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Briefly Delayed railway DAVAO City — The start of construction for the Mindanao Railway Project, which has been pushed back more than once due to right-of-way (RoW) issues within Davao City, is facing another stumbling block amid questions over the single-track diesel-powered system approved by the national government. Assistant Secretary Romeo M. Montenegro of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), said the community, including local governments and business groups, wants clarity whether the phase 1 segment approved by the National Economic and Development AuthorityInvestment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC) has provisions for future expansion to a two-track system as originally planned. “Once the viability is seen to be really doing well then puwede na siya (it can be made into) two-track,” Mr. Montenegro said during Wednesday’s Habi at Kape Forum.

Inland resort THE DAVAO Oriental provincial government has broken ground for the first phase of an inland resort within its tourism complex, with an initial allocation of P165 million from the local budget. “We cannot afford to simply wait for investors to locate and invest here. Since it is our interest to accommodate our visitors, I thought why not the provincial government invest instead,” Gov. Nelson L. Dayanghirang said in a statement released after Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony. The complex, located in the capital Mati City, will cover an eight-hectare property. The initial funding will be used for three dormitories, six family villas, storage and laundry, coffee and souvenir shop, a swimming pool, and a function area.

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Monday|January 20, 2020

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AVAO City -- Mindanao products will now have the opportunity to penetrate the US market, particularly the Filipino-American communities in Los Angeles, California, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said on Friday.

UNICYCLE PERFORMERS. Circus performers on unicycles parade on the streets of Tampakan in South Cotabato, in the run-up to the town fiesta yesterday, January 19. mindanews photo by gregorio c . bueno

Mindanao railway eyed initial operation in Q2 By MINDANEWS

THE Mindanao Railway Proj e c t’s Tagum-D avao segment has been set an

operational target date of t he s e cond qu ar ter, Transportation Assistant

This followed after MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol met with the officials and representatives of the Davao Association USA (DAUSA) and Fi lipino-Amer ic an Communities in Los Angeles (FACLA) on Thursday. "We have to take advantage of this huge market in LA to promote and sell our Mindanao products," Piñol said in a statement. He then instructed his International Relations and Investment Promotions team to prepare for this initiative. "We have to identify potential MinDA Coordinating Officers based

in LA who are willing to represent the interest of Mindanao, as well as to promote our products in various trade and business activities there," Piñol said. MinDA initially identified B en Lao, owner of Lao Integrated Farms Inc. in Barangay Eman Bansalan, Davao del Sur, as one of the USDA-accredited products and a potential pilot provider of products to be marketed in LA. DAUSA and FACL A president Fernandico Gonong Jr. told MinDA that LA was composed of about 500 FilMARKET/PAGE 11

Secretary Eymard Eje said. Eje said DOTr eyes to hold the groundbreaking of the TDD segment or the RAILWAY/PAGE 9

Yanson sibling retains hold over Mindanao bus fleet By GERRY LEE GORIT, Reporter

THE stockholders of Mindanao Star Bus Transport, Inc. has re-elected Leo Rey Yanson as its president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) during their annual stockholders meeting held

last Saturday (January 18). Yanson thanked the loyal and competent employees for the success of the bus company. Mindanao Star Bus Transport, Inc.is the sister RETAINS/PAGE 11

Leo Rey Yanson retains hold over Mindanao fleet.

One of the many modern fleets of Mindanao Star Bus Transport, Inc. photo by gerry gorit

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MONDAY|JANUARY 20, 2020

MinDA to ship halal food via PAL's Zambo-KK maiden flight

AVAO City – The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said it will ship halal products during the inaugural flight of Philippine Airlines' (PAL) Zamboanga–Kota Kinabalu air route on March 31. In a statement on Friday, MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said among the Mindanaoproduced halal food products the agency intends to send include chevon, beef, and mango.

“MinDA is now coordinating with the Philippine Airlines Express (PAL Express) management for the inaugural flight through its Corporate Communications Group headed by Carlo Carongoy,” Piñol added. Carongoy earlier thanked MinDA through Piñol for supporting the re-establishment of the air connectivity between Zamboanga and Kota Kinabalu. MinDA aims to optimize the new route by

bringing in more business and trade interests by organizing trade and business missions, Piñol said. “The agency is also organizing an agri-trade delegation to explore other agricultural supply opportunities for Mindanao products, especially those coming from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region,” he said. The revival of the route is seen to boost economic and trade activities in the sub-region.

“MinDA will be arranging packaged tours between Mindanao and Sabah to sustain the air service,” Piñol added. “We will also promote the shipment of goods like fruits such as Cavendish banana and mango to Sabah, including halal food like goat meat and beef,” Piñol said. Piñol said the exchange of goods between the two areas came after his meeting with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal in November last year, during which the chief minister agreed on the supply of Mindanao halal products to support the population and the growing number of tourists going to Sabah. The Zamboanga-Kota Kinabalu air link is the second route opened by

PAL in the BIMP-EAGA area. Earlier, PAL announced that it will also serve the

Davao-Manado, North Sulawesi route which was earlier reopened by Garuda Indonesia. (PNA)

$96-M project seen to boost agri-based MSME growth in Caraga BUTUAN City -- A foreign-funded project that aims to increase the income of small farmers and unemployed rural folks will be implemented this year in three provinces in the Caraga region, an official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Friday. The project, dubbed as Rural Agro Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth (RAPID Growth), will

be implemented in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Sur, DTI 13 (Caraga) Assistant Director Gay Tidalgo said. Tidalgo said the project amounts to USD96.19 million and will be implemented by DTI-13 in partnership with the funding agency International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). She said the project targets to help 78,000 households increase their income by 60 percent by providing 31,000 direct and 155,000 indirect jobs, and attain a 100 percent increase in sales of 1,050 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region. “The project will directly support five industry clusters in agriculture in the region, to include coffee, coconut, cacao, calamansi, and banana,” Tidalgo said. She added that the pilot PROJECT/PAGE 11

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Holcim improves customer service with Easybuild, expands reach through digital innovations Leading cement maker Holcim Philippines, Inc. has steadily introduced digital innovations such as online customer portal Easybuild to improve its service to business partners.

VER the past years, leading cement maker has Holcim Philippines, Inc. has launched new products and services that help local builders deliver high-quality structures and grow its business. Aside from these, the company has also focused on digital innovations that enhance customer experience and capture opportunities online. Among Holcim Philippinesâ€™ successful

digital tools is online customer service portal called Easybuild, which is used by more than half of its 1,200 business partners nationwide. The latest version launched in 2018 provides customers 24-hour connection with the company for a hassle-free experience in placing orders, checking delivery status, reviewing account history and credit standing among others. Easybuild also allows customers to settle their HOLCIM/PAGE 11

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Family tree T h i n k a m i nu t e . . . Ev e r hear the expressions “Like father, like son?” or “The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree?” Two families in America were studied for many years. One was the Max Jukes family; the other was the Jonathan Edwards family. What was discovered in this study is very interesting. Max Jukes was a man who did not believe in God or strong principles of right and wrong, and he married a wom an l i ke h i ms e l f. More than 1,200 of their descendants were studied for several generations. 310 became professional beggars; 440 died of sexually transmitted diseases; 130 were sent to prison, 7 of t hem for murder ; over 100 became alcoholics; 60 became professional thieves and robbers; and 190 became prostitutes. Only 20 learned a profession, and10 of those learned their trade in prison. Jonathan Edwards, however, was a man who daily lived by the principles of Jesus Christ, and he chose to marry a woman who also had a personal relationship

THINK A MINUTE

MONDAY|JANUARY 20, 2020

Responsibility in social media

We live in rapidly changing times, thanks to the technological wonders of internet and social media. As fast as we can click and send, we can broadcast messages to friends, relatives and to just about anybody, anywhere in the world. This despite the fact that Philippines remains the slowest and most expensive – in terms of connectivity – in this part of the world. In homes, schools, communities, and just about any place where one has access to a computer, an iPod, or a smart phone, every Juan and Maria of prac t ica l ly a l l ages are s e n d i n g a n d re c e i v i n g messages via Facebook, twitter, instagram, viber, private messenger and what have you. Social media has become

a very powerful tool for communication. And here is where Uncle Ben’s advice to Spider-Man should always b e top-of-mind: Wit h great power comes great responsibility. This message has been re-echoed by Pope Francis. While acknowledging that “the internet, text messages, social networks and chats are ‘a gift from God” as they can be “fully human forms of communication” the Pontiff cautions that we must “use wisely the means at our disposal”. The papal caveat arises from the ver y nature of the technology available. Messages - true or not have the potential of going viral in minutes , if not in seconds. “The speed with which information is communicated exceeds our

capacity for reflection and judgment, and this does not make for more balanced and proper forms of expression,” Pope Francis said. Social media has become a two-edged blade. On the one hand, it can be used to inform and raise awareness. But it can also be weaponized for spreading alternative truths for maligning, defrauding and harming. Social media has given rise to armies of trolls who derive enjoyment in disrupting/ disturbing dis c ussions, bashing personalities or just simply annoying others. Wittingly or unwittingly, careless social media participants give out personal information which can expose them to identity theft, financial scams, blackmail, sexual exploitation and security

SPEAKING OUT

IGNACIO BUNYE threats. Because of the foregoing, do we ne e d to g ive up Facebook and Twitter? Not at all. As long as we do not become mindless. And also for as long as we follow the common-sense advice of practising responsibility in the web: Think before you tweet. Think some more before you re-tweet, share BUNYE/PAGE 11

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PROF. ENRIQUE SORIANO High profile billionaire, real estate mogul and one of the world’s top philanthropists, Yu Pang-Lin passed away at the age 92 in 2015 but in a gathering five years earlier, he announced that he would entrust his entire wealth valued at USD1.5 Billion to a bank and the money would then be donated to charity after his death. Yu was believed to be China’s first billionaire to donate an entire fortune t o c h a r i t y. He g a i n e d prominence when he acquired Bruce Lee’s home in the early 70’s and rose from

toilet cleaner to billionaire. He once said, “If my children are more capable than me, it’s not necessary to leave a lot of money to them. If they are incompetent, a lot of money will only be harmful to them.” In the West, there appears to be a growing awareness on the dangers of children entitlement. Elton John whose net worth is around USD550 Million has the same mindset. He has no plans of leaving much of it to his sons, “Of course I want to leave my boys in a very sound financial state. But it’s terrible to give kids the silver spoon. It ruins their life! Listen, the boys live the most incredible lives, they are not normal kids. But you have to have some semblance of normality, some respect for money, some respect for work.” The world’s most savvy investor, Warren Buffet whose fortune is estimated at USD65 Billion intimated that only a very small fortune

of that money will go to his three children. According to Fortune magazine, Buffet pledged to give away 99% of his wealth over his lifetime. “My family won’t receive huge amounts of my net worth. I still believe in the philosophy…that a very rich person should leave his kids enough to do anything but not enough to do nothing.” It looks like Jaycee Chan will have to make it on his own as well. His celebrity father, Jackie Chan, has decided to donate his money to charity instead of his son. As reported in Hong Kong media, Jackie Chan, who has a fortune estimated at USD350 Million, recently announced that he will donate all his wealth to charity. The “Bleeding Steel” star, who originally intended to split his wealth between his family and charity, has decided to give it all to the needy. Chan was quoted as saying that his son Jaycee should be capable of earning his own money now that he

has his own career. Inheritance can be t r icky s o dis c ussion is often avoided. However, as the founder reaches the age of 60 and up and the children are all grown up and likely to have been forced (lured) into the business with zero outside work experience, founders can expect the following worrisome scenarios: · E s c a l at i ng dispute between founder and children related to management style · Simmering sibling rivalr y on family and business issues · Children jockeying for power aggravated by In Law influence · Worsening marital spats between the founder/ spouse · A competitive and highly regulated marketplace · Growing tax pressure exacerbated by different sets of Internal books DECISION/PAGE 11

Intimidating Digong JHAN TIAFAU HURST with Christ. Their descendants were studied over generations also. 300 of them became Christian ministers, missionaries, and theology professors; over 100 others became university professors; another100 became lawyers and attorneys; 30 became judges; 60 became medical doctors; another 60 became writers of published, popular books; 14 became presidents of universities; many others became successful business people; 3 became United States congressmen; and 1 became the Vice President of the United States. It is clearly true that our children end up following FAMILY/PAGE 11

HAD it not been for the tinderbox situational condition in Iran and the fury of Taal the classic quotes by Leni Robredo would have hugged the headlines and be another example of absurdity and incoherence that had been the hallmark of the Vice President of the Philippines. I could have just dismissed the latest of her verbal menu, mathematical formula, and unique gender-cognitive skill but we have to tell the world that our lawyers or past VPs for that matter, are not in the same plain as the incumbent. How can one not ponder and wonder when VP Leni asserts that P4 x 10 kilos of rice per family x 4 weeks = P1,600 to point out how a family of four is affected by the escalation of the price of rice. Or, her classic positivism “my daughters are all girls”. Ms. Leni Robredo first media interview for 2020

had something to do with her report on the government’s drug war. Recall that when Pre s . R o d r i go D ute r te appointed her to co-chair the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-illegal Drugs her first act was to consult the US Embassy officials anti-narcotics and security officials before she sat down with ICAD officials. She had earlier asserted that the drug campaign of Duterte was a failure. Taking her statement with a grain of salt the President named her co-chair of ICAD allowing her to prove that she might have a strategy on how to deal with the drug problems besetting the country which is not in the books of the country’s anti-illegal drugs enforcement agencies. Hardly a week elapsed after her appointment however, the VP suggested to adopt the Mexican approach to

dealing with drug syndicates and maintained her view that the war on drugs in the Philippines is a failure. For Duterte and his anti-drugs lieutenants, Robredo had nothing to contribute to the drug campaign but snooping at the government operations against drugs. Mexico’s “hugs not bullets” strategy was actually a euphemism to its government’s surrender to the drug cartel. Robredo’s assignment was then cut short. Like a woman scorned she hit back at Duterte and threatened that she will come out with a report that purports to explain why the government war on drugs is a failure. “The war against drugs is lopsided in favor of the law enforcers?” This was to be the most earth-shaking statement of the new year. It was part of the opening statements of Vice Pres. Robredo when

LETTERS FROM DAVAO

JUN LEDESMA she made public her longdelayed report on what she gathered during her brief stint with ICAD. She was given hypothetical figures in determining the potential total volume of drugs that drug-dependents could use and she obviously took note but sadly passed it as the real statistics. She disregarded the data on how huge the volumes of shabu had been intercepted in the course of the drug war. INTIMIDATING/PAGE 11

5 China Airlines sets Taipei-Cebu flights by March 2020 C Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776

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EBU City -- The Mactan-Cebu International Airport will have a direct service from Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan starting on March 29, 2020. Avigael Ratcliffe, corporate communications junior manager of GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), said that China Airlines is all set to launch the

CorporateWorld

six direct flights to Cebu every week. She said the airlines “will operate the Taipei-Cebu route using Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 150 economy-class and eight business-class seats”. The flights, she said, will depart every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the Taipei-Cebu (CI705) flights arriving Cebu at 10:35 in the

morning, and the Cebu-Taipei leaving the Mactan airport at 11:35 in the morning. “With China Airlines as the newest international airline partner of MCIA, weekly flights to Taipei will soon increase from 23 flights to 29 flights starting March 29, 2020. It is the national carrier of Taiwan and Cebu is its second destination in the Philippines after Manila,” she said in a statement sent to

the Philippine News Agency over the weekend. Aside from China Airlines, three other airlines –EVA Air, Tigerair Taiwan, and Philippine Air Asia– offer direct TaipeiCebu flights. She said foreign and local passengers will have now more options to connect to other international destinations as China Airlines operates about 1,400 flights weekly to 102 cities

across Asia, Europe, and North America. Travelers, she added, will have more flexibility in planning their itineraries with the airline’s early departure and afternoon arrival schedules. In line with its new flights for Cebu, China Airlines is now offering promotional fares with economy class return airfares that can be booked via its website. (PNA)

prompts Proposed price cap seen to Pepsi-Cola antitrust body of Lotte boost sales of generic meds acquisition offer GENERIC drug substitution is expected to increase once the executive order (EO) that would impose a cap on prices of lifesaving medicines has been signed. In a report, a unit of Fitch Group, Fitch Solutions Macro Research, said while the measure is a threat to the operation of multinational drugmakers, it would be positive for the people and the sector in the long run. “An increasing focus on cost-effective expenditure will further promote generic

substitution rhetoric. As such, generic medicine sales growth will outperform overall market growth over the long term,” it said. The Department of Health (DOH) has proposed maximum retail prices (MRP) for about 122 medicines for more than 40 diseases, among them hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neonatal diseases, and cancer. Prices of the covered medicines are projected to decline as much as 56 percent from their current retail price. The report said the introduction of a cap

on the maximum retail price of medicines “will exacerbate a tough environment, with price controls being applied at all stages of (the) supply chain.” It, however, noted that the move is in line with the Duterte administration’s bid to provide Filipinos a comfortable life, which is also the reason for the signing of the Universal Healthcare Act in February 2019. The report also cited the statement of Health Secretary Francisco Duque, who noted the need for pharmaceutical companies to be sensitive

to the needs of patients because even the middle class finds it difficult to buy medicines for certain cases. Medicines that will be affected by the proposed MRP are newly-introduced products, many of which are complex biologicals manufactured by large pharmaceuticals from the US and Europe, it said. Other parties that will be affected are local distributors, pharmacies and private hospitals, it added. The report further said this situation might force manufacturers BOOST/PAGE 11

PEPSI-COLA Products Philippines, Inc. (PCPPI) has notified the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) regarding the plan of majority shareholder Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co. Ltd. to increase its stake in the company. The listed local manufacturer of the international soft drinks brand told the stock exchange yesterday it had filed a notification form to the PCC on Tuesday “as the acquired entity in the recent tender offer made by Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., Ltd. to the shareholders of the company on 11 December 2019.”

The PCC requires that it must be notified of mergers and acquisitions reaching its threshold of P5.6 billion for the size of the party in a deal and P2.2 billion for the size of transaction. PCPPI is currently doing a tender offer of its common shares as part of the Korean conglomerate’s plan to acquire a “significant economic interest” in the company. Lotte is offering to buy the shares at P1.95 each, which PCPPI said in a statement on Tuesday is equivalent to a 12.27% premium over the sixmonth volume weighted LOTTE/PAGE 9

Environment

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DENR calls on public anew to turn over rescued wildlife to authorities

HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has reiterated its appeal to the public to help rescue and protect wildlife species fleeing the wrath of Taal Volcano in Batangas province. Endangered and endemic animals within the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL) have migrated to communities after the country’s second most active volcano started spewing lava and huge plume of ash last week, triggering the mass evacuation of thousands of people from the area. DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda advised the public to immediately turn over to authorities any wildlife species they see or unintentionally capture so these animals can be brought to wildlife rehabilitation centers for proper care. “We are appealing to the members of the public to rescue and turn over to the DENR any wildlife species within the vicinity of Taal Volcano to ensure their safety,” Antiporda said. Antiporda made the

appeal after he received a rescued rufous hornbill on behalf of the DENR from Cavite Educators Lions Club member and Bacoor City resident Flor Locson, who suspected the bird she rescued came from TVPL. Rufous hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax), locally known as kalaw, is a large species of hornbill found only in the Philippines. Its species is listed in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature as vulnerable species, which means the bird is near threatened. Antiporda, who is also the first vice district governor of Lions Club International District 301A2, said the government would need everyone’s help in saving the wildlife species affected by the volcanic eruption. “We in the government cannot do this alone,” Antiporda pointed out. “We need the help of the Filipino people to save the wildlife species near the Taal volcano vicinity.” The DENR official also reminded people “not to keep the endangered species as pets or eat them

in case of food shortage as it is against the law.” Meanwhile, DENR Assistant Secretary and concurrent Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) Director Ricardo Calderon said that rescued wildlife may be turned over to the DENR field offices in Batangas, as well as in Cavite province. “The DENR field offices in Batangas— Calaca and Lipa—are ready to receive these animals once they are rescued,” Calderon said. “We have teams from the field offices on site that are helping in rescuing the animals in the peripheries of the area,” he added. Apart from wildlife species, Calderon said the BMB also helps in rescuing the companion and domesticated animals that are either turned over to the owners or the local government units in the area. As to the rescued rufous hornbill, Calderon said that upon initial checkup and assessment, the bird was “generally healthy despite being stressed.”

The hornbill is currently at the BMB’s Wildlife Rescue Center in Quezon City, where it will be rehabilitated before releasing it to the wild. “Once the bird recovers, it can be released in the same area (TVPL) once everything is settled or in the

CALABARZON area where their species are widespread,” Calderon explained. TVPL was established by virtue of Proclamation No. 906 in 1996, pursuant to the National Integrated Protected Areas System or NIPAS Act of 1992. It was established to

protect and conserve the ecological, biological, scientific, educational and recreational features of the area, and at the same time, provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to the tenured migrants without necessarily defacing the natural features of the area.

Mosquitoes engineered to repel dengue virus AN INTER NATIONAL team of scientists has synthetically engineered mosquitoes that halt the transmission of the dengue virus. Led by biologists at the University of California San Diego, the research team describes details of the achievement in Aedes aeg y pti mosquitoes, the insects that spread dengue in humans, on January

16 in the journal PLOS Pathogens. Researchers in UC San Diego Associate Professor Omar Akbari 's lab worked with colleagues at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in identif ying a broad spectrum human antibody for dengue suppression. The development marks the first engineered approach in mosquitoes that targets the four

Aedes aegypti mosquito (stock image). Credit: © tacio philip / Adobe Stock

known ty pes of dengue, improving upon previous designs that addressed single strains. They then designed the antibody "cargo" to be synthetically expressed in female A. aeg y pti mosquitoes, which spread the dengue virus. "Once the female mosquito takes in blood, the antibody is activated and expressed -- that's the trigger,"

said Akbari, of the Division of Biological Sciences and a member of the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society. "The antibody is able to hinder the replication of the virus and prevent its dissemination throughout the mosquito, which then prevents its transmission to humans. It's a powerful approach." Akbari said the engineered mosquitoes could easily be paired with a dissemination system, such as a gene drive based on CRISPR/ CAS-9 technolog y, capable of spreading the antibody throughout wild diseasetransmitting mosquito populations. "It is fascinating that we now can transfer genes from the human immune system to confer immunity to mosquitoes. This work opens up a whole new field of biotechnolog y possibilities to interrupt mosquito-borne diseases of man," said coauthor James Crowe, Jr., M.D., director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine

Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. According to the World Health Organization, dengue virus threatens millions of people in tropical and sub-tropical climates. Severe dengue is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in many Asian and Latin American countries. The Pan American Health Organization recently reported the highest number of dengue cases ever recorded in the Americas. Infecting those with compromised immune systems, dengue victims suffer f lu-like symptoms, including severe fevers and rashes. Serious cases can include lifethreatening bleeding. Currently no specific treatment exists and thus prevention and control depend on measures that stop the spread of the virus. "This development means that in the foreseeable future there may be viable genetic approaches to

controlling dengue virus in the field, which could limit human suffering and mortality," said Akbari, whose lab is now in the early stages of testing methods to simultaneously neutralize mosquitoes against dengue and a suite of other viruses such as Zika, yellow fever and chikungunya. "Mosquitoes have been given the bad rap of being the deadliest killers on the planet because they are the messengers that transmit diseases like malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever that collectively put 6.5 billion people at risk globally," said Suresh Subramani, professor emeritus of molecular biolog y at UC San Diego and global director of the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS). "Until recently, the world has focused on shooting (killing) this messenger. Work from the Akbari lab and at TIGS is aimed at disarming the mosquito instead by preventing ENGINEERED/PAGE 9

Banking&Finance 7 PDIC pays P1.18-B Central banking in low in deposit insurance for closed banks in 2019 inflation rate regime Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776

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THE PHILIPPINE Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) paid a total of P1.18 billion in deposit insurance last year to 51,278 valid deposit accounts, it reported on Thursday. In a statement yesterday, PDIC said the amount covered 92.25% of the total deposit insurance claims from the banks that were closed in 2019. The state deposit insurer took over a total of 11 banks that the

Monetary Board (MB) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) ordered closed last year. These banks were the Bagong Bangko Rural ng Malabang in Lanao del Sur, Inc., the Rural Bank of Mabitac in Laguna, Inc., The Palawan Bank (Palawan Development Bank), Inc., Valiant Bank, Inc. (A Rural Bank), the Rural Bank of Basey in Samar, Inc., the Rural INSURANCE/PAGE 8

ISK brought about by the high inflation rate is already history as far as the Philippines is concerned this 2019, although lingering worries on the US-China trade remain an obstacle. The elevated rate of price increases in 2018, which peaked at 6.7 percent in September and

Learning how to code is a globally relevant skill By MARVI P. MAAGAD Teacher III Agay-ayan Elementary School

A S t he te ch i ndu st r y continues to change the employment landscape for American workers, it is high time that we learn to be prepared for the new reality. There are lots of online courses for coding available out there such as the Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate which will be available through the online education service Coursera. It’ll be a six-course program in beginner level

Python which will culminate in a final capstone project focused on programming for automation. Often called the 21st century’s English, coding classes are now overtaking English lessons and mathematics in non-English speaking countries. C omp ani es r a c e to expand, hoping to secure an early lead. The industry is hot at present, compared ot the past. In their rush to expand, many coding

education providers have adopted a franchise model. Some companies are even running coding schools the way as rapidly expanding milk tea shops. It’s no secret that coders are in high demand in our digital world. From building websites to creating more seamless apps and products, coders are vital to all kinds of industries. A massive ten-course, 120-hour bundle is almost like getting a full computer science education.

October, made Philippine monetary officials hike the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) key policy rates by a total of 175 basis points to help rein in inflationary expectations. This decision complemented with the government’s fiscal measures and contributed to the deceleration of inflation rate to as low as 0.8 percent last October. Last November, inflation started to normalize with a rate of 1.3 percent, bringing the 11-month average to 2.6 percent.

Monetary officials forecast inflation to average at 2.4 percent this year and 2.9 percent next year and the next. All of these figures are within the government’s 2-4 percent target until 2021. Aside from the policy rate reductions this year due to slower inflation rate, monetary officials also slashed banks’ reserve requirement ratio (RRR) by as much as 400 basis points for the big banks. This is in line with the bid to make it at par with other countries in the region.

The RRR cuts also increased efficiency of the domestic financial system as it lowers financial intermediation costly. It also increases domestic liquidity and helps accelerate lending activities needed by the continued strengthening of the economy. BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno, who took the helm starting March this year, said he will further bring the central bank closer to the people. During the Bankers INFLATION/PAGE 8

BIR issues rules on BSP’s tax exemption THE BUREAU OF Internal Revenue (BIR) has issued the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the central bank’s tax exemption from all national taxes under its amended charter. According to Revenue Regulation No. 2-2020 dated Jan. 15, the tax exemption will be applied to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) income generated from its governmental

functions, effectively implementing the tax provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 11211, or “An Act Amending RA 7653, Otherwise Known as the New Central Bank Act and for Other Purposes.” Specifically, revenues generated from the BSP’s supervision over the operations of banks and its regulatory and examination powers over nonbank financial institutions performing

quasi-banking functions, money service businesses, credit granting businesses and payment system operators, as well as its mandate to maintain price stability, monetary and financial stability and the convertibility of the peso, will all be tax-exempted. “All other incomes not included in the above enumeration shall be considered as proprietary income and shall be EXEMPTION/PAGE 8

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Gob. Emano, mapasalamaton sa Rural Tours

WALAY laing gipaabot si Gobernador Bambi Emano ngadto sa tanang nakahatag haruhay ug hayahay nga kahimtang sa kinabuhi sa ordinaryong tawo sa matag barrio, kung dili ang mga

pagpasalamat lamang. Isa sa iyang gipasalamatan ang Rural Tours nga nagbyahe na padulong sa Gingoog ug vice versa gamit ang sementadong dalan sa Villanueva-ClaveriaGingoog road sugod Enero

Insurance...

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III on Dec. 20 last year and BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay. The implementing rules will be effective starting Jan. 30 or 15 days after its publication in a newspaper or the Official Gazette. In an earlier statement, the BSP explained that this provision, along with other reforms in the new law, will strengthen its position to pursue its mandate to maintain price and financial stability. “These reforms place the BSP in a stronger position to pursue its price and financial stability mandate amidst a growing economy and the increasing sophistication of the financial system,” it said in a statement issued following the law’s signing on Feb. 14, 2019. Un d e r t h e l aw, t h e regulator y body will be exempted from all national, provincial, municipal and city taxes. As i d e f rom t h e t a x provisions, the amendments also widened the regulator’s covered institutions to include money service businesses, credit granting businesses and payment system operators, to improve its capacity to address potential risks from the linkages of banks and the said financial entities.

from page 7

Bank of Guihulngan in Negros Oriental, Inc., the East Coast Rural Bank of Hagonoy, Inc., the Rural Bank of Larena in Siquijor, Inc., the Rural Bank of Lemery, Inc., the AMA Rural Bank of Mandaluyong, Inc. and the Maximum Savings Bank, Inc. “Deposit insurance claims were paid within the target turnaround time of 12 to 42 working days proportioned on the number of valid deposit accounts maintained in the closed bank,” it said. In 2019 alone, PDIC est imate d t hat insure d deposits reached P1.27 billion from 76,650 accounts, based on the payout operations they conducted from 10 closed banks out of the total 11. PDIC said it was not able to make payouts for the closed AMA Rural Bank of Mandaluyong, Inc. due to the 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Court of Appeals (CA) on Nov. 25. It said the TRO further delayed the payouts to depositors. “Prior to the issuance of the TRO, PDIC was unable to immediately pay the claims of depositors of AMA Rural Bank for insured deposits due to the delay caused by the refusal of the bank’s directors and accountable officers and employees to turn over bank records to PDIC. The TRO has further delayed payouts to depositors,” it added. As of June last year, AMA Rural Bank had total deposit liabilities of P1.4 billion for 8,434 deposit accounts.

Exemption... from page 7

subject to all applicable national internal revenue taxes,” the document read. The IRR was signed by

Inflation...

from page 7 Reception hosted by the BSP last July, the central bank chief said “a central bank cannot operate from an ivory tower”. “It is important that BSP stakeholders understand what we are mandated to do. It is crucial that our stakeholders trust our integrity and our capability to carry out our mandate,” he said. The BSP has three pillars namely pr i c e st abi l it y, f inancia l st abi lity, and

8, 2020. Resulta niini, usa ka oras na lang biyaheon ang Gingoog gikan sa Cagayan de Oro. Sa kasamtangan, adunay unom ka bus units nga naglatas padulong sa Butuan gamit ang VillanuevaClaveria-Gingoog road, ang dalan nga gipa-semento ni Gobernador Emano sa dihang kongresista pa kini sa ikaduhang distrito sa Misamis Oriental. Na k a d a g i n o t n a s a krudo, haruhay pa gayud ang biyahe sa mga pasahero sa Butuan-Cagayan de Oro route, kompara kaniadto nga kuhaon pa sa tulo ka oras gamit ang Marcos Highway. Sa kasamtangan adunay

unom ka schedule sa biyahe g i kan C agayan de Oro paingon Butuan ug vice versa—4:00am ang first trip nga pwede makahunong sa Gingoog; 6:00am ang second trip; 8:00am ang third trip; 11:30am ang fourth trip; 1:00pm ang fifith trip; ug 3:00pm ang last trip. Dugang pa sa gipasalamatan ni Gobernador Bambi Emano ngadto sa Rural Tours tungod kay walay pagtaas sa ilang plitehan sa bus nga nagpabilin sa P465.00 regular fare ug P372.00 kon Student Privilege o Senior Citizen. Ug, kung musakay sa first trip nga 1-stop CDOGingoog trip, anaa lamang sa P286.00 ang plitehan.

ef f icient payments and settlements system. It ensures price stability through proper management of inflation rate and external debt, allowing an efficient delivery of credit to the banks, which in turn will extend financing to their clients. Part of this is the move to provide effective foreign exchange policies and public awareness campaigns on the role of the central bank. On financial stability, BSP executives continue to conduct off-site surveillance and on-site examinations not just on banks but also BSP-supervised financial institutions (BSFIs), sustain approval of virtual currency (VC) exchanges, push for growth of the Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA) initiatives and address issues involving financial services. On the efficient payments and settlements system, the BSP further improved policies on electronic banking, block chain-based remittance p l at f or m s , a n d d i g it a l payments. Diokno earlier said that digital payment is now among the normal mode of payments, thus, the need to enhance internet access and mobile phone ownership not just for social connections but also on safe and convenient financing services. On top of these programs is the financial inclusion bid

targeted to increase Filipinos’ inclusion in the formal banking system for them to experience the benefit of the expanding economy.

Engineered... from page 6

it from transmitting diseases, without killing the messenger. This paper shows that it is possible to immunize mosquitoes and prevent their ability to transmit dengue v i r u s , a n d p o t e nt i a l l y ot her mosquito-borne pathogens." Coauthors of the research include: UC San Diego g raduate st udent Stephanie Gamez; Anna Buchman and Ming Li of t he Sec t ion of Cel l a nd Developmenta l Biolog y, Div ision of Biolog ica l Sciences, UC San Diego; Igor Antoshechkin of the C a l i for n i a I n s t it ut e of Tech nolog y, Sh i n-Ha ng Lee, Shin-Wei Wang and Chun-Hong Chen of the National Health Research Institutes (Taiwan); and Melissa K lein, JeanBer na rd Duchem i n a nd Prasad Paradkar of CSIRO Health and Biosecurity. (Story Source: Materials provided by University of Califor nia - San Diego. Original written by Mario Aguilera . Note: Content may be edited for style and length./www.sciencedaily. com)

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Railway... from page 1

phase 1 in the first quarter of this year. Phase 1 will have eight stations, namely: Tagum; Carmen; Panabo; Mudiang in Bunawan, Davao City; Davao Terminal; Toril; Sta. Cruz; and Digos. The 1,550-kilometer Mindanao Railway Project aims to connect key cities of Davao, Butuan, Surigao, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Cotabato, Zamboanga and General Santos upon its completion. But Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro said the D OTr timeline was unrealistic. “Definitely if you look at it in reality, that particular timeline is not possible given the current situation. Nothing is concretely moving yet. The bidding itself will take months if not years depending on how it will proceed and whether or not it will not run into trouble with all other issues,” he said. Unless actual constructions have started already, Montenegro believed there are still chances the project can be changed to a modern dual-track electricity-powered railway instead of what had been approved. “There is still opportunity to expect change on that and then there is still opportunity to get that decision from the national government through NEDA,” he said. 85% from Chinese funds According to Eje, the resources needed to build the railway comprised 15% from the General Appropriations Act and 85% of the Official Development Assistance from China. The agency, however, is awaiting the submission of the separate shortlists from the Chinese government for the selection of a project management consultant and design and build contractor from the Chinese Embassy in Manila. He said the consultant would monitor the work of the contractor, which will make the structural design plan of the railway and submit

it to the Project Management Office of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for approval. The official believed the target groundbreaking this quarter is feasible, provided the embassy is able to submit the shortlists sooner. “Ku ng k am i ang masusunod (if we can have it our way), we want the project to immediately start… Other matters are not within our hands like the NEDA approval last December and also the submission of shortlists from the Chinese government is incumbent upon the Chinese government,” he said. Eje said the selection of consultant and contractor goes through a process, and civil works can proceed after the groundbreaking. After the selection the DOTr will bid out the project, he said. He assured Mindanawons that the agency was doing all it can to get the project started immediately and completed before the end of the term of President Rodrigo R. Duterte in 2022. He said the agency is working double-time to complete the acquisition of the road right of way. At present, he said, there is “evaluation and validation” for the properties located along the railway path to make sure the right owners and not just any other claimants get compensated. “Once the appraisers complete the validation, the processing of the payment will immediately proceed. If you will remember, during the survey, malapad yung sinusurvey namin (the area surveyed was so wide), but it does not necessarily mean yung buong yung dadaanan, kasi may adjustments kung saan matatamaan (all of it will be covered since adjustments were made),” he said. The DOTr targeted to see the partial operation of the TDD segment by end-2021 and full operation before Duterte’s term ends, Eje said. According to DOTr, the railway’s first segment will reduce travel time from Tagum City, Davao del Norte to Digos City, Davao del Sur from 3.5 hours to 1.3 hours once it starts operating in 2022.

It added the rail line will be built with a single track, with provisions for future tracks and electrification. It will have six five-car passenger trains with three spare cars, four locomotives and 15 freight cars. Upon project completion, the DOTr expects the daily ridership of the TagumDavao-Digos segment to increase to 134,060 by 2022. The DOTr projects the daily ridership to further increase to 237,023 by 2032 and 375,134 by 2042. In a press conference last week, Montenegro said the government will build a single-track diesel-run railway instead of a modern dual-track electricitypowered one for the first 102-kilometer portion of the Mindanao Railway Project. The segment, to be funded mainly by China, spans the cities of Tagum, Davao and Digos. Montenegro said that the P81.9-billion railway project was among the major infrastructure projects that were up for implementation after the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)-Board confirmed in D e cemb er 2019 t he earlier approval made by the Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee (ICC-CabCom). NEDA Board-approved projects were presented in a meeting held in Manila last month, according to Montenegro. “In that presentation, it was already cited the first phase of the Mindanao Railway particularly the TDD line is going to be a one-track locomotive. I’m not sure which in the entire process was it changed to that design from the proposed two-track electrified but in the last presentation of listed projects that was what we saw particularly in terms of the final design,” he said. Eje clarified that what the ICC-CabCom had approved in July 2019 was the proposal for a single-track dieseloperated railway, and not the dual-track electricitypowered technology. Eje said Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade wanted to put up a dual-track electricity-operated train for

Infusing technology and humanism By MARVI P. MAAGAD Teacher III Agay-ayan Elementary School

HOW will the pesticide market change if amortization of crop yield is based on soil quality, not acreage? Is there a need for a physical crypto instrument to replace the freedom of cash in our increasingly cashless future? Can biomimicry give us clues about better batteries and more efficient energy distribution? Technology married with pragmatic optimism can definitely save the world.

There are ways to solve these problems that make life better for billions of people. For those of us lucky enough to wake up on solid physical and economic ground, we have a great responsibility to help others in need. Modern technology can help us do that. That’s just good stewardship. Stewardship is a word that is handy. We are just caretakers of what we have in this life until we pass it along. One day, our world

will run on transparent, highly efficient systems designed to heal our planet. It’s our shared responsibility. And it’s within our grasp. It’s normal to be worried about the future. Our species has been worried about the future for at least 6,000 years, maybe longer. But we are building powerful technologies in a globally connected way that can create empathy and help us understand ourselves better.

Mindanao but NEDA-ICC chose the original proposal for a single-track diesel-run model. Asked on what basis the reversion was made, Eje said: “I am not in the position to answer that.” Montenegro explained the NEDA-ICC considered the “viability” of having to pursue a “two-track electric design versus a one-track locomotive” type, which had gone through a thorough evaluation and review by a technical team of the agency. “It was very different from what MinDA had been espousing especially if you recall during the time of late secretary Datu Abul Khayr Alonto up until his death, he really envisioned for a legacy railway of the President in Mindanao which is high speed and two-track electrified design,” Montenegro said. He said several Mindanawon leaders wanted a two-track electricity-run railway project. “We are awaiting the progress of that because there are many other Mindanao leaders [who] upon learning that the design approved was a one-track locomotive, also exerted efforts towards conveying to the national government that it be reverted to two-track electric design,” he said. For his part, Antonio S. Peralta, executive director of the European Chamber of Commerce of the PhilippinesSouthern Mindanao Business

Council, said the decision t o c h a n g e t h e proj e c t design might be due “to the economics of implementing this,” considering that the budget had been increased from P35.9 billion to P81.9 billion. “It’s all about affordability on the matter of the change in the railroad design. This is a hefty increase from the original budget. Projects of these scale require a thorough due diligence process,” he said. In a press release on July 15, 2019, the ICC-CabCom approved the increase last year to cover the changes in the cost of structural and construction works, among others. In terms of scope, the committee also approved the additional Davao Satellite Depot of the MRP-TDD.

Lotte... from page 5

average price (VWAP) and a 6.14% premium over the three-month VWAP of its common shares. The tender offer period, which started on Dec. 12, is set to end at 5 p.m. today. When PCPPI submitted

its tender offer report to the stock exchange in December, it said Lotte wants to buy up to 2,134,381,838 of its common shares equivalent to 57.78% of its total issued and outstanding capital stock as of end-September. While Lotte said it does not intend to voluntarily delist PCPPI f rom t he Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), an exit from the local bourse is possible if the transaction results in the shrinking of the company’s public ownership to below 1 0 % , or t h e a l l ow abl e minimum public float at the exchange. In end-November, before the tender offer period st ar te d, PCPPI had an authorized capital stock of P750 million divided into five billion shares priced at P0.15 each. PCPPI shares slipped 3.66% losing 7 centavos to close at P1.84 each on Wednesday. The company booked an attributable net income of P380.1 million in the first nine months of 2019, surging from P81.19 million in the same period the previous year.

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: 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. 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.

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO PROVINCIAL SHERIFF BY: ALDEN V. SAMBAAN Sheriff IV BWM: January 6,13 & 20, 2020

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Family... from page 4

our example much more than following our advice! You cannot train up your child in the way you’re not going yourself. But you can start changing and going that way today—by asking t he One Who invented families to forgive you for your wrong way of living. Then ask Jesus Christ to take charge of your heart and character. As you start living His way every day, you will start showing your children the successful, right way of living. And they will also teach their children, who will then teach their ch i l d re n . B e c au s e wel l trained children grow up to train their children well. Just Think a Minute…

Decision... from page 4

· Urgency to align a complicated ownership structure for estate and transition planning When these combustible issues are mixed, the process of initiating an inheritance plan can be so overwhelmingly daunting that owners tend to naturally forego the process. Procrastination or the “Do Nothing Option” then ends up as the most convenient choice. So when an event like death or illness strikes the founder, expect the phenomenon to reappear, “Rice bowl to rice bowl in three generations”.

Bunye... from page 4

or forward any message. Helping hand In t h e w a k e o f t h e Taal eruption, the city government of Muntinlupa is set to donate P3-M to Batangas towns affected by Taal Volcano’s eruption e v e n a s it h a s s t a r t e d packing relief goods to be distributed to evacuees. Earlier, Muntinlupa City May o r Ja i m e Fr e s n e d i s ent a g roup of he a lt h workers and emergency ser vices staff to Talisay, Batangas. Muntinlupa City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Erwin Alfonso said the deployment of relief staff was closely coordinated with Region IV-A officials. At the same time, the local Social Services Department headed by Analyn Mercado, has started packing relief packs (containing canned go o ds, water, rice, and other non-food items) at the Muntinlupa Resiliency Building in Tunasan and at the city hall Annex Building. The city government has traditionally lent assistance to other distressed LGUs in times of emergency as a way of paying back. During a t rain accident w hich occurred in Sucat several ye ars b a ck , e me rge nc y responders from Makati were among the first to arrive in the scene to pull out survivors from the wreck. They were led by Jun Jun Binay.

Meanwhile, the cleanup of the city’s own major thoroughfares and secondary roads is ongoing. It is spearheaded by the Muntinlupa Environmental Sanitation Center (under Lorna Misa) and barangay officials. Note: You may wish to share t he fore goi ng via Facebook, Twitter or Linked-In.

Intimidating... from page 4

She also totally ignored the fact that all existing shabu laboratory in the country had been dismantled. She too paid no attention to the drug enforcement agency report that shabu is now smuggled into the c o u nt r y by d r u g r i n g s operating worldwide. She has no record of how m any d r u g d e p e n d e nt s had been rescued and rehabilitated. She forgot that bigtime drug lords and their networks had been neutralized although she to ok note of a fe w collateral damages in the process. Her grade of the government campaign against illegal drugs is 1%. This is a comical contrast to the unprecedented 82% g rade on t he ant i-dr ug initiatives given by the p e ople in a nat ionwide sur vey. This despite the ‘ninja cops’ issue. The Robredo Report, t h e r e f o r e , i s at b e s t a contradiction. It was meant to prop the sagging image of the Liberal Party which, under her stewardship, is consigned to extinction. The political opposition has been clinging to LP and the Aquino mantra but so much fakery and decadence had been unearthed from the two Aquino regimes not even the US of A Senators can save the cabal from perdition or diminish the popularity of the Duterte gover nment. T here has been an unrelenting magma of negative propaganda waged by paid hacks that are based in America and homegrown critics funded by Filipino-Americans and the traditional destabilizers like Omidyar Network and National Endowment for Democracy. Add to that t he oligarchs' t hre at to pull out their investments in the country. Even these will not wash. Thin k of t his. Amid t he t h i ck ash - fa l l f rom Taal volcano eruption and cancellation of domestic and international flights at NAIA and C lark Int e r n at i on a l a i r p or t s , P r e s i d e nt D u t e r t e a n d his long-time Executive Ass ist ant , now S e nator Bong Go, took off from Davao, braved the darkening skies around Metro Manila, assess the extent of the damaging ash-fall then land at NAIA. Even the rumbling Taal cannot intimidate Duterte. Not a f a i r y t a l e of V P R obre do and def initely not the saber-rattling of US legislators.

Holcim... from page 3

transactions with Holcim, which pa r t nered w it h Metrobank for the online pay ment plat for m. T he company plans to tie up with more financial institutions to provide customers payment options. Cu s tome r s p oi nt to how E a s y bu i ld le s s en s administrative tasks and smoothens their transactions w it h t he compa ny. For example, Easybuild sends SMS and e-mails to users once an order is confirmed. This allows customers to track down their orders, removing the need for constant followups. Easybuild also provides an option to have orders delivered to their preferred sites. “Easybuild has made business tra nsactions easier. You can access all the information you need and place an order with just a click,” said Cheeny Jacob, administrative manager of ready-mix concrete producer JJ Horizon based in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte Rowell Dy, owner of AGI Hardware in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, could not agree more. He said, “EasyBuild ma kes it easier to f ind the products you want to purchase, place an order, and monitor them unlike before where you need to go through a lot of paper works.” The latest version of the customer portal comes with a mobile app version, allowing mobile-friendly features and better accessibility to Holcim customers. “I can say that the app helped us in stock a nd performance monitoring, especia l ly si nce a l l t he information we need is already in one platform,” said Roselyn Fung, owner of J+ Hardware in Lala, Lanao del Norte. “We do not have good access to the Internet here in Ilocos Sur, so I use the mobile app version of Easybuild. Instead of wasting a lot of time placing and monitoring my orders, I can access all the information I need using the app. In less than two minutes, you can already place your order,” said Gil Tapaoan, owner of hardware

GVT Trading. Ho l c i m Ph i l i p p i n e s pioneered t he online customer platform in the cement industry in 2002 and sees more opportunities in using digital tools to improve engagement with current partners and reach more clients. The company recently piloted listing its products on digital marketplace Beam and Go to reach overseas Filipinos who are interested in purchasing construction materials for home building and repairs. Ho l c i m Ph i l i p p i n e s Senior Vice President for Sales William Sumalinog said customers can count on the company to continuously introduce more innovative products and tools t hat respond to their needs. “The changing profile of the market and our customer requires us to adapt and innovate. We are committed to these innovations to better serve our customers and grow our business,” he added.

Market... from page 1

Am associations, making it a potential market. "We have the largest concentration of Filipinos in US and this 'bayanihan' or networking for Mindanao products is really promising," Gonong said. “For a better linkage of market products such as frozen bangus and coconutbased commodities, we need to establish a strong e-business platform in addition to the house-to-house delivery," he said. Piñol said they will also explore f rozen bangus, durian, and tablea to be shipped in bulk containers. (PNA)

Retains... from page 1

company of Vallacar Transit, Inc., the country's largest bus transport company. "The services of the bus company keep on improving every year," he told reporters during a press conference held following his reelection by the Board. He said the Mindanao Star Bus has two routes plying the North Cotabato and Koronadal serviced by brand new and luxury buses. "We are using luxury units

in Koronadal and we are dead serious when it comes to services," said Yanson. Stockholders' meeting Under the company's by-laws, the Annual Stockholders' Meeting of the company should be held every second Saturday of January at its main office. Asiden from Yanson, elected as members of the board of directors were Ginnette Y. Dumangcas, Charles M. Dumangcas, Arvin John Villaruel, and Rey C. Ardo. The elected directors will serve for one-year until January 2021 or, until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Following the election of the directors, the board held an organization meeting and re-appointed Yanson as the president and CEO of the company and Yanson matriarch Olivia V. Yanson as treasurer and corporate secretary. The stockholders also ratified the acts of the board of directors of Leo Rey V. Yanson. M i n d a n a o St a r B u s Transport, Inc. is part of the Yanson Group of Bus Companies which operate all throughout the Philippines, including the cities of Bacolod, Iloilo, Dumaguete, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan, Davao, Pagadian, Dipolog, Bohol, and Batangas.

Growth project is aligned with the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 and seen to trigger agro enterprise development in the rural areas in Caraga. Caraga was established as an administrative region in 1994 with PHP29 billion gross regional domestic product (GRDP), increasing to PHP100 billion by 2019, data from DTI-13 showed. Tidalgo said the RAPID Growth Project would help spur agricultural development in the region that will greatly help increase further Caraga’s GRDP in the next 10 years. (PNA)

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to re c ons i d e r pl ans to launch new medicines in the country or even withdraw existing products to the detriment of the public. Over the longer term, it said these price controls could be positive for the market with higher volume sales and greater competition in the market. “If patients and other p ayers are att rac te d to the ne w lower-priced pharmaceuticals, greater demand should attract more suppliers to the Philippine market, w hich is of ten overlooked by firms seeking opportunities in (the) Asia Pacific,” it added. (PNA)

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i mpl e me nt at i on of t he RAPID Growth project was done in 2019 and its full implementation will start this year until 2025. The project embodies five main components -- direct assistance to beneficiaries, institutional strengthening, technical assistance, innovation fund, and project management. Tidalgo said the RAPID

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 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -/ ORDER

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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KAG. LOLITA L. WAHING

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. BWM: January 6,13 & 20, 2020

BONIFACIO M. MACABAYA Presiding Judge

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Phoenix Petroleum launches ‘Tulong Para sa Taal’ campaign I N RESPONSE to the adverse impact of the ongoing eruption of Taal volcano, Phoenix Pet roleum launched the ‘Tulong para sa Taal’ campaign to provide immediate relief to the a f fected families f rom the provinces

of Batangas and Cavite. Var ious initiatives, such as ‘Operation Wash - off’, ‘Refuel Relief’, ‘D r ive and Donate’, and ‘SUPER Fam Food D r ive’ were rolled out in select areas. So far, at least nine stations

in south Luzon including those in Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, and southern Metro Manila have been offer ing free wash off for motor ists in light of the volcanic ash fall that affected vehicles passing through the

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Monday|January 20, 2020

As the eruption activity in Taal Volcano continues, Phoenix Petroleum launches the 'Tulong para sa Taal' campaign to extend help in the affected areas in Batangas, Cavite, and nearby provinces. Various activities, such as free ash wash-off, free refuel for official donation and rescue vehicles, food drives, donation drives, and outreach activities are currently ongoing.

area. Phoenix has also forged par tnerships with the Philippine Red Cross- Cavite Chapter and Grab Philippines and provided free fuel for the said organizations’ donation and rescue vehicles. As of w r iting, over 1,20 0 liters of fuels have al ready been loaded to vehicles dispatched for relief operations. Supply of Phoenix SUPER LPG for roving soup kitchens of Lingkod Kapamilya and Alagang Kapatid organizations have also been provided by the company. Ready-to - eat food from FamilyMar t are also set to be distr ibuted to evacuation centers in Batangas and Cavite. Meanwhile, for people in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, Phoenix has opened some of its stations as drop - off points for in - kind donations. Over 20 stations are receiving bottled water, blankets, canned goods, hygiene kits, towels, sleeping mats, medicines, and clothes to be distr ibuted to the evacuees. Phoenix has also star ted assembling and packing its own ‘Bangon Bags’ with the help and donation from its volunteer employees and par tners. These loot bags, containing

basic sur vival needs, will also be given to the affected families. “Phoenix is committed to our vision of being an indispensable par tner of ever y Filipino in thei r ever y journey, even dur ing disasters. Our ‘Tulong Para sa Taal’ campaign demonstrates our corporate social responsibilit y of extending a helping hand to communities in need. These effor ts are meant to deliver aid and comfor t beyond the usual products and ser vices we provide, and, hopefully, we inspi re more individuals and entities to extend help. In times like these, Phoenix is one with the whole countr y in rebuilding the nation back,” Phoenix Petroleum Chief Operating Officer Henr y Alber t Fadullon said. The company’s employees and business par tners have also actively par ticipated in the campaign. Aside from donating cash and basic necessities, employees in its Udenna Tower office in Taguig have also ag reed to re allocate the budget for a week’s lunch to its relief effor ts. T ipco Asphalt, one of the company’s business par tners, has also extended help through a monetar y donation.