5 captured soldiers face NPA rebel court PAGE 2
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One of most wanted rebels captured
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RP strengthens anti-corruption campaign
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Human rights group calls on US Congress to reevaluate surveillance laws
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ABU AUSSIE RANSOM COMES FROM SIBLINGS, NOT PINAY WIFE
F
reed A bu S ayyaf hostage ustr alian adv enAbu Sayyaf hostage,, A Austr ustralian advener Warr en R odw ell, has finally admitted turer arren Rodw odwell, tur that his siblings rraised aised the rransom ansom paid for his safe rrelease elease y his F ilielease,, denying claims b by Filipino oper ties in the P hilproper operties Philpino wife that she sold off their pr ippines to pay off the rrebel ebel gr oup group oup.. His Filipina wife, ties in Zamboanga Sibugay Miraflor Gutang, 29, has province in Mindanao and insisted that she paid the sought help from relatives ransom that led to to raise $94,000 to pay the Rodwell’s release in Abu Sayyaf. Her brother helped March this year. Gutang’s fantastic her deliver the money in claim of herself raising Zamboanga City following the ransom was far from a series of negotiations her previous statement headed by Basilan provinfollowing Rodwell’s kid- cial deputy governor Al napping in which she Rasheed Sakalahul. Rodwell, a former solsaid in a radio interview that “whoever had kid- dier in the Australian napped my husband, he army, was kidnapped by is not rich. Return him to gunmen who posed as pous and please don’t hurt licemen on December 2011 from his seaside him. My husband is ill.” Rodwell, who re- house in Ipil town and turned to Australia fol- freed on March 2. The Abu Sayyaf origilowing his release, told news.com.au that the nally demanded $2 milransom paid to the al- lion. Gutang - who previQaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group was solely raised by ously complained to the Denise Capello and police that she was beaten up by Rodwell - abanWayne Rodwell. Gutang, daughter of a doned her husband days farming couple, had before he was kidnapped. Rodwell, a prolific claimed selling their house and other proper- world traveller, married
Warren Rodwell during his captivity. Gutang in June 2011 in Ipil town after the two met through the Internet and bought a house in October of the same year in Pangi village. Inspector Edwin Verzon, then the police chief of Zamboanga Sibugay’s Ipil town, con-
A man points to Warren Rodwell’s house in Ipil town in Zamboanga Sibugay province.
ARMM
Southern Mindanao
Davao
firmed this and said the woman had filed two abuse complaints against Rodwell since the marriage. The woman’s family also said that Rodwell maltreated his wife. “She filed two complaints with us and she was also planning to bring it to the attention of the Australian embassy in Manila, but we don't know if she pursued it,” Verzon said. Days after Rodwell was kidnapped, Gutang had told the media that they cannot afford to pay any ransom because they are poor. Her 66-year old father, Loreto, works in the farm and her mother, Salvadora, 61, stays only at home in their ancestral house in Naga town. Rodwell’s house in Ipil town has not been sold contrary to Gutang’s claim, but was rented by a Filipino family for P2,000 a month, although her brother is said to be transferring to the house. Tenant Jeffrey Maba-
Manila
go, whose wife works in Singapore, said Gutang told him that her brother is moving in the house. “That’s what she told us. Her brother is moving in and that she will refund us our deposits,” he said, adding Rodwell still owned the house. “As far as I know this house still belongs to them and was never sold.” Rodwell’s room is still locked and the door reinforced with iron grills, just as how it was when the gunmen barged into the house and dragged the foreigner to the bushes outside that leads to sea 15 months ago. The barbed wires that once surrounded the tworoom house were gone, but a torn yellow strip of tape used by the police to secure the compound is still hanging by the wooden gate, a harrowing reminder of the past. President Benigno Aquino has previously ordered an investigation into the payment of ran-
som to the rebel group, saying, he has not seen any reports on the Rodwell case. “I haven’t seen a report from the concerned (authorities, the) PNP anti-kidnapping group and others,” he said. Aquino said the government has a strict noransom policy. “We don’t negotiate with terrorists,” he said. And nothing was heard from the authorities about the ransom payment until the news broke out in Australia over the weekend. Rodwell said he also filed a divorce and had told Gutang that she can keep his house in Ipil. Gutang, who has a child in a previous relationship, has not seen Rodwell since his release. Gutang has evaded journalists in Zamboanga and now lives with her parents in the province. She could be facing perjury charges. (Mindanao Examiner)
Zamboanga Peninsula
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The Mindanao Examiner
June 24-30, 2013
5 captured soldiers face NPA rebel court
B'laan tribesmen perform the traditional victory dance in Sarangani province in the southern Philippines. (File Photo by Cocoy Sexcion)
Aquino allots education fund for indigenous peoples MANILA - Malacañang appropriated some P100 million to finance education capacity-building initiatives for indigenous peoples or IP as part of the government's effort to make education universal and inclusive of all learners. Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the fund comes with implementing guidelines on its allocation and utilization for IPs education program. “This is part of our commitment to achieve the Education for All 2015 targets and the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations which we are duty bound to fulfill,” Luistro said in a statement. The IPEd program, he said, is the response of the Department of Education or DepEd to the right of IPs to education that is responsive to their context, respectful of
their identity and supportive of the value of the value of their indigenous knowledge, skills and other aspects of their cultural heritage. Luistro explained that to strengthen the capacity of DepEd to respond to the IPs learning needs in manner that is flexible, demand-driven and evidence-based, the program support fund shall be provided to 100 divisions in 15 regions for school year 2013. The recipient regions are Ilocos, Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON which is composed of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon; and MIMAROPA which is also composed of Occidental Mindoro, Or iental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan; Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Western Min-
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danao, Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao, Central Mindanao; CARAGA which comprises Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands; and the National Capital Region or the Metropolitan Manila area. Luistro said the fund shall be used for capacity building to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed by teachers and personnel across DepEd offices and units in order for them to be effective IPEd implementers. It is also intended for advocacy and partnership building within DepEd, with non-government organizations, IP organizations and communities and other IP advocates. The fund can also be utilized in establishing baseline and situational analysis on IPEd specifically in creating a data base on IPs, he said.
DAVAO CITY - The New People’s Army rebels mocked an army officer abandoned his soldiers to escape capture in Davao City in southern Philippines. Communist rebels captured 5 soldiers, who are members of the 60th Infantry Battalion, at a checkpoint in Paquibato district. Rebel leader Leoncio Pitao, also known by his nom de geurre Ka Parago, has branded First Lieutenant Neven Canitan as a coward, who abandoned the soldiers just to save himself. Canitan was travelling with the soldiers on two motorcycle taxis when rebels seized the infantrymen on June 17. Canitan jumped off from his taxi upon seeing the NPA checkpoint and escaped, leaving behind his troops who were eventually captured. Pitao said they also seized from the soldiers three .45-caliber pistols and a hand grenade. He said the soldiers are being held as prisoners of war and are being investigated by the NPA for their role in the military’s notorious anti-insurgency campaign in Mindanao that have killed innocent civilians suspected of aiding or supporting the rebel group. The prisoners have been identified by the military as Corporal Emmanuel Que-zon, Private First Class Ronald Gura, Bernie Padilla, Donato Estandia and Private Marteniano Pasiagas, Jr. – all members of the 60th Infantry Battalion. “The POWs are cur-
rently undergoing investigation for possible serious human rights violations, violations of International Humanitarian Law and crimes versus the people that they may have committed in the course of their participation in the counterrevolutionary Oplan Bantay Laya and as elements of the reactionary armed force,” Pitao said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. He said the capture of the army soldiers is part of the NPA’s counter-intelligence operations aimed at punishing military units, particularly the 10th Infantry Division, accused of human rights violations, murders of civilians and tribesmen, and harassment of peasants in Davao. “Under the guise of (the military’s) peace and development (program), the Civil Military Operations completely militarized the farming and Lumad (indigenous tribe) populace by regulating the movement of the civilian populace and abusing the masses,” he said. Pitao said even prior to the capture of the soldiers, the army have launched a widespread operations involving three battalions the 84th, 69th and 60th - in Paquibato district to pave the way for large-scale mining activities, among others. The military has strongly denied all Pitao’s allegations, saying the NPA was behind many human rights violations and other criminal activities such as murders and extortion activities in Davao. Lt. Col. Inocencio
Pasaporte, commander of the 69th Infantry Battalion, said troops were sent to track down the rebels and their hostages. “We still have no reports about the kidnapped soldiers, but our operations are continuing,” he told the Mindanao Examiner. Pasaporte said the soldiers are part of a peace and development group which is in-charge of a forthcoming feeding program for grade school students in Paquibato district. He said the feeding program, which is to begin in July 1 in Paquibato, is in partnership with the global volunteer organization Kiwanis International and other stakeholders. It was not immediately how the arrest of the soldiers would affect the humanitarian program. Pitao has warned that any attempt to rescue the soldiers would only endanger their lives. “Further intensification of the military operations in Davao City hinterlands under the cover of pursuit and rescue operations will only endanger the lives of the POWs,” he said. The NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been fighting for decades for the establishment of a separate state in the country. Government peace talks with the rebels have been on and off with both accusing each other reneging on many agreements, including demands by the communist group for Manila to release all political prisoners languishing in jails across the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
June 24-30, 2013
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The Mindanao Examiner
June 24-30, 2013
One of most wanted rebels captured
A man brings his entire family on a motorcycle and ignoring dangers in the streets of Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY – Philippine authorities captured a suspected rebel and one of the most wanted criminals in western Mindanao in a raid in the town of Payao in Zamboanga Sibugay province, officials said. Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said Talib Asaali was arrested in his hideout in the village of Dalama shortly before 4.30 a.m. He said Asaali is facing various criminal charges from theft to multiple murders. He said policemen, backed by soldiers, recovered from Asaali’s hideout
an automatic rifle, a pistol and munitions. “The arrested person is included in the top 16 of the most wanted person in the regional level and is and now under the custody of Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Police Office,” Huesca said. Police and military did not give additional details about Asaali, but the man is a follower of a senior Moro Islamic Liberation Front leader Wanning Abdusalam, who was implicated in the kidnapping of Australian adventurer Warren Rodwell in Zamboanga Sibugay’s Ipil town in December 2011;
and foreign missionaries in Mindanao. Security forces had previously tried, but failed to arrest Asaali in Payao town in October 2011, but MILF rebels clashed with the raiders. The MILF then accused police and military authorities of attacking its camp in Payao’s Labatan village. There was no immediate statement from the MILF on the arrest of Asaali, but the rebel group had in the past denied any links to kidnapping activities in Mindanao. The MILF is currently negotiating peace with Manila. (Mindanao Examiner)
Schools continue to use hazardous asbestos materials in science classes Philippine schools continue to use the hazardous asbestos-laden wire gauze in Chemistry and Biology classes, putting students at risk of developing cancer, according to various labor groups. The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) and Building and Wood Workers International said the Department of Education (DepEd) banned the use of those materials in November 2011 due to its cancercausing minerals, but it is
still being used up to now. Asbestos is also banned in many countries. “We found this out after a series of ocular visits in several schools following the opening of classes,” said Alan Tanjusay, advocacy officer of the ALU-TUCP. The labor groups urged the DepEd and the Commission on Higher Education and schools to totally remove asbestosladen wire gauze from campuses. It said samples of wire
The Mindanao Examiner Media, Film and Television Productions Maritess Fernandez Publisher/Executive Producer (On Leave) Al Jacinto Editor-in-Chief/Producer (OIC) Ahmed Baldomero Joanna Valerie Wee Graphics/Video Editor Mindanao Examiner Productions Web Master REGIONAL PARTNERS Mindanao Daily Business Week Mindanao Star NEWS/ADVERTISING OFFICES Mark Navales ARMM
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CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Asa Madale Lanao Provinces Ely D. Umaboc Zamboanga Sibugay/Zamboanga del Sur/Zamboanga del Norte The Mindanao Examiner Newspaper/Business Week/Mindanao Daily is published weekly/daily in Zamboanga City and Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao, Philippines. The Mindanao Examiner Television is broadcast in Skycable 54 in Zamboanga; Lupah Sug Cable in Sulu province and Basilan Cable in Basilan province. Our business and editorial offices are located at Units 15, 3rd Floor, Fair Land Bldg., Nuñez St., Zamboanga City Phone & fax: 062- 9925480 Mobile: 0917-7103642 URL: mindanaoexaminer.com E-mail: mindanaoexaminer@gmail.com
gauze used by all schools and professional laboratories in the Philippines contain 3% Chrysotile asbestos. The World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer affirmed that exposure to all asbestos products can cause cancers in the lungs, larynx, and the ovaries and other diseases.
Police photos sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner show Talib Asaali and weapons seized by security forces from his hideout in Zamboanga Sibugay's Payao town.
Student escapes abduction Police arrested a motorcycle taxi driver who attempted to
abduct a 17-year old female high school student in the
town of Talusan in Zamboanga Sibugay province. Police said the student managed to flee from Ronald Mendeja, 27, and ran inside a house to sought help. A policeman, PO2 Ronald Lacay, who was in the house owned by Jeric Bernardo, pursued the driver and arrested him. The student said she was pleading the driver to let her go and had been screaming to get the attention of villagers until she got the chance to escape when the motorcycle slowed down. Police is investigating Mendeja. It was not immediately known whether the teen’s family would press charges against the man. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Manila told to prepare for OFWs reverse migration phenomenon
Boy dies from electrocution ZAMBOANGA CITY – A local boy was electrocuted after he climbed up a tree and touched an electrical wire in Zamboanga city in southern Philippines, police said. Police said the nineyear old Russel Cabugza suffered second-degree burn on the body and was rushed to hospital. Cabugza, a student of Malamute Elementary School, was returning home with friends when he decided to climbed the tree in the village of Malagutay, police said. It said an electric line of the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative was tangled in the tree and accidentally hit the boy. It was not immediately known whether the boy’s family would file charges against the local electric cooperative, but there were many electrocution incidents in the past involving electric line tangled in trees and house roofs in Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner)
Man kidnapped in Basilan BASILAN – Provincial police launched an investigation into the reported kidnapping of a 26-year old man in Basilan in the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. Police said a woman reported that her son-inlaw, Askal Tantung, is being held captive for ransom in the neighboring province of Sulu. Nuriam Musa told investigators that a man phoned her and was demanding P200,000 for the safe release of the hostage. Tantung was last seen on June 10 heading to Isabela City to meet with someone and has failed to return home since then. Police gave no additional details about the kidnapping. (Mindanao Examiner)
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The Mindanao Examiner
June 24-30, 2013
Ang protesta ng Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan sa Iligan City.
Kabataan nag-martsa sa Iligan kontra EPIRA, taas sa singil ng kuryente ILIGAN CITY - Matagumpay na naikasa ng Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan sa Iligan City ang Martsa Kagawasan (Kalayaan) laban sa mataas na singil ng kuryente at maging sa Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) na umano’y siyang pangunahing dahilan nitong lahat. Tinatayang aabot sa 80 kabataan ang nagmartsa nitong Independence Day mula sa harap ng Mindanao State University patungong tanggapan ng Iligan Lights and Power, Inc. o ILPI. Mariing sigaw ng mga kabataan ang panawagang huwag ituloy ang pagtaas ng singil at agarang ibasura ang EPIRA dahil dagdag itong pahirap sa mga mamamayan. Sinabi naman ni Max Savandal ng LMKIligan, na “Huwad na kalayaan ang meron tayo ngayon, dahil patuloy pa rin na pinakikialalaman ng mga dayuhang bansa ang ating ekonomiya at politika. dagdag pa, tali pa rin sa kahirapan at biktima ng mahal na mga presyo ng bilihin, petrolyo, bayarin sa paaralan at dito sa Iligan ngayon ay ang mahal na kuryente. sadyang hindi makatarungan.” Ang nasabing pagkilos ay isinagawa sa kataunan ng ika-115 umano na
paggunita ng bansa sa kalayaan nito mula sa dayuhang Espanya. Sa pahayag ni Paul Fenis, ng Liga ng Makabagong KabataanRanao na “paninindigan natin sa LMK-Ranao na hindi lubos at ganap na malaya ang sambayanan dahil patuloy na gapos ito sa paniniil sa mga karapatan ng pamahalaan at mga naghahari sa ekonomiya.” Nagdaos ng programa ang mga kabataan sa harap ng tanggapan ng ILPI dala ang mga placards, panawagang streamer, kabaong sumisimbolo sa lagay ng mga mamamayan epekto ng walang humpay na pagtaas ng mga presyo ng bilihin at nagsunog ng simbolong ilaw ng privatization sa electric industry at EPIRA. Matatandaang pumasa taong 2001 ang EPIRA upang bigyang daan ang pagsasapribado sa industriya ng elektirisidad matapos ang sampung taon. Magpapatuloy umano ang mga pagkilos laban sa mahal na kuryente at EPIRA at mas lalawak pa dahil napatunayang maraming mga anak ng sambayanang tumugon at patuloy na handang tumugon sa panawagan.
MANILA - The Philippines could experience a largescale reverse migration of overseas Filipino workers or OFW in the coming months, according to Migrante. The Filipino migrants’ rights group urged the Aquino government to prepare for the worst and mitigate its impact to OFWs and their dependents and to the country’s economy, in general. MIGRANTE vice-chairperson John Leonard Monterona, also the group’s coordinator in the Middle East and North Africa, said: “The Philippines already witness the early stage of reverse migration among OFWs. The dilemma is that OFWs are coming home not for good, but for worse.” Monterona said reverse migration has been noted and documented among OFWs in the Middle East, specifically in Saudi Arabia, due to the implementation of Kingdom’s Nitaqat law, which strictly requires the hiring of its own national over expatriate workers, coming to an end. Monterona cited the displacement of thousands OFWs not only happening in Saudi Arabia, but also in Bahrain and Oman due to their intensified localization of its labor market giving priority the employment of their
citizens over migrant workers. And the OFWs in Bahamas also face the threat of being displaced and so is Egypt, Libya, and Syria which are affected by the socalled Arab Spring that forced thousands of OFWs to leave these countries. “What’s happening in Saudi Arabia and other mideast countries is actually the shrinking of labor markets, which immediate impact is jobs displacement,” Monterona said, adding at least around 120,000 OFWs were directly affected by Saudization, including the estimated 28,000 undocumented OFWs. Around 12,000 OFWs have sought government’s assistance for repatriation with Philippine embassy, consular and labor officials, while others are trying to legalize their status by transferring to another sponsor for employment which the Saudi Labor ministry has allowed by giving 90-day grace period to fix illegal migrant workers status or leave the country. More than 200 stranded OFWs were already repatriated from Saudi since April. While nearly 5,000 OFWs came home from Syria, while around 114 OFWs in Amman, Jordan are expected to be repatriated soon. There are an estimated
2.3 million OFWs working in the Middle East, of which 1.5M are in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has been the number 1 destination of OFWs since 1990s’ recently averaging 25,000 deployment every month. “Unfortunately, OFWs reverse migration phenomenon has been interpreted wrongly by the current PNoy administration and its labor honchos to bolster their claim of economic growth, which we expect PNoy to cite this during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) next month. But, it’s a cheap shot and a mere spin,” Monterona lamented. Monterona further said it’s a hard to reconcile OFWs ‘reverse migration for good’ with the country’s high unemployment amid 7.8% GDP growth during the 1st quarter of this year. The country’s unemployed stood at 7.5% of the labor force, which means around 3 million, in April 2013 compared to 6.9% of the same month last year. “Who didn’t want reverse migration for good?Yes, we still hope for it. But this will never happen if the country has only superficial GDP growth that only a few rich – the local big businessmen and multinational corporations -gains from it,” Monterona said.
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The Mindanao Examiner
June 24-30, 2013
Expand thy boundaries and territories By Leonides Mohametano (Zamboanga del Norte) AN APOSTLE named Lovel Bent who was born at Jamaica and lived at Brixton in England preached the Gospel in the name of Jesus Christ at over 72 nations all over the world. The objective of his mission is to teach every church about the Lord on how to expand their boundaries and to give a note about health to the people to eat well and use the natural products the country efficiently. Another objective is to support the International Christian Leadership Connections (ICLC) headed by Late Bishop Bonifacio Simbran. Also, Pastor Rudolph Gordon, who was also born at Jamaica and previously lived in London also came in the Philippines on a mission aside from the many countries he traveled. Sophie Johnson St. Vie who is a medical student and also lives in London, said: "The mission is to teach church about the Lord and how to expand boundaries and health, eat better and use the natural the products that the country has been blessed with." Martha Aguste, who is a Project Manager in the construction industry of St. Lucia West Indies, said: "Our objective is to teach the beliefs of this church about how to expand their boundaries through the Gospel of Jesus Christ to encourage those who do not let Jesus Christ to come into the relationship with Him." Until now, the national government still expects that President Benigno Aquino will continue to pursue the restoration of the green mountains back to its original state and is currently being handled through the National Greening Program under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. This program was started by the former presidents of the Philippines. The late Bishop Bonifacio Simbran was honored and awarded due to his efforts
of the program entitled "Adopt A Mountain Program" located at the village of Gatas. This award was given by President Gloria Arroyo. The number of ordinary trees and fruit trees that were planted in the mountains has reached a number of 12,000. The Mangium trees being planted are estimated to reached 5 million. The rambutan and the mango trees are estimated to be almost 10 million now. Bishop Simbran was the first to give attention in planting trees to the mountains. DENR Secretary Heherson Alvarez was the one who led the planting of fruit trees under the “Adopt A Mountain Program.” As of the moment, the DENR is given the “National Greening Program” and is being led by DENR Secretary Ramon Paje and DENR Regional Director Arleigh Adorable. Bishop Jushua Simbran was the one who implemented and pushed the program since the idea of this program came from his father. They do not only care for the trees that are being planted, but they also care all animals, which includes the monkeys, tarsiers, boars and birds found in the area. Bishop Simbran further explained that they were already planting fruit and rubber trees even before they were given other projects by the DENR. The place where the trees are planted is then awarded by the DENR under the “Adopt A Mountain Program” since it has reached up to 100 hectares of land being planted with trees. He thanked the officials of the DENR in the province headed by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Nelson Velasco and Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer Ariel Barientos of the town of Liloy for giving them the seedlings which help made the mountains return to its original green state. (Leonides Mohametano)
Zamboanga police gets 75 new rifles ZAMBOANGA CITY – The local police force received 75 automatic rifles and a pair of motorcycle and thousands of munitions from the Zamboanga City government, officials said. Officials said the weapons were handed over to Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo
during a ceremony at the police headquarters. The donation of M4 rifles will add to the firepower of the local police force in its campaign against criminality. Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said part of the donations was 10,352
rounds of ammunition for M16 automatic rifles; 10,351 rounds of ammunition for 9mm pistol and 300 magazines. Police did not say whether the rifles were locally made or imported, or how much was the cost of the donations. (Mindanao Examiner)
A woman uses her child to beg for money in Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examienr Photo)
Philippines strengthens anti-corruption campaign DAVAO CITY – The Philippines has taken a step in strengthening further the campaign against corruption in government as part of its commitment to the implementation of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the Integrity Management Program. The Philippines is a signatory to the UNCAC as ratified by the Philippine Senate on November 8, 2006, which stipulates State Obligations to comply with the UN Standards in the areas of prevention, criminalization, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance and information exchange. The Office of the President and the Office of the Ombudsman signed a Memorandum of Agreement that aims to strengthen and rationalize government’s initiatives
against corruption. Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and Ombudsman Conchita Morales signed the agreement. “In behalf of the Office of the President, we would like to congratulate the people and organization behind this major initiative for successfully bringing together two important offices in order to strengthen and rationalize government initiatives against corruption to concretize the President’s vision for a government that treads the straight path, or Tuwid na Daan,” Ochoa said after the signing of the accord. He said the signing of the MOA is one of the many steps the Aquino administration has taken and will continue to take, to make good on the government’s
commitment to institutionalize good governance. Morales described the partnership between the OP and the Ombudsman as “historic” saying that it “further exudes inspiring hope for the Philippines to foster a culture that rejects corruption and embraces the values of integrity, rule of law, sustainable development and inclusive growth.” Under the agreement, the OP and the OMB shall constitute a Joint Technical Working Group to draft a multi-stakeholder mechanism for implementation and review of the UNCAC as well as a Project Management Committee that will provide overall direction and technical support to the agency implementers to attain a viable integrity management program.
JUST SAY
NO!
9 Human rights group calls on US Congress to reevaluate surveillance laws The Mindanao Examiner
June 24-30, 2013
MANILA - Recent revelations about the scope of US national security surveillance highlight how dramatic increases in private digital communications and government computing power are fueling surveillance practices that impinge on privacy in ways unimaginable just a few years ago, Human Rights Watch said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner. There is an urgent need for the US Congress to reevaluate and rewrite surveillance laws in light of those technological developments and put in place better safeguards against security agency overreach. A string of media reports describing secret US surveillance programs underscore the degree to which laws originally designed to track phone records relating to criminal investigations have been expanded to authorize the collection of vast quantities of new forms of data that intrude much more deeply into the private lives of both citizens and noncitizens. “Existing laws do not seem to have kept up with the threat to privacy and other rights posed by the government’s relatively new capacity to collect and analyze quickly vast quantities of personal information,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director at Human Rights Watch. “Because oversight is secret and inspires little confidence, there is every reason to fear that the scope of surveillance extends far beyond what can be justified by the government’s legitimate interest in addressing terrorist or other security threats.”
A report in The Guardian says intelligence agencies are collecting information from phone companies relating to the calls of millions of people, under orders granted in secret proceedings by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court. The leaked order requires Verizon Business Services, under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, to produce information related to all telephone calls in its systems, both within the United States and between the US and other countries. The order is valid for three months but appears to be regularly renewed. The information sought is “metadata,” which includes the numbers of both parties to a call, their locations, the time and duration of the calls, and other identifying information. The contents of conversations are not covered, but the government has an ever increasing capacity to analyze metadata to show the caller’s likely identity, social networks, and other patterns or behavior the government may want to target. The Wall Street Journal has reported that the NSA is also collecting records from AT&T and Sprint, Internet service providers, and information about credit card transactions. The government’s rapidly growing capacity to crossreference and analyze this data enables it to paint a stunningly complete picture of the life of almost anyone whose data it picks up. An article in the Washington Post describes another program under which
US Internet companies, including Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, are compelled through secret FISA court orders to facilitate collection of user data and monitoring of communications by US government agencies. Training slides released by the Washington Post indicate that agencies can obtain a range information through the program, including emails, voice chat, photos, and social networking details, from a number of major Internet companies. Subsequent media reports and responses from Internet companies have called into question the exact mechanism that companies are using to facilitate access to information. However, official statements issued June 6 and 8 from the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, confirmed that Internet surveillance activities were being conducted under Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act. Given the secrecy involved, it is not clear whether these court orders permit vacuuming up data on the same magnitude as the Verizon order. Companies that receive orders under FISA and the Patriot Act are generally prohibited from disclosing the existence of these orders. The decisions and authorizations of the FISA court are also secret and congressional oversight operates through highly classified and restrictive briefings that prevent broad discussion. Human Rights Watch is deeply troubled by the apparent lack of any consideration by the US government for the privacy rights of non-US citizens. The US
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Constitution may have been interpreted to grant privacy rights only to US citizens or people in the United States, but international human rights law recognizes that everyone is entitled to respect for their privacy. With so many electronic communications traveling through the United States, the lack of any regard for the privacy rights of non-US citizens raises very troubling concerns. “The United States wants to be the Internet capital of the world, but it undermines that status by giving no regard to the privacy rights of anyone who is not a US citizen or physically in the United States,” Roth said. Congress should reas-
sess whether FISA and the Patriot Act allow the government too much latitude to engage in unjustifiably broad and arbitrary surveillance, Human Rights Watch said. Given concern about the vigor of congressional oversight, Human Rights Watch urged the creation of an independent panel with subpoena power and all necessary security clearances to examine current practices and to make recommendations to ensure appropriate protections for rights to privacy, free expression, and association. The administration should also come forward to the public on the scope and specific controls on its various data surveillance programs.
Human Rights Watch also expressed concern about the precedent these programs might set globally because they could give other governments a rationale for adopting widespread and arbitrary surveillance of phone and Internet activity. “The US government’s credibility as an advocate for Internet freedom is at serious risk unless it ensures that privacy is protected along with security and acts with much greater transparency,” said Roth. “There is a real danger that other governments will see US practice as a green light for their own secret surveillance programs. That should be chilling to anyone who goes online or uses a phone.”
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June 24-30, 2013
“Accused embassy and labor officials of sexual abuse and harasments”
ABUSED PINAY OFWs WILLING TO TESTIFY
F
ilipina wor kers abr oad who ar e victims of workers abroad are sexual abuse b y some P hilippine embassy and by Philippine labor officials said they ar e willing to testify are against their abusers pr ovide the go ver nment pro gov ernment assur ity ding to M igr ante assure security ity,, accor according Migr igrante ante.. assure their safety and secur The Filipino migrants’ Monterona to call on the rights group said several of Aquino government to prothe victims are now ready vide the necessary assisto give their statement to tance to the victims and asback their claims against sure their safety amid allegations of sexual abuses on erring officials. “Today, an OFW vic- distressed Filipina overseas tim along with two others workers by some officials in conveyed to us that they exchange of airfare for their will issue an affidavit and repatriation and for sustewill file a complaint if Phil- nance while at the Philipippine authorities could pine embassy shelters. assure their safety and Monterona, also provide security upon re- Migrante’s coordinator in turn to the Philippines,” the Middle East and North Migrante vice chairman Africa, said they welcome John Leonard Monterona Rep. Walden Bello’s call for said in a statement sent to an investigation into the althe regional newspaper leged sexual abuse of Mindanao Examiner. Filipina workers in Jordan, This prompted Kuwait, and Syria.
Bello heads the special Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs who exposed what he branded as “sex-for-flight” modus operandi allegedly by some Philippine embassy and labor officials in those counties. “We welcome the calls to probe the sexual abuses allegation against embassy and labor officials. This is not new anymore as we have been reporting this many years ago; about Philippine officials who are taking advantage of the distressed women OFWs at Philippine shelters and pimping them in exchange for money so that they can buy an airplane tickets for their repatriation,” Monterona said. He said sexual ad-
vances and abuses among distressed Filipina workers in the Middle East have been a common knowledge among the Filipino communities. “It is a disgrace that the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment, and even Malacanang are not seriously acting to stop these criminals occupying positions at various Philippine posts abroad,” he said. Monterona also cited numerous cases of sexual abuses on distressed Filipino workers involving embassy employees and officials. He said one Filipina worker, who accused an embassy driver of sexual abuse, said: “Hindi ko po alam ang intension niya
pero nakakaranas po kami ng pangha-harass mula sa kanya tulad ng panghihipo, nanunusok siya ng tagiliran, humahawak siya ng titan, nangingiliti at nangyayakap at marami pa pong iba.” Another woman said that she was also a victim of abuse by a labor official and that she had been threatened if she reports this to authorities, according to Monterona. “Nagulat na lang po ako ng bigla po niya akong yakapin at pinaghahalikan sa bibig at itinaas po niya ang damit ko,” she told Monterona. Monterona said other Filipina women were forced to flee from the embassy after officials ordered them to “entertain” some
clients in exchange for money. “We are urging the victims to formally file complaints against their abusers. The culprits must be sent to jail. The Philippine government must put an end to the sexual abuses on our distressed Filipina women by some criminal elements working in various embassies and labor offices abroad,” he said. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said he has already recalled the Philippine ambassadors and labor officials from Jordan, Kuwait and Syria who were implicated in the alleged sexual abuse and harassment of Filipina migrant workers.
Sulu Gov. Abdusakur 'Totoh' Tan II, left side, during their oath-taking with President Benigno S. Aquino III and other ARMM officials at Rizal Hall, Malacañang Palace on June 13, 2013.
ARMM
Southern Mindanao
Davao
Manila
Zamboanga Peninsula