between the old and new year

bring out the old, bring in the new
a midnight wish to share with you
your lips are warm, my head is light
were we in love before tonight?

i don't need a crowded ballroom
everything i want is here
if you're with me
next year will be the perfect year

before we play some dangerous game
before we fan some harmless flame
we have to ask if this is wise
and if the game is worth the prize
with this wine and with this music
how can anything be clear?
let's wait and see
it may just be the perfect year

it's new year's eve, and hopes are high
dance one year in, kiss one good-bye
another chance, another start
so many dreams to tease the heart

we don't need a crowded ballroom
everything we want is here
and face to face
we will embrace the perfect year

we don't need a crowded ballroom
everything we want is here
and face to face
we will embrace the perfect year

- The Perfect Year from Sunset Boulevard

x marks the holiday

I've been reading up on people complaining about the removal of Jesus Christ from Christmas and calling the holiday Xmas instead. One woman at the Farm Town market was even huffing and puffing about it and was calling expletives at other players who disagree with her.

Oh that's my world now, in the interactive scenes of an online game.

But back to that letter of the alphabet. The family has a friend named Christopher, and his nickname is actually X. I originally thought this was hip and catchy, since yes, Christmas at times is Xmas to some.

With this divide on the shortening of the Christmas word these days, especially to accommodate cellular phone messages and cool holiday cards, About.com has this to say:

Question: Why Is There an X in Xmas? Some Christians complain that the abbreviation Xmas for Christmas is part of a move to secularize the holiday, to take the Christ out of Christmas, but this isn't really justified.

Answer: It is said that when the Emperor Constantine had his great vision that caused him to convert to Christianity, he saw the Greek letters Chi and Rho intertwined. Chi is written as an 'X' and Rho is written as a 'P', but they are the first two letters of the Greek word Christ 'savior'. 'XP' is sometimes used to stand for Christ. Sometimes X is used alone. This is the case in the Chi (X) abbreviation for Christ in Xmas. Thus, Xmas is not directly a way of secularizing the holiday, but since 'X' is not Chi in English, we read the word as X-mas and see no connection with Christ.

Now that is a relief to know.

Why is there an X in Xmas?

witnessing a cousin's wedding

Photo courtesy of Mike Mendoza

what's in the ipod shuffle?

Here's what I have.

Videos:
Father of the Bride 1
Father of the Bride 2
Gladiator
Roman Holiday
Sleepless in Seattle
The Proposal

Albums:
Barbra Streisand's Back to Broadway
VST and Company's Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko
Bic Runga's Beautiful Collision
Bic Runga's Birds
Bic Runga's Drive
Craig David's Slicker Than Your Average
Craig David's The Story Goes
Fr. Arnel dC Aquino's Lauds I
Fr. Arnel dC Aquino's Lauds II
Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D.
Celtic Woman's Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman's A New Journey
Daughtry's Daughtry
The Pussycat Dolls' Doll Domination 2.0
Pet Shop Boys' Greatest Hits 2
Lifehouse's Lifehouse
Lifehouse's Stanley Climbfall
Lifehouse's No Name Face
Lifehouse's Who We Are
Marek Lutonsky's ML
Boys II Men's Motown Hitsville USA
Igor Krutoi's Without Words

What about yours?

pursuing prakarsa

Malasag Hill, Cagayan de Oro City

September 19 2010
Photography by Mike Mendoza

training the trainers

The LINC-EG Project continued its involvement in the streamlining the business and permitting and licensing (BPLS) program of the Departments of Trade and Industry (DTI) and of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) by providing technical and material support to the training of trainers (TOT) Workshop for DILG and DTI personnel in Mindanao held in Cagayan de Oro City last August 16 to 18, 2010.

The program seeks to reduce the cost and shorten the processing time of getting local business permits and licenses to encourage more investment in local communities nationwide.

The 38 DTI and DILG personnel trained during the 3-day TOT workshop will guide the personnel of local government units (LGUs) in Northern Mindanao establish streamlined business permitting and licensing systems (BPLS) in the participating LGUs.

The BPLS they are to help establish will use one single unified form for new applications and renewals; reduce the number of signatures and steps to 5; and limit the processing time to a maximum of 10 days from the date of the submission of the application form for new applications and 5 days for renewal as required under the provisions of the Anti-Red Tape Law of 2007.

The workshop included discussions of the process of establishing the reformed BPLSs as well as simulations of the coaching sessions to be conducted by the DTI and DILG personnel for their LGU counterparts.

LINC-EG provided for the resource persons who conducted the training, the training venue, and the accommodations for the participants, resource persons and support staff.

A second TOT in Mindanao, this time for DTI and DILG personnel in Southern Mindanao, will be held 7-9 September in Davao City. LINC-EG will again support this initiative.

- From the LINC-EG Highlights for the Month, August 2010

a mantangale birthday

Mantangale Alibuag Dive Resort

Balingoan, Misamis Oriental
August 21-22 2010

the people at work

I love the rush you get in firing people. But that would make for another story. Because I like hiring people too, when the slate is still freshly white clean and anything is possible and they can still have the chance to impress me.

Scouring all the materials available on how to better manage the people, I found this printed on a piece of paper, folded three times. I cannot remember exactly how I got this, but it may be one of those inspired and guided moments –

How to Properly Place New Employees
(or re-assign old ones needing that extra umph)

1. Put 400 bricks in a closed room.
2. Put your employees in the room and close the door.
3. Leave them alone and come back after four hours (you must or else lunch will be due).
4. Then analyze the situation:
1. If they are counting the bricks, put them in Accounting.
2. If they are recounting the bricks, put them in Auditing.
3. If they have messed the whole place with the bricks, put them in Engineering.
4. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in Planning.
5. If they are throwing bricks at each other, put them in Operations.
6. If they are sleeping, put them in Security.
7. If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in IT.
8. If they are sitting idle, put them in Human Resources.
9. If they say they have tried different combinations, and they are looking for more, put them in Sales.
10. If they have already left for the day, put them in Marketing.
11. If they are staring out of the window, put them in Strategic Planning.
12. If they are talking to each other, and not a single brick has been moved, put them in Management Group.
13. Finally, if they have surrounded themselves with bricks in such a way that they an neither be seen nor heard from, (they should not be in your company), for they belong in Government.

Hire away!

butuan city and its potentials

In one voice, the government and business leaders of this northeastern city of the Agusan Valley of Mindanao expressed their vision for a more competitive Butuan.

In a meeting with the representatives from USAID Philippines and the policy-reform project LINC-EG or Local Implementation of National Competitiveness for Economic Growth, Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante Jr. and Agusan del Norte Governor Erlpe John Amante presented the plans for reforms of the local government that the newly-inaugurated officials will pursue to make Butuan City a business-friendly environment for investors.

In a separate meeting, DTI Caraga Regional Director Brielgo Pagaran enumerated mining, wood and agri-aquaculture as the winning products of the area. He says that with a renewed strength, Butuan City can draw on its attractive industries as it pushes through with its agenda of becoming one of Mindanao’s progressive cities.

The same optimism was shared by Butuan City Chamber of Commerce President Engineer Alan Silor. Expressing his high hopes for better management of the local government, he confirmed the private sector’s willingness to partner with the government to improve basic services that will encourage more economic activity in the city.

In agreement, the leaders named some of the crucial features to make their city competitive – streamlined government processes, proper implementation of priorities, and transparent and accountable leadership.

They expressed to John Avila, representative of USAID Philippines, their continuing interest and commitment to the various projects of the USAID in the city.

LINC-EG organized the meetings last July with the Butuan City leaders to explore the possibilities of partnership in their various projects. Chief of Party Alid Camara, whose mandate is to bring the policy-reform project to the main cities in Mindanao, is confident that with the right attitude and effective implementation of reforms, Butuan City will soon realize its competitiveness potential.

back to the bible

You would be amazed at the new things you'd learn if you help your children with their school work and assignments they bring home. Yes they fret about the things that their teachers ask them to look up, read about and write on paper and submit.. a few hours after they told you about it and not a minute later.

But in that funny rhythm I also learned to like it, since for the past month alone I've read and expanded my world to include music beats and time signatures, the works of Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, the route of the trip Around the World in Eighty Days, basic advertising for tourism spots in the country, types of personalities, types of flames, components of physical fitness, and now, the Bible.

The nuns of my primary and secondary education and the priests of my university education will surely give me a boink on the head if I forget my Bible basics, but it's very interesting to discover other facts about the best-selling book in the world.

I grew up seeing the Bible as a big, long and epic story that stretches from the creation of the world in the first page to the scary last page of the end of the world. But this quick homework research tells me that the Bible is better appreciated when the books are read by themes.

The Old Testament has 17 Historical, 5 Poetical, and 17 Prophetic books in it. The 17 Historical Books are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. The 5 Poetical Books are: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. The 17 Prophetic Books are: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

The New Testament has 4 Gospels, Acts, 21 Epistles, and Revelation in it. The 4 Gospels are: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The 21 Epistles are: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude.

Then there are the Deuterocanonicals, seven books present in Catholic bibles but missing in Protestant bibles.

Furthermore, the Bible was written over a 1500 year span (from 1400 B.C to A.D. 100), through over 40 generations, by over 40 authors from many walks of life (kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars),in different places (wilderness, dungeon, palaces), at different times (war, peace), in different moods (heights of joy, depths of despair), on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe) and in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek).

Yes, there will always be lots of background information and quick facts about the first book ever printed. Yet I think everyone will agree that what matters at the end will be the good news we get from inside its pages.

the lightning collection

Topaz

http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=topaz

Amethyst
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=amethyst

Turquoise
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=turquoise

Diamond
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=diamond

Emerald
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=emerald

Ruby
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=ruby

power problems of mindanao

An article is now being circulated and shared among Mindanaoans regarding the power problem. Starting early this year, Mindanao has been a victim of scheduled and rotating power outages, and even if the blackouts are gone, the power bills have steadily increased that now it's almost a 100% increase from the usual monthly figure, mine included.

Written by Engr. David Tauli, Senior Vice President of the Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company (CEPALCO), everyone is invited to read and ponder on the ideas he presented in his paper, a portion of which is below:

1. The Short Term Power Supply Problem

As of July 2010 there are two critical short-term power supply problems in Mindanao:

(1) Unwillingness and inability of NPC to meet their obligations to Mindanao customers under existing Contracts for the Supply of Electricity; and
(2) Extremely high rates for Ancillary Services charged by the NGCP in the transmission services bills to power customers for the months of April and May 2010, which will continue for a year if the application for the NGCP-TMI Ancillary Service Procurement Agreement (ASPA) is given final approval by the ERC.

The second problem resulted from the first, but it has taken on a life of its own and, consequently, needs to be addressed separately.

1.1 Unwillingness and Inability of NPC to Meet Their Obligations to Mindanao Customers

In the period February to June 2010, the National Power Corporation(NPC) was not able to supply to their customers in Mindanao (distribution utility companies and directly connected industries) the amount of power and energy that were contracted from them under Contracts for the Supply of Electric Energy (CSEE). The NPC contracted to supply a total of around 1,350 megawatts to Mindanao customers, but were able to provide just 50% to 80% of the requirements of their customers during these months, resulting in brownouts in the franchise areas of distribution utilities that lasted two to eight hours daily and shutdown of operations of the industrial customers. Economic losses by NPC customers in Mindanao due to the massive power shortages have been estimated to be in excess of one billion pesos per month for all the months in which extensive brownouts occurred.

The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Corp (PSALM, owners of NPC) and the NPC have been blaming El Niño for their inability to provide the requirements of their Mindanao customers, but it has been shown conclusively that the main cause of the power shortages was the heavy drawdown by NPC of the water stored in Lake Lanao during the last quarter of 2009, resulting in year-end water surface elevation that was about one meter lower than the lowest year-end elevation of Lake Lanao in the previous decade. This one meter of depletion in the stored water would have been sufficient to supply the requirements of Mindanao customers over the dry period from January to May (along with the generation from the non-hydro plants owned or controlled by NPC operating at their normal levels for the dry period). Because of the low year-end water surface elevation, the hydro plants on the Agus River produced only from 100 to 300 MW in the first half of 2010, while they had been capable in previous years of producing in excess of 500 MW during the dry period from January to May.

1.2 Extremely high rates for Ancillary Services charged by the NGCP in the months of April and May 2010

In April and May 2010 the bill of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to their customers included charges for Ancillary Services at the rates of 560.44 pesos per kilowatt and 606.88 pesos per kW, respectively. This can be compared with the average Ancillary Service charges of 49.76 pesos per kW per month in the year 2009, showing that the rates in April and May were more than ten times the average rates last year.

Despite objections by NGCP customers to the extreme rate shocks due to the AS charges, it is expected that the NGCP will continue to charge these exorbitant rates because of the Provisional Approval given by the Energy Regulatory Commission(ERC) to the AS Procurement Agreement between NGCP and TMI. Hearings at the ERC are being conducted as of this writing, and it is the hope of the Mindanao customers that what has been considered as both exorbitant and illegal AS charges will be disapproved by the ERC, and the amounts collected by NGCP (and passed on by the distribution utility companies to their customers) will be refunded to the customers.

2. The Long Term Power Supply Problem

Large power plants in Mindanao are estimated to have total dependable capacity of 1,600 megawatts, while total peak demand prior to the power shortages in 2010 was approaching 1,400 MW. Growth in power requirements throughout Mindanao have been projected to be in the vicinity of five percent per year. Large power plants need to be constructed in Mindanao to meet demand in the coming years. There have been proposals from the private sector for the construction of enough power plants to meet the expected growth in demand, but to date none of the proposed projects has been able to aggregate enough power purchase agreements (PPAs) to commence project implementation.

The main reason for the unwillingness of the electric cooperatives to enter into PPA’s with prospective power plants is that the price being quoted is five pesos per kilowatt-hour or more for long-term power supply, while the customers of NPC are purchasing their bulk power at around three pesos per kWh. This problem in perception would not exist if the NPC had unbundled their bulk power rates into hydro and non-hydro components, so that customers could see that the actual rates are at most two pesos per kWh for generation from the hydro plants on the Agus and Pulangi rivers, and at least four pesos per kWh for generation from the non-hydro plants. Further unbundling of the rates would show that the rates are in excess of eight pesos per kWh for the oil-fueled plants, but this may introduce administrative problems in the billings by NPC. Moreover, the two-component unbundling would show that the low average rates are due to existing hydro power plants that have a limited dependable capacity of around 800 MW only. Power customers could see that no more low-cost power is available in Mindanao, and should readily enter into contracts for the relatively expensive generation of all types of large power plants that are being proposed for Mindanao by the private sector.

Hence, the long-term power problem is basically a price-perception problem that could be addressed by the PSALM and NPC through: (a) unbundling their rates, (b) entering into long-term contracts (CSEEs) with Mindanao customers for the generation of the existing NPC-owned hydro plants, and (c) entering into CSEEs with their customers for the generation of non-hydro power plants that is still owned or controlled by NPC. However, the PSALM and NPC have been making unreasonable excuses for not unbundling their rates and contracting out the generation of their power plants, their main excuse being the privatization of NPC generating assets that is being carried out by the PSALM. But this is really an unacceptable excuse, which the PSALM and NPC will not be able to invoke when Congress passes a resolution that will extend indefinitely (beyond the year 2011) the non-privatization of the Agus and Pulangi hydro plants that is mandated in the EPIRA.

This last point underlines the urgency for Mindanao power customers to work on the non-privatization of the Agus and Pulangi hydro plants, not only to prevent an increase in rates of electricity in Mindanao, but also to move the electric cooperatives to enter into long-term power purchase agreements with prospective power plant projects.

building a beehive

Links for completed beehives:
SEND BEEHIVE BEE
ASK FOR BEEHIVE BEE

Links for the beehive building materials:
SEND SMOKER
ASK FOR SMOKER

SEND BEESWAX
ASK FOR BEESWAX

SEND BRICK
ASK FOR BRICK

SEND NAIL
ASK FOR NAIL

SEND WOODEN BOARD
ASK FOR WOODEN BOARD

Bee photo by Simon Figg

a photographer's portrait

Mike is my photography mentor. And aside from being his lens-swapping and often-complaining number two camera, I am also his number one fan, inspiration, critic, model, and partner.

I may not follow everything he says, but I listen:

"Your hand will shake so always use the tripod when you shoot macro. It's not the expensive gadget that would make the difference, it's the eye. I should first know and imagine the picture I want to make, then I shoot it. We must start investing in filters. I want to be a good landscape photographer - I want to be better than George Tapan. Let us target one big photo vacation every year. It's time to upgrade our tripods. Remember we are not doing this for the money. Avoid over-saturated colors. I can make an ordinary picture great. What you just need is confidence. Babe, what do you think of this shot?"

I tell him.


Mike's exceptional works in his Flickr page
Mike's photo here : Cebu Sinulog 2010, this girl

this bedroom scene turns

.. I threw away the comforter
because I feel so warm.

Because I feel so warm
I turned on the airconditioning.

Because I turned on the airconditioning
the room has turned cold.

Because the room has turned cold
I bring the comforter up to my chin.

Because I bring the comforter up to my chin
I feel so warm.

Then..

happy birthday, mama precy

you're celebrating. must so as you turn sixty-nine
still can remember last year.. exactly to the day
you told me you're 68 but still active and sexy
of course i agree.. i'm becoming everyday.. like you!

you've taken up a lot of clubs.. keep you moving 'round
acquaintances to enjoy your leadership.. and laughter
you are always with the kindness that heals..
but with the girlish streak.. and so many stories

it must be a circle.. daughters become mothers..
i used to defy your rules.. now i see the glint in my girls' eyes
yet the one holding the comb gets combed.. sweetly..
oh daughters sometimes mother their mothers too!

may each day you come home.. refresh you
a little house filled with memories of a loving man
and children.. all grown now.. but well-taught..
raised, guided and loved so dearly by you!

happy happy birthday, darling mother!

the supermodel in you

I read this material from Instyle.com and before I altogether lose it, I decided to reprint the best points here. I think I need to come back to numbers 3 and 6 and work harder on number 8!

1. Don't Be Impulsive When It Comes to Your Hair
have a signature style.. make subtle changes - moving the part, letting it grow past shoulders, or adding fringe - but nothing so drastic that anyone would notice a big difference.. it's all about keeping it fresh

2. Power Walk in Stilettos
.. tensing the muscles in your calves provides more balance so you can walk, not wobble, in even the most towering heels..

3. Skip Makeup - But Never Leave Home Without Sunglasses
.. just slip on a big pair of shades.. they hide tired eyes and allow you to get ready in a more peaceful environment..

4. Drink Your Way to Good Skin
.. lots of creams will make your skin look and feel nice.. but drinking at least a liter of water and several cups of peppermint tea a day is the easiest way to make your skin glow

5. Be Your Own Seamstress
.. become very good at dealing with clothing disasters.. carry two sizes of safety pins in your handbag: big ones to fix rips and smaller ones for broken straps or hems

6. Switch Your Scent Midday
.. have a fragrance wardrobe.. in the morning, apply which is very fresh and green and makes you feel like you've really woken up.. in the afternoon, switch to sophisticated florals

7. Leave Your Hair Slightly Damp
.. to enhance hair's natural texture and to make a blow-dry more interesting, you should never dry it 100 percent..

8. Pose For Pictures Like a Pro
.. relax your muscles from head to toe.. when you are tense, your shoulders go up, which is not flattering.. turn on an angle.. whether you are standing or sitting, never have your knees directly facing the camera.. choose your smile.. two classic smiles every woman should know are Marilyn Monroe's big laugh and Anita Ekberg's subtle grin..

9. Skip Foundation - Use Three Concealers Instead
.. get a more natural finish by skipping foundation and applying concealer only where needed.. buy three shades and use the darkest on cheeks and forehead, and the lightest under eyes

10. Travel With Healthy Snacks
.. brown-rice crackers and a packet of dry miso soup make for a really delicious energy boost that you can eat anywhere -all you need is a cup of hot water..

Illustration courtesy of wallcoo.net

the smiles of july

Photos courtesy of Mike and Nika Mendoza

one-stop shop installed

Cagayan de Oro Mayor Constantino Jaraula opened last June 28 the newly-installed Business One-Stop-Shop (BOSS) that will deliver efficient business permitting and licensing activities in the city.

Present to witness the simple rites were officers and members of the Promote CDO Foundation, the Oro Chamber of Commerce, the regional and provincial offices of the Department of Trade and Industry, representatives of various business sectors, and the Business Permitting and Licensing System (BPLS) Streamlining project partner, Local Implementation of National Competitiveness for Economic Growth (LINC-EG).

The project, among other things, will reduce the process steps of securing a mayor’s permit to operate a business and provide the center where all activities will be concentrated under one roof. The project shall also collaborate with other government regulatory office to ensure timely processing of permits for fire, building occupancy and sanitation.

Two days shy of handing over the seat as the city’s local chief executive, Mayor Jaraula was pleased to present the facility to the public. As a major part of the BPLS Streamlining project, it shall be turned over to mayor-elect Vice Mayor Vicente Emano within the first week of July for his support.

“I see a smooth transition and continuation of this LINC-EG-assisted project and I look forward to further strengthening it during the term of Mayor Emano. In fact, since 2006, streamlining the city hall processes of starting a business has already been in the plans between the city government and the local business stakeholders," said Mr. Ruben Vegafria, president of the Promote CDO Foundation.

"Mayor Emano has been wanting to improve the status of the city in the competitiveness surveys and this BPLS Streamlining project is the answer. I am sure he will readily support it,” he added. The private sector group is set to meet with the newly sworn-in mayor by the first working week of July.

Photo courtesy of the City Information Office

that nightclubbing girl

No matter what is said, I love my Nightclub City game. It's done in entirely black and silver motif, and the music ranges from pop, hiphop, and indie electro. I take pride in the house club mix, but we also do mean mashups. Welcome to the club!

private sector speaks up

Cagayan de Oro City – Capitol University released last June 19 2010 the results of its survey on the impact of the city’s licensing processes to the business community.

Dr. Numeriano G. Escalante, the Director of the Research and Extension Office of the university, presented to the officers and employees of the city hall the partial results of a study that involved interviews, focus group discussions and survey among Cagayan de Oro business establishments.

The respondents from the private sector related their experiences with business permitting processes, whether they are registering for the first time, renewing their registration, on the process of registering, or have not accomplished their registration.

The survey was conducted through a purposive sampling among owners, managers and bookkeepers of local business establishments. The survey findings included feedback, among others, on the existing process of securing a business permit, the most difficult requirement to comply with and the time associated with that requirement, the assessment mechanism for business renewals, and the length of time in the issuance of the business permit.

The survey showed that the barangay clearance and the fire safety certificate are two of the most difficult business permit pre-application requirements to secure. On the other hand, the assessment portion was reported as the most difficult step in the business licensing process.

The partial results of the survey were presented during the local government unit’s business permit and licensing system (BPLS) streamlining workshop last week. Acknowledging the difficulties in the system as experienced and narrated by the various private sector survey respondents, city hall officers and employees shall use the results as a guide in the ongoing project of BPLS streamlining.

Reacting to the survey, the local government officers agreed that shortening the permitting process into three steps only and further professionalizing the delivery of services shall improve the satisfaction level of the business community and entice more establishments to register.

The survey was conducted by Capitol University with the support of the Local Implementation of National Competitiveness for Economic Growth (LINC-EG), a USAID-funded policy reform and implementation project.

The full survey results shall be presented to the incoming mayor, Hon. Vicente Emano, for his appreciation.

biz permitting in 3 steps

Cagayan de Oro City – Members of various offices of the city hall gathered together June 17-18 2010 for a two-day workshop to develop an effective business processing and licensing system (BPLS) model in the city.

Participating in the activity were the City Treasurer’s Office, Business Licensing Division of the Mayor’s Office, City Administrator’s Office, City Planning Office, City Building Official, City Health Office, City Fire Marshall, City Information Office and the Human Resource Management Office.

As part of the Streamlining BPLS Project, an ongoing endeavor of the local government unit, the workshop participants discussed and agreed on the streamlined process of processing business registrations which reduced the steps into only three: validation of application, payment, and receipt of permit to operate.

The workshop, which was also joined and supported by the Misamis Oriental provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) as well as the Promote CDO Foundation, put together the plan of institutionalizing the Business Processing and Licensing Office (BPLO) which shall be the overseer of the BPLS operations and its continuous improvement at the city hall.

Aside from the planned changes in the business permitting process, the city hall group also looked at the clearances and permits required prior to the application for business permits, and identified future partnerships with the concerned government agencies and offices to further improve client servicing.

The preliminary study for the BPLS streamlining project started during the term of the former chief executive Hon. Constantino Jaraula, but the full plan will be submitted to the incoming mayor, Hon. Vicente Emano, for his approval and support and the plan’s eventual implementation.

Aimed to improve the Cagayan de Oro system to exemplify the established national standards and encourage business investments into the city, the BPLS streamlining project is a collaboration with the Local Implementation of National Competitiveness for Economic Growth (LINC-EG), a USAID-funded policy reform and implementation project. LINC-EG works with government and private sector to improve governance of the business environment leading to more investments, fiscal responsibility and economic growth.

the city of cebu

with my airline official seatmate, angela

silent city hall in a non-working holiday

the family that poses together, stays together

four glorious jumps in historic fort san pedro

wedding at tuscany

TRUFFLES
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=tw_truffle

OLIVES
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=tw_olive

GOATS MILK
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=tw_goat_milk

EGGS
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=tw_egg

around batanes islands

All photos courtesy of Mike Mendoza.

expanding the stable

Below are the 5 links to send out the items:

nail
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=nail

horseshoe
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=horseshoe

harness
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=harness

woodenboard
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=woodenboard

brick
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=brick

taking travel portraits

Packing for travel is a never-ending thing for me until the last minute that I get on the car and drive to the airport. Make that almost an impossible task this time when I have to discuss and argue and cajole with my husband who will share one luggage with me because we plan to travel light. We are bound for the Batanes Islands tomorrow.

We planned to make this vacation just to shoot the place. So add to the packing nightmare the equally scary 11th hour lessons on how to use the Canon 40D, since we just decided that I must outgrow the Canon 1000D for this trip.

I have tucked my camera bag in the dusty part of our room for more than four months already. And I was amazed how the mind forgets. I couldn't set the proper ISO. I even forgot how to view and move from one image to the other!

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Getting off from my online games, I brought to the table all the magazines and photography books from the shelves for a quick scan.

At the end, I decided on settle on a few notes from Manny Librodo on taking travel portraits:

1. interact with the subject

2. get close with the subject

3. set the stage, then be spontaneous

4. look for a face with character

5. watch out for light and shadow

6. train your eyes to see colors

7. tell a story

I haven't even started on how to shoot landscapes!

Yes, the single luggage will be crammed. The photography tips are in a jumble in my head. But the heart beats with anticipation. Vacation and photography with the best man in the world - I am a lucky woman!

photo: it's about the hat

the botanical garden

the floral bracket
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=floralbracket

the white trellis
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=steelbeam

the irrigation pipe
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=irrigationpipe

the glass sheet
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=glasssheet

the green beam
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=greenpillar

logistics study completed

To support local exporters and establish an updated document on the state of competitiveness of transporting key commodities of Northern Mindanao, the Confederation of Philippine Exporters Foundation Region 10 Chapter, Inc. (PhilExport-10A) recently completed its study entitled “Shipping Cost and Competitiveness in Northern Mindanao – A Closer View on Northern Mindanao’s State of Competitiveness”.

The focus of the study is the Cagayan de Oro base port and the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT), being Mindanao’s strategically-located gateways. Aside from referencing with government offices, the study team of Mr. Noel Tan and Mr. Mike Ignacio conducted a survey among shippers, truckers, shipping lines, cargo handlers and importers within Northern Mindanao.

With the data gathered, the study tried to identify present and pressing transport-related issues detrimental to Northern Mindanao’s competitiveness of selected export and import commodities. The study also showcased the best practices done on the different segments on the logistics chain, aimed at reducing costs and maximizing efficiency. Finally, the study attempted to provide recommendations which would lead to policy changes in the ports, shipping and infrastructure at all levels of government.

Among the study results, it was discovered that exporters are raising the issue of double charges when shipping their goods. An examination of the costs of shipping would illustrate that an exporter has to pay terminal handling charges (THC) to the shipping line aside from paying the port charges to the port operator for the same activities on the ground. Aside from that, another pressing issue is the difficulty in procedures as a result from policy disconnects. Initiatives from the central offices of the national government agencies do not easily translate to areas like Cagayan de Oro. Laws which were passed in order to simplify procedures for exporters are also not strictly implemented.

Nevertheless it was also learned that both ports have accommodated the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for free in their respective areas, which resulted to the BOC’s non-charging of inspection site fees and to comparably low charges for importers. The bureau also ensures that all new exporters undergo a full inspection before given the clearance to send their products overseas. Perhaps one best practice that shows the initiative of the local stakeholders is the setting up of a vessel tracking system for the whole Macajalar Bay. The system utilizes the tower and radar system of the MCT, enabling the Coast Guard to monitor all incoming and outgoing vessels within the stretch of the bay.

While it can be summed up in the study that Northern Mindanao is a competitive place due to the presence of fair roads and infrastructure facilities as well as comparably low trucking and handling rates, results also show that exporters and other stakeholders are endorsing for the full compliance of EO 554, which orders the appropriate agencies to improve the competitiveness of the country’s export sector by simplifying exporting procedures and documentation or cutting down the fees of such requirements. It was noted that while other regional offices of national government agencies complied with the directive, other offices have not.

If the EO 554 shall be fully implemented, PhilExport 10-A, through the study, sees that the establishment of One-Stop-Shop facilities within the ports can be made possible. An improved system that can issue exporters their commodity clearance at a shorter period and enable the transport of their goods on time is expected to further enhance the competitiveness of Northern Mindanao.

The study highlights and draft report was presented last April 23 to representatives of the Local Implementation of National Competitiveness for Economic Growth (LINC-EG) program and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which facilitated and funded the study.

Mindanao's distance to the traditional markets and exports is a major competitiveness issue since logistics costs are deemed higher in terms of freight and associated costs. Mr. Wilson C. Amad, PhilExport-10A President, looks forward to using its recently concluded logistics study to push for the economic growth and development of its members and other players in the export business.

the nursery barn

Ecco i link per farvi inviare i materiali!!!

Biberon (Bottle)
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=bottle&view=farmville&ref=tab&

Coperta (Blanket)
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=blanket&view=farmville&ref=tab&

Chiodo (Nail)
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=nail&view=farmville&ref=tab&

Mattone (Brick)
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=brick&view=farmville&ref=tab&

Tavola (Wooden Board)
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=woodenboard&view=farmville&ref=tab&

reforming a bpl system

Department heads of the Cagayan de Oro City government office, together with representatives from the business community, translated lessons from their March 4-5 2010 benchmarking activity in the cities of Lapu-lapu and Cebu into strategies for the improvement of the existing business processing and licensing system (BPLS) in the city.

As part of the streamlining project of Cagayan de Oro, the post-benchmarking workshop was held at the Conference Room of the Mayor’s Office last March 8 2010 where participants evaluated the two areas for improvement in the BPLS – the process and technology of the system, and the inspection component.

Among the major strategies identified were the institutionalization of the streamlined BPLS process, the establishment of a year-long Business One-Stop-Shop, the development of the Citizen’s Charter of the city, the creation of its MIS department, the amendment of present ordinances on validity periods of permits, and the establishment of a monitoring scheme through a Joint Inspection Team composed of the regulatory agencies like the city building, fire and health offices.

These strategies were ascertained after the team, under the leadership of the project Management Committee Chair and Promote CdO Foundation President Ruben Vegafria, evaluated the existing BPLS practices of Cagayan de Oro against those observed in the cities of Lapu-lapu and Cebu during the benchmarking activity. Also using the BPLS National Standard as point of reference, the group identified gaps, the areas for reforms and the proposed strategies for these reforms.

The strategy identification is marked as one of the milestones in the BPLS project that the local government unit (LGU) is undertaking and it will soon be followed by the setting up of an action plan that will ultimately recognize and implement the official streamlined BPLS process in the city.

The BPLS enhancement project is executed by a three-party group composed of the LGU of Cagayan de Oro, Department of Trade and Industry Misamis Oriental Office, and the Promote CDO Foundation. This project, which officially started last February 5 2010, is aimed to simplify business licensing and encourage the entry of business in the city. As Technical Assistance Package (TAP) 1.2 of the Local Implementation of National Competitiveness for Economic Growth (LINC-EG) Project, it is implemented with the support of USAID.

building a stable

To all Farm Ville players who want a home for their horses! Below are the links to each of the stable requirements. Lots of help for specific gifting to friends.

http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=nail

http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=horseshoe

http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=woodenboard

http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=harness

http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/gifts_send.php?gift=brick

planning for agribiz and mining

Mindanao business practitioners named projects and programs that can help improve the island’s opportunities in two priority sectors – agribusiness and mining – in a forum conducted at Davao City last January 26.

Action agenda seen to address identified concerns and improve the sectors’ performance were submitted to the Mindanao Business Council (MinBC), the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) and the Local Implementation of National Competitiveness for Economic Growth (LINC-EG) during their jointly-organized business forum.

Dubbed “The Global Financial Crisis, A Year After: Addressing Challenges and Increasing Competitiveness in Mindanao”, the forum presented three studies made by the Center for Research and Communications (CRC). Visiting CRC consultants discussed how Mindanao can address the negative impacts of the international financial crisis and increase the island region’s competitiveness as it emerges from the said crisis.

Coming from five administrative regions of Mindanao, business representatives gathered in the one-day forum which the MEDCo Chairman Virgilio L. Leyretana considered as an opportune activity for the area. In his message, Usec Leyretana conveyed that Mindanao has to address competitiveness and governance issues that have challenged business, investment and trade in the island. He added that the MEDCo, which is now in the process of preparing the Mindanao 2020 Plan, shall consider the results of the forum as an input to the development and peace framework plan for Mindanao.

Lending support to the activity is the USAID, which was represented by Mr. John Avila, who emphasized that he looks forward to seeing Mindanao catch up with mainstream national development and at the same time, to the whole nation waking up and getting competitive along with its Asian neighbors.

Among the specific agenda identified, the participants highlighted the need for the creation of a responsive minerals protocol, a certification system for small-scale mining standards compliance, refocusing of Mindanao priority agricultural product from rice to other high-value crops through market development and funding support, as well as easier access to short-term financing for seaweeds farmers and long-term financing for coconut farmers.

Showing optimism in the forum was Atty. Daniel Fitzpatrick, Chief of Party of the LINC-EG, who indicated that the policy-reform program is willing to work with the business leaders and business support organizations in their projects that will push for Mindanao’s development.