Sayyaf bomber arrested outside military base
Mga journalists na kasama umano sa 'Napolist' papagliwanagin muna PAGE 3
Rebel group frees captured soldier PAGE 2
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8 Chinese miners arrested in Pagadian City
NPA claims attacks on mining firms
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Strong sales boost Filinvest bottom line PAGE 8
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ARMM TOWN TO REJECT BANGSAMORO DEAL
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h r i s t i a n villagers in the southern town of Wao have vowed to reject a Muslim homeland deal between the Philippine government and the Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front, saying they do not want to be included in the new Bangsamoro territory. Villagers said shortly after the deal was signed in March 27, Muslim groups have emerged and started claiming farmlands owned by Christians as theirs and invoking their ancestral rights in Lanao del Sur. Now, many residents have started arming themselves for fear that once the new Bangsamoro autonomous government is installed, Muslims will take away their lands which they inherited from their clan. Majority of the town’s 40,000 inhabitants is Christians, although Lanao del Sur is one of five provinces under the restive Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or ARMM. Some villagers said several groups of Maranao, one of several Muslim tribes in Mindanao, have started putting up markers and began claiming farmlands as their ancestral domain. The markers had been destroyed by landowners. In Sultan Kudarat province, villagers in the town of President Quirino were also facing the same dilemma, but many also have purchased illegal weapons to protect their families and lands from unjustified takeover by Muslims who warned them that they should leave the town immediately once the Bangsamoro autonomous region is installed
ARMM
Wao residents are up in arms against the Bangsamoro homeland deal between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales) because they would take over their farms. Leaders of the Christian cities of Zamboanga and Isabela in Basilan, also a province under the ARMM, also vowed to fight for their inclusion in the new Bangsamoro homeland, although many of the residents there are Muslims and supportive of the peace deal. But the creation of Bangsamoro autonomous region would have to be decided on a referendum in the ARMM and in areas where there are large Muslim communities. The new Bangsamoro region will replace the current Muslim autonomous region that has suffered from de-
cades of poverty, corruption, and conflict. President Benigno Aquino has already received the Bangsamoro Basic Law or BBL drafted by the 15-member Bangsamoro Transition Commission. Once Aquino signs the law, it can be ratified and implemented in time for the 2016 local and national elections. The BBL will pave the way for the establishment of the Bangsamoro region in 2016. Presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles has previously said that the BBL is likely to be certified as an urgent bill by Aquino and would be submitted
Southern Mindanao
Davao
to Congress for passage, and subjected to a plebiscite. But some lawmakers and various groups were saying that the accord was unconstitutional and also vowed to challenge it to court. The Aquino government insisted the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro or CAB is legal and that the deal was based on the Constitution. “The CAB is legal,” said lawyer Anna Basman, head of the CAB legal team. She said they are open to engaging and informing everyone on the different provisions on the CAB. “Our Constitution it-
Manila
self provides the justification for the asymmetry and reserved a separate set of provisions for two particular areas in the country – Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras. This progressive and enlightened section recognizes the uniqueness of the peoples belonging to these areas and provides for their rightful exercise of self-governance. The Bangsamoro Basic Law as the enabling law for the establishment of the Bangsamoro precisely aims to operationalize this constitutional objective,” Basman said. Ghazali Jaafar, MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs, doused fears by
many groups about the BBL and said it is not an Islamic law. “The Bangsamoro Basic Law that is proposed is not an Islamic Law. These are rules on how to govern the Bangsamoro government. It’s not a law that will alienate the rights of the Filipino people but a law only to provide and facilitate the meaningful and fair implementation of the GPH and MILF Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro,” Jaafar said during a multi-stakeholders forum on the CAB at the Ateneo de Davao University. The mineral-rich region of Mindanao, once under the powerful rule of the sultans, is now home to minority Muslims – about 4 million from the region’s 18 million mostly Christian inhabitants. The Philippine Statistics Authority describes Mindanao as an underdeveloped region with problems on peace and order to racism. “From Spanish era up to the present, it remains underdeveloped compared to Luzon. Problem on peace and order due to political conflict and racism issue had been seen as the main factors of the sluggish development of the island in view of the fact that beliefs and cultural diversities between native inhabitants and migrants are existing within it,” it said. The MILF - a breakaway faction of the Moro National Liberation Front which signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996 - is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for decades now for self-determination. (Mark Navales)
Zamboanga Peninsula
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The Mindanao Examiner
May 26- June 1, 2014
Wao residents are up in arms against the Bangsamoro homeland deal between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales)
Rebel group frees captured soldier DAVAO CITY – Communist insurgents have released a government soldier they captured in the southern Philippines after two weeks in captivity. The soldier, Corporal Rogelio Rosales, a member of the 60th Infantry
Battalion operating in Davao and Compostela Valley provinces, was captured on May 3 in the village of Florida in Kapalong town. He was handed over to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who helped in securing
the freedom of the infantryman. The Eastern Mindanao Command has confirmed the release of Rosales and said Duterte helped facilitate the soldier’s freedom. “He was released
through the effort of Davao City Mayor Duterte. Corporal Rosales is now at Camp Panacan Station Hospital for medical examination,” Captain Alberto Caber, an army spokesman, told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. Aris Francisco, a spokesman for the NPA, said illegal drugs were also
seized from Rosales when he was captured in Davao del Norte. Francisco also accused the soldier of protecting logging operations in the province. Last month, rebels also freed army Sergeant Jeric Curay, who was captured at a checkpoint in the village of Andap in Compostela Valley’s Laak town on April
4. Curay, a member of the 72nd Infantry Battalion, was also released to Duterte, who negotiated with the NPA for the soldier’s freedom. The NPA has been fighting for decades now for the establishment of its own communist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
MOTORCYCLE gunmen shot and seriously wounded a former army soldier in a daring attack in Pagadian City in the southern Filipino province of Zamboanga del Sur, police said. Police said Orlando
Tomboc was driving his motorcycle when one of two gunmen shot him in the face at the Agora market in downtown Pagadian. The gunmen fled after the shooting. Tomboc, a resident of Labangan town in
Zamboanga del Sur, was rushed to the hospital. Police said the motive of the attack is still unknown and no individual or group claimed responsibility for the shooting. (Mindanao Examiner)
Police search for gunmen who killed man in Dipolog Ex-soldier shot in Pagadian DIPOLOG CITY – Police were searching for two assailants who shot and killed a man in the southern Philippine city of Dipolog. The two gunmen shot 36-year old Reyman Keith Sy in the village of Galas. The victim was riding on a
motorcycle with his two companions - Llyod Bantillan, 28; and Janillo Cayuna, 24, - when he was shot by one of the motorcycle gunmen who tailed them. Police said the trio just came from a cockpit arena and heading home when
the gunmen attacked Sy. Investigators recovered at least 8 bullet casings fired from a .45-caliber pistol. Police did not say of Sy’s companions were hurt or not in the shooting. The motive of the killing is still unknown. (Mindanao Examiner)
Troops kill NPA rebel in Misamis clash PAGADIAN CITY – Government soldiers killed on communist rebel in a clash in the southern Philippine province of Misamis Occidental, an army spokesman said. Capt. Jefferson Mamauag, of the 1st Infantry Division, said the fighting broke out in the village of San Lorenzo in Sinacaban town after troops tracked down a group of New People’s Army rebels. He said no soldiers were injured or killed in the fighting and that troops recov-
ered the body of the slain rebel and his M16 automatic rifle. Mamauag said troops from the 55th Infantry Battalion were pursuing other rebels who escaped during
the fighting. There was no immediate statement from the NPA – which has been fighting for a separate Maoist state about the clash. (Mindanao Examiner)
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May 26- June 1, 2014
Mga journalists na kasama umano sa 'Napo-list' papagliwanagin muna MANILA - Hiniling ngayon ng media group Alab ng Mamamahayag (ALAM) na huwag munang husgahan at pakinggan muna ang paliwanag ng mga journalist na nakalista sa tinaguriang ‘Napolist’ bago sila husgahan. Ayon kay ALAM national Chairman Jerry Yap, hindi pwedeng gawing basehan ng litigasyon ang report ng Philippine Daily Inquirer na nakatanggap umano ng malaking halaga ang ilang journalist mula sa tinaguriang pork barrel scam queen na si Janet Lim Napoles. Mariing itinanggi ito ng tatlong broadcast journalists na sina Luchi CruzValdes, Mike Enriquez at Korina Sanchez – mga kinikilalang haligi ng tatlong pinakamalalaking TV network sa Pilipinas. Inireport ng PDI na ilang journalist ang umano’y nakatanggap ng halagang mula P10,000 hanggang P2 million. Galing umano ang impormasyon sa kopya ng hard disk drive ni Benhur Luy, pangunahing whistleblower sa nasabing pork barrel scam. Ibinigay umano ito sa
kanila ng mga magulang ni Luy noon pang April 2013 kasama ang mismong hard disk drive. Ayon sa abugado ni Luy na si Raji Mendoza, hindi nila alam ang aksyon ng mga magulang ni Benhur ngunit sinamahan ito ng dating abugado nilang si Levito Baligod. Kasama sa listahan sa pagwaldas ng Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) na gumamit ng mga pekeng non-governmental organizations (NGO) mula 2004 hanggang 2008 ay sina: Korina Sanchez ng ABSCBN, P50,000; Mike Enriquez ng GMA, P50,000; Deo Macalma ng DZRH, P715,000; Ray Pacheco, P715,000; Luchi Cruz-Valdes ng TV5, at dating chief ng Probe Team ng ABS-CBN; isang hindi pinangalanang TV and radio personality, P2 million; Erwin Tulfo ng TV5, P245,535; Carmelo del Prado Magdurulang, P245,535; at Bon Vivar, P10,000. “Tama lamang na imbestigahan muna kung may katotohanan ang akusasyon ng PDI laban sa nasabing mga journalist,”
1 sugatan sa holdapan sa Zambo town ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY – Isang lalaki ang nasa malubhang kalagayan matapos itong pagbabarilin ng 3 holdaper na kumana sa kanyang amo habang namimili ng goma sa bayan ng Titay sa Zamboanga Sibugay province. Sinabi ni Senior Inspector Joseph Ortega, ang tagapagsalita ng pulisya, na pinaghahanap na umano ng mga parak ang nasa likod ng holdapan na naganap sa Barangay Supit. Nabatid na hinoldap ng 3 armado ang negosyanteng si George Saluba, 58, ang dalawang empleyado nitong sina Ronnel Pikilan at Wilson
Sanson. Sa takot umano ni Pikilan ay tumakbo ito ngunit niratrat naman ito ng mga salarin at saka pinagnakawan ang grupo ni Saluba bago tuluyang tumakas. Natangay umano ng mga armado ang P65,000 mula sa negosyante. Agad naman nadala sa pagamutan sa bayan ng Ipil ang biktima na nagtamo ng tatlong tama ng bala sa kanyang likuran, ngunit inilipat rin sa Zamboanga City dahil sa seryosong lagay nito. Hindi pa mabatid ang identipikasyon ng mga salarin, ayon sa pulisya. (Mindanao Examiner)
Police arrest 3 men for possessing illegal guns PAGADIAN CITY – Police arrested three people, including a teenager after they were caught carrying gun in the southern Philippine province of Zam-boanga del Sur. Police said a 17-year old resident of Santa Lucia village was apprehended by a police patrol along Pajares Street in Pagadian City over the weekend. Police said the teener is facing criminal charges for possessing an unlicensed hand gun. Police said the .38caliver revolver was sent to the laboratory for ballistic examination to determine if it had been used in unsolved murders in Pagadian. Gun attacks and armed robber-
ies are frequent here. A 53-year old man, Enriquito Daniel, was also arrested in the village of Kapatagan in Vicenter Sagun town after police spotted him carrying a 9mm pistol loaded with 5 bullets. Police said a .45-caliber pistol and 7 bullets were also confiscated from the Camsali Borda, 43, during an inspection at a checkpoint in Zamboanga del Sur’s San Pablo town. Borda was with the other men – Asrenerio Laresma and Jhomar Pantaleon – who were travelling on a motorcycle. Illegal drugs were also seized from the trio, according to the police. (Mindanao Examiner)
ani Yap, “Ang tanong: ipagpapalit ba nina Sanchez, Enriquez at Valdez ang posisyon at pangalan nila sa halagang P50,000 lamang? Kung totoong may isang Mon Arroyo na siyang tulay o operator sa nasabing mga journalists, i-subpoena at imbestigahan siya at patunayan niyang totoo ang nasabing listahan.” Batay sa report ng
PDI, umabot sa halos P500 million ang natanggap ni Arroyo mula kay Napoles. Damay din sa bintang ang media consultant ni senator Vicente Sotto III na si Jen Corpuz, na nakatanggap umano ng P1,180,000. “Mismong si Luy ang nagsabing wala siyang listahan ng mga officials at iba pang personalidad na nakinabang sa nasabing scam,” dagdag pa ng dat-
ing pangulo ng National Press Club (NPC). Ayon pa kay Yap: “Sa mga unang testimonya niya, sinabi niyang ang nakalista sa kanyang database ay mga financial transaction records na aabot sa 2,700 pahina mula 2004 hanggang 2010. Kaya kung anumang meron ang PDI, hindi ito otorisado at siguradong hindi nanggaling kay Luy.” “Nalalabuan na rin
kami sa kasong ito dahil iba-iba ang laman ng mga listahan,” ani Yap. “Tatlo ang magkakaibang listahang hawak nina Rehabilitation Secretary Panfilo Lacson, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, at jueteng whistleblower Sandra Cam. Tapos, meron din ang Inquirer na iba pa rin sa listahan ni Luy. Alin ba talaga ang totoo?” tanong pa nito. (Nanet Villafania)
Sultan Kudarat rallies behind reforestation program SULTAN KUDARAT – At least 23 cooperatives and women’s organizations have pledged their support on the government’s National Greening Program in Sultan Kudarat province in southern Philippines. Jerry Dalauta, head of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office, said the support was important to the success of the program, which is also being supported by Sultan Kudarat Congressman, Datu Raden Sakaluran and Sultan Kudarat Gover nor Datu Suharto Mangudadatu, and the local mayors. Dalauta said the program, launched by the Department of Environ-
Jerry Dalauta, head of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Rose Muneza) ment and Natural Resources (DENR), is aimed at rehabilitating forests. As a strategy, it aspires the planting of some 1.5
billion trees in around 1.5 million hectares of public lands for six years, starting 2011 to 2016 and seeks the attainment of
sustainable human development, and economic and ecological security. Aside from being a reforestation initiative, it is also seen as a climate change mitigation strategy as it seeks to enhance the country’s forest stock to absorb carbon dioxide, which is largely blamed for global warming. It is also designed to reduce poverty, providing alter native livelihood activities for m a rginaliz ed upland and lowland households relating to seedling production and care and maintenance of newlyplanted trees, according to the DENR. (Rose Muneza and Deanna Diaz)
Ensure safety of Filipinos in Thailand, Aquino order Foreign Affairs PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino has ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs to look into the welfare and ensure the safety and security of Filipinos working and living in Thailand now in political crisis. Thai Army has imposed martial law and took over radio and televi-
sion stations, but officials said it was not a coup, but a move to preserve peace and order following unrest in the country, but antigovernment protests still continue. Governemnt spokesman Herminio Coloma, Jr. said the DFA has raised the Alert Level in Thailand from 1 to 2,
meanining Filipinos in Bangkok and the surrounding areas are instructed to restrict nonessential movements, avoid public places, and prepare for possible evacuation when necessary. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was removed from her office
by the Constitutional Court earlier this month for abuse of power. And acting Prime Minister N i w a t t u m r o n g Boonsongpaisan insisted his government would not resign, resisting pressure from protesters. Coloma did no say how many Filipinos are now in Thailand.
Mandaue City lauded for its housing program CEBU - Mandaue City in the central Philippine province Cebu was lauded by the World Bank and Vice President Jejomar Binay for bringing the resources of all stakeholders in coming up with a local socialized housing program. Binay, who was in Mandaue, is also the chairman of Housing Urban Development Coordinating Council. He praised the socialized housing program which includes the city-owned 9.2 hectares in the villages of Subangdaku, Tipolo, Guizo and Mantuyong, and the relocation sites in Kobe, Canduman, including the 6.5 hectare area in Paknaan. Representatives of the 7 cities in Metro Manila, including Davao City, were also in Mandaue for the recently concluded two-day learning experiences that
The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Mayor Jonas Cortes and Social Housing Finance Corporation represented by its president Maria Ana Oliveros. (Mandaue News Service) highlighted with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Mayor Jonas Cortes and Social Housing Finance Corporation represented by its president Maria Ana Oliveros. The signing was witnessed by Somsook Boonyabancha, Secretar y-General of Asian
Coalition for Housing Rights and Consultant to the World Bank, and Binay. The accord further strengthened the partnership of both institutions in implementing the program, according to the Mandaue News Service. It said also present dur ing the ceremony
held at Oakridge Pavillion were representatives of the local gover nments of Manila, Quezon, Caloocan, Muntinlupa, Marikina, Malabon, Valenzuela and Davao. Oliveros also handed over a P44 million cheque to Dennis Lua, who is the owner of the 6.5 hectare relocation area, representing payment for one-half of the lot’s total price. Lua’s sister Amalia, received the payment in behalf of her brother. It was also witnessed by Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale. Some 1,200 families, who are beneficiaries of the housing program, have applied for loans from SHFC under the community mortgage program. In return, each family will pay the loan in monthly instalments amounting to P500 within the maximum period of 25 years.
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The Mindanao Examiner
May 26- June 1, 2014
Sayyaf bomber arrested Trader shot in Zamboanga town outside military base ZAMBOANGA CITY – Joint army and police forces raided a village outside a Philippine military base hosting US forces in Zamboanga City and arrested a suspected Abu Sayyaf bomber, officials said. Officials said policemen, backed by soldiers, swooped down on the 5th Street in Southcom village outside the Western Mindanao Command headquarters and arrested the militant who goes by the name Abu Jomar. Capt. Maria Rowena Muyuela, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command, said the militant was arrested following a long surveillance operation. “The raid resulted to the apprehension of Abu Jomar, who is a member of the Abu Sayyaf Group, and an explosives expert,” she told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. She said the weekend
raid was covered by a search warrant issued by a local judge Gregorio Dela Peña III. She said troops also seized a still undetermined number of blasting caps, electrical wirings and tapes, and a cell phone from Abu Jomar, who is currently being interrogated to determine if his group is plotting to bomb Zamboanga City. In a separate report, the police identified the militant as Nujir Ahidji. Muyuela said the operation against the Abu Sayyaf is continuing in Zamboanga and other areas in the region. “The Western Mindanao Command and the Philippine National Police are jointly intensifying law enforcement operations in order to eliminate criminal activities through expeditious arrest of remaining leaders and members of the Abu Sayyaf Group and other lawless elements,” she said.
The Western Mindanao Command is one of several military bases in southern Philippines where the US maintains a high-security facility under the command of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines which is helping local troops fight terrorism. Just recently, police also captured a 36-year old Abu Sayyaf militant, Harijin Jinny, in downtown Zamboanga while working as a security guard on a store just outside the police headquarters. Last month, police commandos raided an Abu Sayyaf hideout in Zamboanga’s Santa Maria village and killed 2 militants and captured 6 more following a firefight that wounded one policeman. Commandos recovered four .45-caliber pistols and three fragmentation grenades from the hideout.
A 61-YEAR OLD store owner was shot and wounded by a lone robber who took off with her bag in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, police said. Police said Efralyn Quilojano had just closed her store at the
Agora market in downtown Margosatubig when the gunman grabbed her bag containing her sales for the day. When she refused to let go of the bag, the man shot her three times with a .45-caliber pistol and then fled. The trader was rushed to the Margosatubig Re-
gional Hospital, but her condition remains unknown. Police said it was tracking down the assailant. It was not immediately known whether security cameras installed in nearby establishments caught the shooting. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wanted man arrested while getting police clearance in Tacurong City TACURONG CITY – Police arrested a man long wanted by authorities for frustrated murder after he showed up in a police station in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province to get a clearance, officials said. Inspector Roel Abejero said the 33-year old Lemual Corpuz was arrested immediately after his name showed up the police wanted list. He said Corpuz did not resist arrest when they accosted him while he was trying to get the police clearance. “He is wanted for frus-
trated murder and his arrest only shows that crime does not pay,” Abejero told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. He said the court set a P200,000 bail for Corpuz for
his temporary liberty. Corpuz, who works as public transport driver, is now locked up at the police jail while his case is being prepared. (Rose Muneza and Sheen Pania)
Newborn baby of detained rebel leader’s daughter dies MANILA – A Filipino human rights organization Karapatan blamed the Philippine military and jail authorities for the death of the newborn baby of a detained woman accused by the Manila as a member of the communist rebel group New People’s Army. It said the two-day old baby Diona Andrea Rosal died due to hypoxemia or oxygen deficiency in the blood. “Since her birth, she was on artificial respirator and experienced seizures,” it
said, adding the infant died at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila. The baby’s mother, Andrea Rosal, was seven months pregnant when security forces arrested her on March 27 this year in Caloocan City. Her father, Gregorio Rosal, a senior NPA leader, died of heart attack on June 22, 2011. Authorities said Rosal, who is a senior rebel leader in Luzon, is facing a string of criminal charges. Baby Diona Andrea Rosal (Photo courtesy of Karapatan)
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Karapatan said Rosal experienced premature contractions during detention in Camp Bagong Diwa in Quezon City. It said she did not receive any medical attention from jail authori-
ties during her detention and that her transfer to the Philippine General Hospital was in accordance to a court order issued for her immediate hospitalization. It said the Bureau of Jail
Management and Penology deliberately delayed Rosal’s transfer to the hospital despite her pleas. Rosal was pleading to be taken to hospital because of severe contractions since May 15, but jail officials only brought her to hospital the next evening and on May 17 she gave birth. “We find the BJMP authorities, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and all government agencies responsible for the illegal arrest and detention of Andrea Rosal and accountable for the death of Diona Andrea and the situation of Andrea.” “Their blatant disregard of the rights of Andrea, including her rights to receive immediate medical care and to be in an environment conducive for conceiving
and delivering a healthy child, are apparent in this case. Ang gobyernong ito ay walang puso para sa mga ina at anak tulad ni Andrea at Diona Andrea,” Cristina Palabay, Karapatan Secretary-General, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. Palabay said Rosal’s lawyers from the National Union of People’s Lawyers have filed urgent motions for the dismissal of the fabricated charges against her, including her immediate hospitalization. Rosal has denied all accusations against her. There was no immediate statement from the military and jail authorities about the accusations of Karapatan. (Mindanao Examiner)
3 NPA rebels killed in Cotabato DAVAO CITY – Three communist rebels were killed and a policeman wounded in fierce fighting after insurgents attacked a police headquarters in the southern Philippines, security officials said.
Officials said New People’s Army rebels arrived on a truck and a small van and attacked the police base in North Cotabato’s President Roxas town. The fighting lasted over 30 minutes with po-
Cops arrest man who attacked 2 in Pagadian PAGADIAN CITY – Police arrested a man who attacked two people with a gun and a baseball bat in Pagadian City in southern Philippines. Police identified the attacker as Cesar Rafael Omoso who allegedly shot Arnold Felicitas and his companion Mark Anthony Elnar near Urro corner Duterte Streets in San Jose District. Both men escaped the shooting, but Omoso pursued the duo with a baseball bat and caught up with Felicitas whom he struck on the face. Elnar managed to flee
away from Omoso until policemen, led by Senior Inspector June Lawingan, who responded to the gunshots, arrested the assailant and confiscated his .38-caliber revolver. It was not immediately known what triggered the attack. Police said Felicitas was rushed to hospital with a broken jaw and that Omoso is facing criminal charges for the attack. Superintendent Glenn Dulawan, the local police chief, ordered an investigation into the incident. (Mindanao Examiner)
licemen holding their grounds despite being outnumbered. The rebels fled for fear the bursts of gunfire had alerted military forces in the town and abandoned their vehicles near the village of Tuael, according to Capt. Alberto Caber, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command. He said policemen recovered several weapons and a radio set, including a medical kit left behind the fleeing rebels. “General Cruz has ordered troops to pursue the rebels responsible for the attack,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. Caber was referring to Maj. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command. The attack on the police base came a day after rebel forces raided two mining companies in the southern Philippines and
seized assorted weapons. The rebels swooped down on Sodaco, a subsidiary of DMCI Holdings in Columbio town in Sultan Kudarat province and disarmed its security guards before ransacking the arsenal. There were no casualties in the raid, but rebels led by Joan Casamorin and Randy Lasib managed to flee with 14 shotguns, six .45-caliber pistols, a laptop and one GPS global navigation tool. NPA rebels also attacked the facilities of Sagittarius Mining in Davao del Sur’s Kiblawan town and torched 3 container vans that served as sleeping quarters of security guards. The facility has long been abandoned by Sagittarius Mining and that security guards were only there to guard it from thieves. The NPA has been fighting for the establishment of a communist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
The Mindanao Examiner
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The Mindanao Examiner
May 26- June 1, 2014
Philippines, Vietnam strengthen bilateral ties MANILA - The Philippines and Vietnam have agreed to further advance and deepen relations, and elevate comprehensive growth, bilateral relations to a higher level. This, after Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung arrived in Manila for the World Economic Forum on East Asia. President Aquino said the visit of the Vietnamese leader has reaffirmed the strong bonds between the two nations as brothers in ASEAN. This is the Prime Minister’s second visit to the Philippines after his official visit on August 2007. "Your presence reaffirms the strong bonds between our nations as brothers in ASEAN — a relationship that finds root not only in our shared history as peoples of Southeast Asia, but also in our very commitment to adhere to the rule of law and to uphold mutual respect between the members of our community," President Aquino said during the
state dinner in honor of the visiting Vietnam leader. The President said the courage and strength that Vietnam government has demonstrated in protecting the interest of its people "have only been a source of inspiration for the peoples of ASEAN, as we work towards building a more secure, more prosperous, more equitable Southeast Asia." He thanked Prime Minister Dung for the generosity and unwavering solidarity with the Filipino people in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan that ravaged central Philippines last year. "Mr. Prime Minister, then as now, you have only expressed your sincere regard for the well-being of the many Filipinos who live productive, dignified lives in Vietnam," President Aquino said. "This kindness and concern for the Filipino people was also seen in the assistance extended by the government and people of
President Benigno Aquino welcomes shakes hands with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam on May 21, 2014. The Vietnamese leader is in Manila for the World Economic Forum on East Asia. (Photo by Ryan Lim) Vietnam to the thousands of my countrymen who were affected by Typhoon Haiyan." The Prime Minister said Vietnam and the Philippines have agreed to continue strengthening cooperation to achieve the target of $3 billion in twoway trade by 2016. And the facilitation and exploration of business and invest-
ment opportunities, increase connectivity between the two economies, and ensure food security. Both countries are likely to cooperate also in finance, banking and services, and at the same time, encourage cooperation in culture, education, healthcare, science and technology, and tourism. The two countries
agreed to establish a working commission headed by the two foreign ministries to establish a roadmap towards strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Philippines. This thrust is aimed at enhancing regional peace, stability, cooperation, and development, the Vietnamese leader said. "The roadmap for bilateral strategic partnership will be submitted to the high-level leaders of the two countries for adoption," he said, adding they also discussed regional and international issues and agreed to coordinate closely with each other, as well as with other Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries. The two leaders said they also discussed how the Philippines and Vietnam can enhance confidence building, defense capabilities, and interoperability in addressing security challenges, particularly on issues involving China pro-
vocative actions in the South China Sea. Matters pertaining to exchanges in intelligence and naval technology, and others, were tackled in the meeting. Collaborative activities between the Philippine Coast Guard and the Vietnam Coast Guard have increased over the years, including information exchange and Hotline Communication Mechanisms between the the two countries which is aimed at protecting marine resources and suppressing illegal activities in the adjacent sea area. President Aquino said the continued cooperation between the Philippines and Vietnam will enable them to better protect their maritime resources, as they pursue strategies for regional growth and progress. He said the two countries must remain steadfast in their shared aspiration and by working together they can build a more stable Southeast Asia.
8 Chinese miners arrested in Pagadian City PAGADIAN CITY – Philippine authorities are holding 8 Chinese nationals who were arrested for illegal gold mining in the outskirts of Pagadian City in the southern province of Zamboanga del Sur. Officials said a Filipino, who works as a cook for the foreigners, was also arrested by the police in the
village of Lower Sibatang where authorities also seized the group’s two backhoe excavators. The foreigners were identified only by their aliases Xiaomin, 36; Dongdong, 39; Tangzihan, 25; Liu Gi Yi, 29; Chung Yong de, 27; Zhang Shu Kei, 24; Duan Guang Zong, 55; Lui Chang Yin, 50; and
Filipina Jennilyn Ramirez, 25, a resident of Igang village in Masbate City. Officials said the arrest of the foreigners came following a report by locals to authorities on the illegal activities of the Chinese men. Police forces led by Superintendents Glenn Dulawan and Michael
Palermo, and representatives from the Bureau of Immigration and provincial and local governments headed by Richard Ligan swooped down on the village and arrested the foreigners, who were all on tourist visa. It was unknown if the Chinese Embassy was informed about the arrest.
Just recently, police also arrested 11 Chinese poachers who were intercepted off Hasa-Hasa Shoal also known as Half Moon Shoal near Palawan province. The Chinese fishermen, who were arrested May 6, are facing charges for violating the Philippine Fisheries Law. Filipino authorities recovered more
than 500 live and dried turtles from the Chinese boat when it was intercepted. Beijing has protested the arrest of the poachers and insisted the fishermen were well within the Chinese territory – Banyue Reef – its local name for the Hasa-Hasa Shoal. (Mindanao Examiner)
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The Mindanao Examiner
May 26- June 1, 2014
No clue on murder of Jordanian man DIPOLOG CITY – Police are still facing a blank wall on the identities of gunmen who shot dead a 56year old Jordanian national and seriously wounded his young Filipina companion in Zamboanga del Norte province. Police said foreigner, Mohammad Shaler Hashim Shaker Khalil, was shot ten times. His companion Menbie Mayormita Villamil, 19, was also shot four times by the gunmen who attacked them in the village of Kayok in Liloy town. The victims were travelling on a motorcycle when the gunmen attacked them near the Mucas Bridge where the assailants waited for duo. Police said the foreigner and the woman were resid-
ing in the town of Salug. Police said investigators recovered bullet casings fired from a .45-caliber pistol. The motive of the attack is still unknown and police did not give details about the background of the Jordanian. The attack on the foreigner came hours after a 52-year old village watchman, Jaime Quilaton, was shot and seriously wounded near the same bridge. Quilaton, also from the town of Salug, was travelling on his motorcycle when the gunman shot him. Police said Quilaton was visiting a friend, Daniel Cabanlit, in Liloy town when he was attacked. It was unknown if the killings were connected or not. (Mindanao Examiner)
President Benigno Aquino during the inauguration of the San Carlos Solar Energy Inc. in Negros Occidental province. (Photo by Rey Baniquet)
Negros Occidental opens first and largest solar power plant PHILIPPINE President Benigno Aquino inaugurated the country’s first and biggest solar power plant in San Carlos City in Negros Occidental province. The plant is operated
by the San Carlos Solar Energy Inc. and has started operations on May 15. Aquino has urged developers Bronzeoak Philippines and Swiss-German firm Thomas Lloyd to also invest and put up solar power plants in other parts of central and southern Phil-
ippines where electricity remains a problem for many areas due to scarcity of power facilities in the two regions. The solar power plantat the San Carlos Economic Zone - has a capacity to produce at least 22 megawatts of electricity that
would benefit many households and industries. Jose Maria Zabaleta, chairman of the power plant, said they are working on four additional facilities in San Carlos which would be operation next year. (Mindanao Examiner)
MANILA - Filipino leader Benigno Aquino expressed confidence the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the United States will withstand legal scrutiny in the Supreme Court following strong objections from various groups and lawmakers. Aquino said the government panel had made sure that the provisions of the EDCA are in accordance with the Constitution. “Consistently, when they were reporting to me, we kept on working on fine-tuning it to make sure that it adheres completely with the Constitution,” he said. "So will it stand scrutiny? Yes. Will there be people who will try to derail it? Yes, also. But we are reasonably confident that anybody looking at it objectively will be able to say that we have met all the
stipulations in the Constitution," he added. The EDCA was signed by Philippine and US government officials hours before US President Barack Obama arrived in the Philippines on May 28 for a two-day state visit. The accord allows US troops greater access to designated Philippine military facilities, as well as construct facilities and preposition aircrafts, vessels and equipment. Philippine Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino said the EDCA is an implementing agreement of treaties already established between the US and the Philippines, such as the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement. The youth group Anakbayan has strongly criticized Aquino for granting the US unlimited basing rights in the guise of EDCA.
Vencer Crisostomo, Anakbayan national chairperson, said those who signed the deal should be charged with treason. This, after the Senate hearing revealed various problems with the deal. He said the accord should be scrapped immediately. "We are witnessing a de facto re-occupation of the Philippines by the US," he said. Senator Ferdinand Marcos also expressed concerns that the strategic locations where US forces would be allowed access under the EDCA could mean anywhere. Currently, the AFP is also finalizing a Memorandum of Agreement with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority to create a military installation within the area, reliving fears that the Americans could well be on their way back to their former naval base.
2 men President Aquino confident shot in EDCA will stand legal scrutiny Zambo Sur Killing of prosecutor condemned LANAO DEL SUR – Government lawyers and prosecutors have condemned the murder of a public prosecutor who was killed in an ambush in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur, one of five provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region. It said lawyer Saipal
Alawi, 64, was killed in the attack. No other details were made available by the army on the attack. Alawa was heading home when gunmen ambushed him. The motive of the attack is also unknown and no individual or group claimed responsibility for the murder. (Mindanao Examiner)
Murder suspect surrenders ZAMBOANGA CITY – Police said a prime suspect in the killing of a man in Zamboanga City has surrendered peacefully to the authorities, officials said. Officials said Hussin Batalan, a resident of Mabuhay town in Zamboanga Sibugay province, surrendered to Chief Inspector Felix Martinez. He was accompanied by a man identified as Hassan Albani. Batalan has allegedly admitted to the killing of Adjan Gadjali, who was previously identified in news reports as Andan Gadjalie. Officials said Gadjali, who was shot May 16 in Canelar village, was also a resident of Mabuhay town.
“Suspect was accompanied by Hassan Sabban Albani (and) appeared to the Zamboanga City Police Office and voluntary surrendered himself to Police Chief Inspector Felix Bitong Martinez Jr. and further claimed that he shot and killed the person of Adjan J. Gadjali. Suspect now detained at the detention cell of this office while charges is being prepared,” said a report released to the press by Inspector Dahlan Samuddin, a regional police spokesman. Police are investigating the motive of the killing. Gadjali was shot in the head while eating at a roadside restaurant. (Mindanao Examiner)
Parmasya inireklamo ISANG parmasya ang inireklamo sa Zamboanga City dahi sa diumano’y over pricing ng ibinibentang gamot nito. Partikular na inireklamo ang branch ng Cecile’s Pharmacy sa Barangay Guiwan na katapat lamang ng bus terminal dahil sa pagbebenta ng gamot na 10mgs Montemax (Montelukast) sa halagang P38.50 samantalang P34.80 lamang ito sa kakumpitensyang Joan’s Pharmacy. “Pare-pareho ang presyo ng gamot namin sa ibang branches ng Cecile’s Pharmacy,” ani pa ng isang tinder ng tanungin ng Mindanao Examiner ukol
sa mahal na presyo ng gamot nito. Nanawagan naman ang nagreklamong customer sa Department of Trade and Industry na tignan ang mga presyo ng gamot ng Cecile’s Pharmacy kung ito ba ay batay sa “suggested retail price.” Ang Montemax ay isang gamot para sa asthma at allergies. Bukod sa ganitong problema ay pangunahing reklamo pa ng mga iba ay ang hindi pagbibigay ng diskwento ng ibang mga parmasya sa mga senior citizens sa Zamboanga at kalimitan ay idinadahilan na walang stock ang mga gamot na binibili. (Mindanao Examiner)
PAGADIAN CITY – Two people were shot and wounded by a lone gunman in Zamboanga del Sur province, police said. Police said the victims - Alberto Magallanes, 35; and Belly Morales, 36, - were watching a volley ball game when the gunman attacked them in the village of Blong-Baling in Pitogo town. Magallanes was shot in the head while Morales had been hit in the leg and both men were rushed to hospital. Police said the victims were shot with a .45-caliber pistol. The gunman fled after the shooting, but it was not immediately known if the attacker had been identified or not. Police are investigating the motive of the shooting. (Mindanao Examiner)
NPA claims attacks on mining firms DAVAO CITY – The communist rebel group New People’s Army has claimed responsibility for the daring attacks on two mining firms in the southern Philippines. Dencio Madrigal, a spokesman for the NPAValentin Palamine Command, said the simultaneous attacks last week on Glencore-Xtrata SMI mining company and the South Davao Development Company Inc. (SODACO), a min-
ing firm owned by the D.M. Consunji Inc. were all part of a tactical offensive to protect national patrimony and fight the military operations in eastern Mindanao. He said rebel forces torched 48 container vans which were used as offices at the SMI pioneering camp at Sitio Gumatikura in the village of Kimlawis in Davao del Norte’s Kiblawan town. He added that an hour later, another group of NPA
Carpenter found dead in Pagadian POLICE said a 61-year old man was found dead on a village in Pagadian City in the southern Filipino province of Zamboanga del Sur. Police said the body of Theodoro Ybañes was discovered by residents at Purok Malipayon in the village of Bulatok. It said the man was a carpenter and a resident of the area. Initial investigation said the man had wounds
on his head and face and was probably murdered. “It bores bruises on the right portion of the head when found, lying on the ground and believed to have been struck with a hard object. His mouth and cheek sustained contusions,” police said. It was unknown whether he had been robbed or not. (Mindanao Examiner)
fighters garbed in “enemy uniforms” took control without firing a single shot of the SDDCI mining camp at Sitio Salnaong in Datal Blau village in Sultan Kudarat’s Columbio town and seized 13 shotguns, four communication radios, one global navigation tool and a laptop. “The latest NPA tactical offensive is part of the intensification of revolutionary armed struggle and counteroffensives to defeat the 10th Infantry Division-Eastern Mindanao Command’s sustained military operations in Davao Del Sur, North Cotabato, South Cotabato and other areas.” “The punitive action is also a continuing enforcement of the policy of the People’s Democratic Government to defend national patrimony by opposing operations of foreign largescale mining companies like Glencore Xtrata-SMI (Sagittarius Mines, Inc.),” Madrigal said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. He said rebel forces will continue to attack largescale mining firms that are
responsible for open pit mining and other environmentally destructive operations. The NPA has previously attack TVI Resource Development Inc. in Zamboanga del Norte, whose operations is being opposed by indigenous tribesmen in the province. “Failure by the USAquino regime to guarantee the safety of the masses against floods, landslides and other disasters as a result of big mining operations has made the NPA’s punitive actions more effective in truly protecting the environment.” “The regime’s sweet policy towards environmental plunderers like Glencore and SDDCI and the acceleration of mining extraction in the country’s remaining natural resources invigorate the NPA and the revolutionary movement to further intensify the people’s war,” he said. The NPA has been waging a separatist war for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
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The Mindanao Examiner
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May 26- June 1, 2014
Strong sales boost Filinvest bottom line MANILA - Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC)’s revenues grew nine percent for the first quar ter of 2014 compared to the same period last year with real estate subsidiaries raking in the sales during the period. In a report to the Philippine Stock Exchange, FDC’s first quarter revenues on a consolidated basis hit P9.05 billion from P9.02 billion recorded during the same period a year ago. The company recorded a consolidated net income of P1.27 Billion in 1Q 2014. Real Estate B usiness Business Top line growth of most subsidiaries remained strong, led by the real estate business, which includes listed subsidiar y Filinvest Land, Inc. (FLI) and Filinvest City developer Filinvest Alabang, Inc., posting a year-on-year gain of 11% in revenues to P4.22 billion from P3.81 billion in the first quarter. The rise in real estate revenue was driven by growth across all types of construction– high rise buildings, mid-r ise buildings and horizontal housing. FLI currently has residential projects in Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan and Zamboanga. Pow er gener ation generation business FDC’s power affiliate, FDC Utilities Inc. (FDCUI) has 405 megawatt clean coal plant rising in Misamis Oriental and could bring more power generation requirements for the Mindanao region. FDCUI, the conglomerate’s power di-
vision broke ground on its 405MW power plant in Mindanao late last year and will be operational by early 2016. Further, in November 2013, FDCUI was awarded 40MW Independent Power Producer Administrator (IPPA) contract for the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plant’s contracted capacity for turnover in November 2014. B anking subsidiar y subsidiary FDC’s banking subsidiary East West Bank’s (EWB) net interest income, representing majority of its earnings, increased by 24% in the first quarter as a result of strong growth in its loan portfolio heavily focused on consumer and middle-market segments. EWB’s Non-interest income, excluding trading, which is largely composed of recurring fees income, increased by 23% as against the same period last year. Trading income was lower in 1Q 2014 compared to 1Q 2013 in line with the industry-wide decline in trading gains. “ We have always aimed to focus and grow net interest income at East West Bank as this is considered our core business, a more steady and regular revenue source and a positive indicator of what we can expect in the future,” said FDC President and CEO Josephine Gotianun-Yap in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. Jonathan Gotianun, Chairman of FDC, stated that East West Bank is at the height of its branch/ store expansion program
in 2014. “ We have already reached 376 stores and expect to attain 400 by year end. The expansion program will temporarily put pressure on the bank’s earnings but will catapult it to higher levels once the branches become more productive and mature,” he added. S olid F inancials Financials FDC’s financial condition remained healthy at the end of March 2014 with equity of P86.12 billion. Total assets grew 5% to P285.01 billion from P270.76 billion in the previous period. The conglomerate ended the quarter with a cash balance of P33.61 billion and long-ter m debt of P66.10 billion. FDC ended the per iod with a long term debt to equity ratio of 0.77 and net debt to equity ratio of 0.38. Debt increased slightly as a result of the successful P8.8 billion bond issuance on January this year, proceeds of which were earmarked for investments in power and hotels as well as for refinancing existing debt. Real estate and banking represented the bulk of 1Q 2014 revenues at 47% and 40% respectively. Sugar operations contributed 11% while hotels contributed 3% of total revenues. Both sugar and hotel businesses posted revenue gains. Notably, hotel revenues were up 5% over the same period last year due to sales generated by newly opened hotel Crimson Alabang, which formally began commercial operations in March 2013.
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9 Government agency linked to PDAF scandal launches own audit desk
The Mindanao Examiner
May 26- June 1, 2014
Pencing By Jun Feliciano
LTO stickers up for grabs; 2 Councilors off to NEA WORDS OF ENLIGHTENMENT: “Don’t judge his doctrine by his appearance, but by his teachings whether they are of the God or not at all. The basis of our eternal salvation is still obedience to the Lord’s will. Again, to stress what it truly means to all of us (human beings) as the very Scripture teaches us: “Not all those who say Lord, Lord to me will be saved, but only those who obey my will.” THE LTO District Office under Noel “Weng” Noche is again reminding all those motor vehicle and motorcycle owners to avail right now - the still available - stickers being served by his office. “This is on a firstcome, first-serve basis, poreso, we appeal to you to come to our office early,” Noche declared when interviewed by yours truly. Noche said there are some 12,000 stickers available for the motorcycles. And, there are a pretty big number of stickers, as well, available for motor vehicles running our city’s busy streets. “As for public transport vehicles, poco ya lang tiene kita stickers for tricycles and for public utility Jeepneys,” Noche added. “Na, espera pa contrallo? Apura, cay unahan se,” sic Bogs ya keda man este dol spokesman del LTO, y bos gayot! “Bueno se man remind kita con ellos firmi para nohay sila rason cay nohay abla canila,” si Ador de inteligente gayot si ta combersa. 2C OUNCIL ORS OFF TO NEA COUNCIL OUNCILORS Two Zamboanga City District 1 councilors supposedly flew to Metro Manila on Wednesday, May 21to personally go to the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and then, accordingly, both will proceed also to the Department of Energy (DOE) in a bid to help Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative (ZAMCELCO) resolve its present woes. “Yes, Jun, we’ll proceedWednesday and go to NEA Central Office and also to DOE Central Office to find out what we can do to help ZAMCELCO,” confirmed Councilor Charlie Mariano when interviewed last Tuesday. Mariano said tagging along with him is Councilor Cesar “Jawo” Jimenez, the very proponent of one proposed measure in the Council for NEA to take over ZAMCELCO amid the latter’s embroiled issue having to do with the alleged overpricing of its plan to acquire the 16 megawatts modular generator sets through the supposed highest bidder, instead opting for the supposed lowest bidder—hence, brouhaha came about. Mariano, however, made it clear that albeit their all-out effort to assist ZAMCELCO extricates from its “predicament,” yet he assures that the Council won’t kowtow ZAMCELCO or to any public
utility’s supposed lapses or drawbacks of their own. “Pero Este maga tiempo, debe kita man unihan ya, no kita pa alli precura pa gayot man grandstanding,” si Bogs ya hace ya tamen su pilantik para disperta dao estos. “Debe lang tamen, cay wakeup call ese canila, hinde sila alli indispensable,” si Ador tiene gat wisdom este hente. “Yo este Pencing, nohay mas mi wisdom tooth, nuevo lang ya cay, maski de edad ya yo igual na mi carabao,” na ya entra ya tamen el lasang. Y bos gayot Nado! Ay cunsumi ya tamen combos algunus alli. Y bos ya lang cuidao Nado. VAÑO C OMMENDED BY COMMENDED SANGUNIANG P ANGL UNSOD PANGL ANGLUNSOD Zamboanga City District 2 Councilor Percival “Percy” Ramos sponsored a resolution in the Council during its regular session on May 20, commending the exemplary performance of out-going Police Regional Office 9 Director Chief Supt. Juanito Vaño for a job well done while serving in mi Ciudad de Zamboanga. “Gen. Vaño is one PRO 9 Director we have rarely had such a caliber in the past. His heroism was truly demonstrated during the crucial period when our city was under bloody siege last September 2013,” Ramos vouched for Gen. Vaño’s heroic exploit. The police general was designated effective May 7 as Deputy for Logistics in its Central Headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City. “We are expressing our deepest thanks and profound gratitude to our dear Gen. Juanito Vaño for what he has done to the people of Region 9, particularly to Zamboanga City, during his stint here as the PRO 9 Director. To him, we all hope and pray he’ll also succeed in his new assignment as the Deputy Director for Logistics in its PNP Main Headquarters, Camp Crame,” Ramos’s resolution further stated, as quoted when interviewed recently. “Ese clase de official de PNP!” si Bogs ta man agree cun Concejal Ramos. “Alam na!” otro este si Nado el cabesa de hente gat siempre. “Nado, your mind is of man and not of God,” ya mira ya tu Nado, cosa contigo ya aclara si Bosing? Debe lang, cay el hente ahora mas muchu na material, na physical, nohay gayot na espiritual. Deberasan gat se! (jayfeliciano2@ yahoo.com) DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Mindanao Examiner or any of its staffs and employees.
MANILA – Four years into the Aquino administration, the Department of Agriculture launched an audit desk where citizens can ask for an investigation into suspected or anomalous projects. Called “Agri-byado Hotline,” the DA said the project shall serve as a proactive anticorruption mechanism where the public can also share information about corruption or anomalies and citizens may invoke an audit investigation. “Concerned citizens and DA employees themselves can report problems, issues, and unusual activities in the implementation of DA projects and programs such as malversation of funds and irregularities in the bidding process,” said Director Irene Alogoc, of the DA Internal Audit Service. “With the Hotline in place, the public can monitor projects to assure that these are implemented for the benefit of the stakeholders. Project implementers also have a greater responsibility to ensure no irregularities happen in carrying out the projects,” Alogoc
said. Alogoc explained that the new audit desk will serve as the ordinary citizen’s channel in expressing complaints and concerns for DA projects, as audit operations will be expanded by engaging them in good governance. She said requests for audit investigations can be made online http:/ webmail.da.gov.ph (login: agribyado) or through hotline numbers (02) 9216891 or 0905-5715724. She said all audit or investigation requests will be screened by DA-IAS and would be forwarded to the DA Secretary for prioritization and issuance of order for the conduct of special audit. An audit report shall be submitted to the Secretary and if warranted, shall undergo proper legal procedure. Except for anonymous requests, the requesting party shall be apprised of the developments, she said. The DA and the Department of Agrarian Reform are some of the government agencies being dragged into the controversial funding from lawmak-
ers through their Priority Development Assistance Fund coursed through fake non-governmental organizations of Janet Napoles. The DAR said it regularly receives its share of endorsements and requests for projects, not only from legislators, but from other sectors as well such as local governments and even project requests from civil society organizations, churches and private individuals. It explained that all requests go through project evaluation processes and determines if the projects requested or endorsed actually fall within the mandate of the DAR. It said as early as 2012, the DAR has started its own internal review of alleged misuse and that documents and other pieces of evidence it collected have been submitted to the Commission on Audit, the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation. DAR said it continues to cooperate with the ongoing investigations of these agencies. (Mindanao Examiner)
Army pays weapons money to aid NPA surrenderors CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Philippine Army has released close to P900, 000 as payments for weapons surrendered by at least 8 dozen communist rebels in Mindanao, officials said. The funding came from the military’s Guns for Peace Program which aims to lure members of the New People’s Army to surrender peacefully and rejoin society on top of various government livelihood assistance. At least 97 rebels who surrendered in separate groups and individually last month were gathered and presented to Philippine military chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista in Prosperidad town in Agusan del Sur province. Bautista was in the province to accept the rebels. Bautista was accompanied by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, commander of the East-
ern Mindanao Command; and Maj. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, commander of the 4th Infantry Division. Army spokesman Capt. Alberto Caber said aming those who surrendered were two women. He said majority of the rebels were local tribesmen recruited by the NPA to fight the government and that about a dozen of them had been joined the rebel group in their teens. He said some P4.2 million in aid had been released the past 9 months by the Eastern Mindanao Command to 204 NPA rebels who surrendered under the socalled Pagbabalik Loob Program. Cruz has urged rebels to surrender peacefully and avail of the government amnesty program so they can rejoin their family and live a peaceful life. He also praised those
who surrendered. “You can now start a new life with your loved ones and be a productive citizen in your respective communities. Your Armed Forces is sincere in its mandate in protecting the people. The rebels are now into extortion activities, arson, and attacking innocent civilians and properties. In other words, they are now bandits, terrorists, and we expect more rebels to surrender,” he said. There was no immediate statement from the NPA on the surrender of its members. The rebel group has been waging a secessionist war for decades now in an effort to overthrow the democratic government and install a communist state in the country. Peace talks between Manila and the NPA collapsed in 2004. (Mindanao Examiner)
Photo released by the Eastern Mindanao Command to the Mindanao Examiner regional newspaper show NPA surrenderors presented to Philippine military chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista who was accompanied by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command; and Maj. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, commander of the 4th Infantry Division.
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U.S. RAISES TERROR ALERT IN MINDANAO
T
he United States Department has warned American citizens to avoid travelling in the southern Philippines due to terrorism and strife, and threats of kidnappings. It said U.S. citizens should continue to defer non-essential travel to the region and said over the past nine months, there have been kidnappings and attempted kidnappings of foreigners in Sabah, Malaysia and in the southern Philippine sea by terrorist or insurgent groups. “U.S. citizens should exercise extreme caution if considering travel in the southern Sulu Sea region between Balabac Island and Palawan, in the Philippines; Sabah, Malaysia; and east to Zamboanga City, Mindanao, in the Philippines.” “U.S. citizens should continue to exercise extreme caution if travelling to the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. In 2013, separatist and terrorist groups increased the tempo and scale of their activities and confrontations with Philippine security forces, with increased bombings, attacks on civilians and political leaders, and battles with security forces,” the State Department said. It also cited attacks by members of the Moro National Liberation Front in the western Mindanao city of Zamboanga in September last year and the threats pose by Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in central Mindanao. “In September 2013, elements of the Moro National Liberation Front occupied portions of the city of Zamboanga and engaged in a lengthy battle with security forces which reduced large parts of the city to rubble. The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters remain active in the Cotabato City area, and in the Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat provinces, where the government maintains a state of emergency and a greater police presence,” it said. The U.S. Embassy in Manila also imposed a strict re-
ARMM
striction on all but the most essential travel to Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, and said its employees must receive special authorization from Embassy security officials to travel to any location in Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, including urban centers. The Department of State said it remains concerned about the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against American citizens and interests throughout the world. It cautioned Americans that terrorism can occur anywhere and urged its citizens in the Philippines to enroll with the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program or at the U.S. Embassy in Manila to be able to get most recent security and safety updates. The United States was the second country in recent days that has alerted its citizens in the Philippines due to terror threats. Br itish war ning warning Just recently, the United Kingdom has warned its citizens in the Philippines against travelling to the southern region due to threats of terrorism and clashes between security forces and insurgents, and
Southern Mindanao
kidnappings. “The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to south-west Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago because of on-going terrorist activity and clashes between the military and insurgent groups. The FCO advice against all but essential travel to the remainder of Mindanao for the same reasons,” it said in an updated advisory. Britain said there are several terrorist groups operating in the Philippines that continue to pose a threat. It said there is a high threat of terrorism throughout the Philippines and terrorist groups – among them the local Abu Sayyaf and the Indonesian Jemaah Islamiya, including the communist rebel New People’s Army and other associated groups - continue to plan attacks and have the capacity and the intent to carry out attacks at anytime and anywhere in the country. It said extreme elements within the two main insurgent groups, the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, continue to pose a security threat, including the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters which
Davao
broke away with the MILF and is responsible for the series of attacks on military targets in Mindanao. The United Kingdom also cited past against civilian targets in Mindanao - in 2013 attacks have taken place in Cotabato City and Cagayan de Oro and there remains a threat of attacks throughout much of Mindanao – “attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreigners like airports, shopping malls, public transport and places of worship.” “Be aware of the risk of terrorist attacks to all forms of public transport: road, rail, sea and air. Terrorist groups have threatened to attack passenger ferries and other vessels, particularly those operating from Mindanao. You should avoid using public transport throughout Mindanao,” the British travel advisory further said. It said there is a threat from kidnapping, particularly in the southern Philippines where kidnapping could occur anywhere, including on coastal and island resorts and on dive boats and sites in the Sulu Sea. “Foreigners have been tar-
Manila
geted in rural, urban and coastal areas in the past. In April 2014, two foreign nationals were kidnapped while yachting in the Sulu Sea. In February 2012, 2 foreign nationals were kidnapped from Parangan in the township of Panglima Sugala in the TawiTawi island province.” “The long-standing policy of the British government is not to make substantive concessions to hostage takers. The British government considers that paying ransoms and releasing prisoners increases the risk of further hostage taking,” it said. Britain was referring to the two German yachters Stefan Viktor Okonek, 71, and his companion, Herike Diesen, 55, who disappeared recently at sea off Palawan province. Their empty yacht was recovered by Philippine authorities off Palawan in the Sulu Sea. And the two European wildlife photographers Ewold Horn, 52, from Holland; and Lorenzo Vin-ciguerre, 47, from Switzerland, who were taken captive by in the coastal village of Parangan in Panglima Sugala town two years ago. (Mindanao Examiner)
Zamboanga Peninsula