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THE DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered a second wave of road-clearing operations following last year’s successful campaign. DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said the local governments are given 75 days to clear public roads of blockades or obstruction to ease the flow of Continue on page 2
Immigration personnel in bribery scandal relieved!
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Duterte Does the Right Thing for a Change
President Rodrigo Duterte with Presidents Donald Trump (right) and Xi Jinping. (PCOO)
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RESIDENT RODRIGO Duterte’s termination of a key military pact with the United States - the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) - which governed the deployment of U.S. troops in the country has evoked varied responses. In some liberal and Chinese President Xi Jinprogressive circles, the ping. Others were disorimove provoked trepida- ented by the fact that the tion owing to Duterte’s agent of a change they Continue on page 3 perceived closeness to
Sulu islanders want out of 4Ps program SULU – Residents and town officials of the island of Pata have assailed the Ministry of Social Services and Development for its alleged failure to properly release the money to the
beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer program called 4Ps or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. Continue on page 5
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The Mindanao Examiner
Feb. 24-Mar. 1, 2020
Immigration personnel in bribery scandal relieved!
An online gaming site in the Philippines. bribery scandal. “We will immediately coordinate with the office of Senator Hontiveros to request more information regarding the issue,” he said. Modus During a recent House committee hearing investigating the link of the boom of POGO to prostitution and trafficking in the country, Hontiveros showed a video clip of an immigration officer escorting Chinese nationals to a Bureau of Immigration office, seemingly validating with a supervisor the foreigners’ identity against a list. “Bakit parang may VIP escort itong mga Chinese nationals papasok ng bansa? Huwag na huwag ninyong lolokohin ang taumbayan. Hindi standard procedure yan,” Hontiveros said, who also showed screenshots of Viber groups containing names, flight details and photos of Chinese nationals that came from an informant at the Bureau of Immigration. She said the bribery distributions were called “pastillas” because the money was rolled in a white bond paper that looked similar to the milky pastry. “Tinanong ko bakit pastillas ang tawag. Dati daw kasi, wala pang mga sobre so nilalagay sa bond paper at niro-rolyo na parang pastillas. Ngayon, mas professional na at may sobre parang legit na pa-suweldo, may bonus kapag perfect attendance, at may pa-lunch pa mula sa mga Chinese,” Hontiveros explained. “Ayon sa aming informant, mas lumakas ang ganitong modus dahil sa libu-libong mga POGO workers na dumarating sa bansa araw-araw,” she said, adding, the P10,000 bribe of each Chinese national were divided among several people - Chinese tour operator, the local tour operator, and syndicates and only P2, 000
to airport immigration. Hontiveros said around P1 billion in bribery money may have already been disbursed as kickbacks to corrupt officials. “Somebody sold our country’s borders for Chinese money. Kung sasabihin nating 1 million ang pumapasok gamit ang pastillas system, one billion pesos na ang nabayad na kickback,” she said, but immigration records showed that 1.8 million Chinese nationals have entered the country in recent years. “The lion’s share goes to the bosses. Somebody rigged the system, centralized the operations, and made this into a billion-peso enterprise. Pinapapasok ang mga Chinese nationals kapalit ng pera, effectively making us borderless,” she said, vowing to further investigate the scandal and weed out corrupt officials. “Hindi magiging ganito ka-systematic ang operasyon sa loob ng Bureau of Immigration kung walang padrino ang mga ito. Hindi magiging ganito ka-garapal ang mga ilegal na POGO operations kung walang protektor at kumikita ng milyon-milyon piso. Kailangan natin matunton kung sino ang pinaka-pinuno nitong scam na ito. Sabi nila maraming dalang investments itong mga POGO. Pero imbes na investment ang dala nitong POGO, bakit parang naging invasion?” Hontiveros asked. Duterte has allowed the unabated operations of POGO despite Beijing’s appeal to ban it in the Philippines because online gambling is a most “dangerous tumor” in modern society. POGO employs over 130,000 Chinese nationals, but the Bureau of Internal Revenue only collected about P200 million in taxes from foreign workers and the country is losing at least P24 billion each year from unpaid taxes. (Mindanao Examiner)
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No trike, pedicabs on highways
Continued from page 1 traffic and movement of people. Año also reminded all local governments and the police that tricycles and pedicabs should not operate on national highways. “Bilang bahagi ng ating road-clearing effort at pagpapaluwag ng kalsada, pinapaalala natin sa ating mga kababayan na bawal ang mga tricycle at pedicab sa national highway. Huwag na po tayong makulit at marami na din pong mga aksidente na nangyari bunga ng kapabayaan dito,” he said. He said local government must create a plan to rationalize the routes of all tricycles. “Tuloy ang Disiplina Muna campaign sa ating mga kalsada. I direct LGUs, especially the barangays, to clear local roads and sustain the gains of the
road-clearing operations with the same urgency and enthusiasm as when the President himself directed us during the State of the National Address. Binibigyan ko kayo ng 75 calendar days para gawin ito. This will continue whether you like it or not, especially since it has produced favorable results for the people,” Año said.
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DILG orders mayors to clear roads anew
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PRESIDENT DUTERTE relieved all officials and employees of the Bureau of Immigration involved in a bribery scheme that allowed the entry and exit of Chinese nationals working for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGO. Duterte’s action came after Senator Risa Hontiveros exposed the so-called “pastillas” modus within the Bureau of Immigration where Chinese nationals are allowed seamless entry into the country for a “service fee” of at least P10, 000. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the current situation in the Bureau of Immigration, as well as how it is being run by Commissioner Jaime Morente, will be taken up in the next Cabinet meeting. “The President considers this anomaly, which some define as the “pastillas scheme,” as a grave form of corruption which cannot be countenanced by the government. As we have repeatedly stressed, there are no sacred cows in this Administration. Any official or employee who commits any wrong in the performance of their respective duties shall be meted out with the punishment that they deserve and in accordance with our penal laws,” Panelo said. It was unclear why Morente failed to stop the bribery scandal, but he vowed to get to the bottom of the “pastillas” scheme. “I am deeply alarmed hearing reports from the good Senator Risa Hontiveros that this escorting modus is still persistent in our airports. I have ordered a full-blown investigation to know if such corrupt practices still exist, and to find out who is possibly part of this syndicate to file both administrative and criminal cases against them,” he said. Morente said they would ask Hontiveros for more information into the
“Now, we will not only validate the performance of the mayor, but also of the barangay captains. We recognize that the barangays have the No. 1 responsibility in keeping their roads obstruction-free so under Road Clearing 2.0 and we
will also assess the performance of the barangays and file appropriate charges (if they fail) if necessary. Nagawa na natin ito noon, ngayon mga barangay naman. We will continue to keep an eye on the LGU and barangay compliance and will not hesitate to file a new batch of administrative cases sa mga pasaway na hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin nakakasunod,” he added. In July last year, Año - upon the order of President Rodrigo Duterte - issued Memorandum Circular 2019-121 which gave mayors 60 days “to exercise their powers essential to reclaim public roads which are being used for private ends, and in the process rid them of illegal structures and constructions.” (Mindanao Examiner)
The Mindanao Examiner
Feb. 24-Mar. 1, 2020
Duterte Does the Right Thing for a Change States to back up the Philippines’ territorial and resource claims in the Spratly Islands group. In response, Washington has consistently said that the MDT does not obligate the United States to support the Philippines’ territorial claims because it “does not interfere in sovereignty issues.” Essentially, Washington was saying, “you’re on your own” as far as the Spratly Islands were concerned. At the same time that it was refusing to be drawn into what it saw as a matter of marginal relevance to U.S. interests, however, Washington was busy drawing the Philippines more tightly into a de facto military alliance to project power onto the Chinese heartland. This revealed to many Filipinos how one-sided the relationship was and led some traditional politicians like Duterte to begin to appreciate what the Left had been saying all along: that the MDT and the VFA were vestiges of a colonial past that subordinated the country’s national interest to the strategic designs of the United States in the Asia Pacific. Why Washington Want-
ed the VFA Coming into force almost a decade after the Americans gave up Subic Naval Base and Clark Air Force Base in 1991, the VFA reflected the U.S. move from a position of regarding China as a “strategic partner” under the Clinton administration in late 1990s to its defining Beijing a “strategic rival” under George W. Bush in the early 2000s.
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its long south-eastern and eastern coastline and on maritime formations in the East and South China Seas. This followed Beijing’s realization of how vulnerable to U.S. attack its coastal urban industrial infrastructure was when Bill Clinton sent two carrier task forces to the region to intimidate China during the Taiwan Straits Crisis in 1996. In the succeeding years,
He might be the devil incarnate, but Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte is beginning the process of ending over 120 years of colonial subjugation
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Continued from page 1 had long wanted had also been responsible for thousands of extrajudicial executions in his “war on drugs.” Adding to the confusion was President Donald Trump’s facetious reaction to Duterte’s move, saying “it will save us money.” It cannot be denied, however, that the termination of VFA was a positive, historic step from the point of view of the national interest of the Philippines. In recent years, much local attention has focused on China’s incursions and outright grabbing of maritime formations claimed by the Philippines in the South China Sea, officially renamed by the Philippine government as the West Philippine Sea. Like many U.S. dependencies, the Philippines has had a Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with Washington that dates back to the Cold War era and serves as the legal touchstone of the VFA. Not surprisingly, as frictions with China increased, Philippine presidents from Ferdinand Marcos in the 1970s to Benigno Aquino III in more recent years invoked the MDT to get the United
– Walden Belo Under the guise of training Filipino troops, the VFA was a step toward re-establishing a permanent military presence in the Philippines and making it a forward base in its strategy to “contain” China. What motivated Washington was China’s major push to improve its missile defense emplacements on
the Pentagon carried out an aggressive upgrading of its capabilities to penetrate China’s improving anti-ship and anti-missile defensive shield (A2/AD) in the area. The result was the institutionalization of an offensively oriented war fighting doctrine focused on China: the Air Sea Battle Strategy. According to the most authoritative elaboration of Air Sea Battle—recently given the new name of Joint Concept for Access and Maneuver in the Global Commons (JAM-GC)—the strategy is designed to carry out “’kinetic and non-kinetic’ (in other words, both explosive and electronic) strikes against inland command centers, radar systems and intelligence gathering facilities, raids against missile production and storage facilities and ‘blinding’ operations against Chinese satellites.” It also says that China’s “seaborne trade flows would be cut off, with an eye toward exerting major stress on the Chinese economy and, eventually, internal stress.” The account explicitly admits that the aim of Air Sea Battle is “to overcome China’s A2/ AD defenses” because failure to so would result in the “United States [finding] itself effective locked out of a region that has been declared a vital security interest by every administration in the last sixty years.” Not surprisingly, revelation of the strategy rattled Beijing and pushed it to fortify and increase its defensive perimeter in the South China Sea. This also led it to some rash and unjustifiable moves such as seizing and erecting military structures on maritime formations
claimed by the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries and declaring some 90 percent of the sea as belonging to China. EDCA and AirSea Battle Key to Air Sea Doctrine was obtaining bases in the Philippines to provide fire and logistical support to American air and naval efforts to swamp or maneuver around China’s coastal and island defenses. Concluded by the Aquino administration and the Obama administration in 2014, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), the VFA’s sister agreement, can be described as nothing less than a gift to Washington. It allowed the United States to set up military bases for troops and store war materiel in nominally Philippine bases. And Washington could have these bases without paying rent—the sticking point in the failed 1990-91 base renegotiations that had led to the closure of Subic and Clark. Not surprisingly, Filipinos became increasingly alarmed that they had not only been maneuvered into making a major cession of their sovereignty, but geopolitically and geographically, they were being placed between a rock and a hard place. Joint military training under VFA and hand-medown military aid plus “defense of freedom” rhetoric were cheap change for placing the country in harm’s way. The bases were being primed to serve as springboards for an offensive strategy to overcome China’s A2/ AD defenses on its coasts and the West Philippine Sea. At the same time, these bases and the surrounding Philippine cities and countryside would be within range of intermediate-range Chinese missiles in the event of a conflict. With heightened tensions in the South China Sea, where a runaway arms and strategic race had created a situation where a mere ship collision could escalate into something much bigger, the bitter realization took hold that Washington had enlisted Duterte’s strategically naïve predecessor, Aquino, in a dangerous military alliance against China without even the decency of a formal alliance. This was, in strategic terms, the worst of all worlds, and it rankled not just progressives but Duterte as well. The Trump Factor Under the Trump ad-
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ministration, the position of the Philippines has gotten even more precarious. The interests of allied states have perhaps counted less with Trump than with any other U.S. president in recent times. More important, Trump has taken the United States out of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), and his Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has made it clear that Washington will now set up intermediate-range nuclear missile emplacements directed at China in the Western Pacific, with the possibility that these could be lodged in the U.S. bases in the Philippines. Trump’s anti-China rampage cannot be assumed to be confined only to the trade front, especially since key advisers like Peter Navarro see trade and military strategy as part of the same stick. This makes the Pentagon quite happy since it has corralled Washington’s civilian leadership into viewing China with the same lens: not just a strategic competitor but a strategic enemy. The National Interest and History’s Tricks The logic of national interest dictates that, like the proverbial David, the Philippines must not be dragged into this conflict between two Goliaths. Indeed, the Philippines is ditching the VFA just in time. And Duterte should not just end the VFA but go all the way and scrap the Mutual Defense Treaty and EDCA as well. There are progressives in the Philippines that are bothered by the fact that it is a mass murderer like Duterte (the victims in the war on drugs are now said to be about 27,000) that is ending the military alliance with the United States. Or they’re concerned that the fellow’s motivations may not be the purest (he is reportedly miffed by one of his top allies being refused a visa by Washington). But hey, history loves to play tricks on people. The man may be the devil incarnate, but if he serves as history’s agent to begin to put an end to over 120 years of colonial subjugation and post-colonial subordination to a supremely self-interested, callous, and imperious master, I’m on his side…on this issue, that is, even as on matters of human rights and democratic rights, I and other progressives continue to condemn his policies. (Walden Belo – Foreign Policy in Focus)
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The Mindanao Examiner
Feb. 24-Mar. 1, 2020
Sulu Pictures in the News
Photos from the Office of the Provincial Governor
Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan donates P5 million to the victims of the February 3 conflagration in Jolo town through Mayor Kherkar Tan.
Sulu Governor Sakur Tan listens to Pata officials led by Vice Mayor Anton Burahan and representatives from the Ministry of Social Services and Development over complaints by 4Ps beneficiaries on the release of the government cash assistance. (Photo courtesy of the Sulu Provincial Government)
Sulu Governor Abdusakur M Tan with AA Tutorial Learning Services Manager Honey Jane N Tiam Wat. Governor Tan approved sponsorship of an initial 11 public elementary pupils with poor reading abilities and comprehension to be extended assistance by skilled teachers through AA Tutorial Learning Services.
The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos headed by the Regional Director Kenny Tan - in coordination with Sulu provincial government and Maimbung municipal government - conducted the 38th Regional Qur’an Reading Competition in Maimbung.
Senator Bong Go together with Governor Sakur Tan visit victims of the February 3 Jolo fire that razed Barangays Tulay, Chinese Pier and Takut-Takut. With Go are actors Philip Salvador and Victor Neri.
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The Mindanao Examiner
Feb. 24-Mar. 1, 2020
PTF-ELCAC gipahigayon sa Zambo Norte ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE — Sa unang higayon, gipahigayon na usab ang Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) didto sa munisipyo sa Leon Postigo niadtong semana. Kining maong kalihukan, gipadas-ug sa national ug provincial nga kagamhanan pinaagi sa Executive Order No. 70 ni Presidente Rodrigo Duterte alang sa malahutayong kalinaw ug sa pag mugna sa usa ka task force aron maundang na ang panagbangi o kasamok tali sa gobierno ug sa mga walhong grupo. Uban niini, gipaabot usab ang mga nanag-unang serbisyo publiko. Gipang-apod apod ngadto sa mga mag-uuma ang libreng
mga kabaw, manok, kanding ug uban pang mga hayop nga sarang ilang magamit sa pag-panguma sa ilang dugang kita. Gihatagan usab sila sa mga libreng binhi, seedlings sa mga fruit trees, lubi ug mga vegetable seeds, fertilizers, eyeglasses, tsinelas, groceries, t-shirts, sports equipment, feeding (lugaw, pan ug ice candy) alang sa mga bata, gamit sa pagpanguma ug pamanday aron sa ingon nga makasugod na sila sa ilang kaugalingong negosyo ug pagpanarbaho. Ingon man, gihatagan usab ug 50 ka mga toilet bowl alang sa duha ka barangay sa Tinuyop ug Santa Maria. Miapod-apod usab og 10,000 tilapia fingerlings
ang Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Laing libreng legal services usab ang gipaambit ngadto sa mga katawhan ilabina sa mga adunay problema kabahin sa ilang yuta ug uban pang nagkalain-laing problema nga nanginahanglan sa legal nga pagtagad. Wala usab nagmakuli sa pagpadala ni Gob. Roberto Uy (GBU) sa iyang programang “Gasang Bahandianon sa Umahan” kon GBU aron paspas ang pagpa-implementar sa programang pag-agrikultura ilabina sa mga luna nga dugay na nga wala natikad. Si Rico Tabada, Interior officer sa Leon Postigo, mibutyag nga “ang gobierno karon nagatutok na sa atong kahimtang. Gani, usa
Si Gob. Roberto Uy ug mga opisyal sa “Bayanihan Outreach Program” sa Leon Postigo. niini ang pagtrabaho na ug pagsemento sa dalan gikan sa highway sa Brgy. Delusom paingon ngadto sa katapusang barangay sa Nasibac. Busa iyang gi-awhag niya ang mga mag-uuma nga karon pa lang pananum na
Sulu islanders want out of 4Ps program Continued from page 1 Now Pata residents and municipal officials led by Vice Mayor Anton Burahan wanted out of the program, citing the “unjust treatment and inconsiderate verification process” that hindered the payment of dues as far back as 2018 to beneficiaries. Burahan also sought a meeting with Governor Sakur Tan and relayed their sentiments after beneficiaries of the 4Ps program complained to them. Over a dozen village
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chieftains, including the president of the Association of Barangay Captains, Barle Sahid; and 8 municipal councilors, also joined the protest against the Ministry of Social Services and Development. According to Sahid, aside from the birth certificates of 4Ps beneficiaries as proof of their identity, the Ministry of Social Services and Development wanted more documents to facilitate the claims and this despite the biometric validation and intervention
of the local Commission on Election attesting to the veracity of identity of the 4Ps beneficiaries. Burahan said his town is an island far away from the capital town of Jolo where residents are mostly fisherfolks about 11 nautical miles – and it will be extremely difficult for the 4Ps beneficiaries to travel, aside from the expensive boat fare they have to shell out to go and secure all additional documents being required by the Ministry of Social Services and
Development. Tan also met with social services officer Hindun Angsa and told her about the complaints of the 4Ps beneficiaries. Angsa has apologized for causing any discontent discomfort to the beneficiaries of the 4Ps. “We are there to fulfill the commitment of the 4P’s program. This was never our intention,” she told Pata officials. Tan rebuked the implementers of the 4Ps program and told them to be respectful and sensitive to the situation of the people. “We are very much concerned of these recent developments in the implementation of the 4P’s program. Hindi lahat ng ibibigay ninyo ay tatanggapin namin, dapat may respeto,” he said. The governor is expected to bring the matter to higher authorities to ensure compliance to the objectives of the 4Ps program, and to address matters and concerns in the conditional cash transfer program. The 4Ps program provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition and education of children aged 0-18. It was patterned after the conditional cash transfer scheme implemented in other developing countries where beneficiaries must comply with a set of conditions required by the program. In the Philippines, a household or beneficiary is entitled to receive P500 per month as health grant. A maximum of three children per household is covered by the program.Every monitored child in elementary school receives P300 as education grant and in high school, P500 per month for 10 months as education grant. The program also provides P600 a month or P7,200 per year rice subsidy for each family, and P200 a month for 2018, and another P300 a month from 2019 up to 2020 to help the poor cushion adverse economic effects of new taxes. (Mindanao Examiner)
kamo tungod kay sa panahon na nga mahuman ang kalsada dili na kamo maglisod sa pagtumod sa inyong abot ngadto sa kamerkadohan.” Pinaagi niining PTFELCAC nga gipadangat sa mga kabarangayan, naghinay-hinay na usab ug pagsabot sa mga katawhan nga aduna diay gobierno nga andam nga maminaw sa ilang mga mulo ug problema. Gani, niadtong Enero 30, adunay 21 ka mga miembro sa New People’s Army ang mitahan na sa gobierno tungod sa ilang kadasig ug kompyansa nga matabangan sila kon unsaon pagsugod sa pag-bag-o sa ilang kinabuhi. Diha sa gipahigayong programa, gihatagan ang matag usa sa 21 ka mga former rebels ug pasiunang cash assistance nga mibalor sa tag P20,000 gikan sa Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office pinaagi kang Gob. Uy ug laing P65,000 ang ilang mapaabot nga ayuda gikan programang Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) sa national government alang sa ilang livelihood assistance ug laing cash usab bugti sa mga armas nga ilang ma-surrender uban kanila. Niadtong tungura, nakadawat usab ug tag P65,000 ang laing 4 ka mga former rebels nga una nang mi-surrender. Gikalipay usab kini sa mga ginikanan sa mga former rebels tungod kay natuldukan na ang ilang mga kabalaka ug kahadlok kon unsay mahitabo sa ilang mga sa dihang atua pa kini sa bukid. “Ako nagpasalamat sa Ginoo nga sa pila ka tuig nakong inantus sa problema gidungog ra jud nga unta malamdagan ang imong panghunahuna kay adlaw ug gabii dili ako mahiluna” mao kini ang pasabot sa inahan ngadto sa iyang anak nga ni “May”, usa sa 21 ka mga miembro sa sa New People Army nga bag-o lang mitahan sa sabakan sa balaud niadtong Enero 30, sa dihang nahatagan usab kini sa higayon nga maka estorya uban sa iyang anak nga nagsaysay kon unsa kapait ang ilang gidangatan atubangan sa mga ka-
tawhan. Matud pa ni May, lumad nga taga Barangay Tinuyop, “Miapil siya sa kahugpongan sa mga walhong grupo niadtong bulan sa Marso 2017. Dili tiaw ang iyang kinabuhi sa bukid. Kagutom ug kakapoy ang iyang nasinati mao nga minaug siya. Dili usab diay tinood nga ang mga military abusado tungod kay diha sa iyang pag-surrender, wala man gani siya nakatilaw og kusi hinoon gi-ayo siya pagdala, ug gipakaon og tarong”. Laing mipadayag usab mao si Nestor nga lima usab siya ka tuig nga nagbaktas-baktas sa bukid diin parehas usab kang May ang iyang natagamtaman. Gani, adunay pa syay igsoon, mga ig-agaw ug mga kaparyentehan nga atua pa sa bukid diin iyang gipanawagan usab nga mokanaug na unta sila ug mobalik sa sabakan sa balaud kay matud pa niya nga walay tumong ug kaugmaon diha sa ilang grupo. Ang maong misyon gipangunahan sa kagamhanang provincial government, inabagan usab sa 102nd Infantry Brigade ug 97th Infantry Battalion aron mahatud ang mga nag-unang serbisyo publiko alang sa mga katawhan sa maong barangay. Miayuda usab ang mga nagkalain-laing ahensya sa gobierno ilabina sa Department of Interior and Local Government nga gipanguluhan mismo ni Regional Director Paisal Abutazil; Provincial Police Office nga gipanguluhan ni Col. Ronald Briones; Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, Provincial Health Office, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, Provincial Technology and Livelihood Center, Provincial Legal Office, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ug uban pa. Sa katapusan, nagpasalamat kaayo ug dako si Baramgay Tinuyop Kapitan Junie de la Cruz tungod kay wala gayud hikalimti sa gobierno ilabina kang Gob. Uy ang ilang barangay sa mga grasya nga ilang nadawat niadtong adlawa. (PIC-SBA)
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The Mindanao Examiner
Feb. 24-Mar. 1, 2020
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The Mindanao Examiner
Feb. 24-Mar. 1, 2020
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HEALTH
Sa High Blood: Inumin Ang Maintenance Na Gamot
Ni Dr. Willie T. Ong
Tanong: Binigyan ako ng doktor ng maintenance medicine para sa high blood pressure. Pero itinigil ko na ang pag-inom nito dahil sabi ng iba ay nakasisira ito sa kidneys. Sagot: Huwag po itigil ang gamot. Ang mga gamot sa high blood tulad ng amlodipine, losartan, metoprolol, at iba pa, ay safe para sa iyong kidneys (bato).
Sigurado po ako. Sa katunayan, kapag uminom ng ganitong gamot ay mas ma-pro-protektahan mo ang iyong kidneys dahil magiging normal ang iyong blood pressure. Kapag normal ang iyong presyon, hindi mahihirapan ang kidneys. Kung gusto niyong malaman kung anong gamot ang puwedeng
makasira sa kidneys. Ito ay ang matagalang pag-inom ng pain relievers tulad ng mefenamic acid at ibuprofen. Tandaan natin na ang pangunahing sanhi ng kidney failure at dialysis sa ating bansa ay ang high blood pressure at diabetes. Kapag inihinto mo ang iyong maintenance na gamot ay posibleng tataas muli ang iyong
blood pressure. At kapag laging lampas sa 140 over 90 ang iyong blood pressure, masisira na ang iyong kidneys, puso at utak sa loob ng ilang taon. Kaibigan, huwag na huwag titigilan ang iyong maintenance na gamot. Ang mga gamot na ito ang nag-aalaga sa iyong puso at utak para ikaw ay hindi ma-istrok at atakihin sa puso.
Mura na rin ang mga gamot ngayon sa mga generics na botika. Sana ay mapakuha niyo lagi ang iyong blood pressure. At kung mataas ito sa 140 over 90 ay magpatingin na sa doktor para mabigyan ng tamang gamot. Sa tamang dosis at pag-inom, wala kayong dapat ikabahala sa mga maintenance na gamot
Cotabato golfer wins ‘Most Accurate Drive’ award at the 3rd MLQUAAI tourney at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City recently.
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Taiwan travel ban lifted
T
HE PHILIPPINES lifted the travel ban on Taiwan barely a week after Manila imposed the restriction to prevent the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus - also called nCov and CoVid 19 - which originated in China. Taiwan Economic and fight against the Wuhan coroFollowing the lifting of the Cultural Office in Manila, has navirus to “safeguard the health travel ban on Taiwan, Beijing expressed “deep appreciation and welfare of humanity.” now also wanted Manila to lift to all Filipino friends who have Philippine Tourism Secre- the travel on China, Hong Kong voiced their sincere support tary Bernadette Puyat also wel- and Macau. for removing Taiwan from the comed the lifting of the travel Manila first issued a travtemporary travel ban.” ban on Taiwan. “The lifting of el ban February 2 on all tourIt said: “We especially com- the travel ban on Taiwan is high- ists from China and its Special mend the Manila Economic and ly assuring and we hope that Administrative Regions - Hong Cultural Office for its tireless ef- the nCov crisis would soon be Kong and Macao –and included forts to help remove Taiwan from resolved, worldwide. Ultimately, Taiwan a week later. the travel ban. The Republic of the recovery of all affected counThere were reports that BeiChina (Taiwan) attaches great tries is a universal prayer, espe- jing allegedly pressured Manila to importance to its long-standing cially that tourism is an inclusive strongly abide by the “One-China relationship with the Republic and sustainable business for and Policy” and include Taiwan in the of the Philippines. We are deter- of the people,” she said. expanded travel ban. Beijing has mined to strengthen our bilatTaiwan is the Philippines’ strongly maintained that Taiwan eral ties and promote our peo- fifth largest tourist source mar- is part of China. ple-to-people connectivity.” ket raking up an impressive douBut the Civil Aeronautics Taiwan said it will con- ble-digit increase of 37% for its Board (CAB) said the impositinue to work closely with the 305,570 arrivals in January to No- tion of the travel ban was due international community, vember 2019 before the health to increasing concern about including the Philippines, to crisis broke out. the spread of the virus and be-
DOH searches active polio cases
Cebu Mayor Edgardo Labella points to a map where the Butuanon River traverses the borders of his city and Mandaue. (Cebu City Information Office) CEBU CITY – With the discovery of poliovirus in water samples from the Butuanon River, which flows from here to Mandaue City, the Department of Health (DOH) in Central Visayas said it will start locating active cases of polio in the region. Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH-7 regional director, said the DOH central office has directed them to intensify active flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance as well as the anti-polio
vaccination program to prevent spread of the virus. Bernadas suspected that someone infected with the poliovirus lives in the area and caused the contamination of the water. He pointed out that the carrier may not be suffering from polio disease but is just a carrier of the poliovirus. “The samples that we retrieved from the river are but just evidence that possibly, a carrier of the poliovirus has polluted the
water. And that perhaps is the reason why the samples turned positive,” he said. “There are no confirmed cases of polio in the region but since this developed, we will be starting our active case finding.” DOH Assistant Secretary Maria Vergeire said there is already a possibility of poliovirus infection among residents within the proximity of Butuanon River. Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes also declared Butuanon River and even Mahiga and Tipolo creeks, off-limits to villagers as part of precautionary measures to stop the spread of poliovirus. Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella, meanwhile, said both the cities of Cebu and Mandaue are cleaning danger zones, rivers and creeks, including the Butuanon River. “Sanitation is very important. Second, we continue with the profiling. Third, our vaccination drive. It’s going to be a citywide vaccination but we will first focus on the area within the five-kilometer radius,” he said. (John Rey Saavedra)
Experts blame a form of systemic inflammatory response syndrome called “cytokine storm” for killing some novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)-infected patients who were not very sick in the early stage of infection but eventually died of multiple organ failure, according to Chinese media reports. (Photo by China News Service) cause many people did not want to travel, local carriers were prompted to cancel flights to and from China, Hong Kong and Macao, Taiwan included. Taiwan earlier expressed grave concern over the travel ban and appealed to Manila to lift the order. “The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent state. Taiwan issues its own passport and visas and has exclusive jurisdiction over its people and territory. In fact, Taiwan is not, nor has it ever been, part of the PRC. Taiwan has taken all
measures needed to contain the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV),” it said, adding, “No other countries in Asia, except the Philippines, have issued travel ban on Taiwan. We urge the Philippine government to immediately correct its decision on Taiwan and remove Taiwan from the travel ban.” There are nearly 200,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan and could be affected by the ban should Taipei retaliates against the Philippines. Taiwan has over a dozen cases of coronavirus,
but no reports of death from the disease. The One-China Policy can be traced back to 1949 and the end of the Chinese civil war after the defeated Nationalists, also known as the Kuomintang, retreated to Taiwan and made it their seat of government while the victorious Communists began ruling the mainland as the People’s Republic of China. Since then China has threatened to use force if Taiwan ever formally declares independence. (Cebu Examiner)
PEZA pushes for expansion of Mactan Economic Zone THE PHILIPPINE Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) wants to expand the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) in Cebu province as many existing locators expressed their plans to grow their businesses. PEZA Director General Charito Plaza said they are now targeting to bolster the economic zone to another 200-hectare property. “We are now applying for reclamation because we want to expand the land of Mactan Economic Zone,” she said. Plaza said PEZA is also looking for a partner to develop
the economic zone expansion in the coastal area of MEZ. PEZA Deputy Director General Tereso Panga also said the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) is also considering the construction of the second runway of the Mactan airport inside the economic zone involving reclamation. Panga said another option for MCIAA is to develop the new runway in the adjacent residential area. “PEZA and the MEZ locators, with the support of LapuLapu City local government unit,
are all objecting to the first option,” he said. But Plaza said constructing the runway inside the economic zone might result in locators incurring P150-billion damage due to interruption in their business operations. “You have to consider not just the physical damage, every day that will delay the operations will affect the buyers, they might lose their buyers. They don’t want disruption and the social implications, those who will be losing their jobs,” she said. (Kris Crismundo)
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