BusinessWeek Mindanao (May 29, 2020)

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Briefly Force majeure RURAL power utilities are asking the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to ease their obligations under power contracts entered into with generating companies, while promising to provide consumers relief from bill payments as ordered.

The Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (Philreca) asked the ERC Wednesday to issue a new advisory allowing electric cooperatives to invoke force majeure clauses in their power supply agreements (PSA).

“As par t of our advocacy to provide affordable access to electricity, Philreca asks the indulgence of the Regulators as we appeal again the issue on Prompt Payment Discounts, minimum energy off-take, fix charges, and ‘force majeure’ provisions for the issuance of guidelines or advisory for the benefit of the memberconsumer-owners (MCO),” Philreca Executive Director Janeene D. Colingan said in a statement.

Returning OFWs HEEDING the directive of the national Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID), the local government unit (LGU) said it already has fo r m u l a t e d g u i d e l i n e s a n d protocols in accepting Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) as well as locally-stranded individuals (LSIs).

By establishing city patient care centers or isolation units as early as February, Mayor Oscar Moreno said Wednesday the city government is in better shape to handle the influx of stranded residents.

Moreno said the local gover nment anticipated the influx of returning city residents and started preparing quarantine facilities and equipment since the start of the coronavirus disease crisis.

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Lending firms ordered to give reliefs to borrowers F

Thank you for trusting us!

By MARK FRANCISCO, Reporter

INANCIAL and lending institutions in Northern Mindanao have been directed to provide their borrowers more time to settle their loan obligations during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) period, the local office of the Securities and Exchange Commission in Cagayan de Oro said yesterday.

The directive is contained in an advisory issued by the regulatory commission on May 20 reminding financing and lending companies

THEY’RE BACK! Sidewalk vendors are making a comeback in Malaybalay City after it slid from enhanced community quarantine to a less restrictive general community quarantine. mindanews photo taken 24 may 2020 by h . marcos c . mordeno

Holcim restarts operations LEADING cement manufacturer Holcim Philippines, Inc. has restarted manufacturing and logistics operations with stronger health and safety controls in all its sites nationwide after pausing cement production in

compliance with government quarantine measures against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The company started to reopen its plants and terminals in La Union, Bulacan, Manila, Batangas,

and Davao following the easing by national and local governments of quarantines that started in the second half of March.

Holcim’s plant in Lugait, Misamis Oriental sustained HOLCIM/PAGE 7

throughout the country to strictly comply with Section 4(aa) of Republic Act No. 11469, or the Bayanihan LENDING/PAGE 7

Incentives for companies supporting anti-Covid measures pushed

By CHE PALICTE, PNA

DAVAO City – Mayor Sara Z. Duterte has asked the City Council to approve a measure that seeks to grant incentives an d re l i e f t o bu s i n e s s

establishments supporting the city government's response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

MEASURES/PAGE 7

Agusan Sur frontliners relax with aromatic steam bath

By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN, Contributing Editor

PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur---Frontliners and health workers in this province can now rejuvenate and detoxify their tired bodies after 24-

hour duty at the hot steam bath chambers available at the Provincial COVID-19 Task Force Emergency Operation Center and at the provincial

hospital here.

Gov. Santiago Cane, Jr. initiated the setting up of the steam bath rooms as a step ahead to protect the protectors, citing the RELAX/PAGE 5

Engineer Roderico Cane shows the equipment of the pneumatic boiler he made for the use of therapeutic steam bath chambers. chris v. panganiban

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Local 2 DA-10, CMU launch hybrid rice derby, technology demo for rice productivity M Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776

FRIDAY|MAY 29, 2020

USUAN, MARAMAG, Bukidnon— The Department of Agriculture (DA)-10, in partnership with Central Mindanao University (CMU) and nine seed companies, launched the 50 hectares hybrid rice derby and technology demo in Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon to boost rice productivity to attain rice sufficiency.

DA-10 Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado and CMU President Jose Antonio G. Derije led the event in support to DA’s Plant, Plant, Plant Program or Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing

Sapat (ALPAS) Kontra sa COVID-19 program.

“The hybrid rice derby and techno demo aims to increase national agrifishery output through intensified use of quality seeds, appropriate inputs, and modern technologies to increase levels of productivity across all commodities to ensure food productivity, availability, accessibility, and affordability amidst the threat of COVID-19 pandemic,” Collado said.

He further explained that through DA’s Rice Resiliency Project (RRP), a quick response measure that addresses food security concerns amid

the pandemic focuses to intensify campaign for the adoption of hybrid rice technology among local farmers, which intends to produce more rice to increase the national sufficiency level from 87 percent to 93 percent.

Region 10 targeted for 94 percent sufficiency level, a 12 percent increase from its preceding year target with various mitigating programs implemented to boost rice production.

Collado further shared that the project pursues to convince farmers to plant hybrid rice by showcasing the best farming technologies and practices

through the collective efforts of DA, CMU, PLGU, and the private sector.

CMU president Derije acknowledged the strengthened partnership between CMU and DA in the agricultural development of the university.

The techno demo will demonstrate the effect of various planting approaches that include mechanical, manual, and direct seeding to yield using top hybrid rice varieties provided by participating companies.

This will cover 45 hectares, giving each seed company five hectares, to be planted with their most leading varieties using their own cultural practices protocol.

The remaining five hectares will be utilized for the one common

protocol for all cultural practices, which will be adopted to all entry varieties.

DA-10 will provide machinery and equipment units, while seed companies will provide fertilizers, seeds, and labor in each farming activity, including

technical assistance.

CMU will handle the preparation of the techno demo area.

Through the best farming practices, farmers can feasibly adopt technologies to increase their efficiency and productivity. (DA10/ PIA10)

Camiguin now allows livestock, poultry shipment CAMIGUIN—The Provincial Government of Camiguin through the Executive Order No. 26 Series of 2020 now lifts the prohibition in the shipping of livestock and poultry effective May 19.

Gov. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo said shipment out of the province of livestock and poultry including their meat,

meat products and by products are now allowed as livestock and poultry farmers are clamoring and appealing to the LGU to allow them to sell their animals to traders from the mainland.

“Farmers say such traders are offering comparatively higher farm gate cost than the locals. Thus, it is deemed necessary and appropriate to consider the clamor and appeal of the farmers to help them sustain their livelihood,” Romualdo said.

Through Executive Order No. 13, Series of 2020, shipping of livestock and poultry was prohibited to sustain the food supply in the province to sufficiency level.

On May 16, the province was declared under General Community Quarantine, which means that movement of cargos, especially food products, are allowed into the island.

Thus, the food supply is believed to be back to sufficient level. (RTP/ PIA10)

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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FRIDAY|MAY 29, 2020

Ford Launches the New Everest Sport

F

ORD Philippines recently held the digital launch of the new Ford Everest Sport as it continues to expand its SUV portfolio with the addition of a new variant in its Ford Everest line-up.

The new Everest Sport features an enhanced design and a host of driver-assist technologies that will help widen the appeal of the Ford Everest among customers who appreciate the vehicle’s versatility, safety, and capability.

“The new Everest Sport supports the Everest’s position as one of the safest and most capable SUVs in the market today,” shares PK Umashankar, managing director, Ford Philippines. “We are confident that the new Ford Everest Sport will set another standard for mid-size SUVs in the market with its design and technology that match various needs and lifestyles.”

The new Everest Sport is powered by a 2.0L Turbo Diesel Engine which offers 180PS of power and

420Nm of torque and is matched with Ford’s latest 10-speed automatic transmission with SelectShift™ – helping to deliver better acceleration, fuel efficiency, and smoothness across on-road and off-road environments.

The latest Everest variant is a standout on the road with unique black body exterior accents such as a new mesh grille design, an embossed EVEREST hood badge at the front, gloss black painted wheels and exterior mirrors on the side, black tailgate applique in the rear and a‘SPORT’ decal on the liftgate. LED projector headlamps, daytime running lights and 20inch alloy wheels also come standard in the new Everest Sport.

Inside its spacious cabin, the new Everest Sport features a unique blue stitching accent around the steering wheel, dashboard, seats, center, console, and door trims delivering a sporty premium feel. Adding value to the Sport is a standard leather seat with 8-way power driver

seat function, smart keyless entry with push button start, and a power liftgate with handsfreefunction.

For entertainment and connectivity, it is equipped with an 8-inch LCD Touchscreen, Sync® 3with Apple Carplay and Android Auto Connectivity, two USB ports, and 10 speakers.

The new Everest Sport also boasts of segmentleading features for optimal driver comfort, convenience, and safety

which include Cruise Control, Electronic Power Assist Steering (EPAS), Rear View Camera, Rear Parking Sensors, and Electronic Stability Control with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), and Roll StabilityControl. Adding to all these are seven (7) airbags including side, curtain, and driver knee airbags.

The new Everest Sport is available at a starting

retail price of P1,868,000 and will be available in all Ford dealerships nationwide starting May 22, 2020. Customers who will reserve the new Everest Sport on or before May 31, 2020 will get a free 3-year scheduled service plan.

It comes in four (4) colors: Absolute Black, Aluminum Metallic, Arctic White, and Deep Crystal Blue, a new color variant available to the Ford Everest and is exclusive to the new

Everest Sport.

Ford also introduced new feature upgrades to its Everest Titanium series to make the driving experience safer and more convenient for its customers. The Everest 2.0L Bi-Turbo Titanium+ 4×4 AT and Everest 2.0L Turbo Titanium 4×2 AT now come with LED projector headlamps, with the addition of high-mount USB feature for the 4×4 variant with no price increase.

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Opinion

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ORLAN R. RAVANERA In expressing opinion, it is always done in prose. This time for a change, let me do it in poetry as the outpourings of words do not just come from the mind but direct from the heart. This gives more credence to that adage in the Little Prince that “it is only through the heart that one can see clearly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

That supreme force in the Universe called love beacons

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Member: Philippine Press Institute Oro Chamber

Favorite child Think a minute . . .

Throughout histor y the hopes of a family often depended on the son.

Parents and daughters would sacrifice to help the son succeed. Nearly 200 years ago a family in Yorkshire, England had three daughters and only one son, Branwell.

Branwell was considered the family’s smartest child.

At a young age he showed amazing talent for art and literature. His drawings and paintings, along with his poetry and other writings, promised him and his family a bright future.

For years, Branwell’s three sisters worked and saved money to help their brother get the education and job experiences he needed to reach his great potential. But repeatedly, Branwell wasted the opportunities that his sisters worked so hard to give him.

Even when their brother became a drug addict and alcoholic, his sisters still continued working to help him succeed. Sadly, to this day Branwell’s paintings and writings remain unknown.

It appeared that his sisters’

THINK A MINUTE

all of us in the cooperative movement to exemplify the spirit of oneness irrespective of color, creed or class during these most trying times.

It now behooves upon us to shed-off our apathy, unlike that frog that was boiled-up to death because it cannot detect temperature changes.

You know that experiment in Biology 101? It runs something like this.

You take a frog and put it in a pot of cold water. Put the pot on a stove and turn it on to start boiling. As the water in the pot gradually heats up, you tell the frog to jump, to save itself, but the frog, if it can talk, will just say, “what is it that you are talking about, nothing is wrong, am ok.” So, it will just sit there until it is boiled up to death.

In the past, we were just like that frog in many ways. We lost our forest and

mega-diversity, we acted as if nothing was wrong. We lost our seas and rivers and all of our ecological integrity, we just didn’t mind. This time, our very life is at stake and the unseen enemy has already wrought so much havoc on our lives and economy.

Today, we cannot afford to lose even that most essential value in life, peace and unity, otherwise, we will lost everything. We now take heed of the many sufferings visited upon our people and we now declare that enough is enough, even through this simple poem: Let Thousands Coops Bloom & Millions Hearts Content for Unity Against COVID-19 Oh beloved Philippines, where ecological wealth abounds!

S o rich in fisheries, agriculture, forests and mines, Where beauties do not

end at the shorelines, But in the Filipinos’ courageous hearts and minds.

There, in the land of the brave and the free, Amidst nature bounties lies hunger and poverty; Why a few with so much to enjoy?

Yet the many with too little or nothing at all!

Each shapes the country we hold dear, Behooving upon us to shed-off apathy and fear.

Now listen to the cries of the multitude, Hear what they agonize in their solitude: “Oh, give me food, be it burnt or stale, It kills the fire in my stomach, In exchange, take whatever you like, BLOOM/PAGE 7

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Let thousands cooperatives bloom as countervailing force

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JUN LEDESMA OU R t wo ai r l i n e f i r ms are crash landing and we passengers are in them.

This, on account of the pandemic which hit the tourism industry and air travel right on the solar plexus. Sad and worrisome.

T h e i n i t i a l re a c t i o n was to seek government subsidy but the government is already heavily saddled with financial problems as it has to grapple with social amelioration outreach

programs to help the marginalized cope with the horrendous problems that we, like other countries, are beset with.

Airline companies have to think out of the box and, like what is happening today in every home, PAL and CebuPac should make adjustments in order to survive. These two companies after all are not the sole business of the owners. They are among our progressive zaibatsus and transporting their own products to various points in the country will keep them partly afloat.

The challenge is survival and maybe with a l itt l e prof it . PA L for example can convert half of its passenger space for cargo. But they have to reduce their freight charges by at least 40%, after all, isn’t it t hat t he cost of

oil had crashed ahead of other industries? We all remember that each time t he oi l pr i c e s i nche d a bit our airline companies would make it a reason to increase their rate by the fe et. Or, have you e ver wondered why it is cheaper to fly from Manila to Hong Ko n g a n d M a c au t h a n f rom Davao to Manila?

Just asking to prick the conscience of Lucio Tan and Lance Gokongwei.

With more cargo space, PA L a n d C e b u Pa c c a n m ov e p e r i s h a b l e i t e m s from the provinces to Metro Manila where the huge consumer market is.

Vegetable and root crops, fruits, fish, and processed meat from saying Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Jolo, and C ot ab ato c an t he n be sold fresh in the wet markets and groceries in

Metro Manila. This will help vegetable farmers, f isher men, hog rais ers, and fruit growers sell their products on a sustainable basis and be encouraged to increase their production.

PA L a n d C e b u P a c can later take an active part with Sen. Bong Go’s Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa (PB2). If among those thousands of PB2 beneficiaries are would be vegetable, fruit growers, hog raisers, and fishermen will become productive then this is one part of the important transport infrastructures that are already in place.

The key here is for the airline firms to moderate their freight charges.

F l att e n y ou r r at e s a n d income on freight a bit within the reach of farmers and you can arrive on time and not land in the Pacific.

Wealth can destroy your family JHAN TIAFAU HURST many years of labor and devotion to their brother’s dreams were wasted.

But during all those years, while they were working to financially support their brother, in their spare time at night by candlelight, his sisters themselves tried to do their own writing and live up to their brother’s ability. But unlike their brother, they succeeded! In fact, all three sisters wrote famous books. Anne wrote the novel, Agnes Gray; Emily was the author of the classic, Wuthering Heights; and Charlotte wrote the famous Jane Eyre. Anne, Emily, and Charlotte Bronte.

It is terribly wrong and FAVORITE/PAGE 7

All business owners, meaning anyone who owns anything of value that will be passed on to the next generation have the potential to destroy t h e i r f am i l i e s t h rou g h poorly planned and unclear s u c c e s s i on an d we a lt h transition process. And it is never enough to seal family harmony when you require your children to regularly troop to your home every Sunday for lunch or dinner together with their spouses, regale you with their stories, while you playfully amuse yourself listening to your grandchildren’s out of tune song and dance number.

Despite this entire founder initiated-gatherings meant to instill sibling unity, no family is immune to the dangers that wealth can generate. As a family governance advisor doing the rounds in Asia, I still get a front row seat when offspring relationships

erupt into a bitter fight after the death of their parents with the added benefit of lawyers fanning the flames in disputes over poorly and hastily crafted succession arrangements left by the parents.

I want to share t he unfortunate story of the Chadha brothers of India. An incident happened sometime in November 2012 pitting two brothers who were embroiled in a bitter property dispute after their father, Kulwant Chadha died without clarifying ownership and succession issues amongst the children.

Accompanied by their bodyguards, the siblings led by liquor baron, property magnate and eldest son Ponty was seen arguing with younger brother Hardeep over their inheritance. Both were obsessed about a particular farmhouse that their father

had left to Hardeep.

Ponty had contributed hugely to the family business and believed he deserved the property. Hardeep felt that he had not only been bequeathed the farmhouse by his father, but that the overall deal on his father’s estate was unfairly distributed, giving him less than what he believed was his rightful share.

A source said that Hardeep had phoned a media friend earlier that morning and told him that “he was going to finally settle the dispute with Ponty today”. Cops claimed that both sides had “planned in advance to settle scores.’’

The confrontation ended with Ponty dying in a hail of bullets at the hands of his own brother Hardeep.

This led to an exchange of gunfire between the two sides with Hardeep subsequently killed by one of Ponty’s police escort.

PROF. ENRIQUE SORIANO For a family reported to have assets worth more than US$10 Billion, it would be hard to imagine that Ponty and Hardeep’s father had ever dreamed that his sons would die in a gun battle over an irrelevant asset one day. Beyond the subject asset in dispute, the conflict emanated from unclear distribution of ownership, poorly crafted transfer of power, sibling rivalry, past WEALTH/PAGE 7

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Hazard pay sa hospital frontliners, gipagawas na GISUGDAN na niadtong miaging semana ang pag-apod apod sa kapitolyo probinsyal sa Misamis Oriental sa hazard pay sa tanang empleyado sa walo ka Misamis Oriental Provincial Hospital (MOPH) sa Talisayan, Manticao, Magsaysay, Initao, Gingoog City, Claveria, Balingasag, ug Alubijid.

Hinay-hinay nang nakadawat ang hospital frontliners sama sa health workers,

Relax... from page 1

frontliners at the different checkpoints of the provincial boundaries of Agusan del Sur and health workers at the D.O. Plaza Memorial Hospital (DOPMH).

Frontliners and health workers from the Rural Health Units of the 13 towns and Bayugan City of the province can also use the steam bath therapy facilities.

The facility can accommodate at least 8 persons per chamber.

He said the initiative has been inspired by the experience of Interior and

nurses, medical staff, ug doctors, kinsa maoy anaa sa unang linya sa pakigbatok sa coronavirus disease 2019.

Padayon pa gihapon karong panahona ang pag-apod apod sa dugang suholan sa nasangpit nga frontliners, kinsa padayon pa gihapon karon sa pakigbisog nga magpabiling “zeroconfirmed case” ang Misamis Oriental sa nagpositibo sa COVID-19.

Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año who revealed that it was the traditional steam therapy that helped rid the COVID disease from his body system.

A ñ o h a s re p or t e d ly used traditional remedies like inhaling steam from boiling water and gargling with salted water although there is no evidence that steam therapy can kill the coronavirus or that salty water can prevent respiratory diseases, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

“With fingers crossed, we hope this can help,” the

governor said.

Cane’s younger sibling, Engineer Roderico Cane, offered his award-wining invention, a innovative pn e u m at i c b oi l e r t h at produces steam for the d i s i n f e c t a nt c h a m b e r s separately available for female and male frontliners and health workers.

Roderico recommended the lacing of a lemon grass essential oil on the conical steam chimney of the steam rooms of which he said its aromatic smell will help relax the human body and remove its toxins. “ There’s no harmful effect of the lemon grass

essential oil since this is a food supplement,” Roderico said.

The pneumatic boiler he invented won first place in the Mindanao Inventors Conference and Exhibits in 2009. The boiler uses rice hull as its fuel is an efficient machine which boil water in just two hours in contrast to the traditional LPG-fueled boiler which takes four to six hours of heating.

The steam bath chambers at the Emergency Operation Center and DOPMH however used the LPG fuel since it could produce steam towards the chambers for only two minutes.

The rice hull-fueled pneumatic boiler has been used by Roderico’s Joy Tablesauce Company in Butuan City which mainly produce banana ketchup and food supplements such as lemongrass capsule and hydrosol.

Roderico , a mechanical and industrial engineer, made the rice hull powered pneumat ic b oi ler af ter realizing that the company spent P90,000 a month for the LPG consumption because of the long period of time that will be needed before getting to its boiling temperature.

With his invention, the company lowered its fuel

cost by 90 percent while productivity increased by 30 percent.

Burnt rice hulls can be also used as carbonated hulls which is a good soil conditioner to make vegetable plants grow healthier.

A l r e a d y, R o d e r i c o’s machine was fabricated by a cooperative in Bohol pro du c i n g t h e f am ou s Calamay, a sticky sweet delicacy made of coconut milk, brown sugar, and ground glutinous rice. It can also be flavored with margarine, peanut butter, or vanilla. Kalamay can be eaten alone or can be used as a bread sandwich.

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Friday|May 29, 2020

75th Cagayan Liberation Anniversary Feature

Dodong's soap opera

By CELINE MARIE B. ITCHON

F

ILOMENO “Dodong” Avanceña Bautista Jr. was 14 and a second year high school student when the war broke out between Japan and the United States on Dec. 8, 1941.

At Misamis Oriental High School that Monday morning, as he stood waiting for the flag ceremony to begin, students and teachers seemed lost and disoriented.

He noticed that people were saying goodbye to one another, acting as if they would not meet again.

He kept hearing about the surprise bombing by the Japanese of the US naval facility at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and the subsequent bombing of American installations in the Philippines.

“We were all told to go home and join our families,” Dodong recalled.

But members of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, of whom he was one, were told to wear their uniforms and help in various civic activities, like directing traffic in what was then formally known as Cagayan, Misamis.

Soon Cagayan, the capital of Misamis Oriental, was involved in the war. Citizens

TOP WINNER. Itchon is flanked by second-placer Dayta (left) and third-placer Lopez (PDI Photo)

volunteered as peace officers, air raid wardens and coast watchers. By then the army and police were preparing for the Japanese invasion.

All business establishments in the vibrant commercial hub of Misamis Oriental closed shop. Except for civilian volunteers, no one was allowed on the streets.

Heads of families scrambled to procure food supplies and essential items for their households in preparation for evacuation to rural areas.

“There were two activities that were prevalent during that time—profiteering and evacuation,” Dodong said.

Panic gripped the citizenry of the town.

The government ordered nightly blackouts. Army trucks and commandeered

Filomeno A. Bautista Jr., battalion adjutant (left) with Jose Gorra of Lagonglong, battalion commander at MOGCHS 1946 during Preparatory Military Training (PMT) photo courtesy of bong itchon

buses rumbled in the darkness as the military mobilized.

Private vehicles were also commandeered by the authorities. Establishments owned by the Japanese in Cagayan were looted and closed, their owners arrested by the authorities.

Within a few weeks, order and stability in Cagayan were gone. Many families had left and moved to the rural areas.

Dodong’s father also decided that it would be safer for his family to leave Cagayan. In May 1942, the family moved to their farm, some 10 kilometers away from the town center of Balingasag, also in Misamis Oriental (46 km from Cagayan).

The family stayed on the farm for several months until an indigenous tribe, the Magahat, forced them to move to the town proper for their safety. A few days before, they had heard that a family that sought refuge in a rural area not far from where they were had been massacred by the Magahat.

In Balingasag, Dodong would come into contact

Dodong Bautista and his apo Celine Itchon. (PDI)

for the first time with Japanese soldiers, an encounter he would never forget. By this time, the US Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) had been largely subdued.

The first Japanese soldiers to arrive in Balingasag were part of Task Force for the Pacification Group. They were headed by Captain Okumura, an Englishspeaking, US-educated officer.

Dodong remembered him as looking dignified and possessing a very strong personality.

The task force was accompanied by Filipino USAFFFE officers, led by Capt. Jesus Yamut.

At about the same time, a guerrilla group was forming in the area. The less than a hundred armed fighters were headed by

USAFFE officers Captains Clyde M. Abbott and Pedro Collado.

The guerrillas would later meet the Pacification team of Okumura and two Japanese soldiers. They tried to arrest the Japanese but Okumura resisted and attempted to evade capture by hiding inside the Santa Rita parish church in Balingasag.

Guerrillas gathered outside the church and soon there was an exchange of gunfire.

The Japanese were outnumbered but the old church was as strong as a fortress.

The guerrilla officers decided to burn down the church to flush out the Japanese, despite the objections of Fr. Clement Risarcher, SJ, the parish priest.

As the church burned,

Dodong Bautista’s Boy Scout Troop sometime in 1941. Dodong is the rightmost scout in the first row. Fernando Ablaza is the flag bearer in the front center. Reuben Canoy is to his right. Misamis Oriental Provincial High School Principal Mr. Salas is at the center of the 3rd Row and to his right is Scout Master Segundo Salas. (photo courtesy of Bong Itchon)

Okumura and his men went up to the belfry.

Dodong, who lived very near the church, saw Okumura and his companions jump out of the burning church and try to hide behind an acacia tree. But the guerrillas repeatedly fired at them and all three were killed.

“Captain Okumura’s life ended on top of a wheelbarrow… where he was mutilated,” said Dodong.

The guerrillas, it seemed, did not plan to take the enemies as prisoners of war.

Remembering war’s cruelty, Dodong seemed to understand why Filipinos acted in this manner: “Brutality is always the consequence of injustice.

Whenever a Filipino family was affected or a member of the family was killed by the Japanese, you would always look for an opportunity to hit back.

There was no such thing as forgiveness—it was more about vengeance.”

Dodong’s father, Filomeno M. Bautista Sr., fearing reprisal from the enemy garrisoned in Cagayan, decided to move his family from Balingasag to the next municipality, Lagonglong. Here they would stay until the country’s liberation from the Japanese.

Dodong said their stay in Lagonglong was generally peaceful, interrupted occasionally

by Japanese patrols near DODONG/PAGE 7

7

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

FRIDAY|MAY 29, 2020

Favorite... from page 4

destructive when parents have a favorite child. But thankfully and amazingly, every one of God’s children is His favorite! That is the kind of perfect, unlimited love God has for His kids.

He always loves each of His children fully and equally.

Wo n’t y o u a s k t h e perfect Father to become your father? Today you can become His child—if you sincerely ask Him to forgive you for your wrong heart and living? Then ask Him to take full charge of your character and way of living each and every day for the rest of your life. That is the only way you can have the awesome privilege, peace, and joy of being His favorite child. Just think a minute .

We now must unite, other wise we all fall in demise.

My firm salute to the cooperatives nation-wide for showing kindness, love and compassion during these most difficult times. Indeed, the compassion showed by the cooperatives in providing food, medicine, relief goods and funding the personnel protective equipment of the Front Liners shines through amidst the darkness caused by the pandemic. To the kindred spirit, our firm salute and warm embrace from the Cooperative Development Authority! Talaga po naman, “sa kadiliman ng gabi, may naglalamay sa pagdating ng bagong umaga!” Tuloy po ang laban. Sa kooperatibismo, walng iwanan at walang maiiwan!

Wealth...

Dodong...

hurts, betrayal and perceived unfair inheritance. It was apparent that the father failed to address the brewing issues of the children that led to the bloody conflict.

The Chadha brothers’ s e n s e l e s s d e at h c o u l d have been avoided if the father prepared a thorough su c c e ss i on an d we a lt h transition plan covering 3 to 5 years earlier. There is no doubt that families of the warring Chadha branches and the relationships in the succeeding generations have been shattered.

Like most founders, owners have the tendency to focus more on wealth generation over preservation and set aside subdued emotional issues of family members.

This apathetic mindset by the father exacerbated the already volatile relationship amongst the Chadha siblings and his death effectively ignited the flames. Ominously, it was a disaster waiting to happen.

As one relative said, “Is it God’s Will? Both brothers had an amazing life but suddenly everything fell like a house of cards.”

the coastline.

Wartime business With their almost idyllic situation, the family attended to its economic needs.

Dodong’s father, who was a government scholar at the Philippine School of Arts and Trade (now Technological University of the Philippines) in Manila, tried making laundry soap.

The essential household item was no longer commercially available, so there was quite a demand for the product. But the ingredients they needed were no longer available.

“The most important ingredient was lime (apog) and it had to be made near the beach,” Dodong said.

Limestone or coral had to be gathered near the seashore, then burned in a process similar to making charcoal to extract the lime.

Dodong found an old woman who lived near the beach and manufactured lime. Fearing they would be spotted by Japanese patrols if they met near the beach, Dodong and the old woman transacted business without meeting face to face.

The old woman would leave the lime powder at a designated place for him to collect and he would leave the payment by one of the posts of the old woman’s hut.

It was all a matter of trusting each other to keep his/her end of the bargain.

Reflecting on this relationship later, he expressed his eternal gratitude to the old woman whose name he never even knew. Because of her help, Dodong’s family was able to make quality homemade laundry soap that they sold or bartered for fish, meat, root crops and bananas.

The cottage industr y sustained the family until the liberation in 1945.

S ome 68 years after the country was liberated, Dodong’s memories of the war remained vivid, his experiences unforgotten.

He said the war had its good and bad points.

Although he witnessed cruelty many times during

from page 4

Bloom... from page 4

I could surrender my freedom or life for food, With little food, I can start the day before sunrise.

I can shake out the knotted hair of the stormy sea.

Love, sadness, thought, I set at nothing.

I will give all for food.”

Empowerment of the poor & the oppressed the solution, Let us dismantle structures of social exclusion for the Balik Probinsya,, Put the people in the mainstream of progress na may Bagong Pag-asa, Let us wage coop revolution for social justice & peace.

SHALOM, let us embrace one another in the spirit of oneness, A million coop voices to illuminate darkness, For we are all waves of one sea and leaves of one tree,

from page 6

the war, he also saw several positive things.

He said the war strengthened the people’s faith in God. He also found that those who had least in life had the biggest hearts, sharing their meager resources with whoever was in need.

Dodong, who turned 87 on May 26, is my maternal grandfather. I am one of his 14 grandchildren from his six children.

(First prize winner Celine Marie B. Itchon was a senior high school student at St. Mary’s High School in Cagayan de Oro when she wrote this stor y in 2013. She was mentored by her dad, Eduardo S. Itchon Jr., who happened to be her teacher. Our grateful thanks and appreciation to Mr. Mike Villa-Real of Philippine Veterans Bank and Ms. Bianca Kasilag-Macahilig for graciously permitting us to republish this gem in commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of Cagayan’s Liberation on May 12, 1945)

Lending... from page 1

to Heal As One Act, its implementing rules and regulations (IRR), and other applicable laws, rules and regulations.

S ection 4(aa) of the Bayanihan Act provides the President the power to implement a minimum 30day grace period for the payment of all loans while the countr y battles the COVID-19 pandemic.

O n Apr i l 1 , t he Department of Finance issued the IRR directing all lenders, including those under the supervision of the SEC, to apply an initial 30-day grace period to all loans with principal and/or interest falling due during the ECQ period.

The initial 30-day grace period shall automatically be extended if the ECQ period is extended by the President pursuant to his emergency powers.

“I would like to encourage everyone to report financing and lending companies who are still asking for payments to all principal loans and amortizations despite the directive provided by the Commission in response to this pandemic” SEC-Cagayan de Oro Director Atty. Renato V. Egypto said in a statement.

Accordingly, all financing companies, lending companies and microfinance N G O s s h a l l app l y t h e mandatory grace period to all loans with principal and/or interest falling due between 17 March 2020 and 31 May 2020.

On May 6, meanwhile, t he Inte r- Age nc y Ta sk Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases issued Resolution No. 33, S eries of 2020 directing all banks, quasibanks, financing companies, lending companies, and other financial institutions to count the grace period from the respective due dates of qualified loans or until such time that the community quarantine is

lifted, whichever is longer.

Under the IRR, all covered institutions shall not impose interest on interest, fees and other charges to future payments or amortizations.

Borrowers may also pay the interest accrued during the grace period on a staggered basis over the remaining life of the loan.

The SEC-CDOEO directs all complainants to submit their reports through the following guidelines below: • C omp l e t e l y an d a c c u r at e ly f i l l - out t h e prescribed complaint form which can b e access ed through this link: http:// www.sec.gov.ph/lendingcompanies-and-financingcompanies/complaints/ • Attach your proof or evidence to support your complaint (e.g. screenshots of text messages/emails of the lending institution seeking for payments) • Submit one complaint form per respondent company • Provide one (1) government-issued ID. C omplaints can be submitted through this email: cgfd_md@sec.gov.ph. For walk-in clients, SEC-CDOEO will accept reports and will submit them to the designated departments for actions.

All covered institutions are further prohibited from requiring their borrowers to waive the application of the mandatory grace period.

Nonetheless, borrowers may still choose to pay their obligations during the ECQ. Under the Bayanihan Act, refusal to provide thirty-day grace period shall be punishable with imprisonment of two months or a fine of not less than P10,000 but not more than P1 million or both, at the discretion of the court.

“A n y v i o l a t i o n o r noncompliance shall be dealt with to the full extent of the law,” the SEC warned, noting that it is currently investigating financing and lending companies that allegedly refuse to comply with the Bayanihan Act, its IRR and other applicable laws, rules and regulations.

“We are in one with all the people in Northern Mindanao and the Caraga Region as our areas of responsibility to warn and impose appropriate legal actions to these lending and financing companies who do not follow such directives” Atty. Egypto added.

Measures... from page 1

In an i nt e r v i e w on Tuesday, Mayor Sara said her office already submitted the proposal to the 18th City Council, asking the legislative body to craft an ordinance providing for incentives and relief to mitigate the adverse economic effect of Covid-19 in the city.

Under the proposal, lessors waiving the rental fees for their lessees can have a deduction of an amount to their gross sales receipt provided that there is a duly notarized certificate from the lessee as proof of the waiver.

Business establishments

that are assigned as quarantine facilities are also covered in the proposed ordinance.

“If you are a lessor and waive the rental fee to your lessee we, in the city government deduct from your gross sales receipt.

Also, those establishments that allowed to be used as a quarantine facility, the gross sales receipt less the aforementioned deductible amount shall be the basis of your business taxes,” Duterte said.

She said the monetary value of donations made to the city government as an aid to Covid-19 may also be deducted to the gross sales receipt of a business establishment to lessen payable business tax.

On the other hand, the City Council has passed an ordinance "extending the deadlines of payment for the second quarterly installment of business tax, first quarterly installment of real property tax and additional levy on real property for the Special Education Fund and rental fee for March to June 2020 for public markets, Davao City Overland Transport Terminal, Sta. Ana Port, Magsaysay, and Pasalubong center to June 30.”

The city also waived the interests, penalties, and surcharges incurred for nonpayment of all local taxes, fees, charges, and fines which fall due during the community quarantine and enhanced community quarantine under Ordinance No. 0257-20. (PNA)

Holcim... from page 1

operations to support customers and construction activity in North Mindanao during this period.

In a statement Tuesday, Holcim Philippines president and chief executive officer John Stull said the company has completed health and safety controls against Covid-19 to protect its people and partners at its sites in line with government guidelines and best practices of global building materials leader LafargeHolcim Group.

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING & REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No.10, Apovel, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City BAGONG LIPUNAN TRANSIT INC. Rep. by: BERNARD TIMOTHY O. MORENO

CASE NO. R10-EV-PUB 2020-04-1113 (2005-10-725)

NOTICE OF HEARING

APPLICANT(s)/ PETITIONER(s) request/s authority to Extend the Validity of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate PUB SERVICE on the line: CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY TO GINGOOG CITY and vice versa with the use of THIRTY SIX (36) unit/s.

This application/petition shall be considered by this Board on June 8, 2020 at 3:00 P.M. at this board on which date Applicant(s)/Petitioner(s) shall formally submit his/her/their evidence.

The Applicant(s)/Petitioner(s) shall publish said notice at least TEN (10) DAYS prior to the date of hearing once in a newspaper of local circulation.

Party(s) opposed to the approval/granting of the application/petition must file his/her/their written opposition with supporting documents, unless this Board deems it necessary to require additional documentary evidence and/or his/her/ their oral testimony(s).

N.B. FAILURE TO APPEAR AT THE SCHEDULED DATE AND TIME OF HEARING SHALL MEAN THE DISMISSAL OF THE APPLICATION/PETITION.

WITNESS, AMINODEN D. GURO, Regional Director, LTFRB-Region X, this 26th day of May 2020 at Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

(Sgd.) ATTY. MOHAMAD FAHDEL S. PIMPING HEARING OFFICER BWM: May 29, 2020

Stull said the company continues to closely monitor Covid-19 developments and will comply with health authorities’ guidance on the matter.

“We are ready to continue suppor ting our par tners nationwide as they build impor tant str uctures and contribute to reinvigorating the economy. Holcim Philippines is determined to ensure the wellbeing of our people, communities, and business partners in our operations consistent with our core value of health and safety.

Our company is also ready to share our expertise in this area to government and private sector partners to further contribute to the recovery efforts,” he added.

Stull said the company’s facilities are in good condition and ready to ramp up operations to provide reliable supply as building and economic activity recovers.

During the Covid-19 quarantines, Holcim Philippines installed new health facilities and rolled out safety protocols focused on social distancing, proper sanitation and hygiene, and health monitoring at its sites.

The company also extended assistance to host communities affected by the health crisis. (PR) EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH POWER OF ATTORNEY KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: That the late SAMSON ANGCOS who died on December 29, 2003 in Tubod, Lanao Del Norte, that to the best of our knowledge and information the deceased left no will and no known debts which remain unpaid whatsoever; that the deceased at the time of his death left a parcel of land TCT No. T-26,766 with Lot No. 0-2-B, Psd-10-062090 situated in Tubod, Lanao Del Norte with a land area of 864 square meters, and has been the subject of an EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH POWER OF ATTORNEY, Filed by the heirs of SAMSON ANGCOS, per DOC#130; PAGE #26; BOOK #LI; series of 2019, under the Notarial Registry of ATTY. TEOFREDO C. ROJAS. BWM: May 22, 29 & June 5, 2020

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE OF THE LATE ROBERTO B. CORAMBAO KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: That the late ROBERTO B. CORAMBAO, who died last July 21, 2014 in Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), Capitol Compound, Cagayan de Oro City, Left no Will and Testament and Left no known Debts to any Person, Firm or Entity; that the sadi deceased, at the time of his death, left a Two Storey Building Residential House with all its Improvements Found Therein and more particularly described as follows: Technical Description Covered by Tax Declaration No. G-096789 (BLDG. ONLY) situated in Blk. 35, Lot 6, NHA-Phase II, Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro City, containing an area of 97.92 square meters, more or less and has been the subject of EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE OF THE LATE ROBERTO B. CORAMBAO per DOC #341; PAGE #68; BOOK #XVIII; Series of 2020 under the Notarial Registry of ATTY. EMELITO J. MARQUIÑO. BWM: May 29, June 5 & 12, 2020

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Friday|May 29, 2020

8

Italpinas Development Corporation's new green office soon to open in CDO

I

N ZOOM interview with Ms Gladys Echano, IDC Head of Sales and Marketing announced very soon, IDC’s Office in CDO will be transferred to its new office to Citta Verde, the Primavera City phase 1.

Primavera City is the second ecofriendly mixed-use complex developed

by IDC in CDO. The project follows the company’s flagship Primavera Residences, also located in CDO. Citta’ Verde, almost completed, will be followed by Citta’ Bella, currently under construction, and by Citta’ Grande and Citta’ Alta that will both be developed in the next years in UpTown CDO. All phases have underground parking, ground floor commercial spaces, 2nd and 3rd floors offices, residential units till 11th floor and amenities on the rooftop.

Primavera City is in the process to receive the Green Building certificate issued by EDGE, the green building rating system developed by IFC (International Finance Corporation) a member of the World

Bank Group.

An Healthy Office The design of the new IDC office has been conceptualized to reduce contact between employees and clients in order to maintain the “social distance” requested nowadays. This, together with the strict implementation of other safety measures, will make the new IDC’s office ready to contrast the spread of the Covid 19 virus and to ensure the wellbeing of customers and workers.

A Green Office Among various solutions, the workstations have been separated from the adjacent hallway by a filter consisting of a line of planters filled with indoor plants Those plants placed all along the main corridor will help to: reduce stress, increase

system.

To avoid direct solar radiations, glare and overheating, an overhanging slab serves as a shading device, reducing the cooling load and enhancing the quality of the light and the space.

To have an energyefficient lighting The red circles shows the lack of distance between workstations (avoided in IDC office) : proximity of workers at office desks - Right layout (green circles): alternating system, the lights workstations and empty spaces to have a safe distance have been placed optimizing the is a key goal and we A state of the art productivity, clean the distance between have been anticipating light-source and area connectivity air and boost creativity and implementing The office is thus providing major to be lit, providing this to guarantee work a more productive wired with the statepositive benefits without interruption of-the-art Internet to employees and atmosphere. and to provide the best The new IDC connection. customers. service to our clients.

Fiber optic cables Another ecooffice’s designers’ Same connectivity with a Special friendly solution was goals was to create specs will be delivered a “client friendly” Bandwidth up to the use of low VOCs to the residential areas environment and a 100 Mbps, will products to paint the and common spaces of pleasant, elegant and offer an Internet walls to differentiate the building. the various workspaces solution designed to green working space An enhance indoor address the need of and also to give the for the employees. The comfort higher quality, faster interiors a feeling result appears to be an To maximize and more reliable of elegance, while innovative office, most natural light, the south probably the most connection access. creating a vivid façade is fully glazed Being connected contrast between interesting interior with a curtain wall with a fast bandwidth colors. design project in CDO.

To comply with social distancing rules workstations are organized so that workers are far from each other