BusinessWeek Mindanao (April 3-4, 2013 Issue)

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Issue No. 183, Volume III •

Market Indicators As of apr. 2, 2013 (Monday)

FOREX

PHISIX

US$1 = P40.87

6,748.43 points

91.16 points

X

3 cent

X

Briefly Power barges

WITH Mindanao suffering from brownouts, the fate of four power barges that could ease the region’s supply shortfall will be decided later this month, the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp (Psalm) said on Monday.

“The privatization of the power barges will be brought up in the next Psalm board meeting. There will be a board meeting in April.

No date yet,” the staterun agency’s president, Emmanuel Ledesma, said in a text message when asked about the status of the power barges (PBs) owned by National Power Corp (Napocor).

Commissioned in 1981, PB Nos. 101 and 102 are stationed in Iloilo City, while PB Nos. 103 and 104, which began operations in 1985, are moored in Botongon, Estancia, Iloilo, and at the Holcim Compound, Ilang, Davao City, respectively.

Each of these facilities has a power generating capacity of 32 megawatts.

Cagayan de Oro City

Wednesday-Thursday

P15.00

DOE: Time running out on mitigation measures

T

By CHRISTINE CABIASA, Reporter

HE Aquino administration’s energy czar finally admitted that government’s interventions as of late may not be enough to mitigate the power supply shortfall in Mindanao this summer.

This is despite assurances that stopgap measures are already in place that would ease the deepening problem of Mindanao especially during this summer and the coming elections in May. Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla said Mindanao would have to ride out its power crisis this summer, as time ran out on government intervention meant to mitigate the electricity supply shortfall.

Earlier, Petilla said the department has offered generator sets to the region’s electric cooperatives but these facilities cannot be set up in time to address this summer’s shortage.

“Hinde na aabot ngayong

summer. But take note we have another summer coming, which is next year. Kasi ang problema kasi dito if we don’t do anything now, this problem will continue to hound us until 2014,” he said.

Last week, the DOE presented the stopgap measures to President Aquino in a bid to cushion the impact of the power shortage.

In support to DOE’s recommendation, President Aquino has asked electric cooperatives to consider renting or purchasing gensets, modular power plants that can be installed in a matter of months. These gensets cost significantly less to install Mitigation/PAGE 7

Investment code

MALAYBALAY City— Bukidnon needs to revise its 18year old investment code for it to be more competitive, Roderico Bioco, president of the Bukidnon Kaamulan Chamber of Commerce and Industry told the provincial legislature Monday at the opening of committee hearings on the proposed amendments.

Bioco cited the need to be competitive “given the environment of stiff competition” where Bukidnon enterprises need to compete with those in other provinces.”

He said a new investment code would create proper environment for enterprises to prosper, create more jobs, earn revenues, and push for development in general.

April 3-4, 2013

If elected, Villar vows to pass measures to subsidize farmers

FORMER Las Piñas Representative Cynthia Villar, who is running for senator under the NP-Team PNoy, has vowed to legislate government subsidy for farmers should she make it to the Senate come May polls.

This, she announced following her classification of her priorities, namely, agriculture, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), women and family, education, livelihood and jobs.

“Since 70 percent of poor Filipinos are in the agriculture sector, the government should subsidize our farmers. Any development in the agricultural sector will reflect on our economy,” Villar told close to 300 farmers and irrigators who attended the First Mindanao-Wide General Assembly and election of the Mindanao Confederation of Irrigators Association, Inc. (MINCIA), yesterday at Chali Beach Resort in Cugman, Cagayan de Oro City.

Villar/PAGE 7

MRS. Cynthia Villar emphasizes the need to support farmers and providing them other means of livelihood during First Mindanao-Wide General Assembly and election of the Mindanao Confederation of Irrigators Association, Inc. (MINCIA) held at Chali Beach Report in Cagayan de Oro. photo by shaun alejandrae yap uy

Prices of tobacco in MisOr up double-digit

By IRENE DOMINGO, Reporter

INGENIOUS INSTRUMENTS. Aided by an ingenious way of using a microphone, a man sings and plays an electric guitar on a major sidewalk in Cagayan de Oro City in hopes of earning money. His songs are usually in vernacular which usually catch the attention of pedestrians. photo by :gerry lee gorit

MISAMIS Oriental -– Prices of tobacco in Misamis Oriental jumped 57 per cent from February to March, a consumer price index released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) here on Tuesday said.

From January to February, the increase was also noted

at 39 percent primarily due to the signing of the “Sin Tax Bill” into law last December 2012.

Some three million Filipinos, including tobacco farmers and their families, depend on the tobacco industry for livelihood.

Tobacco is grown in more than 30,000 hectares in 23 provinces nationwide. Tobacco farmers in Misamis Oriental grow the native/ dark variety while northern Luzon the Virginia and burley varieties.

The NSO study added Tobacco/PAGE 7

Coco-based products top Normin exports

By MIKE BAÑOS, Correspondent

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

COCONUT-based products account for over half the total value of Region 10’s exports, Luis G. Cruz, PCA region 10 head, said on Monday.

He said that figures from the Bureau of Customs Region 10 show traditional coco based products such as coco chemicals, activated carbon,

coconut oil, desiccated coconut, copra cake/pellets and coconut shell charcoal increased by 30.66 percent in 2012 to US$ 634.7-million compared to US$ 485.7 million in 2011.

Nontraditional 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, Cruz said.

The 15 coconut variety hybrids recommended for the NCPRP not only have higher yields, (4-6 tons copra/ha/ exports/PAGE 7

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Economy

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Power coop to acquire 15-MW modular genset

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GENERAL Santos City -Distribution utility South Cotabato I Electric Cooperative (Socoteco I) is planning to acquire a 15-megawatt (MW) diesel-fired modular generator set to offset the projected power shortage in the area when its three-year supply contract with the National Power Corporation (NPC) expires in August.

Engr. Santiago Tudio, Socoteco I general manager, said they are set to negotiate with the Department of Energy (DoE) and the National Electrification Administration (NEA) for a

loan arrangement that will allow the cooperative to purchase the generator set.

“We had long been planning to acquire a modular generator set. Now here’s an opportunity for us to acquire one with the government’s help so we’ll do it,” he said.

Tudio said they decided to acquire a modular generator set to counter the impact of the expected reduction by 10 MW of the area’s power allocation from the NPC by August.

Socoteco I serves Koronadal City, eight municipalities in South Cotabato

and Lutayan town in Sultan Kudarat.

The electric cooperative’s daily power allocation from the NPC reaches around 27 MW or 7 MW short of its 34 MW contract.

But Socoteco I’s daily peak demand only reaches around 32 MW, making its deficit at just 5 MW. Tudio said the electric cooperative has a standby supply of 4 MW from its power sales deal with Aboitizowned Therma Marine Inc. “Right now, our daily rotating brownouts only last acquire/PAGE 7

DAVAO City -- It’s all systems go for the updating of the Davao Regional Development Plan (RDP), 2011-2016, and revalidation of the results matrices (RMs) and Regional Development Investment Program (RDIP) for the same period.

This comes as a parallel effort pursuant to President Benigno S. Aquino III’s directive to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA),

to facilitate the updating of the Philippine Development Plan and its accompanying documents at the national level.

The President issued this directive by virtue of Memorandum Circular No. 43, signed on 4 February 2013.

Since Februar y 2013, NEDA has reorganized planning committees, composed of government agencies, departments, offices and instrumentalities, includ-

ing government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), to participate in plan updating.

N E DA w a s l i k e w i s e directed to enlist the participation of the executive and legislative branches of government in carrying out the tasks.

Given the President’s marching orders, the Regional Development Council (RDC) XI conducted an davao/PAGE 7

Davao Region to start updating its devt plan

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Motoring

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Kia unveils all-new Soul at New York Auto Show All-new Kia Soul

Nissan Motors gaining US market share NEW YORK — Nissan said last week it expects to pick up market share in the allimportant US market this month, but it still remains far from its target.

The Japanese automaker expects to sell more than 132,000 cars in March, which would take its market share to 8.8-8.9 percent, up from just 7.8 percent in January, Nissan’s director of sales for the US Jose Munoz said on the sidelines of the New York Auto Show.

Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of the Nissan-Renault alliance, acknowledged that the company remains far from its target of 10 percent market share in the US by 2016.

“Unless we hit 10 percent market share in the US, we are not getting a fair return on our investment here,” Ghosn said.

Ghosn was hopeful about US sales, but wary of economic

trends in Europe.

“We are preparing for three years of no growth in Europe to 2016,” Ghosn said.

“We hope we will be wrong.”

The recent drop in the yen gave a boost to the company’s Japan operations, according to Ghosn. The currency’s retreat has enabled Nissan to keep a promise to manufacture a million cars in Japan.

The auto giant hopes to win authorization from the Chinese government this summer to build a plant in China.

Ghosn figures that Nissan “lost” about a year’s worth of business due to tensions between Japan and China over contested territory between the two countries.

Anti-Japan protests in China, the world’s biggest auto market, pushed sales lower.

“We had headwinds, we are now coming back,” Ghosn said.

“We are bullish on China.”

THE Big Apple, perhaps America’s most iconic metropolis, is playing host to the global unveiling of Kia Motors’ most iconic people mover, the all-new 2014 Soul urban utility vehicle, today at the 113th New York International Auto Show.

The signature Soul design is instantly recognizable yet thoroughly fresh, with more than a passing nod to the hot Track’ster concept that was unveiled last year.

Riding on a new chassis that is stiffer, longer and wider, the all-new Soul has grown up without losing its edge, allowing for more passenger and cargo room while reducing NVH levels.

Increased torque and significant suspension upgrades make the 2014 Soul a nimble and agile companion in congested urban environments.

Honoring Soul owners’ fierce individualism, three unique trim levels will be available when U.S. sales are expected to begin in the third quarter of this year: Base, Plus and Exclaim. Pricing will be announced closer to the Soul’s launch date.

“When the first Soul was introduced in 2009, everyone at Kia believed we had a hit on our hands, but we didn’t realize how big that

hit was going to be,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing and communications at Kia Motors America (KMA).

“The Soul moved the needle significantly from a sales and marketing perspective, becoming one of our top-selling cars and inspiring the now-legendary hamster commercials. It was important that the allnew Soul remain true to the original iconic design while infusing it with improved driving dynamics and desirable features that add appeal, sophistication and value.”

Keeping what made the current Soul special while addressing areas for improvement was no easy task.

As the design team at Kia’s California studio began putting virtual pen to virtual paper, engineers in the U.S. and Korea focused on making Soul a joy to drive.

Starting with a solid foundation was a key factor, and the new body enjoys a 28.7

percent increase in torsional rigidity over the current Soul. With the hard points set, the all-new Soul was boiled down to three focus areas: Maintaining the iconic design while adding modern cues; providing premium features and content; and improving driving dynamics that would make the 2014 Soul more desirable than ever.

Iconic Design Well-known for the close link between its concept vehicles and production models, Kia Motors took no chances with the 2014 Soul. When the wild Track’ster concept made its debut in 2012, Soul enthusiasts and pundits alike urged Kia to turn fantasy into reality. With 18 months from design freeze to production, the stage was set for the allnew Soul and many of the concept’s dramatic design cues can be found in the production vehicle. Tom Kearns, chief designer at the California studio likened the Track’ster to a bulldog and that theme is expressed from almost any angle of the all-new Soul.

“The all-new Soul was one of the more difficult assignments we’ve taken

on,” said Kearns. “Striking the right balance between the wonderful design of the current car with the audacious proportions and stance of the Track’ster was daunting. It proved to be a truly collaborative effort with guidance from Peter Schreyer in Frankfurt and assistance from our studio in Korea. In the end, we’ve kept the essence of Soul while infusing it with more presence inside and out.”

T he upr ig ht s t a nc e , squared shoulders and distinctive fender f lares are instantly recognizable as Soul. Combining a longer 101.2-inch wheelbase (up 0.8 inches), overall width that’s broadened to 70.9 inches (increased by 0.6 inches) and the same overall height of 63.4 inches, adds a more aggressive edge to the all-new Soul’s appearance. Likewise, the wraparound greenhouse, high-mounted tail lights and tall ride height are all hallmark design elements.

Premium touches such as available LED front positioning lights and rear LED “halo” lights help connect Soul to siblings within the Kia lineup that share similar kia/PAGE 7

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Wednesday - Thursday I Apr. 3-4, 2013

Corporate . World

PLDT high-speed broadband now in Visayas, Mindanao areas IT has only been around six months since lead telecommunications carrier PLDT engaged in a nationwide rollout of its fiber optic network and already the technology that makes possible for highspeed broadband connection has rapidly expanded beyond Metro Manila and on to the provinces.

In a statement sent by email, PLDT said its highspeed broadband is now in many places in the Visayas and Mindanao, the network having connected more than 300 mid- and high-end residential subdivisions already.

Fiber optic technology is deliberately positioned as a high end product and targeted at a market able to afford subscription rates in excess of P3,000 a month.

DSL technology, which is slower by comparison, costs much less and targeted at less affluent subscribers who prefer a stable but comparably less speedy system of connecting to the Internet.

“The fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband connection enables PLDT to offer customers triple play services that provide not just access for voice and data but also allow seamless streaming of high quality video,” said PLDT EVP and Head of Home Ariel Fermin.

Among the new areas now covered by FTTH are Laguna, Muntinlupa, and Quezon City

in Luzon, Cebu in the Visayas, and Davao in Mindanao region.

PLDT initially rolled out FTTH to around 100 high-end subdivisions in Metro Manila under the service called Fibr which is PLDT Home’s most powerful broadband with speeds of up to 100Mbps.

Apart from fiber-fast connection, customers will enjoy Hollywood blockbuster movies as part of their subscription.

The new FTTH areas include: Sta. Rosa Estate Phases 1 & 2 in Laguna; Southvale 1&2 and Palms Pointe in Muntinlupa; Manila Southwoods in Cavite; and White Plains and Tierra Pura in Quezon City.

In Visayas and Mindanao, Fibr is now accessible in Cebu Royale Estate, Beverly Hills Subdivision, Pristina North, Bayswater Subdivision, Happy Homes, Ajoya Residences, Deca Bay walk, and Reldo Subdivision in Davao.

The new FTTH areas include: Sta. Rosa Estate Phases 1 & 2 in Laguna; Southvale 1&2 and Palms Pointe in Muntinlupa; Manila Southwoods in Cavite; and White Plains and Tierra Pura in Quezon City.

In Visayas and Mindanao, Fibr is now accessible in Cebu Royale Estate, Beverly Hills Subdivision, Pristina North, Bayswater Subdivision, Happy Homes, Ajoya Residences, Deca Bay walk, and Reldo Subdivision in Davao.

“Fibr readily connects

Filipino homes with its ultrafast speed and crystal clear, high-definition content,” said Fermin. “PLDT Fiber enables users to have a faster, multiscreen, multi-media experience by utilizing dedicated fiber optic cables that are not shared, allowing simultaneous high-speed browsing and highdefinition video streaming.”

PLDT head of Home Broadband Gary Dujali said PLDT is leading the adoption of fiber optic technology to help the Philippines align with other countries that already have ultra high-speed and advanced internet connections.

“With Fibr, subscribers can seamlessly stream blockbuster Hollywood movies, play lag-free online gaming, and adopt cloud computing,” Dujali said.

Accessible in various plans, Fiber is available in Plan 3500 with speed of up to 8Mbps; Plan 5800, up to 20Mbps; Plan 8800, up to 50Mbps; and Plan 20000, up to 100Mbps.

These plans include free installation, free Fiber modem, and free PLDT WiFi Zone access with PLDT Telpad subscription. Fermin noted that PLDT’s extensive 54,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables facilitate the efficiency of the company’s digital services such as Fibr, myDSL, and Telpad, bringing people, especially families closer, and establishing the strongest connections at home. (PNA)

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Two coal reserves in Davao valued at P4.1-B

COAL Asia Holdings Inc on Monday said a new thirdparty study on three percent of its 13,000-hectare concession area in Davao Oriental valued the mineable reserves at P4.1 billion, allowing the company to recover its investment in less than a year.

In a statement, Coal Asia said the study covered 400 hectares of its Coal Operating Contract (COC) No. 159, which includes the Bactinan and Macopa coal mine deposits, two out of 11 coal-bearing basins in Davao Oriental.

According to the study, the two sites have an internal rate of return of 115.27 percent and a payback period of 0.88 years.

Coal Asia’s subsidiary, Titan Mining & Energy Corp, commissioned a third-party consultant to conduct a feasibility study on the Bactinan and Macopa coal deposits.

The study confirms Titan’s coal proven reserves of 5 million metric tons (MT) out of 123 million MT identified in the Philippine Mineral Reporting Code standard geological report done in April 2012.

An earlier study by Multinational Investment Bancorporation valued Coal Asia

at P12.5 billion assuming its 13,000 hectares in Davao Oriental and Zamboanga Sibugay.

Commercial production for the Bactinan and Macopa sites, which have a mine life of 10 years, will start in the fourth quarter of this year, generating an estimated 500,000 MT in the first full year of operations. Including the nine other sites, mine life would extend to 50 years.

“Despite the recent volatility of coal prices, the key financial indicators of the Bactinan and Macopa coal deposits, as determined by the feasibility study, speak volumes of the lucrative

nature of this project. The valuation of the Bactinan and Macopa deposits alone already represents 103 percent of Coal Asia’s current market capitalization,” said Coal Asia chairman Harald Tomintz.

“And this is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak.

There are over 6,000 hectares from the Zamboanga Sibugay site and the remaining 6,600 hectares from the Davao Oriental site. And to add to that, the effective mine life of the whole lot is equal to 50 years. This is not the end of the good news, rather just the beginning,” Tomintz said.

SM allots P5-B for retail expansion SM RETAIL, Inc., which operates various supermarkets and department stores under holding firm SM Investments Corp., has allotted an estimated P5 billion to grow its portfolio by up to 35 new stores nationwide, in line with expectations of double-digit sales growth.

“We expect to open be-

tween 30 to 35 stores. There will be three department stores and the rest are in the retail. Breakdown not yet available as locations are still being identified,” said Corazon P. Guidote, SM Investments senior vice-president for investor relations, in an e-mail on Monday last week when asked about SM Retail’s

expansion plans this year.

In total, the new stores could cost “about P5 billion,” she added.

In comparison, SM Retail last year opened 34 stores consisting of five SM Department Stores, four SM Supermarkets, 18 SaveMore (neighborhood grocer y) stores, and seven SM Hypermarkets.

“SM Retail will continue to expand its market reach in order to service the needs of consumers particularly in areas where organized retail is either nonexistent or limited,” Ms. Guidote said of SM Retail’s expansion in 2013.

SM Retail is the unlisted retail arm of Sy-led SM Investments. As of end-2012, SM Retail’s store network numbered 46 department stores, 37 SM Supermarkets, 37 SM Hypermarkets, and 82 SaveMore stores, for a total of 202 stores.

In 2013, SM Retail is expected to ride on the wave of robust spending associated with the upcoming election campaign and post doubledigit sales growth for the full year.

“Elections are always good for consumption spending.

For this year we are looking at growth of 8 to 10% in overall sales. Operating costs will also be well-managed, as we continue to find ways to be more efficient, particularly in energy consumption and logistics,” Ms. Guidote said.

SM Retail grew its net expansion/PAGE 7

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Opinion

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The BusinessWeek Mindanao is published by BusinessWeek Mindanao Advertising and Promotions every Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the week with office address at Tanleh Building, Abellanosa, Cagayan de Oro City. It is registered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Region 10 with Certificate No. 00875701, and with Business Permit No. 2013-10946, TIN No. 946-396-807 – Non VAT. Tel. Nos.: (088)8578447, 74-5380, 0923-432-0687, 0917-7121424

Website: www.businessweekmindanao.com

E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com DANTE M. SUDARIA Publisher ROSE MARY D. SUDARIA Manager

allan mediante

NELSON CONSTANTINO Editor-in-Chief Dolly pelone Advertising

THINK a minute…

A young woman named Cherie was telling about her childhood. Both her parents worked outside of their home from the time she was a very young girl. Her mother was an actress and was only interested in her own career and selfish ambition, so she spent very little time with her kids. Even when she wasn’t working she was away from home socializing with her friends.

Cherie and her brother were left alone everyday, so they got into trouble at a very young age. Their parents finally divorced and her dad remarried. Cherie was a teenager when she overdosed on

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Associate Editor FELIX SANTILLAN RONALD B. MASTAIL Layout Artists RIZA O. ARES LIEZL A. DELOSO JOE PALABAO Rene Michael BaÑos

ATTY. MARIO T. JUNI atty. roberto a. cantago jr.

Legal Counsels Member: -Philippine Press Institute

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Inflation and the time value of money

The Financial Doctor

dr. adonis agcopra, mba, rfc®

(2%). Other goods and services account for the rest.

Year-on-year headline inflation rate for February 2013 was pegged at 3.4%, with a significant impact from increasing prices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco due to implementation of the Sin Tax Reform Act of 2012.

Trading Economics reports a Philippine historical average of 9.03% from 1958 until 2013, with an all-time high of 62.8% in September 1984 and a record low of -2.1% in January 1959.

Supposing you have a thousand pesos to spare and a running 10-year mean inflation of approximately 5%.

Investing this amount in an instrument giving you 5% annual return rate will just allow you to break even with the 10-yr inflation average.

What more if you just let it sleep in an account giving you less than 1% interest per year? Inflation will then slowly erode its value over agcopra/PAGE 7

drugs and almost died. The next day her stepmother, who was very loving and wise, said this to her: “Cherie, how long are you going to use your past as an excuse for your life now? You can continue hating yourself and blaming others for the way you are, or, you can choose to change.”

Well, as a teenage girl Cherie chose to change. After finishing her education, she started her own business and now she travels across her nation as a public speaker to teenage kids, talking to them about their life choices.

One person said: “Little people with little hearts live their life in little ruts, refus-

ing to change anything in their little world.” So when things are not the way we think they should be, we have two choices: we can keep complaining about them, or start changing them. A wise man said: “Stop complaining about what you have allowed.” It’s kind of like the old saying, “Put up or shut up.” In other words, either do something to help change and improve the situation, or stop complaining about it.

We can “light a candle or curse the darkness.” God is just waiting for you to ask for His help to change your dark situation. But Jesus Christ can’t help you until you ask Him to take charge of your

Changing of the guards

cheng ordoñez

JOE DEL PUERTO FELICILDA Uriel C. Quilinguing Editorial Consultants

DO you still remember the time when you had to shell out just two shiny large 1-peso coins for an 8oz bottle of Coke? Or when Halls Mentholyptus was just 25 cents apiece?

It all seems like a not-toodistant memory. But have you ever really wondered why prices of commodities go up through time as surely as the sun rises early in the day and sets later at nightfall? We could only wake up each morning with the fervent desire that our earning power would also hopefully go up at a level that at the least matches or perhaps even goes beyond this rise.

It ’s t he phenomenon called inflation at work! Dictionary.com defines inflation as “a persistent, substantial rise in the general level of prices related to an increase in the volume of money and resulting in the loss of value of currency.”

In the Philippines, inf lation rate is reported by the National Statistics Office (NSO) as the monthly or annual growth rate in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Major categories in the Philippine CPI include food and non-alcoholic beverages (39%); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (22%) and transport (8%). Minor categories include health (3%), education 3(%), clothing and footwear (3%), communication (2%) and recreation and culture

Complain or Change

I HAD the privilege of witnessing the changing of the guards of the Chamber of Thrift Banks during CTB’s recent annual convention.

TG Limcaoco, president of BPI Family Bank, took over the helms of the chamber from Patrick Cheng, president of HSBC Savings Bank.

It was an auspicious occasion for the thrift bankers whose convention theme was Building for Broader Horizons in 2013.

The event was graced by no less than BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr., BSP Monetary Board Members (Peter Favila, Andy Suratos and this writer), Deputy Governor Nesting Espenilla and other BSP senior officials.

Gigi Montinola, president of Bank of PI, and himself a former president of the Chamber of Thrift Banks, was also a guest and a resource speaker during the convention’s morning session.

For our non-banker readers, thrift banks refer to that classification of banks which

NOW that we are again into exercising our duties as citizens to elect our public officials, we need to remind ourselves to be good partisans.

To be partisan is unavoidable among us as we try to choose our options in our effort to organize ourselves as a people journeying in this world toward our ultimate goal in heaven.

This is nothing to be surprised about, and should not cause us some misplaced fear as long as we live that aspect of our life properly.

To be partisan is a consequence of our human condition. Since we cannot help but have different backgrounds, preferences, views, etc., neither can we help to avoid being partisan of what we think would serve our interests as well as those of the others, or in fact, what would serve our common good.

We need to be respectful

consist of savings banks, private development banks and savings and loans associations. In terms of size and banking activities, thrift banks occupy a notch below commercial banks but above rural banks.

Thrift banks focus on retail lending, specializing in such areas as small business loans, housing, auto and personal loans. I got my first car loan and subsequently my house improvement loan from a thrift bank.

As TG Limcaoco aptly put it, “Thrift banking is not about thrift, but really, about financial inclusion.

In the early days, and even up to today, thrift banks set themselves up in areas where the larger commercial banks were hesitant to open.”

Today, thrift banks are present throughout the country through 1,600 branches, 70 per cent of which are located outside Metro Manila.

It is estimated that thrift banks provide banking and bank-related services to close to 5 million Filipinos.

In 2012, the thrift bank-

ing industry grew its assets almost ten percent to Php 666.17 billion. Compare that to the situation years ago when, as Gigi Montinola described, “the sum of the entire thrift bank industry then (was) the size of one major thrift bank today, both from the asset and capital perspective.”

With respectable asset growth and an expanding network, Limcaoco said: “We can and should be the engines of the countryside.”

But to be able to do that we need “ to build our skills, our capabilities, our institutions so that we can do more for our customer base”.

Taking the cue from the BSP, Limcaoco added that : “We need to take a leadership role in financial literacy so the general population understands how to use the financial system responsibly and to their benefit.”

The road ahead for the entire bank ing industr y looks rosy - thanks to the country’s strong growthlow inflation rate scenario, a robust external position,

Let’s be good partisans

though of the different and even conflicting opinions, and just try our best to settle or resolve our differences in ways that are fair and charitable.

To be fair and charitable while being partisan can mean many things. It can mean always trying to enter into dialogue instead of imposing one’s opinions on others. That is why we need to promote anything that can enhance dialogue.

We need to hear all sides that have something to say about a certain issue.

It can also mean the effort to get a consensus when a variety of options is presented.

As much as possible we have to agree to a certain device or mechanism to arrive at a consensus. In other words, the rules of the game should be set out and accepted by all parties as much as possible.

Underlying all this is the attitude of charity and understanding towards others.

No matter how strong we feel about views, ours or those of others-and indeed we can be strong in our views in certain situations-we should never lose this attitude of charity and understanding.

To be Christian about it, what we need to do, more than just voicing out our views and positions, is to pray and offer sacrifices before, during and after expressing these views and positions.

We need to understand that it’s not only reason, much less, passion, that should be mainly used in sorting out our differences.

We have to use the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, because these are what are truly proper to us in our discussions as persons and children of God. Reason and passion without these theological virtues can get us nowhere but spiraling tension and conflict.

We should see to it that our mind and heart be freed

Think a minute

JHAN TIAFAU HURST

life everyday. If you keep shutting out His light and love, then your life will just stay as it is. Remember, “If things don’t change, they’ll stay the same.” It’s your choice.

Just Think a Minute…

Speaking out

IGNACIO BUNYE

stronger consumer confidence, and just a few days ago – a country investment grade rating.

But the industry needs to do more. To further broaden the thrift banking industry’s horizon, Governor Tetangco and Gigi Montinola left precious words of advice for the thrift bankers. (to be concluded next week) *** Note: My book Central Banking for Every Juan and Maria is now available at the following outlets: Fully Booked – Bonifacio Global City , Powerplant Mall RockBunye/PAGE 7

Hints and traces

FR. ROY CIMAGALA

of any trace of resentment, anger and the like during and after the exchanges.

We should try to avoid as much as possible illegitimate biases and prejudices, always keeping an open mind and the attitude of quickness to understand, disregard and forgive whenever some mistakes are committed by the parties involved.

What should ideally happen is that greater love and understanding is achieved cimagala/PAGE 7

BusinessWeek M I N DA N A O

Wednesday-Thursday I Apr. 3-4, 2013

YOUR LOCAL ONLINE BUSINESS PAPER

www.businessweekmindanao.com

Acquire...

Kia...

about an hour but it might reach seven hours by August,” he said.

Based on the power situation outlook released by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines for Tuesday, Mindanao grid’s system capacity is presently at 977 MW or 155 MW short of the area’s system peak of 1,132 MW. As alternative solution to the problem, the DoE has offered a loan scheme that will allow electric cooperatives in Mindanao acquire their own modular generator sets.

Under the scheme, which will be coursed through N EA, Energ y Secreta r y Carlos Jericho Petilla said electric cooperatives will be given a grace period of two years wherein they will only be required to pay for the loan’s interest. (PNA)

design cues, such as the 2014 Sorento CUV and 2014 Forte sedan[i].

Exterior Track’ster similarities are easy to spot. The large trapezoidal lower air intake is nearly a direct carryover of the concept, and the location of the available fog lights – down low and pushed to the leading edges – mirror those found on the Track’ster.

Kia’s signature grille is present, but it’s been reworked to more closely resemble the concept. Adding a touch of flare, the unique “floating” body color panel inset into the lift gate has its roots based in the Track ’ster as well.

Subtle enhancements include a wider (by 2.4 inches over the previous Soul) opening for the lift gate, allowing Soul to swallow more stuff.

While final color names have yet to be determined, the 2014 Soul will be available in seven new exterior hues, including the two seen on stage in New York: Solar Yellow and Inferno Red. Overall, the design team paid particular attention to instilling a more premium look and feel to the 2014 Soul’s interior. Liberal applications of soft-touch materials are found on the instrument panel, center console and door panels.

Details such as available leather seating with improved lateral and thigh support, and the use of high-gloss piano-black trim pieces on the center console and dash elevate the Soul’s interior to new levels of sophistication.

Citing the current Soul interior as a starting point, Kia’s designers played up the circular theme found inside Track’ster. “With the previous Soul, we kind of dipped our toe in the water when it came to incorporating the circular patterns,” noted Kearns. “But for the all-new Soul, we really wanted to lift as many of the Track’ster’s circular interior reference points as possible.”

Front and center is the triple-circle instrument cluster with deeply recessed gauges. Along the door panels, sculpted circles incorporate the power windows and door locks. The center console features a round gear shift knob and push-button start – its location exclusive to Soul in the Kia lineup – which also are direct carryovers from Track’ster. The front doormounted speakers mirror the circular, high-mounted “floating” tweeters and utilize available LED-string light technology to create ripple-effect red-hued mood lighting. The steering-wheel mounted controls are housed in Soul-exclusive circular groupings along the lower spokes with the buttons for the audio system and trip computer falling readily to the thumbs, enabling the driver’s hands to remain on the wheel at all times.

“If you think about droplets falling into a still pond, you begin to visualize the inspiration for the all-new Soul’s interior design,” said

from page 2

Davao...

from page 2 orientation on 18 March 2013 to reconstitute RDC Planning Committees; inform development stakeholders of the government’s development thrusts for the remaining plan period (2014 to 2016); acquaint them on the guidelines for the RDP, RDIP, and RM updating; and secure their commitment of support.

“Plan updating is essential so we can address emerging conditions and achieve the development potentials of the region,” said RDC-XI Vice-Chair Maria Lourdes D. Lim. “The updated Plan shall continue to pursue the nation’s vision of Inclusive Growth to anchor on the President’s Social Contract with the Filipino People focusing on transparent and responsive governance; massive investments in physical and economic infrastructure; boosting competitiveness; improving access to financing to generate employment; and developing human resources through improved social services.”

Director Lim further explained that the updated RDP, RDIP and RMs shall prominently integrate labor and employment strategies in all development sectors.

She stressed the need to create more jobs to achieve inclusive growth, as the past years had seen moderate accomplishment on employment creation but the number of jobs did not grow fast enough with a high level of underemployment at 20 percent.

The updated RDP 20142016 shall likewise include strategies that will be responsive to disaster risks and climate change and boost global competitiveness of Davao Region’s agriculture, industry and services sectors.

The updated RDP, RDIP and RMs are expected to be finished by end of June 2013 after the conduct of multistakeholder consultations.

(NEDA-XI)

from page 3

Kearns. “The design is organic, like the human body, and we feel it makes the interior that much more appealing to the driver and passengers.” Taking that appeal a step further is Soul’s desirable list of standard and optional equipment.

Expansion... from page 4

income last year by 12.5% to P6.6 billion year on year on the back of improved sales, which rose by 7.6% to P159.50 billion versus the year previous.

Ms. Guidote declined to elaborate on SM Retail’s plans to introduce new retail brands this year.

“The department store (SM Department Stores) is always on the lookout for new and interesting international brands. It is, however, too early to mention any names at this time,” she said.

In December last year, Teresita T. Sy-Coson, SM Investments vice-chairman, told reporters that SM Retail was is looking to bring in two foreign clothing brands to the country this year to boost its fashion portfolio, which currently consists of fast-fashion retailers Forever 21 and Uniqlo.

SM Retail allotted roughly P65 billion in capital spending this year, a record figure up from P56.80 billion in 2012, mostly for its flagship mall and condominium development units: SM Prime Holdings Corp. and SM Development Corp.

On Jan. 7, SM Investments announced that SM Prime and SM Retail signed an initial deal with shopping mall operator Waltermart Group for a joint venture expected to be sealed within the year to further grow the Waltermart branch network under current management, pending further negotiations and due diligence transactions. SM Investments posted a full-year net income of P24.7 billion last year, or 16.51% higher than 2011’s P21.2 billion, while revenues rose by 12% to P223.9 billion versus P199.9 billion, due to the strong performance of all its businesses led by banking and retail.

Mitigation... from page 1

at about P22 million per megawatt compared with P40-60 million per megawatt for coal-fed facilities.

Gensets however run on diesel and so are more expensive to operate than coal plants.

“Intermediate power solution is rental; that is one option, but is very expensive,” Petilla said.

The impact on Mindanao’s generation charges will depend on how long the gensets are run. Gensets cost about P12 per kilowatthour to operate, or nearly twice Mindanao’s average of P6.20 courtesy of hydropower sources, which account for at least half of the region’s electricity.

“Tataas lang ang presyo ng kuryente mo pag bubuk-

san mo ang genset. Pero pag hinde mo bubuksan ang genset mo then you go back to your old price of P6.20 per kilowatt-hour,” Petilla said.

Electric cooperatives may also purchase gensets through bank financing but this may not be practical given that the DOE expects Mindanao’s power crisis to last only until 2015, by which time a number of new coal plants would come onstream.

To help electric cooperatives shoulder the cost of renting or purchasing gensets, the government has allocated P4.4 billion, part of the royalties from the Malampaya natural gas field.

The fund will be coursed through the National Electrification Administration (NEA), the state-agency overseeing the operations of electric cooperatives. Loans will carry a six percent interest, and borrowers have the option to return the gensets to suppliers.

Also recently, Atty. Cynthia P. Alabanza, spokesperson and adviser for external affairs of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), expressed her optimism that Mindanao may become power-sufficient by 2015.

Alabanza said the NGCP has nothing to do with the rotating brownout plaguing Mindanao nowadays because the problem lies mainly in the power supply.

She, however, told the media practitioners that the power problem in the island is now being addressed and it is expected to be over by 2015 with the completion of new power plants.

Mindanao currently has a power shortfall of 294 megawatts (MW), as demand stands at 1,157 MW while actual supply is only 863 MW. The government reportedly has allotted P3.8 billion for the country’s power capabilities. It includes an amount for the rehabilitation of existing hydroelectric power plants in the South.

Villar... from page 1

If elected, Villar also vowed to push for a review of the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA).

“The requirements of our poor farmers have not been met until now. If I win in the May elections, I will work for efficient and modern post –harvest facilities, farm inputs and irrigation systems for our farmers and irrigators,” she told the delegates from all over Mindanao who were gathered here.

For now, Villar said she will donate to farmers who want to produce their own organic fertilizers, composting facilities to help them improve on their farming.

Villar said she and her husband Senator Manny Villar have been producing organic fertilizers for seven years now in their home farm in Las Pinas and have been helping farmers in Luzon, Visayas and now in Mindanao by donating composting facilities, which can produce

dry organic fertilizers in five day’s time.

The former lawmaker has received the Filipina Entrepreneurs of 2013 by Go Negosyo for her exemplary achievement in providing livelihood projects to indigent Filipinos.

Villar said she has been encouraged to pursue her advocacies by the awards she continue to receive, including the promotion of the barangay-based livelihood centers that she has also established in Las Piñas.

Villar said she has established a total of 35 livelihood projects in Mindanao alone.

More than 500 families have been benefiting the same project in Las Pinas and are being duplicated all over the country with a total of 111 pilot centers already established nationwide. (CO)

Exports... from page 1

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 in lower copra prices in the past year, Cruz believed that the Department of Energy’s positive action 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 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 savings of US$ 298.8-million and an additional P11.5 billion savings from increased mileage.

The institute also urged oil-fired power plants to use coco-biodiesel in order to improve the power plant’s cost efficiency and environment-friendly with the substantial elimination of harmful emissions.

Tobacco... from page 1

that alcoholic beverages only showed minimal price hike with an inflation rate of only 6.3 percent and a monthly percent change of 4.2 percent.

Non–food items in general showed an inflation of 2.9 percent.

Inflation rate for Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels was observed at 1.7 percent.

Communications showed a low inf lation rate at 0.5 percent primarily due to the decrease of telephone and telefax equipment price, the NSO study said.

7

Cimagala... from page 6

after the discussion, and even after one’s position is outvoted or defeated. Especially when the differences are merely matters of opinion, we should not make a big fuss as to whether who wins or who loses. We just accept what the consensus says.

And even if the differences are serious matters of faith and morals, we should make sure that that such situation does not entitle us to go against the requirements of justice and charity.

While it’s true that we can employ certain techniques and tactics of persuasion that can also be strong and forceful, we should see to it that we don’t depart from the sphere of justice and charity.

In fact, whenever we have to assume a strong position we have to make sure that we also are stepping up our eagerness to be most fair and charitable, only using legitimate means even if they involve inconveniences.

In this regard, we have to realize more deeply that we need to be vitally identified with Christ. It’s the only way we can remain truly fair and charitable amid these sharp and painful differences.

Vital union with Christ would teach us how to be patient, how to see things in the context of eternity, far from a narrow and shallow view of things and from a knee-jerk reaction to issues.

It would teach us how to be merciful even as we try to go ahead with a strong and clear vision of things and do our best to win our case.

Agcopra... from page 6

time.

Intelligent investing offers you a good headstart from inflation. Imagine your money or capital positioned in investment instruments earning you 15% or more on average each year? Subtracting the current inflation rate from the earning power of your investment tool gives you your effective investment growth rate. This becomes real money working for you!

Invest intelligently and beat inflation! With the most recent increase of the country’s rating to investment grade BBB- by Fitch, now is one of the wisest times to invest in the Philippines.

Time is of the essence.

Act now! *** (Dr. Adonis Agcopra, MBA, CIS, RFC® is with the IARFC and is portfolio director of AFIC Meridian Consultants. URL: www. aficfinancialconsultants. com. Email: aficfinancialconsultants@outlook.com.)

Bunye... from page 6

wel l, Kat ipu na n. Power Book s – A laba ng Tow n Center, Greenbelt 4, Serendra. National Book Store – Greenbelt 1, Powerplant Mall Rockwell, Cash and Carry, Market Market, SM Mega Mall. And UP University Press.

8

Wednesday-Thursday I Apr. 3-4, 2013

Aggie News

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Landbank lends P39.9B to small farmers, fisherfolk THE Land Bank of the Philippines further strengthened its support to small farmers and fisherfolk with loan releases amounting to P39.9 billion from January to December 2012, benefiting 772,892 small farmers and fisherfolk.

“La ndba n k rema ins aggressive in channeling assistance to the farming and fisheries sector as we aim to further strengthen and sustain their viability to accelerate the development of rural economies,” said its President and CEO Gilda E. Pico.

Of the amount, P39.6 billion was released to small farmers and P323 million to fisherfolk. These loan releases were channeled

through 888 farmers and fisherfolk cooperatives, 313 countryside financial institutions, and 160 irrigators’ associations.

By agricultural activity, loans for crop production reached P18.4 billion in 2012 while loans for livestock projects reached P3.8 billion. Other economic activities financed by Landbank last year include wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, agri-processing and

fishery.

Regions with the highest loan releases to small farmers and fisherfolk are Central Luzon with P9.9 billion followed by Cagayan Valley with P5.1 billion, and Central Visayas with P4.9 billion.

Meanwhile, as of December 2012, Landbank’s loans to its priority sectors registered a 19 percent hike to P205.3 billion from the P172.1 billion recorded in December 2011. The P205.3 billion makes up 75 percent or three-fourths of the Bank’s gross loan portfolio of P273.8 billion in 2012.

The priority sectors of Landbank include sma ll

farmers (including agrarian reform benef iciaries and their associations) and small fisherfolk and their associations; agri-business,

aqua-business, and agriaqua related projects of LGUs and GOCCs; micro, small and medium enterprises, communications,

transportation, housing, education, health care, environment-related projects, including clean renewable energy, and tourism.

ZAMBOANGA City -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) has completed the training of its third batch of 32 farmers and irrigators for its Training of Trainers (TOT) for Farmers/ Irrigators Association in Pagadian City, The week-long training was conducted the other week

by TOT adviser and facilitator, Gianipa A. Manupac.

DA Regional Executive Director, Eduardo B. Holoyohoy said the training encouraged the farmers to work hand in hand in rice production in achieving its goal of rice self-sufficiency.

He said “the Department of Agriculture (DA) is committed to keep pace with the needs and progress of the Filipino people and its agriculture by sup-

porting new markets and movements that will keep farmers profitable and help create an income generating rice granary throughout the year.”

The TOT Program for Palay Check is part of the efforts of the DA to secure for sufficiency in the country.

He said “it aims to enhance the knowledge of the rice farmers and irrigators to minimize the cost of farm inputs by maximizing the use of available resources and to minimize the big gap of the harvests in terms of yield from one cropping to another.

In celebration of 2013 as the National Year of Rice (NYR 2013), its advocacy on responsible rice consumption requires the public,

producers, and policy makers to work hand in hand in achieving its goal for rice self-sufficiency.

“We are eating more rice than other food groups when rice and other grains should only be one-fourth of our plate meal. We restrict our energy source too much to rice,” said Regional Rice Action Officer, Winifreda P. Jose.

“For each grain saved, a life is saved. This line elevates the status of the farmers not only as rice producers but also as life savers, giving life to the nation. Ang mga mag-uuma mao ang dugo nga naglatay sa nasud, (The farmers are the bloodstream of the nation),” Provincial Coordinator, Jose Agad Jr. said. (PNA)

COTABATO City -- The task force created by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 12 or Central Mindanao that extended agricultural assistance to farmers in Compostela Valley devastated by typhoon Pablo last December said can now plant their crops.

This, after Task Force Alayon, composed of heavy farm equipment and personnel from DA-12, completed the rehabilitation and preparation of ComVal agricultural lands.

Task Force Alayon managed to rehabilitate a total of 750 hectares of corn and rice fields in ComVal and made it ready for planting by farmerowners.

Compostela Valley Governor Arturo Uy earlier sought the extension of the task force assistance which was supposed to end on March 1.

DA-12 Regional Executive Director Amalia Jayag-Datukan approved Uy’s request and allow the stay of the task force in Comval until March 31.

The task force reported that more than 750 hectares have been prepared, cultivated and given soil management program to make it ready for planting.

Of the total areas rehabilitated, 607 hectares are in upland while 143 are in lowland areas.

Using tractors and with the help of agricultural technicians, the farmlands were given soil treatment and cultivated so the farmers could immediately recover from losses as a result of the typhoon.

Gov. Uy was very appreciative of the efforts of DA-12 and he vowed to also extend

assistance to farmers through post harvest facilities.

Armado Almanza, Barangay Kagawad of New Bataan town, said farmers were given hope that they can recover at a very minimal input because of the assistance extended by Task Force Alayon.

Aside from cultivating and rehabilitating the farmlands, the task force also distributed seedlings to farmers who are still reeling from the effect of Pablo’s devastation.

Director Datukan said her office and its employees are ready to extend a helping hand should the farmers in ComVal still need their assistance.

Datukan said the purpose of their extension services to Compostela Valley is to ensure food sufficiency in the months ahead not only in Mindanao but also throughout the country.

Better outlook for fish DA trains rice farmers, sector this year -- DA irrigators in Zambo

STA RTI NG t his yea r, the country’s fisheries sector will be having a better outlook as tuna catch is accelerating, and domestic fish supply is growing, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

This is good news as t his sector is back in the game af ter a twoyear slump, Agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala said.

He also said that with the lifting of a ban on tuna fishing at ‘Pocket 1’ of the Pacific Ocean, Filipino fishermen have resumed their operations in 2012 in said area.

This, he said, results in more catch. Pocket 1 of the Pacific Ocean is bounded by Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

C om me rc i a l c at c h of bigeye and yellowfin tuna in 2012 totaled 7,912 metric tons (MT) and 77,730 MT, respectively, according to the DA. T hese were 31 a nd 13 per cent more compared to the total catch in 2011 of bigeye tuna (6,021 MT) and yellowf in tuna (68,625 MT), respectively.

Consequently, exports of fresh and processed tuna in 2012 rose by 41 percent to $411 million versus $2 million in 2011, said Director Asis Perez, of t he DA’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Another bright spot, according to Alcala is the increase of domestic supply, particularly of Ind ia n sa rd ines or tamban, mainly due to conservation efforts and imposition of a ‘no fishing season’ in waters off Mindanao and Visayas.

T he DA-BFA R ha s initially imposed a closed fishing season in Zamboanga Peninsula from December 2011 to February 2012, coinciding with the sardines’ spawning season. The closed fishing season covered East Sulu Sea, Basilan Strait and Sibuguey Bay. As a result, Perez said catch of sa rd i nes has initially increased by six percent to 156,150 MT in 2012 versus 146,835 MT in 2011, based on estimates by the DA-BAS. T he t h ree-mont h ‘no fishing season’ was again imposed this year in Zamboanga, from December 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013.

“We have also imposed a similar closed fishing season in the Visayan Seas,” Alcala said. The ban started in November

15, 2012 and ended March 15, 2013.

BFAR assistant director Drucila Esther Bayate said a ‘no fishing season’ on said months in the Visayan Sea has been in existence since 1989, but it was only this year that the policy was vigorously implemented.

She said the Visayan Seas is a major source of sardines, herrings and mackerels.

Alcala said the DABFAR has reported that tamban is now caught abu nd a nt ly i n R a gay Gulf, in Camarines Sur. With the initial success in Zamboanga and Visayan Seas, Alcala said the DA-BFAR is considering other major fishing grounds like Palawan, where a ‘no fishing season’ could be imposed.

(PNA)

‘Pablo’-hit farmlands now ready for planting after DA-12 assistance

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Congress Watch

Wednesday-Thursday I Apr. 3-4, 2013

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XU survey reaffirms Rufus’ resounding lead over rival CAGAYAN de Oro’s Second District Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez expressed his utmost gratitude to his constituents for their resounding trust and confidence in him.

rodriguez

The recent survey conducted by the Kinaadman Research Center of Xavier University for the period February 17-28, 2013 showed that 63% would vote for and re-elect Congressman Rufus B. Rodriguez while a very small percentage of 3.33% would vote for Councilor

Ian Mark Nacaya.

Rodriguez attributes this large and insurmountable lead to his performance and dedication to public service for the past 5 ½ years as the representative of the city’s second district.

As Congressman, he has successfully implemented

He pointed out that what is prohibited is the illega l downloading of copyrighted works as this would amount to violating a copyright.

“Jail breaking is merely an aggravating circumstance that increases the penalty for copyright infringement,” he stressed.

Rodriguez said the other major changes in the IP Code include the grant of police power to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of the Philippines.

“However, as IP rights remain to be private rights, there must be a complaint from the IP right owner,” he said.

The new law also creates the Bureau of Copyright and Other Related Rights under IPO. The bureau will be in charge of policy formulation, rule making, adjudication, research, and education.

The law mandates the accreditation of collective management organizations or CMOs, whose job will be to ensure the protection of the rights and financial benefits of copyright owners.

It allows the non-commercial reproduction of copyrighted works for use by people with hearing, eyesight and reading problems.

With the amendments, Rodriguez said the government’s campaign against IP pirates, infringers and criminal syndicates would be strengthened.

“Ord i na r y cit i z ens, like returning Filipinos and overseas workers, students, and members of the academe, have nothing to fear. The amendments are meant to protect the Filipino artists and creators, while making copyrighted works accessible to more Filipinos,” he said.

his HEED program where: H - stands for Health (PhilHealth cards, medical and dental missions, subsidy to Northern Mindanao Medical Center for indigent patients); E - is for Education (academic scholarships to deserving students); E - stands for Employ ment / l ivel i hood (technical and vocational scholarships) and Environment (total mining ban and total logging ban in CDO); D- stands for Development

of infrastructure (roads, bridges, pedestrian overpasses, school buildings, health centers and day care centers) Rodriguez has signed the covenant for unity and peaceful elections initiated by the COMELEC and the PPCRV last month. And in line with this covenant, he calls on the electorate of Cagayan de Oro to vote honestly and wisely in the May 13, 2013 elections.

LAWMAKERS vowed to introduce again a bill in the 16th Congress creating a Philippine High School for Sports (PHSS) to produce world-class athletes who shall represent the country in international tournaments in the future.

Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara (Lone District, Aurora), author of the measure, said the establishment of a high school for sports should offer free secondary courses with special emphasis on developing the athletic skills of the students through subjects pertaining to physical education and sports development.

“The PHSS shall pursue a comprehensive approach to human resources development, thus maximizing the potentials of the youth,” Angara said.

Angara, chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education, said a special fund with P50 million seed capital to be taken from the annual earnings of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) should be allotted to finance the project.

Angara said the additional funding shall also be provided by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) from the 10 percent of all unclaimed and forfeited sweepstakes and lotto prizes but not less than P12 million per year for four years.

The measure will create an executive director position that will head the Executive Council composed of the heads of departments, and other ranking faculty members and officials of the school.

The measure shall also create a Board of Trustees to be composed of the Secretary of Education, as ex officio Chairperson, Execu-

tive Director of the PHSS, as ex officio Vice Chairperson, and three representatives from accredited sports associations or societies from the private sector, to be appointed by the President of the country.

Representatives from the Senate and from the House of Representatives shall also be members of the Board of Trustees.

The bill was also authored by the late Rep. Salvador Escudero III (1st District, Sorsogon), the chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture. Co-authors are Reps.

Wilfrido Mark Enverga (1st District, Quezon), Arnulfo Fuentebella (4th District, Camarines Sur), Maria Isabelle Climaco (1st District, Zamboanga City), Reynato Unico, Jr. (1st District, Camarines Norte), Thelma Almario (2nd District, Davao Oriental), Marc Douglas Cagas IV (4th District, Davao Del Sur), Maximo Dalog (Lone District, Mountain Province), Mariano Piamonte (Party List, A Teacher), Lani Mercado-Revilla (2nd District, Cavite), Ben Evardone (Lone District, Eastern Samar), Josefina Joson (1st District, Nueva Ecija), Luzviminda Ilagan (Party List, Gabriela), Monique Yazmin Lagdameo (1st District, Makati City), Carlos Padilla (Lone District, Nueva Vizcaya), Rosenda Ann Ocampo (6th District, Manila), Antonio Tinio (Party List, Act Teacher), Raymond Palatino (Party List, Kabataan), Mel Senen Sarmiento (1st District, Western Samar), and Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro).

House Bill 3825 was approved on third and final reading and was transmitted to the Senate in January 2011.

push creation P-Noy signs IP Code amendments Lawmakers of High School for Sports NOW that President Aquino has signed a bill amending the Intellectual Property Code, there is no more limit to the entry of copyrighted products into the country for personal use.

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, a principal author of the bill, made this clarification yesterday amid apprehensions raised by overseas Filipino workers and travelers that the new law bans the bringing in of products covered by intellectual property (IP) rights.

The confusion arose from the deletion of two provisions in the old law limiting the bringing in or importation of such products for personal use to only three copies.

The President signed the amendments into law on Feb. 28. The new statute, denominated as Republic Act 10372, was published in The STAR yesterday. It

takes effect 15 days after its publication in two national newspapers.

Rodriguez said the deletion of the two provisions does not mean that the new law bans the bringing in of copyrighted products like books, music and films or movies.

On t he cont ra r y, it means that there is no more limit to the entry of these products, provided that they are for personal use, he said.

The new law also allows religious, charitable and educational institutions to import more copies, “for as long as they are not infringing or pirated copies, so that more Filipino students in the country may use such works,” he said.

He added that RA 10372 does not criminalize “jail breaking,” or the practice of tweaking a communications gadget or circumventing technological measures.

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF LANAO DEL NORTE 12TH Judicial Region BRANCH 07 Tubod, Lanao del Norte

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL 10th Judicial Region Branch 21 Cagayan de Oro City OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL SHERIF NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL FORECLOSURE SALE EJF File No. 2013-066

Upon extrajudicial for sale under Act No. 3135 as amended by Act No. 4118, filed by HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND or PAG-IBIG FUND – Cagayan de Oro Branch Officer, a government financial institution with principal office address located at the Atrium Building, Makati Avenue, Makati, Metro Manila, against EVANGELINE G. ARGABIO of legal age, Single, Filipino Citizen with postal address at B3, L8 CRISTAN VILLA, DICKLUM, MANOLO FORTICH, BUKIDNON, to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of OCTOBER 23,2012, amount to THREE HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED TWENTY ONE PESOS & 38/100 (Php. 325,921.38) Philippine currency, inclusive of interest & penalty charges, attorney’s fees and expenses of foreclosure, the undersigned or duly authorized deputy will sell at public auction on APRIL 29, 2013 at 10:00 a.m or soon thereafter at the main entrance of the RTC-BR.21, Hall of Justice lobby, Hayes St., Cagayan de Oro City to the highest bidder, for CASH in the Philippine Currency, the following property/ies described below with all the improvements included thereon, to wit: TRANSFER CERT. OF TITLE NO. T-195931 Lot : 32, Block 16, Pcs-10-003948 Portion of : Lots 3615-B, Psd-10-004675, 24178-A, Psd-10-009444,

3614-A-1-B, Psd-10-009566, 24178-B-1, Psd-10-010320,

24178-B-2-A, Psd-10-052968, 24178-B-2-B-1, Psd-10054199,

24178-B-2-B-6, Psd-10-05499, 4178-C-1, Psd-10-054997,

3605, Cad. 237, Cagayan Cadastre As Surveyed for : Liberty Land Corporation Land Use : Residential Location : Iponan, Cagayan de Oro City

SE., along line 1-2 ……………. Lot 30, Block 16, Pcs-10-003948

SW., along line 2-3------------ Road Lot 17, Pcs-10-003948

NW., along line 3-4 ----------- Lot 34, Block 16, Pcs-10-003948

NE., along line 4-1 ----------- Lot 33, Block 16, Pcs-10-003948 Beginning at a point marked “1” on the plan, being N.03 deg.32” 237, thence;

1-2 S. w., 10.00 m.

2-3 N. W., 5.00 m.

3-4 N. E., 10.00 m.

4-1 S. E., 5.00 m.

W., 718.44 m. from BBM#19/Cad. 49

deg.

07’

40

deg.

53’

49

deg.

07’

40

deg.

53’

Area : FIFTY (50) SQUARE METERS Bearing True : TRUE Description of Corners : Corners 1, 2 & 4 by P.S, cyl. Conc. mons.

15x40 cm.

Date of Original Survey : Nov. 1926 to July 1932 Date of Subdivision Survey : March 20-30, 2007 OCT No./ TCT No. : _________ / ________ Date Approved : May 15, 2007 Geodetic Engineer : Fernando B. Gurrea xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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 herein above-described and encumbrances thereon, if any there be.

Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, March 19, 2013

(SGD)EFRENG.MACABAYA

Sheriff IV BWM: March 27, April 3 & 10, 2013

In re: PETITION FOR CANCELLATION OF CERTIFICATE OF BIRTH OF EARL Q. DUHAYLUNSOD UNDER REGISTRY NO. 86-721 ( Local Civil Registry, Tubod, Lanao del Norte) EARL Q. DUHAYLUNGSOD,

- versus –

SPECIAL PROC. NO. 235-07-2011

Petitioner,

LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRY OF TUBOD, LANAO DEL NORTE,

Respondent. x----------------------------/ ORDER

A petition was filed before this Court on September 21, 2012 by herein petitioner, EARL Q. DUHAYLUNGSOD for the cancellation of his Certificate of Birth under Registry No. 86-721 in the office of the Local Civil Registrar of Tubod, Lanao del Norte, praying among others that after notice and hearing, an Order be issued directing the Respondent, Local Civil Registrar of Tubod, Lanao del Norte to effect the cancellation sought for.

Petitioner alleges that he is 25 years of age, single and a resident of Crossing, Poblacion, Tubod, Lanao del Norte. Respondent is sued in her official capacity as such. Petitioner is born at Zamboanga General Hospital, Zamboanga City on September 3, 1986 and his fact of birth was registered with the Local Civil Registry of Zamboanga City. His birth was also registered with the Local Civil Registry of Tubod, Lanao del Norte under Registry No. 86-07021, and his “sex” is erroneously indicated as “Female”. That the person registered with the Local Registry of Zamboanga City with the name EARL QUIMNO DUHAYLUNGSOD, born on September 3, 1986, and the “sex” is indicated as “Male” and the person registered with the Local Civil Registry of Tubod, Lanao del Norte with the name EARL QUIMNO DUHAYLUNGSOD, born on September 3, 1986, Sex indicated as “Female”, is one and the same identical person.

That the existence of two birth certificates of petitioner, though there is discrepancy as to entry of sex, has cast doubts and confusion of his identity and status for having two birth certificates, it is imperative that one of the certificates be cancelled. That the Certificate issued by the Local Civil Registrar of Tubod, Lanao del Norte which contains erroneous entry as to his “sex” should be cancelled. That there is no civil rights and interest of third party or parties is being and shall be prejudiced, defrauded and affected by the petition.

Set the initial hearing of the petition to March 5, 2013 at 8:30 in the morning before the sala of this Court. Any person/s interested to the petition may come to Court on said date and time to show cause why said petition should not be granted.

Furnish copy of the petition to the Office of the Solicitor General at Makati City, Office of the Public Prosecutor in Tubod, Lanao del Norte, Office of the Local Civil Registry in Tubod, Lanao del Norte, Atty. Pedro L. Suan, counsel for the petitioner whose address is at Oroquieta City and to the petitioner care of Monaliza Q. Duhaylungsod of Crossing, Tubod, Lanao del Norte. Petitioner is hereby directed to publish copy of this Order to a newspaper of general circulation in the province of Lanao del Norte for three (3) consecutive weeks, at his expense.

So Ordered.

Tubod, Lanao del Norte.

January 22, 2013.

BWM: March 22, 27 & April 3

[Sgd] WENIDA B. M. PAPANDAYAN Acting Presiding Judge

BusinessWeek M I N DA N A O

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Features

A ORO CHAMBER, CITY LGU TO LAUNCH EMERGENCY CALL 888

fter conducting a series of Stakeholders’ Meeting, the country’s Hall of Fame Most Outstanding Chamber of Commerce— the ORO CHAMBER in cooperation with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), City Government of Cagayan de Oro and the Philippine National Police launches this Monday, March 25, EMERGENCY CALL 888.

EMERGENCY CALL 888 is an improvement of the previous disaster response hotline 888 operated during typhoon Pablo.

This emergency direct call access will enable local residents to immediately report to police authorities suspicious individuals and unlawful activities in the area.

This emergency number can be reached through landline and cellphone and covers the entire city of Cagayan de Oro— the

Wednesday-Thursday I Apr. 3-4, 2013

1st and 2nd District including its 80 Barangays.

“This launching is hoped to effectively diminish and prevent crimes from happening in the city,” Oro Chamber President Efren Uy shared. COCPO Chief Col. Graciano Mijares assured us that the assigned officers from the Cagayan de Oro Police Office (COCPO) will immediately respond to the reports communicated through this emergency number 888.

We from the Chamber expect that this information be disseminated to each and every Kagay-anon through every method possible-- text, email, social media, word of mouth and others. We would also like to emphasize the serious repercussions that will await people who will send scam reports to the said hotline.

This launching is supported by

11

PLDT-Philcom, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Pueblo de Oro Corporation and other telephone companies.

The Chamber Executive is likewise calling the city police and the entire Philippine National Police in the region to heighten the security in the City of Cagayan de Oro and Province of Misamis Oriental and nearby areas.

Local residents and the business community are also advised to be vigilant at all times while appropriate CCTV camera equipment should also be put up in every business establishment in the area.

A Birthday like No Other EARTH HOUR. Using only lighted candles, environmentalists signed the Kitanglad-Kalatungan Mountain Accord (KITKAT) in Cagayan de Oro City on Earth Day, March 23, 2013. Representatives of at least 12 people’s organizations, NGOS and government agencies signed the accord vowing to help protect the watershed of Cagayan de Oro. MindaNews photo by Froilan Gallardo

Stephanie Secerio’s 18th birthday was also a successful first for Dream Team Events. They are a neophyte group filled with established individuals in their respective fields.

W

hen you have the coolest family, a group of wacky friends, talented people running the show and a highflying beauty as the center of it all, a perfect celebration is surely bound to happen.

Stephanie Secerio’s 18th birthday celebration didn’t disappoint. There were no dull moments and no awkward speec hes, just pure bliss and glee.

Finally coming of age, Stephanie embodies the best definition of the term “funsized”. She is smart. She is beautiful. She is friendly. She hates ballet. And, wait for it; she has a black belt in Taekwondo.

She may not be tallest lady you’ll see but on any given day, she can kick men’s behinds like they were little c hildren. You know what they say; big things come in small packages.

The party started like all parties should start, with a resounding bang. A slew of wishes poured in as her friends and family took part in the 18 candles.

One of them had a very hard time holding her emotions for the

debutant. After a set of funny and tear-jerking messages, 18 unique and very significant gifts were handed to the birthday girl.

As everyone finished their meals, they were electrified by dance numbers and serenaded by heartwarming songs. They were also entertained by a video presentation, a photo slideshow, great music all night long.

Afterwards, 18 men offered roses and waited for a c hance to dance with the lovely Stephanie.

Her father was last in line and nobody knew what would happen next.

As the mellow music faded, Daddy did the shake – the Harlem Shake. Just like the viral videos you see in youtube, everybody was onstage and partying.

Everybody was laughing and dancing their hearts out. This one goes down in memory lane.

What a rocking way to finish the event and a great way to start a new c hapter in ones life.

CYCLING FOR NATURE. More than 100 bicycle enthusiasts ride for more than 10 kilometers in the streets of Butuan City to raise awareness on Earth Hour on March 23, 2013. MindaNews photo

by Erwin Mascarinas

I do my share. Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) inmates from Cagayan de Oro City contributes to the greening of the environment even while incarcerated behind bars.

They rear hardwood seedling which will eventually be turned-over to sponsoring government agencies in line with President Aquino’s National Greening Program. According to BJMP the concept is not just to raise more tree seedling but more importantly it seeks to change the way the community thinks about trees and the environment.

(Jaza Mae Sarag C. Sanchez/BJMP 10)

12

April 3-4, 2013

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MRS. Hanep buhay Cynthia Villar is gladly meet by a kid carrying her poster and who seeks her blessing during the general assembly meeting of Agdao Multipurpose Cooperative in Davao City recently. Villar, who chairs the Villar Foundation, vows to support the livelihood program for the coop members. advertorial

Globe surpasses NTC Q1 benchmark tests twice in a row Globe Telecom surpassed all metrics set by the National Te le c om mu n ic ation Commission (NTC) in its Quality of Service Benchmarking tests which showed the leading telecommunications company as having passed performance standards set by the regulatory body taken during the f irst quarter this year.

“We were confident that we will pass all the metrics and we did,” said Yoly Crisanto, head of Globe Corporate Communications. “Our network modernization is progressively moving forward, in fact, we are practically done with

the first phase where all hardware has been replaced with brand new equipment,” said Crisanto.

“At t h is t i me of t he modernization program, we are adding capacity and fine tuning the network to optimize its performance.

Changes in the results could be attributed to the time when the tests were done, during which, we may be calibrating our transmission capabilities. We are

h ow e v e r, v e r y confident that the network performance will continuously show improvement especially from this point onwards,” Crisanto revealed.

“We must reiterate that when the quarterly benchmark results were done by the NTC beginning 2nd quarter of 2012, the performance of Globe network has progressively improved which shows the gains of modernization.

This is exactly why we are modernizing, to provide subscribers the superior network performance and ser vice qualit y they deserve,” she added.

st r uc tu res to be const r uc ted c it i ng t here were already 117 building permits t hat were issued since January 1 until March 25 this year “and the figure is still counting.”

“This is the result of giving tax incentives to those who will construct commercial building or facelift and improve their edifices of not less than four-storey. This incent ive w i l l come i n t he form of full exemption from payment of building permit fee including electrical, mechanical, plu mbi ng, occupa nc y and location zonal fees,” Co said.

The city government also gives tax incentives to investors who would put up movie houses in this city, he added.

He recalled that only few big hotels and de-

pa r t ment stores were constructed in the downtow n a rea since 20 04 until 2010.

He sa id t hat h ig hrise infrastructures with eight to nine storeys can be seen this time being constructed including in the rural areas of this city.

“The increasing number of building permits approved every year only shows that many of the industry players from the propert y development sector are confident to invest in the city,” he said adding “it will help boost the economic growth of this city.”

This city’s good peace and order situation also contributes to the investors’ confidence in the propert y development sector aside f rom t he tax incentives, Co said.

(PNA)

Pagadian City property development sector shows substantial growth

By CHARNYL S. ALBARRACIN

PAGADIAN City -- This city will be the next hub of high-rise commercial infrastructures of Mindanao as the property development sector of this city showed substantial growth in the past two years, according to City Mayor Samuel Co. Mayor Co said this is evidenced by the records at the City Building Office (CBO) that showed there were 1,573 buildi ng permits approved from 2011 to 2012 for the construction of high-rise commercial infrastructures.

Co said that 915 of the 1,573 building permits were issued by the CBO in 2011 while the remaining 658 were issued last year.

Co sa id he ex pects more hig h-rise i nf ra-