Tawi-Tawi steps up security

TAWI-TAWI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 11, 2010) – Police stepped security in the southern Filipino province of Tawi-Tawi near the Sabah border with Malaysia as part of larger security control aimed at flushing out wanted persons and criminals.

Senior Superintendent Mipunud Maruhum, the provincial police chief, said family feud and clan war also added up to the problems in Tawi-Tawi. The province is also where criminals from other provinces such as Sulu and Basilan hide to evade arrest.

"Family feud and clan war and criminals and wanted persons are what we are now giving attention. We have stepped up security to prevent criminalities and maintain peace and order in Tawi-Tawi, especially now that classes have began,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the local police force have also intensified gun control to prevent the proliferation of illegal weapons.

Tawi-Tawi is just several hours away from the Malaysian state of Sabah where there are many Filipinos. (Becky de Asis)

Tawi-Tawi Guv Wins Polls

Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali. Filipino journalists led by Becky de Asis, bureau chief of the Mindanao Examiner, during the May 10 national polls, in Tawi-Tawi province.

TAWI-TAWI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 20, 2010) – The Philippines’ Commission on Elections said the governor of the southern province of Tawi-Tawi, Sadikul Sahali, has won the recent polls against two rivals.

Sahali’s victory in the May 10 general elections was the third and the politician, one of the most influential in Tawi-Tawi, thanked his supporters for their trust and vowed to pursue more development projects in the impoverished province, one of five under the Muslim autonomous region.

“I am so happy and grateful that the people had chosen me again. We will continue our many infra and development projects in Tawi-Tawi and make this beautiful and peaceful province a gateway to for our Southeast Asian neighbors and investors,” he told the Mindanao Examiner. (Becky de Asis)

AFP, PNP magbibigay ng dagdag proteksyon sa PCOS, balota sa Western Midnanao

Dumating na rin sa wakas sa Cotabato City ang mga balota na gagamitin sa automated elections sa susunod na buwan. Ang mga balota ay gagamitin sa Cotabato City at Maguindanao province. Sinigurado naman ng militar at pulisya na may sapat na proteksyon ang mga balota at Precinct Count Optical Scan machines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales).

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / April 25, 2010) – Magbibigay umano ng sapat na siguridad ang militar at pulisya upang maproteksyunan ang mga balotang gagamitin sa halalan sa susunod na buwan.

Naunang dumating ang mga Precinct Count Optical Scan o PCOS machines sa Zamboanga City kamakalawa at sinundan naman ito kahapon ng mga balotang nakalaan sa Zamboanga Sibugay, Basilan, Sulu at Tawi-Tawi.

Sinigurado ng Western Mindanao Command na may sapat na proteksyon ang mga ito.

“Municipal treasurers will receive and transport their ballots to their respective areas. The Task Force Zamboanga (ng Western Mindanao Command) and the Zamboanga City Police Office will provide the necessary security during the turn-over of the ballots,” ani kahapon ni 1st Lt. Steffani Cacho, ang tagapagsalita ng Western Mindanao Command.

Sinabi pa nitong nakahanda na rin ang Commission on Elections regional office sa Western Mindanao at Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao sa anumang karagdagang abiso ng COMELEC Central Office ukol sa mga susunod na delivery ng mga balota.

Nuong nakaraang linggo ay 14 na PCOS machines ang kulang sa delivery ng COMELEC sa Zamboanga City na 424 lamang. Mabuti na lamang at muling binilang ang mga ito sa isang warehouse sa Zamboanga at doon lamang nabatid na kulang ito.

Nagpalusot ang COMELEC na naiwan lamang sa kanilang warehouse sa Laguna province ang 14 na PCOS. Kung hindi nabisto ay posibleng magamit ang 14 PCOS machine sa anomalya. Tinatayang 76,000 PCPS machines ang kailangan sa kauna-unahang automated elections sa bansa.

Wala pa rin tiwala ang publiko sa COMELEC dahil sa mga sari-saring bintang sa poll body mula ng mabuko itong may sabwatan sa pandaraya nuong 2004 presidential elections na kung saan ay nagwagi sa Pangulong Gloria Arroyo. (Mindanao Examiner)

ARMM to exert rights over natural resources

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 3, 2010) – Breaking silence for years about deprivations within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the ARMM’s Regional Legislative Assembly is now pushing for amendment of existing edicts it berated as ‘castrating’ its constituents’ rights over the use of local strategic minerals.

The 24-member RLA presided over by Speaker Reggie Generale tasked its committee on amendments and revisions of laws to look into the protest of Lanao del Sur Assemblyman Ziaur-Rahman Adiong against stringent laws governing the exploitation of natural resources in ARMM.

In his privilege speech here Monday, Assemblyman Adiong asked the RLA to initiate an amendment to existing laws including R.A. 9054 (ARMM Organic Act of 2002), which he said bereft the regional governance of its rights to and shares from the exploitation by “outsiders” of ‘strategic minerals” in the region.

Adiong cited as example the helpless state of the regional governance in the decades-old exploitation of Lake Lanao for hydroelectricity production and the ongoing exploration of oil deposits in an 8,200-kilometer area off the shore of Mapun Island town in Tawi-Tawi.

The exploration is done by the ExxonMobil Exploration and Production B.V. through its service contract 56 permitted by the national government while ARMM authorities could just watch helplessly, Adiong said.

“The SC 56 consortium began drilling activities in the area in October last year at a cost of about $1-million per day and $100-million for its first exploration well. This well, called Dabakan-1, is located about 65 kilometers from Mapun Island in Tawi-Tawi,” he pointed out.

He said the “Department of Energy claims that the SC 56 may hold up to 750 million barrels of oil, which is equivalent to seven years’ worth of local crude supply for the Philippines.”

“We, the people of ARMM, stand to lose everything and gain nothing out of the exploration," Adiong said, due to the stringent provision of R.A. 9054 that retains to the national government the sole authority to govern the exploitation of “strategic minerals” in the region.

R.A. 9054 devolves to the ARMM government the “control and supervision over the exploration, utilization, development and protection of the mines and minerals and other natural resources within the autonomous region…except for the strategic such as uranium, petroleum, and other fossil fuels, mineral oils, all sources of potential energy, as well as national reservations already delimited by authority of the central government or national government and those that may be defined by an Act of Congress.”

Adiong clarified that the “castrating provision” of R.A. 9054 could still be remedied by way of amendment to be initiated by the RLA and sustained by Congress as provided for in the same Organic Act.

He asked the RLA to propose the amendment that would endow the regional government “a measure of control and supervision over strategic minerals like uranium, petroleum, and other natural reserves and aquatic parks, forest and watershed reservations already delimited by the central government.”

In his privilege speech, Adiong said that such amendment could also address similar helplessness that ARMM faces in the central government-controlled exploitation of Lake Lanao by the National Power Corporation as a supplier of the 85 percent or so of Mindanao’s hydroelectricity demand.

Adiong lamented that since time immemorial, the NPC and the Department of Energy “have not disclosed where really goes the electrification fund of one (1) cent per kilowatt hour of electricity sales of NPC, as mandated by virtue of Energy Resolution 1-94.”

Earlier, Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Alonto-Adiong Jr., elder brother of the assemblyman, lamented that because of the central government controls the management of Lake Lanao and its watersheds, his administration and the ARMM government could not tinker with the sad state of the lake.

Adiong said the four major river tributaries of Lake Lanao have been heavily silted for years, impeding the inflow of water down to the lake. The provincial government has long proposed the dredging of the rivers but the central government failed to act on it.

“We are hoping the national government will finally listen to our pleas this time as Mindanao is in engulfed by rampant power outages due to the dwindling water level in Lake Lanao,” he told journalists. (Ali G. Macabalang)

Tawi-Tawi celebrates bountiful cassava, banana harvests

TAWI-TAWI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 24, 2010) – The southern Philippine province of Tawi-Tawi celebrated for the first time the "Cassava and Banana Harvest Festival" that drew hundreds of farmers and residents.

Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali said food flourishes in the province and the people never ran short of something to eat as amplified in the festival’s theme, “Nobody…Nobody Goes Hungry in Tawi-Tawi.”

Unknown to many, Tawi-Tawi, famed for its massive seaweeds production and rich marine resources, has been experiencing surplus production of cassava – a staple food here and the neighboring provinces of Sulu and Basilan.

The more than 19,000 hectares of land planted to cassava in the province produce close to 170,000 metric tons of harvest every year.

Sangkula Tindick, the provincial agricultural officer, puts the province’s cassava surplus at around 40 percent. Some of which end up in markets in Sabah, which is just few hours by boat from Tawi-Tawi, and even in Sulu province.

He said the province has been consistently producing excessive supply of cassava for the last 10 years now when they began advocating the farming of the root crop and fruit trees such as mango throughout Tawi-Tawi. They also offer free seedlings to local residents.

Almost all of the major islands in the province have their cultivated lands planted with cassava, banana or mango, according to Tindick, adding that these lands used to be idle.

Even the famous Turtle Island was not taken out of the picture. The provincial agriculture office launched a project few years back dubbed as the “greening” of Turtle Island, encouraging locals to plant cassava and mango trees.

Their campaign has paid off really well, said Tindick. "Now, the province’s people and economy will not just be relying on marine resource but on the similarly rich soil as well," he said. (Becky de Asis contributed to this report by the ARMM Bureau of Public Information.)

Police orders probe of detained Malaysian trawlers in Tawi-Tawi

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 22, 2010) – Filipino authorities ordered an investigation into reports that police had detained 14 Malaysian trawlers and released the boats in exchange for money in the southern Philippines.

Police allegedly released a dozen Malaysian trawlers after its owners paid thousands of dollars in exchange for the boats. But two other trawlers are still being held in the southern island of Taganak near the Sabah border, Malaysian media reported on Monday.

It said the trawlers were seized by the police after allegedly straying into Philippine waters on February 14 and 15 and its crew of about 50 people had been detained.

Police released the 12 trawlers after its owners paid fines of up to RM40,000, it said.

“Philippines border officials based in Taganak Island under the Tawi-Tawi province released the trawlers after the owners paid “fines” ranging from RM13,000 to RM40,000 for allegedly encroaching into Phi¬lippines waters,” the Star Online reported.

But the Philippine Navy said it did not receive any reports about the apprehension of any Malaysian fishing boats in Taganak, an island town of Tawi-Tawi province. “We have no reports about it,” said Rear Admiral Alexander Pama, who heads the naval forces in the southern Philippines.

Reports said owners of the two remaining Malaysian trawlers were working for the release of the boats. It said Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sa¬hali assured that he would try to secure an early release for the remaining Malaysian trawlers. He said he would discuss with the Philippine Navy and the police to resolve the problem quickly.

“The owners are in the process of getting the trawlers released in the next few days,” the Star said.

But Senior Superintendent Bienvenido Latag, chief of the regional police force, said he already relieved the police chief of Taganak Island after receiving reports about the trawlers.

“I have relieved the chief of police of Taganak Island after receiving this disturbing report that Malaysian trawlers were apprehended and released in exchange for money. He is being investigated. We will not tolerate this kind of malpractice and even the governor of Tawi-Tawi, Sadikul Sahali, was angry with this incident because it is so embarrassing,” Latag told the Mindanao Examiner.

“We are trying to reform the police forces into a professional organization and we will not allow this kind of incident to ruin the clean image of the Philippine National Police,” he said.

Latag, a decorated officer, assumed last year as the new police chief of the Muslim autonomous region who has jurisdiction over the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao and Lanao.

Malaysian fishermen previously detained in southern Philippines for poaching had accused authorities of extortion. The southern Philippines is a favorite fishing grounds, but is also considered dangerous because pirates and Abu Sayyaf militants are actively operating in the area. (Mindanao Examiner)

Marines killed in Tawi-Tawi Province

TAWI-TAWI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 2, 2009) - Unidentified gunman shot dead a government soldier in an attack in the southern Philippine province of Tawi-Tawi, police said.

Police said the attack occurred in Bonggao town as locals were celebrating the New Year. It identified the soldier as Corporal Raul Rivera, a member of the Marine Battalion Landing Team II. The soldier was found dead in the village of Pahut.

The town's acting police chief, Inspector Jackyll Bilibli, said the soldier was shot with a .45-caliber pistol. "We still don't know the motive of the attack or who was behind it," he said. (Amilbahar Mawallil and Shane Sulaiman)

Troops seize blasting caps, cyanide in southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 10, 2009) – Filipino troops seized a cache of blasting caps and cyanide at a warehouse in the southern province of Tawi-Tawi, officials said Tuesday.

Officials said some 3,700 pieces of blasting caps and seven boxes of cyanide, including 87 meters of detonation cords were recovered Monday from the warehouse in the capital town of Bongao.

A man earlier arrested at a military checkpoint for trying to sneak out a box of blasting caps and detonating cord led troops in the warehouse where the explosives were stashed.

The warehouse is owned by a man identified only as Nasser, said Marine Major Ramon David Hontiveros, a regional military spokesman.

“The military is coordinating with the police for the legal processing of the suspects,” he said.

It was unknown whether any of the two men had links with rebel groups or where the blasting caps and cyanide came from. In September, police forces also seized 10,000 pieces of blasting caps and 3,000 meters of detonating cords from a warehouse in Zamboanga City.

Blasting caps are also widely used in homemade explosives containing ammonium nitrate in the restive region.

Last month, Philippine authorities seized more than six tons of the banned chemical in in Tawi-Tawi’s Bongao town. The chemical fertilizers were believed smuggled into the southern Philippine from nearby Malaysia.

In May, a marine patrol intercepted a small boat transporting more than 280 bags of ammonium nitrate at a wharf in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Environment agencies tackle marine wildlife sanctuary issues in 2-day Tawi-Tawi meeting

A woman sells turtle eggs inside a ferry in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Jung Francisco)

TAWI-TAWI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 29, 2009) – The Protected Area Management Board held a meeting in the Island of Baguan on the municipality of Turtle Islands in Tawi-Tawi province to asses and evaluate its programs and policies on the condition of marine wildlife sanctuary in the country.

The PAMB is a multi-sectoral body created to administer and manage protected areas. It is composed of representatives from various departments and agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Local Government Unit, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the World Wildlife Fund and tribal groups.

It also decides on the allocations of budget, approve proposals for funding and decide matters relating to planning, peripheral protection and general administration of the protected area.

Regional Director Maximo Dichoso, of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said the meeting held from July 23-25 tackled almost all issues and concerns, including the selling of lands that are covered by the National Integrated Protected Areas System Law.

The NIPAS law was enacted in June 1992 and provides for the establishment and management of protected areas in the Philippines.

The act serves as the legal basis for the "In Situ" conservation of biological diversity through the appropriate management of ecologically important areas for conservation and sustainable development.

The NIPAS law also serves to protect outstandingly remarkable areas and biologically important public lands that are habitats of rare and endangered species of plants and animals representative of biogeographic zones and related ecosystems.

There were four major activities that highlighted the two-day meeting - the tree planting activities spearheaded by the Taganak National High School, PAMB officials, residents and some officials of the Tubbataha Reef from Palawan; and the release of more than 500 hatchlings, that environmentalists say only 40 percent survives and the remaining 60 percent are secretly sold to neighboring countries like Malaysia; The Write-Shop; and the launching of the Natural Resources Management Program by the Tawi-Tawi Provincial Government.

A project proposal submitted by Turtle Islands’ Mayor Omarkhan Aripin is also at the wait-list. The project targets the establishment of a Fish Port Complex and Fishing Processing Plant that will create livelihood not only to the residents of Turtle Islands but also to the whole province of Tawi-Tawi.

Turtle Islands is located at the southwestern tip of Tawi-Tawi in the southern Philippines, about 1,000 km southwest of Manila.

Turtle Islands is on the edge of the international treaty limits separating the Philippines and Malaysia. It is composed of the islands of Boan, Lihiman, Langaan, Great Bakkungan, Taganak, and Baguan, which is situated south of Palawan, northwest of the Tawi-Tawi and northeast of Sabah, Malaysia.

Taganak, the largest island, has the highest point of land, which is approximately 148 meters above sea level. Langaan, the smallest island, is relatively flat and nested on an extensive coral reef platform.

Except for Langaan, the terrain of the islands is generally undulating to rolling, particularly at the northern end. A unique feature is the presence of "mud volcanoes," the most prominent of which is on Lihiman, where violent mud extrusions have formed a 20-meter crater on the hill at the northeast portion. Mud extrusions or volcanoes are also present on Bakkungan and Boan.

Five of the six islands have permanent residents, and on them the land cover in large areas is dominated by houses. Typical of other rural areas in the Philippines, human settlements are mixed with agriculture.

The relative dominance of the settlements is mainly due to the limited land area and the resulting high population density level, which is more than four times the national average. Natural land cover types are classified as wooded, mangrove, brush, grass and bare. Most of the areas used for agriculture are planted with coconut.

The seaweed and seagrass populations of the islands appear to be at their seral stages of development. Almost all species have some known economic value. Only those food species, when developed, are likely to be of immediate economic benefit to the local populations. (Amilbahar Mawallil and Dayang Babylyn Kano Omar)

Simunul Island, Dubbed As 'Dubai of the Philippines', Pursues Ambitious Project

TAWI-TAWI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 3, 2009) – The local government of Simunul in the province of Tawi-Tawi has entered into Memorandum of Agreement on a project that would boost economic condition of the island-municipality, site of a proposed industrial and oil tank park.

The multi-billion euro project dubbed as the “Simunul Industrial and Oil Tank Park“ was signed by Mayor Benzar N. Tambut of Simunul and the REBC Builders and Development Corporation headed by its president, Engineer Reynaldo Esplanada and it’s foreign counterpart, American Advance Group (AAG) led by its president. Mohamed Hamouda.

Simunul on Wednesday celebrated its 51st anniversary.

Mayor Tambut said the project is expected to generate 10,000 jobs and improve education and health services; strengthens spiritual and cultural identities; protection and development of natural resources; conservation and preservation of a balance eco-system and tourism development.

“It would also protect and develop natural resources, including the conservation and preservation of a balance eco-system and tourism development” he added.

The huge project covers a 200-tank farm, power plant, domestic airport, hotel and resort, land transportation system, potable water source, reforestation and landscaping, information technology and telecommunications, road and bridges development, solid waste management facility, golf course, industrial storage and processing facility, power transmission facility, hospital facility, schools, commercial district and jetty and ports.

In his speech during the Wednesday signing of the MOA, Mohamed Hamouda said they will do their best to help develop the island of Simunul into one of the best in the southern Philippines. “We are here not only to develop your place but help shape and form a sound mind, a skilled and a sound mind,” Hamouda said.

A groundbreaking ceremony is expected at any time soon.

Simunul Island, one of the smallest inhabited islands in the country, is set to be the next "Dubai" in Southeast Asia, officials said. Though slight in land mass, the people are well-off in natural resources and the island was the cradle of Islam in the Philippines.

The first Muslims in the Philippines led by Sheik Karimul Makhdum are said to have arrived at Simunul in 1380 and built the first Mosque now called the Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque.

It is the most significant piece of architecture in Simunul and the oldest found in the Philippines which is host to tens of thousands of pilgrims from neighboring countries and Mindanao. Although it has been worn by the ravages of time, its pillars still stand to this day. Simunul has a zero crime rate. (By Amilbahar S. Mawallil and Dayang Babylyn Kano Omar)

Tawi-Tawi Province To Pass Environment Code; Boost Coral Triangle Preservation

The Coral Triangle.

TAWI-TAWI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 29, 2009) - The provincial government of Tawi-Tawi has supported the creation of the Environment Code to promote principles of ecologically sustainable development and protection of the environment, especially the marine ecosystem.

Tawi-Tawi, which is in the southernmost part of the Philippines, is the center of the Coral Triangle also known as the apex of global marine diversity. The Environment Code is to take effect this month.

The provincial government also held a series of consultations with different municipalities, simultaneous with the launching of the Natural Resources Management Program in the towns of Bongao, Panglima Sugala, Sibutu and Sitangkai.

Several agencies and sectors like the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the media, participated in a three-day workshop on environment law.

Provincial Vice-Governor Ruby Sahali-Tan with an invitation from the US State Department, attended the International Observation Study Tour on Environment, from June 1 to 26. She is the sole representative of the Philippines in the event participated by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.

Being the center of the coral triangle, coral reefs in Tawi-Tawi plays two crucial functions to the larger ecology - as a spawning ground and nursery of diverse marine species and as corridor for migratory marine mammals, fish stocks and turtles.

The Coral Triangle is a geographical term referring to the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste with an abundance of coral reef.

It is the most diverse marine environment in the world - listed by WWF as the top priority for marine conservation and the focus of its WWF Coral Triangle Program launched in 2007.

The Coral Triangle has been identified as covering more than 5.4 million square kilometers, with over 600 reef-building coral species which encompasses 75 percent of all species known in the world.

More than 3,000 species of fish live in the Coral Triangle, including the largest fish - the whale shark, and the living fossil coelacanths. (Amilbahar Mawallil and Dayang Babylyn Kano Omar)

Tawi-Tawi eyes tourism, infra-projects to boost economy

The Tawi-Tawi Provincial Capitol in Bongao town and the captivating Bongao Peak, a favorite destination of hikers and the dxGD, the province's oldest radio station.

(Mindanao Examiner Photo Service / Amilbahar Mawallil)

TAWI-TAWI, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 31, 2009) – The province of Tawi-Tawi, known as the “Seaweeds Capital of the Philippines” is fast becoming a tourist destination. Its beautiful and pristine beaches, virgin forest and friendly people are among its attraction.

Tawi-Tawi in the southern most part of the country also boasts of the sleek and rare "labuyo" or wild rooster and different variety of exotic and wild birds.

Seagulls, known to the natives as “tallah-tallah,” have settled by the thousands at Gusong Reef in Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi to lay their eggs there. Gusong Reef is a top producer of the delicious turtle eggs, ranking second to the Turtle Islands.

The province is also famous for its captivating Bongao Peak, a veritable monkey sanctuary, which also provides a view of the expanse of sea and the necklace of islands for miles around.

Tawi-Tawi can easily transport one to a whole other world. Eye-catching Sitangkai Island is considered the “Venice of Tawi-Tawi.” The Royal "Kupunga" rises straight out of an Arabian setting. The Malay influences as well as tribal arts and crafts are very much visible in the province. Here, it is not uncommon to see folks dressed in colorful malongs, the women adorned in beads and brass and gold trinkets, according to the Department of Tourism.

The province is the southernmost of the country sharing sea borders with North Borneo and the Indonesian Kalimantan province. It covers several beautiful islands in the Sulu Sea to the northwest, the Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi Island and the Turtle Islands, just 20 kilometers away North Borneo. It can be reached either by boat or plane from Zamboanga City or Sulu province and North Borneo.

Agriculture, fishing, and agar-agar farming are the leading source of livelihood of the people of Tawi-Tawi, with quite a number engaged in the barter trade business. Copra is the top agricultural produce, followed by root crops, fruits, and vegetables.

Tawi-Tawi is also one of the safest and peaceful provinces in the southern Philippines and has recently embarked in a tourism campaign aimed at attracting visitors and traders to the province.

Governor Sadikul Sahali has been largely credited for the development of Tawi-Tawi.

Good governance and the dedication of provincial and local government officials are also a major factor in the transformation of Tawi-Tawi from one of the poorest province in the country in past to what it is now.

Last year, President Gloria Arroyo led the launching of the Tawi-Tawi Modified Mariculture Development Project (TTMMDP). It was a national government intervention for livelihood enhancement that would benefit the locals in coastal areas.

The project covers the following - Phase 1A - 50 square-kilometer of North Lagoon of Sitangkai (Omapoy, Sipangkot and Tumindao) and Phase 1B - 25 square-kilometer of sea in the eastern side of Sibutu (Tongsibalu to Tandu Owak and Sikulan Island).

It provides the basic infrastructure support such as communal storm-resistant mooring system and boundary markers in a carefully selected area of the seas where farming activities are systematically undertaken.

The TTMMDP aims to ensure the long-term and sustainable development of the project. As such, all mariculture activities that include hatchery and seed production, gow-out, post-harvest and marketing will be hinged on strong research.

This year, another multi-billion Euro project adds to the list. The project which is called the Simunul Industrial and Oil Tank Park will help the Municipality of Simunul and nearby islands in creating loads of job opportunities; Improvisation of education and health services; strengthening of spiritual and cultural identities; protection and development of natural resources; conservation and preservation of a balance eco-system and tourism development.

Mayor Benzar Nur Tambut, of Simunul town, said that the project will cover the total development of the Municipality of Simunul, its main island and the island of Manok Mankaw, with its virgin peach beaches.

The project is expected to create more jobs and improve the quality of education and health services and will strengthen Tawi-Tawi’s spiritual and cultural identities. It would protect and develop natural resources, including the conservation and preservation of a balance eco-system and tourism development.

The proposed project is so huge, covering the 200-tank farm, township, power plant, domestic airport, hotel and resort, land transportation system, potable water source, reforestation and landscaping, information technology and telecommunications, road and bridges development, solid waste management facility, golf course, industrial storage and processing facility, power transmission facility, hospital facility, schools, commercial district and jetty and ports.

Simunul Island, one of the smallest inhabited islands in the country, is set to be the next "Dubai" in Southeast Asia, officials said. Though slight in land mass, the people are well-off in natural resources and the island was the cradle of Islam in the Philippines.

The most significant piece of architecture in the island is the Sheik Makdum Mosque built in 1380. The mosque in Simunul is the oldest found in the Philippines and host of pilgrims from neighboring Muslim countries like Malaysia and Indonesia and even from neighboring localities in Mindanao.

Although it has been worn by the ravages of time, its pillars still stand to this day. Simunul is a zero crime rate municipality. (Amilbahar Mawallil and Dayang Babylyn Kano-Omar)

RP's oldest mosque to be declared a national shrine

MANILA, Philippines - The House Committee on Appropriations has approved a bill that seeks to declare the Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Mosque as a national shrine for being the first and oldest existing mosque in the country.

During a recent hearing, committee members and representatives from different government agencies expressed their support for House Bill 99 filed by Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara (Lone District, Aurora).

Angara said House Bill 99 aims to give due recognition to the contribution of Islam in the development of culture and civilization in the country.

"This bill would also be a sign to our brother Moslems in Mindanao that they are being accorded due and equal recognition by the national government," Angara added.

The Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Mosque has already been entitled to a special non-working holiday by virtue of a regional law within the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) through a legislative assembly. It is also included in their centennial celebration as one of the Islamic events.

Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Mosque is located at the Tubig Indangan, Simunul, Tawi-Tawi, which was constructed by an Arabian Missionary in the 1380s. Sometime in 1965, then President Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Marcos went to the site to install a historic marker, giving it recognition as the first oldest existing mosque in the country.(Salvacion Beleo)

Boat explosion injures cop in Tawi-Tawi province

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 4, 2008) – An explosion injured a policeman onboard a speedboat transporting the governor of Tawi-Tawi island and his wife, reports said Tuesday.

Governor Sadikul Sahali and his wife were unhurt in the blast which occurred Monday morning off Sapa-Sapa town. The wounded policeman was rushed to hospital in the capital town of Bonggao.

It was not immediately known what caused the explosion. (Mindanao Examiner)

Smuggled South RP turtle eggs seized in Sabah

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 3, 2008) – Malaysian authorities seized thousands of endangered turtles smuggled into Sabah from the southern Philippines, report said on Monday.

It said unidentified men were unloading the eggs along the shorelines of a village called Kampung Forest when a marine police patrol spotted them late Sunday.

“The eggs, believed to have been smuggled in from neighboring southern Philippines, were found inside 20 gunnysacks,” a report by the Star Online, quoting Sandakan marine police chief Muhammad Sallam Spawi.

Authorities said the men escaped on a speedboat as the police patrol approached. It was unknown whether the men were Filipinos or not.

Turtle eggs are considered a delicacy in the southern Philippines and in Malaysia where it sell RM2.80 a piece. But turtle eggs in the Sulu Archipelago, particularly in the islands of Tawi-Tawi have been harvested on a massive scale for decades despite a government campaign regulating the number of eggs that can be collected in a nesting season.

The islands of Taganak, Lihiman, Bakungan, Langaan and Boan, including Baguan are favorite nesting grounds of Green Sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Tawi-Tawi, several nautical miles from the Sabah border. The areas are also favorite hunting grounds of local and foreign poachers. (Mindanao Examiner)

ARMM Polls Generally Peaceful, Officials

An unidentified member of the Board of Elections rushes to put a lock on a ballot box Monday, August 11, 2008 after reporters inspected a government school in Luuk town in Sulu province where voters cast their ballots during elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Military tanks also patrol the province to ensure elections will not be disturb by rebels. Many members of the Board of Elections were spotted filling out ballots in Luuk town. More than 1.7 million people from the Muslim autonomous region - which is composed of Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao and Maguindanao provinces, including Marawi City - voted for their new governor, deputy governor and members of the regional legislative assembly. (Mindanao Examiner)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 11, 2008) – Elections in the Muslim autonomous region on Monday was marred with shootings, ballot boxes snatching and cheating as some 1.7 million people voted for a new set of officials.

The Muslim autonomous region is composed of Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao and Maguindanao provinces, including Marawi City, where voters elected their new governor, deputy governor and members of the regional legislative assembly.

The Commission on Elections said there were reports of ballot boxes snatching in Sumisip town in Basilan province. Police also reported shootings in Akbar and Maluso towns. “There were reports of ballot boxes snatching in Basilan,” lawyer Vidzfar Julie, the deputy regional elections chief, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Automated polls successful

He said despite reports of ballot snatching incidents and shootings, the elections were successful because of the information campaign of the poll body of the use of automated machines. The regional polls were considered a prelude to the national elections in 2010.

James Jimenez, spokesman for the Commission on Elections, said the regional elections is a significant milestone in poll reform in the country because voters showed enthusiasm in using automated voting machines.

“We have seen the long queues of voters eagerly waiting for their turn to vote using the electronic voting machines,” Jimenez said. “We are so heartened about the initial positive voting turn out. With the new technology, the people of Maguindanao are more motivated vote than ever before.”

MILF attacks

Police in Basilan province said fighting erupted at around 1.30 p.m. in Tipo-Tipo town between government troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels.

“There is fighting between military and rebel forces and two soldiers and a government militia are wounded in the clashes,” Senior Superintendent Salik Macapantar, the Basilan police chief, said in a separate interview.

He said armed rebels tried, but failed to stop elections in the town. There were no reports of MILF casualties, he said, adding, the rebels torched several houses before retreating to the mountains.

Macapantar said MILF gunmen also fired their weapons in Sumisip town, briefly disrupting the polls. He said a member of the Board of Elections panicked on the sounds of the gunfire and fled away bringing two ballot boxes, but returned later and the elections continued.

There were also shooting incidents in Akbar town, but no reports of casualties. “Overall, the elections were successful,” Macapantar said.

Cheating

In Sulu province, cheating had been reported in the town of Luuk where members of the Board of Elections themselves were allegedly spotted filling out ballots. Many ballot boxes in the polling precincts in Luuk also had no locks and supporters of candidates to the regional legislative assembly were inside allegedly influencing voters.

Gunfire were also reported in Sulu’s Panglima Estino town where supporters of opposing candidates were present, but police said the incident was quickly investigated.

“Elections in Sulu are peaceful. There were no major election-related incidents and the polls are successful,” said Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, Sulu police chief.

He attributed the success of the polls to the joint efforts of the police and military and the strict enforcement of the gun ban throughout Sulu.

Close coordination

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan also cited the close coordination between the police and military and the Commission on Elections to the successful polls and the implementation of the total gun ban in the province. “As we expected, Sulu finished the elections without violence,” he said.

Elections were also generally peaceful in Maguindanao province, although fighting between military and MILF forces continue in nearby province of North Cotabato, where seven rebels and an infantryman died in fierce clashes since Sunday.

More rebel attacks, snatching of ballot boxes

There was also a report of ballot boxes snatching in Barira town in Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan, said Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

“The regional elections were also peaceful and we have no reports of killings or serious election-incidents,” Ando said.

He said sporadic fighting continues between troops and Muslim rebels in the towns of Aleosan, Midsayap, and Pikit, where MILF forces were trapped. Authorities last week ordered rebel forces out of those areas, but a 24-hour ultimatum had been stretched because of the fighting also between MILF gunmen and government militias.

The MILF said the fighting, if not stopped, could spread to other areas in Mindanao and may affect the peace talks. The MILF, which is fighting for a separate homeland, has been negotiating for peace with the Arroyo government since 2001.

Close to 19,000 soldiers and policemen were deployed to secure the polls in more than 880 villages throughout the autonomous region. (Mindanao Examiner)

MARINA-ARMM Operatives, Kinasuhan Ng Navy

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / June 4, 2008) – Sinampahan ng kasong kriminal ng Philippine Navy sa Zamboanga City ang 15 arestadong tauhan ng Maritime Industry Authorities (MARINA) ng Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) matapos silang akusahan ng pangingikil at pagdadala ng armas sa karagatan.

Sinabi mismo ni Rear Admiral Emilio Marayag Jr., Naval Forces Western Mindanao chief, na ang 15 ay nadakip matapos silang ireklamo ng diumano'y pangingikil ng ibat-ibang mga operator ng fishing boats sa karagatan ng Sulu.

Nakuspikahan rin diumano ng militar ng ibat-ibangnuri ng armas ang mga tauhan ng MARINA-ARMM. Ngunit ang matindi ay sa Tawi-Tawi pala naka-destino ang grupo, ngunit sinakop na rin ang Sulu upang mangikil, ayon pa sa militar.

Ngunit itinanggi naman ng MARINA-ARMM ang lahat ng akusasyon ni Marayag at sinabing lehitimo ang operasyon ng nadakip na grupo. Pinangatawanan naman ni Donny Villar, hepe ng MARINA-ARMM, na hindi sangkot sa illegal na Gawain ang mga tauhan.

Kasalukuyang nakapiit sa Zamboanga City ang 15 nadakip at ayaw magbigay ng pahayag sa media ukol sa bintang. Matagal na umanong inirereklamo ng mga fishing boat operators ang mga armadong grupo na nangingil sa kanila sa kagaratan ng Tawi-Tawi at Sulu.

May mga ulat rin umanong nagsasabing may mga nadakip ang ilang armadong grupo na mga Chinese at Indonesian poachers sa Tawi-Tawi ngunit napapalaya rin kapalit ang malaking suhol. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf Frees Kidnapped Muslim University Head

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 27, 2008) – Abu Sayyaf militants have freed a kidnapped Muslim university principal after more than two months in captivity in the southern Philippines, police said.

Omar Taup had been freed March 17 in Tawi-Tawi province, but police only announced the release on Thursday for a still unknown reason.

Taup was kidnapped January 16 after militants raided the Notre Dame University in the province and killed its Catholic priest, Reynaldo Roda, after he resisted the kidnappers.

Police did not say if ransom was paid for the safe release of Taup, but the Abu Sayyaf had earlier demanded P1 million for his freedom.

Taup is reportedly sick and taken to a hospital in Zamboanga City. Another Abu Sayyaf faction is holding a Filipino trader, Rosalie Lao, who was kidnapped January 28 outside her house in Jolo town in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Military Recovers Body Believed That Of Jemaah Bomber

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 19, 2008) – The Philippine military said it could have found the body of wanted Indonesian Jemaah Islamiya bomber, Dulmatin, tagged as behind the deadly 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 mostly tourists.

"We are awaiting DNA results to determine whether the body belongs to Dulmatin," Major Eugene Batara, a spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Dulmatin's body, he said, was found on a shallow grave on Monday in a village in the town of Bato-Bato in Tawi-Tawi where troops previously clashed with the Abu Sayyaf, a local militant group that is believed to be protecting the Jemaah Islamiya bomber and other Indon militants hiding in the Sulu Archipelago.

In Zamboanga City, US and Philippine forensic experts took tissue samples from the body to determine whether the corpse was really Dulmatin. It would take at least a week before the results would be available, Batara said.

Troops clashed with the Abu Sayyaf on January 15 in Bato-Bato after a failed operation to rescue a kidnapped Muslim teacher, Omar Taup.Taup was seized by the Abu Sayyaf after raiding the Nortre Dame High School and killed a Catholic priest, Jesus Reynaldo Roda.

Batara said the body was buried in Zamboanga City on Tuesday. 'If indeed it was Dulmatin, it really shows that we are winning the war against terrorism, not only in the Philippines, but also in the Southeast Asian region where the JI is operating," he said.

The grave, he said, was discovered after the owner of the land reported to authorities that somebody had buried a cadaver. Batara said Dulmatin was wounded in a clash with government troops on January 31 in Lubbok village in Panglima Sugala town.

"From what we know, Dulmatin was wounded. He was shot in the body and probably wounded in the face and ankle," Batara said.Aside from Dulmatin, the Philippine authorities said as many as 30 Jemaah Islamiya militants are hiding in the Sulu Archipelago, including another Bali bomber, Umar Patek.

At least 88 Australians were killed in the attacks.US troops are currently assisting the Philippine military forces in tracking down known leaders of the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya in the southern region.

On Tuesday, US officials handed over several infrastructure projects to Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan and pledged more support top help Manila in peace and development efforts in the province, where hundreds of American soldiers are deployed and conducting joint medical mission with Filipino forces. (Mindanao Examiner)

Slain Catholic Missioner Buried In Southern Philippines

Slain Catholic priest Jesus Reynaldo Roda is buried Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008 in Shariff Kabunsuan province in southern Philippines. Roda is killed by the Abu Sayyaf in Tawi-Tawi's South Ubian town during a failed kidnapping. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 23, 2008) – A Filipino Catholic priest killed by Abu Sayyaf militants during a kidnapping attempt in the southern Philippines was buried on Wednesday in his hometown in the Muslim province of Shariff Kabunsuan.

Oblate priest Jesus Reynaldo Roda was peppered with bullets by militants after he resisted the kidnapping July 15 in the remote village of Likud Tabawan in South Ubian town in Tawi-Tawi province.

Roda was killed outside his convent at the compound of the Notre Dame High School, where he also served as its director. The Abu Sayyaf kidnapped a teacher, Omar Taup and seized another Muslim villager as they escaped from pursuing policemen.

Hundreds of villagers and sympathizers, many were weeping, gathered at the Oblates cemetery in Datu Odin Sinsuat town where the priest was laid to rest.

Father Rito Daquipil, head of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate mission in Tawi-Tawi province, said the Abu Sayyaf raided the convent. He said the militants then tied Roda’s hands and then dragged outside the convent where he was shot in the head after resisting the kidnapping.

Roda was praying when the militants, about 10 of them armed with rifles and handguns, seized the priest and dragged him outside the chapel, Daquipil said.

“We are all sad. Father Roda was a good man and loved by everybody. He was there doing missionary works with our Muslim brothers and sisters for the past ten years,” Daquipil said.

Security forces have mounted a massive search for the gunmen, but failed to locate them and their hostages.

It was not the first time that the Abu Sayyaf killed a Catholic priest. In 2002, militants also kidnapped, tortured and killed a Claretian priest Roel Gallardo in Basilan province, several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City.

In 1997, the Abu Sayyaf also assassinated a Catholic bishop Benjamin de Jesus in Jolo town in Sulu province. He was shot several times outside his church in a broad daylight attack.

Three years later, the Abu Sayyaf also ambushed a Catholic missionary, Benjamin Inocencio, in Jolo town while buying gifts for poor Muslims. The Abu Sayyaf also randomly attacked and bombed Catholic churches in Tawi-Tawi, Sulu and in Mindanao the past decade.

The Abu Sayyaf, which means "Bearer of the Sword," was originally fighting for a separate Islamic state similar to Afghanistan, but resorted to banditry and kidnappings for ransom after its Libyan firebrand founder, Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, was killed in 1998 in a firefight with policemen in Basilan province. (With reports from Mark Navales and Nickee Butlangan)