Mindanao Examiner Newspaper Apr. 14-20, 2014

UN alarmed by situation of war refugees in Zamboanga evacuation sites PAGE 3

South Upi town to start various livelihood, infra projects PAGE 4

5 Reasons to Advertise online PAGE 5

NPA rebels raid mining firm in Agusan del Norte

More special education schools eyed in ARMM

British national stranded in PHL hospital appeals for help

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ASSAULT!

P

hilippine military offensives against communist rebels have forced an exodus of civilians, mostly indigenous tribesmen, in the southern province of Davao del Norte, human rights groups said.

Hundreds of families in rugged mountainous terhave fled the military as- rain of guerrilla zones and sault on New People’s Army bases has been proven in strongholds in Talaingod history as a failed formula. town and many of them The enemy attacks a guersought safe refuge in rilla force that is not a fixed Davao City. Tribesmen and military target. It drops villagers fear they would be bombs against empty caught in the crossfire or camps, it attacks in thin air. arrested or branded as Failing that, their overrebels or supporters of the whelming military force New People’s Army which takes a cowardly retreat by is waging a secessionist instilling fear in the minds war for many decades now. of the rural populace and Media group Kilab, innocent civilians,” a rebel which documented the spokesman Rigoberto exodus of civilians, re- Sanchez told the regional ported that more than newspaper Mindanao Ex1,000 tribesmen are cur- aminer.

“The AFP’s overweenrently in Davao City and the number of those escap- ing arrogance and unconing the government offen- cern for the welfare of civilsive is steadily increasing ians is also displayed in its by the day. “More than a recent sortie in Talaingod thousand indigenous when the NPA discharged people have fled their vil- command detonated exlages after the Armed plosives against their Forces of the Philippines troops. It was obvious that persistently tormented the military exploited the their communities. civilians and the media as Manobo men, women and their protective cover under children have travelled all the pretext of relief operafor displaced the way from Talaingod to tions Davao City to seek refuge Manobos. The AFP does not and expose the violations care one whit if civilians are of their right to ancestral killed or maimed,” he land and self-determina- added.

AFP refers to the Armed tion,” it said.

The Children Rehabili- Forces of the Philippines.

Sanchez said governtation Center has conducted psycho-social inter- ment forces were attacking vention to some 500 Ata- tribesmen in southern PhilManobo children in their ippines who are opposing refugee camp at the United or fighting unabated logChurch of Christ of the Phil- ging and large-scale minippines’ Haran House. It ing operations within their put the evacuees at around ancestral domain. “The 1,300. “The participants AFP’s mission in Talaingod were among the 1, 300 in- - their unspoken objective digenous people from the - is to punish Lumad hinterlands of Talaingod Manobos for having pracNorte who evacuated due ticed their right to self-deto what they say massive termination by prevailing militarization that includes over stage neglect and naaerial bombing, harass- tional oppression. The ment and military encamp- Lumads were in the process ment in the schools and of building their own selfsufficient economy, a thing communities,” it said.

There were no immedi- which the state finds ate reports of casualties ei- abominable, hence the ther in the military or rebel bombing and other abuses.

Lumads are fair game to the side.

The NPA condemned 10th Infantry DivisionMindanao the government assault, Eastern saying the attacks only af- Command’s psychological fected innocent civilians warfare and inhuman opand branded the military erations,” he said. campaign as “atrocious opHe said the indigenous erations.” people for decades have “The state’s use of over- been deprived of their anwhelming force against the cestral rights and fallen vicNPA and its display of supe- tims of state exploitation. rior armament and forces “They have waged cam-

paign against land grabbers, large-scale miners and against reactionary laws and programs that try to subvert their rightful claim over their lands.

Vastly neglected by the reactionary government, they nurtured farms, schools, under auspices of their own tribal system of leadership,” Sanchez said, adding the military has been tagging tribesmen as rebels or NPA supporters to justify its operations and pave the way for mining firms and logging to further exploit ancestral lands of the natives.

He also branded as “inutile” the military operations against the NPA, saying it would never win because the support of the people on the communist struggle is strong. “Indeed, the AFP, while superior in a war of quick decision, is inutile against a people's army waging widespread and intensive guerrilla warfare in the framework of a protracted people's war,” he said.

Propaganda The military’s Eastern Mindanao Command strongly denied all accusations of human rights violations and also branded the allegations as mere “propaganda.”

Captain Alberto Caber, a spokesman for the military command, said the operations were aimed at weakening the NPA in the province following reports by civilians of massive abuses and atrocities committed by the rebel group.

“We are the protector of the people and we uphold human rights of every citizen and our operation is aimed at the communist terrorists who continue to their atrocities not only in Davao, but elsewhere in the region,” he said in a separate interview.

Caber also released statements by tribal leaders and politicians in Talaingod denying reports of military abuses in the town. “For truth and peace, there were no abuses committed by the soldiers in the area. If indeed there are, then I myself will defend my people,” Caber quoted Talaingod Mayor Basilio Libayao as saying.

He said the politician also took a swipe on PASAKA, a confederation of

Apr. 14-20, 2014

Civilians flee as military launches campaign vs NPA rebels in Davao

Photos released by the media group Kilab to Mindanao Examiner show indigenous people now in Davao City after escaping massive military operations against the communist rebel group New People's Army. indigenous peoples’ organizations in southern Philippines, as behind the evacuation of tribesmen in Davao City.

“The mayor also revealed that the residents were discreetly gathered by a group called PASAKA at night to leave their residences in order to make it appear that the soldiers on peace outreach in the area committed abuses. Mayor Libayao further said that they are seeking assistance from Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to let the evacuees return to Talaingod,” Caber said.

“We are capable to attend the needs of our constituents. The organizers did not inform local authorities of their plan to bring the evacuees to Davao City. We are seeking assistance to the good

mayor of Davao City to bring back our constituents here in our municipality. We also apologize for any disturbance, in one way or another, they may have caused,” the mayor was quoted as saying.

Caber, citing reports by social workers, said only 300 tribesmen have evacuated to Davao City.

Datu Ruben Labawan, leader of the Supreme Tribal Council for Peace and Development, said the evacuees need to return to their respective homes and farms to live normally. “I appeal to the organizers, do not exploit the plight of the indigenous people, do not put us at risk. Please respect us,” he said.

Other tribal leaders said PASAKA does not represent the indigenous tribes in Talaingod and has not

right to speak in their behalf.

Caber said troops have captured several rebel camps and recovered landmines during the operations which began just recently.

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz, the commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command, has ordered military commanders to extend assistance to the villagers affected by the anti-communist campaign. “It is our desire to protect the indigenous people from NPA’s deception and aggression.

The military and police will always be there to protect the people. Rest assured that our best effort is to serve the people so they can live peacefully and without fear,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

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Apr. 14-20, 2014

UN alarmed by situation of war refugees in Zamboanga evacuation sites ZAMBOANGA CITY – The United Nations said it is alarmed by the poor conditions of tens of thousands of war refugees still at different filthy evacuation centers and transition sites in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

More than 100 refugees had died from diseases in the evacuation centers. Those in the evacuation areas were villagers affected and displaced by rebel attacks mounted in September by the Moro National Liberation Front under Nur Misuari. The attack sparked three weeks of street battles that killed and wounded over 400 people and displaced some 120,000 villagers.

“There is an urgent need to find shelter solutions for these IDPs,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs, at a press briefing in Geneva, referring to internally displaced persons.

Laerke said in the immediate aftermath of the fighting, OCHA announced that the UN emergency relief fund would allocate $3 million to assist those affected by the violence. More than 10,000 homes were destroyed in and around Zamboanga City and, additionally, nearly 19,000 were displaced in Basilan province.

Citing current figures from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Laerke said that the remaining IDPs currently lack access to adequate and safe water and sanitation and there are serious health concerns – acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea and skin diseases – due to overcrowding in the two largest evacuation centres hosting some 20,000 IDPs, including the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex in

Hundreds of Muslims protest government's failure to address poor conditions of war refugees in evacuation centers in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Alvin Lardizabal) Zamboanga.

“There is, for example, a need for 940 extra latrines to meet global standards. There is also a water shortage because of rationing imposed last month as reservoirs were low in the dry season,” he said.

He said general food distribution to the affected region ended in December 2013. However nearly 12,000 IDPs and returnees continued to benefit from foodfor-work programs, and some 11,000 children had received emergency food in their schools.

Laerke said the Zamboanga City government have requested support from humanitarian agencies to assist the families still in

evacuation centres and transition sites. “Local authorities have begun implementing their recovery and rehabilitation plan looking at longer-term livelihoods programmes,” he said.

Just recently, hundreds of Muslims protested the government’s failure to facilitate the return of refugees to their original villages. The refugees, many of them Tausug from Sulu; Yakan, from Basilan; and indigenous Badjao tribe from Tawi-Tawi province - engaged in fishing and other traditional livelihoods - were being relocated to the far-flung villages of Tulungatung and Taluksangay from their original habitat in the coastal villages of Rio Hondo and

Village official, farmer killed in Zamboanga Sur PAGADIAN CITY – A village official and a farmer were killed in separate gun attacks in the southern Filipino province of Zamboanga del Sur, police said.

Police said a lone gunman killed Jhonny Gador Ligar, 24, at Purok Salingsing in Balintawak village in Pagadian City.

Ligar, a village councilman in Ocapan in San Miguel

town, was on a motorcycle when the attacker shot him several times with a .45-caliber pistol. The gunman escaped after the shooting.

A 37-year old farmer, Henry Eberbia, was also shot dead by three men armed with rifles at Purok 4 in Datangan village in Zamboanga del Sur’s Bayog town. Police said Eberbia visiting his farm when the

attack occurred.

Eberbia was shot several times and police said at least 9 bullet casings were recovered from the area.

Police said the motive of the two attacks remains unknown and that investigations are going on to identify the killers of Ligar and Eberbia. (Mindanao Examiner)

Beaten Indon DH returns to HK MANILA - An Indonesian domestic worker who was severely beaten by her Hong Kong employer is set to return to the former British colony as various migrants' rights groups demanded justice for her.

The Justice for Erwiana and Migrant Domestic Workers said it welcomes the return Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, adding her stay shall have positive impacts to the call for justice for her and all migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong.

Eni Lestari, spokesperson of the Justice for Erwiana and Migrant Domestic Workers, said Erwiana's return is facilitated by the Hong Kong Police. “The move is a step in the right direction to achieve justice for Erwiana,” Lestari said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Min-danao Examiner.

Erwiana is arriving with

her father, her lawyer, her case worker in Indonesian and the Indonesian domestic worker who posted her bruised and beaten photos on Facebook that gained wide sympathy in Hong Kong and also overseas.

“We hope that with Erwiana’s arrival, her case will prosper better and faster. We also look forward for her to meet the rest of the J4EMDW members and also her fellow Indonesian migrants so that we may express in person our support for her case,” Lestari said.

However, Lestari said that the Indonesian government, through the Indonesian Consulate General seems to be not keen for Erwiana and company to meet migrant organisations and advocates while they are here in Hong Kong.

“If they are really supportive of Erwiana, they should honour her wishes and let her spend time with

people and groups who not only sympathize with her but also committed to see changes in the policies of Hong Kong and Indonesia that make migrant domestic workers vulnerable to the tragedy that befell Erwiana,” Lestari said.

Lestari said Erwiana’s presence in Hong Kong shall further inspire the migrant’s community and advocates for migrant’s rights to see that reforms happen in Hong Kong.

“Erwiana is the face of modern-day slavery in Hong Kong. Her case is a litmus test that will prove if the Hong Kong government shall really make move to reform policies that gravely impact migrants such as the Mandatory Live-in Policy, Two-Week Rule, and the lack of effective regulation of placement policies that put migrant domestic works in abusive working conditions,” Lestari said.

Mariki and other areas.

The government has built bunkhouses as temporary shelters to those affected by the violence, but it also warned that villagers who are not natives of Zamboanga would not be allowed to return to their former abode, unless they can provide certificates to show they are landowners.

Gammar Hassan, one of the refugee leader, said more than 100 people had died from diseases the past months in evacuations sites and the deaths are continuing due to poor health services and malnutrition and lack medical and emergency facilities there. He said the government has prevented them from returning to their villages and

has forced the refugees to relocations sites far away.

He said majority of the refugees have opposed the government’s relocation plan to put them in other areas saying it would be extremely difficult for them to rebuild their lives. He also urged the local government to allow the refugees to return to their places instead of holding them in evacuation centers. “Build back better till we all die in pain. Who will enjoy the promised development and rehabilitation? Send us home now, not tomorrow,” Hassan said.

He said even access to clean and potable water and portable toilets are also a huge problem in refugee centers, particularly at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex.

Just before Christmas, President Benigno Aquino flew to Zamboanga City and briefly inspected temporary shelters occupied by refugees. Aquino assured them of the government’s rehabilitation efforts, saying his administration is working closely with various agencies to rebuild houses destroyed during the war.

Aquino said the government already spent some P273.8 million in relief aid and cash-for-work program for those displaced by the war.

He said he also allocated an additional P3.5 billion for the rehabilitation efforts here and these were on top of the millions of pesos in cash and aid that the provincial government of Sulu has sent to Zamboanga to help feed the refugees. The provincial government of Basilan and Tawi-Tawi and other nongovernmental organizations and private companies also donated cash and food aid to refugees in Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner)

Suspect in kidnap of gas station owner's son captured in Zamboanga DIPOLOG CITY – Police arrested a 25-year old man implicated in the kidnapping of a son of a gas station owner in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte, officials said.

Inspector Dahlan Samuddin, a regional police spokesman, said the suspect – Omar Wahab – was captured in the village of Bucana in Siocon town where kidnappers seized Michael Kho, 27, at the family’s Petron gas station. He said Wahab is being interrogated by the police after witnesses pointed to him as one of those who acted as lookout during the

kidnapping.

“As a result of continuous manhunt operation, police arrested Omar Wahab,” Samuddin said. “He was positively identified by eyewitnesses as one of those who served as look-out (during the kidnapping).”

It was not immediately known whether is a member of any rebel groups operating in Zamboanga provinces which is a known lair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf.

He said police are also investigating the owner of the car used by the gunmen in the kidnapping. The car’s

owner Ronaldo Enovejas told police investigators that he sold the vehicle in December to a local resident Jerwin Biao through JBC Surplus Display Center owned by Jose Casona in Zamboanga City. The car was recovered by the police in Siocon town and found a grenade inside the vehicle which was also peppered with bullets.

The fate of Kho is still unknown. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the abduction, but Samuddin said police forces were deployed to track down and rescue the victim.

(Mindanao Examiner)

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Apr. 14-20, 2014

Rebels hold soldier as ‘prisoner of war’ DAVAO CITY – Communist rebels said they captured a government soldier and declared him a prisoner of war in the southern Philippines, a spokesman for the New People’s Army said.

Aris Francisco said rebel forces captured Sergeant Jeric Bucio Curay at a checkpoint in the village of Andap in Compostela Valley’s Laak town on April 4. Curay, a member of the 72nd Infantry Battalion, was travelling on a motorcycle when he was captured.

Francisco, whose group operates in the provinces of Compostela Valley,

Davao and Agusan, said the soldier is currently being interrogated to determine his involvement in “counterrevolutionary and anti-people” activities in Laak town.

“Consistent with its practice of lenient treatment towards POWs, the NPA custodial force ensures the safety and security of POW Curay as he undergoes an investigation for his involvement in counterrevolutionary and anti-people activities in Laak,” he said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Minda-nao Examiner.

Francisco said the arrest of Curay coincided with the NPA’s renewed campaign against the 72nd Infantry Battalion whom he accused along with the 60th Infantry Battalion of protecting big logging firms “which have wiped out the forests of Davao del Norte, Com-postela Valley and Agusan del Sur provinces.”

He said the wanton destruction of remaining forest cover and unchecked commercial logging in the provinces have greatly impoverished indigenous Lumad tribesmen and peasants and have made

them more vulnerable to environmental disasters and climate change.

Francisco also accused politicians and policemen as among those behind indiscriminate logging operations in eastern Mindanao. “They stand to face NPA sanction against environmental plunderers and destroyers of people’s livelihood,” he said.

“Aside from being goons for logging companies, the 60th Infantry Battalions and the 72nd Infantry Battalion are actively holding checkpoints to harass residents suspected as (members of ) revolution-

Remate reporter itinumba!

MANILA - Walang awang pinatay ang isang babaeng reporter ng Remate tabloid na si Rubie Garcia matapos na pasukin ng mga armado ang kanyang bahay sa bayan ng Bacoor sa Cavite province.

Mariing kinondena ng media group Alab ng Mamamahayag (ALAM) ang pagpaslang sa 52anyos na beteranong mamamahayag at regular na miyembro ng Nationa Press Club. Nabatid na nilusob ng tatlong salarin ang tahanan ni Garcia sa Barangay Talaba 2 at pinagbabaril ito hanggang sa mapatay.

Agad naman tumakas ang mga killers sa kabila ng halos kalapit lamang ng himpilan ng pulisya ang bahay ni Garcia.

“Paulit-ulit na lamang ang pagpatay sa mga journalist sa panahon ng pamumuno ni Presidente Benigno Aquino III mula pa noong 2010,” ani ALAM Chairman Jerry Yap. “Nangako siyang sa kanyang Tuwid na Daan ay mawawala ang culture of impunity pero walang nangyayari. Mga inutil silang lahat.”

Sa report na natanggap ni Yap ay may nakasagutan na isang mataas na opisyal ng Philippine National Police si Garcia bago naganap ang pamamaril. Hindi naman agad mabatid kung may kinalaman ito sa krimen, gayunman ay hiniling ng ALAM na imbestigasyon itong maiigi ng mga awtoridad.

“Dapat paimbestiga-

The Mindanao Examiner Media, Film and Television Productions Maritess Fernandez Publisher/Executive Producer (On Leave) Al Jacinto Editor-in-Chief/Producer (OIC) Joshua Alvia Joanna Valerie Wee Graphics/Video Editor Mindanao Examiner Productions Web Master REGIONAL PARTNERS Mindanao Daily Business Week Mindanao Star NEWS/ADVERTISING OFFICES Mark Navales Central Mindanao Richard Suarez Pagadian City Zamboanga del Sur

Alan Navales North- South Cotabato Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Richard Falcatan Basilan Province Ely Dumaboc Zamboanga Peninsula The Mindanao Examiner Regional Newspaper is published weekly in Mindanao, Philippines.

The Mindanao Examiner Television is broadcast in KISMET Cable TV and Pagadian Cable Television Channel 63.

Our business and editorial offices are located at Units 15, 3rd Floor, Fair Land Bldg., Nuñez St., Zamboanga City Phone & fax: 062- 9925480 Mobile: 0917-7103642 URL: mindanaoexaminer.com E-mail: mindanaoexaminer@gmail.com

han ito ng gobyerno” giit ni Yap. “Nasaan na ang mga Task Force na ginawa nila? Nasaan ang Task Force Usig ng Department of Justice? Sila ang dapat humawak nito.”

Idinagdag pa ni Yap na walang tigil ang mga mamamahayag sa paki-usap kay Aquino na bigyang katarungan ang pananakit at pagpatay sa mga mamamahayag, ngunit nagbibingi-bingihan lamang ang gobyerno.

Dapat din umanong imbestigahan ng DOJ at ng National Bureau of Investigation ang nasabing istasyon ng pulisya kung bakit hindi agad nakaresponde sa atake.

Gayunman, hindi umano magsasawa ang ALAM na manawagan sa gobyerno, lalo na sa kaso ni Garcia, na resolbahin sa

lalong madaling panahon ang kaso. “Baka sakali lang naman na meron pa silang kunsensya. Umaasa kaming kahit man lamang ang kaso ni Garcia ay may patutunguhan,” ani Yap. Kinondena rin ng Mindanao Independent Journalists Alliance, Inc. at Davao del Norte Press and Radio-TV Club ang pagpatay kay Garcia. “We urge the Aquino government to solve all killings of journalists,” pahayag pa ng MIJA sa ipinadalang mensahe sa Mindanao Examiner.

“We demand immediate solution of the case, and bring the culprits behind bars,” wika naman ni Sarx Lanos, ang information officer ng DNPRC. (May dagdag na ulat mula kay Nanet Villafania)

ary forces; the soldiers take pictures of these civilians,” he said.

He said troops harassed peasants by destroying their crops. He said soldiers also killed two peasants in previous military operations. “In the face of these abuses, the NPA has intensified its tactical offensives against the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Francisco said.

“The NPA shall persevere in punishing logging lords and their AFP protectors.

The arrest of Curay and other tactical offensives should serve a strong warning against enemy

troops that continue to protect exploiters of remaining natural resources at the expense of environmental preservation and people’s welfare.”

The rebels have previously taken soldiers as prisoners, but eventually freed them on humanitarian grounds. There was no immediate statement from the military on Francisco’s accusations, but army officials usually deny all allegations by the rebel group, which has been fighting for decades now for the establishment of a communist state in the country.

(Mindanao Examiner)

Convicted robber killed in Tacurong City TACURONG CITY – An unidentified gunman shot dead a former prisoner a few days after he was freed from jail in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province, police said.

Police said the 29year old Alfred Fabro was instantly killed in the attack which occurred recently in Purok Sampa-guita in the village of New Isabela.

Fabro was walking

on his way home when the gunman was shot him repeatedly with a .45-caliber pistol and then escaped after the attack. The motive of the killing is still unknown, but police launched an investigation into the murder.

Police also recovered 7 bullet casings and two bullet slugs in the area. It said Fabro was a convicted robber.

(Rose Muneza)

SUPPORT PEACE IN MINDANAO

South Upi town to start various livelihood, infra projects MAGUINDANAO – The municipal government of South Upi in Maguindanao province is set to start various projects as part of its priority program that would largely benefit its constituents.

Engineer Renato Sarikit, the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator, said more than P25 million in funds have been released to municipal gover nment for livelihood and infrastructure projects.

He said some P10.9 million is intended for potable water system in the villages. The fund, which was originally set in 2013, was only released this year.

He said about P15 million which was approved during the “Bottom-up Budgeting” has also been released this year. It will fund various livelihood and infrastructure programs in South Upi. “We are now preparing to implement all these projects which are among the priority programs of Mayor Abdulah Campong,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner, adding the mayor is actively in-

South Upi Mayor Abdulah Campong poses with other officials during a ground-breaking ceremony in the town. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales) volved in peace and development advocacy in the province and one of the strong supporters of President Benigno Aquino in the promotion of peace in this part of the region.

Sarikit said they are still waiting for the P100 million farm-to-market road project released in 2012 under the government’s “Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan” program or PAMANA. He said the funding was already released to the Philippine Army’s Engineer Battalion for the supposed construction of the 13-kilometer long road that

straddles the villages of Lamud and Biarong.

“We are waiting for the engineer battalion, which is tasked to carry out the farm-to-market project that is expected to hasten the transport of farm produce and benefit some 4,000 villagers here in South Upi,” he said.

He said the high cost of transporting farm produce is affecting the productivity of the farmers and the local economy.

PAMANA is President Benigno Aquino’s program and framework for peace and development in areas affected by armed conflict and communities covered by ex-

isting peace agreements.

It seeks to reduce poverty, improve governance and empower communities.

The program, which literally means "Peaceful and Resilient Communities," is expected to benefit the town's folks.

The program, which was originally implemented by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), has been allotted a total of P1.9 billion.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government component of the program has a funding of P968.9 million, while other allocations were distributed among the Department of Social Welfare and Development (P586.7 million), Department of Agrarian Reform (P17.6 million) and OPAPP (P329.3 million).

The fund for the program will be used for development projects, such as infrastr ucture and livelihood, in 165 cities and municipalities in 30 conflict-hit provinces.

Maguindanao is one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

(Mark Navales)

The Mindanao Examiner

The Mindanao Examiner

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Apr. 14-20, 2014

NPA rebels raid mining firm in Agusan del Norte DAVAO CITY – New People’s Army rebels raided a mining firm in the southern Philippine province of Agusan del Norte, reports said.

Reports said the rebels swooped down on Philippine Alstron Mining Company on the village of Tamamarkay in Tubay town and overpowered the security guards without firing a single shot before they torched several trucks and other heavy equipment.

The rebels also seized at least 6 shot guns and short firearms from the company’s security arsenal. There were no reports of casualties.

The raid came following threats made by the NPA on mining firms operating in the southern Philippines.

Just last month, rebel forces attacked a police base and government troops in Davao del Sur’s Matanao as punishment for their “reign of terror” against indigenous tribes and other communities opposing mining operations in the province.

Dencio Madrigal, a spokesman for the NPAValentine Palamine Command, said the deadly attacks were a punishment for police and military units protecting Glencore Xstrata. He accused the mining firm of exploiting nearly 100,000 hectares of ancestral lands of indigenous Lumad Blaans tribes, and peasants in the region.

Jorge Madlos, a regional rebel spokesman, also warned mining firms and fruit plantations in

the region, saying military operations in Mindanao have escalated and have become more extensive with the aim to thwart the ever growing and widespread people’s protest against destructive mining operations and plantations.

Madlos said among their targets are Russell Mines and Minerals, Apex Mining Corp. and Philco in southern Mindanao; Dolefil, Del Monte and Sumifru plantations in northern Mindanao; TVI Resource Development Philippines in western Mindanao whose operations inside the ancestral domain of indigenous Subanen and Moro tribes are being opposed by villagers.

NPA and Moro rebels had previously attacked TVI Resources in Zamboanga province.

“If one recalls, more than 400 families were forced to evacuate their ancestral lands because of TVI and the ruthless military operations that ensued to protect it in Buug, Zamboanga del Sur. In order to defend the people’s human rights and general wellbeing, the NPA launched tactical offensives against TVI as well as against units of the AFP-PNP-CAFGU protecting it, such as the ambush on February 2012 that hit elements of the army intelligence group operating on the behest of TVI and the imposition of the local government to allow TVI mining operations on Subanen ancestral lands is one of the bases the NPA raided on

April 9, 2012 the PNP station in Tigbao, Zamboanga del Sur,” Madlos said.

NPA rebels also intercepted a group of army soldiers who were using a borrowed truck from TVI and disarmed them in Diplahan town in Zamboanga Sibugay province two years ago. The rebels also burned the truck before releasing the soldiers.

“In view of these events, the NDFP in Mindanao calls upon the Lumad and Moro peoples, peasants and workers, religious and other sectors to further strengthen their unity and their courage to oppose the interests of imperialist mines and plantations, which are exceedingly damaging to Mindanao, to its people and to the environment.

We call upon the units of the NPA in Mindanao to be ever more daring in their defense of people’s interests against the greed and rapacity of the local ruling classes and their imperialist master,” Madlos said.

TVI Resource Development Philippines has repeatedly denied all accusations against them.

It recently ended its gold mining operation in Mount Canatuan in Zamboanga del Norte’s Siocon town after several years of operations and now has a gold-silver project in the town of Bayog in Zamboanga del Sur province and a nickel plant in Agusan del Norte province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sarhento ng army, inakusahan ng pananakit sa Sultan Kudarat SULTAN KUDARAT – Isang sundalo ng Philippine Army at isang CAFGU militia ang inakusahan ng

pananakit sa apat na ibang militiamen sa bayan ng President Quirino sa lalawigan ng Sultan Kudarat.

Nailigtas lamang diumano ni Katiku Barangay Captain Sancho Salamanca ang mga biktima na nagsabing pinahirapan sila ng naturang sarhento na siyang cadre officer ng 9th CAFGU Active Auxiliary. May cellphone video rin umano ang naganap na pagpapahirap kamakailan lamang sa apat na militia.

Nabatid na dinisarmahan umano ng naturang sarhento ang apat na militia ng sila’y dumating sa kanilang detachment sa hindi pa mala-

mang kadahilanan. At matapos nito ay pinagapang sila sa isang canal habang nilalatigo naman ng isa pang militiaman sa utos ng cadre officer.

Narinig pa umano na sinabi ng sarhento sa apat na: “Dito walang batasbatas, puwede ka mag-lasing, magdala ng babae at magkamang-kamang.”

Hindi naman nagbigay ng pahayag sa Mindanao Examiner ang akusado.

Nakarating na rin diumano kay Colonel Melquiades Feliciano, ng 601st Infantry Brigade, ang naturang reklamo at Nangako ito na iimbestigahan ang alegasyon.

(Rose Muneza)

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Apr. 14-20, 2014

UP Open University Offers ASEAN Studies Graduate Program MANILA - The Graduate Certificate in Master of ASEAN Studies have been approved for offering at the UP Open University starting the First Semester 2014-2015, which begins in August.

The ASEAN Studies Graduate Program intends to promote regional and global understanding about ASEAN Countries from the perspective of ASEAN; increase the ASEAN community’s consciousness of its common historical, cultural, and regional identity; and obtain a balanced perspective in ASEAN studies.

The Graduate Program is designed for postbaccalaureate individuals, professionals, educators, and practitioners and those who are interested, qualified and academically competent to pursue graduate level education.

As the program is "ladderized," a student who completes the Graduate Certificate may opt to graduate with the degree and seek admission into the Master’s program within three years of earn-

ing the Graduate Certificate with at least a GWA of 2.0.

The Graduate Certificate in ASEAN Studies, consisting of 15 units of coursework,is aimed at developing graduates who are able to demonstrate comprehensive understanding, insights, and mastery about ASEAN and the countries comprising it and to contribute to an enhanced and heightened ASEAN community’s consciousness and awareness of its ties of history, culture and bound by a common regional identity but celebrating diversity.

In addition to the objectives of the graduate certificate, the Master of ASEAN Studies, consisting of 27 units of coursework and a master's thesis, aims to develop graduates who can apply balanced theoretical and practical perspectives in engaging with issues and problems in ASEAN region; contribute to knowledge creation, research development and sharing in ASEAN studies; and undertake further and advanced study in ASEAN

studies and related issues.

The framework for the ASEAN Studies Graduate Program was jointly developed by 5 Open Universities in the ASEAN region, namely, Hanoi Open University, Open University of Malaysia, Sukhothai Thammatirat Open University in Thailand, Universitas Terbuka in Indonesia, and UP Open University in the Philippines.

In the spirit of the One ASEAN, students are given the opportunity to take courses in any of the collaborating ASEAN Open Universities following the UP Policy for cross enrollment.

Application to GCAS and MAS for 1st Semester is open until 31 May 2014 and forms are downloadable from the UPOU website may be submitted to the UPOU Admissions Section in Los Baños, Laguna, or to any UPOU Learning Center in the country. Those interested can also send an e-mail atinfo@upou.edu.ph or log on to www.upou. edu.ph for more details.

More special education schools eyed in ARMM COTABATO CITY – The Department of Education in the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao said new “special education” centers would be constructed in the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Basilan as part of its literacy programs.

At present, there are only two special education centers – one in Jolo town in Sulu province and the other in Bongao town in Tawi-Tawi province, according to Education Secretary Jamar Kulayan.

Kulayan, who is also a

prominent lawyer, has recently signed an order revitalizing the special education program and to make sure that (special) schools are available in the Muslim region. It caters to students who have special educational needs due to severe learning difficulties or physical disabilities and behavioural problems.

“While the long-term and eventual focus is integration and mainstreaming, key activities shall be undertaken toward this goal including profiling and mapping of

differently-abled schoolaged children, establishment of special education centers, identification and training of qualified teachers and trainers, provision of support system, regular monitoring and evaluation, close coordination with the Department of Education Central Office and other stakeholders, and undertake resourcing to sustain and expand program if needed,” Kulayan said.

In his order, Kulayan also directed school divisions to identify possible sites where the special

schools may be established and to coordinate with the local office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for initial listing and hiring of prospective teachers for specialized training.

Kulayan said the regional government is aggressively pursuing literacy programs in the provinces, citing the importance of education to the future not only of the constituents, but also in nation building. (With a report from Mark Navales)

Secretary Jamar Kulayan, of the Department of Education Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, during his past guesting on Mindanao Examiner Tele-Radyo. (Photo by Mark Navales)

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Apr. 14-20, 2014

Problems face by foreign domestic helpers in HK alarms migrant group

The tricycle as it burns on the village of Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Tricycle bursts in flames in Zambo ZAMBOANGA CITY – A tricycle driver narrowly escaped from being burned alive after his vehicle caught fire in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

Abner Unding said he was able to jump out of the tricycle after its engine suddenly burst in flames while travelling along the village of Tetuan.

“I don’t know what

had happened. All I remember was the engine just burst in flames while I was driving. I was able to jump out of my tricycle,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Unding said a spark in the engine may have caused the fire. “I don’t know what to do now. I am still paying that tricycle and now this happened,”

he said.

A villager, who gave his name only as Mike, managed to push the tricycle away from a row of wooden houses as neighbors doused the fire with water to prevent it from burning electrical wires hanging above on a busy road.

Fire fighters arrived minutes after the fire was put out by villagers.

(Mindanao Examiner)

British national stranded in hospital appeals for help CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A 59-year old British national has desperately appealed for help after being stranded in hospital in northern Mindanao for nearly two months now, according to a report by the Daily Mail Online.

George Keiller said he cannot afford to pay his medical bills at the Polymedic General Hospital in Cagayan de Oro City where he was admitted after collapsing on the last leg of his journey.

Keiller, who is suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said his bills have so far reached £4,000 and the hospital would not let him go. The report said that Keiller, from

Clackmannanshire in Scotland, was put on a life-support machine within hours of touching down in the Philippines after his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which causes a narrowing of the airways - struck him down.

Doctors at the hospital have said they will not discharge Keiller until they are paid at least half of his burgeoning invoice.

“After more than six weeks I'm now just desperate for this nightmare to end,” Keiller said.

He said he has raised £1,300 but he still remains almost £1,000 short. “I'm now relying on donations and praying that they come soon,” Keiller told the Daily

Mail. “Until I get enough money I remain virtually a prisoner in this hospital.”

“If I can be given a loan by someone I'd be so grateful and wouldn't let anyone down as far as repayment goes. I've been terrified here. There have been times where I've feared I'll never see outside of this hospital again. I'm now just desperate for this nightmare to end,” he said.

The newspaper said it interview a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson who said: “ We are aware of the hospitalisation of a British National in the Philippines. We are providing consular assistance.”

(Mindanao Examiner)

MANILA - A Filipino migrant group in Hong Kong is alarmed over the condition of foreign household workers and urged policy-makers to rethink rules and seek ways to assist them.

The Mission for Migrant Workers of St. John’s Cathedral said it noticed a spike and notable surge in the number of clients it served in 2013 and that it is an indication that the crisis condition of foreign domestic workers or FDWs in Hong Kong is at an alarming level.

It said an urgent and necessary review and reforms must be made to mitigate the vulnerability of FDWs to labor and migrant’s rights violations.

It said last year, a total of 7,653 Asian migrants sought the help of the MFMW ranging from assistance with labor, immigration and criminal cases, to inquiries and counseling for employment and psycho-social issues.

An overwhelming majority of the MFMW clients were women domestic workers (98.8%) and most were from the Philippines at 77% while the rest were from Indonesia (19%) and other Asian countries (4%).

They included newlyregistered clients, women sheltered at the Bethune House, those who sought advice in walk-in or mobile counseling centers set up with partner organizations, and phone inquiries.

Out of the total number of FDWs assisted, statistical data were gathered from 2,169 clients to determine the concerns of FDWs. The major findings were - 77% of the FDWs assisted had problems with illegal fees and overcharging of recruitment agencies; 52% of had “personal loans” forced upon them by recruiters; 87% complained of long working hours and 11% suffered from various forms of maltreatment.

Combined with the results of the survey by the MFMW last year among 3,006 FDWs, it showed the

spread and severity of violations of FDW rights.

Migrants who complained of agency-related fees shot up dramatically and continued to accumulate throughout the whole year. In 2013, clients who were overcharged or illegally charged with fees who went to MFMW walkin centers numbered an average of 50-60 on any given Sunday.

Closely related to the problem with recruitment agencies are complaints against money-lending agencies that are usually involved in the modus operandi of recruiters to charge high and illegal fees.

Often, those who were overcharged, were also forced into debt bondage, which meant that they worked just so they could pay off the “personal loans” they were pushed to take out.

To tie the hands of FDWs and prevent them from complaining, their documents such as passport of HKID were confiscated. From those surveyed, 13% suffered from this practice.

It said the high instance - 86.6% - of working double the normal hours of other workers was consistent with the survey on the live-in policy where 46%reported working even up to 19 hours a day.

It said the problem of working hours is very much related to the mandatory live-in policy imposed by the Immigration Department since 2003 that made FDW working unregulated and forced them to be on-call for 24 hours each day. They had no private rooms and were made to sleep in any available spaces like utility closets, laundry rooms, hallways and the likes. Some were also made to sleep together with the children or elderly members of the household.

The case of Indonesian domestic worker Kartika Puspitasari in 2013 – who was beaten and severely abused by her employers –

showed the extent of maltreatment that FDWs experience. Succeeding reports of abuse, particularly that of Erwiana Sulistyaningsih this year, further reinforce this point.

In the survey on the Live-In Policy, it was found that 58% of FDWs suffer from verbal abuse and 18% said they experienced physical abuse and 6% suffered from sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

Of the survey from cases handled in 2013, 11% complained of maltreatment while 15 percent were provided with insufficient food, and 4% experienced assault and harassment.

The relevant branches of the Hong Kong government can take steps to address these problems of migrant workers. While the cases the MFMW handled involved disputes between FDWs and their employer or members of the household, and between FDWs and recruitment and financing agencies, current Hong Kong policies exist to reinforce the condition where these abuses occur.

Policies that the Hong Kong government can improve on include the setting up of a more effective mechanism against violation of the 10 percent of first month’s salary cap that agencies can charge to FDWs; swifter prosecution of erring recruiters; lifting of the mandatory live-in employment arrangement and leaving this to the mutual agreement of the FDWs and employer; inclusion of FDWs in the proposed statutory working hours, and a review of the TwoWeek Rule that makes FDWs vulnerable to abuses.

The MFMW said it believes that the government must take actions to curb the deterioration of the labor and migrant’s rights condition of FDWs. It said the dignity and human rights of FDWs must be upheld.

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Apr. 14-20, 2014

BISHOPS OPPOSE MINING OPERATIONS IN MINDANAO

This is Mount Canatuan in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province where TVI Resources Development (Phils.) Inc. previously operated a gold and copper mine project. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

F

ilipino Catholic bishops have written President Benigno Aquino and pleaded to stop the $5.9 billion Tampakan mining project by global miner Xstrata‘s Sagittarius in the southern Philippine province of South Cotabato saying the gold and copper project will dislocated thousands of mostly indigenous tribesmen from their ancestral domain.

The Independent Catholic News reported that bishops, led by new Cardinal and Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, wrote a letter to Aquino recently and asking for a "God-enlightened decision" on the matter.

“The cost, Mr President, will far outweigh the benefits to government and the Filipino people,”

ARMM

said the letter signed by 20 other Catholic bishops and archbishops.

It said the bishops pointed out that the Tampakan mining project is likely to harm the local community and environment. It added the government issued an environmental compliance certificate to Sagittarius in February 2013, despite appeals by various sectors to halt the project.

The report said Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez commented that Aquino ignored the petition of more than 100,000 people to scrap the mining project.

“The church leaders stressed their opposition against the project is based on moral grounds, as well as noting that the destruction of almost 4,000 hectares of forested and agricultural land and biodiversity is, in their view, against the integ-

rity of God’s creation,” it said.

The bishops have long supported a campaign calling on the Philippine government to rescind the Mining Act of 1995 as it claimed the law brings more disasters than benefits, permitting foreign companies to own Philippine minerals.

They want more emphasis placed on protecting the environment and the local communities over the desire of large-scale mining companies to rake in profits, the report said.

There was no immediate statement from either Xtrata or Sagittarius, but it is not the only mining firms in Mindanao where communist rebels have threatened to attack.

Just on April 5, suspected New People’s Army rebels swooped down on Philippine Alstron mining

Southern Mindanao

Davao

company on the village of Tamamarkay in Agusan del Norte’s Tubay town and torched several trucks and other heavy equipment.

The communist rebels also seized at least 6 shot guns and short firearms from the company’s security arsenal. There were no reports of casualties, but the daring assault came following threats made by the NPA on mining firms operating in the southern Philippines.

Just last month, rebel forces attacked a police base and government troops in Davao del Sur’s Matanao as punishment for their “reign of terror” against indigenous tribes and other communities opposing mining operations in the province.

Dencio Madrigal, a spokesman for the NPA-Valentine Palamine Command, said the deadly attacks was a punishment for

Manila

police and military units protecting Glencore Xstrata.

He accused the mining firm of exploiting nearly 100,000 hectares of ancestral lands of indigenous Lumad Blaans tribes, and peasants in the region.

Jorge Madlos, a regional rebel spokesman, also warned mining firms and fruit plantations in the region, saying military operations in Mindanao have escalated and have become more extensive with the aim to thwart the ever growing and widespread people’s protest against destructive mining operations and plantations.

Madlos said among their targets are Russell Mines and Minerals, Apex Mining Corp. and Philco in southern Mindanao; Dolefil, Del Monte and Sumifru plantations in northern Mindanao; TVI

Resource Development Philippines in western Mindanao whose operations inside the ancestral domain of indigenous Subanen and Moro tribes are being opposed by villagers and Dipolog City Bishop Jose Manguiran.

NPA and Moro rebels had previously attacked TVI Resources in Zamboanga province. TVI Resource Development Philippines has recently ended its gold mining operation in Mount Canatuan in Zamboanga del Norte’s Siocon town after several years of operations and now has a gold-silver project in the town of Bayog in Zamboanga del Sur province and a nickel plant in Agusan del Norte province, also a known stronghold of the communist rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zamboanga Peninsula