Mindanao Daily 11 NEWS
monDAY | february 10, 2014 Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 • 0947-8935776
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However, it is disheartening to note that this unfortunate incident is being linked by some people, for whatever reasons, to our company as the cause of the said viral infestations,” it said. Atro Mining said it is still on the exploration stage of its iron ore project in Vitali and in the conduct of the exploration activities, the company is not using any form of chemicals. White spot syndrome is a viral infection killing shrimps and even crabs quickly. According to the Journal of Virology of the American Society for Microbiology, White spot syndrome virus occurs worldwide and causes high mortality and considerable economic damage to the shrimp farming industry and has no adequate treatments against this virus are available. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of Australia said the virus is known to occur in fresh, brackish and marine water and rapid mortalities have been reported in many countries of up to 80% or more within three to 10 days. It said viral multiplication and disease appears to be induced by environmental and handling stress such as eye-stalk ablation, spawning, moulting, and changes in salinity, temperature and pH and during plankton blooms. It added that all life st age s are p ote nt i a l ly susceptible, from eggs to broodstock and that the virus transmission occurs from infected broodstock via cannibalism of sick or dying prawns, or directly through contaminated water. Birds can also transmit the disease from pond to pond by releasing caught prawns over neighbouring ponds. (With a report from E. Dumabo)
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said the illegal tree cutting activities is located just about 200 meters below the ridge where tension cracks with a perimeter of a hectare were discovered by the same team early last month. Father Artemio Jusayan, parish priest of the local Catholic church who joined the mountain climb last month, said the cracks should not be taken lightly. Jusayan personally measured the depth of the tension cracks with a wooden stick at about six feet. “Good if nothing happens but the point here is to prepare for any event,” he said. INQUIRER joined another mountain climb with SFWD forest rangers to inspect the area on Friday and witnessed some 10 old falcatta trees already felled and consequently damaged many young naturally grown premium lauan trees. The team tried to stop
a certain Titing Pintado, leader of the illegal tree cutters, from felling down the trees but merely ignored them and angrily shouted back that they have cutting permit issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources kept by his elder brother Judito Pintado. But Judito Pintado, who is facing illegal logging and illegal mining charges lodged by SFWD, said the cutting permit is still on process at the DENR- Community Environment and Natural Resources Office. Pintado has been insisting that several parcels of 20-hectare land inside the mountain are owned by their family and is outside the delineated area of the 1,658-hectare forest reserve and watershed area declared through Presidential Proclamation 282. He showed a different map to prove it is already outside the watershed perimters said to be issued by DENR Caraga office but a verification map approved and issued by then DENR Caraga regional director Elias Seraspi showed that the land claimed only through tax declaration is covered within the watershed area. Elmer Luzon, SFWD general manager, believed the Pintado siblings wanted to cut anew Falcatta trees because of the strong demand of such wood product to the local market that prices have gone up much higher. Narca has scaled the felled Falcatta trees to be around 12 cubic meters with a present market value of more than P20,000. He said had they did not caught Titing Pintado and his helpers, they would intend to clear a big part of the sloppy land near the bank of the creek. SFWD has intensified its anti-illegal logging within the watershed after the discovery of the mountains cracks at the height of Typhoon Agaton’s fury prompting them to issue a warning to residents of a possible landslide that may bury homes situated at the foot of the mountain. The warning however irked local officials who castigated SFWD for sowing panic to the people at the time when they were reeling from the effects of the flashfloods that swept the entire town. But a geologist of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) has confirmed that cracks on Mt. Magdiwata could be signs that a landslide may occur during heavy rains, affecting residents living near the creek downstream. Joel Calugcugan, senior geologist of MGB Caraga, made this assessment after he joined a multi-sectoral site inspection on January 23 in the wake of a controversy that shaped up between government agencies on the veracity of a report that a landslide might bury populated areas should the tension cracks give way due
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to heavy rains. Calugcugan, however, said the landslide would not directly hit the houses in Alegria village situated at the foot of the mountain but would hit those living downstream along the banks of Tinggagawan creek. “The tension cracks are dangerous since these would collapse in the near future,” he said. C alugcugan recommended the immediate relocation of the residents near the creek, the clearing of the waterways and planting of more trees. Luzon said they have been relocating people within the watershed, clearing waterways and setting up gabion structures in areas damaged by small landslides, reforesting the area and preventing illegal logging and mining.
ruary 15. Liozo said the power plant supplies 210 MW but its present power generation is only 105 MW or a deficiency of 105 MW. He said another power plant, the Pulangi IV in Bukidnon, has reduced its generation capacity from the normal 255 MW to 90 MW or a deficiency of 165 MW due to low water intake as a result of less or no rainfall the past weeks. He said two power plants of Agus VI have been unable to generate electricity since last month due to technical shutdown. With this situation, Liozo said Zamcelco could not give a definite schedule of the blackouts. But Zamcelco information officer Ferdinand Rodriguez said they would try to fix the schedule for the sake of the consumers. Last year, the power firm also imposed rotating blackfrom page 1 outs that lasted up to six manner, relying on in- hours daily due to power terest rate differences and shortage from the Mindanao changes in exchange rates. grid. (MindaNews) Keeping their funds in a weak economy would only devalue their invest- from page 1 Bangsamoro Transiments and bring them losses. Meanwhile, devel- tion Commission (BTC) oping countries tend to have main office in Cotabato quicker economic growth so City, said the MILF has the value of their financial been trying to establish assets is more likely to rise a bridge that would pave the way for the return of faster. Portfolio investors can Kato to the main guerrilla earn in two ways – as share- forces. “We have been trying holders, they get dividends from the companies’ profits. to win him back because They can also opt to sell we are inclusive, but our their stocks or bonds to efforts failed,” Iqbal told other investors in rates high- Secretary Teresita Deles er than when they bought and Local Governments them. (To be continued Secretary Manuel A. Roxas who were special guests next week) of the program. A l s o i n att e n d a n c e from page 1 were Gov. Mujiv Hatamaintenance shutdown man of the Autonomous since January 25 and is Region in Muslim Minexpected to finish by Feb- danao (ARMM) and Ma-
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guindanao Gov. Esmael Toto Mangudadatu. “We did our best but still we failed,” Iqbal said, adding that the MILF still remained open to accept Kato back. Chief government negotiator Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer had been urging Kato to help bring about peace in Mindanao by joining the peace process instead of using arms to fight the government and displaced thousands of Muslim civilians whom they vowed to protect. Kato, about 75 years old, broke away from the M I L F i n 2 0 0 8 fol l ow ing the botched signing of the Memorandum of Ag re e m e nt on A n c e s tral Domain, formed the BIFF and continued the struggle for Mindanao independence. Iqbal has repeatedly called on sectors opposed to the establishment of a new Bangsamoro political entity to support the efforts to resolve the decades-old problem in southern Philippines. “There’s no other better option but to support the GPH-MILF peace process because it is inclusive,” Iqbal added. R ox as assu re d BTC members of Malacanang’s all-out support for the passage of the bill that will eventually create the new Bangsamoro political government. A prop o s e d bi l l on Bangsamoro is being crafted by the BTC which
i s c omp o s e d of s e ve n representative from the gover nment and eig ht from the MILF. Deles added that police action against the BIFF will continue even if the peace panels are almost striking a peace deal that would formalize the 14 years peace process. She said the ceasefire is between the GPH and MILF and not with the BIFF, thus police punitive action will continue. At least 50 BIFF members were killed when the Army’s 6th Infantry Division launched surgical operations against the BIFF forces who resisted when p olice-le d st ate forces were serving arrest warrants for the rebels facing various charges. The week-long fighting also displaced about 10,000 civilians in Mag u i n d an a o an d Nor t h Cotabato, many of whom have refused to return home. pna
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THE LGU OFFICIALS OF BARANGAY IPONAN JOINS OUR PEOPLE IN THE OBSERVANCE OF THE
10th KALUMPANGAN FESTIVAL (A Fiesta Celebration) FEBRUARY 10, 2014
With this year’s theme:” Kultura Sa Gugma, Kalinaw Ug Pakigdait Sa Katawhan, Sa Barangay Iponan Hikaplagan”
Greetings coming from:
IPONAN Barangay Council under the leadership of
HON. Punong Barangay
rudy guligado