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July 8-14, 2019
Human Right Violations! ‘Petition urges UN to investigate human rights violations’
H
UMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE Migrante International has launched a campaign urging the United Nations to investigate the alleged “gross human rights violations committed against Filipinos” by the Duterte government. “Its aim is to present pines under the Duterte tition was launched rethe collective demand of regime,” said cently in Hong Kong to Filipino migrants for a UN Migrante Internation- call the attention of the investigation on the ex- al Chairperson Joanna United Nations Human acerbating human rights Concepcion. Rights Council (UNHRC) situation in the PhilipShe said a global peContinue on page 3
Kusug Tausug Partylist Solon Weds Commercial Pilot A SCION of a highly-respected and influential political clan in Sulu province has recently tied the knot to an international
commercial pilot at the Garden Orchid Hotel in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. Shernee Abubakar
Tan, a two-term Representative of Kusug Tausug Partylist, and Captain Marjani C. Tambut, Continue on page 3
President Rodrigo Duterte (PCCO).
BARMM Chief Minister condemns Sulu suicide bombings 4 days later COTABATO CITY – The Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro autonomous region has con-
demned the twin suicide bombings in the southern Sulu province four days after the terror attacks
Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim (luwaran.com)
killed and wounded dozens of people. “It was a senseless act of terror since the attack inflicted multiple casualties and injuries to innocent civilians. We condemn that act as contrary to cherished human values such as the sanctity and protection of lives, properties and peaceful living,” said Ahod Ebrahim, also the leader Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Continue on page 3
JI leader arrested INDONESIAN POLICE have arrested the leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant network linked to al-Qaeda on suspicion
of recruiting members and sending them to Syria to train with extremist groups. Co u n t e r- t e r ro r i s m
police also arrested at least four other suspects linked to Para Wijayanto, who experts say was a Continue on page 4
Malaysia frees detained Filipino children MALAYSIAN AUTHORITIES have released four Filipino children it held since last month after being taken away from their mothers following a series of raids by immigration agents at an apartment complex, according to Migrante International. It said the children arrived on July 3 in Manila after spend-
ing weeks in detention at the Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Center in Kuala Lumpur. “The four children were clearly gripped by exhaustion as their mothers found themselves brooding spasmodically over the uncertainties that await them. With almost all of their belongings looted by wardens
and immigration officers at Bukit Jalil, they only managed to carry with them small shoulder bags,” Migrante told The Zamboanga Post. Migrante said it first received reports of the children being held in Kuala Lumpur from Tenaganita, a migrant Continue on page 3
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The Mindanao Examiner
July 8-14, 2019
Military identifies one of Abu Sayyaf suicide bombers SULU - Authorities have identified one of two suicide attackers who set off bombs recently that killed five people and the bombers in a southern army camp, a Filipino general said. Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana told The Associated Press that the family of the 23-year-old militant, Norman Lasuca, has identified him as one of the bombers who detonated a bomb June 28 at the gate of an army encampment in Sulu province’s Indanan town. The other suicide attacker remains unidentified, although police identified him by his alias as Black, according to The Zamboanga Post. Lasuca is the first known Filipino militant to have agreed to carry out a suicide bombing, a development that has concerned Philippine security officials. Two suicide bombings in the country’s south in recent months, also blamed on Sawadjaan, have been blamed on foreign militants by Philippine authorities. Sobejana said Lasuca left his family in the village of Asturias in Jolo, the capital town of Sulu about five years ago and joined an Abu Sayyaf militant faction under the control of commander Hajjan Sawadjaan. Sawadjaan is a Daesh
group-aligned commander and the suspected mastermind of the suicide attacks, which killed three soldiers, two villagers and the two bombers and damaged the encampment, located in an Indanan community, officials said. “This is really very tragic for Lasuca’s family, his mother. They saw him last five years ago and this is the first time they’re only seeing him again,” Sobejana said, adding the family has claimed the severed head of the militant and buried it. Poverty and a lack of education may have driven Lasuca to the Abu Sayyaf, which lures recruits with money and guns, he said. There were conflicting accounts of the attack. Military officials said earlier that Lasuca managed to dash into the camp after the first militant was stopped at the army camp’s gate by soldiers. The first militant detonated his bomb, killing three soldiers at the gate. After he got past the gate, Lasuca was shot by other soldiers, prompting him to set off his explosive while yelling “Allahu akbar,” or God is great, they said. Military chief Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr., however, told reporters that Lasuca was the militant who set off his explosive after being stopped outside
the camp gate by soldiers. Lasuca’s head was severed by the powerful explosion. The suicide bombings sparked a security alarm, including in the capital, Manila, where police were put on alert. The other militant is suspected to be the son of a foreign extremist with Moroccan roots who died in a suicide bombing attack in nearby Basilan province last year, Sobejana said. Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano, who oversees the national police, said, however, that authorities have obtained information indicating the other suicide attacker may also be a Filipino militant from Sulu. Remains of both bombers will be subjected to DNA tests to ascertain their identities, he added. Battle setbacks have reduced the number of Abu Sayyaf armed fighters to less than 400 but they have remained a national security threat. They were the main suspects in a Jan. 27 bombing of a Roman Catholic cathedral during a Mass that killed 23 people in Sulu’s capital town of Jolo. The cathedral attack by two suspected suicide bombers sparked the current military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf, some commanders of which have
A police photo shows the 2 Abu Sayyaf suicide bombers. pledged allegiance to the Daesh group. Abu Sayyaf militants have largely thrived on ransom kidnappings and extortion, although defense
officials say they may have received foreign funds, including from the Daesh group, to finance attacks. The brutal group has been blacklisted as a terror-
ist organization by the United States and the Philippines for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings. (AP. With additional report from The Zamboanga Post)
TV cameraman killed in South DAVAO CITY – An unidentified gunman shot dead a television cameraman of the state-run People’s Television in Tagum City in the southern Philippine province of Davao del Norte, reports said. It said Reymond Facion was killed last week while opening the gate of his house in the village of Mankilam. The 28-year old media man just arrived home when he was shot at close range by the gunman who waited for him.
The attacker escaped after shooting Facion who died on the spot, according to reports. Police investigators recovered shells from .45-caliber pistol at the scene. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the murder of Facion. In April, Francis Patindol, a radio commentator for dxJM, was also killed in a knife attack in the southern city of Butuan, according to
the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines. Patindol was with his friends outside a photo copy center when a man attacked him. Just last week, Bombo radio station in General Santos City was also strafed by unidentified gunmen for a still unknown reason. Over a dozen journalists had been killed the past three years under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. (Mindanao Examiner)
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The Mindanao Examiner
July 8-14, 2019
Human Right Violations! ‘Petition urges UN to investigate human rights violations’
Continued from page 1 to the worsening human rights violations and extrajudicial killings in the Philippines since President Rodrigo Duterte rose to power 3 years ago. Hundreds of Filipinos, mostly workers in the former British colony and supporters from various Overseas Filipino Workers’ groups and migrants’ rights advocates from different countries participated in the launching of the petition. They also held an indignation rally at the Philippine Consulate. Concepcion said the event was jointly organized by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines and by the Hong Kong Campaign for the Advancement of Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines. She also said the Philippines does not deserve to retain its seat in the UN Human Rights Council because of the Duterte regime’s abhorrent human rights record. The Philippines was part of the 18 member states elected by the UN General Assembly in January for a 3-year term to the Human Rights Council. Calls for independent investigations on the brutal killings in the context of Duterte’s so-called war
on drugs and counterinsurgency program have been repeatedly rejected by the Filipino regime. Expressing support to the call of 11 UN Special Rapporteurs to push through with an independent investigation, Concepcion said the global petition highlighted the impact of the killings on OFW families and advocates. “Our children and family members have been directly affected by the thousands of unlawful deaths and police killings as a result of the so-called war on drugs. Our organizations and leaders are maligned, harassed and threatened by state forces. We all suffer from the repressive imposition of Martial Law in the island of Mindanao,” the petition stated. In addition, the petition also sought justice for the socioeconomic rights of Filipino migrants and their families who are yoked with unjust state exactions while suffering from government neglect. Despite contributing $33 billion in foreign remittances annually and another $20 billion worth of funds in the coffers of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Concepcion said the “Duterte government has spent very little resources to pro-
tect us and has neglected its duty in assisting migrant workers in distress. There has been no adequate legal support provided to migrants who are facing legal cases abroad.” Aside from the inadequate protection accorded to OFWs who are facing severe exploitation and various forms of abuse, she said the petition also highlighted the plight of 81 OFWs who are in death row. It likewise pointed out to the hundreds of unresolved cases of OFW deaths and the absence of assistance to thousands of OFWs who are languishing in detention facilities abroad. She said more than just the inadequacy of a genuine reintegration program, the petition slammed the dire situation where Filipino “migrants will be returning to a country where our basic human rights are being trampled on daily by the tyranny of our own government and state forces.” “People’s organizations that have for decades defended and supported the rights and welfare of Filipino people and migrants are being systematically attacked through unscrupulous government regulations, red-tagging, financial witch-hunt and other forms of harassment,” according to the
BARMM Chief Minister condemns Sulu suicide bombings 4 days later Continued from page 1 whose group had previously embarked on a terror campaign in the troubled region prior to its peace talks with Manila. Ebrahim, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte in February as interim Chief Minister of the newly-formed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao following the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law. He said he was “personally” outrage by the suicide attacks on a military base in the town of Indanan on June 28. “As your leader in the Bangsamoro, I am committed to assist our law enforcement agencies in pursuing the perpetrators of this atrocious incident and similar violence over the past few months in the province of Sulu,” Ebrahim said and urged local leaders to be united in the fight against violent armed groups in their respective places.
“Even as we seek justice for the victims, let us take this sad moment to reiterate our resolve to do whatever is necessary and possible so that real and sustainable peace can be achieved in the Bangsamoro. We condole with the families of the victims, and we are one with them in the search for justice and an end to this kind of violence,” he said. Police said the bombers were Abu Sayyaf fighters and had been initially identified only by their aliases Black and Norman, who simultaneously detonated their explosive belts while base sentinels were about to search them. Five soldiers were among those killed in the bombings that also wounded a dozen more. Eight civilian casualties were also reported by the police. The mangled bodies of the bombers, including the decapitated head of the attacker whom the military later identified as
Norman Lacusa, were also recovered from the scene and brought to the military headquarters in the capital town of Jolo and recently handed over to their families. The other bomber was said to be the son of a Moroccan ISIS soldier, Abu Katheer al-Maghribi, who killed himself in a suicide attack at an army checkpoint in August 2018 in Lamitan City in the Muslim province of Basilan that left over a dozen casualties. The other bomber, police said, previously surrendered to the military, but it was unknown what drove him to re-join his group. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the twin suicide attacks which occurred during an extended martial rule in the region where security forces are battling several pro-ISIS groups and communist insurgency. (Mindanao Examiner and Zamboanga Post)
President Rodrigo Duterte (PCOO). petition. Concepcion said the petition demands for an
end to the human rights violations in the Philippines and to make the
Duterte government accountable for its crimes. (Mindanao Examiner)
Kusug Tausug Partylist Solon Weds Commercial Pilot Continued from page 1 of Philippine Airlines, were married in an elaborate Muslim rite attended by no less than President Rodrigo Roa-Duterte, one of the principal wedding sponsors, together with a list of political and business personalities, including Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, Representative Celso Lobregat, of Zamboanga City; former Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali and Tawi-Tawi Representative Ruby Sahali; Undersecretary Nabil Tan, the Deputy Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process; Punong Barangay Amelyn Tan, Olivia Limpe-Aw, President and Chairperson of Destileria Limtuaco; Engr. Sydney N. Tambut, Engr. Butch P. Tambut and other relatives
of the groom. House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, also a principal sponsor was represented by the Chairperson of the House Committee on Accounts, Yedda Romualdez, together with her husband and lawyer Martin Romualdez, the leading candidate for House Speaker. The bride is the youngest daughter of Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan and Vice-Governor Hadja Nurunisah Abubakar-Tan and sister of incumbent Vice-Governor Abdusakur Tan II, Sulu Representative Samier Tan, Maimbung town Mayor Shihla Tan-Hayudini, Maimbung town Vice-Mayor Aiman Tan, Shailinee Tan-Mariwa while the groom is the only son of former Simun-
ul town Mayor Benzar Nur Tambut and Hadja Nilane C. Tambut. The Venue of the Tambut-Tan Nuptial was designed by Gideon Hermosa of The Events Studio, while Jason Magbanua, of Niceprint Photography, was the official wedding photographer and videographer. The beautiful gown worn by the bride was made by Mark Bumgarner, a wellknown Filipino fashion designer. He is known for his elaborate ball gowns with a modern touch. Celebrity make-up artist, Jigs Mayuga, took care of the bride’s hair and make-up. Joey Generoso, a famed vocalist of the Side A Band, which was popular in the 1990’s, was the wedding singer. (See photos from page 5)
Malaysia frees detained Filipino children Continued from page 1 center in Malaysia. “It so happened that the mothers who possessed valid visas were not at home when the undocumented toddlers were seized from their relatives,” Migrante International said. The children and their mothers were met by members of Migrante and Churches Witnessing With Migrants (CWWM). Migrante said the children’s mothers recounted their ordeal at the Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Center. One woman said she can never forget how frequent routine inspections by detention wardens and “spiteful” immigration officers affected them psychologically and emotionally. She said detainees were also fed with “stale and burnt food good for swine.” Two other mothers recalled their cells as cramped and filthy.
“They were made to lie down on the cold floor surface and nobody was allowed to use any sleeping mats. Even scraps of cardboard which they used to fan themselves and cover the floor get confiscated,” Migrante said as told by the women. “Immigration detainees had only one set of clothes which they had to wash and wear every other day. We wore the same clothes that we had been wearing on the night we were arrested. Our rights as humans were violated.” “The female wardens acted as if they are not mothers themselves. They were vile and mean, treated us like animals. All the children always get terrified when they’re around,” one mother told Migrante during a briefing. They also said that non-married detainees are constantly in handcuffs and any detainee inside the facili-
ty that is seen by immigration wardens as misbehaving is dealt with severely. They said a female detainee from Kenya, who has been showing signs of Psychosis, was tied to the wall with both hands and was made to stand the whole day. “Children are not spared from verbal abuse by growling wardens and immigration officers. Many of the young detainees were in need of medical attention,” Migrante said, quoting one mother as saying. Migrante said children subjected to these kinds of excruciating ordeal are susceptible to psychological stress and emotional trauma which can lead to life-long behavioral consequences. The mothers and their children, according to Migrante, returned to their hometowns in Bataan, Bulacan and Laguna provinces in Luzon. (Zamboanga Post)
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The Mindanao Examiner
July 8-14, 2019
Philippine passport is 80th most powerful in the world PHILIPPINE PASSPORT holders can now travel to 64 destinations with visa-free access, putting the country on the 80th spot in the global ranking, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA). Of this number, IATA said 34 countries allow Filipino travellers to enter visa-free while 30 others require visa-on-arrival with Sri Lanka requiring only Electronic Travel Authorization. An exclusive data from the IATA which quoted the 2019 Henley Passport Index shows the Philippines’ rating at 75th in 2018. Though pushed backward, the data also stated an economic boost among Asia Pacific nations. Japan and Singapore lead the ranking with visa-free access to 189 destinations while Afghanistan is lowest at 109th with 25 visa-free destinations. “In Asia Pacific, internation-
al migration and mobility have become increasingly more complex, dynamic, and diverse, shaping the overall social, economic, and demographic conditions in the region,” IATA said. The Henley Passport Index in the third quarter of 2019 reported that the United Nations estimate in 2017 showed that there were 80 million international migrants in the countries and areas comprising Asia Pacific. International migration has not only helped stabilize economic growth in Asia Pacific but also enabled many labor-sending countries to sustain strong economic growth, even in times of crisis. International migration has strengthened labor market mobility, remittances, and trade across Asia Pacific. “For example, the Phil-
ippines has obtained USD33 billion in remittances from migrants, while other countries in the region— including China (USD64 billion), Pakistan (USD20 billion), and India (USD69 billion) — have likewise received remittances that have been vital to their economies,” the study said. Recently, Taiwan extended its visa-free privilege for Filipinos for another year, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office announced. First implemented in 2017, it conveyed an increase in the number of Filipinos visiting Taiwan. In 2018, 419,000 Filipinos visited the country-around 44% higher compared to 2017. The ranking is based on exclusive data from IATA, which maintains the world’s largest and most comprehensive database on travel information. (Christine Cudis)
JI leader arrested Continued from page 1 student of Abu Bakar Basyir, accused of being the mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people. Wijayanto, who had been on the run since 2003 and had trained with militants in the southern Philippines, was arrested with his wife on Saturday on the outskirts of Jakarta, the capital. “Jemaah Islamiyah remains a threat because their grand strategy is still to establish a caliphate,” national police spokes-
man Dedi Prasetyo told Reuters. Indonesia’s elite counter-terrorism squad, Densus 88, was created in the wake of the 2002 Bali bombings to quash JI and similar groups in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. Security forces were seen as being successful in breaking up militant networks after key figures like Basyir were rounded up and jailed, but many went underground. “There are still many JI members, and after the fall of
Osama bin Laden, they became sleeper cells,” said Stanislaus Riyanta, a terrorism analyst based in Jakarta. “The fall of Islamic State may have left a gap for JI to rise again.” Indonesia scrambled to tighten its anti-terrorism laws after a series of suicide bombings killed more than 30 people in the East Java city of Surabaya last year. Hundreds of people have been detained under the new laws since the beginning of 2019. (Reuters)
July 8-14, 4, 2019
The Mindanao Examiner
Wedding in î…ťe News Rep. shernee Tan and Marjani Tambut Nuptial - June 11, 2019 at the Garden Orchids Hotel, Zamboanga Rep ga City Citty
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The Mindanao Examiner
July 8-14, 2019
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
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The Mindanao Examiner
July 8-14, 2019
Lotto number scam, talamak sa Mindanao! MATAPOS NA IPASARA ng pamahalaan at i-utos ang pag-aresto sa mga nasa likod ng mga grupong sabit sa malawakang scam o Ponzi scheme sa Mindanao, patuloy naman namamayagpag ang “PCSO” raket na nagbibigay ng mga winning numbers sa Lotto kapalit ng malaking halaga ng salapi. Kalimitan sa mga nasa likod ng sindikato ay bumibili ng “air time o block time” sa iba’t-ibang himpilan ng radyo sa Mindanao at doon ay nagpo-programa ang mga ito
sa pamamagitan lamang ng telepono o cell phone at naka-hook up sa radyo. Hindi naman agad matunton ang mga nasa likod ng programa dahil karamihan sa mga ito ay nagsasabing nasa Cebu, Zamboanga, Davao at Iba pang bahagi ng rehiyon. Pare-pareho rin umano ang modus operandi ng mga sindikato at hihinalang iisang grupo lamang ang mga ito at nagpo-programa sa radyo sa iba’t-ibang oras sa umaga hanggang tanghali. Madalas ay bumabati pa ito ng mga pangalan
ng kung sino-sinong tao na umano’y nagte-text sa programa upang sabihin sila ay nagwagi sa Lotto at nagpapasalamat sa winning numbers na ibinigay sa kanila ng sindikato upang ma-enganyo ang maraming iba pa na mag-miyembro sa programa. Humihingi ang mga humahawak ng programa sa radyo ng halagang P3,000 hanggang P100,000 o higit pa mula sa mga nais na manalo sa PCSO o Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office kapalit ng “winning numbers”
sa mga Lotto Draws. Naglalabas rin ito ng mga di-umano’y testamento o pagpapatunay ng maraming mga nagwagi sa PCSO Lotto Draws mula sa mga winning numbers na ibinigay ng mga sindikato. Ngunit lahat ng mga taong nagpatunay na sila ay tumama sa Lotto at naging milyonaryo ay mga miyembro rin ng naturang sindikato. Isinumbong na rin ito ng mga nabiktima ng scam sa PCSO Head Office ngunit wala naman aksyon na ginawa ukol dito. (Zamboanga Post)
Davao tourism summit in the offing Photo by the Mindanao Examiner
DAVAO CITY - The Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) said it will host a stakeholder’s tourism
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summit here which aims to strengthen the promotion of local products and services and as the same time encourage more tourists to come. DCCCII president Arturo Milan said there are already four direct international flights here and these are Davao-Singapore serviced by Singapore Airlines’ Silk Air, and Cebu Pacific; Davao-Jinjiang by Xiamen Air; Davao-Hong Kong by Cathay Dragon, of Dragon Airlines, Ltd.; and Davao-Doha by Qatar Airways. Milan said there are also three on-going negotiations for direct flights
from Davao to Haneda (Japan) and the revival of the Davao-Manado (Indonesia) and the Davao-Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) routes. The air connectivity will boost tourism not only in the Davao Region but the island of Mindanao, Milan said. “We have to collaborate with all our Davao stakeholders on tourism to be able to improve and work on programs on how tourists could come,” he said. Davao City Tourism head Generose Tecson also underscored the need to sustain connectivity, saying the city badly needs to come up with
plans and propositions to be able to do this. Tecson said there is a need also for the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) to help, noting the observations that emerged during tourism road shows that Davao was not promoted by the TPB. “Now that we have these international flights already then they should promote us and help us because if they just rely on the city, we cannot do it alone,” she said, adding, private and government sectors in the region have forged partnerships for the promotion of various tourism programs.( Digna Banzon)
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July 8-14, 2019
Cebu City Mayor’s Seal Missing? C
EBU CITY - First, the fixtures at the Office of the City Mayor in Cebu were stripped off, now the official seal of the office is missing. The official seal was ly occupied by Osmeña was discovered missing during stripped of all fixtures. the oath-taking of CouncilThe shelves, light and or Jerry Guardo before new plumbing fixtures, partitions Cebu City Mayor Edgardo and door, ceiling and floor Labella, who defeated To- works were removed as these mas Osmeña. were all allegedly owned by Labella said he was Osmeña, who claimed to looking for the official seal have spent his own money so he could use it for the for the beautification and oath-taking ceremony, but improvement of the office. even his staff could not find The General Services it. “I thought it was just the Office also certified that all (toilet) bowl that was lost, of what was removed from but also the seal.” the mayor’s office is owned He said the official seal by Osmeña, who earlier exis very important because it plained that he used his peris the symbol of the power sonal funds to renovate the and authority of the Office office in 2016 and he has the of the City Mayor. He point- program of works to show as ed out that the seal is a gov- proof of this. ernment property donated The Department of the to the local government. Interior and Local GovernThe mayor said he ment (DILG) said it will inordered for an extensive vestigate Osmeña over the search for the official seal. removal of facilities and furLabella said he was shocked niture in his office shortly to find out that the mayor’s before stepping down from office which was previous- his post.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña (Vincent Roble FB page) and Cebu Mayor Edgardo Labella FB page. “The DILG will investigate the reported act of former Cebu Mayor Osmena of stripping the Mayor’s office of everything from ceiling to floor tiles rendering it unusable and completely bare. The investigation will uncov-
Cebu intensifies imported meat inspections CEBU CITY – The local government has intensified its campaign against the African Swine Fever (ASF) following a memorandum by the Department of Agriculture for the temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild pigs, and their by-products, including pork meat and semen originating from Belgium. Just recently, some two tons of confiscated meat from countries affected by the ASF were incinerated by Cebu City’s Department of Veterinary Medicine and
Fisheries (DVMF) and the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS). Dr. Alice Utlang, Cebu City Veterinarian, said the confiscated meat was imported from Belgium. She said the DVMF confiscated two boxes containing an estimated 378 kilograms of pork on June 21 while inspecting cold storage vans entering here. When the boxes of meat were confiscated, Utlang said she coordinated with the NMIS to also inspect the cold storage facility in Mandaue City and during the inspection, a total of 1,900 kilos of
meat were also seized. The meat was imported by FN Asia Import Export Corporation with the buyer listed as Mercy Abello. Although the shipment had import permits, it was discovered having a manufacturing date of August 30, 2018. Utlang said frozen meats with slaughter or process date on or before August 25, 2018 are allowed to enter the country subject to veterinary rules and regulations. But the pork meat that was incinerated was manufactured on August 30, 2018, she said. (Luel Galarpe)
er the facts of this matter,” DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya told reporters. He said as a general rule, an official may only remove movable furniture and fixtures such as chairs, tables, and computers that are his part of personal property when he ends his term, but the act of even removing what are considered immovable objects like ceiling, walls, and the tiles is already bad faith because it renders the office, which is government property, as unusable by his successor and therefore affects the delivery of public service to the people of Cebu City. “Under the Civil Code, immovable improvements may only be removed by the owner if it does not cause damage or injury to the work constructed,” Malaya said, suggesting that Osmeña should have filed a claim for indemnification for all the immovable improvements that he introduced to the office so that reimbursements should have been made.
“But to strip the mayor’s office of everything is strange, uncalled for, and could expose the mayor to legal action for violation of various laws in [Republic Act] 3019 for causing injury to the government,” Malaya pointed out. DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing also said Osmeña should prove that he indeed paid personally for the improvements in his former office. “Osmeña needs to prove that since all the things inside the office is government property,” Densing said, adding, newly-elected local government officials should file before the Office of the Ombudsman charges against the former mayor for allegedly destroying government properties and for failing to adhere to the agency’s order for the proper transition of the office. “We assume that those are government property unless proven otherwise. Second, (former) Mayor Osmeña can face charges because first of all, we issued a memorandum circular
signed by Secretary Eduardo Año that there must be proper transition. It seems he did not cooperate with the transition and because of that, he can face administrative charges,” Demsing said. “He can be also held criminally liable at the Office of the Ombudsman because it can be considered damage to property. The government has to spend taxpayers’ money to restore government property,” he added. Osmeña said he paid for the repair of the office in 2010 with his friends amounting to P2 million since the budget had been rejected by Labella, who was the City Council head back then. Labella said even the plumbing system and electrical connection were disconnected, the ceiling and tiles were stripped off and no furniture were left aside from the two industrial air-conditioners and some chairs. (Luel Galarper and Christopher Lloyd Caliwan.)
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