Duterte’s threat imperils peace gains DAVAO CITY – Communist rebels negotiating peace with Manila has warned Thursday President Rodrigo Duterte for scrapping talks and threatening to include them and their allied organizations in the Philippines’ terror list. Duterte also threatened to launch a full scale war against the New People’s Army rebels and arrest communist
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leaders if they continue attacking government targets across the country. The President scrapped the talks after rebels failed to sign a ceasefire agreement with the government and continue attacks on soldiers and policemen despite on-going peace negotiations. “President Duterte bears full responsibility for the failure of the talks on social and economic re-
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forms because of his sudden turn-around and heightened hostility to the revolutionary forces and the people,” Julieta de Lima, chairperson of the Reciprocal Working Committee on Social and Economic Reforms of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the political wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. Continue on page 3
Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2017
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Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2017
JUSTICE! ,’
'EIGHT YEARS AFTER ‘MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE COTABATO CITY – Families of 58 people brutally killed in Maguindanao province continue to cry for justice eight years after 200 gunmen, believed to be followers of the Ampatuan clan, massacred the victims, 32 of them media workers. The massacre occurred in the village of Salman in Ampatuan town on November 23, 2009 while supporters and family members of Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu were heading to the office of the Commission on Elections to file his candidacy for governor of Maguindanao and challenging Governor Andal Ampatuan, Sr. who was the patriarch of a clan that long held power in the province. Mangudadatu invited journalists to cover the event and also to protect his group against alleged threats by the Ampatuans. Mangudadatu himself did not go with the convoy for fear that he would be ambushed and instead sent his wife and sisters and supporters to represent him. True enough, a large group of armed men, many of them militias and policemen, taking orders from the alleged mastermind, Andal, flagged down the convoy on the highway of Shariff Aguak town, the clan’s stronghold, and held all in the group at gunpoint and brought the victims to a remote location in Ampatuan town and raked them all with automatic weapons. Andal’s son and namesake, Andal, Jr., then mayor of Datu Unsay town, and another son, Zaldy Ampatuan, then the regional governor, and several other clan members along with dozens more are now in jail after being implicated in the massacre. The accused have all denied the charges against them. And many witnesses to the gruesome
JUSTICE STILL ELUSIVE FOR FAMILIES OF VICTIMS'
Mindanao Examiner Photo – Mark Navales crime had been killed while others were allegedly bribed to prevent them from testifying. The slow progress of the cases is also putting a stress – both psychologically and spiritually – to the families of those who perished in the massacre. Mur ders urders Media watchdog National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said justice remains as elusive as it was 8 years ago and that journalists continue to be murdered with impunity with 178 murdered since 1986 - the last five killed in the year and a half since President Rodrigo Duterte took office. It said of the 198 massacre suspects, only 115 have been arrested and 112 have been arraigned and that four had died in the course of the proceedings, including primary suspect Andal Sr. Out of the 112, NUJP said 70 were allowed by the court to post bail, including Andal Sr.'s youngest son, Sajid Islam, who was
freed in 2015 after posting P11.6-million bail. This number also included 17 police officers who were allowed by the court to post bail because of weak evidence. As of July 11, 2017, it said 102 of the accused remain in detention, including main suspects Andal Jr.; Zaldy and also Chief Inspector Sukarno Dicay, then the police chief of the 15th Regional Mobile Group that was conducting the checkpoint when the convoy was stopped by gunmen. “We have been informed that with only three more principal accused in the massacre trial still to present their witnesses, it would be reasonable to hope for a resolution by next year. We do hope so and pray it will be a triumph for justice. However, the numbers do not offer too much reason for optimism.” “But as we have pointed out before, notwithstanding its shocking magnitude, the Ampatuan
Mindanao Examiner Photo – Mark Navales
massacre was not an aberration but an inevitable result of the rotten system of governance that afflicts our country. It is a governance of expediency by which all presidents, bar none, court the loyalty of the warlords, crime lords and corrupt clans who infest Philippine politics and rule their bailiwicks like fiefdoms, because this is the only way they can rule effectively,” NUJP said. Impunity Lawyer Jose Begil Jr, of the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao, said the massacre could potentially go down in history as one of the most long-drawn high profile cases, despite the Justice Department’s declaration that the case is now on its tail end. He recalled that the late Senator Joker Arroyo had predicted that the trial could take 200 years with nearly 200 defendants and 300 witnesses. “Additionally, prosecution witnesses have either been killed under questionable circumstances, are miss-
ing, or were intimidated,” Begil said. “Eight years have passed, justice is nowhere in sight,” Begil said, adding, the culture of impunity, still pervades the Duterte government. “The Arroyo government was responsible for this impunity against journalists, lawyers, and other human rights defenders. The Aquino government failed to deliver on its promise to attain justice for the victims. And now, the Duterte government has simply expanded this culture of impunity, this time not only against journalists but to drug offenders, and more viciously against human rights activists,” Begil said. Letter to P ope Pope In 2014, family members of journalists who perished in the massacre had written a letter addressed to Pope Francis and read by Grace Morales during the 5th commemoration of the killings in Ampatuan town. Grace is the widow of Rosell Morales and sister of Marites Cablitas, circulation manager and publisher of News Focus, who was among those killed. The letter reads: “Kami ay mga asawa, anak, magulang at kapatid ng mga pinaslang sa bayan ng Ampatuan, Maguindanao noong ika -23 ng Nobyembre 2009. Ang aming mga mahal sa buhay ay kasama sa masaker kung saan 58 ang nasawi kabilang ang 32 mamahayag. Taun-taon ay bumabalik kami rito sa lugar na ito kung saan ang dugo nila ay kumalat nang pagbabarilin sila sa utos ng mga Ampatuan. Ngunit hindi lamang sila pinagbabaril. Ibinaon ang mahigit kalahati sa kanila kasama ang mga sasakyan sa pamamagitan ng backhoe na ginamit sa paggawa ng hukay at pagpitpit sa mga sasakyan upang mas madaling mapagkasya ang mga ito at ang mga bangkay sa hukay. Limang taon na ang
nakaraan mula nang maganap ito. Limang taon na mula nang ang mga anak namin ay nawalan ng mga tatay o nanay na dapat ay gumagabay sa kanilang paglaki. Limang taon na mula nang ang mga asawa sa amin ay nawalan ng katuwang sa pagtataguyod ng aming tahanan. Limang taon na nang mawalan kami ng mga kapatid na naging kalaro sa paglaki at ngayo’y puntod na lamang na dinadalaw sa sementeryo. Hindi po perpekto ang aming mga kamag-anak. Nakakagawa rin po sila ng mga kasalanan noong sila’y nabubuhay at nakakalimot paminsanminsan sa mga banal na utos ng Panginoon. Subalit ang patayin sila ng ganun na lamang at ibaon ng parang mga hayop ay hindi katanggap-tanggap. Dito sa lugar na ito kung saan umalingawngaw ang putok mula sa mga baril na kumitil sa kanilang buhay…dito sa lugar na ito kung saan nagsumamo silang huwag patayin…dito sa lugar na ito kung saan nawala ang pag-asa ng 58 pamilya. Nagsusumamo kami sa iyo, mahal na Santo Papa, na tulungan kaming mabigyan ng hustisya. Alam po naming hindi na maibabalik ang buhay ng aming mga mahal sa buhay. Subalit naniniwala kaming ang Diyos ay isang Diyos na may pagmamahal sa katulad naming maliliit at walang kakayahang ipagtanggol ang sarili. Bigyan nyo po kami ng lakas ng loob upang ipagpatuloy ang paghahanap ng katarungan. Bigyan nyo po kami ng sapat na lakas para maitawid ang pangaraw araw na pangangailangan ng aming pamilya. Bigyan nyo po kami ng linaw ng isip para magawa ang mga tamang desisyon. Kami’y mga simpleng tao, wala sa kapangyarihan at walang kayamanan. Subalit sa inyong tulong, dasal at pagpapala, umaasa kaming magkakaroon ng lakas para ipaglaban ang katarungan.Tinitingnan namin ang inyong darating na pagdalaw sa Enero bilang isang simbolo ng pagmamahal ng Diyos sa mga katulad naming naghahanap ng hustisya. Kaya dito sa lugar na ito, limang taon makaraan ang masaker, hinihiling namin na kami’y iyong ipagdasal at sa kahit anong paraang maari, bilang pinakamataas na pinuno ng Simbahang Katoliko, ay samahan kami sa paglalakbay tungo sa katarungan. Gumagalang, Mga asawa, anak, kapatid at magulang ng mga pinaslang na media sa Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
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The Mindanao Examiner
Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2017
Duterte’s threat imperils peace gains
Sulu Governor Totoh Tan during a recent meeting with various business groups and traders. (Photo courtesy of Sayjin Ukkoh)
Traders bullish in Sulu
SULU – Traders and businessmen, including farmers’ groups and cooperatives have met with Governor Toto Tan and representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry and discussed investment opportunities in Sulu province in southern Philippines. Among those who who attended the meeting were former provincial board member Salip Aloy Jainal, Jolo Councilors Jasem Gonzales and Radz Anni,
regional port manager Ibnohasim Undug, Radzma Julkarnain, former manager of the National Food Authority, Tuan Yahya Abdulla, and Sali Ahalul, including representatives of the Sulu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Tan thanked those who joined the meeting, saying, the local economy is very good with more people now engaging in various trade. He said the revenues collected from
these businesses will greatly help the government and fund infrastructure projects in the province. He also called on businessmen to pay their taxes properly and religiously and for traders to comply with government requirements. “This is all about us helping each other so we may sustain economic progress and eventually benefit the province and its people,” Tan said. (Ahlfranzie Salinas)
Continued fr om page 1 from She said they regret the unilateral cancellation of talks on such vital social and economic reforms which, if implemented, would have immediately benefited tens of millions of oppressed and exploited Filipinos. “The NDFP at the same time recognizes that the people's continued daily struggles on these issues are unabated and, if anything, are made more urgent and will gain greater momentum,” she said. De Lima said it is the third time in six months that Duterte obstructed the progress of the peace talks with government negotiators. “His latest scuttling of the talks comes at a time when unprecedented advances have already been achieved in forging agreements on urgently needed socio-economic reforms to alleviate mass poverty and resolve the roots of the armed conflict,” she said. She said just four days before Duterte cancelled the talks anew, peace negotiators have initialled draft documents reflecting substantial agreements on agrarian reform and rural development, and on national industrialization and economic development. These include the free distribution of land to tillers, farmers, farmworkers, agricultural workers and fisher folks. Agrarian reform beneficiaries who have not yet been able to occupy the land
awarded to them will be installed immediately, including those in contested lands and agricultural estates, according to de Lima, who said the scope and coverage of agrarian reform will be expanded to include plantations and large-scale commercial farms covered by leasehold, joint venture, non-land transfer schemes like stock distribution option, and other such arrangement and also measures to prohibit and eliminate exploitative lending and trading practices. De Lima said both sides were also optimistic that they would be able to complete the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms for signing by the negotiating panels and approval by their principals by January 2018, but Duterte suddenly scrapped the talks. Kapayapaan A group called “Kapayapaan,” an alliance of peace advocates, also said it was disheartened by Duterte’s action. “We find President Duterte’s pronouncements contradictory and unreasonable. He wants the public to believe that he is cancelling the talks because of continuing clashes between the military and rebels and associated civilian casualties. But this is precisely the character of an armed conflict between fiercely opposing forces that, with its unimaginable toll, ought to compel the parties
to the conflict to pursue the peace negotiations,” it said. Kapayapaan said it is cognizant of the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed in the course of g o v e r n m e n t ’ s counterinsurgency campaigns as reported by human rights organizations. “They are far more in number and atrocity than those Duterte attributes to the NPA. But whether committed by the government against its citizens or by the NPA against their constituencies, they are human rights violations just the same and must be addressed by their respective principals,” it said. “We also know that the Duterte administration’s bloody “war on drugs” has claimed thousands of innocent lives, including children and youth, in so short a time. Furthermore, the war prosecuted by the Duterte regime in Marawi City has produced hundreds of civilian casualties, including many more who are still unaccounted for, and hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians, the destruction of civilian property and the ruins of a once proud city of Islamic and Christian heritage,” Kapayapaan added. It urged Duterte to resume peace negotiations with the rebels, who are fighting for many decades now to overthrow the democratic government and install their own communist state. (Mindanao Examiner)
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The Mindanao Examiner
Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2017
SULU PICTURES IN THE NEWS
Launching of Municipal Action Plan (Maimbung Municipal Government Photos)
Maimbung Mayor Samier Tan speaks during a seminar on Early Child Care Development for 1000 days attended by municipal councilors and 27 Barangay chairmen recently. (Maimbung Municipal Government Photos)
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The Mindanao Examiner
Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2017
Solar System’s First Interstellar Visitor Dazzles Scientists
Artist’s concept of interstellar asteroid 1I/2017 U1 (‘Oumuamua) as it passed through the solar system after its discovery in October 2017. The aspect ratio of up to 10:1 is unlike that of any object seen in our own solar system. Credits: European Southern Observatory/M. Kornmesser ASTRONOMERS recently scrambled to observe an intriguing asteroid that zipped through the solar system on a steep trajectory from interstellar space—the first confirmed object from another star. Now, new data reveal the interstellar interloper to be a rocky, cigar-shaped object with a somewhat reddish hue. The asteroid, named ‘Oumuamua by its discoverers, is up to one-quarter mile (400 meters) long and highly-elongated—perhaps 10 times as long as it is wide. That aspect ratio is greater than that of any asteroid or comet observed in our solar system to date. While its elongated shape is quite surprising, and unlike asteroids seen in our solar system, it may provide new clues into
how other solar systems formed. The observations and analyses were funded in part by NASA and appear in the Nov. 20 issue of the journal Nature. They suggest this unusual object had been wandering through the Milky Way, unattached to any star system, for hundreds of millions of years before its chance encounter with our star system. “For decades we’ve theorized that such interstellar objects are out there, and now – for the first time – we have direct evidence they exist,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate inWashington. “This historymaking discovery is opening a new window to study for-
mation of solar systems beyond our own.” Immediately after its discovery, telescopes around the world, including ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile and other observatories around the world were called into action to measure the object’s orbit, brightness and color. Urgency for viewing from ground-based telescopes was vital to get the best data. Combining the images from the FORS instrument on the ESO telescope using four different filters with those of other large telescopes, a team of astronomers led by Karen Meech of the Institute for Astronomy in Hawaii found that ‘Oumuamua varies in brightness by a factor of ten as it spins on its axis every 7.3
hours. No known asteroid or comet from our solar system varies so widely in brightness, with such a large ratio between length and width. The most elongated objects we have seen to date are no more than three times longer than they are wide. “This unusually big variation in brightness means that the object is highly elongated: about ten times as long as it is wide, with a complex, convoluted shape,” said Meech. We also found that it had a reddish color, similar to objects in the outer solar system, and confirmed that it is completely inert, without the faintest hint of dust around it.” These properties suggest that ‘Oumuamua is dense, comprised of rock and possibly metals, has no water or ice, and that its surface was reddened due to the effects of irradiation from cosmic rays over hundreds of millions of years. A few large groundbased telescopes continue to track the asteroid, though it’s rapidly fading as it recedes from our planet. Two of NASA’s space telescopes (Hubble and Spitzer) are tracking the object the week of Nov. 20. As of Nov. 20, ‘Oumuamua is travelling about 85,700 miles per hour (38.3 kilometers per second) relative to the Sun. Its location is approximately 124 million miles (200 million kilometers) from Earth -- the distance between Mars and Jupiter – though its outbound path is about 20 degrees above the plane of planets that orbit the Sun. The object passed Mars’s or-
bit around Nov. 1 and will pass Jupiter’s orbit in May of 2018. It will travel beyond Saturn’s orbit in January 2019; as it leaves our solar system, ‘Oumuamua will head for the constellation Pegasus. Observations from large ground-based telescopes will continue until the object becomes too faint to be detected, sometime after mid-December. NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) continues to take all available tracking measurements to refine the trajectory of 1I/2017 U1 as it exits our solar system. This remarkable object was discovered Oct. 19 by the University of Hawaii’s PanSTARRS1 telescope, funded by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations (NEOO) Program, which finds and tracks asteroids and comets in Earth’s neighborhood. NASA Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson said, “We are fortunate that our sky survey telescope was looking in the right place at the right time to capture this historic moment. This serendipitous discovery is bonus science enabled by NASA’s efforts to find, track and characterize near-Earth objects that could potentially pose a threat to our planet.” Preliminary orbital calculations suggest that the object came from the approximate direction of the bright star Vega, in the northern constellation of Lyra. However, it took so long for the interstellar object to make the journey – even at the speed of about 59,000 miles per hour (26.4 kilome-
ters per second) -- that Vega was not near that position when the asteroid was there about 300,000 years ago. While originally classified as a comet, observations from ESO and elsewhere revealed no signs of cometary activity after it slingshotted past the Sun on Sept. 9 at a blistering speed of 196,000 miles per hour (87.3 kilometers per second). The object has since been reclassified as interstellar asteroid 1I/2017 U1 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which is responsible for granting official names to bodies in the solar system and beyond. In addition to the technical name, the Pan-STARRS team dubbed it ‘Oumuamua (pronounced oh MOO-uh MOO-uh), which is Hawaiian for “a messenger from afar arriving first.” Astronomers estimate that an interstellar asteroid similar to ‘Oumuamua passes through the inner solar system about once per year, but they are faint and hard to spot and have been missed until now. It is only recently that survey telescopes, such as Pan-STARRS, are powerful enough to have a chance to discover them. “What a fascinating discovery this is!” said Paul Chodas, manager of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. “It’s a strange visitor from a faraway star system, shaped like nothing we’ve ever seen in our own solar system neighborhood.” (NASA. Editor: Tricia Talbert)
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The Mindanao Examiner
Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2017
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The Mindanao Examiner
Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2017
ARMM to double funding for Marawi next year COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said it will double its assistance to the warravaged Marawi City to P930 million in 2018 from P450 million this year. In his state of the region speech on November 20, Governor Mujiv Hataman said expressed optimism that Marawi – which was ravaged by ISIS militants in May this year – will rise from current challenges as rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the city begin following the defeat of jihadists in October. He said lessons learned from the crisis could lead to new opportunities. “Ayon sa banal na Qu’ran, Fa inna ma’al ‘usri yusra, ang anumang pagsubok ay laging may kaakibat na ginhawa,” he said, citing the 2015 Mamasapano incident, which was followed by development initiatives and new opportunities for the town’s residents and those in nearby areas. Hataman was referring to the killing of 44 police commandos during a clandestine operation against the terrorist Marwan inside an area under the control of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. He said ARMM’s Humanitarian and Development Action Plan, or HDAP, which was developed in response to the Mamasapano incident, released roughly P2.23 billion for 15 municipalities in Maguindanao as of last year. The plan covers various government
projects specifically, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction that promote peace and alleviate the situation in calamity-affected communities The Marawi crisis, he added, could speed up the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, noting more legislators will hopefully now realize the urgency of such a measure which has received anemic response from many legislators in the past. Hataman also noted socio-economic efforts that have been aggressively pursued in the region these past years. He said the ARMM’s Health, Education, Livelihood, Peace and Governance and Synergy, or HELPS, program has extended assistance amounting to P4.3 billion to over 400 barangays since 2014. The program is geared towards developing peaceful and progressive communities with each beneficiary barangay receiving P10 million for infrastructure development. ARMM’s Bangsamoro Regional Inclusive Development for Growth and Empowerment, or BRIDGE, is another initiative which targets poorest barangays as recipients, was launched in 2015. It now covers 119 communities with 5,800 family-beneficiaries. The program covers food and shelter, as well as of electricity and water supply, according to Hataman. Meanwhile, ARMM’s efforts to uplift the condition of the region’s educational sector succeeded as literacy rate in the region went up to 88.7%
in 2015 from 80.3% in 2010, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. Hataman, however, said that more challenges need to be hurdled, such as ARMM’s 59% average scoring in the National Achievement Test compared with the national passing score of 75%. Strides were also achieved in the public health sector in recent years. Maternal mortality rate in the region has gone down to 53 per 100,000 live births in 2016 from 65 in 2012. Infant mortality rate also went down in 2016 to 5.81 per 1,000 live births from 7.23 in 2012. In the agriculture sector, the region has remained the nation’s top producer of in white corn and seaweeds. The ARMM distributed 558 units of corn farming machineries, equipment and facilities benefiting close to 20,000 farmers. Support of the regional government to farmers has been consistent notwithstanding its limited resources. From 2012 to 2016, the ARMM has provided 1,823 units of various farm equipment and facilities to 1,662 cooperatives whose membership runs to more than 58,000 farmers. Hataman also cited a significant improvement in the economic condition of fishermen in the region based on figures monitored by government agencies. Average monthly income of fishermen in the ARMM increased to P7,005 last year from P3,495 in 2014. Even as sectoral accomplishments were achieved, specific operations of government
agencies showed marked improvements. Revenue collection from the Polloc Port in Maguindanao has grown significantly during the Hataman administration – from only P75,194 in 2013, to over P19 million in 2014, and close to P135 million last year, he said. He said private and public investment figures in the region have been excellent despite reports of perceived security threats. From 2012 to present, proposed investments that passed through the Regional Board of Investments total P17.783 billion. As private investments come in,
government infrastructure funding for the same period, comprising of 1,900 projects, have reached P26 billion. He noted the installation of 363 units of water systems in various parts of the region, worth over P2 billion. The regional government also initiated the construction of flood control structures, drainage facilities, and bridges, all amounting to more than P3 billion. The regional government, Gov. Hataman underscored, recognizes the role of local government units (LGUs) in promoting good gover-
nance in the ARMM. This is reflected in the local government’s achievements these past years. In 2015, the region passed the Good Governance Conditions set by the national government. From 16 LGUs in 2015 that passed the Good Financial Housekeeping standards set by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), 63 LGUs were given such recognition this year. From six LGUs awarded the Seal of Good Local Governance by the DILG, the number of awardees has grown to 22. (Bureau of Public Information)
Police ops vs. hired killers pinaigting
PAGADIAN CITY – Pinaigting ng pulisya ang kampanya laban sa mga gun-for-hire bilang bahagi ng operasyon ng awtoridad kontra kriminalidad sa Mindanao. Mismong si Chief Superintendent Billy Beltran ng Western Mindanao Police Office ang nagbigay ng kautusan sa pulisya na pagibayuhin ang kampanya laban sa mga kriminal, partikular ang mga “riding in tandem.” Kamakailan lamang ay isang hinihinalang hired killer ang napatay ng mga parak sa bayan ng Sindangan sa Zamboanga del Norte matapos na makipagbarilan ito sa Barangay Balok. Ngunit
nakatakas naman ang kasamahan nito na ngayon ay pinaghahanap pa rin. Nakilala naman ang napaslang na si Rene Carcillas, 49, at tagaBarangay Diquis sa katabing bayan ng Manukan. Natiyempuhan umano ng mga nagpapatrulyang parak ang dalawang lalaki na magka-angkas sa isang motorsiklo at kahinahinala ang mga kilos. At ng sitahin ay bigla umanong bumunot ng .45-kalibre si Carcillas at nakipagbarilan ito sa mga miyembro ng Regional Public Safety Battalion hanggang sa mapatay. Dito na rin nakasibat ang driver ng
motorsiklo. Nabawi pa kay Carcillas ang P5,000 at dalawang larawan – isang lalaki na nakilalang si Joselito Rabulan na isang merchandiser ng Nestle, at babaeng si Maricel Amor, at larawan ng kalye sa lugar. Nakasulat ang mga pangalan sa larawan mismo at pinaniniwalaang target nina Carcillas. Nakalagay rin sa larawan ang araw at kung kailan at saan tumatambay ang mga nasa litrato.Nakuha rin ang isang cell phone mula sa bangkay ni Carcillas at sinusuri na ito ng pulisya upang mabatid kung sino ang mga kliyente nito. (Mindanao Examiner)
Philippines set to keep open pit mining ban as Duterte rejects call to lift it ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY Roy Cimatu said that a ban on new open pit mining in the country would remain in place, with President Rodrigo Duterte rejecting government panel recommendations to reverse it. The ban, implemented by former Environment Secretary Regina Lopez from April covers new projects including the $5.9-billion copper-gold Tampakan project in southern Mindanao island, the biggest stalled mining venture in the Southeast Asian nation. “The President sets the policy. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will implement what the President deems as best for the country’s interest,” Cimatu told Reuters in a text message. Open pit mining is allowed under the laws of the Southeast Asian country, the world’s top nickel ore exporter, where many
mines use it to extract minerals. But Lopez said the process ruins the economic potential of places where it is carried out. Duterte said that he had rejected a recommendation by the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC) to lift the ban because such mining is “destroying the soil and environment and no corrective measure is immediately (being) implemented”. He added that while mining brings “good profit”, he “can let it go”. The comments by the firebrand leader followed an announcement on Monday by his spokesman that Duterte had not reversed the ban. The MICC, an interagency panel that makes recommendations on mining policy, is chaired by Cimatu and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez. Cimatu said last month that he supported
the removal of the open pit ban and that his agency would strengthen regulations to prevent any excesses by miners. The ban would further halt development of the Tampakan project in the southern South Cotabato province. The project was first stopped after South Cotabato banned open-pit mining in 2010, and operator Glencore Plc quit the project five years later. Lopez, who stepped down in May after failing to win congressional confirmation after 10 months in office, has said the project would cover an area the size of 700 soccer fields in what otherwise would be agricultural land. Also covered by the ban is the $1.2 billion Silangan copper and gold mine in Mindanao by Philippine miner Philex Mining Corp. (Reuters. Reporting by Manolo Serapio Jr.; Editing by Joseph Radford)
Sino ang gumahasa, pumatay sa bata? PAGADIAN CITY – Patuloy pa rin ang imbestigasyon ng pulisya sa panggagahasa at pagpatay sa isang 14-anyos na dalagita sa bayan ng Sindangan sa Zamboanga del Norte. Nagluluksa pa rin ang pamilya ng batang paslit na walang pinatay matapos na lapastanganin sa loob mismo ng kanyang silid noong nakaraang lingo
lamang. Sinabi ng pulisya na natagpuan patay ang bata at nakalilis ang short pants sa kanyang tuhod. Nadiskubre ang bangkay ng 9-anyos na kapatid nito. Nagulat umano ang bata ng hindi na sumasagot o gumagalaw ang kanyang ate kung kaya’t agad na tinawag ang amang si Angelito at ng ito ay tignan ay laking gulat na lamang nito ng makita ang bangkay
ng anak at wala ng saplot sa ibaba. Agad rin tumawag sa pulisya ang pamilya upang ipaalam ang karumaldumal na krimen. Nakita rin ang marka sa leeg ng biktima at hinihinalang pinatay ito sa sakal matapos na gahasain. Hindi pa mabatid kung sino ang nasa likod ng krimen. (Mindanao Examiner)
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BSP moilis sa daan nga kwarta, taman Dec. 29
CEBU - Sa katapusang higayon, giuswag sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) ang deadline kanus-a ang publiko mamahimong maka papuli sa ilang mga daan nga papel de bangko nga dili na dawaton sa 2019. Matud sa information officer sa BSP nga si Hazel Cultura, ang desisyon sa ika lima na nga pag-uswag, nagasukad sa hukom sa Monetary Board sa BSP human sa labing bag-o niining board meeting. Namatikdan sa mga sakop sa Monetary Board nga bisan na sa mga gikatakdang mga deadline sa pagpa-ilis, daghan pa gihapon nga konsumidor nga naghupot sa mga daan'g kwarta. Daghan pa usab sa mga Overseas Filipino Workers ang wala pa makapa-ilis sa ilang mga kwartang nadala sa gawas, hinungdan nga gihatagan gihapon sa higayon,
dugang sa BSP. Apan hangtud sa Disyembre 29 na gyud ang katapusang palugit sa BSP aron madawat pa sa mga bangko ang New Generation Series (NGS) nga angayan na nga pulihan kay mawala nay bili human ning adlawa, dason ni Cultura. Gilauman sa BSP nga ang katapusang palugit, magtanyag sa publiko sa ilang gilauman nga pagpa-ilis sa ilang mga kwarta samtang may bili pa. Kahinumduman nga una na nga gilansang sa BSP ang ilang giingon nga labing katapusang deadline sa Hunyo 30 nga makapa-ilis sa ilang mga gihuptang kwartang daan na. Hinuon, adtong panahona, ang BSP midawat pa sa mga gipailisan nga mga daang kwarta nga gikan sa mga kabangkohan sa tibuok nasud taman sa Septembre 30. Kini aron human sa Hunyo 30, may igo pang panahon ang mga bangko
nga makapadala sa ilang nakolektang inilisan nga kwarta ngadto sa BSP, pasabut ni Cultura. Gani, sa katapusang palugit, inay nga ang BSP lamang ang mahimong modawat sa kwartang pailisan sa katapusang giplastar nga deadline, mipagawas usab og laing advisory memorandum ang BSP ngadto sa mga bangko nga boluntaryong modawat na usab sa daang kwarta gikan sa mga magpa-ilis. Sukad niadtong Septembre, matud sa BSP nga may kapin sa 8% pa gihapon sa mga napatik nga NGS nga kwarta ang wala pa mahibalik sa kagamhanan. Milaum ang BSP nga sa gitanyag nga palugit, mahibalik na kanila ang mga nahibiling kwarta tungod kay mahimong kadtong naghupot pa niini, mahimong naghupot na lamang sa papel nga walay bili sa 2018. (Rey Anthony Chiu)
Kumpanyang nagbayad og revolutionary tax sa NPA, gipasidan-ang ipasarado ni Duterte CEBU - Gipasidan-an ni Presidente Rodrigo Duterte ang mga kumpanyang padayon nga nagbayad og ‘revolutionary tax’ sa New People’s Army (NPA) nga ihunong na ang paghatag niini og suporta sa rebeldeng grupo. Matud pa sa Presidente, karong padayong giputol na sa
gobyerno ang kasiglabotan sa NPA ug sa ilang liderato, angay na usab ihunong sa mga kumpanya ang paghatag og salapi sa maong grupo.Giingong sa higayon nga ipatuman ang all-out operations batok sa mga komunista, maglusad usab sila og crackdown sa mga nagpondo sa gikonsiderar nga teroristang grupo.
Ug kun giingong padayon nga maghatag og revolutionary tax ang mga negosyante ug kumpanya, ipasarada niya kini dayon. Gipananglit pa sa Presidente ang mga mining companies nga naghatagan og revolutionary tax sa NPA aron dili samokon sa mga rebelde sa ilang pagmina sa mga kabukiran.(Elvira Bongosia)
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DA tells LGUs: Address rice wastage, promote brown rice CEBU CITY - The Department of Agriculture (DA) here called on local government units (LGUs) to adopt measures in addressing rice wastage and promoting brown rice and other staples consumption. Leo Cañeda, regional director of DA-7, said that the daily wastage of rice among Filipinos is around two to three tablespoons, or a maximum of 14 grams. In terms of policy,
Western Mindanao
Cañeda said the LGU can do more, such as the implementation of the “half rice” rule in all restaurants. So far in Central Visayas, the towns of Talibon and Tubigon in Bohol province; Valencia in Negros Oriental, and Cebu City have an ordinance adopting the “half rice” rule. Cañeda said it will be best for LGUS to also help in the consumption of brown rice. “The
Cebu
consumption of brown rice will result to a healthier body and at the same time we're helping in the increase of the income of farmers,” he said. He also suggested that Filipinos can mix well-polished rice with brown rice. Another way is to make use of other staple foods such as sweet potato, banana, and corn, he said. (Ferliza Contratista)
Manila