BusinessWeek Mindanao (December 6, 2019)

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Briefly Banana lobby BANANA growers are pushing the government to help bring down high tariffs imposed by South Korea on their produce as rival banana producers erode the industry’s share of its third most-important market.

“The negotiations only started in the second quarter while the tariff rates for our competitors have been getting more and more favorable,” Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) Executive Director Stephen A. Antig said in a statement.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte is currently in South Korea to attend the commemorative summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with South Korea. He will also have a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Modern PUJ fares THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) clarified there would be no fare hike for all public utility jeepneys (PUJ).

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the LTFRB belied reports of a fare hike and said the memorandum circular 2019-061 it issued was to merely standardize fare rates computations for modern public utility vehicles such as e-jeepneys.

“The (MC) 2019-061 on Fare Rates for Modern PUJ Services and Electric PUJ Services aims to establish a nationwide fare guideline baseline for Modern PUJs and E-Jeepneys,” the statement read.

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DOE seeks inspection of power grid system www.businessweekmindanao.com

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Friday|December 6, 2019

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NERGY Secretary Alfonso Cusi has stressed the need for immediate assessment of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP) system, saying it is not impossible now to run it remotely from everywhere.

CHRISTMAS IN GASTON PARK. Residents enjoy the light show “Symphony of Lights” at the Gaston Park, Cagayan de Oro City. The local government sponsors this annual Christmas light show. mindanews photo by froilan gallardo

11 face raps for transport of fossilized giant clams in CDO

There have been calls to check on NGCP’s system since 40 percent of the national grid is owned by State Grid Corporation of China, and the latter can easily decide to shut down the NGCP system if it decides to.

“In this digital age, anything and practically e ve r y t h i n g i s p o s s i b l e remotely,” Cusi said in a briefing Monday.

Cusi said he wants the i m me d i ate au d it i ng of NGCP’s system.

He explained the only

way to address questions on whether China can really remotely shut down the Philippines’ power grid is for government experts to inspect NGCP and have the oversight function on its whole system.

Cusi said he called for the inspection of NGCP’s facilities upon his assumption into office in 2016 but NGCP officials have been refusing to heed this move.

He said the inspection is partly due to the need INSPECTION/PAGE 11

By JIGGER JERUSALEM, PNA

E L EV E N i nd iv i du a l s c au g ht transporting fossilized giant clams or “taklobo” in Barangay Lumbia here are now facing administrative and criminal charges, a Bureau of

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-10 (BFAR-10) official said Wednesday.

BFAR-10 Assistant Director Teodoro Bacolod Jr. said the suspects TRANSPORT/PAGE 11

Church leader emphasizes inclusive dialogue for peace

By JIGGER JERUSALEM, PNA

GOING to t he communit ies affected by the armed conflict and understanding the root causes of inequality is one of the ways to

achieve lasting peace in Mindanao, a Catholic Church leader here said.

Cagayan de Oro Archbishop DIALOGUE/PAGE 9

SEIZED GIANT CLAMS. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 10 Director Allan Poquita (right) takes a look at the mound of fossilized giant clams placed in sacks that were confiscated by police in a checkpoint in Barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City on Tuesday (Dec. 3, 2019). The clams, estimated to weigh 8,000 kilos is said to have a market value of PHP48 million. With Poquita is BFAR-10 assistant director Teodoro Bacolod Jr. pna photo by jigger j . jerusalem

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Local Agusan Sur rice farmers get cash aid from DA

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UTUAN City – A total of 360 rice farmers from the town of Prosperidad in Agusan del Sur province received cash assistance in the form of a loan from the Department of Agriculture (DA) 13 (Caraga) and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).

The aid was released through the Expanded Survival and Recovery Assistance for Rice Farmers (SURE Aid) Program under the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) of the DA. DA-13 Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo led the distribution of cash cards

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to farmer-beneficiaries in Prosperidad on Tuesday.

A total cash assistance of PHP5.4 million was released to the farmers during the distribution activity, the DA-13 Information Office said.

In his message, Monteagudo told the farmers to fully use the cash aid to develop their farms for increased production.

He said the SURE Aid Program under the ACPC aims to assist rice farmers whose incomes have been affected by the drop in the farm gate price of palay in markets.

The card received by each farmer-beneficiary was loaded with PHP15,000, payable

within eight years with zero interest.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, DA-13 Rice Program focal person Marisa Garces told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that recipients of the cash assistance are those farming one hectare and below in the area.

Garces said 332 rice farmers from San Francisco, Agusan del Sur received the same cash assistance with a total amount of PHP4.9 million from DA-ACPC last October.

Carlito Butlay, a rice farmer from Barangay Aurora, Prosperidad, was quoted as saying that the cash assistance was a big

help for them to further develop their farmlands.

Butlay added that the support of DA-ACPC

would benefit the farmers because of its zero interest, as compared to the 10-percent interest

rate per cropping being offered by private lenders and financiers in the area. (PNA)

Evacuation of Manobo families worry Bukidnon officials LOCAL officials in the Bukidnon town of Quezon said they are worried about the conditions of the 76 Manobo residents who evacuated to another town following false reports that the military was going to bomb their village.

Wena Pagayon, the acting officer of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development (MSWD) of Quezon, said Tuesday the Manobo families fled their village of Santa Fe on November 22 and took temporary shelter in the neighboring Kitaotao

town.

Pagayon said local officials are worried because some of the children showed signs of colds and other diseases.

"During our assessment, we found that there was neglect on the rights of children particularly on their health and education because their studies were cut abruptly following their evacuation," she said in the dialect.

Pagayon said the families are now taking shelter at the compound of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente after

they were brought by the "organizers" in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon for several days.

She said the Manobo families were led by certain "organizers" that the military said are affiliated with the communist New People's Army (NPA).

In an earlier statement, the Army's 88th Infantry Battalion belied reports that the military had planned to bomb the village because of the reported presence of the NPA. Major Ariel Galimba, 88IB commander, said they suspected that the group behind the evacuation was connected to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its political arm, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

Galimba said the group convinced the residents to vacate their village under false pretext, as part of the NPA's strategy to expel the military in the area.

The NPA is the armed wing of the CPP. Pagayon shared the same suspicion, saying they noticed that the Manobo evacuees were apparently "directed" what to say and were "careful to speak".

Some of the evacuees, she said, even confided health workers that they wanted to return home.

She said they have already coordinated with Kitatao's local officials to provide basic services and medical attention to the evacuees. (PNA)

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FRIDAY|DECEMBER 6, 2019

Lifestyle

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The Front Runner highlights 150 years of The Manila Jockey Club

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HE Manila Jockey Club is marking its sesquicentennial anniversar y through The Front Runner, a coffee table book that traces the histor y of horse racing – the sport, the spectacle, and the way of life – in the Philippines.

“No such chronicle of horse racing histor y has been produced before,” says Atty.

Alfonso Victorio G. Reyno III, President of MJC. “The book captures the essence of how horse racing was born and kept alive in the Philippines over the course of 150 years, and how MJC played a central role in all that.”

The Front Runner is produced by Media Wise Communications/ Muse Books, a multiawarded publisher of coffee table books, under the executive/ creative directorship of Ramoncito Ocampo Cruz. Editor Achilles Mina headed a team of writers that explored many facets of the MJC’s histor y.

The Front Runner begins with an account of how a merchant became one of the founders of the MJC, and how the San Lazaro Hippodrome at the heart of Manila was built, grown and expanded to house a distinctly Filipino way of life, before and after the war.

Also a picture book depicting the exquisite beauty of horses and giving a glimpse of how the sport has evolved since the 1800s, The Front Runner talks not only about horse owners and enthusiasts, but also of the men and women who worked at the racetracks and built a community around it, before and after the war.

Change came upon the entr y of the present management, in the form of the transfer to a much bigger and modern horse racing facility in Carmona, Cavite, and a stronger commitment to enact positive change in Philippine society.

“MJC’s histor y is long, but it is by no means linear,” says Cruz. “This book shows how the company has evolved over the times, and how it continues to

innovate and gallop toward a rosier future through bold business strategies and strategic partnerships.”

The Front Runner also features some long-time racing workers and aficionados, their stories closely intertwined with the stor y of the company.

“The book itself will form part of horse racing histor y in the Philippines,” adds Atty.

Reyno III.

Media Wise Communications Inc./Muse Books Editor Achilles Mina, Manila Jockey Club VP for Marketing Eduardo Ramirez de Arellano, Deputy COO & VP for Resource Admin Peter G. Zagala, President & CEO Alfonso Victorio G. Reyno III, Corporate Counsel & General Counsel Dir. Ferdinand. A Domingo, VP for MIS Carlos S. Tan, Media Wise CEO/ Executive Publisher Ramoncito Ocampo Cruz & Operations Manager Rey Albert Fuentes. (MWC)

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Opinion

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Member: Philippine Press Institute Oro Chamber

Prepare for landing Think a minute…There’s a book entitled The 365 Stupidest Things Ever Said.

This is one of those stupid things that was actually said. “If you bought our cours e on ‘How To Fly An Airplane In Six Easy Lessons,’ we apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you by our failing to include the last chapter, ‘How To Land Your Plane Safely.’ Send us your name and address and we will immediately send you this last chapter on how to land your airplane safely.”

Can you imagine a pilot taking off in an airplane not knowing how to land it? Yet s ome of us ‘f ly’ through life without ever thinking about how we are going to ‘land.’ Pilots are never even allowed to take off without a flight plan: knowing where they’re going and how they’ll get there. But many of us are like the university student who said: “I don’t like to think about things until they happen. Death is still a long way away.”

My grandmother used to tease my grandfather when

THINK A MINUTE

JHAN TIAFAU HURST he would leave the house to go for walks. She’d say to him: “Now dear, don’t go so far you can’t get back!”

You know, that’s exactly what happens to us when we die. We’ve gotten so far we can’t get back. Each of us gets only one chance to live and then we have to die.

We only get one chance to ‘fly’ before we have to ‘land.’

“What goes up, must come down.” Ready or not, we’re going down! So we need to prepare for landing while we’ve still got time.

How about you? Do you know where you would ‘land’—if your life ended today? You see, we cannot know what’s going to happen LANDING/PAGE 11

FRIDAY|DECEMBER 6, 2019

That unforgiving road in Bukidnon

Wherever I may roam the distant land to see, I long to go back soon to sweet Bukidnon home, Her lovely mountains high with forest old and grand, Bring memories to me the home I long to see…

-Excerpts from “Bukidnon, My Home”, prov inc i al anthem of Bukidnon province.

DURING my week-long writing hiatus, I had the chance to stay for a while in Bukidnon, my sweet home away from home.

But traveling these days to Bukidnon is not as sweet as it could be as manifested in the province’s iconic provincial anthem.

Over the years, Sayre Highway, the national road network that cuts across the province has been on a never-ending road repair binge since time immemorial.

Take the recent traffic standstill due to massive landslides in Damay,Impasugong, Bukidnon.

A media colleague had to endure an overnight stay along the muddy stretch of the highway. He was on his way to cover the earthquake in Tulunan, Cotabato.

And to the rest of the weekenders, that was one hell of a ride. Notwithstanding the massive expansion of the highway from the old two-lane to four to six lanes,

travel time from Cagayan de Oro to Valencia City will now take about six to seven hours, a sharp contrast to the usual 3-4 hours, either by bus or private vehicle.

Sayre Highway is that portion of the National Highway which starts from Puerto in Cagayan de Oro City to Davao City via Buda along the borders of Kitaotao, Bukidnon and North Cotabato.

The 192-kilometer long highway was named after Francis Bowes Sayre, Sr., a professor at Harvard Law School who was the United States’ High Commissioner to the Philippines from 1947 to 1952. It was named after

UNRUFFLED

RUFFY MAGBANUA him since he was the one who spearheaded the initial construction of the Bukidnon highway.

This is Bukidnon today.

Amid the vast green fields of sugarcane, pineapple and banana plantations, this ROAD/PAGE 11

Bare minimum technology for food and beverage businesses NUTS & BOLTS

Cell No: 09352379999

MANILA OFFICE: 9th Floor, Unit 918, CityLand Herrera VA Rufino Cor. Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City Tel. # : 5555392,Cell No.: 0977-152-8860 LANI VALLIDO-Marketing Manager

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JEROME DE LA FUENTE

Technology is an unavoidable part of running a business, even in the food and beverage industry. You can have the best menu in town, but without the right tech, you’re leaving money on the table.

But knowing what tech tools to invest in can be tough. What is the bare minimum you actually need to stay relevant in today’s market? Here are the basic technology requirements of running a restaurant, bar or brewpub. #1: A website In this day and age, it’s a

given that your business has a website. But not just any website! It should be visually attractive, informative and easy to navigate. Within a few clicks, potential guests should know where and when they can visit your establishment and what to expect once they’re there.

Also, your site absolutely needs to be mobileoptimized. In 2016, web traffic on mobile devices surpassed traffic on desktop computers, and that gap is only becoming wider.

Whether a visitor is on a desktop or phone, your site should offer the same great experience. Not only that, but Google’s search results prioritize sites that are mobile-friendly, which could affect whether your site gets seen at all.

Not sure if your site is mobile friendly? Use this handy tool from Google, or simply pull out your phone and visit your own site. Is the text readable? Are buttons

easy to click? If not, there’s a good chance that you’re losing out on potential customers. #2: A social media presence Your business needs to be on social media platforms that make sense for who you are and who your customers are. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube…

There are countless ways to spread your latest news and events and build a fan base.

Start with the platform your customers are likely using the most often.

Simply building a Facebook page is a good first step, but it’s not quite enough to stay top of mind. If you haven't shared a post in the last week, or if you never respond to messages, you're not making the most of social media. (There’s a reason why it’s called “social”!)

Post frequently enough that your audience remembers who you are.

B e relevant, timely and authentic. Show who you

are as a business! Photos and videos that show off your food or drinks are a great way to engage your customers.

Try behind-the-scenes looks to offer followers something special.

If your schedule is tight, managing a social presence can seem overwhelming.

Try designating a manager, bartender or server that you trust to post a few times per week. #3: A customer management system Yo u ’ r e a t t r a c t i n g customers. Great! Now you need to have some sort of device or system in place to store their information.

Ev e n i f b u s i n e s s i s booming right now, there might come a time when tables are empty. That’s when you’ll wish you had a way to get in touch with everyone who has visited you before.

Your customer management system saves the day!

There are lots of options TECHNOLOGY/PAGE 11

When failures come FAILURES do happen in our lives. They can happen everyday, and many times during the day. They may not be big failures. They are usually small ones. But they are somehow like a constant feature of our life.

We should not anymore be surprised by this fact of life, and much less, held captive by them.

We should know how to handle them. Not only that, we should know how we can derive some good from them. That’s because our failures can actually channel great things for us. They can be a blessing in disguise.

I n t h i s l i fe , we a re supposed to be clever as serpents while remaining simple as doves. (cfr. Mt 10, 16) That’s the advice Christ gave his disciples in dealing with the drama of life. And this advice can be more concretely specified by developing in us that skill of knowing how to let go and to move on when we

suffer failures.

We should not forget that there are many other more pleasant possibilities than getting stuck with our failures. As one saint would put, when one door closes, then open another one. In life, there are actually many doors that we can open.

If we have the proper attitude, if we are with God, we would know that our life possesses an infinity of possibilities. The spiritual and supernatural character of life makes that possible, si nce it t ra nscend s t he limitations of the material and natural dimensions of our life.

We a l w a y s h a v e t o re me mb e r t h at G o d i s always on top of things.

Nothing happens outside of his providence no matter how messy things can get in our life. There’s a time for everything, we are told. (cfr. Ecclesiastes 3, 1-8) This should always be in our mind so that we do not overreact when failures

come.

What we ought to do is to go immediately to God and to refer things to him. He will be the one to reassure us that everything will just be fine. Nothing happens without him knowing and allowing it to happen. And if he allows it to happen, it is because there is a greater good that can be derived from it. In God ’s mat h, the gains far outweigh the losses.

Of course, what t his greater good is can escape our understanding, given our limitations. And that’s why we have to activate our faith. Otherwise, we would confine ourselves to our own limited understanding of things that can make us suffer unnecessarily. Of course, there will always be suffering involved, but we sometimes suffer beyond what is necessary because of our lack of faith.

We have to realize that there are many things we do not know. And the things

HINTS AND TRACES

ROY CIMAGALA that we know usually are those that favor our own subjective view of things.

We cannot have a completely objective view of everything.

Only God the creator has that. We should just trust hi m, just as we usua l ly trust our elders even in things that we do not quite understand. That’s what faith is all about.

So let’s see to it t hat we are not unnecessarily detained or distracted by our failures. We have to learn how to let go and move on. Better still, we FAILURES/PAGE 11

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FRIDAY|DECEMBER 6, 2019

PHL firms seen to hike salaries by 6% in 2020 PHILIPPINE companies are forecast to increase salaries by 6% next year, as they focus more on retaining current employees, according to a survey conducted by Mercer.

In its 2019 Philippines Total Remuneration Survey, Mercer said next year’s salary increase is higher than the 5.5% in 2019, as inflation is expected to ease.

The survey also showed consumer goods, energy and high tech industries are forecast to have the biggest salary increases at 6%.

Mercer noted that 45%

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CorporateWorld

of organizations surveyed will add new hires, lower than the 50% this year.

“While the country’s population is young with a median age of 24 years, workplaces are increasingly becoming multigenerational… At the same time, the rise of the gig economy is growing demand for flexible work arrangements.

These emerging realities challenge companies to have more compelling and differentiated value propositions, increase pay transparency, and rethink pay for performance, so they can attract, retain, HIKE/PAGE 11

Hans Sy, Angel Locsin named ‘heroes of philanthropy’

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WO Filipinos have been included by Forbes Asia in its list of 30 outstanding altruists in the region — Hans T. Sy of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. and awardwinning actress Angel Locsin, joining the likes of China’s Jack Ma, India’s Azim Premji and South Korea’s Suh Kyung-bae.

Forbes Asia released on Tuesday its “Heroes Of Philanthropy: Catalysts For Change” list, where billionaires, entrepreneurs and celebrities were honored for their efforts in

“solving some of the most pressing issues” in the region.

For the list, Forbes Asia said it wanted to identify those that are using their personal money and not their company’s cash for philanthropic work. It also looked at each person’s “depth of involvement” and the “reach” of their efforts and how it supports a “long-term vision.”

Forbes Asia acknowledged Mr. Sy, SM Prime’s 64-year-old executive committee chairman and director, for

his work at Child Haus, a center for cancer-stricken patients located in Quezon City. It said Mr. Sy spent around $2 million in 2015 to buy the lot and build the facility as part of his 60th birthday celebration.

To date, the heir of the country’s richest family continues to support the facility by taking care of its operating expenses.

For Ms. Locsin, Forbes Asia took note of the 34-year-old actress’ work to support victims of violence, natural disasters and the conflict

in Mindanao. It cited several instances where Ms. Locsin helped in times of crisis, such as when she donated P1 million in October to distribute relief goods to victims of the Mindanao quake, when she joined the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines in 2017 to assist displaced victims of the Marawi siege, and when she made donations during Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009, Typhoon Habagat in 2012 and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

HEROES/PAGE 11

Century Pacific Food launches its own coconut product brand CENTURY Pacific Food, Inc. (CNPF), maker of Century Tuna and Argentina corned beef, is expanding into coconut products with the introduction of its own brand Coco Mama Fresh Gata.

“Coco Mama Fresh Gata… is meant to provide home cooks with an easy and convenient way to use fresh coconut cream without having to buy the actual coconut, and then grating and

pressing it themselves,” the listed company said in a statement Thursday.

CNPF is an integrated manufacturer of high-value coconut products such as organic virgin coconut oil, desiccated coconut and coco water, for OEM (original equipment manufacturer) exports.

Its milk and coconut businesses account for nearly a third of the company’s revenues.

Coco Mama is

CNPF’s first culinary coconut product under its own brand, as the company expands into new product categories.

“Geared towards the domestic market, (Coco Mama) leverages on CNPF’s existing coconut manufacturing facilities and extensive distribution network in the Philippines,” the company said.

CNPF has a coconut products manufacturing facility in General

Santos City.

Aside from coconut products, CNPF is also involved in the manufacturing and distribution of processed marine and meat products for export and its own brands such as Century Tuna, Argentina, Swift, and 555. Its milk brands include Angel and Birch Tree.

This year, it also launched Birch Tree Fortified Choco,

another variant of its powdered milk product, and Argentina Corned Chicken. It also has the Philippine license for pork and beans brands Hunt’s and the Kamayan trademark for North America. Kamayan is a top brand for shrimp paste or bagoong.

In the third quarter, CNPF reported a 7% increase in net income to P797.83 million, driven by doubledigit growth in its

tuna brands. Revenues jumped 10% to P10.10 billion during the said period.

For the first nine months, the company also booked a 7% rise in net income to P2.36 billion, while consolidated revenues increased 17% to P29.47 billion — 75% of which came from its branded segments. Its revenues from OEM business inched 3% higher to P7.5 billion.

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Banking&Finance $400-M ADB loan to boost PH youth employment

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FRIDAY|DECEMBER 6, 2019

HE Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD400million policy-based loan to support the Philippine government’s efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school and unemployed young Filipinos, one of the factors impeding more inclusive growth in the country.

The Facilitating Youth School-to-Work Transition Program, subprogram 2, supports government reforms aimed at improving the employability of young Filipinos through labor market programs and providing easier access to on-the-job training schemes to help them secure and retain jobs.

The program builds on ADB’s previous support to the government’s employment initiatives, particularly the

Department of Labor and Employment’s design and rollout of the Jobstart Philippines Program, a full-cycle youth employment facilitation program that has become law with adequate government funding.

“Many young Filipinos today are anxious about their career prospects in a very competitive labor market. This program will enhance public employment services to help them transition from school to work,” Director for Public Management, Financial Sector, and Trade at ADB’s Southeast Asia Regional Department, Jose Antonio Tan III, said in a statement.

Tan said the ADB has a longstanding partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment in youth employment programs, adding it is committed to helping

generate more job opportunities for young Filipinos.

While some progress has been made in reducing unemployment in the country, one in five Filipinos between the ages of 15 and 24, including one-third of young Filipino women, are still not in employment, education, and training, compared with the average rate of 18 percent in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

The new ADB loan supports the government’s efforts to expand and transform operations of the Public Employment Services Offices in local government units (LGUs) across the country into more professional processes with quality standards, broaden the coverage of the Jobstart Philippines Program, and introduce skills development schemes targeting specific

sectors.

The loan also supports labor policy reforms, such as the introduction of unemployment insurance as part of amendments to the Social Security Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Act, which requires employers to comply with specific workplace standards.

“This new ADB loan seeks to address the skills mismatch between young job seekers and the competencies demanded by employers,” ADB Southeast Asia Senior Economist for Public Finance Cristina Lozano said. “It also strengthens labor regulations to provide income security and decent jobs.”

From November 2016 to March 2019, the period covered by the new ADB program, the government rolled out the Jobstart program in 35 LGUs,

up from 14 LGUs in 2016, benefiting 17,537 out-of-school youth.

More than two-thirds of the beneficiaries were from lowincome households.

The government also introduced improvements to the Special Program for the Employment of Students, in which poor students are given access to paid short-term jobs during school breaks to boost their family’s income and help them fund their education.

About 393,500 young Filipinos, 59 percent of whom were women, benefited from the program.

Also, an ADB technical assistance program will pilot a workplace funding scheme in 2020 to help employers implement skills upgrade initiatives in their businesses.

(PR)

transaction value November inflation 'major factor' E-payment rise to 20% of total in '18 in next week's BSP rate meet THE rise of the November 2019 inflation rate will be among the factors that Philippine monetary officials will look into during their last policyrate setting meet for the year on December 12.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno, in a

tweet after the release of the November 2019 inflation report Thursday, said the 1.3 percent inflation in the 11th month this year is within the central bank’s forecast.

He is referring to the 0.9-1.7 percent projection of the central bank for the November 2019 inflation

rate.

He explained that the latest figure, which is higher than the 0.8 percent last October, “accords with (the) outlook of a gradual pick-up to target midpoint in 2020-21.”

The policy-making Monetary Board (MB), in its rate-setting meet

last November 14, slashed the central bank’s average inflation forecast for this year to 2.4 percent from 2.5 percent but kept the 2.9 percent average inflation forecast for the next two years.

“BSP’s Monetary Board will consider new data INFLATION/PAGE 11

COMBINED efforts of both the government and the private sector to increase digital payments in the country have resulted in higher value of transactions that account for about 20 percent of the total as of 2018.

In his speech during the first Digital Payments Leaders’ Summit held at the central bank office

in Manila on Monday, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno said value of e-payments in the country reached only 8 percent in 2013.

E-payment usage was only 1 percent in 2013 but has increased to 10 percent in 2018.

These figures are VALUE/PAGE 11

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL 10th Judicial Region Branch 19 Cagayan de Oro City IN THE MATTER OF PETITION FOR ADOPTION OF MINOR, YMMANUEL ELIUD SAJULAN WITH APPLICATION FOR CHANGE OF NAME FROM YMMANUEL ELIUD SAJULAN TO YMMANUEL ELIUD SAJULAN IPANAG,

R-CDO-19-03360-SP

SPS. CRIS G. IPANAG & MONNA LISSA S. IPANAG, Petitioners, x-------------------------------------------/ ORDER Petitioner, through counsel complied with the Order of November 4, 2019 by submitting to this Court and Amended Petition. The same is hereby ADMITTED. Finding the Amended Petition to be sufficient in form and substance, the same is hereby given due course. Let Initial Hearing thereof be set on February 12, 2020 at 8:30 o'clock in the morning before this Court located at Hall of Justice-Cagayan de Oro City, Goldridge Building, Masterson Avenue corner Pedro N. Roa Avenue, Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City. Interested persons may file their opposition on or before the aforesaid date of hearing and to attend the hearing of this Petition.

At the expense of the Petitioners, let this Order be published once a week for three (3) successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in Cagayan de Oro and the Province of Misamis Oriental.

The Court Social Worker is hereby directed to conduct a Home Study on the adopting parents and a Child Study on the adoptee, reports of which shall be submitted to this Court with SIXTY (60) days from receipt of this Order. She is also directed to conduct counselling sessions with the adopting and biological parents.

Petitioners are likewise ordered to have all documentary evidence including their Judicial Affidavits and that of their witnesses pre-marked before the Acting Branch Clerk of Court to establish compliance with jurisdictional requirements on February 5, 2020 at 2:00 o'clock in the afternoon, failing which this shall not be calendared for initial hearing and/or appropriate sanction imposed.

IT IS SO ORDERED. Done this 15th day of November, 2019, in the City of Cagayan de Oro, Philippines.

BWM: Nov. 22, 29 & Dec. 6, 2019

(SGD) EVELYN J. GAMOTIN-NERY Presiding Judge

7

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FRIDAY|DECEMBER 6, 2019

Diokno says add’l rate cut depends on November inflation rate

By JOANN VILLANUEVA, PNA

The unexpected deceleration of domestic inflation rate to 0.8 percent last October, as well as the November 2019 inflation rate, will be the main factors for the possibility of another cut in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ key interest rates (BSP) this month.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno’s statement for the possibility of another rate cut was contrary to his earlier statement that the central bank’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB) was done on policy easing for the year.

“When I said that we're done, we're not expecting that inflation will be very low like 0.8 (percent) and 0.9 (percent),” he told journalists Monday night.

Although posting an uptick to 3.2 percent last May from monthago’s 3 percent rate of price increases sustained its deceleration after peaking at 6.7 percent in September and October 2018.

It slowed to 0.9 percent last September and to 0.8 percent last October, which monetary officials forecast would be the lowest this year as they project the November 2019 figure to stay between 0.9 to 1.7 percent.

The Philippine Statistics Authority is scheduled to announce the November 2019 inflation rate on Thursday.

“We'll look at December and then maybe early January, we'll resume monetary easing,” Diokno said.

To date, the MB has reduced the BSP’s key policy rates by a total of 75 basis points. This, after increasing these by a total of 175 basis points last year to help rein in inflation expectations.

The central bank chief, however, said that while there is a probability of a policy rate adjustment this month, he discounts the same for banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR).

“It’s already close INFLATION/PAGE 11

Malinawon nga kasaulogan sa kapaskuhan, gihinaut ni Gob. Emano TALIABOT na ang kapaskuhan, taliabot na usab ang bakasyon, modagsang na usab ang daghanang bisita ug turista dinhi sa Misamis Oriental ug Cagayan de Oro. Karon pa lang daan, nanghinaut na si Gobernador Bambi Emano sa malinawon ug pulos lamng kasadya nga pagsaulog sa pasko.

"Mga igsuon, pila nalang ka

adlaw magsaulog kita sa adlaw sa atong manunubos, adlaw sa labaw’ng makagagahom. Dili nato kalimtan nga ang pasko gisaulog aron atong mapaambit ang gugma sa walay pili. Pagpaambit sa atong mga grasya nga nadawat ngadto

sa uban nga wala gipalad. Nagtuo ko nga dili ikalipay sa atong labaw’ng makagagahum ang pagpaambit ngadto sa mga tawo nga makabawos kanato.

Apan bililhon sa atong manunubos ang pagpaambit ngadto sa kabus. Kanang pagpaambit sa tinouray nga kasadya ug kalipay sa pasko,” sulti sa gobernador.

Nanghinaut si Gobernador Emano nga magpasulabi ang gugma ug ihikling una ang pagkabahin-bahin, apan magkahiusa sa pagkab-ot sa tiunay nga kahapsay ug

kalinaw sa matag usa ka kasing-kasing ug hunahuna.

"Ako nagapanghinaot nga unta magmalinawon ang atong pagsaulog sa pasko ug panahon nga imong kupkopon…mahalon una sa tanan ang atong pamilya.

Pasalamat ta sa Ginoo ug sa mga tao nga nahimong tipik sa atong kinabuhi," hangyo sa amahan sa lalawigan.

Puno man ang tibuok tuig ni Gobernador Bambi Emano sa iyang mga lakaw, apan matud niini, iyang gisiguro nga aduna gayud kini panahon sa iyang pamilya, silingan ug mga higala dinhi sa Misamis Oriental ug dakbayan sa Cagayan de Oro aron iyang mapaambit ang grasya nga iyang nadawat sa tibuok tuig.

8

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FRIDAY|DECEMBER 6, 2019

2 Fopanormin members who shines fast in their respective SME

By MARK FRANCISCO

Dream Patisserie DREAM Patisserie started out in September 2014 as a home-based pastry shop.

Among all home-based cake shops in Cagayan de Oro City, it is unarguably the one that aces out since it is run by no less than a graduate of the reputable Enderun College – Mary Shane Angeles. Heavily influenced by her mom, Shane has been assisting baking since childhood and made it into a career after graduating from a degree in International Hospitality Management.

Dream Patisserie was born after careful feasibility consideration and indeed, patrons never regretted ordering from them. (Their Facebook page was splashed with dozens of testimonials.)

Their cake series consist of galazy glazed cake, mud cake overload, semi-naked drip cake, glazed choco mousse cake, Moana glazed choco mousse cake, red velvet, baby christening cake, money cake, matcha white choco cake, mango white cake, one-tiered wedding cake and number cake. They also have oatmeal bars in classic, kanando, cashew, choco chip

and assorted variants.

Dram Patisserie’s products can be found in VjANDEP, Ororama, Highland Fresh and at the DTI Negosyo Center. Or you can order through their website dreampatissserieph. com or in their Facebook page.

Crunchy Time For eight years now, Crunchy Time Chicharon has delighted the taste buds of Kagay-anons who are looking for another brand to meet their chicharon needs.

Crunchy Time Chicharon is the brainchild of ex-seaman Andy Fuentesfina and later on a collaboration with his longtime girlfriend Marygen Eco. Inspired by his parents who are in the chicharon business in the 1990s, Andy tinkered with the ingredients and came up with more variants aside

from the original flavor.

Today, Crunchy Time Chicharon is available in original, chili, BBQ and sour cream & onion flavors in three sizes – 20 grams, 60 grams and 125 grams.

They are available in the shelves of Ororama Cogon and Carmen as well as in VjANDEP (Bulua and Tiano) and Ginama OTOP Center at Gaston Park in Cagayan de Oro City.

Andy beams in saying that his chicharon is the best in Cagayan de Oro since it is marinated and when cooked, they do not use pork oil in the process. Each chicharon package also has nutritious facts in its label.

For large-scale orders such as corporate comfort gifts, you may contact them directly at 09551687117.

(Left photo) The Oatmeal Bar with variety of flavors is among produced of Dream Patisserie (Photo by Ercel Maandig) (Right photo) This is Crunchy Time Pork Chicharon Booth.They always had a display Everytime FOPANORMIN has a Food display in different Malls of Cagayan de Oro City (Photo by Ercel Maandig)

On Focus

By ERCEL MAANDIG

In this photo is the staff of 2nd district congressman Rufus B.Rodriguez showing the perspective of the 2 multi-million infrastructure project worth Php31 Million to Nazareth Barangay Chairman Max "Jonjon" Rodriguez. (Photo by Ercel Maandig)

31 Million worth of Infra Project will be build next year in Barangay Nazareth

By ERCEL MAANDIG

Cagayan de Oro-Two valuable infrastructure projects will soon erected at Barangay Nazareth this city were majority if not all are coming from the Congressional fund of 2nd District Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez.

Barangay Chairman Max "Jonjon"Rodriguez III told Business Week Mindanao that these are the 2 very important and biggest project so far in his administration that soon caters conveniency to his constituents that houses classy executive office,legislative room,Lupong Tagapamayapa Office,Barangay Health C e n t e r, S a n g g u n i a n g Kabataan Office, Conference rooms,Barangay Police Office and Day Care Center to name some.

The first building that will be erected in the area where the Barangay Hall was located presently , is

a 4 storey new Nazareth Barangay Hall worth Php21 Million with a roof top at the 4th floor . Soon, this is among the most biggest and modern Barangay edifice in the city.

Another building that will be erected early next year is the Php10 Million worth 2 storey Day Care Center with Conference rooms at the 2nd floor ,that will be located where the controversial tennis court was placed today. " Hoping that we will win the case against the complainants because this is a valuable edifice that we want to build in this area,this is for the children which is our future leaders and somebody were Education is the foundation of their future" said Chairman Jonjon Rodriguez.

As we recall, Nazareth Tennis Association file a

complaint and petition against the Barangay council when they knew that the tennis court in the area will be demolished in lieu with a 2 storey building.In a Barangay resolution, Nazareth Tennis Court will be relocated in a separate area within the Village.

According to Chairman Jonjon Rodriguez that the conference rooms at the 2nd floor of the building can be used by any organizations of the village in order them to have a convenient meetings and conferences.

Nazareth is among the biggest Barangay of the city and its Barangay Government Compound has a total land area of 7,675 square meters were houses the soon to build two modern structures,the Na z a r e t h G y m n a s i u m , Basketball Court and Fire Station.

9

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FRIDAY|DECEMBER 6, 2019

Amaya View kicks off Christmas celebration A

The barangay council of Camaman-an in Cagayan de Oro City, Limketkai Center and Infinite HUE - LGBT+ presented Rednophobia, an HIV awareness show in line with World AIDS Day last Sunday (December 1, 2019) at Limketkai Event Center featuring the collections of Gil Macaibay III. photo supplied

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL 10th Judicial Region BRANCH 39 Cagayan de Oro City IN THE MATTER OF THE SPEC. PROC. NO. CORRECTION OF THE R-CD0-19-03574-SP CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH OF SAMUEL T. RANOLLO, JR. PARTICULARLY HIS DATE OF BIRTH FROM SEPTEMBER 25 TO SEPTEMBER 25, 1998, SAMUEL T. RANOLLO, JR. Petitioner,

- versus -

THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Respondent, NOTICE OF INITIAL HEARING Petitioner, through counsel, filed a verified Petition for the Correction of his Certificate of Live Birth.

Finding said Petition to be sufficient in form and substance, the same is hereby given due course. Petitioner is hereby directed to cause this Notice to be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a duly accredited newspaper of general circulation, at his own expense.

Let copies of this Notice be posted in the Bulletin Board of the Civil Registrar of Cagayan de Oro City, the Bulletin Board of City Hall, Cagayan de Oro City, and the Bulletin Board of this Court.

This case is set for hearing on January 20, 2020 at 2:00 pm. The Civil Registrar and any person having or claiming any interest under the entries whose cancellation or correction is sought may, within fifteen (15) days from notice of this Petition, or from the last date of publication of such Notice, file his/her opposition thereto.

Let a copy of this Notice be furnished the Office of the Solicitor General, Office of the Civil Registrar of Cagayan de Oro City, the Petitioner and his counsel.

AFTER Petitioner's documents in compliance with jurisdictional requirements are marked and declared complete, and there is NO OPPOSITION filed, petitioner should PRESENT EVIDENCE EX-PARTE before Atty. Kathryn A. Galarrita-Naduma, at a convenient date and time agreed upon between the latter and counsel.

SO ORDERED. Cagayan de Oro City, 12 November 2019.

BWM: December 6, 13 & 20, 2019

(SGD.) MARITES FILOMENA B. RANA-BERNALES Presiding Judge

By MARK FRANCISCO

MAYA View – the resort located at the highest peak of Cagayan de Oro City – kicked off its Christmas celebration this year last Sunday with a charity event aptly dubbed as Christmas in our Hearts.

A total of four Christmas trees were lit with individual benefactors sponsoring each décor mounted in the Yule trees.

Proceeds of the donations from the benefactors will go to two charities handpicked by Amaya View – Gugma sa Kabataan and Leupapo, Inc.

The stories of these two charities are already inspiring themselves in their own right. Gugma sa Kabataan (located along Magsaysay St., this city) is a temporary place that provides the street children an opportunity to develop themselves. There, the children can be safe and feel at home. Meanwhile, Leupapo, Inc. is a Cagayan de Oro-based support network for parents whose children are afflicted with the terminal ailment leukemia.

The Gugma sa Kabataan residents and the leukemia-

Dialogue...

and Development (CapDev) program.

Ledesma said both the government and the civil society groups have different services to offer and if these can be harmonized through convergence and dialogue, then they can “build a society that is peaceful and developing for all.”

“We hop e t hat w it h this gathering, the church and other church leaders can continue our roles as facilitators and mediators of development,” the prelate said.

He added: “It is important for government agencies to have this linkage so that we can bring to their attention what are the needs of the communities that see themselves as being deprived and being left out in the development process.”

For his part, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno has emphasized the importance of solidarity in attaining lasting peace in Mindanao.

“Mindanao has lived divided and polarized for far too long already. It’s about time that we leave bias and prejudice behind, we leave the conflict and division of Mindanao behind and learn to live in peace and harmony in spite of our diversity,” Moreno said.

“As we pursue this agenda, we can attain peace and order that will lead us to growth and development. Hopefully, we can sustain it and see Mindanao becoming the land of fulfillment, a land of sustainable growth and development,” he said.

Ariel Hernandez, cochairman of the Opapru Joint

from page 1

A nton i o L e d e s m a s ai d reaching out to the people in the grassroots and getting them involved in the peace dialogue while providing them basic services could be the key in putting an end to the insurgency in the countryside.

“If we can continue with local peace conversations, where we can bring together representatives of remote communities an d re pre s e nt at ive s of government agencies then there can be an acceleration of development projects in the right place,” Ledesma said during a forum on sustainable peace and inclusive development held here on Monday.

The forum was attended by more than a hundred participants from people’s organizations, nongovernmental organizations, church leaders, and the government sector in the region.

Conducted in partnership w it h t he Of f ice of t he Presidential Adviser for Peace Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru) and Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. t he gat her ing was organized to provide a venue where stakeholders can discuss and identify areas of convergence and complementation between the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Ar me d C on f l i c t ( RT FELCAC) technical working group and participating groups in the implementation o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t ’s Convergence Areas for Peace

afflicted kids were serenaded during the affair

by Lourdes Strings even as they were awed with the sunset view from Amaya View’s horizon deck which is located 1,122 feet above sea level.

To all benefactors who took part in the activity, the management of Amaya View conveys the following message: “We are grateful to you for backing up this special cause as Christmas is time for giving…who took time out just to celebrate this momentous event with us.”

For the rest of the season, watch out for the following events happening only at Amaya View: Christmas bazaar from December 21 to 23 at Amaya View Alfresco, film viewing and unli barbecue night on December 21 at Larry’s Hill, sunset dinner this December 22 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Horizon Deck, Santa Claus Meet & Greet this December 24 at Noah’s Ark and capping with a Christmas chorale contest this December 25 from 6:00 till 8:00 p.m. at Hugo Skye Lounge.

Have a festive, fulfilling and fun Christmas indeed at Amaya View!

Normalization Committee, said reconciliation and social healing are needed in attaining just and lasting peace.

“While we talk about social conditions and how to end the root causes of the insurgency, one of the most difficult parts of ending any conflict is how to close it. How do we bring the discussion of peace reconciliation and unity? How do we repair the emotions and relationships?

The armed conflict may end but many will remain unhealed,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Franco Nemesio Gacal, commander of the Phil. Army’s 4th Infantry Division and RTF-ELCAC T WG chairperson, said the capability, competence, and commitment of groups involved in humanitarian aid, grassroots initiatives, local spaces for peacebuilding dialogues, and conflict resolutions and reconciliation programs are vital in the pursuit of peace and sustainable development in the region.

He said the civil society will be the last component that would interlink the three major sectors, aside from the government and the private sector, working on the forefront and implementing efforts to end the local communist armed conflict.

“To effectively address the challenges brought upon by the root causes of the insurgency, it is evident that the approach to peace and nation-building should go beyond what the military is doing. We cannot move forward without everyone’s help and supp or t,” t he military official said. (PNA)

BusinessWeek MINDANAO CREDIBLE

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Friday|December 6, 2019

(Artist Illustration of Miramonti Green Residences at Sto. Tomas, Batangas)

(Artist Illustration of Primavera City at Uptown, Cagayan de Oro)

Arch. Romolo V. Nati speaks at the Philippine Industrial Summit Mindanao

C

AGAYAN de Oro City The CEO and Chairman of IDCItalpinas Development Corporation, Arch. Romolo V. Nati, was among the distinguished speakers invited at The PHILIPPINE INDUSTRIAL SUMMIT (PIS) IN MINDANAO last November 27 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Held in the prestigious Luxe HotelLimketkai, the three-day event, a collaborative project of PIE-MO Industries Association, Inc. and Phividec Philippine Industrial Authority (PIA), saw the participation of business tycoons from different industrial sectors throughout the Philippines, as well as leaders from private and public sectors, government agencies, and policymakers.

The Summit theme "BUILDING AN ASSERTIVE INDUSTRIAL PHILIPPINES" envisions the realization of a competitive

and globalized Philippine Industry that is anchored on the advocacies and programs of President Rodrigo R. Duterte such as Build Build Build and ecozone development in rural areas.

According to the promoters, this first Philippine Industrial Summit In Mindanao has been organized to help local and foreign industries

define and design their integral role in the Industrialization Programs of the Philippines, foreseeing a much-needed modernization and development of private industries throughout the country, Lawyer Franklin Quijano, president of PHIVIDEC Industrial Authority (PIA), said in a recent interview that the summit seeks

to entice more investors to look for potential business ventures in Mindanao. “We are more than ready to welcome more investors and industries here because we have the resource endowments”. The former mayor of Iligan City and PHIVIDEC chief, added that Mindanao is more than ready to be transformed into the country’s largest industrial hub

and Cagayan de Oro can be put “at the heart of it.”

Cagayan de Oro, known as the City of Golden Friendship, the capital city of the province of Misamis Oriental and part of the growing Metropolitan Cagayan de Oro, is the site where Arch. Romolo Nati and his business partner, Atty. Jose D. Leviste, developed the flagship project of Italpinas Development Corporation, a twotower green building completed in 2014, named Primavera Residences Located in a freeflood area in uptown CDO, the building has been certified by EDGEExcellency in Design for Greener Efficiency in 2015 and has been awarded as Best Mixeduse Development in 2014 by the International Property Award-Asia Pacific, a world-renowned global organization that honors the best developers and properties in the real estate industry.

The second and on-

going development of the company, Primavera City, also in uptown CDO. Primavera City development is composed of midrise towers and a high-rise tower and will be developed in 4 phases the first of which, Città Verde is already currently under construction. Newly launched Città Bella, which is the phase 2 of Primavera City project.

This will be followed

by Città Grande and its tallest tower, Città Alta.

Its third development, Miramonti Green Residences, is a mixed-use development set against the dramatic backdrop of majestic Mt. Makiling in Sto. Tomas Batangas.

Inspired by its view (its name is “look at the mountain” in Italian), Miramonti is yet another example of the brand of designdriven sustainable architecture that Italpinas Development Corporation (IDC), is introducing to the country’s emerging cities.

11

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FRIDAY|DECEMBER 6, 2019

Landing...

Hedcor...

to us tomorrow so we must be smart and sure we’re ready today! Just ask Jesus Christ to forgive you for your past wrongs and to take charge of your life every day. That’s the way you can live with total peace of mind that whenever your life ends, 5 years from now or 5 days from now, you know you’re ready for a safe landing.

Just Think a Minute…

P3.5 million worth of shares.

These shares will be divided to the host barangays, IP groups, and the province, among others.

During the MOA signing, Hedcor’s President and COO Carlos Aboitiz took the chance to emphasize the importance of partnerships in order to reap success.

“As always, we ask for your support to keep our plants running at all times. The more we run and produce clean energy, the more funds are available for ER 1-94 projects,” Aboitiz shared.

“What’s good for us is good for you, and what’s good for you is good for us. So let’s work together for our respective communities and to lift Bukidnon as well,” he added.

On top of the projects funded by ER 1-94, Hedcor also regularly conducts CSR activities, in partnership with Aboitiz Foundation, t o f u r t he r it s go a l of advancing communities.

This is Hedcor’s way of giving back to the locals who have continued to safeguard its facilities throughout the years.

Hedcor is a r u n- ofriver hydropower arm of AboitizPower. Out of the 22 hydropower plants that Hedcor operates, two are located in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. Hedcor has a total generating capacity of 277.36 MW of Cleanergy.

from page 4

Road... from page 4

province of over a million people had been suffering from infrastructure fatigue that nobody seems to bother complaining about.

O ver t he ye ars, t he construction of the widening r o a d p r o j e c t o f S ay r e Highway, as closely observed, is moving snail-paced, already overtaken by time as DPWH continue to brag about its accomplishments under Secretary Mark Villar.

When will the DPWH learn to assure the riding public of safe and comfortable ride over Bukidnon’s “new” Sayre Highway? (ruffy44_ ph2000@yahoo.com)

Technology... from page 4

that you can explore, based on your time and budget.

You can gather emails or phone numbers, maybe with a fishbowl for people to drop business cards in. Just make sure you record the information somewhere.

If your business needs a stronger system, you might want to consider having a mobile app. Customers can download your app and provide basic information in exchange for your special offers. When business is slow, send them a message and remind them of the great experience they had. There won’t be an empty table in the house.

When you're ready to get started, they are there to help. In Cagayan de Oro and the rest of Northern Mindanao work with the KC Curay team to create a mobile app and website that are customized to your business's unique needs.

Failures... from page 4

have to assume that more supernatura l attitude of letting go and of letting God resolve the issues that still grip us.

If we have done our part and still face a blank wall, then let God do things for us. We know that we cannot and are not expected to solve everything in our life.

Our death, for example, is something we can never avoid and undo. But God takes care of it.

It wou ld b e go o d i f everyday, as we suffer the usual failures, we would immediately let go and move on. If one door closes, let’s open another one. We may have better luck there. And with it, we can make up for our failures somehow.

from page 12

Hike... from page 5

and manage talent,” Mercer Career Business Leader for the Philippines Floriza Molon said in a statement.

Based on the sur vey results, Ms. Molon said 55% of Philippine companies are reviewing their benefits package, with 43% looking to raise the budget for employee salaries and 21% hiking the budget for employee benefits.

Retention remains a concern for many companies.

For the first six months of 2019, Mercer noted voluntary and involuntary attrition rates were at 6.2%, and 1.9%, respectively.

“While the top reasons cited for employees leaving their organization in Asia varies by age group and gender, the top three reasons for employees leaving their organization are competitive pay, manager interaction, and a lack of clear career path and job security,” Mercer said.

Heroes... from page 5

It noted Ms. Locsin has shelled out about P15 million over the past 10 years for advocacies supporting e d u c at i o n , i n d i g e n o u s people’s rights and ending violence against women and children.

Forbes Asia said India’s Mr. Premji made history this year for being the most generous philanthropist in Asia. It said he donated $7.6-billion worth of his shares in Wipro Ltd. — an information technology firm

he founded and chairs — to his education-oriented organization Azim Premji Foundation.

China’s Mr. Ma was also acknowledged for focusing on philanthropic work after stepping down as executive chairman of tech giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. South Korea’s Mr. Suh, who chairs skin care firm Amorepacific Group, was likewise honored for donating $9 million to four South Korean scientists to support their research in improving neuroscience and genetics.

Other notable names in the Forbes Asia philanthropy list are South Korean singer and actress IU (Lee Ji Eun), Japanese leader of band “X Japan” Yoshiki Hayashi, Australian billionaire Judith Nelson and Indonesian mining and agribusiness tycoon Theodore Rachmat.

Value... from page 6

based on the latest study of United Nations-based Better than Cash Alliance (BTCA).

“As you can see, both usage and value have increased, indicating that it is not only being used more frequently, but also that it is trusted with bigger values,” he said.

Result of the study also showed that women are more advanced in adopting digital payments options, which Diokno said is a positive development since this “affirms that significant progress towards the shift from cash-heavy to a cashlite economy is attainable.”

The BSP recently launched the EGov Pay and piloted P2P payments using the machinereadable quick-response (QR) code.

“Through the help of our industry partners, especially the digital payments leaders, we hope not only to achieve our goal of a cash-lite economy sooner than later.

And ultimately enable and empower more Filipinos to reap the benefits of a growing economy through digital payments,” he added. (PNA)

Inflation... from page 6

and potential risks at its meeting next week on 12 December 2019,” Diokno added.

Relatively, the BSP, in a statement, attributed the faster inflation rate last November to higher prices of electricity, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, and select food items.

The rate of jumps in the prices of these items was, however, offset by the tamed rice prices as well as a stronger peso, it said. “ The latest inf lation outturn is consistent with the BSP’s prevailing assessment that inflation has bottomed out in October and is expected to gradually approach the midpoint of the target range in 2020 and 2021,” it said.

The statement said that “risks to the inflation outlook are on the upside for 2020, but are tilted to the downside in 2021.”

Upside risks to inflation include those coming from

the volatile global oil prices and the possible impact of the African Swine Fever (ASF) while downside risks include the “global trade and policy uncertainty as well as geopolitical tensions.”

“The BSP will consider all the latest economic developments here and abroad in the Monetary Board’s policy meeting on 12 December 2019 to ensure that the monetary policy stance remains consistent with the BSP’s price stability objective while being supportive of e conomic g rowt h,” t he statement added. (PNA)

Inflation... from page 7

because we are already ahead of the schedule,” he said.

“We thought (that we will achieve a single-digit RRR by) 2023, but we’re already at 14 percent,” he said.

The MB has slashed big banks’ RRR by a total of 400 basis points this year, with the last 100 percent set for implementation this month.

“We don't k now t he impact yet but that effectively will release about a hundred billion (pesos),” he added.

The RRR reductions are in line with the central bank’s f i na ncia l sec tor reform agenda to promote a more efficient financial system and ensure adequate domestic liquidity in the system. (PNA)

Inspection... from page 1

to check on how the grid operator uses fiber optics on its transmission facilities and how the government can tap this for the planned national broadband network.

The DOE is giving NGCP “the benefit of the doubt” since the State Grid of China also has operations in Australia, he added.

DOE spokesperson Felix Willam Fuentebella said allowing experts from the National Transmission Corporation (Transco) to check on NGCP’s system will not result in “blaming game” in the future.

He also underscored the importance to be proactive so the government can address weakness in the transmission system and future issues.

Fuentebella said the assessment will allow the government to “see where we are now and we are going in the future.” (PNA)

Transport... from page 1

will be charged with violating Republic Act 10654, which amends Republic Act 8550, the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.

Section 102 of RA 10654 states: “It shall be unlawful to fish or take, catch, gather, sell, purchase, possess, transport, export, forward or ship out aquatic species listed in Appendix I of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), or those categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as threatened and determined by the Department as such.”

Bacolod said the seized 8,000 kilos of giant clams are estimated to be worth PHP48 million based on the reported buying price of PHP6,000 per kilo.

He said the buyers are said to be foreigners who want to purchase the clams for the components of pearl found in the fossilized shells.

Aside from the criminal charges, Bacolod said they have also sought a fine of PHP5 million from all the 11 suspects.

“We want to teach them a lesson that they cannot just take our fisheries laws for granted. They have to pay the price,” Bacolod said, adding that the exorbitant penalty is meant to discourage those who engage in the illegal act.

The suspects, on board a truck loaded with the clams, were flagged down by officers from the City Mobile Force Company (CMFC) manning a checkpoint in Barangay Lumbia here on Tuesday dawn.

Lt. Col. Alexy Sonido, CMFC commander, said the truck was stopped due to a traffic infraction, but they apprehended the individuals and the cargo was confiscated when the suspects failed to

present any documents. “ The driver was not wearing a seat belt and he was issued a citation ticket. When the truck was inspected, police found people inside and dozens of sacks containing the giant clams,” he said.

Sonido said the truck came from Barangay Bayanga and was headed for Initao town, Misamis Oriental, to a waiting buyer.

He said the truck was registered to Precily Ceniza of Tagoloan town, Misamis Oriental.

Police identified the suspects as truck driver Christopher Pornia, 28, a resident of B arangay Poblacion, Quezon town, Bukidnon; Ricky Sunogan, 50; Larry Salvan, 45; Diosdado Abellana, 29; Arnel Sanchez, 49; Peterson Suan, 55; Ricky Allones, 35; Jed Ragmac, 29; Ramil Villagracia, 19; Ronel Pilarca, 30; and Michael Paler, 24.

Sonido said the case against the suspects have already been filed in court Tuesday (Dec. 3), while the clams were stored at the BFAR-10 regional compound in Barangay Macabalan, this city. (PNA)

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Hedcor’s host communities to implement more projects through ER 1-94 L OCA L advancements are within arm’s reach for Manolo Fortich as Hedcor turns over their generation shares after a year of hydropower operations in the province. What ma kes it even better is the streamlined process for project implementation through the revised Energ y Regulation (ER) 1-94.

The generation shares-a centavo collected for every kilowatt-hour generated by Hedcor-- will now be directly remitted to the host communities to implement different projects such as electrification and livelihood programs & activities.

From the year’s worth of renewable energy generation, Hedcor is estimated to turnover HEDCOR/PAGE 11

INKING PARTNERSHIP. Hedcor and LGUs furthers partnership through a MOA signing that grants generation shares to communities