BUTUAN CITY, Philippines — A mild earthquake jolted in Mindanao Wednesday barely 24 hours after a 5.5 magnitude tremor occurred at sea off General Santos City, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

The latest quake, according to the Phivolcs, had a magnitude of 3.1 and occurred some 14 kilometers northeast of Prosperidad town, Agusan del Sur province.

Phivolcs said the tremor was recorded at 6:56 a.m. Wednesday and had a depth of only 1 kilometer. The agency said the Prosperidad quake was tectonic in origin. No aftershocks were expected, Phivolcs said. (Mike U. Crismundo)

Fees for birth registration

COTABATO CITY — A field official of the National Statistics Office (NSO) who admitted that lack of funds saddled his agency’s thrust to persuade Muslim Filipinos to register their family members’ deaths or deaths as required in accurate development planning and policy-making.

“It is the state policy to record births and deaths and other family-based statistics for free, but the LGUs are authorized to pass ordinances exacting fees from many undertakings including the registration of birth,” Commando Pilimpinas, NSO regional director for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said at a media forum here last week. (Ali Macabalang)

Rescued at sea

SURIGAO CITY — After 16 hours stranded in the sea, two Americans and three Filipino tourists were rescued Wednesday by fishermen and a rescue team of the city disaster and coordinating council off Sumilom islet, an estimated 5 miles from this city.

The Surigao City Police Office (SCPO) said tourists were rescued at 9 a.m. Police identified the 2 rescued American nationals as Michael James Williams and Mark Owanya while the 3 Filipinos were Rocelie Placeros, certain Dodong Palin and Mark Gonzaga, all of Cagayan de Oro City.

The rescued persons were immediately brought to Surigao City hospital for medical treatment. (Mike U. Crismundo)

Fruit growers hold meet

DAVAO CITY — Fruit and vegetable producers in this island region will meet prospective buyers in Visayas next week in the hope to expand their market reach.

The 1st Visayas-Mindanao Fruit and Vegetable Market Encounter in Cebu City on May 19 will provide Mindanao-based growers an opportunity to showcase their produce to prospective buyers in Visayas, said Antonio Partoza, president of the Mindanao Fruit Industry Council (MinFruit), one of the organizers of the event. (Mick M. Basa)

Pangasius trade growing

BUTUAN CITY — Pangasius business is now picking up in the world market.

Almost all in the fishing industry here started to do business on pangasius because of its demand.

Pangasius-raising is one of the growing business of the beneficiaries of the Rural Micro- Enterprise Promotion Program (RuMEPP) one of government's poverty reduction program, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-Caraga) said yesterday.

Because of its demand, RuMEPP beneficiaries in this region’s capital city are starting to raise pangasius which was originally cultured in Vietnam and Thailand, the DTI said. Mike U. Crismundo)