By Prix Digna D. Banzon

MADAUM, Davao del Norte, May 17 (PNA) -– A newly-opened 760-hectare Hijo Estate Resorts, a mix-use tourist development along the Davao Gulf in Madaum, is now open to the public.

In the 60s, the Hijo Estate Resorts was an agricultural farm and popularly known as the Hijo Plantation. It was the first banana plantation that made its first shipment of cavendish bananas to Japan on May 21, 1969.

Hijo Resources Corporation president and chief executive officer Rosanna Tuason-Fores said with the rich natural resources inside the estate, it would be best to share it with the people.

Situated at the center of the Davao Gulf, she said one can absorb the natural landscape and the purity of nature.

“Absorb Hijo with its rich resources, release yourself and take in the beauty,” she said in a briefing with members of media from the cities of Davao and Tagum.

The Resort is part of a master plan of the Hijo Estate Tourism Development where it has an investment of P250 million for the infrastructure and land value combined.

Fores said the development is continuing and will do it by phases even as talks are ongoing with an international partner for converting the existing wharf to an international port making it an agricultural gateway in Mindanao.

The Hijo township project is composed of several components from resort, residential, international port, commercial and mix use development.

Although she did not disclose the identity of the partner, she said they intend to start ground works within the year.

“We wanted to help small farmers market their produce direct to the international buyer by accessing the port even as she stressed that while they partner with a foreign company, still we set the bar,” she said.

Within the estate also is a 120 hectares land classified as Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), while some 100 hectares will be for residential villas with 1,000- sq.m. per area for prospective owners.

Meanwhile, Fores said with the opening of the Hijo Estate Resorts to the public, they noticed that people also look for quality leisure resort.

She noted that with tourism as the third or fourth biggest industry in the Philippines, this new tourist landmark (Hijo Estare Resorts) is an addition in the country.

She said the resort includes Banana Beach, the world’s only beach inside a banana plantation, and Lanikai Heritage House, the original plantation home that is now open to the public.

Both Banana Beach and Lanikai offer resort accommodation and world-class swimming pools designed to cater to individuals who wish to indulge in seaside luxury. It also features the Spot, a private fishing spot stocked with talakitok, bangus, and, once in a while, a barracuda.

Among the tours offered within the property includes a unique twilight safari that lets visitors witness wild boars roaming around at dusk. It also has the daytime forest tour, a river cruise, and an orchard tour that allows visitors to pluck fruits straight from the trees (depending on the season).

The Hijo Estate Resorts is the only company that offers banana plantation tours that showcase how bananas are propagated, raised, harvested and packed for export to markets all over the world.

The resort had its soft opening last year and since then traffic kept on increasing both for domestic and foreign tourists. It recorded some 1,600 tourists in April 2012. (PNA)
lgi/PDDB/ldp

President Benigno S. Aquino III disclosed on Monday that talks between the Philippines and China over the Scarborough Shoal controversy continues and in fact nearing a positive outcome.

The President was in Davao City on Monday and in a press conference he said the talks are ongoing contrary to speculations that it bogged down. 

 “It’s too early to say that the situation is clear but it is nearing positive outcome,” he said.

Aquino graced the People’s Organizations (POs) Congress in line with DA’s Mindanao Rural Development Progam (MRDP) at the Grand Regal Hotel here.

On the call of Mindanao banana growers for President Aquino to act on the recent stringent policies of China on banana, the President has directed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to spearhead the identification of other potential markets for banana in the wake of the stringent quarantine requirements recently imposed by China.

Aquino said although he has instructed DA to assist banana exporters on the compliance of China’s requirements, he however said that it’s high time for the banana sector to look for other potential markets and not be chained on one foreign market.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala informed the media that a team from the Philippines will be sent to China this week to look into the mandated requirements, and the Philippine government has also invited Chinese delegates to come to the Philippines to look into the government’s protocol on banana exports.

The stringent requirements imposed by China came following the Scarborough Shoal controversy.

President Benigno S. Aquino III disclosed on Monday that talks between the Philippines and China over the Scarborough Shoal controversy continues and in fact nearing a positive outcome.

The President was in Davao City on Monday and in a press conference he said the talks are ongoing contrary to speculations that it bogged down. 

 “It’s too early to say that the situation is clear but it is nearing positive outcome,” he said.

Aquino graced the People’s Organizations (POs) Congress in line with DA’s Mindanao Rural Development Progam (MRDP) at the Grand Regal Hotel here.

On the call of Mindanao banana growers for President Aquino to act on the recent stringent policies of China on banana, the President has directed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to spearhead the identification of other potential markets for banana in the wake of the stringent quarantine requirements recently imposed by China.

Aquino said although he has instructed DA to assist banana exporters on the compliance of China’s requirements, he however said that it’s high time for the banana sector to look for other potential markets and not be chained on one foreign market.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala informed the media that a team from the Philippines will be sent to China this week to look into the mandated requirements, and the Philippine government has also invited Chinese delegates to come to the Philippines to look into the government’s protocol on banana exports.

The stringent requirements imposed by China came following the Scarborough Shoal controversy.

DAVAO CITY, April 26 (PNA) — The Department of Labor andEmployment (DOLE) here said there is still a problem of graduates not being able to meet the requirements of the industry in the Davao Region.

DOLE Davao officer-in-charge of the technical support services Allan Baban pointed out the existing problem of mismatch of graduates’ skills to the requirement of the industry as they may be hired but not on the field that they graduated.

He said the concern on skills mismatch will be discussed thoroughly in a National Career Congress in May that will be held in Manila for government, private sector, academe and industry to look at.

But the two young students from Davao are the exception because they were offered jobs even before their graduation last March and April.

The cousins, as DOLE called it, fall under RTH or “Ready To Hire” graduates.

Jose Banzon III, 21, finished computer engineering last March and hired for his first job as software engineer in a company in Global City at McKinley Hills in Taguig with headquarters based in Connecticut, USA while Renel Jose, 23, graduated in April for a course on mining engineering and hired in an Australian-Filipino mining firm in Masbate.

The two were sent by their parents in Manila on separate schools to study on the field of their choice, stayed in separate dormitories and were on their own.

“Hard work, dedication, commitment and discipline” were shared by the cousins when asked what made them succeed in completing their education.

Jose III said it is important that one must study well and understand with comprehension what is being taught in school as he gave credit to his rigid training in the university and exposure to companies and his internship in foreign school at Chung Chou University of Science and Technology in Taiwan where he studied and earned the Single Chip Ability Certification.

He was also given the chance to work as teaching assistant while there for Summer of 2011. A Blue Knight in Davao from kindergarten to college, he graduated at the Ateneo de Manila University of the course he wished even when he was a kid.

Renel, a Philippine Science High School graduate here, also had his internship in the firm that hired him. He said his on-the-job training was an opportunity for him to show the company his ability and capacity as well as learned from them techniques and skills.

“It was maybe because of my performance that they called me back and asked me to report immediately,” he said. He completed his course at the University of the Philippines in Dilliman.

Baban said not many are given such opportunity and the cousins were grateful for all the support as both proudly said they now belong to the newly hired Filipinos and become part of the country’s employed labor force.

Both are happy and confident having jobs that fits well on the qualifications that they possess.

Meanwhile, he said jobs in call center are still in demand as this does not require specific field.

There is still a slim percentage for RTH vis-a-vis the number of graduates, he said.

On the other hand, he said on Labor Day come May 1st over 12,000 vacancies both local and abroad will be offered to job seekers in Davao Region.

Two jobs fair events will be held on that day where over 7,000 available jobs will be accessed at SM City Davao Entertainment Area and another over 4,000 vacancies at the Atrium of Gaisano Mall.

Baban said the vacancies come from 88 local and overseas employers who will be joining the jobs fair offering positions for local employment as call center agents, office workers, factory workers and skilled workers such as engineers while overseas employers need domestic helpers, construction workers, skilled engineers and nurses.

He said their projection for HOTS (Hired On The Spot) is between 15 to 20 percent.

Also participating during the jobs fair are government agencies namely Social Security System, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG Fund, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and National Statistics Office (NSO). PDDB

Mindanao banana farmers seek gov’t help on banana export to China
By Prix Digna D. Banzon

DAVAO CITY, May 11 (PNA) — The banana farm growers in Mindanao are asking the government to help and look at policies of banana export to China.

According to Jimmy Estemada, technical consultant of the Federation of Davao Cooperatives (FeDCo), the biggest banana growers group in Mindanao, this came about when their banana exports were put on hold in China ports starting March this year when China laid down some stringent phytosanitary policies on the shipment of bananas to their market.

As of May 10, this year, he said there were approximately 1,500 containers at major ports in China that have been held due to the newly implemented procedure by China Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) requiring inspection of every container that comes from the Philippines.

Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) president Stephen Antig said they are also talking with the Secretaries of Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on the matter.

He stressed that they expect President Aquino to come up with quick response due to the fact that they are losing by the millions in one week.

He said they are crafting a position paper that they will submit to President Benigno Aquino III.

Based on data presented by Antig to the Davao media, he said they recorded about P174 million losses per week.

Antig said they consider China as a niche market where they started trading years back.

Figures in 2011 showed that of the 158 million boxes that were shipped to foreign markets, 24 million were delivered to the China market.

He said they are targetting 10 percent increase of their delivery this year or some 27 million boxes.

Antig said China started buying Class B bananas and lately shifted to Class A quality.

He said they do not want to think that the recent development at the Scarborough Shoal has something to do with the issue.

“But we feel we are being bullied by them”.

Meanwhile, Estemada said at the China ports there are not enough plug-in facilities where they could store the vans.

“The inspection is not random but all the boxes will be checked,” he said.

He said as of press time no result has been given them and if it will not pass their (China) qualifications, it will also be a problem as they would incur cost when the product will be shipped back to its point of origin or when it will be destroyed and the cost is big.

He said China requires that packing plants must also meet some standards with deadline for compliance next month. There are about 300 packing plants around Mindanao that need to be rehabilitated and their estimated cost for upgrading the plant is about P500,000 per plant.

He said if they want to enter the China market, they have no choice but to comply with China’s standards. (PNA)
DCT/DDB/ldp

Davao City council committee head on environment Councilor Marissa Abella said residents must segregate garbage from where it emanates, that is from their respective homes.

The residents must already classify their garbage so collection will be systematic, otherwise when sanctions will be imposed they will be spared of the inconvenience.

Abella said they will be strict this time on the city’s garbage problem, noting that the volume will continue to increase if the residents will not cooperate.

The barangay leaders must be active on this even as she said that they must play a major role as they will strengthen the information, education and communication advocacy of proper waste disposal.

City Agriculturist Officer Leonardo Avila III said towards the end of 2009, volume of garbage in Davao City was at 700 tons per day.

He said every Dabawenyo generates about half a kilo of garbage per day.

He also said that if Davao City residents would practice proper waste segregation, the use of the sanitary landfill be will be extended to another 10 years.

The P261-million sanitary landfill built on a 3.8- hectare site has component cell areas where garbage is stored and processed, he said.

He said to make it possible, all the barangays down to households should become fully responsible on managing their solid wastes through segregation. (PNA) scs/Digna D. Banzon

SM City has set a Waste Market Day (WMD) every first Saturday of each month and this December it will be on December 5 where accredited buyers of waste materials will set up a buying booth at the mall’s parking lot to receive the items from the public.  This has already been institutionalize and Dabawenyos bring to the WMD their recyclable items.

Meanwhile both organizers have intensified their campaign on environmental protection and this time they encourage the ICT sector to help address the proper disposal of eWaste.

The IT which is considered among the major pollutants are encouraged to help in reducing power consumption as this sector relies so much on electricity.

Part of their advocacy is to encourage the use of energy-saving computers and they are also campaigning especially to internet cafes to start phasing out Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) or the big monitors. This, as most of the parts when not properly disposed, are major pollutants to the environment.

The public is encouraged to use computers or laptops with low energy consumption and remind the public to shut off these units when not in use.

The internet cafes are among heavy users of power with the kind of units they install in their establishments.

On the average, they use at least 400 CRTs and you could just imagine if these things are not properly handled will pause danger to the environment.

Waste materials from computers, laptops and other electronic device are collected and assessed for recycling at the WMD. Those parts that could no longer be used will be properly disposed.

The advocacies are simple ways of protecting the environment and by doing so it could help save on energy.

Talks are ongoing with other sectors in the community for them to come up with similar activities so more people could be reached for them to dispose of their eWaste during organized activities like Waste Market Day.

SM City Davao and Nokia Philippines have also carried out a program of waste disposal for defective cellphones and batteries where a booth is stationed in the mall for this purpose

DCCCII consultant for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) committee Andrei Fournier said the technology center will be set up at the DCCCII office along J.P. Laurel where IBM Philippines is donating software worth P1.4 million, while ICT Davao will also be donating three desktop personal computers.

The center could also be used by those who want to develop programs for SMEs for free as most of the basic problem of SMEs is the non-availability of software application and with the center they could develop the appropriate software for their business.

With IBM Philippines starting to move outside of Metro Manila, it has expanded to Davao City lately and their involvement in the project is a welcome development. The technology center will also be launched on November 26.

has launched its cyberzone with Philcom as its wi-fi provider.

SM regional manager for Mindanao Debby A. Go, who led the switch on ceremonies for the mall’s wifi access on October 31, 2009 said the move was to provide people in Mindanao with free access to internet.

“It will be SM’s greatest feature as it launched its free access wi-fi zone anywhere inside the mall. SM mall in Cagayan de Oro City is also a wi-fi zone,” Go said.

SM City Davao was SM’s 24th mall which provides free access to internet.

Joanne A. Abrogar, SM Supermall cyberzone operations manager, said five more malls will be equipped with wi-fi access before end of 2009.

She said by the first quarter of 2010, all SM’s 36 malls around the country would have internet access, one of the value-added services within SM malls with Philcom as their wifi provider.

Meanwhile, Jennifer D. Silan, head of Philcom Sales and Marketing, said that with six megabyte per second, the wi-fi access at SM could allow 1,500 users simultaneously.

Both Abrogar and Silan said they carefully studied the access, including the ban on restricted sites while people access the connection within SM.

Abrogar said that as part of SM’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) it paid particular attention of banning strictly restricted sites.

She said SM had set up a monitoring system even as she encouraged the public to report to SM management any suspicious sites being used.

She said this was a free access and they encouraged the cooperation of everyone in order to maintain continuous connectivity.

Bert Barriga, vice president of Davao Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Council said that the move of SM to align with ICT sector was a milestone and with that in itself was a manifestation that SM was the key to push for community development.

He said with a bandwidth that runs faster, this is already an advantage and we need to capitalize on this by using it to good use.

He said this was also an opportune time as Davao was now a global player, considering that many business process outsourcing companies eyed the city as expansion area.

Part of the launch activity was a photo blogging seminar workshop by Davao’s first female web designer and free lance journalist Jojie Alcantara.

Alcantara said visuals were important in any website but with everybody now into blogging, it was also important that bloggers know some journalism ethics.

“Other than sharing with the participants techniques on photo blogging it is best for them to know that there are ethics to follow because ethics in the formal media also applies in the internet,” she said.

She said this is part of my advocacy to let people understand and learn some media ethics.

Russel D. Alaba, group brand manager for SM Visayas and Mindanao and brand manager Jay J. Mandulara also graced the cyberzone launching.