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Terrorists in Sri Lanka swore allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Read Story on page 5 The Islamic State’s Amaq News Agency released this photo showing the eight terrorists responsible for a series of bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. (FDD’s Long War Journal.)
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Stay out of Zamboanga! ‘Duterte warns foreigners of possible terror attacks’
P
resident Rodrigo Duterte has warned foreigners to stay out of Zamboanga following a credible intelligence report that ISIS and Abu Sayyaf militants are targeting the southern Philippine city.
Addressing the participants to the recently concluded 7th Union Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Pasay City, Duterte was
quoted by ABS-CBN as saying: “There’s a certain place which I would not recommend Continue on page 2
Is Zambo power crisis over? THE ZAMBOANGA CITY Electric Cooperative or ZAMCELCO and power provider Western Mindanao Power Corporation or WMPC have finally reached a compromise agreement, ending months of power crisis
following a recent meeting with the Energy Regulatory Commission or ERC. Both groups are locked in a bitter dispute after WMPC cut off power supply to ZAMCELCO after the cooperative now under the management of Crown In-
vestments Holdings, Inc. and Desco Inc. refused to pay its overdue account amounting to P460 million. For its part, ZAMCELCO insisted that WMPC, of Alsons Power Group and operated by Alto Power Management Corporation,
overbilled the electric cooperative by since 2015 by P440 million and is demanding a refund. Lawyer stands for Zambo folks Prominent lawyer Wendell Sotto, who is Continue on page 3
Aftermath of the twin bombings at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
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Stay out of Zamboanga! ‘Duterte warns foreigners of possible terror attacks’ to thresh out details of a security group charged with securing churches and mosques following directives from Salazar.
Dubbed as pastoral security group, Apolinario said it is composed of members of security forces and leaders of different
religious organizations to assure and assist in the protection of the worshipers. (The Zamboanga Post)
‘Black Propaganda’
Moroccan ISIS suicide bomber, Abu Katheer al Maghribi. Continued from page 1 to anybody to go there, not just as yet, is Zamboanga. Some Europeans go there for the bird watching and they are captured and eventually they are decapitated even after the payment of ransom.” “It is the ISIS actually. It used to be the Abu Sayyaf. Now it’s an Abu Sayyaf territory. They do nothing but to kill and destroy,” he added. But Duterte may have been confused Zamboanga City to Tawi-Tawi province when he said that some Europeans birdwatchers were kidnapped and eventually decapitated by militants. There had been no kidnappings of foreign birdwatchers in Zamboanga City but in February 2012, Abu Sayyaf militants under Hajan Sawadjaan and suspected Moro National Liberation Front members kidnapped two European wildlife photographers Lorenzo Vinciguerra, from Switzerland; and Ewold Horn, 54, from Holland, in the coastal village of Parangan in Panglima Sugala town in Tawi-Tawi. Vinciguerra had escaped from his guards and recovered by soldiers in December 2014 after he allegedly killed one of his guards - Juhurim Hussien - with a bolo. The fate of Horn is still unknown. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, reacting on Duterte’s warning, said the President is merely concerned over the safety of tourists. “The President’s statement cautioning foreigners from travelling to Zamboanga is his way of looking out for the safety of tourists visiting the Philippines. While we assure the public that government security forces are always on the alert to
prevent and respond to incidents, it is better for everyone to take personal measures to ensure their security. We also encourage the public to work closely with the authorities to make our communities safer for everyone,” Lorenzana said. Suicide Bombers Philippine authorities blamed the Abu Sayyaf and ISIS in the twin suicide bombings of a Catholic cathedral in Jolo town in Sulu province early this year. The attacks, carried out by an Indonesian couple, had killed and injured dozens of people, mostly soldiers guarding the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on January 27. The attacks on the church occurred 2 years after hundreds of Abu Sayyaf and pro-ISIS militants and civilian supporters took over Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province. The city was recovered by troops after 5 months of house-to-house and close-quarter battle that killed and wounded hundreds of soldiers, militants and innocent civilians trapped in Marawi. In July 2018, a Moroccan ISIS suicide bomber, Abu Katheer al Maghribi, also detonated a van filled with explosives in Lamitan City in Basilan province, about 35 nautical miles south of Zamboanga. Philippine authorities said 11 people were killed in the explosion at a security checkpoint after government militias stopped the suspicious vehicle in Bulanting village, about 2 kilometers away from downtown Lamitan. The powerful explosion obliterated the vehicle and left a huge crater and among those killed were a woman and
a child; and the militia commander whose unit is under the supervision of the army. Five soldiers and several civilians were also wounded in the explosion. The bomber came from a nearby town and heading to downtown Lamitan when his vehicle was stopped at the checkpoint. Duterte’s warning came after ISIS suicide bombers struck churches and hotels in Sri Lanka that killed over 300 people on Easter Sunday. Tight Security Zamboanga Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar said security is tight in the city and assured locals that police and military forces are in heightened alert. “We heightened the security in the city of Zamboanga and we continue to maintain a heightened level of alert as a pre-emptive measure following the Sri Lanka bombings,” she said. Police said it is maintaining a high level of alert in Zamboanga, especially in places of worships, according to its spokesperson, Captain Shellamae Chang. “Even before the Sri Lanka incidents, security forces have always secured places of worship in the city, deploying personnel in mosques on Friday, and for churches every Sunday. It is not just Christians and Muslims watching themselves, we watch over each other,” Chang said, citing the contribution of Christian and Muslim volunteer groups that help watch over each other in their respective places of worship. City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer Dr. Elmeir Apolinario said the local government and security forces conduct a series of meetings
THE ROAD TO perdition for the gasping Liberal Party is as slippery as the fate of its senatorial candidates in the coming mid-term elections this May 13. It’s political banner “Otso Deretso” had disintegrated. By itself the party is like a powder keg out to implode. It is a mixture of leftists and rightists that offer no viable alternative but to restore the inept and corrupt regime of the two chapters of Aquino government. Just about the only credentials that the Aquino regimes are famous for is their loyalty and subservience to the United States of America. The incumbent Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte on the other hand is a departure from his predecessor in that he restored the dignity of the Filipinos and defined what sovereignty is for the Philippines. He might have a dirty mouth but he has a heart of a true patriot. Of late, the concerted efforts of the anti-Duterte forces has taken a desperate move aimed at demonizing the first family on the heels of the recent poll surveys showing at least 10 of Hugpong Ng Pagbabago and PDP-Laban slate making it to the magic 12. This colossal setback of the LP or “Dilawan” faction becomes even more humiliating when both Pulse Asia and the Social Weather Station registered unprecedented Trust and Approval Ratings for President Duterte. These eloquently translate to the people’s trust for Duterte-led senatorial ticket. The attempt of Human Rights Watch and some US Congressmen to demonize and assail President Duterte is not gaining any mileage. They have exhausted whatever they can exploit from the issues of violent campaign against illegal drug syndicates, extra-judicial killings, repression of freedom of the press and the detention of Sen. Leila De Lima. Failing to generate public approval on these overused issues their wrecking crew have perceptively revved up their propaganda machinery to conjure other issues to stave off the free fall of the opposition candidates. But none of these makes a negative impact on the preference for the administration senatorial bets. By their vote of confidence, the huge majority of Filipinos is practically giving Duterte a blanket authority to pursue without let-up his campaign against drug syndicates and corruption. The black propaganda leveled against Duterte by the
unholy alliance of the Liberal Party, the CPP-NPA-NDF, the hypocritical religious terrorists and the foreign-financed media organizations have become more vicious as the May 13 polls come close.. The signatures of destabilizing forces have become obviously apparent. The the US-based National Endowment for Democracy has generously funded, directly and indirectly, local media organizations. NED is no different from Omidyar Network which funded the ouster move of a Ukraine President who was sympathetic to Russia. Omidyar is the same outfit that “invested” a huge sum of money to Maria Ressa’s Rappler. It coughed up support funds for Vera Files which in turn allocates funds for a the Philippine Council for Investigative Journalism. If that is not enough there are traitors based in the US of A that had long denounced not only their Filipino citizenship but the Philippines as well. The ghost character “Bikoy” is among the invention of the group to tarnish the image of President Duterte and his family. It maligned even Veronica, the very young daughter of the President who is barely in her teens, in their outrageous plot to denigrate the family of the President. PCIJ threw away their much ballyhooed virtue of being investigative by reporting that Duterte has accumulated so much wealth in his incumbency as President. Like Rappler’s EJK numbers , PCIJ subscribed to the statistics culled from the perjured witnesses of Senators De Lima and Antonio Trillanes. They also believed hook line and sinker and propagated the fairy tale surrounding the mythical Davao Death Squads. Three decades had elapsed since De Lima, as chairperson of the Human Right Commission, conducted a probe on alleged extra-judicial killings in Davao City and up to the time she became Justice Secretary and now Senator, she has yet produced a single piece of evidence of the more than 2,000 victims which her witnesses claimed they personally buried in an abandoned quarry in Davao. And now they came up with a rehashed story of the so-called “wealth” of President Duterte and his children. The parents of the President are known in Davao. His father, a lawyer, was the first elected governor of undivided Davao
province. They have modest businesses and properties yet lived a frugal lifestyle. Governor Duterte to date is best remembered for his unblemished record as a politician. They were not rich if you reckon with the present crop of politicians but were neither poor. When the venerable governor died, his wife Soledad, continued with the family’s discipline keeping the good name and virtues that the late Governor “Ite” had imparted. Then Mayor Duterte and wife Elizabeth raised and nurtured their children in the same mold of discipline and frugal lifestyle. When Nanay Soleng passed away, she left the modest fortune that she and Governor Ite had saved to all her children. By this time the marriage of Duterte to Elizabeth was annulled. The Mayor took a new partner later, Honeylet Avancena, a registered nurse who worked as supervisor for a long time in US hospital. A woman with a knack for business, Honeylet invested her savings on fast food chains. She never meddles in Duterte’s politics and shies away from the public. The few times she appears in public was when Veronica, nicknamed “Kitty” was born to the couple. PCIJ made an issue of President Duterte’s “wealth” and the rest of the critical media feasted on it as if it is the only remaining carcass they can find in the desert. It is to their misfortune that the President lives a legendary frugal lifestyle. True that when he started off with his political career, he declared a P10-million worth of assets and liabilities. If 30 years later this increased to P28-million only a person pregnant with plot to malign another can conjure a fast math and tell the world that the increment is ill-gotten. For an institution that relies mainly on dole outs from funding agencies, this indeed can be an unexplainable mystery. And Duterte is correct that these paid propagandists are nothing but that. PCIJ, RAPPLER and Vera Files should have consulted even a student in investment and asset management for an explanation why P10 today can grow beyond P28 in 20 years. This can easily be achieved even without taking into consideration the salaries, wages and other incomes which Duterte’s family derived from legitimate business. But attack dogs can never comprehend this. (Jun Ledesma)
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Is Zambo power crisis over? said.
Zamboanga congressional candidate and prominent lawyer Wendell Sotto. Continued from page 1 running for a congressional seat in Zamboanga, filed a motion ad cautelam (Latin word which means “for security” or “as a precaution”) on April 17 with the ERC on behalf of some 180,000 cooperative members for the issuance of a status quo ante order and it was heard on April 25 during the meeting with ERC and representatives of ZAMCELCO and WMPC. Ad cautelam” can be translated into English as “,” or “to be on the safe side.” In his motion, Sotto said he studied WMPC’s petition against ZAMCELCO. “From my understanding, the issues raised therein are mere legal issues between two corporations on the different interpretations and applications of contract law principles. These issues are between ZAMCELCO and WMPC hence, it should not unduly prejudice the rights and interests of Zam-
boangueños.” He said local residents are suffering from daily power outages and the delivery of government services is hampered. The delivery of critical medical services in hospitals is also stifled, endangering the lives and health of many patients. Classes in schools are affected, particularly by the heat of the summer without power for ventilation, compromising the education of our children and local businesses on which so many depend are placed at risk, according to Sotto. “We are forced to endure hours-long daily brownouts during the summer months – the hottest season of the year. On top of this, we also have a recurring water supply shortage. Without a doubt, the daily brownouts, coupled with the water supply shortage, adversely affects the daily lives of my fellow Zamboangueños,” Sotto
Crown Investments Holdings, Inc. and Desco Inc. took over ZAMCELCO in January this year after bailing out the heavily-indebted and poorly-managed electric cooperative for P2.5 billion. “As an intervener, I also filed my motion for status quo and I argued and manifested that pending the resolution of the Omnibus motion and opposition of ZAMCELCO, I asked that my motion be considered.” “That’s the time the hearing called both parties and asked them to explore for a possible compromise, after which, a compromised was agreed upon. WMPC and ZAMCELCO agreed that by Monday, April 29, they will revert back to the Power Sales Agreement (between them),” Sotto told The Manila Times by phone after the ERC hearing. Sotto said ZAMCELCO has agreed to pay WMPC an initial of P220 million and both sides agreed to discuss how the electric cooperative will pay its remaining balance. “At least pending the final resolution of the case, we will now have a stable supply of power following the compromise agreement between ZAMCELCO and WMPC,” he said. DOE Audit Teams The compromise deal was reached after the Department of Energy or DOE sent Energy Assistant Secretary Redentor Delola to Zamboanga this month to look into the crisis. Delola said a team of lawyers and engineers are also expected to arrive here soon to conduct an audit and report their findings. He said DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi instructed him to
find a solution to solve the power crisis. “The Department of Energy is here because the Secretary (Alfonso Cusi) assigned me to look into the power situation in Zamboanga. We were made aware already of the long standing issue that we have here, lalong lalo na sa mga power outages that we have 2 to 3 hours of outages per day,” he said. “The Department of Energy will be back and we will conduct an audit. We will bring a team of lawyers and engineers that will review the situation that we have and withy what’s happening now the Department of Energy is stepping in to help address the issue and help find a solution to this problem,” he said. Intercession With ZAMCELCO and WMPC locked in a legal battle, electric consumers and businesses here continue to suffer from power outages and poor utility services prompting Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar to broker several meetings with WMPC and ZAMCELCO to find solutions to their problems. Salazar, exasperated by the rift between WMPC and ZAMCELCO, also wrote a strongly-worded letter to the electric cooperative addressed to lawyer Jomar Castillo, of Crown Investments Holdings on April 1 and demanded it to pay WMPC and to restore normal electricity supply in Zamboanga. “This has reference to the current power situation in our City. As you know, Zamboanga City plays a key role not only in trade and commerce, but in national security as well. Residents and businesses are complaining of longer and more frequent outages since February 4 that adversely affected our local
economy prompting me to write this demand letter.” “While we support the Investment Management Contract and laud your commitment to pump in P2.5 billion into ZAMCELCO, we can no longer tolerate the rotating blackouts. Whether there is legal basis to withhold payment to WMPC must be settled in the proper courts of law. In the meantime, our people cannot suffer further. We have been paying our monthly bills and we see no reason why we are made to suffer the consequences of the electric cooperative’s refusal to pay WMPC. For Zamboanga City that is hub of trade and commerce and also hosts to the Western Mindanao Command, the stakes are too high if power outages will continue,” Salazar wrote. Salazar also said electric consumers are demanding ZAMCELCO to provide them with better services. “We have been appealing many times to ZAMCELCO to the extent that the local government even held talks with representatives of ZAMCELCO and WMPC for them to settle their differences or legal problems because everybody is affected by this inadequate supply of electricity. We cannot go on like this and this problem must be resolved quickly,” she said. Expensive Generator Sets To mitigate the power crisis, ZAMCELCO said it acquired more expensive diesel-powered generators to be able to supply Zamboanga’s power demand of at least 80 megawatts, but these are only being used during peak hours. Salazar said rotational power outages, which began in
February, have already affected the local economy with many business establishments spending more on fuel to run their generators for hours on a daily basis. Aside from power outages, ZAMCELCO’s irregular supply of electricity here resulted in low voltage most of the time and residents blamed the utility firm for damages on their appliances. And worst, ZAMCELCO and WMPC traded accusations in the media while electric consumers suffer from the rift. The power crisis in Zamboanga was worse in 2010 and for three years, the city had to endure 8 to 16 hours of blackout daily. And ZAMCELCO blamed the power crisis to El Niño weather phenomenon and the maintenance shutdown of hydro and coal-fired power plants in Mindanao. ZAMCELCO could only wait for the construction of the 100-megawatt coal-fired power plant of Alsons Power Holdings which was originally set to begin operation in 2016 in the village of Talisayan. But Alsons failed to start building its facility and cited many reasons for the long delay – from the failed Moro rebellion here in 2013 to the P900-million enhancement program it was demanding from ZAMCELCO as an assurance it could pay them for the stable supply of electricity. Even today, Alsons has not started construction of its coal-fired power plant here and ZAMCELCO said it would not purchase electricity from Alsons or what it is called now the San Ramon Power, Inc. due to the current problems involving WMPC. (The Zamboanga Post)
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DILG orders LGUs to inspect buildings to ensure structure integrity, public safety after tremors THE DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government has urged local governments to inspect all buildings to ensure public safety in the wake of the recent strong earthquakes that left many casualties in Luzon and Visayas. DILG Secretary Eduardo Año local government officials should also coordinate with the Bureau of Fire Protection to ensure proper compliance of building owners to the National Build-
ing Code of the Philippines (NBCP) and the Fire Code of the Philippine. On April 24, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolted parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, killing at least 16 and injuring over 80 others. It was followed the next day by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake in San Julian town in Eastern Samar and injured at least 10 people. “Aside from being physically present in your respec-
tive LGUs (local government) during these times, all local chief executives are reminded to not be complacent in doing pre-emptive measures to ensure that all structures are safe for use,” Año said. According to the NBCP, among the qualifications for a building to be considered dangerous is whenever any of its portion has been damaged by fire, earthquake, wind, flood or by any other cause, to the extent that its
OFWs remittances hit $5.3-B in first 2 months of 2019 PERSONAL REMITTANCES from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) amounted to $2.56 billion in February 2019, higher by 1.2 percent from $2.53 billion in February 2018, said Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno. Diokno said this brought the cumulative remittances for the first two months of the year to $5.30 billion, representing a 2.3 percent year-on-year growth. Personal remittances from sea-based and landbased workers with work contracts of less than one year rose by 8.5 percent to $0.57 billion in February 2019 from $0.53 billion in February 2018. This compensated for the 0.43 percent decline in the personal remittances from land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more, to $1.93 billion from $1.94 billion. Cash remittances from OFWs coursed through banks posted a
1.5 percent growth to $2.30 billion in February 2019 from $2.27 billion last year. For the first two months of 2019, cash remittances amounted to $4.78 billion, an increase of 3 percent compared to the $4.65 billion level in the same period last year.This growth was supported by the increase in remittances from both landbased $3.73 billion) and sea-based ($1.06 billion) workers, which rose by 1.0 percent and 10.5 percent, respectively. By country source, the United States registered the highest share of overall remittances for the period at 35.5 percent. It was followed by Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Canada, Qatar, Hong Kong, and Germany. The combined remittances from these countries accounted for 77.3 percent of total cash remittances for January to February 2019.
Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar with City Engineer Chris Navarro and CDRRMO Elmeir Apolinario inspect the integrity of City Hall for possible structural vulnerabilities in case of earthquakes. (City Government Photo) structural strength or stability is less than it was before the catastrophe. “Huwag po nating ipagwalang-bahala if you see any portion of a building wracked, warped, buckled, or settled to such an extent that walls or other structural portions have materially less resistance to earthquake, you should immediately inform the building owners. There should be no compromise when it comes to public safety,” Año said. He also ordered DILG regional directors and provincial directors to make an assessment on the quick action, as well as readiness of
all LGUs during and after the earthquakes. “All DILG field offices must assess the effectiveness and the lapses of the recent earthquake drills conducted by LGUs. Check if LGUs have immediately setup their tactical operation centers. Have the local chief executives convened their respective Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMCs)?” the DILG Secretary noted. In Zamboanga City, Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar, even before Año’s instructions, she already convened an emergency meeting with the City Disas-
ter Risk Reduction Management Office, City Engineer’s Office, PHIVOLCS, and security and emergency response forces for a pre-emptive review and evaluation of the preparations and emergency measures in cases of natural disasters such as earthquakes. Salazar said she tasked the group to conduct an evaluation of vulnerable areas and inspection of structures, particularly old buildings and schools, and intensify information dissemination on disaster preparedness in the villages. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan. With a report from The Zamboanga Post.)
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April 29-May 05, 2019
Terrorists in Sri Lanka swore allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi THE ISLAMIC STATE has released three statements and a video claiming responsibility for the bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. The first, a terse statement by Amaq News Agency, offered no details about the operation, saying simply that a security “source” told the group’s media arm that the so-called caliphate’s “fighters” had carried out the attacks. The Islamic State subsequently released a longer statement, saying that 1,000 people were killed or injured in the orchestrated assault. That statement highlighted the fact that Christians were the intended target, as they are supposedly at war with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s enterprise. The statement also provides the aliases for several of the bombers. Amaq News then produced a third statement, including a photo of the eight alleged perpetrators standing in front of the flag typically flown by the group. The photo is reproduced above. Only one of the eight is unmasked. That individual, seen in the middle, appears to be Zahran Hashim, a fiery ideologue who spread his hateful message in online videos. Importantly, Amaq has also posted a video showing the eight perpetrators, led by Hashim, swearing allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before their day of terror. Amaq has disseminated similar videos after a series of attacks in the past. The footage is intended to underscore the idea that Baghdadi’s loyalists were responsible. As FDD’s Long War Journal has previously assessed, Amaq’s videos demonstrate that there is at least a digital tie between the perpetrators and the Islamic State’s network. Sri Lankan authorities fingered Hashim as the prime suspect early on, saying that his group, National Thowheeth Jama’ath (or National Thowheed Jamaath, NTJ), likely carried out the assault. In fact, a Sri Lankan police official warned more than a week before the bombings that Hashim and NTJ were planning to assault churches. The tip was informed by “foreign intelligence” sources. “Foreign intelligence has informed that Mohammed Cassim Mohamed Zaharan alias Zaharan Hashmi [sic] the leader of the National Thowheeth Jama’ath and his followers are planning suicide attacks in this country,” the alert read, according to a translation by the New York Times. “The reports noted that these attacks could target Catholic churches and the Indian High Commission in Co-
lombo.” The warning either went unheeded, or wasn’t passed along to senior government officials. Largescale assault that required significant coordination and planning. Authorities are working to confirm how the plot came together, including what role, if any, was played by the Islamic State’s international terrorist network. Early on, Sri Lankan authorities pointed to the possibility that there was contact between the plotters and “international” actors, but publicly-available details are sparse. It is certainly possible that there were operational connections between the NTJ and more seasoned operatives. Amaq’s video of Hashim and the others swearing allegiance to Baghdadi makes it likely that there is more to the story. The bombings in Sri Lanka are one of the worst terrorist attacks since the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings. The death toll from the large-scale assault has climbed to more than 300 people, as authorities have continued to conduct security sweeps, arresting suspected accomplices and shutting down social media access. The terrorists clearly planned the attacks well in advance of Easter Sunday, and the explosives they used were highly effective. At least seven suicide bombers hit their targets within a short time of each other — a hallmark of professional jihadist operations. (Amaq’s photo and video show eight jihadists.) Beginning in the early morning hours of Easter Sunday, the terrorists struck churches and hotels in and around the capital of Colombo. The first wave of bombers hit St. Anthony’s Shrine, a Roman Catholic Church, and three hotels. One of these bombings was conducted by a man who stayed at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel the night before and then detonated his explosive device while waiting in line at a breakfast buffet early Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Two more churches were terrorized in the afternoon. More than 100 people were killed in a suicide bombing at St. Sebastian’s Church, north of Colombo. And more than two dozen additional victims perished in a separate explosion at Zion Church in the city of Batticaloa. In all, at least nine sites were affected, as authorities also defused a large bomb near the Bandaranaike International Airport. Additional bombs were found in the hours that followed.
Retaliation for white supremacist terror attacks in New Zealand? Sri Lankan officials have said that the bombings were retaliation for the Mar. 15 massacres at two mosques in New Zealand. Those terrorist attacks were conducted by a white supremacist, Brenton Tarrant. Jihadist groups issued dozens of statements concerning the mass murder in New Zealand. The Islamic State’s spokesman referenced the killings in a rare audio message, arguing that the attack shouldn’t be compared his own group’s supposedly justified violence. In addition, the 174th issue of the Islamic State’s Al Naba newsletter contained an editorial on the same subject. Al Naba’s editors argued that it was “ignorant” to think that the “Islamic State waits for an attack like this on Muslim’s mosques to incite its soldiers to kill mushrikin [polytheists].” The Islamic State’s “jihad and fight against mushrikin is a duty even if they [Christians or polytheists] were weak and can’t harm Muslims, as long as they lack faith and covenant,” the editorial reads. Al Naba’s editors added that the “war waged by Crusader nations against Muslims did not start when one of their citizens attacked the mosques” in New Zealand. Instead, this religious war “is ongoing, hasn’t stopped and will not stop,” as both New Zealand and Australia are part of “the Crusader military coalition.” Thus, the Islamic State’s men argued that they didn’t need the terrorist attacks in New Zealand to justify killing Christians. In practice, this is exactly as the group has behaved, as Baghdadi’s representatives have deliberately targeted Christians around the globe. Zahran Hashim and his men were certainly aware of the killings in New Zealand. The pre-attack warning in Sri Lanka referenced social media accounts controlled by one of Hashim’s followers. The man in charge of these sites was “observed… regularly updating accounts with hate speech again non-Muslims since the March 15, 2019, attacks on a Muslim mosque by a Christian individual in New Zealand,” according to the Times’s translation. Importantly, however, none of the official statements posted by the Islamic State thus far have portrayed the bombings in Sri Lanka as retaliation for the slayings in New Zealand. (By Thomas Joscelyn. The author is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD’s Long War Journal.)
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Across : 1. Hurt 5. Make a selection 8. Frank 12. Legal hold 13. Bad grade 14. Gambling city 15. School groups (abbr.) 16. Became more profound 18. That woman 19. River mouths 20. House locations 22. Large antelope 25. Washington, DC time zone 26. Food allotment 28. Knife feature 31. Australian dog 32. Witty reply 34. Chaps 35. Poetic work 36. Big, hairy spider 41. India’s Mother ___ 42. Pen point 43. Abnormally sensitive 46. Linger 47. Little piggies 48. Self 49. Broadcasts 50. Egg on 51. High explosive (abbr.) 52. Scottish loch
Answer to last week’s crossword:
Down : 1. First Greek letter 2. Used footnotes 3. Listened to 4. Printers’ measures 5. Most bizarre 6. Rinds 7. Wobble 8. Unrefined metals 9. Writing instrument 10. Compass direction (abbr.) 11. Drift off 17. Rose Bowl city 19. AWOL soldier 21. Make over 22. Card game
23. Yule drink 24. One, in Havana 27. Hue 28. Sis’s sibling 29. Directed 30. Ingested 33. Archer’s goal 34. Team’s symbol 37. Royal rule 38. Loosen laces 39. Those who fib 40. Chasm 41. Try out 43. One ___ time (2 wds.) 44. Toss 45. Rebel general 46. ___ Juan
Weekly Sudoku:
The Mindanao Examiner The Zamboanga Post
Newspaper, Film and Television Productions Maritess Fernandez (On Leave) Publisher/Executive Producer Al Jacinto Editor-in-Chief / Producer (OIC)
Answer to last week:
Reynold Toribio Graphics/Video Editor
Mindanao Examiner Productions Web Master REGIONAL PARTNERS Mindanao Daily Business Week Mindanao Star ADVERTISING Eduardo A. Sode (0917) 3087366 044 Mabini St. Cebu City Rhoderick Beñez (0927) 4757936 Central Mindanao/ Kidapawan City/Cotabato City North Cotabato
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Richard Suarez (0910) 7348600 Kismet Cable TV, Aquino cor. Cabrera sts., Gatas District, Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur
The Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper is published weekly in Mindanao, Philippines. ZAMBOANGA CITY OFFICE: Unit 15, 3/F, Fairland Building, Mayor Vitaliano Agan Avenue Phone & Fax: (062) 9925480 Mobile: (0995) 5202358 DAVAO CITY OFFICE: Door 2, 402 Nidea Street, Barrio Obrero Phone: (082) 2841859 Mobile: (0925) 7621914 URL: mindanaoexaminer.com E-mail: mindanaoexaminer@gmail.com
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ALL RIGHTS FOR SALE Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper mindanaoexaminer.com ZAMBOANGA CITY OFFICE: Unit 15, 3/F Fairland Building, Mayor Vitaliano Agan Avenue Phone & fax: (062) 9925480 Mobile: (0995) 5202358
DAVAO CITY OFFICE: Door 2, 402 Nidea Street, Barrio Obrero, Davao City Phone: (082) 2841859 Mobile: (0995) 5202358
NEDA says higher investments in Science & Technology will boost productivity THE PHILIPPINES needs to ramp up investment spending in science and technology to spur productivity growth as it gears up for the so-called Asian Century, an official of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said. Adoracion Navarro, NEDA Undersecretary for Regional Development, said it is also imperative for the private sector to make investments on technologies, such as on smart manufacturing and green productivity technologies. “The benchmark actually is one percent of GDP (gross domestic product) but ours for many years have been very low…We are already increasing investments on science and technology, R&D (research and development),” she said. Navarro said the concept of the Asian Century emerged from the 2011 study by the Asian Development Bank which found that an additional three billion Asians could enjoy living standards similar to those in Europe today, and that Asia could account for over half of the global out-
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The Mindanao Examiner
April 29-May 05, 2019
put by the middle of the century. She underscored the need for the Philippines to collaborate with other Asian countries, learn from them, and devise ways and means by which they can “help turn the so-called Asian Century into a reality.” Navarro cited as an example the smart manufacturing implemented by India, the Center of Excellence (COE) on Information Technology (IR) for Industry 4.0, as well as the strategies on green productivity especially recycling. “I think if we are able to have a greater efficiency in production and if we are able to employ the concept of circular economy, what we produce and then consume later on, the by-products we return it to the economy, we do recycling. We are manufacturing something out of the wastes that we are generating then, that will not only contribute to waste reduction but will also generate value-added (goods and services),” she said. The Asian Productivity Organization’s (APO) COE program is a formally
designated institution or network of institutions in a member economy which has achieved a world class level of competency, with exemplary performance and experience in a specific area that contributes to productivity, APO Secretary-General Dr. Santhi Kanokthanaporn said. In 2015, the Philippine has been designed as APO COE on Public Sector Productivity with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) as its focal institution. “When we look at the concept of productivity, it’s not only that the private sector that has to improve its productivity, not only companies, but also the public sector. That includes government agencies and also government corporations because we have government corporations which are producing goods and services,” Navarro said. “So it’s important to engage them also in productivity improvements because it’s a whole of country approach when we do productivity enhancements. That should be the way,” she added. (Leslie Gatpolintan)
HEALTH
Kanser sa Obaryo Ni Dr. Willie T. Ong PARA SA ARTIKULONG ito, kinuha ko si Dra. Meredith Garcia, isang espesyalista sa kanser para magbigay ng paliwanag. Ang ovarian cancer ay ang pangunahing dahilan ng pagkamatay ng mga kababaihan dulot ng kanser. Mula sa diagnosis, halos 70% ng mga pasyente ay namamatay sa loob ng limang taon at umaabot sa hanggang 90% ang namamatay dito sa loob ng sampung taon. Walang iisang sintomas na eksklusibo sa ovarian cancer at maaari pa nga itong walang sintomas sa mga maagang stage nito. Hindi ito nakikita sa Pap smear at wala ring screening test sa kasalukuyan para ma-diagnose ito nang maaga. Dahil dito, halos 70% ng mga pasyente ay nasa Stage 3 o Stage 4 na kapag na-diagnose. Pero kung maagapan ito sa Stage 1 pa lamang, tumataas sa halos 90% ang tsansa na mabuhay mula sa sakit na ito. Ang isang babae ay may mas
mataas na tsansang magkaroon ng ovarian cancer kung siya ay: – Nasa middle age o mas matanda – May malakas na family history ng ovarian, breast at colon cancer – May personal history ng breast cancer – Labis ang katabaan o timbang (obese) – Maagang nagregla (before 12 years old) – Late nag-menopause (after 52 years old) – Nahirapang mabuntis o hindi nabuntis o nanganak kailanman – Tumanggap ng fertility drugs tulad ng clomiphene Anu-ano ang mga posibleng sintomas ng ovarian cancer? – Madaliang pagkahapo o pagkahingal – Pananakit ng tiyan, puson, balakang o ibabang bahagi ng likuran – Paglaki, pamamaga o pakiramdam na parang may hangin ang tiyan – Pag-ihi nang madalas o pagkabalisawsaw
– Hirap sa pagdumi – Madaliang pagkabusog o pakiramdam na nasusuka pagkatapos kumain – Mga pagbabago sa regla – Pagdurugo sa puwerta – Pagtaas o pagbaba ng timbang na hindi sinasadya Ngunit ang pagkakaroon ng isa o ilan sa mga sintomas na nabanggit ay HINDI KAAGAD nangangahulugan na ang isang babae ay may ovarian cancer. Kung ang isang babae ay may ovarian cancer, ang mga sintomas na nabanggit ay mapapansing MAS LUMALALA SA PAGLIPAS NG PANAHON dahil ang paglaki ng bukol ay maaaring magdulot ng sakit o umipit sa mga katabing organ tulad ng pantog o malaking bituka kaya maaaring maapektuhan ang pag-ihi o pagdumi. Sa mga ganitong kaso, kailangang magpatingin nang personal sa isang OB-Gyne na doktor para masuri nang mas mabuti at magawan ng mga nararapat na laboratory test.
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BOC adapts stricter policy on imported vehicles
C
EBU CITY — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said it is now strictly scrutinizing all shipments of completely-built motor vehicles to ensure verification of proper value and correct valuation for payment of customs duties and taxes here. Rolando Biteng, head of the Motor Vehicle Monitoring and Clearance Office (MVMCO), padali ang processing ng resaid importers of vehicles leasing ng kanilang kargamenshould be properly guided to,” Biteng told the Philippine with the new policy laid down News Agency (PNA). Guerrero issued a memoby the new BOC Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero. randum addressed to all Cus“Importers should know toms District Collectors that the new issuance para ma- “in absence of the original sales
contract submitted by the importer substantiating its declared values, the IAS (Imports Assessment Service) is empowered to determine the real customs value using other methods of valuation. Consequently, all District Collectors are directed to strictly implement the values provided by IAS.” Under the memorandum, the only supporting document an importer can present to assert value of his vehicle import-
ed from abroad is the importer’s declaration supported by the original sales contract. According to Biteng, if the importer fails to present a declaration and attach its original sales contract, customs will assess the importer based on the value to be provided by IAS. “Importers should pay the duties and taxes based on IAS valuation. Talagang makolekta ng gobyerno kung ano yung correct duties and taxes sa ini-im-
port na sasakyan,” he said. Guerrero also issued a policy directing IAS “to ensure that the value verification of motor vehicles will not in any manner cause delay, obstruct or impede the regular clearance procedure of cargoes.” The new policy suspended the exclusion of completely built automobiles from coverage of a customs memorandum circular. The circular issued by former Customs commissioner
John Sevilla was supposed to exclude from IAS verification all shipments of buses, trucks, cargo vans, jeepney/jeepney substitutes, single cab chassis, and special-purpose vehicles. But Guerrero’s memo clearly said “all shipment of completely built motor vehicles shall be referred to the IAS for value verification and proper/correct valuation.” (John Rey Saavedra)
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