BusinessWeek MINDANAO CREDIBLE
Volume VIII, No. 20
Market Indicators As of 6:00 pm july 21, 2017 (friday)
FOREX
PHISIX
US$1 = P50.76
7,989.73
X X Briefly
12.3
85.39
cents
points
Martial law extended THE Philippine Congress, during a special joint session on Saturday, voted to extend the period of martial law until the year-end. Results of the joint voting showed that 261 lawmakers voted in the affirmative while 18 lawmakers voted in the negative. On the part of the Senate, 16 senators voted in favor of the motion, while four were against it. Meanwhile, 245 House members approved the motion, while 14 rejected it. The senators who voted against Honasan’s motion were Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Risa Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan. Senators Nancy Binay, Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV were absent.
CARAT Expo ‘17 BUTUAN City – In keeping the momentum of advancing the region’s rich agricultural and fishery products, the Butuan City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. will once again hold this year’s Caraga Agricultural Trade and Marketing Exposition or CARAT Expo 2017 on August 10-13, here. CARAT Expo 2017 carries the theme, “Zoom up Caraga! Responding to challenges in agri-aqua productivity, responsible mining and progressive entrepreneurship.” “It will be a four-day event and is highlighted by hosting the 21st Caraga Business Conference slated also on August 11, 2017 at the Grand Palace Hotel, this city,” said Roger Ramirez, president of the Butuan City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. Trade fairs and the different programs will be held at the Robinsons Place Butuan. Agricultural retailers and wholesalers, food producers, agronomics, agriculturists, farmers, manufacturers, food traders and exporters will have the opportunity to showcase and demonstrate their produce.
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M
ORE major development initiatives for Mindanao will be announced by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) today, July 24, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said.
Andanar said Mindanao remains a top priority of the national government in terms of development and a number of high-impact projects are lined up going into the second year of President Duterte. sona/PAGE 11
Bayan to hold anti-SONA protest By MARK FRANCISCO, Staff Writer
STATE OF THE NATION. Duterte’s Sona today is expected to highlight Mindanao.
AirAsia’s Fernandes wants travel tax on outbound Filipino tourists removed
THE Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), which held a rally of support for President Duterte in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last year, will be at the opposite fence today to protest the President’s oppressive policies. Bayan Misamis Oriental c h ap t e r h e a d Wi l s o n
Barros said the President h a s i mp o s e d p o l i c i e s inconsistent with what the group were expecting B ar ros p ar t ic u l arly cited the botched peace talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF). He said Duterte is only willing to negotiate when the military is able to conduct
operations freely and go after the armed groups without encountering resistance. “The moment one of them dies, negotiations are suspended or cancelled. The president should know better what the peace talks is all about and what the situation is on the ground. He might know better, but he has been cowed by the power of the protest/PAGE 11
By CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO, Correspondent
DAVAO City -- AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer Anthony Francis Fernandes is urging the Philippine government to look into scrapping the travel tax imposed on outbound Filipino tourists to encourage more international movement as well as flights. In a press conference here after his speech at the 2017
Davao Investment Conference yesterday afternoon, Mr. Fernandes pointed out that the government should consider the fact that not much is being earned “in airports that do not have international flights.” Scrapping the travel tax, he said, will lure airlines to open more international tax/PAGE 11 MOTOCYCLE-LOGGING . A timber-loaded “habal-habal” casually drives onto the highway of Los Arcos, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur. “Motocycle-logging” is just one of the means to transport logs in Caraga. photo by jun ayensa
Neda’s Pernia says nothing definite yet on ODA funds from China By MIKE BAÑOS, Editor-at-Large
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte discusses matters with AirAsia CEO Anthony Fernandes who paid a courtesy call on the President at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City on Friday. presidential photo
T H E c o u nt r y ’s s o c i o economic planning secretary has downplayed reports that the Philippines is at risk from loans and official development assistance from China arising from President
Rodrigo Duterte’s recent state visit to Asia’s largest country. “We don’t know yet what the Chinese will be charging because nothing has been signed yet in terms of financing,” said
Socioeconomic Planning S ecretar y and National Economic and Development Authority Director General Ernesto M. Pernia during a press conference held here following the unveiling of the Philippine Development Plan funds/PAGE 9
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