Difference between revisions of "Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao News July 2014"

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The Program also delivers accessible and healthy learning facilities, quality teachers, quality learning materials, and a protective environment for children in need and OSYs, through effective, transparent, and accountable management systems.  
The Program also delivers accessible and healthy learning facilities, quality teachers, quality learning materials, and a protective environment for children in need and OSYs, through effective, transparent, and accountable management systems.  


==DOH-ARMM clarifies appeal to Muslims to postpone hajj==
*Source: http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1671404893522
*Wednesday, July 9, 2014
:(PNA), LAP/NYP/EOF
COTABATO CITY, July 8 (PNA) --- The Department of Health in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOH-ARMM) on Tuesday urged Muslim pilgrims to postpone joining hajj in the Holy Land of Mecca to avoid being infected with viral respiratory illness.
Dr. Kadil Sinolinding, ARMM regional health secretary, issued the request to protect prospective Filipino pilgrims while the dreaded Middle East Respiratory Syndrome corona virus (MERs Cov) remained uncontained.
Sinolinding explained that the purpose of the government is to protect the pilgrims and their families from the dangers of the MERs Cov, which has no cure and has been spreading in the Middle East virtually uncontained.
“Nobody can ever say who will get infected and who is not. A pilgrim who gets infected can pass on the infection to family members once he or she is back home,” Sinolinding told reporters.
As a precaution, the Department of health central office has issued an advisory earlier, urging prospective pilgrims to reconsider their plan to perform the hajj during the month of Ramadhan to prevent them from getting exposed to the deadly MERs CoV.
The pilgrimage is done once a year and often falls during the 30-day fasting month.
The most vulnerable to MERs CoV are the elderly and those whose immune system had been “compromised” due to other diseases, Sinolinding explained.
He quickly clarified that the advisory was not meant to suppress freedom of religion among Muslims in the country.
“This is not to suppress the centuries-old tradition of performing the hajj,” he said, adding that “it is about protecting the pilgrims from MERs CoV and their families and neighbors too when they return to the country.”
Following the issuance of DOH advisory, the social media was flooded with comments, mostly offensive to the government and the Muslims in general.
”It was not discriminatory and it was not unIslamic,” Sinolinding explained.


==DOH-ARMM clarifies appeal to Muslims to postpone hajj==
==DOH-ARMM clarifies appeal to Muslims to postpone hajj==

Revision as of 17:20, 20 July 2014

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Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao Archived News
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Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

  • Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
  • Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:
  1. The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

ARMM officials warn vs fires during Ramadan

By Dennis Arcon (InterAksyon.com)

COTABATO CITY – The Bureau of Fire Protection of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is reminding ARMM residents about the increased number of fires during the observance of Ramadan.

BFP-ARMM director Senior Supt. Warlito Daus said the reminder is not only for Muslims, but for Christians and the Lumads as well.

An increased incidence of fire was noted in the preparation of breakfast (or sohoor) and iftar at night, he said.

He asked the public to check their cooking equipment, whether they be wood stoves or gas stoves.

The electric plugs of appliances must also be double-checked, he said.

Fortunately, Daus said, no fire has been reported thus far.

The fire chief also said he hopes that the celebration of the end of Ramadan (or Eid’l Fitr) will be peaceful.

Part of the Eid’l Fitr celebrations is the lighting of firecrackers which sometimes cause fires.

In relation to this, BFP ARMM said it is prepared for a fire.

Australian government-supported OSYs complete techvoc courses

(Kenny Nodalo/BEAM-ARMM/CTA, PIA GenSan)

COTABATO CITY, July 9 (PIA)- More than 1,000 out-of-school youth (OSY) from eight municipalities of Maguindanao completed technical and vocational courses under the Australian government-funded Basic Education Assistance for Muslim Mindanao (BEAM-ARMM) Program, implemented through DepED-ARMM.

The OSYs received their National Certificate (NC) II and Certificates of Competencies (CoC) during the graduation ceremonies held Tuesday at the Notre Dame University (NDU) gymnasium here.

BEAM-ARMM aims to build the capacities and skills of OSYs in the region through its component on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Kevin Corbin, BEAM-ARMM team leader said that improving market-relevant TVET skills will help address the widespread unemployment in OSY populations and drive economic growth at an important period of transition in the region.

Corbin explained that BEAM-ARMM’s targeted interventions allow the OSYs to secure credentials such as the NCII, which is necessary when applying for skilled and long-term employment.

“The certificates are recognized throughout the country, thanks to TESDA, and is an important step on the path to sustained employment. Investing in human resources is key to this vital region – a concept long-respected and shared by the country’s most successful leaders,” said Corbin.

Atty. Jamar Kulayan, DepED-ARMM secretary, said that BEAM-ARMM’s goal is to alleviate poverty and eventually contribute to achieving just and lasting peace in Muslim Mindanao.

Kulayan added that only three out of 10 Grade 1 pupils in ARMM will be able to finish tertiary education, “therefore the BEAM-ARMM’s component on TVET is a welcome alternative to those who can’t afford a degree in college.”

Jarred Ampatuan, 21, was not able to continue his tertiary education for two reasons: poverty and his physical disability. He is suffering from skeletal limb deformity on his right leg.

But his physical condition did not stop him from enrolling in a Computer Hardware Servicing class, one of the techvoc trade courses offered by NDU, a BEAM-ARMM implementing partner on TVET.

“I might be physically-impaired but I want to be productive,” he said, adding that he wants to earn a living for his family.

Aside from computer hardware, short-term courses were offered on small engine [motorcycle], cellphone and consumer electronics servicing; food processing; electrical installation and maintenance; and hairdressing.

Friends Nurhaya Kali, 19 and Warda Gampong, 22, both from Barangay Tambu, Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao want to start their own food retail business.

“While some of our friends plan to go abroad, we would like to stay here and build our dream business,” said Kali.

Parent Rokaya Tambok wants her two sons to explore options to work abroad. “Masaya ako dahil may NC II na sila at pwede na sila mag-abroad (I am happy because they can now apply for jobs abroad with their NC II),” she said.

Through June 2015, BEAM-ARMM is providing 15,000 OSYs and senior high school students in ARMM with market sensitive and inclusive technical vocational education, training and skills.

The Program also delivers accessible and healthy learning facilities, quality teachers, quality learning materials, and a protective environment for children in need and OSYs, through effective, transparent, and accountable management systems.


DOH-ARMM clarifies appeal to Muslims to postpone hajj

(PNA), LAP/NYP/EOF

COTABATO CITY, July 8 (PNA) --- The Department of Health in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOH-ARMM) on Tuesday urged Muslim pilgrims to postpone joining hajj in the Holy Land of Mecca to avoid being infected with viral respiratory illness.

Dr. Kadil Sinolinding, ARMM regional health secretary, issued the request to protect prospective Filipino pilgrims while the dreaded Middle East Respiratory Syndrome corona virus (MERs Cov) remained uncontained.

Sinolinding explained that the purpose of the government is to protect the pilgrims and their families from the dangers of the MERs Cov, which has no cure and has been spreading in the Middle East virtually uncontained.

“Nobody can ever say who will get infected and who is not. A pilgrim who gets infected can pass on the infection to family members once he or she is back home,” Sinolinding told reporters.

As a precaution, the Department of health central office has issued an advisory earlier, urging prospective pilgrims to reconsider their plan to perform the hajj during the month of Ramadhan to prevent them from getting exposed to the deadly MERs CoV.

The pilgrimage is done once a year and often falls during the 30-day fasting month.

The most vulnerable to MERs CoV are the elderly and those whose immune system had been “compromised” due to other diseases, Sinolinding explained.

He quickly clarified that the advisory was not meant to suppress freedom of religion among Muslims in the country.

“This is not to suppress the centuries-old tradition of performing the hajj,” he said, adding that “it is about protecting the pilgrims from MERs CoV and their families and neighbors too when they return to the country.”

Following the issuance of DOH advisory, the social media was flooded with comments, mostly offensive to the government and the Muslims in general.

”It was not discriminatory and it was not unIslamic,” Sinolinding explained.

1,020 youth dropouts in ARMM demonstrate new employment skills

By Catherine T. Apelacio

COTABATO CITY, July 7 (PIA) - Over 1,000 youth dropouts (Out-of- School Youth or OSY) from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) demonstrated new vocational skills on the path to employment and economic stability.

Livelihood skills are provided by the Basic Education Assistance for Muslim Mindanao (BEAM-ARMM) Program, implemented through the Department of Education-ARMM and funded by the Australian government.

Jarred Ampatuan, a 21-year-old computer hardware graduate, has high hopes now.

“Not finishing high school and being disabled is a sad thing,” he said, adding that he is used to being laughed at due to his disability.

“Now, I have undergone training and have a TESDA certification (National Certificate II). I am better than those who criticize me,” he said candidly.

“Finding a quality workforce is a hurdle for business owners in ARMM. With BEAM-ARMM’s Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programming, we are provided with a pool of trained individuals at our doorstep, all skilled and ready to work,” said Fatima Basar, president of the Muslim Chamber of Commerce (MCC) in Cotabato City.

At the ‘One Market Place’ event held at the Notre Dame University Foundation here recently, the OSYs shared for free their new employment skills with the community - repairing computers, cell phones, motorcycles, providing beauty care, and cooking delicious local cuisine, among other services.

The event was aimed to showcase the skills of the OSYs to employers and break the negative stereotypes often associated with youth dropouts. Attendees included the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and MCC.

All trade courses require learners to undergo a standardized assessment at the end of training or a passing rate of at least 79 percent for them to get either NC II or Certificates of Competency, which are needed when looking for skilled jobs here and abroad.

Specifically, the trades offered to the OSYs include Small Engine/Motorcycle Servicing; Computer Hardware Servicing; Food Processing; Cellphone Servicing; Consumer Electronics Servicing; Electrical Installation & Maintenance; and Hairdressing.

Through June 2015, BEAM-ARMM is providing 15,000 OSYs and senior high school students with market sensitive and inclusive technical vocational education, training and skills throughout ARMM, where there are high concentrations of unemployed and underemployed youth.

P6.9B additional flood control projects in Mindanao bared

By MOH I. SAADUDDIN (CORRESPONDENT)

COTABATO CITY: Local officials and members of the Mindanao River Basin-Technical Working Group (MRB-TWG) are hastening the implementation of six additional flood control projects worth P6.9 billion to put an end to perennial flooding in three southern regions.

The six projects are the channel modification of the Ambal-Simuay River; the dredging of the Rio Grande de Mindanao; dredging and dike construction along the Tunggol River and the expansion of Tunggol Bridge; and the construction of revetments or sloping structures used in erosion control along the Ala, Buluan, and Tamontaka Rivers.

“The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) central office has prioritized these projects and the work is expected to be completed by the end of the year,” said Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chairperson Luwalhati Antonino.

Present in the June 1 meeting were representatives of the DPWH of Regions X, XII and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Regional Planning Development Office, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

Cotabato City Mayor Japal Guiani Jr., ARMM Executive Secretary Atty. Laisa Alamia, and Ching Ayupan, who represented Cardinal Orlando Quevedo, also attended the meeting.

DPWH-ARMM Secretary Emil Sadain, concurrent national DPWH assistant secretary, said these measures would benefit the provinces of Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, and the cities of Cotabato, Korondal and Tacurong.

Currently, there are seven ongoing projects in the area. These are the P39.89-million River Bank Protection Project along the Cotabato-GenSan Road in Tamontaka, Cotabato City which will end in June 2014; the P174.19-million Simuay Flood Control Project in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, which will be completed by the end of 2014; the P46-million Ala River Flood Control Project in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat, which will be finished by July 2014; the P50-million and P74.5-million Libungan Flood Control Projects Phase III both in Libungan, Cotabato, which are expected to be completed in August and October 2014, respectively; the P72.5-million Carmen River Bank Protection with Revetment Flood Control Project in Lumayong, Carmen, Cotabato to be completed in November 2014; and the P15.2-million University of Southern Mindanao Flood Control Project Phase I in Kabacan, Cotabato.

ARMM eyes special economic zone in Tawi-Tawi

By Bong S. Sarmiento (MindaNews)

COTABATO CITY(MindaNews/05 July)—The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) regional government is eyeing the establishment of a special economic zone in Tawi-Tawi province to further bolster trade and tourism exchanges between the area and neighboring Sabah, Malaysia, an official said.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman instructed the regional government’s economic cluster to form a technical working group, headed by the Regional Economic Zone Authority, to declare a special economic zone in the island-province.

The governor said that they are waiting for the provincial government of Tawi-Tawi to submit the requirements needed for the declaration of a special economic zone in the area.

“Tawi-Tawi is a prime mover in bringing in more investments in the ARMM. Its proximity to Sabah allows our Malaysian friends to perform trading activities in the province,” Hataman said.

He also stressed that “the wonderful beaches and other scenic spots, plus the effective peace and order measures, make it very viable for tourism ventures.”

Tawi-Tawi, which is closer to Sabah by sea travel than the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga, known as “Asia’s Latin City,” is rich in marine resources and is the top producer of seaweeds in the ARMM.

Seaweeds from Tawi-Tawi contributes 48 per cent or 294,595 metric tons to the total annual production in the autonomous Muslim region, Hataman said.

To improve the quality and production of the fisheries industry in the province, he disclosed plans to build a Regional Fisheries Integrated Research and Development Center in the area.

The establishment of the center will be joint effort involving the ARMM regional government, the national government and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Hataman added.

Recently, Tawi-Tawi hosted the ARMM International Business Conference themed “Strengthening Public-Private Partnership towards Economic Stability in ARMM.”

Among those who attended the conference were businessmen from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

One of the highlights of the two-day conference was the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on the establishment of business linkages between the Tawi-Tawi Chamber of Commerce, Inc. and the BIMP-EAGA Malaysian Business Council in Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia.

BIMP-EAGA stands for Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area, a key strategy launched in 1994 to accelerate the social and economic development of less developed areas in participating countries.

Hataman said the business and investment climate in the ARMM “has never been more upbeat than it is today,” citing that in the past two years, the region continues to experience remarkable increase in the amount of investments.

“We give credit to the favorable turnout of the peace process for boosting investors’ confidence in the region,” he said, referring to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

The CAB is the final peace deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed last March 27 after 17 years of negotiations.

For the first quarter of 2014, ARMM’s Regional Board of Investments has registered investments worth P2.5 billion, the largest in its history.

Flooding disrupts Ramadan in parts of Maguindanao

By John Unson (philstar.com)

MAGUINDANAO - It is the recurring flashfloods, not armed conflicts as what authorities had prepared for, that have been disrupting the on-going observance of Ramadan by residents in the province and surrounding towns in low-lying areas in North Cotabato.

Hundreds of commuters were again stranded on Wednesday at the Bulalo-Pinaring stretch of the Cotabato-Davao Highway in Maguindanao’s Sultan Kudarat town after rivers straddling through the area overflowed and inundated the thoroughfare following three days of heavy rains in surrounding hinterlands.

Workers of the Humanitarian Emergency Action and Relief Team (HEART) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the local government unit of Sultan Kudarat, the police, and the military were busy helping commuters and motorists cross through the flooded portions of the highway until dawn Thursday.

The HEART, in its latest advisory based on a report by the Sultan Kudarat LGU, said 22,000 villagers in 12 barangays were affected by Wednesday's flashfloods, which perennially hit the municipality's lowlands during the rainy season.

The rescue operations of the HEART in Sultan Kudarat came barely three days after its workers accomplished a week-long relief mission to facilitate dispersal of food rations to thousands of villagers in 13 towns in Maguindanao that were inundated last month by knee-deep floodwaters after nearby marshes and rivers that connect to the 220,000-hectare Liguasan Delta overflowed due to heavy rains.

Relief workers of the Maguindanao provincial government, led by the chief provincial budget officer, Lynette Estandarte, have also just distributed thousands of food packs to flood victims in the adjoining towns of Sultan sa Barongis, Pandag, Mangudadatu and Buluan, which are located along the upper Liguasan Delta.

Estandarte said Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu on Wednesday night ordered more relief missions to areas affected by most recent flashfloods that swept through dozens of Moro farming enclaves.

Estandarte’s group had earlier distributed more than five truckloads of food packs, comprised of rice, noodles and canned goods, to flooded barangays in more than a dozen towns, including the oft-flooded adjoining Kabuntalan and Northern Kabuntalan towns, both located along the lower flood catch basin of the Liguasan Delta.

Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the 6th ID prepared for possible attacks during the Ramadan by the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, but soldiers got preoccupied instead with humanitarian missions supporting the relief and rehabilitation efforts of the HEART and the office of Mangudadatu.

“The continuing backdoor peace efforts of Gov. Mangudadatu and the league of mayors in the province to maintain law and order during the Ramadan, in close coordination with the military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, are working efficiently, but these floods are something we can’t control. We can only pray for our towns to be spared from these calamities,” Hermoso said.

He said ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, who has ministerial control of the HEART, and Mangudadatu had both asked the 6th ID to help monitor on a 24-hour basis the levels of rivers in Maguindanao, and the marshes and swamps scattered in its low-lying towns along the Liguasan Delta.

Hermoso said the 6th ID’s commander, Brig. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, is grateful to the Maguindanao provincial peace and order council, and the joint ceasefire committee of the government and the MILF for helping maintain the fragile peace in the province amid the on-going observance by Muslim folks of the Ramadan atonement season, which will end on the third week of July.

The extremist BIFF, which does not recognize the government-MILF July 1997 Agreement on General Cessation of Hostilities, perpetrated bloody attacks in several towns in the province during the Ramadan in 2012 and 2013, causing the dislocation of thousands of Moro villagers.

“Maguindanao has been relatively peaceful since the Ramadan fasting month started last June 29. Thanks to the PPOC, the municipal mayors, the GPH-MILF ceasefire committee, and the police,” Hermoso said.

Sulu province donates 600-horsepower speedboat to military

By Franzie Sali

SULU (Mindanao Examiner / July 3, 2014) – The Sulu provincial government handed over a 600-horsepower speedboat it donated to the Philippine Marines in support to its law enforcement operations in the southern Philippines.

The boat also serves as a multi-purpose vessel which the military can use in its rescue or logistic operations, among others.

Governor Totoh Tan and Vice-Governor Sakur Tan led the turnover of the speedboat to Brigadier General Martin Pinto, commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade, and Brigadier General Orlando del Leon, the deputy chief of the Western Mindanao Command who represented Lt. Gen. Rustico Guererro.

Both Pinto and De Leon thanked the provincial officials for the donation, saying, the speedboat equipped with three outboard engines, is a big contribution to the efforts of authorities in maintaining peace and order in the province.

The provincial government has been very supportive of the military and police authorities in Sulu in an effort to professionalize the uniformed personnel here.

DSWD livelihood project benefit 60,000 poor families from ARMM

(PNA), LAM/LSJ

MANILA, July 2 (PNA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Wednesday that about 63,335 poor families in Autonomous Regions in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are benefiting from its livelihood projects.

According to DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman, the livelihood projects are being implemented under the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP).

Soliman said that, at present, the SLP implementation is on-going in Basilan, Maguindanao, Lanao Sur, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

She added that the total budget allocated for the SLP in these provinces amounts to P623.35 million to ensure that the people from ARMM will be empowered in participating to sustainable livelihood projects to achieve the goal of inclusive economic development where no one is left behind.

She added that the said funding comes from P1.6 billion allocation to DSWD as one of the agency implementing existing socio-economic development projects in the said region.

“Reducing poverty in ARMM is on top of the Aquino administration’s road map for countryside development. With this, the national government infused funds for its comprehensive development to be undertaken by different government agencies,” she added

SLP is a community-based capacity building program that seeks to improve the socio-economic status of program beneficiaries. It employs a Community-Driven Enterprise Development (CDED) which equips beneficiaries to actively contribute to production and labor markets by making use of available resources.

The program has two tracks from which beneficiaries have the option to choose from after undergoing capacity building activities - the Micro-Enterprise Development Track and the Employment Facilitation Track.

Under the Micro-Enterprise Development Track, program participants may avail of seed capital assistance from DSWD, while Employment Facilitation Track facilitates access to employment opportunities based on their qualifications.

According to the DSWD chief through SLP, the dream of the poor beneficiaries to put up a sustainable business is being realized because they can access employment opportunities as they earn a sustaining income for their families.

She cited as an example Zenaida Singh Guiamalon, 44, a resident of Barangay Datu, Saudi Ampatuan of Maguindanao province who dreamed of putting up a wallet-making business to help her family and to put her skill to good use came true through SLP.

“Today, with the help of the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), Zenaida is a budding entrepreneur producing at least 1,000 wallets a month,” she added.

She added that the woman already had two sewing machines prior to the assistance she received from SLP, but they were not able to start a business for lack of enough capital.

“When they qualified for the livelihood program they availed SLP’s capital assistance amounting to P10,000 which began their venture to business,” she said.

The DSWD believes that SLP is an effective way in achieving peace and development in ARMM because the beneficiaries are engaging themselves in small business that has the potential to flourish and enable them attained self-sufficiency level to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty.

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