Mindanao Examiner Newspaper June 17-23, 2013

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Global Fosterage is now accepting trainees

Teener driven by poverty, broken family hangs self

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Australian missile frigate rescues 3 Filipino sailors injured in tanker fire

Dirty coal-fired power plants opposed

Buceo: Es Más Divertido en Filipinas (Dive: It’s More Fun in the Philippines)

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T

he Guardian newspaper has ran a series of articles on how the US National Security Agency is spying on American citizens – reading their private emails and gathering phone records, among others – whose information is provided by whistle blower Edward Snowden.

Snowden, 29, was a former technical assistant for the US Central Agency and He has been working at the National Security Agency for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen Hamilton and Dell.

The Guadian said Snowden, who is now holed out in a plush Hong Kong hotel, is the individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history. The British daily said after several days of interviews, Snowden is revealing his identity at his request. It was not immediately known whether NSA or any of its contractors also operations in the Philippines of if it also targeted or spied on non-US citizens or foreign embassies in Manila.

The Huffington Post also reported that the NSA program called PRISM, also tapped into data from several major tech companies, including Google, Apple and AOL, which owns The Huffington Post.

But below is the full report of The Guardian newspaper written

by Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill and Laura Poitras and first published on June 9 and can be accessed on this URL http:// www.guardian.co.uk/world/ 2013/jun/09/edward-snowdennsa-whistleblower-surveillance From the moment he decided to disclose numerous top-secret documents to the public, he was determined not to opt for the protection of anonymity. "I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong," Snowden said. Snowden will go down in history as one of America's most consequential whistleblowers, alongside Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning. He is responsible for handing over material from one of the world's most secretive organisations – the NSA. In a note accompanying the first set of documents he provided, he wrote: "I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions," but "I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant."

Despite his determination to be publicly unveiled, he repeatedly insisted that he wants to avoid the media spotlight. "I don't want public attention because I don't want the story to be about me. I want it to be about what the US government is doing." He does not fear the consequences of going public, he said, only that doing so will distract attention from the issues raised by his disclosures. "I know the media likes to personalize political debates, and I know the government will demonize me."

Despite these fears, he remained hopeful his outing will not divert attention from the substance of his disclosures. "I really want the focus to be on these documents and the debate which I hope this will trigger among citizens around the globe about what kind of world we want to live in."

He added: "My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them."

He has had "a very comfortable life" that included a salary of roughly $200,000, a girlfriend with whom he shared a home in Hawaii, a stable career, and a family he loves. "I'm willing to sacrifice all of that because I can't in good conscience allow the US govern-

The Mindanao Examiner

June 17-23, 2013

U.S. spy revealed ment to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building."

'I am not afr aid, because this is afraid, the choice I'v e made' I've Three weeks ago, Snowden made final preparations that resulted in last week's series of blockbuster news stories. At the NSA office in Hawaii where he was working, he copied the last set of documents he intended to disclose. He then advised his NSA supervisor that he needed to be away from work for "a couple of weeks" in order to receive treatment for epilepsy, a condition he learned he suffers from after a series of seizures last year.

As he packed his bags, he told his girlfriend that he had to be away for a few weeks, though he said he was vague about the reason. "That is not an uncommon occurrence for someone who has spent the last decade working in the intelligence world."

On May 20, he boarded a flight to Hong Kong, where he has remained ever since. He chose the city because "they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent", and because he believed that it was one of the few places in the world that both could and would resist the dictates of the US government.

In the three weeks since he arrived, he has been ensconced in a hotel room. "I've left the room maybe a total of three times during my entire stay," he said. It is a plush hotel and, what with eating meals in his room too, he has run up big bills.

He is deeply worried about being spied on. He lines the door of his hotel room with pillows to prevent eavesdropping. He puts a large red hood over his head and laptop when entering his passwords to prevent any hidden cameras from detecting them.

Though that may sound like paranoia to some, Snowden has good reason for such fears. He worked in the US intelligence world for almost a decade. He knows that the biggest and most secretive surveillance organization in America, the NSA, along with the most powerful government on the planet, is looking for him.

Since the disclosures began to emerge, he has watched television and monitored the internet, hearing all the threats and vows of prosecution emanating from Washington.

And he knows only too well the sophisticated technology available to them and how easy it will be for them to find him. The NSA police and other law enforcement officers have twice visited his home in Hawaii and already contacted his girlfriend, though he believes that may have been prompted by his absence from work, and not because of suspicions of any connection to the leaks.

"All my options are bad," he said. The US could begin extradition proceedings against him, a potentially problematic, lengthy and unpredictable course for Washington. Or the Chinese government might whisk him away for questioning, viewing him as a useful source of information. Or he might end up being grabbed and bundled into a plane bound for US territory.

"Yes, I could be rendered by the CIA. I could have people come after me. Or any of the third-party partners. They work closely with a number of other nations. Or they could pay off the Triads. Any of

Edward Snowden, seen during a video interview with The Guardian.

Glenn Greenwald/Laura Poitras / EPA /LANDOV their agents or assets," he said.

"We have got a CIA station just up the road – the consulate here in Hong Kong – and I am sure they are going to be busy for the next week. And that is a concern I will live with for the rest of my life, however long that happens to be."

Having watched the Obama administration prosecute whistleblowers at a historically unprecedented rate, he fully expects the US government to attempt to use all its weight to punish him. "I am not afraid," he said calmly, "because this is the choice I've made."

He predicts the government will launch an investigation and "say I have broken the Espionage Act and helped our enemies, but that can be used against anyone who points out how massive and invasive the system has become".

The only time he became emotional during the many hours of interviews was when he pondered the impact his choices would have on his family, many of whom work for the US government. "The only thing I fear is the harmful effects on my family, who I won't be able to help any more.

That's what keeps me up at night," he said, his eyes welling up with tears.

'Y ou can't wait ar ound for 'You around someone else to act' Snowden did not always believe the US government posed a threat to his political values. He was brought up originally in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. His family moved later to Maryland, near the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade. By his own admission, he was not a stellar student. In order to get the credits necessary to obtain a high school diploma, he attended a community college in Maryland, studying computing, but never completed the coursework. (He later obtained his GED.) In 2003, he enlisted in the US army and began a training program to join the Special Forces. Invoking the same principles that he now cites to justify his leaks, he said: "I wanted to fight in the Iraq war because I felt like I had an obligation as a human being to help free people from oppression".

He recounted how his beliefs about the war's purpose were quickly dispelled. "Most of the people training us seemed pumped up about killing Arabs, not helping anyone," he said. After he broke both his legs in a training accident, he was discharged.

After that, he got his first job in an NSA facility, working as a security guard for one of the agency's covert facilities at the University of Maryland. From there, he went to the CIA, where he worked on IT security. His understanding of the internet and his talent for computer programming enabled him to rise fairly quickly for someone who lacked even a high school diploma.

By 2007, the CIA stationed

him with diplomatic cover in Geneva, Switzerland. His responsibility for maintaining computer network security meant he had clearance to access a wide array of classified documents.

That access, along with the almost three years he spent around CIA officers, led him to begin seriously questioning the rightness of what he saw.

He described as formative an incident in which he claimed CIA operatives were attempting to recruit a Swiss banker to obtain secret banking information.

Snowden said they achieved this by purposely getting the banker drunk and encouraging him to drive home in his car. When the banker was arrested for drunk driving, the undercover agent seeking to befriend him offered to help, and a bond was formed that led to successful recruitment.

"Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world," he says. "I realized that I was part of something that was doing far more harm than good."

He said it was during his CIA stint in Geneva that he thought for the first time about exposing government secrets. But, at the time, he chose not to for two reasons.

First, he said: "Most of the secrets the CIA has are about people, not machines and systems, so I didn't feel comfortable with disclosures that I thought could endanger anyone". Secondly, the election of Barack Obama in 2008 gave him hope that there would be real reforms, rendering disclosures unnecessary.

He left the CIA in 2009 in order to take his first job working for a private contractor that assigned him to a functioning NSA facility, stationed on a military base in Japan. It was then, he said, that he "watched as Obama advanced the very policies that I thought would be reined in", and as a result, "I got hardened."

The primary lesson from this experience was that "you can't wait around for someone else to act. I had been looking for leaders, but I realized that leadership is about being the first to act."

Over the next three years, he learned just how all-consuming the NSA's surveillance activities were, claiming "they are intent on making every conversation and every form of behavior in the world known to them".

He described how he once viewed the internet as "the most important invention in all of human history". As an adolescent, he spent days at a time "speaking to people with all sorts of views that I would never have encountered on my own".

But he believed that the value of the internet, along with basic privacy, is being rapidly destroyed by ubiquitous surveillance. "I don't see myself as a hero," he said, "because what I'm doing is self-interested: I don't want to live in a world where there's no privacy and therefore no room for intellectual exploration and creativity."

Once he reached the conclusion that the NSA's surveillance net would soon be irrevocable, he said it was just a matter of time before he chose to act. "What they're doing" poses "an existential threat to democracy", he said.

'A matter of pr inciple' principle' As strong as those beliefs are, there still remains the question: why did he do it? Giving up his freedom and a privileged lifestyle?

"There are more important things than money. If I were motivated by money, I could have sold these

documents to any number of countries and gotten very rich."

For him, it is a matter of principle. "The government has granted itself power it is not entitled to. There is no public oversight. The result is people like myself have the latitude to go further than they are allowed to," he said.

His allegiance to internet freedom is reflected in the stickers on his laptop: "I support Online Rights: Electronic Frontier Foundation," reads one. Another hails the online organization offering anonymity, the Tor Project.

Asked by reporters to establish his authenticity to ensure he is not some fantasist, he laid bare, without hesitation, his personal details, from his social security number to his CIA ID and his expired diplomatic passport. There is no shiftiness. Ask him about anything in his personal life and he will answer.

He is quiet, smart, easy-going and self-effacing. A master on computers, he seemed happiest when talking about the technical side of surveillance, at a level of detail comprehensible probably only to fellow communication specialists. But he showed intense passion when talking about the value of privacy and how he felt it was being steadily eroded by the behavior of the intelligence services.

His manner was calm and relaxed but he has been understandably twitchy since he went into hiding, waiting for the knock on the hotel door. A fire alarm goes off. "That has not happened before," he said, betraying anxiety wondering if was real, a test or a CIA ploy to get him out onto the street.

Strewn about the side of his bed are his suitcase, a plate with the remains of room-service breakfast, and a copy of Angler, the biography of former vice-president Dick Cheney.

Ever since last week's news stories began to appear in the Guardian, Snowden has vigilantly watched TV and read the internet to see the effects of his choices. He seemed satisfied that the debate he longed to provoke was finally taking place.

He lay, propped up against pillows, watching CNN's Wolf Blitzer ask a discussion panel about government intrusion if they had any idea who the leaker was. From 8,000 miles away, the leaker looked on impassively, not even indulging in a wry smile.

Snowden said that he admires both Ellsberg and Manning, but argues that there is one important distinction between himself and the army private, whose trial coincidentally began the week Snowden's leaks began to make news.

"I carefully evaluated every single document I disclosed to ensure that each was legitimately in the public interest," he said.

"There are all sorts of documents that would have made a big impact that I didn't turn over, because harming people isn't my goal. Transparency is."

He purposely chose, he said, to give the documents to journalists whose judgment he trusted about what should be public and what should remain concealed.

As for his future, he is vague.

He hoped the publicity the leaks have generated will offer him some protection, making it "harder for them to get dirty".

He views his best hope as the possibility of asylum, with Iceland – with its reputation of a champion of internet freedom – at the top of his list. He knows that may prove a wish unfulfilled.

But after the intense political controversy he has already created with just the first week's haul of stories, "I feel satisfied that this was all worth it. I have no regrets."

June 17-23, 2013

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Teener driven by poverty, broken family hangs self DIPOLOG CITY – A teenager driven by extreme poverty and despondent over his broken family had killed himself in the town of Tampilisan in Zamboanga del Nor te province in southern Philippines, police said.

Police said the teener had attempted suicide in the past due to nagging problems about his family and his job as rubber tree tapper.

He lived with his grandmother Lolita Peralta in the village of Galingon where his lifeless body was discovered June 6 hanging by the bridge, said Inspector Melvin Solmayor, chief of the local police force.

The teener had previously complained of being tired of his work and was one of the reasons in his past suicide attempts.

“Investigation disclosed that a few weeks ago, subject person already attempted to commit suicide for the reason that he was already tired of his work as rubber tapper and as a product of a broken family, he only lived with his grandmother,” Solmayor said in his report.

It was unknown whether the teener’s parents were aware of his tragic death.

Teen suicide in the Philippines is not common and remains low

compared to other Asian countries such as Japan.

But the National Center of Biotechnology Information based in the United Kingdom cited a study on teenage suicide cases in the Philippines and said while suicide rates are low in the countr y, increases in incidence and relatively high rates in adolescents and young adults point to the importance of focused suicide prevention programs.

Improving data quality and better reporting of suicide deaths is likewise imperative to inform and evaluate prevention strategies. It said suicide prevention is given a low priority in many Western Pacific countries due to competing health problems, stigma and poor understanding of its incidence and aetiology.

“Little is known about the epidemiology of suicide and suicidal behaviour in the Philippines and although its incidence is reported to be low, there is likely to be under-reporting because of its non-acceptance by the Catholic Church and the associated stigma to the family,” it said.

It said the most commonly used methods of suicide were hanging, shooting and organophosphate ingestion.

(Mindanao Examiner)

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June 17-23, 2013

Police seized 560 sacks of beach pebbles

RP bags 2 prizes at Korean travel fair MANILA - The Department of Foreign Affairs said that its Tourism office received two prizes at the recently concluded 26th Korea World Travel Fair or KOTFA. The Philippine sales mission, led by Tourism Attaché Maricon Ebron, garnered the Best Booth Operations Award and the Best Folkloric Performance for the Davao Citybased Kalumon Performing Ensemble at the KOTFA held at COEX Korea Exhibition Center from May 30 to June 02.

The group highlighted Davao and Mindanao indigenous music, dances and songs at the travel fair.

The Seoul fair is considered the biggest of five held by KOTFA in Korea for

the travel industry. Some 85,000 Korean and international airline companies, hotel and travel agencies attend the event.

The Department of Tourism - Korea is positioning Davao for this leading source of inbound tourists, which reached a record 1 million arrivals for the entire Philippines in 2012.

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE – Police have seized a huge quantity of beach pebbles and arrested 7 people who were caught illegally transporting the rocks in Zamboanga del Norte province in southern Philippines, police said.

It said policemen and members of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources from the town of Gutalac intercepted 7 men and seized from them at least 250 sacks pebbles from the seaside village of San Juan.

Police said villagers tipped off the authorities about the illegal activity of the men who were identified Lester Gongob, 20; Mercedito Tañola, 27;

Julito Cordova, 23; Glen Mangubat, 29; Michael Molijon, 25; Judy Redoble, 20; and Jemar Velasco, 21, and all residents of the neighboring town of Labason.

Police also seized 310 sacks of pebbles in the nearby coastal village of Osukan where a man, Wendolino Redoble, claimed ownership of the rocks and said he had government permits to transport them.

But Redoble’s documents were insufficient to prove that the transport of pebbles is legal. Extraction or gathering of beach pebbles is illegal in the country unless this is covered by a special permit.

(Mindanao Examiner)

Another police car attacked in Zamboanga PAGADIAN CITY – Provincial authorities are investigating the latest attack on a police prowl car that wounded an officer in

Malangas town in the southern province of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Officials said shrapnel from the blast beneath the

police car hit SPO1 Editho Talison, who outside the police station in downtown Malangas.

Police and military have launched a joint investigation into the blast. It was not immediately known whether the explosion was caused by a grenade or an improvised bomb.

Just recently, an unidentified assailant also smashed the windshield of a pick-up truck being used by the police in Dapitan City in the neighboring province of Zamboanga del Norte.

Officials said the truck was parked outside the police station and is owned by the local government. No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the daring assault on a police car.

Police did not say if the truck had any weapons in it.

(Mindanao Examiner)

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The Mindanao Examiner

June 17-23, 2013

Ginang nasawi sa pagsagip sa anak sa balon ZAMBOANGA CITY – Patay ang isang ginang matapos nitong tangkain na sagipin ang anak na

The Royal Australian Navy Adelaide-class guided-missile frigate HMAS Newcastle (FFG 06) pulls into Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, to support Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2010 exercises. RIMPAC is a biennial, multinational exercise designed to strengthen regional partnerships and improve multinational interoperability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jon Dasbach/Released)

Australian missile frigate rescues 3 Filipino sailors injured in tanker fire PAGADIAN CITY – An Australian frigate rescued three Filipino sailors who were wounded during a fire on their oil tanker in the Somali Basin, according to a report by the Herald Sun on.

It said the sailors were injured from the machinery fire on the Liberianregistered merchant tanker Perla.

The guided-missile frigate Newcastle of the Royal Australian Navy was called in to help the sailors.

The report quoted Newcastle Commander Paul O'Grady as saying that the fire had left the oil tanker powerless, adrift and vulnerable to pirate attack.

The Newcastle was in the area conducting maritime security operations in the region as part of collaboration between the French and Spanish navies.

“After steaming 100 nautical miles at best

speed to reach the Perla, the sea state prevented us from rendering immediate assistance," O'Grady said.

"Being in a known pirate area, we took up a security position for Perla.”

The report said while the frigate kept guard until conditions improved, Filipino-born Able Seaman John Baguio, a member of the ship's medical team, reassured the injured sailors over radio.

“I was humbled that I could help merchant seamen from my old country, as a member of my new country's Navy," Baguio said. “Before leaving the Philippines, I had trained to be a merchant seaman myself, so this whole situation was surreal,” the Australian

newspaper quoted him as saying.

It said Navy medics were able to winch aboard the Perla and recover two men with second and third degree burns to their face, head, shoulders and hands.

They also treated a third man who had a second degree burn to his arm.

The pair is now recovering in a Seychelles hospital after being transferred to Spanish Naval Ship SPS Numancia following a night aboard the Newcastle.

The report did not identify the sailors.

Philippine officials were not immediately available to comment on the report. (Mindanao Examiner)

nahulog sa balon sa Zamboanga City.

Sinabi ng pulisya na nahulog si Mark Lantaka,

85 Pinoys arrived home from Syria MANILA - Dozens of Filipino workers trapped in the strife-torn Syria have returned home, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

It said the Filipinos were met by representatives of the Philippine Embassy in Beirut in Lebanon at the Masna’a border crossing and then brought to Rafic Hariri International Airport and took a flight bound for Doha in Qatar before flying to the Philippines.

The total number of repatriates have reached 4,305.

The DFA said it continues to appeal to all Filipinos who are still in Syria to seek immediate repa-

triation as the security situation in the country continues to deteriorate.

It said Filipino workers may call the Philippine Embassy at +963-11-6132626, +963-96-8955057, +963-93-4957926, +96399-2264145, +963-96-8953340, or +963-95-8903893.

The families of Filipinos in Syria may also provide the DFA with latest information regarding their kin’s present location and contact details in Syria and may call the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs in Manila at this telephone number 02-8343240, 02834-4583 or the DFA’s 24hour Action Center at 02834-3333.

9, sa naturang balon sa labas ng kanilang bahay sa Barangay Ayala nitong Sabado ng gabi lamang.

Bagamat nagpapanic na sa posibleng kahantungan ng bata ay mabilis na sinugod ng kanyang inang si Flordesie, 47, ang madilim na balon upang sagipin ang bata, ngunit nahulog naman ito sa balon sa kanyang pagmamadali.

At ng malaman naman ng amang si Antonio, 47, ang naganap sa mag-ina ay agad itong pumunta sa bunganga ng balon, ngunit nadulas naman ito at nahulog rin.

Nailigtas naman ng mga kapit-bahay ang mag-ama ngunit nasawi naman si Flordesie.

Naisugod sa pagamutan ang mag-ama dahil sa tinamang mga pinsala sa katawan.

Hindi naman agad mabatid kung alam na ba ng mag-ama ang sinapit ni Flordesie. (Mindanao Examiner)

8

The Mindanao Examiner

June 17-23, 2013

Dirty coal-fired power plants opposed

A police patrol in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Kidnapped Filipino trader freed for ransom ZAMBOANGA CITY – Kidnappers have freed a Filipino trader after being held for more than a year in the southern Philippine province of Sulu.

Carlos Tiam, who was kidnapped in April last year, had been released by suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels in exchange for a still undetermined amount of ransom.

The 62-year old Tiam was working with the Air Transportation Office when kidnapped in Jolo town, where his family also

owns a small gas station and a grocery store.

Authorities have previously linked a rebel commander, Sinok Sampa, to the kidnapping of Tiam.

Abu Sayyaf rebels in Sulu are still holding a Japanese treasure hunter Toshio Ito, two European wildlife photographers Ewold Horn and Lorenzo Vinciguerra, and two Malaysians Wei Tung and Jie Tung, including a Jordanian television producer Baker Atyani. (Mindanao Examiner)

Pagadian village leader injured in grenade attack PAGADIAN CITY – Police authorities are still investigating a recent attack on a village leader in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province in southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said a grenade exploded outside the house of Dumagoc village leader Judith Adal, 48.

The woman suffered injuries in her hand and was rushed by her family

to the hospital.

Inspecor Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said an MK2 hand grenade was used in the attack. “Police recovered the grenade’s safety lever, fuse, spring and shrapnel from the area,” he said.

He said authorities are investigating the attack.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the blast. (Mindanao Examiner)

JUST SAY

NO!

MANILA - Climate activists trooped to the Department of Energy and Natural Resources and demanded the Aquino government to stop supporting dirty coalfired power plants in the country.

Led by Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, the group demanded DENR to stop issuing environmental compliance certificate for a project that is detrimental to the environment and communities.

They voiced out their concerns on the alarming scientific revelations, and how the global community and our country must act in the face of climate catastrophes.

The Figures Don’t Lie Presently there are nine operational coal–fired power plant a total of 4,278 MW, plus there are an additional 16 approved coalfired power plant projects already in the pipeline producing a total of 4,552 MW. At the same time, there are already 60 coal mining permits given by the national government. These are environmentally-critical projects - led by Consunjis, Aboitizes, Lopezes that benefit from high electricity rates given the permit to destroy mountains and other ecosystems, affects peoples’ lives, displaces communities and increase the countries GHG contribution.

Gerry Arances, National Coordinator of Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, said the recent announcement of Isidro Consunji that they plan to put up coal-fired power plants in almost all off grid areas in the country clearly demonstrates DMCI’s complete disregard of people’s welfare and environment protection over and above realizing their profit.

He said this is on top of

the plan of the Aboitiz to beef up their power investments to P125 billion which will translate to a 600MW coal-fired power plant in Subic, and 3 coalfired power plant of 400MW expansion in Pagbilao, 300MW Therma South coal plant in Mindanao and an additional coal plant in Cebu, and several more proposed coal plants across the country.

"Clearly an expression of extreme corporate greed masquerading as bearer of progress and development,” he said.

Kathryn Leuch, coordinator of Palawan Alliance for Clean energy, said most glaring of these environmentally-destructive projects about to seek approval from the DENR is the 15MW coal-fired power plant which is proposed to be built in biodiversity-rich Narra, Palawan.

"We at PACE contend that there is no immediate need for an additional energy source in the province.

Also, there are three sites for tapping hydro-power which can provide about 80GWh of energy, about half of the annual demand of the consumers," she said.

She said to allow the project’s fruition is to inflict direct assault on the environment since Palawan has a unique biodiversity and a sensitive environment.

"Such a project will only benefit the DMCI scions, the Consujis, who also have a stake at the Berong Nickel Corp. We need assurance from the DENR, the government’s arm in supposedly caring for our country’s natural resources that they will not allow the building of this facility which will serve as a major threat to the preservation of nature,” Leuch said.

In Mindanao, the

Alcantaras’ Conal Holdings Corporation is planning to produce energy allegedly for another controversial project, the Tampakan Copper and Gold Mining Project in South Cotabato. It was found that the development of the coal plant is aimed at providing needed electricity for Sagittarius Mines Inc. operations.

There is another coalfired power plant being built in Zamboanga City despite a strong opposition from residents.

Jaybee Garganera, national coordinator of Alyansa Tigil Mina and council member of PMCJ said: “This is a clear example of corporate capture of the country’s natural resources, for their own benefits. Natural resources that are defense against floods, landslides and erosions.

The sad fact is that people bear the brunt of disasters.

Like in the case of the Padcal spill, Philex hid behind a force majeure provision to buck penalty payments, after almost a century of profiting from mining in Benguet.”

PMCJ also questioned the policies of the Aquino government on protecting the environment and reiterated the need to do something to ensure that our ecosystems are intact and able to mitigate the impacts of climate change to Filipino communities.

Climate activists oppose the direction of the government in further burning fossil fuels for energy and encourage the government to tap renewable energy sources to solve the country’s power problems.

“Although we only contribute a little to the total global GHG emission around 0.31%, it does not mean that we must allow proliferation of coal-fired power plants in the coun-

try. Our leaders must have a paradigm shift, instead of banking on these projects for possible source of energy that the country needs. We acknowledge that we must tap energy sources to meet our demand for power but we definitely say that it must not be done in this manner.

“We want to draw the line here, PMCJ calls for a stop in the use of dirty and harmful energy, like coal and other fossil fuels, renewable energy must be harnessed in a faster way to avert harm caused by these energy sources. At the same time these renewable energy alternatives must be democratic and accessible to each and every Juan dela Cruz because first and foremost and that they are truly the ones entitled to all the developments that this nation reaps.” Arances stressed.

PMCJ also asserts that these coal projects will further destroy the environment and further weaken the adaptive capability of communities and vulnerable areas in confronting the negative effects of climate change. It will only farther aggravate and multiply effects of disasters to the Filipino people.

“We must not let corporations decide for our nation’s fate, we must combat corporate greed in all front and in all forms before this nation is thrown out to the dogs,” Arances said.

Recent scientific findings released from Maura Loa Observatory in Hawaii measured the carbon dioxide concentration in the Earth atmosphere at an alarming figure of 400 parts per million. The international coal industry was identified as the main contributor of more than 60% of the total global GHG emissions.

9

The Mindanao Examiner

June 17-23, 2013

Filipino group throws support to NSA whistle blower Snowden Youth group Anakbayan expressed its support for former Central Intelligence Agency specialist and National Security Agency employee Edward Snowden who exposed the existence of a massive U.S. Internet surveillance program, and called on Philippine government employees to do the same regarding Internet and communications surveillance conducted by the Aquino administration.

Snowden has revealed the existence of PRISM, a computer program which

Kidnapped trawler skipper freed Buceo: Es Más Divertido en Filipinas (Dive: It’s More Fun in the Philippines) MANILA - The Philippines inaugurated the dive exhibit entitled, “Buceo: Es Más Divertido en Filipinas” (Dive: It’s More Fun in the Philippines)in Metro Islas Filipinas in Madrid, Filipino officials said.

Carlos Salinas, the Philippine Ambassador to Spain, led the inauguration on June 2. The dive exhibit, which was organized by the Embassy in coordination with Metro de Madrid and the Department of Tourism, will run from June 1 to 30 and is one of the Philippines' activities for Mes Filipino.

Mes Filipino is a month-long celebration organized by the Philippine Embassy in June of each year to commemo-

rate the anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence and Philippines-Spain Friendship Day through cultural activities such as exhibits, seminars, concerts and food festivals, among others.

After June 30, the exhibit will move to other metro stations in Madrid.

The exhibit features colorful and interesting photographs of the different diving sites that the Philippines has to offer – Mindoro, Batangas, Palawan, Tubbataha Reef, Bohol, Cebu, Negros, and Donsol.

The photographs, featuring different wildlife and dive wrecks used in the exhibit, were contributed by known underwater

photographers Scott Tuason, Stephen Tan, Tobias Kammann, Oliver Ang, Jayvee Fernandez, Wowie Wong, and Oka Espenilla.

The exhibit is part of the Embassy´s efforts to increase tourism arrivals from Spain. Based on the consolidated figures reported by top Spanish dive operators, around 50% of all tourism arrivals in the Philippines from Spain were divers.

For the first quarter of 2013, there had been a 9.7% increase in Spanish arrivals to the Philippines compared to the same period last year. Total Spanish arrivals to the Philippines for 2012 reached 15,985, which represents an 8.51% increase from 2011.

‘Salisi Gang’ suspects arrested DIPOLOG CITY – Police arrested six people who allegedly took a hand bag of shopper in Dipolog City in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte, police said.

Police said the suspects, believed to be part of a robbery gang, were arrested after a security camera recorded the crime inside the Dipolog Center Mall where they took the bag of Rosalie Pagasian, 40, from Roxas town also in the province.

It said the woman was

shopping with her husband Noel Pagasian, 42, when they lost the bag which was placed in a pushcart.

The couple sought the help of the mall security and they were able to identify the suspects from the security video and phoned the police to report the crime.

Policemen led by Senior Inspector Rolando Matinong tracked down the suspects at a flea market and arrested them one by one.

The suspects have

been identified by the police as Felicisimo Bacalso, 68; Jofel Bacalso, 31; Johnver Dela Cruz, 22; Carla Natividad, 34; Fe Piñon, 52; Victoria Bacalso, 60; all of Kolambogan town in Lanao del Norte province.

Police said it recovered the woman’s bag containing cell phones, money and important documents. It was not immediately known whether the couple would file criminal charges against the gang. (Mindanao Examiner)

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC This is to inform the public that Pilar Gina Fernando is no longer connected with the Mindanao Examiner Newspaper and Television effective May 15, 2013.

Any transaction entered by Pilar Gina Fernando shall not be honored by the company.

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ZAMBOANGA CITY – Kidnappers freed a fishing boat skipper they seized in the southern Philippines last month, reports said.

ABS-CBN television said Lucio Gonzales, who was seized May 21 at sea off Basilan province, has been released in neighboring Sulu province.

It said the victim’s family paid a still undetermined amount of ransom to the kidnappers, who originally demanded P15 million from Gonzales’ employer GMA Fishing in Zamboanga City.

It was unknown whether the police or the military was aware of the release of Gonzales. (Mindanao Examiner)

directly accesses the information databases of online service providers such as Facebook, YouTube, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Apple, and Skype. According to the original report from the British newspaper The Guardian, among the information collected by PRISM are emails, video and voice chat, videos, photos, voice-over-IP, Skype, for example, chats, file transfers, social networking details." "Snowden is a hero for exposing this act of war by the U.S. against the peoples of the entire world. There is reason to believe that the U.S. will use the data from PRISM to launch more wars of aggression against indepedent countries like what they did in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. PRISM will most likely be also used against opposition movements in U.S 'semi-colonies' like the Philippines," Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of Anakbayan, told

the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

"We call on all organizations and individuals who believe in freedom and democracy to protect Snowden from being brought back to the U.S. What he did is not an act of crime but he will certainly be treated as a criminal by the Obama administration and the American military," he said.

Snowden is currently seeking asylum in Hong Kong. Anakbayan also called on the public to revive the clamor for the rejection of the Cybercrime Law, calling it the Philippine version of PRISM. "While much public attention has been given to the Cybercrime Law's provisions on online libel, the truly terrifying provisions are those that allow warrant-less surveillance or the collecting of any information on the Internet regarding our activities without the permission of the Courts," Crisostomo said.

Pinoy traveling to UAE reminded to carry valid passport The Philippines reminded Filipinos residing and visiting Dubai and the Northern Emirates to make sure their passports are valid for at least six months and in good condition.

It said the immigration authorities will deny entry or exit to anyone whose passport has been tampered with or defective or no longer valid.

If any noticeable passport defect Filipinos are told to visit the Consulate General or the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi before traveling.

It said a tampered, defective or expired passport may lead to questioning or detention at the airport, being stranded in a location where consular services are not readily available like Kish Island, Iran or deportation.

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RUGBY! I

nhalant abuse continues unabated in Zamboanga City in souther nP hilippines wher e southern Philippines where many str eet childr en ar e danger ously hooked street children are dangerously or addicted to the illegal and to xic adhesiv e toxic adhesive substance e popularly kno wn as “rugb y.” more known ugby substance mor One elderly woman the same spot to rest or was secretly photo- sleep, and as a mini-den graphed selling rugby to rugby-sniffing chilin small portions for as dren and all these things low as P20 - to teenag- happened in front of ers and street children, small children and their and even adults - at a mother. market area just outside One young woman the local police head- watches over her baby as quarters. the others sniff rugby And the illegal trade right on the roadside. goes on everyday.

She also bathes in Juvenile delin- the same concrete street quents sniffed their post and hangs her rugby in public without clothes on a road sign as fear of arrest. the elder woman does.

And the public But despite this glarcares less whether these ing violation of the law, children get high or inhalant abuse is not stoned or end up rob- only rampant among bing market goers to street children, but also sustain their addiction. one of many social probA bode Abode lems in Zamboanga.

Toxic The little corner where the woman sells The effects of rugby her rugby also serves as to human health are far her abode – a concrete from heaven – a usual street post is where she feeling of those who gets takes her quick bath high from sniffing the and a gallon of water is glue – and can cause all she needed. death. Rugby contains a Her small family, chemical called toluene, whose members sell a toxic ingredient in solanything from fish to vents, paints, and other used clothing, also use household products.

ARMM

Inhaling high levels of toluene can cause death or unconsciousness and repeatedly breathing this chemical over long periods of time can cause death, permanent brain damage, or depression.

Exposure to high levels of toluene may affect kidneys, nervous system, liver, brain, and heart.

Pov er ty erty And street children in Zamboanga who are addicted to rugby do not even know its dangers to their health because of the lack of government education or campaign against substance abuse.

And this is aggravated by the failure of their family and society as well, to protect them from such abuse, but many of them blamed poverty and bad influence for their addiction and miseries in life.

“It makes me feel good when I am high. I don’t feel hungry, I don’t thirst and I don’t care about other people. I have my own world and this is because of rugby,” said a twelve-year old boy, who claims to start

Southern Mindanao

Davao

P10

June 17-23, 2013

A boy looks at a rugby user at a market area near the police headquarters in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines where a woman sells the toxic adhesive to street children and adults. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

sniffing glue several years ago.

Others said they

Manila

wanted to reform and return to school, but poverty prevents them from

getting back to their former selves. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zamboanga Peninsula