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Army troops accused ofhuman rights violations

OIC backs Mindanao peace process; tells MILF, MNLF to unite for peacehe Philippinessaid it has the fullsupport of theinfluential Orga-

OIC Secretary-General Iyad bin Ameen Madani.

cently and met separatelywith leaders of both theMILF and its rival groupMoro National LiberationFront in Davao City andhas reaffirmed his supportto the peace process.

He stressed on theneed for unity, agreementand consideration of therole and importance ofeach group to achievepeace and prosperity in the

region.Madani came to the

Philippines to push for-ward the peace agreementand the autonomous Mus-lim government in south-ern Philippines. Madanisaid the OIC – formerly theOrganization of IslamicConference – is encour-aged by the sincere desireand the serious effort dis-played by both the MILF

and MNLF, and the Filipinogovernment in the peaceprocess.

His visit – the first visitby an OIC Secretary Gen-eral to Mindanao – camefollowing the January 25clash between MILF andFilipino police comman-dos that killed more than 5dozen people inM a g u i n d a n a o ’ sMamasapano town. The

fighting have further de-layed the peace processand the passage of theBangsamoro Basic Law.

Madani then presidedover the meeting of theBangsamoro CoordinatingForum (BCF), which wasformed in 2014 for theMILF and MNLF to worktogether. And both sidesagreed that the BCF is thebest mechanism for dis-

cussion and exchange ofinformation, and wouldcontinue to exert their ef-forts for the benefit of thepeace process.

“We feel on bothsides the sincere desire,and the serious effort toreach a conclusion (in thepeace process). We areoptimistic. We are sup-portive,” he said.

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Tnization of Islamic Coop-eration on the peace pro-cess with Moro IslamicLiberation Front follow-ing the visit of Secretary-General Iyad bin AmeenMadani to Mindanao.

Madani led a delega-tion in Philippines re-

o v e r n m e n ttroops and itsmilitia unitshave been ac-G

cused of human rightsviolations in Davao Cityin southern Philippinesand human rights orga-nizations have called onthe local government toimmediately act on theaccusations against thearmy.

Hanimay Suazo, aspokesperson for the hu-man rights groupKarapatan, said civiliansand tribesmen havecomplained about therampant abuses alleg-edly committed by armysoldiers in PaquibatoDistrict.

“In Paquibato, lead-ers of progressive organi-zations are eithercharged with trumped-up cases, or unlawfullyquestioned under thefalse accusation that theyare members of the NPA,”

she said, referring to thecommunist rebel groupNew People’s Army, whichhas been fighting for aseparate state for manydecades now.

Suazo said she andrepresentatives of otherhuman rights organiza-tions – Karadyawan andPaquibato District PeasantAssociation – met on Tues-day with Davao CityMayor Rodrigo Duterteand discussed the “wors-ening” situation in thearea where troops haveturned villages into virtualgarrison.

Suazo said rampanthuman rights violations bysoldiers were also reportedin the towns of Maco andMabini in Compostela Val-ley province and in Davaodel Norte’s Kapalong town.

“Residents in those ar-eas suffer the baseless alle-gations of the military thatthey are supporters of rebelgroups. Harassments, vili-

fications, encampments incivilian structures, and sig-nature campaigns whereinpeople are deceived intosigning bogus documentsthat claim they aresurrenderees from the NewPeople’s Army and theseare just a few of the humanrights violations commit-ted by military forces sta-tioned in the areas,” Suazosaid.

She said they havedocumented at least 5cases of human rights vio-lations, including extra-ju-dicial killings in Kapalongalone since early this year.

“Military forces cannotgenuinely bring peace toindigenous peoples, con-trary to its claims of Peaceand Development Opera-tions Plan. We call for jus-tice for the victims of thehuman rights violationscommitted by the state’sarmed forces against civil-ians.”

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Protesters say ‘No to Coal’ in Ozamiz Cityundreds ofpeople and envi-ronmentalistshave recently

Manggagawang Pilipino. Itwas also participated by vari-ous civil organizations andlocal villagers.

“We, the climate justice,environment and civil soci-ety groups of Ozamiz Cityand Misamis Occidental andconcerned Ozamiznonshave realized that the CityGovernment of Ozamiz isstill contemplating to pursuethe agreement for the con-struction of the Ozamiz CityCoal-Fired Power Plant. Weare disappointed and horri-fied that despite the alreadyestablished and scientificallyresearched irreparable im-pacts and destructioncaused by coal fired powerplants, the City Governmentstill turns a blind eye from itsconstituents to pursue theproject.”

“We are alsoOzamiznons. And we fear ofour future and our children’sfuture if this sinister plan willcontinue. But we will notstop from saying our pieceand inform our fellowOzamiznons of the dangersof coal fired power plant. Webelieve that it is our right andobligation as citizens andOzamiznons who will belater become victims of this

tragedy,” the organizerssaid in a statement.

It cited the followingreasons for opposing theestablishment of the coal-fired power plant:

First - there is no waythat this coal power plantwill be clean and can becleaned. Even the best tech-nology available today can-not disprove this point. Thesimple reason is becausecoal, when deposited mil-lion years ago, carried withit lots of inorganic materi-als like mercury, sulfur, ar-senic, etc. Cleaning orwashing coal only transfersthe deadly particles to otherareas. There is no suchthing as Clean Coal – Cleancoal technology emits 4times more coal ash com-pared to an ordinary coalplant. According to UnitedStates Energy InformationAgency (US EIA), the risk ofgetting cancer is 900 timeshigher from coal ash expo-sure compared to cigarettesmoking. Also, accordingto Yale Environment and tothe NRDC (National Re-sources Defense Council)clean coal is just a myth anda promotional gimmick.

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Hprotested the proposed coal-fired power plant in OzamizCity in Misamis Occidentalprovince, citing hazards andpollutions it pose to humansand animals, and the envi-ronment.

The protesters marchedaround the city to denouncethe plan and called on thelocal government to scrapthe proposal and saveOzamiz and the provincefrom the toxic pollutantscause by the burning of coalor fossil fuel.

The protest was spear-headed by the PhilippineMovement for Climate Jus-tice (Ozamiz City and West-ern Mindanao Chapters),Gitib, Inc.; Freedom fromDebt Coalition-WesternMindanao, Power Alterna-tive Agenda in Mindanao,Kampanya ng mgaKabataan para saKinabukasan, Our RiversOur Life-Philippines, Sci-ence Club Advisers Associa-tion of the Philippines, Youthfor Climate Justice,CAMPSIC, Partido Lakas ngMasa and Bukluran ng

Apr. 27-May 3, 20152 The Mindanao Examiner

Figaro's First Hit in 2015FIGARO Coffee Companywelcomed 2015 with six newstores in the first quarter. Toreach more coffee enthusi-asts, new Figaro brancheswere opened in Batangas,Davao, Paranaque (2),Quezon City andSaudiArabia.

Known for coffee,Batanguenos hailed an-other Figaro store inBatangas, set off at WandaPlace last January. Duringthe Chinese New Year,Figaro celebrated the grandopening of its fifth Davaobranch placed in the newFelcris Centrale Mall. Thethird Figaro store whichlaunched this year is at SanAntonio Valley 1 inParanaque City. Also inParanaque, Extremeli Suitesin Solemare put up a f,igarocoffee shop in the hotellobby. Doctors and other

coffee lovers were glad whenFigaro opened in the Medi-cal Arts Building of DelosSantos Medical Center last”March. While outside thecountry, Figaro’s secondstore in Saudi Arabia wasopened at Almawred Com-plex in Gizan City.

But this is just the begin-ning as Figaro plans to in-tensify its expansion in localand international areas.Guam is all set for the com-ing of Figaro coffee withinthe month of May. Whileconstruction of the firstFigaro store in Qatar is un-derway to cater thecountqy’s diverse market.Qatar will start to experienceFigaro’s world class Filipinocoffee probably in June.Other stores which are ex-pected to open in the sec-ond quarter of 2015 will besited in Valenzuela City and

San Juan, La Union. A tem-porary cart is now brewingFigaro coffee in CamayaCoast, Bataan while its storeis in progress. Soon, Figarovyill be seen in Kalibo, Aklanas well.

More to come for FigaroCoffee Company this 2015as Figaro continues to de-velop and improve its prod-ucts and services to offer itscustomers a one of a kindspecialty coffee shop expe-rience, therefore, gainingbrand loyalty and profitablereturns to its investors.Figaro accepts new businesspartners to join them in theirexpansion, hence, promot-ing Filipino specialty coffeehere and abroad. For fran-chise inquiries, emailfranchise@fisarocoffee.comor call (632) 632-1526, (632)635-5047 loc. 124, (63917)887-6180 or fax 747-3436.

Apr. 27-May 3, 2015 3The Mindanao Examiner

HOW SAFE ARE THE OZAMIZNONS FROM THE OZAMIZ CITYCOAL-FIRED POWER PLANT PROJECT IN BARANGAY PULOT?

WWWWWeeeee, the climate justice, environment and civil soci-ety groups of Ozamiz City and Misamis Occidental andconcerned Ozamiznons have realized that the City Gov-ernment of Ozamiz is still contemplating to pursue theagreement for the construction of the Ozamiz City Coal-Fired Power Plant. We are disappointed and horrified thatdespite the already established and scientifically re-searched irreparable impacts and destruction caused bycoal fired power plants, the City Government still turns ablind eye from its constituents to pursue the project.

WWWWWeeeee are also Ozamiznons. And we fear of our futureand our children’s future if this sinister plan will continue.But we will not stop from saying our piece and informour fellow Ozamiznons ofthe dangers of coal firedpower plant. We believethat it is our right and obli-gation as citizens andOzamiznons who will belater become victims ofthis tragedy.

And these are the rea-sons:

FFFFFirstirstirstirstirst, there is no waythat this coal power plantwill be clean and can becleaned. Even the besttechnology available todaycannot disprove this point.The simple reason is be-cause coal, when depos-ited million years ago, car-ried with it lots of inorganicmaterials like mercury, sul-fur, arsenic, etc. Cleaningor washing coal only trans-fers the deadly particles toother areas. There is nosuch thing as Clean Coal –Clean coal technologyemits 4 times more coalash compared to an ordi-nary coal plant. Accordingto United States Energy In-formation Agency (USEIA), the risk of gettingcancer is 900 times higherfrom coal ash exposurecompared to cigarette smoking. Also, according to YaleEnvironment[1] and to the NRDC (National ResourcesDefense Council)[2] clean coal is just a myth and a pro-motional gimmick.

SSSSSecondecondecondecondecond, the negative impacts of coal-fired powerplant have been widely researched and documented glo-bally and here in the Philippines. These have gripped thelives of concerned Ozamiznons. In a study commis-sioned by Greenpeace “Burning Our Future”,[3] the sci-entific research quoted” Greenpeace issued a report inAugust 2001, detailing the mercury emissions of coalplants. Evidence was provided by fly ash samples takenfrom the 600-MW coal-fired power plant of Calaca, fortesting to a commercial laboratory. Mercury was detectedin at least four fly ash samples that Greenpeace sent.Mercury is a neurotoxin so deadly that it only takes 1/70th of a teaspoon to contaminate a 10.11-hectare laketo the point that fish caught in the lake area contami-nated with mercury are considered unfit for human con-sumption. Greenpeace challenged the Philippine gov-ernment to conduct its own testing after it had denied,together with the company operating the coal plant. ThePhilippine government took up the Greenpeace chal-lenge and conducted even more extensive tests. The testresults of the government were unequivocal: mercurywas detected in all of the government sampling stationsin amounts way higher than those detected byGreenpeace. The Calaca plant was described by Philip-

pine Senator Sergio Osmeña III as “an environmentaldisaster I wouldn’t wish on anyone” quoted theGreenpeace report.

ThirThirThirThirThirddddd, the 35-kilometer death zone from where thecoal-fired power plant is located is scientifically provenand this will have consequences to small city like Ozamiz.In a May 2005 study made by W.F.Donahue, E.W. Allen,and D.W. Schindler of the Department of Biological Re-search of the University of Alberta, documents metallicconcentrations of mercury, copper, lead, arsenic and se-lenium have increased 1.2 to 4 fold in three (3) lakes wherecoal fired power plant are located within the 35 km ra-dius.[4] Ozamiz City is composed of 51 barangays whose

distance from Barangay Pulot, the host of the coal-firedpower plant will not exceed 35 kilometers. The farthest ofthe barangay from Barangay Pulot is Barangay SangayDiot which is 19.4 km from Pulot. This means to say thatthe whole Ozamiz City will be within the 35 kilometer ra-dius and therefore a ground zero in terms of environmen-tal impacts threatening the lives of all 133,000 inhabitants.

FFFFFourourourourourththththth, the coal-fired power plant in Barangay Pulotwill also be fatal to the whole Panguil Bay. Panguil Bay is asmall, but rich fishing ground that supports the livelihoodof thousands of small-scale fishers in northwesternMindanao. Flanked by 10 municipalities and two cities be-longing to three provinces (Lanao Del Norte, ZamboangaDel Sur, and Misamis Occidental) and three administra-tive regions (Regions 9, 10 and 12), such complex juris-dictional structure calls for an integrated managementframework for the sustainable development of the bay’sfishery resources. The bay has an area of 18,000 hectaresof water area and has a total coastline measuring 116 kmfrom Clarin, Misamis Occidental to Barangay Liangan,Maigo, Lanao del Norte (FAO 133). As many as 9,323 fish-ers owning more than 5,000 boats depend on the munici-pal fisheries of Panguil Bay for their livelihood in 2005. Buthowever, if the coal fired power plant will be constructed,study shows that for every 100 megawatts (MW) that acoal-fired power plant will generate, it will emit 25 poundsof mercury a year. The proposed 300 MW OPGI coal plantwill emit 75 pounds of mercury in a year. It only takes 0.002

pounds of accumulated mercury to contaminate a 10 hect-are lake rendering marine life forms will unsuitable for hu-man consumption. Meaning to say that the coal ash fromthe Ozamiz Power Generation Incorporated (OPGI), whenit will start operation will emit 37,500x poisons enough todestroy 375,000 hectares of body of water which is biggerthan the Panguil Bay Area. So devastating is the impactwill even reach neighboring provinces of Misamis Occi-dental.

FFFFFifthifthifthifthifth, and this has some bearing with the aforemen-tioned, is the fact that Ozamiznons are not democraticallyand substantially consulted about this dirty coal-firedpower plant. This reinforces our belief that since coal-fired

power plants around theworld carry track records ofdestruction and death ofcommunities and people,then it is politically expedi-ent for Ozamiz City Govern-ment to get rid of genuineconsultation process. Theyeven ignored the MisamisOccidental Provincial Gov-ernment opinion of theproject, a requirement ofthe law since Ozamiz is acomponent city. With lots oftransparency issues hound-ing this coal fired projectthere must be somethingfishy that they have to hidethis from the public.

With these abominableimpact already established,all the City Government ofOzamiz will have to do is tostop the endorsement andreject the project. We, cli-mate justice, environmentgroups and concernedOzamiznons call on theCity Government “NOT TOROB US AND OURCHILDREN’S CHILDRENOF OUR FUTURE.”

DO NODO NODO NODO NODO NOT T T T T TTTTTO RO RO RO RO ROB USOB USOB USOB USOB USAND OUR CHILDREN’SAND OUR CHILDREN’SAND OUR CHILDREN’SAND OUR CHILDREN’SAND OUR CHILDREN’SCHILDREN OF OUR FU-CHILDREN OF OUR FU-CHILDREN OF OUR FU-CHILDREN OF OUR FU-CHILDREN OF OUR FU-

TURE! NO TURE! NO TURE! NO TURE! NO TURE! NO TTTTTO OZO OZO OZO OZO OZAMIZ CAMIZ CAMIZ CAMIZ CAMIZ COOOOOAL- FIRED POAL- FIRED POAL- FIRED POAL- FIRED POAL- FIRED POWER PLWER PLWER PLWER PLWER PLANT!ANT!ANT!ANT!ANT!

-PHILIPPINE MOVEMENT FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE– OZAMIS CITY CHAPTER

-PHILIPPINE MOVEMENT FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE– WESTERN MINDANAO

-Gitib, Inc.-Freedom from Debt Coalition-Western Mindanao-Power Alternative Agenda in Mindanao (PALAG-

Mindanao)-Kampanya ng mga Kabataan para sa Kinabukasan

(KKK)-Our Rivers Our Life (OROL) –Philippines-Science Club Advisers Association of the Philippines-Youth for Climate Justice (Y4CJ)-CAMPSIC-Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM)

[1] http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_myth_of_clean_coal/2014/

[2] www.nrdc.org/policy[3] http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/th/Global/

seasia/report/2009/6/burning-our-future.pdf[4] W.F.Donahue, E.W. Allen, and D.W. Schindler of the

Department of Biological Research of the University ofAlberta. “Impacts of Coal Fired Power Plants on TraceMetals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) inlake sediments in Central Alberta, Canada.” 15 May 2005.

Apr. 27-May 3, 20154 The Mindanao Examiner

CCCCContinued frontinued frontinued frontinued frontinued from page 1om page 1om page 1om page 1om page 1“There is no other alter-

native but to pull-out thestate’s armed forces from thecommunities, and a relent-less investigation, till thoseguilty are put behind bars,”Suazo said.

Women’s groupGabriela also accused themilitary of violating therights of civilians also inMaco and Mabini towns inCompostela Valley. Citingthe report from a humani-tarian peace mission that in-vestigated military encamp-ment and human rightsabuses in the communities

Army troops accusedof human rights violations

there, Mary Ann Sapar,Gabriela spokeswoman,said the setting up of campsin civilian areas are illegal“more so, if the military havebeen intruding the houses ofthe residents.”

She said that this situa-tion puts women and chil-dren to be more vulnerableto abuse and human rightsviolations including sexualassaults and violence. Shecited the case of “Celsa”, amother who was allegedlyraped by a soldier in Novem-ber last year.

“Military camps in civil-ian communities and other

public structures likeschools and village hallsmust be dismantled. Theseare illegal and therefore en-forcement of the law mustbe done by police and localgovernment units,” shesaid.

There was no immedi-ate statement either fromthe Eastern MindanaoCommand and 10th Infan-try Division about the accu-sations, but the military haspreviously tagged theKarapatan as a front of theCommunist Party of thePhilippines. (Mindanao Ex-aminer)

CCCCContinued frontinued frontinued frontinued frontinued from page 1om page 1om page 1om page 1om page 1Both the MILF and

MNLF were also invited byMadani to another meet-ing on the sidelines of the42nd Session of the OICCouncil of Foreign Minis-ters in Kuwait on May 27.

Madani also met withPhilippines’ Foreign AffairsSecretary, Albert delRosario, on April 17 andother lawmakers – HouseSpeaker FelicianoBelmonte Jr., Representa-tives Rufus Rodriguez andBai Sandra Sinsuat Sema;and Senator TeofistoGuingona III. Del Rosariosaid the Aquino govern-ment appreciates the roleof the OIC in bringingpeace to southern Philip-pines.

Madani also reviewedthe progress of the peaceprocess with the Ambassa-dors of OIC Member Statesposted in Manila during adinner hosted by Saudi Am-bassador Dr. Abdullah Al-Bussairy.

He arrived April 16 to-

gether with Sayed El-Masry,OIC Special Envoy for Peacein the Southern Philippines;Maha Mostafa Akeel, Direc-tor of the OIC Departmentof Information; Dr. HassanAhmad Abdein, Head of theOIC Department of MuslimCommunities and Minori-ties; Saidu Dodo, Liaison Of-ficer for OIC Special Envoyfor PCSP; MohammedAdoum, Personal Assistantto the OIC Secretary-Gen-eral; Mohammed Naghi,Protocol Officer; andAhmad Madani.

Madani travelled to thePhilippines from Malaysiawhere on his last day theremet with the Foreign Minis-ter Dato’ Sri Anifah Hj.Aman and they discussedthe Philippines-MILF peaceagreement. Malaysia isbrokering the peace talksbetween the Philippinesand the MILF. The Saudi-based OIC currently has 57Member States and a dozenObservers and among themis the MNLF.

His visit to Mindanao

coincided with a series ofbombing and grenade at-tacks in the restive Muslimautonomous region thatleft one person wounded.The motive of the attacks isstill unknown; however theviolence occurred in themiddle of a hot debate inCongress whether to strikeout several provisions inthe Bangsamoro Basic Lawthat would give Muslims inthe South a wider au-tonomy.

Some Christian law-makers insist the provi-sions were unconstitu-tional and among thesewould give the Muslims farreaching power over secu-rity and natural resourcesthat some politicians fearwould affect their interestsand businesses in the au-tonomous region. TheMILF, which has signed apeace deal with Manila, re-peatedly warned that anydelay in the passage of thelaw could trigger unrestand even war in Mindanao.(Mindanao Examiner)

OIC backs Mindanao peace process;tells MILF, MNLF to unite for peace

OIC photos show Secretary-General Iyad bin Ameen Madani during a meeting in Davao Citywith leaders and representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro NationalLiberation Front. And Malaysia Foreign Minister Dato’ Sri Anifah Hj. Aman.

Human Rights Watch documentsmilitary abuses in Southern PhilippinesMAGUINDANAO – Here’s asnapshot of the plight oftens of thousands of inter-nally displaced people inthe Philippine province ofMaguindanao after ananti-insurgent military op-eration: women, children,and the elderly endure theheat in makeshift evacua-tion camps with inad-equate food, medical care,and sporadic electricitysupply. Many are sick; atleast one child has diedfrom dehydration. Theysleep on cartons and blan-kets on the ground, ex-posed to the elements.

This is the ongoing hu-manitarian fallout from asecurity forces calamitythat occurred threemonths ago. In the earlymorning of January 25,dozens of elite police com-mandos were deployed toMaguindanao to arrest ter-rorist suspects hidingamong local insurgentsfrom the Moro Islamic Lib-eration Front and its splin-ter group, the BangsamoroIslamic Freedom Fighters.That operation became adeadly debacle in which 44of the commandos died,

along with 10 insurgentsand 7 civilians. The mili-tary responded to the inci-dent with an “all-out-of-fensive” against the insur-gents. Politicians obsessover who should take re-sponsibility for the policedeaths while ignoring thetoll that the ongoing mili-tary operation is having onthe local people.

The Muslim residentsof restive Mindanao, thesouthern Philippine islandwhere Maguindanao is lo-cated, are no strangers todislocation due to separat-ist armed conflict. But thescale of the impact of thisoperation on people is sig-nificant, even by local stan-dards. The number of inter-nally displaced people inMaguindanao has fallen toabout 70,000 after peakingat more than 125,000 afterJanuary 25, but their situa-tion remains dire. In a re-port issued this week, Pro-tection Cluster, a UnitedNations-supported initia-tive of government andnongovernmental groups,indicates that the militaryoffensive has resulted innumerous alleged serious

human rights abuses, andthat military operations inMaguindanao are “themain driving factor of dis-placement in the armedconflict.”

The report also allegesthat people’s homes weredestroyed as a result of theoffensive, that the militaryhas created indefinite “no-go” areas and unnecessar-ily restricted people’s free-dom of movement, and thatit has harassed people whotry and return home to se-cure livestock, crops, andtheir belongings. The reportalso alleges that soldiers arepresent in evacuation cen-ters and relief distributionsites, are present in schools,and have even deployedchildren to gather intelli-gence about insurgent op-erations.

These allegations de-mand an urgent investiga-tion. Philippine PresidentBenigno Aquino needs tomake clear to the armedforces that the liberty,safety, and livelihoods ofthe people of Maguindanaocannot be held hostage toanti-insurgent operations.(Carlos Conde)

Environmentalists vow tofight ‘incinerators’

MANILA – Environmental-ist groups have marched inthe Philippine capital toprotest a plan by lawmakersto lift the incineration ban inthe country, saying, it wouldworsen the pollution andposes health hazards to hu-mans.

Comprising of theEcoWaste Coalition, GlobalAlliance for Incinerator Al-ternatives (GAIA), GreenConvergence, Health CareWithout Harm (HCWH),KULAY, Philippine Move-ment for Climate Justice(PMCJ), and green advo-cates from local communi-ties, protesters paraded a“mock incinerator monster”surrounded by youth activ-ists dressed as zombies, tosymbolically depict the hor-ror of incineration for dras-tically devastating clean air,climate, public health, aswell as jobs and livelihoods.

Some 200 protestersjoined the march ahead ofthe Earth Day celebration.

“In response to re-newed attempts by somepro-incineration congress-men to water down theClean Air Act, we call onPresident Benigno Aquinoto defend the law from leg-islative attacks and keep theincineration ban intact,”said Aileen Lucero, NationalCoordinator of the wasteand pollution watchdogEcoWaste Coaltion. “Aquinoshould make it his legacy todefend the Clean Air Actfrom attempts to lift the banon the burn and to upholdit through genuine imple-mentation.”

Rep. Edgar Erice hasproposed a bill amendingSection 20 of the Clean AirAct or Republic Act 8749 toallow incineration of wastes.

“We are aghast that, de-

spite oppositions from thecivil society and in the faceof hard evidence against thesupposed benefits of incin-eration – thermal treatmenttechnology – pro-incinera-tors lawmakers in the Houseof Representatives were tooexcited to amend RA 8749that they appeared willing toproceed with it even behindour backs,” said PaengLopez of GAIA.

Merci Ferrer, HCWH-Asia Director, underscoredthe health impacts of incin-erating medical wastes, par-ticularly to host communi-ties. “Burning of biomedicalwastes produces dioxinsand furans which when re-leased to the environmentwill cause enormous publichealth impacts such as im-pairment of the immune,nervous, endocrine and re-productive systems,” shesaid. (Mindanao Examiner)

Mayor Samier Tan, (middle) of Maimbung town in Sulu province, during the recent distributionof assorted vegetables seeds to 27 barangays. The Department of Agriculture project is beingsupported by the municipal government.

The Mindanao Examiner 5Apr. 27-May 3, 2015

Apr. 27-May 3, 20156 The Mindanao Examiner

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CCCCContinued frontinued frontinued frontinued frontinued from page 1om page 1om page 1om page 1om page 1Secondly - the negative

impacts of coal-fired powerplant have been widely re-searched and documentedglobally and here in the Phil-ippines. These have grippedthe lives of concernedOzamiznons. In a studycommissioned byGreenpeace “Burning OurFuture,” the scientific re-search quoted Greenpeaceissued a report in August2001, detailing the mercuryemissions of coal plants. Evi-dence was provided by flyash samples taken from the600-MW coal-fired powerplant of Calaca, for testing toa commercial laboratory.Mercury was detected in atleast four fly ash samples thatGreenpeace sent. Mercury isa neurotoxin so deadly thatit only takes 1/70th of a tea-spoon to contaminate a10.11-hectare lake to thepoint that fish caught in thelake area contaminated withmercury are considered un-fit for human consumption.Greenpeace challenged thePhilippine government toconduct its own testing afterit had denied, together withthe company operating the

Protesters say ‘No to Coal’ in Ozamiz Citycoal plant.

It said the Philippinegovernment took up theGreenpeace challenge andconducted even more exten-sive tests. The test results ofthe government were un-equivocal: mercury was de-tected in all of the govern-ment sampling stations inamounts way higher thanthose detected byGreenpeace. The Calacaplant was described by Phil-ippine Senator SergioOsmeña III as “an environ-mental disaster I wouldn’twish on anyone” quoted theGreenpeace report.

Thirdly – the organizerssaid the 35-kilometer deathzone from where the coal-fired power plant is locatedis scientifically proven andthis will have consequencesto small city like Ozamiz. Italso cited another study inMay 2005 by W.F.Donahue,E.W. Allen, and D.W.Schindler of the Departmentof Biological Research of theUniversity of Alberta, thatdocuments metallic concen-trations of mercury, copper,lead, arsenic and seleniumhave increased 1.2 to 4 foldin three lakes where coal fired

power plant are locatedwithin the 35-kilometer ra-dius.

It said Ozamiz City iscomposed of 51 barangayswhose distance fromBarangay Pulot, the host ofthe coal-fired power plantwill not exceed 35 kilometers.The farthest of the barangayfrom Barangay Pulot isBarangay Sangay Diot whichis 19.4 km from Pulot. “Thismeans to say that the wholeOzamiz City will be withinthe 35 kilometer radius andtherefore a ground zero interms of environmental im-pacts threatening the lives ofall 133,000 inhabitants,” ac-cording to organizers.

Fourth, it said the coal-fired power plant inBarangay Pulot will also befatal to the whole PanguilBay, a small, but rich fishingground that supports thelivelihood of thousands ofsmall-scale fishers in north-western Mindanao.

Flanked by 10 munici-palities and two cities be-longing to three provinces(Lanao Del Norte,Zamboanga Del Sur, andMisamis Occidental) andthree administrative regions

(Regions 9, 10 and 12), it saidsuch complex jurisdictionalstructure calls for an inte-grated management frame-work for the sustainable de-velopment of the bay’s fish-ery resources.

The bay has an area of18,000 hectares of water areaand has a total coastlinemeasuring 116 km fromClarin, Misamis Occidentalto Barangay Liangan, Maigo,Lanao del Norte (FAO 133).As many as 9,323 fishersowning more than 5,000boats depend on the munici-pal fisheries of Panguil Bayfor their livelihood in 2005.But however, if the coal firedpower plant will be con-structed, study shows that forevery 100MW that a coal-fired power plant will gener-ate, it will emit 25 pounds ofmercury a year. The pro-posed 300-MW OzamizPower Generation Incorpo-rated (OPGI) coal plant willemit 75 pounds of mercuryin a year. It only takes 0.002pounds of accumulatedmercury to contaminate a 10hectare lake rendering ma-rine life forms will unsuitablefor human consumption.“Meaning to say that the coalash from the OPGI, when itwill start operation will emit37,500x poisons enough todestroy 375,000 hectares ofbody of water which is big-ger than the Panguil BayArea. So devastating is theimpact will even reachneighboring provinces of

Misamis Occidental,” the or-ganizers further said.

It said this has somebearing with the aforemen-tioned and the fact thatOzamiznons are not demo-cratically and substantiallyconsulted about this dirtycoal-fired power plant. “Thisreinforces our belief thatsince coal-fired power plantsaround the world carry trackrecords of destruction anddeath of communities andpeople, then it is politicallyexpedient for Ozamiz CityGovernment to get rid ofgenuine consultation pro-cess. They even ignored theMisamis Occidental Provin-cial Government opinion ofthe project, a requirement ofthe law since Ozamiz is acomponent city. With lots oftransparency issues hound-ing this coal fired projectthere must be somethingfishy that they have to hidethis from the public,” thegroups said.

The protesters were de-manding from the City Gov-ernment of Ozamiz to imme-diately stop the endorse-ment and reject the coal-fired power plant project.

Greenpeace said coal-fired power plant is a clearthreat to sustainable devel-opment. “Coal is the dirtiestfossil fuel and a main driverof climate change. There arehundreds of examplesaround the world wherecommunities around coalplants suffer the impacts of

environmental damage andhealth problems,” saidGreenpeace Southeast Asiacampaigner, AmalieObusan. Pro-environmentgroups said coal-fired powerplants are the single largeststationary source of pollu-tion in any country. The tox-ins these coal fired powerplants produce severelydamage both human healthand the environment andcontribute to a reduced qual-ity of life. Coal-fired powerplants are responsible for re-lease over 85% of total globalcarbon dioxide emissions, aprime contributor to globalwarming. Emissions fromthese power plants containtens of dozens of toxicchemicals and the pollutionthey release every day are amajor threat to humanhealth and environment.

Coal-fired units produceelectricity by burning coal ina boiler to heat water to pro-duce steam. The steam, attremendous pressure, flowsinto a turbine, which spins agenerator to produce elec-tricity. The steam is cooled,condensed back into water,and returned to the boiler tostart the process over. But en-vironmentalists say the coal-fueled plants will pollute theair and contribute to globalwarming.

There are at least over adozen coal-fired powerplants in the country. (Witha report from ChristinaDiabordo)

RRRRRepublic of the Pepublic of the Pepublic of the Pepublic of the Pepublic of the PhilippineshilippineshilippineshilippineshilippinesAAAAAutonomous Rutonomous Rutonomous Rutonomous Rutonomous Region in Megion in Megion in Megion in Megion in Muslim Muslim Muslim Muslim Muslim Mindanaoindanaoindanaoindanaoindanao

MUNICIPMUNICIPMUNICIPMUNICIPMUNICIPALITALITALITALITALITY OF PY OF PY OF PY OF PY OF PAAAAATTTTTAAAAAPPPPPrrrrrooooovince of Svince of Svince of Svince of Svince of Suluuluuluuluulu

OFFICE OF OFFICE OF OFFICE OF OFFICE OF OFFICE OF THE BATHE BATHE BATHE BATHE BAC CHAIRMANC CHAIRMANC CHAIRMANC CHAIRMANC CHAIRMAN

CLERICAL ERROR

The amount of Two Million Pesos intended for the Construction of AndalanElliptical Road was been unintentionally mistyped in our first publication ofinvitation to Bid dated April 13, 2015 (People's Mirror)

Sorry for the inconvenient.

BACPata, Sulu

Apr. 27-May 2, Issue 1

The Mindanao Examiner - OPINION 7Apr. 27-May 3, 2015

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I Have Many Aliases, Too!By Jess Dureza

SO, what’s all this fuss aboutMILF’s Vice Chairman andchief peace negotiatorMohagher Iqbal using an alias?Use of many aliases or pseudo-names is a common practice.Consider this. Since I was bornDecember 24, my baptismalrecords call me “JESUS”. But ifyou ask the National StatisticsOffice (NSO), they officially callme “JESUS VIRGILIO”. My callsign in my congressional radiobase before — and up to now— still call me “ALPHA”. My fra-ternal brods in the GuardiansBrotherhood call me ‘BRO AL-PHA”. My buddies at the radiogroup REACT call me“CAPSULEMAN”. Friends cancall me “JESS”. And pretty ladiescan call me……. “ANYTIME”.(Ooops! ha ha ha!) So, no wor-ries!

CABINET PRAYER – Justrecently, I joined many formerCabinet members who gath-ered at President Arroyo’s Vet-erans Hospital detention roomin Quezon City to belatedly cel-ebrate her birthday. She lookedfrail but beaming. When shejoined us at the long table, I im-mediately volunteered by say-ing: “Happy birthday, Ma’am.We have a quorum now. Doyou want me to start by givingthe opening cabinet prayer?”The group broke into laughter,recalling my famous contro-versial cabinet prayer whichshe obviously was not happyabout some 7 years ago. No, Idid not say the prayer this time.Thankfully, the officiatingpriest who said mass, did!

REALITY CHECK – Let’s allsupport the work of the Na-tional Peace Council com-posed of eminent leaders in theprivate sector. As I earlierpointed out, peace summits or

dialogues help clarify — andexorcise — issues. This waswhat President Ramos didwhen he talked and forgedpeace with Nur Misuari’s MoroNational Liberation Front. Thisalso worked with President Ar-royo in order to pick up thepieces shattered by the debacleof the MOA-AD at the SupremeCourt. But at the wake ofMamasapano, the eminentpersons must first have a real-ity check. Even with good in-tentions and their sterling cre-dentials, they have to managetheir expectations. Their workis not easy given the over-allprevailing sentiment.

NOT ‘DEODORIZER’ –The peace council’s work ormandate must not be restrictedor canalized but with somewide leeway so that it can re-direct or re-formulate coursesof action as may be necessary.I trust the eminent persons cando well to avoid being per-ceived, rightly or wrongly, asjust being there to “deodorize”the now controversial BBL.

WORLD BANK STUDY – Imust hurriedly correct the mis-impression given by a news ar-ticle in the national dailies,where Sen. Chiz Escudero usedthe recently released WorldBank study to oppose the BBL.If you ask me, it is pandering a“half truth” or it lifts or quotesa portion and avoids the wholecorrect context. I myself havenot read the WB report so I hadto check with a friend and col-league who are working withWB. In reply, he texted me toclarify that the news stories thatWB is not supportive or is criti-cal of the BBL is “not true” or is“half true”.

He said that on the con-trary, the report positively notes

a dramatic drop in “verticalconflict”, meaning betweenMILF and government forces.But it admonishes the MILFand government to attend tothe preponderant “horizontalconflict”, referring to clan warsor “ridos”, conflicts by rogue el-ements like BIFF or ASG or justplain criminals. The reportthen, in obvious support of theBBL, notes that a good start inaddressing the total environ-ment of conflict in theBangsamoro areas is to put aclosure to the MILF-GPHpeace efforts through the BBL.In any case the WB report alsogives us a reality check: thathaving a final settlement withMILF will not necessarily resultto automatic peace as somequarters would like many tobelieve, given the disparateplayers on the ground. Manag-ing expectations, as we all knowis important in this seriousbusiness of peace settlements.

This again reminds meabout someone claiming that“there is no god!” quoting apassage in the Holy Bible. Heomitted that part which said:“according to the fool”. Sothere.

NO HOSTAGE – You knowwhy I could not immediatelybelieve the WB report “spin”? Iwas at OPAPP when we first or-ganized the development as-pect of the peace negotiations.World Bank is a leader institu-tion in the Mindanao TrustFund in support of the talks soI could not believe what I wasreading. I also had a long chatwith some of their officials re-cently. So I had to check. Hav-ing said that, my calculatedguess is that agencies and insti-tutions like World Bank will notwalk away from Mindanao,whatever happens to BBL. Im-proving the lives of the peopleis a never- ending effort. Forpeace talks to indefinitely holdhostage introduction of devel-opment for the benefit of theBangsamoro people must notbe allowed to happen. But ofcourse, having a peaceful envi-ronment in the conflict-af-fected areas by peaceful settle-ments is key.

TIDBITS –THE Alsons Power Group

is about to commission its first105MW (of a total 210MW )Sarangani Energy Corp. powerplant located in Maasim,Sarangani. It will serve about 3million Mindanaoans whenoperational.

A breakthrough in healthtechnology. A 69-year oldFrenchman with an artificialheart powered by lithium bat-teries is now even bikingaround.

THE Malaysian parliamentjust passed a tough anti-terror-ism law to counter Islamist mili-tancy called “Prevention of Ter-rorism Act” that can detain ter-rorist suspects without charges.This came after 17 militantswere arrested who are followersof Islamic state extremists plan-ning to form an ISIS-like Islamicstate in Malaysia.

USA and Cuba are resum-ing diplomatic ties. For about 50years, Cuba was in economicisolation. Tourists will flock toCuba to look at 50-year-old an-tique buildings, cars, appli-ances, etc and to see how lifewas half a century ago. The USblockade that started 50 yearsago has “frozen in time” whathas been called a “Forbidden Is-land”. Now, it’s open to theworld. ( Jess Dureza –info@advocacymindanow.org)

RRRRRepublic of the Pepublic of the Pepublic of the Pepublic of the Pepublic of the PhilippineshilippineshilippineshilippineshilippinesAAAAAutonomous Rutonomous Rutonomous Rutonomous Rutonomous Region in Megion in Megion in Megion in Megion in Muslim Muslim Muslim Muslim Muslim Mindanaoindanaoindanaoindanaoindanao

MUNICIPMUNICIPMUNICIPMUNICIPMUNICIPALITALITALITALITALITY OF PY OF PY OF PY OF PY OF PAAAAATTTTTAAAAAPPPPPrrrrrooooovince of Svince of Svince of Svince of Svince of Suluuluuluuluulu

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

2nd INVITATION TO BIDCONCRETING OF 500m SAIMBANGON-PISAKPISAK FARM TO MARKET ROADand 200m ANDALAN ELLIPTICAL ROAD, MUNICIPALITY OF PATA, SULU.

The Municipal Government of Pata, Province of Sulu intends to apply the sum ofSix Million Nine Hundred Fifty Nine Thousand Eight Hundred Sixty Seven and TwentyCentavos (Php 6,959,867.20) from the 20% Local Development Fund as the ApprovedBudget for the Contract (ABC) for the Concreting of 500m Saimbangon-Pisakpisakfarm to market road and Concreting of 200m Andalan Elliptical Road with the sumof Two Million Pesos (Php 2,000,000.00), Municipality of Pata, Province of Sulu.Bids receive in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the time of BidOpening.

The Municipal Government of Pata, Province of Sulu now invites bids for theConcreting of 500m Saimbangon-Pisakpisak farm to market road and Concreting of200m Andalan Elliptical Road, Municipality of Pata, Province of Sulu. Completion ofthe Work required within 65 Calendar Days from the date of start of subproject.Scope of Words involves Excavation, Embankment Sub Grade Preparation,Aggregate Base Course and PCCP. Bidders should have completed in the last 5years a contract for work similar to the project. The description of an eligible Bidderis contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly in Section II, Instruction to Bidders.

Minimum Equipment required: Bulldozer, Road Roller, Road Grader Back HoeExcavator, Vibratory Compactor, Dump Truck, Water Truck, and Survey Instruments.

Interested Bidders may obtain further information from the LGU-BAC of Pata, Suluand inspect and purchased the bidding documents upon payment of a non refundablefee for the bidding documents in the amount of P5,000.00 from April 25, 2015 toMay 13, 2015 at the address given below from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

It maybe also downloaded free of charge from the website of the Government PolicyBoard (www.gppb.gov.ph) provided that bidders shall pay the non refundable fee forthe bidding documents not later than the submission of their bids

The bidder may request that the Bid Documents be sent to them by mail or courier,and for this, the bidders shall pay the amount in Philippine Pesos to cover the costof mail or courier shall be paid by the bidder thru a Cashier’s Check or ManagerCheck issued in favor of the Municipality of Pata.

The Municipality of Pata, Sulu will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on May 5, 2015 @9:00 AM at the Sanggunian Bayan Session Hall, Saimbangun, Pata, Sulu whichshall be open to all interested parties.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before May 13, 2015 at theSanggunian Bayan Session Hall. All Bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security inthe form of Bank Guarantee and in the amount of 2.5 of the total ABC.

Bids will be opened in the presence of Bidder’s Representatives at the addressbelow. Late Bids shall not be accepted. The deadline for the submission of Bidsmust not be later than 9:00 AM on May 13, 2015.

The opening of Bids will proceed immediately after the time set for the deadline ofsubmission of Bids as indicated above.

The Municipality of Pata, Sulu reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annulthe bidding process and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, withoutthereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. The Invitation to Bidis not an integral part of the bidding documents.

For further information, please refer to:ENGR. GENER S. ALIHBAC ChairmanPata, Sulu

Approved by:

(Sgd.) Engr. GENER S. ALIHMunicipal EngineerBAC Chairman

Prepared by:

(Sgd.) RONNIE S. NULONMPDC

BAC Member

Noted By:

(Sgd.) Hon. ANTON J. BURAHANMunicipal Mayor

Apr. 27-May 2, Issue 1

Founded 2006 mindanaoexaminer.com P15 Apr. 27-May 3, 2015FOR ADVERTISEMENTS, PLEASE CALL (062) 9925480 or (082) 2960658

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ARMM Southern Mindanao Davao Western Mindanao Cebu Manila

30 ka lalawigan sa nasud,nakasinati og huwaw - PAGASA

okabat sa30 kal a l a w i g a na n g

hangtud Marso karongtuig nagpakita nga angmga nahisgotanglalawigan apektado sahuwaw.

Matud pa sa PAGASA,ang huwaw sa partikularnga mga lugarmahimong magbaton ogbelow normal rainfallconditions sulod sa duhahangtud tulo ka buwannga magsunod.

Ang buwan sa Abrilmakasinati og pag-ulannga near to above normalconditions sa mga lugarsa Cordillera Administra-tive Region, Cagayan Val-ley Region, NorthernMindanao, CARAGA ugAutonomous Region ofMuslim Mindanaokauban ang mgaprobinsiya saC a t a n d u a n e s ,Compostela Valley,Davao Oriental ugSarangani.

Samtang angnahabiling parte sanasud makasinati og masubos sa normal nga pag-ulan.

Gitataw usab saPAGASA nga adunay

hinay nga El Niño sadagat Pasipiko sukad paniadtong Oktubre saniaging tuig. Kiningmaong kondisyongipaabot ngamagpadayon hangtud satunga-tunga sa tuig ngaadunay tsansangmokusog sa pagtapos satuig.

Samtang gipasalig saPalasyo nga padayon angpagtutok sa Departmentof Agriculture ug mgaahensiya niini sasitwasyon sa huwaw sanasud.

Matud pa ni Presi-dential CommunicationsOperations Officer SonnyColoma Jr., ang focus sailang mga gihimo maoang tabangan ang mgamag-uuma, nanghatagog mga lawngon alang samga ubang alternatibonga mahimo nilangitanom. Sa mga lugarusab nga may matabangnga patubig o irrigationresources, nag-deployusab og tabang ang DAug uban pang mgaahensiya. (Elvira C.Bongosia)

Mnakasinati karon oghuwaw, matud pa saPhilippine AtmosphericGeophysical and Astro-nomical Services Ad-ministration (PAGASA).

Ang mga lalawigangapektado mao angAbra, Benguet, Ifugao,Kalinga, Apayao, IlocosNorte, Ilocos Sur, LaUnion, Batanes,Pampanga, Tarlac,Zambales ug Palawan.

Apil usab angNegros Occidental,Negros Oriental, Bohol,Zamboanga del Norte,Zamboanga del Sur,Zamboanga Sibugay,Camiguin, Lanao delNorte, Misamis Occi-dental, Misamis Orien-tal, South Cotabato,Sarangani, Agusan delNorte, Surigao delNorte, Basilan ug Lanaodel Sur.

Ang gipahigayongrainfall assessment saPAGASA gikanDisyembre 2014

Permanenteng bunga sa maayongreporma, hagit ni Aquino sa LGUs

ihagit niP r e s i d e n t eAquino III angtanang lider saG

lokal nga kagamhanannga himuong permanenteang maayong bunga sareporma tungod sa tul-idnga sistema sa pagdumalasa nasud.

Matud pa ni Aquino,dungan sa pagpalapad samga institusyon sagobyerno, ang mga lokalliders ang pultahan sanasudnong liderato aronipahatud anggikinahanglang tabang sakatawhan.

Mao kini ang hagit saPresidente atubangan sakapin sa usa ka libongmayor ug uban pang lokalnga lider sa gipahigayong

League of Municipalities ofthe Philippines.

Gitumbok ni Aquinonga tungod sa maayongpagdumala, midaku og ha-los doble ang internal rev-enue allotment o IRA saLGUs tungod sa epektibongkoleksiyon sa buhis sulod salima ka tuig.

Tungod niini, gi-aghatsa Presidente ang LGUs ngaipatuman ang panaghiusa sapagkab-ot sa kauswagan nganaka-base sa integridad ugkumpiyansa. Giingong diliangay masayang anggitarong nga sistema alangsa nasudnong kaayohan.

Pagsiguro pa ni Aquino,wala naka-base sa politikaang pagpatuman sa mgam a h i n u n g d a n o n gprograma sa gobyerno.

Gitumbok usab niya angmga tulay ug imprastrakturanga natapos lamang ubos saiyang pagdumala human saduha hangtud tulo kadekada. Apil na niini angproyekto sa Iloilo, Alluling ugLullutan Bridge sa Ilocos ugIsabela Provinces.

Giseguro usab ni Aquinoang tabang sa LGUs taliwalasa pagsulbad sa mganasudnong problema apil naang kalabot sa benepisyo samga unipormado.

Nagdala sa tema nga“Empowerment of LGUs to-wards all inclusive growth,”gipadangat usab sa pangulosa LMP nga si Javier (Leyte)Mayor Leonardo SandyJavier ang padayong suportasa gidusong mga programasa administrasyong Aquino.

DOH nakatutok sa agresibongkampanya batok sa HIV-AIDS

ng Departmento f He a l t h(DOH) agresibok a r o n g

nagpahigayon og infor-mation campaign aronipa-usbaw ang kahibalosa katawhan kalabot saHu m a n Im m u n o d e f i -ciency Virus-AcquiredIm m u n e De f i c i e n c ySyndrome (HIV-AIDS)n g a n a k a p a b a l a k akaron sa nasud.

Matud pa sa DOH,m a k a - a l a r m a n a a n gn a g k a s a k a n gg i d a g h a n o n s an a t a p t a n s a m a o n gsakit matag tuig ug kunmagpadayon, lisud nakining ma-kontrolar.

Si g o n p a s ab u h a t a n , a n gimpeksyon taas sa mgalalaking nakig-hilawassa mga lalaki ra usab."

Tungkol muna doons a H I V c a s e s, b i l a n gp a g t u g o n d i y a n ,pinaiigting ng Depart-m e n t o f He a l t h a n gp a g s a s a g a w a n gk a m p a n y a n g p a n g -i m p o r m a s y o n u p a n gm a g i n g m a i n g a t a n gmga mamamayan labans a m g a s a n h i op i n a n g g a g a l i n g a n n gp a g k a k a ro o n n g H I Vvirus,(Mahitungod unas a H I V c a s e s, i s i pp a g t u b a g n i i n i ,gihingosgan sa Depart-m e n t o f He a l t h a n gp a g p a h i g a yo n o gk a m p a n g y a n g p a n g -i m p o r m a s y o n a ro nm a h i m o n g m a g -amping ang katawhanb a t o k s a m g ah i n u n g d a n os i n u g d a n a n s a

pagbaton og HIV vi-rus) matud pa ni Presi-dential Communica-tions Operations Of-ficer Sonny Coloma Jr.sa usa ka radio inter-v i e w i s i p t u b a g s agobyerno sa bagbatoksa maong sakit.

Ma t u d p a s aKalihim nga naghatudu s a b o g s e r b i s y o n gHIV testing ug coun-selling ang DOH isipt a b a n g s a m g akatawhan.

Sa m t a n g n i h a t a gu s a b o g k o m e n t o s iCo l o m a k a l a b o t s apagkatap sa bag-ongdroga nga "liquid ec-s t a s y " n g a g i i n g o n gn a h i m o n a k a r o n ginila sa mga batan-ongdrug users.

Ma t u d p a s aKalihim nga ang Na-tional Bureau of Inves-t i g a t i o n ( N B I )nagpahigayon na ogmga operasyon aronm a p u g n g a n a n gp a g g a m a u gp a g b a l i g y a n i i n i n gilegal nga droga.

"Ang PDEA (Philip-p i n e D r u g En f o rc e -ment Agency) at lahatng mga kinauukulanga h e n s y a a yn a g b a b a b a l a s apaggamit ng iligal nad r o g a n g i t o, " ( A n gPDEA ug tanang mgah i n g t u n g d a n gahensiya, nipasidaansa paggamit niining il-l e g a l n g a d r o g a )matud pa ni Coloma.

A

Cebu City and Yokohama City, Japan have signed a memorandum of understanding ontechnical cooperation for sustainable urban development at the Cebu Provincial Capitolrecently. (Cebu City Government)

100,000 trabaho, kinahanglansa aviation industry

ag-abli ang100,000 katrabaho saaviation in-M

dustry sugod karong tuig.Bunga kini sa pag-arangkada sa paghiusa saAssociation of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN)diin apil ang Pilipinas.

Target sa maonglakang nga mapalamboang ekonomiya sa tibuokrehiyon pinaagi sapagpaluag sa mgapatakaran tali sa 10 ka

nasud nga sakop saASEAN.

Tungod niini, maapilsa mga trabahong nag-unang kinahanglan angmga piloto ug aircraft tech-nicians.

"S'yempre, 'pag

maraming flights e 'dimaraming kailangangcrew" (Kun daghangflights, kinahanglan gayudog daghang crew), pasabotpa ni Civil Aviation Author-ity of the Philippines Dir.Gen. Rodante Joya.

Sa talaan sa WorldTravel and Tourism Coun-cil, padayon pa gihapongnisaka ang gidaghanon samga turista sa ASEAN Re-gion. Gani, halos gi-triplena kini sa 90.2 milyongturista niadtong 2013 kunitandi sa 38 milyonniadtong 2000 mao nganisaka apil anggidaghanon sa mga mi-biyahe sakay sa eroplano.

Sa pagbanabana saAirAsia Zest,manginahanglan angASEAN og halos 50,000 kapiloto ug 50,300 ka techni-cians sa aviation industrytaman tuig 2032. Gidali nakaron ang bidding alang sanagkalain-laing airportprojects sa Department ofTransportation and Com-munications.

Pipila na niini angnakumpleto na sama saNinoy Aquino Interna-tional Airport Terminal 1rehabilitation. (Elvira C.Bongosia)