BUSINESSWEEK MINDANAO SEPTEMBER 14,2012

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AS OF 5:34 PM SEPT. 12, 2012 (Wednesday)

FOREX

PHISIX

US$1 = P41.57

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21.05 points

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Briefly Normin’s fruit prod’n A FRUIT crop production of 718,195.10 metric tons (MT) was noted in Northern Mindanao, during the first quarter of the year.

This volume of production was 5.13 percent higher compared to 683,128.51 MT of the same period last year, Carlito A. Baclayon, Regional Agricultural Statistics Officer, Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), said.

Of these fruit crops, lanzones posted the highest growth of 3,391.85 percent, followed by papaya with 114.19 percent, due to more fruit-bearing trees in Misamis Oriental, during the period.

SUCs on mining

BUTUAN City -- State Colleges and Universities (SUCs) in Mindanao have partnered on a research program on science and technology for responsible mining.

The schools developed a research proposal entitled “S&T Program for Responsible Mining in Mindanao.” Among the institutions involved are the Caraga State University (CSU) and three other SUCs in Caraga Region, which make up the Caraga Consortium for Responsible Mining; University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Kabacan, Cotabato; Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Cagayan de Oro City and the Mindanao State UniversityIligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) in Iligan City.

The research is aimed to deliver science-based information and alternative technologies to promote socially acceptable, environmentfriendly, ecologically sound and economically rewarding mining in Mindanao.

By MIKE BAÑOS, Correspondent

W

ITH an imminent El Niño episode expected during the last quarter of the year, Cagayan de Oro appears to be better prepared to meet any power curtailment which may arise in the Mindanao Power Grid next year.

Already, local utility Cagayan Electric Power and Light Co. (CEPALCO) has embedded power generation capacity totalling 55.2 megawatts representing 42.6% of the 130 megawatt (MW) peak power demand of the utility’s franchise area which serves Cagayan de Oro and the Misamis Oriental municipalities of Tagoloan and Villanueva (site of the 3,000 hectare PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate) and Jasaan with 118,139 customers.

This capacity was recently upgraded with the operation of the 27.5 MW Wartsila Plant of Mindanao Energy POWER/PAGE 10

FISH CART. A push cart loaded with malasugi to deliver and sell at Bankerohan Public Market.

DAVAOTODAY. COM PHOTO BY MEDEL V.

AP to abide by ERC order cutting rates on barges

By BUTCH ENERIO Correspondent

ABOITIZ Power Corp.

(APC) on Wednesday said it will abide by the regulator’s decision reducing the rates of its the company’s power barges in the region.

In a statement, APC’s subsidiary Therma Marine, Inc. chief operating offi-

cer Jovy A. Batiquin said the company will comply with the Energy Regulatory Commission’s order, directing it to refund the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.

“We have decided to not file any motion for reconsideration. We won’t contest ERC’s decision,” he RATES/PAGE 10

HERNANI

R-10’s non-containerized cargo volume up 9.64%

By RUTCHIE C. AGUHOB, Contributor

OROQUIETA City -- A total volume of 3,457,155 metric tons (MT) in non-containerized cargo was loaded on the ships in Northern Mindanao, during the first quarter of the year.

This volume of non-containerized cargo was actually higher by 9.64 percent compared to 3,153,188 MT, in the same period of 2011,said Necitas G. Layola Jr., engineer

and manager of Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) -10.

These cargoes were mostly loaded on delivery trucks that availed of the roll-on, roll-off (RO-RO) services of the ships giving shippers the ease of transporting their goods to other points of destination outside the region.

Loading goods on these trucks on their way back, shippers also avail of the ship’s CARGO/PAGE 10

UNISDR : Political leadership No.1 issue in reducing risk

By BONG FABE, Correspondent

(Part 1)

Wahlstrom

LEADERSHIP and political will or the lack of it is the number one issue affect-

ing a city’s ability and capability to reduce risk, said a study released last week by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

“Building resilience to disasters requires ISSUE/PAGE 10

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September 14-16, 2012

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Gov’t moves to address concerns on water classification of Lake Lanao

By APIPA P. BAGUMBARAN, Contributor

MARAWI City -- The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 10 gathered here yesterday various stakeholders as it seeks to address the final water classification of Lake Lanao.

The conduct of the public hearing, aimed at soliciting comments on the most beneficial use and dominant water utilization of Lake Lanao, is the second step before the government can finally declare the water usage and classification of

the lake, Dr. Sabdullah Abubacar, regional director of the EMB-10 said.

He said DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 34 provides for the classification of freshwaters so as to maintain their satisfactory condition according to their

best usages.

The f ina l water classification of Lake Lanao will serve as a guide for the enforcement activities of the government to stop the degradation of the lake, he added.

Abubacar said Lake Lanao is currently categorized as Class C since all freshwaters not yet classified are assumed to be Class C. The usage of Class C freshwaters includes the propagation and growth of fish and other aquatic resources, recreational water

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activities, and industrial water supply particularly for manufacturing purposes.

However, results of the water quality sampling conducted by the EMB-10 in 28 sampling stations show that

Lake Lanao passed the Class A classification.

Class A freshwaters fall under the Public Water Supply Class II category and can be sourced as drinking water provided they undergo some

treatments in order to meet the National Standards for Drinking Water (NSDW) of the Philippines. Treatments may include coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection, among others.

DPWH, contractors vow to repair defective roads

By SANDRA V. FLORES Contributor

MALAYBALAY City -- Officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and contractors in region 10 vowed to repair cracked road portions along Sayre Highway in Bukidnon.

Acting Assistant Regional Director (ARD) Efren A. Berba and the three district engineers of Bukidnon shed light on the updates and developments of road projects as requested by Sangguniang Panlalawigan Bukidnon headed by Vice Governor Jose Ma. R. Zubiri Jr. Zubiri said he was astounded to note that the road concreting projects completed in 2010 revealed so many cracks.

“How can you convince me that the roads you constructed will stay for 20 years, when the longitudinal cracks and splinters are evidently seen?” Zubiri asked.

District Engineer Rey Peter Gille of Bukidnon’s First Engineering District explained that the bulk of heavy loaded trucks plying the Sayre Highway contributed and hastened the damage of the newly completed project.

Leonardo Paulican, head of Bukidnon Second Engineering District, however, admitted that the road projects really showed cracks.

Acting District Engineer Honorato Saldua of

Bukidnon Third Engineering District also explained that the projects cost more than P50 million, which is only within the ceiling of the regional office.

The vice governor, however, argued that the most concrete explanation is the increased thickness on concrete pavements and how the projects were bid out and awarded to contractors.

ARD Berba cited that since last year, the DPWH has increased the requirement of the pavement’s thickness and employed prequalification process and post bidding check.

“That is one reason why the DPWH-10 did not accept the project during its turn over,” he said.

Berba, who chaired the Bid and Awards Committee clarified that procedures are being strictly adhered to by the department in conformation to Republic Act 9184 otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. He explained that by rule, DPWH does not release full payment, and does not return the 10 percent retention cost until after defective projects have been repaired as required by law.

He informed the legislative body that repairs are now being done by Ulticon Builders Inc. (UBI), the contractor who handled the project.

An engineer from UBI contractor, likewise, con-

firmed they are already doing repairs. He also admitted that preparation could also be a factor.

Zubiri challenged the DPWH officials to immediately take actions on said road construction setbacks and expects that repairs be completed at the end of October this year.

The two-hour discussion ended with the commitment of DPWH officials and contractors to jointly undertake necessary repairs on said defective roads and assured to complete it in targeted month.

Also in attendance during the discussion in the SP were the contactor engineers, project engineers of Bukidnon area, Engr. Noel Pacana for Bukidnon 3rd DEO projects, Rosmendo Bongocan Jr. for Bukidnon 1st DEO, Alberto Albit of Bukidnon 2nd DEO, and Evelyn Feniza, programming engineer of the Planning and Design Division of DPWH Bukidnon.

Zubiri also followed up on the provincial government’s request for the DPWH to provide weigh bridges to ensure compliance of the truck weight regulations and the right weight of trucks passing Bukidnon’s main roads.

This, after DPWH high off icials were invited as guests during the 33rd Regular Session of the Bukidnon Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) recently held here.

DOT eyes more tourists flying in to Davao region

By JEANEVIVE D. ABANGAN

TAGUM City -- More domes-

tic and international tourists are expected to fly their way to Davao Region as the Department of Tourism (DOT) currently works to position the Francisco Bangoy International Airport (FBIA) to serve as an active secondary international gateway of the Philippines.

In his talk in a recent convocation at the Bulwagan ng Lalawigan, DOT XI Regional Director Art Boncato revealed the plans of DOT to improve the access and connectivity of the Davao Region to local and international destinations, maximizing the capacity of FBIA which has been known as Davao International Airport.

The DOT is now working closely with the Regional Development Council (RDC) XI, the city government of Davao, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the Department of DOT/PAGE 7

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Available at:

Suzuki 3’s CDO - VELEZ

Velez St., Cagayan de Oro City Telefax No.: (088) 857-2647 Date Opened: December 8, 1994 OIC: Alner K. Verdida

GINGOOG

National Highway, Gigoog City Telefax no.: (088) 427196 Date Opened: December 08, 2005 OIC: Rowena Pacheo

CDO BORJA

Andrada Bldg., JR Borja St. Brgy. 32, Cagayan de Oro City Telefax: (088) 8573140; 8573139 Date Opened: July 18, 2006 Store Supervisor: Evelyn M. Sumingit

CDO GUSA

JVR Bldg.,Sta. Cecilia Subd., Gusa, Cagayan de Oro City Telefax: (088) 22710126; 8571126 Date Opened: Store Manager: Lilibeth O. Hanasan

ILIGAN - SABAYLE

Benito Labao cor. Sabayle Sts., Iligan City Telefax: (063) 221-5505; (063) 225-0509 Partyphone # 0973-903342 Date Opened: August 12, 1989 Store Manager: Maria Elena T. Zerna

MALAYBALAY

Brgy. Sumpong, Fortich St., Malaybalay City Telefax. No. (088) 221-3424; (088) 813-4754 Partyphone # 0973-903818 Date Opened: April 25, 1996 Store Manager: Carlos E. Abarrientos NR-BY602XSPH 21.0 cu.ft

NR-BY552XSPH 19.0 cu.ft

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VALENCIA

Hagcol, Valencia, Bukidnon Fax No.: (088) 828-4127; Telephone No.: (088) 222-2412 Partyphone # 0973-903780 Date Opened: July 15, 1989 Store Supervisor: Narciso F. Tabulong

MARAMAG

Purok 1, North Poblacion, Maramag, Bukidnon Telefax No.: (088) 222-5208 Date Opened: August 05, 2004 Store Super visor: Ma. Rochelle M. Paano

PAGADIAN TIGUMA

EMCOR Bldg., National Highway Tiguma St., Pagadian City Telefax #: (062) 214-1723; 214-4302; 215-3958 Date Opened: September 8, 1997 Sales Supervisor: Julie to D. Alcalde

PAGADIAN ZULUETA

Zulueta Bldg., J. Rizal Ave., Pagadian City Fax No.: (062) 214-1462; Tel No.: (062) 214-4996 /214-2822; FSO: 062-2144997 Date Opened: September 8, 1989 Sales Supervisor: Marbel M. Crusio

PAGADIAN - CLARK

Rizal Ave., Pagadian City Telefax No.: (062) 214-4758 Date Opened: November 22, 2002 Sales Supervisor: Cristy V. Guisado

MARANDING

National H-way, Mercado St., Maranding, Lala Lanao del Norte FAX No./Tel. (063) Tel. No.: (063) 388-7048 Date Opened: March 14, 1992 Sales Supervisor: Marivic B. Gran

MOLAVE

Provincial H-way, Molave, Zamboanga del Sur FAX No.: (062) 225-1407

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Hedcor’s Tudaya hydro plant Japan’s Itochu eyes part of Dole Food to start construction soon DAVAO City -- Aboitiz-owned Hedcor Power, Inc. is all set to start construction of its P1.8billion Tudaya 2 hydroelectric power plant project in the village of Astorga in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur and is now hiring workers, mostly local villagers including members of the local tribe.

In a statement, the company said it is prioritizing village residents and members of the Bagobo-Tagabawa indigenous community for the required 400 workers to build the seven-megawatt (MW), run-of-river project.

The project broke ground on Aug. 1 this year and construction is expected to last at least 14 months.

ENERGY ADVOCACY Rene B. Ronquillo, Hedcor chief operating officer, said the company policy is to involve the community where the hydropower plants are located.

“As a n Aboit izPower company and as one of the largest producers of renewable energy in the country, the Tudaya Hydro Plant is our contribution to the worldwide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he said in a statement.

The company will hire even more workers once Hedcor starts construction for the second phase of the project, the 11.5-MW Tudaya 1 hydroelectric project.

He said everybody who will be hired for the project will be briefed on the company’s environmental advocacy along with a continuous education “on how to respect and care for their lands.”

The Tudaya 2 project w ill generate some 40.5 gigawatt-hours of power each year, enough load to bring electricity to 7,000 homes.

Hedcor has a ser v ice contract with the Davao del Sur Cooperative, Inc. which will become the main client of the plant.

The preliminary exploration of the project started in the first quarter of 2010, but

the design process did not begin until late last year.

The power plant’s generated carbon neutral electricity is projected to cut greenhouse gas by more than 30,000 tons.

The company plans to register it as a clean development mechanism project under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The convention sells certified emission reduction units to developed countries.

“ We we re i n for me d that members of our tribes have the chance to work for Hedcor. I asked my fellow tribal leaders to screen the aspirants before we endorse them to the company,” Datu Rogelio Manapol, BagoboTagabawa tribal leader, said.

He said the hired workers would be able to help not only their respective families but the indigenous community as a whole as well. (Courtesy of Joel B. Escovilla, BusinessWorld)

NTC restricts 3G auction to telcos THE National Telecommunications Commission has restricted to telecom companies the upcoming bidding for the 3G frequency that the PLDT group recently gave up.

Dennis R. Babaran, NTC legal department director, told Interaksyon.com that the regulator would limit the bidding “only to telcos and franchise holders” to avoid “hoarding of frequency.”

“We will be finalizing the TOR within the year, but we have until January,” Babaran said, adding that the auction is most likely a “sealed bid.”

The 3G frequency that the NTC will bid out belonged to Connectivity Unlimited Resources Enterprise Inc., which had to give up the same as a condition to the regulator’s approval of the PLDT group’s acquisition of Sun Cellular operator Digital

Telecommunications Philippines Inc. Besides the 3G frequency, CURE also had to give up its cellular mobile telephone systems authority and its Congressional franchise.

The PLDT group acquired CURE from former trade minister Roberto Ongpin in 2008.

Babaran said the TOR will also determine the floor price to recover the PLDT

group’s investment in CURE. The PLDT group said it invested P2.125-billion, which includes advances from Smart Communications Inc. and stockholders.

Besides CURE, Smart also has 15 megahertz of 3G frequency; Globe, 10; and Sun Cellular, 10.

JAPANESE trading house Itochu said Thursday it was in talks with Dole Food to buy the US firm’s packagedfoods and Asian fresh fruit and vegetable businesses, reportedly for as much as $1.7 billion.

Itochu will set up a new company in Tokyo to purchase the operations, subject to a finalized deal, it said in a statement.

The companies “are currently negotiating the terms of Itochu’s acquisition of the fruit and vegetable business in Asia and the global processed foods business held

by Dole,” the statement said.

The announcement came as the leading Nikkei business daily reported that Itochu would pay as much as $1.7 billion for the units, betting on strong growth for fruits and vegetables among Asia’s burgeoning middle class.

Itochu, one of Japan’s biggest trading houses that

deals in everything from textiles and machinery to chemicals and food, and Dole are aiming to reach a final agreement this month, the report said.

Dole, which says it is world’s largest producer and marketer of fresh fruit and vegetables, posted sales of about $7.2 billion in 2011.

The processing operations and Asian fruit and vegetable business – comprised of production and sales – accounted for about 40 percent of revenue, the Nikkei said.

In a statement on its website, Dole confirmed that it was “in advanced negotiations with Itochu Corporation for the possible sale of its Packaged Foods and Asia Fresh businesses.

“No definitive agreements have been signed at this time, and Dole continues in discussions with several other parties regarding these assets and others.” AFP

DOE gives green light to Basic Energy’s geothermal projects MANILA - Basic Energy Corp.’s bid to develop three geothermal prospects got a boost from the Department of Energy, which cleared the projects.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Basic Energy said the company’s proposal to develop geothermal prospects in East Mankayan, Benguet; Mariveles, Bataan; and Iriga, Camarines Sur have passed the legal, technical and fi-

nancial requirements of the DOE. “These projects are in line with the 2012 business thrust of [Basic Energy] to look into new projects in renewable energy development and production,” it said.

Formerly Basic Consolidated Inc., Basic Energy is also engaged in oil and gas exploration, mining and information technology, among GEOTHERMAL/PAGE 7

US to buy same volume of sugar from PH in 2013 THE US will buy the same volume of sugar from the Philippines in the coming year.

In a statement, the US Trade Representative Office said the Philippines can ship 138,827 metric tons of sugar to the United States under the country-specific in-quota allocation for the tariff rate

quota of fiscal year 2013.

The Philippines received the third highest in-quota allocation next to Dominican Republic at 188,908 metric tons, and Brazil at 155,634 metric tons.

The Philippines is one of a select number of countries allowed to ship a limited

amount of sugar to the US on preferential terms.

The Sugar Regulatory Administration had said that production would reach 2.3-2.4 million metric tons for crop year 2012-2013, or five percent higher than the 2.243 million in the crop year ending August 2012.

Sugarcane plantation workers in Negross Occidental. The US will buy 138,827 metric tons of sugar from the Philippines.

PHL goes for ASEAN standard on publicly listed companies THE Philippines will shift to an international corporate governance scoring system that promotes transparency in publicly-listed companies in the economically bustling Southeast Asian region.

The ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard is a project developed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and funded by the Asian Development Bank.

It aims to protect the rights of shareholders and,

said Philippine officials, its use would bolster the country’s image among regional and foreign investors.

For the last seven years, Philippine companies have been screened by the nonstock, non-profit Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), but will shift to the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard this quarter, they added.

The scorecard, which is already being employed by ASEAN member-states Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand

and Indonesia, promotes a more unified corporate rank ing and assessment scheme that will showcase the bankability of companies to foreign investors.

Fellow ASEAN members Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar have yet to adopt the system.

The regional game “What we need to do is to no longer play the Philippine game but the regional game,” said ICD Chairman and former Finance Secre-

tary Jesus Estanislao in an interview.

“We want to have the same standards which have been regarded as higher standards in [the] stock exchange, so now we are benchmarking on the higher standards,” he added.

Estanislao is also the Philippine representative to the ASEAN Corporate Governance Group of Experts.

The ICD has worked in close partnership with other business, government, and

civil society organizations to promote and uphold the practice of good corporate governance.

The ASEAN Scorecard supersedes the National Corporate Governance Scorecard implemented by the ICD. This means that public companies — those that are listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) — will now be screened using more than 190 questions on the areas of rights of shareholders, equitable treatment of share-

holders, role of shareholders, disclosure and transparency and responsibilities of the board. The old scorecard only has 110 questions.

The first ASEAN Scorecard assessment in the Philippines will be done on October 25 and 26.

In the new scorecard, bonus points will be added to the companies who have applied best practices or practices that go beyond compliance. Penalty points COMPANIES/PAGE 7

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Philippine Business Bank targets P4.2B from IPO PHILIPPINE Business Bank, the thrift bank of the Zest-O group, is looking to raise up to P4.25 billion from its initial public offering scheduled in the fourth quarter.

Globe Telecom recently updated that the progress of their $790-million Comprehensive Network Modernization Program has passed 50%, and the company expects full completion by first quarter of 2013, Globe’s president and chief operating officer Ernest Cu (center) said.

Globe says modernization will result in ‘brand-new’ network GLOBE Telecom said its $790-million network modernization program is close to 50-percent completion and is on track to complete the change-out throughout the country in the first quarter of 2013.

The networks in the following areas already have been transformed: South Luzon, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon, Navotas, Apayao, Sulu, Tawi Tawi, Zamboanga, Sibugay, Sorsogon and Basilan. The change out in Quezon City will be completed by September; Ortigas Business District by October; and Makati by November.

Globe president Ernest Cu described the company’s massive modernization effort as “different” in many ways from a traditional transformation that other networks go through.

“Others mask modernization with simply a businessas-usual change-out of old equipment. At Globe, our transformation is very dif-

ferent because it is indeed building a brand new network,” he said.

Globe said it has effectively future-proofed the network with thrice the number of 3G base stations for better call quality and pervasive coverage.

Aside from the hardware needed to power the new infrastructure, Cu reported that Globe has also steadily progressed with the nationwide installation of over 12,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable “the main backbone of providing rapid mobile data streams” which will address issues of slow mobile internet and the overextended backhaul that most networks are experiencing.

“In the Philippines, as we have said many times before in the past, the networks were actually built for text traffic and not for mobile Internet. SMS networks are characterized by very thin backhaul capabilities. Very fast mobile Internet almost

Two carriers seek approval for surcharge hike HONG KONG BASED carriers Cathay Pacific Airways, Ltd . a nd it si s ter company Hong Kong Dragon Airlines, Inc. are seeking a permit from regulators to hike fuel surcharge, documents from Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) showed.

“Notice is herby g iven t hat Cat hay Pacific Airways, Ltd. has filed with CAB a petition for authority to impose upwa rd adjustment of fuel surcharge on international passenger tickets,” a document dated Sept. 4 showed.

A separate docu-

ment dated Sept. 4 a l s o s howe d t h at Dragonair has filed a pet it ion to hi ke surcharge.

Both airlines are asking for $135.50 ( H K $1, 0 5 7 ) s u r charge from $124.70 (HK$973) for f lights “between Hong Kong and South West Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle East, Asian Sub-Continent including Bangkok and Singapore,” separate notices showed.

Beyond those routes, the two airlines are seeking for a $31.20 (HK$243) surcharge from $28.10 (HK$219).

requires purely fiber optics in terms of backhaul because of the tremendous amounts of data traveling from the base station all the way to the core and out on the Internet,” he explained. Cu added that the new network will have “more capacity, lead to quicker, clearer and better quality call and text experience.”

“There are a number of challenges that the old network is facing today due to changing usage patterns and mobile data preferences of existing subscribers. With our entirely new network, all these inconveniences will be a thing of the past,” said Cu. He also corrected reports pertaining to the modernization efforts undertaken by Globe, saying that “for the last five months we have been moving very quickly, updating and installing more than 100 sites a week since April of this year. So we are quite close to 50-percent done in terms of the network change-outs.”

In documents fi led with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), PBB will be off ering 101.33 million primary shares at maximum offer price of P41.94 per share.

Th is represents 29.5% of the bank’s outstanding capital stock.

The lead underwriter for the offering is ATK Kim Eng Capital Partners Inc. The bank is planning to use the proceeds to acquire bank branch licenses from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and expand its bank network.

At present, PBB operates 71 branches, of which 37 are

in Metro Manila. The bank is hoping to have 85 branches by the end of 2012, and 100

branches by end of 2013.

PBB is 90% owned by the family of Ambassador Alfredo M. Yao. The ZestO group includes beverage company Zest-O Philippines Corp. and budget carrier Zest Air.

Mazda, Berjaya, to grow market in Philippines BERJAYA AUTO Philippines, Inc., the new distributor of Mazda vehicles in the country, plan to increase the number of its distribution outlets to grow their share of the market, the company said in a briefi ng Wednesday.

The fi rm signed a distribution agreement with Mazda Motor Corp. which will begin in January next year.

“We plan to grow and extend our distribution reach. We will be opening new dealerships next year but we are currently assessing how fast we want to grow,” said Berjaya Auto Philippines Chief Executive Steven Tan during the

briefi ng.

He added the Philippines could be a big growth market for the car brand because of the people’s passion for vehicles.

Mr. Tan said Berjaya Auto Philippines will take a status quo stance and will sell the same models that are currently being sold in the country. There are currently nine Mazda dealerships in the country.

Mazda is currently being distributed by Ford Motor Philippines.

“We chose a distributor that understands our brand strategy and who feel will also target the same kind of market we are looking for,” said Yuji

Nakamine, director and senior managing executive officer for global marketing of Mazda.

Berjaya Auto Philippines was incorporated last Aug. 10. It has an authorized capital stock of P10 million divided into 10 million shares. The company is a 40%-owned unit of listed gaming firm Berjaya Philippines. Berjaya Philippines, first incorporated in 1924 as the Central Azucarera de Pilar, shifted its business focus to online lottery in 1998 as Prime Gaming Philippines, Inc. It owns the franchise for Papa Johns restaurant and the social networking site Friendster.

Hyundai sales grow 19% as of August SALES of vehicle firm Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) grew in the eight month period ending August boosted by the robust sales of its passenger cars, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Hyundai’s total Januaryto-August sales went up by 19% to 15,735 units this year, from 13,271 units sold in the same period last year.

Its passenger car segment was able to post a 59% growth to 9,940 units this year from 6,241 units last year despite an 18% drop in the sales of its light commercial vehicles.

Light commercial vehicles include passenger vans and sports utility vehicles.

Hyundai sold 5,795 units of light commercial vehicles from January to August this year compared to 7,030 units in the same period last year.

“This noteworthy performance was spearheaded by the i10, Accent and Elantra models that grew by 60%, 57% and 55% respectively.

The EON is also picking up

with an 18% share of total passenger car sales,” the firm said.

For the month of August alone, Hyundai posted a 2% growth selling 1,454 units this year from 1,419 units in the previous year.

Sales of its passenger cars grew 72% to 1,014 units this year versus 591 units in the same period last year.

Total light commercial vehicle sales for August however dropped 47% to 440 units this year from 828 units

during the same month last year.

Hyundai expects the trend for increased interest in its passenger cars to continue towards the end of the year allowing it to meet its targets.

HYUNDAI/PAGE 7

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Member: -Philippine Press Institute -Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (Oro Chamber) -Misamis Oriental - Cagayan de Oro Association of Publishers (MOCAP), Inc.

About Pawnshops (First of Two Parts) TO say that pawnshops have mushroomed all over the country is an understatement.

Despite the presence of a variety of banks, pawnshops still play an important role in the economy by “lending” to people who would otherwise fail to qualify for bank loans.

Pawnshops are popular among Filipinos who are in quick need of money because loans are granted without the need for a credit investigation. The collateral or the pawned item is the sole basis for granting the loan.

However, most of us may still be in the dark about how pawnshops actually conduct their business. In an effort to answer related questions, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas came out with a primer on Frequently Asked Questions on Pawnshops.

I am reprinting the contents of the primer to help financial consumers who want to know more about pawnshop operations.

Frequently Asked Questions on Pawnshops: **What administrative steps or procedure should be followed in opening a pawnshop?

A person who wishes to establish a pawnshop must: Register his business name with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Secure a pawnbroker’s license or permit from the local government of the city or municipality where the pawnshop is to be located.

SPEAKING OUT

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Learning to Love THINK a minute…about love.

It makes the world go around, right? The problem is that there doesn’t seem to be much going around!

Most of us know that to love and be loved is what life is all about. So why is there so little real love in the world?

Why have so many of us not learned how? How do I learn to love? It’s simple: until I have been truly loved by someone else, I don’t know how to truly love others.

I know what you’re thinking: “No one has ever loved me like that! I mean really

ROSE MARY D. SUDARIA MANAGER NELSON CONSTANTINO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

BusinessWeek

loved me all the time without conditions, just as I am.”

Even our parents and spouse many times fail to love us that way.

So how can I ever learn to love? I’ve got some very good news for you. Someone already has loved you like that! You just didn’t know it.

We learn to love by seeing God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Jesus loves you without conditions. No person in history has lived with such a perfect kind of love for others has Jesus Christ did.

Real love cannot be done

by slogans or songs. They cannot change our selfcentered heart and nature.

We all want real love, but none of us is able to give it.

That’s why Jesus came: to show us what real love looks like. Jesus has given us the greatest picture and proof of His love for us—by giving His perfectly innocent life for all of our wrongs.

So how do you learn to love? Just let Jesus love you.

Ask Him to take charge of your heart and life everyday.

And as you receive His love and power every day, you’ll start learning how to love

THINK A MINUTE

JHAN TIAFAU HURST others like that; since you’ll always be getting the love you need from Him. Just Think a Minute…

Natures wander lust LAKE PINAMALOY in Don Carlos, Bukidnon has the best scenic vistas in its surroundings every movie producer will be interested to shoot a location.

Pryce Plaza in Carmen Hill, Cagayan de Oro, uses the punch line caption for the hotel tours advertising and promoting the Province of Bukidnon to its various foreign clients.

Car ved from the f lat lands surrounded with high mountainous rain forests and verdant valleys providing a natural feed of freshwater to a foot shaped inland body of water.

With more than 60 hectares in size and a deep of 3 meters from the edge to 10 meters in the center, it has an estimated water displacement of 6 million gallons per day more than enough to supply the daily needs of as much as a population of half million people. This premise gives

logic to the stakeholders in Don Carlos of the need for the sustainability use of the lake.

The local government of Don Carlos has formed the Local Lake Pinamaloy Development Council in the cross road on how the development of the lake matters to tourism and preservation of natural attraction?

Presently, aside from the supply of water requirements to the community, it also served as a tourism site that maintained the ecological balance of the f lora and fauna preserving the lake in its serenity.

However, there is a potential it can offer for commercial undertaking in a modern day wake boarding activity that will propel the Province of Bukidnon to be the number one eco-tourism destination in the country.

Don Carlos in Bukidnon as the name suggests must

have been named to honor the great son of the Province, Don Carlos Fortich who belongs to the early settlers and rancher com sugar planter whose family carved a name in business and politics.

Don Carlos is accessible from Cagayan de Oro City with a paved road network passing through the Sayre Highway. It takes 3 hours and 40 minutes by a private vehicle and 5 hours by public transportation.

Travel to Lake Pinamaloy and witness the early sunrise or sunset as the lake water during good weather reflects the sunlight. It has never been that good feeling the fresh air while savoring life in the countryside with aesthetic green attractions.

The Cagayan de Oro Travel and Tours Association (COTTA) in Cagayan de Oro City is among the tourism stakeholders in Northern Mindanao who are actively

TRAVERSING THE TOURISM HI-WAY

PED T. QUIAMJOT promoting the famous tour destinations in the Province of Bukidnon.

Popular tourist attractions like the Dahilayan Zip Line, Del Monte Farm Tours and a visit to the Monastery of Transfiguration can be arranged directly across the travel agency counters. The local tour handlers are also selling the Golf destination in Manolo Fortich, the site of national golf events in the recent years.

Loving in its purest state IGNACIO BUNYE

Register with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas before commencing business operations. **What are the maximum rates of interest that a pawnshop/pawnbroker can charge on its pledge loans?

Effective January 1, 1983, interest rates shall not be subject to any ceiling prescribed under or pursuant to the Usury Law, as amended.

However, the interest rate that a pawnshop/pawnbroker may collect on its pledge loans must be indicated on the face of the pawn ticket. **Can pawnshops collect interest in advance?

Yes, provided that the amount of interest collected in advance does not exceed the equivalent for the agreed maturity period of the loan.

For loans with maturities of more than one (1) year, advance interest shall not exceed the interest equivalent for one (1) year. **Besides interest, what other charges or fees can a pawnshop/pawnbroker collect on its pledged loan transactions?

In addition to interest, a pawnshop can collect service BUNYE/PAGE 7

We have to make sure that our pursuit for love goes all the way to its purest state.

We have to be wary when we get entangled along the way, getting contented only with some relatively good thing, since our goal is to reach the absolute good who is God. “Deus caritas est,” St. John describes the essence of God. “God is love.” We cannot and should not settle for anything less. To aim at this love, we are given some guidelines—the Ten Commandments which spell out God’s designs for us. They dispose us to love.

But ou r L ord , Je su s Christ, spells out these Ten Commandments further by telling us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our might, etc., and the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor. He therefore tells us that loving God goes always with loving our neighbor.

Both loves cannot be separated.

He reinforced this teaching by giving us what he termed as the “new commandment,” and that is, that we should love one another as he himself has loved us.

Christ, therefore, makes himself the standard of our loving.

More than that, Christ actually makes himself the very power that would enable us to love God and others properly. That’s why he once said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In short, we cannot love properly unless we are with Christ.

An immediate practical corollary would be that we should at least be in constant touch with Christ. At least we have to look for him, see his example, be familiar with his teaching, enter into a living relationship with him, for we are told by our faith that Christ is alive. He is no mere historical figure.

In fact, he tells us through his apostles, “Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” (Mt 28,20) These words should be deeply ingrained in our consciousness, so we can act and live according to this truth.

And what can we learn from him? How has he loved us? Of course, many, even infinite lessons. But we can cite a few.

He adapted himself to our lowly, base and wounded nature. He forgives us all the way, from the bottom of his heart and always. He

took to himself the burden of the consequences of our own sins, again all the way to death, and death on the cross.

From these considerations alone, we can learn that we need to think always of the others, because thinking of them is also thinking and loving God himself. Let’s remember that Christ only had one purpose for coming to us—and that is to save us according to the will of his Father. His mission with us is in obedience to his Father.

We need to strengthen this attitude of thinking always of the others in ourselves. This attitude will bring us to God, as well as make us forget our own personal miseries which many times really have no objective basis. They are often invented by us, or are self-inflicted, precisely because we tend to think a lot about ourselves instead of the others.

We have to clearly see the connection of how loving the others is also loving God, with the implication that we forget ourselves more.

We have to understand that whatever personal needs we have to consider—including our need for comfort, some pleasure, etc.—should be considered always in rela-

HINTS AND TRACES

FR. ROY CIMAGALA tion to God and to the others. Otherwise, we poison ourselves, if we just think in terms of our own selves.

And how should we love the others? Well, how does Christ love us? We are told to love without measure. That is the essence of love which Christ exemplified by loving us all the way to the cross.

“No one has greater love than he who offers his life for his friend,” he himself says. And that’s quite obvious.

Even if we are still sinful, Christ continues to love us, ever willing to forgive us as often as necessary. We have to be wary of our tendency to base our loving on some reason. We need to love even if we run out of reasons for loving. This is the love in its CIMAGALA/PAGE 7

BusinessWeek

September 14-16, 2012

YOUR LOCAL ONLINE BUSINESS PAPER

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DOT... from page 2

of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Office of Congresswoman Mylene Garcia-Albano to institute the needed physical improvement of the international airport.

T he i mprovement is geared towards achieving the full terminal utilization which presently is placed at 60 percent based on reports from CAAP Davao which also revealed a total of 2.6 million domestic and foreign FBIA arrivals registered in 2011.

In line with the thrust to increase airport traffic to an average of 39 flights a day, RDC XI has created an airport task force and has designated the DOT, the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc (DCCCII), City Government of Davao and CAAP “to lead in marketing and promotion,” Boncato said.

DOT along with CAAP will be taking part in the 18th World Route Development Forum in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to be appraised with the new global air connections which will be discussed during the gathering of airline planners, tourism organizations and airport authorities around the world.

To take advantage of the growing regional markets in the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) , DOT is linking with airlines operating in the Brunei Darrusalam-IndonesiaMalaysia-Philippines East Asian Growth Area (BIMP EAGA).

Among these airlines is the Wings Air/Lion Air for a f light connection from Davao to Manado, Indonesia; the MAS Wings of Malaysia Airlines for Kota KinabaluDavao-Manado triangular route starting December this

year; and Air Asia Malaysia for daily flights between Kota Kinabalu and Davao starting November this year.

“These are on top of Silkair’s Davao-Singapore connection five times a week,” Boncato said.

To bring in more international flights, DOT is also pushing for a start of charter flights of Air Busan of South Korea from Incheon Internatioal Airport to Davao.

To further boost arrivals of usual foreign visitors, DOT takes a vigorous promotion campaign in Japan, South Korea, China and the ASEAN markets, bringing into the Davao Region delegations to visit inland and island attractions in various parts of the region.

Boncato also eyed the Pacific Asia Travel Association Fair set in Manila later this year, as a good chance of bringing Asian tourists to visit the Davao Region.

“We shall be hosting several foreign buyers to visit the region and we shall bring them here,” he said referring to Davao Region and to Davao del Norte which DOT has clustered with Davao City as Davao Region’s international gateway.

Aside from Davao City and Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley provinces are grouped together under the Davao Gulf and Coast Tourism Cluster.

Cimagala...

from page 6 purest state, the love lived

by Christ.

In our daily affairs, let’s see to it that this love is present, and is the motive and driving force of our actions.

Again, this is possible only when we are with Christ.

Bunye... from page 6

charges equivalent to 1% of the principal loan but in no

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL 10th Judicial Region Branch 25 Cagayan de Oro City 2012-385 OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL SHERIFF NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE EJF FILE NO. 2012-210 Upon extra-judicial petition for sale under ACT 3135 as amended, filed

by HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND or PAG-IBIG, Mortgagee, with office address at J.R. Borja Street, Cagayan de Oro City, against LUDMILA P. ABUEME, Mortgagor, with postal address at NPC AGUS IV BO DITUCALAN, Iligan City/9-D NPC Compound, Iligan City/c/o Sun Gate Pawnshop Inc., Quezon Ave., Iligan City, to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of June 22, 2012, amounts to ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY FOUR THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED FORTY EIGHT PESOS & 31/100 (P 184,448.31), as outstanding obligation, inclusive of interest and penalty charges, attorney’s fees equivalent to ten percent (10) % of the total indebtedness plus the foreclosure expenses, the undersigned or his duly authorized deputy will sell at public auction on September 26, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. or soon thereafter, at the main entrance of the Hall of Justice, Regional Trial Court, Branch 25, Arch. Hayes Street, Cagayan de Oro City, to the highest bidder, for CASH and in Philippine Currency, the following property described below, to wit: TRANSFER CETIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-190845 “A PARCEL OF LAND (Lot 11, Block 29, Psd-10-039732, being a portion of Lot 1, Pcn-104305-00191, situated at Canitoan, Cagayan de Oro City, containing an area of FIFTY FOUR (54) SQUARE METERS, more or less, with boundaries SW 1-2 by Lot 9, Block 29, NW 2-3 by Road Lot, NE 3-4 by Lot 13, Block 29, SE., 4-1 by Lot 12, Block 29; and all other improvements Existing thereon, registered in the name of LUDMILA P. ABUEME.” All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above stated time and date.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the above date stated, for whatever legal reason, the sale will proceed on the next working day without further notice, posting and publication.

Prospective buyers/bidders may investigate for themselves the title of the herein described property and encumbrances thereon, if any there be.

Cagayan de Oro City, August 22, 2012.

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO PROVINCIAL SHERIFF:

BWM: AUG. 31, SEPT. 7 & 14, 2012

LOVE M. VERDADERO Sheriff IV

case exceeding five pesos inces of Benguet, Mountain (P5.00).

Province and Ifugao. **Can a pawnshop colThe Mariveles, Bataan lect 2% liquidated damages geothermal area is situated on overdue loans (loans along the West Luzon Volunsettled despite the lapse canic Arc, which starts from of the 90-day grace period)? Mt. Pinatubo in the north Yes, provided there is and extends farther south a stipulation to that effect across the Manila Bay toprinted at the back of its wards Batangas and northpawn tickets, duly approved eastern Mindoro.

by Bangko Sentral.

Lastly, the Iriga, Cama**If the pawnshop fails to rines Sur geothermal area notify a pawner within the is bounded on the north by 90-day grace period and sells the lsarog geothermal block the pawn in a public auction, of Philippine National Oil can it be held liable for the Co.-Renewables Corp. and disposition of the pawn? to the east by the Tiwi geoYes, the pawnshop is li- thermal service contract area able for its failure to send of Aboitiz Power Corp. The t he required notice. An area’s landscape is dominated administrative case may by lriga or Asog Volcano, be filed with the Bangko southwest of Lake Buhi in Sentral and, simultaneously, southern Luzon. a criminal and/or civil case with the proper court. (To from page 4 be continued next week) will be imposed on firms that demonstrate poor govfrom page 4 ernance.

Attracting investments others.

Having a scorecard or an The three geothermal projects a re considered assessment of listed firms “frontier” areas, which do is necessary, as most of the not have sufficient data or investments flows are global.

Investors, Estanislao said, studies on their renewable “look for economies where energy potential.

As such the DOE doesn’t they can trust.”

“So instead of attracting auction off these projects in energy contracting rounds. $10 to $12 billion a year, we “With the company’s com- should be attracting $25 to pliance with the processing $30 billion a year,” he said.

Having local firms with and evaluation requirements of the DOE, the Geothermal a solid track record would Renewable Service Contracts “absolutely” usher in the for the abovementioned geo- much-needed investments thermal areas shall be ex- in the country, “especially ecuted upon final approval now that we are just getting of the DOE,” Basic Energy [on] the radar screen of any of the institutional investors,” said.

The East Mankayan geo- Estanislao said.

Institutional investors are thermal area lies immediately east of the Cervantes, llocos large organizations, such as Sur geothermal block of Pan banks, finance companies, Pacific Power Phils, Inc., or insurance firms, which south of the Bontoc-Sadanga pool large sums of money block, which is operated by and invest those sums in Magma Energy Resources, securities, real property and and immediately south of other investment assets.

They are by far the bigthe Daklan block operated

by Clean Rock Energy. The gest participants in securities area covers the three prov- trading, and their share of

Companies...

Geothermal...

Republic of the Philippines Regional Trial Court of Misamis Oriental 10th Judicial Region Branch 38 Cagayan de Oro City IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR CORRECTION OF ENTRY IN THE RECORD OF BIRTH OF LESTER R. DAPUSALA (CHANGING THE ENTRY OF THE SEX FROM FEMALE TO MALE) LESTER R. DAPUSALA, Petitioner,

SPEC. PROC. No. 2012-134

FOR:

CORRECTION OF ENTRY IN THE RECORD OF BIRTH

-versusTHE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF CLAVERIA, MISAMIS ORIENTAL, Respondent. x--------------------------------------------/

Hyundai... from page 5

“Hyundai has pulled off consistent growth in total sales, particularly in the passenger segment, thanks to the huge demand for our products. We expect this positive trend to extend all the way to yearend, with strong economic fundamentals and HARI dealer network’s push for even more innovative customer care offerings to drive the business full speed ahead,” said HARI President and Chief Executive Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo in a statement.

The firm added: “The Philippines posted a robust economic growth of 5.9% in the second quarter of 2012 or 6.1% in the first semester, outperforming most of its regional neighbors. The service sector was a key growth driver with 7.6% expansion.”

Rice... from page 8

bers of irrigators association who are planting their third crops from August to September this year. Nationwide, total insurance coverage is P914.95 million with government premium subsidy of P98.9 million.

NIA Administrator Antonio Nangel said the DA target is 119,000 hectares planted for third cropping that will be harvested by December.

Planting in 116,000 hectares have so far been completed, he said.

In Negros Occidental, 2,730 hectares are being planted for third cropping by 3,045 farmer-beneficiaries from 48 irrigation associa-

tions. The total amount of premium paid for them was not immediately available.

Stock... from page 8

Meanwhile, the country’s total corn stock inventory was pegged at 140,600 MT, or 0.9 percent more than last month’s record of 139,400 MT -- but it was 10.5 percent less than last year’s level of 157,000 MT. Relative to last month’s levels, corn stocks in the households went up by 5.3 percent. However, stocks in commercial warehouses decreased by 1.9 percent and stocks in NFA depositories dropped by 37.5 percent.

T he volu me of c or n stocks in the households was higher by 21.1 percent from last year’s level, while stocks in NFA depositories i ncreased 1,0 0 0 MT. In contrast, stocks in commercial warehouses were reduced by 24.2 percent.

(PNA)

ARMM... from page 9

firmly addressed,” he said.

Drilon said his committee and the Blue Ribbon Commit tee cha ired

by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III would look into fund irregularities committed by t he prev ious A R M M leadership.

T he C om m i s sion on Audit has reported to the House that among its 2011 f i nd i ngs i n t he Musl i m region was the use of P1.8 billion in cash advances for transactions that were “either denied by suppliers or the suppliers were of questionable existence.”

There were a lso payments amounting to P1.1 billion to 112 public works contractors, who did not submit supporting documents or whose documents “may be considered spurious.”

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF LANAO DEL NORTE 12th Judicial Region OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF Tubod, Lanao del Norte NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE EJF No.: 168-07-2012 Upon the Extra Judicial Petition for Sale under Act 3135/1508, as amended, filed by the 1ST Valley Bank Inc., Baroy, Lanao del Norte against EDDIE AVILA, Bag-ong Dawis, Baroy, Lanao del Norte to satisfy the indebtedness which as of July 05, 2012 amounting to TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS (Php 200,000.00) excluding penalties, changes, attorney’s fee and expenses of foreclosure, the undersigned or his duly authorized deputy will sell at public auction on 26th day of October 2012 at 10:00 AM or soon thereafter at the Regional Trial Court, Branch 07, Poblacion, Tubod, Lanao del Norte, to the highest bidder for cash or manager’s check and in Philippine Currency, the following property with all its improvements, to wit: KATIBAYAN NG ORIHINAL NA TITULO P-13,452 “A parcel of commercial lot with an area of Seven Hundred Forty Four (744) sqr. Meters more or less, situated at Bag-ong Dawis, Baroy, Lanao del Norte.

ORDER Before this Court is a Petition for Correction of Entry in the Certificate of Live Birth of herein petitioner as to his Gender/Sex, which is Female instead of Male, in the Office of the Local Civil Registrar of Claveria, Misamis Oriental.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that said Petition be set for hearing on November 7, 2012 at 8:30 in the morning at the Session Hall of this Court, on which date, time and place, all persons who may have any opposition to the petition herein sought, may appear to show cause why said petition should not be granted.

Let this Order be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Province of Misamis Oriental once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks prior to the date of hearing.

Likewise, let copies of this Order, with Petition attached, be posted by the petitioner on the bulletin boards of this Court, the Provincial Capitol of Misamis Oriental and the Municipal hall of Claveria, Misamis Oriental for at least ten (10) days prior to date of hearing.

Petitioner is further ordered to furnish copies of this Order and the Petition to the Offices of the Solicitor General, the Provincial Prosecutor of Misamis Oriental and the Local Civil Registrar of Claveria, Misamis Oriental.

SO ORDERED. September 10, 2012, Cagayan de Oro City.

BWM: Sept. 14, 21 & 28

the stock market volume has consistently grown over the years.

“Therefore they have to be comfortable with us — that, in fact, many of our companies...use corporate governance principles which are globally accepted,” Estanislao said.

7

Lot No. F-123503-366 (Isolated) Bounded on the SE., along lines 1-2-3 by Lot No. 1961-D, Psd-12-026993; and on the SE., along line 3-4 by Lot No. 1961-B, Psd-12-026993; and on the SW., along line 4-5 by Vacant Lot National Highway portion, and on the NW., along line 5-6 by National Highway; and on the NE., along line 6-1 by Vacant Lot National Highway portion. Together with all the improvements found thereon.

“All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above stated time and date.

Tubod, Lanao del Norte, Philippines, this September 04, 2012.

For the Clerk of Court and Ex-Officio Sheriff CONRADO V. HINGCO, JR. Sheriff IV

(Sgd.) EMMANUEL P. PASAL Judge BWM: SEPTEMBER 14, 21, & 28, 2012

8

September 14-16, 2012

Agri News

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High rice prices in S. Cotabato marts alarmed officials KORONADAL City -- Commercial rice in various public markets in South Cotabato province have increased by around P3 in the last several weeks, alarming consumers and local officials in the area.

Rey na ldo Legaste, South Cotabato provincial agriculture officer, said Wednesday their monitoring showed that the market prices of rice in the area in the last three weeks ranged from P33-34 per kilo or around P3 higher than their suggested retail prices.

According to the general formula presented, Legaste said the suggested retail price of rice is determined by multiplying by two the buying price of palay.

As of today, the buying price of palay is P15.50, which means the retail price should have been P31.

“This situation is unfair for our farmers whose products are bought at much cheaper price but are sold at a higher price,” said Legaste, adding that consumers also suffer.

He warned rice wholesalers and retailers to cut their prices since they are getting palay at much lower prices -- a situation that is reportedly unjust

Commercial rice in various public markets in South Cotabato province have increased by around P3 in the last several weeks, alarming consumers and local officials in the area.

to farmers and consumers.

Legaste said that in most markets in Davao, where traders bought rice from South Cotabato, rice price ranged from P31 to P32 but in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, another rice producers, the price is P34 per kilo.

A rice retailer from Koronadal City who refused to be named said their prices entirely depend on how much they pay the wholesalers.

“If they want to suppress this, they should start from the wholesalers,” he said.

A miller from Upper Valley Area said the high price of rice in the past two weeks was on their old stocks that were bought from farmers at P17.50 per kilo.

But Legaste refused to accede to such argument.

He said: “Traders know the trend. Their stocks only last for few weeks because of the demand from other provinces.”

He said they will call a meeting as soon as possible to settle the issue.

(PNA)

The Department of Agriculture will provide farmers with a crop insurance package that will help protect them against climate risks.

DA earmarks P98M crop insurance, seed subsidy THE Dept. of Agriculture has allotted nearly P100 million worth of insurance and seed subsidy to farmers scheduled to plant under the government’s third cropping program.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said 91,000 rice farmers, who planted from August to September this year, would receive free insurance and seed subsidy from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp.

“This program seeks to assist farmers affected by severe crop damages caused by f looding, typhoon and pests attack,” Alcala said.

He said the program complements the efforts of the government to achieve the rice self-sufficiency target.

Based on the data of the National Irrigation Administration, the program covers a total area of 91,495 hectares.

Atty. Jovy Bernabe, PCIC president, said the insurance cover is worth P914,950,000 with P98.91 million premium subsidy coming from the government.

“Under the program, farmer-irrigators who will engage in third cropping will be provided P10,000 per hectare free insurance coverage by the PCIC,” Bernabe added.

Alcala, on the other hand, said the country’s rice impor ts have signif icant ly dropped from 860,000 metric tons last year to 500,000 MT this year because of the vigilant campaign and

aggressive action plan of DA towards a more productive and self-sufficient farm sector across the country.

Da nte Delima, Agriculture assistant secretary and National Rice Program coordinator, reported the successful implementation of the pilot program for the early cropping in Central Luzon.

Delima said rice farmers were able to harvest over 350,000 MT of palay from 150,000 hectares of irrigated lands under the early cropping program.

“We have validated that over half of those who participated in the early cropping will be planting their third crop this month,” he added.

(PNA)

DA projects to boost Zambo town gets head start on organic farming Negros rice production THE AGRICULTURE departand capacity building,” the BAGO CITY -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) turned over P46 million worth of projects to boost rice production and make Negros Occidental province 100% self-sufficient by 2013.

Agriculture Secretary Prospero Alcala, who led the turnover to irrigation associations in Barangay Bagroy here Tuesday, said the DA will also provide P6 million, including capitalization, to establish a rice processing center for the farmers’ cooperative in Bago City.

He said rice production

in the province has steadily increased, with the sufficiency level reaching 98% from 80% in more than two years.

“I hope within this year we can settle it, make Negros Occidental rice sufficient.

The farmers are very aggressive,” he said.

Among the projects initiated was the DA-National Irrigation Administration (NIA)-Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) Third Cropping Project that will prov ide crop insu ra nce incentives to rice farmerROCE/PAGE 7

department explained.

Among the components of the project are: the construction of a techno-demo farm, education development, community organizing, increased material capacity and obtaining third-party certification for farmers and facilities to be used in the project.

Potential products of the project will be rice, corn, vegetables, root crops, rice ducks, rice fish, biofertilizers and earthworms for vermiculture, said the department.

The project will serve residents from the nearby cities of Pagadian, Ozamis, Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.

ment has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with a Mindanao local government unit for a P23.9-million capacity-building project for an organic farming system.

A document from the department showed that the project will be located in the municipality of Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur and will target lowland and upland communities.

“The project is a participatory intervention in agricultural production that seeks to promote the agriculture system in its communities through community organizing, intensive advocacy

Rice, corn stock inventory as of Aug. ‘12 THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday assured enough supply of rice and corn in the country.

In a report, the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Statistics said that as of August 2012, the country’s rice stock inventory was estimated at 1.62 million metric tons (MT), around 40.6 percent lower than the 2.72 million MT a year ago. It was also lower

by 15.6 percent from last month’s 1.91 million MT. “The total volume of rice stocks would be enough for 48 days. Stocks in the households would be good for 18 days, those in NFA (National Food Authority) depositories would be good for 16 days. Stocks in commercial warehouses would last for 14 days,” BAS said.

The data also showed that

withdrawals from households and commercial warehouses resulted to a 21.6 percent and 13.3 percent decline, respectively.

Also, the volume of stocks in the NFA depositories, of which 37 percent were imported rice, was lower by 10.0 percent.

Comparative estimates with stocks last year indicated reductions in all sectors --

household sector dropped by 6.4 percent, commercial sector by 18.3 percent, and NFA depositories decreased by 64.2 percent.

Of the current stock level, about 37.0 percent were with the households, 32.9 percent were with the NFA depositories, and 30.1 percent were with the commercial warehouses.

STOCK/PAGE 7

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September 14-16, 2012

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Rufus wants DOT to turn disputed region into tourist spot AMID the ongoing territorial row with China, a lawmaker on Tuesday asked the Department of Tourism (DOT) to develop the disputed Spratly Islands into a Philippine tourist spot.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez made this suggestion during plenary debates on the proposed budget of the DOT for next year.

“Let’s take a slice of the DOT budget to put up a good airport and build a good port.

Put up a hotel, and develop our frontier in our area as a tourist destination. The seas there are very pristine,” the lawmaker said.

Rodriguez said the Phil-

Rodriguez

ippines should allow its domestic and foreign tourists to access these disputed islands since these areas are part of

the country’s territory. He added that turning these islands into tourist spots will strengthen the Philippines’

claim to these territories.

“Hindi ba, you’ve read in the papers, all the way from China, ginagawang tourist destination ito ng mga Chinese? Tayo malapit lang, e ‘di gawin din nating tourist destination. Huwag tayong magpapatalo roon,” he said.

Chinese state media reported over the weekend that the southern Chinese province of Hainan is planning to include the disputed Spratly Islands as part of a cruise route.

The Spratly Islands is a string of atolls and islands straddling vital shipping lanes in the West Philippine Sea (also called South China Sea) believed to be sitting

atop vast mineral deposits.

It is being claimed in whole or in part by China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

DOT chief: It’s PNoy’s call Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, however, said he wants President Benigno Aquino III’s clearance fi rst before marketing Spratlys as a Philippine tourist destination.

“The area in question is now under direct control of the President of the Philippines. We will take our cue from him… Mag-swimming ka lang dun kailangang magpaalam, ganun kaselan ang lugar na iyon,” Jimenez told

reporters on the sidelines of the plenary debates.

He added that there are still no plans from the DOT to develop the disputed islands as a tourist spot.

But Rodriguez remained insistent.

He said that he is willing to give P1 million from his priority development assistance fund (PDAF)— commonly known as the “pork barrel”—to help build structures for tourists on Spratly Islands.

He added that he plans to directly write President Aquino to convey his proposal to turn Spratly Islands into a Philippine tourist destination.

House panel still finalizing SALN guidelines ARMM removes ‘ghost’ MONTHS after leading to protect the rights of will last until next week. proceeding initiated by employees, saves P208M efforts to oust former Chief Justice Renato Corona from his post due to non-disclosure of his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs), the House of Representatives has yet to come up with guidelines on how the public can gain access to these documents.

Bohol Rep. Erico Aumentado, chairperson of the special committee formed to formulate rules and procedures for public access to the SALNs, said the panel is still “finalizing” these guidelines.

“We recog n i z e t he right of members of media and of the public to have access to this information, but we also have

members of the House to be heard on this matter,” Aumentado said in a phone interview.

He added t hat t he committee is still trying to “strike a balance” on the release of these public documents. “ T he t a r ge t re a l ly here is to come up with something that will be acceptable to all parties involved,” he said.

The lawmaker further sa id t hat he a nd four ot her members of t he special panel will meet next week to come up with a final draft of the SALN guidelines.

He added that he hopes the House can tackle it at the plenary after the budget deliberations, which

Software...

through the use of participatory technologies; promote constructive dialogue on responsibilities and rights in the information society; network with organizations and individuals who share our vision to be pragmatic, transparent, and responsible as an organization.”

from page 11

freedom and the people behind it; foster a general understanding of software freedom, and encourage adoption of free software and open standards; create more equal access to opportunities

L a s t Ju n e , H o u s e Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. issued Special Order 05-12 creating a five-member committee tasked to check if House members and employees properly declared their wealth on their SALNs. The move came just weeks after former Chief Justice Renato Corona was removed from his post for failing to declare properties and sums of money in his SALNs through an impeachment

the House.

Aside from Aumentado, the four other congressmen in the panel are: Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao, Batangas Rep. Tomas Apacible, Nueva Ecija Rep. Rodolfo Antonino, and Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.

At present, most House members, including Belmonte and Aumentado, have yet to release full copies of their SALNs to the public.

P500-M ARMM education fund proposed CAGAYAN de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez has proposed to provide additional P500 million for the Muslim education fund in the 2013 proposed P13.998billion budget for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The motion to increase the AR MM’s spending plan for next year was made by Rodriguez during

yesterday’s House plenary deliberations on the Malacanang’s P2.006-trillion national budget.

“I will write to the President so that we put up an affirmative education fund for our Muslim brothers so that they would finish high school and would go to universities in Manila,” he told the plenary session.

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CONGRESSMEN learned yesterday that the new leadership in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is attaining some success in eliminating its “ghost” employees.

ARMM officer-in-charge Mujiv Hataman told his former colleagues at the House of Representatives that since his appointment by President Aquino in December, withholding funds for personnel found to be non-existent saved some P208 million in payroll money.

“In our own education department, we have saved P141 million, which otherwise would have been paid to ghost teachers, while in the public works department, we have generated P47 million in savings,” he said.

He said he continues to tell ARMM officers to remove non-existent employees from their payroll.

“Pursuant to the Presid e nt ’s d a a n g m at u w id (straight path) policy, we are determined to implement reforms to achieve peace and development, which eluded us for decades,” he said.

The House, upon the motion of Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, approved ARMM’s P13.9billion budget for next year.

Of the region’s outlay, P8.3 billion will go to education.

In the past, Hataman said corrupt officials pocketed payroll money for nonexistent teachers and other employees.

Education personnel compose the bulk of the autonomous region’s workforce.

Hat a ma n a nd ot her ARMM officials defended their 2013 budget before the Senate finance committee chaired by Sen. Franklin Drilon last Monday.

After the hearing, Drilon said he was satisfied that the new leadership of the region was doing well in its campaign against graft and corruption.

“We have confidence in the leadership of Hataman.

The OIC governor is our new ghost buster. We are pleased that under the leadership of Governor Hataman, these ghosts are starting to vanish and the corruption is being ARMM/PAGE 7

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September 14-16, 2012

Power... from page 1

Systems (Minergy) a few months ago and the recent commissioning of the $12-million 8MW Cabulig River Hydroelectric plant in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, also operated by Minergy, a CEPALCO affiliate.

The utility’s earlier embedded power generation units include the 18.9MW Sulzer diesel plant of Minergy, 1MW Photovoltaic Plant in Bgy. Indahag and the 7MW Bubunawan Hydroelectric plant in Baungon, Bukidnon.

However, the latter is now awaiting rehabilitation after it was severely damaged by the flash floods of Tropical Storm Sendong last December.

“Power demand within CEPALCO’s franchise area has been growing at the rate of four percent a year for the last ten years,” said Richard Ratunil, staff supervisor, rates and energy contracts administration, Controller’s Office. “This translates to around 5-6 MW a year growth in demand.”

Mr. Ratunil is charged with the planning, organizing, supervision, coordination and review of activities related to the negotiation, preparation, implementation and monitoring of purchase agreements between CEPALCO and power suppliers, fuel suppliers for power plants and bulk power customers of the utility.

Distribution uti lities around Mindanao have been busy setting up embedded power plants to avoid a repeat of the devastating power curtailments of 2010 which the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Industries (COCI) said resulted in an estimated P62billion losses to the island’s economy.

Among the utilities which are setting up embedded generation units are the Davao Light and Power Inc., Iligan Light & Power Co., First Bukidnon Electric Cooperative (FIBECO) and Bukidnon II Electric Cooperative, Inc. Estimated economic losses using the ratio of the Gross National Product (GNP) to the total kWh sold or P144 per kWh in 2010 multiplied by the 430 million unserved kWh in 2010 translates to P62 billion of economic losses for Mindanao, the COCI said.

Within the franchise area of CEPALCO covering Cagayan de Oro City and the municipalities of Tagoloan, Villanueva and Jasaan, Misamis Oriental, the reported total unserved energy of 15.6 million kWh translates to P2.2 billion of economic losses using the same ratio.

Beyond the looming El Niño episode, three more embedded hydroelectric power plants are now being constructed to address the growth in power demand within CEPALCO’s franchise area.

These include the P2.2billion Culaman run-of-river hydroelectric power project (15MW) at the SumilaoManolo Fortich boundary in

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Bukidnon to be implemented

by Oriental Energy & Power Generation Corporation; 23MW Lower Bubunawan River Hydro to be implemented by First Gen Renewables Inc. (FGRI) and the P1.5 billion 9MW run-of-river hydroelectric power plant of Turbines Resource and Development Corporation (TUREDECO).

First Gen Renewables, Inc. (FGR I) is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Gen which seeks to develop greenfield prospects in the renewable energy market; particularly, for solar, mini and small hydro and wind.

FGRI, through its subsidiary FG Bukidnon Power Corporation (FGBPC), owns and operates the 1.6-MW Agusan mini-hydro power plant in Damilag, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

The first two projects will be exclusively supplying their 45MW production to CEPALCO while TUREDECO will operate as a merchant plant. The 54MW output of the three projects is estimated to meet the expected growth in Cagayan de Oro’s power demand in the next nine years.

Rates... from page 1

said.

TMI is the wholly owned subsidiary of AP and operates two 100-megawatt power barges, PBs 117 and 118, in Mindanao. Their output was sold to NGCP for reserve supply.

Last month, the ERC ordered TMI to reduce the rates of PB 117 from P0.77688 per kilowatt-hour to P0.5564 in 2010, P0.5302 in 2011 and P0.5040 in 2012; and that of PB 118 to P0.5150, P0.4912 and P0.4675 for the same years.

Batiquin explained that TMI wants to start the refund process as early as possible, and is in the phase of complying with all regulatory requirements, notwithstanding the reconciliation of the figures involved where the actual refund amount will be submitted to ERC for approval.

NGCP is supposed to apply the refund to the bills of electric cooperatives and distribution utilities, which in turn are expected to pass the benefit to end consumers.

“With the full cooperation of all parties, the entire process should hopefully take four to six months,” Batiquin said.

The Mindanao Grid continues to be in critical condition due to inadequate power supply, and the situation is seen to continue until new power plants come online by 2015.

AboitizPower is currently developing projects that will add 354 megawatts (MW) of power in Mindanao within the next three years to help address the critical power shortage in the island.

The additional capacity will come from the 300-MW clean coal facility of Therma South, Inc. and 54-MW of run-of-river hydro plants to be built by Hedcor, Inc. Both

are wholly-owned AboitizPower subsidiaries.

At present, TMI supplies its power to 23 electric cooperatives and distribution utilities. This has resulted to minimal or zero brownouts in some areas of Mindanao, which used to experience up to 10 hours of brownouts a day.

Cargo... from page 1

shorter turn-around time for their stocks to come into Northern Mindanao, therefore, making way for lesser expenses and faster travel.

For the domestic-bound ships, the volume of noncontainerized cargo increased from 2,126,825 MT to 2,316,455 MT or 8.92 percent, and those for foreign-bound ships, from 2,659,869 MT to 2,960,427 MT, or 11.30 percent.

Domestic inbound noncontainerized cargo, likewise, increased from 1,100,462 MT to 1,175,755 MT or 6.84 percent, and outbound cargo, from 1,026,363 MT to 1,140,700 MT or 11.14 percent.

Of the foreign-bound non-containerized cargo, impor ts increased from 1,349,889 MT to 1,839,082 MT or 36.24 percent, but ex por t s decl i ned f rom, 1,309,980 MT to 1,121,345 MT or -14.40 percent.

During the first quarter, the number of the 20-footer equivalent unit (TEU) containers handled by the ports of the region also increased from 98,797 to 110,902 or 12.25 percent.

Of these TEU containers, those handled by the domestic-bound ships increased from 68,163 to 78,998 or 15.90 percent, while those handled by the foreign-bound ships also increased from 30,634 to 31,904 or 4.15 percent.

Again, of the TEU containers handled by the domestic-bound ships, inbound containers increased from 35,126 to 40,912 or 16.47 percent and outbound containers, from 33,037 to 38,086 or 5.28 percent.

Of the TEU containers handled by the foreign-bound ships, imports declined from 15,880 to 14,897 or -6.19 percent, but exports increased from 14,755 to 15,880 or15.27 percent.

On the other hand, passenger traffic during the period was noted to have declined, from 1,673,815 to 1,502,444, or -10.24 percent.

Particularly, disembarking passengers declined from 857,959 to 777,706 or -9.35 percent while embarking passengers also declined from 815,856 to 724,738 or -11.17 percent.

Issue... from page 1

the political will and intervention of active, competent local governments. They must be supported at the national level through strong policies and sustained, sufficient financial commitments,” said UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction Margareta Wahlström and Dr. Joan

Clos, undersecretary-general and executive director of UN-Habitat, in the foreword of the 114-page UNISDR study Making Cities Resilient Report 2012, released on September 4.

Making Cities Resilient Report 2012—led by Dr. David Satterthwaite, senior fellow of the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)—said that political leadership is more important than a city’s wealth when it comes to protecting the lives and economic assets from disasters.

The Report, which analyzed 49 local governments all over the world—including Albay province; San Francisco town in Cebu province; and the cities of Quezon and Makati in Metro Manila— found out that there are six (6) Enabling Conditions for Building Resilience, and these are (1) leadership and political will; (2) sustainability of institutional capacities and resources at local level; (3) ability to engage in highimpact activities early on; (4) partnerships and city-to-city learning opportunities; (5) integration of disaster risk reduction across sectors; and (6) recognition of the improvements needed to make infrastructure more resilient. “These factors and others form the essential foundations of resilience.”

“Building political momentum for risk reduction is a key building block for improving disaster resilience. Particularly where substantial changes to the status quo are necessary, political will is vital in terms of introducing new and progressive risk reduction practices and policies. Strong, charismatic local leadership is an important ingredient in building popular support for risk reduction. The ability to engage individuals on a personal level and stimulate the participation of multiple stakeholders is essential to the effectiveness and sustainability of disaster reduction plans,” the Report said.

“Although no city can ever be entirely safe from natural hazards, they can be more resilient to the destructive forces that claim lives and assets. A resilient city is characterized by its capacity to withstand or absorb the impact of a hazard through resistance or adaptation, which enable it to maintain certain basic functions and structures during a crisis, and bounce back or recover from an event,” it added.

Wa hlström, U NISDR chief who was in this southern Philippine city in a lowprofile visit last January to assess the damage wrought

by Tropical Storm Washi (Sendong) and the city’s response to it said: “Building resilience is a forward-looking, target-driven approach to urban development that uses a wide range of measures addressing all elements of urban systems. Ensuring these targets are met demands all levels of communities and governments work together to ensure the safety of all people

and protect the economic, social, environmental, and cultural assets and attributes which define the unique character of each city.”

The UNISDR defined a resilient city as one where (1) disasters are minimized because the population lives in homes and communities with organized services and infrastructure that adhere to sensible building codes; without informal settlements built on flood plains or steep slopes because no other land is available; (2) an inclusive, competent and accountable local government is concerned about sustainable urbanization and that commits the necessary resources to develop capacities to manage and organize itself before, during and after a natural hazard event; (3) the local authorities and the population understand their risks and develop a shared, local information base on disaster losses, hazards and risks, including who is exposed and who is vulnerable; (4) people are empowered to participate, decide and plan their city together with local authorities and value local and indigenous knowledge, capacities and resources; (5) steps are taken to anticipate and mitigate the impact of disasters, incorporating monitoring and early warning technologies to protect infrastructure,

community assets and individuals, including their homes and possessions, cultural heritage, environmental and economic capital, and is able to minimize physical and social losses arising from extreme weather events, earthquakes or other natural or human-induced hazards; (6) there is an ability to respond, implement immediate recovery strategies and quickly restore basic services to resume social, institutional and economic activity after such an event; and (7) an understanding exists that most of the above is also central to building resilience to adverse environmental changes, including climate change, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“What makes a city resilient to natural and humaninduced hazards can be seen as a combination of resilience accumulated through the process of urbanisation and planning, on one-hand, and the result of specific actions to reduce disaster risk on the other…A city also builds resilience through the engagement of its government, citizens and other stakeholders in the process of disaster risk reduction, where specific actions are taken to identify, manage and lessen the impacts of natural and human-induced hazards,” the report added.

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Butuan’s homegrown university features environmental advocacy

By ROBERT E. ROPEROS Contributor

BUTUAN City -- Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU), the fi rst and only homegrown university, will feature environmental advocacy in time with the university’s Foundation Week celebration from September 11-15.

The university pays homage to mother earth as it celebrates its years of academic excellence and community service. Celebration is anchored on the theme “Sustaining Academic Excellence, Achieving Ecological Welfare,” the FSUU foundation anniversary Advocacy Committee Head Ivy Flores said.

One of the events lined up is the fun run, dubbed “Run and Row for M.E. (Mother Earth),” which will be held on

Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. It will be capped with the witnessing of the fi rst friendly dragon boat race participated in by Agusan Colleges, Butuan

World Software Freedom Day celebration set at Capitol U. THE A4 Mindanao Alliance (A4MA) in cooperation with the CDO IT Group and the CU Computer Studies Department celebrates World Software Freedom Day on Sept. 15, 2012 at Capitol University.

“We espouse sustainable technology education and empowering the general public through the World Software Freedom Day,” said Noel G. Butad, CEO of A4 Mindanao Alliance.

The day-long event features five IT experts at the three computer laboratories of the Computer Studies Department of Capitol University. The whole event is offered to the public absolutely free.

Among the scheduled presentations are the following: • Linux for Fun and Profit, 9:45-11:45AM at the Computer Lab A by Romar Mayer Micabalo, systems administrator/IT consultant and IBM Certified Systems Administrator; • Test Driven Development, 9:45-11:45AM at Computer Lab C by Paul Michael Labis, software engineer and JavaEE applications Expert at Social Media Science Ltd.; • Setting up your own Nginx Webserver, 1:303:30PM at Computer Lab A by Jonathan Janairo Doblados, SLMIS System Administrator, Computer and Information Services Office, Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan; and • Internet of Things: Arduino and the Web, 1:303:30PM at Computer Lab B with Aryan Lowell C. Limjap, Network Engineer, CU ICTC. Software Freedom Day (SFD) is an annual worldwide celebration of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). SFD started in 2004 and was first observed on 28 August of that year with 12 teams participating.

Since 2006 SFD has been held on the third Saturday of September.

Software Freedom Day is an event with hundreds of teams from all around the world running local events to help their communities understand Software Freedom. One way of joining SFD is to join an existing SFD event. Check to see if there is already a team registered in your area.

If there is one, you can always join them and help them to make their events successful. It’s FUN to join SFD! This public education effort is aimed at increasing awareness of FOSS and its virtues, and educating the worldwide public about the benefits of using high quality FOSS in education, government, at home, and in business.

Software Freedom International (SFI) is a nonprofit company based in the USA whose primary function is to coordinate Software Freedom Day all around the world. SFI provides support, giveaways and a point of collaboration, but volunteer teams around the world organize the local SFD events to impact their own communities. All contributors to the success of SFD volunteer their time.

Help is always needed to organize SFD. You can help to design marketing materials, spread the words out, decorate the venue, take photos, demonstrate or present about Free Software in the event, etc.

“A4 Mindanao Alliance shares SFI’s vision to empower all people to freely connect, create and share in a digital world that is participatory, transparent, and sustainable,” Mr. Butad said.

“We also share SFI’s objectives for SFD which are to celebrate software SOFTWARE/PAGE 9

Doctors College, and FSUU. Flores further said the main objective of the activity is to increase environment awareness along with two

physical recreations.

“With such activity, we enjoin everyone to be conscious of the things that matter most in life – like health and our

environment by running and keeping fit whilst bearing in mind that the same discipline must be afforded for our Mother Earth,” Flores said.

Further, Flores said the friendly dragon boat race will show how passion and strong will of many can move the people in the region to achieve greater things while also featuring the majestic Agusan River for better appreciation of nature.

“As an academic institution, the university takes on the responsibility of sharing the knowledge and building each one’s consciousness on the importance of caring for and protecting the mother earth,” Flores said.

FSUU was founded in 1901 by the Jesuit priests led by Father Saturnino Urios. The name of the school then was Butuan Parochial School.

In 1935, the Missionaries

of the Sacred Heart took over the missionary work from the Jesuits, and in 1939, the high school was opened.

In 1990, two concrete buildings were constructed in the main campus. The fourstorey building is where the Engineering and Technology and Nursing classes are held and the two-storey houses the faculty center and chapel.

Another four-storey concrete building was constructed in 1997 that is occupied by the high school during the day and the college in the evening.

It has 32 classrooms and 15 spaces for laboratories, library and offices. Adjacent to it is a gymnasium, which can accommodate 3,000 persons.

In 2006, Father Urios College was converted into a university status and was named Father Saturnino Urios University, named after the Jesuit priest.

Tangub holds month long fiesta

By RUTCHIE C. AGUHOB

TANGUB City -- The town has held month-long town fiesta in honor of St. Michael the Archangel.

First in the series of the celebration was the Alay Lakad on September 7, which started after “Hataw” at the City Plaza, with a walk around the main streets of the city towards the City Sports Complex, where TaeBo exercises took place.

The program was highlighted by the formal presentation of the 12 candidates for the Miss Tangub City Tourism 2012, each representing a school or organization, namely: Hanie Mae S. Dizon North District, Janine P. Bayotas- Unified High School, Meryl Mae D. Datoy-Tangub City National High School, Repril R. Paller-Local Government Unit, Vielka May J. Marte-Association of Barangay Captains/Sangguniang Kabataan and Pretsel D. Gerundio-National Agencies.

Claudine P. Lozada-Gov. Alfonso D. Tan College, Mary Joy J. Delmo-Dona Maria D. Tan Memorial Hospital, Wendelyn L. Tulba-Southwest

District, Ferlie J. PelegrinSouth District, Shyn Marie A. Niez-Central District, and Ina Kristine E. LabaresNorthwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology.

Dr. Jennifer Wee-Tan, the new President of the Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology (NMSC) and Chairperson of the City Tourism Council, said the pictorial of the candidates have been set at the

Lorenzo Tan Aquamarine Park in Barangay Lorenzo Tan on September 15.

Meanwhile, the Annual Ritual of Changing of the Garb of St. Michael has been set on September 20, while the talent presentation of the candidates for the Miss Tangub City Tourism 2012 is on September 23 and the employees’ cultural night on September 25.

Also set on September 26 is Radyo ng Bayan’s fi ft h an-

niversary, while the pictorial for Dalit Festival lead dancers is on September 27 at selected venues of the city.

Winners of the Miss Tangub Tourism 2012 will be proclaimed on September 28, during the pageant night, said Tan, who is also the Chairperson of the Northern Mindanao Tourism Council and Co-Chairperson of the Area Unified Tourism Organization (AUTO) Mindanao Cluster, said.

DOH-10 launch healthy lifestyle campaign

By JORIE C. VALCORZA

THE Department of HealthCenter for Health Development (DOH-CHD) Northern Mindanao kicked off yesterday the revitalized healthy lifestyle campaign dubbed as “Healthy Lifestyle (HL) to the Max.” The DOH announced that the campaign is part of its bid for the National HL Awards 2012.

On September 23, a simultaneous walk and “Hataw sa Northern Mindanao” will serve as the highlight of the region’s entry.

Eig ht cit ies such a s Cagayan de Oro City, El Salvador City, Malaybalay

City, Valencia City, Ozamiz City, Oroquieta City, Tangub City and Mambajao, the capital town of Camiguin will participate in the event.

“Hataw” is a physical activity guide approved by the health department.

This year, dancers will do the new Hataw exercise developed by the UP College of Human Kinetics for Filipinos.

Ot her initiatives undertaken include series of healthy lifestyle orientation around the region targeting national government agencies, colleges and universities.

The same information drive will also be initiated in print, television, and radio.

The campaign is designed

to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2015 target by way of raising people’s consciousness on healthy lifestyle habits that can prevent and control risk factors in developing non-communicable diseases and to encourage decision makers, government officials and law makers to provide environment supportive to healthy lifestyle.

DOH 10 Assistant Regional Director Dr. Jose R. Llacuna Jr. admitted that while infectious diseases in the country was not fully illuminated (but was significantly minimized), records in the region also presents an increase in the number of

non-infectious diseases, such us, heart problems, cancer and diabetes mellitus.

“This trend shows the double burden of diseases in the Philippine Public Health System,” he noted.

“The hope here is that we can still control or delay the complications of these diseases, what’s important is for people to take care of bodies,” citing further the need to follow the seven healthy lifestyle habits, to include the following: avoidance to smoking, alcohol, and illegal drugs; low salt, low fat, high fiber diet; prevent hypertension; doing physical activity; and good stress management.

12

September 14-16, 2012

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