Thursday, January 29, 2009

Leyte provincial gov’t looking for MacArthur Beach investor

published January 29, 2009 in BusinessWorld
TACLOBAN CITY — The Leyte provincial government plans to award next month the 25-year contract to renovate and operate a government-owned hotel at the historic Red Beach in Palo town.

Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho L. Petilla, however, said they still have to find the right investor to sink in P300 million to renovate the 43-room MacArthur Beach Resort Hotel.

"My timetable is as soon as possible. By the end of September, the renovation would be done in time for the Oct. 20 Leyte Landing celebration," Mr. Petilla told BusinessWorld.

The governor declined to divulge the names of interested bidders. Applications are still being accepted, he added.

Management of the hotel has been transferred to the provincial government from the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) under Executive Order 756, which took effect this month.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued the directive last October.

Losing proposition

Mr. Petilla said the hotel has been losing, with the PTA subsidizing its operations at P400,000 a month.

The MacArthur Beach Resort and Hotel was built by First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos but was sequestered by the Aquino administration after the 1986 EDSA Revolution.

The property is at Red Beach, site of one of the greatest naval battles in history. The hotel is a few meters away from the MacArthur Landing Memorial in Palo, Leyte.

The hotel’s rooms are all decorated with native materials and MacArthur pictures. It has picnic grounds, swimming pools, picnic tents and tables, beach kiosks, volleyball ground, and indoor games facilities.

Mr. Petilla said the improvement of the hotel will pave the way for the development of the remaining vacant areas of the nearby government center.

A long-term plan is to turn the province-owned lot into an economic and leisure hub complete with a five-star hotel, a leisure park, an information technology facility, government offices, commercial areas and public transport terminal. – Sarwell Q. Meniano

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Samar province on alert over increasing cases of salmonella infection among hogs

published January 28, 2009 in Leyte Samar Daily Express and BusinessWorld

TACLOBAN CITY — Hog mortality from salmonella infection rose in nine villages of Sta. Rita, Samar province.

Abraham Ibañez, agricultural technologist of Sta. Rita town, said residents of Sta. Rita are alarmed by the outbreak that has killed 296 pigs.

The 237 infected hogs have been treated with antibiotics and vitamins. Some 180 healthy animals were vaccinated by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the local government unit.

"We’ve been strict in implementing measures to stop the disease from spreading such as no slaughter of sick animals and movements of pigs in and out of the town," Mr. Ibañez said in an interview.

The first case was noted in the first week of December 2008 in Tominamos village. By Jan. 12, the disease has spread to the nearby villages of San Pascual, Dampigan, Bagolibas, Old Manunca, San Eduardo, Union, Santa Elena and Cabacungan.

"Our information has been intensified even during weekends to make sure that the infection will be stopped. We have to make people aware because most of the backyard raisers want to slaughter infected animals," Mr. Ibañez said.

Leo Cañeda, DA executive director for Eastern Visayas, said they have traced the infection to contaminated feeds.

Other factors were the heavy rains, poor waste disposal system of slaughtered animals and constant contact of animals with human beings, who are known as carriers of the salmonella bacteria. — Sarwell Q. Meniano

US call center to proceed with provincial opening

published January 28, 2009 in BusinessWorld and GMANews.tv

PALO, LEYTE — NASDAQ-listed business process outsourcing firm APAC Customer Services, Inc. is proceeding with the opening of its first provincial site despite the slowing global economy.

APAC kicked off this week its first round of training for 80 agents who will start taking calls when the office opens on March 2.

"It’s going to be a really big opening. We’ve invited President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and some local officials. Our president and Chief Executive Officer Michael Marrow will be here as well," said Doug Almond, APAC vice-president for international operations.

He said the production area was almost complete. APAC converted the 3,000-square meter gymnasium at the Leyte Information and Communication Technology Park into a P200-million call center site.

The facility houses a call area, conference room, training rooms, administrative office, board room, cafeteria and lobby.

Nizette Navia, APAC administrative service director, said the Leyte site has the same amenities as APAC offices in Alabang, Muntinlupa and Cubao, Quezon City.

It will take five weeks to complete two sets of training. Including the second and third batches, the site will be manned by 200 customer service representatives.

"Of the 200 agents we hired, around 100 came from Leyte. The rest came from a combination of Cebu and Samar areas," Ms. Navia said.

Training on basic skills and specific products were being undertaken by 17 members of the management team from Metro Manila and the US.

Mr. Almond said they planned to hire up to 1,000 workers by yearend.

"The expansion will go for the rest of the year. You’ll see incremental growth all the way through December. We are very excited," he added. Mr. Almond said he was confident that the Leyte operations would succeed.

After the opening, APAC will launch a near-hire program for students to establish a manpower pool for expansion.

"When we did the first job fair, we got almost 2,000 applicants and we’ve hired roughly 200 of those. After completing near-hire training, we will have around 400 to 600 agents," he said.

APAC provides customer care services and solutions to companies in health care, finance, publishing, communications, travel and entertainment.

It is headquartered in Deer-field, Illinois and has operations in Arizona, Florida, Iowa, New York, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and the Philippines. — Sarwell Q. Meniano

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

40 NFA workers to lose jobs this Jan.

published January 27, 2009 in Leyte Samar Daily Express and BusinessWorld


TACLOBAN CITY — Around 40 rank-and-file employees of the National Food Authority (NFA) in Eastern Visayas stand to lose their jobs this month as the agency implements its personnel rationalization plan.

The grains office will abolish redundant positions as part of the agency’s cost-cutting measures, said Rebecca Ada, NFA regional administrative officer.

She said they expect no resistance from the employees in this region because many of those affected have been planning to retire from government service.

"We served notice to affected workers late last year but we’re still waiting for their feedback," Ms. Ada said in a telephone interview. The workers were given 60 days to decide on the notice.

The NFA-Employees Association in Metro Manila has protested the plan and urged the government to stop the implementation of Executive Order 366, which would trigger the abolition of hundreds of rank-and-file positions in the NFA.

The Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Achievement of Government Employees (Courage) disclosed that around 800 NFA workers nationwide will be affected by the scheme.

Among the affected personnel in the region are those in marketing assistance as well as clerks, statistical aides, utility workers and laborers.

Ms. Ada said that employees have the option to stay in government or retire from government service.

Affected employees who have been in service for 31 years or more are entitled to an incentive bonus equivalent to 100% of their basic salary while those with 20 to 30 years of service will receive 75% of their basic salary. Employees who have served for less than 20 years but for more than 3 years will be entitled to 50%.

"If they will decide to continue working in the government, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) is tasked to place them in other agencies," she added.

Under Executive Order 366 issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004, she instructed the "scaling down, phasing out or abolition of functions, programs and projects that duplicate or unnecessarily overlap with other activities within the government."

Also listed are those that directly compete with those of the private sector that can be done more efficiently and effectively by said sector and those which have been devolved to local government units.

The Department of Budget and Management together with the CSC were asked to coordinate the implementation of the rationalization program. — Sarwell Q. Meniano

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Erosion in Samar affects more families

published January 24, 2009 in BusinessWorld online

TACLOBAN CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to receive reports of families affected by coastal erosion caused by big waves in Samar.

In Llorente, Eastern Samar, at least 23 houses were destroyed as sand eroded brought about by big waves, the municipal social welfare and development office (MSWDO) yesterday reported.

Some houses were totally damaged by erosions while some owners deliberately destroyed makeshift houses and transferred these to safer grounds, said MSDWO chief Lucila Cardona in a mobile phone interview.

Since last week, some areas in Brgy. 8 of Llorente town have been affected with erosion and destroyed dilapidated houses disturbing at least 85 persons.

Ms. Cardona said the number of displaced families has tripled from only seven households affected during the weekend.

"We have prepared the Central Elementary Schools and the sports complex as evacuation centers but affected residents prefer to stay with their relatives or rebuild houses in safer areas," Ms. Cardona told BusinessWorld.

The local government unit provided food packs containing rice and sardines to displaced families. The village is prone to big waves and flooding.

"Big waves, generated by wind caused the coastal erosion," Ms. Cardona said.

The DSWD regional office is also set to deliver an additional 1,000 food packs to feed residents of two isolated islands off Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

Vina Aquino, DSWD regional information officer, said the relief goods will be brought to Guiuan town anytime this week.

"We have enough stocks of food in our office if in case local government units (LGUs) asked for augmentation of their relief assistance. But still the LGUs are in the frontline in responding to the needs of affected families," Ms. Aquino told BusinessWorld.

The bulk of the food packs will be distributed in the nine barangays of Suluan and Homonhon islands. These have a combined population of 11,214. Some food packs will also be sent to the flood-hit areas of Dolores and Oras town in Eastern Samar, where some 620 families were affected.

Guiuan Mayor Analiza Kwan said residents of Manicani Island also demanded for relief goods. Food supply to the islands has been cut because the bad weather condition has prevented bancas from traversing the Pacific Ocean between the mainland and the islands.

"The stores on the isolated islands have run out of food since last week," Ms. Kwan said.

The first batch of relief assistance from DSWD was sent to Guiuan town last weekend through the Department of Public Works and Highways. DSWD operations division chief Virginia Idano said they were also preparing to undertake rehabilitation works after the delivery of relief goods.

Ms. Idano said project evaluation team officers have been sent to affected areas to determine the alternative livelihood activities that may be undertaken by the affected residents. — Sarwell Q. Meniano

Thursday, January 22, 2009

BFAD assures safe products

published January 22, 2008 in BusinessWorld

AMID THE scare over contaminated imported peanut butter, the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) yesterday said local counterpart products are safe to eat.

"Local peanut butter is safe because we have asked manufacturers to disclose their sources of peanut-based products and none of them source from the United States," said BFAD Director Leticia Barbara B. Gutierrez in a chance interview on the sidelines of the Medicines Transparency Alliance forum.

She added none of the products recalled by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are in the list of BFAD imports.

On Monday, the BFAD released an advisory on the consumption and purchase of peanut butter and other peanut-based products based on reports of product recalls by the FDA.

Traces of salmonella were found in several products from the Peanut Corporation of America. The FDA has recalled products from several companies.

Salmonella infection has affected around 400 Americans, but there have been no reported deaths.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health’s regional office in Eastern Visayas has deployed food and drug regulation officers to monitor imported peanut butter products sold in stores.

Edgardo Gonzaga, regional director, told BusinessWorld: "It is highly recommended that the public should not buy and eat products that have been recalled and throw them away in a manner that prevents others from eating them."

Brands that were withdrawn from the US market were King Nut peanut butter with lot codes beginning with "8"; Peanut Corporation of America peanut butter and peanut paste products; Austin and Keebler peanut butter sandwich crackers and selected snack-size packs of Famous Amos peanut butter cookies and Keebler soft batch home-style peanut cookies of Kellogg Co.; some Hy-Vee, Inc. products; selected products of Perry’s Ice Cream; and candies containing peanut butter of South Blend Chocolate Company.

"In Region 8, we have to wait for reports from food and drug regulation officers if these products are available in the local market," Mr. Gonzaga said. — Emilia Narni J. David and Sarwell Q. Meniano

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Bad weather causes sea mishaps, deaths from flooding in Samar provinces

published January 14, 2009 in Leyte Samar Daily Express and GMANews.tv


TACLOBAN CITY — Seven people, including a seven-year-old girl, were feared dead after the motorized banca they rode from Eastern Samar province went missing due to bad weather.


Two fishermen in Palapag town, Northern Samar province also remained missing.


Mark Acuyan, 24, and Abonjo Nasam, Sr., 47, both residents of Mapno village, went out to sea on Jan. 8 but have not returned since then, the Office of Civil Defense reported.


In Northern Samar, two more persons drowned, bringing to eight the death toll from the floods and landslides that recently hit the province.


Police in Catarman town identified the fatalities as Victor Castillo of Narra village and Rita Bulan of Hinatad village.


Bienvenido Adesna, chairman of Bantay Dagat in Guiuan town, said in an interview that the motorized banca and its passengers have been missing since Saturday. There has been no sign of survivors.


"The waves went as high as seven meters. We believed that the boat capsized in the Pacific Ocean and there’s no island along its route," said Mr. Adesna, who heads the rescue team formed by the local government unit.


Four mid-sized fishing boats also overturned within the Guiuan area of the Pacific Ocean Sunday afternoon. Mr. Adesna said over 20 fishermen managed to transfer to one boat and safely docked at Homonhon island.


"There were speculations that the missing banca was blown by the strong winds to Surigao area. We called up some residents living in coastal towns of Surigao and they told us that they have not seen any sea mishap survivors there," he added.


The five passengers and two crew were on board M/B Rogen. They were on their way home to Suluan island, about 20 nautical miles off Guiuan town. It takes two to five hours to travel to the island from the mainland depending on weather conditions.


Mr. Adesna said the Philippine Coast Guard in Guiuan prevented the boat from sailing but the crew insisted on leaving at 3 p.m. on Saturday. A search and rescue operation was launched by the Coast Guard after relatives reported the missing passengers.


Missing were Aileen Escoto, 30; Tereso Garado, 20; Alfonso Badar, 50; Aida Mercurio, 35; Perencio Mercurio, 50; Jose Talabera, 45 and Maria Princess Talabera, 7. Perencio Mercurio was said to be the owner and operator of the said motorized banca.


Meanwhile, Arnold Abello, 59, and Rogelio Advincula, 61, sailed back to their hometown in Tolosa, Leyte yesterday morning, three days after they were declared missing. They left the coast of Brgy. San Roque to fish last Saturday evening.


"They just tied up their fishing boat and found shelter during the bad weather," said Rene Amano of the Office of the Civil Defense.


Early on Saturday morning, a family of six was buried alive in the village of Ocad in Lavezares, Northern Samar, some 40 kilometers west of the capital town of Catarman.


The Municipal Social Welfare and Development office in Lavezares identified the fatalities as Edwin dela Cruz, 31, his wife Gemma, 32 and four months pregnant, and their children Dina, 5; Ina, 4; Carla, 2 years and six months; and Rowena, 1.


Incessant rain had caused floods and landslides in several parts of the province, where more than 43,000 individuals were reportedly affected by the calamity in Catarman, Bobon, Mondragon, Palapag and Lavezares towns alone, according to the Northern Samar Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council. - Sarwell Q. Meniano

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

NEDA presses for irrigation project in Northern Samar

published January 13, 2009 in BusinessWorld and GMANews.tv

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) warned against further delay in the implementation of the P2.9-billion Help for Catubig Advancement Project, a major irrigation project aimed at boosting rice production in Northern Samar.

Buenaventura Go-Soco, NEDA regional director for Eastern Visayas, said the project has been delayed for two years. The project’s executive committee is set to meet this week to assess the implementation of the project.

"The heavy rains had affected the project, but with the summer months coming in, contractors should be prepared to catch up and maximize their accomplishment within the next six months," Mr. Go-Soco said.

The project is getting an additional P490 million from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and other implementing agencies to accelerate project progress and cover the increase in the prices of construction materials. "The costing was done in 2000. Obviously, there were changes in the prices of construction materials in the past eight years," Mr. Go-Soco added.

With the revised costing, the project now costs P2.9 billion. Actual disbursement from 2002 reached P1.39 billion as of December 2007.

The project covers 4,550 hectares of rice farm in more than 70 villages of the municipalities of Las Navas and Catubig in the Catubig Valley in Northern Samar.

The five components of the project and lead implementing agencies are: NIA, Department of Public Works and Highways for rural infrastructure improvement, Department of Health for schistosomiasis control, Department of Agriculture for farm support services, as well as local governments for institutional development.

Of the P490-million additional allocation, P389 million comes from NIA, P62 million from DPWH, P11 million from the DA, P3 million from the Health department, P17 million from the Northern Samar provincial government and P6 million from the Catubig and Las Navas municipal governments.

Around 92% of the total rice land area in Samar Island has no irrigation support, resulting in only 45% rice sufficiency in the three Samar provinces. Of the 81,000 hectares of rice farm on the entire island, only around 6,000 hectares have irrigation systems. — Sarwell Q. Meniano, BusinessWorld

Saturday, January 10, 2009

NFA probes diversion of government rice in Samar

published January 10, 2009 in Leyte Samar Daily Express and BusinessWorld

PALO, LEYTE — The National Food Authority (NFA) is looking into allegations that a Tindahan Natin outlet in Catarman, Northern Samar has diverted government rice and sold these to local traders instead of the intended beneficiaries.

NFA regional manager Benjamin Marta said he instructed their provincial office in Northern Samar to look into the complaint made by a concerned citizen there. If the outlet operator is found guilty, his accreditation will be cancelled.

The concerned citizen wrote the NFA alleging that the Tindahan Natin outlet sells NFA rice at P19 per kilo, 75 centavos higher than the mandated P18.25 per kilo. The complainant also alleged that the operator sells NFA rice to local businessmen at P1,100 to P1,200 per sack. The traders sell the rice to consumers at P25 per kilo, the price of commercial-grade government rice.

"If we cancel accreditation, it is not the store owner who will suffer but the people who buy the rice because they will be deprived of their right to buy cheaper rice," Mr. Marta said.

NFA sells rice to retailers at P16.75 per kilo while accredited retailers are allowed to sell it at P18.25 per kilo. — Sarwell Q. Meniano

Leyte regulates motorcycles-for-hire

published January 10, 2009 in BusinessWorld

TACLOBAN CITY — The Provincial Board of Leyte is pushing for the regulation of motorcycles-for-hire to ensure the safety of the commuters in remote villages.

The motorcycle-for-hire, known as habal-habal, can carry up to five passengers on a single trip and is the main mode of transport in remote villages in the provinces.

Board Member Carlo Loreto said Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Thompson Lantion has sent a letter allowing local government units to issue franchises to habal-habal operators.

"We are pushing for the issuance of franchises because this is the only mode of transportation in many rural areas of Leyte," Mr. Loreto told BusinessWorld.

In some municipalities, the local governments have conducted mobile registration and licensing of habal-habal with the assistance of Land Transportation Office. — Sarwell Q. Meniano

700-hectare corn plantation to start in Samar

published January 9, 2009 in BusinessWorld and GMANews.tv

TACLOBAN, Philippines — President Gloria M. Arroyo will lead the launching next week of a 700-hectare yellow corn plantation project on Parasan Island in Daram, Samar.

Leo Cañeda, regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture (DA) for Eastern Visayas, said the farm would be the biggest in the region and would contribute at least 5% to the region’s corn output.

Only quality corn seeds will be used in a bid to raise production to five metric tons per hectare from the current two metric tons per hectare.

"We had preliminary consultation and discussions with around 200 farmer beneficiaries. We will deliver the initial 200 bags of seeds next week," Mr. Cañeda said.

"The result of our soil analysis indicates that the area is highly suitable for corn cultivation," he added.

Farmers will pay only P600 for a bag of seeds, which normally costs P2,600.

They will also get free packs of fertilizer.

The 1,500-hectare Parasan Island is one of the agrarian reform communities in Samar province. It is composed of five villages.

Communities on the island have been practicing traditional corn farming for several years, Mr. Cañeda said.

"What the DA is going to do is to push for the use of quality seeds to increase the level of production. The farmers are already organized there. The idea is to involve them in the project in a big way," Mr. Cañeda said.

Eastern Visayas produces an average of 97,000 MT of corn from 40,000 hectares. The largest corn area, about 3,500 hectares, is in San Isidro, Leyte.

Mr. Cañeda said that, late last year, a group of Korean investors visited the island and expressed interest to buy the produce of local corn farmers in Daram town. Korean experts will also augment the technical assistance provided by the government.

As part of the training program, the Agriculture department will establish a techno demo farm on the island.

"They will learn and will be able to undertake actual corn production operation at the demo farm," Mr. Cañeda explained.

Demand for corn is expected to continue growing due to the steady growth of the poultry and livestock sectors, which feed on corn.

Corn growing in Daram, Samar is part of the convergence plan drafted by DA, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Under that plan, DA focused on helping raise production, DAR was tasked to identify farmers in agrarian reform communities who would benefit from the project, while DENR checked the project’s compliance with the country’s environmental laws.

Mr. Cañeda said Region 8 is a model region for the convergence implementation in the Visayas area.

The primary goal of the convergence initiative is to identify 194,249 hectares as new areas for expansion from 2005 to 2010. As of last year, there were over 100,000 hectares of underutilized land in the region. — Sarwell Q. Meniano, BusinessWorld

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Coast Guard lifts travel ban

published January 6, 2009 in Leyte Samar Daily Express and BusinessWorld

TACLOBAN CITY — Close to 5,700 passengers stranded in various seaports in Allen, Northern Samar have been allowed to leave Sunday night after a tropical storm shifted course and veered away from Eastern Visayas.

"As of 8 p.m. of Sunday, there were no more stranded passengers in Allen ports," said Rey Gozon, operations officer of the Office of the Civil Defense in Eastern Visayas.

He said 255 Luzon-bound ferries have been prevented from leaving port since Saturday. The Philippine Coast Guard had banned sea travel in Samar, which had been placed under storm signal 1.

As of 11 a.m. yesterday, the weather bulletin issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said tropical storm Auring has shifted its course to the northeast and was moving away from the country.

The center of the storm was spotted 300 kilometers east of Catarman, Northern Samar with a strength of 55 kilometers per hour. "Occasional rains and moderate to strong winds are still expected over the Bicol region and the eastern section of Visayas," the weather bureau said. — SQM

Friday, January 2, 2009

PAGASA places Region 8 under flood watch

TACLOBAN CITY-The state weather bureau has placed Eastern Visayas under flood watch yesterday and identified at least 20 rivers and streams in the region that are “likely to be affected” with frequent rainfall.

In it’s website, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) listed some “watercourses” in four provinces of the region that might rise to alarming level.

Particular rivers and streams that are in the watch list are Catarman, Bugko, Pambujan, Catubig and Palapag in Northern Samar; Oras, Dolores, Ulot and Taft in Eastern Samar; Basey, Calbiga and Silaga in Samar; Palo, Sangputan, Daguitan, Marabong, Cadacan, Salug, Pagbangaran and Pagsungahan in Leyte.

“People living near the mountain slopes of the abovementioned places are advised to be alert for possible occurrence of flashfloods and landslides. Likewise people living near or along the rivercourse and those in low-lying areas in the said river systems are advised to be alert for possible flooding,” the flood advisory said.

During the first two days of 2009, the state weather bureau recorded an observed rainfall of 169.9 milimetre (mm) in Borongan, Eastern Samar; 36.0 mm in this city; 32.2 mm in Guiuan, Eastern Samar; 30.8 mm in Catarman, Northern Samar; and 23.0 mm in Catbalogan, Samar.

PAGASA officials projects light to moderate rainfall in the next 24 hours brought by low pressure area. Other than Region 8, the state weather bureau also placed Northern Mindanao and Caraga region under flood watch.

As of yesterday morning, a Low Pressure Area (LPA) was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 420 kms East Northeast of Northern Mindanao. Tail-end of a cold front affecting Eastern Luzon.

The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) alerted the local disaster coordinating councils to be vigilant these holiday seasons.


“We gave copies of weather forecast to local government units that would serve as guide in their disaster preparedness,” said OCD regional director Angel Gaviola in a telephone interview earlier.

Recalling what happened in Samar Island earlier, Gaviola said that it’s possible that some areas will experience flooding even if it’s only a low-pressure area. The OCD has not yer received official flooding reports from local government officials.

Meanwhile, in an astronomical diary for January 2009, PAGASA said that on January 7 at around 6:00 PM, a grand conjunction of planets will be observed in the west southwestern horizon.
Venus, Jupiter and Mercury are the brightest naked eye planets in our sky shining at magnitudes -4.2, -0.4 and -1.9, respectively, while Neptune and Uranus will be found at 30 and 58 degrees above the horizon shining at magnitudes +7.9 and +5.7, respectively.

Neptune will be located among the background stars of the constellation Capricornus, the Sea-Goat, while Uranus will be located among the background stars of the constellation Aquarius. Mars will be difficult to observe due to its proximity to the Sun.

On January 8, at around 12:15 a.m., the Ringed Planet, Saturn will shine at magnitude +0.8. It will be located among the background stars of the constellation Leo, the Lion. The planet will be standing 29 degrees from the eastern horizon. By using a modest size telescope, it will reveal a diameter of 18.68 arc of a second. (Sarwell Q. Meniano)