ITOGON TO COLLECT TAXES ON MINING FIRMS
ITOGON, Benguet: The mining town of Itogon will now impose business taxes on mining companies. The move was contained in a recently approved ordinance of the municipality to collect taxes.

The measure was based on the Local Government Code granting the “power of each local government unit to create its own sources of revenue and to levy taxes, fees and charges subject to the provisions consistent with the basic policy of local autonomy.” LARRY MADARANG

DUMAGUETE WINS BID TO HOST PALARO 2013
THE provincial government of Negros Oriental has been chosen to host the national school-based and grandest sporting event of the year, the Palarong Pambansa 2013, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced on Saturday. In a statement, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental province won the bid for the hosting of Palaro 2013. Luistro, in a letter addressed to Gov. Roel Degamo of Negros Oriental province, said that the decision was reached after a tedious selection and deliberation process taking into consideration the presentations made on October 19 and the report provided by the technical committee composed of DepEd officials and the Philippine Sports Commission. NEIL A. ALCOBER

6.5-QUAKE ROCKS SURIGAO DEL SUR
ZAMBOANGA CITY: A powerful earthquake on Saturday shook the southern Filipino province of Surigao del Sur, but authorities reported no casualties or damage to structures. The US Geological Survey said that the quake registered magnitude 6.1 and was traced about 87 kilometers from Butuan City. But a bulletin released by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said that it recorded the earthquake at magnitude 6.5. The earthquake did not trigger a tsunami warning, although it was the cause of series of shaking reported in areas near the province. AL JACINTO