MINDANAO DAILY T H E P U RV E YO R O F T R U T H , J U S T I C E , A N D D E V E LO P M E N T
Volume VI, No. 251
Website: www.mindanaodailynews.com
Friday
P15.00
March 31, 2017
Guv’s program to turn war-torn areas productive By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN Contributing Editor
SAN Francisco, Agusan del Sur--Poor farmers of the once conflict-stricken villages of this progressive town are pinning their hopes that the flagship Upland Sustainable Agri-forestry Development(USAD) program of Governor Adolph Edward
Plaza will turn their farms into productive areas. At least 209 farmers in the villages of Bitan-agan, Lucac, Das-agan, Alegria and Mate were listed as new enrollees of the USAD program, a development partnership initiative between farmers and the local governments to help them cultivate different suitable crops to make
Military slams NPA for attacking public school in Bukidnon CAGAYAN de Oro City-The military on Wednesday denounced the burning of a public school allegedly by the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the hinterland village of Concepcion in Valencia City in Bukidnon. A belated military report reaching here said that the NPA rebels allegedly burned the public school in Concepcion last Sunday after school officials refused to give in to the rebel’s extortion activities.
Jica, Neda to help M’nao energy sector
their farmlands more productive. Bitan-agan, a once conflictstricken village influenced by the New People’s Army in the dark years of Marcos regime, made it more significant venue for the USAD launch that already benefitted thousands of lowly farmers in other hinterland villages of the province. The four other neighboring
villages however were not spared from the atrocities in the past when San Francisco town was gripped with fear by presence of the dreaded Lost Command where extra-judicial killings prevail almost daily drawing more people to seek refuge to the communist movement. During the troubled years, Bitan-agan and adjacent remote
See PRODUCTIVE, page 7
“The teachers refused to give in to the demands of the NPA rebels, who resorted to terroristic activities,” Lt. Erwin Bugarin, the spokesperson of the Army’s 8th Infantry Battalion, said in the report. Without considering the effects of their actions to the civilian populace, especially the students of the said school, the armed group burned the faculty room, one classroom and the school library, Bugarin Agusan del Sur Governor Adolph Edward Plaza (center in light blue shirt) handed an USAD farmer a seedling which See school, page 7
he will grow in his farm to turn them into productive farmers. Photo courtesy of Noel Barrete/PIO
Comelec releases sked for brgy, SK polls
THE Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) signed this week a 771 million yen (about P340 million) grant aid project to support the energy sector in Mindanao’s conflict-affected areas. According to a news release issued Thursday, the project will be implemented by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) of the Department of Energy (DOE) and is part of JICA’s continuing support for peace and development Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST) now University of Science and in Mindanao. Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) graduating students troop to their yearly job fair last Wednesday in their main campus in Cagayan de Oro City. The project will See energy, page 7
villages of Das-agan and Lucac have been the breeding ground for massive recruitment of predominantly lumad residents to become NPA guerillas. These have been also the areas where the rebels briefly abducted local administration bets during elections. Plaza led the USAD
By Ferdinand G. Patinio of PNA
Despite plans to postpone the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has released the calendar of activities for the said polls. Based on Comelec Resolution No. 10177 dated March 28, it has set the election period which will be from September 23 to October 30. Acts prohibited during the election period include the alteration of territory of a precinct or establishment of a new precinct; carrying Photo by Mark Francisco for Mindanao Daily of firearms or other deadly
weapons; use of security personnel or bodyguards by candidates; and coercing, threatening, intimidating, or terrorizing any election official or employee in the performance of his election functions or duties. Also forbidden during the election period are transfer or detail of officers and employees in the civil service including public school teachers; organizing or maintaining reaction forces, strike forces or similar forces; and suspension of any elective provincial, city, municipal or barangay officer. Likewise, the poll See polls, page 7