Manila Indie Film Fest Winds Up, Mindanao Films To Be Shown In Japan, Canada And Indonesia

The opening of the film festival at Robinson's Galleria in Manila. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

"SULU" - 2007 / Documentary.

KONTRA-AGOS RESISTANCE FILM FESTIVAL December 5-11, 2007 at Indie Sine, Robinson’s Galleria, Manila

Plot:

Born of a Muslim mother, young writer Arthur Sakaluran Abasalo decides to visit Sulu despite the perceived strife and presence of Muslim rebels and Abu Sayyaf terrorists. In Sulu, he meets a former Muslim rebel-turned policeman who tells him about his life story and how he got separated from his family for more than a decade.

He returns to Sulu to start a new life after being reunited with his family.Arthur returns to Manila after a short stay in Sulu, bringing with him memorable stories and truths about the island feared by many as a dangerous place to go.

This film, along with six other short films from Mindanao, had its World Premiere on December 6, 2007 at Indie Sine, Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas Center in Pasig City.

A Mindanao Examiner Production. Directed by Al Jacinto

FEATURE LENGTH FILMS

1. Adjani Arumpac: WALAI (60 mins/DOCUMENTARY/2007)

WALAI is an exploration of spaces. It prods on the memories of four Muslim women who once lived in the infamous White House in Cotabato City. The documentary seeks narratives in “places...we tend to feel without history.” It traces the past through the women'sexperience of what has happened inside the wrecked home—nostalgia and fear, loss and love, and birth and death.

2. Waise Azimi: STANDING UP (155mins/DOCUMENTARY/2007)

STANDING UP follows the lives of the young Afghan men training to become part of the first line of defense in the War Against Terror.

The film also follows the lives of the Coalition soldiers charged with helping ready them for that crucial task. Situated at the Kabul Military Training Center 'Standing Up' provides an exclusive window into one of the most important tasks in the stabilization of Afghanistan and the wider region.

3. JP Carpio: HILO (90 mins/NARRATIVE/2007)
Originally conceptualized as a short film shot in 2004 and completed nearly three years later as a full length, the film charts the various emotional courses during a dinner between Emerson, a university professor, and Jenny, a university student.

HILO is a narrative driven not by large, exaggerated silver screen emotions but by the subtlest of movements; the hint of a smile, the way two lovers eyes meet and lose each other, the manner in which a person serves food to the one they care about.

In three parts, Hilo talks about the big issues a couple faces by using the small movements that make up our everyday lives.

4. Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr: EheM!Plo (DOCUMENTARY/50min/2007)
EheM!Plo shows that indeed corruption is violence. If this is true, then stopping corruption and spreading integrity are now the new ways of working for peace.

5. Teng Mangansakan: THE JIHADIST (75mins/DOCUMENTARY/2007)
THE JIHADIST is an autobiographical documentary that posits the filmmaker as a mujahid (jihadist).

6. John Torres: VOICE, TILTED SCREENS AND EXTENDED SCENES OF LONELINESS: FILIPINOS IN HIGH DEFINITION(100 min/NARRATIVE/2007)
VOICE, TILTED SCREENS AND EXTENDED SCENES OF LONELINESS: FILIPINOS IN HIGH DEFINITION is, at once,a meditation. It is a meta-film that unravels a journey, a chronicle of stories through foreign regions.

It is a probing letter from outside circles,an honest account of illegitimate views from uneven terrain, and a narrative-driven exploration of the nooks and peripheries of the body, geography, and weather.

As the journey progresses, the film increasingly traverses the countries of revelation,film, and heart to where all journeys are meant to end with.

SHORT FILMS

1. Elvert de la Cruz Bañares: ang bayan kong payapa, 5 mins/2007/Experimental
This is the state of our nation cycle.

2. Jeck Cogama: PUTOT 2006/Narrative
PUTOT (Visayan for "small") is the heartfelt story of a young boy growing up at a squatter colony by the sea.

Putot, aged 13, is a taciturn boy who takes care of his mentally-ill father, and ekes out a living by selling mussels. He meets Mayang, a mysterious young girl with secrets of her own. A friendship begins between the two.

3. Gabriela Krista Lluch Dalena: RED SAGA15 mins/b&w, color/2004/Experimental
Children of the Land faithfully guard the last harvest from thieves. This poetic film offers a glimpse into the passion and pain of the people's protracted war in the coutrysides.

4. Sari Raissa Dalena-Sicat: DIVINE WIND (KAMIKAZE)

4 mins/b&w/2001/Experimental

A Japanese soldier hides in an island, in the belief that the war has not ended.
5. Apol Dating and Michael Cardoz: MEDALAWNA2007/Documentary
The story of a young girl named “Inday Liit” who helps her family earn a living by happily sweeping graveyards.

6. Sheron Dayoc: DREAMS2007/Narrative

Nine-year-old Satra has been mute for as long as she could remember. But her determination to secure a good education reverberates clearly amid the strictures of her Yakan culture.

7. Emman Dela Cruz: THE SINGH FAMILY HOME VIDEOS2007/Documentary
A documentary work in progress, "The Singh Family Home Videos" charts an intimate look at the family life of the filmmaker's neighbors, a Punjabi Indian family who has assimilated into the Filipino culture and community.

Is nationality a matter of origin? Is identity a matter of choice? Or is your "home" a matter of where you are or where you'll be?

8. Moises Charles Hollite: GEORGE'S TOWN2007/Documentary
George Sabandal is one of about 2,500 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have sought refuge in the town of Buluan, Maguindanao as a result of the“all-out war” in 2000. Refusing to go back to the place of his origin, he has created a new life for himself and his family in their ideal town.

9. Noriel Jarito: BINGO18 mins/2007/Documentary
Bingo reveals life’s monotony of rural existence.People embrace almost anything: dull, inspiring, tame,untamed, reputable, and even deceptive.

To play “Bingo” inside a church is never questioned and is licensed by some Catholic Church leaders. Christianity is the largest religion but many of its followers are destitute enough to consider “Bingo” inside their church as a source of momentary abundance.

10. Kodao Productions: PUSHING THE PARAMETERS:LAWYERING FOR THE PEOPLE, 27 mins/2007/Documentary/2007
2006 was the worst year for the members of the bar,with seven lawyers and judges reportedly killed within the year. A significant number of these lawyers are directly involved in human rights advocacy.

Under the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 19 lawyers and 12 judges were killed. And this can be seen in the light of more than 850 victims of extra-judicial killings from 2001 to 2007.

11. Loren Hallilah I. Lao: TRANQUIL TIMES 2007/Documentary
The documentary delves on the good governance efforts of the private sector, civil society and the local government unit of Wao, Lanao del Sur working together to erase remnants of the religious and ethnic clashes of the 1970s.
It explores how peace has been achieved in this multi-ethnic town, propelling the once-turbulent municipality into its present agricultural renaissance.

12. Mona Labado: STEP FOR MY DREAM 2007/Narrative
Seven-year-old Abdul dreams of becoming a leader of his town. He has natural charisma and easily becomes friends with people even if he hasn’t known them for long. But his grandmother reminds him of their peasant roots which is no match to the traditional ruling family.

Undaunted, Abdul sees it as a challenge envisions his future.

13. Ruelo Lozendo: SIMULA 10 mins/2006/Experimental
A worm enters a man’s ear and lives inside his body. As the worm’s metamorphosis unfolds, the man experiences his own transformation.

14. RJ Mabilin: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF GLORIA ARROVO, 1 min/2005/Animation
A satire on the different political and economic issues the country faces under the Arroyo administration.

15. Ana Isabelle Matutina: UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE 30 min/2005/Documentary

This documentary contextualizes the issue of US military presence in the country within the long and bitter history of conflict in the south.

Countering the reductionist frame set by the narrative of the“global war against terror,” it examines the historical conditions that led to the emergence of the Moro separatist movement and the subsequent rise of the Abu Sayyaf.

It dissects the government’s contradictory attempts to downplay its threat while at the same time justifying escalating military operations in the region. Against this backdrop, the documentary then probes allegations of US military involvement in the war.

16. McRobert Nacario: BINITON 2007/Narrative
A story depicting the process of preparation and cooking of a dish called Biniton that is particular to the community of Saniag, Ampatuan.

The process of cooking, in the eyes of an old woman, brings to life the hardships they experienced amidst armed conflict at the same time the process of preparation, through the experience of Amel, her grandson walks us through the current situation of their community.

How amidst the hardships and diversity in culture they had all managed to bounce back and become united.

17. Nick Olanka: LUNES NG HAPIS 2006/Narrative

18. Mikhail Red: THRESHOLD 2007/Experimental

19. Sine Patriyotiko: MENDIOLA 31 mins/2006/Documentary
Through the First Quarter Storm to Mendiola Massacre to Calibrated Preemptive Response: from the very start, Mendiola houses the eye of conflict. Fact is,the road from Mendiola to the Palace is several hundred meters away.

Nevertheless, this still is a great risk: to look directly at the center is to show the strength to confront those in power. On the road to Mendiola, one can tread across the history of our continuous struggle for change.

20. Mariami Tanangco: BINYAG 2002/Narrative
One night, two tragedies are about to take place. In an abandoned warehouse, rookie policeman is tasked to execute a suspected drug pusher. In the quiet suburbs,a mother is worriedly waiting for her son to come home.

A social commentary on police-instigated “salvaging” that was prevalent in the late 80s, the film is intended as a personal elegy on lost innocence.

21. Tudla Productions: SA NGALAN NG TUBO 2005/Documentary
A video documentary that chronicles what happened on November 16, 2004 when seven people died at the picket lines of the Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac. Mill workers and farm workers of the sugar refinery and plantation owned by the Cojuangcos, one of the wealthiest, landed families in the Philippines, went on strike.

Their demands were met with a volley of gunfire from military and police. Beginning with the history and background of the land issue, the film builds the tension gradually, leading up to the actual footage of the Hacienda Luisita incident, when even the filmmaker holding the camera has to run for his life.

22. Eduardo C. Vazquez, JR: ME’GUYAYA2007/Documentary

Me’guyaya is a Te’duray term for merry-making or thanksgiving. In 2003, an active and concerned groupof people in Upi, Shariff Kabunsuan initiated a festival that would unite all residents in thanking God for the abundant harvest.

Since then, it has become a big town event that celebrates the richness and diversity of the Muslim, Christian and Lumad peoples of Upi.

The documentary delves on how the Me’guyaya serves as a catalyst for cultural unity as everyone gets involved in the festivities.

OTHER KONTRA-AGOS EVENTS:

8 December, 5-7 PM PANEL DISCUSSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND ARTISTIC FREEDOM IN PHILIPPINE CINEMA

6-9 December PHOTO EXHIBIT AT THE LOBBY courtesy of the FREE JONAS BURGOS MOVEMENT

*KONTRA-AGOS RESISTANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2007 is an Initiative of ST Exposure and Digital Cheese in cooperation with UP Sining at Lipunan, Sine Tres Marias and the Independent Filmmakers Cooperative.

Visit

www.kontra-agos.blogspot.com

Grant Us Our Ancestral Domain, Tribal Leader Asks

KABASALAN, Zamboanga Sibugay (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 11, 2007) – A tribal leader said granting the indigenous people’s legitimate claims for their ancestral domain would be an effective tool for empowerment.

Wilfredo Sanggayan, an indigenous people (IP) representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Legislative Council) of Sibugay province, said the other way of looking at the several ancestral domain claims is to view it as a tool of empowering the indigenous peoples.

Sanggayan is the first Lumad representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan nationwide.

Zamboanga Sibugay is also the first province throughout the country to have IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Compostela Valley province is second.

“By granting the indigenous peoples their legitimate claims for their ancestral domains is to allow them to manage and govern themselves,” Sanggayan said.

Some 35 tribal leaders last week appealed to the concerned government agencies “to respect their legitimate claims of ancestral domain in this region.”

In a recent assembly held at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, these tribal leaders also slammed what they called government “discrimination” against the rights of the Subanons in the peninsula.

The tribal conference dubbed “Glumpuk Nog Kobogolalanan Sog Pigsungan Nog Nawan (Assembly of Tribal Traditional Leaders of Zamboanga Peninsula) was part of the activities for the Mindanao Week of Peace, which started on November 29 and ended on December 5.

Early this month, Subanons from the three villages of Zamboanga City staged protest actions before government centers here.

“Our ancestral land is our kingdom where we have the chance to self-governance,” Sanggayan said, adding that part of his priority initiatives as Lumad representative to the provincial board is to undertake the titling of some 14 identified ancestral lands in Sibugay.

The provincial office of the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) also held a seminar here last week about the rights of the IP to ancestral domains.

Margarita Baya, officer-in-charge of NCIP provincial office, said “we need to help the Lumad in reclaiming their lands.”

“Gani, dili na yutang kabilin ang gusto nato bawi-on kundili yutang nabilin (In fact, it is no longer the ancestral land that we wanted but just a portion of that land),” Baya told this writer in jest.

There are four ancestral domain claims that are now pending at NCIP. These claims are from the towns of Siay, Naga, Roseller T. Lim, and Kabasalan, comprising at least 80,000 hectares of land of the province.

Another priority initiative that will benefit the indigenous peoples in the province, according to Sanggayan, is the establishment of Sibugay Indigenous Peoples Economic Zone Cum Indigenous Park and Living Museum.

“But as of now, we are now working for the recognition of Lumad representatives to the 14 local Sangguniang of the province,” Sanggayan said.

Fourteen of the 16 towns of this province need Lumad representatives to the local Sangguniang as mandated by Republic Act 8371, also known as “The Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997”, according to Sanggayan.

RA 8371 mandates that “indigenous peoples shall be represented in all Sangguniang at all levels whose representatives shall be selected in accordance with the customs and traditions of the indigenous people concerned.”

Signed into law on October 29, 1997 by then President Fidel Ramos, the IPRA underwent many years of legislative study and deliberation before it became a law.It is the result of various consultations, consolidated bills related to ancestral domains and lands, and international agreements on the recognition of land/domain rights of the IPs.

In general, the IPRA seeks to recognize, promote and protect the rights of the IPs. These include the Right to Ancestral Domain and Lands; Right to Self-Governance and Empowerment; Social Justice and Human Rights; and the Right to Cultural Integrity.

Sanggayan pointed out that 14 of the 16 towns of Sibugay are inhabited by indigenous peoples with the Subanen tribe as the largest group.

The Subanen numbered around 1.3 million as of 2000 census scattered mostly in the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Zamboanga City.

At present, according to Sanggayan, there are 11 local government units who had passed an ordinance recognizing the indigenous representatives to their respective Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

“But only seven of the 11 have formally accepted and installed an IP representative as a member of their local councils,” Sanggayan, who earned the distinction as the first IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan throughout the country, lamented.

”We will continue to reiterate our request to the different local government officials concerned concerning the representation of the indigenous people in the council as mandated by RA 8371,” Sanggayan said. “We are only asking what is due us.” (Antonio Manaytay)

Transport Groups Protest Oil Price Hikes In South RP

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 10, 2007) - Militant transport groups in the southern Filipino port city of Davao said it would join national strike this week to protest continued hikes in oil prices.

Edil Gonzaga, spokesperson of the Transport of Southern Mindanao for Solidarity, Independence and Nationalism-PISTON(TRANSMISION-PISTON), said there will be more protest actions unless President Gloria Arroyo exerts substantial effort to put a cap on surging hikes of prices of petroleum products.

"Drivers and operators around the country have been demanding the government to put a stop on these unabated oil price increases. Poor Filipinos have been clamoring economic relief from the consequent upsurge of prices of basic commodities. Time and time again, the Arroyo administration has never failed to disappoint the clamor of the Filipinos," Gonzaga told the Mindanao Examiner.

Gonzaga also lambasted the so-called "Big Three," or transnational oil companies Shell, Caltex and Petron. He said these firms control 90% of the oil market in the country, from production, refinery, retail and marketing.

This control, he added, has given the three companies monopoly over setting the price trend of all oil and petroleum products in the country.

"What can you expect from profit-hungry companies like like Shell, Caltex and Petron? All they are concerned about is increasing their profit margins hundredfolds. What do they care if ordinary drivers and Filipinos can no longer afford basic commodities, which prices consequently skyrocketed due to unabated hike in the price of oil?"

He also pointed out that the government has "washed its hands clean" with its policy on oil price hikes. Due to the Oil Deregulation Law that took effect in 1998, Gonzaga said that oil companies are afforded by the government with the free hand to increase the price of oil in their discretion.

"All this government needs is the political will to severe its subservience to big oil companies. It needs the same political will to scrap the ODL that continues to give these companies the lee way to hike oil price whenever and to how much they want," Gonzaga said.

GMA Sinisi Sa Kahirapan, Pagmamalupit Sa Bansa

MAYNILA, Pilipinas (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 10, 2007) - Kahirapan pa rin ang umano'y ugat ng pinakamatitinding paglabag sa karapatang pantao ng mamamayang Pilipino, ito'y ayon kay Elmer Labog, Tagapangulo ng Kilusang Mayo Uno(KMU.

Ito ang pahayag ngayon na inilabas ng KMU kasabay ng pagdiriwang ng International Human Rights Day.

Ayon kay Labog, gayong patuloy ang pagdami ng kaso ng extra-judicial killings at enforced disappearence o pagdukot sa Pilipinas, mahirap sukatin ang dami at lala ng paglabag sa pagiging tao ng mga Pilipino sa kahirapang nagdudulot sa kanilang "mabuhay ng mas malala pa sa mga daga".

" Nakakalungkot na nagiging ordinaryong tanawin na sa atin na makita ang ating mga kababayang nagkakalkal sa mga basura upang may makain. Dumating na tayo sa panahon na dulot ng matinding kahirapan, nakikipagkumpetensiya ang maraming bilang ng mga Pilipino laban sa mga daga, aso at pusa para sa mga tira-tirang pagkaing naibasura na."

"Kung makatao pa ito, hindi ko na alam kung ano pa ang ibig sabihin ng makatao o disenteng pamumuhay," ani Labog sa isang pahayag na ibinigay sa pahayagang Mindanao Examiner.

Iginiit ni Labog ang pag-aaral ng International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) na nailabas nitong Nobyembre na 11 milyong Pilipino mula sa humigit kumulang na 1 bilyong tao sa buong mundo ang nabubuhay lamang sa US1$ kada araw. Ayon sa IFRI, nakasadlak sa extreme poverty o "napakalalang kahirapan" ang sinumang nabubuhay sa US1$ bawat araw.

"Hindi maitatawa ng gubyernong Arroyo na sa 11 milyong Pilipino biktima ng napakatinding kahirapan ay ang mga Pilipinong hindi nabibigyan ng trabaho ng pamahalaan. Hindi rin nakapagtatakang kasama din dito ang ibang manggagawang nawalan ng trabaho at kabuhayan dahil na rin sa mga baluktot na programa at mga polisiya ng gubyernong Arroyo," ani pa ni Labog.

Ipinahayag din ni Labog na sa pagdami ng mahihirap na Pilipino sa bansa, isang kasinungalingan ang pagyayabang ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa mga negosyante sa United Kingdom na siya' y isang magaling na ekonomista.

"Hindi kailanman nakakakain ng mga mahihirap ang ipinagmamalaking datos ng paglago sa ekonomiya ni PGMA. Ang totoo mas lumulubha ang kanilang kalagayan dahil hanggang sa ngayon ipinapain pa rin niya ang mga Pilipino sa mga hayok na dayuhang mamumuhunan at malalaking negosyante upang makakuha ng mga pera na walang kahihiyang kinukurakot naman nila."

"Malinaw kung gayon na maging sa mga pang-ekonomiyang karapatan ng mga Pilipino si Gloria ang numerong unong lumalabag sa mga ito, " diin pa ni Labog.

Missing British Pastor Found Dead In Southern Philippines

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Al Jacinto / Dec. 10, 2007) – A British missionary who went missing in southern Philippines was found dead, reports said Sunday.

The body of David Brass, who worked for the Baptist Church, was found on Saturday in the farming village of Tagabua in San Francisco town in Agusan del Sur province.

Police said Brass’ Filipino wife, Annalyn, reported his disappearance two weeks ago after he failed to return home in Butuan City from a trip to Bukidnon province.

Brass was apparently murdered, according to police reports, but it was unclear how he was killed.

Other reports said police is investigating Brass’ wife. It was not immediately known whether the woman has anything to do with Brass disappearance or murder.

Authorities had mounted a search for Brass after Filipino media reported his disappearance. Police and military initially thought Brass was kidnapped while traveling in Bukidnon province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Med Transcriptionist Now 2nd Highest-Paid Health Workers

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 10, 2007) - Medical transcriptionists are now the second highest-paid workers in the health sector, after medical doctors, according to the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

Citing the results of the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics' latest Occupational Wages Survey, TUCP spokesperson Alex Aguilar said medical transcriptionists are now earning substantially higher compensation income compared to medical technologists, nurses and even dentists.

According to survey, medical transcriptionists get an average of P10,757 in monthly wages.

This rate is P1,462 or 16 percent higher than the average of P9,295 received by medical technologists; P1,813 or 20 percent higher than the P8,944 received by nurses; and P3,722 or 53 percent higher than the P7,035 received by dentists.

Medical doctors received an average of P18,134 in monthly wages.
The survey covered only compensation income earners in medical, dental and other health jobs, as opposed to those earning professional fees.

Aguilar said employment growth in outsourced medical transcription services is expected to outpace considerably the 25-percent annual jobs expansion in the country’s booming contact centers.

He said medical transcription jobs are projected to increase at an average annual rate of 90 percent through 2010.

"The growth of medical transcription services is assured, as long as we have enough supply of capable human resources," he said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

Aguilar said fresh graduates of nursing, pharmacy, medical technology, public health, physical therapy and other allied medical courses should be encouraged to consider transcription work while they are waiting for higher-paying employment opportunities here or abroad.

"Nursing graduates, for instance, can work part-time or full-time as transcriptionists while reviewing for the licensure examination, or while waiting for an overseas job placement," he said.

The local medical transcription industry is seen to generate $238 million in revenues this year; $476 million in 2008; $952 million in 2009; and $1.71 billion by 2010.

The industry now employs more than 17,000 medical transcriptionists. This workforce is expected to hit 34,000 by 2008; 68,000 by 2009; and 122,000 by 2010, according to the Medical Transcription Industry Association of the Philippines Inc.

Medical transcription is the process of transforming voice-recorded or hand-written medical reports, such as dictation of physicians and hospital records, to text matter that may be stored as printed or electronic data.

In developed countries, electronic medical records have become the preferred means of data storage, giving medical professionals ready access to information regardless of location.

Aguilar said the U.S. medical transcription services market alone is worth $25 billion annually, and more jobs there are being entrusted to the Philippines, which has ample supply of cost-effective, English-speaking human resources.

OPINION

Mandatory Implementation Of Alternative Fuel Should Start Now By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr

The unabated rising prices of crude oil and other petroleum products in the international market is now unbearable to the millions of Filipinos, rich and poor.

Its influential power of creating a chain reaction of higher prices in all prime commodities and manufactured goods in the market and stores are irresistible to businessmen who do not want to be left behind by their counterparts in business and escalate as well the prices of all their products.

With the spiraling increase in prices of all kinds of consumable goods, the poor and the rich alike are feeling the bitterness of coping with their daily needs. Those who have very low income Filipinos have forced themselves to refrain from buying other household needs, which decades ago were also affordable to them.

They reduced their consumption of some goods so that they can still buy something they need for the next two or three days. That’s why the entire Filipinos are suffering because of our overdependence on gasoline and crude oil. The Philippine government is spending millions and millions of pesos yearly on gasoline and other oil products for vehicles and factories.

Because of our current hardships and economic miseries our government must not remain callous and insensitive to act. Members of both the Lower an d the Upper House must muster their political will to hasten the approval of a House Bill aim at making mandatory for all operators and drivers nationwide to use the Compressed Natural Gas(CNG)to run the vehicles and factories.

The aforesaid HB was co-authored by House energy committee chairman Mikey Arroyo of Pampanga and Parañaque City Representative Eduardo Zialcita. With the immediate implementation of this economic measure, our country can do away with being overdependence on imported fossil fuels, which greatly contribute to the heavy pollution in our big cities and the environment.

When this goal would be realized, the Philippines can have a huge reduction on fuel expenditures and its unabated heavy pollution in big metropolis where all types of utilities and factories abound would be greatly reduced.

Since we have no vehicles and cars suitable for the utilization of Compressed Natural Gas, big financing institutions should come to rescue and help the government to buy the needed vehicles in places like the USA,Canada,India,China and in other countries where vehicles design for compressed natural gas fuel are being manufactured.

The Malampaya-Palawan oil and gas fields in the country must be mined now and tap other potential oil and gas fields in various places of our nation to sustain our fuel needs. On the other hand, our big capitalists who choose to be consignees in this kind of business should not be tempted in the near future to mix compressed natural gas with crude oil like we have in all gasoline stations throughout the country, called kerosene by other name.

The mixture of two elements, we’ve just mentioned, like we are buying at gas station, especially if there is a blackout, will surely result to additional pollution in all our areas.

The additional pollution due to crude oil mixture with the natural gas is very evident by the soots gathered inside our noses the night before when we resort to kerosene use as temporary substitute for the absence of electric power. Have you not observe that in your home, especially in the households of poor Filipinos?

In contrast, unadulterated natural gas, if there’s a detection of any soot, is so insignificantly negligible to consider as pollution. Some of emission of kerosene (a mixture of natural gas and crude oil) put inside the lamps would also pollute our rooms the following day, if you have observed that as well.

This means that if in the near future some tricky and hoarding businessmen would be tempted to do this deplorable thing, the pollution in our environment would re-emerged. Hence, there’s an urgent necessity to screen the attitude of businessmen/capitalists who would like to participate in the Government’s venture in this kind of undertaking where the issue on environment-friendly fuel is at stake.

Considering this probable prediction of the money-oriented rather than service-oriented attitude of some businessmen to rake huge profit in the name of mixture elements, the House Bill must include as one of its provisions prohibiting any capitalist/consignee to mix CNG with crude oil.

A monitoring task force must be created that would include as members the Energy Committee Chairman, energy official and some honest and prudent NGO environmentalists for the purpose of monitoring and regular checking of CNG’s natural content before dispensing the fuel for private and public use.

Those businessmen who would violate the law must be slapped with huge fine and imprisonment. We seriously need honest and prudent investors/capitalists in the strict application of such law in order to achieve our goal to greatly reduced our environmental pollution which make adults and children in this country suffer from illness and eventual death to countless of lives. According to reports pollution also causes chronic coughing in millions of children across the globe.

Other alternative fuel or energy that has been tapped to provide electricity and run vehicles is the solar energy. It has already been experimented and found to be feasibly usable and suitably applicable in running vehicles and providing electricity in numerous households in the country. It’s a free source of limitless energy and is non-polllutant: one of the greatest gifts from Mother Nature that remain untapped for centuries by man.

The emergence of Great Minds in the field of Science and Technology are responsible for a huge leap in inventions and discoveries that have provided man his amenities including some of his needs in life more obtainable than before. We can also use electricity to run jeepneys and buses, which is also pollution-free.

Makati’s current use of electric jeepneys plying in various areas of the city, which is much lesser in fuel expenses for the drivers and operators compared to gasoline and crude oil, is very encouraging and worthy of emulation for other cities and provinces.
The experiments that our scientists, technical men and the experts have been doing are enough proof that the Philippine Government has the capability and the capacity to relentlessly pursue on these projects. A huge budget proportionate enough for its continual implementation must be made now for its effective realization.

The two alternative source of fuel and energy that we are discussing are sure ways that will eventually release us from our overdependence on gasoline and crude oil which is now very prohibitive to obtain.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr./Maasin City,Southern Leyte)

Poll Office Bombed In South RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 09, 2007) – A homemade bomb exploded at the Commission on Elections ahead of a special polls in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, officials said Sunday.

The explosion late Saturday damaged the door of the office, but there were no reports of injuries, said Jainab Abdulmajid, of the Sulu Area Coordinating Center.
"It was a small explosion, but the office door was damaged by the blast," she told the Mindanao Examiner.

Sulu military chief Maj. Gen. Reuben Rafael said the blast occurred at around 10.30 p.m. "We have deployed soldiers to secure the area. We still do not know who is behind this bombing," he said in a separate interview.

He said the bomb, made from ammonium nitrate, was left at a garbage bin in front of the provincial office of the Commission on Elections near Jolo town. "There is an investigation going on," he said.

Brig. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan, commander of army special forces in the province, said more soldiers were deployed to patrol the area. "We have forces deployed to help policemen secure the province ahead of the special polls," he also said.

Pabustan said there is an ongoing operation against rebels in Sulu. The blast came ahead of special village and youth elections in Sulu and seven other provinces on December 15.

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan has ordered an investigation into the blast and additional police forces in the town. "We will go to the bottom of this. We will not allow this criminal act. We are peaceful in Sulu and I have ordered the police to find the perpetrator of this blast," he said.

Elections in May failed in some towns in Sulu because many teachers tapped as poll officers did not report for work due to threats to their lives.

Others had refused to work because of non-payments of their salaries since early this year by the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Tampakan Holds Largest Copper Deposits In South East Asia

Xstrata Copper announces that the Mineral Resource estimate for the world-class Tampakan copper-gold project in the Philippines has been increased by over 10% in both tonnes and contained copper, consolidating Tampakan's position as one of the largest undeveloped copper deposits in South East Asia.

The upgraded Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resource totals 2.2 billion tonnes at a grade of 0.6% copper and 0.2 grams per tonne gold and contains 12.8 million tonnes of copper and 15.2 million ounces of gold using a 0.3% copper cut-off grade. The Mineral Resource, which includes 24,700 metres of drilling conducted in 2007, also includes estimated average grades for molybdenum of 70 parts per million (ppm).

This is the first resource estimate published by Xstrata Copper since it assumed management control of Tampakan in March 2007 through its Philippines based affiliate Sagittarius Mines, Inc. The previous Mineral Resource estimate of 2 billion tonnes at 0.6% copper, using the same cut-off grade, was published in April 2006.

Xstrata Copper Executive General Manager Project Development Peter Forrestal said the Tampakan deposit represents the largest development project in Xstrata Copper’s portfolio.

"We continue to look for growth opportunities through improvements at existing operations, acquisitions and the development of our strong project pipeline. The promising mineral resource estimate at Tampakan indicates the project has excellent potential to make a substantial contribution to Xstrata Copper's growth profile," Forrestal, who is also President of Sagittarius Mines, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

"We are committed to evaluating and developing the Tampakan project in genuine partnership with the Philippine government and authorities, local institutions and our neighbouring communities."

"As such, our current focus is on feasibility-related studies, which we aim to complete in the second half of 2009, and on advancing our sustainable development programs with local communities," said Forrestal.

"Sulu" Premieres In Manila December 6, 2007

"SULU" - 2007 / Documentary

KONTRA-AGOS RESISTANCE FILM FESTIVAL begins on December 5-11, 2007 at Indie Sine, Robinson’s Galleria, Manila

Plot:

Born of a Muslim mother, young writer Arthur Sakaluran Abasalo decides to visit Sulu despite the perceived strife and presence of Muslim rebels and Abu Sayyaf terrorists. In Sulu, he meets a former Muslim rebel-turned policeman who tells him about his life story and how he got separated from his family for more than a decade.

He returns to Sulu to start a new life after being reunited with his family.Arthur returns to Manila after a short stay in Sulu, bringing with him memorable stories and truths about the island feared by many as a dangerous place to go.

This film, along with six other short films from Mindanao, will have its World Premiere on December 6, 7 p.m. at Indie Sine, Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas Center in Pasig City. A Mindanao Examiner Production. Directed by Al Jacinto

Mindanao Tribesmen Assail Military Offensive

SURIGAO DEL SUR, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 04, 2007) – An umbrella organization of indigenous tribes assailed Tuesday ongoing military operations in the southern Philippines, saying, it has effected more than 1,500 natives in Mindanao.

The militant group PASAKA Lumad Confederation said more than 1,500 Manobo tribesmen have been affected by the military offensive in several hinterland villages in Surigao del Sur province, where soldiers were pursuing communist insurgents since last week.

Datu Monico Cayog, one of the group's leaders, also accused soldiers of violating human rights of many natives on mere suspicion they were rebel supporters.

The military offensive was triggered by a rebel ambush Saturday of government soldiers that injured more than dozen infantrymen in the town of Lianga.

But Cayog, a Bagobo tribal leader, said: "The death of a military man due to an NPA landmine explosion was not the fault of the civilian communities, but every time there is a military casualty, civilians always suffer from the military's vengeful attacks."

He also appealed for aid to help feed natives in evacuation areas.

"The Lumad in Surigao need all the help from concerned institutions, churches and individuals," he said.

PASAKA is composed of 25 different Lumad organizations in southern Mindanao and North Cotabato. (Mindanao Examiner)

The Mindanao Examiner Wins Award

The Mindanao Examiner Newspaper wins the Pueblo Chavacano and Zetan Cultural and Historical Society 2007 Awards in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

Sulu Teachers Continue Protest, Demand Unpaid Salaries

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 04, 2007) – Disgruntled government teachers continued their protest Tuesday in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, demanding salaries that remain unpaid for months now.

The strike began Monday after a few hundred teachers walked out of their school rooms to demand their wages and an investigation into alleged anomalies involving hundreds of millions of pesos in state pension contributions.

The teachers complained that they have not been paid their wages the past months by the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and that their contributions to the state pension agency which are worth over 600 million pesos since 2003 were also missing.

They earlier threatened to stage a mass protest should ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan fail to act on their problems. More than 5,000 teachers are currently teaching in Sulu province.

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan on Tuesday appealed to the teachers to end their strike and return to work. Tan has ordered the creation of team, composed of teachers and education officials that will look into the problems of the teachers.

“We will look into these problems and try to resolve it peacefully in coordination with the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” he told reporters.

Tan said the teachers converged at the office of the Department of Education in Sulu province. But it was not immediately known how long the protest would be.

Lawyer Oscar Sampulna, ARMM Executive Secretary, denied the allegations and insisted the teachers received their salaries on time.

“They are receiving their salaries. Those who are complaining were temporary teachers whose special permits to teach had not been renewed or revoked basically for their lack of the proper documents required by the Department of Education,” he said.

The teachers said none from the Department of Education in ARMM or any of its representatives went to Sulu to talk to them about their complaints.

In October, more than 1,000 public school teachers sought the help of Tan and asked him to bring the matter to President Gloria Arroyo.

Abdulbasit Pawakil, president of the larger Federation of Sulu Teachers, also asked for a government audit and to investigate the problems of delayed and missing salaries and contributions to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

He said that as of 2003, more than P389 million of teachers' contributions to GSIS were missing and that this has ballooned to over P600 million and yet ARMM continues to deduct insurance premiums from their salaries.

The teachers were asking for a formal Congressional or Senate investigations into the missing GSIS contributions and salaries and jail those who would be found guilty of embezzling funds. (Mindanao Examiner)

President Gloria Arroyo With Spain's King Juan Carlos I

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo offers a toast Dec. 03, 2007 to His Majesty King Juan Carlos I during a gala dinner at the Palacio Real De Madrid in Spain. (Photo by Rey Baniquet)

Subanon Rice Terraces, Hailed In South RP

Subanon native, Fernandez Anda shows grains harvested from rice terraces in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province in southern RP. Anda, (far right)also poses with TVIRD personnel (from left) CReDO Information Officer Jose Dagala, CReDO Canatuan Manager Thess Limpin, and Vice President for Philippine Operations Yulo Perez. (Photos by Rene Patangan)

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 03, 2007) – Subanon native Fernandez Anda’s face lit up when he saw us emerged from the bushes and clump of trees and into the clearing.

He eagerly welcomed us to his thatched hut and waited for us to catch our breath after an hour’s trek to the steep and rugged mountains of Gulangan, a hamlet in the town.

He was thrilled to tell us his story.Our group was headed by Yulo Perez, TVIRD vice president for Philippine Operations; and Thess Limpin, TVIRD manager for Community Relations and Development Office (CReDO). We were joined by CReDO Information Officer Jose Dagala, and Social Development Consultant German Romano.

Barely three months since our last visit to this piece of land in the Subanon ancestral domain in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province, Anda’s farm is now a picture of abundance. What used to be a muddy terrain is now covered with yellow-green rice stalks, with their golden grains standing out under the blazing sun. The model rice terraces project is a success.

Anda, 51, is the first beneficiary of the Farmer-Instructor Technician (FIT) program, a livelihood through agro-forestry component of the Social Development and Management Plan for the indigenous people (IP) hosts of TVI Resource Development Philippines, Inc. (TVIRD). The company has been, since mid-2004, operating gold and silver mine in Mount Canatuan, also in Siocon town, and will begin producing copper and zinc by the middle of 2008.

The success of Anda’s farming can easily be adopted or duplicated by means of irrigated multi-cropping scheme using the rice terraces farming technology, the same technology applied by generations of the Ifugao natives in the mountainous terrains of Northern Philippines.

“Dako kaayo akong kalipay nga nahimong magmalampuson kining akong uma gamit ang teknolohiya nga gitudlo kanako sa TVI(RD). Dili na gayud kami kinahanglang magbalhin-balhin pa sanglit mahimo kaming magtanum ug mag-ani makatulo matag tuig dinhi lamang sa mao ra gihapong umahan ug igo ra usab ang abot nga pangkunsumo hangtud sa sunod ani.”

(I am extremely pleased that my farm is successful using the technology that TVIRD had taught me. We do not need to move from one place to another anymore since we can plant and harvest three times a year in the same paddies; and the yield is enough until the next harvest),” said Anda.

“Labaw sa tanan, malipayon usab ako tungod kay interesado ug ganahan usab mosuhid ang akong mga kauban ug kadugong Subano niining pamaagi sa panguma. Subay sa programa, komitado ako nga itudlo usab kanila ang akong nabatonan nga kahibalo.”

“(More than anything, I am happy because my fellow Subanons are interested and would like to follow the farming techniques that I used here. Under the program, I am committed to teach and transfer to them the skills I have learned),” he said.

The initial plotting and forming of the second rice terraces project have actually begun on a land owned by Rene Tii, another Subanon holder of the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title, adjacent to Anda’s plot.

Unable to contain his pride for his feat, Anda shared his plans with us: “Plano nako nga palapdan ug padak-an pa ang akong uma para sa sunod nga tanum aron makabaligya na sa abot niini. Sa pagkakaron, igo lamang ang abot niini para makaon sa akong pamilya sanglit testing pa lamang kini (I plan to expand my farm for the next planting season so I would be able to sell its produce. For now, the harvest would just be enough to feed my family since it is still in the trial stage).”

In the past, Anda, like most Subanons, would always worry every harvest time. The yield was usually scant and could not be sustained until the next harvest. And under this method, they could only harvest rice once a year.

“Pinaagi niining teknolohiya, ako masaligon nga dili magutman ang akong pamilya ug makabaligya pa sa abot sa mosunod nga mga pag-ani (Through this technology, I am assured that my family will not go hungry and could even sell my produce in the succeeding harvests),” Anda stressed.

After a few more minutes of rest, our group followed Anda’s lead as he descended to the lower portion of the rice terraces. It’s harvest time. (Rene Patangan)

Zamboanga Sibugay Hosts Coastal Resource Management Summit

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 03, 2007) - “It is exciting and full of thrill,” said municipal agriculturist Edgar Apao, of Ipil town.

He was referring to the slated provincial coastal resource management summit, December 4-7, to be conducted by cruising a bay that covers 13 coastal towns of the province.

Dubbed as “Cruising Sibugay: 2nd Coastal Resource Management Summit,” it is organized by the Philippine Environmental Governance Project (EcoGov 2 Project) funded by the United States Assistance for International Development (USAID).

The EcoGov2 Project is providing technical assistance to selected local government units (LGUs) on coastal resource management (CRM). The CRM sector seeks to reduce illegal and destructive fishing and at the same time regulate fishing effort through the improvement of management practices of coastal management zones and the strengthening of marine protected areas (MPAs) in strategic areas in the Philippines.

“Through this summit, the participants will have an actual assessment and visit to the various project sites of the LGUs in Zamboanga Sibugay,” Cleto Nañola, EcoGov’s regional coastal resource management specialist, said.

These project sites include the marine protected areas, mariculture and mangrove reforestation sites, and eco-tourism.

The 1st Coastal Resource Management Summit of Zamboanga Sibugay was held in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay last year. It was participated in by all 13 coastal municipalities of the province.

A joint declaration of support for the protection and proper management of Sibuguey Bay and Dumanquilas Bay together with their commitment to cooperate, collaborate and participate in protection and management activities was signed during the summit.

Among the major activities being undertaken was the formulation of a unified fisheries ordinance for the 13 coastal municipalities of the province. The draft unified fisheries ordinance was completed last October 2007 and ready for review by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) prior to adoption by the respective local government units.

Aside from the formulation of the unified fisheries ordinance, core members of the technical working group for all coastal towns and the provincial government have undergone series of trainings on information and education campaign, navigation and plotting, and biophysical monitoring of corals and reef fishes.

Nañola said “the main objective is for the participants from various municipalities in the province to determine the actual status and share experiences on the different initiatives and catalyze possible collaborative efforts particularly on enforcement and biophysical monitoring and evaluation.”

This year’s summit, according to Nañola, is expected to draw some 80 participants from the 13 local coastal towns and the provincial government.

EcoGov expects that the summit will be a vehicle to increase awareness on the various coastal resource management programs of the 13 coastal towns in the area through cross site visits.

“We are also expecting that this summit will strengthen collaborations among local government units particularly in support of the unified fishery ordinance and other projects,” Nañola said, adding “it is also our way o promoting the different marine protected areas and eco-tourism sites of the province.”

Tungawan Mayor Richard Climaco said the summit “is a great help for Tungawan since we are starting to develop our town as an eco-tourism destination” after being informed that the first night of the summit will be spent in Looc Labuan.

Tungawan is proud of Looc Labuan as its premiere ecotourism site, which still water and white sands is ideal for those who seek to be close to nature.

The culminating activity, which will be held in Kabasalan town on Dec. 7, will be the reporting and formulation of strategies to improve the implementation of the CRM program, Nañola concluded. (Tony Manaytay)

Disgruntled Teachers In Sulu Hold Protest Rally, Classes Suspended

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 03, 2007) – Hundreds of disgruntled government teachers walked out of schools Monday in the southern Filipino province of Sulu and threatened to barricade themselves unless their salaries have paid.

The teachers complained that they have not been paid their wages the past months by the Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and that their contributions to the state pension agency which are worth over 600 million pesos since 2003 were also missing.

They threatened to stage a mass protest should ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan fail to act on their problems. More than 5,000 teachers are currently teaching in Sulu province, about 950 kilometers south of Manila.

“The teachers are no longer reporting for work. We can no longer take it; our plight is so difficult now. We are suffering,” Faizal Kaddi, secretary of the Sug Educators Forum, told the radio network dzRH by phone from Jolo town, where they held a protest rally in front of the Department of Education.

Kaddi said they received reports that teachers in Basilan province also walked out of their classes.

“The whole world should know how difficult the situation of the teachers in the ARMM. We cannot bear it anymore and we are slowly losing our dignity,” he said.

In October, more than 1,000 public school teachers sought the help of Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan and asked him to President Gloria Arroyo of their plight.

Abdulbasit Pawakil, president of the larger Federation of Sulu Teachers, also asked for a government audit and to investigate the problems of delayed and missing salaries and contributions to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

He said that as of 2003, more than P389 million of teachers’ contributions to GSIS were missing and that this has ballooned to over P600 million and yet ARMM continues to deduct insurance premiums from their salaries. “What is going on? We know the problems, yet nobody is acting on it,” he said.

The teachers were asking for a formal Congressional or Senate investigations into the missing GSIS contributions and salaries and jail those who would be found guilty of embezzling funds.

Others have called on Ampatuan to resign for his failure to address the problems of the teachers in Sulu. They also wanted the Department of Education in Manila to take over the responsibilities of deducting state pension contributions and paying their salaries from the ARMM.

Lawyer Oscar Sampulna, ARMM Executive Secretary, denied all the allegations and insisted the teachers received their salaries on time.

“They are receiving their salaries. Those who are complaining were temporary teachers whose special permits to teach had not been renewed or revoked basically for their lack of the proper documents required by the Department of Education,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

None from the Department of Education in ARMM or any of its representatives went to Sulu to talk to the teachers about their complaints. Sampulna said those who were complaining should go to the ARMM in Cotabato City in Maguindanao province about their problems. (Mindanao Examiner)

REACT Philippines Appeals For Donations To Aid Calamity Victims

REACT Philippines, a nationwide organization providing emergency assistance and communications support in times of disasters and calamities, have asked its members nationwide to solicit relief items and help in the relief and rescue efforts in the aftermath of typhoons Lando (Hagibis) and Mina (Mitag) which devastated many parts of the country.

“We are calling all our members nationwide to once again show their commitment to serve our countrymen by contributing to the efforts of restoring normalcy in the lives of those who were displaced and affected by these recent natural calamities that hit our country,” REACT Philippines National President Michael Malacca.

REACT Philippines will be receiving donations of relief goods from its members and the general public especially those that are identified as most needed by the typhoon victims such as drinking water, blankets, food Items, cooking utensils and hygiene kits.

Donations may be brought to the REACT National Office at CRS Compound, A. Luna Avenue, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City (Telefax 995-8729/Mobile 0918-208-0091).

The Mindanao Examiner Front Page - No To Splitting Of Sulu

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Photo: Philippine Bomb Experts Defuse IED In Cotabato City

Bomb experts inspect a motorcycle rigged with explosives in Cotabato City in southern Philippines. Former Muslim rebel-turned-politician Mayor Muslimin Sema looks at the defused explosive planted in Cotabato City last week. The city has been previously bombed by Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya terrorists (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

Hunt Is On For Cop Killer

Filipino policemen and soldiers pursue gunmen who killed a cop in Cotabato City in the southern Maguindanao province. One man has been arrested by security forces. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 02, 2007) – Police forces searched Sunday for gunmen who shot and killed a policeman in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato, officials said.

Officials said one man was arrested in connected to the killing of Senior Police Officer 3 Winefredo Gipala, who was shot by a group of men last week in Cotabato City.

Gipala was killed while trying to arrest the men, believed to be behind the spate of robberies in the city. (Mark Navales)

"The Long Road To Peace," A Book By Salah Jubair Is Launched In Philippines: LUWARAN

Cover of the book "The Long Road To Peace," by Salah Jubair.

SHARIFF KABUNSUAN, Philippines - “The Long Road to Peace: Inside the GRP-MILF Peace Process,” the book that deals with the over a decade-old peace gambit between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was launched at Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat town in Shariff Kabunsuan.

The ongoing peace process between the Philippine government and the largest revolutionary group that formally started on January 7, 1997 with all its ups and downs, twist and turns, and of course its envisioned end state can now be well understood and appreciated from the standpoint of an author, who is an accomplished writer, esteemed revolutionary leader, scholar, diplomat and a peace maker.
Salah Jubair, the author of this literary masterpiece, is the pen name of one of the leaders of the MILF who currently heads the MILF peace panel that negotiates with the government.

He has been involved with the MILF Peace Panel since the start of the talks in 1997 initiated by former President Fidel V. Ramos. Jubair, in his remarks, admitted that writing a book on a subject you are actually involved with may be authoritative but a daunting challenge entailing lot of objectivity and focus.

“This piece speaks of the peace process and my intention is nothing but to serve and protect the noble interest of peace though you may not agree on my views and proposition,” Jubair said.

Jubair, however, stressed that the book does not reflect the official stand and policy of the MILF but very much in line with the convictions of the MILF leadership on how shall the peace process succeed.

“Peace process, peace building and conflict resolution can never be achieved overnight there will always be challenges but not insurmountable. Yet, indeed, there is no better substitute to peaceful means in resolving armed conflict,” he said.

The content of the book culminated with the impasse on the negotiations which took placed September of last year due to some contentious points that were left unresolved by both the GRP and MILF peace panels.

Nevertheless, it illustrates how the impasse can be overcome, thus, paving the way towards realization of a just and enduring negotiated political settlement of the conflict.

The Long Road to Peace cited the gambit of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in upholding the primacy of the peace process but still it raises a great challenge for the government to do more in order fairly and squarely resolve the Bangsamoro problem and conflict in Mindanao.

The book stressed the paramount importance of the participation of the international community and civil society in resolving conflict and building peace, especially the exceptional facilitation of the Malaysian government of the peace talks and the role of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) in ensuring the respect and sustenance of the ceasefire accord on the ground.

Lawyer Datu Michael Mastura, a revered writer and senior member of the MILF Peace Panel, said the book had wonderfully builds up the true account of the peace process and the various and differing perspectives, especially of the MILF, toward solving the problem and conflict in Mindanao which is for the common good of all, especially the succeeding generations.

The reader will find an immense satisfaction and desire on finishing reading the book, which stands alone in introducing vivid and truthful accounts of an ongoing colorful peace process between the Bangsamoro and Filipino nations, he said.

Institute of Bangsamoro Studies took the pride in publishing the book as its way of popularizing Bangsamoro studies as area specialization not only in policy studies but also in academic inquiries.

Prof Abhoud Lingga, Executive Director of IBS, expressed that the writings of Jubair will encourage young Moro writers to join the world of authors.

Lingga said the book is a must reference for policy makers, peace workers, public officials, researchers, media, international donor communities, military officials, academicians and negotiators.

People from all walks of life graced the launching ceremony to include the GRP Peace Negotiating Panel, international community, civil society groups, media, military, ceasefire committees, government workers, academicians, IMT, and sectoral representatives.

Secretary Silvestre Afable Jr, who is a former Chairman of the GRP Peace Negotiating Panel and now a Special Adviser to the Peace Panel, wrote the foreword of the book.

Afable, in his message, said “We have built a process that has been tried and tested against attempt to subvert and derail it. We and our allies have understood the underlying terrain in which the talks have taken place, the trajectory of our aspirations, and the tools and craftsmanship required to put them together in a common solution.”

Among the other writings of Jubair is the book “A Nation Under Endless Tyranny,” which depicts the injustices and oppression perpetrated against the Bangsamoro and the desire of the aggrieved nation to be freed from the clutches of tyranny including the imperativeness of waging an organized armed struggle and Jihad fi sabillah.

Photo: Zamboanga City Hall At Night

The century-old Zamboanga City Hall, a former base to American and Spanish forces, glitters with colored lights at night. Zamboanga, south of the Philippines, is branded as Asia's Latin City because of its dialect, a mixture of Spanish and other Filipino languages. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

RP Troops Hunt Down Militants

Coffins of slain marines inside the Philippine Navy base in Zamboanga City on Saturday, Dec. 01, 2007. And Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr. pins medals to wounded soldiers. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 01, 2007) – Philippine troops on Saturday mounted fresh operations to flush out suspected Jemaah Islamiya militants and rebels blamed for the killing of five marines in the southern province of Sulu.

Four gunmen were killed in Friday’s fighting that left at least eight soldiers wounded in the town of Kalingalan Caluang, said Maj. Gen. Reuben Rafael, chief of military forces in Sulu.

“There is an ongoing operation and we are tracking down the terrorists,” Rafael told the Mindanao Examiner by phone from a forward base near the town.

In Zamboanga City, Marines Maj. Gen. Nelson Allaga, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said security forces were pursuing Jemaah Islamiya and Abu Sayyaf militants and a faction of the Moro National Liberation front which he blamed for the death of the six soldiers.

“Our troops encountered rogue MNLF members, backed by JI and Abu Sayyaf and they are now the object of our operations,” Allaga said a news conference Saturday.

The military previously said that Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both tagged by Jakarta as behind the 2002 Bali bombing, are hiding in the province and being sheltered by the Abu Sayyaf and rogue MNLF members under Khabier Malik.

Allaga said aside from Dulmatin and Patek, other Indonesian Jemaah Islamiya terrorists, were involved in the clash. “We have reports about this,” he said without elaborating further.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. also arrived in Zamboanga City and visited the wounded soldiers at a hospital inside the base. “I was briefed about the operation in Sulu and there is an operation right now,” he said.

Teodoro spoke with the families of the slain marines at a Catholic chapel inside a naval base here where the coffins of the soldiers were put for viewing.

He also inspected troops in Basilan province before flying back to Manila later in the day. (Mindanao Examiner)

8 Killed In New MNLF Clashes In Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 30, 2007) – Security forces clashed Friday with Moro National Liberation Front fighters in the southern Filipino province of Sulu, leaving eight soldiers and rebels dead, officials said.

Officials said the fighting also left six marines wounded in the town of Kalingalan Kaluang. Five soldiers and three rebels were killed in the fighting that erupted at around 5 a.m. in the village of Kambing.

Security forces were searching for a wanted MNLF leader Khabier Malik when rebels attacked them, sparking a fierce firefight.

“We have sent the rangers to reinforce the marines in the area and to hunt down those responsible in the killings,” Brig. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan, commander of the Army’s elite Special Forces in Sulu province, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Malik is facing criminal charges after his group held for 3 days a military peace mission in February and demanded that Manila free their jailed leader Nur Misuari.

Misuari signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996 ending decades of bloody war. After the peace agreement was signed, Misuari, became the governor of the Muslim autonomous region. But despite the accord, there was a widespread disillusionment with the weak autonomy they were granted.

Under the peace agreement, Manila would provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the south and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.

Fierce fighting between troops and Malik’s group in April also left at least 21 soldiers and rebels dead and more than 100 wounded.

Malik, who has declared a holy war against the military, previously warned of more attacks after accusing the government of violating the peace agreement, saying, troops, pursuing Abu Sayyaf militants, had killed MNLF members and innocent civilians in several armed encounters in the province.

But the military also accused the MNLF of coddling the Abu Sayyaf.

Many former guerrillas were disgruntled with the peace deal, saying, the Arroyo government failed to comply with some of its provisions and uplift their standards of living. They accused Manila of failing to develop the war-torn areas in the south.

And in November 2001, on the eve of the elections in the Muslim autonomous region, Misuari accused the government of reneging on the peace agreement, and launched a new rebellion in Jolo island and Zamboanga City, where more than 100 people were killed.

Misuari then escaped by boat to Malaysia, but had been arrested and deported to the Philippines. He is now under house arrest in Manila. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Coup Fails-Corruption Continues! The Imprudent Observer

Philippine troops and SWAT teams stormed a five-star hotel that dissident military officers had commandeered after walking out of a coup trial. The military officers have insisted their aim is to end the blatant corruption of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s government.

They want her to resign in order to create a government that is both legitimate and honest. Their coup was supported by several political leaders including former Vice President Teofisto Guingona. Arroyo in a defiant response said the coup members would be held “accountable” and there would be swift justice.

The coup members had literally walked out of their trial accompanied by dozens of military sympathizers including General Danio Lim and went to the hotel. They claim Arroyo stole an election and has been manipulating the political process since taking office.

Unfortunately, the Philippines has been the scene of continual fights over the honesty of its government. This has led members of the military to become involved in political affairs.

The nation confronts a Muslim led insurgency in southern regions which has gone on for years. In the midst of this problem is the ongoing belief that President Arroyo is doling out money to politicians and has allowed corruption to become a hallmark of her administration. (Fred Stopsky)

Rebel Soldiers End Stand-Off In Manila; Journalists, Priests And Civilians Arrested

Filipino senator Antonio Trillanes in this television grad speaks Thursday Nov. 29, 2007 during a television interview shortly after they surrendered to authorities "to save lives of civilians and journalists" inside Manila Peninsula hotel where they were holed out. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

MAKATI CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 29, 2007) – Rebel soldiers calling for President Gloria Arroyo’s resignation have surrendered peacefully to authorities late Thursday afternoon ending hours of uprising at a posh hotel in the Philippines’ main business district of Makati.

Heavily-armed members of the Philippine National Police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), backed by armored vehicles, fired tear gas inside the Manila Peninsula hotel in an effort to flush out rebel soldiers and civilians supporting them.

One armored vehicle broke into the hotel main entrance and fired more tear gas forcing journalists to seek cover.

Opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes and Army Brigadier General Danilo Lim led a group of soldiers and civilian supporters to a long march that ended in Manila Peninsula hotel in Makati where they called for Arroyo’s resignation.

Among those who joined Trillanes and Lim was former Philippine Vice President Teofisto Guingona and leaders of civil society groups opposed to Arroyo’s rule.

Both Trillanes and Lim were implicated in previous attempt to oust Arroyo, who they accused of corruption and fraud in the May 2004 elections.

Trillanes and Lim said they decided to end the stand-off to save the lives of civilians, including journalists inside the hotel. “This only shows how cruel this administration of Arroyo that they would sacrifice the lives of civilians and journalists,” Trillanes said.

Police also arrested at least ten journalists who were covering the stand-off inside the hotel and seized their equipment, including video cameras.

Television footages showed journalists coming out the room where Trillanes and Lim were holed out with their hands raised in the air.

Police spokesman Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao said the journalists would be held for questioning. He did not elaborate.

Philippine military chief General Hermogenes Esperon vowed Thursday to crush an uprising in Manila.

“We are trying to make plans here. I want to appeal for calmness and for the public not to allow to be hoodwinked by these people, Trillanes and Lim. We must not allow them to grab power,” Esperon said.

Esperon was in Zamboanga City visiting troops when news of the uprising broke out in a middle of meeting at the Western Mindanao Command headquarters.

Trillanes and Lim have urged the Armed Forces of the Philippines to withdraw its support from the Arroyo administration.

Government spokesmen taunted Guingona, saying, he was too frail to be jailed.

Guingona is one or Arroyo’s most vocal critic and had previously joined protest rallies in Manila. (Mindanao Examiner)