Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III provides testimony at the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on “A Review of the President's Fiscal Year 24 Budget Request: Investing in U.S. Security, Competitiveness and the Path Ahead for the U.S.-China Relationship” at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chad J. McNeeley, DOD)
THE GROUP of Seven (G7) ended its three-day gathering in Hiroshima as crowds of protesters took to the streets against the U.S.-led bloc's latest steps to undermine world peace.
SULU - Governor Sakur Tan and Vice Governor Toto Tan thanked Vice President Sara Duterte for bringing social services closer to the people following the recent visit of her team to the province.
Both father and son
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A demonstrator holds a placard at Hiroshima's Funairi Daiichi Park in a protest against the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, Japan. (Photo by Zhang Xiaoyu / Xinhua)
COTABATO CITY — A proposed bill which outlines the guiding principles for the Rehabilitation Action
Plan and the Livelihood Restoration Plan has been introduced by MP Ali Sangki, the main author of the
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DIPOLOG CITY - Gidayeg ug gipasalamatan sa kagamahanang probinsyal
sa liderato ni Governor Rosalina “Nanay Nene” Jalosjos ang Sangguni-
ang Panlalawigan nga gi-aprobahan ang sulatContinue on page 6 Continue on page 6
MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has no intention of convincing Vice President Sara Duterte to return to the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats or Lakas-CMD following her resignation recently.
Duterte, who is also the concurrent Education secretary, resigned after her closest ally, Rep. Gloria Arroyo, was demoted from being a Senior Deputy Speaker to Deputy Speaker. Arroyo was suspected of plotting to oust House
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Members of the the Islamic State East Asia Province (ISEAP) have branded the MILF as “apostate Moro militia” and considered the once powerful rebel group as a rival, according to a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) which monitors, tracks, translates, researches, and analyzes cyber jihad originating from the Middle East, Iran, South Asia, and North and West Africa.
ISEAP has also attacked various MILF positions since 2021, according to MEMRI, which cited the ISIS weekly Al-Naba.
MEMRI, upon the request of the regional newspaper, The Mindanao Examiner, released its report of the ISEAP attack on MILF positions in Maguindanao, a major stronghold of the former secessionist group headed by Ahod Ebrahim, now the Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro autonomous region.
This is the MEMRI report: “On May 17, 2023,
the Islamic State East Asia Province (ISEAP) claimed responsibility for a May 13 attack against Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) positions with machine guns, in the village of Tuayan, in the area of Maguindanao, southern Philippines, causing MILF operatives to flee. Later, ISEAP fighters burned the positions and seized an RPG launcher.”
“In the last few years, ISEAP has claimed several attacks against “apostate Moro militia” - an Islamist insurgent group fighting to establish an independent Muslim state in the southern Philippines - and considers MILF a rival. On October 7, 2021, ISEAP fighters attacked an emplacement of the MILF in Datu Salibo, Maguindanao province. Issue 332 of ISIS weekly Al-Naba’ reported that on March 9, 2022, ISEAP fighters killed a member of MILF in Inaladan, Maguindanao province, and seized his rifle.”
“ISEAP activity declined noticeably between 2019 and 2021, but ex-
perienced a slight resurgence the following year, after losing many senior leaders in quick succession and causing the ISIS branch in the Philippines to split into small groups. The attack on May 13 is the third attack claimed by ISEAP in 2023. On February 6, ISEAP fighters ambushed Philippine army forces, in Lanao del Sur province, Mindanao Island in the south of the country, killing one soldier and wounding three and on April 20, 2023, Al-Naba’ claimed that ISEAP fighters detonated an IED against Filipino army, in Lanao del Sur province, injuring many.”
The report was exclusive to MEMRI members only.
The ISEAP attack was first reported by SITE Intelligence Group, an American for-profit consultancy group that tracks online activity of white supremacist and jihadist organizations. “In Rare Communique, ISEAP Reports Clash with MILF Fighters in Maguindan-
ao,” it said, but the report is also exclusive to its paying members.
A tweet by War Noir, a part-time weapons and conflicts researcher, reported that ISEAP claimed responsibility for a May 13 attack against MILF
positions with machine guns causing MILF operatives to flee. “Later, ISEAP fighters burned the positions and seized an RPG launcher,” War Noir tweeted with an accompanying photo of ISEAP war booties.
It was unknown whether Philippine authorities were unaware of the ISEAP attacks or have not reported the clashes for a still unknown reason and Ebrahim has also not released any statement. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Analysts have said that absolute U.S. dominance only creates deeper cracks among the group and beyond. Unity and consensus were elusive during the G7 summit held in the western Japanese city.
The summit covered many topics but unfortunately ended with a focus on interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and hindering their development.
The G7 Hiroshima Leaders' Communique spilled much ink on China, unwarrantedly depicting the country as a trouble-maker, only stopping short of directly naming it.
Japanese scholar Kazuteru Saionji found it absurd to demand China play by international rules while the United States and some of its G7 partners are the major rule-breakers on the world stage.
“In my opinion, it is better to return the exact same words to the G7,” he told Xinhua. “It is the United States and G7 nations that should take a responsible attitude and abide by international rules.”
The joint statement and other documents adopted at the summit also contained comments on the Taiwan Strait and accusations regarding the East China Sea, the South China Sea, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.
China strongly deplores and firmly opposes the G7's attempts to smear and attack China and brazenly interfere in China's internal affairs and has objected to the summit's host, Japan, and other parties concerned, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said.
“China's internal affairs should be solved by China itself. Intervention is a violation of international rules,” said Saionji.
Days before and during the Hiroshima summit, U.S.
government officials continually mentioned so-called “economic coercion” and “de-risking,” alleging that the G7 leaders would adopt a unified approach by releasing “a statement on China.”
“By dragging the G7 bloc to suppress China under the pretext of de-risking, the country is deliberately undermining free trade and the global economic division of the labor system,” said Saionji, who expressed the belief that the country is peddling imaginary threats in its own version of world order.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, the United States is the true coercer in weaponizing economic and trade relations through unilateral sanctions, decoupling efforts, and disrupting industrial and supply chains. The spokesperson urged the G7 to refrain from becoming an accomplice.
Local observers said that with significantly weakening economic heft, the G7 cannot represent the world. Yet, they still cling to a Cold War mentality and fail to acknowledge current global trends toward peace and stability.
A recent report from the International Monetary Fund showed that the contribution of BRICS countries to world economic growth has surpassed that of G7 nations, and the upward trend will continue in the foreseeable future.
The BRICS countries will guarantee 32.1 percent of world economic growth this year, compared to G7's 29.9 percent, according to the organization's estimates.
Atsushi Koketsu, emeritus professor at Yamaguchi University of Japan, said that with the international community moving toward pluralism, the G7 should take note. “I believe the major developing countries will not act according to the
United States. They hope for world peace and stability,” said Saionji commenting on Japan's invitation for the so-called “Global South” nations to the summit.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who holds the G7's rotating presidency, has been criticized for hosting the summit in Hiroshima, a city once devastated by U.S. atomic bombing, as a political stunt.
In the eyes of Saionji, raising the Taiwan question is an unwise move by Japan. “The Taiwan question is one of China's internal affairs. U.S. intervention complicated the situation,” said the scholar, adding that meddling in the Taiwan question will surely damage China-Japan relations.
Saionji believes East Asian countries are against creating regional tensions and provoking confrontation. Therefore, the United States and Japan's attempt to play the Taiwan card is doomed to fail.
Looming disputes
Rallies and demonstrations against the U.S.-manipulated G7 were held for days at multiple locations across the nation. Placards and banners, such as “U.S. out of Asia Pacific,” “Crush the G7 Summit,” “No Warthemed Conference” and “Hands off on Ukraine,” were seen at the demonstration in downtown Hiroshima, where clashes between the police and protesters were reported.
During last week’s summit, G7 nations, with the United States taking the lead, vowed to escalate sanctions against Russia and intensify diplomatic, financial, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine in the leaders' communique.
“The U.S.-centered bloc's non-stop military support to Ukraine will only make a truce out of reach. I strongly condemn this kind of act,” said Koketsu. (Xinhua)
COTABATO CITY — “We, in the government, should take serious steps in considering madrasah education as an important part of education, not just a source of basic Islamic education but a source of inspiration for real-world advancements,” said Member of the Parliament Jaafar Apollo Mikhail Matalam, one of the authors of Parliament Bill No. 142.
The proposed bill would create a funding scheme for Madaris educational system in an effort to improve the quality of education available to Muslim students in the region.
Matalam, together with the other authors of the proposed bill, MPs Rasul Ismael and Eddie Alih, recognized the challenges faced by the Madaris in the Bangsamoro autonomous region, noting that “up to date, many private Madaris are still located in poor communities and are woefully ill-equipped in terms of social facilities, books, teaching or learning devices,
and some teachers are not afforded a consistent salary.”
Under the proposed measure, a fund system for Madaris will be established for the development of Madaris’ facilities, scholarship grants, teacher development programs, and accreditation of private madrasah. Subsidies and other incentives will be made available to deserving grantees, with a focus on the economically disadvantaged.
The Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education will mandate a mechanism to boost madrasah standards and expand access to the system for more Muslim students.
Once approved, an amount of P10 million will be allotted and charged to the current appropriations of MBHTE’s Madaris Bureau.
Programs and assistance for teachers and students in Madaris include nutrition and feeding programs for young children; classroom facilities;
textbook assistance funds; in-service training funds for teachers; scholarship grants for the teachers’ children; scholarship grants to qualified students; funding for trainings and seminars of Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education, (ALIVE) teachers; increases in ALIVE teachers’ salaries; funding for Madaris registration and accreditation; and madrasah infrastructure development.
The authors of PB No. 142 further stated that it is important to reinforce all Madaris in the Bangsamoro region by giving additional educational funds, which will be a key element in the operational improvement of its educational quality.
MPs Michael Midtimbang, Denmartin Kahalan, Atty. Suharto Ambolodto, Dr. Susana Anayatin, Abdulazis Amenodin, Abdullah Macapaar, Diamila Disimban-Ramos, Akmad Abas, Dr. Hashemi Dilangalen,
COTABATO CITY – The Bangsamoro Parliament has introduced five significant bills, showcasing the regional government’s commitment to the welfare of senior citizens, the advancement of information and communications, and the protection of Lake Lanao.
Government agencies and local governments in the Bangsamoro area are being urged to set up dedicated support desks for senior citizens and persons with disabilities as part of Parliament Bill No. 151.
It will serve as a desk where senior citizens and people with disabilities (PWDs) where they can make inquiries, ask for any form of assistance, or file any complaints. It will attend to, help with, and address their concerns or problems.
“As a Bangsamoro, we give our utmost respect to our families’ elderly members and those with disabilities. We give due recognition to their needs by taking all necessary measures that provide them ease and convenience,” said MP Engr. Baintan Ampatuan, the principal author of the proposed bill.
Ampatuan added that the government will prioritize the elderly and PWDs in the delivery of government services. To better plan, promote, and aid in the development of the region’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, Parliament Bill No. 152 calls for the establishment of the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.
Once approved, the Ministry will consist of the Minister’s office, the offices of the Deputy Ministers and their immediate staff, as well as provincial offices.
Free school lunches for all
COTABATO CITY – Recognizing the immediate need to improve health facilities in the Bangsamoro autonomous region, three proposed measures to upgrade and create hospitals in the provinces of Maguindanao and Sulu entered first reading.
The bills’ authors stressed that it is the responsibility of the Bangsamoro government to ensure everyone has access to quality healthcare.
Another bill, known as Establishment of Datu Piang Municipal Hospital, or BTA Bill No. 147, authored by the same women legislators and MP Arch. Eduardo Guerra, seeks to establish and construct a level 1 municipal hospital with a 50-bed capacity in Datu Piang town in Maguindanao del Sur province.
interventions will have to travel to the municipality of Jolo to be attended to and admitted to a hospital,” they said, adding, the data shows that there is a high mortality rate in Talipao, which can be attributed to the lack of available healthcare facilities.
children are one of the nutrition-focused initiatives pushed for by PB No. 153. Every public-school kindergarten and elementary student in Bangsamoro will be eligible for the free lunch program.
According to the authors of PB No. 153, at least 95 Filipino children die every day due to malnutrition, as reported by the United Nations Children’s Fund. Despite continued economic progress, malnutrition persists in the Philippines, the report added.
If PB No. 153 is approved, students will be provided with free lunch five days a week from the first day of school until the last day of classes.The bill prioritizes those schools with reported severe malnutrition, those located in armed conflict, and those in highly congested areas.
The Bangsamoro Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth will provide intensive treatment for the rehabilitation of “children in conflict with the law” who have been convicted by final judgment, according to BTA Bill No. 154, or the Bangsamoro Regional Rehabilitation Center Act of 2023.
The facility will serve as a nurturing out-of-home placement for children in need of institutional rehabilitation and transformation. The youth rehabilitation center will provide 24hour group care, treatment, and rehabilitation services under the guidance of trained staff, where residents are cared for in a structured therapeutic environment with the end goal of reintegrating them into their families and communities as socially functioning individuals.
A Council for the Welfare of Children will also be established under the Office of the Chief
Minister to coordinate the implementation and enforcement of all laws relative to the promotion of child and youth welfare within the Bangsamoro Region.
The last proposed measure, Parliament Bill No. 155, or the Lake Lanao Rehabilitation and Development Authority Act of 2023, aims to create the Lanao Rehabilitation and Development Authority, which will be responsible for the overall policymaking, planning, coordination, and management of the implementation of the Lake Lanao Rehabilitation and Development.
Among its powers and functions are: exercising regulatory and supervisory authority in the implementation of rehabilitation and development programs and projects within the Lake Lanao Area; entering into contracts, memoranda, agreements, and other cooperative arrangements with public and private entities; accepting donations, contributions, grants, bequests, or gifts in cash or in kind from various sources, domestic or foreign, in consonance with existing laws and regulations; facilitating the preparation of a 30-year Lake Lana Rehabilitation and Development Plan;
Development master plan with feasibility studies of the top 10 potential big-ticket projects; formulate a multi-year investment and budget proposal based on the 30-year master plan; among others.
As these bills – all introduced in the first reading - progress through the legislative process, the Parliament encourages stakeholders from various sectors to actively engage and provide their insights and feedback.
(LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)
The BTA Bill No. 146 - authored by MPs Susana Anayatin and Engr. Baintan Adil-Ampatuan - also known as “Upgrading Datu Odin Sinsuat District Hospital 2023,” aims to increase the number of beds from 50 to 100 beds, and improve the hospital’s infrastructure, quality of healthcare, and number of staff at the hospital in Maguindanao del Norte province.
“With the outnumbered professional medical staff and personnel, patients are deemed deprived of their right to proper medical attention and intervention for quick response to their recovery and recuperation,” the lawmakers said.
Statistics indicate that the hospital’s expansion was spurred by the surrounding Maguindanao municipality with the biggest population. The hospital has evolved into a referring unit from the surrounding communities and has occasionally taken on a large volume of cases and patients from other neighboring municipalities.
The lawmakers explained that government hospitals are “more ideal and well-encouraged than private hospitals in many aspects,” including access to more medical professionals, the efficiency of facilities, and the technology that only a government hospital can provide.
There are 28,380 people living in Datu Piang as of the 2020 census, yet the only government building there is the Datu Piang Rural Health Unit. According to the bill, the Datu Piang Municipal Hospital will primarily serve patients of the town, but it will also supplement and support the care provided by hospitals in neighboring communities if and when the need arises.
Meanwhile, MPs Adzfar Usman and Amilbahar Mawallil also proposed building a 50bed, level 1 general hospital in Sulu’s Talipao town.
In the bill’s explanatory note, the main authors of PB No. 149 said that Talipao lacks a hospital, with only barangay health stations and rural health units now available to serve the municipality’s residents. “Patients in need of emergency medical
With 52 villages and 100,088 residents, Talipao is one of the largest municipalities in Sulu. However, getting there requires a combination of sea and air travel from Zamboanga City.
The Sulu Integrated Provincial Health Office will have direct administrative and technical oversight of the facility. Once enacted, Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act will require three hospitals to integrate all the pertinent and relevant provisions into their systems of operations.
The hospitals will be under the administrative supervision of the Minister of Health, who is authorized to determine and approve the appropriate organizational structure for the management and operations of the facility.
To date, the Bangsamoro Parliament has enacted bills that will construct and upgrade hospitals in the towns of Binidayan and Wao in Lanao del Sur; Buluan town in Maguindanao del Sur; Datu Blah Sinsuat town in Maguindanao del Norte, and Maimbung town in Sulu. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)
COTABATO CITY - An office dedicated to the promotion and maintenance of plant and animal industries in the Bangsamoro autonomous region is proposed in a measure filed by legislators to improve the efficiency of the planning and delivery of its programs.
The Parliament Bill No. 150, or the “Bangsamoro Plant and Animal Industries Act of 2023,” calls for the establishment of an office that will serve as the primary Bangsamoro government entity responsible for the comprehensive and integrated development of the plant and animal industries in BARMM.
According to MP Engr. Baintan Adil-Ampatuan, the main author of the proposed measure, said agriculture is a crucial economic factor in the region. She continued by highlighting that it is not spared from
other potential threats or risks to animals, plants, the human population, or the environment.
“The agriculture industry in the region should be protected from biosecurity threats like attacks from invasive species, pests, and diseases that can cause damage to agricultural production,” she said.
The Bangsamoro Plant and Animal Industries Office (BPAIO) will coordinate the efforts of government bodies to ensure the success of plant and animal industries in the region. For coordination plans and policies, the BPAIO will be an attached agency to the BARMM’s Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform Ministry.
They are also required to submit an annual report to the BARMM’s Chief Minister, indicating, among other things, the list of programs being im-
plemented, the stage of implementation, and the financial position of the BPAIO.
Ampatuan said the Bangsamoro Government recognizes its duty and obligation to protect and promote the well-being of the people, plant and animal population, environment, and its respective ecosystems in order to meet the requirements of the growing populace and guarantee the nation’s survival.
PB No. 150 was co-authored by MPs Amilbahar Mawallil, Atty. Laisa Alamia, Atty. Suharto Ambolodto, Don Mustapha Loong, Atty. Rasol Mitmug Jr., Rasul Ismael, Khalid Ma-Amor Hadji Abdullah, Jaafar Apollo Mikhail Matalam, Bassir Utto, and Tawakal Midtimbang (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)
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Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin of Marcos.
Marcos said he understands Duterte on her decision to resign from the Lakas-CMD party.
“Alam n’yo naman, si VP Inday Sara is very plain-spoken. Kung ano ang sinabi niya ‘yun ang ibig sabihin nun. She has too much work to do that she cannot be involved in any – that she cannot allow herself to be distracted. That’s the way I read it,” Marcos said.
Marcos said Duterte must have been overwhelmed and decided to resign from Lakas-CMD amid all her obligations to the people being the Vice President and Education Secretary.
“It’s true because kung titignan mo, kung ano ang mga hinaharap n’ya ay talagang marami talaga at hindi n’ya pwede – to be involved in whatever it is that is going on –she has to concentrate on her job as Secretary for the DepEd and now NTF-ELCAC,” Marcos said, referring to Duterte’s recent designation as Vice Chairperson of the controversial National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
“So, I can understand why sasabihin niya ‘sige ayusin n’yo muna ‘yan, gagawin ko muna itong mga importanteng kailangan kong tapusin’,” Marcos
added, referring to Duterte’s sudden resignation.
Benar News also reported Duterte thanked party members for their support, but said politics would not distract her from doing her job. “Nothing is more important to me than being able to meaningfully serve our fellow Filipinos and the Philippines – with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr leading the way. Trust that my word, my commitment will be immutable,” she said.
Duterte, 44, is the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, the former president whose sixyear term ending last year was marked by widespread killings of alleged drug addicts and dealers. Marcos has been under pressure from local and international human rights groups to allow International Criminal Court prosecutors to enter the Philippines to investigate the thousands of deaths under his predecessor.
Analysts have said that Marcos, a member of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas party who was backed by Lakas-CMD, had promised the Vice President that he would not hand over her father to international investigators, clearing the way for Marcos’ successful presidential run.
“The power play and intramurals in Lakas may result in further resignations by Ar-
royo and Duterte loyalists” ahead of the 2028 presidential election, said Edcel Lagman, an opposition congressman.
“These political developments will have repercussions in the revamp of the Marcos cabinet,” he said.
Arroyo claimed that she was demoted over fears that she posed a threat to Romualdez. “When I learned that there were reports that I was suspected of plotting a ‘coup’ against Speaker Romualdez, I decided I must speak out to clarify my political position,” Arroyo told reporters.
She said she was content to represent her district in the lower house while supporting the legislative agenda of Marcos and Romualdez.
In December 2019, the anti-graft body under the Duterte administration cleared Arroyo of corruption charges filed in 2016 over allegations she misused more than P73.6 million (U.S. $1.3 million) in funds from the state-run lottery agency.
The case against Arroyo, 76, and several officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office stemmed from allegations of misuse of funds from 2004 to 2007. The office raises funds for health programs and medical assistance through daily lotteries. (Mindanao Examiner, Benar News)
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THE U.S. Department of Defense is now investing more in its force posture in the Pacific, including $9.1 billion aimed at the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI), according to Defense Lloyd J. Austin III.
“We're focusing the entire department on continuing to outpace the PRC (People’s Republic of China) as the President's National Security Strategy notes. The PRC is our only competitor, with both the intent and increasingly the capacity to reshape the international system to suit its autocratic preferences,” Austin told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee during a recent testimony, adding, that increase funds more agile approaches to testing and acquisition and development of new operational concepts for how the joint force is employed.
Also important for successful competition with China is teamwork across the federal government, including with both the State Department and the Commerce Department. The secretaries of both agencies testified alongside Austin.
“We work with the Department of State to help prevent conflict from breaking out in the first place. We protect the free and open trade lanes that drive the world economy. And we're supporting the Department of Commerce's leading role in implementing the Chips and Science Act. And we work closely with Commerce to advance our technological advantages,” Austin said.
Nations in the Indo-Pacific, Austin said, are as interested in keeping
the region open for free trade as the United States. Austin also said those nations are viable partners in the endeavor.
“Most countries in the region share a common vision of an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, free of bullying and coercion. We're proud to stand together with them. So we'll continue to strengthen the rules-based international order by making clear the folly of aggression and maintaining open lines of communication,” he said.
The U.S. depends on its network of allies and partners to further its interests — including successfully competing with China.
“The whole administration is working to deepen ties with our network of alliances. We're working with our friends around the Indo-Pacific and the world through security cooperation and assistance, and through combined operations and exercises. We're also working to develop innovative new capabilities and deepen integrated deterrence,” Austin said.
One example of that, he said, is increased deployment of assets in Japan, including plans to deploy the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment. Another example is new force posture initiatives with Australia. And in the Philippines, he said, the U.S. will have access to new locations to rotate forces in and out.
“Meanwhile, we're expanding our security cooperation with South Korea, India, Thailand, Singapore and many others. We're deepening our ties with (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
and the Quad (the United States, Australia, India and Japan.) And I'm pleased that the United States will soon provide significant additional security assistance to Taiwan through the Presidential drawdown authority that Congress authorized last year,” Austin said.
Austin also said that successful competition with China means that the U.S. must pass an on-time budget to fund the efforts he discussed. “The best way that Congress can ensure our strategic advantage is with an on-time appropriation that supports the President's budget request. No amount of money can buy back the time that we lose when we're forced to operate on continuing resolutions,” he said.
Without an on-time budget, Austin explained, the department is hampered in its ability to start important new contracts which are important to its defense efforts. One example of that, he said, is with ship-building efforts, which would affect delivery of Columbia-class and Virginia-class submarines, for instance. “It will delay our ability to get the critical munitions that we need for ourselves and also to support our allies and partners as well," Austin said.
Included among the kinds of munitions that a continuing resolution might affect the availability of are the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, Tomahawks, the Advanced Medium Range Air-ToMissile and MK 48 torpedoes. “The list is pretty extensive,” Austin said. (C. Todd Lopez)
Continued from page 1 Continued from page 1 hangyo nga mga sakyanan ug ekwipo alang sa probinsya nga nadawat na karon sa kagamhanang probinsyal, kini ang gibutyag ni Acting Provincial Administrator Wilberth Magallanes. Gipahimutang sa nataran sa Kapitolyo ang 4 ka ambulansya alang sa mga district hospitals ug sa Zamboanga del Norte Medical Center samtang 3 ka Toyota Hilux pickup truck ang gigahin alang sa mga Board Members sa ikatulo nga distrito ug laing 4 ka mga pick up usab alang sa mga department heads sa Kapitolyo.
Matud pa sa administrador sa probinsya nga gilauman pa usab ang taliabot nga mga sakyanan nga gigahin alang sa mga nangulo sa mga buhatan sa kapitolyo. Tumong sa administrasyong Jalosjos
nga makalihok kon maka-trabaho sa madali nga panahon kung adunay mga saktong sakyanan ang matag opisina.
Matud pa ni Magallanes nga mapasalamaton si Governor Nanay Nene ngadto sa Sangguniang Panlalawigan pinanguluhan ni Vice Governor Julius Napigquit nga gihatagan sa pagtagad ang mga panginahanglanon sa probinsya partikular na ang mga sakyanan ug ekwipo.
Gilauman nga adunay 7 ka mga graders ang mahidangat karong semanaha nga dako kaayo ug ikatabang sa pagpadali sa mga proyekto sa probinsya. Lakbit saysay ni Magallanes nga taliwala sa mga gipang-donar sa nakalabay nga administrasyon nga mga ekwipo, gikataho nga ibalik sa
probinsya tungod sa kadako sa mga maintenance niini nga dili makaya sa local government, sama pananglit sa usa ka piyesa nga paliton nga mokantidad sa P150,000-P200,000.
Niini, dili makapaabot ang lalawigan kung kanus-a mabalik ang maong mga ekwipo tungod kay sumala pa hinay ang pagpatuman sa mga proyekto sa Provincial Engineering Office hinungdan nga naningkamot na lamang ang administrasyong Jalosjos nga mahatagan sa pamaagi ang maong problema.
Subay niini, si Governor Nanay Nene Jalosjos nagahangyo usab sa tanang mga empleyado sa kapitolyo sa tiunay nga pagtinabangay ug bugos nga kooperasyon aron makab-ot ang kalamboan sa probinsya alang sa mga residente. (Joeue Ramirez)
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internally displaced persons (IDPs) is consistent and effective, Sangki said Parliament Bill No. 141 mandates that national and Bangsamoro government agencies expropriate and leverage on unused government-proclaimed resettlement areas, as well as assets and other public lands.
He said these areas will be converted into primary growth centers and will serve as the regional hub for IDP rehabilitation and resettlement projects and activities. Issues of social integration, livelihood rehabilitation, and economic empowerment, with a focus on the needs and capacities of conflict-affected and economically displaced communities, will be given special consideration, according to the lawmaker.
“Our government has
the primary responsibility to ensure that IDPs’ basic rights to food, water, shelter, dignity, and safety are met in addition to facilitating their access to all other rights,” he said.
Sangki clarified that if conditions for long-term solutions are not created, conditions for security, property restoration, and resettlement of internally displaced people cannot be realized.
Data shows in his explanatory note that since 1969, there has been an ongoing conflict in Mindanao, which has resulted in significant infrastructure and housing destruction as well as massive displacement.
According to the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the Parliament shall pass a law creating a housing and human settlements agency to address the lack of
shelters, settlements, and livelihoods for the disadvantaged and homeless, especially those victims of conflict and atrocities.
The proposed bill will encourage rural development by providing IDPs and communities affected by conflict with new land.
Once passed, a Resettlement and Rehabilitation Development Council, attached to the Ministry of Human Settlement, will be established to conduct a full status assessment of all resettlement areas enumerated in the bill and execute all possible legal remedies and procedures within its power and mandate to expropriate as far as it is necessary and repossess or reacquire all the subject settlement areas.
(LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)
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personally welcomed the group of Regina Generose Tecson, the manager of Duterte’s satellite office in Davao City. Tecson informed the officials of Duterte’s medical and burial assistance program for those people in need.
Tecson, said Duterte’s other satellite offices are operational in the cities of Dagupan, Cebu, Tacloban, Zamboanga, and Tandag in Surigao del Sur province.
“We are ready to assist Sulu constituents that need to be hospitalized in Zamboanga City. We are also facilitating patients that need specialized care and treatment in Manila and admission to the Philippine Heart Center, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and the Philippine General Hospital,” she said.
Tecson said the program is funded as sub-
sidies under the Annual General Appropriations Act. She said Duterte's satellite offices are open to the public during office hours from Monday to Friday.
“On behalf of the Tausug people and all our municipal leaders, we thank Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte for this pro-people program and her ut-
most concern for the poor and the needy. Health and Education are indispensable in every aspect of the lives of our countrymen. We will definitely coordinate with your Office on this matter,” Governor Tan told Tecson.
Tecson also thanked the two Sulu officials for their warm welcome and reception. (Mindanao Examiner)
Continued from page 1 Continued from page 1 from being exposed to a hazardous plastic chemical banned in child care articles,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.
The group had earlier notified the chain store that the white polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic sheet of the MR. D.I.Y. Plastic Baby Bib was found to contain di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) measured at 86,700 parts per million (ppm) as per laboratory analysis.
“To prevent a child’s exposure to DEHP, we respectfully request the management of MR. D.I.Y. to immediately stop the sale of MR. D.I.Y. PVC Plastic Baby Bibs and to return the remaining stocks to their supplier for environmentally sound disposal. MR. D.I.Y.'s customers who have bought the said bibs will surely appreciate getting a refund or having the toxic bibs in question replaced with safer bibs,” the group’s letter to the MR. D.I.Y. said.
DEHP belongs to a family of industrial chemicals called phthalates, which are added to some plastics like PVC to make them flexible and soft. DEHP, an endocrine disrupting chemical or EDC, is known to cause cancer in animals.
Environmental health specialist Dr. Geminn Louis Apostol, of the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, explained that exposure to phthalates and other EDCs even in tiny amounts can disrupt the essential functions of the
The EcoWaste Coalition says it notified MR. D.I.Y, that the white polyvinyl chloride plastic sheet of the MR. D.I.Y. Plastic Baby Bib was found to contain di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) measured at 86,700 parts per million as per laboratory analysis. (Mindanao Examiner)
endocrine system and lead to hormonal imbalances, which may result in reduced intellectual capacity, reproductive disorders, weakened immune system, and other behavioral and health issues.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act bans DEHP in concentrations greater than 0.1 % or 1,000 ppm in children's toys and child care articles. Aside from bibs, other child care articles covered by the ban include children's infant and toddler bottles, pacifiers, sippy cups, sleepwear, teethers.
DEHP, along with five other phthalates, in concentrations above 0.1% is also banned in children's toys as per the Department of Health Administrative Order No. 2009-0005-A as amended in 2011.
Aside from the plas-
tic baby bib, laboratory tests also detected banned phthalates in other child care articles purchased by the EcoWaste Coalition from other retailers, including the plastic lining of reusable baby panty with 14.3 percent DEHP and a baby diaper changing mat with 8.62 percent diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and 0.325 percent DEHP.
The EcoWaste Coalition is pushing for an expanded ban on toxic phthalates in all children's goods such as toys, baby products, school supplies and the like.
“Strengthened and expanded regulations, including chemical ingredient transparency, are needed to protect fetuses and children from phthalates and other EDCs in products and the environment,” Lucero said.
(Mindanao Examiner)
SULU – Governor
Sakur Tan and Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr led government officials in the recent inauguration of the Lupah Sug Provincial Library in the capital town of Jolo.
Tan invited Abalos to the ceremony attended by provincial and municipal government officials, including representatives from different government agencies, the police and military and education officials.
The state-of-the-art, two-storey library was designed by Manila-based Architect Alfred Caritavo and Engineer Henry William Nihevas, according to Tan. “Kinuha namin sila
sa Maynila at dinala dito sa Sulu upang gawin ang state-of-the-art library. The last time that we had a public library was in 1974, that was about five decades ago,” he told Abalos.
The library, funded and built by the provincial government, is also equipped with over four dozen iMAC or Apple desktop computers and fast Starlink Internet connection and modern furniture, according to Provincial Engineer Abdurasad Baih.
“Maganda talaga itong library natin dahil modern ang design, kumpleto sa mga kagamitan, pati iMac desktop (computers) and Internet connection.
Iyan ang gusto ni Governor Tan, yun modern library para sa ating mga estudyante. Si Governor is really pushing for his literary program. Marami na rin schools na ipinatayo si Governor at talagang edukasyon ang gusto niya para sa mga Tausug,” he told The Mindanao Examiner.
On Tuesday, May 23, Tan also inaugurated the Sulu Police Provincial Pastoral Office in Jolo. The building was also funded by Tan, according to Col. Narciso Paragas, the provincial police chief. “Hindi ito mangyayari kung hindi dahil sa tulong ni Governor Tan,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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CEBU CITY – Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has EBU CITY – Governor Garcia has ordered the demolition of all abandoned buildings and other structures within easement and and other structures within easement and foreshore zones in the canyoneering village of Matuti- foreshore zones in the canyoneering of Matutinao in the town of Badian nao in town Badian.
Garcia signed Executive Order No. 12, ordering the destruction of structures that obstructed and put residents in the coastal area of this tourism village at risk. “I… do hereby order immediate demolition of all abandoned, unoccupied, obsolete, or hazardous illegal structures within the defined easement and foreshore zones of Barangay Matutinao, Badian, Cebu,” Garcia said.
tion Council which examined children aged 8 to 58 months.
According to the inventory made by the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office, these illegal structures were either abandoned, uninhabited, or destroyed during Typhoon Odette which struck the country in December
2021.
On February 17, 2023, members of the Municipal Engineering Office, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the Municipal Tourism Office also found metal spikes near the famous Kawasan Falls.
The destruction of illegal structures will also provide protection not only for the environment but also for the residents more than the tourists who would pay a visit to the area. “The Philippine National Police is called upon to strictly monitor the implementation of this Executive Order,” Garcia said in her order.
(John Rey Saavedra)
CEBU - Representative Geraldine Roman of Bataan's 1st District has urged relevant government agencies to address the issue of stunted and malnourished children in the Western Visayas region following a recent survey that revealed a worrisome figure.“Ang
pagiging bansot ostunted ay hindi po natin dapat ipinagsasalawalang-bahala lamang. Lalo na kung dumarami at tumataas ang datos ng mga batang kabilang dito. Mariin po natin itong bibigyang pansin sa Kongreso,” she said, citing the report of the Region VI-National Nutri-
Roman said based on the Ranking ofProvinces-Prevalence of Stunting, it was found that Antique has the highestnumber of children whose height is not appropriate for their age. She said Antique registered a prevalence rate of 9.83% stunted children, followed by Negros Occidental with 7.34%, Iloilo with 5.37%, Aklan with 4.87%, Guimaras with 4.84%, and Capiz with 4.49%.“Karamihan sa mga batang ito ay talaganamang payat at maliliit. Ito rin ang pagsisimula ng bullying. Nabu-bully ang mga batang ito ng kanilang mga kaklase o kalaro sa community. So sa murang edad, apektado na sila agad ng inequality, and I strongly disagree on that,” said Roman, who chairs of the Women And Gender Equality Committee of the House of Representatives.
In the Philippines, 1 in 3 Filipino children be-
low 5 years of age is malnourished due to extreme poverty and lack of basic health education in parents. The Republic Act (RA) No. 11037 s2018,known as the “Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act”institutionalized the national feeding program and created a five-year plan to fully implement the school-based feeding program.
Roman, who is behind House Bill 5601, also known as Magna Carta for Agricultural Workers and Revitalized Agricultural Value Chain of 2022, said: “Kaya po mariin din nating isinusulong through my House Bill 5601 also known as Magna Carta for Agricultural Workersand Revitalized Agricultural Value Chain of 2022, ang farm-to-market roadmap.
Ito po ay mabisang paraang upang makarating agad ang produkto at serbisyong pang-agrikultura sa mga Kadiwa stores or better, diretso sa pamilyang Pilipino.” (Cebu Examiner)
