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Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

Cagayan de Oro City Public Market

The river of cagayan de oro city

St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:

The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

Flood Waters in the streets of Cagayan de Oro City

Cagayan de Oro City Buildings

Bus Terminal, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City

OCD reveals DRRM strategy in NorMin

Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=2611400564682
Tuesday, May 20, 2014

By Ariana Cristelle L. Pagdanganan (ACP/PIA10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, MAY 20 (PIA) – The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) region 10 during the Bukidnon Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Summit here said that mitigation and prevention are the most effective strategies in minimizing the adverse effects of disasters.

In order to set their challenges this year, Ana C. Cañeda, regional DRRM council (RDRRMC) chairperson and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director, accounted the past Sendong and Pablo tragedies, saying that tropical storm Sendong had more casualties compared to tropical cyclone Pablo.

Their records show that casualties due to death and injury were all coming from the provinces of Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental, and the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

“As compared to tropical cyclone Pablo, mas gamay ra gyud compared to Sendong. Not because mas na-wise na ta, but this is because dili man gyud kita ang nasa path sa Pablo” (As compared to tropical cyclone Pablo, it was lesser compared to Sendong. This is not because we were already wise, but this is because we were not in the path of Pablo), she explained.

Flooding is said to be the number one potential geo-hazard type in Region 10. This is because there are already a number of flood-prone areas that are gradually expanding.

Other potential geo-hazard types mentioned were landslide, volcanic landslide, lahar, earthquake and tsunami.

All throughout the year 2013, the OCD-10 recorded 30 incidents of natural disasters in the region. Most of them were due to flood and then followed by landslide and strong winds.

Of the 14 recorded casualties, six of them were dead and eight of them were injured.

For the human induced disasters, OCD-10 monitored a total of 31 incidents, and majority of them were due to fire, which was actually considered as the most common human induced disaster, followed by army attacks that took place in sporadic areas.

These human induced disasters resulted to an overall of 36 casualties due to death and 155 were said to be injured.

Cagayan de Oro City had the most number of casualties in the region. This was largely due to the bombing incident that happened last year.

There were 257 houses/structures that were reported to be totally damaged, mostly caused by fire, while there were 120 houses/structures that were partially damaged.

So far, Bukidnon topped with the most number of houses/structures that were partially damaged.

The OCD-10 also takes into account the poverty statistics in the region and considers it as a disaster.

“Kung taas kaayo ta’g poverty incidence among families, that is already a disaster on itself bisag wala pay nahitabo. So, bantayanon na na sitwasyon” (When we have high poverty incidence among families, then that is already a disaster on itself even if the disaster is not yet happening. So, that’s what makes it a serious situation), Director Cañeda said.

Regional DRRM Programs

The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had identified regional impacts that helped them form objectives, targets, and outcomes according to the four DRRM thematic areas which are the Disaster Mitigation and Prevention, Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Response, and Disaster Recovery and Rehabilitation.

The programs under Disaster Mitigation and Prevention are the Project Climate Twin Phoenix by the Climate Change Commission, and the installation of automated raingauges, water level sensors, and tide level sensors by the Department of Science and Technology.

For the Disaster Preparedness, which was also called a Response Preparedness, there are several programs created in order to reduce casualty and damage to properties. These are the STEAG Port and Ship Security Sea Lion Live Exercise, Incident Command System (ICS) Training for PDRRMC Misamis Oriental, and the Search and Rescue Training for PDRRMC in Lanao del Norte.

For the Disaster Response, the OCD-10 prepared the local DRRMC to activate the cluster approach in their hazard contingency plan. It was said that they have fully activated their clusters during the prolong Sendong operations.

As for the Disaster Recovery and Rehabilitation, inspections of recovery and reconstruction/rehab projects and relocation sites are to be undertaken in order to improve the living conditions of the victims especially during the aftermath of a said disaster.

The Paradigm Shift

Director Cañeda also introduced the new national DRRM framework which shifted from top-down and centralized Disaster Management to a bottom-up and participatory Disaster Risk Reduction.

This paradigm shift calls for all the constituents to take part in the planning on how to minimize their exposure to hazards.

Other than that, the OCD-10 is now aware that disasters are the reflections of the people’s vulnerability, and that they are therefore focusing on their “integrated approach to genuine social and human development to reduce disaster risk” as well as to being pro-active in their DRRM.

As presented in the NDRRM framework, half of their efforts for their DRRM plan would be allocated in their Disaster Mitigation and Prevention.

“We’re not going to make heroes out of people,” added Director Cañeda.

The Bukidnon Provincial DRRM Summit was conducted on May 6 to 7 with the theme: “Kaluwasan sa katawhan, Katungdanan sa tanan.” Other activities were the signing of the Strengthened Declaration of Commitment to DRRM, and the workshop.

Why UN Habitat named CDO an ‘emerging city of tomorrow’

Source: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/160399/why-un-habitat-named-cdo-an-emerging-city-of-tomorrow
Monday, May 19th, 2014 (Date Published)

By Ma. Leona Felice Echeveria

Cagayan de Oro City (CDO) has been named an “emerging city of tomorrow” in this year’s World Urban Forum in Colombia organized by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat). CDO is the only Philippine city on the list, which includes Hunchun, China; Johor Bahru, Malaysia; Malmo, Sweden; Nampula, Mozambique; Onitsha, Nigeria; Santa Marta, Colombia; Tetouan, Morocco; and Uberlandia, Brazil. CDO is ranked by the National Competitiveness Council as the Philippines’ most competitive city. The mayor of CDO is former Misamis Oriental 1st District Rep. Oscar S. Moreno. The city government has pioneered in the computerization of business permits and licensing, as well as the assessment and payment of real property tax. “Getting a business permit takes up less than an hour,” said Eileen Canoy Escobar-San Juan, the city’s local economic and investment promotions officer. She also noted that a key driver in the city’s remarkable growth was the “very strong private sector support and initiative.” CDO is the growth driver of Northern Mindanao (Region 10), whose economic growth continues to exceed those of the other regions in Mindanao. CDO’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) was P240 billion in 2012, up by 7.4 percent compared to its 5.8 percent growth in 2011. This was largely due to the acceleration of the industry and services sectors, which rose by 9.2 percent and 9.0 percent, respectively. Although agriculture stepped up by only 2.4 percent, contributing 28 percent to the region’s economy. Nationwide, Northern Mindanao (Region 10), which includes CDO, ranked third in per capita GRDP.

Fueling the region’s growth is CDO’s economic dynamism, government efficiency and appropriate infrastructure. New industries utilizing information technology are being established in the city. This fast-growing city of over 600,000 people provides easy access to an enormous concentration of markets in Northern Mindanao. The Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) facilitates direct and cost-efficient movement of containerized cargoes to Manila, Cebu and international shipping hubs. The multi-berth Cagayan de Oro Baseport handles inter-island passenger travel with connectivity to the country’s nautical highway and the logistics corridors of Mindanao. Laguindingan Airport services air logistics requirements, while an extensive road network leads to and from the major production areas and markets of Mindanao. The expansion of the MCT and Filinvest Development Corporation (FDC) Power Plant will consolidate CDO’s position as the largest logistics center in Southern Philippines.

While the rest of Mindanao has been experiencing severe power shortages for many months now (with up to 16-hour outages daily in one Mindanao city), CDO has been hit by brownouts only at the tail end of this summer. That’s because it is approaching self-reliance in power: with Minergy’s 27.4-MW and 18.9-MW diesel power plants, STEAG State Power’s 210-MW coal-fired power plant—plus Bubunawan Power Company’s 7-MW run-off river hydro project in tandem with Cepalco’s 1-MW photovoltaic solar power plant—the only grid-connected PV power plant in the Philippines.

Complementing the logistics infrastructure of Cagayan de Oro is the rapid modernization of the city’s telecommunications infrastructure, transforming the city into a business center and international logistics and telecommunications hub of the south. Educational center

Beyond infrastructure, CDO is the center of education in Mindanao. Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan is Mindanao’s first university—and, in fact, is the first Jesuit university in the Philippines. Capitol University and Liceo de Cagayan University are cited by the National Association of Colleges and Universities as among the country’s top 10 higher education institutions with the largest number of accredited programs. With 15 universities and schools, CDO accommodates 82,000 students and 22,000 graduates every school year. Custom-designed skills training and apprenticeship programs are readily available to serve human resource requirements. For example, Xavier University has partnered with Asian Carmakers Corp., the country’s official BMW distributor, to bring German automotive expertise to technical education students. CDO’s strategic location and rich agricultural resources have made it the preferred site of major agribusiness companies such as Del Monte Philippines (which set up the world’s largest integrated pineapple processing plant here), Nestlé Philippines, Pilipinas Kao and other small and medium agri-based industries. As a gateway to Southern Philippines, CDO provides direct access to rich agricultural areas in Mindanao—the source of 40 percent of the country’s food and livestock. CDO is a significant producer of oleochemical and other coconut products. Higher-value products through agro-processing offer investment opportunities. Presently, Northern Mindanao is the top producer of cattle and is the third largest producer of poultry in the country. CDO is also a key destination of meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) in Southern Philippines. It has 4,806 rooms from various accommodation facilities that can handle conventions with 3,000 participants. It is trying to improve these rather limited numbers. White water rafting capital

CDO is the white water rafting capital of the Philippines, attracting ecotourism adventure seekers who also delight in experiencing ziplines and spelunking and diving, among other outdoor activities. CDO is linked to Camiguin, which is renowned for its luxurious beaches, hot springs, waterfalls and historic landmarks; to the mountain ranges of Bukidnon, home to seven indigenous communities; to the Caraga region capitals of Butuan and Surigao with boast eco-tourism thrills; and to the Lanao del Norte nexus of Iligan City and Marawi City, home of the colorful Maranao people. Over the years, the Cagayan River has renewed its claim over CDO—the primordial gateway through which flowed the transactions and transformations of people and progress, commerce and culture, ideas and values. Hit by Tropical Storm “Sendong” in 2011, CDO is a portrait of resilience, said Fr. Roberto C. Yap, SJ, president of Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan. “Usually,” he said, “the word reminds us of the bamboo because of the way it dances with the wind in times of typhoons and then snaps back in place afterwards. But I would like to propose that resilience should mean not just overcoming challenges but prevailing over them to become better, stronger, much more than what we had been.”

CDO all set for Int'l AIDS Candlelight Memorial

Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1471400361729
Sunday, May 18, 2014 (Date Published)

By Ma. Leona Felice Echeveria

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, May 18 (PIA) – In bid to raise awareness and advocate for the advancement of effective policies at all levels, the Cagayan de Oro AIDS Network (MOCAN) will join the 31st International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Mobilization (IACMM) on Sunday, May 18 at the Provincial Capitol Grounds. Over 1,500 participants is set to join the event composed of non-government organizations, government agencies, civil society groups, religious organizations, hospitals, academe, partner institutions and organizations in its fight against AIDS. MOCAN Chairperson Fritzie Estoque is calling the public to show care and support to people living with HIV (PLHIV) by joining the cause. She said the event will start at 3:00 p.m. with an open registration. Everyone who will join is encouraged to bring a candle, and to wear red to show their support to the advocacy. “We hope that this will encourage other PLHIV to come out and testify as this will help open the eyes of many, especially those with risky behaviors or lifestyle,” she noted. A testimony of a PLHIV who is also from the city will highlight the event on Sunday. Estoque said this will serve as inspiration to other PLHIV to come out and seek medical help, assuring that the support system is already put in place and that the earlier they seek help the more chances they get in slowing its progression. The testimony likewise aims to remind the public that everybody is vulnerable in acquiring the disease. (Ma. Leona Felice Echeveria/PIA)

2 Oro lawmakers included in ‘Napolist’ anew

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2014/05/16/2-oro-lawmakers-included-napolist-anew-343153
Saturday, May 17, 2014 (Date Published)

By Riz P. Sunio

TWO legislators from Cagayan de Oro were listed in the controversial list of Janet Lim Napoles, who was allegedly involved in the misuse of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel amounting to more than P10 billion.

According to reports, the city’s second district Representative Rufus Rodriguez and his brother Maximo of the Abante Mindanao (Abamin) partylist were included in the list for former Senator Panfilo Lacson submitted on Tuesday.

Included in the list were 12 senators, a total of 60 congressmen, 12 from other government agencies, and nine other agents to be in business with the alleged PDAF scam allegedly masterminded by Napoles.

In a TV news report Wednesday, Jocelyn Rodriguez, chairperson of Barangay Nazareth, is confident that her brothers will be cleared from the accusations.

For his part, first district Representative Rolando Uy said some of the legislators were just dragged into the mess through trial by publicity.

“That’s the problem. It was already publicized even before the conduct of an investigation, and that list, there were no documents proving that this or that congressman was involved in the pork barrel scam,” Uy told Sun*Star via text message Wednesday afternoon.

Recently, Uy’s name was mentioned as one of those who were included in the alleged 1.7 billion scam as one of the legislators who allocated portions of their PDAF to bogus NGOs for agricultural programs.

Uy denied involvement with the NGOs and the scam and in an earlier report, said he was willing to submit himself to an investigation.

Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro tried to contact Rodriguez to get his side but failed to get a reply from him.

Handpicking of Oro as ‘emerging city’ lauded

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2014/05/16/handpicking-oro-emerging-city-lauded-343156
Friday, May 16, 2014

By Riz P. Sunio

LOCAL leaders praised Cagayan de Oro for being handpicked as one of the nine emerging cities of tomorrow in the world.

The honor was given by United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) as among the nine global intermediate cities during World Urban Forum (WUF) in Medellin, Colombia, organized by the United Nations (UN). UN-Habitat organizes the world’s premiere conference on cities, according to a published report.

Size, fast growth, significance as part of an urban cluster linked to cross-border exchange and geographical variety were the criteria regarded for choosing the cities.

The city was also the site of one of the pilot projects of UN-Habitat’s Urban Planning and Design Lab.

The other eight cities of tomorrow are Hunchun in Jilin province of northeast China; Tetouan in northern Morocco; Uberlandia in the state of Minas Gerais of Brazil; Malmo, part of the Oresund region in the south of Sweden; Santa Marta in the northern Colombian department of Magdalena; Johor Bahru on the straits of Johor; Onitsha on the eastern bank of Niger River in Nigeria; Nampula, and the third-largest city in Mozambique.

In an e-mailed statement sent to this paper, Cagayan de Oro second district Representative Rufus Rodriguez lauded Mayor Oscar Moreno, local officials and the people of the city for the recognition, especially that parts of the city was damaged by Typhoon Sendong in 2011.

“The fact that we were able to rise up quickly and recover is a true indication that the leadership and people of Cagayan de Oro are very strong, dedicated and resilient. It is also a testament to the many different infrastructure projects that are being undertaken in the city which greatly contribute to the fast emergence and development of Cagayan de Oro City,” Rodriguez said.

He said that one of the highlighted projects in the report was the scenic drive at the city’s coastal by-pass road which has been a pet project of the legislator.

For his part, Efren Uy, president of Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (Oro Chamber), said he optimistic that the city will get the recognition it deserves.

“As one of the nominee, we are very positive and hoping that CDO will be awarded as an emerging city,” Uy told Sun*Star through text message.

“In fact, it has been considered one of the top emerging cities for years now and was voted as the most competitive city in the year 2013. According to studies, all the indicators are there, this is why Cagayan de Oro has been chosen by USAID, along with Ilo-ilo and Batangas as beneficiary of its various development program,” he added.

Full power back by May 8

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2014/05/05/full-power-back-may-8-341297
Monday, May 5, 2014

By Alyssa C. Clenuar

STEAG State power Inc. (SPI) has assured that electricity in Cagayan de Oro City will be fully restored as one of its generators carrying 105-megawatts of power would be back online on or before May 8.

Earlier, SPI went offline as its turbine generators broke in February this year affecting the city’s power supply and resulted in rotational blackouts now entering its second week.

Power consumers in Mindanao may soon be relieved from the four-hour rotational brownout, but it does not guarantee of making the city power-outage free considering that the island is confronted with low power supply as the demand has been getting high.

SPI operates a coal-fired power plant located at Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.

Jerome Soldevilla, SPI communications head, said that the company assured that on or before May 8, Thursday, the Unit 2 turbine generator will work.

“As of now, we need ample time to check and re-check the turbine generator for the continuity of its operation,” he furthered.

He said that there are two identical turbine generators, each bringing a net capacity of 105 MW each, which will be added to the island’s grid to help ease the power problem in Mindanao.

One turbine is expected to be operational on May 8 while the other should be fully working on June 1 this year.

From three hours, the power outage has gone up to four hours from May 1 to 6, a notice from Cagayan de Oro Electric Power and Light Company (Cepalco) read.

Cepalco, in a statement, said the scheduled power interruption was imposed by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

“[SPI] defers the scheduled synchronization of one of its electric generating sets originally planned on May 4, 2014. Unfortunately, the last time we checked, the turbine generators are still not ready. But rest assured, when it operates back, it’ll bring 110% restoration of power in the whole island,” Soldevilla said.

In an e-mailed statement sent to this paper on Friday, SPI plant manager Dr. Carsten Evers said that while the repairs and restoration works of Unit 2 is substantially completed, the company needs more time to ensure that the unit is in excellent condition prior to commissioning and synchronization to the Mindanao grid.

“We apologize for this delay and rest assured that we are doing everything we can to bring the units back to the grid,” Evers said.

“SPI is coordinating closely with the Department of Energy (DOE) and other stakeholders in the Mindanao power industry to help improve the power supply condition in the island,” SPI said in its statement.

1 killed, 2 hurt in Oro motorcycle accident

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2014/05/04/1-killed-2-hurt-oro-motorcycle-accident-341153
Sunday, May 4, 2014

By Susan Palmes-Dennis (Sunnex)

A MAN died while his two cousins were hurt when their motorcycle hit a parked car in the village of Mambuaya, Cagayan de Oro City Sunday.

A Bombo Radyo report said authorities identified the fatality as Sonny Escolano and injured victims as Alfie Sulatan and Robert Fernandez.

The report said the victims came from a drinking session and were en route to the village of Lumbia to get more alcoholic drinks from their aunt when their motorcycle hit a parked car in Mambuaya village.

Escolano died due to the strong impact. His cousins are undergoing medical treatment at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center.