one mindanao - september 14, 2011

2 ONE MINDANAO Wednesday, September 14, 2011

C O N T E N T SNATIONAL• Ochoa: Gov’t to monitor mining revenues• Campaign against tax evaders and smugglers paying off – Aquino• Aquino congratulates Campaigns & Grey in its 25th foundation anniversary• Aquino challenges private sector to ‘live up’ to the pledge contained in unified code of conduct signed in the First Integrity Summit• Aquino to highlight government and private sector efforts to instill integrity in governance• Aquino declares October 23-29, 2011 as National Psoriasis Awareness week• Aquino leaves for four-day official visit to U.S. on Sept.18• Aquino to address Asia Society in New York

CNEX• MMDA forms bayanihan zone alliance to minimize flooding• Attack on MMDA enforcer serves as wake up call• Tagalog News: Balak bigyan ng armas ang mga traffic enforcers – MMDA• Anti-Smoking Ban still in full blast - MMDA• MMDA vows to clean billboardsindustry despite TRO• MMDA mulls arming a special group

Western Mindanao (Zamboanga Peninsula)

• Basilan RLA aspirants present plans in public forum• WESCOM spearheads forum to protect Palawan’s tourism industry • ARMM’s public forum on RLA enunciates nominees plans, programs • CHED-IX awards scholarships to college students • Cebuano News: DSWD, DOH nakadawat donasyon sa Vitamin-C alang sa mga biktima sa dengue

Northern Mindanao• NAPC clarifies role in the alleged Bukidnon scam• 252 BJMP inmates, receive free dental services from Good Samaritans• Lanao Norte Muslims receive rice and dates fruit• Waste mess impels city to impound stray dogs• BFAR offers scholarship to fisherfolk children

Southern Mindanao (Davao Region)• USEP gym now functional • DPWH bares P200M projects completed in DavSur• 4Ps brings my children back to school• Davao Light personnel build 2 houses for GK beneficiaries • DavSur prepares health emergency management system plan

Central Mindanao (SOCSKSARGEN)• Prov’l LGU, charity group holds grand surgical mission for IPs, indigents • Tagalog News: Tatlong mag-aaral ng GSC Sped Integrated School pinarangalan ng RDC 12• Tagalog News: Bagong police provincial director ng S. Cotabato pormal nang uupo sa puwesto • Tagalog News: Isa pang bomba sumabog sa Cotabato City kaninang umaga• Tagalog News: Mga operator, drayber may hanggang Setyembre 15 para kunin ang fuel subsidy • Tagalog News: Robredo hindi target ng pambomba sa Cotabato City – Khu

Northeastern Mindanao (Caraga)• Sen. Revilla eyes on filming “Panday” in Surigao del Norte to help promote tourism industry• Gov. Pimentel calls CNN for a dialogue• Youth leaders network initiates activities for peace• Surigaonon News: Surigao City Mayor Matugas nagpasalamat sa malamposon nga pagsaulog sa charter day ug fiesta celebration• Cebuano News: Clean Ground, Zero Waste program ni Mayor Amante,nahimong makasaysayanon sa dakbayan sa Butuan

OUR COVER:

TUNA FESTIVAL

Exploring new depths and challenges

EDITORIAL STAFF

An Electronic News Magazine published daily by Philippine Information Agency (PIA)

Mindanao Clusters

Executive Editor ……......... EFREN F. ELBANBUENA Cluster Head, Southern, Western and Central Mindanao Regional Director, PIA Region XI

Managing Editor ……......... ABNER M. CAGA Cluster Head, Northern and Northeastern Mindanao Regional Director, PIA Caraga Region

Associate Editors ……....... OLIVIA T. SUDARIA Regional Director, PIA Region XII NOEMI A. EDAGA Regional Director, PIA Region IX

RUTCHIE C. AGUHOB Officer-in-charge,PIARegionX

Regional Desk Editors …... Jocelyn P. Alvarez, PIA Region IX Elaine O. Ratunil, PIA Region X Rudolph Ian G. Alama, PIA Region XI Dani E. Doguiles, PIA Region XII Robert E. Roperos, PIA Caraga Region Nora CL Molde, PIA Caraga Region

Copy Editor ……………….. Robert E. Roperos, PIA Caraga Region

Layout Artists ……………... Gerie Mae G. Coco, PIA Caraga Region Richard D. Atillo, PIA Caraga Region Emmanuel D. Gonzales, PIA Caraga Region

Editorial Advisers ……….... ATTY. JOSE A. FABIA Director-General Philippine Information Agency

SEC. HERMINIO “Sonny” B. COLOMA PresidentialCommunicationsOperationsOffice

PHOTO CREDITS:

riajose.comChris SulitYami

3ONE MINDANAOWednesday, September 14, 2011

GenSan Tuna Festival 2011: Exploring new depths and challenges

Cover Story:

by CT Apelacio

spectators partaking in the celebration of Tuna Festival 2011 crowded the streets here from start to finish.

The Tuna Festival kicked off September 1 with the 13th National Tuna Con-gress keeping the tradition alive each year since it start-

ed in 1998. The Tuna Festival’s week-long activities were part of the month-long cel-ebration of the 43rd Char-

ter Anniversary of this city which kicked off August 5 with the theme, “Exploring New Depths, Conquering New Challenges.”

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The anniversary and the Tuna Festival celebration ended September 5, which was also a special non-working holiday in GenSan pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 219. SocSarGen Federation of Fishing and Allied Indus-tries, Incorporated (SFFAII) executive director Rosanna Contreras, said the congress opened mid morning with the trade ex-hibit and the newly -added feature-- the tuna culinary challenge par-ticipated in by different schools here. The ex-hibit, she add-ed was joined by 50 exhibitors occupying 70 booths show-casing the various products ranging from processed tuna to the latest fishing technolo-gies and the like. Contreras rationalized the staging of the trade exhib-it saying GenSan also serves as transshipment point of agricultural products of Soc-SarGen (South Cotabato-Sa-

rangani-General Santos City) aside from being a major fish landing area in the South. Being situated stra-tegically, GenSan, over the years has established “trade relations with neighboring countries in the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam-Indo-nesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN (Association

of Southeast Asian Nations) Growth Area, Australia and Micronesia,” she said. Meanwhile, Meriam Buguis, department head of the City Economic Manage-ment and Cooperative Devel-opment Office (CEMCDO) said the congress discussed and presented notable issues and concerns facing the fish-ery sector today.

The congress theme an-chored on “Caring for the Fu-ture: A Shared Commitment.” Congress organizers led by the Dept. of Trade and Indus-try (DTI) and the SFFAII said some 300 participants attend-ed this year’s congress. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala was the key-note speaker representing

President Be-nigno Aquino III, who was in China for a state visit. Alcala ar-rived Sep-tember 1 to lead along-side City Mayor Dar-lene Antoni-no-Custodio the ground breaking of

the Php3.75-M worth Aspar-agus Packing Plant which is expected to boost production of asparagus. The city government headed by Mayor Antonino feted congress participants and guests in a sumptuous farewell dinner at the 18th Hole Driving Range high-lighting the “Karagatan Awarding Ceremony” which

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Cover Story: Gensan Tuna Festival 2011....from page 3


honored “the unsung heroes of the fishing industry.” The culmination on September 5 was a jam-packed of spectacular activit ies and parties fea-turing the 7:00 o’clock thanksgiving Mass with the Pamahaw Pasasala-mat in front of the city

hall along with the Al-musal Alay sa Kapwa at Oval Covered Court. Other activit ies in-cluded the Pasiklaban sa Paaralan Online Quiz Semi Finals at Robin-son’s Place; the 7th Min-danao Open Bonsai Com-petit ion and Exhibit; the

Coke Got Talent at Tuna Festival Grand Finals, a Coco-Cola party zone; and the colorful Float Parade at the Oval Plaza Grounds, which won the East Asia Royale Hotel here the first cash prize of Php150,000. (CTA/PIA General Santos City)

Cover Story: Gensan Tuna Festival 2011....from page 4


The Aquino administration is taking steps to ensure that profits generated by mining companies translate into state revenues and that mining benefits trickle down to the general public, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said on Wednesday.

Ochoa: Gov’t to monitor mining revenues

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In a speech at the Mining Philippines 2011 Conference and Ex-hibition held in Pasay City, Ochoa revealed the country’s inten-tion to apply for com-pliance status with the London-based Extrac-tive Industry Transpar-ency Initiative (EITI) to help achieve the much-needed reforms in the mining industry. EITI is a global ini-tiative that requires par-ticipating governments to publicly report the revenues they receive from extractive industry companies and for those companies to publicly report the revenues they pay to government. This

mechanism allows more transparency in revenue reporting. “High on our agen-da is transparency in revenues derived from mining,” Ochoa said, as he pointed out the need to determine how the mining sector contrib-utes to sustainable de-velopment. “Further reforms are therefore needed to ensure that the accept-ability of mining is en-hanced and its impact as a driver of economic growth is truly felt,” he added. Data from the De-partment of Environment and Natural Resources show that mining con-

tributed P110 billion to the gross domestic product and generated P12.5 billion in tax rev-enues, royalties, and fees for the government last year. Ochoa said the country’s EITI candi-dacy and subsequent membership is consis-tent with the “vision of good governance” of the Aquino administration. “It will be a strong manifestation of trans-parency if the payments and revenues received by the government from the development of the country’s mineral re-sources and how these are utilized are made public,” Ochoa told the


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conference attended mostly by industry play-ers who comprise the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines. The Executive Sec-retary said that while the Mining Act of 1995 has put in place environ-mental and safety nets to address mining con-cerns, efforts must be stepped up for aware-ness and strict compli-ance of the law. He also under-scored the need to strike a balance between min-ing and protecting the environment and natu-ral resources toward achieving enhanced so-cial acceptability of min-ing operations. Aware that the Philippine mining in-dustry has been the subject of intense scru-tiny by various sectors, Ochoa called on indus-try players to overcome the negative stigma at-tached to mining and to continue to work hard to gain public accept-ability. “But done in a manner that takes into

consideration the im-portance of safeguard-ing the environment, we know that mining can contribute signifi-cantly both to sustained economic development and poverty reduction in the countryside,” Ochoa said, citing the case of countries like Canada, Australia and Chile where mining has contributed to econom-ic growth and develop-ment. “For mining to be acceptable, it must be guided by the principles of sustainable develop-ment, environmental protection, social equi-ty and, of course, good governance,” Ochoa added. “Mining must also be pursued along-side other economic activities that are com-patible with it, includ-ing agriculture and eco-tourism.” Speaking on behalf of President Benigno Aquino III, Ochoa also acknowledged the min-ing industry’s commit-ment and participation in the National Greening

Program (NGP), pursu-ant to Executive Order No. 26 which the Chief Executive signed on February 24. Far from the usual reforestation program, NGP is a government priority program that aims to curb poverty, promote food security, environmental stability and biodiversity conser-vation, and enhance cli-mate change mitigation and adaptation. The NGP also seeks to substantially increase the number of trees nationwide to im-prove water quality in rivers and irrigation for farm lands, reduce the potential for flooding, soak up carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and lay the foundation for an expanded wood-products economy. “The program spe-cifically seeks to plant 1.5 billion seedlings in 1.5 million hectares of public lands nationwide in six years, from 2011 to 2016—more than twice the government’s accomplishment for the

Ochoa: Gov’t to...from page 6


past 25 years, which is estimated at 730,000 hectares,” Ochoa said. Ochoa described as a “step in the right direc-tion” and a “clear mani-festation of corporate

social responsibility” the announced commitment of the mining industry to reforest 34,000 hect-ares over the next three years. The figure, he said,

will be “over and above the number of trees to be planted and main-tained as part of the mining contractor’s ob-ligation to rehabilitate mining-affected lands.

Government efforts to run after tax evaders and smugglers are “paying off” after President Benigno S. Aquino III said that revenue collection for the first six months of this year has increased dramatically.

Campaign against tax evaders and smugglers paying off – Aquino

In his speech key-noting the 1st Integrity Summit held at the Grand Ballroom of the Mar-riot Hotel in Pasay City Wednesday, President Aquino revealed that the government’s campaign against tax evaders and smugglers had helped in putting in much needed revenues into govern-ment coffers by as much as 13.47 percent. “Since we assumed office, we have worked on improving our tax ad-ministration efforts and some of the things we have done is run after tax evaders, smugglers and corrupt government officials,” the President

told the gathering of lo-cal and global corporate leaders, anti-corruption experts, and senior gov-ernment officials. He noted that since July 2010 a total of 61 tax evasion cases and 43 smuggling cases have been filed against these groups and individu-als “with claims totaling around P26-billion and 54-billion, respectively.” “As we continue to monitor these cases, I am happy to report that our campaign against tax evaders and smugglers is paying off,” the President said. “From January to July this year, revenues

collected have already increased by 13.47 per-cent year on year,” he added. He said that these “taxes that could have gone to social services, infrastruchture, debt re-duction or national de-fense” had the previ-ous administration been more alert to the situa-tion. “Imagine how much money has been lost over the years,” the President said. “But as we strive to show that this is no lon-ger the case, I hope we can urge our fellow citi-zens to pay their share of taxes,” he said. (RCK)

Ochoa: Gov’t to...from page 7


President Benigno S. Aquino III congratulated advertising and public relations firm Campaigns & Grey in its 25th year in the industry saying the company has contributed a lot in nation building.

Aquino congratulates Campaigns & Grey in its 25th foundation anniversary

The President said Campaigns and & Grey conceptualized the com-munication strategies of

his campaign when he both run for senator and president. “I take this time to

thank you personally for all the contributions in my career in public ser-vice,” the Chief Execu-

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President Benigno S. Aquino III graces the Campaigns & Grey’s 25th Anniversary at the Rockwell Tent in Makati City Tuesday night (September 13). Founded in 1986, Campaigns & Grey is a full service communications agency with capabilities including strategic planning, advertising, digital marketing, activation, public relations and advocacy communications. Along with Cam-paigns & Grey, the agency has five other divisions under its umbrella, namely Campaigns PR Inc (CAPRI), Campaigns Social Response, Camp Apple, Bacon and Neuron, to provide a total integrated communications offering to its clients. Campaigns & Grey also works closely with affiliate agencies Campaigns Cebu and Campaigns Davao. (Photo by: Benhur Arcayan / Malaca-ñang Photo Bureau).


tive said in his message during the anniversary celebration at Rockwell Tent in Makati City on Tuesday evening. According to the President, circumstanc-es forced him to enter both the senatorial race and presidential race at very delayed time. De-spite the limited period, he won both races with the help of the advertis-ing and PR firm. His late entry was his major handicap, the President said, adding that he had less money compared to other can-didates who prepared to enter the race three years before the election. But with the help of Campaigns & Grey he was able to communicate his message to the peo-ple and inspire them to-wards victory, the Presi-dent added. He thanked peo-ple behind Campaigns & Grey for helping him in his campaign noting their advocacy and dedication to corporate social re-sponsibility are extraor-dinary.

“The zeal of advo-cates who are willing to take a stand, willing to put their stake on what they believe was right. This is especially commendable since advertising and marketing communica-tions is an industry that traditionally has shied away from partisanship,” the President said. It is commendable, the President said, be-cause he wasn’t the most lucrative client during the campaign but Cam-paigns & Grey concep-tualized the strategy for him to win for the benefit of the people. Also Campaigns & Grey has advocacies on raising awareness to-wards acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), environmental issues and politics. Among the cam-paign slogans the firm conceptualized for Presi-dent Aquino were “Lagot ka sa Nanay Mo”, “Kung Walang Kurap, Walang Mahirap”, which accord-ing to the chief execu-tive remains the driving force of his administra-

tion. Campaigns & Grey has always been behind him to reach out and send his message to the people, the President said. Founded in 1986 as Campaigns Inc., the agency became one of the Philippine’s top 10 agencies in five years. It built its reputation as a maverick agency that created many chal-lenger brands into mar-ket leaders. Campaigns Inc. became a member of the Grey Group in 1994. Today Cam-paigns & Grey has evolved into a syn-ergistic network of affi l iate units, each special izing different components of com-munications. Other govern-ment officials who joined the President during the event were Sen. Franklin Drilon, Presidential spokes-man Edwin Lacierda and Interior and Local government Secretary Jessie Robredo. (AS)

Aquino congratulates....from page 9


President Benigno S. Aquino III challenged participants who signed the Unified Code of Conduct during the launch of the 1st Integrity Summit on Wednesday to “live up” and take “extremely seriously” the standards contained in the pledge in order to complete a unified government-private sector stance against corruption.

Aquino challenges private sector to ‘live up’ to the pledge contained in unified code of conduct signed in the First Integrity Summit

The President, in his keynote speech at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriot Hotel in Pasay City, said that only by in-stilling a culture of integ-rity in the private sector as what is being done in government, can a holis-tic approach at addressing corruption be achieved. “I am happy to be with all of you today to encourage all of you to participate in the Integri-ty Initiative. As you know, integrity was one of the battle cries of my cam-paign; and for the past fifteen months, we have taken that battle cry to heart—working to foster a culture of integrity in `government,” the Presi-dent said. “We have been able to appoint people of un-questioned ability and in-tegrity to important posts in government—from Leila de Lima as Secre-tary of Justice, Grace Tan

and Heidi Mendoza to the Commission on Audit, to Conchita Carpio-Morales as our Ombudsman,” he added. He stressed that “Integrity has likewise shaped our budgeting process, which has saved our taxpayers billions of pesos simply by cutting funding for wasteful proj-ects and putting the mon-ey to where it will benefit Filipinos the most.” “Efficient spending has allowed us to allocate a larger chunk of the bud-get to social services and defense—two sectors that have, for so long, lacked sufficient resources,” the President said. He added that gov-ernment agencies, un-der his directive, have also pitched in to show to the people that his ad-ministration is serious at achieving his campaign promises. He said the Depart-

ments of Budget and Man-agement and Interior and Local Government have taken initiatives in foster-ing this culture of trans-parency by mandating all national departments and agencies to publish impor-tant budget information and finance and perfor-mance indicators, as well as how the funds were spent, in their respective websites. The President said that they have also been trying to enjoin the citi-zenry to take a more ac-tive role in governance as partners in a consultative budget preparation pro-cess. “This year, we had six national government agencies and three gov-ernment corporations start a consultative bud-get preparation process, allowing us to engage civil society organizations in preparing the 2012 Na-tional Budget,” the Presi-

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dent said. “We also created a layman’s version of the 2011 National Budget so that more people can un-derstand how the govern-ment is spending their money. The Department of Finance launched a web-site called Pera ng Bayan, through which common citizens can file anony-mous reports or leads on possible tax evasion, government collusion, or smuggling operations. All of these we have done to promote integrity,” he said. He pointed out how-ever that “instilling a cul-ture of integrity in govern-ment is only one aspect of the equation.” “We must also foster the same culture in the private sector, and this is

why what you are doing today is most important,” the President said. He noted that those who chose to join the In-tegrity Initiative can not only count on rewards in pesos and centavos but “its benefits will eventual-ly redound to everyone.” “For example, it is said that companies who engage in Corporate Social Responsibility, who have track records for integ-rity and competence, and who abide by the highest standards are valued at a premium in the stock market. Companies who have a reputation for run-ning their businesses in a clean and efficient man-ner enjoy the confidence of investors, debtors, and other stakeholders as op-posed to those who run

questionable operations,” the President said. “To put it simply: by doing your part as respon-sible corporations, every-body wins—and by every-body I mean not just you as corporate workers, but you as taxpayers, as fam-ily men and women, and as citizens of this coun-try,” he added. “All these are con-tained in your Unified Code of Conduct for Busi-ness, which I hope every-one will take extremely seriously,” the President said. “Let me remind you that our collective desire to instill integrity into our respective communities does not end with a pledge of integrity. We are now obliged to live up to this pledge,” he said. (RCK)

President Benigno S. Aquino III will highlight the Philippines’ efforts to instill integrity in governance through the partnership of government and the private sector during his trip to the United States of America from September 18 to 23.

Aquino to highlight government and private sector efforts to instill integrity in governance

The President made the announce-ment at the launch of the 1st Integrity Sum-

mit held in Pasay City on Wednesday. The Summit, with the theme “Cultivating

a Culture of Integrity in Business and Be-yond,” aims to gather experts and authori-

Aquino challenges....from page 11

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ties to present ways on how to strengthen ethical business prac-tices and institution-alize them so that “business with ethics” becomes the country’s norm, rather than the exception. The event dovetails with the President’s battle cry – “Kung walang cor-rupt, walang mahi-rap.” “Next week, I will be in the United States for some very important meetings. I was invited by Presi-dent Obama, among others, to talk about Open Governance; and I will be proud to tell him, as well as the representa-tives of several other countries, how in the Philippines, the effort for integrity in gover-nance—the effort for creating a transpar-ent relationship be-tween the people and their government—is one that is shared by the government and the private sector,”

the President said. The Department of Foreign Affairs said that the President’s trip to the US hopes to attain five major objectives: Firstly, to en-hance Philippines’ strategic profile by underscoring the Aquino government’s demonstrated com-mitment to its good governance and an-ti-corruption agenda through the following specific activities: official launch of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and the public lecture during the WB-IMF 2011 Annual meet-ings on the theme “Citizen Empower-ment and Good Gov-ernance as Tools for Poverty Reduction.” The second ob-jective of the visit is to enhance aware-ness about the Aqui-no administration’s domestic and for-eign policy thrusts by speaking before the

Asia Society. Thirdly, is to highlight the Aquino government’s eco-nomic agenda and ac-complishments after a year in office through a speech before three business organiza-tions: the US-Asean Business Council, the US Chamber of Com-merce and the Philip-pine-American Cham-ber of Commerce, where the President will participate in a roundtable discussion after delivering brief remarks. He has also been invited to speak before the IBM Cen-tennial Forum. The fourth is for the President to meet with present and po-tential US investors; and lastly, to ap-praise the Filipino community about the Aquino government’s a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s and for him to share with them the latest developments in the motherland. (RCK)

Aquino to highlight....from page 12


President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared October 23 to 29, 2011 and every last week of October thereafter as “National Psoriasis Awareness Week.”

Aquino declares October 23-29, 2011 as National Psoriasis Awareness week

Proclamation No. 179 was signed on May 30, 2011 by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. to raise public awareness about pso-riasis. Psoriasis Philippines (PsorPhil) has pursued ini-tiatives to give people with psoriasis the attention and consideration they need. “Psoriasis is a serious,

life-long, inflammatory, non-communicable, auto-immune disease / immune-mediated, genetic disease manifesting in the skin and/or joints, and carries severe physical, mental and socio-economic burdens on over 125 million people world-wide, including 1.9 million Filipinos,” the proclamation said.

Psor ias is a f fects near ly three percent of the wor ld ’s populat ion. I t can deve lop in males or females of any race or age. I t o f ten appears between the ages of 15 and 35, a l though i t can str ike at any age in-c lud ing in fants and the e lder ly, accord ing to PsorPh i l . (JS)

President Benigno S. Aquino III will leave on Sunday for an official visit to the United States of America upon the invitation of US President Barack Obama from September 18 to 22.

Aquino leaves for four-day official visit to U.S. on Sept.18

The President has been invited by President Obama and Brazil President Dilma Rousseff, co-chairs of the Open Government Part-nership (OGP), to the official launch of the OGP in New York on September 20. “The OGP is a new multilateral initiative to pro-mote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and harness new technologies to strengthen governance,” Foreign Affairs Assistant Sec-retary for American Affairs Patricia Paez said in a press

briefing in Malacanang. In their joint letter to President Aquino, President Obama and President Rouss-eff wrote: “We appreciate the active engagement and lead-ership of your government in developing this effort, and look forward to standing with you as we launch this initia-tive in September.” The Philippines is one of only two countries from Asia invited to become a member of the Internation-al Steering Committee of OGP. Other members of the

Steering Committee are the United States, Brazil, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway and South Africa. According to Paez, the Steering Committee mem-bers were selected based on the following criteria: Fiscal Transparency, Access to In-formation, Disclosures Re-lated to Elected Officials and Citizen Engagement. “The selection of the Philippines as a Steering Committee member is an in-ternational acknowledgment of the Aquino government’s

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demonstrated commitment to and innovative practices in open governance and anti-corruption,” she said. President Aquino is also set to deliver his keynote remarks at an OGP-related forum entitled “The Power Open: A Global Discussion” in

New York City. The President is the only head of state in-vited to address the forum. While in New York, the President will attend round-table meeting with three business organizations “to highlight the government’s economic agenda and ac-

complishments after a year in office.” These three business organizations are the US-Asean Business Council, the US Chamber of Commerce and the Philippine-Ameri-can Chamber of Commerce. (CO)

President Benigno S. Aquino III has been invited by the Asia Society in New York to speak about his administration’s domestic and foreign policy thrusts during his official visit to the United States from September 18 to 23.

Aquino to address Asia Society in New York

Asia Society was founded by John D. Rockefeller III in 1956 to promote greater knowledge of Asia in the U.S. It is a global institu-tion based in New York with offices throughout the U.S. and Asia. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for American Affairs Pa-tricia Paez said “the Asia Society speaking engagement resonates, both on a personal level for the President and on a historical level for the Filipino people, because it was at a speech in this forum on August 4, 1980, where Sen. Beni-gno Aquino delivered his famous line “The Filipino is worth dying for.” The President’s mother, former President Cory Aquino, also spoke before the Asia Society in 1986. While in New York, Presi-dent Aquino will also speak before the IBM Centennial Forum called “THINK: A Forum on the Future of Leadership” on September 20. The forum will be attended by more than 700 leaders from gov-ernment, business, the academe

and science, and up-and-coming leaders worldwide. President Aquino will like-wise be conferred a Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, by Fordham University in ceremonies to be held at Keating Hall in the university’s Rosa Hill campus in New York. Fordham, an independent university in the Jesuit tradition founded in 1841, had also con-ferred an honorary degree on President Corazon Aquino in Sep-tember 1986. As part of the Fordham tra-dition, the names of over 30 world leaders conferred a degree are carved on the steps of the “Terrace of the Presidents” at Keating Hall. President Aquino’s name will be carved next to that of his mother. While in New York, Paez said the President will also have business meetings with IBM and Convergys, both of which already have a substantial presence in the Philippines. In Washington, D.C., Presi-dent Aquino is invited by World Bank Group President Robert

Zoellick to give a public lecture be-fore the World Bank. He will also meet with Senator Daniel Inouye, president pro tempore of the US Senate and chairman of its Appropriations Committee, to thank the senator for his continued support of Philip-pine causes in the US Congress. Senator Inouye was re-sponsible for the passage of Filipi-no Veterans Compensation Fund and the primary sponsor of the SAVE Act, which will benefit both the Philippine garment industry and the US textile manufacturers. He will also be meeting with the Filipino community in Wash-ington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia “to appraise them about the gov-ernment’s accomplishments and share the latest developments in the country.” According to the DFA, it would be the first meeting of President Aquino with the Filipino community in the region, composed approximately of 110,000 Filipinos.(CO)

Aquino leaves...from page 14

ONE MINDANAO Wednesday, September 14, 201116 ONE MINDANAO Wednesday, September 14, 2011

MMDA forms bayanihan zone alliance to minimize flooding

In the program “Talking Points” held at the Philippine Informa-tion Agency (PIA) and aired over DZRB - Ra-dio ng Bayan, Velasco informed the public on their current campaign with the assistance of different barangays, community-based insti-tutions and the educa-tion sector. “Flood Control Bayanihan Zone Alli-ance” is tapping com-munity-based organiza-tions because they are in the first line of defense. And therefore, they are

the first stakeholders in that particular area,” spokesperson Velasco said. With the alliance, volunteers of every ba-rangay are given flood posts and make sure that flood control mea-sures are implemented in their areas of respon-sibility while educating the community with different ways to avoid or to lessen floods, es-pecially in the low-lying areas. This alliance is not only being created be-tween MMDA and the

barangays or a baran-gay with another ba-rangay but also with the academe or education sector. They have their own organizational de-velopment, elect their own officers and have their own pledge of al-legiance. Big universities such as those in the uni-versity belt area in Ma-nila, a flood prone dis-trict, were tapped and given training to provide immediate measures and response during floods. (PND/AVS PIA-GHQ)

by Alice V. Sicat

QUEZON CITY – Assistant general for planning and spokes-person Christina Velasco of the Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) disclosed Tuesday that they have orga-nized a “Flood Control Bayanihan Zone Alliance” in selected barangays as part of their flood mitigating programs in the Metro.


Attack on MMDA enforcer serves as wake up call

MMDA spokesper-son Tina Velasco said during an interview on “Talking Points,” a pro-duction of DZRB, the Philippine Information Agency, and PTV 4 that the agency had previous cases of hospitalized en-forcers. According to Ve-lasco there had been 36 cases of hospitalizations to date. While majority of these were caused by hypertension and heat-stroke while performing their duty, five of these were cases wherein traffic enforcers were mobbed or physically in-

jured in line of duty, the most recent being that of MMDA enforcer Larry Fiala. Fiala was shot four times at pointblank in the abdomen after chas-ing a traffic violator last week. MMDA also lauded the PNP Highway Patrol Group which was able to immediately locate the suspect’s address and arrest him. Velasco stated that the recent attack has alarmed MMDA due to the lack of respect for enforcers. The agency is particularly thinking of ways to give enforcers

the necessary protection such as providing them with guns, but only to a special group.The MMDA will still be studying on who have been given the authority to carry firearms. MMDA is also cur-rently working on its training regimen in or-der to fully equip their enforcers. “This is also a wake up call internal-ly. We assure the public that we have the MMDA Traffic Academy and we have the regular training for our enforcers,” said Velasco. (PND/GMG-PIA GHQ)

by Gideon M. Gapayao

QUEZON CITY – Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) revealed that the attack on an MMDA enforcer last week was not the first, nor would it be the last.

Tagalog News: Balak bigyan ng armas ang mga traffic enforcers – MMDAby Precie Catherine C. Cuarto

QUEZON CITY – Matapos ang pagkakabaril ng motoristang si Edward John Gonzales sa MMDA traffic enforcer na si Larry Fiala, dahil sa isang traffic violation, malamang na magpasiya ang Metropolitan Ma-nila Development Authority o MMDA na bigyan ng armas ang kanilang mga traffic enforcers upang siguraduhing hindi na mauulit ang nasa-bing insidente. 18


Inihayag ni Tina Velasco, tumatay-ong spokesperson at general manager for planning ng MMDA sa programang “Talking Points,” na pinag-aar-alang mabuti ng kanil-ang tanggapan kung paano babantayan ang mga karapatan ng ka-nilang traffic enforc-ers. Aniya, noong na-karaang linggo ay bi-nanggit ni MMDA chair-man Francis Tolentino na ang “pangunahing alalahanin ay kung paano namin (MMDA) ngayon mapro-pro-tektahan ang aming sariling mga enforc-ers sa mga sitwasyon tulad nito.” Idinagdag pa ni Tolentino, kailan-gang pag-aralan ang ideya kung paanong ilang mga ahensya,

bagama’t walang po-lice power, ay pinapa-yagan na magdala ang kani-kanilang enforc-ers o opisyal ng baril. Mga halimbawa ni Velasco ay ang flying squad ng Land Trans-portation Office, Cus-toms police, LTFRB Enforcement Division, security guards sa ba-wat ahensya, at ang Supreme Court secu-rity guards, na pina-payagang magbitbit ng baril. Pag-aaralan pa umano ng MMDA kung posibleng mabigyan ng armas ang MMDA traf-fic enforcers, ngunit hindi nangangahulu-gang lahat ay bibigyan ng armas. Paglilinaw ni Velasco, maaaring isang special group lang ang mabigyan ng armas.Mahirap kasing

lumabas na walang kalaban laban ang mga taga MMDA na ipinatutupad lamang ang batas. Nabanggit pa niya na ang MMDA ay may talaan ng bilang ng mga enforcers na na-ospital at nabigyan ng emergency treatment habang nasa life of duty. “Sa ngayon, mer-on na po tayong 36 na enforcers na nakata-la. Ang ilan sa kanila ay tumaas ang pre-syon (ng dugo), o na-stroke, may limang mga kaso na katulad nito, bagaman hindi nakamamatay. Subal-it yaong mga nasug-atan, binugbog, na-suntok, mayroon ng lima,” sabi ni Velas-co. (PND/PCCC-PIA GHQ)

Anti-Smoking Ban still in full blast - MMDA

QUEZON CITY – Smokers should not be jubilant over the TRO (tempo-rary restraining order) issued by a metro judge stopping Metro Manila Development Authority’s metrowide Anti Smoking Campaign. The 20-day TRO issued by a Mandaluyong City court ended Sunday.

by Phres Evardone

Tagalog News: Balak bigyan...from page 17

1919


MMDA spokesperson and assistant general manager Christina Velasco emphasized, during today’s “Talking Points,” over the Radyo ng Bayan, that even with the issuance of the TRO, the agency did not change its operations and, in fact, continued to strengthen the enforcement of its anti-smoking campaign over the metro. The TRO arose as a result of a complaint filed by two smoking violators apprehended by the agency. The complaint basically questioned MMDA’s authority to enforce the smoking ban along sidewalks where they were smoking. Velasco also cited the success of the agency’s campaign. Velasco said that since

its implementation of the ban last July 1, the agency recorded 7,694 apprehensions of smoke violators all across the metro. She also mentioned that 93 percent of those apprehended were males. Violators are fined P500 to P1, 000 for the first offense or an equivalent of eight-hour community service. For second-time offenders, the fine is P1,000 to P5,000 or 16-hour community service. Meanwhile for third-time offenders, the fine rises to P5,000 to P10,000. Velasco added that currently, the agency has only 68 enforcers for the said campaign and admitted that this limited manpower is insufficient to cover the whole metro. She also mentioned that

they are coordinating with the local government units (LGUs) to assist them in implementing the ban. Still, she is optimistic in the positive outcome of this campaign because of the many anti-smoking advocates helping them. This campaign of the Metro Manila Development Authority is in compliance with R.A. 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 as well as Republic Act No. 8749 or Clean Air Act of 1999 which prohibits smoking in public places. “Talking Points,” is a joint undertaking of the Radyo ng Bayan of the Philippine Broadcasting Service, PTV4, and the Philippine Information Agency. (PND/PE-PIA GHQ)-

MMDA vows to clean billboardsindustry de-spite TROQUEZON CITY – “Hindi po tayo titigil sa paglilinis at pagtataguyod ng safety ng ating mga motorista at lahat ng mamamayan sa Metro Ma-nila (We won’t stop in cleaning and ensuring the safety of all the mo-torists and citizens of Metro Manila),” said MMDA spokesperson Tina Velasco during the live airing of “Talking Points” this morning over Radyo ng Bayan.

by Lanie Bolina-Ronquillo

20

Anti-Smoking...from page 18


Velasco declared this in the light of the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to cease from dismantling billboards along EDSA. The TRO was filed by the Outdoor Advertisers Association of the Philippines, questioning the authority of MMDA in dismantling the billboards on the basis of “structural integrity and nothing else,” giving the advertisers with enough lead time to take action. Velasco defends the position of the MMDA, saying that since August this year, the MMDA has been deputized to implement the dismantling of illegal billboards, upon the request of Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson, since their department has many ongoing projects under their wings. “In all of our billboard inspections since May until August, as we speak, we have discovered there’s 70 percent non-compliant, and that includes those with no permits. The building permit is yet another issue. Yes, building permit are issued one time, but every time you do a new execution or a new billboard, there is supposed

to be new permit,” Velasco said. Velasco bared that most of the outdoor advertisers have incomplete documents, even at the local government units level. She cited that Quezon City and Makati have issued a moratorium for the past several years regarding this matter. However, there are new billboard structures that continue to be erected. Velasco echoed MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino’s commitment to correct these irregularities, even if it means being unpopular with the outdoor advertising industry. “For the higher order of public safety, we really have to come in,” Velasco said. She added that MMDA has discovered that there are billboard structures that have been approved with building permits in the beginning, but upon inspection, were found to have not complied with the size specifications. “They have been extended tremendously. What was permitted to have 4x5 in size becomes 4x10 over time, but for the same 4x5 permit,” Velasco illustrated. Velasco affirmed that the inspection was a joint process, as this was not executed by MMDA alone. Accordingly, the inspections

were done by a composite team from the DPWH, LGU, MMDA, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines. “That’s when the team realized the magnitude of the problem.” Velasco shared that the MMDA chairman decided to stay on course and made sure to address all the issues and ensure that all matters are dealt with, legally. In the course of the dialogue, Tolentino found out there were illegalities that surfaced in all the inspections, and that was when he declared “This is a different playing field, we need to make sure that we are very, very objective in solving it.” The spokesperson said the MMDA understands the predicament of the billboard industry. “The billboard industry is a P5B industry and many are dependent on it. Many rely on billboard rents. Yet, when they start with illegalities, well, we also want to make sure that the industry is clean,” Velasco said. Velasco said that the MMDA is concerned more with public safety, especially when an earthquake strikes. “Kapag nahulog yan sa EDSA, maraming pwedeng mangyari talaga (When those

MMDA vows...from page 19

21


things fall on EDSA, anything can happen),” Velasco said. She also revealed the plan of the MMDA to pattern the placement and design of billboards in most of the ideal cities in the world, “ Either there’s none, or there is only one or as a stand-alone, by pole or uni-pole. Ang ganda ng hitsura pag naayos po natin ito (It will really be beautiful once it’s done). Velasco was quick to clarify

that Tolentino is not ruining the billboard industry. “He just wants to clean the industry. Let’s make Metro Manila more beautiful, make an effort to improve it,” she clarified. Velasco also revealed that, “One drastic measure that he really wants is the total ban of billboards along Roxas Blvd. and Macapagal Avenue. We want to make sure that the Manila Bay view is not wasted.”

She said that the MMDA chairman foresees that there will be many business establishments along that area, and eventually, it will result to more billboards too. “So even this early, the chairman has ordered the billboard ban because we want Metro Manila to be beautiful all over again,” Velasco said. (PND/LBR-PIA GHQ)

MMDA mulls arming a special groupby Jerome Carlo R. Paunan

During the edition of “Talking Points” held at the Philippine Information Agency, MMDA spokesperson and assistant general manager for planning Tina Velasco said their agency chairman, Francis Tolentino, is currently studying the possibility of only arming a special unit. “We do not intend to arm all our traffic enforcers,” she said, adding that, the move would help safeguard their traffic enforcers who are only doing their duty.But the risks involved in dealing with hotheaded traffic violators had made

the MMDA think twice over an earlier proposal of providing arms to a few MMDA enforcers who will be trained as part of their public safety mandate. It can be recalled that motorist Edward John Gonzales allegedly shot MMDA traffic enforcer Larry Fiala after being accosted for a traffic violation in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday. Gonzales has been detained after being charged with attempted murder. Velasco said Fiala is currently “fighting for his life” at a nearby hospital after receiving four bullet wounds in the stomach. Despite the incident,

however, Velasco said that in order to ensure competency and proper bearing among their men, all their traffic enforcers must undergo comprehensive training at their MMDA Traffic Academy. Likewise, she said that in support of President Aquino’s call for change, MMDA head has been working to reform the agency’s o r g a n i z a t i o n a l culture by instilling a value of respect and high regard for and fair treatment of all stakeholders, including motorists. (RJB/JCP-PIA NCR)

MMDA vows...from page 20


Basilan RLA aspirants present plans in public forumISABELA CITY, Basilan, Sept. 14 (PIA) – Nine aspirants for the Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA) in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were subjected to a battery of questions coming from the five-member panelist, as they were presented in a public forum Monday at the Basilan State College gymnasium. On the same date, two similar fora were also simultaneously conducted in the island provinces of Sulu and Tawitawi, all of which are organized by the Department of Inte-rior and Local Govern-ment. DILG Provin-cial Director Sahon A. Suaib said the nine as-pirants are based from the short list submitted by the screening com-mittee created by Mal-canang, from among the 45 applicants and nominees from Basi-

lan. From this short list of aspirants, Presi-dent Benigno S. Aqui-no –III will appoint the would-be three Basilan OIC-assembly-men to the RLA. They shall serve for only 21 months, that is, until the regular 2013 elec-tions. The nine aspirants in the forum were: Na-than Insung, Juni Il-imin, Abdulmuhmin Mujahid, Jubaria Said, Allan Pisignan, Kaiser Totoh, Jara Hamja, He-gem Furigay, and Ra-

jam Akbar. On the other hand, the panelists were composed of: Miskud-din Tupay, represent-ing the basic sector; Nurkaisa Alidain, of the women sector; Dr. Rima Hassan, business sector; Lamitan City Vice Mayor Arleigh Eis-ma, LGU; and Fr. Ed-gar Zamodio, religious sector. The aspiring re-gional solons were ini-tially given 5 minutes each to present their respective profiles and platform.

by Dave G. Malcampo

23


This was fol-lowed by 3 common questions formulat-ed by the panelists, where they were giv-en 4 minutes each to answer. Finally, each aspirant were on the “hot seat” for 10 minutes to answer questions from the panelists, including the written questions from the audience, which were read by the forum modera-tors. The battery of questions touched on various subjects, is-sues and concerns. These include: on good governance, public service, cor-ruption, budget, funding sources, en-vironmental protec-tion, education, sh-ariah law; women, children, and youth; prohibited drugs, il-legal logging, the MNLF, MILF, Bangsa Moro aspirations and peace and order; the MOA-AD and sub-

state issue; tourism promotion, business and industry; and others. Throughout fo-rum, moderators Dave Malcampo, Manager of PIA Ba-SulTa and Umnical-sum Sali, City Direc-tor of DILG-Lamitan, jointly facilitated the drawing of lots to de-termine the random order of aspirants to answer the common questions and who will be next in the “hot seat.” Malcampo explained that the process was adopted if only to make sure the impartiality on the treatment of the aspirants. “We hope to have a similar forum in the future,” quipped Ay-nun Juaini, who gave the closing remarks in behalf of Director Suaib. As she thank all stakeholders in-volved in the conduct of the forum, Juaini pointed out how the

process and the grill-ing of the aspirants have given the public a good insight on the personality of each aspiring regional so-lon. The forum offi-cially started around 9:30 a.m. and wind-ed up at 2:30 p.m. The whole proceed-ings had only two very short interrup-tions due to technical problems in the video documentation. In related devel-opments, DILG offi-cials announced that a separate public fo-rum is set to be con-ducted at the West-ern Mindanao State University gymna-sium in Zamboanga City on Sept. 15. The aspirants for Presi-dential appointment as OIC regional gov-ernor and vice gov-ernor in the autono-mous region will be gril led in the said forum. (DM/PIA9-BST)

Basilan RLA aspirants...from page 22


Photo Releases:

Nine aspirants for the Regional Legislative Assem-bly (RLA) in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were subjected to a battery of questions coming from the five-member panelist, as they were presented in a public forum Monday at the Basilan State College gymnasium. (Rene V. Carbayas, PIA9-BST)

The panelists were composed of: Miskuddin Tupay, representing the basic sector; Nurkaisa Alidain, of the women sector; Dr. Rima Hassan, business sec-tor; Lamitan City Vice Mayor Arleigh Eisma, LGU; and Fr. Edgar Zamodio, religious sector. (Rene V. Carbayas, PIA9-BST)

Nine aspirants for the Regional Legislative Assem-bly (RLA) in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were subjected to a battery of questions coming from the five-member panelist, as they were presented in a public forum Monday at the Basilan State College gymnasium. (Rene V. Carbayas, PIA9-BST)


WESCOM spearheads forum to protect Palawan’s tourism industry ISABELA CITY, Basilan, Sept. 14 (PIA) – SAVE Tourism is the primary subject of a forum organized recently by the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with busi-nessmen in Palawan.

A press report released by the 6th Civil Relations Group of the AFP said that resort owners and managers from Southern Palawan on September 5 gath-ered to discuss secu-rity issues involving tourism-related busi-nesses with officials from the Western Command (WESCOM) with the ultimate purpose of protecting the tourism industry in the province,.

The forum, dubbed Security Assessment, Vali-dation and Evalu-ation (SAVE) Tour-ism and initiated by (WESCOM), aimed to identify and address the loopholes in the security of beach re-sorts and other tour-ist destinations lo-cated in the southern municipalities of the province. Major Wilfre-do Manalang Jr. of the Assistant Chief

of the Unified Com-mand Staff (ACUCS) for Intelligence, the main speaker in the SAVE tourism forum, explained that the conduct of the said security forum is im-portant to avoid a re-currence of the kid-napping incident in Dos Palmas Resort in 2001 and the detri-mental domino effect of such an incident to the tourism industry, locally and interna-tionally. 26

Major Wilfredo Manalang Jr. of the Assistant Chief of the Unified Command Staff (ACUCS) for Intelligence, the main speaker in the SAVE tourism forum, explained that the conduct of the said security forum is im-portant to avoid a recurrence of the kidnapping incident in Dos Palmas Resort in 2001 and the detrimental domino effect of such an incident to the tourism industry, locally and internationally. (6CRGAFP/PIA9-BST)


Maj. Manalang reported that after the kidnapping inci-dent, where two for-eign nationals and three Filipinos were taken by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) while on vacation in the province, the number of tourists who visited Palawan dropped by 33.28 percent. This trans-lated to a big loss for the tourism industry of the province. Through the SAVE Tourism fo-rum, WESCOM aims to help beach resort owners and manag-ers improve the se-curity conditions of their businesses so as to assure the safe-ty of their guests as well as the integrity of their establish-ments. WESCOM focuses more of its efforts at eradicating lawless activities commit-ted by armed groups through preemptive measures and proac-tive actions.

“We focus more on prevention so that, hopefully, we do not have to waste our resources and ef-forts reacting and in-tervening to lawless activities,” WESCOM Spokesperson Major Neil Anthony Estrella said. WESCOM offi-cials who attended the forum also helped the resort owners and managers come up with steps they could adopt to deter lawless groups from committing activities that would harm their businesses and, con-sequently, the tour-ism industry. Resort owners and managers were also encouraged to create a communi-cation network for a more efficient and faster relaying of in-formation, especially where security issues are concerned. “This does not mean that we are facing an imminent threat,” Maj Estrel-la cleared. “But the absence of it does

mean we should low-er our defenses and be complacent,” he stressed. WESCOM Chief of Staff Cpt. Rosa-uro Sarmiento PN summed up the es-sentials of the forum in four questions. “For you to re-member what we have come up here, you only need to ask yourselves these questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How do we intend to go there? And finally, af-ter taking the steps, are we there yet?” Cpt. Sarmiento told the participants. WESCOM has already conducted on September 2 the same forum in the municipality of El Nido, gathering resort owners and manag-ers of different tour-ist destinations in the northern Palawan. ( J P A / 6 C R G A F P /RVC-PIA9 BaSul-Ta)

WESCOM spearheads...from page 25


Photo Release:

Maj. Manalang reported that after the kidnapping incident, where two foreign nationals and three Filipi-nos were taken by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) while on vacation in the province, the number of tourists who visited Palawan dropped by 33.28 percent. This translated to a big loss for the tourism industry of the

province. (6CRGAFP/PIA9-BST)

Resort owners and managers were encouraged to create a communication network for a more efficient and faster relaying of information, especially where security issues are concerned. (6CRGAFP/PIA9-BST)

SAVE Tourism is the primary subject of a forum organized recently by the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with businessmen in Palawan. (6CRGAFP/PIA9-BST)


ARMM’s public forum on RLA enunciates nominees plans, programs BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi, September 14 (PIA) – The public forum on the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (ARMM) Regional Legis-lative Assembly (RLA) conducted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) thru the National Screening Committee has offered opportunity for the candidates to present their respec-tive plans, programs and positions to the stakeholders, the ultimate beneficiary of their agenda, as well as to help generate meaningful discussion and possible solutions to different issues and concerns of ARMM, among others.

Provincial Director Julgabir I. Sappayan in his message said the fo-rum has provided stake-holders the opportunity to assess strengths and capabilities of RLA’s can-didates. Citizens Coalition in ARMM for Electoral Re-form (CICARE) provincial coordinator Cynthia Has-san said we were grate-ful that a public forum like this was conducted for the public to know the best candidates to represent Tawi-Tawi in RLA.” Hassan added. The CICARE, a local organization formed and created in 2005 primar-ily to monitor the con-duct of electoral process

to include election moni-toring, voter’s education and meeting with stake-holders in Tawi-Tawi. Youth panelist, Kamila Masahud, a se-nior student of Mindanao State Unicersity- Tawi-Tawi College of Tech-nology and Oceanogra-phy said she praised the nominees for giving their respective agenda and at the same time, giving good answers raised by the panelists and the au-dience. “We hope that who-ever will be appointed to the RLA will fulfill their promise and will repre-sent the voice and true sentiments of the people of Tawi-Tawi,” Masahud

added. After the eight (8) nominees were given the time to introduce them-selves and their platforms as well, they were asked also questions from the panelists to demonstrate their competence and worth as candidates to the RLA. The panelists com-posed were composed of the following: chairman, Prof. Felimon Rome-ro (academe), Bon-gao mayor Jasper Que (LGU), Engr. Rolando Lim (business), Babelyn Keno Omar (media), and Kamila Masahud (youth). (JPA/GCC/PIA9-Pag-adian)

by Gideon C. Corgue


CHED-IX awards scholarships to college students DIPOLOG CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) - More than 500 college stu-dents in region IX have availed themselves of the scholarship programs extended by the Commission of Higher Education (CHED)-IX for this academic year.

This was dis-closed by CHED-IX Education Supervi-sor Teresita Pinili in a phone interview with the Philippine Infor-mation Agency (PIA) recently. Pinili said CHED-IX has now 117 scholars under the full-merit scholarship program and another 117 scholars for the half-merit scholar-ship program. Full-merit scholars would each receive P15,000 per semester while the half-merit schol-ars would each get a financial assistance of P7,500 per semes-ter. Full-merit schol-

arship program is for bright Filipino stu-dents who got scores in the National Ca-reer Assessment Ex-aminations (NCAE) not lower than 90 percent, belonged to the top ten of the high school graduat-ing class and with an annual family income of not more than P300,000. Half-merit schol-arship program is also open to poor but de-serving students with NCAE results not low-er than 85 percent. Other schol-arship programs implemented by CHED-IX include “Tu-long-Dunong” with

70 recipients, Study-Now-Pay-Later (SN-PLP) program with 35 beneficiaries, One-Town-One-Scholar (OTOS) program with 67 scholars and con-gressional scholars numbering around 135. Each OTOS re-cipient is enjoying a financial assistance of P15,000 a semes-ter. For “Tulong-Dunong” program, the financial as-sistance varies ac-cording to certain categories such as study grant program for solo parents and their dependents P6,000 per semester,

by Franklin P. Gumapon

30


Cebuano News: DSWD, DOH nakadawat donasyon sa Vitamin-C alang sa mga biktima sa dengue

Manila, 14 Sept. (PIA) – Si Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman nakadawat sa usa ka bag puno sa Vitamin C gikan ni Mr. Tommanny Tan, president ug chief operating officer sa Filipino Entrepreneurs and Re-sources Network (FERN), Inc. atol sa usa ka simpleng cer-emonial turn-over nga gipahigayon sa buhatan sa Department of Education sa Ortigas, Pasig City ning bag-o lang. Ang FERN, Inc. mihatag sa DSWD ug DOH sa 800 ka mga karton nga adunay bil i sa P600,000 sa non-acidic vitamin C alang sa mga bik-tima sa dengue, i labi niadtong sa mga pampublikong ospital ug sa mga kabus nga komu-nidad diin adunay

taas nga panghita-bo sa dengue. Ang maong donasyon gipasayon sa Na-tional Anti-Pov-erty Commission (NAPC). Matod pa ni Sec. Soliman ang paga-pod-apod niining mga donasyon hin-iusang pagahimoon sa FERN, DSWD ug DOH sa mga gipunt-

ing mga dapit. Sa pagka-karon, mikabat na sa 54,659 ka mga kaso sa dengue ang natala sa DOH sa milabay’ng walo ka bulan. Kasa-garan kanila mga kabataan 1-10 ang pang-edaron. ( J P A / D S W D /PIA9/CAL/Zambo Sur)

by Claro A. Lanipa

CHED-IX awards...from page 29

DND-CHED-PASUC study grant program – P2,500 per semes-ter, and OPAPP-CHED study grant program

for rebel returnees – P5,000 per semester. SNPLP, which is a student loan program, provides

P7,500 per semes-ter to each beneficia-ry. (JPA/FPG-PIA-Zambo. Norte)


NAPC clarifies role in the alleged Bukidnon scamby Marc Siapno

In this context, the Commission would like to clarify its association with parties and organizations that seek to represent the sectors. Certain individu-als and organizations in Maramag, Bukidnon have been claiming an affilia-tion with the Office of the President through NAPC. The organization Kapisanan ng Magsa-saka, Mangingisda at Manggagawa ng Pilipinas (KAMMMPI) appears to be distributing member-ship application forms in batches of 30 to form clusters. In exchange, the clusters are then prom-ised Php150,000 or Php5,000/member, from the Self-Employment Assistance – Kaunlaran (SEA-K) program. NAPC would like to

stress that no individual or organization has re-ceived an appointment to represent the Commis-sion or its partner agen-cies in this regard. The agency is cur-rently in the process of preparing for the National Sectoral As-sembly and the list of organizations to be in-vited has yet to be fi-nalized. More importantly, the SEA-K program is a capacity-building pro-gram of the Department of Social Welfare and De-velopment (DSWD) done in coordination with local government units. The organization of potential recipients, known as SEA-K Asso-ciations, is managed by respective DSWD offices stationed in different re-gions across the country,

following definite criteria and procedures. NAPC is not in the position to in-fluence SEA-K process-es. In order to prevent the perpetration of any such fraudulent schemes, please refrain from trans-acting with individuals or parties posing as person-nel of NAPC or any gov-ernment agency, par-ticularly those asking for money in exchange for the immediate release of funds, approval of any documents or facilitation of processes for govern-ment projects. NAPC encourages the public to report simi-lar instances to the na-tional or regional offices of the concerned agencies to confirm the credibil-ity of such organizations and their specific claims. (NAPC/PIA-10)

MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon, Sept. 14 (PIA) – It has recently come to the attention of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) that it has been misrepresented by members of a specific organization in Bukidnon.


252 BJMP inmates, receive free dental services from Good Samaritans by JO1 Jeza Mae Sarah C. Sanchez

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Sept. 14 (PIA) - A total of 252 inmates from the City Jail in Barangay Lumbia, here, received free dental services from the “Bukas Loob sa Diyos (BLD)” Covenant Com-munity Mission Stewards. The BLD mission stewards, together with some dentists from the Philippines Air Force, re-gion 10, had been tapped by the former Community Relations Service Officer (CRSO) of Jail Chief Insp. Angelo Benjamin Durana of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penol-ogy (BJMP) region 10.

After the conduct of tooth extraction, compli-mentary medicines have also been distributed, together with groom-ing items, ice cream and clothing for inmates. “The inmates, need to feel, from time to time, that the commu-nity still looks after their welfare even while they

are in prison,” Durana explained. “It may come as a surprise for some, but the more an inmate feels his importance to the people around him, the more open he will be to other aspects of human growth and de-velopment” he added. (BJMP/PIA-10)

Lanao Norte Muslims receive rice and dates fruitby Vincent N. LabialTUBOD, Lanao del Norte, Sept. 14 (PIA) – In support of the holy month of Ramadhan celebrated by the more than 170 thousand Muslims in this fast-rising province, the provincial government distributed rice and fruit dates in the different towns of Lanao del Norte. More than 2,300 sacks of rice were dis-tributed through the 634 local mosques since August 16, 2011. During the distribution, each Muslim (Follower of Islam) received 2.5 kilos of rice. “For years now, our Muslim brothers and sisters have benefitted

from this kind of sup-port from the provincial government and the Dimaporo Family. This assistance is a great help to us especially the needy,” expressed Hadji Ali Ansao, owner of a mosque in Malin-gao, here. Spearheading the activity is the Provincial

Community Affairs Of-fice (PCAO) which was tasked to identify the beneficiaries of the Ra-madhan program. According to PCAO Coordinator Allan Da-tusapalao, “In total, 2,332 sacks, each con-taining 18 packs of rice and 600 packs of date fruits were delivered

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Waste mess impels city to impound stray dogsby Ruby Leonora R. BalistoyMALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon, Sept. 14 (PIA) – City officials, here, intro-duced the strict new rules to tackle stray dogs’ foul and garbage mess left across the city, every day.

Mayor Ignacio Zu-biri said this endeavor would help address problems on starv-ing dogs that prowl the city scavenging through the trash ear-ly morning or late at night. “Stray dogs are a problem, not because they will attack you or chase you through the city streets, but is mostly an image prob-lem for a clean and green city, like Ma-laybalay,” the Mayor said. Dr. Mary Ann Val-dez, Chief, Animal Health and Produc-tion Division, City Vet-erinary Office (CVO), likewise, said the new rules would control the street-dog population

and prevent lethal ra-bies infection. As stipulated in City Ordinance No. 668, each of the city’s eleven (11) ur-ban barangay has a team of dogcatchers registered under the Barangay Rabies Pre-vention and Control Committee (BRPCC). Stray dogs caught will be housed in the dog pound for a period of 3-5 days under the BRPCC’s care, and shall be re-leased to its owner only upon payment of Php300 as poundage fee. If no person shall claim ownership with-in a period of 15 days, it shall be sold to pub-lic auction through the

City Treasurer’s Of-fice. In case the im-pounded dog is not disposed during the auction sale, the own-erless dogs will typi-cally be put to sleep or euthanized. “Ultimately, this is also a wake up call to some people not fit to look after their pet dogs,” Dr. Valdez said. “The CVO, mean-while, is pushing for the neuter or castra-tion of the stray dogs in year 2012, which is the most humane way of controlling their population, in sup-port of Republic Act 9482 otherwise known as the Animal Welfare Act,” she added. (PIA-10)

to different mosques for distribution to the Jama’ah (group of Mus-lim believers).” The rice distri-

bution activity dur-ing the Islamic month of fasting has en-joyed continued sup-port from the leaders

of the province and has received positive feedback from the lo-cal Muslim communi-ties. (PIO/PIA-10)

Lanaa Norte...from page 32


BFAR offers scholarship to fisherfolk childrenby Noel SaldajenoCAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Sept. 14 (PIA) – At least 10 scholarship slots will be offered to children of small-scale fisher folk by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), in region 10.

Particularly, the scholarships are of-fered to those who are interested to pursue a 4-year B.S. Fisheries Course, Visa Tan-Dimerin, Regional Director of BFAR-10, said. She said the other BFAR regions are also offering 10 scholarship slots, each to children of the fisherfolk. To qualify, inter-ested applicants must be a high school grad-uate with a weighted average of not lower than 80 percent, not more than 20 years old and is not pres-ently enrolled in any course. He/she must be a resident of the mu-nicipality for at least four (4) years as at-tested by the school records and certi-fied by the Barangay

Chairman or the Mu-nicipal Mayor. The family’s an-nual gross income should not be more that Php25,000 and his/her parents must be members of a fishing association/cooperative, duly at-tested by the chair-person and secretary of the association. Applicants in re-gion 10 will take the examination, this coming Sept. 16, at BFAR-10, Macaban, this city, Dimeren, also said. Only the top three (3) highest scores can avail of the scholarship ef-fective on the second semester of school year 2011-2012. Qualified ap-plicants will enjoy free matriculation and will receive a monthly stipend of

Php2,500, semes-tral book allowance of Php2,000, thesis support of Php3,000 and graduation sup-port of Php500 and other fees. A p p l i c a t i o n forms are available in all Municipal Agricul-ture Offices (MAO), Provincial Fishery Offices (PPFO) and BFAR -10 Office. For more infor-mation, please call the following contact numbers of the Pro-vincial Fisheries Of-fice (PFO): Misamis Oriental,(088) 858-5003, Misamis Oc-cidental, (088) 521-0822. Lanao del Norte – (0919) 834-9075, Bukidnon, (088) 228-3771, Cami-guin, (088) 387-4029 and BFAR-10, (088)8569593 or 8565657. (PIA-10)


USEP gym now functionalby Rudolph Ian G. Alama

DAVAO CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) – Sans the basketball court which is still to be completed, Davao City’s largest gymnasium is now considered functional. University of South-eastern Philippine presi-dent Perfecto Alibin Ph.D. said that the gym is ready for turn-over to the Uni-versity, the acceptance he said will be within a few weeks. The 7,000-seater gymnasium is located in the 3,500 square meter lot which used to be the site of the old Davao Trade School (Davao School of Arts and Trade) the pre-cursor of the present state university. Alibin said that pow-er and water utilities are in place, making the facil-ity already useable. However, the basket-ball court and the exterior finishing touches are still to be completed pend-ing a P10-million pledge from Davao City first dis-

trict Representative Karlo Nograles. The gymnasium was done in phases, the first phase involves the gymnasiums substruc-ture and superstructure, phase 2 put in placed the walls, flooring, roofing and bleachers while the third phase dwelt on the pro-vision of airconditioning, lighting, electrical and wa-ter systems. The P120-million used for the facility was sourced from the PDAF (Priority Development As-sistance Fund) initiative from then House Speak-er Prospero Nograles and the budgetary allocations from the General Appro-priations Act. The fourth phase will include the installation of a modern basketball court

similar to the ones used by professional leagues such as the Philippine Basket-ball Association (PBA). It will also include the finish-ing touches to complete the gym. With its completion the gym can host PBA games which are currently being held in the smaller cities of Digos and Pana-bo which have bigger and better sports facilities than Davao. It can also hold large-scale conventions as the City also do not have large convention centers. Alibin said that he will be creating a manage-ment group to exclusively manage the gym which will be an added revenue earner for the university. Currently being studied is a public-private partner-ship (PPP) set-up for the

36


DPWH bares P200M projects completed in DavSurby Carina L. CayonDAVAO CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) – The Department of Public Works and Highways here reported that various infrastructure proj-ects worth over P200 million in the second district of Davao del Sur have been completed and validated.

gym. A proposal is be-ing explored for a naming right of a telecoms firm in

exchange for a fee similar to what is done in North American cities where big companies entered into

“naming rights deal” with stadiums and coliseums. (PIA-11/Rudolph Ian G. Alama)

DPWH regional direc-tor Sinaloan T. Macaram-bon bared the completion of the projects imple-mented by the 2nd Dis-trict Engineering Office in Malita, Davao del Sur for the period 2008-2010 in the municipalities of Jose Abad Santos, Don Marceli-no, Sulop and Sta. Maria. Based on the valida-tion made on September 6 this year, the construction and concreting project of a 1,710-meter road along National Road, Tabayon-Cayaponga section at Jose Abad Santos was complet-ed on June 30, 2010 with contract amount of around P47.7 million. Said project funded by the regular infrastruc-ture program, included drainage structures. Another road con-

struction and concreting project including drainage structures along the Na-tional Road, Meybio-Kitali section of JAS also has a funding from the regular infrastructure program, costing more than P47.7 million. The project was done on June 30, 2010. Macarambon said that JAS was also a recipi-ent of three bridge proj-ects funded by the Austri-an government which were all completed, refuting a national television report that the Austrian-assisted projects in the second dis-trict of Davao del Sur were not progressing. Among the Austri-an-funded bridge projects was the construction of the 338-linear meter bridge approaches with grouted riprap slope protection in

Barangay Meybio which was completed on June 18, 2010 with contract amount of about P15.129 million which is now ser-viceable to the riding pub-lic.In Barangay Marabatuan of JAS, the Austrian-as-sisted bridge project with a length of 214 linear me-ters and costing around P36 million was finalized on January 31 this year. The third bridge project in JAS funded by the Austrian government was located in Barangay Culaman, with a length of 488.36 linear meters and amounted to more than P47 million. The project done on March 24 this year, also included drain-age and slope protection structures. In Don Marcelino, a

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USEP gym....from page 35


multi-purpose building at Barangay Calian was com-pletely done on April 7, 2010 with an appropria-tion of P600,000 from the Lower House. Another multi-pur-pose building was estab-lished at Barangay Mama-cao in Sta. Maria, with a project cost of P500,000 funded by the Lower House and under the regular in-

frastructure program. The construction was com-pleted on February 4 last year. In Sulop, a covered court project located at Barangay Kiblagon was partially built with an ini-tial release of funds from the Lower House amount-ing to P500,000. Macarambon said that DPWH is strictly fol-

lowing a department pol-icy for a prompt delivery and no-delay project im-plementation. Following this policy, she said she has immedi-ately ordered all district engineers in Davao Region to ensure that the projects set last year would all be completed by June 30 this year. (PIA-11/Carina L. Cayon)

4Ps brings my children back to schoolby Mai Gevera-Macapagat

DAVAO CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) – Salome Fuertes, 44, a mother of six children, was among those who trouped to the University of Immaculate Conception Auditorium for the public forum ini-tiated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

Salome shared how 4Ps changed her life and her family. 4Ps or better known as CCT is a poverty reduction and social de-velopment strategy of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education particularly of children aged 0-14. In 2007, two of her children stopped school-

ing since the income of her husband was not suf-ficient to send all their five children to school. Learning about the 4Ps in 2008, Salome grabbed the opportuni-ty and enrolled back her children at the Davao City National High School. In exchange for the cash grant from the govern-ment, Salome committed to avail pre and post natal care and be attended by a

trained health professional during child birth. Together with her husband, she also allotted time to attend the regular Family Development Ses-sion where they learned proper ways in bringing up a family. Their children were also sent for a regular health check-up and vac-cines as well as strict mon-itoring of their attendance in school.

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DPWH bares....from page 36


Salome could not believe that her eldest son is now a college graduate and has started working to as-sist in the finances of the family. “Daku akong pasal-amat sa gobyerno ila-bina sa programang 4Ps kay diri nakat-on mi nga maningkamot aron mapadayun ang pag-eskwela sa among mga anak. (I am so thankful to the government espe-cially to the 4Ps program because in here we were pushed to strive hard just

to continue the studies of our children.),” she shared. Salome was one of the few beneficiaries who shared their stories during the forum. In the 4Ps program, aach household gets P6,000 a year or P500 per month for the health and nutrition expenses of the family. Another P3,000 is given for one school year or 10 months or P300/month per child for educa-tional expenses. A maxi-mum of three children per

household is allowed. A household with three qualified children re-ceives a subsidy of P1,400/month during the school year or P15,000 annually as long as they comply with the conditionalities. Salome still has two years more to ben-efit from this program. Her family will gradu-ate from 4Ps in 2013 but what will remain is their appreciation on the pow-er of education, health, and strong family bond. (PIA-11)

Davao Light personnel build 2 houses for GK beneficiariesDAVAO CITY, Sept. 14 – Over 20 employees of Davao Light & Power Co. representing at least two tribes of its CFO (Creat-ing Future Organizations) groups are now building two Gawad Kalinga houses at the GK Village in Upper Kibalang, Barangay Marilog, Marilog District, Davao City.

The initial build was started last September 3 and will continue over several Saturdays fol-lowing until the houses are completed. The employee vol-unteers led by Davao Light executive vice-president and chief op-erating officer Art Milan,

were members of CFO tribes Agila and Kampi-lan. Members of Tri-bu Agila were Edgardo Abad, Regelio Adlawan, Leo Claros, Fermin Edil-lon, Teddy Hernandez, Noel Magallon, Mario Abenojar, Severino Ando Jr., Sonny Co and Nelson

Gumba Tribu Kampilan comprised of Lito Juni, Rey Zapanta, Jesse Ta-lavera, Allan Jaca, and Diosdado Gonzales. Four other employ-ees who were not mem-bers of any of the two CFO tribes also joined the build, namely Wil-

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4Ps brings....from page 37


fredo Pacatang, Edelito Fernandez, Herbert Lar-iego and Vic Sumalinog. The volunteer workers did actual grav-el sorting, cement and sand mixing, manual hollow blocks hauling, piling, putting the suca-lo, rebars, etc. Earlier on, the vol-

unteers committed to provide the manpower requirement in building two individual detached houses. The units are semi-concrete with gal-vanized roofing. When completed, two families who were earlier identified and chosen by the Gawad

Kalinga are expected to become the house ben-eficiaries. The Davao Light employees hope to com-plete the two houses in two or three months’ time with the support from other GK volunteer builders. (DLPC)

DavSur prepares health emergency management system planDIGOS CITY, Davao del Sur, Sept. 14 (PIA) – The provincial government here is set of finalizing its Health and Emergency Management System (HEMS) plan after completing a recently conducted training aimed at capacitating health managers to respond to disasters. Provincial Health Of-fice chief Dr. Azucena Mila-na-Dayanghirang, who at-tended the HEMS training in Manila last week, said she will finalize the pro-vincial HEMS plan for ap-proval of Governor Doug-las Cagas. In an interview over Charm Radio in Di-gos City, Dayanghirang said the HEMS plan was the product of the train-ing intended to provide technical assistance to local government units in

developing or enhancing their capacities to direct-ly deal with both natural and man-made disasters in their respective areas. Selected provincial and city health officers from all over the coun-try engaged in a series of lectures and workshops during the 11th National Public Health and Emer-gency Management in Asia and the Pacific (PHE-MAP). The lectures and workshops were designed

to fully equip, enhance and develop competen-cies among participants, preparing them to in-stitutionalize the HEMS in their respective LGUs as a tool to prevent, if not minimize the loss of lives and illnesses during emergencies and disas-ters. Dayanghirang bared that once the HEMS plan is approved by the gov-ernor, it will be submitted to DOH-HEMS for appro-priate funding designed

40

Davao Light.....from page 38


for trainings, radio com-munication system and television monitors. DOH and the Uni-versity of the Philippines-College of Public Health jointly sponsored the na-tional PHEMAP training where Dayanghirang was cited as the Best Present-er of the HEMS plan due

to its detailed presenta-tion and the manner it was presented. Meanwhile, DOH-HEMS director Carmenci-ta Banatin has expressed willingness to help Davao del Sur in its undertak-ings, Dayanghirang said. According to her, Banatin was elated upon knowing that the prov-

ince has allotted an of-fice space for the HEMS program at the Davao del Sur Provincial Hospital. Said office was part of the three buildings constructed and inaugu-rated last June 29, 2011 through the initiative of Congressman Marc Ca-gas. (PIO-DavSur/Nil-da S. Aniñon)

Photo Release:

Dr. Perfecto Alibin (left person raising hand) is sworn in for his 2nd term as the University of Southeastern Mindanao president

DavSur prepares....from page 39


Prov’l LGU, charity group holds grand surgical mission for IPs, indigents KORONADAL CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) -- Hundred of indigents, indigenous peoples, and retirees who need surgical procedures but are unable to avail of medical services for reasons of financial incapacity and lack of services can avail of free surgical services in a five-day surgical mission here starting September 25. “The Maharlika Charity Foundation Inc., (MCFI) together with pro-vincial government of South Cotabato and the the Koronadal Lodge 209 of Free and Accepted Ma-sons will conduct a sur-gical mission at the South Cotabato Gymnasium and Cultural Center from Sep-tember 25 to 29,” board member Dr. Ervin Luntao announced yesterday. He said among the conditions that will be operated free of charge during the medical mis-sion include cleft palate, cataract (including ptery-

gium), stradismus or cross-eyes, goiter, hernia among children five years old or younger, and minor cysts. Dental services will also be available. “This is the first major surgical mission in South Cotabato under the management of Gov. Ar-thur “Dodo” Y. Pingoy Jr.” he said. Yesterday, officials of the Integrated Provin-cial Health Office, provin-cial government, masons and the charity founda-tion met at the Sangguni-ang Panlalawigan building to finalize plans for the

activity. Dr. Rizal Aportadera, president of MCFI, said the medical mission in Ko-ronadal will be their 49th mission in Mindanao and their first in South Cota-bato. “We are giving sur-gical services exclusively for indigents who cannot afford surgical operations and indigenous peoples who lack opportunities to avail of costly procedures,” Dr. Aportadera said. “We are also giving the same services to re-tirees in government and private sectors.”

43


44

MCFI was created in 1973 to give free medical treatment for the poor. Its office is located at J.P Cabaguio Avenue, Davao City. MCFI started con-ducting medical missions in 2000. He said that they have brought surgical missions to the provinces because many indigents and indigenous peoples lack the opportunity to undergo surgeries either because of finances, lack of information regarding where services can be availed, or being disre-garded by doctors also for reasons of incapacity to pay. “We are very glad that through the medical missions that we con-ducted all over Mindanao we have already given free surgical services to more than 8,000 poor pa-tients suffering from eye defects, facial deformi-ties, and others,” he said.

“Our objective is to give specialized and re-habilitative operations,” he added. “Specialized because the doctors we bring in the medical mis-sions are all specialists and rehabilitative because the patients’ defects and deformities are corrected and they given opportu-nities to be restore their confidence and become productive citizens.” For the medical mission in South Cotaba-to, MCFI will be bringing at least 35 specialists, including eye doctors, plastic surgeons, anaes-thesiologists, and general surgeons along with other medical staff including as nurses, medical technolo-gists and others. He said, on regular medical missions they serve at least 60 to 100 surgical patients each for eye operations, cleft pal-ate correction, and minor surgeries. More patients

are served in dental ser-vices. “We are very glad that the Maharlika Chari-ty Foundation has chosen Cotabato for their surgical mission,” Vice Gov. Elmo Tolosa said. Vice Gov. Tolosa’s office is among the offices listing names of possible patients who will undergo surgical procedures. Other offices where interested individuals can go to be listed are Office of the Governor, Office of Board Member Luntao, South Cotabato Provincial Hospital, Radio Mindanao Network and Bombo Ra-dyo Koronadal. Listing of patients in these offices is still on-going. Candidates for sur-gery will be gathered by the provincial government for a briefing on Septem-ber 20. An advance team of the MCFI will conduct

Prov’l LGU....from page 42


initial screening and lab-oratory examinations on September 25. Actual op-erations will start at Sep-tember 26. “Screening and of candidates lab tests are

necessary to provide max-imum safety for all proce-dures, especially among children and the elderlies,” Aportadera said. Medicines for post-operation treatment will

also be provided free. Patients who will devel-op complications after the operation are also assured of continuous medical care from MCFI doctors. (PIA 12)

Tagalog News: Tatlong mag-aaral ng GSC Sped Integrated School pinarangalan ng RDC 12KORONADAL CITY, Setyembre 14 (PIA) – Kasabay ng isinagawang 35th Regular Meeting ng Regional Development Council (RDC) 12 dito sa lungsod kahapon, pinarangalan ang tatlong (3) mag-aaral ng General Santos City Sped Integrated School na nauna ng itinanghal na National Makabagong Rizal Awardees ng taong 2011.

Kasama ang kanil-ang Principal na si Ms. Rizza Robin Valdez at teacher-coach na si Ani-ta Morimonte, tinanggap nina Romeo Dequito Jr., John Elmer Loretizo at Isam Benedict Blen Di-macutac ang plake mula sa RDC 12. Ang parangal ay kumikilala sa kanilang pagiging modelo sa mga panuntunan at prinsipyo ni Dr. Jose Rizal gaya ng pagmamahal sa Diyos at bayan, integridad, kagit-ingan at kagalingan sa

kanilang mga kakayahan, interes at talento. Ang tatlong mag-aaral na kumatawan sa Rehiyon Dose sa patimpa-lak na pinangunahan ng Philippine Center for Gift-ed Education Inc.(PCGEI), National Historical Com-mission of the Philippines (NHCP), National Commis-sion on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) ay dumaan sa masusing evaluation at screening noong unang bahagi ng taon bago ito in-indorso ng RDC 12 Search

Committee sa PCGEI. Ang patimpalak ay naging highlight ng pagdi-riwang ng ika-150 taong kapanganakan ng ating Pambansang Bayani na si Dr. Jose P. Rizal noong ika-19 ng Hunyo ngayong taon. Magkatuwang sa pagbigay ng plake sa mga Makabagong Rizal Awardees sina governor Arthur Y. Pingoy Jr. ng South Cotabato at Migs Dominguez ng Sarangani. (AC AGAD/PIA12)

Prov’l LGU....from page 43


Tagalog News: Bagong police provincial director ng S. Cotabato pormal nang uupo sa puwesto

KORONADAL CITY, Setyembre 14 (PIA) -- Pormal nang uupo ngayong araw si P/SSupt. Randolf Delfin bilang director ng Police Provincial Office ng South Cotabato.

Nakatakda ngay-ong umaga ang pag-turnover ng paalis na police provincial direc-tor P/SSupt. Nilo Wong ng pamunuan kay in-coming director P/SSupt. Delfin sa isang simpleng seremonyas na pangungunahan ni Police Regional Direc-tor CSupt. Benjarde Mantele. Sa Setyembre 26 nakatakdang mag-retiro sa serbisyo si Wong. Pagkatapos na ser-

emonyas, pinakaunang opisyal na gawain ng bagong police pro-vincial director ang pagdalo sa provincial peace and order coun-cil meeting na ipina-tawag ni Gov. Arthur Y. Pingoy Jr. Matatandaang si Gov. Pingoy mismo ang pumili kay Delf-in bilang kapalit ni Wong dahil kilala um-ano itong mahigpit sa pagpapatupad ng ba-tas batay na rin mga sinasabi ng kanyang

nakausap na mga opi-syal at tauhan ng pu-lisya na nakakakila sa police official. Inaasahan din ni Gov. Pingoy na sa pag-upo ng bagong police provincial direc-tor agad na mailalatag ang mga hakbang at tuluyang malulu-tas ang mga kaso ng pagnanakaw ng mga motorsiklo na may kasamang homicide na laganap sa Koronadal City at mga karatig bayan(PIA 12)

Tagalog News: Isa pang bomba sumabog sa Cotabato City kaninang umagaKORONADAL CITY, Setyembre 14 (PIA) -- Isa pang improvised explosive device (IED) ang pumutok malapit sa Shariff Kabunsuan Complex sa Cotabato City kaninang umaga.

Pumutok ang isang EID na gawa sa hini-hinalang 81mm mortar

pasado alas singko ng umaga sa may Gutierr-ez Ave., malapit sa gate

ng ARMM compound. Inilagay ang natur-ang bomba sa harapang

by Dani Doguiles

by Dani Doguiles

46


bahagi ng isang pam-pasaherong sasakyan na may plate number MVG 679 na pinarada sa na-turang lugar. Isa pang bomba na hindi sumabog ang na-kuha ng mga pulis sa-kay pa rin ng naturang sasakyan. Gawa ito sa isang 8mm mortar at may cellphone na deto-nating device na agad namang na-neutralize ng explosive and ord-

nance team ng kapu-lisan at mga sundalo. Kahapon ng tan-ghali isang bomba na gawa rin sa 81 mm mortar ang sumabog sa tabing daan malapit sa Cotabato Regional Medi-cal Center na sinun-dan naman ng isa pang pagsabog ng isa pang IED sa di kalayuang ng pinagtaniman ng nau-nang bomba. Naniniwala si Fe-

licisimo Khu, hepe ng Directorate for Inte-grated Police Operations (DIPO) – Western Min-danao na ang pagpa-pasabog ay nagnanais makapaghatid ng takot at manabotahe sa isi-nasagawang public fo-rum ng mga niominado at aplikante para mag-ing mga OIC ng Autono-mous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). (PIA 12)

Tagalog News: Mga operator, drayber may hang-gang Setyembre 15 para kunin ang fuel subsidy

KORONADAL CITY, Setyembre 14 (PIA 12) – May hanggang bukas, Setyembre 15, ang mga lehitimong transport operators at drayber ng tricycle sa lungsod ng Koronadal na kunin ang kanilang subsidiya sa langis sa ilalim ng programang Pantawid Pasada ng panahalaan.

by Dani Doguiles

Ayon kay Kor-onadal City OIC trea-surer Marloun Gumbao, pinal na ang deadline bukas dahil nakatanggap na sila ng notisya mula sa tanggapan ng De-partment of the Interior

and Local Government (DILG) na nag-uutos na pagsumite na sila ng liq-uidation report. Sa katunayan umano ngayong araw sana hinihingi ng DILG 12 ang liquidation re-

port pero hindi nila ito magagawa kung kaya’t itinakda nila ang pa-mamahagi ng P150 na fuel subsidy sa mga le-hitimong mga tricycle operator at drayber sa lungsod.

Tagalog News: Isa pang....from page 45

47


Ani Gumbao, sa kabuuang bilang na mahigit 4,000 na be-nepisyaryo ng progra-ma, halos kalahati pa lang ang nakakuha ng

ipinamudmod na ayuda ng pamahalaan. G a y u n m a n , nanawagan pa rin si Gumbao sa mga be-nepisyaryo na tumun-

go sa kanilang tang-gapan sa bagong city hall sa Carpenter Hill at kunin ang kanil-ang fuel subsidy. (PIA 12)

Tagalog News: Robredo hindi target ng pambomba sa Cotabato City – Khu KORONADAL CITY, Setyembre 14 (PIA) -- Mas malamang na hindi si Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo ang target ng dalawang pinaputok na improvised explosive device (IED) kahapon sa Cotabato City. Inihayag ni CSupt. Felicisimo Khu, hepe ng Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (DIPO)– Western Mindanao na base sa kanilang natanggap na intelligence report inten-syon ng mga naturang EID ang pagsabotahe sa isina-sagawang public forum ng mga nominado at aplikante para maging mga OIC sa Autonomous Region in Mus-lim Mindanao sa Shariff Ka-bunsuan Cultural Complex sa lungsod. Pumutok ang unang bomba 12:10 ng tanghali sa Sinsuat Avenue malapit sa Cotabato Regional Medi-

cal Center; sinundan ito ng pagsabog ng isa pang bom-ba ilang metro lang ang layo sa unang bomba. Ayon kay Khu, base sa mga narekober na mga shrapnel sa pinagyarihan ang mga naturang bomba ay gawa sa 81 mm mor-tar. Naniniwala rin si Khu na ang naturang mga EID ay bahagi pa rin ng sam-pung bomba na ginawa ng grupo ni Basit Usman na sinanay ng Jemaah Is-lamiyah para ikalat sa iba’t ibang lugar sa Central Mindanao. Dalawa na sa mga naturang bomba ang

sumabog na sa North Co-tabato samantalang tatlo ang narekober ng mga oto-ridad, at dalawa nga ang sumabog kahapon. Kaugnay rito, patu-loy na nakaalerto ang ka-pulisan at sundalo sa iba’t ibang lugar sa rehiyon. Mas pinaigting na rin ang mga checkpoints sa mga pangu-nahing daan at pagbaban-tay sa mga matataong mga lugar sa buong rehiyon. Muli ring pinaalalah-an ang publiko na mag-ing mapagmatyag sa mga kahina-hinalang mga per-sonalidad at mga iniiwang bagay. (PIA 12)

Tagalog News: Mga operator....from page 46


Sen. Revilla eyes on filming “Panday” in Surigao del Norte to help promote tourism industryBUTUAN CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) – The next “Panday” movie of Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. might be filmed in Surigao del Norte.

In his send-off press conference held recently at the VIP Lounge of Su-rigao City Airport, Revilla said he is eyeing to film the movie sequel in the

province after see-ing its unique tour-ist destinations. Revilla added this is one way of thanking the Surig-aonons for their un-ending support not

only to his political journey but also to his movie career. “In my own way, I can help promote the tourist destinations here in your prov-ince,” Revilla said.

by Robert E. Roperos

49


Sen. Revilla eyes...from page 48

With this, local officials of Surigao del Norte considered this as one way of promoting the tour-ism industry of the province, touted as the “Island Adven-tures” of the Philip-pines. Revilla further promised to bring his family in the world famous Cloud 9 in General Luna, Siargao Island to experience surfing in one of the world’s best beaches with perfect waves for surfers. The actor-turned politician also vowed to help in everything he can to promote the tourist destinations of the province. He even said, he is will ing to serve as an image model to promote the Cloud 9 in General Luna, Siargao Island,

known as the Surf-ing Capital of the Philippines. Meanwhile, Sen. Revilla donated some Php500,000 to Car-aga Regional Hospi-tal in Surigao City as part of his advocacy to improve public health nationwide, through the “Kap Medical Assistance Program,” providing help to the indigent patients of Surigao del Norte through his Kalusugan Ating Pangalagaan (KAP) medical assistance program, in a cere-mony held Friday, in time with the “Bo-nok-Bonok Marad-jaw Karadjaw” Fes-tival of the city of Surigao, where he was invited as Guest of Honor. F r o m h i s P r i o r i t y D e -v e l o p m e n t A s -s i s t a n c e F u n d ( P D A F ) , S e n .

R e v i l l a a l l o c a t -e d P h p 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 a s m e d i c a l a s -s i s t a n c e f u n d f o r t h e n e e d y p a t i e n t s i n t h e p r o v i n c e . T h e g r a n t -i n g o f m e d i c a l a i d w a s f o r m a l -i z e d t h r o u g h a M e m o r a n d u m o f A g r e e m e n t s i g n e d b e t w e e n t h e s e n a t o r a n d D r. P o n c i a n o L i m c a n g c o , m e d -i c a l d i r e c t o r o f t h e C a r a g a R e -g i o n a l H o s p i t a l . T h e M O A s i g n i n g w a s w i t -n e s s e d b y S u -r i g a o d e l N o r t e 1 s t D i s t r i c t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e F r a n c i s c o M a t u -g a s , 2 n d D i s t r i c t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e G u i l l e r m o R o -m a r a t e , S u r i g a o d e l N o r t e G o v e r -n o r S o l F. M a t u -g a s a n d S u r i g a o C i t y M a y o r E r -n e s t o M a t u g a s . ( P I A - C a r a g a )


Gov. Pimentel calls CNN for a dialogueBUTUAN CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) – Surigao del Sur Provincial Gov-ernor Johnny Pimentel today called on members of the com-munist rebels to dialogue with provincial officials to resolve insurgency issues. In an interview with a local radio sta-tion here this morn-ing, Gov. Pimentel said the recent burn-ing of equipment of construction com-p a n i e s - - a l l e g e d l y by members of the Communist Part of the Philippines, New People’s Army and the National Demo-cratic Front--in the area will greatly af-fect the economy of the province as in-vestors and soon to be entrepreneurs are threatened. The province’s chief executive add-ed it ’s sad to note that this happened at a time when more companies are al-ready putting in their investments and oth-ers are stil l coming in. “With the pre-vailing issue on the threat of peace and security, these inves-

tors might withdraw the investments that they are putting up, that may really affect the economic aspect of the province,” Pi-mentel said. Aside from this, Pimentel added if such incidents will continue to happen, it is difficult to invite potential entrepre-neurs to put up in-vestments in Surigao del Sur. The governor also said the tourism industry is also doing well in the province but with what hap-pened, he is afraid that this will also be affected. When asked about possible motive for attacks, Pimen-tel said contractors told him that they were not able to re-ceive demand letters from the rebels, “so I don’t know what is

really the reason be-hind these inhumane acts of these lawless groups,” Pimentel said in Cebuano dia-lect. It can be recalled that as per report of PNP Provincial Office in Surigao del Sur, 13 heavy equipment were burned by the group in less than two weeks. On Septem-ber 5, five units of dumptrucks and 3 Saddam Hauler trucks owned by Bislig Ven-tures, Inc. were also burned. Earlier on Au-gust 25, three units of backhoes, one unit of bulldozer and one unit of boom truck were also torched down at the Dole Philippine Compound in Brgy. Batunan, Tagbina, Surigao del Sur. (PIA-Caraga)



Youth leaders network initiates activities for peaceBUTUAN CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) - The Caraga Youth Leaders’ Network is now initiating activities in support of the celebra-tion of the United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Peace on September 21, 2011. Dubbed “Kali-naw Alang sa Tanan” (Peace for All), the initiative supports the worldwide call for a sustainable peace and develop-ment. It also seeks to inculcate the es-sence of peace and the true meaning of a shared communi-ty. It is a synchro-nize celebration for peace by youth or-ganizations, govern-ment offices, NGOs, sectoral groups and the academe to show support for peace in the region. In a memoran-dum issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Caraga Regional Of-

fice here, all Chief Executives are en-couraged to conduct the activity which is composed of three peace activities. The “Singko Minutos na Pag-am-po Alang sa Kalinaw” is a five-minute mo-ment of prayer for peace from 8:00 a.m. to 8:05 a.m. on September 21 to be conducted by the Sangguniang Ka-bataan, NGOs, youth organizaitons, gov-ernment offices and others. This activ-ity enjoins all con-cerned to gather to-gether in a candle lighting mode and say the prayer for peace. “Pirma Alang sa Kal inaw” is a

petit ion declaring for a last ing peace in the region and the whole world to achieve human de-velopment and se-curity. This act ivity can be faci l i tated by the Sangguniang Kabataan. The “Peace Ed-ucation Symposium is an activity aims to intensify the peace education campaign among the people in the community. CYLN is a region-al mult i-sectoral and non-govern-ment organization (NGO) that focuses on advancing the Caraganon youth development affairs of Caraga Region. (PIA-Caraga)



Surigaonon News: Surigao City Mayor Matugas nagpasalamat sa malamposon nga pagsaulog sa charter day ug fiesta celebrationSURIGAO CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) -- Si Surigao City Mayor Ernesto T. Matu-gas mingpa-abot sa iyang dakong pasalamat sa tanan mingsuporta sa malamposon nga pagsaulog sa 12 day- celebration nan syudad sugod sa 41st Charter Day Celebration hangtud na sa paghuman sa Fiesta kagahapong adlawa atol sa gipahigayon nga Monday Flag Raising Cer-emony atubangan sa Surigao City Hall. Una nga min-gpa-abot sa iyang pasalamat si Mayor Nitoy Matugas kang Congressman Lalo Matugas sa unang distrito Congress-man Guillermo Ro-marate nan segundo distrito lakip usab kang Governor Sol F. Matugas sa ilang suporta pinansyal nga maoy gigamit pa-premyo sa mga partisipante sa Bo-nok-Bonok Festi-val. Dugang pasal-amat usab ni May-or Nitoy Matugas sa mga kumpan-

ya, mga opisyales, amigo ug mga kae-la lakip usab sa mga paningkamot sa nag-organisar sa Bonok-Bonok Fes-tival nga mao gyud ang mihimo ug mga pa-agi aron mak-ab-ot ang kalam-posan ug kahapsay sa maong selebra-syon. Siya nagmali-payon usab tun-god kay daghan ang mingsanong ug mingduyog sa kapistahan nan syudad diin ma-saksihan gayud ang paglambo nan

syudad tungod sa pagtaas sa ihap sa mga bakasyunista, turista, lakip na sa mga surigaonon nga nagsuroy-suroy libot sa dakbayan. Sa maong pan-hitabo nahimong hapsay ug walay gubot nga nahitabo sa mga kadalanan lakip pa sa wala nay problema nga nadawat ang syu-dad gikan sa mga intrante nga nag-gikan sa laing mu-nisipyo. Tugod niini si Mayor Ernesto Matugas nagpasal

53


Surigaonon News: Surigao City ...from page 52

amat ug daku sa tanan mga Surig-aonon nga min-ghimo usab sa il-ang tagsa-tagsa ka mga responsibili-dad aron mamahi-mong malinawon

ug malamposon ang pagselebrar nan kapistahan. Siya nanghinaut nga sa mosunod pa nga mga kapistahan mas daghan pa ang moduyog ug mas

m a g m a l a m p o s o n pa gayud ang ma-ong selebrasyon. (Annette Villac-es, Surigao City PIO/PIA-Surigao del Norte)

Cebuano News: Clean Ground, Zero Waste program ni Mayor Amante, nahimong makasaysayanon sa dakbayan sa Butuan

BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 14 (PIA) -- Nahimong makasaysayanon ang programang Clean Ground, Zero Waste nga gilusad sa lokal nga panggamhanan ni’ng dakbayan dili pa lang dugay ubos sa liderato ni Mayor Ferdinand Amante, Jr.. N a g t a m b a y a y -ong ang tanan sa pa-glimyo sa syudad uban sa tibuok puwersa sa tanang empleyado sa lokal ug national nga panggamhanan, mga ka-estudyantehan mga magtutudlo sa pribado ug pampublikong tu-lunghaan, mga private sectors ug ang mga lu-mulupyo sa syudad. Ang maong pro-grama usa sa konsepto aron nga mapa-abot sa matag-usa ang ka-im-

portante sa kalimpyo sa syudad ug sa gitawag nga Social Transforma-tion ang pag-usab sa kinaiya sa tawo diha sa kalimpyo. Kah i numduman nga dugay nang prob-lema sa syudad ang ba-sura, gani paman isa kini sa hinungdan sa pagba-ha. Sa pamahayag ni Mayor Amante gipasab-ot niini nga gawas nga malimpyohan ang syu-dad malikayan usab ang

kalamidad nga posibling mo dangat. Gipasabot usab niini nga diha sa basura adunay dugang kakitaan sa katawhan. Nanawagan usab ang maong opisyal ngad-to sa tanang myembro sa media nga tabangan kini pinaagi sa pag-ed-ucar sa katawhan, diha sa kahanginan, sa sak-tong paglabog sa basura arun mamintinar ang kalimpyo sa dakbayan. (Butuan City PIO/PIA-Caraga)

by Ronuel A. Quinto

one mindanao - september 14, 2011

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