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Late DPWH Director Ibrahim and moral leadership’

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Vol. I, No. 34 | February 5-11, 2021 (Jumad „ul Akhir 23-29, 1442) | 12 Pages

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Sobejana named new AFP chief; BARMM lauds designation By ALI G. MACABALANG

EDITORIAL

World Hijab Day: More Than Just A Celebration of Covering Up

ebruary 1 of every year has recently been observed as World Hijab Day. This year saw the passage of a law that made World Hijab Day an observance in this country. While this is certainly welcome news in the face of increasing Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiments worldwide, still, it would do the ordinary Muslim and Muslimah for that matter, to revisit the hijab and what it means, and its place in the larger scheme of things apart from being part and parcel of Muslim womanhood. (Full Story on Page A6)

A2 BANGSAMORO

BARMM Chief Minister Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim *right+ and then Western Mindanao Command Chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana in a meeting in Cotabato City in August 2019 brokered by the latter for British investor Graham Stewart Elliot *facing back camera+. (File photo) Full Story on Page A9

A5 MINDANAO

A9 PHILIPPINES

A10 MUSLIM WORLD

World Hijab Day: BARMM recognizes Muslim women's modesty, simplicity

MinDA pages DOTC on bottleneck’ along Manila-Davao highway

ICRC lauds Senate approval of Treaty vs. Nuclear Weapons

KSA suspends entry for non-citizens from 20 countries over Covid

The spokesman of the interim Bangsamoro government has bluntly rejected a move by Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman for a midtermreview on the new autonomous entity‟s performance, berating it as a subtle plot to “derail” the snowballing Congressional stride to

CONDUCIVE TO CORRUPTION. Above photo is culled from a video footage by MinDA Chairman Manny Piñol showing long queues of big cargo trucks parked on both sides of the road leading to the ports of Sorsogon-Samar along the Maharlika highway.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has lauded the recent Senate‟s approval of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), saying the action is prelude to making the Philippines one of the world‟s “ratifying states.”

Saudi Arabia has suspended entry to the Kingdom for non-citizens, including diplomats, health practitioners, and their families, from 20 specific countries as it steps up efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

A2 MSU backs BARRM reign, defines ‘moral governance’

OTABATO CITY: The Mindanao State University (MSU) system, through one of its field officials, has assured full support to the establishment of the new autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao starting with its interim governing body called Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA). In a statement of support issued over the weekend, Dr. Anshari P. Ali, chancellor of MSU-General Santos City (GSC) campus, also called for public understanding about the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) amid debates over the issue of extending the BTA lifespan from 2022 to 2025 or beyond. Seven bills – five in the House of Representatives and two in the Senate – have so far been filed to extend the three-year BARMM transitional administration and provide it amble time to complete its mandates in building a meaningful autonomous bureaucracy that can effectively address the vestiges of armed conflicts known as ―Mindanao problem.‖ Six of the bills seek to postpone the first election of 80 regular BARMM parliament members in 2022. Chancellor Ali said there may be ―gray areas‖ in the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) or R.A. 11054 that established BARMM, just like laws that founded the MSU system in 1960 and expanded it eventually across Mindanao. ―There is no perfect human law. But continuing cohesive efforts can improve the BOL for the betterment of people long suffering from adversities and inadequacies spawned by human-induced and natural circumstances,‖ said Ali, a Shari‘ah lawyer. Laws are basically made to improve conditions of people in specific communities and generation, but they ―become effective only when faithfully implemented in governances,‖ according Ali, who finished his master‘s degree in Islamic studies at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He said BARMM and MSU have common ―peculiar‖ objectives focused on improving life among constituent Muslim, Christian and lumad sectors in southern Philippines, differing only in scopes of missions. The BARMM entity seeks to institute reforms needed for efficacious governance in the Bangsamoro community that is conducive to refined political, cultural, social and economic activities, while the MSU system bids to produce quality education as an instrument to shape a similar ideal human condition. ―BARMM stands as a lone region given autonomy with regular block grants to implement initiatives aimed at bringing its constituents at par with progressive regions in the country. MSU is also peculiar in its special mandate to integrate the cultural minorities, especially Muslims into the mainstream of the nation‘s socio-cultural and political life by providing them with opportunities for quality and relevant public education for their betterment,‖ Ali said. He said Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders and supporters ―should be given the chance to prove worth in their initial stewardship of BARMM.‖ Dr. Ali underscored the need for ―public support in the leadership of MILF Chairman Hadji Murad Ebrahim as interim BARMM chief minister, especially in his campaign for ‗moral governance‘ amid some skeptics.‖ ‗Moral governance‘ definition The MSU official, who rose to academic hierarchy against setbacks of orphanage at young age in Lanao del Sur, cited Chief Minister Ebrahim for premising his administration‘s initial operations on ‗moral governance‘ that made him the ―first Muslim leader to openly declare such a herculean commitment.‖ For public understanding, Dr. Ali defined ―moral governance‖ as a leadership form ―requiring individual self-discipline as prelude to social reforms and advancement.‖ ―Theologically speaking, moral governance is founded on the concept of Khilafah (vicegerency) as stated in a verse in the Qur‘an verse, in which

The Bangsamoro

Vol. I, No. 34 | February 5-11, 2021 (Jumad ‘ul Akhir 23-29, 1442)

World Hijab Day: BARMM recognizes Muslim women's modesty, simplicity By BANGSAMORO INFORMATION OFFICE

OTABATO CITY: To recognize Muslim women who proudly wear hijab around the globe, the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC) led the observance of World Hijab Day in the region on Monday. This is in line with House Bill 8249, which "declares Feb. 1 of each year as National Hijab Day and promote national awareness of the Muslim tradition of wearing a hijab". Monday's event, which was participated by BARMM key officials and employees from the different ministries, agencies, and offices, carries the theme "Don't let our pride be your prejudice" and with the hashtag #EndHijabopho bia. BWC chairperson Bainon Karon said the occasion aims to encourage every Bangsamoro women to wear hijab; to end discrimination against women wearing hijab; and to protect freedom and practice of religion. "Let us unite and help each other in advocating the importance of wearing hijab and promote simplicity amongst Bangsamoro women," she added. The Member of Parliament also said that the event is not a celebration, rather an act of

acknowledgement to the Muslim women that faces discrimination around the world. Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim said, "ang hijab ay hindi lamang isang uri ng kultura ng mga babaeng Muslim, kundi may kasamang obligasyon o pananampalataya sa Islam." "Sa ating pananampalataya, may mas malawak na kahulugan ang hijab--saklaw nito ang kahinhinan, disiplina, at kabuuan ng pagiging isang tunay na Muslim, hindi lamang sa pamamagitan ng pananamit ngunit higit

Allah says: Inni jailun fil ardhi khalifa (verily I will make a representative to the Earth,‖ said Ali, who holds a doctorate in Islamic Civilization at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), International Islamic University in Malaysia. While God is the King of the Universe, the soul is deemed as king over human-body representing God. Being God‘s vicegerent, the main task of the soul-king is to enforce God‘s commandment over its human-body first, prior to ruling the affairs of the society, he said. ―The first trial for moral governance of the soul-king is one‘s leadership over his human body. If he failed to govern himself, he is expected to fail in governing other persons or reforming the affairs of his domain. In the human body kingdom lie entities called five external senses and five internal senses,‖ he explained. He said the five external senses include the power of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touch-feeling, while the internal senses are the faculties of common sense, power of thought, power of imagination, power of memory and power of judgment. The internal and external senses often translate to like and dislike, which usually evolve to desire leading to greed and disgust leading to hatred, respectively, when the beholders failed to moderate them, Ali said. Desire and anger lie in the heart of every person. The heart is the temple of goodness and badness, which reflect godliness and impiety (evil), respectively. God sent down guidance to mankind through His prophets/ messengers to profess and exemplify His commandments towards piety, he said. As a trial for human piety (submission to God), Satan has been allowed to mislead mankind towards the opposite (impiety), tempting people to the glitters of

lalo sa gawa at salita," he added. Meanwhile, Bangsamoro Grand Mufti Abuhuraira Udasan addressed some concerns on the observance of world hijab day, noting that such occasion is [somewhat] an innovation or bid'ah. The Mufti responded, ―I hope that everyday will be hijab day, so that everyday, our Muslim women will use [and wear] hijab.‖ Wearing hijab is a divine obligation of woman since thousand years ago. It is meant to cover the body, especially the head, so that

all eyes and suspicions are removed from the woman who wears hijab. Islam has strongly emphasized the concept of decency and modesty in the interaction between members of the opposite sex; and dress code is a part of that overall teaching. Various women organizations from Maguindanao and Cotabato City also attended the event. They wore black abayas (long dress) and old rose-colored hijabs as symbol of peace, modesty, and unity in the week-long recognition. BIO

worldly comforts, and swaying them to develop desires into greed and dislikes to hatred. Greed manifests in profuse desire for something exceeding one‘s needs, while hatred is revealed in one‘s excessive dislike of people, things and affairs in his environment, Dr. Ali hinted. He said this theory is interpreted in a Hadith, which says that when the heart is contaminated by greed and hatred, the beholder destroys himself, his household, other people around him, and later the society. God revealed Suratul Asr (103rd chapter in the Qur‘an):―By Al-‘Asr (the time). Verily, man is in [deep] loss, except for those who believe and do good deeds, urge one another to the truth and urge one another to patience,‖ he said. This surah opens with admonition to humankind. Allah (s.w.t.) takes an oath by ―time‖ and declares that humankind is in a state of loss. Every single human being, man or woman, is in a state of loss except those who strive and do four things; believe, do righteous deeds, and recommend one another to truth, and to sabr (observe patience). Sabr is one of four principal traits of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) bequeathed to his followers starting from his four caliphs (vicegerents). The three other traits are sukhr (contentment and gratefulness to whatever God provides), fikr (utmost concern for oneself, community and environment), and Zikr (constant remembrance of God). Desire and anger, being instinct in every person, are effectively moderated and prevented from turning to greed and hatred when one lives by the four Islamic traits, Dr. Ali said. ALI G. MACABALANG

Across BARMM

Vol. I, No. 34 | February 5-11, 2021 (Jumad ‘ul Akhir 23-29, 1442)

AFP willing to help arrest ex-cops in Jolo shooting – SND By ALI G. MACABALANG

OTABATO CITY: Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has offered military assistance in the arrest of nine police elements not at large after dismissal from service for involvement in the killing of four Army intelligence operatives in June 2020, saying though that the Philippine National Police (PNP) remains having the main responsibility. ―If they (local police) need AFP‘s (Armed Forces of the Philippines)‘s help, they will get it,‖ was quoted as saying in a story published by the Philippine News Agency (PNA) last month. While dismayed with the PNP‘s earlier decision to release the nine cops to the custody of their families and lawyers due to the absence of an arrest warrant, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. (File) Lorenzana noted that police officers for four cused. PNP chief Gen. the police just gave itself counts of murder as well Debold Sinas earlier apadditional work in doing as planting of evidence proved the dismissal in the June 29, 2020 inci- from service of the nine so. ―Yes, but the PNP dent, which had initially police officers. just gave themselves spawned irritants beAccording to pubadditional work. They tween military and police lished reports, the nine will be the ones to serve hierarchies and prompt- cops mistook Army intelthe warrants and make ed a Senate inquiry. ligence operative Maj. the arrest,‖ he said. The nine dismissed Marvin A. Indammog, Lorenzana added cops were named as 39; Capt. Irwin B. Mathat the Department of Senior M/Sgt. Ab- naguelod, 33; Sgt. Jaime the Interior and Local delzhimar Padjiri, M/Sgt. M. Velasco, 38, and Cpl. Government (DILG) had Hanie Baddiri, S/Sgt. Abdal Asula, 33, as illetold him that the PNP Iskandar Susulan, S/Sgt. gal drug peddlers. was forced to release Ernisar Sappal, Cpl. The four soldiers these police officers as Sulki Andaki, Pat. Moh were conducting intellithey were already dis- Nur Pasani, S/Sgt. Al- gence and monitoring missed from the service. mudzrin Hadjaruddin, operations against two Earlier, a panel of Pat. Alkajal Mandangan, suspected suicide bombprosecutors of the De- and Pat. Rajiv Putalan. ers when gunned down partment of Justice The prosecution pan- by the nine Jolo police (DOJ) found probable el also did not recom- officers, reports said. cause to indict the nine mend bail for the acThe killing of the four

soldiers had caused the transfer to the Regional Police OfficeBangsamoro Autonomous Region (PROBAR) headquarters in Maguindanao of P/Lt. Col. Walter Annayo, who was at that time the Jolo town police chief. The transfer happened at the height of the Senate inquiry on the incident. On Nov. 1, 2020, Lt. Col. Annayo was shot dead while alighting from his car to buy something from a roadside store along Sultan Mastura town in Maguindanao by armed men aboard a sports utility vehicle, according to a report from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the PRO-BAR. The CIDG-BAR reported recently it had filed murder case against two suspects in the killing of Annayo on Jan. 29, naming them as Rasul Nahang Radja and Nara Kagatan Asula in a case before the provincial prosecutors‘ office here. AGM

NorCot police joins bandwagon on argument for anti-terror law KIDAPAWAN CITY: The provincial police force of North Cotabato has joined the bandwagon of support for state‘s oral argument before the Supreme Court on the implementation of R.A. 11479 or the Anti-Terror Law (ATL), joining hands with organized constituent-youths in fighting terrorism and illegal drugs menace as well. Law enforcers including municipal and city police chiefs and leaders of the Kabataan Kontra Druga at Terrorismo (KKDT) converged in Barangay Amas here, and tackled ways and means to ensure cohesive strides against organized crimes, notably illegal drugs and terrorism, Provincial Police Director Col. Henry Villar

said in a statement. Col. Villar said his Police Community Affairs Development Unit lectured on the effects of illegal drugs and the threats of terrorism, while Sarah Joy Simblante – youth representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan – explained ways of harnessing organized youths like the KKDT in cohesive campaigns by police and military establishments. Invited lecturers also discussed Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco‘s CARE (Coronavirus, Awareness, Response and Empowerment) program meant for the youth to be knowledgeable in the advent of the pandemic and educate their parents at home, said Dep-

uty Provincial Police Director Col. Rodolfo Inoy Jr. and City Director Ramel Hojilla. The policesponsored event here jived with the rally on Feb. 1 in Manila of the League of Parents of the Philippines, Liga Independencia Pilipinas, Sulong Maralita, Youth for Peace and Development, HandsOff Our Children, and Yakap ng mga Magulang that are rallying state lawyers in justifying the legality of ATL. Warrantless arrests The ATL, which repealed R.A. 9372 (Human Security Act of 2007), seeks the detention of suspected terrorists for up to 24 days with no warrant of arrest, and allows the police or the military to

conduct 60-day surveillance with 30-day extension on suspected terrorists. The law‘s Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), drafted by the Department of Justice, were approved by the AntiTerrorism Council last October. It also imposes a 12year jail term on a person who voluntarily or knowingly joins a terrorist organization. Solicitor General Jose Calida reportedly said earlier the ATL was already in effect even if the IRR was not yet crafted and approved. Calida, citing precedent cases previously decided on by the Supreme Court, said laws are not contingent on the implementing rules. Opposing petitions

MNLF camp dismantled, Marines to take over

OTABATO CITY: Field members and supporters of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have demolished a ―new‖ MNLF camp in a village in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi following a dialog jointly initiated by provincial executives and military officials on the heels of complaints from native residents, the Western Mindanao Command (WMC) announced. The provincial government, in coordination with the WMC Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi, has‖ successfully settled an emerging security concern in the province on January 28, 2021,‖ according to a WMC statement furnished with the Philippine Muslim Today online news. By ―security concern,‖ the statement was referring to the reported establishment of a camp by the MNLF in Barangay Lakit-Lakit, Bongao town starting in 2018. ―The camp, which is accessible by boat, has become a serious security concern (in) Bongao due to the continuous construction of perimeter houses and reported presence of people from outside Tawi-Tawi,‖ the statement said. For Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., WMC commanding general, ―the setting up of a camp by the MNLF caused alarm to the residents‖ and was illegal. ―This (new camp) is a clear violation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (with) the government,‖ Vinluan said. He said the military officials and civilian authorities led by Tawi-Tawi Governor Yshmael Sali initiated diplomatic steps including a series of dialogs with the local MNLF people involved in the camp construction. ―We disallow the establishment of camps except those by legitimate security forces like the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police here in Tawi-Tawi,‖ Gov. Sali was quoted as saying in a latest dialog. Sali reportedly added: ―We have observed that the compliance (with the agreed demolition) was slow. Thus on Jan. 27, 2021, we conducted another dialogue to compel the MNLF leadership to dismantle the camp immediately.‖ The unnamed local MNLF members opted to fully dismantle their structures on Jan. 29, Gen. Vinluan said. Brig. Gen. Arturo Rojas, head of the Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi, said he and his troops witnessed the demotion works, adding they ―will establish a temporary marine post in the area to ensure safety and security of the people.‖ ―Diplomacy has prevailed in the name of peace, cooperation, understanding, and strong relationships and this is attributable to the good convergence among the local chief executives, other stakeholders, and the security sector,‖ Gen. Rojas was quoted as pointing out in the WMC statement. ALI G. MACABALANG At least 37 petitions have been filed before the High Tribunal by opposition groups and individuals questioning the validity of the law. At the Feb. 2 state oral arguments‘ hearing, Zambales-based Aeta tribesmen Japer Gurung and Junior Ramos filed a pleading to the Supreme Court asking to join the 37 petitions seeking to void the law. Gurung and Ramos narrated to the High Tribunal their ordeal – allegedly 6 days of brutal and

inhumane torture in the hands of the military to admit membership with the New People‘s Army, a published report said. They were accused of firing at reconnaissance soldiers of the Army‘s 7th Infantry Division on August 21, 2020, resulting in the death of Sgt. Rudil Dilao. They were charged and jailed under Section 4(a) of the ATL or ―acts intended NORCOT | A7

A4 2 suspects in slay of Jolo police ex-chief sued in Maguindanao

Across Mindanao

Vol. I, No. 34 | February 5-11, 2021 (Jumad ‘ul Akhir 23-29, 1442)

Solons, execs want Cotabato-born agri project extended By ALI G. MACABALANG

IDAPAWAN CITY – Lawmakers and national executives are pushing for extension to 2028 of the North Cotabato-born national Special Area for Agriculture Development (SAAD) program, citing its positive impacts among marginal farmers and fishermen amid challenges aggravated by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Police Lt. Col. Walter Annayo in Senate inquiry. (File)

COTABATO CITY The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR) has filed murder against two suspects in the slay of a controversial Jolo police ex-chief last Nov. 21 in Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao. CIDG-BAR N investigators named the suspects as Rasul Nahang Radja and Nara Kagatan Asula in a charged sheet filed on Friday, Jan. 29 before the office here of Maguindanao Provincial Prosecutor Rohaira ―Kookai‖ Lao, it was learned. The fatality, P/Lt. Col. Walter Annayo, alighted from his car to buy something at a store along Barangay Macabiso in Sultan Mastura town while on his way to the PRO-BAR headquarters from here when gunmen aboard a sports utility vehicle arrived, approached him and opened fire last Nov. 1, reports attributed to the CIDGBAR said The CIDG-BARM is a key player in the Special Investigation Task Group Annayo created by the Bangsamoro regional police office to probe and build a case on the killing of the 41-year old police official. Annayo, a native of Baguio City, was police chief of Jolo, Sulu when nine subordinate-policemen shot dead on June 29, 2020 four agents of the Philippine Army‘s Intelligence Service Unit they reportedly construed as lawless men.

As this developed, Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chair Manny Piñol posted a statement Wednesday to thank proponent lawmakers and cabinet officials, even as SAAD field workers in the south heralded updates on the positive impacts of various SAAD packages of assistance on rural communities. ―This is a proud moment for me as a rural development advocate that the SAAD Program which I designed way back when I was Governor of North Cotabato is now acknowledged as an effective poverty alleviation program,‖ Pinol said in his post that went viral in the social media. Matalam, North Cotabato vice Mayor Cheryl Valdevieso-Catamco alongside SAAD workers Anisa M. Saaduddin and Ryan Colonia discussed over a radio station here specific people and villages‘ improved livelihood experiences under the special program pursued nationwide by Piñol in 2016 when he was agriculture secretary. The program‘s lifespan ends in

Rep. Elisa Kho, MinDA Chairman Manny Pinol (Photo supplied) House Resolution 1421 filed by Masbate Rep. Elisa ―Olga‖ Kho extending the SAAD lifespan from 2023 to 2028 for it to further address poverty incidence in the countryside, said Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento, group leader, and Party-list Rep. Alfred Delos Santos, vice chair of the committee. In their initial virtual hearing, Reps. Sarmiento, Kho and Delos Santos corroborated the views of DWSD Sec. Rolando Bautista, PSAPoverty and Human Development Statistics Division Chief Bernadette Balamban, and NEDA officials acknowledging the potentials of the SAAD program in

dences in rural areas. Sec. Bautista earlier told the committee through a letter that the extension of the implementation of the SAAD beyond 2022 ―will further help the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors who are greatly affected by the pandemic.‖ Balamban, for her part, said: ―The extension will assist those living in rural areas and those relying on the agricultural sector. There is a need to reach out to them, especially as the country continues to face the impacts of pandemic.‖ Under HR No. 1421, Kho urged the House leadership to extend the implementation of

helping alleviate poverty incidence compounded in the COVID-9 pandemic and by the aftermaths of strong typhoons Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses. Kho, chair of the House Committee on Rural Development, and other discussants welcomed the TWG formation to perfect the SAAD implementation mechanisms in order to optimize projects‘ impacts on farmers and fishing people who are among those who have the highest poverty inci-

the DA‘s SAAD program for six years from 2023 to 2028, noting that introduced in 2016 and implemented in 2017 for five years ending in 2022. Kho and fellow lawmakers said the SAAD program deserves sufficient period of time and commensurate budget to amplify its workforce quantity and efficiency. Born in North Cotabato In his related post, Sec. Piñol narrated the evolution of the SAAD program.

The death of the four Army intelligence operatives caused irritants between police and military camps, leading to a Senate inquiry led by former PNP Chief-turned-Senator Ronald ―Bato‖ Dela Rosa. While the Senate probe was in progress, Camp Crame transferred Annayo to the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit of the Parang, Maguindanao-based Camp S.K. Pendatun headquarters of PRO-BAR. Reports said respondents Radja and Asula were suspected also as illegal drug traffickers, even as some observers suggested that their names sounded like immigrants from the island provinces of the autonomous region. Brig. Gen. Samuel Rodriguez, police director for the Bangsamoro region, was quoted Saturday as lauding the CIDG-BAR for complying with its duty of identifying Annayo‘s assassins and filing the corresponding criminal suit. The CIDG-BAR was reportedly validating the identities of five other persons implicated in Annayo‘s murder. ALI G. MACABALANG

2022. The House Committee on Rural Development has formed a technical working group (TWG) to fine-tune a proposal for the Department of Agriculture to continue the SAAD program, with the endorsements of the National Economic Development Authority, Philippine Statistics Authority, and Department of Social Welfare and Development. The TWG started deliberating on Jan. 25

He said he conceived and implemented the focal program when was governor in North Cotabato from1998 to 2007. Aimed at serving communities with ―sink holes‖ marked by high poverty incidence, Piñol piloted the project in Arakan, Magpet and Antipas and Arakan, all towns in North Cotabato known for presence of communist insurgents recruiting innocent residents with persuasive narratives about impoverishment. ―When I became Secretary of Agriculture (in 2016), I introduced SAAD as a program of the DA which identified 10 poorest provinces every year (to be) given additional livelihood intervention,‖ he said. He said his ―original proposal was to fund P1billion worth of projects for each of the 10 provinces every year to fully emancipate farmers and fishing people, who are feeding the nation but receiving dismal government support. ―The program was given only P100-M per province but it nevertheless posted dramatic effects in reducing poverty through agricultural production and capability building,‖ he recalled. SAAD interventions were supposed to cover 60 provinces by the end of President Duterte‘s term in 2022, but the momentum diminished when Sec. Piñol resigned after the passage of some provisions of the Rice Tarrification Law (ATL) he deemed affront to the welfare of farmers, SOLONS | C2

Across Mindanao

Vol. I, No. 34 | February 5-11, 2021 (Jumad ‘ul Akhir 23-29, 1442)

MinDA pages DOTC attention on ‘bottleneck’ Late DPWH Director Ibrahim along Manila-Davao highway and moral leadership’ By ALI G. MACABALANG

Punchline

IDAPAWAN CITY: Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Chair Manny Piñol has appealed to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to look into the “bottleneck” affecting truckers and travellers along the ferryboatsserved Sorsogon-Samar segment of the Maharlika (Manila-Davao) highway.

ALI G. MACABALANG

Above photo is culled from a video footage by MinDA Chairman Manny Piñol showing long queues of big cargo trucks parked on both sides of the road leading to the ports of Sorsogon-Samar along the Maharlika highway. In his Facebook post on Wednesday, Sec. Piñol particularly called on his ―friend‖ DOTC Secretary Arturo Tugade to remedy the ―lack of ferry boats and vessels crossing the San Bernardino Channel from Matnog, Sorsogon to Allen, Samar and back‖ – a situation the MinDA chief described as conducive to ―corruption.‖ Piñol coupled his post with his video of long queues of winged cargo trucks parked on both sides of the road leading to the Matnog-Allen ports. The MinDA chief‘s post gave credence to earlier complaints on the same route

segment by a group of Bangsamoro traders travelling along with medium trucks loaded with big volumes of face masks they donated for constituents of the autonomous region in the early days of the Coronavirus pandemic in the country. ―Trucks carrying commodities and perishable goods have to wait for long hours and sometimes a day or two just to be accommodated,‖ said Piñol, who travelled the Manila-Davao route by land on Tuesday. ―In situations like this, corruption sets in,‖ Piñol said, hinting at possibilities of truckers opting to offer bribes

to pass through on time. He pointed out that ―many of these trucks carry live hogs, fish and other (perishable) agricultural products needed by consumers in Metro Manila.‖ ―Any delay or greasing of palms (bribes giving) means added cost in bringing the goods to the market and this is passed on to the consumers,‖ Piñol stressed. ―Yan ang isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit mataas ang presyo ng mga bilihin sa Manila.‖ ―I am calling on my friend, Transportation Secretary Art Tugade to please act on this problem,‖ he said. AGM AGM

Barangay Chairman, 3 others killed in Basilan ambush BASILAN: A barangay chairman and three of his companions died Saturday afternoon after being gunned down by unidentified armed men in the municipality of Tipo-Tipo in Basilan province, the military said on Sunday. Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command, identified the slain barangay chairman as Bin Saudi Sarakil of Brgy. Matata, Ungkaya Pukan. The three other victims were not named. Vinluan said Sarakil and his companions were coming from Lamitan City and were traversing the road along Sitio Bacud, Brgy. Banah in TipoTipo on board a red Honda Civic car when they were fired upon by unknown assailants.

By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

AMBUSHED CAR: A Honda Civic car of Barangay Chairman Bin Saudi Sarakil of Barangay Matata, Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan who was killed in an ambush with three others while traversing the road along Sitio Bacud, Tipo-Tipo from Lamitan City. (Contributed Photo)

―Our troops from the 18th Infantry Battalion immediately responded to the area and went after the fleeing lawless elements,‖ Vinluan added. Pursuit operation is continuously being conducted. Joint Task Force Basilan Commander Col. Domingo Gobway said the victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds on the different parts of their bodies that caused their instantaneous death. ―We are still conducting the in-depth investigation in coordination with our police counterparts from the Lamitan City and Tipo-Tipo stations to identify the perpetrators and the motive of the incident,‖ Gobway added. JIJ

he “Moral Governance” (MG) that the Bangsamoro government is espousing to achieve has faced skepticisms from the people including Moro professionals either residing in the region or concerned with the evolution of new autonomy. Critics have painted the regional MG slogan with a dismal prospect for realization if not next to impossible. I argue that skepticism or pessimism is affront to a Persian adage: ―He who does not hope to win has already lost.‖ Moral leadership in contemporary life is not a far-fetched dream because the late Hadji Mastor Ibrahim, who served as regional director for over a decade of the graft-laden Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), had successfully lived by and exemplified it. Fact 1: In the advent of the Marcos Martial Law regime, a Moro politician known for unprecedented influence to the deposed ―dictator,‖ went to the office of then DPWH (MPWH) Secretary (Minister) Jesus Hipolito and asked for the replacement of Ibrahim by another Moro engineer allied with him. Hipolito rejected the request, telling the politico that ―Ibrahim is the most honest regional director his ministry has.‖ The influential politico, obviously not used to rejection of his requests, smashed the minister‘s glass table with a clenched fist. The politico went to Marcos and mentioned his experience with Hipolito. The late President reportedly also told his influential leader in Mindanao: ―Request something else.‖ Hence, the late Ibrahim continued to serve as regional director until his retirement, without having a personal car with a simple house he built for his family constructed out of bank loan plus personal incomes. Fact 2: One day Ibrahim left his sick wife at a hospital in Manila and went home to Mindanao to seek loan to pay the bills of his spouse. When he returned to hospital, the billing section told him the bills were already settled by somebody he later recognized a contractor. He asked the contract: ―Retrieve your money if you want to maintain a link with my office.‖ With his order heeded by the donor-contractor, Ibrahim paid the bills out of his fresh bank loan. Fact 3: My late wife was sick at home and a friend doctor prescribed medicines worth P800. I went to Director Ibrahim and confided my dilemma of incapacity to buy the medicine. He pulled out his wallet and picked one of three 50-peso bills and gave it to me, saying: ―Orak (little brother), please accept this (P50) as ikhlas aid from available money earned honestly.‖ But he advised me to drop by at the offices of his two assistant regional directors for possible help. I did as instructed and the two ARDs gave me P1,000 cash each. Fact 4: A son of Ibrahim had a conversation on recess time with two classmates, who happened to be children of district engineers under the honest director. The two classmates asked Ibrahim‘s son: ―Why do come to school alone with a car transporting you…when your daddy is the boss of our fathers?‖ When the son confronted his son, Ibrahim could just say: ―Your daddy is living by amanah (honesty) ordained by Allah (God) for all mankind.‖ In a nutshell, it is not true that ―moral leadership‖ cannot happen nowadays. The real problem is many public officials do not live by the commandments of God. „Moral Governance‟ definition Dr. Anshari P. Ali, current chancellor of the Mindanao State University-General Santos City (MSU-GSC) campus, who also looks up to the late Engineer Ibrahim as an icon of morality in public service, defined ―moral leadership‖ in a statement sent to this columnist. ―Theologically speaking, moral governance is founded on the concept of Khilafah (vicegerency) as stated in a verse in the Qur‘an verse, in which Allah says: Inni jailun fil ardhi khaMACABALANG | A7

Editorial

Vol. I, No. 34 | February 5-11, 2021 (Jumad ‘ul Akhir 23-29, 1442)

DATU YUSOPH B. MAMA Chairman, Board of Trustees DEAN 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

editorial

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 ATTY. BAYAN G. BALT BENJ BANGAHAN, M.D., FPCP, FPCCP ATTY. JUAN PONCE ENRILE JOHNNY R. LEE, Ph.D ATTY. NASSER A. MAROHOMSALIC FILEMON G. ROMERO, Ph.D ATTY. MEHOL K. SADAIN DR. ABDUL HANNAN M. TAGO

World Hijab Day: More Than Just A Celebration of Covering Up

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Front page of PHILIPPINE MUSLIM TODAY previous issue.

Religious significance aside, hijab is a loaded term, replete with a plethora of meanings for those who wear and/or encounter it. For the majority who wear it, it is fulfilling the commandment of modesty, a symbol of protection that the woman in Islam is entitled to. For others, it has become a political statement; for others it is a symbol of dissent. Others see it as a symbol of empowerment in a male-dominated public sphere, while for those unfamiliar with it, a token of oppression. Still others see it as a mere piece of clothing having not much of a significance beyond its utilitarian function. This then would take us to a discussion of why would people celebrate World Hijab Day at all. Would observing this day make tangible and lasting changes to Muslim women’s, and indeed, all women’s lives as a whole? This, considering that in many places, more so in less developed countries, women are still being begrudged their basic human rights, hijab or no hijab, that their contributions to their communities are still being discounted, whether they wear a hijab or not. While those who do celebrate on Feb 1 do have their reasons for doing so, for many women, it must be remembered that in many contexts and many places, there is still a long way to go before even the women who do wear the hijab can honestly say that their lives, even at the basic level, have become better and that they have been given the God-given justice that they so deserve. Let World Hijab Day then not just be merely a celebration of what it means to be covered up in a headscarf, niqab, kumbong, and what have you. Let it also be a reminder that Muslim women, and all women for that matter, still have a long way to go in terms of having their existence and contributions to their society and their country genuinely recognized and validated. Let World Hijab Day be a reminder of the need to counter not just hijabiphobia, but Islamophobia as well. Let it be a reminder to Muslims as well of Islam’s true supportive stance towards womenkind. Let World Hijab Day resonate more meaningfully among everyone so it does not remain a mere day to be ticked off the calendar every first day of February. PMT

Opinion

Ijtihad MEHOL K. SADAIN

ducation is a cherished legacy for its enlightening and empowering role in charactermolding and nationbuilding. As such, the Constitution mandates the State to “protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all”. [Art. XIV, Sec. 1, 1987 Constitution] In addition, the Constitution guarantees the ―enjoyment‖ of ―academic freedom‖ by ―all institutions of higher learning‖. [Art. XIV, Sec. 5(a)] The Constitution does not discriminate as to ownership (public or private) or ranking in academic accomplishments. Neither does

the Constitution require an agreement between the State and institutions of higher learning for the State to recognize and protect the exercise of academic freedom by these institutions. An agreement is in fact, a surplusage, and its existence works more as a protective privilege rather than a requisite right. Hence, when universities like UP and PUP have this kind of agreement, the issue is not about protection because it is already ordained by the Constitution, and enforceable by the courts. Rather, it is about State restraint on campus activities and personalities, and its corresponding regulation. If this were a contractual relationship, the obligor or grantor of benefit is the State,

Batanes to Tawi-Tawi

Vol. I, No. 34 | February 5-11, 2021 (Jumad ‘ul Akhir 23-29, 1442)

PROTECTING HIGHER LEARNING

(Part III of our discourse on Academic Freedom) while the obligee or recipient of benefit, is the university. A contract, however, should be a ―give and take‖ relationship. In exchange for the recognition of a right and privilege by the grantor State, the State should also be able to expect a commensurate discharge of responsibility from the recipient university. It is a responsibility that should help rather than thwart the tasks of the State in serving and protecting the people (Art. II, Sec. 4, 1987 Constitution). This should be the proper framing of the agreement between UP and the Department of National Defense (DND) that the latter abrogated on the basis of a perception that the campus is being used as a recruitment ground by what the DND considers as enemies of the State, and the agreement is abetting the

same. If UP is to fairly object to the unilateral abrogation of the agreement by DND, then it should not also insist on a unilateral interpretation and disposition of the same, without acknowledging a symbiotic responsibility to the State. As the saying goes, it takes two to tango; and it is not only about the dancers, it is also about them dancing to the same tune. If and when the two parties are able to sit down to resolve the conflict and mutually reinstate the agreement, they must do so on the common constitutional parameters of (1) ensuring quality education, (2) protecting individual rights and (3) promoting State and public interests. The right to quality education is based on positive norms and values that are natural rights by them-

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 COVID19 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.

selves, while the protection of individual rights is an enshrined prerogative of man in a civilized society, and the promotion of State and public interests is the pursuit of the common good aided by the police power of the State. All three can exist side by side, as rights and powers must always stand in complementary unity. A neglect of one by highlighting the other two will result in an aberration that can only frustrate the noble ideals of governance and statehood. There are no unbridled rights or powers, for only God possesses these prerogatives. This is the same God we implore in the constitutional preamble to build a just and humane society and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations. MKS

Is COVID-19 vaccine from China effective and safe?

JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

Amid few doubts on the 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 Secre-

tary to submit documents 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/ Suggestions please send your email to munir1845media@gmail.com

NORCOT | from Page A3

NorCot police joins bandwagon on argument for anti-terror law to cause death or serious bodily injury to any person, or endangers a person‘s life,‖ reports said. But Gurung and Ramos, a Rappler report said, argued that ―they were evacuating their homes to avoid being caught in crossfire when they

were arrested by the military‖ at Sitio Lumibao, Barangay Buhawen, San Marcelino, Zambales. They said the military trespassed on their ancestral land, the news entity added. The duo ―were held for six days, during which they were interrogated

and repeatedly mauled while being forced to admit membership with the New People‘s Army (NPA),‖ said the petition, signed by the National Union of Peoples‘ Lawyers (NUPL), who also represents other groups of petitioners, the online report said.

It added that the petition accused the soldiers of planting explosives, ammunition, and subversive documents. Petitioners questioning the ATL legality are led by former Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz. ALI G. MACABALANG

Opinion

Diliman Way HOMOBONO A. ADAZA “The Constitution is an experiment as all life is an experiment. Every year, if not every day, we have to wager our salvation on some prophesy based on imperfect knowledge.” -Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act.” – Justice Robert Jackson

he present Cory Aquino Constitution needs to amended, nay revised, – for the right reason. It is probably the worst Constitution ever written in this country. Why? It violates the fundamentals of a good Constitution –brief in form, broad in scope and clear in meaning. To borrow the language of our mentors in the UP College of Law, it should not have the prolixity of a Code which means – it should not be so detailed as to possibly cover every imaginable situation. Brief in form: The reason for this is – a Constitution must be designed to be read and understood by every citizen. It is not just made for lawyers, scholars, legislators, judges, Presidents and public officials. It is for all the citizens of the country. That is why it must be short so everyone can read and understand it at the shortest time possible. It being the fundamental law – every citizen should know how to act consistent with it and when it is violated by other citizens, especially by public officials, he should call the attention of the violators. The Cory Aquino is like a Code – it is quite long. Even lawyers get tired reading it because it so lengthy. They also have a difficult time understanding it – more so with the simple citizen. Broad in scope: A Constitution is not just formulated for a day, a year or a decade. It is made for all time, thus the words used must be broad to cover all possible emergent circumstances. One example is the Jeffersonian approach in the American Declaration of Independence – ―We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to

secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.‖. More examples are the following terms- due process, equal protection of the law, human rights, social justice, independent foreign policy, sovereignty, democratic, republican which could encompass many specific situation under changing times and circumstances. Clear in meaning: The provisions of the Constitution must be understood by the most simple-minded citizen. This is one of the primary reasons why the words used must be clear in meaning – to avoid unnecessary debate and dispute. Under rules of constitutional and statutory construction when the words used are clear – there is no need for interpretation. And if there is no room for interpretation, there will be no cause for trouble. Wrong reasons: The administration wants the Constitution amended for the wrong reasons – the economic provisions and the abolition of the party list. Tinkering with the economic provisions is suicidal. It will open the floodgates to foreigners whose only purpose of coming into the country is to make profits. They don‘t care what happens to our country and our people. They just want a high return of investments. We need them like a hole in the head. Why give them the right to own businesses like telecommunications – radio, television, newspapers, and tele-

Vol. I, No. 34 | February 5-11, 2021 (Jumad ‘ul Akhir 23-29, 1442)

Wrong Reasons, Wrong Time For Charter Change phone companies with the same rights as Filipino citizens? Why allow them to exploit our national resources with the same rights as Filipino citizens? Why allow them to own industries which are only for Filipino citizens? Communication corporations involve influence and control of how Filipinos and government think and operate. These are businesses which can be used to spy on government and private individuals and institutions. These corporations can bring trouble to government and Filipino owned businesses. Their potential for causing trouble to our country and our people are unlimited. Why give them this opportunity to do us tremendous harm? Exploitation of natural resources should be exclusively limited to Filipinos. Why? Like mining and several such activities, the foreigners don‘t give a damn on whether they harm the environment and exhaust the resources to their own benefit – at our expense. It is just a question of money, money and more money for them. So why give them more money when we are the ones who need money? Why don‘t they invest in their own countries? Foreign directed: Many of the investors come from China. As usual, they are aligned with Communist government policy to advance Chinese hegemony all over the world. It is bad enough we allow Chinese to conduct huge electronic gambling operations in the Philippines. Electronic gambling is illegal in People‘s Republic of China (PRC). So what PRC considers illegal, it dumps in the Philippines just like what Japan and Canada do in dumping their garbage in the Philippines. In the case of the electronic gambling Chinese operations, it has also brought more problems – entry of more than three thousand members of the People‘s Liberation Army (PLA) in the guise of POGO workers, according to the undisputed claim of Senator Ping Lacson; entry of Chinese illegal workers who pay Bureau of Immigration (BID) officials and employees at the NAIA

expensive bribe money known as pastillas; and, of course, as conduits in the spread of Xi Jin Ping‘s China corona virus, not to speak of bringing into the country Chinese women of pleasure, according to media reports. Another wrong reason: Listening to DOF Secretary Dominguez and DTI Secretary Lopez, the audience is entertained with their song and dance number – we need foreign investments because we have no money to finance economic activities that could provide capital and work for people. This is absolutely wrong. It was President Bush who, sometime ago, said the richest country in the world is the Philippines. Bush was not only well informed about the abundant natural resources in our country, he must also have known about the Yamashita treasures in the Philippine as well as the mind boggling Marcos gold and cash deposits spread out in many banks throughout the world. If Cabinet secretaries Dominguez and Lopez are smart as claimed by President Duterte, then why have they not done anything to talk to the holders of the Marcos wealth, especially because seventy percent of the wealth is designed in the Letter of Instruction of President for infrastructure projects whose implementation will be managed by government? Why, oh why, Dominguez and Lopez? Why does not Dominguez instruct his errand boy, BSP Governor Diokno to do something? Or are these guys ignorant they do not know how to get these money from the banks? Why bury generations of Filipinos in foreign debt when this country is swimming with money in domestic and foreign banks? Why, oh why, Dominguez, Lopez and Diokno? Party list: This innovation deserves serious examination – not because Representative Antonio Zarate is creating problems for President Duterte. There is more than enough congressmen that adding some more coming from the party list is a little too much in terms of expenses. However, considering the performance of party list representatives in this

Congress in comparison to the dismal performance of the representatives of the administration, it is wrong to convene a Constitutional Convention just to abolish the party list simply because President Duterte wants it abolished. As we wrote in a previous column – it is burning the house to kill a mouse. Wrong time: The government and the country have more pressing problems to consider now – Xi Jing Ping‘s corona virus that is causing elemental havoc in the country, killing people and the economy; graft and corruption which is rampant, according to President Duterte himself; the continuing flow of illegal drugs into the country and failure to prosecute the drug lords, manufacturers, importers and protectors; continuing incursions in the West Philippine Sea by China and her communist armed forces; the need to normalize life in the country so people can have jobs and businesses will resume normal fruitful activities; stop the interminable abuses of government officials; help for the needy, and the needed preparation for clean and honest elections in 2022. These are the matters that need immediate government attention. Amendments to the Constitution can wait and most especially because the amendments proposed are the wrong reasons for amending the Constitution. Secret agenda: Considering that the reasons given for amending the Constitution are wrong and so is the timing, a number of citizens are asking whether President Duterte and his inner circle have a secret agenda to call for amendments to the Constitution. This is a rational question. President Duterte is facing the probability of being ordered arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Many of the cronies of Duterte, both in the public and private sectors, run the risk of criminal prosecution for high crimes which may result to spending the rest of their lives in jail – and President Duterte may suffer the same fate It is a very interesting thought. If I were President Duterte and his boys, I‘d not touch the idea amending the Constitution even if it is tempting. Why? It is may just be the tipping point that could blow everybody in the country sky high, the stratospheric favorable rating that President Duterte is getting from Falso Siya Na and Switik Wither Pa, notwithstanding. HAA

Across the Nation

Vol. I, No. 34 | February 5-11, 2021 (Jumad ‘ul Akhir 23-29, 1442)

Sobejana named new AFP chief; BARMM lauds designation

ICRC lauds Senate approval of Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons

By ALI G. MACABALANG

OTABATO CITY: President Rodrigo Duterte has named Philippine Army (PA) Chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana as the next ―The Palace confirms that Gen. Cirilito Sobejana will be the next Chief of Staff (of the AFP), Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement heralded by Palace reporters including the Philippine News Agency (PNA). The announcement drew instant words of welcome and support from top Bangsamoro autonomous region officials, who took turns in describing Sobejana‘s rise to the AFP highest post as an ―additional inspiration‖ to their strides for cohesive campaign for ―stable peace and equitable growth‖ in the area of autonomy and its environs. Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod ―Hadji Murad‖ Ebrahim, Executive Secretary Abdulraof ―Sammy Gambar‖ Macacua, and Education Minister Mohagher Icbal, through their respective staff officials, said Sobejana will be a ―potent bridge‖ towards ―realizing our dream for better state of peace and security‖ in the region. Ebrahim and Macacua were set to attend the formal installation in Camp Aguinaldo of Sobejana as new AFP Chief of Staff. ―Gen. Sobejana needs no much prodding on our peace and security concerns. He has vast knowledge of the issue, its nature and consequences,‖ Ebrahim‘s Deputy Executive Secretary Abdullah Cusain said, citing his long years of assignments in different parts of the region. Cusain recalled that Gen. Sobejana, during his stint at the Western Mindanao Command, had even helped attract big investors to pour in capitals for economic development ventures as civil counterpart in bringing the Bangsamoro area to greater heights. In August 2019, Sobejana facilitated the meeting here between Chief Minister Ebrahim and Energy International Ltd. (EWIL) Executive Director Graham Stewart Elliot to tackle the latter‘s proposal for a US$3.2-billion natural gas and oil refinery in Lugus, Sulu following successful initial exploration. EWIL is a British firm involved in oil industry. Lugus Mayor Hadar Hajiri and Elliot, with Sobejana and Mindanao Development Authority Chairman Manny Piñol as witnesses, signed an enabling agreement in September. The next

head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Malacañang announced on Wednesday.

ICRC President Peter Maurer talking to an elderly evacuee at a shelter camp built in Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur for residents displaced in the five-month fierce clashes between state forces and combined ISIS -inspired militants, who occupied Marawi City on May 23, 2019. Maurer’s visit came a few weeks after the siege. (File photo)

C BARMM Chief Minister Ahod “Hadji Murad” Ebrahim *right+ and then Western Mindanao Command Chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana in a meeting in Cotabato City in August 2019 brokered by the latter for British investor Graham Stewart Elliot *facing back camera+. (File photo) month, the officials kicked off works on the refinery complex construction. Bangsamoro‘s Local Government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo also vouched for Gen. Sobejana‘s support for the infant regional government‘s delivery of relief goods and services to Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi as well as in the transport of residents in the island provinces stranded in the advent of quarantine protocols against Coronavirus pandemic. ―He (Gen. Sobejana as WestMinCom chief) lent us Naval boats and facilities in transporting relief goods, and in the conveyance of stranded residents from mainland Mindanao to the island provinces,‖ Sinarimbo told the Philippine Muslim Today online news Wednesday night. Sobejana would replace AFP chief-of-staff Gilbert Gapay who reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Feb. 4, Thursday. Roque said the Palace believes in Sobejana‘s competence to lead the AFP. Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Debold Sinas, a batch-mate of Sobejana in the Philippine Military Academy‘s 1987 ―Hinirang‖ Class said his mistah ―brings with him the fin-

est qualities of leadership to assume command of the AFP at this most critical point when the government is facing its greatest challenge and opportunity to end communist insurgency in the Philippines.‖ Sobejana is the commanding general of the Philippine Army since July last year. He also commanded the Joint Task Force Sulu, the Maguindanaobased 6th Infantry Division, and the Western Mindanao Command. He is also a recipient of the Medal of Valor, the country‘s highest military award equivalent to the Congressional Medal of Honor of the United States. He earned his Medal of Valor in 1995 after successfully leading a fight with an estimated 150 Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Isabela town in Basilan despite sustaining crippling wounds in the encounter. AGM

SOLONS | from Page A8

Solons, execs want Cotabato-born agri project extended according program field worker Saaduddin. Some lawmakers and cabinet members backed by oligarchs succeeded in the railroaded passage of the ATL. But Senator Manny Pacquiao, amid studies revealing its ill effects of unregulated import of rice on poor farmers, filed a resolution calling for a review of the ATL – something that consoled pro-farmer officials like Piñol, Saaduddin said. ―This is a proud moment for me as a rural development advocate that the

SAAD program …is now acknowledged as an effective poverty alleviation program,‖ said Piñol, whom Mr. Duterte named as MinDA chief in August 2019. ―Today, I smile with pride like a father seeing that my baby, SAAD,‖ the MinDA chair said in his Jan. 28 post. He added: ―It (SAAD program) is not a perfect program and it surely needs fine-

tuning. It is a way better that the dole-out and cash aids.‖ SADD interventions include provisions of focused trainings, farm and fishing inputs and equipment, microirrigation facilities, and supplying of livestock and fowl breeders in lieu of palliative state efforts based on cash aids, Saaduddin told the Philippine Muslim Today. AGM

OTABATO CITY: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has lauded the recent Senate‟s approval of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), saying the action is prelude to making the Philippines one of the world‟s “ratifying states.” ―We commend the Philippine government following the Senate‘s approval on Monday, Feb. 1, of the TPNW. The Philippine government‘s action on this international instrument is an important contribution toward a world free of nuclear weapons,‖ the ICRC said in a statement, copy furnished with the Philippine Muslim Today online media. In its Feb. 1 regular session, the Senate approved Senator Koko Pimentel‘s Resolution calling for the Ratification of the TPNW. Then Foreign Affairs Peter Alan Peter Cayetano signed documents signifying the Duterte government‘s support to the global treaty, effectively making the Philippines one 122 States that adopted the treaty in July 2017. Once formal notification reached the United Nations, the Philippines will become the 53rd state to ratify the treaty, which entered into force on 22 January 2021, the ICRC statement said. It added: ―The TPNW explicitly prohibits the use, threat of use, development, production, testing and stockpiling of nuclear weapons, and it obliges all States Parties to not assist, encourage or induce anyone in any way to engage in an activity prohibited by the Treaty.‖ The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement around the world has repeatedly called on all States to ratify the Treaty, to prevent massive human suffering and environmental devastation as previously seen in the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, said the statement attributed to ICRC President Peter Maurer. ―This Treaty – the result of more than 75 years of work – sends a clear signal that nuclear weapons are unacceptable from a moral, humanitarian, and now a legal point of view,‖ said Maurer, who had visited shelter camps for internally displaced residents of war-torn Marawi a few weeks after the infamous 2017 siege of the city. Maurer said the TPNW ―sets in motion even higher legal barriers and an even greater stigmatization of nuclear warheads than already exists (and) allows us to (live) a world free from these inhumane weapons as an achievable goal.‖ ALI G. MACABALANG

A10

Muslim World

Hamas condemns Israel's demolition of Palestinian homes

KSA suspends entry for non-citizens from 20 countries over coronavirus fears

Vol. I, No. 34 | February 5-11, 2021 (Jumad ‘ul Akhir 23-29, 1442)

By MASIDING NOOR YAHYA

IYADH: Saudi Arabia has suspended entry to the Kingdom for non-citizens, including diplomats, health practitioners, and their families, from 20 specific countries as it steps up efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

GAZA CITY, Palestine Palestinian group Hamas on Thursday decried the Israeli army‘s demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank as a ―policy of ethnic cleansing‖. ―Israel's demolition of homes in the northern Jordan Valley area is a continuation of the policy of ethnic cleansing that the Zionist institutions have practiced against our people for decades," the movement‘s spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement on Thursday. On Monday, the Israeli army demolished around 40 Palestinian houses in the area, causing the displacement of 11 families, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Qassem shunned the practice as a form of ―organized terror‖ by the Zionists against Palestinians and called for "the intensification of a comprehensive and united resistance to counter the policy of house demolitions and displacement [of Palestinians]." The Israeli forces also removed tents set up at the site by activists in addition to confiscating two of their vehicles. ANADOLU

Palestine gets 10,000 doses of Russian COVID-19 vaccine RAMALLAH, Palestine Palestine‘s Health Ministry said on Thursday it has received 10,000 doses of Russia‘s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. Palestine kicked off its COVID-19 vaccination campaign this week, with health workers the first to be inoculated. The campaign started after the arrival of a first shipment of 2,000 doses of American firm Moderna‘s vaccine. After health workers, people over the age of 60 and those with chronic diseases will be vaccinated, Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said in a statement. She said the Palestinian government has also placed orders for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and will receive it ―during the coming period.‖ Some 37,000 vaccine doses are also due to arrive in Palestine under the COVAX initiative, according to the minister. ―This campaign will continue until we complete the vaccination of 3.2 million people, and this matter will take months,‖ she said. Palestine‘s COVID-19 caseload currently stands at 180,688, including 2,042 fatalities and 169,930 recoveries. ANADOLU

Citing an official source at the Interior Ministry, the Saudi Press Agency said the following countries are on the list: Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Germany, United States, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, Portugal, United Kingdom, Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Lebanon, Egypt, India, and Japan. The move, which will come into force at 9 p.m. (KSA time) on Wednesday (Feb. 3), comes as part of the Kingdom‘s precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. ―The decision will

include those travelers coming from other countries if they passed through any of the 20 banned countries 14 days preceding the request to enter the Kingdom,‖ the source said.

―Saudi citizens, diplomats, health practitioners and their families coming from the mentioned countries or those who transited any of those countries during the 14 days pre-

ceding their return to the Kingdom will enter the Kingdom in accordance with the precautionary measures imposed by the Ministry of Health,‖ the source added. MNY

US-China rivalry led to coup in Myanmar State of Rohingya Muslims to worsen further, say Turkish experts on Asian affairs By ANADOLU AGENCY

STANBUL: Foreign interventions and USChina power games prevented the consolidation of democracy in Myanmar and rendered the country vulnerable to military coups, Turkish experts on Asian affairs said Tuesday. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Seyfettin Erol, a senior expert at the Ankara Centre for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM), argued that AmericanChinese rivalry in the Asia-Pacific Rim was the main reason behind the recent military coup in Myanmar. Noting that the coup exposed China‘s influence in Myanmar and the Asia-Pacific in general, Erol said: ―The military coup is a show of power against the US and some other Western countries. On the other hand, the White House‘s reaction against the coup has rather something to do with losing a significant position than worrying about the state of democracy or human rights in Myanmar.‖ ―Through the ports it built in Myanmar, China has been able to bypass the Strait of Malacca and access the Indian Ocean. Preserving its influence in the country against other powers, including America and India, allows China to be a major player in the wider Asia-Pacific region,‖ he said. Erol also warned that ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar, primarily Rohingya Muslims, could be used to press the country‘s military regime and China, and this could lead to an escalation of suppressive policies. Hayati Unlu, a scholar of Asian affairs, agreed that the strategic rivalry between the US and China in the Asia-Pacific and the importance of Myanmar

in this context are key to understanding the military coup. ―Myanmar is an essential part of China‘s global ambition owing to its location,‖ he said. Nazmul Islam, a senior regional expert, said he would expect more bloodshed and turmoil in Myanmar as a result of the military coup. ―Most likely, the military will suppress the minorities, including Rohingya Muslims, even further to stay popular. This would delay a return to normality and cause more clashes,‖ he said. Myanmar‘s military, officially known as the Tatmadaw, declared a state of emergency on Monday, hours after detaining the country‘s de facto leader and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior members of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Suu Kyi served as State Counsellor of Myanmar from 2016 to 2021 following a long struggle for democracy in the nation that earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. But her silence over the massacre of Rohingya Muslims and defense of the military‘s genocide at the international court drew harsh criticism across the globe. The coup took place hours before the first session of the country‘s new parliament was set to convene following elections last November in which Suu Kyi‘s NLD party made sweeping gains. The military claimed the coup was staged due to ―election fraud‖ in the polls, which it said resulted in the dominance of the NLD in parliament. The US, UK, UN and EU also condemned the move, calling for a reversal of the military‘s actions. (*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara/Anadolu)

Tourism

Vol. I, No. 34 | February 5-11, 2021 (Jumad ‘ul Akhir 23-29, 1442)

Pasung, another Tausug delicacy

Negative swab test still required To visit Boracay

"Bangsamoro Halal Dish"

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora

WITH MARIA FHEBIE ORTIL

ANILA: The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Wednesday reminded tourists that Boracay Island in Aklan still requires a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result before entry. The reminder came after reports circulated on social media that the island has removed the mandatory RT-PCR requirement for travelers. Aside from a negative RT-PCR test result taken 72 hours before travel, entry requirements in Boracay also include hotel confirmation from a DOTaccredited accommodation establishment issued with a Certificate of Authority to Operate (CAO); a valid ID showing proof of residence in an area under general community quarantine (GCQ) or modified GCQ; and a completed online health declaration form from https:// www. touristboracay.com. While local government units may deter-

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Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan (File photo) mine the type of test deemed best to keep their communities and borders safe, the DOT said it defers to the guidance of the Department of Health (DOH) to institute overarching policies and procedures to curb the spread of the disease. The DOT, meanwhile, noted that a qualified traveler may avail of a cheaper RT-PCR test at the University of the Philippines – Philippine Gen-

eral Hospital (UP-PGH) and the Philippine Children‘s Medical Hospital (PCMC). Through the Tourism Promotions Board, a DOT-attached agency, domestic tourists can avail of the 50 percent subsidized test at PHP900 and PHP750 from the UP-PGH and PCMC, respectively. PNA

ssalaamo „aleikom. 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 Tausug-Filipino 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

MACABALANG | from Page A6

Late DPWH Director Ibrahim and moral leadership‟ lifa (verily I will make a representative to the Earth,‖ said Ali, who holds a doctorate in Islamic Civilization at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), International Islamic University in Malaysia and master‘s degree from UP-Diliman. ―While God is the King of the Universe, the soul is deemed as king over human-body representing God. Being God‘s vicegerent, the main task of the soul-king is to enforce God‘s commandment over its human-body first, prior to ruling the affairs of the society,‖ he said. ―The first trial for moral governance of the soul-king is one‘s leadership over his human body. If he failed to govern himself, he is expected to fail in governing other persons or reforming the affairs of his domain. In the human body kingdom lie entities called five external senses and five internal senses,‖ he explained. He said the five external senses include the power of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touch-feeling, while the internal senses are the faculties of common sense, power of thought, power of imagination, power of memory and power of judgment. The internal and external senses often translate to like and dislike, which usually evolve to desire leading to greed and disgust leading to hatred, respectively, when the beholders failed to moderate them, Ali said.

Desire and anger lie in the heart of every person. The heart is the temple of goodness and badness, which reflect godliness and impiety (evil), respectively. God sent down guidance to mankind through His prophets/ messengers to profess and exemplify His commandments towards piety, he said. As a trial for human piety (submission to God), Satan has been allowed to mislead mankind towards the opposite (impiety), tempting people to the glitters of worldly comforts, and swaying them to develop desires into greed and dislikes to hatred. Greed manifests in profuse desire for something exceeding one‘s needs, while hatred is revealed in one‘s excessive dislike of people, things and affairs in his environment, Dr. Ali hinted. He said this theory is interpreted in a Hadith, which says that when the heart is contaminated by greed and hatred, the beholder destroys himself, his household, other people around him, and later the society. God revealed Suratul Asr (103rd chapter in the

Qur‘an):―By Al-‘Asr (the time). Verily, man is in [deep] loss, except for those who believe and do good deeds, urge one another to the truth and urge one another to patience,‖ he said. This surah opens with admonition to humankind. Allah (s.w.t.) takes an oath by ―time‖ and declares that humankind is in a state of loss. Every single human being, man or woman, is in a state of loss except those who strive and do four things; believe, do righteous deeds, and recommend one another to truth, and to sabr (observe patience). Sabr is one of four principal traits of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) bequeathed to his followers starting from his four caliphs (vicegerents). The three other traits are sukhr (contentment and gratefulness to whatever God provides), fikr (utmost concern for oneself, community and environment), and zikr (constant remembrance of God). (For reactions and suggestions, feedbacks can be sent to this columnist through the Facebook Messenger or to: alimac.bulletin@gmail.com.)

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 Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Photo by Abdulaziz H. Hamsain

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. Maria Fhebie Ortil