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ihadist fighters havevowed to fight gov-ernment forces fol-lowing the declara-tion of an all-out war

Jby Philippine military chiefGeneral GregorioCatapang.

Abu Misry Mama, aspokesman for theBangmoro Islamic Free-dom Fighters, said they areready to go into battle withsecurity forces and vowedto launch more attacksagainst military targets.

Just recently, securityforces clashed with BIFF inNorth Cotabato’s Pikit townand forced the rebel groupto flee to nearbyMaguindanao, one of fiveprovinces under the restiveMuslim autonomous re-gion.

Police and military au-thorities have linked theBIFF and the larger MoroIslamic Liberation Front tothe January 25 brutal slay-ing of 44 police commandosfollowing an anti-terror op-

eration deep inside MILFterritory that killed Malay-sian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir,alias Marwan, in the villageof Tukanalipao inMamasapano town.

The Western MindanaoCommand and the 6th In-fantry Division have not re-lease any information aboutits campaign against theBIFF.

It was unknown whyCatapang suddenly orderedan all-out war against therebels, but this coincided

with widespread criticismsby Filipinos and politiciansover President Aquino’sweak leadership and onhow he poorly handled andfailed to stop the killings ofpolice commandos by rebelforces.

Police commandoswere on their way to re-joinmore than 300 SAF mem-bers deployed near the vil-lage of Tukanalipao afterkilling Zulkifli and cuttingoff his finger for DNA analy-sis when MILF forces, aided

by BIFF, ambushed themthat sparked daylongclashes while Aquino wasmonitoring the fightingfrom Zamboanga City.

The MILF signed apeace deal with the Aquinogovernment last year.

Just recently, the MILFsurrendered to the military- at least 16 weapons,mostly automatic rifles, in-cluding two machine guns- inside the headquarters ofthe 6th Infantry Division inMaguindanao.

The weapons werethen handed over to thepolice, but SAF sourcesclaimed the guns had beencannibalized and thatmany of its parts were ei-ther taken out or replacedwith defective mecha-nism.

Police demandedfrom the MILF to surren-der those involved in thekillings of the comman-dos, but the rebel groupflatly rejected this.(Mindanao Examiner)

Davao Mayor: Resume peace talks with NPAayor RodrigoDuterte hasreiterated hisappeal to theM

Aquino government to re-sume the stalled peacetalks with the communistNew People’s Army rebelsso peace may reign in thetroubled South.

Duterte made the ap-peal last week after rebelsfreed three policemen theyheld as prisoners of war for3 months in Surigao delNorte province. The po-licemen – PO3 DemocritoPolvorosa, PO1 MarichelContemplo and PO1Junrie Amper, who weretaken prisoner last Novem-ber – were all released toDuterte in Gigaquit town.

Duterte, who played akey role for the safe releaseof the hostages, flew by a pri-vate helicopter to the prov-ince and fetched the trio ata rebel camp. He handedover the policemen toSurigao del Norte GovernorSol Matugas and their fami-lies, who previously ap-pealed to Duterte to securethe freedom of the prisoners.

“They asked me if Icould help them and I said Iwill talk to the NPAs. I am al-ways willing tohelp...naaawa ako sa mgakapamilya ng mga na ab-duct,” Duterte, former na-tional security adviser andnow chairman of the Re-gional Peace and OrderCouncil, said.

Communist leaderssaid the release of the police-men was an act of goodwillfor the resumption of thestalled peace talks with theAquino government andalso as humanitarian con-sideration.

The policemen wereabducted separately byrebels - Amper was taken inMalimono town in Surigaodel Norte on November 12while Polvorosa andContemplo were seized inAlegria town on November16.

Duterte had previouslysecured the freedom of manysoldiers and policemen cap-tured by rebels in Mindanao.

Duterte has reiteratedhis previous appeal to the

government to take concretesteps to end the 42-year-longcommunist insurgency thathe said has stunted thegrowth and development ofthe countryside.

“We have been fightingour fellow Filipinos for thelast 42 years. Would it takeanother 42 years before wefinally put an end to this?”Duterte asked.

Duterte said the na-tional government must giveserious efforts in findingways to resolve with finalitythe insurgency problem inthe country.

“Government has twochoices, we either kill all ofthem or we talk to them. Kill-ing all of them is obviouslynot an acceptable option be-

cause after all these are ourfellow Filipinos. So the bestway is to talk to them,” hesaid.

Duterte said that if afterthe offer of reconciliation,some of the rebels wouldchoose to continue to takeup arms, then governmenthas to pursue and neutralizethem. “These people arefighting for a cause they be-lieve in. Who knows, theirideas may yet help build anation where people will beunited once and for all. Thisis the best legacy we couldleave to our children,” hesaid.

Duterte, who is beingconvinced by several sectorsto consider running forPresident in next year’s elec-

tions, had previously saidthat if he were the President,he would invite the rebels towork with him in govern-ment, provided that theywill agree to lay down theirarms.

The NPA - which isfighting for a separate statein the country – releasedrecently Pvts. MarnelCinches and Jerrel Yurongin Bukidnon province innorthern Mindanao due tohumanitarian reason fol-lowing their capture in Au-gust last year in Impasug-ong town; and also Pfc.Alvin Ricarte and Cpl. Ben-jamin Samano inCompostela Valley prov-ince. (Mindanao Exam-iner)

Photo by Mark Navales

Teleperformanceshares tips on gettingyour big career break

Soldiers to train on IHL 'SAF 44' heroism shouldinspire police profession-

alism

2015 Calendar Inside Mga biktima ngsunog sa Jolo,

nabigyan ng tulong

Payo niDr. Willie T. Ong

PAGE 2 PAGE 6PAGE 3 PAGE 4 PAGE 5 PAGE 7

Mar. 2-8, 20152 The Mindanao Examiner

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Teleperformance shares tips on getting your big careerbreak this Year of the Wooden Sheep

DAVAO CITY - Happinessand prosperity – these de-fine the year 2015, as re-vealed by Chinese astrol-ogy. The Year of the Sheepalso spells luck and morethriving opportunities,which make it a year ofendless of positivity andpossibilities.

Hence, this might bethe perfect time to ventureinto a new career havingthe courage to take onchallenges will be helpful,especially when you areeyeing to achieve that bigbreak. Doing so may notappear easy, but it is surelyworth the try.

Joining you in this ca-reer journey isTeleperformance, theworld’s largest contact cen-ter company, which givesaway some pointers toboost your professional life:

1. Fuel yourself withlove for work. When you

Migrante-Middle East conductsfree flu vaccination in Saudi

MANILA – Migrante-Middle East and its mem-ber-organizations inSaudi Arabia recently con-ducted a free flu vaccina-tion to overseas Filipinoworkers in Riyadh.

John LeonardMonternoa, M-ME coordi-nator, said the vaccinationwas part of their commit-ment and advocacy tolook at the health and wel-fare of OFWs. “This is oneway of helping the host

Migrante-Middle East in action

government and the Fili-pino community preventthe spread of flu especiallyof MERs-CoV,” he said.

MERs-Cov refers tothe Middle East respira-tory syndromecoronavirus.

Monterona said theirgroup will continuouslylaunch health informationtips and education cam-paign in combatingMERs-CoV.

According to the Cen-

ters for Disease Controland Prevention, MERS-CoV has also been foundto infect people and ani-mals, including camelsand bats. MERS-CoV wasfirst reported in SaudiArabia in 2012. It hascaused illness in hundredsof people from severalcountries. All cases to datehave been linked to coun-tries in and near the Ara-bian Peninsula.(Mindanao Examiner)

love your job, it doesn’t feellike work at all. No matterhow cliché this statementis, it always applies to everyemployee. Dragging your-self eight hours a day, fivedays a week, with no pros-pect for growth? Time to re-consider. It’s pointless tostick to something that feelsmostly like a routine jobrather than a career. Pursu-ing what you love to do willlead to a happier and morefruitful career.

2. Take a break once ina while. An efficient em-ployee is an asset to everycompany. Salary increase?Check. Promotion? Check.It is always nice to havethese rewards, but youshould not be over-whelmed by them and for-get to take restful breaks.Those born in the Year ofthe Tiger, Snake, and Dogare advised to take bettercare of their health, so it is

beneficial for them to man-age their work load moreeffectively. Meanwhile,Rabbit babies are encour-aged to balance their workand social life. You deservethis.

3. Don’t take all thework. Sometimes, it’s lesscomplicated and more effi-cient to do some workalone. Most of the time,nonetheless, it is necessaryto interact with others anddelegate the tasks assigned,because admit it – you’renot superhuman. TheHorses are said to be com-patible working with theSheep, while the Oxen arenot. Whatever the signs dic-tate this year, be open andflexible working with allsorts of people at work. Re-member, teamwork is ev-erything.

4. Keep in mind thathumility is key. Whetheryou’re sitting in a manage-

rial position or not, it is al-ways encouraged to keepyour feet on the ground. Ahigh designation and theprestige that goes with itmight be a bit hard tohandle, but exercising hu-mility will help strengthenrelationships with your col-leagues, which could alsodo wonders for your careertoday and in the future.

5. Save what you earn.You deserve to treat yourselfduring paydays, but putaside some amount thatwill go to the bank. Just likethe Oxen, you are advised tocontrol your urge to shopfor less important things.Save your earnings and usethose to invest in more im-portant things for your fu-ture.

6. Be content. A perfectcompany, job, boss orofficemate may not exist inthe real world. Conflicts areinevitable; stress has always

been a part of employment.Therefore, switching fromone job to another fre-quently could be a waste oftime, effort, and is a red flagfor future employers. In-stead of complaining aboutyour duties and responsi-bilities, learn how to em-brace them. Sooner or later,you will find yourself lovingevery bit of your career.

7. Think green. FengShui experts revealed thatgreen is the lucky color in2015. It wouldn’t hurt to be-gin this fresh period by dis-playing some shades ofgreen in your work environ-ment. Put a small flower orplant pot on your officedesk. Aside from beautify-ing your space, this alsogives off a therapeutic effectthat will surely lessen yourstress levels, if any. Thosewho were born in the Yearof the Rooster are encour-aged to consider this so

they can attract more goodvibes this year.

Marilyn Ventenilla, Re-gional Communicationsand Marketing Director ofTeleperformance Philip-pines, stated that “one cancatch his biggest careerbreak as long as he has thedrive to achieve both per-sonal and professionalgrowth.”

“Job seekers can lookforward to a progressive ca-reer in the business processoutsourcing industry orBPO, which is getting in-creasingly in-demand ev-ery year. Teleperformance,the world’s leading multi-channel BPO company, of-fers exciting opportunitiesto people who are passion-ate about professionalgrowth, personal learning,and making a difference inthe community,” sheadded. (Via Mindanao Ex-aminer)

Mar. 2-8, 2015 3The Mindanao Examiner

DAVAO CITY – The Philip-pine military's HumanRights Office and the In-ternational Committee ofthe Red Cross will trainabout 30 government sol-diers on how to dissemi-nate the law of armedconflict - also known asinternational humanitar-ian law - for thousands ofgovernment militias whoare members of the Citi-zen Armed Forces Geo-graphical Unit.

The three-day train-ing of enlisted personnel- who will form part of themilitary's mobile trainingteams - started at the 10thInfantry Division inDavao City.

“As our front-liners,our enlisted personnel

Soldiers to train on IHL

An ICRC staff explains ICRC’s activities in Mindanao to participants of the IHL training ofAFP mobile teams at the 401st Infantry Brigade in Agusan del Sur province. (ICRC/Chiara deLeon)

and Cafgu members needto know the basic prin-ciples of IHL, includingthe protection of civiliansand respect for woundedor captured fighters. Thistraining is part of ourcommitment to integrateIHL into the teaching ofour armed forces person-nel, and we look forwardto replicating this pro-gram in other areas,” saidCol. Jose Antonio CarlosMotril, chief of themilitary's human rightsoffice.

The training includeslectures on IHL principlesand the Philippine IHLAct, R.A. 9851, amongother topics. After thetraining, the AFP mobiletraining teams are tasked

to go around patrol basesto disseminate IHLamong members of theCafgu.

IHL regulates themeans and methods ofwarfare and protects thosenot or no longer partici-pating in hostilities. Asguardian of IHL, the ICRChelps enhance the teach-ing and dissemination ofIHL to increase awarenessand promote complianceamong weapon bearers.

The ICRC is a neutral,independent and impar-tial humanitarian organi-zation that is mandated toprotect and assist civiliansaffected by armed conflictand other situations ofviolence. (Mindanao Ex-aminer)

Mystery surrounds burning ofMarwan’s hideout

MAGUINDANAO PROV-INCE – Mystery continuesto surround the burning ofa thatched house used ashideout by slain Malay-sian bomber Zulkifli binHir in southern Philip-pines.

Police said the housewas burned down lastweek, but the military saidit is trying to verify the re-port.

Zulkifli’s hideout inthe village of Tukanalipaoin Maguindanao’sMamasapano town waslocated deep inside theterritory of the Moro Is-lamic Liberation Front.

The rebel group hadbeen accused of killing 44police commandos whotook part on the slaying ofthe Malaysian terrorleader during a top secretanti-terror operation onJanuary 25.

“Wala kaming detailsdoon (sa burning ofZulkifli’s house). We onlyheard of its pero hindi rinnamin ma-confirm kasinga hindi madalingpasukin yun area at maysightings the day before ngmga armado (sa lugar),”Capt. Jo-ann Petinglay, aspokeswoman for the 6thInfantry Division, inMaguindanao province,told the regional newspa-per Mindanao Examiner.

Police said it got the re-

port from village officials. Itwas unknown whether theMILF or the BangsamoroIslamic Freedom Fighterswas behind the burning ofthe thatched house. TheBIFF was also accused bythe police of aiding theMILF in attacking com-mando members of theelite Special Action Force.

Police commandoswere on their way to re-joinmore than 300 SAF mem-bers deployed near the vil-lage after killing Zulkifliand cutting off his fingerfor DNA analysis whenMILF forces, aided byBangsamoro Islamic Free-dom Fighters, ambushedthem that sparked daylongclashes.

The MILF recently sur-rendered to the military –at least 16 weapons, mostlyautomatic rifles, includingtwo machine guns – insidethe headquarters of the 6thInfantry Division inMaguindanao.

The weapons werethen handed over to thepolice, but SAF sourcesclaimed the guns had beencannibalized and thatmany of its parts were ei-ther taken out or replacedwith defective mechanism.

Mohagher Iqbal, anMILF vice chairman andchief peace negotiator ofthe group, said thehandover of the weapons

was a gesture of their sin-cerity to the peace process.He also denied media re-ports quoting him as say-ing that renewed hostilitiesmay breakout in the restiveregion if the proposedBangsamoro Basic Law isrejected by Congress.

Lawmakers shelvedthe BBL until investiga-tions into the deadlyclashes between SAF andMILF is completed.

At least 18 MILF andfive BIFF were killed in thefierce fighting that theAquino governmentclaimed was a mis-en-counter. Muslim humanrights groups also claimedthat 7 civilians were alsokilled by the police, but thiscould not be indepen-dently confirmed.

The MILF signed apeace deal with the Aquinogovernment last year andthe recent fighting is nowthreatening not only thepeace process, but thepresidency of Aquino aspublic outcry for his weakleadership continues tomount.

Lawmakers also joinedthe police in demandingthe surrender of MILFrebels involved in the kill-ing of SAF commandos.But the MILF said it will notsurrender those that tookpart in the clashes.(Mindanao Examiner)

Luis Antonio Calvo, the Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines, speaks to Zamboanga CityMayor Beng Climaco at City Hall. Calvo was the guest of honor during the celebration of the78th Dia de la Ciudad de Zamboanga last week.

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Mar. 2-8, 20154 The Mindanao Examiner

Estudyante, guro todo-pasalamat kay Sulu Gov. Tan

Si Sulu Gov. Totoh Tan sa pagbubukas ng bagong covered court ng Mohammad Tulawie CentralSchool sa bayan ng Jolo. (Kuha ni Franzie Sali)

Philippines urged to verify new Saudiamnesty offer to illegal migrants

MANILA – Filipino migrantrights group Migrante-Middle East urged the Phil-ippines to verify a recentannouncement made bySaudi Arabia granting am-nesty to illegal migrants.

John LeonardMonterona, Migrante’s co-ordinator in Riyadh, saidpublished reports on SaudiGazette said there is freshopportunity for illegal mi-grants or workers to “cor-rect” their status.

He said the media re-ports quoted Othman Al-Muhrij, head of the Gen-eral Security, said: “We arelooking to rectify the statusof expatriates who have en-tered the country illegallyor working under a spon-sor or on a position that isdifferent from what isstated on their residencepermits.”

Monteroa said it is pru-dent for the Department ofForeign Affairs to immedi-ately validate the reports

and look into the coverageand process on how toavail the amnesty offeredby the Saudi government.

The reports saidDeputy Crown PrinceMuhammed Bin Naif, whois also Deputy Premier andMinister of Interior, an-nounced that a secondamnesty for illegal expatri-ates to rectify their statuswill take effect next.

Monterona said theFilipino migrant commu-nities across Saudi Arabiahave already welcomed theannouncement.

“Thousands of un-documented migrants, in-cluding overseas Filipinoworkers, have been pray-ing and hoping for thegranting of amnesty fromthe host government,”Monterona said.

He said at least 300,000so-called illegal migrantswill benefit from the newamnesty offer. He there arealso at least 20,000 un-

documented OFWs whoare likely to avail the am-nesty.

“Parallel to our call tothe DFA and Philippinediplomatic posts in theKingdom to verify and getthe details of the reportedSaudi amnesty is our ad-vice to all undocumentedOFWs to enlist their namesin the Philippine Embassyin Riyadh and in the Phil-ippine Consulate inJeddah,” he said.

Monterona said un-documented OFWs can alsocall Migrante-Middle Eastand member-organizationsthrough its hotline 053 9081974. “They can also sendSMS stating their full nameand current location to ourhotline,” Monterona said.“Undocumented OFWsshould grab this opportu-nity to correct their status.We are willing to help themand it’s always our pleasureassisting them.” (MindanaoExaminer)

SULU – Pinagkaguluhanng daan-daang estudyanteat guro si Sulu Gov. TotohTan na siyang nanguna sapagbubukas ng bagongcovered court ngMohammad Tulawie Cen-tral School sa bayan ngJolo.

Nagsilbi rin guestspeaker si Gov. Tan sa “cut-ting of the ribbon” ng cov-ered court kamakailanlamang. Todo naman angpasasalamat ni CarmelDedoro, ang head teacherng nasabing paaralan,dahil sa malaking tulong atsuporta ni Gov. Tan sa mgaestudyante at sa mgaproyekto ng MohammadTulawie Central School.

“All our sacrifices andall our efforts are meant toprepare our children forthe future when they are ontheir own in facing thechallenges of life. We arenot there always by theirside,” ani Gov. Tan sakanyang talumpati.“Lastly, I want to put onrecord our appreciation for

the school officials whohave organized this event.I hope you will put this cov-ered court into good use.”

Sinabi pa ni Gov. Tansa mga estudyante nadapat nilang mahalin angkanilang mga guro tuladng kanilang pagmamahalsa magulang dahil sila angnaghihirap ng husto upangmaturuan ang mga ito.“Dapat mahalin natin angmga teachers natin sameas how we love our par-ents” wika nito.

Sa kalagitnaan namanng talumpati ni Gov. Tan aynapuna nito angmaraming mga estudyantena nakatayo lamanghabang nakikinig ngtaimtim sa kanyang mgasinasabi. Napukaw angatensyon ni Gov. Tan sakakulangan ng mga silyang estudyante at guro kungkaya’t agad nitong ipinag-utos ang pagbibigay ngsilya para sa mgaestudyante.

Lalo namannaghiyawan ang mga

estudyante at guro ngmarining ang panibagongtulong na ibibigay muli ngopisyal. Sa pagtatapos ngseremonya ay dinumognaman ng maraming mgaestudyante si Gov. Tan atpinagyayakap atpinaghahalikan ito dahil sakanilang lubos nakaligayahan at bilangrespeto sa kanya.

“Happy ang lahat atlalong-lalo na ang mgabata na hinalikan atniyayakap si Gov. Totoh atparang ayaw bitawan atayaw paalisin sa kanilangcampus. Tulala ang lahatdahil sa kung papaano angnaging pagtanggap nglahat kay Gov. Totoh. Parasiyang ama ng mga bata attalagang pinakikingganniya ang mga sinasabi ngmga estudyante,” ani ng isasa mga naroon.

Nangako rin si Gov.Tan na mas lalo nitongpagiibayuhin at bibigyanng prayoridad angedukasyon sa naturanglalawigan. (Franzie Sali)

'SAF 44' heroism shouldinspire police professionalism

THE heroism of the 44 eliteSpecial Action Force com-mandos killed in clasheswith Moro Islamic Libera-tion Front forces inMaguindanao provinceought to help inspire badlyneeded professionalism inthe Philippine National Po-lice, which has been reelingfrom rampant corruptionand misconduct, Pasig CityRep. Roman Romulo said.

“The courageous dedi-cation to duty of the SAF 44should now encourage ev-ery police officer to live upto the highest standards ofprofessional law enforce-ment service,” Romulo said.

He also urgedMalacañang to waste notime in naming a new PNPchief to fully restore order,discipline and the chain ofcommand, and to move the149,000-member force for-ward.

“Malacañang has toappoint a new PNP chief at

once, considering that thenext presidential election isjust 15 months away, andwhoever is named mayneed at least six months toget accustomed to the job,”Romulo said.

The country’s presi-dential elections are oftenmarred by campaign vio-lence, including politicalkillings that threaten peaceand order, he pointed out.

“We expect the forth-coming new PNP chief topush hard for a re-ener-gized force whose officersare wholly committed tothe utmost benchmarks ofcompetence, skill, conductand behavior,” Romulosaid.

Since December, thePNP has been led by a mereofficer-in-charge, DeputyDirector General LeonardoEspina.

Espina as well as Inte-rior and Local GovernmentSecretary Mar Roxas were

kept out of the loop by re-signed PNP chief DirectorGeneral Alan Purisima inthe January 25 clashes inMamasapano town.

The military was alsokept in the dark byPurisima, who supposedlyremotely directed the op-eration that involved a totalof 392 SAF commandos.

Critics have blamed thedeadliest encounter in PNPhistory on the “breakdownof command” during theoperation to neutralize Ma-laysian bomb makerZulkifli Abdhir, alias AbuMarwan, and his Filipinoprotégé, Basit Usman.

MMMMMarararararwan was killed inwan was killed inwan was killed inwan was killed inwan was killed inthe SAF rthe SAF rthe SAF rthe SAF rthe SAF raid.aid.aid.aid.aid.

The 44 SAF comman-dos were killed when theassault team and a blockingforce were overwhelmed byMILF rebels andBangsamoro Islamic Free-dom Fighters. (MindanaoExaminer)

The Mindanao Examiner 5Mar. 2-8, 2015

Mar. 2-8, 20156 The Mindanao Examiner

Philippine and MILF soldiers join forces to fight Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters inNorth Cotabato province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Mark Navales)

Philippine Army, MILF joinforces to fight militant group

MAGUINDANAO – Philip-pine and MILF troops havelaunched a joint operationto flush out separatist rebelsblamed for the spate of ter-rorism in the province ofNorth Cotabato in the res-tive southern region ofMindanao, officials said.

Officials said the sol-diers had cleared severalvillages in Pikit town wheregovernment forces clashedrecently with BangsamoroIslamic Freedom Fighters.

The rebels managed to es-cape from a massive mili-tary assault and fled tonearby Maguindanao prov-ince.

Rebel forces hadburned houses as they fledfrom pursuing troops.

Various media reportssaid as many as 20 rebelswere killed in the pastclashes, but security offi-cials would not confirmthis.

The BIFF broke away

with the MILF after it agreedto an autonomy offered bythe Aquino government andaccused its chieftain MuradEbrahim of betraying thecause of Salamat Hashim,the group’s founder.

The rebel group is nowfighting for Muslim inde-pendence in Mindanao andvowed to continue thestruggle left behind byHashim, who died of heartattack many years ago.(Mark Navales)

Kampo ng BIFF laglag sa militar!COTABATO CITY – Nabawing militar ang kuta ngBangsamoro Islamic Free-dom Fighters sa liblib nabahagi ng bayan ng Pikit saNorth Cotabato, ngunitpatuloy pa rin ang pagtugisng mga tropa sa rebeldenggrupo matapos namakatakas sa opensiba ngpamahalaan noonnakaraang linggo.

Sinabi ni Capt. Jo-annPetinglay, ang tagapagsalitang 6th Infantry Division, nahawak na umano ng 7th In-fantry Battalion angKabasalan Complex nasiyang ginamit ng BIFFbilang hideout. Nabawi rin

sa lugar ang mga improvisedexplosives na naiwan ngrebeldeng grupo.

Wala naman nai-ulat naencounter sa pagitan ngmilitar at BIFF nitongPebrero 22, ayon kayPetinglay. “Wala nang en-counter na naitala at nakuhana ng troops ng 7th InfantryBattalion ang KabasalanComplex,” wika nito saMindanao Examiner re-gional newspaper.

Hinahabol ng mgasundalo ang BIFF sa isangmarshy area sa bayan ng Sul-tan sa Barongis sa katabinglalawigan ng Maguindanao.Naka-alerto na rin ang mga

ibang unit ng militar sa lugar.“We are still waiting for

the report ng 7th InfantryBattalion as to the casualtiesng BIFF at sa na-recover naIEDs doon sa Kabasalan(Complex) during the clear-ing operations yesterday af-ternoon,” ani Petinglay.

Ang BIFF ay isangbreakaway group ng MoroIslamic Liberation Front nalumagda ng peace deal sapamahalaang Aquino noonnakaraang taon.Ipinaglalaban namanngayon ng BIFF angkalayaan ng mga Muslim saMindanao. (Mindanao Ex-aminer)

SULU – Namahagi ngtulong si Sulu Gov. TotohTan sa mga biktima ngmalaking sunog sa bayanng Jolo nitong lalawigan.

Maraming pamilyaang nawalan ng bahaymatapos na lamunin ngmalaking apoy angkanilang lugar sa BarangayAsturias kamakailanlamang na kung saan ayisang bata ang nasawi.

Mga biktima ng sunog saJolo, nabigyan ng tulong

Si Sulu Gov. Totoh Tan habang kausap ang mga biktima ng sunog sa Barangay Asturias sabayan ng Jolo. (Kuha ni Franzie Sali)

Pulis namusil ug sibilyan sa DavaoDAVAO CITY - Usa ka pu-lis ang namusil ugsibilyan sa dihang iyalang naalaan nganangawat sa iyang mo-tor.

Siya si PO2 JozelJorolan, 36, na assign saPublic Safety Battalion saDavao City Police Office.Nag tingkagol siya karonsa Tugbok Police Stationhuman wala niya gipusilsi Mario Israel Magno, 49,nagpuyo sa Ulah TugbokDistrict dinhi ug usa siyaka tricycle driver sa

maong dapit.Naalaan lang ni

Jorolan ang maongbiktima nga nangawat saiyang motorsiklo ugiyang gipaulanan ug balaang biktima. Nahitabokini niadtong gabie saLunes didto atubangansa usa ka banko ug termi-nal sa mga tricycle driversa Mintal.

Matud pa sa nakakitaigo lang gi plastar sabiktima ang motor sa pu-lis kay natumba ug didtogipusil sa maka daghan

nga higayon ang biktima.Matud pa sa SOCO, 23 kabasiyo sa bala angnakuha sa crime scene.

Kikasuhan na sa angsuspetsado nga pulismatud pa ni Chief In-spector Ireneo Caburnay,hepe sa Tugbok PoliceStation. Matud pa ni saSenior Insp. MildredDriz, spokesperson saDavao City Police Officeilang kasohan ang pulisug criminal ug adminis-trative case. (MarlonGayog)

Agad rin pinuntahanni Gov. Tan ang pamilya ngbiktima at nag-abot ngtulong-pinansyal sa mgamagulang ng bata bilangsuporta sa kanilangpangangailangan.

Maging ang mga ibangbiktima ng trahedya aykinausap at binigyan rinng kaukulang tulong niGov. Tan at nagsagawa rinito ng inspeksyon sa lugar

ng mga nasunugan.Pinagiingat naman ni

Gov. Tan ang mgamamamayan sa kanilangmga bahay upang magingligtas sa sunog o anumangsakuna.

Nagpasalamat namanang mga biktima sa sunogsa mabilis na pagtugon niGov. Tan sa kanila at satulong na ipinamahaginito. (Franzie Sali)

Mati City nisamot ka-biboMATI CITY - Nisamothinuon ka-bibo angciudad sa Mati niiningpanahona ilabina ngaadunay gipahigayon ngamga padula atol sa DavaoRegional Athletic Associa-tion Meet niiningkatapusang semana saPebrero.

Imbes nga mobati ugkabalaka gumikan sa bag-ohay pa lang nga pag-atakisa estasyon sa pulisya, ang

mga bisita nga apil saDavao Regional AthleticAssociation na-ikag sapagsuroy libot sa ciudadapil ngadto sa kadagatan,hasta sa plaza sa Baywalknga daplin sa dagat haduolsa pantalan diin anaa angbarko sa Philippine Navy.

Ang mga bisita dilimobiya sa baywalk nga dilimakapahulagway samarka sa dakung mga letrasa “I Love Mati.”

Ang estasyon sapulisya nga gisulong samga rebelde nahimo nanga tourist spot kay gustosa mga bisita nga makita sapersonal ang estasyon.

Ang Davao Orientalkaron ilabina sa ciudad saMati nagkatag angkasundalohan ug pulisyalakip na ang mga espeyaaron pagseguro nga lowasug hapsay ang tibuokprobinsya. (Sarx Lanos)

The Mindanao Examiner - EDITORIAL 7Mar. 2-8, 2015

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Mamasapano and Rio Tuba By Jesus DurezaMORE than a month hadpassed since Mamasapano.Up to now, we are wastingprecious time and missingopportunities. And we havealready squandered pre-cious gains. Yet we are notmoving forward. Instead, bit-terness, anger, grief, disbe-lief, divisiveness, hatred,blame, revenge still rules ourhearts. And we are witness-ing more polarization of ourpeople. Worse, we hear thedrums of war. I'm sad.

RIO TUBA - That re-minds me. WhenMamasapano happened onJanuary 25, I was in Rio Tuba,Palawan. I headed a delega-tion from the PhilippinePress Institute (PPI) to take alook at what a mine sitelooked like and how thecommunity coped. NickelMining Corporation's "JB"BAYLON and his team ar-ranged the visit.

It's a barangay ofBataraza town, about 5 hoursof land trip going south ofPuerto Princesa. By the way,in the opposite direction go-ing north are the famed re-sorts and havens Palawan isknown for worldwide. Thesouthern part hosts miningcompanies. Rio Tuba ishome to Nickel Mining Cor-poration, owned and oper-ated by the company of min-ing tycoon Manuel Zamoraand Japan's Sumitomo. ThePPI officials wanted to see forthey how nickel mining isdone and how the opera-tions of a "responsible" min-ing company impact on theenvironment, given the is-

sues and concerns that areusually brought to the atten-tion of the press. What wesaw was impressive. Nickel,by the way, is a mineral thatis used to make stainless ma-terials that don't rust. For in-stance, nickel is used for air-planes, engines, utensils orcell phones etc.

COMING TO PARADISE- Before we arrived at themine site, many of us jour-nalists were bracing our-selves to see wastelands andmined out landscapes con-sidering that Nickel MiningCorp. (US1.5 billion projects)had been on the ground ex-tracting for about 38 yearssince 1977. But we had apleasant surprise. Instead ofdisturbed environments, wesaw forests. I remember say-ing aloud: "I came to visit amine site. Instead I came to“paradise." Indeed, insteadof gaping mine pits, we sawlush green vegetations andplants and trees and flowerson rehabilitated grounds.Nickel mining does not cre-ate kilometer wide cratersand bottomless pits as weusually see in gold and cop-per mines. They scrape thetopsoil and go only as deepas 20 meters down to extractthe precious ore and then re-fill and re-contour theground and restore the greencover with trees and vegeta-tion.

CITY-LIKE AMENITIES- Life is a breeze in such re-mote far-away place.Bataraza is almost the lastfrontier near Balabac Islandat the tip of elongated

Palawan where on a clearnight; a promenader can seethe shore lights of Malaysiafrom across the sea. The15,000 or so Rio Tuba resi-dents are living in city-likeamenities in the middle ofnowhere. Families of mineemployees enjoy free elec-tricity and free water. Andwho would think a De LaSalle-supervised school op-erates in such far way place?Named after the late Le-onides Virata, 1,300 pupilsare taken care of by about 56faculty members. And guesshow much each student paysfor one whole year: a measlyP300! Every classroom by theway has hi-tech LCD screens,IPAD enabled.

FREE HOSPITAL - WhenI walked into the mine hos-pital, I saw on the bed gettingan intravenous antibiotictreatment a fisherman fromBalabac Island for an in-fected swollen foot woundedby a sea urchin days before.The level 1 hospital ismanned by nine doctors, 33nurses and gives free medi-cal services, including medi-cines and treatment to all, in-cluding the IPs with an an-nual budget of about P90million. It has ultra-soundfacilities and can do surger-ies with 100-bed capacity. Inserious cases, it can airliftpatients to Puerto Princesawith the company's air assetshangared in a private airstripnearby.

Who would also imag-ine that about P1.1 billion(yes, billion) of social devel-opment projects for a 5-year

period are enjoyed by 11 im-pact barangays and 22 otherneighboring barangays inthe province? Another P50million annual royalties arealso given to the IPs, the areabeing a part of the ancestraldomain.

ENVIRONMENT - Ofthe total mining tenementarea of 5,265 hectares, onlyabout 600 plus hectares hadbeen "disturbed" by actualextraction for a period of 38years of mining operations,and 280 hectares have beenrehabilitated and now turn-ing into mini forests. Its tail-ings storage facility or tail-ings pond where the waste isdeposited has an area of 90hectares. The feared acidemissions are addressed by

Dr. Willie T. Ong

ALAGAAN ANG PROSTATE Payo ni Dr. Willie T. Ong

ANG prostate ay organ na kasinglaki ngcastañas. Nakabalot ito sa labasan ng ihing lalaki (urethra).

Karamihan ng lalaking edad 45 pataasay nagkakaroon ng bahagyang paglaki ngprostate. Ito’y dala ng pagbabago sa hor-mones ng lalaki kapag umeedad.

Ang sintomas ng lumalaking prostateay ang madalas na pag-ihi, at pakonti-kontiang labas. Humihina rin ang daloy ng ihiat parang hindi kumpleto ang iyong pag-ihi. Sa mga may edad, madalas silanggumising sa gabi para umihi.

Ito ang mga paraan para alagaan angprostate:

1. Huwag pigilin ang ihi. Mahihirapan ang iyongpantog at bato.

2. Uminom ng 8 basong tubig sa isang araw paramanatiling malinaw ang iyong ihi.

3. Ugaliing kumain ng kamatis, ketchup, tomato sauceat spaghetti sauce. Mataas ito sa lycopene. Kailangankumain ng 10 kutsarang spaghetti sauce bawat linggo.

4. Uminom ng green tea (decaffeinated) sa halip nakape. Panlaban sa kanser ang green tea at nagtatanggal ngtoxin sa katawan.

5. Kumain ng pagkaing mataas sa fi-ber tulad ng gulay at prutas.

6. Kumain ng isda kaysa karne.7. Umiwas sa matataba at matatamis.

Iwas sa soft drinks, iced tea at cakes.8. Umiwas sa alak at kape. Nakakairita

ito ng prostate.Medikal na gamutan sa prostate:Kumunsulta muna sa isang Urologist

bago uminom ng mga gamot na ito.1. Terazosin (brand name Hytrin) –

Mabilis ang epekto ng Hytrin napagandahin ang daloy ng iyong ihi. Halos1 o 2 araw lang ay may pagbabago na.

2. Finasteride (Proscar) o Dutasteride (Avodart) -Binibigay ito sa mga pasyenteng malaki na talaga ang pros-tate. Kailangan ito inumin ng ilang buwan bago mapaliitang iyong prostate.

May kamahalan ang mga gamot sa prostate (halosP100 bawat tableta). Sana ay mapababa ang presyo nggamot para mas marami ang matulungan nito.

Kapag hindi nakuha sa gamot ay may ginagawang la-ser treatment ang mga Urologist (iniinit ang prostate).Huwag matakot at kumunsulta sa iyong Urologist. Goodluck po!

Alamin ang palatandaan ng skin cancerANO ang palatandaan ng masamang nunal? Ito aypuwede maging skin cancer (malignant melanoma) namadaling makamatay. Simple lang po ang sagot. Sundinang ating ABCD:

A – Anyo (asymmetry): Ang nunal o birthmark sa balatay dapat pareho ang anyo. Hindi siya dapat pa-zigzag opauka-uka ang paligid.

B – Border: Dapat makinis at malinaw ang paligid ngnunal o birthmark. Kapag may pagka-blurred ang gilidng nunal, baka masama na ito at magpatingin na agad sadoktor.

C – Color o kulay: Ang kulay ng nunal o birthmark aydapat iisa lamang. Itim kung itim, brown kung brown.Kapag naghahalo ang kulay ng isang nunal, may itim, redat brown pa, senyales ito ng masamang nunal. Magpa-check up na.

D – Diameter o laki ng nunal: Ang nunal o kahit anongmarka sa balat ay hindi dapat lalampas sa 6 mm sa habao diameter. Kasing laki ito ng isang pencil eraser. Kapagmas malaki sa isang pencil eraser ang inyong nunal,magandang ipasuri ito sa doktor para makasigurado.Dapat ay hindi rin lumalaki ang inyong nunal.

Paano gagawin ang ABCD sa pag-check ng nunal?Humarap sa salamin at tingnan ang balat. Tingnan

din pati ang likod. Gumamit ng salamin para makita anglahat ng parte ng katawan. Halimbawa, ang skin cancersa lalaki ay madalas nakatago sa likod. Gawin angpagsusuri bawat buwan, tulad din ng pasusuri ng suso sababae.

Paano iiwas sa skin cancer o melanoma?1. Umiwas sa sobrang pag-beach at pagbilad sa araw.

Ayon sa pagsusuri, ang mga taong mahilig mag-sunbath-ing noong kanilang kabataan ay mas tumataas angtsansang magkaroon ng skin cancer. Bukod sa skin can-cer, kukulubot pa ang mukha.

2. Maglagay ng sunblock na may proteksyon sa Ultra-violet A at B (UVA at UVB). Ang proteksyon ng sunblock ayumaabot lamang sa 4 na oras. Kaya kailangan mong mag-lagay muli ng sunblock kapag madalas kang nasa araw.

3. Umiwas sa matinding sikat ng araw mula 10 ngumaga hanggang 4 ng hapon.

4. Mag-ingat kapag nasa tabing dagat, beach atbuhangin dahil ang mga bagay na ito ay nag-re-reflect ngaraw pabalik sa ating mukha at katawan.

5. Magsombrero, mag-long sleeves at magsuot ng sun-glasses.

Kaya suriin na ang iyong balat. Tandaan ang ABCD ngskin cancer para maging ligtas sa sakit.

massive limestone applica-tions. We personally in-spected the filtering andmonitoring sites where minewaste water are recycled andtested before they are re-leased to the waterways.

I recalled how Ms. GINALOPEZ, a strong anti-miningadvocate came swinginghard against Rio Tuba mineby showing an aerial video ofthe mining tenement thathad wide reddish-coloredspots from the skies severalyears ago. I wished shewould come back and takeanother shot from the air to-day. I'll bet, the color wouldbe greenish this time with theground rehabilitation workas a result.

We were brought to a big

pond where fishes wereraised from mine waters re-cycled and cleared of harm-ful toxicity. The group en-joyed hauling in some fishcatch with their bamboopoles with hooks. In my case,I did not catch any fish as Iwas angling for a sexy mer-maid that I was told lived inthe depths. She did not bitemy bait. So, I had to contentmyself later looking at two-legged mermaids on dryland instead.

The Rio Tuba visit waspleasant and enjoyable andinstructive. I did not knowthat at that precise sametime, that same day, a tragedywas happening inM a m a s a p a n o .(info@advocacymindanow.org)

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ARMM Southern Mindanao Davao Western Mindanao Cebu Manila

OFWs exemptedsa airport terminal fee

xempted angmga OverseasFilipino Workerssa pagbayad saE

airport terminal fee uguban pang bayronon ngatravel tax ug documentarystamp.

Kini ang sublinggipahinomdom sa De-partment of Labor andEmployment sa Depart-ment of Transportationand Communications.Gihimo ni DOLE Secre-tary Rosalinda Baldoz angpahayag human sa

panawagan sa Manila In-ternational Airport Au-thority nga ipahunongang paglakip sa terminalfee o integration sabayronon sa ticket.

Matud pa ni Baldoz,gipahibalo na usab nilakang DOTC Secretary Jo-seph Abaya ang ilangposisyon kalabot samaong hisgotanan.Gidugang pa sa Kalihimnga andam ang iyangbuhatan nga ipa-ambit saMIAA ug mga airline com-panies ang ilang database

sa mga OFW aron dili nasila pangayoan og termi-nal fee kun mopalit ogticket.

Sa gipatuman ngasistema sakasamtangan, apil sabayaran sa mga OFW sapagpalit og ticket angterminal fee apanmahimong makakuhaog refund alang niini saNAIA terminal sahigayong makapakitasila og Overseas Employ-ment Certificate.(MBCN, ECB)

Immigration launches scholarshipprogram for employees

he Bureau of Im-migration re-cently launchedin Cebu the so-T

called “HandogEdukasyon” program thatoffers scholarship grantsto dependents and sib-lings of local BI employ-ees in five schools here.

The BI has signed aMemorandum of Agree-ment with University ofCebu, Southwestern Uni-versity, AMA ComputerCollege, Cebu Doctor’sUniversity and the Cebu

International DistanceEducation College forscholarship grants.

“The BI personnel arevery grateful for this op-portunity to ensure thefuture of our children,”said Immigration Com-missioner SiegfriedMison, who was in Ceburecently. Cebu is the firstprovince to implementthe program. The BI alsoinked a similar accordwith Emilio AguinaldoCollege and Lyceum ofthe Philippines Univer-

sity for BI employees.Mison said they are

also eyeing the cities ofBaguio and Davao forthe same program.

He assured that therecipients of the schol-arship grant will be cho-sen based on merit,while financial standingwill merely be a secondfactor. He said the pro-gram is in line with BI’s75th anniversary cel-ebration which culmi-nates in September.(MBCN, FC)

Cardiovascular diseaseis new ‘epidemic’

The Departmentof Health hasreported thatcardiovascular

disease is now labeledas the new epidemicand still the numberone cause of death to-day.

Dr. Jeanette PaulineCortes, non-communi-cable section head ofthe DOH regional of-fice, said cardiovasculardisease is a conditionaffecting the heart andblood vessels that in-clude coronary heartdisease.

“This is describedas a number of condi-tions caused by athero-sclerosis of the arteriesto the heart,” she said.

Cortes has encour-aged the public to start ahealthier lifestyle even ata young age to preventheart-related diseases,especially Coronary Ar-tery Disease whichranked as the highest rea-sons of mortality in theDOH list.

She said the diseaseis caused by plaquebuilding up along the in-ner walls of the arteries ofthe heart which narrowsthe lumen of arteries andreduces blood flow to theheart.

The traditional riskfactors of coronary arterydisease are high or lowcholesterol, high bloodpressure, family history,diabetes, smoking, being

post-menopausal forwomen and being olderthan 45 for men, she said.

Majority of Filipinosare prone to cardiovascu-lar diseases such as heartdisease because of physi-cal inactivity, smoking,obesity, hypertensionand diabetes, Cortes said,adding, based on April2011 data, the WorldHealth Organization re-corded 57,864 deaths inthe Philippines caused bythe disease.

According to Cortes,the disease is preventableby practicing healthy liv-ing lifestyle. The publicshould stay away fromsmoking and drinking.Smoking and too muchalcohol are big factors of

Poultry products gikan Israelug Oregon, gi-ban sa DA

Ka s a m t a n g a n gg i p a t u m a nkaron sa De-partment of Ag-

riculture ang import bansa mga poultry productsgikan sa Israel ug Oregonsa Estados Unidos arondili makasulod sa nasudang gikahadlokang avainflu outbreak gikan samaong mga lugar.

Gimando ni Agricul-ture Secretary ProcesoAlcala ang pag-ban samga poultry meat, day-old chicks, itlog ugsemilya gikan sa Haifa saIsrael aron ma-protektahan ang mgamamamalit sa HighlyPathogenic Avian Influ-

enza.Base sa taho,

nagsugod ang avian fluoutbreak niadtong Enerosa Avi’el, Hadera, Haifa,Israel ug gipahibalodayon kini sa Office of In-ternational des Epizootieso World Organization forAnimal Health.

Ang Paris-based OIEusa ka international or-ganization ngaresponsable sa pag-atiman sa kahimsog samga gi-alimahangmananap sa tibuokkalibotan. Sa dihangnahibaw-an ang maongoutbreak, gi-suspendirdayon ni Alcala ang pag-proseso sa mga

produktong gikan saHaifa.

G i p a - k u m p i s k a rusab sa Kalihim ang mgashipments, gawas saheat-treated products saDA veterinary quaran-tine officers ug inspec-tors sa tanang pantalansa nasud.

Ang H-5 avian influ-enza nga nikatap karonsa backyard poultry saBenton City maoy unanggikumpirmar sa Wash-ington Animal DiseaseDiagnostic Laboratorysa Washington StateUniversity. Sap a g k a k a r o n ,nagpabiling avian flufree ang Pilipinas. (ECB)

Cebu has enough electricityo v e r n o rHilario DavideIII has assuredCebuanos thatG

there is a sufficient sup-ply of electr icity inCebu and according tothe National Grid Cor-poration of the Philip-pines there is alsoenough power for theprovince.

Abner Bardoquillo,head of the NGCP Net-work System OperationDivision, said the Cebutransmission lines arealso connected withother parts of theVisayas and evenLuzon. The Visayas gridcan either collect fromor send available excesspower to the Luzongrid, he said.

“We are an inter-connected grid so wehave enough supply,”Bardoquillo said.

Despite the assur-ances, the current con-tingency power reservein Cebu is only 40 to 80megawatts (MW) whichindicates a yellow alertlevel.

NGCP said the

power plants are askednot to hold preventivemaintenance in themonths of April and May.

Davide met withpower stakeholders inthe region following anoutage on February 19and the eight-hour powerblackout also hit Samar,Leyte, and Bohol.

Energy officialsclaimed the power out-age pointed to any elec-tricity shortfall in theVisayas grid.

Antonio Labios, De-partment of Energy re-gional director, said theblackout was caused byan instrument trans-former explosion in NagaCity substation of CebuDiesel Power Plant 1.

The incident, he said,disconnected the powersupply of Korean ElectricCompany SPC PowerCorporationin Naga Cityand Cebu Energy Devel-opment Corporation inToledo City to the grid.

Bardoquillo said theyalready have short-termand long-term plans toavoid recurrence of thelow voltage.

Roger Lim, presidentof East Asia Utilities Cor-poration, said the prob-lem in the Naga substa-tion should never havecascaded into the otherNGCP transmission lines.

The lines also con-nect Cebu to Leyte, thusthe power outage wasalso experienced in thearea.

Davide was also con-cerned if Cebu hasenough power approach-ing summer since it iswhen the demand nor-mally rises.

Labios said they areexpecting to increase thegrid’s power reserve by264 MW from the plantsof Kepco, CEDC, andPhilippine Energy Devel-opment Corporation inPanay.

Kepco’s 100 MW unithas been undergoingpreventive maintenance.

“Barring any majorpower plant nga maguba(that has malfunctioned)and the operation is nor-mal, naa man ta gihapoymaigo nga (we haveenough) supply,” Labiossaid. (Xerxes Alkuino)

heart diseases.Malyn Fernandez,

DOH-7 healthy lifestyleprogram coordinator,also said there are someways to reduce the risk ofhaving heart disease byquitting smoking, im-prove cholesterol levels,

controlling high bloodand diabetes, exercisingregularly and doing somephysical activities, eatgreen and leafy veg-etables and food, achieveand maintain a healthyweight and managestress.

Fernandez saidpeople should stick to adiet that is low in fat andcholesterol because fatsmay clog blood vesselsand make it harder forthe blood to send oxy-gen to vital organs.(PIA)