BusinessWeek Mindanao Davao (May 1, 2013 Issue)

BusinessWeek M I N D A N A O D avao Job fairs offer 30-T vacancies

Volume III, No. 190

Wednesday

POEA: Jobs still available abroad

DESPITE the low demand for female applicants in South Korea, the Philippine O v e r s e a s E m p l oy m e nt Administration (POEA) said there are job opportunities overseas for both male and female workers in various countries.

With more than 85,000 job of fer i ngs l i s te d i n preparation during Labor Day, it said that fema le applicants should not be discouraged from applying overseas.

Meanwhile, President Benigno S. Aquino III called on the Filipino workforce and employers to make Labor Day a “good job day,” setting aside negativism and blaming.

“Hindi po ba mas maganda kung imbes na tratuhin ang Labor Day bilang araw ng piket at sigawan, POEA/PAGE 11

Top 5 in demand jobs: Tech support, customer service, call center agents,waitress/waiter, online tutors DAVAO CITY -- Job seekers in the region have be given opportunities for possible employment in local and overseas companies that offered 30,893 vacancies in job fairs on Labor Day and a few days beyond.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-XI) led three simultaneous job fair events at SM City Davao and Gaisano Mall in Davao City and at Gaisano Mall in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, in celebration of Labor Day on May 1.

D O L E -X I r e g i o n a l director Atty. Joffrey Suyao bared that about 2,980 job vacancies from 131 local firms have opened at the two JOB FAIRS/PAGE 11

then you have more reason to want to survive,” Del Rosario, who is a cancer survivor himself, said.

Marilou Tamondong, a nurse from Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur who is on her 23rd day of radiation therapy at the Cancer Center,

Importation of all live shrimps banned THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has suspended the processing of application to import all live shrimps and susceptible crustaceans indefinitely.

In a statement, BFAR said this is to prevent Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) and other shrimp diseases from entering and spreading in the Philippines.

BFAR draws its action from the recommendation done by Dr. Donald Lightner, a known shrimp disease expert. Likewise, the shrimp operators t hemselves expressed concern over the risk of entry of infected sh r i mps f rom he av i lya f fec ted cou nt r ie s l i ke Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, China and Indonesia. The bureau has also included Singapore, Myanmar, Brunei and Cambodia on the watch list.

“We are dealing with a disease unknown to us, SHRIMPS/PAGE 11

MindaNews photo by Froilan Gallardo

tabang ang Cancer Center para sa mga pareha nako (I am the only one supporting my radiation therapy and the Cancer Center is a big help to people like me),” she said.

Tamondong’s husband died last year so she is the only one financing her therapy.

Eleanor Bago, a 56-year old patient from Cotabato, was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2012 and after undergoing chemotherapy, she was asked by her doctor to go to Tagum for radiotherapy.

“Nabilin akoang bana sa Cotabato kay naninda para naa koy panggastos diri (my husband is left in Cotabato to continue selling wares to support me financially),” she said. Bago, who is boarding in Tagum City at P5,000 per month, requires 33 radiotherapy sessions and has completed 27 sessions already.

PEACE/PAGE 6

Special Report could not agree more. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, operated on t he s a me ye a r a nd underwent chemotherapy in 2011. Unfortunately, she was not advised to undergo radiotherapy then and her cancer recurred in 2012.

“A ko la ng a ng naga suporta sa akoang radiation therapy ug dako kayo ug

P15.00

Laborers carry boxes of tomatoes across an improvised bridge last year after the Ugyaban Bridge in Talakag town in Bukidnon was swept away by typhoon Pablo the day before.

Cancer Center for Mindanao: A ray of hope among the hopeless TAGUM CITY -- Imagine a place where people can enjoy an atmosphere of cleanliness and happiness. This is a place where cancer patients they can go biking or just drop by the nearby mall or watch their favorite movies without worrying about how they look. No, this is not a preview of the latest high-end subdivision in town, but Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Anthony del Rosario’s vision of an ideal community for cancer patients in Davao del Norte.

This v ision may just become possible in the next few years with the continued development of the Cancer Center for Mindanao located within the compound of the Davao Regional Hospital in Apokon, Tagum City.

“It is different when you are a cancer patient - when you live in an atmosphere of happiness and cleanliness

PAGE 2

May 01, 2013

PRES. AQUINO

By Serine Alejandro

Mystical Sta. Cruz Islands

POLL WATCH

ADVERTORIAL

Good governance is best Labor Day gift - Villar Nacionalista Party-Team PNoy senatorial candidate and former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar today said the firm commitment to good governance that will pave the way for the delivery of fresh investments and job opportunities would be the best gift government can give its workers on Labor Day. At the same time, Villar thank the labor sector for declaring its support for her senatorial bid, saying the expression of confidence would prompt her to work harder to propose pro-labor measures when elected into the Senate.

Villar said she was humbled by the support extended to her and seven other senatorial candidates by the Philippine Trade and General Workers Organization (PTGWO) under the Trade Union Congress of

CYNTHIA VILLAR

the Philippines (TUCP), the biggest labor confederation in country.

The workers’ group, which boasts a membership of 110 labor unions, declared its support for Villar and the other candidates in a general assembly in the TUCP headquarters

GIFT|Page 11

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Feature

: k n i P n i Pretty

Mystical Sta. Cruz Islands of Zamboanga

Red tube coral makes the sand pink in Sta. Cruz Grande

By Mike Baños

O

ne of the most famous landmarks of Zamboanga City is a pair of coral islands barely four kilometers from downtown Zamboanga City.

According to my grade school classmate Icelle D. B orja, now a historical res e archer sp e ci a lizing in Zamboanga lore, “the islands were named Santa Cruz because they lie in the crossroads on the way to the Moluccas (Spice Islands) when the Spaniards first mapped out the two isles on April 6, 1598.

“My archival research led me to a rare Spanish Survey Map of Zamboanga dated c (1885) with Serial Doc. No. 280 571 No. 1831 showing the Town of Zamboanga with the two Santa Cruz Islands of Zamboanga City.

The big Sta. Cruz island lies directly below a cross based on their Map,” Ms. Borja writes in an article posted in Zamboanga.com.

Officially known as the Great (Sta. Cruz Grande) and Little Sta. Cruz (Sta. Cruz Chico) Islands Protected Landscape and Seascape, the 1,877 hectare (4,640 acres) was officially declared a protected area by the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through Proclamation No. 271 on April 23, 2000. (PAWB).

Earlier, the late President Ferdinand Marcos declared the two islands as a National Park (P.D. #654 issued Feb. 4, 1975) including its foreshore and ancient Muslim burial grounds. P.D.#1801 issued on Nov. 10, 1978 further d e cl are d t h e are a a s a tourist zone and marine reserve under the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) now known as the TIEZA (Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority).

Tour ism and airline officials have organized t r ip s by t r ave l w r it e r s from Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga to benchmark the new air route between the two cities established

by Cebu Pacific Air late last year.

Cebu Pacific flies from Cagayan de Oro to Z amboanga three times a we e k e ve r y Tu e s d ay, Thursday and Saturday.

At present, CEB operates 60 domestic and 32 international routes. A

new international route is scheduled to start on October 7, 2013 between Manila and Dubai. The first group of travel journalists from Zamboanga visited Cagayan de Oro last November 27-29, 2012 while Kagay-anon travel writers returned the favor last Feb. 12-14, 2013.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to join the latter group. I grew up in Zamboanga City and had been living in Cagayan de Oro for the past 32 years.

In between, I never had the opportunity to revisit this famous pair of islands which we used to frequent during my high school and college days so I was looking forward to see how it’s fared during the lifetime I was away.

During my salad days we used to take our rides from the Lantaka Hotel-by-theSea but the embarkation point has now been moved to the Paseo del Mar which is a definite improvement over the old one. Even the boats are now bigger, compared to the outrigger pump boats we used to take.

The waves were bigger in the afternoon and it was an adventure in itself coming back to Lantaka with the little boats (3-4 passengers only compared to the big 16-seater boats of today) dipping in between the wave troughs that you lost sight of the mainland and appeared to be on the brink of sinking. But the Sama boatmen were experts and always brought us home safely albeit sometimes wet.

It was late in the morning when we embarked at Paseo del Mar for Santa Cruz Grande which is the only one open to the public, with Sta. Cruz restricted (as a military facility). After an uneventful 15-minute ride we arrived at Santa Cruz Grande. Situated some 4 kms (2.49 miles) from downtown Zamboanga, it boasts of the only pink sand beach in the Philippines. The red color comes from bits of the red organ pipe coral (tubipora musica) mixed with its endemic white sand.

The Basilan Straight links the Sulu and Celebes Seas,

The Bisaya community in Sta. Cruz Grande

making it a natural channel for fishes moving from one sea to the other. The underwater scenery here can be spectacular. According to my cousin Philipp’s (who now calls Florida home) website Zamboanga.com, Zamboanga and Santa Cruz Islands were frequented by

C aw a an d i n t h e We s t coast area of Sinunuc, and Caragasan bury their dead in Santa Cruz island. The Sama-Badjao culture and their belief system indicate that they bury their dead near the sea shore since they are a sea-faring people living in the coastal areas”.

to do for sun and beach worshippers.

H o w e v e r, t h e m o s t fascinating places for me in Sta. Cruz Grande are its ancient burial grounds of the Sama Dilaut and its mysterious inland lagoon.

A lt hou g h M s . B or j a said the Zamboanga

Sama Bangingi graves in their ancestral Sta. Cruz Grande burial grounds

German and Italian tourists who called it their hidden paradise in the little Spain of Asia during the late 1960s and early 1970s, which is affirmed by my grade school and high school classmate Romel Racho whose family used to run the local Baron’s Travel branch.

Our guide told us Sta. Cruz Grande was formerly uninhabited since it was the traditional burial grounds of the Samal Dilaut. They are the ocean going Sama ( “d i l au t” r e f e r s t o t h e ocean). The Sama Dilaut are traditionally sea gypsies and houseboat dwellers.

Recently they have been semi-nomadic, often living out at sea for days, weeks or months, but gradually adopting the lifestyle of their Sama brothers and building their homes on the coastlines of the Philippines and Malaysia.

According to Ms. Borja, “in the Pre-Hispanic period the two Santa Cruz Islands we re t he s a c re d bu r i a l grounds for the Sama, Badjao and other lo cal: ethnic groups in the area. Some local Sama-Zamboangueños know this island simply as ISLA. Musa Jimlaniand Bahaya Sahiyal said they call the islands Pagkubulan – a place to bury their dead or a burial place.”

“Sama-Zamboangueños based in Rio Hondo, Cawa-

The term Badjao has become the more commonly known name for the Sama Dilaut in the Philippines although they prefer to call themselves as Sama.”

Snorkeling and scuba diving among the coral gardens especially of Sta Cruz Chico are excellent, though the coral gardens in Sta Cruz Grande have been degraded, unlike in my college days when you could see all sorts of tropical fish not five feet from the pink sand shores. TIEZA maintains huts and bathroom facilities for picnickers and beach volleyballers so there’s lots

City Council has issued an ordinance forbidding further burials on the island, our guide showed us recent graves which include plots belonging to one family or clan. It is fascinating to see the intricately carves sundok (gravestones), miniature wooden boats and kubol (grave plots) leading far inland to the island, indicating their ancient age.

Other locals tell me the graves even include those of ancient Mandarins who could not bury their dead in Zamboanga during the Spanish times since they were not local citizens.

Sama Bangingi graves in their ancestral Sta. Cruz Grande burial grounds

Unfortunately, these graves have reportedly been pillaged by some unscrupulous grave diggers who have found ceramic ware and other valuables such as an 18inch Ming plate which was allegedly sold for P36, 000 to one of the present candidates for the senate. Tsk, tsk, tsk, TIEZA should secure these graves more closely else even those of the Sama Dilaut be ransacked by these rascals.

The inland lagoon is another fascinating place for visitors to explore. We had to do this in our boats at noon time since that was when the high tide came in and made it possible for our big boats to enter the lagoon. The mangrove trees are a fascinating sight in themselves and the quiet broken only by the chirping of the birds is better e x p e r i e nc e d f i rst - h and than described in travel journals. Our big boats were unfortunately unable to venture further inland so we saw the famous fruit bats hanging from the trees in broad daylights from a distance but apparently they could discern us even at that distance and set up a din and racket of protest against the intruders who dared disturb their slumber.

Even for these two alone, I know I’m going back there someday. There’s a lot more to these islands than meets the eye, and you who know can feel it in your bones.

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3

Shorter brownouts expected Villar hails gov’t-MILF agreement In Socoteco II areas by May

for clean, orderly polls in M’danao NACIONALISTA PartyTe a m PNoy s enator ia l c a nd id at e a nd for me r Las Pinas Rep. Cynthia Vi l lar today hai led t he signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to ensure clean, honest, and peaceful midterm elections, said it was a positive indication that peace and political stability was forthcoming in Mindanao.

“This is a giant step in our efforts to pursue a just and lasting settlement to end the age-old conf lict in Mindanao,” said Villar.

“As I would always say, the Nacionalista Party (NP) is one with the Filipino nation in harnessing the spirit and essence of people power in support of peace and development initiatives for Southern Philippines,” she said.

Saying that Mindanao would be one of her priority areas for her development programs if elected to the Senate, Villar said she was elated that the MILF and government have agreed to ensure coordinat ion of t he movement s a nd deploy ment of elect ion personnel and equipment and personnel of the Armed Forces Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP), as deputized by t he Com mission on Elections (Comelec), in polling centers within the MILF-dominated areas.

Media reports said the Phi l ippi ne gover n ment and the MILF agreed to establish a Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Post as quick response tea m for a ny violation of the MOU. The MILF also committed to refrain from consolidating its forces from the time precinct count optical scan or PCOS machi nes a re deployed and until election has been completed.

“The holding of peaceful, orderly and credible e le c t ion s i n M i nd a n a o will serve as big boost in ou r ef for t s to pu rsue a lasting peace agreement in Mindanao that would eventua l ly pave t he way for massive development projects in the area,” Villar said.

“It will show that diverse ethnic and religious groups i n M i nd a n ao ne e d not sett led t heir dif ferences through the barrel of the gun but through peaceful means of elections,” Villar said.

“We are about to witness the resurgence of a revitalized democracy in Mindanao.”

Earlier, Villar said the NP was throwing its full support behind the current peace process between the government and the MILF following the signing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) last year.

Known as “Misis H a n e p b u h a y,” V i l l a r

described as a “major leap for peace” the presidential appointment of 15 members to the Transition Commission (TransCom) earlier this month that would help draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law as a vital step towards obtaining lasting peace in Mindanao.

Vi l l a r s a id s he w i l l support the transformation of conf lict-affected areas i n Musl i m M i nda nao into havens of peace and development as a major t hr ust of t he Aqu i no administration.

Villar said that the Villar Foundation is willing to work w it h ot her NG Os and LGUs in promoting various livelihood projects in Mindanao. “We all have to pitch in and accompany t he peace process to its rightful conclusion because a peacef u l and stable Mindanao has much to offer not just our country but the world,” Villar stressed.

advertorial

By Allen V. Estabillo

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Power consumers here and in the provinces of Sarangani and South Cotabato are finally getting relief this week from the prolonged daily rotating brownouts that has plagued the area in the last two months.

City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio disclosed over the weekend that the local government has facilitated the signing of new power sales contracts that would allow local distribution utility South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative (Socoteco II) to access around 15 megawatts (MW) of additional power supplies starting May 3.

She said the additional power supplies were projected to effectively cut down by half the area’s continuing sevenhour daily rotating outages.

“Starting May 3, all these contracts will take effect and we expect them to bring down our rotating brownouts by half or possibly even more,” the mayor announced during the grand rally on Saturday of the city’s Liberal PartyAchievers with Integrity Movement (LP-AIM) at the city gymnasium in Barangay Lagao.

The rally coincided with the scheduled meeting of President Benigno S. Aquino III with “local leaders and the community.”

Custodio, who is seeking reelection under the LP-AIM slate, said the city government and the Mindanao Development Authority have initiated negotiations in the past several weeks with various power producers for the augmentation of the Socoteco II’s power supplies, which is currently short by around 40 MW. Socoteco II, which lists an average daily peak demand of 112 MW, serves this city, the entire Sarangani Province

and the municipalities of Tupi and Polomolok in South Cotabato.

The National Power Corporation (Napocor) is only supplying around 43 MW of power to Socoteco II out of their 52 MW contract for this year due to the reduced capacity of its hydroelectric plants in Bukidnon and Lanao del Norte.

T h e Ab o i t i z - o w n e d Therma Marine Inc. augments the area’s power requirements by 30 MW but the Socoteco II’s technical services department noted that the firm’s allocation slightly went down earlier due to some technical problems.

Owing to this, Socoteco II was forced to implement rotational brownouts of seven hours in two settings daily for each of its two feeder groupings.

To help address the area’s power shortage, the mayor said the Philippine Economic Zone Authority recently issued a temporary permit that allows companies located in declared special economic zones to sell their unused power allocations to entities outside their areas.

She said the issuance of the permit was an offshoot of the negotiations made by the local government with private companies in economic zones located within or near the city, among them pineapple giant Dole Philippines based in Polomolok town in South Cotabato, to allow Socoteco II to acquire their excess power supplies.

“A number of companies responded positively to this arrangement,” she said.

Cu s t o d i o s a i d t h e y also submitted a request to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), through chairperson Zenaida Ducut, to cut down or rationalize the processes involved in

the approval of power sales contracts in the wake of the power crisis in Mindanao.

On Monday last week, she said the ERC chair personally informed her that the commission has issued a board resolution specifically addressing the matter.

The mayor said such resolution was needed to facilitate the sales contract between Socoteco II and t h e A l c ant ar a Group’s Southern Philippines Power Corporation for an additional allocation of 3 MW as well as with its Iligan City-based subsidiary Mapalad Power Corporation for another 30 MW of power supplies. “ We ’ r e t a r g e t i n g (Mapalad) to supply an initial 5 MW to Socoteco II by May 3. It will gradually increase until it reaches 30 MW by June,” she said.

To help reduce the area’s power demand, Custodio said the city government has started replacing the compact fluorescent light bulbs presently installed at the city’s streetlights with the energy-efficient lightemitting diode or LED lights.

She said they expect that such initiative will reduce t h e c i t y g ov e r n m e nt’s power consumption by 1.5 MW. (Allen V. Estabillo/ MindaNews)

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TF Davao undergoes absentee voting STA. ANA WHARF, Davao City – Forty eight personnel of Task Force Davao took part in the absentee voting held April 29, 2013, inside their headquarters at Sta. Ana Wharf, in relation to the mid-year election on May 13.

Col. Casiano C. Monilla, INF (GSC) PA, Commander of Task Force Davao led the absentee voting together with three officials, 34 enlisted personnel including 12 from the Special CAFGU Active Auxiliary (SCAA) Unit.

The said activity was initiated by the Commission on Election (Comelec) Region XI and was intended for g overnment employees who will be rendering duties during Election Day. Comelec representatives

brought the precinct count optical scanner and made yesterday’s activity possible.

Voters of Task Force Davao filled-up the absentee voting form where Comelec took charge of evaluating the forms of who will be given the privilege to vote.

However, out of the 64 applicants only 50 were allowed to vote. Two (2) were not able to vote because one was confined at the hospital while the other was on leave.

The reason behind why Task Force Davao requested to have an absentee voting is because they are mandated to focus on the security operation starting May 1.

“We may be soldiers, but we

are still citizens of this country.

We want our troops to be given the chance to vote even if they are far away from home. We did not persuade nor dictate them who would they want to vote. Instead, they would have the freedom of picking the candidates they like,” Col. Monilla said.

“Task Force Davao will be on full security from May 1 up until the Election Day and no one will be taking a dayoff. All of our troops will be maximized and will be closely coordinating with other law enforcement agencies as well as with the Comelec. As always, Task Force Davao will always be on full alert,” the Task Force commander added.

Sammy Namoc and Mike Comique, twin winners for Mitsubishi Lancer EX hole-inone prize during the 2nd Frankie Miñoza Cup, a golf tournament of Frankie Miñoza Golf Foundation and Del Monte Phils., Inc. held at the Del Monte Golf Course last Apr. 11-14-2013. Sponsors are Stronghold Insurance and Mitsubishi Motors Phils./ Fast Autoworld Phils. Corp.

photo courtesy of raphy arcaina

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Opinion

wednesday May 1, 2013

EDITORIAL The Senate that Filipinos voted and will be voting for FILIPINOS voted for 12 senators in the May 2010 elections, the electoral exercise that catapulted B enigno Aquino III into power. For voters’ recollection, these are the scenes that marked the work of the Senate in the past three years.

Of course there’s the televised impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. Senators, dressed in dark maroon robes, grilled witnesses and even the former chief justice himself, then majority voted to impeach Corona last May 2012. It was a moment to remember for the Philippine Senate and its members.

A year before that (2011), the Senate took cue from President Aquino’s campaign against corruption and investigated former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and first gentleman Mike Arroyo. The Senate was also instrumental in unearthing alleged corruption inside the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that same year, as well as the allegedly anomalous purchase of helicopters by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The Senate was, not sur prisingly, a divided institution given deliberations surrounding the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act. With both the Senate and Congress pushed by the executive branch to finally pass this long-

standing measure, the public watched how the vote went.

Of course, to the dismay of the Roman Catholic Church, this proposed RH law eventually had the numbers on third and final reading.

So given these “accomplishments” of the Senate, can public trust be easily handed out to them?

Not so fast.

Who would ever forget the alleged plagiarism by Sen. Tito Sotto over a speech during deliberations of the RH bill? Even if the family of the American whose work Sotto allegedly plagiarized directly wrote the Philippine Senate about it, Sotto was adamant and said there was no plagiarism done.

During deliberations for the proposed sin tax law, Batangueño senator Ralph Recto drew flak for allegedly speaking on behalf of cigarette and liquor companies when he expressed doubts over a P60 billion revenue target by government from sin t axes. Re c to’s re venue target was P20 million, and his colleagues at the S enate dis ag re e d. The new law’s revenue target was finally pegged at P34 billion in the first year of its implementation.

D e b ate s ove r s ome pressing laws, like the sin tax law, is normal for the Senate, an august chamber said to be editorial/PAGE 7

eek BusinessWMindanao DANTE M. SUDARIA Publisher ROSE MARY D. SUDARIA, Ph.D. General Manager

CHENG ORDOÑEZ Editor-in-Chief

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F

Marketing as a symbolic value

ilipinos perceive consumption as an activity with a symbolic value.

As Baudrillard has conveyed, attaching symbolic value to consumption is not a passive activity, but an active system of sign-value production.

In this system, choices, self-image, and desire imbue products, and the activity of consumption, with meaning.

In the Philippines, for example, the meaning of goods and symbols (which collectively drive consumption) are constituted using both local and global ideologies.

Filipinos consume for four main reasons.

The first is, of course, necessity. The second reason is the belief that their purchases will fulfill some sort of familial duty.

In other words, shopping, or more specifically gift-giving, serves as a vehicle for the expression of love towards one’s family members, friends, relatives and colleagues.

Filipinos also shop as a way of assessing consumer prices and product variety (i.e., “window shopping”).

Most Filipinos purchase goods (especially the costly electronic ones) only after having comparison shopped and consulted with “experts.”

The fourth, and final, reason why Filipinos shop is out of

P

ECONOMIC

compulsion. Like many global shopaholics, compulsivelyB uttresses consuming Filipinos usually By Amparo Pamela Fabe realize that the acquired object, product, or service loses its glitter once it has been purchased.

The malling phenomenon, which has increased accessibility to new products, has undoubtedly exacerbated this condition, especially among middle and upper class individuals with disposable income.

In the Filipino context, consumption best applies to the burgeoning youth consumer culture which has emerged out of the malling phenomenon.

Consumption has shaped the identities of many Filipinos in their teens and twenties, and has also impacted the ways in which they engage in social relationships.

Filipino university students spend an average of thirty Fabe/PAGE 7

Color yellow

Noy’s irritation of parties, other than his, using the color yellow shows signs of insecurity and the confidence he maintains to be most popular.

While the franchise for being a brat is not necessarily his in his family with this news article at the Manila Bulletin it portrays his absolute authority towards the people.

To secure my place, I have decided to stop wearing yellow colors all together.

I wanted to retain my yellow briefs to secure the colors rightful location but one never knows if one gets incarcerated for owning the color. Deception after all is what traditional politicians resort to.

Look at the Presidential cousin who aspires to be senator by installing a complete make-over to look like his uncle Ninoy.

Is this not deception possibly to the worst degree?

Then there are the wanna-be’s whose dynasties have reigned for decades whose parents have ruled fiefdoms all over the country to the misery of their constituents still at it to pursue if not maintain their fortunes and authority. Is this not deception?

On another issue also about megalomania, the brilliant chief commissioner has announced as if he is above the law (which is probably true) that all rules and regulations on the AES law will be broken by the Comelec.

Similar to the president, this guy feels he is above the

T

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SUPER

law.

I can only imagine after B randing the elections between the By Harry Tambuatco losers and the winners.

Should anyone lose, the alternative or option left is to sue the Comelec and most of all - snow white.

A class suit is well under way after all in the Philippine no one loses an election they are always cheated.

Two weeks to go and the charade can cease and the players be gone for good as will be the case for sure.

Why hang around and torture yourself with seeming ingratitude by losers when they have pronounced who they wish the winners to be.

These expectations for sure cannot be directed to the Comelec alone but to whom else – are there other constitutional bodies authorized to stage the elections other than the foreign supplier, Smartmatic?

But wait there’s more -- a group called dominion is the true owner of the election source code software and the Comelec was duped by its outsource.

Was this not a gross violation of the law?

Investing with managed funds: Part 3

he investment pyramid concept provides an effective overview of all investment instruments available at your disposal, with particular emphasis to their overall profiles in terms of risk, return, and liquidity considerations.

Revisiting the investment pyramid, we get a glimpse of the importance of keeping a balanced investment portfolio. Having foundational investment strategies that preserve your capital keeps your pyramid in a stable state.

A pyramid with a firm and stable base gives you a better foothold to grab incidental opportunities offered by higher-yield, higher-risk investments in the upper levels without having to sacrifice your financial stability.

Comfortably positioned in the middle of the investment pyramid, managed funds give you a balanced risk, return, and liquidity leverage.

But do managed funds such as mutual funds offer you any additional advantage? Here are a few of the more important ones to begin with.

Managed funds are liquid – there is easy recovery of your cash should the need arise. You also get the advantage of instant diversification.

In contrast to direct stock investing, with equity funds you get to purchase a basket of stocks with the same invested amount.

This provides you the unique setup of indirectly managing and spreading your levels of exposure to investment risk.

Since your individual resources are pooled with that of several other investors, you harness the collective investing power and strength of the entire group.

Thus, a managed fund strategy can take you directly to the securities markets, which is usually available only to a few select investors with large investible funds.

With certain mutual fund companies allowing you an

investment account opening with as little as PhP5,000, Financial D octor this strategy can even be

By Adonis Agcopra affordable to individuals in the lower income groups.

If you are that type of investor who doesn’t have enough luxury of time to actively track volatility issues in stock trading, then managed funds might suit you better.

Wi t h p r o f e s s i o n a l l y trained investment analysts and fund managers doing the legwork in a dynamic market, you can perhaps worry a little less and attend to other more pressing matters.

Furthermore, with proper regulations now in place, you can have more peace of mind. In the case of mutual fund companies which are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), these investments are now more transparent, have detailed prospectuses and disclosure proceedings, and with a custodian bank in place.

With a recently upgraded Philippine economy on the upswing, managed fund investing could be one of your greatest opportunities to ride the prosperity wave.

Investigate before you invest, and make your money work for you. Do it now!

-- (Dr. Adonis Agcopra, MBA, CIS, RFC® is with the IARFC and is portfolio director of AFIC Meridian Consultants. URL: www.aficfinancialconsultants.com.

Email: aficfinancialconsultants@outlook.com.)

THE

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5

Some pharmacies shy away from senior citizens’ discounts?

By SHELA PORTO

REPUBLIC Act 9944 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 grants 20 percent discounts to senior citizens who buy medicines.

Violators of RA 9944 could face two-to-sixyears imprisonment and/or fine of P50,000 to P100,000.

Despite this, the Office of the Senior Citizen Affairs (OSCA) admits that some pharmacies continue to deny giving the 20 percent discount privilege to the elderly.

These pharmacies apparently take advantage of their alledged strong political connections to respective government agencies such as the Department of Health

and the Department of Trade and Industry to circumvent the law, leaving the OSCA helpless in trying to go after these law violators.

OSCA, citing members’ experience, claimed not all pharmacies in the country are giving senior citizens discounts, even though they present their valid senior citizen IDs.

Something’s sparkling in Bohol MARIBOJOC, Bohol—Inside the public market of this fourth-class coastal municipality, something’s sparkling.

It can be found in Aling Nenita’s Styrofoam. Most of the time, near a vegetable stall, she squats and, when customers approach her and hand over P15 to her. In Bisaya, “thank you for buying Sparkling,” Aling Nenita tells the customer.

But small retailers, like Aling Nenita, have Sparkling Iced Drop, owned by former overseas seafarer and Maribojocanon Salvador Lamoste, to thank. Bohol’s widest-selling iced product has sparkled the entrepreneurial hopes of Bohol’s enterprising poor.

Lamoste’s tale speaks of a country wanting some of the billion-dollar remittances from some 9.4 million compatriots abroad to be channeled into enterprises, especially those firms that can survive the long haul.

Sparkling is Lamoste’s major economic endeavor so that he becomes fully retired from seafaring. While Lamoste did not aim to compete with established iced products, coconut milk is his trump card in making his iced drop products, especially pinipig (he personally prepares the concoction, while two factory workers help him make and package the iced products).

His “special iced drop” should cost P15 while the smaller version of it is a cheap P5.

Lamoste’s market intelligence, however, was what sparkled the product’s outreach to make Sparkling Bohol’s biggest iced drop brand.

Lamoste, riding a multi-cab, first sold his products to three schools in Tagbilaran City every four in the afternoon.

Every time he collects sales and unsold pinipig products, that’s when he started hiring local retailers.

He began with his townmates —about 50 of them— so that they sell Sparkling in the entire municipality (especially during market day—Wednesday). Lamoste then hired outside retailers, especially in Bohol’s tourist destinations like the Chocolate Hills in Carmen (middle of the island), as well as in Tagbilaran City. Prices of Sparkling vary per area.

Now, Sparkling has outlets in Carmen, Ubay, Talibon, Loon, Kinabanga and Tagbilaran City —spanning some of the major corners of Bohol. Since Cebu province is just a two-hour boat ride from Bohol, Sparkling products have even reached Mactan Island.

“Retailers are the backbone of Sparkling,” said Maribojoc’s richest overseas Filipino entrepreneur, who purposively hired those “trustworthy” retailers with limited means of earning incomes (especially in Maribojoc).

The 11-year-old Sparkling is an example of a migrantfinanced enterprise (the firm’s initial capital all came from Lamoste’s earnings and savings as an able-bodied seaman, then an officer, for shops owned by Exxon Mobil Corp.) that grew out of being on top of the business.

It also operates in a municipality where, like other Philippine municipalities, incomes from townmates working or residing permanently abroad —worth some P40.548 million in 2010 alone— are the biggest compared to incomes from domestic remittances (P13.524 million), local entrepreneurial income (P11.483 million), and the total incomes earned by the municipal government of Maribojoc (21.061 million).

(OFW Journalism Consortium)

so-called “unfair treatment” of senior citizens, but it seems that these grievances rarely prosper due to the noncooperation of the pharmacies and the government offices concerned.

“What happens is that once there’s a complaint, we would call for a meeting, inviting OSCA officials and representatives from (pharmacies) concerned, the Department of Health and the Department of Trade and Industry. We would eventually call for a hearing but nobody shows up on the scheduled date,” she added said.

But why is it that every time a complaint reaches to

another level, nobody shows up? Bigornia explained almost all the cases are being resolved by the so-called padrino. It means that an administrator from the accused pharmacy either has relatives from the DTI, or even in the DOH, that wishes to settle the case.

“What else could these offices do but to nod and let go of the case,” the OSCA chairman said, in disgust.

She echoes the concerns of other senior citizens over the so-called “unfair treatment,” especially for the indigent elderly. Helper Nieves Atienza, 58, said she understands the pharmacies if they could not afford the elder people the prescribed

20 percent discount on medicines. ”For as long as there’s a discount, it’s okay for us,” Atienza said.

But the situation is not okay to a University student who has living grandparents: “They should have fined those establishments because senior citizens are not merely seeking those benefits for their own gain. These benefits are provided by law.” (the filipino connection)

GLOBE Telecom is the only Philippine telecommunications-provider recognized as one of the top finalists in the EuropeanMENA awards for the Telecom Provider of the Year category alongside some of the best brands in Asia.

the company can only be expected to deliver utmost customer satisfaction,” said Globe Telecom President and CEO Ernest Cu. Winners will b e announced early May. In 2012, Globe Telecom set new records, moved closer to superior customer experience, and marched steadfastly towards longterm competitiveness amid implementation of its transformation program.

Service revenues reached a new record high of PHP82.7 billion, a 6% rise from a ye ar e arli e r, re f le c t i ng tremendous growth despite a very challenging competitive environment.

Gl ob e Tel e c om a ls o recently completed the f irst phas e of net work transformation which involves a complete change-out of equipment.

Ad d i t i on a l a re a s h av e also been identified for the company’s network transformation in tandem with planned expansion of its fourth-generation coverage footprint.

A few months back, Globe Telecom was also named CNET Asia Readers Choice Awards’ Best Telco in the Philippines, as well as Frost & Sullivan’s Philippines Telecom Service Provider and Broadband S er vice Provider of the year.

“Some of them even lie,” said a senior citizen herself.

“The pharmacists would initially say the medicine is available then later on they will tell you that it is out of stock,” the complainant said.

Some of the pharmacies do not even follow the prescribed discount as one sales lady admitted: that they only give percentage discounts on medicines less the law’s pres crib ed 20 p ercent.

“Usually we give them three percent discount because we would only get broke if we give them 20 percent,” pharmacy sales lady “Rose” said in a separate interview.

Similar complaints have reached OSCA office over the

Globe is lone PH telco nominated Telecom Provider of the Year in EU

Organized by the one of the most prestigious publications in the region, The European – MENA Aw ards aims to honor organizations and individuals that take the lead in their industries, consequently moving them forward.

The awards also aim to identify the companies and organizations that surpass standards of quality in their respective fields. The European’s Asia Awards

highlight the excellence and the business practices that ought to serve as a model for businesses across the world.

“Our nomination in t h i s pre st i g i ou s aw ard acknowledges our focus in providing better products and services, which in turn, has driven record high subscriber acquisitions.

With the completion of our network transformation program within the year,

A laborer loads ice blocks on a boat docked at the Sta. Ana Wharf in Davao City on Holy Wednesday, March 27. The boat is bound for the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte Province.

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Is PPCRV still Catholics’ electoral partner?

IT’S a month to go before the national and local elections, and the most unlikely of breakups within the Roman Catholic Church’s electoral advocacy had happened, between the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and the Philippine bishops. That was some pre-Easter breakup between long-time friends.

Even up to now, PPCRV continues to shy away answering questions on why the CBCP’s National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (NASSA) did not express its support to PPCRV anymore, or explaining its side on the withdrawal of support by the Archdiocese of Lipa.

Yet the Catholic dioceses are given the discretion to support the local chapters of the lay Catholic electoral watchdog or not, says NASSA national director Bishop Broderick Pabillo. PPCRV’s media releases even wrote its local chapters “have not been affected and still continue their operations in planning and voter’s education”.

That is “regardless of issues questioning the credibility of the (PPCRV) in the national level,” a PPCRV release wrote.

Pabillo said his office is now supporting the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) and the nonprofit electoral watchdog group Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE). On why not the PPCRV, Pabillo told The Filipino Connection that PPCRV officials failed to attend a meeting organized by NASSA in which they were to accept the latter’s “Guiding Principles of the Social Action Network on Partnership for Election-Related Campaign and Advocacy.”

“Considering the Guiding Principles of Partnership, we now declare our support to NAMFREL and LENTE as they generally respect and work hard to establish coordination and good partnership with NASSA and the social action network

during election,” Pabillo wrote in a March 20 letter to bishops nationwide. Although, in the same letter, their statement is only recommendatory and it is the bishop’s call to have PPCRV or not.

Junked Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Lipa in Batangas was the first diocese to junk the PPCRV after the March 20 letter of Pabillo, explaining on Easter Monday April 1 that the archdiocese has already lost confidence on the PPCRV’s capability to credibly monitor the conduct of the May 13, 2013 elections.

Arguelles cited two major reasons for their decision, and this includes their differing views on the reliability of PCOS machines. The bishop said he took that the PPCRV reportedly defended the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the so-called “minor technical glitches” encountered by PCOS machines during a February mock election.

Arguelles said that these defects, which included late transmission of results, shouldn’t be ignored no matter how minor they would be as this may generally affect the conduct of the election process.

“It’s as if Smartmatic [the manufacturer of the PCOS machines] is using our arguments in their case against Dominion in Canada that the PCOS machines are defective, which is what we’ve been saying in the past but they wouldn’t admit it here. And then to hear PPCRV to say that it’s okay would appear as if the CBCP

(Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines) is saying it’s okay.”

Turning point But the turning point of Arguelles’ decision was the reported apparent refusal of the PPCRV to let church volunteers see the fourth copy of the election returns that would be given to PPCRV volunteers before these are delivered by courier to Comelec’s National Board of Canvassers in Manila.

Without the copy of the said returns, however, the bishop said the Catholic Church’s volunteers won’t be able to check whether the actual votes counted at the municipal level would tally with the votes counted at the provincial level. “They would already send the results by speed mail without us knowing?

Then it’s as if they just used us,” Arguelles said.

“I’m afraid they’re (PPCRV) hiding something. I know it’s important for PPCRV because they need the national election results but what about the local elections when we are the first ones being approached by people? Something’s fishy. I don’t want to speculate but it appears that the PPCRV is being a tool of the Comelec, instead of being the tool of the Church to watch over them,” the bishop told The Filipino Connection in an interview.

Despite the risk of having greater limitations in the election monitoring in the absence of PPCRV, the bishop said they are willing to take the risk as they “don’t want to work with that kind of atmosphere.”

PPCRV’s de Villa, in an April

CHECKLIST. A flight technician makes a last-minute check on the twin-engine Beachcraft Baron aircraft used in the cloud seeding operations over Lake Lanao on Monday, April 15. The Department of Agriculture has been conducting a daily cloud seeding operations over Lake Lanao to ease the power crisis in Mindanao.

mindanews photo by froilan gallardo

Mastura-Midtimbang posters dominate on the road to the MILF’s Camp Darapanan.

mindanews photo by carolyn o. arguillas

6 statement, wrote the group “respects the decision conveyed by the good Archbishop of Lipa. “ We are saddened,” de Villa wrote, though the April 6 statement did not answer Arguelles’ allegations on the role of PPCRV vis-à-vis the local diocese.

But other dioceses did not

follow Lipa’s tact, as PPCRV’s de Villa claims there is no shortage of volunteers for the lay poll watchdog group. For its part, the CBCP’s secretary-general Msgr. Joselito Asis said amid NASSA’s recommendatory letter, “The mandate of the PPCRV as citizen’s arm of the (CBCP) for the elections remains the

same.”

Some dioceses still partner with the 22-year-old PPCRV, while some others, like the Archdiocese of Cebu, had formed their own lay election watchdog groups. (by marlon alexander luistro and anna patricia carrillo/the filipino connection)

From front page...

Cancer Center for Mindanao: A ray of hope among the hopeless The people behind the Cancer Center for Mindanao, as wel l as t he pat ients undergoing radiotherapy celebrated the Center’s first year anniversary on January 8, 2013.

“This is the best and most affordable government cancer center not only in Mindanao but in the whole country,” Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Secretary Romulo Busuego said. The Cancer Center’s P13 4 -m i l l ion L i ne a r Accelerator machine, he said, is comparable to the machine being used in expensive private medical hospitals like St. Luke’s in Manila.

While it is envisioned as a one-stop-shop for cancer patients with facilities for surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the Center is now known as the Nuclear Energy Therapy Center as it presently offers radiation therapy. The facilities for chemotherapy at the Center are still being built although surgery and chemotherapy are already being offered at the main hospital.

“This was a long-shot d rea m wh ich wa s st i l l being talked about by its proponents while I was still a first year resident in the hospital,” Cancer Center Operations Manager Dr. Bryan Dalid said. When it materialized, Dalid was already a consultant for surgery.

Dalid said the Center does not have a specific budget allocation and it only relies on its share from the annual budget of the DRH which in itself is already

insufficient considering that it requires P120 million to operate the hospital every year but was given only P33.4 million in 2011.

DRH however survives because its officials find ways to generate income for the hospital to finance its expenses.

“The Center’s budget has not in any way hampered the efficiency of the services being offered by DRH,” he said. The Center has 12 mu lt itask ing employees including four doctors and two nurses. But even with such meager resources, it has served 207 patients and completed the treatment of 101 patients for the past year.

Ca ncer patients who think that they can no longer go for radiotherapy treatment because of lack of financial resources should try the Cancer Center.

“We have never turned away a patient just because he or she has no money,” Dalid said. What makes the Center unique, he added, is the extra service they provide to patients when it comes to advising them where they can get financial help.

Dalid said radiotherapy fees are ver y af fordable compared to private hospitals. A patient who goes to the Center has to shell out P6,000 for planning or initial assessment of the radiation they need. The daily radiation treatments can cost from P1,000 to P4,000 depending on whether the patient is enrolled with PhilHealth then the minimum amount is paid.

Cancer patients who fall under NHTS or the National

Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction and are classified as marginalized c a n u ndergo t he d a i ly radiation treatments without shel ling out cash at a l l except for the enrollment or planning fee of P1,000. Those who could not even afford the planning fee are asked to make their rounds of the different local and national government satellite offices located within the DRH compound to get monetary help.

“The Center offers the cheapest cost of radiotherapy in the Philippines today,” Busuego said. “I am not saying that there is a cure for all cancer but some can be cured…what we are doing here is trying to prolong the survival of cancer patients,” Busuego said.

Del Rosario, who spent almost half of the day with the cancer patients despite celebrating his first wedding anniversary on the same day, said the Cancer Center is close to his heart so he wants to use his PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) for the Center.

When this time comes, the likes of Marilou and Eleanor, and all the other Fi lipi nos w it h ca ncer and who could not afford expensive treatments and facilities abroad, will now be able to get a respite from life’s challenges, even for the duration of their treatment at the Cancer Center. And when that time comes, maybe they too can say that when you have cancer, it is not the end of the world for you because there is life after cancer. (PIA 11)

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Fabe...

Editorial...

percent of their monthly allowance or income on high-tech products such as computers, personal digital aids (PDA), cellular phones and compact disk players.

About ninety percent of the students surveyed at the University of the Philippines have personal computers, five percent own PDAs, ninety percent have compact disk (CD) and/or MP3 players and nearly twelve percent own portable CD players.

Increasing expenditure on Internet service and mobile telecommunications also reflects their pursuit of hightech products.

Designer brands play an important role in the consumption of commodities because they not only convey one’s identity to the outside world, but also bridge the gap between the local and the global.

Young Filipinos tend to be more loyal to foreign brands than to local ones, with young Filipinos preferring Nok i a cel lu l ar phones, Nike sportswear, Speedo swimwear and Tag Heuer watches.

In addition to brand name, price and product function also constitute important factors influencing student purchases.

Young consumers demand attractive packaging and product recognizability, both of which play an integral role in the socialization of consumption in peer groups.

The media has an indelible impact on the choices they made: more than eighty-eight percent of survey respondents believe that they are influenced by advertising, while only two percent indicated that advertisements are “a waste of time.”

assuming a public watchdog role given investigations done “in aid of legislation”. But what if this watchdog also has its own problems?

Before the year 2012 ended, the senators were quarrelling over “Christmas gifts,” worth P1.6 million coming from the Senate’s maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), handed out by the office of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. Four senators lashed out at Enrile, even as the Commission on Audit (COA) ruled that the senate president has discretion over the use of the MOOE funds, and had committed no irregularity.

Then just last Jan. 29, the Senate bowed to the COA, saying that all expenses senators incurred must be audited by the state agency.

There is a “long-standing” pr a c t i c e t h at s e n at o r s and t heir of f ices issue mere certifications when liquidating their funds. “We will abide by the order of COA,” said Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada.

But given that Senate is part of government, being audited by state auditors should be automatic, right? Then a senator, during a caucus, recommended that senators should be audited by private firms?

The nation again elects 12 senators to replace those elected in 2007. As usual, “s enatoriables” s eeking 12 slots in the 24-person chamber promise the stars that will benefit voters: jobs, education access, health programs, and even loans as capital for enterprises (something that accredited government financial institutions, not the Senate, should be doing). Whoever you vote and you put together

from page 4

from page 4

to make up this new senate of the republic, they will all form part of a branch of government whose trust ratings, to base the quarterly surveys of Pulse Asia, have been inconsistent —going up and down.

Whoever Filipinos will be voting for in the Senate this May 13, having a watchful eye over how our senators are performing will give voters an assessment if they can be trusted, or if they have made the right choice. (Pool Editorial/TFC)

Globe... from page 2

and the metrics tracked by the different business units and enabling groups. “It is an important document for the company as it tracks key performance indicators of its business processes and programs related to the triple bottomline,” he said.

The ASR summarizes the significant impact of environmental, economic and social initiatives carried out by the company in 2012 and includes comparable data to identify progress and improvement areas.

Since credibility is a prerequisite for effective sustainability reporting and

is considerably enhanced through independent external assurance, Globe again tapped TUV Rheinland, one of the leading certification body and assurance providers globally for the external assurance.

External assurance is synonymous to external audit in case of company certifications and external testing in case of product certifications. It helps protect the interest of stakeholders and provides a level of comfort to key decision makers, allowing them to know that the information they are using for their business decisions are not only reliable but also complies in all material aspects with the relevant reporting frameworks.

To make the 2012 ASR more accessible, Glob e created a dedicated ASR website (http://www.globe. com.ph/annualreport), a fully interactive website featuring videos, feedback portion and updated digital design, for its stakeholders nationwide.

Stakeholders may opt to access the digital version directly online or scan the Quick Response code via any smartphone or tablet located at the back cover of the report to proceed to the said website.

!

D A E R

7

Republic of the Philippines SUPREME COURT 10th Judicial Region REGIONAL TRIAL COURT OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL Cagayan de Oro City OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE JUDGE

NOTICE OF HEARING Notice is hereby given that a summary hearing on the petitions for Notarial Commission of the following Notaries Public shall be held on May 16, 2013, at 2:00 in the afternoon at the Office of the Executive Judge. Any person who has any cause or reason to object to the grant of the petition may file a verified written opposition thereto, received by the undersigned before the date of the summary hearing.

1. ATTY. DEMOSTHENES A. MEDIANTE, JR. Let a copy of this notice be published once in a newspaper of general circulation prior to the hearing, per A.M. No. 03-8-02-SC, at the expense of the petitioner/s.

Given this 26th day of April 2013 at Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

(Sgd.) HON. GIL G. BOLLOZOS

1st Executive Judge

Acting Executive Judge

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A round M indanao 8 UN-World Bank-MILF launch 3-year program to prepare for Bangsamoro wednesday may 1, 2013

DARAPANAN, Sultan Kudarat – The United Nations and World Bank launched Monday, in partnership with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a three-year program that would provide on-demand technical assistance in the run-up to the establishment of the Bangsamoro, the new autonomous political entity that would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao by June 30, 2016.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front Chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, Luiza Carvalho, resident coordinator of United Nations, and Ousmane Dione of World Bank in a ceremonial exchange of letters to launch the Facility for Advisory Support for Transition Capacities (FASTRAC) on April 29, 2013, at Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao.

mindanews photo by toto lozano

Comelec-11 says manual method DSWD intensifies If electronic transmission fails drive vs human DAVAO CIT Y — With only two weeks left before the midterm elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Region XI assured signal jammers would not pose a threat to the transmission of election results.

Speaking at the Kapihan sa Philippine Information Agency, Friday, at the Abreeza Mall, Comelec Regional D i re c t or Wi l f re d o Jay Balisado said they can resort to a manual transmission of the results in case an electronic transmission would not work.

Balisado said manual transmission means the board of election inspectors will just put the compact flash card in an envelope, seal and send it to the canvassing center.

“We would still know the results in due time even if it would be delayed,” he said.

The of f ici a l f ur t her said that voting can still be done even if a precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine bogs down.

“The board of election inspectors will just collect the election ballots and it will be feed to other working PCOS machines for the counting of votes,” he explained, adding damaged PCOS machines will be sent to their central office

READ!

in Manila for safekeeping.

“What I’m trying to say is that, all possible problems on the coming elections will be addressed and we have prepared plans for any unforeseen events,” Balisado said.

But in a statement today, poll watchdog Kontra Daya pointed out that the final testing and sealing of the PCOS machines, which is scheduled a week before election, will not include transmission.

Kontra Daya said that with Comelec’s admission that it could no longer hold a source code review as required by law, “no one really knows how the machines are programmed to count the votes, putting a serious question on the credibility of the elections.”

“The source code review was instituted precisely to assure the political parties and the electorate that the software to be used in counting our votes is trustworthy,” the group said.

S o u rc e c o d e i s t h e human-readable program that runs and controls the step-by-step process of the automated elections from receiving the ballots to counting, consolidating, and transmitting the votes. mindanews

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trafficking

TO INTENSIFY its campaign against human trafficking, the Department of Social Welfare and Development launched last week a cinema plug entitled, “Iligtas Nyo Po Ako,” which debut at the block off screening of Iron Man 3, at the Trinoma Mall, here.

S o c i a l We l f a r e a n d De velopment S ecretar y Corazon Soliman said the cinema plugs will highlight two modes of trafficking namely the sexual and labor trafficking. The film, which will run for six months, aims to raise the people’s awareness by showing them the traumatizing effects of human trafficking.

Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act defines trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer or harboring, or receipt of persons with or without the victim’s consent or knowledge, within or across national borders by means of threat or use of force, or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of position, taking advantage of the vulnerability of the person, or, the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation which includes at a minimum, the exploitation or the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery, servitude or the removal or sale of organs.

Commission on Filipino DSWD/PAGE 11

Launched at the MILF’s C amp D ar ap an an , t h e Facility for Advisory Support for Transition Capacities (FASTRAC), will provide “ondemand advisory services and access to the most relevant national and international expertise to contribute and help move forward with the peace process especially in the drafting of the Basic Law that will reflect the Bangsamoro people’s aspirations for genuine autonomy while establishing the basis for efficient and accountable government,” UN Resident Director Luiza Carvalho said.

FASTRAC will begin op e r at i ons n e x t we e k , C ar v a l h o tol d a pre ss conference after the launch.

World Bank Country Director Motoo Konishi , represented in the launching

by Ousmane Dione, Sector Manager on Sustainable Development, said the UN and World Bank combined forces to provide access to national and international expertise in support of the transition, and support the Transition Commission (TransCom), the government (GPH) and MILF peace panels, civil society groups and others to promote an inclusive peace process.

Dione said FASTRAC will also provide the TransCom and ot he r t r ans it i ona l institutions with resources to support “broad-based consultations and community outreach” to ensure that “the full range of voices in the Bangsamoro can be heard as the GPH and the MILF u nd e r t a ke t he cr u ci a l, challenging and historic work that lies ahead to form the Bangsamoro.”

The establishment of FASTRAC came after a series of consultations with the MILF and the GPH by the two international agencies.

On March 25, t he UN and World Bank formally offered to the MILF in a letter dated March 25, the facility that would “primarily service the technical needs of the MILF, and where requested, the Government of the Philippines panel and Transition Commission and its technical working groups to avail of the best national and international expertise.”

MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim accepted the offer in a letter dated April 5.

A ceremonial exchange of letters was made to launch FASTRAC. ‘Exhilarating’ Murad said it was “exhilarating” to sit with

officials of “two of the most iconic symbols of modern man’s quest for global peace and sustainable development.”

He spoke of how the two agencies had helped the Bangsamoro communities in the past, responding to “emergencies such as internal displacements, human rights violations, crops destruction” and working on poverty alleviation.

“Today I am extremely happy to sit here and I emphasize, to sit here not alone, but in partnership with you not only to respond to emergencies but more importantly to link and to fulfill together the visions for which our respective organizations had been fou nd e d : g l ob a l p e a c e for the UN; peace in our homeland for the MILF; reconstruction, sustainable development and poverty alleviation for the world bank , reconstruction and development and prosperity in our homeland for the MILF,” Murad said.

He said he expressed hope that the partnership will “hasten our quest for the successful conclusion of the peace process and help us transition smoothly into Bangsamoro.”

Self-determination But Murad explained at the launch that while the “transition to Bangsamoro” requires partnership and assistance from the global community, these “must be founded on mutual respect and the recognition of the primacy of our assertion of our right to self determination.”

“The overriding principle must be translated into all our engagements and t he me chanism for its implementation . While we seek global expertise and knowledge, we must take the lead in determining what we need and how we want these needs addressed and how these needs should be addressed, for certainly none is more knowledgeable of the challenges we face except ourselves and none is more critical in resolving these challenges than ourselves,” he said.

Murad stressed that part of their right to self d e t e r m i n at i o n “ i s t h e assertion on our part and the corresponding recognition from our partners that we need to own these interventions and the process.

Inclusivity and ownership must come together,” adding that the Paris Principle or the Paris Declaration on Aid

Effectiveness is unequivocal on this concept of ownership.

“And rightly so, for no intervention can be effective without the recipient owning it and taking initiative and leading the process.”

P287M for tech assistance According to the FASTRAC’s press statement, budget for the three-year project is approximately USD 7 million (around PhP 287 million) which will b e initially financed through the UN Peace-Building Fund and the World Bank State and Peace Building Fund.

Development partners will also be invited to contribute funds and expertise.

A Consultative Committee headed by the Transition Commission (TransCom) chair will provide overall guidance to the Cotabato City-based FASTRAC but day to day management will be under an Executive Director who has yet to be named.

The government will b e re pre s e nt e d i n t h e Consultative Committee by a member of the government peace panel or the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

T he Tr ans C om is a 15-member body tasked principally to draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law. It is composed of eight members from the MILF and seven from the GPH and is headed

by MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal.

It held its first meeting on April 3 in Pasig City and will meet again on Tuesday and Wednesday (April 30 and May 1) in Cotabato City, where it will be based.

T h e Tr ans C om w i l l have Prof. Yash Ghai, chair of the Fiji Constitution Commission, as speaker on April 30.

On May 1, the TransCom will finish crafting its internal rules, Iqbal told MindaNews.

The GPH and MILF peace panels signed on October 15, 2012 the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro. The panels agreed then to finish the four annexes – wealth-sharing, power-sharing, normalization and transitional arrangements and modalities — by year end 2012.

Only the transition annex has been completed. It was signed in February. The three other annexes have yet to be finalized.

The panels will resume talks after the May 13 elections. (carolyn O. arguillas/ mindanews)

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Wednesday may 1, 2013

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Entertainment

B A S K E T B A L L U P D AT E

This Week’s

HOROSCOPE

Lakers Nation hope that Howard choses to return Even after every disappointment in the Los Angeles Lakers’ lost season, Kobe Bryant still wants to keep their roster together.

Pau Gasol agrees, although he knows he might be out.

And Dwight Howard is in no hurry to decide whether he’ll rejoin this talentloaded group that didn’t meet its expectations.

Howard’s impending free agency was prominent in the Lakers’ minds as they headed into the offseason Tuesday with their exit interviews. General manager Mitch Kupchak said he’s “hopeful” and “optimistic” Howard will re-sign with Los Angeles after his first season ended in a first-round sweep.

But Howard, the seven-time All-Star center, wrapped up his first season in Los Angeles by vowing to make his decision in his own best interests, giving no indication he favored the Lakers over any other team.

“I’m going to take my time, get away from the game, get away from my phones and everything, just clear my head,” Howard said. “I think I deserve that right, so that’s what I want to do. ...

I do what’s going to be best for myself, what’s going to make me happy. At the end of the day, I can’t control who likes me, who dislikes me, but I have the right to be happy. That’s what I’m going to do.”

Howard was ambivalent about his first season on the West Coast, although he expressed love for Los Angeles when pressed. Howard said he returned from offseason back surgery several months earlier than expected because he wanted to win with Bryant and the Lakers, only to watch their season dissolve with an early-season coaching change and major injuries to almost every player in their rotation.

Howard isn’t saying where he wants to play, but the Lakers will court him aggressively and confidently.

“I know in my heart that this is the place where I think he should be,” Kupchak said. “We have a great legacy, a great history of great players in this city dating back to when the franchise came here in 1960, and he certainly fits the mold. But I don’t want to get ahead of the game and take anything for granted. ... He’s earned the right to make an informed and calm decision.”

Howard could re-sign with the Lakers for five years and $118 million, or sign with another team for four years and $88 million. Bryant joked he’ll invite the boyish big man to his home in Orange County to watch cartoons.

“He’s at a crossroads in his career,” Bryant said. “I think Los Angeles is the perfect spot for him to assert himself and put his foot down and have his career really take off and be what it should be.

There’s no greater place for a center to play than Los Angeles.”

The Lakers have several other decisions to make this summer, but coach Mike D’Antoni’s future still looks secure. Kupchak gave another vote of confidence to his first-year coach, saying “nothing has changed” from his declaration two weeks earlier that D’Antoni is expected to return in the fall. nba.com

AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18) - When you are in involved in a relationship it’s good to be open with your feelings, but don’t put yourself in an emotionally vulnerable position. Take love one day at a time, you don’t have to share everything straight away. A family member can bring news of a financial nature. Stay alert, there is more to come.

PISCES (February 19 – March 20) - When you want to get along with a love partner, it’s necessary to accept them for who they are rather than try to control and change them, but you do need to be with someone you can have a comfortable conversation with. To get noticed at work, speak up and share your ideas on a creative project. You could be in the public eye this week, make sure you look your best.

ARIES (March 21 – April 19) - Change is imminent at work. Don’t pass judgment until all the players have taken up their new positions, it could be better than you think. When you work together with people socially, they present opportunities in other areas of your life. A conversation with someone can open the love door, but you need to want to walk through.

TAURUS (April 20 – May 20) - With an abundance of planetary activity in your sign chaos could erupt in your life, but it will set things straight to move forward with. This is a time of personal transformation, step out of your comfort zone with confidence. What happens next may be confronting but it will be empowering.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 21) - The energy of four planets having just transited into the sign before you, your solar twelfth House of inspiration, it can be the catalyst to provide you with clarity as to what you want to do next. If you are on the lookout for love, an adorable sweetheart could sweep you off your feet! A new start approaches, this is the time to get your plans in place.

CANCER (June 22 – July 22) - It is an attractive trait to be independent and a forward thinker, both at work and with social colleagues. With a favorable connection between passion planet Mars and transformational Pluto, you can connect with someone on a deeper level. At work, take control of your time management. It’s important to stay focused and not be tempted to go off on tangents.

LEO (July 23 – August 22) - You have a chance over this period to surge ahead with business. It’s important to keep learning to stay ahead of the game. With so much going on, don’t run yourself into the ground; you need a break now and again. Just when your day–planner is bursting at the seams, a family matter needs your attention.

VIRGO (August 23 – September 22) - It’s all systems go! Get ready to think quickly and act upon your thoughts. Someone at work can help you out for a tight spot, or introduce you to someone influential to assist you on a business level. News about money can come through now. Stand by for something great to happen, life can change in an instant.

LIBRA (September 23 – October 22) - With relationships on all levels, but in particular a love partnership, you need to work out who’s accountable for what so you don’t get into a power struggle. Aim for the balance of power to be equal on some level. If you are waiting on an answer for a money or official matter, don’t give up hope, the result can work in your favor.

SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21) - Love planet Venus shines romance in your direction. If it’s a commitment you want, don’t be shy about saying so, not that you would, Scorpio. With work, dream about your perfect job, this is the time to get your plans in place, new is on the way. Very soon something wonderful will happen. You want to be ready to accept a fabulous opportunity.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21) - Sharpen your image with a new look and launch a new you. If you want love in your life, be responsible and put the effort in to attract the attention of someone special. If you are already in a relationship, start dating your honey to keep love alive. You can now make decisions that affect both your business and personal life.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19) - If you have conflict between work and home, you will have to do a juggling act to ensure everyone is happy. Be careful of going into too much explanation, sometimes the least said the better. You will soon be busier than you thought possible, make sure you get a routine in place now to maintain your wellbeing.

SHOWBIZ PEEK Jed Madela is in no rush of having a lovelife After launching his Star Records debut album All Original earlier this month, world singing champion Jed Madela said he is happy at the way his career is going this year. True to its name, Jed’s newest album features songs which are new and far from his usual ballads. “Everything sounds different and the songs express different feelings.

Actually, each one can be a potential single on its own.

I can’t imagine na lahat ng kaya ko palang gawin sa pag-re-record, nailabas ko na sa album na ito. Of course I’m very fortunate to work with some of the country’s top composers like Trina Belarmide, Jimmy Antiporda, and Soc Villanueva. Ang dami nila and I’m also happy kasi may isa akong kanta

na nakapasok. It’s a song I wrote and my very first recorded yun sa album na ito,” he said.

Apart from the album, Jed celebrated another milestone in his career after becoming the first Filipino to be inducted in the Performing Arts Hall of Fame in Hollywood. He is the first Grand Champion Performer of the World to

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be awarded the Achievement Award that will have a live worldwide broadcast on July 19.

Jed Madela’s All Original album is now available in record bars nationwide for only P350. For more K apamilya updates, log on daily to Push.com.ph and follow Push_Mina on Twitter. abs-cbn showbizz news

across

DOWN

1.Half a diameter (6) 5.Type of saxophone (4) 7.Squeeze (5) 8.Crippled (4) 9.Golfing Stroke (4) 10.Two-mastered boat (5) 11.Walk warily (6) 13.Skin complaint (4) 14.Hazard (6) 18.Lure (6) 21.Blaze (4) 22.Motionless (6) 24.Chris, US tennis star (5) 25.Sign of affection (4) 26.Jumping parasite (4) 27.The Muhammadan religion (5) 28.Disarray (4) 29.Solemn promise (6)

1.Connected (7) 2.Lifeless (5) 3.Sharp metal point (5) 4.Roman sea God (7) 5.Pavement material (5) 6.Ill-fated liner (7) 12,Mining extract (3) 15.Offensive (7) 16.Old Testament book (7) 17.Divulges (7) 19.Singer, ‘King’ Cole 20.Minority group (7) 22.Terence, British actor (5) 23.Michael Caine film of 1966 (5)

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wednesday may 1, 2013

Attention...

from page 12 the only Earth we got,” said Villar, managing director of Villar Foundation, which has numerous environmentrelated programs and projects.

On its 21st year, the Villar Foundation’s first project was tree-planting to alleviate the effects of climate change and to date, it has planted nearly a million trees. In 2002, it launched the Sagip Ilog program or the Las Piñas river rehabilitation program with the goal of cleaning up the river to address two major concerns: the worsening flood problem in Las Piñas and to allow aquatic life to thrive anew.

To m a k e t h o s e environmental projects more sustainable, Villar incorporated a livelihood component. “Most environment-related projects fail because the people involved are not committed enough and community involvement and commitment are critical factors in ensuring the success of any environmental rehabilitation and conservation program.

There should be something in it for them,” she cited.

Thus, the birth of Villar’s green social enterprises or livelihood projects out of wastes and garbage such a s w at e r hy a c i nt h s a n d coconut husks from her river rehabilitation program. Villar Foundation’s water hyacinth basket weaving enterprise, coconet weaving enterprise, organic fertilizer making enterprise, handloom blanket weaving enterprise, citronella oil-making enterprise, among others have benefited more than 500 families in Las Piñas.

The livelihood projects have also been duplicated in 179 municipalities and cities all over the country. “We have built pilot centers nationwide.

So far, we have only covered a little over 10 percent of the 1,600 towns and cities in the Philippines. My goal is to have one livelihood project in each one of them,” said Villar.

Villar’s other environmental advocacy is her stance against the planned 635.14-hectare Manila Bay reclamation project that will affect the Las PiñasParañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA), the most recent addition on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

She filed a petition for Writ of Kalikasan on March 16 against the said project, which the Supreme Court granted on April 10 last year. The writ of kalikasan was issued but not a temporary environmental protection order or TEPO— without a TEPO, the contractor can still proceed with the projects. The court decision on this is yet to be released, but the hearings at the Court of Appeals were finished.

“I am concerned about the catastrophic effects that the proposed Manila Bay reclamation project will bring about—including the damage to the bird sanctuary as well as to the mangrove forest and marine habitat. The worst of which, is that it will cause severe flooding in 37 barangays in Bacoor, 11 in Paranaque and 17 in Las Piñas. Floods with a depth of as much as 5.12 meters or equivalent to a two-storey high building,” cited Villar.

LPPCHEA ser ves as a sanctuary to migratory bird species from as far as Siberia.

According to the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, Metro

Manila has 150 species of birds, 72 of which are found at LPPCHEA. It is the only bird sanctuary located in an urban setting, thus it is considered as the ‘last bastion’. Because of its biodiversity, LPPCHEA was declared as a critical habitat in 2007 by Proclamation No. 1412.

Ac c o r d i n g t o Vi l l a r, environment a l problems need both legislative support and practical solutions. As a congresswoman for 10 years, she has authored and pushed for the passage of environmental bills also. And if and when elected as senator, environment is still among her key legislative agenda.

DSWD...

from page 6 Overseas Secretary Imelda Nicolas said that media is indeed a great tool to create awareness that’s why they decided to use films to show people the dangers of human trafficking based on the victims’ experiences.

“We all must fight and win or everyone loses,” Nicolas said on her speech.

Reports from the International Labor Organization that there were at least 20.9 million people worldwide who were victims of forced labor (5.5 million are children), while the DSWD said there were 1,376 victims of trafficking in the Philippines last year.

Last year, the Republic Act 10364 or the Expanded AntiTrafficking in Persons Act amended RA 9208 as a means to combat human trafficking and the law’s new provisions include disclosure of identities and circumstances of human trafficking offenders, which was previously banned to protect the confidentiality of human traffickers under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. The DSWD’s partners for the project were the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), Department of Justice (DOJ), non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations. (By JEFFREY GEORGE T. UDARBE/The Filipino Connection)

POEA... from page 1

ituring natin ito bilang selebrasyon— isang araw na masayang nagdiriwang a ng mga ma nggagawa at mga negosyante da hi l sa matagumpay at produktibong taon; isang araw na kinikilala natin ang sipag ng bawat empleyado, at kung gaano kalak ing biyaya ang magkaroon ng isang trabahong marangal at bumubuhay sa pamilya mo?

(Would it not be better if, instead of treating Labor Day as a day of picket signs and shouting, we treat is as a celebration? A day in which labor and management alike celebrate the successful and productive year that was; a day that recognizes the hard work of each employee and that acknowledges how big a blessing it is to have a dignified job that helps you sustain your family),” the President said.

“Mula ngayon, sana ay ituring natin ang Labor Day bilang Good Job Day. Tama na ang negatibismo. Marami tayong positibong nagawa, at nangyari ito, hindi dahil sa mga reklamo o pagbabatuhang-sisi, kundi dahil sa nagtulungan tayo. Panahon na para batiin

natin ang isa’t isa ng “good job,” (Let us do away with the negativism. We have done so many positive things, and these did not happen because we complained, or threw blame at one another; these happened because we worked with one another. It is time that we look each other in the eye and say: ‘good job’), he added.

T he President a lso committed addressing four major concerns of the labor sector which are: (1) To keep the jobs that we have; (2) to create even more jobs; (3) to upgrade the capabilities of our work force; and (4) to efficiently enforce our laws, such that they truly uphold the rights of the Filipino workers.

POEA Deputy Administrator Liberty Casco said: “In job fairs such as what we are going to conduct [on the eve of Labor day], we don’t usually categorize whom to prioritize first,” Casco told said. “It’s more about the qualifications of the applicant and the requirements asked for by the employer.”

Casco added t hat t he applicants v ying to apply for certain positions in the countr y or overseas may be hired upon application depending on the skills they guarantee their employer.

“The job fair was meant to provide job opportunities to everyone, especially to the (fresh) graduates and the currently unemployed,” she said. “(But) they have to qualify in the position they are applying for.”

T he P OE A , s ay s t he agency’s 2012 accomplishment report, deployed 1,778,056 migrant workers. Total newlyhired workers reached 458,487, while the rest (975,926) are re-hired for overseas work.

The said report did not break the total deployment figure by gender.

T he 2012 deploy ment f igures were higher t han the 2011 total of 1,687,831 says POEA’s 2011 statistical compendium –resulting in a spike of 5.34 percent.

However, Casco said the POEA still discourages female applicants eyeing for work in South Korea. Recently, t he POEA tempora r i ly suspended the registration of women workers through the Employment Permit System (EPS), a gover n ment-togovernment hiring system between the Philippines and Korea. This is because of low demand for women workers in Korea, but not for male workers.

“It would be a waste of time and effort for female applicants to still pursue South Korea despite having little or no chances of landing on the job they are applying for,” Casco said.

In preparation for the Labor Day, POEA, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and licensed overseas employment agencies will have a job fair tomorrow at Camp Sevillano Aquino in Tarlac City. About 55 agencies will be offering more than 85,000 job openings to all Filipinos nationwide.

O n L a b o r D a y, t h e government will be providing 75,000 job opportunities from d if ferent agencies which will open in SM Manila, SM Megamall and SM City North Edsa.

The country continues to reel for high unemployment levels, currently at 7.1 percent (as of January 2013 results

of the quarterly Labor Force Survey). As well, President Aquino, upon his installation as president nearly three years ago, said that homeland job generation –not overseas employment– is a priority of his administration.(With reports from Jeremaiah Opiniano/The Filipino Connection)

Job Fairs... from page 1

malls in Davao City, while 17,977 overseas jobs come from 51 companies.

Suyao told the media in a press conference earlier that 750 jobs have been solicited from 25 companies in Tagum City, and that 19,497 vacancies from 15 firms abroad will also be offered in the city.

He said the top five indemand positions in the local pa r t icipat i ng compa n ies are technica l suppor t representatives, customer service consultant, call center agents, waitress/waiter and online tutors.

The other needed jobs include accounting staf f, management trainees, sales associates/representatives, tel ler s a nd i n for m at ion technolog y specia lists/ computer programmers.

For the work abroad, the top ten in-demand jobs are domestic helpers, household service workers, electricians, technicians, waitress/waiters, recept ionists, eng i neers, masons/carpenters, babysitters and drivers.

He sa id t he Reg iona l Coordinating Committee comprising of all attached agencies of DOLE in the region have held a one-stop shop delivery of their respective programs and services during the job fairs.

Ma. Carolina Agdamag, chief of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Regional Center for Mindanao, a POEA desk not only to entertain queries but also to accept applications for the staff nurse positions being offered by the Ministry of Health-Hospital Operation Program (MOH-HOP) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been established.

Agdamag said representatives from the MOHHOP of KSA were expected to personally administer the application and interview procedures.

She added t hat t he government of Germany is also in need of nurses.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has provided free overseas calls for the immediate families of the Overseas Filipino Workers.

Ot her DOLE-attached agencies such as the P rofe s siona l Re g u l at ion Commission, National Labor Relations Commission, and the National Conciliation and Mediation Board were also present during the job fairs to extend their respective services.

Suyao said job fair is one way of addressing the unemployment concern in Davao Region, which hit at 6.3 percent as of January 2013, lower than the national figure of 7.1% based on the data from the National Statistics Office.

The same unemployment rate was noted in the same period last year, he bared, saying, “this just showed that our employment facilitation efforts had no much effect.”

“Maybe because, daghang nawad-an og trabaho mainly

because of (Typhoon) Pablo (Maybe because many lost their jobs during Typhoon Pablo,” Suyao explained.

The DOLE official also cited the rise of underemployment from the 15% rate last year to 21.1% of the total number of employed persons in the region.

He explained that the underemployed are those with jobs but still need or desire to look for other jobs with higher pay, or who want to render extra hours of work.

Suyao said as of January 2013, Davao Region has an employment rate of 93.7% or 1.855 million of the 1.979 million labor force. (PIA-XI)

Gift...

from page 1

City on Wednesday.

In her Labor Day message to the country’s workers, Villar said the Nacionalista Party is committed to support the reform agenda of President Aquino to bring about good governance, an improved economy, more jobs and better services to the people, particularly the poor and the marginalized, in the next three years.

“I believe the best Labor Day gift we can give our workers will be our commitment to pursue good governance which is a sure-fire formula to revitalize our economy and create the much needed jobs being clamored by our workers for a long time now,” Villar said.

“Good governance will mean more investments and more investments will mean more jobs. That is what we intend to do in the next three years in our coalition partnership with President Aquino,” she added.

Once elected into office, Villar said she will pursue her long-time advocacies of promoting livelihood opportunities through small and medium term business enterprises, provide the necessary climate that will bring out more jobs and better social services.

To address the concerns affecting the over 12 million Filipino migrant

Shrimps...

11

from page 1 all the more that measures must be undertaken,” BFAR Director Asis G. Perez said during a shrimp industry meeting with the operators and importers last week.

EMS is characterized by massive mortalities during the first 30 days. Infected samples show slow growth, corkscrew swimming and pale coloration. Studies on the nature of the disease have already been conducted in the countries affected. As of date, no known pathogen has been found causing EMS yet.

A shrimp expert in Thailand, however, encourages shrimp farm operators to keep their farms clean to minimize the probability of acquiring the diseases.

“The Philippines remains EMS-free as of the moment and BFAR is exhausting all efforts to remain so,” Dir. Perez said. Adding that the country is well-positioned as this opens the opportunity for the Philippines to expand its shrimp exports.

Following the suspension, BFAR instructs its Fish Health Officers, Quarantine Officers and the Law Enforcement Q u i c k R e s p o n s e Te a m (L E QRT ) t o i mple me nt monitori ng, cont rol a nd surveillance protocols at the ports of entry, airports and seaports in the country.

The move is consistent with BFAR’s thrust to protect the country’s aquatic resources and protect the interests of the industr y. The bureau will continue to meet shrimp operators in forums to discuss and finalize effective and long-term solutions to the problems the industry is being faced with.

“The government through the BFAR is no longer just focused on its regulatory f unctions. It is seriously putting all efforts to contribute to the growth of the industry,” Dir. Perez said. (DA-BFAR I n for mat ion a nd P ubl ic Relations Group)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 10TH JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 28 MAMBAJAO, CAMIGUIN In the Matter of Petition for Issuance of New Owner’s Copy of Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-532 in the name of DOMINGO K. TALIAN (deceased), represented herein by his son MICHAEL G. TALIAN, Petitioner,

MISC. CASE NO. 125

- versus -

HON. ALMA CONCEPCION M. PARREÑO, Provincial Prosecutor, In her capacity as Ex-officio Register of Deeds, Mambajao, Camiguin, Respondent.

X------------------------------------/ ORDER

Petitioner, who is of legal age, Filipino, married and resident of Bugang, Sagay, Camiguin, thru counsel, states that after the death of his father on March 31, 2011 he with his co-heirs inherited several parcels of land one of which is Lot No. 475, Cad.-383-4 located at Barrio of Bugang, Municipality of Sagay, Camiguin containing an area of Four Thousand Five Hundred Thirty Four (4,534) square meters, covered by Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-532, in the name of Domingo K. Talian, duly registered in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Camiguin.

That the owner’s duplicate copy of the TCT of the aforesaid parcel of land was in the custody and possession of his late father, however after the death of his father on March 31, 2011 the same was nowhere to be found and despite earnest effort to locate it, the same prove futile. The fact of such loss was duly registered in the Office of the Registry of Deeds of Camiguin

That petitioner and his co-heirs have been religiously paying taxes on the subject Transfer Certificate of Title and the same is free from all liens and encumbrances.

It is the main thrust of the petition that after hearing the owner’s duplicate copy of the Transfer Certificate of Title which was lost be declared null and void and a new owner’s duplicate copy of the Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-532 be issued in lieu thereof under the same terms and conditions as contained in the original on file.

The petition being sufficient in form and substance is hereby set for hearing on July 9, 2013 in this Court’s Session Hall, to start at 8:30 o’clock in the morning.

Let copy of the petition together with all its annexes and of this Order be furnished The Register of Deeds at Mambajao, Camiguin; The Administrator, Land Registration Authority at Quezon City; and Provincial Prosecutor of Camiguin.

The Process Server of this Court is directed to post copies of this Order in the 1.)

Bulletin Board - Public Market, Sagay, Camiguin; 2.) Bulletin Board - Municipal Hall, Sagay, Camiguin; 3.) Bulletin Board - Provincial Capitol, Mambajao, Camiguin; and 4.) Bulletin Board – this Court.

Let copy of this Order be published at petitioners’ expense once a week for three consecutive weeks prior to the date of hearing in any newspaper of general circulation in the Province of Camiguin.

Any person or entity whose interests might be adversely affected by this proceeding may file written opposition within a reasonable time prior to the date of hearing and appear personally during the hearing to substantiate the same.

SO ORDERED.

Done at Mambajao, Camiguin, this 8th day of April 2013.

(SGD) RUSTICO D. PADERANGA

Judge BWM: April 14, 24 & May 1, 2013

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Villar gets another endorsement from charismatic group FORMER Las Pinas Rep. Cynthia Villar got another boost in her senatorial bid after she was endorsed by the Catholic Conscience Vote Phils.

(CCVP), an equipment of pro-life, pro-family charismatic communities and organizations.

In a meeting, the CCVP’s Secretary-General Antonio Ag. Medina said they decided to back her candidacy due to her strong stance in the preservation of human life and protection of family.

D u r i ng he r st i nt a s member of the House of Representatives for nine years, Villar suppor ted the passage of significant

measures to protect the interest and welfare of the family and its members.

Villar is running for senator under Nacionalista PartyTeam PNoy In backing Villar, Medina cited the “NO Vote” of her husband, Senator Manny Villar, on the passage of the RH bill in the Senate. He likewise said the Villar couple

are long time members of the Couple’s For Christ (CFC), which they have actively been supporting.

The CCVP, which has 600 allied Catholic communities and organizations nationwide, was conceptualized to help pro-life and pro-family candidates win votes.

“While there is the socalled ‘command votes’ from El Shaddai of Brother Mike Velarde, Kingdom of Jesus Christ of Apollo Quiboloy, Jesus Is Lord of Brother Eddie Villanueva and the Iglesia Ni Cristo, the Catholic vote is

now shaping up after the RH (issue),” related Medina.

The CCVP was formed in consonance with the January 28, 2013 pastoral letter of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) calling for “circles of discernment” to examine and question the sincerity, quality and effectiveness of governance of our leaders and to answer the question “Is there a Catholic Vote?”, among others.

The CCVP believes that, to the spiritually mature, a public office is an opportunity

VILLAR GETS SUPPORT OF CATHOLIC GROUPS - Misis Hanepbuhay Cynthia Villar receives blessing from Fr. Leonardo Polinar, head of National Shepherd Servant Communities, after she was officially endorsed by the Catholic Conscience Vote Phils. (CCVP) as one of their senatorial bets in May 13 elections in a gathering at Maypajo, Caloocan City. The CCVP, which has 600 allied Catholic communities and organizations nationwide, is expected to deliver no less than 1.7 million votes. Also endorsed by the CCVP are Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (represented by his Chief of Staff, Atty. Rey Robles), former Senator Migz Zubiri (represented by his wife, Audrey Zubiri), Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Ang Kapatiran senatorial candidates, Mar Llasos, Lito David and JC delos Reyes (not in photo).

for service. The office will bring them and the people they serve closer to heaven.

“Love them by voting them into office,” it stated.

However, to the spiritually immature, a public office is an occasion of sin. The office will bring them and the people they deceive closer to perdition. “Love them by not voting for them,” added the charismatic group.

A s i d e f r o m Vi l l a r, CCVP will also endorse the candidacy of reelectionist Senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Antonio Trillanes IV. Villar, Pimentel and Trillanes were also earlier endorsed by the White Vote Movement led by El Shaddai.

CCVP also vouches for senatoriables JC delos Reyes, Lito David and Mar Llasos, all running under Kapatiran, which the group describes as the “only political party with a platform and programs that are aligned with the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

CCVP will officially proclaim their senatorial bets on April 28, 2013 during a gathering of about 6,000 leaders of the Soldiers of Christ, Servant communities and other member

organizations in Maypajo, Caloocan City.

The officers of the CCVP are Bert Alba, Chairman; Antonio Medina, SecretaryGeneral; Nestor Camacho, Deputy Secretary General, Ricky Presa, head of the Council of the Laity, Diocese of Paranaque; Bro. Alberto “Ting” Arcadio, National Head Servant Soldiers of Christ and Fr. Leonardo Polinar, National Shepherd Servant Coomunites, Fr. Melvin Castro and Bishop Jose Colin Bagaporo serve as spiritual advisers while retired Supreme Court Justice Leonardo Quisumbing is the legal adviser. Lawyer Alonso Tinagan, Prof. Carmelio Cajayon, Jing Mendoza and Feloryn Delavin, Directors.

The members of the CCVP includes the following: Soldiers of Christ, S er vants C ommunities, Transparochial Catholic Charismatic Alliance, Love’s Flock, Knights of Columbus Par an a qu e , Kn i g ht s of Columbus Aklan, Catholic Vo t e A l l i a n c e , Un l a d Kapanalig, Kawal ni Kristo (Bulacan Province) and Lunda Luntiang Daigdig.

CCVP expects to deliver no less than 1.7 million votes.

Villar: Environmental issues are finally getting long-deserved attention

Catholic Conscience Vote Phils. (CCVP) officially endorses the candidacy of Misis Hanepbuhay Cynthia Villar, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (represented by his Chief of Staff, Atty. Rey Robles), former Senator Migz Zubiri (represented by his wife, Audrey Zubiri), Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Ang Kapatiran senatorial candidates, Mar Llasos, Lito David and JC delos Reyes (not in photo) in the coming senatorial elections.

ADVERTORIAL

On Earth Day, former Las Piñas Representative Cynthia Villar said she is glad that the environment is now getting all the attention as she calls on more people to get actively involved in supporting and fighting for environmental causes.

“It is long delayed actually, but it is good that more and

more people are becoming more aware and actively involved in environmental issues. Ever yone’s help counts. This is a universal issue and human concern that transcends political leanings or even personal interests. We should all be in this together because this is attention/PAGE 11