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CAGAYANLifestyle TIMES Weekly DE ORO

Volume 8 | No. 47 | Cagayan de Oro City | July 5-11, 2021

Our Community, Our Responsibility

Parasat rolls out cheaper, faster internet plans

by T2 MIKE

N CELEBRATION of its 31st Year of Service as Mindanao’s Pioneer Premier Cable TV and Internet Service Provider (ISP), Parasat Cable TV Inc. rolls out starting July 15, 2021, its new F.A.B. (Faster Affordable Broadband) Plans which are much cheaper yet faster internet plans bundled with an unprecedented number of cable TV channels you won’t find elsewhere. “Basically, our long awaited “Faster Affordable Bundles” (or FAB) are new packages which are very competitive to current internet only plans sold by PLDT and Globe,” said Engr. Elpidio M. Paras, president and CEO. “We actually brought down the rates and increased the speeds to address the perennial demands of customers for faster and more affordable, yet reliable internet services.” Our Community, Our Responsibility Paras said they FAB plans were conceptualized in response to the vastly increased demand for the internet as a basic

need for education, work, communication, information, business, news and entertainment, and the cry of subscribers for faster and more reliable connectivity at affordable rates. “Unlike the past decade, internet service speeds have largely been very slow and expensive. Parasat intends to break that barrier with very affordable bundled plans which include Cable TV programming at no additional cost to internet subscriptions,” Paras said. With the covid-19 crisis affecting face-to-face classes in all levels, online education has now become the new PARASAT/PAGE 7

FAB (Faster Affordable Broadband)

WITH BEETHOVEN UNDER PALMS By Klaus Döring

Chapter XXII:

Kagay-anon Stude conferred Head of School Award at Stanford University OHS

New Start with many Challenges SEE STORY ON PAGE 3

SEE PAGE 5

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Sports Tourism is Alive!

By CHARLES LIM

England Favorites to Win Euro 2020 Metro

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CAGAYAN TIMES/Sudaria Group of Companies Publisher MIKE BAÑOS Editor-in-Chief SUSAN P. DENNIS GEAN T. CESAR RANDY FAMACION MAI MAI SISON KLAUS DORING ANNIE GORRA RAGO WENDY RAMOS-GARCIA Contributing Editors CLIFFORD SANTILLAN Layout Artist PINKY DOMINGO Marketing KHRISTHA RIVA FELICILDA Advertising ATTY. MARIO T. JUNI Legal Counsel The Metro CAGAYAN de ORO TIMES newspaper is published weekly at Tanleh Bldg., Abellanosa Street, Consolacion, Cagayan de Oro City. It is registered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 10 with Certificate No. 01801884, and with Business Registration Plane No. 17211 with Business License Certificate 2014-00691. TIN No. 311-982-549-000 Tele/Fax #: (088) 856-3344 Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CagayandeOroTIMES email us at thecagayandeorotimes@gmail.com Member: Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (Oro Chamber)

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At Euro 2020, four nations are left to fight for the title this week. Italy play Spain in the first semifinal on Tuesday, and England take on Denmark on Wednesday, with the Finals to be played on July 11. Each of these four teams have their own incredible story to tell on the road to Wembley where the finals will be held. Sadly, Portugal, Germany, Holland, Belgium and France have their sorrowful tales to tell too, as their respective quests for Europe supremo come to a stop. Semi-finalist Spain has so far had a scruffy campaign as evidenced by their 5-3 win over Croatia after going into extra time in the knock out stage and then scrapping through with a 3-1 win on penalty over Switzerland after a 1-1 deadlock in the quarter finals. Italy, on the other

hand, had remained consistent topping their group with maximum points and then moving on to beat Austria 2-1 after extra time and knocking off powerhouse Belgium 2-1 in the quarter finals. Denmark, always a delightful team to watch, has not been too impressive in this tournament with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in the quarter finals after scrapping through on a borderline qualification in their group. What can I say about England? They have been rewriting their football annals in this tournament comparing Euro 2020 to their successful World Cup campaign in 1966 when they beat Germany 4-2 in the finals and that’s 55 years ago. This time with, less tension but still full of purpose, they disposed of Germany 2-0 in the knock out

stage and days later blanked Ukraine 4-0 in the quarter finals played in Rome. Their manager, Gareth Southgate is already up in the pedestal with the British media likening him to the legendary, Sir Alf Ramsey of the 1966 World Cup fame. This time around, as I am more analytically inclined than as a youngster in 1966, I am of the opinion that Gareth has in his war chest, player resources that could compose of two A teams. He has cautiously plotted England’s successful streak with four wins and one draw and a defense that has not yielded a single goal for 11 hours of play in this tournament.

Every single player Gareth has fielded have not let him and the entire nation down. Few slow in warming up and hitting form, but still producing their best football in the end. What a delight to watch as the starting eleven and the subs coming in to produce a new English brand of football. With the semifinal and final to be played on home ground, Wembley and with a maximum of 60,000 fans (due to COVID19 restrictions) cheering them on, they may be favorites to advance to the finals. It’s Coming Home! as their fans will chant.

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CAGAYANTIMES Feature DE ORO

July 5-11, 2021

Page 3

A German Expat in the Philippines

WITH BEETHOVEN UNDER PALMS

By Klaus Döring

Chapter XXII:

New Start with many Challenges

LL four of us (my mother, Rossana and her brother Archie and myself ) were standing in front of our two containers. Expectant and happy at the same time. But, our knees kept on shaking. The faces of the customs officers looked very, very serious. Of course, our inventory list for both containers was excessively long. “Why did you bring three washing machines, three bicycles, three television sets, three radios, three stereo units and so on...! Maybe you are hiding three cars too?” Rossana replied quickly and with presence of mind, “Because we are three migrants to the Philippines and we belong to the same household!” The customs officers were flabbergasted and

smiled. After a few hours of waiting and a lot of paperwork, our two containers were released. Yes, our first two years were full of surprises. Father Bacarez, our former Philippine Community Berlin chaplain visited us and blessed our whole compound. Meanwhile my mentor returned back to the Philippines and taught at Santo Tomas University Manila among several subjects European History and also German Language. His books about GermanPhilippine Relationships and many talks with Monsignore Hermogenes “Gene’ Bacareza gave me many inputs and knowledge. On January 25, 2003 in appreciation of his efforts for promoting harmonious relations between both countries,

Dr. Johannes Rau, then German Federal President conferred on Father Gene the highest honor of Germany, das Grosse Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse (Insignia of the Order of Merit). Father Gene was so happy knowing of my new work in Philippine media. Yes, meanwhile I had become Marketing Director of the Davao Catholic Herald and the radio station DXGN 89.9 “Good News Radio ‘’, both located at the Bishop Thibault Center Davao City in the San Pablo Church Compound. I was allowed to contribute my regular column “The Daily Life” - and, I started my first radio program - entitled “The Passion of Music”. Ludwig van Beethoven and all other classical masters could be heard in my Sunday program right

after the life coverage of the 9 o’clock mass from San Pablo Church. Yes, it became true: Beethoven resides already under palms. Rossana suffered from her first culture shock. “In Germany everything is so fast - the traffic, people, talking, everything somehow,” she let me know. After 16 years she had become a typical German. We looked at photos together - photos from back then. Like this one from 1977: American-Philippine Friendship Day at Talomo Beach in Davao City. I felt that she was longing to dance again. Said and done. Maybe we became (again) risk takers. But then the Manisan Dance Studio opened! When we were strolling through the Victoria Plaza Mall on a

beautiful Sunday morning after attending mass, Rossana wondered to herself; “Look over there, there is a TV recording

or even live broadcasting. Yes, it was “Singgit Davao”, and the host and director were former classmates of Rossana. And it was indeed live. Finally a big surprise happened! (To be continued) ‘Klaus Doring was born in Spenge, a little village near Bielefeld in North Rhine-Westphalia, former West Germany. A publishing house manager and journalist by profession, i.e. managing editor for law magazines in Berlin, New York and Amsterdam, radio and TV host.’

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Aboitiz makes ‘agripreneurs” out of IP Farmers July 5-11, 2021

The Aboitiz Group, through its corporate social responsibility arm Aboitiz Foundation and food unit Pilmico, assists farmers in Iligan to be efficient ‘agri-preneurs’ and create a more sustainable livelihood. Through the Inclusive Agribusiness Project (IAP), the Foundation and Pilmico donated farm equipment to Hindang Farmers to help increase their production volume and meet market demands. The Aboitiz Foundation also donated a corn sheller for the MarawiBaloi farmers in Nangka, Baloi, Lanao del Norte under the ‘Angat Lahat sa Agribusiness’ or ALAB livelihood program in partnership with Go Negosyo. “Through this inclusive agri-business project, the Aboitiz Foundation

is committed to further help Marawi Baloi Farmers Association and Hindang MPC to attain organizational sustainability and scale up their production, taking advantage of the significant demand for yellow corn." "Most importantly, together with our partners Pilmico Foods Corporation and Go Negosyo, we intend to contribute to achieving sustained income for their members, which will lead to an improvement in their quality of life and wellbeing,” Aboitiz Foundation President and COO Maribeth L. Marasigan said. Pilmico is one of the institutional markets that purchases yellow corn produce directly from the Hindang Banana Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative (Hindang MPC), which received a corn sheller, a

Marawi-Ibaloi farmers inspect the corn sheller donated by Aboitiz Foundation and Pilmico

moisture checker, PVC tarps, a weighing scale, and other farm inputs that the farmers can use in their crop production. “Ang mga magsasakang miyembro at opisyales ng Hindang Banana Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative ay taos pusong nagpapasalamat sa Aboitiz Foundation at Pilmico sa pagtulong sa amin makabangon ngayong pandemic. Ito ay malaking tulong sa aming mga magsasaka upang mas mapaganda ang aming ani. Maraming salamat, " said Larry Coracol, Chairperson of Hindang MPC. (We the members and officers of Hindang Banana Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Aboitiz Foundation and Pilmico in helping us get back on our feet in this pandemic. This is a big help for us farmers in ensuring that we have bountiful crops. Thank you). In 2018, Aboitiz Foundation together with Go Negosyo, Pilmico, and the Department of Agriculture started ALAB, a livelihood development project for Marawi’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). ALAB is a business incubation program that identifies and directly addresses the needs of selected cooperatives

(L-R) Iligan City Agriculture Officer Welfredo Goles, Hindang Cooperative Manager Danilo Bagares, BOD Member Rexon Lumapas, Chairperson Larry Coracol received the farm equipment from Aboitiz Foundation

and associations, while also providing them the support needed in order for them to scale up. At the end of the ALAB program, the cooperatives and associations will be equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge, and tools to become successful agripreneurs, creating a positive change in the Philippine agriculture sector. “We would like to thank Aboitiz Foundation and Go Negosyo for their continuing efforts in helping small agribusinesses like us and for providing the needs for our business to grow especially in these times where our livelihood are

deeply affected by the 2017 Marawi Siege and the Covid-19 pandemic." "May Allah the God almighty bless all the people behind this program and may you all succeed in your goal,” MBA Marawi Baloi Farmer Association President Abdul Baari Lininding said. The enterprise development program of Aboitiz Foundation supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth as it continues to empower cooperative members with effective organizational management and technical skills, financial and

infrastructure support, and access to markets to help grow and expand their businesses. Since 2016, the Aboitiz Foundation has extended over P90 million in enterprise development assistance to its beneficiaries nationwide. To ensure the sustainability of the project, Aboitiz partnered with the City Agriculture Office of Iligan City to provide skills training and updates on farming technologies. Aboitiz is also closely working with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) to monitor the organizational performance of the cooperative.

Cebuano dried fish vendor is Citi Microentrepreneur of the Year National Awardee Success comes to those who work hard and never give up, so the saying goes, and fish vendor Luzviminda Sunit of Medellin, Cebu is one shining example. Sunit, fondly called “Nanay Luz”, was recently named Citi Microentrepreneur of the Year National Awardee, a far cry from her early days as a fish vendor with an initial capital of P4,000. Launched in 2002, the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA) is a nationwide search for outstanding

microentrepreneurs in the country, organized by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Citi Philippines, and the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. “I would take the basin full of fish and peddle it around town to make a sale,” Nanay Luz recalled her humble beginnings in 1975, adding that she eventually ventured into making dried fish, commonly known as “buwad” in Cebuano. Her determination,

optimism, and confidence were Sunit’s strongest weapons, but she also received some major push from First Agro-Industrial Rural Bank (FairBank) in Bogo City, Cebu where she was able to get a loan to help expand her business. FairBank, whose primary focus is to address the needs of rural communities by offering banking services for micro, small and medium enterprises, is an affiliate of CitySavings Bank - the Philippines’ finest mass market

PROUD FAIRBANK CLIENT: Citi Microentrepreneur of the Year National Awardee Luzviminda Sunit, a dried fish vendor from Medellin, Cebu has managed to grow her business with the help of FairBank, an affiliate of City Savings Bank - the Philippines finest mass market bank today.

bank today. Since then, Nanay Luz’s business has soared to greater heights – with her product now available in the local public markets of Medellin and Bogo, as well as in Leyte. She now has over 20 workers, including some who lost their regular jobs during the pandemic. The success of Sunit’s business also paved the way for the realization of her dreams, including owning properties and the completion of her children’s education.

Resilience is another trait that has been synonymous with Nanay Luz that, even when the current public health crisis struck, she was unperturbed and instead became more innovative in her business approach. “We had to shift to delivering directly to our customers to make better sales,” she said. Her journey has become an inspiration to others that Sunit, along with nine other Filipino AWARDEE/PAGE 7

CITI MICROENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR: National Awardee Luzviminda Sunit (middle), a dried fish microentrepreneur from Medellin, Cebu receives the distinction from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Benjamin Diokno (left) and Citi Philippines chief executive officer Aftab Ahmed at the 18th Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA) virtual ceremony last June 15, 2021. (Photo from the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. Facebook page)

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Feature

Ikera Olandesca

A 17-year old student from Cagayan de Oro has been bestowed the Head of School Award from the Stanford University Online High School (Stanford OHS) based in California, USA. Stanford Online High School is an independent school located at Stanford University for intellectually passionate students in grades 7–12. Founded in 2006 as a three-year high school, and subsequently expanded to include grades 7–9, Stanford OHS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Ikera Olandesca was one of two students who merited the award out of 880 students enrolled in OHS. According to Stanford OHS Head of School, and Philosophy Core & Mathematics Instructor Tomohiro Hoshi, the award “acknowledges a student who has represented ‘OHSness’ in all relevant senses of what that can mean.” Douglas Kerr, English instructor and Project Head of University-Level English Course Development, and one of the founding

Colleen Burson-Ryan

instructors of Stanford OHS, presented the award at the virtual Awards Ceremony held on June 6. “[Olandesca is]... a great, great community leader,” Kerr said. “She brings people—students, staff and instructors— together. She puts us all into action, she puts us into motion.” “Not only is Kee (as she is better known in OHS) an accomplished poet, and an impressive writer academically, bold at picking through multiple perspectives and taking objections seriously; she is also a great community leader, and it is her purposive attitude, drive to learn new concepts and ability to connect easily with others, that truly makes her shine, and continues to inspire others,” he added. “First and most importantly--I’m grateful for my family, who moved mountains to give me an extraordinary high school experience. attending a place like OHS was an unreachable dream for them, which they made a reality for me,” Kee said in a social media post.

Kee was accepted into Stanford OHS in 2017 when she was 13. She experienced online learning before the COVID-19 pandemic, working with schoolmates and teachers from outside the Philippines. “At OHS, I’m grateful for countless things: instructors who transformed the way I perceive and respond to the world; staff whose belief in me changed the way I perceive myself; schoolmates who constantly amazed me with their brilliance; and kindhearted, talented, supportive, inspiring, overall incredible friends I will always treasure. I’m also grateful for the sleepless nights, mind-breaking philosophy readings, and soul-crushing 3 hour exams, because with them came all-night ‘study sessions’ with friends, an excuse to eat cup ramen thrice a day for a week, and the mental/ emotional capacity to carry conversations on Foucault or Sartre,” she added. Studying at Stanford OHS Before applying to Stanford OHS as a 9th grader, Olandesca was a Student Administrative Assistant at Little Me Academy (LMA), a familyowned school in Cagayan de Oro. “Because I was involved in administrative work and various interests, I needed a learning option with a flexible schedule that didn’t compromise academic rigor,” Kee said. “Stanford OHS fulfilled both of these, plus the vibrance of a diverse student body.” Kee attended Stanford OHS full-time, while continuing to work and study at LMA. She opted for dual enrollment, since it was a “special opportunity to stretch [herself ]” and “fully immerse in two different kinds of school cultures.” “It was tough at first,” Kee admitted. “I had to navigate new online platforms, reach demanding scholastic standards, and manage classes in disparate time zones. But an amazing support system—my family, the school’s staff—kept me on my feet.” Before the pandemic hit, Kee recalled how OHSers would meet up at Summer@Stanford, and at

Tomohiro Hoshi

the end they’d sing: “I’m a better person for the knowing of you.” I can truly say the same for my OHS experience as a whole, and I’m so excited for what lies ahead! School Achievements Kee has twice won the Club Leader with

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Kee was also a Board Chair in Student Government, Co-Founder and Managing Curator of the school’s first online museum, and Head of Communications of the UNICEF Club. At her CDO-based school, Little Me Academy,

Entrepreneurship Club. The team, all composed of first-timers, competed in several international business competitions, and was a Semifinalist for the Diamond Challenge, an Alternate Finalist of the Conrad Challenge, and a Top 100 entry in the Blue

Kee’s Stanford University OHS Graduation

Distinction Award, and the Pixel Community Award for “[strengthening] the community” while “maintaining a solid academic record,” at OHS. As the Leader of the Literature Club, she was a Managing Editor of the club-led literary journal. In 2020, the journal was ranked “Excellent” in the Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) program by the US National Council of Teachers in English (NCTE). “Kee stands out for her openness to other students and her attention to her own personal growth. She is kind and friendly with her classmates, interested in their lives, and open to sharing her sense of humor and her personality. She is unafraid to let the work she puts in be seen by others, and her openness and honesty help her build a stronger community wherever she goes,” said Collen Burson-Ryan, assistant director for college counselling. “Kee is also a creative figure who can expertly connect seemingly disparate features into a poetic whole with a depth of specificity that gives new life to old arguments and familiar scenes. It is an understatement to say that Kee has left her mark on OHS,” she added.

Kee continued to work in the administration while earning straight A grades, and graduating as Valedictorian on April 24. Writing and EdTech During her second year at Stanford OHS, Kee published an original book of poetry entitled Homesick. Her other creative and academic works have been or will be published in Novice Magazine, Anak Sastra, Cathartic Literary Magazine, Paper Crane Journal, the WEIGHT Journal, and De Novo, the highly selective academic journal of Stanford OHS. She has presented and taught writing at several esteemed venues including Stanford University, the 40th Manila International Book Festival, and the 2019 Global Authors’ Summit. In her third year, she joined the Educational Technology (EdTech) team of the school’s Competitive

Douglas Kerr

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Ocean Competition. When the pandemic forced schools to go into lockdown, Kee developed tech systems for her local school, LMA. She also ran tech orientations and organized free online summer classes for hundreds of students and teachers to aid in the transition to remote learning. College and Beyond Before graduating high school, Kee received scholarship offers from several schools in the US and abroad, but eventually decided to enroll in and accept a University Grant from Denison University, an elite private institution in Ohio, USA. Olandesca is working on a second book of poetry and is currently the Systems Development Director of Little Me Academy. She is on a gap year and will attend Denison University in August 2022.

Pixel is enjoying a copy of the Stanford OHS Spring Literary Journal, Nectar for Withering Flowers

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DiskarTech App on the easiest way to loan and save LOOKING to borrow some money for your various needs? DiskarTech is the answer for you! Choose the best loan to cater to your type of need with the launch of Diskartech’s new loans in-app marketplace. It’s easy, convenient, and accessible financing right at your fingertips. Be it for small business, agriculture, motorcycles/tricycles, or for multi-purpose, you can find the type that will suit you. This is just one of the many features of RCBC’s DiskarTech since its launch in July 2020. Now, almost everything is possible with DiskarTech which proudly touts “Halos lahat pwede!” Recently, this all-inone finance app went viral for its newest ad titled “Utang ni Tatang”, introducing this special loan feature. Here’s the video, if

you haven’t seen it yet: FB: https://fb.watch/ v/1U-mcMO8a/ The video starts with a farmer hustling to borrow a carabao. When his friend suggests that he buy a tricycle instead, he counters by asking his friend to lend him some money for it. When his friend declines….. Voila! A DiskarTech agent makes a grand entrance by jumping out of a very “unlikely” place to help the farmer in need. (Note: Don’t worry! No animals nor DiskarTech employees were harmed in the making of this video.) DiskarTech app, dubbed as “Ang App ng Masa” (The App for everyone), is the first-ever fintech app in Taglish which aims to promote inclusive banking. "To truly push for inclusivity, we needed to create a product that is easy, simple and

relatable to Filipinos. The Diskartech app is in Taglish in order to break the comprehension barrier, and allow banking newbies to navigate it with ease. It’s a financial inclusion super app that allows every Filipino to save, borrow, pay, and even purchase microinsurance and telemedicine services complete with livelihood opportunities. With DiskarTech users spanning across all the 81 provinces, and over 70 percent of which are from rural areas, we are committed to continue to bring the unbanked or underserved Filipino into the banking fold.” says Lito Villanueva, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer of RCBC. To make the app accessible to more

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Filipinos, the app is also available in Cebuano version and soon, in other dialects --making it another first for an app of its kind. On top of these, users can also enjoy a 3.25% annual interest on savings with DiskarTech --a rate higher than what most banks offer. Download the DiskarTech app now! Create your account in minutes, with just one valid government ID. No initial deposit or maintaining balance required. No dormancy fees. Be part of the DiskarTech family! It’s easy. Just click on the links to install! Play Store: https://tinyurl.com/ DiskarTechAndroid App Store: https://tinyurl.com/ DiskarTechiOS Visit DiskarTech’s website here: https:// diskartech.ph/

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Parasat...

commits to provide its current and new from page 1 customers better choices which are very norm. The demand competitive to current for affordable internet “internet only” plans sold especially from the by its competitors,” he public-school sector stressed. has never been more The Cable ISP also pronounced during this dropped the price of pandemic, he added. its 15mbps Work from Free Upgrades Home plan by 54% from The best part of P2149/month to only Parasat’s Community P999/month. Social Responsibility (CSR) is its speed BOOST For families with program which increased multiple users and doing online selling, the new internet speeds for P1499 and P1999 plans existing customers by as gives them a whopping much as 300% (up to 3 40Mbps/70Mbps with times) depending on the a limited budget. particular plans. Plans from 100Mbps “For example, during to 300Mbps are also the last two weeks, available for Small customers subscribed to Business users and heavy a 3mbps plan now get 10mbps (which is boosted downloaders of videos and games. by at least 300%),” Paras How We Did It disclosed. To bring its bandwidth Parasat also plans costs down, Parasat another Speed Boost Cable actually acquired for all previous plans multiple routes from so current customers bulk bandwidth Telco whether in HFC or providers in order to have Parafiber networks, a resilient and reliable can now level up with internet distribution new plans. In this way, network covering most old Parasat internet of Cagayan de Oro customers would barangays; Misamis enjoy faster speeds Oriental towns Opol, proportionate to their Alubijid, Laguindingan, current contracts. Libertad and El Salvador Current customers can City to the west; also opt to recontract Tagoloan, Villanueva, their cable and internet bundle based on the new Jasaan and Balingasag to the East; Manolo Fortich, plans without additional Malaybalay and Valencia charges. Cities in Bukidnon Parasat uses two province. redundant network The company now infrastructures , Parasat has enough bandwidth HFC (its legacy hybrid capacity to service fiber co-axial cable its current and new network) and Parafiber customers under the new (its pure fiber delivery speed requirements. network using FTTH, In this day and (Fiber-To-The- Home age of unrestrained technology). It is also now rolling out its FTTH demand for Social infrastructure to its other Media, the company also acquired equipment and service areas outside technology which allows Cagayan de Oro. for a faster connectivity Discounted Faster to the likes of Google, Internet YouTube, Facebook and Parasat which Netflix. pioneered its highly successful PISONET plan The state-of-the-art three years ago, provided content servers in the data center, now enable cable customers with a users a low latency lifeline 1 Mbps plan for (below 5 milliseconds) an additional one (1) connection to these Peso. major content sources, Unfortunately in resulting in decreased today’s environment, that kind of speed could buffering of videos and movies and a satisfying not be usable for online viewing experience for meetings like Zoom and the customer. other solutions. Internet Overdrive Parasat HFC’s P699 PARASAT Parafiber plan now provides brand for its Fiber To unlimited 8mbps at The Home (FTTH) only P200 more than network now covers the original Pisonet major areas of the city Plan(w/ Starter Cable 56 from Bugo to Iponan and channels). the Uptown areas. The “This kind of pricing fiber optic plant can program is definitely now service business or cheaper and more institutional customers convenient for those for speeds up to 1Gbps using prepaid load for (1000Mbps) and provide their children’s online special business users classes,” Paras noted. who demand reliable “Parasat’s WiFi point-to-point fiber enabled cable/fiber connectivity to as high modems allow multiple as 10Gbps. It is currently users per plan. Parasat

embarking on a large scale upgrading of its FTTH network citywide to cover most of its franchise areas within the year. Parasat also upgraded its legacy Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) network to be compliant with DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) version 3.1; which will eventually be as efficient as fiber technology in providing internet connectivity. This HFC upgrade will allow current coax cable customers to access speeds up to 300Mbps from a previous 50 mbps limit. More Value for Money Unlike other CATV providers, Parasat Cable leverages its being a cable operator to bundle cable tv programs with its Parafiber and Parasat HFC internet brands, thus giving customers one solution in delivering traditional TV entertainment and internet based new communication and media platforms. “Having one unified billing system for both cable and internet coupled with multiple modes for payment like online banking, GCash, ECpay and the like, with several payment offices in different locations , is definitely a big advantage for Parasat HFC/ Parafiber customers,” Paras points out. To date, Parasat has branches in Cruz Taal, Corrales, Bugo, Centrio, Limketkai, Puerto, Villanueva, Balingasag, Manolo Fortich, Malaybalay, including the recently opened Uptown branch along Masterson Ave. Parasat currently operates in the key cities of Cagayan de Oro, Malaybalay, Bukidnon, San Carlos, Negros Occidental , several towns in Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon, as well as with strategic partners in other areas such as Valencia City, Bukidnon.

July 5-11, 2021

Awardee... from page 4

microentrepreneurs, was honored at the 18th Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards virtual ceremony last June 15, 2021. A pride of the Visayas, Sunit received the distinction from BSP governor Benjamin Diokno and Citi Philippines chief executive officer Aftab Ahmed. Diokno cited the awardees as purveyors of hope and perseverance in these challenging times. “We take this occasion to recognize our microentrepreneurs who, despite the odds, have shown great resourcefulness, courage, and resilience to flourish amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” Diokno said. Sunit advised aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue their dream and there are individuals like her and institutions like FairBank who will lend a helping hand. “Ang ganahan magnegosyo atong tabangan ug tagaan nato og puhunan (We will help those who want to start their own business and provide them with capital),” Nanay Luz said. Despite her success, she never fails to look back to where she started, and express her gratitude to FairBank, the institution that guided and supported her for the past 17 years. FairBank, for its part, said Sunit is a testament to the achievement of its corporate pursuit of better lives and brighter future. “It is a distinct privilege for FairBank to have been a part of the success of CMA National Awardee Luzviminda Sunit in growing her microenterprise over the years. She was able to nurture a dried fish backyard venture into a prosperous trans-island operation,” said FairBank president and CEO William Amado Castaño.