MAGHUSAY TA! By Uriel Cruz Vallecera

MAAYO HINUON

TUGOTING sublion nako sa pagpadayag ang akong kahinangop sa gihugonhugon nga paghimog lakang aron makabaton na og kaugalingong supply sa kuryente ang dakbayan sa Sugbo. Maayo hinuon aron kon sa usa ka paagi o sa lain, maibanan ang dakong panginahanglan sa mga Sugboanon og kuryente.

Sa pagsulat niini, gipaabot nga makapahimulos og mga modernong kahimanan ug pasilidad nga mas barato usab ang bayranan sa makonsumo nga kuryente ang tanang mga magpapatigayon nga mobubo og puhonan sa South Reclamation Project (SRP) sa Cebu City.

Gikataho nga pormal nang gipahibalo ni Mayor Tomas Osmena ang mag-produce og kaugalingong supply sa kuryente sa Cebu City. Kon walay modangat nga kakulian, posibleng magsugod sa bulan sa Septiyembre ang paggamit sa kaugalingong supply sa kuryente ug kini gamiton sa pamatigayon sa SRP.

Nunot niini, gipadayag ni Osmena nga usa ka European scientist ang gikuha nila aron maoy modugtong sa kable nga gamiton sa pagkuha og supply sa kuryente nga gproduce gikan sa biogas.

Gipaabot usab nga makahatag kini og supply sa kuryente nga 5 megawatts alang sa SRP ug kini dako na kaayong tabang alang sa mga magpapatigayon nga mobubo og puhonan sa maong proyekto sanglit makagarantiya man kini nga dili mapiang ang ilang patigayon sa panahon nga mahitabo ang lapad ug dugay nga brownout.

Ang 5 megawatts nga kuryente dako na kaayog ikatabang sa operasyon sa pamatigayon sa SRP. Nindot gayod bitaw kon adunay kaugalingong supply sa kuryente ang SRP aron nga magpadayon ang hapsay nga pamatigayon bisan pa kon may mahitabong pag-brownout. Mao nga manghinaot kita nga matigayon gayod kining maong plano.

-o0o-

Pipila na lang ka bulan ug ASEAN Summit na gyod. Gipadayon gihapon hangtod karon ang pagpangandam sa Sugbo alang sa umaabot nga 12th ASEAN Summit. Daghan na ang gihimo sa lokal nga kagamhanang lokal agig pagpangandam sa maong dakong hitabo.

Nasuta nga ang pagpahigayon sa ASEAN Summit dako kaayog matabang aron mapatahom ang Sugbo. Gipangtapakan ang libaongon nga kadalanan ug gipatahom ang mga dapit nga maagian sa mga delegado sa summit. Labaw sa tanan, gitukod ang Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) nga human sa summit, seguradong magamit pa sa laing dagkong kalihokan sa umaabot.

Angay lang nga pangandaman gayod og maayo ang pag-host sa Cebu sa ASEAN tungod kay ang pagduaw sa mga bisita nga mga delegado sa Summit posible man nga maoy maggahas og dalan aron madugangan ang mga turista nga makabig sa pagduaw sa Sugbo.

Importante gayod nga pangandaman, labaw sa tanan, ang bahin sa seguridad. Ilabi na karong panahona nga gikataho nga ang Sugbo gitarget sa mga terorista, kinahanglan gayod nga maseguro nga luwas ang mga bisita nga moduaw sa Sugbo.

Alang nako, ang Sugbo dili hingpit nga luwas gikan sa mga terorista. Daghan kaayog mga lutsanan ang mga terorista nga buot moanhi sa Sugbo. Maarang-arang na lang nga duna nay gipakatap nga mga polis sa lainlaing dapit kay sa ingon, posibleng moiklam og diyotay ang mga terorista.

Mas angay pa gayod unyang hugtan ang pagbantay sa seguridad atol sa ASEAN Summit. Delikado kon pahimuslan sab sa mga terorista ang hiagyon ug mabulabog na hinuon kita sa ilang pagpangatake atol sa maong higayon. Kinahanglang alerto kita kanunay.

-o0o-

NIADTONG miaging pipila ka semana, nabaniog ang balita nga may mga sparrow unit sa New People's Army (NPA) nga bag-o pang nakahuman sa ilang pagbansaybansay nga anaa na sa ilang test mission sa pagkakaron.

Ang misyon niining maong sparrow unit, matod pa, mao ang paglikidar sa mga kurakot nga mga opisyal sa gobyerno ug ang kapolisan. Ang kapolisan nga mibutyag niining maong kasayoran miingon nga higpit na nilang gi-build-up ang ilang intelligence network sa kabarangayan aron pag-monitor sa kalihokan niining maong mga sparrow unit.

Ang akong baroganan niining maong balita mao nga makalibog pa kini sa pagkakaron. Alang nako, dili dayon ko motuo sa maong balita tungod kay daghan karon ang mga binuang nga estorya nga gipakatap ilabi na nga hapit na ang ASEAN Summit.

Dunay akong nadunggan nga kuwarta gihapon ang nagpaluyo niining maong isyu tungod kay dunay gustong manguwarta ginamit kining maong isyu. Hinuon, dili usab gayod angay mokompiyansa ang atong kapolisan kay basin tinuod usab nga may sparrow unit gayod nga gipalihok ang mga NPA.

Hinuon, ang angay mahadlok sa giingong mga sparrow unit mao kadtong mga tawong kurakot tungod kay mao man kaha kini ang target sa maong mga elemento. Kadtong walay gibuhat nga daotan dili angay mabalaka niini.

-o0o-

Husto ang lakang sa pagpakatap og tourist police ug traffic police sa Cebu City ilabi na karon nga giingong may mga terorista nga gustong magmugnag kadaot ug kasamok sa maong lugar.

Importante kaayo nga maseguro nga luwas ang atong kaigsuonan bisan asa sila maglakaw. Angay usab proteksiyonan ang buotan natong mga turista aron dili sila motagam sa pagbisita sa Sugbo.

Hapit na ang ASEAN Summit. Ug samtang nagsingabot na ang maong dakong kalihokan nga anhi ipahigayon sa Sugbo, daghan usab ang nabalaka nga tingalig lawgawon sa mga badlongon sa katilingban ang maong kalihokan aron paghatag og buling sa Sugbo sa kalibotanong mapa.

Mao nga nalipay kaayo ko nga makakita na kitag daghang traffic police ug tourist police kay pinaagi niini, sa usa ka paagi o sa lain, mabatyagan nato nga safe kita sa usa ka lugar nga sama sa Sugbo.(Columnist Uriel Vallecera is based in Cebu province)

Muslims Flock To Islamic City Of Marawi To Avail Free US-RP Medical Mission

An American soldier during a joint RP-US medical mission in the Islamic city of Marawi on Wednesday, 28 June 2006. More than 1,500 poor Muslims flock to Marawi to avail of the free medical services, under the Project Bayanihan. (Zamboanga Journal)

MARAWI CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 28 Jun) More than 1,500 poor Muslims flocked Wednesday to the southern Islamic city of Marawi where U.S. and Philippine military doctors held a free joint medical mission.

Local dentists and dozens of volunteer health workers also helped in the medical mission, the 16th since last year conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines in central Mindanao.

"We are so happy to help many poor Filipinos and we hope to do more in the future," Lt. Dave Nava, of the JSOTF-P, told the Zamboanga Journal.

He said more than 1,500 people benefited from the medical mission. "This joint undertaking is part of the Balikatan's Project Bayanihan. It is a partnership between the U.S. military, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police and local government officials and nongovernmental organizations," he said.

At least 11 doctors from the provincial health office, including four from the JSOTF-P and destroyer USS Momsen, of the United States Navy, joined the medical mission held inside the Philippines' 1st Marine Brigade base.

"They are kind and they gave us medicines and told us to take care of our health. We hope they come more often and help the Muslims here," Kani Abdurahim, a 27-year old fisherman, said in a separate interview.

More than 10,000 mostly poor Filipinos have benefited in the past joint medical missions in central Mindanao, under the Project Bayanihan.

Just this month, the United States Navy hospital ship Mercy had treated more than 60,000 mostly poor Filipino patients in separate medical missions in Zamboanga City and the islands of Basilan, Jolo and Tawi-Tawi, as part of the Project Bayanihan.

Rubber Now Part Of DA-DAR-DENR Convergence Program

NORTH COTABATO (Carlos Bautista / 27 Jun) North Cotabato’s advocacy for a refocused agriculture with rubber at the helm took on added impetus with the inclusion of rubber in the crops to be given attention in the convergence program implemented by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Jesus Emmanuel Paras, DA Undersecretary, and Manuel Gerochi, DENR Undersecretary, were both convinced by North Cotabato Governor Emmanual Piñol that rubber would effectively enhance the country’s agriculture and economic development program, as well as ensure a more effective reforestation program.

Gov. Piñol gave a presentation on the positive prospects that rubber production has for Philippine agriculture, environment, and the economy as a whole during a meeting with the two undersecretaries to discuss the launching of the convergence program in Macabenban, Carmen next month.

“It is now time for us to decide which major crops we want to focus on, and I agree that rubber should be one of them,” Usec. Gerochi said.

“In areas where they can be grown, we should plant rubber intercropped with jetropa,” he added.

Usec. Paras for his part said that the 10 pilot areas proposed by Gov. Piñol for rubber production outside Mindanao could be adopted by the program.

These include the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Sur, Nueva Viscaya, Camarines Sur, Mindoro Occidental, Palawan, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and Antique.

“We have already conducted technical studies on the possibility of planting rubber in these areas,” Gov. Piñol said.

“In fact, we have already established rubber nurseries in Palawan and Negros Occidental in cooperation with local governments in both provinces,” he added.

Gov. Piñol was also able to get the support of DA, DAR, DENR and the National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR) in funding 45-day national training program for rubber involving agriculture personnel of the 10 pilot provinces and DA regional coordinators at the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Kabacan, North Cotabato.

The agencies will contribute P800,000.00 each to bankroll the training program which will start on July 1, 2006.

Basilan Traders Complain Of Poor Power Supply, Bad Publicity

BASILAN ISLAND (Lowell Vallecer / 27 Jun) SME and industry leaders in Basilan got their chance to speak with Undersecretary Carissa Cruz-Evangelista, of the Department of Trade and Industry - Regional Operations Group on pressing issues and concerns they said were affecting business on the island province, south of Mindanao.

In the Philippines, an SME is defined as any business activity or enterprise engaged in industry, agriculture, or services whether single proprietorship, cooperative, partnership, or corporation.

Evangelista was in Lamitan as guest speakers in the 5th ARMM Business Conference which ended Tuesday. She requested for an audience with SME and other industry leaders on Basilan to know their sentiments on issues affecting their business.

Among the concerns raised by the groups were the frequent blackouts and power fluctuation most on the island, and the negative image Basilan is often associated with -- the Abu Sayyaf.

Andy Anoos, a local trader and former councilor of Lamitan town, said the erratic power supply is affecting the business on the island. He said many processing plants were operating well below the optimal level and that public and private offices were also largely affected by the poor electric supply from an offshore power barge.

"The long term solution if Basilan is to realize its full economic potential is to connect the island to the Mindanao power grid via a submarine power cable. Basilan right now gets its electricity from a power barge," Anoos said.

Evangelista said she would bring the matter to the attention of the national government.

Jann Jakilan, of the Autonomous Basilan Chamber (ABICCI), and Datu Haron Bandila, of the ARMM Business Council Foundation, also raised the issue of bad media publicity about the island and both expressed concern of the lingering image of the province as a haven for terrorists, despite its current peaceful situation.

"This bad image of Basilan is one of the primary reasons why many businessmen shy away from investing here," Jakilan said.

Many traders also complained of high shipping and freight rates for products, such as rubber and copra, from Basilan to Zamboanga City. Dick Brown, a councilor in Isabela City, said the high rates of shipping and freight charges have affected many traders and urged the DTI and other agencies to look into the matter.

U.S. Library of Congress Supports American Historical Collection in Manila

Lee McClenny, (fourth from left), U.S. Embassy Counselor for Public Affairs, hands over a microfiche card. From left: Doyle Stout, Chair, AAP American Historical Collection (AAP-AHC) Committee; Nora Conti, Acting Director, U.S. Embassy’s Thomas Jefferson Information Center; Robert Lane, AAP-AHC Committee; U.S. Embassy Counselor for Public Affairs Lee McClenny; Glendon Rowell, President, AAP; Leslie Ann Murray, AAP-AHC Committee; Reynaldo de Jesus, AAP-AHC Committee; and Waldette Cueto, Librarian-in-Charge, American Historical Library, Ateneo de Manila University.

On behalf of the U.S. Library of Congress, the U.S. Embassy recently gave a complete microfiche set of the collected works of the American Historical Collection (AHC), which is located at the Rizal Library of Ateneo de Manila University.

With this donation, future AHC patrons will be able to search and use its contents via microfiche and CD-ROM rather than by using the original documents, which will make conservation and preservation of the collection’s valuable contents much easier.

The AHC, which has been described as “unique and priceless” by Library of Congress experts, was created in the aftermath of World War II through the efforts of then-U.S. Ambassador Myron Cowen. He called upon private citizens to donate their books, maps, photographs and movies about the American colonial and commonwealth period to a single collection that could be accessed by all.

The 206-volume collection is owned, in trust, by the American Association of the Philippines (AAP) and is managed on a day-to-day basis by the staff of Ateneo de Manila, who make its contents available to students, researchers and members of the general public.

Motorcycle Gunmen Kill Civilian In Jolo Island

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 27 Jun) Motorcycle gunmen attacked and killed a 28-year old Muslim man in the southern Filipino island of Jolo, where security forces are fighting members of the Abu Sayyaf group tied to Jemaah Islamiya, a regional military spokesman said.

Air Force Captain Jose Ritche Pabilonia said at least 6 gunmen in three motorcycles were involved in the attack that killed Fauzi Araji in downtown Jolo at the weekend. "The victim was shot with .45-caliber pistol and did not reach the hospital alive. Authorities are investigating this matter," he told the Zamboanga Journal.

Little was known about the man or why he was killed, but the spate of attacks on civilians on the island the past months have been largely blamed to the break down of peace and order and the proliferation of illegal weapons in the hands of the private armies of politicians, rebels and Abu Sayyaf militants.

The absence of governance, corruption and habitual travel of local town officials to Manila or abroad have add up to the worsening situation in the dangerous island of Jolo, about 950 km from Manila, where troops are battling the Abu Sayyaf and renegade members of the former rebel group Moro National Liberation Front.

Kidnappings-for-ransom, largely blamed by authorities to the Abu Sayyaf, and clan war are also rampant in Jolo.

Muslim Election Officer Kidnapped In Restive Mindanao

MARAWI CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 27 Jun) Unidentified gunmen snatched a Muslim election officer while on his way to pray at a mosque in Iligan City in Lanao del Norte province in the restive island of Mindanao in southern Philippines, officials said Tuesday.

Officials said Disalungan Pulala, 56, was seized before sunrise by 5 gunmen in the village of Mahayahay on Monday. Pulala was dragged into a waiting van with markings "Fox Boy" on its side, but the vehicle had no licensed plates, said Captain Jose Ritche Pabilonia, a spokesman for the military's Southern Command.

"We still don't know the motive of the abduction, but the victim is an officer of the Commission on Election in Lanao de Sur province," Pabilonia said, adding, security forces were dispatched to track down the hostage.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is currently negotiating peace with Manila, said rebel forces were also working closely with the military authorities through the ad-hoc joint action group to track down and recover Pulala and Kurt Degracia, an 11-year old boy also kidnapped last week in Parang town in Maguindanao province.

Gunmen kidnapped Degracia Friday inside the Landasan Central Pilot Elementary School in front of his horrified teacher and classmates. His family owns a chain of hardware stores, authorities said.

"We are coordinating and working closely with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to track down the kidnappers and the two hostages," Eid Kabalu, the group's spokesman, told the Zamboanga Journal.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the latest abduction, but previous kidnappings in the two provinces were politically motivated.

Last month, gunmen seized Pala-o Diamla, a court sheriff in Marawi City in Lanao de Sur province on orders from a politician who lost in the May 2004 elections.

Diamla was returning home May 30 when kidnapped by a band of armed men. He was freed a week later after Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, backed by government soldiers, threatened to assault the kidnappers' hideout in the province.

The military said a defeated town vice mayoralty candidate, who has a pending electoral protest, allegedly masterminded the kidnapping to force the court to rule on his favor. Even judges in the provinces who were hearing election protests were also under threat.

The MILF, the country's largest Muslim separatist rebel group, forged an agreement in 2004 that paved the way for rebel forces to help government hunt down terrorists and criminal elements in areas where the MILF is actively operating.

MILF forces also rescued in May a nine-year old girl, Donna May Ramos, kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf bandits in the southern Philippine island ofBasilan. Rebel forces, led by Bonie Salie, captured two men holding Ramos and rescued the girl May 13 in the hinterland village of Limbo Upas in Tipo-Tipo town.

The fate of the two men Jaid Awalal and Jaljani Isnilon was unknown, but the rebels handed the girl, daughter of Councilor Donnel Ramos who was kidnapped May 10 while playing with a friend in Lamitan town.

Cebu Pacific Now Flies To Historic Laoag In Ilocos Norte

Cebu Pacific, the country's low cost carrier, recently inaugurated its thrice weekly flight to historic Laoag in Ilocos Norte province in northern Philippines. Travellers from Zamboanga and other parts of Mindanao can now fly to Laoag via Manila on Cebu Pacific for that long thought of vacation which includes the nearby Heritage City of Vigan.

Ilocos Norte Gov. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., 2nd from left, welcomes the Cebu Pacific inaugural flight and receives the Cebu Pacific A319 Die-Cast Plane from Candice Iyog, center, CEB’s director for marketing, in ceremonies at the Laoag International Airport. Also shown are Mayor Michael V. Fariñas, left, with CEB director of sales and passenger service Edwin Bautista and Charlie Palpalatoc, right.

Natural Resources Top ARMM Business Confab In Basilan

BASILAN ISLAND (Darwin Wee / 26 Jun) Officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Monday began to discuss the region's most important industries -- rubber, seaweeds and aquamarine products, and poultry and agro-marine -- in an effort to further improve its quality and production.

Speaking before hundreds of delegates to the two-day ARMM 5th Business Congress in Lamitan town, Muslimin Jann Jakilan, the region's Labor and Employment chief, said three national experts on agribusiness have been invited to give the businessmen and investors an overview and the benefits of the identified priorities industries in ARMM.

He said Dr Eugenio A. Alcala, executive director of Philippine Rubber Board, Inc., will give an insight on how to invest in rubber planting with regards to the region's favorable soil and agro-climatic condition.

For seaweeds, Atty. Malcolm J. Sarmiento, Jr., director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, will also discussed how to intensify seaweed production to meet the increasing demand both in local and foreign markets.

Vicente Lao, chairman of the Maharlika Agro-Marine Venture Corp., on the other hand is expected to tackle the region's potential to be the country's Halal poultry production center, which will be incorporated into the crafting of the ARMM's Halal Development Framework at the end of the congress Tuesday.

Ishak Mastura, ARMM's Trade Secretary, express optimism that rubber, seaweeds, and Halal poultry production will lift the region's current economic status. "From being the poorest region in the country and a known site of decades-old Moro rebellion, ARMM is gradually transforming into an investment destination. And we would like to focus our directions in seaweeds, rubber, and the Halal poultry production," he told reporters.

He said the ARMM is currently the country's top producer of carrageenan. "We supply 70% of the country's total seaweeds production. A total of 332,881 metric tons of dried seaweeds of the euchema specie alone were produced in the year 2000 for domestic consumption and export to countries like the United States, Japan, and Europe, generating a significant share of the country's export earnings," he said.

Carrageenan is any of a group of closely related colloids derived from Irish moss and several other red algae, widely used as a thickening, stabilizing, emulsifying, or suspending agent in industrial, pharmaceutical, and food products.

Data from the ARMM also showed that the region has recorded a total fish production of 408,086 metric tons last year. Fish production comes from three sources: commercial fishing, municipal fishing, and aqua-culture.

At present, the Muslim region has 89 municipal sea and fishing ports and strategically located all over Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur provinces, which comprise the ARMM.

Mastura noted that the ARMM is hosting one of the biggest ports in the country –- the International Port of Polloc -- which serves as a facilitator of commerce and trade into the region and its neighboring areas.

"In the BIMP-EAGA trade framework, the Polloc port has been identified as one of the country's important hub enters for the movement of goods and people within the growth polygon," he said.

ARMM has a total land of 1.4 million hectares or 4.5% of the Philippines total land area, teeming with vast reserves that offer excellent opportunities for resource-based processing industries. Of this total land area, about 70% are classified as prime agricultural land or about 803 thousand 763 hectares; 22% as forest lands or about 320,832 has., and about 102,248 hectares; 5% are classified as wetland, built-up area and other land uses 3%.

Mastura said investments in ARMM for the first quarter of this year grew by 10 percent, with P146 million compared to last year's first quarter earning of only P131.4 million. "This only shows that the region is now starting to pick up in terms of investors," he said

MAGHUSAY TA! By Uriel Cruz Vallecera

PAKIGBATOK SA CYBER SEX SA CEBU

SAGOPON ug ipatuman ni Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena ang calibrated preemptive response (CPR) dinhi sa dakbayan sa Sugbo. Kini ang nahunahunaan sa mayor aron pakigbatokan ang nagkagrabe na gyod nga suliran sa mikatap nga cybersex diha sa mga internet cafe.

Apan ang sentro sa kampanya karon ni Mayor Osmena mao ang pag-ban sa mga menor-de-edad nga makasulod sa mga internet cafe aron makalikay sila salaw-ay nga buhat.

Aron gayod maseguro nga mokooperar ang mga tag-iya ug tagdumala sa mga internet cafe, i-revoke sa mayorang mga businesspermit ug pasirad-an ang internet cafe nga magpasulod og menor-de-edad.

Dili ko mosupak niining maong lakang kon ipatuman man gayod kini kon ang tumong mao ang paglikay sa kabataan gikan sa makadaot nga impluwensiya diha sa internet.

Pero maayo tingaling tun-an unag maayo kon unsay mamahimong resulta kon ihinayon gayod ang pagsagop ug pagpatuman niini kay tingalig adunay tiil sa atong kaigsuonan nga atong matumban tungod niini.

Nakasulti kog ingon niini tungod kay segurado man gayod nga maapektohan niini ang negosyo sa mga tag-iyag internet cafe. Seguradong makunhoran ang ilang kita tungod kay daghan ra ba kaayo ang mga bata nga suki na sa mga internet cafe.

Ang labing maayo tingaling buhaton mao ang pagsusi sa mga internet cafe kon wala ba silay private rooms. Dili na tingali kinahanglang did-an pa ang mga menor-de-edad pagsulod og internet cafe kon maseguro lang nga walay private rooms ang internet cafe nga ilang masudlan.

Kuwang kog pagtuo nga madasig lang gihapon ang mga menor-de-edad sa pag-perform og cybersex kon anha sa daghang mga kustomer sa internet tungod kay makauuwaw man gayod kiining maong buhat.

-o0o-

Nagpagawas og kapin sa P2 million nga gahin ang lokal nga kagamhanan sa Cebu City alang sa computerization sa blotter system sa Cebu City Police Office (CCPO). Gitinguhang mapatuman na kining computerization system sapolice blotter sa CCPO sa dili pa ang ASEAN Summit nga ipahigayon sa umaabot nga Disyembre.

Si Konsehal Jun Pe sa dakbayan sa Sugbo maoy nakahunahuna sa computerization blotter system sa tuyo nga mahimong masepektibo ang kapolisan sailang trabaho.

Nindot baya kining maong laraw. Pero wala kini makapakombinser nako nga ang maong sistema makapausab sa mentalidad sa tapolan nga mga polis. Hinuon, sa usa ka paagi o sa lain, makatabang gayod kini aron mahimong epektibo sa pagpangalagad ang kapolisan.

Pero dili kita makapaabot nga makatampo kinig dako sa mas malungtaron, mas dali ug mas epektibong pangalagad gikan sa atong kapolisan. Bentaha na lang gayod hinuon kon computerized na ang blotter sa kapolisan.(Columnist Uriel Vallecera is based in Cebu province)

Troops Capture MIndanao NPA Base, Seize Explosives

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 26 Jun) Government forces occupied a huge jungle encampment of the New People's Army (NPA) in the southern Philippines after fierce fighting that left one soldier dead and at least a dozen soldiers wounded and a still undetermined number of communist rebels, officials said Monday.

Officials said troops also recovered 120 sticks of dynamites and anti-government propaganda inside the camp in the mountain village of Busdi in Malaybalay City after weeklong clashes that began June 18. "Troops have occupied the enemy camp and recovered the explosives. We are clearing the area," Capt. Jose Ritche Pabilonia, spokesperson of the Southern Command, told reporters.

He said the NPA base has 164 bunkers and used by rebels for training.

Lt. Col. Francisco Simbajon, of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, described the rebel camp as heavily fortified and surrounded by dangerous terrain. He said military helicopters were used to flush out the rebels. "The enemy camp is well fortified so we have sent more soldiers, backed by aircrafts, in the area to neutralize the NPA forces," he told the Zamboanga Journal.

Fighting in the countryside have escalated after peace talks between communist rebels and the government collapsed in 2004 after the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front pulled out from the negotiations because of its inclusion to the terror lists of the United States and the European Union on Manila's prodding.

Rebels demanded that President Gloria Arroyo asks the United States and the European Union to strike them off from the terror lists before they resume peace talks. Manila rejected the demand and suspended safety and immunity guarantee for rebel peace negotiators following the collapse of the talks.

President Arroyo has ordered the military to crush the NPA, the armed wing of the CPP-NDF, and set aside one billion pesos for the military to help fight insurgency and terrorism.

25 People Killed In Clan War In Southern RP

BUKIDNON (Zamboanga Journal /26 Jun) At least 25 people were killed in a weeklong gun battle between Muslim farmers and Lumad tribesmen, triggering an exodus of civilians from a remote southern Philippine town, officials said Monday.

Officials said the fighting, which began June 20, was triggered by a long time land dispute between the two groups in the farming town of Talakag near Bukidnon province. "Military reports said 25 people had been killed in the clashes because of land dispute between Muslims and tribesmen in the town," Capt. Jose Ritche Pabilonia, a spokesman for the military's Southern Command, told the Zamboanga Journal.

Security forces have already arrested 2 people connected to the fighting, latest military reports said.

Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon, Southern Command chief, said troops were deployed in the area to break up the fighting and arrest those involved in the clashes. "I have directed the commander in the area to stop the fighting and disarm the protagonists and arrest those responsible in these senseless killings," he said.

The military said the two groups were fighting over a vast track of land, which is also being claimed by a former government official Abdulkair Alonto.

Clan war is common in the southern Philippines and vendetta killings are rampant and fighting between protagonists sometimes lasts for years and even decades, until a pact is reached or blood money is paid by both sides.

Photo: A Fisherman Off Basilan Island

A lone fisherman speeds off Basilan island in the southern Philippines. (Zamboanga Journal)

Media Urged To Promote Agri News In RP

MAKATI CITY (Vivien Bautista / 26 Jun) North Cotabato Governor Emmanual Pinol urged print media publishers to help magnify the call for a refocused agriculture in the Philippines.

Speaking before members of the Publishers’ Association of the Philippines, Incorporated during the PAPI annual conference at the Makati Sports Club at the weekend, Pinol said "it is time that we shed off our “Bahay Kubo” mentality."

“The image of a nipa hut with a variety of plants growing around it is romantic, but it will not give Filipinos the prosperity they long for," the governor said.

Referring to Malaysia as an example, the governor said Philippine agriculture should be focused on marketable crops with global demand.

“Malaysia has only two major crops, oil palm and rubber, but it is number one in both in terms of production and technology, and has gained greatly from the strong market demand for both commodities,” he said.

“Our own experience in North Cotabato proves that a market-oriented agricultural development program is a potent tool in combating poverty in the countryside,” he added.

North Cotabato was recently included by the National Statistics Board in the list of Philippines provinces with the least poverty incidence, ranking 30th next to Pangasinan and a notch above South Cotabato.

The province was listed in 1997 as the fifth poorest in the country.

“Our focus on market-oriented agriculture has improved the economic situation of our people, and this means only one thing – that we are on the right path in our efforts to improve the lives of our people in North Cotabato,” Piñol said.

The politician has been encouraging agriculture officials led by Department of Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban to give more attention to globally in-demand commodities like coconut, oil palm and rubber. “Our friends in the media can do a lot in popularizing this advocacy and in showing Filipinos that there is hope for our beloved Philippines.”

Affordable Computer Courses Now Available at E-World Career Centre Zamboanga

E-World Career Centre Zamboanga

What is E-World Career Centre Corp?

E-World is one of Zamboanga City’s global providers of computer education. It is an educational training institute that aims to help individuals achive their educational and career goals. We build futures and careers one success story at a time.

What are the services that E-World offers?

E-World offers a variety of short courses designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills in Information and Communication Technology.E- World courses are also intended for corporate clients who have specialized training needs. Courses can be customized and tailor-fit to the specific requirements of the company or organization.

What makes us different from other computer learning institutions?

Instructors undergo regular training in the different technologies offered by E-World.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

E-World has well equipped laboratories, classrooms and state-of-the-art facilities. Affordable I.T. Courses courses are high-end yet affordable.

5 People Electrocuted In Zamboanga Fish Port

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 25 Jun) Five men were electrocuted and killed Sunday while working on a fishing port complex in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, police said.

Police said the five were working on a water treatment facility in the village of Sangali, about 45 km east of Zamboanga, when they were electrocuted.

Police gave no details of the tragedy, saying, investigators were still working on the case, but other reports said the accident was caused by a submersible water pump.

Local radio reports said one of the five men cleaning the water treatment plant was first electrocuted and his companions who rushed to help him were also electrocuted. A sixth worker survived the accident, it said.

The busy port hosts several factories manufacturing fishballs and fishing companies.

Aussie State Adviser Urges RP Media To Be Sensitive On Reporting About Muslims

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Darwin Wee / 25 Jun) An Australian state adviser on Muslim affairs has urged the Philippine media to be more sensitive in reporting about Muslims, particularly when associating the word "Islam" to"terrorism," as this may lead to another wave of conflict and discrimination against the social acceptance of Muslim minorities in the community.

"The media shape perceptions, attitudes and public opinion. They can,therefore, influence public views and policies towards Muslim," said Dr. Ameer Ali, head of the Muslim Community Reference Group in Australia, who went here recently to

speak his insights on the situation of the Muslim minorities in the world.

Speaking at a forum in the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, he said Philippine media should "behave responsibly when reporting about Muslims because too much negative portrayal of Muslims in the media will create a general climate of suspicion and increased hostility against Muslims."

Dr. Ali's call was in response to the observations of Zamboanga City's Muslim academicians in their protest regarding how the media, particularly some national newspapers, used the word Muslim or Islam as a prefix in associating with extremist, fundamentalist,secessionist, rebel, lost command, gangster, terrorist, smuggler, hold-upper, and kidnapper and other derogatory terms.

According to one Muslim professor of Western Mindanao State University, some national papers tend to neglect positive news — "as good news does not sell papers".

"They [editors and publishers] are more focused on the reports about radical Islam, and the threat it poses to Philippine appear to be much more 'newsworthy'," Prof. Ali T. Yacub said.

"We don't want the stereotypical picture of the Muslim as the radical, the fundamentalist -- or worse, the terrorist. Media should be persuaded to carry stores, too, that show Muslims as citizens or residents who are discriminated against and faced with racism," he added.

Dr. Ali, on the other hand, said that since the Philippine is a democratic country just like Australia, the government does not control the media, and even a mild regulation will "raise the specter of impinging on freedom of expression."

However, he noted the Philippine government could replicate what the Australian's government did to address the problem."

One thing the [Australian] government did both on the state and commonwealth levels was to provide free media training to Muslim community leaders.

Several such training sessions were provided to enable Muslim community leaders to confront the journalists head on.

At the same time several government ministers urged the journalists to pay heed to the potential damage they may cause to Australia's economy and image abroad by sensational reporting on Islam and Muslim," he said.

Dr. Ali explained media should be the partners in promoting peace rather than discrimination."Positive coverage in the media can lead to a more positive attitude towards a diverse and inclusive society.

And I know from experience that not all journalists always want to report the bad news. Seeing the odd glimmer of light can also be a good story," he said.

Last year, several Muslim groups here in Mindanao joined the global furor after a Danish cartoonist illustrated a drawing depicted Islam's holiest figure with a bomb in his turban.

The "obscene cartoon" eventually caused so much violence and destruction in Europe and Great Britain.

New RP-US Medical Mission To Benefit Hundreds Of Poor Muslims In Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 25 Jun) Hundreds of poor Muslim villagers are expected to benefit from an upcoming joint Philippine and U.S. military medical mission in the southern Filipino city of Marawi on the main island of Mindanao, officials said Sunday.

The medical mission Wednesday under the so-called Project Bayanihan would be the 16th since last year conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in central Mindanao, said Commander Kathy Wright, a spokesperson for the Joint Special Operations Task Force - Philippines.

More than 10,000 mostly poor Filipinos have benefited in the past joint medical missions in central Mindanao.

"Project Bayanihan, a partnership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ 1st Marine Brigade, Central Mindanao government organizations and Joint Special Operations Task Force - Philippines, will be conducting a medical civil action project at Kampo Ranao.

"The MEDCAP is part of a continuing series in Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago that brings medical and dental care to the Philippine people. The MEDCAP provides the Philippine Armed Forces an opportunity to build upon a long-standing friendship and humanitarian assistance partnership with U.S forces," Wright said.

Major General Gabriel Habacon, Southern Philippines military chief, said the medical mission would benefit many poor Filipinos and that soldiers and nongovernmental organizations would conduct more humanitarian undertakings in remote areas in the region.

"We are working now to provide more humanitarian assistance, like this medical mission, to remote areas in the south so we can help more poor people and provide them the necessary medical attention," he told the Zamboanga Journal.

At least 7 Filipino doctors from the provincial health office and four other U.S. doctors from the JSOTF-P and destroyer USS Momsen, of the United States Navy, would join the medical mission, aside from 3 dentists and several nurses and numerous medical assistants, Wright said.

"Volunteer staff from the provincial health office will also be on site to provide support and assistance with registration, health screening, translation and the distribution of medication," Wright said.

She said Col. Ramiro Alivio, commander of the First Marine Brigade, has coordinated extensively with the Marawi municipality for the medical mission.

Zamboanga Journalists Condemn Abuse On Local Broadcaster

PRESS FREEDOM IN ZAMBOANGA: Top photo, Bong Simbajon, president of the Zamboanga Press Club, shows Saturday, 24 June 2006 a manifesto signed by journalists in Zamboanga City condemning the abuse by a local councilor on broadcaster Jun Feliciano, who was publicly berated and nearly assaulted by a bodyguard over a news story last week inside the City Council.(Zamboanga Journal)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 24 Jun) Journalists in Zamboanga City condemned Saturday the abuse on a local broadcaster of an influential Muslim politician, who publicly berated the writer for a story he wrote for a weekly tabloid here.

Jun Feliciano, a broadcaster for the state-owned Radyo ng Bayan and who writes for the Zamboanga Star, was confronted by Councilor Abdurahman Nuno after he felt alluded by the story about an unnamed politician who was allegedly lobbying for his wife to be included in the list of the Laban ng Demokrating Pilipino party for next year's elections.

“We are not questionming the credibility of anybody involved in the incident but we strongly denounce the arrogance and unjust verbal and near physical attack on our colleague while the Council was in session,” Bong Simbajon, president of the Zamboanga Press Club, said.

Nuno's name was not even mentioned in Feliciano's story published on the Zamboanga Star. Feliciano was covering the session when he was berated by Nuno, who is also the chairman of an association of village chieftains here.

Television news footage also showed an unidentified man trying to attack Feliciano inside the session hall of the Zamboanga City Council after the journalist and Nuno had a heated argument. Nuno was seen pointing fingers at Feliciano's face and later shouted at him in front of many people, but other officials and reporters pacified them and prevented what could be a brawl.

”I was berated and reprimanded by the official, who felt alluded by the story. I respect him very much, but he should also respect my person. We are only doing our job here, there's nothing personal," Feliciano told reporters.

The Zamboanga Press Club also demanded from the City Council to investigate the incident. Feliciano has filed a complaint to the police for grave threats after he allegedly overheard the politician telling his bodyguard to attack him.

Vice Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco said she would ensure that the incident will not happen again. "The session was briefly halted by the commotion and we don't want this incident to happen again. There will be more security men inside the session hall," she said.

Nuno apologized Thursday to the City Council for the incident, but not to Feliciano. He said he is ready to face any charges from Feliciano.

Nuno was in the news after he accompanied a failed independent mayoralty candidate Lepeng Wee for a meeting with Mayor Celso Lobregat. The meeting, Nuno said, was all about business that Wee is planning to put up in Zamboanga City.

Lobregat, the leader of the local LDP party, and Wee, a wealthy businessman, were political rivals.

ICRC Holds First Burn-Management Seminar In Southern RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 23 Jun) The first-ever burn-management seminar to be held in the southern Philippines opened Friday at the Zamboanga City Medical Centre.

The two-day training course was organized at the initiative of the International Committe of the Red Cross to enhance the medical response to indiscriminate acts of violence causing severe burns and to improve coordination between health professionals, said ICRC doctor Jean-Pierre Revel in his opening remarks.

The idea of holding the seminar was conceived following recent bombing incidents involving improvised explosive devices on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao and Jolo island in the Sulu archipelago.

Several people were killed in the blasts and others suffered burns covering between 40 and 60 per cent of their bodies, a percentage that not long ago would also have resulted in certain death.

Only today a bomb blast killed at least five civilians and injured others in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao province, also in Mindanao.

"Our ability to save lives depends on the availability of emergency air transport, quick care in the first few days and good coordination with the Mindanao Burn Center in Davao City," said Dr Revel.

The center, which has taken a special interest in this seminar, is now the only referral burn unit for the 18 million people living on the island. The seminar will deal with specific aspects of clinical care and public health and review the procedures for responding to mass casualties involving large numbers of burn victims.

Twenty-eight doctors, nurses, other specialists and public-health professionals attached to six different civilian and military medical facilities and Red Cross chapters in Zamboanga, Basilan and Sulu are attending.

"We need to improve the manner in which we respond to burns in the first 48 hours," said Dr Michelle Marie Aportadera, of the Mindanao Burn Center. "Everything done in those first two days will strongly impact the patients' overall chances of survival. We are grateful for this initiative because we want to harmonize the work of front-line doctors. Only in this way can we hope to improve the care we give to burn victims."

Since it set up its delegation in the Philippines in 1982, the ICRC has been working to protect and assist those affected by armed conflicts, internal disturbances and other situations of internal violence.

To this end, it cooperates extensively with the relevant authorities and government departments, with other humanitarian organizations and with the Philippine National Red Cross and its network of chapters throughout the country.

Local officials praised the ICRC and have pledged to support its programs in Zamboanga City.