All praises for Aquino

President Benigno Aquino III

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 30, 2011) - President Benigno Aquino III has gained several positive indicators of the country’s steady march toward progress and development as evidenced by several upgrades in credit ratings, landmark policies and laws for economic and political reform, including increased private domestic investments and jobs generation, his spokesman said Thursday.

Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said those indicators “are all proofs that our people’s optimism is well founded.”

President Aquino marked the first year of his six-year term on Thursday.

“In the span of a year, we have seen several upgrades in our credit ratings, landmark policies and laws for economic and political reform, increased private domestic investments, hundreds of thousands of jobs generated leading to a decrease in unemployment, and other indicators of our country’s steady march toward progress,” Lacierda said.

“These also come while the administration continues to lay firm enduring foundations for inclusive growth, even as the enemies of reform try to stoke the fires of negativism,” he added.

“Let us be firm in our resolve to keep the window of opportunity for those who selfishly want to reestablish the old system firmly shut. Let us never return to the era where the rich and powerful were allowed to run roughshod over the poor.”

In the span of one year, Lacierda said apathy has been replaced by a renewed sense of partnership between government and the people.

“With our mandate from the people, and our commitment to uphold our people’s expectation that they are our boss, the Aquino administration will not be cowed. We are living in a different neighborhood now, where our people are assured that justice is being served; and where those responsible for the suffering we have all endured for almost a decade will be held accountable,” he said.

Lacierda noted that the present administration has already begun to establish the necessary reforms and no amount of naysaying will derail it from the straight and righteous path. “If anything, these orchestrated attacks against the accomplishments of this new system of good governance only strengthen our resolve to continue building on our successes of the past year,” he said.

Bomb caused blast in Basilan restaurant, police now says

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 30, 2011) – Philippine police on Thursday announced that an improvised explosive device was used in attacking a roadside restaurant in Basilan province that killed 2 people.

Police and military authorities in Basilan had previously said that a cooking gas explosion was to blame for the blast inside the Mon’s Eatery in Isabela City on June 25. More than a dozen people were also injured in the explosion.

But latest findings from a separate investigation carried out by explosive experts from the Zamboanga City police force revealed that a bomb caused the blast.

The report said the attacker hid the bomb inside a tin can and mixed it with gasoline and concrete nails and detonated the explosive with the use of a cell phone.

Broken parts of the cell phone and nails were also recovered in the restaurant, it said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, but authorities were in heightened alert in Basilan because of threats of Abu Sayyaf attacks and kidnappings.

Basilan, one of the five provinces of the Muslim autonomous region, is a stronghold of the militant group Abu Sayyaf which has been linked by the military and the police to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.

In April, a powerful improvised explosive went off inside a lodging house in Basilan’s Lamitan City and security forces detonated three more bombs planted in various sites in Basilan.

The Abu Sayyaf is still holding a Chinese-Filipino trader Larry Tam delos Santos who was kidnapped in December in Isabela City and a 16-year old student kidnapped in Lamitan. (Mindanao Examiner)

Davao flood death toll now 29

A photo released to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner by the Philippine Army's 10th Infantry Division shows a rescuer carefully removes the body of a child stuck in debris after flash floods hit Davao City in the southern Philippines. Army officials say 29 people had died from the flash floods after the Davao River overflowed due to heavy rains.

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 30, 2011) – Four more bodies of children swept away by flash floods have been recovered on Thursday in Davao City in the southern Philippines, as rescuers continue to search for at least a dozen people still missing in the calamity, officials said.

Officials said the death toll has now reached 29, mostly children, after heavy rains late Monday overflowed the river and triggered flash floods. At least five villages were underwater, some as high as 20 meters, Mayor Sara Duterte said.

She said the waters have subsided and thousands of families affected by the floods have returned to their homes.

Troops were still searching for at least 12 people reported missing since Tuesday.

“We are still helping in searching for the missing and so far four bodies had been recovered on Thursday – a baby boy and a 16-year old girl, a four-year old girl, and a nine-year old boy – and the death toll is now 29, ten of them adults and the rest all children,” Army Major Rosa Maria Cristina Manuel, a spokeswoman for the 10th Infantry Division, told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Duterte said the river had overflowed during heavy rains in the past, but the latest calamity submerged all four areas where the 150-km Davao River traverses.

“This is not the first time that the river has overflowed but it is the first time that it overflowed in all 4 areas at medyo mataas yung tubig. It's more than 10 meters in some parts and in some, up to 20 meters. Completely submerged yung ibang lugar. Yung iba inabot ang second floor,” she said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Arroyo's Hacienda Bacan distributed to farmers

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 29, 2011) – Dozens of Filipino farmers who were fighting over a decade to claim the lands they tilt were finally awarded by Manila their rights to some 148 hectares reportedly owned by the family of former President Gloria Arroyo in Negros Occidental province.

The farmers, all 68 of them who are beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), have erected poles and shacks on Hacienda Bacan in the town of Isabela on Monday despite strong protest from Rivulet Corporation which was allegedly the real owner of the estate.

But Negros Congressman Ignacio Arroyo, the brother-in-law of former President and now Congresswoman Arroyo, who claimed to be one of the owners of Hacienda Bacan tried to stop the imposition of the CARP order. He failed.

The farmers were installed in 148.22 hectares covered by CARP.

Provincial agrarian reform officer Felix Servidad led the installation of the farmers under heavy guard after a group of Hacienda Bacan workers barricaded the entrance and put up bamboo poles to prevent them from getting inside. They too had failed.

A group of German observers from the International Peace Observers Network were also in the province to oversee the peaceful installation of the farmers. Servidad said the CARP farmers had been holding Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOA) for years now.

Charito Celis, head of the Hacienda Bacan farmer-beneficiaries association which is affiliated with Task Force Mapalad, said she was delighted with the installation. "We are extremely happy that after 10 years of struggle, we can now start our lives with peace and with the land that we own."

"We dedicate our victory to Rogelio Salvan who was with us throughout the long struggle. I can feel he is with us," Celis said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Salvan died in November last year while he and his fellow farmers were holding a protest camp in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform office in Quezon City. The farmers were pushing President Benigno Aquino III and Agrarian Reform Secretary Gil delos Reyes to distribute the Arroyo properties and other big problematic landholdings.

Salvan's wife Conchitina was among the installed farmers. She held here tears when her husband's name was called during the roll call. "I am sad that Rogelio is no longer with us to taste our victory,” she said. “But I am happy that we finally gained what we have longed for, a land we can call our own."

Pacquiao tutol sa same sex marriage

Congressman Manny Pacquiao. (Joseph Jubelag - Mindanao Examiner Photo)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (Mindanao Examiner / June 29, 2011) - Nagpahayag ng pagtutol si pound-for-pound king at Sarangani Congressman Manny Pacquiao sa isyu ng same sex marriage.

Katulad ng kanyang pagtutol sa Reproductive Health Bill, sinabi ni Pacquiao na ang same sex marriage ay isang malaking kasalanan sa kautusan ng Diyos. “Ang lalaki ay ginawa ng Diyos para sa mga babae at ganun din ang mga babae para sa mga lalaki,” ani Pacquiao sa pahayagang Mindanao Examiner.

Inihayag ng kongresista ang kanyang saloobin sa same sex marriage matapos ang kontrobersiyal na kasalan ng mga magkabiyak na mga gay at lesbian sa Baguio noong nakaraang linggo.

Ayon sa kongresista na kahit na maging legal pa ang same sex marriage sa bansa para sa kanya dapat mas mananaig ang batas ng Diyos kaysa batas ng tao.

Kamakailan lamang ay naging kontrobersiyal ang pagtutol ng kongresista sa panukala na RH Bill na isinusulong ng Malacanang. Nakahanap ng kakampi ang simbahang katoliko kay Pacquiao upang mapalakas ang kanilang kampanya laban sa RH Bill na ayon sa mga pari at obispo ay labag sa doktrina ng bibliya. (Joseph Jubelag)

Flash floods hit Davao City, 2 dozens dead and missing

Scenes from the devastations left by the flash floods that hit Davao City in the southern Philippines. (Photo by Karlos Manlupig) and troops led by Lieutenant Marianette Vinluan, commander ng 5th Communication and Information Company of the 10th CMO Battalion of the Philippine Army's 10th Infantry Division also help in the rescue operations. (Mindanao Examiner)

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 29, 2011) – More than a dozen people were killed in a flash flood that hit at least five villages in the southern Filipino city of Davao, officials said on Tuesday.

Officials said among those killed were at least 7 children swept away by rampaging floods since late Monday and over a dozen people were also reported missing after heavy rains submerged many areas in Davao. Waters in some areas were as high as 20 meters forcing residents to abandon their houses, and others climbed on trees and rooftops to avoid being swept away by flash floods.

Rescuers used rubber boats to pluck out villagers from trees and rooftops.

Sara Duterte, the mayor of Davao, said the river overflowed because of the heavy rains.

“This is not the first time that the river has overflowed but it is the first time that it overflowed in all 4 areas at medyo mataas yung tubig. It's more than 10 meters in some parts and in some, up to 20 meters. Completely submerged yung ibang lugar. Yung iba inabot ang second floor,” she told a television interview on Tuesday.

The military also deployed soldiers since Monday night to help in the rescue operations.

“Troops recovered a cadaver of a girl estimated to be around 8-10 years old while it was being carried away by the current of the Bangkal River,” said Army Major Rosa Maria Cristina Manuel, a spokeswoman for the 10th Infantry Division.

She said at least four villages - Matina, Pangi, Matina Crossing, Matina Aplaya and Talomo – were worst hit by the flash flood. In Talomo alone, more than 15,000 families were affected by the flood. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines removed from US Anti-Trafficking Tier 2 Watchlist

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 29, 2011) - Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario has welcomed the removal of the Philippines from the Tier 2 Watchlist in the 2011 State Department Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released by Washington.

Del Rosario said the report is a clear-cut recognition of the significant gains made by Philippines in the campaign against human trafficking.

The praised the country's Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking under Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and her deputy Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos, Jr. for their hard work and sustained efforts against human trafficking.

"We are committed to ensuring that our Filipino workers overseas are given full protection and safeguarded from human traffickers. We pledge to further intensify our efforts in addressing this problem," Del Rosario said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

He said the report recognized the significant efforts being undertaken by the Philippine government to combat trafficking in persons such as the almost 200-percent increase in convictions of traffickers, including convictions for labor trafficking.

With the removal of the Philippines in the Tier 2 Watchlist, the country has been upgraded to Tier Two status, which indicates that progress has been made, thanks to government leadership. Tier Two status removes the immediate threat of sanctions, but does indicate work needs to continue on this global challenge.

Among the measures that the Philippines has embarked this year include increasing efforts to identify trafficking victims in destination countries and pursuing criminal investigation and prosecution of their traffickers, increasing victim shelter resources to be able to assist more victims of human trafficking, and continued assessment and improving methods to address domestic and international labor trafficking.

The report also cited the notable efforts by the Philippine government to address trafficking-related corruption, and the numerous measures and policies to improve institutional responses to human trafficking.

At the State Department ceremonies launching the report, the US government recognized ten people as TIP Report heroes for the year, one of whom is Darlene Pajarito, an assistant city prosecutor in Zamboanga City, who secured the Philippines' first sex trafficking conviction in 2005 and the first labor trafficking conviction in 2011.

With convictions against five traffickers in Zamboanga, she has secured more convictions than have been handed down in any other Philippine city. Pajarito personally received the accolade from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington D.C.

The Philippines has embarked on an intensive "all-of-government" effort to combat trafficking in persons in the areas of protection, prevention and prosecution.

Efforts taken by the Philippine government include the strengthening of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking in Persons (IACAT), with a budget for the IACAT which has been included in the Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations; cracking down heavily on government officials and employees accused of complicity in trafficking, and dismissing 18 Philippine government officials for involvement in human trafficking; Substantially increasing government resources to fund and staff anti-trafficking operations; Strengthening protection for overseas migrant workers by allowing deployment of Filipinos only to countries with sufficient protection for the rights of migrant workers,as embodied in the Republic Act 10022, which took effect last March.

And mandated preferential attention by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to trafficking cases, and the issuance of the Supreme Court of a circular directing judges to prioritize and expedite the disposition of trafficking cases, through continuous hearing dates, and ensuring that new cases are resolved within 180 days from arraignment of the accused; and

Instituting a program recognizing prosecutors who have secured convictions in trafficking cases as an incentive to them by the DOJ. In December, 28 prosecutors were recognized for successful prosecution of trafficking cases.

FRESH Philippines’ Delicious Year 2 Results

Kraft Foods and Save the Children Nutrition Intervention Program Reveal Milestones from Second Year.

MANILA, Philippines - Started in 2009, FRESH Philippines is a partnership between Kraft Foods Philippines and Save the Children. It aims to help improve access to and knowledge about proper nutrition. Recently, FRESH Philippines’ Year 2 results showed just how the program is living up to its name by helping provide food to families.

FRESH is Future Resilience and Stronger Households Philippines, a nutrition availability and education platform. It is currently supporting 19 urban and rural barangays which have low nutritional levels - Parañaque, Metro Manila; San Remigio, Antique; and Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.

Kraft Foods globally aims to help alleviate hunger and malnutrition. FRESH Philippines is just one way in which Kraft Foods fulfils its higher purpose to make today delicious. By partnering with Save the Children, Kraft Foods brings this mission to life and helps ensure that hunger and malnutrition do not plague its beneficiary communities.

More than 16,000 children have access to food

FRESH Philippines ensures that children and their families have immediate and continued access to food. This the program accomplishes by conducting feeding programs for children in schools and providing families with the means to grow and buy their own food.

To date, FRESH Philippines has reached 16,298 children through feeding programs in schools. The project supported 1,099 families by helping them set up household and community gardens where they can have easy access to food. An additional 357 families were supported with livelihood opportunities to generate more income for their needs.

A Lifetime of Nutritious Eating

Access to food is only the first step. Encouraging healthy-eating behaviours is the next and more difficult second phase. How do you encourage families to provide the right nutrition for their children? By informing them just how important proper nutrition is not just for health, but for their children’s future.

FRESH Philippines has been doing just that through behavior change activities and seminars which promote health, nutrition and hygiene. During the past two years 15,563 children have been involved in these activities together with their parents. To give them a head start to a healthy life, 34,557 children have also been given de-worming treatments and micronutrient supplements.

Raising Children Together

FRESH Philippines’ mission is to engage the community to also take an active part in alleviating hunger and malnutrition. The program leverages government funding to increase the reach of its activities. FRESH Philippines also works with government units to create nutrition councils which further promote nutrition at the barangay and city level.

Proving that alleviating hunger is everybody’s concern, FRESH Philippines has so far encouraged funding from local government units amounting to $200,000.

The Real Change We Need

FRESH Philippines has garnered various awards over the past two years for facilitating positive change in the lives of children. Among these are from: The Asian Corporate Responsibility Awards for Best Poverty Alleviation Program and from InterAction for Best Practices and Innovations Award on Rural Livelihoods and Agriculture. With the city government of Parañaque, FRESH Philippines received recognition from the Global Forum on Urbanization and Health held in Kobe, Japan for its community garden projects.

Although, these figures and awards only take second place to the real contributions of the program. As of today, 17% of Grades 1-3 students included in the feeding program have improved school attendance. Among families, there was an 8.7% decrease of those who suffered involuntary hunger. Furthermore, 58 children who were suffering from severe or moderate malnutrition, a serious state that puts their lives at risk, now show dramatic improvements in nutritional status.

Through the partnership of Kraft Foods and Save the Children, more children are learning in school, more families don’t feel hunger anymore and more children can grow up to their full potential. Imagine, this much change was created with the simplest yet noblest intentions of giving proper nutrition for a brighter future.

Ex-Playboy editor freed after 8 months in prison on indecency charge

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 27, 2011) - Reporters Without Borders hails Monday's release of Erwin Arnada, the former editor of the Indonesian version of Playboy magazine, after the supreme court accepted his appeal against a two-year jail sentence on a charge of indecency, overturning its own decision. He began serving the sentence last October.

“Now it is proved, I am not guilty, journalism is not a crime,” Arnada said in his first Tweet after being freed from Cipinang high-security prison in Jakarta, where he spent eight months. He was jailed as a result of pressure from Front Pembela Islam (Front of Islamic Defenders), which objected to photos of a bikini-clad model.

“Despite our satisfaction faction at Arnada’s release and the overturning of his conviction, we will continue to monitor developments closely,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

“His case has already been the object of several judicial U-turns. After being acquitted by a district court and the Jakarta high court, he was convicted by the supreme court in August 2010, when it was asked to review the case. The judicial system must remain independent and not yield to pressure from a radical group known for its violence.”

Although it never published photos of nude women, the Indonesian version of Playboy had been the target of hostile demonstrations by Islamist groups ever since its launch in 2006 by the Velvet Silver Media group in 2006. After violent attacks on its offices, the magazine moved its headquarters to the island of Bali before closing for good in 2007.

Regarded as the world’s most populous Muslim country with an estimated 212 million followers - nearly 90 per cent of the population - and Indonesia is ranked 117th out of 178 countries in the 2010 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.

Mindanao Examiner MTV ID

Mindanao Examiner MTV ID (50secs) for Mindanao Examiner TV Channel 54 Zamboanga City.

Town mayor shot in Zamboanga is dead

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 27, 2011) – A former Sulu town mayor who was shot and critically wounded in Zamboanga City had died in hospital hours after Monday’s attack in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, police said.

“Najib Maldisa was shot several times while traveling in a car with his wife in the village of San Roque,” Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo, the city police chief, told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

He said duo just left their house in San Roque and was near a public cemetery when armed men in two motorcycles attacked them.

“We still don’t know the motive of the attack, but there is an ongoing investigation,” De Ocampo said.

Gun attacks are not uncommon in Zamboanga City and police said most of the cases involved family feud, clan war and grudge. (Mindanao Examiner)

Village guard killed, companion wounded in Zamboanga gun attack

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 27, 2011) – A village guard was killed and his companion wounded in a gun attack on Monday in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, police said.

Police two suspects had been arrested hours after the shooting that killed the guard in the village called Tetuan. It said the shooting was connected to a case filed in court against one of the gunman who is a member of the Coast Guard.

The victims were on a motorcycle when one of the two assailants who were also on a bike shot them in broad daylight and fled after the killing. The wounded victim told police the identity of the attacker and pursued the duo and arrested them one after the other. (Mindanao Examiner)

Daughter of ex-Philippine President Fidel Ramos dies

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 27, 2011) – The second daughter of former Philippine President Fidel Ramos succumbed to lung cancer at a hospital in Pasig City. She was 54.

Josephine Ramos died before dawn on Monday in Medical City, state media reported.

Ramos, a singer who was married to actor Lloyd Samartino, left a 17-year old son, Sergio. She was a champion water-skier and a member of the Philippine Ladies' National Water-Skiing Team that won medals in the Southeast Asian Games in the late 1970s.

She also performed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and was a back-up singer with Gary Valenciano group, the Mon Faustino Powerplay Band, and a fashionable percussionist for other musical ensembles.

President Benigno Aquino III has extended his sympathies to the family of the former president.

“The loss of any loved one is grave, indeed; the demise of a child is particularly painful for parents. The President assures former President and Mrs. Ramos that he will keep their entire family in his thoughts and prayers at this time of deep loss,” Aquino said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Cebu Pacific offers P488 ticket sale to top RP tourist destinations

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 27, 2011) – Cebu Pacific (CEB) on Monday said it would offer a seat sale to top tourist destinations in the Philippines from June 28 to 29 or until seats last, for travel from August 1 to September 30 this year.

It said passengers can buy P488 seats from Manila to Naga. Naga is the nearest gateway to Caramoan Islands, and Camarines Sur province now famous for its water sports complex.

And P688 seats are also available from Manila and Cebu to Caticlan in Boracay, and Puerto Princesa City.

CEB flies to Caticlan up to 12 times daily from Manila and twice a day from Cebu, and four times daily to Puerto Princesa from Manila and Cebu. It said P688 seats are also available from Manila to Kalibo, Dumaguete, Busuanga in Coron, Laoag, Tagbilaran in Bohol, and from Cebu to Siargao.

“CEB offers the most number of flights to the Philippines’ most popular tourist destinations, making it more accessible to local and foreign visitors. It will continue to provide more domestic flight options in support of the country’s tourism agenda, especially this October, with the arrival of our new aircraft,” CEB Vice President for Marketing and Distribution, Candice Iyog, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

The airline earlier announced it will increase its flights from Manila to Dumaguete up to 3 times daily, Manila to Boracay up to 91 times weekly, and Cebu to Dumaugete – three times to seven times every week starting on October 7.

It said effective October 14, it will also increase its flights from Manila to Busuanga or Coron up to three times daily and Manila to Boracay up to 14 times a day, and Manila to Naga up to four times daily.

“We have always been committed to promoting our destinations and supporting nationwide events. For example, CEB will add flights to Naga and make it a 5x daily service on November 16 and 20, 2011 in time for the Philippine Ad Congress 2011,” Iyog said. (Mindanao Examiner)

DTI invites stakeholders to the SME Summit in Pasay City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 27, 2011) - The Department of Trade and Industry announced on Monday the holding of SME Summit next week at the Philippine Trade Training Center in Pasay City.

It said the July 7 summit is one of the highlights of the weeklong SME celebration and is expected to be a landmark event in shaping the country’s small and medium enterprise agenda for the next five years.

Regional Trade Director Nazrullah Manzur said the summit, whose theme “Pinoy SME, Business Tayo!” is a rallying call for support to the SME Development Plan from 2011 to 2016.

“The plan embodies the aspirations, goals and strategies of the government for the accelerated development of the country’s SMEs during the next five years,” Manzur said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

He said President Benigno Aquino is expected to deliver the keynote address during the summit where the SME Star Presidential Award will also be launched.

The summit features a series of plenary sessions on the four pillars of SME development - Business Environment, Access to Market, Access to Finance, and Productivity and Efficiency, he said.

There will also be free training programs for budding entrepreneurs.

“Interested participants to the summit and to the training programs may get in touch with the nearest DTI Field Office for details on pre-registration or for more information,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Former town mayor shot in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 27, 2011) – A former southern Philippine town mayor was shot and seriously wounded in a broad daylight attack Monday in Zamboanga City, police said.

Police said Najib Maldisa, a former mayor of Maimbung town in Sulu province, was shot by motorcycle gunmen while travelling with his wife on a family car in the village of San Roque.

His wife was unhurt in the attack, said Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo, chief of the local police force.

“We don’t know the motive behind the attack. We are still investigating this case,” De Ocampo told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

He said the couple just came from their house and heading to the main road when the attack occurred. “The assailants escaped after the shooting,” he said.

De Ocampo said they have sent policemen to guard Maldisa in the hospital. (Mindanao Examiner)

Family of kidnapped Indian man appeals for help

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 26, 2011) – The family of an Indian man kidnapped in the southern Philippines has appealed to authorities to help them locate the victim believed being held by Abu Sayyaf militants.

Gunmen seized Biju Kolara Veetil, 36, while visiting the family of his Filipina wife in the town of Patikul in Sulu province on Thursday.

“My wife and I are suffering from ill health. From the moment we learnt the news, we have plunged into despair and grief. There is no way he can be contacted. During such dire times, we plead to you for assistance,” the victim’s father, Narayanan K., a former Indian army officer, said in a letter published by the Kuwait Times.

It said the hostage is an operations manager for the Kuwait Bronze Al-Tawooz Company.

Biju and his wife, Elena Asanji, were only vacationing in Patikul when gunmen barged into the woman’s house and seized the foreigner.

Police has tagged the Abu Sayyaf as behind the kidnapping and identified those who are holding the Indian man as Namil Aharadj, Mamih Samlahun, Ninok Sappari and Almudjir Yadah. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zamboanga Lizard

A house lizard caught in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. Filipino authorities have warned citizens against catching geckos or trading the lizard because it is a violation of the Republic Act 9147, also known as the “Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act” signed into law on July 30, 2001. Those who are caught violating the law shall be imprisoned for 10 days to one month and /or pay a fine of P2,000 up to P20,000. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

2 killed in Basilan blast

Army troops patrol Isabela City in the southern Philippine province of Basilan in this undated photo. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 25, 2011) – Two people were killed and over a dozen others wounded in a gas explosion Saturday inside a restaurant in the southern Filipino province of Basilan, police said.

Police said the blast occurred in the kitchen of Mon’s Eatery in downtown Isabela City. The explosion sparked a fire that engulfed the restaurant and that the charred bodies of the victims had been recovered.

“Initial report said the blast may have come from a cooking gas cylinder at the kitchen of the restaurant. Two people had died from the blast and more than a dozen others are wounded, including a solider and a policeman,” Senior Superintendent Alexis Lineses, the provincial police commander, told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Lineses said those wounded were rushed to hospitals in Isabela. “We are still investigating this incident,” he said.

Authorities are in heightened alert in Basilan because of threats of Abu Sayyaf attacks and kidnappings. Basilan, one of the five provinces of the Muslim autonomous region, is a stronghold of the militant group Abu Sayyaf which has been linked by the military and the police to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.

In April, a powerful improvised explosive went off inside a lodging house in Basilan’s Lamitan City and security forces detonated three more bombs planted in various sites in Basilan.

The Abu Sayyaf is still holding a Chinese-Filipino trader Larry Tam delos Santos who was kidnapped in December in Isabela City and a 16-year old student kidnapped in Lamitan. (Mindanao Examiner)

Father Antonio Moreno, President of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and lawyer Rosendo Castillo, Associate Dean of the Xavier University College of La

Father Antonio Moreno, President of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and lawyer Rosendo Castillo, Associate Dean of the Xavier University College of Law, during a news conference in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Jonalyn Mendoza)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 25, 2011) – The Ateneo de Zamboanga University has formally launched Saturday its Xavier University College of Law – Zamboanga.

Father Antonio Moreno, President of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and lawyer Rosendo Castillo, Associate Dean of the Xavier University College of Law, presided earlier in a news conference to announce the opening of the College of Law in Zamboanga City.

“As a Jesuit professional school, the College of Law strives for professional competence, developing men and women trained in the theory and practice of law. The College aims to instill into the students a Christian outlook as to be worthy members of the legal profession and the community, particularly in the pursuit of truth and the promotion of justice. T also desires to foster a high ethical standard in the legal profession under a regime of liberty and democracy.”

“It aspires to train the students for leadership and seeks to develop a social conscience within the context of the mission of Xavier University in knowledge, value, and service to God, to the people, the community, and the country,” Ateneo de Zamboanga said in a statement.

Castillo said it was Moreno’s dream to put up a College of Law in Zamboanga.

“The birth of the Xavier University College of Law-Zamboanga, is a realization of the dream of Fr. Tony Moreno. Thanks to his determination and perseverance, Zamboanga City’s education landscape has been further enriched. Fr. Moreno’s and the Jesuit community’s dream is to offer in this city and this region the same high standards of education in the field of law that the Ateneo schools are renowned for,” he said.

Prominent lawyer Raul Villanueva is the Dean of the College of Law. (Jonalyn Mendoza)

Father Antonio Moreno, President of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and lawyer Rosendo Castillo, Associate Dean of the Xavier University College of La

Father Antonio Moreno, President of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and lawyer Rosendo Castillo, Associate Dean of the Xavier University College of Law, during a news conference in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Jonalyn Mendoza)ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 25, 2011) – The Ateneo de Zamboanga University has formally launched Saturday its Xavier University College of Law – Zamboanga.

Father Antonio Moreno, President of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and lawyer Rosendo Castillo, Associate Dean of the Xavier University College of Law, presided earlier in a news conference to announce the opening of the College of Law in Zamboanga City.

“As a Jesuit professional school, the College of Law strives for professional competence, developing men and women trained in the theory and practice of law. The College aims to instill into the students a Christian outlook as to be worthy members of the legal profession and the community, particularly in the pursuit of truth and the promotion of justice. T also desires to foster a high ethical standard in the legal profession under a regime of liberty and democracy.”

“It aspires to train the students for leadership and seeks to develop a social conscience within the context of the mission of Xavier University in knowledge, value, and service to God, to the people, the community, and the country,” Ateneo de Zamboanga said in a statement.

Castillo said it was Moreno’s dream to put up a College of Law in Zamboanga.

“The birth of the Xavier University College of Law-Zamboanga, is a realization of the dream of Fr. Tony Moreno. Thanks to his determination and perseverance, Zamboanga City’s education landscape has been further enriched. Fr. Moreno’s and the Jesuit community’s dream is to offer in this city and this region the same high standards of education in the field of law that the Ateneo schools are renowned for,” he said.

Prominent lawyer Raul Villanueva is the Dean of the College of Law. (Jonalyn Mendoza)

Release 3 wounded NPA rebels, Bishop urges Philippine military

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 24, 2011) – A Filipino Bishop belonging to the clergy-led Exodus for Justice and Peace (EJP) appealed to the Philippine military to free 3 New People’s Army rebels who were wounded in a clash with security forces in Mindanao.

The EJP said releasing three on humanitarian grounds will aid in the pursuance of peace talks between rebels and government.

The group was referring to Vanessa delos Reyes, Ariel Haducana, and Jason Casilum whom the military is keeping in hospital arrest after being critically wounded in the fighting on May 29 in Davao Oriental province.

It said the Army’s 10th Infantry Division has rendered the trio as its de facto prisoners of war.

“Our call is ever more important, now that we are tracking peace talks,” Bishop Modesto Villasanta said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner. “The release of the three will definitely aid in confidence building for both the government and the NDF in pursuing peace talks.”

“Instead of using peace rhetoric for military operations and insisting that the NPA is a local terrorist, the military must heed the call to support peace negotiations by observing and respecting signed agreements between the government and the National Democratic Front,” Villasanta added.

Among the agreements include the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and other international conventions such as the Geneva Conventions that provide rules on war.

Baguio Pride month forum focuses on transgender rights

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - Human rights violations committed by the government and private parties against transgender Filipinos may soon be subject to international legal censure and corrective measures, if activists and lawyers succeed in getting the attention of the United Nations, pro-gay advocates said Saturday.

This historical milestone was revealed in “TRANSforming Views: The TRANSituation and the Right to Live, Love, Be: a Forum on the Transgender Situation” held Saturday at the University of the Philippines-Baguio.

The forum was sponsored by the Lesbians for National Democracy and the UP Kasarian Gender Studies Program as part of the LGBT Pride Month activities of Baguio Pride Network.

Raye Baquirin, Baguio Pride Network, provided the social situation framework of Transpinays or transexual Filipino women in the presentation “TRANS101” a module popularized by the Society of Transexual Women lined up the severe social barriers that transwomen face, and proposed ideas on how the majority of Filipinos can break free of misconceptions and actions that violate the rights of transwomen.

Lawyer Evalyn Ursua discussed the complaint filed by three Filipino transwomen with the United Nations Human Rights Committee under the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, with her as their legal counsel.

Ursua said the complaint focused on the refusal of the government to recognize the change of their gender in legal documents and to address discrimination in the public and private sectors.

She expressed confidence that the UN Human Rights Committee will make findings of human rights violations against transsexuals by the Philippine Government and direct it to pass laws and undertake other measures addressing gender identity and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Other reactors included Carol Galvez of the Cordillera People’s Alliance and Oscar Atadero of the Progressive Organization of Gays (PROGAY Philippines), who both stressed the need for more advocacy highlighting the needs of transgenders. Galvez zeroed in on the rising incidences of hate crimes committed against transgenders in Metro Baguio.

Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño, spokesperson of the Makabayan coalition, sent a solidarity message that urged the assembly to support the anti-discrimination measure he filed in Congress, House Bill 1483, a proposal that would help protect gender identity rights and help transgenders get free access to many public facilities that are frequently denied them.

The forum was a runup to the fifth lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pride organized by the Baguio Pride Network for June 26th along the city’s Session Road.

Coming Soon: Kapihan sa Mindanao Talk Show on Mindanao Examiner TV

Only at Mindanao Examiner Television Channel 54 Zamboanga City.

Pagadian City gives out fuel subsidy

PAGADIAN CITY, Philippines - Pagadian City distributed Thursday fuel subsidy assistance under the so-called “Pantawid Pasada” or Public Transport Assistance Program to tricycle franchise holders.

Mayor Samuel Co led the distribution of the subsidy amounting to P427,500 to help transport drivers cope with the rising cost gas.

“Indeed we are lucky to benefit from this program of the Aquino government to help us cope up with the effect of oil price increase,” Co said.

Some 2,850 tricycle franchisees received the financial subsidy.

Co said the coupons were issued by the City Treasurer’s Office to ensure that the fuel assistance will be properly received by the beneficiaries. (Gideon C. Corgue)

Call 117 for all emergencies

MANILA, Philippines - Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo urged the public to call the emergency hotline ‘117’ if they need rescue services or in any kind of emergency cases, state media said.

117 is the emergency hotline of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as well as the government’s national emergency hotline number with call centers in all regions of the country.

Robredo said the public should immediately call the hotline number, especially at this time when many people are affected by the high floods and heavy downpour caused by the latest weather disturbance.

“All you have to do is dial our hotline number ‘117’ so that we can immediately dispatch our emergency and rescue units and coordinate with the local PNP, BFP, MMDA, DPWH and other concerned agencies to where you are and assist you,” he said.

Reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council show that floods and rains affected 32,118 families or 166,708 people in 132 villages in 17 towns in Bulacan, Pampanga, Zambales, Rizal, Albay; and the cities of Makati, Malabon, Manila, Marikina, Quezon City, Taguig, and Valenzuela in Metro Manila.

Of the affected, 10,143 families or 48,712 people were evacuated to 23 evacuation centers in Albay, Rizal, Zambales and Metro Manila.

Last Thursday, thousands of commuters were stranded due to knee-high waters in many streets in Metro Manila while persons were reported missing in the provinces of Albay and Catanduanes.

Pre-school, elementary and secondary classes were also suspended Friday in at least three provinces and several localities in Luzon, as well as in several colleges and universities in Metro Manila.

Aquino to convene LEDAC in July

President Benigno Aquino.

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III is set to convene the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) next month in line with his directive to push for the passage of more legislative measures for the benefit of the Filipino people.

During a regular news briefing at Malacanang on Wednesday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the LEDAC is set to hold a meeting on July 12.

Following the signing into law of four legislative measures in the fields of energy, labor and health care that impact on the social reform agenda of the Aquino administration, the Chief Executive wanted to push more legislative measures to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people.

Lacierda stressed that the President signed the four measures on energy, labor and healthcare into law, saying that these will provide more opportunities for concrete, dynamic development across the nation.

Among the priority bills discussed last February include the proposed creation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the amendments to the National Health Insurance Act, the postponement of elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the proposed reorganization of the National Food Authority (NFA), among others.

Last June 6, Aquino signed into law Republic Act 10149 or the
Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCC)Governance Act of 2011 hat aims to promote financial viability and fiscal discipline in GOCCs and strengthen the role of the State in its governance and management to make them more responsive to the needs of the Filipino people.

Lacierda noted that the Aquino administration is looking forward to further working in solidarity with Congress as part of the service to the countrymen.

“We are heartened by the hard work of our allies in the Senate and the House of Representatives, especially their leadership under Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Speaker Sonny Belmonte. We look forward to further working in solidarity with them, in service to our countrymen,” he said.

Created in 1992, the LEDAC has as regular members the President as chairman, the Vice President, the Senate President, the House Speaker, seven Cabinet members, three senators, three House members, and one representative each from the local government, the youth, and the private sector.

MILF spokesman seeking political post in ARMM is sacked

An MILF fighter fixes his weapon at a base in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 24, 2011) – A long time spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was sacked after he held secret talks with politicians opposed to the Muslim rebel group to seek support for his ambition to become the officer-in-charge of the five-province Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Eid Kabalu held talks with former North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Piñol, a staunch critic of the MILF; and Rodrigo Duterte, the vice mayor of Davao City, to help him convince President Benigno Aquino III to appoint him as acting ARMM governor.

The secluded leader of the MILF, Murad Ebrahim, has called for a special session of the group’s central committee and issued an order terminating Kabalu as his spokesman and chairman of the civil-military department.

“You are hereby terminated as Chairman of the Civil-Military Department, GS, BIAF, MILF and as military spokesman of the BIAF. This is in pursuance to the decision of the GS, BIAF and duly approved by the MILF Central Committee. You are liable for conduct unbecoming of an MILF officer and per your confession during a preliminary investigation by the GS, you had admitted having met with Filipino politicians in Davao City and Manila in pursuance to your unilateral decision and ambition to be appointed as ARMM OIC Regional Governor."

"You know pretty well that ARMM is not the solution to the Bangsamoro Question. The MILF only accepts a negotiated settlement of this problem,” reads the MILF resolution signed by Ebrahim on Tuesday.

BIAF refers to the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the military wing of the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group which is fighting for decades for self-determination.

Kabalu said he resigned all his positions in the MILF and is willing to serve as acting governor of the ARMM if President Benigno Aquino appoints him as officer-in-charge.

“I am willing to serve as OIC governor should the President chooses me and carry out all his reform programs in the ARMM to benefit the Bangsamoro people and the government as a whole,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Kabalu said many groups, including an influential Catholic priest and peace advocate Father Eliseo Mercado, has nominated him to be the OIC in the ARMM.

“My name is included in the probable contender for the ARMM OIC and I personally tendered my resignation as spokesman and civil-military chief of the MILF because I do not want to drag the name of the MILF into this and because of my concern and love to the organization,” he said.

President Aquino said he would appoint an officers-in-charge to run the affairs of the ARMM after the Senate postponed this year’s elections and synchronize it in the 2013 mid-term polls. (Mindanao Examiner)