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Vol. LXXIV| No. 13| Cotabato City | Saturday, May 7, 2022 |10 Pages | P10.00
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CHURCH / P6
BARMM enhances mentors’ prep in polls
9 heritage churches celebrate 450 years
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3 drug den operators in Maguindanao face charges
The Mindanao Cross issuu.com/mindanaocross mindanao.cross@gmail.com
BARMM’S 2.5-M VOTERS, R-12’S 2.6-M EXPECTED TO VOTE
Nationwide, more than 65 million Filipinos are expected to vote for the May 9, 2022 elections, aside from the 1.697 million Filipinos overseas who have voted, data from the Commission on Elections show.
Sanitarium Hospital now 250-bed facility
By John Felix Unson PERSONNEL of the Cotabato Sanitarium Hospital in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao were elated with the enactment of Republic Act 11715 expanding it into a 250-bed facility. President Rodrigo Duterte signed RA 11715 into law April 29, 2022. Physician Ibrahim Pangato, chief of the CSH in Barangay Pinaring said Thursday they are thankful to President Duterte and to Maguindanao 1st District Representative Ronnie Sinsuat for sponsoring the bill that was to become RA 11715. Pangato said local officials also helped follow up the enactment into law of Sinsuat’s proposal to expand the CSH into a 250-bed hospital. He said credit also has to go to Senator Christopher Lawrence Go, more known as Senator Bong Go, for helping push the passage of RA 11715 forward. Pangato said the RA 11715 is a strong motivation for him and his medical and administrative staff and rank-and-file subordinates to work even harder in serving patients, particularly the poor and needy.
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WHERE’S MY NAME?This woman appears to be saying silently as she scans her name on a voters’ list in one of the voting precincts in this photo at Notre Dame Village Elementary School during the last election. File Photo
Dengue cases up in Kidapawan By Williamor Magbanua KIDAPAWAN CITY — Health officials here did not recommend declaration of dengue outbreak despite the “unprecedented” increase of feared disease in at least five big villages. Data from the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) showed dengue cases in the city from January to April 29, 2022, rose by 817 percent or 165 cases as against 18 during the same period last year. Only one of the 165 cases has died. The CESU refused to give exact patients who were hospitalized. Jasna Sucol, city dengue coordinator, said the average of those infected with dengue was from age 0-90 years old, 85 were males and 79 women. “Actually it is a three-year cycle were sudden increase in the number of dengue cases occurred. Remember in 2019, a state if calamity was declared due to dengue outbreak (here),” Sucol said. Densely populated Barangay Poblacion has 42 cases followed by the villages of Sudapin, 21; Balindog, 15; Lanao, 13 and Amas, 12. Fogging Sucol said the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), conducted simultaneous fogging operations as preventive measures to combat the spread of the disease in the nearby villages. “This was in response to the request of our village officials following the surge of dengue,” Sucol said.
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Teachers dissent “hasty changes” in poll duties COTABATO CITY — An estimated 200 teachers earlier assigned as electoral board in the city have protested the alleged replacement of their names to serve the May 9 polls by teachers who have no certification from Department of Science and Technology (DOST). “We were surprised to learn about this hasty changes during the orientation, our replacements were mentors of Madaris (Islamic schools) who have not
READY TO SERVE. More than 9,000 police and soldiers have been deployed across BARMM to ensure peaceful conduct of May 9 elections
Photo courtesy of PNP-BARMM
By Edwin O. Fernandez been trained on poll duties, specifically on the handling of vote-counting machines,” one of the teachers told reporters. “There’s no proper explanation why we were replaced by Madaris teachers who were not certified by the (MOST/ DOST) Ministry/Department of Science and Technology on handling VCM,” she said. “MBHTE gave no explanation, Comelec office was close.” The replacements, they were told,
were ordered by the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MBHTE-BARMM). Their replacements came after a new election officer, Eusoph Kari, former municipal election officer in Maguindanao, was designated as acting city election officer, replacing Atty. Norpaisa Paglala who was moved to Marawi.
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MILF backs Sara, names 12 senate bets
By Nash B. Maulana AFTER endorsing Vice-President Leni senatorial slots, across national party Robredo for the May 9 national, the lines. They are: Juan Miguel “Migz” political party of the Moro Islamic Zubiri; Actor Robin Padilla; Sherwin Liberation Front (MILF) has endorsed “Win” Gatchalian; Risa Hontiveros; Jel 12 candidates for senator. “Tesdaman” Villanueva; Richard Gordon; Al-Hadj Murad Ebrahim, chairman Loren Legarda; Mark Villar; Samira of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party Gutoc; Chel Diokno; Herbert “Bistek” (UBJP), said the party came up with Bautista; and JV Ejercito. the consensus to support the candidacy Ebrahim said the regional party of 12 senatorial aspirants, after much makes choices of candidates, according deliberation at a top policy-making level to what they believe would protect and of the party. preserve the gains of the Bangsamoro Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo, UBJP Peace Process. secretary general, said the party also Earlier, the MILF’s UBJP hosted a decided to endorse Davao City Mayor Sara grand rally, anointing Ms. Robredo in Duterte for vice president. Camp Darapanan, Maguindanao He named 12 UBJP bets to the 12 on April 23, as its choice to succeed
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