Video: CARAT 2007

(Mindanao Examiner Internet Broadcast)

SMS Warns Of Terror Attacks In South RP

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 31 May) – Police doused off public fears of terror attacks in General Santos City in the southern Philippines after cell phone text messages warned of an impending bombings by the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya.

It was unknown who spread the text messages, but police assured the public that there was no such threat. Police headquarters here have been flooded by calls about the threats.

The text message warned that a blue motorcycle would be used by terrorists to launch attack in General Santos. The bike, it said, would come from Maguindanao province.

Police said it would be impossible for the motorcycle to pass through layers of security and road blocks in General Santos City.

Officials appealed to the public to stay calm and vigilant. General Santos has been bombed many times in the past that killed and wounded scores of civilians. (Romy Bwaga)

Police, Military Tighten Security In Shariff Kabunsuan Province

COMELEC officers headed by lawyer Jocelyn De Mesa (2nd from left) reads the COC results during the Provincial Canvassing in ARMM Sanggunian Panlalawigan office, at the back are the representatives of the candidates with their Legal Council and watchers. The Provincial Canvassing held inside the Mindanao State University Maguindanao in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Shariff Kabunsuan Province.

The military tighten their security during the Provincial Canvassing because before the canvassing there is a grenade launcher explosion and strafing incident happened near the area. Another Gubernatorial candidate Tocao Mastura's and supporters denounce the canvassing because MSU Maguindanao is Datu Bimbo Sinsuat his political opponent territory.

A family walks in the isle were one of the tanks park near the Sanggunian Panlalawigan Office were the Provincial canvassing is on going. The military tighten their security during the Provincial Canvassing because before the canvassing there is a grenade launcher explosion and strafing incident happened near the area at 2am in the early morning. (Mindanao Examiner Photos/Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 31 May) – Philippine authorities tightened security in the southern province of Shariff Kabunsuan due to rising tension between supporters of opposing politicians.

Canvassing of votes in the May 14 national and local polls in the province has been disrupted many times by violence.

An explosion on Wednesday in the province sent policemen and soldiers scampering to secure vital government installations.

Army Col. Mario Mendoza, commander of the 603rd Infantry Brigade, said he deployed troops to help local policemen secure the province, one of five under the Muslim autonomous region, from further violence and to allow the canvassing of the Commission on Elections.

Politicians accused each other of fraud and cheating to win the elections, especially in the gubernatorial race.

Regional police commander, Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao, said they have put up road blocks and checkpoints to prevent the entry of illegal weapons that can be used to stir more violence in the province.

“I am really dismayed about the election here in Shariff Kabunsuan because of very obvious and rampant vote-buying during the election.”

“I personally saw ballot boxes brought to the Maguindanao provincial capitol before they bring them to the Mindanao State University where the canvassing is done” one village elder, Datu Kali, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Thousands of people held a rally on Tuesday to protest allegations by the opposition of massive cheating and fraud in the province.

Provincial elections chief, lawyer Jocelyn de Mesa, said they would continue the canvassing despite the tension in Shariff Aguak. (Becky de Asis, Special to the Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Carat 2007

The United States Navy’s USS Harpers Ferry, a 16,500-ton amphibious warfare ship, and two 4,000-ton frigates, the USS Ford and USS Jarrett, and three smaller Filipino ships are participating in the ten-day war games called CARAT 2007 or Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training. Some 2,000 troops are involved in the training that begins Thursday, 31 May 2007 off the Sulu Archipelago where local troops are battling members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and Jemaah Islamiya in the Sulu Archipelago. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

Kidnappers Free Hostages To Muslim Rebels In South RP

NORTH COTABATO (Mindanao Examiner / 31 May) – Kidnappers have freed on Thursday four people they earlier seized in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Gunmen released the four to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in the village of Balongis in North Cotabato’s Pikit town, said Col. Pedro Soria, commander of the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade in the province.

The release of the hostages previously reported as Caucasians came hours after the rebel group, backed by security forces, mounted a massive rescue operation.

But it turned out that only one hostage is foreigner, Thomas Wallart, a German national. Other reports identified the German as Wallraf, from Cologne. The others are Filipinos – May Sharon, the German’s wife; and Diego Daniel, the van driver; and Consuelo San Juan, a friend of the German couple.

"The victims were released to the MILF and they will be turned over to us," Soria told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

The four were heading to North Cotabato from Davao City onboard a van when gunmen flagged down their vehicle.

Major General Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the four hostages were not harmed by the gunmen. “They are all alright,” he said.

Ferrer said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country’s largest Muslim rebel group negotiating peace with Manila, offered to help track down the kidnappers.

The MILF has in the past helped the government rescue kidnapped foreigners and Filipinos in Mindanao.

A rebel spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said the four would be handed over to the Philippine authorities and the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team. “We are glad it’s over,” he said in a separate interview.

One of the hostage, May Sharon Wallart, said they were not harmed by the kidnappers, but shaken by the ordeal. "We are really thankful that they did not harm any of us. We are so tired and probably fly back to Manila to get some rest," she told reporters in Pikit town.

She said the gunmen, clad in military uniform, flagged down their vehicle at a checkpoint and seized them. "We did not think it was a kidnap because they were all wearing uniform like those of the soldiers. They took our belongings and tied our hands and took us away," she said.

The woman said she and her husband were in Pikit on a business trip. "We are into metal trading," she said.

Other reports said the German national is a treasure hunter.

The abductions coincided with the start of the ten-day joint amphibious war games between the Philippines and the United States.
Marine Major General Mohammad Dolorfino, chairman of the government Ad hoc Joint Action Group, said the abductors were bandits operating in North Cotabato.

“The MILF is able to react immediately and rebel forces sealed off the area where the abductors are holding the four victims and recovered them safely,” he said.

It was unknown whether the MILF arrested any of the gunmen. (With reports from Juley Reyes, Mark Navales and Juan Magtanggol)

Four Caucasians Kidnapped In Southern Philippines

NORTH COTABATO (Mindanao Examiner / 31 May) – Unidentified gunmen seized four Caucasians Thursday in the restive region of the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said troops and policemen have mounted a search for the foreigners – two males and two females – who were abducted near Pikit town in the troubled North Cotabato province.

The four were heading to North Cotabato from Davao City onboard a van owned by Filipino businesswoman, Roselyn Timbal. It was unknown if she was with the foreigners or not and whether the driver was also abducted.

“We are tracking down the foreigners and their abductors. We still do not know who are behind the abductions and their motives,” Major General Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Ferrer said the victims were herded to motorcycles that followed the van near the town. “Some people witnessed what transpired,” he said without further elaborating.

Other reports said the hostages were spotted in the hinterland villages of Balongis, Tinutulan and Balatikan, all in Pikit town.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country’s largest Muslim rebel group negotiating peace with Manila, also offered to help track down the kidnappers, the general said.

“The MILF has offered to help and we are closely coordinating with the CCCH and the ADJAG,” Ferrer said. Ferrer was referring to the MILF and the government’s Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities and the Ad hoc Joint Action Groups.

The MILF has in the past helped the government rescue kidnapped foreigners and Filipinos in Mindanao.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and our forces are awaiting orders from the MILF about this problem and how we should help the authorities recover the foreigners safely,” Eid Kabalu, a rebel spokesman, said in a separate interview.

Kabalu, quoting MILF intelligence reports, said the four foreigners were flagged down in Pikit town by the gunmen.

The abductions coincided with the start of the ten-day joint amphibious war games between the Philippines and the United States.

And terror warnings by Australia and the United States about an impending attacks and kidnappings by the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya and other rebel groups operating in the southern Philippines. (With reports from Mark Navales and Juan Magtanggol)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Greets Philippines On Its National Flag Day

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (Photo by Fox News)

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 31 May) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cabled a message to his Filipino counterpart Gloria Arroyo to felicitate her, the government and the people of the Philippines on the country's National Day.

“President Ahmadinejad expressed the hope that through mutual cooperation of officials, both countries will witness further expansion and bolstering of relations,” the Iranian news agency IRNA reported on Wednesday.

The Philippines on Monday celebrated its National Flag Day with parades. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gunmen Barge In House, Kill Occupant In Southern RP

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – A farmer was killed after four gunmen barged in his house in Davao City in the southern Philippines, police said.

Police said the attack occurred at around 5 a.m. Tuesday in the village of Pangyan in Calinan district in the city’s outskirts.

The man, Roselio Naypa, was shot in the head, police said.

“The victim was sleeping inside his house when the suspects knocked on the door of his house. When the victim opened the door, the suspects then shot him repeatedly with a .45-caliber pistol,” a police investigator said.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion fell on the so-called Davao Death Squad, a group of anti-crime vigilantes largely blamed on the spate of extra-judicial killings in the city.

Relatives and families of the gang’s victims have blamed the police and their private goons as behind the vigilante group. Carlito Perez, village chieftain, said Naypa had criminal records. (Romy Bwaga)

TVI Mining Firm Disputes Report!

MANILA – Canadian mining firm TVI announced on Wednesday that, while it applauds the mission and objectives set out in the recently published Rights & Democracy Report, entitled "Human Rights Impact Assessments for Foreign Investment Projects", the company is very critical of the flawed execution of the Philippines Case Study contained in the report.

TVI Pacific voluntarily participated in the Philippines Case Study, as the company is proud of its achievements in advancing human rights in the communities in which it is active in the Philippines.

The company believes that further progress in relation to human rights and the development of indigenous peoples is attainable with the benefit of an open dialogue involving interested parties and constructive input from objective third parties.

TVI Pacific is supportive of the Rights & Democracy goal to develop and test a methodology for human rights impact assessments for foreign investment projects and proposes to adopt a modified Human Rights Impact Assessment Methodology to augment the existing Social Impact Assessment approach for project scoping and development.

However, the Philippines Case Study included in the Report is, in the company's view, seriously flawed and factually incorrect in a number of important respects.

The case study was prepared not directly by Rights & Democracy, but rather by a "research team", which consisted of well-known opponents of the mining industry in general and TVI Pacific's Canatuan project in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province in particular.

Predictably, the case study evidences a biased view of TVI Pacific's operations in the Philippines and completely ignores the positive effects of its numerous initiatives to improve the well-being and standard of living of the indigenous population in the area surrounding its Canatuan mine and its efforts to minimize the environmental impact of mining operations at the area.

"We expect it is more than simple coincidence that the conclusions and recommendations set out in the Philippines Case Study coincide with positions advocated by members of the "research team" over the past decade", noted Cliff James, President and Chief Executive Officer of TVI Pacific.

"Those organizations have consistently taken positions adverse to TVI Pacific over an extended period of time and the Philippines Case Study included in the Report provided them with another forum to propagate their agenda.

A central feature of that agenda is the prevention of new foreign financed mining projects in the Philippines, such as TVI's Canatuan project, and the repeal of the Philippines Mining Act, which certain of the members of the "research team" unsuccessfully challenged before the Philippines courts.

Not surprisingly, the "research team" largely ignored the very positive benefits that our presence in the Philippines has produced in the areas of human rights, health, education, security, employment, standard of living, culture, housing and freedom of association, all of which would be adversely affected if we were to suspend our operations at Canatuan as they wish.

In the report, Rights & Democracy indicated that it is not in a position to verify the facts stated in the case studies and disclaimed responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of the information set out in those case studies.

Having regard to the ideological and economic agendas of the groups comprising the Philippines "research team", a biased approach to the Philippines Case Study was foreseeable and we are disappointed that Rights & Democracy did not take steps to ensure a balanced, objective approach."

A more objective review of the human rights impact of the project would have included an assessment of the following initiatives introduced by TVI in the following areas:

Right to Health: Including the provision of a hospital; Operation Smile (that repaired a widespread harelip affliction); prevention of maternal and infant mortality; sanitation programs; and many more

Right to Education: Nine company-paid teachers teaching in six schools; 19 college scholars; 12 students receiving educational assistance; have provided schools and classrooms, and school supplies, computers and other instructional materials and equipment, continuing Indigenous People capacity building

Right to Life and Security: The security force has served as a deterrent to attacks from armed groups operating in the area making residents more mobile and safe even at night

Right to Work: Reference the large number of Subanons in active employment; the employment multiplier in the area; the on-the-job and pre-employment training

Right to an Adequate Standard of Living - In addition to wages and employment: the livelihood programs, the entrepreneurial developments, the provision of water, electricity, sanitation, transportation, and more

Right to Culture: Reference the program of Subanon cultural promotion, art workshops, youth camp focusing on cultural promotion, community museum

Right to Self-determination: The representatives of the majority of the indigenous community, supported by the majority, entered into a Memorandum of Agreement that provides a Royalty of 1% of gross revenues and many other benefits and rights

Right to Housing: The company is constructing the new Tanuman village and other housing projects

Respect for the Right of Freedom of Association: Recognition of both new and traditional institutions and the dignity of the indigenous leaders: the Council of Elders, the Siocon Subanon Association Inc., the Siocon Subanon Women's Association Inc., the Community Youth Achievers

It is also important, from a human rights perspective, that the presence of TVI has intensified and is continuing to increase the presence of government and government services in a location where the State was previously absent.

Among the mechanisms to achieve this goal has been a partnership of TVI and the local government to deliver a number of joint projects for the benefit of the community, including a spillway to facilitate transportation to the Municipality, and the promotion of sports and community projects.

”That said,” James said, “our activities are a work-in-progress and we have made significant advances since the time of the study. Our interaction with the Canadian team from Rights and Democracy has strengthened our implementation of rights sensitive programming.“

“In addition, we share the sensitivity of all right-thinking people to the issue of conflict and armed security in Mindanao; we are working to implement the principles of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights; and we are working in a number of ways to contribute to demilitarization of the region - from the provision of economic development and jobs, to rethinking security management.”

Among other things, TVIRD recently appointed a Vice President of Social Commitment, Feliece I. Yeban, who was previously a professor of Human Rights Education and was once deputy chair of Amnesty International Philippines.

Yeban has complete responsibility for all of TVIRD's social development and community relations initiatives in the Philippines.

The company's social commitments program is being fashioned within a human rights paradigm in keeping with the Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights (the "UN Norms for Business").

TVI Pacific noted that its disappointment with the Report also extends to a failure on the part of Rights & Democracy to uphold its commitment to TVI to provide a draft copy of the Report to the Company for comment, and to arrange a meeting with the Philippines "research team" for discussion, prior to finalization of the Philippines Case Study.

Allowing interested parties to comment on a draft report is also identified as an essential component of the methodology described by Rights & Democracy in the Report.

Step 7 of that methodology, as set out in the Report, reads, in part, as follows: "The draft report will be circulated for comment among all parties.

The nature of unresolved disputes and should be clearly articulated and included in the final report, but the research team maintains responsibility for the final content."

Despite repeated requests, TVI Pacific was not provided with a draft copy of the report for comment, but rather received a copy of the final report on May 28.

TVI Pacific Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian mining company focused on exploring for and producing precious and base metals within district scale systems in Asia.

In the Philippines, TVI's most advanced project, the Canatuan Mine (the first foreign-invested, new, mining project in the Philippines since the passage of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995) began mining and milling operations in mid-2004, producing gold and silver dore through its affiliate TVI Resource Development (Phils.) Ltd. ("TVIRD").

In 2006, TVIRD received a completed NI 43-101 feasibility study on the Canatuan Sulphide project prepared by Norwest Corporation.

The report has been filed with certain securities regulatory authorities in Canada and is available at the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. The Norwest study addresses the copper-zinc bearing massive sulphide zone, or lower portion of the Canatuan Deposit. Construction of the Sulphide Project at Canatuan is now underway.

In addition, TVIRD holds a 2.5% NSR on the Philippine-based Rapu Rapu project operated by Lafayette Mining Ltd. Exploration in the Philippines is being conducted at Canatuan, in an effort to expand TVIRD's mineral resource base and to find new deposits, at Balabag and at other areas which management of TVI view as compelling exploration properties.

TVI also has a Drilling Segment consisting of Exploration Drilling Corporation ("EDCO"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TVI Pacific Inc. based in the Philippines, and Hunan Pacific Drilling ("HPD"), a segment of HPGEI based in China, which generates revenue from contract drilling.

Father Gets Life For Abusing Own Girl In Southern Philippines

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – A Filipino court has convicted a father to serve jail time for life after he was found guilty of raping his daughter in the southern Philippines.

Judge Pelagio Paguican, of the Regional Trial Court Branch 12, handed down the decision and ordered the man, Juanito Jayin, a construction worker, to compensate her 16-year old daughter with some P125,000 in damages.

The girl was she was sexually abused by her father in 2003 and hid the crime for fear that she would be killed.

She said her father poked a knife at her throat and threatened to kill her if she would not undress and have sex with him. She was raped inside their own house.

She eventually told her mother about the rape and went to the police to tell her harrowing ordeal from a man of her own blood and flesh.

The father has repeatedly denied the charges, saying, it was all made up by his wife after years of quarrel over family matters.

The judge said the victim's testimony was straightforward and more credible than her father. “The prosecution was able to convincingly prove the guilt of the accused in the case,” he said. (Romy Bwaga)

And The Struggle Continues...

NORTH COTABATO - Peace talks between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have been sidelined by the recent national and local elections. A story published on the newkerala.com reports about struggle of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in Mindanao.

Since the age of 15 Muslim rebel Datumanong Lumanggal has fought countless battles against government troops in the southern Philippines to defend his peoples' rights and identity.

Through the years, Lumanggal said he saw numerous friends and relatives killed in clashes with soldiers on the hills of Carmen town in North Cotabato province, 960 km south of Manila.

Now, the 54-year-old father of three grown-up children is waging a different kind of battle aimed at uplifting the lives of men who fought with him as commander of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which used to be the largest Muslim separatist rebel group in the southern Philippines.

Lumanggal and his wife are leading a group of close to 300 MNLF fighters turn the battlefields of Carmen into a bountiful field of mango, banana and corn plantations in the village of Kitulaan.

"We lost money in our first mango harvest but our bananas and corn are doing well," Lumanggal said.

"But through the help of GEM (Growth with Equity in Mindanao) technicians, we hope to improve our mango harvest and make a profit during the next fruiting season," he added.

Lumanggal and his men are among 28,000 of an estimated 70,000 MNLF combatants who have received financial and technical support from the US-funded GEM programme aimed at helping them reintegrate into the mainstream of society.

The GEM programme was started after the MNLF signed a peace agreement with the Philippine government in September 1996, raising hopes of development in the southern region of Mindanao, where decades of strife has hampered economic and social growth.

Aside from livelihood projects, the GEM programme also built basic infrastructure as farm-to-market roads and bridges in communities, affected by the conflict in Mindanao.

While Lumanggal said he was thankful for the assistance from GEM, he was worried of the larger number of MNLF fighters who have yet to reap the benefits of the 1996 peace pact.

"The help is not enough," he said. "A lot of MNLF fighters are still waiting for help. Some of them are getting desperate. I hope their plight could be addressed soon or else trouble might start again."

In the mountains in nearby Shariff Kabunsuan province, more than 200 MNLF fighters gathered in a show of force to a group of journalists.

Commander Magid Bantu said his group of more than 1,000 fighters continues regular military training, but was not engaged in recruitment activities since it is not allowed under the peace agreement.

Bantu pointed to thatched houses in various degrees of decay, the unpaved dusty feeder road and the dilapidated school building, as proof of the continued poverty among the country's Muslim minority.

"Nothing has changed," he said. "We are still living in poverty and government services are few and far between. We are tired of fighting but how else can we be heard. Our options are very limited."

Bantu, 56, expressed serious concern that the continued neglect would force MNLF fighters to go back to the hills and renew their armed struggle.

The Philippine government has admitted that lack of funds has hampered the implementation of the agreement with the MNLF, but stressed that it was doing everything to help spur development in Mindanao.

Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has in fact placed the implementation of the 1996 peace agreement with the MNLF on the top of her administration's agenda.

"Maybe the government thinks that we are already past our prime as fighters," he said. "But it has to remember that a new generation of disillusioned young Muslims are growing and they would not hesitate to continue our struggle, even if it means going back to the hills."

Extreme Poverty Drives Woman To Kill Self In South RP

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – A Filipino woman, despondent over the family’s extreme poverty condition, committed suicide in the southern province of Davao Oriental, police said on Wednesday.

Police said the 44-year old Berlita Cahilig was found dead inside her room next to a bottle of pesticide in the village of Mahayag in Lupon town on Tuesday.

Investigators said the woman had been telling her neighbors about their poverty and the failure of government to help the poor.

Many Filipinos live below the poverty line and the lack of government livelihood programs have aggravated the situation in many areas in the Philippines’ poorest provinces. (Romy Bwaga)

Tropa, Ibabalik Na Sa Metro-Manila!

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – Inirekomenda ni Armed Forces of the Philippines-National Capital Region Command (AFP-NCR) Chief Major General Mohammad Dolorfino ang pagbabalik ng tropa sa kalakhang Maynila.

Sa kanyang isinumiteng ulat kay AFP Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., ipinunto nito ang pangangailangan ng presensya ng militar sa Metro Manila bunga na rin ng nananatiling banta ng insurhensya at terorismo sa rehiyon.

Mandato aniya ng militar ang protektahan ang lipunan bukod pa sa naging epektibo ang pakikipag-ugnayan nito sa mga barangay para magsakatuparan ng mga proyektong makakatulong upang masugpo ang insureksyon at kriminalidad na bumubulabog sa National Capital Region.

"The National Capital Region is not spared from the threats of insurgency, the terrorism so we have to do something in order to be proactive in confronting the threats," ani Dolorfino.

"As far as we concerned, we see to it that we will continue or CMO (civil-military operation) activities. Our view is we should continue our peacetime role as an active partner of local government units," dagdag nito.

Una nang na-pull out dahil sa eleksyon ang tinatayang 260 sundalong kabilang sa civil military operations sa 19 na barangay sa Manila, Quezon City at Caloocan City matapos ang anim na buwan na pananatili ng presensya nito.

Binanggit rin ni Dolorfino sa after operations report nito kay Esperon ang sinasabing accomplishment tulad ng pagsuko ng walong miyembro ng terorista sa Tondo, Maynila.

Natapos na ang refresher training ng mga sundalo at naghihintay na lamang ng go-signal buhat sa AFP Chief kung babalik ang mga ito sa komunidad. (Juley Reyes)

Armas Nasamsam Mula Sa NPA Sa Mindanao!

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – Philippine troops clashed Wednesday with communist insurgents in the outskirts of Gingoog City in the southern province of Misamis Oriental, officials said.

The fighting erupted in the village of Kalipay at around 8.15 a.m., Major Samuel Sagun, spokesman of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said.

He said there were no military casualties. It was unknown if there were gunmen killed or injured in the clash. He said patrolling troops clashed with about a dozen members of the New People’s Army.

“The fighting lasted about ten minutes,” Sagun told the Mindanao Examiner.He said troops recovered two automatic rifles and munitions left behind by retreating gunmen.

Other officials said a suspect in the killing of a government soldier also surrendered in Davao del Sur’s Don Marcelino town. The man, Nestor Cawa, brother of a notorious bandit leader Danny Cawa, turned himself in to the Philippine Army.

Cawa was chief suspect in the murder of Corporal Reynaldo Tubongbanua, of the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion. Officials did not say when the soldier was killed. (With a report from Juley Reyes)

2 Ex-Aide Ni "Garci" Nasa PDEA Na!

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – Nabigyan na ng bagong posisyon ang mga nagsilbing security aide ni dating Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commission Virgilio Garciliano makaraang makaladkad ang mga pangalan sa sinasabing mga akusasyon ng dayaan noong nakalipas na May 2004 elections.

Kinumpirma ng mapagkakatiwalaang source na nakatalaga ngayon sa Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) sina Army Captains Marlon Mendoza at Valentino Lopez.

Diumano'y tinangka ni Lopez na suhulan ang opisyal ng Comelec sa Western Mindanao na si Atty. Helen Aguila-Flores nang halagang P50 milyon upang matiyak ang pagkapanalo ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo at isang kandidatong alkalde sa Zamboanga.

Tumestigo naman si Mendoza sa imbestigasyon ng Senado noong Agosto 2005 na naghayag na nagyabang diumano noon si Garcillano sa isang inuman na nagbigay ng P300 milyong kontribusyon ang isang jueteng lord para sa kampanya ng Pangulong Arroyo.

Si Mendoza ay magugunitang nahaharap sa court martial dahil sa umano'y pamemeke ng P8 milyong halaga ng ID ng Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).
Si Lopez ay sinasabing nakaposisyon ngayon sa complaint reaction unit ng PDEA.

Katwiran ng source, bagamat may kasong kinakaharap ang mga dating aide ni Garcilano, hindi pa naman ito natutuldukan at wala pang parusang ipinapataw.

Dagdag pa ng source, si Lopez ay agaran rin umanong naitalaga makaraang maipuwesto si dating AFP Chief of Staff General Dionisio Santiago sa PDEA.

Hindi naman agad makumpirma ang naturang impormasyon at lahat ng alegasyon ukol sa dalawang opisyal. (Juley Reyes)

Filipino Activist Risks Life, Liberty To Air Protest vs. Human Rights Abuses

Dennis Maga protested on Monday in a steel cage outside Parliament in Wellington. (Photo by Mark Mitchell)

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – The militant trade union, Kilusang Mayo Uno, on Wednesday said local authorities are to arrest a Filipino political activist who led an anti-Arroyo protest in New Zealand during a state visit by the Philippine leader.

It said it uncovered a plot by the Philippine government to arrest Dennis Maga, spokesman for the “Free Ka Bel Movement” and a senior KMU member.

Maga’s protest during President Gloria Arroyo’s state visit in New Zealand drew international media attention after he was joined by hundreds of unionists in denouncing the spate of political killings in the Philippines and the continued detention of a militant lawmaker Crispin Beltran, also known as Ka Bel.

In Wellington on Monday, Maga stood in a cage outside The Beehive as Arroyo and Prime Minister Helen Clark held a media conference.

Maga said his country needed to stop human rights abuses and free Beltran who has been in prison for more than a year on what his supporters said were spurious coups plotting charges.

“Arroyo is known for her vindictiveness and we will not be surprised if she personally instructed the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) to arrest Dennis Maga once he gets into the country,” Elmer Labog, KMU national chairman, said in a statement sent to the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Labog said they were informed by BID sources that an arrest order has been issued for Maga once he arrives home Sunday.

“Dennis even e-mailed us and verified the information from his own sources inside the BID. He said in his email that they would create trumped-up charges and arrest him.”

“The case of Maga will serve as a litmus test on whether Arroyo’s word to New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark on respect for human rights will hold water. Any harassment on Maga will erase Arroyo’s ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ strategy when it comes to human rights,” Labog said.

Labog group also appealed to Clark to issue a statement against the possible arrest of Maga.

“Many of our brothers and sisters in the trade union movement in New Zealand have expressed concern on Maga’s safety and have made commitments to pressure their own government to uphold human rights," he said.

The National Distribution Union on Wednesday also said that supermarket distribution workers in New Zealand have walked out in support of Maga after learning news of his possible arrest in Manila.

It said Maga was calling his one-year old son, Elijah, to say happy birthday when he learnt that his house was under surveillance by police and that he faces arrest on his return.

Maga was invited by the NDU and Unite Union to talk to workers about the repression and killings of trade unionists, journalists and church leaders by the Filipino military and police.

Two-hundred previously locked out NDU Progressive distribution workers gave Maga a standing ovation and walked out to mount a spontaneous show of solidarity on the same spot where they held their pickets last year.

NDU site delegate Daniel Patea said that Filipino workers and unions had supported the locked out workers.

“Filipino workers helped us when we struggled during our lockout last year and so giving support to Dennis who faces arrest and even assassination is the least we could do.”

“President Arroyo has told Helen Clark, your government and the interfaith dialogue that she is addressing human rights violations in our country,” Maga said. “But here I am, facing arrest for simply exposing the continuing abuses by our military and police.”

The NDU and the Council of Trade Unions said they would ask the Prime Minister to get assurances from Arroyo that Maga will not be arrested.

Maga told reporters in New Zealand that he feared he would be assassinated or arrested for his stand. He said human rights abuse was continuing in the Philippines.

"I am really worried for my family's safety because they might invent a charge against my father and my wife and my family just to pressure me to return to the Philippines," he said.

The Filipino leader ended her three-day state visit in New Zealand and Presidential Assistant Heherson Alvarez said Arroyo is bringing home at least $1.22 billion in investments.

From this amount, the biggest beneficiary is the environment sector with $1 billion going to a reforestation project, $150 million in a gold mining deal, $40 million for the local wood processing industry, and $30 million for the export of Philippine tropical fruits to New Zealand.

Alvarez said the $1 billion reforestation project which Arroyo announced during the meeting with the Filipino community in Auckland would be financed by CK Tan of Shannolane, based in New Zealand.

The reforestation project in Prosperidad town in Agusan del Sur province in Mindanao is scheduled to start as early as October this year.

After the New Zealand visit, Arroyo headed for Australia, the first Philippine President to visit the country in over ten years. Australia is a major ally and strong economic partner of the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

Militar Balisa Kay Trillanes!

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – Umaasa ang ilang opisyal ng militar na hindi magsisilbing inspirasyon sa mga batang sundalo ang napipintong pagkapanalo ni dating Navy Lieutenant Seniorgrade Antonio Trillanes sa Senado.

Ayon kay Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres, Jr. hindi malayong may mga mag-idolo ngayon kay Trillanes at subukang gayahin ang isinakatuparan nitong pagrerebelde at kahit na nakakulong ay may tsansang maging senador.

Isa si Trillanes sa nangunang junior officers nang isagawa ang nabigong mutiny sa Oakwood Hotel, Makati City noong Hulyo 2003.

Si dating Senador Gregorio Honasan umano ang nagsilbing halimbawa ng mga batang opisyal ng militar sa kanilang hangaring ipaglaban ang kalagayan ng mga sundalo at linisin sa korupsyon ang sistema ng gobyerno at Armed Forces.

Si Honasan ay magugunitang dating Colonel na nakisangkot rin sa ilang insidente ng pagrerebelde sa pamahalaan subalit paulit-ulit na nailuluklok sa gobyerno.

Gayunman, malinaw naman aniya ang itinatadhana ng regulasyon ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at Articles of War laban sa sinumang magiging pasaway sa hanay ng militar at walang sinuman ang makakalusot dito.

Iginigiit pa ni Torres na may proseso o sistema sa militar para sa pag-aksyon ng anumang hinaing o problema sa institusyon.

Ngunit ayaw man ng militar na sumikat si Trillanes ay hindi makakaila ang kagustuhan ng maraming mga sundalo na magwagi at maupo ito bilang senador.

Maraming sundalo rin ang sumuporta kay Trillanes nuong nakaraang halalan sa kabila ng banta ng kanilang mga commander na nangangampanya diumano laban sa failed coup leader.

Sa Zamboanga City lamang ay nakapaskil ang campaign poster ni Trillanes sa loob mismo ng Edwin Andrews Air Base ng Philippine Air Force. Siguradong gagawan ng paraan umano ni Trillanes na makulong ang mga tiwaling opisyal ng militar at pamahalaan sakaling manalo bilang senador at isulong ang interes ng Armed Forces.

Sa pinakahuling partial and official tally ng Commission on Elections, nakapako sa ika-11 puwesto si Trillanes o pasok pa rin sa Magic 12 ng senatoriables. (Ulat nina Jukey Reyes at Juan Magtanggol)

Making a lasting IMPACT: Flexible teaching system transforms public elementary schools

LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER. Incoming grade 4 student Lemuel Ian Cua of Culianan Learning Center helps his classmate solve a mathematical problem on fractions. The Culianan Learning Center has been implementing the electronically enhanced Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers (e-IMPACT) system – a revolutionary, non- traditional, and flexible learning program supported by USAID’s Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) project that trains students to become peer group leaders while teachers facilitate a class of more than 80 students ranging from grades one to six.

A MIX OF EVERYONE. Tom Crehan, Chief of the Office of Education, USAID/Philippines talks to incoming grade six students in Maasin Learning Center. With him is Edsel Francisco, the school principal. In the background, a teacher oversees a peer group leader practice a reading exercise for grade one pupils. The electronically enhanced Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers (e-IMPACT) system allows one teacher to handle 80 to 100 students clustered according to grade levels in one classroom.

EAGER LEARNERS. Elementary students of Maasin Learning Center in Zamboanga City take advance lessons on math to prepare for their role as peer group leaders in the coming school year. An in-service training on math was given to their teachers this summer by USAID ‘s Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) project to help them develop the higher order thinking skills of students in concepts such as fractions, geometry, whole numbers, and pictograph.

ALL READY. All geared up for school. A total of 4,100 teachers including master teachers and supervisors from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were trained on teaching beginning reading during a summer training series held in 63 venues from April 9 to May 5. The wide-scale capability building activity was jointly sponsored by the USAID's Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) project and the BEAM project of the Australian Agency for International Development. When the school year opens in June, a reading program based on the training will be piloted in 18 schools in ARMM. In the Philippines, predominantly Muslim populated region has the lowest student academic achievement owing largely to the poor competencies of teachers. (Photos contributed by EQuALLs)

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Incoming Grade 4 pupil Joshua Bue and some of his schoolmates go to school even on summer to take math lessons from their newly trained teachers.

When Joshua returns to school in June he will assume the role of a peer teacher. Last April, teachers from the Maasin Learning Center, a public elementary school tucked within canning plants and other industrial plants in this city, had an intensive training on math to help them develop the higher order thinking skills of students on basic concepts such as fractions, geometry, pictograph, and money.

Passing on new strategies to students like Joshua is crucial in a non-traditional school like Maasin Learning Center where students learn while they teach and teachers act as instructional managers.

Maasin Learning Center is one of two schools in Zamboanga City that operates under the electronically Enhanced Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers (e-IMPACT) system – a revolutionary, non- traditional, and flexible learning program supported by USAID’s Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2) Project.

In this set-up, the teacher, known as the instructional manager, facilitates the class and gives advance lessons to students who teach their peers.

e-IMPACT was designed by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Education Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH) and adapted in the late 70’s by the Department of Education (DepEd) to help deal with insufficient classrooms and to taper off the incidence of drop-outs in public elementary schools.

But budget limitations forced the DepED to suspend the program’s implementation in the early 1980’s, with only one of the three pilot schools—the Culianan Learning Center in Zamboanga City— continuing to execute the project.

In the opposite side of Zamboanga City, away from the canning factories and into small fishing villages lies Culianan Learning Center, the e-IMPACT pilot school now fast becoming a resource hub for other schools and organizations wanting to implement the system.

In Culianan as in Maasin, there are no specific room assignments per grade level, such that some Grade 1’s share a room with Grade 3 and Grade 6 students especially if they are siblings or they come from the same neighborhood.

Believing that education is the process of learning and not merely the acquisition of facts, lessons in a mini-class, composed of up to 15 pupils per grade level, are taught by a peer group leader or program teacher like Joshua and other classmates who take their turns teaching one subject.

“We found IMPACT to be very effective in improving our students’ academic performance especially when they go to high school. Our graduates always top their class once they are out there! This inspired us to push through with it even without much government support,” said Josefina Lacastesantos, Culianan’s school principal.

She was among the first batch of teachers trained to efficiently handle the multiple mini- classes under the non- traditional set-up. In June 2006 after three decades of toiling on their own, USAID, through its EQuALLS project, assisted Culianan in revising and then reprinting 600 learning modules—equivalent to the traditional school’s textbooks—based on a culture-responsive Revised Basic Education Curriculum.

As two of the more than 800 EQuALLS-assisted schools in regions 9, 12 and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Culianan and Maasin enjoy the benefit of having continuous teacher and administrator training, intensive on-site mentoring; and advocacy support from EQuALLS.

Assistance for the conduct of monthly meetings, contributions for materials for classroom refurbishment, provision of additional books and other learning materials, as well as Math and Science kits were also extended. For the past decades or so, Maasin’s community of multi-cultural groups of Sama, Tausug, Yakan, Badjao, and Christians rarely concerned themselves with school matters.

Maasin Learning Center adopted e-IMPACT only last school year. But already it has successfully transformed its physical as well as academic status in the region. It now has ten classrooms that cater to more than 800 students. A two-classroom building was donated by the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

“At first, it was quite difficult to explain to the parents why the school needs to adopt the system, but we were quick to let them see the benefits. We have even just completed an in-service training on math this summer which we are now testing on our students,” said the school principal Edsel Francisco.

e-IMPACT combines traditional, teacher-based instruction, peer tutoring and self-paced learning as it strengthens the participation of parents and the community in improving quality and access to education.

“This is a better experience for me because I learn a lot from my classmates and they also learn from me,” said Lemuel Ian Cua, who was formerly enrolled in a nearby traditional school, but moved to Culianan in the middle of the school year.

By passing the periodical tests, he was able to catch up with the lessons and enjoyed being a peer group leader during his afternoon class for the rest of the last school year. e-IMPACT’s focus on self-paced learning allows for the multiple entry and exit of students who are in challenging situations.

This virtually eliminates the incidence of student dropout particularly those located within Mindanao’s conflict-affected areas. It allows one teacher, or instructional supervisor to efficiently manage up to 100 students clustered according to grade level under one roof.

Drawing from the success of Culianan, EQuALLS chose the first school in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Baas Learning Center in Lamitan town in Basilan island to implement the innovative education system.

According to Saudi Daud, Baas instructional coordinator (principal in traditional school), barely six months after adopting the e-IMPACT strategy in June 2006, the number of non-readers and slow-readers has noticeably dwindled from 55 to 20.

“e-IMPACT was devised to address the problem on classroom shortage and the high incidence of dropping out especially in economically- deprived areas,” explained Dr Teresa Mukamad, area coordinator for the EQuALLS2 Project. In the case of Lamitan, drop out rates have considerably trimmed down from as high as 20 to zero. It was a welcome development for a community of at least 3,000 predominantly Yakan Muslims, who used to see some of the fiercest fighting between government troops and rebel groups.

Overall, Daud said, the new strategy has helped solve classroom and textbook shortage. From having a single textbook for every 20 students, Baas Elementary School now has learning modules for all its 406 students.

It was not until late last year that the 30-year-old school produced its first distinction when a student won the provincial level Essay Writing Contest.

“Under e-IMPACT, children are more interested to go to school because they are given a chance to actively participate in the learning process. Instructional supervisors told me to prepare the school as we anticipate higher enrollment this coming school year,” Daud said.

RP, US War Games Starts Off Sulu Archipelago

The USS Harpers Ferry is surrounded by Filipino trawlers off the southern Philippines where some 2,000 U.S. and Philippine troops are to begin Thursday, 31 May 2007, a ten-day joint amphibious warfare called CARAT 2007, Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training, in the Sulu Archipelago, where local security forces are battling members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and Jemaah Islamiya. About 6 ships from both countries will participate in the war games. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – The Philippine military on Wednesday tightened security at sea in the restive southern region where some 2,000 U.S. and Filipino troops are to begin a joint amphibious training.

Locals on Wednesday cheered from the sea coast as they waved at the USS Harpers Ferry anchored off Zamboanga City.

The ship is one of three that the United States sent to participate in the ten-day war games called CARAT 2007 or Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training starting on Thursday in the Sulu Archipelago, where local troops are battling members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and Jemaah Islamiya.

The ship is being protected by U.S. and Philippine patrol boats. Filipino trawlers were also spotted near the USS Harpers Ferry.

The Philippines is also sending three smaller ships in the war games which will be held off Basilan island.

“There will also be joint medical mission in Zamboanga and Basilan (island),” Ensign Annaleah Palad, spokesperson for the Philippine Navy, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

The Philippines is a staunch ally of the United States in the so-called global war on terror. Hundreds of U.S. troops are currently deployed in Zamboanga and Jolo island and other parts of Mindanao to help the Philippine military defeat local terrorist groups, blamed for the spate of bombings and kidnappings of foreigners in the troubled region. (Mindanao Examiner)

Maguindanao Folks Denounce Opposition, Threaten To Stage More Rallies!

Some of the protesters in Maguindanao province in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Fidayen Ramos)

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – Muslim villagers on Wednesday have threatened to stage more street rallies to protest what they say is “undue” allegations that there was massive cheating in the recently held national and local polls.

On Tuesday, more than 20,000 Muslims from across the province held an indignation rally and condemned the opposition for tagging Maguindanao as an area where fraud and cheating had catapulted President Gloria Arroyo’s 12 senatorial candidates in the polls.

Opposition bets have failed to gather enough votes in Maguindanao.

“We supported our leaders and the President and our supports spelled victory for all the TEAM Unity senatorial candidates,” Hakim Abubakar, a farmer, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Abubakar said his family voted straight for the TEAM Unity after the governor of the province, Andal Ampatuan, and his son, Zaldy, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), appealed for their support.

“It was a vote of confidence to the datus, the “knights in shining armor” of the Lakas-Christian, Muslim Democrats,” said another party leader, Hashim Lisondra.

He said they would go to street again if the opposition continues to accuse the Muslims of cheating in the polls.

Ustadz Farid Solaiman, chief of the ARMM Madaris Education Bureau, said the gathering of voters at the provincial capitol was also a “tacit indication” of a strong belief by ethnic Maguindanaons to religious teachings espousing “obedience” to leaders.

Solaiman said it is the verse in the Koran, “atiy Allah, wah atiy or rasul wa umil amri ingkom’ (obey Allah, obey the Messenger (Prophet Mohammad) and obey those who lead over you) that catalyzes the political solidarity of the datus in Maguindanao, a known hotbed of Islamic militancy.

“Of course, this political solidarity comes through the concept of shura, or consultation among the people the datus lead,” Solaiman said in a separate interview.

Organizers of the rally, which lasted for five hours, denounced what they described as “classic stereotyping” of the Moro voters in Maguindanao with allegations there was cheating in the province in favor of the Team Unity senatorial ticket during the May 14 polls.

All of Maguindanao’s 22 mayors, almost all of them virtually unopposed during the elections, joined the rally together with thousands of supporters.

“So immense was the show of support to us that if we allow all of our followers to come along, shops will close in the town centers, flow of traffic in the province will stop for the whole duration of the rally,” said Mayor Shamer Uy of Datu Piang, Maguindanao’s oldest town.

The elder Ampatuan, who is also chairman of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrat party in Maguindanao, said he cannot understand why the opposition simply cannot accept the reality that as early as 2004, all of his constituent-mayors already declared the province as “GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) country” to project their patronage of Malacañang as a “center” of government power.

Ampatuan said that during the 2004 Presidential and national elections, mayors in the province gave some 200,000 votes for Arroyo, with her closest rival, movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr., trailing far behind with only more than 60,000 votes.

Ampatuan drew a long applause from the protesters when he said in jest that while he was an avid fan of Poe, he did not support his bid for the presidency for fear he could no longer appear in the movies once elected president.

“I want to see more of his action films. He was a good actor and was so loved by the Moros for his being an actor. Letting him sit in Malacañang as president would also mean an end to his acting career,” Ampatuan said.

Sulu’s newly-elected governor, Sakur Tan, said the opposition should learn to accept defeat in Moro communities, which are known for a strong “block” voting tradition.

Tan and Tawi-Tawi Gov. Sadikul Sahali, both political allies of the Ampatuans, agreed one reason for the overwhelming loss of the opposition senatorial candidates in many areas in the ARMM is the absence political leaders that openly campaigned for them.

“Campaigning for opposition senatorial candidates in the ARMM would be like selling costly water in sealed containers to the people dwelling in the surroundings of the vast Lake Lanao where water supply is free,” Tan said. (Fidayen Ramos)

6 Insurgents Yield In Southern Philippines

Col. Alexander Dicang, deputy commander of the Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade, assisted by Lt. Col. Emmanuel Sison, commander of the Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion, receive assorted weapons from six New People’s Army rebels on Monday, 28 May 2007. (Photos by Allan June Molde)

PAGADIAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – Six communist insurgents have surrendered to the Philippine military after a series of negotiations that took security officials three months to finish, the local Philippine Information Agency said on Wednesday.

The six men – all Subanen tribesmen – also surrendered their weapons to the Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion in the village of Diplo in Zamboanga del Sur’s Kumalarang town early this week.

“After one year and eight months in the underground movement, the six Subanen folks who joined the CCP-NPA finally decided to return to the mainstream of society and start a new life with their families,” said Army Lt. Col. Emmanuel Sison.

Sison presented the insurgents, members of the New People’s Army, to Col. Alexander Dicang, deputy commander of the Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade, based in Ipil town in Zamboanga Sibugay province.

The surrender of the six coincided with the Army’s medical mission in Diplo and was witnessed by hundreds of villagers led by the town’s Mayor Allan Damas.

Those who surrendered were identified as Salibutan Balibes Jr, Julindo Hapitan Gias, Lumambo Lagungan Damo, Junjie Gon Supring, Jen Ligisan Giginan and Arnel Papahan.

The six claimed to have operated under the Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda (SYP) Front Committee Kara under Commander Palis in Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur.

One of the rebels, who acted as leader of the group, said he was a former gold miner in Bayog town in Zamboanga del Sur and was recruited by the NPA in exchange for a monthly pay of five thousand pesos. He was then earning only three thousand pesos, not enough to sustain his family.

“But like the rest, I was deceived and did not receive any money from the NPA and I made a mistake and wanted to correct it and so we all decided to return to the folds of the law. There are still more who wanted to yield, but are afraid that the rebels will kill them or harm their families. We need to help them,” he said.

He said his group wanted to defect from the underground long before but it was not easy to escape from the organization.

“As we became enemy of the government, we have to be in a constant move to evade getting caught, but we also can no longer withstand living a life with a bleak future in the mountains – away from their loved ones,” he said. (With a report from Allan June Molde)

Photo: Mangrove Used As Firewood

A village store in Jolo island sells mangrove. Illegal cutting of mangrove in the southern Philippine island of Jolo (top photo) in Sulu Archipelago and Zamboanga City in Mindanao continues unabatedly and authorities do nothing to stop the locals from destroying the marine habitat of many animals and fishers. The wood is used as firewood and sells five pesos ($0.10) a bundle. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

Gunmen Kill 2 In South RP

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 29 May) – Gunmen shot dead two people in separate attacks in the troubled region of the southern Philippines, police said Tuesday.

Police said armed men barged in a house in the village of Magsaysay in Compostela Valley’s New Bataan town and killed Gloria Magalon.

The 54-year old woman was preparing breakfast fro her family when the gunmen shot her in the head. The woman, police said, died instantly in the weekend attack.

Gunmen also shot dead the 15-year old Randy Bilinario inside his house in the village Cogon in Kiblawan town in Davao del Sur province.

Provincial police said the victim was just resting inside the house when the suspects barged inside and shot him with a 12-gauge shotgun.

The motives of both attacks are still unknown, police said. Just last week, a motorcycle gunman also shot dead a young woman, Venus Maquiran, in a broad daylight attack in Panabo City in Davao del Norte province.

Police said the woman was heading for work on her motorcycle when the gunman drive by her side and shot her in the head.

Extra-judicial killing is common in the dangerous region of the southern Philippines, where murder can be contracted for as low as one hundred dollars. (Romy Bwaga)

Philippines To Get 28 Patrol Crafts From Australia

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 29 May) – Manila is to benefit from Australia once a security pact is signed between the two countries, a Filipino defense deputy said.

Defense Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said the Philippines is to receive 28 patrol crafts wort some four million dollars from Canberra once the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) has been signed.

The defense cooperation agreement, he said, is expected to be signed soon.

The agreement contains key elements such as the basis of visits, entry and departure conditions, how training and exercises are to be conducted, carriage of arms, security and criminal jurisdiction, provisions, importation and exportation regulations and environmental protection

The accord is aimed at enhancing military capabilities of both the Philippines and Australia in fighting terrorism and transnational crimes, he said.

The Philippine Army is likely to get most of the boats which would be used in patrolling Mindanao’s huge marshlands, used by rebels to launch terror attacks.

Aside from patrol crafts, Australia would also spend four million dollars annually to train Filipino troops in anti-terrorism warfare.

The Philippines is also working for a similar military cooperation with Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia. Manila is currently holding joint anti-terrorism training with the United States. (Juley Reyes)

Attend Last Session Days, Solon Tells Colleagues

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 29 May) - Barely five days to go before the 13th Congress resumes again for the last time, Senator Mar Roxas once more called on his fellow legislators to attend the last three plenary session days and the forthcoming meetings of the Bicameral Conference Committee, to help push the approval of a bill seeking quality and affordable medicines.

“This is a very important piece of health legislation. Providing quality and affordable medicines to our people is a moral imperative. It should no longer be delayed, he said in a statement sent Tueasday to the Mindanao Examiner newspaper.

“I ask my colleagues in both houses of Congress to exercise political will and pass this bill into law before the session ends,” he said.

He noted that next week would be the last chance for legislators who belong to the 13th Congress to address the urgent need of ordinary Filipinos for quality and affordable medicines.

Congress will resume on Monday, June 4, after almost a four-month break, and is expected to adjourn sine die on June 6.

Roxas, who is primary author and sponsor of the bill, also welcomed the active engagement of stakeholder groups in making sure that the landmark legislation is passed within the 13th Congress.

These groups include British aid agency Oxfam, the 3CP Net (Cut the Cost, Cut the Pain Network), AGAP (Ayos na Gamot sa Abot-kayang Presyo), Third World Network, Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) among others.

“I greatly appreciate the activities being organized by stakeholders in support of this bill. These vigilant efforts are very helpful in preventing those who are blocking this bill from succeeding.”

“This snowballing of support makes the quest for cheaper and affordable medicines more worthwhile,” he added.

The Liberal Party stalwart also ensured that a consolidated version of the bill is already underway, as constant communication among the technical staff and with the concerned sectors is being held.

“Even before the bicameral meetings are held, we’ve been in constant communication with our counterparts in the House, with government agencies involved and stakeholder groups, and our staff are doing consolidation of drafts of the bill,” he said.

Provided there is a quorum, the House is expected to pass the bill on 3rd reading on Monday. The Bicameral Conference Committee will then convene to iron-out the disagreeing provisions of the House and Senate versions of the bill.

After which, a Bicameral Conference Committee report proposing a consolidated version of the bill will be transmitted to both Chambers for ratification.

The consolidated version will then be sent to the President for signature. The Senate has approved Senate Bill 2263 on Third Reading on January 31, 2007.

The House of Representatives, meanwhile, has passed its version—House Bill No. 6035—on Second Reading last February 20, 2007.

8 Wounded In NPA Ambush!

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 29 May) – Communist insurgents ambushed a military patrol and wounding at least eight soldiers in Aurora province, north of the Philippines, officials said.

Officials said the attack occurred late Monday and sparked a gun-battle that lasted more than 30 minutes.

The army soldiers repulsed the New People’s Army gunmen and officials said a still undetermined number of ambushers were believed killed and wounded also.

But the military report about the enemy casualties was difficult confirm and troops failed to recover any corpses from the area.

The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which has been fighting to topple the democratic government and install a Maoist state in the mainly Catholic country.

Peace talks between Manila and rebels collapsed in 2004 after the CPP and NPA and the National Democratic Front, its political arm, were included by Washington on its list of foreign terrorist organizations on the government’s prodding.

President Gloria Arroyo has declared an all-put war on the NPA, numbering about 8,000 scatter across the country.

CPP leader, Jose Maria Sison, and other senior communist leaders are in exile in The Netherlands. (Mindanao Examiner)

Power Struggle Patuloy Sa RPA-ABB!

BACOLOD (Mindanao Examiner / 29 May) – Patuloy ang power struggle sa pagitan ng mga lider ng Revolutionary Ploretarian Army-Alex Bongcayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) sa Bisayas at posibleng samantalahin ito ng New People’s Army (NPA) upang tuluyang mawasak ang pundasyon ng break-away group.

Umiikot ang kapangyarihan ng RPA-ABB sa dalawang kilalang lider na sina Lualhati Carapalli, na siyang chairman ng partido at Nilo De la Cruz, na nagsasabing siya ang tunay na pinuno ng rebeldeng grupo.

Inakusahan ni Dela Cruz ng kung anu-ano si Carapali at ilang mga commander nito at sinabing tinanggal na ng RPA-ABB ang grupo.

Ngunit pinasinungalingan naman ito ni Carapali at sa katunayan ay si Dela Cruz umano ang siyang nag-traydor sa RPA-ABB at posibleng arestuhin upang litisin.

Ikinatuwa naman ng NPA ang kaguluhan sa loob ng RPA-ABB at binansagan traydor ang nasabing grupo dahil nakipagsabwatan umano ito sa pamahalaang Arroyo upang was akin ang NPA.

Matindi ang hidwaan ng NPA at RPA_ABB at madalas magsagupaan ang dalawang grupo sa Bisayas at ibang bahagi ng bansa. (Mindanao Examiner)

Protests, Rallies Shame Arroyo In New Zealand

(Video by gbgcommunications)

Anti-Arroyo protests in New Zealand. (KMU photos contributed to the Mindanao Examiner)

MANILA - Delegates to the interfaith dialogue hosted by Prime Minister Helen Clark at Waitangi in New Zealand, were left in no doubt about the real issues of peace, security and tolerance that should be on their agenda, the National Distribution Union said on Tuesday.

Banners reading "Stop the Killings Gloria" and "Stop the Killings in the Philippines" highlighted the appalling record of human rights violations under President Gloria Arroyo, a co-host of the forum, it said.

Dozens of white wooden crosses were planted in the ground at the entry to the treaty grounds to symbolize the 858 extra judicial killings during the Arroyo regime.

Photographs of slain protestant Bishop Alberto Ramento and other victims showed the human face of this travesty.

Renowned New Zealand law professor Jane Kelsey said that crosses planted at the entry to the Copthorne Hotel made it impossible for Arroyo to miss the protest when she arrived to address the conference.

"Our noisy reception sent President Arroyo a clear message to stop the killings, for which the UN rapporteur holds her ultimately responsible," she said. "Equally, Helen Clark was challenged for hosting someone with a proven record of gross human rights violations.

"It's no longer acceptable for our Prime Minister to claim that she has raised these issues with President Arroyo. Past assurances have been shown to be worthless. The time has come for the New Zealand Government to put its money where its mouth is. Instead of channeling 'technical assistance' funding to the Philippines government that is responsible for the violations, it should direct that money to the churches and other independent human rights advocacy organizations."

A local Maori leader, Arthur Harawira, also led a protest on his ancestral grounds.

"I challenge the hypocrisy of the New Zealand government for holding this event on the sacred grounds of Waitangi in an attempt to give legitimacy to an illegitimate occasion,” he said.

Harawira drew links between the struggles of Maori with the struggles of the indigenous peoples and workers in the Philippines.

Dennis Maga, spokesman for the "Free Ka Bel" movement, urged inter-faith participants not to sit at the table with governments, like that of President Arroyo, who are responsible for gross human rights violations in their own countries.

"Yesterday, another UCCP pastor Berlin Guerrero has been abducted and found tortured by the Philippine National Police and charged with inciting to sedition dating back to 1991 and 1992."

"This reality flies in the face of President Arroyo’s assurances repeated at the press conference yesterday that her Government was fighting to improve its record in the killings," he said.

The militant Kilusang Mayo Uno said Tuesday President Arroyo humiliated herself in New Zealand by not telling the truth about state of human rights in the Philippines.

It also said that Philippine authorities are planning to arrest Maga as soon as he returns to Manila from New Zealand for leading the protest against Arroyo’s visit.

"Reliable sources have informed us that the Philippine government is planning to arrest Dennis Maga upon his arrival from New Zealand on June 2. Obviously, Arroyo was embarrassed in New Zealand that's why Malakanyang is posing to arrest Maga and further suppress the advocates of democracy," Maria Theresa Dioquino, KMU International Affairs Secretary, said in a statement sent to the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Maga was among the protesters who rallied against President Arroyo at the Parliament during her state visit to New Zealand.

He was hosted by the National Distribution Union of New Zealand, also supporting for the release of Anakpawis solon Crispin Beltran, who has been tagged by the Philippine military as an alleged supporter of the Maoist rebel group, New People’s Army, the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines.

"We are just stating facts about the Arroyo government's grave human right violations. It is Arroyo who embarrassed herself when she flagrantly lied about the state of human rights in the Philippines.

The young labor leader was 'caged' outside the New Zealand Parliament as his symbolic protest against the Philippine government's continued detention of Beltran.

The incident stirred huge media attention from New Zealand and the Philippines and the international media.

The protests countered Arroyo's boasting of her 'exemplary' human rights record in the Philippines.

Labor unions and progressive groups in New Zealand which are allied with the KMU and FKBM condemned Beltran’s continued illegal detention and the spate of political killings in the Philippines.

While activists criticized President Arroyo, Malakanyang issued a statement boasting her strong pitch for the promotion of interfaith dialogue to bring about lasting peace, political stability and economic growth in Asia.

"In Mindanao, we have taken steps to bring interfaith forces to bear upon a peace process that has resulted in a three-year ceasefire and monumental strides in economic growth," she said.

Extolling New Zealand’s role in the Mindanao Trust Fund, President Arroyo hailed the key role Prime Minister Clark plays in fostering interfaith dialogue in the resolution of conflicts, the promotion of peace and economic growth.

The Mindanao Trust Fund is intended for the development of Mindanao.

"I am here as a follower and participant to promote interfaith collaboration in education, security, social development and media," she said.

The President said that apart from its assistance to Mindanao, New Zealand plays a major role in East Asia’s "determined journey of consolidation since last year."

"As chair of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), I have witnessed the warming of ties between ASEAN, China and Japan within the context of common prosperity and collective security," she said.

She pointed out that "East Asia is coming of age in this millennium as a global leader for equitable trade with a clear social dividend and solid security with a soft touch. Our relations with New Zealand are incorporated in this paradigm."

Noted for its commitment to human rights, protection of the environment, peace and interfaith dialogue, New Zealand brings to East Asia, the "soft strategies that guarantee peace, reinforcing the hard elements such as joint military training and law enforcement operations that we share with allies like Australia and the United States," the President said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Leprosy, Kalat Sa Negros!

NEGROS ORIENTAL (Mindanao Examiner / 29 May) – Alarmado ngayon ang Department of Health sa lalawigan ng Negros matapos na mapansin ng mga eksperto ang pagtaas ng bilang ng mga taong may sakit na ketong o leprosy.

Nagbabala na rin ang DOH sa publiko na maging maingat sa kanilang sarili at kalusugan upang mahawa sa nasabing sakit. Base sa records ng DOH ay may mahigit sa isang dosenang kaso ng ketong sa Nagros Oriental ngayon taon.

Nuong 2006 ay 11 kaso lamang ang naitala. Ngunit posibleng mas malaki pa ang bilang ng mga hindi naitatala o yun mga taong may ketong ngunit natatakot na lumantad.

Karamihan sa may ketong ay mistulang kandilang nauupod dahil ganito rin ang nangyayari sa part eng kanilang katawan, partikular sa mga paa at kamay. May mga bukol rin ang katawan ng isang may ketong.

Ang ketong ay sanhi ng “mycrobacterium leprae” at matagal ang gamutan nito at kadalasan ay taon ang ibinibilang. Noon ay inihihiwalay ang mga may ketong sa publiko dahil sa takot na ito’y kumalat, ngunit ngayon ay marami ng gamot upang labanan ang sakit.

Kabilang sa mga ito ay ang antibiotics na rifampin, dapsone at clofazimine. Ngunit ang prescription nito ay tanging sa mga eksperto o duktor lamang makukuha. (Mindanao Examiner)

HOW TO NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS By Hurricane Harry

This brief blog entry takes you through a series of negotiations over time between peacemakers and terrorists:

A peacemaker walks up to the left side of a line. A terrorist walks up to the right side of the line. The peacemaker introduces himself. The terrorist kills him.

A peacemaker walks up to the left side of the line. A terrorist walks up to the right side of the line. The peacemaker asks, "why did you kill my friend?" The terrorist kills him and rapes his wife.

A peacemaker walks up to the left side of the line. A terrorist walks up to the right side of the line. The peacemaker says, "Stop that!" The terrorist kills him, rapes his daughter and kills his wife.

A peacemaker walks up to the left side of the line. A terrorist walks up to the right side of the line. The peacemaker says, "I'll pay you $1000 if you stop attacking us." The terrorist agrees to the deal, takes the $1000, and kills him.

A peacemaker walks up to the left side of the line. A terrorist walks up to the right side of the line. The peacemaker appeals to the United Nations. The United Nations says the peacemaker is at fault. The terrorist kills him.

A peacemaker walks up to the left side of the line. A terrorist walks up to the right side of the line. The peacemaker now has a gun, and threatens to use it. Other peacemakers start chanting the old 60's whine, "Can't we all just get along?" The peacemaker hesitates. The terrorist kills him.

A peacemaker walks up to the left side of the line. A terrorist walks up to the right side of the line. The peacemaker tries to convince his peacemaker friends that the terrorists aren't going to respond to negotiations, but they insist that if he kills the terrorist it'll just make the other terrorists mad. The peacemaker reluctantly agrees to try negotiating again. The terrorist kills him., his entire family, and his neighbor's family.

A heated debate now ensues between the peacemakers who want to be nice to the terrorists and the peacemakers who believe that there can never be peace until the terrorists are all dead. While they are debating, the terrorists kill 15 more peacemakers.

A peacemaker walks up to the left side of the line. A terrorist walks up to the right side of the line. The peacemaker asks himself, "Which is more important: being liked by everyone, or protecting my family?" The terrorist pulls a knife to kill the peacemaker, but the peacemaker pulls a gun and kills the terrorist first. The United Nations condemns the peacemaker's use of unproportional force. Many of his peacemaker friends turn against him.

A peacemaker walks up to the left side of the line. A terrorist walks up to the right side of the line. The peacemaker apologizes for what his friend did to the other terrorist. The terrorist kills him, his entire family and his neighbors, and threatens to destroy the city as soon as they develop a bigger weapon.

A peacemaker refuses to meet at the line because every time a peacemaker goes to the line the terrorist kills him. A terrorist walks up to the right side of the line and fires rockets into the peacemaker's town. The United Nations condemns the way the peacemaker provoked the terrorist by refusing to come to the line and meet with him.

Generations pass and not much changes until one day when the son of a peacemaker decides that the old strategy simply won't work. He walks up to the left side of the line a little early. As the terrorist approaches the right side of the line the peacemaker shoots him. Another terrorist approaches to replace the first, and the peacemaker shoots him too. This scene plays out several more times.

Then a terrorist approaches carrying a white flag, but he also has weapons. The peacemaker shoots him. A terrorist next approaches with a ceasefire resolution from the U.N. The peacemaker shoots him also. A large group of terrorists approach and the peacemaker shoots them all and drops a nuclear bomb on the city they came from. The peacemaker continues killing the terrorists until the terrorists are all dead.

There is finally peace on earth and the United Nations takes the credit. (http://hurricaneharry.blogspot.com)

MILF Rebels To Hunt Down Jemaah Islamiya Terrorists In Mindanao!

A young MILF fighter aims his M4 automatic rifle during a routine combat training in southern Philippines. The MILF says it will help Filipino authorities hunt down members of the Indonesian terror group, Jemaah Islamiya, hiding in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 28 May) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said it would help Filipino authorities hunt down members of the Jemaah Islamiya hiding in the restive southern region of Mindanao.

A rebel spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said the MILF and the Philippine military are closely working for the arrest of Malaysian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and other JI militants, especially Dulmatin and Umar Patek.

Jakarta tagged both Dulmatin and Umar Patek at behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 mostly Western holidaymakers.

In March, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has authorized a new reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Zulkifli bin Hir, who was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines.

Zulkifli bin Hir, who allegedly heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization, has been added to most-wanted list of the Rewards for Justice Program, administered by the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

The U.S. State Department said Zulkifli bin Hir has been present in the Philippines since August 2003, where he is believed to have conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf.

His younger brother, Taufik bin Abdul Halim, Dany, was involved in the 2001 Jakarta Atrium Mall bombing, and currently is in detention in Indonesia. (With reports from Mark Navales and Juley Reyes)

COMELEC's Rene Sarmiento, Magbibitiw Na!

LANAO DEL SUR (Mindanao Examiner / 28 May) – Pumutok kanina ang balitang magbibitiw na umano si Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento bilang pinuno ng Task Force Maguindanao, na kung saan ay talamak diumano ang dayaan sa nakaraang halalan.

Sa Maguindanao nagwagi ng landslide ang TEAM Unity sa 12-0 swift na umano’y balot sa karahasan at pananakot.

Hindi pa malinaw ang dahilan ng pagreresign ni Sarmiento, ngunit ayon sa ibang mga impormasyon ay kalusugan ang idinadahilan nito. Biglaan ang naging desisyon ni Sarmiento at ibat-ibang haka-haka ang kumakalat sa Mindanao.

Magbibitiw diumano ito dahil sa hindi masikmura ang matinding dayaan sa Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at posibleng pinagreresign rin dahil hindi umano nagawan ng paraan na maitago ang mga kalokohan sa Maguindanao, Lanao, Basilan at Sulu na kung saan ay namayagpag ang TEAM Unity kontra sa Genuine Opposition senatorial candidates.

Hindi naman makumpirma ang mga balitang ito, ngunit lumutang na ang pangalan ni Elections Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer na posibleng pumalit kay Sarmiento.

Pumutok rin ang balita kasabay ng paglabas ngayon araw sa ABS-CBN ng video footage na nakunan ng grupo ni reporter Ricky Carandang na kung saan ay nahuling bitbit ng mga COMELEC officials ang ilang bundles ng blankong election returns mula Marawi City patungo sa isang hotel sa Iligan City.

Nauna umanong itinanggi ito ni Sarmiento, ngunit dakong huli ay inamin rin matapos na makita ang video footage. Sinabi nitong “safekeeping” lamang ang dahil kung bakit inilipat ang mga ERs.

Nagkaroon pa ng sagutan ang grupo ni Carandang sa isang sigang kasamahan ni Sarmiento ng sila’y komprontahin ng media ukol sa ERs.Halos mabulol naman ang lalaki sa kapapaliwanag at pinag-diskitahan pa ang camera man ni Carandang.

Inulat rin kanina ng ABS-CBN na matapos na mailabas ang nasabing video footage ay pinaghahanap na umano ng mga armadong grupo sina Carandang.

Hindi naman agad makunan ng pahayag si Sarmiento sa Lanao at lumipad na umano ito patungong Maynila kahapon sa kalagitnaan ng eskandalo at dayaan na ibinibintang ng oposisyon sa Malakanyang upang papanaluhin ang ilang mga TEAM Unity bets, partikular ang ika-11 at ika-12 puwesto sa Magic 12.

Itinanggi ng Malakanyang at TEAM Unity ang akusasyon.

Sina failed coup leader Antonio Trillanes at Aquilino “Coco” Pimentel Jr na parehong oposisyon ang nasa dalawang puwesto at kulelat naman sina Jose Miguel Zubiri, Mike Defensor at Ralph Recto ng TEAM Unity. (May ulat sina Mark Navales, Merlyn Manos, Juan Magtanggol at Becky de Asis)

2,000 People Homeless In Davao Fire

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 28 May) – A huge fire swept through a slum neighborhood in the southern Filipino city of Davao, police and fire marshals said.

The fire late Sunday gutted more than 150 houses and left some 2,000 people homeless, police said.

There were no reports of casualties, but authorities said many people were hurt when they panicked and tried to flee from the burning neighborhood.

Arson investigators blamed an oil lamp for the conflagration. Many of those displaced by the fire are now housed in temporary shelters.

Fire marshals estimate the damage in the fire at more than eight million pesos. (Romy Bwaga)

RP, Australia To Sign Anti-Terror Training Accord

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 28 May) – The Philippines and Australia are to sign a bilateral agreement that would allow the two countries to hold joint anti-terror training exercises in country, Filipino security officials said.

Officials said the accord called Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) is aimed at enhancing military capabilities of both the Philippines and Australia in fighting terrorism and transnational crimes.

"This agreement contains key elements such as the basis of visits, entry and departure conditions, how training and exercises are to be conducted, carriage of arms, security and criminal jurisdiction, provisions, importation and exportation regulations and environmental protection," the Philippine Defense department said in a separate statement.

Once signed, the agreement would be submitted to the Philippine Senate for concurrence.
The Philippines is also working for a similar military cooperation with Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia.

Manila is currently holding joint anti-terrorism training with the United States. (Juley Reyes)

2 Killed In Davao City Attack

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 28 May) – Philippine police on Monday accused the New People’s Army (NPA) of executing a civilian and abducting another in the southern city of Davao.

Police said the rebels killed Reynaldo Cantones and seized his cousin Pedrito Cantones in an attack at the weekend in the village of Camansi.

The 32-year victim, a banana plantation worker, was shot in the head.

The two men were drinking in the village when gunmen, who introduced themselves as NPA members, attacked him.

The fate of the missing man is still unknown. Police said it is investigating the attack.

There were no immediate statements from the NPA, which has been fighting the government the past decades for the establishment of a Maoist state.

The NPA is actively operating in the outskirts of Davao City. But aside from the rebels, anti-crime vigilantes were also sowing terror and behind many summary killings in Davao City. (Romy Bwaga)

3 Patay, 3 Pa Sugatan Sa Sagupaan Kontra Rebelde Sa Masbate!

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 28 May) - Tatlong miyembro ng Philippine Army ang napatay habang tatlo pa ang sugatan kasunod ng pakikipagsagupa sa mga gerilya sa Masbate province kahapon.

Nabatid kanina kay AFP Southern Luzon Command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Rhoderick Parayno na dakong alas-8 ng umaga nang makabakbakan ng mga sundalo ng 9th Infantry Battalion Division ang tinatayang 40 rebelde sa Lahong, Baleno sa naturang lalawigan.

Sinabi ni Parayno sa pahayagang Mindanao Examiner na kinapos ng puwersa ang mga sundalo sa mga rebeldeng pinaniniwalaang nasa likod ng pambobomba sa Globe Telecommunications Inc. tower noong Sabado.

Tumagal ng apat na oras ang sagupaan na nagresulta ng pagkakasawi na hindi muna inihayag ang mga pagkakakilanlan.

Gayunman, nakilala ang mga sugatang sundalo na sina Privates First Class Xzeal De Ocampo, Gerry De la Cruz at Ian Solano.

Hindi naman matukoy ang dami ng mga napinsala sa panig ng gerilyang grupo habang nasamsam mula sa mga ito ang ilang molotov o improvised bombs. (Juley Reyes)

Philippines To Keep Country Bird-Flu Free

ZAMBOANGA CITY - While the Philippines is still enjoying the Avian-Influenza Disease (Bird-Flu)-free country status, the Department of Agriculture in the region wants to keep it by conducting a pre-emergency planning activity with various concerned agencies.

The need to protect the “bird-flu-free” status of the country is crucial with the rapid spread of the disease around the globe, not sparing our Asian neighbors such as Indonesia, Thailand, China and South Korea. With them being infected, the chances of disease incursion in the country are great.

In fact, among the twenty critical areas identified as highly vulnerable for contamination are all the provinces in the Zamboanga Peninsula, which includes Zamboanga City, Regional Director Oscar Parawan of the Department of Agriculture (DA-IX) said, according to the Philippine Information Agency in Zamboanga City.

“All bird-flu disaster preparedness should be undertaken in our level considering our vulnerability,” he said.

Zamboanga City’s proximity to Indonesia and Malaysia, and the illegal trade of wildlife is one of the major routes of disease introduction, Parawan explained.

The workshop aims to provide participants with knowledge on the intricacies of emergencies, its root causes, triggering factors and impact, the formulation process of a contingency plan and devising a contingency plan for the Regional Avian Influenza Task Force. The contingency planning in Zamboanga City will start Tuesday and ends on June 1.

Its end goal is to pave the way for inter-government agency resource sharing to ensure swift mobilization of resources through smooth facilitation and coordination. (Mimi Bern-Edaga)

Truck Rams Street Pole, 1 Dead

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 27 May) – One person was killed and eleven others injured after the truck they were riding rammed a street lamp in Davao City in the southern Philippines, police said Sunday.

Police said the accident occurred in the village of Saumay in Marilog District on Friday.

The lone casualty was identified as Edolencia Abana. Police released the names of the injured passengers as Zenaida, 33 and Jerson Martetillas, 39; Levie Cortez, 28; Jay Tagaro, 19; Benito Enti, 49; Leonor Jane Abla¤a, 14; Merlyn Tagaro, 39; Edgardo Borja, 23; and the truck driver Andrew Gamoza, 35.

Police said the wounded are still at the Davao Medical Center.

The truck was transporting fresh vegetables to the Bankerohan public market in Davao City when the driver lose control of the wheel after its brake system failed while negotiating a hilly portion of the dirt road. (Romy Bwaga)

Woman Killed In Broad Daylight Attack In South RP

DAVAO DEL NORTE (Mindanao Examiner / 27 May) – A motorcycle gunman shot dead a young woman in a broad daylight attack in Panabo City in the southern Filipino province of Davao del Norte, police said Sunday.

Police said Venus Maquiran was heading for work on her motorcycle when the gunman drive by the side and shot her in the head. She was killed instantly.

The attack, police said, occurred Friday. The gunman escaped after the shooting.

No individual claimed responsibility for the attack and police said it is still investigating the killing.

Extra-judicial killing is common in the dangerous region of the southern Philippines, where murder can be contracted for as low as one hundred dollars. (Romy Bwaga)

Lanao del Sur After The Special Polls...

LANAO DEL SUR (Mindanao Examiner / 27 May) – Philippine soldiers and policemen on Sunday guarded the counting of votes from special elections marred with violence, fraud and cheating in the province of Lanao del Sur.

Security officials said the counting held in Marawi City was peaceful and that there were no reports of post-elections violence in the province, one of five under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Armed clashes and violence marred Saturday’s polls in Lanao. Three government soldiers guarding the polls were killed and three others, including two civilians, had been injured in separate attacks in the province.

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) held special polls in 13 towns in Lanao del Sur where massive fraud and cheating had been reported by an independent elections watchdog, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).

“The counting of ballots in Marawi is peaceful. There are no reports of violence,” the head of the regional police force, Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao, told the Mindanao Examiner newspaper.

Tension was high before and after elections in the province where gunmen randomly attacked polling places with grenades and rifle fires. Authorities blamed armed supporters of politicians as behind the attacks.

A villager in Marawi City said they heard gunshots during the counting of votes and could not say whether it was connected to the canvassing.

But Goltiao said the shot was fired by a government soldier in the air to control a huge crowd trying to disturb the counting of votes.

“It was just a warning shot to control the unruly crowd, but everything turns out to be alright. We are on top of the situation,” Goltiao said.

Major General Nememias Pajarito, commander of the Philippine Army’s First Infantry Division, said troops were deployed in Lanao del Sur to secure the polls and the counting of votes.

“We are happy to report that the counting day turned out to be peaceful. Military and police forces are on top of the situation. We are in control,” Pajarito said in a separate interview.

Many villagers in Lanao del Sur said they failed to cast their votes Saturday because of the presence of gunmen, who were followers of opposing politicians.

The head of the PPCRV, Tita de Villa, who was in Lanao del Sur on Saturday, said she was a witness to massive cheating and fraud in the province.

She claimed she saw one election inspector hid official ballots inside her bag and that in other polling areas there were two sets of voters’ lists.

“You can’t really vote freely because everybody is at your neck. The climate is impossible for people to vote freely and orderly. From what we see, I think there will be failure of elections again,” De Villa said. (With reports from Mark Navales, Merlyn Manos and Juan Magtanggol)

Photo: The Mindanao Examiner Newspaper May 28-June 03, 2007

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Bagong Gobernador Ng Sulu Magsasampa Ng Demanda!

SULU (Mindanao Examiner / 26 May) – Magsasampa umano ng kaso ang bagong gobernador ng Sulu matapos itong pagbintangan ng pandaraya ng abogado ng Genuine Opposition.

Inakusahan kasi ni Atty. Diego Palomares, ng oposisyon, na nadaya ang GO senatorial candidates sa Sulu, partikular sa bayan ng Luuk sa 2nd District ng lalawigan.

Pinagbintangan pa nitong nandaya rin ang asawa ni Tan at gayun rin si Rep. Munir Arbison. Kilala ang magandang reputasyon sa Sulu at Mindanao ni Tan na isang pilantropo at ng asawa nito na isang naman civic leader.

Itinanggni ni Tan ang akusasyon sa kanya at asawa at sinabi nitong sasampahan ng kaso si Palomares dahil sa paratang na inilabas pa sa telebisyon.

“Sasampahan ko ng kaso iyan si Atty. Palomares at hindi ko palalampasin ang mga maling paratang niya sa akin at sa aking asawa,” ani pa ni Tan.

Pinasinungalingan naman ng Commission on Elections (COMELEC) at mga Board of Election Inspectors sa Sulu na magulo at madaya ang halalan.

Pati na rin mga watchers ay nagsabing malabo talagang manalo ang GO senatorial bets sa Sulu dahil hindi umano ito nangampanya sa lalawigan.

“Talagang hindi naman mananalo ang GO senatorial bets dahil walang nangampanya sa kanila sa Sulu. Ni hindi nga nakita ang kanilang mga anino sa aming lugar tapos umaasa silang manalo,” ani pa ni Isnin Hassan, isang watcher ng TEAM Unity.

Sinabi pa ni Palomares na nakita umano si Tan at Arbison sa loob ng isang kuwarto na kung saan nakatago ang mga ballot boxes. At ang asawa naman ni Tan ay nanguna pa sa pagsusulat sa balota.

Ngunit kinumpirma rin ng maraming saksi na nasa kanyang mansion lamang si Tan sa buong election period at pawang mga abogado nito ang nasa mga polling areas at ang asawa naman ay abala sa pagiintindi sa libo-libong bisita sa kanilang bahay sa bayan ng Jolo.

Nagulat umano si Tan ng mabatid ang balita na siya ay inakusahan ng pandaraya at sa katunayan umano ay 15 mga abogado ang ginamit nito sa nakaraang eleksyon upang masigurong mabibigyan ng proteksyon ang kanyang boto.

Landslide ang panalo ni Tan sa Sulu kontra kay incumbent Benjamin Loong at detained Moro National Liberation Front chief Nur Misuari.

Sinabi ni Atty. Vidzpar Julie, Sulu COMELEC chief, na “historical” ang panalo ni Tan dahil sa landslide victory nito at umabot sa 43,000 ang lamang nito kay Loong. Isa si Tan sa mga maimpluwensya at respetadong lider sa Sulu at katimugan. (Mindanao Examiner)

Independent Mayoralty Candidate, Wins Polls In Comspostela Valley

COMPOSTELA VALLEY – An independent mayoralty bet here has been declared winner after garnering only 3,835 votes or a mere 21.5 percent of the town’s 17,856 registered voters.

With these minority votes, Mabini Mayor-elect Amir Muñoz has trounced three other candidates in one of the province’s three coastal towns.

Incumbent Mayor Reynaldo Dayanghirang (Lakas), who slid down running for vice mayor, won by getting a much higher 6,467 votes.

In the province’s towns which just saw stiff two-cornered fights for mayoralty, winning mayoral bets mostly garnered over 10,000 votes.

Meanwhile, incumbent Mayor Celso Sarenas (Lakas) and Mayor Voltaire Rimando in the coastal towns of Pantukan and Maco, respectively, have both won for their second term. Sarenas has 14,575 while Rimando has 14,121 votes.

Other winning mayoral bets in the province were incumbent Compostela Mayor Reynaldo Castillo (Lakas), with 13,737 votes; Laak - Reynaldo Navarro (Lakas), 11,769; incumbent Nabunturan Mayor Macario Humol (Lakas), 20,907; New Bataan - Lorenzo Balbin Jr (Lakas), 8,210; Maragusan - Cesar Colina Sr (Kampi-Liberal) 10,936; Mawab - Evalina Jampayas (Lakas), 9,284; incumbent Montevista Mayor Teofista Jauod (Lakas), 9,077 and another incumbent Monkayo Mayor Manuel Brillantes Jr (Kampi-Liberal), 17,957. (Cha Monforte, Rural Urban News - Special to the Mindanao Examiner)

Senior NPA Leader, Wife Nabbed In Southern Philippines

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 26 May) – Philippine authorities captured a senior leader of the New People’s Army rebels and his wife in the southern province of Misamis Oriental.

Security officials said the duo - Mar Lopez, also known as "Ka Mebel and Ka Bobit" and Lolita Gambota - were being interrogated on Saturday at an army base in the province.

Lopez is also the secretary of the SECOM 1, Front Committee 4-B of the Communist Party of the Philippines-Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC); while his wife is said to be a finance officer.

The two were nabbed late Friday in the hinterland village of Napaliran in Balingasag town after troops tracked them down.

There was no immediate statement from the CPP or the NPA, its armed wing, which has been fighting the past three decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the Philippines. (With reports from Romy Bwaga and Merlyn Manos)

Special Polls In Mindanao Marred With Fraud, Cheating And Violence

Special Election in Lanao del Sur province in southern Philippines on Saturday, 26 May 2007. The congressional and local elections, covering 13 towns in the Muslim-majority province are held under heavy security to avert possible violence after authorities suspended the 14 May national mid-term polls due to threats of violence from armed gangs and political warlords.

(Mindanao Examiner Photo Service/Mark Navales)

LANAO DEL SUR (Mindanao Examiner / 26 May) – Armed clashes and violence marred Saturday’s special elections in the Muslim autonomous province of Lanao del Sur in southern Philippines, officials said.

Three government soldiers guarding the polls were killed and three others, including two civilians, were injured in separate attacks in the province.

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) held special polls in 13 towns in Lanao del Sur where massive fraud and cheating had been reported by an independent elections watchdog, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).

Tension was high before and after elections in the province where gunmen randomly attacked polling places with grenades and rifle fires.

There were no reports of arrests, but authorities blamed armed supporters of politicians as behind the attacks.

Fighting between policemen and armed gangs erupted in the towns of Kapay, Butig and Pualas and that an undetermined number of election inspectors were reported missing.

It was unknown whether they had been abducted or hiding for fear they would be coerced into siding with politicians.

Many villagers said they failed to cast their votes because of the presence of gunmen, who were followers of opposing politicians.

The military said unidentified gunmen attacked the municipal hall of Masiu.

“They fired two rounds of mortar rockets. There were no reports of casualties,” military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Other reports said there were attempts by armed men to seized ballot boxes in Lanao del Sur. Poll watchers of opposing politicians also engaged in street brawls.

But COMELEC Commissioner Rene Sarmiento insisted the polls were peaceful. “It is generally peaceful,” he said.

But the police said it recorded more than a dozen rocket and grenade attacks in Lanao del Sur during special elections.

On Friday, one soldier was also killed and two civilians had been wounded in separate gun attacks in the towns of Tugaya and Pualas towns.

The head of the PPCRV, Tita de Villa, who was monitoring the polls in Lanao del Sur, said she was a witness to massive cheating and fraud in the province.

She claimed she saw one election inspector hid official ballots inside her bag and that in other polling areas there were two sets of voters’ lists.

“You can’t really vote freely because everybody is at your neck. The climate is impossible for people to vote freely and orderly. From what we see, I think there will be failure of elections again,” De Villa said.

Police forces also guarded the towns of Butig and Pualas and other areas where Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels are actively operating. Authorities fear the rebels may side with politicians allied with the MILF.

But the MILF said security forces should keep a close watch on private armies and goons of politicians who were behind attempts to sabotage the elections. The MILF said it does not take part in any Filipino elections.

“The MILF has a strict policy about Philippine elections. We do not take part in any elections or in partisan politics and our members have strict orders to stay inside their camps,” rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu told the Mindanao Examiner in a separate interview.

Manila is currently negotiating peace with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, since 2001. (With reports from Mark Navales, Becky de Asis, Merlyn Manos and Juan Magtanggol)

Reporters Sans Borders Urged RP Authorities To Investigate Murder Of Journalist

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 25 May) - International media group Reporters Without Borders on Friday urged Filipino provincial and national authorities to thoroughly investigate the murder of photojournalist Dodie Nunez, of the regional newspaper Katapat, which had criticised corruption.

It said the killing May 21 may have had political motives.

Nunez was returning home in Cavite province, south of Manila, when three motorcyclists stopped the bus he was on and shot him dead, wounding another person.

"Katapat editor Archie Gadang stood for provincial governor in elections earlier this month, since when the winner, Ireneo Maliksi, has sued him for libel. During the campaign, the paper had accused Maliksi of corruption," it said.

Several Filipino journalists have been killed in the wake of elections in revenge for often fierce criticism of local politicians. Roberto Ramos, also of Katapat, was killed by motorcycle gunmen on November 20, 2005.

The Philippines is one of the most dangerous country in Asia for journalists and dozens have been killed over the years in line of duty. (Mindanao Examiner)

Bagong Bukas, Bagong Pag-asa!

Dampi ng pagmamahal at lubos na kasiyahan ang makikita sa mag-asawang Gov. Sakur at Indah Tan ng Sulu. Hinirang na bagong gobernador ng lalawigan si Tan. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

SULU – Isang panibagong bukas at bagong pag-asa ang naghihintay sa magulong lalawigan ng Sulu matapos na magwagi si Hj. Sakur Tan bilang bagong gobernador.

Pormal ng idineklara ng Commission on Elections dito si Tan at dalawang congressman na sina Yusop Jikiri at Munir Arbison, gayun rin ang ibang mga alkalde sa kabila ng tangkang patigilin ang kanilang proklamasyon ng mga talunang kandidato.

Naging tensyonado ang halalan sa Sulu dahil sa pananakot ng mga talunang pulitiko at kanilang armadong grupo. Ngunit sa kabila nito ay itinuloy ng COMELEC ang proklamasyon ng mga nagwaging kandidato sa Mindanao State Univeristy sa bayan ng Jolo nitong linggo lamang.

Nagbunyi naman ang mga libo-libong supporters ni Tan at ng mga nagwaging kandidato nito.

Sa kabila ng lahat ay tahimik ang eleksyon. “Peaceful ang halalan sa Sulu and we can attribute this to the good coordination between the COMELEC and the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” ani pa ni Atty. Vidzpar Julie, ang pinuno ng COMELEC sa Sulu, sa panayam ng pahayagang Mindanao Examiner.

Binansagan naman ni Julie ang panalo ni Sakur Tan na “historical” sa kasaysayan ng lokal na pulitika. “This is something historical dahil landslide ang panalo ni (Sakur) Tan,” dagdag pa ni Julie.

Lumamang umano sa mahigit na 43,000 boto si Tan sa incumbent na si Benjamin Loong, ayon pa kay Julie.

Nilangaw naman ang boto ni Nur Misuari dahil kulelat ito sa Sulu. Si Tan, na dating gobernador ng Sulu, ang kinikilalang nasa likod ng maraming mga proyekto at pag-asenso ng lalawigan ng ito’y nanunungkulan pa. KAMPI ang partido ni Tan.

Sinabi ni Julie na malaking tagumpay ang halalan sa Sulu. Ito rin ang pananaw ng dalawang miyembro ng Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBC).

“Talagang peaceful ang elections sa Sulu. There was only one incident, yun napatay sa (bayan ng) Indanan dahil sa away at ilang mga suntukan between the party watchers at wala na ibang reports of violence.”

“The people were finally given the chance to express their will. There were no pressure from any group or individual or politicians themselves,” wika pa ni Delfin Unga, ng PBC, sa hiwalay na panayam.

Sinabi nito na ang Sulu ang tinitignan ng mga awtoridad sa tuwing may halalan, ngunit ang lalawigan pa ang siyang mga pinakatahimik sa Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

“The elections were really successful and we are proud of it,” sabi pa ni PBC vice chairman Gulamurasid Sahibil.

Ngunit kataka-taka naman ang malaking lamang ng TEAM Unity senatorial bets dahil sa lamang nito sa Genuine Opposition. Base sa partial canvass ay posibleng magwagi rin ang TEAM Unity sa Sulu, ito ang inamin ni Unga.

Nadala umano ng mga partidong lokal at pulitiko ang TEAM Unity kung kaya’t lamang sa botohan. (May dagdag na ulat ni Ben Ajihil at Mark Navales)

Vigilantes Strike, 3 Killed In South RP

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 25 May) – Suspected anti-crime vigilantes killed three men in separate attacks in the southern Philippines, human rights activists said Friday.

Motorcycle gunmen believed members of the dreaded Davao Death Squad shot dead a 30-year old man, Jessie Umpad, while walking on his way home on Thursday near Tibunco village in Davao City.

Police confirmed the murder and said the man was a known robber in the village. He was shot repeatedly in the head and body.

Unidentified men also killed Allan Navales, 18, inside his house also in Tibunco village.

A motorcycle taxi driver was abducted and killed by gunmen in Tagum City, police said.

It said Allan Estrella was seized on Wednesday by gunmen in the village of Pagsabangan. His bullet-riddled body was found the next day not far from where he had been abducted.

Other reports said Estrella was a suspected member of the New People’s Army. (Romy Bwaga)

Alegasyon Ng Dayaan Sa Basilan, Lumutang Sa You Tube!

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 25 May) – Mahigpit ang siguridad sa Basilan province para sa isang special elections matapos na lumutang ang ibat-ibang akusasyon ng pandaraya.

Ngayon Sabado isasagawa ang special elections at nagtaas na ng antas ng siguridad ang mga awtoridad dahil sa banta ng terorismo at tangkang guluhin ang botohan.

Matindi ang akusasyon sa isa’t-isa nina Rep. Abdulgani “Gerry” Salapudin at Gov. Wahab Akbar. Inakusahan ni Salapudin ng pandaraya at vote-buying si Akbar ngunit ito rin ang ibinato ng gobernador sa kongresista.

Parehong nasa huling termino na sina Akbar at Salapudin. Si Akbar ay congress ngayon ang puntirya at gobernador naman kay Salapudin. Subalit asawa ni Akbar ang katungali ni Salapudin.

Lumutang rin sa Youtube.com ang isang pahayag ng babae ukol sa dayaan na naganap sa Basilan.

Sa kanyang pahayag ay sinabi nito kung paano tinakot ng Abu Sayyaf ang mga botante. Maging ang isang barangay chairman ay idinawit nito sa pananakot nuong araw ng halalan.

Ito ang nakasaad sa video clip: “A resident of Barangay Diki, Malamawi Island, Isabela City, Basilan recounts her harrowing experience where an active Abu Sayyaf member…terrorized voters of her barangay…in the recently concluded May 14 Elections.”

Mapapanood ang clip sa "http://youtube.com/watch?v=tEKg4PtEwI8." Hindi naman agad makupirma kung may katotohanan ang alegassyon at kung sino ang nasa likod ng paglalagay nito sa Internet. (Mindanao Examiner)

Cotabato Folks Protest Inclusion To Shariff Kabunsuan Province

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 25 May) – Angry residents here protested the inclusion of Cotabato City as part of the congressional district of the fledgling Shariff Kabunsuan province.

The protesters on Thursday also denounced the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) over its confusing resolutions on what congressional district should Cotabato City properly belong to.

“Led by employees of the city government, prominent residents from cross-section of the city took turn in appealing to COMELEC–Manila to review its last-minute Resolution No. 7902 promulgated May 10, 2007 that placed Cotabato City as part of the congressional district of Shariff Kabunsuan,” Bensar Usman, an employee, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Eduardo dela Fuente, Jr., secretary to the City Mayor Muslimin Sema, argued that said Resolution is unconstitutional since only Congress has the sole power over congressional districting.

He said that Resolution 7902 is tantamount to usurpation by COMELEC of the prerogative and powers of Congress. “It is ultra vires (beyond one’s authority),” stressed dela Fuente.

Lawyer Diosdado Guillermo, past president of the Cotabato City chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, told thousands of protesters that under the Constitution, a province is automatically entitled to a representative and that each city with a population of at least 250,000 shall have at least 1 congressman.

He believes that Cotabato City has this number of people. Another lawyer, Anwar Malang, re-elected councilor, said Cotabato should have voted already for its own representative for Congress during national and local poll as on May 14 because it is the only remaining city in the 1st District of Maguindanao province.

Ten other local government units are now part of in the newly-created Shariff Kabunsuan. He said that even COMELEC recognized this fact when it issued Resolution 7845 on March 29.

Malang said he was also surprised when barely 3 days before the polls, COMELEC issued an “obviously hastily-done” resolution that lumps Cotabato City with the lone congressional district of Shariff Kabunsuan province.

The protesters issued a manifesto urging the COMELEC to “immediately rectify the grave error and injustice it committed against the people of Cotabato City”. They called on the COMELEC to amend its Resolution No. 7902 as they said the latter put them in “abysmal confusion”. (Dong Cusain)

Photo: MILF Rebels In Southern Philippines

Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels read the independent regional newspaper, The Mindanao Examiner, at a guerrilla base in Southern Philippines.(Mindanao Examiner Photo Service/Mark Navales)

Cotabato Mayor Wins For Last Time

Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service/Dong Cusain)

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 25 May) – Thousands of supporters of Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema celebrated his victory Friday after the former rebel leader-turned-politician has been proclaimed winner in the recent elections.

Sema (LAKAS-CMD) topped again the mayoralty race, defeating close rival, Maguindanao 1st District Rep. Bai Zeny Dilangalen (PMP) by a huge margin. Sema was proclaimed winner by the City Board of Canvassers on Wednesday at the Sangguniang Panlungsod session hall where the canvassing was held. He got 34,773 votes against the 15,743 votes of Dilangalen.

"We are so happy and glad that Mayor Sema has won again. He has stirred Cotabato to what it is now," said Aquil Payunan, a trader.

Sema is the secretary-general of the former rebel group, Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace agreement with Manila in September 1995.

Unexpectedly, Estrellita Juliano (GO), who was predicted by many to emerge victorious as Sema and Dilangalen were to split the “Muslim votes”, fared poorly in the polls.

Three other unknown mayoralty candidates - Samad Candao, Baguindali Sapi and Habib Ibrahim - got a beating. This would be Sema’s third and final term as city mayor.

Also proclaimed was incumbent City Vice-Mayor Japal Guiani, Jr. (GO) who defeated Sema’s running mate, Councilor Cynthia Costales. Those who won in the City Council race are Abdullah Andang (LAKAS-CMD, 26476), Anwar Malang (LAKAS-CMD, 25238).

Florante Formento (LAKAS-CMD, 22426), Linda Ampatuan (GO, 20362), Eduardo Rabago (GO, 20036), Kusin Taha (LAKAS-CMD, 19993), Froilan Melendrez (GO, 19701), Wilfrido Bueno (GO, 19519), Marino Ridao (GO, 18686), and Madatu Datumanong (LAKAS-CMD, 17912). (Dong Cusain)

Hunt Is On For Escaped Prisoner

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 25 May) – Philippine jail authorities on Friday mounted a massive search for a prisoner who escaped from his escorts during a court hearing in Pasay City.

Armando Llamasares, chief of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, said they have dispatched a cracked team of hunters from the Special Tactics and Reaction (STAR) headed by Inspector Bernardino Edgar Camus to get back Wilfredo Rabacio.

Rabacio, arrested in 1995 on drug charges, escaped on Thursday.

He said Rabacio was previously detained at the Pasay City Jail but has been recently transferred to the Metro Manila District Jail (MMDJ) inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City after being suspected of selling illegal drugs to prisoners.

“How he was able to escape from his escort is now being investigated,” Llamasares told the Mindanao Examiner newspaper.

He said MMDJ warden Superintendent Edgar Bolcio and two other jail guards who escorted Rabacio have been placed under administrative restriction.

Llamasares directed jail wardens and personnel to be extra vigilant and keep a close watch over high-risk and high-profile inmates, especially those at the Metro Manila District Jail, where known Abu Sayyaf members are also detained.

And prisoners at the different jails in Manila, Pasay, Quezon City and other overcrowded facilities around the capital region to prevent any escape.

“You should tighten security in these jails to frustrate inmates’ attempt to create jail disturbance or escape,” Llamasares said. “We should learn lessons from previous jail escapes successfully carried out by inmates because of personnel’s complacency and laxity. Such attitude towards assigned tasks puts at risk jail security and personnel safety.” (Mindanao Examiner)

Search For Missing Activist Continues, Supports Mounting!

Photo by Bulatlat.

The Free Jonas Burgos Movement (FJBM) calls on all our colleagues in the artists' and writers' circle to manifest their support in our call to the AFP, PNP and the GMA government to double their effort in locating Jonas Joseph Burgos, son of late press freedom icon Jose "Joe" Burgos, who was abducted on April 28, 2007 at the Ever Gotesco Mall in Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

We are humbly soliciting your signatures in support of our call to surface Jonas and all "desaparecidos" and demand justice for all the victims of human rights violations of the current regime and previous governments in our country.

We are hopeful that we would be united in this call. Every name counts. You count.To sign, please send your name at freejonasburgosmovement@yahoo.com.

For more information call 063 4546468. Please pass to all fellow artists and writers. Free Jonas Burgos. Free all Desaparecidos.

Jonas Burgos, the son of the late press freedom fighter Joe Burgos, has kept himself in low profile for all his years spent teaching farmers about natural and self-sustaining farming techniques. But now even his captors may have been caught by surprise at the national and international furor his abduction generated.

His abduction immediately made the headlines. And that may be due to his surname. Jonas Burgos, the son of the late press freedom fighter Joe Burgos, has kept himself in low profile for all his years spent teaching farmers about natural and self-sustaining farming techniques. But now even his captors may have been caught by surprise at the national and international furor his abduction generated.

The closest Jonas would get to follow the footsteps of his journalist father was to delve into photojournalism, Jonas’ younger brother, JL, told Bulatlat in an interview during an indignation rally held May 4 at the People Power Monument along the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA).

More than a hundred friends and supporters marched at least two kilometers along EDSA to demand the safe and immediate release of Jonas who was abducted April 28 in broad daylight, 12 noon, inside the Ever Gotesco Mall along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

Witnesses testified that the younger Burgos was accosted by two unidentified men and was “held by the hands and feet” and taken to a waiting van outside the mall.

The Burgos family has been searching for him since but his whereabouts remains undetermined.

Human rights groups and old friends of the family since Martial Law accused state security agents of being behind Jonas’ enforced disappearance. The military top brass had denied the accusation while police authorities have vowed to locate the missing Jonas.

Farmer-activist

Jonas, the third of five children, took up political science at the San Beda College. “Pero hindi nya tinapos,” JL said, “kasi ang hilig nya talaga ay ang pagsasaka.” (But he did not complete his course because he was really interested in agriculture.)

He may have taken the passion for farming from their parents, JL said. Their parents plant organic palay (unhusked rice grain), corn, vegetables and fruit bearing trees in their 12-hectare agricultural lot in Barangay Tartaro, San Miguel town in the province of Bulacan.

The 36-year-old Jonas finished BS Agriculture at the Benguet State University. After which, he helped manage their farm especially when his father got ill. The older Burgos died of stroke in November 2003 and left the farm to his wife, Edith, and their five children.

By then, Jonas had been sharing his knowledge to his barrio mates and introduced organic farming to peasants in their town and other surrounding areas. He had since been a member of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Bulacan (AMB or Alliance of Concerned Peasants in Bulacan), the local chapter of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP or Peasant Movement of the Philippines) in the province.

“Nung bata pa kami, nagpakita na si utol ng pagmamalasakit sa kapwa,” (Even when we were still children, my brother had already shown his concern for others.) JL said as he remembers his brother taking the slippers of their father and giving it to an elderly woman knocking at their door for alms.

During their younger years, JL said, they also helped in their family’s rice advocacy campaign for high school students who went to their farm for summer exposure.

The difference

Two weeks before Jonas was abducted, JL said, he and Jonas talked about the intensifying political situation that has led to unabated killings, disappearances and harassment of political activists.

“Alam namin delikado lahat ng aktibista pero hindi namin inisip na may mangyayari sa kanya,” (We knew that it is dangerous for activists but we did not think that something would happen to him.) JL said shaking his head. He said his family did not notice any obvious threat against Jonas until he went missing.

“Lumaki kami na hinaharas ang tatay namin at ang buong pamilya,” (We grew up in a situation where our father and the whole family was being harassed.) JL said. Their parents were then publishers of one of the first anti-dictatorship newspaper during Martial Law, the We Forum.

The older Burgos, however, was not able to evade Martial Law authorities for long. Their press office was raided by the Metropolitan Command (Metrocom) on December 7, 1982 and Joe Burgos, together with the editors and staff of We Forum, was arrested and stayed in prison for almost a year.

“Pero nung martial law, may warrant of arrest nung kinuha nila ang tatay ko. Ngayong sinasabi na nagbalik na ang demokrasya, ngayon lang may nawala sa pamilya namin at hindi ito panahon ng martial law,” (During Martial Law they had a warrant when they arrested my father. It is ironic that it is now when democracy was supposedly restored that one of our family members was forcibly disappeared. And it is not even Martial Law.) JL said.

Missing in Bulacan

The province of Bulacan counts for the most number ofmissing individuals since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo held power in 2001. Jonas is the 26th victim of enforced disappearance in the province.

Victims of forced disappearances in Bulacan included Bernie Santos, a farmer from the town of San Miguel who was abducted April 24, 2005 allegedly by soldiers of the First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR) based in Camp Tecson; farmer Manuel Merino and University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Emepeño who were roused from sleep and were dragged to a jeepney-type vehicle before dawn of June 26, 2006.

Ricardo Valmocina Jr. and Robin Solano who were abducted inside the CV Tamayo Farms in Barangay Pinaod, San Ildefonso town; and jeepney driver and Anakpawis provincial coordinator Emerito Lipio who was abducted July 3, 2006.

Oscar Leuterio, a security guard of the Metal Ore Company in the town of Doña Remedios Trinidad was also abducted April 17, 2006 and was held incommunicado for five months inside a safehouse in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, the headquarters of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army (ID PA).

He was released on September of the same year when he agreed to work for the military.

Leuterio, however, sought the assistance of human rights groups and instead testified in court that he saw several victims of abductions inside the same safehouse. He now serves as witness to the abduction of the two UP students who, Leuterio said, were also seen inside the Fort Magsaysay headquarters.

There are 199 victims of enforced disappearance from Jan. 2001 to May 2007, records from the human rights group Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples’ Rights) show. (With reports from Dabet Castaneda of Bulatlat)

Same Old Faces Dominate Zamboanga Polls

Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 24 May) – Philippine election officials declared Mayor Celso Lobregat as winner in the recent national and local polls.

Lobregat won by a huge margin to his close rival Chris dela Cruz, a former Catholic priest, who resigned last year to pursue a political career.

Rep. Erico Fabian also won. Vice Mayor Maria Isabel Climaco, who ran for a seat in Congress, was also declared winner.

Councilor Manuel Dalipe has been elected as the new vice mayor of Zamboanga City.

Lobregat, Fabian and Climaco belong to the same political party, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP). Both Lobregat and Fabian are serving a second term.

The local Board of Canvassers on Wednesday proclaimed them winners in the May 14 elections. (Mindanao Examiner)

Army Handang Makipagtulungan Sa Jonas Burgos Abduction

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 24 May) – Walang balak ang liderato ng Philippine Army na itago ang mga tauhan nitong nais gisahin ng Philippine National Police (PNP) sa pag-uungkat na may kaugnayan sa pagkawala ng anak ng dating Malaya publisher at aktibistang si Jonas Burgos.

Binigyang-diin ni Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres, Jr. na pahaharapin nito ang isang opisyal at dalawang enlisted personnel ng Bulakan upang maliwanagan ang pulisya sa pagkawala ng plaka ng isang trak na naka-impound sa kampo ng militar at nagamit umano sa sasakyang ipinantangay sa batang Burgos.

Handa rin aniya ang Army na makipagtulungan sa anumang imbestigasyon sa mga miyembro nitong nadadawit sa kaso.

Gayunman, mahigpit ang paninindigan ni Torres na walang itinatago ang militar at hindi nito trabaho ang magsagawa ng sinasabing pagdukot at extrajudicial killings.

Binigyan ng ultimatum ng PNP sina Lieutenant Colonel Melquiades Feliciano, battalion commander ng 56th Infantry Battalion sa Norzagaray, Bulacan, Corporal Castro Bugalon at Private 1st Class Jose Villena hanggang Mayo 31 upang humarap sa Kampo Krame.

Una na aniyang tinaningan ng Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) ang tatlo noong Mayo 10 upang humarap sa mga imbestigador subalit hindi sumipot.

Ngunit ayon kay AFP Public Information Office Chief Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro, kahapon lamang din nagpakita ang mga nabanggit na sundalo sa CIDG.

Partikular na hinihingi ng pulisya ang paliwanag ng tatlong militar sa pagkawala ng plakang TAB 194 na nakarehistro sa pangalang Mauro Mudlong ng Norzagaray, isang bayan sa Bulacan.

"We are giving them until May 31, 2007 to appear before the CIDG to give their side, otherwise they will be cited for contempt. The CIDG has the authority to issue summons and cite for contempt anybody who will ignore these summons," paliwanag ni Chief Superintendent Geary Barias.

Militar ang pangunahing pinagbibintangan ng pamilya ni Burgos sa pagkawala nito. (Juley Reyes)

When Dreams Come True...

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE - Antonio Feliciano is a surgeon with a social conscience and despite his hectic schedule, he finds time to share his many blessings with the less fortunate.

Affectionately called “Dr Bonjing” by his friends and patients, he is active in civic organizations.

A couple of years ago, Dr. Bonjing and like-minded medical doctors from Zamboanga City in Southern Philippines formed the Jerome Foundation, Inc., an NGO dedicated to providing free treatment to those afflicted with harelip or split lip condition.

Collectively, they dreamed of a world with less physically deformed children.

One day, Dewayne Chambers, a gruff-speaking American who shuttles between Davao and Mount Canatuan in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province gave a ride to a group of boys out to pick fallen dead branches for firewood.

He noticed that one of the boys, Rommel (not his real name), had a very charming and friendly face marred by harelip.

Chambers told a colleague that a mining company extracting gold and silver from Canatuan should at least be able to give Rommel, and other kids similarly afflicted, a brighter future by making it possible for Rommel to undergo reconstructive surgery. Chambers is Special Projects manager of that company, TVI Resource Development Philippines, Inc. (TVIRD).

Fatima is 18-years old. She is a Tausug, a Muslim native in Sulu, but her family has settled in Sta. Maria village in Siocon. She used to go to school, but stopped when she could no longer stand the jeers and ridicule she received from her classmates because of her harelip condition.

She dreamed of the day when she could put forward a normal face. Somehow, there was an unseen hand that wove these separate strands of dreams together. A joint team of personnel from the Rural Health Unit (RHU) of Siocon, the Canatuan Community Clinic and the TVIRD Community Relations and Development Office (CReDO) staff worked together to identify children with harelip condition. They then got in touch with the Jerome Foundation, Inc. to work out the schedules for operation.

Early this year, a dozen children, accompanied by their parents and the joint RHU-TVIRD team, boarded the bus from Siocon to Zamboanga City. They were divided into two groups; one proceeded to the Zamboanga Doctor’s Hospital and the others to the Ciudad Medical de Zamboanga. They were examined by Jerome Foundation doctors.

Unfortunately, one patient could not be operated on because he had a cough.

The children underwent cheilopasty, as the surgical procedure to repair the harelip condition is called, during the next two days. After an overnight rest in the hospital, they were all discharged.

Several months later, Chambers again lobbied for another round of cheiloplasty to facilitate the surgery of a Subano child, Jumel, whom Chambers befriended and became fond of.

Consequently, CReDO and the Canatuan Clinic scouted again for more children with the same physical deformities within TVIRD’s host and impact communities.

The scouting team found five more children, among them Dwight Lane, the five-year old son of Mario, a Special CAFGU Active Auxiliary serviceman assigned to secure Canatuan.

And early this month, Chambers’ little Subano buddy, as well as Dwight and four other children, finally realized their dream: a harelip surgery that their parents admitted they could not afford to finance.

Leticia, Jumel’s mother, was teary-eyed after the operation: “Kun wala pa ang TVI, dili gayud mahitabo nga matahi ang bungi sa akong anak. Mahal kini ug dili gayud namo makaya ang gasto.
Salamat TVI sa paghatag ug maayong kaugmaon sa akong anak, (If not for TVIRD, it would not have been possible for my child to undergo harelip surgery. It is very expensive and we could not afford it. Thank you TVIRD for giving our child a brighter future).

Mario was also nearly in tears when he saw his only child, Dwight, after the surgery.

“Salamat sa pagpakabana sa TVI ngadto sa mga kabataan nga adunay problema sama sa akong anak…Dili nako makalimtan ang pagtabang nga gihatag niini sa akong anak (Thank you for TVIRD’s concern for children with the same predicament as my son. I will never forget the help given to my child),”Aclao said.

Recently, CReDO personnel received this text message from Fatima: “Thank you for the help you gave us. I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with that condition. Without your help, my dream would not have come true.”

Indeed, the dream of Dr Bonjing and his fellow doctors in the Jerome Foundation has given many souls the inspiration to help, and many young people plenty of reasons to smile. (With reports from Oscar Covarrubias and Rene Patangan)

2 Jemaah Islamiya Militants Killed In South RP

COMPOSTELA VALLEY (Mindanao Examiner / 24 May) – Two alleged Filipino Jemaah Islamiya members were killed in a clash with government soldiers in southern Philippines, officials said Thursday.

Officials said one soldier was also wounded in the fighting that broke out in the village of Napnapan in Pantukan town in the province of Compostela Valley on Wednesday.

Brigadier General Reynaldo Mapagu, commander of the Army’s First Scout Ranger Regiment, said troops stormed a suspected JI hideout and a firefight ensued.

“When the smoke cleared, two JI terror men, both Filipinos are dead,” he said, adding, the men were brothers and suspected as members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Soldiers also recovered two M16 automatic rifles and an anti-tank rocket. The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a strict Islamic state in the restive region of Mindanao. (With a report from Juley Reyes)

AFP Deputy Chief, Nag-retiro Na!

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 24 May) – Pormal ng bumaba ngayon sa tungkulin ang itinuturing na ikatlong mataas na lider ng Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas.

Kasunod ito ng mandatory retirement ni Lieutenant General Christie Datu bilang deputy chief of staff ng Armed Forces. Miyembro ng Philippine Airforce (PAF) at nagtapos ng Philippine Military Academy Class 1973 si Datu na pinalitan ni Major General Pedrito Cadungog.

Si Cadungog na tumayong kumander ng Air Education and Training Command ay miyembro ng PMA Class 1975.

Sa turn-over ceremony, ipinahayag ni AFP Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. ang kumpyansa na magiging epektibo sa tungkulin ang pagpapalit ng opisyal bilang deputy chief of staff.

Ilan pang heneral ng AFP ang nakatakdang magretiro ngayong taon, kabilang ang hepe ng Philippine Army na si Lieutenant General Romeo Tolentino sa Agosto at Major General Jose Angel Honrado, kasalukuyang tagapagsalita ng militar. (Juley Reyes)

RP, US Hold Naval War Games Off Mindanao

U.S. troops during a joint anti-terror training in Jolo island in the Sulu Archipelago in southern Philippines. The Philippines and United States are to hold new naval training off the Sulu Archipelago in June. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 24 May) – Philippine and U.S. soldiers are to begin a joint naval exercise off the southern region of Mindanao, where Filipino security forces are hunting down members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and Jemaah Islamiya.

Some 1,400 American and 600 Filipino troops are expected to join the training next week off the Sulu Archipelago, where fighting between military and Abu Sayyaf forces had been reported.

Filipino military officials said the training is part of an annual activity between the two countries, but this would be the first time that a naval exercise would be held in the south.Previous naval trainings were held in northern Philippines.

“We welcome this training as it will improve our combat capabilities and strengthen military bilateral relations between the Philippines and the United States,” a regional Filipino military spokesman, Major Eugene Batara, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

The training, Batara said, is designed to enhance the ability of soldiers to fight terrorism and other maritime functions from rescue to interception.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands of U.S. soldiers are currently stationed in the southern Philippines and helping the Philippine military defeat terrorism.

U.S. forces have trained Filipino troops the past years in the southern region in anti-terrorism warfare and provided intelligence about the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya.

A small fleet of EP-3 Orion spy planes are also deployed in the restive region. (Mindanao Examiner)

The Bayanihan Spirit Lives On In Zamboanga Del Norte

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE (Mindanao Examiner / 23 May) - Who says the "Bayanihan Spirit" among Filipinos has died down? Not in Zamboanga del Norte!

People from all walks of life participated Wednesday in the program of the Department of Education called “Brigada Eskwela” in Jose Dalman town where they helped each in cleaning government schools, according to the Philippine Information Agency.

“Young and old, married and single, professionals and ordinary folks and even some policemen converged together and got themselves busy cleaning the school premises, planting foliage and other ornamental plants, repairing dilapidated chairs and classrooms, repainting faded walls and fences and doing other things to spruce up their schools,” it said.

Brigada Eskwela is a nationwide program -- implemented every May since 2004 -- seeking to draw support from all sectors in the community to get the schools ready before classes begin in June.

Dr Nelfa Acopiado, assistant schools division superintendent, said Brigada Eskwela serves to support program ADZHAR initiated by the Zamboanga del Norte schools division under the auspices of Dr Habib Adzhar H. Sarahadil.

ADZHAR stands for Actualize and Develop a Zeal for Higher Achievement Rate, which puts challenge to school administrators and teachers alike to attain improved performance in classroom instructions and co-curricular activities through the collaborative efforts between and among the stakeholders such as the pupils, parents, teachers and the community.

“Because of Brigada Eskwela, the schools have become more conducive to learning as no school looks bedraggled at the start of the classes," Acopiado said.

Bayanihan is a Filipino trait where villagers help each other in community works. (Franklin Gumapon)

Traders To Promote Agri And Industrial Tourism In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 23 May) – Local business leaders are pressing for the idea to aggressively pursue agricultural and industrial tourism in a bid to promote Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

The calls were made after several members of the private sector-led Tourism Association of Zamboanga (TAZ) visited recently the 15,000 hectares eco-tourism park inside the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone and Freeport Authority.

"There's really a need to look for other alternative. Agri-tourism and the industrial-tourism are just some of the possible tourist destination sites in the city. Tourists, for example can visit several organic farms here.”

“In addition, visitors can also tour the nine sardine factories here," Vicente A. Lim, president of the Insular Travel and Tours and a member of the organization.

Zamboanga City in Zamboanga del Sur province is host to at least nine major sardines companies in the country while Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte province has about 23 bottled sardines companies.

The sardine fishing and processing activities alone can generate an average of P 3 billion annually to the local economy.

”We can tap the existing farms and orchards in this city to add the tourist destination sites of the city. If a place lack scenic destinations for tourist, then it is incumbent for us to develop and promote places that are possible to lure more tourists.”

“Agri-tourism and the industrial-tourism should be part of tour packages of the travel and tour agencies," said Onofre T. Griño, president of the Menzi Agricultural Corp.

Ricardo A. San Juan, Tourism regional director, said: “Agri-tourism, in general, is the practice of attracting travelers or visitors to an area or areas used primarily for agricultural purposes. Very often, the idea of tourism stimulates images of mass-produced travel that attracts a large number of travelers.”

”Agri-tourism can be viewed much like eco-tourism, specifically focused on education purposes," he said, adding that a same idea applies to the industrial-tourism. We are now encouraging local businessmen and farm owners to develop their farms into a tourist destination site. Wherein, they can set up some farmhouse for overnight guests,” he said.

Agri-tourism and the industrial-tourism can be also seen as a marketing tool for the companies, he said.

”With tourists having around, local businessmen here can create direct trade linkages with the prospective foreign buyers,” San Juan said. (Darwin Wee)

Japan Pledges To Help Develop War-Torn Areas In Mindanao

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 23 May) – The Japan International Cooperation Agency is to launch a two–year grassroots study to assess the social, economic and development needs of the war-devastated areas in Mindanao.

The study is being conducted in areas under the control of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been fighting for decades for the establishment of a strict Islamic state in the southern Philippines.

JICA said it would launch before the end of May quick impact projects in education, healthcare, water supply and economic improvement.

Sadako Ogata, JICA president, visited Mindanao island in September last year and pledged to help restore stability in Mindanao after more than three decades of war that left tens of thousands of people dead.

Philippine leader Gloria Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 in an effort to end the bloody fighting and develop Mindanao.

A formal agreement between the Philippine government and JICA followed in March and the agency then established a field office in Davao City with one Japanese staff member and five local personnel.

JICA continues to provide assistance to the Regional Government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), particularly in the areas of medical care and agriculture as in previous years.

In March, five local officials were sent to Malaysia to study Halal, or Islamic food processing techniques.

JICA said it is dispatching new evaluation teams to help develop local industry and infrastructure. It is conducting community development field studies in both the ARMM and MILF areas through nongovernmental organizations and promoting cooperation frameworks in rice cultivation and livestock farming.

JICA has identified five priority areas and issues for assistance to the Philippines.

The first is enabling sustained development by reinforcing the country's economic structure and removing growth-restricting factors. This requires (1) proper macroeconomic management, (2) reinforcement of the industrial structure, and (3) improvements in the economic infrastructure, including energy, electricity, and transport.

The second is correction of disparities, specifically poverty alleviation and correction of regional disparities. Particular importance is being given to (1) rural development and (2) improvement of basic living conditions. The latter involves enhancing health and medical services, improving water supply, and assistance for vulnerable members of society.

The third is environmental conservation and disaster prevention. The fourth is human resources development and institution building.

In concrete terms, this involves (1) enhancing access to primary and secondary education and improving the quality of the education provided; (2) upgrading IT-related technologies; and (3) administrative capacity building and institution building. And the fifth is aid for Mindanao. (With a report from Mark Navales)

Chaz Yandall: Samoan-American Missionary In Philippines

The Samoan-American ‘Jesus Freak’ with a huge heart – and family of twenty-six to go with it. The extraordinary story of Chaz Yandall and his outreach to the orphaned and abandoned children of the Philippines.

Samoan-American Chaz Yandall was once a “Jesus Freak” but now he’s a missionary to the Philippines where, along with his wife Terrie, continues to care his ever-growing extended family.

I met up with Chaz at the recent Festival of Life 2007 led by Mike MacIntosh and being held in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the picturesque capital of Chiapas, and he agreed to talk about his extraordinary life and his work with children in the country he has lived in for the past sixteen years.

Chaz began by sharing about his childhood. “I grew up in a very devout Roman Catholic family, knowing about God, but not necessarily knowing about my need for that personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” he said.

“Even though I was an altar boy through high school, I was not living according to what the Scriptures would have me do and, after I graduated from high school in Michigan at the age of sixteen, I got in my car and drove all the way to California.“

“My parents come from Samoa, a small island in the south Pacific and they moved to America and lived in Michigan where it is very cold during the winter and so I ended up in sunny San Diego where I had a brother living there.

“While there, I learned how to surf and started working in the surfing industry as well as studying to go into the Air Force. One of the people who worked for me was a young Filipino man and one day he decided to be bold and ask me to go to church with him. I had not set foot in a church since I left my home back in Michigan and so I said, ‘That might be kind of fun.’

He took me to a church called Horizon South Bay in the southern part of San Diego. There I saw people going happily smiling into church and they were carrying Bibles. It was something totally foreign to me and the time of music was fantastic and then when the man taught from the Word he was encouraging us all to ‘make sure’ what he was teaching was right and I thought, ‘Wow, this is really unique.’

“His message turned around and he asked, ‘Have you dealt with the issue of your own personal sin?’ I realized that I hadn’t and I went forward at the alter call was on the floor sobbing like a baby which, being six foot four Samoan, that was obviously something that was not natural. It was something that the divine Spirit of God was doing in my life. That was in 1985 and when I began my journey with God.”

I asked him what his family thought of his conversion.

“I was so excited that when I got home I called my mother and my father back in Michigan to tell them that I was ‘saved’ and ‘born again’ and immediately my mother began crying and handed the phone to my father. I could hear them talking in the background and then my father got on the phone and said, ‘Your mother told me that you just did this. Is that correct?’ I said, ‘Yeah, Dad, it’s great.’ He then said, ‘You’re no son of mine,’ and hung up the phone. That just devastated me.”

Chaz said that after his conversion, he began attending one of the Horizon churches in San Diego and worked for the high school ministry for four years. He married his girlfriend, Terrie, and they soon had three children.

The “call” to the Philippines began take shape when many of the men who had gone with Mike MacIntosh to participate in the first Festival of Life in that country in Manila and also the city of Bacolod.

“I didn’t go, but a bunch of our friends went,” said Chaz. “There were about three-hundred people from the church that went on that festival and they all came back saying what a great ministry opportunity it was and telling me that they were going to quit their jobs and move there.

“I told them that I wasn’t going to quit my well paying job in the surfing industry, my home, and at the age of twenty-four, take my wife and three kids to the Philippines. I felt that I was a success story and I didn’t plan to give all that up.

“However, over the course of six months, my wife began to ask me, ‘Honey, are you hearing anything from God about the Philippines?’ We had heard Mike MacIntosh share from the pulpit about an opportunity to go back and help the kids in Bacolod. After about six months of her asking me that same question, gently, nicely, peacefully, I discovered that not a single one of my friends had quit their jobs and moved to the Philippines.

“One day, I heard that still small voice of God saying to me, ‘I have given you everything you’ve ever wanted and now I’m asking for you in return to give it back and understand that you can either give it to me willingly or I can take it away.”

Chaz said he finally began to seek God’s guidance on this matter and He asked the Lord prove Himself. “In 1989, I was reading my Bible and it fell open to James, chapter one. “I started reading I got down to verse twenty- seven where it says, ‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.’

“When I read the word ‘orphans’ it was like it became a neon sign to me. “I knew the church was looking for somebody to go out and help orphan kids and I just started weeping knowing that this was what I had to do.”

Strangely, Chaz revealed that was his wife that began training for the mission field at the Horizon School of Evangelism in San Diego. She was by now pregnant with their fourth children and so he went along with her to the Philippines for her practicum.

“When I first flew into Manila, I thought, ‘Lord, what did we get ourselves into?’ If you haven’t lived in a city of over twenty-million people, you’re just overwhelmed at just the masses of humanity that you see. We were in Manila for about two weeks and then our team headed to Bacolod which I thought would be like the jungles of Africa.

“So as we’re flying into Bacolod, I was surprised to see lots of concrete and streets laid out below in a grid formation and then I started to see two and three story buildings. Then, as we were driving in to the city, sure enough was a big sign announced that McDonald’s was about to be built there.”

Eventually, the Yandall family moved to Bacolod and began to try and help meet the needs of orphaned and abandoned children there. But they got off to a bad start. Their savings began to diminish and soon they had practically nothing left to live off.

“For the first six months, things that were supposed to be provided through some local contacts didn’t pan out so we were living in a hotel,” Chaz explained.

“Then, once our finances got down below where we couldn’t live in the hotel any more, we began living in the servant’s quarters of another missionary’s house. So here I was with my pregnant wife and three kids and the servant’s quarters were just big enough for us at night to lay down four mattresses in the room. All of us kind of slept on the four mattresses.

“As time went on, it got to a point where, in my youthful arrogance and immaturity in Christ, I just cried out to God and said, ‘Lord, I’ve had enough of this. I’m not going to eat another meal in this house until You provide for us.’ Looking back at it now, I can imagine the Lord looking down from heaven saying, ‘OK, go ahead.’

“Two weeks later, God provided. Had He not provided, then probably within the next weeks we would have gotten on a plane home to nothing, the whole time, God was allowing all these things to happen to me to break me and learn how to pick up the cross and continuing on just like Jesus did, continuing on.”

Chaz saw the irony of him bringing his family to the Philippines so he and Terrie could help disadvantaged children, saying, yet he couldn’t properly care for his own during those early months there.

As life began to turn around for Chaz and his family, their work started in earnest with a Children’s Crisis Center. “What happens in the Philippines is that women get pregnant out of wedlock and then the ‘love of their lives’ bails on them and leaves. So now you’ve got a young girl who’s pregnant or has the baby already and can’t get work because she’s got to take care of the baby. Nice thing about the Roman Catholic background there is that at least, when women get pregnant, abortion isn’t the first thought, like in the United States.

“Children born out of wedlock aren’t exactly welcomed into the community or by their family, so they’re kind of on their own. Soon mother’s were bringing their children to use and asking us if we would take care of them ‘for a while.’ We found out over the course of the next couple of years that all of those young women never come back.

“So now we’ve got these little children and our own infant as well. From the very beginning we wanted those children to have a stable environment, a home so our biological children and they, could share rooms from the beginning. So, as these little babies who were left, continued to get older they started calling us ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy,’ because that’s what our own children called us.”

So now the Yandall’s have a house full of their owned children and also these abandoned kids, and they began to explore if they could legal adopt the abandoned children.

“At that time, it was illegal for foreigners living within the country to adopt. So I prayed, ‘Lord, You brought us here. You gave us these children and they’re calling us ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ and we’re going to treat them like that because we are here for a long time because and we can’t take them anywhere. Lord it’d be so cool if they’d changed the adoption laws and allowed us to adopt them.”

Well, that eventually occurred and this meant that a foreigner who had lived for more than three years in the Philippines could now adopt like a natural citizen of the country.

“Now, we are in the process of adopting twenty children and adding them to our six natural children. So I’m a father of twenty-six. We’ve completed five of the adoptions and we are in the court for four more, and when that’s done we’ll go with eleven more and we’ll be done with that aspect of life. Our adopted children range from eight to twenty.”

Besides his work with the children, Chaz is also now the pastor of Horizon Bacolod and is also deeply involved in broadcasting in his adopted city.

“For the past six years I’ve been also involved in a broadcasting ministry called ‘Sinbad’s Galley’ which is a contemporary Christian music show that we do on a secular FM radio station,” he explained. “I present it on Saturday and Sunday mornings and I’m like a normal DJ, but I play Godly music and I give short segments of spiritual encouragement in between songs.

“I also have a Bible Answer type of program where for 30 minutes I play the teachings of Chuck Smith and then I take Bible questions from listeners for the second half hour. We have been doing that now for about nine months.”

Life has come along way for this Samoan-American “Jesus Freak” who now has a unique and loving ministry to so many in the Philippines. (Dan Wooding, ASSIST Ministries)

Fighting Breaks Out In Basilan Island In South RP

BASILAN (Mindanao Examiner / 23 May) – Philippine troops clashed with gunmen in the southern island of Basilan, where security forces were protecting the canvassing of votes in the recent national and local polls, officials said.

Officials said the fighting occurred late Tuesday in Akbar town after marine soldiers raided a thatched hut in search for illegal weapons.

Other reports said the gunmen were members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group or private armies of local politicians.

Soldiers recovered assorted munitions and a machine gun. There were no reports of arrests, but troops tightened security on the island lorded by political warlords and their goons.

Politicians accused each other of massive cheating and fraud. Just early this week, a grenade attack injured three people at a canvassing area in Lamitan town where ballots from the nearby town of Sumisip were being counted.

Elections in the Philippines are traditionally bloody and violent, with politicians and their armed supporters often clashed in an effort to stay in power. (Mindanao Examiner)

Parak, Pulitiko Sinisipat Sa Panununog Ng Eskwelahan Sa Batangas!

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 22 May) - Wala pa rin matibay na ebidensya ang Philippine National Police (PNP) upang iugnay at idiin ang sinumang pulitiko sa insidente ng panununog sa Pinagbayanan Elementary School sa bayan ng Taysan sa lalawigan ng Batangas.

Sinabi kanina ni PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) head Chief Superintendent Geary Barias na bagamat may mga lumulutang na indikasyon na posibleng dawit ang ilang mga pulitiko sa panununog.

Naniniwala si Barias na pulitika ang motibo ng panununog kung saan ay isang guro at isang poll watcher ang nasawi kamakailan.

Kasabay nito, kinasuhan na ng Criminal Investigation and Detection Group si Inspector Robert Marinda ng Calabarzon Regional Special Action Group matapos na positibong ituro ng testigo na sangkot sa panununog.

Kabilang sa ikinaso sa Batangas prosecutor's office ay ang arson resulting to multiple murder at multiple serious physical injuries.

Ayaw ring agad paniwalaan ng PNP ang depensa ni Marinda na inosente ito at nagturo pa ng ibang politiko na sangkot sa krimen.

Katwiran ni Barias, maaaring depensa lamang din ni Marinda ang maghanap ng damay ngunit tuloy ang pag-iimbestiga at prosekusyon.

"We believe we have a very strong case, because positive identification during the line up and the circumstances surrounding all those things," ani Barias.

Samantala, wala pang maikaso ang PNP sa isa pang pulis na idinadawit sa insidente na si SPO1 William Relos, Jr., bunsod ng kawalan ng testigo at ebidensya laban dito.

Unang ibinintang ng PNP sa rebeldeng New People’s Army ang panununog hanggang sa lumabas ang pangalan ng mga pulitiko at ang mga parak. (Juley Reyes)

3 Injured In Basilan Island Attack

BASILAN (Mindanao Examiner / 22 May) – Police on Tuesday sent more forces to secure the canvassing of votes on Basilan island following a grenade attack that injured three people.

The attack late on Monday at a canvassing area in Lamitan town was believed to be connected to politics. The elections on May 14 were hotly contested in Basilan between political warlords.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the explosion, but it sent fears to local elections officers still canvassing votes from nearby Sumisip town.

The attack interrupted the canvassing of votes, but it later resumed after police secured the premises of a government school used as counting area.

Local politicians accused each other of election fraud and cheating and vote-buying. And in recent days, security forces seized illegal weapons from supporters of politicians.

Philippine elections are often marred with irregularities and fraud and have been traditionally bloody and violent.

Police said hundreds of people were killed and injured in poll-related violence across the country. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kapabayaan, Inamin Ng Armed Forces!

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 22 May) – Aminado ang Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) na nagkaroon ng kapabayaan sa mga tauhan ng militar para bantayan ang mga nakukumpiskang sasakyan na nasa kanilang kustodiya.

Ito'y may kaugnayan sa nawawalang plaka ng trak na naka-impound sa kampo ng 56th Infantry Battalion ng Philippine Army ngunit natuntong idinikit sa ibang sasakyan na ginamit sa pagdukot sa anak ng dating Malaya publisher Joe Burgos na si Jonas Burgos.

Sinabi nina AFP Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. at Army Chief Lieutenant General Romeo Tolentino na maituturing na administrative lapses ang pagkawala ng nasabing plaka ng sasakyan.

Ngunit hindi naman ito pinaniwalaan ng pamilyang Burgos. Militar ang itinuturong nasa likod ng pagdukot kay Burgos na isang aktibista.

Inamin rin ni Tolentino na hindi lamang sa 56th IB nangyari ang ganitong kapabayaan kundi maging sa iba pang kampo kung kayat nagkaroon na rin ng imbentaryo at naparusahan ang mga pumalpak sa seguridad.

Hindi naman aniya inaasahan ng militar na maaaring magamit sa anumang ilegal na aktibidad ng ibang tao ang mga sasakyang nasa kanilang kustodiya dahil nakakalimutan na nila ito sa paglipas ng panahon.

"Sa ibang units napabayaan, nawawala rin, napabayaan. Pero pinag-i-inventory na namin para as of this date alam na natin wala meron tayong record, kasi mas mahirap kung me ganun na situation saka sabihin na nawala eh hindi tayo paniniwalaan ng tao yan," ani Tolentino.

Bahagi aniya ng parusa sa mga ganitong kapabayaan ay ang babala sa mga kumander na lilitaw sa rekord nito at makakaapekto sa promosyon. (Juley Reyes)

Internet Service To Boost RP-Canada Export Business

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Filipino companies interested to market and export their products to Canada can now avail of the online services of the Trade Facilitation Office of Canada (TFOC).

Ambassador to Canada, Jose S. Brilliantes, said the TFOC’s online services are a web-based mechanism for exporters and potential buyers to do business.

Interested Philippine exporters registering at www.tfoc.ca could upload basic information of its company profile and products, including uploading of photos of products, price list and factory site of vital interest to over 1,000 Canadian importers in TFOC’s database, according to the Philippine Information Agency in Zamboanga City.

Basically, the database is designed to connect locally interested exporters with their prospective Canadian in buyers.

With this tool, Philippine export companies are strongly encouraged by Ambassador Brilliantes to take advantage and use this export diagnostic tool provided free by TFOC.

Somehow, for a more realistic trade possibility, Ambassador Brilliantes cautions local companies to have at least one-year exporting experience considering that Canada is a sophisticated market.

The Trade Facilitation Office of Canada is a non-profit corporation with an ongoing mandate to provide trade related technical assistance to developing countries and countries in transaction, the Department of Trade and Industry said. (Mimi Bern-Edaga)

Tropa Babalik Muli Sa Metro; Unibersidad Ang Susunod Na Target!

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 22 May) – Nagpahiwatig ngayon ang liderato ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ng posibilidad na maibalik ang mga sundalong una nang ipinakalat sa Kalakhang Maynila.

Tinukoy ni AFP Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., ang mga proyekto sa mga barangay tulad ng light engineering projects na mahalagang matapos dahil nabitin ito sa pagdaan ng May 14 elections.

Malaking bagay rin aniya ang pagkilos ng mga sundalo laban sa maaaring pag-atake ng ng mga nalalabing miyembro ng terrorist sleeper cell sa Metro Manila bukod pa sa pagpupumilit na makapasok ng New People's Army (NPA) sa mga mahihirap na barangay at unibersidad.

Gayunman, sinabi ni Esperon na kailangan pa ring magsagawa ng pag-aaral o ebalwasyon sa naunang operasyon ng AFP National Capital Region Command sa komunidad.

Kasabay nito, mahigpit ring tutukan ng militar ang seguridad sa mga kolehiyo at unibersidad sa harap ng sinasabing pang-iimpluwensya ng mga rebelde sa student councils at organizations.

Ayaw pang tukuyin ni Esperon ang mga paaralang pinaghihinalaang napasok ng mga rebeldeng ideyolohiya ngunit nakikipag-ugnayan na rin ito sa mga school official para sa kaukulang seguridad.

Hindi na rin naman aniya kakailanganin ang deployment ng sundalo sa mga unibersidad dahil pakikilusin na rin ang mga reserved officer training corps (ROTC).

Ipinunto ni Esperon na bagamat hindi nakakaalarma ang infiltration ng mga komunista sa mga paaralan, kailangan pa ring alertado ang mga awtoridad. (Juley Reyes)

Philippine Navy, Hindi Pa Rin Bilib Kay Trillanes!

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 22 May) – Hindi bilib ang liderato ng Hukbong Pandagat kay dating Navy Lieutenant Seniorgrade Antonio Trillanes IV kahit na manalo ito sa kanyang kandidatura bilang senador.

Kasabay nito, sinabi ni Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Rogelio Calunsag na mali ang naging hakbang ni Trillanes na pangunahan ang nabigong kudeta noong Hulyo 2003 para lang igiit ang pagbabago sa sistema ng pamahalaan.

"If you have many grievances, if you don't like the system, you get out of the system. You don't stage a mutiny," ani Calunsag.

Gayunman, ang anumang maging resulta aniya ng eleksyon at kung maipanalo ni Trillanes, irerespeto ng militar sa paniniwalaang ito ang sumasalalim sa hangarin ng taumbayan.

Ipinaalala pa ni Calunsag kay Trillanes na ang serbisyong militar ay nakasandig sa tunay na disiplina na tila nakalimutan ng batang opisyal nang maglunsad ito ng pagrerebelde.

Nagbabala rin si Calunsag sa sinumang nagnanais na gayahin ang ginawa ng grupo ni Trillanes na mananagot sa batas ng militar kung lalabag.

Kinakailangan aniyang maging mahigpit ang militar sa mga pasaway na miyembro nito upang hindi na ulitin.

"Our approach is we throw the books at them so that other people will not follow. We have to be strict. If you let them off by just talking to them, they will do it again," diin ni Calunsag.

Sa pinakahuling canvassing ng Commission on Elections, nasa ikalabing-apat na posisyon si Trillanes na may botong 5,038,205. Subalit sa ibang independent canvassing ay ika-sampu na ito. (Juley Reyes)

TVI Nets C$2.4 Million Q1 In 2007

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Canadian mining firm, TVI Resource Development Inc. (TVIRD) has reported a C$2.4 million (P102 million) net income in the first quarter of this year, up by 67% compared to the same period of last year with C$1.4 million.

Based on its quarterly report, the mineral company also posted total operating revenue of $10.5 million compared with $8.8 million in 2006 and cash flow from operations of $1.3 million compared with $2.7 million.

The turnaround was accounted for largely by positive effect of the company's drilling and gold extraction performances demonstrated in April, during which a daily average of 207 gold equivalent ounces ("AuEqOzs") was produced, which was significantly higher than the average daily production of 148 AuEqOzs for the first quarter.

Increased daily throughput and metal production is expected to lower overall costs of metal produced (on a unit of production basis), thereby increasing overall financial performance, the company said.

"Our solid financial performance for the first quarter of 2007 has provided a continuing platform for growth and expansion," said Clifford James, TVI's President said in a statement.

"First quarter earnings and cash flow financed a dramatically expanded exploration program, compared with the same period last year, as well as initial expenditures on the Sulphide Expansion Project, which is expected to be the cash flow engine for TVI for next year and for years to come," he added.

TVI is currently operating in Canatuan project located in the town of Siocon in Zamboanga Del Norte, which is the first foreign-funded mining project in the Philippines in nearly four decades.

The Canadian company acquired its mineral production sharing agreement on September 1996, with mining tenements of 508 hectares. Mining of gold and silver-bearing raw gossans ore began in May of 2004.

The mining company is now on the expansion mode acquiring more mining lands in the peninsula.

TVI Pacific, a publicly listed firm in Canada, has mining operations in the Philippines and China. It is also involved in independent drilling operation and holds minor stakes in Lafayette Mining's troubled Rapu-Rapu operation in Albay.

The company's latest report said that while Lafayette was suspended late last year, it paid royalty twice to TVI late last year and early this year.

The mining firm has earlier said that it has increased its gold and silver production by 112% as a result of targeted technical management.

The Canatuan mine has increased production of gold and silver to 56,880 gold equivalent ounces in 2006 from 26,830 gold equivalent ounces in 2005. A gold equivalent ounce is the combined amount of gold and silver produced with the latter's amount computed in gold ounces.

Gold production increased by 131% to 45,210 ounces in 2006 from 19,535 ounces in 2005. Silver production also rose by 36% to 608,507 ounces in 2006 from 445,859 ounces in 2005.

It officials said the improvement in production was due to a series of upgrades that were made to the mine and mill facilities at Canatuan in 2005 and 2006, resulting in record levels of metal production in 2006 when commodity prices were high.

Gold and silver ore supplied into the mill also increased 207% to 591,180 dry metric tons (dmt) in 2006 from 192,870 dmt in 2005.

The mine's recovery of precious minerals increased to 87.49% for gold and 61.82% for silver compared with 82.61% for gold and 50.10% for silver.

Cash cost for each gold equivalent ounce for 2006 was lower at $326 per ounce compared to $310 in 2005.

Total cost, which includes cash cost, amortization of equipment and previous mining expenses, for each gold equivalent ounce for 2006 is higher at $452 in 2006 from $415 in 2005. (Darwin Wee)

Sulu, May Bagong Gobernador Na!

Mahigpit ang siguridad ngayon sa Sulu na may bagong gobernador na. Landslide victory ang panalo ni Sakur Tan na nakakuha ng haglos 43,000 boto mula sa mga katungaling sina Benjamin Loong at Nur Misuari. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

SULU (Mindanao Examiner / 22 May) – Pormal ng idineklara kahapon ng Commission on Elections dito ang bagong gobernador ng Sulu province na si Sakur Tan at dalawang congressman na sina Yusop Jikiri at Munir Arbison, gayun rin ang ibang mga alkalde sa kabila ng tangkang patigilin diumano ang proklamasyon.

Naging tensyonado ang halalan sa Sulu dahil sa pananakot ng mga talunang pulitiko at kanilang armadong grupo. Ngunit sa kabila nito ay itinuloy ng COMELEC ang proklamasyon ng mga nagwaging kandidato sa Mindanao State Univeristy sa Jolo.

Nagbunyi naman ang mga libo-libong supporters ng mga nagwaging pulitiko.

Sa kabila ng lahat ay tahimik ang eleksyon. “Peaceful ang halalan sa Sulu and we can attribute this to the good coordination between the COMELEC and the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” ani pa ni Atty. Vidzpar Julie, ang pinuno ng COMELEC sa Sulu, sa panayam ng pahayagang Mindanao Examiner.

Binansagan naman ni Julie ang panalo ni Sakur Tan na “historical” sa kasaysayan ng lokal na pulitika. “This is something historical dahil landslide ang panalo ni (Sakur) Tan,” dagdag pa ni Julie.

Lumamang umano sa mahigit na 43,000 boto si Tan sa incumbent na si Benjamin Loong, ayon pa kay Julie.

Nilangaw naman ang boto ni Nur Misuari dahil kulelat ito sa Sulu. Si Tan, na dating gobernador ng Sulu, ang kinikilalang nasa likod ng maraming mga proyekto at pag-asenso ng lalawigan ng ito’y nanunungkulan pa. KAMPI ang partido ni Tan.

Sinabi ni Julie na malaking tagumpay ang halalan sa Sulu. Ito rin ang pananaw ng dalawang miyembro ng Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBC).

“Talagang peaceful ang elections sa Sulu. There was only one incident, yun napatay sa (bayan ng) Indanan dahil sa away at ilang mga suntukan between the party watchers at wala na ibang reports of violence.”

“The people were finally given the chance to express their will. There were no pressure from any group or individual or politicians themselves,” wika pa ni Delfin Unga, ng PBC, sa hiwalay na panayam.

Sinabi nito na ang Sulu ang tinitignan ng mga awtoridad sa tuwing may halalan, ngunit ang lalawigan pa ang siyang mga pinakatahimik sa Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

“The elections were successful and we are proud of it,” sabi pa ni PBC vice chairman Gulamurasid Sahibil.

Ngunit kataka-taka naman ang malaking lamang ng TEAM Unity senatorial bets dahil sa lamang nito sa Genuine Opposition. Base sa partial canvass ay posibleng magwagi rin ang TEAM Unity sa Sulu, ito ang inamin ni Unga.

Nadala umano ng mga partidong lokal at pulitiko ang TEAM Unity kung kaya’t lamang sa botohan.

Sa Basilan, matindi ang tension sa pagitan ng mga kandidato, partikular kina Rep. Abdulgani (Gerry) Salapudin at Gov. Wahab Akbar.

Tatlo sa asawa ni Akbar ang lamang o nagwagi sa halalan bilang mayor at gobernador. Si Akbar, na kandidato sa pagka-congressman, ay malayo ang lamang sa ka-alyado ni Salapudin na si Jim Hataman.

Si Salapudin na tumatakbo sa pagka-gobernador, subali’t hindi man lang nakalapit sa score ng asawa ni Akbar. Inakusahan ni Salapudin si Akbar ng pandaraya, ngunit ito rin ang naging bintang ng huli.

Sa Maguindanao ay halos nagwagi ng walang hirap si re-electionist Andal Ampatuan at mga anak nitong tumakbo sa ibat-ibang bayan. Kilalang political kingpin si Ampatuan at ito rin ang nasa likod ng landslide victory ng TEAM Unity. (Mindanao Examiner)

Environmental Sourcebook with Islamic Perspective, Rleased

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Muslim religious leaders in Western Mindanao warmly received Al Khalifa (The Steward), a sourcebook on environmental protection and conservation written from the perspective of Islam.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Philippine Environmental Governance 2 Project (EcoGov2), worked with Muslim community leaders, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, educators, and Qur’anic experts from Western Mindanao to develop Al Khalifa. USAID released introductory copies of the sourcebook in Zamboanga City last April 22 to coincide with the global celebration of Earth Day.

The sourcebook, the first publication of its kind in the country, underscores the commitment of the EcoGov2 project to promote good environmental governance practices in Western Mindanao.

Right now, 20 local government units (LGUs) in the Western Mindanao provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay receive substantial technical assistance from the EcoGov 2 project.

USAID’s EcoGov2 project developed Al Khalifa to help LGUs in predominantly Muslim regions of the Philippines improve their capacity for sound ecological governance.

Based on the teachings of the Holy Qur’an, Al Khalifa seeks “to educate leaders and followers in Muslim communities that the environment and ecological governance are part of man’s responsibilities as God’s vicegerents on earth” and “to enable Muslims to be involved in environmental governance through a clearer understanding and better appreciation of his responsibilities and accountabilities as prescribed by Islam.”

Al Khalifa is inspired by the Islamic principle of man as God’s steward and trustee on earth. As stated in the sourcebook, “Islam exemplifies rightful conduct…and regulates man’s life according to the halal-haram dichotomy, of what is allowed and forbidden, lawful and unlawful… And Islam views the care and management of the environment as part of every Muslim’s religious obligation.”

Endorsements by Islamic religious leaders of Al Khalifa:
In Zamboanga City, Deputy Mufti for Western Mindanao and Palawan Sheikh Abdulwakil Tanjilil of the Darul Ifta, endorsed Al Khalifa.

He said that, “As a Muslim, one should be aware of the responsibilities in the use of earth’s natural resources and the care of the environment, and should enjoin his Muslim brothers to obey Allah commands them to do, in relation to them.”

He also enjoined “all concerned Muslims to propound the teachings from the Al Khalifa in their daily activities, at home and in government, shools and mosques, work and leisure, and to consider all these as part of Islamic worship”.

In Lamitan, Basilan, Ustadz Ulama Usman Mangkabung heartily accepted the sourcebook stressing that “the people are all responsible for the environment”.

In Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay Province, Hadji Jaalal Saniel appreciated the book as a “good source to support what the Qur’an and Hadith command”.

In Buug, Zamboanga Sibugay, Ustadz Abdul Mauna recommended that the book be used as in instructional reference in the different madaris (Islamic schools) all over the country.

Earlier, in the Islamic City of Marawi, Al Khalifa was used as a reference in a khutbah (a religious sermon) delivered on April 13, 2007 at Masjed Bubong Lilod by Amrola Diambangan, aleem (“learned man”) of the Young Moro Professional Network, Madaya.

Troops Foil Ballot Snatching In South RP

JOLO ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 13 May) – Government soldiers arrested two men Sunday who tried to snatch two ballot boxes in the southern Philippine island of Jolo, witnesses said.

The men had been taken into custody after a near shootout between the soldiers and policemen who were escorting them.

Military and police officials did not give details about the incident, but dozens of people witnessed the commotion at the island provincial capitol building, where the ballot boxes were stacked.

It was not immediately known whether the men were working for a politician or not and whether their police escorts had been authorized.

Some 45 million Filipinos are to elect their senators, congressmen and local officials on Monday for the synchronized national and local polls.

Philippine elections are traditionally bloody and violent. Police said more than 100 have been killed in poll-related incidents across the country. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Elections 2007

Pilipinas Shell's Instave Really Works Wonder!

SURIGAO DEL SUR (Mindanao Examiner / 12 May) – Oil giant Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (PSPC) launched what it said could be the cheapest and durable and cost-effective road treatment product.

Called the Instapave, it said the new product may solve and reduce the cost needed in rehabilitating 78 percent of all unpaved road in the Philippines which had hampered the development of many areas.

Jacqueline Cesar dela Cruz, PSPC's Instapave manager, said the product – result of a long research and studies by experts - is 34 percent cheaper than asphalt and 50 percent more economical that concrete pavement.

“Using it is to save more money and the savings means more projects to implement,” she told the Mindanao Examiner.

She said compared to ordinary asphalt and concrete roads, the Instapave is also environment-friendly since it uses water based solutions instead of oil-base products.

”Our innovation is part of our social responsibility to help alleviate the lives of the Filipino people by giving the government the best choice to pave and rehabilitate roads using the Instapave,” Dela Cruz said.

She said Instapave, which means “Instant Pavement,” was conceptualized two years ago by PSPC and is aimed at improving and strengthening the surface condition of existing gravel or concrete or asphalt pavements, such as national, rural and farm-to-market roads.

“The Instapave application also prevents global warming since it would not emit bad smoke and air pollution,” she added.

Dela Cruz said the Instapave is now very popular in the United States and Thailand and has been used in Puerto Puerto Prinsesa City in Palawan province.

She said the new product has also been in the town of Tago in Surigao del Sur province and officials were amazed by how it saved the local government money. The town also served as the first pilot area in Mindanao to use the Instapave product.

“We chose Tago town in Surigao del Sur as the first pilot area in the Mindanao since the local chief executives of the town is very much optimistic and receptive of using Instapave,” Dela Cruz said.

The town’s mayor, Hermenegildo Pimentel, said they tried Instapave product on two kilometers of road and the project saved the local government some P5 million. The project was also finished ahead of its scheduled completion, he said.

“I have only spent some P3.5 million in the project using the Instapave instead of the P8 million we usually spend in ordinary asphalt road project or roughly P20 million in savings on concrete road projects,” Pimentel said in a separate interview.

Pimentel said he heard about the new Instapave from HL Trading Company Inc. owned by Engr. Lucio Horfilla Jr., a contractor engaged in distributing PSPC products.

The mayor said with the success of Instapave he will again use the product in other road projects in Tago.

“This Instapave really works wonder and save us a lot of money and I hope more areas in the country will also benefit from this new Pilipinas Shell product,” he said. (Romy Bwaga)

Photo: Philippine Navy Officer Antonio Trillanes IV

A picture of a detained coup leader, navy officer, Antonio Trillanes IVis displayed inside a tightly guarded Philippine Air Force base in Zamboanga City. Trillanes is running for senator in May 14 elections with politicians opposed to President Gloria Arroyo's rule. Trillanes is one of many military officers accused of trying to oust Arroyo during the so-called Oakwood mutiny on July 27, 2003. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

Kabataan Party Gives 7 Tips For Youth Voters!

7.Bring your Voter's ID. For those who don't have them yet, at least know your precinct number.

6.Bring your own pen. Only 5 minutes allotted per voter inside the booth. Don't waste it looking for a pen that actually has ink.

5.Be ready with an umbrella, a cap/hat and a handkerchief/hand towel. PAGASA weather forecast says May 14 will be a regular-weather day (read: hot) with scattered showers in Visayas and Mindanao.

4.Bring your "kodigo". Unlike in school exams, these are not prohibited in the poll booths. Saves time and means that you've made up your mind 100 percent on who to vote.

3.Bring a camera and/or a camera phone. And keep an eagle-eye watch for suspect and illegal activities in your respective polling places. Keep election watch hot lines at hand.

2.Bring your barkada. One way to encourage all your friends to exercise their right to vote. Make May 14 your Barkada day!

1.Wear blue. Against electoral fraud. For youth representation in Congress. Make your votes count!

2 Killed, 5 Wounded In Ambush In South RP

Policemen in the Muslim autonomous region in southern Philippines are deployed to help ensure clean and peaceful elections on May 14, 2007. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service/Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 12 May) - Two people were killed and five others injured in firefight between policemen and gunmen in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, military and police reports said.

Gunmen attacked the car of Mayor Salaban Diocolano, of Kabuntalan town, killing one man. The attack also injured three policemen, a civilian and the politician near the village of Tabiran.

One of the attackers was also killed in ensuing firefight, police said.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but authorities suspect it was politically motivated. Diocolano is running for re-election.

Police said more than 100 people had been in poll-related violence across the Philippines.

Some 45 milllion Filipinos are to elect their senators, congressmen and local officials in Monday’s national and local polls.

Elections are traditionally violent and bloody in the Philippines because many politicians maintain private armies and goons.

Aside from these private armed groups, communist insurgents and rebels are also actively operating in the countryside and have been reported collecting “protection” money from politicians. (With reports from Mark Navales and Juan Magtanggol)

Dulmatin Child Tries To Flee From RP Military Hospital

A Filipino soldier restrains one of four children of Indonesian Jemaah Islamiya bomber, Dulmatin, on Friday 11 May 2007, she she tries to flee from a military hospital in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. Troops raided a hideout of Jemaah Islamiya on Tawi-Tawi island near Sabah, Malaysia and found the children, ages 2, 5, 7 and 9. Two Filipino women who acted as guardians of the children are currently being investigated by the military. Troops are tracking down Dulmatin. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 11 May) – One of four children of Jemaah Islamiya bomber Dulmatin tried to flee Friday from a military hospital in Zamboanga City after breaking down while undergoing a medical check-up.

The children - one boy and three girls ages 2, 5, 7 and 9 - were take into military custody after soldiers and policemen raided Friday a hideout of Jemaah Islamiya in the southern island of Tawi-Tawi near the Sabah, Malaysia border.

Two Filipino women who acted as guardians of the children are currently being investigated by the military.

The children arrived in Zamboanga City onboard a small Philippine military plane from Tawi-Tawi and taken to a hospital inside the tightly guarded Edwin Andrews Air Base.

The children broke down in tears, after they saw armed soldiers around them and one of them, the eldest, tried to flee after she failed to find her adult companion.

One Filipino intelligence operative restrained her.

A local army spokesman, Lt. Mike Rayman, said the children would be handed over to the Bureau of Immigration in Manila. “We will hand over the children to the Bureau of Immigration in Manila after their medical check up in Zamboanga,” he said.

Rayman said the children were also fed with hamburgers and fresh milk.

The children were previously thought to be hiding with the Abu Sayyaf in Jolo island, where Dulmatin’s wife, Istiada Bt. H. Oemar Sovie, alias Amenah Toha, and her two children had been arrested in October last year.

Dulmatin, also known as Amar Bin Usman, is one of several Indonesian terrorists, including Umar Patek, hiding in Jolo island with the Abu Sayyaf. Dulmatin and Patek are wanted for the October 2002 bombings in the resort Indonesian island of Bali in which 202 mostly foreign tourists were killed.

The Jemaah Islamiya is also believed as behind the 2004 bombing of a Filipino ferry off Manila Bay that killed 116 people-the second-worst terrorist attack in Southeast Asia after the 2002 Bali bombs.

The group was largely blamed by Philippine authorities in a series of bombings in Manila in December 2000 that killed 22 and wounded more than 100 people. One of the bombs exploded at an open square less than a hundred meters from the U.S. Embassy.

The U.S. has offered a $10 million bounty for the capture of Dulmatin, an electronics specialist with training in al-Qa'eda camps in Afghanistan. He is a senior figure in the Jemaah Islamiya terrorist organization. (With reports from Chris Navarra and Juan Magtanggol)

Breaking News: Four Children Of Jemaah Islamiya Bomber Now In Philippine Custody

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 11 May) – The Philippine military on Friday said it has in custody four children of Jemaah Islamiya bomber Dulmatin, tagged as behind the deadly Bali bombing in 2002.

Filipino soldiers tracked down the children in the southern island of Tawi-Tawi near the Sabah border. “We have in custody the four children of Dulmatin,” a regional army spokesman Maj. Eugene Batara told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

He did not say whether more people had been arrested or if the children or their guardians were planning to escape to Sabah.

The children were previously thought to be hiding with the Abu Sayyaf in Jolo island, where Dulmatin’s wife, Istiada Bt. H. Oemar Sovie, alias Amenah Toha, and her two children had been arrested in October last year.

It was unknown how the soldiers tracked down the children.

Dulmatin, also known as Amar Bin Usman, is one of several Indonesian terrorists, including Umar Patek, hiding in Jolo island with the Abu Sayyaf. Dulmatin and Patek are wanted for the October 2002 bombings in the resort Indonesian island of Bali in which 202 mostly foreign tourists were killed.

The Jemaah Islamiya is also believed as behind the 2004 bombing of a Filipino ferry off Manila Bay that killed 116 people-the second-worst terrorist attack in Southeast Asia after the 2002 Bali bombs.

The group was largely blamed by Philippine authorities in a series of bombings in Manila in December 2000 that killed 22 and wounded more than 100 people. One of the bombs exploded at an open square less than a hundred meters from the U.S. Embassy.

The U.S. has offered a $10 million bounty for the capture of Dulmatin, an electronics specialist with training in al-Qa'eda camps in Afghanistan. He is a senior figure in the Jemaah Islamiya terrorist organization.

Dulmatin fled to Mindanao in the southern Philippines soon after the August 2003 bombing of the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta. There, he is one of four top JI leaders—including Umar Patek, Zulkifli bin Hir and Abdul Rahman Ayub — who trained members of JI and the Abu Sayyaf group in Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camps in the Philippines, according to an Asian terror expert, Zachary Abusa.

In 2005, Dulmatin and Umar Patek ordered Abdullah Sonata, a JI operative in Central Java who was arrested in connection with the September 4, 2004 Australian Embassy bombing, to dispatch additional JI members to Mindanao for training.

He has also called for JI suicide bombers to be sent to the Philippines for operations.

In January, Filipino soldiers killed an Indonesian Jemaah Islamiya militant, Gufran, and five other Filipino Abu Sayyaf members in a clash at sea off Tawi-Tawi while trying to escape to Sabah. (Mindanao Examiner)

Police Captured Suspected Bomber In Southern Philippines

Policemen escort suspected bomber, Taya Kulat, a local supporter of the Indonesian terror group, Jemaah Islamiya, in Sultan Kudarat province in southern Philippines. Filipino authorities blame the Jemaah Islamiya for the bomb attack Tuesday at a packed billiard hall in Tacurong City. Policemen are deployed in Tacurong Thursday, 10 May 2007. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service/Mark Navales)

SULTAN KUDARAT (Mindanao Examiner / 10 May) – Philippine police captured one of four alleged bomber tagged as behind the deadly attack in Tacurong City in the southern province of Sultan Kudarat, officials said Thursday.

Provincial police chief, Superintendent Teng Tocao said the suspect, Taya Kulat, was captured after a running gun battle at a village in Kalawag town.

“He is one of those involved in the attack and we are still tracking down the others,” Tocao told the regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Police filed criminal charges against the man, said to be a local supporter of the Indonesian terror group, Jemaah Islamiya. “We are investigating his link to the terrorist group,” Tocao said, adding, the man was captured on Wednesday.

He said policemen seized hand guns from Kulat, who was tracked down with information provided by civilians.

The explosion on Tuesday at a packed billiard hall in Tacurong killed and injured about three dozen people, according to a regional army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando.

Army Major General Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, blamed the Jemaah Islamiya for the blast.

He said security forces were hunting down a senior Jemaah Islamiya bomber, Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, believed hiding in central Mindanao since 2003.

Zulkifli, a Malaysian citizen, also heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization, according to the U.S. Department of State.

Washington included Zulkifli to its most-wanted list and offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest. He was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines and is said to be working with the local terrorist group, Abu Sayyaf.

His younger brother, Taufik bin Abdul Halim, was also implicated in the 2001 Jakarta Atrium Mall bombing, and currently is in detention in Indonesia.

Aside from Zulkifli, Philippine authorities, aided by U.S. forces, are also tracking down two other Jemaah Islamiya bombers, Dulmatin and Umar Patek, on Jolo island in the Sulu Archipelago off Mindanao region. (Mark Navales and Juan Magtanggol)

Violence And Cheating Expected In RP Polls

COTABATO CITY - With only a few days to go to the crucial middle-term elections, the spectre of gunfire and massive fraud hovers threateningly over the Philippines.

On May 14, about 45.5 million Filipinos will be called to choose among 87,000 candidates vying for 17,000 national and local positions, which include the 250 House of Representatives seats and half of the 24 Senate.

Despite the country’s massive problems – corruption, widespread poverty, internal wars, and extrajudicial killings – the electoral campaign has been limited to a virtual referendum on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, accused of cheating at the 2004 elections and tainted by allegation of corruption and abuse of power.

In short, the opposition, gathered around the Genuine Opposition (GO) coalition, wants to win enough seats in the Lower House to impeach her.

Two previous attempts failed due to Arroyo’s supporters being the majority in the House.
The government coalition, Team Unity, wants to maintain this majority so to stave off any new attempts.

In addition to the barren political debate, the run-up to the vote has been tarnished by accusation of frauds and widespread politically-motivated violence - pretty much routine occurrences in the country during elections.

Police said almost 100 people have already been killed in politically-motivated incidents since the election campaign started in January.

Nowhere is the fear greater than in the southern island of Mindanao, where the Muslim minority has been fighting for independence since 1976.

Here, politics is bathed in a trigger-happy culture and is marked by violent episodes involving rivalries among political clans.

Police said a significant proportion of militias known to be active in the Philippines operate in Mindanao. They are believed to be linked to warlords-cum-politicians. There are 91 such groups nationwide.

Muslimin Sema, rebel leader turned politician, wants Manila to strictly implement the policy that only police and military can carry firearms. "Maintaining a private army is against the political exercise.

You know politicians who maintain armed groups and yet they are not disarmed," Sema, a concurrent secretary general of the Moro National liberation Front, once the largest Muslim rebel organisation in the country, told Adnkronos International (AKI).

Sema, the current mayor of Cotabato City, lost his cousin Arnel Datukon last November, in which authorities considered an election-related incident.

Yet he is undeterred as he seeks re-election. "I am needed by the people. I think other politicians too are driven by their desire to serve. But others might see financial gains in running for office," he said.

And money must be the drive behind those who forced the then 14-year old Arlene Sedig to lie about her age, and vote in 2004.

"They threatened to hurt my parents. They were in control of the polling precincts, it was that easy for them," she told AKI, mentioning some private armies linked to politicians in Pagalungan, her hometown.

"Politics is really dirty in this country. It's always marked by violence and I am afraid that someday I will lose one of my loved ones,” she added without showing any hope for an improvement in the forthcoming ballot.

However, despite it all, Omar Sumail, a 45-year old farmer in the same town, said that he has not given up hope. "I am hoping for a zero incident of violence on the day of election. We are tired of always having ‘bloody’ elections," said Sumail. “Hope is all we have left, at the end of the day,” he added.

The Commission on Elections has granted accreditation to 219 foreigners from 12 countries, including those from Europe to monitor the vote. Arroyo has mobilized the military to work alongside the police and ensure safety for the ballots.

Bayan Muna Congressman, Isinabit Sa Kaso!

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 10 May) – Nakahanda ang Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) na tulungan ang Philippine National Police (PNP) sa paglalatag ng mga ebidensya hinggil sa diumano'y pagkakanlong ni Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino sa isang hinihinalang rebelde at kriminal.

Nabatid kay Army Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres, Jr. na kinasuhan na ng Philippine National Police sa Leyte si Casino at ang isang Teodoro Dacera ng obstruction of apprehension and prosecution of criminal offenders o ang PD 1892 sa Ormoc City Prosecutor's Office.

Magunitang kasama ni Casino ang isang sinasabing lider ng New People's Army (NPA) na si Vincent Borja nang isilbi ang warrant of arrest laban dito bunsod ng mga diumano’y kaso ng pagpatay, rebelyon at attempted destruction of property.

Iginiit umano ni Casino na mapalaya si Borja dahil isa lamang itong tagasuporta ng kanilang party list group. Binansagan umanong “high profile” ni Casino si Borja.

Dinampot ng magkasanib na puwersa ng 19th Infantry Battalion at Ormoc City Police Office ang naturang suspek sa bahay ni Dacera habang nagsasagawa ng campaign staff meeting kasama si Casino.

Positibo ang militar na aktibong miyembro ng NPA si Borja at ito ay batay na rin sa rekord na hawak ng militar at pulisya.

Sinabi naman ni AFP Chief of Staff General Hermogenes ESperon, Jr. na naturang lamang na itanggi ni Casino na hindi kriminal o rebelde si Borja sapagkat huling-huli ito sa aktong magkasama sila.

Unang nagbanta si Casino na sasampahan ng kaso ang mga arresting teams dahil ilegal umano ang pagkakaaresto kay Borja. Itinanggi ni Casino na rebelde ang naturang campaigner ng militanteng Bayan Muna. (Juley Reyes)

Sundalo, Tigok Sa Labanan sa Negros

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 10 May) – Isang sundalo ang napatay at tatlong iba pa ang sugatan matapos na makipagsagupaan ang mga ito kaninang umaga sa rebeldeng New People's Army sa lalawigan ng Negros Occidental.

Sinabi ni Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres, Jr. na bandang alas-6:15 ng umaga nang tambangan ng mga rebelde ang tropa ng army reconnaissance company sa Barangay Pinapugasan sa lungsod ng Escalante.

Lulan ng isang multi-cab ang mga sundalo patungong barangay proper buhat sa kampo ng mga ito nang salakayin ng tinatayang 30 armadong rebelde.

Tumagal nang 20 minuto ang bakbakan at naiwan ang mga napatay at sugatang sundalo na hindi muna isinapubliko ang mga pangalan hanggat hindi naipababatid sa mga kaanak nito.

Samantala, narekober naman ng mga tauhan ng 79th Infantry Battalion ang sampung baril, dalawang hand grenade at dalawang motorsiklo sa magkahiwalay na insidente sa Iloilo.

Bandang alas-6 ng umaga nang unang masamsam ng mga sundalo ang limang M16 rifles, isang M14, isang shotgun, at mga bala habang nagpapatrulya sa Sitio Basehan, Barangay Nadsadan sa bayan ng San Joaquin.

Kumilos ang militar kasunod ng impormasyon na ipinasa ng mga residente hinggil sa presensya ng mga armadong rebelde sa bahay ng isang Mando Sialongo.

Sumunod namang nakuha dakong alas-8:30 ng umaga ang dalawang kalibre 30, M1 carbine, shotgun, 2 hand grenade at motor sa Barangay Caraudan sa bayan ng Janiuay sa naturang lalawigan. (Juley Reyes)

NPA Ambush Kills 5 Cops In Mindoro Province

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 10 May) – Five policemen were killed in an ambush Thursday by communist insurgents in the town of San Jose in Occidental Mindoro province, officials said.

Officials said six others were injured the attack after New People’s Army rebels detonated a landmine as a patrol car was passing in the village of Batasan. The policemen were part of a group protecting the provincial governor, Josephine Sato.

Army Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano, Southern Luzon Command chief, said the ambush occurred at around 7.30 a.m. He said some 30 rebels also opened fire on the police car, sparking a firefight between the two groups.

Sato was to campaign in the village when the rebels attack. At least 14 policemen were in the patrol car when the rebels ambushed them.

“Security forces are pursuing the attackers,” Yano said.

Sato, a staunch government supporter, condemned the attack. The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which is fighting for a separate Maoist state in the country. (Juley Reyes)

Polls To Decide On Fate Of Politicians

ZAMBOANGA CITY – With three more days the May 14 polls, every institutions and individuals wanting to ensure an honest, orderly and peaceful, elections are now busy doing what they believe it takes are necessary to be done before “judgment day” comes.

Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, Commander of the Western Mindanao Command, issued operation guidelines to all Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) troops in Sulu Archipelago to ensure that there will be honest, peaceful and orderly elections throughout Sulu province on Monday, according to the Philippine Information Agency in Zamboanga City.

It said the guidelines states that troops in Sulu should be in active defense which will include the preemptive strike, security patrols and maneuvers, limited attacks, check-points, reconnaissance, and hot pursuit among others in order to deny the contested areas or positions to the ASG High value Targets (HVTs) and rouge MNLF leaders and their respective followers.

Equally, to maximize reportage on election related incidents, guidelines, and assistance to the electorate, the COMELEC has activated its text hotline nationwide.

Anybody needing immediate assistance through Short Messaging System (SMS) or texting , have to key-in the words COMELECTEXT (space)PRECINCT (space) ///(bday-mmddyy>.

Citizens may also send election situation or irregularities by texting COMELECTXT (space) REPORT (space) /.

At least 21 foreign observers from ASIAN countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia who are members of the Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) arrived here to monitor election proceedings.

They have divided themselves into groups for deployment in the provinces of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Shariff Kabuntuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindano (ARMM) starting today until May 16.

The Asia Foundation together with the Philippine Council for Islam Development and Democracy (PCID), the Philippine Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) with fundings from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), made possible coming of this international observers in the city, ANFREL Coordinator Executive Director Somsri Hananuntasuk, said.

These observers will exchange best election practices from their countries and try to find out what is best applicable in the Philippine setting.

Some 219 foreign poll observers from 12 countries and seven organizations are also expected to join the others on Monday. Philippine Education Undersecretary Francis Sunga said they, along with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) jointly trained some 464,000 public school teachers as early as February and March this year about their role as members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) and Board of Canvassers (BOCs) on election day. (Mimi G. Bern-Edaga)

Preda Workers Rescue Filipino Boy

MANILA - Bengie is a 14 year old, picked up by police on the streets of Manila accused for stealing food from a vendor's stall and held for weeks in local police station mixed in with thieves, accused rapists and even child abusers.

The Preda social workers found Bengie and negotiated his release and transfer to the Preda Boys Home under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Law (RA 9344) enacted in 2006. Unless the social workers go look in every police station and neighborhood substation the children will not be helped by the law.

Much has to be done to educate the police and change the practice. Strong voices in the Philippines and around the world are calling on President Gloria Macapagal - Arroyo to issue an order to change the practice and order the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to take custody of the children as soon as they are arrested.

Since the RA 9344 law was passed there is a small improvement and some children are referred to the home by passing the jail. But much needs to be done and it will take at least two years for the law to be disseminated and implemented. Children are held now in police stations' cells while charges are brought before a prosecutor and then to a judge. This can take weeks or months before the court orders them to be turned over to the Preda Home or the DSWD.

The children have not been charged or judged guilty while in the police cells and if 15 years and below they are not even criminally liable and if above that age it has to be proved that they acted with discernment. Yet they are still jailed in unhealthy, dangerous and frightening cells with adults. But the police and the Department of Social Welfare and Development will not take custody of the child unless there is court decision passing jurisdiction to them or to the central child prison.

There are many more kids like Bengie in the Philippines and in many developing countries where the police are less educated, don't understand the law or fail to implement it due to the lack of supervision and accountability.

Jailing of children is routine despite the fact that is forbidden by Philippine laws such as the Special Child Protection Act [RA 7610 Article VI(10)(a)], the Presidential Decree 603 and R.A. 9344.

The abusive practice, detrimental and dangerous to the child is forbidden by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [Article10(2)(b)], and the Convention on the Rights of the Child [Article 37(c)].

Charities and non-government agencies like the Preda Foundation are working around the clock to visit police stations, locate child prisoners and get their release by citing the legal provisions that allow the child be brought to a children's home. It is now full, a measure of success, and a new one is needed.

Last January, a delegation from the Justice Parish of Graystones in County Dublin, Ireland came to visit the Preda centres and prepare the way for the visit of twenty young people to the PREDA children's home three hours north of Manila overlooking Subic Bay.

Led by charismatic Father Dave Halpin and four parish representatives visited the central prison for children, named CRADLE and found 120 youth and child prisoners there behind bars. The youngest there is eight years old.

The justice parish of Graystones is supporting several projects in the developing world and are fund raising to help build a new home for the kids rescued from jails. This May there is a unique fund raising activity called "hard labor".

Hundreds of parishioners have signed up to break stones like child laborers for half an hour each throughout a 24-hour period and donate what they get from sponsors. With the stones they will make a "pathway to freedom", it will cross the parish lawn to a stature of a small boy holding up the broken handcuffs.

It was carved in the Philippines based on a real boy saved from prison by Preda. There are many like Bengie still waiting to be helped and released and if breaking stones will give them a new home then let's break stones (Fr Shay Cullen)

Photo: RP Police Released Sketches Of Suspected Bombers

Police Supt. Joel B. Limson, Tacurong City police chief, shows Wednesday, 09 May 2007, cartographic sketches of four suspected bombers in Tacurong City in the southern Philippine province of Sultan Kudarat. The military says as many as ten people are killed in the blast at a billiard hall on Tuesday.(Mindanao Examiner Photo Service/Mark Navales)

Stop Linking Islam To Terrorism, Media Told

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – A nephew of Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s former chairman Sheikh Hashim Salamat has assailed the press people’s “use of the term terrorism, linking it to Islam,” asseverating that “the education and economic development of the Bangsamoro are the most effective solutions to the decades-long armed conflict that have confronted Mindanao.”

“Everyday, we see a lot of bad news on television, read discouraging news in the papers, and hear about the same in the radio. Quite sadly but is the reality, many of those bad news, particularly those that dwell on violence, peace and order problems, terrorism particularly, are linked to the Muslims, to the people of my faith,” said banana plantation tycoon Datu Ibrahim “Toto” Paglas III, former mayor of the municipality of Datu Paglas in Maguindanao.

However, he clarified that, “Those who do so unfortunately misunderstand Islam but then we do not blame them for their innocent, mistaken belief.”

Paglas said it is a challenge to Muslims “to show that we are just like any other people on earth who wish to live in peace and harmony, who wish to see a better life for ourselves and our families, who submit to the will of the one and only creator, the God of all, without discrimination as to race, religion, and creed.”

“If only we are economically developed, if only our poor brothers and our poor villages and lands are productive, if we are able to trade and do business with others, then we can co-exist with more pride and self-respect,” he said.

“If only our poor brothers are better educated and adequately provided economically, then they can no longer be a fertile breeding ground to terrorism and other form of criminality and lawlessness.”

Speaking in a gathering of young Moro professionals in a hotel here, Paglas asserted that education and entrepreneurship “could be an effective approach to peace building” and “could be an effective means of changing our negative image before the world, and even before our very own selves.”

“This can be our legacy to our succeeding generations who we definitely do not wish to go through the kind of difficult times that we at present, starting from the time of our ancestors, have been suffering from until now.”

“Our poor villages have actually been blessed with their own, respective richness, a blessing from Allah, which is basically the bounty of nature, whether they be in our lands, or seas, or lakes, or rivers.”

“As important as the need to make them productive, is the need to keep them sustainable,” he said.

Paglas said the rebel group’s late leader had advised him three guiding principles “when I consulted with him about my decision to let investments come in” in his native town of Datu Paglas.

These are: protect the environment at any cost because this is all we have for the next generation; do not abuse the workers, protect their rights and look after their welfare and safety; and provide education for the children.

Paglas claimed, the first principle “allowed me to operate in a way that is acceptable not only to my international shareholders while it also looked after my moral obligation to the community and the future generation, to ensure preservation of our resources.”

He said the second principle “allowed me to work within the parameters not only of government regulations but a commitment as well to the teachings of God, thru His different Messengers and lived by different religions.”

As to the third principle, Paglas said, “I will continue to invest in the future of our children. I believe and I have seen this myself that poverty and economic inequality are a fertile breeding ground for terrorism.”

“A healthy and well-educated generation will be the most positive and powerful tool against terrorism, and for the preservation of earth’s resources,” Paglas said, adding that “As the saying of the Wise goes, we did not simply inherit this world from our parents, the better truth is that: we merely borrowed this world from our children.”

Paglas admitted that through the said principles “I learned that a clear sense of vision and mission helps clarify and purify our intentions” because “I was not born poor although ever since my younger days I had always found natural affinity with the house helpers, drivers and bodyguards of my parents” and “I had seen the glaring divide that separated the Muslim nobilities from the common families.”

“I protested the norms where the leadership of the ruling clans put their interest over the most basic concerns of those in poverty” and “vowed to use the influence of my family to make a difference in our community because I was tired of seeing the same vicious cycle of violence and poverty,” he said.

Paglas disclosed that “I wanted to try something new because the traditional Muslim way of leading our people was not working. It worked for the elite Muslim families and the politicians. But it never worked for the people.”

“I also learned that in fulfilling my mission to bridge the economic, social, and political divide among the tri-peoples in Mindanao, the Muslims, Christians, and Highlanders, I knew I had to change the rules of the game,” he said.

The former mayor said that “When the convention dictates that the Datus or members of the local royal families are the only people who can make sound decisions for the people, I encouraged dialogue and consensus among local folks. By doing so, we share the accountability to make things work for all of us.”

Paglas said that because the “Philippine Muslim culture is basically very exclusive, I challenged that by bringing everyone’s concerns on the table, the government, the military, the religious leaders, the workers, the rebels and even the lawless elements because I believe that what each of these groups say is of great value.”

However, “We often had difficulty welcoming new ideas and new ways. We did not want outsiders in our territory. But again, this system did not work for us and therefore, I invited NGOs and the academe to work with us so that we could learn how to invest in our future through training, skills building, values formation and education.”

“We built partnerships with as many groups as possible, regardless of culture, faith, ideologies, to hasten the progress we deserve and dreamed for,” he added.

“I was brought up in a culture where guns and goons define a Man’s status in the society. I challenged that convention,” Paglas disclosed.

He revealed that he went around Datu Paglas without my bodyguards but at first “I was not comfortable because it was not the normal thing.”

“But, I decided to put an end to that fashion because the old ways were not working for others and for me either,” he continued.

The 47-year old businessman however revealed that “My personal campaign took a toll on me.”

“I lost my father and three brothers due to violence and lawlessness, before I could demonstrate to the rest that we don’t need guns. Other traditional and political leaders are still relentless, but I keep the faith that in due time they will change.”

Paglas disclosed that “I was brought up in a culture of ‘eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth’” and “Throughout my growing years, I was witness to vengeance killings we call ‘rido’ among clans, perpetuated throughout the succeeding generations.”

“In the pursuit of my business plan, and inspired by my late uncle former MILF Chairman Hashim Salamat, I decided that this culture of hatred and cycle of violence must stop,” Paglas said, adding that “when my father and younger brothers became murder victims, I decided to accept that it was their fate, their time had come, God had Allowed it to happen, and I must forgive. I left justice to the laws and to the authorities.”

“Today we are starting to reap the fruits of our labor and faith for a better future,” the banana plantation tycoon said.

“By way of infusing at least $400,000 dollars to the local economy every month in the form of salary for the more than 2,000 full time plantation workers and allied economic activities versus almost nothing in the past, we are able to change the picture of Datu Paglas town from war zone to economic zone.”

“For me, the bigger challenge is always how to sustain the gains. And my simple but honest response to this is to continue to listen to what other people have to say, and listen from the wisdom of their stories as they gave me great inspiration to continue to improve, to be a better leader,” he added.

“The investment that we established in Datu Paglas allowed us Muslims to prove our worth, whether it be as a leader, as a follower, as an employer, as a worker, as a professional, or simply as a responsible citizen in out communities. We earned the trust of our investors. Recently, my investors conveyed their approval of up to U.S. $50 million additional investment to expand our operations to 2,300 more hectares in, to the surprise of many, the risky Muslim area, including the predominantly Maranao mountain town of Bumbaran, and its adjoining town of settlers, in Wao, both towns in the province of Lanao del Sur,” he continued.

Paglas said he is proud that “The expansion areas have been in the headlines because of the armed conflict between military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and plain lawlessness.”

“But now this town is looking forward to having its own share of peace and prosperity, for the benefit of their children. This new investment and development means employing at least 3,000 more people and I am glad to know that thousands of rebels took advantage of the opportunity to be in the mainstream workforce,” Paglas said. (Norodin M. Makalay)

Militar, Alarmado Sa Burgos Kidnapping

QUEZON CITY – Mismong ang liderato ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ay naalarma na rin sa pagpaparatang sa institusyon sa pagkawala ng aktibista at anak ng publisher na si Jonas Joseph Burgos.

Gayunman, agad na sinabi ni AFP Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. na walang kinalaman ang militar sa sinasabing pagdukot sa batang Burgos.

Nabatid kay Esperon na pinakilos na ang Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) upang hanapin si Burgos.

Bukod pa rito, nag-iimbestiga na rin ang Provost Marshall ng Philippine Army matapos na matunton ang kumpiskadong illegal logging truck na dapat sana ay may plakang ginamit bilang getaway vehicle sa pagtangay sa biktima sa headquarters ng 56th Infantry Battalion.

Sinabi ni Esperon na ang naturang truck ay na-impound sa 56th Infantry Battalion noong Hunyo 2006 dahil sa pagdadala ng ilegal na troso at iniimbestigahan kung paanong napunta ang plaka nito sa isang Toyota Revo na naging sasakyan para tumakas ang mga suspek bitbit si Burgos.

Walang nakikitang ugnayan ang AFP Chief sa natuntong logging truck sa kampo ng militar at sa pagdukot kay Burgos bagamat hindi aniya nito isinasara ang posibilidad sa maaaring pananagutan ng ilang tauhan nito. (Juley Reyes)

Compostela Valley Plays Fair In Poll Rules

COMPOSTELA VALLEY - As candidates go for the homestretch in their campaign this week before Monday's polls, the provincial election has assessed that the general mode of political campaigns waged by competing aspirants to public is fairly just within the election laws and rules of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Lawyer Gay Enumerables, provincial election supervisor and Comelec regional attorney, assessed that generally as of press time, candidates in the provincial have been conducting their campaigns fairly aboard with the Comelec rules.

She said that, for one in terms of the postering of campaign paraphernalia, the province fared better compared to the other provinces and cities where numerous violations to the Fair Elections Act have been noted since the start of the local campaign period.

Said law, among others, prescribes for specific sizes, locations and rules of posting of election propaganda including posters.

Posters made of paper, cloth or plastic materials (tarpaulins) are observed to be popular here among national and local candidates but several are openly violating Comelec rules by mounting posters of bigger sizes and in unauthorized locations outside the Comelec-designated common poster areas.

The Comelec law prescribes that the cloth, paper or cardboard posters whether framed, or posted, shall have an area not exceeding 2 x 3 feet, except that, at the site and on the occasion of a public meeting or rally, or in announcing the holding of said meeting or rally, streamers not exceeding 3 x 8 feet in size, which must be removed within 24 hours after the rally.

Apart from common poster areas designated by the Comelec, private places such as houses can also be posted with posters provided there is a consent of the owners. (Cha Monforte)

AFP, Palaban Na Sa Halalan!

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 09 May) – Kinumpirma ngayon ni Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. ang pagpapakalat ng tropa ng mga sundalo sa tatlong probinsya at isang syudad bunsod ng pag-init ng election-related violence.

Nilinaw ni Esperon na mayroong basbas o opisyal na pag-atas ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) ang naturang deployment.

Kasabay nito, epektibo bukas ay itataas na sa red alert ang kabuuan puwersa ng militar sa bansa upang matiyak na magiging handa sa pag-ayuda sa Philippine National Police (PNP) sakaling hindi makontrol ang seguridad.

Sinabi ng heneral na isang batalyon o binubuo ng 300 hanggang 400 sundalo ang kikilos sa Abra, Nueva Ecija, at Masbate, gayundin ang isang maliit na grupo naman sa San Carlos City, Pangasinan.

Maituturing na "on call" aniya ang AFP at inaasahan pang may mga lugar na maaaring malagyan ng military deployment."Let's say the whole Armed Forces is on call.

Some areas have been declared as election areas of concern so we are anticipating more deployments," ani Esperon.

Tinitiyak pa ni Esperon na paninindigan ng AFP ang umiiral na Memorandum of Agreement sa pagitan ng Comelec at Department of National Defense na naglilimita ng papel ng militar sa eleksyon.

"There are two instances by which the Armed Forces would be deployed, one is if there is serious armed threat. It has happened in Abra, it has happened in Nueva Ecija, Kalinga, Masbate [and] Sulu," paliwanag ng AFP Chief.

"Another instance where could be deployed is for the conduct of the gun ban and we have been directed to conduct, put up checkpoints," dagdag nito.

Nagpatutsada rin si Esperon sa mga retiradong heneral na nagpapalutang na mandaraya ang AFP sa May 14 elections sa ilalim ng tinatawag na "Oplan Mercury Rising".

Sinabi ni Esperon na mas maganda aniya kung naging mahusay sa pagpaplano ang mga retiradong heneral na bumubuo ng Bantay Boto coalition noong panahon na sila ay aktibo pa sa posisyon o serbisyong militar.

Naniniwala pa ang heneral na ang ipinaparatang na plano sa pandaraya umano ng AFP ay gawa-gawa lang mga gustong masira ang imahe ng organisasyon.

"I wish they were that good in making plans when they were still in the active service," ani Esperon.

Una nang inihayag ng naturang koalisyon ng mga retirado na mayroong intelligence information na dadayain ang 14 milyong boto para paboran ang mga kandidato ng Team Unity partikular na nina senate candidates Michael Defensor, Prospero Pichay, at Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Inakusahan rin ng grupo si Esperon na nagpalabas ng radio message upang tiyakin ang 12-0 victory ng administration candidates.

"Those allegations were all concocted by whoever is bringing them now. First of all, I'm not aware of it. There is nothing on the ground that could, that would [give] credence to such an oplan," diin pa ni Esperon.

"Their objective is simply to vilify some groups including the military. They say I sent out a radio signal to vote 12-0. I say these are shallow allegations. Any private knows a radio message when he sees one," dagdag nito.Hinamon rin ni Esperon ang grupo na ipakita sa kanya ang kopya ng radio message. (Juley Reyes)

Filmmaking Seminar In UP

The University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI) invites you to join any or all of its 2007 Multimedia Workshop offerings – a series of short-term, specialized courses on the power of images and the various aspects of film and audiovisual production.

One of the workshops to be offered this summer is:

Documentary Filmmaking Facilitator: Milo Paz

Dates: May 15-19/21

Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Venue: UPFI Videotheque (at the back of Cine Adarna)

Fee: P 8,000, inclusive of light snacks, handouts, use of equipment, and certificates.

Documentary Filmmaking is a workshop that introduces the participants to the history, sub-genres (e.g., cinema verité, ethnographic documentary, travelogue, docu-drama, mockumentary, etc.), techniques, and aesthetics of the documentary.

It equips the participants with skills in using video and sound equipment, in the context of documentary filmmaking individually or with a crew.

The workshop participants will produce a short video documentary at the end of the workshop.

The workshop facilitator, Milo Paz, is an award-winning filmmaker with twelve years of experience as director/producer for various media - television and film/video.

His documentary features have received several awards from Gawad CCP Para Sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video and the Moonrise Film Festival.

University of the Philippines Film Institute Cine Adarna, Magsaysay and Osmeña Avenues, UP Diliman , Quezon City

For workshop queries: Email: upfi_workshops@yahoo.com.ph

Call: 02-9263640 or 02-9262722

Sundalo Sa Metro, Back To Barracks Muli!

QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 09 May) - Sa wakas, ipinag-utos na ni Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. ang pansamantalang pag-alis ng tropa ng mga sundalo sa kalakhang Maynila.

Ayon sa direktiba ni Esperon kay AFP National Capital Region Command Chief Major General Mohammad Ben Dolorfino, epektibo ngayon hanggang Biyernes ay unti-unting lilisanin ng militar ang Metro Manila at iiwan ang ilang mga proyektong sinimulan ng mga ito sa ilang komunidad.

"I am directing Major General Dolorfino to start pulling out troops from depressed communities in Metro Manila starting today and to complete the pullout on or before May 11," ani Esperon sa pahayagang Mindanao Examiner.

Katwiran ni Esperon, layunin ng pull out na maidistansya ang militar sa pulitika at hindi makulayan sa harap ng naging pagkaladkad sa institusyon sa umano'y dayaan noong May 2004 elections nang pumutok ang Hello Garci wiretapping controversy.

"This pull out is not due to the claims of left leaning groups that we are engaged in electioneering and that we practice partisan politics. The departure of troops from the barangays will allow the soldiers to exercise their right of suffrage," wika pa ni Esperon.

"This will erase the misconception that the troops are there to influence the outcome of the election," dagdag nito.

Tinatayang 260 mga sundalo sa ilang barangay sa Metro Manila ang kasalukuyang naka-kalat at gumagawa ng ilang engineering projects tulad ng mga day care center, palikuran at kalsada.

Samantala, walang katiyakan kung maibabalik sa Metro Manila ang troop deployment dahil isasailalim sa kaukulang pag-aaral at ebalwasyon ang naturang programa ng AFP NCR Command.

"Probably, 50-50% of chances. May mga naipangako na rin kasing proyekto na gagawin pagkatapos ng eleksyon pero depende na rin sa AFP Chief kung papayagan ang pagbabalik ng mga sundalo sa Metro Manila," sabi ni Dolorfino.

Habang eleksyon, mananatili ang mga sundalo sa kanilang headquarters at maaaring ma-deploy kung hihingin ng Commission on Elections at Philippine National Police.

"The lull period will also be devoted for refresher training to further improve individual and unit efficiency particularly in the aspect of Civil Military Operations," dagdag pa ni Dolorfino. (Juley Reyes)

College Editors Fear Violent Poll Outcome

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 09 May) – The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) in Davao City on Wednesday said it is concerned about the outcome of elections next week because of rising poll violence in the country.

The group is advocating for a free, honest and peaceful national and local elections on May 14.

Donald Jake Lopez, local chairman of the CEGP, said they are worried over the continued prevalence of the use of guns, gold and goons by traditional politicians and by those in power to achieve victory in the elections.

“As with previous elections, we are once again witnessing widespread and massive use of money, fraudulent means and violence to influence the outcome of the May 14 midterm elections,”

Lopez said in a statement sent to the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

He said some politicians in Davao City are already buying votes and engaged in other fraudulent means to ensure their victory in the polls. He did not identify the politicians.

“We are thus provoked to stand and voice out our concern. We are thus provoked to summon our colleagues and fellow youth, voter or not, to actively participate in the coming elections,” Lopez said, adding, his group is mobilizing campus writers on May 14 to observe and document cases of election-related violence and fraud.

Nisa Opalla, CEGP secretary general, said: “Should traditional politicians win those who are desperate to remain and hold power and influence at the expense of people’s interests, our future as the youth, would remain in the dark.”

Opalla said the CEGP is aware of how the Filipino youth have suffered much from the current political system.

“The myriad of issues confronting the youth sector have always been the content of our publications nationwide, such as the commercialization of education via annual tuition and other fees increases; education budget cuts; campus repression and the curtailment of the basic rights and freedoms of students and campus press freedom and the rising statistics of unemployed and underemployed youth,” she said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Foreign Journalists Barred From Press Conference Of Detained Coup Leader In Philippines

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 09 May) – The Philippine military on Wednesday barred two foreign journalists from a press conference of a detained coup leader now running for senator with politicians opposed to President Gloria Arroyo’s rule.

The duo -- Sebastian Facris, of the French International Radio and Douglas Bakshian, of the Voice of America, were accosted by soldiers after being prevented from attending the news conference of Navy officer Antonio Trillanes IV at a marine prison facility in Manila.

The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, to which the two journalists belong, organized the press conference.

The military said foreign journalists are barred from entering Philippine military camps unless with security clearance from the intelligence service.

Filipinos are to elect their senators and congressmen and local officials on May 14, but the polls are expected to be bloody because of perceived massive cheating and vote-buying.

Trillanes is one of many military officers accused of trying to oust Arroyo during the so-called Oakwood mutiny on July 27, 2003.

More than 300 armed soldiers, mostly from the elite navy seal and army rangers, took over the Oakwood hotel in Makati City, the country’s financial district, to show the Filipinos the alleged corruption of the Arroyo administration.

They later surrendered after a peaceful negotiation that promised swift reforms in the government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. But after surrendering, all those involved in the failed coup had been detained and are now facing criminal charges. (Mindanao Examiner)

NPA Rebels Free Captive Soldier In Southern Philippines

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 08 May) – Communist rebels freed a government soldier they seized in the southern Philippines after more than three weeks in captivity, the New People’s Army (NPA) said on Tuesday.

The NPA earlier said it would try the captive, Sgt. Albert Balodoya, of the Philippine Army, for war crimes after he was seized at a rebel checkpoint in the village of Aliwagwag in the town of Cateel in Davao Oriental province.

A rebel spokesman Rigoberto Sanchez, of the NPA Merardo Arce Command, said the soldier was released on humanitarian grounds.

“During his detention, POW S/Sgt. Balodoya's NPA custodial force provided him utmost medical care, security, food and other basic necessities under guerrilla conditions inside the territory of the People's Democratic Government,” Sanchez said in a statement sent to the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Police said the soldier was on his way to the town when rebels stopped him at the checkpoint April 16. It said Balodoya may have mistaken the rebels for government soldiers because they were clad in military uniform.

“The arrest and safe and orderly release of POW SSgt. Balodoya amid the massive militarization in the countryside and the ferocious attacks against the masses and civilians only show that the U.S.-Arroyo regime's Oplan Bantay Laya 2 is a clear failure while the New People's Army continues to score political and military victories,” Sanchez said, referring to the government’s anti-insurgency operation.

“The New People's Army has again taken the high political and moral ground as against the pit-level barbarity and brutality of the enemy,” he said.

There were no other details about the soldier's release.

The United States is supporting Manila’s anti-insurgency campaign and tagged the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the NPA and the National Democratic Front, its political group, as foreign terrorist organizations.

The rebels are fighting the government for more than four decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country.

The rebels have previously seized government soldiers and policemen in the countryside and put them on trial on their so-called people’s court.

Those found guilty of war crimes and serious human rights violations are executed, but most of the victims are freed after months of captivity to neutral groups, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. (Juan Magtanggol)

Terror Attack Kills 10 In Southern Philippines

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 08 May) – At least three dozen people were killed and wounded in bomb attack late Tuesday afternoon in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said as many as ten people were killed and over two dozens more wounded in the blast at a packed billiard hall in Sultan Kudarat's Tacurong City.

“Initial reports said as many as ten people are killed in the bomb explosion,” a regional army spokesman, Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

He said authorities were investigating the motive of the attack.

Maj. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said more soldiers were sent to secure the area.

“More than two dozens are injured in the explosion and according to our reports, the blast was from an improvised explosive device left at the billiard hall,” he said in a separate interview.

Ferrer said army explosive experts were sifting through debris to determine what type of bomb was used in the attack. Other reports suggested the bomb was assembled from a mortar rocket and probably rigged to an electronic timer.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the blast, but suspicion fell heavily on the Indonesian terror group, Jemaah Islamiya.

“The Jemaah Islamiya could be behind the attack. It has the signature of the Jemaah Islamiya,” Ferrer said without further elaborating.

The attack occurred despite a tight police security in Tacurong City. Fresh military reports said terrorists may strike in the cities of Koronadal, General Santos, Kidapawan and Cotabato, all in the southern Philippines.

Just Sunday, soldiers detonated a homemade bomb near a police post in Tacurong after policemen discovered a package containing C4 explosive and steel pellets.

The latest attack came just a week after the United States, Canada and Australia warned their citizens against traveling to Mindanao island and the Sulu Archipelago in the southern Philippines because of heightened terror activities.

Security forces are battling members of the al-Qaeda affiliate Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants and Moro National Liberation Front rebels.

A grenade attack last month in North Cotabato’s Pikit town injured three people working for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Another bomb attack in Midsayap town also in North Cotabato also injured one civilian. A man was also killed after a bomb he was transporting exploded in Cotabato City in Maguindanao province near North Cotabato.

Abu Sayyaf militants also beheaded six construction workers and a fisherman they kidnapped in Parang town in Jolo island on April 15 after their employer, Jolo governor Benjamin Loong rejected a ransom demand. (Juan Magtanggol)

Students Demand Release Of Colleagues From Military Custody

Release Jihan Manampad and Rina Togonon! Stop pursuing legitimate students in the course of their academic work!

Joint Statement on the arrest of two innocent Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Sociology students by the Military in Caluag town in Quezon province.

The PUP students who were captured by the troops of the Army's 4th Infantry Battalion on the allegation that they are NPA recruits are legitimately enrolled in our university.

They are in fact doing their summer course in community organizing, a course requirement for their curriculum in Bachelor of Science in Sociology, traditionally being done every summer between April and May of each school year.

There is no way they could be there in Quezon province to participate in rebellious or subversive activities as alleged by their captors.

The undersigned groups in PUP strongly condemn such arbitrary arrests of civilians, most particularly our students. We are also urging the concerned authorities to immediately release Jihan Manampad and Rina Togonon and stop pursuing their eight other classmates who are also doing community organizing work in the same area.

Any actions from the military that violate the human rights of such students under their custody will be legally pursued by the academic community and organizations in PUP.

We are also seeking the support of the PUP administration, the faculty, employees and students for the two students now being falsely charged of rebellion by the military.

Currently, the teacher of the students, Prof. Justine Nicolas, is negotiating for the release of his students and is himself in the same risk of possible arrest.

The PUP administration should act decisively on this matter as it involves not only the basic rights of students and teachers but also and more importantly the core principles of academic freedom, which every university must uphold.

Release our BSS 3-1 students, Jihan Manampad and Rina Togonon! Stop pursuing legitimate students in the course of fieldwork for their academic work!

Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and Democracy–PUP (CONTEND-PUP)

Faculty Circle—PUPUnyon ng mga Kawani—PUP (UNAKA)Unyon ng mga Guro sa PUP (UGPUP)University Center for Human Rights Research and Education (UCHURRE)

Pulisya, Handa Na Sa Halalan

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL (Mindanao Examiner / 08 May) – Tinatayang aabot sa mahigit 7,000 mga parak ang ikakalat ng pulisya upang pangalagaan ang kasiguruhan ng halalan sa Bisayas sa susunod na Lunes.

Halos 4,000 ang bilang ng mga presinto na gagamitin sa eleksyon ang dapat bantayan ng pulisya sa naturang rehiyon.

Inaasahang magiging maiinit at magulo ang halalan dahil sa mga private armies at hired assassins ng mga pulitiko.

Malamang rin na tumulong ang militar pagbabantay sa halalan dahil sa banta ng New People’s Army at gulo sa sa bispiras at araw ng botohan.

Nanawagan naman ang mga election watchdogs sa publiko na pangalagaan ang eleksyon at isumbong agad sa media – radyo, telebisyon at reporters sa kanilang lugar.

Samantala, sinabi naman kanina sa Maynila ni PNP Deputy Chief for Operations Director Wilfredo Garcia na kasado na umano ang buong puwersa ng pulisya sa buong bansa sa darating na Sabado, dalawang araw bago ang halalan.

Nabatid rin kay Garcia na dalawang pulis ang itatalagang magbantay sa bawat polling precinct sa bansa.

Sa mga lugar naman na may presensya NPA ay sinabi ni Garcia na makakatuwang rin sa seguridad sa mga presinto ang militar ngunit 50 metro ang layo sa voting center.

"We would like to assure our people that the PNP, AFP and the Comelec have worked hard for this election and instituted pro-active measures to make this election orderly and peaceful," ani Garcia.

Samantala, nananatiling positibo ang PNP na maidaraos nanng mapayapa at maayos ang nalalapit na halalan. (May ulat ni Juley Reyes)