BUSINESSWEEK MINDANAO (Dec 12-13, 2012)

BusinessWeek MINDANAO

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Issue No. 135, Volume III •

Market Indicators

As of 6:01 pm dec. 10, 2012 (Monday)

FOREX

PHISIX

US$1 = P40.94

5,757.54 points

36.66 points

X

X Briefly 2 cents

Pablo damage

ILIGAN City -- The City Agriculture Office (CAO) of Iligan has been monitoring the damages caused by Typhoon Pablo on December 4 this year.

In the initial report during the Damaged Needs Assessment (DaNA) conducted by the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC), City Agriculturist Octavius Molo said that 12 agricultural barangays were affected by strong winds and rains brought about by the inclement weather.

Damaged were 58 hectares planted with bananas, 59 hectares of corn and 1.6 hectares planted of different crops. Also damaged was one hectare planted with fruits, 2.1 hectares of root crops, 1.5 hectares of abaca and almost a hectare of coconut trees.

Cagayan de Oro City

Wednesday-Thursday

Airport desk filters trafficked minors

DAVAO City -- The anti-trafficking desk at the Davao International Airport is doing its role in checking trafficked persons particularly minors.

Teresita Pioncio Focal Person of Trafficking in Persons, Children’s Concern Division of the City Social Services Division Office (CSSDO ) Davao City said that ever since its reactivation in April of this year, it has offloaded many minors travelling alone or those accompanied by individuals not their parents or legal guardians.

every Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays

P15.00

December 12-13, 2012

UN seeks global support to help typhoon victims

Australia leads donor countries with P737-million aid

By BWM M indanao B ureau

T

with

W ire R eports

HE United Nations turned to the global community as it launched on Monday a US$65-M aid appeal to help desperate survivors of typhoon Pablo that killed more than 600 people and affected millions in Mindanao.

Christmas lights

BUTUAN City -- In anticipation of increased demand for Christmas lights, DTI-Caraga enjoins consumers to buy only DTI-certified Christmas lights which passed the Philippine National Standard (PNS) 189:2000.

Only those Christmas lights issued with Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) certificates from January 2010 to present and with the appropriate ICC stickers will be allowed to be sold in the country. These also include sets with light emitting diode (LED) bulbs.

The DTI-Bureau of Product Standards (DTI-BPS) has published a list of importers of Christmas lights issued with ICC license as of October 2012 available at all DTI offices.

Now

DESPERATE FOR AID. Victims of devastating Typhoon Pablo wrestling for position as they beg for relief food being distributed by members of a private company in New Bataan in Compostela Valley. The United Nations is appealing for global aid to help the typhoon victims. afp photo/ted aljibe

Luiza Car valho, countr y off icer for t he U N Of f ice for the Coordination of Hu ma nita r ia n A ffairs, said the funds would initially help provide food, water and emergency shelter to 480,000 people in the worst-hit areas.

Carvalho spent the past few days visiting Mindanao, where landslides and floods from typhoon “Pablo” flattened entire communities last week, laying low the country’s banana and mining industries.

“I was shocked by the destruction I saw,” she said in news conference in Davao City on the edge of the disaster zone.

“Areas which have been completely devastated, with only a few damaged buildings still standing. Debris from houses, buildings, landslides and logs. Entire plantations wiped out.”

She said the typhoon, the strongest to hit the region for more than 80 years, had left its many poor support/PAGE 7

Govt taps PPP to ramp up airports nationwide

By IRENE DOMINGO Reporter

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released P933.8 million for a Public-Private Partnership

(PPP) project that will allow night landing operations in 14 airports across the country.

This is part of the Aquiairports/PAGE 7

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DTI chief urged exporters to be creative, focus on quality DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) Gregory L. Domingo advised Philippine exporters to focus on product quality and design to be more competitive in the world market.

“This is what will distinguish us in the foreign markets. We have to continually come up with new products or products that excite. That is why we call it products with passion,” Domingo said during the recent National Export Congress.

Domingo was referring to

DTI’s new trade promotion logo with the text “TRADE Philippines: products with passion”.

“Our biggest asset is the people. It is known not only in the Philippines but among our neighbors and to a certain extent beyond our neighbors that the Filipinos are creative.

We are very good designers.

We like to innovate, think of new things, and apply different colors,” Domingo said.

He noted that the Philippines is not the cheapest place to produce goods since the country’s labor cost is high.

The Philippines, particularly Metro Manila, is the second highest in terms of labor cost in the ASEAN. It is next to Singapore.

“Our labor cost is higher

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than Thailand and Malaysia.

These two economies are significantly more advance than the Philippines, and yet our labor cost is higher,” Domingo added.

He noted that the Philippines has been able to compensate for this drawback with the country’s strong non-electronics exports, which include competitive products made with design and craftsmanship.

He added that our exports

increased by over 7 percent in spite of the weakness in the electronics exports, which accounts for almost half of total merchandise exports.

“If you cannot export, you cannot be considered competitive. This is my benchmark on competitiveness,” Domingo said.

During the congress, thirty-two of the country’s best performing exporters by sector, based on statistics from the National Statistics

Office (NSO), and two business support organizations were given certificates of recognition for their excellent export performance, and continued support of the country’s trade promotions activities.

The DTI gave citations to top export performers in sectors such as processed coconut, furniture and furnishings, housewares, garments and textile, wearables, fresh exporters/PAGE 7

KORONADAL City -- The local government of North Cotabato has helped the Department of Agriculture (DA) 12 upgrade its facilities in Kidapawan City as part of its commitment to expand services to farmers.

DA 12 regional executive director Amalia Jayag-Datukan confirmed that North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño- Mendoza turned over to DA 12 a check amounting to P4.4 million intended for the improvement of the laboratory facilities of the Central Mindanao Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CEMIARC).

CEMIARC is located inside the provincial capitol compound in Barangay Amas, Kidapawan City.

Of the amount, Datukan said, P3.4 million is allotted for the upgrade of the soils laboratory at CEMIARC. The remaining P1 million is intended for the tissue culture laboratory of the same office.

Gov. Mendoza confirmed the provincial government’s assistance to DA 12 saying that this is part of its commitment to partner with the national agency in addressing the needs of the farmers in the province.

For example, she said that because of their partnership with DA farmers in the province could now get free soil analysis required for proper farm management. Same facility could also provide quality planting materials besides other services that CEMIARC provide.

In Januar y this year, North Cotabato LGU and DA 12 signed a memorandum of agreement to upgrade and strengthen agriculture department’s facilities in the province to improve the services that could be delivered to farmers in the laboratories/PAGE 8

GENERAL Santos City -- The local governments of South Cotabato and this city have

allocated a combined financial assistance of P2 million to augment the continuing

relief operations for the victims of typhoon “Pablo” in the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental.

City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio said the city government is set to deliver this week an initial P1 million cash assistance to the two provinces, portions of which were almost flattened by the onslaught of the super typhoon last Dec. 4.

She said the assistance, which will be shared equally by the two provinces, were drawn from the city’s calamity funds.

“We’ve already dispatched a medical team to the area to help address the healthrelated needs of the victims,” the mayor said.

In South Cotabato province, provincial administrator Hilario de Pedro III said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved during its regular session on Monday the release of P1 million cash assistance for the areas that were affected by the weather disturbance.

Based on a directive from Gov. Arthur Pingoy Jr., he said the local government will deliver P500,000 each to the local governments of Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley.

“The governor will personally hand over the assistance to the affected local government units,” de Pedro said.

Koronadal City Mayor Peter Miguel said they have relieft/PAGE 7

Cotabato LGU upgrades DA 12 laboratories in Kidapawan City

GenSan, SoCot, Sarangani join relief drive for ‘Pablo’ victims

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OFWs, families’ financial skills underscored

FINANCIAL education is needed to boost savings and investments among senders and receivers of remittances, a government official said.

“Both sides of the fence, the sender and the receiver of the remittances, must be financially educated... to help both achieve financial stability,” said Imelda M. Nicolas, chairman of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) at the session titled “Channelling Remittance Flows into Increased Financial Stability” during the second day of the Citi-FT Financial Education Summit 2012 in Makati City last week.

The CFO is a state agency tasked to promote the welfare of overseas Filipinos.

According to the International Organization for Migration’s World Migration Report, there were around 9.45 million overseas Filipino workers worldwide as of 2010.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)data showed remittances reached $15.571 billion in the nine months to September, up 5.52% from the same period last year.

The BSP’s Consumer Expectations Sur vey for the third quarter -- the latest -- showed that of 486 households that received remittances during that three-month period, 96.7% used the remittances to buy food; nearly 75%, pay for education; 67.1%, pay for medical bills; and 51.4%, pay for debts. Only 36.8% set aside money for savings; and 4.9%, investments.

The CFO chief outlined

ways to increase the savings and investment rates among senders and beneficiaries of remittances. She said the government and private institutions tasked to oversee the welfare of overseas Filipinos and their families must “expand their financial literacy campaign beyond pre-departure overseas Filipinos; map the areas that are already covered by financial literacy to identify areas that are underserved; train more people to reach the underserved sectors of society; and incorporate financial education in the school curriculum.”

Financial literacy seminars for Filipinos, once they are abroad, are needed. “We are inadequate in this aspect,” Ms. Nicolas pointed out.

At the same session, International Finance Corp.

(IFC) Head for Financial Infrastructure, Payments and Capital Markets Tony Lythgoe said remittances are expected to increase in the coming years.

IFC is the private sector investment arm of the World Bank.

“There has been a consistent flow of remittances and these will continue to increase,” he said.

With this in mind, the World Bank is working on reducing the average cost of sending remittances globally.

Lower costs should facilitate a more efficient transfer of remittances, which have a huge impact on both the recipient economy and the families of migrant workers.

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LBC set to increase remittance locations to 4,400 by next year LBC Express Inc., the country’s leading cargo, courier and money-remittance company, is strengthening its remittance presence in the Philippines and abroad through local and international partnerships, with a goal of increasing its remittance locations by 1,000 worldwide by 2013.

LBC’s partnerships in 2012 increased the company’s total locations to over 3,400 worldwide. Its local presence of over 1,000 branches has been reinforced with additional 1,600 locations through its agent-partners.

Meanwhile, its 14 international fulfilment partners added 794 more network locations—253 in the Middle East, 288 in Europe, 107 in Asia Pacific and 146 in North America.

In July 2012, almost 1,600 new partner-branches, including its sub-agents, were added to the LBC network in the Visayas and Mindanao with the signing of a reciprocal-service agreement with Palawan Pawnshop. This deal makes LBC’s Instant Peso Padala (IPP) service available at over 700 Palawan Pawnshop branches and 900 of its sub-agents, while the pawnshop’s Express Pera

Padala will also be serviced at LBC branches.

LBC also signed agreements earlier this year with local financial institutions with a strong international presence in key areas, such as the Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (Metrobank), Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) and the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC). International partners that signed deals with LBC include Money Exchange in Spain; Philippine Remittances or Philrem in the United Kingdom; Al Ghurair Exchange, Al Falah Exchange and Speed Remit in the United Arab Emir-

ates; Technology Marketing Link or TML Remittance Center and Placid Express in Malaysia; Far East Express and RJ Mart in Taiwan; and Manila Trading in Adelaide, Australia.

To strengthen its other services, LBC’s latest partnership is an agreement with the Meralco Electric Co. Bayad Center to accept over-thecounter bills payments at its local branches. The alliance is expected to branch out into other businesses as both companies explore opportunities to strengthen each other’s network.

“Strategic partnerships leverage the strengths of all

parties involved, and for LBC in particular, opens different corridors and locations for us to accept remittances from all over the world. It a lso opens avenues for future business opportunities such as outward remittances from the Philippines, as well as tapping other nationalities worldwide,” LBC President Fernando G. Araneta said.

The global fulfilment agreements involve partners acting as remittance agents for inf lows to the Philippines, with LBC acting as payout partner. The remittance inflow market to the country is worth $24 billion, an increase of 5.5 percent over 2011, according to the latest World Bank data.

“LBC is judicious about choosing the right partners for the right locations, especially in Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific, where we are looking to strengthen our presence. Our goal is not only to reinforce LBC as the preferred remittance, cargo and courierservice provider of Filipinos; we want to make our mark as a purely Filipino company providing a much-needed service to the world,” Araneta said.

A UNIT of Henry Sy-led BDO Unibank Inc bagged regulatory approval to issue debt papers to pay down maturing obligations and finance lending operations.

Documents from t he Securities and Exchange Commission show BDO Leasing and Finance Inc received the go signal from the corporate regulator to register P15 billion worth of short-term commercial

papers (STCPs).

BDO Leasing will spend bulk or P13.77 billion to settle existing debt and P1.23 billion to support lending operations. At end-September, the listed company had an outstanding balance of P9 billion worth of STCPs. Sister-firm BDO Capital & Investment Corp is the exclusive selling agent of the proposed issuance.

In November, PhilRat-

ings Inc assigned a rating of PRS 2 minus to BDO Leasing’s STCPs. The rating means “the issuer has strong capability to pay both principal and interest” on its planned debt issuance.

BDO Leasing’s products include direct leases, saleleaseback arrangements, and operating leases. The company’s financing products include commercial and retail loans, install-

ment paper purchases, and factoring of receivables and f loor stock financing.

Formerly PCI Leasing & Finance Inc, the company was incorporated in 1981 to engage in the business of providing leasing and financing products to commercial clients. The company became a subsidiary of BDO when it acquired Equitable PCI Bank Inc four years ago.

THE banks’ capacity to make money from their lending and investment activities has diminished in the last nine months, with their net-interest margin averaging only 3.38 percent in September, compared to the 3.42 percent recorded in end-June.

The latest figure gave proof to frequent bank complaints that margins averaging 3.53 percent in the first quarter of the year have eroded, as lenders outbid one another in offering loans and other services that are yielding fewer returns for their shareholders.

The diminished margin indicated previously rewarding earnings from loans and investments that were no longer as lucrative as they once were as competition heated up and

funding costs soar.

The d iminished returns come at a time when bank-loan growth actually reached double-digits to more than 13 percent as of September.

According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), bank-funding costs that ultimately determine the price of a loan extended to a borrower have not changed much, from the average rate of 1.88 percent in the first quarter to 1.74 percent in the third.

Still, the top three lenders in the country reported double-digit earnings growth based on interviews with executives like Aurelio R. Montinola III of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) and Nestor Tan of BDO Unibank Inc (BDO).

BDO reported a 38-per-

cent rise in profits for the period totaling P10.5 billion, while BPI earned P13.2 billion, which is 37-percent higher than last year.

The Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., meanwhile, posted a net income totaling P10.2 billion, a little over 15 percent higher compared to the previous year.

According to BSP data, banks collectively posted profits aggregating P80.11 billion in the first nine months of 2012.

This was 45 percent higher than three months earlier when aggregate profits stood at only P55.15 billion.

In the f irst quarter, the banks posted profits aggregating only P30.44 billion.

The banks clearly still make huge piles of money

from their lending and investment activities that keep their shareholders happy. But if the return on equity (ROE) ratio is an indication, it has not been a walk in the park for the banks as this ratio has, in fact, moved down from 13.09 in the first quarter to 12.78 percent in the second and only 12.33 percent in the third.

The ROE measures how wisely and well the lenders invested their investors or shareholders’ money.

From the point of view of net interest income, it seems the banks have done very well during the last nine months, their net interest income having steadily climbed from P48.43 billion in January to P99.06 billion in June and to P149.23 billion in September.

LBC Express is up to further expand remittance location worldwide.

SEC okays BDO unit’s P15-b borrowing

Banks’ net-interest margin rate drops further to 3.38%

Pension fund loosens salary loan rules THE SOCIAL Security System (SSS), the pension fund for private sector workers, has loosened its rules on salary loans to allow members to enjoy higher amounts at more flexible terms.

“Amid the current low interest rates, the SSS relaxed its lending terms and conditions that result in a higher maximum loanable amount, bigger net loan proceeds and earlier loan renewals for members,” said SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emilio S. de Quiros, Jr. in a recent statement.

The new guidelines for the pension fund’s salary loan program took effect

last Dec. 1 after they were approved by the Social Security Commission, the SSS governing body, last April 18.

Under the new guidelines, SSS said members can renew their loans if they have paid at least 50% of their original loans and if a year after their two-year term loans has lapsed.

Before, they could do so only if their outstanding balance was P500 or less.

They must also wait after the two-year amortization period.

Furthermore, under the new rules, SSS members fund/PAGE 7

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Wednesday - Thursday I Dec. 12-11, 2012

GSIS pensioners to receive cash gift before Christmas day THE Government Service Insurance System today announced that its Board of Trustees approved the allocation of Php1.8 billion as Christmas Cash Gift for its 219,000 old-age, retirement and disability pensioners who are receiving their regular monthly pensions as of December 15, 2012.

“We will credit the cash gift to our pensioners e-Card accounts on or before Christmas Day,” GSIS President and General Manager Robert G. Vergara said.

Pensioners whose 2011 cash gif t is Php10,000 and below, will receive an amount equivalent to one month current pension, up to a maximum of Php10,000. While pensioners whose Christmas Cash Gift last year is above P10,000, will receive an

amount equivalent to one month current pension, up to a maximum of P12,600.

Pensioners who resumed their regular monthly pensions after December 2011 (or the five-year guaranteed period) will receive an amount equivalent to one month current pension, up to a maximum of P10,000.

However, some pensioners are deemed ineligible to receive the cash gift. These include: basic survivorship pensioners and dependent pensioners; retirees who received in advance their guaranteed pensions in the form of lump sums and who will be receiving their regular monthly pensions after December 31, 2012; and new retirees from 2008 to 2012 who will be entitled to the Christmas Cash persioners/PAGE 8

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DTI blacklists 8 more erring ‘balikbayan’ box forwarders JUST t wo week s before Christ mas, t he Depa r tment of Trade and IndustryPhilippine Shippers’ Bureau revoked the accreditation of a cargo forwarder as well as blacklisted another seven companies.

In an updated advisory dated December 7, the DTIPSB said it has removed D’ Winner Logistics Philippines Inc from the list of accredited freight forwarding firms after it failed to deliver “balikbayan” boxes to their intended recipients.

T he a genc y adv i s e d Filipinos abroad as well as consignees in the country to “refrain from doing business” with the said company, which has violated certain provisions of the “Rules on Freight Forwarding” under PSB Administrative Order No. 6, series of 2005.

The DTI-PSB likewise warned the public against dealing with unaccredited

freight forwarders that have been issued formal charges by the agency. Added to the previous 28 in the November 23 advisory were seven companies, namely:

- D’ EEC Freight Forwarder and Logistics; - Diaz Cargo Services; - Forex Cargo Philippines Inc; - Sir2Go Forwarders;

- Skyland Brokerage Inc; - The Filipino Cargo International; and - UMAC Forwarders Express Inc. The Filipino Cargo International servicing Filipinos in Kuwait was likewise included in the black list of foreign principals/cargo consolidators that have been blacklisted because of undelivered “balikbayan” boxes.

Sir Cargo Forwarders (Saudi Arabia), meanwhile, has been removed from the blacklist after it delivered the cargo that was the subject of the complaint against it.

The DTI-PSB continues to enjoin consumers and consignees with complaints concerning damaged, pilfered or lost “balikbayan” boxes to report or file a written complaint to the agency through fax (02)751-3305 or e-mail dti_psb@yahoo. com.ph or call DTI Direct (02)751-3330.

Cebu Pacific sustains cargo lead Japan company buys THE Philippines’ largest national f lag carrier, Cebu Pacific achieved 48% market share in terms of domestic cargo from January to September 2012, according to recently released Civil Aeronautics Board data.

CEB carried 70.4 million kilograms in cargo in the first nine months of 2012, besting the combined cargo loads (62 million) carried by both Philippine Airlines and Airphil Express.

“This highlights Cebu Pacific’s extensive domestic route network and preferred cargo services. With multiple daily f lights to most key cities in the Philippines, ca rgo for wa rders and shippers trust CEB to link islands together in the fastest time,” said CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog.

stake in Alsons unit

CEB also led the domestic cargo market in 2011 with close to 89.5 million kilos carried for the full year.

“CEB cargo provides a flexible and straightforward service. We currently serve more than 2,000 accounts, tailor-fitting cargo products to our clients’ domestic and international cargo needs.

This includes express cargo ser v ice, seamless transshipment and 16 interline partnerships for worldwide reach,” Iyog added.

More re c e nt l y, C E B cargo partnered with the GMA Kapuso Foundation in shipping relief goods to those affected by Typhoon Pablo i n C ebu, Su r igao and Compostela Valley. It also remains a consistent partner of the GMA Kapuso Foundation for the founda-

tion’s Give-A-Gif t: A lay sa Batang Pinoy project, where customized Christmas packages are given to underprivileged children all over the Philippines.

To inquire more about CEB cargo, forwarders and shippers can call 802-7070 or visit www.cebupacificaircargo.com.

CEB c u r rent ly operates 10 Airbus A319, 23

ersa ng Masang Pilipino Rep. Jose Victor Ejercito of San Juan, is recommending amendments to telecommunications laws saying that the National Te l e c o m mu n i c a t i o n s Commission (NTC) is still applying Commonwealthera statute against erring telcos.

He cited Section 21 of Commonwealth Act 146 that prescribes a penalty of no more than P200 a day until the violation committed by a public telephone entity is corrected. He said it is this law, enacted in 1936, which the NTC still applies on the operation of cellularphone companies.

“The fine imposed is thus ridiculously low. No wonder telcos find it convenient to violate rather than observe the law,” said Ejercito.

He added the legislature should change the law with the purpose of adopting more serious penalties, whether fine or imprisonment or both, against telcos that violate NTC rules or those that fail to meet the NTCimposed standards.

Ejerc ito made t he recommendation after it came to light that telcos had overcharged their subscribers by 20 centavos for every short messaging service (SMS) sent.

Airbus A320 and 8 ATR72 500 aircraft. Its f leet of 41 aircraft is the one of the most modern f leets in the world. Between 2013 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 19 more Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders. It is slated to begin long-haul services in the 3rd quarter of 2013, with the arrival of 2 Airbus A330 aircraft.

ALCANTARA-LED Alsons Consolidated Resources, Inc. has inked an agreement with Toyota Tsusho Corp., giving the Japanese firm a quarter of the former’s 100% stake in Sarangani Energy Corp., Alsons said in a disclosure Tuesday.

Sarangani Energy plans to build a 210-megawatt (MW) two-unit coal-fired power facility in Maasim, Sarangani in south-central Mindanao over the next three years.

Sa ra nga ni Energ y is building the first 105-MW power plant worth $310 million, 30% of which will come from equity to be infused by the two parties on a 75:25 basis and the remaining 70% to be backed by a financing facility that has yet to be finalized. The first plant

should be operational by August 2015, Alsons said.

The disclosure said the 210-MW facility is expected to be part of the “long-term solution to the current power shortage in Mindanao,” which has been struggling with a power deficiency that reached 227 MW yesterday.

Sarangani Energy has a power supply agreement with South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative, Inc., under which the latter will draw 70 MW from the envisioned plant, the disclosure said.

Alcantara Consolidated controls and operates a 100MW bunker fuel-fired plant in Zamboanga City through Western Mindanao Power Corp. and a 55-MW bunker fuel plant in Sarangani through Southern Philippines Power Corp.

Telcos were ordered to cut their rates from P1 to P0.80 per SMS message or text on December 1, 2011. Until the present day, however, these firms are still charging subscribers the old rate.

“It is said that the overcharge amounts to billions, and yet the maximum fine NTC can impose a year is only P76,000. I won’t be surprised therefore if the telcos will choose to pay the fine, if they must, rather than refund the subscribers as ordered,” Ejercito said.

“The law being used in this modern time is already outdated and needs amendments. Kailangan

po ng batas para itaas ang multa sa mga violations ng mga higanteng telecommunications companies,” he added. [A law is needed to increase the fines against the violations committed by this giant telecommunications companies.]

The lawmaker said the penalty can be matched with a violation of terms and conditions of any certificate, authority or of any order, decision, resolution or regulation of the NTC. Ejercito said the telcos, by unfairly enriching themselves at the expense of their subscribers, commit an offense comparable

to graft and corruption.

He said legislators like him could find it necessary to classify violation of NTC rules and regulation a crime with appropriate fine and imprisonment.

He said telcos should not take advantage of the need of people to keep in touch with their loved ones.

The order stems from NTC’s Memorandum Circular 02-10-2011 issued in October 2011 lowering interconnection charges to P0.15 per SMS from the original P0.35. This, in turn, should bring down the regular cost of text messages to P0.80 apiece from P1.

Telcos performing below-par on lawmaker’s crosshair

JV Estrada

A MEMBER of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Information and Communications Technology wants stiffer penalties against telecommunications companies (telcos) found to be performing below standard.

At the same time, Pw-

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No Greater Love THINK a minute…

A four year old girl was seriously hurt in a car accident. She had lost so much blood that she would probably die. Her only hope was for someone else to give her blood. But her blood type was very rare and the doctors did not know if they could find anyone in time with her same blood type who was also willing to give their blood.

Then, they discovered that the girl’s 7 year old brother had the same blood type as hers.

The doctor led her brother into his office to tell him that his baby sister was very sick and unless she received some blood, the angels would probably need to take her to heaven.

Speaking out

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

Environment and Ethics THE atmosphere, the surViewpoints roundings of the human habitat wherein humanity breathes and lives, thinks and acts, works and spends his entire rational existence, is commonly known and called as the “environment”. In more ways than one, it can be said that the ground reality is that humans themselves form a part of the environment.

This is true in three ways as forwarded and affirmed by force of reason.

First, the two so intimately interact with one another such that it can be considered as purely academic to say that they are really detached and truly independent from the other. Second, the two can be said as a cause and effect paring such that they affect, do or undo, preserve or destroy and thereby keep or lose on another. Third, they are benefited or damaged by one another, depending on how they interact in terms of either preserving or wasting one another such that what is right or wrong they do to one another, ultimately spells their respective well-being or ruin.

It is during these critical times – after humanity has for so long lived and occupied the world – that the relevance and significance of the environment to people has become more pronounced as well as more evident – primarily on account of the following considerations: One, the protection of and care for the environment by

ARCH. OSCAR V. CRUZ (Ret)

humanity equal the latter’s good and well-being. Two, the damage and wastage of the environment by humanity is in effect spells the latter’s own injury and lost. Three, thus it is that humanity has no intelligent choice other than advocating for and defending the integrity of the environment so that this in turn can serve the needs and promote the welfare of humankind.

The over-all conclusions wherefore are the following: At the front is the fact that in the order of time, the environment came first before humanity such that everything in the sphere of nature was already there and prepared to attend to the requirements of man upon his actual advent. At the middle is the truth that there should be mutual service between humanity and the environment – less one of them or both suffer from serious harm if not downright cruz/PAGE 7

IGNACIO BUNYE

L AST yea r, I d isc u ssed some telltale signs of deep f inancia l trouble. These signs include having little or no savings, living from paycheck to paycheck, missing credit card payments, borrowing money to pay for debts, and not knowing how much money you owe until your bills arrive.

In this article, I am going to talk about financial planning and how important it

The brother’s eyes filled with tears. For a few moments, he tried to hold back his strong feelings of fear and sadness, then he said softly to the doctor: “I’ll give my blood to my sister.”

Later, as the young boy watched his blood going through a tube into his sister, he became even more nervous and afraid.

The doctor could see the little boy’s fear and told him: “It will be over very soon.”

The boy started to cry and said: “So now is when I’m going to die.”

From the very first time the doctor had asked this boy to give his blood for his sister, the young boy thought it meant he needed to give ALL of his blood and die so his sister could live. Yet this

little boy loved his sister that much, He was giving his life for her.

Did you know Jesus Christ did even more than that for you? Even though He is God Himself, He loves you and me so much He gave His perfectly innocent life so we could finally be forgiven and live forever with Him. God humiliated Himself by becoming a human being to die for all our wrongs.

Remember, He never did one wrong He needed to die for.

So His perfect life and death paid the penalty for all our sins.

Then after He was dead and buried for 3 days, He came back to life so we can share in His kind of life, both now and forever after we die. He is the only hope

Financial Planning is to manage our everyday finances.

According to t he Financial Consumer Affairs Group of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, financial planning should be taken seriously. It helps us deal with everyday situations better and prepares us for the most unexpected events.

T he FC AG’s We ek ly Wealth Watch newsletter lists the following suggestions on how to go about planning your finances: Assess where you are now in financial terms.

- What is my current financial status?

-How much savings do I have?

-How long will this last if I suddenly find myself without work?

-How much do I owe?

Set goals.

-I would like to have x amount of funds for my

children’s education.

-My car is no longer fuel efficient and maintenance costs are mounting; it needs to be replaced. I need to set-up funds for a new car in three years.

-I should have emergency funds of this much in five years.

-What kind of retirement life do I want to have?

Create a financial plan.

-W h a t a c t ion s d o I need to take (in light of my goals)?

-I have to prepare a budget and spending plan.

-I need to keep track of my cash f low.

-Should I consider investment opportunities to augment my income?

Implement the plan.

-I will choose the best strategy that will help me achieve my goals.

-I s hou ld pr ior it i z e my “needs” instead of my

Faith and miracles MANY people are saying that miracles do not happen anymore these days. They say miracles only took place in the distant past, the time of the gospel when Christ went around in the land of Judea and Galilee. But now, miracles are considered obsolete, if not an anomaly.

This is like saying that Christ, the son of God who became man, has ceased intervening in our lives, that he was purely a historical man, subject to time and space, and that after death, he is simply no more, completely wrapped in the spiritual world, if ever that exists, and that he has no immediate and tangible impact in our lives.

This cannot be so. Christ is both God and man. He both lives in time and eternity. And being our mediator, our Redeemer, he cannot be indifferent to our lives. He acts, and he always acts in very strategic ways.

The problem we have is that we lack faith. It is this deficiency that disables us

to see a deeper and richer reality that is beyond what we simply see, touch and understand. It is this deficiency that prevents us from asking for some miracles in some difficult situations we can find ourselves in, and from experiencing them.

Remember that time when Christ was pursued by two blind men (cfr Mt 9,27-31).

They shouted, “Lord, have pity on us.” But Christ asked them if they have faith. “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they immediately replied. Then Christ told them, “Let it be done to you according to your faith.” And they were cured.

In all the other miraculous cures narrated in the gospel, faith plays a very crucial role. The woman who was cured of her hemorrhage was also commended by Christ because of her faith.

“Be of good heart, daughter, your faith has made you whole…” (Mt 9,22) The same with the blind

man, Bartimaeus, and the father of the possessed boy who in his great distress told our Lord earnestly, “I believe, but help my unbelief.”

Besides the lack of faith, many of us have come to associate miracles with big, extraordinary things. Unless a blind man sees again, or a lame starts to walk, or a dead rises to life again, people nowadays say there can be no miracles taking place.

It’s a question of faith.

When one has faith, even if it is just little, we can see the marvels of God taking place all around everyday. That one perseveres in prayer, or decides to confess his sins after a long period of sinfulness, or a husband being faithful to his wife in spite of the strong temptations, etc., these are miracles too.

They are miracles because these situations often defy human logic and worldly wisdom. But then again, they can only be acknowledged if one has faith. Faith enables us to see beyond appearances

Think a minute

JHAN TIAFAU HURST

we have. So have you asked Jesus to forgive you and give you His new life today? He loves you more than anybody does—so much that He died to save you. Won’t you thank and love Him in return by living His right, successful way every day?

Just think a minute…

“wants.”

Monitor and reassess.

-I will review and revise my financial plan based on my current situation.

So what are the benefits of having financial plans?

The FCAG explains that it gives us more control over our financial affairs and the ability to avoid excessive spending, unmanageable debts, and dependence on others.

Having a financial plan also fosters better personal relationships with the people around us and gives us a sense of freedom from financial worries.

Lastly, sticking to a plan helps us obtain, use and protect our financial resources even after retirement—benefitting ourselves and our loved ones as well.

Note: You may email us at totingbunye2000@gmail. com.

Hints and traces

FR. ROY CIMAGALA

and the reality painted only by human and worldly values.

It is faith that lets us enter into the spiritual and supernatural world. It brings us to share in God’s wisdom and power. Remember those stirring words of Christ: “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove from there, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you.” ((Mt 17,20) Without faith, in spite of our keenest intelligence, we will miss much of the cimagala/PAGE 7

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Support... from page 1

residents without the means to feed their families.

“This devastation cannot be erased overnight,” she added.

Over the longer term, the UN aid programme will also help survivors to recover emotionally and rehabilitate the devastated farm sector, Carvalho said.

Australia leads foreign aid Australia has provided 70% of the P737 million in foreign aid pledged so far for the victims of typhoon “Pablo” in Mindanao, data compiled by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) showed on Monday, December 10.

According to the DFA, the Australian government has committed a total of P515 million, allocated in this breakdown: • P214-M in relief assistance • P86-M for food and essential survival kits through UN agencies such as the World Food Program and the Philippine Red Cross • P129-M for relief and recovery needs • P86-M in relief assistance through Australian NGOs working with local partners The second largest donor is the United States with P127-M, while Indonesia donated P41-M, Japan P22M, New Zealand P17-M and Canada P10-M, among others.

China -- engaged in a standoff with the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal -committed P1.2-M to the Philippine Red Cross.

Donations are needed to provide food, water and emergency shelter to 480,000 people in the worst-hit areas.-with reports from Agence France-Presse

Airports...

from page 1 administration’s goa l of ramping up the country’s swiftly expanding airline and tourism industries.

The funds, which were released to t he Depar tment of Transportation and Communications (DoTC), are chargeable against the agency’s lump-sum appropriation for PPP Transport Infrastructure Projects under the 2012 budget.

“Because there’s greater tourist interest in our local destinations, our airports are busier than ever. We’re seeing a larger volume of human traffic and more

f lights weaving their way in and out of our runways.

The night-rating of these 14 airports will enable them to accommodate additional flights in the evening, so that their operations are no longer limited to the daytime,” Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad said in a statement.

Airports that will receive a night rating are the Tuguegarao, San Jose (Mindoro), Busuanga, Naga, Legazpi, Roxas, Tagbilaran, Dumaguete, Dipolog, Pagadian, Ozamis, Cotabato, Butuan, and Surigao airports.

These airports will be equipped with facilities necessary for night landing operations, including airfield lighting systems, communications equipment, power supply systems, air disaster management systems, and other systems for managing air traffic services.

Meanwhile, the DBM has approved the creation of 85 new positions under the Bureau of Quarantine to enable better surveillance and improved control measures for infectious diseases and other health concerns.

The positions will be deployed to eight international airports in the country, namely: Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminals I, II, III; Cebu; Clark; Kalibo, Davao; and Laoag. The 85 positions will complement existing Bureau staff, in accordance to the new policy requiring the maintenance of multiple shifts to allow 24/7 operations in ports and airport terminals.

“Besides ensuring the improvement of our airport facilities, we also need to guarantee the safety and well-being of all passengers shuttling in and out of the country. With more quarantine personnel on the lookout for health hazards, our airports are better-equipped to provide protection not just to airline passengers, but also to Philippine residents who may be compromised by infectious diseases that could be brought in from other countries,” Abad said

member’s contribution payments and benefits.

“Members paying at the current P15,000 maximum MSC are entitled to the full amount of a two-month salary loan, which is now P30,000,” he said.

“As added f lexibility, members can indicate how much they want to borrow as long as it is within their loanable amount,” he added.

Lastly, the first year’s 10% annual interest rate will no longer be deducted in advance from the loan proceeds.

“The loan shall be amortized over a 24-month period and the 10% annual loan interest will apply to the diminishing principal balance,” Mr. de Quiros said.

As of September, the pension fund had released P16.023 million in salary loans to 993,417 members.

Cruz... from page 6

devastation. At the end is that after all is said and noted, it still remains incumbent upon humanity to respect and promote the soundness of the environment so that the former can continue benefiting from the latter from birth to death.

In other words: Environment is at the service of humanity. Humanity should be for the protection and promotion of the environment.

Technology must favor both humanity and the environment. Otherwise…

Cimagala... from page 6

important aspects of our life as we would only be restricted to the here and now, the material and the temporal.

To those leading Jews who refused to believe in spite of the clearest evidence at least of his special powers, Christ has these strong, intriguing words to say: “They who see not, may see, and they who see, may become blind.” (Jn 9,39)

Especially in our special needs and persistent human miseries, we need to follow the example of the men and women, the blind, the lame, the deaf, the sick, etc., who did all to get close to Christ and to beg. Some even had to climb to the roof and cut a portion there to be able to be near Christ.

This is the pattern we have to follow. We have to eagerly seek Christ and importune him with all our might, accompanying our pleas with external signs of our fervent faith and love for him.

This is the way to make the impossible possible, and to be able to see, and even experience, the many marvels God always likes to do for us.

Miracles happen even up to now.

Exporters... from page 2

food, beverages, marine and aquaculture, processed food, shipbuilding, motor vehicle parts, and electronics.

These exporters are Cargill Oil Mills Philippines, Incorporated, Regwill Industries Incorporated, Dedon Manufacturing, Incorporated, Geuel Handicrafts, Duru’s Industries Corporation, Hamlin Industrial Corporation, Choose Your Shoes Philippines, Incorporated, D’ Luxe Bag Philippines, Unijel International Trading, Incorporated, Bay Designs, Incorporated, San Miguel Foods, Incorporated, Dole Philippines, Incorporated, Diageo Philippines, Incorporated, Marcel Trading Corporation, General Tuna Corporation, Fisher Farms, Incorporated, HJR International Corporation, Philbest Canning Corporation, ED & F MAN Philippines, Incorporated, Alter Trade Corporation, Marigold Manufacturing Corporation, Superstar Coconut Products Company, Incorporated, Profood International Corporation, Del Monte Philippines, Incorporated, Wrigley Philippines, Incorporated,

Fund... from page 3

now borrow as much as P30,000, higher than the previous cap of P24,000.

Mr. de Quiros, however, noted that the amount a member may borrow will still be based on the “average of the member’s latest 12 posted monthly salary credits (MSC).”

MSC is the basis for a

CAGAYAN DE ORO Main Branch P & J Lim Bldg., Tiano Brothers – Kalambagohan Sts., Tel. # (08822) 727-829 * Telefax # (088) 856-1947 CAMIGUIN Branch B. Aranas St., Poblacion, Mambajao, Camiguin Tel. # (088) 387-0491 CORRALES Branch Corrales Ave., Cagayan de Oro City DIVISORIA Branch Atty. Erasmo B. Damasing Bldg., #61 Don A. Velez St., Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 857-3631 LAPASAN Branch Lapasan Hi-way, Cagayan de Oro City Tel. # (088) 231-6739a

Nestle Philippines, Incorporated, HHIC - Philippines, Incorporated, Yazaki - Torres Manufacturing, Incorporated, Temic Automotive (Philippines), Incorporated, Astec Power Philippines, Incorporated, Toshiba Information Equipment (Philippines), Incorporated, and Amkor Technology Philippines, Incorporated.

Among those who received the award were Jerry Agnes, president of Amkor Technology Philippines, Incorporated, and Feliciano L. Torres, president of Yazaki - Torres Manufacturing, Incorporated.

The Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. was recognized for its continued commitment as DTI’s primary private sector partner for the development and promotion of Philippine exports. Similarly, Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) was recognized for its valuable contribution as major advocate and DTI’s partner in promoting the Philippines as the prime destination for information technology (IT) services and outsourced business processes.

Domingo also noted that the congress is discussing innovation, competitiveness, and trade facilitation, which are the most important topics on exports aside from the

7

foreign exchange rate.

Relief...

from page 2 allocated some P250,000 worth of relief goods as initial assistance for the victims.

He said the city government has also launched a massive donation drive for various relief goods among local residents.

Miguel said they have designated the city hall building’s lobby as the main operations center for the relief drive.

In Sarangani province, the provincial government launched late last week a massive relief donation drive for the typhoon victims.

Ben Solarte, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief, said they have designated their office as the main dropoff point for the donated relief goods, which will be delivered to the affected areas on Wednesday.

In an advisory, the PDRRMO encouraged local residents to donate rice, canned goods, noodles, used clothing and beddings.

“This is our way of reaching out to the affected residents and at the same time of thanking God for sparing our province from the calamity,” Solarte said.

He said the relief drive will close down at noon on Tuesday to give them enough time to prepare for the delivery of the relief goods to the affected areas.

Aside from the relief goods, Sarangani Vice Gov. Steve Solon said the local government will also send some cash assistance to affected local governments.

(PNA)

8

Monday-Tuesday I Dec. 10-11, 2012

Congress

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Fireworks expected as showdown on RH bill set in Congress today AFTER 15 years of delay, the House of Representatives will decide the fate of the Reproductive Health bill today, Wednesday, December 12.

Regardless of whether anti-RH solons finish introducing all their proposed amendments, Cagayan de Oro Rep Rufus Rodriguez, a staunch RH critic, gave assurances that they are prepared to put the controversial measure to a vote on Wednesday.

Rodriguez

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“Definitely. We’re going to vote on Wednesday. We’re going to finish amendments tomorrow. It will be a long night because we want our amendments to be considered or rejected,” Rodriguez said Monday night.

Anti- and pro-RH blocs in the House reached a consensus last week to set the date for the vote on Wednesday. As part of the agreement, antiRH solons will be allowed to continue introducing their amendments provided that voting will be done by ayes and nays, and not by nominal voting (or voting one by one).

“They [anti-RH lawmakers] agreed with the Speaker that by Wednesday, finished or not finished, pass your papers,” said Albay Rep Edcel

Lagman, principal author of the RH Bill. (At the Senate, voting for the RH Bill on second reading was set on Monday, December 17 while voting on third reading is expected on Thursday, December 20.)

However, the agreement met an unexpected turn Monday, December 10, when Camiguin Rep Pedro Romualdo questioned the ruling of presiding Speaker Lorenzo Tañada over Cebu Rep Pablo Garcia’s amendment to limit family planning services to married couples.

Via voice voting, Tañada ruled that the nays had it.

Garcia proposed that the House can vote by standing up but Tañada said that this could only be done by

nominal vote.

Session was adjourned after the second roll call found that only 136 out of 287 solons were present, down from 183 during the first roll call.

As a result of the adjournment, the period of amendments failed to move beyond page 4, where it stopped when session adjourned Wednesday, December 5.

“I thought it was a decision we arrived at so we can just role play so that it won’t appear that they are delaying the process. Because they are very sensitive to media accusations that they are using dilatory tactics and that is the reason why they met with the Speaker. Unfireworks/PAGE 11

Pensioners...

from the service from 2006 to 2012 before reaching age 60 and who will be entitled to the cash gift once they have been regular pensioners for at least five years, and pensioners under RA 7699 (Portability

Law) who are receiving their regular pro-rata pensions.

Vergara said this year’s P1.8 billion cash gift to pensioners is 11 percent higher than the previous year’s grant of P1.62 billion.

CEMIARC is mandated to enhance, support and consolidate the existing Regional Research and Development System in agriculture as well as generate mid-stream applied research and ensure the

adoption and commercialization in collaboration with other R & D institutions, non-government organizations, government organizations, local government units, farmers and stakeholders.

from page 4

Gift five years after their retirement date.

The same is also true for those members who separated

Laboratories... from page 2

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Wednesday-Thursday I Dec. 12-13, 2012

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REMEMBERING 12/17:

Honoring our loved ones a year after Sendong

M

ore than 500 still remain missing here in Cagayan de Oro; a year after Typhoon Sendong devastated the city in December 17 in 2011.

Families who were left behind has nowhere to go to honor their loved ones who passed away untimely.

But JCI Bai Lawanen, Mindanao’s first all-lady chapter of Junior Chamber International Philippines thought about the painful emptiness that the families have been feeling.

And so, the JCI Sendong Memorial Wall Project was conceptualized a community project, that will serve as a sanctuary for the grieving families.

In the 8ftx12ft size memorial wall, made of romblon marble- are etched names of those who died due to Sendong and names of those still missing.

This tribute will stand with honor and dignity at Gaston Park in the Cityfronting the Saint Augustine Church.

JCI Sen. Gean TulangCesar, Past President of the Chapter and Past National Vice President for JCI Northern Mindanao says: “It was a project that came about without considering the cost and the magnitude of the project. A fellow Past President in the chapter, JCI Sen. Gigi Go shared the same feeling- and so even without the initial funding to start the constructionwe chose to start building it despite the financial concerns”. JCI Sen. Cesar is the project chair of the said Memorial Wall.

But in the middle of the construction of the tribute wall, financial assistance started pouring in.

Fellow Kagay-anons

abroad reached out to help, including private companies in the City like CEPALCO and Limketkai Center, local politicians such as Cong.

JV Ejercito, and fellow JCI Chapters like JCI Manila and other private individuals who share similar intention of having a place for serenity and refuge for families that are left behind.

Despite the political bickering, the local government of City Mayor Vicente Emano did not turn his back to give his support to the project. After all, he too believes that project like this should be given utmost importance.

Come December 17, 2012; JCI Bai Lawanen together with Parasat Cable TV and ABS-CBN Northern Mindanao, will stage series of event at Gaston Park to commemorate the First Year Anniversary of the Sendong

BWM Group of Publications receive recognition as media partners in promoting the services and programs of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE10).The recognition is awarded during the 79th DOLE Foundation Anniversary, December 10, held at the Polymedic Medical Plaza Social Hall.

(L-R) Assistant Regional Director Crispin D. Dannug, Jr.; Arjay Felicilda - News Editor of Mindanao STAR Balita, Joe del Puerto Felicilda - Managing Editor of Mindanao Daily News, DOLE-10 Regional Director Atty. Johnson G. Cañete, CEO III; Iren Domingo representing Nelson Constantino - Editor-in-Chief of BusinessWeek Mindanao; Shaun Alejandrae Yap Uy - Editor-in-Chief of The Cagayan de Oro TIMES;and Daisy Agurob - BWM marketing staff.

tragedy.

The Memorial Wall will be unveiled officially on that day, to be followed by a special mass of which hundreds of candles and flowers will adorn the memorial wall site.

A concert at the park will thereafter follow which will feature inspirational songs from local artists like Ian Nuer, David Mercado, Arlyn Baqui, and The DOT Singing Ambassadors among others. Talents from ABSCBN Cagayan de Oro will also be attending.

The public – especially the families of the victims, are encouraged and invited to join in honoring their loved ones on that day starting at 5pm.

They are advised to make bring the whole family as special tributes will be done during the series of events.

The site of the Sendong Memorial Wall at Gaston Park, Cagayan de Oro City

Artsada commemorates 1st Anniversary of Sendong through Healing Art

T

he Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industries, the City Government of Cagayan de Oro through the City Tourism Office and SM City jointly host an art exhibition of the burgeoning artists in the city in commemoration of the 1st Anniversary of Sendong on December 10, 2012 a t SM City.

The exhibit is entitled “Artsada's Next Stop: Healing Art for Sendong at SM” will run until December 16, 2012.

Artsada is composed of five visual artists from Cagayan de Oro City who will display their artworks in the exhibition portraying images for healing. The artists will

also hold an art workshop for the children from families of Sendong victims as a creative psychosocial therapy. The art workshop will cater fifty (50) children on December 15, 2012 and another batch of 50 children on the next day. On top of the display of their “obras”, an on-the-spot painting demonstration will be shared by the Artsada.

Ms. Imma Rae Gatuslao, the City Tourism Operations Officer, said that the City Government is supporting this endeavor to continuously help in the psychosocial needs of the flood victims for this will be achieved immediately. There are still many cases of the victims who are traumatized from last year’s incident.

She further mentioned that the exhibit will also help promote the City’s culture and arts which we can proudly claim as Kagay-anon through our Artsada’s artworks.

The exhibit is also supported by the NCCA Visual Arts Committee as part of their offshoot activities in promoting local arts.

The participating artists for this exhibit are visual artists with varied line of interests or medium in arts : Bo Daclan (contemporary art), Gieward Hullagno (water color painting), Brixrey Guegue (coffee painting), Darryl Salcedo (papercut art) and Marigold Cherie RamosGarrido (pastel.oil/acrylic painting).

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Rehab of ‘Pablo’-stricken farms, fisheries underway: Agri Dept.

REHABILITATION efforts are under way in “Pablo”-stricken areas with over P1 billion set aside for farm reconstruction, the Department of Agriculture said late Monday.

In a statement, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said he “instructed... [regional officials] to speed up the delivery of ser v ices a nd prov ision of interventions, so that affected farmers and fisherfok would recover and resume their farming and fishing enterprises.”

Initial assistance includes the distribution of 15,719 bags of certified rice seeds, and open-pollinated and hybrid corn seeds.

Thousands of tissue cultured banana plantlets as well as veterinary drugs and biologics for livestock

will also be shipped to typhoon-battered places in southern Philippines.

“We are currently implementing measures to help Cavendish banana growers so that they will be able to meet the delivery schedule of their overseas contracts,” Alcala said.

To help exporters meet their commitments, he added that the department “will help them source from unaffected plantations” in Regions 10, 12 and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The Philippine Crop

Insurance Corporation has set aside P22 million to cover the insurance claims of banana farmers.

Ph i l ip pi n e b a n a n a growers said over 14,000 hectares were devastated by Ty phoon Pablo, prompting the University of Asia and the Pacific agricultural economist Rolando Dy to say rehabilitation may take at least nine months.

The Philippine Coconut Authority will undertake a massive replanting and fertilization program in Davao region, with an initial budget of P50 million, said administrator Euclides Forbes.

The National Irrigation Administration has earmarked P1.167 billion

Fireworks...

an extension of the ayes and nays agreement,” Rodriguez said.

Enough time to pass into law?

Senior Deputy Majority Floor Leader Janette Garin said that if the House approves the RH bill on second reading by Wednesday, December 12, they can then approve it on 3rd reading by Monday, December 17.

A bill, unless certified urgent, needs to wait 3 working days before it can be tackled in plenary again.

“Ang pinapakiusap pa nga namin nung una Tuesday. Pero alam niyo naman, dahil malakas ang lobby. Wednesday, sana,” she said. (At first we were requesting for Tuesday, But as you know, because the lobby is strong. Wednesday, hopefully.)

T he C at hol ic Chu rch strongly opposes the RH Bill, which promotes the use of contraceptives as a family planning method. Bishops have said they would be watching as the solons cast their

vote.

On Monday, Cardinal Ricardo Vidal of Cebu graced the session and sat beside Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes, who had been attending sessions every day since last week, in the gallery.

Gonzales admitted that the presence of certain personalities in the gallery have put some pressure on the lawmakers.

“You have to also consider the temperament of the plenary kasi ang temperament of the plenary can always vary,” Gonzales said.

Numbers warfare Both sides expressed confidence that they have the numbers but were employing different tactics in analyzing sentiments for the bill.

Part of the pro-RH lawmakers’ strategy is not to divulge the number of votes, Lagman said.

“I have been asked this question a million times. And my answer has always been we don’t want opponents to know the exact figures,” Lagman

from page 8 we got delayed again,” Majority Floor Leader Neptali Gonzales II said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Warning Gonzales warned antiRH lawmakers not to accuse pro-RH solons of railroading the bill if they don’t finish a l l t heir a mend ments by Wednesday as a result of Monday’s session.

“For me, as to whether or not they will still reach up to the very end, that I can’t assure. If they will say that, wait, we need another week to propose our amendments, para kaming loko-loko ‘pag pinagbigyan namin,” he said.

Rodriguez however defended the anti-RH bloc’s moves.

“What we talked about last week was that there will be no nominal voting and there will be voting on December 12.

This one is an extension. The questions of nays and ayes to clarify would go to teller. It’s

for repair and restoration of damaged irrigation systems in Davao (P812 million), CARAGA (P302 million), Region 12 (P49 million), and ARMM (P4.5 million), the statement read.

For the affected fish farmers, the Bureau of Fisher ies a nd Aquat ic Resources distributed millions of bangus fingerlings and bamboo poles to reconstruct damaged fish pens, and 1,250 packs of relief goods (rice, water, sardines), totaling P9.3 million, it added.

On Sunday, Alcala said he is confident that farm output will still hit the government’s 4.1 percent a nd 5 percent g row t h target this year. said.

Anti-RH solons, on the other hand, have readily revealed their numbers. Rodriguez said their count shows that votes are at 136-95 against the bill.

Rodriguez claimed that pro-RH votes have also dwindled because more lawmakers are expected to abstain.

“They were identified as pro before and they don’t want to go to the other side. So the best way is to abstain,” The numbers are not consistent with voting patterns over crucial amendments, which show t hat R H bill advocates have consistently maintained the vote to reject amendments introduced by RH critics.

“Voting patterns indicate that RH advocates will win and the margin of victory will be progressively bigger,” Lagman said.

“The problem with the antis is their numbers are not flexible. Kami ang nakakakuha sa kanila,” Lagman added. Rappler.com

Red onion imports arrive in time for holidays, stabilize prices RED onion shipments have started arriving from China and India to make up for the shortage of local supply just in time for the holiday season.

“The importation is only good for 20 days, just so that consumers will have something to go by until the early [onion] harvest starts coming in,” Vegetable Importers and Exporters Association (VIEVA) president Leah Cruz said in an interview Sunday.

The Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture approved the importation of 8,500 metric tons of red onion in October. The quantity is about 65 percent of the estimated shortage of 12,400 MT. The department expects the local harvest to make up the remaining 35 percent.

The imports lowered red onion prices to P50-P60 per kilo from P130 per kilo in Oc-

tober and November. White onion prices are stable at P35P45 per kilo. Local shallots are priced at P30-P50 per kilo.

The DA’s early harvest program has resulted in the inf low of local shallots from the Ilocos Region. However, the domestic supply might not be enough to meet the dema nd, t he depar t ment said. The shallot-growing provinces of Ilocos, General Santos, Saranggani and Siquijor are expected to produce about 240,000 kilos (240 MT) of shallots. However, onion consumption is expected to reach 407 MT for December.

The Philippines consumes an average of 7,000 to 8,000 MT of red onions and white onions a month.

Farmers expect the total production for 2012 to decline by 12 percent year-on-year to 2.77 million bags.

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BPO sector identifies potential host-locations to sustain growth THE Philippines has identified another 40 locations that can support the growth momentum of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

This is on top of the 10 so-called “next-wave cities” (NWC) that the Business Proc e s si ng A s soc iat ion of the Philippines (BPAP) identified earlier.

Gi l lian Virata, BPAP senior executive director, said IT-BPO companies can also explore other potential locations such as Iligan, Zamboanga, General Santos, Leyte, Laoag, Bohol, Legazpi Cit y, a nd ot her provinces in Central and Southern Luzon.

“There is so much more untapped potential in areas outside Metro Manila. The Next Wave Cities are part of the solution in terms of providing talent. They are central to expanding economic growth beyond Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Clark. IT-BPO can make a difference in the lives of the people and t hese opportunities just need to be made known and available to them,” Virata said.

tential to become a credible IT-BPO hub. While Metro Manila produces the greatest number of university graduates, 75 percent or over 350,000 annual graduates come f rom schools out sid e Me t ro M a n i l a .

These numbers prompted industry stakeholders to

The 10 next-wave cities are Davao, Sta. Rosa in Laguna, Bacolod, Iloilo, Metro Cavite (Bacoor, Imus, and Dasmariñas), Lipa in Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Malolos in Bulacan, Baguio, and Dumaguete.

The BPAP and Department of Science and Technolog y-Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) identified the next wave cities using a scorecard, the data of which is updated every year.

T he N WC Scoreca rd is a tool to measure the suitability of a location to host IT-BPO operations.

Locations are assessed on t he basis of ava i labi lit y of talent and relevant in-

frastructure, connectivity through fiber-optic or other telecommunications networks, accessibility, cost of related factor inputs, and the business environment, including vulnerability to natural disturbances and issues related to security and safety.

Included in the NWC Scorecard are 34 cities and municipalities assessed to be collective “metro” areas.

“The aim of the NWC progra m is to help ease the inf lationary pressures brought about by concentration of recruitment and office space for IT-BPOs within Metro Manila,” Virata said.

He said talent is a key indicator for a location’s po-

Deal sealed for Cavite property devt GATCHALIAN-CONTROLLED PROPERTY firm Philippine Estates Corp. (PHES) has formally sealed a deal with Ayala-led Amaia Land Corp. for the development of a residential property in Cavite, a disclosure by PHES showed on Friday.

“In a meeting held Dec. 7, PHES and Amaia Land entered into a memorandum of agreement to develop PHES’ real estate property located in Cavite into a residential and/or subdivision project,” the disclosure read.

Amaia Land, formerly known as First Communities Realty, Inc., was incorporated in 2000 as a wholly owned unit of listed real estate firm Ayala Land, Inc. catering to the “economic” housing segment, according to Ayala Land ’s 2011 annual report.

Amaia Land’s past projects include AmaiaScapes in Laguna, Nueva Ecija, and Negros Occidental; Amaia Skies in Quezon City; and Amaia Steps in Novaliches, Quezon City.

Last month, PHES said that its board had approved the formation of a joint venture with Amaia Land to develop its Cavite property, authorizing Elvira A. Ting, PHES president, to negotiate and finalize the deal’s terms.

Details on the finalized project were not immediately available; officials from Ayala Land or PHES were similarly not immediately available for comment.

PHES was first incorporated in 1983 as Philippine Cocoa Estates Corp. to engage primarily in agriculture, shifting its business in 1996 to accommodate the entry of The Wellex Group, Inc. as its primary investor.

It currently has one wholl owned subsidiary, Mariano Arroyo Development Corp.

Some of PHES’a completed projects include the Pearl of the Orient Tower in Manila, Pacific Grand Residences in Valenzuela City, Pacific Grand

Villas and Pacific Grand Townhomes in Cebu, Jaro Grand Estates in Iloilo City, Pacific Grand Townhomes in Bulacan, and Pacific Grand Residences in Cavite.

Amaia Land’s parent, Ayala Land was organized in 1988 when conglomerate Ayala Corp. decided to spin off its real estate division into an independent subsidiary to enhance management focus on its real estate business. It went public in 1991.

For 2012, Ayala Land had allotted a record P37 billion in capital expenditures (capex) to fund around 67 new projects with an estimated sales value of P90 billion, as well as for the acquisition of new properties moving forward, the firm said last February.

take a second look at potential locations outside of Metro Manila and enhance their potential in attracting global clients and foreign investment.

“The IT-BPO industry is aware that the next wave of growth must involve alternative locations,” Virata

said.

In 2011, the Philippines’ IT-BPO industry generated more than $11 billion in revenue and employed almost 640,000. Under its roadmap, BPAP projects the industry to grow to $25 billion and employ 1.3 million by 2016.

-- InterAksyon