MINDANAO DAILY TRUTH | JUSTICE | PROGRESS
Volume XII, No. 029
www.mindanaodailynews.com
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
P15.00
Strengthening ties with foreign partners priority for PBBM By JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA
MANILA – Improving ties with the country’s partners, both traditional and nontraditional, is among the priorities of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) in the next six years. This was highlighted by the series of engagements between the chief executive, diplomats, and foreign government officials since his landslide win in the elections, leading to his first State of the Nation Address on Monday. Marcos has met with United States Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sher-
man, Australia’s GovernorGeneral David Hurley, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, and many other ranking foreign dignitaries. And in those meetings, he talked about enhancing existing cooperations and further exploring areas of mutual interest. After his meeting with Sherman, the latter said Washington DC sees a “proactive agenda for cooperation” between the United States and the Philippines -- an agenda designed to directly improve the lives See PRIORITY, page 11
Public reminded of liquor ban as man killed in CdO bar shooting By NEF LUCZON
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. (OPS
photo )
Zubiri, Legarda assume top Senate posts By WILNARD BACELONIA
NEW LEADERS. Senator Loren Legarda (3rd from left) takes her oath as Senate President Pro Tempore before Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri at the session hall on Monday (July 25, 2022). Legarda and Zubiri vowed they will be of service to the nation and will craft bills to address the needs of Filipinos. (Photo courtesy of Senate-PRIB)
MANILA – Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Loren Legarda on Monday assumed their new posts as Senate President and Senate President Pro Tempore, respectively, as the first regular session of the 19th Congress opened. Zubiri assured they will be productive in addressing the needs of the nation. “As SP, I will do my utmost best to uphold the dignity, integrity, and independence of the Senate. We have 24 senators, 24 voices, 24 votes — pantay-
pantay po kami diyan (We are equals),” Zubiri said in a statement “I hope I live up to your trust and expectations. These are big shoes to fill but I’d like to think that I have learned a lot in my two decades of public service and I am ready to put in the work, to listen, and to learn more as I go along,” Zubiri told his colleagues. The former Senate Pro Tempore and Majority Floor Leader garnered 20 votes. Senators Aquilino Pimentel III, Risa Hontiveros, Alan Peter Cayetano, and
CdO cops tap civic groups as force multipliers By NEF LUCZON
C A G AYA N D E O R O CITY—The Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) tapped on Monday at least 25 civic organizations volunteering as force multipliers. Col. Aaron Mandia, COCPO director, said the organizations were briefed to help with different police stations in the city to monitor peace and order. “They will be directly
reporting to us in the (COCPO) headquarters, and they were already informed of their roles,” he said in an interview. Engaging civic groups is one of COCPO’s responses to the series of criminal activities recently. Maj. Evans Viñas, COCPO spokesperson, assured the public civic organizations will have limited functions to prevent any abuse
or exploit their association with law enforcement. Volunteer groups, he pointed out, are still obliged to report to the police any incidents in their areas for arrests and anti-crime operations. Mary Jane Humo, a member of the Ordinary Citizens Initiative Group (Orig), said their 30-member organization has volunteered to help the police in Barangay
Nazareth. “We reside in Upper Nazareth, and we can know who are visitors in our community. At least we get to know who are doing activities like gambling,” Humo said. She said Orig was founded since 1989 doing voluntary work helping the barangay and police force. Social media hype See TAP, page 11
Pia Cayetano abstained. Pimentel and Hontiveros will compose the minority bloc while the Cayetano siblings decided to be independent. Legarda said she was humbled by the support from her colleagues and that she considered the Senate her second home. “Today, I stand here before you as the most senior senator, having come full circle with 18 years of experience in the Senate and three years of experience in the House of See ASSUME, page 11
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A man was killed in a shooting incident at a bar in the capital city of Misamis Oriental, early Saturday morning. Police authorities identified the victim as John Majorinos Avelino, originally a resident of Opol, Misamis Oriental. Police have yet to arrest three assailants behind the attack. After the fatal shooting and other crime incidents since he took office on July 1, Cagayan de Oro Mayor Rolando Uy said in a statement that he has requested police visibility and the conduct of patrols in the city’s main streets. Uy said he will also convene the City Peace and Order Council to enact measures in addressing the prevalence of crimes. The shooting of Avelino happened as the Regulatory Compliance Board (RCB) of Cagayan de Oro City reminded the public and local businesses about liquor regulations and maintaining peace and order. See REMINDED, page 11
FORCE MULTIPLIERS. Col. Aaron Mandia (left), Cagayan de Oro City police chief, briefs members of local civic groups before activating them as force multipliers. There are about 25 groups in the city that have been tapped to help police stations in monitoring peace and order. (PNA photo by N ef L uczon )