Federalism gains foothold in Philippines
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Dec. 12-18, 2016
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism reports
‘MILLIONAIRES FOR DIGONG’ The Top Donors of Rodrigo R. Duterte, May 2016 Elections
T
HE IMA GE R odr igo R. D uter te pr ojected of his 2016 pr esidential campaign was that it was IMAGE Rodr odrigo Duter uterte projected presidential un on a shoestr ing budget. IItt supposedly had no donors with vvested ested inter ests shoestring interests ests,, and one rrun that included big businessmen and mining fir ms firms ms.. But the Statement of ready makes up 89.28 percent richest Filipinos. Small donaContributions and Expendi- or P334.8 million of his total tions or those P10,000 and tures (SOCE) he filed with the campaign kitty. One of these below amount to just Commission on Elections contributors even belongs in P175,313 — less than half of (Comelec) after he won the this year’s Forbes list of 50 one percent or merely 0.046 percent of Duterte’s total campresidency paints a different paign fund. picture. According to his A second tier of 18 other doSOCE, the P375 million nors who donated from P1 Duterte raised for his cammillion to P3.5 million delivpaign came mainly from big ered an additional P31.66 businessmen. million, or eight percent more, In fact, money from his to Duterte’s campaign. 13 biggest donors who gave Continue on page 2 him P5 million or more al-
‘P334-M from
only 13 donors funded Duterte’s presidency’
Sulu holds forum on federalism, autonomy SULU – The Sulu provincial government in partnership with Sulu State College Faculty Association and Institute for Autonomy and Governance recently held a forum on Federalism, Autonomy and Mindanao and the Sulu Peace Process. Among those who attended and participated in the forum were deans and professors of universities and private colleges, civil society groups and heads of government agencies, including provincial and local government officials. Continue on page 7
President Rodrigo Duterte (Photo by Michael Rey Baniquet)
Acting Sulu Governor Nurunisah Tan poses with resource speakers following the forum on federalism and autonomy. (Sulu Provincial Government Photo)
North Cotabato farmers demand land distribution
Farmers protest in Arakan town in North Cotabato province.
ARMM
Eastern Mindanao
NORTH COTABATO – Farmers were demanding the distribution of some 4,000 hectares of lands that was declared as a reservation area for the Mindanao Institute of Technology and University of Southern Mindanao. The farm lands – 4,124 hectares of the 5,091 hectares were declared a reservation area by then President Carlos Garcia on July 24, 1954 through Continue on page 7
Political prisoners ‘held hostage’ by peace talks DAVAO CITY – Human rights group Karapatan has criticized the Duterte government for its failure to release all political prisoners languishing in jails across the country. It said President Duterte is using the issue as “trump cards” in the peace process in his attempt to set the stage to renege on its commitments and obligations,” although the government already freed 19 prisoners. “While it is true that President Rodrigo Duterte effected
Western Mindanao
Cebu
the temporary release of nineteen political prisoners in line with the Philippine government and National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace talks, the non-release of all political prisoners is a continuing violation of their rights and a perpetuation of the injustice against them promoted by a legal and justice system that has repeatedly failed them,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay. Continue on page 7
Manila
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The Mindanao Examiner
Dec. 12-18, 2016
‘MILLIONAIRES FOR DIGONG’ The Top Donors of Rodrigo R. Duterte, May 2016 Elections
Continued fr om page 1 from No doubt, this is far from how Duterte and his followers had described his campaign team: That the masses who could afford to donate only “Emilio Aguinaldo” money or five-peso coins would be the ones sending him to Malacañang. By the data he enrolled in his SOCE, only 13 extremely wealthy individuals and 18 other million-peso donors whose companies do business with the government or engage in utilities, mining, and the exploitation of natural resources bankrolled Duterte’s rise to power. Just six months after the elections, Duterte has appointed at least half a dozen of his donors and their relatives to Cabinet and other positions, even as one campaign contributor has already snared government contracts and flaunted on social media his claimed closeness to the President. This donor, a Chinese-Filipino business partner of Duterte who runs a cockpit in Davao City, has even posted on his Facebook page his photos with the President and the Japanese premier that were taken from Duterte’s recent state visit, as well as with Duterte, and his children and sibling. And yet by the rules of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), this campaign contributor and several others should not have donated at all to Duterte’s campaign. Section 95 of the Omnibus Election Code prohibits “natural and juridical persons” who have business interests in utilities, mining, and the like from making election contributions. CFO headless ift headless,, in dr drift PCIJ curated, digitized, and reviewed Duterte’s SOCE, as well as those that the other candidates for president, vice president, and senator in the May 2016 elections have filed with Comelec. Altogether, these documents, including advertising contracts, broadcast logs, and various SOCE forms, came up to about 12 gigabytes of data. PCIJ also secured records from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for some of the companies of some of the campaign contributors, and sent letter requests to the candidates and their donors for comment and clarification. The PCIJ audit reveals that Duterte and some other candidates may have some explaining to do with Comelec for their failure to disclose the true identities of their donors, for overspending, for failure to file complete and correct SOCEs, or even for not filing their SOCEs within deadline of one month after the May 9, 2016 elections. When or how the poll body will act on these matters is the big question, though. Last June 20, Commissioner Christian Robert S. Lim, filed his irrevocable resignation as head of the Comelec Campaign Finance Office (CFO). This was after four of the poll body’s seven commissioners voted to accept the late submission of SOCEs by the Liberal Party and its presidential candidate Manuel ‘Mar’ Roxas II until June 30, or three weeks beyond the “final, non-extendible deadline” deadline it had imposed. In his resignation letter, Lim wrote the Comelec en banc: “Given the Commission’s policy shift resulting from granting the request for extension without any sanctions on the erring candidates and parties— which I had expressly dissented from and is now incongruent with my own views on the matter—I believe that I am unsuitable to continue with my duties both as the concurrent head and
Commissioner-inCompany Inc. Amount in PhP Donor Charge of the Campaign (TADECO), one of the (Cash and In-Kind) Finance Office.” Accordhighest-yielding banana ing to Lim, the FLOIRENDO, ANTONIO JR. R. plantations in the world. 75,000,000.00 extension of the dead- CAYETANO, ALAN PETER S. TADECO has a long71,313,782.53 line for the Liberal Party TE, LORENZO A. term joint venture 30,000,000.00 was “illegal… tanta- UY, DENNIS A. agreement with the Bu30,000,000.00 mount to an UY, SAMUEL C. reau of Corrections, in 30,000,000.00 amendment of the law.” TAN, BIENVENIDO F. which inmates of the 20,000,000.00 Cour ags ourtt case dr drags Davao Penal Colony ALCANTARA, NICASIO I. 18,000,000.00 In July, Duterte’s po- MENDOZA, MARCELINO C. work at its banana plan14,500,000.00 litical party, the Partido REGINO, MICHAEL G. tations. The joint 14,000,000.00 Demokratiko Pilipino- ALCANTARA, TOMAS I. venture agreement be12,000,000.00 Lakas ng Bayan or ANG, FELIX R. tween TADECO and 10,000,000.00 PDP-Laban asked the ESCALER, PATRICIA BuCor was renewed for 5,000,000.00 Supreme Court to de- UY, DOMINGO TAO another 25 years in 2004. 5,000,000.00 clare the Comelec’s UY, EFREN E. Tony Boy Floirendo 3,500,000.00 decision “illegal, prohib- TOLENTINO, FRANCIS N. is chairman and stock3,147,967.69 ited, and void,” saying DOMINGUEZ, CARLOS G. holder of TADECO, 3,000,000.00 the deadline extension RAMOS, JANUARIO B. according to the 3,000,000.00 was made to “accom- TESADO, JOSUE G. company’s latest avail3,000,000.00 modate” the then ruling BOSQUIT, DORELANE U. able document at the 2,000,000.00 Liberal Party. SEC, its 2013 general inBOSQUIT, JOHN JOSEPH A. 2,000,000.00 The Supreme Court RODOLFO, DEBBIE U. formation sheet (GIS). 2,000,000.00 has yet to rule on the LIM, ALFREDO C. He is married to 1973 1,013,000.00 matter. A court official CABRERA, NILO A. Miss Universe Margarita 1,000,000.00 told PCIJ that the jus- DE LEON, REGINA Moran, granddaughter 1,000,000.00 tices are not likely to HERNANDEZ, DOMICIANO JR. V. of Manuel A. Roxas, the 1,000,000.00 deliberate and rule on LEUTERIO, VICTORIA D. country’s fifth president. 1,000,000.00 the case soon, on ac- MEDIALDEA, MA. BERTOLA D. Another Davao City 1,000,000.00 count of other pending PANISALES, JESSIE MAR C. business bigwig who do1,000,000.00 contentious cases and SALANG, MAXIMO A. nated to Duterte’s 1,000,000.00 the usual holiday down- TAN, CHERRY WHITE U. presidential campaign – 1,000,000.00 time. P30 million, in fact — is UY, CHERYLYN C. 1,000,000.00 Should the court Samuel C. Uy. rule against Comelec, at SOURCE: Rodrigo R. Duterte's Statement of Contributions From the looks of it, least 69 winning candi- and Expenditures, May 2016 Elections however, Uy has not redates and 5,836 losing mained in Davao only candidates for national and local po- his company that engaged in a min- after the elections. Uy’s Facebook sitions in the May 2016 elections ing activity – not him. account photos show him posing The ties that bind with Duterte and Japanese Prime could face penalties or sanctions To verify the business interests Minister Shinzo Abe at the Philipunder Comelec’s campaign-finance rules. If it should rule for Comelec, of Duterte’s donors, PCIJ cross- pine President’s recent state visit to however, the court is likely to court checked details of his SOCE against Tokyo, as well as with the President’s the disfavor of the PDP-Laban party corporate records obtained from the children, and with Special Assistant Securities and Exchange Commis- to the President Bong Go. One photo of President Duterte. But by all indications, which- sion (SEC), bid notice and award even shows Uy standing in front of ever way the high court decides — data from the Procurement Service- the seal of the President of the Philfor or against Comelec — the issue Philippine Government Electronic ippines, his hands resting System (PS- comfortably on the presidential pohas already left the CFO in limbo and Procurement adrift, and set back the reforms in PhilGEPS), public-works contracts dium. campaign-finance regulation that from the Department of Public Uy is a stockholder in several Comelec has been putting in place Works and Highways (DPWH), min- companies, including DIMDI Cening-tenements data from the Mines tre Inc. and DIMDI Builders Center since the 2010 elections. More than five months after and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), Inc., two government suppliers. Lim’s resignation, the CFO remains and PCIJ’s list of campaign donors From January 2013 to October a headless entity. Indeed, the CFO culled from Comelec records from 2016, DIMDI Centre and DIMDI Builders Center had been awarded lawyers have had to seek endorse- the 1998 to 2013 elections. A person’s tax identification with government contracts worth a ment from the office of the Comelec’s Executive Director before number and a company’s registra- total of P2.7 million, PhilGEPS data they could act on PCIJ’s requests for tion number were used to match show. Both companies are also on PhilGEPS’ list of registered suppliers data and interview. Amid this drift, records from different sources. PCIJ also sent a letter to Duterte as of Oct. 7, 2016. the staff personnel have been left to mind the CFO household even as through his Executive Secretary SalDIMDI Centre and DIMDI they have neither mandate nor vador Medialdea on Oct. 22, 2016. Builders are both engaged in merpower to decide on issues, such as The President has yet to respond to chandising. They have supplied what the Comelec en banc alone PCIJ’s questions as of this writing, al- photocopying machines, air-condithough lawyer Ryan Acosta of the tioning units, television sets, and possesses. Among PCIJ’s queries pertained Office of the Executive Secretary says other appliances to various governto Duterte’s campaign-finance re- that PCIJ’s letter has been forwarded ment offices in Davao. Among these port, which indicated a bevy of to the Office of the Special Assistant are the regional offices of the Dedonors who shouldn’t have been to the President, Christopher partment of Agrarian Reform, making campaign contributions in Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go. A reply email Technical Education and Skills Dethe first place, and ties binding poli- came mid-afternoon of Dec. 3 with velopment Authority, Department comments from unnamed “Duterte of Science and Technology, Philiptics and business. Still, Mazna Lutchavez, Attor- campaign team lawyers” but these pine Amusement and Gaming ney IV at the Comelec CFO, is firm have reportedly not yet been cleared Corporation, and the City of Davao. in saying that a careful reading of the with or approved by the President. In 2015 and 2016, the City of Donors fr om D av ao from Dav avao poll body’s rules suggests that Davao awarded DIMDI Centre with Among Duterte’s biggest donors at least five contracts worth a total Duterte’s donors are covered by the prohibition on giving donations, if are those whose companies do busi- of P333,730, PhilGEPS data show. they are engaged in mining, public ness with the government. These Duterte was Davao City mayor at the utilities, and government contracts. include Duterte’s top donor, Davao time. This is because, she says, the law del Norte Rep. Antonio ‘Tony Boy’ R. Uy’s other business interests inspecifically cites not only juridical Floirendo Jr., who contributed P75 clude the New Davao Matina persons or companies, but natural million in cash to Duterte and an- Gallera, the “biggest cockpit arena in persons, too. She adds that the pro- other P25 million to the President’s Davao City” located on MacArthur vision citing direct and indirect party, PDP-Laban. Highway in Matina district. It feainvolvement also pertains to the Floirendo’s late father was the tures, among others, arena-style company owner. founder of Anflo Management and seating, wide-screen scoreboards, Then again, Lutchavez allows Investment Corporation (Anflocor), air-conditioned cockhouse and that the legal doctrine that separates which oversees at least 11 businesses cockpit, and livestream and satellite a person from a company offers a engaged in agriculture, trading, re- feed of the derbies. The cockpit’s derloophole that may subject the elec- alty, hotel and restaurant services, bies have drawn avid following tion rule to different interpretations. financing, and others. Today Tony among governors, mayors, and miliFor instance, says another election Boy Floirendo is one of Anflocor’s tary and police officers. In business with DU30 lawyer, a campaign donor engaged major stockholders. Uy and President Duterte, along in mining, could say as a defense Anflocor’s flagship company is that he owns a mining firm but it is Tagum Agricultural Development with Lorenzo A. Te Jr., Azucena
Angbue, Jan S. Ced, Eugenio O. Ced, Divino M. Tan II, Danilo D. Tan, and Jesus Y. Tan, are also stockholders of Honda Cars General Santos Inc. Uy, Duterte, and Te are incorporators as well of Poeng Yue Foundation, along with James S. Gaisano, Josue G. Tesado Sr., Johnny Lee Ng, and Samuel G. Afdal. Like Uy, Davao City businessman Te had given P30 million to Duterte’s campaign. “Friend” in Mandarin, Poeng Yue was formed by Duterte and his business partners in 2012 to “extend assistance, financial or otherwise, to cancer patients with special focus on children suffering from said disease.” Honda Cars General Santos City and Poeng Yue Foundation are two business interests Duterte has declared in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). His SALN upon assuming the presidency or as of June 30, 2016 shows that he did not divest from these two entities. Civil Service Commission Assistant Commissioner Ariel G. Ronquillo says the need to divest may not necessarily be automatic. First, he says, one has to determine whether or not there is a clear conflict as President of the Philippines and as incorporator of a company. According to Ronquillo, a conflict of interest may occur if a business is getting a permit or license from one’s office. “Naturally,” he says, “there is a conflict because you’re the one giving the license so you should not have any interest there.” Gover nment contr actors ernment contractors But what about campaign donors who have companies that have business with government? Aside from contributions from Davaobased businessmen, the Duterte campaign had also accepted donations from those like Felix R. Ang, whose company later landed a deal with a state agency. Ang donated P10 million to the Duterte campaign. He is an incorporator, stockholder, and chairman of Cats Asian Cars, which bagged a P1.24-million contract with the Social Security System for the supply and delivery of one brand new sedan in October 2016. Yet another Duterte campaign contributor, Marcelino C. Mendoza, is president and stockholder of MGS Construction, which appears in PhilGEPS list of registered suppliers. Mendoza, who donated P14.5 million to help finance Duterte’s presidential bid, is from Las Piñas. He is listed as well as incorporator, board member, and stockholder of Vista Land & Lifescapes, Inc. Vista Land’s chairman is former senator Manuel B. Villar Jr. Its president and chief executive officer is Villar’s eldest child, Manuel Paolo. A week after he won the presidency, Duterte appointed Paolo’s brother Mark as Public Works and Highways Secretary. Januario B. Ramos, meanwhile, donated P3 million to the Duterte campaign. Ramos is president, incorporator and stockholder of Pragmatic Development and Construction Corp., a registered contractor with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Pragmatic’s website says the firm, formed in 1979, specializes in “roads, highways, pavement and bridges irrigation, and similar industrial projects,” but has recently branched out into real-estate development and property management. According to DPWH’s online registry of awarded contracts, Pragmatic has won at least three
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The Mindanao Examiner
Dec. 12-18, 2016
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NOTICE Please report to us any individual or persons who are illegally soliciting money or donations for or in behalf of THE MINDANAO EXAMINER REGIONAL NEWSPAPER CEBU EXAMINER. We have a strict company policy against solicitation in any forms and the Company shall not be responsible for illegal practice of unscrupulous persons, who pass themselves off as Reporter, Stringer, Correspondent or Sales Executive of The Mindanao Examiner. When in doubt, please call or SMS us at these numbers (062) 9925480 and (082) 2960658 or SMS 0995-5202358 and 0947-4823453 or email us – mindanaoexaminer@gmail.com contracts altogether worth P64.75 million from the DPWH Cebu City Engineering District Office from 2014 to the present. One was worth P38.06 million, for the widening of the Canduman-Cebu North Road from May 4, 2015 to March 11, 2016; another was valued at P18.33 million, for the widening of the Canduman North RoadMandaue City from Feb. 5, 2014 to Oct. 18, 2016; and a third, P8.36 million, for the concreting of J. Luna AvenueCardinal Rosales Intersection from March 3, 2015 to March 3, 2017. From 2001 to 2014, Pragmatic was also awarded P48.1 million worth of government contracts, almost all located in Cebu, according to PhilGEPS and DPWH databases. The firm had also donated P280,000 in cash to the Bagumbayan-VNP party in the 2013 elections, according to PCIJ’s SOCE database. Mining concer ns concerns Persons affiliated with firms that operate public utilities or those that possess or exploit the country’s natural resources are also among Duterte’s 10 biggest donors. These include Michael G. Regino, who contributed P14 million to Duterte’s campaign. SEC records filed in 2016 show that he is director and minor stockholder of TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. Interestingly, TVI Resource’s vice chairman is Manuel Paolo A. Villar. TVI Resource is the Philippine affiliate of TVI Pacific Inc., a publicly-listed Canadian mining firm that is exploring, developing, and producing precious and base metals in the Philippines. Mines and Geosciences Bureau data as of July 2016 show that TVI Resource holds a mineral production sharing agreement (MPSA) with the government and is applying for another MPSA and exploration permits in the Zamboanga Peninsula region.
According to TVI Resource’s website, Regino sits on the board and maintains top positions in other companies led by Prime Asset Ventures Inc. He is president of St. Augustine Services Inc., senior vice president of St. Augustine Mining Ltd., and board member of Nationwide Development Corp. and Kingking Mining Corp. In addition, Regino is president and minor stockholder of Agata Mining Ventures Inc. and Equipment Drilling Corp., which are both subsidiaries of TVI Resource. Public utility Then there are brothers Tomas and Nicasio I. Alcantara, who contributed a total of P30 million. Tomas and Nicasio are stockholders of Alsons Development and Investment Corporation and several other businesses. Tomas is chairman and president of the Alsons Power Group, which is composed of power generation facilities across Mindanao. According to its website, Alsons Power Group operates three dieselpower facilities, one each in Alabel in Sarangani, Zamboanga City, and Iligan City. In April 2016, the group’s first coal-fired power plant located in Maasim, Sarangani started commercial operations. Tomas is No. 41 on the 2016 Forbes list of the 50 richest Filipinos. The Alcantara family had also been included in previous Forbes lists of richest Filipinos. Tomas and Nicasio Alcantara are stockholders as well in Alsons Consolidated Resources Inc., as is another Duterte campaign donor, Carlos G. Dominguez. Dominguez, who donated P3 million, is also linked to yet another top Duterte donor, Bienvenido Tan, through PTFC Redevelopment Corporation, a real estate company. Tan, who gave P20 million to Duterte, is president and stockholder of PTFC. Dominguez and his management firm CG Dominguez
Associates Inc. are also stockholders of PTFC Redevelopment Corporation. Donors & appointees Dominguez is now Finance Secretary in the Duterte administration. Aside from him, other Duterte campaign donors have wound up in government themselves. For instance, Dennis A. Uy of Davao City was named presidential adviser for sports last July. The president and chief executive officer of Phoenix Petroleum, Uy and his wife Cherylyn gave a total of P31 million in cash to the Duterte campaign. Cherylyn also gave P5 million to PDPLaban. Similarly, Salvador Medialdea and wife Ma. Bertola donated a total of P1.5 million to Duterte. Medialdea is now Executive Secretary. Ismael Sueno donated P21,600 in kind for “sound system rental and flat cord.” He was appointed secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Bacolod-based lawyer Jesus V. Hinlo Jr. was also appointed by Duterte as DILG undersecretary. Hinlo donated a tarpaulin worth P576 to Duterte. This is one of two P576 donations the president received and also the lowest. Hinlo was reported to be focusing on the DILG’s Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire Protection, national emergency hotlines 117 and 911, and the Public Safety College. Legal but not rright? ight? “It’s not legally prohibited,” lawyer Rona Ann V. Caritos, executive director of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE), says of the appointment of campaign donors to government posts. “But all these things that are not prohibited in law do not necessarily mean that they are right.” Section 4 titled “Norms of Conduct of Public Officials and Employees” of Republic Act No. 6713 does say that every public official and employee shall observe pro-
fessionalism, among others. This means they “shall endeavor to discourage wrong perceptions of their roles as dispensers or peddlers of undue patronage.” But CSC’s Ronquillo — who also heads the Commission’s Office for Legal Affairs — says the President, being the appointing authority of his people, enjoys the widest latitude of discretion to appoint whoever he wants to positions. The appointments are actually subject to the President’s trust and confidence, he says. These people are confidential appointees — co-terminus with the chief executive — so it’s only natural for the president to choose people whom he trusts, Ronquillo says. “Hindi ka naman magaappoint sa position na hindi mo kakilala (You will not appoint people you do not know),” he says. “You will appoint those you’re comfortable with because these are the people who will help you deliver the promises that you made during the campaign — to deliver the services that you want to deliver to the people.” Utang na loob ‘U loob’’ Ronquillo says that Duterte was not in violation of the law when he appointed his donors. The law, he says, will now apply to those the President appointed. In the course of discharging their functions, says Ronquillo, appointees cannot favor only members of their party or a certain group of people who happens to be close to them or to the president. “When you’re in public office, your boss is the Filipino people so you shouldn’t be favoring anyone,” he says. “Doon papasok ngayon na ‘they shall endeavor to discourage wrong perceptions of their roles as dispensers or peddlers of undue patronage.’” Caritos, however, frets that when it comes to appointments, those who contributed to the victor’s campaign tend to be given
priority over others. This is why, she says, LENTE always highlights in their voter education activities that people should know who the donors are. It’s human nature, Caritos says; especially among Filipinos where the concept of utang na loob endures, it’s not unusual to expect someone to give something in return to a person who gave him something. And yet there are the likes of Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis N. Tolentino, both of whom donated substantial amounts to Duterte but hold no appointed position at present. Cayetano’s and Tolentino’s donations were in the form of tandem advertisements worth P71.3 million and P3.15 million, respectively. Cayetano was Duterte’s running mate; he has since become a perennial presence in events attended by the President, including those abroad. He was said to be eyeing the top post at the Department of Justice, but this went to Duterte’s former law school classmate Vitaliano Aguirre II. Caritos has a different bone to pick with Cayetano and Tolentino, however. She says that while no law is violated by elected and former officials donating to campaigns, there is a need to highlight the fact that they hold or held positions in which salaries would not go over half a million pesos per month. Asks Caritos: “How can these individuals give those inordinate amounts to their fellow party members? Kahit hindi bawal, saan galing ang pera mo para makapag-donate ng ganyan (Even if it’s not breaking any law, where did you get the money to be able to donate that much)?” Misleading and malicious Cayetano said the PCIJ report was misleading and malicious because it showed hims as the second biggest donor to Duterte’s presidential campaign, according to
television giant GMA 7. It quoted Cayetano as telling reporters that it was unfair to link his earnings as a senator to his donation. “I expected much more from PCIJ because compared to ordinary journalists, they’re supposed to dig deeper. First of all, why would you link a SALN with donations?” Cayetano said referring to his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. “Precisely nga, dinonate sa’yo, so wala sa SALN mo ‘yun. So isn’t that at the very least misleading, at the most, malicious?” he said. Cayetano also questioned why he was supposedly singled out in the PCIJ report. “Sino ang pinakamalaki ang gastos sa Vice Presidents? Si Leni. Hindi nila sinama sa report….Sa business community, alam naman ng lahat, she got the most from businessmen,” he said, adding the timing of the report was suspicious considering that Robredo had just resigned from Duterte’s Cabinet as housing czar. “Ang problema sa naging timing is it raised more questions than answers. Because nga, it made false assumptions. And it failed sa basic na tinuturo sa atin sa high school, don’t make faulty generalizations,” Cayetano said. He said all his campaign expenditures were accounted for in his own Statement of Contributions and Expenditures, and that he chose to spend most of the donations to him for Duterte’s campaign. “I realized that there’s a big possibility na hindi ako mananalo. But I wanted my President to win. So I put it in ads na nandun kaming dalawa,” he said. (By Karol Ilagan and Malou Mangahas, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. With research by Floreen Simon, Fern Felix, Vino Lucero, Davinci Maru, Ana Isabel Manalang, Steffi Sanchez, Jil Caro, and John Gabriel Agcaoili, PCIJ, December 2016. With a report from GMA 7.)
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The Mindanao Examiner
Dec. 12-18, 2016
State of ARMM’s ICT ‘brighter and better’ COTABATO CITY – The information technology chief of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) describes the state of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the region as “better and brighter” compared with previous years. Abdelnur Campong, chief of the ARMM governor’s ICT office, said there were no efforts in establishing ICT in the regional government before 2011. Now, Campong added, all regional line agencies have their own websites and instituted their database systems even as the ARMM government created an ICT office through an executive order. These efforts add up to reforms instituted by the administration of ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman since he was appointed as caretaker governor in 2011, and later elected twice in 2013 and in 2016. The regional government, he said, continues its efforts to further develop and improve ICT in the region. The ARMM held its 1st ICT Summit on December 5, to
make the stakeholders knowledgeable of the latest trends and technology that could be used in the efficient delivery of government services. Ang focus natin dito ay pag-improve at pagpapaganda ng serbisyo natin sa ARMM, particularly sa regional government (Our focus here is to improve the services in the ARMM, particularly in the regional government),” Campong said. The summit gathered all industry stakeholders, especially those from the government and the academe, as well as professionals and students to discuss current trends and challenges facing the ICT sector in the region and in the country. “We established systems at the office of the ARMM governor such as human resource information system, Electronic New Government Accounting System, Database, Radio-Frequency IDentification, and many other systems,” Campong said. “Definitely, mas brighter at maganda ang estado ng ICT ngayon ng
ARMM kaysa dati (Definitely, we now have brighter and better state of ICT in the region unlike before).” The summit invited five speakers who discussed topics relevant to governance in the regional government. The development and effective integration of technology to government services pave the way to better governance in the region, Campong added. “Data management ang topics dahil iyon ang kailangan ng region (Data management are the topics because these are what our region needs); how to establish our baseline data to be used in the present and future administrations for decision-making, and program proposal drafting,” Campong said. Among the partners of the ARMM government in the ICT event were the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Philippine Computer Society Foundation, Trend Micro, Indra Philippines, and Microsoft Philippines. (Bureau of Public Information)
DILG cites ARMM as most improved region in peace and order, financial administration COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has been cited as the most improved region in terms of peace and order as well as financial administration. The national government’s Bureau of Local Government Super vision (BLGS), headed by Director Manny Gotis, bestowed awards to regional offices and Seal of Good and Local Governance, or SGLG, to focal persons in a ceremony held in Makati City. BLGS operates under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). In the awarding ceremony, the ARMM was cited as the most improved region in the areas of peace and order and financial administration. From being a zero passer in SGLG in 2015, the region also scored six SGLG awardees this year, indicating significant improvement in local governance. Undersecretary for Local Government Austere Panadero personally conferred the awards to the recipients. Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Ismael Sueno delivered his message in the ceremony dubbed ‘Maaasahang Katuwang sa
Pamamalakad.’ Noor Hafizullah Abdullah, DILG-ARMM secretary, noted the citations are in “recognition of the (region’s and local government unit awardees’) good performance.” Last year, not one local government unit (LGU) in the region passed the SGLG requirements. “This year, however, the region has six,” Sec. Abdullah said. The 2016 SGLG awardees in the ARMM are the province of Maguindanao, the city of Lamitan in Basilan, and the towns of North Upi and Parang in Maguindanao, Wao in Lanao del Sur, and Jolo in Sulu. ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman said good governance practices should be emulated by other LGUs in the region. He urged the region’s LGUs to focus on improving their performances and overall operations in order to the deliver services to their constituents. The DILG describes the SGLG, also known as ‘Pagkilala sa Katapatan at Kahusayan ng Pamahalaang Lokal,’ as the conferment of a seal to LGUs that adhere to perfor mance criteria, namely, improvements on performance, acc o u n t a b i l i t y ,
transparency, and participation. These requirements encompass three core assessment areas: Good Financial Housekeeping, Social Protection and Disaster Preparedness, and at least one from the essential assessment areas, namely, BusinessFr iendliness and Competitiveness, Peace and Order, or Environmental Management. The most prestigious awards to LGUs echo DILG’s mantra ‘Matino, Mahusay at Maaasahan’. Sec. Abdullah expressed the region’s hope to have more awardees in the region as they continue their commitment as partners for change. DILG-ARMM Assistant Secretary Sharifa Pearlsia Dans said the region looks forward to double, or even triple, the number of awardees next year. “We cannot thank enough the local chief executives and our provincial, city directors and (other local officials) for their unwavering commitment and participation in the success of this program,” she said. “Let us continue to spread the seeds of good local governance so that the ARMM constituency would benefit from these efforts,” she added. (Bureau of Public Information)
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ARMM LGUs pledge P4.2B for program funds DAVAO CITY – Local government units (LGUs) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) pledged a total of P4.196 billion to fund programs for their constituents in support of the ARMM Regional Development Framework 2016-2019. Local officials from across the region drafted the programs, projects, services and activities (PPSA) during the 3rd ARMM Local Government Summit held from November 30 to December 1 at the SM Lanang Premier’s SMX Convention Center in Davao City. Atty. Noor Hafizullah Abdullah, ARMM’s Interior and Local Government Secretary, said the development framework represents the aspirations of the ARMM constituents reflecting different concerns in every province and town. The plans will be implemented in 2018 and 2019 and would be bankrolled by development funds from each LGU addressing issues of poverty, socio-economic, security, disaster preparedness, and infrastructure. The PPSA was aligned with the ARMM Regional Development Framework, which is anchored on six fronts: agri-fishery development under rural development; functional LGUs, improved regional government service delivery, and increased people’s
participation under good governance at all levels; anti-terrorism, illegal drugs, and crimes under public order and security; health and nutrition, education, livelihood, water and sanitation, and social welfare and protection under basic services for all; disaster preparedness, response and rehabilitation and environmental protection and management under climate change adaptation, and disaster resiliency; and, infrastructure support for all components. “The framework is a key instrument for the LGUs to properly and equitably allocate development funds to ensure improvements of welfare of communities,” Sec. Abdullah said. Most of the development funds, he added, were concentrated on alleviating poverty in region, being the poorest in the country. In the first quarter of 2015, ARMM’s poverty incidence was tracked at 53.4% with Lanao del Sur and Sulu posting 70.2% and 61.8% poverty incidences, respectively. In the past years, the bulk of funds of the ARMM annual budget went to infrastructure with roughly P20 billion allocated to that sector in 2015. “In the last three years, nag-focus po tayo sa infrastructure, and in the next three years, we will focus on anti-poverty programs,” ARMM Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia said. By 2019,
the region’s poverty incidence will be reduced to 30% through a convergence of government efforts. For 2017, a total of P111.209 million development funds of LGUs across the region were allocated to four major sectors, namely general services, economic services, social services and environmental services. The bulk of the fund went to economic services, or 60.12% of the total amount, equivalent to P67 million. General services received the least amount, or P7 million, comprising 6.36% of the total. “Ito ang tutukan natin for the coming years; ‘yung LGUs because we believe that kapag nag-function ang local government units natin, it will address many of our problems na hinaharap ng ARMM lalong lalo na ‘yung sa security at poverty incidence,” Sec. Abdullah added. Carrying the theme “Pagkamulat, Pagbabago at Pag-unlad”, the event was aimed at upscaling local government performance and determining the state of local development and governance in the region. President Rodrigo Duterte was guest speaker at the closing of the summit. Speaking before local leaders, estimated at over 480, the President reassured his commitment to the development of the Bangsamoro. (Bureau of Public Information)
5
The Mindanao Examiner
Dec. 12-18, 2016
Federalism gains foothold in Philippines THE HUGPONG FEDERAL MOVEMENT or HFM continues to reap praises as it goes around the country promoting federalism in support to President Duterte’s strong advocacy of shifting the Philippines to federated states. Benedikt Seemann, Country Representative of the Konrad-AdenauerStiftung or KAS in the Philippines, also expressed elation and support on the movement’s advocacy following a recent meeting with HFM officials led by its national secretary Virgilio dela Cruz, Mayor Hadar Hajiri of Sulu’s Lugus town, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees; and lawyer Joel Obar, its legal counsel at the KAS headquarters in Makati City. Seemann said: “I am very happy to see that there is a movement in the Philippines that's does not only care about drafting a precise constitution for a federal Philippines to bring it up to the high level decision makers, but that there is a movement to bring it down to the people, to the grass root level because in the 12th largest country in the world, you cannot implement massive change if the 100 million people who are living there do not have the knowledge or the tools or the access to decision making to be participating there that’s why I am very glad that the movement exists and is providing knowledge for the people and the change that is to come.” He said: “Federalism can help as a tool to provide a better structure of government that is not only because you drew new lines on the map but because federalism help
create equal opportunities all over the country, and with equal opportunities you can fight poverty and regional differences in the country, so you can provide for better structure of government that provides for a better standard of living.” Seemann said KAS has been in the Philippines for 52 years now and “it is our very belief we try to support reforms in the country and we try to help local partners to develop good governance and good reforms and we are very happy that after 52 years that there is now the chance for meaningful reforms in terms of federalism in the Philippines.” Obar said they were also happy with how Seemann and KAS expressed its strong support to the HFM advocacy in promoting federalism in the Philippines. “We are very happy because we were able to forge a partnership with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung foundation and they opened the doors of their offices for us to make proposals so we have already undertaken initial steps to frame this up in consonance to their programs on people empowerment and development down to the grass root level. So magandang oportunidad ito for us to advance the advocacy on federalism.” “Sa ngayon, umaangat na tayo, but hindi pa rin natin iniwanan yung grass root level kasi marami pa rin tayong dapat maabot, but even as we do that to people on the ground, tumitingin na rin tayo ngayon sa iba pang mga oportunidad to make this into a global opportunity or
Hukbong Federal Movement in action. HFM officials led by its national secretary Virgilio dela Cruz, Mayor Hadar Hajiri of Sulu’s Lugus town, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees; and lawyer Joel Obar, its legal counsel, during separate meetings with Benedikt Seemann, Country Representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, and Chairman Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front and other important personalities. (Mindanao Examiner Photos - Ely Dumaboc) international opportunity and that is the reason why we work so hard to connect with different groups such as the Konrad-AdenauerStiftung,” he said. Obar said HFM and the Philippines have a lot to learn from Germany being a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe and have 16 constituent states with about 82 million inhabitants and making it the most populous member state of the European Union. “Marami tayong malalaman or matututunan from the German model kaya yun na ang ginagawa natin at nagpapasalamat tayo sa Konrad-AdenauerStiftung,” he said. KAS is a political foundation situated in Sankt Augustin near Bonn, and also in Berlin. It has 16 regional offices and two conference centers in Germany which offer a wide variety of civic education conferences and events. Its offices abroad are in charge of over 200 projects in more than 120 countries. And as a think-tank and consulting agency, it soundly researched scientific fundamental concepts and current analyses which are meant to offer a basis for possible political action.
Dela Cruz, Hajiri and Obar also met with Nur Misuari, chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front or MNLF in Manila and discussed about federalism. Misuari is also a strong advocate of federalism. Dr Sammy Adju, the MNLF’s chairman for global diplomacy and peace advocacy, was also present during the meeting and said Misuari has been advocating federalism for many decades now. He also welcomes KAS advocacy and praised the movement for its continued promotion of federalism across the country. He said Hajiri’s untiring advocacy in Sulu and elsewhere speaks truly of his strong support to federalism just like Misuari. “The initiative of the good Mayor Hadar Hajiri is in line with the advocacy of Chairman Nur Misuari,” Adju said. Obar said the meeting with Misuari was an opportunity to further widen their perspective on federalism and to know the history of the Muslim people and their struggle in Mindanao. “The meeting with MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari is another step forward kasi person to person
natin na meet si Chairman Misuari so nalaman natin ang history of the struggle of the Moro people. Hopefully yung mga nalaman natin kay Chairman Nur Misuari ay maisama natin sa movement natin na federalism at mukhang sang-ayon na rin or pabor na rin si Chairman Misuari sa federalism kasi napansin ko sa kanya na pagod na rin siya sa giyera, nakita ko na marami na ang mga namatay sa struggle na ito, and I have seen in his eyes na he wants this war to end during President Duterte’s term,” he said. Obar also appealed to the public to continue its support to federalism until it is fully achieved. “To all the members of Hugpong Federal Movement, and even to other organizations at maging ang mga small initiatives, let us continue organizing and propagating, educating the people about federalism kasi ito na lamang ang sistema na ibinigay ng Diyos sa atin para makuha ang tunay na kalayaan.” For his part, Hajiri said Duterte’s push for a federal form of government has empowered the Filipinos to join in advocating a change in the present form of government. He said in
the recent 3rd ARMM LGUs Summit in Davao City, Duterte stressed the need for Congress to pass a law that would change the current form of government into federal. “Isa sa binigyang diin ng Pangulo ay ang mapabilis ang pagpasa ng federalismo sa bansa sa loob ng tatlong taon mula nang siya ay makapanumpa bilang Pangulo ng bansa, na siyang pinaniniwalaang lulutas sa malalang suliranin ng terorismo, extremism, droga, at korapsyon. Sa mga talumpati ng Pangulo, nilinaw nito na ang pagbabago ng sistemang pang-gobyerno mula sa presidential form of government papunta sa federalismo ang tanging lunas o gamot sa suliranin ng bansa lalo na sa Mindanao,” Hajiri said. He said only Duterte can save the country and its people from its ills and a federal form of government is the solution to all these problems. “Tanging ang administrasyon lamang ni Pangulong Duterte ang makakapagpabago sa buhay ng mga Pilipino lalo na kung maging federal form of government na ang Pilipinas,” the mayor said. (Ely Dumaboc)
6
The Mindanao Examiner
Dec. 12-18, 2016
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7
The Mindanao Examiner
Dec. 12-18, 2016
Sulu holds forum on federalism, autonomy
Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper is in need of the following: Office Staff for Davao City. Applicant must be female and not more than 25-years old and preferably college level or with secretarial skills. News Writer for Zamboanga City. Applicant must have an experience in newspapering and/or broadcast media and has a good command of the English language and Visayan dialect. Must be a graduate of Mass Communication or AB English or its equivalent. All applicants must be hardworking and can work under extreme pressure and less supervision, and is willing to travel in Mindanao. Please e-mail your bio-data and photo or résumé: mindanaoexaminer@gmail.com
Continued fr om page 1 from Datu’ ShahBandar Dr Sakur Tan, the special envoy of the Royal Council of the Sulu Sultanate, was also invited to speak at the forum. He shared his insights on the fundamental flaws of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the prospects of federalism and his vision for Sulu, where he also served as congressman, governor and vice governor. Acting Governor Nurunisah Tan the forum was aimed at educating the public on several important issues, especially on Presi-
dent Duterte’s proposal to shift from presidential form of government to federal. “Changes are indeed coming and we should not be caught ill-prepared or I'll-informed. In a democratic atmosphere, the voices of all sectors should be heard. We hope today we can be accorded opportunities to exchange ideas that will be enlightening and productive,” she said. Lawyer Benedicto Bacani, Executive Director of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance, who was among the re-
source speakers, said the forum was a good venue to inform the people on how federalism works. “Pagaralan natin para mabuo ang tamang solusyon. What will be the implication of federalism in Sulu? Is there inclusivity in federalism? We must see through these political developments,” he said. Also those who spoke at the forum were government peace consultant and lawyer Jose Lorena, political analyst Malou Tiquia, among others. (Ahl-franzie Salinas)
Political prisoners held hostage by peace talks Continued fr om page 1 from “Most of the members of the government peace panel were also members of the peace panels in the previous administrations. They should not feign ignorance now that there are many available modes of release utilised in the past regimes in accordance to the government panel legal and judicial processes to facilitate the immediate release of the political prisoners. They should stop dragging their feet in effecting the releases,” she said. Various human rights groups and civil society organizations also demanded for the immediate release of hundreds of political prisoners, mostly members of the New People’s Army and leftist activists. But peace adviser Jesus Dureza said Duterte has walked the “extra mile” on the peace process, unlike past administrations which
did not comply with their commitments and obligations. However, Palabay questioned Dureza’s reference to undue public pressure on the government to free the prisoners. “Is there nothing urgent on the release of dying, sick and elderly political prisoners? Or was the death of Bernabe Ocasla undue? The clock is ticking for the dying, sick and elderly political prisoners. So while the government peace panel is walking at its own pace, the political prisoners are running out of time,” she said. “If it is the fasting of the political prisoners, their relatives and peace advocates is considered the undue pressure on the government, we remind Sec. Dureza that every mass action, in all its forms is well within the bounds of the rights of citizens to demonstrate. Dureza has to understand that we will not sit down and wait for
his office to do something. As long as there are political prisoners, we will continue to call for their release, in every way possible,” Palabay added. Palabay reminded Duterte and Dureza that peace efforts, specifically on the release of political prisoners, are not a charity cases. “Hindi ito utang na loob ng mga political prisoners. It is an immediate obligation – to render justice to the political prisoners by releasing them. So while Pres. Duterte has taken bold steps to pursue peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, these steps won’t become significant if his people are taking their sweet time. It should be the political prisoners and their relatives who should be appalled for the delays. Each delay means an extra day of suffering in prison. And lives have already lost,” she said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology is now ISO 9001:2008 certified
North Cotabato farmers demand land distribution Continued fr om page 1 from Presidential Declaration Number 428. And on July 22, 1963, Republic Act 3801 allotted some 1,000 hectares for the Children’s Education Foundation Village where the College of Science and Technology now stands, and was awarded a land title despite the occupancy of farmers in the land. Just last week, a huge group of farmers from 5 villages in Arakan town protested outside the
Cotabato Foundation College of Science and Technology in Doroluman village where some 500 students, employees and faculty members joined them in calling for the distribution of lands to the farmers who are mostly members of the Mailuminado Farmers' Association Incorporated. “We are the rightful owner of this land. Our ancestors were already tilling this land before the government declared this as a land
reservation,” said Cecilio Carmelo, MAFAI chairperson. The students also demanded the resignation of Samson Molao, president of the Cotabato Foundation College of Science and Technology, for various reasons. There was no immediate statement from Molao and the Department of Agrarian Reform on all the allegations raised by the protesters. (Mindanao Examiner)
DAVAO DEL SUR – The state-run Southern Philippines Agri-Business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology or SPAMAST announced that it is now ISO 9001:2008 certified following the recent audit of AJA Registrars. AJA is an independent third-party registration and training service provider that operates across diverse range of industrial and commercial sectors worldwide. And ISO 9001:2008 provides a framework for quality management system that could be easily adopted across all areas of industry and commerce, including academic institutions. Dr. Irvin Generalao, SPAMAST president, at-
tributed the school’s success in ISO certification to the hard work of the college’s faculty and staff. “This is made possible by our vision to be the leading institution of higher learning in the fields of aqua-terrestrial and techno-entrepreneurship that are responsive to the development needs not only in Mindanao but also in Southeast Asia and beyond,” Generalao said. He said the certification is an affirmation of SPAMAST’s mission to provide quality instruction and services, which are hoped to contribute to peace and equity, especially in Mindanao. Generalao said throughout AJA’s audit and
screening processes, SPAMAST’s client satisfaction, improved productivity and efficiency, transparency, and accountability, among others, were evident. “While these are our core functions – inherent to a government institution like SPAMAST – we take pride that we deliver as affirmed by the ISO audit,” he said. Generalao stressed that the challenge now is for the school to sustain its gains in quality management system that conforms to internationally accepted standards on management, policies, resource mobilization, and customer relations. (With a report from Malou Cablinda)
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P8-T needed to fill infra backlog CEBU - In order to to close the infrastructure gap over the next six years, the Duterte administration needs at least P8 trillion to to fund ambitious public investment program, according to Finance Sec. Carlos Dominguez III. In a recent business forum, Dominguez said that an initial list of 18 bigticket items worth a total of P427.5 billion have already been approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for this unprecedented infrastructure buildup, which “is much more than what the previous administration undertook during its entire tenure in office.” This underscores the firm resolve of President Duterte to realize his administration’s goal of accelerating infrastructure spending to help pull down the poverty rate to below 15 percent by the time he steps aside in 2022. “Building infra, as you are aware, has the highest multiplier effect on the economy. It is also indispensable to transforming the nature of our growth so that it is led by investments instead of consumption. Investment-led growth, in turn, will create quality jobs. This is the predicate for inclusive growth,” Dominguez said at the
Wallace Forum in Makati City. “Budget Secretary Ben Diokno estimates that we need to invest about P8 trillion over the next six years on infra to be at par with our neighbors. To put this amount in perspective, the total resources of the Philippine financial system is P16.2 trillion. That is a huge price tag, to be sure, and it is my happy duty to find the revenues to support that,” he said. Dominguez said the country is fortunate that development partners and other nations are supportive of the Duterte administration’s plans as they are “confident this government means business and is determined to work hard to get things done.” He said: “By some estimates, we are at least a couple of decades behind our neighbors with regard to infra. We need everything from new airport capacity, a cheaper and more efficient power sector, actually functioning rail systems and even new digital pathways. We need more public health care facilities and classrooms. According to some planning experts, we do not only need to decongest cities but do so by building new urban centers.” Dominguez said the government is financing its unparalleled infra program
through a mixture of soft loans, grants, official development assistance (ODA) and the public-private partnership (PPP) program. The Duterte administration’s approved major infra projects so far include the improvement of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the South Line of the NorthSouth Railway Project, which will be funded through the PPP. And also the Asian Dev e l o p m e n t Bank-supported Metro Manila Bus Rapid Transit; the Metro Manila Flood Management Project, which is backed by the World Bank; New Cebu International Container Port, which will get its funding from Korean ODA; and the Panglao Airport, which is supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Dominguez said. He said these projects will be implemented with transparency and proper accountability, as President Duterte had already issued an executive order on Freedom of Information covering the executive branch. This order would help inspire greater public confidence in the government’s infrastructure program, reduce corruption, and remove the legal obstacles that have delayed the implementation of projects in the past, he added. (Cebu Examiner)
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Eastern Mindanao
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DAVAO CITY OFFICE: Unit 3B, 3/F Ledesma Building, 26 Juna Avenue, Juna Subdivision, Matina Phone: 082-2960658 Mobile: 0947-4823453 E-mail: mindanaoexaminer@gmail.com
Postal ID, mahimo nang gamiton sa pagkuha og passport CEBU - Gikumpirmar sa Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) nga gidawat na sa tanan nilang mga opisinang konsular ang Improved Postal ID isip usa sa mga nag-unang dokumento sa pag-ila alang sa mga gustong mokuha og pasaporte. Gipahayag sa DFA ang kumpirmasyon sa pagdawat sa Postal ID isip nag-unang ID gikan sa usa ka sulat ni DFA Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Ariel Abadilla kang Assistant Postmaster General Luis Carlos isip nag-unang ID sa ilhanang pisikal ug biometrics nga nagpalambo sa lebel sa seguridad niini.
Western Mindanao
Gidugang pa ni Aba-dilla nga maapil na ang Improved Postal ID sa bag-ong bersyon sa e-Passport Application Form nga ipagawas sa DFA sa mga mosunod nga semana. Tungod kay ang Improved Postal ID ang pinadaling makuha nga valid ID gikan sa gobyerno, mas mapadali na alang sa mga ordinaryong katawhan ang pagkuha og passport. Kauban sa Postal ID, kinahanglan na lamang isumite sa DFA sa mga gustong mo-apply niini ang ilang birth certificate ug application form nga adunay kumpletong detalye.
Cebu
Ang Improved Pos-tal ID gidawat usab isip valid ID sa tanang institusyong pinansyal nga gidumala sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas sa tibuok nasod. Ang mga Pilipino ug langyaw nga namuyo sa nasod bisan unsa ang pangedaron o propesyon, mahimong mo-apply alang sa Improved Postal ID. Kinahanglan lamang og 2 Ka kopya sa application form nga adunay kumpletong detalye, pagmatuod sa pagkatawo ug gipuy-an. Ang application fee nagkantidad og P504, apil na ang tax ug delivery fee niini. (Elvira Bongosia)
Manila