Corruption, Greed And Love For Money...

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 10, 2007)- They say greed and money poison the mind, then the heart is also corrupted. An article published by one of the Philippines' oldest and most respected daily, The Manila Times, tells a story of how journalists in Olongapo City accused each other of corruption.

And this happens everywhere in the country, where many journalists fall victims to corruption and illegal activities and all because of dirty money.

Here is the Manila Times story written by correspondent Anthony Bayarong.

OLONGAPO CITY: Journalists here denounced the allegations of a tabloid correspondent accusing them of protecting an illegal gambling or peryahan at the Subic Bay Freeport and in this city.

The allegations appeared in People’s Journal on November 2, 4 and 5, written by Johnny Reblando who is also an RMN news correspondent. He alleged that members of the press covering Subic Bay Freeport provide operators of illegal gambling an ample protection.

Members of the Subic Bay Press Corps (SBPC) said they are concerned about the allegations because the group is the biggest organization of correspondents, with more than 40 members in its roster.

The SBPC has repeatedly asked Reblando to name the alleged media protectors, but he declined, saying, “Kung sino ang pumiyok, guilty [Whoever reacts would be guilty].”

By declining to name names or provide convincing evidence, Reblando made suspects out of all media practitioners, which is wrong, unfair, unethical and unacceptable, maintained the SBPC statement.

According to SBPC, amusement center owner Avelino Menor, in a sworn statement dated November 6, said Reblando harassed him for P20,000.

Menor added that he had been giving Reblando money for “merienda and cell-phone loads” since 2005 which, if proven true, would be contrary to ethical standards of a journalist.

In his sworn statement, Menor said that he had given Reblando P10,000 on October 14 and that the next payment would be on the 15th of November, but Reblando allegedly called Menor on October 30 asking for the remaining balance of P10,000. When Menor could not produce the money, Reblando went ahead with his exposé on illegal gambling at the Subic Freeport and the city.

The sequence of events, as described by Menor, is a classic extortion scheme known to media practitioners as “attack and collect/defend and collect” (AC/DC).

The SBPC is investigating the matter although journalists here urged the Journal Group, RMN Manila and the National Press Corps to initiate its own investigation. (Mindanao Examiner)

Urea 'Climate Solution' May Backfire: ABC Science Online

Moves to fertilize the ocean with nutrients to boost CO2-consuming phytoplankton and fish stocks has prompted calls for international controls on such experiments.

Plans by an Australian company to sink hundreds of tonnes of urea into the ocean to combat climate change may backfire and exacerbate global warming, critics say.

Sydney-based company Ocean Nourishment Corporation (ONC) is looking at using nitrogen-rich urea to boost the growth of CO2-absorbing phytoplankton.

The idea, says the company, is for this form of carbon sequestration to lock up carbon in the oceans for thousands of years.

It says that encouraging the growth of more phytoplankton could also boost fish stocks.

But a number of scientists and civil society groups are worried about the lack of independent oversight of such private exploration of 'ocean fertilization', which they say could trigger environmental problems rather than solve them.

ONC plans to develop this method of carbon sequestration to generate valuable carbon credits.

And it's using the research of Adjunct Professor Ian Jones at the University of Sydney's civil engineering department to do so.

Jones has conducted laboratory experiments to show that nitrogen is important in boosting the growth of phytoplankton in ocean samples.

ONC has taken the research out of the lab. It has just completed an experiment involving 1 tonne of nitrogen in the Sulu Sea off the Philippines, says managing director John Ridley.

The company is now discussing with the Philippines government plans to scale up the experiment to 1000 tonnes of nitrogen over the next year.

Ridley says the company is also talking to the Moroccan government about similar experiments in the Atlantic Ocean.

But scientists involved in publicly-funded basic research into the role of nutrients including iron in the oceans are worried about the commercial imperative behind the latest experiments.

"This latest development in the Sulu Sea has all of our community concerned, as there doesn't appear to be any published evidence of how urea fertilization impacts ocean biology and ecology," says bio-geochemist Dr Philip Boyd of New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, or NIWA.

Dr Cliff Law of NIWA and others say independent scientific experts should oversee research by a growing number of private companies developing ocean fertilization.

"At the end of the day we're dealing with companies that want to make money out of carbon credits," he says.

ONC says there is little publicly available material on the field experiments, partly because of the need to protect intellectual property.

It says the experiments are mimicking natural upwelling of nutrients that occur in productive ocean areas.

In a commercial plant this would involve using urea produced from natural gas to sequester 10 megatons of CO2 per year.

It also says each of its plants could provide 50 grams of marine protein per day for 38 million people.

Others say such moves could bring bad news as well as good.

Law says natural upwelling of nutrients can trigger toxic algal blooms and the release of nitrous oxide, a more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2.

Ridley says the company will use ships to monitor phytoplankton growth and concentrations of nitrogen will not be allowed to go high enough to cause algal blooms.

"If we step the scale of this up we can actually track it by satellite," he says.

"That all sounds very neat," he says. "If only it was so easy."
Law says boosting phytoplankton for fish stocks will also keep carbon circulating in the ecosystem, which would therefore undermine any sequestration efforts.

In addition, he says one of the challenges to long-term sequestration is drawing the dead phytoplankton down deep into the ocean.

Law says experiments seeding the ocean with iron have shown hardly any plankton sink below 100 meters, which means any carbon in them would be re-released within months.

Even if the plankton appear to sink, he says currents can bring them up again quite quickly.

Law says verifying long-term ocean carbon sequestration is difficult and expensive and he wonders how ONC will do this.

An international scientific group on ocean dumping, known as the London Convention, is understood to be discussing urea ocean fertilization at a meeting in the UK this week.

Earlier this week a coalition of civil society groups urged the convention to stop urea experiments until their impacts had been properly assessed.

Earlier this year the convention cautioned against ocean fertilization using iron.

Ridley of ONC says the convention only has jurisdiction over experiments carried out in the high seas.

Instead, he says ONC will focus on territorial waters so it can be involved in carbon credit schemes.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has labeled ocean fertilization as a hypothetical solution to climate change, carrying unknown side-effects and economic costs.(Anna Salleh)

Philippines Detains Suspected Palestinian Militant

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 09, 2007) – Philippine authorities have arrested a Palestinian national on suspicion he has links with the Islamic resistance movement HAMAS.

Yussof Umar Animour was arrested in Tawi-Tawi province near the Malaysian state of Sabah in southern Philippines earlier this month, but had not been made public.

Local policemen escorted the Palestinian, accused of being a member of the HAMAS, an acronym for “Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamia,” a radical Islamic fundamentalist organization operating primarily in the Gaza District.

“I am not a member of the HAMAS and I don’t even know who the leader of HAMAS is,” Animour, who was in handcuffed, said in Zamboanga City Airport before being whisked away by policemen.

The 41-year old Palestinian denied any links with terrorists. “They have just appeared in my house and invited me for questioning, but now…look at me,” he said.

A local news television broadcast Animour’s denial.

Security officials did not give any statement about the Palestinian’s arrest, but other sources said the foreigner had been interrogated for days before he was flown to Manila for further investigation.

Animour was reported to have married a Filipino Muslim in Tawi-Tawi and has left behind a family. It was unknown how many children he has, but reports said he has been illegally staying in the Philippines for more than 20 years.

HAMAS, formed in the late 1980 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, have used both political and violent means, including terrorism, to pursue the goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel.

HAMAS activists, especially those in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have conducted many attacks—including large-scale suicide bombings—against Israeli civilian and military targets.

In the early 1990s, they also targeted suspected Palestinian collaborators and Fatah rivals. HAMAS increased its operational activity during 2002-2003 claiming numerous attacks against Israeli interests.

The group has not targeted US interests—although some US citizens have been killed in HAMAS operations—and continues to confine its attacks to Israelis inside Israel and the territories, according to the Federation of American Scientist (FAS) Intelligence Resource Program. (Mindanao Examiner)

Saudi Pledges Support To Peace And Development In Sulu

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan and Vice Gov. Lady Ann Sahidula during a recent program in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 09, 2007) – Saudi Arabia has pledged to support peace and development projects in the largely Muslim province of Sulu in southern Philippines.

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan said they are preparing several proposals for infrastructure and other development projects after Saudi Ambassador to Manila, Mohammed Ameen Wali, assured him of his country’s support.

“Saudi is very supportive of our peace and development efforts and we are now preparing several project proposals that will help alleviate the situation of the poor in Sulu,” Tan told reporters.

Saudi Embassy also donated five cases of preserved dates which would be distributed to the poor and victims of a recent fire in Sulu province, said Tan, who met with Wali in Manila this week.

Saudi’s support to Sulu, Tan said, would help alleviate the situation of many poor people in the province and can even provide them livelihood through various anti-poverty programs.

“The support of Saudi Arabia (to Sulu) will surely bring peace and development and livelihood worthy of human dignity. We are launching our own jihad towards the attainment of peace and unity. Other forms of jihad, particularly violent jihad is primitive,” Tan said.

Saudi Arabia previously signed a US$20 million loan agreement for the development of Mindanao roads project. The loan agreement financing was sourced from the US$100 million pledge under the Saudi Fund for Development (SDF).

Saudi Arabia, an influential member of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), is also supporting the peace process in the southern Philippines. It will also host a three-day Tripartite Meeting between the OIC, the Philippines and the former rebel group, Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), starting Saturday in Jeddah.

Tan said the meeting will discuss the implementation of the 1996 peace accord between Manila and the MNLF headed by its jailed chieftain Nur Misuari regarding the situation in the southern Philippines.

Misuari is facing rebellion charges after his forces tried, but failed to overrun a military base on the island in 2000. Misuari, disgusted with the peace agreement, fled to Malaysia, but was arrested there and later deported to Manila.

He accused Manila of reneging in the peace deal and for failing to uplift the poor living standards of many Muslims in the South. Under the agreement, the Philippines is to provide a mini-marshal plan and housing and livelihood to tens of thousands of former rebels.

Philippine authorities have allowed Misuari to attend the tripartite meeting, Tan said.

Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, OIC Secretary General, has welcomed Manila’s decision to allow Misuari to participate in the meeting. OIC had sent a high-level delegation to the southern Philippines to assess the volatile situation last year.

The opening of the tripartite conference will be preceded by an expanded meeting of the Indonesia-led Committee of Eight, in-charge of southern Philippines.

Sporadic fighting between Filipino troops and MNLF forces still continue in many areas in southern Philippines, despite the peace deal. MNLF rebels signed the deal with Manila, but the government allowed them to keep their huge inventory of high-power weapons, mostly automatic rifles, anti-tank rockets and machine guns. They later accused the Arroyo government of failing to comply with the accord.

Former rebels also seized a delegation of senior military officials in Sulu earlier this year after reports of a scheduled tripartite meeting on Feb. 6-8 in Jeddah had been shelved off by the Arroyo government.

The hostages were later freed after the Philippine government agreed to proceed with the tripartite conference. The gunmen also demanded Manila to free Misuari so he can lead the MNLF to the meeting. (Mindanao Examiner)

The National Press Club's Clubbing Of Freedom Of Expression

MANILA, Philippines - The National Press Club’s defacement and censorship of a commissioned mural in their club restaurant recalls to mind a celebrated incident involving the Mexican artist Diego Rivera and the Rockefeller Center.

In 1933, Rivera was commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller to do a mural for the lobby of the RCA Building at New York’s Rockefeller Center. Rivera, a leftist, was well known for his grand murals replete with sinewy laborers in all forms of working poses.

He had just finished a large scale mural with a similar theme for the Detroit Museum of Art sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, and despite the bias for proletarian vistas, the liberal, art loving Rockefellers decided their center should have a Rivera mural too.

Rivera though added a portrait of Lenin in the mural and this was over the top for Nelson Rockefeller. Despite his wife Abby’s lament, who collected Riveras, Rockefeller confronted the artist demanding he remove the offending Lenin.

Rivera, already paid for the mural, refused, was summarily fired, and the mural destroyed. Rivera would have his revenge by recreating the same mural back in Mexico with Lenin in his glory and the patriarch John D. Rockefeller inserted elsewhere drinking martini at the expense of the toiling masses.

The National Press Club is in a similar imbroglio, having commissioned the Neo-Angono artist collective to do a mural with a press freedom theme. But the tack the Club undertook was downright abhorrent. They decided the mural was “leftist” and proceeded to have it altered without artists’ permission.

They altered the mural to censor texts which included the current plight of a mother seeking an abducted son, defacing well-respected journalists, and painting over sections deemed offensive to the current Philippine president.

Paintings, particularly murals, if well done, have changed people, norms, and societies. We only need to recall Juan Luna’s Spoliarium which would influence a medical student named Jose Rizal to alter his career and write his devastating anti-colonial novels and become our national hero.

Paintings often reflect the times and if the Neo-Angono mural reflects the current state of Philippine affairs and the unpopularity of the current President, so be it. One would shudder to think if the National Press Club lived in the 19th century and found the Spoliarium to be offensive to the Spanish monarchy.

The cavalier and contemptible manner by which the National Press Club blithely desecrated a work of art is evidence enough that these so-called journalists haven’t a clue about freedom of expression.

In a free society, contending thoughts, contending works of art are allowed and respected despite its inherent inclinations and viewpoints.

The National Press Club’s actions has just put their profession to ridicule, painted as cowards, and now insinuates itself as being in-the-pay of the powerful. Fellow journalists who abide in the freedom of expression should call for the immediate dismissal of the club officers.

Despite the destruction of his mural, Diego Rivera secured even more artistic commissions, gained world fame and lived financially comfortable to a ripe old age. Abby Rockefeller continued collecting Riveras, later donating them to the Rockefeller funded Museum of Modern Art for the public to see and appreciate.Rivera’s works are now revered and have a universal appeal transcending its leftist themes.

The Neo-Angono artists collective have the last laugh. In the current booming Southeast Asian art market, the moronic act by the National Press Club has just increased the appeal and selling cachet of current and future works of the Neo-Angono collective by ten fold.

And, if it has universal appeal, a work of theirs could probably hang proudly in the National Museum, along with the Spoliarium.(John L. Silva is senior consultant to the National Museum of the Philippines)

8 Soldiers Wounded In Sayyaf Clash In Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 07, 2007) – Eight government soldiers were wounded in a clash with Abu Sayyaf militants on a remote village in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, officials said Tuesday.

Officials said a still undetermined number of gunmen were either killed of wounded in the fighting late Monday in the hinterland village of Tiis in Talipao town.

“Eight of out soldiers are wounded in the clash. We believed many terrorists are either killed or wounded in the fighting. There is a pursuit operation going on today,” Major Eugene Batara, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Other reports said troops clashed with members of the Moro National Liberation Front which signed a peace deal with Manila in 1996. Troops and MNLF members had previously clashed in Sulu province, about 950 kilometers south of Manila.

The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf as a foreign terrorist organization and has offered as much as ten million dollars rewards for the capture of its known leaders.

President Gloria Arroyo also set aside more than one hundred million pesos in bounties for the capture of Abu Sayyaf leaders dead or alive. The US is helping Manila defeat terrorism and sent soldiers to train Filipino troops in anti-terrorism warfare. (Mindanao Examiner)

Indigenous Peoples Join "Kalimudan"

DAVAO CITY, Philippines - One of the primary objectives of the “Kalimudan: Panaghi-usa sa Mindanao (Mindanao Indigenous Peoples’ Gathering)”, a cultural extravaganza slated on November 17-25 at the Magsaysay Park, is to celebrate the richness of the Mindanao’s indigenous tribes’ unique cultures and to foster a deeper cultural understanding to sustain a culture of peace.

To support this goal, various tribes from all over Mindanao have pledged their support to participate in this endeavor. From Northern Mindanao, the Higaonon, Tala-andig, Uamyamnon/Tigwahanon, Caraga, Banwaon/Higaunon, Agusan Manobo, Mamanwa and Kamayo tribes will showcase their living cultures and traditions.

The colorful tribes of the Subanen and Yakan will represent Western Mindanao while the famous T’boli and Te’duray tribes will represent South Central Mindanao.

From the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, the Maguindanao, Maranao, and Tausug tribes will proudly exhibit their cultural heritage. Davao Region, the region with the most number of tribes in the Philippines, will have theAta-Manobo, Dibabawon, Manguangan, Bagaobo-Tagabawa, Tagakaolo, B’laan, Mansaka, Mandaya, K’agan/K’lagan, Sama and Sangil tribes.

Kalimudan is divided into four components, namely the vernacular architecture showcase, cultural performances and exhibits, public forum, skills-share and creativity workshops, and the trade fair, craft sales and auction.

One of the highlights of the event is in the indigenous peoples’ architectural showcase where diverse characteristics of the highland, midland and coastal dwellings will be constructed, such as the Ata-Manobo house, Dibabawon Shaman’s house, B’laan healing house, Mansaka tree house, Bagobo Datu’s house, Tagakaolo Farm dwelling for rice storage, Mandaya weaver’s house, Kalagan royal house, among many others.

The indigenous tribes of Mindanao will not only participate in the forum series with legislators, educators and otger private agencies but will also join in the creativity workshops that include craft production, design enhancement, traditional performing arts, visual arts sector workshop, musical instrument-making, techno-demo and food tasting of indigenous cuisine, and games and traditional sports. (Ian Garcia)

Manila Promises More Education Opportunities

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - "Educating a nation cannot be accomplished by single individual or institution. Education is a shared responsibility," Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Jesli Lapuz, said.

Lapuz admitted that limited resources especially budget availability has hampered the DepEd's effort to ensure the delivery of quality education.

With this burden, the government gladly welcomes non-government organizations and individuals supportive of uplifting the education and literacy rate in the country.

Lady Mayor Leonida A. Angcap of Midsalip for instance; beams with joy for the support it gets from Kapit-bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) - a flagship project of the national government funded by World Bank and is implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Of the 7 CIDSS-recipient municipalities in ZDS, Midsalip, Matalang and Dumalinao has its farm to market road and level 2 water system contributory to improved livelihood opportunities, better school attendance of children and access to potable water.

Midsalip has 8-kilometer concrete road benefiting 7 barangays with 70% Subanen population. Manang Violeta, a resident joyfully said, 'karon nga miabot na namo ang kalsada, makakaon na mi lab-as nga isda" (with good road, we can now eat fresh fish". With good road, we can now easily transport patients to Pagadian and other cities, she added.

In Ticala, 93 pupils are now housed in a P1.3 million worth school building. 70% of which is a KALAHI grant while 30% of it is the LGU counterpart. "So far, this is the first big barangay project that we have, revealed Barangay Captain Yasser Samal.

Municipal Engineer Mossidic Calalagan, describes Ticala as a 90-hectare coco trees dominated island with 90 households who are peace-loving people mostly engaged in fishing.

Raised from Ticala and had his elementary education there, Calalagan said, children today are lucky to have a school in the island. He added that during his time, he used to paddle to and fro the mainland San Pablo daily for an hour through pump boat to finish elementary education.

Correspondingly, Zamboanga City District 1 Representative Beng Climaco, values education for youth. As a legislator, she advocates in the promotion of children's rights and welfare.

Recently, she forged partnership with the National Youth Commission (NYC), to conduct value education for the youth. Her kind of education involves the orientation of leaders like SK chair and members on their roles and functions of Sangguniang Kabataan officals that should be practiced based on virtues of goodness, honesty and good governance.

To continuously enjoy the momentum of more development opportunities coming in, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the caucus in Malacanang for key leaders of the administration coalition over the weekend squelched 'all humors and speculation that this country is divided.

The President revealed that she and the coalition leadership had 'agreed on a process of national consolidation, gathering all our allies around the common vision' towards national consolidation 'based on a coalition of principle and action.'

Good road, fresh fish as viand, potable water to drink, children's rights and welfare are indeed contributory factors among many, that paves the way for better opportunities in far-flung areas. And these are made possible through a focused vision, direction and GO-NGO partnerships, national consolidation and coalition of principle and action opens more opportunities specially to far-flung areas. (Mimi Edaga)

Filipino Theologian Embraces Islam: IslamOnline.net

MANILA, Philippines - When Muslim rebel leader Nur Misuari wanted Mindanao to secede and become an Islamic state, a Mindanao-born theologian and sociologist was among the first to rise and argue that the southern Philippine island is never home to Muslims alone.

Catholic priest Estanislao Soria campaigned against the Moros’ takeover of the whole of Mindanao. “I vehemently disagreed with Mr. Misuari. I campaigned against the Moro movement,” said Soria, who used to be popularly known as “Father Stan.”

Soria did not want to argue without basis as he is an academic and theologian schooled in the Jesuit-run learning institutions.

He embarked on a historical and sociological research to back his arguments. In the back of mind, though, was the thought of the need to convert Muslims to Christianity. This also brought him to read Islamic writings, and, quite surprisingly, lead him to revert to Islam.

“As a linguist well-versed in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, I thought I can learn Arabic that easily. I also wanted to translate Arabic writings into English as well as translate Western ideologies like existentialism into Arabic but I realized it was difficult,” he told IslamOnline.net.

Soria believed that making Western writings available in Arabic would lead Muslims in Mindanao to appreciate Christianity more than Islam. “I wanted to open their minds to Christianity because I had heard a lot of negative things about the Muslims. I told myself they have to be educated.”

But in getting deep into his readings, Soria realized that persons considered as “Church fathers” such as Saint Thomas Aquinas, got their knowledge from Islamic readings and teachings; that many of the so-called Western ideologies and theologies have long been discussed in Islam.

“[My readings] enlightened me that Western civilization’s thoughts sprung from Islamic teachings. After reading more works of Islamic theologians, I strongly changed my views on Islam,” he said.

Soria added, “I even realized that the Gospel of Barnabas is even more credible than the gospels of the four evangelists [included in the Christian Bible].” The Gospel of Barnabas is a work purporting to be a depiction of the life of Jesus by his disciple Barnabas. It is also considered to be pro-Islamic.

He, too, found out through his sociological research that most of the negative things said of the Filipino Muslims were untrue. “They were not what they were stereotyped to be.”

In 2001, Soria, who had served as parish priest in various cities and towns in Metro Manila after taking his college and theology studies at Xavier University and Loyola School of Theology, both of the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University, reverted to Islam.

He has since been known as Muhammad Soria, but many, including his Muslim friends, still call him “Father Stan.”

The 64-year-old Soria said his decision was met with condemnation and disgust by most of his relatives and former parishioners, an experience similar to what many of the Muslim reverts, locally known as Balik Islam, go through. This, however, did not deter him from leaving the priesthood after 14 years and embracing Islam.

Soria is getting used to Islam, which to him is not only a religion but a way of life.

He has gone on Hajj in Makkah five times already, being a member of the Islamic Da`wah Movement of the Philippines. He also married a 24-year-old woman last year after living a celibate life as a priest.

Soria said that if there is one thing that Muslims should learn from Christians, it is being organized. To him, having a structure would greatly help in spreading Islam as structure helped the Christians.

For example, he said, Muslims should put up universities all over the globe, as Catholic missionaries did with their universities. Also, “why can’t Islamic states produce preachers and do what the Christian missionaries did?” he asked.

He further said there is a need to “intellectualize Islam through rationality” because by doing so the teachings embodied in the Qur’an would be better appreciated by people totally new to it.

He is also ecstatic about the annual fast this Ramadan. He said he is again reminded of the sunrise to sundown fast’s “spiritual value” in contrast to the Christian’s dieting “which is too material or human.”

Soria said, “In Islam, we are taught that if you discipline your body the Creator would grant your wish.” Harmony between Filipino Muslims and Filipino Christians in this largely Christian nation, amid the stereotyping of Muslims as terrorists, is among the wishes he prays to be granted.(Rexcel Sorza)

Subanon Youths Host Feeding Program For Kids In Southern Philippines

A Subanon boy distributes hot cup of chicken porridge as other children pose for photograph; and inset, Jumel Gumamay, a beneficiary of medical mission of TVIRD in Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte province in southern Philippines. (Rene Patangan)

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, Philippines – Jumel Gumamay, an eight-year old Subanon native, rarely gets to taste poultry, meat, or fresh fish.

In the poor hinterland village of Tabayo in Siocon town where Jumel and his parents live, meals are often in the form of root crops or mashed green bananas, and on some occasions, dried fish. As a result, many local children aged two to 12 are malnourished or undernourished like Jumel.

But thanks to a newly formed group of teenagers and young adults who call themselves the Subanon Youth Organization, Jumel and some 500 children in and around their ancestral domain had the chance to enjoy several nourishing cupfuls of arroz caldo (chicken porridge) during the SYO feeding program that coincided with the International Youth Day celebration.

"Lami kaayo ang lugaw nga naay sagol nga manok. Hinaut unta nga sige nga naay in-ani nga arroz caldo (the porridge with chicken meat is so good. I wish that we will always have arroz caldo every day)," Jumel said happily as he sat with his second serving.

The night before the feeding program, SYO also sponsored a well-attended dance-for-all and fund-raising event dubbed "Pabayle sa Malusok" (dance party) to finance the group's basketball court project, which SYO members hope will help promote youth development through sports and fight against substance abuse.

Employees of TVI Resource Development Philippines, Inc. helped raise funds for the SYO feeding program organized by Rocelle Magpayo, TVIRD Program Officer on Human Rights Initiatives, and Jaja Bangkas, Human Resources Officer, at the company's corporate headquarters in Makati City. "This is really great. The Subanon youths want to make a difference, and we in TVIRD believe that these young people, given the motivation and support, can contribute a lot in effecting positive change in, and in achieving sustainable development for, their indigenous community," Magpayo said.

TVIRD operates a gold-copper mine in Mount Canatuan in Siocon town under a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement with the Philippine government.

"Duyog sa among pagsaulog sa International Youth Day, mao ang paghatag sa pagpakabana dili lamang sa susama namo nga mga kabatan-onan apan lakip na niini ang mga kabataan sanglit sila ang sumusunod nga henerasyon. Angayan nato sila nga hatagan sa maayong pagtagad sama sa gihatag nato sa atong kaugalingon (Our celebration of the International Youth Day is not only limited to giving attention to our fellow Subanon youths but to children as well since they represent the next generation. We should take care of them as much as we take care of ourselves)," SYO President Regino Tumangkis told his peers.

SYO was formerly known as the Canatuan Youth Achievers (CYA), which was organized last year by the Green Earth Multi-Purpose Cooperative (GEMPCO), a consultancy group hired by TVIRD to assist in the implementation of its livelihood programs. CYA disbanded when GEMPCO's contract with the company expired.

Shortly after TVIRD consolidated its Community Relations and Development Office (CReDO), the company encouraged former members of CYA to undergo leadership training and to participate in a summer youth camp in the hope of strengthening their leadership and organizational skills. The renewed vitality that SYO members have been exhibiting in recent months indicates bright prospects for young residents of Canatuan and nearby communities.

"Among dakong pasalamat ngadto sa TVIRD ug sa mga empleyado niini tungod sa gihatag niini nga suporta sa among organisasyon. Hinaut nga kini magapadayon pa. (Our deepest gratitude to TVIRD and its employees for the support they are giving to our organization. We hope that they will continue doing so)," Tumangkis said. (Rene Patangan)

Sayyaf Militant Killed In Basilan Island Raid

BASILAN ISLAND, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 05, 2007) – Government soldiers killed an Abu Sayyaf militant after storming Monday a hideout of the al-Qaeda-linked group in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, officials said.

Officials said soldiers attacked the hideout on a remote village called Bato-Bato in Akbar town at around 5.30 a.m. sparking a firefight that killed the gunman.

“One terrorist is killed in the raid and troops are still pursuing several more who managed to escape during the fighting,” Major Eugene Batara, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said troops recovered an M16 automatic rifle from the slain militant. There were no reports of military casualties, he said.

The Abu Sayyaf, which means “bearer of the sword,” initially was fighting for Muslim homeland after Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, founded the group in the late 1980s.

But the group, mostly made up of former Moro National Liberation front rebels, resorted to banditry and terrorism after Janjalani was killed in a firefight with policemen in Basilan island in 1989.

Washington listed the group as a foreign terrorist organization after the Abu Sayyaf abducted a US citizen, Guillermo Sobero, and beheaded him in 2001. The group was also linked in many kidnappings of foreigners, including three US nationals; one of them was later shot during a rescue operation in Zamboanga del Norte province. (Mindanao Examiner)

IDB Engineer Missing In Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 05, 2007) – A Filipino Muslim engineer working for the Islamic Development Bank was reported missing in the southern province of Sulu, police and military said on Monday.

Morced Tagitis arrived in the province from Zamboanga City on October 30 for a scholarship project, but he did not return since then after leaving his budget hotel in Kakuyagan village in Jolo town.

“We still don’t know where he is. The man has not returned to his hotel. We are closely coordinating with the police to find out what happened to the man,” Army Colonel Antonio Supnet, commander of the 104th Infantry Brigade, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Brigadier General Ruperto Pabustan, chief of army special forces in Sulu, said Tagitis is working as a coordinator for the IDB’s scholarship program for Muslims in the province. “We don’t know what happened. He could have gone home,” he said in a separate interview. (Mindanao Examiner)

Zamboanga Town Hall Bombed

IPIL, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 05, 2007) – A crude bomb planted on a municipal building in southern Philippines exploded, but the military on Monday said there have been no reports of deaths.

Officials said the blast caused little damage to the façade of the building in the town of Talusan in Zamboanga Sibugay province.

The explosion late Sunday destroyed the door of the building housing the Association of Village Chairmen, said Army Maj. Eugene Batara, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command.

“We are still investigating the motive of the attack and who was behind it,” Batara told the Mindanao Examiner.

Army Colonel Joven Magalso, commander of 102nd Infantry Brigade in the province, said they have deployed soldiers in the area to help police forces patrol the town.

“The blast could be related to last month’s village polls. We are coordinating with the police to track down the perpetrator,” he said in a separate interview.

Police said dozens of people were killed and wounded in poll-related violence in the Philippines. Elections in the country are traditionally bloody. (Joseph Danda)

Filipinos Stop Money Transfers: XPRESS

DUBAI - Filipino expatriates are planning to withhold money transfers to the Philippines from today until Monday (November 5) in a bid to push up the value of the US dollar by creating a temporary shortage of the greenback.

The campaign, which started in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, has snowballed throughout the Middle East and is said to have received a "positive response" in areas with a high concentration of Filipino workers such as the US, Canada, Italy, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, said Dick Orense, a Filipino community leader in Abu Dhabi.

"We don’t intend to sabotage the economy. We just want our voices to be heard," said Orense.

The idea to temporarily stop transfers as a means to raise the value of the greenback was bolstered by a paper written by an economist and published online early last month.

Cielito Habito, a former Philippine economic minister, said the country’s coffers were awash with dollars due to increased inflows of remittances from overseas Filipinos.

As of July, $8.1 billion (Dh29.7 billion) in remittances had already come in this year, a jump of 16 per cent from last year, he said.
Proponents of the boycott believe it would bring the dollar to the 50 peso (Dh4.2) level.

Bernie Cinco, a Filipino community leader in Abu Dhabi who works in Sharjah, suggested that remittances to the Philippines be sent through “unofficial channels”.

“This has a domino effect. The supposedly strong Philippine economy will surely be zapped once the dollar supply of banks gets depleted. Sending money through unofficial channels like door-to-door cargo forwarders would directly benefit our families and will not be subjected to bank charges,” he said.

Filipino expatriates had called for a special rate for overseas remittances as a stop-gap measure to the currency crisis.

Bankers, however, disagree. "A subsidy would bring us back to the subsidy era, which only created market and price distortions," said Amroussi Rasul, Vice-President and Middle East representative of Philippine National Bank.

On the other hand, overseas Filipinos couldn’t be blamed for taking drastic measures, he said.

“It’s a tight situation for those earning in dollars. The appreciation of the peso amounts to a virtual pay cut. They get much less at home for the same money they earn abroad,” Rasul told XPRESS.

An official of a leading money exchange company in the UAE debunked claims that the banking system will be put in disarray should remittances be sent through unofficial channels.

“Even if they remit money through door-to-door cargo firms instead of through money transfer agents, it’s the same story. Cargo companies also engage our services to send money in bulk,” said Carlos Serrano of Al Rostamani Exchange.

Ben Dumlao, a UAE-based Filipino expat, says the remittance boycott campaign is not a good idea.

“The depreciation of the US dollar has a domino effect worldwide. The purchasing power of the UAE dirham has gone down too. Prices of commodities and flat rentals are squeezing the budget of all expats in the UAE. We could not help but excruciatingly accept these facts,” he said.

Rasul meanwhile, said that whether this week’s planned money transfer stoppage would succeed or not, the Philippine government should attend to the problems besetting Filipinos overseas.

“We can’t belittle steps like this,” he said.

FORECAST:

Former Philippine economics minister Cielito has forecast a gloomy currency outlook as he sees the Philippine peso to strengthen to 40 pesos (Dh3.3) against the US dollar by yearend.

The peso-dollar rate is so far hovering at 43 pesos (Dh3.6).

The Philippine central bank has started buying the dollar in the currency market as the peso steadied near 43.98 per dollar and hit a seven-year high in Tuesday’s (Oct. 30) trading. Remittance inflows in 2006.

1. India - $24.5 billion2. Mexico - $24.2 billion3. China - $21 billion4. Philippines - $13.7 billion5. Russia - $13.7 billion.
(Source: UN Fund for Agricultural Development and Inter-American Development Bank) (Ares P. Gutierrez)

OPINION

DATA FROM BELOW: RATED PG By Ike Seneres

I was still surprised when I was disenfranchised from voting in the recent election, despite having voted in my usual precinct all these years. As I was told, the COMELEC did a “shaving” procedure (that’s the term that they used), moving some voters to other precincts. I could not see the logic of it, because all my relatives who live in the same neighborhood as mine stayed in the same precinct, including my wife. Whoever did the “shaving” did not seem to realize that logically, spouses should vote in the same precinct.

I do not know how many others were similarly disenfranchised, but it is very clear that the poll body failed in its duty to build and maintain its databases, diligently and properly, that is. No matter how high tech a computer system is, the final reckoning is still in the buildup of the content, because it is the quality of the content that measures the maturity of the data keepers, not the luster of the machines.

As a guest political analyst of UNTV, I was asked about the significance of that election. I said that since the barangay is supposed to be the smallest unit of governance, it should be the milieu where the delivery of public services are objectively planned, delivered, monitored and measured, in terms of data that should feed the municipal, provincial, regional and national databases, assuming that these are diligently built and maintained.

If the government really wants to report truthful and accurate data at the national level, it should gather the data from below, because the aggregate data should only be a sum of its parts. This rule should apply not only to the reporting of the crime rate, the poverty rate and the unemployment rate, but also to the reporting of deliverables in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the later being an international commitment.

If the government is not basing its reports on data that is coming from below, where is it getting the information that it brings out? Information is nothing but processed data, and there is no other way of producing it.

For more information about public governance, email: iseneres@yahoo.com

Kano, Na-Praning Sa Sunog

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 04, 2007) – Isang sasakyan umano ng mga sudnalong Kano ang nasunog sa lalawigan ng Sulu matapos na mag-overheat ang makina nito, ayon sa ilang military sources dito.

Ang masakit pa umano ay inabandona ng mga sundalong Kano ang sasakyan ng ito’y mag-apoy nuiong kamakalawa at mabuti na lamang at hindi ito sumabog. Naganap ito kamakalawa.

Hindi agad mabatid ang dahilan ng insidente at ayaw rin magsalita ang mga opisyal ukol sa naganap.

Daan-daang mga sundalong Kano ang nasa Sulu at tumutulong sa lokal na militar sa pagsasanay ng mga tropa sa ibat-ibang training. (Mindanao Examiner)

South RP Fire Leaves 7,000 People Homeless

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 04, 2007) – Two people had died and thousands were left homeless after a fire swept through several neighborhoods in an island-town off Sulu province in southern Philippines, officials said on Sunday.

Officials said dozens were hurt in the fire that left more than 7,000 people homeless late Saturday afternoon in South Laud village in Siasi town.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated. But police said many of the houses in the village were made of lumber and strong winds helped fan the fire.

“More than 7,000 people were without homes. (Sulu) Governor, Sakur Tan has ordered a massive relief operation on the island to help the victims. We are doing our best to immediately help as many people as we can,” Khalil Hajibin, a member of the Sulu Provincial Council, who led the relief operation, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Sulu police chief, Superintendent Ahiron Ajirim, said they are still investigating the cause of the fire. “We are awaiting reports and so far at least two people – a couple – died from the fire,” he said in a separate interview.

He said the island had no fire engines and that soldiers and policemen helped villagers fight the blaze. Five policemen, he said, also lost their houses from the fire.

Other reports said the fire started from a store selling fuel, but it was unclear how it began.

It was the second fire in two months in Sulu province. Thousands were also left without homes after a fire broke out in the village of Asturias in Jolo town in September. (Mindanao Examiner)

The Future of the 'War on Terror': Fox News

WASHINGTON - This week, the Pentagon released official figures on how dramatically the security situation has improved in Iraq.

Terrorist attacks, secular violence, roadside bombings, Iraqi civilian deaths and U.S. casualties are all down. The announcement received scant notice from the so-called mainstream media.

About the only news from the global war on radical Islamic terror to receive less attention this week was the erroneously headlined story on The Associated Press wire: "Army captain from Fort Lewis, WA, drowns in the Philippines."

The item immediately captured my attention for two reasons: First, the struggle against Islamic terror in the Philippines is the topic of this week's episode of "War Stories" on FOX News Channel (Saturday at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT). Second, but of greater import, while shooting this documentary, we lived in the field with U.S. and Filipino special operations troops working to eliminate the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah -- terrorist groups closely affiliated with al-Qaida. As I read the article, I selfishly hoped that the soldier who had perished so far from home was not one of those we had come to know so well.

It turns out that 27-year-old Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Curreri of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, was not one of the brave Americans we lived alongside in the fetid jungle. According to a U.S. Army news release, he was on his first deployment and drowned in a training accident not far from where we were embedded with members of Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines.

The terse announcement, typical of those when special operations personnel are killed in the line of duty, noted that Curreri joined the Army in 2004 and that he "grew up in suburban Baltimore and swam and played water polo in high school before attending University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He was a four-year letterman on the USC swim team and captain of the team in his senior year."

Now in case you or any of the Democratic candidates, who discussed UFOs in this week's nationally televised debate, missed it, here are the salient parts of this story: Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Curreri is now a deceased American hero. He was smart; he had to be to get into USC.

He was a gifted athlete -- the captain of his college swim team. With our nation already at war, he volunteered to serve in the Special Forces. And when he died, he was serving our country in the southern Philippines helping their fight against radical Islam.

Unfortunately, given the unwillingness of the mainstream media to print or broadcast anything positive about the men and women in our armed forces, most of us never hear or read about bright, brave young Americans such as Curreri. Nor will those who count on the major networks and newspapers for information be able to grasp how we are going to win a global war against the Islamic radicals who are dying to kill us.

That's why FOX News Channel sent our "War Stories" team to the southern Philippines -- so that we could chronicle a dramatic but little-known success story. Even critics of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan agree that the campaign in the southern Philippine archipelago could well become the model for how to win the war against Islamic terror.

Everyone we talked to, from Washington to Manila, recognizes there are enormous differences between what we have documented for "War Stories" in 10 trips to Southwest Asia and what we saw happening in the Sulu Archipelago.

Most visibly, there are nearly 170,000 American troops in Iraq and nearly 25,000 in Afghanistan. Though the actual number is classified, there are fewer than 1,000 U.S. Special Forces soldiers, Navy SEALs, Marines and airmen in Col. Dave Maxwell's Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines.

And equally important, President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines serves as the head of state for the kind of established, functioning democracy that people in Iraq and Afghanistan can only hope for.

This week, millions of Filipinos turned out to vote in municipal elections, despite threats by Islamic militants to disrupt the balloting.

When I asked President Arroyo about political controversy over the U.S. military mission, she emphasized the long-standing relationship between the American and Filipino people: "We have been together through the second world war. We've been together through the war in Korea, through the war in Vietnam, and now we're together in the war against terrorism."

That's the same kind of response we got from every Filipino officer and enlisted soldier, sailor, airman and Marine with whom we talked. And all of that is thanks to bright, brave Americans such as Staff Sgt. Joseph F. Curreri of the U.S. Special Forces. I'm sorry that he couldn't be here to see the episode starring his comrades in arms, who showed us the future of the "war on terror." (Oliver North)

OPINION

CUTTING POVERTY BY HALF: “RATED PG” By Ike Señeres

I was shocked to hear the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) statement that the Philippines is assuring the United Nations that it is going to meet its commitment of cutting poverty in this country by half on or before 2015, in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Perhaps in the same way that promises are made to be broken, some of our government officials may think that speeches are just meant to be delivered, without caring whether the promises made in these speeches could be met or not.

I do not know how and where the DFA got the basis for the promise that they made to the UN, knowing that there is no credible source right now of anti- poverty data in the Philippines that would tell us where we stand in this massive undertaking.

Depending on who is counting and who is talking, poverty in this country would range anywhere from 30% to 70%, but I believe that the latter is a more realistic estimate. Assuming for the sake of argument that the poverty rate is only 30% it would still represent about 5 million households out of about 16 million households, based on our estimated population of 80 million.

Cutting poverty by half in eight years means liberating 2.5 million households from the poverty line, based on the lower estimate. How is the government going to do that?

Based on the higher estimate that would mean liberating more than 5 million households and I could not imagine how that could be done.

For the government to be responsible about its promises, it should base its projections on empirical and historical data. Where are these data sets and how could we validate these?

In the same way that promises are meant to be broken, lies are not meant to be eaten. Sad to say, along with poverty comes hunger, a real life and death problem for many of our people.

For more information about public governance, email iseneres@yahoo.com

OPINION

GMA Pardons Erap: Philippine Moro Watch By Karib J. Muhalli

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Oct. 16 exonerated former President Josep “Erap” Ejercito Estrada, who is convicted of plunder for receiving of and aggrandizing himself in Jueting (illegal gambling) payola.

By giving executive clemency to Estrada— from whom she had taken over the three-year-remaining presidency in 2001through People Power II, a peaceful revolution— by now GMA is trying to prove that she is determined in pursuing her administration’s national reconciliation program amid scourging scams of the multi-million ZTE broadband deal allegedly implicating her and her husband in the kickback taking motive, and the Malacañang cash bonanza bribe for the solons to rally supports for the Palace’s bid for Charter Change roadmap in 2012, a proposed trans-government from presidential to parliamentary form.

But the presidential pardon due to ex-president Estrada after serving his sentence more than 6 years cutting his life imprisonment for plunder raised eyebrows among his detractors and opponents one of them is Luis “Chavit” Singson.

Chavit— a principal witness to the plunder case which paved way to expulsion of Erap as the country’s President and put him in jail— had been his best gambling mate some quite years ago. In his hometown, San Juan City, Erap, in his euphoric message before the beaming countrymen, thanked GMA for the clemency.

He said he could now devote most of his times to care for his ailing mother Doña Mary Ejercito, 102, who is still confined due to old age in the Medical Center of that City. Promising not to indulge himself again in “dirty politics”, Erap even cleared his conscience and reputation that he never squandered public fund.

That’s why he need not apologize to the public, for he is just the victim of unfair justice. As a free man now he is poised to help the country’s sagging economy keep upright and set his countrymen’s worsening situation forward due to abject poverty, as GMA is tapping him to lead the anti-poverty program. Throughout his career stint as movie actor-turned politician-now civilian, he has been known as pro-poor.

Their showing of optimistic gist is worthwhile that the Filipinos can emulate that despite differences in political or sectoral leanings we have to move and work for the altruistic and heroic causes under one flag, one country, if we are to cope with the neighboring countries’ booming development for decades.

But this does not simply mean the looming political controversies are over. The Laws are there to bring the convicts to justice. To be frank, Erap has been humored as under-qualified and lackluster President of the Philippine Republic, perhaps, owing to his humble academic performance as a mere dropped-out engineering student from the Ateneo de Manila University.

Few boastful are even ashamed to claim him as their President, thereby undermining his very instinctive attribute as champion of the poor Filipino masses, comparing him with the other RP’s Presidents like late Pres. Ferdinand “Macoy” E. Marcos, a number one BAR top-notch; Pres. Corazon “Cory” C. Aquino, a homemaker but a Mathematics graduate at Mount St. Vincent College in New York; Pres. Fidel V. Ramos, a military Guru from the West Point in USA; and the present Pres. Gloria “Ate Glo” Macapagal-Arroyo, an economic scientist graduate at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Yet, neither they nor Erap is smart, so to speak exclusively of their regime's economic performance and political stability since more than thirty years now.

In fact, the smartest of them all is Macoy, who implemented the 1972 Martial Law; but like Erap, he is also publicly charged with millions worth of ill-gotten wealth and laundered money, ousted from presidency and exiled to Honolulu, Hawaii, thanks to the People Power I or Edsa I.

Cognizant of the recurrent crises, we believe that the main factor that will ultimately add pressure for callous GMA to vacate her most-coveted Post is the intense backing of Ramos elite group, along with military column and Churchmen movement to empower the protesting people.

This time is the real Edsa III.The mislabeled Edsa III led by Estrada’s massive poor people failed due to reluctant support of the said key group to drive out GMA in 2002.

The same is true with the Oakwood mutiny staged by a handful number of military renegades called Magdalo against GMA regime in 2003, and the people uprising to unseat GMA in 2005 at the height of the alleged "Hello Garci" voice-taped scandal framing GMA of vote rigging over close rival Fernando Poe Jr. in the presidential elections were also a futile attempts.

Will the demolition-revolution man— Apo Ramos— forsake GMA as a “sacrificial lamb” just to save the whole entity of Lakas (People Power Party), a mainstream political party in the country he has started and established? Ate Glo is either to be castigated with, or she is to escape from the same fate, a political impasse her predecessor Estrada and late strongman Marcos sadly and penitently experienced.