FEBRUARY 03,2012 BUSINESSWEEK MINDANAO

Page 1

BusinessWeek

BusinessWeek Mindanao is a proud member of

www.businessweekmindanao.com PHILIPPINE PRESS INSTITUTE

Issue No. 45, Volume III • February 3-5, 2012

Market Indicators

AS OF 6:43 P.M., FEB. 1, 2012 (Thursday)

FOREX

PHISIX

US$1 = P42.91

4,715.64 points

4 cents

;

33.20 points

;

Briefly SPES fund

MALAYBALAY City -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has released the amount of P1.6 million for the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) in the province of Bukidnon. DOLE Provincial Director Raul L. Valmores said the break down of funds released for the period of July to December 2011 are as follows: Malaybalay City LGU –200 grantees, P406,544; Mindanao Arts and Technological Institute –75 grantees, P152,454; Impasug-ong LGU –23 grantees, P39,744.00; and Bukidnon’s 1st congressional district –200 grantees, P406,544. He said the release is ongoing for Valencia City with 365 recipients. Of this number, 300 were from Mountain View College alloted with P609,816; Valencia City LGU –50 recipients, P101,636; and IVA Technical College –15 grantees, P30,490.00.

Xavier Ecoville

XAVIER Ecoville, the joint relocation and resettlement project of Xavier University and the Local Government of Cagayan de Oro, welcomed Friday the second batch of relocatees to their new neighborhood in Lumbia. The first batch of 40 families moved in on January 25, 40 days since Sendong and also the blessing of the temporary site at Xavier Ecoville. Since then, there are now 76 families in the residing in the temporary shelters. Latrines, washrooms and kitchen facilities have been provided by the Human Resources Consortium, electricity lines by the Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company, Inc. (CEPALCO) and water supply by Rio Verde.

Electrification

GENERAL Santos City b-- Fifteen remote communities in this city and nearby municipalities of Polomolok and Tupi in South Cotabato are set to be energized this year through the national government’s continuing rural electrification program. Joy Celeste Alora, information officer of the South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative (Socoteco II), said Wednesday they were tapped by the state-run National Electrification Administration (NEA) to pursue the energization of 15 more sitios and puroks in the area as part of the implementation of the government’s flagship Sitio Electrification and Barangay Line Enhancement Program. She said the target communities are located in Barangays Calumpang, Sinawal and Mabuhay here; Barangays Kalkam, Palian, Polonuling and Kablon in Tupi; and, Barangays Glamang, Rubber and Palkan in Polomolok.

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‘Green’ group wants Mining Act scrapped By CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO, Correspondent

D

AVAO City -- Participants of a twoday mining forum that ended here last week want the government to scrap the 1995 Mining Act and replace it with a law that will not only protect the environment but will also provide local governments with a bigger share in the mining operations’ earnings.

Lead participants in the forum, including academics and foreign resource persons, said it would be better to stop existing mining projects and repeal the 1995 Mining Act to pave the way for a “Minerals Management Act” that will allow the state to take over exploration of mineral sites and allow only small-scale mining companies with a track record of best practices to operate.

In explaining the proposed pro-people law, Manuel P. Quibod, dean of the Ateneo de Davao University-College of Law said that while minerals are owned by the state, mining companies only pay small amounts to the government, eventually repatriating profits to their home countries. Mr. Quibod said the government should get RESCUE DRILL. These kids play rescue drill on their own at a temporary shelter in Bgry. a bigger share from mining Canitoan. Thousands of flood victims still remain housed in various evacuation centers PHOTO BY MIKE BAÑOS MINING/PAGE 4 in Cagayan de Oro.

Koko seeks housing COWD adjusts billings due to Sendong program for the poor By MIKE BAÑOS, Correspondent

By ALLAN MEDIANTE, Executive Editor

SENATOR Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has filed a bill seeking to prioritize granting socialized homes for the country’s poorest sector. Under Senate Bill No. 3104, Pimentel seeks the establishment of a government office that will take the lead in providing socialized housing programs catering to the low-income, the underprivileged and the homeless. HOUSING/PAGE 9

DA allocates 40% of budget to Mindanao DAVAO City -- Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala bared that 40% of the Department of Agriculture budget including its line agencies will be devoted to Mindanao by 2013. Speaking before a Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) press conference here in Davao City last January 30, Alcala said that this is the first time a huge percentage of the Agriculture budget will be going to programs in Mindanao. BUDGET/PAGE 9

THE Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) will be making adjustments on its billing statements for December, 2011 and January 2012 to allow for disruptions in water deliver caused by Tropical Storm Sendong last December 17, 2011. In an advisory released last week (please refer to advisory published in page __ of this newspaper for

details), COWD management said customers whose December 2012 cycles fell within December 17-31, 2012 would be initially be billed with the minimum service charge of 10 cubic meters or P210.00 with subsequent readings from the January cycle to correct this. Appropriate adjustments, if any, will be made and reflected in the next bill. “January 2012 Cycle Bill-

ings for customers residing in the affected areas will bear a 50% discount on the minimum service charge of P210.00 while December 2012 Cycle Penalty Charges for customers residing in affected areas would be condoned,” the advisory said. “In spite of the extensive damage to our facilities which constrained our supply during those times, we BILLING/PAGE 4

Survey: More Pinoys went hungry in 2011 A TOTAL of 4.5 million families in the country went hungry in the last quarter of 2011, up by some 400,000 families from the previous quarter, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. Results of the survey conducted on December 3 to 7 last year showed that 22.5 percent of households went hungry, 1 percentage HUNGER. A survey showed hunger af- point higher than the 21.5 fected some 4.5 million Filipino families percent in the third quarter. in the last quarter of 2011.

FILE PHOTO

The incidence of hunger in the two quarters are statistically identical given the margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. SWS asked respondents: “In the last three months, did it happen even once that your family experienced hunger and did not have anything to eat?” Those who answered in the affirmative were further asked: “Did it happen ‘only once,’ ‘a few SURVEY/PAGE 9


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FEBRUARY 03,2012 BUSINESSWEEK MINDANAO by BusinessWeek Mindanao - Issuu