one mindanao - september 5, 2014

Jennifer P. GaitanoCARAGA Region

TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW launched in Butuan

COVER STORY

Government eyes single broadcasting network before President Aquino steps down in 2016

LGU to expand production of coco by-products under PRDP

PopCom, partners scale-up youth session

Cagdianao LGU hosts 1st provincial athletic meet

by JM Rosas

by May Ann O. Escobal

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NATIONAL

Information to Empower Filipinos

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NORTHERN MINDANAO

CARAGA REGIONDOLE 12 brings early Christmas to ambulant workers

Kapalong tribal leaders declare ‘pangayaw’ against NPA, NGO support

CENTRAL MINDANAO

SOUTHERN MINDANAO

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by Ma. Jane Mayola

by Danilo E. Doguiles

New fire volunteer group takes oath in Tacurong City 32 by Danilo E. Doguiles

NorMin registers 104 measles cases in 2014, says DOH 28 by Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob

by Michael Uy

TreeVolution: Greening

MindaNOW launched in Butuan

Cecilia Triño, Caraga Area Manager of MinDA revealed that the TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW is designed to encourage massive participation by various stakeholders and

sectors in efforts to hit the Mindanao target for the National Greening Program (NGP). “It is also part of the long-term campaign by DENR and MinDA’s MindaNOW! Program to

Through the efforts of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippine Information

Agency (PIA) Caraga, with its partner government agencies and private sector, the Mindanao-wide campaign dubbed as “TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW” was finally launched on Thursday held at the Robinson’s Atrium, this city.

by Jennifer P. Gaitano

TreeVolution: Greening

MindaNOW launched in Butuan instill among Mindanawons the consciousness of a sustainable management of environment and natural resources as part of the larger efforts for climate change adaptation,” said Triño. Triño also called on volunteer planters to register

on the TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW set on September 26, 2014. The following are the hotline numbers of TreeVolution: 0933-4744252; 0915-6630826; 0949-3557235. Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. acknowledges the effort of MinDA and DENR in

initiating the TreeVolution: Greening Mindanao. He said that Butuan City has prepared 3,000 seedlings intended for the TreeVolution activity only. He further assured that some

2,000 employees from the city government will be participating in the said big event that will start from 8:30-9:30 in the morning. “We’re so proud that MinDA is a very active organization. As they say it, there can be no

development without peace, and

no peace and development without considering the environment. The city government is committed to support this activity with all the Mindanawons,” Amante remarked. Also, regional director Abner Caga of PIA-Caraga emphasized that the agency will provide full communication support to the TreeVolution activity initiated by MinDa and DENR. “PIA will be utilizing its different platforms in order to make the significant event a successful one. The TreeVolution is a Mindanao wide event, which aims to break the Guinness World Record for the number of trees planted within an hour set on Sept. 26, 2014,” emphasized Caga. DENR-Caraga regional

director Nonito Tamayo bared that the TreeVolution event on Sept. 26 is also in time with the Philippine Civil Service anniversary celebration. “We actually have three planting sites for this event, the first is identified by MinDA and DENR, another

is identified by the academe, and the third is identified by the partner industries. Let’s all participate in this noble event as we will break the record of India having the biggest number of planted trees simultaneously in multiple locations in one hour,” he highlighted. “In Caraga region, there are 23,278 planters in Caraga region. This is based on the National Greening Program sites identified. As expected, one planter can plant 20 seedlings. There are also other sectors that will be participating in this historic event,” Tamayo added. Tamayo further clarified that with or without this record breaking event, the department with its partners will continue to reforest the environment.

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“We shall hit our target before 2016. With the help of our local government units, we will make this possible. Let’s make everyday an Arbor Day here in Caraga region,” he said. Meanwhile, Most Rev. Bishop Juan de dios Pueblos of Butuan City stressed that taking responsibility in the stewardship of our environment will also save us from any disaster. “By planting more trees we will also be able to save more lives. Let’s all participate in this noble activity with hope that this will be a successful one and that we can also break the record,” he said. Agusan del Norte Board Member Atty. Joseph Tomaneng

also revealed that in support to the NGP of the government, students of both private and public schools in the province are required to plant specific number of trees before they will graduate. It was also learned that there are around 200 hectares for Agusan del Norte with 100,000 seedlings to be planted during the TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW event. Mindanao will turn green as a quarter of a million Mindanawons attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the Most Number of Trees Planted Simultaneously in Multiple Locations in One Hour on Sept. 26.

SEPTEMBER 2014 | PAGE 8

President Aquino wants hoarders, price manipulators behind bars, Palace ofþcial says

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday attributed the spike in garlic prices a few months ago to collusion between government officials and a garlic importer. During a press briefing in Malacañang, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said that the DOJ’s finding “is the outcome of the continuing efforts of the government to stop abuses that produce disadvantage

and detriment to our populace.” He said that last month, the President called meetings among concerned agencies to determine the cause of unusual movements in the price of prime commodities. He further said that the President has already instructed government agencies, especially the Department of Agriculture (DA), to focus on the supply of goods and their prices in anticipation of the Christmas

President Benigno S. Aquino III continues to monitor cases on alleged abuses in the import and trade of basic commodities, warning that the authorities will prosecute those found to have violated the law, a Palace official said Thursday.


Government eyes single broadcasting network before President Aquino steps down in 2016

The government is eyeing the privatization of the television stations it controls before the term of President Aquino ends in 2016, Presidential Communications Operations Office

(PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said Thursday.

season. “Nagpatawag na ang Pangulo ng pagpupulong at mahigpit ang pag-uutos sa lahat ng mga ahensiya, lalung-lalo na ang Department of Agriculture na tutukan ang supply and price situation, lalung-lalo na at padating ng holiday season at tiyak na mag-i-increase ang

demand,” Coloma said, referring to the supply of pork, chicken, and the usual Noche Buena fare. As for those who have violated the law by engaging in hoarding and price manipulation, cases have been filed against them, based on the President’s instruction, Coloma said. PND

Two TV stations are currently under the administration: IBC-13 and RPN-9. IBC-13, a sequestered asset, is 100-percent government-owned. Coloma said in a press briefing in Malacañang that the government is working on the privatization of IBC-13, and that the Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations has decided to allow the Development Bank of the Philippines to become the privatization manager of the station. “Sa aking pagkabatid ay inuumpisahan na ang prosesong ito at ang target ay matapos ito sa pagtatapos din ng termino ni Pangulong Aquino,” he

said. He noted that RPN-9 is already privatized, with the government owning only 20.8 percent of the station. Coloma said that the administration has since 2010 wanted only one government-owned broadcasting network, which includes television and radio. The state-run radio station is Radyo ng Bayan, and aside from IBC-13 and RPN-9, the government also runs PTV-4. The PCOO administers these stations pursuant to Executive Order No. 4. PND


Mindanao still the land of possibilities

Mindanao, hailed as the “Land of Promise,” is still measured to date as the agricultural basin of the Philippines, with eight of the country’s top ten exported agricultural commodities

coming from the island-region. It is the second of three major islands of the archipelago together with Luzon and Visayas, and lies in the southern part of the Philippines. Mindanao, derived from the Maranao word

“Danau” (flood), has a population of 20,375,527, according to the 2010 census. It is divided into six regions, further segmented into 26 provinces. Mindanao’s largest urban center Davao City


correspondingly recognized globally as the biggest conurbation in terms of land area at 244,000 hectares or 2,443.61 square kilometers. The island-region’s top agricultural products include rice, corn, cassava, rubber, oil palm, banana, pineapple, coffee, livestock and seaweeds, among others. Data from the Department of Agriculture (DA) indicated that Mindanao remains as the country’s principal food source and agro-industry center, which accounted for 60 percent of agri-exports over the decade. Only last year, the DA records showed that Mindanao generated over P4-billion from agricultural exports over shipments of organic rice, banana, oil palm and livestock like chicken to neighboring Asian countries of Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. In the southern tip of Mindanao lies the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) comprising the pre-dominantly Muslim provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-tawi, which for over a decade now is acknowledged as the country’s top producer of seaweeds. “The ARMM is producing a projected capacity of 700,000 metric tons of seaweeds on a yearly basis,” said Macmod Mending Jr., the region’s agricultural and fisheries secretary, said. Seaweeds, exported either in raw or processed form, is widely used as component for products such as treated food chips, animal feeds, fertilizer, diet supplement, medicine, and beauty merchandises. The biggest seaweeds’ market, according to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries – ARMM is China with an increasing demand rate of five percent annually.

Mindanao’s Role in Food Sufficiency Since the 1980s, agriculture and agri-

related industries have occupied an important role in Mindanao’s economy by providing basic needs of food, clothing, shelter and employment for its more than four million settlers. Based on existing employment statistics, those in Mindanao’s agriculture sector comprise 35 percent of the country’s farming occupation. However, despite Mindanao’s contribution to some 60 percent of the country’s food requirement, the unstable peace and order situation in troubled spots of the region remains a major obstacle in boosting its economic potentials. “The decades-old Moro rebellion in Mindanao has plunged the region into uncertainty, thus the local agri-sector has depended much on their export partners for guaranteed incomes,” Nelson Yu, a North Cotabato vast farm owner, said. Yu said severely affected by the conflict is the ARMM as since 2000, its five province-components belonged to the top ten poorest provinces in the country. Haron Bandila, chair of the ARMM Business Council, however said that Mindanao’s economic potentials significantly developed the past several months following the signing last March of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) in Malacañang between the Aquino administration and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the remaining large Moro rebel group fighting for self-determination in the south. The proposed Bangsamoro entity would cover the present geographical area of the ARMM; the municipalities of Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan and Tangkal in Lanao del Norte and several villages in the towns of Kabacan, Carmen, Aleosan, Pigkawayan, Pikit, and Midsayap, all in North Cotabato that voted for inclusion in the ARMM during the 2001 plebiscite. Furthermore, the proposition suggests the inclusion of the cities of Cotabato and Isabela; and


other contiguous areas where there is a resolution of the local government unit or a petition of at least ten percent of the qualified voters in the area asking for their inclusion at least two months prior to the conduct of the ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and the process of delimitation of the new region. The BBL, currently undergoing review by government legal experts at the Office of the President, would serve as the governing edict of the Bangsamoro that would replace the 24-year-old graft-ridden ARMM set-up. “Mindanao’s full economic and development potential is expected to roll freely with the signing of a final peace deal between the government and MILF.” Bandila said. The business leader also reiterated that he and colleagues at the Mindanao trading industry always remain “positive” on the adherence of both government and MILF to the agreements. Early on, the DA has prepared through its Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) dozens of livelihood and infrastructure programs geared toward improving incomes and food security in poor communities. Through MRDP, initial support for fisher folk and farmers in Mindanao amounted to P212.9-M covering the regions of Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, and Soccsksargen and ten provinces comprising Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga Sibugay, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, South Cotabato, Maguindanao, Davao Oriental, and North Cotabato.

BIFF and ISIS recruitment Amid the ongoing peace efforts in Mindanao,

reports of young men recruited by the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its local network groups of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah emerged, prompting both government and MILF to address the issue in connection with the Bangsamoro proposition. In a statement, Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, government chief negotiator, said the Bangsamoro is designed to be a secular and democratic governing region far from becoming a breeding ground of Islamic militancy and extremism. She said Bangsamoro entity would promote collective security, as it would also respect religious diversity and basic rights of people in the proposed territory. The MILF, on the other hand, has warned its members on sympathizing with any extremist groups from abroad as its also condemned the cruelty of such militant organizations on causing mayhem in several Muslim states in the Middle East. “We are closely looking on this alleged ISIS recruitment and so far our field commanders have denied the existence of such activity in their respective areas of concern,” Al Haj Murad, MILF chieftain, said. Murad said the focus of the MILF remains on the progress of the peace agreement with no other “disturbing concerns” like the ISIS and its known local terror networks. “We have been dreaming of this final peace accord with the government for the past four decades and we would not shatter our vision with just a blink of an eye on joining other militant groups both here and abroad,” he stressed. (PNA)

‘TreeVolution’ gains support from various local communities

BUTUAN CITY -The TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW, an attempt to plant 4.6 million trees simultaneously in multiple locations in Mindanao in just one hour to beat India’s Guinness World Record of 1,945,535 trees is getting an increased number of partakers and volunteer planters who will join on September 26, 2014 at 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Speaking from religious sector, Butuan Auxiliary Bishop Zacarias

Jimenez declared that “launching the ‘TreeVolution’ brings us

by Venus L. Garcia


into a deeper level of our action. As we plant trees we plant for ourselves and the lives of our children’s children and as we engage in this unique unified action we start a new story of creation. We will be giving birth to new species of creation as trees multiply , breath out new energy to the world, and breathing in fresh inspiration from our unity with each other and with creation. Blessed be God, Allah, Magbabaya. The Samahang Magdalo Butuan Balangay chapter regional coordinator Michael Leo Torralba also said that “like any other types of revolution, it is high time that

we join and combine all strengths to a revolution that will crosscut in all our endeavors as humans and shall sustain our existence as one with nature.” He also declared commitment of the Samahan to participate during the event. By putting best regard to its ecological responsibility, Romeo Pendon, Mindanao Operation Area Manager of Kennemer Foods, a private company in cacao business and exporting cacao beans expressed that the activity is one of the ways that could help counter the effects climate change. “Our organization is willing to conduct training on how to plant cacao trees to those interested planters and help them earn extra income. We will be participating in this big event not only in Caraga region but also in Sarangani province,” he remarked. Meanwhile, DENR Caraga regional director Nonito Tamayo said that the agency has committed


500,000 seedlings to be planted in 1,000 hectares distributed in five provinces within the region. “In fact, many DENR stakeholders in region 13 are coming in to join the record-

breaking tree planting rite in time with the Civil Service Annivesary,” he said. It was revealed that the planting areas are classified into three categories and these are the

National Greening Program (NGP) areas, local government units’ designated areas, and private areas registered by companies, schools, plantation and other non-NGP areas. Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Caraga area manager Cecil Triño also called on volunteer planters to register on the TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW . The following are the hotline numbers to contact for TreeVolution inquiries: 0933-4744252; 0915-6630826; 0949-3557235.


The trail will commence in the municipality of Nasipit on September 5 and will move to Cabadbaran City and Butuan City on September 11 and 25 respectively. These LGUs were chosen considering their strong support to the population and health programs. U4U Teen Trail Initiative is designed by PopCom for the improvement and promotion of the total well-being of the Filipino youth. Equip the young people with the necessary knowledge on sexuality and other health related concerns and the skills to communicate such concerns to their fellow adolescents. Through teen trail, the youth will have accurate and sound information about their health, total well-being and development.

PopCom Caraga regional director Alexander A. Makinano underscored the significance of this activity for this will capacitate the youth on the needed life skills to enable them to adopt positively and deal with the demands and challenges of everyday life. “These life skills are believed to be critical especially as the adolescents confront issues concerning their health and overall development,” added Makinano. The youth themselves will facilitate the trail after the Teen Facilitators’ Training, while the technical staff of PopCom Caraga together with the Population Officers of the above areas will supervise the said activity.

PopCom, partners scale-up youth session by May Ann O. Escobal

TANDAG CITY- The Commission on Population (PopCom) Car-aga in partnership with the Mindanao Health will stage their newest intervention for young people known as U4U Teen Trail Initiative in the priority areas of the Agusan del Norte this Sep-tember.

Cagdianao LGU hosts 1st provincial athletic meet by Ma. Jane Mayola

CAGDIANAO, Dinagat Islands- The municipality of Cagdianao in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commu-nity Affairs Office, hosted the very first Dinagat Islands Provincial Athletic Meet (DIPAM) from August 26-29, 2014 here.


Cagdianao LGU hosts 1st provincial athletic meet

The activity was aimed to promote physical education and sports as an integral part of basic education for the development of the youth. Dinagat Islands provincial governor Glenda B. Ecleo together with vice governor Benglen B. Ecleo, Cagdianao mayor Marc Adelson D. Longos and DepEd Dinagat Islands schools division superintendent Marilou Dedumo led the hoisting of the 2014 DIPAM banner and municipal host banner. Philippine Basketball Association’s AIR21 Express player Paul Asi M. Taulava,

the event’s guest of honor, led the entrance of the Friendship Torch and lighting of the Urn. Taulava, in his message, said that the young athletes must use sports as a tool to open up new doors and new hopes. “It’s not about winning or losing, it is about enjoying the game and having fun, play with sportsmanship,” Taulava said. A total of 960 elementary and secondary athletes from the different schools of the province, coaches, team leaders and teachers attended the opening ceremony.

Higalaay 2014: Enriching CDO’s bestsby Recthie T. Paculba

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - The feast of Cagayan de Oro City’s patron saint, St. Augustine observed every 28th day of August has always been one of the most looked forward days by the Kagay-anons and this year, the festivity was embellished with colorful carnival dances, sumptuous food, phenomenal fireworks festival and a showcase of the locals’ talents.


Higalaay (friendship), the core theme of the festivity, highlights the exceptional trait of the Kagay-anons (people living in the city) to seek out friends, make new friends and going beyond self-interests to become friends to others. Every year, there are various activities conducted to promote the city as an investment and tourism hub not only in Mindanao but also in Visayas.Distinct products and raw talents The Higalaay Festival 2014 became a one-month celebration which commenced with the Mindanao Fashion Summit held at the Limketkai Rotunda. The said summit with the theme, “Local Designs—Global Impact,” showcased the talents of various fashion designers all over Mindanao. Aside from the fiesta delights served in every Kagay-anon’s home, mouth-watering and unique dishes were featured in the Kumbira—the country’s longest-running culinary show which highlights the best as well as the latest food creations in the region. Furthermore, the Kahimunan Northern Mindanao Food and Lifestyle


Show 2014 has also highlighted the best products of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Region 10 showcasing the processed food, handicrafts, furniture, organic products and other items personally made by the locals. For plant lovers, a Garden Show and Agri Fair was held in the Gaston Park where an exhibition of garden plants as well as landscaping artistry of the local gardeners became the main sight to see from August 8 to 31. Most of the garden plants and flowers were sold at affordable price.Vibrant sights The festivity, as expected by the locals and even the visitors, has exhibited a lot of exciting surprises through the conduct of the Kagay-an Pyro Festival held at the SM City, Street Dancing: Cagayan de Oro Carnival which filled the streets with colorful costumes and upbeat dances as well as the PE Rhythmic Dance Competition participated in by Physical Education (PE) students from the different schools in the City. Eyes also feasted on the Higalas Parade that featured creative floats accompanied by 119 contingents from schools, barangays and civic groups, and the religious processions such as

the fluvial parade held on August 28 which paved the way for the decorated boats and rafts with the images of St. Augustine and other patron saints.

The City Fiesta celebration ended with a blast through a Pyro Musical Festival held at the Duaw Park near City Hall. Every year, Cagayan de Oro City puts a different flavor of the City Fiesta to effectively instill into the minds of


The provincial government in partnership with the Malingao Community Services Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MCOCO) aims to expand the existing coco coir market into producing other products such as coco geonets, baled fiber and bio-organic fertilizer. “Coconut is the most abundant crop in the province. Farmers would be in an advantageous position by tapping its multifarious uses aside from copra trading,” said Department of Agriculture 10 regional director Lealyn Ramos. Ramos, who is also the PRDP Mindanao cluster director, said the proposed project could provide additional income to coconut farmers by maximizing the use of coconut

husks and by-products, citing demand for geonet especially in soil erosion control. The Department of Public Work and Highways (DPWH) has issued a memorandum circular directing all national and local government agencies to use coconut fiber, coco peat and coco dust materials for soil conditioning and erosion control. Baled coconut fiber is widely used in making ropes and mats, while coco-peat can be used as bio-organic fertilizer for crops such as banana. Region 10 has identified coconut as priority commodity product for development under PRDP. Proposed under PRDP’s Investments in Rural Enterprises and

LGU to expand production of coco by-products under PRDPby JM Rosas

TUBOD, Lanao del Norte - A P13-million enterprise development project that will expand production of coconut by-products here has been submitted for funding under the new Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).

the locals and the visitors that the City has continuously enriched its bounties and these rare talents and products

showcased to the world is what makes Cagayan de Oro a competitive city here and abroad.


Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity or I-REAP component, the projects aim to elevate agricultural production into the next levels of the value chain through production and market support facilities. It will partner with a local cooperative that has previous experience in implementing agriculture or commodity-related enterprises and has existing or identified market for the products. The proposed funding support will be used to acquire facilities for twinning and weaving, infrastructure and logistics support, and other equipment for the production of bio-organic fertilizer. Once operationalized, the processing plant is expected to produce an average of 550 rolls of geonets, 870 bundles of baled fiber and 3,600 sacks of bio-organic fertilizer monthly. If the target production is met, the cooperative would earn P990,000 on geonets, P580,000 on baled coco fiber and P720,000 for coco peat bio-organic fertilizer per month. Baled fiber is priced at P660 per bundle (60-70 kilos), geonets is at P1,800 per roll (with deliveries to Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Surigao del Sur and Ozamiz) and the bio-organic fertilizer is at P200 per sack, data from the business plan show. Under I-REAP, PRDP will assist MCOCO, the proponent group, in engaging into marketing agreement contracts with institutional buyers as well as other marketing activities. “We are looking at upgrading

groups that are ready to scale up their business instead of start-ups or assembling groups to do enterprise,” said PRDP national deputy program director Arnel De Mesa. He added that the PRDP undergoes through the process of coming up with business plans to determine which viable enterprises are going to be supported under the I-REAP component. The proponent group has already identified buyers and market for the proposed products. It also targets around 10,000 banana growers in Lanao del Norte as market for the coco-peat. The business plan cited the growing demand for geotextile and weaved coconut fiber twines in countries like China and the US. However, the lack of technology, equipment support and capital has limited the opportunity for the production of the said coconut by-products. MCOCO has previously engaged into coco coir production through a P3.5-million livelihood funding assistance from the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) that enabled them to produce coconut by-products like geonets and baled coco fiber. The project is also expected to generate more employment with 850 families in five barangays to be engaged as coco fiber twinners from the previous 170 families in only two barangays. MCOCO will also train them under the expanded production.


T h e DOH data show that this number of cases came from 77, out of the region’s 2 , 0 2 5 barangays from the region’s five provinces, w i t h Buk i dnon

registering the highest number of 37 measles cases from 25 barangays, followed by Misamis Oriental with 26 cases from 18 barangays. In the province of Camiguin, one case, each, was registered in barangay Catuhogan of Mahinog and Baylao of Mambajao, in Lanao del Norte, one case from Poblacion East in Pantao-Ragat and in Misamis Occidental, also one case from Taraka in Jimenez. Of the highly urbanized cities, Cagayan de Oro registered 29 measles cases from 18 barangays

and Iligan City, eight cases from four barangays. Meanwhile, DOH has called on all local government units (LGU’s) in region to join the month-long campaign for the 2014 Nationwide Measles-Rubella, Oral Poliovirus Vaccine Mass Immunization (MR OPV MI), for free, set for the whole month of September, this year. Targets of the MR vaccines are children 9 months to 59 months old, while the targets of the OPV vaccines are children 0 months to 59 months old, who will be covered by the program using the “Reaching Every Purok” strategy. In Misamis Occidental, the Integrated Health Provincial Office (IPHO) has launched and information, education and communication (IEC) campaign and dispatched two teams, one team, each, to cover the northern and southern parts of the province. The teams are tasked to monitor the mass immunization program to ensure its success, Dr. Rachel T. Micarandayo, Provincial Health Officer of the Misamis Occidental IPHO, said.

OROQUIETA CITY, Misamis Occidental - A total of 104 laboratory-confirmed measles cases have been noted in Northern Mindanao by the Department of Health (DOH), from January to June, this year.

NorMin registers 104 measles cases in 2014, says DOHby Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato -- Over a thousand Tboli and Blaan residents in Lake Sebu, this province, marched to the town plaza on Saturday afternoon, Aug. 30 to denounce the presence New People’s Army (NPA) in their area.

Lumads denounce presence of NPA in their areaBy: Danilo E. Doguiles

Capt. Rey Balibagoso, spokesperson of the 1002nd In-fantry Brigade Philippine Army, told Philippine In-formation Agency in a statement that the peace rally, participated by residents from the munici-pality’s 19 barangays, was organized to show their objection to the atrocities carried by the rebel group in the area.

“Hadu kem tao tabag; aknagol to dad NPA! (We denounce the group NPA; we do not need them!), the participants shouted in their mother tongue as they marched to the town plaza.

Among the marchers were chieftains, tribal leaders, and barangay officials.

Balibagoso said most of the participants came from Barangay Ned, the biggest and farthest barangay of Lake Sebu.

“The NPA terrorized them (residents of Barangay Ned) before the conduct of the Peace and Devel-opment Outreach Program by the 27th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army, in collaboration with the local government unit and concerned agencies,” he said.

Speaking at the rally, Lake Sebu Mayor Antonio Fungan emphasized: “We, the IPs, are peace-lov-ing people. What my constituents need are basic


services like health, education, and livelihood.”

Fungan said the national gov-ernment is currently constructing a road network that would connect Poblacion, Lake Sebu to Maitum, Sarangani via Barangay Ned.

Once completed the road could mean less costly and fast trans-portation of agriculture products of farmers in the uplands to the market; however, the presence of the rebel group along the South Cotabato – Sarangani boundary poses a threat to this development program.

On this regard, the local chief executive requested the 27th IB to provide security for the heavy equipment and the workers con-structing the road.

‘We are promoting our town as a tourist destination. For now, we are number 2 tourist destination in the Philippines. We envision to be-come the number 1 someday,” he added.

In response, Lt. Col. Shalimar Imperial assured to sustain the peace and order in the area with the help from local police, the LGU, and other stakeholders.

Meanwhile, Col. Ronald Villan-ueva, commanding officer of the 1002nd Infantry Brigade appealed to the NPAs to spare the indig-enous peoples in their useless and futile armed struggle.

“The IPs have the right to self-governance and self-determination. It is stated in Republic Act 8371, the Indigenous People’s Rights Act of


TACURONG CITY, Sultan Kudarat– Forty ambulant workers in Tacurong City received on Monday, September 1, an early Christmas gift -- an opportunity to improve their livelihood -- from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 12

1997,” said Col. Imperial. In an interview, Capt. Baliba-

goso confirmed that prior to the peace rally in Lake Sebu, several peace marches have been held in their areas of responsibility.

These included a condemnation rally in Digos City on March 5 de-nouncing the armed group’s use of landmines in nearby Bansalan town where four civilians were injured; in Pinalpalan in Malita, Davao del Sur on July 27 where a Tagakaolo

civilian was killed by members of the NPA; in Makilala, North Cotabato on August 9; and in Poblacion, Ara-kan, North Cotabato on August 21.

“The upland folk continue to denounce the CPP-NPA-NDF and call for the support of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’s campaign on Internal Peace and Security Plan – Bayanihan, so that peace and de-velopment will continue,” Balibago-so said. (DEDoguiles-PIA 12

DOLE 12 brings early Christmas to ambulant workersBy: Danilo E. Doguiles

Dominica Millan, head of DOLE Sultan Kudarat Field Office, led the turn-over of the livelihood starter kits to the members of the Tacurong City Terminal Vendors As-sociation (TATVA) during the kick-off program for the month-long celebration of the 114th Philippine Civil Service Anniversary at the city’s sports and cultural center.

With Millan in the distribution of the livelihood assistance were May-or Lina Montilla, Vice Mayor Joseph Lechonsito and Sangguniang Pan-

lungsod Chairperson on Labor and Employment Benjamin Fajardo, Jr.

Each beneficiary received a push cart, P2,000-worth of grocery items and vest uniforms, which were provided under the Kabu-hayan Starter Kits Project compo-nent of the DOLE Integrated Liveli-hood and Emergency Employment Programs (DILEEP)

DILEEP aims to provide assis-tance to the informal/formal sec-tors and marginalized self-employed workers with insufficient income.


TACURONG CITY, Sultan Kudarat -- Fifty fire volunteers recently took oath as officers and members of the newly-created City Fire Volunteer group in Tacurong City.

The program is a form of DOLE in-tervention that seeks to contribute to poverty reduction through promotion of entrepreneurship and community enterprises.

Under the DILEEP, qualified ben-eficiaries are given equipment, raw materials, tools and jigs. This way, the DOLE is assured that the aid given to beneficiaries would immedi-ately be put to use.

DOLE Field Office and the city government, through the Public Em-ployment Service Office (PESO), started assisting the beneficiaries last year by organizing them into an association.

Having observed commitment from the group members, the PESO office here helped in the preparation of livelihood project pro-posal, that were later submitted for consideration by the DOLE 12.

DOLE 12 Regional Director Ofe-lia Domingo approved the livelihood proposal of the vendors late last year while the fund for the said project was subsequently released in the second quarter of this year.

TATVA President Maritess Buglosa

shared the excitement and gratitude of her fellow vendors for the liveli-hood assistance they received. She said that the project given to them by the DOLE is a huge income help in augmenting their current income.

“Because of the help from DOLE, our members can now do away with borrowing money from lenders to sustain our livelihood at the city terminal” said Buglosa.

“If not for the help of the city government, we could not have received such a very big help,” she said while expressing gratitude to Mayor Montilla who vouched for them to become beneficiaries of the DOLE starter kits.

Mayor Montilla also expressed gratitude to the initiative of DOLE 12 and its field offices.

“The Kabuhayan starter kits proj-ect is an effective way of augmenting the income of our city’s low-earning population. My gratitude to Director Domingo for giving utmost attention to the needs of our city’s informal sector,” she said. (DEDoguiles-PIA 12 with report from DOLE 12)

New fire volunteer group takes oath in Tacurong CityBy: Danilo E. Doguiles


The fire volunteers pledged before Mayor Lina Montilla during the kick-off program for the cel-ebration of the 114th Philippine Civil Service Month at the city’s sports and cultural center.

“You are our new partners in the disaster response and mitigation. It is our mission to serve,” Mayor Montilla said as she challenged the volunteer fire fighters.

Headed by team leader Allan Mar-vin Acosta, the group is composed of employees and personnel of City Schools Division of Tacurong, the city government, Tacurong Police Station, Tacurong Search and Rescue Team (TRACER), EORA-CVO, and Joint Task Force Talakudong.

In July, the team underwent a rigorous five-day training which

covered lectures and hands-on skills application on fire suppres-sion and control, and basic rescue and emergency medical operations. Trainees also participated in fire sim-ulation exercises.

The Bureau of Fire Protection, which facilitated the training, and the Tacurong City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council also oriented them on basic incident command system to raise aware-ness on the process and structure during disaster response.

“We hope to conduct more train-ings in partnership with our line agencies to empower more sectors for DRRM,” said Councilor Rodrigo Jamorabon, chair of the SP Commit-tee on DRRM. (DEDoguiles-PIA 12)

SPMC quarantine facility hosts suspected MERS-CoV patientsDAVAO CITY- The iso-lation building at the Southern Philippine Medical Center is host-ing three suspected Middle Eastern Respira-tory Syndrom-Corona-virus (MERS-CoV) pa-tients for quarantine. One of the three patients is a nurse from Saudi Arabia identified as “AP” who was confirmed to have the virus, the second case in the coun-try. The nurse husband is also among those con-fined in the facility. The other person has not yet been identified as of press time. AP arrived from Saudi Arabia last August 28, she was exposed to a MERS-CoV patient while working in Saudi Ara-bia and underwent tests after feeling sick. She initially tested negative but days after her return

results came out in Saudi Arabia in which she test-ed positive. The nurse is cur-rently not manifesting any symptoms of the disease. The DOH is cur-rently tracking other people who came in contact with the nurse particularly the 143 co-passengers of the nurse during her flight from Manila to General San-tos. Meanwhile Dr. Ri-cardo Audan, SPMC chief of clinics said the hospi-tal is capable of treating the patient but they only have three rooms in the isolation ward. The medi-cal staff are using Per-sonal Protective Equip-ment in dealing with the patients. Audan said the nurse has been coopera-tive with the medical per-sonnel. Further tests were made and samples sent to the Research Insti-tute for Tropical Medi cine


for confirmation. Also Department of Health Re-gion XI director Abdullah Dumama Jr. M.D. said during Kapihan sa Abreeza last Friday (August 29) that the DOH central office has instructed him to start the canvass of materials for the construction of a negative- pres-

sure room which will be located in SPMC. The negative pressure room is needed to isolate patients with Ebo-la, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), MERS-CoV, avian flu and other contagious virus disease. The budget for the facility will be P5.5 million. (PIA/RG Alama)

regional gallery....

President Benigno S. Aquino III with the 2014 Ramon Magsaysay awardees: (From left) Randy Halasan of the Philippines; Wang Canfa of China; two representatives from The Citizen Foundation of Pakistan; Saur Marlina Manurung of Indonesia; and Ho Shuli of China during the presentation ceremonies held on August 31, 2014 at the Cultural Cen-ter of the Philippines. Photo by the Malacanan Photo Bureau


Kapalong tribal leaders declare ‘pangayaw’ against NPA, NGO supportDAVAO DEL NORTE- After a series of unrest in Barangay Gupitan, the tribal leaders in the barangay which is part of Kapalong town, declared ‘pangayaw’ or tribal war against the New People’s Army and its support non-government organizations (NGO). This was revealed earlier to-day by Municipal Indigenous Peo-ple’s Mandatory Representative (IPMR) Datu Arturo Davao in a Press Conference on the Gupitan Incident held at ABC Hall, Kapa-long. “We, the tribal leaders, signed a manifesto declaring war after a number of NGOs tried to enter our ancestral domain dis-regarding our agreements,” Datu Davao said. Davao added that ten NGOs tried to enter Brgy. Gupitan twice and that he revealed KARAPATAN and PASAKA were among those NGOs. “At first, we (tribal leaders) had a dialogue with them and told them not to enter certain sitios because of ongoing encounter be-tween the army and the NPA. But during the dialogue, they insisted and I had to stop the forum since discussion got heated up,” he said in Visayan dialect.

Davao then requested the NGO to set another schedule to continue the discussion. “However when they re-turned, they did not pass by us. It’s a disrespect for us,” he said in Visayan dialect. Gaspar Balinggao, municipal administrator and action officer of the municipal disaster risk reduc-tion and management center, said that the municipal government set up an Incident Command Center on August 15 after declaring Ba-rangay Gupitan on a state of im-minent danger. “Since the encounter started in July, ten communities of more than 800 households in Barangay Gupitan have been affected,” Bal-inggao said.He said that the ICS provided food, medical and transportation assistance to affected families, who remained in their houses. As of today, Balinggao dis-closed that the municipal govern-ment already distributed a total of 4,685 food packs. “We have served all the households and we still contin-ue serving them until encounter ends,” he said.(PIA 11, Michael Uy)

one mindanao - september 5, 2014

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