Mindanao Examiner Newspaper Mar. 10-16, 2014

Kuryente sa Mindanao naibalik na, pero brownout tuloy pa rin

Military condemns NPA bombings in Davao del Sur PAGE 2

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Miners call for ouster of Canadian mining firm PAGE 4

Organ donation campaign in Philippines breaks world records

Abducted Basilan vice mayor is freed

Customs trumpets surge in revenues, but fails to hit target in 2013

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AGUINDANA O GUINDANAO

– M or o Mor oro r ebels hav e have vowed mor e more attacks y tar military tar-attacks on militar gets in the souther nP hilsouthern Philippines follo wing a dar following dar-ing assault on an ar my army base in M aguindanao Maguindanao pr ovince in the M uslim pro Muslim autonomous rregion. egion.

A small group of rebels launched the attack on the military base, firing grenades and automatic weapons and ambushed a government reinforcement that killed several soldiers in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town.

A rebel spokesman, Abu Misry Mama, said they launched the assault on the mechanized brigade as part of its separatist campaign.

He said the attack killed and wounded army several soldiers.

“We brought the war to their doorstep. Brave mujahedeen attacked the military base and also ambushed soldiers trying to reinforce the beleaguered troops of the

Members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales) mechanized brigade. Our fighters killed several soldiers and we have no casualties,” Mama told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Mama said the attack was ordered by Sheik Mohidin Animbang, new leader of the Bangsamoro

Islamic Freedom Movement and its armed wing Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, in retaliation to continuing military offensive against them in the province.

“The military attacked our members who were just farming in the prov-

ince and so we launched our own offensive,” Mama said, adding the raid was carried by an elite team of fighters armed with grenade launchers and automatic weapons. “At least 30 rounds of grenades have been fired into the camp,” he said.

The military said no soldiers were killed in the attack, but admitted that three infantrymen were wounded in the clash. It said three rebels were slain in the fighting.

The rebel group – founded by Ameril Umra Kato - split with the main

Mar. 10-16, 2014

Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila. Kato accused MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim of abandoning their demand for an independent state in Mindanao and vowed to pursue an independent Muslim homeland in Mindanao.

The rebel leader has several times criticized Ebrahim for talking peace with the Aquino government which insisted on granting wider autonomy to some four million Muslims in Mindanao.

Kato is facing a string of criminal charges in connection to the series of attacks that he led after the failed signing of the Muslim homeland deal in 2008 between the MILF and the government. The Supreme Court declared the accord as unconstitutional and the aborted deal triggered a series of deadly attacks by Kato’s forces in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Missing Malaysian woman found in Basilan Suspect in shooting of radio reporter slain

DAVAO CITY – A Malaysian woman, who was reported missing the past two years after running off with a Filipino, has been located in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, the Malaysian news agency Bernama reported.

The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Malaysian Consulate in Davao City phoned Abdul Ghani MdYassin to say that her daughter, Siti Nor Shafika, has been found alive in Al-Barka town.

Malaysian officials told the 45-year old Abdul Ghani that his daughter is believed to be in the village of Kuhun Lenuh and that she has written a letter say-

ing that she had married and wanted to continue staying in Basilan. The woman’s father, however, raised doubt about the veracity of the letter, saying, during past phone conversations with his daughter, Siti Nor Shafika, expressed concern over her safety and wanted to go back to Malaysia.

“She said there were frequent shootings and wanted to find a way back to Malaysia,” he said. Bernama said Abdul Ghani doubted the letter as no Malaysian consul officers had actually met the 20-year old Siti Nor Shafika and that the meetings were held with a local group.

“I hope Wisma Putra and the Malaysian Consul in

Davao will arrange for a faceto-face meeting with Siti Nor Shafika and bring her home as I am worried of her safety,” he said. Wisma Putra refers to the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bernama, quoting unnamed sources, said there are efforts to track down Siti Nor Shafika in Basilan through the Philippine authorities.

There was no immediate statement from either provincial or police officials about the woman, but the Malaysian news agency last year reported about how Abdul Ghani desperately tried to trace his daughter who ran off to the Philippines in March 2012. (Mindanao Examiner)

CEBU – The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility said an alleged policeman who is one of two gunmen suspected of shooting a radio broadcaster in Iloilo City had been killed in Negros Occidental province in Western Visayas.

It said the remaining suspect in the shooting of dyOK Aksyon Radyo Iloilo reporter Jonavin Villalba is still at large. Villalba was wounded in the shooting last December 10. And unidentified men also threw bags of human feces at the dyOK’s office building two days after the attack on the broadcaster. CMFR previously reported that two motorcycle

gunmen shot Villalba outside his house in Jaro district.

The CMFR said a memorandum dated February 10 was forwarded to them by the Office of the Chief Philippine National Police and showed that the policeman, who is the primary suspect in the shooting of Villalba, was gunned down while driving his car in the village of Miranda in Hinigaran town on January 5. Another report by the Visayan newspaper The Daily Guardian said 5 men were seen grabbing two black bags from the policeman’s car and then fled on a red van, but were arrested by pursuing cops who

responded to the attack.

Criminal charges had been filed by the police against the 5 men. The motive of the policeman’s killing is unknown. Attacks on journalists in the Philippines continue with impunity with dozens of victims killed over the past years.

The Committee to Protect Journalists based in the United States said the violence and threats against journalists, particularly in provincial areas, remained widespread as President Benigno Aquino's vow to end impunity in media murders went unfulfilled during his fourth year in office. (Mindanao Examiner)

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The Mindanao Examiner

Mar. 10-16, 2014

Grenade explodes in house in Zambo ZAMBOANGA CITY – Police are investigating a grenade attack on a house in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.

Police said the blast occurred in the house of Jul Asiri Lacbao, 63, in the village of Talon-Talon after the grenade was tossed by an unidentified assailant.

There was no report of casualties and the explosion left minor damages on the compound of the house.

“No one was hurt in

the blast except for minor damages on the structure of the house. Post blast examination is being conducted by Zamboanga City Police bomb squad while further investigation is being in order to identify the suspect and motive behind the incident,” said Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack. (Mindanao Examiner)

Abducted Pagadian City student escapes PAGADIAN CITY – Police forces recovered an abducted 19-year old student following a daring escape from his captors in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Stephen Tan, who was seized February 27 in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province, told police that he managed to escape by jumping into a cliff while he was being led by his captors to a village in Diplahan town.

Tan said he was blindfolded throughout his ordeal and managed to escape only after his three captors told him to remove his cover.

He said they were walking on a trail at the edge of a cliff near a river and he jumped from the steep rock and ran as his captors chased him until they lost him.

Tan said he hid in the grass and later found a

house and sought help from its owner Clarito Ferrarin.

He said borrowed the man’s cell phone and contacted his father to say that he escaped from his abductors.

The victim’s father phoned the town’s mayor Cris Jose to seek help about his son. The politician then coordinated with the local police force headed by Inspector Raul Cortes and recovered Tan in a shanty where he was waiting for rescuers.

Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said Tan, an engineering student at the Southern Mindanao College, was driving his car in Pagadian City when gunmen nabbed him in the village of Gatas.

He said police and military forces were tracking down Tan’s abductors in the town. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photos released by the military's Eastern Mindanao Command show three of the wounded rescue workers and their ambulance which was hit by a landmine blast in Davao del Sur's Bansalan town. (Mindanao Examiner)

Military condemns NPA bombings in Davao del Sur DAVAO CITY - The military’s Eastern Mindanao Command has condemned recent bombings by the communist rebel group New People’s Army in Davao del Sur province.

At least 11 government soldiers and five rescue volunteers of the Philippine Red Cross were wounded in a roadside explosion blamed by the military to the NPA. The milityary said the volunteers were on their way to pick up soldiers wounded in another blast in Davao del Sur’s Bansalan town when rebels bombed the ambulance carrying the medical team. It said among the

wounded on the military side were two officers.

Capt. Alberto Caber, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the rescue volunteers were in a convoy of three ambulances when hit by the bomb detonated by the rebels.

“Five volunteers were hurt in NPA landmine blast. The ambulance was heavily damaged from the blast,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

The military identified the wounded rescue volunteers as Henaro Dumayas, Alberto Cabual Jr, Arnel Generoso, Jun Dumayas and Bonita dela Cruz. And the injured sol-

diers as Lts. Ian Rogel Ngalew, Joesepher Ansay, Cpls. Joefrey Espina, Totoh Imar, Pfcs. Rowell De Guzman, Brian Ferrer, Jovane Adam, Edwin Mamalinta, Pvts. Gonzalo Gella, Rodel John Reynalda and militia Albert Velasco.

Caber said four rebels were also killed in the fighting that ensued following the attack.

Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, the division commander, condemned the rebel attack, saying the NPA violated a treaty that banned the use of landmines, calling it a “cowardly act.” He also called on human rights groups to condemn the

NPA atrocities and investigate the NPA on its continued use of landmines.

“We call on various human rights group to investigate this incident. We appeal to the peace-loving community to join us in bringing lasting peace in the region,” Cruz said.

He said since 2010, near 500 people had been either killed or wounded in landmine attacks perpetrated by the NPA in eastern Mindanao alone.

There was no immediate statement from the NPA about the latest attack. The rebels have been waging a secessionist war in the country for decades now. (Mindanao Examiner)

Justice chief defends Human Rights Claims Board head MANILA - Philippine Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has expressed her full support for the choice of Police Directress Lina Sarmiento as chairperson of the Rights Victims' Claims Board, despite strong protests from different human rights groups and victims of the Marcos dictatorship.

De Lima, who was among those who made the nominations for the membership of the HRVCB, said members of the Board were chosen for various reasons that took into account all the legal requisites demanded by the law.

"She is hardworking, honest and, above all, her integrity is untarnished," De Lima said. "I understand how some sectors feel about the choice of Gen. Sarmiento on account of her coming from the Philippine

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National Police." bers of the Board, we were De Lima assures the highly aware of the gravity of public that Sarmiento has a our task and recommended sterling track record in the to the President people who Philippine National Police not only have a commitand was ment to never inhuman volved in or rights complicit protecto any hut i o n , man rights promoviolations. tion and When advoDe Lima cacy, we took on the also rechelm of the o m Co m m i s mended sion on people Secretary Leila de Lima Human who had 2008, Sarmiento was the the stamina, passion and head of the PNP Human dedication to help this naRights Affairs Office. "We tion in the remembrance of both worked well together the abuses of the past but and while we may not be al- also in honoring the victims ways on the same side of the and their sacrifices," she fence, I never once ques- added. tioned Gen. Sarmiento's De Lima pointed out complete, and sincere un- that other factors were also derstanding of and respect considered such as the nefor human rights," De Lima cessity of having voices from Luzon, Visayas and said.

"In nominating mem- Mindanao represented in

the HRVCB. Lawyers were not the only members of the HRVCB, but also selected were those with medical, administrative and academic backgrounds.

Like Sarmiento, the other members of the HRVCB have been highly immersed in human rights work. "A perusal of the members, including the chairperson, would lend one to say that checks and balance, is expected in the Board," De Lima said.

"I thought the choice of Gen. Lina was particularly inspired. An out-of-the-box choice, Lina's being a part of the security sector is not an impediment. If anything, Gen. Lina's presence enhances the legitimacy of the work of the Board that its work is devoid of any agenda except these: truth, justice, reparation and remembrance," she said.

President Benigno Aquino earlier defended also Sarmiento's nomination.

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The Mindanao Examiner

Mar. 10-16, 2014

Kidnappers demand P5 million for release of mother KIDNAPPERS have reportedly demanded P5 million ransom for the safe release of a young mother they seized in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.

Police also have filed criminal charges against the 28-year old Abdul Hassan Yusop, who was among those who kidnapped Sabrina Ikbala Voon, a native of Sulu province, on February 19.

Local police chief Angelito Casimiro said the kidnapper has been identified through his photo on a falsified driver’s license he used to hire the van in Zamboanga.

Casimiro said Yusop, who used the name Rey Santos in his identifica-

tion card, is a native of Tuburan town in Basilan province, just several

A photograph of Sabrina Ikabala Voon from her Facebook account. nautical miles south of Zamboanga City.

It was not immediately known whether Yusop is a member of the Abu Sayyaf group operating in Basilan, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

Voon was forcibly taken by at least six gunmen disguised as policemen from her house in the village of Mercedes and dragged the woman to a waiting van that had been recovered by the police who pursued the gang.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the abduction, but authorities had previously blamed kidnapping cases to the Abu Sayyaf group. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kuryente sa Mindanao naibalik na, pero brownout tuloy pa rin NAIBALIK na ng National Grid Corporation of the Philippines ang serbisyo ng kur yente sa Mindanao, ngunit patuloy pa rin ang brownout sa ibatibang bahagi ng rehiyon.

Sa abiso ng NGCP ay sinabi nito na “power transmission service in Mindanao is now back to normal. All NGCP substations connected to

backbone lines in Mindanao were connected to the grid.”

Ngunit hindi pa rin maipaliwanag ng NGCP na isang pribadong kampanya na siyang namamahala sa distribusyon ng kuryente sa bansa – ang dahilan ng Mindanao-wide blackout.

“The NGCP is still de-

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termining the cause and will issue a statement when investigation is completed,” pahayag pa nito.

Ayon naman sa ibang ulat ay sinabi umano ni Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla na nagkaroon ng problema ang Agus 1 hydroelectric power plant sa Lanao del Norte, ngunit inaalam pa ng ahensya ang ugat nito o kung dahil ba ito sa linya ng NGCP o sa mismong planta.

Ilang beses nagkaroon ng brown out sa Zamboanga City at gayun rin sa ibang bahagi ng Zamboanga Peninsula.

(Mindanao Examiner)

Gabriela members hold picket in front of Commission on Human Rights office in Davao City.

(Courtesy of Kilab Multimedia)

Women’s group demands justice for human rights DAVAO CITY – Members of the women rights’ group Gabriela picketed in front of the office of the Commission on Human Rights in Davao City in southern Philippines to seek justice for victim of human rights in the country.

The picketers also held interpretive dance to express their disgust over the unabated extrajudicial

killings, enforced disappearance and violations of women’s’ rights.

Some of those who joined the picket carried placards denouncing the government’s anti-insurgency campaign that had killed innocent civilians.

Two picketers were spotted carrying placards seeking justice for the brutal murder of Rebelyn

Pitao, daughter of communist rebel chieftain Leoncio Pitao who was found dead in Davao del Norte province on March 5, 2009; and Benjaline Hernandez, killed in North Cotabato’s Arakan town on April 5, 2002.

Gabriela demanded an end to all forms of violence against women.

(Mindanao Examiner)

Cops probe murder of trader ZAMBOANGA CITY – Polioe are still investigating the murder of a seaweed trader in Zamboanga City.

It said Arasad Aminti was shot inside a passenger jeep by another passenger who escaped on foot after the killing in Talon-Talon village.

Village chieftain Teo-

dyver Arquiza said the jeep came from the neighboring village of Arena Blanco and was heading to downtown Zamboanga when the shooting occurred.

He said the gunman just casually walked away after shooting the victim in the head.

Police said the victim

was rushed to Zamboanga City Medical Center, but died there.

Gun attacks are rampant in Zamboanga City with killings occurring almost every day. Most of the attacks have been largely blamed to hired killers who are actively operating in Zamboanga.

(Mindanao Examiner)

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The Mindanao Examiner

Mar. 10-16, 2014

Who killed the Judge?

POLICE ARE STILL investigating the murder of a judge in Zamboanga City - a week after he was shot near his home as he headed to work.

Two motorcycle gunmen attacked Judge Reynerio Estacio, of the Regional Trial Court Branch 14, who was with his wife in the family car in Tugbungan village. The woman was unscathed in the attack. The car's wind shield bore 7 bullet holes. The assailants fled after the shooting.

Police said Estacio was rushed to hospital, but died along the way, according Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman. “The victim was pronounced dead on arrival by attending physician,” he said.

Huesca said police are

still investigating the motive of the killing and those behind it. “A follow up investigation is being conducted by the police to determine the identities and arrest of the assailants,” he said.

Estacio had held various high profile criminal cases in Zamboanga – from murders to drugs to politics, among others – and was even cited by the government for his convictions of human traffickers.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines condemned the killing of Estacio. Gun attacks are not uncommon in Zamboanga where hired killers are actively operating and among its victims were lawyers, traders, soldiers and policemen, civilians and even journalists.

(Mindanao Examiner)

Hundreds of small scale miners who are members of the Indug Kautawan protest March 4, 2014 in front of office of the St. Augustine and calling for the ouster of the mining company in Compostela Valley province in southern Philippines which they accused of environmental destruction. (Courtesy of Kilab Multimedia)

Miners call for ouster of Canadian mining firm HUNDREDS of small scale Filipino miners have protested the continued operation of a Canadian mining firm in the southern Philippines, accusing it of environmental destruction, among other allegations.

The miners called for the ouster of the St. Augustine Gold and Copper Limited – which is listed on the

Communist rebel leader surrenders in Davao del Norte DAVAO CITY – A communist rebel leader has surrendered to the Philippine military after his family convinced him to abandon his struggle and live peacefully again together with them in Mindanao.

Geneng Ambas, alias Chong, surrendered to the 72nd Infantry Battalion in the village of Linao in Davao del Norte’s San Isidro town, according to Capt.

Alberto Caber, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command.

He said Ambas was a

political officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing New People’s Army and involved in its operations in the province. “He is the brain of the NPA’s illegal activities in the municipalities of Davao del Norte. The surrender of Ambas was arranged by his relatives and village officials,” Caber said.

Caber said more some 230 rebels also surrendered in eastern Mindanao since 2013 and availed of the government’s amnesty program.

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Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, the division commander, said the strong support of the communities to the military’s campaign and the government’s amnesty program have largely helped in convincing rebels to surrender peacefully.

“The huge number of rebels who are peacefully surrendering to the government is concrete evidence that the spirit of Bayanihan among us is alive,” Cruz said.

Bayanihan refers to a spirit of communal unity and cooperation and is also the government’s anti-insurgency campaign plan.

The NPA is fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)

main board of the Toronto Stock Exchange – from Compostela Valley where it is actively engaged in developing the King-king copper-gold project.

Photos sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner by the Kilab Multimedia showed miners from the indigenous group called Indug Kautawan and Bayan carrying placards and streamers and denouncing the company.

Indug Kautawan is a Mansaka term which means "People Stand Up." "No to foreign largescale mining," one placard reads. Protesters also accused the National Com-

mission on Indigenous Peoples of doing nothing to protect the rights of tribesmen and their ancestral lands.

There was no immediate statement from the St. Augustine Gold and Copper Limited, but the company website described the Kingking project as one of the largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits in the world, with a proven and probable mineral reserve that amounts to 617.9M tons at 0.300% total copper and 0.395 g/t gold.

It said the deposit is a gold rich, copper-gold porphyry deposit and located 92kms northwest of Davao

City. The project, it said, is listed as one of the top priority projects by the Philippine Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

The company said King-king has a 22-year mine life which will produce at least 3.16Blbs of copper, 5.43Moz of gold and 11.65Moz of silver.

St. Augustine has entered into the feasibility stage of development - social, environmental and engineering phases - and is currently completing a bankable feasibility study on the King-king Project which is expected to commence in 2015. (Mindanao Examiner)

Grandpa suffers heart attack in motel with young woman DIPOLOG CITY – Police said a 60-year old grandfather died after suffering from a massive heart attack in a motel in Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte province in southern Philippines.

Police said the victim checked in at the motel with a young woman, who was later identified as a married salon employee in Dipolog City. The naked body of the man was discovered after his compan-

ion rushed out of the motel room barely two hours later.

Two pink tablets, believed to be a sex drug, were also found near the man’s body, police said.

Police traced the woman’s employer who told investigators that she went back to the beauty salon weeping, saying she had a headache and then went straight home. Police also recovered the dead man’s cell phone found in

the salon’s stockroom. The victim's granddaughter said the phone belonged to the man.

Investigators tried to contact the woman, but her cell phone was apparently turned off.

Police said a postmortem examination conducted by Dr. Rowell Mata, of the Dipolog City Health Office, showed that the man died from heart attack. (Mindanao Examiner)

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The Mindanao Examiner

Mar. 10-16, 2014

Cargo of illegal drugs seized in Zamboanga airport ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities have seized a cargo of suspected illegal drugs at the Zamboanga City airport, officials said.

Officials said the cargo contained a kilo of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride which is also known as “poor man’s cocaine.”

The cargo, which came from Caloocan City, was shipped through LBC Express and bound for TawiTawi, when intercepted during a routine security inspection.

It was consigned to Dayang Askali and shipped

by Walter Aquino. TawiTawi is one of 5 provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

Officials said the drugs were hidden with other items in the box when it was discovered by alert airport security. The drugs were passed off as a corn starch.

It was not immediately

known whether the names of the consignee and its sender are fictitious or not, but police and other law enforcement agencies

Mayor Beng Climaco - Salazar

have began investigating the seizure of the illegal cargo.

Authorities were also investigating how the cargo managed to pass through a supposed tight security at the airport in Manila. It was not the first time such drug cargo had been intercepted at the local airport and previous haul yielded millions of pesos worth of shabu and even weapons’ spare parts

and munitions.

Despite being a small airport, local aviation security personnel have excelled tremendously as one of the best in the southern Philippines.

Zamboanga Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar also commended law enforcement units involved in the seizure of the drugs.

Among the agencies were the Office for Transportation Security of the Department of Transportation and Communications, Security and Intelligence Service of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Bureau of Customs, National Bureau of Investigation, Regional Intelligence of the Western Mindanao Police Office, Regional Public Safety Battalion, Task Force Zamboanga, Special Action Force, Zamboanga City Police Office and the City Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force. (Mindanao Examiner)

As tension rises in Ukraine, PHL tells OFWs there to stay calm THE PHILIPPINES has advised Filipinos in Ukraine to stay calm as tension is running high between the former Soviet republic and Russia.

Filipino Labor chief Rosalinda Baldoz told Filipinos working in Ukraine to stay home not make any unnecessary visit or detours to public places where marches or protests are being held.

Baldoz issued the advice after the Eastern European country that borders Russia on the east and nor theast was rocked by civil disturbance in recent weeks that led to a new government.

Citing official Philippine records, she said only 175 Filipino workers are deployed in Ukraine since 2012 and most of them are administrative and managerial workers.

Baldoz said they are in close contact with the Department of Foreign affairs which is now

monitoring the situation in Ukraine.

The Department of Foreign Affairs also strongly advised all Filipinos in Ukraine to communicate with the Philippine Embassy in Moscow - since there is no embassy in Kiev - and inform officials of their whereabouts and their current condition or if they wanted to return home.

It encouraged Filipinos to contact their families in the Philippines and apprise them of their situation.

The Philippines has expresses its deep concerns regarding developments in Ukraine and urged all parties to exercise restraint, not to escalate through the use of force, and follow obligations under international law.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said they raised crisis alert level 2 (restriction

phase) for Ukraine in view of ongoing tensions in that country.

Filipinos in Ukraine are advised to restrict non-essential movements, avoid public places, closely monitor developments, and prepare for possible evacuation.

The Philippines urges all parties to resolve the crisis through dialogue.

Russia has intruded into Crimea in Ukraine and deployed hundreds of troops after the region's newly-installed leader Sergei Aksyonov sought help from President Vladimir Putin to protect them from the central government.

Aksyonov accused Kiev of appointing a new top police officer in the Black Sea peninsula without coordinating with his regional government. The Russian parliament voted to send troops to Crimea to protect its largely ethnic Russian population.

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Ang suspek na si Jerry Sangaban at ang mga nasasamsam umano sa kanya ng pulisya sa bayan ng Lambayong sa Sultan Kudarat. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Leo Diaz)

Notoryosong ‘tulak’ laglag sa pulisya sa Sultan Kudarat SULTAN KUDARAT – Isa umanong notoryosong tulak ng droga ang nadakip ng mga alagad ng batas matapos na magsagawa ng isang operasyon ang pulisya sa lalawigan ng Sultan Kudarat.

Kinilala ng pulisya ang suspek na si Jerry Sangaban, 30, na nasakote sa Barangay Tumiao sa bayan ng Lambayong, ngunit kinuwestyon naman ng mga kaanak nito at ilang mga residente doon ang isinagawang operasyon.

Iginiit ng pulisya na kilalang tulak sa nasabing bayan si Sangaban at nabawi umano sa kanya ang 37 sachet ng hinihinalang shabu, gayun rin ang isang kalibre .45 pistola, isang magazine at

7 piraso ng bala.

Agad naman ikinulong si Sangaban sa himpilan ng pulisya matapos na gawan ng imbentaryo ang mga nasamsam sa kanya.

Sa pagtaya ni P03 Richard Ulangkaya, ng Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force, sinabi nito sa Mindanao Examiner na aabot sa P100,000 o mahigit pa ang halaga ng mga drogang nabawi kay Sangaban.

Mangiyak-ngiyak naman na sinabi ni Nena (di tunay na pangalan) at ilan pang mga residente sa lugar na umano’y nakita nila ang kabuuan ng pangyayari sa isinagawang operasyon ng pulisya na kung saan ay pinagpapapalo ng baril at sinasakal pa ang suspek.

Lumutang rin ang

alegasyon na planted ang ebidensyang nakuha sa lugar.

Mariin naman itong itinanggi ng pulisya at sa panayam kay Lim ay sinabi nito na iginagalang nila ang mga pahayag ng aniya’y kaanak ng suspek at handa siyang isailalim ang sinuman sa kanyang mga tauhan na itinuturong gumawa ng hindi naaayon sa proseso ng batas.

Tiniyak naman ni Lim na sasampahan nila ng kaso si Sangaban sa paglabag nito sa Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act o Republic Act 9165.

Suportado naman ni Sultan Kudarat Governor Datu Suharto Mangudadatu ang kampanya ng mga awtoridad kontra droga dahil salot ito sa lipunan. (Leo Diaz)

Truck driver flagged down for traffic violation yields illegal gun POLICE ARRESTED a man for possessing an unlicensed pistol after he was caught carrying the weapon in his bag while being questioned over a traffic violation in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

Ahris Galvez, 30, was driving his truck when flagged down by policemen led by Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca at a checkpoint along San Jose Road for traffic violation.

Huesca, the head of

the Firearms, Explosives, Security Agencies and Guards Section, said he asked Galvez for his driver’s license and the truck’s registration as a routine inspection when he spotted the barrel of the gun from the man’s bag.

He said he asked Galvez whether he has a license or a permit to carry the gun, but the man failed to show any documents that would allow him to possess the weapon.

“We will file a case

against Galvez for illegal possession of firearm,” Huesca, who is also the regional police spokesman, said.

Huesca, along with members of the Highway Patrol Group, Regional Public Safety Battalion, Regional Special Operations Group, the Regional Police Office and the Zamboanga City Police Office, have been conducting random checkpoints, especially at night, in various areas here.

(Mindanao Examiner)

The Mindanao Examiner

7

The Mindanao Examiner

Mar. 10-16, 2014

Organ donation campaign in Philippines breaks world records MANILA - The Aquino administration expressed optimism that its recent organ donation campaign in the Philippines would increase awareness among Filipinos.

Deputy Presidential

spokesperson Abigail Valte said the campaign launched by the Department of Health and the Philippine Network for Organ Sharing aims to promote organ donation.

Dubbed as “Organ Do-

nation Sign-Up Campaign: I Am a Lifeline,” Valte said the country has set a new world record of having the most number of people to pledge and sign up as organ donors.

Valte said that apart

from setting world records, the government hopes that the recent campaign would promote awareness and change public misconceptions about organ donation.

“More than setting a

World Record for a single site activity for organ donation, we hope that the activities undertaken by DOH will have a lasting impact in terms of raising awareness for organ donation,” Valte said.

The Polytechnic University of the Philippines recorded 3,548 individuals in one hour during the campaign, which bested the previous record set by India with 2,755 registrants on September 17 last year.

Sayyaf man linked to kidnappings of 3 US citizens, 17 Filipinos arrested

Lt. Col. Donald Hongitan, commander of the 45th Infantry Battalion, and two other army officers inspect BIFF weapons recovered by troops following a clash with rebels in Maguindanao province in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Mark Navales)

Cinematheque opens in Zambo ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Film Development Council of the Philippines inaugurated the Cinematheque Zamboanga as part of its initiative to bring promote Filipino films.

The inauguration also coincided with the unveiling of a statue of famed Filipino film director Manuel Conde by his son Manuel Jr, who is popularly known as Jun Urbano.

The Cinematheque Zamboanga is the fourth and so far the biggest in the Philippines with three others in Baguio City, Iloilo and Davao.

The 406 square meter

building can accommodate 160 people and is equipped with 35mm projectors.

Briccio Santos, FDCP chairman, and Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar led other local and foreign government officials, in the inauguration. The Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas also supported the establishment of Cinematheque Zamboanga.

The cinematheque will showcase various films – both classic and contemporary - by Filipino directors, including independent films, as well as other foreign films as part of its cultural ex-

change program. And will also hold international festivals featuring French, Spanish, and Mexican and Argentinean films.

The FDCP has recently launched its “Sine ng Masa” mobile cinema in Zamboanga City and showcased a slew of Filipino films to local high school students. The mobile cinema – a truck on which films are projected on both sides using huge LCD screens that enable audiences to watch - is usually deployed in remote villages to bring Filipino films to the masses. (Mindanao Examiner)

BASILAN – Philippine law enforcement and intelligence agencies have arrested a member of the notorious Abu Sayyaf group implicated in the 2001 kidnapping of three US citizens and 17 other Filipino holiday makers in the posh Dos Palmas resort in Palawan province.

Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said Kudairik Abdulla alias Abu Saad, was arrested in hide hideout on Lampinigan Island off Basilan province.

“His arrest is covered by a warrant in relation to the Dos Palmas kidnapping,” he said.

He said Abdulla is the brother of an Abu Sayyaf terrorist Bong Abdulla who was killed along with over a dozen others during a botched jail break in a police detention facility in

Bicutan in Taguig City in 2005.

Huesca said Abdulla, who is married to a niece of Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahiron, is being interrogated by authorities.

Abdulla’s father, Nasirun, is a close associate of another notorious terror leader Khair Mundos, who is long wanted by the US. Mundos, who has links with the al-Qaeda, was arrested in 2004 in Mindanao, but escaped from his detention center in Kidapawan City in 2007.

Washington has offered $500,000 reward for his capture.

Abdulla is being linked to the kidnapping of California man Guillermo Sobero and Kansas missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and the Filipinos.

The Abu Sayyaf be-

headed Sobero in Basilan a month after the kidnapping while Martin Burnham was shot and killed the next year in a USled military rescue operation in nearby Zamboanga del Norte province.

Gracia Burnham was rescued by Filipino troops, but she was also wounded.

Some of the Filipino hostages were also killed and wounded by the Abu Sayyaf during their captivity.

The Burnham couple was celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary party on May 27, 2001 at Dos Palmas when the Abu Sayyaf attacked the resort.

Since her rescue, Gracia Burnham has written two books, 'In the Presence of My Enemies' and 'To Fly Again' and now works a popular church speaker.

(Mindanao Examiner)

Pag-IBIG Fund extension office sa Tagbilaran, nahimo nang full branch TAGBILARAN CITY Gibuksan na ang Tagbilaran Branch sa Pag-IBIG Fund ning dakbayan.

Matud pa ni Pag-IBIG Senior Specialist Leonardo Cirujales atol sa iyang pagbisita ning buhatan sa PIA-Bohol nga ang extension office sa Pag-IBIG Fund dinhi sa lalawigan nahimo nang usa ka Tagbilaran City Branch.

Kini matud pa pinaagi na usab sa pag-interbenir sa Bohol One Stop Shop (BOSS) nga nakatabang og daku sa ahensya sa pagkab-ot sa gikinahanglang 50,000 ka mga miyembro aron mahimong full branch.

Tungod niini, ang mga miyembro sa Pag-IBIG mahimo nang mo-file sa ilang mga claims ug mo-process sa ilang Multi-Purpose Loans dinhi sa ilang sangang-buhatan nga ipahimutang usab sa Galleria Luisa, ning dakbayan sa Tagbilaran.

Matud pa nga ang probinsiya sa Bohol ang mahimong pilot sa bag-ong loyalty card program sa maong buhatan diin ang pagpa-rehistro ug impormasyon alang sa kaayohan niini makuha sa Kiosk nga ilang ibutang sa Human Resource Management and Development Office sa Kapitolyo. Kining labing ulahing kalambuan kabahin usab sa tumong sa Pag-IBIG nga makatubag dayon ug mahimong aktibo nga magdudula sa kaugmaran sa lalawigan sa Bohol.

Man shot in downtown Zambo A LONE ASSAILANT has shot dead a man in downtown Zamboanga City in southern Philippines, police said.

Police said the victim, Ismael Unga, just came from Sulu province by boat and was walking along Rizal Street when the gunman attacked him.

Unga was shot several times by the assailant who fled on foot after the killing.

A policeman who was pass-

ing near the area spotted the assailant and pursued the gunman, but failed to catch up with him in the village of Santa Barbara.

The motive of the attack was unknown and no individual claimed responsibility for the killing. Gun attacks and killings are almost a daily occurrence in Zamboanga where hired killers actively operate. (Mindanao Examiner)

8

The Mindanao Examiner

Zamboanga residents benefit from 4Ps project DOZENS OF beneficiaries of the government Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in Zamboanga city have been chosen as scholars of the so-called “Kabalikat Farmer’s Training Program,” a joint project of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, SM Foundation, Harvest Agribusiness Corporation, and the Zamboanga City Agriculture Office.

The program aims to

provide a 13-week training for farmers in growing and maintaining their own vegetable garden and it will also include lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on activities, government media said.

It said the beneficiaries would be taught how to grow honeydew or melon, sweet corn, and other vegetable varieties. Under the program, scholars would get at least 200-square meters of land use after the

training.

Dozens more farmers and agriculture technologist identified by the City Agriculture Office will also join the training.

Social Welfare Regionl Director Zenaida Arevalo, SM Foundation Assistant Vice-President Cristie Angeles, Harvest Agribusiness Manager Arsenio Toto Barcelona, and Zamboanga City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat attended the launching of the project.

Customs trumpets surge in revenues, but fails to hit target in 2013 MANILA - The Philippines Bureau of the Customs has announced a 5% hike in its 2013 collections with a total of P304.5 billion in revenues compared to the previous year, but still failed hit its P340 billion target.

It attributed the surged in collections to improvements in operational efficiency and reforms towards the last quarter of 2013. In 2012, the BOC only collected P289.9 billion.

For 2014, the BOC's target is P408.1 billion.

"The surge in the growth trajectory in the last quarter of 2013, which broke the trend growth of 5% in the first three quarters, indicates that the

President’s Customs Reform Program implemented in October 2013 is beginning to bear fruit."

"With vigorous and continuous systemic reforms, we are confident that the Bureau can become a greater contributor to government coffers and become a more reliable and credible partner in nationbuilding and economic growth. We are hopeful that the momentum will be carried over in 2014,” said Customs Commissioner John Phillip Sevilla, who took over BOC later in December 2013 from former lawmaker Ruffy Biazon, who was linked to the pork barrel scam.

Sevilla, who was Finance Undersecretary for the Corporate Affairs Group and Privatization before his appointment, said the Collection Districts of Legaspi, Subic, Clark, Aparri, Iloilo, Cebu, Cagayan De Oro and Davao picked up part of the slack from the Ports of Manila and Batangas, the Manila International Container Port and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport—the largest in terms of revenues and trade volume, exceeding their collection target by a total of P9.2-Billion in 2013.

The BOC contributes about 22% of total revenues of the National Government.

Mar. 10-16, 2014

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Investors urged to help Philippine economy FILIPINO LEADER Benigno Aquino has urged investors to play a bigger role in efforts to make the Philippines and its economy greater than ever before.

Aquino, speaking at the Euromoney Philippines Investment Forum at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Pasay City, said opportunities abound along the path to shared prosperity.

“As our people continue to rewrite the story of the Philippines—from the apathy of the past to the dynamism of the present, from our previous fumbles to the firm resolve that is propelling us towards a more promising future—I invite all of you to take a larger role here—to be present as our people pur-

sue the permanence of our prosperity, on the road to becoming an economy and a country greater than ever before,” he said.

Aquino said gone were the days that the Philippines was called the 'Sick Man of Asia.' Now, he said, the Philippines is seeing so many international organizations and publications referring to it as 'Asia’s Bright Spot,' or as the 'New Asian Tiger.'

He said that despite last year’s successive tragedies from natural calamities, Filipinos have shown their resiliency, with the government extending the needed assistance.

“We want to empower them to take hold of their destinies once more; and to

do that, we must give them the opportunity to work for their personal advancement, and for the advancement of their families and communities. This is how we approach the task of relief and recovery. It is not simply about distributing goods or putting up shelter; it involves coming up with strategies to revitalize the economies in the local communities, to create jobs, and to encourage productivity in the areas in the soonest possible time,” he said.

“The road ahead promises many challenges, but we are convinced that with the backing of our people, and with the right partners in the private sector, we will prevail. We will complete

the rehabilitation and improvement of the affected communities sooner rather than later; and all of you will see those areas brimming with more opportunity than ever before,” he added.

Aquino also cited the country's progress after Fitch Ratings Agency gave the Philippines its first investment grade rating from a major credit rating agency in its history. Standard & Poor’s followed suit, and so did Moody’s, he said.

“Despite the disasters that befell our country in 2013, the Philippines still posted one of the fastest growth rates in Asia at 7.2 percent,” he said.

He said the Philippines continued to defy expecta-

tions on several measures of competitiveness, climbing up the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Rankings, reaching 59th place.

Also, the Philippines recorded a marked improvement in the World Bank and International Finance Corporation’s Ease of Doing Business Report, moving up 30 places in just one year, according to Aquino.

He said the Heritage Foundation also bumped the Philippines up in its 2014 Index of Economic Freedom, placing us 89th out of 178 countries—an eight-notch improvement from the previous year.On top of this, after a 2013 survey of companies in Asia and Oceania, the Japan Ex-

ternal Trade Organization said that the Philippines is the second most profitable among ASEAN-5 countries, trailing only Thailand.

For now, Aquino said the Philippines is fully intent on keeping up the pace of its progress. He said now is crucial as population projections by the United Nations show the Philippines will hit a 'demographic sweet spot' starting in 2015 - this means a large portion of the population will hit working age.

“On average, hitting such a sweet spot has led to a ten-year period of 7.3 percent yearly growth. So one can only imagine the possibilities for us, considering our workers are renowned for their resilience, creativity, and loyalty,” he said.

Government troops guard the former mountain top hideout of Moro Islamic Liberation Front founder Ustadz Salamat Hashim in what was before a sprawling rebel base called Camp Abubakar Assidique in Matanog town in Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region. Following its fall to the military in 2000, Camp Abubakar Assidique is now home to the Philippine Army's 603rd Infantry Brigade under Col. Manolito Orense and called Camp Iranun. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales)

9

The Mindanao Examiner

Mar. 10-16, 2014

Walang linaw sa ambush sa nasawing Maitum mayor COTABATO CITY – Wala pa rin linaw kung sino ang nasa likod ng pananambang kay Maitum Mayor George Perrett na nasawi matapos itong atakihin sa puso habang ginagamot ang sugat na natamo.

Hindi rin masabi ng militar at pulisya kung may kinalaman ang New People’s Army o ibang grupo sa ambush na naganap sa bayan ng Maitum sa Sarangani province. Sugatan si Perrett matapos na tambangan ng mga di-kilalang armado ang sasakyan nito habang pauwi sa bahay mula sa isang programa kasama ang kanyang asawa at isa pang babae na sugatan rin.

“Hindi pa natin masabi ngayon kung sino ang nasa likod ng ambush at ongoing pa yun imbestigasyon diyan,” ani naman ni Capt.

Alberto Caber, ang spokesman ng Eastern Mindanao Command, sa panayam ng

Mindanao Examiner.

Sa pagkakasawi ni Perrett ay pormal naman na nanumpa si Vice Mayor Pepito Catimbang bilang bagong alkalde ng naturang bayan. Si Councilor Jean Ablog naman ang siyang pumalit kay Catimbang bilang bagong vice mayor sa lugar.

Kamakailan lamang ay inako rin ng New People’s Army ang pananambang sa sasakyan ni Mayor Jaime Mahimpit ng President Roxas sa North Cotabato, na kasama naman sa convoy ng militar at pulisya na siyang target ng mga rebelde.

Tatlong parak na escort ni Mahimpit ang sugatan sa ambush, ngunit sinabi naman ni NPA spokesperson Isabel Fermiza na ang kanilang target ay ang mga sundalo at parak at hindi ang pulitiko.(Mindanao Examiner)

Man arrested for raping own daughter POLICE arrested a 27-year old man accused of molesting his five-year old daughter in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

The man’s 53-year old mother-in-law sought police help after the girl told her own father molested her in their house in Lacasteville in Pasonanca village. Police said the man is facing criminal charges and has been jailed after his

arrest.

Police investigation showed that the man fetched his daughter from the house of his mother-inlaw and brought the girl to his house where he molested the victim.

The man’s wife is working in Singapore and the girl has been placed under the care of the woman’s family. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zamboanga Coast Guard Station commander Jomark Angue receives new boats from the Department of Transportation and Communications. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Ely Dumaboc)

Coast Guard in Mindanao gets new boats THE PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD here has received 18

8 wounded in grenade blast in Cotabato A 22-YEAR OLD MAN was critically injured and at least 7 more wounded when a hand grenade he was toying exploded at a market in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said Charles Guhityat was playing the grenade when it fell down and exploded in North Cotabato’s Midsayap town. Medical workers and policemen and soldiers rushed to the area to help evacuate the wounded and secured the area as authorities investigate the explosion.

Among the injured in the blast were two teenagers and most of the victims were rushed to hospital also in Midsayap town.

Authorities were investigating the explosion.

(Mindanao Examiner)

new aluminium speed boats, two rubber boats and a truck from the Department of Transportation and Communications as part of its support and modernization program.

Zamboanga Coast Guard Station commander Jomark Angue received the boats and the truck in a ceremony attended by representatives of various government agencies.

He said the the boats would be deployed in Zamboanga City and in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu

and Tawi-Tawi.

The ceremony coincided with the promotion of 22 Coast Guard personnel deployed in South-Western Mindanao.

Angue urged the promotees to work harder in service to the public. He also quoted a line from the movie Spider Man in an effort to instil responsibility to the promotes as member of the Coast Guard. “With great power, comes great responsibility,” he said.

“The rank bestowed on you, you deserved it because

pinaghirapan niyo yan, but remember that senior officers like me, we expect so much from you, when you increase your rank it means you get more responsibilities, it is not only an increase in salary but because your rank includes a certain degree of responsibility. We expect so much from you to accomplish the Coast Guard mission,” Angue said.

Just recently, Angue led a massive tree planting here and blood donation to the Zamboanga Medical Center. (Ely Dumaboc)

Abducted Basilan vice mayor is freed PAGADIAN CITY - A Basilan municipal vice mayor abducted in Zamboanga City has been freed, but details of her release are still unclear.

Police confirmed the release of Arsina Kahing Nanoh, the vice mayor of Hadji Muhtamad town in Basilan province and has been reunited with her family. The news of Nanoh’s release first broke out after one of her closest friends posted it on Facebook.

A police report said Nanoh was freed in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province and took a passenger plane for Manila. This was also confirmed by Chief Inspector ArthurValdez, who heads the Anti-Kidnapping Group in Mindanao.

Valdez in his report to the local police chief Angelito Casimiro said the alleged abductors told Nanoh to board the plane for a still unknown reason.

He said Nanoh's mother Raddah Kahing and the politician's husband Alnajil confirmed the release of the woman. No other details surrounding Nanoh's release were made available to the media by her family.

Police said Nanoh was taken March 4 from Mindpro

Mall while shopping with her husband, who told police that he just left his 20-year old wife for a while and she disappeared.

Nanoh was allegedly forced by unidentified men out of the shopping mall unnoticed by the guards and into a waiting vehicle where other men were waiting.

Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman, said Nanoh's husband reported the abduction to the authorities after he received a call from her wife's cell phone saying she has been abducted by unidentified men.

It was unknown whether the abductors have demanded ransom for the safe release of the politician.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the abduction. Nanoh is a member of the political opposition party United Nationalists Alliance. There was no immediate statement either from her political party or family about the abduction.

Just last month, kidnappers disguised as policemen also seized a young mother, Sabrina Ikbala Voon, from her house in the village of Mercedes and dragged her to a waiting get-away van.

The kidnappers have re-

portedly demanded P5 million from her family in exchange for the woman's safe release. The 22-year old Voon, a native of Sulu province, was kidnapped on February 19 and police said it filed criminal charges against one of her captors Abdul Hassan Yusop.

Casimiro said the 28year old kidnapper has been identified through his photo on a falsified driver’s license he used to hire the van from a local car rental company.

Casimiro said Yusop, who used the name Rey Santos in his identification card, is a native of Tuburan town in Basilan province, just several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City. It was not immediately known whether Yusop is a member of the Abu Sayyaf group operating in Basilan, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for both kidnappings, but authorities had previously blamed these to the Abu Sayyaf, a small but the most notorious rebel group tagged by the authorities as behind the spate of ransom kidnappings and terrorism in the southern Philippines.

(Mindanao Examiner)

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Mar. 10-16, 2014

PRESIDENT AQUINO SAYS VISIT TO MALAYSIA SUCCESSFUL

M

ANIL A - P ANILA Prr esiB enigno Benigno dent A quino has said that his two-day state alaysia was sucMalaysia state visit to M cessful and ev en cited the even signing of the agr eement on agreement cultur al, ar ts itage cocultural, arts ts,, and her heritage oper ation, including the acoperation, cor d cooper ation in the field cooperation cord of education.

Aquino flew to Kuala Lumpur recently at the invitation of His Majesty The Seri Paduka Baginda Yang DiPertuan Agong, the Head of State of Malaysia, and Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak.

He said Malaysia - which is brokering the peace talks between Manila and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels - also expressed readiness to help the Philippines in the field of Islamic banking and finance. The two countries also agreed to boost bilateral trade, as well as defense and security cooperation.

Aquino thanked the Malaysian government for its support to the peace process in Mindanao, as well as for the assistance it extended to the country in the wake of super typhoon Haiyan that devastated central Philippines.

Aquino also said that with the signing of the Framework

President Benigno Aquino and Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo by Gil Nartea) Agreement on the Bangsamoro, Mindanao region will be given an opportunity to develop itself and in the long run, improve the living conditions of the Muslim population in the South.

“Hindi ko magagawang magisa na ayusin lahat ng problema

ng Pilipinas. Pero habang naniniwala sa akin ang taumbayan, sumasama sa akin ang aking mga boss, at tulungtulong tayo sa direksyon na tahakin ang tuwid na daan, oras lang ang pinag-uusapan bago natin maabot ang gusto nating

abutin,” he said.

Both Aquino and Najib also agreed on the peaceful settlement of disputes in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea, in accordance with international law.

During the visit, Aquino met with the Filipino community in

Kuala Lumpur and shared the accomplishments of his administration’s reforms and good governance.

He also met with Malaysian businessmen and invited them to invest in the country, particularly in Mindanao.

“Personal po nating ibinahagi sa kanila ang positibong epekto ng ating mga reporma, at ang inaasahan nating pagpapatuloy ng pagaarangkada ng atin pong bansa,” Aquino said.

“Ngayon nga pong natatanaw na natin ang kapayapaan sa rehiyong ‘yon, umaasa din tayo sa napipintong pagpasok ng marami pang mga negosyo at sa panganganak nito ng mas maraming oportunidad para sa ating mga kababayan,” he added.

Aquino also told Filipinos that the Philippines has improved a lot since his assumption to office in 2010. And despite the recent calamities that hit the country, the Philippines still posted a 7.2% GDP (gross domestic product) growth last year, one of the highest in Asia.

He said the government succeeded in creating more jobs, particularly in the business process outsourcing and semiconductor industry, and eliminated the backlog in classrooms and chairs and gave schoolchildren enough books to use.

Suporta bumuhos sa pagsisikap ng Sulu tungo sa kapayapaan, progreso

Gov. Totoh Tan ng Sulu.

ARMM

SULU – Muling nagbigay ng kanilang suporta kay Sulu Gov. Totoh Tan ang ibatibang sektor at mga alkalde sa lalawigan habang patuloy ang mga programa at proyekto ng pamahalaang panlalawigan.

Kaliwa’t-kanan ang ang isinasagawang pagsisikap ni Tan upang mas lalong pakinabangan ng mga mamamayan ang lahat ng mga proyekto nito mula impraistraktura hanggang pangkabuhayan, at maging sa lokal na ekonomiya at sa kasalukuyang peace order condition dito.

Kamakailan lamang ay muling binuksan ni Tan

Southern Mindanao

Davao

ang Sulu Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council na kung saan siya ang chairman at binalangkas doon ang ibatibang isyu bilang paghahanda sa mga kalamidad.

Ang pulong na isinagawa sa Kapitolyo ay dinaluhan ng ibat-ibang kinatawan ng mga ahensya ng pamahalaan at isa sa mga isyu na tinugunan ni Tan ay ang disaster risk reduction management system. Kaagapay rin ng pamahalaan doon ang ibat-ibang mga network partners at grupo.

Hinimok naman ni Tan

Manila

ang mga mamamayan na maging malinis sa kanilang kapaligiran, partikular ang mga nananinirahan malapit sa mga tabingdagat at sa ibat-ibang barangay sa mga bayan, upang maiwasan ang polusyon at ang pagkalat ng mga basura.

Umani ng suporta sa publiko si Tan dahil sa mga programa nito na ipinagpatuloy mula sa sinimulan ng amang si dating Gov. Sakur Tan. Malaking-malaki na ang ipinagbago ng Sulu kung ihahambing sa mga nakalipas na dekada at ng maupo bilang governor si

Tan senior ay tinutukan nito ng husto ang lalawigan upang ito ay mapaunlad at ngayon ay mistula ng lungsod dahil sa mabilis na progreso sa ilalim ng kanyang pamamahala.

Suportado rin ng pamahalaang Aquino ang kasalukuyang administrasyon ng nakababatang Tan na tumatahak sa yapak ng pilantropong ama at gumagawa ngayon ng sariling pagkilala.

Kilalang respetado hindi lamang sa Sulu ang pamilyang Tan, kundi maging sa Mindanao.

(Mindanao Examiner)

Zamboanga Peninsula