BusinessWeek Mindanao (November 25, 2013)

MINDANAO DAILY NEWS SECOND SECTION

Monday - November 25, 2013

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DOLE guidelines OROQUIETA City – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has issued the guidelines on the payment of wages for private sector employees due to inclement weather or natural calamities.

The guidelines are spelled out in Labor Advisory No. 10, series of 2013 (LA 10-13), which DOLE Secretary Rosalinda DimapilizBaldoz, signed last Nov. 7, in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda that hit the country, particularly in the Visayan regions.

Thus, Provincial DOLE Director Jose Robles said pursuant to LA 10-13, all private sector employers are advised of the following rules for pay on suspension of work due to typhoon “Yolanda” on Nov. 7 and 8, 2013: If the employee did not work, he/she has no pay, unless there is a favorable company policy, practice or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) granting payment of wages on said day.

Concert-for-a-cause DAVAO City -- A concert-for-a-cause featuring singing stars and music artists with Davao roots is being organized by the association of different Davao tourism officers for the ongoing relief efforts in the Visayas.

The concert dubbed as “One Voice, One Christmas, One Davao.” will be held this coming December 7 at the SMX Lanang in Davao City, the concert will feature music artists such as Wency Cornejo, Yano, Popong Lendero, Maan Chua, Rochelle Venutti and Larvae.

Local musicians and performers from the different provinces of the Davao region will also be performing for the concert.

Wency Cornejo erstwhile vocalist of rock band Afterimage is now based in Davao City, while the band Yano who gained popularity in the 1990s is headlined by co-founder Eric Gancio, a Dabawenyo, Larvae an acrobatic/ contortionist group semi-finalists in season 2 of Pilipinas Got Talent are from Digos City. Popong Landero, Maan Chua and Rochelle Venutti have gained acclaim as Davao City-based musical artists.

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Page B1

P2.98-B energy projects up for ‘host communities’

By MYRNA VELASCO, Contributor

ELECTRIFICATION and development projects for host communities can still be stretched with P2.98 billion

available fund from collections under Energy Regulations 1-94 held under trust by the Department of Energy.

In a report, the energy department indicated that of the total P8.27 billion col lection for t he ‘ host communities benefit trust fund’ since 1995, P5.29 billion

had already been “obligated for the implementation of projects.”

The DOE added “this leaves an available fund at around P2.98 billion.” The

breakdown will be P410 million for electrification; P1.23 billion for development and livelihood programs; and P1.34 billion for reforestation, projects/PAGE B7

WB raises ‘Yolanda’ aid package to $1-B

L

ESS than a week after it approved the $500 million fund to back up relief and rehabilitation efforts for typhoondevastated Visayas region, the World Bank announced it is raising to almost $1 billion its financial aid package, as the toll of death and destruction kept rising more than two weeks after the storm.

The World Bank said it offered $480 million on top of a $500 million emergency loan it committed earlier to the Philippines, with the additional funds to be used for the early rebuilding of communities and crucial infrastructure such as water,

rural roads, schools and clinics.

T he govern ment has started compiling a typhoon reconstruction plan that needs support from Congress, the private sector and donors, a campaign that will likely package/PAGE B7

BIZARRE CAR DISPLAY. A newish car is perched on an island in front of a beautiful building in Tacloban City as if it is on display, but upside down. The car was reportedly washed away by Super Typhoon Yolanda that devastated the city on November 8 this year. mindanews photo by roel n. catoto

Power consumers urged to conserve energy for Visayas MAKESHIFT MARKET. The public market in New Bataan, Compostela Valley Province comes alive every Wednesday as people flock here for market day.

THE Department of Energy (DOE) urges consumers in Luzon as well as in the Visayas to exercise energy efficiency and conservation to be able to provide ample

Mindanao Daily NEWS mindanews photo by ruby thursday more

supply of power particularly in the devastated region after the super-storm caused major damages to its energy facilities.

Since November 8, 2013,

the Visayas grid lost an average of 500-MW with the non-operation of the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Pl a nt . Lu z on i s power/PAGE B7

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B2 Mindanao Daily NEWS northmin . westmin . caraga . davao Your Mindanao-wide Community Newspaper

Editor : Cheng Ordoñez , e-mail- cheng.ordonez@gmail.com

Sans impact of Typhoon Yolanda Q4 business maintain positive outlook for ‘13 MANILA -- Business confidence in the Philippines recovered in t he four t h quarter of 2013 relative to the previous quarter although impact of Typhoon Yolanda was not included.

Results of the business expectation survey (BES)

for the fourth quarter of this year improved to 52.3 percent from 42.8 percent in the previous quarter, data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Friday showed.

The respondents impact/PAGE B6

Economy

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Eastern Petroleum to operate mobile diesel pumping stations in Tacloban MANILA -- Eastern Petroleum will put up mobile diesel pumping stations in Tacloban City next week to augment supply in the province.

“E a s t e r n Pe t r ole u m secured permission to deploy mobi le d iesel pu mpi ng stations to help stabilize price and supply in the city,” Eastern Petroleum Group

Cha i r ma n Fer na ndo L .

Martinez said.

Martinez said the mobile stations “will be installed as soon as proper locations are identified in coordination

with local authorities.”

Each mobile station can be filled with 22,000-25,000 liters of diesel.

“We can sell without diesel/PAGE B6

MANILA -- The country’s export industries need to strengthen their competitive power to fully take advantage

of the opportunities offered by the ASEAN economic integration come 2015.

In line with this, the

annual National Exporters Week will be held on Dec. 2-6, 2013, carrying the theme “Opportunities in Regional

Integration: The Road to Leadership Beyond Asia” that will prepare them for slated/PAGE B6

Nat’l Exporters Week slated on December 2-6

Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) President & Chief Executive Officer Victor Jose I. Luciano (right) personally receives 197 boxes or eight tons of relief goods donated by the Filipino community in Doha, Qatar, for typhoon “Yolanda” victims in the Visayas. (PNA photo courtesy of CIAC-CCO)

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CorporateWorld

Cebu Pacific offers seat sale for Narita, Nagoya THE operator of Cebu Pacific on Friday said it will mount flights to Narita and Nagoya in Japan from Manila by the end of the first quarter of next year.

“Wit h Cebu Pacif ic’s trademark lowest fares, travelers from Japan now have Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka as jump-off points when exploring the Philippines’ world-renowned beach and diving destinations,” said Candice Iyog, Cebu Air Inc (CEB) vice president for marketing and distribution.

“This is very much in line with the government’s tourism agenda, and the airline’s commitment to boost Philippine tourism,” she said in a statement.

“With more f lights to the Philippines, we believe Japan has the potential to be as big as South Korea when it comes to foreign tourist arrivals,” she added.

Gokongwei-owned Cebu Pacific will start the ManilaNarita and -Nagoya flights on March 30. The airline operates thrice weekly flights from Manila to Osaka, and is slated to more than double its f light frequency when it begins f lying daily on December 20.

T he add it iona l fou r weekly f lights translate to a 133 percent seat capacity increase. Cebu Pacific will use its brand-new Airbus A320 fleet for the additional Cebupac/PAGE B6

Megawide eyeing overseas construction projects MEGAWIDE Construction Corp is eyeing overseas construction ventures as part of its plan to export its pre-fabricated construction materials.

“We are talking to some firms also....If we win the bid [for pre-cast materials], then tuloy na sa construction,” Megawide chief information officer Louie B. Ferrer told

repor ters tod ay on t he sidelines of the Top Leaders Forum.

Megawide is gearing up for the sale of pre-cast concrete products to Singapore in the second quarter of 2014 for its maiden venture outside the Philippines.

“For now, Singapore pa lang. We are joining bids in Megawide/PAGE B6

B3

Vista Land harnesses wide reach to help Yolanda victims VISTA Land & Lifescapes, Inc., the f lagship holding firm for the Villar family’s proper t y business, took a d v a nt a ge of it s w id e geographical presence to quickly deliver food, water and other essential relief goods to the victims of super typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban and Ormoc in Leyte.

Former Senator Manny B. Villar, who is also chairman of Vist a L a nd , qu ick ly mobilized the employees of Vista Land’s subsidiary Camella Homes in Cebu to purchase the relief goods in Cebu.

Ca mel la Cebu a lso received cash donations from other Vista Land units to buy food, water, rice, hygiene kits, medicines and other essential items in Cebu, where the goods are repacked before being shipped to Tacloban, Ormoc and other towns devastated by the super typhoon last November 8.

“The strategy enabled Vista Land and its different units to deliver the relief goods to the disaster victims in the soonest time possible,” Villar said.

With its strategy, Vista Land avoided the long delays that hounded the movement

VISTA LAND HASTENS RELIEF OPERATIONS. Employees of Camella Homes in Cebu prepare relief packs containing foods, water, medicines and other essential items for delivery to the victims of super typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban and Ormoc, which are close to Cebu. This strategy enables Camella and other units of Vista Land & Lifescapes to deliver relief goods to the disaster victims faster that if the urgently needed relief was transported from Manila.

of relief goods from Manila to the devastated areas.

For instance, cargo trucks carrying the relief goods from Manila were held by traffic several kilometers long in Sorsogon because of the lack of roll-on-roll-off

ships to ferry the trucks to the ports in Leyte.

“First and foremost, we had to address the immediate needs of people there, like packs of ready-to-eat food and bottled water,” Villar said. “Then, other items were

added to the relief goods as more donations started pouring in from the different divisions of Vista Land.”

The former lawmaker gave assurance that Vista Land would continue its Vista/PAGE B6

B4 Mindanao Daily NEWS northmin . westmin . caraga . davao Your Mindanao-wide Community Newspaper

AgriBusiness

Enough rice supplies assured in Southern Mindanao areas GENERAL Santos City -South Cotabato province and the neighboring areas will have sufficient rice supplies within the next two months despite the onslaught late last month of severe floods in several rice-producing localities in the area.

Ruperto Dollaga, acting provincial agriculture officer, said Friday their monitoring showed that at least 10,366 hectares of palay in the province will be due for harvest by next month and until early January next year.

He said the province’s total palay output during the upcoming harvests is expected to reach 45,375 metric tons.

“This would be enough to cover our rice requirements within the next two months or until the next harvest season,” he said.

Around 600 hectares of palay farmlands in Koronadal City and the municipalities of Banga and Tantangan were earlier devastated due to a series of f lash f loods spawned by passing typhoons and low pressure area.

But Dollaga said there’s no need to worry in terms of rice supplies in the area as most of the affected farms then were still in the planting to early growth stages.

The f loods, which occurred in the last week of October, mainly affected eight farming villages in Tantangan town and several other areas traversed by major rivers in Banga and Koronadal City.

Dollaga said the provincial government has initially released certified palay seeds to the affected farmers to allow them to re-plant immediately.

He said such initiative is supported by the Department of Agriculture in Region 12.

To complement the seed distribution program, he

said their office has released open-pollinated vegetable seeds to local farmers and other interested residents.

As part of the province’s food secu r it y a nd sel fsufficiency program, Dollaga said they are continually providing various support initiatives to sustain the barangay and school-based community gardens. “ We ’r e l o o k i n g a t encouraging more families to grow their own food and not depend much on what are available and can be bought in the local markets,” Dollaga added.(PNA)

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‘Yolanda’ ruins seaweeds worth millions B I E N - U N I D O , B o h o l —T h e f u r y o f Superty phoon Yolanda left a trail of destruction in the multimillion-dollar seaweeds industry in several islands in the northernmost part of Bohol.

Chairman Romel L i br a d o of B a r a n g ay Pinamgo, Jao island, said in an exclusive interview that some 20 hectares of seaweeds of this island, one of the main source of livelihood here, were washed out by the typhoon.

Jao island is about 110 kilometers from Tagbilaran City, the capital of Bohol.

Some of the farms are about to be har vested and some just planted, an islander, who works with seaweed farms, said.

He added that people who

engaged in the industry may find it hard to recover fast from the loan-funded ventures.

Hing utanan island, comprised of barangays East and West Hingutanan, more than an hour by motorized boat from the municipal port, probably had the biggest lose in seaweeds farms. Seaweed fa rmers here sa id t he estimate of losses could exceed P2 million.

A farmer here said the structure used for storing and drying were destroyed by the super typhoon. The same with those (seaweeds) already dried. Recovery may be painful and slow.

As t h is developed , Librado a nd bara ngay captains of Hingutanan, ruins/PAGE B6

DAR turns over P21-M irrigation project to Davao del Sur farmers THE national government has recently turned over P21 million worth of rehabilitated communal irrigation system to farmer-beneficiaries in the municipality of Magsaysay in Davao del Sur. The communal irrigation system will benef it farmers through increased r ice produc t ion i n t wo barangays— San Isidro and

Tacul. The irrigation system can service 250 hectares of agricultural lands in the barangays.

The project, implemented by t he D e p a r t ment of Agrarian Reform under t he Agraria n Reform I n f ra st r uc t u re Suppor t Project (Arisp), is expected to encourage farmers to do business in agriculture,

and contribute to the local economic development of Magsaysay, Arisp National Project Ma nager Crist y Dagdag said.

“With adequate irrigation, the palay production would increase from 80 to 100 cavans per hectare,” Dagdag said.

Dar w in Nasi l la, v ice DAR/PAGE B6

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Mindanao Daily B5 NEWS

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Gov’t advances Eastern Visayas’ IRA to speed up rehabilitation THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will release a total P3.14 billion to Super-typhoon Yolanda-ravaged region of Eastern Visayas before the end of the month to speed up relief and rehabilitation activities.

Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad said on November 22 that the P1.57-billion Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) for D e c emb er of lo c a l government units (LGUs) in Region VIII will be given by the end of the year.

The new release was on top of the earlier P1.57 billion given to the region, bringing total IRA releases this month to P3.14 billion.

Region VIII, a lso known as Eastern Visayas, is composed of the major islands of Samar and Leyte.

The region includes the cities and provinces of Eastern Samar, Northern Samar,

Southern Leyte, Tacloban City, and Biliran. “ T h e e x t r a o rd i n a r y tragedy that Yolanda left in her wake has put many of our affected LGUs in a very difficult position, especially with respect to restoring the delivery of key goods and services to their constituents,” Abad said. “ We a r e , t h e r e f o r e facilitating the early release of funds representing the

December IR A shares of Region VIII, which took the brunt of Yolanda’s force.

At the same time, the DBM continues to work with other agencies on ensuring the continuous provision of quick assistance and relief operations to LGUs affected by the typhoon,” he added.

Abad sa id t hat for November, a total of P3.84 billion has already been IRA/PAGE B6

run from November 25 to December 6, a nd the securities issued on December 12. The issue will carry a maturity of five years and three months.

The LTNCD, which will be priced at 3.5 percent and interest will be paid on a quarterly basis, will be sold for a minimum denomination of P100,000 with increments of P10,000.

HSBC is acting as the sole lead arranger, book runner, and selling agent for the transaction.

LTNCDs are insured by state-run Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp (PDIC) for up to P500,000 and are tax exempt for qualified individuals if held for at least five years.

They are bank products AUB/PAGE B7

AUB backs to capital market; to raise P2-B LTNCD sale MONTHS after its initial pu bl ic of fe r i n g (I P O), Asia United Bank (AUB) has returned to the capital market with a plan to raise P2 billion from the sale of long term negotiable certificates of time deposit (LTNCDs).

In a statement, HSBC said AUB would use the proceeds of the LTNCD sale to strengthen operations.

The offer period will

BSP ready to adjust monetary policy THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is ready to adjust monetary policy to deal with the economic impact from the devastation wrought by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda, the most powerful storm to make landfall in the country in two decades, the central bank governor said.

The BSP is coordinating with government agencies to get firmer numbers on the

damage so that the monetary authority can craft a better response to the crisis, BSP Governor. Amando Tetangco told The Wall Street Journal Tuesday.

Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, has displaced four million people as it ravaged several provinces i n c e nt r a l Ph i l ippi ne s t hat combi ned accou nt for around 12% of gross

domestic product. Latest damage estimates, which only cover infrastructure and agriculture and not homes and other private properties, placed the damage around $230 million.

“Ba sed , however, on the information we have and our experiences from past disasters and relief o p e r a t i o n s , “ Yo l a n d a” BSP/PAGE B7

B6 Mindanao Daily NEWS

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Impact... from page B2

www.johndprovoice.com

at t r ibute d t he posit ive out look to expectations for robust economy in line with the holiday season, the main rice harvest season, and higher need for construction materials for the publicprivate partnership (PPP) projects and the rehabilitation efforts in Bohol.

“The favorable macroeconomic conditions in the country, particularly low inflation and interest rates, a strong peso, higher foreign investment inflows and the steady stream of overseas Filipinos’ remittances also boosted business confidence in the current quarter,” the BSP report said.

On t he ot her ha nd , outlook for the first quarter of 2014 contracted to 40.7 percent from the record-high of 60 percent in the survey done in the third quarter of 2013.

Respondents attributed this to weaker demand after the Christmas Season and impact of issues surrounding the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court (SC) declared as unconstitutional the use of PDAF along with the use of the Malampaya Fund for non-energy related projects.

Relatively, BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said results of the survey did not include the impact of Typhoon Yolanda.

The survey was conducted from October 1 to November 11, 2013.

Ty phoon Yolanda hit Eastern Visayas f rom November 8-9.

Guinigundo said respondents from the areas hit hard by one of the world’s strongest cyclone submitted their survey forms earlier.

“The impact of Typhoon Yolanda may not be fully accounted yet,” he said.

(PNA)

Diesel... from page B2

limit,” Martinez added.

Earlier, Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said more oil companies have re su me d op er at ion s i n Tacloban City.

Some stations are limiting the sale of oil per customer

but Petilla said other stations are allowing vehicle owners to purchase by full tank as supply slowly normalizes.

Meanwhile, Martinez said members of the Independent Ph i l ippi ne Pet roleu m Compa nies Associat ion (IPPCA) have pooled relief goods for victims of Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City.

He said personnel of E a s ter n Pe t roleu m a re currently in Tacloban City to distribute additional relief and food packages. (PNA)

Slated...

from page B2 the challenges facing the single market.

An Export Congress will be held on Dec. 3 where industry stakeholders will d i s c u s s v a r iou s i s s u e s affecting the sector.

Key officials who will sp e a k at t he C ong re s s a r e Tr a d e S e c r e t a r y Gregory Domingo, Trade Undersecretary Ponciano Manalo Jr., Trade Assistant Secretary Ceferino Rodolfo, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, PhilExport President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. and export executives.

Various trade fairs and export sales showcasing Philippine-made products, and forums are scheduled for the week-long event.

These several activities are intended for the exporters, practitioners, government policy makers, trade support institutions, academe and international organizations.

“They will collectively work on preparing Phi lippine ex por ters to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the regional integration while addressing the competitive challenges toward unleashing t he cou nt r y’s economic potential to lead beyond Asia,” said Ortiz-Luis.

The holding of the yearly event is in consonance with Presidential Proclamation 931, series of 1996 which declared the first week of December as the National Exporters Week. (PNA)

CebuPac... from page B3

Japan flights.

To launch its newest international destinations, Cebu Pacific will hold an introductory P2,488 seat sale from November 22 to 24, or until seats last. Travel period is from March 30 to September 30.

Quoted fares are exclusive of government taxes and fuel surcharges. After the seat sale, lowest year-round fares start at P5,499.

Cebu Pacif ic fares to Nagoya and Narita are up to 60 percent lower than other full-service airlines.

“We are proud to offer more low-fare great-value options to and from Japan, for the benefit of leisure and business travelers, as well as overseas Filipino workers based there. We continue f lying to where Filipinos are,” Iyog said.

Aside from Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, CEB offers flights

to 21 other international destinations, namely Bali, Bangkok, Beijing, Brunei, Busan, Dubai, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Incheon (Seou l), Ja kar ta, Kota Kinaba lu, Ku a la Lu mpu r, Mac au , Phu ket, Shanghai, Siem Reap, Singapore, Taipei and Xiamen. It also operates the most extensive network in the Philippines with destinations such as Boracay, Palawan and Coron.

The airline operates a 47-strong fleet of 10 A319s, 27 A320s, two A330s and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. It is one of the most modern aircraft fleets in the world.

Between 2013 and 2021, C ebu Paci f ic w i l l t a ke delivery of 15 more brandnew A320s, 30 A321neo’s, and four A330s.

Megawide... from page B3

Singapore,” Ferrer said.

Megawide raised P2.29 billion from an initial public offering in 2011, mostly to finance the construction of a world-class pre-cast ma nufacturing pla nt in Taytay, Rizal. The factory is operating only at 30 percent capacity.

Megawide expects prefab exports to account for a fifth of sales in the next three years.

The supply of pre-cast concrete products is the latest move of the construction firm to diversify. Starting as a high-rise developer of predom i na nt ly SM Development Corp projects, Megawide has diversified into office and hotel development as well as infrastructure after bagging a long-term government contract to build school buildings.

Megawide’s earnings rose 55 percent to P983.24 million in the first nine months of the year from P633.50 million in the same period last year on higher construction revenues.

Vista...

from page B3 relief efforts as long as there are disaster victims who are unable to support themselves.

Villar is also looking at ways to help in the rebuilding of the communities destroyed

by Yolanda.

A recent study by Colliers International showed that Vista Land has the widest g e o g r a p h i c a l pr e s e nc e among the major players in the real estate industry.

Through its five operating units – Brittany, Crown A si a , C a me l l a Home s , Communities Philippines, and Vista Residences – Vista Land has established presence in 63 towns and cities in 31 provinces throughout the country.

Ruins... from page B4

island barangays of Maomaoa n, Ma ling in, Bi langbi langan Diot, Bilangbilangan Daku and Sagasa separately expressed gratitude to the provincial government for providing the islanders with relief goods.

The Social Economic

Environment Management (SE E M) c lu s t e r of t he Governor’s Office boosted the relief concern as the province’s top priority by dispatching personnel and sacks-full of “food packs” to the families in these islands on Tuesday through Wednesday despite Typhoon Zoraida.

SEEM-GO gave out “food packs” containing kilos of rice, canned goods, noodles and water to thousands of families in these barangays, said Glaiza Nopalla, who headed t he tea m of 18 personnel to actually visit the islands.

The barangay governments of these islands also put up counterpart food packs as additional provisions for the island folk.

In a separate interview, Mayor Nino Rey Boniel said he is very thankful for the provincia l government’s assistance in these times of calamity.

The mayor said he directed some of his personnel to assist the SEEM work force to distribute the food packs.

DAR... from page B4

chairman of the San IsidroTacul Irrigator’s Association, said, “We hope to contribute in bolstering the status of the municipality of Magsaysay as the province’s rice granary, as well as to promote our distinct product called San Isidro Rice.”

DAR Assistant Regional Director Vince Mandap adv ised t he fa r mers to ma i nta i n a nd keep t he irrigation system in good condition.

IRA...

from page B5

released to Regions VI, VII — with releases of P1.79 billion and P2.05 billion, respectively — representing the regions’ IRA share for this month.

The funds will be used to deliver basic social services, which includes support for relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts in the regions’ 16 provinces, 39 cities, 369 municipalities, and 11, 441 barangays.

“Our DBM Regional Offices (DBM-ROs) are working ‘round the clock to facilitate the swift release of IRA shares to other regions affected by Yolanda, despite present difficulties in communications and operations in the area,” Abad said.

“However, we can guarantee that enough funds will be made available to our local governments so they can strengthen their respective post-calamity activities and ensure that basic services and goods are still being provided to their constituents,” the budget chief added.

The recent IRA releases to Yolanda-affected regions are on top of the P25.3 billion in government savings (P12.58 billion), the President’s Social Fund (P6.4 billion), Quick Relief Funds (P4.19 billion), Calamity Funds (P1.28 billion), and Contingency Funds (P824 million) that are still available for mobilizing disaster relief efforts in typhoon-stricken regions.

Mindanao Daily B7 NEWS

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Projects... from page B1

watershed management, health and/or environment enhancement projects.

ER 1-94 is a n ed ic t established in the 1990s to prov ide b ene f it s to communities hosting power projects – it was then the height of the independent power producers’ (IPP) entry into the Philippine power sector.

U n d e r t h e p o l i c y, generation companies or energy resource developers are mandated to set aside one-centavo per kilowatt hour of their electricity sales as financial benefit for the host communities.

So far, the most publicized and tangible social impact of that course of action had been electrification of host communities.

The beneficiaries, the a genc y a d d e d , a l re a dy reached 1,254 as of the 1st quarter of 2013.

From November 2012 until April this year, the department said it approved P196.55 million for 153 electrification projects for sitios within Metro Manila and the provinces of Rizal, Bulacan, Quezon, Laguna, Batangas, Pangasinan, Cebu, Davao del Sur, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Sulu and Tawi-tawi.

The non-electrification initiatives cornered funding of P129.82 million and these included day care centers, school bui ldings, street lights, road construction or concreting, reforestation, water system, health centers and solid waste management projects.

Approvals of projects are upon the endorsement of local government units (LGUs) and the distribution utilities servicing the beneficiaryareas. Fund releases will be done upon submission of complete bidding documents and a bank certificate for an account or trust fund that will be exclusively opened for the ER 1-94 projects.

“The project funds are transferred through a bankto-bank transaction,” the energ y depa r t ment ha s emphasized.

Package... from page B1

shape the legacy of President Benigno Aquino, who is facing the region’s most daunting rebuilding task since the 2004 Asian tsunami.

On Saturday, the national disaster agency said the death toll from Haiyan had risen to 5,235 from 5,209, with more than 1,600 still missing and over 4 million displaced people.

Apart from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank also pledged a $523 mi l lion loa n a nd g ra nt package to the Philippines, as foreign governments and international aid agencies com m it te d ab out $3 4 4 million in cash and relief goods.

The government initially estimated the reconstruction cost to reach as much as

$5.8 bi l lion, w it h more t ha n 1 m i l l ion hou s e s totally or partly destroyed and about 23 billion pesos ($524.3 million) worth of damage to agriculture and infrastructure.

Power...

from page B1 expected to share power to t he Visayas t hroug h t he Ormoc-Cabacungan 350kV High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Line, which interconnects the two grids, DOE said in a statement.

On this note, Energ y Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla appeals to power consumers especia lly in Luzon to practice energy efficiency measures amidst the boost in energy demand and consumption during the holiday season.

“Not only will you save on electricity, you are also saving your fellow Filipinos in the Visayas,” Petilla said, adding that “any reduction in demand in Luzon will mean added available capacity to supply the Visayas grid.”

The DOE likewise calls on large power-consuming establishments to reduce electric consumption by executing energy-efficient methods such as lessening the use of air-conditioning and unplugging unnecessary electrical equipment.

Meanwhile, household consumers can contribute to the energy efficiency and conservation efforts, simply by unplugging electrical appliances, turning off the lights when not in use, use of energy efficient technologies, and to cut down use of holiday lights and energyconsuming decors.

The DOE is continuously c o ord i n at i n g w it h t he Nationa l Electrif ication Administration, National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, power generation companies, and distribution utilities to ensure restoration of power supply to major parts of the Visayas before December 24, 2013.

northmin . westmin . caraga . davao Your Mindanao-wide Community Newspaper

end of the 3.0%-5.0% target for 2013. The central bank is projecting inf lation this year to average 3.2% while in 2014 it is forecast at 4.5%, Mr. Tetangco said.

“Ou r ow n r u ns a lso show that 2013 GDP growth could still be within the government’s target range, as rehabilitation efforts could make up for lost production,” said Mr. Tetangco, referring to the gross domestic product growth target of 6.0%-7.0%.

“These show that we may not yet need to adjust interest rate policy settings,” he said.

Mr. Tetangco said the central bank will be watching for “second-round effects” to i nf lat ion a nd g loba l developments to determine if there is a need to adjust policy. “We are ready to

tweak settings as appropriate to ensure we are able to keep prices low and stable,” he said.

The central bank has maintained easy monetary policy to support growth amid uncertainty in the global economy. It has kept overnight rates at record lows of 3.5% for borrowing and 5.5% for lending this year after a series of cuts last year.

E c o n o m i c Pl a n n i n g Secretary Arsenio Balisacan has said that Haiyan could shave off 0.3-0.8 percentage point to growth in the fourth quarter, slowing GDP growth to a range of 4.1%-5.9% after rising in the first half at a 7.6% rate. He said full-year growth should be within the 6.5% to 7% band.

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MANAGEMENT PAHIBALO

Sa Disyembre 6, 2013 sa may 9:00 sa buntag paingon da alas 5:00 sa hapon, ang Tanan nga penirenda nga wala malukat sa bulan sa July 2013 maapil sa subasta.

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AUB... from page B5

with long tenors, usually 5 to 10 years, which are offered to investors looking for a higher interest rate compared to regular savings accounts or shorter-term deposits.

AUB earlier raised P7 billion from its IPO. As of September, its total assets re a c he d P 9 6 .9 bi l l ion , whereas deposits and capital stood at P69.2 billion and P17.9 billion, respectively.

The bank operates 142 branches and expects to expand its branch network to 200 branches by 2014.

BSP...

from page B5

could increase inf lation in November and December.

These increases though are not seen to persist,” Mr. Tetangco said.

Even after rising to 2.9% in October due to the impact of recent typhoons on food prices, inf lation in the first 10 months of the year still averaged 2.8%, at the lower

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

CDO 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

B8 Mindanao Daily NEWS northmin . westmin . caraga . davao Your Mindanao-wide Community Newspaper

Editor : Cheng Ordoñez, E-mail: cheng.ordonez@gmail.com

Environment

monday | November 25, 2013 Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776

Green groups walk out of deadlocked UN climate talks

Upon instruction of DENR Secretary Ramon JP Paje, the Regional Executive Director of DENR-Caraga Nonito M. Tamayo has immediately sent Woodmizers Portable sawmill including four operators to the typhoon-ravaged Tacloban City in Leyte on Monday to help in the lumbering of fallen trees to be used as raw materials needed for the rebuilding of houses of the homeless typhoon victims. (Eric F. Gallego, DENR-13/PIA-Caraga)

WARSAW -- About 800 people from six green g roups on T hu r s d ay walked out of the ongoing United Nations climate ta l ks, as t hey saw no signs of progress towards a new global emissioncutting deal.

T he g re en g roups i nc lu d e G re e np e a c e , WWF, Oxfam, ActionAid, the International Trade Union Confederation and Friends of the Earth.

The walkout came as the two-week conference, which aims to prepare for a g lob a l c l i m ate pact due to be agreed in 2015, a re entering the final days with no signs of achieving any breakthroughs.

“Organizations and movements representing

people from every corner of the earth have decided that the best use of our time is to voluntarily w it hd raw f rom t he Warsaw climate talks,” t he g roups sa id i n a statement.

“The Warsaw climate conference, which should have been an important step in the just transition to a sustainable future, is on track to deliver virtually nothing,” said the statement.

Developed and developi ng cou nt r ies have been deadlocked, in particular, over setting up a mechanism requiring rich countries to pay developing countries for losses suffered due to global warming. (PNA/ Xinhua)

DENR employs 89 Zambo Disaster waste management eyed for ‘Yolanda’-ravaged areas farming-families for M A NIL A – The Nationa l Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) will promote disaster waste management in areas ravaged by supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) this month to help dispose debris there accordingly and address these remains’ impact on the environment as well as on recovery and reconstruction measures.

NSW MC S ec ret a r iat Executive Director Emy Aguinaldo said the agency is a lready coordinating w it h its par tners Asian Development Ba n k a nd World Bank regarding these organizations’ experts who can recommend disaster waste management measures for the typhoon-hit areas. ” We ’ l l r e l a y t h e i r recommendations to LGUs (local government units) concerned,” she said.

She sa id NSWMC is also awaiting results of the ground assessment which agencies are undertaking in the typhoon-hit areas.

Data gathered will help NSWMC map out other ac t ion ondebr is-related concerns there, she noted.

In its 6 a.m. situationer released Friday (Nov. 22), the National Disaster Risk

Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Task Force Clearing and Cleaning reported about 41 percent of total debris i n Ta c l o b a n C i t y h a s been cleared already as of Wednesday (Nov. 20).

Tacloban City is among areas reeling from the fury of Yolanda.

NDRRMC said Yolanda damaged various structures, some one million houses as well as power, water and telecommunication lines there.

Estimated cost of infrastructure and agricultural damage from Yolanda in Regions IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VII, VIII and Caraga already reached some PhP12.65 billion, NDRRMC added.

Department of Interior a nd L oc a l Gover n ment

Secretary Manuel A. Roxas has reported that dump trucks in Tacloban City already made, in the past two weeks, about 2,474 trips hauling debris Yolanda left there.

He noted t he Public Works Depar t ment a nd Metropolita n Ma ni la Development Aut horit y estimated t he dump trucks must make between 4,000 trips to 5,000 trips to rid Tacloban City of all debris from the typhoon’s onslaught.

Republic Act No. 9003 (Ecologica l Solid Waste Management Act of 2000) established NSWMC, an inter-agency body mandated to oversee implementation of solid waste management plans nationwide.

NSWMC also prescribes policies that’ ll help achieve RA 9003’s goal of institutionalizing ecological solid waste management in the country.

Aguinaldo said NSWMC extends to two LGUs per region funds for establishing materials recovery facilities (MRFs) there.

M R Fs a re f a c i l it i e s “ designed to receive,

sor t, process a nd store compostable and recyclable materials efficiently and in an environmentally sound manner,” the Environment department said.

According to Aguinaldo, N S W MC w i l l p r o v i d e funding assistance to LGUs with MRFs that Yolanda damaged. ”We’ll prioritize LGUs with MRFs that the typhoon totally wiped out, however,” she said.

She urged people in the typhoon-hit areas to either re-use or recycle debris around them to help meet t heir needs a nd reduce volume of waste for disposal. ”Some of the debris can be made into charcoal briquettes so people can have fuel for cooking,” she also said.

Charcoal briquetting is a technology the Environment department’s Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau developed to produce env i ron ment-f r iend ly charcoal.

The technology utilizes a ba ndone d biom a s s a s m at er i a l for c h a rc o a lmaking, eliminating need to cut down trees for this purpose. (PNA)

Nat’l Greening Program ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Department of Environment a nd Nat u ra l Resou rces (DENR) has tapped the services of 89 families to undertake tree planting jobs in line with President Benigno Simeon Aquino, III’s National Greening Program (NGP).

The NGP is pursuant to Executive Order No. 26 signed by the President aimed to plant 1.5 billion trees covering about 1.5 million hectares for a period of six years, from 2013 to 2016.

Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Carlito Tuballa said the 89 families are engaged into upland farming and are staying in a government land.

Tuballa said they were contracted to plant 239 hectares of hardwood and rare species of trees like lauaan, bagtikan, tanguile, mahogany, and gemelina; and, 320 hectares of rubber and fruit trees or for a total of 559 hectares.

“Instead of driving them out, the government has program to help them that is they will plant rubber and fruit trees and other indigenous species. The DENR

will provide everything, in fact pay them on what they have accomplished,” Tuballa said.

He said the farmers will not be spending money in undertaking the tree planting jobs except that “they will just have to pay the necessary taxes.”

“The fruits and produce of the (fruit) trees will also be theirs,” he added.

He said that farmers will against be paid after a year for the maintenance and protection of the trees “so they can replant those trees that died.”

He said the continuous tree planting activities is part of the NGP. The lands to be planted w it h trees includes t he fol low ing: forest la nds; mangrove; protected areas; ancestral domains; civil and military reservations; and, urban areas.

The expected outcome of NGP a re as fol lows: increased productivity in the uplands; self sufficiency in wood and agro-forestry products; economic security; and, environmental stability.

(PNA)

Greenpeace protests against Shell’s cooperation with Gazprom THE HAGUE -- Greenpeace activists on Thursday protested against Shell’s cooperation with Russia’s energy company Gazprom and against oil drilling in the Arctic.

“This is the price of Arctic Oil,” read a life-sized banner hung on the Shell building in Rotterdam with a photo of jailed activist Faiza Oulahsen. The latter was released on bail on Wednesday by a court

in St. Petersburg, along with her colleagues in Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise ship.

Greenpeace holds Gazprom pa r t ly responsible for t he prosecution of its activists from the Arctic Sunrise. The activists were detained in September by Russian authorities after protesting on an Arctic oil rig owned by Russian state-controlled firm Gazprom.

“Shell has made connections

with a company that assisted in the violation of human rights,” Greenpeace spokesperson Jelko De Ruijter said. “This business partner of Shell asked the Russian authorities to assist during a peaceful Greenpeace action. Those people were then arrested and could face jail now.”

Meanwhile, Shell spokesperson Wim van de Wiel told Xinhua it was running two successful projects

with Gazprom “and we are very happy about it.”

“We are therefore not going to stop the cooperation. But people can of course disagree. But protest in a safe way. Today that was the case,” he said.

Shell said Thursday’s protests were inappropriate, claiming it had no involvement in the Russian Arctic.

“We have only agreed the

intention for future operations. It is a very broad statement of intent which also covers the polar region.

So we do not exclude anything, but so far we have not done anything in the arctic region,” Van de Wiel said.

However, Greenpeace points out that Shell and Gazprom earlier this year signed a letter of intent to drill for oil in the Arctic.(PNA/ Xinhua)