Mother’s Day special MOTHER’S LIFE AFTER MISERY

LUTAYAN, Sultan Kudarat - Fifteen years ago, Josie Concepcion was walking with her son near a market here when she heard a massive explosion. Chaos and confusion ensued. In the next few minutes, she heard sirens blaring and people screaming for help.

Shaken, Josie’s immediate instinct was to check on her son. To her relief he had escaped with a minor wound. She however sustained serious injuries. Doctors later said the explosion caused extensive trauma on her left leg with multiple fractures.

The 40-year-old laundrywoman went through a series of surgeries but they could not restore the full use of her leg. At the hospital, a volunteer of the Philippine Red Cross gave her a pair of crutches.

“I cried and screamed in fury and threw the crutches away. I refused to accept that I would not be able to walk without them and questioned why such a tragedy had struck me,” Josie shares.

Her struggle

Life seemed to have stopped for Josie as she battled a range of emotions, swinging from being in denial to being

Parliament members treat Maranao eye patients

By John Felix Unson

TWO members of the Bangsamoro parliament extended medical interventions for 70 eye patients from Marawi City and from nearby towns in Lanao del Sur during a community engagement last week.

The eye specialist Kadil Sinolinding, Jr. and Khalid Maamor Abdullah, both members of the 80-seat interim parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, together facilitated the two-day outreach activity in Marawi City.

Sinolinding, also known as the “Doctor sa parlyamento ng Bangsamoro,” has markedly been active in treating poor eye patients in the local communities.

Sinolinding and Abdullah have said in separate statements Wednesday that they are grateful to the physicians Tahir Mindalano of the Mindalano Specialist Hospital sa Marawi City and Allen Minalang of the Integrated Provincial Health Office-Lanao del Sur for supporting their two-day humanitarian mission for mostly Maranao eye patients.

Sinolinding said the Ministry of Health-BARMM also supported

283 candidates begin 6-mo Army training

A total of 283 women and men will have commenced Wednesday the 6-month rigid training as candidate soldiers of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, the military said.

Major General Alex Rillera, 6th Infantry Division commander, welcomed the trainees who belonged to Candidate Soldiers Course Class 759 and 760-2023 and urged

By Edwin O. Fernandez

them to persevere during the training so they can serve and help protect the Filipino people.

“While undergoing training, you will develop discipline in you, values to serve and respect for everyone,” Rillera told candidate soldiers during acceptance program held Tuesday afternoon at the division grandstand, Camp Siongco, Awang,

BARMM’s public markets to boost local economy - MILG

By Edwin O. Fernandez

Maguindanao del Norte. The candidate soldiers will undergo rigid basic military training at the 6th Division Training Center in Barangay Semba, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.

“Always remember that from now on all you do is not only for yourselves but for your family and especially to our country,” said

THE Bangsamoro Government's public market construction project in Amai Manabilang, Lanao del Sur, which is being overseen by the Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG) is nearing completion.

On Wednesday, Interior Minister Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo said the long awaited public market will soon be realized by its inhabitants as one of the dividends of peace deal between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The project, he said, is expected to increase and improve economic activities in the locality and empower economy players to deal with its neighboring economics in Lanao Sur at Bukidnon.

He said the PHP25 million project is divided into two sections.

First, is the market's hard and infrastructure component.

Second, and most important component is the soft component, which entails educating the LGU in order for it to establish its MEEDO, or Municipal Economic and Enterprise Development Office, which will be its corporate arm in charge of managing and

DID YOU KNOW? Month of the Ocean

The Month of the Ocean (MOO) is celebrated annually in the Philippines during the month of May. By virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 57 issued in 1999, the month of May was declared as the MOO. Activities to be conducted in observance of the MOO aims to highlight the importance and significance of conservation, protection, and sustainable management of Philippine coastal and marine resources.