Malakanyang Motukod Ug Usa Ka Legal Team Aron Pagtuon Sa Pagwagtang Sa EO 464

PAGADIAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 28, 2008) Motukod ang Malakanyang ug usa ka legal team nga maoy magtuon sa posibleng pagwagtang sa mando ehekutibo 464 isip tubag sa tawag sa Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Matod pa ni Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, gimandoan siya ni Presidente Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo paghulma gilayon sa usa ka legal nga grupo sa wala pa mibiya ang presidente padulong sa Davao City kahapon sa buntag.

Kini ang gisugyot sa Presidente kaniya sa diha-diha magpatawag ug meeting uban sa maong team sa may alas kuwatro sa hapon kagahapon aron sa pagtuon awhag sa CBCP kabahin sa EO 464.

Ang legal team pagalangkuban sa kalihim sa Departmento sa Hustisya, Solicitor General, ug Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs, ug ang legal officers sa government corporate counsels. (PIA Pagadian City)

So Much Ado About US Bases Statement - Zambo Mayor

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Local Mayor Celso Lobregat expressed surprise over negative reactions articulated by various sectors concerning his supposed statement on the US Bases, which he said is a non-issue, government media said.

"This is so much ado about nothing", Mayor Lobregat declared referring to statements issued by various sectors hitting him for allegedly offering Zamboanga as the site for US bases.

The issue, he said, stemmed from his message during the turnover of computer units at the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST) in Rio Hondo this city where American Ambassador Kristie Kenney and US Senators Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Ted Stevens of Alaska were the guest of honors.

"I was relating a footnote in history", he said. "I was misquoted and I was taken out of context".

Mayor Lobregat explained that in his speech, he merely related about the long standing relationship between the city government of Zamboanga and the US.

I said when the Philippine Senate voted not to ratify the Bases Extension Agreement, the people of Zamboanga at that time (17 years ago) were saying that if people in Luzon don't want the bases in Luzon, the US could have the bases here (in the city) but the Constitution does not allow it".

Also, at the height of the controversy of the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD) in 1996, the Zamboanga City Council asked the Regional Development Council in Western Mindanao to "study, assess, evaluate and recommend the possibility of making Zamboanga or any part of Western Mindanao as site for the US bases".

"This is so much ado about nothing because I did not offer Zamboanga City as a site for any bases, first of all the constitution does not allow it and this is a non-issue," the mayor reiterated.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer, a daily newspaper of national circulation and its website www.inquirer.net including the tabloid Bandera on Tuesday published a news item stating that the mayor has offered Zamboanga as the site for US bases triggering negative reactions from numerous sectors.

In a meeting with members of the City Council at the City hall Conference room Wednesday afternoon, the mayor replayed the video of his message delivered during the affair at the ZSCMST to prove his point. Nowhere in the video did the mayor say that he is offering Zamboanga as the site of the US bases. (Philippine Information Agency)

Education As A Continuous Process And Enhancer Of Opportunities

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 17, 2008) - As the saying goes, "education is a continuous process,” thus, re-tooling, re-inventing and re-engineering are some of the few words used to describe the activities and events undertaken by an organization to impart education to its target clients.

Just recently, the proposal of Sulu Governor Sakur Tan to send ulama in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia to enhance their knowledge in the area of the shari'a law, philosophy, dialectical theology of Quoranic hermeneutics as part of a local education program through exposure is a case in point of education as a continuous process.

Similarly, the Department of Education has embarked on 'EXCELS' scholarship program for 1,600 public elementary and secondary school heads, nationwide, from November 2007 to July 2008 with the goal in mind to "continue the education process" especially to institutionalized sectors mandated to educate people. Here in Region-9, the program is set on February 27 to March 26 through iFLEX (or INNOTECH Flexible Learning Management System).

Experience, as best teacher pointed out to DepEd Sec. Jesli Lapuz that chunk of expenses were utilized for official travel than in directly teaching the marginal poor school children.

This experience resulted to the order of Sec. Lapuz for the adoption of measures and guidelines to cut travel cost. At the same time, DepEd's Bureau of Alternative Learning System (DepEd-BALS) called on all regional directors to be prompt in releasing the salary and other financial incentives of at least 1,381mobile teachers. A lesson learned that could be taken for granted is: "Give due credit to where it is due. After all, the mobile teachers are the ones deployed to deprived, depressed and underserved areas in the country to do alternative education to reach out all kinds of learners.'

Remarkably, the concerted efforts of DepEd-9, and the LGUs resulted in the improvement of the elementary school children in the National Aptitude Test (NAT), placing it this year at the 6th place from its 11th rank in 2004.

Finally, the continuous education process is also evident in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas system as it re-invents itself to push for the financial literacy campaign for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), teaching them how to use their hard-earned money wisely.

BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Gunigundo said they are going around the country to educate the families of OFWs on the facets of entrepreneurship and investing in different financial institutions, conducting lectures for them to become investors rather than mere consumers, so much so that the peso continues to appreciate against the dollar, short-changing the value of their remittances due to the lowering of foreign exchange rates.

Exposure trips, scholarships, virtue-laden living or paradigm shift of homemakers to entrepreneurship are proofs that education is as incessant as breathing.

The Arroyo Administration, cognizance of this continuous process of educating its citizens called on both chambers of Congress to immediately pass the proposed P1.227-trillion national budget for 2008 to avoid delay in the implementation of the government's priority projects and programs, with a budget allocation for education topping the list at P3.320 billion. (Philippine Information Agency/Mimi Edaga)

Solar Energy To Power Homes In Zamboanga Province

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 12, 2007) – Hundreds of villagers in the southern Filipino province of Zamboanga del Sur are expected to benefit from solar energy that will be used to power their homes.

The installations of the solar home energy system will benefit at least 76 families, mostly farmer-beneficiaries of the Agrarian Reform Communities of the Department of Agrarian Reform in the town of Dumingag in San Miguel town, said lawyer Glenn Sabijon, provincial DAR chief.

“These solar home energy systems will provide lighting services to households through solar energy, particularly those in far flung villages, which has no electricity,” he said.

The Philippine Information Agency said the project is under the Solar Power Technology Support or SPOTS, which also provides income-generating activities for the farmers to be able to pay the operating and maintenance costs of each solar home energy system for only P220 a month. (Bong Lanipa)

Zamboanga Hospital Now Offers Care Giver Course

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - From a kindergarten school, a lying-in hospital and a livelihood complex, the Puericulture Center in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines is moving forward fast, as it now offers a caregiver course.

Called the Zamboanga Puericulture Center School of Allied Medicine (ZPSAM), it was formally opened recently, according to the Philippine Information Agency in Zamboanga City.

Dr Rodel Agbulos, ZPSAM president and also the city’s health chief, has cited the contributions of the late Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Clara Lobregat for the many developments that transpired at the Puericulture Center.

“This is a result of an inspiration drawn from someone who even gone, still remains our driving force towards development, to our dear Madam Caling Lobregat. We again dedicate this new venture of our organization, the Zamboanga Puericulture School of Allied Medicine,” he said.

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)

NGO Pushes For Clean Elections In South RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) chief Henrietta de Villa visited Jolo island Thursday to advocate for a clean, honest, accurate, meaningful and peaceful (CHAMP) polls in the southern province.

CHAMP is the election advocacy battle cry of PPCRV.

To erase doubts that cheating is massive in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), volunteers from 12 youth and women organizations in Jolo island will be tapped by PPCRV to monitor the election proceedings, according to the official Philippine Information Agency in Zamboanga City.

Regional Director Rey Sumalipao, of the Commission on Elections in the Autonomous Region, who assisted Sarmiento in the visit, is optimistic that families displaced by fighting between rebels and soldiers could return home before the May 14 polls, it said.

Many of the refugees are staying in temporary government shelters on the island. The United Nations said as many as 42,000 people have been affected by the hostilities that broke out April 13 after Moro National Liberation Front rebels under Ustadz Khabir Malik attacked a marine base in Panamao town.

The COMELEC will somehow be forced to put up makeshift shelters near school buildings housing dislocated families to serve as polling places, or use village and health centers and even police stations for the purpose, Sumalipao said.

In preparation for the mid-year elections, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued Proclamation No. 1279 declaring Monday, May 14, as a special public, non-working holiday nationwide "to give the people the fullest opportunity to exercise their right of suffrage" during the national and local elections on that day. (Mimi Bern-Edaga)

Zambo Pharmacies Play Tough On Old Folks

Senior citizens in southern Philippines. Many old folks in Zamboanga City have complained about the refusal of many pharmacies to give them 20 percent discount of medicine purchases despite a law granting them the meager discount. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Many pharmacies in Zamboanga City have ignored repeated warnings by authorities to comply with the law granting 20 percent discount to senior citizens who are purchasing medicines.

“Many pharmacies make it so difficult for us to buy medicine. Often we are told that there is no stock or only their main branch can give the discount,” Corazon C. Herico, president of the Federation of Senior Citizens Association of the Philippines, Zamboanga Chapter, told the Philippine Information Agency here.

The Sangguniang Panlunsod previously held dialogues with drugstore owners to thresh out issues but nothing has been reached so far. Many senior citizens urged the authorities to sanction those violating the law.

Herico’s group has appealed many times to authorities, including the Drugstore Association of the Philippines to do something about their concern.

Many drugstores, she said, would require senior citizens to present new prescription every they buy the same medicines. Senior citizens complained the high cost of prescription fee is killing them.

Geraldine Balbuena, regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, said they are monitoring the implementation of the Republic Act 9257, but do not have police power to enforce the law.

“Complaints should be lodge to the concerned agency,” she said.

Luwalhati Pablo, of the DSWD, clarified that senior citizens continue to enjoy the 20 percent discount, despite the 12 percent Expanded Value Added Tax (E-VAT) added on their purchases of basic commodities and services.

Uldarico Fabian, division chief of the City Social Welfare and Development Office, said while many pharmacies fail to comply with the law, he lauded the transportation and food establishments as “sympathetic of the plight of the senior citizens.” (Mimi Bern-Edaga)

Photo: Aftermath Of Gas Explosion In Southern Philippines

Photos courtesy of the Philippine Information Agency Western Mindanao Region 9.

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR (Mindanao Examiner / 02 Feb) - Authorities said at least 28 people were killed and over three dozens injured in a massive explosion from a truck transporting cooking gas on Friday in Zamboanga del Sur province in the southern Philippines.

But the number of casualties are expected to increase as more of the injured remain in serious condition in hospitals in Pagadian City.

The explosion, which occurred at around 10.40 a.m. in Tigbao town, literally obliterated a packed passenger bus passing near the truck that overturned on a highway in Lacupayan village.

Rescuers said most of those killed were mutilated by the powerful blast.The photographs of the scene above released to the Mindanao Examiner by the Philippine News Agency-Western Mindanao Region 9 contained graphic images. (Mindanao Examiner)