Mindanao Daily Set A (May 17, 2017) by Mindanao Daily News

Church, rights groups seek release of bishop, NDFP consultant Church leaders and human rights groups in Northern Mindanao on Tuesday joined the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) clergy in condemning the arrest and detention of IFI Bishop Carlos Morales, along with a consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines

(NDFP), by a joint police and military team in Ozamiz City last week. In a statement, the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) called the apprehension of Morales as “appalling” and “a violation of human rights.” The CCA is an ecumenical organization represent-

ing 15 national councils and over 100 churches in Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the region. Morales was detained after Rommel Salinas, who was identified as an NDFP consultant and a top commander of the New People’s Army (NPA), was arrested by authorities in Barangay

Gango, Ozamiz last Friday, May 12. Under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig), Salinas, as a member of the NDF peace negotiating panel, was entitled to protection, the report said. During initial investigation, Morales admitted that

he was traveling with his wife Maria Teofilina, driver Isadome Dalid and Salinas, who just hitched a ride. The bishop said the police officers and military personnel manning the checkpoint flagged down their vehicle and arrested Salinas by virtue of a warrant of arrest.

The police freed Morales’ wife and Dalid. The bishop and Salinas were put behind bars and are now facing charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, CCA general secretary, said “it is unfortunate that [Morales] See CHURCH, page 7

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. 286

Website: www.mindanaodailynews.com

Wednesday

May 17, 2017

P15.00

Cop killed in NPA raid By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN, Contributing Editor

AN Francisco, Agusan del Sur--A rookie police officer was killed in a Tuesday dawn attack by communist rebels at a police patrol base along the national highway in Tabon-tabon village in Sibagat town.

Police Officer 1 Charmaine Cañete, 23, a resident of Sibagat, expired while being treated at the Butuan City Medical Center after he sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Police reports said around 20 guerillas of the New People’s Army Front 20 stormed the highway

checkpoint. But Elmer Luzon, General manager of the San Francisco Water District who was driving past the area a few minutes when the incident took place, said investigators should also look into other angles since he saw other policemen casually sitting down as if nothing happened even as the dead young policeman was already lying dead on the ground.

Chief Inspector Bonifacio Estrella, deputy chief of Agusan del Sur Public Safety C ompany, however, clarified Cañete’s colleagues were actually in full alert position to safeguard their detachment from any further attack but luckily the raiding NPA rebels did not pursue it. He said Cañete was the first to react when he went down from their elevated quarters after hearing the

noise of howling dogs only to be gunned down by the assailants already in firing position. “The rebels were in a failed position since they did not realize that the other police troopers were well-positioned upstairs ready to fire back at them the moment the rebels will pursue the attack,” Estrella said. He admired Cañete as a brave young police officer

who have been already battle-tested even in his young career that he was the main gunner of an earlier NPA attack in Rosario town early this year. A joint hot pursuit operation was conducted by the police and the Army’s Special Forces. Cañete is a member of Agusan del Sur Public Safety Company who joined the police force last year.

Editorial: e-mail: mindanaodailynews@gmail.com • Advertising: e-mail: mindanaodaily.ads@gmail.com Contact: 0917-7121424, 0947-8935776

MINDANAO DAILY SECOND FRONTPAGE

NPA releases Agsur mining businessman mark francisco, Section Editor EDITOR: RUEL V. PELONE

By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN Contributing Editor

SAN Francisco, Agusan del Sur-Communist guerillas freed on Monday afternoon the small-scale gold mining operator two days after his captivity saying he was cleared from charges and that he is not considered a “Prisoner of War” having been not involved in any anti-insurgency activity. Ka Amihan, spokesperson for New People’s Army Front 14, told this writer in a phone interview that they find no sufficient evidence to investigate Carson Ceasar Lademora prompting the revolutionary movement to release him without going through the process of a third party facilitator

Wednesday

done mostly to police and military captives. He was secretly turned over without media coverage to Rosario Mayor Jose Cuyos Sr. , wife Vice Mayor Juvy Cuyos and town councilor Belarmino Balagot in an undisclosed municipal road in neighboring Tagbina town in Surigao del Sur just before dusk. “He is OK now and back to work,” said Lademora’s wife Eufemia as she recalled she had not been sleeping for two nights of worrying about the fate of her husband. She said Carson Ceasar asked not to be interviewed by local media. Lademora and his aide,Leonardo Cacao, were held by the NPA rebels on Saturday after they raided his

gold mining tunnels in the subvillage of Sinug-ang in Rosario town. Lademora operates a smallscale tunnels in the high-grade gold rusharea in Sinug-ang in the village of Bayugan 3 which his family has been claiming since the early 1980s. Amihan dismissed unconfirmed reports that there was rans om mone y involve d for Lademora’s early release as she maintained they strictly adhere to the revolutionary movement’s principles not to be regarded as kidnap-for-ransom group. She however admitted Lademora was interrogated if he still had hidden cache of firearms but the captive victim swore that the 21 high-powered assorted firearms

May 17, 2017

(DENR), National Economic Development Authority, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the Philippine National

Police. Eight hybrid cars will also be given to government offices in Region 8 including the Department

Protection, Philippine Information Agency, Department of TransportationLand Transportation Office, and the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in support to the economic and social recovery of communities devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda. “This Japan governmentaided grant will jumpstart our drive towards our call to action to our fellow public servants to increase their use or patronize energy efficient technologies, including their official vehicles. We have to be the role model in this cause, so our people can look up to us and follow our lead,” said DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi. Officials of the DOE’s Energy Utilization Management Bureau and Japan’s Ambassador to the See energy, page 7

See INK, page 7

they confiscated during the raid were all that he got for his mining workers use to secure their tunnels. Amihan also explained that they could not hold Lademora any longer since he was only investigated if he continued the atrocities to poor residents living in the mining areas of which his late father was accused in the past. Lademora, who is in his 40s, is a son of the late Philippine Constabulary (PC) Col. Carlos Lademora, leader of the dreaded “Lost Command,” whose reign in this town in the 1980s had sown terror on residents. “He did not have that kind of record, so we did not consider him a POW (prisoner of war)”, Amihan said.

of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology, Bureau of Fire

PH, China ink 3 new agreements As part of its renewed friendship and deeper bilateral ties, President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jin Ping witnessed the signing of three agreements following an expanded bilateral meeting between the two leaders. The signing of the agreements was held at the Great Hall of the People on Monday (May 15). The first to be signed was the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the People’s Republic of China. It was signed by the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) of the People’s Republic of China. The Agreement will serve as the basis for the grant to be provided by China to the Philippines, to implement the grant of RMB 500 million to conduct feasibility studies for major projects, construction of the drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation center and bridges crossing the Pasig River. President Duterte and President Xi likewise witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation in Human Resource Development between the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China. The MOU will serve as the framework for the Philippines and China to strengthen cooperation in human resource development and promoting personnel exchanges. The MOU was signed between the National Economic and Development Authority as well as Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China. The third agreement signed was the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Energy Administration of the People’s Republic of China on Energy Cooperation. According to the Department of Energy, the objective of the MOU on Energy Cooperation between the Philippines and China is aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the electric power, oil and natural gas sectors, and others,

DOE rolls out hybrid ‘energy efficient’ cars The days of fuel-guzzling government agency vehicles are numbered. The Department of Energy (DOE) is introducing the replacement of service vehicles of the national government offices with hybrid cars as part of its campaign to promote energy efficiency and clean air across the country. At 10 a.m. on Friday, May 19 at the DOE Sunken Garden, the DOE will donate 24 Japan-made Toyota Prius (2017 model) to the Office of the President, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Finance, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industries (DTI), Department of Environment and Natural Resources

FOR ADS PLACEMENT CALL OR TEXT: 0917-712-1424 â€¢ 0947-893-5776 E-mail: mindanaodaily.ads@gmail.com e-mail: mindanaodailynews@gmail.com

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Opinion

FOR ADS PLACEMENT CALL OR TEXT: 0917-712-1424 • 0947-893-5776 E-mail: mindanaodaily.ads@gmail.com

For art’s sake

TThe Mindanao Daily is pubished by MINDANAO DAILY NEWS PUBLISHING CORPORATION. It is Registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with Reg. No. CS201531735. With Business Plate No. 201703518, Under Business License Certificate No. 2017-02949, BIR-TIN No. 464682-324-000. Main Business address at Tanleh Building, Abellanosa St., Brgy. Consolacion, Cagayan de Oro City. Tel. Nos: (088) 856-3344, 0917-7121424, 09478935776 E-mails: Advertising:mindanaodaily.ads@gmail.com, Editorial: mindanaodailynews@gmail.com DANTE M. SUDARIA Publisher and President TERESA ZAFRA PELONE Comptroller melanie rivera SAIRA E. GUMISING Advertising

felix santillan ZHELONIE SUDARIA Layout Artist

WEMALYN GARCIA Marketing

Rolando sudaria Production

manila marketing office 9th Flr, Unit 918, CityLand Herrera VA Rufino cor. Valero St. Salcedo Village, Makati City TEL. #: 5555392, Cell No.: 0977-152-8860 lani vallido Marketing and Sales Manager

MIJIE JUAT MAY IGLECIAS Account Executives

DAVAO booking OFFICE Door 223, Doña Segunda Bldg., CM Recto Ave., Davao City Office in Charge : SARA CASTOR, 0926-398-8293 Circulation : JOHN PAUL AQUINO, 0907-331-5640 ILIGAN OFFICE G/F IBJT North Terminal, Tambo, Hinaplanon, Iligan City Office in Charge: SONNY SUDARIA, 0916-349-7422

The importance of mastering one’s native language (2) I grew up in a remote village of Padre Burgos, S outhern L eyte whose name rendered it more bucolic -- Lungsodaan. The word “daan” means old in Cebuano. [Until now, as its name goes, our place remains “daan.”] There, I studied in a public school for my elementary education and was forced to enroll in a private school for my secondary education because our place had -- and until now, has -- no public high school. Though I am 33 years old now, the order of our teachers directing us to speak in English is still very fresh in my memory. During those years, I, together with some of my classmates coming from

RODRIGO B. SEVILLA Regional Editor-Davao

Editorial Consultant JOE PALABAO Feature Editor

ATTY. MARIO T. JUNI

NOTARY PUBLIC- JUNI LAW OFFICE CELL NO: 09352379999/ (088) 8573595 CRUZ TAAL ST., CAG. DE ORO CITY Legal Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------

bureau and mktg staff candy macabale - 09161326483 RIZA O. ARES - 0915-9753-277/0926-2242-653 MISOR - LOLONG NABONG - 0906-875-8650 GINGOOG CITY-MANNY ANSIHAGAN-0936-287-7788 North Buk. - DAHLIA S. BENEMERITO-0955-150-6602 VALENCIA CITY - PHILIP PHIL CALUMBA-0905-652-5407 MARAMAG - roFINA CUALES - 0926-336-1585 quezon, buk. - ROSE GENON Iligan City - JEFFREY OPONDA-0936-1174378 tangub city - bobby mag usara OROQUIETA CITY - PJ TREMEDAL-0919-3452375 ARMM - Sony Sudaria-0947-4810371 cotabato - ANALISA ESPAÑOLA-0916-9351714 KORONADAL CITY-FREDIE SOLINAP-09557161873 davao - tom a. caballero-09756023684 davao - tomas canoy avancena jr.-09177017010 davao del norte - sarah castor - 09263988293 digos city, dvo sur & kidapawan - romeo d. sanchez davao city - rene s. arias (Photo Journalist) DAVAO CITY - RUEL LIGONES COMVAL PROVINCE AND DAV. OR. - Rhodel javier butuan - PAT SAMONTE-0912-8091093 san frans - CRIS PANGANIBAN-09277974193 San Francisco - deding PANGANBAN-0927-7974193 Pagadian City - GRACE FRANCISCO -0912-8484037 ZAMBOANGA - AL JACINTO - 09177103642 Member: ORO CHAMBER Philippine Press Institute

more deeply, and gave it the respect it richly deserves. Truly, I can speak the English language but always stammer no matter how hard I have practiced it. And all along, I only mastered this line: “Ma’am, may I go out.” It was my favorite sentence in English while in high school. As I am a son of poor parents, I worked hard to earn a college degree -- I finished a BA degree from a school in Cagayan de Oro, majoring in, accidentally, English. In the campus, my classmates looked up to those who spoke English inside the classroom. But when I transcribed what they said, I found out that their English grammar was bad.

Raul G. Moldez

And I was much surprised later when I learned that those brandishing their supposed Englishspeaking expertise would always get the low scores during quizzes and examinations. Yes, man’s intelligence is not measured through his ability to speak the English language fluently, much more his success in life. Yes, our country’s progress is not measured through the people’s fluency to speak English. **** Email me at rgmoldez@ gmail.com

Concept of My Sculpture

As a sculptor, I prefer using nails to form my art. My oeuvre, “Build the Filipino Dream”, is inspired by what should motivate every Filipino to set aside ideological, political or ethnic differences in order to pursue a common vision. EDITORIAL And that should be a society ALLAN M. MEDIANTE where justice and social Editor-in-Chief equity balances with the ruel pelone CRIS DIAZ economic boom. Managing Editor Executive Editor The countr y faces a unique challenge which MARK FRANCISCO makes our common goals Lifestyle Editor seemingly elusive albeit we GILBERT Y. CHAO gerry lee gorit underwent the master plans Motoring Editor Photo Journalist of various administrations PAT SAMONTE CHRIS PANGANIBAN utilizing the best minds. Regional Editor Caraga Regional Editor-Davao It is truly hard to unite our people who come from Rene Michael BaÑos uRIEL C. QUILINGUING various ethnicities, whose Regional Editor Northmin Contributing Editor concept of “kasimanwa” AL JACINTO JOE FELICILDA (town mate or neighbor) Regional Editor-WestMin

poor families, religiously obeyed the order because we had no money to pay for the fine. Yes, our teachers would impose fines upon those caught speaking “Bisaya.” The result, many of us got the “Most Behaved” awards every closing of a school year! In part, I can say that my teachers must have been good motivators because I have become an addict to English subjects in that I would listen to them attentively telling us the stories of Rip Van Winkle, King Arthur, Perseus, etc. or explaining when to use comma, semi colon and other punctuation marks. Through their motivations, I learned to love the language, romanced it

does not yet transcend to a common national identity— the reason many, generally, do not mind the welfare of Visayans if they are from Luzon, or the welfare of Mindanaonons if they are Visayans. This is exacerbated with alienation arising from dissenting opinions from factions such as the yellows and the Dutertistas, Muslims and Christians, to name a few. Unless Filipinos from heterogenous upbringings realize that they must be like nails building their dreams together, they will continue to exist as factions or individuals with no real beauty or something laudable to remember fondly except their lowly splintered existence and a continual struggle

to overcome the knots of a struggling economy. I use nails in this sculpture because they are metonymy of what they can build or establish—this time their collective dreams. If Filipinos unite for social equity and justice, and prosperity, their grace shines most, emerging from the insignificance of individuals building their personal goals—albeit conflicting-into the prodigious masterpiece they want society to achieve. I use two biomorphic forms in this artwork to symbolize our collective dreams because, like our dreams, life forms represent how society is morphing: not quite predictable, but sustained by each person’s

Lucell Larawan

life and becoming a memorable emblem of the collective whole. Should we allow this morphing to accelerate? I use luminous orange color of the artwork to suggest a burning passion rendered with a contemporary touch. The sculpture draws energy from the current major influences from Brancusi to Henry Moore, although I speak with my own voice.

Kakampi mo ang batas

Dismissal of impeachment complaint vs. Duterte lawful LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “… Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves…” (Isaiah 1:23, the Holy Bible). -oooH O USE C O M M I TTEE’S DISMISSAL OF IMPEACHMENT COMPLAINT VS. DUTERTE LEGALLY CORRECT: As expected, there was no other way for the Committee on Justice of the House of Representatives but to order the dismissal---as it indeed ordered the dismissal last Monday, May 15, 2017---of the impeachment complaint that Magdalo Party List Rep. Gary Alejano filed against President Duterte. I have always maintained even just after its filing that the accusations in the complaint of Alejano were not of his own personal knowledge and

therefore could not be the basis of even a mere investigation against the President. To have agreed to entertain that impeachment complaint further despite its evidently hearsay nature would have made our congressmen fools and, what could have been worse, egregious violators of the Constitution and existing laws on what constitutes evidence that could trigger an investigation. The Committee on Justice therefore acted according to law in the dismissal of the Alejano complaint. -oooHOUSE MUST MAKE ALEJANO ANSWERABLE FOR PERJURY: But, there is something more important than ordering the dismissal of the Alejano complaint,

and it involves the mockery of the impeachment process and of the integrity of the House of Representatives as a whole by no less than a member of the chamber. I am of the opinion that the House must make Alejano answerable for the obvious perjury he committed, so no one else will dare imitate him. I mean, even if Alejano is not a lawyer or is not trained in the legalities of an impeachment process, he should have known or he ought to have known at the very least by virtue of his lofty position that acting as a complainant in an impeachment proceeding requires the complainant to have personal knowledge of what he is accusing the President with. Many members of the

Atty. Batas Mauricio

Committee on Justice were correct in pointing out that an impeachment complaint is not an ordinary complaint, especially because it is directed against the highest officer of the land. Prudence dictates that if anyone wanted to sue the President for impeachment, that someone should have personal knowledge of what he is talking about and, by his own admissions on Monday, May 15, 2017, Alejano did not have this personal knowledge. -oooALE J A N O O N LY MEANT TO DESTABILIZE AND OUST DUTERTE: This brings me back to what I wrote See LAWFUL, page 7

FOR ADS PLACEMENT CALL OR TEXT: 0917-712-1424 • 0947-893-5776 E-mail: mindanaodaily.ads@gmail.com

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Free public internet: A tale of two bills By COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS’ UNION bulatlat.com

I n t h e pa s t two months, our two legislative Houses – the Congress and the Senate – have been quite busy in rushing the passage of legislation related to providing free internet to the public. House Bill 5225 (HB 5225) is a consolidated version of similar bills authored by no less than 19 congress representatives. The Senate version, Senate Bill 1277 (SB 1277), consolidates four bills from Senators Pangilinan, Pacquiao, Recto and Aquino IV. This comes as no surprise. President Duterte himself has declared in his first State of the Nation Address in July that “WiFi access shall be provided at no charge in selected public places”[1]. This also comes in the heels of his declaration to implement a national broadband program to ensure broadband internet access to the whole archipelago, a draft plan of which was unveiled last January. Internet having been declared a basic human

Photo by Carlo Manalansan/Bulatlat provide free internet acright by the United Nations accessed by all Filipinos. cess to the Filipino public. Juan Konek: The Free in 2015, any public policy Internet Initiative that Back in 2014, the DOST’s decision involving its imple(now defunct) ICT Office Was mentation, delivery, access, This is not the only or ICTO unveiled its Free deserves careful scrutiny as it will impact how this time that the government Wi-Fi Internet Access in vital tool is delivered and rolled out a program to Public Places project. With

Gov’t housing program should improve slow-moving loan approval process—PIDS study Despite being one of the most innovative government housing programs in the country, the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) is saddled by weaknesses, researchers from state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) found out. CMP is a financing scheme that enables organized residents of slum communities to borrow funds for land purchase and housing development. In a research paper titled “An Assessment of the Community Mortgage Program Implementation Strategy”, PIDS Vice President Marife Ballesteros, Research Analyst Tatum Ramos, and former Research Specialist Jasmine Magtibay, assessed the processes, performance, and other aspects of the CMP. To do this, they conducted interviews and focus group discussions with the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), local government units, and nongovernment organizations that serve as CMP mobilizers. One of the main problems, according to the study, is on the current service delivery mechanisms. The CMP fund is accessed through community associations (CAs). In highlyurbanized cities like Metro Manila, the maximum loan that may be provided by the CMP may not fully cover

the total cost of the land. The member-households, through their CAs, then become the provider of the funds for the equity. “The downside of this arrangement is that poor households can be excluded from the program because they are unable to raise the equity or they may be forced to borrow, resulting in accumulated debts that are beyond their capacity to pay,” the authors explained. Meanwhile, on program targeting, Ballesteros and her co-authors pointed out that there is a high probability that non-poor households are being included in the CAs. CMP mobilizers, who are in-charge of profiling recipients of the program, usually choose CAs that are ready to take on the community loan. These are usually the communities that have the ability to raise the equity or those who have financial capacity. “The targeting mechanism and the limited role of the SHFC in targeting communities stand the risk of excluding the poor or, conversely, including the nonpoor/nonresident households in informal settlements as beneficiaries of the program,” the study explained. In addition, the researchers warned that the poor may also be neglected when substituting beneficiaries-a method that has helped

improve collection efficiency rate of CMP projects and prevented foreclosures through litigation, saying that “one should be aware that it could be the poor— the program’s target beneficiaries—who are defaulting in payments and being substituted in the process.” The authors also tackled other loan products of the CMP such as the Localized Community Mortgage Program, the High-Density Housing Program See STUDY, page 7

an original budget of P334 million ($6.7 M) designed to cover 748 class 4, 5, and 6 municipalities, it was upgraded at year-end as a P3-billion project covering specific public places, in ad-

dition to a total of 967 class 4 to 6 municipalities. It started rollout in July 2015 with free WiFi in six locations in Metro Manila[2], under a private-public partnership (PPP) deal between ICTO and commercial internet service providers (ISPs). The project experienced difficulty as private ISPs had little interest in rolling out infrastructure in low-income municipalities, from whose budgets they will be paid. In January 2016, the project was further expanded to cover class 1 to 2 municipalities, with a sum target coverage of 1,435 localities, and receiving an additional P1.5-billion budget. Previously placed under the ambit of Juan Konek!, a project aimed at digital literacy for all Filipinos, the free public internet project itself was later rebranded under the same name. To date, the Juan Konek project reports a total coverage of 13 regions, 23 provinces, and 54 cities and municipalities. This is a far cry from the ambitious targets initially See free, page 7

ZONE 3, CROSSING HIGHWAY, TEAKWOOD HILLS, AGUSAN, CDOC

ROOMS VARIES FROM 350, 450, 550, 850 – FOR 12 HOURS WASH UP FOR ONLY 180 – WITH RESTAURANT ON THE GROUND FLOOR WITH FUNCTION ROOM FULLY AIRCONDITIONED. Tel No. 0883232924 Cel No. 09757142125 / 09172221445

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING & REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No.10, Apovel, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City

VIVIEN DELOS NIEVES CASE NO. 2017-10-870 Applicant/s (2012-10-756)

ROGELIO M. CUER CASE NO. 2017-10-869 Applicant/s (2011-10-1543)

BENJIE L. SALVANA CASE NO. 2017-10-873 Applicant/s (2012-10-045)

NOTICE OF HEARING

SPS. CRESENCIANO /CARMELITA NAMOCO CASE NO. 2017-10-856 Applicant/s (2012-10-0792)

APPLICANT(s)/PETITIONER(s) request/s authority To extend the validity of certificate of public convenience to operate PUJ service on the line ;Cogon Market to Bayabas and vice versa with the use of one(1)units. This application/petition shall be considered by this Board on May 31, 2017, at 2;00 P.M. at this Board on which date Applicant/(s) Petitioner(s) shall formally submit his/her/their evidence. The Applicant(s)Petitioner (s)shall publish said notice at least FIVE(5) days prior to the date of hearing in a daily newspaper of general circulation in the Mindanao Island. Party(ies)opposed to the approval /granting of the application /petition must file his/her/their written opposition with supporting documents, unless this Board deems it necessary to required additional documentary evidence and /or his/ her/their oral testimony(ies). FAILURE TO APPEAR AT THE SCHEDULED DATE AND TIME OF HEARING SHALL MEAN THE DISMISSAL OF THE APPLICATION/PETITION. Issued this 16th day of May, 2017 at Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

APPLICANT(s)/PETITIONER(s) request/s authority to extend the validity of Certificate of Public Convenience to operate PUJ service on the line ;Cogon Market to Bayabas and vice versa with the use of one(1)units. This application/petition shall be considered by this Board on May 31, 2017, at 2;00 P.M. at this Board on which date Applicant/(s) Petitioner(s) shall formally submit his/her/their evidence. The Applicant(s)Petitioner (s)shall publish said notice at least FIVE(5) days prior to the date of hearing in a daily newspaper of general circulation in the Mindanao Island. Party(ies)opposed to the approval /granting of the application /petition must file his/her/their written opposition with supporting documents, unless this Board deems it necessary to required additional documentary evidence and /or his/ her/their oral testimony(ies). FAILURE TO APPEAR AT THE SCHEDULED DATE AND TIME OF HEARING SHALL MEAN THE DISMISSAL OF THE APPLICATION/PETITION. Issued this 16th day of May 2017, at Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

APPLICANT(s)/PETITIONER(s) request/s authority To extend the validity of a certificate of public convenience to operate PUB SERVICE on the line ;Puerto to Gingoog City Misamis Oriental and vice versa with the use of one(1)units. This application/petition shall be considered by this Board on May 25, 2017 at 10;00 A.M. at this Board on which date Applicant/ (s) Petitioner(s) shall formally submit his/her/ their evidence. The Applicant(s)Petitioner (s)shall publish said notice at least FIVE(5) days prior to the date of hearing in a daily newspaper of general circulation in the Mindanao Island. Party(ies)opposed to the approval /granting of the application /petition must file his/her/their written opposition with supporting documents, unless this Board deems it necessary to required additional documentary evidence and /or his/ her/their oral testimony(ies). FAILURE TO APPEAR AT THE SCHEDULED DATE AND TIME OF HEARING SHALL MEAN THE DISMISSAL OF THE APPLICATION/PETITION. Issued this 16TH day of May, 2017 at Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

APPLICANT(s)/PETITIONER(s) request/s authority To extend the validity of Certificate of Public Convenience to operate PUJ service on the line;Manolo Fortich to Camp Philips and vice versa with the use of One(1)units. This application/petition shall be considered by this Board on May 24, 2017 at 2;00 P.M. at this Board on which date Applicant/(s) Petitioner(s) shall formally submit his/her/their evidence. The Applicant(s)Petitioner (s)shall publish said notice at least FIVE(5) days prior to the date of hearing in a daily newspaper of general circulation in the Mindanao Island. Party(ies)opposed to the approval /granting of the application /petition must file his/her/their written opposition with supporting documents, unless this Board deems it necessary to required additional documentary evidence and /or his/ her/their oral testimony(ies). FAILURE TO APPEAR AT THE SCHEDULED DATE AND TIME OF HEARING SHALL MEAN THE DISMISSAL OF THE APPLICATION/PETITION. Issued this 12TH day May 2017 at Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

(Sgd.) AMINODEN D. GURO Regional Director

MDN: May 17, 2017

NOTICE OF HEARING

MDN: May 17, 2017

FOR ADS PLACEMENT CALL OR TEXT: 0917-712-1424 • 0947-893-5776 E-mail: mindanaodaily.ads@gmail.com Editor: Ruel V. Pelone

Wednesday, May 17, 2017 Republic of the Philippines IN THE THIRD MUNICIPAL CIRCUIT TRIAL COURT SINDANGAN*SIAYAN*LEON B. POSTIGO*JOSE DALMAN 9th Judicial Region Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte

CONSUELO LIRA CALAGO, CIVIL CASE NO. 921 Plaintiff, -versus- -forJOSELITO LIRA and JOHHNY LIRA, Defendants. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x

“FORCIBLE ENTRY with DAMAGES”

SUMMONS On June 27, 2016, the above-named plaintiff through counsel, filed a Complaint for Forcible Entry with Damages against Joselito Lira and Johhny Lira, alleging inter alia as follows: COMPLAINT

COMES NOW THE PLAINTIFF, thru the undersigned counsel, and unto this Honorable Court, most respectfully states:

I. –

That the plaintiff is of legal age, Filipino, widow, and presently a resident of Lira Compound, Barangay Poblacion, Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, where she may be served with notices and other processes of this Honorable Court; II. – That the defendants are likewise both of legal age, Filipinos and residents of Barangay Maras, Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, where they may be served with summons and other processes of this Honorable Court; III. – That the plaintiff and the defendants herein have legal capacity to sue and be sued; IV. – That the plaintiff is the absolute owner and lawful possessor of a real property more particularly described as follows: “A parcel of land (Lot 10) of the subdivision plan, Psd-09-026858, being a portion of Lot H-79934, LRC Rec. Cad. No., situated in the Barangay of Talingan (now Maras), Municipality of Sindangan, Province of Zamboanga del Norte, Island of Mindanao; bounded on the Nw., along line 1-2 by Lot 2, on the NE., alone line 2-3 by road Lot 13, on the SE., along line 3-4 by Lot 9, on the SW., along line 4-1 by Lot 1, all of the subdivision plan; containing an area of FOUR THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE (4,325) square meters; covered by TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE (TCT) NO. T-58767 registered under the name of CONSUELO R. LIRA.” a certified photocopy of the Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) is hereto attached as ANNEX “ A ” and made an integral part hereof; V. – That the aforementioned parcel of land is assessed at Php4,580.00 according to the DECLARATION OF REAL PROPERTY (Tax Declaration No. 22-0034-00134) issued by the Municipal Assessor’s Office of the Municipality of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, a certified copy is hereto attached as ANNEX “ B ” of this instant Complaint; VI. – That the land in question is agricultural and for many years had been utilized as a ricefield by the plaintiff; VII.– That sometime last December 2015, the herein defendants entered the aforesaid parcel of land of plaintiff thru strategy, stealth and intimidation, and thereupon constructed a fence thru their hired persons; VIII. – That aside from the fence that was constructed on the perimeter of the parcel of land, the defendants and their workers started cultivating on the property without the permission and against the will of the plaintiff; IX. – That the plaintiff confronted the defendants but was surprised by the latter’s curt reply that they have a right to possess and enjoy whatever they wish with the property because they already bought it from REGINALDO CALAGO, the plaintiff’s son; and that the defendants insist that will never vacate the property and thru force will defend their new possession; X. – That because of the actuations of the defendants and their workers, the herein plaintiff was unlawfully deprived of possession of her above-mentioned parcel of land; XI. – That the plaintiff demanded from the defendants to stop cultivating and introducing improvements on her contested land and vacate the property in question but the defendants failed and refused and still fail and refuse to do so despite repeated demands until now; XII. – That the plaintiff, even in her old age, exerted earnest efforts towards a peaceful solution of the situation because defendants bear the same family name as plaintiff’s maiden surname, although they are not closely related; XIII. – That the plaintiff even referred the matter to the Barangay Authorities of Maras, Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, where the property in question is located for confrontation and conciliation, but no settlement was reached by the parties as evidenced by a certification to file action dated January 11, 2016, a certified photocopy of which is hereto attached as ANNEX “ C ” of this Complaint and made an integral part hereof; XIV. – That the recent entry, possession and the enjoyment by the defendants of the parcel in question against the will and consent of the plaintiff are illegal; XV. – That the defendants have no right to enter, possess and enjoy the property in question because the same belongs absolutely to the plaintiff; XVI. – That the defendants, in the exercise of their rights, and in the performance of their duties, did not act with justice; they did not give the plaintiff her due,and they did not observe honesty and good faith; XVII. – That the defendants have, contrary to law, willfully caused damage to the plaintiff and so they shall indemnify the latter for the same; XVIII. – That the defendants have willfully caused losses or injuries to the plaintiff in a matter that is contrary to morals, good customs or public policy and so they shall indemnify the latter for the same; XIX. – That because of the groundless, unlawful, unjustifiable and unwarranted actuations of the defendants, done with malice and utter bad faith, the plaintiff suffered sleepless nights, emotional anxiety and loss of appetite, and for such has suffered moral damages in the amount of P100,000.00; she was forced to litigate and was compelled to engage the services of her counsel in the amount of P50,000.00, and she will be spending about P25,000.00 for actual and litigation expenses. RELIEF

WHEREFORE,premises considered, it is most respectfully prayed before this Honorable Court that judgment be rendered for the plaintiff and against the defendants, as follow: (a) - Ordering the defendants, members of their family and/or any person or persons acting in their behalf to stop cultivating and introducing improvements on the contested parcel of land; (b) - Ordering the defendants, members of their family and/or any person or persons acting in their behalf to vacate the parcel of land in question and surrender the same voluntarily to the plaintiff; (c) – Ordering the defendants to pay, jointly and solidarily, the plaintiff the amount of P100,000.00 for moral damages; P50,000.00 as attorney’s fees, and to set as an example for others not to emulate the illegal actuations of defendants, an amount of P25,000.00 as exemplary damages; and another P25,000.00 for actual and litigation expenses and to pay the costs of these proceedings;

The plaintiff further prays for such order reliefs and remedies which this Honorable Court may deem just and equitable in the premises.

Dipolog City (for Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte), Philippines, June 27, 2016. (SGD.) ULDARICO M. MEJORADA II Counsel for the Plaintiff Extension Office : Judge Aricheta Bldg., Poblacion, Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte (Mobile No. 0909 755 3333) PTR NO. 521 2320 - January 13, 2016 Issued at the PTO, Zamboanga del Norte IBP Lifetime Membership No. 05972 Zamboanga del Norte Chapter ROLL OF ATTORNEY NO. 45665 MCLE Compliance Certificate No. V-0003542 Sept/08/2014

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SINDANGAN ) S.S. PROVINCE OF ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE ) X-------------------------------/ VERIFICATION AND CERTIFICATE OF NON-FORUM SHOPPING I, CONSUELO LIRA CALAGO, of legal age, Filipino, widow, and presently a resident of Lira Compound, Barangay Poblacion, Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, hereby state that: I am the Complainant/Plaintiff in this Complaint; I have caused the preparation of this Complaint and have supplied all the allegations contained therein; I have read the contents and/or allegations contained in this Complaint which are all true and correct to our own knowledge and/or based on authentic records; I hereby certify that I have not commenced any action or proceeding involving the same issues raised in the Complaint in the Sumpreme Court, the Court of Appeals, or any other tribunal or agency; To the best of my knowledge and belief, no such action or proceeding is pending in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, or any other tribunal or agency; If I should learn that a similar action or proceeding has been filed or is pending before the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, or any other tribunal or agency, I undertake to report that fact within five (5) days therefrom to the Court where such initiatory pleading has been originally filed. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my signature this June 24, 2016 in the Municipality of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte.

TECHNOLOGY AND LIVELIHOOD EDUCATION MATERIALS for ONSTS - VICE GOVERNOR JOEY PELAEZ, accompanied by PROVINCIAL BOARD MEMBER JIGJAG PELAEZ, continues his A Happy MisOr advocacy in Opol National Secondary Technical School, bringing mixed commodities that will be very useful for the Senior High School students enrolled in the Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) subject. Secondary School Principal II ANTHONY Y. PACAMALAN, GPTA President RAUL CALIT, DepEd Division Supervisor NORBERTO E. ROSALES, Vice Mayor of Opol TATCHIE MABULAY-ORTIGOZA and Master Teacher II FRANCIS THAISE CIMENE received the donated materials from Children International Philippines Inc. (CIPI) Vice Governor Joey G. Pelaez is the Chairman of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Education, Culture and the Arts. Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING & REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No.10, Apovel, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City RITA MAY R. SABIO Applicant/s

CASE NO. 2017-10-864

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation LAND TRANSPORTATION FRANCHISING & REGULATORY BOARD Regional Office No.10, Apovel, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City GOMER A. SABIO Applicant/s

CASE NO. 2017-10-863

NOTICE OF HEARING

APPLICANT(s)/PETITIONER(s) request/s authority For the issuance of certificate of public convenience to operate TH FREIGHT service on the line ;Within Cagayan de Oro City and from said place to any point in the Island of Mindanao accessible to motor vehicle traffic and vice versa with the use of two(2)units. This application/petition shall be considered by this Board on May 31, 2017, at 2;00 P.M. at this Board on which date Applicant/(s) Petitioner(s) shall formally submit his/her/their evidence. The Applicant(s)Petitioner (s)shall publish said notice at least TEN(10) days prior to the date of hearing in a daily newspaper of general circulation in the Mindanao Island. Party(ies)opposed to the approval /granting of the application /petition must file his/her/their written opposition with supporting documents, unless this Board deems it necessary to required additional documentary evidence and /or his/ her/their oral testimony(ies). FAILURE TO APPEAR AT THE SCHEDULED DATE AND TIME OF HEARING SHALL MEAN THE DISMISSAL OF THE APPLICATION/PETITION. Issued this 15TH of May 2017 at Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

APPLICANT(s)/PETITIONER(s) request/s authority For the issuance of certificate of public convenience to operate TH FREIGHT service on the line; Within Cagayan de Oro City and from said place to any point in the Island of Mindanao accessible to motor vehicle traffic and vice versa with the use of ONE(1)units. This application/petition shall be considered by this Board on May 31, 2017 at 2;00 P.M. at this Board on which date Applicant/(s) Petitioner(s) shall formally submit his/her/their evidence. The Applicant(s)Petitioner (s)shall publish said notice at least TEN(10) days prior to the date of hearing in a daily newspaper of general circulation in the Mindanao Island. Party(ies)opposed to the approval /granting of the application /petition must file his/her/their written opposition with supporting documents, unless this Board deems it necessary to required additional documentary evidence and /or his/ her/their oral testimony(ies). FAILURE TO APPEAR AT THE SCHEDULED DATE AND TIME OF HEARING SHALL MEAN THE DISMISSAL OF THE APPLICATION/PETITION. Issued this 15th day of May 2017 at Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

(Sgd.) AMINODEN D. GURO Regional Director

MDN: May 17, 2017

Mindanao Daily TARPS-STICKERS-NEWS

tarpaulin sticker billboards backlitfilm panaflex photopaper 881-0100

0935-1613398 mdntarps@gmail.com

(SGD.) CONSUELO LIRA CALAGO Affiant Senior Citizen ID No. SIN-05-645 Issued by the Office of the Senior Citizen Affairs (OSCA) Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this June 24, 2016 at Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines, Affiant exhibited to me her Senior Identification Card for identification. (SGD.) ULDARICO M. MEJORADA II Notary Public For the Municipalities of Jose Dalman, Sindangan Siayan and Leon B. Postigo, All in Zamboanga del Norte Until December 31, 2016

PTR NO. 521 2320 - January 13, 2016 IBP Lifetime Membership No. 05972 Zamboanga del Norte Chapter Roll of Attorney No. 45665

RPN Radyo Ronda Stations Nationwide

DOC. NO. 38; PAGE NO. 08 ; BOOK NO._VII; SERIES OF 2016. That defendant Joselito Lira could not be served with summons through personal or substituted service hence, plaintiff filed a Motion for Leave of Court to Effect Service of Summons by Publication which was granted by the Court pursuant to Section 15, 16 and 17, Rule 14 of the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure in its Order dated December 6, 2016. NOW THEREFORE, defendant is hereby summoned and required to file his answer within sixty (60) days from the date of the last publication of this Summons with the 3rd Municipal Circuit Trial Court, Sindangan-Siayan-Leon B. Postigo-Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte, and in the event he fails to do so, plaintiff will take judgment against him and demand from this Court the reliefs and remedies prayed for in this Complaint. Let this summons be published by the plaintiff at her expense in a newspaper of general circulation in the province of Zamboanga del Norte for three (3) consecutive weeks and a copy of the summons and order of the court be sent by registered mail to the last known address of the defendant. WITNESS the Hon. NIMFA B. CARREON-PADAO, Presiding Judge of this Court, this 30th day of January, 2017 at Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines.

RAMON P. GARCIA Clerk of Court II

MDN: May 3, 10 & 17, 2017

CNN Philippines Stations Nationwide CNN Philippines TV-9 Manila CNN Philippines TV-12 Baguio CNN Philippines TV-12 Dagupan CNN Philippines TV-26 Tarlac CNN Philippines TV-10 Iriga CNN Philippines TV-4 Iloilo

CNN Philippines TV-8 Bacolod CNN Philippines TV-9 Cebu CNN Philippines TV-5 Cag. de Oro CNN Philippines TV-5 Zamboanga CNN Philippines TV-7 GenSan CNN Philippines TV-9 Davao

DZBS 1368 Baguio DZRL 639 Batac DZTG 621 Tuguegarao DZKI 1332 Iriga DYKW 936 Binalbagan DYKB 1404 Bacolod DYKC 675 Cebu DXKO 1368 Cagayan de Oro DXKS 1080 Surigao DXKD 1053 Dipolog DXKP 1377 Pagadian DXXX 1008 Zamboanga DXKT 1071 Davao DXDX 693 General Santos

FOR ADS PLACEMENT CALL OR TEXT: 0917-712-1424 • 0947-893-5776 E-mail: mindanaodaily.ads@gmail.com

Church...

Ink...

has been accorded with such maltreatment. Despite introducing himself as a bishop, he was illegally arrested, handcuffed and detained in a crowded holding cell in the city’s police station.” IFI Bishop Antonio Ablon said the accusation against Morales “was baseless,” pointing out that as a religious leader, the bishop has an obligation to provide protection or sanctuary to any person who is in distress or politically persecuted. In a separate statement, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Morales. The group also condemned the treatment of the military and the Ozamiz police who detained them (Morales and Salinas) along with common offenders. The NCCP said that the “fabricated charges are intended to keep them under the government’s control and scrutiny.” “These (charges) also manifest the continuous fascist strategy of the state forces against church leaders who are actively advocating for the advancement and protection of the rights of the oppressed and marginalized sectors in the country,” said Dr. Rommel Linatoc, secretary of the NCCP’s program unit on Christian Unity and Ecumenical Relations. “In these critical times where the good is often seen as bad and evil is seen as good, someone who advocates for peace based on justice through prophetic witness will surely be harassed, intimidated and arrested,” said Bishop Elorde Sambat, of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) North Luzon Jurisdictional Area. The human rights group Karapatan in Northern Mindanao said that Salinas is the fourth NDFP consultant arrested after the Duterte administration declared an all-out war on February 3, despite the statements of the government on the reaffirmation of its adherence to the Jasig and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. (Jigger J. Jerusalem of the Philippine News Agency)

as mutually agreed. The last MOU signed was the Memorandum of Understanding between the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and China International Publishing Group of the People’s Republic of China on News and Publishing. The MOU aims to serve as an implementing arrangement between the Philippines and China based on the Memorandum of Agreement between the Presidential Communications Operations Office of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China on News and Information Exchange, Training and for Other Purposes, which was signed in Beijing on October 20, 2016. The objective of cooperation under the MOU is for both Parties to enhance their capabilities in the field of international communication and publishing, to undertake joint or individual activities and programs that help strengthen cooperation between news organizations under the Parties. It was signed by the PCOO and the State Council Information Office. President Duterte was in Beijing for his attendance to the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Beijing, China was President Duterte’s last stop of his three-swing visit this month. Prior to his official visit to China, President Duterte was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for his attendance to the World Economic Forum (WEF) on ASEAN. He also visited Hong Kong, where he met with the Filipino community.(PND/PNA)

from page 1

Energy... from page 2

Philippines, Kazuhide Ishikawa, will turn over the hybrid Toyotas to the said beneficiaries. Japan’s Non-Project Grant Aid (NPGA) funded the acquisition of the Toyota Prius, which emits lower carbon emission. The hybrid car has an optimized fuel engine and electric motor to attain highest energy efficiency.

from page 2

Poor... from page 4

on March 17, 2017 in this column: “Impeaching President Duterte is an impossible mission at the moment, and… Alejano knew that. He was after all trained to always be discerning during his student days at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) where he graduated in 1995. So, why did he do it---file the impeachment complaint, that is---against the incumbent President? “Clearly, Alejano and Magdalo (whose founder is coup leader Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV) filed the complaint as part of a sinister and dark movement--which is to oust Duterte from power---obviously cooked up by Filipinos, civilians and military, who are used to rebelling and rising up against dulyconstituted authorities to attain their selfish ends and purposes. “In fact, it was not coincidental that as Alejano and Magdalo were filing their complaint against the President, Liberal Party Vice President Maria Le-

Wednesday, May 17, 2017 onora Robredo on the other hand was sending a video footage to the United Nations Commission on Drugs in Geneva, Switzerland, attacking Duterte on his fierce campaign against illegal drugs in the country. Their motives were all the same---to please foreign masters who are pulling their strings!” -oooWATCH “ANG TANGING DAAN”, “KAKAMPI MO ANG BATAS”, AT FB LIVE: Please watch “Ang Tanging Daan”, a Bible Exposition and prayer session at www.facebook. com/angtangingdaan and “Kakampi Mo Ang Batas”, a legal counseling-news commentary program at www.facebook.com/kakampimoangbatas. Reactions: 0917 984 24 68, 0918 574 0193, 0977 805 9058. Email: batasmauricio@yahoo.com.

Free... from page 5

declared for the project. While the initiative was inherited by the newlyconstituted Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) which replaced ICTO, it received little mileage in terms of the new department’s many new projects and developments. HB 5225: A Welcome Step Towards Free Public Internet HB 5225, entitled An Act Mandating the Provision of Free Wi-Fi Access in Public Areas, is a consolidation of eight bills pending before Congress, namely H.B.s 515, 616, 660, 1954, 1957, 2836, 3055 and 3250. It was first introduced and recommended for approval as a substitute to the above bills by the House Committee on ICT on March 9. On second reading a few days later, March 14, HB 5225 was approved at the committee level. News of the approval of HB 5225 at the committee level was met by celebration by not a few tech observers, youth, and regular internet users. Who would not want Free Public WiFi? An amendment introduced by ICT Committee Chair Rep. Victor Yap further ensured delivery of the much-needed public service at a minimum speed of 10 megabits per second or 10 Mbps (Sec.4) – a far cry from the national average of 4.5 Mbps experienced by only 31% Filipino internet[4]. Sections assuring its stability and reliability (Sec.3) make the bill even sweeter for Filipino internet users who’ve had to contend with unreliable, inconsistent internet offered by commercial ISPs. Even more user-friendly provisions of the bill include assurances that the Free Public WiFi shall not be restricted by passwords except in certain specified cases (Sec.5) and shall not require any fee (Sec.5). Privacy concerns are even addressed with an explicit section on the non-collection of user data (Sec.6).

This is a free public WiFi law that the Filipino public can enthusiastically support. To maximize the service, legislation towards this end would benefit from adding more measures of internet quality of service such as jitter, latency, packet loss, and bit error rates. It should also include provisions to ensure net neutrality (meaning the internet experience will not be walled inside certain platform or apps), as well as data neutrality (meaning no limit will be placed, given that public policy and the law is followed, on the type of data that can be accessed and transmitted by users). Furthermore, legislation on Free Public WiFi should include provisions ensuring priority access to underserved and unserved areas, especially in the spirit of “leaving no one behind” and “addressing the digital divide” – outcomes circumscribed in the Sustainable Development Goals and the ASEAN ICT Masterplan, respectively, that the Philippine government has committed to. SB 1277: Boon for Private Telcos, Bane for the Filipino public Senate Bill 1277, entitled Free Internet Access in Public Places Act, consolidates four pending bills: •?SB 58, An Act Providing Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Buildings, Transport Terminals and Parks, and for Other Purposes, filed by Sen. Francis Pangilinan; •?SB 190, An Act Establishing the Wireless Internet Access Program in all State Universities and Colleges in the Country and Appropriating Funds Therefor, filed by Sen. Manny Pacquiao; •?SB 816, An Act Providing Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Buildings, Transport Terminals and Parks, and for Other Purposes, filed by Sen. Ralph Recto; and, •?SB 1050, An Act Establishing the Internet Access Program in all Public Educational Institutions in the Country and Appropriating Funds Therefor, filed by Sen. Bam Aquino IV. The substitute bill was sponsored by Sen. Aquino IV and recommended for approval by the Senate Committees on Science and Technology; Education, Arts, and Culture; and Finance on December 12 last year. After three months of interpellation and amendments, SB 1277 was approved at the senate committee level on third reading last March 13, just a day before HB 5225 passed the ICT committee deliberations. As its name suggests, the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act is substantially different from all the Senate bills it purports to substitute. Even more notable, it is a different animal from Congress’ proposed Free Public Wifi Act. While both Congress and Senate bills pertain to ensuring public internet access, a closer

look will reveal that they describe two entirely different aspects of the service: HB 5225 sets parameters on how free public WiFi will be experienced by the using public, while SB 1277 tackles the infrastructure requirements (in other words, the back end) of public internet access delivery. This fundamental difference between the House and Senate bills raises valid concerns of whether the two bills should be combined through a bicameral session of both legislative houses in the first place. Closer scrutiny also reveals that from a public interest perspective, SB 1277 contains provisions that essentially hand over public broadband service to private ISPs on a silver platter. To wit: two sections (Sec.6 and 9) lengthily discuss streamlining the permit and certification process needed by ISPs to install internet infrastructure on public land, including the standardization of all fees by the DICT. This is a demand long echoed by ISPs and the telecom duopoly. While it may look harmless at first glance, this may portend cheapening permit and certificate fees that LGUs have the right to justly collect. Provisions in the bill further task LGUs to facilitate ISP access to public property and to provide security to installed internet facilities. This saves ISPs the burden of dealing with informal settlers on public land, as well as hiring guards to man, for instance, cell towers. Use of much-sought after and valuable spectrum, or essentially airwaves regulated by the NTC, is also assured under Section 11 of SB 1277. Even more, ISPs offering free public internet access will be exempt from payment of all fees and charges. While this is acceptable at its face value, frequencies falling under this category should be made transparent. Specific provisions need to be in place to ensure that the license-free spectrum shall not be used for commercial purposes. Section 10 of the Senate bill even assures ISPs that they will be allowed to use public spaces to freely promote the free public internet they offer – or rather, their own companies and brands. As if the public has not had enough with the intrusion of various companies in to what should be neutral, adoptional spaces like parks, schools, government offices, and hospitals. Furthermore, specific provisions should be in place to ensure that the digital space – that is, the free public internet user’s phone, tablet, or computer – will not be barraged with all sorts of ads and pop-ups. Without clearly defined provisions stipulating minimum broadband standards to assure quality of service (and consequently, experience), the Free Internet Access in Public Act will be a boon to telcos without any

meaningful benefit to the public. This falls neatly in place with DICT Secretary Salalima’s vision for the state agency, that is to make business as easy-peasy as possible for his buddies in the telecommunications industry. A logical counterbalance to this will be to make regulatory requirements for the delivery of free internet access in public clearly defined. This will make any legislation on the provision of this service substantially better than the status quo of “bulok na internet” experienced by Filipino internet users at the hands of the telecom duopoly. While free public internet access is something that Filipinos can back, legislation of such that is essentially Free ISP Access to the Public Domain is something that we should reject. This works in the same framework of public service, private gain that we’ve experienced with the likes of LRT1 under the LRMC and the MWSS under Maynilad and Manila Water. We should reject such moves that will further cement the hold of profitoriented corporations over what should be public utilities and services.

Study... from page 5

(HDHP), and the HDHP People’s Plan. They also urged SHFC to be proactive in targeting communities and households by prioritizing communities where CMP can bring the most impact—the poor and congested settlements and areas where there are large informal settler families. According to them, setting up a database that contains the profile of informal settlements in the country will help SHFC identify who should be included in program. To prevent supposed beneficiaries from being dislodged from the program, the study proposed implementing a subsidy mechanism that should include different modes of private-public arrangements that “can help mobilize land for informal settlers and explore alternative modes of land acquisition, financing, and formalization of households’ rights”. The SHFC should also look into the track record of CMP mobilizers to ensure that they possess the right qualifications in targeting legitimate and deserving beneficiaries. To address the slow loan approval process, the authors suggest establishing links with critical offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to assess site feasibility of proposed housing settlements. They also urged SHFC to set clear guidelines on recalcitrant households prior to approving take-out loans. Overall, the SHFC should work toward a transformative community approach instead of a purely property rights reform to effectively help increase affordable housing in the country, the study said.

EDITOR : MARK FRANCISCO

Wednesday

lifestyle May 17, 2017

Mother’s Day buffet at Limketkai Luxe Hotel manager Jerome dela Fuente said that they IT’s a different kind of have decided to come up Mother’s Day buffet at with two buffet offerings Limketkai Luxe Hotel. for this year’s Mother’s While families enjoyed Day celebration due to a sumptuous dinner the volume of demand – of varied cuisines, the one during lunchtime and famous Lourdes College another in the afternoon. Strings Octet serenaded Featured dishes in guests who flocked the the menu were cold spacious dining hall by cuts, cheese and grilled the hundreds, treating marinated vegetables, their moms of various cocktail frankfurter, ages and sizes. shrimp, Chilean Story by MARK FRANCISCO Photos by GERRY GORIT

mussels, assorted sushi and sashimi, crackers with tomato, feta and cucumber, assorted brushceta, marble potato salad with bacon bits, chicken and cheese tortilla roll, salad bar with condiment and dressing, sopa de congrejo, roast lamb leg, steamed fish lemon herb capers, mussels, beef, chicken, gambas, camaron, squid, fish finger, steamed white rice, paella mixta, sautéed

seasonal vegetables, spicy garlic prawns, pan-seared tangigue filet with salsa cruda, garlick chicken parse lade, seared Cajun beef tenderloin on Provencal sauce, roasted pork loin on Robert sauce, pork barbecue, chicken barbecue, mix seafood skewer, Happy Mother’s Day cake and assorted pastries. With an ever growing city as its host, Limketkai Luxe Hotel strives to vary its menu offerings day

by day, according to dela Fuente. Limketkai Luxe Hotel recently hosted the following national conventions: Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers, Philippine Anesthesiologists Society, Philippine College of Surgeons and Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP. Dela Fuente said more national conferences are in the offing since the target market for Limketkai Luxe Hotel are not just individual guests but also the meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions (MICE)

sector. Meanwhile, during the Mother’s Day buffet, the guest-moms were even more impressed and surprised when Lourdes College Strings Octet performed a total of 14 tracks of baroque music, classical, Filipino, standard classics and pop. Establshed in 2014, Lourdes College Strings Octet is composed of elementary, junior high, senior high and college students on violin, viola, cello and double bass. Lourdes College Strings Octet is an avid performer at Limketkai Luxe Hotel during special occasions.