General Santos City News August 2011

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‘Pantawid Pasada’ finally rolls out in Southwestern Mindanao

by Bong S. Sarmiento


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/31 August) –The first tranche of the government’s “Pantawid Pasada” assistance for public transportation drivers has finally arrived in Southwestern Mindanao or Region 12, a Land Transportation Office official said. Arlan Mangelen, LTO-12 director, said that 672 cards would be distributed to beneficiaries of the Public Transport Assistance Program (PTAP) in the region, almost four months after the Department of Energy first handed them out. A total of 2,066 Pantawid Pasada beneficiaries, he added, have been identified in the region, consisting of the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.

Mangelen did not say when the remaining 1,394 cards will arrive.

“This program was conceived by our government to help the public transportation drivers who suffered from increasing fuel prices,” he said at the ceremonial card distribution here last week.

Each Pantawid Pasada card contains P1,050 worth of fuel for jeepneys and P150 for tricycles, with Mangelen urging the beneficiaries to keep them as it is valid until 2016 for discounts or promos that may be initiated by oil companies.

President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III earlier issued Executive Order No. 32, Series of 2011, titled “Instituting the Public Transport Assistance Program or the Pantawid Pasada that aims to benefit 214,596 jeepney operators nationwide.

Under Joint Circular No. 1 of the departments of Energy, Finance, Budget and Management, Interior and Local Government and Transportation and Communications issued last April 27, the initial funding of P450 million for the Pantawid Pasada program will be sourced from the DOE-Special Account in the General Fund (SAGF) – 15, specifically from the revenue of the Malampaya Gas Field Project.

P300 million of the fund will be released to the DOE for the jeepney driver beneficiaries and P150 million to the DILG for the tricycle driver beneficiaries. As this developed, local militants staged a protest rally here Wednesday in line with the “Nationwide People’s Protest” against oil price hikes and alleged overpricing by oil companies. Ryan Lariba, spokesperson of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Socsksargen chapter, castigated President Aquino, noting that since he assumed office, fuel prices climbed to P43-P46 per liter from P32/L at the start of his term.

“The continuing fuel prices is a result of connivance between an oil cartel and the government,” he claimed, adding that there’s an overprice of P9/L based on a study by BAYAN.

He called for a rollback in fuel prices, as well as the scrapping of the Oil Deregulation Law. (Bong Sarmiento/MindaNews)





Magnitude 7 Earthquake Rocks GenSan in Mindanao

by manila-paper.net


A strong earthquake rocked General Santos City (GenSan) in Mindanao this afternoon. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake was a magnitude 7 and occurred at 2:57 PM. The epicenter of the earthquake, according to Phivolcs, was 1,406 km southeast of General Santos City. No injuries or damage has been reported but the Phivolcs has warned of aftershocks. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake was tectonic in origin and was felt at intensity 2 in Davao City.






Mining firm hopes to start groundwork for operation

by Philippine Daily Inquirer


General Santos City, Philippines—Global mining giant Xstrata’s Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) on Friday announced that it continues to hope to start development activities in its Tampakan project next year to lay the groundwork for full operation by 2016. SMI, a partnership between the Switzerland-based mining firm, Indophil Resources NL and Filipino investors, to mine gold and copper deposits in Tampakan, South Cotabato and parts of Davao del Sur, was working doubly hard to acquire the necessary certificates for the projected operation, John Arnaldo, SMI corporate communications manager, told reporters here Friday. SMI’s optimism came amid the existence of a ban by the provincial government of South Cotabato on open-pit mining and other mining methods seen to be destructive of the environment. The ban has affected SMI’s development activities in the proposed mining area. With a foreign direct investment of about $5.9 billion, Xstrata foresaw an annual average copper production of 340,000 tons and 350,000 ounces of gold, based on a 20-year operation of the Tampakan project. Xstrata said the Tampakan project’s mill recovery rates were at 83-90 percent for copper and 60-80 percent for gold, with a copper concentrate grade of 37-34 percent.





T'Boli pride

by mb.com.ph


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PIA) – A 15-year-old T’boli boy will be joining the Philippine shooters delegation in the forthcoming October 2011 world shooting competition after winning a slot in the August 19 to 21 shoot fest in Davao City.

Kyle Dayle Tuan of T’boli, South Cotabato, is scheduled to compete in the Athens, Greece world class competition after winning the third prize in the prestigious Mayor Inday Sara Duterte’s Cup level-3 match held in celebration of the Kadayawan Festival.

“I hope my son will bring honor to our county particularly to us T’boli of South Cotabato,” his father Dibu Tuan, a municipal councilor of Tboli, said.





6 OFWs from Region 12 stranded in Syria

by Allen V. Estabillo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/26 August) – The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Region 12 or Southwestern Mindanao is closely monitoring the repatriation of six overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the region who are currently stranded in strife-torn areas in Syria. Abdulghani Umag, OWWA Region 12 director, said a report from the OWWA central office showed that two active and four inactive members of the agency from Region 12 have yet to be repatriated from Syria. The national government earlier raised Alert Level 4 and set the immediate, forced evacuation of the estimated 17,000 OFWs in Syria due to the worsening internal conflict in the area. “That (number) was based on the OWWA central office’s database. The problem is, we don’t have any information as to how many of the OFWs who had entered illegally in Syria were from Region 12,” Umag said. Region 12 covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato. Umag said they have opened two hotline numbers – 09177260443 and (083) 5200205 – at the OWWA regional office in Koronadal City and offered free calls for relatives of OFWs from the area who are presently based in Syria. He said they also extended their office hours up to 8 p.m. to accommodate inquiries and requests for assistance from the relatives of the OFWs. The official said they already extended assistance to the family of OFW Jessica Cagaitan, who earlier signified to avail of the government’s repatriation program but had lost her passport and other documents. Umag said he sent an email to Cagaitan advising her to immediately contact the Philippine embassy so she can get a new passport and other travel documents. “Once she reaches the Philippine embassy, she will certainly be able to go home,” he assured. Meantime, Umag said they were also verifying whether there were still OFWs from Region 12 among the estimated 7,000 Filipinos who are still in Libya. Violence at the Libyan capital of Tripoli and nearby areas escalated during the past several days as opposition forces advanced towards the stronghold of Libyan leader Muamar Khadaffy. The national government also raised Alert Level 4 for OFWs in Libya and sent a rescue team at the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli to facilitate the evacuation and repatriation of the remaining Filipino nationals in the area. “Nobody has so far asked for our assistance regarding any OFWs from the region who were still stuck in Libya. So we really don’t know if there’s anyone still left there or not,” he added. (Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)





Tuna Festival in GenSan set

by JOSEPH JUBELAG


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – This city goes in full gear for the celebration of the “Tuna Festival” from August 26 to September 5, 2011.

City Mayor Darlene Antonino Custodio will lead the festival opening ceremony on Friday at the city’s oval plaza.

Festival director Ronald Velasquez said the week-long festivities will showcase the city’s charter anniversary, and local tuna industry that serves as the backbone of the local economy.

Custodio said the local economic spiral is attributable to the tuna industry’s continuing bullishness that created a prominent mark in the global economic landscape.

“The local government gives credence to our local tuna industry which serves as the backbone of our local economy,” Custodio pointed out.

Among the highlights of the festival is the holding of the Tuna Congress where local stakeholders are expected to discuss the major problems plaguing the industry, including the proposed fishing regulation that will be imposed by Indonesia in December that seeks to ban Filipino fishermen from venturing into Indonesian waters.

Several activities have been lined up for this year’s Tuna Festival, which include the colorful float parade, street dancing and Shashimi Night, lawn tennis national open, “Pasiklaban sa Paaralan” quiz show, pop song competition, trade exhibit, “Fish Fest sa Fishport,” mountain bike challenge, “Sayaw sa Baybay,” bancarera, culinary competition, Miss Gay Tuna Amazing, Munting Mutya ng GenSan, scooter circuit, cheer dance contest, battle of the bands, chess, skimboarding, beach volleyball, open bonsai competition, national table tennis, and indoor football tournament.

As this developed, Central Mindanao police director Chief Supt. Benjardi Mantele has assured the deployment of additional policemen who will be tasked to provide security during the festivities.

He said the police force will be augmented by the military, security guards, coastguard personnel, Armed Forces reservists group, student cadets, and Muslim groups.

“We urge the public to be vigilant of any suspicious-looking persons or belongings during the festival and report them immediately to the nearest police station for immediate action,” Mantele said.

Mantele has ordered police chiefs in the cities and provinces in Region 12 to monitor all activities in their respective areas and coordinate with concerned local government officials for necessary action.

Region 12 gets P676-M in conditional cash transfer

by Bong S. Sarmiento |


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/22 August) — The government has poured P676 million for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Southwestern Mindanao since 2008. An anti-poverty and social development strategy of the national government implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), 4Ps provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education, particularly of children aged 0 to 14 years. Gemma N. Rivera, DSWD-12 assistant director, said the total target beneficiaries in the region reached 138,637, of which 74,572 have already received cash assistance. “Some 500 beneficiaries have been delisted from the list because they are not really poor,” she said Saturday at the sidelines of a regional DSWD orientation program for the media. The disqualified beneficiaries were barangay officials or their relatives who can afford to own home appliances, lingering reports said. Rivera said the 4Ps project will run for five years or until 2013. Of the amount disbursed, South Cotabato received the biggest at P222.4 million; Sarangani, P181.2 million, Sultan Kudarat, P157.7 million; and North Cotabato, P93.6 million, data showed. Cotabato City has also received P21 million from the 4Ps project, it added. The 4Ps project covers 32 municipalities across Region 12, also called the Soccsksargen region. Rivera said they expect to release the cash to beneficiaries who have not yet received the assistance before the end of the year, amounting to P42 million. World boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao has endorsed the 4Ps project nationwide, with his slogan “Kakampi sa Pagpuksa sa Kahirapan.” All the seven towns in Sarangani are covered by the 4Ps program. Sarangani ranked 18th in the list of poorest provinces of the country. (Bong Sarmiento/MindaNews)






Ma, toddler kidnapped in General Santos City

by Aquiles Z. Zonio

Inquirer Mindanao


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—A mother and her two-year-old daughter were snatched by unidentified men while attending mass at the St. Michael Parish Church here around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Director Felicisimo Khu, head of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao (Dipo-WM), identified the victims as Dina Dumaran and her daughter Sophie. Khu, in a text message, claimed that Ian Dumaran and wife Dina were inside the church when their daughter ran outside. The mother followed, but they failed to return even after the mass was over, Khu said. Khu said that a few minutes after the duo went missing, Ian’s father, Igmedio Dumaran, a businessman and owner of Shell Gasoline station in Purok Malakas, Barangay City Heights here, received a call from unidentified men introducing themselves as kidnappers. The elder Dumaran told the police the kidnappers told them the two victims were in their hands and to wait for instruction from them. Igmedio further told the police he was also warned not to report the incident to the police. Khu said ransom money has been asked by the kidnappers for the release of the victims but no specific amount has been mentioned.





Region 12 inventions to compete in national tilt

by Allen V. Estabillo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/20 August) — Four promising inventions from Southwestern Mindanao will compete in the National Invention Contest and Exhibit (NICE) of the Department of Science and Technology. Zenaida P. Hadji Raof Laidan, DOST-Region 12 director, said the four qualifiers in the 2012 NICE competition were among the more than two dozen entries to the recently concluded Regional Invention Contest and Exhibit (RICE) here. “This only proves that we have gifted inventors in the region who can help promote the benefits of S&T towards a sustainable economic development and peace in the countryside,” she said in a statement. The 2011 RICE winners and qualifiers for the 2012 NICE contest are: –Cipriano Diego of Tulunan, North Cotabato for his betel oil product (Tuklas Award). He received a plaque and P20,000 cash prize; –Benjamin Hurtado of Koronadal City for his barangay mechanical rice dryer (Outstanding Creative Research Category or Likha Award). He received a plaque and P10,000 cash prize; — Jade Pamela Barriga, Anthon Mark Jay Rivas and Emil Keith Antoni from the Mindanao State University-General Santos City for their entry “Procoagulant and Bioplastic from Bitter Cassava and Chanos-chanos Scales” (Student Creative Research or Sibol Award College Level). They received a plaque and P10,000.00 cash prize, and; — Ever Luv S. Esquilla, and Juhrina D. Sabpa of Esperanza National High School, Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat for their entry “The Potential of Pansit-Pansitan as Bio-coolant” (Student Creative Research- Sibol Award High School Level). They received a plaque and P10,000.00 cash prize. RICE was among the highlights of the regional observance of the NSTW, which carried the theme “Nasa Siyensya ang Pag-asa” (In Science is our Hope). It was the first time for RICE to be held since previously, the invention contest was conducted through the clustering of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. At least 1,000 participants joined the two day NSTW celebration, which was attended by national officials of the DOST from Manila. AGHAM Party-list Rep. Angelo B. Palmones, also the event’s key guest of honor, handed the awards for the winners of the RICE whose theme was “Imbensyon at Inobasyon, Kabalikat sa Pag-unlad.” Palmones urged inventors to develop more products that can help the country move forward and become a major player in the global S&T community. “Your exhibits are worth bringing to roadshows in Manila so they will see that in Region 12, there are very good inventors too,” said Palmones, who has roots in North Cotabato. Laidan said the RICE is an undertaking of the DOST primarily aimed at providing opportunities for inventors to exhibit and present their inventions and breakthroughs in line with the national efforts to promote inventiveness pursuant to Section 4 of Republic Act No. 7459 or the “Inventors and Invention Incentives Act of the Philippines”. “This is our approach to ensure maximum participation of inventors and researchers as well as to further promote technologies, inventions and innovations from the countryside for possible commercialization prospects,” she noted. (Bong S. Sarmiento/MindaNews)





GenSan upbeat over emerging BPO industry; restructures computer literacy programg

by Allen V. Estabillo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/19 August) – Upbeat with the prospects of the city’s emerging Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, the city government has restructured its flagship computer literacy program for local public schools to complement with the manpower requirements of potential BPO locators. Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio said they have introduced a “re-engineered” curriculum for its SHEEP-Computer Literacy Program (CLP) to help upgrade the computer skills and awareness of students in public elementary and secondary schools in the city on various modern Information and Communications Technology (ICT) trends and developments. “We came up with a more advanced computer education curriculum, focusing on the teaching of more advanced computer skills that are required by BPO companies,” she said. SHEEP stands for Social Transformation, Human Empowerment, Economic Diversification, Environment Security and Regeneration and Participatory Governance and Transparency, which are the city’s main development thrusts. The city government earlier launched the CLP as a major component of the SHEEP program’s education-related initiatives. In coordination with the Department of Education, Custodio said they initially launched a trainers’ training for ICT coordinators of all public elementary and high schools in the city. She said the training program is aimed at developing a core of competent ICT trainers or instructors who would implement the new SHEEP-CLP curriculum. “Before this, our computer literacy curriculum was just focused on computer fundamentals like word processing which, I think, most of our students already know how to use. With the upgraded curriculum, we will now be teaching them some advanced skills like animation, webpage design and development, among others,” the mayor explained. Aside from the restructuring of the CLP curriculum, Custodio said they are planning to upgrade the existing computer laboratories of local public schools and acquire additional computer sets. She said the local government will also establish a pilot speech laboratory in one of the public schools in Barangay Lagao this year. “This will be the first speech laboratory in GenSan. This is for pilot testing and we will evaluate how we can replicate it later on in other schools here,” the mayor said. Custodio said these initiatives are aimed at making the students of local public schools become more capable and well-prepared in case they eventually decide to take up advanced computer courses in college or seek possible employment in the BPO industry. On Thursday, the local government and the business community here unveiled the city’s first Philippine Export Zone Authority (PEZA)-registered Information Technology or IT Park, which is being developed as the region’s BPO hub and a “landmark for IT and IT-enabled services and business” in the city. The 2.8-hectare Mabuhay IT Park, developed and operated by local firm MabuhayOne Corporation, is envisioned as “a one- stop facility capable of carrying voice, video and data services that will deliver a superior, reliable and secured network communications and back- up power supply to assure of clean and uninterruptible power.” It formally opened its doors Thursday to “ICT service activities, especially in the area of software development; IT-enabled services such as call centers, data encoding, transcription and content development; knowledge-based and computer-enabled support services like design process engineering and consultancies; BPO; IT research and development; and, other IT related services.” Custodio said top BPO player Sutherland Global Services is currently preparing to open a call center facility at the Mabuhay IT Park as part of its ongoing expansion. She said the company is presently training its newly-hired manpower pool in its call center facility in Davao City. Sutherland, which was earlier named by PEZA as the “2011 Outstanding Employer,” operates in six locations in the country namely Makati City, Taguig City, Davao City, Tarlac City, Clark Field in Pampanga, and Pili in Camarines Sur. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)






GenSan promotes ASEAN barter trading

by NONOY E. LACSON


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – The city government here started exploring possible linkages with its counterpart local governments within the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines – East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) for the opening of barter exchanges.

City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio said Thursday the local government here is bent on forging ties for barter trading arrangements between the city and neighboring areas within the BIMP-EAGA to help provide alternative livelihood opportunities for local traders and fishermen.

The move, she said, is in the wake of the upcoming implementation of stricter fishing regulations in Indonesia, which is expected to affect the fishing and canning industry of this city.

She added that the move is also aimed at helping cushion the impact of the implementation of the new fishing regulations starting on December 1, on the area’s fishing industry, especially the tuna hand-line fishing sector.

“We can convert the fishing boats and use them instead to ferry products from the city to any open port for barter trading within the BIMP-EAGA,” Custodio said.

According to Custodio, they are initially planning to open the barter exchanges with neighboring localities in Indonesia, and are considering similar arrangements with the trade cooperation forged by the local governments of Sarangani and Davao del Sur with Tahuna in Indonesia about two years ago.

Under the BIMP-EAGA cooperation, she said Philippines and Indonesia already simplified the trading regulations in the area through a unified Customs, Immigration, Quarantine, and Security (CIQS) mechanism.

“Traders just need to pass by the CIQS through the ports of Glan and Balut Island or in Tahuna to make the trade exchanges,” the mayor said.

Custodio said that based on their monitoring, several hand-line fishing boat owners and financiers have already joined the Tahuna-Glan trading route using their converted boats.

“They carry mostly local goods, and in some instances, fish products,” she said.

“This is one viable opportunity that we can offer to our hand-line fishermen. I think it’s quite easy to convert their fishing boats and join the barter trading instead of gambling with Indonesia’s fishing regulations and eventually get jailed there for illegal fishing,” the mayor said.

Over the years, thousands of Filipino fishermen have been jailed and repatriated from Indonesia for illegal fishing activities.






3.4 magnitude quake hits GenSan

by Shannel Tabanganay


MANILA, Philippines - A 3.4 magnitude earthquake rocked General Santos City early this morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

Phivolcs reported said the quake struck 40 kilometer southeast of General Santos City, at 5:28 a.m.

It was felt at Intensity 3 in the city.

The bureau put depth of the tectonic quake at one kilometer. There were no reported damages and no expected aftershocks.

The Philippine Archipelago lies in the pacific ring of fire wherein it is between two major tectonic plates of the world, the Pacific Plate and the Eurasian Plate.

This causes the major quakes in the country. The most active part is the eastern section including eastern Mindanao, and General Santos City is situated about 20 kilometers from the Mindanao fault. -- Shannel Tabanganay, Philstar.com Trainee





MILF declares Kato band ‘lost command’

by Aquiles Zonio

Inquirer Mindanao


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Monday declared Ameril Ombra Kato and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters as a “lost command”, and said the renegade group was an “insignificant” force. “Until he returns to the fold of the MILF, he is a lost command,” Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF political affairs chief, said. Kato headed the MILF’s 105th Base Command based in Maguindanao but decided to separate from the main rebel group over disagreements on the handling of the peace process and for allegedly abandoning him in the aftermath of the 2008 violence that escalated after the government failed to sign the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD). In December last year, he formalized his separation from the MILF and announced the formation of the BIFF. Jaafar said the MILF repeatedly tried, but failed to convince Kato to return to its fold. He said that by defying the directive for him to follow the chain of command, Kato and his men have been declared a lost command. Jaafar said the existence of Kato and his group could not affect the ongoing peace process. “No, he is not. His group is insignificant,” he said. But Moro National Liberation Front leader Nur Misuari said President Aquino was dealing with a fragmented MILF and any peace agreement reached with it would have virtually no effect. “A big number of the military component of the MILF has already abandoned the leadership of Murad [Ebrahim],” Misuari said by phone last week. He said Kato was not the only one who seceded from the MILF. He said there was also the group of Alim Mibantas of Butig in Lanao del Sur. Another group in the Liguasan Marsh, whose leader he identified only as Sawab, has left the present leadership, Misuari said. “Dealing with the MILF for a peace deal will not solve the problem (in Mindanao), in fact it will only aggravate the situation,” Misuari said. Meanwhile, Jaafar said the violence that recently erupted in Maguindanao, which has already claimed the lives of more than a dozen combatants, was not MILF-instigated. He said it was also not an MILF action against BIFF forces. Jaafar said the fighting, stemming from a land conflict, started when a commander of the BIFF attacked the area of the commander of the MILF’s 106th Base Command in Datu Piang. The clashes eventually affected the nearby villages of Liong, Alunganen and Balanakan and has triggered massive evacuations, he said. Jaafar said the MILF, in coordination with the International Monitoring Team, was trying to bring the fighting groups into a truce.





Aquino draws appreciation from NGCP

by mb.com.ph


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines (PIA) – National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) president and chief executive officer Henry T. Sy, Jr. expressed his gratitude to President Aquino for recognizing that the proposal of some local government units (LGUs) to tax transmission lines passing through their municipalities will adversely affect consumers.

In his State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) last July 25, Aquino stated that some municipalities were trying to impose tax on electricity transmission lines traversing their areas.

While the move may augment local funds, the President pointed out that this will only lead to higher electricity rates, which will then be shouldered by the Filipino people.

Sy welcomed the call of the President for LGUs to balance the interests of its constituencies and the nation as a whole.

“This shows that the Philippine government is keen on providing reasonable electricity rates for the country,” Sy said. “We are thankful for the efforts of President Aquino and the Department of Energy to champion the interest of the power consumers,” he added.

Sy said the NGCP shall continue to provide fair and reliable transmission services to its power consumers.

Among NGCP’s recently completed projects this year are the installation of power shunt reactors at Kadampat and San Jose Substations, the North Luzon Transmission Line Rehabilitation, the Northern Panay Backbone Transmission Project, and the Sangali-Zamboanga (Pitogo) 138-kiloVolt Transmission Line.

The NGCP remains committed to “the straight path” envisioned by the President and strongly supports Aquino’s advocacy towards efficient and transparent governance for all Filipinos, said Sy.

Coast Guard sets probe of ship collision off Sarangani

by Allen V. Estabillo |


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/13 August) – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will convene a Special Board of Marine Inquiry (SBMI) next week to investigate the sinking of a cargo vessel off the Sarangani Bay last Tuesday night following a collision with a foreign container carrier. Commodore Eduardo Gongona, commander of PCG’s Southeastern Mindanao District, said the SBMI will mainly look deeper into the circumstances behind the collision of the sunken domestic cargo vessel M/V Bulk Carrier 1 and the Liberian-flagged M/V HS Puccini near the coasts of Maasim town in Sarangani province at 7:45 p.m. last Tuesday. Two crew members of M/V Bulk Carrier 1 were killed while 21 others were rescued following the collision, which happened seven nautical miles off the Tampuan Point in Maasim. “We will summon all parties involved and gather testimonies and other available evidences from various witnesses so we can appropriately determine and evaluate what really happened and what caused the collision,” Gongona said. The official said they will specifically determine whether the collision was accidental or not and the possible liability of any of the officers and crew members of the two vessels. Gongona said he already ordered the detention of M/V HS Puccini pending the conduct of the SBMI investigation at the PCG headquarters in Davao City. He earlier rejected a request for clearance from representatives of M/V HS Puccini to allow the Monrovia, Liberia-registered ship to leave the Makar Wharf here. “We can’t just issue a clearance for the vessel after what happened here. It’s our responsibility to hold or detain the ship in favor of the government,” Gongona said. M/V Bulk Carrier 1, which originated at the Makar Wharf here, was en route to Dumaguete City carrying 16,000 bags of corn grits from Sultan Kudarat province when the incident happened. The vessel is owned by Cebu City-based firm Polsa Shipping Lines. M/V HS Puccini, which is operated by shipping firm American President Lines, came from Hong Kong and was initially expected to arrive here late Tuesday night after making a stop in Davao City. M/V Bulk Carrier 1 skipper Capt. Pedrito Serencio initially blamed the incident on the officers and crewmen of M/V HS Puccini who allegedly miscalculated its nautical path. But he admitted that the incident happened at the height of heavy rains that caused them to cruise at zero visibility. Meantime, PCG officials here are currently confirming reports that M/V Bulk Carrier 1’s chief engineer Juanito Minoy, who was one of the two crewmen who were reported killed during the collision, had survived and is currently in Davao City. Serencio, who was among the six M/V Bulk Carrier 1 crewmen who were confined at a private hospital here, told reporters Friday that he received a call from their manager informing him that Minoy was alive. “Our manager in Cebu called me saying he was informed by Minoy’s wife confirming that he was alive and was now in Davao City,” he said in the vernacular. “It’s confirmed because it’s my manager who called me,” Serencio added. But Commander Roy Echeverria, PCG station chief here, said they could not yet confirm the matter as they have not yet seen nor talked to Minoy in person. Minoy and apprentice engineer Edward Paler, who went missing following the collision, were earlier declared dead by the PCG after their surviving crewmates confirmed that they were trapped inside M/V Bulk Carrier 1’s engine room when it sank along the Sarangani Bay last Tuesday night. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)





Mosquito traps deployed to fight dengue in Central Mindanao

by Aquiles Z. Zonio

Inquirer Mindanao


GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Some 8,000 anti-mosquito devices called ovicidal-larvicidal traps have been distributed in some areas of Central Mindanao in a bid to prevent the rise of dengue, the Department of Science and Technology said. Zenaida Laidan, DOST regional director, said during the opening of the National Science and Technology Week celebration at the Phela Convention Center here on Thursday that the traps were made with local technology. The mosquito trap was developed by researchers from the Industrial Technology Development Institute of the DOST. The trap’s main feature is a piece of wood that looks like an ice cream bar stick saturated with an organic solution, which is placed upright in the container. Laidan said this was where the mosquitoes deposit their eggs. The black color of the container attracts the mosquitoes and the fumes of the solution kill the eggs and larvae, she said. Laidan said laboratory tests were conducted before the traps were fielded and results showed that the devices were as effective as other methods, without the high cost. Laidan said an OL-trap may last up to two months, outliving a generation of mosquitoes, which have a lifespan of only one month. The recipients of the locally invented traps were the villages of Calumpang and Fatima in General Santos; Alabel town in Sarangani; Tupi town in South Cotabato; and the villages of Cannery Site, Pagalungan and Poblacion in Polomolok town, also in South Cotabato; and Zone 3 in Koronadal City. The Department of Health regional office said that because of the onset of the rainy season, all medical facilities had been placed on alert in anticipation of more dengue cases. “The number of dengue cases usually goes up during the onset of the rainy season,” Jenelyn Ventura, Region 12 health education officer, said. But Ventura noted that there has been no increase in dengue cases so far in the region, which covers the provinces of South Cotabato, Sarangani, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. On the contrary, she said that compared with the dengue cases monitored from January to July last year, there has been a decrease this year. Citing DoH-12 data, Ventura said that for the first half of the year, only 1,192 dengue cases were recorded with 11 deaths. This, she said, was 83 percent lower than a year ago.





GenSan shedding off ‘Tuna Capital’ tag

by Bong S. Sarmiento


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/12 August) — If she can have her way, Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio would rather drop this city’s tag as the “Tuna Capital of the Philippines”. Custodio, speaking to around 700 participants in Thursday’s opening ceremony for the regional celebration of the National Science and Technology Week, did not mention the moniker that made the city famous in the national and international tourism and trade circuit. “A City by the Bay,” Custodio said in her welcome remarks, repeating this later with a smile. An aide of the mayor, Edgar Cadiente, said it was a tack “to wean the city from the famous” tag that basically triggered local economic activities two decades ago. “There’s more to tuna in GenSan, and we’re going beyond that,” Cadiente said on the phone, noting the “Tuna Capital of the Industry” tag has already made its mark.

The executive assistant stressed the branding that the local government would like to emphasize and be successful is the slogan “Magandang GenSan: Beyond the City by the Bay,” which also promotes the ecotourism and other trade potentials of the city. For many years already, the city has celebrated the weeklong tuna festival every September as a tribute to the industry that fuelled the growth of the locality as the economic hub of the Southwestern Mindanao region. Six of the country’s seven tuna canneries have been operating in this city, providing employment to tens of thousands of workers. As the tuna festival is approaching, the local tuna industry is facing difficulties, with John Heitz, an American tuna trader, blaming overfishing on declining tuna stocks, particularly fresh large tuna used in sashimi dishes. Data from the local office of the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority showed that the volume of fresh and frozen tuna stocks dropped last year by about 1.5 percent to 98,276,518 kilograms (kg) from 99,733,827 kg in 2009. In 2010, foreign fishing vessels brought in 70,529,547 kg from 72,557,820 the previous year, while tuna caught by local fishing companies account for about 15% of the total annual unloading, the PFDA data showed. Purse seine fishing has been banned by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission in pockets of the high seas in the Pacific Ocean since last year. The ban ends in December 2011. The move aims to allow tuna fish stocks to replenish. Purse seine fishing catches are the ones mainly used by local tuna canneries for their operation. The ban, however, excludes hand line, a fishing method that employs hook-and-line fishing to catch large tuna stocks. (Bong Sarmiento/MindaNews)





2 missing, 21 rescued in sea collision

by Serafin N. Ramos Jr./Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex


GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) plucked 21 crewmembers of a cargo ship that collided with a container ship off this city Tuesday night. Two crewmembers were missing and presumed dead.

Two crewmembers of the ill-fated M/V Bulk Carrier 1, which collided with M/V HS Puccini amid heavy downpour and zero visibility, are still unaccounted for and were presumed dead as crewmen said the two were sucked in by water from the engine room as the Bulk Carrier sank.

"Our (PCG) personnel are there. They intercepted the oil slick off Eslomi village in Maasim," said Commander Roy Echeverria, PCG-Southeastern Mindanao acting deputy commander.

"Initially they sprayed dispersant to minimize the volume na makarating sa shoreline (of oil that reaches the shore)," he added.

The scene of the mishap is approximately 3.5 to 4 nautical miles southwest off Matil Pt. in Barangay Lumatil, Maasim, Sarangani indicating strong sea current conditions, said Sarangani Governor Miguel Rene Dominguez.

The PCG earlier reported to the governor the collision occurred around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, involving foreign container vessel M/V HS Puccini (Monrovia) skippered by Capt. Marko Kralj and the 48-meter MV Bulk Carrier 1.

M/V HS Puccini, which came from Hong Kong, collided with the domestic cargo vessel, which was sailing from General Santos City en route to Dumaguete City.

M/V Bulk Carrier 1, loaded with 16,000 bags of rice, sank in just 30 minutes after the collision, the PCG said.

Sixteen crewmembers of the sunken vessel, six of them injured, were rescued by M/V HS Puccini and three other vessels while five survivors were able to swim ashore to Tinoto, Sarangani.

It was M/V Bulk Carrier 1 master, Capt. Pedrito Serencio, who said there was little chance for the two missing crewmembers to have survived the sinking.

The two were identified as chief engineer Juanito Minoy and apprentice engineer Edward Paler. They were on duty in the engine room at the time of the incident.

Responding PCG personnel earlier observed a fuel spill, estimated to be around two hectares, at the vicinity of the collision site.

However, Echeverria told Sarangani Vice Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon that the oil slick has only been estimated to be around 600 square meters as of noon Wednesday.

PCG personnel were in the area with spill booms and oil spill containment and recovery materials to observe, monitor and combat the spillage, Echeverria said.

The M/V Bulk Carrier 1 master told reporters as he and his rescued crewmembers arrived at Makar Wharf at noon Wednesday that "the bigger vessel hit the side of our vessel, our engine room."

"We heard no siren. There was zero visibility. I did not see any light," Serencio said. "Some of my men panicked. Others were thrown overboard by the impact."

Serencio, who was on duty at the bridge, said there was heavy downpour.

"The marine vessel was trying to veer away from something but it hit us instead. I heard the siren two seconds before impact," he said. "Our vessel almost flipped over. It was good the marine vessel made a hard starboard."

He said his chief engineer and apprentice engineer had no chance of surviving because they were trapped in the engine room.

MV HS Puccini, a Superferry, Solid Lines, and Ernesto 1 vessels searched for over two hours but they did not find the missing crew, Serencio said.

"We need divers to recover their bodies," Serencio said.

The 21 rescued crewmembers arrived at Makar Wharf aboard a Coast Guard vessel at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The injured were rushed by ambulance to a General Santos City hospital.

"We later found out early this morning that five were able to swim ashore," Serencio added.

Vice Governor Solon said, "We have to find out what the liabilities are so we leave that to the Coast Guard to investigate."

Solon said the PCG, Philippine Navy and Barangay Defense Forces were "all moving together" to monitor and contain the oil slick.

Echeverria said that "while being investigated, we'll be requesting for M/V HS Pucchini to be detained here in Gensan."

"We don't see anymore any reason to continue the search and rescue operation," Echeverria said.





2 missing in Sarangani sea mishap

by Serafin Ramos


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 10, 2011) – Two crew members of a Philippine cargo ship were reported missing and 21 others rescued after their vessel collided with a container ship in the southern Philippines, officials said on Wednesday.

The collision occurred off Maasim town in Sarangani province late Tuesday during a bad weather. Most of the rescued crew members were taken to General Santos City on Wednesday as search for the missing seamen continues.

The Coast Guard said the cargo ship MV Bulk Carrier 1, which was carrying 16,000 bags of rice, sank off Matil Point, about 4 nautical miles southwest of Maasim town, after colliding with the Monrovian ship MV HS Puccini.

The MV HS Puccini, skippered by Captain Marko Kralj, came from Hong Kong; while the ill-fated ship under Captain Pedrito Serencio, was enroute to Dumaguete City from General Santos City.

Serencio said: “We heard no siren. There was zero visibility. I did not see any light. Some of my men panicked. Others were thrown overboard by the impact.”

The missing crew men were identified as chief engineer Juanito Minoy and apprentice engineer Edward Paler. They were on duty in the engine room at the time of the incident.




Dengue deaths in R-12 now 11

by Allen V. Estabillo

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/08 August) – The number of confirmed deaths due to dengue fever in Region 12 or Southwestern Mindanao continued to rise in the past several weeks and has reached 11 as of end-July. Jane Ventura, health education officer of the Department of Health (DOH)-Region 12, said the agency’s regional epidemiology and surveillance unit (RESU) reported that dengue cases in the region from January to July this year has so far reached 1,192, increasing by 510 cases since the onset of the rainy season in early June. She said the total number of dengue cases have gone down by 83 percent compared to last year but the confirmed deaths have almost doubled in just about a month or from six cases last June 25 to 11 cases as of the last week of July. In seven months last year, DOH-12 recorded 7,143 cases of dengue and at least 30 related deaths. Region 12 covers the provinces of North Cotabato, South Cotabato Sarangani, and Sultan Kudarat and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan, and Cotabato. “We may have made significant improvements in terms of the total dengue incidence this year but we still can’t afford to relax or be complacent,” Ventura said in a radio interview Monday. South Cotabato posted the highest dengue incidence in the region as of end-July with 391 followed by North Cotabato with 245, General Santos City with 233, Sarangani with 138, Cotabato City with 134 and Sultan Kudarat with 51. In terms of dengue deaths, General Santos City topped the list with eight followed by Sarangani with two and South Cotabato with one. In the same period last year, General Santos City only recorded two confirmed deaths due to dengue complications. Ventura said they have continued with their intensified campaign against dengue in the region, especially on the strict observance of the agency’s 4-S strategy. 4-S stands for search and destroy, self-protection measures, seek early consultation and say no to indiscriminate fogging. Ventura said residents should watch out for impounded water in gutters, idle water containers, tires and water catchment facilities. “The dengue-carrying mosquitoes usually breed in clean or clear waters such as those in vases and other water containers and catchments found in households and in the surroundings,” she said. Ventura said they are also expanding the distribution of anti-dengue treated mosquito nets to elementary and high schools in the region. She said they earlier piloted the initiative in at least 33 schools and is now preparing for its expansion to 14 other schools in the region. Late last month, DOH 12 and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) launched the distribution of Ovicidal/Larvicidal or OL mosquito traps to help reduce the population of dengue-carrying mosquitoes in areas that have posted rising cases of dengue infection. The mosquito OL trap system, which was developed by the DOST’s Industrial Technology Development Institute, is a simple device that helps reduce the number of the dengue-carrying female Aedes aegypti mosquito by trapping and eventually killing its eggs through Ovicidal-Larvicidal treatment. DOST officials said the mosquito OL trap system, which was launched earlier this year, has shown favorable results in terms of controlling the population of the female Aedes aegypti based on laboratory and field tests that it had conducted. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)

Pinol to PNoy on meeting Murad: Go ahead; for peace, protocol be damned

by Carolyn O. Arguillas


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/06 August) – For peace, protocol be damned. Former North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Pinol, once dubbed as the “number one obstacle to the Bangsamoro peace process,” said he was “surprised but not scared” when he learned of President Aquino’s meeting Thursday night in Japan with Moro Islamic Liberation Front chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim but urged the public to support the President because the search for peace “must not be hostaged by formalities and protocols.” “Let us throw to the wastebasket of Philippine history all of those formalities and diplomatic protocols which have encumbered the search for peace in the Southern Philippines. There are many ways and methods in solving a conflict and we should give President Aquino the flexibility to do things he believes should be undertaken to achieve the objective,” Pinol said in an e-mailed statement. “Let us all be comfortable with the thought that this President, however simplistic his view of governance is, possesses no insatiable desire for money, or craves for more years in power,” he said. Pinol said there are varied reactions to the President’s meeting with Murad, but while he may have violated diplomatic protocols by talking directly to a rebel leader, “the frank eyeball-to-eyeball meeting shows that President Aquino is committed to bring the conflict in the South, which has stunted the growth of the region and caused untold miseries to the people, to a peaceful end.” “Christian leaders in Mindanao, who in all modesty look up to me as their champion in defending the Christian population’s position in the negotiations, have frantically texted me asking if President Aquino, has betrayed us?” Pinol said, adding his response was, “Relax. Let’s give him an elbow room in handling this problem.” Pinol was governor of North Cotabato from 1998 to 2007 and vice governor of North Cotabato from 2007 to 2010. In 2008, he led local government units in going to the Supreme Court to stop the government peace panel from signing the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) with the MILF. The Supreme Court issued a TRO on August 4, 2008, the eve of the formal signing of the already initialed agreement. He said Aquino, was one of the key leaders of the LP then and “there are still pictures in the internet showing him seated beside former Senator Mar Roxas, Senator Franklin Drilon and myself as we waged the campaign against what he said was a “secretive” signing of the document which Pinol said “would have established a semi-independent Islamic State embracing almoost half of the Island of Mindanao.” He said President Aquino’s attitude on the peace process “is that of a Big Brother who would like to bring conflicting parties to an honest tete-a-tete, much like squabbling kids who are brought together and asked: ‘Hey, what’s your problem?’” He said this was what was lacking in the previous administration’s peace effort which was “too formal and bound by diplomatic protocols and formalities that it hardly moved forward.” But Pinol said the Aquino administration must keep in mind what he said were two important positions embraced by the majority of the Mindanawons: “No Islamic sub-state and no expansion of the autonomous area. There is no point expanding a region which is the poorest in the country and where governance is marked by massive corruption and creating a sub-state on the basis of religion could raise another Constitutional question;” and “Socio-economic solutions must be emphasized over political arrangements and accommodations. No amount of peace agreements could assure that there will be an end to the conflict in Mindanao if the Muslims continue to wallow in poverty and deprivation, if they are not able to send their children to school and if they are not given the services due them as citizens of this Republic.” Pinol said the MILF listed him as its “Most Hated Filipino Politician” and claimed that in the last elections, when he sought to regain the governorship of North Cotabato, he received Zero votes in areas controlled or influenced by the rebel group. Pinol, a member of the Nationalist Peoples Coalition, supported Aquino’s Presidential bid in 2010. He now writes a political and sports column for The Manila Times newspaper and is actively involved in Philippine professional boxing and farming. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)

Police privilege

by Joseph Jubelag


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines — The police regional command has provided special privilege to all Muslim police officers to take a leave of absence during the observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan which started August 1.

Chief Supt. Benjardi Mantele, regional police director for Central Mindanao, said that all Muslim personnel assigned with the Police Regional Office 12 (PRO-12) are given the special leave privilege to observe the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

“It is a simple gesture of respect and consideration for this important Muslim tradition, which is the true essence of religious freedom, guaranteed by the state as a sovereign right of every peace-loving Filipino,” Mantele said.

Salmon processing facility inaugurated in General Santos City

by Aquiles Z. Zonio

Inquirer Mindanao


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—The Philippine’s first and the Asia’s newest—if not most modern—salmon and seafood processing and smoking facility was inaugurated here on Tuesday. The P60-million facility is operated by Big Glory Bay Salmon and Seafood Company, Inc., a joint venture between Prime Foods NZ Ltd. (PFNZ) and Alliance Select Foods International, Inc. (ASFII). PFNZ is the second-largest smoked salmon processor in New Zealand while ASFII is the leading tuna canner in the Philippines. ASFII (formerly Alliance Tuna International, Inc.) operates two canning plants here supplying pre-packaged tuna products to more than 55 countries. Six out of seven tuna canneries in the Philippines are located in this southern seaport. The smoked salmon facility, which has a capacity of processing two tons of salmon daily, is located right inside the ASFII tuna canning plant in the coastal village of Tambler. This allows BGB access to existing management, engineering, maintenance facilities and staff. It is targeting Australia, Asia and Europe as markets for its products. No less than New Zealand Ambassador Andrew Matheson and General Santos Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio led the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Custodio said the entry of Big Glory Bay was timely as it will help provide impetus to the local economy, especially since the tuna industry has suffered setbacks recently in the form of low tuna catch and rising fuel costs. Custodio said the fishing industry was no longer the backbone of the local economy due to overfishing and climate change. Teresita Ladanga, executive vice president and chief operations officer of ASFII, said the city’s business-friendly environment was the main reason why this group of investors decided to come here. “This group of international businessmen from the US, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and the Philippines would not be here were it not for the business-friendly environment afforded by the city,” Ladanga said.

‘Pacman’ leads groundbreaking for Sarangani hospital

by Bong S. Sarmiento

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/01 August)—World boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao on Monday led the groundbreaking ceremony for a multi-million medical facility under the public-private partnership (PPP) initiative of President Benigno S. Aquino III. The 200-bed tertiary medical facility in Alabel town will be the first for Sarangani, and was one of Pacquiao’s campaign promises to the constituents of the 18-year-old province. Late last year, the boxer-politician disclosed that Aquino committed P200 million for the construction of a provincial hospital. The Development Bank of the Philippines is funding the hospital project under the Credit for Better Health Care Program, according to a project brief. It shall be called the Sarangani Medical Center. Sarangani Gov. Miguel Rene Dominguez assisted Pacquiao and Department of Health officials during the groundbreaking rites at the capitol compound. The establishment and running of the hospital will be made possible through PPP arrangements, well in keeping with a policy cornerstone of President Aquino, a statement from the Sarangani information office said. The conception and eventual construction and operation of the new hospital is the result of unparalleled initiative and cooperation at all levels of government, it said. Envisioned as a key project, the state-of-the-art hospital is expected to remain highly accessible and, by relying on private sector management expertise, will provide appropriate care efficiently to all patients-in-need. In particular, better medical management can be provided for sick children, complicated obstetric cases, and other patients with dire illnesses thereby contributing to the DOH‘s and the country’s commitment to addressing key U.N. Millennium Development Goals, the statement said. The bringing together of the concerned government and private parties, in particular, is the culmination of a series of extensive consultations made possible by the program. It is hoped that the Sarangani Medical Center will be the first of many PPP engagements that will effectively address the urgent deficiencies of the country’s health sector. The United Architects of the Philippines, which is supporting the PPP program, drafted the architectural design of the medical center. (Bong Sarmiento/MindaNews)

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