Saturday, September 09, 2006
MILF Rejects Manila's Offer Of Limited Autonomy In Mindanao
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Food Processing Training Slated In Zamboanga Sur
PAGADIAN CITY (Darwin Wee / 08 Sept) The Department of Science and Technology is to hold two days of training on food processing and seminar-workshop on packaging and labeling of processed food in Zamboanga del Sur province.
Ebenezer Tulog, a provincial science and technology officer, said the two-day training and seminar will start on September 14 as one of the major activities during the celebration of the province's 54th anniversary.
He said it would be held at the Food Processing and Livelihood Resource Center at the Provincial Government Complex in Dao in Pagadian City.
The Zamboanga del Sur Women's Association has embarked in the production of indigenous processed food, such as preserved sweet potato called "halaya", jellies, jam, bottled Spanish sardines, dried fish, ginger drink or locally called as "salabat", cassava chips among others.
Grace Noceja and Josie L. Diaz, from the Packaging Research and Development Center, will be the resource speakers.
Tulog said the packaging and labeling is the art of science and technology of bringing goods from its source to places of consumption at minimum cost. "It improves the quality and shelf life of the product, reduces waste, secure its safety and handling during delivery and enhance the products sales appeal. More than that, it adds value to the product," he said.
Cops Arrest Two Gensan Blast Suspects
Bomb experts work in downtown Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, following a twin Abu Sayyaf bomb attacks 11 Aug 2005 that wounded at least 26 people. Police in General Santos City says Friday 08 Sept 2006 it arrested two Muslim brothers implicated in a grenade attack Thursday night at a market that killed 2 people and wounded 4 others. (Mindanao Examiner)GENERAL SANTOS CITY (Juan Magtanggol / 08 Sept) Police on Friday announced the arrest of two brothers implicated in the grenade attack in the southern Philippine port city of General Santos that left 2 people dead and four more wounded.
The duo, police said, were both teenage Muslims tagged by witnesses as behind the blast on a market late Thursday. "They were implicated in the blast. We have witnesses pointing to them," said Supt. Alfredo Toroctocon, the local police chief.
Police gave no other details about the two suspects, but the attack was believed connected to a feud between two groups of traders at the market. Toroctocon said: "We see rivalry between traders here as the probable motive behind the attack."
The blast occurred during rush hour when many people were returning home from work.
MAGHUSAY TA! By Uriel Cruz Vallecera In Cebu
ANG SUGBOANONG BAYANING PILIPINHON
ANG Gawad Geny Lopez mopili ug mohagpat niadtong mga personahe nga nakahimo og talagsaong buhat sa katilingban nga ilang gipuy-an aron sila pasidunggan isip mga buhi nga bayaning Pilipinhon.
Karong tuiga, usa ka Sugboanon ang palaran nga napiling usa sa mga nominado sa pagka Bayaning Pilipino sa Teacher's Category. Siya mao si Mrs. Fe Tejano Tabaco. Usa ka magtutudlo ang iyang propesyon ug hangtod sa iyang pagretiro matinud-anon niyang gituman ang iyang kaakohan isip usa ka magtutudlo.
Matod pa ni Mrs. Tabaco, wala niya damha nga usa siya sa mapiling finalist sa pagka Bayaning Pilipino sa Teacher's Category nga maoy nagrepresentar sa Central Visayas alang sa prestihiyosong Gawad Geny Lopez.
Ang nag-endorso sa ngalan ni Mrs. Tabaco mao si Mrs. Guadalupe Baring nga usa pod ka nominado sa Gawad Geny Lopez niadtong tuig 2003. Patakaran na sa Gawad Geny Lopez nga ang usa ka nominado entitled sa pag-endorso og ngalan alang sa lain na usab nga hugna sa pagpili og hubing mga bayani sa atong nasod.
Suwerte nga si Mrs. Tabaco maoy napilian ni Mrs. Baring. Ug ang nominasyon ni Mrs. Baring kaniya wala makawang tungod kay siya man ang nahimong finalist sa rehiyonal nga kategoriya hinungdan nga siya ang napadala ngadto sa Manila alang sa nasyonal nga hagpatay.
Tulo lamang silang mga nominado sa teacher's category nga nahimong finalist alang sa nasyonal nga hagpatay. Gawas kang Mrs. Tabaco nga lumad nga taga Talamban, Cebu City, ang lain pang duha ka finalist mao sila si Ma. Magdalena Geronimo sa Cavite City ug Juanita S. Arguel sa Limay, Bataan.
Si Gng. Arguel mao gayod ang nakadaog isip Bayaning Pilipino sa teacher's category. Apan alang kang Gng. Tabaco, kontento na siya sa iyang naabot. Ang iyang pagkapili nga finalist giisip na niyang usa ka kadaogan busa wala siya magmahay nga wala siya makadaog sa nasodnong hagpatay. Labaw nang wala usab siya mahisagmuyo.
Si Mrs. Tabaco nag-alagad isip usa ka magtutudlo sulod sa 38 ka tuig. Natawo siya niadtong Hunyo 16, 1946 ug miretiro sa serbisyo niadtong Hulyo, 2006. Usa siya sa labing respetadong magtutudlo sa Talamban Elementary School diin siya nagtudlo hangtod sa iyang pagretiro.
Dili lalim ang mga pagsulay nga gisungasong ni Mrs. Tabaco sa wala pa niya makab-ot ang kalamposan ug kadaogan. Nag-self support siya sa pag-eskuyla sa tinguha nga makahuman og kurso. Sayo man god siyang nailo sa iyang mga ginikanan.
Nakatapos siya sa elementarya sa Talamban Elementary School. Gitapos niya ang segundarya sa Colegio de San Jose Recoletos (karon USJ-R). Mitungha siya sa kolehiyo sa Cebu Normal College diin natapos niya ang silid sa usa ka magtutudlo.
Gibutyag ni Mrs. Tabaco ning tagsulat nga ang iyang kinabuhi puno sa mga hagit.
Nagtuo siya nga ang kinabuhi dinhi sa kalibotan usa ka hagit ug gikaluhaan og misyon mao nga gipaningkamotan niya ang paghimo sa tanan nga iyang gituohan nga angay niyang buhaton.
Ang iyang nominasyon isip Bayaning Pilipino sa teacher's category giisip niyang pabawon sa iyang pagretiro sa serbisyo. Kuti kaayo ang pagpili sa buhing bayani ug gihulagway niya nga wala gayoy sambog nga bulok sa pamolitika ang proseso sa pagpili.
Mao nga alang kang Mrs. Tabaco, gibati niya nga takos siya sa maong nominasyon tungod kay dili man iyang kabubut-on ang pagtuboy sa iyang kaugalingon alang sa maong pasidungog. Nagtuo siya nga ang maong pasidungog maoy bugti sa iyang mga pagsakripisyo.
Ang kamatinud-anon ni Mrs. Tabaco sa pagpangalagad daan nang nakita sa iyang mga higala, kabanay, mga ginikanan ug sa mga kauban niyang mga magtutudlo. Gani siya man ang gipasidunggan isip model teacher niadtong tuig 1997.
Unya sa tuig 2006, nakuha niya ang nominasyon sa pagka bayaning Pilipinhon. Ang gikuhaan og kredito sa pagpili kaniya mao ang daghang dalaygong buhat nga iyang nahimo diin takos siyang himoong modelo. Mao nga alang kanimo, Ma'am, mosaludo ako. Hinaot nga magdaghan ang imong kaliwat.
Sayyaf Hideouts In Jolo Bombed
A civilian walks past a government soldier guarding the Jolo airport in the southern Philippines. Two Philippine military OV-10 planes bomb suspected Abu Sayyaf stronghold in Patikul town in Jolo island on Friday, 08 Sept 2006, to flush out about 200 militants, including two Jemaah Islamiya bombers Dulmatin and Umar Patek. (Mindanao Examiner)JOLO ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 08 Sept) Government planes bombed Friday the mountain strongholds of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group in the southern Filipino island of Jolo, officials said.
Officials said the raid in Patikul town was aimed at flushing out about 200 militants, including two of the most wanted Jemaah Islamiya bombers -- Dulmatin and Umar Patek -- tagged as behind the 2002 Bali attacks that killed more than 200 mostly western tourists.
Two Pakistani tabligh were allegedly detained by the military this week in Jolo on suspicion they were terrorists, but local security officials would neither confirm nor deny the report. The foreigners were reportedly preaching when nabbed by soldiers.
Tablighi Jamaat is a movement founded in the late 1920s by Muhammad Ilyas in the Indian province of Mewat. Tabligh in Arabic means "to deliver (the message)" and Tablighi Jamaat claims to revive this duty which they consider as a primary duty of Muslims. They usually limit their activities within Muslims itself and their main aim being to bring spiritual awakening to the world's Muslims.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in Friday's military raid in Patikul, but troops were also pursuing militants in the hinterlands of Parang and Indanan near the town of Patikul, where security forces clashed with separate Abu Sayyaf factions on Thursday.
A pair of Philippine Air Force OV-10 bombers attacked the mountains of Patikul just after noontime to pave way for ground assault. More soldiers were sent to the island Friday where tens of hundreds of troops were battling the Abu Sayyaf, officials said.
But winning the war on terror on Jolo island, about 950 kms south of Manila, will not succeed unless local town officials actively help in the campaign. Many officials and even civilians fear of reprisals from the Abu Sayyaf if they help the military, although the promise of huge bounties offered by the United States and the Philippines had changed the minds of the few.
Washington offered as much as $10 million reward for the capture of Dulmatin and another $1 million for Patek's head. The US also put up another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Khadaffy Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Arroyo also offered up to P100 million bounties for the capture of senior Abu Sayyaf leaders -- dead or alive.
At least 8 soldiers had been killed and dozens more injured in the weeklong battle in Jolo. One militant was also captured in Thursday fighting that erupted in the hinterland village of Kandulan in Parang town, southwest of the island.
Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, commander of military forces in Western Mindanao, said the operation against the Abu Sayyaf will continue even as Muslims prepare for the Ramadan, Islam's holiest month. "Combat operations will continue until the enemy is neutralized or eliminated," he said.
The military on Tuesday said more than 80 Abu Sayyaf since fighting erupted on Monday in Jolo island. Soldiers were pursuing Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and were trying to capture two Jemaah Islamiya leaders Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both linked to the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia.
"We estimate about 80 or probably more are killed on the Abu Sayyaf side. Our soldiers fighting the terrorists reported as many as 80 Abu Sayyafs are dead in the fighting in Jolo island since Monday," Lt. Col. Susthenes Valcorza, a spokesman for the military's Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said.
Cedo said he ordered a naval blockade in Jolo island to prevent the terrorists from escaping. "We have forces at sea and our boats are patrolling the coasts and the terrorists cannot escape; we will get them sooner or later," he said.
Security forces had already captured Dulmatin's tools, including remote-controlled detonators and other electronic gadgets used in manufacturing homemade bombs in a clash in Patikul late last month.
Officials said the raid in Patikul town was aimed at flushing out about 200 militants, including two of the most wanted Jemaah Islamiya bombers -- Dulmatin and Umar Patek -- tagged as behind the 2002 Bali attacks that killed more than 200 mostly western tourists.
Two Pakistani tabligh were allegedly detained by the military this week in Jolo on suspicion they were terrorists, but local security officials would neither confirm nor deny the report. The foreigners were reportedly preaching when nabbed by soldiers.
Tablighi Jamaat is a movement founded in the late 1920s by Muhammad Ilyas in the Indian province of Mewat. Tabligh in Arabic means "to deliver (the message)" and Tablighi Jamaat claims to revive this duty which they consider as a primary duty of Muslims. They usually limit their activities within Muslims itself and their main aim being to bring spiritual awakening to the world's Muslims.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in Friday's military raid in Patikul, but troops were also pursuing militants in the hinterlands of Parang and Indanan near the town of Patikul, where security forces clashed with separate Abu Sayyaf factions on Thursday.
A pair of Philippine Air Force OV-10 bombers attacked the mountains of Patikul just after noontime to pave way for ground assault. More soldiers were sent to the island Friday where tens of hundreds of troops were battling the Abu Sayyaf, officials said.
But winning the war on terror on Jolo island, about 950 kms south of Manila, will not succeed unless local town officials actively help in the campaign. Many officials and even civilians fear of reprisals from the Abu Sayyaf if they help the military, although the promise of huge bounties offered by the United States and the Philippines had changed the minds of the few.
Washington offered as much as $10 million reward for the capture of Dulmatin and another $1 million for Patek's head. The US also put up another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Khadaffy Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Arroyo also offered up to P100 million bounties for the capture of senior Abu Sayyaf leaders -- dead or alive.
At least 8 soldiers had been killed and dozens more injured in the weeklong battle in Jolo. One militant was also captured in Thursday fighting that erupted in the hinterland village of Kandulan in Parang town, southwest of the island.
Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, commander of military forces in Western Mindanao, said the operation against the Abu Sayyaf will continue even as Muslims prepare for the Ramadan, Islam's holiest month. "Combat operations will continue until the enemy is neutralized or eliminated," he said.
The military on Tuesday said more than 80 Abu Sayyaf since fighting erupted on Monday in Jolo island. Soldiers were pursuing Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and were trying to capture two Jemaah Islamiya leaders Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both linked to the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia.
"We estimate about 80 or probably more are killed on the Abu Sayyaf side. Our soldiers fighting the terrorists reported as many as 80 Abu Sayyafs are dead in the fighting in Jolo island since Monday," Lt. Col. Susthenes Valcorza, a spokesman for the military's Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said.
Cedo said he ordered a naval blockade in Jolo island to prevent the terrorists from escaping. "We have forces at sea and our boats are patrolling the coasts and the terrorists cannot escape; we will get them sooner or later," he said.
Security forces had already captured Dulmatin's tools, including remote-controlled detonators and other electronic gadgets used in manufacturing homemade bombs in a clash in Patikul late last month.
The military said the Abu Sayyaf was protecting Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island, where a small group of U.S. soldiers involved in training Filipino troops an anti-terror warfare, were helping the local military in the hunt for Janjalani and Dulmatin and Patek.
Mining In Zamboanga Peninsula, A Special Report
REFORMED: For former anti-mining activist Joy Gonzaga, the mining operation in Canatuan Mountain in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province has provided jobs to many indigenous people and development to their communities. (Mindanao Examiner)ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 08 Sept) For the past decade, Joy Gonzaga and her husband Lesjolando, tilled five hectares of land up in the Canatuan Mountain in the remote town of Siocon in Zamboanga del Norte province in the southern Philippines. They planted cassava and vegetables and harvesting coconuts alongside the Subanon tribesmen who own the Canatuan ancestral domain.
Today, Joy, a 40-year mother of three manages a small business and was able to buy a parcel of land in R.T. Lim town in Zamboanga del Sur and built a new house for them. Thanks, she says, for the money she received from the Canadian mining firm, TVI Resource Development Inc.(Read more)
(Mindanao Examiner Video)
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Photo: Wounded Soldier
Felicita Billones, a civilian midwife working at a military hospital in Zamboanga City, attends to a soldier wounded in Abu Sayyaf fighting in the southern Philippine island of Jolo. Sporadic clashes since Monday have killed more than 80 al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants in Jolo island, about 950 kms from Manila, security officials say. (Mindanao Examiner)2 Dead In Grenade Blast In Southern RP
GENERAL SANTOS (Isagani Palma / 07 Sept) At least two of six people wounded in a grenade blast Thursday in General Santos died as police and military tightened security in the southern port city.
Police said a man and woman succumbed to shrapnel wounds after a fragmentation grenade ripped through a crowded market at around 6.30 p.m.
Mayor Pedro Acharon earlier reported that 6 people were injured in the blast. He said police and were military were investigating the explosion after witnesses saw a boy hurled the grenade into a crowd.
"Witnesses said they saw a boy lobbed the grenade," he said. "We are investigating the motive of the blast whether this has something to do with an old grudge."
The blast occurred during rush hour when many people were returning home from work. It was not immediately known if the attack had anything to do with the fighting between troops and Abu Sayyaf militants tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya terror networks in the island of Jolo .
The attack came just two days after the Southern Philippine military warned of possible Abu Sayyaf bombings in key cities in the country as the 5th anniversary of the September 11 al-Qaeda attacks in the United States.
Fighting is fierce in Jolo as the battle entered its 5th day. Close to 100 militants, including 8 soldiers were killed in the clashes as security forces battle about 200 Abu Sayyaf gunmen protecting two Jemaah Islamiya leaders Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who tagged as behind the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia .
A small group of US soldiers involved in training Filipino troops were helping the local military in the hunt for Janjalani and Dulmatin and Patek.
The US offered as much as $10 million bounty for Dulmatin and $1 million for Patek's capture and another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Arroyo also put up P100 million rewards for the capture of the group's leaders and their members dead or alive.
Police said a man and woman succumbed to shrapnel wounds after a fragmentation grenade ripped through a crowded market at around 6.30 p.m.
Mayor Pedro Acharon earlier reported that 6 people were injured in the blast. He said police and were military were investigating the explosion after witnesses saw a boy hurled the grenade into a crowd.
"Witnesses said they saw a boy lobbed the grenade," he said. "We are investigating the motive of the blast whether this has something to do with an old grudge."
The blast occurred during rush hour when many people were returning home from work. It was not immediately known if the attack had anything to do with the fighting between troops and Abu Sayyaf militants tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya terror networks in the island of Jolo .
The attack came just two days after the Southern Philippine military warned of possible Abu Sayyaf bombings in key cities in the country as the 5th anniversary of the September 11 al-Qaeda attacks in the United States.
Fighting is fierce in Jolo as the battle entered its 5th day. Close to 100 militants, including 8 soldiers were killed in the clashes as security forces battle about 200 Abu Sayyaf gunmen protecting two Jemaah Islamiya leaders Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who tagged as behind the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia .
A small group of US soldiers involved in training Filipino troops were helping the local military in the hunt for Janjalani and Dulmatin and Patek.
The US offered as much as $10 million bounty for Dulmatin and $1 million for Patek's capture and another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Arroyo also put up P100 million rewards for the capture of the group's leaders and their members dead or alive.
6 Wounded In Blast In Southern Philippines
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 07 Sept) At least 6 people were injured in a grenade attack Wednesday at a busy market in the southern Philippine port city of General Santos, the mayor said.
Pedro Acharon said the wounded were rushed to the hospital as he ordered police and military to cordon off the market. He said witnesses saw a boy hurled the grenade and exploded inside the market.
"Six people are injured in the blast and we have cordoned off the area. Witnesses said they saw a boy lobbed the grenade," Acharon said. "We are investigating the motive of the blast whether this has something to do with grudge."
The blast occurred past 6.30 in the evening while many were returning home from work. It was not immediately known if the attack had anything to do with the fighting between troops and Abu Sayyaf militants tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya terror networks in the island of Jolo.
The attack came just two days after the Southern Philippine military warned of possible Abu Sayyaf bombings in key cities in the country as the 5th anniversary of the September 11 al-Qaeda attacks in the United States.
Fighting is fierce in Jolo as the battle entered its 5th day. Close to 100 militants, including 8 soldiers were killed in the clashes as security forces battle about 200 Abu Sayyaf gunmen protecting two Jemaah Islamiya leaders Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who tagged as behind the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia.
A small group of US soldiers involved in training Filipino troops were helping the local military in the hunt for Janjalani and Dulmatin and Patek.
The US offered as much as $10 million bounty for Dulmatin and $1 million for Patek's capture and another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Arroyo also put up P100 million rewards for the capture of the group's leaders and their members dead or alive.
Pedro Acharon said the wounded were rushed to the hospital as he ordered police and military to cordon off the market. He said witnesses saw a boy hurled the grenade and exploded inside the market.
"Six people are injured in the blast and we have cordoned off the area. Witnesses said they saw a boy lobbed the grenade," Acharon said. "We are investigating the motive of the blast whether this has something to do with grudge."
The blast occurred past 6.30 in the evening while many were returning home from work. It was not immediately known if the attack had anything to do with the fighting between troops and Abu Sayyaf militants tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya terror networks in the island of Jolo.
The attack came just two days after the Southern Philippine military warned of possible Abu Sayyaf bombings in key cities in the country as the 5th anniversary of the September 11 al-Qaeda attacks in the United States.
Fighting is fierce in Jolo as the battle entered its 5th day. Close to 100 militants, including 8 soldiers were killed in the clashes as security forces battle about 200 Abu Sayyaf gunmen protecting two Jemaah Islamiya leaders Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who tagged as behind the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia.
A small group of US soldiers involved in training Filipino troops were helping the local military in the hunt for Janjalani and Dulmatin and Patek.
The US offered as much as $10 million bounty for Dulmatin and $1 million for Patek's capture and another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Arroyo also put up P100 million rewards for the capture of the group's leaders and their members dead or alive.
Seaweed Seedlings Banks Urged In 65 Provinces In RP
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Darwin Wee / 07 Sept) To further improve the quality of seaweed and boost the production of local seaweed farms, the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD) urged Wednesday key members of the seaweed industry to establish a seedling production system in all the 65 coastal provinces in the country.
Cesario R. Pagdilao, DOST's deputy executive director, said the seaweed seedling production system will help the Philippines meet the expanding industrial use of seaweed and raise millions of income in exports.
"For several years now, we have been talking about the plight of thePhilippines’ seaweed productions, and competitions amongother Asian countries; however; only minimal solution is beingdiscussed to address the problems."
"By establishing seaweed seedlingproduction system in all the 65 coastal provinces in the country, it will definitely clear the entire back log in the development of the local seaweed industry,” he said.
Pagdilao, who spoke about the "The Gene Bank Project," during the two-day 7th Mindanao Seaweed Congress here, said the existing seaweed seedling banks do not have the capacity tosustain and maintain distribution in key seaweed production areas in the country.
He said the country has only 11 existing on-farm seaweed seedling banks, a land-based seedling production, and one seaweed gene bank, which is currently located in the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines in Quezon City.
At present, there are 255,000-ha. all over the country that are available for seaweed cultivation, but only 58,000 of these are currently being used as farms.
"We have to fill up the remaining sea hectares for seaweed farming, but the question is that as of now we don't have substantial seaweed seedlings to be planted in those areas," he pointed out.
In a separate interview, Alfredo O. Isidro, seaweed and aquaculture devolvement advisor of the US-funded Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM), said that many seaweed processors and seaweed farmers’ associations in the country have little knowledge on the importance of seaweed and gene banks in their respective areas.
"By establishing a seaweed seedling production system in every key seaweed production will help farmers continue its production, especially when seaweed are under attack by diseases, thus in return, processors will also benefit from the continuation of seaweed harvest all year round," he said.
One of the most diseases in seaweeds is locally called the “ice-ice” which affects and whitens the stalks of seaweeds and withers its production. It has become prevalent in extensive seaweed-producing areas in the country, particularly in Mindanao where 60 percent of the total seaweed production comes from.
Cesario R. Pagdilao, DOST's deputy executive director, said the seaweed seedling production system will help the Philippines meet the expanding industrial use of seaweed and raise millions of income in exports.
"For several years now, we have been talking about the plight of thePhilippines’ seaweed productions, and competitions amongother Asian countries; however; only minimal solution is beingdiscussed to address the problems."
"By establishing seaweed seedlingproduction system in all the 65 coastal provinces in the country, it will definitely clear the entire back log in the development of the local seaweed industry,” he said.
Pagdilao, who spoke about the "The Gene Bank Project," during the two-day 7th Mindanao Seaweed Congress here, said the existing seaweed seedling banks do not have the capacity tosustain and maintain distribution in key seaweed production areas in the country.
He said the country has only 11 existing on-farm seaweed seedling banks, a land-based seedling production, and one seaweed gene bank, which is currently located in the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines in Quezon City.
At present, there are 255,000-ha. all over the country that are available for seaweed cultivation, but only 58,000 of these are currently being used as farms.
"We have to fill up the remaining sea hectares for seaweed farming, but the question is that as of now we don't have substantial seaweed seedlings to be planted in those areas," he pointed out.
In a separate interview, Alfredo O. Isidro, seaweed and aquaculture devolvement advisor of the US-funded Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM), said that many seaweed processors and seaweed farmers’ associations in the country have little knowledge on the importance of seaweed and gene banks in their respective areas.
"By establishing a seaweed seedling production system in every key seaweed production will help farmers continue its production, especially when seaweed are under attack by diseases, thus in return, processors will also benefit from the continuation of seaweed harvest all year round," he said.
One of the most diseases in seaweeds is locally called the “ice-ice” which affects and whitens the stalks of seaweeds and withers its production. It has become prevalent in extensive seaweed-producing areas in the country, particularly in Mindanao where 60 percent of the total seaweed production comes from.
Sayyaf Man Killed In Jolo Clash
Above, Filipino soldiers during a military drill in Jolo island and below, navy seals test run new rubber boats. (Mindanao Examiner)ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 07 Sept) Philippine troops clashed before sunrise Wednesday with al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Jolo island and killing one gunman as fighting entered its 4th day, officials said.
One militant was also captured in the fighting that erupted in the hinterland village of Kandulan in Parang town, southwest of the island, about 950 km from Manila.
"One terrorist was killed and troops recovered the corpse. One has been captured and is undergoing interrogation," a military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro told the Mindanao Examiner, adding, there were no government casualties.
The fighting coincided with funeral honors the military gave in Zamboanga City on 6 soldiers killed by the Abu Sayyaf on Monday in Patikul town, north of Jolo. The bodies were brought by a military cargo plane to Manila and Cotabato City where grieving relatives were waiting.
"Their untimely demise will never be forgotten by their military superiors, their comrades, their friends and their love ones for they have shown utmost bravery and absolute sacrifices in fighting against the enemy."
"Though it saddened the whole AFP for losing our great men in the battle field, it is praiseworthy for they have served and absolutely sacrificed so that the people in Sulu will be set free from the bondage of terrorism and continue to live peacefully," said Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, commander of military forces in Western Mindanao.
Cedo said the death of the soldiers will not delay the government offensive in Jolo. "Combat operations will continue until the enemy is neutralized or eliminated," he said.
The military on Tuesday said more than 80 Abu Sayyaf since fighting erupted on Monday in Jolo island. Soldiers were pursuing Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and were trying to capture two Jemaah Islamiya leaders Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both linked to the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia.
"We estimate about 80 or probably more are killed on the Abu Sayyaf side. Our soldiers fighting the terrorists reported as many as 80 Abu Sayyafs are dead in the fighting in Jolo island since Monday," Lt. Col. Susthenes Valcorza, a spokesman for the military's Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said.
On Tuesday, troops also clashed with the Abu Sayyaf in Indanan town near Patikul, also a known stronghold of the militant group blamed by authorities for the spate of killings, kidnappings and bombings in the restive southern Filipino region.
Aside from the six soldiers killed on Monday, at least 19 more were wounded in the fierce clashes. Four of the wounded soldiers were airlifted to Manila for further treatment of gunshot wounds, while the rest remain at the Camp Navarro hospital here.
Cedo on Wednesday visited the wounded at a military hospital here and distributed packed noodles and sandwiches and gave P5,000 (not P500 as earlier reported) each to the soldiers. "You are all brave soldiers and we salute all of you. We are fighting terrorism here and we will crush terrorism," he told the soldiers.
Cedo said he ordered a naval blockade in Jolo island to prevent the terrorists from escaping. "We have forces at sea and our boats are patrolling the coasts and the terrorists cannot escape; we will get them sooner or later," he said.
Troops last month clashed with Janjalani's group near Patikul town and recovered Dulmatin's tools used in manufacturing bombs, including remote-controlled detonators and other electronic gadgets.
The Philippine military said the Abu Sayyaf was protecting Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island, where a small group of U.S. soldiers involved in training Filipino troops, were helping the local military in the hunt for Janjalani and Dulmatin and Patek.
Washington offered as much as $10 million bounty for Dulmatin and $1 million for Patek's capture and another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Arroyo also put up P100 million rewards for the capture of the group's leaders and their members dead or alive.
One militant was also captured in the fighting that erupted in the hinterland village of Kandulan in Parang town, southwest of the island, about 950 km from Manila.
"One terrorist was killed and troops recovered the corpse. One has been captured and is undergoing interrogation," a military spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro told the Mindanao Examiner, adding, there were no government casualties.
The fighting coincided with funeral honors the military gave in Zamboanga City on 6 soldiers killed by the Abu Sayyaf on Monday in Patikul town, north of Jolo. The bodies were brought by a military cargo plane to Manila and Cotabato City where grieving relatives were waiting.
"Their untimely demise will never be forgotten by their military superiors, their comrades, their friends and their love ones for they have shown utmost bravery and absolute sacrifices in fighting against the enemy."
"Though it saddened the whole AFP for losing our great men in the battle field, it is praiseworthy for they have served and absolutely sacrificed so that the people in Sulu will be set free from the bondage of terrorism and continue to live peacefully," said Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, commander of military forces in Western Mindanao.
Cedo said the death of the soldiers will not delay the government offensive in Jolo. "Combat operations will continue until the enemy is neutralized or eliminated," he said.
The military on Tuesday said more than 80 Abu Sayyaf since fighting erupted on Monday in Jolo island. Soldiers were pursuing Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and were trying to capture two Jemaah Islamiya leaders Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both linked to the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia.
"We estimate about 80 or probably more are killed on the Abu Sayyaf side. Our soldiers fighting the terrorists reported as many as 80 Abu Sayyafs are dead in the fighting in Jolo island since Monday," Lt. Col. Susthenes Valcorza, a spokesman for the military's Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said.
On Tuesday, troops also clashed with the Abu Sayyaf in Indanan town near Patikul, also a known stronghold of the militant group blamed by authorities for the spate of killings, kidnappings and bombings in the restive southern Filipino region.
Aside from the six soldiers killed on Monday, at least 19 more were wounded in the fierce clashes. Four of the wounded soldiers were airlifted to Manila for further treatment of gunshot wounds, while the rest remain at the Camp Navarro hospital here.
Cedo on Wednesday visited the wounded at a military hospital here and distributed packed noodles and sandwiches and gave P5,000 (not P500 as earlier reported) each to the soldiers. "You are all brave soldiers and we salute all of you. We are fighting terrorism here and we will crush terrorism," he told the soldiers.
Cedo said he ordered a naval blockade in Jolo island to prevent the terrorists from escaping. "We have forces at sea and our boats are patrolling the coasts and the terrorists cannot escape; we will get them sooner or later," he said.
Troops last month clashed with Janjalani's group near Patikul town and recovered Dulmatin's tools used in manufacturing bombs, including remote-controlled detonators and other electronic gadgets.
The Philippine military said the Abu Sayyaf was protecting Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island, where a small group of U.S. soldiers involved in training Filipino troops, were helping the local military in the hunt for Janjalani and Dulmatin and Patek.
Washington offered as much as $10 million bounty for Dulmatin and $1 million for Patek's capture and another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Arroyo also put up P100 million rewards for the capture of the group's leaders and their members dead or alive.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
901st Infantry Brigade Has New Commander
Colonel Muhammad Nur Askalani. (Mindanao Examiner)ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Sept) A former southern Philippines military commander was named as the new chief of the army’s 901st Infantry Brigade in the Bicol region in Luzon.
Colonel Muhammad Nur Askalani, who previously served as chief of staff of the Southern Command in Zamboanga City, replaced Brig. Gen. Arsenio Arugay who was reassigned as deputy commander of the army’s 4th Infantry Brigade in Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao.
The 901st Infantry Brigade covers the provinces of Albay, Sorsogon and Catanduanes, all strongholds of the New People’s Army rebels.
Askalani, a former defense attaché at the Philippine Embassy in Brunei, was a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy Class 77.
RP Military Says 80 Sayyafs Dead In Fierce Jolo Fighting
Above, hearse carrying coffins of slain soldiers on its way to a chapel in Zamboanga City and below, Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, Western Mindanao military commander, visits soldiers wounded in Abu Sayyaf fighting at a local military hospital. (Mindanao Examiner)
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Sept) Southern Philippines military officials on Wednesday said more than 80 members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group were killed in days of fierce fighting in Jolo island, where soldiers were trying to capture two Jemaah Islamiya leaders linked to the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia.
"We estimate about 80 or probably more are killed on the Abu Sayyaf side. Our soldiers fighting the terrorists reported as many as 80 Abu Sayyafs are dead in the fighting in Jolo island since Monday," Lt. Col. Susthenes Valcorza, a spokesman for the military's Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), told the Mindanao Examiner.
The number of enemy casualties in the fighting in Patikul town continues to rise and clashes also erupted Wednesday in the neighboring town of Indanan, also a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, he said.
"The offensive is going on. Troops are fighting in two fronts and we will destroy the terrorists," Valcorza said, but there were no immediate reports of fresh casualties.
Six soldiers killed on Monday in Patikul's clash were brought to a marine base in Zamboanga City and were given honors by the military. Four of 19 soldiers wounded in the fighting were airlifted to Manila for further treatment of gunshot wounds, while the rest remain at the Camp Navarro hospital here.
Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, Westmincom commander, visited the wounded on Wednesday and distributed packed noodles and sandwich and gave P500 each to the soldiers. "You are all brave soldiers and we salute all of you. We are fighting terrorism here and we will crush terrorism," he told the soldiers. It was Cedo's 55th birthday.
Cedo said he ordered a naval blockade in Jolo island to prevent the terrorists from escaping. "We have forces at sea and our boats are patrolling the coasts and the terrorists cannot escape; we will get them sooner or later," he said.
Troops were pursuing Jemaah Islamiya bombers Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who were with the group of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and Radulan Sahiron.
"All forces are now on the ground and with one mission and that are to destroy the terrorists. There will be no "let-up" in the campaign against the terrorists. We will not rest until we neutralize the terrorists and bring back peace in the province," Cedo said.
Last month, soldiers also clashed with the Abu Sayyaf under Khadaffy Janjalani in Patikul town and recovered Dulmatin's tools in manufacturing bombs, including remote-controlled detonators and other electronic gadgets.
The Philippine military said the Abu Sayyaf was protecting Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island, about 950 km south of Manila. A small group of US soldiers involved in training Filipino troops were helping the local military in the hunt for Janjalani and Dulmatin and Patek.
The United States offered as much as $10 million bounty for Dulmatin and $1 million for Patek's capture and another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Arroyo also put up P100 million rewards for the capture of the group's leaders and their members dead or alive.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Photo: Maguindanao Airport
Government soldiers patrol the runway of the Awang airport in Maguindanao province in South RP. The Air Transportation Office, Army's 6th Infantry Division and Philippine National Police in the Muslim autonomous region under Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao have joined to secure central Mindanao's premier airport and passengers against possible threats of terrorism. (Mark Navales)Photo: Fishing Industry In South RP
A truck transporting a trawler's net is on its way to a fishing port in Zamboanga City in Southern RP. Fishing is a P50 billion industry in the Philippines, contributing about 4% of the country's GNP. With an annual production volume of 2.4 million metric tons of fish, it directly provides livelihood and employment to over one million Filipinos. Tuna is among the 200 or so species of fish found in the country that have high commercial value. The Philippines ranks 7th among the top tuna producing countries in the world, both in terms of fresh/frozen tuna and canned tuna, a government website says. (Darwin Wee)
Troops Kill 30 Sayyaf In Fighting In Jolo Island
In Jolo island, troops continue to pursue the leaders of the local Abu Sayyaf terrorist group and two Jemaah Islamiya bombers Dulmatin and Umar Patek. At least 30 Abu Sayyaf were killed in fierce fighting in Patikul's mountain, says one army soldier who survived the clashes.(Mindanao Examiner)Army Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, a regional military commander, said troops were pursuing an estimated 100 Abu Sayyaf militants who broke into smaller groups in the hinterlands of Patikul town, where 6 soldiers were killed and 19 more wounded on Monday. "There is pursuit operation and we will not relent until the terrorists are neutralized," Cedo told the Mindanao Examiner.
The bodies of six soldiers were brought to Zamboanga City on Tuesday, where grieving relatives were waiting. One of three soldiers who survived the fighting on Monday said as many as 30 Abu Sayyaf were killed in the clashes in the mountain village of Tugas.
"We counted as many as 30 dead Abu Sayyaf. Every grenade we used had blasted five or more terrorists. One Abu Sayyaf said in an intercepted radio message told the others that he had ten dead with him," Cpl. Leo Angeles said, describing the fighting as fierce. "I remember telling the soldiers to fire at will and kill as many Abu Sayyaf they could. Hell was right there."
The wounded soldiers were at a military hospital in Zamboanga City, he said. "They are all okay and are now being treated at the hospital. They were hit with M14s and shrapnel from grenades fired by the terrorists," he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Cedo said troops were pursuing Jemaah Islamiya bombers Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who were with the group of Abu Sayyaf cheiftain Khadafy Janjalani and Radulan Sahiron.
"All forces are now on the ground and with one mission and that is to destroy the terrorists. There will be no "let-up" in the campaign against the terrorists. We will not rest until we neutralize the terrorists and bring back peace in the province," Cedo said.
Last month, soldiers also clashed with the Abu Sayyaf under Khadaffy Janjalani in Patikul town and recovered Dulmatin's tools in manufacturing bombs, including remote-controlled detonators and other electronic gadgets.
The Philippine military said the Abu Sayyaf was protecting Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island, about 950 km south of Manila. A small group of US soldiers involved in training Filipino troops were helping the local military in the hunt for Janjalani and Dulmatin and Patek.
The United States offered as much as $10 million bounty for Dulmatin and $1 million for Patek's capture and another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Khadaffy Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Arroyo also put up P100 million rewards for the capture of the group's leaders and their members dead or alive.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Canadian Mining Firm Hosts Zamboanga Celebration
A first-ever cultural event for this poor and remote Zamboanga del Norte barangay
ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE (04 Sept) Residents of Tamarok in the municipality of Jose Dalman in Zamboanga del Norte province recently held a two-day celebration of the “Araw ng Tamarok” -- the first for this village (named after the “balanghai” boats of early Malay settlers in the archipelago) since its creation in 1984…(TVI Rochelle Hilario / FULL STORY)
Ease Restrictions On Foreign Investors, US Chamber Asks
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Photo: ARMM Police Chief Joel Goltiao
TO SERVE GOD AND COUNTRY: Muslim autonomous region police director Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao reads his statement before police recruits who are to undergo a rigid training in Camp Gen.S.K.Pendatun in Parang town in Maguindanao province. Goltiao vows to implement reforms and programs that will benefit and professionalize more the police force in the region. (Mark Navales)EU Projects To Benefit Farmers In Lanao Sur
BUBONG, Lanao del Sur (Mark Navales / 04 Sept) The European Union is to hand over Wednesday to local government officials a package of infrastructure and livelihood projects that will help improve the standards of living of farmers here, officials said.
Local officials hailed the EU projects, implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DA) and the Support to Agrarian Reform Communities in Central Mindanao (STARCM) will benefit agrarian reform communities in the town of Bubong.
Among the finished projects include communal irrigation and cultivation machinery to farmers’ associations in the villages of Rogero and Basingan.
Bubong is a 5th class municipality with small scale and subsistence agricultural farming as the main source of income for the people.
The irrigation project is expected to increase crop production and the income of farmers in the area. From producing only 3,600 bags of rice annually, it is estimated that the farmers will reap 7,200 bags yearly with the irrigation project.
Meanwhile, the provision of cultivation machinery and threshers to Lalawan Farmers and Basingan Multi-Purpose Cooperatives is a response to the lack of farming equipment available for the farmers to improve their harvest.
High cost of farm machinery and insufficient farm inputs are common problems encountered by farmers in far-flung communities of Central Mindanao.
Nasser Pangandaman, DAR Secretary, is expected to lead the distribution of farming equipment and the hand over ceremony with Lanao del Sur Gov. Bashier Manalao, Vice-Governor Ansarudin Adiong, 1st District Representative Faizah Dumarpa, STARCM National Project Director Oscar A. Mama, STARCM European Co-Director Glynn P. Baker, DAR ARMM Secretary Allen Hofer Usman and other local government officials.
The provision of support infrastructure services forms part of STARCM’s continuing work to build a strong rural economy in 50 agrarian reform communities in Central Mindanao.
A seven-year project that started in 2001, STARCM is actively assisting 23 ARCs in North Coabato, 13 ARCs in Lanao del Norte, 7 in Sultan Kudarat and 7 in Lanao del Sur including the Municipality of Bubong.
To ensure the completion and ownership of irrigation and machineries, the local government units provide cash and in-kind counterpart for the STARCM assisted projects.
ARCs serve as priority areas of STARCM’s services to enhance the standard of living and introduce self-reliance among 55,000 households in Central Mindanao. ARCs are clusters of villages composed of farmers awarded by DAR with lands to support the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Local officials hailed the EU projects, implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DA) and the Support to Agrarian Reform Communities in Central Mindanao (STARCM) will benefit agrarian reform communities in the town of Bubong.
Among the finished projects include communal irrigation and cultivation machinery to farmers’ associations in the villages of Rogero and Basingan.
Bubong is a 5th class municipality with small scale and subsistence agricultural farming as the main source of income for the people.
The irrigation project is expected to increase crop production and the income of farmers in the area. From producing only 3,600 bags of rice annually, it is estimated that the farmers will reap 7,200 bags yearly with the irrigation project.
Meanwhile, the provision of cultivation machinery and threshers to Lalawan Farmers and Basingan Multi-Purpose Cooperatives is a response to the lack of farming equipment available for the farmers to improve their harvest.
High cost of farm machinery and insufficient farm inputs are common problems encountered by farmers in far-flung communities of Central Mindanao.
Nasser Pangandaman, DAR Secretary, is expected to lead the distribution of farming equipment and the hand over ceremony with Lanao del Sur Gov. Bashier Manalao, Vice-Governor Ansarudin Adiong, 1st District Representative Faizah Dumarpa, STARCM National Project Director Oscar A. Mama, STARCM European Co-Director Glynn P. Baker, DAR ARMM Secretary Allen Hofer Usman and other local government officials.
The provision of support infrastructure services forms part of STARCM’s continuing work to build a strong rural economy in 50 agrarian reform communities in Central Mindanao.
A seven-year project that started in 2001, STARCM is actively assisting 23 ARCs in North Coabato, 13 ARCs in Lanao del Norte, 7 in Sultan Kudarat and 7 in Lanao del Sur including the Municipality of Bubong.
To ensure the completion and ownership of irrigation and machineries, the local government units provide cash and in-kind counterpart for the STARCM assisted projects.
ARCs serve as priority areas of STARCM’s services to enhance the standard of living and introduce self-reliance among 55,000 households in Central Mindanao. ARCs are clusters of villages composed of farmers awarded by DAR with lands to support the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Sayyaf Kills 5 Soldiers In Jolo Clashes
Troops guard a school against Abu Sayyaf attacks in Jolo island. The Abu Sayyaf has killed 5 soldiers and wounded 20 more in fierce clashes Monday 04 Sept 2006 in Jolo's Patikul town. (Juan Magtanggol)JOLO ISLAND (Juan Magtanggol / 04 Sept) At least 5 soldiers were killed and 20 more wounded in fierce clashes Monday with Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippine island of Jolo, where security forces are pursuing two Jemaah Islamiya terrorists blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings.
Army Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, a regional military commander, said an undetermined number of gunmen were killed in the fighting before sunrise in the mountain village of Tugas in Patikul town.
"Five soldiers are dead and some 20 wounded in the fighting in Patikul. The fighting broke out after troops raided a hideout of the Abu Sayyaf and two JI militants Dulmatin and Umar Patek in Patikul," he said. "We have reports saying that many Abu Sayyaf terrorists are also killed and wounded."
Cedo said President Gloria Arroyo sent out a cell phone text (SMS) message to the soldiers fighting in Jolo. "My prayers for our troops," Arroyo said in her SMS. Cedo said he forwarded Arroyo's SMS message to the soldiers.
More troops were sent to Patikul, where militants have splintered into smaller groups.
"We are pursuing about 100 terrorists. We hit the groups of the Abu Sayyaf and Dulmatin; at least three groups of terrorists. The fighting is fierce and we have deployed attack helicopters to take down the terrorists. We will not allow them to terrorize Jolo and the innocent civilians," Cedo told the Mindanao Examiner.
Last month, soldiers also clashed with the Abu Sayyaf under Khadaffy Janjalani in Patikul town and recovered Dulmatin's tools in manufacturing bombs, including remote-controlled detonators and other electronic gadgets.
The Philippine military said the Abu Sayyaf was protecting Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island, about 950 km south of Manila. A small group of US soldiers involved in training Filipino troops in anti-terrorism were helping the local military in the hunt for Janjalani and Dulmatin and Patek.
The United States offered as much as $10 million bounty for Dulmatin and $1 million for Patek's capture and another $5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Khadaffy Janjalani, its chieftain. President Gloria Arroyo also put up P100 million rewards for the capture of the group's leaders and their members dead or alive.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
New Head Of Truce Observers Arriving In Mindanao
A group of Muslim highschool students gather under the shade of a tree during their break as a government soldier stands guard against Abu Sayyaf attacks in Panamao town in Jolo island in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)
MANILA (Carlos Bourne / 03 Sept) The new head of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) for Mindanao is expected to arrive Monday in Manila to lead the third batch of combined multinational civilian and military personnel set to monitor the peace situation in the southern Philippines.
Major General Ismail bin Ahmad Khan, of the Royal Malaysian Army, has been named as new head of Mission of the Malaysian-led IMT based in Cotabato City, replacing Major General Pahlawan Soheimi bin Abbas, also of Malaysia.
At least 30 members of the second batch of Malaysians in the IMT in Mindanao began leaving for Kuala Lumpur, ending their one-year tour of duty in the restive region after serving at the IMT headquarters and mobile offices in Cotabato and Iligan, Zamboanga, General Santos, and Davao cities.
Replacing them were the same number of fellow Malaysians from the army, air force, navy, police, and socio-economic department.
Among those in the new batch of Malaysian IMT members are at least five police officials and 25 military officers including Malaysian Air Force Brigadier General Zainal bin Abdul Rahman as the new Deputy Head of Mission replacing Malaysian Navy First Admiral Mohd Som bin Ibrahim.
Misamis Oriental Is RP 'Liquor War's New Battleground
Misamis Oriental is scene of liquor war between two beer giants. (Mindanao Examiner)CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Mike Banos / 03 Sept) The "Liquor War" for control of the country's alcohol market has found a new battleground in the province of Misamis Oriental.
Bitter corporate rivals Tanduay Distillers Inc. (Tanduay) and Ginebra San Miguel Inc. (GSMI) are both putting up new plants in this Northern Mindanao province to consolidate their forces for control of the lucrative hard liquor market in the Visayas and Mindanao, as well as nearby markets in Asean.
GSMI drew first blood when it took an option for 30 hectares of the Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental on August 27, 2004. Company sources said a P1.4-billion alcohol distillery with a capacity of 75,000 liters of hard liquor a day will be built on what will eventually be a 100-hectare property.
SMC said production from the distillery will primarily be used to support its export operations. GSMI is 79.6-percent owned by food and beverage conglomerate San Miguel Corp.
Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (GSMI) is a diversified alcohol-based beverage company owned by San Miguel Corporation. Originally known as La Tondeňa Distilleries, Inc., it was founded by the late Carlos Palanca; its main products are basically hard liquor.
It claims to be the largest producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages in the Philippines. In each of its product categories, Ginebra San Miguel is the market leader, with over 70% share of the gin market.
The company supports these brands through a nationwide distribution network that includes 500 beer distributors owned by San Miguel Corporation, a leading multinational in Asia that is the largest food and beverage producer in the Philippines. (orchidasia.com)
GSMI said its net income fell 40 percent to P331.9 million in the first half, from P552.8 million in the same period last year.
But Tanduay now appears to have taken the initiative from GSMI when taipan Lucio Tan announced Saturday at the 15th Mindanao Business Conference in Zamboanga City that the wholly-owned subsidiary of Tanduay Holdings, Inc. has already started construction for a P1-billion Tanduay factory besides Asia Brewery Inc.'s existing brewery in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental.
"Seeing the great potential in Mindanao as a growth area, we are expanding our presence here by investing P1 billion for Tanduay's facility beside Asia Brewery's plant and another P250-million for a soft drinks facility also in Cagayan de Oro," Tan said.
The tycoon said the liquor facility would be one of his company's biggest investments in Mindanao. "Our group's (Lucio Tan Group of Companies) biggest exposure in Mindanao is the state-of-the-art brewing facility of Asia Brewery, Inc. (ABI) in Cagayan de Oro, and it is the first brewery to invest in Mindanao," he said.
What Tan was referring to was actually the ABI brewery in the town of El Salvador, some 20 kilometers west of Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental and the first ever brewery in Mindanao.
Rated to produce approximately 2 million hectoliters of beer per annum, the brewery boasts of fully computerized state-of-the-art brewing facilities and fills ABI's need to supply the growing demand for its products in Mindanao and the Visayas.
The new Tanduay plant will produce 400,000 cases of rum a month, which together with its other plants in Manila, Laguna and Bacolod, would give Tanduay a combined monthly output of 1.3 million cases.
The new facility will be constructed on a two hectares lot within the ABI complex in El Salvador and would include a warehouse, packing facility, distillery and aging plant. It will be built in a year with mostly internally generated funds.
Sources from the ABI plant in El Salvador conform construction has already been going on for two months on the Tanduay plant as well as an adjacent factory for ABI's Absolute Pure Distilled Drinking Water.
Absolute goes through the state-of-the-art distillation process employing vapor compression and ozonation and is the first bottled water company to receive NSF certification.
However, there is still no company information available on when construction would start for a P250-million soft drinks factory (also announced by Tan) which will reportedly manufacture the branded Virgin Cola within the same ABI complex.
Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno welcomed the entry of the two rival liquor companies in the province and believes the intense competition between the two firms would serve as a catalyst for further growth and development in the region.
"We would like to stress laissez faire or free enterprise in Misamis Oriental, and allow the investor to go about his businessman with a minimum of interference but maximum support from local government," Moreno said.
Besides the ABI brewery and the upcoming Tanduay, Absolute, Virgin Cola and GSMI plants, Misamis Oriental also hosts other fruit and other beverage plants in Cagayan de Oro City like Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Nature's Spring and Del Monte.
Mindanao Traders Pass 2 Resolutions
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Darwin Wee / 03 Sept) Mindanao businessmen have submitted to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo a proposal urging the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) to adopt the Phased Improvement and Transfer Development Strategy for the new Zamboanga International Airport.
Traders also passed a resolution to accelerate the connections of fiber optic from the telecommunication-giant firm Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company to the Zamboanga Free Port and Economic Zone Authority.
The two resolutions were passed by the Mindanao Business Council (MBC) during the closing ceremony of the three-day 15th Mindanao Business Council on Saturday.
Being the country's gateway to the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, the upgrading of the Zamboanga International Airport "will enhance operational safety and service efficiency in order to cater to bigger aircraft and traffic for safe and efficient international and domestic travels, the resolution said.
More than 360,000 passengers and some 5,580 metric tons of cargoes had passed the airport, making it one of the busiest in Mindanao.
Currently, three of the nation's major carriers the Philippine Airlines, Air Philippines and Cebu Pacific, have regular flights from Manila, Cebu, Davao and Zamboanga. And just last week, the Russian-Filipino-owned Mosphil Aero Incorporated launched its Zamboanga-Sandakan-Kota-Kinabalu route, and Manila-Zamboanga-Jolo route.
Georgina Yu, head of the Zamboanga City Freeport, said PLDT earlier promised to put up fiber optic connection to cater to the growing needs of investors at the Freeport zone.
She said there are at least three IT company investors – Phil Wave and Eyeglobal for e-gaming and contact center G-Com Limited – which signified to put up their operation inside this year.
Photo: Zamboanga's Street Children
MAGHUSAY TA! By Uriel Cruz Vallecera In Cebu
2,050 STALKS SA MARIJUANA
MIKABAT sa 2,050 ka mga stalks sa tanom nga marijuana ang gipangibot sa mga sakop sa 78th Infantry Battallion sa Philippine Army dili pa lang dugay didto sa Danasan, usa ka bukirang bahin sa Danao City, Cebu.
Sumala sa report nga nakutlo gikan ni Sgt. Roberto Villaber, ang team leader sa 78th IB, kuyog nila ang mga sakop sa CAFGU sa ilang pagpatrolya sa maong dapit diin ilang nasigpatan ang mga tinanom nga mga marijuana. Gipangibot nila ang maong mga tanom aron dili kini ikapayuhot kon maani na.
Husto ang gihimo sa mga sakop sa 78th IB. Maayo gani kay nakaplagan nila ang plantasyon sa maong mga marijuana kay kon naani pa kadto sa tag-iya, seguradong daghan na usab ang maadik nga makagamit sa maong tanom.
Pero sa akong pagsulat niini, wala pa ko makabalita kon nailhan na ba ang responsable sa pagtanom sa maong mga marijuana. Hinuon, maarang-arang na lang og diyotay kay ang maong mga tanom dili na man kapahimuslan kay naibot na man.
Kining daghang marijuana plantation sa nagkadaiyang dapit sa lalawigan sa Cebu ingon sa daghan pa gayod kaayo. Partikular nga gipangtamnan mao ang bukiran nga mga dapit sa lungsod sa Balamban ug sa dakbayan sa Danao.
Sa akong pangagpas, lisod pang sumpoon sa hingpit kining pagpananom og marijuana tungod kay nagtuo ko nga aduna pay daghang mga plantasyon nga wala matultoli sa atong mga awtoridad.
-o0o-
Adunay kadalanan sa Mandaue City nga mahimong dagat kon mobundak ang kusog kaayong ulan. Molunop ang maong dapit hinungdan nga mabara ang trapiko ug malangan ang biyahe sa daghang mga motorista.
Sumala sa pakisusi nga gihimo, ang usa sa matumbok nga hinungdan sa paglunop sa kadalanan sa Mandaue City mao ang barado nga mga kanal ug kakulang sa mga drainage nga kaagian sa tubig.
Hinaot unta nga masulbad kini sa mga opisyal sa dakbayan sa Mandaue nga gipangulohan ni Mayor Thadeo Ouano. Nasayod kita nga daghan silag giatiman apan mas maayo tingali nga iapil nila sa ilang prayoridad ang pagsulbad sa suliran sa baha sa kadalanan sa dakbayan.
Purhisyo man god kining baha. Nasayod kong dili makapabarog og dagkong billboards ang atong mga opisyal kon maoy pasiugdahan nilang proyekto ang bahin sa drainage system. Pero mas importante ang interes sa katawhan kay sa pagpaburot sa kaugalingong garbo.
Mao nga manghinaot ko nga masulbad na ang lunop sa pipila ka dagkong kadalanan sa dakbayan sa Mandaue. Mosamot pa ra ba ang ting-uwan kon paingon na sa Pasko, basin mas labaw pa unya nga mapurhisyo ang mga molupyo sa Mandaue ug ang mga motorista kon pabiling dili masulbad kining problema.
MIKABAT sa 2,050 ka mga stalks sa tanom nga marijuana ang gipangibot sa mga sakop sa 78th Infantry Battallion sa Philippine Army dili pa lang dugay didto sa Danasan, usa ka bukirang bahin sa Danao City, Cebu.
Sumala sa report nga nakutlo gikan ni Sgt. Roberto Villaber, ang team leader sa 78th IB, kuyog nila ang mga sakop sa CAFGU sa ilang pagpatrolya sa maong dapit diin ilang nasigpatan ang mga tinanom nga mga marijuana. Gipangibot nila ang maong mga tanom aron dili kini ikapayuhot kon maani na.
Husto ang gihimo sa mga sakop sa 78th IB. Maayo gani kay nakaplagan nila ang plantasyon sa maong mga marijuana kay kon naani pa kadto sa tag-iya, seguradong daghan na usab ang maadik nga makagamit sa maong tanom.
Pero sa akong pagsulat niini, wala pa ko makabalita kon nailhan na ba ang responsable sa pagtanom sa maong mga marijuana. Hinuon, maarang-arang na lang og diyotay kay ang maong mga tanom dili na man kapahimuslan kay naibot na man.
Kining daghang marijuana plantation sa nagkadaiyang dapit sa lalawigan sa Cebu ingon sa daghan pa gayod kaayo. Partikular nga gipangtamnan mao ang bukiran nga mga dapit sa lungsod sa Balamban ug sa dakbayan sa Danao.
Sa akong pangagpas, lisod pang sumpoon sa hingpit kining pagpananom og marijuana tungod kay nagtuo ko nga aduna pay daghang mga plantasyon nga wala matultoli sa atong mga awtoridad.
-o0o-
Adunay kadalanan sa Mandaue City nga mahimong dagat kon mobundak ang kusog kaayong ulan. Molunop ang maong dapit hinungdan nga mabara ang trapiko ug malangan ang biyahe sa daghang mga motorista.
Sumala sa pakisusi nga gihimo, ang usa sa matumbok nga hinungdan sa paglunop sa kadalanan sa Mandaue City mao ang barado nga mga kanal ug kakulang sa mga drainage nga kaagian sa tubig.
Hinaot unta nga masulbad kini sa mga opisyal sa dakbayan sa Mandaue nga gipangulohan ni Mayor Thadeo Ouano. Nasayod kita nga daghan silag giatiman apan mas maayo tingali nga iapil nila sa ilang prayoridad ang pagsulbad sa suliran sa baha sa kadalanan sa dakbayan.
Purhisyo man god kining baha. Nasayod kong dili makapabarog og dagkong billboards ang atong mga opisyal kon maoy pasiugdahan nilang proyekto ang bahin sa drainage system. Pero mas importante ang interes sa katawhan kay sa pagpaburot sa kaugalingong garbo.
Mao nga manghinaot ko nga masulbad na ang lunop sa pipila ka dagkong kadalanan sa dakbayan sa Mandaue. Mosamot pa ra ba ang ting-uwan kon paingon na sa Pasko, basin mas labaw pa unya nga mapurhisyo ang mga molupyo sa Mandaue ug ang mga motorista kon pabiling dili masulbad kining problema.
RP-MILF Peace Talks Resume In Malaysia
Muslims pray outside a jampack mosque in Cotabato City in Maguindanao. Peace talks between Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Manila resume this week in Malaysia, ahead of the Ramadan, Islam's holiest month. (Mark Navales)COTABATO CITY(Juan Magtanggol / 03 Sept)Peace talks between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are to resume in Kuala Lumpur as both sides try to resolve several contentious issues on the Muslim ancestral domain in Mindanao.
Ancestral domain refers to the MILF demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland. It is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can reach a political settlement.
Manila is currently negotiating peace with the MILF, which is fighting the past three decades for the establishment of a strict Islamic state in Mindanao.
The government previously announced that it was to sign a peace deal with the MILF by September or before the start of Ramadan, Islam's holiest month, but the MILF said this is unlikely after both sides earlier failed to agree on issues on ancestral domain and how the government and the rebel group would share natural resources in Mindanao.
"We will meet in Kuala Lumpur in the next few days and we will discuss some important matters, but we don't believe that a peace deal is likely, but we may extend the peace talks beyond September," Mohager Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, told the Mindanao Examiner on Sunday.
In September, government and rebel peace negotiators have signed several agreements centered on the ancestral domain -- its concept, territories and resources, and how the MILF shall govern these places.
Iqbal said the MILF has submitted its proposal to the government peace negotiators, but they disagreed on the scope of coverage of the Muslim ancestral domain. "There are still some contentious issues and these are the scope of Muslim territories under the ancestral domain and how the government and the MILF would share the resources in these areas," he said.
"The ball is already in the hands of the government peace negotiators. We have submitted our position and it is all up to them. We may not be able to meet the deadline to sign the peace deal and we will ask for an extension of the peace talks. We cannot see any peace deal by September, not even this year unless the government and MILF agreed on the proposals," Iqbal said.
Silvestre Afable, the head of the government peace panel, previously admitted difficulties in the talks, particularly in determining and the delimitation of areas to be placed under a prospective Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.
"The GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) Panel is now working closely with the pertinent government agencies to come up with clear, concrete and feasible methods of validation and we will strive to fast track the work to keep our present timeline on track, despite the delays," he said.Afable said both sides have agreed to conduct further ground validation and collection of additional data to guide them in the resolution of Muslim territorial issues.The ancestral domain covers the five Muslim autonomous provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao. And other areas in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes.
The MILF previously said it is willing to compromise if only to arrive at an acceptable, reasonable and comprehensive agreement that would include not only the Muslims, but all 18 ethnic tribal groups in Mindanao. Once an agreement is reached on how the MILF can govern these areas, government and rebel peace negotiators would finally discuss the political settlement of the country's longest-running Muslim insurgency problem.
Japan and Sweden have also began talks with the MILF about sending peace keepers in Mindanao and help in Manila's efforts end the strife in the mineral-rich, but dangerous southern region, Eid Kabalu, a rebel spokesman, said on Sunday.
Kabalu said Sweden was proposing to send a 10-man team to join the Malaysian-led international truce observers deployed around Mindanao.
"Sweden says it is committed to join the international peace keepers in Mindanao and the MILF welcomes this development. We are looking forward to working with them because the MILF is also committed to bring peace in Mindanao," Kabalu said.
Kabalu said a small group of senior Swedish officials led by Ambassador to Manila, Annika Markovic, met Friday with top MILF leaders headed by Murad Ebrahim at a rebel base in Maguindanao province. Sweden proposed to deploy two peace keepers each for the five team sites of the 60-man International Monitoring Team in the cities of Cotabato, Iligan, Davao City, General Santos and Zamboanga.
He said Japan also wanted to join the IMT in Mindanao and sent its representatives Thursday in Maguindanao to meet with Ebrahim and other senior rebel leaders about its humanitarian role in helping rebuild war-torn areas in the region.
Kabalu said the Japanese delegation was headed by Akio Isomata, director of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Southeast Asian Desk; and Ministers Takeo Takashi and Yoshi Ishikawa, of the Japanese Embassy in Manila. "Japan wanted a bigger role in helping in the peace process by working more on the humanitarian and development and economic aspects that will benefit the people of Mindanao," he said.
The MILF, Kabalu said, praised Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for Japan's role in the peace process. “Japan is a good partner in peace-making in Mindanao and we thank Japan for its decision to join the International Monitoring Team in its socio-economic aspect of monitoring," Ebrahim said.
Tokyo is also sending an economic expert who will closely work with the IMT to monitor relief, rehabilitation and development projects in the conflict affected areas in Mindanao, Kabalu said. "We appreciate Japan's effort and we hope to work closely with Tokyo in pursuing peace and development in Mindanao," he said.
But Kabalu said Japan and Sweden's participation in the IMT need the approval of the Philippines and Malaysia.
President Gloria Arroyo opened peace negotiations with the MILF in 2001 and Malaysia, an influential member of the Organization of Islamic Conference, is helping broker the talks in en effort to bring stability to the region. Malaysia sent the peace keepers in 2004 to monitor a 5-year truce between government and rebel forces.
Many Muslim countries, including the United States and the European Union, Canada, Australia and Saudi Arabia have pledged to help in the development of Mindanao once the peace agreement is signed. The Australian Agency for International Development has already contributed over $17 million in peace and development projects in Mindanao the past seven years.
MNLF Peace Accord Is A Failure, Says Misuari Supporters
DAVAO CITY (Juan Magtanggol / 02 Sept) Supporters of jailed Moro National Liberation Front chieftain Nur Misuari branded as failure the peace agreement the former rebel group signed with Manila.
Misuari was granted temporary liberty by a Manila court to attend the 10th anniversary of the signing of the peace accord in Davao City. The ex-rebel leader himself described the peace deal as ill-fated.
Misuari, former governor of the five-province Muslim autonomous region, is facing rebellion charges after a failed MNLF uprising on Jolo island and Zamboanga City in 2001.
The government accused Misuari of allegedly masterminded the attacks. Misuari fled to Malaysia, where he was arrested and was deported back to the Philippines.
"We thought that the peace agreement was the way for the people of Mindanao to attain peace and development. We thought that the peace agreement will end the misery of the people. But the government decided to undo the peace agreement by unilaterally implementing it," he said as his supporters chanted his name and “Allahu Akbar,” which means Allah is great.
“You can't impose in Mindanao and we cannot allow you to impose peace on us. If you will, we will reject in cold hand," Misuari said inside the ballroom of the Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Asnar Abdula, a 53-year old former rebel, said the government reneged on its commitment to fully implement the peace agreement.
“They failed and they will always fail because the government is not sincere in really pursuing the peace. Brother Nur is right when he said that there will be no peace in Mindanao if the government continues to unilaterally impose its will on us,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Misuari signed a peace agreement with Manila on Sept. 2, 1996, but many rebels were disgruntled with the accord and accused the Arroyo government of reneging on the peace deal and failing to uplift the living standards of Muslims in the strife-torn Mindanao island.
Melham Alam, former chief of staff of the MNLF’s Bangsamoro Armed Forces, said the peace agreement has become an instrument to tie the hands of the Muslims and to consign them in the past tense of their existence.
“Their future is to clear their thoughts of its falsehoods and deception. The promises therein were never there and will never be. They should remember at all times that their very life is in their hands. No one begs for freedom and no one will give freedom even if asked.”
“This is the way of the enemy: you never give, you always take. On the other hand, you also do not give your freedom away especially with a mere piece of paper. The future is not also with someone who is being held a prisoner. It will be tragic to equate freedom with someone who is not free. It is true that you cannot give what you do not have. However, the rule of the game is you do not give at all because you are going to be left with nothing and you cannot or allowed to ask anymore,” he said.
Misuari was granted temporary liberty by a Manila court to attend the 10th anniversary of the signing of the peace accord in Davao City. The ex-rebel leader himself described the peace deal as ill-fated.
Misuari, former governor of the five-province Muslim autonomous region, is facing rebellion charges after a failed MNLF uprising on Jolo island and Zamboanga City in 2001.
The government accused Misuari of allegedly masterminded the attacks. Misuari fled to Malaysia, where he was arrested and was deported back to the Philippines.
"We thought that the peace agreement was the way for the people of Mindanao to attain peace and development. We thought that the peace agreement will end the misery of the people. But the government decided to undo the peace agreement by unilaterally implementing it," he said as his supporters chanted his name and “Allahu Akbar,” which means Allah is great.
“You can't impose in Mindanao and we cannot allow you to impose peace on us. If you will, we will reject in cold hand," Misuari said inside the ballroom of the Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Asnar Abdula, a 53-year old former rebel, said the government reneged on its commitment to fully implement the peace agreement.
“They failed and they will always fail because the government is not sincere in really pursuing the peace. Brother Nur is right when he said that there will be no peace in Mindanao if the government continues to unilaterally impose its will on us,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Misuari signed a peace agreement with Manila on Sept. 2, 1996, but many rebels were disgruntled with the accord and accused the Arroyo government of reneging on the peace deal and failing to uplift the living standards of Muslims in the strife-torn Mindanao island.
Melham Alam, former chief of staff of the MNLF’s Bangsamoro Armed Forces, said the peace agreement has become an instrument to tie the hands of the Muslims and to consign them in the past tense of their existence.
“Their future is to clear their thoughts of its falsehoods and deception. The promises therein were never there and will never be. They should remember at all times that their very life is in their hands. No one begs for freedom and no one will give freedom even if asked.”
“This is the way of the enemy: you never give, you always take. On the other hand, you also do not give your freedom away especially with a mere piece of paper. The future is not also with someone who is being held a prisoner. It will be tragic to equate freedom with someone who is not free. It is true that you cannot give what you do not have. However, the rule of the game is you do not give at all because you are going to be left with nothing and you cannot or allowed to ask anymore,” he said.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Photo: Zamboanga Sibugay's Gov. George Hoffer
BRAINS AND BEAUTY, THE PRIDE OF SIBUGAY: Dr. Dulce Ann Hoffer (Ph.D.), from Zamboanga Sibugay province, gestures Saturday 02 Sept 2006 during a press conference in Zamboanga City. Hoffer is active in promoting Zamboanga Sibugay as a major investment and tourism area in Western Mindanao. Above, the influential governor of Zamboanga Sibugay, George Hoffer, gestures as he speaks to reporters. With the Hoffers is Roseller Briones, president of Zamboanga Sibugay Chamber of Commerce. (Mindanao Examiner)Friday, September 01, 2006
Photo: 15th Mindanao Business Conference In Zamboanga
Dr Graciano Yumol, left, Science Undersecretary; Eugene Mateo, center, president of the Canadian mining firm TVI Resource Development Phils., Inc., and Paul Doninguez, of the Mindanao Business Council, during the 15th Mindanao Business Conference in Zamboanga City. TVI has pour more than P500 million for gold exploration project in Bayug town in Zamboanga del Sur province. (Mindanao Examiner) Photo: Dr Graciano Yumul, Science undersecretary
Dr Graciano Yumul, Undersecretary of the Department of Science and Technology, gestures during a press conference Friday 01 Sept 2006 in Zamboanga City. Yumul says the government is considering proposals to change the country's current sea lanes to protect the coast and marine sanctuaries from pollution after an oil spill at Guimaras Sea in the central Philippines last month. The oil tanker Solar 1 sank in bad weather and polluted more than 100 kilometers of coastline, threatening the ecological balance and in the Visayas region. (Mindanao Examiner)Nur Misuari Is Freed!
Nur Misuari. (Mindanao Examiner)JOLO ISLAND (Juan Magtanggol / 01 Sept) Jailed Moro National Liberation Front chieftain Nur Misuari was temporarily to attend the 10th anniversary celebration of the peace accord between Manila and the former rebel group in the southern Philippine port city of Davao.
"Brother Nur is attending the ceremony in Davao," Misuari's aide, Jamasali Abdurahman, told the Mindanao Examiner.
Misuari signed a peace agreement with Manila on Sept. 2, 1996, but many rebels were disgruntled with the accord and accused the Arroyo government of reneging on the peace deal and failing to uplift the living standards of Muslims in the strife-torn Mindanao island.
A Manila court allowed Misuari and an aide on a temporary freedom, said Secy. Jesus Dureza, a peace adviser of the President Gloria Arroyo.
Misuari, former governor of the five-province Muslim autonomous region, is facing rebellion charges after a failed MNLF uprising on Jolo island in 2001. The government accused Misuari of allegedly masterminded the attacks on Jolo.
TVI Pours More Investment In Zamboanga Peninsula
Eugene Mateo, president of the TVI Resource Development Inc., gestures during a news conference Friday 01 Sept 2006 in Zamboanga City. Mateo says the Canadian mining firm has already invested more than P500 million in gold mine exploration in the town of Bayug in Zamboanga del Sur province in Southern RP. TVI is currently operating a gold mine site in Canatuan Mountain in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province. (Mindanao Examiner) ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 01 Sept) A Canadian mining firm TVI Resource Development Inc., said it will expand its current operation in the southern Philippines and had began exploring a remote mountain side in the province of Zamboanga del Sur.
"We have already invested more than P500 million and is currently exploring for gold and other minerals in the hinterland village of Balabag in the town of Bayug," Eugene Mateo, TVI president, told the Mindanao Examiner.
TVI is currently operating a gold mine inside a 500-ha. area in Canatuan Mountain in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province. 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 to complete the exploration in Bayug town to see if it is feasible to mine in the area which is bigger than Canatuan mining site.
"We have a lot of things to do in Bayug 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.
TVI spent more than P200 million since 2004 for its environmental management initiatives in Siocon town, where it also built new roads and health centers for the villagers.
The Siocon Subano Association, Inc., (SSAI), the largest group of indigenous people in Zamboanga del Norte, is also supporting the mining operation. Its legal counsel, Subanon lawyer Pablo Bernardo, said TVI has spent millions of pesos in community projects in Siocon that included schools, clinics and bridges, to benefit the locals.
TVI had entered into a production sharing agreement with the government even before the Subanon people obtained their Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) under the Indigenous People's Rights Act in 2003.
"We have already invested more than P500 million and is currently exploring for gold and other minerals in the hinterland village of Balabag in the town of Bayug," Eugene Mateo, TVI president, told the Mindanao Examiner.
TVI is currently operating a gold mine inside a 500-ha. area in Canatuan Mountain in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province. 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 to complete the exploration in Bayug town to see if it is feasible to mine in the area which is bigger than Canatuan mining site.
"We have a lot of things to do in Bayug 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.
TVI spent more than P200 million since 2004 for its environmental management initiatives in Siocon town, where it also built new roads and health centers for the villagers.
The Siocon Subano Association, Inc., (SSAI), the largest group of indigenous people in Zamboanga del Norte, is also supporting the mining operation. Its legal counsel, Subanon lawyer Pablo Bernardo, said TVI has spent millions of pesos in community projects in Siocon that included schools, clinics and bridges, to benefit the locals.
TVI had entered into a production sharing agreement with the government even before the Subanon people obtained their Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) under the Indigenous People's Rights Act in 2003.
SSAI is recognized by the National Commission on Indigenous People as the legal representative of Canatuan CADT holders. TVI signed a memorandum of understanding with the SSAI in October 2001 to develop their ancestral domain as a gesture of good faith.
TVI claimed to have the support of the majority in Canatuan, which has a population of several thousands. It currently employs more than 650 mostly Subanon tribesmen, plus several hundreds more in other indirect services.
Mateo said they paid more than P30 million in taxes to the government, aside from millions of pesos in Subano royalty tax, since last year.
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 this year.
President Gloria Arroyo's aide and former Mindanao Development Council chairman Jesus Dureza, had previously inspected the mine site and was surprised how clean the TVI's milling area in Canatuan.
TVI claimed to have the support of the majority in Canatuan, which has a population of several thousands. It currently employs more than 650 mostly Subanon tribesmen, plus several hundreds more in other indirect services.
Mateo said they paid more than P30 million in taxes to the government, aside from millions of pesos in Subano royalty tax, since last year.
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 this year.
President Gloria Arroyo's aide and former Mindanao Development Council chairman Jesus Dureza, had previously inspected the mine site and was surprised how clean the TVI's milling area in Canatuan.
"Everything is in order, the milling area is clean, and we are really surprised by the strict implementation of safety and the TVI's protection of the environment," Dureza said.
President Arroyo thanked Clifford James, TVI's chief executive officer, for the company's long-standing commitment to the Philippines. TVI is a participant in the three-day 15th Mindanao Business Conference in Zamboaga City that started Friday.
It's audio-visual presentation of mining operations in Zamboanga del Norte was applauded by some 200 traders and government representatives because of its world-class milling in Canatuan and the development it brought to the area that benefitted hundreds of tribesmen.
Transco Names New Head For Mindanao Operations
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Mike Banos / 01 Sept) The National Transmission Corporation's (Transco) has appointed a senior official to head its Mindanao Operations and Maintenance in Iligan City in the southern Philippines.
Engineer Emmanuel M. Abellanosa, erstwhile North Central Mindanao Area Manager for Transco, formerly based in Cagayan de Oro City, has been appointed officer-in-charge.
Abellanosa is now in-charge with the operations and maintenance of all Transco's transmission facilities in Mindanao, including its power lines, power pylons and substations.
A native of Cagayan de Oro City, Abellanosa, has been serving as NCMA Manager since 1992. An alumnus of the prestigious Silliman University in Dumaguete City in the central Philippines, Abellanosa passed the board for electrical engineers in 1974, and the professional electrical engineering board in 1987.
Engineer Virgilio P. Sanchez, who previously served as corporate staff officer in the Transco Office of the Vice President for Visayas and Mindanao Operations and Maintenance, will replace Abellanosa.
Gil was previously under Abellanosa as a technical staff from 1992-2001. He also served briefly in the same capacity in Transco's North Western Mindanao Area based in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province, before moving to Cebu in 2002 prior to this assignment.
Sanchez, an electrical engineering graduate of the Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT) Class '83, passed the board for electrical engineers in the same year. He passed the professional electrical engineering board in 1988.
Engineer Emmanuel M. Abellanosa, erstwhile North Central Mindanao Area Manager for Transco, formerly based in Cagayan de Oro City, has been appointed officer-in-charge.
Abellanosa is now in-charge with the operations and maintenance of all Transco's transmission facilities in Mindanao, including its power lines, power pylons and substations.
A native of Cagayan de Oro City, Abellanosa, has been serving as NCMA Manager since 1992. An alumnus of the prestigious Silliman University in Dumaguete City in the central Philippines, Abellanosa passed the board for electrical engineers in 1974, and the professional electrical engineering board in 1987.
Engineer Virgilio P. Sanchez, who previously served as corporate staff officer in the Transco Office of the Vice President for Visayas and Mindanao Operations and Maintenance, will replace Abellanosa.
Gil was previously under Abellanosa as a technical staff from 1992-2001. He also served briefly in the same capacity in Transco's North Western Mindanao Area based in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province, before moving to Cebu in 2002 prior to this assignment.
Sanchez, an electrical engineering graduate of the Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT) Class '83, passed the board for electrical engineers in the same year. He passed the professional electrical engineering board in 1988.
Nocot Celebrates Kuvuruan Festival
Provincial Administrator Jun Pinol with the Cotabato Council of Elders during opening ceremonies of Kavurunan 2006 at the Kavurunan tribal village. (Carl Bautista)
NORTH COTABATO (Carl Bautista / 31 Aug) The North Cotabato government held its 8th Kuvurunan Festival at the Children's Park, Capitol Compound in
Among the highlights of the Festival on Monday were the tribal unity dance performed by the different tribal groups who participated in the celebration. Various other tribal activities and parlor games made the festival more meaningful, villagers said.
Kavurunan is conducted yearly as thanksgiving by the indigenous people (IP) of the province for the blessings they have received throughout the year.
Provincial Administrator Bernardo F. Pinol, Jr. who graced the program, urged all IP in the province to support the education of their children by all means possible. He said that education would surely help their children have a better future.
In his brief message during the program he emphasized the importance of agriculture in the lives of the locals.
"Through agriculture we will be able to send our children to school which will eventually help us to attain our goal to have a better life," he said.
Pinol said the provincial government was ready to help the people, especially the IP in planting high value crops like rubber, banana, oil palm and coconut. “All they have to do is apply for the Plant Now Pay Layer (PNPL) program in order to avail the planting materials,” he said.
More Nurseries For Cotabato, Says Agri Chief
NORTH COTABATO (Carl Bautista / 31 Aug) Town officials welcomed Thursday a proposal to put up rubber nurseries in at least 100 villages in North Cotabato province in Mindanao.
Agriculture Secy. Domingo Panganiban announced the proposal during the launching of the National Rubber Development Program (NRDP) at the provincial gymnasium in Amas village on Kidapawan City.
"We will also put up a clone garden as source of bud wood for the multiplication of more rubber clones," he said.
The 15-year rubber development program will form part of the 10-point agenda of President Gloria Arroyo which includes among others the creation of more jobs and the development of new agri-business lands, Panganiban added, but he did not say when the nurseries would be put up.
NRDP aims to expand rubber plantations in the country to 1 million by 2016 from its current area of 81,925 hectares that would eventually create one million jobs.
The program also aims to increase the production and exports of natural rubber to $960 million, produce 500 million trees for carbon sequestration, and P250 billion annual revenue on real property tax.
Part of the launching was the unveiling of NRDP Park and the ceremonial planting of rubber trees led by Panganiban and North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Pinol.
Some 200 rubber seedlings were planted at the park which symbolizes the unified efforts of key stakeholders in the rubber industry.
Panganiban also graced the inauguration of the first modern corn processing complex and training center in Central Mindanao at Osias village in North Cotabato’s Kabacan town.
The plant is a joint project of the Department of Agriculture thru the National Agribusiness Corporation and the provincial government.
Agriculture Secy. Domingo Panganiban announced the proposal during the launching of the National Rubber Development Program (NRDP) at the provincial gymnasium in Amas village on Kidapawan City.
"We will also put up a clone garden as source of bud wood for the multiplication of more rubber clones," he said.
The 15-year rubber development program will form part of the 10-point agenda of President Gloria Arroyo which includes among others the creation of more jobs and the development of new agri-business lands, Panganiban added, but he did not say when the nurseries would be put up.
NRDP aims to expand rubber plantations in the country to 1 million by 2016 from its current area of 81,925 hectares that would eventually create one million jobs.
The program also aims to increase the production and exports of natural rubber to $960 million, produce 500 million trees for carbon sequestration, and P250 billion annual revenue on real property tax.
Part of the launching was the unveiling of NRDP Park and the ceremonial planting of rubber trees led by Panganiban and North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Pinol.
Some 200 rubber seedlings were planted at the park which symbolizes the unified efforts of key stakeholders in the rubber industry.
Panganiban also graced the inauguration of the first modern corn processing complex and training center in Central Mindanao at Osias village in North Cotabato’s Kabacan town.
The plant is a joint project of the Department of Agriculture thru the National Agribusiness Corporation and the provincial government.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)