The Zamboanga Post (September 6-12, 2021) by Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper

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Delta variant creeps into Zambo T

HE DELTA variant is slowly creeping into Zamboanga City as the number of active Covid-19 cases are climbing again. Mayor Beng Cli- pealed to residents not to government continues Continue on page 2 maco has repeatedly ap- be complacent as the local

More islanders vaccinated

An old woman is swabbed for Covid-19 by a health worker in Zamboanga City.

DILG tells barangay officials to support national ID system THE DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered barangay offi-

cials to support the implementation of the national ID system and encourage their constituents to regis-

ter at the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) website. Continue on page 2

Police honor Climaco with special award THE PHILIPPINE National Police awarded Mayor Beng Climaco with a special plaque of appreciation for her strong support to law enforcers in Zamboanga City. Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Genaro Ylagan, chief of the regional police force, presented the award to Climaco during the Continue on page 3

Hundreds of residents of Tigtabon and Manalipa Islands are inoculated against the deadly virus just recently. (Christine Lim) HUNDREDS OF residents from the island barangays off Zamboanga City have been vaccinated against

the Covid-19 following orders from Mayor Beng Climaco to bring the government closer to the people.

The recent vaccination roll out of the local government through the Continue on page 3

Travelling at night, Climaco inspects Licomo border DESPITE OF the darkness of the night, chief Covid-19 frontliner Mayor Beng Climaco travelled 85 kilometers to inspect the Continue on page 3

Another Zambo cop arrested Mayor Beng Climaco proudly shows off her special award from the Philippine National Police in recognition for her support to the police force. (Bong Serondo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Local cops arrested another policeman accused of being involved in illegal drugs, officials said, adding he is the eighth policeman arrested since early this year on

Zamboanga Peninsula

various charges. Officials said the 42-year old Cpl. Junhavier Alam Ahmahdul was arrested on August 29 by members of the Police Station Continue on page 2

Basilan

Mayor Beng Climaco visited the Licomo Covid-19 control point on August 30 and spoke with health care personnel and soldiers. The mayor was accompanied by Councilor Pinpin Pareja and Col. Randolph Rojas, commander of the Joint Task Force Zamboanga Commander; and Lt. Col. Julius Villena, commander of the 74th Infantry Battalion. (Bong Serondo)

Sulu

Tawi-tawi

The Zamboanga Post

September 6-12, 2021

Delta variant creeps into Zambo

Continued from page 1 to battle and control the spread of the deadly respiratory disease. She said Covid-19 poses a grave risk to everyone, especially now that the country is struggling to fight the Delta variant, the most contagious among all variants to date. She said Zamboanga City now has a total of six cases of Delta variant

after five more were added last month after the Philippine Genome Center released its report on hundreds of local genome sequences of Covid-19. “The Philippine Genome Center through the Department of Health Regional Office confirmed five new cases of the highly contagious Delta variant in Zamboanga City, per results released on

August 28, 2021 bringing the total count of cases to six. A total of 804 samples were sent for genome sequencing since March of this year,” the mayor said. Based on the data from the City Health Office, all six cases of Delta variant in Zamboanga City have already recovered. There are now over 100 cases of Covid-19 here. But despite repeated

Another Zambo cop arrested Continued from page 1 1 where he is also assigned. “He was arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 under criminal case number 48799,” said Maj. Shellamie Chang, a regional police spokeswoman. Chang did not give details of the criminal case against Ahmahdul or whether he was selling or using illegal drugs, but she said Judge Shene Chiong Cañete, of Branch 35, who issued the arrest warrant against the policeman has recommended bail bond of P200,000 for the temporary liberty of the suspect. Maj. Jivertson Pelovello, the chief of the Drug Enforcement Unit of the Zamboanga City Police Office, was also sacked from his post in January after he tested positive for illegal drug use. He was among 60 members of the local police force who underwent drug testing in December.

Maj. Orlyn Leyte, police station commander in the village of Ayala, and four other cops were also arrested in March by members of the Philippine National Police - Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) led by Lt. Col. Mario Cortez, after they allegedly robbed jewelleries and extorted money from a store owner during a drug raid. The others who were reportedly involved in the robbery and extortion were SSgts. Hegenio Salvador, Asser Abdulkadim, Cpls. Ismael Sasapan and Juman Arabani – all members of Leyte’s Drug Enforcement Unit. And on August 21, IMEG agents arrested the 37-year old Cpl. Alexis Castillo Garcia in an entrapment in downtown Zamboanga after he allegedly extorted money from the families of people he had arrested on various crimes in exchange for their freedom. (Zamboanga Post)

Fire victims get more aid

Mayor Beng Climaco and DSWD Assistant Secretary Jade Jamolod lead the distribution of cash aid to fire victims in Southcom Village in Upper Calarian on August 31, 2021. (Bong Serondo) VICTIMS OF a recent fire in Southcom village in Upper Calarian received additional financial aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office (DSWD). Over 100 families benefited from the DSWD’s Assistance in Crisis Situation program and the Office of the President. Mayor Beng Climaco and DSWD Assistant Secretary Jade Jamolod led the distribution of cash aid, among others, at the

Southcom Elementary School covered court on August 31. Climaco and Jamolod were also assisted by Rep. Jawo Jimenez and Councilors Pinpin Pareja and El King Omaga. The mayor thanked the DSWD and President Rodrigo Duterte for the additional aid. “Muchisimas gracias to the Office of the President and DSWD for always looking after the welfare of the people, especially those in dire need

of assistance,” Climaco said. The mayor previously distributed food packs, hygiene kits and blankets and mats, among other items, to the fire victims. The fire victims thanked Climaco and the local government, including barangay officials for helping them. The fire broke out at a neighborhood in Camella Drive and razed at least 95 houses. (Zamboanga Post)

warnings to strictly follow the health protocols, local authorities continue to reprimand or apprehend hundreds of violators every day. Many of those apprehended were not wearing face masks or face shields while in public places and people who attended mass gatherings or “super spreader events” which are prohibited by the local government. The Barangay Sita Task Force (BSTF) in different barangays have done little to help the local government and authorities in enforcing the health protocols and quarantine guidelines. Most of the BSTF members go on random patrol, many during Sunday lockdown when there are less people on the streets, and not every day where the violations of public health protocols are rampant. Climaco reminded the public that the fight against Covid-19 is not of the government alone and their cooperation is vital

in controlling the spread of the virus in their households and communities. “This is a personal battle between staying safe from getting infected with the virus. It is up to each and every one of us to ensure the safety of everybody, the safety of our family members and that is why it is important to follow the strict health protocols by always wearing our face mask and face shield and observed physical distance at public places,” she said. The mayor said the emergence of the Delta variant is scaring health experts around the world because it is more virulent than all known Covid-19 variants at this time. “It has become the dominant variant in many countries, including the neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia and we don’t want it to spread here and that’s why we are doubling our efforts to vaccinate the people to prevent serious illness that needs hospitalization,” she

said. “As we are thankful that we are now under GCQ, we really need to maintain our Covid protocols to continue lowering the cases. We need to exert more effort,” she added, referring to personal health responsibilities of each resident to help fight or control the spread of the virus. “Our death toll and the daily positive cases are not a sign for us to relax. It is a sign for us to continue to cooperate, to strengthen our safety measures, self-regulate and self-discipline. All our frontliners have dedicated and poured out their efforts to keep you safe. It’s about time that we cooperate,” the mayor further said. Border guards also intercepted or stopped dozens of travellers trying to enter Zamboanga City without health requirements such as RT-PCR test and S-PASS which are required under Climaco’s executive order. (Zamboanga Post)

DILG tells barangay officials to support national ID system Continued from page 1 DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, citing records from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), said over one million national ID cards have already been delivered and another three million were dispatched. “Nasa gitna man tayo ng pandemya, tuloy pa rin ang paghahatid ng serbisyo publiko sa mga mamamayan. Kaya hinihimok ko ang mga punong barangay na makiisa sa adbokasiya ng aational ID campaign upang mapabilis ang pagpapatala sa ating mga mamamayan, lalo na ang mga nasa kanayunan,” said Año. “Napakaimportante ang pagkakaroon ng national ID lalong-lalo na ngayong panahon ng pandemya kung saan madalas ginagamit ang ID para sa mga online transactions, pagkuha ng ayuda, pagpapabakuna at marami pang iba,” he added. The PhilSys Act, or Republic Act 11055, was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte to create a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident foreigners which will serve as the official government-issued identification document of cardholders dealing with all national government agencies, local governments, government-owned or controlled corporations, government

financial institutions, state universities and colleges, and all private sector entities. Año urged all barangay chairmen to share registration-related updates from the official PhilSys Facebook page - https://www.facebook. com/PSAPhilSysOfficial - and facilitate barangay roving announcements to keep their constituents informed about the processes of availing the said ID card. Even before Año’s order, Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco last month urged local residents to register online to get their national ID card. Climaco said the online registration, which is free, can be accessed by residents through this link: https://register.philsys.gov.ph or at the website of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). She added that the PSA also set up a registration center in SM Mindpro in partnership with the local government and the mall owner to make it easier for residents to avail of the national identification card. But prior appointments are needed for this. Aside from the SM City, the PSA put up a registration center at its Zamboanga Office along San Jose Road in Barangay Baliwasan. Other registration centers are at the Are-

na Blanco Day Care Center, Labuan Multi-purpose Hall, and Lumbangan Barangay Hall. The mayor said PSA is also planning to open more registration centers to cope with the volume of registrants. The PSA also warned the public not to entertain fixers after it received reports that unscrupulous individuals and groups are offering and collecting fees via different social media platforms to book online appointments for Philippine Identification System. It said the registration is free of charge and provided the following steps on how to get the national identification card from online appointment (Step 1 Registration), personal appearance for biometrics capture (Step 2 Registration), and delivery of the Philippine Identification Card (Step 3 Registration). Only PSA-PhilSys employees are allowed to handle official transactions on the PhilSys registration. The public is encouraged to be vigilant against these scams and report via PhilSys hotline number 1388 any individual or group offering and collecting fees for online registration, according to National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Dennis Mapa. (Zamboanga Post)

The Zamboanga Post

September 6-12, 2021

Police honor Climaco with special award

SUPPORT PEACE IN MINDANAO

More islanders vaccinated

Continued from page 1 celebration of the 120th Police Service late last month. Ylagan said the award was given in grateful appreciation for Climaco’s invaluable support and active involvement in the implementation of the program, and projects of the Police Regional Office 9 in the fight against Covid-19. He said the mayor’s commitment and her untiring and meritorious support to the security sector led to the attainment of police mission and functions in the maintenance of peace and security in Zamboanga City. Col. Rexmel Reyes, chief of the Zamboanga City Police Office, said they are “very grateful” to Climaco for her exemplary leadership, integrity, dedication and commitment to security and welfare of Zamboanga and its people. “Muchisimas Gracias and Snappy Salute!” Reyes said. Climaco also thanked Ylagan and Reyes and all the members of the police force for their hard work and dedication in keeping Zamboanga safe and for protecting its people and their role in the government’s Covid-19 response. The mayor referred to the police as “modern-day heroes.” “Muchas gracias a nuestros policias. El gobierno local continuara apoyando los esfuerzos de la policia para la proteccion y seguridad de la ciudad de Zamboanga. Por supuesto, la seguri-

The special award given by the Philippine National Police to Mayor Beng Climaco in recognition for her support to the police force. (Bong Serondo) dad de esta ciudad y su gente son nuestra maxima prioridad,” the mayor said. Climaco has provided various logistical and financial support, including equipment, among others to the local police force and the military since her first day in office and vowed to continue supporting them as part of her administration’s priority on Security, Health and Education. (Zamboanga City)

Travelling at night, Climaco inspects Licomo border Hundreds of residents of Tigtabon and Manalipa Islands are inoculated against the deadly virus just recently. (Vilmar Marquez and Christine Lim) Continued from page 1 City Health Office (CHO) in Manalipa and Tigtabon Islands were also participated by the Department of Health, the Philippine National Police, the Joint Task Force Zamboanga, the Philippine Coast Guard, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, the Barangay Councils of Manalipa and Tigtabon and other government agencies. Those who received the vaccines were among the priorities listed by the Department of Health - A2, A3, A4 and A5 categories, according to one of Climaco’s executive assistants Vilmar Marquez, who was also part of the CHO vaccination teams led by Dr. Ezra Eijansantos and Cora Pagotaisidro, the National Immunization Program Coordinator. Christine Lim, of the City Health Office, said despite the many challenges, the local government exerted its best efforts to inoculate the eligible population and provide them added protection against Covid-19. The islanders were also provided with provisions

by the Regional Police Office 9, and food and bottled water and brochure containing information about Covid-19 and health protocols. The mayor previously dispatched a team of CHO medical frontliners to Sacol Island to ensure the inhabitants are also protected from the deadly respiratory disease. Over 400 people from Landang Gua, Pasilmanta, Landang Laum and Busay had been vaccinated against Covid-19 after the local government held a vaccine information campaign on the island and explained the importance of the medicine in fighting the spread of the virus. The campaign, spearheaded by the local government’s Communication and Demand Generation Team, effectively addressed disinformation and fake news about Covid-19 on the island. Even Dr. Mamat Cham, a World Health Organization (WHO) Public Health Consultant, allayed fears that vaccines are harmful to human health. “It is not true that we will lose our

sanity and our lives will be limited to two years after we are vaccinated,” he said. One of Climaco’s Executive Assistants, Jojo Abdusalam, also helped in convincing islanders in getting themselves vaccinated. He said the local government is working hard to fight disinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the efficacy of the vaccines by engaging different sectors and communities and helping residents come up with informed decisions. The information drive was in collaboration with the Office of the Barangay Affairs, the Integrated Resource Development for Tri-People, the Philippine Navy and Marines and the Barangay Councils on Sacol Island. The Communication and Demand Generation Team was also joined by Vilmar Marquez, also an executive assistant of Climaco; Joan Saure of the Manicahan Health District, Nicole Iturralde of CHO, Mark Demirin and Al-Guin Ajijul, and Landang Gua Barangay Chairman Ben Insani, among others. (Zamboanga Post)

Continued from page 1 Covid-19 control point and visited health personnel and security forces at Licomo, the last barangay of Zamboanga City which borders the province of Zamboanga Sibugay. Climaco, accompanied by Councilor Pinpin Pareja, Col. Randolph Rojas, commander of the Joint Task Force Zamboanga Commander; and

Lt. Col. Julius Villena, commander of the 74th Infantry Battalion, spoke to the personnel and soldiers manning the control point during the August 30 visit. The mayor’s visit further boosted the morale of the border guards and health workers and local government personnel, who even when they are far away from their families, still managed to ef-

fectively do their duties. She also distributed face masks and face shields, including multivitamins to the troops and personnel to ensure their wellness. Climaco has repeatedly lauded those manning the Covid-19 control points for their hard work and sacrifices in ensuring the safety of every one against Covid-19. (Zamboanga Post)

The Zamboanga Post

September 6-12, 2021

Zamboanga Pictures in the News Local government of Zamboanga City at work. This is where your taxes go.

September 6-12, 2021

The Zamboanga Post

Zamboanga Pictures in the News Photos by : Bong Serondo, Christine Lim, and OCENR.

The Zamboanga Post

September 6-12, 2021

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September 6-12, 2021

OPINION

Pencing By Mario O. Feliciano Jr.

2/3

Heroes’ welcome for Zamboangueño Olympians Diaz, Marcial

Mayor Beng Climaco with Hidilyn Diaz and Eumir Marcial. ZAMBOANGUEÑO OLYMPIANS Hidilyn Diaz and Eumir Marcial arrived here as ecstatic residents lined up the streets to welcome the duo who motorcaded around downtown Zamboanga. Diaz, who won a gold medal in the women’s weightlifting competition in the Tokyo Olympics’ and Marcial clinched an Olympic bronze medal

in boxing, received cash incentives from the local government for their outstanding athletic achievements. Mayor Beng Climaco handed P2.5 million to Diaz and Marcial got P1 million. Climaco also led officials in the unveiling of commemorative markers and the handprint ceremonies for both Diaz and Marcial at the Roseller

Lim Boulevard. Diaz’s parents Eduardo and Emelita were also present during the ceremony and even joined the pictorials. The local government said in compliance to the health protocols, all individuals and close contacts involved in the “Heroes’ Welcome” underwent antigen testing for Covid-19 to ensure the safety of everybody. (Zamboanga Post)

‘Reminiscing SouthCom Days’ AS I read the August 26 banner story, “Vinluan retires as WestMinCom Chief,” what went to my mind was the days of the SouthCom’s prime era back in the 1970s -till I left my beat covering military affairs in the late 1990s. To begin with, I started to cover seriously SouthCom (now WestMinCom) when I was taken in by then fledgling national broadsheet Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), a notoriously known adversarial national daily during the dark days of martial law under the dictatorial regime of then President Ferdinand E. Marcos. My first taste of baptism of fire was under its then SouthCom Chief Lt. Gen. Delfin Castro, though I was already a budding radio news reporter for defunct dxLL in the 1970s during which I gained much experience in field coverage together with those veterans, the late Vic Arevalo, Vic Pena, Rene Fernandez and all the rest now gone to the great beyond, as well. One that stuck to my mind up to now was our round-the-clock coverage of the much-celebrated May 1976 plane hijacking staged by the MNLF guerrilla fighters who wanted to escape out of the country en-route to Libya. The rebels hijacked the commercial plane in Davao airport, and was forced to make a brief stopover here at the Zamboanga City International Airport to add more fuel intended for its long journey when surrounded by soldiers from SouthCom headed then by Rear Admiral Romulo Espaldon. It came to a bloody ending when troops finally decided to assault the plane’s aborted flight that sat days and nights at its tarmac resulting in 13 killed and 22 others wounded, to include foreign passengers, apart from all the hijackers found later dead inside the plane, after the rescue mission was over. It was big news all over the world, except in the Philippines where all bad news was censored by the Marcos regime. That was the start when the adrenalin in me was craving for more such a bedlam. It was crazy! And under SouthCom’s leadership of Lt. Gen. Delfin Castro, the crucial period erupted when “People Power” caused the ouster of the ‘despot’ Marcos who was eventually sent into exile in Hawaii on February 24, 1986. By the way, Marcos died at age 72 on September 28, 1989. SouthCom found itself at the center of the battle of nerves, as the AFP forces in the whole of Mindanao were fragmented in their allegiance: it was either they were for Marcos (whose AFP Chief was Gen. Fabian Ver) or for the rebel soldiers’ two ace leaders PC/INP Chief Fidel Ramos and Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile who both turned against the distraught Marcos government, and sided with the widowed Cory Aquino’s ardent call for “People Power.” Cory, who later was catapulted to the presidency, is the wife Senator Benigno “Ninoy” S. Aquino, Jr. whose August 21, 1983 assassination fuelled the “People Power” revolt in the country. Castro was known as amongst the “loyalists” of Marcos in the AFP, thus replaced by the Cory government and SouthCom saw itself under a brand-new, and fresh leadership, mostly led by the PMAyers who were then treated as “second fiddle” to the “Vanguards” from where General Ver came, and molded to a four-star general under the Marcos dictatorship. First SouthCom appointee under the new Commander-In-Chief, the first woman to do so, President Cory Aquino was General Jose “Jomag” Magno, then General Cesar Tapia, next was General Manuel Cacanando, Rear Admiral Carlito Cunanan, Romeo

Zulueta, Gomersindo Yap, Orlando Soriano, Edgardo Batenga, Angelo Reyes, and all the rest reigned mostly by PMA graduates. It was under General Castro that I found myself at a crossroads of my being a news correspondent of a highly critical newspaper like the Inquirer. Castro, without my knowing, was said looking for long who this Mario O. Feliciano, Jr. (also Jun or Jay Feliciano)? I had butterflies in my stomach when suddenly the late Vic Pena, who, in his entire career as dxLL’s radio news chief reporter, covered SouthCom as his daily beat every morning, informed me and said: “Jun ta busca contigo si General Castro, cay sobre saltao le con el de uste mga writeups na Inquirer (Jun, General Castro is looking for you because your write-ups in the Inquirer gave him worries, so much). Whether he was joking or not, it definitely gave me a chill to the bone because in those days, if you wrote something bad about the military’s anti-insurgency campaign in the South, you’d find yourself in big trouble. Good, when General “Jomag” took over, SouthCom transformed itself as more friendly to the press. That gave me a complete sigh of relief. But the presence of still a slew of Castro’s people inside SouthCom, hounded those supposedly “blacklisted” to include this writer, under its former command. But it was under General Soriano when the military formed the SouthCom Defense Press Corps (DPC), through the initiative of his Chief of Staff, Colonel “Boysie” Braganza who later became the first WesMinCom commander when he rose to the rank of Three-star general. But correct me if I’m wrong, not very sure if he was. The PIO then was Lieutenant Colonel Fredesvindo “Teddy” Covarrubias, now a retired Air Force colonel. Incidentally, I was elected as its first DPC President until I went into a hiatus due to health reasons. And my journey as PDI news correspondent ended, as well. While in and out of hospital in those years, I got lost about SouthCom days. But, what I still can’t forget was my series of scoops, and or, I would say, too, my big stories that hogged the headlines of PDI, Tempo and other national dailies (as wires stringer), - the massacre of 14 marines and 4 militiamen in Barangay Tuburan, now a town in Basilan province in the early 1990s; the kidnappings of foreigners, to include priests; the death of Marine General Arturo Asuncion in a helicopter crash in Basilan; the Ipil attack in 1995; the Misuari epic peace talks with the Philippine government that heightened the martial law era fears; the wave of bombings attributed to the Moro insurgents and the birth of the Abu Sayyaf in the late 1980s, et cetera. When I turned to God completely and was born again in the spirit sometime in mid-2000, SouthCom met its demise, and changed into what it’s now the WestMinCom. The rest is now part of its dramatic history in the AFP saga that continues on, up to now in Mindanao. As to when can its soldiers go back to barracks again for good, and return the country’s genuine peace and order to its former place, truly the envy of our neighboring nations during the pre-martial law days? The right answer can only come from the AFP itself. But, in the end, only God can tell when, if He wills to, and nobody else can stop it from happening. He’s the One orchestrating our lives every day. Just put our faith and trust in Him, and the worries in us will just vanish away. Believe me! (jayfeliciano2@yahoo.com)

The Zamboanga Post

September 6-12, 2021

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Beng distributes aid to health workers, Covid-19 survivors

HE LOCAL government continues to assist not only civilians and workers most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, but health care workers as well. Mayor Beng Clima- care workers in recogni- liners. co provided financial aid tion of their heroic and Aside from the health to dozens of health work- invaluable contributions workers, Climaco said ers in the frontline of the in the government’s fight Covid-19 survivors are government’s Covid-19 against Covid-19. also provided with finanresponse. The mayor disThe mayor said cial assistance under the tributed the special risk health workers bravely Social Amelioration Proallowance released by the and unselfishly risk their gram. The mayor, assisted Department of Health as lives by being at the fore- by Jimenez and members ordered by President Ro- front of national efforts of the City Council, also drigo Duterte. to respond to the pan- provided cash assistance She said the con- demic. She said Rep. Jawo to senior citizens and tinuing state of public Jimenez is also working food aid to residents in health emergency war- for the release of other al- different barangays the rants the further grant of lowances like PhilHealth past months. (Zamboanthe allowance to health benefits for other front- ga Post)

Sunday Reflection by Mayor Beng Climaco

HYPOCRITES! The past few days the Gospel readings show Jesus addressing the duplicity/double life of those who seem to follow the law outwardly but inwardly were doing the opposite. Our Lord speaks out against Hypocrites! The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law were “shallow people,” in Jesus’ perception because they only saw what was outward and what matters is what is “within” our thoughts as well. In Fr. Karel San Juan. S.J. ’s Homily, he called on the need of authenticity. The synchronicity of our thoughts and actions. I remember being called PLASTIC! In the eyes of my accusers, I was pretentious in my actions and no matter how I try to reach out, IYO LANG SIEMPRE MALO na di ila ojos. I humble myself and thank them si ansina sila ta mira con migo. Pero mas mejor cosa canaton ta mira el Dios Tata? Na di aton confes-

sion de culpa admiti di aton culpa y desea cambia. Na mundo mucho quien husga canaton pero el importante el mirada del Dios canaton suyo maga anak. The Second Reading in James we are called to: “Be doers of the Word and not just hearers, lest you deceive yourselves. In the sight of God, our Father, pure and blameless religion lies in helping the orphans and widows in their need and keeping oneself from the world’s corruption. Last Thursday was the funeral of a great Zamboangueño ÑOR JUN ALAVAR. His son Mike told me his dad was a “Culinary Icon,” indeed for being the founder of ALAVAR SEAFOOD with his family. Ñor Jun was also someone with a big heart like his beautiful wife I call Sister Tessie. She being a leader of women as well as Kagawad and her community involvement in civic clubs as well. Ñor Jun asked me for a wheelchair because he gave it out to those in need. He was talking to me about the garbage “truck” because he also wanted to help in the cleanliness and beautification of Zamboanga. Councilor Mike, I call him Miguel and I spoke and I said: What if our Fathers saw us today, cosa gaha sila pensa? He gave me a beautiful response – “In our Father’s eyes, we, their son and daughter, made them proud in their old age, and we would like to believe even in death we brought them joy. Como di ila anak quiere tambien dale alegria na di ila corazon.” May we please God our Father imperfect as we are and what matters most, na ojos di aton Tata Dios we please God like Jesus! (MBC)

Zamboanga Peninsula

Basilan

City Government photos show Mayor Beng Climaco distributing cash aid to health workers.

Limpapa has new health center

Mayor Beng Climaco leads the August 27 inauguration of the new health center in Barangay Limpapa. (Bong Serondo) MAYOR BENG Climaco inaugurated the newly-constructed health center in Barangay Limpapa and said villagers can now have access to better health care services. Climaco was also joined by Rep. Jawo Jimenez, Councilors Pinpin Pareja, El King Omaga and representatives from the City Health Office and City Engineer’s Office, and barangay officials during the August 27 inauguration at Sitio Latap. The project is part of Climaco’s flagship program on Security, Health and Education or S.H.E. Barangay officials thanked

Sulu

Climaco for the new building. Limpapa is the last barangay and the boundary between Zamboanga City and Zamboanga del Norte province. Last month, the mayor also inaugurated the new two-storey barangay hall in Ayala. Climaco led officials in the inauguration of the building and was also joined by Jimenez and Pareja, and Councilman Bong Atilano, among others. The mayor also inspected the newly-constructed building which has a beautiful brick façade and stainless hand rails and ramp for people with disabilities. It also has a covered ter-

race in the front. She also spoke with barangay officials and praised them and the police for their hard work in maintaining peace and order and helping the local government in controlling the spread of the Covid-19 in the barangay. She also lauded the barangay tanods and healthcare workers for their dedication in serving the public. The mayor said she will continue to appropriate resources for the barangays which are an important partner of the local government in public service. (Zamboanga Post)

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