BusinessWeek MINDANAO
Issue No. 120, Volume III • Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2012
Market Indicators As of 5:21 pm oct. 25, 2012
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Briefly Research fund
THE Department of Energy (DOE) has granted a P3.3 million research fund to Xavier University College of Agriculture (XUCA) for the cassava bioethanol project. DOE’s Director for the Renewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB), Mario C. Marasigan turned over the check to XUCA Dean Roel Ravanera. The collaborative research undertaking intends to evaluate the bioethanol potential of the different cassava varieties grown here in the region, as well as, develop a pilot scale bioethanol plant for village level production and utilization.
By MIKE BAÑOS, Correspondent
P
UBLIC and private stakeholders in Mindanao’s power industry are bracing themselves for the worst in 2013 when increasing demand for electricity and uncertainty of supply are again raising the specter of daily brownouts, but recent development indicate it could be better than anticipated.
DAR projects
DEPARTMENT of Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes during his visit here met with two agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) that will be recipients of the Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) projects scheduled for implementation this year. The Mabunga, Imbatug and Salimbalan District Multi-purpose Cooperative (MISAD MPC) in Baungon, Bukidnon leads the three farmers groups in the municipality who will soon become beneficiaries of common service facilities for their cassava production, processing and marketing project. About 340 farmers are involved in the project covering some 130 hectares.
Sub-standardmaterials
DAVAO City -- Builders and contractors have important roles to play in ensuring the safety of the public so they should be critical when choosing the products they use. “The use of substandard and uncertified construction products can affect your reputation so make sure you only choose those that have been certified in terms of quality and safety,” Philippine Product Safety and Quality Foundation Inc. (PPSQF) representative Alex Yanson said on Thursday during the Consumer Fair 2012 Opening Program held at the NCCC Mall in Davao City. PPSQF is appealing to builders and contractors to think of the safety of the people all the time in the construction of their projects, he said.
SENDONG MEMORIAL. Former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar (right), chairman of the Villar Foundation, leads the unveiling of the Sendong Memorial at the Golden Haven Memorial Park in Brgy. Bulua, Cagayan de Oro. The shrine was donated by the Villar Foundation in memory of those who died during Sendong tragedy in December last year. photo by shaun alejandrae yap uy
Villar unveils Sendong Memorial By CHRISTINE H. CABIASA, Reporter
TO pay homage to the memory of Sendong victims, Senator Manny Villar and wife, former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, through the Villar Foundation, led the unveiling of the Sendong Memorial at Golden Haven Memorial Park, Bulua on October 25. “Through the Sendong Memorial, may we be able to help you pay homage to the memory of your departed ones. The memorial will stand there as a lasting tribute, not to the death, but to the lives of those whom we have lost, to the
people who helped Cagayan de Oro recover and to remind us that we should take care of our environment to prevent disasters in the future,” Villar Foundation’s chairman Cynthia Villar said. The 716-square meter Sendong Memorial is made up of travertine and black granite base and features an ascending circular marker in the middle, accented with a water fountain. It has 13 pillars carved with names of confirmed dead people and identified casualties caused by typhoon Sendong. According to Cynthia Villar, typhoon Sendong unveils/PAGE 7
125M people worldwide at risk from industrial, mining pollutants By BONG FABE, Correspondent
INDUSTRIAL and mining pollutants are putting at risk the health of at least 125 million people worldwide, especially those in the developing world, like malaria or tuberculosis, two environment advocacy groups said in its latest report released Wednesday last week. The report 2012 World’s
Worst Pollution Problems released by Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross Switzerland, calculated for the first time the public health impact of pollutants from industrial plants and mining released into the air, water and soil. The report reveals that the health impact of pollution is the same or higher than some of the most dan-
“Mindanao is facing a precarious power supply situation with average daily shortage of 150-200MW since January this year,” said Romeo M. Montenegro, director for investment promotion and public affairs of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA). Montenegro stressed that based on projections by the weather bureau, another long dry spell is expected to hit Mindanao summer of next year and this could mean reduced water levels and reduced output by the Agus and Pulangi hydroelectric power plants. He added that the supply deficit could persist to around 300-400MW if no immediate measures are taken and may only improve in 2014-2015 when committed projects come on stream. “So, if we don’t do anything now, we might as well brace ourselves for two years of possible rotating brownouts, with 4-8 hours especially in areas with light/PAGE 7
gerous diseases worldwide, such as malaria or tuberculosis, threatening millions of lives. “The report underscores the need to fully recognize the health impacts caused by toxic pollution at this critical juncture. Life-threatening pollution is likely to increase as the global economy exerts CHRISTMAS DECORS. Inmates at the Misamis Oriental Provincial Jail make a living by making Christmas lanan ever-increasing pressure terns and decors which cost ranging from P75-P1,000. industrial/PAGE 7 photo by gerry gorit