Zamboanga children immunized!

PAGADIAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 13, 2010) – More than 10,000 children from various villages in the southern Filipino province of Zamboanga del Sur were immunized against measles and other deadly diseases, the state media said.

The Philippine Information Agency said the vaccination, which started this early year, is part of a continuing health program aimed at protecting children from diseases.

The immunization included shots to protect children from diphtheria, tetanus, measles, chicken pox, poliomyelitis, and Hepatitis B which are the major causes of deaths among children, according to the Zamboanga del Sur’s Integrated Provincial Health Office.

It said those given the vaccination shots were infants and children up to 12 months and onwards in 15 towns which had been identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development. (With a report from Becky de Asis)

Zambo town mayor links killings to politics

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 27, 2010) – A southern Philippine town mayor on Wednesday said assassins are targeting his relatives and political supporters after gunmen killed three cousins in separate attacks in Zamboanga del Sur province.

Labangan town mayor Abubakar Afdal said the killings were purely political aimed at weakening his hold in the province. “The killings are an act perpetrated by evil persons,” he told the regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Gunmen had killed the mayor’s cousins Rascal Afdal, Hanira Agcong and Steve Tapodoc, who was running foe a seat in the town’s council. They were all gunned town by motorcycle gunmen in separate attacks this month.

Afdal believed the killing of his supporters is being perpetrated to end his clout in Labangan, one of the vote-rich municipalities in Zamboanga del Sur.

Police said family feud could be the motive behind the killings, but the mayor disputed this and said the murders were political. “I believed these killings are connected to politics and not family feud,” Afdal said. (Becky de Asis)

Zambo police warn citizens vs. illegal firearms

PAGADIAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 27, 2010) – Police on Wednesday reminded citizens not to carry firearms whether licensed or not because of the nationwide gun ban being implemented in the country ahead of the May national polls.

Senior Superintendent Ramon Ochotorena, the Zamboanga del Sur provincial police chief, said the total gun ban which took effect this month will stay until June.

“We will spare no one. This should served as warning to all that the police will not tolerate any violations of the gun ban whether civilians or not,” he told the Mindanao Examiner newspaper.

He said the Resolution 8714 of the Commission on Elections strictly prohibits the carrying and transport of firearms, explosives and deadly weapons from January 10 to June 09, 2010.

He said only uniformed members of the police, military men, and government security agencies that are on official duties are allowed to carry firearms during the 150-day election period or provided they have Comelec permits exempting them from the gun ban.

Ochotorena explained the gun ban will prevent or reduce poll related violence. “This early there are 30 mobile check points scattered around the whole province to implement the order,” he said.

Police have arrested several gun ban violators in the province. (Becky de Asis)

Extrajudicial killings decried in Zamboanga Sur

PAGADIAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 27, 2010) - The vice governor of Zamboanga del Sur province Roseller Ariosa decried the series of extrajudicial killings in Pagadian City happening at a time when a total gun ban is being implemented by authorities.

He ordered police and military to tighten security in the province to prevent future killings and arrest those behind the murders.

The murders where believed to be politically motivated. First to fell from an assassin's bullet was Rascal Tiban Afdal, a political leader of the Liberal party, and a relative of Mayor Abubakar Afdal of Labangan.

Afdal was killed on January 4 by three motorcycle gunmen in the village of Dao while on his way to work. He was with his wife when the shooting occurred.

On January 16, another political leader of the Afdal clan, Hadja Hanira Abdullah Agcong, was fatally shot while seating in her parked van along Rizal Avenue.

The next day, Muttalidem Tapodoc, executive secretary of Labangan town, and a candidate for the town council, was shot dead along Datoc Street at the back of city hall near the police station.

Local city police chief, Michael Palermo, did not rule out the politics as the motive of the killings. He said they are investigating whether the murders were connected to grudge or family matters.

Palermo said Afdal's murder was believed connected with the illegal drug trade while Agcong's killing had something to do with family feud.

Since early this month, police said nearly a dozen people had been killed. (Becky de Asis and Jong Cadion contributed to this report)

19 killed in Zamboanga road accident

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 18, 2010) – At least 19 people were killed and many injured after the truck they were riding overturned in Zamboanga del Sur province in the southern Philippines, police and military reports said.

The reports said the weekend road accident occurred in the village of Kapatagan in the coastal town of Vincenzo A. Sagun.

The truck was carrying at least four dozen passengers when its driver lost control of the wheel and the truck overturned and rolled several times killing instantly at least a dozen people and the rest did not reach the hospital alive. It was unknown whether the driver was among those killed.

Police said the slippery road could be a factor to the accident. Monsoon rains continue the past days in many parts of the southern Philippines.

Weather experts spotted a low pressure area 300 kilometers off Mindanao.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services said Monday that Mindanao will experience widespread rains over the southern and western part of the region which may also trigger flashfloods and landslides. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gun-For-Hire Killed In Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 23, 2008) – A man implicated in a string of murder was shot dead at a military checkpoint after he tried to attack soldiers who tried to arrest him in the southern Philippines.

Romeo Bernardo, 35, who had been long wanted by authorities for his involvement in contract killings in the provinces, was himself killed after he tried to shoot the soldiers late Wednesday in Tambulig town in Zamboanga del Sur province.

Bernardo was driving his motorcycle when soldiers stopped him at the checkpoint after he had been positively identified as a wanted man. But instead of surrendering, Bernardo pulled his .45-caliber pistol and tried to shoot the infantrymen. One soldier was quick to draw his gun and shot Bernardo.

Police said Bernardo was a known gun-for-hire in Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte.

Meanwhile, an unidentified gunman also killed a store owner on Wednesday night inside his own house in Zamboanga City, police said.

Police said Joel Genturales, 45, was shot several times in the village of Baluno. The assailant fled after the shooting. It was unknown whether Genturales was alone in the house or not, but the gunman, police said, barged inside and shot the victim. (Erico Rosco)

Gunmen Kill Filipino Couple In Zamboanga Province

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 23, 2008) – Unidentified armed men killed a couple engaged in business trading in Zamboanga del Sur province in the Southern Philippines, police said.

Police identified the fatalities as Jerry Pestanio, 33, and his wife Ferhanna, 30.

The couple were onboard their vehicle when gunmen stopped them in the town of Buug on Tuesday morning. The two were dragged out of the vehicle and shot by the gunmen.

“They were shot as soon as they stepped out of their vehicle. We still don’t know the motive of the attack,” a police investigator said. (Erico Rosco)

Two Die In Karaoke Bar Shooting In South RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / September 21, 2008) – Two men were shot dead inside a karaoke bar in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, police said Saturday.

Police said Roger Meynard, 34, and his companion Arnel Carpio, 32, were killed late Friday by one of two men who posed as customers in the bar in Labangan town.

The two victims were shot in the head and the assailants escaped after the shooting.

Police said it is still investigating the motive of the killings. It said crime scene investigators recovered empty shells of .45-calober pistol inside the bar. (Erico Rosco)

President Arroyo Hands Out Millions Worth Of Govt Projects In Zamboanga Sur

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 18, 2008) – President Gloria Arroyo on Thursday handed over tens of millions of pesos in various infrastructure and development projects in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur.

Arroyo was in the province as guest of honor on its 56th founding anniversary held in Pagadian City, the regional capital of Western Mindanao. “My anniversary wish is for everybody to be united in the spirit of the Megayon (festival) because if there is no unity, there will be no progress,” Arroyo, who spoke in the local dialect, told a huge crowd that gathered to welcome her.

The Megayon Festival is the grandest festival in the province which celebrates the cultural tradition of the ethnic Subanen tribe.

Arroyo distributed checks worth millions to Zamboanga del Sur Governor Aurora Cerilles for government projects in the province, including land certificates to more than 300 farmers in 24 towns under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and funds for various livelihood cooperatives.

She also inaugurated many infrastructures projects that also included farm-to-market roads worth over P20 millions and farm implements and market and day-care centers.

Arroyo also set aside P 1 million in scholarship fund for poor, but deserving students in Zamboanga del Sur and another P 1 million in medicine fund for the elders, who do not have retirement pensions.

But while Arroyo was promoting government welfare in the province, former President Joseph Estrada, whom she deposed in 2001 in a people-backed revolution, was also busy visiting places in nearby province of Zamboanga Sibugay, where his supporters were campaigning for his possible return to the presidency.

Estrada was pardoned by Arroyo after he was convicted and jailed for plunder. His followers were gathering signatures that would push for Estrada to run again in 2010 if opposition parties fail to unite and support one common presidential candidate.

Estrada, accompanied by former foe-turned-political ally Senator Loren Legarda, was in Zamboanga City on Wednesday and Thursday where he attended a social gathering and met with his supporters here. (Mindanao Examiner)

5 Killed Near Police Checkpoint In South RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 23, 2008) – Five security escorts of a southern Philippine town deputy mayor were killed after policemen manning a checkpoint opened fire on their convoy, reports said Saturday.

The shooting occurred Friday near a village called Santo Nino in Turukan town in Zamboanga del Sur province. The deputy mayor of Labangan Wilson Nadang who was in the convoy was unhurt in the shooting.

Nadang said his group was ambushed, but a police report claimed the politician’s convoy did not stop at the checkpoint prompting the security forces to open fire on the unidentified vehicles.

“One army soldier, from the First Infantry Division, who was escorting the politician, was among those killed. There is an ongoing investigation into the incident,” Maj. Eugene Batara, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Aside from the slain soldier, policemen were also escorting the politician, but it was not immediately known if any of them were killed or injured in the shooting.

Lt. Gen. Nehemias Pajarito, commander of the First Infantry Division, and his deputy Brig. Jovencio Magalso, did not give any statement about the incident and had ignored repeated telephone calls from journalists. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf Leader Captured In Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 05, 2008) – Security forces captured a sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf group implicated in the 2001 kidnapping of three US citizens in the Philippines, officials said on Friday.

Officials said government agents, backed by soldiers and policemen, captured Tuatin Anahalul alias Abu Basilan in a raid on an Abu Sayyaf hideout Thursday afternoon on the island of Margo sa Tubig in Zamboanga del Sur province.

“The terrorist leader is still being interrogated. He is one of those involved in the Dos Palmas kidnapping and Lamitan siege,” Army Major Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Batara was referring to the Abu Sayyaf raid on the posh Dos Palmas resort in Palawan province in central Philippines where militants snatched Kansas missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Californian Guillermo Sobero and 17 Filipino holidaymakers and brought them by boat to Basilan island.

And the Abu Sayyaf raid on Lamitan town in Basilan where the militants took over a private hospital and held more than 100 people and escaping four days later after battling government soldiers.

He said informants tipped off the military about the presence of Anahalul, who is long wanted by authorities.

“Civilian informants provided vital intelligence about the subject and his capture is a good start this year in our anti-terrorism campaign. We will not relent in our operation to track down and arrest terrorists and this is the order of General Nelson Allaga,” Batara said.

Allaga is the chief of the Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga City. Last month, security forces also raided an Abu Sayyaf hideout in Zamboanga City and captured two militants also implicated in the Dos Palmas kidnapping.

In November, government soldiers nabbed Abu Sayyaf militant, Teteng Mandangan, said to be involved also in the same kidnappings in the southern Tawi-Tawi province.

The Abu Sayyaf beheaded Sobero in Basilan province a month after the kidnapping while Martin Burnham was shot and killed the next year in a US-led military rescue operation in nearby Zamboanga del Norte province.

Gracia Burnham was rescued by Filipino troops, but she was also wounded. Some of the Filipino hostages were also killed and wounded by the Abu Sayyaf during their captivity.

The Burnham couple was celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary party on May 27, 2001 at Dos Palmas when the Abu Sayyaf attacked the resort.

Since her rescue, Gracia Burnham has written two books, 'In the Presence of My Enemies' and 'To Fly Again' and now works as a popular church speaker. (Mindanao Examiner)

Military Investigates Case Of Abducted Farmers In South RP

IPIL, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 15 Aug) – The Philippine military is investigating the disappearance of three members of militant group linked to communist rebels in the restive southern region.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said the three -- Antonino Roda, 39; Eric Buhain, 23; and Julius Sango, 21 -- were all farmers seized by armed men this month while traveling on a commuter van in Guipos town in Zamboanga del Sur province.

“We have not received any report about this, but we will investigate it right away,” Colonel Jovencio Magalso, commander of the Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade, told the Mindanao Examiner on Wednesday.

The three are also members of the Anakpawis’ party list group previously linked by Filipino authorities to the New People’s Army rebels.

The AHJRC, quoting reports from the local human rights group called Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights (Karapatan), said the three men -- on their way to the neighboring town of Dinas -- were abducted along a highway on Aug. 3 by several men riding on motorcycles.

It said four gunmen stopped the van and forced the three men, including two women passengers, to another vehicle and sped off towards Dumalinao town.

The gunmen then freed the two women whom they thought were also activists. It was only after the female passengers reported the abduction to the authorities that the incident was made known.

The whereabouts of the victims remain unknown and there has been no effort or investigation by the police to locate them, it said.

In April, Jonas Joseph Burgos, a trainer of a peasant organization, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant Movement of the Philippines) went missing following his abduction inside a restaurant in Caloocan City in Luzon island by gunmen.

Also the same month, a member of a peasant group called Kagimungan, Alan Bumanglag, was also abducted by armed men in Cagayan province, north of Luzon.

In another case, Romualdo Balbuena, was abducted by gunmen on February from his house in Quinapondan in Eastern Samar in central Philippines. None of the cases has been solved so far.

There were hundreds of unresolved cases of disappearance and murder of political activists in the country since 2001 and militant groups blamed the government and security forces for all these.

Authorities have denied the allegations and blamed the NPA for the murder of the activists, who were suspected as spy. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zambo Sur, Alarmado Sa Dagsa Ng Tropa!

Si Mayor Eutiquio Famor habang kausap ng masinsinan si Maj. Bienvenido Donguines, ng 53rd Infantry Battalion sa bayan ng Dumalinao sa Zamboanga del Sur. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

PAGADIAN CITY – Alarmado ngayon ang mga mamamayan sa bayan ng Dumalinao sa Zamboanga del Sur matapos na dumagsa doon ang mga sundalo at nagtayo ng mga detachments sa ibat-ibang lugar.

Kinumpirma rin ng isang Polish Catholic priest sa Dumalinao ang pagdagsa ng mga sundalo na ikinababahala naman ng maraming mamamayan.

Sinabi ni Fr. Jan Burzawa na lubos ang pagkabahala ng mga tao sa nasabing bayan dahil tahimik naman umano ang lugar.

"There is nothing wrong. The place is peaceful and there is no need to put so many soldiers in the town. The people are apprehensive because the soldiers put up detachments in many areas without the permission of the local officials," ani Fr. Burzawa sa pahayanga Mindanao Examiner.

Maging ang mga barangay officials ay nag-reklamo na rin sa pagdating ng mga sundalo at nagsumbong kay Dumalinao Mayor Eutiquio Famor. Inamin ni Famor na walang pahintulot ang militar na maglagay ng mga outposts sa ibat-ibang barangay.

"Wala nga rin pahintulot iyan paglalagay ng mga detachments mula sa aming tanggapan o Municipal Council. Ni hindi nga humingi ng permiso ang mga iyan ng dumating dito sa Dumalinao at para kaming under martial law dito ngayon, pero idudulog namin ito sa mga kinauukulan at sa Malakanyang kung sakaling magkaroon ng malaking problema ang mga tao dahil sa kanila," wika pa ni Famor sa hiwalay na panayam.

Nagpatawag na rin ng emergency meeting ang lokal na peace and order council at doon ay inilabas lahat ng mga barangay chairmen ang kanilang pagkabalisa sa biglang pagdating ng mga tropa. Natatakot ang karamihan na baka gamitin sa halalan ng ilang mga pulitiko ang sundalo upang masiguro ang kanilang panalo.

Itinanggi naman ito ni Maj. Bienvenido Donguines, ng 53rd Infantry Battalion, at sinabing bahagi lamang ng internal security operations ang deployment ng mga tropa.

"Wala po kaming masamang hangarin kundi ang protektahan ang kasiguruhan ng bawat mamamayan. Narito po kami sahil sa mga ulat na may mga masasamang-loob na nakikita sa inyong bayan. Ang militar po ay neutral at non-partisan at wala po kaming pinapanigan," paliwanag naman ni Donguines.

Isiniwalat naman ng mga ibang opisyal ng barangay na may ilang mga sundalo ang lantarang nagsasabing sinusuportahan nila ang ilang pulitiko sa lalawigan. Agad naman itong pinaiimbestigahan ni Donguines.

Sinabi rin ni Major General Nehemias Pajarito, commander ng 1st Infantry Division sa lalawigan, na bahagi lamang ng internal security operations ang deployment ng mga sundalo sa Dumalinao.

“ISO lamang yan at walang ng ibang dahilan. Purpose kasi ng internal security operations eh to prevent ang pagkalat ng mga private armies ng kung sino-sino, especially ngayon parating na ang halalan,” ani Pajarito.

Ito rin ang sinabi ni Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo. “ISO yun ating deployment sa Zamboanga del Sur at hindi lang naman sa Dumalinao yan eh, maging other areas sa probinsya ay ganoon rin. (Para sa) Security ng mga tao iyan,” wika ni Cedo.

Ngunit iba ang naamoy ng mga opisyal ng pamahalaan sa Dumalinao. May pakiramdam umano ang mga opisyal na may pinoprotektahan na pulitiko sa lalawigan ang mga tropa.

Nagbanta naman ang mga opisyales na isusumbong sa media ang anumang paglabag ng mga sundalo at militar sa karapatan ng mamamayan. (mindanaoexaminer.com)

Photo: Aftermath Of Gas Explosion In Southern Philippines

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

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

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

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

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

Couple Killed In Ambush In Zamboanga Town

PAGADIAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 16 Jan) – Unidentified gunmen killed a couple in an ambush in Buug town in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, officials said Tuesday.

Officials said Titing Bongoton and his wife were killed instantly when gunmen opened fire on them with automatic rifles in the village of Pamintayan at around 5 p.m. “They were killed in the ambush,” said Army Maj. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, commander the 1st Infantry Division.

The motive of the attack was unknown, but the man was a known goon in the province and had been used by politicians in the past to harass their opponents, according to military intelligence reports.

It was unknown if the attack was connected to politics.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack. The province is a stronghold of communist insurgents blamed for the killings of criminals and civilians suspected as government spy. (Mindanao Examiner)

Wanted Bandit Leader Slain In Southern RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 04 Jan) – Security forces killed a bandit leader, tagged as behind the slaying of a deputy town mayor in the southern province of Zamboanga del Sur, officials said.

Officials said soldiers clashed with bandits and killed their leader, Kamil Lao and one of his lieutenant, in the coastal town of Labangan late Tuesday.

The soldiers were patrolling the village of Dalapang when they ran into the group of Lao and a firefight ensued, they said.

Police tagged Lao, a former commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, as behind the killings of two provincial deputy mayors and eight other people, including two councilmen in separate attacks in 2005.

Lao’s group was also implicated in several other killings of innocent civilians and fishermen and series of highway robberies and extortion activities in Zamboanga del Sur province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zamboanga Sur Gets UNICEF Grants

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR (Alma Tingcang / 15 Nov) - For 2006, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) entrusted to the provincial government of Zamboanga del Sur the amount of P14.1 million to address vital issues affecting children which is implemented through the following program components: Health and Nutrition, Early Childhood Care and Development, Education, Local Policy and Institutional Development, Communication, Children in Need of Special Protection and HIV/AIDS.

Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Aurora Cerilles, chairperson of the Provincial Council for the Welfare of Children and Women, said the province is fortunate because the program ushered greater headway in upholding the interest of children who are being placed at the heart of the government’s development agenda.

Program implementation of the 6th Country Program for Children (CPC 6) under the auspices of UNICEF runs from 2005-2009 and promotes the Child Friendly Movement in Zamboanga del Sur.

It is geared towards putting the best interest of the child at the core, all efforts and resources of the community mobilized to defend and care for children - the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society.

Cerilles said: “Through the program, we have properly mashaled our efforts and interventions for the reduction of disparities for the major health, nutrition, education and protection indicators in focus areas.”

“Under the framework of the Child Friendly Movement, we have effectively sustained the survival, development, protection and participation rights of children that count vital in establishing child-friendly communities,” Cerilles added.

In her State of the Children Report, the governor proudly said that Infant Mortality Rate as well as Maternal Mortality Rate has greatly decreased. Other indicators prove that the program is gaining headway in terms of implementation.

Dr Marisa Ricardo, UNICEF Focal Officer for Zamboanga del Sur, said the PIR is conducted to evaluate the performance of program beneficiaries and assess its impact in relation to the achievement of program goals and objectives.

“Aside from United States and Australia, there are many countries who signified their intention to help – Saudi Arabia for instance, want to help Mindanao and we have to maximize our efforts to utilize these funds for the benefit of the youngest members of society - our children. We owe it to our donor-countries to deliver what is expected of us, and update them not only how the funds were spent but also how it has improved the situation of children to the grass root level,” Ricardo explained.

The province has shown a remarkable performance, having been a program recipient from CPC 3 to CPC 6 which ends by year 2009. Program implementers have taken the challenge to finish the tasks entrusted to them. So much have to be done but the job is easier when everybody works for one common goal: putting the best interest of the child at the topmost agenda.

Bayanihan, The Migpulao Way

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR (Linda Elouali Bansil / 03 Nov) – Residents of the remote village of West Migpulao, formerly Tinikol, in Dinas town in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, praised government efforts in helping the locals put up a water project.

Journalists were invited to tour the village recently and witnessed the cooperation and success of the project now benefiting hundreds of mostly farmers.

Village leaders said the locals were not only recipients of government programs and services, but also helping in nation building.

Although family feud and clan wars erupted in the past in West Migpulao, village officials said the violence did not hinder the locals to unite and work together for the realization of the project.

Volunteers, who helped in the project, originally planned to make clean water accessible to as many families as possible for just a small funding of P1.4 million, but local officials said the project has benefited more that what was expected because of assistance of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through the KALAHI CIDDS program.

KALAHI-CIDDS which stands for Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Basic Services: Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay (Village) is a government poverty reduction scheme implemented by the DSWD with funding support from the World Bank.

"Originally we planned 15 common tap stands or water faucets for the entire village, but because of everybody’s help and persistence, we were able to put up 27,” said, Alberto Mantisa.

How it started

The West Migpulao Water Project started in 2005. "Through the KALAHI CIDDS Program of the DSWD, we were given the chance to take charge of our own concerns as mere residents; this is the first time that we led our village by planning and working for a goal that will cater to the welfare of our community," said Rodrigo Guira, head of the local project committee.

Aside from organizing the community, Guira said, they attended assemblies and held dialogues with the villagers. They elected their own officers to do various functions, such as accounting.

"We have learned the trade and did our functions according to the expectations that we had set for ourselves," he said.

Empowered and ready to face the task ahead. The community prioritized the project they wanted and it was not easy for them because it was only one of the many they needed in the village.

The town mayor, Wilfredo Asoy, donated P200,000 and the village also gave 240,000 as its counterpart and provided manpower to finish the project. The KALAHI CIDDS shouldered the rest of the funding.

Sustainability In Their Hands

Each household pay a minimal fee of around 12.50 pesos per cubic meter for water consumption and like a cooperative, there are also due dates wherein the household should follow to assure prompt payments.

A treasurer and accountant make sure that the money collected is properly documented.They also hired plumbers to make sure that the tap stands are all the time in working condition. Complaints are also handled through a redress system and consultation.

The Challenges

"I can never forget the time when one of our volunteers who lived far off was killed while walking home after our meeting in the village. We felt it was as a setback because one never thinks that something like that could happen but despite this, we were able to continue and believe in what we are doing," said Francisco Kahanap, a community volunteer.

The Rewards

Hard work and perseverance paid off and for the residents of West Migpulao, nothing is more plausible than an access to clean water for everybody.

"I am very happy now that we have common faucets outside our houses. Now we no longer need to walk far to go to the river or to the water well,” said villager Emillia Nacua. "If I have the choice, however, I would really like to have a faucet inside our house, but for now this is much more a blessing and maybe we could have our own faucet someday."

Ready For More In The Future

Village officials said they would welcome more development projects and that the residents are ready to help.

"We are always ready for new things. We want to have day care centers for our children and health centers and farm-to-market roads and chapels, maybe in the future,” Alberto Mantisa said.

Before KALAHI-CIDSS sub-projects are implemented, volunteers undergo training and seminars to do the job of budget officers, bookkeepers, and engineers.

Ordinary folk learn how to draft a program-of-work and read floor plans. The community evaluates its needs and submits a project proposal to the municipal forum and is submitted to DSWD for funding. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zamboanga del Sur Welcomes Canadian Mining Firm

Mary Ann Lucero-Cartalla, mayor of a mountain town called Bayog in Zamboanga del Sur province in South RP, with Rocky Dimaculangan, of TVI, on Tuesday 31 Oct 2006. And villagers show up to welcome TVI delegates who visited Bayog town, where it is currently exploring gold and other minerals. (Mindanao Examiner)

The current mayor of Bayog town, Mary Ann Lucero-Cartalla, says during a huge pro-mining rally Tuesday 31 Oct. 2006 the locals are all-out in supporting the Canadian mining firm, TVI Resource Development (Phils.) Inc., which is conducting exploration. She says the mining firm has provided jobs to many people in the town. More than 3,000 villagers attend the rally. (Mindanao Examiner MP4)

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR (Mindanao Examiner / 01 Nov) – About 3,000 mostly farmers have flocked to the mountain town of Bayog in Zamboanga del Sur, south of the Philippines, to welcome delegates from a Canadian mining firm.

TVI Resource Development Inc. said it will expand its current operation in the southern Philippines and has begun exploration projects in Bayog town.

It is currently operating a gold mine inside a 500-hectare area in Canatuan Mountain in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province, but the current mayor of the remote Bayog town, Mary Ann Lucero-Cartalla, said she has offered TVI almost 5,000-ha.

"We welcome responsible mining in Bayog. TVI will bring us not only responsible mining, but employment and progress as well," the mayor told the Mindanao Examiner.

She said the locals were also supporting the TVI and that about 3,000 people have flocked to Bayog to welcome the firm's executives who visited the town on Tuesday for a dialogue with villagers.

TVI president Eugene Mateo previously said that they have invested more than P500 million and is currently exploring for gold and other minerals in the hinterland village of Balabag.

Filipino environment and top government officials had previously cited the mining firm for having one of the cleanest and safest mining facilities in the country. Mateo said it would take them at least one year and a half to complete the exploration in Bayog town to see if it is feasible to mine in the area.

"We have a lot of things to do in Bayog town, but we can guarantee that the environment would not be affected or polluted by our operations. We follow strict international mining standards to ensure safe and responsible mining," he said, adding, some 650 people, including 50 Filipino geologists, are now working for TVI in the exploration project.

Mateo said they were also planning to explore gold in Compostela Valley in Davao province, southeast of Zamboanga del Sur.

"This is really an opportunity for us to have a descent employment. We really want TVI to stay here for good so that many poor people and our children will benefit from all that investments," said a 51-year old coconut farmer, Oscar Sumaling.

"The TVI also helped us in the past when landslides buried several houses here and we owed them a lot," he said.

In February, TVI led a rescue operation in Bayog town after landslides triggered by heavy rains buried houses in one village that killed at least 5 people.

The mayor was even more supportive and had hosted the dialogue, telling the villagers the importance of investments to a small town like Bayog, where farmers transport their agricultural products by buffalos and horses.

The town, about 223 km from Zamboanga City , has a population of about 26,000 mostly Subanon natives scattered in 28 villages.

Rocky Dimaculangan, head of the TVI delegation and spokesman of the company, said they always follow strict international mining standards. "We have opened our doors to any groups that wanted to see how we operate. TVI follows strict international mining standards," he said.

TVI started its mining operations in 2004 in Siocon, nearly a decade after it obtained its Mineral Production Sharing Agreement with the government in 1996. It is currently into gold and silver mining and plans to extract copper and zinc by next year.

Illegal miners who previously operated in Mount Canatuan dumped toxic chemicals like mercury and cyanide into Siocon's waterways, threatening the ecological balance. Illegal mining persisted for years until TVI signed a memorandum of understanding with the Siocon Subano Association, Inc., (SSAI), the largest group of indigenous people in Zamboanga del Norte, in October 2001 to develop their ancestral domain.

SSAI is recognized by the National Commission on Indigenous People as the legal representative of Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) holders in Canatuan.

TVI also entered into a production sharing agreement with the Filipino government in 1996 -- even before the Subanon people obtained their CADT under the Indigenous People's Rights Act a year later. (Mindanao Examiner)

4 Fishermen Killed In Clash With Pirates In South RP

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR (Mindanao Examiner / 19 Oct) – Four fishermen were killed by pirates in fierce gun battle at sea on Wednesday off the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Sur, a regional army commander said.

Four pirates were also wounded in the fighting, but escaped even before security forces could arrive, said, Brig. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said.

“We have reports that four fishermen were killed and four pirates are wounded in the clash. Military forces are tracking down the pirates,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

The fighting broke out at Malabago bay off the coastal village of Bibilik in Dumalinao town after a group of pirates attacked eight fishermen at around 5 a.m.

Ferrer said the fishermen were also members of the local Bantay-Dagat, a militia organization protecting the local fishermen against pirate attacks.

He said the military is closely coordinating with local village leaders and fishermen in the campaign against piracy. Many fishermen in the area have been arming themselves because of threats of pirate attacks. (Mindanao Examiner)