Cagayan de Oro City News May 2016

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Cagayan de Oro City within Misamis Oriental

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.

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Cagayan de Oro City Public Market
Cagayan de oro city river.jpg
The river of cagayan de oro city
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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:
  1. 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.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.
Limketkai Center Mall, Cagayan de Oro City.jpg
Flood Waters in the streets of Cagayan de Oro City
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Cagayan de Oro City Buildings
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Bus Terminal, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City

University, Spanish Embassy tie up for lecture course in Spanish language, culture

By Stephen J Pedroza (SJP/XU)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- In consonance with the move to internationalize the curricula of Mindanao universities to include foreign languages in specific programs, Xavier University and the Embajada de España en Filipinas jointly organized a 30-hour lecture course for professors and students of Spanish titled, “Talleres de Formación para Professores de Español.”

Participants from various schools and organizations in Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon came to enrich their awareness and understanding of the Philippines’ Hispanic heritage and to attain a level of linguistic competence (A1-B1) in the Spanish language.

Fernando Zapico of the Consejeria de Educación de la Embajada de España en Filipinas gave a detailed lecture on Actividades y Estrategias Comunicativas (Activities and Communication Strategies) and Lengua y Cultura Española en el Mundo (Spanish Language and Culture in the World), and gave the participants some classroom projects to work on.

Sharing the discussions with Zapico were language instructors from Xavier. Spanish language Professor Catalina Gaite taught topics on El cortometraje: desarollo de materiales didacticos (Developing teaching materials in Spanish) and Enfoques metodologicos (Methodological approaches in teaching and learning Spanish) together with fellow language instructor Gleford Lagcao.

Reynante Casiro, an AB History instructor from Central Mindanao University, considers learning another language as a potent quality in a globalized setting.

“It’s important to learn a second language, in this case, Spanish, because we are moving towards globalization,” Casiro said. “We need to be competitive particularly in communicating with other people and many countries speak Spanish.”

Casiro also cited that educators, like him, need financial support from the government, private entities and the university administration to improve and better equip themselves and their programs, and to build linkages with related institutions.

“This event is relevant and significant, especially to our AB History program, where 15 units are allotted for learning Spanish, as required by the Commission on Higher Education.”

Spanish was, in SY 1950-1951, a subject included in the last two years of high school but was later removed. In higher education, it was compulsory, as a language requirement consisting of 12 units, which in 1957, was increased to 24 units. In later years, it was reduced to 18, then to 12 units, until in 1987, it became optional.

Historical and cultural nuances

Language training is considered an imperative not just in the national capital but also in the provinces, particularly in Mindanao. At Xavier, Spanish, in particular, is not just an elective course but a requisite for several programs, such as AB History and AB International Studies.

Simon Vergara Gutierrez, an American Field Service (AFS) exchange student from Colombia shared interesting stories, personalities and festivals from his home country.

During his talk, the 16-year-old foreign student, related similarities between Colombia and the Philippines in terms of climate, culture, values, and religion, among other facets.

Spain colonized Colombia in 1525 until 1819 when Simón Bolivar’s movement defeated the Spanish forces at Boyaca.

Likewise, the Philippines was a colony of Spain until 1898. Spanish influence on Filipino culture, especially in national and local languages and traditions, persists to this day.

Spanish is the primary language of more than 20 countries worldwide. It is estimated that the combined number of Spanish speakers is between 470 and 500 million. It is also the second most natively spoken language in the world and in international communication.

The Office of International Cooperation and Networking offers Spanish language courses and can be reached at oicn@xu.edu.ph.

Stable power supply in Oro seen as rains fill dams

By Alwen Saliring

AN OFFICIAL of Cagayan de Oro Electric Power and Light Company Inc. (Cepalco) said on Monday, May 30, power consumers can breathe easy in the coming months as reductions in the generation costs are expected to bring down monthly electricity bills.

Cepalco Vice President Ralph Paguio said the reduction on the generation rate is due to the stable power supply from hydro power sources owned by the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (Psalm).

Pagiuo said the onset of the rainy season has helped stabilizing power generation from hydro sources.

Cepalco has started implementing the reduction of generation cost in the May billing amounting to 25 centavos.

The generation cost in April is P4.73/kilowatt hour (kWh) and P4.48/kWh in May.

"Ang hydro power plants have been generating well because of the rainy season. For certain degree na restock na ang mga dams," Paguio said.

Paguio said Cepalco has not been receiving notices of power shortage from PSALM lately.

Paguio said he hopes reduction in the generation cost will continue in the coming months.

"We expect the rate to go down. We hope magtuloy-tuloy kay the more components sa generation ang hydro sources the lesser the bill kay hydro is relatively lower price," Paguio said.

Paguio, however, said while there is reduction in the generation cost, consumers should not get surprised of the eight centavos rate collected for the Feed-in tariff (FIT) or the renewable energy payments.

"Naa pud ta 8 centavos nga rate nga ginakolekta sa FIT para sa renewbales nga ga-generate og power para sa tanan sa Pilipinas," Paguio said.

Paguio explains that FIT is not unique for Cepalco consumers as consumers from all distribution utilities in the country are being made to pay for the FIT.

"Everybody pays for that tanan utilities ma Coop ka man or private," Paguio added.

Paguio said FIT payments have been approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

PRC releases May 2016 Real Estate Broker Licensure Exam results

(PRC)

MANILA, May 29 -- The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 21 out of 39 passed the Real Estate Broker Licensure Examination given by the Board of Real Estate Service in Manila, Cagayan de Oro and Cebu this May 2016.

The members of the Board of Real Estate Service who gave the licensure examination are Dr. Eduardo G. Ong, Chairman; Florencio C. Diño II and Rafael M. Fajardo, Members.

The results were released in three (3) working days after the said examination.

Starting 27 May 2016, registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be done on-line. Please go to www.prc.gov.ph and follow instructions for initial registration. Those who will register are required to bring the following: duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, 2 pieces passport size picture (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of documentary stamps and submission of Original Surety Bond, minimum amount of which is P 20,000, with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)/Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) as Obligee. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.

The date and venue for the oathtaking ceremony of the new successful examinees in the said examination will be announced later.

Oro kid signs for a UK club

By Jack Biantan

SEVENTEEN year-old Troy Limbo has only one dream in life. That is to be a successful professional football player.

He has done lots of sacrifices and has not stopped training since he started playing the beautiful game at age six at the Rosevale School at the posh Xavier Estates subdivision in Upper Balulang, Cagayan de Oro city.

He is right now still far from his dream but slowly, he is on the right path as he has been signed up by the League One Chesterfield Football Club in England after arriving in British Isles in November last year. The club is based in Derbyshire and plays their home games at the 10,504 capacity Proact Stadium.

The son of Darlene Uy Limbo and Jun Limbo first thought it was easy to get into clubs in England but found it hard to even get a tryout.

“I have to look in the internet for open trials. I also tried sending my football CV to clubs like Aston Villa and Birmingham City FC as these clubs were near to my place. Unfortunately, they don’t give open trials. Instead they wanted to see me play and they would send their scouts to watch me. At that time I did not have a team yet so there was no way they could see me," he said.

So, from November up to January of this year, he just trained by himself to stay fit. Fortunately he found a small team in Stamford where he sent his CV. They then allowed him to stay and play for them for almost three months.

During his stay in Stamford, he continued his quest to get into a bigger team until he found a trial in London. From that trial he was scouted by Chesterfield and was asked to come to the place for more trials.

“After two weeks I received an email from Chesterfield asking me to play for them. Then I signed a 12 month contract," he added.

Troy was a member of the original “Little Azkals" team which was organized in summer of 2011. Part of the team was JB Borlongan now playing for the University of the Philippines in the UAAP. Top youth players from Cebu Major Dean Ebarle of Abellana National School, Mario Lorenzo Ceniza of Springdale, Moiselle Angelo Alforque, Vincent Lobitos of Don Bosco Technology Center, Kintaro Miyagi of Sacred Heart School, Lawrence Colina of University of Southern Philippines-Foundation, and Cebuano-Italian Lorenzo Genco also were members of that team.

Now, most of these players ply their trade in various schools in Manila while Genco plays in an Italian club. Genco’s mom Rachel Ruiz Genco is the owner and founder the vaunted Guissepe Football Club in Cebu city.

He remembers the nice experience he had training and playing with the original ‘Little Azkals’ in the summer of 2011 under coaches Oliver ‘Bing-Bing’ Colina and Eleazar Toledo.

“It was three months of hard work at the Don Bosco Boys Home field in Liloan Cebu. Training twice a day and with Sunday only our rest day. We would go to church as a team. It was hard at first because it was the first time I was really away from my family. I was homesick but then I felt comfortable with people around me," he said.

The ‘Little Azkals’ played many games after their training and even toured Italy. They also played in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U13 Festival of Football in Laos where they won three, and drew three matches.

Troy finished grade school at the Abbas Orchard School after leaving Rosevale School after the second grade. He then moved to La Salle Greenhills where he was given a football scholarship.

When he finished high school last year, he played for Kaya FC U17 team in the United Football League (UFL) and was promoted to the Kaya FC Senior team B.

Since he really dreams of becoming a professional footballer, he tried his luck in England last year where his elder sister works in the midlands in Birmingham city.

Troy loves to play right winger and he credits various Cagayan de Oro coaches Wilfreu Dela Riarte, Don Derrick Dalapag Derequito, Lloyd Gargar, Percy Guarin and Allan Medalla for teaching him the how to play the beautiful game at an early age.

He is also thankful to his coaches in La Salle Greenhills, Marlon Maro, Freddy Estacion, Dave Tudence, Bagets Pinero, and Alvin Ocampo.

It will still be a long journey for Troy before he could finally land a lucrative contract with a top notch English football club. His journey is just starting but right now he is already an inspiration for our local football playing lads.

Next month Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Department Head for education and head coach for the Philippine U19 team Marlon Maro will conduct trials for the team which will compete in the AFC U19 tournament. Troy is very much interested to play for the team if he will be called up.

It would be a waste if coach Maro fails to call him up. Troy has the skills, the heart and the right attitude.

Misamis Oriental, Oro ready for La Niña

By Alwen Saliring

THE local disaster risk reduction and management offices of Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental brace for the onset of the rainy season.

Fernando Dy, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) officer, said constant coordination among disaster risk reduction offices of each town in the province is being conducted to prepare and mitigate effects of the expected La Nina.

Dy said residents living in coastal areas and along river banks should monitor and heed the advisories issued by authorities.

Dy said motorists should also to take extra care when traversing slippery roads when raining and said the increase of vehicular and other road accidents during rainy season is expected.

"Taas gayud pagsaka sa aksidente sa dalan, busa pahimangnoan lang nato mga motorists,"Dy said.

Dy said they have widened their monitoring of hazard prone areas.

"Tanan na karon atong gitutokan dili ang katong naandan nga landslide and flood prone kay tungod sa climate change naay mga areas nga reported nga nabahaan ug naglandslide,"Dy said.

Dy said PDRRMC has enough resources should the need arises.

City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Allan Porcadilla said additional equipment such as early warning devices have started arriving on Thursday, May 26.

Porcadilla said they will subsequently install these devices in strategic areas.

"Naa posible tagsa ka bagyo sa matag bulan like June, July pero posible mausab pa na kay naa man other weather systems like LPA nga posible modevelop into bagyo," Porcadilla said.

University students receive BPI-DOST Science Awards

(XU Comm)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Two students from Xavier University were among those recognized by the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for their researches in the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering.

Ken Raymart Añabieza’s study on “Chemometrics-Assisted Chelatometric Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction (CDLLME) System for Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometric Determination of Ultra-trace Cu(II) in Water Samples” probed the potability of tap water by examining copper content in three sampling sites in one of the barangays in the city.

Ken, BS Chemistry, said he was “concerned over heavy metals mixing with our drinking water.” Guided by his thesis adviser Dr Heidi Rabanes, he was inspired to develop a simple, fast, safe, inexpensive and environmentally-friendly method in determining ultra-trace copper in water samples. Copper, a form of heavy metal, is toxic when taken in large quantities.

His study showed that CDLLME is an effective method for extracting copper at low concentrations and gives a precise and accurate measurement of copper at 90-93 percent recovery. It further concluded that tap water in the three sampling sites in barangay Agora are safe based on the guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Ken’s fellow awardee Melody Kimberly Pitoc, BS Chemical Engineering, studied the viability of Napier grass as an alternative source of bio-oil, syngas and char.

Her study, “Determination of Operating Parameters for the Fast Oxidative Pyrolysis of Napier Grass in a Fluidized Bed Reactor,” done with teammates Rashida Ryhanna Bantuas and Jill Carlotha Cajote under the guidance of Dr Ma Theresa Cabaraban and Engr Edwin Richard Ortiz, found that the low ash content, high volatile matter and low fixed carbon of Napier grass make it suitable for bio-oil production. Bio oil can be converted into biofuel, a substitute for petroleum.

With energy being an environmental concern, Mel wanted to explore a greener source of energy to help address the energy crisis felt especially in Mindanao. Her study previously won the in-house Renewable Energy Studies Award of the College of Engineering.

XU President Fr Bobby Yap SJ commended Ken and Mel for pursuing research topics that resonate with Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si.”

“I think if Pope Francis were here, he’d be proud of what you’re doing,” Fr Bobby told the two awardees who graduated cum laude in March 2016.

“Ensuring that the water the poor drinks is safe is an important concern, and looking for renewable sources of energy, such as Napier grass, is urgent and necessary,” he said.

“I was really glad to find out that these were the topics given recognition,” Fr Bobby added even as he stressed the need to do “research for service, for others and for the poor.”

BPI Foundation Executive Director Faye Corcuera assured BPI’s continued support for promising university students in their pursuit of research. She also encouraged Ken and Mel to continue on the path of scientific pursuit.

This year, the BPI DOST Science Awards honored 30 regional awardees from 11 universities across the country for achieving high levels of excellence in their specialized fields of science.

But beyond doing research for its own sake, Fr Bobby laid the emphasis on research that touches not just the mind but also the heart.

“We want our students to develop habits of the mind and habits of the heart,” he said.

These habits are summed up in three qualities: curiosity, having the desire to know; wonder, having a sense of wow and amazement; and reverence, giving praise to the Lord by being good stewards of His creation.

“When you see all these curious, amazing things, you have to take a leap of faith that, yes, these are gifts that come from Him,” he said. “These habits form a spirituality of research that leads to praise and reverence in serving our Lord.”

PAASCU re-accredits University programs

(XU Comm Office)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- The Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) re-accredited various Xavier University programs and units after all the survey visits conducted over the past two school years.

Both the Grade School (Macasandig campus) and Junior High School were granted re-accreditation for five years, valid until May 2021.

Arts & Sciences, Elementary & Secondary Education, Business Administration, Accountancy, Industrial Engineering and Electronics & Communications Engineering programs were also granted re-accreditation for three years each, valid until May 2019.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture program was granted re-accreditation for five years, valid until May 2020. XU's Nursing program got an initial accreditation for three years, valid until May 2018.

The Computer Studies program will undergo a consultancy visit within the year to determine its readiness for a formal survey.

“Our sincerest thanks to the academic vice president, vice president for basic education, principals, deans, chairpersons, faculty and staff of all the programs who prepared diligently for the survey visits. Our gratitude especially to the PAASCU Self-Survey Teams of the different programs,” said XU president Fr Roberto C Yap SJ in his message to the academic community.

“Thank you also to XU Quality Management Office director Sr Clare Cecila Salvani RA and staff for their assistance and support to all the programs which were surveyed.”

A premier quality assurance mechanism in our country, PAASCU is the oldest and the largest accrediting body initiated by the Jesuits in the late 1950s to measure the quality of education, instruction, students’ performances and social engagements, among other fields, in higher private educational institutions in the country.

“The PAASCU (re-)accreditation is an affirmation of the quality whole-person education we strive to provide as a Jesuit university, ad majorem Dei gloriam,” Yap added.

Materials for 722 houses, now ready

(ALR-CIO/PIA10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, May 23 – The 722 houses donated by the Japanese Government for the typhoon Sendong victims will soon be built since the first batch of the materials were recently delivered to the city.

Ramon Fernandez, chairman of the Shelter and Housing Development Multi-Sectoral Task Force of Cagayan de Oro City, says that there are already 19 containers for the first batch of materials on hand.

There are a total of 50 containers of materials that will be sent in order to build the 722 houses.

The project will be realized upon the approval of the City Council on the land purchase of the local government where the houses will be built.

Currently, the materials are temporarily stored in a vacant area of the Boys Town in Barangay Lumbia.

Federation of Free Workers’ groups train on Basic Leadership Skills

By Mary Joyce A. Harnaiz(MJAH/DOLE Western Misamis Oriental)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Western Misamis Oriental recently facilitated a training on “Basic Course on Leadership,” through its Workers Organization Development Program (WODP).

DOLE-10 Regional Director Raymundo G. Agravante believes on the benefits of the Workers Organization Development Program (WODP) as a facilitating mechanism in strengthening trade unions and other workers’ organizations.

“WODP provides opportunities for systemic learning and growth aiming at greater productivity, prosperity and welfare to the employers, workers’ organizations and its members and their dependents. Also, it provides educational opportunities to officers and members including their dependents for self-development, growth and be effective change agent in their organization and in their personal life,” Agravante said.

As reported by the head of DOLE Western Misamis Oriental, Ebba Acosta, the training-workshop benefitted four union groups affiliated with the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) with its 67 officers and members of the affiliated groups actively participated on the training workshop.

FFW Vice-President and Resource speaker, Julius Cainglet, presented the current issues on labor groups. “As union officers, your roles are very important, not just during the negotiation for your Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), but also on how you communicate with your fellow members on their functions in the union or that they should improve their work performance,” he said.

During the workshop, facilitated by WMO PFO staff, Mary Joyce Harnaiz, stressed to the participants on the importance on the development of listening skills, trust and enhance problem-solving ability.

“A leader should know his team members to become a great leader. One should know their skills, their strengths, and weaknesses. One must know the members, and the leader should be a role model, one who can follow the instruction, good communicator, flexible and patient,” Harnaiz said.

At the same time, FFW coordinator in the Region, Lorenzo Tongco, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the participants for the two-day event training. “We are very thankful for DOLE for giving us another opportunity to be granted with this WODP grant. This has been the second year that DOLE granted our request to four batches. We also commit to actively participate to DOLE programs,” Tongco added.

The training was held on on 14-15 April 2016 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Press Freedom Week in Oro kicks off

By Jigger J. Jerusalem (With reports from AS)

IN TIME for the commemoration of the 6th year and six months of the world’s deadliest attack on journalists in which 32 members of the press were massacred at Ampatuan town in Maguindanao on November 23, 2009, the Cagayan de Oro Press Club celebrates its 34th Press Freedom Week starting today, May 23.

The monthly commemoration of the Maguindanao massacre will also be held at the Press Freedom Monument at de Lara Park, provincial capitol grounds at 5 p.m.

Refresher courses for the city's media practitioners will highlight the annual Press Freedom Week celebration initiated by COPC, the country's oldest media organization.

The crash courses, slated on May 24-29, will kick off with "Journ 101," which focuses on the basics of journalism, May 24.

"Safe Ka Ba?" is all about media safety and security during coverage, May 25.

"Objection, Your Honor!" will orient journalists on the dynamics of parliamentary rules and procedures, May 26.

"Free Pa Kaha Ta?" will be a roundtable discussion on the future of press freedom under the Duterte administration, May 27.

"Pitikay" is a two-day photojournalism workshop to be facilitated by seasoned reporter and photojournalist Froilan Gallardo on May 28-29.

All the trainings will be held at the COPC board room except for the photowalk session of "Pitikay" which will have a different venue, depending on the discretion of its facilitator.

Msgr. Elmer Abacahin, COPC president, the courses are designed for the city's working journalists to share their expertise to their neophyte colleagues, as it will also be the best time for the more experienced reporters to review the fundamentals of journalism.

With the theme "Freedom of the Press and the Duterte Administration," Abacahin has urged all members of the press to be part of the activities the club has lined up.

"Let us experience press freedom with our co-practitioners and renew our relationship with," he said, adding that joining the celebration is one way of expressing one's solidarity with the rest of the local media community.

The weeklong media activity will start with a mass at St. Augustine Cathedral and the starting of the motorcade that will follow.

Apart from enhancing the skills of the media practitioners in the city, a ‘gamefest’ for basketball, badminton and chess will be held.

Fellowship among press people, media personalities and the various sources of news is set every night for the entire week.

Multi-million traffic program in Oro mulled

By Alwen Saliring

TASK Force Hapsay Dalan (TFHD) is mulling on implementing a new traffic scheme, dubbed initially as "Tsada Traffic", in Cagayan de Oro City just as soon as preparations are ironed out and funds are available.

Lawyer Jose Edgardo Uy, TFHD chairman, said the program aims to establish a more orderly and peaceful flow of traffic in the city.

"It's simply that nga tsada ang trapik, ultimately at par with those in Davao and Cebu. We will need time to do it but it's doable," Uy said.

Uy said he hopes the program would help instill road discipline and said the program includes installing more standard road signs and pavement markings as well as the deployment of more personnel and aggressive education program.

The task force is still sourcing the funds needed to make the program sustainable.

Uy said the program would need some P60 million for the engineering aspect alone.

About 200 additional personnel to manage the traffic and 20 more motorcycles with riding enforcers including night patrol units are also required to effectively implement the program.

"Probably next week we'll have the total figure. And whatever we can avail of this year's budget we will already implement," Uy said.

Uy said as part of the education aspect, the program would need public address systems and lectures for public school teachers in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd).

Uy challenged the motorists and pedestrians alike to take part in the implementation and follow what has been implemented to avoid penalties and other sanctions.

"Let's do our share as road users. A simple way of doing it is avoid parking at the travel lane and in prohibited areas. Self discipline among motorists will also help a lot," Uy said.

Juvenile justice body celebrates RA 9344 10th anniversary

By Recthie T. Paculba (RTP/PIA10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, May 20 (PIA) – With the theme, “RA 9344 Isang Dekadang Pag-asa (A Decade of Hope),” the Regional Juvenile Justice and Welfare Committee-10 kicks off the 10th Anniversary of the Enactment of Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 on May 20 with a motorcade and a short program at Kiosko Kagawasan in Cagayan de Oro City.

“Republic Act No. 9344 took 13 years to pass. This was legislated to fulfill its constitutional obligation to protect children, especially the poor Filipino children who have less in life and whose infractions are mostly theft; clearly they commit crimes as a desperate measure to survive,” Manuel Borres of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-10 (DSWD) said.

He however emphasized that the law does not allow children, 15 years old and below, who commit crimes to go ‘scot-free’ as it provides a different process to make these children accountable of their wrong doings.

“Criminal justice system can be harmful to children and likely lead them deeper into criminality jeopardizing their physical, social and psychological well-being and development,” Borres said.

Thus, he noted that the DSWD has been providing proper intervention and facilities for the rehabilitation of the children.

For her part, Rochelle Dagaraga of the Commission on Human Rights-10 (CHR) calls out to partner agencies to continuously monitor the condition of the children especially those who are in conflict with the law and protect their rights at all times.

Aside from the motorcade, the committee will also grace the Philippine Information Agency’s radio program, Lambo Dyes to further advocate the cause of the law on May 20.

CLENRO clears campaign materials on streets

By Samantha Kaye Carreos (SKS/PIA10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO, May 17 (PIA) – The City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO), here conducted on May 17 “Operation Baklas,” to clean up the campaign materials used during the 2016 national and local elections.

Volunteers gather at 6:00 a.m. in front of the Cagayan de Oro City Hall where the assigned areas for each team were identified.

The areas covered were Tiano Brothers St., Burgos St., Nazareth-Macasandig main road, Agora road, Gaabucayan St., Pimentel St., Lapasan-Cugman Highway, Puerto Highway, Macabalan-Puntod Road, Brgy. Carmen, Patag, Bulua, Iponan Highway, Canitoan-Pagatpat Road, Kauwasagan-Bonbon main road.

Operation Baklas aims to remove campaign materials such as posters, tarpaulins and stickers from private areas as mandated by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to avoid posting in public places.

CLENRO also encourages the people to make use of the materials through recycling to lessen the trash in the city.

The activity was participated by 150 volunteers from the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO), civil society groups, Carmen Barangay Council, Mangaycayay Association, Bombo Listeners Club, and CLENRO Personnel.

Listahanan data launching set

By Mitzie S. Santiago (MSS/RTP/PIA10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Department of Social Welfare and Development, through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTSPR) or Listahanan, will be officially launching the regional data result of the Second Round Assessment conducted last year.

Listahanan is an information management system that the government uses in identifying who and where the poor are nationwide.

It serves as a basis for data users in identifying potential beneficiaries of their programs.

Out of the 870,198 households assessed, 485,539 households have been identified as poor which allots for the 9.5% nationwide share of poor households identified.

Nationwide, NHTSPR or Listahanan have identified 5.1 million poor households out of the 15.1 million households assessed.

The Regional Launching will be conducted in June this year to present and share the results of the Second Round Assessment and database to various Listahanan data users.

Another objective of the launching is to encourage other organizations, agencies and stakeholders to utilize the Listahanan data in identifying the potential beneficiaries of their various social protection programs and services.

Local chief executives, planning officers, local social welfare and development officers, and representatives from national government agencies, non government organizations, academe and research institutions will be invited to witness the said Regional Launching.

The First Round Assessment was done in 2009 when 4.2 million households were enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program.

Aside from other national government agencies that utilized the Listahanan data in their programs, non government organizations have also used the data which includes some from the academe like the Safer River, Life Saver of Liceo de Cagayan University and civil society organizations.

DTI leads confab to empower women micro entrepreneurs in NorMin

By Joemides Daquio (JD/JMOR/PIA10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, May 17 (PIA) – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) region 10 gathered 115 women micro entrepreneurs from all over Northern Mindanao on 12-13 May in Cagayan de Oro City to conduct a two-day seminar workshop on Greening the Gender Responsive Value Chain Analysis, a project under Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in its Gender Responsive Economic Action for the Transformation of Women (GREAT Women Project).

According to Ma. Eliza A. Pabillore, provincial director of DTI Misamis Oriental, this activity aims to help women achieve inclusive development and economic empowerment.

She said that the project is funded by the Canadian Government focusing on creating an enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment at the national and local level.

Pabillore emphasized the importance of women as entrepreneurs in the economy.

She said that women have a great potential to become successful entrepreneurs. “Women, are very focused at the same time have the ability to take care of a lot of concerns, and we do a lot of multi-tasking,” she said.

Further, women play a very big role in the economy, providing additional income to their families, employment to the country and also giving rise to more enterprises in the country side. “There is a great potential of contributing to the Philippine economy and so the development of the country,” she said.

On the other hand, the seminar-workshop also included “greening” the environment.

She said they are trying to consolidate Greening in the entire value chain project, from the crude materials to the last item, because everything ought to be processed.

Further, the intention of the workshop is to come up with an action plan which would help women micro entrepreneurs to grow and at the same time incorporate the greening concern of the entire value chain. “Taking care of the environment is a responsibility also of an entrepreneur,” Pabillore said.

Meanwhile, Rhodelia Sojor, a women entrepreneur from Lanao del Norte who started managing their family business of fabricating machines for food processing since her husband slowed down few years ago, said that she attended the activity because she wanted to expand her business and go into the food industry since she is making equipment for food processing.

She said that she makes sure that her equipment sold in the market is gender sensitive wherein women will not have a hard time such as in cooking or mixing food. She has also learned the importance of greening where she will be more conscious of the chemicals she will use and its disposal.

Further, she said that in support to women, she hires women welders in her factory.

Malou Tumang, proprietor of Vita-C and president of the Food Processors of Northern Mindanao (FOPANORMIn) said that she gained much information upon attending the seminar such as government programs and projects to support micro entrepreneurs. She said the Food Innovation Center at the Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST) is a great venue for food entrepreneurs to package their products. Lastly, she said that an entrepreneur must believe in his/her product and must have the discipline to be successful in the business.

The activity was in collaboration with other government agencies such as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) region 10, Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Karapatan seeks military pullout

By Jigger J. Jerusalem (Inquirer Mindanao)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The human rights group Karapatan has expressed hope that presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte would act on the issue of peace and address the displacement of thousands of peasants and indigenous people due to the ongoing conflict between government troops and communist rebels in Mindanao.

Karapatan challenged Duterte to establish lasting peace in Mindanao starting with the abolition of Oplan Bayanihan and similar counterinsurgency measures initiated by the national government.

The solution to this problem that Duterte will inherit from the previous presidencies now rests in his hands, said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay.

She said resolution of the decades-long conflict in Mindanao would depend on Duterte’s sincerity in living up to his words, especially his promise to resume peace talks, Palabay said by phone over the weekend.

She said Duterte could take the long road to genuine peace by addressing the roots of the conflict over the negotiating table.

The group said peasants and “lumad” had been calling for the immediate pullout of military troops from their communities where the presence of soldiers had resulted in 318 killings and the forcible evacuation of thousands during the Aquino administration.

Karapatan also urged Duterte to release 543 political prisoners jailed on supposed false criminal charges.

Cash award to top 10 board examinees gets nod in city council

(PNA), LAP/CD

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PNA) -- The City Council here has finally approved the amount of reward money to top 10 board examinees who hail from this seaport capital of Northern Mindanao.

Vice Mayor Ceasar Ian Acenas said on Thursday that the local august body approved Ordinance No. 13064-2016 granting cash incentive award (CIA) to Top 10 government board, licensure and bar examinations here.

He said that the ordinance, approved during the regular session last Monday will extend CIA to graduates of courses that are less than four years in the following amount: 1st placers would get Php 10,000, 2nd placers, Php 7,000 and 3rd to 10th placers, Php 5,000.

For courses that are four to six years, the first 1st placers would receive Php 16,000, 2nd placers, Php 12,000 and 3rd and 10th placers, Php 8,000.

The CIA for postgraduate courses per individual would be Php 30,000 for the 1st placers, Php 25,000 for the 2nd placers and Php 20,000 for the 3rd placers.

Acenas said that the ordinance provides that in order to qualify, the recipient must be a resident of the city for a period of at least one year as certified by the barangay chairperson where he or she resides and a graduate of any college or university in Cagayan de Oro City.

Korean sister city wants more bilateral cooperation

By Pamela Jay F. Orias

THE city of Gwangyang of the Republic of Korea congratulated reelected Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno on Wednesday, May 11, and said that it anticipates further cooperation between the two cities.

In a letter signed by Gwangyang Mayor Jeong Hyunbok, the official said he believes the leadership and commitment of Moreno will create “an economical (sic), political, social and cultural environment that will encourage bilateral cooperation between the sister cities.”

“I believe that your leadership and commitment will make the people of Cagayan de Oro happy and comfortable,” Hyunbok said.

Hyunbok also likened Gwangyang, a city in the South Jeolla Province of South Korea, to Cagayan de Oro saying both are port cities and have a similar industrial structures.

“I am very glad that our two entities have promoted mutual understanding and friendship,” he said.

Gwangyang is home to a multinational steel-making company and the largest facility in the world.

“I anticipate that we will further boost bilateral cooperation in various fields, including the economy, culture and education, and pave the way for joint development,” Hyunbok said.

“I wish you and your region many blessings,” he added.

In October of 2012, then mayor of Gwangyang Lee Sung-Woong and Cagayan de Oro, still under the leadership of former City Mayor Vicente “Dongkoy” Emano, signed a ‘Friendship City Agreement.’

The agreement forges a sisterhood relationship between the two parties involved.

In the ceremonial signing, both cities gave each other gifts and token symbolizing the new relationship.

It can be recalled that Emano personally went to Gwangyang for a trade mission.

The city of Cagayan de Oro is also a sister city to Norfolk City of the United States of America, under the administration of then mayor Constantino Jaraula.

Shell to inaugurate CDO import terminal next month

(PNA), RMA/JLD

MANILA, May 13 (PNA) -- Shell Companies in the Philippines (SCIP) chairman Ed Chua said the company targets to inaugurate its Cagayan De Oro oil import terminal facility in June.

"Maybe we'll inaugurate (it) in June. It will be completed within the month," he told reporters in a chance interview.

Shell earlier said the project, which is called the North Mindanao Import Facility (NMIF), costs Php 6 billion.

The oil firm also noted the project will support the expected industrialization, urbanization and overall consumption growth in Visayas and Mindanao.

It will supply the fuel needs of residents, motorists and other end-users and consumers in Visayas and Mindanao.

The project is being built in partnership with the Philippine Ports Authority.

1st CDO Adult Exchange Program Group departs for Norfolk

By Mike Baños

A nine person delegation from Cagayan de Oro departs for the United States next week as the 1st group for the Cagayan de Oro-Norfolk City Adult Exchange Program.

Jennifer Priest, executive director, Norfolk Sister City Association (NSCA), said the purpose of the visit is to learn more about the public and private education systems of Norfolk City, Virginia. Particular emphasis will be placed on curriculum development and implementation of English and Mathematics.

Side group day trips include a tour of Williamsburg and a visit to Washington, D.C. that will highlight a stop at the Philippine Embassy headed by Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr.

The delegation is the initial step in the process that will lead to a summer exchange of high school students, Ms. Priest added.

“As a USAID pilot city, we need to get closer to the USA,” said Mayor Oscar S. Moreno. “Norfolk’s historical link to the Philippines, especially to Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental, is very strong. Both are coastal cities. Both are regional cities.”

The city’s chief executive sees an uptick in the cultural, tourism and educational exchanges between the sister cities following the conclusion of the 1st Adult Exchange Program.

The Cagayan de Oro delegation will be headed by Ms. Eileen E. San Juan, Local Economic Investment Promotion Officer with Local School Board Executive Director Ma. Dulce T. Potenciano and elementary and secondary school teachers and administrators Metzie P. Balandra, Suzette Caeline R. Maandig, Ramonette L. Olandesca, Ma. Isabel C. Salcedo, and Darlene D. Tulang.

“This is an offshoot of the Norfolk-Washington DC visit last November 2014 with city officials and businessmen headed by Mayor Moreno,” Ms. San Juan said. “ In fact, as a result also of that visit, we had a medical-dental mission headed by the Washington DC Filipino Nurses Association in February 2015 that held clinics and surgeries at the JR Borja Memorial Hospital.”

Joining the delegation as business delegates are Architect Ma. Linda E. Escaba and Rene Michael D. Baños, freelance writer and journalist. All delegates are shouldering their own travel expenses under the program.

The Norfolk Sister City Association was founded in 1976 and is a member of Sister Cities International, based in Washington D.C. The Association is a non-profit civic organization which coordinates the activities of Norfolk’s sister cities program. Its aims to foster international understanding, friendship and cooperation through people-to-people exchanges and long-term partnerships between Norfolk and its international sister cities.

The association aims to involve a broad spectrum of the community in citizen diplomacy and to be a catalyst for linking counterpart organizations in Norfolk with its sister cities to enable them to conduct exchanges of mutual interest.

“We strive to build global cooperation at the municipal level, promote cultural understanding and stimulate economic development,” said Cheryl Penat-McGarrigle, Chair for Cagayan de Oro City Committee, NSCA.

The Oro delegation arrives in Norfolk on May 14 and will be treated to a welcome reception at Jo Solinap’s residence. Accommodation for delegation participants will be provided by home stay with host families in Norfolk. NSCA Board members and families from St. Patrick’s Catholic School will serve as hosts.

This will be followed on May 16 by a visit to the Norfolk Public School Admin office & City of Norfolk Tour.

A salient point of the tour will be the group’s participation in the NSCA Young Global Citizens program at Rosemont Middle School on May 17. Here the delegates will interact with some 50 students to introduce the geography, culture and history of the Philippines and Cagayan de Oro, in particular through interactive games and other creative activities.

The delegation is also scheduled to meet with the Norfolk Economic Development Program office headed by Ms. Sandra Choi to discuss areas of economic cooperation including possible investments, Ms. San Juan added.

Local artists converge for ‘Art for Rice’

By Alyssa Michelle Viado (XU)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Dubbed 'Art for Rice,' artists and fans of art came together to echo the call for justice and unite for a cause.

Xavier University, through the Xavier Center for Culture and Arts (XCCA) and Department of English Language and Literature, and Nagkahiusang Magsusulat sa Cagayan de Oro (NAGMAC), together with Liceo de Cagayan University and Capitol University, organized the event in support of the more than 3,000 farmer-protesters in Kidapawan who, in late March, demanded government assistance in the wake of the effects of extreme dry spell, but were instead shot at and dispersed violently by the police.

When news of what had happened in Kidapawan struck, XCCA director Hobart Savior immediately called out to his friends in the art scene through a Facebook post for help in staging a series of benefit shows to raise funds for the victims. As soon as the post was made, interest from artists to lend a hand poured in.

About 200 local artists – poets, writers, dancers, musicians – joined forces to stage “Art for Rice” in behalf of the El Niño phenomenon victims not only in Kidapawan, but also in parts of North Cotabato and Maguindanao.

“Maganda ang social dimension ng art, it breaks insularity and barriers,” said Savior. “What happened tonight was a convergence of all the artists who come from different institutions and even those who came in their own personal capacities. We have Xavier University, Liceo de Cagayan University and Capitol University in one stage. And that is something.”

He said, “Art has a meaning, art has a form, and at the same time, has a function. The role of the arts and the artist is to facilitate change, facilitate development and at the same time, challenge the status quo.”

“It’s also important that artists move out of their own cocoons, and link and work with other artists because, if there are many of us, art becomes stronger; it will define our humanity,” the director said.

Musicians and singers delivered songs of hope. Interpretive dancers portrayed the horrors and struggles of the farmers, and the role of farming in the lives of our ancestors.

Poets recited pieces on the meaning of rice to us as Filipino, reminding audiences of how parents admonish their children not to leave a grain on their plates and to be grateful for having something to eat.

Bawat butil ng bigas na mailigpit ligaya rin kapag nagigipit.

The Art for Rice held at the Capitol University Gymnasium on May 6 served as the grand finale show of a series of smaller shows held at the XU Little Theatre from April 18 to 19.

The grand finale show was able to gather nearly P50, 000 and donations in kind from numerous organizations and individuals.

DOST intensifies technology innovation assistance to MSMEs

By Teresita Superioridad Baluyos (DOST10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- VJANDEP Pastel, Salay Handmade Paper, SLERS, Darling’s Food, Paras Machineries, Angel’s Log Pastries, Cakebook Pinasitas are only a few of the many micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in region 10 has extended its technology and innovation assistance to through the Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program or SETUP.

Since its inception in 2000, DOST Region 10 has assisted 169 MSMEs, with a total project cost of P161M. Every year, an increasing number of enterprises adopt new technologies and equipment under this program.

SETUP is DOST’s nationwide strategy encouraging and assisting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to adopt technological innovations to improve their products, services, operations and increase their productivity and competitiveness.

Further, it is a response to the public’s demand for improved access to technologies and breakthroughs developed by the different facilities of DOST.

The program focuses assistance on the following priority sectors: food processing, furniture, gifts/decors/handicrafts, agriculture/marin/aquacultur/forestry/livestock, metals and engineering, ICT, health and wellness products and services, halal products and services, and other regional priority products.

The technology intervention enables MSMEs to address their technical problems and improve productivity and efficiency through infusion of upgraded technologies to improve products/services and/or operations, human resource training, technical assistance and consultancy services, design of functional packages and labels, assistance in the establishment of product standards including testing, and database management system.

The following can apply for SETUP assistance: a company or individual firm based in the Philippines and wholly owned by Filipino citizens; a micro, small and medium scale business firm that can be classified under the identified priority sector; a company or individual firm willing to apply technological innovations to their existing products, services and/or operations; any government entity (including state colleges and universities), cooperative, civil society organization, and academic institutions operating business-like projects/activities (such as Common Service Facilities, Innovation/Incubation Centers) for entrepreneurs/graduates of entrepreneurship).

Proponents shall submit the following documents to the DOST regional office through the Provincial Science and Technology Center (PSTC): letter of intent to avail of the SETUP assistance, stating commitment to refund the cost of innovation system support and cover the insurance cost for acquired equipment; fully accomplished DOST TNA Form 1, “Application for Technology Needs Assessment”; proposal using SETUP Form 1 “SETUP Project Proposal Format”; copy of business permits and licenses issued by LGUs and other government offices.

For more details, please visit the nearest DOST Provincial Science and Technology Center or regional office in your area.

CDO opens new classroom building in Carmen National High School

By Mariel B. Limboc (MBL/RTP/PIA-10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) -- With the aim to provide comfortable and conducive for learning classrooms to students in Carmen National High School, the city government provided the school with a 21-classroom, 3-storey building on May 6.

City mayor Oscar S. Moreno led the ribbon cutting of the new building which is located at Macanhan, Cagayan de Oro city. Representatives from the local school board and the different departments of the city government, parents, students, and faculties were also present during the event.

According to city Engr. Ronaldo M. Pacuribot the three-storey building with a roof deck is somehow unique than the traditional school buildings as it has a comfort room for every classroom. He also assured that the materials used for the building is designed to withstand the integrity of all the buildings.

For his part, Moreno cited the importance of the revenue remittance to the city. He said that without such, different infrastructures and other projects for the people would have not been possible.

He stressed that with the completion of the project, the youth in Carmen "naa na'y kahigayunan to learn and to be educated properly and correctly (will have the chance to learn and to be educated properly),"

The mayor also announced that the city government has an on-going construction of educational infrastructures in other barangays like Bugo, Nazareth and Lumbia.

Afterwards, Moreno turned-over the symbolic stewardship to the faculty and students of Carmen National High School that was accepted open-handedly by the superintendent of Department of Education (DepEd), Dr. Reynaldo Manuel Jr.

“The challenge of DepEd now is to change the mental landscape of DepEd Cagayan de Oro," Manuel said as he also stressed that "beyond the needs of new classrooms is the need of the students to pursue their education."

The Supreme Student Government president of Carmen National High School, Christie M. Pagaran, expressed her sincere gratitude for their new building saying, “I hope, dear students, we will protect and keep this building away from pens and other coloring material and writing materials."

The 21-classroom building is just one of the 441 classrooms completed by the city government in just two years.

NEDA-X steers 1st COSERAM regional coordination meet

By Peleta B. Abejo (NEDA-X / APB/PIA-10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) --- The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA steered the first regional coordination meeting for stakeholders of the Conflict Sensitive Resource and Asset Management (COSERAM) program.

COSERAM is a German Development Cooperation program implemented by the GIZ in coordination with the NEDA, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), Local Government Units (LGUs), and civil society organizations.

“We are privileged that Region X is part of the expansion areas of the COSERAM program,” said NEDA-X Director and RDC-X Vice-Chair Leon M. Dacanay, Jr., said in his welcome remarks. He cited the importance of COSERAM in promoting sustainable management of land and natural resources with the participation of the marginalized groups.

The implementation of the program is also timely as the conflict-sensitivity lens shall be integrated into the successor regional development plan.

GIZ-COSERAM’s principal Advisor, Peter Hauschnik, briefed the participants on COSERAM citing that the program aims to ensure that governance of natural resources and assets is implemented in a peaceful and sustainable manner.

The program is especially to benefit the disadvantaged poor population/indigenous peoples affected by land-based resource conflicts and focuses on the following core processes: Peace-Building Needs in Development Planning; Conflict-Sensitive Land Use Planning and Resource Management; Titling and Natural Resource Management in Ancestral Domains; Access to Legal and Para-legal Services and Rights Awareness; and Management of Overlapping Protected Area and Ancestral Domains. These shall guide mandated bodies in addressing land use and land rights in a peaceful and sustainable manner, as well as, in ensuring an improved and lawful access of marginalized populations to natural resources.

There were also presentations on the following: Updates on the Initial Activities of the COSERAM Program in Region X; Situationer on Mt. Balatukan Range Natural Park (identified priority site for COSERAM in Region X); Peace and Security Situationer in the Mt. Balatukan Range Natural Park and Neighboring Areas; and NCIP, DILG, DENR and NEDA work programs highlighting cooperation with the GIZ-COSERAM.

The implementation structure of the COSERAM program is directly under the Regional Land Use Committee through the COSERAM-TWG which is composed of NEDA (as the Chair and Secretariat), NCIP, DILG, DENR, OPAPP, MinDA and concerned LGUs as core members.

The next steps which were presented by NEDA-X Assistant Director Mae Ester T. Guiamadel, include: a firming up of the work and financial plan (WFP) of concerned agencies (DILG, DENR, NCIP and NEDA; integration/harmonization of WFPs in consideration of the five core processes of COSERAM; submission of the consolidated WFP to GIZ-COSERAM; and approval of the consolidated WFP of Region X.

140 farmers equip on agri technology

(ACM-CIO/RTP/PIA10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – About 140 farmers in 11 barangays of Cagayan de Oro city participated in the Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Program through the City Agriculture and Productivity Office (APO) on May 3.

The program aims to develop the sources of income of the farmers with the support of SM Foundation, Department of Agriculture, Harbest Agribusiness Corp. and APO.

The farmers’ produce include watermelon, bitter gourd, white squash, string beans and eggplant.

The program was implemented on February 2 when farmers learned about technology transfer.

According to Dr. Hector San Juan, city agriculturist, the farmers undergone a one-month technology transfer seminar as well as planting of high value crops that commenced on May 3 including the harvest period of their produce.

San Juan also added that SM Food Group will purchase the farmers’ produce and such are sold at SM Supermarket, Hypermarket, Savemore and SM Malls.

Italpinas eyes Php1.4-B sales from CDO mixed-use project

By Leslie D. Venzon [(PNA), RMA/LDV]

MANILA, May 6 (PNA) -- Green energy property firm Italpinas Development Corp. (IDC) expects to generate Php1.4 billion from the sale of the phase 1 of Primavera City, a mixed-use development in Cagayan de Oro City.

The IDC on Friday signed a Php350-million loan agreement with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) to partially finance the construction of the project’s two-tower first phase costing Php572 million.

IDC Senior Vice President Harold Dacumos said the company would launch the two towers comprising the residential, commercial and office units on June 18, and will begin construction in July.

“We hope to sell out (all the units at the first phase in) two years. In fact, we are pre-selling now, we are just waiting for the license to sell,” he said in an interview.

Dacumos said the company hoped to start the construction of the project’s second phase on June 2018 after the completion of first phase. The development of the third phase will begin after 20 months.

He added total construction cost for the three phases is expected to reach Php1.8 billion.

“The last (fourth) phase is the high-rise condotel. Once the CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) height restriction limit is lifted in that area, it is designed as a 34-storey building,” he said.

Dacumos said the overall masterplan for the seven-building cluster comprising three twin towers and the high-rise condotel project, is planned to be completed in 2020.

DSWD-10 welcomes new partner in community development

By Jamila M. Taha (PIA10)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- To strengthen public private relations and widen support to community development, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 10 awards the Certificate of Accreditation to UNIFRUTTI Foundation Inc., after having satisfactorily complied with the qualification requirements of a legitimate civil society organization (CSO) pursuant to the joint resolution of the DSWD, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Commission on Audit (COA) entitled, “Guidelines for Accreditation of CSOs as Implementing Entities of Government or Public Funds.”

The accreditation covers the Livelihood and Community Development for Indigenous People for three years from issuance unless suspended or revoked prior to its expiration.

The UNIFRUTTI Foundation Inc. (UFI) is the corporate social responsibility arm of the Unifrutti Group Philippines, a Mindanao based conglomeration of agricultural operations prim banana, which started around the Davao Region in 1992, and gradually expanded into Bukidnon, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.

Unifrutti has the distinction of being able to operate in culturally sensitive areas (IP communities) as well as in conflict zones like Maguinanao and Lanao del Sur in ARMM, and in places outside of ARMM where the New Peoples Army (NPAs) are actively operating. The foundation also offers scholarship and livelihood programs and support environmental and peace related programs.

“UFI considers itself very privileged to be qualified by the DSWD as a legitimate civil society organization, as an implementing agency of government or public fund. It commits to wholeheartedly support the DSWD’s Livelihood and Community Development for Indigenous People,” says Eduardo Bullecer, president and director of UFI.

CDO city workers to receive one month mid-year bonus

(PNA), FFC/CD/LAKAMBINI DIAZ

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, May 4 (PNA) -– About 3,000 city hall employees will receive a one month mid-year bonus here, Vice Mayor Ceasar Ian Acenas announced Wednesday.

Acenas said that the local august body has already approved in second and final reading Ordinance No. 13066-2016, which grants the mid-year bonus.

He said that the ordinance also appropriates PHP48,297,463 from the item CY 2015 Surplus of various offices to be made available for the purpose, subject to accounting and auditing regulations.

The mid-year bonus is equivalent to one month basic salary rate for all salaried city officials and employees of the city government of Cagayan de Oro.

City Councilor President D. Elipe, chair of the committee on finance and ways and means, said that the ordinance was pursuant to Executive Order No. 201 approved by President Aquino on February 9, 2016 and implemented under Local Budget Circular No. 108 dated February 24, 2016 by the Department of Budget and Management.

The Executive Order provides that a mid-year bonus equivalent to one month basic salary as of May 15, shall be granted to those who have rendered at least four months of satisfactory service and are still in the service as of the same date, to be given not earlier than May 15 of every year.

The mid-year bonus is in addition to the Standard Allowances and Benefits under the Total Compensation Framework embodied in Congress Joint Resolution No. 4.

211 hired-on-the-spot in Oro Labor Day fair

By PJ Orias

SOME 211 jobseekers were hired-on-the-spot during the May 1 job openings at SM Event Center for the Labor Day Celebration, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) in Northern Mindanao bared.

This year's number of hired applicants, however, were lower compared to the 387 in 2015.

For local employment, 188 were hired-on-the spot while only 23 were hired for overseas work posting but last year, 339 individuals were hired for local jobs and 48 were employed for overseas jobs.

A total of 1,209 applicants attended the mega job fair which offered over 9,000 job vacancies for local and abroad work.

The data also show that 827 registered for local jobs while 382 applied for the overseas work.

Also, about 566 'near-hire applicants' or applicants waiting for further interview were recorded by Dole-Northern Mindanao.

The country’s labor agency said near-hire applicants were almost hired immediately except that they lack required documents.

Top job offers include customer service representatives with 700 vacancies, factory workers with 600 vacant positions, welder with 200 vacancies, business transcribers with 80 job vacancies.

Other job positions also available like service crew (50 vacancies), bus conductor (50), tour attendant (50), bus driver (50), collection officer (40), and accounting assistant (40).

In 2015, the total persons who were hired-on-the-spot were 387, higher than this year's 211.

Meanwhile, Dole-Northern Mindanao technical director Atheneus Vasallo shared that underemployment in the region has significantly decreased from 28.1 percent in 2015 to 24.9 percent this year.

"Pasabot ingani daghan na sa atong ga emloyees nga secured sa ilang mga trabaho," Vasallo said.

While the underemployment rate improved, employment rate in Northern Mindanao however went down from 94.8 percent last year to 94.6 percent so far this year.

Vasallo pointed out that El Niño phenomenon as well as the K to 12 implementation in the country are among the reasons why employment rate in the region decreased.

"We know that NorMin is an agricultural land, pasabot daghan employed nga farmers or kanang gitawag nato nga seasonal jobs. But temporary raman ning El Niño but we admit contributing factor gayud siya pa-decrease," Vasallo said.

The K to 12 curriculum implementation also affected the decrease because school years have been extended.

"Pasabot pud ani ang employable age nga 18, dili na mao. Ang 18 karon, naa pa sa eskwelahan, dili pa maka-trabaho," he added.

DOST introduces online shop, MSME products on your doorstep

By Teresita Superioridad Baluyos (tsuperioridad.dost@yahoo.com)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, May 2 -- Want to buy Vjandep pastel? Or order Slers chicharon? Or Darling’s ham? Visit www.oneStore.ph and you will see the various products of Department of Science and Technology (DOST) - assisted micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

This is made possible through another initiative from DOST dubbed as oneStore.

oneStore is a digital marketing that incorporates e-commerce in the operations of MSMES, a strategy which helps business enterprises to widen the scope of their market, and increase their business opportunities.

There are thousands of MSMEs in the Philippines assisted by DOST through its Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP). These MSMEs contribute to increase in income and employment in the country.

In Region 10, there are 169 MSMEs assisted through SETUP by DOST since its inception in 2000 with a total project cost of about 161M. These include the Vjandep Pastel, SLERS Meat Products, Darling Meat Products and many more. A number of SETUP proposals are being evaluated and, in 2016, 33 MSMEs-SETUP partners are added.

The traditional way of buying and selling goods is time-consuming, uses debit/credit card payment and point-of-sale (POS), and energy-consuming. With the oneStore, delivery is door-to-door, payments are online, products can be easily accessed anytime, anywhere.

This means reduced travel costs, cost of materials, marketing and distribution and trade; wider/global market reach; improved image and brand awareness and customer service; increased market awareness, continuous trading; interactive and environment-friendly.

With oneStore, travel costs are reduced as it uses a mobile phone, email and other ICTs to substitute for travels. It is also leads to more supply management and it eliminates the need for middlemen thus, redound to lower transaction costs, reduced overhead, inventory and labor costs.

It also improves customer service by providing more responsive order-taking and after-sales service to customers using live chat and email which can result to increased customer loyalty.

Another benefit of the oneStore is increased market awareness as MSMEs can become more aware of the competition and changes in the market, thus, MSMEs are on their toes to always go for product/service innovation or quality improvement.

Sellers and customers can assess 24/7 sales service, a convenient way when trading globally.

There are now about 2,000 products in the website, and 10,000 products are targeted to be uploaded this year.

DOST Region 10 has uploaded about 252 MSME products and targets to upload 350 before the year ends.

To access the oneStore, go to this website: www.oneStore.ph or its FB, DOST Onestoret.ph and browse through the uploaded products.

The persistence of poetry in Cagayan de Oro City

By Alyssa Michelle R Viado (Rappler.com)

When Vel Marie Santillan started CDO Poetry Night, she only expected a few people to participate. Now, it's almost an institution for literature enthusiasts, and the number of attendees keeps rising.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – Through the busy streets of Cagayan de Oro City, souls sought refuge in a tea house. It was there that they joined other souls either weary from the day’s work or simply lost.

Just then, someone appeared on the tiny stage with a bright smile. She was visibly excited as she greeted the audience on Saturday night, April 23. CDO Poetry Night was about to begin.

News about the event swept through social media, and soon, in whispers among friends and colleagues. People from all walks of life came pouring in, packing the tea shop.

It has been two long years, and CDO Poetry Night has been making quite a name for itself in the literary scene of the city.

When it started as an idea and a simple Facebook post, Vel Marie “Mai” Santillan did not expect it would gain traction, much less get a positive reception among the youth from her area.

It was the second time that CDO Poetry Night was held at Chingkeetea house, and it still surprised Santillan that the number of people keeps on rising.

“I really thought that only a few people would appreciate (poetry),” said Santillan. “But I think because a lot of people are interested in the arts, in poetry particularly, although some in secret, and then CDO Poetry Night happened. And then they just came out!”

“In a way, it became a venue for like-minded people to come together and celebrate poetry,” added Santillan, a poet herself.

The Nagkahiusang Mambabalak sa Cagayan de Oro (NAGMAC), of which she is the founder and chairperson, has organized the event with Santillan. It recently conducted the first-ever CDO Writers Workshop.

Ephemeral feelings

With the theme, "Ephemeral," Santillan explained: “We’ve all gone through this experience where someone leaves, or the place we grew up in changes. In a way, this (event) is to synthesize, to process that experience of letting go and accepting that not everything stays forever. We, as human beings, ourselves are ephemeral in this world.”

Despite the humid heat in the venue, and the space becoming increasingly cramped, many people stayed till the end of poetry night. The audience’s eyes were glued to the tiny stage whenever a poet stepped up, as if to fill their yearning.

Earlier poems already struck everyone, including “Rate Your Pain from 1-10” by Christian Baldomero leaving everyone to ache in sweet pain, whether they already knew how it felt to be left behind, or they were able to relate to the poet’s loss.

And then you said it, “You were not ready.” How the fuck can you not be ready? It was years; we were together for five fucking years! A week after that, I saw you with him. “You're not ready,” you said. “Please rate your pain from one to ten,” the nurse asked again. I said, “What’s after ten?”

Poems, some untitled, seemed to have ignited – or re-ignited – those past memories that left everyone in bliss.

Hazel Aspera’s excerpt of her short story entitled, “The Ghosts We Hear” haunted everyone; it was about what they didn’t know about Maguindanao before the massacre in 2009. The unheard-of story left everyone speechless, as if reliving her experience, as if sympathizing with her.

"Fifty-eight white markers stuck the virtually dry earth in a small space where the bodies were found, has been etched in my mind. Nobody deserves to die like this."

"Just a week after the massacre, news started to leak out that the prime suspect had begun sleeping on a bench because he was afraid of ghosts. I wonder if those were the same ghosts we still hear at Masalay, and I wonder if they haven’t forgotten either."

Soon afterwards, a series poems with themes of heartache, patriotism, bittersweetness, frustration, and maybes slipped from the poet’s mouths, touching the audience, something they’ll remember even for a while.

A word from the wise

Dr Anthony Tan, a Palanca Awardee, chanced upon a Facebook post on event, the. The theme immediately piqued his interest. He had a lecture at Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan before he was to poetry night.

Dr Tan was supposed to read his works, but said his poetry might not be suited to the crowd. When asked for his genre, he said, “My poems are like timbre music that needs to be in a quiet room and will therefore, not make sense to them.”

He was ecstatic at the idea of holding a poetry night. He was pleased that a majority of the participants and audience members are young people.

“It’s good making people come and do something artistic like this instead of the usual things. This is more meaningful since it has to do with art and literature,” Tan added.

April is National Literature Month

Bisaya poems catch one's attention because of its humor or its erotic nature, or both. Still, they captivated just about everyone.

Although ludicrous, with repeated themes that needed much censorship, the audience just couldn't get enough of the pieces. In a way, everyone just seemed to connect more when poets shift to the native tongue.

Poems like “Unhan Nalang Taka” by Arvin Narvaza, “Sinaluang Bunga” by Gari Jamero and “Move On: Hugot Bisa’g Lu’ag Pa” by Shen Linohon, entertained many despite their crass theme. Another is Alton Dapanas’ flash fiction, "Balak ni Parlorista kay Dong."

Mai Santillan’s “Passing and Aggressive,” was a short poem that carried deep hugot of leaving. Santillan’s two other poems – “Unsaon Panguha sa Iring na Laaw” and “Nibalik ang Iring” – which were about her cats, shared the same meaning, too, although in a symbolic way.

Linohon’s “Paras na Dila” and Alexie Colipano’s “Dumi sa Mata” were poems dedicated to the farmers of Kidapawan, questioning the government and condemning social injustice.

Dapanas said what makes Bisaya poems work so well is because “[Bisaya] is the language that we think.”

Tan also praised poets who recited in Bisaya, even sharing a tip to writers on how to make a poem work.

“Write in a language of your own native language – may it be Lumad, Cebuano, among others. And it works because people are responding to them easily! Wherein in English, it’s like a firewall, taking people quite some time to process the words,” Tan said.

April is National Literature Month. Coincidentally, CDO Poetry Night: Ephemeral fell on the 400th death anniversary of the one of the world’s greatest English writers, William Shakespeare.

Fleeting as it may be, souls who were present at the event pondered a worthwhile experience of letting go and rising again, so much that their hearts must have found an ephemeral space to breathe in and out, and reflect.

In the time of hugot and new media, in Cagayan de Oro, “The City of Golden Friendship,” poetry remains vital; it strives. Poetry is yet to cease in the hearts of many.

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