MINDANAO DAILY NEWS SECOND SECTION
Tuesday - December 3, 2013
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Business registry THE Cagayan de Oro City Council committee on trade, commerce and cooperatives chaired by C oun c il or Ed na Dahino has endorsed to the committee on laws and rules chaired by Councilor Ra m o n Ta b o r t h e pr o p o s e d ordinance authorizing City Mayor Oscar Moreno to enter into and sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Trade and Industr y. This will cover the implementation of DTI’s Philippine Business Registr y Project (PER). The MOA cites that Section 29 of R.A. 8792 or the “Electronic Commerce Act,” gives the DTI the authority to direct and supervise the promotion and development of electronic commerce in the country with relevant government agencies. Executive Order No. 587 of 2006 mandates DTI to establish and administer the Philippine Business Registry (PBR) project, which will facilitate a seamless transactional environment for business such as but not limited to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), DTI, Bureau o f I n t e r n a l R eve n u e ( B I R), Social Security System (SSS) and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
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By MYRNA VELASCO, Contributor
O spare incidence of electricity pilferage, a blanket order will be issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) enjoining all distribution utilities (DUs) to elevate their electric meters to areas safe from prospective tampering acts.
To avoid pilferage, the ERC requires utilities to install power meters high from the ground.
The regulatory body has been seeking inputs from stakeholders on its proposed amendments to the rules governing the installation and relocation of electric meters by DUs to elevated metering centers (EMCs) or to other elevated sites. The deadline for subm ission of i ndust r y comments and inputs will be this Monday (December 2), based on the notice issued by the ERC. The ERC said the rules modification shall “apply
to all DUs whose metering installations are over and above the height prescribed in the Magna Carta and the Distribution Ser vice and Open Access Ru les (DSOAR).” In cases where billing disputes will arise from the mandated relocation of electric meters, the ERC prescribed that complaints shall be acted upon based on established rules of practice and procedures. In the installation of meters/PAGE B7
Disaster preparedness DAVAO Cit y - - An of ficial of the National Competitiveness Counc il (NCC), an at tac hed agency of the Depar tment of Trade and Industry (DTI), has emphasized on the relevance of disaster preparedness for competitiveness. Guillermo M. Luz, NCC Private Sector co-chair, said that in order to boost competitiveness, factors that may affect readiness during disasters must be looked into carefully. With climate change affecting every corner of the world, Luz said that “we must be prepared”. “ To d ay, yo u d o n’ t k n ow anymore where the t yphoon could hit so we have to plan. We have to study our risk assessment data based on weather forecasts b e c au s e s t o r m s c a n h i t u s anytime,” he said.
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Davao government drafts sustainable agri program By CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO Correspondent
DAVAO City -- The city government is finalizing its draft for a sustainable agriculture program to mitigate the effects of climate change. C it y A g r ic u lt u r i s t Rocelio T. Tabay said the city government, starting next year, will come up with sustainable agriculture policy that will include a development program to slowly address the climate change problem. A mong t he i n it i a l plans, Mr. Tabay said, is developing areas for permanent crops like coffee, cacao, rubber and fruit trees in the uplands. He also said the city government will “encourage farmers to plant the crops” as their permanent sources of income. Howe ve r, t he c it y
gover n ment w i l l st i l l allow farmers to plant cash crops like vegetables whi le wa it i ng for t he permanent crops to mature and produce fruits. Mr. Tabay said the city needs to come up with the program because there are crops that cannot withstand floods, a problem that the city began experiencing in the past few years. The City Agriculturist’s office has sought P25million funding for the initiative, which will be part of the city government’s P5.1-billion budget, still under deliberation, for next year. The agency will also include in the program the sustainable management of coastal resources, cereals production, and promoting organic farming.
MisOr town launches green governance program By LORRY V. GABULE, Contributor
MISAMIS Oriental -- The Green Governance Program of Naawan town this province in its mission to rehabilitate and protect the Naawan watershed was launched recently with support from its stakeholders. Secretary Luwalhati R. A ntoni no of Mi nda nao Development Aut horit y ( M i n DA ) d u r i n g t h e
launching expressed the importance to build awareness to all local government units, make people aware of the green governance project, encourage and concentrate on eco-tourism. “It is what we are looking forward to, an image we w a nt e d t o pr oj e c t for Mindanao as an eco-tourism program/PAGE B7
Gov’t to implement green procurement By ROMELDA ASCUTIA, Contributor
FLOATING LOGS. Members of the Public Safety Company of Butuan City police discover these large lauan logs floating by the bank of the Agusan River in Barangay Mahogany in Butuan on Nov. 29. MindaNews photo by Erwin Mascarinas
THE government is serious about implementing its green procurement program in two or three years’ time, and is seek ing industr y participation in forming a policy framework for the project. T h e a d m i n i s t r a t i on
needs to partner with the industrial sector in setting clear standards and preparing businesses for the green movement, said officials from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Budget and Green/PAGE B7
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