Migrante bares new OFWs recruitment scheme in Saudi Arabia PAGE 2
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Gunmen abduct son of gas depot owner in Zamboanga town
180 police officers attend boot camp PAGE 4
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Royal Sultanate Force beats war drum
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Apr. 7-13, 2014
SABAH RAIDED ANEW! Philippine authorities step up security after gunmen seized Chinese tourist, Filipina hotel worker in Semporna resort
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A gunnery sergeant trains his machine gun below as his helicopter flies over the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
hilippine authorities have beefed up security in the southern region following the abductions of a Chinese holidaymaker and a Filipino hotel worker by gunmen who raided a Malaysian resort in Sabah last week. At least 5 gunmen boat. It was unknown raided the Singmata Ad- whether the raiders are ventures and Reef Resort members of the Philiprecently in Semporna pines’ Abu Sayyaf group town and abducted the previously blamed on 29-year old Gao Huayun, many cross-border a tourist from Shanghai. kidnappings in Sabah, The gunmen also seized which is being claimed by a Filipino woman work- the Sultanate of Sulu. ing at the resort, but her Sulu police chief identity was not immedi- Abraham Orbita said they ately known. have received reports of No individual or the abductions, but could group claimed responsi- not say this early if the Abu bility for the raid, but the Sayyaf is behind the dargunmen fled on a motor- ing raid on the dive resort.
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He said they have alerted police commanders in the province about the incident and ordered them to tighten their security and stay vigilant while building up intelligence about the possible involvement of the Filipino rebel group. “We are aware of the incident and we have a report about this and police forces have been alerted and told to step up their security and intelligence gathering to determine if the Abu Sayyaf is involved in the abductions,” Orbita told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
Southern Mindanao
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The South China Morning Post, which also ran a breaking of story of the raid, interviewed the hotel manager who said that six armed men barged into the resort and seized one of the Chinese tourists staying there and also their Filipina employee. “The hotel manager, who asked to be identified only as Vicky, said five to six armed men burst into the hotel...leaving by boat within minutes. By Thursday morning, all 61 guests - 59 of them from mainland China - had decided to leave the resort,” the re-
Manila
port said. It also published photos shared online by those in the hotel which showed “chaos and confusion” as tourists crouched on the floor of a dining room behind overturned tables. Other pictures showed Malaysian policemen in uniforms with automatic rifles and bulletproof vests securing the resort after the raid. Last November, suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen also raided the island resort of Pom Pom off Semporna town and shot Hsu Li Min, 57, and dragged his wife Chang
An Wei, 58, into a waiting boat and fled before security forces could arrive. The woman was freed a month later in the southern Philippine town of Talipao. The Abu Sayyaf has previously raided resorts in Sabah several times over the past decade and kidnapped dozens of Malaysians and foreigners and exchanged them for ransom money which is used to purchase weapons and fund terror attacks in the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)
Zamboanga Peninsula
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PHL targets cybersex websites THE PHILIPPINES has taken steps to combat the proliferation of cybersex websites and urged telephone companies and Internet service providers to help in the government campaign against the nefarious operations of organized groups behind them. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the Philippines has already attracted worldwide media attention and identified the country as a major hub of the billion dollars global child cybersex industry. She said blocking and filtering of websites that exploit women and specially children should be included as part of telephone companies' corporate social responsibility. The campaign, she said, may yet provide the most significant action that would minimize, if not totally eradicate, cybersex activities in the country. De Lima said telephone companies and Internet service providers have a corporate responsibility to respond to the call to combat the growing menace of cybersex or webcam child sex tourism as the existence of such would erode the moral fibre of the community to which they also belong. Just recently, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking also headed by De Lima, lauded the National Telecommunications Commission for its issuance of Memorandum Circular No. 01-01-2014 which established guidelines for implementing Republic Act No. 9775 or the AntiChild Pornography Act Of 2009. Section 9 of RA 9775 gives the NTC the authority to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations of the installation of filtering software that will
block access to or transmission of any form of the child pornography. De Lima believes that the actions of NTC against child pornography can be extended to also include prohibition to internet sites that cater to child sex webcam tourism. According to the Circular, the NTC is tasked to furnish the list of identified pornographic websites to the ISPs for immediate blocking of access or filtering. In the same regard, the Circular also protects the ISPs from any liability arising from its compliance with any order of the NTC for the immediate blocking of access or filtering of any such websites. ISPs will also submit a monthly list of all websites carrying child pornography materials that were blocked. The list will contain all websites carrying child pornography materials that subscribers of respective ISPs attempted to access but were blocked by the installed carrier grade technology, program or software. “We anticipate that ISPs will submit a laundry list of problems ranging from constitutional liberties to their technical and financial capacity to fulfil the obligations specified in the memorandum and its controlling law, however, they should realize that the spirit of the law intends to protect children from any forms of abuse,” De Lima said. Middle Eastern countries have somewhat controlled cybersex activities by banning websites containing pornography and sex. Similarly, Australia, the European Union, and Scandinavian countries, have considered mandatory and voluntary filtering at the ISP level, she said.
Xavier University hands out prestigious awards to 3 personalities CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Xavier UniversityAteneo de Cagayan awarded several personalities for their various contributions to society during its 75th Commencement Exercises here. Among those who received the awards were Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar, theatre and musical director Lutgardo Labad and Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman. Father Roberto Yap, who is also the university president, handed the Fr. William F. Masterson S.J. Award to Salazar, in recognition for her exceptional work in local governance and public service; the Fr. Francisco R. Demetrio SJ Award to Labad for his outstanding contribution to Philippine culture and arts, especially in the field of music, theatre and film, but most of all for revitalizing communities through the arts; and the Doctor in Humanities to Soliman for her exemplary contributions to social work and community development, and for her untiring, unflinching and methodical service to the Filipino people, especially in Mindanao. Members of El Circulo Zamboangueno de Cagayan de Oro led by producer Mike Banos also turned over to Salazar the proceeds of the November 21, 2013 advance screening of the movie ILO-ILO shown in SM City Cagayan de Oro during the awarding. Salazar, accompanied by her husband, Trifonio
Apr. 7-13, 2014
Migrante bares new OFWs recruitment scheme in Saudi Arabia MANILA - The Middle Eastbased overseas Filipino workers rights group called Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan-Migrante has assailed the Aquino government for pursuing a new recruitment scheme for Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia through the institutionalization of Saudibased Mega recruitment firms into its existing bilateral labor agreement. “The institutionalization of Mega recruitment firms that is primarily being pushed by Aquino’s labor honchos headed by Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz with its counterpart in Saudi Arabia and some big time recruitment agents is designed to farther intensify the recruitment and deployment of OFWs and aspiring job seekers who are part of the millions of unemployed and underemployed Filipinos.” “And that’s primarily the real intent of the new recruitment scheme as we found that OFW rights protection mechanisms are undercut in the absence of specific social legislations taken by the host government to guarantee that migrant workers’ rights is recognized, respected, and honored,” John Leonard Monterona, KGS-Migrante Middle East coordinator, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. Monterona recalled that the decision by the host government to stop issuing work visas to Philippinehired household service workers in 2011 created a row between the country and host government when
the Filipino labor department imposed several requirements such as sketch of the house of the employer in Saudi Arabia; a minimum wage of US$400; a provision of providing ATM cards to hired domestic workers, among others, in response to the heightened clamor to provide concrete protections to OFWs especially domestic workers by various OFWs groups spearheaded by KGS-Migrante Middle East. In response, the Saudi labor ministry temporarily stopped issuing work visas that last for about a year after it received strong reservations from Saudi employers on the requirements imposed by the Philippine government. Rounds of negotiations took placed between the two labor departments and it was on mid2012 that the Mega recruitment firm scheme was conceived. Monterona said early this year, both parties signed the Mega recruitment firm scheme after Baldoz went to Riyadh in February. He claimed that it was no less than the chief of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Hans Cacdac confirmed that the Mega Recruitment companies are highly capitalized recruitment ventures and apparently will ensure that recruiters in the Kingdom has the right resources to provide accommodation, protection, repatriation. ‘Clearly, the Aquino government through the DoLE-POEA tandem is focused on intensifying the exportation of Filipino labor amidst the worsening unemployment woes in the
country. Sad to say, it is at the expense of OFWs well being, rights and welfare,” he said. Monterona also raised serious doubt on some provisions of the Mega recruitment scheme such as the granting of “end of service” benefits or gratuity to domestic workers, the latter not even recognized in Saudi labor law; the deployment of hired OFWs even without clear job upon arrival in Saudi Arabia; the intervention of Philippine labor officials on labor cases will be obscured as the Mega recruitment firms will now be solely responsible to deployed OFWs. Monterona also claimed that the Mega recruitment scheme initiated by Aquino’s labor honchos with its counterpart is designed to enhance the comodification of OFWs treated as mere product for export. “The bankrupt Aquino regime, as it failed to generate local jobs with decent wages and benefits to Filipino workers, is desperate in pushing the implementation of the Mega recruitment firm’s scheme in which the Shoura Council, Saudi council of Ministers, had recently rejected.” “Like previous administration, instead of developing the local economy by implementing genuine agrarian program and national industrializations the Aquino’s govt. relies heavily on OFWs billions of remittances that helps pump priming the local economy through vibrant consumptions by the millions of OFWs families, this is on top of the millions of govt. fees and exactions imposed to OFWs,” Monterona said.
Metal scrap buyer killed in Zambo ZAMBOANGA CITY – A metal scrap buyer who survived a deadly rebel attack in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines last year was shot and killed by an unidentified gunman here. Police said Asari Arani, 38, was shot several times near a river in the village of Maasin. It was unknown what Arani was doing in the village, but police said the
The Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan gives Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar, theatre and musical director Lutgardo Labad and Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman prestigious awards in recognition for their contribution to society. (Photos by Mike Banos) Salazar, also met with her former colleague in the Lower House and now
Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno. (Mindanao Examiner)
victim was among those who are temporarily staying at a refugee shelter at R.T. Lim Boulevard near downtown Zamboanga. Arani was shot at least three times in the head and police said grudge is likely motive behind the killing. Police investigators said they also recovered bullet casings in the area where Arani was shot. Arani was
among the more than 120,000 people who were affected by the September attack of the Moro National Liberation Front members that killed and wounded over 400 people. No individual claimed responsibility for the killing, but gun attacks are common in Zamboanga where hired killers actively operate. (Mindanao Examiner)
UP Student Dilemma QUEZON CITY – The UP Student Regent said it welcomes the move of the University of the Philippines to grant the appeal of four political science students who were earlier barred from graduating because they failed to pay their tuition fees. The students wrote letters to UPM Vice Chancellor Josephine de Luna and appealed that they may be permitted to settle their unpaid tuition fees even beyond the deadline set by the university, citing their families' financial problems. De Luna has disapproved their appeal, saying it could set the precedence for other students to violate the strict “no late payment” policy of UP. Her decision was condemned by the students. “We condemn the UP Manila administration for barring these students from graduating just because they have not yet settled their outstanding balances. This is not what UP stands for. If it is a public service university, it should be helping out its students so that they can finish, not penalize them because they are unable to pay their tuition on time. I am appalled by what the UPM administration is doing despite what happened to Kristel Tejada last year,” said UP Student Regent Krista Melgarejo, who was referring to the suicide of behavioral sciences student Kristel Tejada because she was not unable to settle her outstanding debt in UP Manila. UP President Alfredo Pascual has
called the attention of the UP Manila administration and sent letters to the students notifying them that their appeal has been granted by the Board of Regents in its meeting last March 28. Pascual said the students would now be able to settle their outstanding balances. “We welcome the move of the Pascual administration by approving the students’ appeal. We also thank everyone who contributed in the campaign. This is a product of our collective action. However, this does not mean we will stop campaigning because anti-poor and anti-student policies cease continue to exist in UP,” Melgarejo said. Last December, the Board approved the amendments to the UP Code and the reforms on the Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program (STFAP)in order to make UP education accessible. “The reforms in the UP Code and the STFAP did not make any significant changes – education in UP remains elusive to the poor Filipino youth. Policies like the ‘no late payment’ policy in Manila and the practice of purging students with unsettled accounts from their class lists in Diliman continue to exist. And with the recent approval of the academic calendar shift, it has become more elusive. That is why the struggle continues for our right to education,” Melgarejo said.
Gunmen abduct son of gas depot owner in Zamboanga town DIPOLOG CITY – Four gunmen barged in a gasoline station and abducted the son of the owner in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte. Police said two other gunmen served as lookouts while their companions dragged the 27-year old Michael Kho out of the Petron gas station in downtown Siocon late. Inspector Dahlan
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Samuddin, a regional police spokesman, said the abductors escaped with their victim in a vehicle that waited outside the gas station. He said the vehicle was later recovered by pursuing policemen in Latabon village also in Siocon town. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the abduction, but Samuddin said police forces were deployed to
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track down and rescue the victim. “There is an investigation and hot pursuit operation is being conducted to rescue the victim,” Samuddin said, adding they are investigating the motive of the abduction. It was unknown if the abductors have contacted Kho’s family. The province is a known lair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the communist rebel group New People’s Army. ( With a report from Ely Dumaboc)
IMT visits Sulu; pays courtesy to Governor Totoh Tan
SULU – For the first time since the Malaysia-led International Monitoring Team was established in support to the peace process in the southern Philippines, it only recently that it visited Sulu to pay its respect to the new provincial governor. Members of the International Monitoring Team (Site 3) went to the town of Patikul for a courtesy call to Governor Totoh Tan at the Capitol Building. The Malaysians headed by army Col. Zolkopli bin Hashim met with Tan and they discussed briefly the role of the cease-fire observers monitoring the truce accord between the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Zol also handed the governor a memento. Tan thanked the IMT for visiting Sulu. The officer was accompanied by Lt. Col. Syed Islam Shahajam, Deputy Superintendent Hussin bin Rimon,
Malaysian army Col. Zolkipli bin Hashim, leader of Site 3 of the International Monitoring Team, pays courtesy call to Sulu Gov. Totoh Tan. Major Agus Ekos, of Indonesia Major Abdulmubin bin Hadji Timbang and WO1 Suhaimi bin Rajab, both from Brueni; and Major Abdurasad Serajan and Sergeant Kaidar Dugasan, of the Philippine Army. The IMT-Mindanao was established in October 2004 and responsible for observing, monitoring, verifying, investigating, and reporting on the enforcement
of the Mutual Cessation of Hostilities between the Philippines and MILF. In 2007, the Terms of Reference on the Socio-Economic Assistance Aspects was agreed upon by the Parties for Japan to participate in IMT. Subsequently, the Agreement on the Civilian Protection Component of the IMT was signed on October 27, 2009. (Mindanao Examiner)
Police hold teener over Zambo cop’s slay ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY – Police are investigating a teenager in connection to the murder of a policeman in Diplahan town in Zamboanga Sibugay province in southern Philippines. The minor was caught driving the motorcycle of PO2 Jonnel Ryan Diaz who
was found dead in a lodging house in Santa Cruz village. Police said Diaz, assigned in the town of Buug, was probably clubbed to death. Police said the teenager, a resident of Payao town, was arrested in the neighboring town of Imelda town. Also recovered from him was dead policeman’s 9mm
pistol, his clutch bag and other personal belongings. It was not immediately known whether the teenager was involved in the killing of Diaz, but police are questioning him over recovery of the officer’s motorcycle and gun, and other things. (Mindanao Examiner)
Grenade explodes in house in Basilan BASILAN PROVINCE – Police said an unidentified man exploded a grenade at a house in Lamitan City in the troubled province of Basilan in the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. Police said the assailant targeted the house of Rose Tauto, but no one was hurt
in the attack which occurred late Tuesday in the village of Tinambakan. It said the attacker fled on a motorcycle driven by another man. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the blast and police are still investigating the motive of the attack. It was unknown
whether the assault was connected to family feud or clan war which is not uncommon in Basilan where the proliferation of illegal weapons is still a big problem to authorities. There was no immediate statement from Mayor Rose Furigay about the attack. (Ely Dumaboc)
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Pamuhi og manok bisaya, angayan karon nga adunay El Nino CEBU - Ang Department of Agriculture misugyot karon sa mga mag uuma nga ang usa sa siguradong makuartahan bisan pa man sa abnormal nga kondisyon sa panahon, mao ang pagpamuhi og bisayang manok o native chicken. Matod ni Marianito Doydora, sa DA og nagdumala karon sa Ubay Stock Farm, nga ang native chicken nailhan nga adunay kapasidad nga makasugakod og kailt nga kausaban sa panahon, bisan pa sa grabeng init og katugnaw. Gawas niana, dako gihapon ang demand sa maong karne sa native chicken og labaw ang presyo niini kun etandi sa
karne sa mga manok nga broiler. Ang DA nagsge na karon og pakatap og impormasyon unsaon pag protektar og pagsugakod sa livestock sector sa rehiyon nunot niining abnormal weather conditions. Gipahimangno usab nila nga gikinahanglan lamang sa mga pang hayopan ang saktong lugar kapasilongan og kapahulayan taliwala sa kainit og katugnaw. Gitagna na sa Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services o PAG-ASA nga anaa kita karon sa mild El Nino phenomenon nga muhangtud hangtud sa tunga tunga niining tuiga.
Apr. 7-13, 2014
2 men arrested on gun charges in Zamboanga Sur PAGADIAN CITY – Two people were arrested separately on gun charges in the southern Filipino province of Zamboanga del Sur, police said. Police said a 42-year old man, Roy Lapinig, was nabbed in the village of White Beach in Pagadian City for carrying an unlicensed .357 revolver. Lapinig was also being accused for pointing his gun on a civilian in
the same area. A resident has tipped off the police about the presence of Lapinig in the village that led to his arrest. Police said another man, Jovencio Dablo, 56, was also arrested in Inasagan village in Aurora town after he tried to kill with a gun a neighbor, Ursulo Asignar, during a heated argument while they were drinking. Dablo allegedly ran
to his house and got his .38 revolver and fired at Asignar, but did not hit him. Asignar managed to grab the gun from Dablo who immediately escaped, but later arrested by pursuing policemen. Policemen also seized a kitchen knife from Dablo’s possession. Both men are facing criminal charges, according to the police. (Mindanao Examiner)
2 lalaki sa Tacurong City inirampa Nurse itinumba ng ‘riding in TACURONG CITY – Patay ang dalawang lalaki na kilala umanong mga notoryosong magnanakaw dito matapos silang tirahin ng mga di-kilalang salarin. Hinila naman ng pulisya na posibleng
onsehan sa hatian ng mga nakulimbat ang dahilan ng pagpaslang kina Rendel Panes, 19, at Balong Antonio, 20. Sinabi naman ni Superintendent Junny Buenacosa, ang hepe ng
SUPPORT PEACE IN MINDANAO 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 Media, Film and Television Productions Maritess Fernandez Publisher/Executive Producer (On Leave) Al Jacinto Editor-in-Chief/Producer (OIC) Joshua Alvia 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
pulisya, na kasalukuyang iniimbestigahan ang pamamaslang upang mabatid kung sino ang nasa likod nito. Ayon kay Buenacosa ay maging ang pahayag ng mga magulang ng mga biktima ay masyadong lihis sa kanilang ginagawang pagsisiyasat sa krimen, bagamat hindi pa rin nila inaalis ang ilang anggulo sa naturang pagpatay sa dalawa. (Dado Diaz)
tandem’ sa Sultan Kudarat SULTAN KUDARAT – Hindi pa rin mabatid hanggang ngayon ang motibo sa pagkakapaslang sa isang nurse ng Provincial Health Office ng Sultan Kudarat matapos itong tambangan ng mga di-kilalang armado sa bayan ng Isulan. Batay sa imbestigasyon ng pulisya binaril si Jesus Santocedes sa loob mismo ng minama-
nehong sasakyan habang pagbalik sa kanyang bahay. Nagtamo ng dalawang tama ng bala sa ulo at isa sa dibdib ang kawani ng provincial Health Office matapos itong tirahin ng isa sa dalawang lalaki na nakamotorsiklo sa bayan ng Isulan. Hindi pa mabatid ang motibo at kung sino ang nasa likod ng pama-
maslang, ngunit ayon sa mga kasamahan ng biktima ay nagpaalam lamang ito mula sa kanilang pulong dahil may kukunin lamang umano sa bahay. Agad rin tumakas ang mhga salarin matapos ng pamamaril kamakailan lamang. Patuloy pa rin ang imbestigasyon ng pulisya sa krimen. (Dado Diaz)
180 police officers attend boot camp MANILA - The Philippine National Police said some 180 police officers attended the recently concluded 2nd Performance Governance System boot camp as part of its continuing transformation program. Most of those who participated in the boot camp, held at the Fontana Convention Center in Clark, Pampanga, were provincial and city directors, and deputy directors of na-
tional support units and staffs of strategy management units. Discussed during the boot camp were governance values, change management, leadership and communications strategy, monitoring and evaluation, among others. It was also in preparation for the Philippines hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leader’s Summit in 2015. The boot camp - with the theme “Synergy in
Motion 2: Linking the Islands of Good Governance” - was organized by the Philippine National Police through the Center for Police Strategy Management. It is also aimed at developing values and skills to raise the standards of governance and to empower key police officers and personnel involved in the implementation, promotion and sustainability of its transformation strategy known as PNP
P.A.T.R.O.L. Plan 2030– Peace and order Agenda for Transformation and upholding of the Rule-ofLaw as enhanced by Police Director General Alan La Madrid Purisima through his “CODE-P: 2013 and beyond.” CODE-P: 2013 and beyond is Madrid's program which stands for Competence, Organizational Development, Discipline, Excellence and Professionalism. (Mindanao Examiner)
Apr. 7-13, 2014
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Royal Sultanate Force beats war drum
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ANILA – Members of the Royal Security Force of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo have warned Manila that violence may erupt in the southern Philippines if President Benigno Aquino fails to support their longstanding historical claim on the island of Sabah which is now part of Malaysia. In a statement sent to and branded them as terthe regional newspaper rorists for intruding into Mindanao Examiner, Gen- Sabah and killing and deeral Panglima, who claims capitating 10 policemen to be a leader of the so- and soldiers in separate called Royal Security clashes on the island. Raja Muda AgbimuForce, accused the Aquino government of ignoring ddin managed to escape claims by the Sultanate of the Malaysian assault in Sulu to reclaim Sabah, Sabah, while Sultan whose historical name Jamalul died in October last year from a lingering was Borneo. “Nananawagan kami illness at age 75. General Panglima also sa pamahalaan na sana po gawin nila o hanapan na said that Manila failed or lang ng paraan ang isyu na refused to help sultanate ito at huwag naman nila members and Filipinos ilito isantabi. One year na legally detained in Sabah kami sa giyera at in connection to the fightnaghihintay mula ng ing last year. “Binalewala nila ang sumiklab ang gulo sa Sabah noon February aming isyu (sa Sabah). 2013 at 2014 na ngayon ay Masakit man sa amin na wala pa rin action ang pumanaw na ang mahal pamahalaan ukol dito sa namin pinuno na si Sultan Sabah claim,” General Jamalul Kiram III at hindi rin sila nakinig. Kung Panglima said. In February last year, kaya’t gulo lang ang gusto the ailing Sultan Jamalul nilang pag-usapan o Kiram III, of the Sultanate pakinggan ng pamaof Sulu, sent about 200 fol- halaan, kaya din namin lowers headed by his gumawa ng malaking gulo brother Raja Muda o karahasan sa buong Agbimuddin Kiram to Mindanao kahit na Sabah to exert their claim minamaliit pa nila ang and historical rights over aming puwersa o grupo the island, which is also kaya nananawagan kami pamahalaan na being claimed by Malay- sa tulungan kaming hanasia. Sultan Jamalul’s group pan ng paraan ang isyu has rejected Malaysian de- ma ito. Magtulungan at mand for them to surren- magkaisa tayo at laban na der peacefully and a fight- ito para sa buong Pilipino, ing erupted in Lahad Datu Kristiyano at Muslim ay town where more than 60 magkapatid at iisang of the sultan’s men had dugo,” he said. The threats came folbeen killed and over 300 Filipinos arrested on sus- lowing the signing of the picion they were support- peace agreement between ing or aiding the group of the Philippines and the country’s largest Muslim Raja Muda Agbimuddin. Malaysia also put Sul- rebel group Moro Islamic tan Jamalul and his Liberation Front which brother on its wanted list Malaysia has brokered.
Gover nment R eaction ernment Reaction The Philippine government downplayed threats made by the Royal Security Force Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte in an interview with TV5 said Sabah is not part of the envisioned core territories of the Bangsamoro entity under the newly signed Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. “I’m not quite sure if that’s representative of the sultanate as a group or as a whole,” Valte told the television network as she reiterated her call for everyone to read the annexes under the CAB which were put online, and also urged anew to give the peace pact a chance as there is “so much to gain and nothing to lose.” “We’ve always advocated peaceful means to settle any dispute, whether it’s local or international,” Valte told TV5, adding that the government has already proven that it can be trusted when it comes to peace negotiations. The Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo continues to lay claim to Sabah. It obtained Sabah from Brunei as a gift for helping put down a rebellion on the Borneo Island. The British leased Sabah and transferred control over the territory to Malaysia after the end of World War II. But the Sulu Sultanate said it had merely leased North Borneo in 1878 to the British North Borneo Company for an annual payment of 5,000 Malayan dollars then, which was increased to 5,300 Malayan dollars in 1903. The Sultanate of Sulu was founded in 1457 and is believed to exist as a sov-
Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, of the Sultanate of Sulu, reads the Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper in this photo taken before he died in October 2013. (Photo by Mark Navales) ereign nation for at least 442 years. It stretches from a part of the island of Mindanao in the east, to Sabah, in the west and south, and to Palawan, in the north. North Borneo
was annexed by Malaysia in 1963 following a referendum organised by the Cobbold Commission in 1962, the people of Sabah voted overwhelmingly to join Malaysia.
Malaysia continued paying an annual stipend of 5,300 ringgits to the Sulu sultanate on the basis of the sultanate ceding the Borneo state. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Hepe ng pulisya pinaslang sa Maguindanao COTABATO CITY – Isang masusing imbestigasyon ang inilunsad ngayon ng pamunuan ng pulisya sa Maguindanao matapos na paslangin ng mga dikilalang armado ang hepe nito sa bayan ng Kabuntalan. Nasawi si Inspector Tiongan Namla matapos na ito’y ratratin ng mga armadong nakasakay sa
isang pick-up truck at motorsiklo sa Barangay Dulangan sa bayan ng Datu Odin Sinsuat. Nakasakay sa kanyang motorsiklo si Namla ng buntutan ito ng mga armado at saka pinaulanan ng bala sa naturang barangay. Tinadtad umano ng bala ang katawan ni Namla, ngunit hindi pa
mabatid ang motibo at kung sino ang nasa likuran ng pamamaslang sa opisyal. Nabawi sa lugar ng krimen ang sari-saring basyo ng bala at sinusuri na umano ito ng pulisya. Hindi naman sinabi ng pulisya kung may inulat si Namla na banta sa kanyang buhay. (Mindanao Examiner)
Young woman gives birth, abandons child in Zambo City Isa sa mga suspek na nadakip ng pulisya sa operasyon nito kontra droga sa Tacurong City. (Kuha ni Rosemarie Muneza)
3 laglag sa anti-drug ops sa Tacurong City TACURONG CITY – Tatlo umanong drug user ang natimbog ng pulisya sa Tacurong City sa Mindanao sa panibagong operasyon na isinagawa ng mga awtoridad kontra droga. Tiniyak naman ni Superintendent Junny Buenacosa, ang hepe ng Tacurong City Police Office, na mas paiigtinging pa nila ang kampanya laban sa droga dahil na rin
sa kooperasyon ng publiko. Ang suporta ng publiko ang siyang nagbibigay umano ng inspirasyon sa pulisya upang gampanan ang kanilang misyon na masugpo ang salot sa kabataan, ani Buenacosa. Nakilala naman ang mga nadakip na sina Dominador Dolor, Jr., Nasser Minandang, na diumano’y dating kasapi ng 105th Base Command ng Moro Islamic Liberation
Front, at Tahir Utto. Sinabi naman ni Inspector Roel Vallena Abejero, ang hepe ng mga operatiba sa Tacurong, na magsasagawa pa sila ng mga operasyon kontra droga at nanawagan sa publiko na ipagbigay sa kanila ang anumang impormasyon na may kinalaman sa mga nagtutulak at gumagamit ng droga dito. (Dado Diaz at Rosemarie Muneza)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – A young woman who gave birth to a baby has abandoned her child in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines to hide her unwanted pregnancy from her family, police said. Police said the baby was recovered alive by the tricycle driver that Janine Marie Quinquinto, 19, hired to bring her to a vacant lot in the village of Canelar where she left the baby. The infant was recovered after the driver noticed the woman returned alone and told him to bring her to the boarding
Philippines to expand programs to aid fresh graduates, unemployed MANILA - The Philippines said it will continue to expand its employment programs to provide jobs for tens of thousands who are expected to graduate this year and those who remain unemployed. A government spokesman Herminio Coloma said nearly 96,000 positions in different private and public corporations
and agencies are currently up for grabs. Coloma said the government is also providing financial aid to self-employed individuals, landless farmers, non-wage domestic workers, young workers with dependents, low-income earners, and those who do not have permanent employment due to calamities through the
so-called Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program. He said this program also covers those who are listed in the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s national household targeting system. He said the Labor department in cooperation with the Professional
Regulation Commission would conduct application caravan to bring their services closer to the new graduates of nursing and education courses in preparation for their licensure examinations. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said there is an estimated 700,000 new entrants to the labor force this year.
house where she was staying. The driver told police that he went back to the village and rushed to the area where the woman left the baby and recovered the poor infant. The driver, whose identity was not made public by the police, then hurriedly went to village officials to say what had happened and handed over the baby to them. The child was rushed to the hospital while policemen went to the woman’s boarding house and found her there bleeding profusely and with fever and also rushed her to the same hospital.
The woman said she gave birth in her room and decided to throw the baby to hide everything from her parents who were not even aware of her unwanted pregnancy. It was unknown who the child’s father was or whether he had been told about what had happened to both the woman and the baby. Police are investigating the case, but the woman is likely to face charges for abandoning the baby and putting the child’s life in grave danger. Police did not say whether the woman is a student or not. (Mindanao Examiner)
Lalaki tigok sa 4 hired killers DIPOLOG CITY – Patay ang isang 42-anyos na lalaki matapos itong tadtarin ng bala ng dalawa sa apat na armadong hired killers sa bayan ng Katipunan sa Zamboanga del Norte province. Kinilala naman ni Insp. Dahlan Samuddin, ang regional police spokesperson, ang biktima na si Renato Santarita at nabatid na nakaupo lamang si Santarita sa harapan ng isang tindahan gabi ng Lunes ng may dalawang motorsiklo na may lulan ng apat na katao ang pumarada sa dikalayuan. Isa sa apat na armado ang biglang bumaril sa biktima at kahit sugatan ay nakuha pa nitong makatakbo palayo sa mga salarin, subali’t sumubsob naman ito sa lupa
dahil sa tinamong sugat. Nilapitan pa ito ng kanyang salarin at saka muling binaril at hindi pa nakuntento ang kasamahan nito at bumaba pa ng motorsiklo at binaunan pa ito ng bala. Isinugod pa ng kanyang mga kaanak at pamilya si Santarita matapos na tumakas ang mga salarin, ngunit dead on arrival na ito dahil sa maraming tama ng bala mula sa .45-caliber pistol. Nabawi ng mga imbestigador ng pulisya ang 8 basyo ng bala sa lugar at patuloy ang pagsisiyasat ng mga awtoridad sa motibo ng pagpaslang at kung sino ang nasa likod nito, ani Samuddin. Walang ibinigay na pahayag ang pamilya ng biktima ukol sa pagpatay kay Santarita. (Mindanao Examiner)
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The Mindanao Examiner
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Apr. 7-13, 2014
PHL probes US report on gun running allegations, but silent on secret government funding of rebel groups MANILA -The Philippine military has ordered an investigation into a US report linking a Filipino army officer into a gun smuggling ring with an American senator, but the government is silent over allegations that it is secretly funding Moro rebel groups in Mindanao to distract public attention from its own corruption scandals. US authorities have arrested Senator Leland Yee (Democrat, San Francisco) for firearms trafficking and corruption charges. The report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation said Yee had dealings with an army captain and that the Philippines has been funding secretly some of the rebel groups in an effort to create a distraction away from corruption within the government. The report did not which rebel groups the government has been funding, but the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front has already denied any links to Yee. Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte she spoke with military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala who said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is is already looking into this report. “We have also been trying to get a name or at least more information about the alleged involvement of a supposed military officer,” she said. Valte said there is still no significant information produced by the ongoing investigation. She did not say anything about the allegations that the government is secretly funding rebel groups in Mindanao. US federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Yee, accusing him of conspiring to commit wire fraud and traffic firearms. At least 25 other people, includ-
ing Ray-mond Chow, alleged to be the head of a Chinese organized crime syndicate in the US, were also arrested in connection to the charges. Yee was released on $500,000 bond and declined to comment on the case. It was not the first time that a military officer was linked to illegal arms sales, but there had been allegations in the past that some rouge commanders were illegal selling government weapons to the MILF, the Abu Sayyaf and even politicians and war lords. It was also for the same reason why soldiers had previously staged coup d'etat against the government. Some soldiers even accused their commanders of ordering them to blow up mosques and Catholic churches in Mindanao and stir up a religious war, but they refused. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wage Board releases incentive scheme for banana industry DAVAO CITY – The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Davao region has issued its first wage advisory on the Implementation of Productivity-Based Incentive Schemes for the banana industry. The advisory, which was also published in newspapers, has been formulated under framework of the “Advisory for the Voluntary Productivity-based Pay,” otherwise known as the “Second-Tier Pay” under the “Two-Tiered Wage System” or TTWS. TTWS is a reform in the existing minimum wage system under Republic Act 6727 or the Wage Rationalization Act, which consists of a mandatory minimum wage as the first tier and a voluntary productivitybased incentive scheme as the second tier. “The advisory has chosen to pilot the agribusiness sector particularly the cavendish banana industry as the industry is the
Joffrey Suyao, regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment in Davao, speaks during a news conference on the wage advisory for banana industry. Also with him DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and Undersecretary Rebecca Chato. (Photo by Ryan Roldan) region’s top exporter and major contributor to the economic output of Davao Region,” said RTWPB Chairman Joffrey Suyao. “The advisory was issued to guide the enterprise on a range of productivity incentives starting with a one percent increase which may be the basis for employer initiatives and enterprise negotiations in Davao Region,” he added. Suyao, who is also the
regional director of the Department of Labor and Employment, said the Wage Board issued the Advisory on November 18 after it conducted regional consultations on the TTWS with the banana industry and with other stakeholders in September and October 2013. “Our dream is to have all industries to adopt the productivity-based incentive scheme,” Suyao said. (Sherwin Manual)
Apr. 7-13, 2014
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The Mindanao Examiner
Navy intercepts boat loaded with smuggled Malaysian rice
A Philippine Navy photo shows soldiers inspecting an intercepted boat loaded with smuggled Malaysian rice in the middle of the sea off Zamboanga City. ZAMBOANGA CITY – A small boat suspected of carrying a cargo of smuggled rice was intercepted by a Philippine Navy patrol ship off the southern port city of Zamboanga, officials said. Officials said the boat was loaded with 8,000 bags of Malaysian rice when intercepted by the navy patrol. Rear Admiral Jesus Millan said the cargo, esti-
mated to be worth over P7 million, was handed over to the Bureau of Customs in Zamboanga City for proper documentation and filing of appropriate charges. “This new apprehension is again part of the intensified conduct of law enforcement and maritime security operations by the Naval Forces Western Mindanao as part of our as-
sistance to the Bureau of Customs in curbing smuggling in Zamboanga City,” he said. The navy has seized many smuggled cargos, mostly rice and fuel, in southern Philippines the past years, despite the lack of patrol ships and modern equipment to monitor and secured the long coastal areas in the region. (Mindanao Examiner)
Raid yields chemicals, blasting caps in Compostela Valley DAVAO CITY – Philippine authorities have seized chemical fertilizers and cyanide, including dozens of blasting caps, commonly used by illegal gold miners in Compostela Valley province in Mindanao region. Security officials said military and government agents, armed with search warrants, swooped down in Nabunturan town and arrested several people in connection with the illegal selling of the chemicals. The raiders seized at least 275 kilos of ammonium nitrate, 569 pieces of blasting caps and 1,132 meters of time fuse and three kilos of cyanide in the town, according to army Captain Alberto Caber, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command. “Authorities are still in-
vestigating those arrested to determine if they are communist rebels or selling those illegal chemicals to the New People’s Army,” Caber told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. He said the operations were carried out by soldiers and members of the National Bureau of Investigation and the local police force. “All the chemicals were handed over to the Explosive Ordnance Division of the Philippine Army for proper documentation,” he said, adding those arrested will be criminally charged in court for the illegal sale, manufacture and possession of explosives. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz, the Eastern Mindanao Command chief, commended the sol-
diers who took part in the operations that led to the recovery of chemicals. The military did not say how many people were arrested in the operations, but the province is a known gold-rush area in the southern Philippines where tens of thousands of illegal miners continue to operate using homemade explosives and cyanide to extract gold and silver from the earth. Cruz said the chemicals are also being used by rebels in the manufacture of landmines and homemade bombs they used to attack military and police targets in the region. The rebels have been fighting for decades for the establishment of a communist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
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Muslims march to protest government failure to address sad plight of war refugees in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. More than 100 refugees had died from diseases in filthy evacuation sites in Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Alvin Lardizabal)
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Apr. 7-13, 2014
Muslims and Christians hold indignation rally to protest sad plight of war refugees in Zamboanga
S
ome 500 Muslims have protested the government’s failure to facilitate the return of thousands of war refugees still in filthy evacuation camps in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. Many refugees and protesters, some of them Christians carrying placards, streamers and a coffin - marched from a mosque in the village of Santa Barbara to Plaza Pershing in downtown Zamboanga where their leaders and Islamic preachers spoke about the poor plight of the evacuees. Some put the numbers of the protesters between 500 to 800. Gammar Hassan, one of the refugee leaders, said more than 100 people had died from diseases the past months in evacuations sites and the deaths are continuing due to poor health services and malnutrition and lack medical and emergency facilities there. Senator Nancy Binay, who was alarmed by the rising casualties in refugee camps, has filed Resolution 566 urging the Senate to investigate the reported deaths and look into the health of children living in evacuation centers. More than 120,000 had been displaced in September last year following attacks by about 400 Moro National Liberation Front rebels in Zamboanga City. The attacks sparked three weeks of street battles that killed and wounded over 400 people. At least 6 villages were burned to the ground due to the fighting, although there were unconfirmed reports that arsonists were behind some of the burning of houses in predominantly Muslim villages even after the fighting stopped. President Benigno Aquino said the government already spent some P273.8 million in relief aid and cash-for-work program for those displaced by the war. He also allocated an additional P3.5 billion for the rehabilitation efforts here and these were on top of the millions of pesos in cash and aid that the provincial government of Sulu has sent to Zamboanga to help feed the refugees. The provincial government of Basilan and TawiTawi also sent some aid to refugees in Zamboanga. Retur n us to our homes eturn But Hassan said the government has prevented them from returning to their villages and has forced the refugees to relocation sites far away. He said majority of the refugees have opposed the government’s reloca-
ARMM
Muslims march to protest government failure to address sad plight of war refugees in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. More than 100 refugees had died from diseases in filthy evacuation sites in Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Alvin Lardizabal) tion plan to put them in other areas saying it would be extremely difficult for them to rebuild their lives. The refugees, many of them Tausug from Sulu ; Yakan, from Basilan; and indigenous Badjao tribe from Tawi-Tawi province engaged 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. Some female refugees have resorted to prostitution just to be able to survive because government aid has already stopped. The government 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. While others protested the relocation plan, many also praised the local government for providing them a living quarter and were elated by their new bunkhouses houses, saying it greatly helped them in rebuilding their family
Southern Mindanao
and future. The P10-million bunkhouses, built by the army, were funded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Hassan also accused the government of preventing them from speaking out the truth about the sad plight of refugees. “They don’t even want us to voice our concerns,” he said. He said refugees cannot even find a job and some are even afraid to leave the evacuation camps for fear that their women and children will fall prey to rapists, or thieves will take away the little things they have.“It’s difficult to say these things, but this is the real situation on the ground,” he said. Hassan also said they welcome the senate probe on the deaths of refugees in evacuation centers and called on Binay to come to Zamboanga and look into the heart-breaking plight of those living in evacuation areas. The poor sanitation at the sports complex makes it uninhabitable for many, and is continuously threatening the health of elderly, the women and the children. “Senator Nancy Binay, we welcome you to grandstand in Zamboanga. Hoping for your fair and just investigation on the death in our evacuation centers, IDPs'
Davao
hope are on you now,” he said, referring to internally displaced persons at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex. Hassan also pins his hope to the new Archbishop of Zamboanga, the Most Rev. Romulo dela Cruz, to help them. “It's a challenge to him as new church head in the city, since no Christian communities and churches reached their hands to us aside from some Christian families helping by bringing foods and clothing,” he said. He also urged the local government to allow the refugees to return to their places instead of holding them in evacuation centers. “Build back better till we all die in pain. Who will enjoy the promised development and rehabilitation? Send us home now, not tomorrow,” Hassan said. Even access to clean and potable water and portable toilets are also a huge problem in refugee centers, particularly at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex. Alar ming Alarming Binay said: “The health of families, especially those of the vulnerable - children and the elderly - must be continuously monitored and evaluated by the au-
Manila
thorities.” Citing medical reports from Zamboanga City, Binay said many of those who died had suffered from diarrhoea and other fatal diseases among children and adults in evacuation camps. Diarrhoea is the leading cause of the children's deaths while acute gastroenteritis and other respiratory ailments such as pneumonia and asthma leading to cardiac arrest are the primary causes of adult deaths, she said, quoting a medical report from Zamboanga. “This is an alarming trend, as many people continue to stay inside the camps,” she said, adding the health of the displaced persons is a paramount concern and the reports of continues deaths of refugees in Zamboanga has alarmed the senator, who is also the daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay. Just before Christmas, President Benigno Aquino flew to Zamboanga City and briefly inspected temporary shelters occupied by refugees. Aquino assured them of the government’s rehabilitation efforts, saying his administration is working closely with various agencies to rebuild houses destroyed during the war. (Mindanao Examiner)
Zamboanga Peninsula