BARMM HONORS “WALI,” FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF

By Nash B. Maulana

THE Bangsamoro region is mourning the passing of the “Wali” of the Bangsamoro Government while confined in a hospital in Davao City last Sunday

Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) “Wali” Sheikh Khalifa Nando was 81, his family said.

The title “Wali” means an elder guardian of the top level of leadership of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), as provided for under Republic Act 11054, the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

“Wali” in Arabic means “guardian” or “custodian” or “protector.”

His remains were brought to his house in Barangay Kayaga, Pandag, Maguindanao del Sur, a few kilometers from the town proper, where he was interred in simple Islamic ceremonies with more than 1,500 relatives, friends and regional officials in attendance.

Omar Ampatuan, the son in-law of the Wali, said Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim had asked Nando’s

Hunt for ambushers of Marines launched

By John Felix Unson

MARANAO leaders have assured to help locate at least 27 gunmen who killed a member of the 2nd Marine Battalion and wounded three Marines in an ambush Saturday in Marogong, Lanao del Sur.

The slain Marine Sgt. John Milbert Pamaran and his companions, Cpl. Mark Anthony Bañares, Sgt. Jeram Aradji and Sgt. Joan Aniñon, were out for a community outreach activity when they were attacked by members of the Dawlah Islamiya, led by Faharudin Hadji Satar, in Barangay Cabasaran in Marogong.

Investigators in the Marogong Municipal Police Station and officials of the Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office told reporters Monday witnesses have positively identified Satar and nine of his 27 followers who perpetrated the ambush that resulted in Pamaran’s death and left Bañares, Aradji and Aniñon badly wounded.

Brig. Gen. John Guyguyon, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region police regional director, said Monday they are thankful to local executives and traditional Maranao leaders who have committed to

SoCot “HFMD” cases breach 300 mark, and counting

By Edwin O. Fernandez

KORONADAL CITY – The Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) cases in South Cotabato has breached the 300 mark as more cases have been monitored and counting, health authorities said.

Banga town has the highest number of recorded cases and health officials believed there could be more.

“This is already an outbreak, we are doubling our efforts to contain it,” Dr. Ellen Quidilla, Banga Municipal Health Officer, said over DXOM Radio.

As of Monday (Feb. 6), Banga has the highest cases of HFMD infections with 293 in 19 of the town’s 22 barangays.

Happy Valentine’s Day !

BARMM building 9 village halls in Cotabato City

By Edwin O. Fernandez

Quidilla admitted the spread was rapid as the town health office only recorded 51 cases as of Jan. 30. In just six days, the number of infections in Banga rose to almost 300.

“The youngest patient is a 6-month old baby in Barangay Poblacion,” Quidilla said, adding that the eldest is a 76-yearold woman.

Dr. Rogelio Aturdido, South Cotabato provincial officer, said the Provincial Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit (PESU) has also monitored cases of clustering of HFMD in other towns.

He said Koronadal City has

THE Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has poured a total of P31.5 million for the construction of 2-storey barangay hall buildings here, officials said today.

Each of the nine villages has an allocation of P3.5 million from the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILF), according to BARMM Interior Minister Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo.

Recipients of the project are Barangays

Rosary Heights Mother, Rosary Heights I, Bagua II, Kalanganan Mother, Kalanganan I, Kalanganan II, Poblacion II, Poblacion III, and Poblacion VII.

Sinarimbo said the project is a component of the Office of the Chief

DID YOU KNOW? Cupid

He’s the charming cherub that appears on Valentine’s Day cards, often depicted with a bow and arrow.

According to Time , the figure can actually be traced all the way back to 700 B.C., to the Greek god of love named Eros, who was actually a handsome, immortal man with the intimidating power to make people fall in love. It wasn’t until the 4th century BCE that the Romans adopted Eros into the image of a cute little boy with a bow and arrow, naming him “Cupid.” and

By the turn of the 19th century, Cupid had become linked to Valentine’s Day due to his love-matching powers.

Minister's Support to Local Moral Governance (SLMG) initiative that provides funding for infrastructure projects such as the construction of barangay hall.

The MILG's Project Management Development Division (PMDD) is implementing the project.

Cotabato City Mayor Mohammad Ali “Bruce” Dela Cruz