BusinessWeek MINDANAO
Replica of Butuan’s balanghai boat undergoes repair
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YOUR LOCAL ONLINE BUSINESS PAPER
www.businessweekmindanao.com
Sunday
Volume III, No. 190
P15.00
April 28, 2013
Summer peace feast launched ‘Anyone can be an advocate for peace but not all can promote peace through music.’ By Christine H. Cabiasa, Copy Editor
CAGAYAN DE ORO -- Mindanao has indeed a lot to offer, from its God-endowed natural resources to its human facets gifted with extraordinary talents. Now, Mindanao has changed its image, as they say, from a “terrorist bound” region to a “tourist bound” destination, and that’s Mindanaoans’ pride. It has maximized its people for the good of its people also. One thing to boast of -- there are individuals who believe in the power of “change” through music and productive festivities, thus, the launching the 2013 Summer Peace Festival (SPF). SPF 2013, organized by boost its arts and culture and Good Karma Productions, eco-tourism in which the world Muni Events and Productions wants to see and to take pride a n d t h e M i n i s t r y o f for the local artists who will Mushrooms Productions, has perform in the festivals. “Since now extended its legs aimed we are one with nature, we at widening the “influence of don’t want what happened to peace” in Northern Mindanao us during typhoon Sendong region and on its second year (to) happen again.” This year’s theme Luna now bumps to its feat for environment conservation Musikalawaig was coined from through music hoisting in “luna” which means “moon” Talakag, Bukidnon specifically or “full moon,” believed to Ki Bathala Gardens, Sitio bring life to the dark night Balaon for Luna Musikalawaig. and the beginning of the Jeminah Ferrer, one of the festival; “musika” which means organizers, said that the event “music”, heard to unite people came to life as they want to of different languages, religion, Local and foreign artists perform together at the launching of the Summer Peace Festival. Photo by CHC promote peace in Mindanao, PEACE/PAGE 11
Villar to gov’t: Provide temporary livelihood assistance to Pinoys displaced by Saudi crackdown
INSIDE LOOK
Nacionalista PartyTe a m Pnoy se n ator i a l candidate Cynthia Villar today urged government to prepare a l ivel ihood assistance program for the thousands of undocumented overseas Filipino workers who will be repatriated to the Philippines as a result of a recent labor and immigration crackdown in Saudi Arabia. In a statement, Villar expressed concern over t he statement of Saud i Ambassador to the Philippines Abdullah AlHassa n t hat t he Saud i gover n ment w i l l not provide any assistance to some 20,000 undocumented Filipino workers who are the subject of a crackdown soon. The Saudi envoy said af ter t he t h ree -mont h grace period given by the Saudi government to illegal workers ends on July 4, they will go after undocumented workers in their country.
“We expect another wave of thousands of displaced OFWs from Saudi Arabia soon and the least that the Philippine government can do is to prepare for that eventually and come up with a temporary livelihood assistance for these people,”
PAGE 2 NEWSCON: NorMin registers 94.4% high employment rate - NSO
Villar said, who is known as “Misis Hanep-Buhay”. “We urge the government to extend a l l possible assistance to undocumented OFWs in Saudi so they can be repatriated in an orderly and humane manner,” Villar said. “The government should assist the undocumented workers once they return to the country. This is the least we can do as they have been helping keep the Philippine economy af loat over the years with their remittances to their families.” Villar commended the efforts of the Philippine embassy officials who are now negotiating with their Saudi counterparts for the speedy repatriation of over a thousand OFW camping outside t he Ph i l ippi ne Consulate in Jeddah. DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said at least 1,000 undocumented OFWs have camped outside the VILLAR/PAGE 11 MOU/PAGE 11
PAGE 7 Ilonggo Heritage Painit at Bahay na Bato
Bigger crowd seen in Mindanao’s huge beach party
Gov’t finalizing mechanism to acquire gensets for Mindanao
GE N E R A L SA N TO S CITY – President Benigno Aquino III announced here Saturday that the government i s n ow f i n a l i z i n g t h e mechanism for the planned acquisition and deployment of diesel-fed modular generator sets to help ease the prolonged daily rotating brownouts in the locality and in other key areas in Mindanao. In a meeting w it h l o c a l g o v e r n m e nt a n d community leaders at the Lagao g y mnasium here, t he P re sid ent s a id t he Department of Energy and other concerned agencies are specifically harmonizing some processes to facilitate the purchase of the generator sets. “Bago pa ho matatapos ang 2013, meron na ho tayong ma ku ku hang generators na pagdagdag dito po sa Mindanao (Before the end of 2013, we’ll have the needed generator sets to augment the power supply in Mindanao),” he said. The President said the PARTY/PAGE 11
GUMASA, Sarangani – The growing crowd each year flocking into the white sand beaches here in Glan never fails to hype Sarangani Bay Festival as Mindanao’s biggest beach party. From the 33,499 in 2011, the crowd went up by 70 percent or equivalent to 57,199 in 2012. Significant increase in tourist arrivals was noted since the festival was launched in 2006 with 3,200 tourists, 5,700 in 2007, 14,800 in 2008, 17,755 in 2009, and 23,800 in 2010. Bookings for this year’s festival in resorts along the 7-kilometer white sand and pebbled beaches fronting the Bay have been full starting even in the later months of 2012, according to orga nizers. Sa ra nga ni Tou rism a nd Invest ment Promotions Center (STIPC) reported reservations have already spilled over to the resorts and hotels in Alabel and Genera l Santos Cit y. But the office pointed out transportations to and from the venue can be pre-arranged
PAGE 7 SEDA Centrio introduces Urban Lifestyle Experience
PAGE 8 Yesiree, we’re a family of dwarves: so what?!
national government is setting the proper arrangements on the matter to avoid possible conflicts with the law. Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, he said the National Power Corporation is prohibited from acquiring generator sets. “We have the funds to purchase these generator sets. But we just want to make sure that we follow the right processes and the provisions of the law,” he said. Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla recommended to the President late last month the purchase of the modular generator sets as a stopgap measure to address the worsening power shortage in the Mindanao grid that has led to daily rotating outages lasting seven hours in this city. Petilla earlier said the acquisition of the generator sets would be coursed through the National Electrification Administration, which will GENSETS/PAGE 11 PAGE 12
Villar says: environmental issues are finally getting attention
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