BusinessWeek Mindanao (November 10-11, 2021) by Mindanao Daily News

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Volume XII, No. 65

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Sustainable living

BRIA Homes, a subsidiary of Villar-owned Golden MV Holdings Inc., emphasized that its Davao housing developments in Davao has incorporated sustainable living policy. Red Rosales, president of BRIA Homes, said that its developments in Panabo, Tagum, and Digos all promote sustainable lifestyles. “Responsible Filipino homeowners must aspire for a life of sustainability—one that safeguards the environment not just in the ‘here and now’ but for future generations as well. This is why BRIA tirelessly promotes sustainable lifestyles in each of its fifty-plus communities nationwide,” said Rosales.

Banana livelihood UPLAND farmers in Maguindanao, mostly members of the Teduray indigenous people, have started developing an initial five-hectare area to plant the Cardava banana variety to diversify their income sources away from traditional crops such as rice and corn. “I hope that this will encourage other people to go into Cardava planting (and not just Cavendish which is the traditional export variety) because there is also available market and good income for Cardava,” Ishak V. Mastura, chair of the regional Bangsamoro Board of Investments (BBoI), said following the Oct. 29 groundbreaking ceremony for the project. The BBoI helped forge a partnership between Datucampong Banana Plantation, the new investor, and Usman Banana Plantation, the source of Cardava seedlings which provides technical as well as marketing assistance.

Conflict monitoring THE World Bank has proposed extending a $738,000 grant to fund a conflict and data analysis project for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). In a letter agreement dated Oct. 28, the World Bank, as administrator of the state and peace-building fund, proposed the grant in response to a financial assistant request made on behalf of International Alert. The grant is financed out of a trust fund based on periodic contributions from donors. The World Bank in May said it started to manage the trust fund receiving foreign financing for BARMM development, with the Australian government and the European Union pledging contributions.

BASTE FOR MAYOR. Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte talks to reporters outside the office of the Commission on Elections in Magsaysay Park, Davao City, after filing his certificate of candidacy for Mayor yesterday, Nov. 9. Mayor Sara Duterte withdrew from the mayoralty race in favor of brother Sebastian, but has kept mum about her future plan. mindanews photo by manman dejeto

HE Department of Energy (DOE) has steered clear of any commitment to phase out coal-fired power plants in the Philippines, as stipulated in its pledge to the ongoing 26th Conference of the Parties (COP) Climate Change Summit in Glasgow, Scotland. In a formal correspondence to Alastair Totty, chargé d’affaires at the British Embassy-Manila, who solicited the country’s support to the “Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement” that was launched at the COP26 Summit by the Energy Transition Ministerial Meeting, DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said the country’s unwavering support to energy transition will primarily rely on renewable energy (RE) installations and deployment of energy efficiency technologies. There is nothing in the DOE’s letter-commitment that it will pull the plug on coal-fired power generation in the country. Instead, the energy secretary demanded “climate justice” from more industrialized nations that have spewed higher scale carbon emissions which ended up to be very disastrous to humanity, including to COAL/PAGE 7

Sara withdraws from mayoralty race; Red tide warning up over Baroy coastal waters: BFAR Baste is substitute for mayor By ANTONIO V. COLINA IV, MindaNews

DAVAO City – Mayor Sara Duterte on Monday afternoon withdrew from the mayoralty race in favor of youngest brother Sebastian, who will be her substitute for the post of Mayor. S e b a s t i an , w h o w a s certain of a second term as Vice Mayor as he is running unopposed for that post, had announced at noon that he had withdrawn his candidacy

for Vice Mayor without citing any reason. He merely said he had “no other details to share at the moment.” The “moment” came less than three hours later, when sister Sara went to the Commission on Elections office in Magsaysay Park to withdraw her candidacy for Mayor. “Ngayong hapon winiwithdraw ko ang akong

k and i d atu r a s a p ag k a Mayor ng Davao City. Si VM Baste ang papalit sa akin. Si Atty. Melchof Quitain ang nominado naming sa pagkaBise Alkalde. Ito lamang po muna. Maraming Salamat po” (This afternoon, I am withdrawing my candidacy for mayor of Davao City. Vice Mayor Baste will replace me. Atty. Melchor Quitaing has been nominated to be our Vice Mayor. This is all for MAYOR/PAGE 7

By RICHEL V. UMEL, MindaNews

ILIGAN City – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) wants the public to refrain from gathering, selling and eating shellfish from the coastal waters of Baroy, Lanao del Norte as it has been found to be positive for Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) or toxic red tide beyond the regulatory limit. “ To avoi d PSP, t he public is advised to refrain

from eating, gathering or harvesting, transporting or marketing shellfish from Baroy until such time that toxicity level has gone down below the regulatory limit of 60 STX eq/100 gm of shellfish meat,” said Eduardo Gongona, BFAR National Director. Red tide toxin level in samples collected from the area is presently at 188.60 WARNING/PAGE 7

Isko Moreno’s senate bets hold multi-sectoral dialogue in CDO By GERRY LEE GORIT, Reporter

THREE senatorial bets of Aksyon Demokratiko recently held a multisectoral dialogue in Cagayan de Oro to address various issues, from politics to poverty alleviation. The consultation was led by local bet and sectoral leader Samira Gutoc of Marawi, Jopet Sison, and Carl Balita. Aksyon's standard bearer presidentiable Manila mayor Isko Moreno has not arrived for previous commitment.

He l d i ns i d e C o gon Market, the city's biggest public market, the three bets were sought for their opinion over the disqualification case filed against presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. due to his conviction for tax evasion. Sison, a former Quezon city councilor, known for co-hosting a legal drama TV show “Ipaglaban Mo,” leaves it up to the Comelec to act on the disqualification BETS/PAGE 6

SECTORAL DIALOGUE. Senatoriable Samira Gutoc and two other bets of Aksyon Demokratiko, Dr. Carl Balita, civic leader and. Atty Jopet Sison, interact with representatives from various sectors in a consultation held inside the Cogon Market in Cagayan de Oro. photo by gerry lee gorit

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Govt steps up drive against PhilSys-LandBank partnership key toward smuggling of agri products financial inclusion

HE Department of Agriculture-10 (DA-10) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) heightened their joint efforts in curtailing entry of smuggled agri commodities in Northern Mindanao. The DA with DA-Bureau of Plant Industry, Plant Quarantine Services (DA-BPI PQS) in NorMin, and the Bureau of CustomsPort of Cagayan de Oro conducted an inventory and inspection of smuggled red onions, November 4. An estimated P5 million worth of

smuggled onions were seized after the warehouse was raided on October 22 headed by the BOC-CDO team. Lawyer Roswald Joseph Pague BOCCDO Deputy Collector for Administration and Senior OSM, said that its disposal will be set after completing the inventory of the warehouse along Corrales Extension in Cagayan de Oro City. DA-10 has not issued a Sanitary Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC) for the said agri commodity, thus they are considered as smuggled. DA-10 Regional Executive Director

Carlene C. Collado, who at the same time the chair of DA Regional Management Committee discussed with DA-BPI PQS 10 Regional Manager Manuel A. Barradas and Pague in setting plans and strategies for its proper disposal in ensuring consumers’

safety. RA 10845 otherwise known as the ‘AntiAgricultural Smuggling Act of 2016’ states that seized smuggled agricultural products, shall be disposed of in a manner to be determined by the appropriate regulatory agency. (DA-10/PIA-10)

DAVAO City – The opening of transaction accounts with Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) by Philippine Identification (PhilID or national ID) card registrants is part of the initiative of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to realize the objective of financial inclusion. The Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act’s goal is

specifically aimed at lowincome families who can’t gain access to financial services because of the lack of a bank account. The most common reason for their exclusion is the lack of a valid ID, the primary requirement in all transactions. Thus, PSA and LandBank’s partnership pave the way for the lowincome sector to finally INCLUSION/PAGE 7

DA-10, PLGU MisOr and USTP ink an agreement for the implementation of the BP2 program in said province.

DA-10 pilots MisOr for BP2 program in Normin CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY-Returnees or balikbayan to Misamis Oriental can start anew with available agricultural livelihood projects under the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) Program. The Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office (DA)-10, together

with the Provincial Local Government Unit of Misamis Oriental (PLGU MisOr) and the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) Claveria Campus signed a Memorandum of Agreement, November 5, for the said program. DA-10 Regional

Executive Director Carlene C. Collado hoped for the success of the program with Misamis Oriental as the pilot area in the region, in partnership with USTP. “I hope that the implementation of BP2 will be a success so that our balikbayans will be encouraged to return to the

province with livelihood projects available for them,” said Collado. The BP2 Program is a socio-economic program developed by the Duterte administration that seeks to address Metro Manila’s congested areas by encouraging people, especially informal settlers to return to their home provinces. Food security and agricultural productivity is one of the four key result areas of the BP2 program. For Misamis Oriental, interventions under the BP2 Program include the establishment of cattle multiplier farm, goat multiplier farm, poultry farm, and vegetable farm and mushroom production amounting to P9.163 million. Receiving the program, Chancellor of USTP Claveria Campus, Dr. Renato O. Arazo shared, “We are thankful for this opportunity to serve the community, particularly those who are affected by the ongoing pandemic. Rest assured that the university will support and will take care of the BP2 Program.” Also receiving the program, Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Vincente B. Emano assured his support in the implementation of the said program. Witnessing the MOA signing are DA-10 Regional Technical Director for Operations Carlota S. Madriaga, PLGU MisOr Veterinarian Benjamin S. Resma, USTP Claveria Campus Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. Alexander L. Ido. (DA-10/ PIA-10)

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CorporateWorld

DTI to promote noche buena goods that maintain prices

EPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said the agency will promote manufactured noche buena items that did not increase their prices. In a Palace briefing Monday, Lopez said among the noche buena goods that keep prices this year include ham, queso de bola, fruit cocktail, pasta, and spaghetti

sauce. He said more than half of the items in the list of basic necessities did not implement upward price adjustments. “Those that will not increase their prices, they are lucky. The government will promote their products,” Lopez said in Filipino. Earlier, the DTI called on manufacturers of noche buena items not to raise prices

this year as the country is celebrating the Christmas season again during a pandemic. “And those that increased their prices, the increments are within 3 percent only,” Lopez said in mixed English and Filipino. The DTI last year convinced manufacturers to maintain the 2019 prices for noche buena products. (PNA)

Aboitiz Group sees growth for business units ABOITIZ Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV) is optimistic about the growth of its business units, including its land, infrastructure, and food firms. AEV expects its property business, AboitizLand, Inc., to exceed its year-end target by 10%, closing at P4.2 billion. The listed company sees this as AboitizLand’s “strongest performance in history,” owing to a shift in consumer preferences during the lockdown. On the back of increased construction activity and stronger sales, AboitizLand’s residential business contributed 73% of total revenue. “AboitizLand sales continue to perform strongly, with our 2021 target in reservations already achieved as of [the third quarter],” David L. Rafael, AboitizLand president and chief executive officer (CEO), said at a briefing on Thursday last week.

“We have generated P3.7 billion, an 89% increase versus the previous year, resulting from improved sales operations across the different projects and continued efforts in building up sales momentum,” he added. The real estate firm will also be working with Aboitiz-led UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered sales program to address its problems on forfeitures. “We’re developing a program using AI that will allow us a reasonable expectation of a buyer given certain parameters, given certain information of their probability of forfeiting their accounts. That should help us in reducing cancelation of sales,” Mr. Rafael said. Meanwhile, Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. said the first phase of its LIMA estate’s industrial expansion is “substantially complete”

One Hand Towards A Safer Learning Environment JENNEFER A. FLORES Teacher III

An environment that is conducive for learning is everybody’s desire. We enjoyed using the resources that nature provides to cater our needs but we forgot our responsibility in taking care of it. We failed to manage how to keep it clean and suitable to live. High volume of waste generation, improper waste segregation, irregular waste collection, lack of waste disposal and recycling facilities are just a few of the roadblocks in solid waste management. R e publ i c Ac t 9 0 0 3 “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000” is an act providing for an ecological solid waste management program, creating the necessar y institutional mechanisms and incentives, declaring certain acts prohibited and providing penalties. It aims

to reduce and eliminate adverse impacts of waste materials on human health and the environment. One hand towards a safer learning environment is a joint activity amongst school clienteles, personnel and stakeholders for solid waste management. It addresses on the problem on what should be done, what is ethical or what is appropriate in handling solid waste. Through this initiative, we are made aware about the impact of managing our waste and encourage behavioral change to what is more environmentally benign. Disposing waste properly through practicing reduce, reuse and recycle is the key to keep our school environment clean and suitable enough for teaching-learning process to take place.

and that 80% of its inventory has been reserved. Phase 2 construction, which will add 49 hectares to its inventory, will start in January next year. Aboitiz InfraCapital President and CEO Cosette V. Canilao also said the unit is “assessing the opportunity” to bid for PLDT, Inc.’s telecommunications towers via Unity Digital Infrastructure, Inc. For its part, food holding firm Pilmico & Gold Coin Group said it will open two new The Good Meat physical stores before the end of the

year, bringing its total to three. The food group also announced the completion of mills in Malaysia and Vietnam. It also aims to complete its warehouse expansion in Indonesia by the first quarter of 2022. “Once completed, the facility will help improve efficiencies, stability of production, and reduce the need for external warehouse dependencies,” Pilmico President and CEO Tristan S. Aboitiz said. The group has already begun building new mills in Vietnam and China.

AEV said on Thursday it expects to complete Pilmico’s third breeder farm in Nueva Ecija by June next year. It will have a 2,500-sow level capacity. AEV earned P19.5 billion in core net income from January to September, up 133% year on year, while its consolidated EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) increased 28% to P49.5 billion. Meanwhile, listed Aboitiz Power Corp. accounted for 58% of total income contributions in the first nine months of the year,

followed by banking arm UnionBank with 26%, Pilmico Foods Corp. with seven percent, Aboitiz InfraCapital with six percent, and AboitizLand with three percent. “If the trends hold up — our business units have been performing well [while] our EBITDA has been growing quarterly — I think that bodes well for us,” Manuel R. Lozano, chief finance officer of AEV, said. On Friday, shares of AEV at the stock exchange climbed 0.88% or 45 centavos to close at P51.45 apiece.

Quality styling and planning by Geguiera's Events An interview with owner ENSON GEGUIERA by MARK FRANCISCO

1) How did Geguiera's events came to be? Geguiera’s Events started as a business plan college project. I'm so proud to be a TESDA product. Way back 2017, I studied and completed a three-year TESDA course at COBSAT (Cagayan de Oro Bugo, School of Arts and Trades). One of the projects given by our professor was to have a business plan project which connects on hotel management and events

services. As part of the said project, Geguiera's Events was made. After I graduated, I took my chance na i-apply ko yung business plan project. It was on August 12, 2018 that we handled our very first wedding. After nun, dun na nag sunod-sunod yung mga inquiries and bookings. We started from scratch talaga until nakapag open kami ng shop sa CDO. 2) So what about this pandemic, how does the

industry thrive? During pandemic, we are the most affected one because gatherings is part of our work in wedding and events industry. Events restrictions in CDO gave us a huge impact on our business in order to thrive during pandemic kasi nga bawal yung events. We expanded our services to other places. We expanded out services in Bukidnon and other areas in MisOr kung san yung lugar na pwede pa

makapag event kahit limited. Also we offer selling bridal and debut gowns so my mga clients naman kami all over the nation na bumibili ng mga gowns namin. Ngayon since events are back kahit limited lang and with some protocols and guidelines na pina-follow still we’re thankful enough. At least naman we can start again our business back to normal amidst the pandemic we’re facing. Geguiera’s Events offers quality affordable event styling and planning. The company's mission is to provide an extraordinary experience in wedding and events to all our clients. With our team, we also collaborate with some wedding and events suppliers here in CDO from photography, videography, hair and makeup artist, stylist and even sweets and pastries supplier. Their shop and office located at 12th 28th st. Nazareth, Cagayan de Oro Contact informationEnson Reyes Geguiera - CEO 0906 032 7083; Facebook page: Geguiera’s Events

Opinion

The BusinessWeek Mindanao is published by BusinessWeek Mindanao Corporation every Monday to Friday with office address at Tanleh Building, Abellanosa, Cagayan de Oro City. It is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under Company Registration No. CS201531633 with BIR Certificate of Registration No. 2RC0000831068, TIN No. 463-826-272-000 – VAT. Reg., and with Business Permit No. 2020-04015. Tel. Nos.: (088)856-3344, (088) 810-100, 0923-432-0687, 0917-7121424 Website: www.businessweekmindanao.com E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com

BUSINESSWEEK MINDANAO CORPORATION Publisher DANTE M. SUDARIA President/CEO ALLAN MARIO MEDIANTE Vice President for Corporate Affairs RUFINO T. MAGBANUA Vice President for Business Development VICENTE C. DELA VICTORIA Vice President for Operations JOE FELICILDA Vice President for Administration JOE PALABAO Vice President for Marketing ROSE MARY D. SUDARIA, PhD Vice President for Finance MIKE BAÑOS Vice President for Digital

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MAGSAYSAY, MisOr — There is light at the end of the tunnel. And that light may soon bring hope to mankind as the pandemic is seen to meltdown and may be downgraded to being local — endemic to say the least. In d e e d , spending the holidays may again reverberate in the four corners of the land as restrictions are eased gradually to give way to the revival of the economy worldwide. For the past weeks, the pandemic that has turned the world almost completely upside down has mellowed its deadly sting as hospitals were seen physically relieved of the burden of taking care of the hundreds of positives being rushed to save lives yet record shows deaths had

KIM'S DREAM

MANILA OFFICE: 9th Floor, Unit 918, CityLand Herrera VA Rufino Cor. Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City Tel. # : 5555392,Cell Nos.: 0955-366-5968 | 0918-527-5898 CECILIA FRESNIDO-HONRADE - New Marketing Manager

DAVAO MARKETING OFFICE Door 223, Doña Segunda Bldg., CM Recto Ave., Davao City Telephone #: (082) 298-8815 Regional Mktg Manager-JOE PALABAO- 0926-8430152 Circulation-JOHN PAUL AQUINO, 0907-331-5640 OSCAR LEDESMA Bureau Chief, Bukidnon Contact No.: 0916-910-0019

Member: Philippine Press Institute Oro Chamber

Follow the map Think a minute . . . Have you ever been lost? If you travel to another country for the first time, getting lost can be frustrating and discouraging. Imagine you have just arrived in London, England and want to go to a certain place in that great city. A map of London would show you how to get there. But what if you had the wrong map? What if your map read London, but it was actually a map of Tokyo, Japan! Imagine your total frustration and futility in trying to get where you want to go in London, when all the time you’re following the map of Tokyo! Yo u c o u l d w o r k o n your driving skills and concentration. Try harder and drive faster. But that would only take you to the wrong place faster. You might even change your attitude and think more positively. But you would still be lost. Being polite and kind to other drivers and pedestrians along the way would not get you there either. None of these things you do can change the fact that you’re following the

THINK A MINUTE

reached a 5-M mark on a global scale. Though still lurking in our midst, Covid -19 had somehow slowed down a bit but health authorities has warned of resurgence if health protocols are ignored this early. The pandemic is a global catastrophe of immeasurable proportion never imagined to go down in history as the worst ever health crisis to halt the world’s economy to an almost complete stop. In fact, Covid-19 has affected mankind completely down and out — and just how our lives have changed drastically for a temporary period of time for two years — and still counting, though its pace has been observed in almost stationary motion. That said, this pandemic

is the worst crisis ever experienced by mankind, next only to the 1918 global health crisis that had killed millions of our early ancestors. Per record, the influenza pandemic had killed more people than victims of World War 1 at somewhere between 20 - 40 million. It was cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. And history repeats itself, indeed. After a quarter of a century, that pandemic with an almost the same face value is back. This makes 2020-21 horrible years to reckon with. And for countless reasons, the last two years really sucked. And as we end up the year, we do hope death

UNRUFFLED

RUFFY MAGBANUA counts will come in trickles as vaccinations progress down to the barangay level. Good grief vaccines of various country origins are now evolving fast, hoping that soon this deadly virus that had stunned the world will be a thing of the past. Yet its still safe to wear mask and always keep the distance. (ruffy44_ph2000@ yahoo.com)

How to save Mother Earth? First read

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ORLAN R. RAVANERA The urgent call by world leaders in the G20 Summit called Conference on Climate Change is now reverberating throughout the globe with some 33 leaders committing to stop the burning of coal. But that is not that easy. As bannered by Business Week Mindanao recently, “government needs P339 billion to concretize its plan to buy out coal plants in Mindanao as part of the country’s commitment for carbon emissions reduction at the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the United Nations’ Climate Change Summit.” For a country that is fighting for economic survival during

God's Book, the Holiest

this most challenging times, that may not be possible, that is, if we do not give priority to counter climate change. Unless, we have a clear grasp on the state of planetary emergency where humanity is now facing the Earth’s 6th extinction, sacrificing Mother Earth to the altar of greed, fame and power may continue without letup by the contemporaneous economic paradigm called Neo-Liberal Capitalism intensely advanced through corporate globalization. May I therefore suggest that to have full understanding of the state of the environment, let us first read the holiest of books that God Himself has written. The holiest of books is not one written by evangelists or well-known prophets but one authored by God Himself, evolving through billion of years, shown in the beauty of the universe. Neither is it written in words nor in any language and is opened 24 hours a day, has no literacy requirement and can well be understood using not one

but five senses. That book is said to be a manifestation of the Unseen using the great void as its pages and the four elements of the Universe as its alphabets, namely, fire, water, earth and wind. It is called the book of nature written through the ages that contains all the mysteries of life and the laws that must be obeyed irrespective of race, color, belief, gender and class. The 250 million stars in the cosmos can well speak of that element called fire that touches us through the glorious sun. Every time the sun proclaims a new day, that bursting of the light in the horizon shows that darkness defeats the light. In the same breath that truth always prevails over lies, righteousness over diabolic acts, love over hate, the just over the unjust, and life over death. But we also read in that book that even the darkness has some good in it because it shows us the stars. From the element called water we have learned that

flowing is the essence of life as to stagnate means diseases, sorrows and death. For it to flow, it must seek a lowly path as it gains more power be falling down. In the 70’s, during the height of the First Quarter Storm, we always heard the adage, “Let not a single drop of rain go out to the sea without serving the people.” There is also that cleansing and healing power of water. It has been said that sometimes the passions of the heart emit so much heat which only dies down through the cooling effect of the water we drink. From the lowly earth grows the mighty tree and the beautiful flower. It may contain all the rot but even the wise, the powerful and the beautiful have to return to the earth as their final destiny. Such is the destiny of form. But life is eternal and every human being is life that much be connected to the formless, the Unmanifested, the Being. Feel that Being inside you and you will feel the peace and stillness that is shown by HOLIEST/PAGE 7

The dishonest steward and the world’s unavoidable evils JHAN TIAFAU HURST wrong map. That’s the frustrating situation we all face in life. We keep looking for success, satisfaction, and love in all the wrong places—because we don’t have the right map. We keep going down dead-end roads that lead us nowhere. We waste much of our life getting lost and making painful mistakes that cost us much—because we do not know how to get where we want to go. But the saddest thing of all is that the right map has been right in front of us all the time. We simply refused to use it. In fact, the Maker of the right map also came as our personal guide to show FOLLOW/PAGE 7

ONCE again the parable of the dishonest steward (cfr. Lk 16,1-8) presents to us some intriguing questions and issues that we have to try to resolve and reconcile with our Christian faith and morals. We can ask if God, who must have been personified in some way by the rich man in the parable, is just ok with some cheating, with being dishonest, with being calculating as leverage for one’s personal gain and interest. R e m e m b e r t h at t h e conclusion of the parable was that the master praised his dishonest steward for his ‘cleverness,’ saying that the “people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light.” (Lk 16,8) I suppose what the parable

is trying to tell and teach us is that Christ is being realistic with our situation in this world. We try to put everything in our life right, clean and moral. But no matter what we do, we would always be hounded by evil and by all kinds of dirt, physical, moral, spiritual. This parable seems to tell us that we should just learn how to live with this condition and do our best to come out ok in the eyes of God in the end. What may be considered as an aggravating circumstance in human justice may be regarded as a saving grace in God’s eyes. We may have to handle dirt in our life and deal with situations that are fraught with moral irregularities, but as long as we do not compromise what is essential,

which is love that comes from God as shown by Christ who became like sin without committing sin (cfr. 2 Cor 5,21), then things will just turn out ok. We have to learn to distinguish between what is a tolerable cooperation in evil and an intolerable one. With the former, we should feel the obligation to do whatever we can to clean up what is evil in a given situation, system or structure. S o, w e h a v e t o b e ready to properly live this unavoidable condition of our life here where evil and its increasingly powerful structures are sprouting around like mushrooms. Some of these immoral structures are already large and well-entrenched in our culture and systems like the old acacia trees that we still

HINTS AND TRACES

ROY CIMAGALA see around. They really pose as a tremendous challenge to anyone who wishes to be consistent with his Christian life. For sure, the attitude to take toward this unavoidable reality is not to escape from this muddled world. We would be like fish out of water that way. Yes, we might be able to flee from the mud, but then we would die instantly DISHONEST/PAGE 7

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Banking&Finance

Balance of risks for 2021 inflation still 'on the upside': Diokno THE rate of price increases decelerated to 4.6 percent last October from month-ago’s 4.8 percent but Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno said the balance of risks remains on the upside. Last month’s inflation rate is near the lower end of the central bank’s 4.5-5.3 percent forecast range for October and brought the year-todate average to 4.5 percent. “The balance of risks to the inflation outlook remains on the upside for the remaining months of 2021 but continues to be broadly balanced for 2022 and 2023,” Diokno told journalists in a Viber message on Friday. He reiterated that average inflation this year is projected to stay above the target band but to

stay within target in the next two years. As of the last rate-setting meet of the central bank’s policymaking Monetary Board (MB) last September, the BSP’s average inflation forecast for this year is 4.4 percent while it is 3.1 percent for the next two years. Diokno said their inflation forecasts until the next two years are in line with private sector economists’ expectations. He said monetary authorities continue to view “that supply-side price pressures are best addressed by timely non-monetary interventions that could ease domestic supply constraints.” “In this regard, the National Government is currently pursuing direct measures to enhance the

availability of key goods, such as pork, rice and fish,” he said. He also noted the announcement of fuel subsidy amounting to PHP1 billion for affected public utility vehicle (PUV) stakeholders as well as the increased allowable capacity in PUVs. These measures, he said, “can help support the transport sector and help prevent second-round effects amid rising oil prices.” “Looking ahead, the BSP stands ready to maintain its accommodative monetary stance for as long as necessary to support the economy’s sustained recovery to the extent that the inflation outlook would allow. The BSP is also reviewing its assessment of the price environment ahead of the 18 November monetary policy meeting,” he added. (PNA)

DIRECTORY

Physical remittance network remains important despite rise in online channels THE PHYSICAL remittance network will continue to be relevant even as digital channels grow amid habits and some gaps that still make online transactions difficult, according to Western Union. “In future-proofing your business, you need to have a digital strategy. But we’re not saying that retail will just be left behind,” Jeffrey D. Navarro Western Union’s head for the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei & Indochina, said in an online interview. “Our long-term view is that it (retail network) will

continue to be substantial — it can also continue to grow. We don’t think that the growth may be as fast compared to digital, but retail will continue to be significant in terms of performance,” he added. The central bank wants 50% of all transactions done online by 2023. Mr. Navarro said 3035% of their transactions are sent through digital channels, while 65% continue to be coursed through retail. He said sender side economies like North America, Australia and Singapore are becoming

more reliant on digital transactions. Meanwhile, he said retail remains huge in the Middle East and most of ASEAN. “What we saw year on year is the percentage contribution of digital is growing and it really accelerated in the last few years because of the pandemic, but retail remains to be significant in the portfolio,” Mr. Navarro said. He added that ensuring migrant workers have access to the “nakasanayan” or what they’re used to is also important, especially for

Filipinos. “When we go abroad, even though some of these [digital] facilities may be available, there’s nothing wrong if I’m using this certain service the same way. And sometimes, until something really inconvenient happens, we never shift,” he said. The need to keep both retail and digital channels is also significant in a country where financial inclusion is still an issue. Mr. Navarro noted that while account accessibility in the Philippines has been increasing, it is still far IMPORTANT/PAGE 7

Lacson Withdraws Death Penalty Bill Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson withdrew this week his authorship of the Senate bill seeking to reinstitute the death penalty for heinous crimes. In a letter to Senate Secretary Atty. Myra Villarica, Lacson also requested that his bill, Senate Bill 27, no longer be considered for deliberation by the Senate panels concerned. Last week, Lacson withdrew his support for the death penalty for heinous crimes, saying it is better to spare the life of a criminal than to wrongly execute an innocent person. "Mas mainam na ang guilty ikulong habang buhay sa halip na inosente ma-execute dahil sa pagkakamali

(Better that the guilty be imprisoned for life than to have innocents executed because of a wrong judgment)," he said. He also pushed for life imprisonment and penal reforms as a

better alternative, even as he supported Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III's suggestion to confine drug lords in a "super max" penitentiary, with no means of communication with the

outside world. Lacson and Sotto earned praise from the Commission on Human Rights and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines for their stance on the issue.

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Bets... from page 1

case of Marcos. “The decision lies with the Comelec. The Comelec are the one going to investigate it. There are many opinions about that, some are saying that tax evasion does not involved moral turpitude,” Sison said. “Whatever happens to the case, let Comelec decide, our focus right now is the people,” he added. For her part, Gutoc-Tomawis wasn't too kind to Marcos, saying that people should not forget what the Marcos family did during the Martial Law in the ‘70s and 80s. “What I am pushing for remembering, educating, caring, the entire Philippines, Mindanao should not forget the Martial Law in the 1970s,” she said. “Marcos has the right to file his candidacy, but we will never forget,” she added. It can be recalled that Marcos is facing several petitions for the cancellation of his Certificate of Candidacy at the Comelec after petitions were filed against his presidential bid on the basis of his two convictions on tax evasion.

Several groups have filed petitions for the cancellation of Marco's Jr.'s COC based on a court ruling convicting Marcos after failing to file his income tax return in 1997, made final in 2001. The petition said that Marcos said in his COC that he was eligible was the misrepresentation, said the petition. The Court of Appeals (CA) in 1997 acquitted Marcos of failing to pay tax, but convicted him of failing to file ITRs from 19821985. The CA did not impose a penalty of imprisonment, just P36,000 fines, so that removes the disqualification ground of having been sentenced to more than 18 months. Gutoc-Tomawis also belies reports that Moreno is a Marcos supporter and an “enabler” of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte. “It is very clear to me that I joined Aksyon, because ‘Yorme’ (Domagoso) is not a Marcos supporter,” Gutoc-Tomawis said. Balita also leaves it to the Comelec to decide if to allow Marcos, Jr. to run. “Let Comelec decide, but let the people also decide. We trust the Comelec, but we trust Filipinos more,” Balita said.

SSS eyes to condone 20% of P55-B delinquencies AROUND 20 percent of the P55 billion arrears by employers and employees in the private sector are projected to be covered under the latest round of Social Security System (SSS) condonation program. “Total amount of delinquencies is about P55 billion and at least 20 percent of that P55 billion are penalties to be condoned,” SSS senior vice president Mario Sibucao said in a virtual briefing on Thursday. He, however, pointed out that the final amount to be condoned would depend on whether the more than 700,000 employers are qualified under the EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE AMONG HEIRS KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: That the VENUS OBSIOMA ZAMBAS who died in Davao City, on May 28, 2011, without any Will, that the said deceased, at the time of her death with Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-28993 containing an area of 150 square meters, more or less, and Transfer Certificate of Title No. C-9245 containing an area of 5,071 square meters, more or less, and has been the subject of an EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE AMONG HEIRS, filed by the heirs of VENUS OBSIOMA ZAMBAS, per DOC #301; PAGE #61; BOOK #I; Series of 2011 under the Notarial Registry of DENNIS A. SANDIEGO.

That the late BERNARDO S. LAGAO passed away on November 30, 1989, while ANGELINA B. LAGAO passed away on February 18, 2015, both were residents of Cagayan de Oro City at the time of their death; at the time of their death left a parcel of land with Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-4678 situated at Barangay Puntod, Cagayan de Oro City with an area of TWO HUNDRED FOUR (204) square meters, and has been the subject of an EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH ABSOLUTE SALE, filed by the heirs of BERNARDO S. LAGAO and ANGELINA B. LAGAO, per DOC #263; PAGE #53; BOOK #3; Series of 2020 under the Notarial Registry of ATTY. KATRINA G. MORDENO. BWM: Oct. 27, Nov. 3 &10, 2021

BWM: November 10, 17 & 24, 2021

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:

And has been the subject of an AFFIDAVIT OF ADJUDICATION, filed by the heirs of CERINO S. CASTRENCE, as per DOC #280; PAGE #57; BOOK #22; Series of 2021 under the Notarial Registry of ATTY. ROBERT W. RAYPON. BWM: Oct. 27, Nov. 3 &10, 2021

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:

AFFIDAVIT OF SELF ADJUDICATION AS SOLE HEIR OF ESTATES OF THE LATE VIOLETA DAROY MONTES And GUALBERTO BOMBEO MONTES That the late VIOLETA DAROY MONTES and GUALBERTO BOMBEO MONTES who died on October 28, 2016, October 25, 2010 both in Cagayan de Oro City, upon their death, they left four (4) parcels of land with Katibayan ng Orihinal na Titulo Blg. 2014000100 situated at Sitio Taguanao, barrio of Indahag, City of Cagayan de Oro, Province of Misamis Oriental, containing an area of TWO THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED SEVENTY FOUR (2,374) square meters, more or less, Transfer Certificate of Title No. No. T-24578 situated in Bonbon, Opol, Misamis Oriental, containing an area of SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY THREE (773) square meters, more or less, Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-24579 situated in the Barrio of Ibabao, Mun. of Opol, Province of Misamis Oriental, Island of Mindanao, containing an area of ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTY SIX (1,786) square meters, more or less, Tax Declaration No. 02006859 situated in Molugan El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental, containing an area of 1.4618 hectares, and has been the subject of an AFFIDAVIT OF SELF ADJUDICATION AS SOLE HEIR OF ESTATESOF THE LATE VIOLETA DAROY MONTES And GUALBERTO BOMBEO MONTES, filed by the heirs of VIOLETA DAROY MONTES and GUALBERTO BOMBEO MONTES, per DOC #401; PAGE #81; BOOK #115; Series of 2021 under the Notarial Registry of ATTY. JAMES KIUNISALA JUDITH-II.

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH ABSOLUTE SALE

That the late CERINO S. CASTRENCE who died intestate and without issue on 11 December 2018 in Cagayan de Oro City, further at the time of his death, he had no debts, liabilities or obligations to any person agency or instituition. During Cerino’s lifetime he was absolute owner of 179 of stock of Oro B & W Corporation which are all clean and unencumbered, as proof of his ownership, he was issued shares of stock with the following particulars:

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT WITH DEED OF SALE HEIRS OF DAMASO DACULA

Amid this development, SSS EVP Rizaldy Capulong said SSS’ fund life remains strong even as expenditures as of August have surpassed contributions collections. He said total contributions collected by the state-owned insurance agency for the private sector have reached P155.59 billion as of August. On the other hand, spending has reached P159.6 billion, of which P154 billion was accounted for by benefits extended to members while P4 billion is for expenses, he said. “However, because we have investment income of about P20 billion, that P4 billion

That the late DAMASO DACULA who died on August 10, 1998 at Pagatpat, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines and died without any issue/will, that the deceased DAMASO DACULA at the time of his death leave the following described parcels of land with Tax Declaration No. G-289177 situated in the Barrio of Pagatpat, Municipality of Cagayan de Oro City, Island of Mindanao, containing an area of ELEVEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTY NINE (11,789) SQUARE METERS, more or less, that Articles 1621/23 of the New Civil Code have Been Complied with containing an area of NINE HUNDRED FIVE (905) SQUARE METERS, MORE OR LESS, that for and in consideration of the sum of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND (Php100,000.00) PESOS, Philippine Currency, that the herein VENDORS received in their full satisfaction, herein VENDORS, do hereby absolutely and completely SELL, TRANSFER, and CONVEY, as he actually SOLD, TRANSFERRED and CONVEYED the above-describes PORTION OF LAND including all other improvements found thereon unto and in favor of the VENDEE CHRIST PAOLO B. AGAD, of legal age, Filipino citizen, married and a resident of Zone-1B, Pagatpat, Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, and has been the subject of an EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT WITH DEED OF SALE HEIRS OF DAMASO DACULA, filed by the heirs of DAMASO DACULA, per DOC #391; PAGE #79; BOOK #119; Series of 2021 under the Notarial Registry of ATTY. JAMES KIUNISALA JUDITH-II.

BWM: November 10, 17 & 24, 2021

AFFIDAVIT OF ADJUDICATION

condonation program. Employers who are qualified to apply for the condonation program are those whose businesses are affected by the pandemic and calamity. Employees whose livelihood are affected by the crisis are also qualified to apply for the program. The latest condonation program aims to help both the employers and employees who are affected by the pandemic, SSS president and chief executive officer Aurora Ignacio said. She said the pandemic has burdened SSS members’ ability to pay their contributions and loans.

difference has been provided for,” he said. Capulong said SSS also has reserves that can be used if the contributions collections and investment income are not enough for its total expenses. “So far, if we add our contributions and our investment income, that is still higher than our expenditures. So, we have not used our reserves yet,” he said. SSS officials expect the agency’s investment income to reach P22.2 billion by September and this will come from earnings from government securities, salary loans, equities, corporate and bond loans, and properties. Citing a 2019 report on the agency’s actuarial life, Capulong said SSS has a fund life of until 2054. “Hopefully the impact of the pandemic will not be too long,” he added. The agency’s benefits disbursement increased during the pandemic to address the needs of its members. (PNA) DEED OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL PARTITION OF THE ESTATE OF CARLOS and CONCEPCION ARANCANA KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: That the late HEIRS OF CARLOS and CONCEPCION ARANCANA, who died on July 4, 2021 in Diclum, Manolo Fortich, and November 7, 2002, in Cagayan de Oro City, both without any will, the said deceased left the following real properties with Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-38701 situated in the Barrio of Dicklum, Mun. of Manolo Fortich, Prov. Of Bukidnon, Island of Mindanao, Island of Mindanao, containing an area of ONE HUNDRED FIFTY ONE (151) square meters, more or less, and has been the subject of an DEED OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL PARTITION OF THE ESTATE OF CARLOS and CONCEPCION ARANCANA, filed by the heirs OF CARLOS and CONCEPCION ARANCANA, per DOC #390; PAGE #78; BOOK #61; Series of 2021 under the Notarial Registry of ATTY. JAY S. ALBARECE. BWM: November 10, 17 & 24, 2021

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Inclusion...

Follow...

have a bank transaction account. P S A re m i nds i n it s recurring social media posts that PhilID registrants who will open a LandBank account will not pay any fee. It is also voluntary. Upon completion of the Step 2 biometrics registration, the Transaction Reference Number and supporting documents may be presented at L andBank kiosks in PhilSys registration centers nationwide. In its October 27 post, the PSA said over 5 million registrants have already applied for LandBank accounts as of October 14. The LandBank Mastercard prepaid card will enable account holders to do cashin, cash-out, and transfer fund transactions at any branch or Agent Banking Partner. They can also withdraw cash at automated teller machines and Point of Sales terminals, perform cashless transactions, tap payments, shop online, and receive government subsidy digitally. "Our collaboration with PSA significantly advances our mutual thrust toward greater financial inclusion. Through LandBank accounts, we can reach and provide financial services and government support inter ventions to as many underserved and unbanked Filipinos nationwide," L andBank president and chief executive officer Cecilia Borromeo said in a previous statement. S i g n e d i nt o l aw by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in August 2018, Republic Act 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act, aims to establish a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident aliens. The national ID shall be a valid proof of identity that shall be a means of simplifying public and private transactions, enrollment in schools, and the opening of bank accounts. It also seeks to boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present one ID during transactions. (PNA)

us what we’re looking for. Jesus said: “I am the way to true life. Follow me and I will lead you where you need and want to go. I know this land and territory called life. I know how to protect you from going where you do not want to go. Just trust me. I guarantee that if you follow my way, you’ll find the lasting, good life and security you have been looking for.” So won’t you ask Jesus to start leading you today? Isn’t it finally time to stop going down those dead-end roads—and start following the right map of life? You will even have Jesus Christ as your own personal guide every day. Just think a minute.

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EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE OF SPOUSES CARLO MAGNO B. DIEZ AND RAMONA H. DIEZ KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: That the late SPOUSES CARLO MAGNO B. DIEZ AND RAMONA H. DIEZ, SERVANDO H. DIEZ, PILAR D. LA-AB, CESAR H. DIEZ, at the time of their death left a certain parcel of land with Original Certificate of Title No. (OP-18948) 102-2018000105 situated in the Barrio of Bagakay, Municipality of Sibonga, Province of Cebu, Island of Cebu, containing an area of TWENTY THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED THIRTY THREE (20,233) SQUARE METERS, and has been the subject of an EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF THE ESTATE OF SPOUSES CARLO MAGNO B. DIEZ AND RAMONA H. DIEZ, filed by the heirs of SPOUSES CARLO MAGNO B. DIEZ AND RAMONA H. DIEZ, SERVANDO H. DIEZ, PILAR D. LAAB, CESAR H. DIEZ, per DOC #253; PAGE #51; BOOK #51; Series of 2021 under the Notarial Registry of ATTY. EDGARDO Y. RAAGAS. BWM: Nov. 3, 10 & 17, 2021

from page 4

Dishonest... from page 4

if we are taken out of our proper place. Neither should our attitude be of just indiscriminately accepting what comes or what is around us. We are supposed to be the lord and master of this world in the name of God whose best creature and children we are. And so, we just have to do some discerning, some purifying and some struggling. It cannot be helped. C hr ist hims elf s aid, “Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves.” (Mt 10,16) It’s quite a combination to attain. But if we have faith in God and follow what is taught us, we can make it. The truth is we have been provided with more than enough to be able to reach this ideal. Email: roycimagala@ gmail.com

Holiest... from page 4

the beautiful flower and the trees. Feel that stillness, see the radiance of nature and be one with Life. The message is resoundingly clear: man has to continuously move on to seek his destiny but only be being humble can he be exalted. Once he flaunts his arrogance in utter disregard of the book of nature, he dictates his own death sentence. He cannot continuously arrogate upon himself the false belief that he has been bestowed dominion over God’s creation. On the contrary, there is now the increasing consciousness

of bio-equality recognizing the right to life of all God’s creation. Often disregarded, even the unseen wind has its own story to tell as its fundamental role is only recognized in its absence. How can one live without air to breathe yet it is always taken for granted? Like our love ones whom we have more often than not, taken for granted, yet so integral to us that we cannot live, in fact, without them. T he b o ok of natu re presents laws which are very easy to understand but have been violated all these years. It says that everything is inter-connected. When forests are denuded, soil erodes forming silts which are carried by the rivers to the sea, destroying the coral reefs which are the habitats of fish and other marine life. This scenario gives credence to that saying that what evil deeds man does in the uplands are felt by those in the coastal communities. The worsening ecological disasters are the concrete evidence of why it has become imperative for us to now give high reverence to that book as indeed, there is no such thing as free meal in nature. Just pause for a while and reflect on the laws of nature that we have wantonly violated and in effect, have mo cke d t he b o ok G o d Himself has written. Every page of that holy book has been torn and burned by Homo Sapiens with utter disregard to its sanctity as creation is a reflection of the creator. Now, let us well understand that there is no free meal in nature: all will boomerang to our own destruction in terms of ecological disasters and in our inability to sustain life on earth. God have mercy on us Homo Sapiens for desecrating the holiest of books. Again, feel the life within all of us and learn from the great stillness, the spaciousness of the vast universe. Only then, can we be one with life as we connect deep within with the Being called God! As Jesus said, “the kingdom of God is within us.” Thou art that awareness, that consciousness, be unfettered from the dominion of the egoic mind that is manifested contemporaneously in collective insanity called materialism and consumerism. That is the only countervailing force against COVID-19!

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Important... from page 5

from 100%. “There is still the portion of the population that still needs it in cash, while there is also a growing percentage of the population who can also facilitate and get it via digital channels or bank accounts,” he added. Western Union earlier this year teamed up with UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. and Pera Hub to allow remittance recipients with the option to claim their cash in real time through UnionBank’s online app. Mr. Navarro said they also have working partnerships w i t h G C a s h , Pay May a Philippines and Coins.ph to let receivers transfer the money sent to them straight to their e-wallets. He said they are keen to build more partnerships to expand Western Union’s offerings, taking advantage of its strength as a cross-border platform. “We’re always monitoring the different players in the fintech space, including the top banks, because we want to also ensure that we partner with them in putting these services in their digital offering. So that’s going to be the strategy short to medium term,” he said.

Coal... from page 1

climate-vulnerable countries like the Philippines. “We would like to reiterate the energy sector’s call for climate justice given that the Philippines is not a major emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) but bear the worsening impacts of climate change,” Cusi stressed. At t h i s s t a g e , Cu s i e mp h a s i z e d t h at i t i s “energy security” that is foremost in the country’s agenda, “because our energy transition comes as a means to improve the lives of our people and for our country’s economic development.” The Philippines is still sporadically assaulted with service interruptions and tight power supply predicaments. The post-pandemic economic recovery may teeter on the edge of an energy crunch in the near-term due to the phaseout of coal-fed power facilities that could trigger

unwanted blackouts. The energy department indicated that its pledge t o C O P 2 6 ’s g l o b a l decarbonization strategy will be primarily propped by “scaled up deployment of clean power generation and energy efficiency measures in our economies, and to support other countries to do the same.” The DOE further stated that it will “strengthen (its) domestic and international efforts to provide a robust framework of financial, technical and social support to affected workers, sectors and communities to make a just and inclusive transition.” Cusi said the government is aware that “while significant progress has been made to realize our shared vision, our task is not yet complete, and we call on others to join us as we redouble our efforts to accelerate the global energy transition over the coming years.” The position of the DOE, however, does not sit well with environment advocates like Greenpeace which branded country’s commitment to COP26 as “phony” and “half hearted.” Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Kevin Yu asserted that the reception of countries to the “coal phaseout target” by year 2030, “shows the lack of political will among major historical and current emitters – as well as countries like the Philippines – to urgently solve the climate crisis and the injustices it brings to communities.”

Mayor... from page 1

now. Thank you very much),” she announced through her Facebook page. She also posted several photographs taken at the Comelec office. The last day for substitution of candidates is on November 15. Mayor Duterte’s withdrawal from the mayoralty race without citing any reason, is being interpreted by various sectors as a move that would pave the way for her running for a national post – as President or Vice President of the Philippines. In his two-paragraph statement on his withdrawal as candidate for reelection, Sebastian said he was “deeply

grateful to the Dabawenyos for the support they have given me all this time. I have no other details to share at the moment,” he said. Sebastian entered the political arena in 2019. He filed his certificate of candidacy for reelection as Vice Mayor on October 3. He also ran unopposed in 2019. The May 2022 elections will be the first for Sebastian to run with opponents. The post for mayor has three other candidates: former 3rd district Representative Ruy Elias Lopez, herbalist Joseph Hannibal Cervantes Elizalde and safety officer Teodoro Pena Mantilla. O f t h e t h re e ot h e r candidates running against Sebastian, only Lopez has experienced a city-wide campaign – for his father Elias, a two-term mayor, and for Sebastian’s father, Rodrigo. The late mayro Elias Lopez helped Sebastian’s father, Rodrigo in his career as lawyer and as a politician. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

Warning... from page 1

STX eq/100 gm of shellfish meat. But Gongona stressed that fish harvested from Baroy is safe for human consumption provided that the harvested fish is fresh and washed thoroughly and its gills and internal organs and intestines are removed before cooking. Noel Saldajeno BFAR Lanao del Norte Provincial Director on Saturday said BFAR and the local government of Baroy are conducting foot patrol to determine if there are people gathering or selling shells, to safeguard public health and protect the shellfish industry. “We are also monitoring the adjacent coastal villages of Camalan, Pacita, Darumawang Ilaya and Darumawang Bukana all of Lala if there are indicators of red tide but so far there is no validated information,” Saldajeno said. Based on BFAR shellfish Bulletin No. 29 issued on November 5, 14 areas in the countr y have tested positive of red tide, three of them in Mindanao: in Baroy, Dumanquilas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur and Lianga Bay in Surigao del Sur.

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