BusinessDaily Mindanao (May 27, 2013 Issue)

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Market Indicators As of 5:45 pm may 26, 2013 (Sunday)

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US$1 = P41.59

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Briefly Lines security THE National Grid Corp of the Philippines (NGCP) has tapped law enforcement agencies to help protect transmission facilities across Mindanao.

In a statement, NGCP said the 2nd Mechanized Infantr y Brigade of the Philippine Army in Iligan City assisted in solving right-of-way (ROW) issues hounding the company’s transmission lines in Balo-i, Lanao Del Norte.

The military unit, through the directive of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 10, coordinated with more than 20 owners of the land traversed by the Agus 2–Kibawe 138-kilovolt line of NGCP. “Through this effort, the military aimed to convince the owners to allow NGCP to trim the trees that are breaching or about to breach the ROW clearances set by the system operator,” NGCP said.

BPI’s solar panels BANK of the Philippine Island (BPI) unveiled Friday its first branch constructed with solar panels, use of which is targeted to results to about 20 percent savings in monthly electricity bill.

BPI SVP Florendo Maranan said they would save about P6,000 of the P30,000-P35,000 monthly bill of the pilot branch due to the use of the solar panels.

The solar panels are composed of 20 245-watts modules. It was operational since April 28, 2013 and has to date produced over 400-megawatts capacity.

“This is one way of hedging against rising electricity cost,” Maranan said.

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Power congress seeks strategies to end woes T

May 27, 2013

By NELSON V. CONSTANTINO, Editor-in-Chief

HE Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives Inc. (AMRECO) once again convening today key stakeholders of the island’s power sector to push for immediate and long-term strategies that will address the region’s power problems.

Sec. Luwalhati Antonino

In a statement released over the weekend, Mindanao D e ve lopment Aut hor it y ( M i n DA ) c h a i r p e r s o n Luwalhati Antonino said the two-day 2nd Mindanao Congress of the Advocates for Renewable Energy and

Rural Electrif ication and Development (MinCARED) which starts today in Cagayan de Oro will put the Mindanao Power Agenda on top of its pursuits.

The event will serve as a Power/PAGE 11

Senator-elect Villar unveils first plastic recycling factory SENATOR-ELECT Cynthia Villar wasted no time in fulfilling her promise of creating livelihood to the poor, while protecting the environment.

She, together with Las

Pinas Rep. Mark Villar and Sen. Manny Villar, recently inaugurated the first Waste Plastic Recycling Factory in Metro Manila, which turns plastic wastes into durable Villar/PAGE 11

PLASTIC RECYCLING MACHINE. Winchester Lemen (in green shirt), inventor of the technology processing plastic wastes into useable school chairs, shows Senator-elect Cynthia Villar and Las Pinas Cong. Mark Villar how the recycling process works during the inauguration of the first Waste Plastic Recycling Factory located in Brgy.

Ilaya, Las Pinas. Lemen, President and CEO of Envirotech Waste Recycling, Inc., introduced the technology to Mrs. Villar who brought it from Davao to Manila.

Misamis Oriental Governor and Cagayan de Oro City Mayor-elect. Oscar S. Moreno cuts the ceremonial ribbon for the grand launch of Primavera Tower A, with the assistance of (L-R) Non-Executive Chairman Jose P. Leviste, Jr., Italpinas; Engr. Syntax B. Manuta, VP-Ops, AVP Trading & Construction; Arch.

Romolo V. Nati, Chairman and CEO, Italpinas and Pueblo de Oro Dev. Corp.

President Rommel M. Leuterio.

Italpinas reiterates offer to new city admin THE builders of Cagayan de Oro’s first true green building recently assured the incoming administration of

Mayor Oscar S. Moreno its offer to extend its services for free to assist in the city’s plan to provide incentives

for the construction of green buildings in Cagayan de Oro City still stands. italpinas/PAGE 10

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

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Lanao Norte town is Normin’s DepEd chief reiterates no-collection policy most nutritionally-deprived EDUCATION Secreta r y A r m i n A . Lu i s t ro h a s reiterated the Department of Education (DepEd) policy that strictly prohibits the collection of fees during enrolment in a l l public schools when school year 2013-2014 opens on June 3.

Based on DepEd Order 41 series of 2012 (“Revised guidelines on the opening of classes”), Luistro has directed all school officals that no fees shall be collected from school children in kindergarten up to Grade 4 anytime during school year 2013-2014. For Grade 5 pupils up to 4th year high school students, there will be no collection from June to July 2013.

“There is an urgent need to minimize, if not eliminate, financial constraints among

By RECTHIE T. PACULBA Contributor

THE Regional Nutrition Committee 10-Technical Wo r k i n g G r ou p c u m Regional Evaluation Team ( R N C -T WG / R E T 10) in a meeting on May 20 has identified provinces with highest and lowest malnutrition incidence.

Based on Operation Timbang (OPT) conducted in the Region, Lanao del Norte ranked first among 5 provinces with severely underweight children for ages 0-71 months old, while Misamis Oriental got the highest percent of normal weight for children on the same age group.

R NC -T WG/ R E T 10 also identified the Top Ten Nutritionally Depressed Municipa lities a nd named the municipality of Matungao, in Lanao del Nor te as t he most nutritionally deprived area in the entire region.

According to the National Nutrition Council (NNC), low income which leads to low allocation of budget for food is said to be the primary cause of malnutrition.

Reg ion 10 posted a poverty incidence of 32 percent in 2009, and ranked

parents during the opening of classes,” says Luistro, adding that while the contributions may be voluntary, the fact that they are collected on the first day of classes may intimidate some parents.

Luistro also warns school of f icia ls on compulsor y collections. “Let me be clear on this, in no case shall nonpayment of voluntary school contributions or membership fees be made a basis for nonadmission, non-promotion or non-issuance of clearance to a student. And that includes withholding of report cards.”

The public is advised to call DepEd’s DETxt hotlines (02)636-1663 and (02)633194 2 or ema i l ac t ion@ deped .gov.ph to repor t unauthorized collections.

(DepEd)

AboitizPower eyes mini-hydropower projects 12th among the poorest regions in the country.

Based on statistics, the largest household heads in the region are the farmers, forest workers, fisherman, a nd l ive sto ck /p ou lt r y raisers.

The nutritional problems identified in the region are Protein-Energy Malnutrition (PEM), Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) and Iodine Def icienc y Disorders (IDDs) that are

prevalent among preschool children (PS), Elem. School children (ESC), secondary students, adults, senior citizens, and pregnant/ lactating women.

Over nutrition is also being monitored by NNC. Accordingly, five in every 100 Filipino adolescents and about 3 in every 100 adults are overweight and obese in Region 10.

The Regional and Local Nut rit ion Com mit tees

has already deployed 2, 294 Barangay Nutrition Scholars (as of April 2013) to 2,022 local barangays in the Region to implement community-based nutrition programs on respective communities.

R NC-10 is also now looking forward on this year’s Nutrition Month Celebration on July with t he t heme “Gutom at Malnutrisyon, Sama sama nating wakasan!”

THE hydropower subsidiary of the Aboitiz Power Inc. is pla n n i ng to de velop mini-hydropower projects nationwide with a combined long-term capacity of nearly 400 megawatts (MW).

“We have applications for 39 projects,” said Rene Ronqu i l lo, president of Hedcor Inc. on Thursday at t he sidel i nes of T he Philippine Hydro Summit 2013 organized by Philippine Association of Small Scale

Hydropower Inc. The 39 was on top of the 19 hydropower projects already constructed and three more being built. Ronquillo said the total capacity of these projects is roughly 400 MW. For the 39 hydropower projects, Hedcor intends to build two plants a year for an estimated total cost of P4 billion.

“We’re looking at other projects, but you know right ABOITIZ/PAGE 11

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Businessmen urged to help reduce disaster risk

By BONG D. FABE, Associate Editor

THE proven formula for economic development, public-private partnership (PPP), must also extend to disaster risk reduction as well as building disaster-resilient communities, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction said in a new 288-page report.

In t he “2013 Globa l A s s e s sment Re p or t on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR13): Creating Shared Value: the Business Case for Disaster Risk Reduction”, the United Nations International Strateg y for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) called on t he world ’s business community to incorporate disaster risk management i nt o t h e i r i n v e s t m e nt strategies and to partner with the public sector to avoid further losses.

“The principles of disaster risk reduction must be taught at business schools and become part of the investor’s mind-set,” UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon said during the launch of the report last Wednesday.

GAR13 stressed t hat prevailing business models i n u rba n de velopment , agribusiness, and coastal

tourism — t hree key i n v e s t m e nt s e c t o r s — continue to drive disaster risk, and called for partnerships between the government and private sector to put in place and improve crisis management strategies According to the UN, economic losses f rom disasters are spinning out of control and it is high time for the business community (including investment banks and insurance companies) to do its share in reducing risk by making disaster risk management a core part of its investment strategies.

GAR13, which carried out reviews of disaster losses in 56 countries, found that direct losses from f loods, earthquakes and drought have been underestimated by at least 50 percent. In this century alone, losses from disasters amount to

some US$2.5 trillion while annual average losses from earthquakes and cyclonic winds are pegged at US$180 billion.

“Let us not shy away from the meaning of these numbers: Economic losses from disasters are out of control. They can only be reduced in partnership with the private sector, including i nve s t me nt b a n k s a nd insurance companies. For too long, markets have placed greater value on short-term returns than on sustainability and resilience. At long last, we are coming to understand that reducing exposure to disaster risk is not a cost but an opportunity to make that investment more attractive in the long term,” Ban said in his speech, a copy of which was emailed to this reporter.

Ban added: “Governments bear the primary responsibility for disaster risk reduction. But, the level of risk is also related to the where and how of investment by the private sector, which is responsible for 70 to 85 percent of worldwide investment in new buildings, industry and critical infrastructure. In the years ahead, trillions of dollars will be invested in hazard-exposed regions. If that money fails to account

A young child swims in an unfinished culvert after heavy rains triggered by an Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) caused most of the streets in Butuan City last year. MindaNews photo

for natural hazards and vulnerabilities, risk will i nc re a s e . W here such sp end i ng do e s add re s s underlying risk factors, risk will go down. Our challenge is to be on the right side of that ledger — the smart side, the prevention side.”

To avoid a f uture of losses, there should be a transformation of attitudes in managing disaster risk in both private and public sectors, GAR13 said.

“Disaster risk management reduces uncertainty, builds confidence, cuts costs and creates value. More private sector senior executives are coming to recognize this.

But growing recognition must be translated into a

more systematic approach to disaster risk management that will make tomorrow’s world a safer place,” Ban noted in his Foreword to the Report, as he urged “governments, civil society and, in particular, the private sector to strengthen their partnerships for a safer future.”

In order to do this, the GAR13 report demanded that businesses disclose their hidden risks, including disaster risks, as it noted t hat whi le “ma ny la rge global businesses are now strengthening their risk ma nagement c apacit ies [ma ny] busi nesses st i l l display a ‘ blind-spot’ to disaster risk, which is largely ignored in economic forecasts and growth projections.”

GA R13 caut ioned businesses from cultivating a “business as usual” attitude e s p e c i a l ly si nc e “mos t disasters that could occur haven’t happened yet.” “ To t a l e x p e c t e d annual global loss from earthquakes and cyclone wind damage alone now amounts to US$180 billion per year. This figure does

not include the significant cost of local disasters from floods, landslides, fires and storms or the cost of business interruption,” it said.

GAR13 also identifies encouraging signs of change.

“Public-private partnerships in risk ma nagement have proven their worth during several disasters, including the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand.”

Margareta Wahlström, Ban’s special representative for disaster risk reduction and head of the UNISDR, said that while there are notable changes in the attitudes of business, this transformation should extend to a “more systemat ic approach to disaster risk management in partnership with the public sector to make the world a safer place.”

Wahlström urged the b u s i n e s s c o m m u n i t y, in partnership with the government, to “invest today for a safer tomorrow,” which is also the theme of this week’s (May 20-23) Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction conference in Geneva.

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“Nanuri means Sharing”

Taguanao, Indahag, Cagayan de Oro City Tel. Nos. 309-3000, 309-3002

Emphasis on Academic Excellence Environment-friendly Community & Civic Involvement School Organization Observance of religious practices International linkages of exchange scholars.

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the wholesome development of a person, provide quality and relevant basic education for the improvement of life.

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ERVICE - the willingness to share and serve the depressed disadvantage, and underserved (DDU) brethren in the community.

I S

10 Reasons Why you should enrol in NIS 1. INTERNATIONAL LINKAGES with China, Japan, Korea and USA for Student exchange Scholarship Program.

2. INTENSIVE LEARNING which specialized in Conversational English.

3. EXCELLENT PROGRAM that builds a community of scholars who value the pursuit of knowledge with the perspective of Christian ideals and values.

4. The school endeavours to train NIS achievers for academic excellence and discipline.

ENROLMENT IS NOW GOING ON Kindergarten . Elementary . High School Affordable Tuition Fees

5. It is the only officially accredited International School in Northern Mindanao.

6. The location is conducive for learning. It is located on a hillside overlooking a spectacular

view of meandering hills, free from noise and pollutions.

7. Offers full or partial fees for scholarship program intended to poor but deserving elementary and freshman student who have been screened and selected by NIS school board based on specific criteria.

8. High School Valedictorian and Salutatorian who have passed entrance examination are automatically awarded academic scholarship/ full tuition and fees.

9. NIS provides a well-rounded quality education; implement a comprehensive student development program, and cocurricular activities.

10. Teachers are competent in their field of specialization.

They teach not only knowledge but also by example.

WE OFFER THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS

CLASSES START ON JUNE 3, 2013

We are currently looking for people who could fill in the vacancy either part time or full time (LET Passer is required) * PHYSICS *SOCIAL STUDIES * ELEMENTARY MATH * MUSIC TEACHER *ENGLISH TEACHER FOR ELEMENTARY & HIGH SCHOOL

Tel. Nos. 309-3000, 309-3002

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No vote of confidence for June opening of Laguindingan

Chance or choice

Think a minute…There was a man who was the owner A Minute of the only hair salon in his

By Jhan Tiafau Hurst little town.

He cut and styled the hair of almost everybody in town and his business was quite successful.

Then, a big modern hair salon moved to his town right across the street from his little shop.

T h i s n e w, b i g s a l o n advertised in the newspapers and posted signs all over town that read: “$6 haircuts! Everything for only $6!”

Soon almost all his customers began going to the new salon across the street for $6 haircuts.

The owner of the old hair salon knew he could never afford to beat the big new salon’s price of only $6.

But then he thought of a way to turn things around and win his customers and business back. He had a local sign company paint him a big sign which he put in front of his hair salon. It read: “We FIX $6 haircuts!”

We all have problems and go through tough times.

It’s the people who respond and handle those problems positively who end up succeeding in life. It’s not luck that controls your life! It’s your own choices that make you happy and successful.

You see, “Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.” No matter what happens these people keep going, because sooner or later “Tough people win over tough times.”

Remember, the same heat that melts butter also hardens clay. The difference is in their response.

How about you? How do you respond? How do you handle the heat of problems and tough times in your life? hurst/PAGE 11

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D

omestic carriers who will be affected by the Dept. of Transportation and Communications and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines planned June 30, 2013 opening of the Laguindingan have again cast a vote of ‘no-confidence’ on the planned event.

According to a post in the PhilippineFlightNetwork. blog (URL: http://www.ch-aviation.ch/portal/news/19076filipino-airlines-hesitant-about-laguindingans-planned-juneopening) dated 21 May 2013, Philippine Airlines,, Cebu Pacific Air, Zest Air and PAL Express have all “expressed their displeasure at the Philippine Department of Transportation and Communications’ decision to forge ahead with the June 15 opening of the new USD190 million Laguindingan International Airport, set to replace the smaller Cagayan de Oro Lumbia (CGY) airport as the gateway to the northern Mindanao and Misamis Oriental provinces.”

Although the airlines had initially succeeded in convincing government to push back the original April 30 opening date “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, 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.

The local business community led by the Oro Chamber

T

H

and the Philippine Chamber of ammer Commerce and Industry Region and A nvil X, continues to maintain its By Mike Baños original stance to postpone the move to Laguindingan from Lumbia if the navigational aids needed for safe, all-weather 24/7 operations have not yet been installed. The group even went so far as to buy a whole page ad in a national newspaper just to make sure their word gets through to President PNoy. The reported lack of available power needed to properly operate Laguindingan’s facilities remains another unaddressed concern. Transport facilities to move air commuters from downtown Cagayan de Oro to Laguindingan (39 kms. away, according to a local car rental company operating from a downtown hotel), remains another issue.

In fact, word has it even local CAAP officials are not comfortable with the revised opening date.

What’s that old adage again? If everyone is against you, there’s a good chance that you’re wrong? I guess now would be a good time to revisit its implication on our collective and individual futures.

God’s Will or Money talks?

For the FUNDS of it all!

he Philippines unemployment rate rose to 7.1 percent in January of 2013, from 6.8 percent in October of 2012.

The continued deterioration of the labor market sector showed that the number of unemployed and underemployed reached an all-time high: 2,894,000 and 7,934,000, respectively. If we multiply these two sets of numbers by 5 persons to take into account the dependents, then millions are going hungry these days. There are more than 10 million Filipinos today who do not partake of the economic growth of 6% that the National Economic and Development Authority have churned out. In economics, this scenario is called jobless growth or unemployment drag.

Specifically, the number of unemployed workers rose by 2,000 while the number of underemployed soared by 812,000. The Philippines has registered the highest unemployment rate among ASEAN-5 countries. The Aquino administration has pledged to meet its goal of reducing unemployment rate to between 4% and 5% by 2016. At the rate of a minimum investment of P250,000 pesos to produce 1 job, the country needs billions of pesos of investments to hire the 14.6 million jobless. There is another challenge of 1.1 million new entrants to the labor force every year

that the government needs to account for.

B randing The goal that should keep By Harry Tambuatco the Malacanang officials sleepless at night is to provide jobs for 14.6 million unemployed Filipinos. If President Aquino is in search of a lasting legacy, this goal is worth it. After all, the media communications group of Malacanang has been harping that we are the President’s “boss”. Jobs need to be created inside the Philippines as soon as possible.

The much-vaunted Private-Public Partnership f lagship projects need to go beyond sound bites and press releases.

The search for overseas work has become challenging.

The exacerbated political conf lict in the Middle East and Africa, the persistent economic doldrums in Europe and the deep economic cuts in the United States leave a limited Tambuatco/PAGE 11

SUPER

There is a life after SDA I was confronted recently by a good friend following the latest reduction of the Special Deposit Account (SDA) rate to 2 percent across all tenors.

“At the rate the Monetary Board is slashing the SDA rate, there will be nothing left for us retirees,” he groaned.

I could only sympathize with him, and other fixed income earners, as I explained to him the true purpose of the SDA. — That the SDA is not primarily an investment vehicle, as many have come to believe.

— And that in fact, the SDA is a monetary tool principally used by the Bangko Sentral to manage excess peso liquidity.

In line with the Bangko Sentral’s mandate of maintaining price stability, the BSP has engaged in open market operations. The BSP buys or sells government securities, as circumstances dictate, to maintain liquidity at target levels.

(If the BSP buys securities, peso liquidity would go up.

If the BSP sells securities, peso liquidity would go down.)

This was well and good until the BSP ran out of government securities to buy or to sell. Note that the limited availability of government securities – in the amount required for its open market operation – is one of the reasons cited by the BSP for the need to amend the BSP charter. The BSP is seeking legal authority for it to be able to issue its own debt securities and bonds.

Pending such legislation, a substitute mechanism had to be devised by the BSP which would have the effect of removing excess pesos from the system. This was the Special Deposit Account or SDA. Shortly after the introduction of the SDA, banks went to town, marketing the SDA as a “risk free” investment outlet with comparatively high yields.

Naturally, a lot of money, local and foreign, went

SPEAKING

to SDAs. The SDA became specially attractive to foreign O ut money seeking higher and

By Ignacio Bunye safe yields in this part of the world.

From a year-ago level of under P1 trillion, Special Deposit Accounts, now lodged with the Bangko Sentral, have ballooned to P1.9 trillion!

This is costing the Bangko Sentral a lot – and I really mean a lot! So the Monetary Board thought it was time to rationalize the Special Deposit Account.

The Monetary Board initially responded by barring the entry of foreign money into SDAs. The Monetary Board also started gradually reducing the SDA rate 50 basis points at a time. Of late, the Monetary Board also instructed Trust entities to ensure that only funds from trust accounts are placed in the SDA. This move will effectively block off socalled Investment Management Accounts or IMAs from the SDA. With these moves, hopefully the SDA will eventually go down to a more manageable level.

Now going back to my retiree friend. His main concern was beating inflation. Correctly, he has been advised that his retirement fund should earn more than the inflation rate.

So if the inflation rate, for example is 3 pct, his money should earn more than 3 per cent for him to stay ahead.

Therefore, the SDA is not the way to achieve his objective.

Fortunately, there are now bank products which just Bunye/PAGE 11

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AboitizLand sets expansion in Visayas-Mindanao region THE property arm of the Aboitiz Group is launching three projects this year, as it seeks to expand outside Cebu and become a major contributor to the holding firm’s earnings.

In a briefing, Andoni F. Aboitiz, president and chief executive of AboitizLand Inc, said the company is rolling out a project and launching two more for the rest of the year.

The Cebu-based company will launch The Outlets at Pueblo Verde, the first outlet mall to rise in the VisayasMindanao region, in the fourth quarter.

Aboitiz said the property firm next month will seal an agreement with Ayala Land Inc (ALI) for a mixed-use project in Cebu that will include condominiu ms, retail outlets and possibly office buildings for business process outsourcing (BPO).

“The partnership with Ayala Land is specifically project based. Before we signed agreement with them we had pre-identified some properties that we wanted to look at, conduct due diligence then decide which ones we should do first. We are in the closing stages of making a decision on which project [to pursue],” Aboitiz said.

Last month, AboitizLand

formed a 50-50 joint venture with ALI to acquire and develop land within Cebu.

AboitizLand is building five projects and so far earns from its industrial estates.

It operates t he Mac ta n Economic Zone II in LapuLapu City and the West Cebu Industrial Park in Balamban, through its subsidiary Cebu Industrial Park Developers Inc. “For now, we’re Cebubased, but we’re looking at expanding outside Cebu. We haven’t come to a conclusion yet [on how to expand],” said Aboitiz.

Aboit izLa nd , which accounts for only 0.7 percent of Aboitiz Equity Venture Inc’s (AEV) income, is seen to become a “major contributor” t o t h e c o n g l o m e r a t e ’s earnings, Aboitiz said.

“Our mandate is to grow the company and for now, the intention is to do what we do best and try to expand it,” he said.

Last year, AboitizLand formed a consortium with Aya la and ADC & HAS Air por ts to bid for t he Mactan Cebu International

7

Airport expansion, marking its pa r t icipat ion i n t he government’s public-private partnership (PPP) project.

“It provides us with the opportunity to enter into a new business segment with significant growth potential that is crucial to developing the country’s transportation infrastructure and tourism potential,” Aboitiz said.

Last November, AEV acquired full ownership of AboitizLand from Aboitiz & Co. for P3.2 billion.

PLDT, Globe won’t take blame for failed vote transmissions THE country’s two largest telecom companies on Friday ref uted t he claim of t he Commission on Elections (Comelec) that their congested networks were responsible for delays in the transmission of election results.

In a statement, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co (PLDT) said the combined networks of Smart and Sun have a signal in every city and municipality in the country.

“Our networks did not suffer congestion, or heavy traffic at any point throughout the election process, including the first six hours after the closing of the polling precincts when traf f ic from PCOS (precinct count optical scan) machines was at its peak,” PLDT said.

“Traffic generated by the PCOS machines did not pose a problem for our cellular n e t wor k s b e c au s e e a c h transmission was relatively small â only about 80 kilobytes â and was easily and quickly delivered by our data network,” the country’s leading telco said.

As per the requirements of the Comelec, the data transmitted by the PCOS machines was coursed through a virtual private network dedicated to handling this traffic, PLDT said.

“This means that the PCOS data were not mixed with the regular voice and data traffic of the network, further ensuring that the transmissions would be delivered quickly,” the telco

said.

In the 2010 elections, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) ser vers received election returns from 80 percent of the PCOS machines within 12 hours from the closing of the polling precincts, PLDT said, adding that 92 percent of PCOS machines transmitted results.

In a separate statement, Globe spokesperson Yolanda Crisanto said the company complied with the requirements of Smartmatic, the contractor for the PCOS machines.

“In areas where we were asked to provide transmission services, Globe did not receive any transmission related concern  from the national support center of Smartmatic.

Our technical people were available round the clock during and immediately after the elections to provide support or respond to any transmission related concern,” Crisanto said.

“Our modernized network has proven to be resilient and reliable during the conduct of the automated polls,” she added.

P L D T a n d G l o b e ’s statements came after Comelec chairman Sixto Brilliantes Jr. was quoted as saying that about 18,000 or 25 percent of the 78,000 PCOS were unable to transmit election returns because these were deployed in areas that did not have a cellular signal because of network congestion.

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A griBusiness 8 PHL ships more organic rice to HK CREDIBLE

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KORONADAL CITY— After the recent shipment of black rice to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Phillippines, through the Department of Agriculture, is shipping more premium rice to Hong Kong.

These organic rice products are being grown by members of the Don Bosco Multipurpose Cooperative based in M’lang North Cotabato.

On May 15, DA Assistant Secretary Dante Delima and DA-12 Regional Executive Director Ama lia JayagDatukan led a ceremonial send-of f of a t hree-ton shipment of unpolished, organically-grown black, brown and red rice at the Tefasco Wharf in Panacan, Davao City.

Information from the Biosdynamis, the marketing facility of Don Bosco MPC and Don Bosco Foundation for Sustainable Development, Inc. indicated that the shipment comprised the initial delivery of the 40 ton-volume that should be shipped to Hong Kong within six months.

At the send-off ceremony, Asec Delima, concurrently the director of the National

Rice Program, said the rice exportation is a milestone achievement for the country since after 40 long years the country is now again c omp e t i n g w it h ot he r exporting countries.

“Since the country cannot compete with exportation of rice by volume, we can c omp e t e by e x p or t i n g premium rice that only s elec ted cou nt r ie s c a n produce because of certain ag r i-cl i mat ic cond it ion that that the crop requires,” Delima said.

Mea nwhi le, Director Datukan hopes the exportation of premium rice to other countries would also encourage Filipino farmers to embark on planting organic colored rice varieties since it has huge export potentials.

“It is great to see that we are now exporting a Filipino food,” he said.

The official added that

Agrilink 2013 set October 10-12 AGRICULTURE is a prime mover in the Philippine economy, with raw materials being utilized to produce an array of products for food and industrial applications.

According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), agriculture and fisheries accounted for about 12% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011 and employed 33% or 12.27 million of the country’s total workforce.

Palay, corn and sugarcane production increased by 5.78%, 9.32% and 58.27%, respectively; while poultry increased by 4%. Additionally, output for cattle, hog and dairy have increased by 1.79%, 2.22% and 3.72%, respectively.

Meanwhile, export earnings from tuna, fresh bananas and pineapple products increased by an average of 33.86%.

While BAS reported trade surplus with Japan and the European Union in 2011, the country maintained trade deficits with Australia, USA, ASEAN countries and the rest of the world markets.

Experts believe that the agriculture industry can further tap export and growth opportunities by diversifying production systems with more value-added and processed products that can also generate additional livelihood activities in the rural areas.

This can be attained by enhancing mechanization technologies in production infrastructures and common service facilities such as communal irrigators, tractor pools, postharvest facilities for rice, corn and vegetables, feed mills, abattoirs, dressing plants, cutting floors and cold storage, among others.

This has been successful in other Asian countries, where machineries are utilized at 7 horsepower per hectare (hp/ha) in Japan, 4.11 hp/ha in South Korea, 4.10 in China, and 1.56 hp/ha in Vietnam.

The Philippines is currently at a mere 1 hp/ha, just slightly ahead of Myanmar but behind the rest of its Agrilink/PAGE 11

and finding better market in exportation,” Romano Laurilla, general manager of Don Bosco MPC said.

He added that this has also provided a very huge economic opportunity for the cooperative members.

Currently, the cooperative operates over 500 hectares for organic rice production areas. They have production areas in Tulunan and M’lang towns in in North Cotabato as well as Surallah and Sto. Niño towns in South Cotabato.

Surralah is dubbed as the country’s organic farming capital.

To encourage farmers to plant organic rice, the coop buys farmers’ produce CERTIFIED ORGANIC. These are just some of the organic products of Don Bosco at P20.00 per kilo which is Multipurpose Cooperative which are Certified Organic. The cooperative is now the P3.00 higher compared with leading exporter of organic rice in the entire Philippines. the prevailing prices of the National Food Authority, even in local markets, organic range from P27 to P36/kg. In for wider production of these much higher compared to rice commands much better Metro Manila, organic rice premium rice commodities. the price being offered by the products cost P90 to P100/ On May 6, DA sent-off local traders. prices.

15 metric tons of black rice Before the shipments of A staff of the Biosdynamis kg. explained that retail prices The increasing demand produced by Don Bosco MPC organic rice to Dubai and of black, brown, and red rice for the products among to Dubai, UAE. Hong Kong, Don Bosco MPL in their stores in Mindanao consumers looking healthy “The assistance of the DA has already exported 5 tons range from P47 to P50 a kilo. and nutritious food also has helped us in empowering of products to Germany and Prices of well-milled rice here provides for an opportunity the organic rice industry Macao. (PIA-12)

PHL needs better water management DAR distributes THE Philippines is reportedly wasting much water and if Israel could have 10 percent of the wasted water, then t hat wou ld bolster to a large extent Israel’s food production.

This was aired by Israeli members of the PhilippinesIsrael Business Association of which inventor-agriculturist Gonzalo Catan Jr., executive vice president of Mapecon Green Charcoal Philippines Inc., and his wife, the former Nancy Russel, are members.

Catan said he finds it appalling that the country has so much water brought by strong rains but cannot have enough of it when the dry season comes resulting in heavy losses on agricultural

174 hectares to 93 beneficiaries

products worth billions of pesos.

The countr y gets too much water during the rainy

season but none enough for irrigation come summer, he claimed, adding the rain is PHL/PAGE 11

V ERU EL A, Ag usa n del Sur—The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has distributed the first batch of titles to 93 agrarian reform beneficiaries in Brgy. Sta. Emelia, Veruela, Agusan del Sur. The titles covered a total of 174.8756 hectares.

The distribution was led by the Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer II Paysal B. Tumog, Al hajj, CARPO Cristino P. Samputon, assisted

by Mu n icipa l Ag ra r ia n Reform Officer Vilma S. Romero. It was also attended by the administrative officer, Guillermo Manluctao of DAR/PAGE 11

sign up.

FishR was launched in line with a provision in Republic Act 8550, or the Fisheries Code 1998, which mandates such registration through local government units.

Ac c ord i ng to BFA R Director Asis Perez, the program is being undertaken

in close partnership with all coastal cities and towns.

Perez said the municipal fisheries sector provides close to 5 million metric tons, or 27 percent, of the country’s fish, compared to the 21 percent contributed by the commercial-fishing sector.

“It is, however, lamentable

that this sector, [comprising] of more t ha n 1 mi l lion fishermen, remains to be the poorest of the poor,” he added.

T he bu reau d i rec tor expressed hope that through FishR, his agency can serve fishermen better by bringing assistance to their doorsteps.

BFAR/PAGE 11

RAIN IMPOUNDING SYSTEM. A mini rain impounding system like this one can greatly help in watering home gardens during the summer/dry months without wasting a single drop of water.

BFAR launches registration program for fishermen THE Bureau of Fisheries a nd Aquat ic Resou rces (BFAR) is bent on registering the country’s estimated 1 million fishermen in the newly launched Municipal Fisher fol k Reg ist rat ion P r o g r a m ( F i s h R) a n d is offering P200 million worth of medical and health insurance to entice them to

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Italpinas...

from page 1 “We a g ree per fec t ly w it h t he Cit y C ou nc i l on Env ironment a nd Natural Resources’ view t h a t i n c e nt i v e s w o u l d better serve to encourage the construction of ecofriendly buildings in the city rather than penalties,” said Architect Romolo V. Nati, chairman and CEO of Italpinas Euroasian Design a n d E c o -D e v e l o p m e nt Corporation.

“We also wholeheartedly support the initiative of Architect Galua and Engineer Albina to set local green building standards which would encourage natural ventilation and reduce energy consumption,” he added.

Italpinas is the designer and builder of Cagayan de Oro City’s first real green building, the Primavera Residences at the Pueblo de Oro Business Park.

Earlier, the firm wrote to Councilor President D. Elipe, chairman of the said committee, through City Building Of f icia l Isidro Obligado (as chairman of the technical working group) offering its services for free as consultants in the study to set parameters for the granting of incentives for the proposed ordinance.

“We believe our track record in the design and construction of Primavera Residences would serve the TWG and your committee in good stead as it endeavors to lead the way for a more eco-friendly city,” the letter said.

Ita lpinas has a lready been cited t h ree t i mes internationally:

• As one of the most promising clean energy investment opportunities in the Philippines by the

Climate Technology InitiativePrivate Financing Advisory Networks (CTI-PFAN) Asia For um for Clea n Energ y Financing during the 2nd annual Philippines Clean Energy Investor Forum held in Manila in 2011 (for Primavera Residences); • as one of the Best Condo Developments in the Philippines by the South East Asia Property Awards in 2011 (for Primavera Residences) in Singapore; • and, most recently, as one of the top 10 and only entry from the Philippines which made it to the finals of the CTI PFAN Asia Forum for Clean Energy Financing (AFCEF-3) Business Plan Competition held February 22, 2013 in Singapore (for a new project).

Mr. Nati has a graduate degree in Architecture in Design from The University of Rome La Sapienza where he was graduated summa cum laude. He taught Green Architecture at the La Sapienza Faculty of Architecture and Master in Urban Landscape and Layers at the University of Tallin, Estonia Faculty of Architecture.

A f ter g r adu at ion, he worked for numerous offices of architecture and engineering focusing on “eco friendly design”, in Italy and in the United States. He collaborated as faculty member of the “Department of Design and Sustainable Architecture” at the University of Rome, ”La Sapienza”. During his col laborat ion w it h t he University, he was a leader for a program called “Computer Aided Design for a Sustainable Architecture”. The aim of this special program was to research t he potentia l of sustainable architecture using innovative software to simulate and forecast behaviors of green buildings.

Architect Romolo Valentino Nati, Chairman & CEO, receives the citation for Italpinas Euroasian Design & Eco-Development Corp. as one of the 10 Most Attractive Energy Investments from CTI-PFAN during the 2013 Asia Forum for Clean Energy Financing-3 (AFCEF-3) held in Singapore 22 Feb. 2013. Also in photo is CTI-PFAN’s Mr. Elmer Holt, Manager and Executive Committee Chair.

Among his international awards are the following: Special Energy Design (Design Against the Elements, 2011); First Prize (International Competition. Parnu Riverside Commercial Center, Parnu , E s t o n i a (2 0 0 6 ) ; a n d Second Prize (International Compet it ion: Una Sede Rinnovata per un Glorioso Circolo Nautico. Naples, Italy. Renovation of historic Canottieri Club of Naples (2003); He also garnered Honorable Mention for the following: (International Competition: Design Competition for a Residential Development for S. D’acquisito Barracks. Rome, Italy. New

residences for Carabinieri (2004); Biennale di Venezia: Virtual Projections of the City of the Third Millennium.

Venice, Italy. (Selected for the Seventh International Architecture Exhibition of Venice, 2000); General Design.

Un iversit y of Ma r ma r a , Istanbul, Turkey. (Selected for the Triennial International Industrial Design Exhibition of Istanbul, 2000); BMW Internationa l Design Competition: A Key for Future Mobile Solutions. Milan, Italy, 2000 and Mitsubishi Motors International Design Competition: Proposals for a New Concept Car with Forecasting Solutions. Tokyo, Japan (1999).

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Power... from page 1

platform for discussion and integrated of actions to push for accelerated renewable e n e r g y d e pl oy m e nt i n Mindanao, Antonino said.

“With the theme Mainstreaming the Mindanao Power Agenda, the congress will further h ig h l ig ht col labor at ive mechanisms that can be under ta ken to ensure aggressive promotion of renewable energy projects, and the effective delivery of sufficient power supply across the island,” she said.

L a s t y e a r, t h e 1 s t MinCARED has brought to national attention the need to address the Mindanao power situation so that immediate and long term measures can be hammered out jointly by the government and the private sector, Antonino pointed out.

MinCARED participants include representatives from the local government units, which include local chief executives and legislators, representatives from nongovernment organizations, academe, electric cooperative constituencies, media, private sector, and business leaders as well as other power industry stakeholders.

“As we look ahead to the end of this power supply shortfall in the next two to three years, we still face the challenge of balancing the desired energy mix in Mindanao,” added Antonino.

MinDA, which chairs the Mindanao Power Monitoring Com m it tee (MPMC) announced that while there are already committed power projects that are expected to generate new capacities from 2016 to 2018, majority of these are fossil fuel-based power plants.

C o - c h a i r e d by Depa r t ment of Energ y, M PMC is composed of A M R E C O, t he E ne r g y Regulatory Commission, Nationa l Electrif ication Administration, National Power Cor poration, Power Sector Assets and Liabi lit ies Ma nagement Cor poration, Mindanao Electric Power Alliance, Nat iona l Tr a n sm i s sion Cor porat ion, a nd t he National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

“We are looking into the viability of investments in renewable energy projects, specifically small hydro and biomass generation to sustain Mindanao’s ideal energy mix of 50 percent renewable energy and 50 percent fuelbased plants in the future,” explained Antonino.

Currently, Mindanao is enjoying a 60-40 energy mix in favor of renewable energy largely on account of it’s Agus-Pulangi hydro complex, geothermal plants, several small hydro, biomass and the country’s only solar plant.

The 40 percent capacity is supplied by fossil fuel-based power plants, particularly coal and diesel. But by 2016, when commit ted power projects, which are mostly coal come online, MinDA expects reversal of energy mix.

Antonino added that

in order to achieve t he desired energy mix, MinDA is currently working with the Department of Energy a nd USA I D’s C E ne r g y in conducting an energy resources assessment for small hydro and biomass energy projects. The study will help determine the most suitable areas for these power projects.

A one-stop-shop processing and facilitation center specific for renewable energ y projec t s is a lso being worked out to fast t rack t he approva l a nd implementation of these projects in Mindanao.—with a report from Philippine News Agency

Villar... from page 1

school chairs that could last up to 20 years.

“We have a lot of plastic wastes here in Metro Manila.

When disposed improperly, these result in clogging of our drainage and eventually cause f looding, spread of diseases, and many others.

So we thought of processing these plastic wastes and come up into something useful.

That is when I read about this technology in Davao, which processes plastic wastes into school chairs,” relayed Mrs. Villar.

Villar went to Davao herself to witness if the technology is really working.

“I have been u si ng biodegradable wastes as resource in my other livelihood projects. I was so happy when I saw this technology, because now, we can also process nonbiodegradable wastes, and we have tons of them here in Metro Manila,” relayed Mrs. Villar.

Villar said she is very proud of this project not only for the livelihood it brings to the poor, but also to the environmental benefit it brings.

“In processing t he unavoidable plastic wastes into something useful, like school chairs, we are not only cleaning and protecting the environment, but we are, at the same time, providing livelihood to the poor – to the workers in the factory who are processing the wastes,” said Villar.

She explained, the plastic wastes recycling factor y located in Ilaya, Las Pinas City is a pilot project of the Villar Foundation.

Villar said if this project will be successful, it can be replicated in other provinces in the country.

Villar earned the moniker, Misis Hanepbuhay, because of her ma ny liveli hood projects built benefitting the poor.

B e fo r e r u n n i n g fo r Senate, Villar ser ved as C ong resswoma n of L as Pinas for 9 years and became Managing Director of the Villar Foundation, where she continued providing livelihood projects in 200 towns and cities all over the country.

Aboitiz... from page 2

now they’re just studies,” Ronquillo told reporters.

“Although we have started

our communication with the communities and they seem to be quite excited about it.”

The planned projects are in Bukidnon, Negros and the other parts of Cordilleras. “ We b e l i e ve t he re ’s strong community support because the nice thing about hydro, small hydro, is that it provides inclusive growth, inclusive development in the communities,” he said.

Hedcor has two projects under construction, namely the 14 MW Tudaya 1 and 2 Project in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, while the construction of a 13 MW Sabangan project in Mt. Province is expected to start soon.

Hedcor, which specializes in generating renewable energy from run-of-river hyd ropower systems, is waiting for the final permit called the special land use permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the Sabangan project.

The Aboitiz subsidiary owns and operates hydropower plants in Bakun, Benguet. These include the 5.9 MW FLS hydropower plant, 3.6 MW Lonoy hydro and Lower 2.4 MW Labay hydro projects.

PHL... from page 8

intended for the farms, not for the sea.

This wou ld not be the scenario if we had an effective water management program, he said, adding that with government assistance, fa r mers c a n put w ater impounding mini da ms like what they have in some parts of the Cordillera region where small impounding dams mitigate the effects of drought on crops.

During the dry season, Cordi l lera has minima l damage on crops because of availability of water from impou nding projects at strategic portions of river systems and small dams constructed with the help of government agencies.

This ensures continuing supply of irrigation water during drought.

Wat er M a n a gement , Catan said, is practiced in various countries.

When he visited Taiwan, for instance, on a 4-H Club sponsorship, he observed many water impounding dams. Ever y day he saw water tankers delivering water to different farms.

(Eco-Business)

DAR... from page 8

LGU Veruela in behalf of Mayor Salimar T. Mondejar and Brgy. Captain Adelo P. Micutuan.

Unmindful of the searing heat, some benef iciaries walked a few kilometers from their homes just to receive their titles.

“Tumang kalipay ang akong gibati nga aduna nay titulo ang akong yuta nga dugay na nako gitikad. (I felt so much joy that the land I have cultivated for a long time is finally covered with a title),” said 92-yearold beneficiary Diosdado Noval. “ We w o u l d l i k e t o extend our sincere thanks

and gratitude to the DAR who unceasingly helped us, sta r ting f rom t he ident i f ic at ion of A R Bs, free land surveys and other fees, and now giving us the titles. We are so happy that after so many years, finally, t he la nd s t hat we have cultivated for several years have now been branded our very own,” he added.

On the same day of the distribution, A R B s o r i e nt a t i o n w a s a l s o c ondu c t e d by t he DA R a n d M u n i c i p a l A ssessor’s of f ice where the farmer benef iciaries were being reminded of t heir obligations and responsibi l it ies as such beneficiaries. (PIA)

Agrilink... from page 8

neighbors, according to the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech).

Foundation for Resource Linkage and Development (FRLD) President Antonio V. Roces said: “The entire chain of agriculture-related business encompasses a wide variety of production inputs and systems, postharvest, value-adding, food processing and retailing.

Along this chain are the common service facilities that provide economies of scale for food production reduce postharvest losses and stabilize the marketing process that enables the entire farm-to-fork chain to run more efficiently.”

“Postharvest facilities, for example, assure the efficient, consistent and safe delivery of crops from the farm to the dining table. Mechanized and cost-efficient common service facilities also enable capital-deficient small-scale producers and entrepreneurs to benef it from capita lintensive and high-tech common service facilities,” he added.

The i mpor ta nce of common service facilities in the value chain is being highlighted as one of the Department of Agriculture’s main thrusts for 2013, with P2.6B already spent last year under the National Rice Program to increase productivity.

An additional P2.4B will be invested this year for the DA’s farm mechanization program, which includes the distribution of hand tractors, shallow tube wells, transplanters, threshers, reapers and flatbed dryers.

From October 10 to 12, FRLD will be organizing the country’s largest and most influential trade fair on agriculture, aquaculture and food—AgriLink, AquaLink and FoodLink, now on its 20th anniversary—with the theme, “Common Service Facilities: Key to the Value Chain.”

It pays t r ibute to agricultural service facilities t hat prov ide economies of scale direly needed by predominantly small farms and agribusiness in need of mechanization and valueadding. (MB)

BFAR... from page 8

“ We a re e ye i n g for

10 0 -p e rc e nt re g i s t e re d f i s he r me n n at ionw id e .

And by being a responsible partner to our fishermen, we plan to be successful in this endeavor,” Perez said.

The BFAR has set aside P30 million to complete the fishermen’s registration. The amount will be distributed to 899 coastal cities and towns as incentives. Fisheries technical officers from these places who will facilitate the registration will get P15 per registrant.

“All municipalities that complete the registration will qualify for at least P2 million worth of fishery projects [in] 2014,” Perez said.

Fish R is open to a l l workers in t he f isheries sector, including municipal fishermen, fish vendors, and workers in allied industries.

The program is supported b y t h e Un i t e d S t a t e s Agency for International De velopment , w it h t he assistance of Ecosystems Improved for Sustainable Fisher ies Projec t, t he D e p a r t ment of Bud ge t and Management, and the National Statistics Office.

(BM)

Tambuatco... from page 6

ited set of work possibilities abroad for Filipinos. Even the jobs open to seamen has become fraught with dangers due to attacks by pirates on the high seas.

The goal of reducing unemployment may possibly become an empty promise in the Aquino Administration when no big government project is ready for implementation soon. Government consumption is the main engine for economic expansion and the one with the largest multiplier effect.

The President must pressure

11

his Cabinet to start bidding the major infrastructure projects.

The jobless outlook can be addressed in two approaches.

The first approach is that the Aquino Administration has to fill up the vacant positions in the government departments after the May elections. Many government positions remain vacant resulting in the inefficient and poor delivery of public service in the rural areas. The second approach is for the government to encourage the private sector to support and pursue major infrastructure projects by offering them adequate financial resources and financial packages and a stable regulatory environment.

The time to act is now.

Hurst... from page 6

No matter which way the ball bounces, it’s still your game. So today, if you’ll ask Jesus Christ to take full charge of your life, He’ll start working everything, including your problems and pressures, together for your good.

So why not start living His way every day? You can’t lose.

Just Think a Minute…

Bunye... from page 6

might answer his needs. He may inquire from his friendly bank investment counselor about Unified Investment Trust Fund or Mutual Funds.

Among the array of these financial products, I am almost sure there will be a product or two which will suit the size of his resources as well as his risk appetite.

Definitely, there is life after SDA.

BusinessDaily

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