BusinessWeek MINDANAO CREDIBLE
Volume VII, No. 114
Market Indicators
As of 6:00 pm February 17, 2017 (friday)
FOREX
PHISIX
US$1 = P49.986
7,244.79
X
6.1 cents
38.46
X
points
Briefly Pole construction UNSECURED wires and cables around Cagayan de Oro City soon will be addressed. The 18th City Council headed by Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin V. Uy during its regular session Monday presided over by Councilor Zaldy Ocon adopted Resolution No. 12607-2017, urging Mayor Oscar S. Moreno to cause the implementation of the provisions of Ordinance No. 12130-2011, known as Pole Construction Regulation Ordinance of 2011. The ordinance governs the installation and construction of poles and attachments on overhead lines which include electrical power, telecommunications and cables along major thoroughfares and suburbs within the territorial jurisdiction of Cagayan de Oro. It aims to solve the prevalent problems on messy, unsecured wires and cables around the city wherein the initial solution is the cleaning-up or unbundling of wires and cables along the streets.
Outstanding student XAVIER University - Ateneo de Cagayan graduate Gimar Reyes was hailed as one of the 2016 Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP). The TOSP awards program honors the country’s most notable students who not only excel academically but also dedicate themselves as exceptional leaders and community servants in order to make a difference in their respective circles. During his selection as one of the finalists back in November 2016, Reyes said, “Community service, for me, is my ultimate expression of my inherent love to God and my country. It is through giving back to others that shed light to my very core being. As an instrument of God’s love, I am called to respond to this challenge. Profoundly, helping others who are in need, the least, last, and lost in our society fuels my desire to live. A call for the preferential option for the poor; a call for God’s mercy and compassion to be felt by the people through works of justice, through love…”
YOUR Mindanao-wide BUSINESS paper
RELIABLE
IN-DEPTH
P15.00
Thousands hold protest vs. mines closure order www.businessweekmindanao.com
Monday | February 20, 2017
By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN, Contributing Editor
C
ANTILAN, Surigao del Sur—Braving the torrential rains, some 5,000 people mostly mining workers, lumads and students on Thursday staged a march-rally at the town center to protest the suspension of permits to three mining companies in the two neighboring towns here. The protesters were emotional with calls against the move of Environment Secretary Gina Lopez suspending the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement of Marcventures Mining and Development Corp (CMDC), CTP Construction and Mining Corp. and Carrascal Nickel Corporation. The protesters march around the town center carrying placards and streamers loudly chanting slogans in Surigaonon vernacular : “Padajon (continue)!” A large streamers that covered the frontliners of the march protest/PAGE 11
Local environment exec backs closure of 75 mining firms By JIGGER J. JERUSALEM, PNA
LOCAL environment official in Cagayan de Oro City welcomed the decision of Environment Secretary Regina Lopez to cancel 75 mining contracts nationwide. Edwin Dael, City Environment and Natural Resources Office chief, said on Thursday that while mining companies claim they employ thousands of people, the adverse effect of the environmental destruction outweighs the advantages. Dael, a staunch anti-mining supporter, said that the cost-benefit of mining is not enough to compensate its impact not just to the environment but to the people. “Mining companies build schools, health closure/PAGE 11
PH sees coco export revenues rising 10% to 20% in two years THE Philippines expects revenues from coconut product exports to increase 10 to 20 percent over the next two years, as demand continues to grow worldwide. Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Administrator Billy Andal cited coconut products with huge potential in more export markets, particularly coconut sugar, coconut syrup, coco fiber and even lotion and mouth freshener from coconut oil.
PROTEST RALLY. Manobo lumads took the frontline in the march rally held last week in Cantilan town in Surigao del Sur to protest the suspension of mining companies by Environment Secretary Gina Lopez. Joining them are college scholars of the local government who are also b o u n d to d ro p sc h o o ls if the mining firms are closed. Photos by JANUS LOUISE V. PANGANIBAN
“(Our exports will grow) exponentially because for the demand alone for coco fiber, we are not even (meeting) 50 percent of the demand; coco sugar we are not even (meeting) 50 percent,” he said in an interview. Andal said Europe remained the country’s biggest market for these coconut products. He added the country was export/PAGE 11
Editorial and advertising email : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com • Cell Number : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776