Mindanao Examiner Newspaper May 5-11, 2014

One too many Sultans of Sulu

Cebu rated world’s 8th best outsourcing destination

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Mindanao tribes get EU-funded project

DBM releases pension for war veterans, retired military personnel

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Military ops continue vs Abu Sayyaf

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Muslims hail enthronement of young Sultan in Lanao del Norte PAGE 9

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May 5-11, 2014

‘DIVIDE AND CONQUER’

Moro National Liberation Front splits into 3 factions

M

AGUINDANAO – Weeks after he declared himself new chieftain of the former rebel group Moro National Liberation Front, Abul Kayr Alonto, whose faction claimed to have replaced Nur Misuari, has publicly thrown his support to the peace process between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has been fighting for decades for selfdetermination in the restive southern region of the Philippines.

Alonto, who was among the original founding members of the MNLF, also urged Muslims to support the Bangsamoro agreement between the Aquino government and the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group.

Speaking on a government television late last month, Alonto also said his group is allout in supporting the peace process and also urged Congress to approve the new political entity called Bangsamoro which shall replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao which is composed of the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao and Lanao.

Mor o people should unite oro “The Moro people want to set their house in order but how can they set their house in order when the very key to their own hands is not in their own hands. And the sad part is that the people who want to govern them do not even speak the language that the people to be governed speak. Ito na po ang key and I believe the taught by my grandfather was saying that the key is not in their hands, the key now is the framework basic law that we look forward to that will be approved by Congress or through Constitutional amendment, please do so, let’s do it so that we can unite and spare the future generation of a war of aggression,” Alonto said.

“I will look forward that when the establishment of this government we can have a full fiscal autonomy we can budget

ARMM

A screen shot of self-proclaimed Moro National Liberation Front chairman Abul Kayr Alonto during a television interview on PTV 4. what we need, all these revenues coming from our resources just to catch up with the nation must be used for a free education, free health and free shelter para po ang inyong kawawang sambayanang Moro sa timogan Pilipinas ay magkaroon ng pagkakataon to set their house in order and establish a place in the sun for their children and children to be,” he added.

MNLF still lo yal to M isuar loyal Misuar isuarii But majority of the MNLF is still loyal to Misuari, although he was deposed in 2000 by his senior officials headed by his Foreign Affairs chief Parouk Hussin - who along with veteran rebel leaders headed by Muslimen Sema, the front’s secretary general – who made up the so-called Council of 15.

Hussin, who eventually became governor of the Muslim autonomous region, was also deposed several years later after the Council of 15, disgruntled at his leadership, put back Misuari as head of the MNLF in 2007.

But Sema and majority of the MNLF leaders ousted Misuari again in 2008 for lack of trust and confidence. Sema’s group previously appointed

Southern Mindanao

Misuari as chairman emeritus, but he rejected the position and insisted he is the sole chairman of the MNLF. Sema has not issued any public statement about Alonto’s declaration.

Misuari signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996 ending decades of bloody war.

After the peace agreement was signed, Misuari became the governor of the Muslim autonomous region and Sema’s group accused him of being an incompetent leader.

And despite the peace accord, Misuari said there was a widespread disillusionment with the weak autonomy they were granted. Under the peace agreement, Manila would have to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the South, and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.

And in November 2001, on the eve of the elections in the Muslim autonomous region, Misuari accused the government of reneging on the peace agreement, and launched a new rebellion in Sulu and

Davao

Zamboanga City, where more than 100 people were killed.

Misuari then escaped by boat to Malaysia, where he had been arrested and deported to the Philippines where he was jailed and eventually released by then President Gloria Arroyo in exchange for his support to her election bid and her allies in the Senate and Congress in 2004.

But Misuari’s fall had severely affected the MNLF which is now heavily divided and rift among its leaders is becoming more apparent. Misuari also ran thrice for governor in Sulu province even while under detention, but lost.

In September 2013, Misuari’s group again launched deadly attacks in Zamboanga City that sparked three weeks of deadly street battles that killed and wounded over 400 people, and left over 130,000 without homes following the burning of several Muslim villages. Misuari remains in hiding following the attacks.

Divide and conquer But Misuari’s leaders and allies have accused the Aquino government, particularly peace adviser Teresita Deles as behind

Manila

the rift among MNLF leaders.

Deles, who heads the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, also served under Arroyo and Reynaldo Reyes, a key supporter of Misuari, also accused her as behind Alonto’s move to grab the leadership of the MNLF. “OPAPP Secretary Deles, who served also under the Arroyo regime, had a hand on creating the so-called 15- member MNLF-EC (Executive Committee) group under (Cotabato City) ex-Vice Mayor Muslimen Sema to divide both the MNLF leadership and freedom fighters and to discredit MNLF Chair Nur Misuari. Now she is again creating another MNLF group using MNLF surrendereesturned-politicians headed by Abul Khayr Alonto to neutralise Chairman Misuari and to be used by the Aquino regime to deceive both the Filipino and Bangsamoro communities as well as humanity that the new version autonomous government labelled Bangsamoro is the key to ‘just and lasting peace’ in Mindanao,” Reyes told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

“Logically, how can it be the solution to the Mindanao war when the Aquino regime is only negotiating with one splintered group of the MNLF? Can OPPAP hide the truth and hoodwink the people that the mainstream MNLF under Chair Misuari and BIFM (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement) under Ustaj Umbra Amiril Katu are not now waging the freedom struggle of the oppressed Bangsamoro people of Filipinocolonised Mindanao to regain complete independence and national self-determination?” he asked.

There was no immediate statement either from the Aquino government or Deles about the accusations.

Manila and the MILF signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro on March 27 at the Presidential Palace after 17 long years of arduous negotiations. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zamboanga Peninsula

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The Mindanao Examiner

May 5-11, 2014

One too many Sultans of Sulu

By Philip Golingai - The Star Online

Sultan Muedzul-Lail Tan Kiram (From the facebook account of Sultan Muedzul-Lail Tan Kiram)

T

HERE are many claimants to the Sultanate of Sulu, making it impossible for them to reclaim the land their ancestors lost.

Last week I visited The 60-something Sulu and Zamboanga City man who spoke Bahasa in southern Philippines, Malaysia claimed to be and guess who kept pop- Jamalul’s younger broping up during my trip? ther. However, he did not The Sultan of Sulu. want to admit he was a Two and a half of Kiram. them, in fact.

"Perhaps he was On Wednesday, I was afraid because his brother introduced to a man re- Azzimudie led the intrulated to the late Jamalul sion into Sabah," said my Kiram III – the self-pro- friend, referring to the claimed Sultan of Sulu – Lahad Datu armed intruat a fish market on Jolo is- sion by the Royal Sulu land in Sulu province.

Army to claim Sabah in

The late Sultan Jamalul Kiram III (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales) March last year.

The next day I met Muedzul-Lail Tan Kiram who claimed to be the Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo. The 48-year-old sat on his wooden throne at his house in Jolo town while I asked him about the kidnapping on Jolo island.

Then, on Friday, I met a 62-year-old cardiologist in Zamboanga City in Mindanao who believed he was indeed the real Sultan of Sulu.

This man claimed to

the Paramount Sultan Ibrahim Q. BahjinShakirullah II. "Are you Chinese?" asked the Paramount Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo.

"I’m Kadazan," I answered.

"What is Kadazan?" he asked.

"See, you don’t even know your own subjects," I said.

The cardiologist laughed heartily and said: "I have never been to Sabah. I have not received any invitation."

"Why don’t you invite yourself?" I asked.

"If I do, my people will gather in big numbers in Sabah and the (Malaysian) Government will be alarmed," he pointed out.

"That is why I won’t go without an invite," he added.

"Who are the people who will gather in big numbers when you arrive in Sabah?" I asked.

"The rakyat," he said.

"And, who are these rakyat?" I enquired.

"The Tausug people," he said.

The Tausugs are called Suluks in Sabah.

"Who is the real Sultan of Sulu?" I then asked.

"Are you ready to listen from the beginning?

This is not a short story but a long one," he said.

The Paramount Sultan told me a tale that began in 1936 and involved treachery, Spanish, Americans, Kirams, rivalry, Malacanang and the Sultan’s consort who was someone else’s wife.

I got lost midway through the history lesson — to be exact, his version of history.

Anyway, to cut his long story short, his line is the real Sultan of Sulu and not the Kirams.

"How many Sultans of Sulu are there?" I asked.

"So many. All of those who are invoking genealogical linkage to the Sultanate — even those who

Paramount Sultan Ibrahim Q. Bahjin-Shakirullah II (From the facebook account of the Paramount Sultan Ibrahim Q. Bahjin-Shakirullah II) don’t belong to the royal houses," he said.

"Are the others claiming to be Sultans, your rivals?" I asked.

"They are not my rivals as I am the Paramount Sultan," said the cardiologist who was proclaimed Paramount Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo in 2004.

"So you are the No. 1 Sultan?" I suggested.

"I am equal with them. But some consider the Paramount Sultan as No. 1," he said with a satisfied smile.

Throughout the conversation, the Paramount Sultan insisted that Sabah belonged to the Sulu Sultanate and as a Sabahan, I argued passionately that the claim had no basis.

He argued that the 1878 agreement between Alfred Dent and Baron von Overbeck of the North Borneo Company and the Sultan of Sulu stated that the Sultanate had leased and not ceded Nor th Bor neo (what Sabah was called before 1963) to the British company.

"Malaysia is still paying the sultanate RM5,300 a year for leasing Sabah," he pointed out.

"Who gets the money?" I asked him.

"It is shared by the nine family members of the Kirams," he said.

In 1939, Chief Justice C.F.C. Macaskie of the High Court of Nor th Borneo ruled that "cessation money" was payable to the nine heirs of Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram II, who died childless in 1936.

"You are not getting any of the money?" I asked.

"I don’t want the money.

The rental (money) is a curse. The one who receives it without spending a cent on the rakyat will be cursed to die in poverty," he said.

What the Paramount

Sultan dreams of is to unite all the Sultans of Sulu so that they can claim what their ancestors have lost – North Borneo, Sulu, Tawi Tawi, Basilan, Sulu, Sibugay (part of Mindanao), Palawan and Spratly islands. "Geo political intrigue in South-East Asia will not allow us to be united.

"Malaysia, Philippines, United States, Australia and other countries don’t want the Sultanate to be united. Because if we are united, we can get back our histor ical rights."

"Why can’t you all unite?" I asked.

"I can spend a thousand pesos to call a Sultan for a unity meeting but the Philippines can pay a Sultan one million pesos and make him a puppet. The same with Malaysia, United States and Australia," he said.

"So you will never ever be united?"

"There is China," he said, with a knowing smile.

"China is interested in the Sulu Sultanate.

Spratlys was the picnic ground of the Sultan of Sulu. China’s claim to it is that the Sultan of Sulu donated it to them."

"Some people think that those who are claiming to be Sultan of Sulu are a joke? Is it a joke?" I asked.

"They are right," he said.

"Why?" I said.

"Because they are too many claimants," he said.

Many claimants dream they can make billions of ringgit from Sabah, the property their ancestors lost. (First published on April 28, 2014 on Malaysia’s news website The Star Online h t t p : / / w w w. t h e s t a r . com.my/Opinion/Columnists/One-MansMeat/Profile/Articles/ 2014/04/28/One-toomany-Sultans-of-Sulu)

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The Mindanao Examiner

May 5-11, 2014

President Benigno Aquino leads US President Barack Obama at Malacanang Palace in these government photo released to the press. And a photo of the anti-Obama rally in Davao City provided by the Kilab Multimedia to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Obama visits Philippines on last leg of Asian tour MANILA – US President Barack Obama has visited Manila on the last leg of his four-nation tour of Asia.

Obama arrived on board Air Force One on April 28 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City where he was welcomed by several

government officials led by Vice President Jejomar Binay.

From the airport, Obama boarded the helicopter, Marine One, and proceeded to Malacanang Palace to attend the official welcome ceremony led by President Benigno Aquino.

Aquino also conferred on Obama the Order of Sikatuna, the national order of diplomatic merit of the Philippines during the state dinner.

Various patriotic groups and activists in Manila and Mindanao protested the visit of Obama

and the signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

It allows for the enhanced rotational presence of US forces at agreed locations in the Philippines to support the shared goal of promoting the long-term modernization of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and will help the AFP maintain and develop additional maritime security, maritime domain awareness, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities.

US Ambassador Philip Goldberg and Philippine

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin signed the EDCA. It was Obama’s first visit to the Philippines. Before coming to Manila, Obama visited Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia.

The two leaders also held a joint news conference at the Malacanang Palace.

Cebu rated world’s 8th best outsourcing destination CEBU - Cebu Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. said a leading U.S.-based services globalization and investment advisory firm, Tholons Inc., has rated Cebu province in central Philippines as among the world’s top outsourcing destinations, beating other high-profile locations in Europe.

He said the 2014 Delhi, Chennai, HyderaTholons Top 100 Out- bad and Pune. sourcing Destinations “Cebu’s reputation as a ranks Cebu as the world’s prime world-class outsoureight-best, after Bangalore, cing hub will get an even Metro Manila, Mumbai, bigger boost once the

2 mining workers kidnapped in Tawi-Tawi freed SUSPECTED Abu Sayyaf militants have freed two mining workers after almost a year in captivity in the southern Philippines, reports said.

It said Marcial Espana and Eddie Reubal, who were freed in the town of Patikul in Sulu province, arrived on a ferry in Zamboanga City. The two men were seized in May last year in Tawi-Tawi province while working for SR Languyan Mining Corporation and brought to Sulu.

Espana and Reubal were on a boat when gunmen on another vessel seized them along with

Mar Hadjula, who was later freed.

It was unknown if ransom was paid to the kidnappers for the freedom of the two workers. Security officials and mining executives have not issued any statement about the release of the duo.

Local environmentalists are opposing the nickel ore mining project of SR in Languyan town.

Most of the nickel ore are being shipped to China.

The Abu Sayyaf is still holding several hostages, including at least 3 foreigners, in the restive southern region. (Mindanao Examiner)

Papatayin kita, Itay!

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Dinakip ng pulisya ang isang 20-anyos na lalaki matapos umano nitong pagbantaan na papatayin ang sariling ama sa kasagsagan ng kanilang pagtatalo sa Zamboanga City.

Ayon sa pulisya kahapon ay inihahanda na ang kasong grave threats laban kay John Dave Mejias dahil sa banta nito sa amang si Danilo, 56. Sinabi ng ama na pinagbantaan siyang

tatagain ng anak na armado ng bolo sa loob mismo ng kanilang bahay sa Purok 3 sa Barangay Talisayan kamakalawa ng gabi.

Sa takot na totohanin ng anak ang banta ay nagsuplong sa pulisya ang ama at inaresto si John Dave sa kanilang bahay.

Hindi naman sinabi ng pulisya ang pinagmulan ng pagtatalo ng mag-ama.

(Mindanao Examiner)

Mactan Newtown is fully developed,” Gullas said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Gullas was referring to the 28.8-hectare special infor mation-technology park and economic zone being built as a “live-workplay” community in Cebu’s Lapu-Lapu City.

“Cebu has all the building blocks needed to rapidly grow as an outsourcing hub. Besides the policy environment and fiscal incentives, we have the required college-educated human resources and infrastructure, including advanced connectivity,” Gullas said.

“It is also easier to live, work and play in Cebu, where there is less congestion and stress. The costs of

living and doing business in Cebu are likewise lower compared to Metro Manila and other global outsourcing sites,” he pointed out.

Gullas said Cebu and Metro Manila were the only Philippine spots in the top 10 of the 2014 Tholons Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations, where the national capital region ranked No. 2 The top 10 was dominated by six metropolitan districts in India. Poland’s Krakow ranked No. 9, while Ireland’s Dublin was at No. 10. The Tholons rankings are based on a rigorous location screening framework, and regarded by industry stakeholders as the best grading of global outsourcing hubs.

Once fully developed,

business process outsourcing firms based at the P20-billion Mactan Newtown are expected to directly engage some 45,000 knowledge workers.

Without counting Mactan Newtown, Cebu now has 25 fully functional IT parks, plus 12 more being developed, providing plenty of high-tech office spaces to BPO firms, Gullas said.

BPO firms in Central Visayas -- mostly in Cebu and partly in Negros Oriental -- already employ over 100,000 full-time workers, and yield more than $500 million in annual revenues.

The country’s BPO and IT-enabled services industry encompasses contact center services; back offices; medical, legal and

other data transcription; animation; software development; engineering design; and digital content.

According to the IT and Business Processing Association of the Philippines, the industry is expected to add some 372,000 new jobs from 2014 to 2016.

A large supply of college-educated, fluent English-speaking professionals has been a key growth driver of the BPO sector, which is projected to fully employ some 1.3 million Filipinos and generate up to $27 billion in annual revenues by 2016.

Gullas is author of a bill seeking to reinforce the use of English in all school levels, in a bid to make the nation’s future human resources highly competitive in the global labor markets.

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The Mindanao Examiner

May 5-11, 2014

Mindanao tribes get EU-funded project AGUSAN DEL SUR - The European Union-funded Indigenous Peoples Maternal Neonatal and Child Health and Nutrition project or IP MNCHN said Agusan del Sur has established systems of coordination among stakeholders to ensure actualization of plans and programs concerning the natives' maternal, neonatal, and child health and nutrition in the southern Philippine province.

It said the Municipal Council of San Luis has approved a resolution allocating P500,000 for community outreach programs related to the needs of the Manobo-Banwaon indigenous tribe in the village of Binicilan.

“Our commitment to the project is our commitment to our Lumad brothers and sisters of San Luis believing that our efforts in Barangay Binicalan will

lead to vital developments in the delivery of health services for the entire Lumad community of our municipality,” it said, quoting San Luis Municipality Mayor Ronaldo Corvera.

It said the Governor Adolph Edward Plaza has also established the Provincial Project Management Committee as the leading coordinating body of the project.

“Our implementation of the project in Barangay Binicalan has been made easier because of the direct and active participation of the municipal and provincial government units of the locality and various national agencies.

The convenience caused by this mechanism is helping us cope with the implementation span of the project which will end in 2016,” IP MNCHN

Zamboanga jeepney driver killed ZAMBOANGA CITY – A 48-year old jeepney driver was killed by a lone gunman in an attack in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines, police said.

Police said Eliezer Cuartocruz Rico was driving his jeep when the gunman shot him several times along Don Toribio Street in the village of Tetuan.

Rico’s jeep also crashed in a convenience store.

Emergency medical work-

ers tried to revive Rico before bringing him to the hospital, but failed to save his life.

Police said the gunman fled after the killing, leaving behind five bullet casings of .45-caliber pistol.

It said the attack was probably connected to a row on parking slots, but police are continuing its investigation into the identity of the gunman. (Mindanao Examiner)

The Mindanao Examiner Media, Film and Television Productions Maritess Fernandez Publisher/Executive Producer (On Leave) Al Jacinto Editor-in-Chief/Producer (OIC)

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REGIONAL PARTNERS Mindanao Daily Business Week Mindanao Star NEWS/ADVERTISING OFFICES Mark Navales Central Mindanao Richard Suarez Pagadian City Zamboanga del Sur

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Project Director Lilibeth Malabanan said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

The project, through a joint management with United Nations Population Fund, is also providing assistance in the birth registration of indigenous peoples in all sites of the project. Just recently, a birth registration agents’ Workshop was held in Patin-ay in Agusan del Sur.

“While we recognize the importance of birth registration for the Indigenous Peoples, we also want this service to be sustainably available for them. We are conducting this workshop to capacitate the Indigenous Peoples themselves in the conduct of mobile birth registration. As it is, majority of indigenous communities are situated in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas and to have the indig-

enous people as birth registration agents will truly make this program sustainable,” IP MNCHN Program Manager for UNFPA Dr. Cemellie Bernadette Sabay said in the same statement.

As of 2010, the Census of Population and Housing revealed that only 34.19% or 1,054 of the 3,103 total population of Binicalan was registered.

Sabay said the ultimate end of IP MNNCHN

Project-Mindanao is to provide a healthy community for the country’s indigenous tr ibes and promotion of their health rights and welfare.

She said it is in these precepts that the project has been initiating mobile birth registration as this opens door for accessing other fundamental rights of the Indigenous Peoples including their right to health, state benefits, and participation in the society.

Freed Indon terror suspect missing AN INDONESIAN militant linked by the Philippines and the United Nations to terror groups AlQaeda and Jemaah Islamiya has disappeared after returning to his country from a long imprisonment in Manila for possessing explosives.

According to Indonesian news website Khabar, Agus Dwikarna – who was arrested in Manila in 2002 for possessing explosives – returned to Makassar, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, after being deported by the Philippines in February this year – but he disappeared after a brief stay and this has worried Indonesian authorities.

“Agus Dwikarna could have threatened members of the Indonesian police not only in Central Sulawesi, but also throughout Indonesia – especially when he disappeared after his release,” Central Sulawesi police spokesman Soemarmo told Khabar .

The Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration branded Agus as notorious.

“One of the most notorious deportees was Agus Dwikarna, who was accosted in 2002 by the joint elements of (police and military intelligence units) PNP, IG, NICA, PAF-AISG ( Task force Sanglahi) and the BI for illegal possession of explosives at the NAIA Terminal 1.”

“Agus Dwikarna, who was identified with the terror group Al-Qaeda, served his sentence in Bilibid Prisons and upon his release he was depor ted to Indonesia,” Commissioner Siegfred Mison said.

Agus was convicted July 12, 2002 by a Filipino court to serve 10 to 17 years for carrying C-4 plastic explosives and bomb parts at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as he and two other Indonesians were leaving Manila for Bangkok in 2002.

Khabar, which is funded by the US Pacific Command, said though Agus denied charges against him, he had an extensive history of involvement in terrorist-related activities. It also quoted the United Nation’s Security Council Committee which listed Agus among people with alleged ties to the AlQaeda and Jemaah Islamiya and has direct involvement with the terror group's most senior leaders.

Quoting the UN report, Khabar said until his arrest in Manila, Agus was a major figure of Laskar Jundullah in Makassar, military wing of the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council, and he also worked as a regional head of the Indonesian branch of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, which allegedly funneled AlQaeda money into Southeast Asia and gave its operatives cover as charity workers.

It reported that apart

from running a Sulawesi training camp, Agus escorted two of Al-Qaeda's top leaders on a tour of Aceh Province - Ayman alZawahiri, now the terrorist group's top leader; and Mohammed Atef, head of Al-Qaeda's military wing, who has since been slain.

According to the UN, the two al-Qaeda leaders visited Aceh in June 2002, but other sources date their trip to June 2000.

“Islam is also a forgiving religion. I am sure he learned a lot about this during his imprisonment,” Muhammad Yazid Fahri, a Muslim cleric in Makassar, told Khabar.

“We also do not know the truth about the allegations against him. Only God knows.”

Agus is an associate of Jemaah Islamiya spiritual leader Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, whose group has links with the local Abu Sayyaf, blamed for the spate of terrorism and ransom kidnappings in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

The Mindanao Examiner

The Mindanao Examiner

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The Mindanao Examiner

May 5-11, 2014

DBM releases pension for war veterans, retired military personnel MANILA - Almost P10 billion in pension was released by the Department of Budget and Management to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for war veterans and retired military personnel.

Secretary of Budget and Management Floren-cio Abad said P7.5 billion of the total amount will benefit some 120,296 AFP pensioners. He said the funding was sourced from the Pension and Gratuity Fund under the 2014 General Appropriations Act. “This latest release guarantees the timely delivery of regular pension benefits to our retired military personnel for the second quarter of the year. At the same time, we

continue our transparency efforts to update, validate, and cleanse our list of beneficiaries so that it’s free of invalid, duplicate, and ghost entries. Our pensioners and their families will therefore receive the benefits due them much more quickly and efficiently, all while we ensure greater accountability in the payment process,” Abad said.

He said some P2.4 billion was also released to 208,458 PVAO veterans to cover old age pensions, death pensions, disability pensions, and total administrative disability pensions for the second quarter of the year.

He said the automation of pension payments is one among several initiatives

tapping digital technology to strengthen transparency and accountability in the bureaucracy.

“Before we began clearing the list of pension beneficiaries, we found out that hundreds of millions were going to ghost pensioners or deceased retirees every year.

Switching from check to ATM payments nipped these anomalies in the bud,” Abad said.

“More important, however, is the fact that we’re able to give better support to our retired military personnel and our war veterans. Such digitization and cashless initiatives ultimately allow us to deliver public services faster and protect government processes from corruption,” he added.

Troops kill 3 NPA rebels in Compostela DAVAO CITY – Government troops killed three communist rebels in a clash in the southern Philippine province of CompostelaValley, officials said.

Officials said the fighting broke out in the village of Tibungco in Montevista town after patrolling troops ran into a small band of New People’s Army rebels. The fighting stopped after rebels fled and soldiers recovered an automatic pistol and several backpacks from the slain gunmen.

Capt. Alberto Caber, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command, said

the rebels were allegedly extorting money from villagers.

“The villagers themselves are saying the rebels were extorting money from them,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

He said Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz, the regional military chief, has ordered security forces to hunt down the rebels and deploy soldiers in villages frequented by the NPA. “The order of General Cruz is clear and that is for troops run after the rebels and to protect the communities from harassment and extortion by the NPA,” Caber said.

There was no immediate statement from the NPA about the military allegations. The rebels have been fighting for decades for the establishment of a separate Maoist state in the country.

Government peace talks with the rebels had collapsed after Manila rejected demands by communist leaders for the release of all political prisoners. But there are efforts from both sides to resume the negotiations following the arrest in March of communist rebel chieftain Benito Tiamzon and his wife Wilma, in Cebu province.

(Mindanao Examiner)

Bay View Plaza Hotel hinoldap PAGADIAN CITY –Isang kilalang hotel sa Pagadian City sa Zamboanga del Sur province ang hinoldap ng dalawang armado at nilimas ang salapi sa front desk, ayon sa pulisya.

Sinabi ng pulisya na pinasok ng mga holdaper ang Bay View Plaza sa downtown Pagadian mata-pos na disarmahan ang security

guard na si Arljun Galanan, 20.

Agad rin pinuntahan ng isang armado ang front desk at pinagbantaan ang mga clerk na sina Mary Jane Arao, 30, at Dally Grace Alumbro, 26. Tinangay rin ng mga holdaper ang mahigit sa P30,000 at dalawang cell phone at mga susi ng kuwarto ng hotel.

Hindi naman mabatid kung nakunan ba sa surveillance cameras ng hotel ang naturang pangyayari. Ayon sa pulisya ay iniimbestigahan pa ang kaso at ang identipikasyon ng dalawang armado.

Talamak ang nakawan at holdapan, gayun rin ang patayan sa Pagadian City.

(Mindanao Examiner)

Police and soldiers, and traffic enforcers with impounded tricycles and motorcycles in Tacurong City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Rose Muneza)

Police, army launch anti-crime campaign in Tacurong City TACURONG CITY – Police backed by army soldiers launched an operation aimed at strengthening its anti-criminality campaign in Tacurong City in southern Philippines.

Police chief Junny Buenacosa said local traffic enforcers were also tapped to run after abusive motorists and those who violate

road rules. Although no illegal guns were confiscated, the traffic enforcers impounded at least 17 tricycles and motorcycles on various traffic violations.

Buenacosa said the anti-criminality campaign dubbed Oplan Sita and Oplan Kapkap Bakal and Oplan Bitag was launched following the series of gun

attacks here. He said most of the shootings were due to old grudge and vengeance attacks. He said many of those killed were not even from here.

Just on April 24, a tricycle driver, Sonny Erno, 29, was shot by an unidentified attacker with a .45caliber pistol. (Rose Muneza)

Police probe murder of Muslim Woman

POLICE are investigating the murder of a muslim woman in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

Police said the body of Sitti Hanna Manolo, 23, was discovered at n the village of Purok 5 in the village of Sangali. It said the woman, who was known by her neighbors as ‘Dayang,’ was last seen in the area with two unidentified men near the old Sangali Barangay Hall.

“Victim sustained multiple stab wounds at the different parts of the body that caused her un-

timely death. Scattered blood stains were noted at the scene,” police said.

“Initial investigation conducted disclosed that on or about 8:00 in the evening of April 25, the victim was seen walking along the old Sangali Barangay Hall together with her two unidentified male companions,” it added.

Police said the woman was a resident of the vil-

lage.

Responding elements from Sangali police station 3 is presently conducting a deeper investigation to determine and locate, and arrest the suspects for possible filing of appropriate criminal charges,” it said.

There was no immediate statement from either the woman’s family or her husband. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sulu cop shot ZAMBOANGA CITY – A policeman assigned in the southern Philippine province of Sulu was shot in Zamboanga City where his family lives, officials said.

Officials said the 36year old Police Officer 1 Al Muhajil was shot in the face at Flamingo village in Upper Calarian. He was rushed to the hospital after his attacker escaped

after the shooting.

Mujahil, who is stationed in the town of Pata, was allegedly shot by a man identified by the police only as Merkhan, also of Flamingo village.

Local police chief Angelito Casimiro said the attack was connected to an old grudge. He said police are searching for the attacker. (Mindanao Examiner)

8

The Mindanao Examiner

May 5-11, 2014

Military ops continue 6 killed in bus mishap in Zamboanga province vs Abu Sayyaf MILITARY operation against the Abu Sayyaf continues in the southern Philippines following fierce clashes last week that killed and wounded scores of soldiers and militants.

One marine was killed and 18 others wounded in the fighting that erupted erupted near Buhanginan village in Patikul town after militants led by Abu Sayyaf subleader Jihad Susukan and Jamiri Jawhari ambushed soldiers near a marine base.

The attack sparked a running gunbattle with security officials insisting that as many as 14 militants were slain in the fighting, although no cadavers had been recovered in the town.

Philippine military spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said the Abu Sayyaf was trying to regain a jungle base in Patikul captured by the marines on Monday following a massive assault.

Marine Captain Maria Rowena Muyuela, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command, said the operation against the Abu Sayyaf is continuing in the town, a known stronghold of the militant group linked by authorities to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.

Muyuela said last week’s assault killed a still undetermined number of militants. She said troops have occupied the fortified camp which can accommodate at least 100 people.

M alaysia foils new intr usion intrusion attempt b y kidnappers by Malaysia also reported that it foiled a new attempt by kidnappers from the southern Philippines to intrude into Sabah.

Eastern Sabah Security Command Director-General Datuk Mohammad Mentek said the presence of security personnel prevented the intrusion, but it was unclear if the Abu Sayyaf was involved in the latest attempt to cross into the border or if it was connected to the ongoing military operations against the militant group in Sulu.

The Malaysian news agency Bernama reported that the tight security in Sabah prevented the entry of lawless elements through Semporna where the Abu Sayyaf has kidnapped a Chinese tourist Gao Huayun, 29, and a Filipina resort worker Marcy Dayawan, 40, in Singamata Adventures and Reef Resort.

Kuala Lumpur has tagged Abu Sayyaf militants as behind the April 2 raid on the resort. The victims were taken to the Filipino province of TawiTawi before being transferred by boat

to the neighboring island of Sulu where they are being held by the Abu Sayyaf under Alhabsi Misaya.

“We are serious about this intrusion attempt and we cannot afford to have another incident after the still unresolved kidnapping case at Singamata resort last April 2 occurring,” Mohammad told Bernama.

He said security forces were still collecting information about the identities of the gunmen. He said Philippine authorities are closely monitoring the situation and location of the two kidnapped victims.

Mohammad, citing intelligence information, said the Chinese victim is in regular communication with her family over ransom deal. The kidnappers were demanding RM36.4 million in ransom for the release of the Shanghai woman.

He said Malaysian security officials were sent to Sulu to work closely with the authorities over there for the safe release of the victim. “We have sent our officers to Jolo Island and working closely with the Philippines intelligence for the safe release of the victim,” he said.

There was no report about the fate of the Filipina victim. Police in Sulu remain silent over the reports, although the Philippine military said troops are searching for the hostages.

Other reports said a Filipina woman, Sugar Diane Buenviaje, is also being held captive by Misaya’s group in Mount Taran in Indanan town. The 33-year old woman, whose family owns Cagayan Enterprises and General Merchandise, was kidnapped in Tawi-Tawi’s Mapun town on February this year. Misaya was also tagged as behind the series of bombings in Sulu in recent years.

The Abu Sayyaf was largely blamed for the daring raid on the posh Pulau Sipadan resort in 2000 where they kidnapped 21 people and ransomed them off to Malaysia and Libya for at least $25 million.

In November last year, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped a Taiwanese tourist Chang An Wei, 58, after killing her husband Hsu Li Min, 57, in a daring crossborder raid in Sabah’s Pom Pom Island.

The woman was eventually released a month later near the village of Liban in Talipao town in Sulu after paying ransom.

The Abu Sayyaf has resorted to ransom kidnappings to raise money for the purchase weapons and fund terror attacks in the Philippines.

(Mindanao Examiner)

PAGADIAN CITY – At least 6 people, including 3 children were killed, and scores injured when a passenger bus overturned on a highway in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, police and witnesses said.

The bus, owned by Rural Transit Mindanao, came from Pagadian City and was travelling to Cagayan de Oro City when the accident occurred last week near the village of Anonang in Aurora town, according to Senior Inspector Joseph Ortega, a regional police spokesman.

He said the bus was carrying at least 30 passengers.

"At least six people are dead from the accident," he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

He said three died on the spot and three more in the hospital. Ortega said the bus driver, Biato Dumpa, was detained by the police and that an investigation has been launched to determined the cause of the accident.

Police identified the dead as Kent Jhon Lachica, 7; Jorelyn Lachica, 14; Clenie Chiarra Lachica, 16; all residents of Purok Nangka in the village of Maranding in

Lanao del Norte’s Lala town; and Lilia Billetes, 60, of Pagadian City; Jhecyl Nicdao, 2, of Bugo village in Cagayan De Oro City, and Revin John Languyan, 3 months old, and a resident of Maragang village in Tigbao town in, Zamboanga Del Sur. The wounded were identified as Rosalyn Ceniza,29, of Kapatagan town in Lanao Del Norte; Epifania Jumawan, 73, and Anecita Quiapo, 66, both Aurora town in Zamboanga Del Sur; Diosdada Benigay, 53, of Tigbao town of Zamboanga Del Sur; Arjohn Bandico, 16, of Liloy, Zamboanga Del Norte; Mark Dennis Martel, 18, of Lala town in Lanao Del Norte; Marcelisa Nicdao, 29, of Cagayan De Oro City; Evelyn Delosa, 43, of Kapatagan, Lanao Del Norte; Jhon Rey Lachica, 5, and Delia Martel, 42, also of Lala town; John Rey Tayogan, 13, and Jimjim Tayogan, both resident of Kapatagan, Lanao Del Norte; Solomon Soliva, 49, of Liloy town in Zamboanga Del Norte; Janice Lunguyan, 22, of Tigbao town in Zamboanga Del Sur; and Maria Estelita Talampas, 53, and a resident of Cagayan de Oro; and Arlene Apostol, 46, also of

Aurora town.

One witness, who took photos of the accident, said one of the children was decapitated and the other had a broken skull. She said a baby was also reported among the dead. Many of the injured passengers were evacuated to hospital by soldiers and policemen who responded to the emergency.

The bus, with body number 1269, overturned on a curve part of the highway and landed on a banana plantation. It was not immediately known whether the two children were among the passengers or villagers. There was no immediate statement from the bus firm about the latest accident.

In February, a chartered Rural bus also overturned following a near collision with another vehicle injuring at least 20 passengers on a highway in Zamboanga Sibugay’s Siay town.

The bus, which came from the regional school sports competition in Marawi City, was carrying mostly teachers from Basilan province and heading to Zamboanga City when the mishap occurred on the village of Monching. (Mindanao Examiner)

Intsik, Pinay itinumba sa Surigao Norte CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Patay ang isang negosyanteng Intsik at ang kasamang Pinay nito matapos silang ratratin ng hinihinalang hired killer sa bayan ng Placer sa Surigao del Norte.

Ayon sa pulisya ay magkasama sa isang sasakyan umano sina Qiang Liu, 36, at Rizel dela Cruz, 22, ng sila’y tabihan ng

dalawang lalaki na nakasakay sa motorsiklo at bigla na lamang pinapu-tukan ng back rider ang mga biktima.

Madaling araw ng maganap ang pamamaslang sa dalawa, ngunit hindi pa mabatid ang motibo sa atake sa binata at sa babaeng may asawa na kasama nito. Pareho umanong negosyante ang dalawa, subalit hindi pa

malinaw kung saan galing ang dalawa, ayon naman sa ulat ng Chinese news agency Xinhua.

Patuloy na iniimbestigahan ng pulisya ang nasabing kaso. Hindi naman agad makunan ng pahayag ang pamilya ng babae at ng dayuhan na matagal na umanong nakatira sa Placer. (Mindanao Examiner)

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The Mindanao Examiner

May 5-11, 2014

2 kidnappers timbog sa Zambo

His Royal Highness Mohammad Daud Nabil ‘Ayran’ Dimaporo-Lantud is enthroned as the youngest Sultan on the 28 Royal Sultanate of Lanao del Norte province. Sultan Ayran is now the new Sultan of the Royal House of Cabasagan. Also in the photo is the Sultan's brother and mother, her Majesty and Mayor of Pantao Ragat town in Lanao del Norte, Eleanor Lantud. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales)

Muslims hail enthronement of young Sultan in Lanao del Norte LANAO DEL NORTE – Muslims in the southern Philippines have celebrated the enthronement of the 20-year old Mohammad Daud Nabil ‘Ayran’ Dimaporo-Lantud as the youngest Sultan on the 28 Royal Sultanate of Lanao del Norte province.

Sultan Ayran, who is the son of Pantao Ragat Mayor Eleanor Lantud and Vice Mayor Lacson Lantud, is also the chairman of the Sanguniang Kabataan in the town. Sul-

tan Ayran is now the new Sultan of the Royal House of Cabasagan.

His enthronement also coincided with the month-long celebration of the 48th Founding Anniversary of Pantao Ragat.

Thousands of Muslims witnessed the colorful Maranao ceremony and hailed the historical enthronement of the young royalty, who belongs to one of the most respected and influential clan in Mindanao.

A throng of visitors also greeted the Sultan, who also went around the town in a parade fit for a king where well-wishers lined up the streets and chanting his name, many showering him with greetings and welcoming the assumption of the young royal leader to the throne.

His parents thanked all those who greeted the new Sultan and vowed to continue the good legacy of the clan. The Sultan also vowed to carry on the

Man arrested for child abuse DIPOLOG CITY – Police arrested a man who slammed his one year old baby on the ground following a quarrel with his partner in the town of Polanco in Zamboanga del Norte province in southern Philippines.

Police said the baby was brought to hospital for medical examination while his 27-year old fa-

ther Christopher Ebahan has been charged with child abuse.

The baby’s mother, Gleza Jarapan, 34, told police that she went to their farm after quarreling with Ebahan and was unaware of what had happened to the boy.

Police said a neighbor, Luzvilla Gamale, 58, saw Ebahan threw the baby

before fleeing their house and she told village officials about what happened and they contacted authorities to report the abuse.

Ebahan was arrested by pursuing policemen in his mother’s house in the neighboring town of Roxas. The condition of the baby is still unknown.

(Mindanao Examiner)

good tradition of the throne and his family and clan. (Mark Navales)

Z AMBOANGA CITY – Dalawa umanong kilabot na kidnappers ang nasakote ng pulisya sa hiwalay na operasyon sa Zamboanga City at Zamboanga del Sur sa Mindanao.

Sinabi ni Insp.

Dahlan Samuddin, ang regional police spokesman, na dinakip ng mga miyembro ng Zamboanga City Public Safety Company at Intelligence Section ng Zamboanga City Police Office si Jamal Gonzales na pasakay ng barko bago pa man ito makapuslit patungong bayan ng Jolo sa Sulu province kamakalawa ng gabi.

Naispatan umano ng mga intelligence agents si Gonzales matapos na makatanggap ng impormasyon na sisibat ito patungong Sulu.

Ayon kay Samuddin ay may nakabinbin na 16 kaso si Gonzales sa Regional Trial Court National Capital Judicial Region Branch 162 sa Pasig City. Nabatid na natibo si Gonzales ng

bayan ng Pandami sa Sulu.

Hindi naman sinabi ni Samuddin kung miyembro ba si Gonzales ng Abu Sayyaf.

Nadakip rin ng mga parak mula Tukuran Police Station at Regional Intelligence Unit 10 ng pulisya si Tingaraan Pamosogan sa Barangay Santo Niño sa bayan ng Tukuran sa Zamboanga Del Sur kamakala rin matapos na matunton ang hideout nito.

Isinabit ng pulisya ang suspek sa mga serye ng kidnapping at may mga kaso sa Branch 21 ng Regional Trial Court sa bayan ng Kapatagan sa Lanao Del Norte.

“The accused was brought to Tukuran Police Station and was later turned- over to the Regional Intelligence Unit 10 based at Camp Alagar in Cagayan De Oro City for proper disposition,” ani Samuddin. Hindi rin nito sinabi kung miyembro ng rebeldeng grupo si Pamosogan. (Mindanao Examiner)

3 civilians wounded in Maguindanao clan war MAGUINDANAO – Three civilians were wounded after being shot during fierce clashes between Moro rebels and villagers in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, officials said.

Officials said the rebels under Moro Islamic Liberation Front leader Akas Casim clashed with the group of Salam Paglas, the village chieftain of Balanaken in Datu Piang town. The fighting, which lasted several hours, was connected to a clan war, according to Col. Dickson Hermoso, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division.

He said the fighting ended after Datu Piang Mayor Genuine Kamaong, along with MILF leader Abdul Wahid Tundok and police and military commanders, intervened to stop the escalation of violence.

Hermoso said the wounded were evacuated to the hospital. “We have sent troops to the area to serve as peacekeeping force,” he said.

He did not say what triggered the latest fighting or if any of those involved in the clashes were arrested.

In Lanao del Sur prov-

ince, some 100 MILF rebels allegedly disarmed policemen and rescued 8 people who were arrested on gun and drug charges in Sultan Naga Dimaporo town, television news reports said.

The 1st Infantry Division said it has no report about the incident and MILF has not issued any confirmation about it. The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, has signed a peace deal with Manila recently. Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur are part of the five-province Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

(Mindanao Examiner)

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AFTER TYPHOON HAIYAN, PINOYS STILL REBUILDING LIVES I n different parts of the Philippines, thousands of people affected by fighting need humanitarian assistance - in Zamboanga City, as elsewhere in Mindanao and the Visayas, the International Committee of the Red Cross is helping communities to recover and rebuild amid long-standing cycles of violence and poverty.

"We have launched a Most of the displaced major operation with the are sheltering in tents, imPhilippine Red Cross to as- provised wood and tarpausist Typhoon Haiyan survi- lin structures or bunkhouses vors in Samar, but we have along the Cawa-Cawa certainly not forgotten the shoreline and especially in many thousands of people the Joaquin Enriquez Staaffected by armed conflict dium. elsewhere in the Philip"Displaced people are pines. We remain commit- still largely dependent on ted to helping them, as assistance from government their needs are also im- and aid organizations. Malmense," Pascal Mauchle, nutrition has resulted in head of the ICRC delega- children dying from pretion in Manila, said in a ventable diseases. Supplestatement sent to the re- mental feeding of children gional newspaper under the age of five and Mindanao Examiner. support to families with Helping the displaced in pregnant or lactating Zamboanga women are priorities in the Seven months after drive to push down malfighting broke out in nourishment rates," Gareth Zamboanga City between Gleed, in charge of the a faction of the Moro Na- ICRC's activities in tional Liberation Front Zamboanga, said in the and government forces, same statement. about 40,000 people are Working closely with still displaced from their Philippine Red Cross, the homes – many of which ICRC said it is maintaining were destroyed in the fight- efforts to improve hygiene ing – and living in difficult and sanitation conditions conditions. and access to potable water

Bodies of victims of Typhoon Haiyan are lined up on a road in Tacloban City, one of the areas in central Philippines devasted by the calamity. (Mindanao Examiner Photo) and health care.

It is enhancing the drainage system in the stadium and providing additional latrines. In Rio Hondo village, where nearly 2,000 people have found shelter, the local health station has been renovated. Other health facilities treating the displaced population in Zamboanga have been given medical supplies to

help cope with increased demand.

In addition, financial support is being channeled to the neediest in exchange for work or to help them restart income-generating activities. About 40,000 people who lost homes and livelihoods in the fighting have received cash without conditions, giving them the freedom to invest in what they

A scene from the aftermath of super typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban City in Leyte province in central Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ARMM

Southern Mindanao

Davao

Manila

need most.

It said cash-for-work schemes for about 1,200 displaced people are helping ensure that garbage is collected and disposed of in the Joaquin Enriquez stadium and along Cawa-Cawa shoreline. "Our aim is to help those who have lost everything regain control of their lives," Gleed said. e and ater,, health car care Water liv elihoods in M indanao livelihoods Mindanao and the Visayas In several remote areas of Mindanao and the Visayas, displaced and resident communities already living in poverty are struggling to cope with the added burden of violence and lack of security.

"Communities often rely on farming for survival, so we work with them to implement sustainable projects and improve crop yields. Our approach is to allow communities to identify their own needs and priorities," said Alan Colja, the ICRC’s economic security coordinator in the Philippines.

"For example, when a conflict-stricken community in Guihulngan in Negros Oriental province, recently decided that it wanted to boost incomes by expanding its cut-flower business, the ICRC helped it set up a small cut-flower nursery and provided advice on increasing production," he said in the statement.

In recent months, nearly 20,000 people in the upland municipalities of Magpet and Midsayap towns in North Cotabato; and Lope de Vega and Las Navas towns in Northern Samar received a variety of seed, farming tools, and training to increase crop production.

In addition to rebuilding livelihoods, the ICRC said it works to improve access to potable water and health care in isolated villages. Essential services can be seriously disrupted by lack of security, often because infrastructure falls into disrepair and vital supplies are not delivered.

Where the quality of water has deteriorated, as it has for the 2,000 residents of Marcelo village in Negros Occidental province, ICRC engineers upgrade water supply systems and sanitary facilities.

To ensure that patients from all sides of the fighting with weapon-caused injuries receive the medical attention they require, the ICRC said it provided two hospitals in conflict-prone areas of Mindanao with medical supplies, as well as ad hoc financial support.

The ICRC said it also supports the only center in Mindanao providing artificial limbs and other devices for the physically disabled, with 12 patients fitted this year.

Zamboanga Peninsula