MinDA has new chair---Dureza out; Antonino in

After weeks of speculation whether Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chair Jesus Dureza will be replaced or will stay on, the people of Mindanao finally got an answer.

MinDA, which used to be known as the Mindanao Economic Development Council, was an offshoot of Republic Act 9996.

MinDA has a new chairperson after President Benigno Aquino III has accepted the resignation of Dureza, who would have been guaranteed a six-year term had he not resigned as MinDA chair.

Dureza handed in his resignation voluntarily to give Pnoy a chance to appoint a Chair of his own choice.

Former South Cotabato Representative Lualhati Antonino, mother of new General Santos Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio, has been formally designated by Pnoy as the new MinDA head during the opening of the 12th National Tuna Congress last Friday. The appointment was announced by former Senator Manuel Roxas who delivered the keynote speech for the Congress.

During an earlier interview and prior to his resignation, Dureza revealed his plans to relocate the MinDA office somewhere in Maramag to make it easily accessible to the other Mindanao cities and provinces.

One Stop Shop Business Registry to Cut Red Tape in RP

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Business registration will be easier and a lot faster once the Philippine Business Registry project is implemented.

Department of Trade and Industry-PBR Program Manager Whilmer Morales is now holding a press conference at the Philippine Information Agency, to report on the update of the project, which is expected to be implemented before end of the year.

The PBR is the Philippine government's response to the World Bank report stating that it takes 50 days and 11 processes to register a business in the Philippines.

"This will not only hasten the business registration process but will also lessen red tape in government," he said. The small and medium enterprises are expected to benefit from this program.

Once implemented, the business owner can register his business with the Department of Trade and Industry, which will act on the application in one day. DTI will then pass the documents to the different agencies concerned like the local government unit concerned, Philhealth, SSS, Pag-Ibig and Bureau of Internal Revenue among others.

SM kicks off Kadayawan

Barely a day before the official start of the 2010 Kadayawan sa Davao, SM City Davao is already abloom with everything Kadayawan starting from the weekend sale which ended yesterday.

August 16 is officially the start of Kadayawan sa Davao. SM's Entertainment Center was ready for the festival as it already gave shoppers a preview of the festivities through a pre-Kadayawan photo exhibit by the Camera Club of Davao. Some indigenous costumes were also already on display yesterday.

Halal-Certified Foodsite Up

For a long time, people who required Halal-certified products had to check out the supermarkets and other establishments for proper certification. Those days are finally over, with the launch of a website that features a list of Halal certified food.

Muslims in the Philippines and even all over the world consume only Halal certified products because to them these products are Halal or "legal" and "acceptable". It is considered by the Sharia or Islamic law as permissible.

Among the very first Halal-certified beverage is Tang Instant Drink Mix, which provides a lot of choices when it comes to flavors including pineapple, strawberry, ponkan, grape, mango and the combo flavors of pineapple-orange and orange-mangga. If you're lucky enough to see this in your local supermarkets, then there are also the limited edition Mangga Fiesta in 2009 and the Strawberry Burst in 2010.

Tang, which is produced by Kraft Foods Philippines, has been Halal-certified by two Halal certification bodies. It was first marketed in 1959 in the United States, and was launched in the Philippines only in 1973.

Tang is one of the top choices when it comes to powdered beverages in the Philippines, with a 41 percent value share based on a Nielsen retail audit. It is available in 1-Liter packs and big packs from 200 grams to 1200 grams.

As evident of Tang's popularity, it was used by NASA in 1965 during its Gemini Flights.

So if you want to avoid the hassle of individually checking products for Halal certification right in the department stores, just head on to this foodsite or Get updated on Halal certified food and products in Facebook.

Sun Life Financial Offers More Affordable Insurance For The Common Tao

Are you insured for the future?

A lot of people would say "no" to this question primarily because they do not have extra money to pay for insurance. You just could not blame people for making insurance the least of their considering that there are more urgent financial concerns they should think about.

Sun Life Financial realized the need of the common tao,basically the middle class who cannot afford to pay at least P2.000 monthly for an insurance, so the company launched Sun StartUp, everyone's first step to financial security. And to make the pitch more convincing, they got Piolo Pascual to be their endorser.

"The Sun StartUp Insurance is primarily for those who do not have insurance plans yet," Sun Life Financial Philippines Institutional Marketing Manager Joub Miradora said.

The new insurance product offers affordable payment options and secures the future of your loved ones for less than P5,000 a month. The lowest monthly payment is actually only P384 for a 20-year old male and P365 for a 20-year old female for a coverage of P200,000. You also get a money back feature worth P20,570 and P19,510 after ten years, for the respective rates indicated.

Sun Life has also done away with one of the factors that turns off most people from getting an insurance coverage--paperworks! With the Sun StartUp, you get a simplified application process which only asks four questions from you.

Now, wouldn't you be willing to give up at least P500 a month to secure your family's future?

Live Blogging with ONB President Alex Buenaventura

One Network Bank President Alex Buenaventura is upbeat about the country's future after hearing the State of the Nation Address of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III.

"Never have we had a committed President since the time of President Corazon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos," he said.

Buenaventura said the Filipino people will be able to see an improvement in the Philippine economy in a few months' time with the perceived increase in investors' confidence to the Philippines and the expected increase in foreign investments here.

Cheez Wiz launches Palamantasan in Davao City

I did not expect my trip to the Buhangin Central Elementary School last July 17 to become a trip back to my elementary school days when I lived for competitions both in essay writing and in poster making. The festive atmosphere and the excitement of the whole school can be felt even from the gates as students dressed in colorful yellow but home-made costumes move from one classroom to another, apparently getting jittery for their scheduled performances after lunch.

The occasion? The launch of Kraft Cheez Whiz Palamantasan ng Sarap. This is the first interschool competition involving grade school students nationwide, in a quest to promote nutrition education.

How about 8 million Filipino malnourished children as inspiration?

“This is actually the first time we are holding this in Davao City, alongside with the Cebu launch,” Kraft Foods Cheez Whiz senior brand manager Paolo Serrano said before the afternoon program started.

Serano said “we want the children to realize the value of nutrition in a fun way so we have prepared creative activities for them”

Students of the Buhangin Central Elementary School participated in the following Palamantasan contests with the specific winners:

Essay Writing Contest
Ella Mae Eborda ( VI-AQUAMARINE)
Jarchitecture or Jar Art
Jayson Tragura (VI) and Sherwin Lance De Leon (VI) for their SUPER CHEEZ WHIZ SANDWICH entry

Sandwich Art
Dave Forro & Mommy Debbie for their recipe PALAMANTASYA HANEP SA PAGMAMAHAL SANDWICH

Cheering Competition CHEEZ CHEERERS with the following members:
Ornalyn Caorte, Tricia Mae Palicte, Carla Dalisay, Angel Mae Manding, Shannen Valenzuela, Krizel Myke Perez, Momina Joy Fiel, Paul Joshua Alicauay, Lindon Osing and Kimberly Mesias.

Speech Choir or Sabayang Bigkas THE 6 TEAM with the following members:
Christian Galendez , Ma. Eula Concepcion Umayao, Jeather Penanueva, Mark Jame Naya, Ryca Madanio, Mechaela Mepiesa, Jessa Lou Bernal, Ivan Bishar, Angelica Coquilla, Alexandra Guitguiten, Mariel Lapitan, Lady Irish Guitguitin, Cherry May Medila, Jeelenee Jayson De Claro, Cristy Cristino, Marialyn Cabase, Jay-Ar Baliong, Angelica Nicole Manriquez, Jasper Marc Chan and Grace Joyce Padios.

“We are encouraging the different schools to Join Palamantasan so they can help promote good nutrition not only to their students but also to the people in general,” Serrano said. Most children are suffering from lack of nutrition—some are underweight while others are undernourished----and by getting their daily dose of Cheez Whiz which contains Calcium, their bones will get the necessary strengthening it requires, he added.

Parents, student and educators alike are encouraged to Make a Pledge to stay away from unhealthy foods and only serve and eat nutritious food.

Buhangin Central Elementary School principal Arturo dela Cruz said he was surprised with the turnout of the Palamantasan since he thought it was just an ordinary activity. It was rally a major event, with tarpaulins strewn all over the school.

“The first time I was told about this even by Kraft Cheez Whiz I said we will just join the easier ones like the essay writing and the sandwich art because the other competitions like Sabayang Bigkas will require more preparation,” dela Cruz said. However, he added, he was assured by the coaches that they will be able to meet the deadline so the school was able to join all the events.

Several schools nationwide have already indicated their commitment to Join Palamantasan and its various events. After all, promoting good nutrition is a very worthy endeavour and with the support of Kraft Cheez Whiz, every Palamantasan event will surely be a big hit!