ARMM hits target with P1B in mining investment
One of the country’s poorest areas, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), has hit its 2018 investment target with the registration of a nearly P1-billion nickel mining venture in Languyan town, Tawi-Tawi province, according to the region’s investment czar.
Lawyer Ishak Mastura, head of the ARMM Regional Board of Investments, said ARMM had already registered P2.2 billion in investments.
Minda Vida de Mindanao Corp. would operate a nickel mining site expected to produce 1.5 metric tons of nickel ore per year and create at least 500 jobs for Tawi-Tawi folk. —Edwin O. Fernandez
Solon presses NFA for hike in buying price of palay
The chair of the powerful House appropriations committee on Tuesday vowed to “badger every month” the National Food Authority (NFA) to increase the government buying price of palay from local farmers.
Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles issued the statement after the NFA Council last week turned down a proposal to increase its buying price for palay from P17 to at least P22 per kilogram.
“I will tell the President what’s happening,” he said. Nograles had taken the NFA to task for diverting some P7 billion of its budget for purchasing palay to debt payments. —Marlon Ramos
Workers’ strike looms over Japanese banana plantation
Workers voted to go on strike at the banana plantation of Japanese giant Sumitomo Fruit Corp. (Sumifru) in Compostela Valley province as the firm refused to heed the union’s call to regularize plantation workers.
Elizar Diayon, spokesperson of Banana Industry Growers and Workers Against Sumifru, said the strike was now imminent.
At least 749 workers voted in favor of going on strike.
Sumifru management had not issued a statement as of late Monday afternoon. —Mart Sambalud
PNP cybercrime unit warns vs Tokhang mobile phone scam
The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) issued a warning against a short messaging system, or text, scam using the PNP’s antidrug Oplan Tokhang.
In an advisory released on Tuesday, the PNP-ACG said “Tokhang telecom fraud” involved con artists mimicking police numbers to warn people they had been linked to drugs and to tell them to call a given number.
Con men who would answer would ask for personal and financial information.
The PNP-ACG advised recipients not to answer such texts or calls and not provide any information.
People who receive such messages may call the PNP-ACG at hotline (02) 4141560 or e-mail acg@pnp.gov.ph. —Jaymee T. Gamil