Army troops seized 'hot' lumber in Sultan Kudarat
DAR launches 2 projects in Zamboanga del Norte
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Zambo village leaders to play active role in disaster response PAGE 4
Authorities fail to arrest ambushers of 3 Moro men
Lawmakers denounce Aquino's stance on 'pork barrel'
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Human rights group opposes new US ambassador to the Philippines
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BOMBING SPREE
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hilippine author ities hav authorities have little-known shadowy group e linked a little-kno wn shado wy gr oup called hilippines ”which is fighting to IIslamiz slamiz e the rrestiv estiv e rregion egion of Philippines hilippines”which slamize estive “Khilafah in P Mindana o. Leaders of the gr oup rremains emains unkno wn, but one of themU sman indanao group unknown, themUsman Hapids ee men who detonated a bomb in apids,, has been tagged as one of thr three Cagayan de Or o City in M indanao Oro Mindanao indanao.. Just last week, seven talion. “The soldiers were ments. The attacks came days soldiers were wounded in a slightly wounded and are new wave of bombings in back to their unit to join the after a deadly bombing in continuing law enforcement Cotabato City that killed 9 the South. Officials said a road- operation against the auxil- people. Authorities are still investigating who were beside bomb was detonated iary threat group,” he said. Hermoso did not iden- hind the attack which ocby the group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Move- tify the threat group, but pre- curred during the holy of ment - an ally of Khilafah - vious military statements re- month of Ramadan. Most of the victims in as a military truck passed fer this to Bangsamoro Ison the village of Nabundas lamic Freedom Fighters, the August 5 bombing in in Maguindanao’s Shariff blamed for the spate of at- Cotabato City aree Muslims, tacks against military targets according to the Mindanao Saydona Mustapha town. Human Rights Action Cen“The soldiers were on in central Mindanao. A bomb also exploded ter. a law enforcement operaIt also released a detailed tion when the attack oc- last week in North Cotabato’s curred,” Col. Dickson Midsayap town, but authori- map showing where the Hermoso, a spokesman for ties said no casualties had bombing occurred - Sinsuat the 6th Infantry Division, been reported in the attack. Avenue – a busy road that told the regional newspa- The improvised bomb ex- leads to Cotabato Regional ploded outside a pawnshop Medical Center, Notre Dame per Mindanao Examiner. He said the wounded in downtown area and the Hospital, Al-Nor Commertroops belong to the 2nd powerful blast damaged sev- cial Complex, and the headMechanized Infantry Bat- eral offices and establish- quarters of the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao. “This is the city's main artery and easily one of the most crowded areas in Cotabato City, especially during rush hour,” it said. “As of mid-day, fatalities now total 9, all of whom appear to be Bangsamoros. The list of injured is mixed ethnicities, but mostly Bangsamoros.” The bomb was planted in a car parked along the avenue and was detonated remotely, although forensic experts have not determined the type of improvised explosive used in the attack. No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the bombing. But Abu Misri, a spokesman for the the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, who were
The aftermath of the deadly bombing in Cotabato City in southern Philippines. ( photos by Mindanao Human Rights Action Center and Mark Navales)
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earlier suspected of carrying out the attack, has strongly denied any hand in the bombing. Authorities said Khilafah is also an ally of an underground militant group also fighting for the separation of Basilan and Sulu provinces called “ Islamic Emirate Of Sulu-Basilan, Philippines.” Most of its members are young Abu Sayyaf fighters from Basilan and Sulu, which is part of the Muslim autonomous region. Condemnation Suara Bangsamoro, a cause-oriented group based in Mindanao, has joined various groups in condemning the bombing and called on the government to thoroughly investigate the attack. It fears that Moros in Mindanao would again be blamed for the bombing. “Suara Bangsamoro is saddened that the killing of innocent civilians happened at the time that the Moro people are observing fast in the month of Ramadan. We are bothered by the bombing incidents, in light of the warning issued by the US State Department on August 2 about possible terrorist threats from Al-Qaeda network against US interests in Middle East and North Africa.” “Much disturbing is the video of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri that circulated in the media hours after the US State Department advisory, accusing the US government as behind the overthrowing of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood leadership in Egypt. We fear that as a consequence of the advisory, state authorities will want to direct their investiga-
tions in Moro communities in Mindanao which they suspect of hiding Al-Qaeda terrorist cells,” Amirah Ali Lidasan, the group’s spokesperson said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. She said in the past, this kind of operation has led to the rounding up and detention of innocent Moro civilians as well as heightened military operations in Moro communities. The Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan also condemned the series of bombings and said justice must be served to the victims of the violence. “We strongly denounce any attack to civilian population of whatever purposes it may. We believe that this is an orchestrated and there are groups of people behind these. We should not allow these trouble-makers to win in their agenda to spread fear, panic and hatred among us,” it said. “We call on authorities to maximize all efforts available without jeopardizing due process to bring before the law those culprits and behind of these bombings. We call the attention of the authorities while in pursuit for justice not to curtail human rights and due process. Thus, we reiterate that militarist and militarization would never be an effective response to this. We also call on the peace loving communities to cooperate in bringing the suspects before justice and importantly safeguard the victories of the peace processes in the region while continue to demand for an inclusive process.” (Mindanao Examiner)
Zamboanga Peninsula
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Aug. 12-18, 2013
Army troops seized ‘hot’ lumber in Sultan Kudarat MAGUINDANAO PROVINCE – Government troops have seized a huge number of illegal flitches in the southern Philippine province of Sultan Kudarat, an army commander said. Col. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the 601st Infantry Brigade, said troops and government foresters confiscated over 300,000 board feet of flitches in the hinterlands of Bagumbayan town. Pangilinan said the operation was part of the
government’s anti-illegal campaign ordered by President Benigno Aquino. “We are doing everything to put a stop to these nefarious activities. The huge number of flitches we confiscated shows the rampant illegal logging operation in the hinterlands,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. He said civilians are also helping the authorities in the campaign by providing information about illegal logging op-
erations in the province.Villagers have praised the military for the confiscation of the lumber. Aquino ordered an intensified campaign against illegal logging following a deadly typhoon – Bopha - that hit Mindanao last year and left thousands of people dead and injured. The government blamed flash floods and mud slides to denuded forests due to illegal logging activities. (Mark Navales)
Abandoned car in Pagadian City mall triggers bomb scare PAGADIAN CITY – A car abandoned for days at a shopping mall has triggered a bomb scare in Pagadian City in southern Philippines, police said. Police said the scare came at a time that security forces are in heightened alert in due to the series of bomb attacks that had already killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians and soldiers. Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police
spokesman, said security guards at the Gaisano Mall noticed the car for the past two days and alerted the local police. He said police and military deployed bomb experts cordoned off the parking area and inspected the car, but found no explosives inside the vehicle - a KIA Grand Sportage bearing license plate YDZ-822. “EOD team conducted a perimeter in-
Gaisano Mall in Pagadian City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
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spection on the vehicle and a water disruptor explosion done to determine whether there is a presence of improvised explosive device, however, upon verification neither bomb nor explosive found on the vehicle,” Huesca told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. He said initial investigation showed the car is registered with the Land Transportation Office under the name of Emma Avellana Tacason, a resident of Polanco town in Zamboanga del Norte province. He said also found inside the car were receipts from purchases made from Mega Home Finishing Supply, Jelyco Enterprises and an electric bill from the Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative in Dipolog City. It was not immediately known whether Tacason is in Pagadian City or not. “The Pagadian City police are now trying to contact the owner as to why she abandoned vehicle,” Huesca said. He said police have tightened security in Pagadian following the spate of bombings in the region. (Mindanao Examiner)
Army soldiers inspect seized flitches in Bagumbayan town in Sultan Kudarat province in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales)
American national arrested in Zamboang del Norte DIPOLOG CITY – Philippine authorities detained a U.S. national on charges of trespassing and harassment filed by a Filipino family in the southern region of Mindanao. Police said the 54-year old Jackie Leo Davis, who lives in the village of Baybay in Zamboanga del Norte’s coastal town of Liloy, barged in the house of Rizalito Silva and laid down on the couch and urinated on a display cabinet. Silva, 52, told police investigators that the American was apparently drank when he barged in the house on August 5. A police report said Davis also held his penis and showed it to Silva’s 17-
year old daughter and then followed her in the room as she ran screaming for help. The timely arrival of her father prevented the Davis from entering the teenager’s room. Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said Davis was arrested after Silva sought police assistance. Davis was first brought to the Liloy Integrated Health District Hospital for a routine medical check up before detaining him.
Silva has filed charges of “unjust vexation” against Davis with the local court under Judge Oscar Tomarong and “qualified trespass to dwelling” with Judge Anthony Isaw. Police gave no other details about Davis and it was unknown whether the U.S. Embassy in Manila has been told about the American’s arrest. Davis was not immediately available to answer the accusations against him. (Mindanao Examiner)
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The Mindanao Examiner
Aug. 12-18, 2013
DAR launches 2 projects in Zamboanga del Norte DIPOLOG CITY – The Department of Agrarian Reform in Western Mindanao has led the groundbreaking ceremony of a P12-million farm-to-market road in the town of Tampilisan and the DAR-CDA (Cooperative Development Authority) Partnership Program on Strengthening and Capacity Building of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperatives in Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte province. Governor Roberto Uy praised the project, saying it would hasten the delivery of agricultural products and at the same time uplift the living standards of farmers. “Ako malaumon nga atong mapadangat ang kalamboan ngadto sa tibuok probinsiya pinaagi sa atong mga proyekto alang sa mga Katawhan,” Uy said during the ceremony. Tampilisan Mayor Angeles Carloto II also praised DAR for the project. DAR officials said the 2.5-kilometer farm-to-mar-
ket cost about P12.1 million under the Agrarian Reform Community Project II (ARCP2). Provincial agrarian reform officer Moh. Dassan Adju said DAR would continue its development efforts for the welfare of the agrarian reform beneficiaries. “We never stopped to push the development of our agrarian reform communities,” he said. He said DAR accelerates the delivery of support services to agrarian reform beneficiaries and other farmers through the implementation of foreign- assisted projects, one of which is the ARCP2. Under the DAR’s Agrarian Reform Communities Development Framework, these FAPs provide a package of interventions designed to ensure the productivity of awarded lands, increase household incomes and enhance the socio-economic status of Agrarian Reform Community residents. It covers gen-
der and development as well as participation of the indigenous people. The ARCP2 is funded by the Asian Development Bank and its long-term development goal is to reduce poverty in about 152 ARC clusters located in southern Philippines. Specifically, it aims to contribute to sustained improvements in the incomes of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries and non-ARBs and in the quality of life in the ARC. The ARCP2 is designed to provide development investment in the different components namely - the community-driven development as a lead component to mobilize the community, strengthen the organizational processes, improve governance and build stronger platform for sustainability. Agriculture and Enterprise development to increase productivity and profitability of income generating activities, develop and improve markets and market linkages,
Media group files charges vs. COMELEC MANILA – A local media group called Alab ng Mamamahayag or has filed graft charges at the Office of the Ombudsman against the Commission on Elections for allegedly violating Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. ALAM national chairman Jerry Yap said the complaint stemmed from the disqualification of their group from the May 13, 2013 midterm elections. He said the charges were filed against COM-
ELEC chairman Sixto Brillantes, Jr. and Commissioners Rene Sarmiento, Lucenito Tagle, Armando Velasco, Elias Yusoph, Christian Robert Lim and Maria Garcia Cielo Padaca. “Our disqualification despite the status quo order by the Supreme Court is a clear violation of Section 3(e) of RA 3019,” Yap said in a brief statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner. He said the law states: “Causing any undue injury to any party, includ-
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ing the Government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence. This provision shall apply to officers and employees of offices or government corporations charged with the grant of licenses or permits or other concessions.” Yap also said that the decision made by Brillantes and his colleagues is contrary to COMELEC Resolution No. 9467. There was no immediate statement from the COMELEC about Yap’s accusations.
and promote agribusiness. On the other hand, the rural infrastructure component is an enabler to improved production, cropping intensity, cost effectiveness and access to services, and enhanced ARC connectivity to promote agribusiness. Cooper ar ativ e ooperar arativ ative Adju said they also launched the DAR-CDA (Cooperative Development Authority) Partnership Program on Strengthening and Capacity Building of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperatives in Dipolog City. Under this program, the DAR had provided the necessary financial and technical assistance to the ARB cooperatives to enable them to effectively address the purposes and objectives of the cooperatives. The program also intended to provide 14 mandatory trainings that each cooperative must undergo as part of its continuing capacity building and cooperative professional-
ism process. To date, nine ARBOs consisting of nine cooperatives and two farmers or peoples organizations are being assisted in the ARCs and Agrarian Reform Areas (ARAs) in Zamboanga del Norte. From the nine assisted cooperatives in the ARCs and ARAs, nine cooperatives were re-registered with the CDA. To ensure that the prescribed training curricula for cooperatives, DAR Zamboanga del Norte had prioritized the nine cooperatives managing locally and foreign assisted projects to undergo the four mandatory trainings and as of this writing, the said trainings had already been undertaken. The training had focused on the development of competencies of the cooperative based on the provisions of the new cooperative code. It can be noted that although the cooperatives are managing their project with installed policies, system
and procedures, the provision of these training programs will ensure that all officers of the cooperative have fundamental knowledge and understanding of cooperative programs, practices and legal underpinnings for an efficient and sustainable management of their business services as well as projects provided by the DAR. The activity aims to sustain the cooperative’s operations and services to their members, and to enable them to engage in more sustainable, competitive and profitable business operations. Moreover, it also wants to gain insights on how to address the issues and concerns affecting the cooperatives in relation to the requirements of the CDA. Adju stressed that it is a must to continually educate the ARBs in order to empower them and to help them alleviate their lives from poverty which is the primary concern of the program.
The Mindanao Examiner 4 3 soldiers killed in Basilan fighting BASILAN PROVINCE – Three government soldiers were killed in a clash with suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels in the southern Philippine province of Basilan. According to the Mindanao Human Rights Action Center, the fight-
ing erupted in the village of Silangkum in Tipo-Tipo town. The soldiers were patrolling the village when they ran into a group of rebels, sparking the clashes. The fighting also triggered a mass evacuation and the some 300 villag-
ers have fled their homes for fear they would be caught in the cross-fire. Village officials said some of the civilians have returned home. The human rights center said it is monitoring the situation in the town. There was no immediate statement from the army about the fighting or the displacement of civilians due to the violence. (Mindanao Examiner)
Troops seize illegal logs in Davao Oriental
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
DAVAO CITY – Patrolling government troops have seized two truckloads on illegally cut timbers in the southern Philippine province of Davao Oriental, officials said. Officials said the soldiers, belonging to the 67th Infantry Battalion, confiscated the lumber after the truck drivers failed to show any permits to transport the logs in the village of Taytayan in Cateel town. The timbers were handed over the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the province. DENR regional director Joselin Marcus Fragada said from January to July this year, authorities have conducted 60 apprehensions and seizure of illegal lumber and 8 cases had been in courts against suspected illegal loggers. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said they will continue supporting the government in the anti-illegal campaign in southern Philippines. “We are supporting the national government in its environmental protection program,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
Aug. 12-18, 2013
Rescuers in action in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Ely Dumaboc)
Zambo village leaders to play active role in disaster response ZAMBOANGA CITY – Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar urged village leaders in Zamboanga City to adopt their own pre-emptive and mitigating measures to address and reduce risks in times of disasters and other calamities. She said villager leaders are the “ground incident commanders” and with city officials as immediate responders. “You (barangay officials) are the ground incident commanders, while we (local city officials) are your immediate responders,” she said. Zamboanga City has been battered by heavy rains that flooded many villages. The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Committee said more than 1,300 people were affected by floods in different areas in Zamboanga which also disrupted classes in the villages. Local weather expert Maribel Enriquez has advised residents to brace themselves for more rains to come due to the prevalent inter-tropical convergence zone, which is the breeding ground for typhoons in the country. “We still can expect more rains in the coming days,” Enriquez told the Mindanao Examiner. The local government said the worse-hit villages in Zamboanga were Tugbungan, Tetuan, Limpapa,
Divisoria, Manicahan and Patalon. The areas were also visited by Salazar to personally see the situation of villagers in various shelters and provided them aid. Flash floods brought about by days of continued rains have flooded many villagers in the southern Filipino port city of Zamboanga, authorities said. Hundreds of residents were affected by the floods and villages were submerged under water, some as high as four feet, but there were no reports of casualties. Coast guard and members of the Bureau of Fire Protection, including the police and civilian volunteers, have rescued many residents trapped in villages and brought them to safety. Villagers displaced by flash floods were asking the local government for food
and blankets as weather experts warned of more rains in the coming days due to low pressure area developing in the region. Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar, herself, also inspected areas devastated by floods and assured villagers of government aid. The local government has no rubber boats to compliment its disaster response teams despite the recurring problems of flooding in many villages. And the government is dependent only on the military and police rescue units, including civilian volunteers. Just recently, 2 children were killed after a landslide hit the village of Limpapa. Several houses were also destroyed in the landslide. ( With reports from Jun Feliciano, Ely Dumaboc and Dodong Ramos)
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco during a visit to a flooded village in Zamboanga City. (Photo by Joey Bautista)
The Mindanao Examiner
Sulu Governor Abdusakur "Totoh" A. Tan II
Eid is an event which provides us an opportunity to sit together, share our happiness and sorrows. May this great union be always a part of our lives. May Allah's love fill your heart with joy and peace this Eid and each day of the year to come. Eid Mubarak!
The Mindanao Examiner
Sulu Vice Governor Abdusakur M. Tan
This is a day which makes us together at one place, creates smiles on all Muslim faces, and increases our love for each other. May we always keep this spirit for each other. Eid Mubarak!
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The Mindanao Examiner
Aug. 12-18, 2013
Authorities fail to arrest ambushers of 3 Moro men Police investigators at the scene of the road accident in Guiwan village in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
2 wounded in Zambo road accident ZAMBOANGA CITY – A motorcycle rider was wounded after he rammed the rear of a tricycle in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. The tricycle driver, Teodulo Graciano, said he was driving with two passengers when they were rammed from behind near a bus terminal in the village of Guiwan. “It was a hard. I don’t know what hit us until I saw the motorcycle there in the middle of the road,” Graciano told the Mindanao Examiner. Graciano said his left
foot was injured from the accident and that his tricycle was also damaged from the powerful impact of the motorcycle. He said his passengers, shaken from the crash, just walked away. “I don’t know if they were injured, but they just walked away,” he said. “You can see the damage from my tricycle and its distance from that motorcycle over there and you can imagine the impact of this accident,” he said, pointing to the damaged motorcycle on the road and its driver still lying on the
road from the crash. A woman, who claims to be the sister-in-law of the motorcycle driver, has identified him as Gem Anthony Irea. “He was on his way to pick up somebody and this accident now,” she said. Irea, who was unconscious for several minutes, suffered a cut below his right eye as his frantic friends tried to prevent civilians and journalists from taking pictures of the victim. The ambulance arrived almost 30 minutes after the accident. (Mindanao Examiner)
Trade group seeks wage hike in CALABARZON MANILA - The Confederation of Labor and Allied Social Services-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines has filed petition for a P79.50 wage increase before the regional wage board in Laguna province. Ramon Certeza, of the CLASS-TUCP, said that workers lagged behind in terms of reaping the fruits of development in the CALABARZON region and heavily burdened with the rising prices of basic com-
modities. CALABARZON is an acronym for the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal at Quezon. Certeza said while CALABARZON has been one of the fastest growing regions in terms of economic development, averaging 5% yearly growth from 2002 to current year. The sad fact is workers are still in miserable state, with the current minimum wage pegged at P349.50 eroded by 2.7% to
3% due to inflation and high cost of basic needs. He further stressed that with the unabated increase of oil prices, rising costs of electricity, water and transportation continues to erode workers’ meager take home pay. Given the wage board granted the petition for a P79.50 increase, the new minimum wage would be of P429.00. However, this amount is still way below the living wage in the region.
COTABATO CITY – Philippine authorities have failed to arrest any of the four gunmen who attacked and killed three Muslims on their way to an Islamic symposium in Pagalungan town in the southern province of Maguindanao. The three men Usman Kanting, Normi Usman and Budin Guiamil – were killed by motorcycle gunmen who tailed them while they travelled on two motorcycles in the village of Baguer in Nor th Cotabato’s Libungan town.
A fourth man, Abdurahman Talib, who is an Islamic scholar, was wounded during his escape, according to the Mindanao Human Rights Action Center. Talib said he and his companions left their residences in Cotabato City to attend the symposium when gunmen attacked them without provocation. He said upon reaching the sparsely populated highway in Libungan, one of the four gunmen shot them one by one. He said his fa-
ther-in-law, Usman, and Guiamil were killed instantly. Talib said he managed to jump off the motorcycle after the gunmen fired upon them and he landed on the roadside and injuring his body, and ran away as the attackers also fled. Talib said a police car passed by right after the shooting, but it did not even bother to stop. He said villagers rushed him to the nearest hospital. The motive of the attack is still unknown. (Mindanao Examiner)
Katawhan gi-awhag magbantay batok sa rabies DIPOLOG CITY - Mikabat na ngadto sa 714 ka kaso sa mga pasyente nga napaakan sa malalang mananap dinhi sa dakbayan sa Dipolog kinsa nahatagan ug pag-atimangmedikal sa City Health Office sigun sa talaan niini alang sa una ug ikaduhang quarter ning tuig 2013. Nasayran ning buhatan sa impormasyon gikan ni Donabelle B. Velasco ang Animal Bite Treatment Center- Nurse, nga angayang ma-alarma na ang dakbayan karon gumikan kay 2nd quarter pa lang sa tuig , daghan na kaayo ang
nabiktima. Matud pa ni Velasco nga kung itandi ang record sa milabayng tuig 2012, aduna’y mikabat sa 766 ka kaso ang natala, samtang sa 2011 aduna usay mikabat ngadto sa 530 ka kaso. Busa karong tuiga angay’ng ma-alarma na ang tanan, gumikan kay nagkataas na ang kadaghanon sa pasyenteng nahitala sa record sa maong buhatan. Busa kung mapa-akan sa iro o sa ubang mga mananap nga malala, nagapahinumdom ang buhatan sa panglawas
alang sa pagdangop sa CHO aron mahatagan sa tukmang tambal sa antirabies. Gipahinumdoman usab ni Velasco kadtong napa-akan alang sa pagdangop sa ABTC-CHO aron matambalan. Subay niini, nagaawhag ang inahan ning dakbayan Mayor Evelyn T. Uy ngadto sa mga pet owners nga mamahimo unta silang responsableng tag-iya sa ilang mga mananap alayon sa akta republika 9482 nga mao ang Anti-Rabies Act of 2007. (MECC)
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The Mindanao Examiner
Aug. 12-18, 2013
Lawmakers denounce Aquino’s stance on ‘pork barrel’ MANILA – Seven Filipino lawmakers, who belong to the so-called Makabayan Coalition, denounced President Benigno Aquino stand on the controversial funds given to legislators for various development projects. The seven lawmakers - Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan, ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Anakpawis Rep. Fernando Hicap, Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate and Kabataan Rep. Terr y Ridon – have campaigned hard for the abolition of the Priority De-
velopment Assistance Fund following a scandal involving some P10 billion in PDAF projects of several legislators in the House of Representatives. “The President has chosen to make his stand known at a time when evidence provided by whistle blowers, together with findings of the Commission on Audit that are only now coming to light, are uncovering a widening network of corruption centered on the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Funds, involving scores of legislators, including members of his own Liberal Par ty, and even a
Policeman arrested for brutal slay of Muslim man ZAMBOANGA CITY – A policeman assigned in a region outside Manila has been arrested in Zamboanga City in connection with the brutal murder of a Muslim man. Police said the suspect has been identified by a key witness in the slaying of Alraben Jallao, who was killed recently by three men outside his house in Lower Calarian village. Jallao, 28, was seized by the men and dragged him out of the house and shot many times before being beheaded. Police said Jallao was heard by neighbors arguing with his attackers before he was killed. Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said Jallao was quoted by his neighbors as saying “Bakit ako sisisihin ninyo?” (Why blame me?) as he was being dragged by the gunmen. The assailants escaped after the killing and
taking with them the man’s head, Huesca said. Jallao’s body was peppered with bullets and police investigators said they recovered 55 bullet casings of M16 automatic rifle and .45-caliber pistol from the scene. Huesca said police are investigating the motive of the grisly killing. He said police forces involved in the arrest of the suspect had recovered an M16 rifle and bolo. The arrested policeman is assigned at the CALABARZON, the acronym for Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces. Gun attacks are not uncommon in Zamboanga City where killings continue unabated. Hired killers are actively operating in Zamboanga and they were largely blamed for the spate of attacks here. Most of the cases remain unresolved. (Mindanao Examiner)
member of his own Cabinet.” “Furthermore, the President has chosen to make his stand known when the snowballing public outrage has, for the first time, transformed the call for the abolition of the pork barrel system into a realistic proposition. No less than the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has taken a stand against pork. The President’s own allies in the Senate had expressed public support for the abolition of PDAF,” they said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. They said the timing of Aquino’s statement is clearly intended to squelch the momentum in favor of the abolition of the pork barrel system. They added that that the so-called “pork barrel scam” is a continuing racket that is not just a legacy of the previous administration, but persisted for years under the Aquino dispensation. “President Aquino’s pro-pork barrel stand utterly robs his vaunted anti-corruption campaign of any credibility. Daang Matuwid will be exposed as a sham. How can he reconcile Daang Matuwid with the system that has spawned what could prove to be one of the largest, longest-running corruption rackets in our history?” they asked. “The President himself has revealed how far he is willing to go in his anti-corruption drive— not far enough! It ends when it could threaten to
disrupt the system of patronage politics that enables the President to use PDAF as a carrot-andstick to control Congress and subvert separation of powers and checks-andbalances. It ends when it could lead to the abolition of the pork barrel system which political dynasties rely upon to ingratiate themselves with voters and maintain their grip on power,” the statement further said. The seven lawmakers called on Aquino to reexamine his stand, repudiate his support for pork barrel, and respond immediately to the clamor of citizens by removing the PDAF and the President's own pork barrel in the proposed 2014 budget already submitted by Malacañang to Congress. “We, the Makabayan Coalition, express our determination to fight for the abolition of the whole pork barrel system and other sources of corruption in all branches of government. We will not access our own PDAF allocations as we fight for its abolition. We will press for the rechanneling of Congress' and the President's pork barrel to finance the building and operations of more public schools, public hospitals and lowcost houses for the poor instead of privatizing and commercializing these services,” they said. There was no immediate reaction from Aquino’s spokesmen about the Makabayan’s demand, but congressmen receive P70 million in PDAF, and senators P200 million annually.
Money changer shot in Zambo City A MONEY trader was shot and wounded by one of five men who posed as passengers of a jeep in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines, police said Wednesday. Police said Andres Go, 66, who owns a foreign exchange shop in Zamboanga, was shot in the face in the village of Santa Barbara. His companion, Jimbang Haliluddin, 40, was unhurt from the attack. Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said the duo
was on its way to the village of Rio Hondo when the gunman declared the robbery. The assailant grabbed Go’s bag containing some P20,000 and shot him once in the face before the gang escaped. Go was rushed to hospital, but his condition is still unknown. Huesca said police launched an investigation into the case and that a team is tracking down the assailants in Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner)
Boy murdered by village official in Zamboanga Sur PAGADIAN CITY – Police arrested and filed criminal charges against a village official accused of murdering a ten-year old boy in Zamboanga del Sur in southern Philippines, officials said. Officials said Algien Lucero, 20, chairman of the Sanguniang Kabataan in the town of Aurora, allegedly bludgeoned Richard Lucero and hid his body at a banana plantation in the village of Bag-Ong to cover up the grisly murder. “Police have filed charges against him for the murder of the boy. He is now detained in Aurora police station,” said Chief Inspector
Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman. He said suspect was drunk when he killed the boy and told his friend, Dennis Lopez – who lives in the same house - about the murder and where he hid the body. Lopez later told the boy’s father about the murder after they came looking for him in his house where neighbors last saw the victim with the village official. Huesca said the motive of the killing is still unknown. It was not immediately known whether the accused was high on drugs at the time of the murder. (Mindanao Examiner)
JUST SAY
NO!
Human rights group opposes new US ambassador to the Philippines MANILA - The human rights group Karapatan has opposed the appointment of Philip Goldberg as US ambassador to the Philippines, saying his his shadowy past is a concern to freedom-loving Filipinos. The group also criticized US intervention and increase support for President Benigno Aquino’s counter-insurgency program called Oplan Bayanihan, saying it will aggravate human rights violations in the Philippines. Cristina Palabay, Secretary-General of Karapatan, said the recent appointment of Goldberg alongside reports of Washington’s increase of US military financing for the Philippines from $30 to $50 million signals renewed support for Oplan Bayanihan. According to Karapatan, Aquino’s implementation of Oplan Bayanihan resulted to 142 documented cases of extrajudicial killing and 164 frustrated killing; 16 incidents of enforced disappearance; 76 cases of torture; 540 cases of illegal arrest; and more than 30,000 victims of forced evacuation. In 2008, Goldberg, then US envoy to Bolivia, was
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The Mindanao Examiner
Aug. 12-18, 2013
sent back to the United States by the Bolivian government and was declared
Ambassador Philip Goldberg (Wikipedia) persona non grata for “conspiring against democracy and seeking the division of Bolivia." Prior to his appointment as the US ambassador to the Philippines, Goldberg is the of US Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research. Since 2008, the US has reduced military aid to the Philippines due to international pressure from various Philippine solidarity groups that campaigned on the issue of extrajudicial killings and other rights violations. In October last year,
Karapatan chided the Philippine government for “peddling lies on the human rights situation in Philippines to get increased military aid from the US,” following reports on Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s meetings with officials of the US State Department, the Department of Defense and with the American legislators led by Rep. Rogers who chairs the US House Committee on Appropriations. “The US and Philippine governments foment war and aggressive territorial issues between China and the Philippines to justify the US continuous use of Philippine territory as a launching pad for state terrorism and economic domination in Asia and the Pacific. They also camouflage their real intent to boost the Philippines' security forces’ efforts to attack the Filipino peoples’ rights via Oplan Bayanihan,” Palabay said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner. Karapatan noted that these moves are “unmistakably timed with the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ thrust to intensify its counter-insurgency program on Aquino’s second semester.”
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Pencing By Jun Feliciano (Zamboanga City) THE W ORD: BORN AGAIN IN THE SPIRIT THE need to be born again in the Spirit is very essential so as to be given the Power of Obedience to the Father’s will nay any difficulty at all. It is likened to a man only equipped with a bicycle that has to be physically pedalled with his both feet, as it has no power at all to travel with ease such a laborious distance. For sure, he’ll struggle that hard to be able to reach his remotest destination. He’ll even give up in the end-- hence his failure to reach his own long-distance journey. But, with a motor or engine-powered bike, like what we’re having right now with our known single motorcycle units, our long journey, for sure, will be that easy nay struggling that hard at all, correct? That’s as simple as that. So, being born again - of course, not in the flesh anymore, as we can only be born just once - in the spirit is a MUST for us to be able to attain Eternal Salvation. Born again will put to death our old selfl through Repentance. Repentance is for us (all human beings) to surrender our (human) will, and have to follow and obey His WORD based on the Scriptures, if we desire Eternal Salvation, because when we die physically, our edgy restive soul/s (after separation from its body) will desperately keep on searching for that one place where our soul/s can ultimately and truly rest at peace in eternity with our God and our Creator Almighty. Remember, there are only two final destinations where our soul/s will go after our death in this material and secular world— Hell or Heaven. There’s no in-between, my friend. TO FOLLOW HIS WILL, we have to invoke and obey His WORD: “FATHER, from now on, Thy Will be done in my life no matter what (meaning, without setting any conditions). THIS is enlightenment in the spirit, my friend. WE have nothing to lose here, except our sin… LTO-WESTERN MINDANA O TO MINDANAO IMPLEMENT MO TOR VEHICLES MOT VEHICLES’’ LICENSED PL ATES ANDARDIZ APLA TES’’ ST STANDARDIZ ANDARDIZATION PR OGRAM PROGRAM LTO-9 director Atty. Aminola “ALEX” Abaton is optimistic that high compliance can be achieved in his AOR - particularly in Zamboanga City - once its MV plates standardization program reels off, nationwide - beginning September this year. When invited by the City Council here, the other day, during its regular session, Dir. Abaton with his subordinates (with key responsibilities) tagging along, was emphatic in LTO’s pronouncement, that upon its no-nonsense implementation across the country, per directive of their LTO Chief, DOTC Asst. Sec. Virginia Torres, he’ll see to it that it’ll be enforced without fear or favor. He was very specific and true to his word as far as the so-called Commemorative Plates, as well as licensed plates bearing - in bold letters - PNP, NBI, Mason and whatever, smartly being displayed and sported by the supposed ‘VIPs.’ “WALA na mga iyon. We don’t anymore allow motor vehicles bearing such plates when we’re going to implement the MV plates’ standardization program. They will be apprehended already by our law enforcers.” IYON ang gusto ng taong bayan, walang pabor-pabor! Walang takottakot! AL AVAR ‘ VISA ALA VISA’’ ALAVAR’S proposal is good but…THE ALAVAR ‘VISA’ proposal for all single motorcycles to be attached
and/or pasted with a special sticker issued only by the local government here (the City Treasurer’s Office) has, for all intents and purposes, its rightful ingredients - but not to the LTO. AT one point in time, I talked all about it to the top LTO brass here, and apparently, such. “IT’LL only create more confusions and it’ll will even make things more complicated,” a top LTO source expressed dismay. “THIS will even infringe the constitutional rights of many of our motorcycle owners/drivers coming from the neighboring provinces, cities and municipalities. THIS will gravely mean that they cannot travel and enter our city unless their single motorcycles bear those special stickers issued and secured only from our city government here,” the source added. BUT, District 2 Councillor Mike Alavar III allayed such fear, stressing that such a proposal of his is yet subject to a public hearing before it can be implemented here. HE said he authored such move if only to help address the city’s erratic and deteriorating peace and order condition. “And, the stickers will be given for free. No fee/s will be exacted here,” he expounded the more. HE said such measure very effective and highly successful in other parts of the country-- particularly in highly-urbanized cities where their peace & order is as erratic and as problematic as ours here. “SO, let’s try it here, for we all know, gun-attacks are prevalent occurrences right here in our own city,” Alavar underscored. THE ALAVAR measure keeps us edgy, for it looms to face-off LTO, in the end. YANGA TO R UN FOR MA YOR IN RUN MAY Z AMBO Y? AMBOANGA CITY? ANGA CIT THERE’s this snowballing call from a supposed strong movement for Chief Superintendent Mario Yanga to run for city mayor in Zamboanga come 2016 polls. ACCORDING to a top source close to our good friend police general Yanga, such movement is close to VP Jojo Binay and if Yanga decides to throw his hat into the political arena here after he shall have retired from the PNP service by next year (2014), when he reaches the mandatory age for retirement at age 56. “YANGA is the very right person to deal with criminals here involved in a series of many unresolved barbaric and senseless gun-related cases, killing innocent individuals with impunity,” one Yanga supporter told Mindanao Examiner. YANGA has yet to comment on this speculative report, and if Pencing happens to cross path with the good police general one of these days, this one amusing rumor will surely be asked of him, if true or not.. MA YOR BENG IS DOING GREA T MAY GREAT BUT, Lady Mayor Beng Climaco is doing great as of now, so far. People, the exact figure at 179 voters here who elected the good lady city executive into local office for her to reign City Hall, are all in unison for her to stay put at City Hall, as she’s doing just fine, to the extent of even risking her life in venturing as far as those island barangays where many won’t dare to tread. KEEP it up Mayor Beng! DON’T ever allow anyone meddle in your local governance here. “TIENE alli Pencing, ta precura man upstage cun Mayor Beng. Ta precura ya tamen maga palabas suyu alli. Ta precura yatamen suyu mga publicity stunts,” Si Bogs ya ace su observacion...ese pahh... (jayfeliciano2 @yahoo.com)
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TERROR LEADERS ESCAPE ARMY OPS IN BASILAN
P
hilippine Ar my tr oops Army troops continue to hunt do wn key leaders of down the A bu S ayyaf with Abu Sayyaf links to the IIndonesian ndonesian terr or terror gr oup JJemaah emaah IIslamiyah slamiyah in the group souther n pr ovince of B asilan. southern pro Basilan. Fighting broke out last week in the town of Al-Barka after security forces raided an Abu Sayyaf encampment. The clash killed 7 rebels and one soldier, said Colonel Carlito Galvez, commander of army forces in Basilan. He said the fighting also left three soldiers wounded. He said troops clashed with Abu Sayyafs leaders - Nurhassan Jamiri, Isnilon Hapilon, Puruji Indama and Khair Mundos - who have links with the Indonesian militant Jemaah Islamiya, blamed for the spate of deadly bombings in the Philippines and Indonesia in the past. Shields He said the Abu Sayyaf leaders are hiding in areas where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front the country’s largest Muslim rebel group which is currently negotiating peace with Manila – is operating and using them as shield from pursuing soldiers. Galvez said they stormed
the area after intelligence u n i t s c o n firmed the presence of terrorists in the village of Macalang. He said troops recovered improvised explosives assembled f r o m Google map of Al Barka m o r t a r Examiner) bombs in the encampment. “The intent of the operations is to pre-empt Abu Sayyaf terror plan to attack the municipalities of Tipo-Tipo and Ungkaya Pukan, and the cities of Isabela and Lamitan (in Basilan), and Zamboanga City,” he told the Mindanao Examiner. “The pursuit operation was also intended to recover IED components for bombings immediately after the
Islamic Liberat i o n Front) a n d MNLF (Moro National Liberat i o n Front) areas. The operation was executed with utm o s t considerations to the sutown in Basilan province in southern Philippines. (Mindanao premacy of the (govern(Islamic) Hari-Raya (celebration ment) peace process with rebels,” Galvez said. after Ramadan).” He said among the slain Abu Sayyaf rebels also atrebels were middle commanders. tacked an MILF camp in Al Barka He said the body of the slain sol- town in an effort to drag them into diers and those wounded in the the fighting against security fighting were airlifted to forces. Basilan is one of five provZamboanga City. inces under the Muslim autono“Government casualties were mous region. Vigilance caused by sniper fires and heavily-defended and rugged terRegional Governor Mujiv rain in the middle or MILF (Moro Hataman has urged villagers in
Basilan to stay calm and vigilant due to the threats of terrorism. “We should stay vigilant and calm and at the same time support the efforts of our government to bring peace and development not only in Basilan, but to all the provinces under the autonomous region,” he said. “Our peace and development efforts are continuing and we shall not be distracted by violence or threats of terrorism. Let us all support these efforts and we shall overcome all these problems and emerge stronger and firm in our resolve to bring peace in the region,” Hataman said. The Mindanao Human Rights Action Center said some 3,000 civilians in the villages of Guinanta, Macalang, Danapa, Linuan and Magcawa have fled the fighting and sought safe refuge in other areas. Galvez said the fighting, which began at 4 a.m. lasted about 6 hours. It was not immediately known whether the Abu Sayyaf was involved in the series of bombings in Mindanao since last month that killed and wounded dozens of people. (Mindanao Examiner)
Kidnapped Malaysian national escaped from Sayyaf ZAMBOANGA CITY – Philippine authorities said a Malaysian national kidnapped last year in the eastern state of Sabah had escaped from his Abu Sayyaf captors in the southern Filipino province of Sulu.
Police said Chong Wei Jie, 25, was spotted by a policeman, Baltazar Sawadi walking alone in the village of Pasil in Indanan town and brought him to the headquarters where he was fed and interviewed by authori-
ties.
Chong told police investigators that his cousin Chong Wei Fei, 33, died in captivity from a lingering illness and that he alone escaped from his kidnappers. “SPO1 Baltazar Sawadi,
who was patrolling the village, spotted the man who turned out to be one of two Malaysian nationals kidnapped in Sabah. He said he escaped from his captors, but his cousin died in captivity,” Senior Superintendent
Human rights group urges Philippines to investigate murder of transport leader DAVAO CITY – The Hong Kong-based Asia Human Rights Commission urged Filipinos to write a letter to President Benigno Aquino and other government agencies to investigate the murder of a transport leader who had taken part in a campaign exposing corruption in the government's transport board. It said motorcycle gunmen shot Antonio Petalcorin, Sr., president of the Davao City-based group, Network of Transport Organizations (NETO) and a member of the Alliance of Progressive Labor. He was shot three times at the garage of his
ARMM
residence in Maharlika Village on July 2. The AHRC said it is also writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. It said Petalcorin's name had previously appeared in the alleged military order of battle leaked in 2008. It said the murder was caught on a closed-circuit television camera and showed the gunman as he left the scene riding on a motorcycle. A cartographic sketch of the gunman is now with the police. AHRC, quoting documentation by the nongovernmental Task Force Detainees of the Philippines,
said “Petalcorin's wife heard her husband shouting after he was shot. When she hurried out to their garage her husband was already lying on the ground. She immediately called the emergency hotline. The emergency team, along with policemen, came after 15 minutes and by that time, Petalcorin was already dead.” According to Petalcorin's wife, she was not aware of any threats that her husband had received prior to his murder. Emilio Rivera, another leader of a transport group in Davao City and former chairperson of Matina Aplaya Transport Cooperative, was also murdered on January
Southern Mindanao
Davao
25, 2013. Both Petalcorin and Rivera took part in a campaign exposing corruption inside the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board. Extrajudicial killings are not uncommon in Davao City and many of the victims were individuals with police records. Most of the murders are blamed to the so-called Davao Death Squads, but human rights groups have also blamed the police and military for some of the killings of political activists and civilian suspected as communist rebels in Davao and nearby provinces. (Mindanao Examiner)
Manila
Abraham Orbita, the provincial police chief, told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. No other details were made available by the police and the Malaysian embassy and the Filipino government have not issued any statement about Chong’s daring escape. It was also unknown whether Chong was telling the truth or not, but his sweet freedom came just recently after Malaysian police said it wanted to establish contact with the kidnappers to pave way for negotiations for the safe release of the victims. The statement came after their captors sent a photo of the duo taken in March 7 to the Malaysian newspaper The Star. The two cousins, managers of a palm plantation in Lahad Datu town, were kidnapped in November 13 by five gunmen disguised as Malaysian policemen and dragged them to a waiting speed boat and sped towards the southern Philippines. Sabah Police Commissioner Hamza Taib was quoted by Malaysia Chronicle as saying that they
wanted to re-establish contact with the kidnappers. Ransom negotiations for the safe release of the hostages were disrupted by the intrusion in February of Sulu Sultanate forces in Lahad Datu which eventually ended in a fierce battle that left dozens of people dead and wounded. The Abu Sayyaf is still holding several foreigners and Filipino captives in the southern region. And Manila has not released any progress reports on the Abu Sayyaf hostages. In 2010, suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen also kidnapped two Malaysian seaweed farmers - Vui Chung, 42, and Lai Wing Chau, 33 – in a daring raid on Semporna near Lahad Datu and brought them to Tawi-Tawi where they had been ransomed off for two million ringgits. And on 2001, the Abu Sayyaf raided the island-resort of Sipadan and seized 21 mostly Western holidaymakers and ransomed them off to Malaysia and Libya for millions of dollars. (Mindanao Examiner)
Zamboanga Peninsula