BusinessWeek Mindanao (April 1-2, 2013 Issue)

up to 15% discount on downpayment downpayment-up to 12-24 months to pay balance payable in 10 years @ 10% flat rate

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As of MAR. 25, 2013 (Monday)

FOREX

PHISIX

US$1 = P40.83

6,597.59 points

X X Briefly 1 cent

78.88 points

GSIS refund

STATE pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) announced that it will refund the amount of P126.47 million to more than 20,500 active and retired employees of the Department of Education (DepEd) beginning first week of April.

The se c o nd tran c he of refund represents the payment of premium contributions pertaining to the government share, which were previously deducted from the life insurance benefits of these employees.

Last January, GSIS provided an initial refund amounting to P362.35 million which benefited more than 73,000 DepEd personnel.

This, af ter the pension fund received the P3.46 billion payment of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), representing half of the total P6.92 billion in unpaid compulsory premium contributions-government share of more than 800,000 teaching and non-teaching employees of the DepEd from July 1, 1997 to December 31, 2010.

Farm equipment

DAVAO City -- The Department of Agrarian Reform-XI is set to distribute more than P12 million worth of farm machineries and equipment to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Region XI under its Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Suppor t Ser vices (ARCCESS) project.

DAR-XI Regional Director Fidel B. Morales said suppliers have started to deliver these farm implements at the DAR Regional Office Compound in Catalunan Pequeno, Davao City.

Jaime A. Ceniza, Jr., DARXI administrative and finance officer has ensured that the items being delivered conform to approved specifications.

The five winning suppliers were given a week to c om plete the delivery that includes threshers, hand tractors with implements, flat bed dr yer s, cultivator power tillers, reapers and fiber dryers.

Monday-Tuesday

SOON

April 1-2, 2013

P15.00

Gov’t mulls gensets for Mindanao areas

Issue No. 182, Volume III •

Market Indicators

Cagayan de Oro City

WE’RE going

T

By IRENE DOMINGO,Reporter

HE government is seriously considering the Department of Energy’s (DOE) recommendation of acquiring modular diesel-fed generators to contend the worsening power gap that grips wide area in Mindanao.

ECO-LOGIC ARCHITECTURE. Italpinas Chairman & CEO Romolo V. Nati responding to Manila Bulletin energy reporter Myrna Velasco query during a recent media forum in Cagayan de Oro City. Also in photo are Lisa Go of the Investment Promotion Office of the Dept. of Energy and Atty. Francis Saturnino Juan, executive director of the Energy Regulatory Commission (photo by Mike Banos)

President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday said the idea is among DOE’s stopgap measures to address the power crisis while waiting for new plants that will provide additional capacities expected to finally resolve the perennial problem.

The Energy Department has recommended, among others, the purchase of 199 modular diesel-fed generators across the country’s

southern region to address rotating brownouts that last up to seven hours. “ T he Depa r t ment of Energy (DoE) presented a plan where we will assist the distribution utilities in purchasing generating sets,” Aquino said.

“These diesel-powered generators are seen as the quickest [solution that can be implemented] at the earGENSETS/PAGE 7

A PARTY-LIST lawmaker has raised the possibility of using renewable energy in Mindanao instead of Energy Secretary Carlos Petilla’s proposal to raise electricity rates to a considerable P18

per kilowatt per hour or construct bunker or diesel fuel power plants.

“The Energy Secretary is proposing a solution which will result in a P18 per kWh SOLON/PAGE 7

Eco-friendly architecture, design …but solon urges use urged in Philippine Energy Plan of renewable energy ONE of the country’s leading proponents for eco-friendly architecture believes the sector can make significant contributions to the Philippines’ energy security given

a greater role in the Philippine Energy Plan.

I n h i s pre s ent at ion “Eco-Logic Architecture: Conceptualizing Buildings Differently,” made during

NGCP assures power supply on election day

the media energ y forum “Long Term Energy Outlook of Mindanao Grid” held Feb. 27, 2013 at Cagayan de Oro City, Architect Romolo V. ECO-FRIENDLY/PAGE 7

By CHENG ORDONEZ, Associate Editor and BONG FABE, Correspondent

AN energy stakeholder in Mindanao was preparing

an uninterrupted transmisNGCP/PAGE 7

J.P. RIZAL - CRUZ TAAL STS., (NEAR SHANGHAI BAKERY) DIVISORIA, CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY

VILLAR GRACES COOP ASSEMBLY: Senatoriable Cynthia Villar visited Davao City for the general assembly meeting of Agdao Multi-purpose Cooperative attended by some 8,000 members where she expressed her desire to give livelihood support to coop members, through the Villar Foundation. Villar likewise stressed the need to increase the budget for the state colleges and universities, relating such a need to the case of the late UP Student Christel. (Advertorial)

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Economy

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Hotel exec bullish on PH prospects DAVAO City -- A hotel executive bared that his company is bullish on the potentials of the Philippines as an emerging hotel market in the Asia Pacific Region.

“You have an expandBarlow cited the potentials ing middle class, young and of the country during his dynamic population plus the press conference held last presence of low cost airlines March 22 during the formal and a growing government opening of Park Inn by Radisspending on infrastructure,” son in Davao City. He cited says Simon Barlow, Asia Pa- the 41-million domestic and cific president of the Carlson international tourists in 2012 Rezidor Group. which is estimated to grow by T he C a rlson Re zidor 66 million in 2016.

Group of Hotels is one of the He said that by 2016 the largest hotel group in the world country would need 76,000 operating in 80 countries and hotel rooms across the country employing 78,000 people in its to fill the growing tourism 1079 hotels belonging to the market. group. It recently inaugurated Barlow bared that the its newest hotel in the Philip- country along with India pines- Park Inn by Radisson and Indonesia are where the located in Davao City. company is focusing in the

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region. The hotel executive cited the multiple development opportunities present in the country.

The Carlson Rezidor regional head said that they are focusing on midscale hotels like the Park Inn by Radisson brand as there is growing market for midscale hotels and the country has many upscale hotels in the pipeline.

He said that present location of the hotel in Davao City was ripe for development, he cited the combination of a convention facility and a mall is a powerful complement to Davao City being the capital city of the south.

The Park Inn by Radisson

hOTEL/PAGE 7

Food exporters see 6%-10% growth in next two years FOOD manufacturers are pushing for more cost-reduction initiatives and financial option meant to help the local food export sector achieve a growth of six to ten percent in the next two years.

Roberto Amores, President of Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization, Inc. (PHILFOODEX), said that while food revenues abroad reached $3.55 billion in 2012, much can still be done to enhance the country’s export competitiveness.

“The Philippine food export turnover is still far behind

our ASEAN neighbours. For example, Thailand has an average of $20 billion annual revenue from food exports,” he said during an exporters’ forum.

Amores cited the need to resolve various concerns in the sector, foremost of which are access to technology and cheaper inputs, investment and finance, regulation, the peso’s appreciation against the United States dollar and market access.

He urged the removal of import and export duties on production and processing of

raw material inputs and the restoration of “D” Quedan sugar allocation to exportbased food processors. The Quedan D sugar is competitively priced as it follows the world market price.

The provision of lower power rates is also crucial to agro-processors and exporters, he said, adding that “(power cost in) Ecozones are 40 percent cheaper. The same price should be available to exporters outside the Ecozones.”

Amores said the govern-

EXPORTERS/PAGE 7

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Ford rejects claims in Kia CUB springs a surprise acceleration lawsuit at 9th Seoul Motor Show WASHINGTON — US automaker Ford, which faces a lawsuit over claims its vehicles accelerate without warning, dismissed the accusations on Saturday as unscientific.

Ford said it had addressed the issue with US regulators, whose work is “far more scientific and trustworthy than work done by personal injury lawyers and their paid experts,” according to an email from a company spokesman to AFP. On Friday, vehicle owners in 14 states filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of “potentially millions of purchasers and lessees of Ford vehicles manufactured between 2002 and 2010.”

According to a statement from the plaintiffs, “Ford vehicles equipped with an electronic throttle control system are vulnerable to sudden unintended acceleration events.”

“Ford has admitted that some of its vehicles are in fact prone to such acceleration,” it said.

Ford’s spokesman responded that “in rare situations, vehicle factors, such as floor mats or broken mechanical components, can interfere with proper throttle operation.”

But he insisted that “manufacturers have addressed

these rare events in field service actions.”

In 2009, the world’s largest automaker, Japan’s Toyota, recalled around 10 million vehicles worldwide for a similar problem of unintended acceleration.

Once lauded for its safety standards, the defects and mass recalls tarnished the brand’s image and hurt sales in 2010 and 2011.

and Ferrari expects sales to grow higher this year as the Philippine economy further

accelerates.

“We are very confident and we feel good about the LUXURY/PAGE 7

Luxury car distributor sees higher sales this year THE LOCAL distributor of luxury car brands Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati

KIA Motors sprang a major surprise on visitors to the 9th Seoul International Motor Show in Korea with the world premiere of its all-new ‘CUB’ concept.

Designed at the Kia headquarters studio in Seoul, under the direction of President and Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer, the CUB is less than four meters long, has rearward-opening rear doors and an ‘access-all-areas’ interior concept without traditional B-pillars, providing excellent access to the luxuriously trimmed cabin.

“The new Kia CUB is a compact, four-door coupe created with a clear focus on driving performance and practicality,” comments Thomas Oh, Senior Executive Vice President and COO, Kia Motors Corporation. “Styled to appeal to trend-setting

urban dwellers, the CUB features a comfortable fourseater cabin which generates an emotional, feel-good response and delivers everyday, real-world benefits.”

The exterior styling of the CUB highlights that it is both sleek and small, with a cheerful face and a daring character. Design features created by Peter Schreyer for the 2007 Kia Kee 2+2 concept are revisited in a new form.

The CUB’s nose has a broad wrap-around ‘mouth’ and there is a ‘dip’ in the top of the windshield – a motif that is featured on Optima, Sportage and Cadenza models. The latest interpretation of grille is a shallower design incorporating the turbocharger’s air intake, highlighted in body color.

The headlamps feature two-point LED lights – simi-

lar to those which first appeared on the Kia Quoris large flagship sedan last year.

Large 19-inch alloy wheels fill the wheelarches and the front doors have aerodynamic ‘turning-vanes’ at sill level to streamline and add definition the CUB’s flanks.

At the rear, LED tail lights complete the premium feel of the exterior and the nose treatment derived from Kia’s Kee concept car is replicated at the tail to accentuate the width of the vehicle.

The super-smooth exterior, with its flush glazing, minimum-drag wing mirrors and automatic touch-type door handles, promises ultralow aerodynamic drag. A two-color paint finish with sporty stripe hints at the CUB’s high-performance potential, while the car’s broad track gives it an imposing stance.

Four-seater luxury cabin With four individua l seats, the CUB’s interior presents a unique ambience.

The cabin creates the sensation of a luxurious coupe and is trimmed in black leather with yellow color accents around the seats, door armrests and steering wheel.

The instrument cluster KIA/PAGE 7

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PAL Express intl flights Universal Robina gets to and from Singapore, go signal to venture HK to use NAIA2 into power generation STARTING Monday, April 1, Philippine Airlines Express international flights to and from two international destinations will use the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

In a post on its Twitter account, PAL said this will apply to its flights between Manila and Singapore and Manila and Hong Kong.

“Effective April 1, 2013.

PAL Express international flights for Manila-Singapore and Manila-Hong Kong will depart and arrive at NAIA

Terminal 2,” it said.

PAL Express was Air Philippines (AirPhil) Express.

Last March 15, it said it is “further strengthening” its alliance with PAL and “improving and aligning its service standards and product offerings” with those of PAL. “Reflecting this change, Airphil Express will rebrand itself as ‘PAL Express’ effective March 15, 2013. All Airphil Express planes will use the familiar ‘sunriser’

PAL livery and logo on its tail and fuselage,” it said.

Passengers of PAL Express can also earn miles through their membership in Mabuhay Miles, it added.

But PAL said it and PAL Express will “remain distinct and independent airline companies but following a single service standard.”

“All PAL flights will be manned by PAL pilots and cabin crew, while PAL Express flights will be operated

by Airphil Express pilots and flight attendants,” it added.

Robinsons Land get PEZA certification ROBINSONS LAND Corp. was granted a certificate of registration by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) as a new economic zone developer of two buildings, the agency said in a statement Wednesday.

The firm will “establish, develop, administer, manage and operate information technology (IT) centers.”

The registration is for its Cyber Alpha and Cyber Beta facilities in Ortigas Center in Pasig City.

Cyber Alpha is located

along Sapphire and Garnet roads, while Cyber Beta is along Topaz and Ruby roads.

Cyber Alpha is a 23-storey building with seven basements that sits on a 2,500-square-meter lot, while Cyber Beta is 36 stories tall and is on a 1,955-squaremeter lot.

PEZA issued rules on Sept. 9 last year that disallowed developers of new information and technology parks in Metro Manila and Cebu from getting incentives like a 5% tax on gross

income in lieu of the 30% corporate income tax on net taxable income.

“Developers can still apply to establish IT parks but they will have no incentives.

Only locators inside their buildings will have these incentives,” Elmer H. San Pascual, PEZA Promotions and Public Relations manager, explained in a telephone interview.

Incorporated in 1980, Robinsons Land is the property arm of listed conglomROBINSONS/PAGE 7

THE maker of C2 tea drink and Jack ‘N Jill obtained regulatory approval to venture into power generation.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Universal Robina Corp (URC) said the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the amendment of the company’s secondary purpose in its Articles of Incorporation to include the business of power generation.

The amendment is in line with the Gokongwei-led firm’s plan to put up a 40-megawatt biomass facility alongside its sugar mill in Negros Occidental. The company is looking to invest $1.5 million per megawatt for the proposed plant.

URC also plans to use a portion of the plant’s output

for its own operations and sell the excess capacity to the grid. The company aims to complete the first phase of the project next year.

The proposed biomass plant is the first foray of the Gokong wei group in t he power generation sector. The conglomerate is also in the property, airline, banking and tourism businesses.

Besides the cogeneration plant, URC may also consider investing in other power generation projects.

Manuel V. Pangilinan, cha i r ma n of Ph i l ippi ne Long Distance Telephone Co (PLDT), earlier said his group would be interested to talk to the Gokongweis should the latter decide to proceed with the power plant to support the requirements

of its petrochemical plant in Batangas.

Earlier, JG Summit Holdings Inc, the listed holding firm of the Gokongwei family, said its naphtha cracker plant in Batangas City will be operational by the fourth quarter of this year.

The Pangilinan group and the Gokongwei family have existing partnerships in telecom and airport operations. The Gokongweis two years ago sold Sun Cellular operator Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc (Digitel) to PLDT, in exchange for a minority stake in the telecom giant.

Both parties also teamed up to bid for the Mactan Cebu International Airport expansion project, a public-private partnership venture of the Aquino administration.

Pepsi Philippines bags generally favorable SC ruling in labor case BEVERAGE PRODUCER PepsiCola Products Philippines, Inc. (PCPPI) has obtained a generally favorable ruling from the Supreme Court (SC) that cleared the company of charges of unfair labor practice but also ordered it to reinstate a retrenched worker.

A 17-page decision of the court’s second division -- penned

by Associate Justice Estela M. Perlas-Bernabe; affirmed by division chairman Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio as well as associate justices Arturo D. Brion, Mariano C. del Castillo and Jose Portugal Perez; and promulgated last Feb. 18 -- “reversed and set aside” two Court of Appeals

rulings, dated March 31 and Sept. 18, 2006, cleared PCPPI of charges of union-busting and unfair labor practice, but also ordered the company to reinstate a retrenched worker “without loss of seniority rights but without back wages”.

The high-court ruled on PCPPI’s petition after the appellate court reversed a generally favorable decision the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) issued in September 2002.

The NLRC issued its decision to settle charges of illegal dismissal, union busting and unfair labor practice (ULP) filed

against PCPPI by members of the Leyte Pepsi-Cola Employees Union-Associated Labor Union (LEPCEU-ALU).

The union members argued that the company-wide retrenchment program -- tagged as a Corporate Rightsizing Program -- which PCPPI implemented in 1999 on an initial batch of 47 workers had targeted the LEPCEU-ALU in order to enable the company’s union, Leyte Pepsi-Cola Employees UnionUnion de Obreros de Filipinas, “to retain its exclusive bargaining status”.

The 47 affected workers included six elected officers and 29 members of the LEPCEU-ALU. Twenty-six of the affected union members were involved in the case against PCPPI. NLRC absolved the PCPPI of these charges, but ordered the company to reinstate a retrenched worker, Saunder Santiago Remandaban III, who had failed to report for work within the required 24 hours after receiving a return-to-work order when then Labor Secretary Bienvenido A. Laguesma endorsed the dispute to the commission for compulsory arbitration. The court noted “the NLRC ruled… that his failure to report to work was clearly prompted by a medical emergency and not by any intention to defy the July 27, 1999 return-to-work order…”

The Supreme Court division said in its ruling, PCPPI’s “petition is meritorious” noting “the court finds it difficult to attribute any act of union busting or ULP on the part of Pepsi, considering that it retrenched its employees in good faith…”

“Furthermore, the fact that Pepsi’s rightsizing program was implemented on a companywide basis dilutes respondents’ claim that Pepsi’s retrenchment scheme was calculated to stymie its union activities, much less diminish its constituency.”

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Repentance THESE days are identified Viewpoints with the need of repentance – regret, compunction, sorrow – due to offenses committed against God (three Commandments) and/or against man (seven Commandments). If people were born saints, act like angles, sin neither against God nor against man, then repentance would become irrelevant.

The long standing fact, however, is that people worship wealth and/or dehumanize others practically from the time they became thinking beings, from the time they became rational individuals.

“I am sorry.” These are commonly said and heard words – on the occasion of little pains cause, little hurts done. They say a lot about the person who expresses them, as they also mean a lot to the person to whom they are said. The truth is that even such three simple words of repentance in the day to day lives of people, make a difference. “I am sorry.” The offender is apologetic and the offended is appeased. The offender bends down and the offended picks him/her up. The offence is erased and harmony is reestablished. “I am sorry.” This short and plain expression can heal many emotional wounds – and physical hurts even.

Sorrow on the part of the offender is such an effective way of restoring relational harmony.

For more serious causes on account more grave offenses, repentance is expressed through different

ARCH. OSCAR V. CRUZ (Ret)

forms and in different ways – dying these days in particular. And in it is known fact that some Filipinos are very inventive in showing their repentance for their misdeeds. From putting pleasures aside to walking on their knees. From whipping themselves to carrying crosses. From wearing crowns to being crucified.

Or though simple yet fervent prayers of worship and/or gratitude, petition and/or repentance.

By the way, those who dare think that they do not have to repent for anything at all, can be any the following: They do not need to repent whereas they are sinless (lie). They have no use for repentance whereas they are all-good and kind (false). They have nothing to repent for because of mental derangement (true).

Thus comes the truth, the relevance and logic for the following prayer of repentance – for those in honest CRUZ/PAGE 7

An Empty Egg THINK a minute…

This is a true story about a boy named Philip. Philip was 9 years old in a class of 8-year-olds. The kids in his class were mean and unkind to Philip. They would not talk to him or let him play with them. Philip suffered from a disease called Downs Syndrome, so his face looked a little different and his thinking and talking were slower than the other children’s.

During the week of Easter the teacher gave each child a plastic egg that they could open. Then she sent them outside to find a symbol of new life, such as a seed or leaf,

to put inside the plastic egg.

Sometime later all the children gathered around their basket of eggs and watched as the teacher began to open them. One child had put a flower inside her egg.

All the children thought it was a great symbol of new life. In another egg was a butterf ly that all the girls said was beautiful.

Fi n a l ly, t he t e a c her opened the last plastic egg and there was nothing inside it. One child said, “That’s dumb!” Another kid said, “That’s not fair!” Then the teacher felt someone pulling her hand. It was Philip. He

looked up at her and said: “It’s my egg. I left it empty because Jesus’ grave is empty.

That’s why I have new life.”

The whole class was silent.

From that day on, Philip was accepted as part of the class.

Whatever had made him different was not important or mentioned again.

Just a few months later, Philip died from an infection. On the day of Philip’s funeral his whole class of 8-year-old boys and girls came to say goodbye to their special friend. And each child walked up to Philip’s casket to place beside it their gift: an empty egg.

Friend, if God the Son can

Think a minute

JHAN TIAFAU HURST

make His love so real and understood to a child like Philip, then none of us has an excuse for not understanding how much Jesus loves us.

HURST/PAGE 7

Ensuring integrity in bank ownership transfers IN my previous column few years ago, I discussed the initial congressional deliberation on various bills that seek to strengthen the powers of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The bills, specifically House Bills 6334, 5958 and 174, propose the amendment of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Act of 1993. The Bangko Sentral considers the following as priority areas: (1) Strengthening the conduct of the BSP’s monetary policy (2) Boosting BSP’s supervisory and regulatory capabilities, and (3) Improving BSP’s overall capability to perform other central banking functions.

Last week I discussed proposed measures to strengthen the conduct of monetary policy. In this column, I will tack le the recommended changes in the BSP Charter that would boost the BSP’s supervisory and regulatory capabilities.

At the core of these proposals are the need for the BSP to get timely and relevant information on the banks and

financial institutions which are under supervision. It is also important to enable the BSP to act effectively and in a timely manner to safeguard the banks and their clients.

Need to require prior approval over the transfer of substantial equity shares in banks This has been one of the legislative advocacies of the Bangko Sentral since the 13th Congress. The recent closure of some local banks, found to have engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, underscores its urgency.

The BSP’s role in bank ownership transfers will ensure integrity among bank owners. A stronger BSP, with the power to approve or disapprove the transfer of substantial ownership of banks, could have prevented Legacy group owners from buying ailing rural banks that were eventually used to victimize depositors.

In the case of Legacy, not only did the De Los Angeles group not seek BSP approval of the acquisition of such banks. The acquisitions were

even kept secret!

Authority to subject bank owners to the ‘fit and proper rule’ This proposal is corollary to the first. At present, only bank officials, or members of the bank’s management are subject to the “fit and proper rule” to ensure that they have all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications to be in such positions.

But even more important are the owners and substantial stockholders as they are the ones who really shape and influence the decisions.

Power to issue quick resolution actions This proposal provides the Bangko Sentral with an additional tool to prevent distressed institutions from failing.

This would empower the BSP to direct a distressed bank to infuse additional capital within 90 days and failing to do so, the BSP can direct the distressed bank to either merge with another institution or to accept new investors .

Under the present law, the

Speaking out

IGNACIO BUNYE

matter of additional capital infusion is practically left solely to the decision of the bank owners.

As experience has shown, this has led to the eventual collapse of some distressed banks.

Ability to impose a higher capital adequacy ratio (CAR) requirement for banks Capital adequacy ratio (CAR) is a measure of the amount of a bank’s capital expressed as a percentage of its risk weighted credit exposures. It is used as an indicator of a bank’s ability to absorb a reasonable Bunye/PAGE 7

Easter, the ultimate victory

THAT’S the victory of Easter, the resurrection of Christ when he finally conquered death itself and with it all the malice of sin and evil. It’s the victory that recovers our original dignity as image and likeness of God and nothing less than God’s children in Christ, the dignity we lost because of sin.

This ultimate victory even enhances that dignity, since it involves God becoming like us so that we can be like him! It’s this very sublime exchange and sharing that comprises the supreme good that can happen to us.

Some people have considered it a Pyrrhic victory since it involves quite a tremendous cost. It’s like saying that the resurrection of Christ has given us only a zero-sum triumph, since what we gain with it is almost the same as what we lose.

This is, of course, a very poor understanding of this truth of faith. While it’s true

that this culmination of the redemptive work of Christ on us entailed nothing less than his life, it’s also true that that death has been converted into a gateway to our salvation with his resurrection. What matters is what happens in the end, with an effect that will be for always.

If we believe this truth and live it ourselves, identifying everything in our life with the life and the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, then we too can partake of this ultimate victory.

We should not forget that it will involve nothing less than the offering of our life.

Before that, it obviously will entail a lot of suffering-the cross, in other words-which Christ already warned us about when he said that if we want to follow him, then we should deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him.

It would be nice if we can

quit wasting time by fussing about this truth, and simply proceed to live it, acquiring the relevant attitude and skills to put it into practice.

Yes, with this truth about our assured ultimate victory in Christ, we ought to have the confidence and serenity in going about the affairs of our life. Plus, a driving sense of responsibility that should push us to do things for others without counting the cost.

The other day, someone told me about an advanced management program designed in the likes of those in Harvard and the number 1 European business school, IESE, in Barcelona, Spain.

What caught my attention is that this program is offered to the CEOs and owners of big companies in the Philippines and the other countries comprising the ASEAN, because by 2016, there is supposed to be an economic integration of

Hints and traces

FR. ROY CIMAGALA

the region that would boost economic activities.

W hat is prominent ly distinctive of this program is that it infuses a strong Christian spirit into the complex art of managing big companies with global impact. I consider this a very bold move, since it will bring religion at the center of business and economics, a combination that is often considered taboo, at least in the practical sense and not cimagala/PAGE 7

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Gensets... from page 1

liest within six months to a maximum of one year,” the President said.

He said the modular generators will augment demand for power in Mindanao at least until 2015 when new power plants are expected to start its operations.

Since under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act the government is prohibited from buying additional generating capacity, the President said a mechanism is now being finetuned to allow the purchase of the generators.

“Under EPIRA, I understand I cannot purchase new generating equipment. So we need a mechanism that we will be in compliance with the law but we will be able to provide a stop-gap measure to fill up the shortage from now until 2015,” Aquino said.

But since additional diesel plants would mean higher cost of electricity in Mindanao, the President said: “That is inevitable. Diesel costs more.”

Re-echoing his earlier statement during the Mindanao Power Summit in Davao City in April last year, President Aquino said: “The choice is this: higher power rates or no power at all? Most of the people we have talked to understood that there will be increase in costs.”

While power supply will improve next year, the energy situation in Mindanao is only expected to stabilize by 2015, when the power plants are already operational.

“By 2015, we expect the problem to largely go away...

It takes between three to four years to set up the power plant.

So earliest target date is about 300 megawatts of coal-fired power plant by 2015 and until 2017,” he explained.

Data from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines showed that Mindanao yesterday has a shortage of 157 megawatts (MW), with a system peak demand of 1,147 MW outstripping the capacity of 990 MW. Based on the Philippine Development Energy Plan 20122030, the Mindanao grid will need an additional capacity of 2,188 MW by 2030.

Solon... from page 1

rate to address the Mindanao crisis. If that is the case, then we could instead look into renewable energy which is cleaner, more sustainable and cheaper in the long term,” Makabayan senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño said.

Casiño pointed out that the approved feed in tariff (FIT) rate of renewable energy sources are below P10 per kwh.

“Kahit sundin pa natin yung request ng solar energy producers na P17.95 per kWh rate ay pantay lang din o mas mababa pa ito sa suggestion ni Sec. Petilla,” he said.

Last year, the Energy Regulatory Commission approved the FIT rate of P9.68 per kWh for solar, P8.53 per kWh for wind, P6.63 per kWh for biomass, and P5.90 per kWh for hydropower projects. On the other hand, the original petition was P17.95 per kWh for solar, P10.37 per kWh for wind, P7 per kWh for biomass, and P6.15 per kWh for hydro resources.

Casiño reasoned that if the administration had followed the proposal of the Mindanao Power Summit last year, the power crisis could have been resolved.

“The use of renewable energy is among the proposals raised during the Summit.

Other options include retained

ownership and management of power plants and barges.

“It really is disappointing that the President would rather campaign for his party instead of focus on the problems faced by the ordinary Filipino. It seems like every time I visit Mindanao they are experiencing a black out. Paano na lang ang mga tao sa Mindanao? Paano ang mga trabaho at negosyo doon?” he said.

In response to the Palace’s statement that the President can handle multiple priorities, Casiño said, “Actions speak louder than words. The proposals are all there. We’re not belittling the President’s capability to balance multiple priorities but the Palace should not belittle the expectations of the Filipino people. The presidency is a full-time job. Hindi pwedeng part-time campaign manager siya ng Liberal Party.

Eco-friendly... from page 1

Nati, Chairman and CEO, Italpinas Euroasian Design and Eco-Development Corporation, said more “passive measures” represented by eco-friendly design and engineering could make a significant contribution to the attainment of energy security under the Philippine Energy Plan.

“The Philippine Energy Plan 2009-2030 is the blueprint for all players in the energy sector for the next ten years,” said Director Jesus Tamang of the Energy Policy and Planning Bureau, Department of Energy. “It lists three broad policy thrusts based on the concept of enabling better energy choices for a better quality of life: achieving energy security, enacting power market reforms and Implement social mobilization and cross-sector monitoring mechanisms.”

However, Mr. Nati noted the plan doesn’t take cognizance of the significant correlation between energy and real estate as demonstrated by current trends in the world’s global energy situation.

“Around 25-40 percent of total energy produced worldwide is consumed by buildings,” Mr. Nati said. “Buildings also produce seventy percent of the total volume of carbon dioxide in cities.”

Building air conditioners alone account for over one trillion watts of the world’s total energy consumption and in the Philippines, air conditioners account for 60 percent of the total energy consumed by buildings, he added.

Mr. Nati believes the real estate sector, particularly the architecture, engineering and energy sub-sectors can substantially contribute to the attainment of energy security in the country as demonstrated by the Italpinas experience in the Philippines.

“Italpinas is an ItalianFilipino joint venture which designs and develops innovative green buildings with unique energy features in efficiency and generation,” he said.

As a vertically integrated company, Italpinas designs, builds and markets its buildings using a cross-disciplinary approach which has already reaped it international awards for design and finance.

Italpinas takes care of development and property management while sister companies RVN+ Design takes care of concept, architectural and technical design and construction management and CEC Energy is charged with the energy aspects of the projects.

“With this cross-disciplinary approach, we have come up with “Unique Value Propositions” which basically integrate Renewable Energy and

Real Estate through innovative architectural features; reduce building energy consumption through “passive green design”; reduce energy cost by having buildings generate part of their energy needs; ensure power cost/optimization through “Smart Energ y Management” thus maximizing benefits to end users and investors,” Mr. Nati said.

T h e s e “ Un i q u e Va lu e Propositions” have been amply demonstrated in the energy optimizing features of its first project, the 10-story twin tower P450-million Primavera Residences at the Pueblo de Oro Business Park in Uptown Cagayan de Oro which features an iinner courtyard to increase ventilation, solar panels and cross ventilation, and overhang shading to maximize shade from the building’s orientation to lessen aircon use.

Among the international awards Italpinas has garnered in the past two years include a citation as “One of the most promising clean energy investment opportunities in the Philippines”, 2nd annual Philippines Clean Energy Investor Forum, 2011; “One of the Best Condo Developments in the Philippines”, 2011 South East Asia Property Awards and 4th Finalist in CTI-PFAN Asia Forum for Clean Energy Financing (AFCEF-3), 2013.

Italpinas and its affiliate companies works closely with the Philippine Green Building Council, Investment Capital Corporation of the Philippines, Pueblo de Oro Development Corporation, Board of Investments, Land Bank of the Philippines, Bank of the Philippine Islands and Philippine Savings Bank.

NGCP... from page 1

sion of electricity during elections weeks as if “there is a typhoon coming or an impending disaster.”

Cynthia Alabanza, NGCP communications officer, said the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines was making the preparation to ensure that timely and uninterrupted transmission of adequate electricity during election weeks in May this year.

In a statement released Saturday, the NGCP, however, could not guarantee electricity from the power generation and distribution sectors on the week prior to, on and days after the May 16 election.

“Like in a disaster or typhoon, we don’t know how it will affect the grid,” Alabanza said.

She said the NGCP is currently having an inventory of all its resources, facilities and people “to make sure that if something will happen [on election day] we can immediately restore power.”

To enable t his k ind of preparation, NGCP is doing a dry-run on both equipment and personnel to immediately respond for unscheduled power interruptions, Alabanza said.

According to her, NGCP alone cannot guarantee that there would be no brownout in Mindanao or any part of the country during the election day.

Alabanza said that there is a need for the power generation and supply sectors to work together under the Department of Energy to make sure that brownouts are minimized during election days.

Without the cooperation of the other members of the “Energy Family”, NGCP’s preparation would be nothing, she added.

Alabanza also belied insinuations that NGCP was holding the supply of electricity in order

to create an artificial power supply shortage.

“Economically, technically, and financially, the allegation does not make sense at all. The less NGCP transmit power supplies, the less it would earn,” Alabanza said. delivery of the personable service associated with Filipinos the world over.

Hurst... from page 6

God humiliated Himself by becoming a human being, not only to die for all our wrongs and forgive us, but then to come back to life to show us that He is God Himself Who wants to give us new life.

So won’t you ask Him today to forgive you and take full charge of your new life?

Just think a minute…

Bunye... from page 6

amount of loss.

The Bank of International Settlements, the central bank of all central banks all over the world, sets CAR at eight percent. The BSP, on the other hand, requires a higher 10 percent.

However, the BSP now sees the wisdom in imposing a higher CAR requirement for banks that take on greater financial risks. These are usually big banks that use and promote more sophisticated products and engage more in non-traditional banking practices.

The BSP believes that for these banks, it is not enough to merely comply with the present standards on CAR. Extra steps should be taken to protect and further improve prudential standards for the banking system.

Note: You may email us at totingbunye2000@gmail.com.

Cimagala... from page 6

so much in the theoretical.

It’s about time that God is seriously put into these human activities, so crucial in our lives. Those behind this program reassured everyone that freedom of conscience will always be respected, but that God, faith and religion would be unabashedly talked about in relation to these affairs of ours.

I consider this as a kind of having the Easter mentality, the attitude of a confident winner who goes beyond merely monetary and other technical criteria in their business and economic activities.

T hat it is g iven to t he business leaders is also very significant, since that would surely have a great effect on the ethical climate of the regional and global economy.

Every time I pass by the IT Park in Cebu where I usually see a lot of young people, I cannot help but think of how to evangelize them.

I can already detect certain attitudes and behavior that are actually disturbing, most of them related to how the virtue of chastity is lived, how time and money are spent, etc.

Casual f lings seem to be t he in-t hing a mong t hem.

They are only interested in the money and the so-called freedom that money can give them. There’s a great need to clarify things and to inculcate the proper values and develop the virtues.

We need to have the Easter spirit in dealing with this challenge.

Cruz... from page 6

need thereof: “God: Forgive me for what I have done and what I have failed to do.” The repentant ask God for forgiveness – not only for the bad things he/she said or did, but also for the good things he/she failed to do. Such is a realistic prayer of repentance whereas there are usually better deeds that someone failed to do than evil deeds the same has done. There are very much more works of love that people leave undone than works of evil they could have done.

Hotel... from page 2

Davao built by SM Hotels and Conventions is a 204-room P750-million midscale hotel development it is located inside the SM Lanang Premiere which hosts a sprawling shopping mall and a 4,750 square meter convention facility, the SMX Davao.

According to Barlow there are 128 Park Inn by Radisson hotels in the world across 39 countries with 68 more hotels in the pipeline, the Davao Park Inn is the first hotel of the brand in the Asia Pacific Region.

Exporters... from page 2

ment should a lso continue addressing t he problem of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on the lack of access to financing that will help these compa n ies to ex pa nd a nd modernize their facilities to meet international standards.

Likewise, he underscored the need to streamline regulat ions, pa r t icu la rly t hose i nvolv i ng a c om mon a nd standardized tariff schedule and classification, and rules of origin. “(These) cou ld great ly contribute to the competitiveness of export food products produced by the food processing sector,” he said.

A mores, a lso t he food trustee of the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc., added t hat improved Customs administration could also reduce transaction costs between the Philippines and other ASEAN countries.

Moreover, the government must have some control in the appreciation of the peso that ma kes loca l food products uncompetitive, he said.

To increase sales abroad, Amores said that steps have to be taken to improve market intelligence and assessment of the situation in the global market.

The Philippine food industry is composed of processed foods, fresh foods and marine products. Its biggest markets are Japa n, United States, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Luxury... from page 3

e c onomy. T he Ph i l ip pi ne economy is doing ver y well, you c a n see t hat w it h t he new resort casinos opening up. There is a lot of wealth coming into t he cou nt r y,” said Marc Louis O. Soong, executive director of Jaguar Cars Philippines and general manager of Autostrada Motore, Inc. “ T he e c onomy i s ve r y strong, growth can be higher this year,” he added.

The Soong family has the distribution rights for Jag-

7

uar, Ferrari, Land Rover and Maserati in the Philippines. It sells the Ferrari brand under Autostrada Motore.

Sa les of t he four car brands rose by 10% in 2012.

Two models were introduced later i n t he yea r: t he Jaguar XKR-S in October and the Ferrari California 30 in November.

M r. S o o n g s a i d s a l e s should further increase this year with the new top-of-theline Land Rover model to be launched in the countr y in two months.

“There are def initely an increasing number of buyers.

These are people who earned their money and now want to enjoy it,” he remarked.

While sales are expected to increase, he clarif ied his companies are content with maintaining their select set of clients.

“We’re happy w it h ou r sma ll share of the pie. We cater to a niche market, so we don’t really go for volume,” said Mr. Soong.

KIA... from page 3

design is inspired by t he eyes of a w i ld a nima l.

The center-stack design is minimalist with an air vent controlled by touch sensor.

For extra safety, the steeri n g w h e e l r i m i s c a p a ble of monitoring t he driver`s biorhy thms.

As wel l a s a steer i ngwheel, there is a DIS (Driving Information System) controller connected to a gesture camera which provides easier operation while driving. With well-defined motions, drivers can set up each menu on the center display. Hinting at the high-performance nature of the CUB, there is a footrest prov ided in t he front passenger footwell.

Turbocharged 204 ps engine T he CU B power t ra i n fe at u re s a ne w ver sion of the company’s 1.6-liter GDI (gasoline direct injection) engine – recently confirmed as the powerunit for the new Kia pro_cee’d GT and cee’d GT sold in Europe.

Fitted with a twin-scroll turbocharger and strengthened interna l components, the new engine generates 51% more power (204 ps) and 60% more torque (265 Nm) than the regular 1.6 unit. This engine enables both of Kia’s European GT models, with a six-speed manual transmission, to accelerate to 100 kph in 7.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 230 kph.

At present there are no pla ns to put t he K ia CU B concept i nto volu me pro duction.

Robinsons... from page 4

erate JG Summit Holdings, I nc . A s of end-S eptember last year, the company had 32 shopping malls, 34 residential projects, eight office buildings, and nine hotels.

Robinsons Land and its subsidiaries are engaged in the business of selling, acquiring, building, developing, leasing and disposing of real properties such as land, buildings, shopping malls, commercial centers and housing projects, as well as hotels and mixedused property projects.

The compa ny ea rned P1.189 billion in net income i n t he f i rst qu a r ter of it s O c tob er-S e ptemb er f i s c a l year, up 3.12% from P1.153 bi l l ion i n t he s a me t h re e months in 2011 on the back of improved revenues across all business segments.

8

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PCA-10 Regional Manager Luis G. Cruz fields questions during the Quarterly Regional Economic Situationer held March 26, 2013 at the NEDA-10 conference room. (photo by Mike Banos)

PCA eyes 5-fold rise in coco exports with hybrid seeds

By MIKE BAÑOS, Correspondent

THE Philippine Coconut Authority in Region X is eyeing a fivefold increase in Northern Mindanao’s coconut based exports with the massive replanting of the region’s coconut areas as soon as the hybrid farms start producing the needed seeds five years from now.

“We are now establishing hybrid coconut production seedfarms in selected coconut barangays in the region to produce hybrid coconut seeds to be used in the massive replanting of the region’s coconut farms using the hybrid coconut varieties developed by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA),”said Luis G. Cruz, PCA-10 regional manager during the Quarterly Regional Economic Situationer (QRES) facilitated by the National Economic Development Authority-Region X (NEDA) last March 26, 2013.

“These new varieties offer up to a fivefold increase in yield from the present 1.2 metric tons per hectare (m.t./ha.) to as much as 5-6 m.t./ha.,” Mr. Cruz added.

“After the new varieties are in place, the region is in a good position to substantially increase its US$664.6-million export revenues of coco based exports realized in 2012.”

The PCA-10 undertook planting of some 30 2-hectare hybrid coconut seed production farms in Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental,

Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental with coconut seed parent materials provided by the PCA Research Center in San Ramon, Zamboanga City. More of these hybrid coconut seed farms will be established this year in varoius coconut barangays to supply the region with the needed hybrid coconut seeds for its massive hybrid coconut replanting 5 years from now. Region X has 298,072 has. of coconut farms of which some 100,000 hectares are targeted for replanting with the new hybrid coconut seeds.

Last year, PCA-10 started a pilot hybrid coconut seed production farm with the Tagpako Free Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TFFMC) in Gingoog City which would be replicated all over the region.

PCA will provide funds for the purchase and delivery of its recommended good quality seedlings, technical assistance and technical training while TFFMC will provide the land and personnel to man the farm.

Coconut based products account for over half the total value of Region 10’s exports.

Figures from the Bureau of Customs Region X show traditional coco based products such as coco chemicals, activated carbon, coconut oil, dessicated coconut, copra cake/pellets and coconut shell charcoal increased by 30.66

% in 2012 to US$634.7-million compared to US$485.7-million in 2011.

Non-traditional coconut products such as coconut water, coconut cream and coconut milk powder, on the other hand, showed an even bigger 51.32 percent hike in 2012 to US$ 29.968-million from US$ 19.805-million in 2011.

The fifteen coconut variety hybrids recommended for the NCPRP not only have higher yields, (4-6 tons copra/ha/year) but also boast of higher medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) contents and higher tolerance to adverse growing conditions than traditional varieties, said Ramon L. Rivera, officer-in-charge of the PCA’s Zamboanga Research Center which helped develop the hybrid varieties.

Although the economic slowdown in Europe and the United States have resulted to lower copra prices in the past year, Mr. Cruz believes the Department of Energy’s positive action on the Department of Agriculture’s request to mandate an increase in the blend of biodiesel from the current 2 percent to 5 percent would help stabilize domestic prices since the next mandated adjustment to B7 (7-percent blend) is still set for 2020.

It would also help increase

Hybrid coconut

Gov’t to establish five coco industrial estates FIVE agro-industrial estates for the production and processing of high-value coconut products will be established this year, idea lly near sma ll farmers, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said Monday.

He added that each estate will have a processing capacity of 5,000 nuts a day and include cold storage facilities.

Alcala also said that the Department of Agriculture (DA) is preparing a proposal to the National Ecomoic Development Authority (NEDA) to offer the estates under the government’s

public-private partnership program for infrastructure funding, and that discussions are also underway between the DA and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to position the estates as economic zones.

“There were already two groups of [foreign] investors who approached me. This is the kind of economic activity that is needed in the countryside.

From these activities, many related industries will rise,” he said.

The department also plans to establish larger export-ori-

ented agro-industrial estates at least 150 hectares in area in a major coconut-producing region.

The establishment of the industrial estates for coconut is part of the coconut industry’s development roadmap.

The volume of coconut commodities exports rose 1.49 percent year-on-year to 1.53 million metric tons in 2012, but fell 21.57 percent in terms of value to $1.54 billion as international demand fell, according to data from the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).

the demand for copra and help stabilize farm incomes of the country’s three million coconut farmers, he added.

The Asian Institute of Petroleum Studies Inc. earlier estimated that raising the biodiesel blend to 5 percent will only add 15 centavos per liter to current prices while reducing diesel imports by P12.25 billion or a foreign exchange sav-

ings of US$298.8-million and an additional P11.5 billion savings from increased mileage.

The institute is also urging oil-fired power plants to use cocobiodiesel which will improve their cost efficiency and environmentfriendly with the substantial elimination of harmful emissions.

Distribution utilities in the municipality of Quezon, Bukid-

non and the cities of Gingoog, Cagayan de Oro, Valencia and Iligan have oil-fired generating sets totaling approximately 75 megawatts (MW) while the Iligan Diesel Power Plant (IDPP) now undergoing rehabilitation by the Mapalad Power Corporation in Iligan City would eventually be able to produce 98 MW for the Mindanao Grid.

FEATU R E

Hog raising: A promising backyard venture

By Honor Blanco Cabie

HOG raising in the Philippines, a basically agricultural economy, can be a possibly profitable venture -- as attested by the rising number of people across the regions who have gone into swine raising.

From as far north as Cagayan and Ilocos Norte to Tarlac and Nueva Ecija north of Manila to Leyte in Eastern Visayas, raisers say they are literally in business, with swine raising a profitable agriculture venture which could help improve some people’s lives.

Swine raising has become very popular in many regions because during town fiestas people expect nearly every household to have “lechon” or roasted whole pork on their dining tables.

According to the Cavite-based International Institute of Rural

These hogs need only 2.57 kg of feeds to gain one kilogram body weight based on a University of the Philippines Los Banos study.

Reconstruction (IIRR), “upgraded native pigs in family backyards which are fed mostly with rice bran and kitchen wastes consist a great part of the existing swine industry in the Philippines.”

These hogs attain 75 to 80 kilograms body weight in 300 to 400 days and requires about 6

to 7 kilograms of feed to gain a kilogram live weight.

Hogs from Europe and the United States, introduced in the Philippines in the 1980s for domestic breeding and commercial production, take only six months to raise and by then weigh about 90 kilograms, the IIRR says.

The IIRR says swine raisers are convinced that cross combination of standard pure breeds give better profit.

In a feasibility study done by IIRR, swine raising for six months goes this way: for a sow or gilt that costs P2,500 each, a hog raiser needs at least P493 for five bags of swine gestation materials at P189 per bag.

The prices, of course, can rise abruptly without enough prior notice, according to those in the industry.

Four swine lactation materials will cost P795 at P199 per bag,

and for a bag of swine pre-starter material a bag is needed which will cost P267.

Drugs and vaccine costing P100 will combat swine plague and hog cholera, according to IIRR. Hog raisers have been advised that when buying swine feeds the following must be considered: nutritional content, availability in the area, soy bean oil meal, coconut, corn bran and cassava.

The following can be added to the low-cost feed formulation for mineral supplement: salt, ground oyster shell, well sifted kitchen ash and fish sauce.

The recommended green feeds for hogs that will give the swine much amount of valuable starch, protein, minerals and vitamins are: sweet potato or camote leaves,

kangkong or swamp cabbage, talinum, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, grass, water lily, banana stalks, kulasiman (Portulaca oleracea), tapilan grains, chopped corn plants, munggo leaves, bean leaves, ipilipil or kumpitis (Laucaena glauca), the indigenous “mani-manian” and pungapong (Amorphallus campanulatus).

Others are suggesting imported breed beginners can raise hogs which will give the best performance and income.

The imported breeds include the well fleshed solid white Large white Yorkshire which has medium erect ears, an advantage being the sow has the superior mothering abilities, which means the beginning raiser can expect

HOG RAISING/PAGE 10

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P100M from solons’ pork to aid poor UP students

REP. RODRIGUEZ

Congress okays bill to crack down cable theft ILLEGAL tapping of signals provided by any cable television (CATV) network or system and any cable Internet system and t he dest r uc t ion or removal of authorized CATV or cable Internet facilities will soon be penalized.

In Congress, Taguig 2nd district Rep. Fre d d ie R . Ti n g a , head of the committee on information and communications technology (ICT), led the adoption of Senate Bill 3345 as an amendment to House Bill

00709, authored by Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.

“We have learned that cable theft has c o s t t h e i n du s t r y about P6.3 billion in losses annually. With the proper safeguards, aside from subscribers getting better service a nd recept ion, t he provider will be able to quickly recover investment cost which they in turn will be able to use on improving services like going digital, adding more c ontent a nd ot her value added services,” Tinga said.

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL 10th Judicial Region Cagayan de Oro City OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL SHERIFF NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE FILE NO. 2013-022

Upon extra-judicial petition for sale under Act No. 3135, as amended by Act No. 4118, filed by HDMF (PAG-IBIG FUND) with principal office address at Atrium of Makati Avenue, Makati City, with branch office at Pag-ibig Fund, Bldg., Borja St. Cagayan de Oro City against LOIDA S. BONGCAWIL married to ERIC U. BONGCAWIL, with postal address at Zone 1, Poblacion, Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental, the mortgagor to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of October 17, 2012, amounts to THREE HUNDRED THIRTY ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY ONE PESOS & 85/100 (P331,571.85), Philippine Currency, inclusive interest, penalty charges, court fees, attorney’s fees and expenses of foreclosure, the undersigned or duly authorized deputy will sell at public auction on April 23, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. or soon thereafter at the main entrance of the Office of the Court, Hall of Justice, Hayes-Mortola Streets, Cagayan de Oro City to the highest bidder, for cash and in Philippine Currency, the following property/ies described below including all existing improvements found thereon, to wit: TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-51647 Lot : Lot 28, Blk 8, Psd-10-057664 Portion of Lot : Lot 1, Pcs-10-003972 As surveyed for : United Coconut Planters Bank (Pag-ibig Citi Homes) Land Use : (Residential) Location : Malanang, Opol, Misamis Oriental Boundaries : NW., line 2-3 by Road Lot 4 (12:00 m. wide); NE., line 3-4 by Lot 30; SE., line 4-1 by Lot 27; SW., line 1-2 by Lot 26, all of Blik-8, Psd-10-057664 Area :

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY (120) SQ.M., more or less, registered in the name of LOIDA S. BONGCAWIL married to ERIC U. BONGCAWIL.

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date.

In the event auction sale cannot take place for whatever legal reason, the same will proceed on the following working day, without further notice, posting and publication.

Prospective buyers may investigate for themselves the title herein above-described encumbrances thereon, if any there be.

Cagayan de Oro City, February 25, 2013.

(Sgd.) ANTONIO A. CAGULANG, JR. Sherriff IV BWM: March 18, 25 & April 1, 2013

SOME 50 lawmakers who graduated from the University of the Philippines are targeting to raise P100 million from their pork barrel allocations to put up an assistance fund for poor UP students.

The 16-year-old Tejada Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez disclosed dreamed of becoming a surthis last week as other House geon and helping her four members slammed the huge siblings. She drank silver cuts made by the Aquino cleaning solution at her home administration on the bud- in Tondo, Manila last Friday get of state universities and and died later in a hospital.

UP president Alfredo colleges (SUCs).

Rodriguez, an alumnus Pascual on Tuesday lifted of the UP College of Law, the controversial “no late said he and his colleagues payment” policy, which has from UP are setting aside been blamed for the suicide P2 million each from their of Tejada.

According to Rodriguez, annual Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to the UP’s Socialized Tuition put up the new UP Financial and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP) must be Assistance Fund.

“UP has a very limited thoroughly reviewed as the budget and I also appeal to program was found to be not the private sector to pitch in tune with the changing in and have more scholars,” financial status of students.

He said that in Tejada’s Rodriguez told The STAR. The lawmakers came up case, UP officials failed to take with the initiative following into account “the change in the death of Kristel Tejada, a circumstances” in her fambehavioral science freshman ily’s finances.

Her mother, a housewife, at UP Manila, who committed suicide over her failure said they were not able to pay her daughter’s P10,000 to pay tuition.

tuition loan since the family depended on the meager income of her husband, a part-time taxi driver.

“Some students’ parent or parents lose their jobs or livelihood while they are enrolled, so that should be quickly taken into account by school officials in their system, in evaluating a student’s request for loan extensions,” Rodriguez said.

Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo said “the biggest culprit is the more than P1billion slash in the budget of SUCs.” “I have openly advocated for free college education. In this globalized and complex world, a college education is a matter of ultimate necessity, but free college education is a function of collected revenues,” he said.

Gabriela party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said SUCs have no more “coping mechanisms” due to the budget cuts.

“Education as a right demands that schools exercise flexibility and maxi-

mum consideration. I blame the government’s lopsided priorities and the school’s mechanical and insensitive implementation of a policy,” she said.

For his part, Marikina City Rep. Marcelino Teodoro said the people should not put the entire blame on the STFAP policy of UP as the reason behind Kristel’s suicide.

“The way she died was a choice she made and we can never fully understand what went on in her mind for doing so,” he said. “Nevertheless, the UP’s scholarship policy is what one might say, ancient, that must be reviewed and revised immediately.”

Teodoro said it was ironic that UP, established to help and educate poor Filipinos, deprives its students of knowledge because of financial reasons.

“They must stay true to their mandate so that no other student suffers the consequences of a faulty scholarship policy,” he said.

Stakeholders sign commitment in water cooperation STA K EHOL DER S f rom public and private sectors here signed a commitment for water cooperation in the recently held United Nations World Water Day 2013 International Year of Water Cooperation with the national theme “Tubig para sa lahat, lahat para sa tubig.”

Engr. Edgardo C. Demayo, Office of the Senior Deputy Administrator Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), said water is everyone’s concern. We are here because this is an important issue. Water is life and it is finite, he stressed.

General Manager Rachel M. Beja of the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) cited few key points during the event. One is that water

Hog raising... from page 10

litters and reduced mortality rate.

At the same time, Large white Yorkshire, which adapts well to confinement but should not be placed in rugged conditions, produces fine quality meat compared to other breeds -- which translates into higher profits.

The Landrace, white in color and possesses short legs and medium dropping ears, also has excellent mothering ability and litter size.

Landrace can be a superior milk producer and can produce pigs with superior growth rate.

The Duroc, with varying shades of red, can be pro-

transcends boundaries and knows no borders. She said that it is a shared resource of myriad uses.

Water is an agent to fulfill the basic human need; indispensable component of the environment and plays

a big role in socio-economic development.

She hoped that we attain balance in the end and able to share water within ourselves evenly.

Through videos, leaders of the city particularly city

creative and is also known for good mothering ability.

It can produce pigs that are superior in growth rate, with good performance in rugged condition.

The Hampshire, black in color with distinguishable white belt around the shoulders and body, has generally short legs and lacks body thickness.

Industry hands say Hampshire has a good reputation of weaning a high percentage of pigs farrowed and can easily adopt to rugged conditions.

The Pietrain, very meaty with spotted black and white color, has well-shaped shoulders, hams and loins.

The carcass has high lean meat percentage but the only problem is it has a low con-

stitution and they are highly susceptible to stress.

Some industry experts suggest if one were just beginning in the industry, it would be far better for one to buy what they call a “chop suey” breed first.

This is a mixed and unk now n breed com mon ly raised by small backyard raisers.

There are also tips for raisers as far as gilts are concerned.

According to experts, gilts must have well developed udder with a minimum of properly spaced teats.

Beginners must avoid t hose gilts w it h inver ted teats which don’t produce milk. Inverted teats might be inherited and raisers must

mayor Vicente Y. Emano, Misamis Oriental governor Oscar S. Moreno, representative of the 2nd congressional district of the city Rufus B. Rodriguez, Oro Chamber president Efren T. Uy and Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, expressed their support to make sure water is provided adequately and in a reasonable price in the region.

The UN proclaimed 2013 as the International Year of Water Cooperation through UN General Assembly Resolution 65/154. Diverse activities around the world will help raise awareness of the potential of and challenges to water cooperation, facilitate dialogue among stakeholders and promote innovative solutions. not have any abnormalities in one’s breeders.

The beginner, as far as possible, must choose sows with long body for better udder development.

“Examine the ham, loin and shoulder, it must be well developed which is required for breeder animals,” one expert has advised, adding “make sure to select the biggest animal in the litter.”

Others go as far as suggesting one must study the parents of the litter one will purchase. The parents must not possess any abnormalities, so that the piglets will be free from any hereditary disease.

In the meanwhile, any ambitious swine raiser may start shifting his hog tools to higher gear.

Features

BusinessWeek M I N DA N A O

YOUR LOCAL ONLINE BUSINESS PAPER

www.businessweekmindanao.com

Monday-Tuesday I Apr. 1-2, 2013

11

Rising from the ruins of ‘Pablo’

By CARMELA C. DURON, Contributor

BAGANGA, Davao Oriental -- Approaching from Caraga town, the idyllic roadside towards neighboring Baganga has started to turn green. Various weeds and shrubs in abundance crept and have almost covered an assortment of felled trees, mostly coconut.

Along the road, piled coconut lumbers are primed as housing material for permanent shelter and other serviceable structures for typhoon Pablo victims.

The scenery in this side of the east coast is almost back to its former beauty before the devastation caused by Pablo last December 4, 2012.

Schoolchildren’s voices reciting poems can be heard again and so with their songs.

Back to playing at their restored school grounds, the children’s genuine shrieks and unrestrained laughter and banters can be heard again.

Municipal officials and college students continue to render voluntary services to fellow victims who are more vulnerable. Families are pick-

The scene after the storm.

ing up torn lives and tossed homes, almost achieving the peace and serenity that they once held. The transformation is evident. It can be felt by the people in the area as well as the throng of responders immersed in the town.

Three months past the harrowing global disaster, Davaoeños in Davao Oriental are starting to live normally again. Through the all-out relief, recovery and rehabilitation initiatives of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and by various local, national and international

agencies, typhoon victims or the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have overcome the ordeal.

“I received P2,260 for clearing of coconut trees and other trees that block the barangay road,” says Lloyd Emuy of Barangay Batiano.

Emuy is one of the participants in the DSWD Cash For Work Program in his barangay. He was able to work for 10 days. He has four children and his family has received relief assistance for over five times from DSWD and other agencies.

Some 193 villagers on

Camiguin lenten walk 2013

By JORIE C. VALCORZA, Contributor

MAMBAJAO Camiguin -- Are you up for a 64-kilometer walk?

There is no other place in the world that you need to be this lent, but in this superb island paradise, lying in the northern coast of Mindanao.

It’s more fun here! The province unique way of observing the lenten season has continued to entice more and more tourist each year. Buttered up with great scenery, cool waters, and stress free environment.

This traditional Lenten walk, dubbed “Panaad” is a religious vow of sacrifice among pilgrims to take the 64-kilometer walk around the island, don with an uphill climb to the station of the cross in Mt. Vulcan, where the 14

Stations of the Cross are located.

This is the only time in the island, where you get to see the streets crowded with pilgrims from all walks of life, young and old, walking on the streets even in broad daylight.

One thing that sets it apart is the safety it could offer to tourist and pilgrims. You can bring along your tents and pitch it just anywhere along its coastline whenever you feel weary and tired of walking all day and enjoy a refreshing dip from its clean beaches where locals are also are warm to offer their help, even providing food and water for free to pilgrims.

The walk around the island is usually matched by a “visita

iglesia” where they get to see the old churches here including the old church ruins in Catarman town which was destroyed by volcanic eruption.

Devotees start the walk right after they get off the ferries in Mahinog town, going to Mambajao until they reach back to Benoni port. It usually takes a day or two or even more depending on your speed.

A number of these devotees have been regular walkers here every lent, claiming that this religous sacrifice has truly helped and enriched their lives and relationship with God. Get the experience for real!

Hop on the boat now and register for the Panaad 2013!

Wednesday eagerly trooped to the wrecked Batiano barangay hall to claim their Cash For Work from DSWD workers.

The Cash for Work program is one of the interventions of DSWD and is introduced during the Early Recovery Phase wherein a family head may work for 10 days and will receive a daily wage of P226.00.

The World Food Programme and other humanitarian agencies have also extended Cash for Work and Food for Work programs to victims of typhoon Pablo.

Most of the victims who joined the Cash For Work are farmers. “I uprooted weeds, hauled coconut tree debris from the roadside, and cleared sitios in our barangay. With God’s grace, we are recovering. The ration has helped,” recounted Mary Jane Baltazar of Batiano who is now busy

tending her vegetable patch and raising chicken and hogs.

Arnold Ignacio, 36, a father of four from Barangay Ban-ao also enlisted in the Cash for Work. “We cleaned the roads, cut trees and piled boulders. I will use this money to build a house,” said Ignacio who is now back to growing egg plants, ampa laya, cucumber, okra and other vegetables.

Municipal Social Welfare and Development Off icer Daryl Bohol, a victim herself, encouraged residents. “Even as we received assistance, we also need to help ourselves so that we can return to our normal lives. We can do it.”

“Let us start working as relief assistance will soon phase out. We should not rely on it as it will not last forever. We have to strive to regain normalcy,” stressed Lambajon Barangay Captain

Marlon Avellanosa.

“I f you have fa it h i n Christ, nothing is impossible. Thank you so much to those involved. Thanks for all your help to us,” misty-eyed Maryann Tagsip of Barangay Lambajon conveyed her gratitude. Tagsip received a core house from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In Baganga, 200 families are now staying in DSWD bunkhouses while 53 families have just received their core house through the Debris to Shelter (D2S) project of IOM. To date, some 12,088 families in Baganga have already been served by DSWD with food and non-food relief assistance.

Fa m i l ie s i n Ba ga nga , young and old are, rich and poor have started to rebuild their lives from the ruins, and rise they will. (PNA)

Pinoy twist for All-time Favorites THE 7th National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) showed that more than 3 million Filipinos are estimated to have Type II diabetes.

C onsequent ly, F N R IDOST has been developing food products that may help in controlling blood sugar level in diabetics.

Speaking of control, even diabetics cannot sometimes resist mashed potato especially as a side dish to roast chicken.

However, diabetics may know well that potatoes are full of starch and can raise blood sugar level significantly.

Thus, the FNRI has de-

veloped an equally delicious alternative to mashed potato - the instant mashed sweet potato or kamote. Sweet potato is an ideal alternative to potato but is healthier because of its low glycemic index and high fiber content, which is good for diabetics.

Another favorite Pinoy snack or kakanin given a healthier twist by the FNRI is the instant brown rice puto premix.

Similarly, brown rice has low glycemic index and high dietary fiber content.

In a study at FNRI-DOST, instant mashed sweet potato and brown rice puto premix were packed in laminated foil and found acceptable in sensory trials as “liked moderately or “liked very

much” by trained panelists.

Bot h f u nc t iona l food products are ready for pilot scale production and clinical studies to determine their nutritional and health benefits, as well as marketability.

Glycemic index or GI is a score of a food item on how quickly it levels a person’s blood sugar.

The lower the score, the slower the increase in blood sugar.

This does not mean, however, that foods with low glycemic index are “free for all food” especially among diabetics.

Moderation is still the key in consuming starchy or carbohydrate-rich food to control blood sugar level, even if one is not diabetic.

Pinoy moms have positive views on exclusive breastfeeding THE latest nutrition survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) in 2011 reveals a positive outlook for exclusive breastfeeding among Filipino mothers.

More mothers are now breastfeeding their infants exclusively, up from 29.7 percent in 2003 to 35.9 percent in 2008 and 46.7 percent in 2011.

The survey also disclosed the mothers’ improved knowledge on the beneficial effects of breastfeeding.

In 2011, 56 percent of mothers think that breastmilk is nutritious and is the complete food for their babies compared to only 35.8 percent in 2008.

One in four mothers now thinks that breastfeeding increases infants’ immune system and that breastfeeding is safe and convenient.

In fact, 13.2 percent of mothers

think that breastfeeding strengthens mother-child bonding, the survey further disclosed.

This is a far cry compared to the 2008 National Nutrition Survey also conducted by the FNRI-DOST where only 7.6, 12 and 4.3 percent of mothers think that breastfeeding increases the immune system, is safe and convenient, and fosters mother-child bonding, respectively.

Interestingly, the survey also reported that 56 percent of mothers say that economics plays a role in encouraging them to breastfeed, in the same manner that it was also cited as a reason why they cease to breastfeed.

Further, one in five mothers or 20.3 percent cited work outside the homes or having busy schedule as contributory to their decision to stop breastfeeding.

It is possible that despite the knowledge that breastfeeding is

beneficial and economical, mothers breastfeed until the time that they feel they have recovered “enough” from childbirth to become economically productive again for the household, suggesting that breastfeeding is not sustained.

Mothers breastfeed exclusively for an average of 3.7 months only, the survey added.

This duration falls short of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that infants be breastfed exclusively for six months.

The decision to breastfeed is influenced by the interplay of the mothers’ immediate environment (family support, media exposure), economic status (work, schedule) and knowledge (importance of breastmilk, breastfeeding, image of healthy children).

The WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recommend “(1) that infants be put on

the breast within the first hour of life; (2) that they be fed exclusively with breast milk without any additional food or drink, not even water for the first six months; (3) that infants be breastfed on demand; and (4) that bottles or pacifiers are not used.”

The WHO believes that these practices are support measures “to establish, nurture and sustain the practice of exclusive breastfeeding”.

The Philippines has shown support to the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes with the passage of Executive Order No. 51, now known as the Philippine Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes or more popularly known as the Milk Code.

A key translation of the “promotion and support” components of E.O. 51 is the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009 (Republic Act No. 10028) that specifically addresses the concern of working

(and at the same time breastfeeding) mothers.

The law seeks to provide an “enabling environment” for the working-breastfeeding mothers both in the workplace and in public places via establishing “lactation stations” and allowing for “lactation breaks”.

Tax incentives await institutions and establishments who are able to comply with the provisions of the law.

Gains in practicing exclusive breastfeeding among Filipino mothers, as shown in the latest nutrition survey, may reflect the collective efforts by the Health department, concerned government line agencies and non-government bodies in “protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding activities”, as stipulated in the Milk Code.

Exclusive breastfeeding is defined by the WHO as a mode of feeding wherein the “infant only

receives breastmilk without any additional food or drink, not even water”.

For more information on food and nutrition researches, you may contact Dr. Mario V. Capanzana, Director, FNRI-DOST, at telephone number 837-2934 or email at mar_v_c@yahoo.com. (Ma. Anna Rita M. Ramirez, FNRI-DOST S & T Media Service)

Last year, we honored Mindanao’s homegrown businesses...

This year, let the Investors from outside the island who helped propel Mindanao’s economy for decades be recognized...thus,

present

RATIONALE OF THE PROJECT - This is the 2nd Mindanao Business Leaders Awards, in a different category from the first one. The 1st Mindanao Business Leaders Awards was undertaken last year to give due recognition to the achievements of various Mindanao business leaders and entrepreneurs in various categories of homegrown corporate and individual business leadership achievements.

- This year’s search is aimed at giving honor and recognition of excellent business leaders in the investors’s category.

- BusinessWeek Mindanao as a forerunner of information on economic leadership and entrepreneurial achievements of non-Mindanaoan corporations and businessmen, deems it a part of its social responsibility to trumpet the achievements of these pillars of Mindanao’s economy, for others to emulate and thus propel an awareness for the business potential that Mindanao offers in every economic and business investment plan, whether small or great.

-We are helping Mindanao achieve sustainable development of its economy through these humble efforts.

MISSION & VISION OF THE AWARDS - The holding of BWM Awards annually serves as catalyst to the ongoing efforts of business leaders and entrepreneurs who seek greater heights and strive for success in the noble mission of propelling Mindanao and its people towards full economic growth and sustainable development.

For INQUIRIES CONTACT:

(088)856-3344, (08822)74-53-80 | 09274795196 (Allan Mediante) businessweekmindanao@gmail.com

Mechanics of the Search: Duration of the Search Awards Night

: :

January 15, 2013 to May 15, 2013 June 1, 2013

Entry Requirements: 1. Individual and Company/Establishment nominations shall be accompanied with Nomination Forms available on-line at the Sponsors Website, offices of sponsors, or in the printed page of Businessweek Mindanao and Mindanao Daily issues or may be mailed, if requested, by the Awards Secretariat 2. Nominees or candidates in various categories shall be nominated by BusinessWeek Mindanao and Mindanao Daily Bureaus; individuals, organization or groups not employed by or connected to any of the nominated person or firm .

3. Nominations shall be accompanied by the ff documents which can be mailed, or emailed to the awards secretariat - MINDANAO BUSINESS LEADERS AWARDS 2013 Secretariat, Tanleh Bldg., Abellanosa St., Cagayan de Oro City,not later than May 15, 2013.

4. Brief Resume and History of the Nominee (Individual or Firm) - Photos (at least 3) ; Nomination Form ; Documentary evidence such as certificates, awards or citations

MEDIA PARTNERS :