BusinessDaily (June 11, 2013)

INSIDE LOOK

FIBECO conducts massive meter change in B’non

WB initiative defends small-scale mining

DENR to destroy P420-M worth of seized elephant tusks

‘Seize Your Power’: Calls for investment in RE

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Volume III, No. 232

Market Indicators

As of 6:03 pm june 10, 2013 (Monday)

FOREX

PHISIX

US$1 = P42.78

6,875.60 points

54 cents

X

173.65 points

X

Briefly Oil price hike probe A CAG AYA N D E O R O C i t y Councilor on Monday called for an investigation on the series of price of hikes of petroleum products during the past weeks.

Councilor Prexy D. Elipe told the City Council that prices of fuel products rapidly increased after the May 13 elections.

He said that prior to the May 13 elections prices of fuel products rolled back several times.

“It is unusual that prices of fuel products increase in the past weeks when the prices of petroleum products remained stable in the world market,” Elipe told the City Council.

Elipe also expressed his dismay on the discrepancy of prices of fuel products in Cagayan de Oro City compared to other cities in the country.

He cited that the price of diesel in Manila remains at P40 per liter while gasoline at P44 per liter. In Cagayan De Oro City, prices of diesel fuel ranges from P 48 to P 49 per liter while gasoline at P 54 to P 58 per liter.

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June 11, 2013

P15.00

DESPITE OPPOSITION:

P-Noy to unveil marker for airport’s opening Business community fears tailspin of Normin economy with airport’s ‘premature’ opening

By MIKE BAÑOS, Editor-at-Large and NELSON V. CONSTANTINO Editor-in-Chief

W

ITHthegovernment eager to start the operations of the P7.8 billion Laguindingan Internat iona l A i r por t, President Aquino is set to lead the final inspection and unveiling of a marker at the new airport today ahead of its scheduled commercial start on Saturday, June 15.

Joi n i ng t he President a re Transportation Secretar y Joseph Emilio Abaya, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Hyuk Lee and Chief Representative of Korea Eximbank Manila Office Tae-ik Park.

Marker/PAGE 11

New wage hike THE Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPBIX) has approved the new minimum wage rates May 6.

This shall take effect June 10.

R e p u b l i c A c t N o. 6 72 7, otherwise known as the Wage Rationalization Ac t of 1989, empowers the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards to determine and fix minimum wage rates applicable in the regions an d to i s sue c orres p o n d ing wage orders subject to existing guidelines issued by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC).

After conducting an evaluation of the region’s socio-economic and labor market indicators, particularly the region’s poverty incidence, the erosion of the purchasing power of the peso, as well as the problematic power situation prevailing in the region, the Board deemed it just and equitable to adjust and increase the current minimum wage rates.

Feature

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NEW AIRPORT: The facade of the Laguindingan Airport, which intends to serve the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan City corridor in Northern Mindanao. photo from mindanews . com

Laguindingan Airport: Most delayed government infra project in history

By BONG D. FABE, Associate Editor

THE soon-to-be-opened P7.8 billion internationalsta nda rd L ag u i nd i nga n Airport has earned a unique distinction in Philippine history — the most delayed government infrastructure project of all time.

Aside from that, it is also the only government infrastructure project that was initiated by a mother

and finished by a son as President Corazo C. Aquino commissioned the airport’s original plans in 1991. And today, her only son, President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III will inspect and install a marker on it for its much ba l lyhooed openi ng on Saturday, June 15.

Louis Berger Internat iona l, w it h t he

assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), did the Laguindingan Airport feasibility study and master plan in 1991 for President Aquino, who saw and want to meet the increasing and future aviation traffic demand along the Cagayan de OroIligan Industrial Corridor history/PAGE 11

A street vendor gives a welcoming smile to motorists along Tionko St. in Davao City, hoping to sell flaglets for the observance of Independence Day on June 12. mindanews photo by erwin mascarinas

J.P. RIZAL - CRUZ TAAL STS., (NEAR SHANGHAI BAKERY) DIVISORIA, CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY

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Economy

Inflation remains stable in May 2013 Headline inf lation remained stable at 2.6 percent as most commodity groups recorded slower growth of prices in May 2013, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). “ T he s t a ble gener a l inf lation rate in May 2013 relative to t he prev ious month was a result of the slower price increases of major commodity groups counterbalancing the higher growth in prices of selected food items and lower cutbacks i n domest ic pet roleu m prices,” said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan.

The headline inflation is of the same rate as in April 2013 but lower compared to the 2.9 percent rate in May 2012.

“This still leads us to an average inf lation rate of 3. 0 p erc ent for t he first five months of 2013, exactly at the low-end of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC)’s inflation target of 3.0 to 5.0 percent for 2013,”

the Cabinet official said.

Slower growth in prices was recorded for major commodity groups such as alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics (31.1% from 31.4%); clothing and footwear (3.5% from 4.2%); furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house (3.7% from 4.0%); health (2.7% from 3.1%); c om mu n ic at ion s (0.1% from 0.3%); recreation and culture (1.7% from 1.8%); and restaurants, miscellaneous goods and other services (2.3% from 2.7%).

“The inf lation rate of a lcoholic beverages and tobacco remained elevated at 31.1 percent owing to the lingering effects of higher sin taxes that took effect early in the year. However, this rate was marginally lower than the previous month’s

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D A E R

31.4 percent,” explained Balisacan, who is also NEDA Director-General.

Meanwhile, core inflation, which excludes selected volatile food and energy prices, f ur t her eased to 3.0 percent in May 2013.

This is slower relative to the 3.1 percent in April and 3.7 percent recorded in May 2012. The average core inflation from January to May 2013 tallied at 3.4 percent.

Headline inf lation in the National Capital Region (NCR) increased to 1.8 percent in May 2013. This is higher by 10 bps (basis points) compared to 1.7 percent in April 2013, even though lower compared to the 2.3 percent rate in May 2012.

Similarly, the inf lation rate in Areas Outside NCR at 2.9 percent in May 2013 was marginally higher compared to previous month ’s 2.8 percent, although slightly lower than the 3.1 percent rate in May 2012.

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Mining exec to address Caraga bizcon

By Roel N. Catoto

S U R I G A O C I T Y— A n official of a major mining firm will speak at the 18th Caraga Business Conference scheduled next week at the Hotel Tavern in this city.

Ta k a n o r i F u j i m a , p r e s i d e nt o f Ta g a n i t o High-Pressure Acid Leach (T H PA L)-Nic kel C or p. will give an overview of the company’s single largest investment the country.

The business conference will take place on June 13-14.

WB initiative defends small-scale mining

THERE are anywhere from 185,400 to 300,000 artisanal miners in the Philippines. They are part of as much as 30 million small-scale miners worldwide, indirectly supporting up to five times more people downstream.

Broadly speaking, artisanal and smallscale mining exploit marginal or small ore deposits.

It lacks capital, is labor intensive, has poor access to markets and support services, with low standards of health and safety and impacts significantly on the environment.

It occurs in some of the most remote areas in the world and involves some of the world’s poorest people. And it continues to be neglected compared to small-scale agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

And yet, artisanal and small mining generates up to five times the income of people who are driven by poverty to find livelihood in agriculture and forestry. It employs 10 times more people than does the large-scale mining sector, and stimulates considerable local economic developments.

It is of ten v iewed negat ively by gover n ment s , la rge compa n ie s a nd environmentalists. Concerns range from

the use of child labor and the potential for environmental damage (particularly through the use of mercury in gold mining) to the use of revenue to finance conflicts, the high incidence of prostitution, and the spread of HIV/AIDS where migrant workers are involved.

At the extreme, governments consider the sector illegal and attempt to ban it.

The World Bank’s Communities and Small-scale Mining initiative (CASM), launched in 2001, improved understanding of the sector, envisioning a positive livelihoods approach to artisanal and smallscale mining and responding to the need for cross disciplinary solutions and improved coordination between the major stakeholders.

Estimates of artisanal and small-scale miners vary from 20 to 30 million. The last official figures were 10 million (including defends/PAGE 10

To cont i nue ser v i ng these huge markets, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members that include the Philippines have committed t he m s e l ve s to d e ve lop national standards on timber legality.

The Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP) has been asking the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to issue a document certifying that the timber the sector uses such as plantation mahogany, gemelina, acacia mangium and falcate are not species indigenous to the Philippines

a nd a re fou nd on ly i n plantations.

This will help ascertain that such timber is not from natural growth forests and therefore are not in violation of any local or international laws.

Apart from this measure, CFIP executive director Salvio Valenzuela, a member of the Philippine delegation to t he TLAS work shop, said they are asking the government to undertake a timber tracking system.

Such system is meant to discourage cutting of trees in residual and natural forest areas and ensure chain of custody a nd lega lit y

billion investment.

THPAL is scheduled for commissioning this year in Claver, Surigao del Norte.

Willie A. Gan, president of SCCI encouraged the business sector to attend the regional business conference.

In October 2011, the New People’s Army launched simultaneous attacks on T H PA L a nd t wo ot her mining firms in Claver “for damaging the environment mining/PAGE 10

PPP Center to conduct study on BatMan pipeline

‘Seize Your Power’: Calls for investment in RE

G O V E R N M E N T- r u n Philippine Nationa l Oil Co. (PNOC) has enlisted the services of the PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) Center to help in completing a detailed feasibility study for the Batangas-Manila (Bat Ma n-1) natu ra l gas p i p e l i n e , Z e n a i d a Y. Monsada, energy department oil industry management bureau director.

“The PNOC has tasked the PPP Center to take the lead in finishing the study,” the energy official said at the sidelines of the Industry Emergency Response forum organised by the Philippine Institute of Petroleum last week.

Monsada said the study will include the terms of reference for the bidding of the engineering, procurement and construction of the ppp/PAGE 10

WITH a global call to action urging governments and financial institutions to increase investments in renewable energy (RE) to at least $40 billion (approximately P1.68 trillion) over the next year, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) recently launched its new international campaign under the slogan “Seize Your Power!”

“We are running out of time. If we continue to rely on fossil fuels, we will face a future of worsening air pollution and an increasingly inhospitable climate. It is our collective responsibility to commit to the future we want. We’re calling on political and financial decisionmakers to seize their power and make the switch to sustainable, clean and renewable-energy sources to finally end the inertia brought about by decades of reliance on coal, oil and gas,” said WWF International Director General Jim Leape.

The campaign was launched on World Environment Day on June 5 and generated a plethora of online activity.

The main call-to-action centered on signing a pledge to enable supporters to call for increased RE investments and phase out coal, oil and gas investments.

The pledge, which can be found at www.panda.org/ seizeyourpower, calls on both financial institutions and governments to act immediately by making stronger commitments to increase financing for RE technologies and policies. The WWF calls on investors to choose RE over coal.

WWF seeks major public commitments from governments and international financial institutions to usher in $40 billion in investments for the RE sector.

The public campaign will go live in over 20 countries to target public finance, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds. By establishing a business case for moving new money into RE, the campaign will reveal calls/PAGE 10

DENR urged to issue plantation timber certificate to furniture exporters FURNITURE exporters are asking the government to issue a certificate they can use in assuring their foreign buyers that the timber the industry uses come from a plantation, a legal and sustainable source.

This measure is among the recommendations made by the Philippine delegation to the recent subregional workshop on Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS) held in Malaysia.

This, as the consumer markets such as the European Union, the United States and Australia have developed policies to keep illegal timber from entering their markets.

Fujima is scheduled to speak on June 14, on the topic “Investing Mineral Proce s si ng i n Su r igao: Competitive Advantage of Mining in Caraga.”

He is given a 30-minute talk that includes an open forum.

Organized by the Surigao Chamber of Commerce and Industries (SCCI), Fujima is expected to give an overview of business opportunities from the mining firm’s $1.4

of sources entering and delivered to wood-processing plants.

Va len z ue l a s a id t he private sector shall also work closely with the government to push for t he passage of the Sustainable Forest Management Bill.

The proposed law includes timber tracking and chain of custody with improved governance capabilities in all levels of bureaucracy.

Moreover, Valenzuela said there is a need for the Philippines to undertake more efforts to increase awareness on timber legality system. issue/PAGE 10

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DENR to destroy P420-M worth of seized elephant tusks The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to destroy about five tons of confiscated elephant tusks estimated to be worth US$10 million or roughly P420 million in support of global effort to end the illegal trade of wildlife species.

DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje in a statement said the seized ivory tusks will be crushed by a road roller and burned in the presence of foreign experts and antiivory trade advocates on June 21 at the Ninoy Aquino

Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City.

“Our decision to destroy these ivory tusks that entered the country illegally is to show to the whole world that the Philippines will not tolerate illegal wildlife

Renewable Energy workers assured of safety C E B U C I T Y- T h e Department of Energy (DOE) recently conducted a public consultation on the Code of Practice of Renewable Energy Safety, Health and Env ironment Ru les and Regulations (RESHERR), which according to a DOE official, will ensure the health and safety of the industry’s workers.

Director Mario Marasigan of t he DOE Renewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB) told the more than a hu nd red pa r t icipa nts that all the inputs from all stakeholders of the different types of renewable energy will be given value.

Marasigan said renewable energy covers projects and facilities under geothermal, hydropower, solar/wind, and biomass.

He said the consultation is needed considering that most of the accidents in the industry are all due to human factors; 10 percent only are due to the machines and

merely two percent attributed to natural and unavoidable causes.

Marasigan said there has to be an investment on the human factor considering that all workers under the industry are always assumed to be put at high risk.

“There has to be preparedness for anything, any loss of life is also a loss of the company,” Marasigan said.

He mentioned that the recent accident in a power plant in Leyte involving a landslide would have caused more casua lties had the company not earlier applied safety precautions.

Marasigan said that for this year, there are over 300 renewable energy contracts approve d by D OE . He mentioned the two approved contracts for Cebu in the southern part.

He a ssu red t hat t he Code covers all projects, whether these are in the preenergy/PAGE 7

trade,” Paje said.

The destruction of the ivory tusks is one of the highlights of the national c ele br at ion of Ju ne a s Environment Month.

In 1989, the Geneva-based Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), to which the Philippines is a signatory, banned the buying and selling of ivory to combat a massive illegal trade that caused dramatic declines denr/PAGE 10

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FIBECO conducts massive change meter in Bukidnon

By Mildred Borbon Torrejas

To distribute power supply effectively in defected areas, the First Bukidnon Electric Cooperative (FIBECO) has conducted massive change meter in Purok 2, Poblacion, Valencia City, Bukidnon on June 4.

Mr. Armando Cantoy, ma nager, Inst it ut iona l S er v ic e s D e p a r t ment , FIBECO sa id t hat t he program is set to benefit identified areas that has defective kilowatt hour meters specifically ones greatly exposed to extreme heat of the sun and continuous heavy rains in which it is one of the reasons of the meters not running.

“It (not running meters) needs to be ca librated immediately and be sealed by the Energy Regulatory Commission so that the consumers will only pay what is due to them,” Cantoy added.

Meanwhile, Engr. Renato Cortezano, FIBECO general manager said that all area managers are required to submit list of filtered areas or routes wherein defective meters were seen so that the cooperative will take actions towards right away.

Cortezano added that if the consumers have noticed that their meters are not running, they can bring it to the FIBECO office and recalibrate it and if there are some discrepancies, like for example the meters are not registered based on ERC’s actual load basis, the consumers have the right to take back their bills.

Also, the massive change meter was conducted to secure all households safety and to avoid the increase of system loss or non-technical reduction of system loss.

The event was spearheaded by Mr. Ronald Flores of Purok 2.

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Don’t defeat yourself

T

THINK

hink a minute.Recent studies show that only 1 A Minute out of 3 people have healthy By Jhan Tiafau Hurst self-confidence.

That means 2 out of every 3 people simply don’t know the ability they already have to be successful, even though it’s right there in their hands!

If you want others to believe in you, you have to believe in yourself first.

Remember: “No one can make you feel inferior unless you let them.” A successful businessman says: “You can’t push anyone up a ladder unless he knows he can climb himself.”

One of the most lethal weapons that will kill your success in life are these 2 little words: “I can’t.”

Did you know people used to believe that if human beings traveled faster than 30 miles an hour it would stop our circulation of blood and kill us?

Thank goodness a few people didn’t believe that silly, wrong thinking or we wouldn’t be riding in cars, busses, and flying on airplanes today.

You’ll never know until you try.

Roger Bannister was the first human being to run a mile in less than 4 minutes.

But before he did it, most people in the world didn’t think it was even possible.

Yet only a few months after Bannister did it, suddenly runners all over the world began running a mile in less than 4 minutes!

If we believe something can be done, we’ll usually do it.

Too many of us spend our lives looking around instead of looking up to the One Who made us and knows our potential. hurst/PAGE 7

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Misplaced priorities deny the citizenry of basic services

I

N spite of the much-ballyhooed 7.8 percent growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Production, the country is still reeling in abject poverty.

The truth is that the people did not, or will never; notice any economic development in this country in the next 10 years.

Well, that is a conservative albeit an ambiguous statement.

What might be obvious is the fact that this country could never bail out of the quagmire of poverty in the future.

How could this country move forward as everybody wishes?

One could not even understand how the economic managers were able to justify the approved budget for the fiscal year 2013.

Perchance, we are ordinary mortals who do not understand the nitty-gritty of budgetary priorities.

This simply leads us to an unstructured understanding of state sponsored budget spending.

Nevertheless, we are looking at the budgetary priorities of the government in its simplest and concrete forms.

For instance, the government allocated a P 238 billion for the Department of Education this year.

Despite the huge amount, DepEd still suffers shortage of teachers, lack of classrooms, books, and amenities in public schools.

This problem leaves our jaws stuck in wonder on how DepEd is spending the taxpayers’ hard-earned money.

H

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Why do public schools ris iaz compla i n of t he lack of every thing when in truth the education department is financially stable?

There must be problems somewhere else.

Or, is this because that corruption still abounds in public schools and universities in the country?

We are not accusing the education department of its incompetence in handling public funds.

Notwithstanding, we are wondering how the education department is spending P 238 billion budget.

We also heard of public school teachers asking local government units for various infrastructure projects in their schools.

For instance, public school teachers begged for the construction of new school buildings at the expense of local government units.

Where does the DepEd allocate the budget for this purpose?

We want the education department to be transparent in the spending of public fund.

C

D

diaz/PAGE 7

The Basics of Sexually Transmitted Infections

ugging the front pages this week in the Business Daily, Mindanao Daily, is the rising number of HIV/ AIDS cases in GENSAN. It holds true for other places in the Philippines, too, and looking at our very own city, the Department of Health Epidemiology Unit has released data that in CDO, 8 new cases were reported for the first quarter of this year, which is higher as compared to only 12 cases for the entire year of 2012.

HIV/AIDS is just one of the sexually transmitted diseases known to man, with no known cure as yet. I will reserve another time for HIV/AIDS updates later. For now, I want to touch on the basics of what we should know about sexually transmitted infections ( STI’S ). The disease is generally acquired by sexual contact. The micro-organism is passed on from one person to another in blood, semen, vaginal and other bodily fluids. Although there are non- sexual means of transmitting the disease, such as that of mother to child during deliveries, blood transfusions , shared needles for injecting drug users, our main focus for now, is that, which is transmitted through sexual contact.

The etiologic agents for STI’s can be bacterial, parasitic, or viral. The most commonly encountered bacteria include gonorrhoea, syphilis, Chlamydia, and for the parasites, Trichomonas. Herpes, Human Papillomavirus ( HPV ), Hepatitis B, are viral agents that is transmitted through sexual contact. The time from exposure to that of manifesting the illness through signs and symptoms vary with the organism, as well as the immune status of the patient. Risk is markedly increased when there is unprotected sex ( lack

HEALTH

of use for condoms ), those with multiple sexual partners, I n Focus men having sex with men.

By Dr. Mary Jean Loreche People with a previous history of STI, further increases his/ her chances of contracting the disease again. Persons who are into alcohol or drug abuse, are also at an increased risk.

It is worth mentioning too that, just being sexually active, will increase one’s exposure to the disease. Studies have shown that a person diagnosed for gonorrhoea has a 70-80% chance of infecting his female partner!

There are signs and symptoms that might indicate an STI, which are shared by these organisms., though certain manifestations may be more specific for a particular infectious agent. The infected partner may complain of discharges that are kind of unusual like it is more copious than the usual, with a certain smell, that may be associated with itchiness. Both men and women can manifest this unusual discharge. Pain on urination, pelvic or lower abdominal pain, and for women, they may notice intermenstrual bleeding or abnormal bleeding during their monthly period. Rashes, enlargement of the lymph nodes in the groin area, and sores or bumps in the genital, oral or loreche/PAGE 7

Be the hero Mr. President

Juni Law Office Cruz Taal St.,CDO Legal Counsel

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L

ower the cost of rice and stop starving of Filipinos all over the country. With the billions of dollars saved and earned by the government, it is a wonder why government cannot lower the price of rice to feed the people.

The farmers will not suffer the reduction in profits. It is the traders who will be wiped out. But why are they even allowed to do business with the staple food of the country to earn profits for themselves to the detriment of close 100 million Filipinos.

Yes, the economy is growing and all the foreigners are all praises but who cares, poor Juan Dela Cruz is starving.

Unless of course the survey companies are wrong which is probable all considering since they are managed by personal authoritative interests to drive public opinion for personal gain.

Why is it so hard to feed the Filipinos? It does not take a rocket scientist to realize starving the people will only lead to more chaos and destruction.

Lower the price of rice to a maximum retail selling price at Php 10.00 per kilo and all will be well. Unless of course, the influence peddlers who are well placed and rich who monopolize the delivery and supply of rice all over the country can stop you.

With political will and the popularity of the president this can be done regardless of any effects economist may say or do.

SUPER

We are already spending allegedly some 40+ billion on B randing the Conditional Cash Transfer By Harry Tambuatco for the select poor so why not divert this money to cover the distribution for the rice for all Filipinos to afford?

We can leave the other products in the free market allowing the price to be dictated upon by the laws of supply and demand. T raders, manufacturers and importers will learn their lessons when the consumers will stop supporting their products by refusing to buy them.

But to subject the poor Filipino to Php 40.00 for a kilo of rice is unconscionable. Be the hero Mr. President and lower the price of rice, now!

It seems nothing can be stabilized other than prices of commodities climbing especially the staple food and by the month.

While we may do without canned goods, meat poultry or fish, rice is our staple. tambuatco/PAGE 7

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Hurst... from page 6

So why don’t you look up to Jesus Christ today?

Ask Him to take full charge of your life, personally and professionally. You’ll be surprised how much more you can do.

Just Think a Minute.

Diaz... from page 6

O t her w ise, it wou ld be just fair to reduce the educat ion depa r t ment ’s budget to subsistence level.

Let other government depar tment such as t he health and social services departments enjoy more budget than any other does.

Another government that enjoys so much budget is the Department of Interior and Local Government Unit (DILG).

What for? DILG’s mandate is to supervise operation of local government units such as provinces, cities, and municipalities.

The interior department does provide funds for the operation of local government units. With an annual budget of more than P 121 billion, it becomes inevitable for Juan de la Cruz (the common man) to be disturbed.

Ca ndid ly spea k ing, the interior government department is one of the highly expensive “white elephants” whose huge budget

is unfair to the taxpaying public.

Can anybody explain why this government could not deliver the basic services that the citizenry really needs?

The health department’s 2013 budget is only P 54 billion, a budget almost equal to the annual budget of the social services department of about P 54 billion, too.

React: crisguardian@ yahoo.com

Loreche... from page 6

a n d b e c au s e f o r a n immediate medical evaluation.

These symptoms may appear a few days to even years later, after exposure depending on the organism involved. The manifestations may likewise resolve on its own minus intervention or treatment, but, the disease can progress with complications.

Complications may range from infertility, pelvic inf lammator y dis eas e, recurring infections, birth defects, to name a few. But, more than the above complications, is the fear of getting HIV/ AIDS. Studies have shown that when one is infected with a sexually transmitted disease, he/she may have increased risk of likewise developing HIV/AIDS. One’s risk for malignancies like lymphomas, cervical cancer for the females,

is also increased , when compared with the general population, who do not have the illness. A person infected with STI may be asymptomatic, and thus lull him/her into thinking that he/she is free from the disease.

Laborator y tests are available to detect the infecting organism. Blood, urine, discharges and other bodily fluids are the samples submitted for examination.

It is important to understand that we have what we call “ WINDOW PERIODS” which is the earlier period of the infection and although the disease is in existence already, the serological test may still be negative. It is good to have a follow up test and to interpret with caution a negative result.

A positive result is taken at face value but a negative result mean nothing.

Treatment will depend on the infecting organism: it is easier for the bacteria as antibiotics are available, though, drug resistance is something to worry of. Viral agents may be managed but not cured. Just thinking of being an accidental recipient of a sexually transmitted i l lness br i ngs w it h it psychological distress: the fear of having the disease, the complications that may accompany it, and the erosion of trust in one’s partner is not a simple event in one’s life.

Tambuatco... from page 6

Tuit ion fe es are sky rocketing as well and so are the educational supplies while the institutions suffer a quality acceptable to the community. Prices of fuel however out of our control make rather large profits for the established dealers and in the billions.

Our utility costs, well we can expect to continue rising as well.

Fish which is abundant so I still think is likewise becoming unaffordable with its prices going wild.

Imported goods however are dropping only to replace our local suppliers obviously with the effort to wipe them out.

This is bad economics.

Our ports are replete of smuggling we are told by media and we do nothing about it.

Help!

Energy... from page 5

development or development stage.

DOE Assistant Secretary Daniel Ariaso Sr. also gave the same reminder to all the participants.

“There is an earnest appeal to all stakeholders for safety and health as the most important because we can’t afford any untoward incidents, as much as possible, zero accidents,” Ariaso said.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama also graced the occasion, his first since his re-election.

He said that everyone must return to basics, being that people are responsible for nature’s destruction.

“We just have to keep on starting and we wish that

7

here in Cebu we will have a (Renewable Energy) facility that will produce more than 100 MW,” Rama said.

The gathering was attended by participants from all over the country. It was the last of a series of consultations nationwide.

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Liceo U Celebrates Freedom Day with Limketkai Mall Celebrate Philippine Independence Day with music and dancing at the Limketkai Mall with Liceo de Cagayan University’s performing arts groups this coming June 12, 2013 at the Mall Rotunda.

Showcasing Philippine pop and traditional cultural dances are three of the most sought after campus based dance companies, Liceo Folkloric Dance Troupe, Next Moves Modern Dance Company and the Next Moves Elite.

These homegrown dance groups have brought accolade and praise not just to their academic institution but to the country as well.

The Folkloric Dance Troupe represented the Philippines in several dance festivals abroad and graced the stages of Russia, Singapore, Vietnam and Korea.

Next Moves, both contemporary and hiphop units are one of the most admired and bemedaled schoolbased dance teams in the country.

These dance companies are under the direction of multi-awarded dance coach, Roger Odron.

Expect a flurry of colors, infectious music and top-caliber dance styles in a special dance concert in honor of the great Filipino spirit.

See you there!

The

Multiple iPad charger for schools

Story and Photos by Lenin Quiblat, Liceo U MassComm Intern

The slump in the gold price is leading to record demand from opportunistic investors, with some traders struggling to keep up with the demand.

During recent years with the rising price of precious metals, there has been an influx of businesses and individuals buying for your unwanted and unused scrap jewelry.

These kinds of metals are preciously rare and which tend to sell and buy perhaps.

Most people tend to buy these items are money collectors and some buy them and use them for decoration.

Gold in the past years seems to be very valuable and once you have any single gold in hand you can rich for an instant.

But for now, it seems to be whether they work for gold, they aren't that rich enough to support their needs.

Mang Ernesto, not his real name, 63 years old came from Batangas and now a gold buyer in Cogon come in a statement “Mahirap talaga ang trabaho kung walang pag susumikap, minsan walang benta minsan naman madami” he stated as our conversation goes by.

According to him, although this is the only job he has, he's proud of his job and regret nothing. “Hindi ako nahihiya kahit ganito ang aking trabaho,sapagkat napag tapos ko ang aking mga anak sa pamamagitan ng aking pagsisikap sa trabaho” he stated.

One should be tough enough to be able to accomplish the job. One should have a keen eye for you to be able to identify whether it's a real gold or not.

For Mang Ernesto's case, he's using a special magnifying glass suited for his eyes so he can identify which one are real and which is not.

Despite rising metal prices worldwide, the amount of gold traded in the country plunged by an unbelievable 92 percent in the first quarter of the year, leaving the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to wonder where the precious metal all went.

Given the continuing high price of gold and the increasing number of small-scale mining areas, the decrease in gold purchases by the BSP clearly means that the gold output is going to the black market and smuggling, although the gold output has been declining in 2012, it has so far been markedly higher than the

quantity brought to the BSP. Taxes imposed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue on gold trade in 2011 may have led gold buyers and sellers to trade underground or smuggle it abroad. This way, they could avoid paying the two percent excise tax and the 10 percent creditable withholding tax to the government.

It has been difficult to track actual production of gold, which was mostly mined by small-scale miners and with the global economy still floundering, gold is seen as a safe haven for investment.

It is expected greater gold volumes in the coming quarters as big mining companies have been set to operate in various parts of the country.

iLuv Creative Technology, the premier provider of the most comprehensive line of accessories for the mobile lifestyle, announces the release of MultiCharger-X, an easy way to charge, sync, protect, and manage multiple iPad devices efficiently.

Winner of the 2013 internationally recognized iF product design award and the 2012 Good Design award, MultiCharger-X is revolutionizing the way businesses, schools, and medical offices utilize the iPad. MultiCharger-X combines the best of form and function. This 10-bay charger for the iPad was built with a minimalistic exterior to better match the iPad and other iOS devices it was designed to work with.

It has rounded corners for safety, handles and optional attachable wheels for portability, and a locking door for security. It also features individual 3-color LED lights that indicate when the iPad devices are charging, has charged or is syncing.

The daisy-chain feature allows the MultiCharger-X to be linked to two additional units to sync up to 30 devices with iTunes.

It allows users to sync data, menus and updates across multiple iPad devices, making it an ideal tool to help manage high-tech investments.

Additionally, MultiCharger-X will work with any of your new Lightning pin devices including new Lightning pin iPad 3s and iPad minis.

The MultiCharger-X can store up to ten iPad devices in one unit and can be stacked on top of each other to help maximize space, making it a convenient and portable business tool.

The MultiCharger-X also includes a lock and a set of two keys that provide extra security for iPad devices.

MultiCharger-X and other iLuv products are distributed in the Philippines by MSI-ECS Phils, Inc. For pricing, availability and complete product specs, please email mfangeles@msi-ecs.com.ph

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DENR...

Mining...

in elephant populations throughout most of Africa in the 1970s and 1980s.

E lepha nt s a re l isted in Appendix 1 of CITES, which means they are highly endangered, and are banned from international trade.

CITES said the high demand for ivory found in elephant tusks drives the killing of the animal, especially in Africa.

CITES is an international agreement adopted in March 1973 to regulate worldwide commercial trade in wild animal and plant species.

It earlier reported that the current black market price for ivory is $2,000 per kilogram.

In 1997, the Conference of Parties of CITES has included the Philippines as one of nine countries of priority of concerns as regard illegal ivory trade, particularly its role as a trade route and transit country for elephant tusks.

The other eight are Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, which are considered as major sources of ivory in illicit trade; China and Thailand as destinations of illegal ivory; and Hong Kong, Malaysia and Vietnam as trade routes and transit countries.

The DENR’s Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) has been designated as t he countr y’s CITES Ma nagement Aut hor it y pursuant to Republic Act No. 9247, or the Wildlife Resource Conservation and Protection Act. Those who are expected to witness the destruction of conf iscated elepha nt tusks are representatives from the CITES Secretariat, the Nairobi-based Lusaka Agreement Task Force led by its chairman Bonaventure Ebay i, t he Nationa l Geographic Africa, and member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Top executives from the Department of Justice and law enforcement agencies such as the National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Customs, Nat iona l Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the Philippine National Police were also invited to attend the event.

Secretary Paje will keynote the event, with messages from the representatives of the Lusaka Agreement Task Force and CITES Secretariat.

Lawyer Bryan Christy, an investigative journalist of National Geographic, on the hand, will give a presentation entitled, “Battle for Elephant: the Global Ivory Trade.”

and violating the rights of Lumads, peasants and workers.”

The rebel group alleged t h a t T H PA L’s n i c k e l processing plant is a gross air pollutant in the province.

(MindaNews)

from page 5

from page 4

Defends... from page 4

to 50 percent women and 10 percent children), estimated by the International Labor Organization in 1999.

Over the past 10 years numbers have increased dramatically, driven by a host of factors including i nc re a si n g gold pr ic e s (rocketing from $290/ounce in October 2001 to $1740/ ounce in October 2011).

Other factors are new conflict areas where artisanal a nd sma l l sc a le m i n i ng activity can be a source for funds (particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo), and increased dema nd for minera ls such as tin, tantalum and tungsten (all used by the booming personal electronics industries).

Overall, artisanal a nd sma l l-sca le mining contributes 15-20 percent of global minerals and metals.

Wit hin t his, t he sector produces approximately 80 percent of all sapphires, 20 percent of all gold and up to 20 percent of diamonds.

Artisanal and smallscale mining operates in over 80 countries and is the dominant livelihood in some. In the Central African Republic two-thirds of people are estimated to rely directly or indirectly on artisanal dia mond mining a nd c on s er v at i ve e s t i m ate s suggest it injects as much as $144.7 million into the economy.

Artisanal and smallscale mining shows considerable diversit y in sca le (from rudimentar y mining with picks and shovels to small-scale mining with simple machinery) and in employment (from diggers to the miner or gang leader).

Diggers tend to be wage laborers who are excavating, washing, hauling, picking a nd sor t i ng wa ste a nd transporting or providing security.

T h e y o f t e n i nc lu d e women, the elderly, and children. They are hired by the miner or gang leader – owner of the equipment, ghetto or pit – who bears all the costs and sets the terms of employment.

Mo s t a r t i s a n a l a n d

smallscale mining is informal: operating in the absence of an applicable or appropriate legal framework. However, some miners operate within a legal framework, holding land titles and government p e r m i t s , p ay i n g t a x e s and subject to social sand environmental regulations.

Ot hers are il lega l: operating in contravention of an applicable or appropriate legal framework.

Miners can be local people or migrants from within country or from neighboring countries. Artisanal and smallscale mining may be year-round or seasonal.

The large-scale mining sector employs approximately 2-3 million people. Artisanal a nd sma l l sc a le m i n i ng employs roughly 10 times more, with earnings varying greatly from subsistence amounts to $2,400 a year for gold miners in Indonesia.

La rge-sca le mining can ma ke huge revenue c ont r i but ion s t h r ou g h national taxes, but benefits do not always reach local and poorer communities.

I n c o nt r a s t , a l t h o u g h artisanal and smallscale mining may not a lways be officially taxed, it can provide immediate, direct and local economic inputs.

(ScienceNewsPhilippines)

PPP...

from page 4

project, and that it should be completed within the year or first quarter next year.

The PPP Center (formerly known as Build-Operate and Transfer Center) was tasked under the Executive Order 8 series of 2010, and signed in September 9, 2010, to facilitate the coordination and monitoring of the PPP programmes and projects.

Cosette V. Canilao, PPP Center executive director, said PNOC has tapped the Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF) to undertake the study and structuring of the BatMan-1 project for a possible PPP partnership.

Monsada said t he PPP Center has a pool of international consultants, and the government wants to have an international perspective.

The proposed 100-kilometer BatMan-1 pipeline, initially estimated to cost around $100 million to $150 million, is supposed to run from the Malampaya gas-fired facility in Batangas to Sucat, Parañaque. The BatMan-1 is targeted to be operational around 2015 to 2016.

“The pipeline, which will

most likely be a monopoly, the ownership will be with the government. But the study will best determine who will operate or maintain the pipeline, which I will be including in the study,” Monsada said.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) earlier expressed interest to finance the BatMan-1 project a f ter prev iously conducting the prospects of the Philippine natural gas sector.

The Jica study said there is a 600-megawatt demand from industries within the vicinity of the pipeline, and that demand from these industries—excluding that of power-generation firms—will justify the construction of the pipeline.

To date, industries are pay ing a rou nd P60 per kilocalorie for bunker fuel or diesel compared with only P29 per kilocalorie for natural gas. (Eco-Business)

in the cleaner, better longterm option, which is RE,” explained WWF-Philippines Vice Chairman and CEO Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan. “The call to action we’re launching today is an invitation for our decision-makers to invest in the future we want. The world is changing. Let us get onboard and be part of the future.”

While $40 billion is only the initial amount needed, the WWF believes that fresh investments are essential turning points to shift funds from risky fossil fuels into RE. “The WWF fully supports the call of numerous local groups in Palawan to do away with plans to build a coal-fired power plant— and to instead invest in the province’s rich RE resources,” explained WWF-Philippines Climate Change and Energy Program Director lawyer Gia

Ibay. “Local hydropower is available to meet Palawan’s future energy needs. This will be far cheaper than the proposed coal plant.

Why should we force our countrymen to buy dirty, ex pensive fossi l f uels when cleaner and cheaper a lternatives are a lready available?”

Already, climate-change effects are mounting, with more vicious storms and floods battering the country.

“Whether we like it or not, the world is changing.

We can choose to ignore it—or we can act,” said Tan. “Investing in R E is one concrete thing we can do to limit dangerous climate cha nge, reduce risk s to human health, and safeguard the future of the Philippines.

This new opportunity is staring us in the face. What are we going to do about it?”

(WWF/BM)

Issue...

from page 4 During the subregional workshop on TLAS, t he Phi lippines sha red t hat timber legality is already bei ng promoted by t he government and private sector players.

TLAS orga nizer sa id ASEA N members a lso raised the need for increased exchange on approaches and solutions identified in Asia.

An ASEAN study highlighted ongoing work undertaken by these countries concerning trade integration, including work on an ASEAN single market and national single customs w indows as wel l as t he importance of linking this work to trade in timber a nd t imber products.

(PHILEXPORT)

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Calls... from page 4

the environmental, social and economic risks of the current dependence on dirty energy sources.

The Philippines has a special role in the campaign, as Palawan has been chosen as one of the battlegrounds for the shift to RE. Plans to build a coal plant are in the works, despite the fact that cheaper and cleaner RE sources like hydropower are locally available.

“In t he end, it is a l l about predictability. In a climate-defined future where everything is becoming more unpredictable, stability and control mean everything.

It is time to accept the true costs of dirty, expensive fossil fuels and to invest

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The Laguindingan I nt e r n at ion a l A i r p or t , with passenger terminal size of 7,184 square meters which may hold 1.9 million passengers per year, has been constructed with the support of Korea Eximbank, with an EDCF loan of $48.2 million and export credit of $62.8million or about $111 million out of total project cost of $167 million.

Abaya has expressed optimism that foreign airlines would be flying directly to Mindanao next year with the additional navigational aids to be installed at the international gateway in Northern Mindanao.

He said the operation and maintenance of the Laguindingan airport would be bid out to the private sector through the public private partnership (PPP) scheme of the Aquino administration.

It wou ld be reca l led that the DOTC decided to postpone the opening of Laguindingan Airport to June 15 to avoid disrupting the travel plans of passengers during the summer break.

The DOTC pushed back the transfer of the gateway to Northern Mindanao to the new Laguindingan Airport from the old Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City by one-and-a-half months.

The new airport was scheduled to open in April 30 but the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has received requests from airline companies to postpone the transfer until a f ter t he su m mer pea k season.

But business groups in northern Mindanao has been opposing the early transfer of operations of the Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro to the new international airport saying it has affected business activities in the region.

The absence of nigh vision facilities in the new airport prompted airline companies to limit their flights during day time from 8:00am to 6:00pm only.

The group said they now fear the economy could go into a tailspin over what they call the “premature opening of Laguindingan Airport.”

Even in the social media, netizens in the regions have expressed alarm over the economic consequence of the government’s move to go ahead with the airport’s opening despite of the lack of navigational equipment.

The highway is not ready, the road transport is all but

non-existent, it costs more to get a ride from Cagayan de Oro to Laguindingan than it is to fly from there to Manila,” said one over Facebook..

“The airport is not just ready to accept commercial f lights by June 15,” said another.

In a letter to President Aquino dated June 3, 2013, Oro Chamber President Efren T. Uy has reiterated the business sector’s fears about the impact to the region’s economy posed by the cancelled flights and risk to passenger safety posed by the new facility’s VFR protocol, suggesting instead the Philippine Air Force’s 15th Strike Wing now based in Sangley Point, Cavite instead use Laguindingan in the meantime.

Far from being happy at the new gateway, civil society groups from all over the region are apprehensive of the long-term effects of the airport’s opening on the economy since its Visual Flight Rules (VFR) regime would entail the cancellation of a substantial number of flights.

Petilla said the new airport would be operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) using VFR until its air navigation equipment is fully in place

by May 2014.

Businessmen who requested anonymity said the losses arising from the recent mishap of the Cebu Pacific in Davao Airport should serve as a red flag to the “premature opening” of Laguindingan airport.

The Davao City I nve s t me nt P r omot ion Office and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce made a “conservative estimate” of the losses caused by the Cebu Pacific crash covering the night of the crash, June 2 to June 4 when flights resumed : P3 million for cancelled hotel bookings, P500,000 for airport concessionaires, P1.5 million for transport service providers (vans, cabs, tourist buses, and car rentals), P50 million for other allied industries, P2 million for airport terminal revenues and P190 million for cargo.

“P250 million is a lot of money,” the businessman said. “With CAAP telling us up to 15 f lights a day could be cancelled, where would that put Northern Mindanao’s economy after nine months?

Although Laguindingan A i r por t was prev iously slated to open last April 30, CAAP accommodated

domestic airlines serving Lumbia Airport request for a postponement “to minimize disruption to passengers and to permit more time to rearrange flight schedules” ostensibly due to difficulties in spreading the word to passengers who had already booked their flights for April and May. While the airlines had i n it i a l l y s u c c e e d e d i n convincing government to push back the original April 30 opening date, the 45 day postponement has apparently failed to convince all carriers the airport and its support infrastructure is ready to receive flights by the planned 30 June opening date.

In a post over PhilippineFlightNetwork. blog, Philippine Airlines,, Cebu Pacific Air, Zest Air and PAL Express jointly expressed their displeasure at the DOTC’s decision to forge ahead with the June 15 opening of the new $190 mi l lion Lag uindinga n International Airport, set to replace the smaller Cagayan de Oro Lumbia (CGY) airport as the gateway to the northern Mindanao and Misamis Oriental provinces.

But a former Oro Chamber president Elpidio Paras is willing to give the June 15 opening date a shot.

“Let us accept t he compromise of June 15, provided the runway lights are operational so take-offs can be made after sunset and nominal support services, such as food and parking can be made available at the new site for the comfort of the passengers,” said Paras, himself a rated pilot.

“Transpor t facilities, such as bus/shuttle services, park and fly systems where passengers who intend to fly back within a few days can actually leave their cars (for a fee of course) at the airport parking area and be able to use their cars upon return.

The CAAP must ensure that the bad practices prevalent at Lumbia be controlled at Laguindingan,” he said.

However, Paras believes the operation of the new facility is still best left to the private sector.

“Perhaps with the new lead time, the operations at Laguindingan can already be bidded out so that the transition from CAAP to private operator can be fast tracked. Another issue is that many of the personnel needed at Laguindingan will need housing facilities; it would not be practical for them to commute daily as there will be nothing left

for them as transport rates are expected to be high.

There will be a considerable dislocation for many people who have worked and served for decades at Lumbia. I hope that government has contingencies for this,” he said.

S ec . Abay a s a id t he operation and maintenance (O&M) of the Laguindingan airport would be bid out to the private sector through the public private partnership (PPP) scheme of the Aquino administration.

The airlines currently operating from Cagayan de Oro Lumbia airport with average passenger traffic of 2,000 passengers per day are Philippine Airlines (PAL) its affiliate PAL Express, Cebu Air Inc. (Cebu Pacific), and Zest Airways.

The repor ted lack of ava i lable power needed to properly operate Laguindingan’s facilities remains another issue. In fact, word has it even local CA A P of f icia ls a re not comfortable with the revised opening date.

The Laguindingan Airport is a key infrastructure project which is crucial to unlocking the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor to more tourism and agriculture-oriented activities.

T he govern ment has previously announced that the new airport would be temporarily operated by CAAP using Visual Flight Rules (VFR) until its air navigation equipment is fully in place by May 2014.

L a g u i nd i nga n I nt e r n at ion a l A i r p or t , with passenger terminal size of 7,184 square meters which may hold 1.9 million passengers per year, has been constructed with the support of Korea Eximbank, with an EDCF loan of $48.2 million and export credit of $62.8million or about $111 million out of total project cost of $167 million.

History...

from page 1 (CIIC).

But her “vision” remained just that as the planned construction was taken over by the presidential election of 1992, which ushered in the Ramos administration.

In 1993, President Fidel V. Ramos approved the inclusion of the Laguindingan Airport i n h is ad m i n ist rat ion’s major infrastructure projects a f ter receiv ing t he recommendat ion of t hen M isa m is Or ient a l G o v e r n o r V i c e n t e Y. Emano. Emano endorsed

the airport proposal of then Guido Alfredo Delgado-led Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (Oro Chamber), now its “haphazard and premature o p e n i n g ’s ” s t a u n c h e s t opponent.

Only when President Joseph Estrada came into power in 1998 did “blood” was finally infused into the Laguindingan Airport project when his administration included it in the P59 billion he asked Congress to allot for his infrastructure-buildup program for 2000. But of that large amount, the airport project was only allotted a measly P375.8 million.

But financing scheme and land acquisition problems s t y m i e d t h e p r o j e c t ’s “transfer” from the drawing boards.

The came President Gloria Arroyo in 2001. Still, it took several years for the Arroyo “extended” administration to finally see the Laguindingan airport idea as feasible and v iable. During t he 76t h anniversary of the founding of Misamis Oriental, Arroyo visited the province and had a serious ta l k w it h Governor Oscar Moreno about it. During a meeting at the Pryce Plaza Hotel, she extensively discussed the project. Later, she formed a task force to work on all its details—master plan, proper t y ex propr iat ion procedures, access road, compensation for residents who will be displaced, etc.

On January 10, 2006, the Laguindingan Airport Development Project (LADP) was finally inaugurated with groundbreaking ceremonies presided by Arroyo herself.

Ground work s fol lowed immediately and by July 2007, the construction of the 4.4-kms access road started.

Early 2008, grading of the airport site area began.

Government even issued statements that Arroyo will open the airport before her

11

term expired in 2010.

The Laguindingan Airport, which is officially of international standard and not an “international air por t”, took over t wo decades [22 years to be exact] to construct. But until now, it is still unfinished as it has no an Instrument Landing System (ILS), a must for modern airports.

The lack of ILS is one of the reasons for Oro Chamber’s vehement opposition to its opening on Saturday, said Oro Chamber President Efren T. Uy. Moh ’D Naga Rasca l, director of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (C A A P) i n N o r t h e r n Mindanao said that the lack of ILS will reduced flights to and from Cagayan de Oro by 15 a day.

“This is precisely one of our major concerns why we are opposing the opening of the Laguindingan airport this year without the ILS. With the sunrise-sunset operation in Laguindingan, definitely millions of pesos w i l l be forgone due to reduced f lights, passenger traffic, and cargo volume not to mention the travelers’ safety and convenience,” Uy said in the Chamber’s June 3 letter to Aquino.

Wit hout I L S , pi lot s landing at the Laguindingan A ir por t w i l l use v isua l f light rules (VFR), a set of regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow him to see where the aircraft is going.

The ILS will be installed and operational on May 2014.

Despite its being “incomplete”, nothing and nobody (group or individual) ca n persuade President Aquino from opening the airport on Saturday. He will even check the readiness of this newest gateway to Northern Mindanao today (Tuesday, June 11).

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