S. Kudarat cops promote love, serenade mothers on ‘V-Day’

SERENADING COPS --- Members of the President Quirino Police Office in Sultan Kudarat province serenaded a mother on February 14 to promote love in the community they serve on Valentine’s Day. The mothers received flowers and heart-shaped balloons from the police officers as tokens of appreciation for their unconditional love for their respective families. (PHOTO COURTESY OF PRESIDENT QUIRINO MPS, MINDANAO EXPOSE')

COTABATO CITY -– To spread love and recognize the love of mothers to their family and children, police personnel of the President Quirino Municipal Police in Sultan Kudarat province serenaded last February 14 the mothers and offered them flowers as part of the Valentine's Day celebration.

At about 6 a.m., about a dozen teams of police officers spread out in groups in Barangay Poblacion of President Quirino town, armed only with guitars, flowers, and heart-shaped balloons to render songs and serenade mothers.

Capt. Jessie Silva, Jr., chief of the President Quirino Police Office, said the approach aims to promote love in the community they serve and protect.

3 BIFF fighters surrender in NorCot

COTABATO CITY --- Three members of the Islamic State-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) yielded to the Army’s 7th Infantry Battalion  in Pikit, North Cotabato, a military official said last February 13.

Lt. Col. Neil Roldan, commander of the 7th IB, identified the surrenderers as Terek Nao, Tato Bantas, and Tatuan Gandawali, all of Barangay Barungis, Pikit and members of the notorious BIFF-Karialan faction operating in the border of North Cotabato and Maguindanao provinces.

Maguindanao town to receive revenue share

MAGUINDANAO --- A seaside town without an Internal Revenue Allotment since its creation 11 years ago will now have a monthly IRA from the national coffer, courtesy of the Mindanao peace process.

Muslim and Christian residents of Datu Blah Sinsuat town held a traditional kanduli, or thanksgiving rite, last February 8 after learning the week before that their local government unit will start receiving IRA this year, possibly starting first quarter of 2020, from the Department of Budget and Management.

Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo, local government minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said last February 11 that the DBM is now setting the amount of the monthly IRA for Datu Blah Sinsuat based on its calculation formula.

Non-IRA BARMM towns to be funded

COTABATO CITY ---  Eleven municipalities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao that have not been receiving Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) since its creation will start receiving their share within the first quarter of this year, a BARMM official said last February 12.

Only recently, residents and officials of an IRA-less town in Maguindanao have held a “kanduli” (thanksgiving rite) after learning that their local government unit will start receiving their IRA this year.

“BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim has spoken with the mayors of the 11 municipalities on the latest development,” Abdullah Cusain, BARMM deputy executive secretary, said in an interview with reporters here.

Rebuilding program for quake victims

COTABATO CITY  --- North Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco and representatives from the United Nations-Mindanao Humanitarian Team (UN-MHT) launched last February 11 the rebuilding program for internally displaced persons (IDP's) of North Cotabato.

In a festive ceremony, Catamco turned various assistance to 435 families of Barangay Ilomavis who were severely affected by last year’s major earthquakes.

The village of Ilomavis is situated at the slope of the country’s highest peak -- Mount Apo.

The governor awarded materials for building their temporary houses, cash and livelihood assistance, food packs, planting materials and farm inputs, medical assistance, scholarship certificates, and school allowances to the displaced families.

BARMM conducts 1st Qur'an reading competition

ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE BARMM QUR'AN READING CONTEST. (BARMM PHOTO, MINDANAO EXPOSE') Click above photo toread more.....

COTABATO CITY --- The Bangsamoro Government conducted its first Noble Qur’an Reading Competition last February 15 at the Bangsamoro Government Center here.

The competition was participated in by 22 delegates from the BARMM's different provinces and cities, such as Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basian, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, North Cotabato, Cotabato City, Lamitan City, and Marawi City.

In his speech, BARMM Chief Minister Ahod ‘Al Haj Murad’ Ebrahim said: "During our long struggle for our right to self-determination, we have always been grounded with one thing: Islam."

Cotabato City celebrates Peace Day

PEACE ADVOCACY --- Youth groups and different organizations, including the departments of the local government unit led by Mayor Frances Chynthia Guiani-Sayadi, gathered at the Cotabato City Plaza last February 7 to reaffirm their support in the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War. (PHOTO SUPPLIED, MINDANAO EXPOSE')

COTABATO CITY --- Hundreds of youths  gathered last February 7 at the Cotabato City Plaza to show every Cotabateño and other communities that “we strengthen and support the development of peace and the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW). “

The DPCW is a comprehensive document that states the role of different international communities to prevent and resolve conflict and sustain peace worldwide.

The organizers were closely working with the Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, an international organization that bridge local agencies and organizations together to foster peace and have inter-religious dialogue and activities to promote holistic multi-cultural understanding.

This was strongly supported by the local government of Cotabato through its officials led by Mayor Atty. Frances Cynthia J. Guiani-Sayadi, members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod led by Vice Mayor Graham Nazer G. Dumama, and its various department heads.

As Cotabato City is considered a melting pot in south central part of Mindanao, it upholds equality and equity to every citizen that encompass and lower down differences to nurture a culture of peace.

The youths, led by local youth group Gallant Adolescent New Generation (GANG), emphasized that violence definitely will not be the answer to any conflict or problem. Hence, unity amidst diversity still is a reliable ideology we could observe and follow.

A ground-breaking of Peace Monument highlighted the event symbolizing the pact between the City Government of Cotabato, HPWL, and other agencies and organizations to continue fostering peace in the city. (HALIMA SATOL / CITY GOVERNMENT, MINDANAO EXPOSE')

2 NorCot OFWs under monitoring for Covid-19

COTABATO CITY --- Health authorities in the North Cotabato town of M’lang are monitoring two female Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who recently returned home for possible infection from coronavirus disease 2019 (CoVid-19), the acute respiratory ailment that claimed many lives, mostly in China.

Minerva Suriaga, disease surveillance officer of M’lang Municipal Health Office, said one of those placed under monitoring is an OFW from the United Kingdom whose plane had a stop-over in Singapore.

The person arrived in M’lang on February 5 with no symptoms of the disease but was placed under a 14-day quarantine by municipal health workers to ensure the safety of others.

“She was cooperative, there was no resistance,” Suriaga said in a local radio interview Friday (February 14), adding that a health worker regularly visits the OFW in her isolated quarters.

Suriaga also said that another OFW arrived home from Bahrain but her plane had a stop-over in Hong Kong.

Both persons are listed as a “Person Under Monitoring (PUM)” and have so far shown no symptoms that they are infected with the virus. (EDWIN FERNANDEZ, PNA - COTABATO, MINDANAO EXPOSE')

BARMM distributes medical equipment in Maguindanao

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT --- Health officials pose with the medical equipment that have been distributed to rural and barangay health stations in Maguindanao to improve health services in the province. The distribution is made through the Humanitarian and Development Assistance Program of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. (PHOTO COURTESY OF BARMM, MINDANAO EXPOSE') 

COTABATO CITY --- Health care providers in Maguindanao are now equipped with modern facilities to respond to the health needs of their constituents.

                                            

This, as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) turned over some P16.2 million worth of medical equipment to various rural and barangay health stations in the province of Maguindanao lqast February 14.