MINDANAO DAILY T H E P U RV E YO R O F T R U T H , J U S T I C E , A N D D E V E LO P M E N T
Volume VI, No. 239
Website: www.mindanaodailynews.com
Thursday
P15.00
March 16, 2017
For breaching one-million kilos of Virginia Tobacco harvest
Misor to get P700-m share in ‘excise tax’ By BONG FABE Contributing Editor
CAGAYAN de Oro City-For the first time since Virginia Tobacco farming started in the Municipality of Claveria in 2012, Misamis Oriental stands to get at least P700 million share from the excise tax.
Second Frontpage
n Three wom-
en from Mindanao among Top 10 PMA graduates/p.2
Oped Section 50 Cagayan students evil-possessed? Bible is cure! The strong strikes
In Focus
More bishops bacl Lopez as environment secretary/p.5
RA 7171, Section 3 states that Virginia Tobacco-producing provinces will get a 15% share of the excise tax provided that “a province must have an average annual production of Virginia leaf tobacco in an amount not less than one million kilos.” In 2015, Misamis Oriental produced a total of 1.2
million kilos of Virginia Tobacco leaf. And since the share of the excise tax is released two years after, the province stands to receive P700 million this year from the P100.02 billion total excise tax collected in 2015. The entire province is benefitting from the tobacco-growing of the Mu-
nicipality of Claveria—the only town that plants Virginia Tobacco in the entire province. Gov. Yevgeny Vincente “Bambi” Emano expressed happiness upon learning that for the first time since Virginia Tobacco started in the province, Misamis Oriental will finally get a share
T HE C om m i s s i on on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Education Secretary Leonor Briones. Briones was questioned by the commission on the state of her health, particularly her weak knees as she reportedly had to use a wheelchair during plane trips.
She agreed that she did have to use a wheelchair but told them that she is capable enough to perform her duties as Education Secretary noting that there is “no correlation” on the state of her knees on the state of her brain. Meanwhile, she was also sought for a comment by Senate Majority Leader Vi-
cente Sotto III on the plan of Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial to distribute condoms in schools. Briones reiterated that she will take no part of the planned condom distribution noting that there is no law or executive order that obligates her agency to distribute them.
CA confirms DepEd chief ’s appointment, bypasses Lopez
See confirms, page 7
of the excise tax amounting to P700 million, a share that exceeded his expectation. Emano shared that he expected only about P200 million. However, it was not learned how much is the share of Claveria. But a source in the tobacco business said that Claveria’s
share in the excise tax is P355 million. The same source said that in 2016, Claveria farmers produced 1.3 million kilos of Virginia Tobacco leaf. Thus, the province and municipality will again receive millions of pesos in 2018 as their share of the See tax, page 7
THE Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Education Secretary Leonor Briones (left) but bypassed the appointment of Environment Secretary Gina Lopez for some reasons.
Avoid fire: check electrical connections
COTABATO City––Fire officials in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) urged constituents on Wednesday to check electrical connections in their homes to avoid fire incidents. In a radio interview, Fire Supt. Dominador Zabala, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP-ARMM) regional director, made the appeal following two fire incidents in Maguindanao and in Cotabato City. Zabala said a fire incident in Gen. SK Pendatun, Maguindanao on Tuesday left three persons dead. “Sadly, the town of Gen. SK Pendatun has no fire truck so our people there used the bucket relay,” Zabala told reporters. “Bucket relay” refers to firemen and the public, in a single file, using pails of water to put out a fire. He said the fire on Tuesday was triggered by an electrical short circuit. The fatalities include a father and his two daughters. In Parang, Maguindanao, at least 10 houses were razed by fire believed to be also caused by an electrical Fire trainees. Trainees of the Bureau of Fire Protection perform tire-based short circuit. exercises near the Central 911 headquarters in Davao City on 14 March 2017. Zabala said that electrical overload was the cause MindaNews photo by Carolyn O. Arguillas
See avoid, page 7