Mindanao Examiner Newspaper Nov. 4-10, 2013 by Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper

2 hurt as truck overshoots highway

Zamboanga tweets 'unconfirmed' reports of looting by troops PAGE 2

Old woman dies in Pagadian road accident PAGE 4

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Police arrest Zamboanga Norte village chieftain on gun charges

Police recover bomb in school

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Opinion Page

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Nov. 4-10, 2013

WAR REFUGEES FINALLY RETURN HOME

esidents who fled their village follo wing last following month ebel attacks in Z amboanga City in month’’s rrebel Zamboanga souther nP hilippines hav e finally rretur etur ned southern Philippines have eturned home er e either home,, but many of the houses w wer ere bur w villagers w er e tr ying to burned now wer ere trying burned or looted, and no rebuild not only their homes es homes,, but their liv lives es.. Villagers in Santa ravaged by a fiery twister – Barbara said their houses mangled steel bars, broken had been ransacked and street poles and blackened nobody can say who were house frames burned responsible in the loot- down by conflagration – ing, but security officials are the only visible landhave previously blamed scape in the village. One villager also reMoro National Liberation Front rebels, who occu- covered a rifle grenade and pied several villages here was retrieved by a soldier deployed in the area. Anas behind it. But several army sol- other man said there are diers were also accused of still many explosives in the looting in the village and village. "I saw grenades the military said it is in- and soldiers better retrieve vestigating the allega- them before anybody else," he told the regional newstions. “My computer was paper Mindanao Examgone,” one boy cried as he iner. Authorities said rebels frantically searched for burned down the village as his personal computer. One Muslim woman they flee from military atsaid she lost everything tacks, but residents from the fire that gutted claimed the conflagration their neighborhood dur- was cause by the governing the three-week street ment assault in the village. The Department of Sobattles in Santa Barbara. “We lost everything and cial Welfare and Developwe don’t know what to do ment has allocated P10 milnow,” she said. lion to fund the building of A huge area in Santa bunkhouses inside the Barbara looked like it was Joaquin Enriquez Memo-

Residents return to their homes in the village of Santa Barbara in Zamboanga City after authorities allowed civilians to go back a month after security forces cleared the area following three weeks of street battles last month between military and rebel forces that killed and wounded over 400 people. More photos on Page 3. (Mindanao Examiner Photo) rial Sports Complex where thousands of war refugees are now staying. The bunk-

houses are only temporary shelters that will house several hundred people.

The fighting, which killed and wounded more than 400 people, forced

over 100,000 people to flee their homes. (Mindanao Examiner)

Army troops capture motorcycle gunman in Pagadian City PAGADIAN CITY – Government troops captured one of two motor-

cycle gunmen following a chase in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur prov-

A government soldier mingles with curious children in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province. (Mindanao Examiner)

ARMM

ince in the southern Philippines, an army spokesman said. Army Lieutenant Franco Suelto, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division, said patrolling soldiers led by Lieutenant Michael Paul Caspe seized an AK 2000 automatic rifle and a KG9 machine pistol, including five magazines and ammunition, from Victor Muños, 25. He said Muños, a resident of Dumango village in Pagadian City, was also wounded after the rifle he was carrying went off hitting his left leg. The soldiers, who were members

Southern Mindanao

Davao

of the 53rd Infantry Battalion, brought the wounded gunman to the hospital and eventually handed him to the local police. Muños' companion escaped. Suelto said they received reports from civilians that the two men were frequently spotted armed and roaming during night time in the village of Kawit. “According to the residents, the duo had been roaming Barangay Kawit during evenings and sow fear and terror to the neighborhood,” he said without further elaborating.

Manila

Lieutenant Colonel Victor Tanggawohn Jr, the battalion commander, has ordered troops to intensify their patrol following the arrest of the gunman. Brigadier General Felicito Virgilio Trinidad Jr, the regional army commander, praised the soldiers for the arrest of the Muños. “The vigilant efforts of our soldiers will continue to ensure peace in the community,” he said. It was not immediately known whether the the arrested man and his cohort were behind the spate of gun attacks and

killings in Pagadian City perpetrated by motorcycle gunmen. Just recently, a motorcycle gunman also fired his M16 automatic rifle in the air at Purok Muslim Village in Kawit village and fled with his companion after the indiscriminate attack. Armed men riding tandem on motorcycle have been sowing terror in villages in Pagadian where hired killers are actively operating and largely blamed by authorities for the spate of murders in the city. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zamboanga Peninsula

The Mindanao Examiner

Nov. 4-10, 2013

Zamboanga tweets ‘unconfirmed’ reports of looting by troops

An overloaded minibus with passengers on the roof, a truck full of nipa and a dilapidated passenger van are typical scenes in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Z AMBOANGA CITY – Things have turned for the worse for government soldiers deployed in villages in Zamboanga City after allegations of looting surfaced. Worst, the local government of Zamboanga has posted on its Twitter account “unconfirmed” reports of the pillage. “Unconfirmed reports showed that soldiers carrying out the clear ing operations were responsible for the looting incidents,” the local government said in its tweet. Troops were deployed in several villages to search for remnants of Moro National Liberation Front rebels who stormed Zamboanga on September 9 that led to bloody street battles that lasted three weeks. Soldiers also cleared the villages for unexploded ordnances left behind during the fighting that killed and wounded over 400 people. Alleged looting by soldiers was first reported by Council man BG Guingona, who claimed that troops, stole from their machinery shop and his uncle’s home at the height of the fighting in the village of Santa Catalina. He said the military has ordered an investigation into the looting. “The matter is under investigation and the Armed Forces of the Philippines did a good job of responding right away. The acts of a few do not reflect the goal and the efforts of the entire AFP in promoting peace and order. It is unfair to generalize the issue because there are many soldiers r isking their lives to protect the people. So, my faith in the AFP as a whole remains,” he told The Manila Times. The Philippine Army has detained at least 5 soldiers - members of the 9th Infantry Battalion - who were accused

A screen shot of the Twitter page of Zamboanga City Government which posted 'unconfirmed' reports of looting by troops in villages. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

of looting Guingona’s shop and house. They were arrested and disarmed after fellow soldiers reported the looting to their commander. The soldiers allegedly ransacked the house of the Guingonas and took assorted jeweller ies and other valuable things and also tried to open a vault left in the house. An army official, privy to the ongoing investigation, said the soldiers could be expelled from the service if they are proven guilty of all accusations against them, and eventually charge in a civil court. The soldiers, whose battalion is under the 9th Infantry Division, were sent here from the Bicol region to help augment hundreds of troops fighting the rebels. A school - the American Career Training Institute - used by another group of soldiers in attacking rebels in Santa Barbara was also looted, its American and Filipino owners said. The Filipino owner, Norida Patrick, said they reported the matter to the police and military authorities and to

Zamboanga Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar, who sought an investigation into the looting. She said they were shocked to learn about the looting and claimed P300,000 in cash and equipment were missing and even the vault had been broken. Troops managed to enter the school after its security guard allowed them to go at the rooftop where military snipers positioned themselves to take rebel targets. The looting is also being investigated by the authorities and so were many other complaints by displaced residents who recently returned to the village. Villagers said many of their belongings, and even washing machines and freezer and computers were stolen. And they also blamed the soldiers for the pillage, but authorities insisted rebels were behind the looting after soldiers and policemen captured many of them with bags of jeweleries and cash and other valuables taken from the houses in the villages they occupied. (Mindanao Examiner)

The Mindanao Examiner

Nov. 4-10, 2013

2 hurt as truck overshoots highway

Man shoots wife during argument ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY – Police arrested a man who shot his wife during a heated argument in the town of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay province in southern Philippines. Police said the woman, Roxanne Serrano, 23, was rushed to hospital for a gunshot wound in the face. Her husband, Ernie Alibansa, 28, was arrested and detained at the local jail. Alibansa, who works at a rubber plantation, was

drinking with the woman’s relatives when his wife arrived and told him to go home. In the house, the couple had an argument that led Alibansa to shoot his wife. Police said the couple’s daughter rushed out to seek help from neighbors to bring her mother to the hospital in Ipil, but she had to be transferred to another hospital in Zamboanga City. The condition of the woman is unknown. (Mindanao Examiner)

KISMET Cable Channel 63 Pagadian City

Workers rush to retrieve a cargo of powdered milk from a delivery van which overshot the highway in Tigbao town in Zamboanga del Sur province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo) PAGADIAN CITY – Two persons were injured when a delivery van carrying loaded with boxes of powdered overturned at dawn in the town of Tigbao in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, police said. Police said the van

was heading to Zamboanga City from here to deliver the cargo when the accident occurred. The driver, Bernie Fernandez, and his helper Reymar Malijum were both injured in the mishap. It was not immedi-

ately known whether the driver fell asleep at the wheel and rolled the tenwheeler truck on the paddy. The van overshot the highway and rolled on the paddy, according to Senior Inspector Nurbert Velonza, of the local police

force. He said police are investigating the accident to determine the cause of the accident. “We are still getting the statement of the driver and his helper, but they are okay now,” Velonza told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

The Mindanao Examiner

Nov. 4-10, 2013

A billboard sign in Zamboanga del Sur province shows a government project implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways in Western Mindanao and reads: Repair/ restoration of damaged road slope along Pagadian City, Zamboanga Road, Tigbao-Kumalarang Section. Its contractor is Jargon Construction Supply. But the sign is missing other important details of the project which is a requirement in all government projects. And the same goes to another government project also implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways in Western Mindanao and this one is for the “Construction/road opening of Zamboanga City by-pass road Culianan-Pasonanca-Patalon road (Phase 1). Details of the project, which started July 3, 2012 are also missing. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Old woman dies in Pagadian road accident POLICE said an old woman was killed after she hit by a vehicle in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province in southern Philippines. It said the victim’s identity was not immediately known, but the driver of the vehicle, Arnold Lapad, of Dumalinao town also in Zamboanga del Sur, has surrendered to the police. Police said the vehicle, a Toyota Fortuner, is registered under the name of Jearny Cerilles, of Capitol Creek in Pagadian’s Santo District. It said the woman was hit by the vehicle

along Pulmones Street in Santa Lucia District and rushed to hospital, but she died along the way from her injuries. “The victim sustained injuries on her body and was rushed to Pagadian City Medical Center for medical treatment, but was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician. Driver voluntarily surrendered to Pagadian City Police Station and undergoes investigation prior filing of appropriate charges in court,” a police statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner said.

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 Central Mindanao Richard Suarez Pagadian City Zamboanga del Sur

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Gunmen kill security guard PAGADIAN CITY - Two gunmen killed a security guard in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur in southern Philippines, police said. Police said Helarion Ansay was walking along Aquino Street at Purok Carnation in the village of Gatas when the gunmen attacked him. Ansay was shot several times in the body. Investigators recovered three bullet casings fired from a .45-caliber pistol. The motive of the killing is still unknown. Gun attacks and killings are not uncommon in Pagadian City where hired killers are actively operating and many of the murder cases remain unsolved. (Mindanao Examiner)

The Mindanao Examiner

Nov. 4-10, 2013

Police arrest Zamboanga Norte village chieftain on gun charges DIPOLOG CITY – Police arrested the village chieftain of Siayan town in Zamboanga del Norte province and accusing him of illegally carrying a hand gun at ahead of village elections this month. The 46-year old Ronald Canlas, of Balunokan village, was arrested after patrolling po-

licemen saw him threw a .38-caliber pistol upon seeing the officers. Villagers have reported Canlas to the police for carrying a gun despite a ban imposed by the Commission on Elections during election period. Police said Canlas was caught unaware by the patrol and immediately

tossed his weapon upon seeing the members of the Regional Public Safety Battalion 9 at Sitio Mapang in Balunokan village. It said the village chieftain is facing criminal charges for illegal possession of firearm and violation of the gun ban. (Mindanao Examiner)

A man reads a newspaper outside the C3 City Government Building Mall in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Motorcycle gunmen strike anew in Pagadian City A policeman investigates the road accident in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Tricycle rams delivery van in Zambo ZAMBOANGA CITY - A motorcycle taxi rammed a delivery van in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines, but police said the accident cause no serious injuries to the passen-

gers and drivers of both vehicles. Police said the tricycle hit the left side of the van and damage its front bumper and wheel and shaken the driver. The truck

suffered little damage, but its driver filed a police report about the accident. The mishap caused no major traffic along the Zamboanga highway. (Mindanao Examiner)

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PAGADIAN CITY – Motorcycle gunmen struck anew in Pagadian City in the southern Filipino province of Zamboanga del Sur province, strafing a house of a politician and indiscriminately firing their weapons, police said. Police said two gunmen strafed the house of Joel Almasan, 45, in Purok Wagwag in Alta Tiera Subdivision in Tiguma village. Almasan was a candidate for the October 28 village polls and police are investigating if the attack was connected to politics. Almasan told police that they were sleeping when gunmen attacked their house before dawn.

No one was injured or killed in the strafing, but it damaged Almasan’s pick-up truck. Another motorcycle gunman also fired his M16 automatic rifle in the air at Purok Muslim Village on Kawit and fled with another companion after the indiscriminate shooting in the area. Police rushed to the

village, but did not catch up with the assailants. The motive of the attack was unknown, but motorcycle gunmen have been sowing terror in villages in Pagadian where hired killers are actively operating and were blamed by authorities for the spate of murders in the city. (Mindanao Examiner)

For all your publications and advertisements in Pagadian City and Zamboanga del Sur, please call Richard Suarez 062-2142706 and 0910-7348600

The Mindanao Examiner

Nov. 4-10, 2013

Scenes from recently concluded village polls in Lanao del Norte and Sur provinces in southern Philippines. Colonel Glen Macasero, commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, in Lanao del Sur, led troops, including police forces, in maintaining peace and order in the area during elections. But authorities say more than two dozen people had been killed in poll-related violence in the country. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Mark Navales)

Police recover bomb in school

BASILAN PROVINCE – Police have recovered an improvised explosive left behind a government school in Isabela City in Basilan province in southern Philippines. Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said the explosive – a mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil – was first discovered by a

villager at the back of the Isabela City Pilot School and informed authorities about it. “The explosive was placed inside a bag and was planted at the back of the building of the said pilot school. It contained Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil with an improvised time fuse,” he said. He said members of

the Explosive and Ordnance Division of the Police Regional Public Safety Battalion rushed to the school and safely recovered the bomb. It was unknown who tried to set off the bomb or its motive, but the discovery of the explosive coincided with village polls. Police would not say if the foiled attack was con-

nected to the elections or not. Basilan is one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. Basilan and Lanao del Sur, also a province in the autonomous region, were two areas marred with violence and vote-buying during the polls. (Mindanao Examiner)

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The Mindanao Examiner

Nov. 4-10, 2013

Dateline Mindanao

Pencing By Jun Feliciano

By Al Jacinto Pagadian City and H otel Alindahaw in card and nothing about what time a Hotel my mind! guest would have to wake up in the PAGADIAN is back on its feet again, morning to enjoy the free breakfast that a year after a large scale swindling goes with the bill. And she herself was, called Ponzi scheme by Malaysian na- for a while, silent and totally in defentional Manuel Amalilio hit virtually ev- sive mode, and I demanded to speak to ery money-greed the hotel mansouls in the city. ager or the food and beverage The local economy seems manager, but to pick up again Jenny said the hotel has no food and the multi-billion swindling manager and that had been forgotthe hotel manager was not ten now, at least for the time beavailable. ing. She then I am just washes her hands and blamed the wondering about the progress of poor waiter, Mike, the criminal case saying the food filed against attendant will Amalilio, who is have to pay for the now languishing breakfast if I don’t in jail in Malaysia pay! Out of pity to the waiter, I paid on accusations he used falsified the breakfast bill. travel documents And I blame the Front Desk for all and completely not because of his Facade of Hotel Alindahaw in Pagadian City these trouble I Ponzi scheme in in Zamboanga del Sur. (Mindanao Examiner had in the hotel. There was not Pagadian and Photo) even a single sign other parts of in the room that Mindanao. Let says “free breakLet’’s keep a tab on this case fast” is up to 10 case.. a.m. only and no I was in signs either at the Pagadian with Front Desk. It was another editor really a sad expejust recently and checked in at my rience since I am a regular cusfavorite hotel – Alindahaw – right tomer at the Hotel in the heart of the Alindahaw and city. I really enjoy Our stolen 'magnetic' press sign. the experience has surely left a the good services of attendants and food servers at the bitter taste in the mouth! Well, I hope this goes to the attenHotel Alindahaw. Food is really great and delicious and the pricing is just tion of Zamboanga del Sur Governor right for a middle-class hotel and ranges Antonio Cerilles, who owns the Hotel between P180 for a complete meal or Alindahaw. Thiev er y Thiever ery between P220 and P400 for other dishes. Too bad also that we lost one of our But sad to say, I felt cheated by the Front Desk and was forced to shell out 'magnetic' press sign from a thief while P150 for a breakfast, although it was our car was parked in downtown supposed to be free. The waiter at the Pagadian. Our driver was not even restaurant – Mike - told me that I have aware that he had one press sign missto pay my breakfast because it was past ing until he returned to the hotel and I 10 in the morning and that free break- told him that it was gone. It was placed on the driver's door. fast is up to 10 a.m. only. And I said, well, this is still free Thieves roam Pagadian and even breakfast because it’s included in my tarpaulin signs, according to our man hotel bill – Deluxe Room – around in the city, are also being stolen by P1,400 a night (on credit card) and thieves and use them as matting in their P1,250 for cash payment. The waiter just house or as wall cover. smiled. Gee! Pagadian is becoming like a And when I got the bill from the paradise for thieves. Let's see how the Front Desk, receptionist Jenny, insisted local police would act on this problem. to collect P150 for the breakfast because Take care people and stay vigilant! AIMER: The views and opinions it was already past 10 a.m. I told her that DISCL DISCLAIMER: none of the Front Desk receptionists or expressed herein are those of the authe food attendants said that “free thors and do not necessarily reflect the breakfast” is up to 10 a.m. only. position or policy of the Mindanao ExJenny pointed on a sign on the aminer or any of its staffs and employFront Desk, but it was the hotel’s rate ees.

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THE WORD: “The truth hurts, but once we accept the truth, the hurt will just disappear.” SO, that means they admit for sure, that Habier Malik, the chief right-hand of disgraced Moro National Liberation Front Chieftain Nur Misuari, is very much alive. The fact, that the court issued him the warrant of arrest, it only behooves and yields to its own presumptuous stand that indeed Ustadz Malik- the leader of the renegade MNLF band that sow massive devastation in mi Ciudad de Zamboanga last September for three consecutive weeks starting on the 9th - is very much alive and kicking. Now, many are still at a loss as where is Malik’s true whereabouts since he supposedly made his great escape from the siege they laid upon on at least 6 urban barangays, just a stone’s throw away from the City’s seat of governance. THIS is one ticklish issue being pushed forth by a well-respected legal luminary in mi ciudad de Zamboanga. If such a legal avenue was carved by our top gov’t lawyers here, this seasoned legal practitioner in mi Ciudad de Zamboanga is cynical about their move on the Malik brouhaha. Short of mentioning their fave legal term, “Ignoramus of the law.” Ouch! MY great mathematician-friend, an engineer by profession, was somehow hovering his mind while sitting on his table one morning. Then, he blurted, as if having discovered a concealing pin in the stack. “Prims, keber gale’ tu, how much the city government is spending for all these thousands of evacuees displaced by the two crises?”

He went on to sum up the City’s proposed new budget under new Mayor Beng Climaco-Salazar, amounting to some P2.4 billion for year 2014. He continued with his eyes getting reddish and wet through: “Let’s say, we have a rough estimate of 120,000 evacuees, and let’s say each of them is rationed at P40 per meal a day. If you multiply those 2 figures, it’ll mean we have to spend P4, 800,000 per meal a day. Now, if you still multiply by 3 (meals per day), the total expenditures will amount to P14, 400,000 a day. Now, if you further multiply it by 30 days (we have in a month), the amount shoots up the more to P432 million a month. Still, you multiply this already mammoth figure by 12 (months in a year), the City Government’s total expenses for all these numbered displaced evacuees is colossala staggering P5 billion plus! Myatay na! NOW, it you, for the last time, multiply it by 3 (years, Mayor Beng’s first three-year term in office), its overall total is over the P15 billion mark. Mamamiyahh! Ay mia ya kita na de aton calson nohay na ora este. “Baca’ man igit pa gaha Pencing ya umenta pa si Bogs, paka bastos deste. “Na, pranca, pranca ya lang Pencing. Pone’ tu se, ya pega pa su amenaso canaton.” IN other words, the City’s proposed annual budget for 2014 of P2.4 billion is still short by even more than double its amount. Acaba ya kita este! DISCL AIMER: The views and opinions exDISCLAIMER: pressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Mindanao Examiner or any of its staffs and employees.

Letter to the Editor: Abuse of the Poor and Betrayal of the Nation A Pastoral Letter. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) John 12:4-6, NRSV The Pork Barrel System has long been the subject of exposé and rumor as a key component of patronage politics and plunder of the Philippine public treasury. Though many have made reference to the stealing of Pork Barrel funds, public outrage ignited by whistle blower Benhur Luy and further inflamed by the Commission on Audit’s report of a 10-Billion Peso JLNJanet Lim Napoles Pork Barrel Scam is well founded. The burden of generating the national budget is viewed as a collective responsibility: factory workers, rank-and-file office employees and professionals comply with tax deductions in their bring-home pay, and in recent years, each and every one of us pays the 12% Value-Added Tax on every purchase and transaction. The piercing evidence, that billions in public funds have been stolen by corrupt politicians and their cohorts, rightly elicits our anger, disgust, and corrective action. What makes this a double insult to our Christian sensibility is that these funds have been stolen largely under auspices of providing development assistance in poor and needy communities. We have paid a significant portion of our earnings as taxes with an understanding that these monies are utilized to uplift our nation, including efforts toward poverty alleviation for economically poor families. Sadly, our political leaders have proven themselves to be no better than Judas—their pronouncements of the needs of the poor have been merely a façade for their own thievery and abuse of

power. Our nation has been betrayed by those stealing from the common purse and we unequivocally denounce that the poor, who continue to endure hunger, demolition, unemployment and underdevelopment, have been abused for such plunder. In light of this grave abuse and plunder, we, Bishops of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, call for the Pork Barrel system in all its manifestations— from the barangay to the presidential Pork Barrel—to be abolished. We demand a thorough investigation and prosecution of those who have manipulated and plundered Pork Barrel for personal gain. The prevailing climate of impunity, combined with patronage politics, corrodes and chokes our nation’s advancement. The Filipino people long to be freed from the grips of self-serving greed, and the economically poor, as much as ever, deserve opportunities for genuine development. We call all the faithful to discern God’s summons for Christian action in these critical times. Let us join together in our homes, churches, and even the public parks in decisive and persistent action. Now is the time to demand accountability and transparency from our nation’s leaders. Signed: Bishop Reuel Norman O. Marigza, General Secretary Bishop Elorde M. Sambat, North Luzon Jurisdictional Area Bishop Roel P. Mendoza, Middle Luzon Jurisdictional Area Bishop Arturo R. Asi, South Luzon Jurisdictional Area Bishop Jaime M. Moriles, West Visayas Jurisdictional Area Bishop Dulce Pia-Rose, East Visayas Jurisdictional Area Bishop Melzar D. Labuntog. Northwest Mindanao Jurisdictional Area Bishop Modesto D. Villasanta, Southeast Mindanao Jurisdictional Area (uccpnaof@gmail.com)

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Sand mining unabated in Zamboanga Sibugay town

he mining of rriv iv er sand continues unabated iver in N aga to wn in the souther nP hilippine pr ovNaga town southern Philippine pro ince of Z amboanga S ibugay Zamboanga Sibugay ibugay..

Enterprising villagers have built flat-hull wooden boats to haul

sand from the river and bring them to the shore in the village of Tenan where

Villagers gather sand in Naga River in the village of Tenan in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga Sibugay. Locals say sand is being sold for only P500 per cubic meter. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

they sell the sand to buyers. One elderly villager said the sand sells P500 per cubic meter and that many people are buying from the village for construction purposes. “They get the sand in this river and this has been going on for a long time now. You know this is the livelihood of many people here,” he said, pointing to a group of men who were unloading sand from their boats as children watched from the top of the village bridge just across a police checkpoint. “The big guys get and sell sand and they make money out of it. It’s a good business,” a village boy told a photographer from the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. The sandmen were curious by the presence of the photographer, but they continued unloading the sand from their boats as other village elders gathered in one corner of the river bank also curious by the presence of “outsiders.” It was not immedi-

ately known whether the mining of sand in the river is legal or not or whether the sandmen are paying taxes from the sale of the river sand. But under the Local Government Code, the province may levy and collect not more than 10% of fair market value in the locality per cubic meter of ordinary stones, sand, gravel, earth, and other quarry resources - as defined under the National Internal Revenue Code extracted from public lands or from the beds of seas, lakes, rivers, streams, creeks, and other public waters within its territorial jurisdiction. The permit to extract sand, gravel and other quarry resources shall be issued exclusively by the provincial governor and the proceeds of the tax shall be distributed among the provincial government - 30%; municipal government 30% and the rest goes to the village. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines holds Malaysian man linked to deadly rebel attacks MANILA – Philippines and Malaysian authorities have confirmed the arrest of a Malaysian national during a raid on a house frequented by former rebel chieftain Nur Misuari in Zamboanga City. Police said the Malaysian man, Koh Wui Chick, who is using the aliases Samson Jose Konde and Atchong, was brought to Manila where he is currently being investigated in connection to the deadly September attacks in Zamboanga. “The Malaysian man is now in the custody of the Philippine National Police in Manila and he is currently being investigated in connection to the MNLF attacks in Zamboanga,” Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokes-

ARMM

man, told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. President Benigno Aquino earlier ordered an investigation in the MNLF attacks in Zamboanga and who financed the rebels to carry out the raid. There were media reports that some Filipino politicians may have financed the violence to discredit the Aquino government and that several Malaysians had met with rebel leaders prior to the attacks. Just early this year, a Malaysian national, who allegedly helped in negotiating with Abu Sayyaf rebels for the release of 21 mostly European holidaymakers kidnapped in Sabah in 2001, was spotted in Zamboanga City and Manila at the height of the standoff between armed followers of the Sul-

tanate of Sulu who intruded in Sabah’s Lahad Datu town. It was unknown whether Koh had a direct participation in the simultaneous raid by rebels on September 9, but it sparked deadly street battles that lasted for three weeks. The fighting left over 400 people dead and wounded and resulted in a humanitarian crisis. Malaysia has confirmed the arrest of one of its national and said the 55-year old man is from Kota Kinabalu in the eastern state of Sabah. “The arrest of the Malaysian man followed the action taken by the Philippine security forces against individuals suspected of being involved in the armed attacks launched by MNLF fighter in Zamboanga City on

Southern Mindanao

Davao

September 9,” DirectorGeneral, Datuk Mohammad Mantek, of the Eastern Sabah Security Command, told the official Malaysian news agency Bernama. Mohammad did not give details about the arrested Malaysian national, saying Filipino authorities are still investigating the man. It was not immediately known whether the foreigner had funded the rebel attacks in Zamboanga City. The attacks prompted Malaysian authorities to tighten security in Sabah to prevent the intrusion of rebels. “So far, no security threats to Sabah have been detected but we are intensifying security measures along eastern Sabah's border waters nevertheless,” Moham-

Manila

mad said, adding Malaysian security forces are ready to collaborate with the Philippines if there is a need. “We have no problem in extending cooperation due to our good relations with the Philippine government.”

Malaysia and the Philippines have joint border patrol agreement and both countries regularly hold naval war games off Sabah and the southern Filipino province of Tawi-Tawi. (Mindanao Examiner)

Nur Misuari' house in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Ely Dumaboc)

Zamboanga Peninsula