Philippine Muslim Today

The Initiative for ASEAN Integration

The Heartburn Feeling

Homobono A. Adaza | A4

Benj Bangahan | A5

Presidential Succession

Mehol K. Sadain | A3

Protect your brother Muslims

Presidents Donald Trump and Rodrigo Roa Duterte: A Comparison

Juan Ponce Enrile | A4

Muslim today PHILIPPINE

The Muslim National Digital Newspaper | Bearer of Glad Tidings.

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442) | 12 Pages | Philippines

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Doctors demand probe of IPHO chief after 9 doctors tested Covid positive in Tawi-Tawi

By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL | Managing Editor

Bomb-making factory discovered in Maguindanao

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ONGAO, Tawi-Tawi: There is a saying "it is cheaper by the dozen." But in the minds of a group of young doctors of Tawi-Tawi who are 12 of them they believe combining their 12 brilliant minds in effect can easily uproot even big trees.

This is how these young physicians want to achieve especially they are aggrieved how they are being treated by Dr. Sangkula Laja, the Chief of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) in TawiTawi and concurrently the Chief of Datu Halun Sakilan Memorial Hospital (DHSMH). This hospital is a 50 bed capacity Primary Hospital which serves as the Provincial Hospital of Tawi-Tawi.

By Noel Punzalan CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao: Government troops discovered on Friday a bomb-making factory of the Daeshinspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the Maguindanao town of Ampatuan, an Army official said.

Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander, said soldiers belonging to the Army’s 1st Mechanized Battalion discovered the bomb-making factory around noontime in the interior of Sitio Tapok, Barangay Salman of the municipality.

Recovered from the makeshift factory were one round of 105mm unexploded Howitzer cannon ordnance, a 60mm mortar projectile, bombmaking components, and propaganda materials.

“The troops immediately coordinated with the EOD team for proper dispositive action,” Uy told reporters here.

On Sept. 22, soldiers also overrun a lair of the BIFF in Barangay Saniag of the same municipality.

Uy said military operations against the BIFF radicals in the province are ongoing “without letup”. (PNA)

Full Story on Page A6

Lanao Sur the only province with MECQ in Philippines

By Masiding Noor Yahya

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nly one province and its war-battered capital will be placed under a mild lockdown and the rest of the country will be put under more relaxed quarantine restrictions next month to boost the battered economy despite the country having the most number of coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia.

President Rodrigo Duterte announced the quarantine restrictions for October in televised remarks on Monday night.

Lanao del Sur province and its capital, Marawi City, will continue to be under Mod-

ified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) for another month starting Thursday due to Coronavirus 2019 disease (Covid-19) infection spikes in recent weeks.

The province and the city were placed under MECQ from September 8 to 30, 2020 together with Iligan City and other areas due to surging infections.

The National Capital Region (NCR), or Metro Manila, will remain under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) for the entire month of October.

LANAO SUR | A11

Rep. Mangudadatu wants Muslim cemeteries established across PH Full Story on Page A6

Philippine Muslim Today News Editor Ali G. Macabalang and Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu in an exclusive interview at his family resort in Tacurong City on September 26. (PMT)

Abd

EDITORIAL

A2

Masukat saan ka punta?

DATU YUSOPH B. MAMA Chairman, Board of Trustees AMANODING D. ESMAIL President

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

e. g hom in o g I’m a uhuli n Nangh ng wala daw si sk ce ma lang fa ield. esh at fac

MASIDING NOOR YAHYA Executive Vice President & CEO JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL Vice President for Internal Affairs ALI G. MACABALANG Vice President for External Affairs ROCAYA SUMNDAD OTICAL Treasurer MACOD D. RASCAL Secretary CASAN C. CANA Auditor

PHILIPPINE MUSLIM TODAY MASIDING NOOR YAHYA Editor-In-Chief and Publisher JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL Managing Editor ALI G. MACABALANG News Editor PHIL MUSLIM Layout Artist FATIMA ORTIL-JANNARAL Advertising Sales Director for NCR COLUMNISTS | WRITERS: ATTY. HOMOBONO A. ADAZA DR. BENJ BANGAHAN ATTY. JUAN PONCE ENRILE DR. JOHNNY R. LEE ATTY. NASSER A. MAROHOMSALIC DR. FILEMON G. ROMERO ATTY. MEHOL K. SADAIN DR. ABDUL HANNAN M. TAGO DISCLAIMER: Opinion of the writer expressed herein is not necessarily the opinion of Philippine Muslim Today.

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Front page of PHILIPPINE MUSLIM TODAY previous issue.

Why Lanao del Sur the only MECQ in the country

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s we go to the press, we heard local authorities of Lanao del Sur have started halting violators of special laws concerning the urgent task to help flatten the pandemic coronavirus.

It may be a little bit harsh. But it is not yet late to strictly enforce special laws and local ordinances. In fact, it is timely. Without enforcing such laws, the locality will not be different from an anarchy, without realizing such a truth.

Despite being under the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) for almost a month, Lanao del Sur including its capital, the Islamic city of Marawi, remains the only locality placed under the more harder MECQ across the Philippines.

The only reason one can openly say is that coronavirus infection has surged in the locality despite the stricter MECQ measures it was placed earlier from September 8 to 30, 2020.

Before September 7, the province and the city had a spike of local infections which is higher than many other localities. This prompted the provincial government to request the national IATF to allow them place Lanao del Sur and Marawi City under MECQ. NIATF implementer Valdez approved it and thus the province was placed under MECQ from September 8 to 30, 2020.

On September 28, 2020, President Rordrigo Duterte in a televised announcement relaxed the measures of those localities from MECQ to GCQ except Lanao del Sur because the virus infections in the Maranao dominated province keep on surging. The present infection is much higher than before September 8 and earlier.

Why does virus infection keep on surging in Lanao del Sur? Some say, it was the residents’ stubbornness, many of whom don’t believe in the seriousness of the pandemic while equally too are many who say, “If it is not the will of God, the Coronavirus cannot harm us.” they sacrifice the purpose why laws are made which is for their well-being to the extent that they circumvent, if not violate the law.

Others say there is no discipline among the Maranaos. They do not follow guidelines, the required health protocols. They do not observe social distancing wearing face masks and shields, regular washing of hands with water and soap or disinfecting with alcohol. In sum, they are not law-abiding. This nature exists within them, in their culture.

On September 28, media practitioners visited Marawi. There they clearly observed how Maranaos do not care about rules, ordinances or laws. They do not follow traffic rules. They throw garbage anywhere they can see convenient for them. They do not listen to traffic enforcers to follow smooth queues in one way lane roads.

Law enforcers?

And the law enforcers? That is the question. It appears there is no truly a strong political will to execute ordinances and laws. Everybody knows there is penalty in not properly throwing garbage, that counter flowing and overtaking in a narrow one way road is not allowed and that there are corresponding penalties if violated.

Likewise, not wearing of face masks, and face shields, not observing social distancing, attending mass gathering of people of more than the required minimum of participants, not observing health protocols the government requires the populace to observe have corresponding penalties for their violations.

And it is the duty of law enforcers to implement those guidelines, rules, ordinances and laws.

But in Marawi and Lanao del Sur? The media people have yet to see enforcers implement these guidelines, ordinances and laws. It is only now that we have heard they are beginning to apprehend violators. And let us ask, “How long will these law enforcement operations last?”

The spikes of infections in the province and its capital Islamic city is not solely the fault of the populace. More to be blamed, if there is anyone to be blamed, are the local chief executives for lack of strong political will. And, of course, law enforcement agencies in the locality especially Maranaos must perform their duties religiously for which they are being paid for. Otherwise, without law enforcement, no amount strict community quarantine can flatten the deadly Covid-19.

Opinion

Ijtihad WITH MEHOL K. SADAIN

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rganized in 1967, the Association for Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN had five founding members: Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. It was joined by Brunei Darussalaam in 1984,

by Vietnam in 1995, by Laos (now Lao PDR) and Myanmar in 1997, and by Cambodia in 1999, bringing its membership to ten nations.

It envisioned the establishment of the ASEAN Community (AC) in 2015 consisting of three Community Blueprints: 1. The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint; 2. The ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC) Blueprint; and 3. The ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Blueprint. These three blueprints formed the 2009 – 2015 roadmap of the ASEAN Community 2015, highlighting Prosperity, Peace and People.

The economic aspect --the prosperity part --- sought to eliminate tariffs, spur investments, facilitate trade and movement of skilled persons, and adopt an open sky airline

policy, among the member States. Its political-security aspect --- the peace part --aimed to resolve disputes amicably, fight terrorism and transnational crimes, ensure a drug free region, intensify response to disasters and pandemics, and heighten human rights protection while opening up cross country legal enforcement. And its socio-cultural aspect --- the people part --- opened up initiatives for greater people engagement and establishing a regional identity while at the same time, understanding the peculiarities of each and everyone’s culture. The general aim of AC 2015, therefore, was integration of the region at the economic, political-security and sociocultural levels in order to boost regional growth and competitiveness in the global arena.

In the 36th ASEAN Summit held on June 26, 2020, its Chairman, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, underscored once more “the need to enhance ASEAN unity, cooperation and soli-

Batanes to Tawi-Tawi WITH JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

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his Batanes To Tawi Columnist does not personally known nor had met in person this Dr. Sangkula G. Laja, the head of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) of the Province of Tawi-Tawi.

However even in the Social Media, the name of Dr. Laja is trending and become viral not because it is the time of Pandemic but because he is the Chief of Hospital of the Datu Halun Sakilan Mem orial Hospital (DHSMH), a 50 bed capacity Primary Government Hospital which serves as the Provincial Hospital of Tawi-Tawi.

Dra. Shadrina TahilSarapuddin, the Provincial Health Officer I of DHSMH under IPHO Tawi-Tawi, and has been assigned in this hospital for more than a decade specializing on Inter-

nal Medicine is leading a group of a dozen physicians who feel aggrieved of what is happening to them.

For the sake of brevity while discussing more facts in this Column, may I refer to the leader of these 12 Fearless Tawi-Tawi physicians as Dra. Shad Tahil whom I finally known her as the daughter of Dr. Raj Tahil, my former MSU -TCTO professor in Ichthyology (Fisheries) subject at the College of Marine Fisheries.

At the same time a board mate in a boarding house of the Tiannok family of the couple Kah Iraw and Kah Kimseng Tiannok in Bongao? That was way back in 1972.

Going back on this topic, I asked Dra. Shad on how their boss Dr. Laja handled this Pandemic crisis and why she said Dr. Laja's actions or lack thereof has compromised

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

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THE INITIATIVE FOR ASEAN INTEGRATION darity, economic integration, ASEAN awareness and identity and emphasized the importance of promoting ASEAN pro-activeness and capacity in addressing the challenges brought about by rapid changes in the regional and global landscape.” He specifically referred to the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease pandemic which should be addressed by timely regional health actions. He welcomed regional efforts to achieve the targeted outputs for the remaining period of the initiative for the ASEAN Integration Work Plan III for the term 2016-2020; and encouraged further implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 in the areas of infrastructure, investments, and sustainable urbanization.

All these mean that each member country must be ready with the proper regulatory and industry framework to enable it to incorporate regional concerns in national endeavors. In the case of the Philippines, encompassing all of these is the matter of know -how, skills and expertise that will enable our country to un-

derstand and fit into the integrated ASEAN Community.

This is where education comes in, and in the context of relating with the ASEAN Muslim dominated countries like populous Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, the Philippines must somehow be able to attune to the Islamic rudiments of State and crafts that obtain in these countries.

The Islamic system that espouses economic developments in our ASEAN Muslim neighbors is the main reason why our educational system should acquire the Islamic perspective in various areas of learning. The recent developments in our part of the world dictate that we should now endeavor to adopt an Islamic perspective in the way we learn and do business because such knowledge has assumed increasing importance in the present context of the ASEAN integration.

In a nutshell, the Islamic perspective is about adopting Islamic parameters of doing business which is so succinctly summarized in the following Qur’anic verse: “Give full measure when

you measure and weigh with a balance that is straight: that is the most fitting and most advantageous in the final determination.” [17:35] It is a verse which teaches that even as we learn the technical matters necessary for progress, we should always be guided by the ethical considerations of honesty and fairness in dealing with our fellow men because that is the way which God favors and blesses with success.

The present ASEAN challenges revolve around our ability to participate fruitfully in the economic, security and cultural developments in the ASEAN, so that we are not left behind, and we are able to maximize the benefits to be derived from such integration even in this time of the covid 19 threat.

When we are able to do this, our growth opportunities, and financial and political stability are enhanced, and we do not only combat the current pandemic; we also prepare our country for a possible post pandemic global and regional economic meltdown.

(MKS)

IPHO Tawi-Tawi head compromised the lives of many; Jatih Tunggal declares ASG persona non grata the lives of many.

She said a total of 8 doctors were tested positive for the Coronavirus. Thus bringing to 70 the active cases for Datu Halun Sakilan Memorial Hospital alone.

Another worst thing is that the infected doctors continue to isolate and quarantine themselves on their own efforts and initiatives with no help from hospital authorities. * *.* * Just like the Coronavirus or COVID-19, nobody wants to welcome this kind of Virus.

Hence, just like the dreaded Virus, back in Sulu particularly the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is more than a Coronavirus that the peaceful Tausug of Sulu have disowned these terrorists from the start.

In fact just recently, the 34 Barangay Chairmen of the Municipality of Indanan was called upon by the town Chief

Executive, Mayor Hermot Jikiri to participate in a forum known as the "Parjanjian," a Tausug term for peace covenant.

Mayor Jikiri spearheaded the covenant where the 34 barangay officials to include Chairman Sahabil J. Israel, of Barangay Jati Tunggal denounced this local terrorist group (LTG) specifically the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu by declaring them persona non grata.

“We are declaring these terrorists as Persona NonGrata here in Indanan and we vow to support the military, police, and other security agencies in bringing lasting peace and progress in our beloved municipality,” said Mayor Jikiri.

It can be recalled, last August 27, Mayor Kabir Hayudini of Patikul where the ASG has spread in their jungle had already started the bold move

where the people declared the local terrorist group as Persona Non-Grata.

Sulu Governor Abdusakur M. Tan was welcomed by Mayor Jikiri, where aside from Gov. Tan, Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) and Joint Task Force (JTF) Sulu Commander Brig. Gen. William Gonzales, who is concurrently the commanding general of the 11th Infantry (Alakdan) Division were also in attendance.

Likewise, Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR) Director Police Brig. Gen. Samuel Rodriguez, PNP SAF Director Police Brig. Gen. Bernabe Balba, other AFP and PNP officers, peace-inclined groups, representatives from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and other stakeholders attended the "Parjanjian."

JANNARAL | A8

Opinion

A4 JP Enrile Commentary JUAN PONCE ENRILE

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omeone asked this question: "What do you think will happen if suddenly the Philippine Presidency becomes vacant for whatever reason?"

My brief answer is: "When the Philippine Presidency suddenly becomes vacant, the Vice President takes over immediately without any interregnum.

Diliman Way With

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

Presidential Succession No other one can assume the presidency except the Vice President. Anyone who assumes the presidency other than the Vice President will be a usurper, an illegitimate claimant of the

presidential position.

Remember what Thomas Carlyle said: "Woe to him that claims obedience when it is not due; woe to him that refuses it when it is." Let us not toy with the Constitu-

tion, no matter what we think about it. It is the only integrating document for us to be one people and one country. Let us respect the presidential rule of succession."

(JPE)

Presidents Donald Trump and Rodrigo Roa Duterte: A Comparison

HOMOBONO A. ADAZA (Last of 2 Parts)

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olution to problems: Among men of sufficient intelligence, both Presidents are perceived to have psychological problems as shown by their words, body language and decisions on matters political and personal. Trump and Duterte have obviously mismanaged many problems in their respective country – ranging from the pandemic to the issue of the West Philippine Sea. They are masters of the bullying tactics for those they can successfully bully. They both endeared themselves to the military and the police.

Duterte has fattened the military and the police with high salaries and appointments of retired generals and colonels to high positions in government including membership in the Cabinet. Duterte has also encouraged and emboldened the police in the

use of extra-judicial killings of thousand of poor Filipinos in his attempt to solve the illegal drug problem.

On his part, Trump has increased appropriations for the weapon systems in America, also employed retired generals to high government positions, not to expect of a popular move of withdrawing American troops in many troubled areas in the world.

Trump and Duterte are both believers in the use of violence in the solution to national and personal problems. In the case of Duterte, the most glaring examples are the notorious extrajudicial killings, his telling citizens to kill and rob Roman Catholic bishops and the senseless demolition of Marawi City.

With Trump, he defends the killing spree of the American police in states and cities, urges the police to use

BY Abdul Hannan Magarang Tago

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ast April 18 this year, there was no new case of Covid-19 in Lanao Del Sur and Marawi City prompting Malacañang to place the province and its capital city under general community quarantine (GCQ).

The good news lasted for several weeks and despite of such relief the authorities here insisted to request the extension of the (Enhanced Community Quarantine

(ECQ). The May Executive Order (EO) was an obvious objection to the Manila order.

They later withdrew it following the strong opposition of some constituents while such local EO did not only brace the NG-Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) but also could not justify its reasonings.

From May 1, the localities enjoyed the general community quarantine (GCQ) for the first time that opened up busi-

violent methods in the management and control of protests and demonstrations whether peaceful or not which are well documented by American media of all persuasions. Trump also uses the military to help the police subdue and control protests and demonstrations.

Attitude towards media: This style of using violence to solve problems is also demonstrated openly by both men in their attitude towards media which do not agree with them. Even in televised press conferences, both men do not mince words in their attacks against media outlets and media personalities.

Duterte tops Trump in pursuing wars against media opponents. Duterte, through his opportunistic followers in the House of Representatives, denied the application for the renewal of franchise of the most powerful television and radio network in the Philippines –ABS-CBN. Another Duterte lapdog, the National Telecommunica-

tion Commission (NTC) withdrew all the radio and teleradyo frequencies of ABSCBN. Duterte continues his war against ABS-CBN, RAPPLER, Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) on a regular basis in the same manner that Trump trains his verbal and written abuse against CNN, New York Times and The Atlantic.

Duterte outdoes Trump on this level as Duterte pursues his media opponents in court, through his surrogates, by filing all sorts of cases – from criminal to administrative.

RAPPLER and ABS-CBN bear the brunt of Duterte’s vengeful rampage.

Differences: It is not easy to find differences between these two Presidents except on the level of the physical.

Both are not easy on the face but their grimaces are not similar – Duterte’s grimaces are threatening, Trump’s have the softness of a silahis – his by day and sila by night.

Both exude a type of masculinity separated by age since Trump obviously is younger than Duterte. Trump boasts he needs nothing to be vigor-

ous but Duterte is humble enough to publicly admit he needs his friend, Viagra, to retain the vigor of his youth, even if his face turns gray at times, as some of his enemies suspect.

Distance: We have gone enough distance to compare the two interesting men. The international community is not kind to both of them in almost every continent at this point in time. Unless Trump is reelected, he will have no time to undo his unacceptable deeds and performance. So his place is secure in the dustbin of history.

With Duterte, he has almost two years to undo whatever bad he has done and make amends. If Duterte does not change, he, too, will join his friend, Trump, in the dustbin of history. Both of them are assured of their place there, affirming Marc Antony’s famous line in Julius Caesar– “The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.” So let it be with Presidents Donald Trump and Rodrigo Roa Duterte. (HAA)

Is the 30-day MECQ extension in LDS a punishment? nesses and movements while people were already used to wear facemasks.

Unfortunately, the situation in the capital remained in deteriorating status with the arrival of Overseas Filipino Workers who were also either forced to leave their work abroad or voluntarily opted to come home.

Among the government strategists to combat the pandemic was to ease the congestion in the capital by offering Filipinos to return to their respective provinces. Malacañang also made some changes in the IATF setup.

The so called stranded Filipinos including OFWs started their influx into their provinces while PhilHealth controversies were emerging for allegedly financial gain.

For them every positive case is a source of justified extra income.

This was exposed by no less than the govenor of Cebu in an interview stating that even a vehicle casualty’s cause of death was tampered as Covid-19 patient by a certain hospital in connection with PhilHealth mafia.

Rapid test was the ideal and widely used to show

symptoms by the unscrupulous group so far to justify the legality of their operations at the expense of the localities. I do remember a mother whose two children were tested positive at Sagongsongan by the same tester while they were negative by swab test in Manila.

This ignited nitizens to lose their confidence and trust to the agency and some medical team. They expressed their outrage on Facebook in almost every announcement by the local IATF here.

TAGO | A13

Opinion My two-cents

Rx

WITH BENJ S. BANGAHAN, M.D., FPCP, FPCCP

H

eartburn is that burning-like sensation that is usually felt under the sternum, the flat bone at the front side of the chest, usually radiating upward from below the rib area. It is not related to the heart, but most likely it was initially mistaken to be from it, since, anatomically, the heart is within the area, though, actually it is in the precordial area, slightly more to the left of the sternum. Nonetheless, this must have been the reason for the term heartburn, which somehow got

unaltered, despite the later more accurate information.

The fact is, heartburn is brought about by the upward flow of stomach contents, which include a substantial amount of hydrochloric acid; it reaches the gullet, called technically esophagus. The effect of the strong hydrochloric acid on the gullet, sometimes even causing tissue damage, is what produces the sensation of burning. No wonder this event has been considered as the predominant symptom of gastroesophageal reflux

Punchline ALI G. MACABALANG

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ouse Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano offered on Wednesday to resign as speaker a day after President Rodrigo Duterte told him to honor the termsharing deal with his rival, Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco. But majority of House members, nominally accounted at 184, rejected the offer and voted for his retention.

Various quarters including media entities subsequently came up with discussions, with some discussants lauding the act and others criticizing it as another ugly political strategy in dishonor of covenant. President Duterte brokered the deal in 2019 to strike a balance among his allies in the legislative chamber.

Palace spokesman Harry Roque pointed out the Chief Executive’s desire for Cayetano and Velasco camps to honor the covenant. Some

media reports said a timeline for leadership turnover was set this December to provide the chamber enough time to pass the 2021 national budget.

As I look at the issue, it involves a question of morality and legality. Both camps are one in abiding by the covenant for the sake of what is moral. But Cayetano has invoked legality, saying that Velasco should be elected by House members. But he doubted the possibility of Velasco garnering sufficient votes.

For the President, I believe, he brokered the termsharing deal for his moral obligation to sustain unity in his Congressional allies. He could not invoke legality in the observance of the deal because it would sound as an executive department’s interference in the supposed independence of the legislature.

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

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The heartburn feeling disease, sometimes abbreviated as GERD. GERD is rather common, although it is generally believed that most patients suffer only mild symptom. In another statistics, about onethird of adults have been estimated to have occasional heartburn, and about 10% of patients suffer the symptom daily. In most patients, heartburn occurs when the muscle at the end of the esophagus, called esophageal sphincter, the one responsible for the opening and closing of the esophagus, undergoes occasional spontaneous transient relaxation, creating a way for the gastric contents to flow up.

Outpatient management usually has been helpful.

In other cases, some degree of tissue damage due to the acid have been appreciated. The event may be exacerbated by intake of food, bending or lying down. Lifestyle modification, therefore, can ameliorate the symptom, like, avoidance of eating about two hours before lying down, elevation of the head of the bed to ensure that the head is always higher than the abdominal area in order to minimize the recurrence, weight loss, and avoidance of tight clothing around the waist.

There are some signs that accompany GERD that must

be considered alarming. Difficulty of swallowing or dysphagia, substantial weight loss and accompanying anemia are reasons for seeking the help of a doctor in order to discover the reason for their presence, so immediate medical management can be initiated. These signs may signify the presence of a condition that needs immediate diagnosis by a doctor, whose diagnosis and medical management may obviate its morbidity. Possibilities are, stricture of the esophageal sphincter, esophageal ulcer, and maybe even cancerous process.

Māassalāma.

Imbalance enthusiasm But the preferences of the Preisdenet and his allied lawmakers are not my concern.

What strikes me is his enthusiasm in brokering a solution to a fewer number of people in comparison to the government covenant with the thousands of families displaced by the heavy military actions against the Maute group that caused tremendous devastations in Marawi City in 2017.

How I wish Mr. Duterte, the country’s first President from Mindanao who had occasionally admitted with pride her grand maternal lineage to the Meranao tribe, would exercise similar magnitude of enthusiasm to see the speedy rehabilitation of wartorn Marawi and fast recovery of its displaced residents.

It bothers to think why Mr. Duterte continues to sustain Sec. Eduardo del Rosario as chairman of the Task Force Bangon Marawi despite resounding complaints about lapses in the execution of

government efforts to rebuild Marawi and rehabilitate the IDPs. Government agencies and foreign institutions have got tired of sustaining evacuation centers for the IDPs, on one hand, and the Meranao bakwits got fed-up with discomforts in shelter camps and fled to far away areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao to find sources of livelihood, on the other.

Sec. Del Rosario in collusion with his “collaborating allies” in Marawi City has been preventing the mass homecoming of IDPs to the city’s most affected area (MAA). They invoked the danger in the presence of unexploded ordnances in MAA as reason in preventing the mass IDPs return.

Some observers have downgraded the validity of alleged danger in “uncollected” explosives, sometimes giving credence to rumors that the lull was

meant for something fishy.

Media reports have it that Del Rosario and his Marawi allies allowed the collection and sale of huge scrap metals from the MAA. Was there proper accounting of monetary proceeds from the scrap metals’ sale?

My suspicion about “fishy” things happening in MAA ran high when a lady resident confided to me via the Facebook Messenger what she vouched as a “sign of treasure hunting” in the area.

The informant pointed out twice that an Islamic scholar (alim), when once allowed to visit his abandoned residential compound in the city, found a deep and bid excavation in his place.

Some parts of Marawi were believed to be hosting spots where Japanese occupying soldiers allegedly had buried parts of the so-called Yamashita Treasure.

(AGM)

what President Carter once said-With the people, you can never lose; without the people you can never win,” Gov. Tan said.

“This peace covenant is for us all, for “Lupah Sug”, and for the “Bangsa Sug”.

Never did we have this kind of peace covenant signing in the past. Now is the time for

us to unite. We, leaders, elders, barangay officials, local government units, the AFP, the PNP, religious leaders, and the people must all unite,” Gov. Tan emphasized.

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JANNARAL | From page A3

IPHO Tawi-Tawi head compromised the lives of many...

Just like the 34 barangay chairmen, Gov. Tan and all the AFP and PNP generals signed the Parjanjian or Peace Covenant as a sign to maintain the elusive peace in the town of Indanan.

Chairman Israel after signing the peace covenant emphasized that Barangay Jati

Tunggal needs to secure peace by combatting the evils.

"It has always been the prime mission of Barangay Jati Tunggal. We still hope, that through collective efforts, peace will be in our grasp, In Shaa Allah," Barangay Chairman Israel further said.

In his message, Gov. Tan expressed his delight because finally everyone unites through the peace covenant.

“Hopefully, through this peace covenant, we will soon see the light here in Sulu.”

“We need to gain the people’s support because in unity there is strength. Let us take

News

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Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

SPECIAL REPORT

Doctors demand probe of their provincial chief after nine doctors tested positive of Covid-19 in Tawi-Tawi

By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL Managing Editor BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi: There is a saying "it is cheaper by the dozen." But in the minds of a group of young doctors of Tawi-Tawi who are 12 of them they believe combining their 12 brilliant minds in effect can easily uproot even big trees.

This is how these young physicians want to achieve especially they are aggrieved how they are being treated by Dr. Sangkula Laja, the Chief of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) in Tawi-Tawi and concurrently the Chief of Datu Halun Sakilan Memorial Hospital (DHSMH). This hospital is a 50 bed capacity Primary Hospital which serves as the Provincial Hospital of Tawi-Tawi.

In short, Tawi-Tawi doctors demand immediate investigation on their IPHO head for gross negligence after 9 doctors tested positive of COVID-19.

Dra. Shadrina TahilSarapuddin, who serves as the spokesperson of the 12 aggrieved physicians told the Philippine Muslim Today that Dr. Laja being the head of IPHO Tawi-Tawi had compromised the lives of many.

This is after 72 health care workers (HCWs) (approximately 25% of its workforce) have been tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 3 weeks.

Dra. Shad Tahil who is called by her shortened name for brevity said "no other hospital in the Philippines has had 25% of its HCWs testing positive, especially not in a short amount of time."

She also said that through the initiative of MOH-BARMM officer in charge (OIC) Dr. Amirel Usman, the DHSMH is on lockdown but with minimal function so as to cater for emergency cases.

She said it cannot be completely placed under lockdown as there is no other functional government hospital here Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.

When asked if there are any among the young doctors who were tested Positive of COVID-19, Dra. Shad Tahil admitted there are 9 doctors who have been tested and positive to have the Coronavirus. She said that 8 of them as of this writing are currently under isolation and quarantine, while the 1st one, has fully recovered.

Hence, the Datu Halun Sakilan Memorial Hospital was immediately placed under lockdown since September 25, when the 8 doctors were confirmed to be tested positive of the dreaded Coronavirus.

Problems besetting the Frontliners Asked on what are the

problems now besetting the Frontliners, Dra. Shad Tahil categorically told the Philippine Muslim Today that the biggest problem of their hospital is the lack of Infection Control Protocols.

She said it was made apparent by the rapid surge of cases among hospital HCWs. "When we had our first 2 HCWs testing positive, no proper contact tracing was done, close contacts were not isolated and quarantine, no quarantine facility for HCWs, these problems to name a few contributed to the surge of cases.

The hospital was simply complacent and unprepared.

There was no contingency plan. We were poorly prepared to deal with COVID-19 and it bit us - it bit us hard," Dra. Shad Tahil lamented.

Do you have enough PPEs that can protect you from the dreaded Virus?

When this Managing Editor asked for the availability of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), her curt reply is this, "No, we do not, in fact most of us have not been given disposable PPEs since COVID-19 came about. In terms of basic protective equipment, we were given only the the basic like surgical face mask, face shield, alcohol and non-disposable PPE." Dra. Shad Tahil added, "We still had to spend for N95s face mask and replenish our supplies with our own money. The situation was worst when we had the surge of cases. Without proper contract tracing or isolation and quarantine of close contacts done, we were unnecessarily exposing our colleagues and patients to COVID-19.

How many COVID-19 patients who are Active, Asymptomatic, Mild, Severe, and Deaths?

It was good enough though in the Pandemic situation, Dra. Shad Tahil was kind and polite to answer even to the

smallest details.

"Unfortunately, due to the lack of COVID-19 testing in the province, we are unable to determine the true burden of the disease. Testing is limited only to those diagnosed as COVID-Suspect. In the latest update, we have a total of 109 cases, 73 are HCWs, 9 are doctors. 36 are either admitted or from the community. We have a total of 9 deaths.

She also said, "we have no data that would determine if they are asymptomatic, mild or severe. Doctors are often unaware of testing results and often rely on the official FB Page of Dr. Laja (Kasehatan ng Pamaranan Tawi-Tawi).

The BARMM has just released recently P5 million through MSSD to Tawi-Tawi IPHO. Are you not happy with the release of this amount?

Dra. Shad Tahil happily answered, "We are happy.

We are welcoming any help we can get in our fight against COVID-19."

Tawi-Tawi being the last Province to the South, do you think the MOH-BARMM is fair to IPHO Tawi-Tawi in giving supplies and equipment? You know from the Press Releases sent to us by the Bureau of Public Information, the MOHBARMM has concentrated much on the hospitals in Mainland Mindanao like the Cotabato Regional Medical Center in Cotabato City and the Amai Pakpak Medical Center in Marawi City, and those in the island provinces of Sulu, Basilan, and TawiTawi seems to be left behind .

What is your comment on this observation?

"As we have no data to support our claims, we cannot make an objective comment," she said.

Are you satisfied with the leadership of MOH-BARMM under Minister Saffrullah Dipatuan? And the IPHO Tawi-Tawi under Dr.Sangkula

Dra. Shadrina Tahil-Sarapuddin, Provincial Health Officer I, Datu Halun Sakilan Memorial Hospital (IPHO Tawi-Tawi) Laja? tect our community from the "With regards to the lead- malaise of the pandemic. It is ership of MOH-BARMM it is the safety of the HCWs of very difficult to comment be- DHSMH like us, the residents cause we do not see first- of the Municipality of Bongao hand what is happening in in particular and the people of Tawi-Tawi in general that are BARMM." "But what we can com- at stake here."

Dra. Shad Tahil further ment on is what happening here in Tawi-Tawi. We lamented "by all accounts, our strongly believe that we are letter of 17 September 2020 in this predicament because was not acted in spite of its of our Provincial Health Of- urgency since no information whatsoever was relayed to ficer (PHO) II, Dr. Laja."

Dra. Shad Tahil said given our hospital or any emissary with the prevailing situation sent to pacify the fear and now going on in Tawi-Tawi in uncertainty engulfing every time of this pandemic, they one of us. To the very least, went to the extent of submit- an investigation must be inititing their position paper to ated from the upper health BARMM Interim Chief Minis- echelon of BARMM to give us ter Ahod "Al Haj Murad" hope that a solution is forthEbrahim last September 17, coming. The Covid-19 pandemic is deadly and therefore 2020.

As an excerpt to the letter should be contained at all today Chief Minister Ebrahim, cost.

Following the protocol of the aggrieved physicians of Tawi-Tawi said as quoted the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious here: "When we wrote the first Diseases, our dear hospital time, we were motivated by must be in lockdown mode in our collective convictions in the first instance considering your sincere care and affec- the magnitude of those infecttion for BARMM as you mani- ed with Covid-19. But sad to fested them in various public say, our hospital remains oppronouncements in the past. erational as it is the only funcThe emergency situation in tioning hospital in Bongao, our hospital exactly fits your Tawi-Tawi. Even in our mostature and authority to re- ment of despair after we were solve the problem as we be- exposed to Covid-19, Dr. Laja lieve no one is in a better po- required us to report for work sition to intervene than the unmindful of the indiscriminate we might father of BARMM. Our health contamination situation requires immediate spread to our patients and action if we are to contain the those that work with us. But spread of the virus and proDOCTORS | A7

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Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

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DOCTORS | from page 6

Doctors demand probe... our sworn duty to protect and save lives was our conscience in our collective decision to isolate and quarantine ourselves using our own resources and medi-

cal wisdom as our best effort in helping contain the spread.

Our situation is so dire and pathetic with no proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) being provided and no Covid-19 dedicated isolation facilities to count on. Hopefully we remain asymptomatic because if we get ill due to Covid-19 complications, God forbids we end up in unnecessary death.

The situation had worsened from that of 17 September 2020. Update of the situation is herein provided in the matrix below:

DATE

SITUATION

REMARK

02 Sept. 2020

Two (2) patients admitted at DHSMS were Contact Tracing was done (not thorough) but only exposed HCWs were recommended for Swab referred to Zamboanga City Medical Center Testing. No isolation or quarantine of close contacts.

(ZCMC). They both tested positive (Covid-19)

05 Sept. 2020

Swab Testing was conducted on HCWs exposed to the two (2) patients.

7 Sept. 2020

Close contacts of the two (2) infected HCWs No isolation or quarantine were recommended for those identified as close contacts. However All were identified and underwent Swab Testing. Hospital Staff were mandated to stay within its premises. Lamentably, no lodging was provided. Subsequently they crowd 5 to 10 Nurses to one room while others were placed in a makeshift tents accommodating 3-5 people. No Social Distancing Observed, hence spread became imminent.

Two (2) HCWs tested positive. No isolation or quarantine for close contacts while waiting for Swab Test results. Close contacts possibly infected with Covid-19 continued with their work routines.

15 Sept.2020

The number of Covid-19 cases was steadily felt and noted on the rise with no official statistics documenting it. Prior to this date, the official count was only thirteen (13).

Waiting for results of Swab Testing conducted on the 6th, 8th, 9th and 11th September 2020.

16 Sept. 2020

Twenty One (21) HCWs from DHSMH tested positive. They were isolated and quarantined.

No contact tracing done. Those with negative results despite being identified as close contacts were ordered to resume hospital duties.

17 Sept. 2020

Twelve (12) doctors agreed to write a PosiRemain unanswered as of 28 September 2020. tion Letter to Hon. ICM Murad Ebrahimto recommend immediate lockdown of DHSMS since Hospital Head Dr. Laja has no intention to address the spike in Covid-19 cases in the hospital.

18 Sept. 2020

Dr. Laja called an Emergency Meeting involv- This turned out to be a sham since it became clear later that the purpose of Dr. Laja was to buy ing all doctors for the purpose of addressing time and consolidate his stance at suppressing the emergency situation brewing at DHSMH. The the issues mentioned in the letter to Hon. collective suggestion of the doctors were simply ignored.

ICM Murad Ebrahim.

25 Sept. 2020

Eight (8) doctors test positive, bringing the total infection to Seventy (70) for DHSMH alone.

Infected Doctors continue to isolate and quarantine themselves on their own efforts and initiatives with no help from hospital authorities.

We had been polite and tempered when we wrote to you on 17 September 2020 hoping not to antagonize anybody particularly our Hospital Head Dr. Sangkula Laja believing that as a Medical Doctor he is with us in our sworn duty to protect and save lives.

Currently there are 70 healthworkers of Datu Halun Sakilan Hospital who have been tested positive in the past 3 weeks, including a total of 9 doctors.

No other hospital in the Philippines has had this many cases in such short amount of time.

"We, the doctors of Datu Halun Sakilan Memorial Hospital put into question the leadership of our agency, Dr. Sangkula G. Laja, on how he handled this crisis and how his actions or lack thereof has compromised the lives of many."

"Throughout this ordeal, Dr. Laja has failed to perform his duties. He refused to acknowledge the advice of our Internal Medicine Consultants, who due to the lack of Infectious Disease Specialists in Tawi-Tawi, are the local experts on this disease.

He made decisions without proper consultation with doctors in both the government and private sectors and he repeatedly ignored protocols and guidelines set by the Department of Health (DOH).

Despite our plea to put the hospital on lockdown, he insisted to continue hospital operations despite the risks without providing proper personal protective equipment to the HCWs. Despite being the only hospital in operation in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, he failed to prepare a contingency plan should an outbreak occur in the hospital.

Through his actions or lack thereof, he has betrayed our trust and failed to safeguard the health of the people he has sworn to protect.

We are requesting your government to send a medical team to take over hospital duties to allow the hospital to recover.

We are also requesting a group of experts, ideally Infection Disease Specialist, to evaluate existing protocols and identify breeches in infection control and prevent this tragedy from happening again.

Lastly, we request that an investigation be conducted on our institution’s head, Dr. Laja, for gross negligence.

As doctors, we must protect the unsuspecting patients of DHSMH who believe in the promise that they get healed by our institution. To infect them with the deadly Covid-19 virus is a crime unforgivable by any standard measure of decency.

Rest assured that we are motivated by no less than our love for our beloved hospital and the people we served, the citizens of the Province of TawiTawi. Let us be united in protecting and saving lives!"

The Group of 12 Tawi-Tawi Physicians in their position paper also submitted their laudable recommendations to the Ministry of Health of the Bang-

samoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MOH-BARMM).

Recommendations: • Being an isolated island province, there is an urgent need to establish a testing center in Tawi-Tawi. Once established, enhanced community testing would ensure we are able to detect and curb transmission in the community.

Currently we are still fulfilling our duties as medical frontliners, not knowing if we have COVID- 19 or not. We mourn, as one by one, we see our colleagues test positive. We fear not only for families but for our patients as well. We do not want to resign but how can we continue serving if our safety is compromised.

Again, we are not here to criticize or disregard what the Provincial Government, Local Government Units (LGUs), Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and other line organization has done. Instead, we would like to thank them for everything that they have accomplished. We write this letter as a cry for help, for now more than ever, we need your help. For it is only together that we may have a chance against it.

Hoping for an immediate response. Thank you and More Power! Wassalam.

Sincerely, Signed: Dra. Shadrina Tahil-Sarapuddin Provincial Health Officer I Datu Halun Sakilan Memorial Hospital (IPHO Tawi-Tawi) Note: She has been in service for more than a decade in IPHO Tawi-Tawi (13 years) Dr. Jamar Sarapuddin Medical Specialist IV Pediatrics Dr. Cynthia Ferrer Rural Health Physician Dr. Muhjali Theodore Aliaza Rural Health Physician Dr. Rwidz Shan Laurente Medical Officer III Dr. Edward Jay Azman Medical Officer III Dr. Rene John Febro HRH-Medical Officer IV Internal Medicine Dr. Lissa Belle Pombuena Rural Health Physician OBGYN Dr. Shayr Amarillo Hamad HRH-Medical Officer IV Dr. Al-Rasheed Matolo HRH Medical Officer IV Dr. Abdel Majeed Mohammad Isa Medical Officer III Dr. Zhoyida Jaji HRH-Medical Officer III

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Town councilor killed in Maguindanao ambush

By JOHN UNSON

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

Lanao Sur the only province with MECQ in Philippines ALL OTHERS WILL BE UNDER MORE RELAXED QUARANTINE RESTRICTIONS NEXT MONTH.

By MASIDING NOOR YAHYA

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ANILA: Only one province and its war-battered capital will be placed under a mild lockdown and the rest of the country will be put under more relaxed quarantine restrictions next month.

BULLET RIDDLED CAR: A Toyota pick-up truck of Guindulungan Councilor Morsid Lauban when he was killed in an ambush by unidentified gunmen at the border of Guindulungan and Talayan towns in Maguindanao. (Photo by John Unson)

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UINDULUNGAN, Maguindanao: Gunmen killed an incumbent municipal councilor in Guindulungan town in a daring ambush on Monday morning.

Morsid Lauban, member of the Sangguniang Bayan in Guindulungan, Maguindanao, died on the spot from multiple bullet wounds.

He was driving his black Toyota pick-truck when gunmen, positioned along a stretch of a highway at the border of Maguindanao’s Guindulungan and Talayan towns, opened fire, killing him on the spot.

Two of his companions were wounded in the incident, now confined at the Cotabato Regional Medical Center in nearby Cotabato City.

Mayor Midpantao Midtimbang, Jr. said Lauban was en route to the town proper of Guindulungan from Cotabato City to attend their Monday flag ceremony at the municipal government compound when he and his companions were attacked.

“I condemn this atrocity. We are hoping for a prompt action on this by authorities,” said Midtimbang, chairperson of the inter-agency, multi-sector Guindulungan municipal peace and order council.

The mayor called on the Maguindanao provincial police and the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region to put closure to the fatal ambush of Lauban.

“Our local government unit will cooperate in the investigation,” Midtimbang said. (JOHN UNSON)

Cadaver of missing person in Taraka river flood found MARAWI CITY: The cadaver of a missing person who was reportedly swept away by a flash flood overflowing the Taraka River last weekend was finally recovered after 56 hours and 45 minutes of Search and Rescue Operation, local officials said.

In a Facebook statement, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) of Taraka said the body was found by Mr. Ismael Ayo on Wednesday at Barangay Masolun of the municipality of Taraka in Lanao del Sur. It did not name the victim and prohibited the posting of photos of the cadaver in respect to the bereaved family.

Mr. Ayo of Barangay Masulon was repairing his water pump hose for the water flow when he realized there was a floating body nearby.

He shouted for help and reported to the Barangay Chairmen of Boriongan and Masulon.

Residents lead by Councilor Allan Colangcag immediately responded.

The body was retrieved by Caerodin Macalaba, Barangay Boriongan disaster risk reduction management officer, and Omar B. Lucman of the same barangay at around 8:45 AM. (Muslimedia.PH)

President Rodrigo Duterte announced the quarantine restrictions for October in televised remarks on Monday night. to boost the battered economy despite the country having the most number of coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia.

Lanao del Sur province and its capital, Marawi city, will continue to be under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) for another month starting Thursday due to Coronavirus 2019 disease (Covid-19) infection spikes in recent weeks.

The province and the city were placed under MECQ from September 8 to 30, 2020 together with Iligan City and other areas due to surging infections.

The National Capital Region (NCR), or Metro Manila, will remain under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) for the entire month of October.

Iloilo City and Bacolod City in Western Visayas as well as Iligan City in Northern Mindanao, which are all under MECQ, will shift to the more

relaxed GCQ in October.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who read the new quarantine classifications during the weekly meeting with Duterte on Monday night, said Iloilo City’s MECQ status will be cut short and end on September 30.

Iloilo City was placed on MECQ for two weeks from September 25 to October 9 due to its rising cases of infection.

Batangas province in Central Luzon and Tacloban City, Leyte in Eastern Visayas will also remain under GCQ. Having yet to recover from the 2017 Siege, Marawi City is the most hit areas in the country being the only city that remains under MECQ. Most of Marawi’s commercial and downtown areas were destroyed after hundreds of Islamic State groupaligned militants laid siege to the mosque-studded city in May 2017 and the military launched a massive offensive and airstrikes to quell the fivemonth uprising.

Thousands of residents still remain displaced with many living in temporary shel-

ters relying on government subsidies for living.

Metropolitan Manila and five other cities will remain under general quarantine restrictions with more businesses and public transport allowed to partially operate on condition people wear face masks and shields and stay safely apart.

Classes in public schools are scheduled to resume online belatedly on Oct. 5 due to the pandemic.

(Muslimedia.PH)

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The Ranao Star ranaostar@gmail.com Https://ranaostar.net

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60-Year-old Sabah dispute reignites tensions between Kuala Lumpur and Manila

By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL | Managing Editor

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OKYO: The 60-year-old dispute over the sovereignty of Sabah, Malaysia’s second largest state, has recently reignited, creating tensions between Kuala Lumpur and Manila and adding a further complication to the many sovereignty issues in the South China Sea. It began as a diplomatic spat on Twitter.

“Sabah is not in Malaysia,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. tweeted in July, replying to a message by the U.S. Embassy in Manila about donations to Filipinos repatriated from Sabah.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein summoned the Philippine ambassador for a demarche shortly after Locsin’s tweets. At the end of August, Malaysia made a formal complaint to the United Nations, known as a note verbale, about the Philippines.

Here are five things to know about the brewing dispute: Sultan Muedzul-Lail Tan Kiram, the 35th reigning What is the Philippines’ claim? and legitimate Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo.

(JIJ) The Philippines derives its claim to Sabah from the Sulfor Brunei and Indonesia.

Why now? tanate of Sulu, which once Locsin’s Sabah tweets Such disputes between memruled the southernmost region of the Philippines. The came hours after President bers of the Association of sultanate asserts that the Rodrigo Duterte declared in a Southeast Asian Nations national address that the have stood in the way of a territory of North Borneo was Philippine claim to the South united stance against a biga gift from the Sultan of BruChina Sea was “inutile” be- ger urgent threat — China’s nei, as a reward for Sulu’s aid in a war in the 1600s. cause China was already “in militarization of the disputed Manila maintains that the possession” of the disputed waters.

Member states set aside waters. The unscripted statesultanate’s agreement with ment was roundly criticized, their territorial claims in the the British North Borneo Co. as territorial claims are typi- 1960s to pave the way for the in 1878 was merely a lease, formation of ASEAN. Sabah’s not a transfer of sovereignty. cally a nationalist rallying cry.

Sultan Muedzul-Lail Tan KiLocsin is seeking to revive Chief Minister Shafie Apdal the Office of North Borneo has now asked the Malaysian ram, the reigning sultan, told Affairs, a division of the De- government to bring the Philthe Nikkei Asian Review that partment of Foreign Affairs ippines’ assertion to ASEAN, his grandfather Sultan Esmail Enang Kiram agreed to intethat was shuttered after the which has 10 countrygrate Sulu into an independMarcos administration. Con- members. But it is unclear gress is considering a bill to whether the organization, ent Philippines to further his include the South China Sea which acts by consensus, will effort to reclaim Sabah. territories, known as the West be an effective arbiter.

But until now, only two What happened in the Philippine presidents, DiPhilippine Sea, and Sabah in osdado Macapagal and the Philippine passports, which recent election in Sabah?

A coalition formed by parcontain a map of the country. dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Former Sabah Chief Min- ties in Malaysian Prime Minishave actively espoused ister Yong Teck Lee called it ter Muhyiddin Yassin’s govSulu’s claim. Since Marcos, who was ousted in 1986, the a “provocative” move. Inter- ernment won a state election Philippine government has estingly, in 2012, Manila or- in Sabah on Saturday, easing dered customs officials not to pressure on the embattled not formally recognized the stamp Chinese passports leader who faces a challenge Sultan of Sulu. printed with the controversial from opposition leader Anwar What is Malaysia’s view?

Nine-Dash Line, which en- Ibrahim.

Kuala Lumpur insists the The Muhyiddin-led coaliBritish North Borneo Co.’s compasses China’s territorial tion, Sabah People’s Movepayments were installments claims.

Perhaps more urgently, ment, received a mandate to purchase the territory from tens of thousands of Filipinos from some 1.1 million voters Sulu. In that case, sovereignare living without proper doc- on the Borneo island and ty was transferred to Malaysia when it succeeded British umentation in Sabah. Hun- crossed the 37 assembly-seat Malaya. dreds were deported to the threshold to form the next Philippines as COVID-19 state government.

In another signal that KuaThe coalition defeated spread in the state. Because la Lumpur would not give up sitting Chief Minister Shafie it considers Sabah its territothe oil and gas-rich Sabah, and his Sabah Heritage Parnine Filipinos are awaiting the ry, the Philippines has histority, which won at least 21 death penalty in Malaysian cally refused to open a local seats.

The victory boosted consulate. custody, including Amirbahar How does it affect the Muhyiddin’s standing at the Husin Kiram, a cousin of Sulfederal level, where he faced South China Sea? tan Muedzul-Lail Kiram was arrested in 2013 after leading The question of who owns a leadership challenge from a failed takeover of Sabah, at Sabah affects territorial pro- Anwar, who claimed to have jections in the South China the support of the majority of the command of his uncle of parliaSea — not only for Malaysia members Jamalul Kiram III, a pretender ment.

(Nikkei Asian Review) and the Philippines, but also to the Sulu throne.

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

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BARMM records 27 new coronavirus cases

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OTABATO CITY: About 27 new Covid-19 cases were recorded in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Thursday night, raising the cumulative total number of cases in the region to 1,000, according to the region’s health ministry.

Amirel Usman, BARMM’s health ministry officer-incharge, said the new cases are from Lanao del Sur with 21, Basilan and Maguindanao with three cases each.

“There is no need to worry because there was no sudden spike of cases in just a day, our recent cases are mostly close contact of confirmed cases,” Usman said.

He said 733 of the cumulative total of 1,000 have recovered from the disease for an equivalent of a 73-percent recovery rate.

Active cases in the region are at 229 with 38 deaths.

“We have a low fatality rate, all these death cases had comorbidities,” Usman added.

Since March this year, the cumulative total of confirmed cases per province in the region indicated that Lanao del Sur has the highest at 528, followed by Maguindanao, 131; Basilan, 114; Tawi-Tawi, 88; and Sulu, 19.

The other 120 cases were locally stranded individuals (LSI) of the island-provinces of BaSulTa (Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi) who were recorded separately since they were redirected to Maguindanao from Cagayan de Oro City last July 7.

Usman said 43 percent of the total cases in the BARMM are LSIs and returning overseas Filipino workers. (With PNA) MASIDING NOOR YAHYA

BIFF bomb-making factory discovered in Maguindanao

By NOEL PUNZALAN

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AMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao: Government troops discovered on Friday a bomb-making factory of the Daesh-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the Maguindanao town of Ampatuan, an Army official said.

Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander, said soldiers belonging to the Army’s 1st Mechanized Battalion discovered the bomb-making factory around noontime in the interior of Sitio Tapok, Barangay Salman of the municipality.

Recovered from the makeshift factory were one round of 105mm unexploded Howitzer cannon ordnance, a 60mm mortar projectile, bomb-making components, and propaganda materials.

“The troops immediately coordinated with the EOD team for proper dispositive action,” Uy told reporters here.

On Sept. 22, soldiers also overrun a lair of the BIFF in Barangay Saniag of the same municipality.

Uy said military operations against the BIFF radicals in the province are ongoing “without letup”.

(PNA)

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A10 US, PH ink new P10.5B deal on Economic Development

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he United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Finance (DOF) of the Philippines signed recently a new five-year bilateral assistance agreement worth 10.5-billion pesos or $213 million to boost the country’s economic development and growth, the U.S. embassy announced.

This agreement enables USAID and the Philippines to deepen their commitment to accelerate inclusive, broadbased economic growth through policies that increase investment and trade across the country, said the embassy in a Sept. 28 statement sent to The Philippine Muslim Today.

New programs and activities will promote inclusive, market-driven growth; improve business environment; expand economic opportunities through private-sector led innovation for medium and small businesses; and increase information and communications technology access for the digital economy that benefits both producers and consumers, the statement said.

Related activities also include strengthening local civil society organizations to advance local programming and policymaking in the Philippines and facilitating coalitions and partnerships between government and other stakeholders toward data-driven decision-making, it added.

The embassy said USAID will continue to rally Philippine government objectives by improving public sector transparency and accountability; advancing the rule of law and the justice system; and boosting local governments’ responsiveness to Filipinos’ needs.

“This new USAID and Department of Finance bilateral agreement will expand our support to help the Philippines achieve long-term, private sector-led economic growth and strengthen economic governance. These programs will create jobs and help ensure more inclusive, broad-based economic development,” said USAID Mission Director Lawrence Hardy II. The bilateral deal is one of four new, five-year USAIDGovernment of Philippines Development Assistance Agreements launching in 2020, with an anticipated total value of Php32.7 billion ($675 million) over five years. The other new agreements include: · Department of Health: To improve underserved Filipinos’ health by strengthening health systems while improving the quality of health services, especially in treating tuberculosis, providing access to those who seek family planning services, and community-based drug dependence treatment; National Economic Development Authority: To protect ecosystems by promoting sustainable use of natural resources, enhance energy security, and build capacity to mitigate risks and respond to natural disasters; and Department of Education: To improve early grade reading, expand science and mathematics curricula, and increase outof-school youths’ access to education, professional, and technical skills development that will lead to new job opportunities, and strengthen education governance.

Over the past 20 years, the U.S. has provided nearly Php228.8 billion ($4.5 billion) in total assistance to advance the country’s development goals, the embassy statement said. ALI G. MACABALANG

Indonesian kidnap victim killed by Abu Sayyaf Group abductors in Sulu

By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL Managing Editor CAMP NAVARRO, Calarian, Zamboanga City: A cadaver of an Indonesian kidnap victim was recovered by military troops in Sulu Tuesday afternoon, September 29.

“Our troops were in pursuit of the fleeing local terrorist group members following an encounter, when they recovered the cadaver of the slain kidnap victim,” said Lt. Col. Ruben Guinolbay, Commanding Officer of the 45th Infantry Battalion (45IB).

The troops of the 45IB were scouring the enemy withdrawal route, about 300m from the encounter site along Barangay Maligay, Patikul, Sulu.

“Based on facial recognition, our intelligence officer identified the kidnap victim as one of the five Indonesian kidnap victims; however, name is being withheld for further confirmation,” said Brig. Gen. William Gonzales, Joint Task Force (JTF) Sulu Commander.

"His remains will be transported to Zamboanga City for

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

Transport official lauds cashless transactions started by transport coops

By CHENG ORDONEZ

I

ligan City lone district representative Frederick Siao wants riders of electric scooters to get permits from the Land

Transportation Office (LTO) to ensure they have basic knowledge and understanding of laws on road safety.

menting 100% cashless transactions in July 2020.

Meanwhile, LJOTC started the same cashless transactions on August 19, 2020, using its 19 Class II PUV units (Euro IVcompliant) within the route Punta, Sta. Ana – Quiapo.

Both TCs offer green cards to their passengers priced at Php 30 to 40 each.

Passengers can buy and reload their cards in their respective terminals, designated drop off points, and from drivers.

Benefits LJOTC Chairwoman Estela Buensuceso said they strictly implemented the “No Card, No Ride” policy not only to comply with the PUVMP requirement but also to protect their drivers, members, and passengers from contracting COVID-19.

She also added that this type of transaction can help address “mal-practices” in transport financial operations because they can easily monitor their income.

For his part, SMTC Chairman Jun Saw expressed optimism for an increase in their income through cashles s transaction, assuring, too, of drivers who are more focused on passengers’ safety instead on collecting of fares.

Traditionally, cash payments were facilitated by the drivers themselves while driving the unit. In the initial stage of the operation of the modernized PUVs, the cooperative hired public assistance officers (PAOs) to accept both cash and non-cash transactions and ensure passengers’ comfort and safety. In the case of 100% cashless transactions, LJOTC ensured that their PAOs would not lose their jobs. Buensuceso explained that some PAOs were assigned to be cashiers in the terminal, while others have assisted in selling and reloading cards.

Challenges faced The implementation of a 100% cashless transac-

tion came not without difficulties but the two transport cooperatives came up with ways to address them.

To help passengers purchase their green cards and further incentivize cashless payments, SMTC conducted a promo that provided cards for free, which already carried an initial Php30 worth of load per card.

LJOTC, meanwhile, lowered the cost of each card to Php20 to make it more affordable.

Saw pointed out that even though they started cashless transactions last February 2019 yet, there are still passengers who preferred paying cash.

Buensuceso also mentioned that they are continuously educating and informing passengers on how to use the cards, as their passengers are still adjusting with this type of transaction.

On the other hand, Saw said that they rely on CCTV to make sure that their passengers tap in and out, aside from conducting random inspections during trips.

Passengers’ feedback Despite the challenges, Buensuceso said they received positive feedback from their passengers.

Saw added that some passengers who commute everyday preferred the cashless transaction. He said that some opt to reload higher amounts on their green cards for longer period of use.

“Magiging maayos siguro l ahat kung 100% ang impleme ntation ng government na lahat ng PUV dapat wala nang tumata nggap ng cash (Cashless transactions will be properly implemented if the government enforces all PUVs to refuse cash payments),”Saw said.

Both TC heads encouraged other TCs to also implement 100% cashless transactions for public health and safety amidst the pandemic. With additional reports from Marianne Palle and Alna Marcel.

further confirmation", Brig. Gen. Gonzales added.

Meanwhile, “based on reports from the ground, during the encounter the kidnap victim had an opportunity to escape.

While running away, he was fired upon by his abductors. His body was found 300 meters from the encounter site,” Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command stated.

“We are yet to reconfirm before we reveal the full identity of the victim,” Lt. Gen. Vinluan added.

He said Army troops are still in pursuit of the fleeing enemies. (JIJ)

A top official of the Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) has lauded the implementation of 100 percent “cashless transactions” by modernizationcompliant vehicles of two transport cooperatives.

OTC Executive Director Eugene M. Pabualan said cashless transport operation will provide ease for both the drivers and commuters, even as he congratulated South Metro Transport Cooperative (SMTC) and Libra Jeepney Operator Transport Cooperative (LJOTC), which recently began implementing cashless transactions, enforcing the “No Card, No Ride” rule to passengers availing public transport rides.

“OTC would like to commend and congratulate Metro South (SMTC) and Libra (LJOTC), both operate as transport cooperatives, for advancing the vision of the program. Good Job,” Director Pabualan exclaimed.

Both transport cooperatives (TCs) are implementors of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), and adopting the collectivelyowned and controlled PUVs through fleet management system. This operational scheme modifies traditional ways of operating public transport that includes the provision for an automatic fare collection system, among other trip monitoring technology applications.

Pabualan said, “In the PUVM program, it is often misconstrued that modernization is only all about the units of jeepneys, buses, taxis and other types of modes. That idea is incomplete. The program actually gears towards overhauling the uncomfortable system. Essential part of it is the payment method.”

SMTC, which operates 15 Class II PUV units (electricpowered), plying the route Star Mall (Alabang) – Zapote, Las Piῆas, started imple-

News

Rep. Mangudadatu wants Muslim cemeteries established across PH

By ALI G. MACABALANG

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ACURONG CITY: Maguindanao (2nd District) Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu intends to file a bill mandating the establishment of Islamic cemeteries across the country in a bid to resolve dilemmas usually besetting Muslim families in burying the cadavers of relatives in areas dominated by people of other faiths.

MUSLIM CEMETERY ACROSS THE PHILIPPINES. Philippine Muslim Today News Editor Ali G. Macabalang and Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu in an exclusive interview at his family resort in Tacurong City on September 26. The two talk about the need for Muslim cemetery across the country in line with their religious practices. (AGM Photo) In a lunch meeting with selected journalists at his family’s resort here on Sept.

26, Rep. Mangudadatu announced his intention in prompt response to the prodding of The Philippine Muslim Today about suggestions for local government units (LGUs) in the country to establish decent graveyards for their Muslim constituents.

This writer earlier floated the idea of allocating funds for the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) to buy lots in non-Muslim municipalities and cities for use as decent graveyards for departed believers of Islam.

Dozens of concerned individuals, including NCMF spokesman Jun Alonto-Datu Ramos suggested other alternatives, one of which was for the Department of Interior and Local Government to oblige LGUs in setting up cemeteries for their minority Muslim constituents. But the problem on fund sourcing for the purpose surfaced in the exchanges of ideas over the proposal.

At the Sept. 26 informal interview here, Rep. Mangudadatu said he would take the cudgel to sponsor a bill requiring LGUs across the country, especially outside the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), to establish Islamic cemeteries and appropriating funds for the purpose.

The Maguindanao lawmaker, a former three-term

governor, instantly ordered his legislative staff to conduct research on data and appropriate steps needed in the preparation of an enabling bill.

His legislative staff Beverly Ballito said she would coordinate with the NCMF and other concerned public entities to be able to identify municipalities and cities with Muslim residents and determine their size of population as a basis for commensurate legislative proposition.

Rep. Mangudadatu said it would an “honor” for him to sponsor an enabling bill, even as he expressed intention to encourage other Muslim lawmakers to rally his proposal as con-authors.

He said his office will take reference from a regional law in the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) that mandated constituent-LGUs to establish public Islamic cemeteries.

The local edict – Muslim Mindanao Act 317 – was authored by former Assemblyman Khadafeh “Toy” Mangudadatu, the congressman’s younger sibling.

Issues about lack of Islamic graveyards in non-Muslim communities came to fore recently when a Muslim mother belonging to the Meranao tribe died recently after giving birth in Aklan province.

For reasons still unclear, the departed was declared as Covid-19 fatality and authorities in Aklan would not allow her burial at their residential

compound, and even prescribed for her remains cremation.

Chaos ensued briefly, with a grieving relative resorting to posting her video in tears begging for immediate assistance in view of Islamic traditions to bury the dead within 24 hours.

Notified about the problem, NCMF officials hurriedly intervened in negotiation for a “win-win” solution. Aklan and NCMF officials reached a compromise leading to the burial of the Muslim cadaver in a space 50 meters away from a Christian cemetery in the Aklan town.

Similar dilemmas beset Muslim families in different parts of the country in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, with national and local government entities imposing preventive protocols that somehow run counter to Islam prescriptions on handling cadavers.

In some areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the NCMF has successful in coordinating acquisition of lands via donation for use as Muslim cemetery.

Latest of the agency’s successes was the forging of a deal between Manila Mayor Franciso “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and NCMF Secretary Saidamen Pangarungan for the establishment of a Muslim cemetery in San Andres district. The city government allocated over P4million for the cemetery with an Islamic center. (AGM)

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

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'MUSLIMEDIA.PH' organized, bares first set of officers

By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL Managing Editor

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ANILA: A united Muslim professionals and journalists has formally organized Muslimedia.PH as the mother organization of the Philippine Muslim Today, first Muslim digital newspaper in the country, and announced its first set of officers, a founding official said on Thursday.

Dean Masiding Noor Yahya, one of the founders of Muslimedia.PH, said elected by consensus as officers of the organization are: Datu Yusoph B. Mama, chairman of the Board; CPA Amanoding Esmail, president; Dean Masiding Noor Yahya, executive vice president; Dr. Julmunir I. Jannaral, vice president for internal affairs; MPA Ali G. Macabalang, vice president for external affairs; Shariah Counselor Macod D. Rascal, secretary; Bae Rocaya Sumndad Otical, treasurer; and Prof. Datu Casan C. Cana, auditor.

The PMT Board of Editors is composed of: Masiding Noor Yahya, editor-inchief; Julmunir I. Jannaral, managing editor; Ali G. Macabalang, news editor; Phil Muslims, layout artist; Fatima Ortil Jannaral, Advertising Sales Director for NCR. COLUMNISTS/WRITERS (alphabetical order): Atty. Homobono Adaza Dr. Benj S. Bangahan Atty. Juan Ponce Enrile Dr. Johnny R. Lee Atty. Nasser Marohomsalic Dr. Filemon G. Romero Atty. Mehol K. Sadain Dr. Abdul Hannan M. Tago The new set of officers are carefully selected based on their solid commitment and strong determination to swim and sink with the Philippine Muslim Today be it under high tide or low.

Muslimedia.PH is the owner and publisher of Philippine Muslim Today.

It united Muslim professionals and veteran journalists for a noble purpose and that is to put up a strong media outfit in order to help strengthen Muslims solidarity in the Philippines and elsewhere and become better partners for unity, peace and progress. (JIJ)

Muslimedia.PH First Set of Officers (From top to bottom): Datu Yusoph B. Mama, chairman; Amanoding B. Esmail, president; Masiding Noor Yahya, executive vice president; Julmunir I. Jannaral, vice president for internal affairs; Ali G. Macabalang, vice president for external affairs; Macod D. Rascal, secretary; Rocaya S. Otial, treasurer; and Datu Casan C. Cana, auditor.

News

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Better police-military rapport seen in BARMM

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

Isko opens Manila to Mindanao products, cites concern for Bangsamoro

By ALI G. MACABALANG.

C

OTABATO CITY: Police and military establishments in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao stand to enjoy better bilateral rapport with the recent installation of two “mistahs” in the leaderships of the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) and the Police Regional Office (PRO) for BARMM. MinDA Tienda sa Maynila. Mayor Franciso “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and MinDA Chairman Manny Piñol at the Manila City Hall on Sept. 21, 2020. (Photo supplied)

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HONOR PARADE FOR A MISTAH. Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., WestMinCom chief, left, leading his “mistah” Brig. Gen. Samuel Rodriguez, right, BARMM police head, in a review march on an Army company that staged an honor parade for the latter’s visit on Sept. 21 at the WestMinCom headquarters in Zamboanga City. (Photo supplied) Army Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., current WestMinCom commander, and Police Brig. Gen. Samuel Rodriguez, new police chief for BARMM, are “mistahs” or members of the Philippine Military Academy’s Class 1988. They assumed their new posts last Aug. 17 and Sept. 21, respectively.

On Sept. 28, Gen. Rodriguez paid a courtesy visit to the WestMinCom headquarters in Zamboanga City, and drew a warm welcome from his classmate. Gen. Vinluan and his staff even provided a military honor parade for the visitor.

Director Rodriguez expressed his “sincerest gratitude” for the cordial reception, which he interpreted as a show of AFP’s “wholehearted support in our law enforcement operations.”

“Peace is best achieved by cultivating harmony and understanding. It will be easier for me to do so since the director of PRO-BAR is my “Mistah”,” the WestMinCom quoted Gen. Vinluan as saying in response.

Gen. Vinluan as WestMinCom commander wields administrative and operational jurisdiction over military activ-

ities in BARMM and the Zamboanga peninsula.

BARMM is composed of the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, and the cities of Marawi, Lamitan and Cotabato as well as 63 barangays in North Cotabato.

Police affairs in BARMM are under the supervision of Gen. Rodriguez.

Peace advocates and stakeholders were equally optimistic that the reign of the two “mistahs” would redound to more cordial and smoother rapport between military and police establishments in the Bangsamoro autonomous region.

Some officials and even enlisted personnel of the police and military organizations are believed still reeling from bitter feelings spawned by “tragic encounters” of soldiers and policemen in BARMM, notably in Sulu and Maguindanao.

Last June 29, four military intelligence operatives in civilian attires were killed by police elements in Jolo, Sulu who reportedly mistook the soldiers as adversaries. The slain soldiers were on surveillance of suspected suicide bombers in Jolo town.

A Senate inquiry was conducted on the incident alongside separate probes by the National Bureau of Investigation, and other authorities.

The police and military hierarchies have also traded barbs as well as legal suits over the issue.

In 2002, Sulu-based police and military elements also figured in a bloody firefight that left 16 people, mostly members of the Philippine Marines. The incident preceded separate shooting incidents and eventually led to the pullout of Marines from Sulu.

The police-military relationship was also strained in the death of terrorist-hunting 44 elite police commandos in armed clashes with residentcombatants of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Mamasapano, Maguiindanao on January 25, 2015.

The police, particularly the leadership of the Special Action Force, blamed the military for not providing them prompt artillery support.

The military and the MILF, on the other hand, accused the SAF of non-coordination.

(AGM)

AVAO CITY: Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso has opened his city to the entry, display and sale of products from Mindanao, especially the Bangsamoro region, as he engaged the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) in the conduct of the “MinDA Tienda” in his turf scheduled this month, according to Sec. Manny Piñol.

MinDA Chairman Piñol and his team cruised from here to Manila in a 40-hour travel on Sept. 20-21 to formalize with the Manila City Hall the rescheduling of the “MinDA TienDA sa Maynila” from that month to Oct. 23-25.

MinDA produced and posted in the social media Facebook a video documentary of Mayor Isko’s warm reception to the visiting team ranging from his introduction of Sec. Piñol at their Monday’s flag ceremony to a two-hour meeting on enhancing Manila’s socio-economic and cultural links with Mindanao.

“During our 2-hour extensive discussions in the presence of Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna and his chief of staff, former Undersecretary Cesar Chavez, Mayor Isko, as he is popularly known, agreed to the MinDA Tienda event set Oct. 23 to 25 in the Mehan Garden right beside the Manila City Hall,” Piñol said.

The 3-day event will feature Mindanao products, including fruits, sea and marine products, processed fish and bottled Spanish sardines, vegetables, organic rice, hand-woven fabric from the Bangsamoro region, as well as live Lapulapu fish varieties.

“Mayor Isko gave special interest in the participation of the Bangsamoro in the MinDA Tienda sa Manila saying that the promotion of goods from the autonomous region could contribute to improvement of economy and strengthen the gains of peace,” Piñol said.

He recalled how Mayor Isko displayed “his deep concern for the Bangsamoro” by proudly announcing the opening of an Islamic cemetery in Manila and saying that the Muslims in the city have long been denied of a burial place for their loved ones.

After the flag ceremony, Manila journalists interviewed Mayor Isko and Sec. Piñol. The latter stressed how economic recovery in Mindanao would be boosted by the opportunity provided by the young may9or for farmers and fishermen from the South to have access to the huge Manila market.

“The support of Manila to Mindanao farmers and fishermen will create income earning and job opportunities, and help the region recover from the adverse effects of COVID-19 (and other challenges),” Piñol said.

Mayor Isko suggested that during the three nights of the MinDA Tienda, cultural presentations and performances by select bands from Mindanao should be staged to give Manileños a glimpse of the culture of the South, Piñol said.

He said MinDA will coordinate with the different Local Government Units in Mindanao so that the MinDA Tienda sa Manila will truly display the richness of Mindanao, both in products and culture.

In a separate post, MinDA Director Joey Recimilla said Central Mindanao-based cottage industry producers have agreed to showcase samples of their innovative products including Covid-19 face shields made partly of bamboo.

Recimilla, representing Sec. Emmanuel Piñol, addressed a business forum in Kidapawan City on Monday, assuring leaders of organized bamboo industry players of MinDA’s support.

The forum was also graced by North Cotabato 3rd District Rep. Jose Tejada, who announced some legislative steps being proposed in Congress to enhance bamboo-based industries.

Meanwhile, Sec. Piñol announced that prior to preparations for the MinDA Tienda sa Manila, Mindanao’s farmers have already scored big sales after Mayor Isko ordered 500 metric tons of black, red, and brown organic rice for the city’s estimated 150,000 senior citizens.

Piñol pegged the advance sales of one of Mindanao’s popular agricultural products at PHP40 million, a price that Mayor Isko said is worth the health benefits it would give the senior citizens of his city. (AGM)

News Abroad

Chinese authorities erase Islamic sites X

INJIANG: Thousands of mosques and Islamic sites in China province of Xinjiang have been damaged or destroyed in just three years, leaving fewer in

A13

Kuwaiti emir passes away at 91

the region than at any time since the Cultural Revolution, according to a report on Chinese oppression of Muslim minorities.

A Chinese flag flies over a mosque closed by authorities in the old town of Kashgar. Photograph: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) on Friday released a research report into the destruction of Islamic and Uyghur sites in Xinjiang which used satellite imagery and on-the-ground reporting to map the extensive and continuing construction of detention camps and destruction of cultural and religious sites in the northwestern region.

The Institute said Chinese government claims that there were more than 24,000 mosques in Xinjiang and that it was committed to protecting and respecting religious beliefs were not supported by the findings, and estimated that fewer than 15,000 mosques remained standing – with more than half of those damaged to some extent.

“This is the lowest number since the Cultural Revolution, when fewer than 3,000 mosques remained,” the report said.

It found around two-thirds of the area’s mosques were affected, and about 50% of protected cultural sites had been damaged or destroyed, including the total destruction of Ordam mazar (shrine), an ancient site of pilgrimage dating back to the 10th century.

Since 2017, an estimated 30% of mosques had been demolished, and another 30% damaged in some way, including the removal of architectural features such as minarets or domes, the report said. While the majority of sites remained as empty lots, others were turned into roads and car parks or converted for agricultural use, the report said.

Some were razed to the ground and rebuilt at a fraction of their former size, including Kashgar’s Grand

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

Mosque, built in 1540 and granted the second-highest level of historic protection by Chinese authorities.

Areas that received large numbers of tourists, including the capital, Urumqi, and the city of Kashgar, were outliers, with little destruction recorded, but ASPI said reports

from visitors to the cities suggested the majority of mosques were padlocked or had been converted to other uses.

ASPI said it compared recent satellite images with the precise coordinates of more than 900 officially registered religious sites which were recorded prior to the 2017 crackdown, then used sample-based methodology to make “statistically robust estimates” cross-referenced with census data.

Beijing faced accusations of mass human rights abuses Beijing has faced consistent accusations – backed by mounting evidence – of mass human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including the internment of more than a million Uighurs and Turkic Muslims in detention camps, the existence of which it initially denied before claiming they were training and reeducation centres.

The camps and other accusations

of abuse, forced labour, forced sterilisation of women, mass surveillance and restrictions on religious and cultural beliefs have been labelled as cultural genocide by observers.

Beijing strenuously denies the accusations and says its policies in Xinjiang are to counter terrorism and religious extremism, and that its labour programmes are to alleviate poverty and are not forced.

Lead author Nathan Ruser estimated 35 per cent of mosques have been demolished and a further 30 per cent damaged in some way.

The damage usually involves the removal of Islamic or Arabic architectural features such as domes, minarets or gatehouses.

“We estimate approxi-

mately 16,000 mosques have been damaged or totally destroyed throughout Xinjiang,” he said.

“The majority of demolished sites remain as empty lots.”

As well, about a third of important Islamic cultural sites – such as sacred shrines, cemeteries and pilgrimage routes – across southern Xinjiang have been demolished since 2017, with an additional 28 per cent damaged or altered in some way.

“Our dataset and analysis provides the first estimates of the scope and scale of cultural genocide in Xinjiang, and the tragic results of the Chinese government’s efforts to ‘sinicise’, ‘rectify’, and in some cases, outright erase the tangible and sacred culture of the Uyghur people and non-Han nationalities in the region,” Mr Ruser said. (Muslimedia.PH)

KUWAITI EMIR DIES. Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah (Xinhua photo)

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UWAIT CITY – Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah passed away at the age of 91 on Tuesday.

"With great sadness and sorrow, the Amiri Diwan mourns the passing of his Highness, the late Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah," the Amiri Diwan, which serves as the royal palace of the Kuwaiti emir, said in a statement.

According to a statement released by the Kuwaiti government, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah passed away in the United States at 4 p.m. local time Kuwait City (1300 GMT).

"With his passing, Kuwait, the Arab and Islamic regions, and humanity as a whole have lost a distinguished icon," the government statement said.

The government announced 40 days of mourning for the Emir's death and decided to close government and official institutions for three days starting September 29.

On July 18, the Emir was admitted to a hospital for a medical checkup and had a "successful" surgery a day later, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) quoted Minister of Amiri Diwan Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah as saying.

On July 23, the Emir left for the United States to complete medical treatment, KUNA reported.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was born on June 16, 1929.

In September 2014, the United Nations honored him the title of Humanitarian Leader for his continuous efforts in humanitarian work.

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has been named as the new Kuwaiti emir after the death of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti government announced on Tuesday evening after an extraordinary meeting.

Sheikh Nawaf was born on June 25, 1937.

He had served as minister of interior from 1978 to 1988 when he was appointed as minister of defense.

On Oct. 16, 2003, a royal decree was issued to name Sheikh Nawaf as first deputy prime minister and minister of interior.

On Feb. 7, 2006, he was named crown prince. (Xinhua)

TAGO | from Page A4

Is the 30-day MECQ extension...

A medical doctor openly requested both in written and video appeal to President Rodrigo R. Duterte to stop use of rapid test for false and inaccurate result.

Rapid test results increasing the number of cases here have prompted the LGU to request again to place LDS under MECQ from September 7 to 30. It was approved by Carlito Galvez, the Chief Implementer of the Philippines’ Declared National Policy Against COVID-19, during their meeting in Iligan recently.

The move did not decrease the number as expected. Yesterday, the president himself placed LDS and Marawi City in 30 day MECQ instead of 14 days as originally requested, a Facebook post by a close to the authority here disclosed.

We apparently suffered from three consequences, the constant request of the LGUs here for extensions, the allegedly financial gain by certain individuals in the medical team with connection with PhilHealth and the false outcomes of the rapid test. (AHMT)

Eco-Tourism

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Some Badjao Culture and Beliefs

Vol. I, No. 16 | October 2-8, 2020 (Safar 15-21, 1442)

Kiylaw, Tausog mouth-watering appetizer The Best of Halal Home-Cooked Muslim Filipino Dishes

By JOHNNY R. LEE, Ph.D. With MARIA FHEBIE ORTIL

W

W

hile the Badjaos are known to have coexisted with the landdwelling natives in many coastal areas of the province, still, it is perceived to have different understanding about the belief in God. Instead they retained their old ways of prac- A Badjao leader donning a turban and roled up sawwal (loose pajalike pants). A three-pronged spear tucked beside him for atching ticing their 'religion' ma marine fishes. and hold to the belief that it is their forefathers who control their lives -good or bad.

When they get sick or inflicted with body pains they seldom go to the hospitals or medical clinics.

Instead they perform traditional 'rituals' prescribed by their elders with the intention to seek forgiveness from their 'departed forefathers' who may have been hurt because they did something against 'their will' or had not fulfilled promises they made to them while on the brink of danger.

The Badjaos bury their dead in a shallow grave with a depth of less than a meter. The burial is done in haste, the reason for this is that a person who is left behind during the process of delivering the dead in the cemetery is said to be the next person who is destined to die.

Since their burial sites are usually along the coastal area, today most of the Badjao graveyards in the province of TawiTawi have diminished or totally obliterated due to erosion and quarrying of sands used for domestic home construction and other government infrastructures like roads and bridges.

(DR. JOHNNY R. LEE)

A modern era Badjao family in their wooden-structured house.

e have finally reached the 16th Issue of the Philippine Muslim Today and have completed the whole month of September.

As we go on with our journey to go on with the "Ber" months in this time of Pandemic, we will not stop in giving you guide as we Stay At Home with the sumptuous and delicacies of the Tausugs of Sulu as clearly illustrated by a young Chef from the said province known as Chef Abdulaziz H. Hamsain who pioneered the Tausug Cookbook entitled "The Best of Home-Cooked Halal Tausug-Filipino Dishes."

Hence, we have fully featured in this column all the major Tausug delicacies that are usually served in most occasions like weddings, birthdays and "paggunting/paghakika" or cutting of hair of newly born babies.

For this issue, we would like to feature here the mouth watering appetizer of Sulu known as the Kiylaw (Kinilaw) that can boost one's appetite before taking lunch or dinner..

KIYLAW (Kinilaw) Serves 4-5 Ingredients -½ kilo Cream Dory fillet or Tuna -1 whole onion minced -2 pcs of green chilies chopped -7 pcs of calamansi -1 green mango chopped into thin slice -Red hot chili pepper chopped (depending on taste) -1 pinch black pepper -½ cup vinegar -2 inches ginger minced -½ tsp sugar -salt (depending on taste) Procedure: 1. Chop the cream dory into smaller cubes then clean well.

2. Marinate the cream dory with vinegar, salt and pepper for 30 minutes or until the fish becomes white then drain.

3. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together (salt and sugar at the end depending on taste).

4. Marinate for 30 minutes before serving. **Kinilaw is best served for lunch.

MARIA FHEBIE ORTIL

Kiylaw or Kinlaw.