BusinessWeek Mindanao (March 3, 2014)

BusinessWeek MINDANAO

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Volume IV, No. 71

Market Indicators

As of 5:30 pm mar. 1, 2014 (Saturday)

FOREX

PHISIX

US$1 = P44.63

6,424.99 points

3 cents

X X Briefly 70.20 points

Tuition fee hike DAVAO City – A total of 32 colleges and universities in the Davao Region have submitted to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED 11) their application for tuition fee increase next school year. CHED 11 regional director Dr. Raul Alvarez said that 32 out of the 91 colleges and universities in the region, have submitted their request on Wednesday, the last day of its series of consultations with the schools in relation to their application for tuition fee hike. The consultations were attended by student governments, stakeholders and parents, Alvarez said. Of the 32 schools that applied for tuition fee increase, 21 are from Davao City and Davao del Sur, eight from Davao del Norte, and three from Compostela Valley Province.

Benchmarks AGUSAN del Sure -Knowledge and skills are what the provincial government of Agusan del Sur (PGAS) shared to its counterparts from Davao del Norte who visited the province for benchmarking recently. A team headed by Edwin Palero from the Provincial Human Resource and Management Office (PHRMO) of Davao del Norte was warmly welcomed by Provincial Administrator Jesusimo Ronquillo who represented Governor Eddiebong Plaza along with PHRM Officer and concurrent Governor’s office chief-ofstaff Josephine Ambongan and other chiefs of offices. In a courtesy call in his office, Ronquillo expressed his gratitude to the group for their time and effort in visiting the provincial capitol assuring them that PGAS will impart any information that will be useful in their province.

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Peace accord to spur growth in Mindanao T

By KRIS M. CRISMUNDO Philippine News Agency

HE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Gregory Domingo is confident that Mindanao will quickly develop its economy once the Bangsamoro peace agreement is completed.

In an interview, Domingo said Mindanao can attract investors as the southern Philippines is rich in natural resources. There have been interests particularly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) mostly f rom Indonesia and Malaysia for palm oil plantation, according to the DTI chief. Indonesia and Malaysia are the world’s top producer and exporter of palm oil products mostly in the form of crude palm oil. Recently, Malaysia’s stateowned Petroliam Nasional B e rha d ( Pe t ronas ) has

allowed Iron Blaze Petroleum, Inc. to import oil products in ARMM which is expected to bring lower fuel prices in the Muslim region. ”I have no doubt; if we will have peace in Mindanao -- because Mindanao is so rich in natural resources -- I have no doubt in my mind that Mindanao could develop very quickly economically,” he said. He added that aside from palm oil plantation, Mindanao is now being eyed for ventures in food processing, sharia banking or Islamic banking, and even manufacturing. peace/PAGE 11

PLAYING IN THE DARK. A toddler plays with a tablet to fend off the darkness that hit most parts of Mindanao Thursday morning. Later that day, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines declared that power services were back to normal. NGCP, however, has yet to explain the real cause of the massive outage. mindanews photo by bj patino

power outlook

Demonizing the WESM (Second Part)

Analysis:

Water shortage in Davao City By PED T. QUIAMJOT

OVER the years, the problem of water utilities in the country becomes heavier as population grows and the degradation of the environment threatens. There are also technical aspects that must be addressed like, infrastructure d e ve l opm e nt , re s ou rc e management covering

water sources, mainline replacement programs and the construction of more water treatment plan for recycling of the used vital water resources. The costs are tremendous t h at l o c a l gove r n m e nt administering the LWUA may not have the sufficient analysis/PAGE 11

By DAVID A. TAULI

IN addition to demonizing the EPIRA, David Celestra Tan in his series of opinion p i e c e s i n a n at i o n a l broadsheet also demonizes the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in

the Philippines. Following below are his statements concerning the WESM and my clarifications as to the purposes, design, and operation of the WESM in the Philippines.

B efore going into his points and my counterpoints, it should be said that the WESM is one of the good institutional results of the EPIRA. outlook/PAGE 11

Gov’t is bungling Mindanao power crisis--group THE People Opposed to Unwarranted Electricity Rates (POWER) expresses alarm at the government’s continuing failure to address

the critical power crisis that has been plaguing Mindanao for the last five years. Last week’s island-wide blackout, the cause of which

the Department of Energy remained clueless 24 hours after the incident, comes at the heels of the surprise revelation that in the Pablostruck areas of Southern Mindanao, 57% of villages still has no power more than a year after the storm and despite billions of pesos spent on rehabilitation. Maybe it’s time Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla look for another job, probably as undersecretary of the crisis/PAGE 11

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Economy

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

BIMP pushes for wider Borneo grid interconnection Oro dads OK P2.2M allocation DAVAO City -- The energy cluster of the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines – East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) is asking the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to conduct a new study

that will include Mindanao in the wider interconnection of East Asian areas with the Borneo power grid. The move was decided at the recent assessment meeting among ministers of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia

No.: 09161714813 (GLOBE)

and the Philippines, which comprise the BIMP-EAGA. The Philippines’s side has urged the subregional group of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to help Mindanao with its persistent energy

problem shortage that was blamed for the slow inflow of investment to the island. Mindanao and Palawan are the areas represented in the BIMP-EAGA, which also include the island of Borneo bimp/PAGE 10

for Nutrition Program

THROUGH Ordinance No. 12733-2014, the Cagayan de Oro City Council during its regular session Monday, Feb. 24 approved the Program of Work of the Nutrition Program under the City Health Department. The legislative body appropriated the sum of P2.2 million from the item “Non-Office Social Services: Reserve for Special Projects/ Programs/Special Purpose Fund” in the 2014 General Appropriations Ordinance (GAO) to be made available for the purpose. B a s e d on t h e P OW submitted by City Health Officer Dr. Fe Bongcas, P1.1 million will be spent

for food commodities such as milk, rice, sugar and egg, among others while the remaining amount for operational expenses of cooking demonstrations in different barangays, among others. According to the local health office, malnutrition continues to affect majority of Filipino children and this can be attributed to poverty, food shortage, poor sanitation and occurrences of natural calamities. The objective of the nutrition program is to provide food supplements to malnourished children in the city in the form of program/PAGE 10

SCCI implements Coordinating Road Investments project SURIGAO CITY - The Surigao Chamber of C ommerce and Industry, Inc. (SCCI) continues its implementation of the Coordinating Road Investments project for local economic development and poverty reduction in the province of Surigao del Norte. SCCI Consultant Alice V. Euseña said during the Provincial Development Council meeting held recently here that since July 2012 the SCCI has implemented t h e c o ord i n at i n g ro a d investments project under

the supervision of The Asia Foundation (TAF) with financial support from the Agency for International Development (AusAID) under the Coalition for Change Program. “The project aims to facilitate the identification of priority road network and roads within the network of roads in Surigao del Norte, mobilize support and resources for identified priority road network and priority roads, and sustain scci/PAGE 10

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In learning: The kind of school environment truly matters By Marilyn F. Albiso

The core mission of every learning institution is to encourage students to love learning, through providing a rich learning environment that is open, respectful, caring and safe. A child-friendly environment, for one, ma kes e ach moment at school an exciting, stimulating and welcoming place for the students. In article published under Learning and Well-being Framework of Queensland Government, this kind of environment reflects the purpose behind the existence of a school, which is basically to promote quality kind of learning. In giving such learning e nv i ron me nt , s cho ol a d m i n ist r at i on show concern to their stakeholders through developing and communicating an explicit commitment. In doing so, true service will be easily identified. This concern could also be done on acknowledging individual differences and providing opportunities for

all students to learn and succeed. Each member of the school have differences, p erhaps in ter ms of economic status, attitude, religion and others. Amidst of all these, each one must enjoy equal rights and equal opportunities. For an instance is ensuring that students have opportunities to participate in school’s decision-making processes. This kind of environment could also be seen in school’s effort in applying consistent school-wide rules and consequences, providing that these are collaboratively developed with students and the school community, clearly expl aine d, p osit ively enforced, rewarding of good behaviour, providing pastoral care for students and maintaining a physical space. Learning is a complex matter. Thus, there are attributes that a learning e nv i r o n m e nt s h o u l d contain in order for the students to fully achieve high quality of learning.

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The SM Store Women’s Wednesday Sale Great news to all Women!

In celebration of the Women’s Month this March, The SM Store is giving away extra 10% discount on all items for a minimum P3,000 worth of your shopping using SM Advantage, SM Prestige, BDO Rewards or Mom Card. This exciting offer to all women will be offered every Wednesday of March. Mark these dates March 5 , 12, 19 & 26 and grab big savings and discounts. For Non members, avail the SM Advantage for only P150.00 from any cash or charge counters and Customer Service Counter in The SM Store. Feel free to call The SM Store Marketing trunk line through 859-1188 for inquiries.

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OROBANKERS DIRECTORIES CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY

AMANAH/ISLAMIC BANK V. Neri Street Carmen, Cdoc 858988/8587965 / 722274 ASIA UNITED BANK Cor.Camp Alagar Road Lapasan, Cdoc 729678 / 8568893 BDO – VELEZ Velez-Rn Abejuela Street, Cdoc 2314246/8572075 BDO – SM G/F SM City, Master Son’s Avenue Upper Carmen Cdoc | 8592623/8592637 BDO – XU XU Lib. Annex Corrales St. Cdoc 8574108 / 8573796 BDO – CDO HAYES Trendline Bldg.,Hayes Street, 8568151/727405 BDO – COGON Sky hi Bldg JR Borja St. Cogon, Cdoc 8577963/ 725209/ 725203 BDO – OSMEÑA Osmeña corner Ramon Chavez St. Cdoc 724567/8563727

METRO BANK- VELEZ A. Velez St. Cdoc | 8561724/726054 METRO BANK- JR BORJA JR Borja St. Cdoc | 8572999/724415 METRO BANK- COGON Osmeña Hayes St. Cdoc | 726438/8572057 METRO BANK- CARMEN Max Suniel St. Carmen, Cdoc 8581722/ 8585162 METRO BANK- LAPASAN CM Recto Lapasan HW, Cdoc 724461/8561721 METRO BANK- OSMEÑA Brgy Osmeña St. Cdoc | 722014 /8800924 METRO BANK- CORRALES Corrales Avenue, Cdoc | 8572635/728731 METRO BANK- GAISANO 8561720 PBCOM Tiano-HayesSt. Cdoc | 726519/8571558 PLANTERS DEVELOPMENT BANK Tiano Bros St. Cdoc | 727083 /727082

BDO – LAPASAN Lapasan Highway Cdoc 8563233 /8563234 / 725178

PHILTRUST BANK Ramonal OsmeñaSt. CDO 8807234/2316694/2316695

BDO – RN- PELAEZ George Town CyberMall Rn Pelaez Blvd Kauswagan Cdoc | 8562617/729052

PNB- CORRALES Corrales Avenue Cdoc | 729500 / 729723

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 EAST WEST BANK #5 Juan Sia Bldg. Apolinar Velez St.Cdoc 8578801/720081 EAST WEST BANK Cogon De Oro Constraction Bldg. LKK Drive 8500339/8500331 ENTERPRISE BANK INC. Centro Mariano Bldg Osmeña St. Cdoc 723869/ 3093395 FIRST CONSOLIDATED BANK CM Recto Ave., Cor.Agudo Road Cdoc 8565360/2316678

PNB- LKK MALL NORTH CONCOURSE LKK Mall N.Concourse Cdoc 8574149/8575682 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. #58 Tiano FernandezSt.CDO 727215/ 8563552 *805 SECURITY BANK- OSMEÑA Osmeña St. Cdoc | 8563965/ 723411/728774 SECURITY BANK- LKK Limketkai | 8801258/8801625 SECURITY BANK- VELEZ Velez Montalvan St., Cdoc | 728334/856632 STERLING BANK OF ASIA Tiano Velez St. CDO | 8528171/8528168 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

LBP – CAPISTRANO Capsitrano St. Cdoc | 8565515/727678

UCPB BANK SAVINGS- OPOL Gf forever Books Bldg.Bulua National CDO 754519/8588063

LBP – VELEZ LunaVelez St. | 723549/8563198

UNION BANK Lapasan Cm.Recto Cdoc | 8566847/8563805

LBP – PUERTO Puerto Cdoc | 8558858

WEALTHBANK Velez Gomez St. Cdoc | 8568942/722174

MAYBANK JR Borja Tiano Cor. Bldg. Cdoc 8574439/726060

1ST VALLEY BANK Vamenta Blvd. CornerLirio St. Carmen, Cdoc 8501871/ 8584146

METRO BANK- DIVISORIA Pabayo Abejuela St. Divisoria Park, Cdoc 724783/8576999

OROBANKERS CLUB Inc. Pnb Carmen | 09151850242

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Savemore opens 94th store in General Santos City

THE department and food stores unit of SM Investments Corp has beefed up its presence in Southern Philippines with the opening of its newest Savemore branch in General Santos City. Located along Nunez Street, Purok Malakas in Barangay San Isidro, the new outlet of SM Retail Inc is the 94th store under Savemore, a stand-alone store format patterned after a typical neighborhood grocery. “We continue to expand aggressively in key areas of the country, taking into consideration the steady population growth and shifting preferences of the market,” Savemore Market president Jojo Tagbo said in a statement. Savemore is SM’s fast e x p a n d i n g v e h i c l e f or introducing organized retail in areas where there is either a limited offer of products or none at all. In Southern Philippines, SM operates 39 hypermarkets, 94 Savemore stores and 39 supermarkets. The Savemore General Santos store intends to become a one-stop shop destination as it offers services like bills payment, Western Union

The newly opened Savemore branch in San Isidro, General Santos City.

money transfer and Watsons pharmacy. It also houses Master Siomai, Takuyaki, Waffle Time, Buko Juan, and Porky Best. Memo Express and Mary Pauline Salon will soon open shops in the store. Aside from Savemore, Henr y Sy-owned SM is present in the city through its mall, SM City General Santos, which opened in 2012. Earlier this month, SMIC

secured approval of its board of directors to raise up to P15 billion worth of fixed-rate bonds to refinance debt and fund project expansion. SMIC had also signed i n a n i nv e s t m e nt a n d shareholders’ agreement for the acquisition of 34% interest in CityMall Commercial Center, Inc., a community mall developer owned by DoubleDragon Properties Corp. DoubleDragon is a 50-

50 joint venture between Injap Investments, Inc., headed by Mang Inasal founder Edgar J. Sia II, and Honeystar Holdings Corp. chaired by Jollibee Foods Corp. founder Tony Tan Caktiong. “The joint venture with Jollibee and Mang Inasal groups in CityMall is intended to put up strip malls initially in the Visayas and Mindanao with sizes of 5,000- 10,000 savemore/PAGE 10

Philex turns around despite lower metal prices, earns P312.4M PHILEX Mining Corporation reported a turn-around with net income amounting to P312.4 million last year from the P310.8 million loss in 2012 after the resumption of operations at its Padcal Mine in Benguet Province. H o w e v e r, t h e f i r m disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange that core net income dipped to P1.51 billion from P1.69 billion in 2012 as higher metal production was offset by lower metal prices. Padcal operated for almost 10 months in 2013 compared with 7 months of operation in 2012. As a result, higher operating days at the mine enabled the Company to produce bigger volumes of metal. However, this was partially offset by lower realized prices of metal in the world market. For reference, gold spot prices shed 32 percent in 2013 after a 12-year bull run. Nonetheless, consolidated revenues improved 15 percent to P10.46 billion from P9.14 billion in 2012 because of improved metals production. “This year’s achievements are quite remarkable, especially when taken in the context of the current very challenging business environment — particularly the general attitude towards mining,” Philex president Eulalio B Austin, Jr said. philex/PAGE 10

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Money supply growth hits new record high in January MONEY supply growth accelerated again in January to hit a fresh record, as the private sector took out more loans. In a statement, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said domestic liquidity (M3) grew by 38.6 percent last month to P6.9 trillion, faster than the 32.7 percent pace in December last year. Last month’s growth broke the earlier record of 36.5 percent last November when banks pulled out their funds from the BSP’s special deposit accounts to meet the monetary authorities’ deadline. “Money supply continued to expand due to higher

demand for credit in the domestic economy,” BSP G ove r n or A m an d o M . Tetangco Jr. said. Domestic claims rose by 16.2 percent in January from 11.6 percent in December as the manufacturing, utilities, wholesale and retail trade, as well as financial and business services sectors took out more loans. The government also contributed to last month’s uptick, with public sector credit climbing by 15.2 percent on withdrawals to fund bond redemption and public works spending. The BSP said last month’s growth also reflects base effects, as M3 grew a slower

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8.8 percent in January last year. “The BSP will continue to assess the medium-term impact of strong monetary growth on the outlook for inflation as well as on financial prices,” Tetangco money/PAGE 8

BSP sees local firms still PSBank to issue enjoying access to credit P3-B notes, gets PHILIPPINE banks can withstand significant external shocks when global interest rates return to normal, with credit continuing to flow to “productive sectors” of the economy, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Friday. “We see the banking system remaining well capitalized and able to withstand significant external shocks including some from global interest rate normalization. We see ample fiscal headroom for social and

economic infrastructure,” BSP chief Amando M. Tetangco Jr said in a speech during a forum organized by Security Bank. He said inflation would also remain manageable, falling within the inflation goal of 3-5 percent this year. “We see credit continue to go to the productive sectors of the economy particularly to sectors with strong forward linkages to other sectors. We see improvement in the bsp/PAGE 8

triple-A rating

PHILIPPINE Savings Bank (PSBank), the consumer and retail banking arm of Metropolitan Bank and Trust C ompany (Metrobank), is planning to issue up to P3 billion in unsecured subordinated notes. Philippine Rating Services Corporation (PhilRatings) said it has given the proposed issuance the highest ratings of PRS Aaa while the rating for PSBank’s outstanding psbank/PAGE 8

SM Babies Sale The month of March gets more exciting as the SM Babies Sale kicks-off on March 1 with up to 50% off on great selections! Weekly deals are also in store for you as we highlight various irresistible offers from our top brands until March 31. Visit The SM Store nearest you for more information or like our SMBabies page on Facebook to get regular updates!

FDC Misamis sponsors livelihood training program

Basic Cosmetology Training Program for Villanueva. Mayor Julio Uy (left photo) and FDC Misamis Vice President Zaldy Oliquino (right photo) speaks during the graduation ceremony for the Basic Cosmetology Livelihood Training Program at the Villanueva Gymnasium. Posing with the graduates of the morning class (bottom photo) are Villanueva Councilor Diosdado Balhon, Mayor Uy, Vice Mayor Edwin Dagasuhan and VP Oliquino (seated at center, from left to right). FDC Misamis sponsored the 5-day livelihood training program in partnership with Villanueva LGU and AngHortaleza Foundation.

FDC Misamis Power Corporation, in partnership with t he Municipa lit y of Villanueva and AngHortaleza Foundation Inc. (AHFI), recently sponsored a f iveday “Ga nda Mo, Hanapbuhay Ko” basic cosmetology training program from 24 to 28 Febr u a r y at t he Villanueva Gymnasium. Around 62 unemployed women a nd men f rom t he mu n icipa l it y were taug ht t he basics of ha i rc ut t i ng a nd other hair treatments, manicure, pedicure and foot spa. They also did actual hands-on work with “models” coming from the communities. T he wome n h a d a written and practical exam on the last day which culminated in their graduation. The training was capped by a “Libreng Gupit” for Barangay Dayawan residents.

“With the help of FDC Misamis, ang kalamboan naa sa inyong mga kamot. Kana nga tabang magmabungahon kung k i n i i ny o n g p a g a ampingan (Progress is now in your hands. A nd t hat help w i l l be fruitful as long as you take good care of it),” Villanueva Mayor Julio Uy addressed the graduates during the closing ceremony. “This l ivel i hood t r a i n i ng program has taught valuable skills that can be brought anywhere the participants go. We are grateful that this program was provided to Villanueva which we hope can help improve l ive s of fa m i l ie s . I know this is only the beg i n n i ng of ot her economic opportunities that will be brought by the FDC Misamis Project.” Two months hence, FDC Misamis and the Villanueva Municipality will conduct “Kamusta

Na” to monitor t he impact of the program on the beneficiaries. Graduates w i l l be monitored and evaluated about how they have applied the skills they have learned to augment their family income. “Parallel to our project implementation, we have initiated corporate social responsibility programs in t he Municipa lit y of Vi l la nueva . In addition to livelihood training, we w i l l implement programs relat ing to hea lt h ser v ice s , educ at ion and environment in the near future,” says Mario Pangilinan, FDC Misamis Executive Vice President. FDC Misamis, a su b sid i a r y of F D C Ut i l it ies , I nc ., w i l l build a 405 MW CFB coal-fired power plant in Phividec Industrial Estate, Municipality of Villanueva which is set for commercial operations by 2016.

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hink a minute…A Bank in New York City had some A Minute flowers sent to another bank that By Jhan Tiafau Hurst had moved to a new building. But there was a mix-up at the flower shop, and the card that was sent read: “With our deepest sympathy.” The florist was so embarrassed and apologized for her mix-up. But she felt even worse when she realized that the card to the bank was sent instead to a funeral. This card read: “Congratulations on your new location!” You can imagine the surprise of the dead person’s family when they read that card! All joking aside. You know that’s actually an accurate way to describe what happens when we die. While we’re alive on this earth, our body is just our temporary house. Doctors say that after we reach the age of about 20 years old, our body begins to deteriorate and slowly die. Our hair turning gray and thin, wrinkles in our skin, and many other changes in our body are all signs that our aging house is falling down. No one escapes this fact of life! All joking aside. You know that’s actually an accurate way to describe what happens when we die. While we’re alive on this earth, our body is just our temporary house. Doctors say that after we reach the age of about 20 years old, our body begins to deteriorate and slowly die. Our hair turning gray and thin, wrinkles in our skin, and many other changes in our body are all signs that our aging house is falling down. No one escapes this fact of life! However, we have a soul that never dies, so when our body dies we just change locations. And our next location is not just for 70 years, it’s our permanent home—forever. Jesus Christ said that there are only 2 locations that we can live in after we die: heaven or hell. Fortunately, the choice is ours to make now while we’re still in this temporary location. If we choose heaven, then all we need to do is ask Jesus for His gift of forgiveness for living our own way. Then, ask Him to take charge of our new life so we can start living His right way every day for the rest of our life in this location, as well as forever with Him in our permanent location. So if your life ended today, do you know where you would relocate? Just Think a Minute…

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Global Pinoys

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wo more names have been recently added to a growing list of Filipinos who have distinguished themselves in the international stage. Michael Christian Martinez, 17, a long time resident of Muntinlupa City, did not win a medal in the recent Sochi Winter Olympics. But he won the hearts of millions. Truth is Michael did not need any medal to make his mark. Just making it to the Winter Olympics - after overcoming severe handicap - was victory enough. Who would have thought that this erstwhile asthmatic lad from the tropics would be competing with the world’s best in an ice skating event? To be able to compete in Sochi, Michael had to train for almost four and a half years with none of the usual logistical support enjoyed by international athletes. He donned a competition attire which was donated by a kind-hearted designer who read his Facebook appeal for a presentable Olympic costume. Moreover, his training leading up to the Olympics was marred by injuries. In 2011, he tore two ligaments in his ankle. In April 2012, Martinez tore a medial ligament in his knee. He suffered a fractured ankle in 2013. Each time, Michael needed at least three months to recover. A bad fall almost prevented Michael from competing in Sochi. Doctors had to perform several x-rays on Michael’s hips before he was given clearance to compete. The effects of these injuries, however, did not show at all as Michael - for two minutes and fifty seconds dazzled the international crowd with his agility and grace. The rest, as they say, is history. Rose “Osang” Fostanes, 48, a native of Taguig City, had been a caregiver for most of her life. During the last six years, she took care of a middle-aged woman in Tel Aviv.

Until X Factor Israel, Osang had no social life. When interviewed by an X Factor O ut By Ignacio Bunye host, why she was all alone at the park while waiting to be auditioned, she replied: “You are the very first one to talk to me.” At 47, under-height and overweight, Osang was hardly the type who would make it in an international singing competition. But it took only two lines of Shirley Bassey’s “This is My Life” for Osang to catch the attention of the judges. All four gave her a resounding “Yes” vote. As if to forebode the outcome of the competition, all her fellow contestants gave Osang a standing ovation during the second qualifying round. Osang wowed her competitors with her rendition of Lady Gaga’s “You and I”. After a brief visit in the Philippines, where he received a hero’s welcome, Michael has resumed his quest for an Olympic medal. He left for Sofia, Bulgaria, to compete in the World Junior Figure Skating Championships starting Mar. 13. Osang, who flew in last week for a brief visit, is now recording her debut album. Also in the works for Osang is a concert tour in Israel, Australia and Las Vegas. Michael Christian Martinez and Rose “Osang” Fostanes – who both fought against all odds and prevailed. Two more names which make us proud to be Filipinos.

SPEAKING

The Bible & The Quisumbing-Ombudsman Row

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IFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “…`No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers’…” (Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, in Luke 6:43-44, the Bible). -ooo THE BIBLE & THE QUISUMBING-OMBUDSMAN ROW: If I am to use the Bible in determining who I should believe more in the on-going controversy between the Office of the Ombudsman and Commissioner Cecilia Rachel “Coco” Quisumbing of the Commission on Human Rights, I will be compelled to take the side of Coco and junk the Ombudsman’s decision to suspend her for six months. The reason is that the Bible gives a very sound argument why the Ombudsman’s decision against Coco should not be taken seriously, and should in fact be reconsidered or withdrawn right away. I hope the Ombudsman should take time out to read the Bible, and see for itself the folly of its decision to suspend Coco, based on what the Bible says. -ooo GOOD TREE BEARS GOOD FRUIT: For in Matthew 7:15-20, we find Jesus, our God and Savior, confirming that every good tree bears good fruit. For the benefit of everyone, here is the complete statement of Jesus in those verses: “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.” “You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. Every tree that doe not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.” -ooo COCO IS THE FRUIT OF TWO LEGAL GIANTS IN RP: Coco Quisumbing is the fruit of two legal giants in the Philippines, the good trees, as it were, out of which she came into this world. Her father is Leonardo Quisumbing, the UP Law professor of note and good standing, having taught law in the country’s premier law school almost since time immemorial.

Leonardo Quisumbing later on became the akampi undersecretary of the Mo A ng Batas By Atty. Batas Mauricio D e p ar t m e nt of Nat i on a l D efens e under President Cor y Aquino, then Labor Secretary under President Ramos, who also appointed him Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, where he retired in 2009. Wikipedia c it e s h i s l on g re c ord of leadership, in school campus and in national affairs. On the other hand, Coco’s mother was the late Purificacion Valera Quisumbing, the chair of the Commission on Human Rights from 2002 to 2008 who, in 2011, was elected by the UN Human Rights Council to a second three-year term that would have ended 2014. She was a famous lawyer who specialized on international law before being drafted in government. -ooo CHARGES VS. COCO ARE TOO INCREDIBLE: On top of the foregoing, however, is the fact that, the supposed offenses for which she was suspended by the Ombudsman---using the salaries of her staff for her own benefit---are too incredible to be believed. I mean, Coco was already well-off economically even before being appointed to the Commission on Human Rights, so there was absolutely no way for her to be getting interested in the money of other people. My sources from the Ombudsman are telling me that Quisumbing may have stepped on the toes of some powerful political bigwigs who have decided to discredit her, or that some powerful enemies of her parents are now trying to get back to them by hitting her. Indeed, it is a very sick system that we have now in the Philippines! May God have mercy on us for our mischievous ways! -ooo REACTIONS? Please call me at 0917 984 24 68, 0918 574 0193, 0922 833 43 96. Email: melaniolazomauriciojr@ out lo ok.com, b at asmaur icio@ya ho o.com and mmauriciojr111@gmail.com.

K

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

--Mark Twain

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Apple releases security fix for Mac computers NEW YORK - Apple released a series of software patches for its Mac computers to fix what was described as a serious security flaw in the operating system. The updates for Mac OS follow Friday’s release of a security update for the iOS 7 mobile operating system used on the iPhone and iPad. Apple’s comments on the security flaws were limited, but cryptographer Matthew Green said before the updates that the flaw was “seriously exploitable,” meaning that it could allow hackers to gain access to user accounts. An Apple spokesman said of the latest patch: “Today’s update does address the same issue that was fixed in iOS 7.” The Apple support website said the update “improves the stability, compatibility,

and security of your Mac.” The website said the update fixes a series of problems and also allows the computers to make and receive voice calls using Apple’s FaceTime program. Security researcher Ashkan Soltani said in a tweet that it “still surprises me that Apple waited 3 extra days to fix (the problem) with a version update rather than just do a timely Security Update.” The first news of the flaw came from the security firm Crowdstrike in a blog post Friday, which said hackers could intercept communications over WiFi networks from users of Apple devices. The updates cover the Mac OS X Mavericks operating system as well as the older Mountain Lion system.

PSALM lists 4 likely bidders for Naga plant By MYRNA VELASCO, Contributor

THE rebid pro cess for t h e d i ve s t m e nt of t h e 153.1-megawatt Naga power facility had enticed four prospective bidders, a press statement from the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation

(PSALM) has reiterated. According to PSALM President Emmanuel R. Ledesma Jr., “the interested parties for this bid are all Filipino companies with various interests in the local psalm/PAGE 8

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Resting While Working

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et’s go back again to those beautiful words of Christ about rest, relishing them and deepening our understanding of them if only to develop the proper and relevant attitudes, skills and practices, so helpful to us who are often harassed by a lot of work, pressures and concerns. Gone now are the days of relative peace and tranquility, of innocence and ease, what with all the galloping pace of development in practically all aspects of our life-personal, familial, social, economic, political, technological, etc. These developments can either simplify or complicate our life, depending on which turn we take. They too can have both effects, but, of course, taken in different senses. Thus, it is most important, especially these days, that we know where the source of true rest is and how we can refresh and renew ourselves even in the middle of our work. “Come to me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke and learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart. And you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Mt 11,28-30) These words were already presaged in the Book of Isaiah: “They that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall take wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (40,31) These are words that have to be taken with faith. As such, they require us to trust God and to believe in him. They ask us to make some kind of a leap in the dark despite what we can immediately see, feel and understand around us. That’s because these words can sound too sweet or too good to be true. The fact is that we have enough miracles in the gospel, especially that tremendous resurrection of Christ from the dead that should lend credibility to his words in the absence of immediate and concrete proofs of their veracity. We need to hold on to this knowledge to keep our faith alive particularly when we are heavily tested in life. Christ clearly invites us to go to him when we are working and are burdened. Our main problem is that we tend to ignore him when we work. We only go to him when we meet some difficulty in our work. We tend to believe that we can just rely on our own resources. We have to correct this dangerous attitude. Though we may be endowed with great physical and intellectual powers and many other talents and privileges, we should

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HINTS

always realize that we need God always when we use them. and Traces Our powers are finite By Fr. Roy Cimagala and often choosy. When we reach their limits, then we have no means to keep on going, especially in the face of darkness, tiredness, trials, failures. Even the usual daily work routine can lead us only to boredom. We have to realize that God, being the creator and author of everything, including our very own life, is the unfailing source of joy and peace, of perfect communion with him and among ourselves, which are the very substance of rest. To be sure, rest is not only a physical affair. The whole man, body and soul, needs to rest and to continually revitalize himself as he goes on working and expending his energy. What sustains him is much more than just physical or biological elements. It is God, his grace, his light and strength. Remember what St. Paul once said, “I know both how to be brought low and I know how to abound…both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all these things in him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4,12) The spiritual impulses when one is vitally united to Christ are even palpable. One sees greater light, feels a sense of meaning and purpose, experiences an indescribable sense of peace and joy. Though the body gets tired, the spirit continues to be vibrant, reflecting what Christ himself said: “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26,41) That’s why asked his apostles, and us, to “watch and pray.” This is the secret of finding rest while working, of continually refreshing and renewing ourselves even as we expend our energies. It is to “watch and pray.” We should never be entirely dependent on our human powers, for if they are not empowered by grace, they can only go so far. This good news should reach all, especially those who are working.

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Money... from page 5

said. The BSP chief earlier said money supply growth will return this year to its normal pace, defined as between 12-14 percent. Tetangco said the central bank is prepared to deploy all necessary measures to ensure that liquidity conditions continue to be in line with the BSP’s objective of maintaining price and financial stability conducive to sustainable economic growth. Inflation rose at a more than two-year high last month to 4.2 percent, at the higher end of the BSP’s forecast range of up to 4.3 percent for January. Despite the uptick, last month’s headline figure was within the BSP’s full-year target range of 3-5 percent. In a separate report, the BSP said bank lending grew by 17.1 percent in January, also faster than the 16.4 percent in December. Loans for production activities -- which comprised more than four-fifths of banks’ aggregate loan portfolio -expanded by 16.2 percent in January from 15.3 percent in December. T h is w as d r ive n by the increased lending to the following sectors: real estate, renting, and business services; electricity, gas, and water; wholesale and retail trade; manufacturing, and other community, social and personal services. Loans for household consumption also grew at a faster pace of 8.9 percent

in January from 8.3 percent the month before due to expansion of credit card loans and personal loans.

BSP...

from page 5

economy’s potential output with increased production capacity efficiency,” Tetangco said. The government is aiming for gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.5-7.5 percent this year. GDP is the amount of final goods and services produced in the country and as such measures economic performance. The latest BSP data show bank lending growing16.4 percent last December from the 14.8 percent uptick the month before. Loans for production activities -- which comprised at least four-fifths of banks’ outstanding portfolio -increased by 15.3 percent, faster than the 13.2 percent increment the previous month. The heaviest borrowers were real estate, renting and business services; electricity, gas and water; manufacturing; wholesale and retail trade; and construction. Tetangco said external payments dynamics also would continue to be favorable with ample international reserves and current account surpluses driven by structural flows, including remittances, receipts from business process outsourcing (BPO) and tourism. The country’s foreign exchange reserves fell to an 18-month low at the start of

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF LANAO DEL NORTE 12TH Judicial Region BRANCH 07 Tubod, Lanao del Norte In the matter of the petition for change of SP. PROC. NO. 284-07-2014 name and correction of entries in the Certificate of Live Birth of ERICA GENERALE AGUINID For: Change of Name and otherwise known as ERICA CAŇEDO AGUINID. Correction of entries Under the entry of the “child’s mother” be corrected from CATHERINE GENERALE AGUINID to CATHERINE GENERALE CAŇEDO. And under the entry of the “child’s father” be corrected from “Unknown” to RICKY LOMOSAD AGUINID. CATHERINE CAŇEDO AGUINID, Petitioner. -versusTHE CITY CIVIL REGISTRAR OF ILIGAN CITY, Respondent. X--------------- -----------------/ ORDER A verified petition for the change of name and correction of entries in the Birth Certificate of ERICA GENERALE AGUINID was filed before this court by the herein petitioner praying among others that after notice and hearing, an Order be issued to effect the change of name and correction sought for. Petitioner alleges that she is of legal age, Filipino, married, and resident of Poblacion, Magsaysay, Lanao del Norte, Philippines. The Respondent is sued in his official capacity as such, being the City Civil Registrar of Iligan City; She is the biological mother of ERICA whose Birth Certificate is the subject matter of the petition sought to be corrected. On July 21, 2000, petitioner delivered a baby girl at the Gregorio T. Lluch Memorial Hospital in Iligan City. She named her ERICA. During her conception and the delivery of the child, she and Ricky Lomosad Aguinid, the child’s father were just a live-in partners, giving birth to a child without the benefit of marriage; That during the time of the registration of birth of ERICA, the information she gave is, her child shall be named ERICA CAŇEDO AGUINID, and that she is illegitimate, that is why under the name of father it is written therein as “UNKNOWN”. And the name of mother, because she was already living with Ricky, she made it to appear as Catherine Generale “AGUINID”. That on June 23, 2011, petitioner eventually got married to RICKY LOMOSAD AGUINID before the Mayor’s Office in Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte. Consequently, the marriage of petitioner and her husband legitimizes ERICA who has been registered as ILLEGITIMATE to change her status from Illegitimate to legitimated child. That there is a need to change and correct the entries of her birth record of said minor child to avoid confusion and to conform to the true and correct facts of her birth. Hence, the filing of the petition which is filed in good faith without intention of defrauding any person/s or entity. Set the initial hearing of this case to July 11, 2014 at 8:30 in the morning before the sala of this Court. Furnish copy of this Order to the Office of the Solicitor’s General, Office of the Public Prosecutor in Tubod, Lanao del Norte, Office of the Local Civil Registrar of Iligan City, and to the petitioner’s counsel, Atty. Florendo Opay of Crossing Tubod, Lanao del Norte and the petitioner at her known address. Any person who has interest over the petition may come to court on said date and time to show cause why said petition should not be granted. Petitioner is hereby directed to publish copy of this Order to a newspaper of general circulation within the province of Lanao del Norte. SO ORDERED. Tubod, Lanao del Norte. February 14, 2014. (Sgd.) DENNIS P. VICOY Acting Presiding Judge BWM: Feb. 17, 24 & Mar. 3, 2014

the year, but remain ample to cover 11.3 months worth of imports of goods and payments of services and income. “We see growth becoming uneven across Asia, which would give back to intraAsian trade, capital outflows, and then market volatilities,” Tetangco said. While this will lead to near-term market volatility, this could also translate to an increase in global growth, which in the medium term, will be positive for Philippine growth prospects, he said. “The bottom line is there is room for us to maneuver what risks there is that lies ahead,” Tetangco said.

PSBank... from page 5

P3 billion unsecured subordinated notes was likewise maintained at PRS Aaa. Obligations rated PRS Aaa are of the highest quality with minimal credit risk. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong. PhilR atings said the ratings reflect PSBank’s very good quality management; its aggressive, highly visible competitive strategy; very satisfactory asset quality; and sound capitalization. The ratings also considered the continuing favorable outlook for the domestic consumer market where PSBank has established a strong franchise. As of December 31, 2013, PSBank was the country’s second largest thrift bank in terms of assets, loans, deposits, and capital. Based on its published balance sheet, PSBank’s market share of the thrift banking sector was 16.7 percent of assets, 16.8 percent of deposits, and 19.6 percent of loans as of December 31, 2013.

PSBank generates majority of its earnings from its retail and consumer business, where it has established a strong market presence. For the year 2013, PSBank opened four branches and inst alled 19 additional automated teller machines (ATMs). PSBank ended 2013 with 224 and 551 branches and ATMs, respectively.

PSALM... from page 7

energy industry.” These are AC Energy Holdings Inc. of the Ayala group, SPC Power Corporation, Therma Power Visayas Inc., and Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corporation. It remains to be seen though if the interest of these investor-groups could be sustained until the final submission of offers by March 31 this year. Not ably, t he faci lity had already been set on the auction block several times, but its sale had been snagged by various factors, including some conditions being questioned in the sale package drawn up by PSALM. T h e fou r i nt e re s t e d groups, according to Ledesma, were validated based on their submission of initial requirements, primarily their letters of interest. They were also asked to pay a non-refundable participation fee of P120,000. SPC Corporation used to be the most ardent taker of the asset; and some industry players viewed that it had preeminent advantage given the “right to top” provision previously integrated in the bidding terms. This time, Ledesma has been raising expectations that it can finally move headway in the asset’s privatization, stressing that “despite being twice shy in its previous

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL 10TH Judicial Region Branch 25 Cagayan de Oro City OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL SHERIFF SHERIFF’S NOTICE OF SALE File No. 2014-003 Upon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended filed by HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND or PAG-IBIG FUND,Mortgagee,with address at J.R.Borja Street,Cagayan de Oro City, against GIL DRETCH B. NAILON, Mortgagor,married to GEANI S. NAILON,with postal address at Door 3,Garcia’s Pad,Bacan Compound,Balulang,Cagayan de Oro City,/Lot 3046-B-1-B-1-A-2-L & Lot 3046-B-1-B-1-A-2-J PSD-10-056268,Balulang,Cagayan de Oro City, to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness as of December 13,2013 amounts to EIGHT HUNDRED NINETY EIGHT THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED NINETY EIGHT PESOS & 81/100 (P 898,898.81) inclusive of interest and penalty charges, attorney’s fees equivalent to ten (10%) percent of the total indebtedness plus the foreclosure expenses, the undersigned Sheriff will sell at public auction on March 14, 2014, at 10:00 o’clock in the morning or soon thereafter at the main entrance of the Hall of Justice, Arch, Hayes Street, Cagayan de Oro City, to the highest bidder, for CASH and in Philippine Currency ,the property mentioned in the said mortgage which is described as follows: TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO.157-2011001116 “A PARCEL OF LAND (Lot 3046-B-1-B-1-A-2-L, PSD-10-056268,portion of Lot 3046-B-1-B-1-A-2, BSD-10-003803).Situated in Balulang,Cagayan de Oro City, Island of Mindanao.Including all improvements constructed thereon,containing an area of SEVENTY SIX SQUARE METERS (76 SQ.M.), more or less.” TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO.137-2011001117 “A PARCEL OF LAND (Lot 3046-B-1-B-1-A-2-J, PSD-10-056268,portion of Lot 3046 –B-1-B-1-A-2, BSD-10-003803), Situated in Balulang, Cagayan de Oro City, Island of Mindanao. Including all improvements constructed thereon, containing an area of SEVENTY FIVE SQUARE METERS (75 SQ.M.),more or less.”

sale attempts, PSALM is nonetheless unmoved and is diligently pursuing this sale process.” The company said it will gather the inputs of the private sector on how best it can proceed with this facility divestment process. The Naga power asset

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) ) SS. AFFIDAVIT OF CLAIM WITH WAIVER OF RIGHTS We, ARMINDA GALARRITA,ROSALIA MUGOT,CANDIDA MUGOT,LORENZO MUGOT,LUCENA MUGOT,MELVA MUGOT AND BENJAMIN MUGOT all of legal age, Filipino, and residents of ZONE 4 ALO,EL SALVADOR MISAMIS ORIENTAL, after having been duly sworn in accordance with law, hereby depose and state, that: 1. We hereby declare that we are the only surviving heirs of the deceased depositor, VALERIANA B. MUGOT, who died on August 31, 2014, a copy of the Certificate of Date is hereto attached as Annex “A”. Likewise, we further state under pain/penalty of perjury ,punishable by imprisonment under the Revised Penal Code, that we do not know any other heirs of the decedent;further,decedent does not have any known debts or obligations unpaid at the time of his/her death; 2. At the time of his/her death, he /she left Savings Deposit Accounts/s with the Philippine Veterans Bank- CAGAYAN DE ORO Branch under Savings Account No. 0023373090100 with a balance of 383,198.17; 3. The aforesaid deposit is the only property/asset of the said deceased depositor; 4. We hereby request the Philippine Veterans Bank- CAGAYAN DE ORO Branch, to release the balance of the said deposit account in favor of LUCENA B.MUGOT and/or to transfer the balance of said deposit account to an in his/her name,we,his/her co-heirs,having waived our rights over the said deposit account in his/her favor. 5. We hereby hold the Philippine Veterans Bank free and harmless from any claim/suit that may be brought against it by reason of the release of the said amount in favor of LUCENA B.MUGOT and we hereby undertake to indemnity the said bank in the event it suffers damages should any heir or creditor subsequently claim deprivation of any rights by virtue of this release and settlement.

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 sais date for whatever reason, the same will proceed on the following day, without further notice, posting and publication. Prospective buyers/bidders may investigate for themselves the title of the herein above-described properties and encumbrances thereon, if any there be. Cagayan de Oro City, February 6, 2014.

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO PROVINCIAL SHERIFF:

(Sgd.) LOVE M. VERDADERO Sheriff IV BWM: Feb.17, 24 & March 3, 2014

in Cebu comprises of two thermal power plants which run on coal and liquid fuels. The components are the 52.5-MW Cebu 1 and 56.8-MW C ebu-2 coalfired thermal power plants, and complemented by the 43.8MW Cebu diesel power facility.

BWM: Feb.17, 24 & March 3, 2014

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Travel&Tourism Daday Falls:

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A hidden gem of Alamada By Keith Bacongco of MIndaNews

ALAMADA, North Cotabato - Hidden by the rugged terrain of Barangay Dado is a towering falls whose water cascades through a river between deep ravines all the way to the famous Asik-asik Falls. Compared to Asikasik, however, Daday Falls has remained unnoticed by adventurers and even by most locals. I consider myself lucky to have explored Daday even if it was an unplanned trip. A view of the Iranun communit y in Sitio M i mba lawag , Ba ra ngay Dado in Alamada, North Cotabato. MindaNews photo by Keith Bacongco A view of the Iranun communit y in Sitio M i mba lawag , Ba ra ngay Dado in Alamada, North Cotabato. MindaNews photo by Keith Bacongco I have been to some water fa l ls on t he ot her side of the mountains like i n t he pa r ts of Bu ldon in Maguindanao and of course in my hometown o f P i gc aw ay a n , No r t h Cotabato. But I have never been to Asik-asik. And so on Wednesday, February 5, I decided to go there along with my high school friend Nonoy Dumaguit and Cocoy Gabriel of Dado. Amid the scorching heat of the sun, we drove for about 30 minutes through the dirt roads all the way to Dado aboard Cocoy’s motorcycle. But instead of heading straight to AsikAsik, Cocoy, unable to hide his excitement, suggested to go instead to Daday. Some of our companions sounded hesitant to go. “Do you think we can get through?” one of them asked. “As long as you’re there,” Liplip Costales quipped, referring to Cocoy, who then invited another friend, Renan, to join the trip. We took the same route t hat leads to Asi k-asi k, which is in Sitio Dulao.

A few minutes later, near the junction going to Asikasi k, Cocoy a nd Rena n arrived on board a rusty off-road vehicle that we earlier saw parked along the road. Grinning, they said they borrowed it from a barangay kagawad. So we left our motorcycles and jumped into the four-wheel vehicle that Cocoy drove as if he was just playing with a remote-controlled toy car on a miniature race track. It w a s 10 -m i nut e rol ler coaster ride to S it io M i m b a l aw a g , a n Iranun- inhabited village where Cocoy stopped to ask permission from the local leaders. From there an elderly man whom they called bapa accompanied us. I learned that he is the most respected leader in Mimbalawag. As we were about to leave, a guy hurriedly grabbed an M14 rifle from another and sat on the right side of the vehicle’s hood beside Cocoy. This time, Renan was behind the wheel. Five minutes later, we arrived in another Iranun community. Bapa Bukat Pakir takes the trail to Daday Falls in Sitio Mimbalawag, Barangay Dado in Alamada, North Cotabato. MindaNews photo by Keith Bacongco Bapa Bukat Pakir takes the trail to Daday Falls in Sitio Mimbalawag, Barangay Dado in Alamada, North Cotabato. MindaNews photo by Keith Bacongco Cocoy jumped off the t r u c k a nd a ppro a c he d another elderly man to get another clearance to visit Daday. After a 30-minute negotiation, we got our clea ra nce. Four ot her villagers hopped into the vehicle as Cocoy started the engine. We hiked upon reaching an area near the trail on top of a hill, passing through pa rcels of la nd pla nted with banana and vegetables

HIDDEN TREASURE. Villagers are dwarfed by the towering Daday Falls in Sitio Mimbalawag, Barangay Dado in Alamada, North Cotabato. Estimated to be 400 feet tall, Daday Falls is one of the destinations in Barangay Dado aside from the famous Asik-Asik Falls. MindaNews photo by Keith Bacongco before getting to the edge of the cliff where I could already hear the roaring falls. But I could barely see the river which resembles a rope that bends on the bottom of the ravine. Grinding halt “Are you ready to go dow n? ” A l i , t he M14 wielding escort, asked me as he pointed to the grassy and almost-vertical trail. “Of course,” I shot back with zest. T he bapa , a t u rba n wrapped around his head, introduced himself as Bukat Pakir. Clad in fatigue jacket and jeans, the 67-year old Iranun did not hesitate to join us in the trek. The trail was already concealed by thick grass, an indication that Daday Falls is rarely visited. Looking down, I could sense it’s a long, treacherous way down, and with nothing to hold on to in case you slipped. About 10 meters down the trail, I could see the upper portion of the waterfalls. But it was still half a kilometer away. Thirty minutes later, we entered a t hin ly forested area. The roar of the waterfalls was getting louder, and on my right, a crystal-clear river sliced through the rocks and lush vegetation. I asked bapa where the falls got its name.

“This was named after my grandfather Nur Daday, who owned the land here,” bapa said in the local dialect. As we reached a clearing, Daday sprink led the air with droplets of water as I stood before it beholding it s m aje s t y. It s hei g ht simply dwarfed some of our companions who stood right beside the natural pool at its feet. Unlike its other cousins, which are surrounded by thick forests, Daday Falls sits between a rugged cornfield, parcels of vegetable farms and thin vegetation. From a distance, you could see the lilac-colored wildf lowers blanket the walls of the cliff. While moss and wild ground vines weave through the rocks and boulders around the natural pool. HIDDEN TREASURE. Villagers are dwarfed by the towering Daday Falls in Sitio Mimbalawag, Barangay Dado in Alamada, North Cotabato. Estimated to be 400 feet tall, Daday Falls is one of the destinations in Barangay Dado aside from the famous Asik-Asik Falls. MindaNews photo by Keith Bacongco HIDDEN TREASURE. Villagers are dwarfed by the towering Daday Falls in Sitio Mimbalawag, Barangay Dado in Alamada, North Cotabato. Estimated to be

400 feet tall, Daday Falls is one of the destinations in Barangay Dado aside from the famous Asik-Asik Falls. MindaNews photo by Keith Bacongco The icy water in Daday’s pool made me wonder if I could ever endure a swim in it. But Liplip told me we might run out of time and it’s already late in the afternoon. Given the height of the cliff, it would be dark here after 4pm. Besides, I wasn’t prepared to take a dip in this unplanned adventure. As I moved closer to the pool, the sprink ling water made me feel like I was having a gentle shower inside a giant bathroom. I jerked when I made a quick dip of my feet in the icy stream. “Yea rs ago when we were hunting wild boars, we would soak the meat in the natural pool and pick it up three days later. It would still be fresh. It’s like placing it in the freezer,” Liplip said. He sa id he had f irst seen Daday Falls during his elementary years. But they could not go down because there was no trail then. “Only a few of us from Dado have already visited the falls because aside from its difficult trail, they are scared of the Moro rebels,” he added.

Four-wheel drive Since we needed to reach our original destination before dark, we had to head back to the village. To get a better traction, I decided to climb back ba refoot . I qu ipped to Nonoy: “Crawl up, this is a four-wheel drive already.” Going down was already tough, but going up proved tougher. We had to literally use both our hands and feet on our way up the steep trail. We got to the top after a grueling 45-minute climb, exhausted but elated to have seen the other hidden treasure of Dado. Future destination Dado Barangay Kagawad Marlowe Estella, chair of the committee on tourism, said Daday Falls is not yet fully developed as a tourist destination like Asik-asik Falls. He added they have not discussed it with the local leaders. “We can’t blame them if they don’t just easily allow anyone to come and see the falls. They are mad at those who disguised themselves as tourists but had some bad intentions such as treasure hunting,” he explained. But hopefully, Estella s a id , D ad ay Fa l l s w i l l become one of t he top destinations in Alamada.

AirAsia Zest opens Boracay Island Transfer Service

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irAsia Zest passengers bound for Boracay Island fr aom K alibo International Airport may now enjoy affordable, convenient and seamless connection t hr oug h Is l a n d Tr a n s f er Service of AirAsia Zest in partnership with Southwest Tours (Boracay) Incorporated. The new service provides exclusive land and ferr y transfers for AirAsia Zest passengers arriving at Kalibo International Airport directly to their hotel without the hassles

Tickets now sold on board AirAsia Zest flights

of long queues and irregular public transits. Boracay Island Transfer Service is now available on board AirAsia Zest flights between Manila and Kalibo for only P520 one way, per person. Upon arrival to the airport, an air-conditioned bus will bring passengers to Caticlan Jettyport so they may embark on a ferry ride to the island where a vehicle is ready to bring them to their respective hotels located in stations one, two and three only. Additional

charges, however, shall apply for hotels located outside these stations. Joy Caneba, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of AirAsia Zest said, “Planning a trip to Boracay via AirAsia Zest is now easier and enjoyable. As soon as our guests hop off from the comfort of our Airbus A320s at the airport they would be able to reach their hotel’s front door with ease via comfortable buses and modern fast crafts of our most trusted local one-

stop transportation partner, Southwest Tours.” Cedric Sazon, President of Southwest Tours (Boracay) Incorporated remarked, “Our partnership with AirAsia Zest is part of our continued effort to promote Boracay as a worldclass destination, through the airline’s vast regional net work, more and more tourists especially those from China, South Korea and Malaysia will now have an easy and hassle-free access to the island.”

AirAsia, the world’s best low cost airline recently announced it will start direct flight s connec ting Kuala Lumpur to Kalibo, Philippines on 18 th A pr il 2014 wi th new 4x weekly route every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. AirAsia Zest has the most number of flights to and from Kalibo International Airport, the gateway to Bor ac ay, with flights from Manila, S ou t h Kor e a and China . T h e a ir l i n e a l s o s e r v e s

domestic destinations of Puerto Princesa (Palawan), Cebu, Davao, Tacloban and Tagbilaran in the Philippines with international points in Asia including China and South Korea from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Manila and Cebu. Find out more about AirAsia Zest’s exciting destinations and promo fare announcements via Facebook (facebook / airasiaphilippines) and Twitter (twitter.com/airasiaph).

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further to the southwest of Mindanao. The ADB made an earlier study in 2011 on the Borneo grid interconnection, but only involved linking the powersupply systems of Sarawak in the Malaysian side to West Kalimantan in the Indonesian side “to improve on the reliability of the electrical supply in West Kalimantan and reducing the reliance on existing and proposed power generation based on fossil-fuel sources.” The cross-border interconnection include issues on land acquisition and the need to conduct an initial environmental examination. The BIMP-EAGA was instrumental in generating wider acceptance of a possible creation of an Asean power grid with the ongoing interconnection of the Sarawak and West Kalimantan areas. Rome o Monteneg ro, director of the public affairs and investments, said the BIMP-EAGA assessment has favorably endorsed the Philippines’s request of including Mindanao in a wider interconnection. If approved and implemented, the proposal may prove to fastest and easiest solution to Mindanao’s energy problem, which has to scrounge from all sources, including embedded powers from companies and generators, to stave off longer blackouts.

follow-up milk and other food commodities. It also aims to conduct a three-month long Mother’s Class for mothers of malnourished children and to provide hands-on training on food preparation techniques, livelihood training and food production, as well as backyard and community garden for household and community consumption. The ordinance was reviewed and endorsed by the committees on health and s anit at ion chaire d by Councilor Dante Pajo, on finance and ways and means chaired by Councilor President D. Elipe and on laws and rules chaired by Councilor Ramon G. Tabor. Elipe calls for review of 2003 local tax code.

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innovations in decisionmaking and implementation in roads development,” she said. Eupeña also said that the reform agenda of the project has been developed such as Digital Roads Database Map; Provincial Road Investment Coordinating Committee (PRICCOM) and Coordinated Road Investments. “In order to greatly promote coordinated road investment in the province, t he SC CI is prop osing a C oordinating Road Investments Development

square meters (sq.m.),” Jose T. Sio, SMIC executive vicepresident and chief financial officer, had said. SM Group -- through SM Prime Holdings, Inc. -- operates 48 malls across the country and five malls in China. SMIC’s profit climbed 14.4% to P26.299 billion in the nine months ending September last year from P22.98 billion in 2012. Revenues rose 15.4% to P 1 8 3 . 0 8 6 bi l l i on f rom P158.674 billion, while cost and expenses grew 12% to P146.506 billion from P127.565 billion.

Philex... from page 4

He a d d e d t h at “ w e are pleased to fulfill our commitment to the rehabilitation of TSF3 and are grateful for the confidence of our shareholders, employees and other stakeholders who have stayed with us on our path to recovery.” Au s t i n s a i d P h i l e x continues to eye strategic growth and expansion in the medium term by optimizing

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(CRID) which includes creation of roads database for Siargao Island municipalities, coordinating road investment planning system (CRIPS) and enhancement of roads database with Global Positioning System (GPS),” Eupeña added.

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production from existing assets, exploring possible partnerships on exploration projects and pursuing valueadding acquisitions to boost aggregate output as well as financial and operating performance. Gold produced by Philex in 2013 increased 40 percent to 99,802 ounces, which delivered 13 percent higher revenues to P5.58 billion despite the 21 percent drop in realized gold price to US$1,297 per ounce. S i m i l a r l y, c o p p e r production rose 46 percent last year to 32,495,443 pounds and contributed P4.58 billion in revenues amid lower realized prices for copper at US$3.27 per pound. On t he ot her hand, revenues from silver, coal, petroleum and others, which comprised the remaining 3 percent of total revenues, were slightly lower at P300.4 million from P325.6 million in 2012. However, consolidated operating costs and expenses jumped 42 percent in 2013 to P7.48 billion, due primarily to higher operating days and amortization for remediation and rehabilitation costs. Other charges, on the other hand, declined to P1.25 billion in 2013 from P3.19 billion the previous year as a result of lower provisions. Major provisions in 2013 were made for the impairment loss on available for sale (AFS) financial assets related to the Company’s investments in listed mining shares. With the C ompany’s return to profitability, the Board of Directors also approved the declaration of cash dividends amounting to 5.0 centavos per share to shareholders of record as of March 12, 2014, payable on March 26, 2014. EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT AMONG HEIRS WITH SALE Notice is hereby given that the intestate estate of the late MARIA WYNIE Y. CREBILLO,who died intestate on July 29,2012 in the Cagayan de Oro City, left A PARCEL OF LAND (Lot 6591-F,Psd-10-034568),being a portion of Lot 6591,Cad-237 CADASTRE,situated in the Barrio Iponan,Cagayan de Oro City, containing an area of SIX HUNDRED FIFTY (650) METERS,more or less,covered by TCT No. 137-2011004856,is the subject of extra-judicial settlement among heirs with sale under the notary public of QUINTILIANITO S. BABARIN,JR. As per Doc. No. 137;Page No.28;Book No. 74 series of 2013. BWM: Feb.17, 24 & March 3, 2014

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

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Peace... from page 1

Moreover, Domingo has joined President Benigno Aquino III in a two-day state visit in Malaysia together with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, and Mindanao Development Authority C hair p ers on Luwa l hat i Antonino. The Bangsamoro peace deal is one of the topics that will be discussed by Aquino in his stay in Malaysia. T h e p u b l i c s e c t o r ’s economic leaders are also expected to discuss stronger bilateral trade with the neighbor country. (PNA)

Analysis... from page 1

funding to sustain the delivery of water services. Many cities and municipalities in the Philippines cannot adequately supply the daily water requirement for their populations. It has to partner with the private sector like Manila Water of the Manny Pangilinan Group for North of Manila and the Ayala Waters for the concession South of Manila. In the island of Mindanao when the Davao City Water District (DCWD) was established in Februar y 13, 1974, one year after the Local Water Utilities Act of 1973 took effect; the firm has about 130,000 active domestic, commercial and industrial connections. Forty one years have elapsed and Davao City became the third highly u r b an i z e d C it y of t h e Philippines with a population of over 2 Million at night time and 2.4 Million at daytime. The latest statistics of NSO in the 2010 census reveals that the city has a population growth of 5.59% per annum yet the water supply has not grown progressively to meet the demand. D av a o C it y has t he best quality of water in the Philippines coming from Dumoy District in Toril. It has been augmented with a miniscule production well number 2, located in Barangay Lubogan, Toril which was only commissioned in April 24, 2013 to generate 3,900 cubic meters per day to accommodate additional 3,000 service connections. Only 60 percent of the total populations of Davao City are reached by the DCWD service. Water shortage in Davao City set an alarming stage when a Mindanao wide power outage occurred on February 27, 2014. Many pumping stations suffered technical problems in building the pressure to supply t he delivery lines. It has not recovered until Sunday and may require maintenance

and upgrading of the main valves. According to Engr. Edwin V. Regalado, Acting General Manager of DCWD, the bidding for the design and construction of the Cabantian Production Well No. 1 at a cost of P33 Million has already been awarded. This shows long before the Mindanao power outage last week that there has been already an assessment to add and develop new sources for ground water in the light of the shortage experience upon the opening of the big malls in the city: Ayala Abreeza in Bajada, Robinson and the new SM Premier in the former 45 hectares Lanang Golf and Country Club which was acquired by SM Land. These are multilevel buildings with huge commercial areas catering to thousands of shoppers daily. Hotels and new high rise condominium buildings and BPO headquarters compound the inadequacy of water in Davao City which have experienced rationing and scheduling of water supplies over the past months. As summer approaches and the marketing of the City as the hottest convention destination today in the Philippines with thousands of visitors expected, Davao City will go dry.

Outlook... from page 1

Since it started operating in the Luzon Grid in June 2006, with the Visayas Grid integrated into the electricity market in December 2010, the WESM has been attaining the EPIRA objective: “To ensure transparent and reasonable prices of electricity in a regime of free and fair competition and full public accountability to achieve greater operational and economic efficiency and enhance the competitiveness of Philippine products in the global market”. In recent years, average prices at the WESM were often lower than the prices of bilateral contracts between generators and distributors. The low prices in the WESM, however, could not translate into significantly lower rates for end-use customers because generation from the WESM constitutes only a small proportion of the total generation in the LuzonVisayas Grid. The pr ice spi kes in the electricity market in November-December 2013 were an anomaly that could have been avoided if the PEMC, the operator of the WESM, were diligent in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities. Now let us look into what David Tan has said about the WESM and the facts about the electricity market in the Philippines. 1. “The WESM is a large bureaucracy and its inner workings are hard to figure out and hence ‘nontransparent’. The trading rules were set by the ‘power participants’ and dominated by power generators. The WESM has

11

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failed the consumers because of a faulty structure, a lack of true safeguards for the public and opportunistic market practices of participants.” Only non-participation in a course in WESM-101 could excuse the misunderstanding of the WESM evident in the quoted words of David Tan. But he became president of the Philippine Independent Power Producers Association (PIPPA), and could not have become such if his knowledge of electricity markets were not at graduate school level. I am sure that the current president of the PIPPA, Mike Aboitiz, will disclaim absolutely the foregoing statement of David Tan if it were attributed to him. The WESM is governed by rules administered by a bureaucracy, a small one (not large as David Tan claims), and the rules are contained in a document of 181 pages originally that is available to anyone who wants to read the rules. Regardless of how they were set, the rules have been working properly most of the time since the start of the WESM seven years ago. The WESM Rules contain adequate safeguards to protect the consuming public against unreasonable prices in the market. If, despite the safeguards, unreasonable price spikes occur, then the blame should be placed not on the WESM, but on the PEMC for not implementing the safeguards in the rules. 2. “ T h e ‘ m a r k e t clearing’ price system where suppliers are even paid higher than their bid prices is patently anti-consumer. The theory is that there will be so much power supply on the WESM that the marketclearing price will drop, as if the power generators, a close-knit group, will invest to oversupply the market and shoot themselves in the feet. (Duh!)” There is nothing anticonsumer in t he Pr ice Determination Methodology (PDM) of the WESM, in which the price of power in a trading interval is the highest accepted bid in that interval. That is simply the operating logic of a competitive market. It has been working in all t he ele c t r icity markets throughout the world to keep the prices of electricity lower than would have occurred in monopolistic regimes where the costs of producing bulk power are not subsidized. The theory governing competitive markets for commodities is that when there is more supply than demand, the sellers will price their products low enough to be among those bought by consumers. This theory has been working in all electricity markets throughout the world. It will fail in the Philippine WESM only if there is collusion among the generating companies. 3. “Sadly, at the time the Philippines was so determined to deregulate its power sector in 2000 and 2001, deregulation was

already failing in California. And we did not even pause to find out why and learn the pitfalls.” D eregu l at ion of t he wholesale electricity spot market in California failed because the electric power supply situation in California at that time was not appropriate for the introduction of a competitive market. (Following the same pr i n c ip l e , t h e Int e r i m Mindanao Electricity Market (IMEM) was bound to fail because conditions in the electric power industry are not appropriate for introducing a WESM in Mindanao.) But deregulation has succeeded in all the other states of the U.S. where deregulation was carried out. The participants in the formulation of the WESM Rules studied the California power crisis, and determined that the final Rules would be all right, provided that the basic condition for the existence of a competitive electricity market would continue to prevail: power supply significantly exceeds demand, there are many sellers, and there are many buyers. The designers of the Philippine WESM have been proven correct. David Celeste Tan is wrong in his opinions about the WESM. (Editor’s note: David A. Tauli is President of the Mindanao Coalition of Power Consumers. He is a former Sr. Vice President of the Cagayan Electric Power & Light Co. or CEPALCO)

Crisis... from page 1

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) where he can better tend to his constituents in disaster-struck Leyte. Unfortunately, Mindanao’s power woes will get worse because the DOE under Sec. Petilla is bent on implementing the Interim Mindanao Electricity Market (IMEM), a clone of the dreaded Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in Luzon that caused power rates to spike last November and December, making Meralco seek a P4.15 power rate hike in December and another P5.33 hike in January. Worse than WESM, which operates in Luzon’s limited power supply, IMEM will be operating in Mindanao where there is an acute power shortage. This will definitely lead to even higher prices, with power generators having a heyday manipulating the spot market. If IMEM is allowed to continue operating, the same WESM schemes like high clearing prices and automatic pass through charges will be experienced by electricity consumers all over Mindanao, leading to higher rates. Already, Mindanao’s electric cooperatives are up in arms over IMEM’s more than P200 million in excess billing from Nov. 26-Dec. 25, where it charged the cooperatives for electricity that allegedly was neither ordered nor delivered. The ECs have refused to pay said charges and are poised to ask the Courts to declare IMEM illegal. The IMEM is managed by the Philippine Electric Market Corporation (PEMC), the same agency that oversees the WESM.

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