Zamboanga City News November 2013

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Zamboanga City - Archived News

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.
Limpapa Beach.JPG
Limpapa Beach

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.

Zambo mayor leads mass oath-taking of barangay officials

By R.G. Antonet A. Go [(PNA), CTB/TPGJR/RGAAG/RSM]

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 30 (PNA) -– Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar told this city’s 98 barangay chairmen and 686 barangay councilmen to serve as the first responders in time of disasters or any eventualities in their respective barangays.

Salazar relayed her message Saturday as she spearheaded the mass oath-taking of the newly-elected and re-elected barangay officials in a ceremony held at the Mayor Vitaliano Agan Coliseum in the city.

“I like you to be the first responders in any eventuality in the barangay because with the crisis that has happened in the city of Zamboanga, we always look up to the barangay officials since you are in the forefront in rendering service,” Salazar said.

She also enjoined them to assist the city government in helping Zamboanga City build back better after it was recently infiltrated by Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels.

“I hope that you will hold dearly the vote the people have given you this is the mandate of the people of the barangay,” she said.

The oath-taking ceremony started with a briefing of the functions and responsibilities of the barangay officials by City Director Mohammad Taha Arakama, of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The city government has also awarded certificates of recognition to the barangay chairmen who have served for three terms for their services to the people.

First district Rep. Celso Lobregat and second district Rep. Lilia Nuño also gave their messages followed by the oath taking.

The oath-taking ceremony was witnessed by the city councilors, both from the first district and second district.

Health official announces P240-M modern cancer center to rise in Zambo City

(PNA), FFC/TPG/R.G. ANTONET A. GO/PJN

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 29 (PNA) -- A P240-million modern cancer center is set to be constructed next year at the compound of the government-run Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) here.

ZCMC Chief of Hospital Dr. Romeo Ong announced Friday that the new cancer center will be built in a 2,000 square meters lot at the ZCMC compound.

Ong said the facility will be fully equipped with Computed Tomography (CT) Scan machine, cobalt, digital mammogram, and linear accelerator.

Ong said the Department of Health (DOH)-central office is set to conduct the bidding for the project next month and the construction will start next year.

It’s construction will be funded through private-public partnership (PPP), Ong said.

The construction of the facility at the ZCMC compound will bring to eight the number of cancer centers in the country.

Ong said the ZCMC was chosen to be the site of the cancer center since it is strategically located in the region.

The center, once operational, could serve patients not only from the Zamboanga Peninsula but also from the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi Tawi, which are part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Ong said the construction of a cancer center in this city will be advantageous “because those who have cancer will no longer have to go to Cebu or Manila to be treated” and it is cheaper because ZCMC is a government-owned hospital.

Week of Peace 2013 reels off in Zambo

(PNA), JBP/TPGJR/PR/JSD

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 28 (PNA) -- The city will once again celebrate the annual Week of Peace for the 19th year with a “Solidarity Prayer” to be held at Paseo del Mar at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, November 28.

The prayer rally deviates from the celebration’s usually massively-participated opening parade, which the sponsor Interreligious Solidarity for Peace (ISP) decided to forego due to the continuing adverse repercussions of the September 9 Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) siege, ISP lead convenor Claretian priest Fr. Angel Calvo said in a statement.

“This year’s 19th annual Week of Peace celebration from November 28 to December 5, 2013 comes with extraordinary relevance, urgency and meaningfulness. The people of our beloved City of Zamboanga are still gripped in the emotional and social trauma, anger and disbelief brought about by the September 9, 2013 attack on our city by Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels,” ISP said in a statement released earlier.

Calvo invited city residents to join the rally to show their support for the quick recovery of peace and security here.

He said public demonstration will motivate government agencies and other sectors to hasten all efforts to bring back normalcy in the city.

The ISP has said the challenges to peace and security has “become as colossal as it is now, though far from being insurmountable. For the truly courageous of heart, this challenge but presents an opportunity to start a new beginning and journey for a new Zamboanga Hermosa.”

The Zamboanga-Basilan Integrated Development Alliance, Inc. (ZABIDA), an non-government organization (NGO) which Calvo heads, earlier organized several local civil society groups into a task force called RE-UNIDOS to harmonize their efforts to assist victims of the conflict.

The ISP in its statement had urged government “to immediately rehabilitate the thousands of destituted, displaced and generally neglected families especially those whose houses were burned (and) for all sectors of local society involved in the rehabilitation and healing of affected residents and their communities to harmonize their efforts to achieve efficiency and speed.”

Aside from the “Solidarity Prayer,” the Week’s celebration will include a “8th Anniversary Celebration of National Sama-Badjao Movement” (Nov. 28), “Youth Peace Assembly” (Nov. 29), “Historical Journey to Mariki” (Nov. 30), “In solidarity-Journey of Prayers and Healing” to Taluksangay and “Peace Forum: Peace in Mindanao” (Dec. 2), celebrations in schools and barangays (Dec. 3) and culminating with “Regatta de Paz” and “Cultural Peace Festival” (Dec. 4).

“We urge schools, communities and organizations to initiate and conduct their own Week of Peace activities to stimulate and sustain our multi-track journeys to peace and security. Let this year’s celebration shed much-needed light on the indispensability of peace, to grant us the strength to triumph over the crisis and for God to hear our plea: “Lord, Heal Our Land!,” the ISP has also said.

The celebration of this year’s Week of Peace and themed: “Lord, Heal Our Land.”

The event is also be celebrated throughout Mindanao, Fr. Calvo said.

DENR partners with LGUs on land titling in Zamboanga Peninsula

(PNA), LOR/TPGJR/FELINO M. SANTOS/UTB

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 27 (PNA) -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will partner with local government units (LGUs) to fast-track the adjudication and issuances of land titles to occupants, particularly farmers here in Zamboanga Peninsula.

DENR Regional Information Officer Roservirico Tan said the LGUs can provide invaluable assistance to DENR field offices in terms of resources, logistics and general knowledge of existing conditions in their respective areas.

Tan said DOA No. 2011-06 mandates the involvement of LGUs in the land titling program and has been considered a milestone in the devolution of the program to the local level.

Tan said the LGU will be authorized to facilitate the titling of lands through an ordinance creating a local titling program, a titling office and adjudication teams.

The ordinance will be a pre-requisite for an LGU to avail assistance from the DENR field office and shall include provisions for manpower and other resources.

Tan said LGUs are also encouraged to create a land information office.

The office will facilitate exchange of information, reconciliation and reconstruction of data from different local offices and national agencies in support of the land titling program of the government.

Special barangay election in Zambo peaceful, says CIO

By Michael Vincent D. Cajulao (PIA9)

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The special barangay election held here yesterday was generally peaceful, City Information Officer Sheila Covarrubias reported.

The Crisis Management Council (CMC) thanked the security forces both from the police and the military for ensuring the peaceful conduct of the election.

Covarrubias noted that the only problem encountered during yesterday’s balloting was the missing names of some voters.

“Except for some minor incidents and perennial snags during elections, voting in Zamboanga City was generally peaceful,” she said.

Mr. Edgardo A. Falcatan, principal of Boalan Elementary School, said the election would have been much smoother if they were furnished the master list of voters.

“There are some voters who complained because they can’t find their names in the list. While some are persistent and asked us for help, some became impatient and went home without voting. But other than that, we have a smooth election,” Falcatan said.

Other board of election supervisors from neighboring barangays also aired the same observation. Some, however, were fortunate as volunteers from Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) helped them find the names of the voters.

Police Regional Office 9 Information Officer C/Supt. Ariel Huesca also affirmed that election was peaceful.

The CMC also expressed gratitude to the teachers and volunteers who rendered services and contributed to the smooth conduct of the election.

As of this morning, winners from 76 out of the 98 barangays in the city were already proclaimed. Tallying is still continuing and is expected to be finished today.

City gov’t, UN-OCHA hold media orientation in Zambo

(PNA), LAP/TPGJR/PR/UTB

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 25 (PNA) –- Members of the local media including information officers of vital agencies and select campus journalists and instructors took part in a day-long orientation/training Saturday, November 23, designed to familiarize participants on the dynamics of communicating with disaster-affected communities.

Organized by the City Government and the Communication with Disaster Affected Communities Working Group (CWG) in coordination with the UN-Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), the media orientation specifically tackled about humanitarian coordination system and humanitarian principles; local government rehabilitation plans and current efforts; gender-based violence, child protection and protection against sexual abuse and exploitation and reporting stories on vulnerable children.

Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar led the list of resource speakers that also included representatives from the International humanitarian organization such as the UN-OCHA, United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Save the Children Zamboanga Emergency Response.

Salazar thanked the members of the media for their support and cooperation to the city’s efforts, as she cited the very essential role played by the private media at the height of the crisis and even after the crisis.

Wouter De Cuyper, OCHA OIC-Zamboanga Office underscored the importance of the media orientation in the pursuit for a coordinated and synergized communication and information mechanism in the Zamboanga crisis.

The 30 participants represented the various media outfits and correspondents group in the city including information officers from the police, military and other vital national government agencies and select campus journalists and professors from the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Western Mindanao State University and the Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College.

Most participants found the orientation very enlightening, informative and one experience that would serve as their guide in their daily news gathering and reporting routine.

The CWG works with a committed cross-sector Communication with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) approach in order to establish a well-coordinated communication mechanism supporting all the humanitarian actors.

The CWG brings together all actors working in communications and those directly engaged in communicating with internally displaced persons (IDPs).

CWG partners include the City Government Communication Team, Philippine Information Agency Regional office, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Humanitarian Country Team (UN agencies and the Philippine International Non-Government Organizations or the PINGON) and local implementing partners.

Comelec vows peaceful, orderly polls in Bohol, Zamboanga City

By Jerry E. Esplanada (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — All is set for Monday’s (Nov. 25) special barangay (village) elections in earthquake-devastated Bohol and battle-scarred and flood-ravaged Zamboanga City, according to the Commission on Elections.

The Comelec expressed confidence the elections would be “peaceful and orderly” in the two localities with a total of 1.2 million registered voters.

At the same time, Comelec urged voters in the 1,109 villages of Bohol and 98 villages of Zamboanga to “choose the best” of the 15,347 candidates for barangay chair and councilman.

Election Commissioner Grace Padaca noted that after going through natural and manmade disasters, the residents of the two places “need credible and efficient leaders more than ever.”

Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr., along with Padaca and Commissioner Al Parreño, will personally monitor the village elections in Zamboanga City, while Commissioners Lucenito Tagle and Elias Yusoph will do the same in Bohol province.

There are 799,089 registered voters in Bohol and 412,661 in Zamboanga City, according to Padaca.

In an e-mail, she told the Inquirer there were 1,488 candidates for punong barangay (barangay chair) and 10,929 for kagawad (barangay councilman) in the island province.

She said that in Zamboanga City, there were 291 candidates for barangay chair and 2,639 for barangay councilman.

Last week, both Padaca and Parreño told this paper the Comelec was “100 percent ready” and “all set” for the holding of Monday’s special barangay elections, with all voting paraphernalia and equipment “already in place.”

The regular barangay elections on Oct. 28 were postponed in Bohol after a magnitude-7.2 earthquake wrought great damage in the province on Oct. 16.

On the other hand, the elections in Zamboanga were reset following three weeks of gun battles between government forces and renegade members of the Moro National Liberation Front in September and the massive flooding that occurred afterward.

On Sunday, Comelec Commissioner Luie Guia said the “right to vote” of Bohol and Zamboanga citizens “is protected and assured.”

The Comelec “assured voters in the two areas of a peaceful and orderly conduct of the barangay elections,” Guia said in a text message.

Guia and Commissioner Robert Lim will monitor the elections from Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila.

Monday is a nonworking special holiday in the two places.

BSP-Zambo assures sufficient currency for Yuletide season

(PNA), SCS/TPG/R.G. ANTONET A. GO/PJN

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 23 (PNA) -- Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has assured that there will be sufficient supply of currency in this city during the coming Yuletide season.

BSP-Zamboanga Branch head Melodino Patiño issued the assurance since it is expected there would be increase in the circulation of currency as Christmas time is fast approaching.

“We planned ahead to make sure that there will be enough supply of money in circulation,” Patiño said.

He added that they expect withdrawals from the different banks in Zamboanga Peninsula during the holiday season to increase by P20 million a day from the average of P50 million to P70 million.

According to Patiño, among the peso bills they have readied for sufficient circulation are P20; P50; P100; P200; P500; and, P1,000.

He said one contributory factor to the increase of withdrawals and currency circulation during the Christmas season is the giving of newly-released or “crisp” peso bills as Christmas gifts.

Zambo recycles Christmas decors

(PNA), PDS/TPGJR/FELINO M. SANTOS/UTB

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 22 (PNA) -–The city government has started decorating city hall and key areas of this city using recycled decorative items to skimp on expenses this year.

The city government usually spends more than a million pesos yearly to festoon city hall with Christmas lights and lanterns during the Christmas season.

Recycled decorations and lanterns are also hanged along the isles of street leading to the airport and key tourists spots like the Paseo del Mar.

City Hall Information Officer Sheila Covarrubias said the city government had been preoccupied on humanitarian undertakings for the families displaced by the standoff last September and did not allocate funds to decorate this city.

Decorating city hall and other tourist spots for the Christmas season is the task of the General Services Offices (GSO).

3,000 families undergo ‘work for food’ training

By Vic Larato

At least 3,000 mostly fisher-farmer families affected by the 23-day siege last September are currently undergoing a “work for food” training under the auspices of the United Nations World Food Programme.

City Agriculturist Diosdado Palacat, focal person of the Emergency Livelihood Cluster of the Zamboanga City Early Recovery/Recovery Coordination Structure, said the “work for food” beneficiaries are mostly agar-agar farmers and fisher folks who lost their livelihood to the armed conflict.

“Some of these families were evacuees housed in the different evacuation centers while others were off the evacuation centers but were affected by the siege,” Palacat said.

Under the program, Palacat explained, the affected families are given trainings/jobs in exchange for food like rice. Each family is entitled to 7 kilos of rice a day and that will be given after a week’s work, which translates to 49 kilos of rice every week for each family. The program is good for three months.

Palacat further said the program already started Tuesday wherein the beneficiaries’ first job was cleaning up the debris in the coastal areas of the siege barangays of Rio Hondo, Mariki, Mampang and Arena Blanco.

“For the first day, we were able to collect hundreds of sacks full of debris that appeared like relief goods. With the program, we are hitting two birds with one stone; cleaning our environment at the same time helping the evacuees earn a living,” he said.

After the coastal cleanup, Palacat said, the identified families will be tasked to plant trees or mangrove propagules in the mangroves of Talon-Talon, Mampang, Mariki and Arena Blanco, which used to be the hideouts of the MNLF fighters at the height of the siege.

“Then, we will move to cleanup of the riverbanks in the affected barangays,” the city agriculturist said.

According to Palacat, the “work for food” program started with a proposal of his cluster to come up with an income-generating project for the evacuees at the evacuation centers and those off-evacuation centers.

“However, we need funding for this. So we submitted our proposal to the UN and other funding agencies, while waiting for the necessary funding of our proposal we tapped the UN World Food Programme for the ‘work for food’ program, but limited only to agri-fisher families,” Palacat explained.

PENRO calls candidates not to post campaign materials on trees

(PNA), PDS/TPGJR/R.G. ANTONET A. GO/UTB

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 20 (PNA) -–The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) has urged the candidates for the special barangay elections as well as their supporters to refrain from posting campaign materials on trees.

PENRO chief Carlito Tuballa made the call as the campaign period for the November 25 special barangay election in this city entered its sixth day on Wednesday.

The campaign period, which started last Friday, is set to end on Saturday, November 23.

Tuballa said posting campaign materials especially using nails may affect the veins and “this could cause the death of the trees.”

“They should avoid inflicting pain on trees since trees have lives,” Tuballa said.

He noted that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) prohibits the posting campaign materials on trees although there is now a law that penalizes candidates for such act.

He said they are planning to conduct inspections and remove campaign materials posted on trees.

The Comelec through en banc Resolution No. 9805 has scheduled in November 25 the holding of the special barangay election in this city instead of October 28 due to the standoff in September.

The standoff started when hundreds of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels infiltrated this city last September 9.

BSP, orphanage train orphans on disaster preparedness

(PNA), JBP/TPGJR/FELINO M. SANTOS/UTB

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 19 (PNA) -– A total of 70 orphans have undergone a two-day safety and disaster preparedness training in this city.

The training was jointly conducted last Saturday and Sunday by the local council of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) and St. Francis House (SFH) of orphanage at the SFH compound in Barangay Pasonanca, this city.

The children, housed at the SFH orphanage, are registered under the community scouting program of the BSP and Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP).

Volunteer Scoutmaster Jose Marie Bue spearheaded the two-day training as the training director.

Canadian priest Fr. Arthur Winikoff, founder-director and scouting institutional head of SFH, said the activity is very timely now that the Philippines is hit by natural and man-made disasters like earthquakes, typhoons, and war.

The SFH scouts were taught what to do in cases of natural and man-made disasters strike.

Simulation of such disasters followed after each demonstration and lecture.

“We're doing what scouting slogan (Always be Prepared) is all about. It's much better to be prepared always for such eventualities,” Bue said of the two-day training.

“Who knows these orphaned scouts could help save not only themselves but others’ lives as well,” he added.

PHL wins seat in International Federation of Red Cross-Red Crescent meet in Australia

(PNA), LAM/PTR/TPGJR/RGAAGO/UTB

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 18 (PNA) -– The Philippine Red Crosss (PRC) has won a seat in the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) governing board representing the Asia-Pacific Region.

PRC Zamboanga City chapter administrator, Victor Liozo, Jr. is representing the PRC in the seven-day biennial meeting of the Red Cross-Red Crescent in Australia which will wrap up Monday.

Liozo said Tadateru Konoe of Japan was re-elected for another four-year term as IFRC president.

The summit started November 12 and is set to end November 18 at the Sydney International Convention Center in Sydney, Australia. The next biennial meeting is scheduled to be held in 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland.

In a text message, Liozo said he was tasked to talk on the "Zamboanga siege" last September as part of the topic discussion on safer access.

He said the biennial meeting aims to discuss issues and concerns affecting the two organizations and "one of the concerns discussed was super typhoon Yolanda" that recently devastated several areas in the Visayas.

The biennial meeting which carries the theme, "The Power of Humanity," is being attended by more than 1,300 delegates coming from 189 Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.

The Philippine delegation is composed of 12 representatives -- 10 governors and two chapter administrators -- led by PRC national governor Corazon Alma de Leon.

PRC Chairman Richard Gordon and Secretary-General Gwendolyn Pang were supposed to head the Philippine delegation but did not join to oversee the humanitarian operation in typhoon-affected areas.

Mysterious relic surfaces from church ruins in Zambo conflict zone

By Dominic I. Sanchez (PIA9)

ZAMBOANGA CITY - The roofs, fixtures, and effigies of saints in Christ the King church at Martha Drive in barangay Sta. Catalina were destroyed during the height of the standoff between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) – Misuari faction fighters and government forces, but one mysterious artifact surfaced intact.

“After clearing the area, the military presented us with this,” said Villaflores, who showed the wooden image of Jesus Christ during the groundbreaking ceremony the other day for the rebuilding of the church.

“The statues of the saints were all destroyed, but this one was untouched.”

Villaflores shared that earlier, he had asked the pastoral council and the residents if they recognized the image, but they did not. Although it was not decided whether the image was part of the original ornaments in the church, the soldiers who cleared the area said that it was found near the altar, added Villaflores. The origin of the image remains a mystery.

The image was turned-over to the barangay BEC president Elsie Mallorca, which will now be part of the church ornaments when the rebuilding is complete.

The church will be rebuilt through the joint efforts of the city government of Zamboanga, the Archdiocese of Zamboanga and Environmental, Socio-Psychological, Economical and Religious Advancement of the Neo-Zamboangueños’ Aspirations, or ESPERANZA, an inter-faith volunteer group conceived during the height of the Zamboanga crisis which is dedicated to pursue the development goals of the multi-cultural and multi-religious sectors of the city.

Zamboecozone’s 2013 exports earnings reach US-M

By R. G. Antonet A. Go [(PNA), CTB/TPG/RGAAG/PJN]

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 16 (PNA) -- The Zamboanga Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (Zamboecozone) announced that its export earnings this year, although the yearned is still more than a month away, has already surpassed by million its million income in 2012.

Zamboecozone chairman and administrator Christopher Lawrence Arnuco made this announcement Saturday, citing the export earnings from January until November 11 this year already reaching US$ 3 million.

Arnuco said that the Zamboecozone’s export earnings last year amounted to only $ 1 million.

Arnuco said that half-a-million dollars of the total $ 3 million export earnings come from the production of rubber inside the economic zone.

Arnuco said the export earnings of Zamboecozone is expected to reach $ 4 million by the end of the year.

This year's earnings was attained through the marketing team of Zamboecozone, which is “is really reaching out and asking the locators what they need and how the office could serve them better.”

“With this positive development in the Ecozone, we do hope that we would have more export-oriented companies that will come to invest at the Zamboanga Ecozone,” he said.

Aside from rubber products, Arnuco said there are 15 locators inside the Zamboecozone that exports different products to include wigs, cattle fish, marine products and others.

The locators’ products are being shipped to Los Angeles and Boston in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Thailand.

Meanwhile, Arnuco said they are waiting for the decision of the Art Nature, a company engaged in the production of wig, whether they would expand the facilities they have at present inside Zamboecozone.

He said the Art Nature has been nominated for International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification.

“We are looking into making sure that the facilities inside the Ecozone, the workers that we have in Zamboanga, and the products that we produce are of international standards,” he said.

“Part of our marketing strategy is that all products that would reach the shores of U.S. and other parts of the world will be known to have come from the Philippines, mainly from Zamboanga Ecozone,” he said.

He said the city government is also expected to increase its earnings as the locators at the Ecozone pay here as well as buy raw materials locally.

CCC honored on 29th death anniversary

(FPG/DIS/PIA9-ZBST)

Mayor Ma. Isabelle G. Climaco-Salazar, heads of local government offices, national government agencies, the Philippine Air Force (PAF), the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) and the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) among others were one in commemorating here yesterday the 29th Dia Di Cesar Climaco (29th death anniversary of Mayor Cesar C. Climaco) in a simple program held in Abong-Abong Freedom Park.

Mayor Beng, who is the niece of Mayor Cesar, said that “Zamboanguenos should never forget the deeds of her uncle, who gave his life in the name of freedom and justice.” She added that “we should also remember and be grateful for the soldiers who gave their lives during the conflict in our city, and continue to pray for the people affected by the natural calamities in Bohol and Leyte.”

The former mayor’s son, Dr. Juni Climaco said: “I hope that the future generations would emulate the principles that my father had taught the Zamboanguenos and strive to remove corruption in all sectors of society.”

At 8 am, a mass was held at the Sta. Maria Church, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at Gov. Alvarez Avenue, the site where Mayor Cesar was assassinated.

The local government has lined up several activities for the event, including a poster-making contest for SPED students.

The “Childhood Memories of Zamboanga” written by Dr. Helen Mendoza was also launched in the City Hall lobby yesterday (November 14).

Mayor Cesar, remembered for his long, wispy white hair, was assassinated inspecting a fire ruins along Gov. Alvarez Avenue.

He was one of the staunch opposition leaders against the former president Ferdinand Marcos.

All set for ‘Juego na Zamboanga’

(PNA), LAP/TPGJR/R.G. ANTONET A. GO/UTB

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 14 (PNA) -– The Division Athletic Meet dubbed as “Juego na Zamboanga” will push through but will be held in different areas instead at the Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex.

This as the sports complex still houses thousands of people displaced by the standoff in September brought about by the infiltration of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels in this city.

Councilor Rogelio Valesco, Jr., chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Education, said the athletic competition between different education districts will be held from December 16 to 20 instead of the earlier schedule from November 15 to 20.

“We will be making use of the different school campuses,” Valesco said, citing the sports complex’s playing courts, track oval and baseball and softball fields were damaged due to the presence of the evacuees in the area.

He said the venues of the games are as follows: athletics and archery games, Don Pablo Lorenzo Memorial High School and Talisayan National High School; arnis, Maria Clara Lobregat Memorial High School; basketball and badminton, Ateneo de Zamboanga University; and, baseball, Mercedes National High School.

City Schools Division officer-in-charge Pedro Melchor Natividad said that all is set for the holding of the athletic event.

The Division Athletic Meet is aimed to select athletes who could represent this city in the Palarong Pambansa.

Census and tagging set for Badjaos displaced by Zambo standoff

(PNA), PDS/TPGJR/R.G. ANTONET A. GO/UTB

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 13 (PNA) -–The city government in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to conduct census and tagging of Badjao families to determine who among them were displaced by the standoff last September here.

City Planning and Development Coordinator Eng’r. Rodrigo Sicat said Wednesday they have received information that not all of the estimated 400 Badjao families staying on tents along R.T. Lim Boulevard are displaced by the standoff.

“We are going to do a census and tagging because we know for a fact they increase in number after the widespread flooding. They are not displaced by the standoff and they are just there to avail free shelter and food,” Sicat said.

“We need to do the census and tagging to determine where they came from,” Sicat added.

He said the census and tagging will be undertaken this week by the Housing and Land Management Division, City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) and DSWD.

He said the city government can delineate who among them are displaced by the standoff through the census and tagging.

He said those displaced by the standoff will be given assistance by the city government while those who are not will be sent home.

He disclosed the city government plans to relocate them to the vacant area in the Rio Hondo Elementary School campus, especially those whose children are studying in that school, to decongest the R.T. Lim Boulevard area.

The presence of the Badjaos along R.T. Lim Boulevard causes traffic congestion, as well as sanitary and security problem, according to Sicat.

The R.T. Lim Boulevard serves as one of the tourist attractions of this city but at present including locals shy away from the place because of the presence of the Badjao evacuees.

City sets 29th ‘Dia de Cesar’

By Claudine Uniana

The City Government has lined up a series of activities in celebration of the 29th Dia de Cesar, in remembrance of one of the city’s illustrious leaders.

The commemoration officially kicked off with a photo contest dubbed as “Zoom In: Who is Cesar Climaco Today?” that aims “to inspire a new generation of heroes, and to encourage Zamboanguenos to look for and see greatness in ordinary things.”

The competition, which will run from November 11-14, is open to all secondary and tertiary students who are bonafide residents of the city.

Participants must submit an original photograph which embodies the concept of Who is Cesar Climaco Today. Photo entries should be sent via email to zambocitygovt@gmail.com with the subject “Zoom In: Who is Cesar Climaco Today Photo Constest” along with the photographer/owner’s full name, complete contact details (address, telephone/mobile number, email address). The emails should also contain the photo’s title and caption which should be complete and accurate, sufficient to convey the circumstances in which the photograph was taken. Caption must be in 100 words or less.

Each participant may only send in one photo entry. Entries will be evaluated according to the following criteria: Relevance to the Theme (35%), Composition and Creativity (35%), and Clarity and Technical Quality (30%).

Five (5) winners will be selected who will receive cash prizes of P6,000, P4,000, P3,000, P2,000, and P1,000. In addition, winning entries will be featured on the official Beng Climaco Facebook page, the City Government website, the mayor’s and the city’s official Twitter accounts and the Beng Telemagazine Show.

For further details, interested parties may send their questions to zambocitygovt@gmail.com, or check the city government’s Facebook and/or Twitter accounts.

Aside from the photo contest, a painting competition will also be staged at 02:00 PM on November 13 at the Zamboanga City High School – Main Covered Court in Tetuan.

At 06:00 PM on the same date, a Boy Scouts Vigil will be held at the Climaco Freedom Park in Abong-Abong.

On November 14, a mass will be celebrated at the Our Lady of Purification Parish, Sta. Maria at 8:00 AM which will be followed with a memorial motorcade from the church to Abong-Abong at 9:15 A.M, ending with a commemorative program and wreath-laying ceremony at the Climaco Freedom Park.

At 4:00 PM, Dr. Helen Mendoza will launch her book, Childhood Memories of Zamboanga,” at the City Hall Lobby.

On November 15, young Zamboangueno leaders will converge at Centro Latino, Paseo del Mar for the 4th Cesar C. Climaco Young Leaders Assembly and the awarding ceremony of the Zoom-In: Who is Cesar Climaco Today Photo Competition.

Firm producing Cacao, rubber launched in ZC

By Dan Toribio Jr. (Correspondent)

The Olmecs Agri-business Solutions, Inc. that is engaged in planting and production of Cacao and rubber on Saturday launched their company in the city.

Former Zamboanga Sibugay Governor Rommel Jalosjos, company president and Shane Wright, Australian national and vice president led the launching held at a local hotel.

During the launching program, Jalosjos emphasized that the company is purely on business and no agenda on politics with the mission to help the city’s economy

A 10-hectare lot will be used by the company for its nursery of Cacao seedlings, while a 300-hectare lot owned by businessman Le Peng Wee will be the area for planting.in Barangay Tagasilay in the city’s east coast

Jalosjos explained that the putting up of the Cacao plantation can help boost the economy of the city and creat jobs for the jobless.

Olmecs is a tribe in Brazil which first planted Cacao and rubber several years ago.

The company president added that all the farmers or the laborers in the farm will have their share as he believes that the Olmecs cannot run without them (farmers).

Cacao is the main ingredient of any kinds of chocolate candies and chocolate drinks.

The launching was attended by several personalities like Pedro Rufo “Cholo” Soliven, president of the Zamboanga City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation Inc., Councilors Rudy Bayot and Rommel Agan.

The company will soon have a ground breaking ceremony of its plantation site in Tagasilay.


DSWD earmarks P73M for indigent elderly in Western Mindanao

By Antonio P. Rimando (Correspondent)

ZAMBOANGA CITY—The national government has earmarked for next year some P73 million as financial assistance for indigent elderly citizens who are 77 years old and older in Western Mindanao, also known as Zamboanga peninsula, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the region said.

DSWD Regional Director Zenaida Arevalo said to be eligible of the fund aid, poor elderly citizens should not be receiving any regular pension or support from their children or other relatives.

Arevalo said each eligible recipient shall receive a P500 monthly stipend to be given at the end of each quarter. This means the qualified indigent elderly shall be entitled to P1,500 every March, June, September and December starting in 2014.

For now, the distribution of the subsidy will be done over the counter by authorized municipal and city government personnel in the Western Mindanao provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay, and the cities of Zamboanga, Dipolog, Pagadian and Dapitan, Arevalo said.

She said the DSWD regional office has negotiated with provincial or city branches of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) to make the distribution more efficiently through cash cards for elderly citizens whose residences are accessible to LandBank branches inWestern Mindanao. Arevalo said authorized officials of local government units (LGU) in their provinces or cities will visit older citizens who are bedridden or physically handicapped and deliver the subsidy.

Arevalo said the DSWD regional office has earlier instructed its city and municipal social workers to conduct home visits to register the qualified elderly “because we are aware that many of our older elderly are incapable of traveling to claim their stipend.”

The DSWD regional chief said the agency’s National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) data show that Western Minadanao has at least 12,300 elderly aged 77 years old and over.

In answer to complaints by some LGU officials that not all indigent elderly in their locality were included in the list of recipients, Arevalo said in the event that qualified older people are not included, local officials should make an official report to the DSWD regional office, through its provincial offices, which will forward the complaint to the DSWD central office for inclusion of unlisted qualified older people in the list.

The NHTS-PR list is the basis for the appropriated funds downloaded to the LGUs as soon as they have verified the list, Arevalo said, adding that “we cannot tamper with the official list in the event you have discovered unlisted qualified senior citizens. The most we can do is to file for their inclusion at the central office.”

Arevalo said that as of last year, the DSWD appropriated P870,996,000 to cover 146,166 indigent but qualified recipients.

DTI-Zambo inspects business establishments

(PNA), LAP/TPG/R.G. ANTONET A. GO/PJN

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 9 (PNA) -- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) inspected stores Friday to ensure the Christmas lights they sell are of good quality as the Yuletide Season is fast approaching.

At the same time, the inspection is to ensure the Noche Buena items are being sold in prices that are in accordance with the agency’s suggested retail price (SRP).

“We want to ensure that what the consumers buy are safe and quality Christmas lights and not only the quality but we are also checking the prices of commodities,” DTI Provincial Director Rolando Acuña said.

Acuña noted that Christmas lights and decorations as well as Noche Buena items are salable since the Christmas Season is only a few weeks away.

He said the Christmas lights being sold in stores they inspected have Import Commodity Clearance (ICC), which means these products were tested by the DTI and it passed the Philippine National Standards.

He advised the public to look for the ICC sticker and check the product labels when they buy Christmas lights and other electrical Christmas decorations.

For Noche Buena items, Acuña advised the public to check the label to ensure the product is not expired and safe for consumption.

He warned businessmen to comply with the Price Act of the Philippines.

He said violators of the Price Act will be dealt with accordingly.

Zambo starts processing renewal of business permits

(PNA), PDS/TPGJR/TPGJR/EBP

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 8 (PNA) --Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar has called on the business sector to renew their permits the earliest time possible to avoid the rush and payment of penalties.

Salazar made the call as the city government on Tuesday started receiving applications for renewal of business permits for next year.

Under the law, the deadline set for the payment of business taxes is January 20, 2014.

Salazar said that late payments will mean 25 percent surcharge and 2 percent additional penalty for every month of delay.

“The management of the different business establishments in this city are advised to process their application early so as to avoid the rush and comply with the January 20, 2014 deadline,” Salazar said.

She also advised applicants for renewal of business permits to bring their original business of the previous year and other valid documents as basis for the renewal.

The business applications are to be secured at the Permits and Licensing Division at the ground floor of City Hall.

Architects urged to work together to rehab Zambo City

(PNA), PDS/TPGJR/R.G. ANTONET A. GO/UTB

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 7 (PNA) -–A known architect is suggesting for a “networking” between the University of the Philippines-Planades (UP-Planades) and the local group of architects to better rehabilitate the areas affected by the 20-day standoff here.

Among the areas to be rehabilitated are the adjoining barangays of Kasanyangan, Sta. Catalina, Sta. Barbara, Rio Hondo, and Mariki.

Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) Dean of the College of Architecture Domingo Abaro, III, on Thursday made the suggestion citing the local architects knows the terrain of the places to be rehabilitated.

“They (UP-Planades) might have the concept and these concepts can be checked with the local architects who know the place and culture and can give good project data,” Abaro said.

He said the end product will be more realistic and acceptable to the people and both, the local architects and the UP Planades, can learn from each other in working together.

He said that everything--area, culture, and people--have to be check in urban planning.

He said this will also include utilities such as roads, drainage and others.

Construction of bunkhouses in Tulungatung in Zamboanga City starts this week -DSWD

(PNA), FPV/LSJ

MANILA, Nov. 6 (PNA) --The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced Wednesday that it will start to construct this week bunkhouses in Barangay Tulungatung in Zamboanga City for families affected by the armed conflict between government troops and the Moro National Liberation Front- Nur Misuari faction.

According to DSWD Region IX Director Zenaida Arevalo, 45 bunkhouses will be constructed at the site identified by the local government unit of Zamboanga City.

Twenty-six bunkhouses will be built by the 52nd Engineering Brigade of the Philippine Army while the rest will be constructed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Arevalo said the Tulungatung site is about four hectares with enough space for the latrines, community kitchens, and other facilities.

“The bunkhouses will have 12 rooms each and can accommodate 8,100 persons. Each bunkhouse will have five cubicles for latrines and two bathing rooms,” she added.

She stressed that the number of bunkhouses to be constructed at the JFE Sports Complex has been limited to 10 units due to health and sanitation issues.

At present, around 4,000 families are still staying there.

“From the original plan to construct 41 bunkhouses at the grandstand, only 10 units will be built while the remaining will be put up at Barangay Tulungatung,” she explained.

She added that eight bunkhouses are already constructed at the grandstand.

The Department will meet with local officials to determine the families who will be prioritized to occupy the temporary shelters.

PAGASA-Zambo to receive 30 automated rain gauge

(PNA), LAM/TPGJR/RGAAGO/UTB

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Nov. 5 (PNA) -- The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is set to receive this week 30 Automated Rain Gauge (ARG) worth millions of pesos for the city of Zamboanga.

PAGASA-Zamboanga Station Chief Metrological Officer Maribel Hasanah-Enriquez said Tuesday the ARG will come from the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technological Institute (DOST-ASTI) in Manila.

Enriquez said the arrival of the ARG will boost the capability of PAGASA-Zamboanga station to monitor the weather condition in the area.

Enriquez said the areas where the ARG will be installed will be determined jointly by PAGASA in partnership with the DOST, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

The ARG will be used to measure the volume of rainfall of a particular place, according to Enriquez.

“The rain gauge for Zamboanga City will arrive this week,” Enriquez said here at the sideline of PAGASA-DOST Media Seminar-Workshop for Region IX.

She said the instrument can also be used as a warning device to determine if an evacuation “is already necessary due to possible flooding.”

Meanwhile, she disclosed that PAGASA-Zamboanga has existing installed equipment like water level, automated weather station (AWG) and ARG.

These are installed in the barangays of Ayala, Patalon, Pasonanca, Tumaga, Vitali, Curuan and in Sitio San Ramon, Talisayan.

EU teaches Zamboanga City residents how to avoid explosives

By Kristine Angeli Sabillo (INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines – As Filipinos recover from the Moro National Liberation Front’s (MNLF) siege of Zamboanga City that left hundreds dead, the European Union (EU) has started training residents on how to avoid mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO).

EU, in a statement on Monday, said it has been funding a program that would help residents in conflict areas.

“Eighteen local volunteers, including local non-government organization staff and students from the Western Mindanao State University, were trained by [Swiss Foundation for Mine Action] on what UXO look like; where they might be found; the risks they pose; safe behavior to adopt; unsafe behavior to avoid; and who to call for assistance,” the EU said.

The trainees, which also include members of aid agencies and volunteers, are expected to impart what they learned to the Zamboanga City evacuees.

The EU pointed out that the armed conflict between Philippine forces and the MNLF last September has left parts of Zamboanga City littered with unexploded ordnances.

“While a clear-up operation by the Philippine Bomb Disposal teams has removed most of the UXO, hazardous items will continue to be uncovered as residents and repair teams return to the area, and rubble and debris is removed,” it said.

The Zamboanga Police Bomb Disposal team also oriented the trainees on clearance operations in UXO-affected neighborhoods.

“Close liaison between the trainers and the Zamboanga City Police Department ensures that, if returnees encounter UXO, they know who to call and that they can expect something to be done about the hazard,” the statement said.

The Swiss Foundation for Mine Action also carries out surveys in villages affected by unexploded ordnance (UXO) and at times facilitates UXO clearance. The group, benefiting from the P32 million-grant from the EU, has been implementing such operations and training in 26 municipalities in Maguindanao, Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.

Soldiers build furniture to raise funds for Bohol, Zamboanga City

By Marlon Ramos (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Using fallen trees, these government troopers have found a way to help residents of Zamboanga City and Bohol province rise from the recent man-made and natural calamities that devastated their communities.

Soldiers belonging to the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) have momentarily traded their guns for chisels and mallets to make furniture out of hardwood trees, which were uprooted inside their two main camps when Typhoon “Santi” wrought havoc in Central and Northern Luzon in October.

Maj. Gen. Gregorio Catapang, Nolcom commander, said on Sunday, the soldiers initiated the project, dubbed “Bagsak Presyo Sale, Help for Zambo and Bohol,” to help raise funds for the victims of the Moro rebels siege in Zamboanga and the deadly 7.2-magnitude earthquake that shook Bohol.

He noted that his men thought of the project despite them being victims, too, of the typhoon, which left 15 people dead and affected close to 1 million people in Central and Northern Luzon, Cordillera, Mimaropa and Bicol regions.

Santi also destroyed P46 million worth of military structures and equipment in Camp Servillano Aquino in Tarlac City and in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, the official said.

“(The project) is intended to show solidarity among us who have been equally devastated by natural and man-made disasters,” Catapang said in an emailed statement.

“Let us all unite to fight and survive climate change. Let us all unite to abhor and stop violence that usually affects more the innocent and non-combatants,” he added.

Although Santi felled hundreds of hardwood trees, including decades-old mahogany and acacia trees, inside the two military camps, Catapang said it also gave them an opportunity to help victims of other calamities.

He said Nolcom personnel pledged to complete 1,000 sets of furniture such as sala sets, dining tables, cabinets and TV racks in the second week of December.

They would then sell the wooden fixtures to the public on Dec. 16 in Camp Servillano Aquino, an Army camp named in honor of President Aquino’s grandfather.

“(The furniture) will be sold to help in the rebuilding of Zamboanga City, (which was) devastated by the bloody attack of (Moro rebels) in September, and of Bohol, where most buildings and houses, including historic structures, were damaged,” he said.

Catapang said the proceeds of the project would then be donated equally to Zamboanga and Bohol villages early next year.

BIR extends use of old receipts in Zamboanga City to Nov. 10

(PNA),JBP/TPG/R.G. ANTONET A. GO/PJN

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 2 (PNA) -- The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has extended the use of old receipts by local businessmen until November 10 this year.

The extension is to give the local business community sufficient to print new receipts due to last month’s standoff.

The standoff that started last September 9 after hundreds of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) infiltrated this city has virtually paralyzed the local business community.

“The November 10 deadline is only for Zamboanga City,” Revenue District Officer Cresencio Agad said citing the deadline was supposed to be last October 31.

Agad said they will conduct tax mapping after November 10 to check compliance on the part of the businessmen.

“Issuance of old receipts is just like non-issuance of receipts that is subject to P50,000 penalty regardless of how big or small your business is,” Agad explained.

He said the new receipts include new data such as expiration date, discounts for senior citizens and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), value added tax and the printer’s name.

“The issuance of receipts is important. The BIR can monitor the sales of business establishments and use it as basis for their tax payments,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said several local businessmen have already surrendered their old receipt and have started using the new ones.

Detained rebels to be moved to Manila

By Roel Pareño (The Philippine Star)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – At least 275 suspected members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) detained at the city jail here will be transferred to the Bicutan Jail in Manila anytime, a jail official said yesterday.

City jail warden Chief Inspector Julius Arro said they have received an order from the Supreme Court for the transfer of the MNLF members believed belonging to the Misuari-faction who raided Zamboanga City three weeks ago.

“We have received the Supreme Court resolution for the change of venue of the trial of the suspected MNLF detainees,” Arro said.

He declined to disclose the date of the transfer for security reason, and the manner of transporting the detainees.

Arro gave assurance that security would be tight to pre-empt attempts to sabotage the transfer.

State prosecutors have charged 299 MNLF rebels including its leaders Nur Misuari and Habier Malik for the Zamboanga siege.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said of the number, 12 including Misuari remain at large.

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