Mindanao Daily Set A (March 22, 2017) by Mindanao Daily News

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. 244

Website: www.mindanaodailynews.com

Wednesday

March 22, 2017

Emano welcomes Chinese investors By CRIS DIAZ Executive Editor

MISAMIS Oriental--Provincial Governor Yevgeny Vincente Emano on Tuesday disclosed that some Chinese businessmen would want to invest in Misamis Oriental. Emano said a known Fil -Chinese businessman in Cagayan De Oro City visited his office to relay the intention of some businessmen from China to put up a business in Misamis Oriental.

He said that the reported Chinese businessmen need about seven to 10 hectares of land for a possible site of a manufacturing plant. “Of course, I would welcome any investors who want to put up businesses in Misamis Oriental because it would mean more employment opportunities,” Emano said. He said that Misamis Oriental is the only province in Northern Mindanao

Additional flights in Misor to boost tourism By CRIS DIAZ, Executive Editor

MISAMIS Oriental––Provincial Governor Yevgeny Vincente Emano, of Misamis Oriental, on Monday lauded the additional flights of the Cebu Pacific Air in Laguindingan Airport here. Emano said that the Cebu Pacific Air has added two additional lights that fly directly to Ilo- ilo City in Panay and in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental effective Wednesday last week.

See tourism, page 7

See welcomes, page 7

P15.00

Govt troops track down rebels behind Misoc camp Western Mindanao Command (WMC) units are still conducting pursuit operations against a New People’s Army (NPA) band whose camp was captured in Tudela, Misamis Occidental last March 18. Capt. Jo-ann Petinglay, WMC spokesperson in a statement Tuesday, said the rebel lair was seized following encounters with 55th Infantry Battalion troops and members of the NPA’s Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee around 3 p.m. Fighting took place at Barangay Gala, of the said town and province. See CAMP, page 7

Meat-cutting plant opens in Butuan City BUTUAN City––A meatcutting plant started operating in the city following its inauguration on March 9. The facility, the first of its kind in Caraga region, is a joint undertaking of Pilmico Feeds of Aboitiz Group, Happy Enterprises and Winrock International through the USDA supported Philippine Cold Chain Project (PCCP). Tristan Aboitiz, Pilmico vice president and COO for Feeds; Norie Bermudez, Pilmico vice president for Feed Sales; Happy Enterprises and Resources Inc. President and Engr. Victorino Balibrea; Winrock International

Chief of Party Remer Lane III as well as local representatives from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) attended the inauguration ceremony. Pilmico and its project partners are looking forward for the plant to be fully operational, largely because of the impact it will have on Caraga’s economy and its local farmers. In his speech, Tristan Aboitiz said: “Our aim to improve the swine industry in Caraga is now clearly coming into fruition with the opening of the meatcutting plant. This meatprocessing plant will provide the local backyard farmers

with a market for their livestock and simultaneously give the local community access to locally grown, fresh quality meat.” With the common goal of improving the management practices of the backyard farmers in the Caraga region, Pilmico, Winrock International and Happy Enterprises transformed their current swine re-population project into a more holistic and sustainable approach to addressing swine production challenges through the construction of the meatcutting plant. Construction of the meat-cutting plant started in May 2016.

MEAT-CUTTING PLANT.

A worker cuts chunks of meat using an automatic cutting saw at the newly inaugurated meat cutting plant in Butuan on March 9, 2017. The facility is a joint undertaking of Pilmico Feeds of Aboitiz Group, Happy Enterprises and Winrock International through the USDA supported Philippine Cold Chain Project (PCCP). The first meat cutting plant in Butuan aims at providing safe and hygienic meat and likewise boosts swine production in Caraga as it caters locally produced hogs from backyard raisers. Winrock-PCCP, a four year project, has two-pronged objectives, increasing productivity and expanding trade of the agricultural sector in the region. Photo by Jun Ayensa for Mindanao Daily

MINDANAO DAILY SECOND FRONTPAGE

Suspected high-value drug dealer nabbed in C. de Oro mark francisco, Section Editor EDITOR: RUEL V. PELONE

By GERRY LEE GORIT Correspondent

CAGAYAN de Oro City--A suspected dealer in prohibited drugs considered by both the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Northern Mindanao was arrested by anti-narcotics operatives during a buy-bust operation, police said yesteray. The suspect, Nobaisa Tanggo, has been on PNP and PDEA’s watch lists for a long time, said Senior Inspector Maricris Mulat. Tanggo, a resident of Barangay Bulua, this city, was caught in the act of selling suspected shabu to Divisoria police officers

Wednesday

March 22, 2017

who posed as drug buyers, on Sunday evening. Taken from her possession, Mulat said, was sachets of the suspected shabu weighing about 210 grams with an estimated street value of P1.5 million. Mulat said they believed Tanggo is a big-time dealer since her main customers are pushers from different areas in the city. The suspect, Mulat said, admitted to being a seller of the illegal substance but did not identify who her supplier is. She said Tanggo has been a longtime dealer when she was residing in Sto. Niño, a commuity near the Cogon public market area, See dealer, page 7

Bangus fingerling growers off-loads a batch of young fish, also called as ‘garungan” at a docking area of the Manapa river in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte on March 21, 2017. These young bangus will be transported into growing cages in Carmen town where they are raised and grown until harvest time. Photo by Jun Ayensa for Mindanao Daily

Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT Regional Office No. 10 Monte Carlo Bldg., RER Phase I Subd., Kauswagan Highway Cagayan de Oro City Telephone No. (088) 857-1930/Fax No. (08822) 72-76-82 NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION FOR ALIEN EMPLOYMENT PERMIT (AEP) Notice given that the following companies/employers have filed with this Regional Office application/s for Alien Employment Permit/s.

PH-Indonesia to launch RoRo shipping service Second of a series

March 21, 2017

SGD. RAYMUNDO G. AGRAVANTE Regional Director If you have any information / objection to the above-mentioned application(s), please communicate with the Regional Director.

To avail free job referral, placement and employment guidelines services, visit the nearest Public Employment Services Office (PESO) or log on at www.phil-job.net MDN: Mar 22, 2017

Regular flights needed Vicente Lao, chairperson of the Mindanao Business Council Philippine representative to the BIMP-EAGA Business Council private sector forum, said the opening of the route will be good for Mindanao and trading with the Indonesian areas in the ASEAN sub-region. “The governments should act together to make it happen. The private sector should come

in to take advantage,” he told MindaNews. Since regular flights between Davao City and Manado in Indonesia have been suspended since 2008, travelers between the two areas have relied only on chartered flights, he added. Lao said the service should be made regular to stop the dependency on chartered flights. “It is not dependable. It has to be regular trips See service, page 7

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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Beef up manufacturing sector thru reforms in trade services--study To fully revive the manufacturing sector, it is necessary for the Philippines to implement reforms and policies toward improving the services sector. A study released by state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) underlines the interdependent link between manufacturing and services productivity. “To sustain manufacturing resurgence, reliable, good quality, and affordable services are essential. Thus, the government should vigorously undertake structural reforms particularly in services needed by producers and exporters” argued author Ramonette Serafica, a PIDS senior research fellow. Citing previous studies, Serafica said the competitiveness of manufacturing

firms is determined in part by access to low-cost and high-quality intermediate services such as telecommunications, transport and distribution, and financial services, among others. She further explained that inadequate access to these services can adversely affect manufacturing firms as it will undermine their productivity. In the Philippines, the share of services embodied in the country’s manufacturing exports is comparably among the lowest in the region. According to Serafica, this poor participation rate is due to impediments in the policy environment. “The huge potential of services to contribute toward manufacturing sector competitiveness and economy-wide upgrading

SAN Francisco--An ophthalmologist in the United States calls for increased patient education and regulation after three patients were blinded following a treatment marketed as a stem cell clinical trial. A recent paper documenting the cases was coauthored by Jeffrey Goldberg, professor and chair of ophthalmology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, a publication of the Massachusetts Medical Society as one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals in the world. The three patients are all women, ranging in age from 72 to 88. They suffered from macular degeneration, a common, progressive disease of the retina that leads to loss of vision. Before the surgery, the vision in their eyes ranged from 20/30 to 20/200, meaning they can read at 20 feet, or about 6 meters, a letter that people with “normal” vision can read from 30 to 200 feet, or about 9 meters to 60 meters. Now, the patients are likely to remain blind, said co-author Thomas Albini, an associate professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University of Miami, where two of the patients were treated for complications from the stem cell treatments. Two of the patients learned of the so-called clinical trial on ClinicalTrials.gov, a registry and results database run by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, where it was called “Study to assess the safety and effects of cells injected intravitreal in dry macular degeneration.” “There’s a lot of hope for stem cells, and these

types of clinics appeal to patients desperate for care who hope that stem cells are going to be the answer, but in this case these women participated in a clinical enterprise that was off-thecharts dangerous,” Albini was quoted as saying in a news release from Stanford Medicine News Center. Each patient paid 5,000 U.S. dollars for the procedure. Any clinical trial that has a fee should raise a red flag, said the authors, with Albini adding “I’m not aware of any legitimate research, at least in ophthalmology, that is patient-funded.” At the clinic in Florida, which is not named in the paper, the patients had fat cells removed from their abdomens and a standard blood draw. The fat tissue was processed with enzymes, with the goal of obtaining stem cells. Platelet-dense plasma was isolated from the blood. The cells were then mixed with the plateletdense plasma and injected into their eyes. Patients reported that the entire process took less than an hour, Albini said. In addition, the patients had both eyes treated at once, which is another red flag, Albini and Goldberg said, because most doctors would opt for a conservative approach to observe how one eye responds to an experimental treatment before attempting the other eye. Shoddy stem cell preparation may have led to some of the patients’ complications, which could have been caused by injection of a contaminant or the cell wash solution into the eye, Albini said. When injected into the eye, the stem cells also could have changed into myofibroblasts, a type of cell associated with scarring.

Unproven stem cell ‘therapy’ blinds 3 patients in US

See blinds, page 7

remains untapped due to the various laws and regulations that impeded the sector,” Serafica stated. To help various services industries participate in enhancing the country’s economic growth, reforms were passed, including the Open Skies Agreement in 2011, Republic Act (RA) 10641 that allowed foreign banks to enter the Philippines, the Foreign Ships Co-Loading Act of 2015, and RA 10881 in 2016 that removed foreign ownership restrictions in adjustment companies, lending compa-

nies, financing companies, and investment houses. But a lot more needs to be done. “The Philippines is one of the countries with the most statutory restrictions on foreign investment,” said Serafica, and a “significant number” of these restrictions affect the services sector, including the industries of telecommunications, mass media, transport, education, retail trade, advertising, and professional services. Apart from these restrictions, other domestic regu-

lations discourage trade and investment because of burdensome procedures and unnecessary costs to service suppliers as well as to consumers. Serafica emphasized the need to improve the regulatory environment, establish quality of service standards, scale up promotion of service exports, and relax barriers faced by foreign service suppliers. “Without reforms, inefficiencies in services can stymie the growth of manufacturing, preventing the shift to higher value-added

activities and increased participation in regional production networks,” she said. Serafica added that services are changing production processes and business models with the aid of new technologies. “Various innovations are helping improve existing services or have created new services, which enable manufacturing producers to enhance their processes, achieve greater efficiency, and increase customization and customer interaction,” she said.

March 21, 2017 SGD. RAYMUNDO G. AGRAVANTE Regional Director

If you have any information / objection to the above-mentioned application(s), please communicate with the Regional Director.

To avail free job referral, placement and employment guidelines services, visit the nearest Public Employment Services Office (PESO) or log on at www.phil-job.net MDN: Mar 22, 2017

March 21, 2017 SGD. RAYMUNDO G. AGRAVANTE Regional Director

If you have any information / objection to the above-mentioned application(s), please communicate with the Regional Director.

To avail free job referral, placement and employment guidelines services, visit the nearest Public Employment Services Office (PESO) or log on at www.phil-job.net MDN: Mar 22, 2017

March 21, 2017

SGD. RAYMUNDO G. AGRAVANTE Regional Director If you have any information / objection to the above-mentioned application(s), please communicate with the Regional Director.

To avail free job referral, placement and employment guidelines services, visit the nearest Public Employment Services Office (PESO) or log on at www.phil-job.net MDN: Mar 22, 2017

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Opinion

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Tabula rasa

AMONG psychological and educational theories of learning, it is the theory of tabula rasa that I am most interested. Also known as blank slate theory, tabula rasa refers to the idea that individuals are born without built-in mental content, thus all knowledge comes from experience or perception. Br itish phi los opher John Locke, the main proponent of this theory, first wrote about tabula rasa in Book II of his work, “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding,” first published in 1670. He stressed that human minds start off empty and would be filled in later by personal experiences. L o c ke p o s it e d t h at

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as time and space. Research shows that Locke was not the first philosopher to compare the mind to a blank writing surface. In 4BC, Aristotle, one of the three famous Greek philosophers, also made a similar proposition in his “De Anima.” However, Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding was widely read and influenced a great number of philosophers and thinkers. In gist, that is what the theory of tabula rasa is all about. But here’s the catch: How about people having mental illness who, according to psychologists, do not know what they are doing? Can we safely say

Raul G. Moldez

they are under the state of tabula rasa? And can mature people go back to the state of tabula rasa by unlearning themselves of all the things they know? How? Here’s hoping modern thinkers can soon introduce some theories that will help man empty his faculty and erase everything that has been registered in his mind, including the loans and debts he incurred! Hmm. **** Email me at rgmoldez@ gmail.com

Kakampi Mo Ang Batas

De Lima’s SC dilemma: study some more

LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “…`But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that EDITORIAL sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when ALLAN M. MEDIANTE Editor-in-Chief heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no wor ruel pelone CRIS DIAZ ries in a year of drought and Managing Editor Executive Editor never fails to bear fruit’…” CHENG ORDOÑEZ (on leave) MARK FRANCISCO (Jeremiah 17:7-8, the Holy Associate Editor Lifestyle Editor Bible). -ooo GILBERT Y. CHAO gerry lee gorit Motoring Editor Photo Journalist DE LIMA’S SC DILEMMA: STUDY SOME PAT SAMONTE CHRIS PANGANIBAN MORE: The preliminary Regional Editor Caraga Regional Editor-Davao proceeding at the Supreme Rene Michael BaÑos uRIEL C. QUILINGUING Court on Tuesday, March 21, Regional Editor Northmin Contributing Editor 2017 where Justices Francis Jardeleza, Samuel Martirez, AL JACINTO JOE FELICILDA and Noel Tijam propounded Regional Editor-WestMin Editorial Consultant the first batch of questions RODRIGO B. SEVILLA JOE PALABAO to former Solicitor General Regional Editor-Davao Feature Editor Florin Hilbay in connection with the petition of ATTY. MARIO T. JUNI Sen. Leila de Lima for the NOTARY PUBLIC- JUNI LAW OFFICE dismissal of the illegal drugs CELL NO: 09352379999/ (088) 8573595 cases against her seem to CRUZ TAAL ST., CAG. DE ORO CITY indicate that de Lima will Legal Counsel not get their favorable votes. ---------------------------------------------------------------

thoughts begin by absorbing sensation and become more complex through reflection on what is sensed. The main argument of Locke in his essay is that while humans are born without content, they have the basic faculties to absorb and process content once they acquire it. And when it comes to processing content, Locke advanced three types of actions by which man performed on simple ideas. First, man combines simple ideas into complex ideas, then he compares simple ideas without uniting them, and last, he forms abstractions from particulars. Locke also explained how sensation and reflection produce such concepts

Jardeleza for one directly expressed his misgivings about the inability of Hilbay’s arguments and submissions and the allegations in the petition that the other lawyers of De Lima submitted to the Supreme Court to overcome relevant provisions of the Rules of Court mandating that the issues she raised to the high tribunal should be returned to the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court for resolution. Hilbay was told by Jardeleza in no uncertain terms to study further and more thoroughly the concept of Constitutional due process pertaining to criminal cases if he wanted the majority of the Supreme Court to support his submission that the trial judge--Juanita Ferry Guerrero— had the obligation to rule first on De Lima’s motion to dismiss the cases against her for lack of jurisdiction before the order to arrest

the senator. -oooDID DE LIMA DOUBT THE PARTIALITY OF RTC JUDGE? Martirez on the other hand pounded on the absence of any direct rule in the Rules on Criminal Procedure which would require a trial judge like Guerrero in a case like that of De Lima to rule first on a motion to quash based on an alleged lack of jurisdiction of that judge before any further action is taken on the case. Declaring that he was a judge of a Regional Trial Court for five years before he got assigned to the Sandiganbayan and then ultimately to the Supreme Court at present, Martirez pointed out that the rules on how a criminal case is to proceed to trial are arranged in a manner that acknowledges the fact that when criminal cases are filed before the courts, the probable cause is already

Atty. Batas Mauricio

deemed established right away on the basis of the prosecutor’s findings. On the other hand, Tijam---himself a Regional Trial Court judge---zeroed in on the apparent lack of trust on the part of De Lima and his lawyers in the capacity of Judge Guerrero to resolve the cases before her with integrity and impartiality so that they immediately sought refuge from the highest court of the land. -oooA RAY OF HOPE FOR DE LIMA? All seemed not lost yet for Hilbay and his client, De Lima, however. The discourse of Justice Jardeleza while he was propounding his questions to the former solicitor general who, by the way, was Jardeleza’s understudy See dilemma, page 7

Agree or disagree

On NSC reopening

ILIGAN City is the recipient of the choicest bounties of heaven. In fact, it is the source of electricity that energized almost all parts of Mindanao. As its consequence, then, many factories and industries were established, and one of which was the National Steel Corporation, which was wholly owned by the government. In that premise, Iligan was considered as the Industrial Center in Southern Philippines. By the turn of events, NSC management was taken over by the Jacinto’s family and replaced its name into “Iligan Integrated Steel

Mills Inc.” When Marcos declared Martial Law, NSC was taken back over by the government, for failure of the Jacinto’s to pay their loan with the World Bank and other International Banking Institutions, which was all guaranteed by the Philippine government. The National Steel Corporation during its glory days became the first government corporation to obtain ISO certification. It is complete with staff houses and other real estate assets inside the sprawling premises. The NSC was also the first government corpora-

tion to be declared Employer of the Year and also the first government corporation to be bestowed AIM’s Award for Managerial Excellence in people development. During its peak, NSC supplied 62 percent of the Philippines total flat steel demand (34 percent for hotrolled products; 75 percent for cold-rolled products; 60 percent for tinplate products). It used to directly export 4,000 MT per month to China, now we are importing sub-standard steel from China. NSC generated P12 billion in annual revenues and earned a net income

Demosthenes P. Maglasang Sr.

of P500 million every year, after paying duties and taxes of P1 billion yearly to the government. But because of Iliganons failure to acknowledge the goodness of the Almighty and to thanks and praise His glorious name of the many blessings that bestowed them, especially the NSC officials and employees, He allowed former President Fidel Valdez Ramos See REOPENING, page 7

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Dilemma... from page 6

and fair-haired boy while they were still at the Office of the Solicitor General, afforded some ray of hope. But, as Jardeleza repeatedly stated, Hilbay had to come up with a very good memorandum explaining why the ordinary rules on criminal proceedings would have to give way to the Constitutional guarantee of due process. Jardeleza managed to point out that under the Bill of Rights of the 1987 Constitution, a person could not be accused of a crime if his right to due process was not observed. Jardeleza’s point, using decisions of the US Supreme Court ,was that, even if there is no specific rule that requires a judge to refrain from issuing a warrant of arrest against an accused if that accused had filed a motion to quash or dismiss the charges against him or her, the due process clause of the Constitution is deemed to include such rights as are normally observed and practiced in a society that professes adherence to the rule of law and fair play. -oooPLEASE LISTEN: “Ang Tanging Daan” (The Sole Way): a Bible Exposition and prayer session online, could now be heard 24/7 (24 hours a day), in the Philippines and the world at www.facebook.com/angtangingdaan. Phone: 0917 984 24 68, 0918 574 0193, 0977 805 9058. Email: batasmauricio@yahoo.com.

Reopening... from page 6

to slowly kill the National Steel Corporation by allowing it to be taken over by the Malaysian businessmen, in compliance to his administration privatization program of government assets. After all the materials had been rolled into prime steel products, the Malaysian businessmen left the NSC without saying goodbye, of course, after making huge profit. After the Malaysian businessmen, the NSC was taken over by the Indian businessmen, and after few years of operation, they also left the NSC without saying goodbye also. In 2009, the biggest steel mills in Asia was closed and slept like Rip Van Winkle did. It remained asleep until a shouts made by the people of Iligan, the city government officials headed by City Mayor Celso G. Regencia that rolled that shouts much louder than a thunder, the sleeper National Steel Corporation, now owned by the City of Iligan, has awakened from deep slumber. Its awakening has invited foreign and local investors and, in fact, they form a consortium to invest NSC at a tune of $1.8 billion for its reopening. Even the Steel Asia has signified to acquire the National Steel Corporation alone, so that

the much needed steel for the nation’s industrialization will be provided without importing steel from other countries. The reopening is anticipated to be in much too soon, after, of course, the agreement between the City Governments of Iligan, representing City Mayor Celso G. Regencia, and the investors will be forged and confirmed by the City Council headed by City Vice-Mayor Jemar Vera Cruz.. Certainly, we owe our gratitude to the Regencia administration and the 16th City Council, with the wholehearted support of the legal expertise of Atty. Volltaire I. Rovera, Atty. Dexter Sumaoy, Rafael Benidictos and company that, at last, the NSC is now owned by the Iligan City Government by operation of law, for its failure to pay real property taxes. With the opening of NSC in much too soon, there will be an economic impact to the city and its neighboring municipalities and cities, and the unemployment problems will likewise solve partially if not completely. The National Steel Corporation during its opening needs at least 6,000 employees. If after the operation of NSC, the investors will also venture for shipbuilding like in Balanban, Cebu, it also needs 12 thousand welders and technical men and women. The distress employees of NSC that remain jobless, up to this time, will be given top priority for employment. Those who are already working abroad will, most likely, return back home in droves for employment thereat also. It is likewise anticipated that several upstream and downstream industries will also open that would command employment by the thousand. The Refractories Corporation in Dalipuga will likewise open that supply bricks to NSC before thus the reemployment of its distress employees after its closed shop will be assured. Thanks be to God that City Mayor Celso G. Regencia has restored back Iligan as God City, the recipient again of the choicest blessings from heaven, therefore, it’s no surprise for us anyhow. In fact, Iligan City is progressing in a booster like pace of development. In order that God would continue to bless our City, it behooves us then to humble ourselves before God, never arrogant like before, but to pray, praise and give thanks to our Powerful God, with a heart, that made all those things possible, so that the blessings that He has now bestowed to us again would be without limit and eternal. City Information Staff, Office of the City Mayor, City of Iligan.

Wednesday, March 22, 2017 tourists in Misamis Oriental that perk up the local tourism industry. “Accessibility is one of the requisites for a successful tourism package and the additional inter-island flights fill up the requisite,”Emano said. He said the inter-island flights would also bring us closer and provide us the opportunity to know more about the beautiful places in our neighboring islands and provinces. According to Emano, he is inviting the Ilongos to come and visit Misamis Oriental in order for them to appreciate the beautiful tourist spots in the province. He said that with the additional direct flights more tourists from Panay Island and Negros Occidental would come to Misamis Oriental.

Misor... from page 1

cells, which play a critical role in macular degeneration and are the cells some researchers are targeting to develop therapies. “There is a lot of very well-founded evidence for the positive potential of stem therapy for many human diseases, but there’s no excuse for not designing a trial properly and basing it on preclinical research,” Goldberg said. The “trial” lacked nearly all of the components of a properly designed clinical trial, including a hypothesis based on laboratory experiments, assignment of a control group and treatment group, collection of data, masking of clinical and patient groups, and plans for follow-up, Goldberg and Albini said. Listings on ClinicalTrials.gov are not fully scrutinized for scientific soundness, Goldberg noted, adding that it is a “call to awareness for patients, physicians and regulatory agencies of the risks of this kind of minimally regulated, patient-funded research.” “This definitely shows that the lack of oversight can lead to bad players and bad outcomes,” Albini said. (PNA/Xinhua)

with an “industrial economic zone” complete with power and an international port. Emano said that the 3,000 hectare Phivedec Industrial Economic Zone in Tagolo-an, Misamis Oriental could provide an appropriate site for interested investors –both local and foreign. At present, the Phivedec supervises more than 28 from page 2 firms of various business one of the neighborhoods interests are operating in in Cagayan de Oro tagged as Misamis Oriental’s eco- illegal drug hotspot. nomic zone, Emano said. In fact, Mulat added, Tanggo’s husband was arrested in 2011 for prohibited from page 1 drugs, and is serving time at Troops were able to re- the Davao Prison and Penal cover two claymore mines; Farm (formerly Davao Penal a grenade rifle; three rolls Colony) in Panabo City. of wires for landmine; a Investigators were able to M-203 munition; and sev- locate the suspect’s whereeral subversive documents. abouts after previously arNo soldiers were killed rested drug personalities nor hurt in the fighting. mentioned her name to Also seized were an NPA police. flag with a logo of the NaTanggo is one of the pertional Democratic Front; sons alleged to have been 11 NPA bull caps; a bando- involved in the illegal drug leer; and several subversive trade that has a wide distridocuments belonging to bution network, Mulat said, the rebels. adding that selling shabu has Joint Task Force ZAM- become a family business as, PELAN units under Brig. aside from her husband, her Gen. Rolando Bautista are siblings are also into drug still conducting pursuit pushing. operations as of this posting. Due to this lucrative trade, “We will not give these Mulat said Tanggo even has rebels some time to rest and a huge house built in Bulua. recuperate,” WMC head Ma- She even kept bank deposit jor Gen. Carlito G Galvez, slips signifying that she has Jr., said. been saving the proceeds she “Our troops will con- earned from selling the illegal tinue to track them as com- substance, Mulat added. munities who suffer from Meanwhile, a female their atrocities and abuses “Tokhang” responder and for the longest time are two other suspected drug already tipping to us their personalities were arrested locations and whereabouts,” by police and PDEA agents he added. (PNA) in a joint buy-bust operation in Barangay Camaman-an last Friday. from page 3 The suspects were identiBut even if executed fied by operatives as Jocelyn correctly, Goldberg and Pacanot, Cris Fuentes, and Albini said, there is no June Brazil, who are all resievidence suggesting that dents of the same village. the procedure could help Confiscated from the restore vision. In fact, there suspects were 13 sachets of is sparse evidence that adi- suspected shabu valued at pose-derived stem cells, the P20,000. type of cells that the clinic In an interview, Chief Infrom page 1 claimed to use, are capable spector Ariel Philip Pontillas, He said that the addi- of differentiating, or matur- of the City Drug Enforcement tional flights would certainly ing, into retinal pigment Unit, said Pacanot is number bring in more domestic epithelium or photoreceptor 3 on the PNP and PDEA.

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to make sure it addresses the needs of the businessmen,” he said via telephone. He said this means a big cut in transport cost, too. MinDA said it takes three to five weeks to move products from Davao City to Manado. With the DGB RoRo route, the travel time will be cut to three days. PortCalls Asia estimated the savings to be around P75,000 (PUS$1,500) per 20-foot equivalent unit. Apart from intra-regional trade, the route can also serve as a cheaper alternative for transshipment of goods in Asia, Montenegro said. Davao City will use the privately-owned Kudos Port. In General Santos City, the Makar Wharf will be used and in Sulawesi, the Bitung Port, which was recently identified as an international port of entry to Indonesia. Enough goods? Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary Arturo Boncato Jr. said the revival of regular Davao-Manado flights should follow the opening of the shipping service. He said the new shipping link will be crucial in increasing trading in the BIMP EAGA, which is now considered as a building block of ASEAN. “Connectivity plays a critical role in trading and the goal of the ASEAN Economic Community,” he added. But Boncato, who is the Philippine senior official to the BIMP-EAGA, said while the easier direction is for the route to be used in the transshipment business in Asia, it should really facilitate and improve intra-regional trading in BIMP-EAGA. For his part, Bronx Hebrona, who chairs the Committee on ASEAN and BIMP-EAGA of the Regional Development Council in Region 12, asked: “But now when a ship is available, are there enough goods to be transported?” He said there is greater push for BIMP EAGA with President Duterte, who he said was instrumental in expediting the preparations for the DGB route opening. “It’s possible. But it’s a wait and see situation. We are waiting for concrete terms,” he added. Boncato said loading the vessel is already the easier part. The challenge is how to sustain the shipping service. Montenegro said a joint meeting is scheduled next week for the Philippine and Indonesian task forces created to prepare for the opening of the route. During the Davao General Santos Bitung Business Forum last month, Philippine Transport Undersecretary Fernando Juan Perez described the route as a “gold mine” saying it opens up a lot of opportunities for exporters from both countries. Rosan P. Roeslani, chair

of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomed the proposed opening of the route, as quoted by Jakarta Post on March 15. “It is going to be easier to access the Philippine market through the Bitung Port [in North Sulawesi], especially for products and commodities from Indonesia’s eastern regions,” the source added. Institutional, governance problems According to the MinDA website, the DGB, as one of three pilot areas for the ASEAN RORO Network Initiative, was initially pushed in 2012 by the private sectors in the three cities. Policy restrictions in Indonesia like Bitung Port’s status, however, hampered the launch. In 2014, the Indonesian Ministry of Trade officially identified Bitung Port as an international port, allowing entry of food and beverages, electronics and garments. Montenegro told MindaNews the problem has been addressed by greater private and public sector coordination. Under the ASEAN Single Aviation Market, BIMPEAGA is pushing for the revival of air connectivity within its focus areas to increase not only tourism arrivals but also trade activity within and beyond the sub-region. Various airlines have previously serviced the route such as Bouraq Airlines (2002), Merpati Nusantara (2005) and Sriwijaya airlines (2006), which have ceased operations due in part to the companies’ financial and operational losses, according to the MinDA website. There were on and off availability of chartered flights after the suspension of regular flights. Two of the players included Mid Sea Express, an Indonesian air carrier and Wings Air, a subsidiary of the Indonesian carrier’s Lion Air. In his April 2016 dissertation titled “ Trade Governance Model in the BIMP EAGA,” Soehardi, an Indonesian doctorate student at the University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao City, found that connectivity management in transport infrastructure is an important consideration among traders. “The current condition of BIMP EAGA trade governance is marred with institutional and governance problems,” he wrote in his conclusion. He added that it created difficulties and cumbersome engagements with small and medium traders in BIMPEAGA corridors. He identified six attributes with “availability of ships/planes as the major indicator.” The others include sufficient cargo ships and airplanes to ferry goods from one country to another and that a sufficiently equipped port of entry as a good indicator of trade governance.

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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

and

Present 3 rdMINDANAO

FINAL ROUNDS & AWARDING CEREMONY - March 30, 2017 at PHINMA-COC Auditorium, Carmen, Cag de Oro City Final Rounds starts at 9:00 a.m. Awards Program - 3:00 p.m.

FINAL LIST OF FINALISTS: News Writing Sports Writing 1. Ysobelle B. Navales - Kauswagan NHS, Cag de Oro 2. Jerome E. Cantong - Macabalan NHS, Cag. de Oro 3. Myrette Jeshielle P. Bandoy - BNSHI, Maramag, Bukidnon 4. Earl Joy B. Lopina - Yumbing NHS, Camiguin 5. Cryschia Faye C. Tayong- CMU, Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon 6. Nerimer Grace V. Pornia- CMU, Musuan, Bukidnon 7. Rowena T. Sabellita -Tablon NHS, Cag de Oro 8. Shane Erica Beniga - Bayanga NHS, Cag de Oro 9. Jireh Faith B. Nino, BNHS, Malaybalay City 10. Bruce Mico P. Gamad, BNHS, Malaybalay City 11. Ely Mae Dag-uman - MSU-IIT, Iligan City 12. Jan Paolo M. Lumpaz - St. Michaels College, Iligan City 13. Jamaliah T. Nasrodin - St. Michaels College, Iligan City 14.Sophia Angel Lood, - St. Michaels College, Iligan City 15. Lanz Selwyn Lucmayon - MSU-IIT, Iligan City 17. Jaysam S. Amesola Clarin NHS 18. Maebel Lim Aloran Trade HS 19. Wena Mae Cabatas Calamba NCHS

1. Rico C. Libling, -Yumbing N. H S Camiguin 2. Gerald G. Solidor - MOGCHS, Cag de Oro 3. Lenmark A. Monsanto, CMSU,Musuan, Bukidnon 4. Dave Clarion V. Daing - Bulua NHS, CDO 5. Michelle P. Balas- Tabllon Nat’l High Sch, CDO 6. Ernesto B. Plaza Jr.- Macabalan NHS, Cag de Oro 7. Evans Jake C. Dacut- BNSHI, Maramag, Buk 8. Pamela C. Noveros - CMU, Maramag, Bukidnon 9. Jhanatoden M. Dipantar, MSU-IIT, Iligan City 10. Faith Nicole Arquero - MSU-IIT 11. Melbon B. Ganzan - St. Michael’s College 12. Ricah Mae R. Palma Calamba NCHS 13. Mitzi Dorato Aloran Trade HS

Feature Writing Photo Journalism (H.S.) 1.Kristina Casandra L. Pava - Central Mindana State University HS 2. Ivy Joyce D. Naparan - CMU High School, Musuan, Bukidnon 3. Neil John J. Jomaya -Central Mindanao State UniversityHS 4.Jade Angeline B. Flores - BNSHI, Maramag, Bukidnon 5. Stephanie B. Lapuz, BNHS Malaybalay 6. Jacynthe Paz G. Tilanduca, BNHS Malaybalay 7. Ashel Louisse C. Mulet, BNHS, Malaybalay 8. Alyssa Mariel C. Tagaan -BNSHI, Maramag, Bukidnon 9. Philipp Gabriel T. Casano - CMUHS, Musuan, Bukidnon 10. Troy Valdehueza, - CMU High School, Musuan 11. Megan Louse P. Tabique, MSU-IIT, Iligan City 12. Kyshann Mar C. Malubay, MSU-IIT Iligan City 13. Kassandra A. Buenafe, St. Michael’s, Iligan City 14. Erila M. Gatillo, MSU-IIT, Iligan City 15. Janie Antallan Calamba NCHS 16. Cyrene F. Caramba Clarin NHS 17. Meshel Mahawan Aloran Trade HS 18. 1, Louise Francine Socillo - MSU-IIT

Also Brought To You By:

1. John Homer C. Tabas - Kong Hua School 2. Andre’ Socorro F. Doria - Yumbing NSH, Mambajao, Camiguin 3. Meybelle Rose R. Esid - Lapasan National High School, CDO: 4. Zarin Condes, CMULHS 5. Sofia Abigail Bonghanoy, CMU H.S., Musuan 6. Edward Agnes, Musuan, Bukidnon 7. LeAnne J. Aribal, C MU Musuan, Bukidnon 8. Holden Kit E. Villarimo Calamba NCHS 9. Deen Ann Virtudez Aloran Trade HS College: 1. Junard J. Jumalon - MSU-IIT 2. Omongos Jena Joy - MSU-IIT

Feature Writng College 1. Juan Miguel Rodriguez - St. Michael College,Iligan 2. Audrey Dorothy Macas- St. Michael College,Iligan 3. Jamaila C. Bazer -St. Michael College,Iligan 4. Jorome Clark C. Maglajos - MSU-IIT 5. Abegale A. Cadorna - St. Michael College, Iligan 6. Norwafa M. Daing - MSU-IIT 7. Wena Mae Cabatas Calamba NCHS Science Reporting - High School 1. Rico C. Libling, (YNHS) Camiguin 2. Nadine Cyra Valdehuesa, (CDONHS) Cag de Oro 3. Alysza Jewel V. Buna (Kong Hua) Cag de Oro 4. Julie Marie S. Bongaos, (Cugman NHS) Cag de Oro 5. Laurence M. Pabatao (BNSHI) Maramag, Bukidnon 6. Jhoris Mea Lamigo, BNSHI, Maramag. Bukidnon 7. Rheanelyn Arquilos, BNSHI, Maramag, Bukidnon 8. Israelbelle N. Ferolino, BNHS, Malaybalay City 9. Ryle Emmanuel M. Ocab, BNHS, Malaybalay City 10. Xybeen Lyndee B. Gresola - MSU-IIT, Iligan City 11. Al Fisher A. Coronado - MSU-IIT, Iligan City 12. Leila Claire A. Toribio - MSU-IIT, Iligan City 13. Arvie Joy Corales Calamba NCHS 14. Johanna Mae D. Cobrado Clarin NHS 15. Mary Grace Salem Aloran Trade HS 16. Marsden Badlisan (student) Calamba NCHS Science Reporting College: 1. Elaiza Flor M. Arabiana - MSU-IIT 2. Dona Faith C. Jakosalem - MSU-IIT Business Reporting High School 1. Francis Jose Luspo, Yumbing National High School 2. Jediah Jaira Ll Bualat, Kong Hua School, CDO 3. Justine G. Pamisa, BNSHI, Maramag, Bukidnon 4. Christy Flor D. Ecuacion, BNHS, Malaybalay City 5. Cees Mark G. Pranto, BNHS, Malaybalay City 6. Donna Fellesco - Aloran Trade HS, MisOcc Business Reporting - Gov’t Writers 1. Mark Palad, PIO, Camiguin 2. Melvin T. Anggot, Legislative Staff, Iligan LGU 3. Antoniette M. Obach, Iligan City LGU 4. Emedina D. Juevesano, Assesor’s Office. Iligan LGU 5. Julius L. Cabili, Treasurer’s Office, Iligan City 6. Arleen C. Cobison, Iligan City LGU 7. Sheila May P. Sechong, CTO- Iligan City 8. Charlin S. Mejorada , Clarin NHS, MisOcc 9. Joy C. Mulit - Clarin NHS, MisOcc 10. Danton M. Cabateña, Iligan LGU 11. Leila L. Nuñez, Iligan City LGU 12. Tony Pagaran, Iligan City LGU 13. Ivy Mislang, Iligan City LGU 14. Jonah P. Edosma, Iligan LGU 15. PB Monte de Ramos, Iligan LGU 16. Marilyn S. Dawis, Iligan LGU