition in one single leap.

You are asked to climb the mountain only one step at a time. Easy does it. Steady as she goes.

Work smarter, not harder.

Using the “right now, pronto” approach will knock down procrastination, before it can rob you of your lofty ambition!

Batas... from page 6

-ooo LACK OF GODLINESS CAUSING RP PROBLEMS: The Filipinos’ real problem is not the kind of leaders that are in power today, or in this country’s immediate past. If ever this country’s leaders have been corrupt, morally bankrupt and inept and incapable of governing well, it is because of the general lack of godliness among all of us, which have made each and every Filipino prone to corruption, moral

bankruptcy and ineptness and incapacity to be good.

The undeniable truth is that because almost every Filipino nowadays did not sincerely grow up with God and His Word---whether that Word be in the Christian Bible or in some other Book--we have become capable of doing even t he most despicable things. This is the reason why, when anyone of us gets a chance to be elected to government office, it will not take him or her very long to become good at corruption.

This has been predicted to happen by the Christian Bible, at least in its 1 Timothy 4:1 and 2 Timothy 3:16. In fact, in Deuteronomy 28:15 to 68 of the same Bible, we have been told that if we no longer listen to God and no longer obey Him, we shall suffer curses upon curses which are designed to destroy and kill all of us, which are happening now. All of us who still sincerely believe in God must therefore work to bring back our people to Him, as soon as we can.

-ooo REACTIONS? Please call me at 0917 984 24 68, 0918 574 0913, 0922 833 43 96. Email: batasmauricio@yahoo.com, mmauriciojr111@gmail.com.

him, by being familiar with his teaching and with the example of his life, as well as by getting into a very personal relationship with him through prayer and the recourse of the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist.

The goal to reach for us is to assume the very mind of Christ, to such a point that we can echo what St. Paul once waxed lyrical about: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

(Gal 2,20) It i s p r e c i s e l y t h i s identification with Christ that St. Paul was led to say: “Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may dwell in me. For which cause I please myself in my infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ. For when I am weak, then am I powerful.”

(2 Cor 12 9-10) We should do our best to acquire this mind of Christ.

This is not indulging in some kind of megalomania. Christ himself would require us to be humble, simple and patient. It’s precisely in being humble and simple that we can aspire to receive the very power of God. This is the true source of joy in our vale of tears here.

from page 6

from page 2

Cimagala...

How impor ta nt it is t herefore to have a n intimate relationship with

DTI...

9, 8, 12 and ARMM,” said Pagaran.

Pagaran added that this

wou ld indicate t hat our economy is leveling up and our income is increasing.

It was also learned that on the heels of Caraga’s two consecutive years of high growth in its Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP), the region is treated once again w it h “good news” from the 2012 1st Semester Official Provincial Statistics Report of the NSCB released on April 2013.

A l s o , D i r. P a g a r a n revealed that San Francisco in Agusan del Sur is the country’s most competitive municipality while Butuan Cit y is t he 4t h most competitive city.

“The over-all ranked of San Francisco in Agusan del Sur based on 1st Index Rankings of the National Competitiveness Council, a lso ra n ked No. 6 i n economic dynamism and No. 14 in terms of electricity rates. Meanwhile, Butuan City also ranked in several other high rankings: No. 5 in economic dynamism, No. 2 in number of new bu si ne s s re g i s t r at ion s , No. 6 in business registration renewals, No. 9 in capitalization of new business registrants, No. 15 in capitalization of business renewa ls, No. 13 fastest travel time to airport, No. 9 in number of cell sites, No. 7 in hotel rooms and No. 19 in electricity rates,” Pagaran said.

Surigao City is another

big winner with high ranks on the following: No. 14 in new business registrations, No. 18 in business renewals, No. 14 in capita lization of new busi ness, No. 3 as fastest travel time to airport, No. 16 in water rates, No. 14 in cell sites, and No. 17 in hotel rooms while the municipality of Claver in Surigao del Norte ranked No. 6 and Cantilan in Surigao del Sur at No. 9 in government efficiency.

Mea nwh i le, on t he Shared Service Facility (SSF) Projects, the DTI-Caraga has a total of 28 approved proje c t s i n t he re g ion involving 1,400 beneficiaries (average of 50 beneficiaries per project) with a total amount of P22.17-M. The department a lso disclosed t hat it has conducted eight ‘Diskwento’ Caravans for the 1st Semester of 2013.

With this, there were 75 exhibitors that participated; 7,002 consumers benefitted; and generated sales worth P956,576.28.

Pagara n expressed that the DTI from its past performance periods has again met and even exceeded its agency targets for the 1st half of the year.

“These accomplishments may not still be enough to impact on our region’s goal of reducing poverty s i g n i f i c a nt l y. We w i l l continue to do our best,” he said. (PIA)

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NEW QUEEN. The new Miss Cagayan de Oro for 2013 Amadea Lucia Piatti and her court pose for the photographers during the coronation night at the Limketkai Atrium in Cagayan de Oro on Aug. 24, 2013. MindaNews photo by Froilan Gallardo

Photo by GLENN PALACIO

Jesuits in Mindanao: The Mission Coffee Table Book set for launch

T

he coffee table Jesuits in Mindanao: The Mission (Muse Books) will be launched on Sunday, September 8, 2013 as one of the highlights of the renaming of the Xavier University Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

MsCdeO 2013 Amadea Lucia Piatti

The date coincides with the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ.

“The book chronicles the life and joys of Jesuit missionaries among the people of Mindanao,” said publisher Ramoncito Ocampo Cruz (XUGS ’67) “It honors Jesuits present and past, the people whose lives and thoughts they were able to influence and the schools they built: Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, Ateneo de Davao University and Ateneo de Zamboanga University.”

The 300-page coffee table book shows a white-cassocked priest riding a carabao on its cover and is lavishly illustrated with a pictorial history of the Jesuit Mission in Mindanao, commencing from their return to the Philippines in 1861.It is excellently laid out and beautifully printed in Singapore.

Muse Books donated the entire print run of the first edition to the Philippine Jesuit Aid Association (PJAA) and

MISS CAGAYAN DE ORO. Candidate no. 5 Amadea Lucia Piatti reacts after she won the Miss Cagayan de Oro 2013 title at the Limketkai Atrium in Cagayan de Oro on Aug. 24, 2013.

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Publisher Ramoncito Cruz

e W s s e n N i A s u D B N I M Province hopes to raise PhP 9-million for a minimum donation of PhP 5,000.00 as well as incremental donations arising from companies, people and groups who wish to share more in support of the Province.

PJAA is a PCNC accredited institution and all donations will be properly

acknowledged and official receipts issued. The PJAA can also issue Certificates of Donation if needed by the donors.

The book launch is sponsored by Pioneer Insurance represented

by Senior Vice President Rolando A. Robles, head of Professional Sales Agency.

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proceeds from its sale will go towards the care of infirm Jesuits and the formation of future members of the Society of Jesus.

Father Herbert Schneider, PJAA executive director, said donations for the book will go directly to the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus through the PJAA which serves as the development office of the Province.

“We are grateful to the publisher, Ramoncito Cruz and Media Wise Communications for their kindness and untiring effort to organize photos and stories documenting the mission of Jesuits in Mindanao since 1596. The funds will go a long way to serve our fellow Jesuits who gave their all in mission and would still do so if not for illness and old age,” said Fr. Schneider, “Graduates from the Jesuit universities continue to espouse the ideals of St. Ignatius to become ‘men for others,’ serving society, families, and God,” he added.

The Philippine Jesuit

Tanleh Bldg., Abellanosa St., Consolacion, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines Contact nos.: (088)856-3344, (08822)72-33-44 email: businessweekmindanao@gmail.com website: www.businessweekmindanao.com

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Billboard

PDMEX 2013 Approaching with New Innovations

Biennial International Show to Feature Innovatory Technologies and Solutions A numerous highly innovative machine, equipment and solutions are expected to showcase at country’s largest and focused metal working show.

5 Axis machine, 3D laser printing, laser cutting machines, robotics and other related products will invade the manufacturing industry in the Philippines this coming August 28-31, 2013 at World Trade Center Metro Manila.

As the only largest professionally organized industrial machinery, equipment, accessory and subcontracting exhibition in the country and recognized world-wide for its being the only focused industry, PDMEX 2013 is the perfect stage for companies to showcase their newest innovations, as well as for everyone to share knowledge and discuss industry trends.

PDMEX 2013 is an ideal venue for professionals, decision makers to introduce, meet, network, learn, form business partnerships and closing deals. PDMEX is back with much better and bigger scope that would cater to the metal working and its allied industries.

The 6th Philippine Die & Mould, Machineries and Equipment Exhibition (PDMEX) will be participated by over 350 leading local and

foreign companies occupying over 500 booths displaying their state-of-the-art innovations and solutions.

In addition, PDMEX will showcase and launch the “Die and Mold Solution Center”, a joint project of the Philippine Die and Mold Association, Inc. (PDMA) and Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the facility will be staffed and managed by PDMA who will perform activities related to training, consultancy and will serve as common service facility for die and mold makers.

Over 8,000 visitors are expected to gather on the 4-day event to witness the one of a kind show that created bench mark in the exhibition industry.

PDMEX 2013 will also attract top industry professionals from all over the world. Every other year, industry will congregate not just to follow the trend, but to to share their knowledge and expertise at the event’s several seminars.

A FREE entrance event and a FREE seminars to participate, what else can we ask for. For more information, please contact MAI (Market Access & Innovations) Management Philippines at (63-2) 899-2642 or e-mail mai_mgt@compass.com.ph.

Ballmer... from page 3

Independent tech analyst Jack Gold described Ballmer as a “masterful salesman” who “promoted Microsoft incessantly, and was hugely successful in his f irst decade.”

He drew criticism more recent ly, however, as Microsoft slipped behind longtime rival Apple and other tech giants. “ L a t e l y ( B a l l m e r) ha s lost touch w it h h is marketplace and customer base. The infighting and turnover of execs has been dramatic. The seeming lack of vision he exhibited was destructive,” Gold said.

B a l l mer none t hele s s oversaw grow th at Microsoft: revenues went from $23 billion in the fiscal year 2000 to more than $73 billion in the most recent year.

B u t t h e c o m p a n y ’s ma rket va lue sl id f rom some $600 billion in 2000 to less than $300 billion today, and it has been overtaken

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by rivals Apple and Google.

In a memo to employees, Ba l lmer pointed out Microsoft’s progress since its early days.

“We have grown from employ i ng ju st over 30 people to almost 100,000.

I feel good about playing a role in that success and h av i n g c om m it t e d 10 0 percent emot iona l ly a l l the way.

“We have more t ha n one bi l lion users a nd earn a great profit for our shareholders.”

Despite more t ha n 13 y e a r s a t t h e h e l m , Ballmer has remained in the shadow of his former Harvard classmate Gates, who turned over the CEO job in 2000 and lef t the operations side in 2008 to focus on his philanthropic foundation.

W hile Ba llmer has a massed a for tune of $15 billion, earning him t he ra n k of 51st richest individual in the Forbes maga zi ne ra n k i ng, t hat remains well behind Gates, who is number two

9

worldwide and number one in the United States with $67 bi l l ion. — Agence France-Presse

Hurst... from page 6

place full of the worst pain and suffering forever.

In fact, it’s so terrible that our Ma ker Himself chose to become a human being just to g ive His innocent life so He could forgive us all our wrongs and save us from hell.

T hat ’s how much He loves us!

God the Son came and showed us that living His way is the only way that we can have the satisfying, good life we were created to enjoy.

S o t o d a y, w h y n o t finally ask Jesus to forgive you for living your own way.

Then ask Him to take full charge of your life, so that for your own sake and happiness, you can start living His way ever y day of your life.

Just Think a Minute…

Universal Harvester, Incorporated . Kabalikat ng Magsasaka Research by: Mildred Borbon Torrejas

Last Educational trip of Bukidnon Media we Visit the crew of Universal Harvester Incorporated in Makati City .We asked them about their company and Product .

Universal Harvester, Inc. (UHI) is a Filipino company that is engaged in manufacturing, importation and distribution of world-class fertilizers.

Driven by its mission, UHI continues to deliver products of only the highest caliber at very reasonable rates. Universal Harvester Incorporated uses state-ofthe-art technology, as it engages indirect manufacturing, local distribution, importation and exportation of quality

fertilizers such as, Muriate of Potash (MOP), Sulphate of Potash (SOP), Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) and Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl). Established in 2003, UHI has already proven its strength and continues to grow with a promising future. And also they started by manufacturing Sulphate of Potash then eventually ventured in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of other fertilizer variants.

Today, with its complete line of fertilizers, farmers are ensured of their produce’s optimal growth. some of their products are from Indonesia, China, Israel, Korea and Malaysia.

PEZA-registered Ecozone Export Enterprise UHI plants are situated in PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority) Special Economic Zones, locations that are supported by the government by providing a conducive industrial site for companies that offer globally competitiveproducts.

They are also ISO-certified.

In its commitment to offer products of the highest quality, UHI’s Quality Management System has been established and certified on December 29, 2006 by SGS Philippines, Inc. (ISO 9001:2000) with Certificate No. PH06/0098.

CAGAYAN DE ORO MAIN BRANCH P & J Lim Bldg., Tiano Brothers Kalambagohan Sts., Tel. # (08822) 727-829 * Telefax # (088) 856-1947 CAMIGUIN BRANCH B. Aranas St., Poblacion, Mambajao, Camiguin Tel. # (088) 387-0491

The Search and Award for “The Outstanding Farmers of the Philippines” is a program of the Junior Chamber International Philippines (JCIP) and the Universal Harvester, Incorporated.

JCI Philippines is the same highly respected organization that brought “The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM)” and “The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL)”

The search and award for farmers is an initiative since the early 70’s, led by the Philippine Jaycees (now JCI Philippines). An award program in recognition of the resiliency, ingenuity, and the strength of our hard working Filipino farmers. The program is anchored in promoting farming in the youth sector in all regions. The search will be inclusive and participative,

expanding from public to private sector stakeholders in agriculture, fisheries and livestocks. This project is open to all Filipino farmers, fisherfolk, animal raisers, cooperatives, farm communities, organizations, education/ academe, agriculture scientist, LGUs and public employees, and business entities in both rural and urban areas/ centers.

CORRALES BRANCH Corrales Ave., Cagayan de Oro City DIVISORIA BRANCH Atty. Erasmo B. Damasing Bldg., #61 Don A. Velez St., Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 857-3631 LAPASAN BRANCH Lapasan Hi-way, Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 231-6739 CARMEN BRANCH Vamenta Blvd., Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 231-2011

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SMX... from page 2

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Deyto expressed optimism about the grow th of the MICE market in the next few years, especially as the Philippines hosts the 2014 East Asia Summit for the World Economic Forum and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in 2015.

“There is now (also) an effort together with DOT (Department of Tourism) in inviting multinational companies to bring in their regional meetings and events to Manila,” he said.

Deyto likewise expects that the 2015 Asean economic integration will boost the MICE market.

“B e c au s e t he re w i l l no more trade barriers, exhibition organizers and meeting planners will be going around the region and they can do events here.

That is the exciting time that I really have to see. This is the first time it will happen here,” he added.

Meanwhile, the 7,835-square-meter SMX Davao Convention Center is operated by SM X Convention Specialist Corp., the management company behind the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, SMX Taguig Convention Center and the Trade Halls in SM Megamall in Mandaluyong and Cebu City. (PNA)

Achieve... from page 2

of t he Independent Commission on Policing (ICP) and the possibility of convening it in the next rou nd of for ma l t a l k s .

The ICP will be tasked to submit recommendations to t he peace pa nels on t he appropr iate form, structures and relationships of the police force for the env isioned Ba ngsa moro region that will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

GPH peace panel chair M i r ia m C oronel-Fer rer described t his round of talks as difficult to conclude since the agenda covered two annexes. “ We k n e w t h a t negotiating on the power sharing annex will be as hard as that on the wealth sharing annex so we feel relieved having come to better understanding on t he principles of intergovernmental relations,” she said. “Because we have settled fiscal matters i n t he We a lt h s h a r i ng Annex, it was easier for us to agree on related items in the Power sharing Annex.”

On the normalization a n n e x , C or on e l-Fe r r e r related that the parties are now working on finalizing the text. “We discussed the texts on the table in order to consolidate consensus, and clarify and reconcile the contending positions,” she added.

The GPH and the MILF peace panels already signed two of the four annexes,

which are the Annex on Transitional Arrangements and Modalities, and Annex on Revenue Generation and Wealth Sharing. Together with the FAB, the annexes w i l l form pa r t of t he Comprehensive Agreement which both parties hope to sign within the year.

C or one l-Fe r re r a l s o reiterated the government’s commitment to “ensure a viable and genuine autonomy for the Bangsamoro region.”

I n t h e i r s t a t e m e nt , the panels welcomed the attendance of observers from Congress, the Bangsamoro Tra nsit ion Com mission (BTC), and civil society.

They a lso sa id t hat t he m e e t i n g “p r o v i d e d a n opportunity for an informal d iscussion bet ween t he members of Congress and the BTC.” The parties also thanked President Benigno Aquino III “for his commitment to a just and lasting peace in Mindanao” and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak “for his continued support in the facilitation of the GPH-MILF Peace Talks.”

They likewise conveyed their gratitude to the members of the International Contact Group (ICG), namely the governments of Japan, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Turkey, and the United Kingdom; and to the international nongovernment organizations n a mely t he C ent re for Humanitarian Dialogue, Conci liat ion Resources, and Muhammadiyah. The ICG is mandated to exert proper leverage and sustain the interest of the parties in the negotiations.

Malaysian third-party faci litator Teng ku Datu A b d u l G h a f a r Te n g k u bin Mohamed, who was not a ble to at tend t he closing ceremony due to an illness, was represented

by Che Kashna, head of the Malaysian secretariat.

(PNA)

Spitting... from page 4

Syndrome (SARS) but no significant change happened in the people’s societal habits.

Only Davao City has been vigorously implementing the anti-spitting ordinance since 2010, said Magsaysay, who cited that anti-spitting laws are now being enforced in Singapore, India, Malaysia and China.

The bill mandates the local government units (LGUs) to lead in implementing the provisions of the proposed Act. The Department of Hea lt h, in coordination with the Department of Science and Technolog y, shall conduct seminars and provide guidelines including the Implementing Rules and Reg u lations on t he enforcement of the AntiSpitting Act. Appropriations required in the implementation of the act shall be sourced from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the LGUs. (PNA)

Drones...

KKK...

Emma Hotchkiss, an antilogging and anti-mining advocate based in Surigao del Sur, said the project will make a drastic change in the fight against illegal logging.

“It’s now more difficult to hide because of the aerial pictures, and now easy to identify areas where illegal log g i ng oper at ions a re ongoing,” she said.

T h e U AV c o u l d likewise help the DENR in identifying the weak areas in the reforestation activities under the National Greening Program.

Marites C. Ocampo, OIC regional executive director of Forest Management Sector Division, said she would also plan to use the photos and data taken through the video camera of the UAV in the monitoring and validation of the accomplished activities and other activities under the NGP. “We want to know the exact situation of planted tree species of the NGP at the site designated by our PENRO and CENRO officers to guide the management in decision making process,” she said. (MindaNews)

and in service stations. Also, these could clog fuel lines and result in poor vehicle per for ma nce or worse, damage diesel engines.

CME is an intermediate product derived from food grade coconut oil. It is a mono-alkyl ester obtained by reacting fatty oil (coconut oi l) w it h a lcohol. CME also has strong absorption characteristics which makes it easier for water to mix with pure diesel fuel.

“These problems will be amplified with the planned increase of CME in diesel,” Alabastro added.

Aside from the technical issues, KKK also cautioned that CME is more inefficient since its heating value is lower than diesel. Increasing the blend haphazardly will penalize motorists with lower fuel efficiency.

“Amid high oil prices, why are they forcing a higher CME blend when it means that motorists now have to pay more to travel less,” Alabastro said.

L a s t Tu e s d a y, t h e government lau nched a 25-day study it hopes will convince transport groups and a national board to increase t he a mount of ref ined coconut oil that is blended in with diesel, which right now is the fuel used by public buses and the “jeepney.”

In the test, seven jeepneys will use a 2% blend for five days — the level right now set by law — then a 5% blend for the last 20 days. The jeepneys will be tested for fuel economy, power efficiency and smoke emission levels.

(MT)

from page 4

Files... from page 4

producer, assembler, importer, distributor and seller of covered products; k inds and amount of chemicals and substances used in the production of products; and the potential risks and dangers to consumers.

Violation against the provisions of the proposed Act shall be meted with suspension or revocation of license to operate, seizure of products and penalty of imprisonment ranging from one year but not more than 10 years or a fine of not less than P50,000 but not more than P500,000 or both at the discretion of the court.

I f t he of fender is a manufacturer, importer or distributor of any product covered under the proposed act, the penalty shall be at least five-year imprisonment but not more than ten years and a fine of at least P500,000 but not more than P5 million.

An additional fine of one percent of the economic cost of the violative product or violation or P1,000, whichever is higher, shall be imposed for each day of continuing violation.

If the offense is committed by a juridical person, the chairman of the Board of Directors, the president, genera l ma nager of t he partners shall be penalized.

If the offender is a foreign national, he shall be deported without proceedings after serving his sentence. (HoR)

Pushed...

from page 4 “There are also some central nervous system issues that have been reported, including depression after chronic exposure to styrene.”

(MST)

from page 5

Creates... from page 5

within the city, municipality or prov i nc e , i nclud i ng environmental protection activities such as solid waste management, construction and maintenance of sewer systems and other pollution control activities.”

As provided for by the Local Government Code of 1991, the PCOs may seek assistance from the field offices of the DENR regarding violations or non-compliance with the pollution control requirements and rules and regulations of some entities.

The PCOs must cooperate with nationa l and regional officials of the DENR in the enforcement a nd i mplement at ion of environmental protection and pollution control laws, rules and regulations. (PNA)

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Bill...

from page 1 T h e w o m e n’s g r o u p Gabriela issued a challenge to President Benigno Aquino III to show his political will by certifying as urgent a bill that seeks the removal of the controversial fund from the general appropriations.

Partylist Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said Aquino should make House Bill 1535 filed by partylist representatives under the Makabayan bloc to abolish the pork barrel urgent.

Ilagan said: “All pork funds, lump sum and discretionary funds in the 2014 budget be effectively rechanneled in specific items towards the delivery of basic social services such as healthcare, education and housing.” “ T he M i l l ion Pe ople March will snowball and public outrage will continue.

History will judge Aquino and his government harshly on turning his back on his campaign promises against plunder and corruption unless the pork barrel is eliminated,” she warned.

In Cagayan de Oro City, an interfaith protest action led by the city’s Archdiocese and joined by various civic and cause-oriented groups converged at Gaston Park near the St. Augustine Cathedral.

The Interfaith Group is composed of various religious denominations in the city.

In a pastoral letter, Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ. has expressed the diocese disillusion over the unabated abuses by legislators in the use of their respective PDAF, otherwise known as pork barrel fund, supposedly intended to alleviate the lives of Filipino poor.

Based on the Commission on Audit (COA) report, about P10-billion of lawmakers’ pork barrel fund went to dubious non-government organizations (NGOs).

“This is a grave immoral act and we cannot tolerate such evil to proliferate in our country.

We are deeply indignant over the scam knowing that our people are barely catching their breath just to live in a very poor condition and yet some of our legislators have the nerve to hoard the coffers of the people into their own pockets for selfaggrandizement,” Ledesma said in his pastoral letter.

The Catholic Church is also calling all citizenry to rise up for love, truth, and justice to shun the evil of corruption that debases human dignity and destroys the abundance of our land.

“Let us join hands to create a new culture of life and compassion that transforms our system of governance,” he said.

“Let our faith shape our social conscience and become active collaborator in the creation of a transparent, accou ntable a nd peopleoriented government that truly advances the people’s agenda for peace, security and progress.” Bishop Ledesma said.

The diocese also enjoined all men and women of goodwill to join the mobilization of the different sectors and religious denominations to show a united and strong public support for the following: run after all those involved in the malicious use of the PDAF and bring to justice all those held responsible; Scrap the PDAF or pork barrel fund and create an effective

met hod to deliver socia l services that is corruption free.; and pass the Freedom of Information Bill that promotes public transparency and accountability.

The interfaith group said all past and present congressmen of Cagayan de Oro City who received their respective PDAF to show an accounting as to how they spent the public fund.

“We want congressmen Benjo Benaldo, Tinnex Jaraula, Klarex Uy and Rufus Rodriguez to show an accounting of their PDAF or pork barrel so that the people would know if their money was allocated to meaningful projects,” said Monsignor Rey Monsanto of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and a member of the Interfaith Group in city.

A citizens group called Kagayanon Kontra sa Mga Korap (Cagayanons Against the Corrupt) pushed for the creation of an “independent investigation panel” to ferret out the truth about the PDAF and so-called discretionary funds.

The group said all those i nvolve d i n t he a l le ge d PDAF scam should be held accountable for their acts and prosecuted.

In Surigao City, some 300 protesters likewise marched to join calls for the abolition of PDAF. Surigao del Norte Rep. Francisco Matugas (1st district) and former congressman Robert Ace Barbers (2nd district) have been named as among the lawmakers that allegedly caused the release of pork barrel funds to dubious NGOs. In Malacanang, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda dismissed calls for the President to also do away with his own discretionary funds.

Lacierda said abolishing the President’s social fund, for example, is unrealistic given the frequency of calamities in the country.

“If we can abolish calamities, then maybe we can abolish the fund,” he said in Tagalog.

He added the social fund is where the President gets money for assistance to the victims of calamities and to the families of soldiers who are killed or wounded in action.

He explained these are among the “uncertainties” that the social fund is intended for.

The rally was described by local media as “the first biggest protest against the Aquino administration.”

The protesters came from various social sectors including religious, professional, business and even civil servants. They shouted the slogans of “Scrap the pork barrel now” and “Punish the corrupt.”

“It is not only for one day, today’s march is just the beginning,” the organizers said.

In his statement yesterday, President Aquino vowed to punish those who were allegedly behind the misuse of multi-billion pork barrel fund.

“We will do everything to determine and to punish those who connived to smear the supposed good purpose of PDAF,” he said.

Aquino assured to use rightly the people’s money.

The protest ra l ly was triggered by the discovery of at least P10 billion in pork barrel funds were allegedly pocketed by some corrupt government officials in connivance with fake non-government organizations during the past 10 years.

Urged...

from page 1 exacerbated by climate change.

“The Philippines could have been sufficiently prepared if public funds embezzled by corrupt politicians on pork barrel funds were utilized for a comprehensive climate adaptat ion a nd ef fect ive m i t i g a t i o n s o l u t i o n s ,” Kalikasan PNE said.

This as millions of Filipinos all over the world called Monday for the immediate abolition of the pork barrel system and the immediate passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill.

The Balay Mindanaw Group (BMG) of NGOs, based in Cagayan de Oro City, also demanded the prosecution and punishment of those involved in the pork barrel scam.

“We join the millions, not just a million, as we demand (1) abolish, not just rename the PDAF!; (2) prosecute and punish, not just investigate the perpetrators and criminals!; and (3) seriously Institutionalize Participatory, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent Governance especially the right of the people to freely access information!” said Charlito “Kaloy” Manlupig, founder and president of the Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. (BMFI), mother organization of the BMG, told the Business Daily.

BMG’s Manlupig described t he pork ba rrel sca m as “despicable” and “criminal.”

“As Mindanawans and as Filipinos, we refuse to remain victims to this despicable and criminal practice that allows legislators and their coconspirators in the executive department, and pseudo-NGOs to undermine democracy and make the lives of the poor even more miserable, especially the Moros, the Lumads, the landless farmers and farmworkers, and the exploited peoples of Mindanao,” he said.

“We shall continue to refuse to be victims of this system.

We shall continue to find creative and peaceful means to contribute meaningfully as we humbly offer ourselves as resources as we struggle to rise again as a people,” he added.

The Kalikasan PNE also urged President Aquino to scrap the PDAF of legislators in favor of programs on disaster risk reduction, renewable energy and environmental protection.

“The P10-billion pork barrel scam allocated to fake NGOs should have instead been used for an P8.3-billion restoration of our country’s mangrove forest cover and almost four year’s worth of community-based disaster preparedness and response programs for at least P2 billion,” said Leon Dulce, Kalikasan PNE campaign coordinator.

Li ke ot her i nd ig na nt Filipinos worldwide, “Kalikasan PNE joined the growing clamor for the abolition of the PDAF and other discretionary funds and the immediate prosecution of people involved in the misuse of public funds.”

“It is inf uriating how billions of pesos for pork barrels, even over a trillion pesos if we look at Pres.

Benigno Aquino III’s lump sum funds, are likely being used for corruption instead of much needed climate-proofing measures. The money poured into pork politics could have been used for environmental protec t ion, d isaster r isk

reduction and renewable energy measures that could have reduced the damages caused by the unusually strong monsoon rains,” Dulce said.

In the investigations of the Commission on Audit, most of the lawmakers, some even allies of the Aquino administration, were found to have availed of PDAF allocations greater than their respective caps, which was P200 million for each senator and P70 million for each congressman.

Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo, D.D. national director of the National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (NASSA) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) also urged the government to “make a no-nonsense investigation of the pork barrel Scam.”

“As of now, it is ver y suspicious that both the Lower and Upper Houses of Congress have shown no eagerness to investigate this scam when their own members are alleged to be involved in it. It is strange that those who are not named in the Commission on Audit (COA) report on alleged misuse of funds do not make any move to have this investigated to clear the image of the institutions to which they belong. Is this stonewa l ling at t itude a n indication that there is really something fishy about the pork barrel? The lame excuse made that investigating the scam will take away time for law-making does not hold. Any law that this congress will make would be held suspect until its integrity is established,” he said.

Pabi l lo a lso sla mmed Aquino for “doing a great disservice to the country by not acting decisively on this issue.

A closer look at the COA report on the scam does not only allege the congressmen/ women of the opposition, nor only the former administration to be involved, but even his own allies and his own administration.

The present President has to clear his own rank. Thus, the investigation should cover not only the Napoles family and the NGOs used but also the members of Congress and government depar tments involved.”

He stressed that the pork barrel scam “is a big crime against the people, especially aga i nst t he poor, whose hard-earned money is being plundered and squandered.”

Pabillo also urged for the immediate passage of the FOI Bill now pending in Congress.

“Is the pork barrel issue perhaps a reason why the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill is not being passed? Why are our elected government officials afraid that the people may know their public transactions which they claim to be done on behalf of the people?” he asked.

One of the FOI champions in Congress, Rep. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao of Dinagat Island, said that the passage of the FOI has not become an imperative given the extent of the pork barrel scam.

“Enacting the Freedom of Information Law is an imperative to ensure that public funds are spent properly,” she told Business Daily. The FOI Law “will empower people in being involved in participatory governance initiatives.”

Aside from abolishing the PDAF and all forms of pork barrel, Bag-ao also called for the institutionalization of “mechanisms for transparency and accountability.”

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Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776 Editor : Shaun Alejandrae Yap Uy

It’s the Season to be Ready

I

t’s that time of the year again—it’s the rainy season, and people cannot help but think of the worst: another Ondoy or another Sendong, and the calamity that may happen. With what the Filipino people had faced in the previous years and recently with typhoon Maring, preparedness has been the most important takeaway for every Pinoy from the numerous typhoons which come and go.

MyPhone B18+TV Duo has mobile TV, so users may keep themselves updated with news even when electricity is out.

Need to Have: A 72-hour kit for every household Seventy two hours—this period is a matter of life and death should any calamity or disaster such as flooding/ storm happen. It takes an average of 3 days for access to basic supplies such as food and water, and services such as power and communication to return to normal. Thus, authorities recommend that every household become prepared by keeping a 72-hour kit at bay.

A 72-hour kit contains basic necessities which include noodles, biscuits, canned goods (and can opener), water, first aid kit and medicines, blankets, flashlight and batteries—enough for an entire household's consumption for 3 days.

MyPhone cell phones are pre-loaded with emergency numbers.

Need to Do: What's happening? What's going to happen?

Too many times (and storms), the Filipino people have feared for their safety. Other than a 72hour kit, constant monitoring is crucial amidst the storm and flooding—even when power and communication lines are down.

But worry not anymore as mobile technology has made TV phones that can last for 3 days (on standby time) possible, such as the MyPhone B18+ Duo. It's handy for times of calamity or disaster, not just because of its mobile TV feature which can let you monitor updates and what to prepare for, but also because of its phonebook pre-loaded MyPhone with emergency hotlines.

Moreover, MyPhone B18+ TV offers the dualSIM technology, so when one network fails you in times of emergency, there's always another one to back you up. The phone’s camera flash also doubles as flashlight. Available for only Php 1, 490, every household can now afford to have an emergency phone in their 72-hour kit.

MyPhone B18+TV Duo’s camera flash also doubles as a flashlight.