BusinessWeek Mindanao (January 13, 2020)

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Rejecting peacetalks

THE Davao Regional Peace and Order Council has voiced its opposition to the planned resumption of peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political arm of the communist rebellion.

In a press statement released Monday afternoon, Davao Oriental Gov. Nelson L. Dayanghirang, chair of the multisector council, said negotiations with the communist group, which the government has tagged as a terrorist organization, “would not be a favorable move for our government as they will only use this window as a means to strengthen their forces and gain their foothold amid the impending lifting of the ceasefire agreement.”

Mr. Dayanghirang, also a member of the Regional Development Council, said the local governments in the region have made significant strides in their peace and order initiatives under Executive Order 70 of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

IN-DEPTH

Monday|January 13, 2020

P15.00

Top tennis ballmaker to build plant at Phividec Thank you for trusting us!

• 25-year lease agreement signed for PH operation

O

By MARK FRANCISCO, Reporter

NE of the world’s le ading manufacturer of tennis balls has taken its first step in transferring their major operations to the Philippines, with the signing of a 25-year lease agreement with Phividec Industrial Authority in Misamis Oriental on Friday.

HEAD International Holding GmbH chief executive officer Gerald Skrobanek, who sealed the lease with Phividec Industrial Authority administrator Franklin Quijano, said that high labor costs and re-zoning in their tennis manufacturing plant in Shenzhen, China TENNIS/PAGE 11

TENNIS BALL PLANT. Gerald Skrobanek of HEAD International Holding GmbH (right) signs a 25-year lease agreement with Phividec Industrial Authority represented by administrator Franklin Quijano (left) for the establishment of a plant that makes tennis balls. The plant is expected to start construction by pril this year. photo by mark francisco

Camiguin to rein in visitors to protect island’s ecosystem

P19.7B Caraga infras BUTUAN City – A total of 207 infrastructure projects worth P19.7 billion will be implemented in Caraga Region this year, a Department of Public Works and Highways official said on Tuesday.

DPWH-Caraga director Pol delos Santos told reporters that most of the projects geared this year consist of roads and bridges.

A total of 57 infrastructure projects worth P10.1 billion will be undertaken by the DPWH while 150 projects worth P9.2 billion will be distributed to nine district offices in the region, delos Santos said.

We strive for Excellence!

Philippine Press Institute Civic Journalism Community Press awardee for the following: 2013 Best in Business and Economic Reporting 2014 Best in Environmental Reporting 2017 Best in Business and Economic Reporting 2018 Best in Business and Economic Reporting

By JIGGER JERUSALEM, PNA

DOG SHOW. It was a special day for dog lovers and their pets, which were dressed up, during the 7th Kuyamis Festival's 2020 Dog Congress held at the De Lara Park, Capitol Compound from Jan. 6 to 11. photo by gerry lee gorit

Davao business chamber volunteers services for farm logistics upgrades

By CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO, Correspondent

DAVAO CITY’s business chamber has offered to work with the Department

of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to plan for

improved farm logistics.

Joh n C arl o B. Tr i a , president of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and LOGISTICS/PAGE 10

THE provincial government of Camiguin said it will adopt a limit on visiting tourists in the island-province.

G o v. J u r d i n J e s u s Romualdo said that although

Camiguin remains one of the country’s prime tourist destinations, it must ensure that its ecosystem and natural resources remain intact by PROTECT/PAGE 10

Siargao lagoon temporarily closed for annual rehab

By ALEXANDER LOPEZ, PNA

BUTUAN City -- The Sugba Lagoon in Del Carmen, Sur igao del Nor te, one of Siargao Island's most popular destinations, is temporarily closed to

tourists and visitors starting Friday.

The temporary closure of the lagoon, which is done annually, will last for CLOSED/PAGE 10

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2

Local Over 800 cops, Biomass power plant to soldiers to secure 2020 Kahimunan Fest rise in Zamboanga Sur

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AGADIAN City -The first renewable energy power plant will soon rise in Barangay Commonwealth in the nearby town of Aurora town, this province.

The ceremonial groundbreaking for the six megawatts Biomass Power Plant was held Wednesday and was participated by provincial government officials and Libertad Power and Energy Corporation (LPECO) representatives.

Governor Victor Yu said Friday the project was a welcome development as it is seen to improve the

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MONDAY|JANUARY 13, 2020

province's energy capacity.

In biomass power plants, residues and agricultural wastes are burned to produce steam to run a turbine to make electricity, or that provides heat to industries and homes.

Yu said that he supports all forms of renewable energy because they are eco-friendly and at the same time can boost the economy.

He underscored the role of that the renewable energy source plays in complimenting the sectors of agriculture and other industries in terms of

development.

Engr. Reggie Albano, LPECO project director, said that residents should not be worried about the establishment of a biomass power plant.

Albano assured the plant is not harmful to the environment since it is carbon-neutral and has electrostatic precipitators that will filter out the so-called unborn fuel to prevent it from evaporating to the atmosphere.

He added the power plant is of great potential since the fuel that will be used for its operation will

come from materials found in the surroundings.

“Compared to geothermal, coal and hydro-electric plants, biomass is a practical alternative since it will only use agricultural wastes such as coconut husks, rice straws and rice hulls to be converted into fuel,” Albano said.

Albano said when the production is continuous, the biomass plant can convert up to 172,000 kilograms of waste into fuel or around 5.6 million kilograms a month.

He also said the National Grid would appreciate this project since it can help in the low voltage problem of the province.

The biomass plant financed by LPECO will be completed within 20 months, he said. (PNA)

BUTUAN City – All is set for this year’s Kahimunan Festival as the Sto. Niño Diocesan Shrine here announced the week-long activities, which will include novena masses and the conduct of a street dancing competition that will highlight the culmination of the festivities on January 19.

Msgr. Roel Lasco of the Sto. Niño Diocesan Shrine told reporters on Thursday (January 9) the novena masses will start on Friday, January 10.

Lasco said they are expecting more than 350,000 to 400,000 devotees and visitors from other towns, provinces, and regions to join the masses and watch the activities on January 18 and 19, particularly the motorcade, procession,

and the street dancing.

The festival coincides with the celebration of the feast of Señor Sto. Niño.

Kahimunan, Lasco said, is a Manobo term that means “to gather”.

“We connect it to a religious term gathering in order to worship and give honor to the Lord. The Sto. Niño reminds us to remain small so that people that surround us can always witness the greatness of God. We remain small and humble,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office in Caraga (PRO-13) said more than 800 cops, soldiers, and other force multipliers will secure the week-long festival.

In a statement on Thursday, PRO-13 director, Brig. Gen. Joselito T. Esquivel, Jr. said the security force will come from the PRO-13 headquarters, the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 13, National Support Units, the 402nd Infantry Brigade, and the Butuan City Police Office (BCPO).

Esquivel added that the security forces will also be tasked to ensure the traffic and crowd control especially during the novena masses, motorcade, procession and street dancing competition.

(PNA)

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3

CorporateWorld

Kapa leaders faces criminal raps for illegal securities sale

T

HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said criminal charges had been filed against KapaCommunity Ministry International (KAPA) and its officers for the illegal sale of securities.

In a statement on Thursday, the country’s corporate regulator said the Department of Justice (DoJ) had filed a criminal case against KAPA at the Bislig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 29.

KAPA is being charged of “willfully, unlawfully and criminally engaging in the selling or offering for sale or distribution of securities to the general public without a registration statement duly filed with and approved by the SEC.” The DoJ is also charging KAPA Founder and President Joel A. Apolinario, Trustee Margie A. Danao and Corporate Secretary Reyna L. Apolinario of violating provisions of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC) and indicted Marisol S.

Diaz, Adelfa Fernandico, Moises Mopia and Reniones D. Catubigan for involvement in the alleged investment scam.

Aside from the case at the Bislig City RTC, the DoJ has filed a case against Ms. Diaz at the Rizal RTC for violation of an SRC provision, and a similar case against Mr. Mopia and Ms. Fernandico at the Quezon City RTC Branch 93.

The SEC said the judges are expected to order the arrest of the officers soon, as a warrant has already been issued by the Quezon City RTC on Dec. 2 against Ms. Fernandico.

“We are committed to see the criminal proceedings against KAPA through to the end. We will pursue everyone involved in the investment scam that played havoc with the future of our fellow Filipinos, including those who continue to attempt to perpetuate it,” SEC Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino was quoted in the statement as saying.

The criminal cases against KAPA and its leaders follow a trail through the efforts of the SEC since 2017 to hold the group liable for allegedly scamming an estimated P50 billion from its members.

KAPA is supposedly operating as a religious group that collects

P10,000 per head from its members in exchange of a 30% monthly return for life. The SEC said this is equivalent to an investment contract, which in order to operate legally, KAPA had to secure a separate registration for.

Since KAPA was not able to follow the provisions of the SRC, it

is due to be punished with a maximum fine of P5 million or imprisonment of seven to 21 years, or both. But the SEC said the DoJ is pushing for a heavier penalty because of the use of Facebook and YouTube in its investment scheme.

“Considering the use of Facebook and

YouTube in the illegal investment scheme, the DOJ recommended that the penalty to be imposed against KAPA, its officers and agents be one degree higher than what is prescribed by the SRC, pursuant to Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012,” it said.

Angkas vows to follow rules, work with gov't regulators MOTORCYCLE ridehailing firm Angkas on Wednesday vowed to work and comply with government rules and regulations for ensuring the success of the motorcycle taxi pilot run.

“We will try our best to be compliant with government rules and regulations and I would like to reinforce on public record that we have always and will continue to work with government

regulators and not against them,” Angkas chief transport advocate George Royeca told reporters in a press briefing held in Makati City.

“I would like to commend the government for seriously considering motorcycle taxis as an added transport option for Filipino commuters amid the ongoing traffic crisis,” he added.

Royeca also expressed his hope for the riders' cap

imposed on the firm to be lifted so that everyone can proceed with the extended pilot run smoothly and without any hitches.

“But on the same breath, we ask for fairness, in consideration of all the hard work we have done to comply with government regulators since last year,” he noted.

Royeca also clarified that they are not picking a fight with government regulators.

“Pasensya na po sa naging (We apologize for being) back and forth.

Please don't mistake what we did as defiance. Right from start, we worked hard to be compliant with everything the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the (Department of Transportation's) TWG (technical working group) had set in the first ANGKAS/PAGE 11

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Opinion

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Wearing masks T h i n k a m i nute… Have you ever pretended to be s om e t h i n g y ou’re n ot ?

Maybe you did it to impress or please somebody. But the longer we act like someone we’re not, the better we get at it. We can even get so good at it that we actually fool ourselves and forget who we really are! It’s sad that the more we hide our real self the more lonely and unsure of ourselves we become.

W h at m a s k d o y o u s omet imes we ar? What kind of p ers on do you pretend to be? Do you act strong and tough, so people won’t know that inside you sometimes feel weak, even afraid? Or do you wear the mask that says you’re a good religious person, even though in your heart you know you’re dishonest and sometimes lie or cheat other people of their money.

Maybe you wear the funny joker and life-of-the-party mask. You feel like you always need to make a joke of everything so others will laugh and not know how lonely and unhappy you really are inside.

THINK A MINUTE

MONDAY|JANUARY 13, 2020

Remembering the landing at Lingayen Gulf 75 years ago last week, (January 9, 1945) Allied forces landed in Lingayen Gulf in the second major land offensive to reclaim the Philippines from Japanese o cc up at ion forces. The first occurred in Leyte on October 20, 1944.

The Lingayen operation is the subject of a forthcoming book “From Leyte to Bessang Pass” written by this author to commemorate t he 75th anniversar y of the end of World War II in t he Phi lippines. “From L e yte to B ess ang Pass” was based on volumes of books and online materials written about the subject by military historians, foreign and Filipinos alike. This writer culled from these av a i l a b l e i n f o r m at i o n , presented the events as simply and, as much as

possible, sequentially as they happened. This writer also endeavored to retell the story – minus the military jargon - from a Filipino perspective.

Some excerpts from the book: “Lingayen Gulf became a strategic theater of operations during World War II for both the Japanese forces and the Allied Forces. Three years earlier, on December 22, 1941, the forces of Lt. General Masaharu Homma landed at various points – Agoo, Caba, Santiago and Bauang – before pushing towards Manila.

“Now it was the Allied Forces’ turn. On January 6, 1945 , US ships commanded

by Admiral Jesse Oldendorf started bombarding suspected Japanese positions

along the beaches of Lingayen Gulf. However, by the time the Americans landed in Lingayen, the Japanese forces, under the overall command of General Tomoyuki Yamashita, had already withdrawn farther inland.

“At the 32-kilometer Lingayen beachhead , there was hardly any land-based Japanese resistance. The pre-landing bombardment, far from terrifying local residents, sounded like music to their ears. Lingayen town folks came out and welcomed the allied forces in a fiesta atmosphere.

“On the 8th , it was observed that in the town of Lingayen… Filipinos had begun to form a parade, complete with United States and Philippine flags. Fire was shifted from that area.

SPEAKING OUT

IGNACIO BUNYE “On January 9 (D82), the US 6th Army, under the command of General Walter Krueger, started their beach assault. A total of 203,608 soldiers eventually landed over the next few days, establishing a 20 mile (32 km) beachhead, stretching from Sual, Lingayen and Dagupan to the west and San Fabian to the east.”

LINGAYEN/PAGE 11

We just can’t believe the boss is dead FAMILY BUSINESS COACH

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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PROF. ENRIQUE SORIANO Ann Harbor, Michigan. A tired and exhausted Jack (names have been changed to prote c t t he f am i ly ’s privacy), group head of administration and human resource, was waiting for his turn to make a difficult announcement. The venue was the mini auditorium inside the head office of Company B, a P10 billion (US$200 million) family business with a regional presence in Vietnam and Singapore. More than 300 h e a d of f i c e e mp l oy e e s sat patiently waiting to hear what they already

knew: their chairman and founder K.B., who had led the company since 1986, had died that morning of a massive heart attack.

Jack was designated by the family to convey the message to the organization.

He had been one of K.B’s original employees who opted for retirement a year earlier but was requested by the chairman to stay on. “My dear colleagues, most of you already know me. My name is Jack and I head the human resource department. Some of you are probably aware of what happened earlier.” Jack paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “Ma’am Lucy asked me to inform you that her husband, our chair and founder, died this morning.” Our beloved Sir K.B. was 65. Some employees began to cry softly. Others bowed their heads.

“Chairman K.B didn’t suffer,” Jack added. “And for that we can all be grateful.

We w i l l a l l r e m e m b e r Sir K.B as a remarkable

person who loved his family, loved every one of you and most especially loved this company that he founded more than 30 years ago. For and on behalf of the family and the board, I would like to announce that our main office will be closed tomorrow. The details of the memorial service will also be announced later in the day. As I speak, the board of directors has been convened and is now in an emergency meeting. They will make some pronouncements soon.

My office will make sure everyone will be receiving updates via email and Viber.”

Jack encouraged t he audience to ask questions but no one seemed interested to say anything. He looked around at the people gathered before him. Many employees were shocked, while some were in a state of disbelief. The mood in the huge room was gloomy.

There was muted silence so Jack decided to end the impromptu gathering. “This

is a very sad day for all of us and I want to thank everyone for coming in such short notice.”

As he walked out of the auditorium, he was ushered in a corner by a group of worried managers. “We can’t believe our boss is dead! What will happen to us and the company now?

Are our jobs secured? How will the company manage its loan? Who among the children will succeed the founder? Is Kirby (eldest son) qualified? Will ma’am Lucy take over? What will happen to our jobs? Will we be affected? What will we tell our families? What about our partners, bank creditors and suppliers?

Who will talk to them now that the boss is no longer around?

We h o p e t h e b o a rd can tackle the three most p re s s i n g i s s u e s o f j o b security, debt servicing and finding the most qualified successor.

To be continued...

Much the better!

JHAN TIAFAU HURST There are many people who get drunk or take drugs because they’re tired of wearing their mask. And it’s only after some drugs or drinks that they feel free to take their mask off and stop acting like something they’re not. Some of them are actually desperate and lonely. They’re looking for real love and acceptance, in spite of the bad things they’ve done and who they really are inside.

But it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, you can never shock Jesus Christ. With Him you can be your real self. The person you really are under your mask. Real Christians will love and MASKS/PAGE 11

We could spend all year living healthier, more productive lives, so why do we only decide to make the change at the start of the year? Why do we all make (and break) New Year resolutions?

Many of us will start 2020 with resolutions – to get fit, learn a new skill, eat differently. If we really want to do these things, why did we wait until an arbitrary date which marks nothing more important than a timekeeping convention?

British psychologist Tom Stafford asked this. And not only he. The answer tells us something important about the psychology of motivation, and about what popular theories of selfcontrol miss out.

Today is a very cool and rainy day. I am lazy. Not on the mood to do anything. It's even difficult to write this column. But my motivation

gets big ger and big ger while writing. New Year resolutions? Many writers discussed about this topic already. Here are my two cents in.

While celebrating during New Year's night, my family and friends found out, that what we want isn't really straightforward. At bedtime you might want to get up early and go for a run, but when your alarm goes off you find you actually want a lie-in. When exam day comes around you might want to be the kind of person who spent the afternoons studying, but on each of those afternoons you instead wanted to hang out with your friends. Believe me - I heard it many times from my students.

You could see these contradictions as failures of our self-control: impulses for temporar y pleasures manage to somehow override

our longer-term interests.

One fashionable theory of self-control, proposed by Roy Baumeister at Florida State University, is the 'egodepletion' account. This theory states that self-control is like a muscle. This means you can exhaust it in the short-term – meaning that every temptation you resist makes it more likely that you'll yield to the next temptation, even if it is a temptation to do something entirely different.

A corollary of the 'like a muscle' theory is that in the long term, you can strengthen your willpower with practice.

So, for example, Baumeister found that people who were assigned two weeks of trying to keep their back straight whenever possible showed improved willpower when asked back into the lab.

But, and more importantly, that theory

HAVE MY SAY

KLAUS DORING doesn't give an explanation why we wait for New Year's D ay to b e g i n e xe r t i ng our self-control. If your willpower is a muscle, you should start building it up as soon as possible, rather than wait for an arbitrary date.

Another explanation may answer these questions, although it isn't as fashionable as ego-depletion. George Ainslie's book 'Breakdown of DORING/PAGE 11

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MONDAY|JANUARY 13, 2020

Higher wages to lure more workers in construction

O

FFERING higher wages in the construction industry will address the shortage of skilled labor in the sector, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Wednesday.

Lopez told reporters that construction companies are now increasing wages to ensure that there will be no delays in their projects due to shortage in workforce.

“We see it happening, because when you experience the shortage and you want certain projects to continue, you have no choice but to attract more skilled labors, skilled workforce and you're forced to add more,” he said.

He added that with the robust growth of the construction sector, it will need more workers in the future, not only to secure the growth of the industry but also to deliver the projects on time.

For the third quarter of 2019,

construction sector grew to 16.3 percent year-on-year.

Lopez said with the timely approval of the 2020 national budget, public construction will continue to support the doubledigit growth of the industry.

“We are confident that the double-digit growth in the succeeding quarters will be consistent and steady with the timely signing of the 2020 national budget and the momentum built up by Build, Build, Build (program),” the trade chief said.

But Lopez said his office would not recommend setting a minimum wage in the construction sector and would let the market forces of demand and supply pull up the wage rates to attract more workers.

From 2016 to 2019, 1.5 million workers were added in the construction sector. For 2019 alone, some 287,000 jobs were generated in the construction

industry, Lopez noted.

The Philippine Construction Industry Roadmap sees cumulative value of the industry at P130 trillion from 2020 to 2030.

Jobs in the sector are forecasted to grow to 7.1 million over the next 10 years, expanding by 80 percent from the current 3.9 million workers.

Lopez said the construction sector plays a crucial role in uplifting Filipinos from poverty through jobs generated in the industry.

“Our country’s ‘Golden Age of Infrastructure’ will be further realized even as we continue to strengthen the Build, Build, Build Program through the roadmap’s implementation.

We will also provide future generations of Filipinos a strong infrastructure program crucial to economic growth while giving them a chance to a better life,” he said. (PNA)

Rules for Islamic banking framework get approval THE BANGKO SENTRAL ng Pilipinas (BSP) is set to issue the implementing rules for the country’s Islamic banking law after the Monetary Board (MB) approved two circulars outlining the licensing framework and discussing Shari’ah governance principles, a senior official said.

BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi G. Fonacier said the Monetary Board okayed on Dec. 13 two new circulars on Islamic banking: one on licensing of Islamic banks and setting up of Islamic banking window by existing banks and the other discussing the principles of Shari’ah governance.

“IRR (implementing rules and regulations) on Islamic Bank was approved

by MB. BSP is set to issue circular on licensing of Islamic banks and setting up of Islamic banking window by existing banks,” Ms. Fonacier told BusinessWorld in a mobile phone message on Friday.

She said one foreign Islamic bank has expressed interest in putting up a branch in the Philippines, while several domestic banks are also considering setting up their own Islamic banking windows.

Currently, Al Amanah Islamic Bank is the only Islamic bank operating in the country, which is now under the Development Bank of the Philippines

when the latter took control of its operations in 2008.

BSP Managing Director of Financial Supervision Subsector III Arifa Ala earlier said several banks have expressed interest on Islamic banking but most were still waiting for the rules.

Republic Act No. 11439 or the act providing for the regulation and organization of Islamic banks signed on Aug. 22, mandates the central bank to act as the sector’s regulatory body and allows it to authorize Islamic banks, both local and foreign, to establish Islamic banking operations in the country.

The law also allows

traditional banks to participate in Islamic banking operations upon securing approval from the Monetary Board.

Under Shari’ah principles, Islamic banking is an asset-backed banking business with operations that do not involve “riba” or interest.

Under the law, Islamic banks can accept current accounts, savings accounts, investment accounts and foreign currency deposits, among others.

Islamic banks can also issue Shari’ah-compliant funding instruments such as “sukuk” upon approval by the MB to use on their operations and other capital needs.

Signing of 2020 nat’l budget credit positive, says Moody’s THE passage of the Philippines’ 2020 national budget and its signing early this month can support the country to post a strong growth this year, which Moody’s Investors Service forecasts to be around 6.2 percent.

In a report, the debt rater said the country’s P4.1-trillion national budget this year, which was signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte last

5

Banking&Finance

Monday, is 12 percent higher than last year’s P3.7-trillion national budget.

This year’s national budget, it said, “will help sustain the Philippines' rapid economic growth against an uncertain global backdrop, a credit positive.”

Last year, the government operated on a re-enacted for several months until its signing

into law on April 15.

This affected government spending since new infrastructure projects were not implemented based on program.

However, the government implemented a catch-up infrastructure spending program to address the impact of the delay in the approval of the national budget on domestic growth.

Moody’s expects this year’s national budget, along with the extension of the validity of the 2019 budget for infrastructure program, to support fiscal expansion and domestic growth.

“We project the Philippines' real GDP (gross domestic product) growth will accelerate to 6.2 percent this year from 5.8 percent in 2019, faster BUDGET/PAGE 11

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BDO – COGON Sky hi Bldg JR Borja St. Cogon, Cdoc 8577963/ 725209/ 725203 BDO – OSMEÑA Osmeña corner Ramon Chavez St. Cdoc 724567/8563727 BDO – LAPASAN Lapasan Highway Cdoc 8563233 /8563234 / 725178 BDO – RN- PELAEZ George Town CyberMall Rn Pelaez Blvd Kauswagan Cdoc | 8562617/729052 BDO – CARMEN Maxsuniel cor.V Neri St. Carmen, .Cdoc 8584854 /8581133 BANK OF COMMERCE- VELEZ Akut- Velez St.Cdoc | 8564371 / 726880 BANK OF COMMERCE- LAPASAN

CM Recto Ave. Lapasan, Cdoc, 8563991/727731

BPI FAMILY SAVINGS BANK RER kauswagan,HW Cdoc 8573733 /722519 BPI FAMILY SAVINGS BANK Gaston Park Cdoc | 8801518 BPI – LAPASAN Cm Recto HW Lapasan Cdoc 724076/ 8524602 BPI- VELEZ Velez-JR Borja St.Cdoc 8564213/722406 BPI – CAPISTRANO Capistrano St. Cdoc 8574264/8574263 BPI- COGON Osmeña St. Cdoc 8571297/8571298 CHINA BANK –GAISANO 745887/745880 CHINA BANK- JR BORJA JR Borja St. Cdoc 8572212/8573274 CHINA BANK- LAPASAN CM Recto Lapasan HW Cdoc 8561325 /722240 CHINA BANK – CARMEN Max Suniel, Cor. Yakal St. Cdoc 8583903/723091 CHINA BANK – DIVISORIA RN Abejuela St. Divosoria Cdoc 8575759/722641 CITY SAVINGS BANK TS Fashion Ave.Justo Ramonal Corner St.Cdoc 2316060/ 2316059 CHINATRUST Suite U&5 G/LGateway Tower Lapasan Lkk Cdoc 8521846/8521844 D’ASIAN HILLS BANK HW. Lapasan Cdoc | 8564201/ 8564201 D’ASIAN HILLS BANK Vamenta Carmen Sts. Cdoc | 8585366 DBP – CORRALES Corrales Ave., St. Cdoc | 8572087/722649 DBP – CAPISTRANO JR Borja Capistrano St. Cdoc 8567776/722819

PBCOM Tiano-HayesSt. Cdoc | 726519/8571558 PLANTERS DEVELOPMENT BANK

Tiano Bros St. Cdoc | 727083 /727082 PHILTRUST BANK Ramonal OsmeñaSt. CDO 8807234/2316694/2316695 PNB- CORRALES Corrales Avenue Cdoc | 729500 / 729723

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PNB- CARMEN Elipe Bldg.Carmen, Cdoc | 8583158/ 8584203 PNB- LKK LKK Lapasan, Cdoc | 8564347/722872 PNB CDO– DIVISORIA Tiano Bros.Cruz Taal St., Cdoc 722861 /722816 PNB CDO– LAPASAN LKK Center Lapasan, Cdoc | 8564732 / 723992 PNB CDO– COGON LKK Center Lapasan, Cdoc 8571991/ 723992 PHILIPPINE POSTAL SAVINGS BANK, INC. bels_domingo@yahoo.com.ph Rizal Chavez Cdoc 8572194/725438 PS BANK Velez Corner A. Mabini St., Cdoc 8574183/725184 PHILIPPINE VETERANS BANK Tiano-Abejuela St. Cdoc 722644/8573386 QUEEN CITY DEVELOPMENT BANK, INC. Sacred Heart Mont. Cm RectoAve., Cdoc 8562390 RCBC- VELEZ Velez-Borja St. Cdoc | 8564982/8568888 RCBC- COGON Simplex Bldg. Osmeña St. Cdoc 8562888/725863/8521329 RCBC- LAPASAN Cm. Recto Lapasan HW. Cdoc 8561888/722449 RCBC- LKK Gateway, Tower 1 LkkCenter, Cdoc 8563707/722449 RCBC SAVINGS- CARMEN Walingwaling St.,Carmen St. Cdoc 8585793/ 8586248 RCBC SAVINGS- VELEZ Velez St. Cdoc | 729083/8562460 RCBC SAVINGS- AGORA 8807891/8807892 RURAL BANK OF CABADBARAN, Inc.

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EAST WEST BANK Cogon De Oro Constraction Bldg. LKK Drive 8500339/8500331

STERLING BANK OF ASIA Tiano Velez St. CDO | 8528171/8528168

ENTERPRISE BANK INC. Centro Mariano Bldg Osmeña St. Cdoc 723869/ 3093395 FIRST CONSOLIDATED BANK CM Recto Ave., Cor.Agudo Road Cdoc 8565360/2316678 LBP – CAPISTRANO Capsitrano St. Cdoc | 8565515/727678 LBP – VELEZ LunaVelez St. | 723549/8563198 LBP – PUERTO Puerto Cdoc | 8558858 MAYBANK JR Borja Tiano Cor. Bldg. Cdoc 8574439/726060 METRO BANK- DIVISORIA Pabayo Abejuela St. Divisoria Park, Cdoc 724783/8576999 METRO BANK- VELEZ A. Velez St. Cdoc | 8561724/726054 METRO BANK- JR BORJA JR Borja St. Cdoc | 8572999/724415

UCPB BANK- LAPASAN Osmeña Corner Lkk Drive, Cdoc 85771842/ 725135 UCPB BANK- VELEZ Velez Corner C. Pacana St. CDO 8564474/8564527 UCPB BANK SAVINGS-CAPISTRANO

Capistrano Corner CruzTaal St. CDO 8524099/722695

UCPB BANK SAVINGS- OPOL Gf forever Books Bldg.Bulua National CDO 754519/8588063 UNION BANK Lapasan Cm.Recto Cdoc | 8566847/8563805 WEALTHBANK Velez Gomez St. Cdoc | 8568942/722174 1ST VALLEY BANK Vamenta Blvd. CornerLirio St. Carmen, Cdoc 8501871/ 8584146 OROBANKERS CLUB Inc. Pnb Carmen | 09151850242

6

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MONDAY|JANUARY 13, 2020

Pioneer Insurance creates new enhanced system Story by MARK FRANCISCO Photo by JOAN SHENG

O

NE of the country’s leading insurance providers, Pioneer, has just gotten its services better with the introduction of its newest enhanced system, OnePioneer.

Under OnePioneer, agents are now enabled to create more value for their clients.

Beyond life insurance products, agents can now also offer motor, travel, health and fire insurance.

Pioneer’s life products alone consist of Embrace, Elite, Enhance, InstaLife, PowerFund, SmartStart and SmartProtec.

Embrace is a single premium variable life insurance product that allows policyholders to save through direct investment in a managed fund or in an equity fund, perfect for those who are looking for long term growth of investments.

Elite is a single premium variable life insurance product with no sales charge deducted from the premium

invested. Enhance is a variable life insurance product offering fixed premium payments together with the flexibility to increase protection or maximize investment returns throughout the duration of the policy.

InstaLife is an investment and life

insurance plan with an Automatic Acceptance feature. PowerFund is a regulary pay variable life insurance plan that allows you to build a significant amount of funds for future use by contributing to it in just three years.

SmartStart is a regular pay variable

life insurance plan that insures expectant mothers against complications that may arise during pregnancy and provides insurance benefits for the child upon birth up to age 99. SmartProtec is a life insurance plan for people aged 40 and older that is affordable and

does not require medical exams for acceptance.

With OnePioneer, agents can also offer the following non-life and accident and health products: All Purpose Personal Accident Card, Hospital Aid, Keymancare, Personal Accident Coverage and Safe and Sound.

Pioneer carries with it 60 years of experience in the Philippines. Its agents here in Cagayan de Oro City number around more than 300, covering places as far as Bukidnon and Dipolog.

OnePioneer Insurance Cagayan de Oro is located at Mabini-Velez Sts.

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MONDAY|JANUARY 13, 2020

7

Environment

Cimatu seeks easier, affordable way to set up sanitary landfills

E

NVIRONMENT Secretary Roy A. Cimatu wants to make the establishment and operation of a sanitary landfill easier and less expensive to allow more local government units (LGUs) to set up their own solid waste management facility amid the worsening garbage collection and disposal problem in the country.

Sanitary landfill is the waste disposal method allowed under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which LGUs are duty-bound to follow.

But Cimatu noted that a lot of LGUs find it difficult to comply with the law as building and maintaining a sanitary landfill can be costly and somewhat complicated.

“Make the establishment and operation of a sanitary landfill simpler and less costly without sacrificing the main objective of

proper garbage disposal, which is to prevent lecheate from going to waterways,” Cimatu said as he gave his marching orders to senior

officials and employees of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) during his traditional “New Year’s Call” held last January 3.

Cimatu specifically instructed DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and LGU Concerns Benny Antiporda to

People and other great apes are known for their willingness to help others in need, even strangers.

Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology on January 9 have shown for the first time that some birds -- and specifically African grey parrots -- are similarly helpful.

"We found that African grey parrots voluntarily and spontaneously help familiar parrots to achieve a goal, without obvious immediate benefit to themselves," says study coauthor Désirée Brucks of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany.

Parrots and crows are known for having large brains relative to the size of their bodies and problem-solving skills to match. For that reason, they are sometimes considered to be "feathered apes," explain Brucks and study co-author Auguste von Bayern.

However, earlier studies showed that, despite their impressive social intelligence, crows don't help other crows. In their new study, Brucks and von Bayern wondered: what about parrots?

To find out, they enlisted several African grey parrots and blueheaded macaws. Both parrot species were eager

to trade tokens with an experimenter for a nut treat. But, their findings show, only the African grey parrots were willing to transfer a token to a neighbor parrot, allowing the other individual to earn a nut reward.

"Remarkably, African grey parrots were intrinsically motivated to help others, even if the other individual was not their friend, so they behaved very 'prosocially,'" von Bayern says. "It surprised us that 7 out of 8 African grey parrots provided their partner with tokens spontaneously -- in their very first trial -- thus without having experienced the social setting of this task before and without knowing that they would be tested in the other role later on.

Therefore, the parrots provided help without gaining any immediate benefits and seemingly without expecting reciprocation in return."

Importantly, she notes, the African grey parrots appeared to understand when their help was needed. When they could see the other parrot had an opportunity for exchange, they'd pass a token over.

Otherwise, they wouldn't.

The parrots would help out whether the other individual was their "friend" or not, she adds.

But, their relationship to the other individual did have some influence.

When the parrot in need of help was a "friend," the helper transferred even more tokens.

The researchers suggest the difference between African greys and blueheaded macaws may relate to differences in their social organization in the wild. Despite those species differences, the findings show that helping behavior is not limited to PARROTS/PAGE 11

African grey parrots (stock image).

Credit: © PinkBlue / Adobe Stock

African grey parrots spontaneously 'lend a wing'

“review and revise” DENR Administrative Order 2001-34 or the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9003 “to make way for better and bigger sanitary landfills.”

The DENR chief lamented that only 10 percent of concerned LGUs nationwide have sanitary landfills two decades after RA 9003 was enacted.

A sanitary landfill is a solid waste management facility that utilizes an engineered method of waste disposal, primarily for municipal solid waste.

An “engineered” method of landfilling means that garbage is handled at a disposal facility that is designed, constructed and operated in a manner protective of public health and the environment.

Cimatu had earlier said that effective solid waste management may be expensive, but LGUs are not without options.

He said that adjacent municipalities or cities may cluster together

and pool their resources to establish a common sanitary landfill.

If lack of funds is a problem, Cimatu said that LGUs may avail of government loans, particularly the one being offered by the Development Bank of the Philippines under its green financing program.

LGUs, he said, can come up with a scheme to pay back the loan, such as through collection of tipping fees.

Meanwhile, Cimatu said during his New Year’s Call that the DENR will continue to strictly implement environmental laws, especially RA 9003, Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. He also rallied environment workers to sustain the gains of all environmental programs and projects implemented by the DENR and its bureaus and attached agencies, including the rehabilitation of Manila Bay and Boracay.

Plant life expanding in the Everest region PLANT life is expanding in the area around Mount Everest, and across the Himalayan region, new research shows.

Scientists used satellite data to measure the extent of subnival vegetation -plants growing between the treeline and snowline -- in this vast area.

Little is known about these remote, hard-toreach ecosystems, made up of short-stature plants (predominantly grasses and shrubs) and seasonal snow, but the study reveals they cover between 5 and 15 times the area of permanent glaciers and snow.

Using data from 1993 to 2018 from NASA's

Landsat satellites, University of Exeter researchers measured small but significant increases in subnival vegetation cover across four height brackets from 4,150-6,000 metres above sea level.

Results varied at different heights and locations, with the strongest trend in increased vegetation cover in the bracket 5,0005,500m.

Around Mount Everest, the team found a significant increase in vegetation in all four height brackets.

Conditions at the top of this height range have generally been considered

to be close to the limit of where plants can grow.

Though the study doesn't examine the causes of the change, the findings are consistent with modelling that shows a decline in "temperaturelimited areas" (where temperatures are too low for plants to grow) across the Himalayan region due to global warming.

Other research has suggested Himalayan ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climateinduced vegetation shifts.

"A lot of research has been done on ice melting in the Himalayan region, including a study that showed how the rate of ice loss doubled between

2000 and 2016," said Dr Karen Anderson, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

"It's important to monitor and understand ice loss in major mountain systems, but subnival ecosystems cover a much larger area than permanent snow and ice and we know very little about them and how they moderate water supply.

"Snow falls and melts here seasonally, and we don't know what impact changing subnival vegetation will have on this aspect of the water cycle -- which is vital PLANT/PAGE 11

8

Feature

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MONDAY|JANUARY 13, 2020

DOST-FPRDI R&D to upgrade quality of IPs musical instruments A

By APPLE JEAN C. MARTIN- DE LEON

TEACHER at the Talaandig School of Living Traditions and a well-known performing artist, Datu Rodelio “Waway” Saway is called “Tatay” by the younger members of his tribe.

Saway has been keeping the Talaandig musical heritage intact by mentoring young members of their tribe.

Community artists would always go to their Tatay Waway to learn how to play and craft their indigenous musical instruments.

“We use our traditional

instruments to pray and connect with the Divine. Playing them is like opening a portal to the spiritual world,” explained Saway, who has traveled the world showcasing the Talaandig’s traditional music.

“Despite the availability of tools that makes the production of bamboo musical instruments (BMI) easier, there are still issues affecting the durability of the instruments. There are times when our BMIs crack when brought to temperate countries. Some get infested by bukbok

Ornate patterns etched on a bamboo flute.

(powder-post beetle),” he noted.

Through the initiative of the DOST-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-

A Datu plays the takumbo (parallel-stringed zither). photo courtesy of dost public affairs unit

photo courtesy of dost public affairs unit

FPRDI), a research program now aims to make better-quality BMIs.Ruel The initiative is in partnership with UP Diliman’s Center for Ethnomusicology and the Philippine Normal University, and targets to develop technologies that can help people like Saway and other local BMI makers and users.

“We have been going around various indigenous communities and BMI production sites in the country to talk to key people and understand how important BMIs are in their local culture.

We want to know how we can work together with them to improve these instruments,” said Program Leader

Aralyn L. Quintos.

The R&D program seeks to develop technologies that will prolong the life of bamboo without affecting the musical instruments’ sound quality; standardize the production of selected BMIs; develop prototype design; analyze raw material sources and existing markets; and build a BMI processing facility.

According to Saway, long before their BMIs were mass produced, they have been traded for other instruments. He has crafted numerous BMIs, including the pulala (lip valley notch flute), tumpuy (chip-on-ledge flute), hulagteb (side-blown flute), takumbo (parallel-stringed

zither) and bantula (slit drum).

“We have a lot of creative people here. The Talaandigs have been producing BMIs for a long time already, and I think we are ready for their mass production. What we lack, however, are technologies, particularly a treatment facility for bamboo,” ended Saway.

Living at the foothills of the Kitanglad Mountain Ranges in Bukidnon, the Talaandigs create music reminiscent of the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds. And the DOSTFPRDI, together with its partners, is dedicated to helping them preserve their rich musical tradition.

NEDA-X Regional Director Mylah Faye Aurora B. Cariño, CESO III; NEDA-X OIC Assistant Regional Director Leonila G. Cajarte; 403rd Brigade Col Jose Arn M Real GSC (INF) PA; DBM-X Budget and Management Analyst, Mr. Michael Kevin T. Macesar; NEDA-X Chief EDS Engr. Nestor A. Lisondra.

Budget and planning officers of RLAs and SUCs gather for the FY 2021 budget preparation forum

Datu Rodelio “Waway” Saway playing the pulala. photo courtesy of dost public affairs unit

THE Regional Development Council Northern Mindanao (RDC-X) organized a Regional Budget Forum for fiscal year (FY) 2021 Budget Proposal Preparation and RDC-X Review Process on 8 January 2020 at the NHotel, Cagayan de Oro City.

During the 120th RDC-X Full Council meeting on 4 December 2019, the council approved and

adopted the guidelines for the preparation of the regional budget proposals for FY 2021 including the schedule of budget review activities (RDC-X Resolution No. 41, s.

2019). The guidelines include the timelines in the budget preparation which would require engagement with the planning officers and budget officers of the regional line agencies (RLAs) and state

universities and colleges (SUCs).

The budget forum aimed to ensure common understanding on the requirements of the RDC-X budget review and to facilitate the FY 2021 budget preparation.

It was a venue to explain to all participating RLAs and SUCs, the regional guidelines, forms, and the timeline of activities in the FORUM/PAGE 11

9

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MONDAY|JANUARY 13, 2020

Garbo sa Opol Isobel Teaño, ang reigning Miss Kuyamis 2020 GIKUHA sa beauty, brain and body, instant celebrity karon ang representante sa lungsod sa Opol nga si Miss Isobel June Teaño, kinsa mao karon ang reigning Miss Kuyamis 2020 human sa koronasyon sa Search for Miss Kuyamis 2020 sa El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental, Enero 9.

Mao ra’g gitagna na sa supporters ni Isobel nga ang dalaga maoy mahirang nga Miss Kuyamis 2020 tungod kay naa diay sa dugo niini nga mahimong beauty queen.

Iyang igsuon nga si Cris Antoinette Teaño, ang Miss El Salvador, nahimong 4th runner-up sa Miss Kuyamis 2018.

"She is eager to win this time, she is passionate and competitive enough for her to win the crown tonight," sulti pa ni Cris Antoinette.

Nasung k it ni Is ob el ang korona uban ang tulo ka special awards—Miss Skinology, best in swimsuit, ug best in evening gown.

B E S T I N K U YA M I S FESTIVAL ATTIRE —Miss Pauline Feranil, City of Gingoog City • FACE OF LE ROUGE SALON AND SPA —Miss Sheena Balansag, Municipality of Talisayan

DIRECTORIES

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• MISS AIM TO TOP REVIEW CENTER —Miss Esel Mae Pabillaran, Municipality of Lugait • MISS MENDEZ MEDICAL GROUP —Miss Irish Claire Daug, City of El Salvador • B E S T I N PA N E L INTERVIEW

—Miss Esel Mae Pabillaran, Municipality of Lugait Si Miss Pauline Feranil sa Gingoog City, kinsa 3rd runner-up, nakasakmit sa best in Kuyamis Festival attire.

Second runner-up si Miss Miss Sheena Balansag nga nakabitbit sa titulong “Face of Le Rouge Salon and Spa”.

Ang first runner-up nga si Miss Lugait Esel Mae Pabillaran, maoy Miss Aim To Top Review Center, ug nakaharbat sa best in panel interview.

Si Miss Angelica Salcedo Talo sa Medina ang Miss Photogenic; samtang Miss Mendez Medical Group ang KUYAMIS/PAGE 11

Talisayan, naghari sa Kuyamis Festival 2020 street dancing competition GIKAHINAMAN ug giatangan, halos dili na mamilok sa ilang mga mata ang midagsang ug misaksi sa Kuyamis Festival 2020 street dancing competition niadtong Miyerkoles, Enero 8. Gikan sa Capitol grounds padulong sa Misamis Oriental Integrated Sports Complex (MOISC), wala puwasa sa ilang panglantaw ang 15

RESORTS, HOTEL & RESTAURANTS

ka contingent sa hilabihan ka bibo nga street dancing contest. Apan, sa tanang indigay, bisan pa tuod og pare-parehas ka nindot ang performances sa matag contingent, duna gayud motumaw nga mananaug— ang lungsod sa Talisayan.

Ikaduha sa pwesto ang lu ng s o d s a B a l i ngo an , samtang ikatulo ang dakbayan

sa Gingoog.

Gawas sa P250,000 nga cash award, trophy ug P1 milyon balor sa proyekto ang nadawat sa Talisayan, mihakot pa kini og upat ka special awards—ang best in story line, best in choreography, best in musicality, ug best in street dancing nga dunay nakasukip tag-P10,000 patag special award. Ang Balingoan, isip

ikaduha sa pwesto, nakabitbit sa P200,000 cash award plus trophy; samtang ang Gingoog City, P150,000.

Bata’g tigulang, tambok ug niwang, si nanay ug tatay, tanang supporters, bystanders, ug bisan mamaligyaay sa mani ug tubig, mohunong ug molantaw gayud sa performances sa 15 ka contingent, hilabina sa announcement kon kinsa ang palarang mananaug.

Segun pa ni Ms. Angel Estera, molupyo sa Lapasan, C ag ay an d e O ro, w a l a masayang ang iyang kahago sa pagkuha’g hulagway sa street dancing competition, hilabina sa kadaghan sa contingent karon nga tuig, kompara sa milabay nga katuigan.

"Kay festive man gyud kaayo. Naka-join ko last year and gaulan siya…nag enjoy kaayo ko sa ilang moves, outfits, na-portray gyud nila ang Kuyamis nga festival," sulti pa ni Ms. Estera, usa sa misalmot sa photo contest.

Ang 12 ka lungsod— Lagonglong, Laguindingan, Manticao, Sugbongcogon, Initao, Magsaysay, Jasaan, Lugait, Libertad, Naawan, Alubijid, Tagoloan, nakadawat sa tag-P80,000 cash award isip consolation prize. Apan gitataw, nga tanang cash awards sa 15 ka contingents, gikuhaan nang daan sa tag-P80,000 isip pasiunang premyo aron maggamit sa ilang preparasyon sa nasangpit nga indigay.

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10

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MONDAY|JANUARY 13, 2020

Logistics... from page 1

Industry, Inc. (DCCCII), said the association will be initiating discussions with the two departments after Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar’s announcement Friday that the construction of farm-to-market roads, especially in conflict-affected areas, will be among the top priorities this year. “(W)e are open to dialogue… to help build strong logistics networks and infrastructure such as cold storage facilities, which will help farmers and consumers.

Having better logistics helps farmers by minimizing the volatility in prices since excess produce need not go to waste or drive down prices as they can be stored,” Mr. Tria said in a statement late Tuesday.

Asked to comment, Mr. Tria said setting up a good logistics network can be fasttracked through privatepublic partnerships.

He said improvements in the supply chain are particularly important in Mindanao given that it provides “about 40% of the country’s food supply, and where prices of commodities are often lower than the rest of the country.”

“This will allow food to get to consumers quickly and cheaply.”

Mr. Tria also said that a stable food supply will have a positive impact on other sectors such as tourism.

“If food prices go up, Republic of the Philippines SUPREME COURT REGIONSL TRIAL COURT OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL 10th Judicial Region Cagayan De Oro City OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL SHERIFF NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICAIL SALE EJF-2019-827 Upon Extra Judicial Petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended by act no. 4118.

Filled by BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS (“BSP”), duly organized under Republic Act Malate, Manila, against SPS. QUIRINO AND QUINTINA VERDADERO, both of legal age and with residence at kauswagan, Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental as Mortgagors, to satisfy the mortgage indebted which as October 31, 2019, amounts to NINE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PESOS AND 08/100 ( P 9,120.08 ) Philippine currency, exclusive of penalty/liquidated damages and other charges, the undersigned sheriff will SELL at public Auction on February 17, 2020 at 10:00 o’clock in the morning or soon thereafter at the main entrance of RTC branch 41, 2nd floor, Goldridge Bldg., Mastersons Avenue cor. P.N Rosa Avenue, upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City, to the highest bidder for CASH and in Philippine Currency, the real property mortgaged together with all improvements thereon, to wit:

so will the cost of eating in restaurants and tourism establishments, which may make them less competitive,” he said.

Protect...

from page 1 not overcrowding the islandprovince with more visitors than it could handle.

With more than half a million tourists visiting Camiguin from Januar y to September last year, Romualdo said they have implemented the population carrying capacity to address the growing influx of guests.

“We are happy to share that we have started last year first steps towards establishing carrying capacity limits in our eco-tourism sites to be able to determine the maximum number of individuals that can be sustained by the environment and sustain that number in the future,” the governor told local officials and government employees during his State of the Province Address held at the Camiguin Convention Center in Mambajao town on Tuesday evening.

Carrying capacity means the number of people, other living organisms, or crops that an area can support without environmental degradation.

“Before we wanted to have as many people coming in, but it wasn’t right. There should be a carrying capacity to sustain all our environments,” he said.

Taking into consideration the 11.56 percent in commercial aircraft movement and a 7-percent rise in airplane passenger traffic last year, Romualdo acknowledged the need to take further actions to protect and conserve the island's ecosystem.

To concretize the carrying capacity policy, he said the province’s climate adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk

Closed... from page 1

a month or until February 10 this year.

Del Carmen Vice Mayor Alfredo Corro II told Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Saturday that

Republic of the Philippines Regional trial Court of Misamis Oriental 10th Judicial Region Branch – 20 Cagayan de Oro City IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR SPL. PROC.CASE.NO. CANCELATION OF THE CERTIFIATE OF RC-CDO-19-03846-SP LIVE BIRTH OF JOSHUA MIGUEL FUENTES-SIMON, JOSHUA MIGUEL FUENTES-SIMON Petitioner, X - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -/

DECLARATION OF REAL PROPERTY NO. 04609 A PARCEL OF LAND (Residential Lot no. 947-0-361, PIN. 09.06.01.074) situated in the Barrio of kauswagan, Municipality of Lagonglong, province of Misamis Oriental, island of Mindanao, bounded on x x x; Beginning at x x x; containing an area of THREE HUNDRED FORTY FIVE (345) SQUARE METERS more or less, including all improvements and machines existing and to be constructed/erected thereon.

Prospective buyers/bidders may investigate for themselves the title and tax Declaration herein-above described and encumbrances thereon if any there be.

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated date, time and place.

reduction center must ensure that all policies, laws and regulations, and ordinances pertaining to the conservation of the island’s environment and natural resources are enforced.

Already, the provincial environment and natural resources office has c a r r i e d o u t nu m e r o u s programs aligned with the environment department’s national priorities, including t he e x p and e d nat i ona l greening program, enhanced biodiversity conservation, scaling up of marine and coastal ecosystem, improved land administration and management, intensified forest protection, and antiillegal logging.

In the greening program, efforts were initiated in 2017 and 2018 to establish a 50-hectare bamboo plantation along riverbanks and the enrichment of the mangrove forest covering three hectares.

Romualdo said the campaign to switch to organic farming has started and will soon be adopted all over the province.

He said food security is one of his administration’s priorities so Camiguin will not have to rely on agricultural produce from farmers in the mainland.

While recognizing the economic gains of tourismrel ate d i nve st me nt s i n Camiguin, Romualdo said "everybody, both visitors and residents, to make sure that the island’s environment is healthy and that its tourist sites sustained so these could be enjoyed by more people for years to come." (PNA)

ORDER

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO PROVINCIAL SHERIFF

BY:

This is petition for a cancellation of the certicate of live birth of live birth of Joshua Miguel Fuentes-Simon with the Civil Registrar of El Salvador, Misamis Oriental bearing Registry No 2001-467. Finding the petition to be in proper form and substance, the same is hereby set initial hearing in March 13, 2020 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning before this court at the Hall of Justice, Goldridge, Building, Masterson Avenue cor. P. N .Roa, Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City.

The copy of this order be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the city of Cagayan de Oro City and Province of Misamis Oriental after a raffle to be conducted by the RTC-Office of the clerk of Court.

The Local Civil Registrar of El Salvador, Misamis oriental and the local civil registrar of Iligan City or any person having or claiming any interest under the entry whose correction is sought may within fifteen (15) days from notice of petition, or from the last date of publication of such notice, file his/her opposition thereto.

Furnish the Office of the solicitor General and Province Prosecutor of Misamis oriental copy of this order and petition for their information and guidance.

SO ORDERED. Done this 6th day December, 2019 at Cagayan de Oro City.

ALDEN V. SAMBAAN

Sheriff IV

BWM: January 6,13 & 20, 2020

BWM: January 6,13 & 20, 2020

In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date for whatever reason, the same will proceed on the following working day, without further notice, posting and publication.

Cagayan de Oro City, December 16, 2019.

BONIFACIO M. MACABAYA Presiding Judge

t h e t e mp o r a r y c l o s u re is a regular measure implemented by the local government unit (LGU) to allow the lagoon to recover and heal. “ This is an annual recover y program being d one by t he muni cip a l government of Del Carmen that started four years ago,” Corro said.

He added that like human beings, nature too needs a considerable break to allow healing and recovery.

The vice mayor clarified the temporary closure of the Sugba Lagoon is also based on a Sangguniang Bayan Resolution approved by the town’s local legislators four years ago. “ We h a v e t o m a k e sure that the beauty and wonder of the lagoon are maintained and preserved not only for the tourists and visitors today but also for our future generation,” Corro said.

He a l s o e n c ou r a g e d tourists and visitors to pay a visit to other tourism sites in Del Carmen town, to include the Kawhagan I s l a n d S a n d B a r, t h e Pamomoan Beach Resort, and the Cr ystal Cave of Barangay Caub.

The Department of Tour ism i n t he C ar ag a Region (DOT-13) welcomed the temporary closure of the Sugba L ago on with the purpose of allowing it to heal and recover for a certain period.

DOT-13 OIC-regional director Mary Jean Camarin said on Friday they have posted on their website the advisory about the lagoon's one-month temporar y closure.

“The temporary closure of Sugba Lagoon was the call of the local government in the area. This has been implemented for four years with the aim of allowing the lagoon to recover,” Camarin said.

Camarin noted that the DOT has nothing to do with the temporary closure of Sugba Lagoon as the measure solely rested on the local government. “ We f u l l y s u p p o r t t h e m ov e o f t h e l o c a l government of Del Carmen.

T h e D O T- 1 3 , t h r o u g h a d v i s o r y, e n c o u r a g e d tourists and visitors to visit the other destinations in the town as the lagoon will be closed for a month,” she said. (PNA)

CAGAYAN DE ORO MAIN BRANCH P & J Lim Bldg., Tiano Brothers Kalambagohan Sts., Tel. # (08822) 727-829 * Telefax # (088) 856-1947 CAMIGUIN BRANCH B. Aranas St., Poblacion, Mambajao, Camiguin Tel. # (088) 387-0491 CORRALES BRANCH Corrales Ave., Cagayan de Oro City DIVISORIA BRANCH Atty. Erasmo B. Damasing Bldg., #61 Don A. Velez St., Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 857-3631 LAPASAN BRANCH Lapasan Hi-way, Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 231-6739 CARMEN BRANCH Vamenta Blvd., Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 231-2011

11

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

MONDAY|JANUARY 13, 2020

Angkas... from page 3

motorcycle taxi test run. For six whole months last year, there was never any problem,” Royeca explained.

“It must be noted that we complied with everything that the TWG asked us to do in the initial test run.

We did a re-training of all our riders. We gave our riders safety vests based on the recommendation of the TWG. We are continuously complying to the best of our abilities with the new pilot guidelines,” he revealed.

Royeca also reported that in the three years since Angkas started, the Angkas app was downloaded three million times. In the course of the pilot run, they have recorded millions of rides.

In terms of the service’s safety record, Angkas riders ha d on ly . 0 0 3 p e rc e nt accidents with zero fatalities.

Angkas also has in place an Emergency Response Team and Medical Accident Network with six Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)trained full-time employees, 4 2 E M R- t r a i n e d bi k e r respondents, 12 on-call doctors, and eight affiliated hospitals. During the initial pi l ot r u n , t he ave r age response time recorded was 30 minutes.

Royeca also reported that Angkas has set aside an accident emergency fund to cover expenses above and beyond what’s provided by the private insurance.

The company also ensures proper financial controls and standard operating procedures for quick fund disbursement for immediate patient assistance.

“It took us three years and dozens of safety training sessions and hundreds of hours of training to come up with a fleet of 27,000 competent bikers. You cannot build a competent and safe biker network overnight,” Royeca shared.

“We have invested so much in continuous training -- our trainors have been trained by a US firm that trains the US Marines and conducts motorcycle rider licensing and accreditation for the California and Pennsylvania State Department of Motor Vehicles. They have also undergone training with the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group, and we are continuously working on updating and improving further our trainings,” he noted.

“Moreover, I believe a support system for our bikers is necessary after they’ve passed our screening in order for them to continuously provide excellent service to our customers,” Royeca added, stating that their s y ste m ave r age s d oi ng assistance to 360 riders per day.

In terms of training, Royeca reported that they have retrained over 20,000 bikers for the initial pilot run. They had a total of 50 field retraining activities with riders getting retrained practically every week.

For six months from July to December of 2019, the safety record of Angkas was reported as 99.997 percent.

“We tried our utmost best to maintain a high safety record for the benefit of all our passengers. We are proud to say that our high service standards were maintained in the test run,” he stressed.

When asked about their pricing scheme, Royeca said this is for them to be able to encourage more bikers on the road to meet the demand.

"But because it is not allowed in the pilot, we will comply. We just want to give a heads up that this may result in bikers going back to habal-habal and that there'd be substantially fewer Angkas bikers on the road.”

Royeca also noted that he is not against competition in the motorcycle taxi industry.

"I would like to emphasize that even back then, I knew there will be new players as s o on as motorc ycle taxis become the subject of legislation and regulated. I have never aspired to establish a monopoly,” he stressed.

When word got out that the LTFRB will be extending the run with new players, Royeca was interviewed in the media and was reported to have said that he was totally fine with the inclusion of new players in the test run extension.

“This means that people have begun to realize the importance of motorcycle taxis in helping our commuters beat the daily traffic,” he noted.

In a presentation he showed during the briefing, Royeca reported that a total of 117,166 bikers have applied with Angkas.

Of that number, 36,797 bikers were onboard.

However, only 26,478 were retrained and activated for the first pilot run and 10,378 were deactivated.

On Mo n d ay, a Mandaluyong court handed down a 72-hour temporary restraining order against the LTFRB's order, which limits the number of riders for Angkas.

In a three-page order, acting Executive Judge Ofelia L. Calo of Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court (RTC) said there is “urgency” in the issuance of the TRO against LTFRB’s move to limit Angkas’ riders to 10,000 in Manila and 3,000 in Cebu.

Angkas was likewise ordered to post a P300,000 bond by the court.

Last December 19, the LTFRB, in its own guidelines, set its cap of 30,000 riders for Metro Manila and 9,000 riders for Metro Cebu to part of the pilot implementation.

Two days later, the LTFRB said hailing apps Move It and Joy Ride will be included in the revised guidelines and that the 30,000 riders limit will now be divided among the two new ride providers and Angkas or 10,000 each.

Angkas then filed the suit claiming that the guidelines are "arbitrary and unilateral".

The LTFRB has yet to respond for comment on the issue.

T h e D O Tr ' s T W G earlier said Angkas may be blacklisted from the country's motorcycle taxi industry after it found out that it is illegally operating in Cagayan de Oro City and that it is 99 percent owned by a certain Singaporean national Angeline Tham.

(PNA)

people depend on water from catchments emanating here.

(Story Source: Materials provided by University of Exeter. Note: Content may be edited for style and length./ www.sciencedaily.com)

Plant... from page 7

than most regional and rating peers and bucking the trend of lackluster global economic growth,” it said.

The government’s 2019 GDP target is between 6 percent to 6.5 percent, and 6.5-7.5 percent for 2020-2022.

Moody’s also projects further improvement of the country’s fiscal metrics on account of the structural improvement of revenues as a result of the tax reforms.

“We expect national government debt to remain stable and debt affordability to improve,” it added. (PNA)

humans and great apes but evolved independently also in birds.

It remains to be seen how widespread helping is across the 393 different parrot species and what factors may have led to its evolution. The researchers say that further studies are required to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the parrots' helping behavior.

For instance, how do parrots tell when one of their peers need s help? A nd , what motivates them to respond?

(Story Source: Materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Content may be edited for st yl e and l e ng th . /w w w. sciencedaily.com)

from page 9

from page 8

Budget... from page 5

Kuyamis...

pambato sa El Salvador City, Miss Irish Claire Daug.

Malipayong gitunol ni Miss Kuyamis 2019 Chella Falconer ang korona ngadto kang reigning Miss Kuyamis 2020 Isobel Teano, kinsa wala makatuo sa iyang kalamposan niadtong gabhiona. Nagsaad ang dalaga nga iyang paningkamotan m a - r e p r e s e nt a h a n a n g Misamis Oriental sa national ug international arena sa umalabot nga panahon "Gov., thank you so much for the opportunity nga imong gihatag, I swear nga buhaton naku tanan to represent Misamis Oriental with pride," saad sa dalaga, samtang abot-langit ang pasalamat sa gihatag nga kadaugan sa iyang Kuyamis 2020 journey.

Gawas sa korona ug kadungganan, bitbit ni Isobel ang P50,000 nga cash prize; samtang P40,000 sa second runner-up, P35,000 sa third runner-up, P30,000 sa first runner-up, ug P15,000 sa fourth runner-up.

Plant... from page 7

because this region (known as 'Asia's water towers') feeds the ten largest rivers in Asia."

Dr Anderson said "some really detailed fieldwork" and further validation of these findings is now required to understand how plants in this high-altitude zone interact with soil and snow.

Dominic Fawcett, who coded t he image processing, said: "These large-scale studies using decades of satellite data are computationally intensive because the file sizes are huge. We can now do this relat ively easi ly on t he cloud by u si ng G oog le Earth Engine, a new and powerful tool freely available to anyone, anywhere."

The Hindu Kush Himalayan region extends across all or part of eight countries, from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east. More than 1.4 billion

Forum...

preparation of the FY 2021 budget proposals to ensure alignment with the national budget guidelines.

The activity was p ar t icip ate d in by 10 3 planning and budget officers of the RLAs and SUCs. In her welcome remarks, National Economic and Development Authority Regional Office X (NEDA-X) Regional Director Mylah Faye Aurora B. Cariño, CESO III said, “In its commitment for tinu-uray nga pagbag-o (true reform), the RDC-X led the operationalization of inclusive development and the whole-of-nation ap p r o a c h t h r o u g h t h e adoption of the region’s banner program for just an d l a st i ng p e a c e, t he Convergence Areas for Peace and Development (CAPDev) Program.”

“Our regional aspiration is straightforward. We want to end extreme hunger and poverty, improve income t h ro u g h i n c lu s i v e a n d sustainable growth, and attain just and lasting peace,” she added.

Director Cariño also presented the rationale of the RDC-X budget review activities. To set the directions for the preparation of the FY 2021 budget proposals, she highlighted the Regional Development Plan (RDP) 2017-2022 Midterm Update Imperatives and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This will help align the 2021 budget proposals of the RLAs and SUCs with the region’s current goal to accelerate economic growth by 6.37.3 percent by 2022, reduce poverty incidence among population to below 20 p e r c e nt , a n d d e c r e a s e underemployment rate to below 20 percent.

To further understand the regional guidelines in the preparation of the FY 2021 budget proposals, Mr. Michael Kevin T. Macesar, Budget and Management Analyst of the Department

of Budget and Management Regional Office X (DBM-X) presented the salient features of the National Budget Preparation Guidelines for FY 2021.

The Philippine Army 4 0 3 rd D e put y B r i g a d e Commander Col Jose Arn M Real GSC (INF) discussed the importance of sustaining the focused budgeting and c o nv e r g e n c e ap p r o a c h to end local communist armed conflict and attain sustainable peace and development in the region involving all sectors of the society. He also shared the accomplishments of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict X (RTF-ELCAC X) Peace, Law Enforcement, and Development Support (PLEDS) task group during the past year along with their next steps in 2020 in collaboration with the local government units (LGUs) and concerned RLAs. NEDA-X Chief Economic Development Specialist (EDS), Engr. Nestor A. Lisondra gave the regional specific guidelines for FY 2021 budget preparation and discussed the RDC-X review processes, prioritization criteria and budget preparation timeline. The Regional Budget Proposal Forms and the Highlights of Agreements were then presented by NEDA-X Senior EDS, Ms. Ma. Estrella Luz R. Peñaloza and NEDA-X S u p e r v i s i n g E D S , M r.

Archime des C. L azaro, respectively.

An open forum took place after the presentations.

For the closing remarks, NEDA-X OIC Assistant Regional Director Leonila G. Cajarte affirmed the challenge earlier posed

by Director Cariño as she said, “We need to direct our interventions to the poor individuals; translated into 193,000 families in the region in 2018, which are most ly in p over tystricken, conflict affected and vulnerable areas, and ge og raphica l ly is olate d and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs). With this, we hope to have a more productive engagement with you as we prepare for our FY 2021 budget proposals.” (Tricia Marie L. Antivo, NEDA-X).

Tennis... from page 1

forced them to seek elsewhere.

That elsewhere is the Philippines.

“Labor here is relatively cheaper than in China and workers can adapt easily. This is of course matched with a sound business climate in your country,” Skrobanek told BusinessWeek Mindanao in an exclusive interview.

Sound business climate meant that HEAD International Holding GmbH must erect its plant in an economic zone, thereby avoiding high taxes and gaining investment incentives instead.

Skrobanek – who owns a retreat house somewhere in Visayas – instantly chose Mindanao, having been briefed of a surplus of electricity in the island.

It was at this point that an official of the Board o f I nv e s t m e n t s ( B O I ) recommended to Skrobanek to scout on the Phividec Industrial Estate, a sprawling economic zone in Misamis Oriental whose revenues go to veterans’ care, for the possible location of his plant.

From then, things moved forward.

Skrobanek revealed that if plans don’t miscarr y, HEAD International Holding GmbH’s plant at Phividec will break ground in April.

The plant will occupy a five-hectare area and has the capacity to produce ten million tennis balls each year, mostly to be exported to North America and western Europe. It is expected to employ 700 workers once operational.

Quijano welcomed the entry of HEAD International Hold i ng Gmb H i n t he country, saying it is a boost to the local rubber industry here.

Here in the Philippines, rubber production is mostly concentrated in Bukidnon, Zamboanga, Basilan and North Cotabato.

ALLAN'S LECHON Main: Purok 4 Puerto, Cagayan de Oro City Cell #: 0928-616-4431 / 0905-777-0670 Branch: 31st Nazareth, Cagayan de Oro City Cell #: 0926-594-9540

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Monday|January 13, 2020

12

Opol beauty bags Miss Kuyamis 2020 crown

T

HE crowd cheered as Isobel June Teaño of Opol, Misamis Oriental bagged the crown for this year’s Miss Kuyamis 2020.

A total of 21 beauty contingents representing 19 municipalities and two cities in the province battled for the title on January 9, 2020 at El Salvador City Gymnasium.

On its 7thyear, the show displayed each of the contestant’s confidence and beauty through a catwalk wearing their swimwear attire and their evening gowns. Finally, it ended with the selection of topfive and a question and answer portion.

Lawyer Joeffrey Saclot, Misamis Oriental Provincial Tourism Officer, said the event is the brainchild of Governor Yevgeny Vincente “Bambi” Emano

to boost economic activities of the province through tourism.

To date, two Miss Kuyamis winners have already represented the province at the national level and have brought pride to Mindanao namely Miss Ana Monica Tan of Tagoloan who was crowned Miss Philippines Air 2019 and Miss Chella Grace Falconer from Medina as top 10 finalists in the Miss Millennial 2019 at one of the country’s major TV company’s noontime show.

Saclot said the pageant has opened doors of opportunities for young women to reach their dreams of becoming candidates and contribute to the tourism promotion of the province.

Governor Emano said when he started Kuyamis Festival six years ago, people said

it was impossible but through the support of his team and staff at the capitol who believed in his dreams, the festival is becoming bigger and bigger each year.

He said this is also the 90thbirthday of Misamis Oriental.

Tourism, he explained can answer to providing food for each person’s table. Through tourism, economic activities will blossom. People can eat three times a day, he emphasized.

With the question, how will you describe tourism in Misamis Oriental at present, all top five contestants agree that natural resources must be preserved and tourism activities must be pushed even further to help Misamisnons elevate their economic status.

Top five include: newly crowned Miss Kuyamis 2020, Isobel

MISS KUYAMIS 2020. Top five of Miss Kuyamis 2020 newly crowned Miss Kuyamis 2020, Isobel June Teaño of Opol(center), 1strunner up, Esel Mae Pabillaran of Lugait, 2ndrunner up (2nd from right), Sheena Balansag of Talisayan, 3rdrunner up (far right), Samantha Pauline Feranil of Gingoog City(2nd from left), and 4thrunner up, Veronica Yvette Valdez of Alubijid(far left). (Vincent Bautista/PIA Misamis Oriental)

June Teaño of Opol, 1strunner up, Esel Mae Pabillaran of Lugait, 2ndrunner up, Sheena

Balansag of Talisayan, 3rdrunner up, Samantha Pauline Feranil of Gingoog City, and

4thrunner up, Veronica Yvette Valdez of Alubijid.

(Jasper Marie O. Rucat/ PIA10)