BusinessWeek Mindanao (October 3-4, 2022)

Briefly

No sardine shortage

ZAMBOANGA City – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Region 9 (BFAR-9) assured Friday there is sufficient supply of fish, especially "tamban", debunking reports of looming shortage of sardine products. BFAR-9 Director Isidro Velayo Jr. said the annual catch of sardines is 300,000 metric tons (MT) based on Philippine Statistics Authority data. “We have sufficient supply of fish,” Velayo said in a press conference Friday.

Agri Trade Expo

DAVAO City – Senator Cynthia Villar said the Davao Agri Trade Expo 2022 here has offered opportunities to further develop agribusiness and fortify the collaboration between the government and farmers in Mindanao. “I am happy that Davao City Chamber of Commerce is our partner focusing on the agriculture industry in accelerating the development of the agriculture sector in Mindanao,” Villar said. Villar noted as the biggest and longest-running agribusiness expo in the region, the event "brings hope and a great opportunity for inclusive growth" on the island, which she describes as the country's biggest potential for agriculture development.

Red tide alert

ZAMBOANGA City – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has warned the public against eating shellfish coming from two provinces in Mindanao. In an advisory Thursday, the BFAR said that shellfishes collected and tested from Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur and Lianga Bay in Surigao del Sur “are still positive for Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) or toxic red tide that is beyond the regulator limit.” Dumanquillas and Lianga Bays are among the areas in the country that are positive for toxic red tide, it said.

No new matrix, no fare hikes: LTFRB-10

THE Land Transportation

Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 10 (Northern Mindanao) has cautioned commuters against paying the new fare if drivers fail to post the fare matrix as the agency implements the increased rate nationwide starting today, October 3.

Aminoden Guro, LTFRB-10 director, said in an interview Saturday that the new minimum fare for the traditional jeepney for the first four kilometers is P12, with an add-on charge of P1.80 per succeeding kilometer.

From P13, modernized public utility vehicles (PUVs) will now collect a minimum fare of P14 for the first four kilometers and P2.20 per succeeding kilometer.

Taxis will now have a flag-down rate of P45 from P40.

Guro said the LTFRB would not recalibrate their meter but allowed drivers to add P5 to the total fare.

However, he said, drivers must first place the new fare matrix on FARE/PAGE 7

Agrarian reform coop in Agusan del Sur sells rice at P30 to P35 a kilo

By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN MindaNews

TRENTO, Agusan del Sur — A cooperative of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in this town is selling rice at P30 to P35 a kilo.

The rice comes from the processing plant of the Southern Agusan Multi-

Purpose Cooperative (SAMPCO) that can process at least 200 bags of rice a day.

SAMPCO manager Max Gegato said they are selling a P50-kilo bag of rice at P1500 to P1800 depending on the variety.

He said this is equivalent to buying P30 to P35 per KILO/PAGE 7

Apo Agua hopes to start supplying water to Davao by Q1 of 2023

By ANTONIO L. COLINA IV MindaNews

DAVAO City – After delays in the completion of the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project (DCBWSP), the Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc. eyed to start supplying water to Davao City Water District (DCWD) within the first quarter of 2023.

May Che Capili, external relations officer of the Apo Agua Infrastructura, told

reporters during Kapehan sa Davao on Monday that the company has already expedited the completion of the facility after it took over the construction from J.V. Angeles Construction Corporation.

She said there were delays in the completion of the water supply project because of the setbacks encountered at the peak of the coronavirus disease

(COVID-19) pandemic and the ongoing “internal” issues with its contractor.

The DCBWSP is a P12billion water supply project of Apo Agua, a joint venture between Aboitiz Equity Ventures and J.V. Angeles Construction Corporation.

Capili reiterated the company’s commitment to supplying around 300 million liters of treated water

WATER/PAGE

EARLY WORK. Laborers quarrying sand and gravel at the Pugaan River in Iligan City start the day early on to avoid the heat. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

PASIGARBO 2022. Champion barista Gian Carlo Hidalgo, of the pop-up café Black Coffee, during the Pasigarbo 2022, Iligan City’s first ever latte art and brewing competition last week held at the Iligan Fashion Institute and Trade. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

No looming shortage of sardines: BFAR

ZAMBOANGA City –The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Region 9 (BFAR-9) assured Friday there is sufficient supply of fish, especially "tamban", debunking reports of looming shortage of sardine products. BFAR9 Director Isidro Velayo Jr. said the annual catch of sardines is 300,000 metric tons (MT) based on Philippine Statistics Authority data. “We have sufficient supply of fish,” Velayo said in a press conference Friday. Earlier, the Canned Sardines Association of the Philippines warned of a possible shortage in sardine products should the supply of “tamban”—

which they mainly used for production—remain low. Edgar Lim, president of the Industrial Group of Zamboanga, Inc., said in the same press conference that they need 216,000 MT of tamban for the nine-month production of sardines. The 12 local canning firms only operate from March to November due to the annual imposition of a threemonth closed season for fishing sardines. Although they do not operate yearround, the local canning firms supply 85 percent of the demand for canned sardines nationwide. Lim said the 216,000 MT of tamban is enough to produce 1.2 billion cans of sardines. However,

Lim said “right now the fish supply is less” for sardine production since “there is not enough catch outside the 15 kilometers area” where commercial fishermen are allowed to fish. “They (commercial fishermen) are not catching enough (tamban) now in the area they are fishing,” Lim said. The 15 kilometers distance from shoreline is reserve for sustenance

fishermen. Meanwhile, the Fisheries Management Area 4 (FMA4) management board has recommended capacitating the municipal fisher folks through government interventions to enable them to be part of the value chain and have the capacity to supply the needs of the canning industry. Capacitating the municipal fisher folks to be part of the value chain

is to ensure the continuous supply of sardines without compromising sustainability, FMA said. “The intention is for them (commercial and municipal fisher folks) complement not to compete each other so that there will be continuous supply of fish for sardine production,” Velayo said. The FMA was created through Fisheries Administrative

Order No. 263 for the Conservation and Management of Fisheries in Philippine Waters. An FMA Management Board is a management body compose of key stakeholders from the industry, local government representatives, civil society organizations, the academe, and national government agencies. (PNA)

Davao City gears for tourist influx during holidays

DAVAO City – The City Tourism Office (CTO) is in the thick

of preparations for the anticipated influx of tourists here for the remaining major holidays this year. In a statement Friday, acting CTO chief Julieta Catacutan said they are also laying the groundwork to ensure the safe and convenient stay of visitors in the city. Catacutan urged all businesses in the city’s tourism industry to secure all necessary legal requirements for their operations for the last quarter f this year. “Our main goal right now is [to prepare]

for our tourist arrivals, considering All Souls’ Day, All Saints’ Day, and our Christmas season is almost here,” she said. Catacutan said the city’s tourism industry is now recovering after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as proven by the successful celebration of the Kadayawan Festival last month. “We are closely coordinating with different touristrelated establishments to get their business permits and make sure they are accredited, so tourists will no

longer have problems with safe services,” she added. CTO data showed that from January to August this year, the city welcomed 529,551 visitors502,650 of whom are domestic tourists; 23,400 foreigners; and 3,501 “balikbayans”. It also indicated that the city was visited by 317,804 tourists in 2021, and 618,034 visited in 2020. In 2019, the city logged a record high of 2,573,990 tourists before the start of the pandemic. (PNA)

DE ORO-Osmeña Branch, Cagayan de Oro City, under the Account Name of VICTOR C. COLITA with the Account No. 003110031242, and PHP 36, 935.26 at RCBC- Lapasan Branch, Cagayan de Oro City, under the name of VICTOR C. COLITA with the Account No. 0000001503377558, and has been the subject of an DEED OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OF THE LATE VICTOR C. COLITA, filed by the heirs of VICTOR C. COLITA, per DOC #428; PAGE #86; BOOK #12; Series of 2022 under the Notarial Registry of ATTY. RUFELIZ ANN S. ABBU-DAILO.

BWM: Sept. 26, Oct. 3, & 10, 2022

Miss Macasandig 2022 Sheila Marie Botes and her court first runner-up Kryzl Calang, second runner-up Ashley Zsarae Saragena, third runnerup Dennise Marie Salvador and fourth runner-up Milvey Manguino with the other candidates gesture in joy after their pageant night last September 28. SAMYAP PHOTOWORKS

DEED OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OF THE LATE VICTOR C. COLITA

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: That the late VICTOR C. COLITA who died on October 18, 2021 at Polymedic Plaza Hospital Cagayan de Oro City, said deceased died intestate, without any Last Will or Testament and without any outstanding debts in favor of any person or entity; the deceased at the time of his death left a savings account in amounting to PHP 291,957.31 at BANCO

Banking & finance

Government debt hits

P13-T in end-August

TOTAL liabilities of the national government (NG) rose by a percent to P13.02 trillion as of end-August 2022 due to domestic securities issuance and currency adjustments, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) reported on Friday. In a statement Friday, the BTr said the latest debt level of the government is higher by 11 percent or P1.29 trillion compared to the end-2021 level. Bulk or 68.7 percent of the liabilities is accounted for by those sourced from domestic creditors while the balance of 31.3 percent was sourced from overseas. Total domestic debt as of the eighth month this year reached P8.94

trillion, which is P111.21 billion higher than at the end of the previous month. The BTr traced the jump in the domestic liabilities last August to net issuance of P109.43 billion worth of government securities and the P1.78 billion impact of weakening of the peso against the US dollar. “Since the beginning of the year, domestic debt portfolio has increased by P772.98 billion or 9.5 percent due to continued reliance on domestic borrowing to lessen the impact of currency fluctuations,” it said. The external debt as of endAugust this year reached P4.08 trillion, up by P22.43 billion compared to the end-

July 2022 level.

The BTr attributed the increase in foreign currencydenominated liabilities to the impact of weaker peso, which amounted to P62.24 billion. “This offsets the P26.59 billion effect of thirdcurrency depreciation against the USD and net repayment amounting to P13.22 billion,” it said. Since the start of the year, external liabilities rose by P520.03 billion compared to the end-2021 level “primarily due to local- and third-currency fluctuations that increase the peso value of foreign-denominated obligations.” Similarly, total NG guaranteed obligations as of end-August this year

reached P392.76 billion, lower by P15.24 billion compared to the end-July 2022 level. “For August, the decrease in guaranteed debt was primarily due to the net repayment of both domestic and external guarantees amounting to P4.43 billion and P10.81 billion, respectively,” BTr said. Impact of net appreciation on third currency-denominated guarantees went down by P3.65 billion “offsetting the P3.40 billion effect of local currency depreciation.” Compared to the end-2021 level, NG guaranteed debt slipped by P31.16 billion or 7.4 percent, BTr added. (PNA)

Landbank warns public vs. phishing scam using Google

STATE-owned Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) has urged its clients and the general public to be wary of an online scam using Google Ads that is linked to a fake Landbank website.

“Landbank has not placed any ads on Google. The Bank is currently working with Google to bring down these misleading ads the soonest time possible,” the government financial institution (GFI) said in a statement on Friday.

It said the fake Landbank website conducts phishing activities to get account holders’ personal and financial information.

The bank advised its clients to directly visit its official website at www.landbank.com and to use the available links within the website to access the bank’s digital banking channels.

These channels include the official iAccess site, www. lbpiaccess.com, it said.

“The Landbank Mobile Banking App (MBA) can also be used for safer online transactions,” it added.

The bank also advised the public “to remain vigilant against phishing scams and all other forms of online banking fraud.”

“Please do not open suspicious e-mails, links and attachments, and never share your account and personal information to anyone.

Official Landbank representatives will never ask for critical financial and banking information from our customers,” it said.

To report suspicious activities, the bank advised its customers to report these to their respective handling branch or through the bank’s customer care hotline at (02) 8-4057000 or 1-800-10-405-7000.

Landbank customers may also report any incident through e-mail to customercare@mail.landbank. com, the statement added. (PNA)

Measures on fiscal program implementation to address budget gap

MEASURES on how the government will implement its fiscal program to further boost the economy’s recovery and improve the state’s fiscal health are key factors in addressing budget gap, an economist said. On Friday, the government reported lower budged deficit last August at P72 billion, 40.43 percent drop from year-ago’s P120.9 billion deficit. In a report, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) chief economist Michael Ricafort said the double-digit growth of

government revenues last August, which surpassed the growth in expenditures, is a plus on the fiscal position. Data released by the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed that revenues of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which collects around 70 percent of state revenues, expanded by 23.03 percent year-on-year in the eighth month this year to P228.9 billion. Collections by the Bureau of Customs (BoC) during the same period posted higher growth of 47.84 percent year-on-year to

P78.9 billion. Expenditures also grew but at a lower rate of 6.39 percent to PHP404.5 billion. As of end-August this year, total revenues rose by 18.09 percent year-on-year to PHP2.37 trillion and expenditures by 8.02 percent to PHP3.2 trillion. This resulted in a budget gap of PHP833 billion, lower by 13.06 percent compared to the PHP958.2 billion deficit same period in 2021. Ricafort said the rise in government revenues is a result of the continued reopening of the economy, which allowed

more business to operate, thus allowing the government to collect higher taxes. He said the government’s decision not to impose lockdowns also helped since this means lesser needs for cash aid to affected families. These factors are, however, seen to have been countered by the higher inflation and interest rates, which hurt government coffers through higher interest payments, he added. Meanwhile, Ricafort cited as a bright spot for fiscal management the drop

in the proportion of debt to the economy’s output, which fell to 62.1 percent as of end-May 2022 from the 17-year high of 63.5 percent at the end of the first quarter in 2022. He said “increased tax revenue collections would help cut the country's debt to below 60 percent of GDP (gross domestic product) by 2025 and narrow the budget deficit to 3 percent of GDP by 2028.”

“Sustaining the government’s improved fiscal performance

in recent years/decades and relatively favorable credit ratings would depend on how the new administration and the economic team would ensure and implement intensified tax revenue collections, new taxes/ higher taxes, anti-corruption/ anti-wastage/good governance/ rightsizing the government for more effective government spending,” he added. Ricafort said fiscal performance would also depend on how the government

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Life's Surprises

Think a minute… Remember Christopher Columbus? The bold explorer from Europe who intended to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to find Asia, but failed. Well, not completely. Instead of Asia he found the New World, now called America.

Louis Pasteur was looking for a way to keep wine from turning sour, but instead he found a way to kill the dangerous bacteria in milk. His process of pasteurization has made milk safer to drink for millions around the world.

Willhelm Roentgen was working on a way to improve photography, but instead he found the way to make X-Rays, which has enabled doctors to save millions of lives.

How many times have you really wanted something and did not get it, but instead you ended up getting something as good or even better! So in the end, you were actually happy and thankful you did not get what you first wanted.

Someone once said: “When God wants to curse us, He gives us what we want.” The fact is we often want things that are not good for us, things that in the end will make us and our family unhappy. Our problem is that we simply do not understand it yet. It is because God loves us so much that He tries to protect us from our own wrong desires—so He

THINK A MINUTE

does not always give us what we want. Then there other times we want things that are actually good and we still do not get them. We may feel disappointed, confused or angry. But then God surprises us by giving us something even better and more lasting!

Remember, since our Maker designed and created us, He knows much better than we do what will fully satisfy us and make us trulyful. He created us to enjoy happiness that lasts both for this lifetime and the next. This is why asking Him to take charge of your life and living His way every day is not only the right thing to do, it is clearly the smartest thing you can ever do. So once and for all, won’t you decide right now to start following Jesus each day for the rest of your life? Just think a minute…

opinion

MY SAY

or freeze response. The “freeze” response can feel like paralysis — physical, emotional, or cognitive. If you're feeling this way, there's nothing wrong with you. It's a natural response, and it's possible to manage it

KLAUS DORING

Paralysis is one of the ways our body responds to stress, and there's ways to manage it. Living with anxiety engages your au tonomic nervous system (ANS), also known as the fight, flight, or freeze re sponse. The “freeze” re sponse can feel like paraly sis — physical, emotional, or cognitive.

One of the symptoms that you may experience is paralysis, where the anxiety is so overwhelm ing that you are unable to function. Anxiety can paralyze you both physi cally and emotionally, ex plains Paula Zimbrean, MD, a psychiatrist at Yale Medicine.

It's that feeling that comes over some of us in a moment of crisis or maybe in its aftermath. An inability to move, think, or even speak.

Living with anxiety engages your autonomic nervous system (ANS), also known as the fight, flight,

Some individuals are more susceptible to periods of temporary paralysis after exposure to certain triggers, such as stress, trauma, or anxiety. The periodic paralysis can result in severe muscle weakness and the partial or complete inability to move parts of the body.

Yes, sometimes there is no sense in crying, but we feel paralyzed. A good friend of mine told me that a couple of days ago. Words cannot describe it and words fail me, but I wouldn't be a writer, if I couldn't express the right words at the right moment.

After the long talk with my friend, I must confess that, many times, I also felt speechless and paralyzed.

Look at this: follow ups seem to become the new national character. Indifferent people in our surroundings let us feel like that every day. Indif ference seems to become one of the varagies in to day's new society.

We try to get an ap pointment, but the other side seems to be very busy

- every day of the week! Of course, we don't want to encroach on other peo ple's time. Let's try again tomorrow! How do you feel, if you observe certain employees, who should be in service of the peo ple, instead of reading a magazine, doing private telephone calls, doing (im portant!) text messages and getting down-right cheeky, if we started uncounted follow ups. Then, suddenly, we have to learn that "the boss is out of town" or so...

. GRABE!

Yes, I might fall out of favor with some readers with today's column, but guys, what's the difference between being busy, mak ing a good deal of money out of something and just being indifferent or "not in the mood" to entertain people.

I can tell you frankly: Many people feel paralyzed and experience a terrible loss of power of move ment or sensation while dealing with uselessness, if indifference, arrogance and ignorance determine the different situations in our daily life.

If the promise has been given to help or support someone, it shouldn't be broken by endless excuses and terrible stalling tactics. A "YES" is a "YES" and a "NO" should be a "NO" and not "MAYBE", if a promise

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Advertising and Editorial E-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com Contact nos. : 0917-7121424 Sometimes I feel Paralyzed...

can't be held understand able and comprehensive.

I don't like to let some body wait for an answer or during an appointment. I try to look after it or take care of it. If I have been informed that somebody tried to contact me, but missed me, I really do everything to find him or her. What's bad about it? Sorry, I really don't like being late or "remaining silent"... .

How many good ideas and highly appreciated business deals had gone with the wind because of uncomprehending, unsym pathetic and unappreciated everyday deals between fellow creatures? Can you get the hang of it?

Yes, sometimes I also feel uncomfortable while observing lost chances. Remember; we don't get anything for nothing in the whole word - sure! But first, we should learn how to keep promises, to help each other, to be honest and to be one of the leaders of national stabilization and consolidation.

+++

Email: doringklaus@ gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter or visit www. germanexpatinthephil ippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclas sicalmusic.blogspot.com

Repentance, conversion, Christian consistency

THE gospel of Friday of the 26th Week in Or dinary Time, (cfr. Lk 10,13-16) celebrated on September 30 this year, reminds us that we all need repentance and conversion, since we are all sinners. Besides, we are also called to live Christian consistency such that whoever sees and listens to us would see and listen to God himself.

Let’s be frank about ourselves. We are all sinners! No matter how much we try to be good and holy—and to a cer tain extent, we can actu ally manage to achieve that ideal to some de gree—we can still find ourselves falling into sin, if not big ones, then small ones, which can ac tually be more dangerous since we can tend to take them for granted, until we get used to them and would not feel anymore the need for repentance and conversion.

Christ expressed this concern when he reproached some peo ple for not repenting in spite of the many good things he had done

for them. “Woe to you, Chorazine! Woe to you, Bethsaida!” he said. “For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.” (Mt 11,21)

We have to under stand that conversion is a continuing affair for all of us in this life. We can never say, if we have to follow by what our Christian faith tells us, that we are so good as to need conversion no more.

We are all sinners, St. John said. And even the just man, as the Bible said, falls seven times in a day.

Besides, it is this sense of continuing conver sion that would really ensure us that whatever we do, whatever would happen to us, including our failures and defeats, would redound to what is truly good for the parties concerned and for everybody else in general.

That’s because con version brings us and everything that we have done in life to a recon

ciliation with God, from whom we come and to whom we go. And once converted, let us strive to live Christian consist ency all the time.

In the gospel, there is a part where Christ gave a stinging rebuke of the leading Jews at that time. “Do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,” he said, “but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.” (cfr. Mt 23,1-12)

It’s Christ’s call for us to practice sincer ity and consistency in our life, avoiding even the slightest trace of hypocrisy and double life. In fact, we should develop what is called as unity of life, rooted on our earnest effort to identify ourselves with Christ who is the pattern of our humanity, the savior of our damaged humanity.

We have to under stand that only with Christ can we aspire to have unity and consist ency in our life, one that is not rigid. Rather it is a consistency and unity that knows how to adapt

itself properly given the different and changing conditions and circum stances of our life.

So, we really have to earnestly pursue the effort of living and de fending our Christian identity all the time. We should not be afraid to show our Christian identity at all times and in all situations. We should not be Christian by name only, but also by our thoughts, desires and deeds, and in all aspects of our life. We should not be Christian in good times only, but also, and most especially, in bad times. We should not be Christian only in our sacred moments, but also in our mundane activities.

Email: roycimagala@ gmail.com

JHAN TIAFAU HURST

HINTS AND TRACES

ROY CIMAGALA

DOE completes Natural Gas Development Plan

THE Department of Energy (DOE) and the University of the Philippines Statistical Center Research Foundation, Inc. (UPSCRFI) have completed the Natural Gas Development Plan (NGDP) that aims to attract investments in the country’s downstream natural gas industry.

The NGDP, which is the second phase of the Gas Policy Development Project (GPDP), was turned over by the United States Department of State Bureau of Energy Resources on Thursday.

"We underscore the importance of developing our natural gas industry. As part of our strategy and

ensuring energy security, we need to strengthen our strategies and policies,” DOE director Rino Abad said in a statement.

The NGDP will serve as a guide to policymakers, regulators, and investors in the development of the Philippine Downstream Natural Gas Industry (PDNGI).

The blueprint contains information on the existing legal framework, gas demand outlook, ongoing projects, membership of the Technical Committee on Downstream Natural Gas Standards on Products, Facility, and Code of Practice, way forward plans, and the GPDP technical and research products.

“Other documents include the proposed regulatory process containing recommendations to government agencies and local government units (LGUs) involved in the PDNGI value chain. These include technical, administrative, and regulatory guidance for 11 agencies and two LGUs, a simplified process for securing permits and clearances, documentary requirements, and technical standards to comply with,” the DOE added.

Abad said the NGDP will aid the Philippines to advance the development of the downstream natural gas industry which includes

the role of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the country’s energy system.

"With the challenges facing the current supply of our natural gas from the Malampaya gas field, this NGDP is also timely in providing our prospective investors' guidance and policy framework, legal requirements, and incentives in putting up LNG facilities and other infrastructure," he added.

DOE said it approved six LNG terminal and regasification projects as of December 2021.

These projects are expected to be online from 2023 to 2025. (PNA)

AEV, UBP executives trade roles

EXECUTIVES of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV) and Union Bank of the Philippines (UBP) will be trading roles as part of the Aboitiz group’s transformation into becoming the country’s first “techglomerate.”

In a press release on Thursday, the firm said that AEV Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer Manuel R. Lozano and UBP Senior Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Head of Global Markets Jose Emmanuel U. Hilado will be trading roles effective next year.

Recently, UBP hired a new

treasurer and global markets head to replace incumbent Mr. Hilado beginning Oct. 1, 2022.

Mr. Hilado will then assume the role of UBP’s chief financial officer until Dec. 31, 2022, after which he will transfer to AEV, the firm said.

As he assumes Mr. Lozano’s position, Mr. Hilado will oversee AEV’s treasury, tax advisory and compliance services, finance, accounting and business support, investor relations, and legal and compliance.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lozano will oversee UBP units

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such as controllership, corporate accounting, tax and insurance, management information system, finance, corporate planning and investor relations, remedial management and asset recovery, business services, and wholesale credit review.

AEV said that as UBP’s chief financial officer, Mr. Lozano will supervise the bank’s finance unit and serve as the chief financial spokesperson for the organization.

“He will be a key player in crafting and implementing the bank’s business strategies as well as working hand in hand with the business units to

ensure consistent and superior operating performance,” the firm said.

AEV said that Mr. Lozano will directly report to UBP President and Chief Executive Officer Edwin R. Bautista “with regard to all strategic and tactical matters as they relate to corporate portfolio strategy and capital allocation, budget management, balance sheet management, and tax optimization.”

AEV is the public holding company of the Aboitiz group with major investments in power, banking and financial services, food, infrastructure, and land.

CLI says Palawan project hits 85% reservation sales

CEBU LANDMASTERS, Inc. (CLI) sold 85% of the first phase of its economic housing project in Puerto Princesa, Palawan in less than a week, the listed property developer said on Thursday.

“We are very pleased that our first venture in Luzon is a success. This shows that there is indeed a broader market for our bestselling housing brand Casa Mira beyond VisMin (VisayasMindanao),” CLI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jose Soberano III said in a stock exchange disclosure.

He added that the company “is gaining traction beyond our regions of focus.”

The first two buildings of Casa Mira Towers Palawan have 480 units and were able to generate P1.2-billion reservation sales from the expected P3-billion sales of all of the development’s seven towers.

Economic housing projects are provided to moderately low-income families with lower interest rates and longer amortization periods.

The Palawan project has projected gross revenues of P6 billion with phase one set for completion in the last quarter of 2025.

According to the

Republic of the Philippines

disclosure, the majority of Casa Mira’s buyers are overseas Filipino workers and professionals from nearby localities who want to invest in Palawan.

“This is a strong indicator of important factors that appeal to investors: the development’s value proposition of giving more and its location being close to tourism sites in Palawan,” the firm said.

The development is situated in a 2.09-hectare property offering 20-square meter (sq.m.) studio units and one-bedroom units with up to 32 sq.m. at contract prices ranging from P2.3 million to P5 million.

“It will be operated by CLI Property Management to ensure security and efficient services,” the firm said.

Casa Mira Towers Palawan will be the 15th community to carry the Casa Mira brand. To date, there are close to 18,000 Casa Mira units throughout cities in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“The very high sales take-up of Casa Mira Towers Palawan clearly shows that there’s a lot of opportunities in Palawan and we’re looking at how we can further serve the markets in the area,” Mr. Soberano said.

REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL 10th Judicial Region

Cagayan de Oro City

EJF FILE No.: 2022-1216 ( otherwise known as Pag-IBIG Fund), Mortgagee, -versus- For: FILOMENA AMOR S. FELICIANO EXTRA-JUDICIAL Mortgagor. FORECLOSURE OF REAL X------------------------------------------------/ ESTATE MORTGAGE SHERIFF’S NOTICE OF SALE

Upon Extra-Judicial Petition for Sale under Act 3135 as amended, filed by HOME DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL FUND (otherwise known as Pag-IBIG Fund), Mortgagee, with principal office at The Petron Mega Plaza Building, No. 358 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City, against FILOMENA AMOR S. FELICIANO, Mortgagor, with postal address/es at #39 Sta. Cruz 1, Brgy. Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City and Lot 15 & 16, Block 10, Forest View Homes Subdivision, Brgy. Canitoan, Cagayan de Oro City to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness which as of July 15, 2022, amounted to ONE MILLION TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY-ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED EIGHTY-ONE PESOS and 93/100 (P1, 281, 581. 93) Philippine Currency, inclusive of interest and other charges, the undersigned Sheriff will sell at public auction on October 21, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Regional Trial Court, Office of the Clerk of Court, Hall of Justice, Goldridge Building, Masterson Avenue, cor. P.N. Roa Sr. Ave., Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City, to the highest bidder for CASH and in Philippine Currency, the following property described below including all existing improvements found thereon, to wit: Transfer Certificate of Title No. 137-2015003926

A PARCEL OF LAND (Lot 16, Block 10, Psd-10-062039, portion of 7-A, Psd-10-058649; Location: Canito-an, Cagayan de Oro City, Island of Mindanao. Boundaries; North 1-2 by Road lot N18, Psd-10-062039; East: 2-3 by Lot 17, Block 10, Psd-10-052039; South 3-3 by Psd-10-052145; West 4-1 by Lot 15, Block 10, Psd10-052039. Beginning at a point marked “1” XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX from BBM No. 18, Cad-237, Cagayan Cadastre: XXXXXXXXXXXX. containing an area of EIGHTY (80) SQUARE METERS more or less. Registered in the name of FILOMENA AMOR S. FELICIANO” XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Transfer Certificate of Title No. 137-2015003927

A PARCEL OF LAND (Lot 15, Block 10, Psd-10-062039, portion of 7-A, Psd-10-058649; Location: Canito-an, Cagayan de Oro City, Island of Mindanao. Boundaries: East 1-2 by Lot 15, Block 10, Psd-10-052039; South: 2-3 by Psd-10-052145; West: 3-4 by Lot 14, Block 10, Psd-10-052039; North: 4-1 by Road Lot N18, Psd10-062039.. Beginning at a point marked “1” XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX from BBM No. 18, Cad-237, Cagayan Cadastre: XXXXXXXXXXXX. containing an area of EIGHTY (80) SQUARE METERS more or less. Registered in the name of FILOMENA AMOR S. FELICIANO” XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date.

In the event auction sale cannot take place on October 21, 2022 for whatever legal reason, the same will proceed on October 25, 2022, without further notice, posting and publication.

Prospective buyers may investigate for themselves the title herein above described property and encumbrance thereon, if any there be.

Cagayan de Oro City, September 19, 2022.

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO PROVINCIAL SHERIFF (SGD) MELBEN T. ALONZO Sheriff IV

OFFICE OF THE REGIONAL TRIAL COURT SHERIFF AMENDED SHERIFF’S NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE

EJF File No. 2022-1192

PETITION FOR SALE under Act 3135, filed by BDO UNIBANK, INC., as Mortgagee/s, against Spouse D ANILO S. LANADO and LENILIA R. LANADO, as mortgagor/s, of (1) Lot 30, Block 7, La Mirande Crest, Gran Europa, Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City and (2) Purok 5, Barangay Manila Group, Wao, Lanao del Sur, the indebtedness of mortgagors, per statement account, as of June 30, 2022, the subject obligation is in the amount of ONE MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED EIGHTY THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED SEVEN and 66/100 (1,880,807.66) the undersigned Sheriff or his duly authorized deputy will SELL at Public Auction Sale on November 15, 2022, within the hours of 10:00 in the morning and 4:00 in the afternoon, at the main entrance door 1, of the Hall of Justice, Uptown Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City, to the HIGHEST BIDDER, for CASH or Manager’s Check and in Philippine Currency described mortgage Real Property below, to wit: TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE No. 137-2019006163

UPON EXTRA-JUDICIAL

A certain Land (Lot 30, Block 7, subdivision plan no. PCS-10-004641, portion of cons/sub of Lots 21242-A, B, C, E, xxx, located in Lumbia, City of Cagayan de Oro, Island of Mindanao, with an area of 111 sq. mts. more or less.

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above stated date, time and place.

Prospective buyers/bidders are further informed that if the said scheduled date of public auction will be declared holiday, then the sale will be conducted on the next working day.

Further, buyers/bidders may investigate for themselves the condition and registration of the herein-above described and encumbrance thereon, if any there be. DONE this 30th day of September, 2022, in the City of Cagayan de Oro.

(SGD) ENRIQUE M. TALAG JR. Sheriff IV

Soroptimist Int’l CdeO inks

MOA with Brgy Bayanga

AMemorandum of Agreement was signed between Soroptimist International Cagayan de Oro, represented by its President, Atty. Rhodelyn Mae B. Brioso-Roa and Barangay Bayanga, represented by Barangay Captain Felipe P. Baang and Barangay Kagawad Esmeralda S. Josue, Chairperson on the Committee on Women, on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at the Bayanga Elementary School. SI Cagayan de Oro has chosen Barangay Bayanga as its adopted barangay for the biennium 2022-2024.

The thrust of the Biennium by its Soroptimist International of the Americas Philippines

Region Governor Virginia Peñalosa is Access To Education.

SI-Cagayan de Oro intends to bring these programs and

services to the Adopted Barangay Bayanga for the benefit of its indigent residents particularly the women and girls in the locality, in which the Barangay Bayanga representatives agreed to cooperate, support, and assist

SI CAGAYAN DE ORO in its programs and services in order that the intended beneficiaries will avail of them.

The MOA Signing was the commencement of the agreement.

SI-CDO had its Back to School Gift Giving at the Bayanga

Elementary School. Having been the club’s beneficiary for quite sometime, Bayanga Elementary School Principal Romelyn Gonzales expressed her gratefulness for the support the club has been giving in the past years which helped a great deal

to the students. This month, SI Cagayan de Oro provided the school with digital thermometerautomatic alcohol dispensers and gallons of alcohol and hand soap. Members of SI Cagayan de Oro also present during the

MOA Signing were Ms. Dyan M. Noble, Atty. Khristine Kay Lazarito-Calingin, Mrs. Alice L. Lacson and Mrs. Teresita B. Brioso.

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:

That the late JAIME ACEBIDO who died on 26 July 2019 in Cagayan de Oro City, and EVELYN ACEBIDO who died on 14 February 2006 in Cagayan de Oro City, that the deceased left the following real property with Parcel I- Transfer Certificate of Title No. 137-2018001570Land situated in Iponan, Cagayan de Oro City, Island of Mindanao, containing an area of THREE HUNDRED FIFTYEIGHT SQUARE METERS (358), more or less, Parcel II- Transfer Certificate of Title No. 137-2018001571- Land situated in Iponan, Cagayan de Oro City, Island of Mindanao, containing an area of THREE HUNDRED TWENTY TWO SQUARE METERS, (322), more or less, Parcel III- Tax Declaration No. G-138694-Land situated in DISTRICT 1, Canitoan, Cagayan de Oro City, Parcel IV- Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-174549- Land Tax Declaration No. G-162438 situated at Iponan, Cagayan de Oro City, containing an area of ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE (175) SQUARE METERS, Parcel V- Tax Declaration No. G-162439 Building Only situated at Z-1 Iponan Highway, Cagayan de Oro City, SPOUSES ANDY VINCENT AND LESLEY ANNE GO, both of legal age, Filipinos, and residents of 228 Osmeña Street, Cagayan de Oro City, and herein referred to as “BUYERS”

That for and in consideration of the sum of FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS ONLY (PHP 400,000.00), Philippine currency, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged from the BUYERS to the entire satisfaction of the HEIRS-SELLERS, the said HEIRSSELLERS hereby sell, transfer, and convey, in the manner absolute and irrevocable, in favor of the BUYERS and assigns the parcel of land covered by TCT T-174549 ( Parcel IV), and has been the subject of an DEED OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OF SPOUSES JAIME AND EVELYN ACEBIDO WITH ABSOLUTE SALE, filed by the heirs of JAIME ACEBIDO and EVELYN ACEBIDO, per DOC #125; PAGE #25; BOOK #44 Series of 2022 under the Notarial Registry of ATTY. MARIA LEONITA Q. GO. BWM: Sept. 19,26, & Oct. 3, 2022

The Importance of Textbooks in the Elementary Level

By: CATHERINE L. ENCABO Teacher II Pestañas Elementary School

A textbook is a book with all the details on a subject or course that a student needs to go through the school year. This curriculum includes a number of chapters, questionand-answer sections, and exercises designed to raise students' learning levels.

Textbooks are useful for both students and new teachers as they go through their training. It serves as a roadmap for the course topics they must cover throughout the full academic year.

Textbooks assist educators in creating lesson plans and facilitating a stressfree teaching and learning environment. Additionally,

textbooks assist teachers in upholding consistency in the teaching standards for various classes.

The use of textbooks in the teaching and learning process is crucial. They are helpful to teachers when planning classes, and textbooks are crucial instruments for advancing students' knowledge since they include many representations that support learning in pupils. It has been suggested that textbooks be used in classrooms to enhance student performance and streamline the teaching and learning process.

In a literal sense, books

are regarded as students' best friends, and they are sometimes referred to as their best companions. They are important in the life of the student. Students enjoy reading books greatly and gain a lot of knowledge from them. They raise their standard of living while introducing them to an original imaginative world. Books can motivate pupils to work hard while maintaining optimism and courage. They improve kids' educational opportunities and intellectual acuity. Reading books has various advantages for pupils, including increased knowledge, better memory, and increased vocabulary.

Dealing with Cleanliness in the Classroom

By: ALLAN HORIDA GUIBONE Teacher I Bugo Central School

For several reasons, it's crucial to keep the classroom atmosphere neat and orderly. In comparison to messy classrooms, clean classrooms reduce the spread of germs, stop offensive odors from persisting, and function more efficiently overall.

Your pupils won't be able to learn as effectively in a dirty environment, aside from the potential health risks they provide. To help children succeed in school and prepare them for the real world, teach them how to keep their environment tidy.

Show your kids the value of personal accountability and

avoid clutter from ever being a problem rather than wasting your valuable teaching time cleaning up after a hard day and picking up trash. Show by example how the classroom becomes too dirty to learn in and how nothing gets done as it ought to when they don't pick up after themselves. Make time for a helpful cleaning lesson. Ask the students to spend the entire day not putting anything away. At the end of the day, have a meeting to analyze the results. The pupils will understand their unique roles in the process as well as how disorderly school may become when trash and

materials are not put away. Students should adhere to the correct cleaning procedures. Students should refrain from leaving trash, such as paper, cans, and bottles, laying around in open areas and at events or celebrations. They should also urge others not to litter. They could serve as an example there. Students can organize into groups to take part in various social activities. We can encourage other students to join the organization and engage in activities that will keep our neighborhood clean while raising awareness of cleanliness.

DEED OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OF SPOUSES JAIME AND EVELYN ACEBIDO WITH ABSOLUTE SALE

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their vehicles before they could collect the increased fare.

“Drivers cannot collect the new fare rate if they don’t have the ‘taripa.’ No fare matrix, no adjusted fare,” Guro added.

He said passengers are not required to pay the increased fare if the driver cannot show the fare matrix.

"If the driver can show only the old fare matrix, then he can only collect the old fare,” Guro said.

The fare matrix contains the corresponding rates based on the designated loading and unloading area.

Guro has also warned drivers not to use a duplicated fare matrix as the LTFRB only issues one per PUV, which shows its registration details.

In a separate interview Friday evening, Joel Gabatan, coordinator of the National Confederation of Transport Union (NCTU) in Northern Mindanao, said their organization has also reminded member drivers not to collect the adjusted fare without the fare matrix.

“They have already been made aware of this. If they overcharge their passengers, there will be penalties,” Gabatan said.

He noted that even though the fare increase would not lift the drivers and their families out of poverty, it would still help them get by.

“With the loosening of the health restrictions and the faceto-face classes, and with the fare increase, they (drivers) can now somehow manage due to the added income,” he said.

Based on the NCTU’s calculation, the new fare will increase the driver’s average takehome pay by at least P200.

“So, if they’re earning, say, P600 a day, with the additional fare, that will become P800,” Gabatan said. (PNA)

Kilo...

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kilo, which is cheaper than purchasing either local or imported rice in the market.

The processing plant is a P48-million facility funded by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) under Convergence of Value Chain Enhancement for Rural Growth and Empowerment (Project ConVERGE) of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Gomer Tumbali, IFAD manager of Project ConVERGE, said it would not take long before the plant sells rice at P25 to P30 a kilo. He pointed out this is

The KNHS’ TARA NNA

By: Rusty D. Bartolata KIWALAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

The Temporary abolition of the face-to-face learning modality this school year 2020-2021 did not stop DepEd to continue its mandate “to provide and promote the right of every Filipino to quality, equitable, culture-based, and complete basic education where: Students learn in childfriendly, gender-sensitive, safe, and motivating environment; teachers facilitate learning and constantly nurture every learner.” Hence, KNHS was one with DepEd in reaching out to its learners despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the initiative of its school principal, RS Macarandan, Ph.D., and with the full support of the faculty and staff, the KNHS’ TARA NNA Program was made possible. The said program dubbed as Technical Assistance Resiliency Amidst New Normal Adversities was launched in mid-October 2020 as a result of parents’ feedback on the new distance learning modality being adopted by KNHS. It was the school’s initiative in reaching out to its learners

in the different geographical locations of Brgy. Kiwalan, Iligan City. The program aims to provide technical assistance to the community, particularly to the learners whose family members’ capacity was inadequate in providing the knowledge and skills expected of a parent/guardian facilitator in this new normal distance learning modality.

Specific beneficiaries of the TARA NNA Program were Purok 2, Purok 9, and Purok 5 Lirop respectively. Home mini-libraries were installed in said locations with the cooperation of the purok leaders and barangay officials. For Purok 2, the library was installed in the residence of its purok president, Mrs. Winefreda E. Daraman. Purok 9, on the other hand, was in one of the vacant bachelor’s pad of Mrs. Emma P. Gairanan. Lastly, the unused sari-sari store of Mrs. Judith B. Abijay was used for Purok 5 Lirop. Other puroks of interest were also catered through the KNHS’ mobile minilibrary which visits places twice a week in November and December 2020.

close to the campaign promise of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to bring down the price of rice to P20 a kilo.

The prices of rice in most areas of the country have not gone down below the P

Jamil Amatonding Jr., Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II of DAR Agusan del Sur, said the large-scale milling complex complete with solar and mechanical batch dryers and a multi-pass miller has been operating all year round even at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

Amatonding said transporting harvested palay produced by ARB cooperatives from four neighboring towns would be more convenient once the 600-meter road from the national highway to the plant is concreted by October this year.

Local officials and DAR executives held a groundbreaking ceremony for the road on Thursday.

The same plant supplied at least P50 million worth of rice to the hospitals, the local jails, local government units, quarantine centers, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development for the distribution of food relief packs during lockdowns and stringent mobility measures at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The bulk of rice production is part of the total of P150 million gross sales of farm products by agrarian reform farmers in the province at the height of the pandemic, a feat that Amatonding said made the province the top producer in the country during the COVID crisis.

“I can look at Agusan del Sur to be a rice granary of Caraga region soon,” he said.

The official said the success of farmers under Project ConVERGE can serve as a benchmark for farmers in other parts of the country to learn to produce more in their rice lands.

He said the farmers under the project will be freed from the control of middlemen and unscrupulous traders since they will no longer sell their palay at

the lowest farm gate prices and instead become productive rice entrepreneurs who will sell very affordable quality rice to end consumers.

SAMPCO serves as a consolidator of rice produced by three other agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations: Kahugpungan sa Malahutayong Mag-uuma Para sa Ekonomikanhong Kalambuan, La Fortuna Multi-Purpose Cooperative and Baug CARP Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

The agrarian reform cooperatives are from the municipalities of Veruela, Trento, Bunawan, and Sta. Josefa, or what is collectively called VETREBUNS cluster known for its rice production, processing, and marketing.

Based on the results of their strategic plan with the farmers, Amatonding said expenses will be reduced significantly from P47,000 per hectare, which drove the farmers further into indebtedness with the traders.

He explained that if farmers earn a gross amount of P74,000 per hectare, with the mechanized inputs that lessen their expenses, their net income will go as high as P37,000 to P45,000 per hectare.

According to a study by DAR Agusan del Sur, the production cost of agrarian reform farmers reached P35,00 per hectare.

The farmers in VETREBUNS who planted 33,425 hectares of rice land produced at least 128,435 metric tons every harvest.

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to DCWD after Dabawenyos complained of lack of water supply in several parts of the city in the previous days.

“The target delivery for the first optic point to the water district [DCWD] in Tugbok is the first quarter of 2023,” she said.

She said target supply delivery from other optic points or water reservoirs such as Calinan, Talandang, Mandug, Indagan, Cabantian, Panacan, and Dumoy is expected by the second quarter

What is blended learning?

CYRIL H. DALUGDUG T-III/School-In-Charge STA. ANA NATL HIGH SCHOOL-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Blended Learning is a combination of actively engaged learning online and offline learning, with the student being an active agent as its critical component. What are Blended Learning Objectives? First, Teachers can work seamlessly with the kids in physical classroom space and then transition online fluently. Second, give learners more control over the learning experience and, precisely, more control over the four elements of learning, time, place, pace, and path. Third, create opportunities for the learners to decide how to surface and share their learning effectively(DOSTSEI).

Critical benefits of blended learning are student agency, differentiation, control over the pace of learning.

Teachers’ role in blended learning environments: A shift from a teacher-centered approach, where teachers spend lots of their time in their role as experts at the front of the room, to a student-centered approach where teachers

act as facilitators- spend time connecting with and supporting learners.

Students role in blended learning environments: From being comfortable in their role as passive consumers to passive observers in a classroom, students become active agents; the doer, thinker, discussor, maker, reflector, and partner in this learning journey.

What helps teachers be nimble in a changing learning-teaching landscape?

First, that there are so many assumptions that educators make about what it means to be a teacher and where our value lies as teachers. Some teachers still spend a lot of their time in their role as the expert at the front of the room. We have to start to value the connection with learners, the partnership that is at the heart of learning if we are really gonna make a substantive, meaningful change in education. Second, Skills set. Is our skills set flexible enough for any teaching and learning landscape?

of next year.

Capili said that Mayor Sebastian Duterte told the firm to expedite the project timeline during a recent meeting with company executives.

Based on the joint venture agreement, Apo Agua will take charge of water extraction and treatment and DCWD the water distribution.

The target completion of the project was moved from 2021 to 2022 due to the pandemic but it was postponed further to 2023 due to issues with the contractor, according to Capili.

She said that the new contractors tapped to complete the construction have experience in hydropower and water treatment.

To ensure that it delivers water to DCWD within the “new” timeline, Capili said the firm’s new contractors would undertake 24/7 construction activities on the various components of the DCBWSP.

“When we started this visionary project with the Water District, we have one goal, which is to find an alternative source in conjunction with ground water sources, and we found that the more sustainable source would be the surface water that will go through a treatment process to increase the supply of water,” she said.

JC Duhaylungsod, spokesperson for DCWD, added that they are awaiting delivery of additional supply of water from Apo Agua to address the current water situation in some parts of the city.

She added that some areas would continue to experience low to no water pressure at peak hours, pending completion of the DCBWSP and delivery of additional supply to DCWD.

“We need a large amount of water supply to realize our end goal which is 24/7 water service with desired pressure that we need,” Duhaylungsod said.

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Villa-Real.

The Death March markers serve as a reminder of the route taken

by Filipino soldiers who defended the country against Japanese forces during World War II some 80 years ago. About 10,000 brave soldiers died along the route; many of the bodies were never identified or recovered.

Around 80,000 Filipino and American soldiers and prisoners of war were forced by the Japanese military to march 69 miles from Bataan to Tarlac during World War II. Only some 54,000 persons reached the camp, and around 20,000 died due to starvation, dehydration, diseases, and the brutality of Japanese captors. For more information, visit www. veteransbank.com.ph.

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sustain “economic and fiscal/tax reform measures for the coming years when economic conditions improve further to at least pay for the increased government expenditures/budget deficits/ debts incurred since the pandemic started in 2020.” The government incurred over P5 trillion worth of borrowings since 2020 to finance its programs targeted to address the impact of the virusinduced pandemic. Ricafort said “the government's decision to maintain excise taxes on petroleum products would help sustain the government's recurring revenue collections and prevent unnecessary widening of the country's budget deficit, thereby helping limit/temper the increase in government borrowings and overall debt/debtto-GDP ratio.” He said continued reopening of the economy, with face-to-face classes scheduled to be fully implemented by November this year, will also benefit the government’s fiscal health. “Thus, all of these measures to further re-open the economy towards greater normalcy would help narrow the country’s budget deficit and help also temper the growth in the government’s debt stock,” he added.

On Friday, the BTr reported the 1 percent month-on-month rise in the national government’s (NG) total liabilities as of last August to P13.02 trillion. (PNA)

21st century education and technology milestone

By Joevan B. Llacuna Teacher III

These days, technology is embedded into our culture and our everyday lives— from smart phones to smart homes. Today’s learners expect the same kind of technological innovations to enhance their educational experience. For instance, learners say technology helps their professors to be more efficient and effective in teaching classes, and they feel that technology helps them to be more efficient and effective learners.

As learners’ digital literacy grows, teachers must match or surpass the level of technology learners’ use outside of the classroom.

Learners are coming to us with much different demands than they did even five years ago. They are tech savvy and tech focused. They want to learn in ways that are more interactive—both in class and in the tools they use to learn. To be impactful, teachers cannot teach the way teachers in 20 years ago and expect to keep them involved and engaged in their studies, because the learners today do not learn the same way.

Learners love modern

technologies, and it's easier to engage them in learning if the teacher use online learning techniques. Some key benefits of using technologies in teaching: interest learners in the educational process; keep in touch with learners; develop creative thinking; teach innovative things; and gain new learning experience. Learners are becoming digitally literate, and it affects their self-development.

Most significantly now in the new normal teaching ang learning set-up, as a teacher, it is of significant thrust that I would be able to indulge with this technological savvy strategies and scheme. This lobby knows no age, that is why both the young and the old teachers must be updated. However, I see this as an opportunity to harness more my teaching skills and my colleagues, and that this is not a hindrance to just sit still and relax. For all you know, it is not an easy job as a teacher, it is not an easy profession. Yet, with all mighty and integrity, I vow to always do my best in every endeavor I will undertake.

Philippine Veterans Bank donates funds to save Bataan Death March markers

On its 30th Anniversary, the Philippine Veterans Bank raised funds for the maintenance of Bataan Death March historical markers that had been destroyed, uprooted, and neglected due to drainage and other road projects.

Bikers from Bataan, Pampanga, Tarlac and nearby provinces pedaled along the route traversed by the country’s heroes.

The “Ride for Valor” a non-competitive 160 kilometers long bike ride raised close to P50,000 pesos

and monetary pledges for the Filipino-American Memorial Endowment (FAME) to save our heroes’ historical markers so that we may remember their sacrifice. The funds will be turned over to FAME, a non-government organization that maintains

the kilometer markers of the Bataan Death March from Mariveles, Bataan to Capas, Tarlac.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 3 gave an assurance that they will find suitable relocation sites for historical markers that will be affected by any road projects of the

department. DPWH have likewise repainted the historical markers along the Bataan Death March route.

“We would like to thank all the bikers, sponsors, private corporations and LGU partners for their invaluable support to the recently concluded Ride for Valor. Special thank to DPWH Region 3 led by

Regional Director Roseller Tolentino for their quick action and clarification about the Death March Markers along national roads that will be affected by road repairs,” said Mike Villa-Real, PVB first vice president.

“Philippine Veterans Bank is committed to keeping the memory of our heroes alive in the hearts and minds of Filipinos, so that we may always remember their sacrifices for our country and our freedom,” added