BusinessDaily Mindanao (April 30, 2013 Issue)

INSIDE LOOK

Isuzu records flat growth

Union Bank’s 1Q earnings up by 40%

Gov’t vs climate change treats Summer Peace Festival 2013 launched

PCCI to pursue programs for bankability

BusinessDaily Economy

Motoring

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Misor projects PRESIDENT Beningno Aquino III laid out numerous projects in Misamis Oriental that helped in the economic development of the City during his recent presidential visit on April 22 at Pelaez Sports Complex.

“Malinaw naman po sa mga sulok ng ating bansa ang positibong resulta ng bagong kultura, ng integridad at katapatan sa pamahalaan.

Hindi ko po naabot ng magisa ito. Naabot po natin ito sa pakiki-ambag ng milyonmilyong Pilipino sa patuloy na pagsuporta ninyo sa ating agenda ng reporma at sa nagkakaisa nating pag laban sa katiwalian. Kayo, kayo mga Kagay-anon at mga taga Misamis Oriental, kayo ang gumawa ng pagbabago.”

PNoy tapped the shoulders of the Kagay-anons as he congratulated them for making 18 farm to market road projects a success, some of which are now useful to the people of Kinuguitan, Claveria, Laguindingan, Balingasag, Medina, Balingoan, Naawan, Gingoog and Cagayan De Oro.

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BU TUA N Cit y -- T he Caraga region is now out of the list of poorest regions in the country.

Caraga Regional De velopment C ou nc i l (RDC) vice-chairperson and the region’s National

2.91 points

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Office 10 will hold a Diskwento Caravan on May 2 and 3 in line with the 111th Labor Day celebration in the region.

The two-day caravan, with the theme “Presyong Panalo ang Empleyado,” will be held at the Provincial Capitol Ground in Velez Street, this city.

L aw ye r J o h n s o n G .

Cañete, DOLE-10 Regional Director, said the activity aims to provide an opportunity to the labor sector, most especially the marginalized workers, to buy commodities at lower prices.

Accordingly, suppliers of rice, canned goods, processed foods, soap, medicines and other basic commodities will be selling their products and discounted rates or prices.

Arts & Culture

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April 30, 2013

By ROBERT E. ROPEROS, Contributor

X X Briefly

Diskwento Caravan

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Caraga out among PH poorest regions

Market Indicators

As of 6:05 pm apr. 29, 2013 (Monday)

US$1 = P41.14

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Economic and Development Au t h o r i t y c h i e f D i r.

Carmencita Cochingco today that Caraga improved it s p over t y i nc idenc e significantly from 43% in the first semester of 2006 and 2009, to 34% in the

first half of 2012.

The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) earlier reported in its First Semester per Capita Poverty Threshold and Poverty Incidence among Families for 2006, 2009

and 2012 that there are no significant changes in poverty conditions in the country.

The R DC of f icia l a lso pointed out that with the latest development, this caraga/PAGE 11

Budget set to operate M’danao spot market

By NELSON V. CONSTANTINO, Editor-in-Chief With LORIE ANN CASCARO of MindaNews

T

HE green light for the start of the Interim Mindanao Electricity Market (IMEM) set in September this year gets another boost with the recent approval by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on the use of fees collected from Luzon participants in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) to operate the Mindanao spot market.

The ERC handed down the decision last week allowing the Philippine Electricity Market Corp (PEMC) to use P34.25 million in unused fees collected from Luzon WESM participants to set up the Interim Mindanao

Electricity Market (IMEM).

T he ERC i n it ia l ly approved a P24.26 million budget for IMEM, which like WESM aims to provide power plant operators a venue to trade their excess capacity. market/PAGE 11

REPAIR. Workers repair one of the posts in Agdao area in Davao City. The Department of Energy has already set the operation budget for the operation of the Interim Mindanao Electricity Market (IMEM) which is expected to bring down power rates in Mindanao. mindanews photo by keith bacongco

Fish production in POLL WATCH Villar hails gov’t-MILF agreement Normin drops by 2% ADVERTORIAL

for clean, orderly polls in M’danao

NACIONALISTA PartyTea m Pnoy senatoria l ca nd idate a nd former Las Pinas Rep. Cynthia Villar today hailed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to ensure clean, honest, and peaceful midterm elections, said it Villar/PAGE 11

By APIPA P. BAGUMBARAN, Contributor

FISH production in Northern Mindanao went down by almost two percent last year

to 153,644.20 metric tons in 2012, compared to that Normin/PAGE 11

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

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P4.65 M aid released PCCI to pursue programs to MSMEs in Region 12 for bankability of MSMEs

By DANILO E. DOGUILES Contributor

KORONADAL City -- Seven micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in General Santos City and Sultan Kudarat province has received total of P4.65 million in aid from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) 12.

Dr. Zenaida P. Hadji Raof Laidan, regional director of DOST 12 said these MSME beneficiaries were granted assistance via the agency’s flagship program, the Small Enter pr ises Technolog y Upgrading Progra m (SETUP).

In March, Laidan signed separate memorandum of ag reement w it h ow ners of enter pr ises based i n General Santos City and Tacurong City, namely: Aunt Ludi Bakeshop and Snack Haus, Greentropics Coffee Enterprise, Pan de Pugon ni Ka Chona, Rosechie Food Products and R & R Organic Ventures.

She also inked the same agreement with two other enterprises based in Sultan Kudarat provinces: RG Candy Factory and Albaran’s Coco Candy.

Au nt Lud i Ba keshop and Snack Haus, which

specializes in cakes and pastries as well as other short-order food received P1.984 M specifically for the upgrading of its bakery mechanization.

Gre ent ropic s C of fe e Enterprise will soon have a complete line of processing equ ipment i ntended to improve the quality of their coffee products out of the P975,000 fund allocation from the government.

Meanwhile, Pan de Pugon also aims at upgrading its coco biscocho production via acquisition of equipment worth P420,000.

Rosechie Food Products received P245,000 also to buy equipment that would upgrade its tart production.

R & R Candy Factory, maker of crackers and snack food products would like to upgrade its factory processing facilities and received an aid of P432,000 to accomplish this.

Albaran’s Coco Candy based i n Pres. Qu i r i no town in Sultan Kudarat was provided P229,000 for its “Sweetened Coconut Processing” project.

Moreover, R&R ventures aid/PAGE 10

THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) announced it will initiate programs that will strengthen the bankability of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to be able to access loans from financial institutions.

Speaking before a forum on Proper t y R ights and Access to Credit for Small Enterprises, PCCI President Atty. Miguel B. Varela said PCCI will work with its local cha mbers a nd f ina ncia l institutions to develop a database of credit worthy MSMEs that the chamber can endorse.

“Access to f ina ncing continues to be a hurdle for most small entrepreneurs.

One of the challenges is the inability of MSMEs to comply with certain bank

requirements, such as loan collateral, financial records, which ma ke ou r ba n k s reluctant to lend to MSMEs and would rather pay the penalties with the Bangko

Sentral ng Pilipinas,” Varela said.

Part of PCCI initiative is to develop one-stop shop for MSMEs where basic training programs on accounting,

preparation of feasibility and business plans, accounting and documentation as well as incubation, will be provided.

“Policy wise, the MSME pcci/PAGE 10

City Council lobbies for social pension to all senior citizens T H E C a gay a n de Oro Congress to amend the City Council here asked Expanded Senior Citizens Act to grant social pension to a l l bona f ide sen ior c it i z en s re ga rd le s s of income status.

Vice Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas said that the City Council passed Resolution No. 11395 on Monday seek ing a mendment to

Republic Act No. 9994 known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

Acenas said t he R A 9994 provides the elderly with privileges and benefits not included in RA 7432, also known as the Senior Citizens Act of 1992.

He said members of the City Council passed Res.

No. 11395 after a series of consultation with senior citizens here who asked the local legislative body to lobby in Congress to provide social pension to all senior citizens.

Acenas said that the existing benefits of the elderly do not include social pension to all.

P-Noy cites vital role of local govts in development M A R AW I Cit y -- T he important of role of local governments in bringing development at t he countryside was underscored b y P r e s i d e nt B e n i g n o S. Aquino III during his meeting with local leaders and the community in the province on Monday.

T he Chief E xecut ive sa id loca l gover n ments have an important role in making positive gains and achievements at the national level felt at the local level.

He poi nted out t hat efficient local leaders are the key to transform national prog ra ms i nto ta ng ible solutions that the locality can benefit from.

“L a long uu n lad a ng industriya dito ng cassava, s a g i n g , m a i s a t p a l ay kapag nakikipagtulungan ang inyong mga pinuno sa pagpapagawa ng mga farm-to-market roads sa i nyong probi nsiya (t he cassava, banana, corn and palay industry here will be cites/PAGE 10

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Motoring 3 Honda’s annual net Isuzu records flat growth profit soars to $3.7B CREDIBLE

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ISUZU Philippines Corp (I PC) on Mond ay s a id first-quarter sales were f lat despite a recovery in the medium and heav y-duty truck segments.

In a statement, IPC said it sold 2,734 vehicles in the January to March period, or six units more than last year’s 2,728.

But in the medium and heavy-duty truck segments, sales jumped 53.4 percent to 158 from the previous year’s 103, a llow ing t he company to corner over a third of industry sales in the Category IV and V segments.

In March alone, sales of Isu zu’s med iu m a nd heav y-dut y trucks more than doubled to 79 units from 37 in February.

The compa ny a lso enjoyed a month-on-month gain in the light-duty truck or Category III segment, with March sa les of the

N-Series up by almost a fifth to 126 from February’s 101.

Isuzu’s truck sales across the three categories jumped to 205 last month from 138 in February.

“The strong performance of Isuzu’s commercial truck models is directly parallel to the robust health of the Phi lippine economy. As various local SMEs [small and medium enterprises] and other businesses grow, so does the market’s need for vehicles that can be relied upon to move the country forward,” IPC executive vice president Takashi Tomita said.

Auto industry jacks up full-year sales goal THE automotive industry has jacked its sales project ion for t his yea r to a record 210,000 units following strong demand in the first quarter, historically a slow period.

Chamber of Automotive

Ma nu fac t u rers of t he Philippines Inc (Campi) president Roque Rommel T. Gutierrez told reporters on Monday that sales of at lea st 210,0 0 0 c a n be attained by yearend. Campi earlier forecast sales hitting

the 200,000-unit level this year.

Car companies belonging to Campi and the Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) sold a combined 41,702 vehicles during the first three months, up 29.3 percent year-on-year and “representing the biggest first quarter sales in the industry’s history,” the two groups reported early this month.

The 210,000-unit target includes sales of another g roup, t he A s s o c iat ion of Vehicle Importers and Distributors Inc (AVID), whose members sold 7,955 u n it s i n t he f i rst t h ree

Toyota Group sales rise in Q1 SALES of Toyota Group in the country rose in the first quarter, driven particularly by t he c a r s e g ment , a spokesman said over the weekend.

The g roup saw sa les increase 2.5% to $248 million in the first quarter from $242 million in the same period last year, Rommel T. Gutierrez, vice-president for Corporate Affairs of Toyota Motor Philippines Corp., told reporters via text message.

Toyota Group is composed

of 14 firms, including Toyota Autopa r t s Ph i l ippi ne s , Inc. a nd Ya z a k i Torres Manufacturing, Inc., that manufacture and provide parts for the assembly of Toyota vehicles.

About 95% of parts the group makes are exported to Argentina, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Venezuela and Vietnam.

The rest go to Toyota Motor Philippines Corp.

The Philippines exports G - a nd R-t y pe ma nu a l

tra nsmission, consta ntvelocity joints, and wire ha rnesses a mong ot her automotive parts.

The company said in September last year that it expects sales to increase in 2013 amid rising demand for Toyota vehicles and as supply has normalized from disruptions due to natural disasters that hit Japan and Thailand in 2011.

Toyota Motor grew sales by 35% to 16,970 units in the first quarter from 12,571 in the same period last year.

months, 4.1-percent lower than the 8,299 sold in the same period last year.

A number of distributors of luxury and Chinese car brands do not disclose sales figures, although their sales a re neg l ig ible v is-a-v is the number of brand new vehicles sold in the country.

JAPANESE automaker Honda said Friday its net profit for the year to March soared 73.6 percent to $3.7 billion, thanks to robust overseas sales, a weaker yen, and cost cutting.

The rosy bottom line figure underscores a recovery among the nation’s major automakers after Japan’s quake-tsunami disaster in 2011 devastated sales and production, and highlighted strong demand in the key Asian and US markets.

T he yen, w h ich ha s lost about one-fifth of its value on the dollar since November, has also helped, boosting Japanese firms’ competitiveness overseas and jacking up the value of their repatriated foreign income.

Honda, Japan’s thirdbiggest automaker, said it sold a record 4.01 million vehicles worldwide in the last fiscal year.

“In general Japan’s major automakers showed a brisk performance for the past fiscal year on the back of strong demand in North America and the positive impact of the weak yen,” said Shigeru Matsumura, auto analyst with SMBC Friend Securities.

“They are expected to continue to show firm results for the current fiscal year

thanks to those issues,” he added.

On Friday, Honda, Japan’s third-biggest automaker, said it earned 367.15 billion yen ($3.7 billion) on revenue of 9.87 trillion yen, up from 7.95 trillion yen a year earlier.

T he compa ny’s sa les i n C h i n a h ave a l mo s t returned to normal levels after plunging due to a bitter territorial row between Tokyo and Beijing that fuelled a consumer boycott of Japanese products.

The long-standing dispute f lared again in September when Tokyo nationalised some of a tiny East China Sea archipelago that is also claimed by Beijing, setting off huge demonstrations across China and the consumer boycott.

Japanese factories and businesses across China temporarily closed or scaled back operations over fears of being targeted by angry mobs.

But “we think the Chinese market will continue to grow, especially having seen the enthusiasm and the number of firms participating in the Shanghai Motor Show” this month, said Tetsuo Iwamura, Honda’s executive vice president.

“Our business (in China) Honda/PAGE 10

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To help garments industry

Surigao lash at power coop CONGEP calls for lower labor, power costs for spike in electric bills made apparel duty-free access The garments industry is hurting from the (NSO). increasing cost of doing business in the country, Meanwhile, combined to the U.S. particularly expensive labor and power costs. garment and textile exports T h e U . S . i m p o r t s According to Marites Agoncillo, executive director of the Confederation of Garment Exporters of the Philippines Inc. (CONGEP), labor is the highest cost component i n ga r ment manufacturing and is also a major factor that influences decisions in investment locations.

At the moment, operations of most members of CONGEP are concentrated in Regions 3, 4A, 4B and 7 where CONGEP is discussing possible wage f lexibilities with the Department of Labor a nd Employ ment (DOLE). If this is approved, Agoncillo guarantees that about 3,000 workers may be employed.

CONGEP is also agreeable to the two-tier wage system that the DOLE is promoting, she said. The system combines a fixed “floor wage” or entry-level wage for new entrants and low-skilled workers, and a f lexible wage above this floor level based on worker productivity and industry or enterprise performance.

This may be negotiated

between the employer and the workers.

During a recent round table discussion on manufacturing, she also shared the news about a garment firm that “brought in Coach bags” and in the near future, even shoes, because these products use the “same sourcing and ma nu fac t u r i ng pat ter n anyway”, she noted.

In fact, this factory has already set up trial operations in Bataan with an initial 500 workers projected to grow to 3,500 by the end of the year, she added.

Agoncillo also stressed the need to address smuggling and high power cost which makes up 15 to 20 percent of a textile company’s expense.

Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, with 3.9% sha re in t he tota l export receipts, ranked fifth export performer with value posted at $144.70 million in February this year. It slightly went down by one percent from $146.17 million recorded value compared to February 2012, according to the National Statistics Office

f rom t he Phi l ippi nes amounted to US$1.74 billion in 2012, down a significant 16.34 percent f rom t he $2.08 billion recorded the preceding year.

Overseas shipments of garments fell to $1.57 billion, a decrease of 17.03 percent.

Fabric exports dropped 7.26 percent to $170.36 million, said a new industry report from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The lower export numbers are also attributed by the DTI report to the appreciation of the peso and the low utilization of preferential tariff rates by the industry.

Exporters are reportedly reluctant to go through the process of acquiring preferential tariffs since doing so was expensive.

The garment and textile seg ment is now t r y i ng to improve its overseas performance by pushing for the passage of the Save Our Industries Act (SAVE ACT). The bill, first filed in the U.S. Congress in 2009 and then reintroduced in 2011, is expected to be reintroduced to the Congress this year. If passed, SAVE ACT would give a range of Philippines-

70 percent of Philippine garments exports.

The Philippines is also seeking to avail itself of t h e E u r op e a n Un ion’s Genera l i z ed Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), an arrangement that will allow countries to get more tariff reductions from the EU market from 2014.

To gain GSP+ status, a c o u n t r y mu s t m e e t two conditions: the nondiversification of exports and low proportions of EU import, and the ratification and implementation of 27 international conventions on human and labor rights as well as environment and governance principles.

The Philippines has met the first condition but still needs to comply with the second one, noted the paper.

The DTI said it is currently consolidating documentary evidence on the country’s compliance wit h t he 27 conventions.

Some 18% to 20% of Philippine garments exports goes to the EU. “We will get an instant lift if granted the EU GSP+ privilege,” said Agoncillo. (PHILEXPORT News and Features)

By Vanessa L. Almeda

SURIGAO CITY – Irate consumers f looded the Facebook site of the electric cooperative here over the past few days because of the steep surge of electricity bills while the daily brownouts lasting three to four hours persist.

Ju a n i t a O. S e r i n g , customer service department head of the Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative (SURNECO), s a id t he c au s e of t he increase is due to the hike in generation charges from the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) and Therma Marine Inc. (TMI).

She said SURNECO’s rate per kilowatt hour at P8 remains while generation cha rges f rom power producers have increased.

“The charges coming from TMI have already increased (which explains the increase) but our rates continue to remain the same,” Sering said.

E ng r. Jor ven R .

Villafranca, SURNECO systems analyst, explained to MindaNews that another

re a s on for t he h ig her generation charges is due to t he i ncrease i n t he “contracted power supply” the cooperative bought from TMI. He said starting this year, SURNECO had to increase the power it buys from the Aboitiz-owned power barge from five to six megawatts to help address the local deficiency of 10 MW. SURNECO originally wanted to get 8 MW from TMI but one of the latter’s power barges broke down last month, he added.

Surigao del Norte has a total peak demand of 26 MW but for the month of April, the National Grid C or p or at ion of t he Philippines (NGCP) can only serve 10.33 MW and Therma Marine, 6 MW. A February billing from TMI showed SURNECO will pay P44.343 million for the 6 MW it supplies to the Surigao del Norte area.

NGCP, although supplying electricity much more than TMI, is charging SURNECO much less, only P40 million power/PAGE 10

GenSan, Sarangani to host 23rd Minbizcon

By Allen V. Estabillo

BALLOTS FOR CDO. A worker unloads a box containing the official ballots for Cagayan de Oro’s 277,931 voters at the City Treasurer’s Office Wednesday night, April 24, 2013. The ballots stored in 360 boxes would be opened only on Election Day, May 13, 2013. mindanews photo by froilan gallardo

Thai-backed palm oil mill to rise in NorthCot CARMEN, North Cotabato – Carmen Mayor Rogelio Taliño led groundbreaking rites here Monday for the construction of a $10-million Thai-backed palm oil crushing mill.

The mayor said the yearlong construction of the mill that will serve planters in Nor t h Cotabato a nd neighboring provinces will start this month.

The Univanich Carmen Pa l m O i l C or p or at ion ( UC P O C ) b e h i n d t h e milling plant is backed by the Univanich Palm Oil Public Company of Thailand.

Un i v a n ic h-T h a i l a nd

chairman Apirag Vanich, toget her w it h h is w i fe Charntip Vanich, graced the occasion.

Established in 1969, Univanich pioneered the planting of oil pa lm in Thailand. It operates a palm oil exporting facility at the port of Laemphong in Krabi province.

“This is a dream-come true project of my father,” said North Cotabato Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, the mayor’s daughter.

She encouraged farmers to plant oil palm to augment their income.

Un i v a n ic h s a id t he facility will have a crushing capacity of 30 tons of fresh fruit bunches per hour.

The company said it will purchase oil palm fresh fruits from local farmers and will produce crude palm oil for sale both in the local and export markets.

The company expects that the milling facility will contribute significantly to the economic prosperity and stability of small farmers in different communities in the province and will cater employment to residents.

(MindaNews)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) in Mindanao has chosen this city and nearby S a r a nga n i P rov i nc e a s hosts of the 23rd edition of the Mindanao Business Conference or Minbizcon in September 2014.

Raymund Salangsang, president of the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (GSCCCII), said Tuesday t h at of f ic i a l s of P C C I Mindanao approved in a recent meeting its joint bid with the Sarangani Chamber of Commerce and Industry to host the 2014 Minbizcon.

“It was approved by a consensus of PCCI Mindanao reg iona l governors a nd chamber presidents,” he said in an advisory.

Sa langsang said t hey formally submitted a bid before Minbizcon organizers to host the 2014 gathering during its 21st edition last year held in Butuan City.

The move was supported

by Rey Billena, president of the Sarangani Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (SCCII), he said.

Alfredo Hebrona, regional governor for Southwestern Mindanao of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), said the joint hosting of the 2014 Minbizcon by the General Santos and Sarangani is a

positive development for the area’s business sector.

“This is a ver y good move. Gensan has a lot to offer in terms of investment opportunities, as the local economy is very vibrant, while Sarangani offers a lot of potentials in tourism and agribusiness and stable power source by 2014,” he said.

The GSCCCII last hosted the Minbizcon in 2007 while the SCCII has yet to host the conference.

The 22nd Minbizcon in 2013 will be hosted by Ozamis City, which submitted a bid in 2011.

The Minbizcon is the biggest annual gathering of business leaders and members of the chambers of commerce in Mindanao.

The Minbizcon traditionally gathers local and national businessmen, top government officials, ambassadors and business representatives from other countries.

Among the main features of the Minbizcon are the business and investment

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opportunities presentations and the conferences on the most important and current business issues.

Hebrona said t he M i nbi z con h ig h l ig hts t he Minda nao Business Policy Agenda, a list of recommendations from the Mindanao business sector, which is presented to the President for proper response and action.

The annual Minbizcon is a major event of the PCCI, the biggest organization of businessmen in the country. It is organized and implemented as a partnership among PCCI, the host chamber, and the host local government.

The event is chaired by the PCCI area vice president for Mindanao, and co-chaired by the local chief executive of the host local government unit.

T he P C C I Re g ion a l Governor ser ves as t he vice-chairman while the president of the host chamber serves as the conference director. (Allen V. Estabillo/ MindaNews)

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UnionBank’s 1Q earnings up by 40% PDIC expected to file for liquidation of ExportBank THE banking arm of the Aboitiz Group on Monday announced that its first quarter profit surged by more than a third on the back of higher interest income and gains from trading.

In a disclosure to t he Phi lippine Stock Exchange, Union Bank of the Philippines said its net income in the January to March period went up by 40.8 percent to P4 billion from the previous year’s P2.84 billion.

Based on its unaudited income statement, UnionBank ’s net interest i ncome -- ea rned f rom lending and investments

-- went up 15.6 percent to P2.049 billion from P1.77 billion the previous year.

Its other income from service charges and trading gains jumped 35 percent to P5.3 billion from P3.93 billion last year.

UnionBank’s expenses rose 19 percent to P3.05 billion from P2.56 billion last year. Its total resources improved from P280 billion at end-2012 to P315 billion

at end-March.

E a r l y t h i s y e a r, UnionBank acquired another Aboitiz-owned lender, City Savings Bank, which the

former intends to keep as a separate entity to expand the latter’s customer franchise and strengthen its retail business.

Asian Development Bank names new prexy THE BOARD of governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has elected Takehiko Nakao as its new president, the regional lender said in a press release on its Web site on Friday.

Fi f t y-s e ven-ye a r- old Mr. Nakao, Japan’s former Finance vice-minister for International Affairs, is the bank’s ninth president.

He replaces Haruhiko Kuroda, who resigned last month and took the post of Bank of Japan governor.

Mr. Nakao will assume office on April 28 and “finish

the unexpired term” of Mr. Kuroda that will end on Nov. 23, 2016, ADB said. “ T he A DB Boa rd of Governors looks forward to working with Mr. Takehiko Na k ao a nd h i s s t rong leadership of the institution.

His extensive experience in international finance and development and broad and deep knowledge of the Asian region will serve ADB well in pursuing its vision of an Asia-Pacific region free of poverty,” P. Chidambaram, chairman of the ADB Board of Governors and Finance

Minister of India, was quoted as saying in the press release.

“In a career spanning more than three decades, Mr. Nakao has held senior positions in the Ministry of Finance of Japan, with extensive experience in international finance and development,” ADB said in the same statement.

Besides serving as Japan’s former vice-minister for Finance, Mr. Nakao had also taught international finance at the University of Tokyo in 2010 and 2011.

Born in 1956, Mr. Nakao

holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Tokyo and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

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THE Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp (PDIC) on Monday said it would begin liquidation of Export and Industry Bank (EIB) next month, warning that the proceeds of the asset sale may not be enough to pay for the uninsured depositors of the shuttered lender.

I n a br ief i ng , PDIC officials said they would file a petition for assistance in the liquidation of EIB before the Makati Regional Trial Court by next month.

The state deposit insurer also would sell the assets of the bank through an auction, or if no bidder comes forward, through negotiated sale.

Nancy L. Sevilla-Samson, PDIC v ice president for re c e i ver s h ip a nd b a n k management, said the bigticket items up for sale are the vacated units in Export Bank Plaza along Buendia that once served as the lender’s headquarters. The units have an aggregate f loor area of 12,000 square meters. All other units in the building are leased out or are already sold, therefore no longer owned by EIB at the time the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) shut down the lender.

PDIC estimates the Export Bank Plaza units would fetch P1.4 billion. The state deposit

insurer is already selling the small assets such as transport equipment.

The uninsured creditors are depositors who have exceeded the maximum PDIC insurance of P500,000 per account.

Un d e r t h e l aw, t h e uninsured depositors are considered ordinary creditors of the bank, which means preferred creditors must be settled first. All of the 2,666 insured or preferred creditors can be serviced, PDIC said, adding that EIB would have only a “very small amount” available for the ordinary creditors.

This means the claims of the uninsured depositors or ordinary creditors would not be settled fully. “It’s next to impossible to pay 100 percent [of their deposits],” SevillaSamson said.

“That’s the objective why we pursued the rehabilitation [of EIB]. The value of the branch licenses would have enhanced their recovery,” she said.

At end-2012, the realizable value of EIB’s assets stood at P13.65 billion, thus the bank has to raise P11.02 billion more to cover the estimated liabilities of P24.67 billion. All of the proceeds PDIC/PAGE 11

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hink a minute.Have you ever stood by a fire when the smoke was so thick you almost thought you could grab it with your hands.

But if you try, the smoke just disappears right through your fingers. It’s like that when we try to be humble.

We grab for humility, but as soon as we think we’ve got it, it disappears like smoke through our fingers.

You see, we trick ourselves when we start to think that we’re humble, because in our mind and heart we actually start feeling proud of ourselves that we’re humble.

So you see, we’re still very proud.

Our problem is the subtle, deceptive nature of pride.

It makes us self-conscious, thinking about ourselves and how we good we are or look in front of others.

Our pride competes and compares ourselves with others.

That’s why we get angry when someone treats us like we’re not important. Our pride makes us want to act and impress others with how humble we are, when inside we still think we’re more important than some people.

This is also why many people want to become rich millionaires.

You see, if everybody in the world had a million dollars, then not many people would really want to be a millionaire

because they would not be richer than anyone else.

A Minute If everyone in the world

By Jhan Tiafau Hurst had a high political position of respect and power, then not many people would want that kind of position because they would not be more respected and powerful than anyone else.

Did you know that it is our pride which causes most of the problems in our life, whether it’s in our family, at work, school, or with friends and neighbors.

Our hidden, tricky pride is the reason we get hurt and angry at others.

It’s also the reason we will not forgive them, but instead even try to hurt them back.

So is there any hope for us? Can we ever start becoming genuinely honest and humble in our hearts?

Yes, that’s the great news! God the Son humiliated hurst/PAGE 7

THINK

ATTY. MARIO T. JUNI Legal Counsel

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Clues on picking candidates

ANY asked this corner asking specifics on the ris iaz candidates alluded to the opinion column published yesterday, April 29, 2013 titled “Unite to elect worthy candidates.”

Copies of that issue was a sold out as we try to scour reference to re-read the article.

Anyway, the article talked about “worthy candidates” that the electorates should vote come May 13 local elections.

It was written with the general perception that most candidates dwell on deception as “one of the methods” employed to sway voters’ support.

On the other hand, the article also took exception to well-meaning candidates, especially those who have already established satisfactory record of serving the public.

The article was a clear insight that voters should only vote candidates with unquestionable public records.

Although not all public servants are perfect, there are public servants that set aside their responsibilities toward the people in exchange of personal interests. The electorates should get rid of them.

Of course, we did not name names.

However, the clues were clear that candidates who sow hatred and disunity among the people in Cagayan de Oro City during the tragedy spawned by Typhoon “Sendong” on December 2011 do not deserve public support.

These people simply used the “Sendong” tragedy to expose their selfish desires to grab power at a time when people were nursing from the loss of their loved ones, relatives, and friends.

These harbingers of anarchy offered themselves in the arena of public opinions in the guise of immaculate intentions.

When election comes, these ambitious architects of “recall campaign,” of poisoning the minds of the peaceful citizenry to rise against duly elected officials, finally shed their true color.

Suddenly, from an independent group with a supposedly apolitical persuasion, they filed their certificates of candidacy for various elective posts in Cagayan de Oro City. diaz/PAGE 7

C

D

Education for life and beyond

S

CHOOLS are obviously a controlled environment. They are like greenhouses for the students.

They have to be like that, since the students, like young, tender saplings, need a more favorable atmosphere for them to grow to maturity before facing the world on their own.

In schools, the students are given a kind of pure nourishment of knowledge and other values to prepare them for the challenges in life.

They need to be protected somehow from the very fluid if confusing realities of life in the meantime so they can develop the appropriate attitude and skills to be able to sort things out properly.

One of the concerns that we, the elders, should all bear in mind is that the students should be formed in such a way that they can be weaned at the proper time and start to face the realities of life on their own, even if everyone of us always needs the help of everybody else and our education never ends.

We need to see to it that they become fit and able to live meaningfully in the world.

What should be avoided is to spoil them in the school environment such that they could only “survive” in controlled conditions and would be at a loss when they step out of school.

In other words, the students should come out knowing more or less what their proper place and role are in society, so they can work in solidarity with others for the attainment of the common good.

This will involve acquiring things that are both basic and general, applicable to all, on the one hand, and specific,

I

HINTS

attuned to the individual’s qualities and capabilities, on and Traces the other.

By Fr. Roy Cimagala And so the basic questions about man, like who and what he is, where he comes from, to where he is supposed to go, etc., should be made clear to them.

The various implications of those questions, both in their theoretical and practical aspects as they impact on the different areas and levels of human life, should be taken up.

Along with this concern should be the effort to know each student personally, so his or her unique and peculiar qualities can be known and given due consideration in planning for each individual’s formation.

In this regard, it is important that each student gets to have a mentor to guide him personally in an atmosphere of friendship and confidence.

It’s where students feel a bit alienated in some areas that anomalies can arise-like misconceptions of basic values that can lead to bad practices, habits and vices later on.

The formation in the school should try to cover not only the academic aspect, but also and more importantly, the human and spiritual aspects-like the development of cimagala/PAGE 7

Aquino airport to Macapagal airport?

magine PNoy to decide to change our premier airport named after his father.

Should you be PNoy, would you agree (under his watch) to replace the existing premier airport named after his father (a Filipino hero) to your nemesis’ father Diosdado Macapagal International Airport?

Wouldn’t it be easier to change the title of the airport after all he succeeds in all his directives? Regardless of the pragmatic options presented all considering; after losing the families crown jewels the “Hacienda Luisita” would you agree now the airport be relocated totally if not be presented as a secondary airport.

The opening of an alternative airport or the total replacement is simply unacceptable so it seems now that this is slowly coming to relevance.

However to be a true statesman one’s personal interests should be put aside to give way to progress and prosperity for the greater good, right? The options soon to be presented

by Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya /DOTC to the President mentions possibly the reclaiming the Laguna Bay or Sangley and erasing the existence somehow of Clark which is already functional with parallel runways now in use.

Is there even logic with reclaiming Laguna Bay with the perennial flooding they cannot even address.

Then, of course, there is the cost according to Biazon (presented personally by him in the Ayala Alabang forum last Thursday); there are some 17,000 cities affected by the bay and some 320 billion to fix the bay (isn’t this BS to the highest levels).

There is even talk that an area in Bulacan that may fit the requirement. Parameter B randing set is the distance between By Harry Tambuatco the NCR and the facility as if airports all around the world need to be conveniently in the city for the rich.

The billions required for such a project and the10year gestation it requires accordingly sets the stage for the long term facility to be dictated upon today.

Or is the decision to be made now to compromise the location for good while in power? Should this be the sensitivities of the project, the airport for sure is doomed.

The NAIA or better known the “Ninoy Aquino” International Airport has reached maximum traffic and continues to engage more f lights into a facility whose tarmac is stretched to capacity.

This gateway facility to the rest of the world is now a bottle neck for Filipino’s traveling as well for foreigners be it for tourism or business.

All considering, the sensitivities of the issues are real and should you fill in the shoes for the president is no tambuatco/PAGE 7

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Hurst... from page 6

by becoming a human being to die and pay the penalty for our sinful pride which separates us from God. But He also will set us free from the power of our sinful pride. Jesus Christ will forgive you right now-if you ask Him. Then He will also give you His power and love, so you can start changing to become the truly humble, honest, and successful person He created you to be.

Just Think a Minute.

Cimagala... from page 6

basic virtues like humility, order, sincerity, etc., as well as, interpersonal and social skills, etc.

T he st udent s shou ld k now how to c u lt i v at e their spiritual life, their r e l a t i on s h ip w i t h G o d which ought to undergird t hei r relat ion sh ip w it h others.

In the first place, t he y ne e d t o b e aw a re between what is spiritual and what is materia l, what is eternal and what is temporal, etc., and the many implications these distinctions generate.

Thus, they need to learn how to pray and grow in their spiritual life through t h e s t u d y of t h e r i g ht doctrine, recourse of the sacraments, development

of v i r t u e s a nd t h e a r t of ascetica l struggle, so indispensable in our life marked by wea k ness, temptations, and sin itself.

They have to be taught how to dea l w it h a l l k i nds of sit uat ions a nd circumstances, favorable or not, advantageous or not.

They have to learn how to de ve lop c onv ic t ion s based on eternal truths as well as skills in f lexibility to dy na mic tempora l f a c t o r s a n d i m mu n i t y to unavoidable negative elements.

These are tough things to achieve, but as long as they are pursued as early as when both teachers and mentors on the one hand, and students on the other are able to undertake and receive such efforts, then we can expect good results.

T h e r e ’s o b v i o u s l y a need on t he pa r t of t he school officials to monitor t he development of t he students, especially in the indiv idua l and persona l level.

Obviously the cooperation of parents is a must here. They, after all, are the primary teachers of their children, though t hey ca n delegate much of the dirty work to the schools.

Thus, t he hea lt hy linkage between parents and schools is vital here.

T hat con nec t ion ha s to be nourished in a continuing way.

Tambuatco... from page 6

joke.

We need to remember after the presidency there is still life thereafter and should you have to live through this circumstance how can you truly find peace be it in family or the community as a whole with an incompetence you have garnered as to our brand.

Diaz...

from page 6 Suddenly, it behooves into one’s mind that these people rode on the tragedy of “Sendong” to pursue political interests.

What do these people ex pect but to quench t hei r t h i rst for power?

Consequently, the electorates

should get rid of them.

The electorates should also be aware of candidates who run for the posts they once occupied but accomplished nothing.

This is true to a former Cagayan de Oro C ong ressma n. Perhaps, ashamed of accomplishing nothing in Congress, this Congressman did not run for reelection.

Instead, he ran for Mayor while his son ran for Congress.

Both of them lost! Now, the former Congressman who lost in a mayoral race wants to run again for Congress.

Perhaps , t he for mer candidate who lost in the mayoral contest thinks that the electorates are a bunch of nincompoops.

Reac t cr isg ua rd ia n@ yahoo.com

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M A R AW I C i t y -i mpor ta nt of role of loca l governments in bringing development at the countryside was underscored by President Benigno S. Aquino III du r i n g h i s m e e t i n g with local leaders and the community in the province on Monday.

The Chief Executive said local governments have an important role in making positive gains and achievements at the national level felt at the local level.

He pointed out that efficient local leaders are the key to transform national programs into tangible solutions that the locality can benefit from.

“Lalong uunlad ang industriya dito ng cassava, saging, mais at palay kapag nakikipagtulungan ang inyong mga pinuno sa pagpapagawa ng mga farm-to-market roads sa inyong probinsiya (the

cassava, banana, corn and palay industry here will be more progressive if your local leaders works ha nd in ha nd in t he construction of farmto-market roads in your prov ince),” President Aquino said.

He also said that Lanao del Sur will be known not only in the country but worldwide if the local government will help in developing the tourism industry in the province.

According to him, a vibrant tourism industry would result to more jobs for the locals.

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New hope on global warming

By HEHERSON ALVAREZ and JOHN TOPPING, JR.

IN 1997, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) adopted the Kyoto Protocol – an agreement among signatory states to reduce greenhousegas emissions. In 2012, However, the Clean Development Mechanism, a system of carbon credits in which each credit represents a country’s right to emit one ton of carbon dioxide (CO2), expired. While policymakers struggle to extend it, carbon-finance specialists are seeking market-driven alternatives. Progress on the issue has stalled: at the last two UNFCCC conferences in Copenhagen and Cancún, members failed to arrive at an agreement on emission cuts.

Reduction, or mitigation, of CO2 emissions is not easy.

It is also expensive. The typical measures – carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), energy conservation, and greater reliance on renewable energy sources like solar and wind – are all costly enterprises, often out of reach for poorer countries, where air pollution can be a serious problem.

But recent climate science may offer hope. Research indicates that black carbon (the soot from inefficient combustion in stoves, fires, engines, etc.) belongs to a class of substances that have an extremely high global warming potential. In particular, black carbon absorbs sunlight and radiates heat, thereby melting ice and snow.

Black carbon in the atmosphere also causes respiratory ailments, as Asian cities such as Shanghai, Bangkok, and Manila have shown. Fine soot particles can penetrate the upper defenses of the respiratory tract and settle deep in the lungs. Children, the elderly, and people with heart and lung diseases are at highest risk.

These substances exacerbate climate change, but they linger in the air only for short periods and are easy to remove.

Black-carbon reduction thus offers developing countries an opportunity to mitigate climate change at a fraction of the cost of full CO2 reduction, while providing cleaner air for their people, simply by avoiding soot formation in engines, stoves, and other combustion devices.

Moreover, Voluntary Emission Reduction (VER) credits are a potential new answer to the CO2 problem. VER credits are like carbon credits, but, rather than receiving funding from Kyoto Protocol sources, the private sector provides the financing. Driven by corporations and individuals tired of UN gridlock, VER credits offer an alternative way to pay for emission-reduction projects.

Consider, for example, a Thai auto rickshaw or a Philippine jeepney, forms of public transportation used widely in these countries. Typically, these vehicles’ owners simply do not have the money to fix them. With VER credits, however, it is possible to fund the repair or replacement of defective engines as long as the emission reductions can be measured accurately.

Several issues must be resolved to ensure the success of VER credits and the emission-reduction projects that they fund. First, procedures must be established that make these financial instruments acceptable in all countries. Second, there must be internationally verifiable measurement systems in each country that hosts a VER project. Finally, a technical standard on black carbon’s global-warming potential is essential. Without internationally verifiable accurate measurements, the credits will be worthless.

Everyone wants cleaner air, but the costs of reducing air pollution are prohibitive in many parts of the world. By providing a financial as well as an environmental incentive, VER projects make CO2 reduction more accessible to the world’s poorer citizens. Private individuals and corporations will have to initiate such projects; we can no longer afford to wait for the UNFCCC to do the job. (Project Syndicate)

SCALE UP ACTION. Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC) Executive Director Renato Redentor Constantino (L), with Climate Change Commission Vice Chairman Mary Ann Lucille Sering (C) during a recent forum on Climate Change. photo by oxfam

Government must scale up vs. climate change threats

By BONG D. FABE, Associate Editor

CLIMATE campaigners hailed the government over the weekend for its “exemplary” effort in combating the effects of climate change and making communities ready to face its impacts.

“But there’s still a lot to be done,” said Renato Redentor C onst a nt i no, exec ut ive director of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (iCSC).

C onst a nt i no, for mer cli mate ca mpa ig ner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Greenpeace SEA), said the Aquino administration is on the right track when it allocated P13 billion for 2014 for climate-change adaptation and mitigation.

“The response to climate change is about finance and it requires nothing less than a redesign of the country’s investment agenda. The suc c e s s of gover n ment intervention in this issue is tied directly to how closely and comprehensively the government will integrate climate change in its planning and budgetary processes,” Constantino told the Business Daily.

“The government must a lso do more t ha n pay lip service to local needs.

DENR: Environment is in ICU MANILA—The Philippine environment is “still under intensive care” and without people’s support, and government’s efforts are not enough to preserve it, Environment Undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio Jr. said.

Ignacio delivered the “State of the Philippine Environment Address” during the Earth Day celebration at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City.

Ignacio has been appointed officer in charge of the DENR by Environment Secretary Ramon Paje who has been on leave since the Holy Week. Paje is in the United States to attend the World Bank’s ministerial meeting on Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services

(WAVES) and the World Ocean Summit.

Ignacio said the Philippines’ forest cover has dwindled to only 7.2 million hectares or 24 percent of its land area, the second lowest in Southeast Asia.

He said 40% of the country’s coral reef – considered as the most extensive in the world – is in poor condition while only 2% is in excellent condition.

“Despite all these degradations, our biodiversity is considered to be one of the richest in the world,” he said.

“However, our biodiversity is also among the most threatened in the world,” he added.

Ignacio said major urban centers, especially DENR/PAGE 11

Local input must become a key driver and designer of national plans. Effective adaptation is not just local but virtually parochial by intention, given the wildly differing local circumstances across the archipelago,” he said.

Top government priority: Climate Change Commission Vice Chairman Mary Ann Lucille Sering disclosed recently that the Aquino administration has now allocated P13 billion in 2014 for climate-change mitigation and adaptation, which w i l l be used for enhancing geohazard maps to include multiple hazards, early warning systems and other infrastructures to improve capacity to reduce risks.

“The message is clear.

It i s t i me to ac t now.

Climate-change adaptation, mitigation and disasterrisk management should be planned accordingly.

“There is a simple rule about the environment. If there is waste o r pol lut ion , someone along the line pays for it.”

- - Lee Scot t, Chief Executive, Wal-Mar t (October 2005)

We should now consciously consider the impacts of the changing climate in a ll government planning as a pro-active approach to development,” she said.

Constantino a lso expressed hope that the Aqu i no ad m i n ist rat ion will not just stop with the crafting of a more climate change-sensitive budget but will all the more “scale up its efforts, given the magnitude of the climate-change threat, which is faced largely by those in the frontline of the crisis, local governments and communities.”

The large budget a l l o c a t i o n s h ow s t h a t “climate change is now a top priority of the government,” Sering said.

For C on s t a nt i no, it also conveys the message to “countries historically responsible for cl i mate cha nge”—developed countries in t he west— “including emerging high [carbon]-emitting economies like China and Brazil” that the Philippine government is taking “the necessary steps to protect our people.”

Meaningful collaboration:

Constantino, who is among the leaders in the fight against climate just ice, sa id t hat whi le negotiations are going on, the government “should not rely on the largesse of countries historically responsible for climate change.”

“We cannot rely on the sense of responsibility of h istor ica l ly responsible countries, who have failed time and again to own up to their role in creating this global menace. We will take the necessary steps to protect our people, despite our meager resources and despite the miniscule role the Philippines has played in fomenting climate chaos.

This is ultimately what I hope the government’s message is to rich countries, including emerging high-emit ting economies like China and Brazil,” he said.

Wit h t h is , he u rged a “mea n i ng f u l, cr it ic a l collaboration with civilsociety groups, the academe and members of the private sector,” which he said, “is key” in a successful fight against climate change and its effects on society. threats/PAGE 11

Protecting Mother Earth is everybody’s business

MANILA—Senator Loren Legarda has stressed the importance of protecting the environment as a “gut issue” for all Filipinos.

Legarda, who is a lso leading an environment protection advocacy, said that despite efforts to increase awareness on environment protec t ion a nd cl i mate change over the past few years, the damage to the environment has not been

reversed. “ It i s n o t on l y t h e responsibility of government and concerned organizations to come up with policies and action plans in the fight against climate change and global warming. Individuals also have an equal obligation to protect Mother Earth and make this their daily mantra,” she said.

“Everybody is challenged PROTECTING/PAGE 11

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Aid...

from page 2

was granted P366,555 for its project “Upgrading the Process of Organic Liquid Fertilizer.”

La ida n is ca l ling on other MSMEs in Region 12 to submit proposals that could be funded through the DOST-SETUP. “The program intends to empower firms and help MSMEs grow into industry icons,” she noted.

DOST-SETUP is geared toward assisting MSMEs to adopt tech nolog ic a l innovat ions to improve their operations and boost t hei r pro duc t iv it y a nd competitiveness.

DOST helps these MSMEs improve productiv it y by product quality i mprovement, hu ma n resources development, cost minimization and waste management, and ot her operation-related activities.

Suppor t t hat ca n be availed from the program include new technologies, manpower training, access to capital ad market, use of product sta nda rds a nd test ing faci lit ies, appropriate packaging and product labelling, supply of raw materials, access to information and efficient transport facilities.

MSMEs that may avail of assista nce shou ld be involved in the following

priorit y sectors food processing; f urniture a nd home f u r n ish i ngs; gifts, holiday decors and fashion accessories; marine a nd aqu at ic re s ou rc e s ; horticulture; metals and engineering; information and communications technology; and halal.

we signed with DTI will enable us to champion reforms and advocacies to streamline the bureaucratic processes involved in property rights administration and access to credit and provide enhanced ser v ices to promote t he bankabilit y of MSMEs,” Varela noted.(PNA)

from page 2

from page 2

PCCI...

Magna Carta should provide for all these mechanism however, noting that majority of our members are MSMEs, it becomes inevitable for us to take the lead in supporting their growth particularly their participation in the supply chain,” Varela added.

Other commonly ident i f ied issues a nd challenges faced by small businesses include: poor t rack record, lack of col latera l, inadequate financial statements and lack of business plans, and lack of access to technology and skills.

To support its initiative, PCCI and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to prov ide as platform for public-private partnership to improve coordination between local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies (NGAs) when it comes to enhancing the bankability of MSMEs. “Among others, the MOU

Cites...

more progressive if your local leaders works hand in hand in the construction of farm-to-market roads in your province),” President Aquino said.

He also said that Lanao del Sur will be known not only in the country but worldwide if t he loca l government will help in developing the tourism industr y in the province.

Accord ing to him, a vibrant tourism industry would result to more jobs for the locals.

Honda... from page 3

is steadily recovering to the normal level.”

The automakers have also been forced to recall millions of vehicles over safety and quality concerns in recent years.

But Honda is expecting another strong year to March 2014 with annual net profit of 580 billion yen on sales of 12.1 trillion yen.

Many automakers and

durable goods producers are eyeing strong demand before the government hikes the national sales tax to eight percent from the current five percent over the next year, and eventually 10 percent by 2015.

Japanese industry has also benefited from the bigspending and easy-money policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who swept December elections on a promise to inject new life into the world’s third-largest economy.

Huge easing measures from Abe’s hand-picked team at the Bank of Japan have also pushed down the yen, with the dollar buying 98.69 yen in afternoon Tokyo forex trade on Friday — from a low around 75 yen in late 2011.

Rival automakers Toyota and Nissan report their fullyear earnings next month.

Power... from page 4

for the same period.

Sering said SURNECO has not increased its basic charges as it has to go through a public consultation and the approval of the Energy Regulator y Commission (ERC).

The electric cooperative also had to increase its load nom i n at ion f rom T M I because of the failure of Napocor to supply the entire local power demand.

In its Facebook account

“Surneco Surigao,” Facebook user Hajo Bago asked why the electric bill increased despite t he f requent brownouts: “We’re not even using ma ny applia nces, like the refrigerator. Why the additional fees when these didn’t pass through consu ltat ion? A ny t ime you can increase your rates without our knowledge. Is this still democracy?”

Bryan Ferol Calang, on the other hand, said Friday their participation in the Earth Hour was already too much. “We lost power this morning, and it’s now dark and we still don’t have electricity,” he added.

C h i r r y Ly n A r ay a n complained why her bill has doubled despite the frequent brownouts. She said she only has a TV, a small ceiling fan, and a fluorescent lamp that she uses only at night.

The online complaints did not get any responses from the electric cooperative.

It s pu b l i c r e l at i on s department said it is still f i na l i zi ng st rateg ies to make the issue more easily understood by the already irate public.

Sering said they already added more support to their corporate service department to accommodate complaints from customers. She added that those with increased electricity bills are “those who have appliances.”

She said once t he

complaint forms are filed, the electric cooperative will check the meter again. But “if there is really a problem then we can calibrate it,” she added.

The complaints started coming when SURNECO released its bi l ling last Tuesday.

A sample of a consumer ledger’s form showed a resident’s power consumption for three months: for the February consumption, usage totaled 371 KWH with an equivalent bill of P2,884.49; March dropped to 253.1 KWH with a bill of P2,060.46; April increased to 346 KWH with a total monthly bill of P3,059.41. (Vanessa L. Almeda/MindaNews)

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Today’s HOROSCOPE AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18) - If there is a feeling you can’t shake concerning a situation you don’t feel you have all the info on pay attention to it. Chances are if your gut is trying to tell you something you should listen. Most likely there is a way to find out the rest of the story you always knew existed.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21) - It only takes a few small changes to make a big impact on your health. You are always involved in multiple projects, so if you don’t make it a point to make wellness a part of your everyday routine chances are you won’t have time to get to it. A few minor modifications to your lifestyle can equal major results.

LIBRA (September 23 – October 22) - You may be able to delegate a few responsibilities, but you will still want to monitor their progress.

When you hand over a task to someone else to complete it will only save you time if you make sure they know exactly what you expect from them. If you don’t, you may have to do the job again and that won’t save you any time at all.

PISCES (February 19 – March 20) - You may be the lucky recipient of clarification about a situation that has previously remained a mystery.

Reserve your judgement until after you have heard the entire story.

The next decision you make could truly change your life so you will want to make use of all your resources.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22) - You won’t always agree with everyone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn to appreciate a different point of view.

Differences in opinion add spice to life and keep us all from becoming bored. If you switch your perspective and attempt to understand where someone else is coming from you can learn and grow exponentially.

SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21) -You are normally quite positive, but you are only human and at times may experience frustration.

When life gets you down turn to your closest confidants for support and encouragement. Just being able to discuss your problems can act as a stress reliever. The only thing you’ll want to be careful of though, is sharing with the wrong person.

ARIES (March 21- April 19) - With every ending comes the chance to start over again. Instead of viewing a parting of ways as the end look at it as an opportunity. If a person or situation no longer serves the purpose you intended it to you may want to consider moving on and leaving it or them behind. Review your goals and make sure what you are doing will achieve your purpose.

LEO (July 23 – August 22) - It is smart to keep your emotions or feelings toward someone or a situation under wraps until you can be more logical.

Without meaning to you can inadvertently convey a message you aren’t ready to reveal if you let your emotions show. Keep a calm, cool disposition until you are ready to communicate.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21) - Don’t panic if it seems like everything around you is changing. Change allows for progress to take place so keep that in mind. A certain amount of routine can keep you balanced amidst an altering environment, but you will need to be careful of becoming too regular. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and accept the challenges life has to offer.

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) - With Venus in your sign distractions are easy to come by and if you don’t stay alert to where your time is going you may fall behind schedule. The best thing to do would be to handle your responsibilities first so you have some free time. When the chance to engage in an extraordinary experience comes along you will want to be able to take advantage of it.

VIRGO (August 23 – September 22) - Don’t assume the final story has come to pass. There very well may be changes that occur that alter the outcome.

Unexpected events can occur instantaneously and totally rearrange the results. Hang on until you can ensure a conclusion to the matter is reached.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19) - If things aren’t going according to plan you may want to rethink your strategy. It’s always possible the obstacles mean you are looking in the wrong place for success, but more likely it means you need to rethink the way you’re going about it. Usually there is some sign to indicate whether or not you’re on the right course.

CROSSWORD puzzle

CIRCLE A WORD horse power

animal ass blacksmith canter carrots chestnut colt

donkey drink equine farm feed fetlock field

foal gallop grass groom hair hoof horse

across 1.Good-luck charm (6) 4.Bend (5) 7.Boy’s name (4) 8.Howl (4) 10.Tireless worker (5) 11.Baby’s outfit of clothes (7) 12.Obey (4) 14.Sorceress (5) 16.Perfect (5) 19.Fruit (4) 21.Chronic drinker (5) 22.Indoor game (5) 25.Where the sun rises (4) 28.Complaint (7) 29.Broadcasting agencies (5) 30.Sluggish (4) 31.Body powder (4) 32.Early scandinavian (5) 33.German emperor (6)

DOWN 1.Rodney, Australian cricketer (5) 2.Climb (5) 3.Building divided into flats (8) 4.Ship’s propeller (5)

5.Satellite’s path (5) 6.Baseball player (7) 9.In glowing health (7) 13.Listener ! (3) 15.Sway, influence (7) 17.On your Collar, Song (8) 18.Belly (7) 20.Chump! (3) 23.Radio-location device (5) 24.Sudden outbreak (5) 26.Map-book (5) 27.Tall building (5)

Answers for yesterday (April 29, 2013)

ACROSS: 1.Bless, 7.Dietrich, 8.Nevis, 10.Twickenham, 12.Redgrave, 14.Zany, 16.Brew, 17.Exponent, 20.Witchcraft, 23.Fever, 24.Eastwood, 25.Glory DOWN: 1.Bunker, 2.Suit, 3.Zinc, 4.Strew, 5. Pi g- h ea d e d, 6 . S himmy, 9. Swo r n, 11.Advertise, 13.Vex, 15.Go off, 16.Bowler, 18.Thorny, 19.Shown, 21.Rook, 22.Teal

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PDIC...

Protecting...

of the asset sale would be put under an account for EIB and distributed to creditors.

Many uninsured depositors have yet to file their claims, PDIC said, adding that it has no estimate of their share from the asset sale.

“Even our attempts to write them, they are not responding so now when we file the petition for assistance [for liquidation], that would be a trigger for those who have not yet filed claims to formalize the filing of their claims to keep tabs on who are the real creditors,” Sevilla-Samson.

Aside from the liquidation, the state deposit insurer said it is pursuing forensic audit of the bank’s books as well as the pursuit of cases filed for or against EIB. On April 4, the BSP’s policy-setting Monetar y Boa rd ordered PDIC to proceed with the liquidation of EIB on the grounds that no investor was interested to buy the bank following two failed biddings.

PDIC also did not receive any letter of interest nor prebid document requirements by the March 18 deadline.

In addition, the 100 percent creditors’ consent required by the third party investors and stockholders was not obtained.

The BSP ordered EIB closed on April 26, 2012 after the bank declared a holiday on account of its inability to service withdrawals.

anew to work together and act as one in strengthening the capacity of communities for reducing risk and building resilience against disasters and climate change,” she added.

L ega rd a sa id t hat i f elected to a fresh term, she would craft more laws to protect the environment as well as add teeth to those she had already helped pass.

Meanwhile, Legarda also called on Filipinos to adopt an “environment-conscious” lifestyle.

“We should clean and protec t ou r r ivers a nd lakes. We should push for community-based heritage tourism and ensure that climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction are issues that are understood (down to) the barangay level,” she said. (TPS)

from page 5

DENR... from page 8

Metro Manila, suffer from air pollution while water bodies in these areas are unfit for human activities.

He said government is doing its best to improve the country’s environmental situation “but we cannot reverse overnight what took us more than 100 years to abuse.”

Ignacio said the total log ba n imposed in a l l natural forests since 2011 has substantially reduced the number illegal logging hotspots in the country from 197 to 31 municipalities. He said 452 illegal logging cases have been filed in courts, which have so far resulted in the conviction of 72 persons.

He said the National Greening Program, which seeks to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares by 2016, has resulted in the planting of at least 166 million trees in more than 333,000 hectares of land. He added t hat t he ca mpa ign a lso generated 660,000 jobs.

He said the two pre sid e nt i a l d i re c t i ve s improved the Philippines’ ranking in the Environmental Performance Index from 50th in 2010 to 42th last year out of 132 countries.

The Philippines outranked South Korea (43rd), Australia (48th), the United States (49th), Singapore (52nd) and Israel (61st). (APM)

from page 8

Threats... from page 8

The 2013 Global Climate Risk Index put the Philippines at fourth place among more than 190 countries that have suffered the most extreme weat her events, such as f looding and storms, over the past 20 years. It noted that developing countries like the Philippines continue to suffer the greatest impact of climate change.

The United Nations, in a recently released report on the disaster-risk reduction, ranked the Philippines as the third-most vulnerable country in the world.

“The threats that our economy faces is huge and growing, and those at the front line of the crisis— loc a l gover n ment s a nd com mu n it ies—requ i re concer ted civ i l societ y, government and private s e c t o r c o l l a b o r a t i o n ,” Constantino said.

Caraga... from page 1

this can be attributed to the continuous cooperation of the public and private stakeholders, spearheaded by the different local chiefs executives of the region.

On April 23, 2013, the NSCB released its latest report on the state of poverty in the country through their website http://www.nscb.gov. ph.

The report has used the data from the Family Income and Expenditure Sur vey (FIES) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) last July 2012, which measured poverty incidence or the proportion of people below the poverty line to the total population.

The report revealed that at the regional level, the regions with the lowest povert y incidence among families in the first semesters of 2006, 2009 and 2012, continue to be the National Capital Region, CALABAR ZON, and Central Luzon.

Also, for the same period in 2012, ARMM consistently f ig u re d i n t he b ot tom

(poorest) cluster of regions with the highest poverty incidence among families between 42 to 47 percent in the same period.

The NSCB report also emphasized that even Region 9 and Caraga were included in the poorest cluster in the first half of 2006 and 2009, the two regions did not figure in the bottom cluster during the first semester of 2012.

However, SOCCSKARGEN and Eastern Visayas were new entrants in the said cluster at around 37 percent.

In general, according to Dir. Cochingco, based on the NSCB report, the poverty conditions in the first semester of 2012 appear to be unchanged from the first half of 2006 and 2009. During this period, the rate of increase in the average incomes of the bottom 10% and the bottom 30% is practically the same as the rise of food process and overall prices, respectively.

Also, during the same period, the rate of increase in the prices of food and average per capita income of the bottom 10% (as well as bottom 30% of families) is almost the same.

Further, for the same period, the total income of the top 20% of families is approximately eight times of the total income of the bottom 20% of families.

Market... from page 1

PEMC, which operates the WESM in Luzon and the Visayas, had been mandated by the government to run the IMEM. “Based on the supporting documents submitted by PEMC, the ERC found it prudent to grant only a budget of P19.99 million for technica l ser v ices consultancy,” the ERC said.

The amount PEMC will use for the IMEM will be refunded to the spot market participants. Market fees are the costs of administering and operating the WESM. T he gover n ment is banking on the establishment of the IMEM to help ease Mindanao’s power crisis in the short-term while waiting for the completion of power plants, many of which will come on stream in 2015.

Besides giving power plants and other entities t he oppor t u nit y to sel l their available supply, the IMEM features a day-ahead pricing market where electric cooperatives are supposed to submit their bids or offers a day before the actual delivery or curtailment of energy.

Curtailment refers to cutting off electricity because of limited power supply.

The IMEM, which was pushed by the Energy Department to address power shortage in Mindanao by drawing out all generation capacities to the system grid, is set to kick-off on September 26, ahead of its original schedule next year.

Melinda Ocampo, president of the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC), said

in a public consultation on the rules of IMEM in Davao City said that Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla instructed her to fasttrack IMEM’s commercial operation.

She said the original schedule was set in 2014, adding “pero pinagalitan na po ako (but I was scolded), so it will be fast-tracked.”

Petilla also pushed earlier t he I nter r upt ible L oad Program (ILP), which is another alternative to bridge the power supply deficiency in Mindanao that began in 2010.

In an interview, Romeo Montenegro, director for i nv e s t m e nt pr o m o t i o n and public affairs of the Mindanao Development Authority, said with the ILP scheme, malls and other establishments will run their embedded generators on peak hours to lessen the demand, which could save the grid of an estimated 100 to 150 megawatts (MW).

Ocampo explained after the consultation that the power supply under the ILP is available only within franchised areas, unlike in the IMEM where the supply will be available within the system grid.

“This will help solve the power crisis in Mindanao,” she said, noting that under IM EM, a l l generat ion capacities in the island will be synchronized into the system with the excess power in other regions supplying the deficiency in other areas.

The IMEM, which will be operated by PEMC, will be a venue “for transparency, efficiency and reliability of all available power supply” in Mindanao, Ocampo said.

Ocampo said that they expect “a hundred percent c o o p e r a t i on” f r om a l l stakeholders, that was why public consultations had been conducted.

The public consultation here was the third and last.

The first two were held in Zamboanga City last April 4 and Cagayan de Oro City last April 10.

The IMEM will have a day-ahead market and will compensate embedded generators and voluntary load customers t hrough a pr ic e d e t e r m i n at ion me t ho dolog y a nd c o s t r e c ove r y m e t ho d o l o g y approved by the Energ y Regulatory Commission, the IMEM primer said.

The start of registration of IMEM members will be on June 3, while the start of trial operations will be on August 26, based on the IMEM timeline.

Ocampo said the IMEM will serve as a transition to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in Mindanao, and “will help improve the power situation in the island until new power generation capacities will be added to the grid by 2015.”

The PEMC, which was directed by the DOE to develop and implement the IMEM, operates the WESM in Luzon and Visayas.

Villar... from page 1

it was a positive indication that peace and political stability was forthcoming in Mindanao.

“This is a giant step in our efforts to pursue a just and lasting settlement to end the age-old conf lict in Mindanao,” said Villar.

“As I would always say, the Nacionalista Party (NP) is one with the Filipino nation in harnessing the spirit and essence of people power in support of peace and development initiatives for Southern Philippines,” she said.

Saying that Mindanao would be one of her priority areas for her development programs if elected to the Senate, Villar said she was elated that the MILF and government have agreed to ensure coordination of the movements and deployment of election personnel and equipment and personnel of the Armed Forces Philippines (A F P) a n d Ph i l i p p i n e National Police (PNP), as deputized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), in polling centers within the MILF-dominated areas.

Media reports said the Philippine government and the MILF agreed to establish a Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Post as quick response team for any violation of the MOU. The MILF also committed to refrain from consolidating its forces from the time precinct count optical scan or PCOS machines are deployed and u nt i l elect ion has been completed.

“The holding of peaceful, orderly and credible elections in Mindanao will serve as big boost in our efforts to pursue a lasting peace agreement in Mindanao that would eventually pave the way for massive development projects in the area,” Villar said.

“It will show that diverse ethnic and religious groups in Mindanao need not settled their differences through the barrel of the gun but through peaceful means of elections,” Villar said. “We are about to witness the resurgence of a revitalized democracy in Mindanao.”

Earlier, Villar said the NP was throwing its full support behind the current peace process between the government and the MILF following the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) last year.

K now n as “Misis H a n e p b u h a y,” V i l l a r described as a “major leap for peace” the presidential appointment of 15 members to the Transition Commission (TransCom) earlier this month that would help draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law as a vital step towards obtaining lasting peace in Mindanao.

Vi l la r s a id she w i l l support the transformation of conf lict-affected areas i n Mu sl i m M i nd a nao into havens of peace and development as a major t h r u s t o f t h e Aq u i n o

11

administration.

Villar said that the Villar Foundation is willing to work w it h ot her NGOs and LGUs in promoting various livelihood projects in Mindanao. “We all have to pitch in and accompany the peace process to its rightful conclusion because a peaceful and stable Mindanao has much to offer not just our country but the world,” Villar stressed.

Normin... from page 1

of 2011.

Reports gathered by the Nationa l Economic and Development Aut horit y (NEDA) from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) in the region show that the decline in commercial and municipa l f isheries contributed to the negative performance of the fisheries sector.

Commercial f isheries dropped by nine percent, from 39,853.61 metric tons in 2011 to only 36,205.35 metric tons in 2012 while municipal fisheries went down by almost three percent from 43,128.28 metric tons to 42,073.26 metric tons.

E ng i ne er C e c i l io Y. Clarete, chief economic development specialist of NEDA-10, said the drop in commercial fisheries was greatly attributed to the occurrence of southwest monsoon a nd t he d r ydocking of five fishing vessels in Sultan Naga Dimaporo in Lanao del Norte.

He sa id t here was also lesser appearance of some species while three commercial fishing vessels were under repair in Misamis Occidental during the fourth quarter of 2012.

On the other hand, the slowdown in the municipal f isheries was due to the destruction of some fishing boats in Lanao del Norte w h ich w a s a f fe c te d by t y phoon Pablo, Cla rete further said.

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Summer Peace Festival 2013 launched Anyone can be an advocate for peace but not that all can promote peace through music.

By Christine H. Cabiasa

C

AGAYAN DE ORO- Mindanao has indeed a lot to offer, from its God-endowed natural resources to its human facets gifted with extraordinary talents.

Now, M i nd a nao ha s c h a n g e d i t s i m a ge , a s they say, from a “terrorist bound” region to a “tourist bound ” destination, and t hat ’s ou r pr ide. It ha s maximized its people for t he go o d of it s p e ople also. One thing to boast of, there are individuals who believe in the power of “change” through music and productive festivities, thus launched the 2013 Summer Peace Festival (SPF).

SPF 2013 organized by Good Karma productions, Muni Events and Productions and t he Ministr y of Mushrooms produc t ions has now extended its legs aimed at widening the “inf luence of p e a c e ” i n Nor t her n Mindanao region and on its second year now bumps to its feat for environment conservation through music hoisting Talakag, Bukidnon speci f ic a l ly K i Bat ha la Gardens, Sitio Balaon for Luna Musikalawaig.

Ms. Jeminah Ferrer, one of the organizers said that the event came to life as they want to promote peace in Mindanao, boost its arts and culture and eco-tourism in which the world wants to see and to take pride for the local artists who will perform in the festivals.

“Si nce we a re one w it h the nature, we don’t want that what happened to us

during typhoon Sendong will happen again”.

This year’s theme Luna Musikalawaig was coined from “luna” which means “full moon”, believed to bring life to the dark night and the beginning of the festival; “musika” which means “music”, heard to unite people of different languages, religion, and ethnicity; and “kalawaig” refers to the name of the river that runs through the vicinity.

“This is also targets to our call on peace among men, peace with nature, and peace with oneself as the threshold of our advocacies a s i d e f r o m pr o m o t i n g Mindanao”, Ferrer said.

Activities held were forest exploration, workshops on soil painting, lessons for f low camps, yoga sessions, fire dancing, tree planting, and concert for a cause.

“The lined up activities highlighted the concert for a cause as the performing ar tists sang out our advocacies through their own music compositions for the nature”, Ferrer said.

International artists and performers from Sweden, Germany and Hawaii graced the festivity also. “We have invited international artists because we believed that they can help, and in one way or another, others will change t heir perception

Billy Bonnevie, one of the performing artist for this year’s Summer Peace Festival at Talakag showcased his “natural mystic jam” through the “gong” instrument.

photo by christine cabiasa

a b out M i nd a n ao si nc e foreigners have promoted it”, Ferrer stressed.

Siri Svegler, performing artist from Germany said that SPF is a good avenue for peace seekers and nature lovers as it is being held i n one t h r ou g h mu s ic and other activities that will help the people from Mindanao realized that the environment must be well

taken care for.

When asked what other green organizations she s u p p or t s i n G e r m a ny, Svegler said that she sings for events, be it for nature or another. “In my own little way, I can help, aside from campaigning, it starts from within, one, I don’t litter anywhere”.

A lso, Isa Tabasua res and Tomas Wa lter from

G er ma ny a nd Fa nt u zzi f rom Haw a i i one w it h loca l per forming a nd sculpture artists such as Waway Saway, Si ny ma , Mush Project, Purple Kush, Crowns Down, Ruska, Lost Tribe, Rhyan Casiño, Kit Gresos, Michael Bacol, and Fadi Ismael performed for a cause.

“It is f un, as a Mindanaonon, I am now

more aware about it, their advocacies and most, I can do something in my own little way to conserve the nature”, Irene Domingo, one of the festival goers said.

L a s t ye a r’s SPF w a s at Za mboa nga Cit y a nd this year the city’s leg Paz Musika del Mar Summer Peace Festival is on April 29- May 1.

VILLAR GETS SUPPORT OF CATHOLIC GROUPS - Misis Hanepbuhay Cynthia Villar receives blessing from Fr. Leonardo Polinar, head of National Shepherd Servant Communities, after she was officially endorsed by the Catholic Conscience Vote Phils. (CCVP) as one of their senatorial bets in May 13 elections in a gathering at Maypajo, Caloocan City. The CCVP, which has 600 allied Catholic communities and organizations nationwide, is expected to deliver no less than 1.7 million votes. Also endorsed by the CCVP are Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (represented by his Chief of Staff, Atty. Rey Robles), former Senator Migz Zubiri (represented by his wife, Audrey Zubiri), Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Ang Kapatiran senatorial candidates, Mar Llasos, Lito David and JC delos Reyes (not in photo).

Catholic Conscience Vote Phils. (CCVP) officially endorses the candidacy of Misis Hanepbuhay Cynthia Villar, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (represented by his Chief of Staff, Atty. Rey Robles), former Senator Migz Zubiri (represented by his wife, Audrey Zubiri), Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Ang Kapatiran senatorial candidates, Mar Llasos, Lito David and JC delos Reyes (not in photo) in the coming senatorial elections.