Philippine Muslim Today

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The Muslim National Digital Newspaper | Bearer of Glad Tidings.

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442) | 2 Sections | 14 Pages

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BARMM acquires authority over Cotabato City, 63 NorCot villages Inside

By ALI G. MACABALANG, JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL and MARK NAVALES

The Matweaver of Ungus Matata

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n one of the tiny villages in Ungus Matata in the Municipality of Tandubas in Tawi-Tawi, there is a woman named Mariam Mutalib who is considered as a „matweaving wizard‟ despite her eyesight handicap.

(Full Story on Page B4)

GPH-MILF peace process ‘on track’ but lacks time – TMPT

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oday is Monday, December 07, 2020. It is a Very Special Day of my better half, simply called “Ruby” to kin and close friends, for me and my children we just fondly called her “Mom”.

(Full Story on Page A4)

MinDA adjudges Talaandig farmer as Carrot King’ 2020

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young Talaandig farmer has been adjudged “Carrot King” 2020 for producing in three months from his onehectare farm at least 20.5metric tons “best quality” carrots valued at.1-million pesos 1-million pesos at current prices.

(Full Story on Page A4)

Full Story on Page A2

Murad assures BARMM optimum services to host city Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim in a meeting on Friday in Camp Aguinaldo. (Photo courtesy of Minister Naguib Sinarimbo) (Full Story on Page A3)

French president tests positive for COVID-19

French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, his office said Thursday morning.

(Full Story on Page B1)

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The Bangsamoro

Residents rally turnover to BARMM of supervision over Cotabato City

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OTABATO CITY: Today‟s long-awaited ceremonial turnover to the Bangsamoro government of supervision over this city began with meaningful activities highlighted by motorcycle-riding residents‟ motorcade around major streets here in apparent desire for imminent benefits from the regional autonomous bureaucracy.

Several dozens of resident bikers paused briefly along the highway fronting the city hall here in what was described as a sort of prodding for the city leadership to tone down its dissent to supervision by the Bangsamoro government “for the sake of unity and cohesive community building.”

Chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great), the motor riders wielded official flags of the Bangsaoro government all the way in parading in major city streets, including noticeably the highway fronting the city hall compound, according to the regional Bureau of Public Information (BPI).

It has been almost two years after majority voters here opted for inclusion in the Bangsamoro region territory on the Jan. 21, 2019 plebiscite, but city hall officials had been opposed to becoming under the supervision of the regional government until Malacanang compelled the city leadership to submit to authority today.

Among the riders mostly clad in green shirts reflective of the official color of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was Saudin Angas, a resident of Barangay Poblacion II here, who acknowledged initial benefits from the Office of Chief Minister Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim and BARMM line agencies.

“This (turnover ceremony) is a milestone for Moro people.

At last, the city is now officially part of the Bangsamoro region,” the BPI quoted Angas as saying in the Maguindanaon vernacular.

The riders‟ green shirts bear the slogan – “Welcome home, Cotabato City!” and “Welcome Cotabato City to BARMM!” the BOI said.

Later today, national officials led by Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Presidential Peace Adviser would turnover the city‟s supervision to the regional bureaucracy, notably the Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILGBARMM).

Police General Debold Sinas of the Philippine National Police and other military local brass were in town to witness the event, which their respective local elements tightly secured.

Chief Minister Ebrahim released a statement on Saturday, December 12, saying the Jan. 21 plebiscite for the city‟s inclusion “revealed the will of the majority of the people in Cotabato City.”

In the statement, Ebrahim appealed for support and cooperation from the city leadership and populace, even as he vowed to provide the city optimum services that can “further boost” the city‟s rise to progress.

Cotabato City is now the region‟s third component city, the two others being Lamitan City in Basilan, and Lanao del Sur‟s capital Marawi City.

This city has been the regional administrative seat of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), yet it was not official part of the 29-year old autonomous region because its electorate voted for exclusion during the plebiscites in 1989 and 2001.

But on January 21, 2019, a majority of 36,682 residents of Cotabato City voted in favor of joining the new region called Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in R.A. 11054, which was ratified also on the same poll day.

ALI G. MACABALANG

MEANINGFUL TURNOVER OF COTABATO CITY. Motorbike-riding residents wave the BARMM official flag in front of the Cotabato City hall Tuesday in a motorcade preceding the official turnover of supervision over the city to the regional government. (BPI Photo)

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442)

BARMM acquires authority over Cotabato City, 63 NorCot villages

By ALI G. MACABALANG, JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL and MARK NAVALES

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OTABATO CITY: The interim governance of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has officially acquired supervision authority over the local government units of this city and the 63 barangays in North Cotabato.

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año, accompanied by other key national officials, turned over the enabling authority to his counterpart in BARMM, lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, in symbolic rites at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Center inside the regional government compound here on Tuesday.

Sec. Año handed over to Sinarimbo, BARMM‟s Minister of Interior and Local Government (MILG), the documents on programs and projects, properties and assets, and records of the DILG Cotabato field office alongside the symbolic key of supervision.

He later told reporters that the turnover rites officially placed the LGUs of this city and 63 villages in North Cotabato under the authority of the BARMM government, particularly the MILG. The process will entail no layoff because DILG personnel in the city can either join the MILG or transfer to areas outside autonomy, he hinted.

Meanwhile, Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi earlier vehemently opposed the inclusion of the city to BARMM. Mayor Sayadi insisted that under the law, the supervision remains with the President of the Philippines.

“Much as we have opposed the inclusion and the turnover, we took the democratic process and that is to bring the case to the Supreme Court and until now, we are still waiting for a resolution,” Sayadi said.

“So now, we leave the fate of our city to the hands of the Supreme Court. Whatever the result may be, rest assured, the Cotabato City LGU will continue to be a government by the people and for the people,” the mayor added.

Mayor Guiani-Sayadi also counters misinformation circulating that their employees will lose their job once the city will be under the BARMM government.

“There will be no changes.

All the laws that we are implementing and all the processes of transactions will remain the same and in full effect,” she said.

SUPERVISION AUTHORITY TURN-OVER. DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano and MILG Minister Naguib Sinarimbo sign documents stipulating the transfer of supervision authority over the LGUs of Cotabato City and 63 barangays in North Cotabato to the BARMM government as other national and regional officials led by Chief Minister Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim looked on from distance at a formal ceremony in the city on Tuesday, Dec. 15. (AGM ) “The people deserve nothing more than the truth. There is nothing you should worry about. I am here and always here to continue to lead the government and to continue to protect the best interest and the welfare of all Cotabateños,” she stressed.

Earlier, the mayor said they were receiving threats through text messages from anonymous sources due to their strong opposition.

In his acceptance speech and at the press conference, Minister Sinarimbo assured that the regional bureaucracy via his ministry will exercise authority over the newly devolved LGUs with utmost care reflective of Bangsamoro people‟s aspiration for selfdetermination, and participative moral governance.

As an initial step, Siramibo said, he will immediately assign for the city government three of their local government operations‟ officers (LGOOs) extensively trained in the DILG‟s Development Academy to ensure that national ideals would be preserved in the supervision process.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, National Police Chief Debold Sinas, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. represented by Undersecretary David Deciano, and Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez represented via zoom by Undersecretary Bayani Agabin graced the ceremony, and delivered messages committing support to the BARMM government operations to help realize the Bangsamoro‟s age-old quest for

self-determination.

DILG Undersecretary Marjorie Jalosjos also delivered a speech, expounding Sec. Año‟s pronouncement about the essence of regional authority as a legal mandate under R.A. 11054 (BARMM‟s charter) and the government‟s peace accords in 2013 and 2014 with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Fair share from autonomy BARMM Interim Chief Minister Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim led host officials at the ceremony, delivering a speech welcoming the LGUs of this city and the 63 villages to the folds of regional autonomy, and reiterating commitment for intensified attention to them with assured fair share from resources generated in the areas of autonomy.

“We will make sure that BARMM‟s development will (radiate) in the city, being its administrative capital and celebrate the diversity it has with no constituency left behind regardless of faith, ethnicity or (political) affiliation,” Ebrahim said.

He acknowledged that “there were differences in opinions, principles and apprehensions that paint a stark contrast to the result of historic plebiscite,” Ebrahim said, referring to the divisive debate over the supervision turnover issue in the context of the ARMM Charter and the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB).

BARMM | B3

The Bangsamoro

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442)

Murad assures BARMM optimum services to host city

By ALI G. MACABALANG

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OTABATO CITY: Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim is elated over the impending acquisition of supervision over this city, even as he assured the city populace of optimum attention from the regional government. “(We are) pleased and honored to welcome Cotabato City as integral part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),” said Ebrahim, known for decades as Hadji Murad in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

This city peculiarly hosted the bureaucracy of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for 29 years, it being not official component of the defunct regional government.

In a plebiscite on Jan. 21, 2019, majority of the city populace voted for inclusion in BARMM territory, ending the city‟s confusing stance as seat of regional autonomous government for almost three decades.

Murad described the city electorate‟s option for inclusion in the new autonomy as “historic,” admitting though that the legal mandate for the process of automatic turnover of supervision by the BARMM government was “not easy.”

Shortly after the plebiscite, City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, a lawyer, filed an electoral protest before the Supreme Court casting doubts on the referendum result. The city hall has since refused to be placed under BARMM authority, even as the North Cotabato provincial government had turned over to the regional bureaucracy the supervision over its 63 component barangays that voted for autonomy in the plebiscite.

In the early implementation of state-imposed protocols on quelling the spread of COVID-19 disease, city hall officials tangled with BARMM officials on matters of supervision. Some 50 contractual city traffic operations workers allegedly got laid off for receiving relief goods from BARMM. The city has not denied or confirmed the layoff issue.

The tug-of-war had prompted President Duterte alongside Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año to broker last February a compromise for the BARMM and city hall officials to cause the turnover ceremony this month.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim in a meeting on Friday in Camp Aguinaldo. (Photo courtesy of Minister Naguib Sinarimbo) In Facebook posts, BARMM spokesman and Local Government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo said City Mayor Sayadi filed a petition for reconsideration last October but the national government denied the motion.

Lawyer Sinarimbo later said the Inter-Government Relations Body (IGRB), a bilateral entity handing the devolution of national government functions and assets to BARMM, decided to fix the ceremonial turnover of supervision this Dec. 15, Tuesday, here.

In a meeting at Camp Aguinaldo last Friday, Sinarimbo said, Chief Minister Ebrahim and National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana “discussed” details about Tuesday‟s turnover event and the corresponding “security preparations.”

Lorenzana “informed us that he will personally attend the turnover of the city this coming December 15,” he said, adding that Sec. Año and Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. were also confirmed for attendance.

He said the defense secretary also expressed support to the proposed extension of the BARMM transition period, and assured corresponding support to BARMM security concerns in some communities of Sulu and Maguindanao.

In his written message, Ebrahim said his administration is “committed to

(optimizing) services that can further boost the potential of Cotabato City, unique with its own context and in support to its own resources.”

“We will make sure that BARMM‟s development will (radiate) in the city, being its administrative capital and celebrate the diversity it has with no constituency left behind regardless of faith, ethnicity or (political) affiliation,” he said.

“There were differences in opinions, principles and apprehensions that paint a stark contrast to the result of historic plebiscite,” Ebrahim said, referring to the divisive debate over the supervision turnover issue.

The chief minister appealed to “our brothers and sisters in Cotabato (City) to find commonalities in our difference, to choose hope over fear, to (favor) unity over division, and to work together in co-creating the Bangsamoro reflective of our shared histories as Moros, Christian settlers and indigenous communities.”

“We have more works to do (together) in order to realize genuine autonomy (envisioned in) the agreements in the peace process…We can create opportunities for all and install a regional bureaucracy worthy of the Bangsamoro, inshaallah,” Ebrahim concluded in his statement, a copy of which was obtained by the Philippine Muslim Today. (AGM)

For Quality Journalism, Read Philippine Muslim Today

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MSU-GenSan to open College of Medicine in 2021

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EN. SANTOS CITY: The Mindanao State University (MSU) system satellite campus is bracing up to open its own College of Medicine by next school year, possibly in time with the projected completion of construction works for the corresponding P162.9-million building in 2021.

The prospect will flesh out a 44-year dream among constituents in Central Mindanao (Region XII), including this city, for an institution where their children can study medicine to become physicians, MSU-GenSan campus officials said.

Anshari P. Ali, Ph.D., incumbent sixth satellite campus chancellor, said he learned of this MSU-GenSan Chancellor community dream since the first Dr. Ansari Ali day of his 15-year stint in the MSU-GenSan unit as College of Law professor and later as assistant dean.

In his formal installation as chancellor on April 28, 2019, Dr. Ali in his investiture speech vowed to link up his campus with national agencies and international education institutions, upgrade organizational operations, and expand their academic activities to include establishing a College of Medicine.

MSU-GenSan presently maintains colleges of law, agriculture, business administration and accountancy, education, engineering, fisheries, natural sciences and mathematics, social sciences and humanities, and a graduate school alongside a senior high school study.

In the first quarter of his chancellorship, Dr. Ali proposed to the MSU system‟s Board of Regents (BoR) the creation of College of Medicine even as an “extension” unit of the Marawi City-based main campus‟ medical college. But the proposal drew opposition from higher MSU officials purportedly undermining the satellite campus capability, inside sources said.

“Chancellor Ali had persisted on pushing for the creation of a College of Medicine…This prompted the MSU system leadership, particularly University President Habib Macaayong, to approve the proposal but with a challenge for the MSUGenSan campus to administer the proposed college independently,” a subordinate official disclosed.

In an interview here with the Philippine Muslim Today last week, Dr. Ali said he readily accepted the challenge, with a mental “burden” though as to sourcing out the funds to construct the proposed College of Medicine building and in sustaining its operations.

Fortunately, he said, his administration‟s persistent lobbies had gained the attention of key elected officials in Central Mindanao, notably those of Gen. Santos City government and Rep. Shirlyn Bañas-Nograles.

Rep. Bañas-Nograles had reportedly filed a bill seeking to open an “independent” College of Medicine at the MSUGenSan campus here, and providing appropriate funds for the purpose.

The lady lawmaker alongside city elected officials and other key personalities graced the ground-breaking rites here last Feb. 5. Even MSU System President Macaayong attended the event in apparent awe of Dr. Ali‟s success in meeting the former‟s challenge, it was learned.

Construction works worth P162-million for the four-level building have since reached “40-percent” completion under Phase 1, Lorraine D. Sarigala, MSU satellite campus internal audit unit chief, said.

Of the total project cost, the MSU-GenSan leadership allotted P46-million out of savings, with the remaining P117million being committed by the national government, it was learned.

Sarigala said Chancellor Ali was “so eager” about opening the opening classes for studies of medicine that he had earlier assigned some rooms in the College of Law building for medical study classes last August. But severe impacts of social movement-restraining COVID-19 pandemic preventive protocols had compelled him to move his plan in the next academic school semester, she added.

Dr. Ali said was profoundly elated that elected officials in Central Mindanao are equally eager about the opening of College Medicine with corresponding modern edifice that could also serve as first ever regional medical training in the region.

Central Mindanao has no regional medical center in the real sense because the Cotabato Regional Medical Center is located in Cotabato City, which now forms part of the Bangsamoro autonomous government.

Ali said the regional autonomous government, through its Education Ministry, has formally forged partnership with his administration in pursuit of academic and research endeavors of mutual impacts. ALI G. MACABALANG

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The Nation

DENR shuts down small-scale mining in Cotabato town MAGPET, North Cotabato: Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu has ordered the closure of an illegal mining operation in this town, directing also the filing of appropriate charges against those involved in the crime.

The site of illegal mining is located at Barangay Don Panaca here about 10 kilometers away from Mt. Apo Natural Park, the country‟s highest peak where all forms of mining is prohibited.

“Whether big or small, any illegal mining activity will have to stop,” Sec. Cimatu said in a statement on Dec. 9.

Cimatu‟s statement cum order came two days after a joint operation conducted by DENR‟s Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), the Cotabato provincial government, and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at the site.

Operatives saw no mining activity during the Dec. 7 raid but they found a five-meter tunnel indicating recent mining or extraction operation in the area, a published report said.

They also found inside the tunnel 25 sacks of ore, each sack weighing 90 kilograms. Another sack of the natural rock that contains valuable minerals was discovered near Balingos River. Authorities likewise saw no heavy equipment at the site but seized three shovels and a metal bar during the raid, the report said.

“Records at the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board of Cotabato and MGB 12 show… no declared Minahang Bayan in the Municipality of Magpet or in the Province of Cotabato, hence, the operation is illegal,” MGB Region 12 Director Felizardo Gacad Jr. was quoted as saying in the report.

Gacad said a formal cease-and-desist order will be issued against the illegal miners and their financiers as criminal charges were likewise being readied against them for violation of R.A. 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 as well as RA 7076 or the Peoples Small-Scale Mining Act of 1991 and its IRR. The DENR did not identify any group or persons involved in the just-detected illegal mining activity. .

ALI G. MACABALANG

MinDA adjudges Talaandig farmer as ‘Carrot King’ 2020 TALAKAG, Bukidnon: A young Talaandig farmer here has been adjudged “Carrot King” 2020 for producing in three months from his one-hectare farm at least 20.5-metric tons “best quality” carrots valued at.1-million pesos at current prices, according to the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).

Ryan Danio, an Agronomy graduate from the Central Mindanao University in this province, was one of two members of the Indigenous Peoples‟ Community who bagged major prizes in the recent Mindanao Vegetable Derby organized by the MinDA, agency Chairman Manny Pinol announced on Monday.

Danio, whose father is a Talaandig tribal leader here, is the president of the Miarayon Highland Farmers Association engaged in many agricultural ventures by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in 2017 when Piñol was DA chief.

In 2019, Piñol said, Danio joined the Potato Development Program of the DA in partnership with the Universal Robina Corporation which donated planting materials of potato from Canada.

After a season-long trial in his farm, Danio posted the highest harvest of potato in the country recorded at 50-metric tons which had a market value of P2.5-million, the MinDA chairman recalled in a social media post on Monday.

The MinDA started assessing vegetable productions in Mindanao last July, and concluded the assessment in a three -day awarding festival that lasted on Saturday, Dec. 12, Piñol said.

He said the activity constituted an opening salvo of the Vegetable Derby organized by the MinDA to introduce new farming technologies, good seeds and market linkage to the high value crop farmers in the four vegetable growing towns of Bukidnon – Impasug-ong, Talakag, Sumilao and Lantapan or IMTASULA Complex.

At Saturday‟s awarding rites, Igorot woman-farmer Beatriz Homonlay of Sumilao was crowned Mindanao Cabbage Queen, while farmer Rey Resullar of Impasug-ong romped off with the title as Mindanao Ombok King, Piñol said. (AGM)

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442)

GPH-MILF peace process ‘on track’ but lacks time – TMPT

By ALI G. MACABALANG

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he Bangsamoro peace process, provided under the Philippine government‟s two major accords, is “fundamentally on track” but time constraint points to imminent shortfall among players to fully flesh out their mandates on or before 2022, according to an authorized monitoring party.

The Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) for the Bangsamoro peace process announced on Monday the release of its sixth public report covering March 2019 to October 2020.

The report showed “more work is still needed” to fully fulfill the provisions of R.A. 11054 (charter of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) and those under the Philippine government-MILF major peace deals – the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro of 2014 and the Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro of 2013.

R.A. 11054 and the two peace accords stipulate two main goals: The Government (political) Track that requires the building of parliament bureaucracy for BARMM; and the Normalization Track that seeks the decommissioning of the MILF‟s 40,000 members to meaningfully transform them to productive and peaceful life.

The five-man TPMT said there was “significant progress in establishing the Bangsamoro as an autonomous political entity,” hinting though that time constraints spawned principally by diversion of government focal attention to COVID-19 disease prevention constitute a setback in completing the two tracks on time and in rehabilitation of war-ravaged Marawi City, among other concerns.

For this year alone, the interim BARMM governance has allocated more than P500 million fund as its supplementary aid to the rehabilitation works for Marawi City and its displaced residents are facing delay. The regional cabinet would allocate more funds for the same purpose in subsequent years, it was learned.

The TPMT cited the appointment of Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament members, the formation of a BARMM cabinet, the creation of an InterGovernmental Relations Body (IGRB), and the passage of the Bangsamoro Administrative Code.

The IGRB co-chaired by Financed Secretary Sonny Dominguez and BARMM Ed-

ucation Minister Mohagher Iqbal is tasked to facilitate the full devolution of national government functions and assets to the regional bureaucracy.

“Political transitions such as these (two mission tracks and other concerns like the Marawi rehab and recovery) need commitment from a wide range of actors, and in this case the first 20 months of the transition have been remarkably smooth,” the TPMT said.

The TMPT also lauded the “peaceful” normalization process, citing the decommissioning of 12,145 Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) combatants out of 40,000 target members.

But regional authorities said other BIAF members were hesitant to undergo decommissioning because the already decommissioned comrades have not been given the P900,000 remaining support package committed by the government for each of them. Only P100,000 was given to each member at their decommissioning rites.

Each decommissioned BIAF member has been earmarked with a P1-million package – P100k for immediate needs; P400k for education and health requirements of family members; and P500k to build a decent house by each member. „Continuing challenges‟ The TPMT said the interim BARMM governance was caught short-staffed when quarantine restrictions were imposed amid the coronavirus pandemic and stressed that “delays in recruitment will have flow-through implications for the institutionaliza-

tion of key changes.”

The BTA was also urged to exercise its full powers instead of being “restricted to approval of legislation drafted by the Executive or in Cabinet.”

“Many elements” of fiscal arrangements also need to be changed to reflect provisions of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the TPMT said.

“There are also some examples of the national government implementing solutions and initiatives unilaterally,” it added.

“Establishment of an effective BARMM government will require both parties to collaborate, and acknowledge that neither can succeed without the full participation of the other.”

The TPMT also lamented the occurrence of regular clashes between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Mindanao, “occasional outbreaks” of local conflict in Lanao Del Sur, and encounters with the Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu.

Marawi rehabilitation The monitoring team also expressed concern with the “frustration and a lack of information among constituents” on the rehabilitation of wartorn Marawi City.

It claimed that the Task Force Bangon Marawi was “becoming more of a stumbling block rather than a facilitator of transformation in the city,” noting that rehabilitation plans were prepared without the participation of affected residents.

GRP-MILF | B3

The Bangsamoro

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442)

PRRD’s ‘urgent’ push to extend BARMM transition period imperative – Mangudadatu

By ALI G. MACABALANG

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OTABATO CITY: Congress will favorably act on bills seeking to extend the Bangsamoro government‟s transition period in due time, and the process will be hastened with a strong Presidential push amid surfacing resentments from some quarters within the autonomous region.

Maguindanao 2nd District Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu disclosed such optimism on Wednesday as he urged the President to certify the legislative measures as “urgent” as a testament to his administration‟s commitment to make the infant autonomous government as another avenue to correct “historical injustices” in the Bangsamoro community.

“Matingkad ang aking paniwala na ipapasa ng Kongreso ang panukalang ipagpaliban ang halalan sa 2020 para sa mga myembro ng regional parliament upang matupad ng BTA (Bangsaoro Transition Authority) ang mga mandato nito,” Rep. Mangudadatu told the Philippine Muslim Today over the phone.

The BTA is the governing body of the interim bureaucracy and parliament of the BangMaguindanao 2nd District Rep. Esmael “Toto” samoro Autonomous Region in Muslim MindaMangudadatu. (Photo supplied) nao (BARMM), comprising members appointed The BTA parliament adopted last Nov. 17

by President Duterte for a transitional term ending upon the election in 2022 of 80 regular Resolution 332 urging Congress to extend the transition period to give them more time to put parliament members.

Rep. Mangudadatu is the principal author of in place the normalization and peace-keeping one of three enabling bills filed in the House of process.

Last Nov. 23, President Duterte and six of Representatives. Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda and Majority Floor Leader Martin his Cabinet members met with the BARMM Romualdez filed the two other corresponding Chief Minister Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim bills. and his delegation in Davao City to discuss The House Special Committee on Peace, the call for transition extension.

Unity and Reconciliation chaired by MangudaMr. Duterte agreed with the plea of the datu has already conducted initial hearings BARMM officials and assured to talk to lawamong officials of the BARMM governance and makers, according to a published report atconcerned national personalities like Presiden- tributed to Sec. Galvez, who was among the tial Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. cabinet officials present at the Nov. 23 meetMangudadatu said concerned BARMM offi- ing. cials have asserted that because of the advent “The President believes that three years is of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challeng- too short and he agrees for the possible extenes, the BTA will not be able to enact on time sion of the BTA up to five to six years,” Galvez the codes needed to build the BARMM govern- later told the committee of Mangudadatu. ment structure stipulated as Political told the House Committee on Peace, RecTrack under R.A. 11054 and the Comprehen- onciliation, and Unity during his briefing on the sive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) forged status of the implementation of the Compreby the government with the Moro Islamic Liber- hensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro ation Front (MILF) in 2014.

(CAB), the peace agreement signed by the The same law and peace accord also pre- Philippine government and the Moro Islamic scribe for Normalization Track, which the gov- Liberation Front (MILF) in March 2014. ernment will carry out by way of decommisExtending the BTA lifespan requires postsioning the MILF‟s 40,000 combatants with poning the first election of regional parliament their firearms and transforming them to peace- members and an amendment in R.A. 11054, ful and productive civilian life. The government which set such political exercise on May 9, committed P1-million for each of decommis- 2022 in conjunction with local and national sioned MILF combatant, P100,000 of which is elections.

With only 11 months left for the filing of payable during decommissioning ceremony and the remaining the remaining amount in certificates of candidacy in the May 2022 polls, Sec. Galvez proposed that a bill postponing subsequent releases.

Citing government sources including Sec. the election and amending in effect the legal Gallvez, Rep. Mangudadatu said only 12,000 provision be attended to promptly.

Mangudadatu said the House of RepreMILF combatants have been decommissioned and given P100,000 cash each for the immedi- sentatives will start deliberating on the enabling bills upon the resumption of its regular ate needs of the recipient‟s family members.

The payment of remaining P900,000 com- sessions next month.

He shared the sentiments of BARMM and mitment to subsidize the education and health needs of decommissioned MILF member‟s de- national cabinet officials led by no less than pendents and build decent houses has been the President, and pointed out the need for delayed reportedly due to the realignment of persuasive cohesion required in the deliberafunds prompted by the government‟s shift of tion of the enabling bills.

He said the Congressional deliberation on focal attention to preventing the spread of COVID-19 disease, he said. the proposal could be hastened if the PresiThe remaining 28,000 MILF members ap- dent will certify it as urgent. peared reluctant to undergo decommissioning Reports about pronounced opposition to as a result of the delayed release of the re- transition extension by prominent local officials maining P900,000 package for each of those in BARMM would require a strong Malacañang already decommissioned, said BARMM Executive Secretary Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” push by way of President Duterte‟s certifying Macacua, who is concurrent chief of staff of the the legislative measures as urgent, he hinted.

MILF‟s armed wing.

PRRD’S | A7

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Education Reforms Crucial As PH Lags Southeast Asian Peers — Study

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OTABATO CITY: Congress will favorably act on bills seeking to extend the Bangsamoro government‟s transition period in due time, and the process will be hastened with a strong Presidential push amid surfacing resentments from some quarters within the autonomous region.

According to a UNICEF-Led Study, there is a strong need to reform the Philippines‟ education system including a possible overhaul of the curriculum to boost the competency of children in primary school after a regional assessment showed that Filipino Grade 5 students lagged their counterparts in Southeast Asia in reading, writing and mathematics.

The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) 2019 study highlights the learning gaps in the Philippines‟ basic education that the coronavirus pandemic may have exacerbated – gaps that education coalition Synergeia Foundation has been working to address even during a global health crisis.

The study, jointly undertaken by the United Nations Children‟s Fund and Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization in six countries, showed that 27% of Filipino Grade 5 students have a reading proficiency equivalent to that expected in the first years of primary school.

More than 70% of Grade 5 children were in the three lowest bands in a writing proficiency scale of 1-8 and majority are still working towards mastering fundamental mathematical skills, according to the study released this month. Students from Vietnam and Malaysia were among the most competent in all three areas.

A separate study published last week showed Grade 4 students from the Philippines ranked the lowest among 58 countries in an assessment of mathematics and science competency last year by the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study at Boston College.

„Won‟t be left out‟ Synergeia, in partnership with UNICEF and 426 local governments across the country, has been working to lift children‟s proficiency in reading, writing, mathematics as well as character building by transforming communities to be more responsive to the education needs of their constituencies.

Synergeia works with UNICEF in partner municipalities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao including those in the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao, through grants that help the local governments develop and produce learning modules for children in the communities.

As part of its mission to boost the quality of basic education even during the pandemic which forced school closures and shifted learning to homes, Synergeia held virtual workshops to help teachers and parents cope with the demands of distance learning, from writing up modules to how to properly mentor children at home.

Synergeia also pushed for in-person tutorials in communities with zero cases of COVID-19 to help students struggling with remote education. They are now being carried out in several provinces including parts of Maguindanao, Iloilo, La Union and Lanao del Sur. Still, the results of the SEA-PLM study amplify the need to “push and implement reforms in the country‟s education system, from the teachers to our curriculum, to make sure that children are learning,” Senator Win Gatchalian said in a statement.

“Even while we‟re in the midst of a pandemic, we need to pursue these reforms so our students won‟t be left out,” said Gatchalian who is part of the Board of Trustees of Synergeia Foundation.

Gatchalian has also supported limited in-person learning sessions in areas without COVID-19 to allow students to better understand the self-learning modules, particularly those whose parents are either working or unschooled themselves.

The latest dismal assessments followed last year‟s similarly poor outcome when 15-year old students from the Philippines ranked lowest among 79 countries in reading proficiency and second lowest in mathematics and science in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment. (With Http://pageone.ph/)

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Editorial

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442)

DATU YUSOPH B. MAMA Chairman, Board of Trustees MASIDING NOOR YAHYA 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 Bureau Chief for National Capital Region ALI G. MACABALANG News Editor Bureau Chief for Bangsamoro & Central Mindanao Regions ROCAYA SUMNDAD OTICAL Bureau Chief for Northern Mindanao Region JOHNNY R. LEE Bureau Chief for Western Mindanao Region PHIL MUSLIM Layout Artist FATIMA ORTIL-JANNARAL Advertising Sales Director for NCR NUR-ALI A. MACABALANG Correspondent 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 nor of its management.

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Front page of PHILIPPINE MUSLIM TODAY previous issue.

MILG appraisal on LGU in BARMM can encourage LCE to work hard On Friday, December 18, 2020, the Bangsamoro government will recognize and award functional local government units within the autonomous region under the local Local Government Functional Appraisal (LoGFA). It will also award barangays whose Lupon Tagapamayapa have excelled in settling disputes in their comeditorial munities under the Lupon Tagapamayapa Incentive Award (LTIA).

The Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG) of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) should be lauded in introducing this program. Recognizing achievements of local government officials no matter how small they may be can encourage them more to make their local government units effectively functional and work hard for the welfare of their constituents especially in areas where for so long a time local government units have been lagging behind in various terms.

MILG Minister Naguib Sinarimbo, a lawyer, deserve our congratulations for the job well done. We also congratulate other ministries who have done well in performing their respective functions.

Some banks make big business in the name of Bayanihan 1 & 2

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any clients of car loan or other received this appealing text message from their financer banks in October of this pandemic year.

"Please be advised that you are qualified to avail of the one-time- 60-day grace period under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan

By ABDUL HANNAN 2), subject to the collection of accrued interest" MAGARANG TAGO said a text from a certain local bank.

The said interest ranges from half of the monthly payment (14,000 Pesos to 15,000) of those paying 27,000 to 30,000 monthly amortization.

This is why Islam abhors totally the interest for the double standard impact of such Banking system to the people.

This has caused instead more difficulties and further increases the suffering of the community.

At first, this appeared relief and helpful to the clients while they are still in the state of limited movement caused by the Covid-19 that eventually affected their source of income. And such two months grace period would be of great help.

The notice from the banks indicated that such act is subject to the collection of accrued interest. Here where the banks took advantage.

Some clients tried to ask before availing the said bayanihan act how much or percentage would be the charges for the 60-days grace period.

The bank never replied saying that a client should notify his or her bank before 15 October otherwise they will be automatically considered enrolled in the Bayanihan 2 with their own condition.

"If we fail to receive a "NO" reply on or before October 15, 2020, we will automatically apply the one-time 60-day grace period to your account" the text added.

This December most of the clients received a call from their bank to explain and disclose the so called accrued interest that supposed to happen before given such grace period on October.

They are charging almost 30,000 interest for two months for those who are paying 27,000 monthly.

Instead of paying two months now you are paying three months as result of such interest.

According to the caller client can still avail for no interest if he can pay two past dues plus the December payment, which is too difficult for many who are still under effect of the pandemic.

This should be brought to the attention of the Central Bank of the Philippines or BSP. (AHMT)

Opinion

Ijtihad

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442)

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STEALING CULTURE

MEHOL K. SADAIN

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ne‟s culture is the totality of one‟s life experience, and the culture of a people is that same totality developing over time. It is a co-mingling of history, tradition, arts, social institutions, communal and individual achievements, and yes, culinary heritage.

The foods you eat, the flame and the flair that go into cooking these foods, and naming them, are like roots that delve deep into a people‟s psyche and leafy tendrils that attach to their lives.

These delicacies are sights and tastes to be treasured because they are part of a people‟s culture.

Thus, when someone takes even just one recipe, names it differently to the deliberate exclusion of its

place and people of origin, arrogates it unto himself or his group, and worse, submits it to a competition with all its accoutrement of lies and misrepresentations, you know there is something very wrong with the matter. But this is exactly what happened in a competition sponsored by Mama Sita, a local manufacturer of ready-to-use sauces and condiments. A contestant from Zamboanga City submitted an entry on the satti dish, naming it Satti de Zamboanga with nary a mention of its real source as Sulu and the Tausug of that island province. It won a prize in the Mga Kuwentong Pagkain contest of Mama Sita, chosen by five culinary expert judges who should know better, but apparently did not. The matter came

Batanes to Tawi-Tawi JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

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ven before the SINOVAC Vaccine can be acquired by Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. many are quite skeptical whether the Vaccine is effective and safe.

This Column has received so many unsolicited and unconfirmed information regarding the veracity or authenticity of the COVID-19 pandemic saying that it is a hoax.

Granting for the sake of argument it is a hoax, how come that here in the Philippines and in some other countries like an advanced country like USA there are already 308,000 deaths now out of the 17 million active cases as of this writing.

Be that as it may, I myself is still confused as to the veracity of the News that COVID-19 is a hoax. The source of my information are seems to be reliable because

they are my friends. However I could not just swallow the information hook, line, and sinker. This is notwithstanding of our relationship as friends.

Anyway it took Senate Health Committee Chairman Senator Christopher “Bong” Go to intervene regarding the efficacy and safety of COVID -19 Vaccine.

In fact Senator Bong Go challenged Vaccine Czar Galvez and Health Secretary Francisco Duque, III to make themselves as “Guinea Pig” in the vaccination trial.

The Senator from Davao City said he challenged the two Cabinet officials of President Rodrigo Duterte in order to allay fears and build confidence of the public once the vaccine ordered from SINOVAC arrived from China.

Amid few doubts on the

to my attention more than a month after it was publicized

by Mama Sita as its Mindanao category awardee. So I had to correct it, and others followed suit.

Before going any further, let me be clear: I, and for that matter, the Tausugs have no qualms about sharing their native delicacies with others, for after all, food is the universal language of the stomach.

Neither do we prevent others from cooking it, or even selling it, for food may likewise be anyone‟s source of livelihood. We are not stingy about sharing our foods; but we are extremely proud and protective of them. This is natural for everybody: The Ilocanos with their pinakbet, the Kapampangan with their sisig, the Bicolanos with their laing, the Ilonggos with their chicken inasal, and so on.

These foods are identified

efficacy and safety of COVID -19 vaccines, Senator Go posed the challenge to DOH Secretary Duque III and vaccine czar Presidential Peace Adviser Galvez to have themselves injected first with the vaccine. This is as I repeat to allay the fears of some people as well as to build their confidence on its safety and efficacy.

Meanwhile, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said that they are anticipating the need for a larger budget to procure sufficient vaccines.

He said the DBM has allocated P10 billion for Bayanihan 2 for the procurement of vaccine.

Although in the National Expenditure Program, there is P2.5 billion initial budget for the procurement,” Avisado added.

In a related development, the failure of the DOH Secretary to submit documents

PRRD‟s „urgent‟ push to extend BARMM transition perceived circumvention of electoral laws.

Gov. Tan said he and Governors Adiong and Saliman had met the President lately and confided to him the details of their rejection of the proposed BARMM transition extension. The President advised the three governors to leave the issue to Con-

institution that emphasizes the pursuit of the truth pro Deo et patria. In my days there, we were taught to uphold the truth, even at our own expense. As such, we owned up to our juvenile mischiefs and misdemeanors, individually and collectively, even if it meant marching around or standing at the school quadrangle for hours, or lifting our chairs overhead while standing at the back of the classroom.

Nobody ever apologized for the offense (on the part of the perpetrator) or the gaff (on the part of Mama Sita).

Last time, I checked, Mama Sita has taken down the vexatious post. Apologies hardly matter for now; we are more concerned that our uproar over social media has effectively relayed our message and warning: “You mess with our culture; you mess with us”. MKS

Is COVID-19 vaccine from China effective and safe?

PRRD’S | from Page A5 In a recent podcast, Sulu Governor Sakur Tan revealed that he allied forces with Governor Jim Saliman and Rep. Mujiv Hataman of Basilan, and Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. in opposing the proposal due to varied reasons ranging from alleged incompetence of incumbent BTA members to

with them. This is because food is part of our culture as a people or an ethnic group.

Misrepresenting a people‟s cultural truth is like divesting that people of their culture; and deliberately doing it is akin to cultural robbery. It is a form of dishonesty that to me is worse than plagiarism. In plagiarism, you rob just one person of his words which makes you intellectually dishonest; in cultural robbery, you rob an entire people of their culture, and that makes you not just dishonest, but bigoted as well.

The cultural misappropriation of the satti should be more condemnable than the academic misrepresentation of plagiarism, especially if the culprit knows the truth.

Reading about it from the Mama Sita facebook page, I could not believe that this contestant came from my high school alma mater --- an

gress, the Sulu chief executive said.

While underscoring the need for strong Presidential intercession at Wednesday‟s interview by phone, Mangudadatu appealed to the public, notably the dissenting quarters to take cognizance of severe adversities brought about by armed con-

needed for Pfizer vaccine deal is now the talk of the town, according to Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Senator Lacson said the Philippines would have secured the delivery of 10 million doses of Pfizer COVID19 vaccines as early as January next year had Health Secretary Francisco Duque III worked on the documentary requirements needed for the deal.

Lacson said he was able to talk to Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Romualdez about the official who “dropped the ball” on the Pfizer vaccine deal.

According to Lacson, the negotiation between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. as arranged

by Romualdez started in July this year, which would have allowed the country to acquire the

Pfizer vaccines as early as January 2021.

“They could have secured the delivery of 10 million Pfizer vaccines as early as January next year, way ahead of Singapore but for the indifference of Sec. Duque who failed to work on the necessary documentary requirement namely, the Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (CDA) as he should have done,” Lacson said.

“The country representative of Pfizer was even following up on the submission of such documentary requirements,” he added, noting that Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has assured both Locsin and Romualdez that funds would be “made available” for the vaccines.

For your comments and suggestions please send an E-mail to: munir1845media@gmail.com

flicts in the south, especially during the adversarial activities of MILF forces.

“My family has felt the pangs of armed conflicts, so with all constituents of communities comprising BARMM now,” said Mangudadatu, a former three-term governor, mayor, vice mayor and board member in Maguindanao.

He prodded fellow lawmakers from outside the regional autonomy that allow-

ing the MILF to enjoy ample time in proving their worth in public service is part of the government compromise towards achieving peace in Mindanao, in particular, and the country in general.

“The achievement of the aspirations of peace, unity, genuine autonomy and development in the BARMM region is also the achievement of the whole nation,” he said. (AGM)

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Opinion

Diliman Way HOMOBONO A, ADAZA “You cannot govern, you cannot administrate, with an ignoramus.

– Oriana Fallaci “Have you ever thought that war is a madhouse and that everyone in the war is a patient?” - Oriana Fallaci

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e are deeply enmeshed in the pandemic, and all civilian and military leaders could think of is to jump at every opportunity for publicity and diverting the attention of the public from failures – in effectively managing the pandemic and ending the more than fifty years of CPP-NPA insurgency.

This is nothing strange in this country. This is usual and normal. As Oriana Fallaci articulated it so well – you cannot govern and administer, if you do not have the competence and the proper orientation to do it. And this has always been the case in this country – absence of the needed skills of our leaders and the unending preoccupation with wealth, power, influence and sex.

You do not have to go far – just look at your Presidents from Marcos to Duterte and your senators, congressmen, governors, mayors, barangay chairmen within that period and you will find the reason why this country has been in

a quagmire for the past six decades – sixty years!

Simple problems are given convoluted solutions. Complex problems presented with more complex solutions, thus we see no solutions in sight.

Our problems appear insoluble – from illegal drugs to corruption, from poverty to oligarchy, from domestic to foreign, from misgovernment to incompetence, from military to civilian. There seems to be no solutions in sight.

And everyone hopes for a miracle to come in the elections in 2022. Hope of this kind is very familiar in this country. With every election, we jump from the frying pan to the fire. What can we expect? Most of our voters are disoriented and unthinking.

To paraphrase a famous line of Mao Tse Tong (Mao Zedong whatever suits your fancy) – From the disoriented and unthinking voters to the disoriented and unthinking leaders.

Red-tagging: A concrete example of this disoriented

Punchline ALI G. MACABALANG

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ebate is essential in dynamic societies.

But I am saddened to see our leaders in the Bangsamoro community and their followers often divided in different issues and concerns. What pains me more is the way they keep asserting their vested interests over the welfare of the majority populace comprising mostly the poor or forsaken people.

Vested interest is usually characterized by nafs (greed for power and etc.) and kibr (egotism), which are worldly or temporal matters our religious scholars (ulama) deemed as keys to jahanam (hell).

I am not an alim (religious scholar or authority). But common sense always points to nafs and kibr as the antonyms of sukhr (grateful contentment for what God provides) and sabr (constant

patience).

Sukhr and sabr alongside fikr (concern for majority) and jikr (constant submissive remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa taala) are Islamic virtues that Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.), his caliphs and pious followers professed as keys to the gate of jannah (heaven).

Well, the choice between hell and heaven is also a matter of one‟s democratic option. ooOoo I recently floated a post cum survey in some popular Facebook pages asking readers whether they are for or against the call for extension of the Bangsamoro transitional lifespan supposedly ending in 2022. The survey drew a total of over 1,500 reactions, 99% of which involved positive response with the dismal portion dis-

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442)

RED-TAGGING AND THE LAW and brainless behavioral pattern is Red-tagging. What is Red-tagging? It is a simple way of calling an individual or organization communist. In the current Philippine environment being tagged as a communist is to brand you criminal – prey to violence or death by some unthinking and disoriented public officials, policemen and members of the military, and they number in thousands.

Is being a communist a crime under Philippine law?

Of course not! Being a communist is to believe in communism – an ideology, a body of ideas designed to establish a kind of society which according to its originators, Marx and Engels, puts in place a dictatorship of the proletariat, meaning the working class, against the rich and the powerful.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is one of the three founders of a communist Russia, which later bloomed into a Union Soviet Socialist Republic – a federation of eighteen countries, among them is Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkestan, Lithuania, Albania, Ukraine, Armenia.

Lenin, who was an émigré in Switzerland, was asked this question by other Russian

émigrés in Zurich, “Vladimir do you think the Revolution will succeed in our country in our lifetime?” Lenin answered in the negative because there was no significant proletariat in Russia since it was an overwhelmingly peasant country then and said, “Probably in Germany because there is a strong proletariat there.” But human creativity and the unpredictable forces of history denied Lenin‟s predictions.

Few weeks later, Leon Trotsky aka Lev Davidovitch Bronstein, probably the most intellectually brilliant among the trio, the third being Joseph Stalin, started the Russian Revolution in the streets of St. Petersburg in October 1917.

Why the reference to snippets of communist Russian history? It is just a reminder to the Red-taggers that forces of history are imponderable, and they should inject some rationality in their mindless behavior on this matter.

Define lines: Law is a tricky business. In every major controversy, as in the issue of Red-tagging, one must always pay particular attention to the Constitution and our criminal laws. When you tag someone as a member of

the CPP-NPA, and he/she is not because you have no evidence to support it, you don‟t only run the risk of being charged with libel, you likely will be convicted of libel and spend time in prison unless the judge has been bribed or intimidated so you will only be fined.

That is the case, if it is an individual who is Red-tagged – there is libel. But if what is tagged is an organization, no charge of libel can be filed as under current Philippine jurisprudence, there is no such thing as group libel. This is not the end of the story on criminal prosecution though.

Whether the ones tag are individuals or groups, since the ones active in Red-tagging are public officials, such Lt. Gen. Edgar Arevalo and Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade, they are likely to be charged before the Ombudsman for criminal violation of section 3(e) of RA 3019 for acts which create serious injury to individuals and the government as well as section 4, in relation to section 11 of RA 6713 for unprofessional, unpatriotic, inefficient, undemocratic and unjust conduct – which also results to imprisonment and disqualification to hold public office.

ADAZA | B3

It’s back to debate senting.

One of the positive respondents, Datu Dino Alonto -Lucman, my cousin and fraternal brother, yielded the most candid reaction that ran like this: Even Superman will not be able to finish all mandated tasks of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to pass codes needed to build a robust parliamentary autonomous government structure.

Building the regional government system is stipulated as a political track in R.A. 11054 and the 2014 GPHMILF peace accord. The other track is the normalization process, entailing the decommissioning of the MILF‟s 40,000 combatants to transform them to peaceful and productive civilian life with a state-promised P1,000 socio -economic aid package for each.

So far, the BTA parliament has passed the admin-

istrative code, needing ample time to legislate the ordinances on local government, education, electoral process, and civil service, among others.

Authorities have also decommissioned only 12,000 MILF members, who each received only P100k of the promised P1-million aid. The remaining 28,000 others are reportedly reluctant to undergo decommissioning due mainly to the failure of their decommissioned comrades to receive all the committed fund aid meant for the education, health and decent housing units of the excombatants.

BARMM and Malacañang officials attributed the delay in the implementation of political and normalization tracks to various setbacks compounded by the advent of COVID-19 pandemic, to which the government has trained focused efforts and resources.

In the survey, Ricardo De Leon Dalisay (Manny Mogato in real life, a veteran and awarding winning journalist) said: “I support the extension to give BARMM more time to succeed and implement genuine reform in the long neglected Muslim region.” ooOoo House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda and Maguindanao 2 nd District Rep. Toto Mangudadatu filed three separate but related bills to reset the 2022 election of regional parliament members and extend the BTA transition lifespan to 2025. The League of Bangsamoro Organizations proposed a six-year extension.

Rep. Mangudadatu, chair of the House special committee on peace, unity and reconciliation, urged on Wednesday the President to PUNCHLINE | B3

World News

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442)

French president tests positive for COVID-19

By CINDI COOK

P

ARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, his office said Thursday morning.

The Elysee Palace announced the development in a statement, saying the president took a rapid PCR test, with the results coming out positive. He took the test after experiencing mild symptoms of the virus.

"In accordance with the health instructions in force, applicable to all, the President of the Republic will isolate himself for seven days. He will continue to work and carry out his activities remotely,” the statement added.

In mid-October, first lady Brigitte Macron also

Guest Foreign Opinion

Fragile Middle East It’s not just the Israel-Palestine conflict that makes the Middle East (ME) volatile. Many other countries in the region are involved in proxy fights against each other. The latest attack on a Singapore-flagged tanker by an explosive-laden boat off Saudi Arabia’s port of Jeddah resulted in an explosion and subsequent fire. Thankfully, the crew, with assistance from the shore fire brigade, succeeded in averting a possible catastrophe should the fire get out of control.

Unsurprisingly, after Saudi Arabia chose to lead the fight in Yemen against Houthi rebels, Riyadh and oil tankers near the Saudi shore come under constant attacks. The first suspicions in the present case would fall on the Houthi rebels, as the incident happened weeks after what Riyadh previously alleged attacks by the Houthi movement. But jumping to a conclusion without concrete evidence is not a prudent option either.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa (not seen) at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France on December 16, 2020. ( Julien Mattia - Anadolu Agency )

tested positive for coronavirus and then isolated herself for a full two-week period, which was then in force.

Macron joins a growing list of major world leaders

who have contracted the virus, including US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, both of whom successfully recovered.

(ANADOLU AGENCY)

‘Civil society increasingly constrained in South Asia’ ANKARA: The civil society across South Asia is “increasingly constrained”, according to a recent report.

“It is either too nascent, due to late democratic development, or where it has had a little history of growth and nurturing, is facing strong challenges,” noted the 349-page report by the South Asia Collective -- a network of rights bodies in the region.

“Anti-democratic authoritarian tendencies and greater securitization of laws and practices appear to be the main drivers of this narrowing trend, with the mid-2010s appearing to be the period of convergence for this constriction in many of the countries,” the report noted.

It said democracy champions, human rights defenders, and activists have been “in the crosshairs of authorities everywhere for challenging state actions and speaking out.”

“A great deal of the narrowing of space for civil society concerns minorities, which is also due to the hardening of majoritarianism across the region,” the report said, detailing rights situation in seven South Asian countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

The report said authorities in all countries have “increasingly violated” the constitutional rights of freedom of expression, associa-

B1

tion, and assembly, arguing that NGOs and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are facing “increased regulation of registration”.

“As a consequence, civic space is becoming more restrictive over time, creating a hostile environment for CSOs,” the report added. „India dangerous place for Muslims‟ “India has become a dangerous and violent space for Muslim minorities,” the report stressed, referring to December 2019 amendment in the country‟s Citizenship Act which opened a pathway for a category of "illegal immigrants", specifically leaving out Muslims.

“In the run-up to the legislation, the government also declared its intentions to create a National Register of Indian Citizens, which would have the potential to render many Muslims stateless,” it added.

Acknowledging “positive” developments in Pakistan visa-vis foundation of the country‟s first Sikh university, reopening of a temple in Sialkot, as well as some acquittals in blasphemy cases, the report, however, said that “implementation of safeguards and rule of law remains very weak” as the situation of Pakistan‟s ethnic and religious minorities “remains challenging”.

“The Blasphemy Law has been used to enable violence

against religious minorities in Pakistan,” it also noted.

UN urged for greater attention The human rights defenders urged international entities especially the UN for greater attention towards the region on civil and political rights violations.

To improve their performance in the rights situation, it asked all South Asian countries to abide by international commitments while removing all legal contradictions existing in various laws of the respective country and adjusting them to international treaties.

Urging the states to recognize minorities, the report said they should ensure constitutional provisions to criminalize discrimination of all forms against minorities.

“Implement effective and holistic action to eliminate the underlying motives for threats to religious minorities and civic space for minorities, and to combat growing fundamentalist voices threatening a free and democratic society,” the report recommended.

It also urged “swift action to tackle rising terrorism and violence, ensuring impartial investigations and the prosecution of those responsible for attacks against religious minorities, in order to end the culture of impunity around these crimes.” (Merve Berker and Riyaz ul Khaliq | ANADOLU AGENCY)

Last October, an attack on an Iranian oil tanker days ahead of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s visit to Iran suggested that the inimical forces wanted to keep ME a region where any incident could cause an all-out fight between countries.

Perhaps, the way forward before the opposing sides is to sit together and find out the culprits who wish to see an unstable ME. Similarly, the international community also needs to keep a close eye on affairs in the ME, lest the violence reach unprecedented levels. The ground situation in Yemen because of the ongoing conflict has caused the worst humanitarian crisis post the Second World War. The global powers must play their role in ensuring that the opposing parties do not choose the usual divisive narrative. We are already seeing the reverberation of the Yemen conflict in the ME. Such encounters come with spillover effects, especially when non-state actors are involved. It is about time that the parties to the conflict give a chance to mediation.

Russia develops algorithms predicting severity of Covid-19 MOSCOW: Scientists of Russia‟s Federal Medical Biological Agency (FMBA) have developed algorithms capable of forecasting with high precision the severity of a course of the coronavirus infection, the agency‟s press service told TASS. "An analysis of a wide range of clinical and diagnostic parameters on a sampling of over 6,900 patients and those who had Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) with varying degree of severity allowed the specialists of Russia‟s Federal Medical Biological Agency to create mathematical models (classifiers) of forecasting the severity and the clinical outcome of Covid19 based on computerized learning algorithms," the statement said.

It is specified these algorithms with high precision (about 90 percent) "confirmed a number of clinical factors that allow to forecast the severity of a course of the disease," for example, such indicators as ferritin, C-reactive protein, ESR, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, frequency of breathing, and others.

The possibility of a lethal outcome with the coronavirus infection is increased depending on such factors as age, male gender, the body mass index over 30, as well as on blood sugar levels.

"Within the framework of the study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was also conducted on a sampling of over 2,000 Covid-19 patients with a symptomless, mild, moderate, and severe forms of the disease. As a result, genetic variants associated with the severity of Covid-19 were detected," the FMBA statement said.

A statistical analysis of the results of the GWAS also allowed to develop a scale of "polygenic risk of development of a severe form of Covid-19."

According to the researchers, this diagnostic algorithm allows forecasting the severity of the disease. Currently, it is undergoing the validation stage.

"Thus, the pooled data obtained as a result of the study of the significant clinical and diagnostic parameters and human genetic properties allow to build a unified model of evaluation of the joint contribution of both phenotypic and genetic factors, determining the nature of a course of the Covid-19 disease," the FMBA statement said. (TASS)

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Muslim World

Man held for spreading 'anti-Islam' messages on Facebook

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ANGLADESH: Members of Counter Terrorism (CT) unit of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) arrested a man for spreading messages on Facebook "demeaning Islam and the Prophet".

Police identified the arrested as Md Saifuddin (41). He was sent to jail in this connection after being produced before a court in Chattogram.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) for Operation of CT Asif Mohiuddin said members of the cybercrime unit were investigating a case lodged with Panchlaish Police Station on November 19 over an inflammatory post on a Facebook page and got some clues pointing to Saifuddin.

Later, he was arrested from the city's GEC area in this connection, he added.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Shapan Kumar Sarker of CT said Borhan Uddin Md Emran, education and human resources affairs secretary of South District Awami League of Chattogram lodged a case saying that miscreants opened a Facebook page using his information and photos and were spreading hate speech on social media demeaning Islam.

"While investigating the case, police tracked down the page's IP number and detained Saifuddin in this connection.

He opened the Facebook page from his mobile phone and spread demeaning messages using Borhan photos and information," said the SI. Police were trying to find others involved, he added. (The Daily Star)

US lawmakers urge Facebook to remove anti-Islam content Facebook appears ‘to lack the will necessary to effectively address hate and violence targeting Muslims,’ say lawmakers

WASHINGTON: A group of 30 lawmakers in the United States urged Facebook on Tuesday to remove anti-Muslim content on the social media platform, saying it is “dangerous” and “deadly.”

Led by Democratic congresswoman Debbie Dingell, the lawmakers said Facebook has failed to take action “in response to the abuse of your platform to dehumanize Muslims and stoke violence and genocide against Muslims around the world.”

“Thus far, Facebook has appeared to lack the will necessary to effectively address hate and violence targeting Muslims,” they wrote in a letter to Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The lawmakers are seeking six measures that span a variety of actions, including the formation of a working group on anti-Muslim bigotry, greater enforcement actions targeting militias and white supremacists, and an independent review of Facebook‟s “enabling anti-Muslim violence, genocide and internment.”

Scott Simpson, a director for the Muslim Advocates advocacy group, thanked the lawmakers for the letter, which he said would work towards “holding Facebook accountable for the harm it has inflicted on American Muslims here and Muslims abroad.”

“Just last week, we learned that not only did the Christchurch shooter use Facebook to livestream his slaughter, he also was a member of multiple anti-Muslim hate groups on the platform. Anti-Muslim hate has consequences and Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg must finally take action to stop it from proliferating on their platform,” he said in a statement. (With Anadolu Agency)

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442)

China 'preparing' to mass produce COVID-19 vaccines

By Riyaz Ul Khaliq

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NKARA: As countries begin with COVID-19 vaccinations and continue to procure doses, China is preparing for mass production of its vaccine candidates undergoing final stage clinical trials, an official at the National Health Commission said on Thursday.

China, which granted emergency use of its COVID -19 vaccines in June, is making huge strides in their development. According to Zheng Zhongwei, the country has entered the "final sprint," with 15 vaccines undergoing clinical trials, of which five are in their phase 3 stage.

“Since the epidemic has been effectively controlled in China, the country does not have the conditions to carry out phase 3 clinical trials.

These are being carried out overseas," he told Xinhua news agency.

The vaccines in phase 3 clinical trials include two candidates by Sinopharm, and Sinovac.

Zheng said the studies are undergoing “scientific reviews and approval in strict accordance with laws, regulations and internationally recognized technical standards to ensure the vaccines are safe, effective and can stand the test of time.”

While Indonesia received the first batch of Sinovac vaccines earlier this month, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have approved the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. Turkey, Brazil and Singapore have also signed advanced purchase agreements with Sinovac.

This comes as a team of the World Health Organization plans to travel to Wuhan, China, where the novel virus was first detected last December.

"Cooperation is progressing smoothly. China is ready to strengthen cooperation with the WHO to advance the global work on hunting the virus' origin," the spokesman said.

Fabian Leendertz, a member of the WHO‟s 10member team, told the staterun Global Times newspaper that team members “may go to China and will visit Wuhan, although detailed arrangements such as specific dates, an exact plan and whether they will visit more Chinese cities are being discussed."

(Anadolu Agency)

Indonesia begins merger of 3 state-owned Islamic banks

By Iqbal Musyaffa Indonesia: J AKARTA, The merger of three state-owned Islamic banks in Indonesia has started with the signing of the Conditional Merger Agreement earlier this week.

As of Feb. 1, BNI Syariah and Bank Syariah Mandiri will officially merge with BRI Syariah (BRIS) to form Bank Syariah Indonesia, the country‟s largest Islamic bank.

The merger was approved at an extraordinary general meeting of BRIS – the surviving entity in the merger – shareholders, Hery Gunardi, chief executive officer (CEO) of Bank Syariah Indonesia, said in an online

news conference on Wednesday.

Gunardi, who is vice president director of Indonesian financial giant Bank Mandiri, was appointed CEO of Bank Syariah Indonesia by the Ministry of StateOwned Enterprises.

The ministry has also approved the structure of the new bank‟s board of directors.

It will include a CEO, two deputy CEOs, and directors of wholesale and transaction banking, retail banking, sales and distribution, information technology and operations, risk management, compliance and human capital, and

finance and strategy.

“We have been working on this merger plan since March and we will continue our preparations so that all processes can, hopefully, be completed on schedule,” said Gunardi.

“We have finalized articles of association, the name, logo, and the organizational structure. All of these have been approved by shareholders.”

The next step of the process, he added, is the legal merger of bank branches, products, IT technology for digital banking, and human resources.

INDONESIA | B3

News ADAZA | from Page A8

RED-TAGGING AND THE LAW Rebellion: On the other hand, under our laws there is no such thing as a legal front organization. If it is a front, it means it is a part of the conspiracy to commit rebellion.

What is rebellion? It is the use of arms for the overthrow of the government. And when it is a part of the conspiracy, the members of the front organization can be charged with rebellion just like any of the leaders and members of the CPP-NPA. Why is that?

The reason is simple – in a conspiracy, the act of one is the act of all. For every single act of rebellion, with arms or without arms, a leader or member can be charged with the crime of rebellion.

Of course, everything is a matter of evidence. If you have no evidence, you shut up or say nothing otherwise you surely will be charged with libel and violation of pertinent provisions of RA 3019 and RA 6713. What a government agent or general should is to gather evidence that can

first stand the test of probable cause for the purpose of filing the case in court and later stand the test of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in the hearing in court.

The generals who seem to love publicity to curry favor with President Duterte should do their work instead of blabbering in media and loving every opportunity for national media exposure.

Nothing new: Red-tagging is old hat in this country. In the fifties and sixties, when communism was quite popular not only in the countryside but in colleges and universities threatening the stranglehold of politicians and economic oligarchs on Philippine society, branding activists as communists and enemies of the State was the favorite pastime of ambitious politicians and military leaders. The term used was not Red-tagging but Red-baiting.

Congressman Leonardo Perez was the Chairman of the Committee on Un-Filipino

PUNCHLINE | from Page A8

It‟s back to debate certify the proposal as urgent for the lawmakers to hasten the enabling legislative processes.

He said he was worried if

the decommissioning of MILF forces bogs down, disgruntled combatants might return to adversarial life.

“Constituents in the re-

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442)

Activities of the House of Representatives (CUFA), later renamed Committee on Anti-Filipino Activities (CAPA). He summoned so many young activists to testify before his committee – many of them activists in the University of the Philippines (UP). Red-baiting did not eliminate the Partido Komunista Ng Pilipinas (PKP) and the fight to overthrow the government. It resulted to the birth of Jose Maria Sison‟s CPP-NPA, more potent and more attractive to the young, whether in school or out of school.

Lessons: During the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos (FM), a formula was evolved to attract PKP to the fold of the government. Such approach led many young leaders to join Marcos – the most prominent of them was Guillermo “Gimo” de Vega who became Executive Secretary of FM. Gimo as editorin-chief of the Quezonian, the official student publication of Manuel Luis Quezon Univeritty (MLQU), organized a student National Preparato-

ry Committee, composed of editors of student newspapers and student councils purportedly designed to establish a government which would serve the best interest of the people as against the status quo.

As the editor-in-chief of the University of the Philippines official student publication, The Philippine Collegian, Gimo invited me to join him but I diplomatically refused.

Red-tagging has not solved the CPP-NPA insurgency problem for the last fifty years. It will not solve it ever. Instead, it galvanizes human rights advocates, constitutionalists, left oriented individuals and liberal democrats to resist, denounce and criticize the government for unconstitutional and illegal behavior. It may, in many instances, encourage the young to join the rebellion hoping that it will bloom into a revolution.

As the Spanish philosopher, George Santayana, once said, “Those who do not learn the lesson of histo-

ry are doomed to repeat it.”

Since Red-tagging does not solve the problem, the government, if it has the appropriate and required evidence, should file cases against individuals whom they suspect of being involved in the rebellion instead of engaging in salivary festival with no positive results. In a similar vein, the Red-tagged individuals and organizations should file cases against the personalities in government who keep Redtagging, possibly dreaming it as a passport to fame and fortune.

Better still, the contending parties should sit down together in civil conversation beyond the pale of media, so nobody will make any attempt to gain mileage from publicity, and seriously try to find a solution to the problem.

Fruitful conversation brings peace and justice. Exchanging brickbats in media result to violence, chaos and death. That is not way for the intelligent and the rational; that is the path to insanity and stupidity.

(HAA)

gional autonomy including my family have already suffered from decades of armed conflicts. We should give peace a chance. Peace in the Bangsamoro means peace across the nation,” he said in gist.

On the other hand, Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, in a podcast on Dec. 13, pronounced his opposition to the proposal.

He said had allied with Lanao del Sur Governor Bombit Adiong, and Governor Jim Saliman and Rep. Mijiv Hata-

man of Basilan in rejecting the call. He said their group‟s reasons were already conveyed directly to the President lately.

(Comments on or suggestions to this column can be sent to alimac.bulletin@gmail.com)

BARMM | from Page A2

BARMM acquires authority over Cotabato City, 63 NorCot villages For his part, BARMM Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal, who is also cho-chair of the Inter-Governmental Relations Body (IGRB), underscored in his speech the importance of robust partnership between BARMM and Cotabato City to settle “provoking” thoughts about the city‟s vote for inclusion in regional autonomy and supervision authority turnover.

The individual successes of the city and the regional governments would be meaningless without cohesion,

echoing the MILF‟s description of the city as the “jewel” of autonomy and “cradle” of age-old struggle for selfdetermination, Iqbal said.

BARMM Executive Secretary Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua, concurrent energy and environment minister, also delivered a rather cordial message to recollect how the national government and MILF jointly pooled forces to persuade Cotabato City voters‟ into joining the new autonomy for Bangsamoro.

Historic mandate

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Majority voting residents in this city and 63 barangays in five North Cotabato towns opted for inclusion in the BARMM territory through the plebiscites held on January 21 and February 6, 2019 for the ratification of R.A. 11054, otherwise known as Basic Organic Law (BOL) for BARMM. The President signed the edict passed by Congress in July, 2018.

The provincial government had turned over supervision authority over its 63 constituent villages to the Bangsamo-

ro government on Nov. 20, 2019. But city hall officials refused to follow suit, citing the pendency of City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi‟s electoral protest questioning parts of the plebiscite proceedings.

The mayors of five North Cotabato towns comprising the 63 autonomy-opting barangays were led at Tuesday‟s event here by Provincial Administrator Efren Piñol, representing Governor Nancy Catamco.

No representative from the city hall attended the event,

even as City Administrator Dr. Danda Juanday was quoted as saying in a report that their attendance may be interpreted as desistance from the city mayor‟s standing protest.

Tuesday‟s formal ceremony followed a motorcade of several green shirt-clad bike riders parading along major roads here and waiving the official flag of the BARMM government.

The enthusiasm among the “Allahu Akbar” chanting bikers drew a counter from some residents wearing red shirts that converged in some areas here in support of the dissenting stance pursued by the city mayor. (PMT)

GRP-MILF | from Page A4

GPH-MILF peace process „on track‟ but lacks time – TMPT The TPMT also said stakeholders were concerned about the announcement of a new AFP base in Marawi that was reportedly decided upon without consulting the Bangsamoro Government.

“For three years, a large portion of the citizens of

Marawi have been removed from their homes and their history. Despite many promises, the rehabilitation of the city and return of citizens to the most-affected area has no clear end date,” it said.

Formed in 2013, the TPMT is led by its chairman

Heino Marius and composed of Karen Tañada, Hüseyin Oruc, Dr. Rahib L. Kudto, and Sam Chittick.

Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said President Rodrigo Duterte had agreed with the proposal to extend

the BTA lifespan from 2022 to 2025. The BTA is the interim governing body of BARMM until its 80 current appointed members are replaced by successors elected in the 2022 polls.

At least three measures seeking to postpone the 2022

INDONESIA | from Page B2

Indonesia begins merger of 3 state-owned Islamic banks He said it is estimated that the total assets of the merged entity will reach 214.6 trillion Indonesian rupiah ($15.2 billion), with total equity of 20.4 trillion Indonesian rupiah

($1.4 billion).

It will rank among Indonesia‟s top 10 banks in terms of assets and the top 10 Islamic banks in the world in terms of market capitalization.

Kartiko Wiroatmodjo, deputy minister for state-owned enterprises, said Bank Syariah Indonesia is expected to be a catalyst for growth in the country‟s Islamic finance

economy.

“It will be an adviser for global sukuk [financial products compliant with Islamic law] issuance for prospective Indonesian companies,” he

election for 80 regional parliament members and extending the three-year term of the BTA until 2025 have been filed at the House of Representatives by Maguindanao Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda and Majority Floor Leader Martin Romualdez. (AGM) said.

According to the minister, the merger has been undertaken so that Indonesia, the country with the world‟s largest Muslim population, can optimize its economic and Islamic finance potential.

(Anadolu Agency)

Tourism

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The Matweaver of Ungus Matata

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-

Pasung, another Tausug delicacy

By JOHNNY R. LEE, Ph.D

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

n one of the tiny villages in Ungus Matata in the Municipality of Tandubas in Tawi-Tawi, there is a woman named Mariam Mutalib who is considered as a „mat-weaving wizard‟ despite her eyesight handicap.

With MARIA FHEBIE ORTIL

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Ms. Mutalib, a native Sama of Tawi-Tawi, sustained the long tradition of the place (Ungus Matata) that is noted for its finest and beautifully designed-mats made from pandan leaves.

The recognition of Ungus Matata as producer of the best mats in the region culminated when one of their matweavers named Hadja Amina Appih, a master mat weaver, was awarded a National Artist for Living Tradition from the National Commission for Culture and Arts.

After the death of Appih years ago, Ms. Mutalib came into the forefront displaying the same zeal as the former in mat weaving but has her own distinct style, patterns and color combinations. What is common to both are the materials used and methods of „treating‟ the pandan leaves that grow in abundance in the locality. They used a communal presser ( a huge log) called „paggosan‟ that has been in the vicinity for years. Their presser is the key to the very fine quality of their mats that makes their products „soft and cool‟ to the users.

JOHNNY R. LEE

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ssalamu Alaykum!

I consider the Number 27th as the luckiest number in these series of issues of Philippine Muslim Today with an inclusive week of Dec 18-24 2020.

This time I am going to discuss with our readers about PASUNG, another Tausug delicacy popularly served in most of the coffee shops and restaurants in downtown Jolo, the Capital town of the Province of Sulu.

As usual Pasung is among the popular delicacies listed in The Best of Home-Cooked Halal TausugFilipino Dishes, a handy Tausug cookbook written by Tausug Chef Abdulaziz H. Hamsain.

Unlike in other list of ingredients of other delicacies, cooking of Pasung entails only few ingredients and simple procedures that can be easily followed.

Now try to prepare a Pasung for your merienda and for your guests as well. I am optimistic your guests will like its delicious taste too.

As listed below the main ingredients are flour, coconut milk or gata, and simply brown sugar to make the taste sweet to your palate.

Pasung Serves 2-3 Ingredients: -3 cups of coconut milk -½ kilo sugar (brown) -½ kilo of flour -Banana leaves Procedure: 1. Form a medium size cone shape from the banana leaves.

2. Mix all three ingredients in a bowl.

3. Arrange the cone-shaped banana leaves vertically in a steamer, fill half of the banana leaves with the mixed ingredients.

4. Steam for about 20-30 minutes.

5. Let it cool then serve. *Best served during merienda or snacks.

PASUNG: This is another Tausug delicacy popularly served in most Coffee Shops in downtown Jolo in the Province of Sulu, one of the provinces belonging to the Bangsamoro Autono-

Save the Earth

Vol. I, No. 27 | December 18-24, 2020 (Jumad ‘ul Awwal 3-9, 1442)

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Iran calls for global elimination of Nuclear Weapons

UN chief wants worldwide ‘state of climate emergency’

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lready hostile relations between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance took another hit in late November, when a senior Iranian physicist was assassinated in a roadside attack. Tehran immediately blamed Tel Aviv, while an anonymous Israeli official told US media Israel should be “thanked” for slowing down Iran‟s alleged nuclear weapons programme.

STATE OF CLIMATE EMERGENCY. United Nations SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres delivers a speech at the Climate Ambition Summit at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 12, 2020. Guterres called for a worldwide "state of climate emergency" to tackle global warming. (Mark Garten/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for a worldwide "state of climate emergency" to tackle global warming.

Five years after the Paris Agreement on climate change, the world is still not going in the right direction, he told the Climate Ambition Summit co-convened by the United Nations and the governments of Britain and France.

The Paris Agreement promised to limit temperature rise to as close to 1.5 degrees Celsius as possible. But the commitments made in Paris were far from enough to get there. And even those commitments are not being met, he noted.

"Carbon dioxide levels are at record highs. Today, we are 1.2 degrees hotter than before the industrial revolution. If we don't change course, we may be headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3 degrees this century. Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency?" he asked.

"That is why today I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a state of climate emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached."

Some 38 countries have already done so, recognizing the urgency and the stakes. All other countries should follow, said Guterres. (Xinhua)

Wildlife conservation must continue even with pandemic: Cimatu MANILA: Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said the sighting of a nesting sea turtle in Zambales province is a testimony that the preservation of wildlife in the country must continue even amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Even if we are faced with a difficult situation brought about by the threats of the disease, we must continue to strive to protect and preserve our endangered pawikan (turtle),” Cimatu said in a news release on Tuesday.

He added that the sighting “proves that our efforts are not in vain”.

Cimatu said this incident was “enough to motivate the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to carry on with its task of protecting the environment during these uncertain times”.

The DENR‟s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Olongapo City has received a report that sea turtle laying eggs were spotted at Aplaya Caarusipan Beach Resort in San Antonio town on Nov. 28.

The CENRO immediately sent a team to conduct monitoring and inspection at the site.

Upon inspection, the team identified the sea turtle as an olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) classified as an endangered species under DENR Administrative Order 2019-09 or the Updated National List of Threatened Philippine Fauna and their Categories.

Olongapo City‟s CENR Officer Roger Encarnacion said the nesting site, which is just in front of the beach resort, was “safe from possible destruction from tide.”

“Thankfully, we do not need to relocate the nest to a safer place. But as a precautionary measure, we placed multiple fences made from nets to protect the eggs from possible predators,” Encarnacion said.

Encarnacion said the team will regularly monitor the turtle eggs to protect them from poachers and illegal wildlife traders.

The CENRO will also conduct weekly information, education, and communication (IEC) campaign such as seminars for the concerned local government unit staff and resort employees. (PR)

Iran supports the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty‟s ultimate goal of a “general and complete disarmament” of the world‟s nuclear weapons stocks “under strict and effective international control,” Kazem Gharib Abadi, Iran‟s permanent envoy to Vienna-based international organizations, has said.

“We also strongly believe that stopping all explosive tests of nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosions, as well as ending the quantitative development and qualitative improvement of these weapons, is the first necessary step towards nuclear disarmament,” Gharib Abadi added, his comments cited by Press TV. The Iranian diplomat made the comments at a session of the preparatory commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, a multilateral agreement signed in 1996 banning all nuclear tests in all environments for both civilian and military purposes. The treaty was signed by 184 nations, but has yet to step into force, as the United States, Israel, China, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Iran, and North Korea have yet to either sign or ratify it.

In his remarks, Gharib Abadi went on to criticize the US approach to nuclear nonproliferation, fearing the US could resume nuclear testing activities, thereby undermining international peace and security.

The United States carried out its last nuclear weapons test in September 1992, nearly a year after the end of the Cold War. Earlier this year, US media reported, citing unnamed official sources, that the Trump administration was considering the resumption of military nuclear testing. The reports sparked concern from Russia and China, with the US House of Representatives subsequently adding a provision to the 2021 defence bill to prohibit funding for new nuclear testing.

Iran‟s Nuclear Activities Iran is party to the 1968 Treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and maintains that

its nuclear programme is strictly civilian in nature. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly slammed the US and its Israeli allies over their „expressions of concern‟ about Iran‟s nuclear activities, suggesting the two countries have no right to criticize Iran over a nonexistent nuclear weapons programme while they themselves have access to vast arsenals of nukes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have repeatedly accused Tehran of harbouring ambitions to build a nuclear bomb, and have waged a partially clandestine, partially public campaign of assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and severe sanctions to try to „stop‟ alleged efforts in this direction. The Islamic Republic says it has no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons, or weapons of mass destruction of any kind, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei saying such weapons contradict the tenants of Shia Islam.

On 27 November, Iranian physicist and rocket scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed in a daylight roadside attack on his vehicle about 175 east of Tehran. Iran immediately blamed Israel for the assassination and threat-

ened revenge. The Israeli government made no official comment on the matter, but took measures to brace for retaliation. At the same time, an anonymous Israeli official told the New York Times that Israel should be “thanked” for the killing, claiming Fakhrizadeh was the head of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons programme.

Trump special representative for Iran and Venezuela Elliott Abrams has gone on record praising Israel for “the right to defend itself” with the Fakhrizadeh killing, repeating Israeli claims that “no one knew more” about Iran‟s alleged nuclear activities than the scientist, and suggesting his “departure” (i.e. murder) would “slow them down.”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused Israel of killing Fakhrizadeh in an attempt to destabilize the region and provoke a war with Iran in the final days of Donald Trump‟s “ill-fated” presidency. Rouhani indicated that Iran didn‟t respond because of the importance it puts in regional stability, but also warned that Tehran reserves the right to retaliate at a time and place of its choosing. (https://nation.com.pk/)

Read Most widely read in the Ranao Region