Mindanao Investment Conference Slated In Davao Nov. 25

Davao City will host the Mindanao Investment Conference (Min iCon)at the Marco Polo Hotel on November 25 and 26.

Min Icon, with the theme "Drive the Wheels for Peace. Invest in MindaNOW!", is expected to highlight various investment opportunities in Mindanao that will promote peace in the region.

The conference will present investment opportunities in Mindanao that are ideal for small and medium entrepreneurs including the production and processing of seaweeds, coffee, honeybee, banana, rubber, moringa tree and Cream Dory Fish or Pangasius.

"With this conference, we are optimistic that we can encourage more businessmen to pour in their investments in Mindanao so that we can offer more jobs to Mindanaoans," Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Southern Mindanao regional director Marizon S. Loreto said.

Jailed Senator Tops No. Of Senate Bills Filed For September '08

The government may be doing the Filipinos a disservice in keeping renegade-soldier Senator Antonio Trillanes in jail. However, Trillanes has proven that his supporters did not waste their votes on him as evident with his performance in the Senate.

Trillanes may be inside the jail and is not allowed to attend Senate sessions but he is keeping himself busy inside his cell. Senator Trillanes topped the list of Senators who have filed bills in the Senate last September 2008 with 16 bills for the said month. He was followed by Senator Manny Villar with 13 bills, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago with 10 bills, Senator Loren Legarda with 6 bills and Senators Francis Escudero and Mar Roxas wit 4 bills each.

Majority of Trillanes' bills can have enormous impact in the society once they become laws. Among these bills are:

SBN-2637: Agritourism Promotion Act of 2008
An Act to Promote Agritourism in the Philippines which can greatly promote Mindanao's agriculture and promote the island's role as a food basket.

SBN-2621: National Livelihood Development Act of 2008
An Act Creating the National Livelihood Development Council Thereby Institutionalizing the Livelihood Movement of the Philippines which can alleviate poverty not only in the countryside but in the whole country as well.

SBN-2620: Anti-Private Army Law of 2008
An Act Defining 'Private Armies and Other Armed Groups', Implementing the Constitutional Provision for Their Dismantling, Prescribing Penalties Therefor which can (hopefully) prevent Mindanao political lords (and even politicians from otter areas) from establishing their own military forces.

One can argue that Trillanes' prolific bill creation and filing may be because he does not have anything to do inside his room except formulate laws. However, looking at the quality of the bills he has proposed one can say that this military man who challenged President Gloria Arroyo's leadership several years ago may have something important to say. It is unfortunate that he could not be allowed to function like regular Senator. On second thoughts--why not imprison the rest of the senators---maybe then they would be able to craft more meaningful laws.

Davao City Mayor Urge Enactment of Drunk Driving Law

DUI (driving under the influence) or DWI (driving while intoxicated) may be a common crime in the United States and if you are updated with Hollywood news then you are aware that actor Mel Gibson is facing criminal charges for the offense. It is thus surprising to note that such laws does not exist in the Philippines considering the increasing number of traffic accidents involving drunk drivers.

In view of this, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has urged lawmakers both in the city council and in the House of Congress and Senate to hasten the enactment of a law that will penalize drunk driving.

Councilor Mabel Sunga Acosta said a resolution-ordinance that seeks to penalize drunk driving has already passed first reading in the Davao City Council. Acosta said she is pursuing the approval of this measure with the hope that it will discourage drivers from operating their vehicles while intoxicated.

Last year, Senate president Manny Villar has refiled Senate Bill 83 otherwise known as the Alcohol and Drug Testing Act. The bill seeks to criminalize driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The bill seeks to penalize violators by suspending their drivers' license for a year and by paying a P1,000 fine for the first offense. Second and subsequent offenses will mean a five-year driver's license revocation and a fine of P5,000. The Bill is still pending in the Senate committee on Justice and Human Rights.

Duterte said it is imperative that a DUI or DWI law is enacted because under the present law, drivers who cause an accident while intoxicated only face a criminal negligence case no matter how many people they victimize in one accident.

Movie Guide: Madagascar 2 Now In Davao Theaters

Kids will surely have a a happy weekend this week what with the the sequel to their favorite Madagascar movie finally showing in Davao Cinemas today. Madagascar Escape 2 Africa is a GP movie that features the voices of comedians Chris Rock, Ben Stiller and Jada Pinkett-Smith.

Madagascar 1 tells the story of New York pampered zoo animals who followed their friend Marty to save him only to end up in the jungles of Madagascar. The place was so primitive that Alex the Lion discovered his innate character including his being a carnivorous animal who can even be tempted to eat his friends when he gets too hungry.

Madagascar 2 narrates the continuing adventures of these zoo creatures led by the wily penguins who tries to save themselves by repairing an old plane. Unfortunately they landed on Africa. And here is where the adventure starts...

NCCC Cinema 4
12:25/2:20/4:15/6:10/8:05/10:00

SM Cinema 2
12:15/2:00/3:45/5:30/7:15/9:00

1-Hour Power Interruption Hits Davao City

If you live within the periphery of the Davao Light franchise then you most probably experienced power interruption in your area yesterday afternoon. Nothing wrong with you power line though because the one-hour power interruption hit all of DLPC's franchise area including the whole of Davao City, Panabo City and the municipality of Sto. Tomas, Dujali and Carmen.

DLPC assistant vice president for corporate communication Ross Luga said the power interruption was due to a fault in the National Transmission Corporation's 138 kv Pulangi-Kibawe line. Luga said power supply from Transco was suddenly cut off at around 1:41 pm but power at 1:52 pm power was immediately activated for special lines serving key service providers in the government, hospitals and the downtown area,

Power was restored between 2:05 pm and 2:45 pm after DLPC received electricity supply from Transco.

Big 3 Oil Firms Reduce Gasoline Price By P1; LPG by P11 Per Tank

Filipinos will enjoy another round of rollback in the price of gasoline and kerosene. The Big 3 oil companies namely Pilipinas Shell, Chevron and Petron will reduce gasoline and kerosene prices by P1 per liter but no announcement was made on the rollback of diesel prices.

The other oil companies have also announced a rollback in the price of gasoline and kerosene effective this week.

On the other hand, Liquefied Petroleum Gas prices have also been rolled back by P1 per kilo or P11 per tank. This reduction is in addition to the P44 per tank rollback announced last week.

Uswag-Bubai's 2-Day X'mas Decor Demo Starts At SM City Davao Today

The two-day Christmas decoration demo to be conducted by Uswag-Bubai will start at SM City Davao Today. The demo, which is being held in coordination with the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SM City will be conducted in two sessions daily at SM City's Car Park C.

For those who want to join the free demo, here's the schedule:

November 7
10:00-12:00 AM Paper Mache
2:00-4:00 PM Gift Box making

November 8
10:00-12:00 AM Flower making
2:00-4:00 PM Crocheted Xmas Decors