BusinessWeek Mindanao (December 11, 2013)

BusinessWeek MINDANAO

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Volume IV, No. 31

Market Indicators

As of 5:56 pm Dec. 10, 2013 (Tuesday)

FOREX

PHISIX

US$1 = P44.29

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14 cents

X

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122.54 points

Briefly Economic enterprise GENERAL Santos City -- South Cotabato officials are pushing for the creation of more viable public economic enterprises or income-generating projects in a bid to improve the local government’s capacity to generate more revenues.

Board Member Ellen Grace Albios, chair of the provincial board’s finance committee, said Monday they are currently evaluating possible projects and related strategies that the provincial government could pursue within the next three years to further enhance its income or revenue generation initiatives.

“The provincial government has substantial resources to support its operations but it remains largely dependent on the IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment) and we want to eventually change that,” she said in a media forum.

Food coloring DAVAO City – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the region is reiterating the warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the use of industrial grade coloring dyes by some food processors.

In a communication issued

by FDA, it was learned that the agency tested 34 samples of food products collected by its inspectors in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Region 7 for non-permissible colorants (NPC). Such samples were gathered from ambulant vendors, public markets, groceries, and supermarkets.

The advisory stated that most of the samples were unregistered and noncompliant with food product labelling standards as embodied in the Department of Health (DOH) Administrative Order No. 88-B series of 1984.

Out of the 34 products collected, three were found to contain NPC Rhodamine B while five needed further tests to confirm the presence of NPC Sudan.

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Power firm mulls to double capacity

By CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO Correspondent

D

AVAO City -- Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower) has asked the city government to allow it to more than double the capacity of the 300-megawatt (MW) plant the former is now building here.

In a presentation before the city council last Dec. 2, Manuel M. Orig, AboitizPower first vice-president, justified the proposed increase in capacity to 645 MW, saying this will “help ensure that Davao and Mindanao will have adequate supply to support its continued development and growth.”

Planned expansion, which is about half the current capacity of the Mindanao grid, is expected particularly to boost Davao Region’s power supply which currently approaches a third of the grid’s capacity. power/PAGE 11

October exports grew by 14%

THE Philippines export performance for October 2013 has increased by 14 percent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) basis reaching a revenue of USD 5.026 billion from USD 4.41 billion in October 2012.

Ten month-export revenues for this year has reached USD 45.085 billion against the same period of 2012’s USD 44.518 billion, a 1.6 percent increase.

The National Statistics Office (NSO) said the positive growth of exports revenue over a year was brought by increase in nine major exports/PAGE 11

CAPACITY EXPANSION. Heavy equipment at the construction site of the Aboitiz Power Corporation’s Therma South’s 300-megawatt coalfired power plant in Barangay Binugao, Toril District, Davao City and Barangay Inayawan, Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur taken on Oct. 5, 2013. The power firm plans to double the plant’s capacity to meet the projected increase in demand in the next few years. mindanews photo by froilan gallardo

THE National Electrification Administration (NEA) will seek “payment flexibility” on the unsettled electricity pu rchas e s of Yol and a -

mindanews photo by bobby timonera

PDIC takes over ailing rural bank in General Santos GENER AL Santos Cit y (MindaNews) -- The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) has placed one of the oldest rural banks here under receivership, stunning its more than 2,000 depositors.

Nathanel Tumbokon, PDIC public information officer here, said Tuesday they took over the Sarangani Rural Bank Inc. (SRBI) located along the P. Acharon Boulevard effective last December 6 based on a memorandum issued by the PDIC central office’s monetary board.

He did not cite the exact reasons for the takeover but hinted that it was due to problems with the bank’s operations.

“We’re focused right now on the immediate processing of the claims of the banks borrowers,” he told reporters.

SRBI, which is considered one of the pioneering rural banks in the area, celebrated its 55th anniversary last August 18.

The bank reportedly has over 2,000 depositors, who are mostly vendors at the city’s central public market and operators of business establishments along the P. Acharon Boulevard.

A bank information sheet posted at the website of the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines identified its chairman and president as Francisco L. Laiz, Jr. Tumbokon said they have scheduled a meeting PDIC/PAGE 11

Flexibility for Visayas ECs sought

By MYRNA VELASCO, Contributor

RO-RO. A roll-on, roll-off vessel prepared to dock at the Mukas Port in Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte. The RoRo, which carries passengers, cargo and even vehicles, connects Lanao del Norte and Ozamiz City.

P15.00

hit electric cooperatives (ECs) from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.

Nine ECs in Eastern Vi s ay a s r e g i o n h av e

o u t s t a n d i n g “e n e r g y settlement amounts” with the electricity spot market, but they may be extended “payment leniency” because of the typhoon’s impact on sought/PAGE 11

Unemployment down despite record economic expansion THE number of jobless Filipinos fell only slightly last October despite the country’s record economic expansion

in the third quarter.

In a report, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said the unemployment rate

slipped to 6.5 percent at the start of the fourth quarter from 6.8 percent a year ago. expansion/PAGE 11

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DOE issues service contract to PHL’s largest solar power plant

MANILA -- The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a service contract to a P1.9billion, 22-megawatt solar energy project in the island of Negros, the biggest so far in the country.

The project, a joint venture of Bronzeoak Philippines (BP) and Swiss-German firm ThomasLloyd (TL), would be called San Carlos Solar Energy Project or SaCaSol doe/PAGE 10

Economy

Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776 Editor: Cheng Ordoñez

Smart, Sun reconnect all townsM cities post-Yolanda As of December 8, 2013, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Digitel Mobile Philippines, Inc. (DMPI), t hroug h its brand Sun Cellular (Sun), have restored network services in all the cities and municipalities in

Visayas that were hit by Super Typhoon Yolanda about one month ago.

In a report submitted to the National Telecommunications C ommission today, the companies were able to reestablish cellular service

in 100% of all cities and municipalities of the following provinces: Aklan, Antique, Biliran, Bohol, Capiz, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Iloilo, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Northern Samar,

Southern Leyte and Western Samar.

“We wish to thank key national government agencies such as the Office of the President, the National Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s reconnect/PAGE 10

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Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776 Editor: Nelson Constantino

AgriBusiness

1st NATIONAL COMMUNITY-BASED SEED BANKING CONFERENCE HELD “Ang unang may karapatan sa binhi sa ating bansa ay ang mga maliliit na magsasaka.” This was uttered by Undersecretary for Operations and National Rice Program Coordinator Dante S. Delima (left) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) during the first ever National CommunityBased Seed Banking (CSB) Conference on December 4, 2013, held at the Fontana Hotel and Leisure Parks in Clarkfield, Pampanga. In his message, he said that the CSB has already been a long practice amongst farmers but it was only institutionalized through the agency’s AgriPinoy Rice Program in order to seriously pour out support for the latter to flourish. He added that it is an alternative source for marginalized farmers to have access to quality seeds, especially those not yet served by formal seed systems in both lowland and upland areas. USec. Delima also revealed that for the year 2014, the DA is slated to honor exemplary CSB implementers throughout the nation, where prizes await for the winners: P 2 million, P 1 million and P 500,000 for the first, second and third placers, respectively.

Out from nearly 500 delegates from the different regions of the country, 23 delegates consisting of agricultural technicians and farmers from region 10 have attended the said event. Wherein, the conference paved the way for them to revisit the concept of CSBs and its policies and implementing guidelines as well as know some updates on the Program implementation and its impact. As locally established community seed banks seek to help solve problems on the lack of seeds, access to quality seeds, preservation of seed viability, conservation of indigenous varieties, seed security and food security, they have likewise expressed their sentiments on how they can better improve the operations of CSBs during the conduct of a workshop. # (Joanne L. Olson, DA-10)

Cotabato farmers earn cash with ‘earth crawlers’

By NOEL T. PROVIDO, Contributor

MATALAM, North Cotabato— Farmers here had turned their trash into cash. Thanks to creepy night-crawling earthworms that voraciously transformed their waste into nutrient rich fertilizer.

“The high-rising cost of commercial chemicalbased fertilizers such as urea and potash in 2004, compelled us to look for cheaper alternative. Good thing that a technician from the Bureau of Soils and Management [BSWM] introduced vermicomposting as a means to produce organic fertilizer,” Rilzade Santos, Prolife Farming and Livelihood Association’s (PFLA) vice president, said.

Ve r m i c o m p o s t i n g , a simple yet appropriate technolog y that can transform volumes of biodegradable waste into nut r ient r ich fer t i lizer through propagation of earthworms, particularly African night crawlers, a voracious type earthworms, which are also most suitable to Philippine climate.

Started with only 15 kilos of ANC, the PFLA is now producing as high as 5,000 bags of organic fertilizer.

Each bag of organically produced fertilizer is sold at P350.

“It was from BSWM that we learned how earthworms take the waste and turn into a useful product called

compost which is considered to be at least five times better than good soil,” he said.

Santos who is an agriculture graduate and used to work with a fertilizer company before he went into full-time farming knows that organic fertilizer restores natural fertility of their farms, which are usually planted to corn, rice, sugar cane and vegetables.

Since the association has only 23 members then, they mobilized their community to start-up their organic production project. Farm and households waste were collected and converted into organic fertilizer through vermicomposting method.

Santos said one of the major wastes they have collected was the sugar cane mud press, a residue of the filtration of sugar cane juice from the local sugar mill.

It is found to be worthy for maintaining health of plant and soil properties and protects the plant from various soil borne diseases.

“The sugar cane mud press along with animal manure and other biodegradable waste can provide macro and micro elements that

help improve the physical, biological properties of the soil,” Santos said.

They have also observed their organically produced fertilizer improves the water holding capacity of the soil and enables the plant roots to have better access to available nutrients.

The above advantages led to increasing their farm output. Palay grown with Prolife organically produced fertilizer yielded as high as 100 to 105 sacks unlike before when it can only produce 60 to 70 sacks. It has also increased their sugar cane and vegetable production.

Upgrading facilities, expanding opportunities AS positive results of their organic fertilizer begun to spread and triggered the interest among other farmers, the demand for their product started to increase.

“We decided to expand our production and market our pro duc t as Prolife Organic Fertilizer. However, lack of financing hampers

our capacity to produce on a wider scale,” Santos said.

The PFLA then turned to their local agriculture office, which in turn, endorsed their proposal for livelihood upgrading to the provincial government. The provincial government then sought the assistance of the Department of Agriculture in Region 12, which enable them to access fund from the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP).

MRDP is a special project of the DA and one of its major components is the Community Fund for Agriculture Development, which provides livelihood assistance to small farmers’ associations.

The PFLA was able to avail themselves of P500,000 used to establish additional vermicomposting beds, liner and shifter machines, installation of water and l i g ht i ng f a c i l it y and a multipurpose hauling cab. “ The funds we have availed ourselves of from MRDP has realized our plan

Rizalde Santos, Prolife Farmers Livelihood Association vice president, shows off the African night crawler earthworms, their dependable ally in organic fertilizer production.

(Sherwin B. Manual)

to upgrade our production of organically produced fertilizers,” Santos said.

He said additional beds enabled them to produce more vermicast and organic compost. The sifter machine has doubled their production from 30 to 50 sacks, at least 100 sacks a day. The liner or sealer did not only hasten

packing of their product, but also enhanced the packaging, making it as competitive as those produced in commercial companies.

“Before we only tie the sacks with plastic twine, which is not only tedious but also unappealing. With the liner, we can immediately farmers/PAGE 10

Philippine rice, coconut crops hurt most from typhoon

By Reuters

Agricultural production losses from Typhon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines last month, are estimated to reach P8.6 billion ($195 million) while damage to agricultural infrastructure is estimated at P2 billion ($45 million), according to the USDA

attache.

Rice loss is projected at 147,000 tonnes – valued at P2.4 billion or $55 million – less than one percent of national annual production. But the Philippine Department of Agriculture has authorized the imports of an

additional 500,000 tonnes of rice to reinforce buffer stocks.

“Coconut losses were estimated at over P1.5 billion ($34 million) involving 42,000 hectares, while fisheries suffered similar losses (P1.5 billion or $34 million).

The Philippine Government official death toll stood at 5,500 people as of Nov. 30 and the Department of Agric ulture estimated some one million fishermen and farmers have, at least temporarily, lost their livelihoods.

Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776 Editor: Nelson Constantino

Banking&Finance

GSIS, PNB waive charges in Yolanda-ravaged areas ON TOP OF the six-month loan moratorium it granted earlier, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has also waived the interest and penalties for its members and pensioners in areas affected by typhoon Yolanda.

“GSIS is granting an automatic six-month deferment of loan repayment, without interest and penalties, for its members and pensioners in areas worst-hit by super typhoon Yolanda,” the state pension fund said in a statement.

As of Friday, typhoon Yolanda -- said to be one of the world’s strongest on record -- has left 5,786 individuals dead, while the total cost of damage was pegged at P35.2 billion.

“Members and pensioners do not need to apply for the moratorium,” GSIS said, adding that they have already instructed administrative officers in concerned government offices to stop all deductions starting last month.

Housing loan borrowers who have issued post-dated checks have also been notified by the GSIS to retrieve and the checks from the GSIS Treasury Unit.

The moratorium covers t he cons o-lo an, e-card

cash advance pension loan, pensioners’ restructured loan, policy loan, emergency loan, enhanced salary loan, educational assistance loan, summer one-month salary loan and housing loan.

The moratorium will also apply to all active GSIS loan accounts as of Oct. 31 and emergency loan accounts granted from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31.

Accounts of pensioners who availed of the installment payment of loans after retirement are also covered by the moratorium.

The moratorium will run until April 2014. Members shall resume the payment for existing loans in May next year.

Aside from the moratorium, GSIS als o

opened an emergency loan program of up to P40,000 for active members and P20,000 for pensioners.

As of Dec. 5, the state pension fund has extended P2.3 billion worth of emergency loans. It also processed 1,886 emergency loan applications amounting to P37.3 million.

INTER-BRANCH FEES WAIVED Meanwhile, the Philippine Na t i o n a l B a n k ( P N B ) announced on Friday that it is waiving its inter-branch fees for cash deposit and withdrawal transactions in the provinces affected by typhoon Yolanda.

Clients can transact in the following PNB branches without incurring the intergsis/PAGE 10

operations is from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. while the Tacloban Romualdez branch is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Of these three, only the Tacloban Romualdez has no (check) clearing operations,” it said.

The bank also said its employees have raised a total of P10.59 million for the victims of the super cyclone that hit the country last November 8.

Of the total donations,

P9.61 was direct donations while P896,000 is the accumulated amount that was supposed to be used for Christmas parties, which were cancelled in lieu of the fund drive for Yolanda victims.

BPI earlier said it will match whatever donations its employees will collect for the typhoon victims.

The funds were donated through BPI Foundation Assistance Fund. (PNA)

BPI re-opens 3 branches in Leyte THREE out of five branches of the Bank of the Philippine Island (BPI) in Leyte have resumed operations a month after Eastern Visayas was badly destroyed by super typhoon Yolanda.

In a statement, the Ayalaled bank said the branches that have re-opened are Ormoc, Baybay and Tacloban Romualdez.

It said the Ormoc branch operates from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Baybay branch’s

House to adopt Senate-proposed P100B rehab fund THE House of Representatives will likely adopt the P100billion rehabilitation fund as proposed by the Senate for provinces devastated by Typhoon Yolanda, House Appropriations Committee Chair Isidro Ungab on Monday said.

“P100 billion is okay,” Ungab said in a text message to reporters. “Both houses have common goals of providing assistance when needed especially in disasters.”

The Davao lawmaker noted had Yolanda happened while the budget was still in the House, congressmen might also have arrived at that number as the Senate did.

“It so happened that the budget was already passed by the House when super typhoon Yolanda happened.

We could also have the same if the budget was still pending before us when [it] occurred,” he said.

Ungab said P20 billion will be sourced from programmed funds and P80 billion will be from unprogrammed money, along the lines of Senate Finance Committee Chair Sen. Francis Escudero’s earlier proposal.

According to the D ep ar t ment of Budget and Management, unprogrammed funds are standby appropriations approved by the Congress in the yearly General Appropriations Act that can only be availed of when government-owned and -controlled corporations have additional revenues collected from sources not in the Budget.

The two Houses are set to

deliberate on the proposed 2014 spending bill in the coming days. The bicameral conference committee hearings are set Tuesday in the Senate, and Wednesday in the House.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said he remains optimistic that lawmakers will resolve any differences between the two versions before the House goes on break for Christmas.

“We are very optimistic that despite differences between House and Senate versions of the budget bill, the budget will pass before we adjourn on December 18, we are very confident that we will come to terms to approve the budget by that time,” he said.

Aquino is expected to sign the 2014 national budget on December 23, said Ungab.

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DANTE M. SUDARIA Publisher ROSE MARY D. SUDARIA, Ph.D. General Manager

NELSON CONSTANTINO Editor-in-Chief

ALLAN MEDIANTE Executive Editor

Shaun Uy

cHENG oRDOñEZ

Lifestyle Editor

Associate Editor

CLIFFORD SANTILLAN RONALD B. MASTAIL

SHIELA gosanes Advertising

Angry at Media? Enrile shows how

by Jess Dureza, Chairman Philippine Press Institute ( Author is a lawyer and the chairman/president of the Philippine Press Institute, a national organization of Philippine newspapers and publications. He also sits in the Philippine Press Council representing Mindanao.)

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Opinion

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Live and Learn THINK

hink a minute… A little boy said: “I’ve learned that if I’m A Minute in trouble at school, I’m going By Jhan Tiafau Hurst to be in more trouble at home.”

A husband remarked: “I’ve learned I should never praise my mother’s cooking while I’m eating my wife’s cooking.”

An old woman observed: “I’ve learned that 6-year-old children are the only ones who think it’s neat when their teeth fall out.” One guy said: “I’ve learned that loaning money to family and friends causes them to lose their memory.” And a young adult painfully concluded: “I’ve learned you can do something in a moment that will give you heartache the rest of your life.”

You’ve heard the expression, “Live and learn.” The two should go together. But sometimes we just live. “We all make mistakes, but it’s the wise who learn not to repeat them.” In a way, our life’s like a ship: we can steer it by the rudder or by the rocks. We can learn to read the signs and avoid trouble by making the right choices, or we can learn the slow, hard way by continuing to run into problems from our wrong choices.

So if we want a good life, we need to be a good student of life. We need to realize we can learn something from everybody.

Some people even teach us by their bad example how not to live. A smart man said: “We should learn from other people’s mistakes, since there’s simply not enough time for us to make all the mistakes ourselves.” Another person said: “I’ve learned silence from the talkative and kindness from the unkind.” So our different teachers can include both old people and young kids, friends and enemies. We can learn from good books, our memories, as well as from winning and losing.

You see, it’s when we stop learning that we start getting bored. We humans are made with tremendous potential for always learning and doing new things. In fact, it’s when we stop learning that we stop living. A successful businessman said: “Anyone who stops learning is old, but whoever keeps learning stays young.” How about you? Are you just growing old? Why not ask Jesus to take charge of your life? He’ll keep you from getting bored and teach you His ways every day, so you’ll never stop learning and can stay young.

Just Think a Minute!

METRO MA NIL A ---The Philippine Press Institute (PPI) met the other night in downtown Makati and discussed how to deal with the complaint filed

by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile against the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It stemmed from the publication of PDI of a story that identified him as allegedly the “mastermind” or “brains” behind the alleged PDAF scam of Janet Napoles. Senator Enrile vehemently denied this.

Instead of filing a libel or civil case in the regular courts, it was instead filed before the Philippine Press Council (PPC), asking for an investigation and the corresponding sanctions imposed, if warranted. I will not talk here about the merits of the Enrile complaint. I will just show to you what this process is all about.

This grievance procedure is not known to many. But at PPC, an aggrieved citizen can lodge a complaint against the newspaper concerned without going to court and seek redress from the print media sector itself. PPC is composed of sectoral representatives from the academe, civil society and private media. It somehow serves as a “watchdog” in that an individual can lodge a complaint against a PPI newspapermember if he feels aggrieved due to a published article and he needs to also have his side reasonably heard as a way of vindication. It is a mechanism that allows the media sector itself the matter of policing its own ranks and disciplining its own members and at the same time upholding press freedom.

However, there are certain “jurisdictional elements” that must be present to set in motion this procedure of seeking redress. Here are some basic things to bear in mind before the council can take cognizance of a complaint.

First, the newspaper subject of the complaint must be a PPI member. This is necessary because sanctions cannot be imposed on non members for obvious reasons, the press council being an instrumentality of PPI. Secondly, there must be

See yolanda, page 11

no other pending case in court or in any other body over the same subject matter. In this case, a certification submitted by the complainant must first attest to this non-pendency. Thirdly, there must be a waiver on the part of the complaining party as to judicial recourse, meaning he will forego of his right to go to the regular court or any other administrative body to seek redress if he submits to the jurisdiction of the press council. Lastly, the complainant must show proof that he had communicated to the newspaper concerned to give his side to a published derogatory report but this has not been given due consideration by the said publication.

If all the above elements are present, the press council shall then take cognizance of the complaint and after due investigation and hearing both parties, a decision is rendered. An erring newspaper will be required to publish the decision of the council and/or will be ordered to give reasonable space for the publication of the complainant’s own side of the story subject of the case. If the newspaper refuses to comply, a possible fine can be imposed and the other PPI newspaper-members may then proceed to publish in their own publications either the decision or the side of the aggrieved party or both.

This mechanism for redress has not been resorted to too often by aggrieved citizens principally because this procedure for redress is not known to many yet. In fact, there were not too many of such complaints lodged before the council up to the present.

According to records, the most notable and the latest case so far heard was the case filed by former Executive Secretar y Alberto Romulo against the late Philippine Star columnist Max Soliven, for the latter’s series of commentaries allegedly derogatory to former ES Bert. But this happened many years ago.

In fact, incumbent PPC chair Tony La Vina said the council

had been inactive for sometime and needs to re-charge batteries now with the Enrile complaint filed before it.

Provincial or regional press councils may also be organized by the local press groups to address their own local problems. I was informed that the press council that is most active and functioning today is the press council in Cebu City. I touched base with the council through Ms. Cherrie Lim when I was in Cebu last week.We need to replicate this mechanism nationwide. For the moment, the Philippine Press Council has been moribund and it got out of long slumber only with this recent complaint filed before it by a senator of the Republic.

This will now bring me to some other important points I wish to stress. If the press council is active and functioning and worthy of the public’s trust, there is in fact no more need for Congress to pass the controversial “right to reply bill” that media is opposing. I understand the “right to information” bill that media is pushing is still pending in Congress and is subject to a “quid pro quo” deal where the last time I checked, Congress seemed to push for an “exchange deal” for the latter’s baby, the Right to Reply bill. Come to think of it, there is no more need for this “tit for tat” arrangement. The intendment of the “right to reply” law is rendered moot by this press council mechanism. Moreover, by availing of the press council grievance machiner y, we all avoid and prevent long, tedious, expensive and acrimonious law suits and cases between the press and litigants seeking redress.

We always also hear the advocacy of de-criminalizing libel. This press council mechanism, if normally availed of by those who have complaints against newspapers, will bring about this desired end -- even before the law is amended. Ultimately, this will all bring us a more responsible , a much livelier and freer press -- a necessary bulwark of our democracy.

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Tabor calls for holding of Intl Tourism Summit COUNCILOR Ramon G. Tabor, chair of the city council committee on laws and rules last week requested the City Tourism Office to consider the possibility of hosting an International Tourism Summit in Cagayan de Oro. During the budget hearing presided over by Councilor President D. Elipe, Councilor Tabor said this is one of the strategies that can be adopted to promote the city.

C ou nc i l or Tab or said he is optimistic that through the international event, visitors can see and witness the city’s peace and order and the stability of its tourism industry.

This can be instrumental in convincing tourists and businessmen to come and invest in the city, he added.

Tabor commended the efforts of the city tourism office to promote the city in the Visayas by

joining the Pasundayag Northern Mindanao and for successfully attending the Philippine Travel Mart in Manila recently, in which the city won the Best Tourism Booth award.

He, however, pushed for more promotion activities to bring back the city in the map. He said the white water river rafting adventure was affected by typhoon Sendong almost two years ago and the bombing incident last July 2013 disturbed the peace and order of the city.

Councilor Lourdes C an dy D ar i mb ang , chair of the committee on tourism, assured that these proposals will be looked into.

She vowed to become a n i n s t r u m e nt i n promoting the city as an important destination for business/industrial investment and tourist leisure and adventure activities. (ELB)

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With everyone's help, we can work towards rebuilding and reconnecting lives!

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Phl observes four holidays in December O Z A M I Z C I T Y, M i s a m i s O ccident a l, D e c. 9 (PIA) – At least four holidays will be observed this month, pursuant to Proclamation No. 459, issued by President Benigno S. Aquino III. These are Dec. 25, Christmas Day, and Dec. 30, Rizal Day, which are among the 10 regular holidays, as well, as Dec. 24, the day before Christmas and Dec. 31, the last day of 2013, which are both additional special nonworking days of the year.

Thus, the daily wages during these holidays will be covered by the rules enumerated in L abor Advisor y No. 6, s. of 2012, signed by Secretar y Rosalinda Dimapiles-Baldoz of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Particularly, payment of the daily wage on the regular holidays are as follows: If the employee did not work, he/she shall be paid 100% of his/her salary for that day [(Daily rate + Cost of Living Allowance) x 100%].\ If the employee worked, he/ she shall be paid 200% or his/her regular salary for that day for the first eight hours [(Daily rate +

COLA) x 200%].

If the employee worked in excess of eight hours overtime work, he/she shall be paid an additional 30% of his/her hourly rate on said day [Hourly rate of the basic daily wage x 200% x 130% number of hours worked].

If the employee worked during a regular holiday that also falls on his/her rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional 30% of his/her daily rate of 200% [(Daily rate + COLA) x 200%] + [30% (Daily rate x 200%)].

If the employee worked in excess of eight hours overtime work, during a regular holiday that also falls on his/her rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional 30% of his/her hourly rate on said day (Hourly rate of the basic daily wage x 200% x 130% x 130% x number of hours worked).

Meanwhile, Jose G. Robles, DOLE Provincial Director of Misamis Occidental said the “No work, No pay’” principle shall apply, on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31, unless there is a favorable company polic y, practice or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) granting payment on a

special non-working day.

C omputation of the daily wages during these days are as follows: If the employee worked, he/she shall be paid an additional 30 percent of his/daily rate on the first eight hours of work [(Daily rate x 130%) + COLA].

If the employee worked in excess of eight hours (overtime work), he/she shall be paid an additional 30 percent of his/her hourly rate on said day (hourly rate of the basic daily wage x 130% x 130% x number of hours worked).

If the employee worked during a special day that also falls on his/her rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional 50 percent of his/her daily rate on the first eight hours of work [(Daily rate x 150%) + COLA].

If the employee worked in excess or eight hours (overtime work) during a special day that also falls on his/her rest day, he/ she shall be paid an additional 30 percent of his/her hourly rate on said day (Hourly rate of the basic daily wage x 150% x 130% x number of hours worked). (RCA/ PIA10-Misamis Occidental)

“LIVING THE LIFE” - A LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMS/PRODUCTS DISPLAY OF SENDONG SURVIVORS

T

he City Government of Cagayan de Oro under the leadership of City Mayor Oscar S. Moreno will hold “LIVING THE LIFE”, a display of livelihood programs and products of typhoon Sendong survivors, starting from December 11 up to December 13 at the City Hall

entrance area.

The display is one of the lined up activities organized by the city to highlight the 2nd year commemoration of Typhoon Sendong which focuses on the theme: “BEYOND SENDONG: REBUILDING LIVES AND THE CITY”.(CIO)

The Globe Team HOW YOU CAN HELP Donate through your mobile phone, use your Globe Rewards points, and reach out to our kababayan. No amount is too small when you want to lend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Emergency Hotlines Take note of these contact numbers in case of emergency: National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) (02)911-1406 (02)912-5668 (02)912-2665 (02)911-1873 Philippine Red Cross (02)527-0000 (02)527-8385 to 95

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

Journey to the Visayas Shared by Danilo Olivares (Part 1 of 2)

Danny Olivares tells us about his two trips in recent days, one to Northern Cebu and another to isolated towns and islands of Northern Capiz to bring relief goods raised by his Ateneo HS class ‘58 and College class ‘62, Salt and Light Catholic Charismatic Community and Gawad Kalinga.

Danny’s narrative about his journey to these areas devastated by Yolanda constitutes gripping first-person account of how it was in places not covered by media.

I’m down with flu---lowgrade fever and aching bones--and my doctor has advised me to take it easy and drink lots of fluids. Allow me to yield this space to my brother, Danny Olivares of Movement Against Dynasty (MAD) who made two trips, one to Northern Cebu and another to Northern Capiz in past weeks, to distribute relief goods raised by his group for some isolated areas in those regions.

His first-person account is most gripping: “As I sit now before my computer to compose a story of how Ateneo High School (AHS) Grupo ‘58 and College '62, the Salt and Light for Christ Catholic Charismatic Community, at a few days notice, scrambled to raise funds and organized a team to reach out to our countrymen whose lives had been devastated overnight by one of the strongest typhoon in recorded history, I become dumbfounded, struggling for words, just too emotional.

“How can a people, a government, the world rebuild the lives of millions of people who have nothing but the clothes on their back? All their belongings are gone, loved ones who hours ago were by their side are now dead or missing, many washed and carried away by the surge of tsunami-like waves; and their homes blown away or flattened by the most powerful winds ever experienced by Filipinos.

“Fishermen have lost their bancas. Farmers have lost their livelihood- not one banana tree is left standing. Coconut trees are either toppled down or still standing but their leaves and coconuts are fallen. Fruit bearing mango trees are uprooted.

Even concrete, wood or steel/ metal lamp-posts are down so that the pitch-black darkness of night made their existence more miserable. Day and night, children and adults stand by the highway begging for food and water.

“The trauma is very evident in peoples' faces. What one sees on television is nothing compared to being on the ground, mingling with the desperate folks.

“Southern Cebu, Cebu City

Danny Olivares (left), meets local leaders

and a few towns towards the north escaped with very minor damage. But Northern Cebu--from the town of Sogod up to the tip where Daan Bantayan is located, including Malapascua Island and Bantayan Island--is as devastated as Leyte and Samar, but were luckier or shall I say, more blessed.

This area except the islands is reachable by land with excellent highways; Cebu City still has its airport and seaport practically intact and operational; and malls, stores, restaurants, factories are running. But most important of all, the people of Cebu City and nearby towns are awesome!

“We can say that we did not see the presence of government anywhere from Sogod to Daan Bantayan at the time we were there.. But since over the weekend after the typhoon, a non-stop stream of cars, vans, pickups and trucks, and Cebuanos---entire families, church or social groups, friends and neighbors---can be seen in the highways, stopping by the road, turning into inner barangays, giving out bottles of water, canned goods, rice,etc.

We felt so proud of our Filipino people. Priests, church workers, and student- volunteers work with the barangay captains and kagawads.

“My Ateneo classmate since grade school, Ed Misa, a basketball star during our days, an Ilongo married to a Cebuana, picked me up at the airport and we headed straight to S&R to pick up sardines he had ordered ahead, then to the plastic bags supplier and the water-refilling station. By noon, we went to the Sacred Heart Parish, where my first year high school mentor at the Ateneo, Fr. Ramon Mores, was waiting for us.

“Together with Fr. Sim, brother of Arturo Sim who was one year my junior, Fr. Saniel who would be coordinating with us throughout the mission, a layman named Boie Chy, and and a French resident of Cebu, Alex Scott (friend of our classmate Choy Arnaldo), we had a hurried lunch and then joined over 25 student volunteers from the

Sacred Heart School--now called Ateneo de Cebu.

Repacking started immediately, with Alex Scott manning the production line. Ed and I rushed out to buy more stuff and packing was finished by 10pm. The volunteers were able to eat only then a burger and a tetra-pack juice each. Ed and I were treated by another classmate, a former PAL pilot, to dinner.

“Each plastic bag contained two kilos of corn grit, the main staple of Cebuanos, one kilo of rice, two sachets of Tide, two packs of noodles, two sachets of coffee and a bottle of water. The biscuits were packed separately to be given away to children along the highway.

“After loading all the stuff in Ed's pickup and Isuzu Elf, the parish's L300, the barangay's L300 and a rented multicab, we departed for Northern Cebu. The traffic of so many relief vehicles along the road slowed us down, then the multicab overheated and broke down, slowing us further.

Along the way.aside from the private-citizen brigades, we saw Americans on several 10-wheeler trucks loaded with generators and other goods, an Israeli contingent taking over a demolished elementary school grounds for their medical mission and distribution of relief goods, and a Swiss Panel distributing goods.

I really wanted to go to Bantayan Island, but because of unforeseen delays, we scrapped the plan. The ferries could not take our 5-vehicle convoy, and we would be caught by dusk and pitch darkness. We met with Fr. Richard in the parish at Daan Bantayan, 128 kilometers from Cebu City, who was already contacted by Fr. Saniel.

Distribution started only by 2PM and nobody had eaten lunch yet.

We were able to buy spaghetti and burgers at a Jollibee outlet so many kms. from Daan Bantay which was running on a generator. But we could not eat in front of all the starving people milling around us, and were able to do so only at5:30pm! As we prepared to leave afterwards the

volunteers opted to stay and bring the remaining bags to Barangay Maya, a few kilometers away.

“They had dinner somewhere at 10pm. while Ed, Alex, the driver and I had ours in Cebu City by 10:30. Dead tired, all of us, but we did not hear a single complaint from the student volunteers. That night, volunteer leader Sheila texted me "Sir Danny, what time do we report tomorrow morning?" Wow, awesome! I told her tomorrow we old men need to rest after two days of hard work, morning till almost midnight, so they should rest too.

“That Friday Nov. 15 Ed rested at home. I visited the priests at the Sacred Heart Parish, paid the bills for gas, driver and rentals and had pictures with them. I then took a taxi to Mandaue to have lunch with an American friend from Hawaii who was importing coconut milk from a supplier in Cebu.

After lunch, I rushed to the PAL office downtown to rebook my 11am. Saturday return flight to 9:30pm. ---necessitating the forfeiture of my earlier ticket and my having to buy another one for the evening flight which was more expensive by P600. I later had dinner with a doctor friend to work out how we can avail of the offer of a colleague in the Salt and Light Community to get a container load of medical supplies that a contact in the US is offering to the Philippines through a hospital or an NGO. “The priests asked me why I was doing this relief work---do I have friends or relatives affected by the typhoon?

Their question made me realize that I volunteered to do this because of my training at the Ateneo. In high school, we had our annual competition called “Christmas Package Drive,” where we were given authorization letters to knock on doors, stores and offices to solicit and beg for money, clothes and canned goods for the poor. We went house to house and even to provinces like Pampanga, Tarlac and Pangasinan to beg. After the competition, win or lose, we helped in the distribution.

“I told the Sacred Heart Parish priests that their young student volunteers will never forget their experience in the past two days and this will make them better persons and better citizens who will not hesitate to help their fellow men even if they’re not paid to do so. Fr. Sim reacted and told me he will repeat what I said in his homily on Sunday. Since we were told not to pay them for their volunteering, I left P2,500 so that the volunteers could have a cook-out lunch after the Mass at the parish center.

“The following day's distribution was as eventful as that on Thursday, this time in Medellin municipality, where Ed has his Mercedes Golf and Country Club. From Medellin, we almost did not make it to the airport in Mactan for my 9:30pm. flight. Too tired, I just stayed at the Mabuhay Lounge where I had pica-pica for dinner. The flight was delayed and I arrived home only by 2am. Sunday.

“All in all, we distributed 3,100 bags broken down as follows: Daan Bantayan—bgys.

Tonijao 300 bags, Pajo 300 bags, St. Martin 400 bags,Tupilak 250 bags, Maya 250 bags; the highway between Daan Bantayan and Medellin 300 bags, and the highway between Medellin and Tabogon 300 bags. In Medellin, bgys. Dayhagon 350 bags, Lamintak Norte 350 bags, and Mercedes plantation’s 300 caddies and their families who are all without work because their Korean clientele left as a result of the typhoon.

“The whole experience was awesome. I was blessed to have been given the opportunity to help our fellow men. But the Lord is telling us something when He allowed this tragedy to happen.

And I will never stop quoting 2:7 Chronicles until we Filipinos change: "If only my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and ask for forgiveness, I will hear their prayers from heaven and forgive them and I will heal their land."

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Inclusion of disaster mngt in school curriculum pushed GENERAL SANTOS CITY – L e s s ons on d i s a s t e r management and first-aid lessons should be included in the Department of Education’s (DepEd) basic integrated education curriculum to make the public better prepared for disasters, a member of the city council said.

City Councilor Rosalita Nunez said there is a need for the government and DepEd to mainstream the disaster management and preparedness measures in the wake of the devastating onslaught last November 8 of super typhoon “Yolanda” in parts of the Visayas region, northern Mindanao and southern Luzon.

In a proposed resolution, the councilor noted that a number of disasters had

hit the country this year and caused overwhelming devastation due to their sudden and unpredictable occurrence.

She said these disasters loss of lives and properties, hamp ered de velopment proj e c ts and disr upte d government services.

Nunez cited the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Central Visayas and typhoon “Yolanda,” which “brought s t a g ge r i ng d e s t r u c t i on in Tacloban City and its neighboring localities.” “ The unpre ce dente d de vastation, chaos and despair to the affected people warranted extraordinary response from the national and local government units and even the international disaster/PAGE 10

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Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), partnered with National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), unveil the Book Cover and First Edition entitled: “Parangal Kay Gat Jose P. Rizal Bayaning Enviromental Planner,” on Friday (Dec. 5) at Virata Hall, DAP Building, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. (From left) Antipolo City Mayor Jun Jun Ynares; Hon. Felipe M. de Leon Jr., NCCA chairman; Antonio D. Kalaw, Jr., DAP President; and Gemma Cruz Araneta, representative of the Rizal Family. (PNA photo by Rico H. Borja)

FEATURE:

Yolanda: Major Signal of Climate Change?

By Iluminado Varela Jr.

Many countries are continuously giving financial and other relief aids to typhoon Yolanda victims in Eastern Visayas.

But international scientists and world environmental watchers are more concerned with the question: “Is this cyclone another major proof of climate change the world is waiting –- and will be experiencing?”

First, what is climate change? Lester R. Brow n, award-w inning environmental analyst and founder of Earth Policy Institute, puts it in the simplest term: “Climate change means the world is being squeezed between expanding deserts from the

interior continents and rising seas on the periphery.”

Climate change means land, food, clean water and pure air will be scarce -- or gone –- in many parts of the earth.

This means poor and rich countries alike will suffer major hazards: hunger and poverty, diseases like HIV/ AIDS, million of refugees and homeless, and armed conflicts for dwindling world resources.

Such calamities would take many years to come.

This is not new.

What is new is the pace of climate change. Climate change is fast –- and getting faster every year.

The melting of world

ice, which is consistent with the accelerating rise in world temperature that has occurred since 1980, is of great concern to low-lying regions of coastal countries like the Philippines.

Even veteran ice watchers are surprised at how quickly the disintegration is now occurring.

Early this week, the government-owned FM radio station gave a newsflash that an iceberg the size of Singapore has broken off its main body.

In Central Asia, the largest snow-covered mountain ranges is the Himalayas.

Other major snow ice mass mountains include the Swiss Alps, the South American

Andes, the Alaska mountain ranges, the French/Spanish Pyrenees and the Greenlands’ ice sheet.

Nor wegian scientists reported that the Arctic Sea could be entirely ice-free during summer in matter of decades.

Mete orolog ists have noted that the world’s 16 warmest years have been recorded since 1980. “Each decade the rise in global average temperature has been greater than before. As earth’s temperature accelerates, so does weather-related events: hurricane (typhoon), floods and winter storms.”

The we at her-relate d events include: 1) Hurricane Mitch ( 1 9 9 8 ) - – m o st

DENR-Palawan launches cadastral survey projects in 2 Palawan towns PUERTO PRINCESA CITY –- In a bid to strongly establish political boundaries and subdivisions of public lands in Palawan, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the province launched the need for two cadastral surveys in the town of Agutaya and Magsaysay in the southern jurisdiction of the province.

The Provincial Information Office (PIO) said the Cadastral Survey Project, Categor y B for Agutaya and Magsaysay happened on December 5 in this city with Palawan Vice Governor Dennis Socrates representing Governor Jose Alvarez.

The launching, which was attended by DENRM I M A R O PA R e g i o n a l Director Oscar C. D omingue z, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO)

Juan dela Cruz, and Puerto Princesa City CENRO Emer D. Garraez, explained the importance of the cadastral s u r ve y i n e s t abl i s h i ng political boundaries in the two towns, as well as project controls.

Garraez said conducting the cadastral surveys is a flagship project of President Benigno Aquino III, which is the key to opening potentials in t he env ironment to the residents of the said municipalities.

Dominguez, on the other hand, said it is the goal of President Aquino to finish the cadastral surveys in the whole country before his term ends. This year, he disclosed that all cadastral surveys of the DENR are being conducted in Palawan.

Socrates said the Palawan governor deeply appreciates the conduct of the said surveys that will clearly

define and measure land boundaries for Agutaya and Magsaysay that can help in their comprehensive land use plan for economic progress.

Dela Cruz, the PENRO in the province, said the cadastral sur vey in the two said towns is the fifth c a d a s t r a l p r o j e c t t h at t h e D E N R- Pa l a w a n i s conducting.

The other towns that under went the same sur vey are the towns of Coron, Culion, Linapacan, Dumaran, Balabac, Rizal and Bataraza.

Dominguez said the cooperation and coordination of the municipal mayors of the two towns are highly needed in the surveys, especially with the contractors and project engineers.

Agutaya is a fifth class municipality in the province of Palawan. According to

the 2010 census, it has a population of 11,906 people.

It is the eastern part of the Cuyo Archipelago in the Sulu Sea, and the municipality cove rs s e ve ra l isl ands, including its namesake Agutaya Island, which is the second largest island of the Cuyo archipelago, as well as Diit, Halog, Maracanao, Matarawis, Oco, and Quiniluban islands.

On t he ot her hand, Magsaysay is a fifth class municipality in the province of Palawan. The 2010 census placed its population at 11,965 people.

It is the easternmost of the three municipalities of the Cuyo Archipelago, and its territory includes the eastern half of Cuyo Island, as well as Alcoba, Canipo, C ocoro, Patunga, Paya, Putic, Siparay, Tacbubuc, and Tagauanian islands.

(PNA)

p ower f u l stor m in t he Atlantic with 200 miles an hour winds; 11,000 persons dead and thousands more missing in Honduras and Nicaragua; 2) Hurricane Andrew (l992) which took down 60,000 homes and thousands of people dead with USD 30 billion damage; 3) the first such disaster came in 1983 when Hurricane Alicia struck the United States with USD 1.3 billion in insured losses.

What does the Philippine super-typhoon Yolanda offer science researchers?

One: Yolanda is the world history’s strongest typhoon or cyclone ever recorded.

Is this the major effect of climate change, especially

in the Asian region?

Two: The Philippines is one of the 10 countries in Asia where the sea level rise is by one meter. Recently concluded research indicates that ice melting is much higher and sooner. The other Asian countries are China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

Climate change observers b elie ve t hat t he Kyoto Protocol negotiated in 1997 to reduce global warming is not enough. Typhoon Yolanda could be a reason to examine again the Kyoto Protocol opp o s e d by i n du s t r i a l countries, particularly the United States. (PNA)

Flashflood evacuates 18 families in five Capiz ILOILO CITY – Flashflood spawned by heavy downpour caused the evacuation of some 18 families in Sigma, Capiz for fear of their lives.

The evacuees, according to Espirideon Pelaez, action officer of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), temporarily took shelter at the Sigma Civic Center where they availed of emergency food assistance extended by the town’s social welfare and development office.

Presently, the PDRRMC continue to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of other families that might be endangered by the flashflood that has already affected vast acres of rice farms in 36 barangays in the five municipalities of Capiz.

The PDRRMC keep their watch on the scenario

considering that the bulk of flood waters coming from the towns in the Second District cascaded towards the low-lying towns under the jurisdiction of the First District of Capiz.

The PDRRMC action officer said the floodprone towns being placed under continues watch include Mambusao, Sigma, Jamindan, Pan-ay and Dao, all located in the First District of Capiz.

Meanwhile, a five-yearold Aisa Luces was reported drowned in the midst of the flashflood in Brgy. BayeBaye, Jamindan, Capiz.It can be recalled that the island of Panay, particularly in the provinces of Capiz and Iloilo, has experienced heavy rainfall past six o’clock early Saturday evening that caused flashfloods in several towns in Capiz.

(PNA)

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DOE... from page 2

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and will be located at the San Carlos Ecozone.

The project was awarded a s er vice cont rac t l ast November and is expected to be online in the second quarter of 2014, the group said in a statement.

It is projected to provide 35 million kilowatt hours annually to the Visayas Grid to address capacity requirements of the region.

It will be developed into two phases with the Phase 1 eyed to build the 13mw capacity while the remaining 9mw account for the phase 2.

“The net output capacity of the plant will be about 19.8 mw peak,” it said.

The plant wi l l have 22 inverters and 88,000 photovoltaic modules to be supplied by Conergy, the project’s main contractor based in Germany. (PNA)

Reconnect... from page 2

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Commission, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( A F P ) , t h e P h i l i p pi n e Air Force and the local governments of the affected areas for helping us repair our facilities in the most rapid way possible,” said Roland G. Pena, PLDT and Smart Technology Group Head.

“We also wish to recognize the extraordinary efforts exerted by our field personnel, particularly our network engineers, to accomplish their mission under very difficult conditions,” he added.

“Having completed the immediate task of restoration, we continue to work on further improving the quality and reach of our cellular services. We are doing so under conditions where commercial electric power is still not available in several areas or remain unstable in others, particularly in Eastern Visayas,” Pena said.

“We are als o taking steps to make our facilities more d is aste r- re s i l i e nt in anticipation of future calamities,” he said.

Several days prior to the typhoon’s landfall last November 8, Smart and DMPI already prepositioned personnel and equipment in key areas in the region for quicker mobilization, as part of the disaster preparedness program the companies.

With the help of the AFP and the NDRRMC, Sm ar t w a s abl e to f ly additional restoration crew and e quipment on t he earliest flights to Tacloban immediately the following morning, November 9.

Equipped with satellite phones, they immediately ass ess e d inf rast r uc ture damages and worked with government agencies and humanitarian organizations in providing communications support for relief efforts.

The first Libreng Tawag stations powered by Smart

Satellite Services were also opened for residents that day in Tacloban City and in other hard-hit areas.

In the days leading to full restoration, Smart and DMPI were able to provide about 120 satellite phones to various government and relief agencies with the support of Thuraya Satellite. More than 60 Libreng Tawag stations were also set up in many cities and municipalities in Central Visayas as well as Palawan and Metro Manila.

In addition to the satellite-powered public calling stations, Smart and DMPI were able to reactivate network signal in downtown Tacloban just two days after the disaster via a fixed cellsite setup which provided more stable coverage than a mobile facility.

A f t e r t w o d ay s , on November 12, Smart Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G service was reestablished in Tacloban City, directly supporting further humanitarian relief efforts.

Meanwhile, on November 13, Smart and Vodafone Foundation engineers fired up the first post-Yolanda mobile signal in Borongan, Samar using an instant network, an ultra-portable cellsite that can fit in the trunk of a car.

A day after, the second instant network was fired up in Palo, Leyte, the provincial center for disaster response coordination for the province.

On November 16, the third instant network as well as a Multi-EquipmentOn-Wheels (MEOW) set up went live to serve residents of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, one of first towns where Typhoon Yolanda made landfall, giving residents first line communication channels in the aftermath of the disaster.

To serve residents directly affected by Typhoon Yolanda, Smart and DMPI offered various services to aid in the post-disaster efforts. These include free SMS bundles (25 local and 3 international SMS per day) for 10 days for all Smart, Talk ‘N Text and Sun subscribers in specified areas.

The two companies also provided their postpaid subscribers services assistance and tied up with Twitter for receiving tweets from responding agencies via SMS, without the need for data connectivity.

Smart and PLDT also provided data links for the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) which enabled it to reopen banking services in Tacloban City on November 19 via mobile ATMs.

By December 2, the percentage of cities and municipalities reconnected crossed theDE90% Most of CAGAYAN ORO mark.

MAIN BRANCH P & J Lim Bldg., Tiano Brothers Kalambagohan Sts., the remaining unserved areas Tel. # (08822) 727-829 * (088) 856-1947 were inTelefax the#most devastated CAMIGUIN BRANCH andB. hard-to-reach towns in Aranas St., Poblacion, Mambajao, Camiguin Tel. # (088) 387-0491 Eastern Samar and Leyte.

CORRALES BRANCH Smart and DMPI were Corrales Ave., Cagayan de Oro Cityable to restore network coverage DIVISORIA BRANCH Erasmo B. Damasing Bldg., #61 Don A. inAtty. these through various Velezareas St., Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 857-3631 solutions, including Ericsson LAPASAN BRANCH Lapasan Hi-way, Cagayan de Oro Citythe Network’s mini cellsites, Tel. # (088) 231-6739 first deployment of such CARMEN BRANCH Vamenta Blvd., Cagayan de Oro City technology in the Philippines.

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Farmers... from page 4

packed each sacks and improved our packaging,” Santos said.

Through fairs and exhibits, their organically produced fertilizers is now slowly gaining prominence and expand its market not only within North Cotabato but also in Compostela Valley province, Davao Oriental and even as far as Bacolod City where they have linked with the sugar cane planters in Negros Occidental.

Santos said as the demand for organically produced food products are gaining prominence, the demand for their fertilizer also increases.

He said they are taking regular orders from banana and sugar cane plantations that are into organic farming.

“We are glad that through the help of DA-MRDP and our provincial government we were able to upgrade our facilities and keep up with the demand from organic farms,” Santos said. He said of all the livelihood projects they have availed themselves of, it is only the vermiculture and organic fertilizer production that has grown, sustained and continually expanded.

“The project we have avai le d ours elves f rom MRDP did not only reduce our dependence on chemicalbased fertilizers, it has also enable us to be economically independent and at the same time conser ve our environment,” Santos said.

GSIS... from page 5

branch fees: Baybay, BaybayM a g s a y s a y, B o r o n g a n , Calbayog, Catarman, Catbalogan, CatbaloganDel Rosario, Downtown Tacloban, Guiuan, Maasin, Naval, Ormoc, Ormoc-Real, Palompon, Tacloban and Tacloban-Zamora.

As of Dec. 5, all PNB branches in the Visayas have been opened and operate during regular banking hours.

Branches in Leyte, Samar, Cebu, Panay and Bohol, however, are open in a limited capacity, PNB said in a statement.

Disaster... from page 9

community,” she said.

The official said government’s response to the recent calamity’s aftermath elicited criticisms not only from residents and the local media, but from international

media observers as well like the Cable News Network and the British Broadcasting Corporation.

“It can be inferred from such harrowing experience that something must be done in order to address the same issue and in the future avoid, if not minimize the massive loss of lives when similar disasters of such magnitude would strike,” Nunez said.

The councilor said one effective strategy to address the matter is by educating the people, starting from grade school, about the imp or t ance of dis aster management, including first aid techniques.

She said such move will make the people well aware of various mitigation measures for impending disasters.

The official said the inclusion of disaster management and first aid topics in appropriate subject areas of the integrated curriculum “will enhance our knowledge and the degree of our preparedness in times of calamities.”

“It’s important for us to be properly prepared long before any calamity would occur and the recent incidents should serve as a wake-up call for all of us,” Nunez said.

She acknowledged that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and its counterparts in cities, provinces and municipalities nationwide does not fully give emphasis on early education about disaster preparedness but they are rather more confined on implementing mitigations, rescues, relief operations and rehabilitation activities to disaster-stricken areas.

But she said the United Nat ions Inter nat iona l Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction, in line with the World Disaster Reduction Campaign-2010-2015 that launched the “Making Cities Resilient” program, has encouraged all cities and local government units “to take actions that will help reduce every community’s disaster risks and achieve the common goal of resiliency and sustainability in times of major catastrophes.”

Nunez said it extensively gives full assertion that “disaster risk reduction education” begins at school.

“It thus advocates for its integration into the elementary and secondary c u r r i c u l a ,” s h e a d d e d .

(MindaNews)

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Power... from page 1

AboitizPower’s coalfired plant, to be operated by subsidiary Therma South, Inc., will start commercial operation of its first phase of 300 MW in 2015.

The plant is being built at this city’s boundary with the town of Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur. Department of Energy data show the Mindanao grid has installed capacity of 2,049.3 MW, but dependable capacity is only 79% or at 1,614.4 MW. Of total installed capacity, about half -- 1,047 MW -comes from government-run hydroelectric facilities of the National Power Corp. whose dependable capacity is placed at just over 70%.

In the case of the city’s distribution utility, the Davao Light and Power Co. has a power requirement of 389 MW in its franchise area, but can source just 330 MW, yielding a 59-MW shortfall.

The increase in power requirement will come mostly from new investments of three big companies -- Steel Asia Manufacturing Corp.; port operator San Vicente Terminal & Brokerage Services, Inc. of ANFLO Management & Investment Corp.; and Holcim Philippines, Inc. -which will need a total of at least 32 MW. Arturo M. Milan, vicepresident of AboitizPower subsidiary Davao Light & Power Corp., said separately that, by 2018, the company still expects to have a shortfall even if it will have already signed a 100-MW service contract agreement with Therma South in 2015. “ This cle arly me ans that substantial additional capacity is still needed to fully supply Mindanao’s continued development and growth and to save Mindanaons from further experiencing debilitating brownouts,” Mr. Orig added.

The Web site of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines yesterday showed Mindanao with estimated system capacity of 1,402 MW and system peak of 1,376 MW, leaving thin reserves of 26 MW. Mr. Orig also defended the project from criticisms of environmental groups who claimed that coalfired power plants are both hazardous to environment as well as to people. “There are now modern technologies available to control and manage emissions to the atmosphere, discharge to bodies of water, and disposal of waste of coal-fired power plants,” he said.

Exports... from page 1

commodities out of top ten commodities.

Commodities such as Chemicals, Machinery and Transport Equipment, Other Mineral Products, Articles of Apparel and Clothing Accessories, Ignition Wiring Set and Other Wiring Sets

Used in Vehicles, Aircrafts and Ships, Other Electronics, Woodcrafts and Furniture, Electronic Products, and Metal Components gained their export revenues while only Other Manufactures has a negative growth.

However, on month-todate basis, exports slightly decreased by 0.6 percent as September 2013 revenues posted USD 5.056 billion.

Furthermore, Electronic Products remained to be the top exported products of the country with total receipts of USD 2.158 billion or accounting for 42.9 percent of the total exports for October 2013.

T h is is fol l owe d by Other Manufactures with total export revenue of USD 312.87 million in October of this year, decreasing 31.3 percent from October 2012’s USD 455.6 million.

Woodcrafts and Furniture ranked third most exported product of the country with revenue of USD 300 million; Machinery and Transport Equipment ranked fourth with export revenue of USD 224 million; and Other Mineral Products at fifth rank with receipt of USD 197.34 million.

Meanwhile, for the month of October, Japan is the country’s top export partner.

Japan’s export pledges to Philippines in October 2013 amounted to USD 1.108 billion or 22 percent of the total export revenue for the said month.

United States of America (USA) followed Japan with exports value of USD 514.55 million or sharing 14.2 percent to the total receipts.

Other top export partners of the country for October 2013 were: People’s Republic of China at USD 643.76 million (12.8 percent share); Singapore at USD 427.9 million (8.5 percent share); and Hong Kong at USD 386.70 million (7.7 percent share).

Exports to top four export partners increased Y-o-Y except for Hong Kong which declined by 40.2 percent.

(PNA)

PDIC... from page 1

of the bank’s depositors and borrowers on Wednesday to facilitate the initial processing of the claims.

During the meeting, he said the bank’s former clients will be informed and guided properly by the agency of the requirements, the standard processes and what to do when the agency’s claim settlement operation takes place.

He assured that the agency will process all the claims of the bank’s qualified depositors within the P500,000 maximum deposit insurance each as provided by law.

“Our target is to complete the processing and releasing of all depositors’ claims within the month,” Tumbokon added.

From January 1 to Nov. 15 this year, the PDIC has already

11

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Tigerair resumes Davao flights

ABELLANOSA Lechon House

AFTER a five-month suspension, Tigerair Philippines on Friday has resumed its Davao flights.

“We have responded to our passengers’ demand,” Tigerair vice president Joey Laurente said in a statement.

“Tigerair is here to give you only the best service possible. To keep up the demand for Davao as a tourist destination and as an IT hub, we offer daily flights to Davao using the 144-seater Airbus 319 aircraft,” he added.

The airline resumed flights to Davao on December 2. Last July, Tigerair temporarily suspended its Davao flights, citing the “negative results” of its route plan.

Earlier, Tigerair launched a twice a week flight to Phuket and three times a week Kalibo-Singapore flight.

The airline aims to offer commercial flights to Japan, Korea and China soon.

Olive Ramos, Tigerair president, had said the airline is on track to meet its P5 billion revenue target this year.

The airline will acquire two to three Airbus A320 aircraft next year to support its expansion. It has a fleet of two A319s and three A320s, serving four international routes and one domestic route out of Clark, and seven domestic routes out of Manila.

Tigerair flies to Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Clark, Laoag, Bacolod, Kalibo, Cebu, Iloilo, Tacloban, and Puerto Princesa out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 4 (NAIA 4).

Last year, the airline carried 284,959 international and 317,897 domestic passengers.

Contact:

placed 16 rural banks, four of which are in Mindanao, under receivership.

Most of the banks were put under receivership by the PDIC after they were closed down by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas due to insolvency. (MindaNews)

Sought...

from page 1 their operations.

“Leeway will not result in non-payment since they have prudential guarantees.

Leniency is in relation to the replacement of prudential requirement which is subject to NEA’s action plan,” Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) president Melinda L. Ocampo said.

NEA Administrator Edita S. Bueno noted that staggered payment is being explored, adding that discussions are ongoing even as the WESM in Visayas is on suspension.

“Market is suspended now. But whatever will the arrangements be, staggered payment is always a consideration,” she said.

The Yolanda-battered electric cooperatives which also have dues at WESM include the Aklan, Biliran, Capiz, Don Orestes Romualdez, Leyte II, III and V, Negros Oriental II Electric Cooperatives as well as VMC Rural Electric Cooperative.

The electric cooperatives logged roughly P80 million of financial obligations to the electricity spot market – accounting for their respective supply procurements.

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Expansion... from page 1

This means 2.6 million Filipinos looking for jobs found none last October, slightly lower than the 2.76 million last year.

Un e m p l o y m e n t w a s highest in Metro Manila at 10.2 percent and lowest in Soccksargen and Zamboanga Peninsula at three percent each.

The latest Labor Force Survey excludes the data from the province of Leyte, which was devastated by Typhoon Yolanda.

Underemployment – the number of employed Filipinos who are still looking for additional income -- also fell to 17.9 percent in October from 19 percent a year ago.

The country’s labor force – defined as those ages 15 years and over -- numbered 63.1 million last October. Of this total number, 63.9 percent had jobs or was looking for one.

The number of employed p e rs ons re a ch e d 3 7 . 7 3 million, up from last year’s 37.67 million. Of the total employed persons, 11.84 m i l l i on worke d i n t he agriculture sector, while 5.75 million 20.14 million were in the industry and services sectors.

In the first three quarters of this year, the economy grew by 7.4 percent, well above the government’s 6-7 percent goal for the entire 2013, but slightly lower than the first-half expansion of 7.65 percent.

MINUTES OF THE RAFFLING OF MISC.CASE NO. 131 and 132, BY THE RAFFLE COMMITTEE, REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF MAMBAJAO, CAMIGUIN, 10TH JUDICIAL REGION, BRANCH 28, HELD AT THE COURTROOM OF RTC, BR. 28, HALL OF JUSTICE, MAMBAJAO, CAMIGUIN, ON NOV.26, 2013, AT 2:00 O’CLOCK IN THE AFTERNON. PRESENT: 1. JEOFFRE W. ACEBIDO - Executive Judge Acting Presiding Judge, Branch 28; 2. ALMA L. SABUGA - Clerk of Court VI, Branch 28 3. EUSTANCIA A. VASQUEZ - Court III, RTC, Br. 28 4. PRINCESS S. SILANGAN - Court Stenographer III, RTC, Br. 28 ============================================================ The raffle for the distribution of notice/order for publication to accredited newspaper started at 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon of Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013 as stated in the notice. The notice was posted on the Bulletin Board of the Hall of Justice, at the main door of the Courtroom of RTC, Br. 28 and at the door of the Office of the Clerk of Court and Staff, and was duly furnished to the accredited newspaper for publication ,Businessweek Mindanao c/o Dante Sudaria, Tanleh Building, Abellanosa St., Cagayan de Oro City and Free Digest, at District 3, Bugnao Drive, Consolation, Cagayan de Oro City.

In accordance with the rule requiring the conduct of a raffle, and complying thereof, the Executive Judge conducted personally the raffle with the attendance of Clerk of Court VI, Alma L. Sabuga, Stenographer Princess Silagan, who took down the notes of the proceeding and one Clerk, Eustancia Vasquez. The raffle properly proceeded and was held on the lawyer’s table inside the courtroom.

By means of a bingo tambiolo, the Presiding Judge picked up the chip therein to determine which among the two accredited publication newspaper be awarded to undertake the publication of the notice.

The bingo chip taken from the tambiolo definitely show that order of publication shall be awarded to Business week Mindanao c/o Dante Sudaria, FICCO Building, Lapasan Highway, Gusa, Cagayan de Oro City for Misc. Case No. 131 and Free Digest, at District 3, Bugnao Drive, Consolation, Cagayan de Oro City for Misc. Case No. 132.

The raffle proceeding was finished at 10 minutes past 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon of November 26, 2013.

SO ORDERED ============================================================ CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that the foregoing Minutes is true and correct to the best of my ability, kwowledge and belief.

(Sgd.) PRINCESS S. SILAGAN (Sgd.) EUSTANCIA A. VASQUEZ Stenographer ( Assisting) Clerk III APPROVED BY: (Sgd.) ALMA L. SABUGA (Sgd.) JEOFFRE W. ACEBIDO

Clerk of Court VI Acting Presiding Judge BWM: Dec. 11, 18 & 23, 2013

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