Police station falls in NPA hands PAGE 4
Iloilo oil spill cleanup gathers speed PAGE 5
Propaganda war heats up PAGE 8
MNLF told to support peace, common good in Mindanao PAGE 9
Killings of 5 journalists, activists in a week is evidence of a 'license to kill' PAGE 10
Police draft new measures to fight violence in Zambo, Pagadian cities PAGE 11
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Help comes to Zamboanga again T hr ee go ver nors of the M uslim autonomous rreehree gov ernors Muslim indanao hav e pledged anew to assist Mindanao have gion in M Zamboanga and its war rrefugees efugees in an effor effortt to hasten rrehabilitation ehabilitation and rrebuilding ebuilding of the countr y’ d lar gest city attacked b y separ atist rrebels ebels country’ y’ss thir third largest by separatist in S eptember September eptember.. The governors - Totoh refugees and to allow them to Tan, of Sulu province; return to their original vilNurbert Sahali, of Tawi-Tawi; lages. and Jum Akbar, of Basilan Tan said they are workprovince – were also sup- ing in close coordination ported by lawmakers with the Sulu Provincial Maryam Arbison, of Sulu, Women’s Council and differand Ruby Sahali, of Tawi- ent civil society groups, Tawi and their mayors. They among others to send more also vowed to uphold the aid for refugees, especially rights of thousands of dis- the women and children, in placed Muslim villagers in Zamboanga City. Zamboanga. “We are here to help our Tan said they are ready refugees and we shall conto help the refugees in tinue helping them in coorZamboanga and would co- dination with the ordinate closely with the lo- Zamboanga City governcal government and various ment headed by Mayor Beng agencies to ensure the wel- (Maria Isabelle) Climaco fare of the refugees. Tan was (Salazar), and of course the among the first to respond to various groups which share post-crisis emergency by do- our humanitarian advonated over P3 million in cash cacy,” the vice governor said. and relief aid for the victims Mayors of Sulu and of the war in Zamboanga. members of the provincial He again vowed to ex- board were also present durtend assistance to ing the meeting, but notably Zamboanga’s refugees. ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, Sahali and Akbar also who is a native of Basilan pledged to help Zamboanga province, was not around, deal with the problems and none from his office also brought about by the dis- represented him, although placement of tens of thou- there were some members of sands of people who are still the Regional Legislative Asin evacuation areas. sembly. Helping hands The pledges were made following a regional summit In his speech, Tan emattended by over 200 leaders phasized that they are not of various Muslims and intruding into the affairs of Christian groups in Zamboanga, but just wanted Zamboanga City. The con- to help the local government veners of the meeting solve the problems of the dubbed “Confidence build- refugees. ing, Reconstruction and “We do not want to be Healing: What Muslim and misconstrued as intruding Christian Leaders Can Do into the affairs of Together,” were the Darul Zamboanga, but we thought Ifta, the City Government of we are obliged as well to help Zamboanga and the Arch- address the concerns of diocese of Zamboanga. those people who have been The summit discussed affected by the siege that took the plight of the refugees who place on September 9.” are still in various evacuation “We have seen how sites here. They were dis- much suffering the people in placed by three weeks of the Visayas have gone street battles between secu- through as the result of tyrity forces and hundreds of phoon Yolanda (Haiyan), but Moro National Liberation the whole world is providing Front rebels who occupied that much attention, so I villages in a failed rebellion. would rather that we do not ulu and turn our backs to our people Sulu Basilan, S Tawi-T awi assistance here in Zamboanga and we awi-Tawi Sulu Vice Governor are very appreciative of the Sakur Tan said Muslim vil- efforts of the people of lagers have sought the inter- Zamboanga headed by no vention of the governors and less than Mayor Beng Muslim religious leaders to Climaco (Salazar),” the vice stop the relocation of the governor said.
Like a sister to him, Sulu Vice Governor Sakur Tan embraces Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar as a show of solidarity in government efforts to rebuild and rehabilitate Zamboanga following three weeks of street battles in September between separatist rebel and security forces. Also in the photo are Tawi-Tawi lawmaker Ruby Sahali, left, and Silsilah Foundation's Rev. Fr. Sebastiano D'Ambra. (Mindanao Examiner Photo) “Pinagusapan namin ito kung paano kami makatulong dito sa Zamboanga City at nakikita namin ang kahirapan and we feel that it is also our obligation kasi unang-una our people come to Zamboanga for their medical requirements, our people come to Zamboanga for education, our people come to Zamboanga for their livelihood kaya tingin namin kailangan namin tulungan ang Zamboanga, alagaan ang Zamboanga at hindi natin puwedeng pabayaan ang Zamboanga,” he added. He also cautioned the participants against those who are trying to sow confusion or hatred between Muslims, Christians and indigenous peoples, saying, all three groups live harmoniously in Zamboanga. “We need not emulate what others are doing in other countries. Dito sa atin, we are very open. Mixed marriages are not uncommon, mixed marriages between the two faiths – the Christians and the Muslims
– look at other territories or other areas in other parts of the world ano ang nangyayari di ba pahirap ng pahirap. Kaya kailangan dito sa atin – they be Christians or they be Muslims, let us be one, we cannot live alone, dapat magsama-sama tayong lahat at magtulongtulungan tayo,” he said. Tan, who vowed to support Salazar’s efforts in rehabilitating and rebuilding Zamboanga, was many times interrupted by applause from the participants of the summit, including representatives of refugees and Muslin religious leaders and Catholic priests and peace advocates and members of the civil society groups, among others. The Darul Ifta of Zamboanga, a grouping composed of Muslim leaders, also vowed to support the efforts in protecting the welfare and well-being of the refugees. Its leaders told Salazar that at least 47 mostly children had died in evacuation centers due to respiratory diseases.
Sulu Governor Totoh Tan with Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar. Also in the photos are Tawi-Tawi Governor Nurbert Sahali and Tawi-Tawi Rep. Ruby Sahali. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
Emotional In an emotional speech, Salazar, who nearly broke down, has apologized for the deaths of the children and said they are doing everything to stop the spread of deadly diseases in refugee shelters. She said they are closely working with various health and humanitarian agencies to prevent the diseases. She also ordered the quick release of assistance to families of those whose poor children had perished due to sickness. She also thanked the three governors and all those who helped Zamboanga during the humanitarian crisis and praised the various Christian and Muslim groups, especially the Darul Ifta and peace advocates and Muslim leaders and the Archdiocese of Zamboanga for their support to the rehabilitation efforts of the local government. “Thank you very much for helping us. At the time when the crisis stuck we were very poor and I would like to appreciate the help that you gave to the city of Zamboanga – Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi at para po kaming mga pulubi and you were there to help us and our struggle still continue and we carry on and that’s we are praying and asking how can we survive because our food packs (for refugees) is now just good for a couple of days. Karamihan po sa aming mga resources is very limited and we really try to do the best that we can,” Salazar told the participants. No to for ced rrelocation elocation forced Refugees have previously protested the relocation plan of the local government, saying, it would be extremely difficult for them to rebuild their lives. The villagers, many of them Tausug from Sulu ; Yakan, from Basilan; and indigenous Badjao tribe from Tawi-Tawi province - en-
gaged in fishing and other traditional livelihoods - were being relocated to the far villages of Tulungatung and Taluksangay from their original habitat in the coastal villages of Rio Hondo and Mariki and other areas. The Zamboanga government said it has built bunkhouses as temporary shelters to those affected by the violence, but it also warned that villagers who are not natives of Zamboanga would not be allowed to return to their former abode, unless they can provide certificates to show they are landowners. Some of the displaced villagers accused the government of forcing them into relocating and others claimed social workers threatened to cut off relief aid should they reject the government offer to move to the hilly village of Tulungatung and Taluksangay. While others protested, many also praised the government for providing them a living quarter and were elated by their new house, saying it greatly helped them in rebuilding their family and future. The bunkhouses, built by the army, were funded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Those displaced by the fighting have been herded to a sports complex here, but the poor sanitation in the evacuation site makes it uninhabitable for many, and is also threatening the health of elderly, the women and the children. Salazar urged the refugees to transfer to bunkhouses built by the government as they work for the completion of the rehabilitation plan. President Benigno Aquino has ordered the release of nearly P4 billion in funds to rebuild Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner)
Dec. 16-22, 2013
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Pictorials from the Regional Leader’s Summit attended by over 200 leaders of various Muslims and Christian groups in Zamboanga City. The conveners of the meeting dubbed “Confidence building, Reconstruction and Healing: What Muslim and Christian Leaders Can Do Together,” were the Darul Ifta, the City Government of Zamboanga and the Archdiocese of Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
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4 men in baseball bat attacks arrested
DIPOLOG CITY – Police arrested four men who allegedly behind the attacks on civilians using baseball bats in the coastal town of Liloy in Zamboanga del Norte province, police said. Police said the men were arrested during an undercover operation in the town following vicious attacks on at least three people who suffered injuries from the blows. The suspects have been identified as Bersan Laguna, 24; Rathleaf Javellana, 20; Omar Marugi, 18; and Elias Tolero, 19. The men are natives of neighboring towns
of Tampilisan and Titay. Police said another man is being hunted down by authorities. It said that the five men used two motorcycles in hunting down their victims. The attacks were random and had targeted unsuspecting victims. Investigators said police recovered the two motorcycles and baseball bat used in the attacks and that the assailants were detained at the town’s police station while criminal charges are being prepared against them. (Mindanao Examiner)
Militiaman guns down civilian
PAGADIAN CITY – A government militia shot and killed a civilian in the southern Filipino province of Zamboanga del Sur, police said. Police said the 25-year old Nilo Aragones was watching a basketball game at Purok Uno in the village of Sigacad in Bayog town when he was shot by Elmer Aguilar,
29, a local militia member. Aragones died instantly after being shot in the head. Aguilar quickly fled after the shooting and police are still investigating the murder. The motive of the attack is unknown. Police said it deployed forces to track down Aguilar. (Mindanao Examiner)
AP EL A! APEL ELA! Tulong po kailangan, got this from a concerned Basileno. Ed. Sir.. good day, may humihingi po sana ng tulong na patiente from Basilan...naka admit po siya now sa Zamboanga City Medical Center... more than 2 months na po siya na siya sa hospital... kailangan po nila ng medical and other assistance. Kapos na po ang mga pamilya sa pagpapagamot....biktima po sila ng flash flood dito sa Isabela, particularly sa Aguada, Isabela City... sila ay indigent family...kung pwede po na matulungan natin sila sa kung ano mang paraan na maitulong natin. Ang pangalan po ng pasyente is BOHOLTS MAXIMO BIRANG-BIRANG at nasa Ward 4 po siya ng Zamboanga City Medical Center. Ito po ang cell phone number ng asawa (Nursida) ng pasyente 0927-5952028. Maraming salamat po.
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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CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Richard Falcatan Basilan Province Ely Dumaboc Zamboanga Peninsula The Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper is published weekly in Mindanao, Philippines. The Mindanao Examiner Television is broadcast in KISMET Cable TV and Pagadian Cable Television Channel 63. 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
Ang sunog sa bayan ng Molave sa Zamboanga del Sur at ang pamimigay ng tulong ng pamahalaang lokal.
37 bahay nilamon ng apoy ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR – Walang naisalba na anumang kagamitan ang halos 40 pamilya sa bayan ng Molave sa Zamboanga del Sur matapos lamunin ng apoy ang isang bahagi ng barangay doon. Ayon sa mga awtoridad ay nagmula sa mga ikinabit na Christmas light ang sunog sa Barangay Culo na tumupok sa mga
kabahayan. Hinihinalang gawa sa China at substandard ang naturang Christmas light at hindi dumaan sa inspeksyon ng Department of Trade and Industry ang mga ito. Sinabi naman ni Gerry delos Santos, ng lokal na Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, na tinatayang aabot sa P3 milyon ang
pinsala sa sunog dahil naabo lahat ang mga kabahayan doon. Agad naman namahagi ang pamahalaan ng Molave ng 25 kilo ng bigas at iba pang pangangailangan ng mga nasunugan na ngayon ay nasa evacuation center. Maglalaan rin umano ng pondo ang pamahalaan para sa pansamantalang
tirahan ng mga biktima ng sunog. Nagpaalala rin ang Bureau of Fire sa publiko na mag-ingat sa mga binibiling Christmas lights at siguraduhin dumaan ang mga ito sa inspeksyon ng DTI at may seal ang mga ito na pumasa sa product standards ng pamahalaan. (Ely Dumaboc)
Eastern Mindanao Command draws accolades from military chief DAVAO CITY - Philippine military General Emmanuel Bautista has visited troops at the Eastern Mindanao Command in Davao City and spoke to member of the armed forces and praising them for their peace and development feats and awarded deserving soldiers. Eastern Mindanao Command chief General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III led senior military officers in welcoming Bautista. “During his talk to the troops, General Bautista congratulated the officers and men of Eastern Mindanao Command led by General Cruz for a job well done. He also urged the troops to continue the Bayanihan in an effort to bring peace and development and progress to areas covered by the Eastern Mindanao Command.,” Captain Alberto Caber, the chief information officer, told the Mindanao Exam-
The awarding ceremony at the Eastern Mindanao Command in Davaio City in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner) iner. He said Bautista also reminded troops to main-
tain their good rapport and relationship with the civilians and other stake hold-
ers to ensure peace in the region. (Mindanao Examiner)
Police station falls in NPA hands COTABATO CITY – Dozens of communist rebels raided a police station and shot dead one officer in the south-
ern Philippine province of Bukidnon, officials said. Officials said three other people were wounded in the
New People’s Army raid on Kibawe town’s police headquarters. The local mayor said the rebels, numbering
about several dozens, carted various weapons from the police headquarters. The raiders who arrived in vans caught policemen by surprise and were immediately disarmed. Police earlier warned all its commanders in the province to stay on high alert because of intelligence report of an impending raid by rebels. The NPA did not give any statement about the raid, but it previously warned of fresh offensive in the restive region of Mindanao. Last year, communist rebels also killed six government soldiers and wounded 16 others in separate attacks in the town of Kitaotao in Bukidnon province. The soldiers were members of the 23rd Infantry Battalion and the 8th Infantry Battalion. The rebels have been fighting for decades now for the establishment of a separate communist state in the country.
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Iloilo oil spill cleanup gathers speed
Downtown Pagadian City (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
Kuan Yu team in action in Estancia town in Iloilo province in central Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner) ILOILO PROVINCE - A private contractor has begun drawing off an estimated 1.5 million liters of oil from the fuel tanks of Power Barge 103 that run aground at the height of super typhoon Haiyan in the town of Estancia in Iloilo province in central Philippines. “We already took some 117,000 liters of oil out of the fuel tanks of the stricken power barge since December 7. The oil siphoned off PB 103 is being conveyed to the MT Obama, which has a capacity of 850,000 liters,” Sonny Sarmiento, incident commander of Kuan Yu Global Technologies Inc., said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. The state-run Power Sector Asset and Liabilities Management Corp., owner of the stranded barge, des-
ignated Kuan Yu to perform the cleanup of the Estancia oil spill and to eventually salvage the vessel. “We are working 24/7 to quickly remove all the fuel, but we can’t tell when we’ll finish the job because we don’t have confirmed data on the actual volume of oil left in the barge,” Sarmiento said. “We can pump out and transfer up to 150,000 liters per hour, but we are now proceeding at a cautious rate of 50,000 per hour to avoid potential complications.” When PB 103 was detached from its moorings and marooned during the typhoon in November, the floating power station was believed to be carrying 600,000 liters of industrial fuel oil on top of some 1.3 million liters of automotive diesel oil, of which some 386,000 liters had been accidentally discharged into
the environment. Besides the MT Obama, Sarmiento said Kuan Yu has five other vessels on site performing various cleanup and support roles - the MT Don Jose 2, the LCT Valentina 1, the LCM Divine Glory, the MT Doodsky, and the Crane Barge Gwenneth. “As to the spilled oil, it is now contained in boom perimeters, and we’ve already collected 105,000 liters of fuel from the waters, plus another 47 tons of oil spill debris, as of December 7,” Sarmiento said. He said Kuan Yu has more than 300 locally hired personnel helping in the cleanup, particularly of affected shorelines in Estancia and elsewhere. “They have been properly briefed and equipped. They have been divided into sectors and are performing work on rotation,”
Troops raid explosives factory TROOPS raided an explosives factory of the communist rebel group New People’s Army and recovered over 160 landmines in Agusan del Sur’s Loreto town, officials said. Officials said troops were guided by intelligence provided by civilians in the town that led to the seizure of the explosives in the village of Kauswagan. Soldiers also recovered a generator set used by rebels in the manufacture of explosives, according to Army Captain Alberto Caber, chief information officer of the Eastern Mindanao Command. Caber said the factory was empty when troops arrived. Caber also quoted a villager as saying that “We do not want the NPA here because they only bring us sufferings. We want a peace in our village.” Military records made available to the regional
newspaper Mindanao Examiner showed that more than over 120 people were killed and 325 wounded from hundreds of landmine explosions set off by the NPA in the region, a known stronghold of the rebel group. General Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, who heads the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the unabated use of landmines by the NPA is a gross violation of the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian law which the rebel group was a signatory. Cruz praised troops and the villagers for the capture of the factory.
“This is the biggest NPA landmine factory discovered so far. Indeed, the timely recovery of NPA landmines by our troops saved lives of innocent civilians,” he said. Cr uz accused the rebels of continuously putting the lives of innocent people in grave danger by deploying landmines in areas frequented by civilians. There was no immediate statement from the NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been fighting for decades to over throw the democratic government and install a Maoist state in the largely Catholic country. (Mindanao Examiner)
he said. “Rest assured no effort is being spared to accelerate the cleanup. Cost is not even a factor because the insurer is covering all expenses,” Sarmiento said. He also stressed that the people behind Kuan Yu have more than 50 years of combined experience responding to and cleaning up oil spills. Through First Response Marine Services Inc., Sarmiento said the people behind Kuan Yu were involved in a big way in the cleanup of the Semirara oil spill in December 2005 as well as the Guimaras oil spill in August 2006. “We at Kuan Yu are all absolutely committed to expediting the cleanup of the Estancia spill in order to protect marine life and coastal communities, especially local fishermen and their families,” Sarmiento said.
Medical and dental mission in Davao City by Task Force Davao, Davao City Entrepreneur Lion’s Club and Philippine Mental Health Association. (Mindanao Examiner)
Two teenagers executed in Pagadian City PAGADIAN CITY – Unidentified gunmen executed two teenagers in an attack in Pagadian City in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, police said. Police said the victims – Manilyn Besirel, 14, and Mar-Mar, 18, were both peppered with bullets in the village of Bulatok before midnight on December 6. Residents in the area reported the killings to the police. Forensic investigators have recovered at least 11 bullet casings fired from a .45-caliber pistol near the bodies of the victims. But it was unclear how many gunmen were involved in the murder, but gun attacks carried out by sus-
pected hired killers and extrajudicial killings are not uncommon in Pagadian, the provincial capital and seat of the regional government agencies. The victims were not natives of the village and local authorities could not say whether the two had been abducted and executed in the area. Both resided near Agora Market in Santa Lucia District in downtown Pagadian. The motive of the killings is unknown and police said an investigation has been begun into the murders of the teenagers. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack. (Mindanao Examiner)
200 people benefit from humanitarian mission in Davao City DAVAO CITY – Some 200 people benefitted from a dental and medical mission by the military and various groups in the southern Filipino city of Davao, officials said. Army 1st Lieutenant Danilo Mapacpac said the Task Force Davao in collaboration with the Davao City Entrepreneur Lion’s Club headed by its president Terresita Jabellana, and the local chapter of the Philippine Mental Health Association led by Dr Reginald Jopson held the medical and feeding mission at the militar headquarters in Santa Ana Wharf in the village of Leon Garcia.
“More or less two hundred beneficiaries availed the medical and dental services and provided with medicines from the groups. The Task Force Davao – Youth For Peace also joined the activity,” he said. Dr Jopson said the humanitarian mission served as an advance Christmas gift for the local residents who availed of the free medical and dental services. “This activity is part of continuing program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines anchored on Bayanihan aimed at promoting peace and development,” said Mapacpac. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Dec. 16-22, 2013
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Propaganda war heats up DAVAO CITY - Communist rebels have strongly denied military reports that it killed four insurgents in the town of Maco in Compostela Valley in southern Philippines. Daniel Ibarra, a spokesman for the New People's Army, branded the reports attributed to Eastern Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III as "preposterous." "There is no truth to the preposterous claim made by Eastern Mindanao Command Commander Lt. Gen. Rainier G. Cruz, III that in their Bayanihan, they have prevailed against the NPA by killing 4 New People's Army guerillas in Maco town, Compostela Valley. The enemy has pursued its atrocious military operations in separate incidents of strafing and bombing that left a civilian dead, the detention of three others, and the dislocation of hundreds more in Maragusan and Maco towns since November 18 up to December 6." "While hiding its savage deeds against the masses, the AFP is engaging in a futile attempt to reverse the real score in the battlefield. In contrast to the AFP's indiscriminate aerial bombing and strafing that did not distinguish combatants
from civilians, the NPA triggered command detonated explosives, harassed and ambushed legitimate targets from enemy units in four separate punitive actions over the last three weeks. The AFP suffered a total of 34 casualties, with 20 killed and 14 wounded after NPA units under the Comval Davao Gulf Sub-regional Command launched a series of tactical offensives meant to punish the fascist 71st Infantry Battalion, 66th IB, and Division Reconnaissance Company all under the 10th ID-Eastern Mindanao Command of the AFP," Ibarra said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. Ibarra also provided a list of all civilians and peasants allegedly branded as rebels by the military and eventually killed by troops in Compostela Valley. "Indeed, the blatant coverup and a host of human rights abuses in the last few weeks manifested the AFP's character as harbinger of injustice and implementer of the hideous policy of neutralization under the Oplan Bayanihan. The masses can only rely in the revolutionary justice, time and again , dispensed by the NPA through its punitive actions against legitimate targets in the
AFP and the US-Aquino regime," he said. The human rights group Karapatan also lambasted and
Eastern Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III. accused the military of murdering innocent civilians and human rights violations in areas covered by the Eastern Mindanao Command. Hanimay Suazo, SecretaryGeneral of Karapatan, said the government's anti-insurgency campaign's Oplan Bayanihan breeds gross human rights violations, extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, aside from militarization. "These killings continue
because the President (Benigno Aquino) permits his armed forces to do it," she said, citing the alleged murder by the military of Pedro Tinga, a Mansaka tribal council member, in the village of Malamudao in Maco town this month. She accused the 71st Infantry Battalion as behind the killing of Tinga. But Captain Alberto Caber, public affairs chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command, strongly denied all Ibarra and Suazo's allegations and branded them as a "propaganda." "Ang recruits naman talaga ng NPA ay sibilyan, kahit sino at lalo na ang mga magsasaka, bata, matanda at basta magagamit nila. Pinapagulo lang ng Karapatan ang bayan natin, binubulag nila ang mga mamamayan sa katotohanan. Ang Karapatan ang siyang tagapagtanggol ng NPA. Malinaw na nakikinabang ang Karapatan sa extortion actiovities ng NPA," Caber said. Cruz also denied the accusations and praised civilians in Compostela Valley and other areas covered by the Eastern Mindanao Command for supporting the military and police and the government's efforts in bringing peace and development to the province through
Bayanihan. "Kami ay lubos na nagpapasalamat sa mga residente sa kaniolang regular na pagre-reportsa kasundaluhan at pulis sa presensya ng mga NPA sa kanilang lugar. Sa ating Bayanihan, tayo ay magtatagumpay laban sa extortion activities ng NPA. Ako ay nananawagan sa mga rebeldeng binulag ng maling paniniwala na bumalok sa ating pamahalaan at mag bagong buhay kasama ang inyong mga mahal na pamilya, anak, kapatid at magulang at kaakibat ninyo kami sa pagbabagong buhay," he said. "At sa mga nagpipilit naman sa marahas na pamamaraan, hangga't meron Republika ng Pilipinas, ang military operations ay hindi titigil laban sa NPA sa pagtatanggol sa demokrasya at kaligtasan ng bawa't isang mamamayan. Mandato ng AFP at PNP na pangalagaan ang mamamayang Pilipino. Inuulit namin na sana ay bumalik na kayo sa ating lipunan at makiisa sa hinahangad na kapayapaan para sa kaayusan ng ating bayan," Cruz added. The NPA has been fighting for decades for the establishment of a separate state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Rebels seized 5 civilians in Lanao del Norte PAGADIAN CITY – The Philippine military accused the Moro Islamic Liberation Front of abducting 5 civilians in the southern province of Lanao del Norte. Captain Jefferson Somera, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division, said MILF rebels under Abdul Macalunto seized the civilians at Poblacion East in the town of Balo-i late Thursday. “The abducted civilians were believed to have been brought to a rebel camp in Lanao,” he said. Somera said members of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Battalion were deployed and have put up checkpoints in the province. No other details were released by the army about the abduction and the MILF has not issued any statement about the military accusations.
Recently, some 50 MILF fighters led by Jimmy Rajamuda, assaulted the Marawi City police station in Lanao del Sur province and shot a civilian before rescuing two rebels - Johanne Cader and Mesron Borodan - detained for illegally carrying firearms. They also seized the police chief Christopher Panapan and used him as shield as they escaped to the sea. Panapan was later freed in the town of Balindong in Lanao del Sur. Rajamuda is a commander under Abdurahman Macapaar, a senior rebel leader who heads the MILF 102nd Base Command. The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group which is currently negotiating peace with Manila. (Mindanao Examiner)
Septuagenarian man killed in Isabela City BASILAN PROVINCE – Gunmen shot dead a septuagenarian member of the Catholic frater nal benefits organization Knight of Columbus in an attack in Isabela City, police said. Police said Benjamin Miranda, 70, was driving his motorcycle when gunmen shot him in the village of Lanote. Miranda, a former village official, died on the spot. The assailants, who were riding tandem on a motorcycle, fled after the
shooting. The motive of the killing is unknown and local government officials did not give any statement about the murder. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack, but killings are common in Isabela City where guns for hire actively operate and is largely blamed for the spate of murders. Police said it is investigating the killing of Miranda. (Mindanao Examiner)
The awarding ceremony for the 21 police members in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner)
21 police members awarded in Zambo City ZAMBOANGA CITY – For their exemplary performance, courage and gallantry beyond call of duties, 21 members of the regional police force were given awards in Zamboanga City. Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said lawyer Washington Javier, president of Public Safety Mutual Benefits, Incorporated, who was the guest of honor and speaker during the ceremony, and Chief Superintendent Juanito Vaño, head of the Western Mindanao Regional Police Office, led the awarding ceremony and praised the dedication of the uniformed personnel. They were assisted by Chief Superintendent Mario Yanga. Huesca said the regional police once again have recognized the excellent performance of its members at the height of the September attack by the Moro National Liberation Front in Zamboanga City. The fighting lasted three weeks and killed and wounded over 400 people and displaced more than 120,000 civil-
ians. “The Philippine National Police has always recognizes the exemplary performance of its members who displayed their courageous and gallantry during and beyond call of duties in which the Police Regional Offices 9 has adopted the system,” he said. Huesca said a total of 11 commissioned officers and 10 non-commissioned officers assigned with Police Regional Office 9 were given due recognition at Camp Colonel Romeo Abendan in the village of Mercedes. “The awardees were given the awards, due to the courageous and gallantry they have been displayed during the crisis in Zamboanga City. The awards were individually given to the deserving members such as from the conduct of offensive against the members of the Moro National Liberation Front, not taking into consideration that their lives will be endangered, extended aide and assistance in order to relief the trauma being suffered by victims, planning and
strategic evaluation for tactical offensive operations of the government troops and for continuously initiated information-dissemination aimed at providing the public with adequate, accurate , relevant and timely information for the public to take cognizance,” he said. “With these feats, the awardees have contributed in the fulfilling the Philippine National Police’s mission towards
maintaining peace and order and ensuring public safety and internal security, thus, they earned credit non only for themselves but also for the entire PNP,” he added. Police also provided financial assistance to its members who lost their houses in the conflagration that followed the fighting in several villages. Javier also led the handing out of the financial assistance to the fire victims. (Mindanao Examiner)
9
The Mindanao Examiner
Dec. 16-22, 2013
MNLF told to support peace, common good in Mindanao
Photograph released by the Karapatan to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner show the peaceful march being stopped by the police in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.
Peaceful march of war refugees in Zamboanga City stopped ZAMBOANGA CITY – Police stopped the peaceful march of a huge group of war refugees and human rights advocates in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. Police said the group had no permit when they marched to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the International Declaration of the International Human Rights Day. The regional chapter of the human rights group Karapatan criticized local authorities for stopping the march. “It is ironic that the Philippine government which is a signatory to the declaration has failed to uphold the right of the people to peaceably assemble by repressing such very important people’s right,” Bishop Antonio
Ablon, chairman of Karapatan in Western Mindanao. The refugees, who comprised Bangon Zamboanga, a newly-organized people’s organization of the victims of the Moro National Liberation Front siege of Zamboanga City in September, marched for about two kilometers from their evacuation site at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Stadium when blocked by the police after organizers failed to show a permit from City Hall. But Karapatan said it had earlier sent a courtesy letter to the city government for the “Lakad Para sa Karapatang Pangtao” but local officials rejected this prompting the refugees to march and invoke their
right to a peace assembly. The Bangon Zamboanga also tried to give a copy of a Memorandum of Agreement to Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar, but was also ignored. The MOA contained the following - the continuation of food support and rice supply for those who are still in evacuation centers; medical support to the evacuees; and the return of the evacuees to their respective places and financial support for the construction of their houses. More than 100,000 residents in 15 villages here were displaced by three weeks of street battles between separatist rebels and security forces that killed and wounded over 400 people. (Mindanao Examiner)
Dili tinuod nga ma-unlod ang Bohol TAGBILARAN CITY - Dili tinuod ang mikatap nga balita pinaagi sa mga text messages nga ma-unlod ang Bohol kun mokabat na kapin sa 6,000 ang aftershocks human gitayog sa kusog nga linog ang lalawigan niadtong Oktubre 15. Apan ang ubang parte sa Bohol, apil na ang syudad sa Tagbilaran, misibog og 55 centimeters paingon sa Cebu. Kini ang gibutyag ni Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) Dir. Renato Solidum Jr. atol sa gipahigayong Public Forum on Disasters, Climate Change and Marine Biodiversity nga gipahigayon niadtong Disyembre 4 sa JJ’s Seafood Village, sa syudad sa Tagbilaran. “Actually, the reason why Bohol is around is because of earthquakes and the faults that move vertically. Why? Because limestones are made up of corals and limestones cover a big part of Bohol,” pasabot ni Solidum. “Build back better,” pag-aghat ni Solidum sa mga Bol-anon. Gisugyot sa Phivolcs
ang gilay-ong dili moubos sa 5 meters sa matag kilid sa active fault ug likayan ang pagpatukod og mga imprastraktura ibabaw sa active fault trace aron malikayan ang ground rupture hazard. Sa maong forum, gipasabot sa Director sa Phivolcs nga dili linog ang makapatay apan ang mga mangahagsa nga mga kabalayan o imprastraktura mao nga mahinungdanon gayud nga mosubay sa saktong building standard. Gipasabot usab sa Philvolcs nga ang mga likido nga nanggawas gikan sa mga liki nga bahin sa lungsod sa Loon gitawag kini nga liquefaction og resulta lamang kini sa linog. Inay nga mahadlok ug maguol nga maunlod ang isla sa Bohol, gisugyot sa Phivolcs nga
kinahanglang magbinantayon gayud ang katawhan sa pagsaka ug paglihok sa yuta sama sa nahitabo sa lungsod sa Maribojoc. Gitataw usab ni Solidum nga hanap nang molihok pa ang North Bohol Fault, ang hinungdan sa linog niadtong Oktubre 15. Apan angay magbinantayon gihapon ang katawhan tungod kay aduna pay ubang faults ug bulkan sa ubang dapit sa nasud nga maoy makaingon og linog. Daghang mga balay, simbahan, tunghaan, tulay ug ubang pampublikong imprastraktura sa Bohol ang nangahugno o nangaguba sa dihang gitay-og sa magnitude 7.2 nga linog ang lalawigan niadtong Oktubre 15. (Elvira C. Bongosia)
BASILAN Muslim religious groups are calling the leadership of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to put away their personal interests and work for the common good of the Bangsamoro people. “We are calling the MNLF to set aside their personal interests and focus on the common goal of the people in Mindanao,” Ustadz Jamal S. Muni, deputy spokesperson of the Darul Ifta. Muni said this has been their observation that the struggle to alleviate the status of the Bangsamoro people is taking a toll as leaders within the MNLF are putting more emphasis on their self-interests rather than the welfare of the Bangsamoro people. The MNLF has broken into several factions after senior leaders were dismayed on Nur Misuari, the founding chairperson, as he failed to bring the collective position of the organization and the Bangsamoro people. After the signing of the Final Peace Agreement in 1996, Misuari simultaneously governed the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development for six years. However, during his reign, the Muslim region made a slow progress, if not totally stunt its economic growth with dearth opportunities. Misuari then demanded for his term to be extended but failed to get the backing of the constituencies and the national government, which prompted him to led two deadly attacks in Jolo, the capital town of Sulu, and in Zamboanga in 2001, where dozens of Moros were killed. As a fugitive, Misuari took refuge in Malaysia, but was eventually caught and turned over by the Malaysia to the Philippine government and charged with rebellion. Misuari was freed in 2009, and ran for succeeding polls as either governor of Sulu – his home province - or as governor in the ARMM but failed to get substantial votes. In recent years, Misuari has again ranted after the national government rejected his demand to be appointed as the regional governor of ARMM after the congress decided to temporarily suspend the regional election to synchronize it with the national polls. He then started to take the six-year Tripartite Review Process of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement as hostage by rejecting the collective results of the review process to be implemented. The conclusions, which were supposed to be implemented, are the 42consensus points that will amend the Republic Act 9054 or the law, which created the ARMM; the implementations of Bangsamoro
Nur Misuari (Mindanao Examiner Photo) Development Assistance Funds; and the creation of the Tripartite Implementation Monitoring Committee. The review process did not progress, as Misuari demanded another three issues, which are outside the agenda of the process. His demands are to conduct a plebiscite on territory, provisional government, and sharing on strategic minerals. The government has earlier explained in details that these issues have been fully resolved. It said Misuari could no longer demand for another round of plebiscite since it was already done in August 2001. The government also clarified that the 1996 Final Peace Agreement does not provide any provisional government, however it stated for the establishment of a “transitional implementing structure and mechanism,” which was fulfilled through the creation of the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development to which Misuari chaired while being the regional governor of ARMM. The sharing on strategic minerals has also been resolved as reflected in the joint statement of the 1st Formal Meeting of the Ad Hoc High Level Group in Solo, Indonesia June 20-22, 2011. It is this line that the government with the support of the Indonesia, the chair of the Organization of Islamic CooperationPeace Committee on Southern Philippines, has proposed for the completion of the review process and bring the governmentMNLF engagements into another level, which is in the implementation phase of the review process. However, Misuari misunderstood it as an abrogation of the Final Peace Agreement, and launched a series of misinformation on the ground while trying to create an independent Bangsamoro Republik, claiming to have a backing of a United Nations official, which turned out to be fake and was arrested late November in Cagayan de Oro City. The misinformation led Misuari to dupe his followers to launch rally in this city eventually turned into a siege on September 9. The three-week crisis has left more than 200 individuals killed and dis-
placed 120, 000 residents, who are mostly Moros. MNLF commanders, who were earlier arrested, said that they were promised monetary rewards of P10, 000 to join the rally. Several groups have called that the real struggle is the Bangsamoro people and does not stop on a single person. “Our loyalty is to the Bangsamoro people neither with the MNLF nor the MILF. Therefore, the Bangsamoro people are advocating for a peaceful resolution in Mindanao,” Muni said. “As Bangsamoro people, we support the peace. With the signing of the power sharing, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Muni said, referring to the recent developments in the negotiations between the government and the MILF. Recently, the MNLFMisuari faction has again threatened to wage another “war” as the southern peace talks progressed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). “I don’t believe they have the clout anymore after the Zamboanga City incident. People know already and cannot be fooled second time around including the MNLF themselves by Misuari,” Alih S. Aiyub, secretary-general of the Bishop-Ulama Conference in Zamboanga, Basilan,Sulu and TawiTawi, said. Even former MNLF combatants, who were successfully integrated into the military and police, supported the ongoing peace talks between the government and the MILF. “As the spokesman of the 5,750 MNLF integrees, I welcomed with great hope and prayer the signed and agreed powersharing agreement,” former rebel and now Army Major Abdurasad Sirajan, said. “For me, all the annexes of the GPH-MILF envisioned comprehensive agreement, the power-sharing is the most crucial one. It is the backbone and the soul of the agreement that will determine the future Bangsamoro Ministerial government. In short, the power of the future political autonomy lies in this power sharing agreement,” he added.
10
The Mindanao Examiner
Dec. 16-22, 2013
Killings of 5 journalists, activists in a week is evidence of a 'license to kill' MANILA - The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said it is deeply concerned over the renewed targeted attacks against journalists, human rights and political activists and indigenous people, in the Philippines. The victims, journalists, who are known critical of corruption and in local politics; rights activists and indigenous people, who are engaged in advocacy against extrajudicial killings and for the protection of the ancestral land of indigenous, have been killed in separate incidents. On November 29 at 9:30 p.m., it was reported that Joas Dignos, a block time commentator at the dxGT Radyo Abante in Maramag town in Bukidnon province, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen riding on a motorcycle. Prior to his death, Joas has been receiving threats. On June 2, two unidentified men threw a hand grenade at the station while his prerecorded radio program was being played on air. On December 1, human rights group Karapatan reported that Rolen Langala, 35 years old and member of an indigenous tribe Higaonon, was killed in Opol town in Misamis Oriental. He died from two gunshot and stab wounds. Rolen was with
Ruel Tagupa, when they were attacked. Ruel, however, survived from the attack. Rolen and Ruel were on their way home from a town fiesta when they were accosted by Nestor Bahian, Eugene Papin and Ramil Salvan, all are members of the village council. Ruel saw Bahian allegedly shoot Rolen. Rolen was a member of Pangalasag, an indigenous people's organization whose former chairperson, Gilbert Paborada, was also killed in October 3, 2012. Pangalasag is opposed to the operation of A. Brown, an agribusiness corporation that has a palm oil plantation in Opol town in Misamis Oriental. In December 5, Aldrin Rabulan, 44, was found dead in Del Gallego town, Camarines Sur. The soldiers were still present when a village guard saw Aldrin's dead body lying on the ground. He suffered gunshot wounds to his back and feet. It said about 20 soldiers with the Bravo Coy of the 49th Infantry Battalion based in Ragay, Camarines Sur entered the house of Aquino Salcedo. Aquino is a member of a village council. The soldiers led by 1st Lt. Howard Ardedon allegedly tied Aldrin's hands and feet after they found him in the house. Aldrin was one of those falsely
charged with murder for the death of a certain Corporal Perillo in Labo, Camarines Sur. Rabulan was unarmed when he was killed. On December 6, Pedro Tinga, 54, a farmer and leader of the Mansaka tribe, was reportedly killed by soldiers with the 71st Infantry Battalion in Compostela Valley province. Pedro was on his way to his farm when the soldiers shot him. He died instantly. On December 6, it was also reported that Michael Milo, 34, and national supervisor of Prime Radio FM's "Doc Alternatibo," was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Tandag City. He was on his way home when two unidentified gunmen shot him at close range in the head. The AHRC said it is shocked, but not surprised by these attacks. In its 20page report on the State of Human Rights in 2013, it revealed that these types of killings are part of a systematic, widespread and continuing attacks against journalists, human rights and political activists, indigenous people, amongst others, in the country. The report also notes that the strengthening of a legal framework has failed to displace, if not restructure, the problem of impunity that is deeply systemic.
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11
The Mindanao Examiner
Dec. 16-22, 2013
Police draft new measures to fight violence in Zambo, Pagadian cities
The Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee Meeting presided by Chief Superintendent Juanito Vaño, the regional police chief, who is also chairman of the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee. (Mindanao Examiner) ZAMBOANGA CITY Police on have drawn up new measures to fight criminalities in the troubled cities of Zamboanga and Pagadian in western Mindanao where gun attacks and killings continue unabated. The measures were drafted from various recommendations following the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee Meeting here presided by Chief Superintendent Juanito Vaño, the regional police chief, who is
also chairman of the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee. Senior Superintendent Sofronio Elcadre, the acting Zamboanga del Sur police chief, briefed senior police, military and other law enforcement agencies on the current peace and order situation in his area, especially in Pagadian City where “series of shootings, robbery and hold-up and other criminal activities have been reportedly rampant in the area.” Senior Superintendent
Dennis Basngi, the Zamboanga City Police officer-in-charge, also briefed the participants on the local peace and order situation. The spate of shootings is also rampant in Zamboanga City. Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, the regional police spokesman, said: “Several measures have been unanimously recommended in order to thwart the unscrupulous individuals or groups from the conduct of their nefarious activities, especially in the
Isang radio broadcaster sa Mindanao bulagta na naman Nitong Disyembre 10 ay binaril at NAPATAY ng mga di-kilalang salarin ang isang radio broadcaster sa Tagum City sa sugatan rin ang reporter na si Jhonavin Mindanao sa walang humpay na atake sa Villalba, 43, ng dyOK Aksyon Radyo Iloilo. Papasok na sana ito sa kanyang bahay sa mga miyembro ng media sa bansa. Barangay Cuartero Si Rogelio ng tirahin ng Butalid, 46, na may armadong ‘riding in programa sa Radio tandem.’ Natin Tagum, ay Agad tumakas binaril habang ang mga salarin pasakay sa kanyang kung kaya’t nadala motorsiklo sa labas sa pagamutan si lamang ng kanyang Villaalba. Nakuha sa himpilan sa lugar ang basyo ng Sobrecary Street. mga bala mula sa Hindi pa mabatid 9mm pistol. ang motibo sa Kamakailan pamamaslang, lamang ay binaril at ngunit ayon sa alert napatay rin si na inilabas ng media Michael Milo, ng watch dog National Prime FM, sa Tandag Union of Journalists City sa Mindanao rin of the Philippines ay at wala pa rin linaw isa rin konsehal ng kung sino ang nasa Barangay Mankilan likod ng ang biktima pamamaslang. Patuloy ang imbestigasyon sa Rogelio Butalid (Davao del Norte Press and Napatay rin si radio pagkakapatay kay Radio-TV Club) commentator Joas Dignos sa Valencia Butalid na ikatlong biktima na sa loob lamang ng dalawang City sa Bukidnon noong Nobyembre 29. Ayon sa NUJP ay 19 mamamahayag ang lingo. Kinondena ng Davao del Norte Press and Radio-TV Club ang naturang napatay sa ilalim ng termino ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino. (Mindanao Examiner) pamamaslang.
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cities of Zamboanga and Pagadian.” He said the Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee IX serves as a venue for the coordination of various government law enforcement agencies to ensure unified direction and integration throughout the region in suppression the criminal activities that which disturb the peace and order of the region. “It aims to strengthen the coordination, cooperation, collaboration among
law enforcement agencies of the region and to update the members on the current situation and accomplishments of their respective regional offices, so that measures will be undertaken,” Huesca said without further elaborating. He said the meeting was attended by the regional chiefs of the different law enforcement agencies in the region, including Lieutenant General Rustico Guerrero, chief of the Western Mindanao Command; the Philippine
Air Force, National Police Commission, National Bureau of Investigation, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Administration, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Immigration, Regional Highway Patrol Unit, Regional Criminal Investigation Detective Group and Anti-Kidnapping Group. (Mindanao Examiner)
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CEBU IS NEW INFOTECH HUB
C
ebu in the centr al P hilippines is central Philippines fast becoming a center for infor mation and technology just formation as other highly urbaniz ed ar eas urbanized areas in the countr y and competitiv ely for that. country competitively Because of this, House Assistant Majority Leader and Cebu Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. said he strongly favors the launch of new tax-advantaged information technology (IT) parks in highly urbanized areas, especially those outside Metro Manila like Cebu, saying this will help spur stable economic expansion all over the country. “New IT parks in Cebu and elsewhere will help promote balanced economic development countrywide, and provide gainful employment to thousands of college graduates in the provinces who are out of work,” said Gullas, also the vice chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education. He said highly labor-intensive and technology-enabled business process outsourcing or BPO firms are the locators in IT parks registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. Gullas specially cited the new Megaworld Corporations’s P20-billion mixed-use Mactan Newtown project in Lapu-Lapu City. Like the 17-hectare ‘Eastwood City’ in Quezon City, at the core of the 20-hectare Mactan Newtown is a cyberpark - a BPO-targeted complex of up to 10 office towers with an aggregate leasable space of 150,000 square meters. Megaworld sees BPO firms at Mactan
Newtown Cyberpark employing more than 40,000 workers by 2018. “Cebu in particular and Central Visayas in general can readily supply the human resources required by
Siquijor. Cebu now has 25 fully functional IT parks and centers and a dozen more are being developed, providing plenty of office spaces and advanced connectivity to new
Cebu City (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
BPO firms that will set up shop at Mactan Newtown and other new IT parks in the region,” Gullas said. Central Visayas is comprise of the provinces of Cebu, Negros Oriental, Bohol and
BPO firms, according to Gullas. He said BPO firms in Central Visayas, mostly in Cebu and Negros Oriental, already employ over 100,000 full-time workers, and generated some $516 million in revenues in
2012. Among them are Accenture Inc., Convergys Philippines Services Corp., TeleTech Customer Care Management Philippines Inc., JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A.Philippine Global Service Center, Stream International Global Services Philippines Inc., IBM Corp., Sykes Asia Inc., Aegis PeopleSupport Inc., NCR Cebu Development Center Inc., and Wipro BPO Philippines Ltd. Inc. Mactan Newtown Cyberpark’s first locator - The Results Companies - a contact center services provider, set up shop only last August at the One World Center, the project’s first office building. As planned, Mactan Newton will also have a lifestyle mall, residential towers, and a Richmonde hotel, Gullas said. The BPO industry in the Philippines is projected to produce $25 billion in revenues and directly employ some 1.3 million Filipinos by 2016. With a labor force of 780,000, the industry posted $13 billion in revenues in 2012, up by $2 billion, or 18 percent, from $11 billion in 2011. This year, the industry is expected to generate $16 billion in revenues and increase full-time employees to 926,000, according to the IT and Business Processing Association of the Philippines. The industry encompasses contact center services; back offices; medical, legal and other data transcription; animation; software development; engineering design; and digital content.
Greater support needed for typhoon Haiyan survivors TACLOBAN CITY - A month after super typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is calling on donors to continue to scale-up funding to ensure that the long term recovery needs of affected communities can be met. "Comparing Typhoon Haiyan with the 2004 tsunami, the death toll is much lower, but almost five times as many people have been affected," Bernd Schell, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) country representative, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. "We plan on helping communities to rebuild their lives over the next three to four years. This will require considerable resources and sustained support from donors," he said. Overall, the incomes of more than 5 million people have been disrupted or lost in the wake of typhoon Haiyan, leaving an estimated 2.4 million people requiring food relief. Across affected areas of Cebu, Panay, Leyte and Samar provinces, Red Cross food aid has so far reached over 440,000 people and more than 500,000 people have been given access to safe water. "The generosity in the immediate aftermath of Haiyan enabled us to deliver food, water and health care to people still in desperate need of vital aid," Alain Aeschlimann, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) head of operations for the region, said in the same statement. "We will be concentrating recovery efforts
ARMM
on highly affected, difficult-to-reach communities in areas already beset by armed conflict." As relief efforts continue to gather pace,
and launching cash-for-work schemes, and continuing to support local health services providing curative and preventive health care, as well as rebuilding essential health fa-
Recent scene from Tacloban City, one of areas ravaged by typhoon Haiyan in central Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales) Red Cross and Red Crescent partners are now starting early recovery programs aimed at building the long-term resilience of typhoonstricken communities; helping families to reconstruct stronger, safer houses, kick-starting local economies by providing cash grants
Southern Mindanao
Davao
cilities. Teams from the IFRC and ICRC are working to support the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), which mobilized over 1,000 volunteers when it launched its emergency response operation immediately after the typhoon
Manila
struck. Since then, the PRC has been distributing food and essential relief items and providing clean water and health services, while also tracing missing people, supporting body retrieval, helping with debris clearance and providing psycho-social support to the communities concerned. Gwendolyn Pang, PRC Secretary-General, said: "Over four million people have been displaced from their homes. They need to know they will have a safe home to return to, livelihood to help rebuild their lives and that they will not be forgotten." Mark Navales, a Mindanao Examiner news bureau chief and chief of photographers, who is covering post-disaster relief operations in Leyte province, described the devastation in Tacloban City - one of the areas ravaged by the typhoon - as "unimaginable." "Everywhere you look is a total devastation. Everything is flattened by the monster typhoon and pleas for help, for food and shelter and other necessities still continue, more stronger as Haiyan survivors start rebuilding their own foundation, their own survival and trauma is so great that even I could not stand the suffering of the people," he said. Government reports said nearly 6,000 people are dead from the wrath of the typhoon and more bodies are being discovered every day in Tacloban and other parts of the province where workers continue to clear many areas of debris. (Mindanao Examiner)
Zamboanga Peninsula