Sulu First Lady wins prestigious JCI award SULU’S FIRST LADY and philanthropist Hadja Nurunisah Abubakar Tan has won the prestigious JCI (Junior Chamber International) Pinay Power Summit Award given during the recent JCI Philippines 72nd National
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Convention held in Laguna province. Tan, who was nominated by JCI Jolo Chapter, bested close to a hundred nominees from JCI Region IX cluster and went on to compete with other 25 other
chapters from Mindanao to earn the right to be the representative of the whole Area 5 in the national search. According to the JCI Regional Vice President Reckmar Abtong, the
Pinay Power now on its third year - is one of the priority projects of JCI Philippines that is aimed at promoting programs that advocate women empowerment, welfare Continue on page 7
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Where’s the money? ‘Philippines’ debts now at over P10 trillion’
F
ORMER NATIONAL Police chief and now Senator Panfilo Lacson scored the Duterte government’s penchant for borrowing, but not always with the corresponding results. Lacson said that while the government has yet rowed over the years. borrowing may be nec- to show results of the tril“When I first became essary for the economy, lions of pesos it has borContinue on page 2
ICC prosecutor sees ‘crimes against humanity’ in Philippines WITH 2 years before he steps down, President Rodrigo Duterte may be investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his deadly campaign against illegal drugs. The ICC has found reasonable basis to believe that Duterte’s 4-year-old anti-narcotics drive spawned crimes against humanity, ABS-CBN reported and other Philippine media reported. Continue on page 2
President Rodrigo Duterte and Panfilo Lacson
Indonesia captures top First Duterte crushed Marawi, terror suspect INDONESIAN AUTHORITIES said that a top terror suspect arrested recently was the architect of a series of deadly attacks and sectarian con-
flicts in the world’s most populous Muslim nation. Aris Sumarsono, known as Zulkarnaen, was arrested by counterterrorism police in a raid at a
house in East Lampung district on Sumatra island. “He was the military commander of Jemaah Islamiyah,” National Continue on page 2
Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda (ICC)
now he is ignoring it
SIX MONTHS after the end of the 2017 battle of Marawi in the southern Philippines, residents
were allowed into ground zero for just a few hours to retrieve whatever they could of their possessions
destroyed in the five months of fighting and bombing. But they could Continue on page 3
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Where’s the money? ‘Philippines’ debts now at over P10 trillion’
Continued from page 1 a senator in 2001, our national government’s outstanding debt was P2.88 trillion. Over the Arroyo, Aquino and Duterte administrations, it has ballooned to P10.027 trillion as of October this year, from P8.2 trillion at end-2019,” he said. “Thus it is hard to accept the Palace spokesperson’s statement that we will look for funds to acquire vaccines,” he added, referring to Harry Roque’s recent statement on the government’s plan to borrow more money despite the country’s ballooning debts. Lacson said that in the last nine to 10 months, the Duterte administration’s borrowing accelerated at a record rate, with an additional P1.8 trillion. He said while the United States has borrowed $27 trillion, their infrastructure development and social services are being adequately provided. “In our case, we have expressways and
skyways but they are provided and maintained by the private sector. Tayo, utang ng utang, toll naman ng toll,” he added. The country continues to sink in debts as the government trumpeted fresh loans running into billions of pesos to fund the purchases of anti-Covid vaccines and other responses to the pandemic. Debts, Debts, Debts Duterte had already borrowed billions of pesos since 2016 after winning the election, for his ambitious Build, Build, Build infrastructure projects and dole outs to poor families across the country. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III told Duterte in one of his briefings that the government has 3 sources of funding through various loan agreements – the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank and domestic banks such as Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philip-
pines (DBP), and even Government-Controlled Corporations. He said government can get as much as P40 billion loans from ADB and World Bank, and another P20 billion from domestic sources. And not only that because Dominguez is also looking to get more loans from bilateral sources in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) where Covid-19 vaccines are available amounting to over P13 billion. “Mr. President, may tatlong sources po tayo ng funding okay. Ang first — ang unang source natin ‘yung mga multilateral agencies: ADB at saka World Bank. Ang estimate namin we will have around 40 billion pesos from them. Low cost, long-term loans, 40 billion from multilateral agencies.” “Tapos mayroon po tayong domestic sources of financing. Ang domestic sources of financing we estimate around 20 billion. So that will come
ICC prosecutor sees ‘crimes against humanity’ in Philippines Continued from page 1 According to the “Report on Preliminary Examination Activities 2020,” Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s office opened in February 2018 a preliminary probe into the slay of thousands of suspected drug users and peddlers, including those killed for allegedly resisting arrest or allegedly gunned down by law enforcers disguised as vigilantes. “The Office is satisfied that information available provides a reasonable basis to believe that the crimes against humanity of murder (article 7(1)(a)), torture (article 7(1)(f )) and the infliction of serious physical injury and mental harm as other inhumane Acts (article 7(1) (k)) were committed on the territory of the Philippines 48 between at least 1 July 2016 and 16 March 2019, in connection to the WoD campaign launched throughout the country,” Bensouda said in her report. The report said the preliminary examination focused on allegations that Duterte and senior members of law enforcement agencies and other government bodies
“actively promoted and encouraged the killing of suspected or purported drug users and/or dealers, and in such context, members of law enforcement, including particularly the PNP, and unidentified assailants have carried out thousands of unlawful killings throughout the Philippines.” It also noted that many of the persons targeted “had been included on drug watch lists compiled by national and/ or local authorities, and some of those targeted also included persons who had previously ‘surrendered’ to the police in connection with Oplan Tokhang.” Bensouda said the Covid-19 pandemic and capacity constraints delayed her office’s goal to conclude its preliminary examination of Duterte’s drug war. “Nonetheless, the Office anticipates reaching a decision on whether to seek authorisation to open an investigation into the situation in the Philippines in the first half of 2021,” she said. The Philippines in March 2019 quit the ICC, though the world’s only
permanent war crimes tribunal pledged to pursue its examination of alleged illegal killings in Duterte’s drug war. ABS-CBN further reported that Malacañang said ICC had no jurisdiction over the Philippines following its withdrawal last year from the body. “Hindi po natin kinikilala ang hurisdiksyon ng ICC, at desisyon mismo ng ICC... Sayang lang ang pera at oras. Bahala po ang prosecutor kung gusto niyang magkaroon na naman ng pangalawang ruling na hindi pupuwedeng mag-imbestiga kung walang kooperasyon,” said lawyer Harry Roque, Duterte’s spokesman. Last year, Duterte threatened to arrest Bensouda if she conducts an investigation in the Philippines, saying, the country was no longer a member of the ICC. “What is your authority now? If we are not members of the treaty, why are you ... in this country? You cannot exercise any proceedings here without basis. That is illegal and I will arrest you,” he said. (ABS-CBN. Mindanao Examiner contributed to this report.)
from Land Bank, DBP, and possibly ‘yung mga government-controlled corporations. So that’s 20 billion,” he said. Dominguez added that the government will negotiate with bilateral sources in UK and US for the purchase of the vaccines. “Tapos magne-negotiate pa po tayo sa mga bilateral sources depende sa source ng — depende sa source ng vaccine, either England or US or whoever. And ang target po namin doon around 13.2 billion pesos. So ang total niyan is about 73.2 billion financing that it’s pretty much — it’s almost fixed. Most of it is already fixed, 13.2 billion hindi
pa completely negotiated. So 73.2 billion pesos,” he said. Dominguez estimated the cost of the vaccine at around $25 (about P1,200) per person and since the government is targeting to vaccinate some 60 million Filipinos, he said the loans are enough to cover the expenses. “Ngayon ang estimate namin sa average cost ng vaccine is around 25 dollars — not per dose, per person. ‘Di ba? Around 25 dollars which is 1,200 pesos more or less. Some are lower, some are higher so we don’t know yet exactly how much is the cost. But let’s say 25 dollars or
1,200, 72 — 73.2 billion pesos is good for 60 million people to be vaccinated, around 60 million people. So that is more or less what we have in line. Ngayon, we’ll have to consult with the DOH if 60 million is enough, if 60 million people is enough to be vaccinated,” he explained. Aside from massive borrowings, Duterte also hiked taxes despite public outcry, saying he needed it to fund government more projects. In August, the Bureau of Treasury said the government’s outstanding debt stood at P9. 615 trillion, but this has already reached over P10 trillion now. (Mindanao Examiner)
Indonesia captures top terror suspect Continued from page 1 Police spokesperson Ahmad Ramadhan said at a news conference in the capital, Jakarta. “He’s been on the police wanted list for 18 years.” Zulkarnaen, a biologist who was among the first Indonesian militants to go to Afghanistan in the 1980s for training, was an instructor at a military academy there for seven years, Ramadhan said. Since May 2005, Zulkarnaen has been listed on an al-Qaida sanctions list by the U.N. Security Council for being associated with Osama bin Laden or the Taliban. The Security Council said that Zulkarnaen, who became an expert in sabotage, was one of al-Qaida’s representatives in Southeast Asia and one of the few people in Indonesia who had had direct contact with bin Laden’s network. It said that Zulkarnaen led a squad of fighters known as the Laskar Khos, or Special Force, whose members were recruited from among some 300 Indonesians who trained in Afghanistan and the Philippines. Zulkarnaen was appointed the head of Camp Saddah, a military academy in the southern Philippines established for fighters from Southeast Asia, the Security Council said. He spent a decade at the camp training other Jemaah Islamiyah members. He became operations chief for Jemaah Islamiyah after the arrest of his predecessor, Encep
Nurjaman, also known as Hambali, in Thailand in 2003. The United States’ “Rewards for Justice” program had offered a bounty of up to $5 million for his capture. He was the only Indonesian on the list. Indonesian police said he masterminded church attacks that occurred simultaneously in many Indonesian regions during Christmas and New Year’s Eve in 2000 that killed more than 20 people. Ramadhan said Zulkarnaen is suspected of being involved in the making of bombs used in a series of attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, and a 2003 attack on the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta that killed 12. Zulkarnaen was also the mastermind of a bomb attack on the official residence of the Philippine ambassador in Jakarta in 2000 that killed two people, a 2004 suicide attack outside the Australian Embassy that killed nine, and a 2005 bombing in Bali that killed 20, Ramadhan said. He said Zulkarnaen was also the architect of sectarian conflict in Ambon and Poso from 1998 to 2000. Conflicts between Christians and Muslisms in Ambon, the provincial capital of the Molluca islands, left more than 5,000 people dead and half a million displaced. The Muslim-Christian conflict in Poso, known as a hot-
bed of Islamic militancy on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island, killed at least 1,000 people from 1998 to 2002. Police previously said they were tipped off to Zulkarnaen’s location in raids after interrogating several suspected militants arrested late last month. Zulkarnaen is also accused of harboring Upik Lawanga, another bomb maker and a key Jemaah Islamiyah’ member. Lawanga was arrested by counterterrorism police in Lampung late last month. He had eluded capture since 2005 after being named as a suspect in an attack that killed more than 20 people at a market in Poso. A court banned Jemaah Islamiyah in 2008, and the group was weakened by a sustained crackdown on militants by Indonesia’s counterterrorism police with U.S. and Australian support. A new threat has emerged in recent years inspired by Islamic State group attacks abroad. Indonesia’s last major militant attack was in May 2018, when two families carried out suicide bombings in the country’s second-largest city, Surabaya, killing a dozen people, including two young girls whose parents had involved them in one of the attacks. Police said the father of the girls was the leader of a militant Jemaah Anshorut Daulah cell who pledged allegiance to Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. (By Niniek Karmini. AP)
December 21-27, 2020
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First Duterte crushed Marawi, now he is ignoring it Continued from page 1 not return, until today, to their ruined lakeside city, to pick up the pieces of their lives. Over time, this officially Islamic city in the southern island of Mindanao has turned into a surreal desert of rubble, where vegetation has slowly crept through the shattered houses. Among the few living things were patches of eggplants, squash, tomatoes; an outgrowth of green covered a section of the battle area once occupied by houses. For more than three years now, the painful memories of that battle, the longest and largest seen in decades of Muslim insurgency, have gradually receded. The gaping wound that remains is the fate of the shrinking land of Muslim Mindanao in this Catholic-majority country. It turns out that Manila’s promises to rebuild and rehabilitate were mostly empty. After first offering a grand plan to turn the ruins into something akin to Dubai, the task force overseeing the former battle area of 250 hectares has moved at a snail’s pace and has achieved little more than setting up some maritime outposts by the shore. The few mosques that have been rebuilt were completed thanks to private donors. President Rodrigo Duterte was telling the truth when he taunted the rebels to, “go ahead, do it,” prior to the attack on Marawi. Two millennial brothers of the Maute family, from their hideout in a godforsaken town south of Marawi City, had aligned themselves with Islamic State and recruited hundreds of youths with the promise of creating a new province. They were all killed in the battle, which saw over 1,000 people killed. All hopes of improving the miserable situation of the nearly 50,000 families who lost their
homes have now fallen on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or BARMM, that was created in early 2019. But it too had a slow start in forming a parliament mainly hand-picked by Duterte to make laws in five Muslim-dominated provinces, nearly all considered to be the poorest in the country. Its leaders kept their distance from the task force in the Marawi aftermath, wary of being drawn into allegations of corruption and lack of transparency. More than anything, the aftereffects of the battle are threatening to explode the ancient issues of land ownership that has been the core grievance raised by generations of minority Muslim Filipinos. With only half of the displaced families able to show registered titles, those who could not “will be left to their own devices ticking toward future neighborhood disagreements, if not rido,” according to a recent BARMM summary report. Rido is the violent outcome of clan feuds that can erupt at any time; in fact, people thought the Battle of Marawi was just another clan feud when it first erupted, not realizing that it would lead to a siege involving battalions of government troops to defeat pro-ISIS rebels. As an afterthought perhaps, BARMM has decided to enter the fray, carving out a budget of 517 million pesos ($11 million) for 2021 for Marawi’s rehabilitation efforts. Otherwise, it risked losing the ability to restore governance where others failed before them. It also allotted a further 500 million pesos in 2020, partly to aid victims of the COVID pandemic but mostly for the rehabilitation effort, but is still awaiting reports from field offices as to how the funds were distributed. The BARMM is racing against time already squandered by a nation-
al government that had sweeping powers -- but failed to use them -- to put Marawi back together under a Mindanao-wide martial law that lasted until the end of 2019. That would have relieved BARMM of the heavy responsibility of putting Marawi back on its feet. According to BARMM’s confidential summary report “families feel defeated, and they could only swallow their maratabat, or pride, because everyone else is drowned by the insensitivity and slow progress of the rehabilitation.” The failure of the task force could now mean going back to the old power structures, with Mindanao racked once again by warlords, ethnic divides, poverty, and violence. Two things could have got the ball rolling in practical terms: first, by seeding enough fresh capital to fire the entrepreneurial skills that the Maranao tribe of Marawi is known for, those successful business owners who expanded the city into a commercial hub; second, by decentralizing the main city, and spreading people to nearby towns according to the idea of “build it and they shall come.” Local politicians stopped before it could take off because of petty differences with rival political families. Today, the only real progress is a major road network fanning out from the former battle area, which is being built thanks to funding from Japan. Earlier this year, the public highways department approved plans for promenades, a market and other structures with grants from China. But there again, there have been interminable delays, with some projects still awaiting approval and others bogged down in squabbles over procurement. At this rate, it seems the wild greens in the ruins are moving faster than the bureaucracy. (By Criselda Yabes. Nikkei Asia)
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Sulu Pictures in the News Sulu provincial government at work. This is where your taxes go. (Photos from the Office of the Provincial Governor, Jaques Tutong, Task Force Covid-19, and Jolo Municipal Government)
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Piliin Ang Isda Kaysa Karne Alam ba ninyo na maraming benepisyo ang pagkain ng isda? Ang isda ay mababa sa calories at sa kolesterol. Maraming protina, bitamina at minerals ang isda kumpara sa karneng baboy at baka. Bukod dito, punong-puno ng omega-3 fatty acids ang isda, lalo na ang sardinas, mackerel, tilapia at salmon. Ang pagkain ng isda ay makatutulong sa pagiwas sa maraming sakit tulad ng: 1. Asthma o hika – Ang mga batang mahilig sa isda ay mas hindi hinihika. 2. Para sa utak at mata – Ang isda ay sagana sa omega-3 fatty acids na mabuti sa ating utak at retina (likod ng mata). 3. Kanser – May tulong ang omega-3 fatty acids sa pag-iwas sa maraming kanser tulad ng kanser sa suso, obaryo, prostate, bibig at lalamu-
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nan. 4. Sakit sa puso at diabetes – Ayon sa American Heart Association, ang pagkain ng isda ng 3 beses sa isang linggo ay nakababawas sa sakit sa puso, pagbabara ng ugat at mataas na kolesterol. Ang isda ay talagang para sa puso. Mas nako-kontrol din ang blood sugar ng mga diabetic. Ipalit ang masustansyang taba ng isda sa masamang taba ng baboy at baka. 5. Pagkauliyanin o dementia – Para huwag magkaroon ng Alzheimer’s disease, kumain ng isda. Kung gustong tumalino ang mga bata, kumain din ng isda. 6. Pagkalungkot – Ang mga mahilig kumain ng isda ay mas hindi nade-depressed, dahil din sa napakasustansyang omega-3 fatty acids. 7. Arthritis at psoriasis – Nakababawas ng sintomas ng arthritis ang regular na pagkain ng isda. Ngunit mayroon ding
mga dapat ingatan sa pagkain ng isda: 1. Mag-ingat sa mercury contamination. May mga isda na nakakain ng dumi at polusyon sa dagat na makasasama sa ating kalusugan. Ang mercury ay masama sa buntis at sanggol. Dahil dito, mas piliin ang mga maliliit na isda na wala pang 12 pulgada ang haba (12 inches or 1 feet). 2. Puwedeng magkaroon ng bad breath kapag malansang isda ang iyong kinain. 3. Puwede kang matinik kapag hindi maingat. 4. Isang paalala: Mag-ingat sa seafoods, lalo na sa tahong at talaba. Kaunti lang ang kainin at baka malason tayo sa red tide. Sa pangkalahatan, mas marami pa ring benepisyo sa pagkain ng isda kumpara sa peligro nito. Kumain ng isda para sa ating kalusugan.
Sulu First Lady wins prestigious JCI award Continued from page 1 and advancement of gender equality. It also recognizes women from all around the country who successfully involved themselves in the pursuit of women protection and community development. Tan, who is fondly called “Hadja Indah” by the Tausug, was also for-
mer Sulu vice governor and is currently the president of the Sulu Provincial Women Council. She was nominated by JCI Jolo - under the term of its immediate president Aileen Abubakar - for her many years of being a civic leader who champions the protection of women and children, and works hard to promote equal opportu-
nity and sustaining development in the community. The esteemed award is also a recognition of her various community involvement that has made a difference in the lives of the Tausug. Tan joined four other awardees nominated by JCI Angeles Culiat, JCI Ortigas, JCI Binan and JCI Catbalogan Balud area.
63 barangay sa Cotabato, nasa ilalim ng BARMM KIDAPAWAN CITY – Suportado ni North Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco ang desisyon ng pamahalaang Duterte na tuparin ang kahilingan ng Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) na ipaubaya na sa Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Ministry of Interior and Local Government (BARMM-MILG) ang 63 barangays sa lalawigan, kabilang na ang Cotabato City. Kamakailan lamang ay pinangunahan ni Interior Secretary Eduardo Año ang naturang handover ng mga barangay sa BARMM. Kasama ni Año sina DILG Regional
Director Josephine Leysa, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, National Police Chief General Debold Sinas, Western Mindanao Chief General Corleto Vinluan Jr. Dumalo rin bilang kinatawan ni Catamco si Provincial Administrator Efren Piñol. Ang handover ng mga barangay ay base na rin sa probisyon ng Republic Act 11054 o ang Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) matapos ang isinagawang plebisito noong nakaraang taon. Nililinaw ni Año na ang handover ng mga control sa barangay ay naghuhudyat na ang katungkulan kaugnay sa
promosyon at pagtiyak ng kahusayan, kapayapaan, proteksyon sa publiko, pagpapalakas ng kakakayanan ng lokal na pamahalaan ay nasa pamamahalan na ng BARMM-MILG Pinuri at nagbigay pugay si Lorenzana sa buong kawani ng BARMM sa kinahinatnan ng pagkilos upang maisulong ang mithing pagbabago. Subalit, ayon kay Lorenzana, mas malaking hamon ang pagtutok sa paraan kung papaano ito ipapatupad, maging epektibo sa paghahatid ng serbisyo, at matiyak na matamasa ito ng mga mamamayan. (Rhoderick Beñez)
RECIPE
Spicy Crispy Chicken panlasangpinoyrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS : • 2 teaspoons soju • 2 teaspoons sugar • 1 teaspoon soy sauce • 1 teaspoon gochujang
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil • 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic • 260 grams (9 ounces) skin-on boneless chicken thighs
INSTRUCTIONS : 1. In a small bowl, combine the soju, sugar, soy sauce, gochujang, sesame oil and grated garlic, stirring to combine. Lightly salt both sides of the chicken. 2. Place the chicken skin side down on a cold skillet. Place a cast iron skillet or pot filled with water on top of the chicken to weigh it down. Put the skillet on the stove and cook over medium low heat until the skin side is uniformly golden brown and crisp (about 8-10 minutes).
3. 4.
5.
6.
Remove the weight and flip the chicken over. Drain as much oil from the pan as you can, then turn up the heat to high and pour the sauce mixture in around the chicken, being careful not to get any on the crisp skin. Let the sauce boil down until it’s thick and bubbly, and then flip the chicken over a few times to coat both sides of the chicken with the thick glaze. Slice and serve the chicken immediately with steamed rice.
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Covid-19 vaccine for Cebu assured T
HE NATIONAL government said it would provide ample supply of Covid-19 vaccines to Cebu City. This was the tion of the vaccines to each lo- be signed between the city assurance made by Carlito cal government due to limited government, national government and the pharmaceutical Galvez, the government’s so- budget. Cebu City has allotted company that will be chosen called vaccine czar, to Cebu some P500 million out of the to supply the vaccines. City Mayor Edgardo Labella. Aside from Sinovac, the Labella said he was as- unspent portion of its P3.2-bilsured by Galvez who is now lion Covid-19 funds for the pur- government is looking to purchase vaccines from pharnegotiating with various vac- chase of the vaccines. Labella said Galvez maceutical giants Pfizer and cine manufacturers, including China’s Sinovac. Galvez said claimed that a tripartite mem- AstraZeneca. (Cebu Examiner they will allocate only a por- orandum of agreement could and PNA)
ADB facility to help members access, distribute Covid vaccines Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella says vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. assures him the national government will prioritize Cebu City in the allocation of Covid-19. (Cebu City PIO)
7 towns receive financial aid for various projects
Gov. Gwen Garcia leads the inauguration and groundbreaking ceremonies of road improvement, water system and other infrastructure projects in the 2nd District of the Province of Cebu. (Tonee Despojo) THE CEBU provincial government turned over a total of P32 million - in financial assistance - to 7 municipalities for their various infrastructure and tourism projects. Governor Gwendolyn Garcia led the handover of the financial assistance to the recipients in a simple ceremony just recently. Alcoy Mayor Michael Angelo Sestoso and Oslob Mayor Jose Tumulak Jr. each received cheques worth P6 million while Boljoon Mayor Merlou Derama, Santander Mayor Marites Buscato, Argao Mayor Allan Sesaldo, Dalaguete Mayor Jeffrey Belcina, and Samboan Vice Mayor Emerito Calderon Jr. received P4 million each.
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Buscato said the assistance is for the construction of a tourist information office and a senior citizens building. Sestoso also said the amount he received will be used for the restoration of the old municipal hall and the development of a heritage park. The financial aid is on top of the newly inaugurated road concreting projects and the groundbreaking of the second phase of road sections in Alcoy, Oslob, and Samboan as well as the inauguration of waterworks in Oslob and Santander. Calderon, in his speech, asked that he be “allowed to give praise and gratitude publicly to the governor for having disregarded political color and affiliation even if the leadership
of Samboan was of a different party.” He said that Garcia remained true to her words, which said “for beyond the political divides and narrow interests, there will be and should always be the bigger, nobler goal of doing what is best for Cebu and the Cebuanos.” “She has been instrumental in allowing not only the Samboanons but the whole province to survive the difficulties incurred during the pandemic. We have received a lot of help and support from the Provincial Government that has allowed us to withstand and overcome the pandemic,” Calderon said. “It is but appropriate that we, the people of Samboan, express our deep sense of gratitude for even up to now, as we make our way to economic recovery, our governor stands beside us, behind us, and in front of us. And as we look up to you Madam Governor, the stateswoman of Cebu, Gwen Garcia, as our leader, you have our utmost respect,” he added. The seven mayors demonstrated support for each other by gracing the inauguration of road projects and groundbreaking of waterworks in their respective towns. (Eleanor Valeros)
Eastern Mindanao
THE ASIAN Development Bank or ADB said it has launched a $9-billion vaccine initiative called the “Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility” or APVAX offering rapid and equitable support to its developing members as they procure and deliver effective and safe Covid-19 vaccines. “As ADB’s developing members prepare to vaccinate their people as soon as possible, they need financing to procure vaccines as well as appropriate plans and knowledge to be able to safely, equitably, and efficiently manage the vaccination process,” said ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa. He said APVAX will play a critical role in helping developing members meet these challenges, overcome the pandemic, and focus on economic recovery. More than 14.3 million positive cases have been identified in Asia and the Pacific, causing more than 200,000 deaths. As the pandemic persists, economic growth in developing Asia is projected to contract by 0.4 percent in 2020 - the first regional gross domestic product contraction since the early 1960s. Asakawa said promoting safe, equitable, and effective access to vaccines is a top priority for ADB’s Covid-19 response efforts. Vaccination programs, he added, can break the chain of virus transmission, save lives, and mitigate the negative economic impacts of the pandemic by restoring confidence in people’s ability to work, travel, and socialize safely. The APVAX provides a com-
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prehensive framework and resource envelope for supporting developing Asia’s vaccine access, using two complementary components. The Rapid Response Component will provide timely support for critical vaccine diagnostics, procurement of vaccines, and transporting vaccines from the place of purchase to ADB’s developing members. The Project Investment Component will support investments in systems for successful distribution, delivery, and administration of vaccines along with associated investments in building capacity, community outreach, and surveillance. This may include such areas as cold-chain storage and transportation, vehicles, distribution infrastructure, processing facilities, and other physical investments. The component may also be used to develop or expand vaccine manufacturing capacity in developing members. ADB financing for vaccines will be provided in close coordination with other development partners, including the World Bank Group, World Health Organization or WHO, Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility or COVAX, GAVI, and bilateral and multilateral partners. APVAX promotes safe and effective vaccines to be accessed in a fair manner. For a vaccine to be eligible for financing, it must meet one of three criteria. It must be procured via COVAX, prequalified by WHO or authorized by a Stringent Regulatory Authority. Additional access criteria, such as a vaccination needs as-
Cebu
sessment, a vaccine allocation plan by the developing member, and a mechanism for effective coordination among development partners also help ensure that vaccine support under APVAX can be fairly and effectively implemented. ADB is also making available a $500 million Vaccine Import Facility to support the efforts of its developing members to secure safe and effective vaccines, as well as the goods that support distribution and inoculation. The facility is part of ADB’s Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program. AAA-guarantees available through the program’s vaccine import facility will mitigate payment risks and facilitate import of these goods. This will employ the same eligibility criteria on vaccines as COVAX. Cofinancing with private sector partners could result in the Import Facility supporting USD1 billion in vaccine and related imports within a year. Asakawa said ADB has committed $14.9 billion in loans, grants, and technical assistance, including USD9.9 billion in quick-disbursing budget support from the Covid-19 Pandemic Response Option and support for the private sector. And in November, ADB announced $20.3 million in additional technical assistance to establish systems to enable efficient and equitable distribution of vaccines across Asia and the Pacific. (Cebu Examiner contributed to this report.)
Manila