Cotabato City peace body tackles shooting incidents

COTABATO CITY --- Members of the City Peace and Order Council (CPOC) convened on Thursday (January 16) to address the recent string of shooting incidents here.

“We are mapping out plans to improve the peace and security situation of the city,” Col. Portia Manalad, city police director, said in an interview over local radio DXMY here.

The CPOC has yet to finalize everything, Manalad said, without divulging the details of the forthcoming security plan because of its sensitive nature.

1 dead, 2 hurt in Cot. City shootout

COTABATO CITY --- A 50-year-old man was killed and two were injured in a shootout along a busy thoroughfare here last January 15 I n the afternoon.

Maj. Glenn Mar Avisa, City Police Station 1 chief, said the shootout started around 3:20 p.m. along Rajah Tabunaway Boulevard, particularly in front of Nurharris Junk Shop, where a man alighted from a Honda Civic car and shot Johnity Kubato, 39, of Rosary Heights 7, this city.

Avisa said the alleged suspects have been identified as Suharto Kasim Panalangin, 32, driver of the Honda sedan, and Asraf Bajunaid, 50, both from this city.

SSB hosts presentation of 12 BIFF surrenderees

PEACE-FORMERS --- The military presents the 12 BIFF surrenderees with their firearms and explosives during ceremonial rites hosted by Sultan Sa Barongis municipal government last January 13. Leading the LGU is Mayor Al-Fizzar M. Angas, Sr., shown center.  (PHOTO BY DPAO, 6TH ID, MINDANAO EXPOSE')

SULTAN SA BARONGIS (SSB), Maguindanao --- The presentation of 12 surrenderees affiliated with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) highlighted the first Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) meeting of this local government unit for year 2020 held last January 13 at the Ramdatu M. Angas Building within the municipal government compound.

        Mayor Al-Fizzar Allandatu M. Angas, Sr. said their local government unit is elated for hosting the ceremonial presentation of the BIFF surrenderees, stressing that they are one in advocating peace advocacy and supporting the government’s over-all peace program and paradigm to ensure social and economic stability in localities.

He said two of the surrenderees are residents of Sultan Sa Barongis while the rests come from the nearby municipalities.

The former rebels, who also turned over their firearms, ammunitions, and improvised explosive devices, surrendered to the security forces of the 33rd Infantry Battalion under Lt. Col. Elmer M. Boongaling, who then presented them to 601st Infantry Brigade commander Col. Jose H. Narciso and town Mayor Angas,  Sr.

“As a municipal chief executive of this town, I am happy and honored for the trust and confidence entrusted to us by these surrenderees,” Mayor Angas, Sr. said on the presentation of the surrenderees.

He said his administration will submit a proposal to the provincial government for the mainstay of livelihood program for rebel surrenderees or returness and other groups seeking reformation, citing agricultural productivity as one pre-occupation.

        Through representation, Maj. Gen. Diosdado C. Carreon, commander of the 6th Infantry Division and Joint Task Force Central, is thankful to the support and cooperation of the civil government “in our journey of bringing long and lasting peace in Central Mindanao.”

        The young mayor is thankful to the men in uniform and other civil conduits for their joint efforts in convincing and bringing back lawless groups to the folds of law and embracing the mainstream of society. “This is an accomplishment of both  our Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.”

MPOC meeting

        In the MPOC meeting, Police Lt. Ikon Mantawil, Sultan sa Barongis police chief,  presented a situationer report of a decreasing crime rate with the trending of “generally peaceful” as over-all assessment.

        In a coordinative approach in law enforcement, Mantawil said they continue to be watchful against terrorism and extremism.

On illegal drug trafficking, he said the menace has been put to check with most of drug surrenderees having their own source of living with the help of the local government.

He added that other surrenderees have transferred to other places, but still being monitored so they be utmostly cleared from vices and criminalities. 

Of the 12 barangays composing the locality,  five are subject to validation by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority for “drug-clear” category, said  Liga ng mga Barangay president Allandatu M. Angas .

The MPOC meeting was attended by representatives of member departments: AFP and PNP, Municipal Health Office, Municipal and Social Development Office, Municipal Local Government Operation Office, Ministry of Agriculture, Municipal Planning and Development Office, Municipal and Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council, and those from the barangay governments. (Anne B. Acosta)    

7 new polio cases in Maguindanao

COTABATO CITY --- Health authorities in Maguindanao confirmed last January 17 seven new cases of polio as of January this year, as health workers prepare for another round of massive vaccination on January 20 up to February 2.

The new cases have been confirmed by ground health providers, with one case each in the towns of Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Rajah Buayan, Datu Piang, Datu Hofer, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Abdullah Sangki, and Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Maguindanao health chief Dr. Elizabeth Samama said.

“Eight months to four years old,” Samama said of the ages of those found positive to have been hit by the poliovirus.

R-12 private workers get P25 pay hike

GENERAL SANTOS CITY --- Private workers in Region-12 (Soccsksargen) will receive an additional P25 increase in their daily wages in two tranches likely starting the end of the month or early February.

Sisinio Cano, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Region 12 director, said Tuesday the increase was based on the new wage order unanimously approved last December 16 by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-12.

Dark chapter in PH media history ‘being closed now:’ Egco

PTFoMS Executive Director, Undersecretary Joel Egco

MANILA --- The supposed dark chapter in the history of Philippine media is about to come to an end, as President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration is working harder to protect journalists in the country, the executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said on Friday (January 17).

During the launch of the “Duterte Legacy” campaign, Undersecretary Joel Egco said the current administration is upholding its commitment to ensure the security and safety of media workers.

He made the remarks as he cited the 49 convictions of killers of media workers in the country.

BARMM job applicants reach 160,000 mark

COTABATO CITY --- Applicants for various jobs at the fledging Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have reached some 160,000 as of  this posting, a regional official said last January 14.

The figure is culled from the online Bangsamoro Job Portal where some 2,000 jobs are up for grabs depending on the qualification of applicants, said Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo, minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Governor and concurrent regional spokesperson.

“An aptitude test and interview comprise the pre-employment procedure,” Sinarimbo said during a press conference here.

Recently, the region’s Ministry of Social Services and the Ministry of Labor and Employment have administered separate examinations to respective applicants, he said.

MinDA introduces livelihood programs to Lanao del Sur

DAVAO CITY -- At least seven Lanao del Sur towns have signed up for the livelihood projects that the government is introducing this year, Secretary Emmanuel Piñol of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said last January 16.

Lanao del Sur is among Mindanao provinces that have high poverty incidence at 71.2 percent, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Piñol said the livelihood projects, which include cattle fattening, dairy goat multiplier farm, duck raising, and tilapia fish cage farming, are aimed at addressing poverty incidence in the province, which is a component of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Cotabato City LGU impounds 70 vehicles

COTABATO CITY --- The local government here has impounded some 70 vehicles for various violations ranging from expired registration, illegal parking, and establishment of illegal terminals for passenger vehicles.

Rolen Balquin, City Public Safety Office chief, said the vehicles are being parked at the impounding area of the City Police Office at Pedro Colina Hill, this city.

“Traffic citation tickets were issued to violations such as illegal parking, illegal terminal, out of route, driving without license, and expired vehicle registration, among others,” he said.

Among the impounded vehicles were 28 pedicabs, two multi-cabs, three private vehicles, a cargo truck, a passenger van, and 35 motorcycles.

“All these vehicles were impounded in just two days, from January 10 to 11,” Balquin said.

Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi has earlier ordered the impounding of unregistered vehicles in a bid to curb criminal activities in the city.

"Unregistered vehicles such as motorcycles are often used by criminals as getaway vehicles in the city," Balquin said.

This developed as Balquin reminded owners of some 700 unclaimed driver’s licenses since last year to pay for their corresponding traffic violation fees or their permits will be revoked for good.

“The city government has been coordinating with the local Land Transportation Office on this matter,” he said. (NOEL PUNZALAN, PNA - COTABATO, MINDANAO EXPOSE')

Mindanao 2019 GRDP projected at 7.2 percent

ECONOMIC GROWTH --- Mindanao's 2019 Gross Regional Domestic Product is expected to hit the 7.2-percent mark, Mindanao Development Authority Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro says during a press briefing in Davao City last January  15. (PNA PHOTO BY DIGNA BANZON, MINDANAO EXPOSE')

DAVAO CITY --- Mindanao's Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) for 2019 is expected to hit 7.2 percent, an official of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said last January 15.

In a press briefing, MinDA Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro said the expected 2019 GRDP 2019 is higher than the national growth average of 7.1 percent.

Mindanao advocacy group reiterates support for federalism

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY --- A group engaged in peace-building and social justice initiatives in Mindanao has reiterated its support for a federal form of government amid renewed efforts by lawmakers to amend the 1987 Constitution for a shift from the current unitary system.

In a statement posted on Facebook -- a repost of its original stand in 2018 -- -Balay Mindanao Foundation, Inc. (BMFI) said it remains open to “principled, frank, and constructive dialogue and collaboration with Federalism advocates and movements.”

However, the BMFI warned that any Constitutional amendment to shift to a federal system should not be exploited by political leaders for their own gains.

OPAPP ‘exceeded’ target in decommissioning MILF

PEACE SITUATION --- Presidential Peace Adviser chief-of-staff and spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor, delivers his speech during the “Duterte Legacy” campaign launch at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City last January 17. (PNA PHOTO BY RUTH ABBEY GITA-CARLOS, MINDANAO EXPOSE')

MANILA --- The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) has “exceeded” its target to decommission members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), its spokesperson said last January 17.

During the “Duterte Legacy” campaign launch, Presidential Peace Adviser chief-of-staff and spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor, noted that about 8,879 out of the 12,000 MILF combatants were decommissioned from the last quarter of 2019.

No looming Mt. Apo burst

MANILA ---  There are no imminent signs of unrest that might lead to the eruption of Mount Apo, the head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Saturday (January 18), as the nation keeps watch on the eruption and hazards posed by Taal Volcano in Luzon.

"Right now, as we speak, no abnormal activity has been observed. We didn't see any different volcanic activity," Phivolcs director Renato Solidum, Jr. said in a text message to the Philippine News Agency.

Mount Apo, an active stratovolcano in Mindanao, has no recorded eruption yet.

"(The) eruption of Mount Apo will be all dependent on whether there are eruptible magma detected," he said.

Mass polio vaccination starts in Cotabato City, Maguindanao

The Department of Health’s “Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio” third round campaign poster. (GRAPHICS COURTESY OF COTABATO CHO, MINDANAO EXPOSE')

COTABATO CITY --- Hundreds of health workers and volunteers started roaming around public areas here Monday (January 20) to start early the third round of the “Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio” campaign in this city's 37 villages.

Dr. Meyasser Patadon, city health officer, said with the help of health volunteers, the local government is hoping to improve the vaccination rate to at least 98 percent of children 59 months and below.

“No case of polio is recorded yet in the city,” Patadon noted.

In Maguindanao, nearly a thousand health workers and volunteers were out on the streets before the break of dawn to immunize children -- some of the 195,065 children aged 59 months old and below in Maguindanao’s 36 municipalities, according to Dr. Elizabeth Samama, provincial health chief.

Samama said she hopes no more polio case would be reported in Maguindanao.

Only last week, Samama said seven new cases of polio have been “verified and confirmed” in the towns of Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Rajah Buayan, Datu Piang, Datu Hofer, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Abdullah Sangki, and Datu Anggal Midtimbang.

Samama appealed to all parents not to deny “bakunadors” (vaccinators) the chance to immunize their children.

“This is halal (approved by Islamic faith), no overdose, no side effects, and the most effective antidote against poliovirus,” Samama told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in a phone interview.

The ongoing massive vaccination schedule will last until February 2. (EDWIN FERNANDEZ & NOEL PUNZALAN,  PNA - COTABATO, MINDANAO EXPOSE')

Kudaraten fest on 3rd year

SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao --- This locality  is celebrating its week-long  3rd Kudaraten Festival 2020 which started last  January 19 amid participatory programs and activities.

Kudaraten Festival is a showcase or show-window of the town’s products and resources as well as its historical vestiges by which it could further enhance people’s appreciation of what they have and as a way of enticing visitors  to look forward in communication with the locality.

“It is an imprint of our geo-political position in Maguindanao in particular and Mindanao or the whole country in general,” said Mayor Datu Shameem Biruar Mastura, who led the kick-off activity  with a colorful  fun-run, followed by a Zumba Competition held at the town gymnasium with multiple participants.

Further, the mayor said the festival is a way of enriching Maguindanao culture and a push of the locality’s tourism industry.

The week-long festival has its day-to-day schedule of activities, to wit:

Editorial

Good Samaritans come in crisis situations

There is lesser risks to human lives when natural disasters strike as forewarned in the case of typhoons and volcanic eruptions, but not major earthquakes which recently rocked parts of Mindanao.  Severe disasters exact destructions or tolls but preparedness may tame the loss of human lives. The case of the now scenic but unrestive Taal Volcano has affected a wider area because of spawned toxics other than magma or lava, forcing the lockdown of certain communities.

What if Mount Apo, the highest peak situated in Mindanao, wakes up from dormancy… we pray it would not lest there could be massive evacuation and destruction.                                               

There are losses when disaster strikes and revenues come to drain to address the plights of people affected by the crisis and then financial resources are most wanting for rehabilitation. The cycle rumbles again whenever disaster relooms. But people go on with their lives adapting the point of resiliency… hope is unending.