MikeLigalig.com

DAVAO CITY -- The upcoming Mindanao Trade Expo (MTE) in Glorietta Mall in Makati City from October 2-5 will strongly promote Nasabeka - the recently-launched brand of the Matigsalugs, a group of indigenous people (IP) in Davao City.

The birth of Nasabeka is a result of the sustained partnership between the government and private sector in developing local communities, through pooled resources of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Therma South, Inc. (TSI), and MTE Foundation, Inc. (MTEFI) to equip the Matigsalug Council of Elders of Marilog District, Davao City, Inc. (MACOEMADDACI).

The brand was launched during the opening ceremony of MTE 2017 in Abreeza Mall last August 11, "Nasabeka" carries not only the ingenuity of one of the city's original inhabitants, but also the uniqueness of their culture.
MTEFI president Rosevic Del Rosario-Cembrano said bringing the brand to the national exhibition will introduce the Matigsalugs to potential institutional markets

"As what Nasabeka means, we want unity to really prevail in all the endeavors that we do. We want that the organization will continuously work with our partners to improve the lives of all local entrepreneurs, especially those from the communities," Del Rosario-Cembrano said.

It further exudes their commitment to product excellence and oneness with our objective for a better future. Bearing the theme "Connecting Mindanao," the MTE show in Glorietta is expected to open doors of opportunity for the island-region's products and services. This will also serve as an avenue to underscore the ingenuity, reliability and creativity of the entrepreneurs behind them.

"With the Matigsalug's brand as among the MTE in Glorietta highlights, we are optimistic they will find new markets. After all, every intricate detail of their products represents their culture and the craftsmanship being passed on from generation to generation," she said.

With the help of professional designers, training and seminars on the development of beads and agsam (a kind of fern), pompom (Sangkad), wearable, and basketry were conducted.

At the end of series of skills upgrading interventions, unique and modern Matigsalug-inspired products were produced.

The designers who assist the Matigsalugs are Frankie Galagnara of Philippine Women's College and Emi Englisof Emi Englis Couture and MTE Design Team for wearable, Yvette Punzalan of Yvette's Bags Collections and MTEFI Product Development Trustee In-charge for pompom., DTI Designers Pool Juvenal Fernandez of Tagum Development Company, Inc. (TADECO) for basketry; Leny Castillo of Great Gifts Souvenirs for beads and agsam. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DAVAO CITY -- About 200 merchants are expected to join the cryptocurrency exposition organized by Doxa at the Davao Convention Center on October 7 to introduce and educate Dabawenyos about e-currency as driver of the economy.

Gian Albano, Ph.D., Doxa chief trainor, said Doxa is a community of cryptocurrency enthusiasts based in Davao City with over 3,000 members around the Philippines. Its members are learning the e-currency through the regular coaching and mentoring.

The members are Filipinos and foreigners of all ages but half of the community is composed of millennials.

In the Philippines, Albano said several steps need to be done, firstly, because there is lack of information and awareness among Filipinos about the virtual commodity.

Unlike in other neighboring Asian countries like China and Japan where it is widely accepted, Albano said there is still limited knowledge about e-currency in the Philippines while others are still skeptical.

"Due to lack of education this virtual commodity is not widely accepted in the Philippines," he said, adding, this is a powerful innovation that many of us don't have the knowledge thus we failed to take advantage of its benefit especially in our finances.

Second, he said there is a need to improve on the mercantile function where cryptocurrency is accepted by merchants around the Philippines; third, people become aware on the availability of options where to date there are around 900 other currencies; and fourth is the acceptance of government.

"But whether government accepts it or not, in a democratic country like ours, technology cannot be stopped," he said.

The cryptocurrency depends on a technology, the Blockchain, which is a digital matrix where transactions are decided unanimously and is immune from human intervention.

"The blockchain cannot be influenced by human," he said.

Rand Bentson, vice president of Doxa said one of the reasons for the holding of the expo is to increase the credibility of the mercantile issue because this is the future payment scheme.

He cited, for instance, the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) where their remittances can be done at a minimal cost or even free through cryptocurrency.

"Bitcoin which is the grandfather of all cryptocurrency in 2010 was only priced at PHP5 but to date one bitcoin cost PHP250,000 which has grown 7,000 percent from when it was initially offered. The level of appreciation has broken barriers," he said.

For any technology, he said it is always best to be first and there are other cryptocurrency that is still low in cost. Also, there are already merchants around the world that develop virtual money for specific customers. It can benefit the average person on utility functions.

Bentson said that one can have an e-currency in the wallet that is powered by cryptocurrency which makes travel safer, secure and convenient.

Albano said there will be greater demand of mercantile function and that more currencies will undergo initial offering before the end of this year.

"If you have done everything to improve your financial situation and nothing is happening with no significant substantial growth, buy cryptocurrency then hoard it up to seven years because that is the best investment," he said. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ILOILO CITY -- The business sector here is taking their actions to sustain the good image of the city and province of Iloilo and bring more developments here after it was earlier tagged as "most shabulized" and "bedrock of illegal drugs".

The Iloilo Economic and Development Foundation Inc. (ILED), a non-profit, private sector-led organization on Saturday afternoon launched its campaign dubbed "Proud to be Ilonggo", which gathered people here from various sectors particularly business, professional, civil society, youth, academe, women, religious groups and the media.

ILED president Jocelyn Perez stressed that the group has been tireless in its advocacy to promote Iloilo as an ideal investment hub.

"And why not? When there is really so much going for it," she said.

"Beautiful airport to arrive into, wide concrete highway to move around in, gleaming new business districts, a beautiful Convention Center, open spaces that can transfrom into industrial and economic facilities, very livable cities, abundant talents, peaceful towns offering countless business opportunities, dedicated and honest public servants who are eager to service investor requirements efficiently, the list is long," she added.

But with disturbing events, which attempted to tarnish the good image of Iloilo and threatened to derail the progress made in Iloilo, he said there is a need to for the Ilonggos to reaffirm their pride and declare that Iloilo is as ready as ever to take its place among the most liveable and business- friendly locations in the world.

"As peace-loving as we, Ilonggos, we must ensure that we do what we can to stay on track," she said.
Perez, who considered herself as among the recent participant in the economic boom town of Iloilo after retiring from over 30 years of employment in a multi-national firm in Manila, chose to make Iloilo has her next habitat.

She started up a business based in Concepcion, Iloilo in partnership with her non-Ilonggo business colleagues and its commercial operations already began last week.

"My non-ilonggo partners are simply delighted to have chosen to invest in Iloilo.I myself am very impressed," she added.

After the campaign launching meanwhile, ILED chairperson Narzalina Lim, in a media interview, said that they are going to creat a "Proud to be Ilonggo" Facebook Page where statistics of the peace and order status of Western Visayas, particularly Iloilo, will be uploaded.

According to Police Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, regional director of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6, who highlighted the launching of the campaign yesterday by presenting the peace and order situation of the region, stressed that "the region remain peaceful and sustainable" despite the recent happenings like the raid of the Maasin town police station by the members of the New Peoples Army (NPA).

Lim said that through the social media page, they will be able to reach out to Ilonggos working or living abroad.
"There are many overseas Filipino workers from this region and maybe they were already believing about what were said about Iloilo so, we want ot reach them also because they are an influential sector also," she said.

Aside from the the promotion of the page, Lim said that they will also give press releases to the national media so they could report things that are happening in Iloilo.

Further, Lim said that they also wanted to let go of disturbing events, which attempted to tarnish the good image of Iloilo.

"Let's just go ahead and show the world that it's business as usual in Iloilo," she said.

"We are so busy with so many events and we still have to continue bringing the investments in," she added. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Fraught with continuing focus and civil military operations in the hinterlands of southern Palawan, four active members of the New People's Army (NPA) surrendered and handed their firearms in peace to the operating units of the Western Command (WESCOM).

Captain Cherryl Tindog, WESCOM Spokesperson, said Sunday that the number was composed of two females and two males, three of whom are teenagers.

She identified the males who surrendered on Sept. 28 as Jeffrey Orit Sampaca (alias Ka Ruben and Ka Dante), 25; and Henry Poyang Minduk (alias Ka Daniel), 18, both residents of Sitio Tabud, Barangay Saraza, Brooke's Point.

The females are Germalyn Batuan Pitogo (alias Gengen), 16; and Analyn Pitogo Ambuan (alias Ansa), 19, both residents of Sitio Macagua, Barangay Amas, Brooke's Point, who surrendered on September 29.

Tindog said Sampaca and Minduk handed their issued firearms – one unit M16 Bushmaster with one short magazine, one unit of M1 Garand with five clips and 40 rounds ammunition, two IEDs, and one rocket parachute flare – to troops belonging to the Marine Battalion Landing Team-4 (MBLT-4).

Pitogo and Ambuan, on the other hand, surrendered through the intervention of Pala tribal leader Cunanam Pitogo.

The tribal leader is the father of Germalyn and the uncle of Analyn. He turned over to the care of the MBLT-4 one unit of shotgun.

The WESCOM condemns the use of child soldiers of the communist-terrorists in Palawan in their ranks and operations, she said as she noted that that "child soldiering is a clear violation of human rights and the International Humanitarian Law."

Tindog said the "four are now under the custody of the military for validation and documentation, facilitation of their application for the Local Social Integration Program (LSIP) of the provincial government, and the Department of Interior and Local Government's (DILG) Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP).

"We are glad that these four communist-terrorists have decided to surrender and return to the fold of the law. Their surrender, together with their firearms, IEDs and other war materials is a serious blow to the communism-terrorism in the province," said meanwhile by WESCOM commander Major General Galileo Gerard Kintanar Jr.

Kintanar stated it is also a clear indication of the surrenderees unwillingness to continue with the armed struggle that according to them is tainted by corruption among their leaders, fatigue, and disappointment.

The news about the four NPA surrenderees came after three soldiers belonging to the Marine Battalion Landing Team-12 (MBLT-12) suffered minor injuries in a Saturday morning ambush that was apparently perpetrated by the NPA at Sitio Italpak, Barangay Dumarao, Roxas.

The three wounded Marines were part of a convoy of a M35 truck and an elf vehicle that was returning to the MBLT-12's headquarters in Roxas following a logistics run from Taytay town in northern Palawan.

Kintanar added the WESCOM continues to urge other members of the NPA to put their arms down and surrender.

"The LSIP and the CLIP are waiting for them to start their lives anew," the WESCOM commander said. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DUMAGUETE CITY -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Police Office (PRO-7) in Region 7 is starting to pour in more combat-trained troops to Negros Oriental to beef up its anti-insurgency operations in the province.

PRO-7 Regional Director Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino announced the deployment of one platoon from the Regional Public Safety Battalion 7 (RPSB-7) during the regular Monday morning flag-raising activity of the Negros Oriental PNP Provincial Office (NORPPO) at Camp Fernandez in Sibulan town.

In an interview, Espino disclosed that the move is just the first step towards securing the province from the threat posed by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA).

"That is only initial to augment Guihulngan (police force) in response to the clamor of the local executive and residents" of that northern Negros Oriental city, said Espino.

He cited the ambush allegedly perpetrated by the communist rebels in Guihulngan City last July where the police chief and five of his men were killed, while three other police personnel and a civilian were wounded.

Chief Supt. Espino disclosed that in the coming days, the PRO-7 would be creating a task force to solely address the insurgency problem in Negros Oriental.

This would be headed by PRO-7 Deputy Director for Operations, Sr. Supt. Dennis Agustin, he further disclosed.

Also, the PRO-7 will beef up the Public Safety Battalion and the Public Safety Company to further strengthen the PNP's internal security operations (ISO), he added.

According to Espino, a command conference on Monday with the Negros Oriental PNP, headed by the acting provincial director, Sr. Supt. Edwin Portento, will help the PRO-7 determine the strength, equipment and capabilities of the anti-insurgency troops here.

"Kung ano man ang kulang, pupunuan natin. (Whatever is lacking, we will provide)", he added.

It was Chief Supt. Espino's first visit to the NORPPO as he assumed command of the latter as PRO-7 regional director following the abolition of the Negros Island Region, which took effect September 30. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

PALO, Leyte -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) regional office here is unfazed on pushing for stronger internal cleansing drive even after a police officer tagged as one of the suspects in the killing of a robber, committed suicide.

Chief Supt. Gilbert Cruz said on Sunday that Police Office 3 Eleazar Terro allegedly committed suicide inside his house in Curva village in Ormoc City.

Terro is one the police officers allegedly behind the killing of 60-year-old Lorna Soza, a suspect in stealing a smart phone in Ormoc City last August 6.

His body was found hanging in his room tied with nylon ropes. The victim was brought to Ormoc District Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival by doctors.

"The alleged involvement of Terro and five other cops in the shooting of Soza is now under investigation. All of them were earlier relieved from their post," Cruz said.

All police officers, except Terro, reported to the police regional command for restrictive custody, according to Cruz. A murder case was filed against them on Sept. 22.

"Only his family knows why he committed suicide, but they want to stay silent on this issue. We will also investigate the case," Cruz added.

The police regional chief, however, assured the public that the suicide incident will not discourage them to strictly enforce the PNP internal disciplinary mechanisms.

Cruz assured the public that everybody will be treated fairly and justice will be served against those who violated the law. (Jazmin Bonifacio/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- An in-depth investigation is being conducted to identify those involved in a roadside explosion near the residence of a mayor in Basilan province, a police official disclosed Friday.

The explosion happened at around 6 p.m. Thursday at Purok Rubber in Barangay Sumagda in Isabela City, the capital of Basilan province.

Supt. Jerome Afuyog, Isabela City police chief, said post-blast investigation showed that the explosion was caused by a cellular phone-triggered improvised bomb.

Afuyog said the explosive ordnance demolition (EOD) personnel have recovered from the blast site parts of a cellular phone and nine-volt dry cell battery as well as a plastic bag and power residue.

He said there was no casualty nor damage to property brought about by the explosion.

The blast site is near the residence of Isabela City Mayor Al-Qaid Akbar. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

BACOLOD  CITY -- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DA) Negros Occidental-South  has partnered with the Municipality of Hinoba-an to establish a community-managed Potable Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (CPWASH) Project in the village of San Rafael.

Hinobaan is the southernmost town of the province situated 190 kilometers from Bacolod.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Lucrecia Taberna signed a memorandum of agreement with Mayor Ernesto Estrao and San Rafael Upland Farmers Association chairman Rodolfo Gavan on Thursday.

Taberna said the project will benefit at least 1,300 residents of Barangay San Rafael, including 500 students and teachers of San Rafael Elementary School.

She added the DAR will allocate PHP80,000 as counterpart, including PHP50,000 for the purchase of construction materials and  PHP30,000  for the project-related technology trainings in the identified project sites.

Para-engineers will be hired for the construction of the facilities.

For its part, the municipal government will fund PHP50,000 for the labor requirement and livelihood project components.

Last month, the DAR Negros Occidental-South also launched the (CPWASH) Project at Barangay Balicotoc in Ilog town in partnership with the Municipal Government of Ilog and the Balicotoc Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Farmers Association.

About 70 households and 501 students and teachers of Balicotoc Elementary School are benefiting from the project, which includes water and sanitation facilities with biosand filter, iron removal filter, biogas digester, and rain water collector.

The DAR also provided PHP80,000 as its counterpart, including PHP50,000 for the purchase of construction materials and  PHP30,000  for  project-related technology training.

The local government allocated PHP50,000 for the labor requirement and livelihood project components.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

TACLOBAN CITY -- The Regional Development Council (RDC) of Eastern Visayas has approved on Friday the PHP651.66 billion 2017-2022 Regional Development Investment Program (RDIP) after months of drafting and series of consultations.

The amount has increased significantly from the total PHP430 billion proposed prior to the RDC sector committee meetings three weeks ago.

"There was an adjustment because we included more infrastructure projects especially those aligned in the priority of the Duterte administration. We need to build, build, build to support the President's priority programs," said RDC Vice Chairman and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Bonifacio Uy.

The RDIP contains a list and brief profile of programs and projects of agency regional offices, and state universities and colleges in support of strategies outlined in the Regional Development Plan (RDP).

It also includes a list of activities of the six provincial governments in the region proposed for Official Development Assistance funding and implementation by the central government.

The Council will proofread the approved investment program, print the document, and send to the NEDA main office by October.

"This is still subject to regular updating to see what the needed projects are every year. Projects that are deemed important and critical for the region to attain development plan," Uy added.

The projects and activities in the RDIP concretize the strategies in the main RDP. It has 15 key strategies meant to reduce poverty and sustain economic growth.

The 15- strategy plan of actions are science and technology innovations, reducing inequality in opportunities in human development, accelerating infrastructure development, promoting regional competitiveness, reaching for the demographic dividend, promoting Eastern Visayas culture and values formation expanding economic opportunities in farming and fisheries

Other strategies are enhancing peace, security, public order, and justice administration; enhancing disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and mitigation; enhancing good governance; building resiliency of individuals and families; expanding economic opportunities in industry; maintaining ecological integrity and a clean and healthy environment; providing an enabling and supportive macroeconomic environment; and expanding economic opportunities in services.

The RDP, which serves as the blueprint of the region's development direction, is anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals, the Long-Term Vision of Filipinos or "Ambisyon Natin 2040" and President Duterte's 0+10 Point Socioeconomic Agenda.

The RDC, the region's highest policymaking body, approved the new RDP during its full council meeting on December 20, 2016.

Under the plan, the region aims to attain 5.2 percent to 5.7 percent economic growth in 2017.

For 2018 to 2022, the average target is 5.8 percent to 7 percent. In 2015, the region posted a remarkable growth of 3.9 percent in the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) due to massive post-Yolanda reconstruction activities.

The 2015 performance is a "significant turnaround" after the region incurred a 2.4 percent contraction in 2014, largely due to destruction of the monster typhoon.

The region suffered a big drop in GRDP in 2012 at negative 6.8 percent after a minimal 2.1 percent increase in 2011.

It was followed with a big leap to 4.6 percent in 2013 due to good economy before super typhoon "Yolanda" struck.

Last year, the region's GRDP surged 12.4 percent, the highest among 17 regions in the country. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ILOILO CITY --  The San Jose Parish church handling the religious activities of the annual Dinagyang Festival is asking the support of the Department of Education (DepEd) to heighten the religiosity of the event in 2018. 

Rev. Fr. Raymund Edsel Alcayaga, O.S.A. said on Friday that they target the participation of public and private schools in their daily masses in honor of Señor Santo Niño in January. 

He said they will be communicating with DepEd and various schools starting November this year. He banked on the backing of the DepEd regional director "to encourage public schools to join scheduled mass." 

The parish is targeting the participation of more people in the religious activities as Dinagyang Festival celebrates its golden anniversary in 2018. It also marks the 50th year when the image of Señor Santo Niño was brought to Iloilo. 

Aside from the daily masses, another event that is expected to draw larger crowd is the "sadsad," or the big merry-making in the evening after the Sponsors' Mardi Gras parade.  

Next year the "sadsad" will occupy the entire stretch fronting the Plaza Libertad.

"Most of those people who attend the 'sadsad' really give importance to religious activities and not on the other events," he said. 

Fr. Alcayaga said that they are currently scouting for the next Hermano and Hermana Mayor who will help run the religious events. 

Meantime, Alcayaga said the Santo Niño image in Iloilo will be brought to Cebu during the final leg of the celebration of their feast for a wardrobe change. 

Thereafter, the image will be brought back to Iloilo via plane, the way he was brought to Iloilo 50 years ago. 

The image will pass by parishes and hospitals while on its way to the San Jose church in Plaza Libertad. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

BUTUAN CITY—Cases of deadly mosquito bites have gone down to nearly 70% from January to September this year, according to the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Department of Health in Caraga (DOH-Caraga).

RESU data showed that there have been 1,836 dengue cases in the region from January to September 16 this year, or 69.8% lower as compared to the 6,081 reported cases in the same period last year.

Nine people also succumbed to dengue within the period, but this is 68% lower compared to the number of deaths in the same period in 2016, RESU said. Majority of the victims were males (66.6 %), their ages ranging from 2 to 72 years old.

RESU reported no identified as hotspot for dengue, reflecting its downward trend across the region.

Among the provinces and cities, Surigao del Sur and Butuan City recorded the highest cases at 435 and 265, respectively.

Surigao del Sur is followed by Agusan del Sur (279 cases), Surigao del Norte (265), Agusan del Norte (168), Surigao City (162), Tandag City (101), Bayugan City (72), Dinagat Islands (30), Cabadbaran City (30), and Bislig City (29).

DOH-Caraga Director Jose R. Llacuna, Jr. said that the agency will continue its intensified anti-dengue campaign, such as the Aksyon Barangay Kalaban sa Dengue (ABKD), the four o'clock habit, encouragement of report to the nearest disease reporting unit of any suspected dengue cases, cleanliness and other measures. (PNA/Noel B. Najarro)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ILOILO CITY -- The business sector here will launch a campaign on September 30 to sustain developments in the city and province of Iloilo after it was earlier tagged as "most shabulized" and "bedrock of illegal drugs." 

The event will be spearheaded by the Iloilo Economic and Development Foundation Inc. (ILED), a non-profit, private sector-led organization. 

Dubbed as "Proud to be Ilonggo," people here from various sectors particularly business, professional, civil society, youth, academe, women, religious groups, and the media will gather during the event. 

Executive Director Ma. Lea Lara of the Iloilo business club on Friday said the campaign will focus on two important pillars: economic development and tourism. 

"The campaign is the first of the many that we will do to highlight the achievements, the advantages, the gains that we have been enjoying in the economic and tourism side," she said.

Specifically, the economic development will be highlighted by preparing an investment forum in Manila to be held tentatively in March 2018 and tourism so that the increasing number of tourists visiting Iloilo, especially for conferences and meetings, continues to grow. 

In a press release previously released by ILED, Chairman Narzalina Lim stressed that the campaign was conceived due to the recent disturbing events, which attempted to tarnish the good image of Iloilo. 

"We need to craft our own destiny and work together as self-reliant private citizens; to continue the upward trajectory that the city and province have been experiencing these past 10 years," Lim said. 

Iloilo has been chosen by various groups as one of the most liveable places in the Philippines, one of the best places to invest in; and as a model of good governance. 

Police Regional Office (PRO-6) regional director Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag was also invited to discuss peace and order concerns in Iloilo. 

The event will be launched at The Mansion (formerly Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center) in this city. (PNA)

 



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ILOILO CITY -- The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) will look into the possibility of increasing the salaries of household workers in Western Visayas.

Two public consultations are slated next month in line with the "motu propio" proposed hike for wages in the cities of Iloilo and Bacolod. It will be held October 17 at the Department of Trade and Industry audio visual room in Iloilo City and on Oct 23 at the Sugar Workers Development Center in Bacolod City.

The last wage increase for domestic workers in the region was on February 16, 2016. Those working in chartered and first class municipalities were paid PHP2,500 monthly and PHP2,000 in other towns.

On Friday, regional director Johnson Cañete of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and chair of the RTWPB 6 said that there was no proposal and they have not received complaint as well with regard to wages of domestic helpers.

 "By virtue of our own move of the wage board, we will have a public hearing to determine whether or not we need to increase the salary of our domestic helpers," he said.

DOLE has conducted a survey among its member-agencies employing household workers. In the questionnaire, they were asked how much they are paying their workers.

"The results of the hearing, the results of the questionnaire, we will consolidate to serve as basis for the board to whether or not increase the wages of 'kasambahay'," he added.

Cañete expressed that in the "real world" no one will accept the current salary that is being provided for in the  wage order intended for house helpers. (PNA)

 



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

PALO, Leyte -- Poverty-stricken Eastern Visayas region achieved a decade-high economic gains in 2016, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) said in its State of the Region Address released Friday.

Aside from the record-high 12.4 percent growth in the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) last year, the region also posted the decade-low poverty incidence at 38.7 percent.

"Economic growth took a huge leap from 4.6 percent in 2015 to 12.4 percent in 2016. This was also the first time in eight years where we lead in terms of economic expansion across regions," National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Bonifacio Uy told Regional Development Council members during its 3rd quarter meeting.

The official primarily attributed the growth to the massive rehabilitation activities after super typhoon "Yolanda" in 2013.

The higher spending both from government and private sector fuelled construction boom, created more jobs and livelihood opportunities.

Upbeat consumer and government spending also contributed to the milestone.

Without giving figures, the region posted in 2016 the fastest growth in per capita household expenditures, as well as in total construction investments, especially those in the private sector.

"This was promising since a vibrant domestic demand complements the renewed business confidence in the region," he added.

Slow rate of increase in the prices of goods and services boosted higher household spending, according to Uy.

"Last year, we held another record when the region posted the lowest inflation rate at 1.3 percent in at least two decades. This was below the target range of two to four percent," he explained.

The region also welcomed PHP807.4 billion first two private investments on agribusiness and energy in 2016, based on the projects registered in the Board of Investments.

The official is also counting on the contribution of micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Last year, about 7,750 MSMEs were assisted with half of them are new entrants.  

"We have high hopes that this unprecedented economic growth will translate to better lives for our people... The consecutive gains in the past two years could just be the beginning of making economic growth more meaningful to each and every one in the region," he added.

Eastern Visayas, the third poorest region in the country, comprised of the large islands of Leyte, Samar and Biliran, as well as a number of smaller ones. The region has a total land area of 2,156,285 hectares, accounting for 7.1 percent of the whole country. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga -- The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday asked the public not to worry as there is no Japanese encephalitis outbreak in Pampanga and anywhere in the country.

Ma. Wilda Silva, head of the DOH Family Health Cluster, during the Regional Advocacy Forum on Japanese encephalitis held at Royce Hotel and Casino here on Friday, said the mosquito-borne disease has been here in the Philippines decades ago and the country has recorded more cases in 2016 as compared to this year.

Reports from DOH indicated that 133 confirmed Japanese encephalitis cases as of August 26 this year nationwide, which is 44 percent lower compared to the same period last year.

Out of the total number, 53 cases are from Central Luzon.  Nine deaths have also been confirmed -- four from Pampanga, two from Zambales, and three from Pangasinan, Laguna and Nueva Ecija.

It can be noted that DOH Region III topped other regional offices in the country in reporting the results of their surveillance and monitoring efforts for mosquito-borne diseases, thus it has recorded the most number of cases.

The mosquito-borne disease is transmitted through bites of Culex mosquito with less than one percent of those bitten develop Japanese encephalitis. But those who show symptoms of the disease have 20% to 30% mortality rate.

"We are working hard in procuring the vaccines and we are working on bringing the vaccine in the country for public consumption. This will be available in 2018," Silva said.

She, however, stressed that vaccine is just a form of prevention.

Silva said that the concentration should be on identification and destruction of breeding sites of mosquitoes and environmental cleanliness.

During the same forum, Health Assistant Secretary Leonita P. Gorgolon said that the regional advocacy aims to resolve appropriate intervention on such emerging virus and to identify strategies on how to prevent and control Japanese encephalitis in their respective locality. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Police and jail officials here have launched a province-wide manhunt against two detainees who bolted Friday morning from the North Coabato District Jail (NCDJ) in Barangay Amas, a jail official said.

Jail Senior Inspector Lucky Mer Latuela, deputy jail warden of NCDJ, identified the two escapees as Johnny Elip, who is facing rape charges, and Ruben Jordan, charged with carnapping with frustrated homicide.

Latuela said jail officials have already coordinated with the relatives of the escapees as well as the local police for their recapture or surrender.

According to Latuela, the inmates were having their mid-morning gardening inside the "prison without walls" compound of NCDJ.

Both escapees were suffering from various illnesses thus they were confined in separate facilities called "Prison Without Walls." The compound has only barbed wires instead of concrete fence.

The two quietly dug a hole under the barbed wire and used it as escape passage en route to the thickly forested back portion of the jail facility.

"We only found about their escape during headcount at about lunch," Latuela said. "We are hoping their relatives would help bring them back in the jail because the law will hunt them."

Security at the Prison Without Walls has been light since most of the detainees there are elders, those suffering from diseases, minors and women.

Latuela also said that manhunt continues for about 80 other inmates who escaped when gunmen attack the provincial jail on January 4 this year. In that attack, 158 inmates fled and only about 80 are still at large.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DAVAO CITY -- The government peace panel negotiating with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) on Friday established the first Compliance Monitoring Station in Davao City that will receive and record complaints of non-compliance to the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

All complaints of CAHRIHL violations will be received by the monitoring station and endorsed these to the GRP Monitoring Committee (GRP-MC) chaired by Lawyer Franklin Quijano with Justice Undersecretary Antonio Kho Jr. as co-chair, and Deputy Regional Prosecutor Barbara Mae Flores.The GRP is establishing the same station in conflict-affected areas.

GRP chair Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the establishment of the Monitoring Station underscores the government's commitment to abide by its duties and responsibilities in the pursuit for lasting peace in the country.

He stressed that the establishment of the station shows the willingness of President Rodrigo Duterte to go the extra mile despite the serious difficulties facing the peace process.

"We have brought the GRP-MC closer to the conflict hotspot in the country, thereby enabling it to be readily accessible and responsive to the people sought to be served by the enforcement of CARHRIHL," Bello said.

The establishment of monitoring stations in key conflict-affected areas is part of CAHRIHL signed in March 1998 and supplemental guidelines signed by the GRP and NDF panels in Rome, Italy last January on the full operation of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) under CARHRIHL.

JMC is tasked to monitor compliance of the CARHRIHL, including the receipt of human rights or humanitarian law violations committed by the GRP or by the NDFP.

The signing of the supplemental guidelines by Bello and NDF Chair Fidel Agcaoili, was a significant move under the Duterte administration after the first draft crafted in 2004 was not signed when the peace negotiations bogged down in 2011.

The supplemental guidelines is a set of mechanisms on how to address complaints of violation by the government forces and the armed wing of the NDF – the New People's Army (NPA).

The supplemental guidelines are issued pursuant to the Operational Guidelines for the JMC issued on 14 February 2004, in Oslo, Norway by the GRP and NDFP peace negotiators.

The adoption of the guidelines is a realization of CARHRIHL, which is one of the four substantive agenda of the negotiations that will comprise the final peace agreement.

The other three remaining substantive agenda are socio-economic reforms, political and constitutional reforms, and end of hostilities and disposition of forces.

The supplemental guidelines included provisions on how to file and deal with complaints and details the roles of the receivers of the complaints, the joint secretariat and third party facilitator. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DAVAO CITY -- The government peace panel negotiating with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) on Friday established the first Compliance Monitoring Station in Davao City that will receive and record complaints of non-compliance to the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

All complaints of CAHRIHL violations will be received by the monitoring station and endorsed these to the GRP Monitoring Committee (GRP-MC) chaired by Lawyer Franklin Quijano with Justice Undersecretary Antonio Kho Jr. as co-chair, and Deputy Regional Prosecutor Barbara Mae Flores.The GRP is establishing the same station in conflict-affected areas.

GRP chair Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the establishment of the Monitoring Station underscores the government's commitment to abide by its duties and responsibilities in the pursuit for lasting peace in the country.

He stressed that the establishment of the station shows the willingness of President Rodrigo Duterte to go the extra mile despite the serious difficulties facing the peace process.

"We have brought the GRP-MC closer to the conflict hotspot in the country, thereby enabling it to be readily accessible and responsive to the people sought to be served by the enforcement of CARHRIHL," Bello said.

The establishment of monitoring stations in key conflict-affected areas is part of CAHRIHL signed in March 1998 and supplemental guidelines signed by the GRP and NDF panels in Rome, Italy last January on the full operation of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) under CARHRIHL.

JMC is tasked to monitor compliance of the CARHRIHL, including the receipt of human rights or humanitarian law violations committed by the GRP or by the NDFP.

The signing of the supplemental guidelines by Bello and NDF Chair Fidel Agcaoili, was a significant move under the Duterte administration after the first draft crafted in 2004 was not signed when the peace negotiations bogged down in 2011.

The supplemental guidelines is a set of mechanisms on how to address complaints of violation by the government forces and the armed wing of the NDF – the New People's Army (NPA).

The supplemental guidelines are issued pursuant to the Operational Guidelines for the JMC issued on 14 February 2004, in Oslo, Norway by the GRP and NDFP peace negotiators.

The adoption of the guidelines is a realization of CARHRIHL, which is one of the four substantive agenda of the negotiations that will comprise the final peace agreement.

The other three remaining substantive agenda are socio-economic reforms, political and constitutional reforms, and end of hostilities and disposition of forces.

The supplemental guidelines included provisions on how to file and deal with complaints and details the roles of the receivers of the complaints, the joint secretariat and third party facilitator. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DAGUPAN CITY-- A school teacher from San Carlos City was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Thursday for allegedly uploading child pornography materials.

Lawyer Dante Bonoan, NBI chief in Dagupan City, identified the arrested suspect as 29-year-old Wilfredo Ballesteros Jr. A search warrant was served by NBI agent at the suspect's house on Thursday.

 Seized from Ballesteros' house were laptops, cellphones, hard drive and flash drives containing alleged pornographic materials and internet memory stick. 

Bonoan did not disclose where Ballesteros is working as teacher to protect the reputation of the school.      

He said it was the Cybercrime Office of the Department of Justice in Manila which alerted the NBI in Dagupan about the activities of Ballesteros.

There were also complaints about the suspect distributing child pornography materials to people, including his friends.

 Bonoan said it is possible that Ballesteros may have long been under surveillance for uploading pornographic materials to certain people.

 He said the mere fact that Ballesteros has in his possession pornographic materials is already a crime.

 "Since the suspect is a school teacher, we would like to find out if those in the pornographic materials were his female students or if he had abused any of them," he said.

 The NBI is still investigating the materials seized from Ballesteros before filing a case for violation of the anti-child pornography law, in relation to the anti-crime cyber law.

 Bonoan said the highest penalty for this crime is reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment.  (PNA)  



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

CEBU CITY -- The parents of Jona Mae Villarin, who committed suicide Thursday afternoon by jumping off the 7th Floor of the Asian College of Technology (ACT) building, are going to file a case against the school administration.

"We will file a case against them (ACT admin) because of their statement that my daughter was being physically, mentally and psychologically abused by us," Villarin's grieving mother, who asked not to be named, said at the wake Friday.

"You can see in her skin that there's no sign of her being abused. Maybe she had a problem or maybe she also had friends who are a bad influence to her," the mother tearfully continued.

She said they didn't even know about Jona Mae's previous attempts, such as ingesting a lot of paracetamol  and antibiotic tablets at one time, as the 17-year-old student didn't show signs of depression nor she acted unusual the past few days in their house.

Villarin's mother revealed that she went to the school two hours before the incident at the invitation of ACT guidance counsellor Marcus Agonia Jr.

Agonia reportedly called her and recommended that she take her daughter to a psychologist.

However, when Villarin learned that her mother was summoned to the school, she asked to go to the comfort room where she slipped out of the window and jumped around past 4:00 p.m. Thursday.

"They told me that around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, my daughter attempted to commit suicide, but they didn't allow me to see my daughter. My concern is why they didn't bring my daughter to the ground floor or even admitted her to a hospital because, as it happened, her situation was getting worse. I trusted them because I believed they know how to assist my daughter," Villarin's mother said.

"They knew that my daughter was acting unusual, but why did they allow her to go to the restroom alone and lock the door," Villarin's mother added.

The guidance counsellor, in a separate interview, said Jona Mae's situation was not that worse because she was still lucid and could easily comprehend at the time of their conversation, but things just quickly happened.

"It would have been better if I was given the chance to talk to my daughter, so that I can ask her what's wrong or even hug her. That's all I can say. I can't accept what happened to my daughter. The school made lapses and anyone there is liable to what happened. We will file a case against them after the burial of my daughter," she said. (with reports from USJR intern Levirose Cabellero/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ILOILO CITY -- Western Visayas has posted a high compliance to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) order mandating safety and health measures for employees who need to be on their feet due to the nature of their work.

DOLE-6 Regional Director Johnson Cañete on Friday said 71 retail service establishments within malls and supermarkets and hotels and restaurants were inspected on September 25, three days after the order dubbed "Safety and Health Measures for Workers Who By Nature of their Work Have to Stand at Work" or DOLE Department Order No. 178, series of 2017 took effect.

Their assessment showed that  69 of the 71 establishments or 97.18 percent observed rest periods, 56 or 78.8 percent provide readily accessible seats and 51 or 71.9 percent have employees wear comfortable footwear.

"This is an ongoing assessment to be made," he said as those establishments that are yet to implement measures "have signified their commitment to do so as soon as possible."

The law was signed by DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello on August 25, 2017.

Cañete clarified that not all establishments are covered by the order. He explained that the order was aimed at addressing occupational safety issues and concerns related to the wearing of high-heeled shoes and standing for long periods or frequent walking.

They included retail and/or service employees, assembly line workers, teachers and security personnel. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DUMAGUETE CITY -- Negros Oriental will soon have additional police personnel as the Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Office (PRO) in Region 7 or Central Visayas is set to deploy next week at least one platoon to the province.

Senior Supt. Edwin Portento, acting PNP provincial director, on Friday said a platoon from the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB-7) will be assigned in Negros Oriental to augment the current police force here.

The PRO-7 Regional Director, Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, will turn over  RPSB-7 platoon, comprising 25 personnel with one officer, during the regular Monday morning flag-raising activity at the Negros Oriental PNP Provincial Office in Agan-an, Sibulan, on October 2.

During his visit here, Espino will be meeting with the different police chiefs and other unit heads and personnel of the NORPPO, said Portento. A command conference is also set on the same day.

He is also scheduled to lead in the blessing and inauguration of the new police station of Valencia town, about 15-minute drive west of this capital city.

 Portento said the assignment of the new police personnel from RPSB-7 has yet to be determined.

 The two other RPSB companies previously deployed in Negros Oriental by the defunct PRO-18 (Negros Island Region) are still retained in the province, he added.

 This is the first visit of  Espino to the NORPPO after the Negros Island Region was dissolved and Negros Oriental was returned to Region 7 while Negros Occidental to Region 6. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

NATIVIDAD, Pangasinan -- The town of Natividad in the foothills of the Caraballo mountain range is  the seventh town in Pangasinan officially declared drug-free by the Philippine Drug-Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

The Provincial and Regional Oversight Committee determined that Natividad, with 16 barangays and 100 confessed drug users, has completed  all the requirements to become a drug-free municipality.    

The people of Natividad led by its Mayor Cocoy Rafael hailed the declaration during a ceremony at the Natividad town hall on Friday.

Natividad now joins Agno, Alaminos City, Bani, Dasol, Laoac and San Nicolas as among the drug-free towns in Pangasinan.

 The town of Santo Tomas was certified by PDEA as drug unaffected.

 PDEA Provincial Officer Dexter Asayco said the municipalities of Burgos and Anda are set to be declared as drug-free next week.

 Thirty-five more towns in Pangasinan are considered by the PPPO as drug-free but have yet to get official validation from PDEA.

 The PPPO earlier targeted to make all of Pangasinan to be drug-free by December this year

 Sixth District Board Member Noel Bince represented Governor Amado Espino III during the ceremony also attended by officials of PDEA,  Department of Interior and Local Government and Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO).

 Top officials of PDEA led by Lawyer Marvin Tavares, OIC Regional Director of PDEA Region 1, and Asayco presided over the ceremony. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

NATIVIDAD, Pangasinan -- The town of Natividad in the foothills of the Caraballo mountain range is  the seventh town in Pangasinan officially declared drug-free by the Philippine Drug-Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

The Provincial and Regional Oversight Committee determined that Natividad, with 16 barangays and 100 confessed drug users, has completed  all the requirements to become a drug-free municipality.    

The people of Natividad led by its Mayor Cocoy Rafael hailed the declaration during a ceremony at the Natividad town hall on Friday.

Natividad now joins Agno, Alaminos City, Bani, Dasol, Laoac and San Nicolas as among the drug-free towns in Pangasinan.

 The town of Santo Tomas was certified by PDEA as drug unaffected.

 PDEA Provincial Officer Dexter Asayco said the municipalities of Burgos and Anda are set to be declared as drug-free next week.

 Thirty-five more towns in Pangasinan are considered by the PPPO as drug-free but have yet to get official validation from PDEA.

 The PPPO earlier targeted to make all of Pangasinan to be drug-free by December this year

 Sixth District Board Member Noel Bince represented Governor Amado Espino III during the ceremony also attended by officials of PDEA,  Department of Interior and Local Government and Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO).

 Top officials of PDEA led by Lawyer Marvin Tavares, OIC Regional Director of PDEA Region 1, and Asayco presided over the ceremony. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

TAGBILARAN CITY -- The Bohol provincial government is still awaiting word from organizers if the third Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting here would proceed as planned next month.

Acting provincial administrator Mitchel John Boiser said Friday the Bohol government has only been getting feelers but no communications from the national organizing committee yet on whether the meeting will push through.

Earlier reports said Bohol will be hosting a third meeting prior to the summit slated in Manila this November.

The province hosted a trade meeting among ASEAN delegates back in April despite the threat posed by the Abu Sayyaf Group.

Bohol just recently  hosted a technical working group meeting of transportation players in the ASEAN in Panglao.

Both meetings were successful with the local government and law enforcers received positive feedback from the delegates.

In both instances, security was tighter than usual especially on the roads leading to the venue.

No-fly and no-sail zones were also effected near the venue as part of the security measures. (Dave Albarado/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ILOILO CITY-- A simulation activity on oil spill response was conducted Friday to highlight the Maritime Week celebration in Western Visayas.

Spearheaded by the joint personnel of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) 6, Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) 6 and Coast Guard Station in Iloilo, the search and rescue operation and oil spill containment and recovery was conducted at the Iloilo River. It aims to enhance response capability to oil spill.

In an interview, PCG Iloilo commander Lieutenant Ramil Palabrica said the activity also prepared them on how to control, mitigate, recover and rehabilitate in the event there is an oil spill in the Iloilo River and other coastal areas in the region.

Palabrica said that four floating assets were deployed during the two scenarios of the simulation activity.

It included DF-7 that served as the vessel in distress and two aluminum and one rubber boats that acted as rescuers.

Personnel of Coast Guard Special Operations Group and Marine Environmental Protection Unit in Western Visayas showcased their capability in both scenarios as rescuers.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard Medical Service and students from St. Therese MTC Colleges provided their medical expertise by demonstrating basic life support and administering first aid to victims during the search and rescue scenario.

The Maritime Week celebration kicked off in the region last September 25 and will end September 30. "Connecting: ships, ports and people" is the theme for the weeklong celebration.

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) is spearheading the celebration in partnership with PCG, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), maritime universities in the region, maritime associations and among other maritime industry partners.

The National Maritime Week is celebrated by virtue of Proclamation No.1094, which consolidates the holding of the National Seafarers Day (NSD), National Maritime Day (NMD), and National Maritime Week (NMW) for a more significant and inspiring celebration. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

BACOLOD CITY – Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. is upbeat in the declaration of support by Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol to the province's agriculture sector, including the sugar  industry.

Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., who welcomed Piñol during his two-day visit to Negros Occidental on Thursday and Friday, thanked the secretary for coming to the province and personally listening to the plight of the Negrense farmers.

"We are happy that we have this occasion. The President, through the working agriculture secretary, really believes that there is a need to help the farmers because they are the real modern heroes," the governor said.

Marañon said he is confident that Piñol will help the Negrenses as he is a "hands-on" DA chief.

During his two-day visit, Piñol distributed  PHP14 million worth of projects to farmers and fisherfolk and pledged at least P123 million worth of credit assistance and technical support.

He also conducted a dialogue  with the National Federation of Sugarcane Workers and a forum with sugar industry stakeholders on Friday.

Piñol said he will help Negrenses in  addressing  the issues and challenges faced by the sugar industry.

He added that he understands the plight of the sugar industry stakeholders as he was also sugarcane planter before becoming a government official.

The DA chief  noted the "very slow utilization" of the PHP2 billion annual allocation of the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA).

"For the year 2016, less than 50 percent of the SIDA fund was utilized. That's the reason why DBM (Department of Budget and Management) cut the PHP1 billion for the farm-to-mill roads," he said.

Piñol said he appealed to the senators in the last budget hearing to restore the PHP2- billion fund because it is provided in the SIDA

Moreover, Piñol said he doesn't think President Rodrigo Duterte will abolish SRA.

"I think the President only floated that idea. You know how the President is, he floats an idea and when you explain to him the right perspective, he listens," he added.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

COTABATO CITY –  Almost 400 peace bikers, composed of bikers associations, the security sector, members of the Moro fronts,  accompanied the arrival of Peace Buzz here on Saturday.

The Peace Buzz made its seventh stop out of a total of nine stops, crisscrossing the country to promote and build a culture of peace.

The bikers rode along with the Peace Buzz in the 45-kilometer stretch from the town of Midsayap in North Cotabato province to Cotabato.

In a short program at the City Hall or People's Palace, Assistant Secretary Dickson Hermoso of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) emphasized the needed healing process brought about by the armed conflict.

He said OPAPP has been leading the government's peace advocacy not only to reach political settlements between the government and the rebel groups but also to promote a culture of peace.

"What I saw earlier was unity for peace," he said referring to the large numbers of bikers who joined the bike for peace dubbed as "Kariling sa Kalinaw."

Hermoso said OPAPP is in the process of getting all sectors to pursue the peace agenda of the Duterte administration.

Rodolfo Palo, 51, an employee of the city government and a member of the Cotabato City Government Employees Bikers Association, said he was overwhelmed as it was his first time to complete a 48-kilometer ride.

"It was tiring but with the help of other bikers, I was able to overcome the challenges," he said.

Palo noted that he was glad to see some members of the Moro fronts joining the event.

In behalf of City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, secretary to the Mayor Anaceto Rasalan said "development is anchored on the existence of peace."

"In the work for peace, 90 percent should be supported by the community. The government can't do this alone. There should be an active engagement with the community," he said.

"Let's set aside tribal and religious differences.  Let's think as one, as Filipinos," he urged.

"Through this bike for peace, let this be the start to promote peace," he said, adding this kind of activity will promote common understanding.

For its part, Maj. Gen. Arnel de la Vega, commander of the Joint Task Force Central, said the military will continue to support peace initiatives.

"We in armed service also yearn for peace. We are with you, venturing in varied approaches with force as the least in mind," he said.

The Peace Buzz is a caravan that has been traveling since Sept. 21 as part of the OPAPP campaign in celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month.

The colorfully-designed bus started its journey in Baguio City. It then proceeded to Quezon City with the ceremonial ringing of the World Peace Bell. Afterwards, it went to Legazpi City, Albay and was joined by Bb. Pilipinas Grand International 2017 and National Peace Ambassadress Elizabeth Clenci, to entertain the children and disabled folks residing in Sagrada Familia Foundation. In the island of Samar, it witnessed the launch of Samar's "Peace and Prosperity Roadmap".

The Peace Buzz has just made a stop in the cities of Butuan and Davao as part of its Mindanao leg prior to Cotabato.

The bus is expected to make a brief stop in Marawi in solidarity with the people affected by the ongoing armed conflict. The bus will then proceed to the nearby city of Iligan to culminate the month-long peace celebration on October 1.

Over the years, OPAPP has been leading the nationwide celebration of the Month of Peace every September.

This year's theme is "Puso Para sa Kapayapaan, Magkaisa Para sa Bayan." (OPAPP PR)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

COTABATO CITY –  Almost 400 peace bikers, composed of bikers associations, the security sector, members of the Moro fronts,  accompanied the arrival of Peace Buzz here on Saturday.

The Peace Buzz made its seventh stop out of a total of nine stops, crisscrossing the country to promote and build a culture of peace.

The bikers rode along with the Peace Buzz in the 45-kilometer stretch from the town of Midsayap in North Cotabato province to Cotabato.

In a short program at the City Hall or People's Palace, Assistant Secretary Dickson Hermoso of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) emphasized the needed healing process brought about by the armed conflict.

He said OPAPP has been leading the government's peace advocacy not only to reach political settlements between the government and the rebel groups but also to promote a culture of peace.

"What I saw earlier was unity for peace," he said referring to the large numbers of bikers who joined the bike for peace dubbed as "Kariling sa Kalinaw."

Hermoso said OPAPP is in the process of getting all sectors to pursue the peace agenda of the Duterte administration.

Rodolfo Palo, 51, an employee of the city government and a member of the Cotabato City Government Employees Bikers Association, said he was overwhelmed as it was his first time to complete a 48-kilometer ride.

"It was tiring but with the help of other bikers, I was able to overcome the challenges," he said.

Palo noted that he was glad to see some members of the Moro fronts joining the event.

In behalf of City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, secretary to the Mayor Anaceto Rasalan said "development is anchored on the existence of peace."

"In the work for peace, 90 percent should be supported by the community. The government can't do this alone. There should be an active engagement with the community," he said.

"Let's set aside tribal and religious differences.  Let's think as one, as Filipinos," he urged.

"Through this bike for peace, let this be the start to promote peace," he said, adding this kind of activity will promote common understanding.

For its part, Maj. Gen. Arnel de la Vega, commander of the Joint Task Force Central, said the military will continue to support peace initiatives.

"We in armed service also yearn for peace. We are with you, venturing in varied approaches with force as the least in mind," he said.

The Peace Buzz is a caravan that has been traveling since Sept. 21 as part of the OPAPP campaign in celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month.

The colorfully-designed bus started its journey in Baguio City. It then proceeded to Quezon City with the ceremonial ringing of the World Peace Bell. Afterwards, it went to Legazpi City, Albay and was joined by Bb. Pilipinas Grand International 2017 and National Peace Ambassadress Elizabeth Clenci, to entertain the children and disabled folks residing in Sagrada Familia Foundation. In the island of Samar, it witnessed the launch of Samar's "Peace and Prosperity Roadmap".

The Peace Buzz has just made a stop in the cities of Butuan and Davao as part of its Mindanao leg prior to Cotabato.

The bus is expected to make a brief stop in Marawi in solidarity with the people affected by the ongoing armed conflict. The bus will then proceed to the nearby city of Iligan to culminate the month-long peace celebration on October 1.

Over the years, OPAPP has been leading the nationwide celebration of the Month of Peace every September.

This year's theme is "Puso Para sa Kapayapaan, Magkaisa Para sa Bayan." (OPAPP PR)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Troops are tracking down the whereabouts of Abu Sayyaf Group members who forcibly seized a town councilor in the province of Sulu, a top military official disclosed Thursday.

Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Joint Task Force Sulu commander, identified the victim as Councilor Ezzedin Suod Tan of Jolo, the province' capital.

Sobejana said Abu Sayyaf bandits abducted Tan at around 6 p.m. Wednesday at the boundary of Barangays Timbangan and Tagbak in Indanan town.

Sobejana said Tan was with a group of 12 bikers traversing the road between Timbangan and Tagbak when forcibly taken by six ASG members aboard a Tamaraw FX. Tan is a member of the Tausog Bikers Club.

"Accordingly, they were on their way back to Jolo after making a turn at the town of Maimbung," he told Philippine News Agency through a a text message.

Octavio Dinampo, Save the Sulu Movement spokesperson, disclosed he received information that the abductors of Tan was led by Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Alden Bagadi also known as Sayning.

"Before the abduction occurred, a certain Malik a brother-in law of ASG supporter-financier Abdulsalam Baridji alias Rambo was monitored conducting surveillance and spotted at vicinity of Barangay Timbangan of same municipality (of Indanan)," Dinampo said.

"Information further disclosed that a certain Radzkan; Ajang; and, Najid were identified as the very abductors who forcibly took the victim," he claimed.

Sobejana said a Crisis Management Committee has been activated to work for the safe recovery of the victim "the soonest possible time."

"Search and rescue operations are ongoing and we look forward for the victim's safe rescue," Sobejana added.

For years, the Abu Sayyaf has thrived in raking ransom money from its kidnapping activities. It is believed that the money is being used to finance their terrorist acts.

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the military to intensify its offensive against the ASG on the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

The Abu Sayyaf bandits splintered into small groups and constantly moving from one municipality to other to avoid detection by military forces. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DAVAO CITY – The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) will further strengthen security of the city not only in public places, but also in gated communities, hotels, and malls under the Oplan Iron Fortress.

DCPO Director Sr. Supt. Alexander Tagum said Oplan Iron Fortress (Fortification of Residences Towards a Restful Environment that is Secured and Safe) would be a collaborative effort with homeowners and mall management to allow police to patrol subdivisions and set up police assistance desk in malls following the spike of robbery and shoplifting incidence.

He said Fortress is still in line with Oplan Iron City or the Oplan Integrated Revitalized Operation of Neighborhood-Watch of the Mega City (Oplan Iron City), which was launched in April aimed at building "a safer Mega Davao."

"This will be a holistic approach in securing the city," Tagum added.
This time, police will also include the subdivisions and malls.
Tagum said it would also be good for subdivisions to conduct their own Ronda Patrol.

Tagum stressed that the police are not allowed to enter gated communities without proper coordination as these are private domains.

However, he said, it has been noted that houses and stores or malls have been the target of robbers and thieves because public places and streets are saturated with police and security forces.

"There are restrictions from homeowners and they (subdivisions) are not within our scope of security," he said.

Police records showed that from September 18 to 24, 2017 there were eight robbery incidents and three shoplifting cases. Tagum said street robberies are declining.

Tagum said that while the street robberies are declining the theft incidents in residential areas are on the rise.

Aside from patrol, Tagum said the police also need to intensify public awareness on the importance of personal and home security.

Fortress, Tagum said, would be the top agenda during the Crime Prevention Summit on October 2 that will be attended by local officials, government agencies, barangay officials, officials of homeowners associations, and the police. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

BUTUAN CITY—Agusan del Norte's crime rate has continued its downtrend into the third quarter of the year, records from the Police Regional Office-13 (PRO-13) showed.

The province posted a total record of 407 crime incidents from January to August this year, consisting of 122 index and 285 non-index crimes. This is 64 cases fewer compared to the same period last year, said Chief Inspector Danilo B. Palen, the province's deputy chief for operations.

Index crimes, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP), are crimes against persons such as murder, homicide, physical injury and rape, and crimes against property such as robbery, theft and carnapping. Non-index crimes, meanwhile, are violations of special laws such as illegal logging or local ordinances.

Among local government units, at least four municipalities and a city showed a decrease in crime incidents, while a slight increase was noted in other six municipalities.

In the municipality of Buenavista, only 95 were recorded during the second quarter as compared to 139 of the same period in 2016. In Cabadbaran City, recorded only 75 in 2017 (compared to 101 in 2016); Nasipit (32 in 2017; 39 in 2016); Kitcharao (26 in 2017; 38 in 2016); and Santiago (22 in 2017;38 in 2016).

Slight increase was noted in Las Nieves (28 in 2017; only 26 in 2016); Tubay (29 in 2017 with only 22 in 2016); RTR (2017 in 2017; 21 in 2016); Carmen (25 in 2017; 19 in 2016); Jabonga (28 in 2017; 19 in 2016) and Magallanes (16 in 2017; 15 in 2016).

Palen said the chiefs of police in these municipalities have been instructed by Agusan del Norte Police Director Ernesto V. Tendero, Jr. to intensify anti-criminality efforts to lower the their respective crime rates.

Still, the province's Crime Clearance Efficiency (CSE), in which crime suspects were identified and cases were filed in courts, has increased by 61.42% this year compared to 50.95 in 2016.

Its Crime Solution Efficiency, in which suspects were identified, arrested and cases were filed in court, has also increased by 54.79 this year, compared to 45.43 % in 2016.

Agusan del Norte's Average Monthly Crime Rate (AMCR) had also gone down to 14.55 %, compared to 16.84 % last year.

Palen attributed these achievements to intensified police operations, beat patrols and checkpoints, the implementation of curfew hour in the province, the martial law atmosphere and local government and community's cooperation. (PNA/Noel B. Najarro)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The Police Regional Office (PRO)-12 has created a special task force that will lead the investigation into the gun attack at a restaurant in Polomolok town in South Cotabato late Tuesday night that killed four people, including the town's deputy chief of police.

Chief Supt. Cedrick Train, Region 12 police director, said Thursday the move is aimed to ensure more focused investigation and speed up the resolution of the case, which was believed related to illegal drugs.

He said he issued "marching orders" to the task force to dig deeper into the incident and gather the necessary pieces of evidence against possible suspects.

"We are very saddened by the incident, but rest assured that we will do everything to resolve this, identify the gunmen and the masterminds," he said in an interview over radio station Brigada News FM.

Polomolok deputy police chief, Sr. Insp. Hernan Gabat and his two companions have just arrived at the Mang Ephoy Lechon House along the national highway in Purok Pag-asa, Barangay Magsaysay at around 11:50 p.m. when "sudden bursts of gunfire" came towards their direction.

The 48-year-old Gabat, who was hit on the left side of his body, was declared dead upon arrival at the Howard Hubbard Memorial Hospital in Polomolok.

His companion Rio Salig Sr. and customer Karl Plomillo sustained gunshot wounds on the body and died while being treated at the Polomolok Municipal Hospital and the Howard Hubbard Memorial Hospital, respectively.

One of the five customers who were listed as wounded, Jade Silva, died at around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday while undergoing treatment at the Jorge P. Royeca Hospital here.

Chief Insp. Aldrin Gonzales, Polomolok police chief, said the circumstances of the incident showed that it was planned and Gabat was the main target.

He said they are looking at the attack as possibly "work-related" as Gabat was also the police station's intelligence officer.

Sr. Supt. Franklin Alvero, South Cotabato police director, said they are already looking at several criminal groups, especially those involved in the illegal drug trade, as possibly behind the attack.

He said these groups are operating in this city, Polomolok and other parts of South Cotabato province.

"We're initially looking at this as drug-related since he (Gabat) spearheaded various successful operations these past months," he said.

The police official said he ordered their investigators to look into the possible links of the attack to the recent cases of gun-related murders in the area.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Seven more New People's Army (NPA) rebels, pressured by the continuous military combat operations, have surrendered in Zamboanga Sibugay province, a top official said Thursday.

Maj. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista, Army's 1st Infantry Division commander, said the rebels surrendered at aroundn 6 a.m. Wednesday at the headquarters of the 102nd Infantry Brigade in Barangay Sanito, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Bautista identified them as the following: Henry Bawan Becsala alias Natoy; Benbin Gumandag Mandaw alias Lito; Mario Oksik Maghanaoy alias Rex; Lauravel Obaran Niadas alias Maribel; Villa Neadas alias Sandra; Marcelino Gumangay Lavares alias Ruben; and, Joseph Gumangay Lavarez alias Michael.

Becsala, Mandaw, and Maghanaoy have turned-over two AK-47 rifles and a caliber .45 pistol.

"This surrender is a result of the combined intelligence and combat operations being launched by our troops on the ground to employ more pressure and compel the communist terrorists to lay down their arms," Bautista said.

He said they are undergoing custodial debriefing. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DAVAO CITY – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is unfazed by the investigation into the family's alleged hidden wealth by the Office of the Ombudsman as it is the proper venue where the family can answer all accusations.

"I welcome it so that we can finally answer all accusations in the proper venue," the city mayor said in a statement released by the City Information Office Thursday.

Her short remark was her reaction to the investigation into the "unexplained wealth" of President Rodrigo Duterte and his family which the Ombudsman found sufficient to conduct a probe.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales has inhibited to lead the investigation since her nephew, Manases "Mans" Carpio, is the husband of the city mayor. The Ombudsman instead authorized Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang to start the probe.

Reports said Carandang has already requested the Anti-Money Laundering Council for a final validation on the bank transaction records of the first family, following the flow of money through deposits and withdrawals of Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, Sebastian, and joint accounts with Mayor Duterte-Carpio.

The records obtained by the Ombudsman reportedly includes the President's common-law wife, Honeylet Avancena, and their daughter, Kitty.

It stemmed from the complaint filed by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on the alleged multi-billion wealth of the Dutertes. Trillanes had earlier claimed that the Office of the Ombudsman was in possession of AMLC records regarding Duterte's alleged flagged bank transactions in various bank accounts involving P2 billion in deposits and credits.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the president respects the Ombudsman's internal processes and trusts its impartiality in the conduct of the investigation.

During the 120th anniversary of the Department of Justice last September 26, President Duterte opened the issue before the delegates, admitting that his late father, Governor Vicente Duterte, of then undivided Davao left them substantial properties which were divided among the siblings.

The inheritance was a product of his father's hardwork when the family migrated from Visayas.

"We had an ice plant and a lumber yard. Construction was booming at that time in Davao. It was a developing city. But when he died, we could not agree with each other, the brothers and sisters, so we decided to sell all," the President said in his speech.

He admitted to have a substantial inheritance. "At sinabi ko (and I said), if you... I authorized everybody, everybody as in everybody to look --- to dig into the IBAA, Insular Bank of Asia and America. That's the UnionBank now. You'd find there that 'yung fourth year pa kami, I had a million already. 'Yan ang totoo (You'd find there that when I was fourth year, I had a million already. That's the truth)," he said.

But, the President pointed out that the alleged P211 million does not exist. If someone could show he has that amount, even one dollar, in HongKong "I will step down as President of this Republic."

During the presidential elections when Trillanes raised the issue, Duterte already gave a waiver.

"Kung tiningnan lang nila noon (If they have looked into it then). I was already --- And I am ready to step down now," he said.

The President said he has always lived by the values inherited from his father and mother.

"And that's the same thing that I'm giving to my children," he said. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Government troops overran a fortified camp of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) following airstrike and artillery bombardment in the province of Maguindanao, a top military officials announced Thursday.

Maj. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, Joint Task Force Central commander, said the fallen camp of the BIFF is located at Sitio Dagaring, Barangay Tee, Datu Salibu, Maguindanao

Dela Vega said troops from the Army's 57th Infantry Battalion have recovered a cadaver of a slain BIFF member, four improvised bombs, two-M14 rifles, one M-16 Armalite rifle and a flag of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS) when they overran the camp at around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday.

He said the camp was targeted by airstrike and artillery bombardment while the ground troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members maneuvered towards the fallen BIFF camp.

"Troops thoroughly scoured the area as the joint security campaign with the MILF is sustained to defeat the (BIFF) terrorists," Dela Vega said.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief, said that "all means are currently being exhausted with the support of the MILF as combat operations are being launched in the area." (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato -- Five drug suspects were arrested in the latest anti-drug operation Wednesday by the Philippine National Police here.

Supt. Gilbert Tuzon, Midsayap town police chief, said elements of Midsayap police backed by the Army's 34th Infantry Battalion, conducted joint law enforcement operation at around 9 p.m. in Barangay Poblacion 8.

The suspects, caught in the act of sniffing methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu), were immediately arrested by police authorities.

They were identified as Renante Badua, 38; Ryan Beit, 23; Lucky Boy Jordan Marcelino, 18; all residents of Barangay Poblacion 8; Carlo Danilo Resian, 25 of Barangay San Pedro, Midsayap and a minor not identified in the police report.

Tuzon told reporters that the arrest was carried out after a police agent posing as buyer managed to secure two small sachets of shabu.

He added that the suspects had been placed for a weeklong surveillance operation by Midsayap police.

All the suspects are now detained at Midsayap PNP lock up cell while charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are being prepared against them. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – South Cotabato officials have raised alarm over the rising number of indigenous peoples (IPs) in the province who have been "duped" into joining the New People's Army (NPA).

South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said Thursday an assessment made by the Provincial Peace and Coordinating Council (PPOC) showed that majority of the members of NPA units currently operating in parts of the province are composed of IPs or lumads.

In some areas, she said only the field commanders or leaders of NPA operating units are non-IPs.

"Nine of every 10 (NPA) cadres in South Cotabato are reportedly lumads and that is a sad situation," Fuentes said.

The governor said such assessment was backed by reports from concerned stakeholders and security personnel.

The province's main tribal groups are the B'laans and T'bolis, who are mostly settled in remote upland villages.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Leander, commander of the Army's 27th Infantry Battalion, confirmed that the NPA's recruitment activities among the IPs in the area have intensified these past months.

He said they monitored the recruitment activities, which carried out by members of the NPA's Front 73, in parts of Banga, T'boli and Lake Sebu towns.

The official said some of the recruits were minors who were promised of salaries reaching P5,000 a month and other support for their families.

"These were never realized and remained promises so some of them eventually decided to surrender," he said.

Owing to this, Fuentes said there is need for the local government to step up its engagements with the IP communities, especially those in remote areas.

"This is a challenge for to focus our services and programs on the IPs and our Muslim communities," she said.

She said efforts are underway to expand the local government's convergence outreach activities to more IP communities.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The entire South Cotabato province is now malaria-free.

Jose Barroquillo, malaria program coordinator of the Integrated Provincial Health Office, said Thursday this development was based on the result of a recent evaluation conducted by experts from the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

He said the DOH's malaria technical working group and WHO representatives mainly affirmed that the province has not recorded a single indigenous case of malaria since 2012.

"We had zero case of locally-transmitted malaria in the last five years so we're now considered malaria-free," he said.

Barroquillo said the province's formal declaration as malria-free will be made during the scheduled provincial health summit in November.

According to the DOH, a province may be declared as malaria-free if it sustains zero incidence of indigenous case of the disease for five consecutive years.

Such declaration is made by the DOH and the WHO, which has been supporting the national government's malaria eradication program.

Barroquillo attributed the accomplishment to the local government's sustained efforts against the disease these past years.

He specifically cited the regular malaria border operations spearheaded by the IPHO in the province's boundary areas with Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani that were considered endemic to the disease.

"This is not only a successful journey for the provincial government but to all malaria warriors -- local residents, barangay and town officials, partner organizations and health workers as well," he said.

The province was adopted by the DOH as among the focal areas for the malaria eradication program following an outbreak in 2005 in Barangay Ned in Lake Sebu. Another major outbreak in the area came in 2007 that downed 80 people, mostly T'boli tribal folks.
From 584 in 2004, the indigenous cases of malaria in the province went down to only two in 2011 or a reduction of 99.66 percent.

Barroquillo said the local government is committed to sustain the area's malaria-free status with the continuing support from its partners, which included the Global Fund and Pilipinas Shell Foundation.

"We will continue with these strategies as we face the bigger task of maintaining a clean record for malaria," he added.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

BALANGIGA, Eastern Samar -- President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said the Philippines is giving the United States government enough time to return the Balangiga bells taken by American soldiers 116 years ago.

"They are looking for ways how to get out of this problem because it remains to be not only a source of irritation, but also a source of painful reaction of what really happened to our countrymen," Duterte said during the 116th commemoration of the Balangiga Encounter.

Speaking before thousands of local officials and townsfolk at a covered court in this town late afternoon, Duterte said the process is "not that easy."

"Those things will only be returned with the permission of US Congress and if the President will approve it. We give them enough time. The Americans say that they are processing it. I hope that the US Congress will give President Trump the authority to return the bells," he said.

He assured that there is an ongoing negotiation and the US government is trying to figure out how to return the bells.

"To them, it is like a war trophy, but if you will look at it, it cost a lot of innocent lives. Just return it and we will be happy. We're not angry at you," the President said.

The President, however, acknowledged that the US has been making efforts to repay the damages brought by US occupation in the country.

"I'd rather be friendly to Americans now because the Americans redeemed themselves a lot... They helped us a lot. They were engaged here during the Japanese occupation. I would not say that they are saviors, but they are our allies," he added.

"Even today, the Americans provided crucial equipment to our soldiers fighting terrorists in Marawi."

The Chief Executive admitted that he turned emotional when he demanded for the return of the bells during his State of the Nation Address on July 24.

"I was under advise by DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) to temper my language and avoid cursing, which I am prone to do if I get emotional," he said.

This advice prompted him to be friendlier to the US, he said.

Aside from recalling the heroism of Filipinos in Balangiga, the President also reiterated his administration's staunch war against illegal drugs in his one-hour speech that concluded at 5:30 p.m. 

The President arrived in town past 4:00 p.m. and left around 5:45 p.m.

More than 150 residents, mostly schoolchildren, prepared an hour-long reenactment, but the President left before the presentation started.

Before he ended his speech, Duterte vowed to confer the Order of Lapu-Lapu to the family of local warriors who fought the Americans.

The Order of Lapu-Lapu, created through Executive Order No. 17, is to be awarded to officials, government personnel, and private citizens "in recognition of invaluable or extraordinary service in relation to a campaign or advocacy of the President."

The Balangiga Encounter happened on Sept. 28, 1901, when town residents led by Valeriano Abanador initiated an attack against US soldiers while having breakfast.

Around 2,500 Filipinos were killed by the US retaliatory attack. The Americans took the Balangiga bells as war trophies.

Until now, the three bells are still in the custody of the US government. Two of the bells are at the FE Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, while one is located in the 9th US Infantry Regiment in Camp Red Cloud in South Korea.

Previous attempts made by the past presidents and even by the Catholic Church to return the Balangiga Bells to the country were all unsuccessful.  (with reports from Pearl Marie Ecaldre, OJT/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

TAGBILARAN CITY -- The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) here warned local businessmen on Wednesday about extortionists who pose as members of rebel groups.

Lawyer Rennan Oliva issued the warning during the Bohol Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting at the People's Mansion here after the local NBI has received a number of extortion complaints.

According to reports, some extortionists have asked businessmen to pay the so-called "revolutionary tax" or give aid to the revolutionary activities of the communist guerillas or rebels affiliated to Muslim extremists.

Businessmen have reportedly been contacted by the extortion ring either by calls or text messages via their cellular phones, Oliva said.

Oliva said the calls or texts were sent from outside Bohol, particularly Mindanao.

"Be wary of that," Oliva warned. He advised the businessmen to report any instance of extortion and refuse to give in to the demands of the callers.

The NBI became aware of the situation after some businessmen were subjected to an extort try by alleged members of the New People's Army and ISIS.

The local police have also started their own investigation following the increasing number of complaints lodged by local businessmen. (Dave Albarado/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

CALAMBA CITY, Laguna -- The Regional Development Council (RDC) in Calabarzon has intensified its series of outreach activities and intervention projects and programs in keeping the region's peace and order and help address insurgency issues.

In its report released on Thursday, the RDC has planned to conduct outreach activities among the 45 convergence areas in the region.

The outreach activities are aimed at raising the visibility of national agencies and development partners and improve delivery of public goods and services to constituents in geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas.

The report said these programs are in support to the government efforts to address the root causes of insurgency.
RDC has already conducted an outreach activity in Barangays Bamban, Landing and Mapulot in Tagkawayan, Quezon last month.

It assessed that specific areas in Tagkawayan, Quezon are vulnerable to the influence of insurgents due to poverty and inaccessibility of communities for government services.

During the activity, programs and services of participating agencies were launched for public awareness.

School and dental supplies, nutritional snacks, milk, cupcakes and slippers were distributed to some 1,020 students.
The far-flung engagement also provided medical and dental services to students and parents.

Planting materials, seeds and malongs were also given to parents while laptops, desktops, umbrellas and bags were turned over to school officials. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

TACLOBAN CITY -- The Samar provincial government is seeking PHP1.1 billion to upgrade the existing road and bridges that link the two economically-depressed towns of Samar province.

Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan, in an interview Wednesday, said they have already secured the endorsement of the Regional Development Council during the body's second quarter meeting for funding support from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The improved access road is expected to unlock economic opportunities in two of the poorest farming and fishing towns in the region.

The towns of Talalora and Villareal posted a poverty incidence of 47 percent and 42 percent, respectively, based on the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The distance between two towns is 16 kilometers.

"Due to bad road, people from these places take a boat ride to Babatngon, Leyte or Biliran province to buy and sell products especially during rainy days. This is the reason why there's a slow economic circulation in Samar province," Tan added.

The governor is optimistic that the road link will be concreted within the term of President Rodrigo Duterte. She recalled that some funds have been poured for the road opening activities in the past.

The proposed project, according to her, will connect the paved road from San Andres village to Villareal town center. The central government recently upgraded the road from the national highway in Pinabacado town to Villareal.

Better road leading to Talalora town is also eyed to benefit island towns of Zumarraga and Daram.

Talalora, a 6th class town in Samar has been known as haven of faith healers. It is about 73 kilometers north of Tacloban City, the regional capital. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

LAOAG CITY -- Barely a month after the Department of Tourism (DOT) endorsed the development of a village government-initiated tourism project in Poblacion, Burgos town, a team of architects and engineers from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) arrived in Ilocos Norte to personally visit the project. 


Located along the national highway, the development site sits on a 5,430-square meter lot the Poblacion local government unit purchased from its collection of real estate taxes. 


After the project tour, Joegie Jimenez, village chief of Poblacion said Friday he hopes TIEZA will support the project which aims to attract more tourists to visit Burgos town. 


As economic growth continues to flourish in this northern gateway of Luzon, Jimenez said he initiated the establishment of a local investment hub in his village to have a share in the tourism development. 


One of the major concerns of investors coming to Ilocos Norte is to secure their investment and one way of doing so is to partner with local government units. 


Through a public and private partnership agreement being promoted by the national government, Jimenez said the proposed Amianan tourism village is open to investors.


In fact, talks are now underway with some investors who expressed interest to open business in Poblacion. 


As part of the development plan, a multi-purpose building will be erected for lease to businessmen. 


At the back of the proposed Amianan village is also a small water impounding project being developed as an agro-tourism site such as setting up a model organic farm, raising tilapia and other indigenous fruits and vegetables.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Palawan will invite media practitioners here to a briefing on covering police anti-hard drugs operations to prevent misunderstandings and promote transparency.

During a human rights forum here Thursday afternoon, Police Chief Supt. Dennis Siervo, chief of the Human Righst Affairs Office, said, the media briefing is going to be conducted in line with President Rodrigo Duterte's instructions to allow practitioners to cover police operations during anti-hard drugs raids to prevent human rights violations and encourage openness.

No date has been identified on when it will be conducted, but he said it will include training on safety for media practitioners covering  police operations.

"You are allowed by the President to cover because he wants transparency. Then you join in a way that the suspects will not see you during operation because it is a set up, and the operation might be bungled because they will see all of you," Siervo said.

At the forum, police reporters raised their concerns that provincial and city police office only provide basic information of their operations but are requiring the media to sign as witnesses.

"Actually, it is a requirement of the law. If you will be made to sign, it should only be for inventory purposes, not as witnesses to the operation because when the documents are submitted to the prosecutor, you will also be questioned," he added.

Siervo said they will prioritize the media covering the police beat and in their operations. (PNA)

 



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

CEBU CITY -- The Cebu provincial government and Department of Tourism on Friday forged an exchange program agreement with two polytechnic schools in Singapore  to promote tourism and hospitality capability development.

Temasek Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic schools of Singapore will send instructors for the training program with their partners from the tourism and hospitality sector here in Cebu. 

Governor Hilario Davide III said that since the parties agreed for an exchange program,  Cebu will also be sending delegates to Singapore to share "our best practices in tourism."

The provincial government has yet to name the local partners for the exchange program which will start next year and will run for 36 months. 

Temasek and Republic chose to team up with Cebu after seeing the enormous possibilities for tourism development in the province.

Republic school principal Yeo Li Pheow said a lot about tourism and hospitality can be learned from Cebu. He also dared local tourism stakeholders to come up with more remarkable ideas.  

Tourism Undersecretary Alma Jimenez, who witnessed the signing, expressed her support and is optimistic that the program will be a success. (with reports from USJR intern Levirose Caballero/PNA)

 



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Detention centers in Palawan are congested and have insufficient food allowance for the detainees, the regional office of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) disclosed during a forum here Thursday.

However, the problems occur not only in Palawan but actually common in the other provinces as well, said Lawyer Dennis Mosquera, CHR regional director  in MIMAROPA or Region IV-B consists of five provinces: Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan.

Palawan's Municipal Police Stations (MPS), on the other hand, are in better condition except in the capital, which Mosquera described as heavily congested with 12 detainees living together in  a cell under stressful environment.

"There are hammocks made of clothing materials that are already almost four layers. I told them to be careful because the one on top of the layer might fall and crash on the one below," he said.

The human rights commission regional director said he will request for the assistance of the local government to transfer the detainees to the regular detention facilities as soon as their inquest proceedings have been completed.

"Twelve in one detention cell at the City Police Station (CPO) is too much. We will write to the local government unit for help, and I think the condition is here only because municipal detention cells have none detained," he added.

Mosquera added that in Brooke's Point in southern Palawan, only six persons are detained, and some cells are empty.

On the daily food allowance, findings were based on interviews with the detainees, who said the "meal subsidy per day remains at PHP60, which is really not enough," he said.  

"It is sad," he said, noting jail facilities in the country face the same problems that should have already been addressed by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penalogy (BJMP) and by the House of Congress through the passage of a law  increasing food subsidy.  (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DARAGA, Albay -- Two groups of suspected New People's Army (NPA) rebels on Thursday night carried out separate attacks against a police detachment in Barangay Bascaran and minutes later set fire on the heavy equipment at the construction site at the Bicol International Airport (BIA) in Barangay Alobo in this town.

Reports reaching the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Albay said on Friday that a 30-minute firefight ensued between policemen and an undetermined number of suspected rebels.

Chief Inspector Arthur Gomez, PNP Albay spokesperson, said the gunfight at the PNP Public Safety Command detachment lasted for 30 minutes but no casualty was reported on both sides.  

He added it appeared that the attack at the Bascaran police detachment is a diversionary tactic for the NPA guerillas to torch 11 construction machineries such at BIA. The attackers burned five heavy equipment trucks, mini dump truck, a cement mixer, crane among others, owned by the EM Cuerpo Builders.

He said it was the second attack staged by the rebels at the BIA. The first was in 2005 when a group of NPA men barged in at the construction site and torched several equipment of the Sun West Construction after the firm denied the extortion demands from the rebels.

Barangays Bascaran and Alobo in Daraga town are 20 kilometers away from Legazpi City.

Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda on Friday expressed dismay over the reported attack at BIA.

"So sad. Another big setback after 12 years of effort. But we are not giving up," he said.

The Albay solon has asked the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the PNP to fully secure the ongoing construction work of the BIA passenger terminal building which is currently in its final stage.

"We remain hopeful and the entire government is resolute that the President's commitment of completion in three years will still be met by early 2020," Salceda said. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

BACOLOD CITY-- The City of Bacolod will begin penalizing violators of the waste segregation policy middle starting this October.

As of Friday, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran,  chairman of Solid Waste Action Team, said that all the 61 villages have been reached by the information and education campaign after the "no segregation, no collection" rule took effect on September 1.

Barangay officials were also provided the schedules of garbage collection, he added.

Contracted garbage hauler IPM-Construction Development Corp. (IPM-CDC) collects  biodegradable waste every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and non-biodegradable waste every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

"We will not issue a warning anymore," Familiaran said, adding that unsegregated waste will not be collected. Fines range from P500 to P1,000.

 "We need the cooperation of everybody for the implementation of Republic Act 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000)," he added.

"The role of barangay officials is very important.Hopefully, we can educate our residents on how to segregate waste at source," the vice mayor said.

The "Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000," provides that local government units shall be primarily responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this law within their respective jurisdictions.

The law seeks the adoption of a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program that targets solid waste avoidance and volume reduction through source reduction and waste minimization measures while giving primordial consideration to and ensuring the protection of the public health and environment.

It also mandates to ensure the proper segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste through the formulation and adoption of the best environmental practice in ecological waste management excluding incineration. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Two committees have been created to set in motion the plan to move the seat of government of Misamis Oriental away from this city, Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano said Friday.

Since 1950, Cagayan de Oro has been the seat of government of the city when it became a chartered city through Republic Act (RA) 521.

Emano said the time has come for the province to transfer its capitol nearer to its constituents. He expressed his gratitude to the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) for donating a 50-hectare property in barangay Lourdes, Alubijid town, for the new capitol site.

Emano said the province has already created two committees to supervise the transfer process, namely the public private partnership (PPP) selection committee and the PPP regulatory committee.

To be chaired by the governor, the committees will composed of Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Gerardo Sabal III, SP member Wayne Militante, provincial administrator Jocelyn Mateo, provincial legal officer Neil Pacana, provincial development officer Stanley Uriarte, the Provincial Agriculture and Fisheries Council and Landcare Foundation of the Philippines as members.

Emano disclosed that at least three conglomerates—Ayala, SM and Filinvest—are interested to pursue the PPP scheme in developing the existing capitol compound situated in a one-hectare area along Velez Street.

In April, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved the PPP ordinance, signalling the start of talks among the interested parties.

The PPP is a contractual agreement between a government entity and a private firm towards financing, designing, implementing and operating infrastructure facilities and services that were traditionally provided by the public sector.

Emano said the winning party will build the new provincial capitol in Alubijid and a separate provincial jail campus in Initao municipality. In exchange, the contractor will have commercial rights over the old capitol complex. (PNA/Mark D. Francisco)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao -- Four members of an ISIS-inspired terrorist group in Maguindanao were executed by its commanders after they were found conniving with the rival Moro armed group and the military, the Army here said Friday.

Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, chief of the Army's 6th Infantry Division Civil Military Operations (CMO) Battalion, said the four Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) members were followers of Ustadz Esmael Abdulmalik whose group pledged allegiance to the ISIS.

The execution, according to Besana, came after joint Army and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) recovered the BIFF stronghold in Barangay Tee, Datu Salibo, Maguindanao following several days of artillery and air strikes from the Philippine military.

Major Gen. Arnel dela Vega, commander of the 6th Infantry Division and Joint Task Force Central, said the BIFF camp, where the Esmael Abdulmalik faction has been hiding since last month, was captured Wednesday afternoon. It was located iat sitio Dagaring, Barangay Tee, Datu Salibo, Maguindanao.

At the camp, dela Vega said in statement that elements of the 57th Infantry Battalion recovered the body of a slain BIFF fighter, four improvised explosive devices, two M-14 rifles, an M-16 Armalite rifle and ISIS flags when troops set in at past 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The slain BIFF member was later identified by villagers as Ansari Alimama, a Maranao from Butig town in Lanao del Sur and believed to be allied with the Maute terrorist group, according to Senior Supt. Agustin Tello, Maguindanao police director.

Barangay Tee had been the object of occasional air strikes when the MILF provided the information to the Army about the BIFF Abdulmalik faction's location.

Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, spokesperson for Task Force Central, said the Army is verifying reports from the locals that four BIFF members were executed by Abdulmalik on suspicion that they were providing the Army and the MILF their location through text messages.

"The barangay and local leaders have been providing us information about it and we are validating it," Besana said.

He could not say where the cadaver of four slain BIFF members now, but their mobile phones can no longer be reached, according to information provided by the MILF.

Abdulmalik and his men of about 500 is the subject of MILF offensives after they tried, but failed, to raise ISIS flags in MILF identified areas in Barangay Tee and Barangay Andavit, Datu Salibo Maguindanao in early August.

He and his group pledged allegiance to the ISIS and military intelligence reports said several foreign terrorists were seen with his group.

Tello said in separate interview that his unit had received information about the execution of four BIFF members.

According to Tello, Alimama was a lieutenant of Omar and Abdullah Maute, founder of the ISIS-inspired Maute group now fighting government forces in Marawi.

"We have validated from our contacts in Lanao del Sur that this Alimama hailed from Butig," Tello said.

Besana said surgical air strikes and artillery offensives against the BIFF have continued in the towns of Datu Salibo and adjacent towns of Datu Piang and Datu Saydona Mustapha against fleeing terrorists.

The MILF, which signed a peace deal with the government in 2014, is bound by the 1997 ceasefire agreement to help the Philippine military rid their communities of terrorists and lawless elements.(PNA



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato -- Police and military forces here are hunting down two men riding in tandem on a motorbike for killing a village chair in the province Thursday.

Supt. Gilbert Tuzon, Midsayap town police chief, said several witnesses have come forward to provide police investigators with information that could lead to the whereabouts of the suspects.

He identified the victim as Mama Duluan, 52, chair of Barangay Tumbras, a village bordering Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

Tuzon, citing police investigation, said Duluan was driving a multi-cab vehicle heading for home after he fetched his child and a relative from school when a motorcycle with two men overtook him at past 5 p.m.

One of the men shot Duluan using a cal. 45 pistol. He died on the spot from multiple gunshot wounds while his child and relative both escaped unharmed.

Police are eyeing "rido" (family feud) as the motive of the attack against Duluan, who had no armed escorts unlike other village officials in North Cotabato.

"We are still investigating other possible motives," Tuzon said.
It was not clear if Duluan was armed or not.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The provincial government of South Cotabato is planning to establish a temporary resettlement facility that will provide refuge to witnesses of major crimes.

South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said Friday studies are underway for the development of the facility, which was earlier endorsed by the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC).

She said the facility will mainly cater to witnesses in drug-related cases and other heinous crimes.

"It will provide refuge to witnesses, and their families if necessary, before they enter the witness protection program," she said.

The governor said they have been facing difficulty in handling the security and safety of some witnesses due to the absence of such facility.

In some cases, she said there were witnesses wherein their entire families needed to be relocated due to security concerns.

"We should not wait for the national government for this because a lot of our witnesses were already disappointed with their situation," she said.

As recommended by the PPOC, which Fuentes chairs, the local government will provide initial funds by next year for the project.

Aside from this, Fuentes said the council also endorsed the allotment of additional funds for the planned establishment of a halfway home for former and returning New People's Army (NPA) rebels in the area.

The local government had signified to avail of the P5 million grant offered by the Department of the Interior and Local Government for the development of the facility.

Ma. Ana Uy, acting head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, said the proposed project will be established in a 1,000-square meter property in Barangay Morales, Koronadal City.

A halfway home or house refers to the temporary residence that serves as the processing center for former rebels.

The facility could also be used to cater to other individuals in crisis situations such as victims of violence against women and children, juvenile delinquents, former convicts and victims of disasters.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- In a bid to ease the city's traffic problems, the city government will ban trucks starting next week along portions of the national highway and a major road here during peak hours.

Lawyer Doan Balboa, executive assistant of the city mayor's office, said Friday the move was based on the provisions of the city's "truck ban ordinance" that was passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod or city council last year.

She said the ordinance will formally take effect on Sunday, Oct. 1 but the implementation will start the following day, Oct 2, since the truck ban was only set from Monday to Saturday.

Under the measure, she said the truck ban will be implemented from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

It will cover the stretch of the national highway from Hadano Park in Barangay Apopong to the Lagao-Buayan junction in Barangay Lagao, and the P. Acharon Boulevard from Honorio Arriola Street in Barangay Bula to the Silway Bridge in Barabgay Dadiangas West, she said.

Balboa said trucks that violate the ban will be slapped with fines amounting to P5,000.

If the driver would not be able to pay the fine, she said the truck will be impounded by the local government.

Truck owners are subsidiarily liable for any violation and would be required to settle the fine if the driver would not be able to pay for it, she said.

Balboa noted that the city government had conducted information dissemination campaigns regarding the ban.

"Expect that by Monday, our traffic enforcers will start apprehending violators," she said in a briefing.

City Councilor Franklin Gacal Jr., author of the ordinance, said the measure will mainly relieve the city proper of slow-moving trucks during peak hours.

He said trucks going to Davao City should instead use the northern section of the city circumferential road and those going to the city fish port complex and other industries in Barangay Tambler should pass through the western section.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Two notorious drug personalities were killed in a law enforcement operation in the province of Sulu, a top military official said Friday.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief, identified the slain drug personalities as Alsidi Anji and Benjie Dumdaydi.

Authorities refer to the drug personalities as either pushers or users.

Galvez said Anji and Dumdaydi were killed when they resisted arrest by the joint Marine troops and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives in a law enforcement operation at around 1:50 a.m. Wednesday in Barangay Lambago, Luuk, Sulu.

He said they were believed to be members of a notorious drug group led by a certain Jinar, who was not around when the lawmen carried out the law enforcement operation.

Galvez said the arresting team seized from the suspects' possessions a caliber .30 M1 Garand rifle with ammunition, suspected shabu and illegal drug paraphernalia.

He said the suspects' remains were turned over to their relatives in Barangay Bulangsih, Panamao, by Barangay Councilor Arafi Hajiron of Tubig Putih, Luuk.

He said they will continue to assist other law enforcement agencies like PDEA in curbing illegal drug activities in the province of Sulu. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Marawi City crisis and the displacement of thousands of civilians that ensued is just one of the many symptoms of the long-running conflict in Mindanao, Muslim and Christian religious leaders said.

"Marawi dramatizes for us three interconnected challenges to peace in Mindanao: violent extremism and terrorism; the uncertainties of the implementation of the political peace process; and the crucial role of religious leaders and communities in the rebuilding and development of Marawi," said the joint statement signed by prominent religious figures in Mindanao that included Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ.

The group maintained that the Marawi crisis, which began on May 23 when authorities attempted to serve an arrest warrant for Isnilon Hapilon, a known leader of the terror group Abu Sayyaf, was not motivated by religious divisions but by terrorism and violent extremism.

"The many stories of mutual assistance between Muslims and Christians attest to the rejection of this evil. These stories of solidarity likewise attest to the Filipinos' sense of sharing a common humanity with anyone in need, regardless of creed or community," the Sept. 28 statement reads.

Aside from Bishop Ledesma, other signatories included Most Reverend Edwin de la Peña, the bishop prelate of Marawi; Mona Liza Pangan, a Marawi resident; Dr. Said Zamahsari Salendab, secretary general of the Hayatul Ulama; Dr. Ustadz Abdulmuhmin Maujahid, executive director of the Regional Darul Ifta in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; Dr. Mauro Garofalo, head of international relations of the Community of Sant'Egidio'; and Prof. Alberto Quattruci, secretary general of Peoples and Religions, also of the Community of Sant'Egidio.

"We need to build a Culture of Peace based on personal integrity, respect for human rights, inter-cultural dialogue, care for the environment, peaceful coexistence and eradication of poverty," the group added.

The group issued the statement during their visit to the Community of Sant'Egidio in Rome, Italy, for a dialogue on peace in Mindanao, recently.

They also upheld that Islam and Christianity are religions of peace as they call for the inclusion of "peace education at all levels in our schools, madaris and communities."

Inter-faith and intra-faith dialogue, they said, should be promoted as a means of understanding and appreciating other cultures and religions and enhancing cooperation.

The group also welcomed the current efforts at writing a more inclusive history of Mindanao that explores the root causes of conflict and depicts significant events and personalities from Muslim and indigenous people communities.

"We commit ourselves to reach out to our youth, who will be the future leaders of our Mindanao communities. They have so much to contribute towards building our communities with a renewed vision of Mindanao as our shared homeland," they said.

The Marawi conflict has already displaced more than half a million civilians, with close to a thousand people already killed. (PNA/Jigger J. Jerusalem)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will commence the Consumer Welfare Month with the conduct of the 2nd Consumer Run on Sunday, October 1, which will be simultaneously held nationwide.

The consumer run held last year in Region 9 was the first of its kind and was adopted by the DTI central office to be conducted in all regions this year.

Dr. Sitti Amina Jain, DTI regional director, on Friday stressed the importance of conducting the consumer run to empower the consumers.

"The Consumer Run is really intended to empower our consumers by informing them of their basic rights and responsibilities. If we, as consumers, know our basic rights and responsibilities, then we will be assured of the best services and products that we avail or buy with our hard-earned money," Jain said.

"We can also negate the schemes of some businessmen who are engaged in unscrupulous business practices," Jain added.

She said the activity is also aimed to promote health and wellness among the consumers. The participants of the event will become force multiplier in informing others of their rights and responsibilities.

"It's good to learn while having fun. This is what the consumer run is all about, learning and being empowered as consumers while we are having fun," she pointed out.

The Consumer Run will have two categories: the eight-kilometer run and the five-kilometer run.

The eight-kilometer run represents the eight basic consumer rights which included the following: Right to Basic Needs; Right to Safety; Right to Information; Right to Choose; Right to Representation; Right to Redress; Right to Consumer Education: and, Right to Healthy Environment.

The five-kilometer run represents the consumer responsibilities which are as follows: Critical Awareness; Action; Social Concern; Environmental Awareness; and, Solidarity.

Here in Region 9, Jain said the 2nd Consumer Run will be held in this city; Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay; Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur; and, Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte.

She said it will be held in partnership with the United Zamboanga Consumers Association, Incorporated (UZCAI).

The activity's proceeds will be turned over to UZCAI that will be used for strengthening of consumer groups and implementation of consumer-related activities and projects here in Region 9. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- An in-depth investigation is being conducted to identify those involved in a roadside explosion near the residence of a mayor in Basilan province, a police official disclosed Friday.

The explosion happened at around 6 p.m. Thursday at Purok Rubber in Barangay Sumagda in Isabela City, the capital of Basilan province.

Supt. Jerome Afuyog, Isabela City police chief, said post-blast investigation showed that the explosion was caused by a cellular phone-triggered improvised bomb.

Afuyog said the explosive ordnance demolition (EOD) personnel have recovered from the blast site parts of a cellular phone and nine-volt dry cell battery as well as a plastic bag and power residue.

He said there was no casualty nor damage to property brought about by the explosion.

The blast site is near the residence of Isabela City Mayor Al-Qaid Akbar. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

BACOLOD  CITY -- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DA) Negros Occidental-South  has partnered with the Municipality of Hinoba-an to establish a community-managed Potable Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (CPWASH) Project in the village of San Rafael.

Hinobaan is the southernmost town of the province situated 190 kilometers from Bacolod.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Lucrecia Taberna signed a memorandum of agreement with Mayor Ernesto Estrao and San Rafael Upland Farmers Association chairman Rodolfo Gavan on Thursday.

Taberna said the project will benefit at least 1,300 residents of Barangay San Rafael, including 500 students and teachers of San Rafael Elementary School.

She added the DAR will allocate PHP80,000 as counterpart, including PHP50,000 for the purchase of construction materials and  PHP30,000  for the project-related technology trainings in the identified project sites.

Para-engineers will be hired for the construction of the facilities.

For its part, the municipal government will fund PHP50,000 for the labor requirement and livelihood project components.

Last month, the DAR Negros Occidental-South also launched the (CPWASH) Project at Barangay Balicotoc in Ilog town in partnership with the Municipal Government of Ilog and the Balicotoc Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Farmers Association.

About 70 households and 501 students and teachers of Balicotoc Elementary School are benefiting from the project, which includes water and sanitation facilities with biosand filter, iron removal filter, biogas digester, and rain water collector.

The DAR also provided PHP80,000 as its counterpart, including PHP50,000 for the purchase of construction materials and  PHP30,000  for  project-related technology training.

The local government allocated PHP50,000 for the labor requirement and livelihood project components.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

TACLOBAN CITY -- The Regional Development Council (RDC) of Eastern Visayas has approved on Friday the PHP651.66 billion 2017-2022 Regional Development Investment Program (RDIP) after months of drafting and series of consultations.

The amount has increased significantly from the total PHP430 billion proposed prior to the RDC sector committee meetings three weeks ago.

"There was an adjustment because we included more infrastructure projects especially those aligned in the priority of the Duterte administration. We need to build, build, build to support the President's priority programs," said RDC Vice Chairman and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Bonifacio Uy.

The RDIP contains a list and brief profile of programs and projects of agency regional offices, and state universities and colleges in support of strategies outlined in the Regional Development Plan (RDP).

It also includes a list of activities of the six provincial governments in the region proposed for Official Development Assistance funding and implementation by the central government.

The Council will proofread the approved investment program, print the document, and send to the NEDA main office by October.

"This is still subject to regular updating to see what the needed projects are every year. Projects that are deemed important and critical for the region to attain development plan," Uy added.

The projects and activities in the RDIP concretize the strategies in the main RDP. It has 15 key strategies meant to reduce poverty and sustain economic growth.

The 15- strategy plan of actions are science and technology innovations, reducing inequality in opportunities in human development, accelerating infrastructure development, promoting regional competitiveness, reaching for the demographic dividend, promoting Eastern Visayas culture and values formation expanding economic opportunities in farming and fisheries

Other strategies are enhancing peace, security, public order, and justice administration; enhancing disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and mitigation; enhancing good governance; building resiliency of individuals and families; expanding economic opportunities in industry; maintaining ecological integrity and a clean and healthy environment; providing an enabling and supportive macroeconomic environment; and expanding economic opportunities in services.

The RDP, which serves as the blueprint of the region's development direction, is anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals, the Long-Term Vision of Filipinos or "Ambisyon Natin 2040" and President Duterte's 0+10 Point Socioeconomic Agenda.

The RDC, the region's highest policymaking body, approved the new RDP during its full council meeting on December 20, 2016.

Under the plan, the region aims to attain 5.2 percent to 5.7 percent economic growth in 2017.

For 2018 to 2022, the average target is 5.8 percent to 7 percent. In 2015, the region posted a remarkable growth of 3.9 percent in the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) due to massive post-Yolanda reconstruction activities.

The 2015 performance is a "significant turnaround" after the region incurred a 2.4 percent contraction in 2014, largely due to destruction of the monster typhoon.

The region suffered a big drop in GRDP in 2012 at negative 6.8 percent after a minimal 2.1 percent increase in 2011.

It was followed with a big leap to 4.6 percent in 2013 due to good economy before super typhoon "Yolanda" struck.

Last year, the region's GRDP surged 12.4 percent, the highest among 17 regions in the country. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ILOILO CITY --  The San Jose Parish church handling the religious activities of the annual Dinagyang Festival is asking the support of the Department of Education (DepEd) to heighten the religiosity of the event in 2018. 

Rev. Fr. Raymund Edsel Alcayaga, O.S.A. said on Friday that they target the participation of public and private schools in their daily masses in honor of Señor Santo Niño in January. 

He said they will be communicating with DepEd and various schools starting November this year. He banked on the backing of the DepEd regional director "to encourage public schools to join scheduled mass." 

The parish is targeting the participation of more people in the religious activities as Dinagyang Festival celebrates its golden anniversary in 2018. It also marks the 50th year when the image of Señor Santo Niño was brought to Iloilo. 

Aside from the daily masses, another event that is expected to draw larger crowd is the "sadsad," or the big merry-making in the evening after the Sponsors' Mardi Gras parade.  

Next year the "sadsad" will occupy the entire stretch fronting the Plaza Libertad.

"Most of those people who attend the 'sadsad' really give importance to religious activities and not on the other events," he said. 

Fr. Alcayaga said that they are currently scouting for the next Hermano and Hermana Mayor who will help run the religious events. 

Meantime, Alcayaga said the Santo Niño image in Iloilo will be brought to Cebu during the final leg of the celebration of their feast for a wardrobe change. 

Thereafter, the image will be brought back to Iloilo via plane, the way he was brought to Iloilo 50 years ago. 

The image will pass by parishes and hospitals while on its way to the San Jose church in Plaza Libertad. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

BUTUAN CITY—Cases of deadly mosquito bites have gone down to nearly 70% from January to September this year, according to the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Department of Health in Caraga (DOH-Caraga).

RESU data showed that there have been 1,836 dengue cases in the region from January to September 16 this year, or 69.8% lower as compared to the 6,081 reported cases in the same period last year.

Nine people also succumbed to dengue within the period, but this is 68% lower compared to the number of deaths in the same period in 2016, RESU said. Majority of the victims were males (66.6 %), their ages ranging from 2 to 72 years old.

RESU reported no identified as hotspot for dengue, reflecting its downward trend across the region.

Among the provinces and cities, Surigao del Sur and Butuan City recorded the highest cases at 435 and 265, respectively.

Surigao del Sur is followed by Agusan del Sur (279 cases), Surigao del Norte (265), Agusan del Norte (168), Surigao City (162), Tandag City (101), Bayugan City (72), Dinagat Islands (30), Cabadbaran City (30), and Bislig City (29).

DOH-Caraga Director Jose R. Llacuna, Jr. said that the agency will continue its intensified anti-dengue campaign, such as the Aksyon Barangay Kalaban sa Dengue (ABKD), the four o'clock habit, encouragement of report to the nearest disease reporting unit of any suspected dengue cases, cleanliness and other measures. (PNA/Noel B. Najarro)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

SAN JOSE de BUENAVISTA, ANTIQUE -- Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in this province attended a one-day seminar on product branding conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) at The Venue here Wednesday.

Engineer Arlene Galopo, Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist of DTI-Antique, said the seminar wa intended to help the MSMEs improve their product branding to become better competitive especially now with the Asean Integration.

She said DTI consultant Wilfredo Arcilla found the local food products in Antique very tasty and of good quality, but that it needs to be promoted more in the market.

Arcilla, who had a one-on-one consultation with the 49 MSMEs, said the names of the products should have to be rebranded to make it more appealing and informative to the consumers.

He suggested for the sweet peanut and tablea produced by Enriqueta's to be made into bite size and that on the label there should be the picture of the 97-year-old woman who started the product and has become a pride of Antique. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Police are conducting investigation to identify the gunman and his cohort behind the killing of a policeman outside a commercial establishment in this city.

Two other people, including a policeman, were injured in the shooting incident that happened at around 5:18 p.m. Tuesday on Agan Avenue in Barangay Camino Nuevo, this city.

Supt. Ariston Limos, Police Station 11 chief, identified the slain policeman as SPO4 Abdurahman Estino, 46, who was assigned in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.

Wounded were Estino's cousin, SPO2 Abdulmunir, 40, assigned in the province of Sulu and Leo Calago, a security guard.

Limos said the Estinos were leaving from a motorcycle shoppe when they were shot by one of two men riding in tandem in a motorcycle that stopped in front of the establishment.

Calago was hit by stray bullet when the gunman, armed with caliber .45 pistol, repeatedly shot the Estinos.

Limos said Abdurahman ran inside the motorcycle shoppe while his cousin, Abdulmunir, towards the nearby gasoline station.

They were later rushed to the nearby hospital where Abdurahman expired while undergoing medical treatment.

Limos said they have already requested a copy of the video captured by the closed circuit television (CCTV) camera of the motorcycle shoppe and that of the nearby establishments to enable them to identify the triggerman and his cohort.

He said that all other possible motives that could also help them solve the case are being looked into and considered by the assigned investigator. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

CEBU CITY -- While the postponement of the local elections is yet to be signed into law, the Commission on Elections will continue its preparations for the October barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, Cebu Provincial Elections supervisor, on Wednesday said the Comelec will continue its preparations but will stop the printing of the official ballots while awaiting President Rodrigo Duterte's signing into law of the postponement of the October polls.

Castillano said the gun ban will still be in effect not only in Cebu but all over the country starting October 1.

The Senate approved last week on third and final reading the postponement of local elections to May 2018.

"After the postponement will be signed into law by President Duterte, there will still be 15 days for its submission. Until then, the postponement is not yet official. So, the gun ban is still in effect," Castillano explained.

The Comelec will likewise continue receiving Certificates of Candidacy (COC) until Oct. 11, but Castillano said it is highly likely that no aspirant will be filing a COC any longer since the postponement bill only awaits the signature of the President.

With the gun ban in effect starting Sunday, Castillano said checkpoints will also be put up.

Meanwhile, Provincial Association of Barangay Councils president Celestino Martinez III said they are also awaiting the formal signing of the bill by the president as the law will include the guidelines concerning holdover ex-oficio officials. (USJR intern Levirose Caballero/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

TACLOBAN CITY -- Construction of nine subsections of the PHP7.9 billion storm surge protection road heightening and tide embankment project in Leyte are now on track, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Thursday.

The ongoing construction under section 4 covers 7.80 kilometers of seawall in some parts of the San Jose district in this city; Candahug, Macarthur Memorial Landing National Park, Baras, and Cogon villages in Palo town.

The government had set aside PHP2.38 billion for the nine subsections.

The four-meter wide structure is designed as a bicycle lane, according to DPWH Eastern Visayas Regional Director Edgar Tabacon in a mobile phone interview.

The DPWH divided the project into six sections with 30 subsections. Other sections have not yet started due to ongoing detailed engineering, feasibility, alignments, and public consultations.

"For sections 1 and 2, there are proposals to make the tide embankment as alternative road. It's not yet approved because we are considering the technical, social, environmental and economic aspects," Tabacon told PNA.

The infrastructure agency will bid out within this year the PHP700 million for section 6 in Tanauan town. Bidded out earlier was the PHP1.2 billion for some parts of Sections 5 and 6.

The project also tagged as Leyte's "Great Wall" was supposed to prioritize the coastal communities from Tacloban City Astrodome to San Jose district, but it was put in hold pending the relocation of families within the danger zones.

The 27.3-kilometer project stretches from Diit village in Tacloban to Cabuynan village in Tanauan town. Sections 1 to 3 are in Tacloban, section 4 are the coastal villages of Tacloban and Palo, section 5 are some areas in Palo and Tanauan, and section 6 in Tanauan town.

The project will protect 33.7 square meters area of properties and 33,185 houses and buildings.

The four-meter high structure was pushed through by the previous administration after the 2013 storm surges wipe out neigborhoods in Leyte province. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

CAMP MARCELO A ADDURU, Tuguegarao City – Police on Wednesday arrested the primary suspect in the series of killings in August in Ilagan City, Isabela.

Ilagan City police chief, Supt. Ariel N. Quilang identified the suspect as Warlito Cardona alias "Ka Rambo". However, details of how and where the suspect was apprehended were not given.

The police chief said results of the cross-matching examination by the Ballistic Examiner of the Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) showed the firearm used in the three shooting incidents in Ilagan City was the same firearm (Colt MK IV Caliber 45 pistol) confiscated from Cardona during the hot pursuit operations after he was involved in a shooting incident in Brgy. Marana 1st last August 31 with the victims identified as Kyle Lawrence Balisi, 17 and Villa Mae Sevilla, 22, both residents of Brgy. Sta Isabel.

Quilang said that Cardona is also responsible for the killings of Vincent Guzman, 34 of Brgy. Guinatan last August 9, and Joey Molicara, 44 of Brgy. Alibagu on August 14.

Investigation conducted by the Ilagan City Police Station revealed the motives for the shooting of Guzman, Balisi and Sevilla were personal grudges while that of Molicara was allegedly due to a  "love triangle".

Police also learned that Guzman was a drug surrenderer and included in the Directorate for Intelligence list. He was previously arrested for drug possession on January 15, 2016 but was able to post bail.

It was also learned that Cardona, a former member of the CPP-NPA based in San Mariano and City of Ilagan, Isabela,  surrendered to the government in 1985 but later turned "gun-for-hire" operating in Isabela province with previous cases of murder and illegal possession of firearms.

Police Regional Office 2 Director Chief Supt. Robert Quenery, in a press statement, stressed: "We ensure the public that the Valley Cops are doing its best to haul lawless elements to stop them from their criminal activities." (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

CEBU CITY -- At least 88 couples will tie the knot in a mass wedding Friday sponsored by the Cebu City government at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

Greggy Senados of the Cebu City Public Information Office on Thursday said the annual program, now on its 11th year, is a brainchild of Cebu City Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña.

Maricar Tariman, coordinator of the annual program, said the event is also in line with the Family Week celebration held every last week of September.

According to Tariman, the couples were scouted by the Gender and Development (GAD) Focal Point Committee from the 80 barangays in Cebu City and went through a selection process.

The selected couples have been living together for at least five years and all of them wanted to legalize their relationship in the church, especially those who cannot afford a traditional church wedding ceremony.

With the theme "Pamilya Palig-onon sa Kristohanong Kaminyo-on (Strengthening the Family through Christian Marriage)," the event will be an opportunity for the couples to get their union blessed through the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony.

As beneficiaries of the program, Senados said the couples have enjoyed some perks and privileges, such as free processing of their Certificate of No Marriage Records (Cenomar) and marriage licenses, and free expenses for pre-wedding seminars, for the officiating priest, and the venue, among others.

Each couple will receive one roasted pig (lechon) and a wedding cake from the local government, gift items and other giveaways from various sponsors.

Moreover, some city officials and department heads will serve as godparents of the newlyweds.

The annual event is spearheaded by the Cebu City Women's and Family Affairs Commission (CCWFAC). (reports from Michelle Bugtai/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

TUGUEGARAO CITY -- The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO) Task Force Lingkod Cagayan (TFLC) confiscated 5,000 board feet of sawn lumber at Barangay Gatto Pamplona, Cagayan on Wednesday.

Engr. Nelson Tumaliuan, chief of the Technical Services Division of PENRO, said the confiscation was carried out after receiving reports from concerned citizens. 

Tumaliuan said the government is sincere in its drive against illegal logging as it is implementing a total log ban.

The environment official warned illegal loggers in his area of jurisdiction to stop the illegal activities to avoid consequences in violating environmental laws.

The confiscated sawn lumbers are now impounded at the CENRO – Sanchez Mira, Cagayan for safekeeping and will serve as evidence in filing necessarily charges to the violators. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

COTABATO CITY -- Police have launched manhunt against two men on motorbike who tried, but failed, to assassinate a former Maguindanao town councilor Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Chief Inspector Achmad Alibonga, police chief of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, said Thursday Hadji Peda Diocolano Binangon, 61, a resident of Cotabato City, was on board a family-owned vehicle heading toward Cotabato City when ambushed by two men on separate motorbike at around 2 p.m.

The incident happened along a sharp curve road at sitio Tenorio, Barangay Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, about a kilometer from the Army's 6th Infantry Division headquarters.

Binangon is president of Association of Barangay Captain of South Upi, Maguindanao and sits as ex-officio member of the town council.

Alibonga said Binangon sustained bullet injuries on his lower torso and is now recuperating at a government hospital here.

"We are not sure of the motive..we are still investigating," Alibonga said, adding that Binangon has no threat to his life as per statement from his wife.

Apparently, the suspects tailed the victim from South Upi to Cotabato City.

Alibonga said investigators are still determining the identities of the gunmen.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Centenarians in Palawan have something to look forward to with the recent approval of an ordinance providing them cash gifts and other incentives.

Authored by Board Member Cherry Pie Acosta, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan unanimously approved the "Palawan Centenarian Ordinance of 2017" on Tuesday, according to a statement from the office of Provincial Information Officer Gil Acosta Jr.

The ordinance provides a one-time grant of PHP10,000 to elderly people, who are 100 years old and above, and PHP2,000 each year as birthday cash gift.

The fund will be taken from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as included in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

A plaque of recognition will also be awarded to the living centenarian to honor their long-standing contributions to their families and communities.

The statement said the ordinance shows that Palawan gives importance to senior citizens and the sustainable development of the Filipino culture and values.

In an earlier interview, Acosta said the ordinance is based on the provisions of Republic Act 10868, that honors and grants additional benefits and privileges to Filipino centenarians.

The implementation of the ordinance will be led by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) in coordination with the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) and the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of the 23 towns in Palawan.

Acosta cited that under Section 1, Paragraph D of Republic Act 9994, the provision of additional cash incentives "will encourage the centenarians' families and their communities to reaffirm the valued Filipino tradition of caring for the senior citizens." (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) officially declared that massive manhunt against ISIS-inspired armed group in this province will continue as it expressed support to government's campaign against terrorism.

Ghazali Jaafar, MILF vice chair for political affairs, on Wednesday said the MILF has no choice but to protect the gains of the Mindanao peace process and the peace agreement it entered into with the Philippine government.

The MILF's Task Force Al-Ittihad (Unity) has been fighting an ISIS-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) Esmael Abdulmalik faction after it tried to influence MILF-identified communities in Datu Salibo, Maguindanao.

Both sides have already lost more than 50 fighters in a protracted war that pitted former Moro comrade in arms.

The BIFF broke away from MILF in 2008 after it disagreed with the peace process the MILF had been working with Manila.

"To protect our people, to protect the gains of the peace process, we have to do it," Jaafar told reporters.

"We side with the government in the Marawi siege and in the fight against Maute and Abu Sayyaf, we will also side with the government," he added.

Recently, Grand Mufti Abu Huraira Abdulrahman Udasan issued the fatwa (ruling) on the MILF defense position against intrusion by any terror group, even the BIFF who used to be MILF members.

MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal earlier issued a statement admitting the MILF has to fight the BIFF "because it was trying to destroy Moro communities through its twisted ideology."

"We are obliged to defend and protect our people," Iqbal said.

A streamer posted in one of Maguindanao's major highway read: "Terrorist is the enemy of Islam." (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Troops are tracking down the whereabouts of Abu Sayyaf Group members who forcibly seized a town councilor in the province of Sulu, a top military official disclosed Thursday.

Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Joint Task Force Sulu commander, identified the victim as Councilor Ezzedin Suod Tan of Jolo, the province' capital.

Sobejana said Abu Sayyaf bandits abducted Tan at around 6 p.m. Wednesday at the boundary of Barangays Timbangan and Tagbak in Indanan town.

Sobejana said Tan was with a group of 12 bikers traversing the road between Timbangan and Tagbak when forcibly taken by six ASG members aboard a Tamaraw FX. Tan is a member of the Tausog Bikers Club.

"Accordingly, they were on their way back to Jolo after making a turn at the town of Maimbung," he told Philippine News Agency through a a text message.

Octavio Dinampo, Save the Sulu Movement spokesperson, disclosed he received information that the abductors of Tan was led by Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Alden Bagadi also known as Sayning.

"Before the abduction occurred, a certain Malik a brother-in law of ASG supporter-financier Abdulsalam Baridji alias Rambo was monitored conducting surveillance and spotted at vicinity of Barangay Timbangan of same municipality (of Indanan)," Dinampo said.

"Information further disclosed that a certain Radzkan; Ajang; and, Najid were identified as the very abductors who forcibly took the victim," he claimed.

Sobejana said a Crisis Management Committee has been activated to work for the safe recovery of the victim "the soonest possible time."

"Search and rescue operations are ongoing and we look forward for the victim's safe rescue," Sobejana added.

For years, the Abu Sayyaf has thrived in raking ransom money from its kidnapping activities. It is believed that the money is being used to finance their terrorist acts.

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the military to intensify its offensive against the ASG on the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

The Abu Sayyaf bandits splintered into small groups and constantly moving from one municipality to other to avoid detection by military forces. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DAVAO CITY – The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) will further strengthen security of the city not only in public places, but also in gated communities, hotels, and malls under the Oplan Iron Fortress.

DCPO Director Sr. Supt. Alexander Tagum said Oplan Iron Fortress (Fortification of Residences Towards a Restful Environment that is Secured and Safe) would be a collaborative effort with homeowners and mall management to allow police to patrol subdivisions and set up police assistance desk in malls following the spike of robbery and shoplifting incidence.

He said Fortress is still in line with Oplan Iron City or the Oplan Integrated Revitalized Operation of Neighborhood-Watch of the Mega City (Oplan Iron City), which was launched in April aimed at building "a safer Mega Davao."

"This will be a holistic approach in securing the city," Tagum added.
This time, police will also include the subdivisions and malls.
Tagum said it would also be good for subdivisions to conduct their own Ronda Patrol.

Tagum stressed that the police are not allowed to enter gated communities without proper coordination as these are private domains.

However, he said, it has been noted that houses and stores or malls have been the target of robbers and thieves because public places and streets are saturated with police and security forces.

"There are restrictions from homeowners and they (subdivisions) are not within our scope of security," he said.

Police records showed that from September 18 to 24, 2017 there were eight robbery incidents and three shoplifting cases. Tagum said street robberies are declining.

Tagum said that while the street robberies are declining the theft incidents in residential areas are on the rise.

Aside from patrol, Tagum said the police also need to intensify public awareness on the importance of personal and home security.

Fortress, Tagum said, would be the top agenda during the Crime Prevention Summit on October 2 that will be attended by local officials, government agencies, barangay officials, officials of homeowners associations, and the police. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

BUTUAN CITY—Agusan del Norte's crime rate has continued its downtrend into the third quarter of the year, records from the Police Regional Office-13 (PRO-13) showed.

The province posted a total record of 407 crime incidents from January to August this year, consisting of 122 index and 285 non-index crimes. This is 64 cases fewer compared to the same period last year, said Chief Inspector Danilo B. Palen, the province's deputy chief for operations.

Index crimes, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP), are crimes against persons such as murder, homicide, physical injury and rape, and crimes against property such as robbery, theft and carnapping. Non-index crimes, meanwhile, are violations of special laws such as illegal logging or local ordinances.

Among local government units, at least four municipalities and a city showed a decrease in crime incidents, while a slight increase was noted in other six municipalities.

In the municipality of Buenavista, only 95 were recorded during the second quarter as compared to 139 of the same period in 2016. In Cabadbaran City, recorded only 75 in 2017 (compared to 101 in 2016); Nasipit (32 in 2017; 39 in 2016); Kitcharao (26 in 2017; 38 in 2016); and Santiago (22 in 2017;38 in 2016).

Slight increase was noted in Las Nieves (28 in 2017; only 26 in 2016); Tubay (29 in 2017 with only 22 in 2016); RTR (2017 in 2017; 21 in 2016); Carmen (25 in 2017; 19 in 2016); Jabonga (28 in 2017; 19 in 2016) and Magallanes (16 in 2017; 15 in 2016).

Palen said the chiefs of police in these municipalities have been instructed by Agusan del Norte Police Director Ernesto V. Tendero, Jr. to intensify anti-criminality efforts to lower the their respective crime rates.

Still, the province's Crime Clearance Efficiency (CSE), in which crime suspects were identified and cases were filed in courts, has increased by 61.42% this year compared to 50.95 in 2016.

Its Crime Solution Efficiency, in which suspects were identified, arrested and cases were filed in court, has also increased by 54.79 this year, compared to 45.43 % in 2016.

Agusan del Norte's Average Monthly Crime Rate (AMCR) had also gone down to 14.55 %, compared to 16.84 % last year.

Palen attributed these achievements to intensified police operations, beat patrols and checkpoints, the implementation of curfew hour in the province, the martial law atmosphere and local government and community's cooperation. (PNA/Noel B. Najarro)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The Police Regional Office (PRO)-12 has created a special task force that will lead the investigation into the gun attack at a restaurant in Polomolok town in South Cotabato late Tuesday night that killed four people, including the town's deputy chief of police.

Chief Supt. Cedrick Train, Region 12 police director, said Thursday the move is aimed to ensure more focused investigation and speed up the resolution of the case, which was believed related to illegal drugs.

He said he issued "marching orders" to the task force to dig deeper into the incident and gather the necessary pieces of evidence against possible suspects.

"We are very saddened by the incident, but rest assured that we will do everything to resolve this, identify the gunmen and the masterminds," he said in an interview over radio station Brigada News FM.

Polomolok deputy police chief, Sr. Insp. Hernan Gabat and his two companions have just arrived at the Mang Ephoy Lechon House along the national highway in Purok Pag-asa, Barangay Magsaysay at around 11:50 p.m. when "sudden bursts of gunfire" came towards their direction.

The 48-year-old Gabat, who was hit on the left side of his body, was declared dead upon arrival at the Howard Hubbard Memorial Hospital in Polomolok.

His companion Rio Salig Sr. and customer Karl Plomillo sustained gunshot wounds on the body and died while being treated at the Polomolok Municipal Hospital and the Howard Hubbard Memorial Hospital, respectively.

One of the five customers who were listed as wounded, Jade Silva, died at around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday while undergoing treatment at the Jorge P. Royeca Hospital here.

Chief Insp. Aldrin Gonzales, Polomolok police chief, said the circumstances of the incident showed that it was planned and Gabat was the main target.

He said they are looking at the attack as possibly "work-related" as Gabat was also the police station's intelligence officer.

Sr. Supt. Franklin Alvero, South Cotabato police director, said they are already looking at several criminal groups, especially those involved in the illegal drug trade, as possibly behind the attack.

He said these groups are operating in this city, Polomolok and other parts of South Cotabato province.

"We're initially looking at this as drug-related since he (Gabat) spearheaded various successful operations these past months," he said.

The police official said he ordered their investigators to look into the possible links of the attack to the recent cases of gun-related murders in the area.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Seven more New People's Army (NPA) rebels, pressured by the continuous military combat operations, have surrendered in Zamboanga Sibugay province, a top official said Thursday.

Maj. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista, Army's 1st Infantry Division commander, said the rebels surrendered at aroundn 6 a.m. Wednesday at the headquarters of the 102nd Infantry Brigade in Barangay Sanito, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Bautista identified them as the following: Henry Bawan Becsala alias Natoy; Benbin Gumandag Mandaw alias Lito; Mario Oksik Maghanaoy alias Rex; Lauravel Obaran Niadas alias Maribel; Villa Neadas alias Sandra; Marcelino Gumangay Lavares alias Ruben; and, Joseph Gumangay Lavarez alias Michael.

Becsala, Mandaw, and Maghanaoy have turned-over two AK-47 rifles and a caliber .45 pistol.

"This surrender is a result of the combined intelligence and combat operations being launched by our troops on the ground to employ more pressure and compel the communist terrorists to lay down their arms," Bautista said.

He said they are undergoing custodial debriefing. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DAVAO CITY – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is unfazed by the investigation into the family's alleged hidden wealth by the Office of the Ombudsman as it is the proper venue where the family can answer all accusations.

"I welcome it so that we can finally answer all accusations in the proper venue," the city mayor said in a statement released by the City Information Office Thursday.

Her short remark was her reaction to the investigation into the "unexplained wealth" of President Rodrigo Duterte and his family which the Ombudsman found sufficient to conduct a probe.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales has inhibited to lead the investigation since her nephew, Manases "Mans" Carpio, is the husband of the city mayor. The Ombudsman instead authorized Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang to start the probe.

Reports said Carandang has already requested the Anti-Money Laundering Council for a final validation on the bank transaction records of the first family, following the flow of money through deposits and withdrawals of Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, Sebastian, and joint accounts with Mayor Duterte-Carpio.

The records obtained by the Ombudsman reportedly includes the President's common-law wife, Honeylet Avancena, and their daughter, Kitty.

It stemmed from the complaint filed by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on the alleged multi-billion wealth of the Dutertes. Trillanes had earlier claimed that the Office of the Ombudsman was in possession of AMLC records regarding Duterte's alleged flagged bank transactions in various bank accounts involving P2 billion in deposits and credits.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the president respects the Ombudsman's internal processes and trusts its impartiality in the conduct of the investigation.

During the 120th anniversary of the Department of Justice last September 26, President Duterte opened the issue before the delegates, admitting that his late father, Governor Vicente Duterte, of then undivided Davao left them substantial properties which were divided among the siblings.

The inheritance was a product of his father's hardwork when the family migrated from Visayas.

"We had an ice plant and a lumber yard. Construction was booming at that time in Davao. It was a developing city. But when he died, we could not agree with each other, the brothers and sisters, so we decided to sell all," the President said in his speech.

He admitted to have a substantial inheritance. "At sinabi ko (and I said), if you... I authorized everybody, everybody as in everybody to look --- to dig into the IBAA, Insular Bank of Asia and America. That's the UnionBank now. You'd find there that 'yung fourth year pa kami, I had a million already. 'Yan ang totoo (You'd find there that when I was fourth year, I had a million already. That's the truth)," he said.

But, the President pointed out that the alleged P211 million does not exist. If someone could show he has that amount, even one dollar, in HongKong "I will step down as President of this Republic."

During the presidential elections when Trillanes raised the issue, Duterte already gave a waiver.

"Kung tiningnan lang nila noon (If they have looked into it then). I was already --- And I am ready to step down now," he said.

The President said he has always lived by the values inherited from his father and mother.

"And that's the same thing that I'm giving to my children," he said. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Government troops overran a fortified camp of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) following airstrike and artillery bombardment in the province of Maguindanao, a top military officials announced Thursday.

Maj. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, Joint Task Force Central commander, said the fallen camp of the BIFF is located at Sitio Dagaring, Barangay Tee, Datu Salibu, Maguindanao

Dela Vega said troops from the Army's 57th Infantry Battalion have recovered a cadaver of a slain BIFF member, four improvised bombs, two-M14 rifles, one M-16 Armalite rifle and a flag of the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS) when they overran the camp at around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday.

He said the camp was targeted by airstrike and artillery bombardment while the ground troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members maneuvered towards the fallen BIFF camp.

"Troops thoroughly scoured the area as the joint security campaign with the MILF is sustained to defeat the (BIFF) terrorists," Dela Vega said.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief, said that "all means are currently being exhausted with the support of the MILF as combat operations are being launched in the area." (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato -- Five drug suspects were arrested in the latest anti-drug operation Wednesday by the Philippine National Police here.

Supt. Gilbert Tuzon, Midsayap town police chief, said elements of Midsayap police backed by the Army's 34th Infantry Battalion, conducted joint law enforcement operation at around 9 p.m. in Barangay Poblacion 8.

The suspects, caught in the act of sniffing methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu), were immediately arrested by police authorities.

They were identified as Renante Badua, 38; Ryan Beit, 23; Lucky Boy Jordan Marcelino, 18; all residents of Barangay Poblacion 8; Carlo Danilo Resian, 25 of Barangay San Pedro, Midsayap and a minor not identified in the police report.

Tuzon told reporters that the arrest was carried out after a police agent posing as buyer managed to secure two small sachets of shabu.

He added that the suspects had been placed for a weeklong surveillance operation by Midsayap police.

All the suspects are now detained at Midsayap PNP lock up cell while charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 are being prepared against them. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – South Cotabato officials have raised alarm over the rising number of indigenous peoples (IPs) in the province who have been "duped" into joining the New People's Army (NPA).

South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said Thursday an assessment made by the Provincial Peace and Coordinating Council (PPOC) showed that majority of the members of NPA units currently operating in parts of the province are composed of IPs or lumads.

In some areas, she said only the field commanders or leaders of NPA operating units are non-IPs.

"Nine of every 10 (NPA) cadres in South Cotabato are reportedly lumads and that is a sad situation," Fuentes said.

The governor said such assessment was backed by reports from concerned stakeholders and security personnel.

The province's main tribal groups are the B'laans and T'bolis, who are mostly settled in remote upland villages.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Leander, commander of the Army's 27th Infantry Battalion, confirmed that the NPA's recruitment activities among the IPs in the area have intensified these past months.

He said they monitored the recruitment activities, which carried out by members of the NPA's Front 73, in parts of Banga, T'boli and Lake Sebu towns.

The official said some of the recruits were minors who were promised of salaries reaching P5,000 a month and other support for their families.

"These were never realized and remained promises so some of them eventually decided to surrender," he said.

Owing to this, Fuentes said there is need for the local government to step up its engagements with the IP communities, especially those in remote areas.

"This is a challenge for to focus our services and programs on the IPs and our Muslim communities," she said.

She said efforts are underway to expand the local government's convergence outreach activities to more IP communities.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The entire South Cotabato province is now malaria-free.

Jose Barroquillo, malaria program coordinator of the Integrated Provincial Health Office, said Thursday this development was based on the result of a recent evaluation conducted by experts from the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

He said the DOH's malaria technical working group and WHO representatives mainly affirmed that the province has not recorded a single indigenous case of malaria since 2012.

"We had zero case of locally-transmitted malaria in the last five years so we're now considered malaria-free," he said.

Barroquillo said the province's formal declaration as malria-free will be made during the scheduled provincial health summit in November.

According to the DOH, a province may be declared as malaria-free if it sustains zero incidence of indigenous case of the disease for five consecutive years.

Such declaration is made by the DOH and the WHO, which has been supporting the national government's malaria eradication program.

Barroquillo attributed the accomplishment to the local government's sustained efforts against the disease these past years.

He specifically cited the regular malaria border operations spearheaded by the IPHO in the province's boundary areas with Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani that were considered endemic to the disease.

"This is not only a successful journey for the provincial government but to all malaria warriors -- local residents, barangay and town officials, partner organizations and health workers as well," he said.

The province was adopted by the DOH as among the focal areas for the malaria eradication program following an outbreak in 2005 in Barangay Ned in Lake Sebu. Another major outbreak in the area came in 2007 that downed 80 people, mostly T'boli tribal folks.
From 584 in 2004, the indigenous cases of malaria in the province went down to only two in 2011 or a reduction of 99.66 percent.

Barroquillo said the local government is committed to sustain the area's malaria-free status with the continuing support from its partners, which included the Global Fund and Pilipinas Shell Foundation.

"We will continue with these strategies as we face the bigger task of maintaining a clean record for malaria," he added.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DAVAO CITY -- The Davao City Council on Tuesday stripped Councilor Nilo "Small" Abellera of all committee chairmanships and memberships for incurring absences due to health problems.

Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte said the city council needs to remove Abellera from all the committees, which he chairs or as member, in order for the committee to continue functioning.

Abellera is the chair of the Committee on Peace and Order, vice chair of Public Works, and member of most committees.

"We cannot leave the committee vacant because he is absent. There are a lot of things to do and needs to be done," the vice mayor said in an interview.

VM Duterte said he talked to Abellera to just file a resignation which did not happen. Thus, the city council was forced to remove him.

"Councilor (Bernard) Al-ag is constantly talking to him, however, he did not file any resignation. We've advised him to file a resignation, especially that his committee (Peace and Order) is very crucial, the whole city depends on it," Dutere said.

Recently, Abellera skipped city council sessions due to health reasons. He also failed to attend two senate hearings on the controversial P6.4 million illegal drugs smuggled into the country.

Abellera was tagged by Bureau of Customs (BoC) fixer Mark Taguba as one of the "Davao Group" allegedly offering bribe money or "tara". Since Abellera's name was dragged into the smuggling issue, he only attended the regular session once.

"We understand that he is sick and he needs to attend the senate hearing, but we cannot leave the job vacant. The council needs to work," Vice Mayor Duterte said.

But he clarified that Abellera is still a councilor of Davao City.

"When he returns to office then we can talk about his chairmanship, for now, someone needs to take over," he said.

Replacing Abellera is Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta as committee chair of Peace and Order, Vice Chair of Public Works and Highways, and member of the committees on International Affairs, Barangay Affairs, Finance, Ways and Means, Education, and Tourism. (Funny Pear Gajunera/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- A new independent group in this city has expressed strong support to President Rodrigo Duterte's renewed call for a shift to federalism, but wants Palawan to be carved up into three provinces to become "one federated state."

The group, which is called "Movement for Federalism, One Palawan, and One Federated State," is headed by designated chairman, Estino Jairi Ayyobie, a senior leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) under the Yusop Jikiri faction, and 12 others representing several municipalities in the province.

Ayyobie told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) Tuesday that their movement will soon gather signatures all over the province to support their call for a self-sufficient state.

They, however, clarified that they have no specific target number of signatures for this move.

"No target numbers. It all depends on the people; if they already know the advantage and they wish to support, they are welcome. Or they can also form their own as long as their objective is parallel to One Palawan, One Federated State," Ayyobie said.

The senior leader said Palawan can be another federated state instead of agreeing to proposals that seek its inclusion to the Bangsamoro State, Western Visayas-Palawan State, or the MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan) State.

"We proposed that Palawan be part of the Bangsamoro State earlier. Then others also have proposals for it to be part of Western Visayas or the MIMAROPA – and with this, instead of joining them, we now have agreed to adjust our position, and now campaign for Palawan to be just one federated state under President Duterte's federalism proposition," he said.

He said that the best thing to do is to urge the three House representatives of Palawan to immediately act on dividing it into three separate provinces, which is important in becoming one federal state.

Ayyobie said that if the province is included in any of the three different proposed states, it will not fully gain from the profits of its agriculture and tourism industries, and other benefits of its natural resources.
Under the federal form of government, the senior MILF leader explained that 70 percent of the proceeds from the province's wealth will go to the regional state to be divided equally among member provinces.

Palawan will only get 17.5 percent, which is rather small compared to what it has and can contribute.

"We should push for Palawan to become one federal state because 17.5 percent is too small for us, and yet we know it is very rich," he said.

Cesar Ventura, who also belongs to the movement, but is the secretary general of Kilusang Pagbabago (KP) in Palawan, said in an earlier interview that as a separate federal state, the province can easily attain rapid growth due to revenues from natural gas production, including mining, and pearl culture.

"Palawan is very wealthy, and earns big, let's say on mining, and yet, we're only receiving 2 percent. We also have the highest quality of pearl culturing in Asia but we're not really getting anything from it. If we become one federal state, all will be ours to benefit from," Ventura said.

He said that to become a federal state, Palawan only needs two provinces. But since the proposal is to divide it into three, then all the better, he said.

"As a federal state, we only need two provinces, and each requires 500,000 population. Palawan right now has 1.1 million population so, we are qualified," he said.

Both Ayyobie and Ventura also reiterated that they have nothing against President Duterte's proposal for a shift in government.

"The only way to development is federalism. I have not seen any federal form of government, or any country following a federal form of government fail that is why I support it. But, of course, we want Palawan to become one federal state," Ventura said.

The independent movement was presented on Sept. 22 by Ayyobie, who said that its formal launching will be announced soon.

Despite that, he said they have been going around the province now to raise the awareness of Palaweños on federalism and why Palawan wants to become a self-governing state. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

LAOAG CITY -- The Ilocos Norte local government in cooperation with the Rotary Club here will be providing free surgeries to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children on November 8.

Dr. Roger Braceros, acting chief of Hospital of the Gov. Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital (GRBASMH), said the provincial hospital will start accepting applicants for the surgical mission on Tuesday.

According to Braceros, volunteer surgical doctors from abroad who are Rotarians and those from the GRBASMH will be performing the free surgeries.

Ilocos Norte Governor Ma. Imelda Josefa "Imee" Marcos called on parents of children with facial deformities to avail of the medical services.

Over the years, Rotarians from all around the world supports "Operation Smile" mission to the Philippines, providing free surgeries for children in more than 60 countries.

Study shows that in every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate.

Organizers said this is the main reason why the program was conceptualized in 1982, giving thousands of children to have more reasons to smile. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

CEBU CITY -- Cebu Central Post Office postmaster Marilyn Omar said on Tuesday they are not threatened by the advent of new technology because postal mail, or snail mail, will always be there.

People nowadays communicate online through e-mail and social media, but despite these communication platforms which are readily accessible and more convenient, Omar said the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) will remain in business.  

"Even though the number of personal mails has decreased, the volume of business mails is still on a high rate. Ever since before, postal mails have grown because of business mails," Omar said.

"In the Cebu Central Post Office alone, the average mail posted per month ranges from 150,000 to 200,000, and most of those are business mails. The rise of technology doesn't matter to us, as letters will always be there," Omar added.

The Philippine Postal Corporation, meanwhile, also launched its "Salamat Po" Letter Writing Project which is in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd).

This project is aimed to encourage students from the elementary level up to senior high school to write and send letters through the post office.

"What we are doing right now, in coordination with DepEd, is conducting an information caravan in every school. Our caravan includes an audio-visual presentation on how to write a letter in a business format. We also have workshops on how to properly address the envelope, since it's important especially when they will be applying for a job in the future," Philippine Postal Corporation-7 information officer Rachel Betos said.

The PHLPost's main objective in this project is to develop the writing skills of the students and enflame their passion to write despite the existence of modern communication. (USJR intern Levirose Caballero/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

STA. ROSA CITY, Laguna -- A total of 2,136 police squad leaders here joined the Brother's Keeper Squad Leaders Forum Tuesday at the Sta. Rosa City multi-purpose sports complex in Barangay Tagapo here as part of the Calabarzon police internal cleansing strategy.

A pioneering project of the Police Regional Office (PRO4A)-Calabarzon, the Brother's Keeper was conceptualized by Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Ma. O Ranada Aplasca, aimed at cleansing the ranks from rogue cops and police scalawags particularly those engaged in illegal activities.

Aplasca presented his "Brother's Keeper" concept and called on the full support of the region's law enforcers to take on a much higher level of responsibility to closely supervise the police ranks.

The strategy also includes the development of their individual tasks provided in their job descriptions, designations and tasks.

"We conceptualized this strategy to primarily remove misfits, scalawags, and undesirables from the organization and to strictly enforce the existing disciplinary mechanisms," Aplasca said.

The cleansing strategy also focuses on the transformation of erring personnel to become more productive members of the organization, he added.

Unit commanders, immediate supervisors, squad leaders are also compelled to closely supervise their subordinates and sanction disciplinary actions.

The program also task unit commanders, immediate supervisors and squad leaders of the police regional office and respective police units to be held accountable for non-action of their erring personnel.

Under the Brother's Keeper strategy, the five-man squad led by a senior non-commissioned officer is organized from the regional headquarters and cascaded to police stations, platoons, and the police public safety company (PPSC). (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Cavite -- Around 70 illegal fishpens with an aggregate area of 2,081.79 hectares were demolished from the total 3,700 hectares of illegal fishpens in Laguna de Bay (Laguna Lake).

The demolition also covered structures in excess areas in the towns of Cardona and Binangonan in Rizal, Taguig, Muntinlupa, Biñan, as well as San Pedro and Calamba in Laguna.

In a report released Tuesday, the Regional Development Council IV-A (Calabarzon) said the figure as of Aug. 31 represents Laguna Lake Development Authority's actions to achieve "Zero Fish Pen and Fish Cage Policy implementation in Calabarzon."

The move is in response to President Rodrigo Duterte's plan to transform Laguna Lake into a vibrant economic zone as expressed in his first State-of-the Nation Address in 2016.

The President tasked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to save the lake, thereby authorizing LLDA to implement regulations to manage the lake and remove illegal structures.

Upon approval of Board Resolution No. 518 in February this year, the LLDA has declared a moratorium on the operation of aquaculture structures within the Laguna de Bay.

The moratorium prohibits release of new fish pen and fish cage permits and stocking of fingerlings or small fishes in the lake after 31 December 2016. In addition, all operators are expected to harvest their fish stocks and demolish their structures before March 31, 2017.

Non-compliance by the operators thereafter has prompted the LLDA to demolish and confiscate their structures. The agency's current 'demolition mode' targets the remaining 44 percent of the illegal aquacultures and fishpens in Laguna Lake.

According to the resolution, the demolition of illegal structures shall go after those with no permits and thus deemed illegal and those that obstruct navigational lanes.

 

LLDA said their next targets are the operators who are delinquent in payment and those with arrears as well as operators with excess area.

The LLDA also conferred with local experts and national scientists in assessing the new carrying capacity of the lake for aquaculture in May this year.

It was also determined during the meeting that 60 percent of the lake shall be allotted to fishermen and 40 percent shall be allotted for businessmen. (PNA)

[https://ssl]



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ANGELES CITY, Pampanga -- A symbolical rite on how Mt. Pinatubo's ashfall covered the city when it erupted in 1991 will highlight the month-long 25th Fiestang Kuliat celebration in October.

The ritual, "Pamangasnang lahar (Putting Lahar)," aims to show the younger generation about Mt. Pinatubo's wrath by putting a dab of symbolic lahar (made from flour with food color) on the participants' faces.

"We did not do this before because most of us still remember what happened in that fateful day in June 1991. Now, more than 25 years later, many do not know, they are either too young or were not born yet," said Joy Cruz of the City Tourism Office during a press briefing Tuesday.

"For us who experienced Mt Pinatubo's wrath, we know what lahar and ash fall are," she added.

The city's month-long and grandest fiesta celebration brings together different cultural and social activities.

Another highlight of Fiestang Kuliat is the "Tigtigan, Terakan keng Dalan (TTKD)," a street party created after the devastation brought about by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991 which aims to uplift the spirits of the people in the city.

Since 1992, TTKD has became a yearly tradition. The fiesta will carry the theme, "Milabas: Dalan king Masaplalang Bukas (The Past: The Road to a Better Future)."

Other activities during the month-long fiesta celebration include The Feast of the Holy Guardian Angeles (October 2), Feast of our Lady of Holy Rosary (La Naval de Angeles, October and Feast of Apung Mamacalulu (October 27).

The city will also celebrate "Pamangan Fiestang Kapampangan" on October 15 and the "Mutya ning Angeles 2017" on October 14 among others. (PNA)

 



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ZAMBOANGA CITY –Religious leaders, who attended the annual peace gathering in Rome, have vowed to advance the spread of peace education in all learning institutions to reach a common understanding and to help address violent extremism in Mindanao.

In a statement sent Wednesday to the Philippine News Agency, Muslim scholars and Catholic bishops called for "peace" amid the ongoing fighting in Marawi City.

"Our hearts cry for peace. We felt the sufferings of the displaced people of Marawi and the whole region, particularly the ongoing ordeal of innocent hostages inside the city. We experienced helplessness as well as righteous indignation while the weapons of destruction daily increase the death toll of combatants and civilians," the group said in a joint statement they signed on September 15 in Rome.

The signatories of the statement include Msgr. Anthony Ledesma, archbishop of Cagayan de Oro City; Msgr. Edwin de la Peña, bishop of Marawi City; Dr. Said Zamahsari Salendad, Hayatul Ulama secretary-general; and, Ustadz Abdulmuhmin Mujahid, regional Darul Ifta executive director in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The Sant'Egidio community sponsored the peace gathering, which is anchored on the theme "Paths for Peace."

The Community of Sant'Egidio, founded in Rome in 1968, is a Christian community that is officially recognized by the Catholic Church as a "Church public lay association." It claims 50,000 members in more than 70 countries.

Cardinal Orlando Quevedo and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chair Al Hajj Ebrahim Murad also attended the peace gathering.

The group said the conflict in Marawi City, which is running for almost four months now, "dramatize three interconnected challenges to peace in Mindanao - violent extremism and terrorism; the uncertainties of the political peace process; the crucial role of religious leaders and communities in the re-building and development of Marawi."

The signatories clarified that the crisis in Marawi is not about "religious war," saying it is "a war against terrorism and violent extremism."

They said that the proof are the "many stories of mutual assistance between Muslims and Christians that attest to the rejection of this evil. These stories of solidarity likewise witness the Filipinos' sense of sharing a common humanity with anyone in need, regardless of creed or community."

The group went on to call for the "inclusion of peace education at levels in our school, madaris (Islamic schools), and communities." "We need to build a culture of peace based on personal integrity, respect for human rights, and inter-cultural dialogue, care for environment, peaceful coexistence and eradication of poverty. Islam and Christianity are religions of peace. We recall the words of Andrea Riccardi, founder of Sant'Egidio, that 'war is the mother of all poverty.'"

The group vowed to work with the youth, saying as the "future leader...they have so much to contribute towards building our communities with renewed vision of Mindanao as our shared homeland."

The signatories have called on Philippine legislators to "prioritize and expedite the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)."

The enactment of the BBL is part of the implementation of the historic peace agreement signed by the government and the MILF in March 2014 - ending the decades-long armed conflict here in Mindanao.

But the bill has suffered delays due to questions about its constitutionality.

President Rodrigo Duterte has recently certified it as an urgent bill. This signals for the legislators in both houses to expedite the passage of the BBL.

"An approved BBL shall provide a positive alternative to violent extremism," the group said. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Three people, including a town deputy chief of police, were killed while five others were wounded after unidentified suspects opened fire using automatic rifles at a restaurant in Polomolok town in South Cotabato late Tuesday night.

Chief Insp. Aldrin Gonzales, chief of the Polomolok municipal police station, said the town's deputy police, chief, Sr. Insp. Hernan Gabat, and his two companions have just arrived at Mang Ephoy Lechon House along the national highway in Purok Pag-asa of Barangay Magsaysay at around 11:50 p.m. when two suspects suddenly fired at their direction.

Gabat was actively involved in the local police campaign against illegal drugs.

Gonzales said the police officer came to the restaurant along with barangay councilman Lemuel Cariaga and Rio Salig Sr. of the Bureau of Fire Protection to have late dinner and conduct intelligence monitoring.

But while they were looking for a table, he said "sudden bursts of gunfire" came towards their direction and hit Gabat, his companion Salig, and several other customers.

Cariaga was able to duck and was unharmed, he said.

Gonzales said the 48-year-old Gabat, who was hit on the left side of his body, was declared dead on arrival at the Howard Hubbard Memorial Hospital in Polomolok.

Salig and a customer identified as Karl Plomillo sustained gunshot wounds on the body and died while being treated at the Polomolok Municipal Hospital and the Howard Hubbard Memorial Hospital, respectively.

The wounded customers were identified as Edgar Luzon, 26; Riza Diamante, 36; Jade Silva, 28; Ralyn Pitogo, 18; and, Garizalde Villacora, 45.

Luzon and Silva, who sustained gunshot wounds on the head, were brought to a hospital here and listed in critical condition.

Pitogo was rushed to the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital in Koronadal City, while Villacora was treated for slight wounds on the arm at the Polomolok Municipal Hospitak and was released.

Citing accounts from witnesses, Gonzales said the suspects were positioned at a dark portion of the nearby PMCO road during the shooting.

He said the two suspects were both armed with caliber 5.56 or M-16 Armalite rifles.

After emptying their magazines, he said the two fled aboard a motorcycle towards the direction of PMCO Village in Barangay Magsaysay.

Responding personnel from the Police Regional Office-12's regional crime laboratory recovered at the scene some 30 cartridge cases of caliber 5.56, three metal fragments and one fired slug, he said.

Gonzales said the circumstances of the incident showed that it was planned and Gabat was the main target.

"He was clearly followed by the suspects and they knew the pattern of his movements," he said.

The police official said they are still investigating the possible suspects to find out whether they are affiliated to any group.

But he said they are looking at the attack as possibly "work-related" as Gabat was also the police station's intelligence officer.

He said Gabat, who previously served as the station's officer-in-charge, had led several major operations that led to the arrest of a number of suspects.

The slain police official was also at the forefront of the police station's campaign against illegal drugs in the area.

"He is a big loss to us. We will exert all efforts to resolve this case and at the same continue to do our jobs," Gonzales said.(AVE/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DUMAGUETE CITY -- Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in the province of Negros Oriental lambasted what they considered as inhumane treatment by certain bus companies in the province, including tricycles plying the city's streets, for being selective.

The sentiments were aired during a two-day symposium that culminated Wednesday, attended by association presidents of PWDs from Basay to Vallehermoso and representatives of government and line agencies in Negros Oriental.

Federation president Conrado Bacud, Jr. said the bottomline of the two-day activity is for agencies concerned to know that PWDs are aware of their rights and privileges but there seems to be lack of enforcement of existing laws such as the Magna Carta for PWDs, 20 percent discount on certain items/services as well as including the 12 percent value-added tax and so on.

In fact, the association president of La Libertad town, Eddie Visagas, and the PWD president of Tayasan, Giller Ballevar said during the symposium they had to walk more than 70 meters to Bethel Guest House in Dumaguete for the said activity because the bus did not stop in front of the establishment because the conductor said it is a "no-stopping" area.

More PWDs criticized the insensitivity of some drivers and conductors who may not be aware of the provisions of the law.

For his part, the vice president of the provincial federation of PWDs in Negros Oriental, Alexander Arias, who is president of the association of PWDs in Siaton town, said he has filed a case of direct discrimination against the same bus company in 2015. However, it was dismissed by the provincial prosecutor's office, and so he elevated the same to the higher court.

Arias enjoined PWDs in the province to exercise their rights and privileges as provided for in the Magna Carta.

Bacud called on local government units including the barangays to appropriate one percent of their respective Internal Revenue Allotments (IRA) as their share to be divided between them and the senior citizens as provided for under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Present during the two-day symposium were representatives from the social welfare office, Land Transportation Office, Department of Health, as well as the members of the Provincial Disability Council as part of the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation week that was celebrated in July this year.

PSWD focal person for PWDs Benemerita Badon said an online registration of PWDs is being conducted by the hospitals so that in case of hospitalization, PWDs can automatically avail of their rights and privileges.

She said many PWDs in the province are not yet registered online. At present, there are about 9,500 PWDs but only half of them have been registered and have identification cards. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

LAOAG CITY -- Operatives of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) here conducted simultaneous operations called "Oplan Galugad" to all prison cells in the province Wednesday morning.

Based on a memo from the Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office, led by Provincial Director Jose Melencio Nartatez, the surprise jail search is to locate for guns, drugs or any other prohibited items inside the prison cells.

 As early as 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, law enforcers along with K-9 dogs were deployed at the Bureau of Jail and Management-run prisons in Ilocos Norte, Laoag and Batac.

 But before the actual search operation, inmates were subjected to body search.

At the BJMP-Laoag, Police Chief Inspector Rommel Ramos of the Laoag City PNP said 226 male and 28 female inmates were searched before they were sent out of their prison cells before "Oplan Galugad" was carried out.

The surprise search only yielded a pair of scissors and rolled-up cigarette butt.

The cigarette butt, however, will be subjected to laboratory examination to further verify the ingredients used. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DAVAO CITY—A promotion firm, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Philippine Women's College (PWC) of Davao, will hold a business conference aimed at providing young entrepreneurs a place to discuss market opportunities.

Dubbed as "Shaping New Millennials", the conference will be held on Saturday (September 30) at PWC. It primarily seeks to assist young entrepreneurs acquire knowledge to become globally competitive and seize a share of the billion dollar ASEAN market opportunity.

Kirby Arafol, promotions head of TDC Prestige, said his company is organizing the event and will be using the platform on "ASEAN on Stage Business Conference" to showcase, present and discuss market opportunities in the region for micro, small and medium enterprises in terms of accessing the ASEAN single market.

It aims to inspire and motivate young people to become social entrepreneurs, develop as well as promote more business towards the ASEAN market, he added.

Arafol said TDC, which is a career development center, is eyeing youth in school or out of schools, would-be entrepreneurs, industry practitioners, the small and medium enterprises, overseas Filipino workers, cooperatives, non-government organizations, farmers, industry practitioners in agriculture, real estate, tourism, infrastructure, transportation, and technology.

During the event, the participants will be given a chance to "Pitch In" and display business proposals that may draw interest from entrepreneurs and the government to invest or support.

Among the topics are: "How to Tap the Billion Dollar Market in ASEAN ?" to be discussed by Senen Perlada, Director, Export Management Bureau of DTI; "How to become digitally competitive in the ASEAN Region ?" by Arlene Padua, president, Philippine Marketing Association; "Social Enterprise in Japan : How can Mindanaoan Millennials benchmark with Japan Best Practices ?" by Japanese national Chiaki Ozawa; "Leveraging on the role of ICT development in ASEAN integration", by Myrna Padilla, founder and CEO of Mynd Consulting; "Opportunities for young entrepreneurs in corporate social responsibility" by Gina Lopez, environmentalist/philanthropist.

Arafol said a lot of opportunities await when the economy becomes borderless.

"We need to connect to the world and to our neighboring countries," he said.

He said the interconnection between ASEAN countries through economic integration would give our millennials the opportunity to compete with an improved market services. (Digna D. Banzon/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Three children perished in a fire that hit a community in the coastal town of Glan in Sarangani Province on Tuesday afternoon.

Chief Insp. Neil Wadingan, chief of the Glan municipal police station, said Wednesday the fire occurred at around 2 p.m. in a row of houses at a portion of the PC Reservation in Barangay Poblacion.

He said six houses, which were mostly made of light materials, were gutted down in the incident.

Citing a report from the Bureau of Fire Protection in Glan, he said three children were killed after they were trapped inside their burning house.

The victims were identified as three-year-old twins Carlito and Shaira Mae Abellanosa, and their two-year-old sister Shaira Gay.
BFP-Glan personnel were still investigating the origin and cause of the fire, and the actual damages.

The municipal government, on orders from Glan Mayor Victor James Yap, immediately released relief assistance to the affected families.(PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

PALO, Leyte -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is stepping up the promotion of generic medicines, citing affordability, safety, and effectiveness of these products.

FDA Eastern Visayas regional field supervisor Sonia Cabahit, in an interview Wednesday, said they have been trying to change public perception about generic medicines.

"The generics are copies of originator branded drug products that contains the same active raw materials and effectiveness of those branded medicines that have passed the FDA quality tests," Cabahit told PNA.

"This product offers substantial health to the people and economic benefits due to its affordability."

Cabahit said they want people to spend less for medications while ensuring proper treatment.

"Why choose expensive when there are way cheaper?" she asked.

The FDA official explained that generic drugs are cheap not because they are of low quality, but because the manufacturers did not invest a lot of money on the research, development, marketing and promotion of the medicines.

The Department of Health's (DOH) regulatory unit conducts monitoring and of generic medicines in the region monthly.

Meanwhile, to ensure public safety , the DOH, FDA and local government units prohibits people from buying prescribed medicines in any unauthorized and unlicensed establishments, side stalls, convenient stores, and especially online.

"These medicines are not allowed to be consumed and sold without proper registration," Cabahit said.

The strong advocacy on generic drugs is part of Generics Month celebration every September. This is in recognition of the birth of Generics Act of 1988, which aims to promote, require and ensure the production, supply, distribution, use and acceptance of drugs and medicines using their generic names.

Under the Generics Act of 1988, government physicians are penalized if they prescribe branded medicines to the patients, and pharmacists should provide an option to buyers prescribed with branded medicine to buy a generic brand. (with reports from Reynadel F. Costillas , OJT/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

LAOAG CITY -- Shifting from the use of traditional farm tools to state-of-the-art mechanized farming equipment, organized farmers groups in Piddig town lead the way in terms of increasing rice production and reducing post-harvest losses.

As the pioneer adopters of consolidated farming and farm mechanization in Ilocos Norte, farmers in Estancia, Piddig town attest to how they were able to achieve about 30 percent increase in income when they shifted from manual to modern method of farming.

To date, the town has 273 percent rice sufficiency which has been attributed to the local government's effort promoting consolidated farming to its farmer-cooperators.

Consolidated farming ensures the management of small farms combined together for purposes of improving farm productivity while individual ownership is preserved.

To sustain this, the Provincial Agriculture Office in cooperation with the Piddig LGU met with local farmers in Estancia to discuss additional ways to further increase their income.

One of the highlights of Tuesday's forum is allowing farmers to plan ahead starting from sowing to harvest. This way, they have a better chance to negotiate for a better price of their products.

Engineer Eddie Guillen, former town mayor and agricultural consultant of Piddig, said it entails a lot of hard work and perseverance to encourage farmers to deviate from the old norm.

"They have been used to it (traditional farming) and when you introduce something new to them, apparently, they won't believe you until they see it for themselves what it is like. You have to show you are really sincere and that you are indeed willing to help them improve their lives," Guillen said.

In early 2016, about 65-farmer members are among the pioneering farmer organizations to adopt this system, backed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and other support national government line agencies extending support services to the grassroots.

When Melchor Balgona, president of Zanjera Salpad, first heard of consolidated farming, he said he could hardly imagine his small farm being consolidated with his neighboring farm lots.

"At first, we don't like the concept. But when (former mayor Guillen) explained well to us how we could benefit from it, I tried to convince my members in a diplomatic way to give it a try. After all, we have nothing to lose," Balgona said.

Amidst threats of typhoon Karen and Lawin, the Salpad farmers were quick to harvest their palay early using combined threshing machines that only takes about five hours to harvest a hectare of rice plantation.

Deviating from the traditional farming system that entails extensive hard labor, farmers here initially consolidated at least 18 hectares of their farmlands through a 'plant now, pay later plan' and planted PHB 79, a high yielding hybrid rice variety during the wet cropping season.

Through the Piddig Basi Multi-Purpose Cooperative that offers financial assistance to farmer-members with a minimal interest rate of one percent per month, local farmers here were able to hit their average production target of six tons per hectare compared to four tons/hectare in traditional farming.

The same service provider also operates a modern Rice Processing Complex and other farm machineries through a project grant courtesy of the DA.

In previous years, small-time farmers here would go to usurers when they are short of farming capital input. In a fully-mechanized farming scheme, farmers could harvest as much as 12 tons per hectare with much lower capital input based on estimate of the DA farmer technicians.

To ensure that farmers will still have a stable source of livelihood once they venture in a fully mechanized farming system, the Piddig local government unit is giving at least two hectares per farming family to plant coffee and other high value crops —both in the lowland and highlands.

Farmers will also get hands-on training on vermicomposting for them to produce their organic fertilizer or sell it to the cooperative for use in the development of a 1,000 hectare coffee plantation. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

DAVAO CITY -- A number of Mindanao products will be introduced to new markets during the Mindanao Trade Expo in Makati City next month.

Fresh from the successful staging of MTE 2017 in Davao City last August 11-20, the MTE Foundation, Inc. (MTEFI) is making another major step to further widen the reach of the island-region's products and services.

Set on October 2-5 at the Activity Center of Glorietta Mall in Makati City, the trade and retail exhibition is seen as a feasible mechanism to increase not only the visibility, but more importantly, the institutional buyers of the participating entrepreneurs.

MTEFI President Rosevic Del Rosario-Cembrano said the exhibit in Glorietta, which is already the third one for this year, was carefully planned, especially that some potential participants may think that they might just be wasting their resources if they would join.

"We can't deny the fact that some would have apprehensions about joining, considering that they need to invest – from logistics to their accommodation in Manila. However, with shows like this conducted in a venue that has so much potential in terms of market expansion, such opportunity must be grabbed," she explained.

MTE has already brought Mindanao's interesting offerings to several international trade shows in the past, including New York, Hong Kong, and Paris.

"Since 2012, Abreeza, an Ayala mall in Davao City, has been our partner in opening doors for the Mindanaoan entrepreneurs,"  Del Rosario-Cembrano said.

This partnership has further strengthened when Ayala Malls offered a wider market for Mindanao products and services, she added.

At the four-day MTE at Glorietta Mall, seven different events will be highlighted -- The Fair, which will showcase the best of Mindanao especially the premium products qualified for DTI's banner program 'OTOP Next Gen" and Go Lokal! Store; Special Setting of new product designs as an offshoot of the previously conducted design consultations; and, Business Matching between Mindanao entrepreneurs and Manila-based companies.

"We want to maximize this opportunity from the Ayala Malls. It has always been the desire of MTEFI to provide all avenues where the Mindanawon entrepreneurs can promote their products and services and expand their markets," Del Rosario-Cembrano said.

Meanwhile, Del Rosario-Cembrano revealed that apart from the chance to buy quality Mindanao-produced items, visitors will get to learn more about the culture of Matigsalug Tribe as well. Through the special setting, the products of the Davao City ethnic group will likewise be highlighted.

The MTE in Glorietta is supported by DTI, Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PhilExport), and Ayala Malls. (Jenny Mendoza/PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

ILOILO CITY - - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Western Visayas continues with its preparation for the 2017 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections amid a possible postponement sought by the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Lawyer Dennis Ausan, Comelec regional director for Region 6, said Tuesday afternoon  that President Rodrigo Duterte is yet to sign into law the proposed postponement.

Ausan said what they are doing is in compliance with Republic Act 10923, which mandates the holding of barangay and SK elections on October 23.   

Some of their activities, however, were moved in consideration of proposed postponement. 

He said the election period will be from October 1 to 30 instead of September 23 until October 30. The filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC), meanwhile, is scheduled on October 5 to 11.

The training for deputized teachers, which was supposedly this week, was also postponed. Ausan said they are waiting for guidance from their central office to reschedule the training.

A command conference together with the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and all other enforcement agencies was conducted on Monday. Participants were provided with the resolutions regarding checkpoints, gun ban and other prohibited acts.

Currently, the region has roughly 4.4 million voters, about 1.8 million of them eligible to vote in the SK elections.

The House of Representatives and the Senate on final reading approved House Bill No.6308 and Senate Bill No. 1584, respectively, postponing the Barangay and SK elections.  The House adopted on Monday the Senate's version that the elections will be postponed to Monday of May 2018. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com

TACLOBAN CITY-- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is eyeing to generate at least PHP16.5 million income from the upcoming Bahandi Regional Trade Fair, showcasing the best of Eastern Visayas at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

A total of 125 micro-small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from the region's six provinces will take part in the 20th trade fair on October 4 to 8.

 "Since they have been informed late last year, we can expect producers to be more improved and prepared. They were trained on how to enhance their products and negotiate with buyers," said DTI Regional Director Cynthia Nierras in an interview Wednesday.

Among the products up for display are lechon (roasted pig), tuba (coconut wine), tahong (mussel) crackers, turmeric tea, moron (sticky rice with chocolate), sweet potato chips, chocolate tablets, dried squids, woven mats, coco shells, and fashion accessories.

"This is like a market testing for the products and a marketing search for producers.  Some of their products are making a lot of impressions even in the international market," Nierras added.

The fair, themed "Breaking grounds for Borderless Markets", will also highlight the continuing recovery of the region from the 2013 super typhoon.

Bahandi, the local term for wealth, is being organized by the DTI in partnership with the Regional Development Council, Department of Tourism, Tacloban Entrepreneurs Associated Marketing Cooperative, Great Women Project, and SM Megamall. (PNA)



* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at www.wirenine.com