Mindanao Daily Set A (October 22, 2016)

Volume VI, No. 121

web portal: www.mindanaodailynews.com

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October 22, 2016

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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

5th Business Leaders Awards kicks off today

T

By MARK FRANCISCO, Correspondent

HE BusinessWeek Mindanao, and Mindanao Daily, with copresenters, EASTWEST Bank, CONTEMPO Property Holdings Inc, and VETERANS BANK will honor this evening the respective winners of the 5th Mindanao Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs Awards (October 22, 2016) at the Limketkai Luxe Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City.

Businessweek Mindanao Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Dante Sudaria said that giving honors to various Mindanao business leaders and entrepreneurs would serve as a catalyst for their continued and concerted efforts to seek greater heights and strive

for success in the noble mission of propelling Mindanao and its people toward full economic growth and sustainable development.

Mr. Allan Mediante, BWM Awards Director and Mindanao Daily Editor in Chief, who conceptualized this event in 2012 said

that the achievements of various Mindanao leaders and entrepreneurs need to be recognized not only by government institutions and social awards bodies, but by the media as well,.

Businessweek Mindanao as a forerunner of information on the various business leadership and entrepreneurial strides of Mindanaoans deem it as part of its social responsibility to trumpet such achievements for others to emulate and thus propel a Mindanaoan consciousness in every economic and business stakeholder whether small or great the responsibility to help Mindanao achieve sustainable development of its economy, both Sudaria and Mediante concluded.

For agro-industry cat-

egory, the winner is Vitarich Corp. Davao, one of the country’s prime manufacturers of poultry and fertilizer products founded by the Sarmiento brothers in 1950.

For food manufacturing, Green Gould Gourmet in Iligan and COFIPAC Corporation were adjudged winners in said Category.

Based in Cagayan de Oro, Copipac is engaged in coffee and tea making, while Green Gold Gourmet produces teh famous Sukang Pinakurat.

Topping the electric cooperative category was MORESCO-1, the electricity provider in western Misami Oriental since 1976.

For Mega Entrepreneur category, the most outstanding is ESR Construction & Dev’t. Corp. which emerged from a humble small fam-

ily business becoming the biggest construction firm in Pagadian and Zambo Sur. Chosen as outstanding social entrepreneur, wasGaka Daku Multipurpose Coop of Misamis Occidental . It was founded in 1992.

In the Micro Entrepreneur category, the winner was Abrillo Furniture which produces export quality hardwood furniture from kiln dried and hardwood materials.

For hotel industry leaders, the winner was Marco Polo Hotel Davao. It is standing in the heart of Davao’s shopping and business district.

For child-friendly hotels, Loiza’s Pavilion of Malaybalay City was the winner.

Loisa’s is an ideal haven not just for romantic getaways

but for couples who tag their kids along.

In the outstanding childfriendly resorts category, the winner was Paradise Island Resort in Samal. It is known all over the island garden city as a landmark in tourism there for the whole family.

For construction industry leader, the winner was UKC Builders Corp. from Cagayan de Oro City. UKC is principally engaged in the production of pre-stressed concrete products and undoubtedly the number one engineering contractor in this part of Northern Mindanao.

Special awards will also be given to Prawn House (Opol, Misamis Oriental) for outstanding tourism See BUSINESS, page A7

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600 drug users, pushers surrender in Marawi City MARAWI City––More than 600 drug pushers and users had surrendered as the city government mounted an anti-illegal drug campaign in this “Islamic Capital” of Mindanao, a city official said Friday.

Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra said that the city government fully supports the anti-illegal drive of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“I have submitted myself and all city hall workers and department heads to a voluntary drug test to make sure that the city government is rid of drug users,” Gandamra said.

He said that getting rid of Marawi City of illegal drugs was an important

Saturday, October 22, 2016

factor as “we push to regain the moniker as one of the most beautiful cities in the country.”

Aside from the antiillegal drive, the city has reconstituted a new Ecological Solid Waste Management Council, a community-led solid waste management program, he said.

To provide impetus to the cleanliness program, the city also intends to provide the necessary logistics support, including the procurement of garbage trucks and equipment to facilitate timely and prompt collection of garbage.

Gandamra said that he was on his 100 days See SURRENDER, page A7

Fritzie Estoque, chairperson, Misamis Oriental Cagayan de Oro Aids Network (MOCAN), a group pushing for HIVrelated causes, said HIV/AIDS is everybody’s concern. “Every week, nagsaka siya (it is increasing) and Cagayan de Oro is number two in terms of prevalence and incidence,” Estoque pointed out. (Irene Joy Dayo/PIA10)

Ombudsman orders dismissal of Agusan Sur town mayor, vice mayor

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DAVAO City––A dismissal order was slapped against Trento Mayor Johnmark Billanes of Agusan del Sur and his vice mayor, Victoria Plaza, after the Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict them and four others for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act

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and Technical Malversation.

In a decision issued Wednesday, the Ombudsman directed the Department of Interior and local Government (DILG) to implement within 10 days the dismissal of two officials, along with former Sangguniang Bayan members Edwin Demegillo, Pedro Mordeno and Leona Magno, and incumbent SB member Ludy Andale after being found guilty of “Grave Misconduct and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service.”

Based on the Ombudsman’s decision, it said that they found irregularities in the P1-million transaction

made in 2012, which was brokered by the mayor’s brother, Romeo Billanes Jr., the owner of the 7,775sq.m. property along the national highway in Poblacion, Trento.

The lot was supposed to be the site of the proposed rice processing center, it stated.

“The Sangguniang Bayan passed a resolution to borrow P1,000,000 from the 2012 Appropriations for the Rehabilitation of the Farmto-Market Road to acquire the lot for the proposed Rice Processing Center,” the Ombudsman said.

But it was found that there was no ordinance was

passed by the SB of Trento realigning the P1 million budget and that “the land acquisition was for a different purpose from the original appropriation.”

“Insofar as the graft charge, unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference was extended by respondents to the mayor’s brother, through manifest partiality or evident bad faith, as Romeo’s property had already been identified for acquisition even prior to appraisal of the land,” the Ombudsman’s decision read.

The Ombudsman has directed the DILG to dismiss the erring See MAYOR, page A7

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Saturday, October 22, 2016

NorthCot vice guv faces dismissal for PDAF misuse

By Antonio L. Colina IV of MindaNews

DAVAO City––Ombudsman C onchita CarpioMorales has ordered the dismissal of former North Cotabato Representative and now Vice Governor Gregorio Ipong for alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of P10 million that was used to finance the projects of a non-government organization in 2007.

In her decision issued last October 18, Morales found Ipong administratively liable for “Grave Misconduct and Conduct Prejudicial to the B est Interest of the Service.”

In a decision, it was stated that the Ombudsman’s investigators found out that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released P10 million to fund livelihood projects of Aaron Foundation Philippines Inc. (AFPI) with Technology and Livelihood Resource Center as implementing agency in the second district of North Cotabato, allegedly upon Ipong’s endorsement.

Ipong was mayor of the municipality of Makilala for 10 years, from 1988 to 1998, before he was

elected representative of North Cotabato’s second district for three consecutive terms, from 1998 to 2007.

“Documents showed that Ipong indorsed and identified the Aaron Foundation Philippines, Inc. (AFPI) as NGO-partner with the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC) as implement ing agenc y. Field investigation, however, established that the P10M was released in full in a single tranche ‘despite the [AFPI’s] non-submission of any project implementation and disbursement reports’,” it said.

Also facing charges are AFPI’s Alfredo Ronquillo and TLRC executives such as Antonio Ortiz, Dennis Cunanan, and Marivic Jover, who was already also dismissed from the service after she was found guilty of “Grave Misconduct and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service.”

The Ombudsman claimed AFPI has a “dubious” track recording.

“Records showed that the NGO was not qualif ie d to implement t he livelihood project; it had no business permits from 2004 to 2009; its listed business address is located

in a vacant lot used as equipment storage; the NGO’s capital stock is only P68,000.00; and that its net saving and net losses in 2006-2007 reflected the amounts of P750 and P5,840, respectively,” the Ombudsman noted.

Ip ong countered by claiming that “the amount was coursed through AFPI b as e d on t he nat iona l 10-point agenda of the government at that time” and was not the in charge of the of subject funds but “a mere endorser.”

But Morales cited Supreme C ourt jurisprudence t hat st ate d t hat “under the Congressional Pork Barrel System, it is the legislator that exercises actual control and custody of the PDAF share allocated to him by appropriations statute.”

Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 (AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act) states that public officials are prohibited from “causing any undue injur y to any party, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.”

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Saturday, October 22, 2016

Duterte help sought on church schools row

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EDITORIAL ALLAN M. MEDIANTE Editor-in-Chief ruel pelone Managing Editor

CRIS DIAZ Executive Editor

CHENG ORDOÑEZ Associate Editor

MARK FRANCISCO Lifestyle Editor

gerry lee gorit Photo Journalist

LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “… Train the child in the way that he should go, and he will not depart from it even when he grows old…”

(Proverbs 22:6, the Holy Bible).

-oooWHY IS DEPED NOT HONORING ITS OWN PERMITS TO CHURCH SCHOOLS? Why is the Department of Education (DepEd) refusing to honor its own three (3) permits allowing Born Again Christian church schools---some 350 or so of them nationwide--to continue operating their schools, thereby depriving the Duterte government of its chance to implement its program on moral recovery and values formation, especially among school children?

This was the general sentiment that pervaded the Southern Mindanao United Association of Christian Educators of the Philippines (ASCEP) Church Schools Conference held on Friday, October 21, 2016, at the Davao Grand Menseng Hotel in Davao City, after Deputy Cabinet Secretary Peter Tiu Lavina clarified that one of the urgent thrusts of President Duterte at this point is moral recovery and values formation, particularly among the youth.

Dr. Felix Saligon Jr., the national president of ASCEP, and the other officers of the organization like Bishop

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Timoteo Yap of Cagayan De Oro City and Bishop Elpido Mercenes of Taguig City, thereafter took turns in questioning the on-going policy of the DepEd to turn its back on the three permits its former secretaries issued since 1994 to enable Christian churches to put up elementary and secondary schools which would push spiritual, moral, and righteous principles among their pupils and students.

-oooCHURCH SCHOOLS WERE ISSUED THREE PERMITS TO OPERATE: DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones was invited to be the guest speaker during Friday’s conference, but she did not show up. I would like to think her absence was deliberate, since she would be answering a lot of questions from the pastors and preachers of Born Again Churches who put up their church schools in the past.

I also spoke during the Conference, and I discussed the result of my research which showed that DepEd--even when it was still known as DECS, or the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports---issued three permits to Christian churches in recognition of their important work in inculcating spiritual and moral principles among children.

The first of the three was known as Temporary Permit No. 1994 010537.

Although this was labeled as a “temporary permit”, its own provisions nevertheless stressed that it was “valid until revoked.”

In 1996, the DepEd issued Government Permit No. 001, series of 1996. Again, what was significant about this 1996 permit was that it contained the admonition it was “valid until revoked.”

-oooD U T E RT E ’ S H E L P SOUGHT BY BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS: In October 1997, the DepEd issued a third permit, in favor of Christian churches, firming up their right to operate church schools.

Clearly, this last permit manifested the intention of the government through the DepEd to allow the continued operation of Christian church schools, because they contributed immensely to the moral education of school children.

In 1999, however, during

Your biggest bank account

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it or lose it. Then what are the best bargains and deals in life which are worth our valuable time? Would you like to know the two best investments of your time that will bring you real success and wealth in your life?

The first smart investment of your time is people.

Spend your time with your family.

At the end of your life, you will never be sorry for the time you spent with your children, your wife or husband, your brothers and sisters, and your parents.

We should also spend our time on the many people all around us each day to help make their lives happier. Spending your time on people gives you wealth and happiness that you can

never lose The second, yet by far most important, investment of your time is to spend it with your own Maker. He is the Person Who Himself gives you every second you receive to keep living. You see, God didn’t just make us and then forget us.

Quite the opposite! God created you to be His child and friend, so you can enjoy living every day with Him. That’s why God the Son came to show us what He’s like.

He wants us to see the good life He designed for us to enjoy. The more time we spend with Jesus, the better we know how to live well and successfully.

In fact, Jesus Christ guar-

the reign of Bro. Andrew Gonzales as DepEd Secretary, he maneuvered to stop the operation of Christian church schools who, at that time, were already competing quite robustly with other private schools especially those from the religious sector. He issued DECS Order No. 68, in which declared the aforesaid three permits as “irregular”. However, he did not direct the revocation of those permits, because he had not consulted the Born Again churches.

At this point Christian church schools are being closed down, en masse, by the DepEd, allegedly because Gonzales already revoked the permits. Hopefully, this matter will now be elevated to President Duterte, who would be asked to intervene for the Christian churches through a formal letter by the ASCEP. Let’s pray for these Christian church schools!

-oooPLEASE LISTEN: “Ang Tanging Daan” (The Sole Way): a Bible study and prayer session online could now be heard, 24 HOURS a day, in the Philippines and the world at www.facebook. com/angtangingdaan or www.facebook.com/ANDKNK (and look for “Ang Tanging Daan” broadcasts).

Phone: 0922 833 43 96, 0918 574 0193, 0977 805 9058.

Email: batasmauricio@yahoo.com.

Think A Minute

Jhan Tiafau Hurst

antees that if each day you will spend your 86,400 seconds on living for Him and others, then at the end of your life when you’ve run out of seconds, you will be truly wealthy and satisfied with no regrets! Even if you just start right now. So why not ask Jesus to forgive you and to take full charge of the time you still have left?

Just Think a Minute.

Planting seeds of peace amidst fear and despair

DAVAO City––These are still times of fear and despair among the ordinary folks living in the various barangays in the island of Basilan and its islets. But as was manifested during two Intra-Faith Gatherings of priests and lay people held at the Formation Center in Isabela City last Tuesday, 18 October 2016, church-based peace advocates continue to plant seeds of peace.

Although they are first to claim that it may not be during their own lifetimes

that the fruits of these peacebuilding and inter-religious dialogue (IRD) efforts could be harvested, still they hope that in the future peace will reign in this beautiful spot in southern Philippines.

Organized by the InterFaith office of the Prelature of Isabela and the Social Action Center headed by Fr. Franklin Floyd Costan and his lay co-workers Joel and January Zanoria with full support of their outgoing Ordinary, Bishop Martin S. Jumoad (who will be

installed as Archbishop of Ozamiz in 30 November 2016), it brought together a dozen of the diocesan clergy and Claretian missionaries in the morning and around 70 lay people from the various parishes of the Prelature in the afternoon.

The Davao-based Catholic Relief Services through Ms. Deng Giguiento sponsored this event.

Since the time of the late Bishop Jose Ma. Querexeta, the legendary Bishop of the Prelature very well loved by

his flock and still remembered fondly by those who had known him until today, the IRD program of the Prelature has had its ups and downs. The 10 parishes constituting the Prelature – Tumahubong, Lamitan, Begang, Sta. Clara, Maluso, Matarling, Taira, Looc, Kabunbata and Isabela – have struggled through the years to get the IRD program going. It was flourishing around the early years when troubles in Basilan were See despair, page A7

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Saturday, October 22, 2016

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MINDANAO DAILY

Saturday, October 22, 2016

No delegation from Davao Chamber in 4-day state visit to China; invitation came too late DAVAO City––No delegation from Davao City’s business community has been sent to join in the four-day state visit of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to China, which started October 18 until October 21, to assist him and his key senior officials secure concessions to enter the Chinese market.

The reason: the invitation came too late.

Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industries Inc. (DCCCII) president Bonifacio Tan told MindaNews in a telephone interview on Wednesday that he and John Gaisano, the chamber’s board chairman, signified interest to join the delegation last week.

He said they were not invited by the government but it was the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the DCCCII being an affiliate member, who asked them if they will be sending any representatives to the China state visit.

“We always made a follow-up with the PCCI what we have to do because we also want to prepare earlier, but they only told us to wait,” Tan lamented.

The invitation finally

came Friday last week, Oct. 14, when they received a call from the central office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) asking them to submit additional requirements and $800 for the round trip tickets.

At that time, Tan said they were still in Manila after attending the 42nd Philippine Business Conference & Expo of the PCCI held Oct. 12-13, to receive the “Most Outstanding Chamber of Mindanao and of the Philippines” awards at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.

He said their flight schedule back to Davao City was Saturday, and the delegation to China was leaving Tuesday, Oct. 18, leaving them only Monday to work on everything.

Yet another group, the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA), did not also send delegations because the invitation came late, according to PBGEA executive director Stephen Antig.

He said he has no knowledge who would represent the banana sector in the four-day state visit but he hopes that the outcome will be for China to “fur-

ther relax the non-tariff measures and investment in agriculture.”

In his message during the public hearing on the review of the minimum wage at the Apo View Hotel on Tuesday, Antig said that they welcomed China’s lifting of suspension on the Philippine bananas.

Last October 7, Agriculture secretary Manny Piñol said the lifting will cover suspension on Sumifru, Banana Brothers, Inc., Evita Banana Trading Company, Inc., Nader and Ibrahim S/O Hassan Phils., Inc., Tagum Agricultural Development Trade Co., Inc., TVEM Links International Co., Stanfilco Division of

DOLE Philippines, Inc., Phil pack, Continental Farm Corporation, and Lapanday Diversified Products Corporations.

Romeo Montenegro, deputy executive director of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), said on Sunday about 50 Mindanao businessmen are expected to go to China from the “agribusiness, manufacturing, tourism services, infrastructure development and construction industries, among others.”

In Beijing, the President will hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and will meet separately with National People’s Congress Chairman Zhang De-

By Sammy Martin of PNA

outgoing US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg on Friday said in a chance interview.

“We want to continue this relationship, we’re committed to this relationship, and we’re committed to the alliance between the two countries, that’s what we want,” he pointed out.

However, he said his government is asking for

jiang and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Duterte, who arrived in China on October 18, will deliver his keynote address at the Trade and Investment Forum on October 21 before Filipino and Chinese investors.

Tan said he received the PBC award at the Marriott Hotel in the presence of President Duterte, who was keynote speaker.

“This is the third time that we are awarded as such under the City Based category. This will surely serve as an inspiration for us to work harder as it has been for the past years.

Know for certain that we will stay faithful in our

commitment to strengthen the business community in the city,” he said.

The press release added that the “Davao Chamber cements its legacy as one of the best chambers not only locally but also internationally being consistently awarded as most outstanding in Mindanao and recognized by the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI). Its annual flagship event, the Davao Agri-Trade Expo, which recently concluded last September 24, has successfully showcased the golden crops of Mindanao.”

(Antonio Colina IV / MindaNews)

US wants to keep ‘very good relationship’ with PH Inspite of President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that he wants to separate from the US both in military and economic aspects, the US wants to continue its friendship with the Philippines and are “committed to this relationship.”

“From our point of view we are not suing for divorce,”

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Saturday, October 22, 2016

Int’l humanitarian group helps over 4,000 people rebuild community in Surigao del Sur BUTUAN City - Over 4,000 people who were displaced from their community due to armed violence a year ago in the province of Surigao del Sur received substantial support from an international humanitarian organization to rebuild their lives.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in a statement on Friday, said that with the support of the Surigao del Sur chapter of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the humanitarian organization distributed aid from October 13 until October 20, to

about 4,700 people, mostly indigenous families who returned to their hometowns in Tago, Marihatag, San Miguel, Lianga and San Agustin municipalities of the said province, as early as September.

The ICRC statement quoted a village resident to have said that when they returned to their homes after a year of staying in the Sports Complex at Tandag City, they went back to their community to find their crops and livestock dead and with grasses and weeds covering their fields.

“We will have to replant

and revive our farms so we can provide for our families,” said Demetrio Bada of Barangay Lagangan, Tago municipality.

Thousands of people fled their homes after three civilians were killed by armed men in their community in September 2015.

Only a week later, the ICRC was able to give relief items to the displaced families who have sought shelter at the provincial sports complex.

ICRC Butuan City Office head Olav Sinsuat said, “The main challenge for these returning communi-

ties will be how they can restart their lives. It will take them at least six months to start rebuilding. With ample support, they will be able to recover faster.”

To help the formerly displaced people cope up in the rebuilding of their community life, the ICRC provided each family with a half-month food rations consisting of 25 kilograms of rice, 12 cans of sardines, 2 liters of cooking oil, a liter of soy sauce, 1 kilogram of sugar, ½ kilogram of salt as well as hygiene items.

Each family also received string beans, egg-

plant, squash, bokchoy (pechay) and bitter gourd (ampalaya) seeds so they could produce vegetables in their backyards for their own consumption.

B etween S eptember 2015 and February 2016, the ICRC and PRC helped more than 3,200 displaced people in Surigao del Sur through distribution of food, household and medical items, provision of potable water and construction of toilets in the evacuation center.

The aid from the Red Cross augmented the support given by the Philippine authorities. (PNA)

Despair...

The few who have the capacity to transfer to other safe places have moved out of the island, or at least moved to safer places in the island as in Isabela. But most of the citizens do not have that capacity; here is where they have their livelihood, where their homes were built, where their children go to school. They could not afford to uproot their families. So despite fear, anxieties, insecurities, they continue to reside in the various places across the island of Basilan and desperately pray that they be spared from tragic happenings.

There have been many innocent lives lost as the unfortunate ones are caught in the crossfire. There are those who are threatened harm if they do not go “balik-Islam”. Some migrant farmers cultivating a piece of land bought earlier and had titles were confronted by those who claimed they were the previous owners of the land going back to their ancestors and demanded that the titles be surrendered to them. A public school teacher was warned by one of his students that some of their elders were going to kidnap him; only the threat that no more teachers would ever teach in their barangay stopped them from kidnapping him.

All these dampen the parishioners’ interest to be engaged in IRD. A few think it is a hopeless ministry. Those who have had some involvements lament that after so many years of reaching out to dialogue with the Muslims, peace remains elusive. Naturally, those whose kin have been killed or suffered heavily owing to the troubles are the first to oppose the value of the IRD ministry. There are also those who claim that it is only the Christians who are doing anything by way of inter-faith dialogue; the Muslims are hardly interested in doing dialogue.

Joel Zanoria, who also works at the Bureau of Jail, posits that IRD is one of the most difficult ministry to be engaged in. The deep-seated biases on both sides hinder the efforts to promote dialogue; only a miniscule among the members of the BECs would find the time and energy to do IRD. Joel can understand why as he himself suffered through a family tragedy; his father-in-law was killed by a

Moro. However, he tells those who come to IRD sessions that he has not allowed this tragedy to get in the way of his commitment to IRD. Even inside the city jail in Isabela, he is promoting IRD among the inmates.

Even the clergy – who are supposed to lead the people in response to the challenge of the Popes and bishops to be engaged in IRD, being a constitutive element of preaching the Good news in a multi-faith setting – are not immune to the impact of personal pain and fear. Some of them have been on the verge of giving up on IRD, deciding that efforts in IRD are just a waste of time since nothing can come out of it. Some of their own BEC and parish lay leaders have echoed the same sentiment, being highly influenced by their pastors. In fact, there had arisen a suggestion to delete the IRD from to the Prelature’s Vision-Mission statement.

This is the context for the gathering on 18 October for the clergy and the lay leaders to once more revisit the rationale of the IRD as a priority ministry of the Prelature so that everyone can help crystallize what sort of IRD is required in the Prelature. In doing so, those who participated were actually undergoing an intra-faith dialogue among themselves.

(Some of course wished that the Muslims too will do their own intra-faith dialogue that could then push many of them to become dialogue partners.)

When the CRS staff asked me to facilitate these sessions, I did not have any second thought in accepting the invitation. I had wanted to return to Basilan where I had happy memories during the time of Bishop Querexeta and the young Claretians working with him in the 1970s until the early 1980s. I had wanted to work there full-time; unfortunately, that did not come to pass. I didn’t know if my presence would help re-energize the clergy and the lay to once more embrace passionately the IRD pastoral thrust; but one could try but fully backed up with prayers.

The process I undertook involved various stages: a) To assure them that I truly understood their confusion and hesitation to be fully engaged in IRD as I listened to their stories of fear and despair, b) To journey with them but also

challenge them in processing their own traumas having experienced so much tragic incidents in the long years of violence in this island, c) To bring them into a better understanding as to the roots of their biases and prejudices (by providing a historicoanthropological perspective of the Mindanao narrative), d) to reflect once more on biblical and theological underpinnings of the IRD and e) to affirm them in the little everyday efforts they have made that truly are aspects of dialogue.

The approach seemed to have softened their minds and hearts and made them once more able to embrace the Church’s challenge to engage in IRD. However, I reminded them that they will continue to experience the highs and lows of IRD but that they should never give up even if the efforts seem so insignificant. There is a high level of optimism as they perceive President Duterte’s vision of bringing peace in Mindanao, and Basilan in particular. Since being inaugurated as President he has visited Basilan three times already; his promise to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf gives the people hope. They pray that the violent threat of terrorism will finally vanish in this place. One can only hope and pray that President Duterte will succeed where previous Presidents failed in responding to the people’s seemingly impossible dream.

Indeed, when all is said and done, all that the people have is their faith and their prayers.

But as they dream of a peace that lasts, they are convinced that theirs is the responsibility to be like St. Francis of Assisi – to be become instrument of peace, where there is hatred to sow love.

[Redemptorist Brother Karl Gaspar is Academic Dean of the Redemptorists’ St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute (SATMI) in Davao City and a professor of Anthropology at the Ateneo de Davao University. Gaspar is author of several books, including “Desperately Seeking God’s Saving Action: Yolanda Survivors’ Hope Beyond Heartbreaking Lamentations” and two books on Davao history launched in December 2015. He writes two columns for MindaNews, one in English (A Sojourner’s Views) and the other in Binisaya (Panaw-Lantaw)

Surrender...

from page A4

still few and far between.

But when violence erupted sporadically in various parts of the island and then reached feverish levels – not just dislocating entire communities who had to evacuate their homes to safer grounds but also the kidnapping of peoples and outright killings of civilians – the instability of the situation pushed the IRD efforts to the margins. This was especially true in the wake of the killing of Fr. Rhoel Gallardo CMF, a young Claretian priest assigned in Tumahubong on 3 May 2011. Forty-four days after being held captive, Fr. Rhoel lay dead with bullet wounds on the head and bleeding toes. A male and two female teachers were also killed during the melee which ensued.

After this tragic incident, the troubles have continued unabated with the military and the rebels exchanging gunfire even in populous barangays.

Recently, there was even a siege in the big town of Lamitan.

Ambushes continue to take place making travel around the island very unsafe. When the separatist rebels became the dreaded Abu Sayyaf, the situation has gone from bad to worse. And the violence have become more gruesome with the beheading of some of the Abu Sayyaf ’s hostages.

In such troubled times, very few would be attracted to join IRD activities for various reasons. The main reason, of course, is that the priority attention would be focused on survival, finding the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter, as well as being out of harm’s way. But the eruption of troubles would led to migrant settlers pointing their fingers to the “Moros” as the cause of their misfortune. Long-held biases and prejudices against Muslims have deepened through these tumultuous years of conflict and outright war. Where decades ago, Christian migrants settlers and Yakan, Tausog and Sama neighbors could peacefully live together as neighbors, the wars have made both sides be suspicious of each other; as the level of trust skidded down.

Stories after stories that one hears from those who have survived the dislocations and militarization are mainly lamentations as to the impact of these troubles on their lives.

from page A2

in office, yet, and his administration has already implemented the necessary tools to make Marawi City a “livable city once again.”

However, Gandamra said there was still so much to learn to be able to put the house in the proper perspective, among them was managing the traffic and the regulation of the street vendors.

He said that the city has even sent teams to neighboring cities in order to learn how to manage traffic congestion and how the street vendors were managed.

In fact, the traffic enforcers in Marawi City had now been issued the prescribed uniforms while manning the traffic in the city’s downtown areas.

Gandamra said that the street vendors were now regulated and the city’s public market underwent regular sanitary inspections apart from the continuous raid and the seizure of illegal gambling paraphernalia around the city.

“With determination and resolve, the glory and beauty of Marawi City would be attained in no certain time,” Gandamra said. (PNA)

Business... from page A1

promotion, Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association’s Kumbira as outstanding tourism project, Cagayan de Oro Travel and Tours Association for outstanding tourism promotion, the municipality of Quezon, Bukidnon for outstanding performance in preservation of culture and arts and the municipality of Opol, Misamis Oriental for outstanding performance in economic enterprise development.

Keynote speaker for the event will be DOE UnderSecretary Arwyn Ardon.

The Official awards tabulator which tabulated the result after the Oct 10m judging was Yahshua Outsourcing Worldwide Inc. The event this year also became possible with the support of Jetti Fuel Philip-

pines, Ayala Corp., Del Monte Phils., Steag State Power, Limketkai Luxe Hotel, FDC Utilities Inc., Holcim Phils., Phinma Education Network, Aboitiz Power, SM City Cagayan de Oro, Pueblo de Oro, Cepalco, NGCP. Other sponsors are Seda Hotel, Department of Energy, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Tourism, Office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process, Technical Education Skills and Development Authority, Oro Chamber, MASS SPECC, Yahshua, Coca-cola FEMSA, PRIMER Group of Companies, Gil Makaibay, Jatico Events, Cepalco, Junno, Primer, Parasat HD, John Del Bando of Pro Voice, JB Leonardo Photography, Marzel Digital Studio, RPN, red lemon, Coop TV, CLIX, and Mellow Touch 95.7.

Mayor... from page A2

officials within 10 days.

“They are also facing the accessory penalties of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification for re-employment in the government service,” it added. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

Keep... from page A6

clar if icat ion on t he recent statement made

by President Rodrigo R. Duterte during his visit to China that he wants “economic s eparation” from the US. “Well, I think we need clarifications about what the President [Duterte] has said while he was in China, quite frankly, I don’t know what he means by s e p ar at i on , I d on’t know what he means by economic separation either, our two economies, like the world economy are ver y much linked,” he stressed.

“I d on’t k now w hat t he pro cess is, I don’t know what the goal and objective is, all I know is what I hear and not what I see, because what I see is that we’re still working ver y much, we are the Philippine colleagues and in fact have very good relationship,” he added.

The Chief US envoy to the Philippines noted that they are “going through a period of uncertainty that we need to figure out.”

President Duterte announced his “separation” from the United States both in military and economic aspects before Chinese and government officials.

“I announce my separation from the United States, both in militar y b u t e c o n o m i c s a l s o ,” Duterte was quoted as saying during his message at the Philippines-China Tr a d e and Inve st me nt Forum. (PNA)

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MINDANAO DAILY

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