Victims of Basilan rebel attack, Maguindanao bombing get aid

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 5, 2010) – Acting Governor Ansaruddin Adiong of the Muslim autonomous region released some P260,000 in aid for the victims of rebel attacks in Basilan province and a recent bombing in Maguindanao, his spokesman said Friday.

Ali Macabalang said Adiong also condemned the atrocities against civilians in the two provinces which are part of the autonomous region.

“Upon learning about what he has lamented as barbaric attacks on civilians, acting ARMM Governor Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong ordered the prompt release of P200,000 for the victims in Maluso, Basilan massacre and P60,000 for the casualties in the bombing apart from medical assistance provided by his subordinate officials,” Macabalang said.

Police and military said a dozen people were killed by rebels in an attack February 27 on a small village in Basilan’s Maluso town. Ten others were wounded in the raid that left several houses burned.

Macabalang said Health Secretary Kadil Sinolinding, who was in Maluso during the attack, took the cudgel to bring some of the survivors to hospital in Zamboanga City. He said Sinolinding witnessed the gruesome state of victims burned inside the houses.

Two people were also killed and four other wounded in a bombing in Maguindanao’s Parang town last week.

“For the victims in the Parang bombing that killed two people and injured four others, Governor Adiong dispatched Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo to hand the cash assistance to the victims’ families and bring the survivors to the regional hospital in Cotabato City,” Macabalang said.

He said Adiong also ordered Chief Superintendent Bienvenido Latag, the regional police cghief, to investigate the massacre and bombing incidents and “see to it that the culprits are brought to the bars of justice.”

“We cannot let the barbaric attacks pass unpunished,” Adiong said. (Becky de Asis and Mark Navales contributed to this report.)

ARMM opens 1st regional solidarity games

The acting governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Ansaruddin Adiong, hands over to a student a certificate of scholarship grant as Secretary Norma Sharief, of the ARMM Commission on Higher Education looks and two other officials look during the opening of the 1st Regional Solidarity Games, Academic and Cultural Events Competitions in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province on Wednesday, February 3, 2010. (Photo by Ali Macabalang)

MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / February 4, 2010) – The Commission on Higher Education in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao opened its first regional solidarity games, academic and cultural events competitions in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province, officials said Thursday.

More than a dozen of the region’s higher educational institutions participated in the four-day events which began on Wednesday, said Ali Macabalang, the ARMM’s public information chief.

He said acting ARMM Governor Ansaruddin Adiong led the opening of the competitions which also coincided with the awarding of scholarship grants to each of the 117 towns in the five-province Muslim autonomous region.

The grant is part of the so-called “One Scholar, One Town” program of the CHED-ARMM.

“Governor Adiong has urged participating students to harness their sports and academic prowess to be able to achieve brighter prospects. He cited the current emergence of Filipino sportsmen like Manny Pacquiao in the global scene and that this should stimulate the students to strive hard. Your successes in sports and academic endeavors would mean the success of our region at least,” Macabalang quoted the ARMM chief executive as saying.

Macabalang said the categories of the games cover badminton, chess, table tennis, karate, lawn tennis, swimming, tae kwon do for individual player; and basketball, baseball, football, softball, sepak tekraw and volleyball for team players.

While the cultural category includes awit-saya, tipa at tugtugan (solo instrument), likh-awit (song-writing), ginoo at binibining pamantasan (school pageant) for individual player; awit-saya for duet, sayawitan (sing and dance choir) sayaw-Pinoy (Filipino creative folk-ethnic dance) for group players.

He said the winners in the competitions will represent the ARMM to the national competition which will be held in Manila from February 23-29. The academic category covers impromptu speech, oration, poetry interpretation, story-telling, science quiz, math quiz and computer quiz for individuals, and public debate for groups. (Merlyn Manos, Mark Navales and Becky de Asis contributed to this report)

Veteran Journalist Named ARMM Media Bureau Head

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 25, 2009) – Acting Regional Governor Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has named veteran journalist Ali Macabalang, a Manila Bulletin correspondent, as executive director of the ARMM’s Bureau of Public Information.

Macabalang, who has been in media practice for almost 31 years now, was appointed on Monday along with 11 other members of the ARMM cabinet, but he formally assumed office only on Wednesday.

Many journalists who knew Macabalang as a hardworking newsman, lauded his appointment. Macabalang was a pioneer executive director of the Bureau of Public Information from 1993 to 1997.

Macabalang worked out in 1996 the elevation of BPI from a mere division for media affairs, which he deemed inappropriate for services required in a region like ARMM.

He had broadened the operations of the media outfit to serve not only the office of the regional governor, but all the ARMM agencies and put up local coordinating offices in the component provinces of the region.

In his meeting with his staff on Wednesday, Macabalang said he would revive the previous linkages of the BPI with the local, national and foreign media organizations in a bid to improve the image of the Muslim autonomous region, which was marred by reports of alleged corruption and governmental malpractices.

In a casual meeting, new Regional Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo has expressed optimisism that Macabalang can help pursue the Adiong regime’s avowed policies on “transparent, consultative and moral governance.”

Macabalang started his media practice in early 1979 under the defunct Department of Public Information and Office of Media Affairs until 1986 and later joined the Philippine Daily Inquirer and other foreign news agencies from 1987 to 1993, during which he was appointed in the ARMM's media bureau.

In later part of 1993, then Manila Bulletin provincial editor Tony Antonio took Macabalang as correspondent for ARMM and Central Mindanao, a job he wanted to sustain while serving the regional media outfit.

Macabalang is a graduate of bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a master’s degree in Public Administration, which he finished at the Mindanao State University in 1978 and 1985, respectively. (With reports from Mark Navales, Geo Solmerano and Merlyn Manos)