P15.00Issue No. 39, Volume III • January 13-15, 2012

‘Pantawid Pasada’‘Pantawid Pasada’Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras is ready to reload the “Pantawid Pasada” cards to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices. If needed, Almendras said he will ask the Cabinet Economic Cluster to reload the cards for a third time, to shield public jeepney drivers from spikes in fuel prices. The government’s “Pantawid Pasada” program was created to provide a subsidy for the public transport sector, amid the rising oil prices. “Pantawid Pasada” cards were distributed to quali-fied jeepney drivers, who would be able to avail of fuel discounts.

Power congressPower congressPUBLIC discussions on good gov-ernance, knowledge product and finance and investment will set the tone for the Mindanao Congress of the Advocates for Renewable Energy, Rural Electrification and Development (MinCARED). To be held at Grand Caprice Restaurant, Cagayan de Oro City on Jan. 25-27, the three-day congress sponsored by the As-sociation of the Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives (AMRECO) will be attended by some 300 stakeholders. Topics on “Transparency of Distribution Utilities” will be tackled on the first day by Zenaida G. Ducut, Chairperson of the Energy Regulatory Commission while “The Politics in the Electric Cooperatives” will be discussed by Congressman Lorenzo Tañada III, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives. Under knowledge products, “Research and Study Grants for the Mindanao Power Sector” will be tackled by USAID and “The Upcoming 84 Days A Year Brown Out” by Prof. Rowaldo del Mundo of the University of the Philippines National Engineering Center.

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Aboitiz to help M’nao during power outages

By BUTCH D. ENERIOCorrespondent

and NELSON V. CONSTANTINOEditor-in-Chief

ON E o f t h e c o u n t r y ’ s leading pow-

er generators said it would maximize its capacity to lessen the shortage of power in Mindanao. In a statement, Aboitiz Power (AP) announced that its diesel power barges in Agusan and Compos-tela Valley can deliver vital power to utilities to keep industries running as well as households lighted. AP’s subsidiary Therma Marine Inc.’s (TMI) said in a statement that its power barges in Nasipit, Agusan del Norte and Maco, Com-postela Valley have a total capacity of 200 megawatts (MW). AP said that during the latest power shortage in Mindanao, the TMI barges provided vital energy to utilities like Davao Ori-ental Electric Cooperative (Doreco) and Davao del Norte Electric Cooperative (Daneco), among others. Jovy Batiquin, TMI chief operating officer, said that although the traditional role of diesel power barges is to run for peak hours and

Mindanao is seen to experience another rounds of brownouts as power generation continues to slide while the demand is rising.

Influenced by positive investor sentiment toward the country’s economic prospects, traders at the Philippine Stock Exchange in Makati on Wednesday react as shares rise amid moderately active trading.

‘Sendong’ leaves P969.35-M worth of damagesBy RUTCHIE CABAHUG-AGUHOB

Contributorong in Northern Mindanao. Reports reaching the Regional Disaster Risk Re-duction and Management Council (RDRRMC) in the region from the Depart-

OZAMIZ City -- At least 30 infrastructure projects worth Php969.35M were damaged by Typhoon Send-

No fuel increase for CDO, Iligan: DOE

By JORIE C. VALCORZAContributor

THE Department of Energy (DOE) has reiterated that prize freeze remains in ef-fect for gasoline and other petroleum products here in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City until the national state of calamity is lifted. DOE Undersecretary Atty. Jose M. Layug, Jr. con-firmed the commitment of the three leading industry

Primavera Tower A nears completionTOWER A of the Primavera Residences twin tower condominium project is now at least 70% complete and is expected to be finished and ready for turn over to unit buyers by June this year. As an eco-friendly building, Primavera Residences applies state-of-the-art en-ergy saving design that offer at least 20% reduction in energy consumption. The Italian-designed 10-storey eco-friendly condominiums are constructed along the principles of sustainable architecture such as generating its own energy through so-lar cells at its rooftop, minimizing power usage, and maximizing natural light and

ABOITIZ/PAGE 8 SENDONG/PAGE 8

FUEL/PAGE 8 TOWER/PAGE 9

2 BusinessWeekMINDANAOJanuary 13-15, 2012 EconomyEconomy

722765

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!

Export program generates $53.92-Mamong others. Since it started in 2006, the program has already served more than 300 ex-porters in the region. Top exports cited in the 2011 EPP report included banana, which contributed 52 percent of the total fig-ure; coconut at 32 percent; construction materials of the Nakayama Technology Corporation in Digos City at nine percent; and other sectors (wood and furniture, gifts, toys, and housewares,

DAVAO City --The Export Pathways Program (EPP) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 11 generated

US$53.92 million in export sales in 2011. Based on the preliminary annual report of DTI 11, the said export sales is 54 percent higher compared to last year’s EPP performance. This is even higher by 67 percent of the agency’s an-nual target. The EPP is DTI’s banner program for export devel-opment, wherein entrepre-

neurs are being nurtured and given the appropriate and tailor-fit package of assistance for them to pen-etrate the international trad-ing arena and sustain their export activities. This pack-age of assistance includes export mentoring, product development consultancy, and market intelligence,

fresh and processed fruits, and processed food) at seven percent. EPP’s innovative and emerging products such as cacao/tablea, coco coir/peat, virgin coconut oil (VCO), coco syrup, granulated charcoal, and Cavendish banana from the small-scale producers generated much of the trade transactions. Apart from its export performance, the EPP also reaped other impressive ac-complishments like generat-

ing P509.87 million worth of domestic sales, infusing P146.80 million of invest-ments, and providing 3,210 jobs. DTI 11 Regional Director Marizon S. Loreto said DTI 11 is determined to sustain these major accomplish-ments and will even imple-ment some more innovative strategies in order to meet its goal of unleashing the region’s full economic po-tential.

DENR inks greening agreement with ARMMBy ERIC HERZON F. GALLEGO

Contributor

BUTUAN City -- The De-partment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Autono-mous Region in Muslim Mindanao have joined hands in the reforestation of some 2,500 hectares of denuded and open forest lands in the region under the National Greening Program of Presi-dent Benigno S. Aquino. “This collaboration sets a critical milestone in eco-logical governance for the region and bodes well for addressing the social and economic challenges which the region undoubtedly faces,” Paje said following the signing of an agreement with ARMM Gov. Mujiv S. Hataman in a simple cer-emony held at the DENR Central Office in Quezon City on Monday. “The NGP collaboration between ARMM and the DENR was in compliance with President Aquino’s instruction to assist in the management of the region’s natural wealth, particularly its forest-based resources which he “considered as its foremost natural asset as yet,” Paje said.

EXPORT/PAGE 9

DENR/PAGE 9

3BusinessWeekMINDANAO

January 13-15, 2012

4 BusinessWeekMINDANAOJanuary 13-15, 2012 CompaniesCompanies

It is with deep sorrow that CEPALCO Management announces the untimely death of its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,

RAMON C. ABAYA, who died in the Grace of Our Lord on January 9, 2012.

CEPALCO Management mourns the irreparable loss of this good man.

The remains will be brought to Cagayan de Oro City on January 14, 2012 and a Requiem Mass will be celebrated at the St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral at 4:00 o’clock in

the afternoon, after which the remains will be brought to the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes for the wake and viewing. The

remains will be brought back to Manila on January 15, Sunday for the interment there.

We pray for the eternal repose of his soul.

Telcos get temporary reprieve on SMS issueREGULATORS granted the phone firms’ request to extend the deadline for submission of their written explanation as to why they shouldn’t be sanctioned for defying an order to bring down SMS (short messaging service) fees. In a meeting with the telcos on Tuesday, the Na-tional Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said the deferment of the submission of the telcos’ comments paved the way for the agency to reschedule the next hear-ing on January 31. “[Yesterday’s] hearing was set last year. They, how-ever, asked for more time to comply with the show cause order we issued last year. They were supposed to submit their answers along with other documents we required but they wrote to us and asked for more time, citing voluminous docu-ments to prepare on their part, and we are granting their request,” said NTC Hearing Officer and Legal Head Dennis Babarin. Smart Communications Inc. has until Thursday to submit a reply while Globe Telecom Inc. is expected to turn over its written expla-nation by January 17. The phone firms were likewise ordered to preserve

a cut in the rate charged by one carrier for every SMS that passes through the network of another carrier from P0.35 to P0.15, effec-tive November 30, 2011. The NTC had expected the 20-centavo cut will automat-ically result in a reduction of regular SMS rates from P1 to at least P0.80, or a similar reduction of P0.20 per text. The NTC said this direc-tive was “non-negotiable” and gave the telcos until December 12 to comply with the circular. In the NTC’s earlier ex-planation, the retail price of SMS is made up of the cost of the network sending the short message and cost of the network receiving the text; plus the cost of the interconnection facilities. But Globe and Smart insist that there is no 1-to-1 equivalence between the cut in the interconnection charge and a reduction in the SMS rate charged to users. The telcos were originally given 15 days from receipt of the show-cause order to file their comment. “But we extended this to a few more days and we are expecting that they will submit it on the new dates that were

and submit all SMS data re-cords of all their subscribers charged with P1 per SMS containing the following details: SIM (subscriber identification module) card number, date, quantity of SMS per date from 12:01am of December 1 until such time the commission re-quires. In the meantime, Smart, Globe and Digitel Mobile Philippines Inc. (DMPI) were required to submit a weekly report to the commission as to the total quantity of SMS charged P1 per text starting from the first day of December 2011. Smart, Globe, and DMPI, operator of Sun Cellular, were ordered by the NTC to explain why they continue to defy a directive to reduce text messaging fees by at least P0.20 even after a cut in the SMS interconnection charge. The NTC’s earlier mem-orandum circular (MC) mandating interconnection charge reductions called for

Nickel Asia output hits record high last yearLISTED MINER Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC) hit a record high in ship-ment volumes last year amid strong demand from China, a disclosure on Wednesday showed. NAC said it shipped out 10.4 million wet metric tonnes (WMT) of nickel ore in 2011, topping not just the 8.3 million WMT recorded in 2010 but all

previous performances in its history. Of the total volume of ore shipped, NAC said 3.4 million WMT was sapro-lite ore, while 7 million was limonite ore. The shipments came from NAC’s four nickel mines which are the Rio Tuba mine in Palawan, Taganito mine and Hinat-uan mine both in Surigao

del Norte and Cagdianao mine in Dinagat Islands. The estimated value of its nickel ore shipments reached P12.1 billion last year, 51% higher than the P8 billion in 2010. “The increase in ship-ments was mainly due to the robust demand for laterite ore by nickel pig-iron producers in China,” the firm said.

2013 Panasonic scholarship is onTHE Panasonic Group of companies in the Philip-pines is now accepting applicants for the 2013 Panasonic Scholarship Program, a 3-year re-search and master’s degree scholarship package in Japan from April 2013 to March 2016. The program offers financial assistance to promising students who can contribute not only to the development of their countries, but also to promote mutual friend-ship between their home countries and Japan. It is open to graduat-ing or university gradu-ate with distinguished

academic records and must have completed at least 15 years of formal education (inclusive of elementary, high school, undergraduate study, and master’s degree units) or have been accepted as eligible for enrolment at the targeted graduate universities in Japan. Appl icat ion forms may be downloaded from Panasonic Manufactur-ing Philippines Corpo-ration (PMPC) website: w w w. p an a s on i c . c om .ph or www.panasonic.com.ph/web/aboutpana-sonic/corporatecitizen-ship. You can also e-mail at pmpc_scholarship@

ph.panasonic.com. The deadline for submission of application together with the required docu-ments is on April 27, 2012. These must be sent through courier or can be hand-carried to: Panasonic Manufacturing Philippines Corporation, Panasonic Scholarship Office ( Philippines ), PMPC – Taytay Com-pound , Ortigas Avenue Ext., Taytay, Rizal 1920 . For more informa-tion, please contact Miss Jennie R. Garcia at Tel No: 284-2293 (Telefax); 635 – 2260, local 2810 ~ 2815 (Trunk Line) or CP # 0920-9532788.TELCO/PAGE 9

5BusinessWeekMINDANAO

January 13-15, 2012

CHINA VESSELS’ INTRUSION The Philippines has protested to China the alleged intrusion of three Chinese vessels into the country’s territorial waters last month, in the latest flaring of tensions over the disputed Spratly Islands. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said that the Philippine government expressed its “serious concerns” to the Chinese Embassy after the three vessels, including a Chinese Navy ship, were sighted near Sabina Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) on December 11 and 12.

OFW REPATRIATION The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is “intensifying its repatriation efforts in Syria to ensure our compatriots are out of harm’s way.” The DFA repatriated 56 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the troubled country on Saturday. The OFWs, all women, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on a Qatar Airways flight at 4:30 p.m. They were ac-companied by Foreign Undersecretary Esteban Conejos.

US BILL ON CALL CENTERS President Barack Obama’s recent call for American busi-nessmen to keep US jobs at home instead of outsourcing them to countries like the Philippines had Filipino lawmakers worried as this could spell the end of the call center business in the country. House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said that the Aquino administration should closely monitor US House Bill 3596 entitled “Call Center and Consumers Protection Bill” which would encourage insourcing by American firms and penalize those dealing with business process outsourcing (BPO) firms. Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone shared Gonzales’ concern, pointing out that BPOs contribute close to $9 bil-lion a year from roughly 800,000 call center agents. This is close to half of the $19 billion in annual remittances from five to 10 million overseas Filipino workers. Evardone said that the Aquino administration must organize and send a lobby group to the US Congress to try and block passage of this bill. Evardone said that the Philippines could link up with countries like India, Mexico and Ireland which also have thriving BPO centers.

OIL FIRMS’ OPEN BOOKS The Court of Appeals has calendared for hearing a pending petition of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. questioning a Manila Regional Trial Court’s resolution that ordered the Big Three oil companies to open their books of account to government audit amid allegations of price fixing. In setting the hearing for January 17, the appellate court cited the “far-reaching effects to the public” of Shell’s petition that seeks to void the April 27, 2009 order of Manila RTC Branch 26 Judge Silvino Pampilo.

FOI BILL/ POGI BILL The Freedom of Information (FOI) bill pending in Congress will get a “new look” now that Malacañang has finally come out with its version of the measure. To be called the People’s Ownership of Government Information bill, Chairman of the Committee on Public Information and Mass Media Sen. Gregorio Honasan, said: “What will now emerge from our committee is the ‘POGI’ bill.” Honasan said that he expects his FOI bill to be discussed at the plenary in the next few months even if the Senate will be preoccupied with impeachment proceedings. President Aquino has ordered his allies to fast-track the passage of the bill early. The senator said that the new measure “reverses” the main requirement of the FOI bill which is that a private entity would have to show in court why he or she needs a particular piece of information from a government agency in the event that that agency denies their request. Honasan said that under the POGI bill, it is the government agency that should explain before the court why it did not release the information.

SULU MARICULTURE PARK The Department of Agriculture (DA) has established a mariculture park in a cove in Siasi, Sulu, which would bring jobs and security to the province long wracked by abductions and bombings. The Siasi Mariculture Park and Aqua-Tourism project would enable local fishermen to catch and process high-value fish species and seaweed. It is located in a cove on Tara Island and is under the supervision of the local government unit and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). The 30-hectare mariculture park has 40 cages measuring four by four meters. Thirty-two of the pens were constructed using a P2.4 million fund from the BFAR.

BSP RATES British banking giant Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp. (HSBC) believes that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) would cut interest rates by 25 basis points in the first quarter of the year to boost the economy. In a report, HSBC economist Trinh Nguyen said that the BSP would likely cut the overnight borrowing rate to 4.25 percent from 4.50 percent and the overnight lending rate to 6.25 percent from 6.50 percent in the first quarter of the year to support domestic demand. The economist pointed out that inflation would likely be eased at 4.3 percent this year from 4.5 percent last year and still fall within the three-percent to five-percent target set by the BSP.

NEWS CAPSBy Laurel Media

Gov’t orders shut down of Pantukan mining sitesBy CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO

Correspondentwith Wire Reports

of several people. He said the provincial govt will be creating a task force to ensure that the ordinance will be enforced. The confirmed death toll remained at 25 on Friday although only 22 bodies have been recovered so far. Nine of the victims have already been identified by their relatives while the other nine are still awaiting identification. Maj. Jacob Thaddeus M. Obligado, commanding of-ficer of 10th Civil Military Operations Battalion, said that 16 victims were rescued who sustained injuries and nine were brought to the nearest hospital for im-mediate medical attention. Edilberto L. Arreza, Mines bureau regional di-rector, said wrong mining practices contributed to the loosening of the already porous soil in the village. It’s the major reason why the agency recommended to the local government to clear the area of people. Meanwhile, presidential environment protection adviser Juan Romeo Nereus O. Acosta said local govern-ment units must start to strictly resettle those resi-dents in danger zones and implement laws to prevent those who want to settle in areas considered as geo-hazard. In mining areas consid-ered as danger zones, Mr. Acosta said that the Pro-vincial Mining Regulatory Board, as a policy-making body, “should come up with mechanisms on how to regu-late these areas.”

T H E G OV E R N M E N T orders the shut down of all mining sites tagged as hazardous in Pantukan, Compostela Valley after a landslide killed 25 people in a small scale gold mining community. “Mining tunnels in risk areas in Pantukan will be closed,” Department of Inte-rior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Jesse M. Robredo said in a press conference. The Mines and Geosci-ences Bureau is tasked to identify which tunnels in Pantukan, Compostela Val-ley should be shut down, and which are safe to continue operations. Mr. Robredo explained that the entrance of the tunnels pinpointed perilous would be sealed off to ward illegal mining activities. Out of the estimated thousand tunnels reported, half of them, local officials admitted, may not have permits. “It seems that while we have all the pertinent laws applicable in Pantukan, Compostela Valley, there were lapses in enforcement,” Mr. Robredo said, while referring as well to the “no habitation ordinance” raised in the area. The ordinance was raised an earlier landslide last April in nearby Barangay Kingking. The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philip-pine National Police will

aid the local government units in enforcing laws and ordinances as part of Mr. Robredo’s instructions. Ball mills would be moved to lowland mineral processing zones to facilitate evacuation of the people residing in the mining site. Local officials reported that about 150 more people are missing when the part of the mountain gave way and buried 50 shanties in Baran-gay Napnapan, Pantukan, Compostela Valley province on Thursday morning. Twenty-two were re-ported rescued and 16 were injured. The province has one of the largest mineral deposits in the Philippines whose reserves reach 181,745,339 metric tons while cop-per reserves is placed at 481,775,616 metric tons from government estimates.

VILLAGE OFFICIALS

Meanwhile, the Com-postela Valley provincial government will summon village offi cials in Pantukan, Compostela Valley to answer why they allowed small-scale miners to operate in an area classifi ed by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau as extremely high risk. “After the retrieval op-erations, I will summon barangay (village) offi-cials who were deputized to monitor the movement of these small-scale mining companies,” Compostela Valley Governor Arturo T. Uy said in a local television interview. He conceded however the shortcomings of the lo-cal government in “strictly monitoring” mining activi-ties in the area despite an ordinance approved in the wake of a landslide in the adjacent village last year that also claimed the lives

MEF recognizes Globe as the first telco to achieve MEF Certifications

MEF President Nan Chen (middle) presents the MEF 9 and 14 certifications of Globe Telecom to Jimmy Alcala, Globe Business Head for Core Data Services and William Radovan, Globe Business Head for Data Network Planning and Engineering, at the MEF Quarterly Members Meeting in Singapore.

THE Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) recently gave recognition to Globe Telecom as the first telecommunication company to achieve MEF certifications in the Philippines. The certifica-tion establishes that Globe is capable of delivering E-Line and E-LAN services that meet the most stringent global standards. MEF is the defining body for Carrier Ethernet, which aims to accelerate its adoption globally. The program verifies compli-ance of vendor equipment and service provider services to MEF technical specifications through a rigorous series of tests based on MEF approved Test Suites. Globe was the first Philip-pine carrier to join MEF back in 2009, joining a roster of 150 members that includes the world’s top service providers and major equipment vendors. To establish a solid founda-tion for its Carrier Ethernet services, Globe had to pass over 600 compliance tests to achieve MEF 9 and 14 certifi-cations for its E-Line, E-LAN

and E-VPL services. The MEF-9 and MEF-14 certifications assure that the Globe network can deliver standardized Carrier Ethernet services and provide its business customers with carrier-class

EVCs (Ethernet virtual connections) that measure up to international standards. These also demonstrate the commitment of Globe to MEF’s mission to promote

GLOBE/PAGE 9

6 BusinessWeekMINDANAOJanuary 13-15, 2012

MEDIANTE/PAGE 7

Tourism Tourism Success is mostly failure

PED T. QUIAMJOT

TRAVERSING THETRAVERSING THETOURISM HI-WAYTOURISM HI-WAY

JHAN TIAFAUHURST

THINK A MINUTETHINK A MINUTE

Call center an endangered industry?

Website: www.businessweekmindanao.comE-mail : businessweekmindanao@gmail.com

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RIZA O. ARESLIEZL A. DELOSOJOE PALABAO

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BUREAUS/AGENTS CEBU CITY RAUL CARDONA 0927 2251300

DAVAO CITY JESSIE PALABAO 0910 6681733BUTUAN CITY OBET SAMONTE 0905 7495220BUKIDNON MARY ANN NOBLE 0916 7276618

VALENCIA CITY ED BAUL 0920 9019294OZAMIZ CITY ATTY. ROBERTO CANTAGO JR. 0918 8070707

MIS. OCC. MARISA M. MANLAPIG 0928 9538828GINGOOG CITY WILLY RAMOS 0926 1691016WEST MIS. OR. JUN FELICILDA 0906 7389130EAST MIS. OR. JESSIE DAHAY 0935 9058038

LUCRESIA JERUSALEM PUERTO,CDOARMM REGION SONY SUDARIA 0917 3247258

ILIGAN CITY LENNETH V. GULA 0918 2986719ILIGAN CITY ROLLY TOMAWIS 063 223 8366

MARAWI CITY ASA MADALE 0916 1590131LANAO DEL SUR SAHRIA MARUHOM

MARANDING ELEANOR TAPITAN 0926 1888871 ZAMBO CITY CAMCER I. ORDOÑEZ 0908 7804348

PAGADIAN CITY AL FRANCISCO 0912 8484037IPIL, ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY ALBERTO ALCORIZACAGAYAN DE ORO JOE PALABAO 0905 1569709PUERTO, CDO VICTOR ALCOVER 0926 9778513

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The BusinessWeek Mindanao is published by BusinessWeek Mindanao Advertising and Pro-motions every Monday and Friday of the week with offi ce address at Geleng Building, Lapasan Highway, Cagayan de Oro City. It is registered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Region 10 with Certifi cate No. 00875701, and with Business Permit No. 2010-5698, TIN No. 946-396-807 – Non VAT.

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CEBU CITY RAUL CARDONA 0927 2251300DAVAO CITY JESSIE PALABAO 0910 6681733

BUTUAN CITY ARJAY FELICILDA 0949 328 4099BUTUAN CITY OBET SAMONTE 0905 7495220BUKIDNON MARY ANN NOBLE 0916 7276618

VALENCIA CITY ED BAUL 0920 9019294OZAMIZ CITY ATTY. ROBERTO CANTAGO JR. 0918 8070707

MIS. OCC. MARISA M. MANLAPIG 0928 9538828WEST MIS. OR. JUN FELICILDA 0906 7389130

ARMM REGION SONY SUDARIA 0917 3247258ILIGAN CITY/LANAO JEFFREY OPONDA 0935 2796817

MARAWI CITY ASA MADALE 0916 1590131PAGADIAN CITY AL FRANCISCO 0912 8484037

CAGAYAN DE ORO JOE PALABAO 0905 1569709CLAVERIA DAVID SUDARIA 0926 1096831

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E

ALLAN M. MEDIANTE

TRAVELS & TRAVELS & TRAVAILSTRAVAILS

Passions of Faith

QUIAMJOT/PAGE 7

THINK a minute… A successful man said: “Success is mostly about failing.” What we don’t know about the world’s most successful people is the many times they failed be-fore they finally succeeded. Successful people know how to keep going and learning from their failures until they finally reach their goal. As a famous entertainer put it: “If you want the rainbow, you’ve got to put up with the rain.” This is a true story of a man who when he was 22 years old failed at business. The next year he tried for public office in the govern-ment and lost; so he tried

again at business, but failed at that again. Then, at age 25 he tried for government office again and this time he won. But the next year his wife-to-be died, and at age 27 he had a nervous breakdown. In the next 7 years he tried for government office 3 more times and lost all 3 times. Then 3 years later, at age 37, he tried again for government office and finally won. But only 2 years later he lost it again. In the next 10 years, he tried 2 more times for the Senate and lost both times. Then he tried for Vice President and lost that also. Finally, 2 years later, at age 51, this

man was elected President of the United States. Today, he is considered by many Americans to be the great-est President in America’s history. This is the true life story of Abraham Lincoln. Failing should make us better, not bitter. You can tell how strong a person is by how much failure it takes to stop him or her from continuing to try. Jesus Christ wants to give you His inner strength in your heart and character, so you will be able to handle your life’s difficulties and disap-pointments. In fact, you will actually learn to use them to make you stronger and wiser. Jesus wants to guide

and help you reach the real success He created you to enjoy, both personally and professionally. So won’t you ask Him to take full charge and control of your life every day, for the rest of your life? Just Think a Minute…

DEVOTEES to the Black Nazarene that could not make it to the processions were glued on TV screens catching a glimpse of the long lines of human bodies pulling the Carousel. Oth-ers wanted to touch or wipe the cross of the procession bearing the image of the Patron with a piece of cloth. Known for its miraculous healing powers, the Black Nazarene, inch its way back to Quiapo Church. It was the longest trip of the image in years with Police estimate of some 3Million people occupying every inch of the road and sidewalks paying their respect. Scores of people were hurt others were killed due to procession related inju-ries. Accidents are sure to happen when crowd control is lost and a rush of human forces squeeze every space that breathing for air even becomes difficult for older men. For reasons of faith and belief, the traditional sched-ule every second Monday of the New Year when the image is brought out, a mammoth crowd with pas-sion is there to welcome the Nazarene. It used to

be within the Quiapo – Vil-lalobos route until it moved farther and expanded as far as to the Luneta Grandstand some 5 kilometers from the home base to accommodate the growing crowd. All over the Philippines, the event and procession is duplicated in Cagayan de Oro, Pampanga, and Laguna and in many other provinces were Catholiscm is practiced. Danger and death is defied in the pas-sion of faith perhaps to short cut salvation and apply for sainthood? Similar gatherings and display of faith to various religious images also hap-pens in the 3rd Saturday of September in Naga City where the Mother of Penaf-rancia is paraded through a Translacion along the Penafrancia River that cut the center of the city proper. Filipinos as far as Manila and the other Southern Tagalog provinces flocked to Naga City in the Bicol region. Stories of physical ailments, life’s misery and economic deprivations are submitted to the Patron’s images for interventions. Every Wednesday, a long queue of traffic jams also oc-

curs in Baclaran, Paranaque. Long lines of devotees from all over Metro Manila and nearby provinces adore the Blessed Virgin Mary and pray their souls out asking for divine graces either for careers and prosperity. Stu-dents pray to pass exams; professionals submit their fate to be granted travel visas in the countries of their choice. This Sunday, January 15, 2012, the display of faith and adorations goes to the Central Visayas City of Cebu. The biggest and longest festival of the Santo Niño unfolds with millions of devotees to the Holy Infant Jesus travelling and dancing in the Queen City. Viva Señor, it’s a festival and celebrations of fun. We tend to become sub-lime and set out on our mis-eries for heavens to resolve. People sometimes forget that men are gifted with the anatomy and intelligence to find human solutions within our brains to confront the problems of our world. That we need to think and we must work to achieve the output of productivity. That we have to excel through hard work and diligence.

We do not derive business profits because we ask God to balance the financial sheets. We make business because we understand how it cost and we value money to create wealth. People and nations as a whole have to produce to move the economy and derived prosperity. Leaders must also show the examples and be innovative in their strategies. Above all, they have to be accountable for their actions. It reminds us that we cannot ask God to relocate hard headed constituents from the known path of danger without enforcing our will. We cannot see the wisdom of our actions if we do not listen to the voice of the people, voex

IN modern global business trends, the Call Center in-dustry has become a pillar to the economy of countries that serve multinational and big businesses of English-speaking 1st World giants like the United States. In the Philippines alone, the Call Center industry contributes almost $9 bil-lion to the economy. This is almost one half of the of the $19 billion annual remittances of the combined five to 10 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from the four corners of the globe. And the big-gest remittance comes from OFWs in the United States. Recent developments, however, have threatened the extinction of this in-dustry. The threat is not imaginary but real. This, af-

ter President Barack Obama recently called on American businessmen to keep US jobs at home instead of outsourc-ing them to other countries like the Philippines. Since it is election year in America next year, Obama could be dead serious on this, if only to court the votes and the sentiments of America’s own work force and job-seekers. Some of our lawmakers say that Obama is “forced” to support US House Bill 3596 entitled “Call Center and Consumers Protection Bill” because of politics. The Bill seeks to penalize US firms who deal with Busi-ness Process Outsourcing (through foreign call centers including the Philippines). Itl instead, encourages in-sourcing (local call center

services), to protect its own consumers and US citizen workers. This could spell the end of the call center industry in the Philippines. The Aquino administration should watch closely on this development. Already, some lawmak-ers like House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II, and Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, said that the Aquino administration must organize and send a lobby group to the US Congress to try and block passage of this bill. Once the US Bill becomes a law, courtesy of President Obama’s seeking for re-election, the Philippine’s unemployment problem could suddenly spiral like a tsunami. Just think of the economic repercussions if our present 800,000 call center agents lose their jobs.

It also would surely affect the other businesses of our country. As to the lobbying in the United States, Evardone said that the Philippines could link up with countries like India, Mexico and Ireland which also have thriving BPO centers. How does a Call Center Function? I personally had an expe-rience on how a call center agent goes with his job. I was in Los Angeles at that time, and I had a problem when I purchased via on-line, a load for my Virgin Mobile phone (a US cellular phone service provide). I was amazed to hear a Filipino-sounding party on the other line, since I expected an American twang from my inquiry. I found out that my phone provider is employing call

center agents in the Philip-pines. A research showed that Call centers have been in-vented to provide quality customer service. Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) workers now com-monly identified as Call Center agents, are third-par-ty service providers helping entrepreneurs worldwide with relevant business solu-tions. According to Sonia Roody, author and expert on Call Center industry, Call Center companies offer a variety of services that con-tribute to the development of their client’s business. Entrepreneurs opt for call center outsourcing pri-marily for two reasons -- to provide their customers with customer service and to generate profit. Many people thought that call

centers only function as a customer service support, when in fact they offer other relevant services for busi-ness development too. There are actually four types of call center com-panies in the country that offers different services for their clients. Contact center is a common call center type that facilitates their clients through different mediums such as telephone,

7BusinessWeekMINDANAO January 13-15, 2012

Big Mak loses to McDonald’s in trademark battle (Part 2)

populi voex suprema lex. Th e voice of the people is the voice of God. But it does not necessarily follow that the voice of the poor is the voice of the major-ity which is ergo, a fallacy!

Quiamjot...from page 6

work on providing custom-ers with responses to their inquiries. These inbound calls are usually initiated by the customer but are not limited to customer service and support. Inbound call centers can also take product orders from callers. An outbound call center, on the other hand, works by having the representa-tive initiate the interaction through phone calls. Th is is commonly referred by the business industry as telemar-

Mediante...from page 6fax, letters, and the very popular online live chat. Contact centers are in de-mand because more and more customers are now into the Internet that promises faster interactions between the customer and the repre-sentative. Inbound call center only have a limited function of receiving incoming calls from different customers. They

keting. Th ese representatives call prospective customers and inform them about the company’s product and ser-vices. Many business experts believe that outbound sales are effective in informing their customers with new products that they can pur-chase. Moreover, outbound call centers can also function for collection purposes where overdue bills are being col-lected. For entrepreneurs who want to get all of these ser-

vices, a blended call center is recommended for them. Blended call centers combine all call center functions to provide their clients with a more dynamic service pro-vider. An agent handles both inbound and outbound calls which make the workfl ow more effi cient. Th is is highly recommended for companies who want to utilize tele-marketing while providing their customers with effi cient customer relations. What’s at Stake?

A briskly-thriving indus-try in the Philippines, the call center sector ended 2011 with growth of over 20% on the back of health care and fi nance-related services expansions. Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) Executive Director Jojo J. Uligan said that an upbeat outlook for 2011 and 2012 is being retained given opportunities in English-speaking markets beyond the United States and a move toward knowledge-intensive

services. However, if the United States passes the law ban-ning BPOs, other English-speaking nations would not be far from following suit.

selves on their own and not be feral. The change from being human to greedy animals due to lack of re-sources and competition for goods I can say is normal, but again this is because we did not prepare. Check how the Japanese did it during their tsunami incident. They still lined up for relief goods provided and they focused more on recovery. Our people should be empowered with the skills to handle com-munity organization, relief goods acceptance, caring for the sick, health, sanita-tion and recovery from the disaster that they had just experienced. If they don’t they should be given least priority for relief goods. Do not let these fami-lies stay in the evacuation centers longer than needed. This will cause epidemics to arise such as diarrhea and leptospirosis as the Barangay Health Work-ers claim since they are too close to each other and sanitation facilities will get over whelmed. The recovery phase should immediately be started. Assign a safe area and start

A call for Preparedness...

By LOUIE DOMINGOwww.ready.ph

I ARRIVED in Cagayan de Oro 24th of December 2011. Roads still muddy, recently finished structures destroyed, recreational fa-cilities ruined by the ca-lamity that hit the area. A house standing diagonally on the sidewalk with its side on top of a wall clearly showed that it was carried over by water ten feet high. Response operations were immediately mobi-lized to help people and communities affected by the flood (Areas where people shouldn’t be living there). Responders equipped with their personal gear, train-ing, and their lives were on the line for people they don’t even know. Incident, Emergency, Disaster, Catastrophe. In-ternational terms referring to levels that either trigger a response or state of an area or situation it is in. This also suggests that things be kept in the Emergency level and not into the Disaster level which means resources are already exhausted within a period of time. Basically, those in the evacuation centers should learn how to organize them-

PETITIONER McDonald’s Corporation (McDonald’s) is a Delaware-based corpo-ration operating a global chain of fast-food restau-rants. Its local franchisee is a domestic corporation, McGeorge Food Industries. Among the trademarks owned by McDonald’s is the Big Mac mark for its dou-ble-decker sandwich, which was registered in the United States on October 16, 1979 and in the Philippines on July 18, 1985. McDonald’s has introduced its Big Mac hamburger sandwiches in the Philippine market since September 1981 and has al-legedly spent P10.5 million in advertising the Big Mac from 1982 to 1990.

Respondent corpora-tion, L.C. Big Mak Burger, Inc., operates fast-food vans and outlets in Metro Ma-nila, Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan and Quezon. On October 21, 1988, some three years after McDonald’s Big Mac mark was registered lo-cally, respondent applied for the registration of its Big Mak mark. As expected, McDonald’s opposed the application. McDonald’s

eventually sued respondents for trademark infringement and unfair competition.

The case was initially filed by petitioners on June 6, 1990 at the Regional Trial Court of Makati, Branch 137 (RTC) and reached the High Court as a peti-tion for review after the Appellate Court absolved respondents of the liabilities for trademark infringement imposed by the trial court.

The Trial Court’s Rul-ing

The RTC found L.C. Big Mak liable for both trademark infringement under §23 of Republic Act 166 and unfair competition under §29 of the same law. It ruled that respondent was guilty of unfair competition after it infringed on and appropriated petitioner’s registered Big Mac mark as its corporate name. One of the factors the

RTC considered in de-termining infringement was the similarity of business engaged in by both of the contending parties.

Significantly, the con-tending parties are both in the business of fast-food

chains and restaurants. An average person who is hungry and wants to eat a hamburger sandwich may not be discriminating enough to look for a Mc-Donald’s restaurant and buy a “B[ig] M[ak]” hamburger sandwich. Once he sees a stall selling hamburger sandwich, in all likelihood, he will dip into his pocket and order a “B[ig] M[ak]” hamburger sandwich,” said the RTC.

The Court of Appeal’s Decision

The Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision, holding that no colourable imitation exists based on the application of the holistic test. After a detailed comparison of both the McDonald’s burger trademark and the L.C. Big Mak’s trademark used as a corporate name, the appel-late court concluded that “no confusion could take place, or that the ordinary purchasers would be misled by it.”

The Court found that there are glaring dissimi-larities in the purposes for which the marks were

used, the presentation to the public, the colors, the fonts, the material, and even the mascots. To the appel-late court, the similarity between Big Mak and Big Mac is not enough to mis-lead or confuse purchasers.

When the case reached the Supreme Court, the Court decided to reinstate the trial court’s decision finding respondent L.C. Big Mak Burger, Inc. liable for trademark infringement and unfair competition through the application of the dominancy test. It also ruled that as compared to the holistic test, the dominancy test is now “ex-plicitly incorporated into law in Section 155.1 of the Intellectual Property Code which defines infringement as the ‘colorable imitation of a registered mark … or a dominant feature thereof.’”

The Supreme Court considered “the aural and visual impressions cre-ated by the marks in the public mind, giving little weight to factors like prices, quantity sales outlets and market segments.” The test results yield that first, Big

Mak sounds exactly the same as Big Mac, and that the marks are aurally and phonetically the same such that the consumer who listens over radio adver-tisements will not be able to distinguish between a McDonald’s Big Mac burger and respondent’s Big Mak.

The bigger picture as painted by the policy of the law is this – both ho-listic and dominancy tests are but means, the end is to determine likelihood of confusion. The more precise way to achieve this end is for the courts to understand two stages of examining competing marks. The first stage is for a court to act as a court by considering the extrinsic factors involved, such as distribution channels, tar-get market, etc., in order to grasp a holistic view of the context in which these trademarks are used. Having put the marks into context, the second stage is for a court to step into the shoes of a consumer, whose perception is critical in determining whether or not there is confusing

similarity, and to decide which dominant feature remains.

After al l , as Justice Frankfurter puts it, “the protection of trademarks is the law’s recognition of the psychological function of symbols. If it is true that we live by symbols, it no less true that we purchase goods by them. A trade-mark is a merchandising shortcut which induces a purchaser to select what he wants, or what he has been led to believe he wants.”

______________This article is an excerpt

from the author’s thesis in Ateneo Law School. She earned her Juris Doctor degree in 2007.

giving off hammers, nails, saws, ropes, and ladders for them to start building their homes. That area is where relief goods should be distributed to wean them off the evacuation centers. If not, and in time, these evacuation centers will become a source to open a small grocery table where people not affected by the calamity will also line up for. Groups who accept do-nations and relief goods must also sort what they received. Is it better to distribute the items with-out proper planning and coordination or form an emergenc y operat ions center to be able to help more areas or is it better to prepare for the next disaster? Food, clothing, infant needs are some of which that may readily be distributed. I suggest that items received by groups doing relief operations such as water filter stations, rechargeable light sources, emergency power supplies are for the group’s use to be able to better help com-munities and areas affected by the calamity.

How can people say that Filipinos seem not to learn how to better prepare for calamities when we can easily prepare for birthdays and other celebrations even on spontaneous ones. We should use these skills more for something unpredictable to protect what we worked hard for and more importantly care for the lives of our love ones which is our main priority on such situations. Are we more prepared to reboot our lives and start from scratch? We will have more of this on my next article. Just a question to ponder, do you prepare differently from disaster to disaster? hmmm...

Club, a long time beneficiary of the capitol’s support for their out-of-town and foreign jaunts. From their share of the proceeds of a concert they conducted shortly after the Sendong disaster, the indi-vidual members contributed to buy sardines and noodles which they contributed to the relief operations of the capitol.

The Provincial Govern-ment of Misamis Oriental and PDRRMC wishes to acknowl-edged its partners in extend-ing help and assistance to the victims of the flash floods in Cagayan de Oro City and the province: for December 19, 2011: Capitol University Glee Club, ЅK Federation of Miѕamiѕ Oriental, Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Nature’s Ѕpring, Anonymouѕ Couple, Ms. Gemma Lu, Ms. Marizza Eѕtabay, JICA Ice Plant, JB Pharma Trade Center; for December 20, 2011: Donorѕ Ѕportѕ Center, PRMF Makati CDO Ѕtaff; for December 21, 2011: Polymedic Medical Group, LGU Ѕalay headed by Mayor Romeo L. Gue; for Dec. 22, 2011: Ѕen. Migѕ Zu-biri, MiѕOr HRMO, Rebiѕco, ENRO, PANPHARMA, PHO MiѕOr and Polymedic Medi-cal Group. For December 26, 2011: Holcim Phils. Inc., Dec. 27, 2011: Filipino-Chineѕe Community; Dec. 28, 2011: Philippine Mine Ѕafety and Environment Aѕѕociation.

Victims...from page 10

Capitol health volunteers relate the case of a young detail man whose grand-mother was a beneficiary of the capitol’s “Eye Care” program which operated on her cataract for free. Even if his company is not a supplier of medicines to the capitol, the young man volunteered to contribute medicines from his company and personally brought them to the opera-tions center at the height of relief operations.

Even the fatalities were extended assistance like the embalming of 29 bodies in two funeral parlors through LGU Alubijid courtesy of Mayor Alvin Giovanni Labis. The PDRRMC had to request Mayor Redentor N. Salvaleon of Claveria to provide mate-rials and carpenters which enabled the team to deliver 10 coffins through DSWD-10 at Bollozos funeral parlor. This was the critical time a few days after the calamity when the sheer number of the fatalities was threatening to overwhelm local funeral parlors.

Despite the tragedy, capi-tol officials were heartened by the response of volunteers who freely gave of their time, money and efforts to help in the relief operations. One of these groups was the CU Glee

8 BusinessWeekMINDANAO

January 13-15, 2012 Aggie NewsAggie News

diesel-generating units. More than half of Mind-anao’s power supply comes from the Agus-Pulangui hydropower plants in Lanao and Bukidnon. Earlier, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said that power shortage in Mindanao was recorded at about 100 MW. “For those who do not have embedded power plants or back-up generation units, this means several hours of brownouts.” Batiquin said. He said that many utili-ties have seen the advantages of buying power from TMI since they will only need the diesel barges for a few hours during the day or

Aboitiz...from page 1

provide ancillary service, they are often called upon to provide back-up power for the grid. “The diesel power plants are designed to help the grid during peak hours as we are quick to run or provide voltage regulation and can be on standby for the rest of the time.” Batiquin said. AP said that they make sure all its generating units are ready and available all the time so when the grid is short of power, customers can depend on the delivery of power when needed, one of the critical advantages of

during emergency short-ages and they will only pay the operator for the actual power used. Batiquin said that with the economy of Mindanao growing faster than pro-jected, the demand for power is also increasing. But the power supply is limited as major power plants in the region will take years to develop and build. Because of this, Min-danao will have to rely on power barges such as those owned by TMI. The NGCP said the nec-essary curtailment of power supply that could result to scheduled brownouts in the entire Mindanao follow-

ing the thin reserves and dispatchable power supply. NGCP spokesperson Cynthia P. Alabanza said that power in Mindanao is very tenuous as reserve which is needed to maintain stability of power becomes very thin. “Ideally, we need to have a 24 percent reserve of the actual load. Also lately, we do not have dispatchable supply which led to the is-suance of red alert status,” she said. At present Mindanao has a 150 megawatt deficiency in its peak period from 10 am to 5:30 pm and a 200 megawatt deficiency from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

Alabanza explained some factors that cause power interruptions. One is when power supply cannot meet the demand, another factor is the scheduled mainte-nance of power plants which is usually set on days with low peak in demand. With the scheduled main-tenance of plants, NGCP recommends a schedule while the National Power Commission (Napocor) is-sues an official matrix that should be the basis for the curtailment schedule. The NGCP spokesper-son cannot tell as to how long will Mindanao suffer brownout schedules brought about by the curtailment

process. She explained that if NGCP is only to balance power supply based on scheduled maintenance of plants, then Mindanao wouldn’t need curtailment. But given that unscheduled maintenance of plants are so possible that might cause interruption and with the thin power reserves, thus, NGCP couldn’t tell as to how long these scheduled brownouts will last. The gr id comp any hopes that the additional 100 megawatt that may be provided for by the Iligan Diesel Power Plant could be of help and mitigate the power shortage.

wagan, and Bonbon worth Php180M. CDO-Airport-Bukidnon Road, Dansolihon and Dan-solihon-Uguiaban Sections and Lumbia-Uguiaban By-pass Road, Mangalay Sec-tion, where landslides cov-ered the roadway, Php20M and Php5.0M, respectively. Uguiaban By-pass Road, 30-meter road slip, and Kauswagan-Bulua Section, Butuan-Cagayan-Iligan Road (BCIR), with siltation of existing open main drain-age both sides, Php10M. Next was the 2nd Engi-neering District of Lanao del Norte with Php160M to include two (2) roads and bridges, each: Mandulog Bridge 1, Highway Secondary Di-version, Iligan City, with a span of 86.5 meters in

Sendong...from page 1of Public Works and High-ways (DPWH) reveal that 16 of the projects were on road sections, nine (9) were on bridges, and five (5) were on drainage and flood control. The report also show that the highest amount of damage was in the 2nd Engi-neering District of Cagayan de Oro (CDO), particularly, the 1,800 linear meter re-vetment of the CDO River worth Php540M which was totally washed-out. This was followed by the First Engineering District of CDO with Php235M, broken down as follows: Flood control works involv-ing 600 lineal meters, along the CDO River Basin in Barangays Carmen, Kaus-

length, 5 slabs and 2 piers which totally collapsed, Php100M. Mandulog Bridge 2, Ba-rangay San Roque - Hina-planon Section, Iligan City, whose right side railing was destroyed, its uppermost girder upstream 4th span cracked and its approaches and revetment washed out, Php35M. Misamis Oriental-Maria Cristina Boundary Road with damaged carriageway, Php15M and Sta. Felomi-na-Bonbonon-Digkilaan-Rogongon Road with land slide and plant debris scat-tered along carriageway and road slip, Php10M. The 3rd Engineering District of Bukidnon also incurred an infrastructure damage worth Php30.8M in the following areas:

Agusan Canyon Bridge, along junction Manolo Fortich-Libona-Indahag Road, washed-out/scour bank protection and Uguia-ban Bridge, along CDO–Dominorog Camp Kibaritan Road, Talakag, Bukidnon, damaged slope protection at Abutment “A” and “B”, Php10M, each. Cross drainage along junction Manolo Fortich-Libona-Indahag Road, Li-bona, Bukidnon, washed-out drainage structure, and Sayre Highway Alae-Kisolon Road, Maluko Slip Section, with depression road slip at Damay Section, Php5.0M, each. Tal-uban Bridge, along CDO-Dominorog-Camp Kibaritan Road, Washed-out/Scour Bank Protection at Abut. “B” Php0.50M and

Junction Manolo Fortich-Libona-Indahag Road, 11 sections, soil collapse & rock slope failure blocked the carriageway, Php0.30M. Damages to infrastruc-ture in the First Engineering District of Bukidnon also reached Php3.55 million to include the following: Washed-out cross drain-age due to strong current of waters, 350 cu.m. at junc-tions Aglayan-Zamboan-guita Road, Mapulo Sec-tion, Mapulo, Malaybalay, Bukidnon. Pocket soil collapse at Aglayan-Zamboanguita Road, Silae-Mapulo Section, Mapulo, MalaybalayCity, Bukidnon, 100 cu.m., and Pusod Bridge, San Jose, San Fernando, Bukidnon, Ka-palong-Talaingod-Valencia Road, 300 cu.m.

Lumbayao Bridge, Va-lencia City, Bukidnon, Lum-bayao Section, Lumbayao, Valencia, Bukidnon, 50 cu.m., Makalungay Section, Makalungay, San Fernando, Bukidnon, 200 cu.m., and Sitio Paso Section, Mabu-hay, San Fernando, 150 cu.m., Eros ion of fo ot ing of slope protection and grouted riprap in Salug Bridge and Mampilo Bridge in Barangays Kalagangan and Kayaga, both of San Fernando, Bukidnon, re-spectively. Scouring embankment at Abutment “A” which was washed out in Pusod Bridge, San Jose, San Fernando, Bukidnon, and Batangan in Valencia City, also of Bukidnon, which is still under construction.

Reeling from the scourge of smuggling.

Davao City sets sights on improved cacao prod’nDAVAO City -- The City Agriculturist Office is eyeing improved cacao production with increase hectarage planted to cacao. According to City Agri-culturist Leo Avila during a guesting at the Davao Press Club’s weekly Kapehan sa SM at Blugre SM-Davao, the city is eyeing to plant 2,000 hectares of cacao a year. Avila said they have identified 22,000 hectares as potential planting sites for cacao. The city government-run central nursery has propagated 80 thousand cacao seedlings while pri-vate nurseries have about 200,000 seedlings in their inventory. For the intensi-fied cacao program the city would need about 1 million to 1.5 million cacao seed-lings, according to Avila. They are also talking with Small Medium Enterprises Development Councils for financing that could benefit

cacao farmers in the city. The Office has utilized the assistance of the Cocoa Foundation of the Phil-ippines (CocoaPhil) and Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Co-operative Assistance (ADCI/VOCA) in training farmers particularly on growing cocoa and providing the proper seedlings. Aside from producing high grade cocoa beans the city is eyeing to purchase an extruder which can process higher value cocoa powder and butter. Davao City aims to become the largest cocoa producing area in the coun-try. Currently the city has an area of 1,139 hectares dedicated to cacao. The Municipality of San Isidro in Davao del Norte is the leading producer of cacao in the Davao region with 4,000 hectares planted to the crop.

THE COUNTRY’S pork industry expects production to have hit its growth target last year -- just 1% from 2010’s 1.898 million metric tons (MT). “We will be able to hit the 1% growth forecast in [hog] production for 2011,” Edwin G. Chen, president of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, Inc., said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. He said that while diseases were prevented, hog output growth was stifled by unfair competition from smuggled products. “Due to rampant smuggling and unfair competition, pork pro-ducers were having a hard time,” Mr. Chen said. He said the group had received reports that imported choice cuts were being smuggled into the country, declared as fat offals skin. Through such misdeclara-tion -- referred to as “technical

Pork output goal hits growth target

smuggling” by authorities -- the items were charged 5%-10% duty, instead of the 35% slapped on hoice cuts. Sought for comment, Bureau of Animal Industry Director Efren C. Nuestro said in a telephone interview that the agency agrees with industry estimates, hence, less than the 3.54% the government had projected in June last year. “We are optimistic that there was growth of at least 1% last year since there was no major outbreak and weather conditions did not affect production,” he said, adding that “it is best to wait for actual data.” As of end-September, data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics showed that hog output reached 1.382 million MT, up by 1.64% from the comparable period in 2010. Both government and industry officials said they have yet to firm up outlooks for this year.

laws, the use of the best avail-able scientifi c information, the integration of all environmental policies, ensure the participation and cooperation of the entire Filipino community. In the Philippines, Rodriguez noted that the Department of environment and Natural Re-sources is mandated to protect the environment while at the

Lawmakers...from page 9also have regional offi ces to be headed by Regional Executive Directors. Th e authors took especial notice of the environmental Protection Agency in the United States which ensures the imple-mentation of all environmental

same time, it has to oversee the utilization of the country’s natural resources. “Th e DENR is caught between conservation and utilization. Th e certainty of clashing of interests between environmental protec-tion and conservation on the one hand and utilization and conservation on the other would be unavoidable,” the authors said.

As such, they insist on the need to establish an independent agency that exclusively deals with protecting, promoting and enhancing the environment. “An agency established to consolidate a variety of research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection,” the lawmakers said.

9BusinessWeekMINDANAO January 13-15, 2012Congress WatchCongress Watch

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ply, has fueled the high de-mand for uptown properties, contributing to the fast sales rate of products found in the Pueblo de Oro Township as 2011 ended. Since the completion of its foundation in November 2010, the value of Primavera properties have substantially appreciated with prices for its condominium units hav-ing increased by at least 12%. This is double the increase for similar projects in the industry, a primary reason why there are now only few units still available for sale in Tower A. Primavera Residences is owned and developed by Ital-Pinas, which has an established track record in eco-friendly developments and is also in-volved in renewable energy

Tower...from page 1

days however, adjustments on gas prices is observe on a Monday schedule, except, in cases of rollback where they would ask for price adjust-ment as early as Saturday. Th e Undersecretary called on the cooperation of the public to report increases in oil prices outside its Monday schedule. “We are following a for-mula to arrive on the exist-ing price adjustments and the oil deregulation on the other hand does not dictate the prevailing oil price,” he added. He explained further that

Fuel...from page 1players in the country, to follow the directive issued by DOE for price freeze on the said cities. Layug reminded retailers not to make any movement on their prices, following the reported Php 2 to 3 increases in liquefied petroleum gas here in the city. “Ibigay ninyo ang mga pangalan, kami po ang ma-ninita,” he said. (Give us the names of these retailers, we will call their attention) He noted that on regular

difference in price from one place to another is heavily dependent also on trans-portation cost, presence of small players and price matching. In his visit, here, in the city recently to meet with the different downstream oil industry stakeholders, composed of the local ex-ecutives, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the transport groups, he promised to have another meeting with them early this year and discuss extensively how they computed the weekly price adjustments.

ventilation. Primavera Residences is located in the Pueblo de Oro Township in Uptown Cagayan de Oro (CdeO), one of the city’s booming new growth areas. It is strategically positioned with a major shopping mall, top schools, and a champion-ship golf course only a short distance away. In addition, the Town-ship’s elevation, stable water supply from the Pueblo de Oro’s own water system and advantageous location with an interconnected electrical distribution system loop of Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company (CEPALCO) ensuring constant power sup-

projects in the Philippines (through Constellation Energy Corporation which has assets in geothermal, hydro and wind). The company has received numerous awards including recognition from CTI-PFAN Philippines as “ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING ENERGY CLEAN BUSINESS INVEST-MENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES”. Last November, Primavera Residences was one of the four nominees for the Best Condo Development in the Philippines 2011 in the prestigious South East Asia Property Awards held in Singapore. It was the only project so recognized which was not located in Singapore. ItalPinas is also a sustaining member of the Philippine Green Building Council.

First pilot-tested in Davao, the EPP is now im-plemented in all exporting regions of the country. “It is our constant quest to continuously provide a conducive environment for business to keep on flour-ishing in the region and of course without sacrificing the welfare of consumers,” she said.

Export...from page 2

how we can contribute in improving it.” For his part, ARMM Gov. Hataman said the MOA signing marks his first col-laborative undertaking with the national government. “ Typho on S endong struck exactly two days after I assumed office,” Hata-man said, noting that NGP is now a major tool he can use in addressing illegal logging in ARMM since the program offers alternative livelihood to forest-based communities that are usually enticed to engage in illegal logging activities due to lack of livelihood opportunities in the uplands. Hataman said priority will be given to upstream areas inside ARMM where the NGP activities will be implemented with guidance from the DENR-national government. “Pipilitin naming maip-atupad ang lahat ng expecta-tions ni President Aquino for ARMM (We will implement all the expectations of Presi-dent Aquino for ARMM),”

DENR...from page 2 Secretary Paje commit-ted some P49.6 million in financial assistance to enable the ARMM government to carry out a massive tree planting program within its five provinces, to in-clude Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-tawi. Aside from financial assistance, the DENR shall also provide ARMM with technical assistance and ensure the timely provision of funds based on the ap-proved work and financial program of ARMM. “The fuel that powers ARMM’s economic engine is resource-based and we in the national government will assist our brothers and sisters in ARMM in the re-source management of the region,” Paje said, adding that he plans to send his key senior officials there “for us to gain a front seat view of how resource management is undertaken there and

Hataman stressed, noting that he already received “verbal commitments” from rebel groups involved in the peace negotiation to help in stopping illegal logging in ARMM and in the NGP implementation. Under the agreement, ARMM will implement the NGP according to the guidelines set by the DENR central office. It shall also allow DENR personnel that will be designated to moni-tor and evaluate ARMM’s implementation, including its financial management and utilization.

be submitted prior to the scheduled hearing. Babaran said there were no downward adjustments implemented on regular text messaging fees. “As it is, they maintain the status quo while the case is being heard or until the NTC has issued a final order,” said the NTC official.

Telco...from page 4agreed during the hearing,” said Babaran. The NTC official said representatives from Smart, Globe and DMPI are ex-pected to appear before the NTC on January 31 but their written comments should

The telcos said they would soon come up with new SMS unlimited offer-ings to show it is in com-pliance with the regulator’s latest order on reduction of SMS access charge. “But we haven’t received any written proposal from them, as far as I know,” added the NTC official.

high quality and technically consistent Ethernet services to our customer base,” said Jesus Romero, Head of Globe Business. Apart from the company’s MEF 9 and 14 certifi cations, Globe is also the fi rst local telco to have MEF Carrier Ethernet Certifi ed Profes-sionals (MEF CECPs) in the Philippines. To date, there are only 104 MEF CECPs worldwide. Th e

Globe...from page 5to promote Carrier Ethernet interoperability and deploy-ment worldwide. “Globe has been known as a pioneer in the telco industry and true to form we are proud to have initiated MEF certi-fi cation in Carrier Ethernet off erings in the Philippines. We have embraced MEF standards to deliver reliable,

title is awarded to individuals that successfully pass the exam to become MEF Certified Professionals. It validates the professional’s knowledge of Carrier Ethernet technologies, standards, services and appli-cations. Individuals who pass the exam have the knowledge and skills required to support and promote Carrier Ethernet solutions, and ultimately ac-celerate its worldwide adop-tion.

Mindanao lawmakers propose a single environment agencyTHE recent natural and man-made calamities and tragedies only highlight the need for a single govern-ment agency to exclusively focus on the protection of the environment. “Everybody knows how many lives have been lost to floods and landslides in Mindanao and other parts of the country, and the death toll count is still on. Damage to property and infrastructure could reach staggering levels,” Reps. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro City) and Maximo Rodri-guez, Jr. (Party list, Abante Mindanao) lamented.

of Mindanao and the Vi-sayas. We are so worried of what could happen next after the Compostela Val-ley landslides where we are still counting the number of casualties,” Rodriguez deplored. The proposed EPA is contained in HB 2798 which is under consideration by the House Committee on Government Reorganiza-tion chaired by Rep. Ce-sar Jalosjos (3rd District, Zamboanga del Norte). The measure will also be consid-ered by the Committee on Natural Resources (chaired by Rep. Francisco Matugas -1st District, Surigao del Norte) as secondary referral. The NEPA shall be the primary arm of the govern-ment responsible for the conservation and protection of the country’s environ-ment. It shall be headed by a chairman, appointed by the President, with a Cabinet rank. The NEPA shall also

REP. RUFUS RODRIGUEZ REP. MAXIMO RODRIGUEZ

The Mindanao lawmak-ers, as if anticipating the recent tragedies, have pro-posed the creation of the National Environmental Protection Agency of the Philippines (NEPA) under the Executive Branch, whose

mission is to protect health and the environment – air, water, and land –upon which life depends. “We filed this bill before the floods recently hit the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and other parts

House body to look into taxes levied on SSS, GSIS contributionsTHE House committee on ways and means will look into another controversial issu-ance of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which imposes tax on contributions to state pension and insurance institu-tions like the Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and the Pag-Ibig Fund. The panel arrived at the decision during a hearing approving a motion by Valen-zuela City Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo to conduct an inquiry into Revenue Memo-randum Circular 53-2011 issued by BIR Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares that taxes optional contributions to pension and insurance firms. Gunigundo had earlier criticized the directive as anti-poor and in violation of Section 32 of the Tax Code, which exempts employees’ contributions from taxation, be it voluntary or mandatory. Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez also filed House Resolution 1973 direct-ing the committee to conduct

an inquiry, in aid of legisla-tion, into RMC 53-2011 which would make contributions to pension, housing and health funds amounting to more than that required by law subject to income and withholding tax. Gunigundo said those who would be heavily affected would be the overseas Filipino workers and the self and part-time employees, including the domestic helpers. Contrary to the BIR’s claim, Rodriguez said these contri-butions cannot be considered investments hence, should not be taxed. “These contributions are for social security, not invest-ments, contrary to what they’re saying,” he said. Earlier, Henares withdrew Memorandum Circular 57-2011 Issued in November that compels individual taxpayers to submit supplemental infor-mation detailing their finan-cial transactions including bank deposits, stock trading and property sales. Lawmakers said the cir-cular was unconstitutional and violates privacy and the Bank Secrecy Law.LAWMAKERS/PAGE 8

10 BusinessWeekMINDANAOJanuary 13-15, 2012 Misor•TodayMisor•Today

FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENTS PLACEMENTS CONTACT

By MIKE BAÑOS

IN stark contrast to the high profile, star-studded, jet-setting relief sorties of many donor entities to the calamity areas of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, the provincial govern-ment of Misamis Oriental quietly continues its relief operations sans fanfare.

When the alarm over the first of Sendong’s deadly flash floods was raised shortly after midnight of December 17th, the Misamis Oriental Provin-cial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) under Exec. Dir. Teddy A. Sabuga-a Jr. immedi-ately deployed its rubber boat manned by Capt. Danilo Mutia of the Phil. Coast Guard and his personnel to the Mabini-Burgos, Consolacion and Isla de Oro areas where the team

Misamis Oriental lends a quiet, helping hand to Sendong victims

successfully rescued 180 per-sons from raging floodwaters.

As dawn broke over the devastation wrought by Sen-dong, Gov. Oscar S. Moreno as chairman of the PDRRMC immediately set up a command and operations center at the capitol to direct assistance as reinforcements to local and national agencies and civic volunteer groups. All calamity-related reports were coursed through the command center by Vice Gov. Norris C. Babiera who personally inspected the affected towns in Misamis Oriental, as well as PNP Provincial Director Graciano J. Mijares who issued updates from time to time on the status of the rescue operations of the PNP field command.

In the capitol grounds itself some 72 families comprising 263 individuals sought shelter after fleeing their inundated homes. They were given food packs consisting of sardines, rice and noodles and bread with coffee later in the day before they returned to their devastated homes to salvage some of their belongings. As more evacuees continued to trickle in the capitol grounds, they were extended food, cloth-ing, blankets, bedmats, water and other relief materials by the capitol in cooperation with various LGUs and civic society volunteer groups.

Later that same Saturday, the PDRRMC sent a dump truck to Bgy. Iponan and Barra, Opol to rescue fl ood victims from the Iponan River. With the assistance of Bombo Radyo’s Philippine Rescue 2000 headed by Bombo Michael Angelo Bustamante, the team rescued 200 individuals and extended food assistance to them.

Th e team also worked with the Social Action Center team of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro headed by Fr. Nathan Lerio distributing rice, canned sardines, noodles and bottled water to survivors and another 53 victims housed at the Misamis Oriental General Comprehen-sive High School (MOGCHS).

Although the next day was Sunday, there was no respite for the capitol rescue and relief team as it distributed relief goods in 11 areas in Cagayan de Oro benefi tting 428 people and to 208 evacuees at the City Central School evacuation center.

Th e team also conducted feeding programs in badly hit areas like Consolacion, and continued distribution of relief goods in various evacuation centers like West City Central school, Consolacion, Barangays 6 & 18, Carmen, Macasandig, Iponan in tandem with LGUs like MisOr PH Balingasag and MisOr PH Claveria, NGOs and volunteer civic organizations and CSR groups like Holcim Foundation and GMA’s Kapuso

Foundation in Brgy. Sta.Cruz, Poblacion, Mohon, Baluarte in Tagoloan .

“We were buying sardines and noodles for distribution at a supermarket near Kaus-wagan when an elderly couple approached us and asked us what all the groceries we were buying were for,” recalls Patrick U. Gabutina, provincial admin-istrator. “When we said it was for distribution to the flood victims, they said they wanted to donate but refused to give their names saying they only wanted to help.”

In Mauswagon, Laguind-ingan, Mayor Oliver L. Ubaub reported six fl ood victims from Iligan City rescued and trans-ported to the Provincial Hospital in Initao where another 25 vic-tims from Manticao, Naawan, Luga-it, Iligan City and Lanao del Norte were treated and others moved to Iligan City with the assistance of an ambu-lance from Holcim Phil.’s Lugait plant. An initial report from the MDRRMC Laguindingan fi led by Kag. Lito Bahian showed ten people rescued and five unidentifi ed bodies retrieved as of 181400H of Dec. 18, 2011.

Th e team also coordinated with the fi re truck of Pilipinas Kao, Inc. from Jasaan in deliver-ing thousands of liters of potable water to various areas in the last two weeks including Bgy. 18, Macabalan, Corrales Avenue, Kauswagan, Bonbon, Barra, Opol; Carmen, Brgy. 22, Car-men, Nazareth and Polymedic General Hospital (Velez).

Meantime, aft er evaluating the sheer magnitude of the disaster which simply over-whelmed local agencies, Gov. Moreno ordered the deploy-ment of the Misamis Oriental Provincial Engineer’s Offi ce’s heavy equipment to aff ected barangays to help residents clean up the garbage and mud for their homes and neighbor-hoods. Among the areas served by the PEO under Engr. Roland Pacuribot were Del Pilar street where a backhoe and two dump trucks were deployed for clearing

Republic of the PhilippinesREGIONAL TRIAL COURT

10th Judicial RegionBRANCH 28

Mambajao, Camiguin

IN RE: PETITION FOR APPOINTMENT Case No. 12-01AS NOTARY PUBLIC,

CARLO C. BORROMEO., Petitioner.X-----------------------------------------------------/

NOTICE OF HEARING

Notice is hereby given that a summary hearing on the peti-tion for notarial commission of Atty. Carlo C. Borromeo shall be held on January 23, 2012 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning in this Court’s Session Hall. 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.

January 5, 2012, at Mambajao, Camiguin.

(Sgd.) RUSTICO D. PADERANGA Executive Judge

BWM: JANUARY 13, 2012

COCI INSTALLS 2012 SET OF OFFICERS. Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Industries (COCI) has installed its 2012 set of officers in simple induction rites at the Phil Sinter Clubhouse recently. COCI President Jerome Soldevilla (STEAG State Power Inc.) turned over the helm of COCI leadership to Mr Leoncio Ang of the Limketkai Manufacturing Corporation (LMC) . Inducted to office by Steag Power Plant Manager Dr. Carsten Evers are Leoncio Ang (LMC) – President; Bienvenido Valdes (Asia Brewery) – VP; Irene de Vera Real (Del Monte Phils) – Secretary; Virginia Datoy (PhilAgro Industries) Treasurer; Zaldy Zamayla (PICMW) – Auditor; Emilio Tangarorang (Nestle Phils) – PRO; Board Members Efren Cababat (Pilipinas Kao), Allan Diez (RIChem), Atty. Cathlyn Alfante (Phil Sinter Corp), Louie Ytol (Coca-Cola Bottlers Phils), Rev. Prudencio Plaza (Catimco Group) and Jerome Soldevilla (Steag). Established in 1979, COCI represents the manufacturing and industry sector in the Macajalar Bay area.

THE Misamis Oriental Pro-vincial Government today announced that the 2012 Jr. NBA Clinic in Cagayan de Oro City originally sched-uled for January 21-23, 2012 at the Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan campus is pushing through at an earlier date and different venues.

“We earlier informed Jr. NBA officials of our intent to postpone the event in defer-ence to the recent Sendong disaster and needed to use what would have been our equity in the project for relief assistance,” said Gov. Oscar S. Moreno. “However, they offered to shoulder our counterpart equity and in addition, also conduct NBA Cares in some evacuation centers and affected areas.”

The revised schedule will start on Thursday, January 19, 2012 with the 2012 Jr. NBA Coaches Clinic from 1-3PM with US-based NBA Coach Martin Conlon, fol-lowed by basketball clinic for boys and girls 10-14 years old from 3-5PM at Basketball Clinic, ACSAT Gym, Max Suniel St. Car-men, Cagayan de Oro City.This will be followed on Friday morning, January 20, 2012 with an NBA Cares activity at the Provl Capitol Park before flying back to Manila in the afternoon.

NBA Cares is the league’s global community outreach

2012 Jr. NBA Clinic pushing through Jan. 19

in Cagayan de Oroinitiative that addresses important social issues such as education, youth and family development, and health and wellness. The NBA and its teams support a range of programs, partners and initiatives that strive to positively impact children and families worldwide.

As part of the league’s mission to demonstrate leadership in social respon-sibility, NBA Cares reaches communities through phi-lanthropy, hands-on service and legacy projects. Since October 2005 when NBA Cares was launched, the league and teams have raised more than $165 million for charity, provided more than 1.7 million hours of hands-on service, and built more than 625 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in communities around the world.

Meantime, should you already wish to register, please contact the Office of the Governor, Misamis Provincial Capitol, Don Apolinar Velez St., Cagayan de Oro City. Look for Ms. Suzette Gentallan, tel. no. (8822) 745-5283 or email sgentallan@yahoo.com. Registrations are also ac-cepted at this URL: www.jrnba.com.ph.

You may also contact Coach Jun Noel through cellphone no. 0917-324-8777.

operations of mud and debris and Bgy. Consolacion where a grader was deployed for the same purpose.

Came Monday, December 19, 2011, and the breakdown of the water system and the decaying bodies of people and animals killed in the floods threatening the health of the survivors and relief operations, Gov. Moreno ordered the Pro-vincial Health Offi ce to render a

“Tabang Medico” medical mis-sion at the City Central School evacuation center with personnel from the Balingasag Municipal Health Offi ce which benefi tted 100 evacuees. In the days that followed, the teams continued rendering Tabang Medico to evacuees in City Central School, Macasandig, West City Central School, Iponan, Carmen-Ilaya, Balulang and Consolacion.

VICTIMS/PAGE 7

11BusinessWeekMINDANAO

January 13-15, 2012BillboardBillboard

NEWS CAPSBy Laurel Media/RTM

LOT FOR SALEBEACH HOUSE

Baloy, Cagayan de Oro CityBy appointment onlyTel. #: (088) 855 3898

Pryce Plaza HotelCarmen Hill, CDO, Tel. No.722791 to93/858-4537

E-mail:reserva ons@pryceplaza.ph

Hotel Koresco Pueblo de Oro Golf Course,CDO, fax. No. [088] 858-9748

tel. Nos. 858-9748 to 54, E-mail:hotelkoresco@yahoo.com

Mallberry SuitesLimketkai Drive ,CDO, Tel. No. [088]854-3999 / 854-7999

E-mail:info@mallberrysuites.com

Dynasty Court HotelTiano-Hayes Sts. CDO, Tel. No. 726876 / 726962 / 857-5410

E-mail:dynasty@philcom.ph

The Marigold HotelVelez cor. Luna Sts, CDO

Tel Nos. 856-4320, 726937

Marco ResortTel. No. 732182 / 855-220

VIP HotelA.Velez St. CDO, Tel. No. 726080 / 726590 / 856-2505

E-mail: info@theviphotel.com.ph

Philtown HotelMakahambus-Velez St. CDO,Tel. No. 723089 / 856-1813

De Luxe HotelCapt. V. Roa St. CDO, Tel. No. 726527 /857-2144

Maxandrea HotelJ.R. Borja St. CDO, Tel. No. 729943/ 857-2244 / 857-4154

Grand City HotelA.Velez- Sts. CDO

Tel. No. 723551 / 723658 / 857-1900

Country Village HotelCarmen, Cag. de Oro Tel. No. 71-22-03, 71-22-01, 7122-05

Southwinds HotelCapt. V. Roa Sts.CDO,Tel. No. 727623 / 724803 / 856-2036

E-mail:i_agudo@hotmail.com

Apple Tree Resort and HotelTaboc, Opol, Misamis Oriental,

Tel. Nos. 754525/ 754263/ 3091986, Fax No. (8822) 754497

Pearlmont InnLimketkai,Drive,CDO

Tel. No. 729111 / 856-2654 / 729455

Red Palm InnEVChaves Building, Capistrano corner Cruz Taal Sts.

Cagayan de Oro CityTel. No. 721197 and 8562671

Cell No. 0908-885-5643Email: redpalm_inn07@yahoo.com

Chali Beach ResortCugman,CDO,Tel. No. 723929 / 855-2108

E-mail:chali_beach@yahoo.com

Nature PensionneToribio Chavez Sts., CDO

Tel. No. 723598 / 723718 / 857-2274

NEW DAWN PENSIONNEVelez-Macahambus Sts, CDO

Tel Nos. 8571776, 721776email : gchreserva on@yahoo.com

Malasag Eco Tourism VillagesCugman, CDO

Tel. No.855-6183 [088]309-3752

HOTELSRESTAURANTS

PANEDOTTE PASTRIES are available at Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, just in front of the Senior Citizens Center in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental with Tel Nos. (08822) 740-211, (088) 856-2419; Cell Phone Nos. 0917-706-2247 and 0917-706-1516, or visit them at 162 M.H. del Pilar –Velez Sts., Cagayan de Oro City

PANEDOTTE PASTRIES

Available at GAISANO SUPERMART and at LUMBIA AIRPORT PRE DEPARTURE AREA

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Present this ad and get P20.00off from our regular rate.

BASTA MASAHE

Art fund-raiser in Cagayan de OroA MONTH after the flood, an artist lays bare his pho-tographs---to be sold off during a one-night-only exhibit to help fund the rebuilding initiatives Patrick Uyguangco Gab-utina never encountered as much devastation and death as what he saw in the wake of Tropical Storm Sendong in Cagayan de Oro City last December. “It was the end of the world for over 3,000 souls, and back to square one for over 6,000 families--and the counting isn’t even over yet,” said Gabutina, provincial administrator of the Prov-ince of Misamis Oriental, where the city is located. A mont h af ter t he tragedy, Gabutina offers his personal response to the unprecedented scale of loss: a one-night-only exhibit of his nude pho-tography. Why nudes? Why now? “My honest answer is this: Why not?” he exclaimed. “Survivors related how they maneuvered to safety with only their bodies. The act of surviving is an

affirmation of body.” He continued: “What can be more basic than our bodies? To shed off our inhibitions and fears, and the weight of conven-tions, so we can simply encounter once again our selves: who we are, what we are, who we have become, the intimate landscapes that map out our inner

balance, our inner peace. This exhibit of nudes, then, is a celebration of all our common humanity. To touch base with our basic selves: shapes, contours, intimations of all our be-coming.” Gabutina’s “Notorious: Just the Right Amount of Wrong” will run at the Eton Hall, 7th floor, Mallberry

Suites Hotel, Limketkai Center, Cagayan de Oro City from six o’clock to ten o’clock in the evening of January 13th, 2012. Proceeds will help fund the rebuilding initiatives in Cagayan de Oro. For de-tails, please contact (8822) 724347 (off ice phone); 09209226276 (Smart); or 09177961800 (Globe).

After treating its domes-tic passengers to a virtual giveaway fare of P70 to any local destination, Philip-pine Airlines (PAL) now offers the same bargain to travelers headed to its Asian points.

In Round 2 of its on-going “You’re my PAL” promo, the flag carrier is again presenting an-other giveaway deal: buy a deeply discounted round-trip ticket of just $70 on Fiesta Class (economy) or $470 on Mabuhay Class (business) to any of 10 Asian cities and get a sec-

PAL’s top Asian destinations beckon for just $7

ond round-trip ticket for only $7 (economy) or $270 (business).

Despite the cut-rate fares, passengers still enjoy the full service that PAL is known for. This includes assured seats on PAL’s mod-ern jet fleet, free baggage allowance, in-flight meals and amenities, and mile-age accrual for members of Mabuhay Miles.

The discounted first ticket is available for pur-chase from January 11 to 13, 2012 and is valid for travel from January 23 to March 21, 2012.

The second promo ticket (for $7 or $270) must be redeemed from January 11 to 16, 2012. It is valid for travel from June 16 to September 30, 2012.

The promo covers PAL flights from Manila to Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Ma-cau, Ho Chi Minh City, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen.

All promo fares are for sale only in the Philippines (PAL ticket offices and travel agents) and in the Philippine Airlines website

during the promo period. The tickets are subject to applicable government tax-es, fees, surcharges and are non-refundable. Rebooking and re-routing is also not allowed and the promo is not valid for groups of more than seven passengers.

A minimum stay of two days and a maximum stay of eight days in the destina-tion are required.

For bookings and in-quiries, visit www.philip-pineairlines.com, or call PAL Reservations at (02) 855-8888 in Manila or ac-credited travel agents.

12 BusinessWeekMINDANAOJanuary 13-15, 2012

TOC is the Philippine brand Ambassador of BenMore Four Casks Blended Scotch Whis-ky. He exempl i f ies what BenMore Four Casks stands for in terms of boldness in character, the versa-tility and style it ex-udes and the integrity it can command. It is the first time for Borgy to endorse a liquor product. Borgy explained “I’ve never really found something that I could stand be-hind… I’ve never really found an alcohol that I felt I could promote personally because I actually drink it… I’ve always been a Scotch drinker, and I finally found the right prod-uct, a quality product that is affordable…” Borgy is currently on a nationwide BenMore Bar Tour sampl ing the best way to en-

BENMORE FOUR CASKSBLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

BenMore Four Casks B lended Sco tch Whisky is a prod-uct o f Scot land and owned by the wor ld- renowned spir i ts producer, D iageo (makers of famous brands like Johnnie Walker, Baileys, Smirnoff among o thers ) . It is called FOUR CASKS because it is distilled in four (4) different types of oak casks (sher-ry cask, bourbon cask, charred cask and refilled cask) to achieve depth and complex i ty, and give harmony between mel low tastes and scotch aroma, including malt and peat aro-ma with the hint of smokiness. BORGY MANO-

joy this deluxe whisky (straight-up, on the rocks, or mixed with water, with iced tea, with cola or with tonic/soda). Borgy is also featured on various billboards situated in key cities nationwide. The high qual ity taste coupled with

the details that were painstakingly incorpo-rated on the premium design of both the bottle and the indi-vidual box packag-ing (embossed with BenMore Iconic Stag) is offered at a very remarkable price point which only ranges from

around P360 to P390 for every 700ml bottle. That is very af-f o r d a b l e considering that this is a product of S co t l and . These rea-sons made B e n M o r e Four Casks B l e n d e d S c o t c h Whisky the perfect choice for gift giving this Yuletide Season and for per-sonal and group con-sumptions for what-ever occasions! Come 2012, log on to the official website (www.benmorescotch-whisky.com) will be accessible for more in format ion about BenMore, the world of Scotch Whisky and the di f ferent Ben-

more mixes. It will also feature a dedicated Borgy’s Corner where one can check out the countrywide foot-ages and pictures of the BenMore Bar Tour. BenMore Scotch Whisky is available at Compadres Bar at Pryce Plaza and in many other leading bar joints in Cagay-an de Oro City.