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Local surfers dominate int’l surfing competition Volume III, No. 108
web portal: www.businessweekmindanao.com
See story on Page A1 12 September 30, 2014 P15.00
Tuesday
C
LOUD Nine, General Luna, Siargao Island Local surfers overcame stiff competition from their foreign counterparts for an all-Filipino finals cast in the threeday 20th International Surfing Competition that ended Sunday in this world-renowned surfing capital.
Without Lolong, Agusan Marsh can still be good ecotourism site By CHRIS PANGANIBAN Regional Editor-Caraga
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur—Agusan Marsh, which was the home of world’s largest crocodile “Lolong” before his death, still has great potentials as a global ecotourism destination, but local officials should get their acts together to put up with an attractive tourism program. Arthur Boncato, assistant secretary of the Department of Tourism, urged local officials attending the Provincial Toursim Stakeholders Summit to form an ad hoc committee that would now seriously
See FULL STORY, page A3
Fire officer in hot water
GENERAL Santos City––A fire officer assigned in Malapatan town in Sarangani is facing multiple charges after going into a shooting spree at the parking area of a shopping mall here on Sunday night. Sr. Insp. Mae Grace Licudan, chief of Bula or police station number 6 here, identified the suspect as Senior Fire Officer 4 See water, page A7
JR Borja Bridge.
photo by tom vicent udasco
See site, page A7
Biz groups ‘slam’ ‘Red tape’ has stymied early exorbitant taxes completion of JR Borja Bridge By CRIS DIAZ Executive Editor
CAGAYAN de Oro City–– The business groups in this trading hub of Northern Mindanao took turns in lambasting the revenue policy of City Mayor Oscar Moreno describing it as inimical to progress and development. The business sectors
have also expressed the fears that the economic growth of Cagayan De Oro would be imperiled unless the current revenue scheme is redirected to create a favorable business climate. Representatives of the business organizations issued the unkind statement last week while commending the initiative of the See taxes, page A7
By Mike Baños Editor at large
Red tape has again snagged the early completion of Cagayan de Oro City’s much-delayed sixth bridge across the Cagayan River. Originally planned to start in the third quarter of 2008 under the administration of former Mayor
Constantino G. Jaraula, the J.R. Borja bridge finally got going on September, 2012 under former Mayor Vicente Y. Emano. “It is 90 percent complete and is scheduled for completion by January 2015,” said Sandra V. Flores, regional information officer and spokesperson of the Dept. of Public Works and Highways
Region X (DPWH-10) office during the NEDA-X Media Forum held 17 September 2014 at the NEDA/RDC-X Main Conference Room in Cagayan de Oro City. Flores said the bridge was targeted for completion by July 2015 to decongest the city’s main thoroughfares or arterial roads but got snagged by red tape.
“But problem is it cannot be completed because there’s a structure obstructing the bridge which the owner doesn’t want to demolish, because he wants to be compensated for the land and structure at the same time,” she explained. “As of now we can’t accommodate his request because the See bridge, page A7
Falcatta farmer is fastest planter in ‘Treevolution’ By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN Regional Editor-Caraga
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur—Long-time tree farmer Jerson Mellama has planted 95 tree seedlings in just 24 minutes, making him the fastest planter who joined the “Treevolution” in the neighboring three towns
of this province. Mellama was among the 310 volunteers who came in droves yesterday to plant rubber and other indigenous tree species within the 20-hectare denuded area of Manobo ancentral land in the hinterlands of Sitio Tumuahong in Sta. Cruz village in Rosario town, which is about
six kilometres from the national highway The volunteers planted a total of 70,400 seedlings in the area in an hour-long simultaneous tree planting activity yesterday morning as part of their contribution to the Mindanao-wide attempt to break the Guinesss book of world records.
Throughout the province, organizers are setting a target of 116,000 tree seedlings in four different cluster areas. The area in Sta. Cruz village is part of the three other areas of the three towns under the jurisdiction of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office based here.
CENR Officer Melvin Bustillo said the area in the remote village in Azpetia in Prosperidad town has surpassed the target of 10,000 seedlings with 400 more since most of those who joined are tree farmers of Falcatta, a popular softwood tree specie which are abound in the province. See farmer, page A7
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