BusinessWeek Mindanao (November 4, 2013)

MINDANAO DAILY NEWS SECOND SECTION

Monday - November 4, 2013

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Briefly ComValOriginal DAVAO City -- Products as well as ser vices from Compostela Valley now have a distinct identity as the provincial brand dubbed “ComValOriginal” has been officially launched.

T h e b r a n d wa s r e c e n t l y launched during the convocation program held at the provincial capitol in Barangay Cabidianan, Nabunturan.

Provincial Administrator Virgilia S. Allones and Executive Assistant Isabelo Melendres, representing Governor Arturo Uy, unveiled the “ComvalOriginal” logo before a crowd of officials and employees of the provincial government during its weekly convocation.

Depar tment of Trade and Industry-ComVal Program Manager Lawyer Lucky Siegfred Balleque said that a brand indicates the quality and origin of the product or services bearing the brand logo.

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Page 13

Nanding’s yummy native chicken barbeque

By BONG SARMIENTO, MindaNews

TACURONG City -- For locals of Tacurong City in Sultan province who are craving for native chicken, there’s a food house just along the national highway that provides them with the juiciest native chicken barbeque in town.

Nanding’s Lechon Manok and Native Barbeque has become a hit not just among

the locals but also those reg u la rly t ravel i ng t he Koronadal-Isulan-Cotabato or Kor on a d a l-B u lu a nKidapawan highways.

Spiced with the owner’s sec ret i ng red ient s , t he chickens while being grilled over charcoal are basted with margarine, unleashing an aromatic smell that will make one even hungrier

while waiting to be served.

They also have grilled baticulon (gizzard), atay ( l iver) a nd l i- og (ne ck together with the head) at much lower prices.

Aside from its grilled menus, Nanding’s also serves native tinola, adobo and fried chicken.

It also cooks litson manok, but this one is not of native Nanding’s in Tacurong City is a welcome treat for chicken variety although residents and commuters craving for native chicken. mindanews photo by bong s . sarmiento nanding/PAGE 19

ITPI gets new builder for Condo Tower B C

• sees 30% completion for Tower 2 this month

AGAYAN de Oro’s first mover in residentia l condominiums has upgraded to a new contractor and sees a 30 percent completion of its second tower by the end of next month.

Workers’ benefits ZAMBOANGA City – Employees found a dependable friend on the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) as it informs workers of additional employmentrelated c ompensation during the Depar tment of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Talakayan last week.

ECC-9 Information Officer Cerna Ahmad said aside from the regular benefits that employees get from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS) and Philhealth, ECC gives separate benefits for workers under the Employees Compensation Program (ECP).

“To be covered by this, a worker should be a compulsory member of the SSS, except for selfemployed or voluntary members for private sector. Sea-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are also covered here. For government sector, all GSIS members including members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP),” Ahmad said.

12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

“ We a re ple a s e d t o inform you the construction of Primavera Residences Tower B has resumed,” said Architect Romolo V. Nati, Executive Chair and CEO of ITALPINAS Euroasian Design and Eco-Development Corporation (ITPI), owners

and developers of Primavera Residences, in a recent communication to Mario B. Palou, Bank of P.I. Senior Vice President for Corporate Banking.

“Our new contractor, FODC (First Orient itpi/PAGE 19

Efinity to construct 20-MW NSO: Zambo posts highest number of poor children solar power plant in Zambo IT’S no surprise the Moro National Liberation ZAMBOANGA City – It’s all systems go for Enfinity Phi l ippi nes Technolog y Services, Inc. to put up a 20-megawatt (MW) solar power plant wor t h P1.4 billion in this city.

Enfinity president Dennis Chan Ibarra said the power plant will be constructed at the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone and Freeport

Authority in San Ramon, Barangay Talisayan, west of this city.

Ibarra said the Department of Energy (DOE) had already granted them with a service contract to build the solar power plant in this city.

Ibarra said the 20-MW solar energ y may be too Solar/PAGE 19

Front (MNLF) revived a rebellion in Zamboanga if we realize that half of the children in that region belong to poor families -- the worst record anywhere in the Philippines.

Based on its 2011 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said 49 percent of children ages 0-17 and living in Zamboanga Peninsula or Region 9 come from poor families.

To recall, the MNLF attacked Zamboanga City within days of the anniversary of a peace poor/PAGE 19

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CorporateWorld Century Properties, Okada partner for property project Apple’s iPad Air takes off 14 Mindanao Daily NEWS

monday | November 4, 2013

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CENTURY Properties Group, Inc. has partnered with the Philippine affiliate of Japanese gaming magnate Kazuo Okada’s Universal Enter tainment Cor p. to develop luxury residential and retail properties at Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s Entertainment City.

In a statement, Century

Properties said it has signed a memorandum of agreement with Eagle Landholdings Inc. to develop a five-hectare of land within the 44-hectare of site called “Manila Bay Resorts”.

It sa id t hat upon completion, the residential and retail property projects okada/PAGE 18

TOKYO - For one Japanese man, being at the front of a Tokyo queue as the new iPad debuted around the world Friday was his way of saying “thank you” to Apple after a year that turned his life around.

Takaaki Sasaki was one of hundreds who poured into Apple’s flagship store in the glitzy Ginza district as the doors opened on the latest tablet offering from the sector’s agenda-setter.

The launch had little of the razzmatazz of previous iPads or iPhones, w it h potential customers perhaps swayed by a critical reception that was largely positive but dominated by the theme that the iPad Air was no gamechanger.

The worldwide rollout kicked off Down Under, with Apple in Australia saying there were queues outside its stores when the doors opened, with several hundred people reportedly lining up outside its flagship Sydney outlet.

At t he sprawling, three-storey Apple shop in downtown Beijing -- the largest Apple store in Asia -- each customer was greeted with cheers and applause from around 25 employees in bright blue shirts, with a not her doz en workers standing ready to give a second round of applause at the cash registers downstairs.

In Singapore, Edmond Ong, a spokesman for retailer Epicentre, said sales were muted compared with last year’s iPad launch.

“We are not too worried as we still see a steady stream of customers coming in to get the iPad this morning,” he said.

The new iPad Air is thinner than the version it replaces, weighs around 450 grammes (one pound), and is “screaming fast,” Apple vice president Phil Schiller said at the unveiling in San Francisco on October 23.

Apple a lso u nvei led an upgraded iPad Mini, which has a vividly rich retina display along with faster computing power and graphics.

Both new iPads feature the Apple-designed A7 chip with 64-bit “desktop-class architecture”, the company said. The Mini will go on sale later in the month.

Reviewers have generally been positive about t he upg rades, w it h website TechCrunch labelling them “a huge improvement”, while Time said the Air was “so much svelter”.

The new iPad Air is displayed during an Apple event in San Francisco, California October 22, 2013. photo by robert galbraith , reuters

Damon Darlin in the New York Times summed up the feelings of many with a review that lauded the Air’s lower weight, thinner profile and souped up operating system.

But, he said: “I can’t really tell you to replace your old iPad; the improvements on the new one are incremental, not revolutionary.”

However, in Japan, home to perhaps some of Apple’s most enthusiastic fans, the launch had its usual fanfare and tales of people queueing for days.

Kodai Taguchi, a 20-yearold university student, said he has more than a dozen Apple products af ter “queuing every time a new version is

released”.

“As soon as I held the box, I could already tell how light it is,” he said. “I think I like this the most among all my Apples.”

For queue leader Sasaki, the open-air vigil had all been worth it.

“So ma ny m i racles have happened to me this year thanks to my Apple products,” he said.

Tears filled his eyes as he held his iPad Air, surrounded by a clutch of Japanese journalists.

Unemployed Sasaki, who travelled from northern Iwate, said after years of drifting Apple had brought him a run of luck, when he wrote a hit app.

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15 Editor : Neslon Constantino , e-mail- nelconstant@gmail.com

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

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AgriBusiness

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BAS report says rice wastage per household at 225 grams THE average amount of rice spoiled or wasted in every Filipino household was pegged at 225.45 grams, or close to 0.23 kilogram, in 2012, according to the latest report of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS).

I n it s re p or t t it le d “Consumption of Selected Agricultural Commodities in the Philippines-Volume 2,” the Bas said the average amount of rice spoiled or wasted was the highest in Davao region households at 379.15 grams.

Households in the National Capital Region registered the lowest rice wastage at 76.32 grams in 2012.

The attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA) also noted that the average a mount of rice leftovers that were fed to pets or animals last year was estimated at 1,730.8 grams.

Among all regions in the Philippines, households in the Cordillera Administrative Region registered the highest quantity of rice leftovers fed to animals at an average of

4,522.53 grams.

A household in Cagayan Valley walso fed close to 4,000 grams of rice leftover to their pets or animals in 2012, data from the Bas showed.

T he Ph i l ippi ne R ice Research Institute (PhilRice) said in a previous statement t hat t he i s sue on r ic e wastage should be addressed “thoroughly.”

Hazel Antonio, campaign director of the National Year of Rice 2013 (NYR2013), said local government units (LGUs) can take the lead in addressing rice wastage, by making it mandatory for the food-service industry (all canteens, restaurants, fast food and eateries in their respective localities) to have one-half cup of rice serving.

PhilRice, an attached agency under the DA, is the

secretariat of the NYR2013 program, which aims to encourage all Filipinos to be responsible rice consumers (RICEponsible) by eating brown rice and rice mixed with other staples for better health, and by getting rice in small portions to lessen rice wastage.

Antonio said, however, that the ordinance does not aim to cut the rice consumption of Filipinos, since rice is the country’s major source of carbohydrates.

“The proposal to LGUs to make half-cup serving

available basically aims to help reduce rice wastage. It is to give everyone the option or freedom to order what they can only eat to avoid rice leftover,” she added.

The Bas report also noted that rice was predominantly the staple food of 95.74 percent of households in the country, while only 4.13 percent considered corn as their staple food.

T h e r e p or t s h owe d that only 0.13 percent of households reported other staples such as bread, cassava and gabi.

THE PHILIPPINE Coconut Authority (PCA) is seeking bids for “good qua lit y” Arabica and Robusta coffee seedlings in line with the agenc y’s ongoing intercropping program, according to a notice yesterday.

Based on the invitations to bid posted by the PCA, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will use a total approved budget of P73.56 million to purchase Arabica and Robusta coffee seedlings to be distributed in certain provinces.

Bataan, Central Luzon, and Palawan, Mimaropa, will require 250,000 Robusta seedlings for an approved budget of P5.8 million.

Lag una, Ca labarzon, intends to use its approved budget of P1.16 million to

purchase 50,000 Robusta coffee seedlings.

The PCA office in Bicol R e g ion ne e d s 62 5, 0 0 0 Robusta seedlings for P14.12 million and 650,000 Arabica seedlings for P19.11 million, for the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon.

For the operations of the Coconut-Coffee-Based Enterprise Development (COCOBED) projec t i n ARMM, the PCA requires 845,000 Arabica seedlings a nd 455,0 0 0 Robu st a seedlings for the provinces of Ba si la n, L a nao Su r, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. The approved budgets are P9.58 million for the Robusta seedlings and P23.79 million for the Arabica.

“The [COCOBED] Project was conceived to add to the

income of coconut farmers,” Euclides G. Forbes, PCA administrator, said in a phone interview yesterday.

“The coffee seedlings will be used in inter-cropping with the coconut trees.”

Inter-cropping is the practice of planting cash crops such as corn, peanut, mung bean, banana, and coffee between the coconut trees, according to the PCA Web site.

Mr. Forbes explained that as soon as the suppliers for the coffee seedlings are found in November, coconut farmers under the PCA’s Kasaganaan sa Niyugan ay Kaunlaran ng Bayan (KAANIB) Project will start planting these.

The coffee produce and subsequent profit will go to the individual coconut farmers.

KAANIB is a sustainable liveli hood prog ra m for

t he coconut fa rmi ng communities.

Since February 2013, the P300-million COCOBED project has seen coconut farmers plant coffee seedlings as the agency aims for 7 million coffee seedlings to be planted by year-end.

However, Mr. Forbes clarified that the PCA’s goal may increase given that this is part of the National Coconut Productivity Program.

The PCA head announced that the COCOBED project will continue next year and awaits Senate approval of its P60-million budget for 2014.

Based on PCA data, as of 2011, 3.562 million hectares are allotted to coconut trees, and these comprise 26% of the total agricultural land. Out of 79 provinces, 68 are coconut areas with 1,195 co conut-g row i ng municipalities.

PCA seeks coffee seedlings

Senate urged to probe impact of BIR policy on sugar industry A SENATOR is c a l l i ng for a Senate inquiry on a new revenue policy, which stakeholders fear would kill the sugar industry.

Sen. Teofisto Guingona III has f iled Senate Resolution 299 directing the Senate Ways and Means Committee to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the effects of Bureau of Internal Revenue Regulation 13 -2 013 o n t h e s u g a r industry.

The new revenue policy—opposed by groups from the sugar industry— redefined raw sugar and removed its value-added tax exemptions, with the exception of muscovado

sugar.

“Groups from the sugar industry are opposing this new tax coverage, saying it will kill the industry by increasing the production cost of domest ic suga r.

Industry representatives claim that the tax harms the competitiveness of the local sugar industry and, consequently, threatens the jobs of its farmers and other workers,” Guingona said.

He said t hat in v iew of the Asean Free Trade Agreement tariff cuts in 2015, “There is a need to evaluate this new revenue policy against the evidence and insights of industry experts to determine its

effect on the industry.”

“In deter m i n i ng t he necessity of the revenue measure, the risk imposed on the industry and the jobs that depend upon it must be seriously considered,” Guingona said.

The senator said t he Phi lippine Constitution “emphasizes that economic policies must be designed to make Filipino industries competitive in both the domestic and international market.”

He cited A r t icle 12 , Section 1 of the Constitution, which states, “The State shall propose industrialization and full employment based on s ou nd a g r ic u lt u r a l

development and agrarian reform, through industries that make full and efficient use of human and natural resources, a nd which are competitive in bot h domest ic a nd foreign markets.”

T h e R u r a l Pl a nt e r s Association Inc., Northern Negros Planters Association Inc., Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations, United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines Inc. and the Nat iona l Federat ion of Sugar Producers f i led a petition with the Regional Trial Court in Cadiz seeking to declare the revenue policy unconstitutional.

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Banking&Finance

Mindanao Daily 17 NEWS northmin . westmin . caraga . davao Your Mindanao-wide Community Newspaper

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Gov’t subsidies plunge nearly 50%

SUBSIDIES for government WATERSTATIONS SUPERMARKET ow n e d a nd c ont r o l le d corporations dropped by Visit our website : almost half in September.

Data from the Bureau www.bluewaters.ph FREE COMPACT MULTIMEDIA 15K (FOR SELECTED PACKAGES ONLY) of Treasur y showed t he E-mail us: government spent P1.64 contact@bluewaters.ph (SUBJECT TO CREDIT APPROVAL) bi l lion for GOCCs, t he bulk of that going to the BLUEWATERS ws SUPERMARKET INC. Stainless Body Nationa l Electrif ication ROOM 203 OCTOARTS BLDG. II, 108 PANAY  US and European Standards Administration. This was AVE., BRGY. SOUTH TRIANGLE, QC AVE., Q.C.  Wall Hung, Compact and Space Saver 47% lower than the P3.1 (minimum of 8 Sq. Meters) CONTACT NUMBERS: billion in the same month  30 Years Of Water Purification Experience (02) 775-5010 , (02) 227-3538 , last year.  Nationwide Installations (0906) 329-0640 / (0999) 650-3354 I n S e p t e m b e r, t h e  Free Technical, Sales, Marketing and Operational Training (0933) 374-6845 gover n ment ex tended P531 million in financial aid to NEA. The Socia l COMPACT MULTIMEDIA Security System (SSS) and OTHER PACKAGES: Philippine Deposit Insurance SOLO REVERSE OSMOSIS Corporation (PDIC) also PHP 98,000 received state subsidies OFFICES: QUEZON CITY, MANDALUYONG, CALAMBA LAGUNA, BACOLOD NEGROS, DAVAO CITY, of P481 million and P314 3 IN 1 RIVERSE OSMOSIS, CEBU CITY,ANGELES CITY PAMPANGA, ILOILO CITY million, respectively.

MINERAL AND ALKALINE** SOON TO OPEN: URDANETA PANGASINAN. Other recipients of state (PHP 148,000) CAGAYAN DE ORO OFFICE: UNIT 6, GRANVIA SUITES, GREANVIA ST. (BESIDE SM CDO) MASTERSON AVENUE UPPER subsidies in September wereBRANCH CDO MAIN BRANCH CARMEN, CAGAYANDIVISORIA DE ORO CITY. P & Lim Bldg., Tiano Brothers Atty. Erasmo B. Damasing Bldg., the Center for JInternational *FOR SELECTED PACKAGES Kalambagohan Sts., #61ONLY Don A. Velez St., subsidies/PAGE 18 727-829 * **IONIZED Cagayan AKALINE Tel. # (08822) de Oro City

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Corrales Ave., BAD LOANS heldde by universal and commercial Cagayan Oro City banks continued to decline in August from a year ago, reflecting banks’ prudent management or credit risk, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said in a statement Friday.

Non-performing loans (NPL) -- obligations unpaid at least 30 days after their due date -- made up 2.67% of banks’ total loan portfolio in August, lower than the 3.05% posted last year, the BSP said. It also improved from the 2.68% recorded the previous month.

Universal and commercial banks’ bad loans totaled P101.93 billion in August, 2.15% less than the P104.17 billion last year.

T h e i r t ot a l le nd i n g business, on the other hand, continued to grow, climbing by 11.9% to P3.818 trillion from P3.412 trillion.

“The latest NPL figures enabled the universal and commercia l ba n k s to maintain high loan quality,” the BSP said. “ T his is essent ia l to keeping t he v iabilit y of individual banks and to maintaining the stability of the domestic banking system,” it added.

The central bank noted a decline in soured loans across economic sectors.

“This was apparent in the financial intermediation, real estate, manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade sectors, which together obtained 62% of the banks’ tot a l loa n por t fol io i n August,” it said.

Despite the improvement in the NPL ratio, banks cont i nued to a l loc ate “s u b s t a nt i a l l o a n l o s s reserves” for potential loan defaults, the BSP said.

Loan loss reserves inched up by 1.72% to P131.62 billion in August from P129.39 billion a year ago, taking the NPL coverage ratio to 129.13% from 124.21%.

LENDING STILL ROBUST The central bank also reported that consumer loans of universal, commercial and thrift banks enjoyed double-digit growth in the first semester.

Consu mer loa ns -compr ised of auto a nd residential real estate loans, credit card receivables, and others -- jumped by 15.9% to P680.4 billion as of June

from P587 billion a year ago.

The BSP attributed the rise in banks’ consumer lending business to t he “upbeat consumer view of the property market and the opening of classes.”

By ty pe of bank, consumer loans extended by universal and commercial banks surged by almost a fifth to P450.066 billion from P378.819 billion, while credit extended by thrift banks increased by more than a tenth to P230.313 bi l l ion f rom P 2 0 8 . 2 2 3 billion.

Residential real estate loans posted the highest growth and made up bulk of consumer loans, with the property market booming.

They ga ined by 20.36%

to P294.202 billion from P244.428 billion.

Auto loa ns fol lowed, rising by 17.24% to P176.227 bi l l i on f r om P15 0 . 312 billion, then by credit card receivables, grow ing by 10.11% to P150.405 billion from P136.589 billion.

Other consumer loans also increased by 6.88% to P59.545 billion from P55.713 billion.

Consumer loans accounted for 16.64% of banks’ total loan portfolio, h ig her t ha n la st yea r’s 16.08%.

However, the BSP pointed out: “As a percentage of total lending, consumer loans in the Philippines remain below the figures posted by the country’s peers in Southeast Asia.”

FIRST METRO Investment Corp. (FMIC) is looking at the possibility of offering two more exchange-traded funds (ETF) to follow the one it will debut next month, its top official said.

“Down the road, we’re p ot e nt i a l l y lo ok i n g at a fixed-income ETF and even a commodity ETF,” FMIC President Roberto Juanchito T. Dispo said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

F i x e d -i n c o m e E T Fs track the performance of a bond market index, while

commodity ETFs follow the movement of products such as oil and precious metals.

Mr. Dispo said FMIC -- the investment banking a r m of t he Met roba n k group -- is considering a commodity ETF due to the “abundance of gold” in the country. Meanwhile, the fixed-income ETF could track the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp.

The proposal is still in the conceptualization stage, though, as FMIC wants to see how its first ETF, to be

listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Dec. 2, will fare in the market.

Called the First Metro Philippine Equity ETF, it will track the 30 blue-chip stocks of the PSE index (PSEi). It will be the first such investment product in the country.

“We need to launch this index ETFs first, and from there, depending on the response of the investors, we may diversify,” Mr. Dispo said.

An ETF, similar to a

mutual fund, allows one to invest in an entire basket of stocks through a single security, which then tracks and matches the yields of a market index.

Mr. Dispo reiterated hopes the First Metro Philippine Equity ETF would be met with strong investor demand.

FMIC is already preparing to more than triple its market capitalization to P10 billion from P3 billion, consisting of 30 million common shares at par value of P100 apiece. fmic/PAGE 18

FMIC mulls two more ETFs

FunPage

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

Editor : Clifford Santillan, E-mail: santillan.clifford@yahoo.com

Rios warns Pacquiao, Roach: I’m coming for the kill MANILA, Philippines – A boastful Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios warned boxing trainer Freddie Roach to prepare his prized fighter Manny Pacquiao for a world of hurt that’s coming his way.

The Mexican-American told the media during his open training at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard that he won’t be playing around when he squares off with the Filipino superstar on November 24.

“Let Freddie Roach know I am a man, I come for the win, the kill. Tell Freddie that -- I want him to know,” said Rios.

The Mexican brawler is expected to use his size and

strength to try and wear down the smaller Pacquiao.

The threat, however, seemed to be directed at Roach instead of his opponent.

It’s no secret that Roach and Rios are not the best of friends.

Back i n 2010, when Pacquiao was preparing for the Antonio Margarito fight, Margarito and his friend Rios came up with a video making fun of Roach’s Parkinson’s disease.

Rios later apologized for his behavior, saying that his actions were a product of immaturity.

“It w a s a v ide o. It happened back in the days.

clifford’s

Daily HOROSCOPE AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18) - Your personal issues are dominant today, so make sure that you’re dealing with them in a way that makes sense to you. Your energy is strong enough that you should be able to get a lot done.

PISCES (February 19 – March 20) - You need to deal with a debt problem -- yours or someone else’s, or maybe even at work. The good news is that your head is perfect for coming up with creative solutions to financial issues.

ARIES (March 21 – April 19) - Just pay attention today -- that mystery is sure to be resolved if you can just listen to what your partner or friend or customer is saying. Somewhere buried in the words is the gem of truth.

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) - Your health should be your first concern today -- so make sure that you’re doing something about it! You may find that your energy levels are somewhat lower until you make one little tweak.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21) - Your great energy is smoothing out any recent rough edges -- you should feel much better by the end of the day! If things have been bad, now they’re better, and if they’ve been good, you’re on top of the world!

CANCER (June 22 – July 22) - A conflict of ideas turns into something different today -- so try not to read too much into it. You could find that this is the breaking point that leads to a much safer, more stable equilibrium.

I was immature. I took full [responsibility] for that.

It was my fault. I already apologized, so I don’t need to keep repeating myself every time I see him and [expletive] bow down and say, sorry, sorry, sorry,” he said in a separate interview with NY Daily News.

However, Rios seemed to underestimate Pacquiao because of his age.

The 27-year-old said that unlike him, the 8-division former world champion is already at the twilight of his professional career.

“I am in the prime of my career, not like Pacquiao,” said Rios. abs-cbnnews.com

Okada... from page 14

will total over 300,000 square meters.

In addition, Century has entered into an investment agreement with Eagle 1 whereby the company will be issued with 432 million preferred shares, representing 36 percent of Eagle I’s pro forma capital stock.

“Closing of both the memorandum of agreement for the five-hectare site and investment agreement for Eagle 1 shall occur upon satisfaction of legal and regulatory requirements, and neither transaction contemplate Century being involved in any aspect of the gaming operations,” it stressed.

Century has developed quality upscale properties including Essensa East Forbes at Fort

Mindanao Daily News’

monday | November 4, 2013 Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776 Bonifacio Global City and has brought key international brands such as Trump, Versace, Missoni Home, Yoo inspired by Starck and the Forbes Media Tower.

It has 28 ongoing projects in various stages of construction in its mixed used developments in Century City in Makati City, A zure in Paranaque Cit y, Acqua in Mandaluyong City, Commonwealth by Century in Quezon City and Canyon Ranch in Carmona, Cavite. (PNA)

Subsidies...

from page 17 Trade Expositions and Missions (P65 million), National Kidney and Transplant Institute (P51 million), Lung Center of the Philippines (P43 million) and National Dairy Authority (P33 million).

For the January to

September period, state subsidies to GOCCs reached P35.4 billion, 92% higher than year-ago figures.

This year, t he nat io nal government allocated P42.79 billion for its subsidies for state-owned companies.

FMIC...

from page 17 “If we launch it by Dec. 2 ... the P3 billion probably will last until the early part of next year, say the first quarter,” Mr. Dispo said, adding that the board of directors has already a p p r o ve d t h e p r o p o s a l t o r a i s e t h e a m o u n t t o P 10 billion.

FMIC’s net income surged by 247% to P6.8 billion in the first semester from the P1.9 billion posted in the same period last year.

-MovieWatch-

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E vo k i n g J e a n Re n o’s T h e Professional (Leon), 22 Bullets tells the story of Charly Matteï who has turned his back on his life as an outlaw.

For the last three years, h e’s l e d a p e a c e f u l l i f e devoting himself to his wife and two children. Then, one

winter morning, he’s left for dead in the parking garage in Marseille’s Old Port, with 22 bullets in his body. Against all the odds, he doesn’t die.

This film is a work of fiction inspired by real-life events in the world of the Marseille mafia.

SUDOKU How to play the game?

Fill in completely every rows, columns and diagonals of each puzzle without repitition

of the same digit.

Yesterday’s Answer

LEO (July 23 – August 22) - You need to snap into action -- before anyone else can beat you to it! Your great energy is perfect for making people really notice what’s going on, and for seizing new opportunities.

VIRGO (August 23 – September 22) - You and a friend or colleague need to pool resources today -- and if you can pull it off, great things await! The two of you are stronger together, and can get all sorts of great things done.

LIBRA (September 23 – October 22) - Your ability to deal with other people is heightened -- and they are taking notice! You should get lots of positive attention, and may even find that you get a new perk out of it all.

SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21) - You are feeling somewhat more passive today -- so you may as well roll back your plans and wait for a time when you are feeling more aggressive.

It’s a good time for you to think about the future.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21) Your big laugh is a joy to behold today -- and you’ve got lots of reasons to deploy it! Make sure that your energy is focused on friends and colleagues and others you really trust.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19) - Your sense of right and wrong is engaged today in a really big way -- but you may not have the authority to enforce your beliefs. Try not to worry too much about it; just see if you can make changes in the future.

Amazing Facts!

Did you KNOW?? ..

Pigs communicate constantly with one another; more than 20 vocalizations have been identified that pigs use in different situations, from wooing mates to saying, “I’m hungry!”

CROSSWORD puzzle across 1. Chicago’s state: abbr.

3. Valuable gem 10. Also 12. Bush’s former group 13. Condensation 14. Tender 16. The Da Vinci_ 17. Strange 18. Chum 19. Colors 21. Dry grass 22. Note 24. Donkey 25. Fish feature 26. Rodent 27. Cagayan _ Oro 28. Nourished 29. Type of tree 30. Propagate 31. Money in Sapporo 32. Change course

34.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

Rope clasp Anger Crazy Hang down Church official Italian river DOWN 1. Possessive 2. Bega or Bonnevie 4. Boric_ 5. Hole 6. Father 7. Billy the rocker 8. Scarlet 9. Mama sheep 11. Woodwinds 15. Drs. 16. Isle 18. Cooking vessel 19. Owned 20. Exploit 21. Kept

22. Follower 23. Devoured 25. Not many 26. Lord of the _ 28. Not against 29. Nail-like object 30. Prophet 31. Luke’s teacher 32. Mr. Sotto 33. Stage 34. Lucio the taipan 35. Circuit 36. Self 38. Note Yesterday’s Answer

Mindanao Daily 19 NEWS

monday | November 4, 2013 Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776

Nanding... from page 13

still saleable at P150 each.

Lately, the food house includes grilled and fried hito (catfish) as part of its menu.

“We’re basically a halal food store, we don’t offer pork,” said a staff worker who wants to be identified only as Macmac.

The store only serves lu nch a nd d inner f rom Monday to Sunday and closes at around 9 p.m.

Fernando Bernato Jr. owns Nanding’s, which is the name of his late father and namesake who originally established the store in the city.

For first timers, Nanding’s is located beside the Land Bank of the Philippines, just a few hundred meters away from the rotunda or round ball of the “City of Goodwill,” as Tacurong City calls itself.

ITPI...

from page 13 Development & Construction Corporation, accredited and certified by LEED, Leadership in Energy & Environment Design) started mobilization Oct 11, 2013 and has resumed full blast construction. We are confident with their increased capability we are confident that we will be able to attain 30 percent accomplishment on or before the end of November, 2013.”

LEED-certified buildings are designed following greenarchitecture principles, such as increased natural light and ventilation, renewable energy production through solar panels and natural shading through building orientation.

LEED was created by the United States of America Green Building Council, and is a widely used green rating system worldwide.

The five LEED certified buildings in the Philippines are Asian Development Bank, Nuvali One Evotech, Shell Shared Services Office, and Texas Instruments in Baguio City and in Clark, Pampanga.

Some 58 projects are waiting LEED certification.

Arch. Nati said ITPI opted to change contractors in line with its advocacy as a green real estate developer, to upgrade the eco-friendly quality of its real estate products and reduce the impact of its construction a nd oper at ions on t he environment.

“Our decision to choose a c ont r a c tor e qu ipp e d with the most advanced and sustainable building technology and construction methods is another important step towards our corporate mission,” he noted. “FODC will be able to catch up and eventually accomplish the amended construction schedule which we have previously submitted to your office,” “I T PI i s a n It a l ia nFi l ipi n o j oi nt ve nt u re which designs and develops innovative green buildings with unique energy features in efficiency and generation,” sa id At t y. Jojo L ev iste,

President. “By integrating renewable energy features with real estate through i n novat ive a rch itec t u re (passive green design to reduce energy consumption; active green designs with solar photovoltaic panels to generate its own energy; and power cost optimization to ensure maximum benefits to end users and investors).”

T he s e u n ique v a lue propositions have been amply demonstrated in the 10-storey twin tower P450-million Primavera Residences which features an inner courtyard to increase ventilation, solar panels and cross ventilation, and overhang shading to maximize shade from the building’s orientation to lessen aircon use.

“We aim to prove that a rchitec t u re a nd u rba n planning can design sustainable cities only if they start from different and more responsible values,” Arch.

Nati said. “A conscientious development is the main challenge of our generation, the only way to achieve a sustainable world.”

Under the leadership of Arch. Nati, ITPI has been cited t h ree t i mes internationally: 1. As one of the most promising clea n energ y investment opportunities i n t he Ph i l ippi ne s by the Climate Technolog y Initiative- Private Financing Advisory Networks (CTIPFAN) Asia Forum for Clean Energy Financing during the 2nd annual Philippines Clean Energy Investor Forum held in Manila in 2011 (for Primavera Residences); 2. As one of the Best Condo Developments in the Philippines by the South East Asia Property Awards in 2011 (for Primavera Residences); 3. And as one of the top 10 (among 41) and only entry from the Philippines qualified for the finals of the CTI PFAN Asia Forum for Clean Energy Financing (AFCEF-3) Business Plan Competition held February 22, 2013 in Singapore (for a new project).

Nati was also personally recognized with a “Special Energy Award” in the 2011 Design Against the Elements (DAtE) global architectural design competition, which aims to build the first green, liveable, affordable, and disaster-resistant village in the Philippines that would serve as the blueprint for other communities threatened by climate change. Some 119 entries from 30 countries joined the competition.

Sales of Tower B have reached 25 percent units sold as of Sept 30, 2013, or 25% of 166 available residential and commercial rental units.

F OD C i s a g e n e r a l construction firm based i n Ma n i la w it h cl ient s in the public and private sector in civil, structural, electro-mechanical works in industrial and commercial projects. It specializes in general construction and project management.

S ome of it s c u r rent projects include Cepalco’s

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

administration green building at Xavier Estates, Masterson Ave., Upper Balulang and Metro Gaisano Cavite at Imus, Cavite. Its most distinguished project to date is the Shopwise San Pedro store of Rusta n’s Supercenters Inc., the chain’s biggest store to date with a land area of over a hectare and free parking for 126 vehicles.

Solar... from page 13

small for this city’s power demand “but at least it could help and part of the solution to the power crisis.”

Ibarra further said that Enfinity and Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (Z a mcelco) w i l l joi nt ly petition the Energ y Regulatory Board (ERB) for the rate approval. “ We a r e n o w b u s y prepa ring t he power rates, the power purchase agreement and we are also busy formalizing the land leases, now that the national government has released the service contract,” he said.

He assured that the power rates from solar energy are much lower than the current rates.

M ayor M a . I s a b e l le Climaco-Salazar has strongly endorsed Enfinity’s solar power projec t proposa l when she and Ibarra met Wednesday at City Hall.

(PNA)

Poor... from page 13

signed with the Philippine government in September 1996.

A f t er t wo we e k s of fighting, the government declared that the rebellion had been quelled, and its leaders, including MNLF founder Nur Misuari, sued in court. Misuari however has since gone into hiding.

Poverty has been fertile ground for rebellions in the Philippines, be they Muslim secessionist or Communist.

This is true especially in rural areas, where people have failed to benefit from economic growth.

Contrast the Zamboanga Peninsula to Metro Manila, where only four percent of the same age cohort belongs to poor households.

Ne x t to Z a mboa nga P e n i n s u l a i s

SOCCSKSARGEN, where 4 6 perc ent of ch i ld ren ages 0 -17 l i kew ise ha i l f rom poor hou s ehold s .

SOCCSKSARGEN or Region 12 is home to another Muslim rebellion led by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which for over a year now has engaged the Aquino administration in peace talks.

MIMAROPA or Region 4B has the third highest share of poor children at 43 percent, the NSO said. MIMAROPA had been a hotbed of the Communist insurgency.

These regional figures mask the lower national average of 28 percent children ages 0-17 who live in poor households.

According to NSO, these poor children were deprived of basic amenities such as electricity, safe water and sanitary toilet.

For purposes of its survey, the NSO defined safe water to include that coming from a community source that is protected, while a sanitary toilet is one that is closed-pit and either owned or shared.

The sur vey f ur t her found that one in every 10 children ages 6-17 years was not attending formal school, with the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) having the highest proportion at 16 percent. To recall, ARMM was created in response to demands for a separate Muslim state.

In contrast, Metro Manila, as in the case of poverty, also enjoyed the lowest proportion of children ages 6-17 who were not attending formal school at seven percent of the total.

Among the reasons that children ages 6-11 cited for not attending school were the following: • Lack of persona l interest, 51 percent; • Illness or disability, 15 percent; and • High cost education, 11 percent.

Similarly, lack of personal interest (38 percent ) and high cost of education (33 percent) were among the reasons that children ages 12-17 cited for not attending formal school.

At 13 percent, looking for gainful employment ranked as the third leading reason for failing to attend school.

–InterAksyon

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

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

Environment

monday | November 4, 2013 Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776

DENR eyes add’l tamaraw conservation partner MANILA – The environment department is looking into the possibility of tapping an NGO as another partner in monitoring the endemic tamaraw (scientific name ‘Bubalus mindorensis’) to generate more data for helping save this critically endangered mammal from extinction. ”We aim to have the NGO Noe Foundation as partner in the Tams 2 project,” said Rodel Boyles, coordinator of the Tamaraw Conservation P rog r a m ( TC P) u nd er Department of Environment a nd Nat u ra l Resou rces (DENR).

He said Noe a lready ex pressed i nterest i n undertaking themonitoring work particularly in Mindoro’s Aruyan wilderness.

Tams 2 is an undertaking DENR, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Far Eastern University (FEU) jointly launched in October 2012 to help boost the bid for conserving and protecting the tamaraw.

Such par tners aim expanding monitoring work under Tams 2 to fast-track the bid, noting the tamaraw count is still below 500 heads - the threshold International Union for Conservation of Nature set for critically endangered species.

Decades earlier, FEU adapted the tamaraw and the legendary sarimanok as its emblems.

B oyle s noted DEN R plans meeting with Noe soon to discuss the planned monitoring activity. ” We ne e d a s mu c h data as possible to better understand the tamaraw’s population dynamics and habitat use so more effective measures for conserving and protecting this specie can be implemented,” he said.

Mindoro’s Mts. Iglit-Baco National Park (MIBNP) is the focus of tamaraw monitoring under the Tams 2 project at present, Boyles said.

He noted aside from MIBNP, other Mindoro areas with confirmed tamaraw sightings are the Ayuran wilderness and Mt. Calavite. ”We’re planning to survey those areas,” he said.

Latest available TCP data place the April 2013 tamaraw count in MIBNP at 345 heads.

Boyles said that count exceed s t he 327 head s reported there during the same month last year. ”The 2013 count is below 500 heads so the tamaraw is still classified as critically endangered,” he said.

Tams 2 aims doubling the tamaraw population to about 600 heads by 2020, however.

WWF earlier reported infra-red camera traps were deployed to MIBNP as part of Tams 2 to help document the tamaraw.

The boxlike, weatherproof Re c ony x a nd Bu sh nel l camera traps automatically shoot stills and videos to a maximum range of 30 m, WWF said.

Ac c ord i ng to W W F community organizer John Manul, the camera traps were deployed in four areas within MIBNP. ”We’re aiming for broader distribution of camera traps,” he informed participants in this week’s Tamaraw Forum in Metro Manila.

In January 2013, FEU a nd Ph i l ip pi n e Po s t a l Corporation launched at t he u niversit y’s Ma ni la campus commemorative stamps celebrating the Savea-Tamaraw partnership under the Tams 2 project.

The launch is aligned with the university’s advocacy to save the tamaraw, noted FEU President Dr. Michael Alba.

FEU said it commenced partnering with DENR in 2005 so students of this university can be more involved in tamaraw conservation and protection efforts under TCP. (PNA)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -Around 400 narra and bamboo seedlings were planted in the riverbanks of Barangay Balulang, this city, by the employees of the memberagencies of the Regional Statistical Coordination Committee (RSCC).

The second inter-agency tree growing activity on October 11 was one of the

highlights of the national statistics month celebration in region 10.

We launched the tree growing activity last year in response to the call of our head office to include it as part of the activities for the statistics month, said Brenda Lynn Castro, officer-in-charge of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB)

in the region.

She said the tree growing a ims to emphasize t he importance of preserving natural resources stressing that caring for the environment is not just the responsibility of Department of Environment and Natural Resources but everybody’s call.

For his part, Balulang Barangay Captain Alfredo

CdeO attains zero casualties thru DOST’s DREAM project CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Through the Department of Science and Technology (D O S T ) D i s a s t e r R i s k and Exposure Assessment for Mitigation (DREAM) project, local government here attained zero casualties during typhoon Pablo on December 2012.

DOST-DREAM, under Project (NOAH) Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards is response to the call of President Benigno S. Aquino III for a more accurate, integ rated, a nd responsive disaster prevention and mitigation system, especially in high-

RSCC-10 holds tree growing activity Carcosa said the activity will greatly help in the rehabi litation of t he environment especially in Balulang after it was badly hit by typhoon Sendong in December 2011.

According to him, Sendong has damaged 3,055 houses and left 84 persons dead and/ or missing in Balulang alone.

(APB/PIA-10)

Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) regional information officer Engr. Noli dela Rita discusses, during the Regional Task Force on Illegal Firecrackers meeting on Wednesday, October 31, salient provisions on the new fire code as well as common violations committed in an effort to safeguard the public from danger as well as manmade or natural disaster. jcvalcorza /pia

risk areas throughout the Philippines.

Particularly, it uses stateof-the-art Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology to generate 3D flood maps to detect flood hazards in the country.

Through an interview with Dr. Enrico C. Paringit, Prog ra m L eader of t he University of the Philippines’ (UP) Disaster R isk a nd E x posu re Assessment for Mitigation (DREAM) prog r a m, t he n at ion a l government through the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) has allotted P1.6B to generate 3D flood maps and hazard maps in 18 river systems that are flood prone in the country.

Further, he said that they have already completed the 3D and hazard map of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Iponan and Mandulog River which can be found in the website noah.dost.gov.ph.

Meanwhile 3D mapping is done with Tagoloan and Agus River in Northern Mindanao.

He emphasized that this is an important tool including those installed Automated Rain Gauges (ARGs) and Water Level Sensors as early warning systems to advise Disaster Management of local government when flooding will occur.

In a radio guesting for Ph i l ippi ne In for mat ion Agency’s radio program, “Lambo Dyes” at DXIM Radyo ng Bayan on October 11, Cagayan de Oro Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) chief, Col. Mario Verner S. Monsanto said that through the early warning systems of DOST and close coordination with the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) there was zero casualty during typhoon Pablo.

As of Oc tober 2013, monitoring stations are installed in the City which

includes rain gauges in Baungon, Libona, Talakag and Kinawe, Bukidnon. Water level sensors are also mounted at Kauswagan, Pelaez, Cabula, Golden Mile, San Simon and Bubunawan bridges, said Monsanto.

These equipment and their constant monitoring of the weather disturbances through DOST’s Project NOAH enable them to warn the people especially those who live near the riverbanks of a forthcoming disaster, he added.

“Epektibo jud ang early warning system nga gimugna sa City Hall. Pinaagi sa Oro A ler t, na-inform dayon diretso si Kapitan Roa kung kailangan na ipabakwit ang mga tao. Si Kap na dayon ang ga-send ug message sa mga barangay leaders para diretso mang lihok ang mga tao. Busa sa kadtong niaging bagyong Pablo, wala gyu’y naapektuhan,” Alma Abrio, Barangay Consolacion worker, said.

(The early warning system initiated by the City Hall is really effective. Through the Oro Alert (messages sent by the LGU to barangay s e c r e t a r i e s), B a r a n g ay Captain Roa was informed immediately that the people should evacuate the area.

This is the reason why when typhoon Pablo occurred, nobody was indeed affected.)

Consolacion is one of the barangays in Cagayan de Oro City which was severely affected by typhoon Sendong since it is located near the Cagayan de Oro River.

Monsanto said that they will intensify the advocacy on risk reduction focusing on barangays and they will also strengthen their ties with the non-government organizations. They will also work on giving special attention to persons living with disability making sure that they will be prioritized during calamities. (RTP/ JMOR/PIA10)

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