Philippine Muslim Today

Cayetano and Velasco with Palabra de Honor or Sin Honor

Hemoptysis can be a creepy clinical sign of a disease

How media plays a vital role in delivering information

Homobono A. Adaza | A4

Benj Bangahan | A5

Abdul Hannan M. Tago | A5

Legal Pluralism in the Philippines Mehol K. Sadain | A3

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Vol. I, No. 18 | October 16 16--22, 2020 (Safar 29 29--Rabi’ul Awwal 5, 1442 1442) | 10 Pages

House in grim state on eve of speakership tussle’s end

By ALI G. MACABALANG

Inside Stories

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OTABATO CITY: On the eve of the news breaking conclusion of leadership tussle between Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Rep. Lord Alan Velasco, main doors in the House of Representatives were locked and the plenary session hall was dim or completely lightless.

Velasco offers Cayetano deputy speaker post — Page A6

(Full Story on Page A9)

BARMM’s food dispersal covers orphans

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5 things a Muslim society owes to its Senior Citizens — Page A6

OTABATO CITY: The interim government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has continued to provide food assistance to various sectors affected in social movement restraining strides against the COVID-19 pandemic, attuning this time its latest leg of focal aid dispersals to constituent orphans.

(Full Story on Page A8)

Indonesian female bomber, 2 others nabbed in Sulu

By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

C "The Best of Home-Cooked Tausug-Filipino Dishes" — Page A9

AMP NAVARRO, Calarian, Zamboanga City: An Indonesian female bomber and two others were apprehended by combined elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) early morning of Saturday, October 10.

(Full Story on Page A7)

EDITORIAL

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Vol. I, No. 18 | October 16-22, 2020 (Safar 29-Rabi’ul Awwal 5, 1442)

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

Guest OpEd

Lord and the gavel

By JUN LEDESMA

PHIL MUSLIM Layout Artist FATIMA ORTIL-JANNARAL Advertising Sales Director for NCR COLUMNISTS | WRITERS:

Mr. Jun Ledesma is a community journalist who writes from Davao City and comments from the perspective of a Mindanaoan.

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.

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RREVOCABLE resignation and the symbolism of mace are now irrelevant. As the last string to cling to the speakership of the House, a faithful subaltern of Rep. Bebot Alvarez quickly took hold of the mace believing he or she who is in possession of the mace is the legitimate speaker.

In a blitzkrieg move by the emerging and strong alliance of regional parties, Alvarez was jettisoned from his post not knowing what happened. He blinked and in a nanosecond, he was no long Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Pampanga and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was on the speaker’s podium.

He disappeared from the limelight and licked his wounds in Siargao, so we heard, and then later in Davao del Norte in the 1st District which he represents. While he is down, Alvarez was not out and plotted what is to be the most expensive political dogfight in the election saga in the province. Bebot and his team emerged as victors but then again he remained to be an inconsequential member of Congress.

The case of Alan Peter Cayetano and Alan Lord Velasco differed from Alvarez in that that they had a gentleman’s agreement -- a term sharing they both hatched and claimed was witnessed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

On the day of reckoning, however, Peter engaged in some maneuverings with his colleagues in Congress to cling to his post. Malacanang may not have been pleased but recognized the independence of the lower chamber. The biggest mistake of Peter, moreover, was to suspend the session and therefore placed the proposed Budget for 2021 in jeopardy.

During normal times, a reenacted budget may suffice. Peter forgot that we are in the midst of a pandemic and the 2020 budget definitely will place the country at risk since not an item in the 2020 budget had anything to do with the Covid-19 pandemic. Peter forgot too that the reenacted budget will impact on every local government unit, which, in battling the threats of Covid-19 and in extending varied assistance to their constituents depend largely on the help of the national government. Peter therefore unnecessarily created enemies of the local government units that in many parts of the country have forged regional parties and had come up with a formidable alliance.

A reenacted budget would render Pres. Rodrigo Duterte inutile thus, when Peter suspended the congressional session that’s when he broke the camel’s back. Duterte, fresh from getting an unprecedented Trust and Approval ratings, made a special TV appearance with a phalanx of men in uniform. He roared like the lion king: “Pass the 2021 budget or I will do it for you!’.

That sealed the fates of Peter and Lord. Peter had ignored the urgency of the 2021 budget that will not only respond to health exigencies but also to revive a moribund economy. Lord need not belabor the issue because the congressmen will gravitate towards him after that stern message from the President. Peter need not deliver another oratory to tender his irrevocable resignation. He knew that the mace does not matter anymore and neither the venue.

All that Lord really has to do is to learn how to handle that gavel. - PNA

Opinion

Ijtihad WITH MEHOL K. SADAIN

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ew people realize that the Philippines has institutionalized a pluralistic approach in enacting and implementing laws in the country. It may not yet be extensive, but the influence of Islamic and customary laws has gained significant inroad in our legal system.

This is to be expected following the mandates of the 1987 Constitution to recognize and promote “the rights of indigenous cultural communities within the framework of national unity and development” [Art. II, Sec. 22] as well as to recognize, respect and protect “the rights of indigenous cultural communities to preserve and develop their cultures, traditions and institu-

tions” [Art. XIV, Sec. 17].

Legal pluralism is not a legal system by itself; it is rather an attribute of a social field where more than one source of law and more than one legal order is observable.

According to social scientist John Griffiths, it is the result of social pluralism, the heterogeneity of which results in overlapping semiautonomous social fields, and hence, a comingling of laws when they are enacted by the legislature.

In the Philippines, two of the primary examples of legally pluralistic laws are the Code of Muslim Personal Laws enacted in 1977 and the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act passed in 1997.

Batanes to Tawi-Tawi WITH JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

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N my previous column I discussed how the Province of Tawi-Tawi that was created by Presidential Decree No. 302 on September 27, 1973 and NOT thru An Act of War. Hence, I called it as the home of the gentle and peaceful people of the South.

In addition, I said that Tawi-Tawi where I stayed for more than a decade of my life is where I actually got my Baccalaureate Degree.

However, last Monday on October 12 this year, TawiTawi particularly the town of Bongao is in the News involving a crime story or as we call in the Media parlance a Police Story. But considering that this kind of situation seldom happened in a peaceful town like Bongao it is safe to declare it as a mere isolated case.

But then no less than Tawi-Tawi Member of Parliament Eddie M. Alih called on every peaceful citizen of Tawi -Tawi to maintain the good atmosphere of peace and order in the province particu-

larly in the capital town of Bongao when he said, “My fellow Tawi-Tawians, let’s maintain the peace we are fortunate to have.”

The announcement of MP Alih is in response to the ambush or shooting incident where the wounded victims are the social workers of the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Tawi-Tawi Provincial Office.

The victims according to the police blotter are identified as Niezel Ladjauddin Asakil and Kevin Angelo Pon who were on their way home to Bongao after rendering their mandated duties of giving “Ayuda” to the Qualified Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries in the official list of MSSD in Panglima Sugala Municipality.

It can be noted that the 4Ps is a human development measure of the national government that provides conditional Cash Grants to the

Vol. I, No. 18 | October 16-22, 2020 (Safar 29-Rabi’ul Awwal 5, 1442)

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LEGAL PLURALISM IN THE PHILIPPINES The first recognizes the personal laws of the Muslims in the Philippines, and the second protects the rights of indigenous peoples to their ancestral domain and other existential concerns. The overall effect of these laws is to give the Filipino Muslims and the IPs a feeling of belongingness by rendering their legal institutions and practices operative.

According to scholar Michael Mastura, who advocated and pioneered several laws related to Islamic Muamalah, the institution of legal pluralism is also evident in Southeast Asia, where western and Islamic laws co-exist with customary laws. In the Philippines, the phenomenon is the result of reforms initiated within the Philippine legal

system by allowing the Muslims and the IPs institutional and legal rooms to interact with each other, and with the majority population. It is noteworthy that in the case of the Muslims, these legal reforms where the result of their extralegal struggle for selfdetermination.

Which brings us to the role of legal pluralism in resolving conflicts in a majority-minority situation, as well as disputes within the minority groups themselves. To paraphrase Saaduddin Sardar in his article on Shari’ah as a problemsolving methodology, contemporary law (Shari’ah in the case of the Muslims) must be able to respond adequately to conflict situations and solve problems as they arise. Absent this function of the law,

its doctrines and provisions are rendered useless.

In the years that I have been teaching the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines and Islamic Law in general, I have observed that the concept of legal pluralism in our country is now pregnant with beneficial possibilities. The gradual introduction of Islamic-based laws in banking, insurance, financial transactions and the halal industry will not only bring the Muslims within the ambit of Philippine law; it will also enrich the effectiveness, and expand the reach, of Philippine law. This is especially so if we consider that the Philippines exists within the milieu of the Shari’ah-driven economies of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. (MKS)

PNP should start hunting the Perpetrators in the Shooting of MSSD workers in Tawi-Tawi poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition, and the Education of Children aged 0-18.

Thus, Tawi-Tawi Member of Parliament Eddie M. Alih was furious and strongly condemned the shooting of these two social workers.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the shooting of two MSSD social workersNiezel Ladjauddin Asakil and Kevin Angelo Pon along the highway of Barangay LapidLapid, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi on October 12, 2020,” MP Alih said.

In like manner the MSSDBARMM headed by Minister Raisa Jajurie also condemned in the strongest possible terms the extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence against their social workers.

Niezel Ladjauddin Asakil is the 4Ps OIC Provincial Link for Tawi-Tawi, and Kevin Pon, is the 4Ps Municipal Link.

Both Asakil and Pon were wounded after being shot by still unnamed perpetrators.

However according to a member of the Philippine Na-

tional Police (PNP) who requested anonimity while Investigation is still going on as of this writing, the suspects in the Shooting incident are disgruntled residents of Panglima Sugala municipality who were not included as the Recipients of the 4Ps. Both Asakil and Pon, and other MSSD workers were on their way home to Bongao after the 5-Day 4Ps payout in Panglima Sugala.

As this developed, the MSSD management is ensuring that their wounded workers received proper medication on the bullet wounds they sustained.

A confirmed source from Bongao told Batanes To Tawi -Tawi columnist that both wounded victims were immediately given medical evacuation and are now recuperating in an undisclosed hospital in Zamboanga City.

Be that as it may, I hope the Police Hierarchy under PNP Chief General Camilo Cascolan will order down the line in bringing the suspects in the shooting of MSSD employees to the bar of justice.

That is I am hoping the

PNP Chief will give an order to Brig. Gen. Samuel P. Rodriguez, the Regional Director of Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR) in Camp Gen. Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao to effect the hunting of the suspects in the vicinity of Panglima Sugala.

Finally the directive will in turn be given to Colonel Bonard D. Briton, the Provincial Director of Tawi-Tawi Provincial Office in Camp Alejandro Suarez in Bongao who will likewise instruct the Bongao Chief of Police to form a crack platoon to hunt the suspects.

If this chain of order from the PNP Chief is carried out down the line, I hope TawiTawi particularly the capital town of Bongao will remain peaceful as the way it used to be and can maintain the status as the home of the gentle and peaceful people of Southernmost part of the Philippines.

Wassalam!

For your comments/ suggestions, please send it to this email: munir1845media@gma il.com

Opinion

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Diliman Way With

Vol. I, No. 18 | October 16-22, 2020 (Safar 29-Rabi’ul Awwal 5, 1442)

Cayetano and Velasco with Palabra de Honor or Sin Honor

HOMOBONO A. ADAZA “It is not titles that honor men, it is men who honor titles.”- Niccolo Machiavelli

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he current problem confronting the House of Representatives has nothing to do with the interests of the Filipino people. It has nothing to do with honor. For the parties – President Duterte, Speaker Cayetano, Congressman Velasco and the rest of the membership of the House of Representatives – it has something to do with money, power and influence.

Palabra de honor or sin honor: Everyone is talking about palabra de honor, in English, word of honor. Even members of the political opposition in the House who are aligned with Velasco are invoking word of honor as a solution to the problem of who should be Speaker of the current House after October 14, 2020.

Why are the Velasco forces invoking word of honor?

This is the only clear and easy way for Velasco to be Speaker. The four persons who participated in the forging of the term-agreement are – President Duterte, Spealer Cayetano, Congressman Velasco and Congressman Martin Romualdez. The three congressmen signed the agreement as reported in tri-media. Why? They were all gunning to be speaker at

the opening of the 2016 Congress and in their collective opinion this was the way to solve their party problem.

The initial question should be – is the agreement constitutional, legal and moral? It is only after this question is correctly answered that the issue of word of honor comes into play.

Constitutional:Is it constitutional? It is not. Why? Public officers are bound by Section 1, Article XI of the Constitution which states – “Public office is a public trust.

Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.”

Public office cannot be subject to agreements by public officials under our constitutional system There are rules to be observed on official behavior.

A termagreement is irresponsible, lack of integrity, disloyal to public interests, unpatriotic and unjust not only to the Filipino people but the whole House membership.

President Duterte who brokered the agreement has more constitutional responsibility to observe and defend

Punchline ALI G. MACABALANG

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he desire to nourish the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) governance in its state of infancy towards ideal adulthood requires a comprehensive and aggressive promotion campaign, which be handled by no less than a line agency that may be called Ministry of Information.

BARMM is the haven of majority Moro people, who are still reeling from Spanish colonizers’ hyped claim that “only dead Moro is a good

Moro.” Sadly, many nonMuslim Filipinos still think the way the Spaniards thought about the present Moro people.

Mainstream media reports about terrorism, feudal politics, instances of corruption, and pervasion of pride (maratabat) leading to bloody clannish conflicts (rido), among others, in the Bangsamoro are compounding outside people’s negative perception of the regional populace.

The need for Bangsamoro

the Constitution under section 5, Article VII of our Constitution. But he did not.

What is the significance of the term-agreement?

It means that the participants to the agreement are unfamiliar with these basic provisions of the Constitution or they are aware of it but they don’t give a heck to the Constitution.

This is not unusual under the Duterte administration. What is usual is the dishonoring of the Constitution instead of its observance.

Illegal: It is illegal under the provisions of our existing criminal laws? Yes, it is. Section 1, Article XI of the Constitution has been sanctified under Section 4 in relation to Section 11 of Republic Act 6713, known as Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Government Officials and Employees. All public officials and employees are covered by this law – from President to the lowest employee in government. By entering into this term agreement, the three congressmen who participated in this agreement have not only violated the Constitution, they have committed a criminal act under RA 6713. The President is equally culpable for brokering the term agreement.

What does section 4 of RA 6713 requires of our public officials. The provisions define the conduct and commitment of public officials to public interest over personal interest, professionalism, na-

tionalism and patriotism, justness and sincerity as well as commitment to democracy.

This term agreement violates this kind of required conduct of public officials. This is punishable under section 11 of the same Act. This term agreement also violates section 3(e) of RA 3019 known as Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act as it causes serious injury to the people as well as the Government.

Immoral: The cited provisions of the Constitution and the cited laws define the moral conduct of public officials.

These legal provisions are consistent with the moral code of civilized societies.

You don’t enter into an agreement on how an office is to be partitioned like a term agreement. It is unconstitutional, it is illegal and immoral.

But this is not surprising because many of our public officials are immoral – having many wives or husbands or girl and boy friends. Graft and corruption is not only illegal, it is immoral, Influence peddling is not only illegal, it is also immoral. Selective justice is not only illegal, it is likewise immoral.

Irrespective of the regime from President Quirino to President Duterte, immorality in government rides the crest of the wave. It is, therefore, not surprising why top leaders shamelessly enter into such unconstitutional, illegal

and immoral agreements as term sharing with the effrontery of invoking palabra de honor – word of honor. In this case, it is palabra sin honor – word without honor.

Honor: When an agreement, such as a term agreement, is unconstitutional, illegal and immoral, the agreement is null and void from the very beginning. In law, it means it is nothing as if no agreement has been entered into. Simply, the agreement is a mere scrap of paper with no legal and moral effect. If such is the case, and it is the case, why should anyone invoke word of honor? There is no honor involved. They are participants in a criminal agreement which has no binding effect. So where is the palabra de honor? It is nowhere.

There is only palabra sin honor – word without honor. And it is the prevailing behavioral pattern of most public officials in this country – dishonorable.

Liable and culpable: The public officials involved in this agreement are liable and culpable. The question comes to mind – can they be prosecuted? Of course! But who will prosecute them when the prosecutors are under their thumb. All we can do is to document this event of our time – for purposes of history, informing the people to make them learn and as guiding light for those who would like to change things in their communities and in the country.

- HOMOBONO A. ADAZA

BARMM needs stronger regional information arm Parliament to legislate the creation of a strong Ministry of Information cannot be overemphasized.

During the first three years of existence of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Office of the Region Governors (ORG) had settled for just a Media Affairs Division (MAD) to handle information campaign, advertently or inadvertently forgetting that the region was fledgling sans power over the operations of national media arms like the PNA and the PIA local operations.

In 1994, the fourth year of ARMM, the MDA was elevated to what is now known as Bureau of Public Information (BPI) through an Executive Order we drafted when I was recruited to handle the regional information campaign.

I batted for the creation of a department-level information office but I was told it was not possible because the ORG or the Regional Legislative Assembly could not allocate regular funds for its operations.

During my two-time stewardship of the BPI, our personnel services and opera-

tions largely relied on local revenues. But despite the fund handicap, were able to create and sustain provincial coordinators in the component provinces and cities.

Since BARMM governance is enjoying fiscal autonomy and allocated regular budget plus huge block grant, the BTA Parliament should create a Ministry of Information that truly operates region-wide in replacement of the BPI. Parliament members can invite me and other seasoned media workers to help them draft an enabling bill. - AGM

Opinion My two-cents

Rx

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

H

emoptysis is indeed one clinical sign that can generate fear in a patient, for it is the expectoration of blood from the respiratory area, varying from a small amount of streaks of sputum to gross blood that may sum up to more than 100 mL within one whole day period. Loss of blood has always been associated with some degree of danger to the body, especially, by a patient who has never had any idea of what such blood loss connotes. Even doctors may start to think of possible causes, and may not be able to avoid including the morbid ones, especially if the amount of blood loss may be enough to cause complications like obstruction of the air passages and/or filling up of the

air spaces of the lung themselves.

Before going further, it may be beneficial to lay patients if they are made to understand some basic information regarding this clinical event. Hemoptysis arises from the respiratory tree and is associated with coughing, hence the color of the blood is usually bright red, whether or not it is mixed with frothy materials and/ or colored phlegm. This is important for patients to note as they narrate their history which the doctors try hard to extract accurately in order to arrive at the most accurate diagnosis. Hematemesis, or the vomiting of gross blood or bloody materials, have been many times mistaken for hemoptysis, and such error can distort history, and of course diagnosis. Hematemsis is not bright red; it is in

BY Abdul Hannan Magarang Tago

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ovid-19 teaches us many lessons; among others, how to be a self-reliant and productive individual.

Constituents and community badly need to be consistently informed about delivery of services.

Major and advanced countries in the world value and know the importance of media in all aspects. That’s why in marketing strategies both big names and small business entities need sustainable propaganda and paying huge amounts to media outlets for their advertising campaigns.

During my 25 years work at the leading newspaper or press house in the Middle East visiting top officials includes press conference or media meetings in their official visit to Saudi Arabia.

In 2015, I had exclusive talks with Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi in Riyadh arranged by his embassy in Saudi Arabia. That was prior to the state visit of the giant China to KSA in 2016.

Before, I had also exclusive at his invitation with the US former Ambassador to

Riyadh, James B. Smith following my ambush interview with the United Kingdom Ambassador to Riyadh at International Hither Education Conference attended by hundreds of universities across the globe.

Vol. I, No. 18 | October 16-22, 2020 (Safar 29-Rabi’ul Awwal 5, 1442)

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Hemoptysis can be a creepy clinical sign of a disease fact dark, even usually described as coffee ground, and such color is due to the action of the hydrochloric acid present in the stomach which is not present in the respiratory tree.

The importance of the accuracy of the patient’s history cannot be overemphasized; suffice it to say that it is really what doctors are hoping for so that, even before any laboratory procedures are done, they already have a reliable working diagnosis that the patient can benefit from. Blood seen streaking the pussy-looking or mucoid sputum has been known to suggest chronic bronchitis, whose coughing is called “smoker’s cough”, for chronic bronchitis develops mostly in chronic smokers. When a habitual smoker already has bronchitis, he starts to complain of being easily tired and he now

manifests simple coughing that lasts for 3 months and occurs about two times a year. Acute exacerbations happen every now and then.

When blood-streaked sputum is observed, and patient has chills and fever, there is a good chance the patient is having pneumonia.

On the other hand, if the sputum has foul odor, the possibility of lung abscess is considered. A patient may have bigger volume of sputum and has been coughing for a long time; such a patient is most likely having bronchiectasis, a condition brought about by the irreversible dilatation and distortion of the respiratory tree as a result of a past infectious process of the bronchial walls. When hemoptysis follows an acute occurrence of chest pain together with sudden dyspnea, pulmonary embolism may be the probable disease.

There are patients who have coexisting or previous diseases that have primarily or initially affected other organs of the body, but somehow result in hemoptysis as a manifestation; the patients should be accurate in relating the circumstances to the doctors in the interest of good diagnosis. Such diseases are renal diseases as in Goodpasture’s syndrome; lupus erythematosus which brings about hemoptysis due to the pneumonitis that it would develop; recurrent cancerous disease; and AIDS. Other risk factors like smoking history (as a cancer risk), and use of drug treatment which has an effect on the bleeding mechanism must be revealed.

Depending on the primary cause of the disease process, hemoptysis, somehow, may be reversible..

Māasalāma.

How media plays a vital role in delivering information This week, I had for the first time one-on-one talks with one of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Member and head of its Youth Commission, Dr. Marjanie Mimbantas.

The straightforward and open discussion has dis-

affects heavily BARMM operations financially including the salaries, said Mimbantas The original request according to him is supposedly yearly.

We had seen complain from the affected BARMM staff using social media.

There were so many negative comments against the BARMM bureaucracy.

During that interview I was able to understand the situation myself. It was the system or policy of the national government in releasing those amount not BARMM. This is some examples of the vital role of the media

especially independent or private one not under influence.

Media; either press or television do their parts in clearing doubts and providing information that ensures good governance and transparency.

Thanks to 94.1 U FM under Mindanao State University media strategies being implemented by Radio Telecommunication Office to inform and disseminate real information to the public. We will continue guesting and inviting responsible individuals for the benefit of our listeners and followers. - ABDUL HANNAN M. TAGO

The author, Abdul Hannan M. Tago, former senior correspondent of Arab News in KSA and now regular columnist of Philippine Muslim Today, interviewed Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in 2013 in Riyadh. (Photo supplied) A Russian Arabicspeaking envoy, Oleg Ozerov arranged an exclusive interview with President Putin Adviser on energy in Riyadh during his visit trying to convince the world top oil producer decreasing its oil production to uplift the sinking oil price on that time.

closed and answered some important questions among others, the delay of salaries.

The official said that black grant or the BARMM expenditure from national government is being downloaded monthly not even every three months which was the norm during ARMM tenure. That

Victor Zubkov, chairman of the board of directors of Gazprom in Russia and Russian president’s special representative for cooperation with Gas Exporting Countries Forum, being interviewed by Abdul Hannan M. Tago. (Arab News photo)

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BARMM

Velasco offers Cayetano deputy speaker post

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ANILA: Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco said he would offer the position of a deputy speaker to Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano or a position that Cayetano would want.

Vol. I, No. 18 | October 16-22, 2020 (Safar 29-Rabi’ul Awwal 5, 1442)

BARMM’s cash aid continues for 12k private workers

By Muslimedia.PH

Velasco was elected new ‘house speaker’ by his allies in a session held at the Celebrity Sports Club in Quezon City on Monday which Cayetano called “fake.”

With 186 affirmative votes, the Speaker’s post became vacant. 1-PACMAN Partylist Rep. Mikee Romero then formally nominated Velasco as Speaker of the House.

Newly elected House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco. (PNA Photo) Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said, “I think he has the full support of the House for the majority leadership.”

Fake Session Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said the session which elected Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco as House Speaker was “fake.”

“Ang purpose nila, manggulo. The last time I checked, ang Celebrity Sports Club ay hindi Kongreso. They are throwing the Constitution to waste. Fake session ang ginagawa nila,” Cayetano said.

“This is a very disturbing precedent. Sabi nila, basta may quorum. Basta may quorum, they can meet any day and anywhere and do whatever they want? Kung valid ‘yan, banana republic na tayo,” he added.

However, for Velasco, the Speakership row between him and Cayetano already ended as he was elected by the “majority” of House members.

“Tapos na po ang issue ng speakership today because we have majority of the House members with us,” he said.

Before the session in the Celebrity Sports Club started, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said that a majority of House members, constituting a quorum, can resume the session.

He added that most attendance members could also hold sessions outside the regularly designated venues under the Constitution.

During the said session in Celebrity Sports Club, the lawmakers also elected a “new” Secretary-General and Sergeant of Arms of the House of Representatives.

- Muslimedia.PH

5 things a Muslim society owes to its Senior Citizens MARAWI CITY: October 1st is celebrated as International Older Person’s Day to appreciate older people and senior citizens around the world. Governments are giving incentives to their senior citizens perhaps because of their contribution to society during their younger days or in honor of their long life or for other reasons.

While in the West, they place their senior citizens in the homes of the aged, in Muslim countries, Muslim elderly people are given special treatment. They are taken care of by their children and relatives who place upon themselves a religious and family obligation to take care of their elderly people.

Sometime ago, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey announced all senior citizens of Turkey aged 65 or above will be provided free housing, free medical and a lifetime monthly stipend for US$300 livelihood sustenance. He even said a fully-paid one hajj to Mecca for the seniors will be sponsored by the Turkish government.

Other Muslim governments have also ways of taking care of their senior citizens in terms of health, sustenance, and

CASH AID. MOLE personnel handing to a private sector in Cotabato City a cash aid of P5,000 lately.

(BARMM supplied photo)

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OTABATO CITY{ The Bangsamoro government’s Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE) is pursuing its award of 5,000-peso cash assistance for each constituent private sector worker affected in the preventive campaign against COVID19 disease, aiming to fully serve a total of 12,073 beneficiaries across the autonomous region.

MOLE Minister Romeo K. Sema said his ministry staged last Oct. 9 the latest episode of its COVID-19 Assistance Program (CAP) for 311 beneficiaries from 32 establishments in this city.

The 32 entities included the LFY Cuisine/Out of Nowhere, E.U. Balabaran, Arte Filipina and Co., Lucky Motor Parts and Accessories, Minallah Restaurant, Finessse Aesthetics Skin Care and Body, F5 Graphics and Prints, Citiplaza Hotel, Berlyn Printshoppe, Berlyn Studio, TMA Food Marketing (Shawarma house), Jolly Management Solutions, Inc., City Mall Cotabato Housekeeping, Cloud’s Frozen Spoon Ice Cream, Alandia Multipurpose Cooperative, Airtime Ticketing Travel & Tours, Air Trust Ticketing Office, Ads Pawnshop, Ads Living Water, 2M Japan Surplus Cotabato, Big Bites Bakeshop, Benok’s Bbq, BDL

Laundry Station, Cotabato Medical Specialist Hospital, Doc Sweet’s Maternal Care and Lyng-in-Clinic, Farmacia ni Dok, Jose E. Villcorta, CPA, Ishees Minimart, Heartech Art & Print Services, 88’ Enterprises, Maguindanao Skycable ATY Inc., JGR Medical Clinic, and JMP Glass and Aluminum Services.

In its earlier dispersals, the MOLE had initially awarded the CAP to 448 workers from the Mall of Alnor in Cotabato City, 116 from Sultan Kudarat Islamic Academy (SKIA), 580 from Lamsan Incorporated, and to 2,229 from Datu Paglas, Maguindanao.

The ministry had listed up a total of 12, 037 private employees from across the Bangsamoro region. To date, 3, 737 private workers have already benefitted from the CAP at P5, 000.00. each, the Bureau of Public Information said in a press statement.

Minister Sema once said

other social needs in order for them to enjoy good life as they age.

While governments have their own ways of taking care of their elderly, the Muslim society owes at least five things to our senior citizens: 1. Give respect to them: They want nothing but respect! Each senior citizen should be given due respect and importance by the youngsters and by the society who in turn can learn and benefit from their experiences, knowledge, and views.

2. Follow Islam teaches: We must not also forget that Islam teaches us to respect and care

his agency is mandated to assist private sector workers, especially during the pandemic, as they are big contributors to the region’s economic development.

“Simula po noong nagkapandemya, ngayon lang po ako nakatanggap ng ayuda,” said Datumanot Mamalinta, 23, a father, a housekeeping worker from City Mall for three years now.

Across the country, the Bangsamoro region was the last region to yield CAP monetary aids. This was because of misperception in the national government that funds from the Department of Labor and Employment excluded the region for its being autonomous.

The dilemma was later settled with the Office of the Chief Minister allocating parts of its standby funds for MOLE’s aids to pandemicaffected private workers. AGM

for the elderly.

3. Society should come forward: It is the duty of society to look after senior citizens and their welfare.

4. Give basic facilities: The Government should provide Senior citizens with basic facilities such as free health care, free transportation, and universal pension.

5. Free education for them: Free education for those who want to further study.

Islam has sets of rules for everything for the good of humanity, taking care of the elderly among them. - Muslimedia.PH

BARMM

Vol. I, No. 18 | October 16-22, 2020 (Safar 29-Rabi’ul Awwal 5, 1442)

Suspects in Pikit family massacre captured

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Indonesian female bomber, 2 others nabbed in Sulu

By ALI G. MACABALANG

P

IKIT, North Cotabato: Three of four suspects in the October 9 killing of four family members and wounding of four others in Barangay Lagunde here have been captured in a joint operation of the local police, military, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Photos culled from online pages of four victims (below) in the Oct. 9 family massacre in Pikit, North Cotabato, and of three arrested suspects (left).

Capt. Mautin Pangandigan, Pikit Police Station chief, identified the arrested suspects as Abdul Amer Mamalo, 29; Nasser Noh Ali, 30; and Salahudin Nando Noh, 21.

Published reports said all three arrested suspects belong to the MILF 118th Base Command and residents of Sitio Kadingilan in Barangay Lagunde here.

The arrest came a day after the suspects allegedly barged into the house of the Abdullah family at Sitio Tugunan of Barangay Lagunde, and shot at occupants one after another, using M-16 assault rifles, initial investigation showed.

Four of the occupants – named as Sittie Alipolo Abdullah, 58; Zenaida Abdullah Mustapha, 36; Laga Abdullah 34; and a threeyear-old girl – were killed instantly.

The attack also wounded four other occupants identified as Asria Abdulrajak Abdullah, 30, and three minors aged 13, eight, and seven, published reports showed.

One of the survivors positively identified the perpetrators when interviewed by probers at a local hospital, according to Chief Pangandingan.

When arrested, suspect Mamalo admitted his role in the attack, the town police chief said, adding that the attack was motivated by “personal grudge.”

The survivor-informant and other witnesses pointed to Mamalo as the triggerman in the incident.

The arrested suspects were detained at the police custodial facility here pending filing of formal charges, he said.

Pangandigan acknowledged the efforts of North Cotabato Board Member Dulia D. Sultan, the Army’s 90th Infantry Battalion Alpha Company, and the MILF leadership that led to the arrest of the suspects.

He did not identify the fourth suspect at large, saying pursuit operations were still underway.

Meanwhile, officials of the Bangsamoro autonomous government and the MILF circle expressed optimism this week for the

dispensation of justice in the August 29 massacre of nine Moro male “farmers” in Kabacan, North Cotabato.

Abdulraof Macacua, autonomous government’s executive secretary and chief of staff of the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), said the BARMM’s investigation committee led by Public Order and Safety Minister Hussein Muñoz had already submitted its probe report.

Macacua, interviewed by phone on Oct. 12 by the Philippine Muslim Today, said they were waiting for the filing of formal charges against suspects in the massacre.

Interrupted by low signal, Macacua’s interview mentioned the National Bureau of Investigation was among entities inclined to lodge the indictment.

One of the nine fatalities, before expiring at a hospital, told relatives that their assailants were policemen. Workers of the Commission on Human Rights in Region XII had interviewed the bereaved relatives on the “dying statement” of the victim.

- AGM

LASURECO Additional Paying Center near Awar Street, Marawi City Nais naming ipagbigay alam sa lahat ng ating Myembro-Konsyumer sa Lanao del Sur na para po mabigyan namin kayo ng mabilis at epektibong serbisyo sa pagbayad ng ating Kuryente kami po ay nag dagdag ng PAYING CENTER or BAYAD SENTRAL ng LASURECO. Ang lokasyon po ay sa Brgy. Poblacion malapit sa Awar St. at Capitol Complex.

SUICIDE VEST: A vest usually being worn by a suicide bomber with an improvised explosive device (IED) is also rigged with pipe bombs was seized from a suspected Indonesian terrorist arrested by the Joint Task Force Sulu during the raid conducted in San Raymundo, Jolo, Sulu. (Photo by Joint Task Force Sulu) CAMP NAVARRO, Calarian, Zamboanga City: An Indonesian female bomber and two others were apprehended by combined elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) early morning of Saturday, October 10.

“Based on the report submitted by Brig. Gen. William Gonzales, Rezky Fantasya Rullie, a.k.a Cici, an Indonesian national and her comrades were apprehended by virtue of a warrant to search a house at Sitio Kuppong, Barangay San Raymundo, Jolo, Sulu issued by the Regional Trial Court,” said Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, Jr., Commander, Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom).

According to Lt. Gen. Vinluan, Jr., the house is believed to be owned by local terrorist group sub-leader Ben Quirino Yadah, a.k.a, Ben Tatoo.

Also apprehended were Nur-Aina Alihasan, a.k.a, Inda Nhur, the wife of Ben Tatoo, and Fatima Sandra Jimlani, the wife of a local terrorist group (LTG) member.

“The operatives seized an improvised explosive device (IED) vest rigged with 2 pipe bombs and other components,” Lt. Gen. Vinluan added.

The trio is currently detained at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) for documentation and filing of appropriate charges.

“We have been pursuing foreign suicide bombers in Sulu after the twin bombing in Jolo on August 24, 2020. Rullie was first in our list since we have received intelligence reports that she is going to conduct suicide bombing after the death of her husband, Andi Baso, an Indonesian foreign terrorist who was reportedly neutralized during an encounter with two of our ranger battalions on August 29, 2020,” said Brig. Gen. William Gonzales, the Commander of JTF Sulu.

“With this development, I believe that the combined authorities of the AFP and PNP in Sulu together with other government intelligence agencies had served justice for the Filipino people. Rullie is believed to be the daughter of the Indonesian couple who perpetrated the twin suicide bombing at Jolo Cathedral last January 27, 2019. The JTF Sulu under the direction of our WestMinCom Commander Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, Jr. will never cease to hunt down these foreign terrorists, coddled by Mundi Sawadjaan and Radulan Sahiron. We are assuring the Filipino people most especially the Tausugs of Sulu that your Armed Forces in this part of our country will never allow the foreign terrorists to sow fear and chaos in our land. We affirm that the JTF Sulu will continue its focused combat, intelligence, and civil-military cooperation activities in Sulu to end terrorism the soonest possible time,” Brig. Gen. Gonzales added.

The successful operation was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Joint Task Force Sulu, the CIDUSulu, and the Bureau of Immigration.

“My commendations to all the units involved in this operation. Let us continue to support each other with vigor and enthusiasm to combat terrorism and lawlessness,” Lt. Gen. Vinluan, Jr. urged.

“Rest assured that Team WestMinCom will continue to keep guard as we sustain the conduct of combat, intelligence, and civil-military operations to ensure peace and security in the region,” the commander added.

JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

BARMM

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MILF men clash with excomrades in Maguindanao

Vol. I, No. 18 | October 16-22, 2020 (Safar 29-Rabi’ul Awwal 5, 1442)

BARMM’s food dispersal covers orphans

By ALI G. MACABALANG

C

OTABATO CITY: The interim government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has continued to provide food assistance to various sectors affected in social movement restraining strides against the COVID19 pandemic, attuning this time its latest leg of focal aid dispersals to constituent orphans.

The BARMM’s Tulong Alay sa Bangsamorong Nangangailangan (TABANG), a flagship project of Chief Minister Ahod “Al-Haj Murad” Ebrahim, has allocated 25-kilo bag of rice and varied food items for each beneficiary-orphan, a sector BARMM Executive Secretary Abdulraof Macacua tagged as one of “most vulnerable” group.

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OTABATO CITY: Active members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) clashed with their former comrades in a gunfight in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Monday, Oct. 12, leaving at least one fatality and three wounded, the military reported on Wednesday.

The Zamboanga City-based Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), citing a report from the Maguindanaobased Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID), said the protagonist groups were led by one Ben Tikaw and a certain Salik Kiko.

“According to the report, Salik Kiko is a delisted member of the 118th Base Command of the MILF while Ben Tikaw is a member of the 105th Base Command,” said Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, Jr., WestMinCom Commander.

The warring groups figured in six-hour trade of bullets at Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano town that led to the death of one Alimudin, a member of Kiko’s group, Gen. Vinluan said in a statement sent to the Philippine Muslim Today.

Three followers of Tikaw were wounded in the armed skirmish, Vinluan said.

“We are still waiting for the results of investigation as to why these two groups clashed,” he added.

For his part, Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, 6ID chief and Joint Task Force Central head, said he had immediately deployed personnel from the 33rd Infantry Battalion in coordination with the local officials and the PNP to closely monitor the situation.

“We also established checkpoints along provincial roads to preempt spill over (of the fighting) to populated areas,” Gen. Uy said.

Barangay Tukanalipao is the scene of the bloody armed skirmish between terrorist-hunting elements of the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police and armed residents purportedly belonging to the MILF and the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on Jan. 25, 2015.

The incident, which drew public outrage that led to a Congressional thumb down of a bill establishing an MILF-led autonomous region, let 44 SAF members killed alongside dozens of MILF combatants and civilian residents.

ALI G. MACABALANG

Read Philippine Muslim Today Https://philmuslim.today Email:

muslimtoday2020@gmail.com

TABANG Program workers dispersing rice and other food items to orphans at the Markaz Tadabbur in Pikit, North Cotabato on Oct. 13. (BARMM photo) “Having no parents to lean on in times of emergency is one factor that makes orphans a priority group to serve,” Sec. Macacua, concurrent BARMM minister for environment and natural resources and energy, was quoted as saying in the vernacular.

Initially, the TABANG program has targeted as beneficiaries at least 500 orphans identified in different orphanages in this city and in the provinces of Maguindanao and North Cotabato, the Bureau of Public Information (BPI) said.

Last Tuesday, Oct. 13, TABANG program workers handed 150 bags of rice at 25 kilos each and several food items to five orphanage centers in Pikit, North Cotabato, the BPI said.

The food dispersal came at a time when residents of Pikit town were reeling from the tragic massacre of four people, including an infant, at Barangay Lagunde on Oct. 9.

Fortunately, police and military authorities backed by volunteers from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had arrested the fol-

lowing day three suspects in the carnage. (Read separate story by The Philippine Muslim Today.)

Among the five orphanages served by the TABANG program was the Markaz Tadabbur, which houses 40 orphans from various areas including Carmen and Banisilan towns in North Cotabato, according to orphanage head Ustadh Mojahed Pamansag.

The orphans-focused food rationing began early last week in partnership with the Cotabato-based youth group called Al-Jalis As-Salih, Inc., the BPI said.

Earlier dispersals covered orphanage centers here and in nearby Sultan Kudarat town, Maguindanao, serving 273 orphans, the BPI said.

TABANG program workers were set to serve this week orphanage centers in Shariff Saydona Mustapha and Shariff Aguak, both in Maguinda-

nao, the BPI said in a press statement The BPI statement mentioned the distribution of similar volume of rice and food items to over 3,000 tricycle drivers in Marawi City and Lanao del Sur, both areas placed under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) since last week.

The BARMM government, through the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) led by Minister Naguib Sinarimbo, had rationed rice and food items first for orphans at the Darul Aytam Orphanage in Sultan Kudarat town, Maguindanao, the BPI said. - AGM

News

Vol. I, No. 18 | October 16-22, 2020 (Safar 29-Rabi’ul Awwal 5, 1442)

A9

House in grim state on eve of speakership tussle’s end

"The Best of Home-Cooked Halal Tausug-Filipino Dishes"

By ALI G. MACABALANG

With MARIA FHEBIE ORTIL

C

OTABATO CITY: On the eve of the news breaking conclusion of leadership tussle between Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Rep. Lord Alan Velasco, main doors in the House of Representatives were locked and the plenary session hall was dim or completely lightless.

KIYUNING RICE

N

ow it’s the 18th Digital Edition of the Philippine Muslim Today since we launched our Maiden Issue last June 2020 and most of us continue to Stay At Home in observance of the guidelines of Health Protocols brought about by this COVID-19 pandemic.

However staying at home has also good side effect and that we continue to feature many of the Tausug delicacies prepared in most households in Sulu as listed in the book of well known Tausug Chef Abdulaziz H. Hamsain in his handy Tausug Cookbook titled, “The Best of Home-Cooked TausugFilipino Dishes.”

Hence, after we have featured many of the Tausug sumptuous delicacies, it is now about time that we have to feature also the Tausug Yellow Rice known as “Kiyuning Rice” that is usually served on special occasion like during the First Dinner together of the newly married couple as well as during other occasions.

Now may I request everyone who would like to prepare “Kiyuning Rice” to follow this simple and easy to follow instruction or procedures enumerated as follows.

Photos culled from two video clips of Maguindanao Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu showing him and his staff removing wooden locks on a main door in the House and huddling inside the dim plenary hall of the lower chamber. (Photos supplied)

YELLOW RICE: A rice colored Yellow known as “Kiyuning” is a popular Tausug preparation in Sulu and usually served during the First Dinner of the newlywed bride and groom. Kiyuning is also served in other special occasions. (Photo by Abdulaziz H. Hamsain) The grim scenario was exposed by Magundanao 2nd District Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu in video clips he posted in his Facebook page a few hours after Velasco was voted into the speakership by 186 members Tuesday morning.

One of the video footages showed Rep. Mangudadatu removing the wooden locks of one main door, while another depicted him in huddle with his staff and some House security men were huddle inside the dim, empty plenary session hall.

“Bakit ganito ginawa sa House of Congress, wala silang karapatan na kandaduhan at i-lock ito. Hindi naman nila bahay ito,” Rep. Mangudadatu averred in a one-line message accompanying the video clips.

Earlier in the day (Tuesday) at about 11:43a.m., 186 House members convened somewhere else in Quezon City, declared the speakership vacant and elected Velasco as speaker.

At around 11:52a.m., Cayetano announced his irrevocable resignation as speaker via social media live stream.

Cayetano in his video remarks said his resignation was meant to honor the “gentlemen’s agreement” on term-sharing between him and Velasco that was brokered by President Duterte in 2019.

But Velasco supporters and even laymen observers described the leadership change as “ouster” action, not by the resignation of Cayetano.

Cayetano offered his res-

ignation as speaker in a privilege speech early this month, but his supporters voted down his offer and conducted nominal voting with over 180 members opting to sustain him as speaker.

The Velasco camp kept questioning Cayetano for not honoring the term-sharing covenant via separate statements publicized by traditional and social media outlets.

Meantime, Cayetano and his supporters passed on second reading the 2021 national budget bill, and declared a recess until November.

Velasco, his supporters and reportedly including even members who earlier rejected Cayetano’s resignation offer had protested the passage of the national budget without the traditional presentation by sponsorships as well as the

Kiyuning Rice Serves 2-3 Procedure: 1. Wash the rice then prepare in a rice cooker.

2. Mix the coconut milk and turmeric.

3. Strain the coconut milk and turmeric then add it to the rice.

4. Allow the kiyuning rice to cook then serve. *Best served during any meal of the day.all the ingredients together, except for, calamansi and soy sauce, which should be added at the end depending on taste.

MARIA FHEBIE ORTIL

way House recess was declared.

Senate leaders also lamented that Cayetano’s declaration of recess would leave the Upper Chamber in dilemma to pass the budget law.

In another meeting with the protagonists over the speakership in Malacañang, President Duterte was reported as warning them to settle the sispute themselves or he will make his own way for the sake of the budget, which contains largely fund proposals bankrolling measures against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- AGM

News

A10

ASEAN, Japan enhance cooperation towards post-pandemic recovery

Vol. I, No. 18 | October 16-22, 2020 (Safar 29-Rabi’ul Awwal 5, 1442)

Sultan of Brunei wants new campus for Islamic University built immediately

By Muslimedia.PH

By Muslimedia.PH Senior Officials of the Association of South East Asian Nations J AKARTA: (ASEAN) and Japan on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen relations and advance mutually beneficial cooperation at the 35th ASEAN Japan-Forum.

His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam during an unscheduled visit to UNISSA on Monday (Oct 12). – Borneo Bulletin/Asian News Network

B

The virtual meeting noted the good progress made in ASEAN-Japan cooperation over the past year, including through the implementation of the current Implementation Plan to promote cooperation across a wide range of areas.

The Meeting highlighted the close cooperation between ASEAN and Japan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ASEAN appreciated Japan’s support towards the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases Centre and contribution to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, as well as Japan’s support for other initiatives of ASEAN. Both sides agreed to en-

hance cooperation in the postpandemic recovery, particularly in mitigating the economic impact of COVID-19.

The meeting stressed the commitment to maintain regional trade and investment, to ensure regional supply chain including through the implementation of the ASEANJapan Economic Resilience Action Plan, and work towards signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement this year.

Further, both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in other areas such as digital technology, MSMEs development, climate change, disaster management, connectivity, and smart city.

ASEAN welcomed Japan’s support for the ASEAN Out-

look on Indo-Pacific (AOIP), and Japan’s commitment to promote practical cooperation with ASEAN in the areas outlined in the AOIP. At the meeting, both sides exchanged views on regional issues of common interest and concern. The Senior Officials reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea. They also stressed the importance of continued peaceful dialogue and implementation of relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions towards achieving lasting peace in a denuclearised Korean Peninsula.

- https://asean.org/

Coronavirus survives on surfaces for 28 days: study

A

NKARA: The novel coronavirus survives on surfaces for 28 days, a study

by Australian national science agency has found.

“To improve our understanding of how this new virus behaves, our researchers studied the survival rates of infectious SARS-CoV-2 [COVID-19], dried in an artificial mucous solution, on six common surfaces,” the researchers at Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) said on Monday.

The research carried out at the CSIRO found that the virus was “extremely robust at 20°C [68F]”.

“We were able to recover infectious material after 28 days from the smooth [non-porous] surfaces,” it said, adding that the experiment was conducted at three different temperatures, 20C [68F], 30C [86F] and 400C [104F], with the relative humidity kept at 50 percent.

The researchers used stainless steel, glass, vinyl, paper and polymer banknotes, and cotton cloth as surfaces during the study.

“These are examples of high contact surface areas such as glass on touchscreens and stainless-steel doorknobs,” the study said.

“A droplet of fluid containing the virus at concentrations similar to levels observed in infected patients was dried on multiple small test surfaces and left for up to 28 days. At various time periods, the virus was recovered and placed in tissue culture cells to observe if any infectious virus remained,” the study added.

Temperature affects how virus behaves The study also found length of time the infectious virus was able to survive in different temperature zones.

“At 30°C [86F] infectious virus did not survive beyond seven days on stainless steel, money [polymer banknotes] and glass. However, on vinyl and cotton cloth, infectious material was not detectable beyond three days,” it said.

However, the virus was inactivated much faster at 40°C (104F), it said.

“Our knowledge that the virus survives longer at colder temperatures may also help to explain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in environments such as meat processing facilities,” the researchers said.

- Anadolu/Muslimedia.PH

ANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Monarch of Brunei Darussalam, called for the immediate construction of the new campus of the Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali’s (UNISSA) in the Temburong District.

The Sultan Bolkiah’s instruction was conveyed during an unscheduled visit to the university on Monday (Oct 12).

“With the completion of the Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Bridge, it is our hope that the construction of the UNISSA campus in the Temburong District will take place,” said His Majesty.

“This project is significant for the Temburong District and for Brunei Darussalam too, as a symbol of how Islam is preserved and promulgated in this country.

“I do not want any excuses as to why this project should not be carried out. What is relevant here is that UNISSA must prepare for a new era with a new building.”

“The preparations should incorporate state-of-the-art university management and administration, empowerment of existing faculties, and enhancing the overall performance and quality of the academic staff, without neglecting the students’ accomplishments.

“Regarding the prospective location of UNISSA in the Temburong District, it would be quite fitting for the university to have a new faculty on agriculture, since the sciences of agriculture, animal husbandry and the like are also part of Islamic teachings.

“From my point of view, although we may not have a higher educational institution for agriculture, having our own agricultural faculty is quite sufficient to meet the requirements.”

Earlier, the monarch described UNISSA as the country’s leading Islamic university, whose role is to produce authentic Islamic scholars.

“It is generally known that Islam has been given labels such as liberal Islam, moderate Islam and so on.

“However, our country has no interest in such labels – we only know it as pure Islam or Islam as delivered by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), ” said His Majesty.

“Apart from producing authentic Islamic scholars, UNISSA acts as a buffer against iniquity and slurs on Islam…As with other higher educational institutions, it has its own set of qualifications, but they are not meant to be flaunted about.

“This reflects an unhealthy attitude – as a progressive higher educational institution, UNISSA must constantly be engaged with academic works and research, in addition to being responsive towards all matters related to education.” – The Borneo Bulletin/Asian News Network/PMT

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