Food Today or Education For Tomorrow? A Mountain School Story

SHARIFF KABUNSUAN, Philippines - Bliugan Primary School is as basic and isolated as they come: the wooden school house was built in 1960 with the help of Teduray elders.

Pupils aged between seven and 14 come from as far afield as Ranao Tenge, four kilometers away, whereas their older siblings are forced to trek to Ranao Elementary School six kilometers from Bliugan.

The distances are far enough for children to travel each day on flat paved roads. Here in this mountainous region of the southern Philippines where villages and homesteads are linked only by muddy and deeply rutted tracks, the school run for pupils can literally take hours.

Yet according to Bart and Jo Centina who teach at Bliugan, the daily trek to school is only one of countless challenges facing pupils in what passes for the education system here.

Bart who is part Teduray, has a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Notre Dame in Cotabato. A scholar who benefited from the National Integration Program, he was immediately assigned to Bliugan after passing his exams in 1996.

Wife Jo, who recently gave birth to a baby boy, graduated with a degree in Home Economics and after doing some teacher training took a holiday in South Upi, where she met Bart.

"Living in Upi was wonderful although my family was strongly against it,” said Jo. “My father even came here to try to convince me to come home. I was, at first, reluctant to resettle in Bliugan - having the dream of finding a job abroad. But the moment I saw children unable to read and write, I changed my mind and decided to give the mountain experience a try."
She applied to work as a teaching aide and taught Grade Four for two years.

There are 135 student enrolled at Bliugan Primary School this year --20 up on last -- and Bart is grateful for the Teduray elders for building the school and encouraging the young to try and get an education. But while the increase in numbers is impressive, Bart worries that not everybody will stay on until the end of the year.

As Bart and his wife see it, several factors impact mountain schools here and across the Philippines. A child’s performance is affected by geography, economy and family. Poverty, says Bart, is a major one. The district of Rifao and other Upi villages classified below the poverty line have populations more concerned with where they will find the next meal than on ensuring their children go to school.

“The majority of parents here have not gone to school which makes it difficult for them to appreciate the importance of sending their kids here,” says Bart.

The Tedurays are an indigenous group of people who inhabit the vast Cotabato mountain ranges. While some anthropology studies classify them as ‘Tirurays,’ the elders themselves insist on the term Teduray.

A typical family here will have eight to 12 children and livelihoods are largely based on slash-and-burn agriculture, cash-crops and part-time farm jobs during the harvest season. Mothers usually stay home to do household chores; older children stay behind to watch over their younger siblings, while their older brothers go hunting for part-time jobs.

The Centinas readily admit that education is not much of a priority here. During the harvest time in particular, parents are far more concerned with how much the family can make and store away for the lean months in between. Children skip school to take on part time jobs and when the cash comes in Bart finds it hard to convince his pupils to focus on their studies.

He often climbs on his motorbike to visit his students at home and ask them to return to school. And while he says many parents understand his argument that in the long run it is much better for them to get an education, the short term draw of money from the fields is usually overwhelming and children never return.

As a result, while the number of children enrolled in school is increasing, the number of dropouts is actually higher.

Rifao district is bisected by gradually inclining muddy roads. Topography means it is often raining at all times of the day. The school is 12 kilometers from the main highway and travel time to and from school on the local form of public transport –the habal-habal motorcycle is both time-consuming and very costly.

Depending on the weather, children can spend a large part of the day traveling to and from class. The tortuous muddy paths up and down the mountains are potentially dangerous – especially after dusk which is why classes are dismissed 30 minutes earlier than normal.

"The children usually reach home late at night too tired to open their notebooks,” says Bart.

“Because the family scrimps on kerosene, gas lamps are normally put out after supper.” And parents are unable to help their children with their homework because they can neither read nor write themselves.

“In the morning when you might expect children to be attentive, they are already sleepy,” Bart said. “Many have not yet eaten and have just arrived here after a long journey. “

The school which is located on an eight-hectare reservation has not benefited from any maintenance since it was built over 40 years ago. Its spacious classroom has no flooring; the ceiling is worn-out and the roof is decorated by holes. Books caught by the rain are left to dry out on plastic rice sacks. There are no cabinets to keep them dry and the blackboards are well overdue for replacing.

The Centinas draw from their own meager salaries to help equip the school with supplies as best they can. The flashcards, rulers, pencils, notebooks and a box of chalk have all been bought by them.

Bart customarily asks parents to make a desk each for every child enrolled in class. The school has 25 substandard classroom chairs – one for every five children enrolled. All children are taught from the same four text books regardless of their age. The books include Mathematics for Everyday Life and Growing with Science and Health and they were bought through the Elementary Education Project launched four years ago by the education department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

When Bart pushed the ARMM’s Department of Education to explain why it could not provide more resources for the school he says he was told Bliugan was being treated no better or worse than any other village primary school.

For her part, Jo says her first year at Bliugan bordered between frustration and depression. "There is no pre-school therefore I had to start from nothing,” she said. “I taught them how to read, write, recognize colors, draw patterns and speak confidently in Filipino and English. There was no specific teaching method I could use as the majority of them are slow-learners. It could be rote learning and boring at times so I have to be a bit creative. I feel Bart and I have this gargantuan responsibility to nurture the children to prepare them for a bright future."

Devising ways to make teaching easier for Jo was another story. She had to classify students into slow-, fast-learners, and "frustration" level. While the fast-learners account only 10 percent of the classroom population, Jo felt this was necessary so she and Bart could devote time to others -- particularly those in the slow-paced bracket. "A two-day learning module takes a week for us to finish, as we have to closely monitor the progress each student had made. I am particularly concerned how each had learned cursive writing, so they would be able to write their names properly," Jo said.

This, however, has not sapped the creativity and teaching energies out of the Centinas. Bart said the rewards may not immediately come but hearing their students recite a poem in English, reading a book aloud, writing evenly on lines, and solving basic Math problems were sufficient to make them feel like they are in “heaven.”

"Jo and I remain inspired by the inadequacies of Bliugan," explains Bart. "We always believe that the best weapon against poverty is education. The odds – both man-made and natural -- may be stacked against these children and that may leave us heart-broken – yet we always remember our responsibility is to try and help educate others, so they might lead better lives someday.” (Maria Congee S. Gomez, Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project)

Photo: Is Zamboanga City Hall Vehicle For Family Use Also?

A Zamboanga City Hall vehicle with markings "For Official Use Only" picks up civilians at the back exit of the Ateneo De Zamboanga University late Friday afternoon, June 27, 2008. Government vehicles are strictly for official use only. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Bihag Ng Sayyaf Pinalaya, 4 Hostage Pa Rin Sa Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / June 26, 2008) – Pinalaya diumano ng Abu Sayyaf ang isa sa limang dinukot na empleyado ng Basilan Electric Cooperative Inc., habang patuloy kahapon ang pagtugis ng mga sundalo at parak sa nasabing grupo.

Ayon sa ulat ng militar ay nabawi ng mga sundalo si Ronnie Tansiung matapos itong matagpuan sa bayan ng Tuburan nuong gabi ng Huwebes matapos itong dukutin dakong alas 11 ng umaga sa Barangay Sinulatan.

Walang ibinigay na detalye ang militar sa Basilan at Zamboanga o press release ukol sa pagkakalaya ni Tansiung. Ngunit sa ulat ng ipinasa sa Abante ay sinasabing natibo ng Basilan si Tansiung at kabilang sa tribu ng Yakan, isa sa maraming grupo ng mga Muslim sa Mindanao.

Kinilala naman ng pulisya ang mga nalalabing biktima na sina Alberto Singson at kapatid nitong si Emilberto; at ang mag-utol na Paul at Birin Herowig.

Sinabi ni Alfredo Oyao, ang manager ng Basilan Electric Cooperative, na kabilang sa mga dinukot ay isang foreman at apat na electric meter readers. Wala pa umanong natatanggap na balita si Oyao ukol sa mga bihag.

Sinisi naman ng mga awtoridad sa Abu Sayyaf at Moro Islamic Liberation Front ang nasabing pagdukot at nakilala na ang ilan sa mga lider ng armadong grupo na sina Nurhasan Jamiri at Furuji Indama.

Hindi pa malinaw ang motibo sa pagdujkot ngunit matindi ang hinalang ransom ang dahilan nito. Nuong nakaraang linggo lamang ay pinalaya ng isa Abu Sayyaf faction sa Sulu province si kidnapped ABS-CBN television Ces Drilon at cameraman nitong sina Jimmy Encarnacion at Angelo Valderama, gayun rin si Mindanao State University Prof. Octavio Dinampo kapalit ng malaking halaga ng ransom.

Mistulang binastos naman ng Abu Sayyaf si Philippine military chief Alexander Yano dahil dinukot nito ang 5 kasabay ng pahayag ng heneral na wala ng puwersa ang teroristang grupo at binansangan pa nitong bandido ang dating kinakatakutan sa Mindanao.

"We still look at them as a loose organization with some splinter groups, in fact, some of them may be conducting their own operations, and now, has degenerated into a money-making group devoid of any ideology or cause," ani Yano sa isang media forum sa Makati City. (Mindanao Examiner)

Suporta Kay Lakas Ticket, Malakas Sa ARMM

COTABATO CITY – Todo ang suporta ng mga alkalde at gobernador ng Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao sa muling pagtakbo ni ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan.

Bilang chairman ng national Lakas directorate, pinili ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo si Ampatuan bilang standard bearer ng administrasyon sa ARMM elections sa Agosto 11. Anim na lalawigan ang sakop ng ARMM at halos lahat ng mga opisyal nito ay nangakong susuportahan ang kandidatura ni Ampatuan.

Sinabi naman ni Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, isa sa mga pinakama-impluwensyang kaalyado ni Ampatuan, na tiyak na ang panalo ng dating alkalde ng Maguindanao dahil sa laki ng suportang tinatanggap nito.

Ipinangako na ni Tan kay Ampatuan na ikakampanya nito ng husto sa Sulu ang ticket ng administrasyon. Katuwang ni Ampatuan si incumbent ARMM Vice Gov. Ansaruddin Adiong.

Si Tan rin ang madalas tawagan at kausapin ni Ampatuan ukol sa mga proyekto sa First at Second Districts ng Sulu dahil sa malinis na record at walang bahid ng anomalya ang gobernador.

Inamin ni Tan na malaki ang tulong na ibinibigay ni Ampatuan sa dalawang congressional districts sa Sulu. Ngunit ayon naman sa ibang mga alkalde sa Sulu ay may mga proyekto sina Tan at Ampatuan na inaako ng iba upang palabasin na sila ay nasa likod ng mga ito.

Isang malaking hamon din ang pahayag ng Pangulong Arroyo kay Ampatuan na pangunahan ang administration ticket bilang "vanguards of peace" at frontliners sa kampanya ng pamahalaan laban sa kahirapan sa autonomous region. Kanya rin itong inatasang magbuo ng isang peace offensive plan na mayroon malawak ng oportunidad para sa pagpapabuti ng kabuhayan ng mga residente ng ARMM.

Bukod kay Ampatuan ay 6 na iba pa ang tatakbo sa halalan bilang ARMM governor. (Mindanao Examiner at dagdag na ulat mula sa Philippine Information Agency)

Dipolog City Hosts Mindanao Business Confab

DIPOLOG CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 27, 2008) – US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney is expected to grace the opening of the 17th Mindanao Business Conference in Dipolog City in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte.

Edgar Bagariano, president of the Dipolog Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Kenney has accepted their invitation and is most likely to speak at the business conference set on August 27-29.

“We are excited with this latest development as we prepare for this big event that will put Dipolog City in the map of the Philippine business community,” Bagarinao said.

He said they also invited President Gloria Arroyo to be their guest of honor at the closing ceremony.

“We have also invited President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to be the Guest of Honor during the closing program of the conference and we expect to hear word from Malacanang of the President’s confirmation in a couple of weeks.”

“It has been a tradition that the President personally attends the Mindanao Business Conference to receive the Mindanao Policy Agenda which is an integration of issues and recommendations from the business community,” Bagarinao said.

Bagarinao said members of the Diplomatic Corps are expected to attend the conference and among those invited were Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura, Canadian Ambassador Robert Desjardins, Chinese Ambassador Song Tao, Australian Ambassador Roderick Smith and Sabah Chief Minister YAB Datuk Musa Haji Aman.

The Mindanao Business Conference, organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is the biggest annual gathering of the business community in Mindanao. The Dipolog Chamber of Commerce and Industry will host this year’s conference. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sulu, Basilan To Launch "Development" Offensives

Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan and his deputy Nur Ana Sahidula distribute farm implements to villagers in the province during the first H.E.L.P peace caravan last year. Sulu and Basilan provinces will launch a second H.E.L.P. peace caravan in July 17-19, 2008. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 27, 2008) – New Presidential Peace Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. has announced the start next month of the second H.E.L.P. peace caravan in the southern Philippine island of Sulu.

HELP stands for “Health, Education, Livelihood, Progress,” is a collaborative effort of national government agencies and various non-government organizations to address the immediate health, education and livelihood needs of communities affected by conflict.

The peace caravan, Esperon said, is also in collaboration with the Sulu provincial government, which played a big role in the successful launching last year of the first H.E.L.P. peace caravan which was participated by thousands of Muslims led by Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan and her deputy Nur Ana Sahidulla.

Esperon said the two-day peace caravan would begin on July 17 in Sulu and this would be duplicated in Basilan province. Both Sulu and Basilan are part of the six-province Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

“We are currently at the forefront of a wide scale humanitarian initiative in the South, with our renewal of humanitarian and relief efforts in Sulu and Basilan,” he said.

Esperon said President Gloria Arroyo has ordered a “full-scale development offensive” in Sulu and Basilan.

“By putting all national government initiatives in Basilan and Sulu in one package, and with their economic development becoming excellent laboratories for corporate social responsibility, everything shall eventually result in a better comprehensive delivery of services,” Esperon said.

The Asia America Initiative, an international non-government organization which participated in the past peace caravan, said it will join again the next H.E.L.P. activities in Sulu.

“Our goal is to build common ground and establish sustainable social and economic development programs in some of the most impoverished areas in Southeast Asia,” said AAI’s Albert Santoli.

He said contributors to AAI's Education and Livelihood activities in the second peace caravan include, Unilever Corporation, Universal Robina Corporation, Nestle, SM Supermarkets, the Franklin Fund, the Strake Foundation, MedPharm and numerous college and university student organizations.

Tan said the H.E.L.P. is a mechanism designed to address the needs of communities in crisis due to the prevailing conflict in the area. He said the H.E.L.P initiative is also aimed at consulting with the local communities on their medium and long term concerns particularly on livelihood and employment aspect.

“We are consistent with our programs and we hope to help as much people in the second H.E.L.P. peace caravan. This is what we wanted to show the world, the good things we are doing and the efforts of this government to bring peace and development to Sulu province.”

“We ask the help of the media to spread the good news and not picture Sulu as strife-torn or haven for terrorists. Sulu is a beautiful place and we have a rich culture and heritage and as am matter of fact, the Yuchengo Museum in Makati is currently holding an exhibit about our colorful past and historical artifacts,” Tan said.

Tan was referring to the the exhibit dubbed “Beyond the Currents: The Culture and Power of Sulu,” at the Cone Gallery which runs until July 23.

Aside from artifacts, the exhibit also displays an interesting collection of documents, like treaties written in both English and Arabic. These treaties embody the negotiating points between the Sulu sovereign and the various imperial powers of the time.

Last year, Tan launched the "Fruits of Hope program" in partnership with the AAI and the Philippine National Red Cross and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The Fruits of Hope program was a model for reconciliation and terror prevention through creating livelihood opportunities in agricultural and fisheries-based communities. Because of the program, Sulu was able to shipped about six tons of assorted fruits bought from farmers and agricultural cooperatives and sold to supermarkets in Manila. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine TV Denies Anew It Paid Ransom To Abu Sayyaf

Inasmuch as we would like the truth to come out, it is our duty to correct erroneous reports that have been repeatedly published in major newspapers.

The reports allude to the involvement of ABS-CBN in the payment of ransom, citing a supposed Meralco-registered plane that was seen in Zamboanga City Airport in June to deliver two duffel bags that allegedly contained ransom.

We have checked this with Meralco and it said it has no Cessna plane and that no Meralco aircraft ever flew to Zamboanga during the entire kidnapping ordeal.

Meralco's majority shareholder is the Lopez Group of Companies, which owns ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation.ABS-CBN strictly abides by its "no ransom" policy as it would put more journalists at risk from threats of kidnapping.

Sayyaf Releases Hostage, Holds On To 4 More In Basilan Island

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 26, 2008) – Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen freed one of five kidnapped workers of a rural electric company in Basilan island in the southern Philippines, military reports said.

It said Ronnie Tansiung was released late Thursday in Tuburan town, where militants seized the five earlier in the day. No details about the release of the hostage were made available by the military, except Tansiung is a native of Basilan.

Police and military identified the remaining hostages as brothers Alberto and Emilberto Singson; Paul Herowig and his brother Birin. The victims are workers of the Basilan Electric Cooperative Inc.

Alfredo Oyao, the victims’ manager, said among the hostages was a foreman and electric meter readers. Oyao said they are yet to hear from the kidnappers. The fate of the

Authorities blamed the Abu Sayyaf and members of the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front as behind the latest kidnapping. It tagged Nurhasan Jamiri and Furuji Indama as among those who seized the workers.

The motive of the kidnapping is still unknown, but a faction of the Abu Sayyaf last week freed a kidnapped ABS-CBN television Ces Drilon and her cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, including a Muslim university professor Octavio Dinampo in nearby Sulu province in exchange for a huge ransom.

The latest attack coincided with the pronouncement of Philippine military chief Alexander Yano that the Abu Sayyaf, which was originally fighting for the establishment of a strict Islamic state similar to Afghanistan, has been reduced to being bandits.

“We still look at them as a loose organization with some splinter groups, in fact, some of them may be conducting their own operations, and now, has degenerated into a money-making group devoid of any ideology or cause,” Yano told a media forum in Manila. (With reports from Nonong Santiago)

Release "Impounded" Funds To Help Calamity Areas, Senator Urges Arroyo

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 26, 2008) – A Filipino senator has urged President Gloria Arroyo to release billions of pesos in impounded government funds to help citizens and areas affected by typhoon Fengshen.

Sen. Francis Escudero said at least P6.6 billions worth of funds can be added to the P2 billions in calamity money to aid those worst hit by the typhoon.

“There is no reason why aid should come in trickles to flood-hit areas when there are certain segments in the national budget, other than the Calamity Fund, which can be tapped for disaster work,” Escudero said in a statement.

Escudero, a member of the opposition, said Arroyo can order the release of the funding from the so-called “Kilos Asenso Fund” and from the financial subsidy to local government units and the Kalayaan Barangay Fund.

“The release of these funds is contingent on the President's approval. She should dig into these funds so there will be more resources available for relief work.”

“This is bigger than the $100,000 aid the President got from the US State Department, one which was met with profuse thanks from her, as if she had won the lotto, when in fact she has at her easy disposal all the above-mentioned funds to use in times like this,” he said.

But Escudero was quick to say that he is calling for the “full diversion” of the P6.6 billions, but “only that the latter be prioritized in the allocation.’

"Or if there is formula being followed in the apportioning of these funds, then maybe Iloilo's share be given in advance, "Escudero said, referring to the province in central Philippines which was the hardest hit by the typhoon.

Rep. Ferjenel Biron, of Iloilo's 4th District and Iloilo Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico have criticized the government slow response to the devastation in the province.

The P2-billion Kilos Asenso Fund is included in the P228.2 -billion Allocations for Local Government Units (ALGU) item in Republic Act 9498, or the General Appropriations Act for 2008. The biggest component in this block is the P210.7 billion earmarked for Internal Revenue Allotment of LGUs.

Also included in the ALGU is some P3.6 billion in "Financial Subsidy to LGUs", which is designed to partly fund the premium contributions of local governments in the Phil Health enrollment of their indigent constituents.

"This can be used to address public health challenges which arose from the calamity , which include repair of hospitals, replenishment of medical stocks, and settlement of Phil Health claims, usage which meets the congressional intent about this particular expenditure", he said

The Kalayaan Barangay on the other hand, forms part of the P51 billion budget of the Department of National Defense. To be implemented by the Armed Forces, the P1-bilion fund is intended for the development of dissident-threatened villages.

Exhibit Showcases Other Side Of Sulu

Sulu artifacts.

MANILA, Philippines - In the busy corner of Ayala and Buendia in Makati City, the glass- and steel-framed Yuchengco Museum currently plays host to a collection of artifacts pertaining to Sulu. Yes, Sulu.

That little archipelago just off the Zamboanga Peninsula where a recent hostage drama played out. That impoverished province that actually used to be an economic center in Southeast Asia that took part in the boom of imperial capitalism in the late 19th century.

Called “Beyond the Currents: The Culture and Power of Sulu,” the exhibit showcases the richness of Sulu’s—and inevitably the Philippines’—history, a timely endeavor now that Sulu is in the news for something unfortunate like the kidnapping of journalists by bandits.

More than turning the spotlight on the other side of Sulu, however, the exhibit is an attempt to correct the “exteriorization” of Sulu in the writing of Philippine history, as UP arts studies professor and guest museum curator Abraham Sakili calls it.

National history, he says, was written in such a way that Sulu was relegated into a mere province, just any province, of the Philippines, when it was once a thriving entrepot, a trade and maritime center.

Sakili chose “power” as the central concept that holds together the pieces in the collection that have been loaned from sources like Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco, Ramon Villegas, and the Ayala Museum.

The collection features weaponry, armor, transcript of treaties, chinaware traded in the Sulu entrepot, among other things. In the classic historical study titled The Sulu Zone, James Warren chronicles the rise and decline of the Sulu’s political-economic machinery.

Thus, the exhibit rightly focuses on the theme of Sulu as a strategically located hub for the competing trading routes and imperialisms of the time. It emphasizes the fact that the military strength and naval prowess of the Sulu Sultanate was heavily interlinked with the maritime trade that it specialized with.

When the trade with China was still profitable, the British wanted to get its fair share. But to be able to trade in the ports of Hong Kong and Shanghai, the British needed another set of products to trade with China other than the opium that they had been producing in South Asia.

They needed to source other goods that the Chinese wanted. Meanwhile, as the British advanced in the Southeast Asia, the Spaniards in Manila closed Illana Bay, off the coast of Cotabato, to Chinese junk ships trading across the South China Sea.

A fort was established in Zamboanga and this effectively choked the Sultanate of Maguindanao, the economic competitor in the region of the Sulu Sultanate.

The confluence of these events put Sulu in a very lucky spot — it had mostly maritime and forest products that the Chinese had been trading with them for the longest time. The British gained access to these goods — to bring to the Chinese ports — by trading arms with the Sultan of Sulu. Thus, Sulu’s military prowess was enhanced.

The museum exhibits some artifacts that jibe with these details in Sulu’s political-economic history. An example is the brass lantakas (cannons) powered by Chinese gunpowder. There is an amazing array of body armor, along with spears that the Sulu troops used in their battles, on which prayers for protection were etched.

Interestingly, the body armor comes with headscarf on which prayers are written in similar strokes as those found in the amulets sold in Quiapo.The exhibit also displays an interesting collection of documents, like treaties written in both English and Arabic.

These treaties embody the negotiating points between the Sulu sovereign and the various imperial powers of the time.Located at the 3rd and 4th floors of the Cone Gallery, the Yuchengco Museum will run the exhibit until July 23. (Lou Janssen Dangzalan)

MILF, AFP Fighting Stops In Mindanao

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Sayyafs Seize 5 People In South RP

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 26, 2008) – Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen seized five people on Thursday in Basilan island where security forces are fighting the militant group tied to al-Qaeda terror network, blamed for the spate of kidnappings and terrorism in the southern Philippines.

The five, all workers of the Basilan Electric Cooperative, were abducted near Sinulatan village in Tuburan town, a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf.

“My foreman and four electric meter readers were abducted by gunmen in Tuburan and we still don’t know what happened to them,” Alfredo Oyao, the victims’ manager, told reporters.

No group claimed responsibility for the abduction, although police and military have blamed the Abu Sayyaf group.

Last week, another faction of the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped an ABS-CBN television presenter Ces Drilon and her cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, including a Muslim university professor Octavio Dinampo in nearby Sulu province.

The four, kidnapped June 8, were allegedly freed nine days later in exchange for P20 million ransoms.

Police also arrested Sulu town Mayor Alvarez Isnaji and his son Haider after implicating them in the kidnapping. They were also accused of pocketing up to P3 million from then ransom payment, but the mayor, who was handpicked by the Abu Sayyaf to negotiate for the release of the hostages denied the allegations.

Thousands of troops are not hunting down about three dozen militants involved in the kidnapping. The United States has offered as much as $5 million bounty each for known leaders of the Abu Sayyaf. (Nonong Santiago)

Sayyaf Man Arrested In Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 26, 2008) – Philippine soldiers arrested a member of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group in the southern island of Sulu, where security forces are tracking down militants blamed for the recent kidnapping of a television news crew.

Army Major Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, said soldiers arrested Jul Akram Hadjail near Sulu’s airport in Jolo town. He said the militant is facing criminal charges from various cases in Sulu and had a P150,000 bounty for his capture.

“Jul Akram Adjail is being interrogated by the military in Sulu. We are investigating whether he is also involved in the kidnapping of the television news crew in Sulu,” Batara told the Mindanao Examiner.

Police and military blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the June 8 kidnapping of ABS-CBN television reporter Ces Drilon and her cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, including a Muslim university professor Octavio Dinampo in Maimbung town.

They were freed separately in two groups after a week allegedly in exchange for P20 million ransoms.

Police also arrested Sulu town Mayor Alvarez Isnaji and his son Haider after implicating them in the kidnapping. They were also accused of pocketing up to P3 million from then ransom payment, but the mayor, who was handpicked by the Abu Sayyaf to negotiate for the release of the hostages denied the allegations.

Thousands of troops are not hunting down about three dozen militants involved in the kidnapping. The United States has offered as much as $5 million bounty each for known leaders of the Abu Sayyaf. (Mindanao Examiner)

Freshman Arrested Over Joke In South RP

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 25, 2008) – Philippine authorities arrested a college freshman after he joked that he had a bomb in his bag at a public square in Davao City.

Police said the 16-year old student of the Holy Cross of Davao College is being detained after park security nabbed him Tuesday. The teenager boasted that he was carrying a bomb while security was frisking him at the park entrance.

No bomb or explosive was found in the bag and the student said he was only joking, but park security arrested him and called the police.

It was not immediately known whether the police would file charges against the teenager whose parents were told about their son’s arrest. (Romy Bwaga)

Village Chieftain Killed in Davao City

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 25, 2008) – Unidentified gunmen shot dead a village chieftain Davao City in the southern Philippines, police said.

Police said Ernesto Binggan, of the village of Fatima in Paquibato district, was killed at around 7 a.m.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack, but the slain official was a staunch supporter of the military and had aided soldiers in the past in anti-insurgency campaign in his village.

Davao City is a stronghold of communist insurgents, blamed by the police and military for the spate of attacks and killings of civilians suspected as government spy or those aiding security forces in fighting the New People’s Army.

The NPA is the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, which broke off peace talks with the Arroyo government in 2004 after the United States and the European Union listed the groups, in Manila’s prodding, as foreign terrorist organizations. (Romy Bwaga)

MILF, Army Say 14 Killed In Fierce Fighting In Mindanao

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Photo: Halal Or Haram?

A man sells pork meat branded halal in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga on Wednesday, June 25, 2008. But pork is considered haram or food forbidden by Islamic law. Halal is meat that has been slaughtered in the manner prescribed by the Shari’a or food conforming to the Islamic dietary laws. The animals are killed under religious supervision by cutting the throat to allow removal of all blood from the carcass, without prior stunning. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Kampo Ni Isnaji Galit Kay Drilon; MNLF Nagiinit Na!

Ang napalayang si Ces Drilon ng hindi mapigilan ang emosyon sa naganap na pagdukot sa kanyang grupo sa Sulu. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / June 24, 2008) – Matindi umano ang galit ng kampo ni Sulu Mayor Alvarez Isnaji sa pinalayang ABS-CBN reporter Ces Drilon dahil sa pagkakasangkot ng pulitiko sa kidnapping charges na inihain ng pulisya.

Maging ang Moro National Liberation Front at mga supporters ni Isnajio ay galit na rin kay Drilon dahil sa bigo itong ipagtanggol at linisin ang pangalan ng mayor na siyang nakipag-negosasyon sa Abu Sayyaf sa paglaya ng reporter at kasamahan nito.

Dinukot nuong June 8 si Drilon kasama ang dalwang cameraman nito na sina Jimmy Encarnacion at Angelo Valderama, gayun rin ang kanilang guide na si Prof. Octavio Dinampo ng Mindanao State University.

Pinalaya ang apat kapalit diumano ng P20 milyon ransom, ayon kay Atty. Firdausi Abbas na siyang abogado ni Isnaji na ngayon ay nakapiiit sa Maynila kasama ang anak na si Haider na tumulong rin sa negosasyon. Pinili ng Abu Sayyaf si Isnaji bilang negosasyador, subalit isinabit naman ito ng pulisya at sinabing nakinabang sa ransom na ibinayad ng ABS-CBN at pamilya ni Drilon at isang mayamang Intsik na hindi naman sinabi ang pangalan.

Ilang ulit rin na itinanggi ng ABS-CBN at ng pamilya ni Drilon na nagbigay sila ng ransom sa Abu Sayyaf, ngunit inamin naman ng pulisya na nagkaroon nga ng bayaran. Tumulong rin si Sen. Loren Legarda sa pagpapalaya kina Drilon at maging ito ay nagsabing walang ransom na ibiniyad sa Abu Sayyaf.

Itinanggi ni Isnaji ang lahat ng akusasyon sa kanya at sa anak.

“Ces Drilon should speak out the truth because she knew that Mayor Isnaji has nothing to do with the kidnapping. She should open up her mind now. Her conscience will not let hey calm,” ani pa ni Gafur Kanain, ang executive assistant ni Isnaji.

Sinumbatan pa ni Kanain si Drilon at sinabing walang utang na loob ito. “She cried many times begging for the help of Mayor Isnaji and telling him not to back out from negotiations especially when the Abu Sayyaf had threatened to behead them and now what? Iniwan nila si Mayor at pinagbintangan pa,” wika pa ni Kanain sa isang panayam.

Sinabi pa ni Kanain na maging ang MNLF ay nagpupulong na rin para sa kanilang gagawing hakbang. Hindi naman sinabi ni Kanain kung ano ang plano ng MNLF.

“The entire MNLF leadership and the ground commanders will be holding a command conference anytime to decide once and for all. We silenced our guns because we are sincere in fulfilling the 1996 peace agreement. The fabricated charges and accusations against Brother Isnaji is an act of provocation, a blatant insult and disrespect to the entire leadership of the MNLF,” ani pa umano ng isang text message ng MNLF na ipinasa naman ni Kanain sa Mindanao Examiner.

Si Isnaji ay isa rin mataas na opisyal ng MNLF at miyembro ng Central Committee ng dating rebeldeng grupo. Ito rin ang presidente ng provincial League of Municipalities.

Naunang nagpahayag ng pagka-dismaya si MNLF chieftain Muslimin Sema sa pagkakasangkot ni Isnaji sa kidnapping at sinabing suportado ng buong hukbo ng grupo ang mayor.

Si Isnaji rin ang nasa likod ng pagpapalaya ng mahigit sa 100 katao na binihag ng mga rebeldeng Muslim sa Zamboanga City nuong 2002 na binansagang “Cabatangan Siege.” (Mindanao Examiner)

Pregnant Mom, Child Buried Alive In Zamboanga Landslide

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 24, 2008) – A pregnant mother and her child were killed after a landslide on Tuesday buried a house in Zamboanga city in southern Philippines.

Heavy rains triggered by typhoon Fengshen last week had loosed soil that buried the house of the Candado family near a hillside village called Maasin. “The house was destroyed by the landslide and a pregnant mother and her child were buried alive,” said village chieftain Misael Bernardo.

Bernardo also appealed on radio for equipment to dig through debris and recover the victims. “We need help here. The house is buried and there are two people inside, a pregnant mother and her child,” he told the dxRZ Radyo Agong.

Witnesses said more than half of the house was buried in boulders and mud and villagers dug though debris with their bare hands to retrieve the victims, but failed to save them.

The woman’s husband was working at a construction site when the landslide occurred shortly before 9 a.m. The bodies were recovered three hours later. The woman, Liza, was five months pregnant and her child, Chubby, was only six years old.

The typhoon, whose local codename Frank, left a trail of destruction in the southern Philippines where at least 2 dozen people were reported killed and injured and tens of thousands displaced by flash floods.

But authorities said the death toll across the country could reach to hundreds after a 24,000-ton ferry, the Princess of the Star, with nearly 750 aboard capsized off Sibuyan Island in Romblon province as the typhoon battered central and northern Philippines before heading towards Taiwan.

At least 155 people have been confirmed dead from the fury of the typhoon.

Rescuers have found several dozens of survivors and cadavers from the stricken ferry, owned by Sulpicio Lines. The government has suspended all Sulpicio’s ferries until a maritime investigation into the sinking of the Princess of the Star is finished.

Initial maritime reports said the ferry’s engine malfunctioned and that the captain of the vessel had told passengers to abandon the ship. The captain was among those missing and presumed dead. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Philippine President Gloria Arroyo In The United States

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo shakes hands with US Deputy State Secretary John Negroponte, former US ambassador to the Philippines, who called on her at the Willard Hotel in Washington DC on Tuesday, June 23, 2008 (Washington time). Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) president John Danilovich also met with Arroyo upon her arrival at the MCC headquarters in Washington. A US government corporation, the MCC works with developing countries in the promotion of anti-poverty projects through good governance and sustainable economic growth. (Photo by Rodolfo Manabat, OPS)