Headlines & Front Page - December 24, 2007

FRONT PAGE

No Media Rules in R10

Police Chief Superintendent Teodorico B. Capuyan, Police Regional Office 10 Regional Director said that he does not believe that Region 10 needs a Rules of Coverage for media. He said this during the Press Forum with the PNP Press Corps X at Camp Alagar last week.

“I believe the media practitioners in Region 10 and Cagayan de Oro in particular, are more responsible and mature enough to have a set of rules for them to follow,” he said. “I think they know where to position themselves in case they get caught in a situation,” he added.

The police regional director however clarified that if higher-ups will require that a set of rules be drafted for the regions things can be threshed out because of the good relationship the PNP has with local media.

Capuyan however adviced media practitioners to be more circumspect in reporting incidents and most specially in quoting him. He lamented incidents where a report would say that he said something when he was never interviewed by the reporter.

“What is sad is when I am quoted as having said something and it is in terrible English. People might think I do not know how to speak English,” Capuyan said.

Further to this, he asked that media refrain from printing pictures of PNP personnel when not in their best attire or in the right condition. “Try to focus on the good side,” he said.

But he asked media men to limit their reporting to facts and not opinions.

Meanhile, the general warned anew all members of the Philippine National Police in Region 10 to refrain from firing their guns indiscriminately during the Christmas and New Year season to avoid injuries and deaths caused by stray bullets. He reiterated this during the same media forum sponsored by the PNP-X Press Corps held at Camp Alagar.

Saying those found violating the law would be dealt with accordingly regardless of rank, Capuyan stressed that those who will fire their guns indiscriminately during the occasion will be dishonorably discharged from the service.

“The law will apply not only to the PNP but also to all units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the region,” he said.

However, Capuyan assured the government suspension of operations doesn’t mean that the PNP will have their hands tied as they would continue to prevent the commission of crimes in the communities.

Meanwhile, consistent with public safety, order and national security, Capuyan has discouraged the use of firecrackers or if this cannot be voided, the public should bear in mind the provisions of Republic Act No. 7183, an act to regulate and control the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices.

For the enhancement of the cultural traditions, RA7183 has listed down the following fireworks which are considered legal: Baby Rocket, Bawang, Small Triangle, Pulling of Strings, Paper Caps, El Diablo, Judas Belt, Sky Rocket or “Kwitis.”

Sparklers, Luces, Fountain, Jumbo Regular and Special, Roman Candle, Trompillo, Airwolf, Whistle Bomb, Butterfly and all other pyrotechnic devices or “Pailaw” and other types equivalent to those earlier mentioned.

Considered illegal are those with such explosive and content that could endanger life and limb, such as: Atomic Big Triangle, Super Lolo and equivalents, Mother Rockets, Five Star, Og, Plapla, Pillbox and Watusi.

Violation of the provisions of RA 7183 is punishable by a fine of not less than Twenty Thousand Pesos (Php20,000) nor more than Thirty Thousand Pesos (Php30,000) or imprisonment of not less than six (6) months nor more than one (1) year.

The penalty could also be both fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court in addition to the cancellation of the license and business permit and the confiscation by the government of inventory or stocks. (with a report from Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob of PIA10)

Photo above, PNP Regional Office 10 (PRO-10) PCSupt. Teodorico Capuyan reminds policemen of the “no firing of guns” policy as well as regulation of use of fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices during the Christmas holidays during the Press Forum with members of the PNP Press Corps-X (Rodolfo Mendoza, PIA-10)

The MINDANAO CURRENT is taking a break and will not come out on December 31, 2007. Our next issue will be on January 7, 2008. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for patronizing us and we assure you that we will continue to provide you the news and information that you deserve to know.

Merry Christmas and May the New Year
be prosperous to All of us!

SC Dismisses Judge Pacuribot

By Katrina M. Martinez

For subjecting two of his subordinates to unwelcome sexual advances and acts of lasciviousness, Regional Trial Court (RTC) Executive Judge Rexel M. Pacuribot of Branch 27, RTC of Gingoog City was dismissed from service by the Supreme Court.

In a 51-page per curiam decision, the Supreme Court dismissed Pacuribot for gross misconduct and immorality prejudicial to the best interest of the service, with forfeiture of all retirement benefits and with prejudice to re-employment in any government branch. Pacuribot was also ordered to immediately cease and desist from rendering any order or decision, or from continuing any proceedings effective upon receipt of the decision, and to show cause why he should not be disbarred as a member of the Philippine Bar.

The case stemmed from two affidavit-complaints filed by two subordinates of the judge, both of whom were married, charging Pacuribot with sexual harassment for having committed repeated acts of sexual harassment and violence on their respective persons. Pacuribot was also charged in two anonymous letters with terrorizing and harassing employees of the Gingoog City Hall of Justice, and with maintaining an illicit relationship and fathering two children with another womean, both of which were set aside by the Court for having no merit, and for having been rendered moot, respectively.

The Court adopted the findings of Investigating Justice Teresita Dy-Liacco Flores of the Court of Appeals, Cagayan De Oro City Station, that Pacuribot, “over long periods of time…persistently solicited sexual favors from the two women subordinates.” Both complainants alleged that Pacuribot had taken them to a motel on separate instances, where the latter succeeded in raping them and in making them perform sexual acts on him against their will.

The Court found that, one woman’s case, Pacuribot’s advances continued even in the office, as Pacuribot would “grab her blouse” and “kiss her neck saying that she smells so sweet” whenever she would go inside his chamber. The Court also found there had been occasions when Pacuribot would summon the other woman to his chambers on the pretext of discussing probation matters, only to grab her, kiss her, and leave kiss marks on her neck and chest.

“Judge Pacuribot’s conduct indubitably bears the marks of impropriety and immorality…His severely abusive and outrageous acts, which are an affront to women, unmistakably constitute sexual harassment because they necessarily ‘x x x result in an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment for the employee[s],’” said the Court.

The Court added that “the audacity under which the sexual violation of the complainants were committed and the seeming impunity with which they were perpetrated by Judge Pacuribot shock our sense of morality.” It emphasized that Pacuribot, by his act of having sexual intercourse with his two subordinates, “violated the trust reposed on his high office and completely failed to live up to the noble ideas and strict standards of morality required of members of the Judiciary.”

“The Judiciary hemorrhages every time a Judge himself transgresses the very law he is sworn to uphold and defend at all costs,” lamented the Court. “This should not come to pass.”

Kagay-an Bridge Now Open

City Mayor Constantino G. Jaraula and Vice Mayor Vicente Y. Emano led the formal inauguration and soft opening of the P332.098 million Kagay-an Bridge, the city’s fifth bridge project which spans across Cagayan de Oro River at the back of the St. Agustine’s Cathedral.

Members of the City Council, officials from the national line agencies, department heads, barangay chairmen and members of the media witnessed the simple inauguration rites and blessing officiated by Monsignor Tex Legitimas.

The four-lane, 20-meter span and 168-meter length bridge and approaches costs P190,579,601.46 while the construction and concreting of access roads with drainage system and lighting facilities amounted to P141,519,097.03.

The Kagay-an Bridge, which started its construction in June 2006, links barangay Carmen to barangays Nazareth and Macasandig. The total length of the bridge and all access roads is 2.27 kilometers. Of the four access roads in the Nazareth-Macasandig area, only the road leading to Tomas Saco Street is passable to vehicles as construction works of other entry/exit roads that lead to Pabayo Street, Velez Street and Tibasak, Macasandig is still unfinished.

In his message, Mayor Jaraula said the bridge project will open up “directly and immediately” for growth at least 50 hectares of idle lands surrounding the bridge site which was once a flood-prone area.

The Kagay-an Bridge will serve as a vital link that complements other new growth areas in the city such as the development of a 250- hectare business complex by Ayala Corporation in Upper Camaman-an/Indahag area and the real estate development by A. Brown Company in upper Agusan/Balubal hilltop.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jaraula said that the newly inaugurated Kagay-an Bridge is now open as an alternative access road network especially for motorists coming from the city’s southwest area passing through Carmen and Southeast area passing through Nazareth and Macasandig. The mayor is set to issue an executive order that will provide the necessary provisions for the use of the bridge which shall be implemented by the Roads and Traffic Administration. (CIO)

Upper photo, Mayor Tinnex Jaraula is assisted by Vice Mayor Donkoy Emano as he cuts the ceremonial ribbon to open Kagay-an Bridge, as Nazareth Barangay Chairman Bebot Rodriguez, left, members of the City Council and Msgr. Tex Legitimas, behind, watch. Lower photo, the mayor and vice mayor walk the stretch of the bridge with all city officials and guests following, to the rotunda where a short inaugural program was held.Photo by Ed Montalvan/PPA-CdeO

EDITORIAL

Christmas Bonus for Govt employees

About two weeks ago Malacañang announced that the president was giving a P10,000 Christmas bonus to all national government employees.

This indeed was good news except that in the end what was committed was only P7,000 while the remaining P3,000 was to be taken from the department’s savings.

This is sad news for the PNP personnel who have been working very hard this year because there is no savings at all that can be distributed, according to PNP Chief Avelino Razon.

There are other departments in a similar situation and they too will only be getting the P7,000 and nothing more.

But what is sad to note is that Congressmen will be getting P200,000 bonus this Christmas. Considering the fat allowances and other perks that they get they still get a huge bonus.

The rule has always been a 13^th month salary based on the basic pay. In other offices employees get another extra month or a 14^th month bonus. But this P200,000 is just way out of hand because the basic salary of a congressman is not even higher than P50,000.

The problem is that it is the House of Representatives that deliberates and approves its own budget and they can easily include anything without anyone able to question it.

Speaker Jose de Venecia who decided on this bonus ought to be ashamed of himself. While the country is facing financial difficulty specially in the areas of health and education they would rather squander whatever little funds we have.

No wonder this country is in a terrible rot.

…as it is! By: Ed Montalvan

A time to think!

Another year is about to end and this is that time when I normally take time out to think and take stock of what is at hand.

Several years back I used to set aside the 30^th of December (that being a holiday) and spend a whole day to do this. What I used to do was to first look at the year that was about to end, look at my mistakes, errors and shortcomings and try to see why these happened and how it came about.

Then I would try to go back and ask how I would and should handle it if given a chance to do it all over again.

Then I look at my victories, my accomplishments and try to see, again, how these came about. A lot of these could have came by chance and maybe some because of how I handled it rightly.

Again, I would try to ask how I could have handled it better, if given the chance.

After looking at the past year, I am now ready to plan the coming year. I would try to put down on paper what I would want to accomplish in the coming year and how I would try to attain that.

I used to take almost a day to do this and in the end I find it very relaxing, and you get a feeling of readiness to face the world and whatever comes in the coming year.

As the years went by I found my self going through this process in less time than before. There was a time when it would take only half a day to this. These past few years it has even gone shorter and took only about 2 or 3 hours.

I thought, at first, that I was shortchanging myself and trying to hurry up things but in the end I found out that I was accomplishing about the same results as before.

Then I came to realize the fact that when one gets older his life gets simpler. Where it was considered important to deal with details in order to attain certain results one comes to a point where you do not care how it is done, for as long as it is done right and the right results are attained.

A case in point, just to cite an example, is going to the airport. The rout through Carmen, Masterson Road, SM, etc. is a shorter route that going through Macasandig and Pelaez bridge. Most people will take the Carmen route inspite of the traffic at the City Hall area and Ysalina bridge and Vamenta Avenue and the crossing to Macanhan because this is shorter and it gets you to the airport faster. If I am in a hurry, I would take this route too.

But if I had all the time to take, which I make it a point to do, I would take the Macasandig-Pelaez bridge route, even if it is longer, because of the view and the smoother traffic and the things you see along the way. Then I need not contend with the undisciplined drivers and traffic mess you pass along the way.

I end up more relax and more at peace with myself and with the world around me.

This is why my favorite song is This is all I ask, a song popularized by Tony Bennet and Robert Goulet wher it starts with athe line “As I approach the prime of my life, I approach that time of my life…Learning to enjoy at my leisure, all the simple pleasures…”

Try this exercise and try to simplify things in your life and you will realize you will be able to accomplish more in life.

Next week, December 31^st, we have decided to take a break. We will be back on January 7, 2008 for our first issue for the new year.

Until then, we pray that your Christmas will truly be a Merry one and may the new Year bring you more challenges and may it be more prosperous for you and the family.

What’s Up? By: Rene Artemio T. Pacana

Christmas Challenge

Christmas is permeating the air. But unlike the previous years, it seems the preparations are not so lavish. There’s not so much colorful and blinking lights, no imposing Christmas trees, decors and props in public places, less parties and celebrations, significantly less fireworks and firecrackers, and other ostentatious displays.

I can say this is perhaps because of the bleak economy. People are hard-up and would rather spend their money to address their basic needs than indulge in utter displays and adornments. Save for food, especially for the noche buena which is traditionally indispensable, many have learned to live with what they have and to do away with the unimportant.

This is one good thing that can come out from an economic crisis. We learn to value the cost of money. We become realistic and prioritize the essentials. After all, Christmas should not really be a time for spending. Yes, no doubt, it is a time for giving. But giving is not always synonymous with spending. Perhaps, many have that wrong notion and it is time to check it out.

Christmas can be oppressive and unjust if we measure it according to how much one spends. It highlights the wide economic gap between the rich and the poor. In these hard and trying times, the poor may find it difficult to distinguish the season any longer. Perhaps not to the few rich and well-to-do who can afford to buy goods. But to the vast majority of the poor and suffering, there is nothing to spend; nothing special about the season.

It is understandable that we give gifts. This is a season of giving and gifts are real translation of the act of giving. Nonetheless, a gift is not always material. Neither is it always measurable by monetary cost. To look at gifts by way of material things would be to succumb to modern-day consumerism. When we indulge into such outlook then the price of the gift is what counts most.

This season challenges us to go back to the essentials. To consider ourselves as the best gift to others even as Jesus Christ was to the entire humanity. Let’s in the meantime forget about material things and look at how our persons can become a gift to our loved ones, to our family, our parents, our children, our relatives, neighbors and friends and even to our enemies.

Perhaps our presence, our time, our talents, our comforting words, etc. are the real gifts that this world and our society need. We may have been too dependent on money, material things and other resources and we thought they could spell happiness to our loved ones on Christmas. Yet they’re not. When we open to such dimension of giving ourselves as gifts to others, then the spirit of Christmas becomes truly real for all of us.

Similarly, the price of the gift is rendered immaterial. Its price faints in the light of the priceless giver who is the real gift. Whether it is worth only a cent or a thousandth, does not really matter. What matters is the authentic act of self-giving by the giver of the gift which truly evokes real joy and peace both to the giver and to the person to whom the gift is freely given.

When such Christmas challenge is seriously taken, and when we celebrate it simply as how it should be just like when it was first celebrated 2000 years ago, we can all sing, “joy to the world, the Lord has come!” And this Christmas season will be far different from the rest albeit the dim and chilling economic condition that we’re presently experiencing. Merry Christmas to all!

Bounce Pass By John Montalvan

Merry Christmas!!!

Its Christmas time once again!!! This also means that soon it will be this paper’s anniversary!

Because it’s the Christmas Season this means parties, parties and more parties!

Last week alone, I only had one night vacant and the rest of the week was full of Christmas Parties! Parties from work, barkadas, and my other affiliations!

My mom gave me a good advice for this season. “Hinay hinay lang sa inom and kain!”

This is very true! Because of the parties, I am up late almost every night and there’s always a tendency to over eat and over drink.

For athletes, there is also very minimal time for practices and for trainings.

You guys will really have to control your eating and drinking or else recovery will be very difficult in January!

But what the heck! Let’s enjoy this season and celebrate God’s love for us this Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!!

***

As of this writing, the PBA game in CDO is still about to be played. I’m sure that everyone is still hyped by the game they watched.

Magnolia and Alaska are the two of the best teams with a good history in the PBA. Magnolia, then known as the San Miguel Beermen won the Grand Slam in 1989 while the Alaska Aces won the Grand Slam in the 90’s.

I’m sure that it was a very great game and it was such a treat for Cagayanons to watch the PBA live once again.

Congratulations to the Organizers!

Art Write By: Kelly Ramos-Palaganas

Ivan Macarambon on Art

You’ve probably seen him around, if you are the kind of person who follows the local art scene. His 2006 work “The Atom-Slicing Board” was made out of ink drawings collaged with some magazine cutouts of mushrooms, the image repetitively pasted all over a piece of white cutting board, the kind you use for cooking, the plastic one. It was exhibited at the Provincial Capitol of Misamis Oriental during a group show there two Augusts ago. His was one of the few mixed-media works; it was one of my favorites.

Allow me to insert a bit of a biographical note here, before we move on to the exciting art stuff. Ivan Macarambon is a young poet-painter from Iligan City, having just turned 39 last October. He is outgoing coordinator for Northern Mindanao of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts- Committee on Visual Arts, his term officially ending on December 11, 2007 after three years of volunteerism in the government agency. In these end of year times, Ivan is looking forward to a new year of creating more art that “doesn’t do the same thing again and again;” art that “basks in its own glory,” in his words.

Here then is Ivan expounding some more on his art, circa 2004. For a group show in Linya Gallery, Iligan City which was scheduled to open in the middle of a seven-day prayer period for his recently deceased father, he made three artworks.

“...They consisted of square-meshed chicken wire shaped into boxes 3 or 4 inches thick and two feet in height and width. The first one had torn pieces of black crepe paper pasted on the mesh. It’s entitled “Crows in a Wheatfield” in reference to one of Van Gogh’s last paintings before he shot himself. The second one had rusted lengths of interlink fence snaking in and out the holes in the mesh. It’s called “Pollock after the Crash.” I had imagined Pollock’s soul to be flying in slow motion after his car crash, watching the pieces of metal with his blood fly in different directions, thinking, “What if I stopped painting, and instead of drips and spatters, I’d use strips of metal?” Just a thought: the dead continuing the process of creation.”

“The third artwork is clearly a tribute to my dad. Crepe paper is crumpled and placed behind the mesh. Hanging in the middle is a miniature horse I took from the door chime of our house. Papa, during his last years, was always the one left at home, opening the door for us when we arrived. I painted that tiny horse white. In Islam, the white horse carries the dead to heaven.”

In early 2007, in an exhibition at the Museo de Oro, he submitted another unique artwork for the show. This is what he says about it: “My art is not entirely obsessed with death. It also celebrates life. Take “The Curse” for example. It’s a spring bathroom scale, one of those giveaways from pharmaceutical companies. I painted it all black, changed the scales from numbers to a randomly arranged spectrum of colors. Accompanying the piece is a black and gray poster saying: ‘Add color to your life. Weigh yourself. You will be stuck with your color for the rest of your life. After you leave this exhibit, you will remember and notice this color wherever you go.’ ” I remember this artwork. I weighed myself and my color was green- which was ok by me since green is the go color, means life, growth, renewal, the one for environmentalists, and it’s one half of the Christmas color if you want some holiday cheer. “The Curse” was an interesting piece that made you think of art in a different way and forced you to meditate on the meaning of things. And ain’t that what art is about.

On poetry he says that he was writing “mushy crappy juvenile poems in high school, but started writing this new poetry in 1997 when I joined the underground music scene and quit my job/studies to make art.” And I haven’t even asked him about his music yet. His poetry, he says, reflects his visual art making, but doesn’t have to. Not actually the same, but complementing each other. Later on in another article I will share one of his poems, maybe the one he wrote after his father’s death- “Afternoon Tea Party” which he says is about death, conflict, violence, loneliness, the quest for perfection, the persistence of memory; or the evocative “Dragonflies,” where the character in it is said to be based on an Uncle, who also died, the poem written from the perspective of a five year old boy; or we might peruse “A Brotherly War” or “Catatonia” or “Waiting” or the short succinct “Glossolalia.”

He is not looking to be a great poet, he says. But time will tell. We’ll see.

For questions, comments, and suggestions email artnanay@yahoo.com

Socials By: Sarah A. Velez

Most Eligible Bachelor Victor Gabor Celebrates Birthday at Marco Hotel Alwana

Most intimate with sisters Tellie Velez and Nene Bartolome assisting the Celebrant yet formal, with guests at the lobby partaking of finger foods and wine before strolling into the ballroom of Marco Hotel for the dinner, ending up with ballroom dancing and the divine Urla Tablan as emcee of the night.

We have often wondered why Boboy has never been enticed by the American blondes in the USA and has come back to Cagayan de Oro. But that’s his secret and we shall not open Pandora’s box.

We truly enjoyed the night for the Celebrant has made the night that memorable for all to remember in the coming days.

Again to “Vic”, with The MINDANAO CURRENT we wish him Many Happy Returns of the day & night.

Victor Gabor – celebrant

Immediate family members,standing, Telly Velez, the celebrant and Nene Bartolome, Nena Gabor Letty Yap and an aunt

The celebrant with Buena San Juan, Nene Zablan, Ditas la Fuente, Liling Roa & the writer

TF Provincial High

Task Force for MOGCHS Grand Centennial Alumni Homecoming formed

Plans are underway for the Centennial Celebration of Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School Alumni Homecoming, for which a Task Force has been appointed to meet on January 5, 2008 with Atty. Borje as Chairman. The TF will have the responsibility of planning the program of activities for this big affair.

MOHS/MOGCS General Alumni Association President Jose “Pepe” Abbu has appointed Atty. Borje to head the task force during the alumni organizational meeting held at the school’s Alumni Social & Cultural Hall last December 15, 2007 which was highlighted with the presentation of the alumni officers.

Atty Borje presented to the alumni present the Centennial Celebration Plans & Activities and the Involvement of Community in the Celebration the documentation of Commitment and the Formation of Committees.

Our Purpose in Life By Mannny Quisumbing Jr.

Malunggay juice is the new health drink

The collapse of the real estate market is wrecking havoc on the lives of many people especially realtors, loan brokers, builders, construction workers and real estate attorneys. Even furniture giant Levitz is not spared. It is going out of business and filed for bankruptcy because with no houses being sold fewer people will buy new furniture.

Some realtors I know say that they are going to wait it out until the market rebounds. They must have deep pockets or have a “BSN “ degree ( binubuhay sa nurse) because economic forecasters predict this real estate downturn will last for another three years, if not more.

What about those who have no “BSN” degrees? What do you do? You cannot just sit, watch television and do nothing. You need to put food on the table and pay your bills. If you do not pay your mortgage or car payments your house and cars will be gone.

My advice is go out and get another job or start a home-based business. There are so many programs out there that you can do with little or no money. All it takes is one’s determination and the desire to make some money.

Right now we are promoting the malunggay ( moringa oleifera) juice called ZIJA. It is a health drink that is good for people with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, those who suffer from prostrate problems, arthritis, diabetes and a host of other ailments. Zija is also good for weight loss and fights aging.

Malunggay juice is loaded with vitamins, amino acids, minerals, even omega oil (from the seeds) that it is literally food in liquid form. Just drink one can in the morning on an empty stomach and it will curb your appetite for food most of the day. A doctor explained to me that by drinking malunggay juice you feed your body not your stomach so you immediately begin to lose those excess pounds.

My wife and my son, Jan Marc, are so happy with it. They have both lost 7 pounds each in just 10 days. Adele has dropped one dress size and I kid her that she is Exhibit “B” that malunggay juice really works. Our Exhibit “A” is our upline, Grace de la Cerna, who dropped her dress size from size 12 to 8 in just three months!

All of us are familiar with malunggay or kalamunggay ( in Bisaya), kalunggay (Bikol) or marunggay ( in Ilocano) that this should not be difficult to market to Filipinos.

This plant or vegetable is loaded with nutrients but unfortunately we prepare the food incorrectly by boiling it. Vegetables cooked in boiling temperature lose their enzymes and nutrients.

The company that is making malunggay into juice and powder form uses the whole tree, from the leaves, fruits, seeds, bark down to the roots. With just a few drops of cane sugar added it is now a great tasting juice!

If you want to be a distributor or customer just go to my website at www myzija.com/mannyq or call (201)-200-0405 and (201) 993 -5289l.. It is free to sign up as a distributor. I will teach you the business and support you with advertising in our newspaper. You are also welcome to attend our business meetings every Wednesday night at 7. Just call for directions. You will have the chance to meet a bunch of nice people that could be your associates and friends forever.

Folks, 2007 will soon be over. Your financial woes will not go away in 2008 unless you take action and change how you will live your life. I always tell those who attend my meetings that “insanity” is doing the same thing all the time and expecting a different result. If you are poor this year I can guarantee that you will be poor next year if you continue to do what you are doing.

Take control of your life. We will just be too happy to help you achieve some degree of financial success.

Merry Christmas.

PCIJ Reports

Women and Children caught in conflict

By: Isa Lorenzo – PCIJ

THEY still remember the day the military came.

Twelve-year-old Ronald was beaten by soldiers on the pretext that his family had helped coordinate an ambush in 2003. “A group of them held me and kicked me. They kicked me three times on the chest and when I got up they grabbed a chicken and hit me on the back with it…One of them even pointed a gun at Nanay and said, ‘Maybe you want us to kill you!’”

Jessa, 14, watched as the military aimed their rifles at her father and other men and made them undress in order to look for marks that would indicate that they were New People’s Army (NPA) fighters.

Cita, 40, and her children keep moving from place to place in order to avoid the military. Her husband is in the NPA.

Their stories are among the many collected in “Uncounted Lives: Children, Women and Conflict in the Philippines”, a needs-assessment study commissioned by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

UNICEF commissioned IBON foundation, the Center for Women’s Resources, and the Children’s Rehabilitation Center to conduct the study.

The research covers a four-year period, from 2001 to 2005, conducted in eight communities in the provinces of Abra, Mindoro Oriental, Capiz, Leyte, Surigao del Sur, Compostela Valley, North Cotabato, and Maguindanao. These places are reputed to be strongly influenced by rebel groups, have a history of conflict, and are ongoing sites of armed conflict.

CHILDHOOD AMIDST WAR
SCHOOLING	Those who remained in their communities temporarily stopped going to school for a few days to as long as over a month Those displaced stopped going to school during the period of displacement, and their schools were destroyed in the fighting
HEALTH	The diets of those who remained in their communities was reduced, when their families were prevented from procuring food Those displaced had poor diets due to meager rations in evacuation centers and collapsed family livelihoods
PSYCHOSOCIAL	Various manifestations of trauma: nervousness, sleeplessness, lack of appetite and others Anxiousness triggered by sudden loud noises or seeing fatigue uniforms
CHILDREN UNDER THREAT	Children were accused and threatened physically attacked and shot at detained forced to do errands, guide soldiers, or spy for them
COPING, SURVIVAL AND GROWTH	Children reveal the capacity for active involvement in production work, domestic tasks and cultural activities in their communities. Their most commonly expressed desire was to finish school and help their families

WOMEN AMIDST CONFLICT
DOMESTIC TASKS	Added economic burdens due to less time working on their farms, slaughtered animals and destroyed farms Heavier domestic tasks and family responsibilities Fragmented families
HEALTH	Stress-related illnesses Complications in pregnancies, particularly in more stressful and unhygienic evacuation centers
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN	Sexually suggestive comments made by soldiers Alleged fondling of women
SURMOUNTING ADVERSITIES	Women are able to bear greatly added burdens and family responsibilities Women have the capacity to take action and overcome the stereotype of weak and dependent women Women can mobilize themselves and their children, coordinate with people’s organizations, and negotiate directly with armed groups

Source: UNICEF

According to the study, children and women perceive the NPA and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as providing concrete benefits for the communities. On the other hand, there is distinct apprehension about the presence of military soldiers.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police were not interviewed as the research team believed that interviewing armed forces in the field constituted a security concern, and because the study’s specific focus was to see how armed conflict affected communities in areas affected by the triumvirate of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA-National Democratic Front (NDF) and MILF-BIAF (Bangsamoro Islamic Auxiliary Force).

UNICEF Country Representative Dr. Nicholas Alipui acknowledged that the report was not balanced, but said that it was an “independent research conducted by academicians who went behind the frontlines to get the voices of women and children caught in armed conflict.” He added that UNICEF would send copies of the study to the AFP and PNP, as well as other government agencies.

The research said that textual analysis of official AFP documents on military strategy and tactics tends to indicate that the distinction between combatants and civilian noncombatants is not only blurred but explicitly disregarded. “Unless (there is a) radical change in core AFP doctrines, (this will) result in continuing and ever greater numbers of civilian victims of military operations in the near future.”

The study also found that the impact of fighting on children and women has been more severe, the more intense, frequent and closer the battles were to their communities. This was the case in MILF-influenced areas such as North Cotabato and Maguindanao.

One key finding was that there was no direct or indirect evidence of any sort of forced recruitment of child soldiers by either the MILF or NPA. “The data gathered indicate that children eagerly volunteer to join these armed groups, that some parents willingly give their consent, and that communities often look on approvingly.”

The book makes the following recommendations:

Alleviate overall poverty, backwardness and weak governance

Improve relief efforts and ensure greater support for rehabilitation

Address the deliberate or otherwise reckless endangerment of civilians and civilian communities, especially children and women, during counter-insurgency operations

Alipui added that he hoped the book’s launch would spark vigorous debate on women and children caught in conflict.

For more PCIJ Reports visit http://pcij.org

Food safety – what should we worry about?

Food safety is a key issue to many of us given the number of “food scares”over recent years. But sorting the facts from the fiction can be difficult and many consumers in Asia are confused according to recent research by the Asian Food Information Centre (AFIC).

The “International Symposium on Nutrition and Food SafetyCommunications”, held in Bangkok on December 6, was organised by AFIC. Based in Bangkok,AFIC is a not-for-profit organization that works to help close the gap between the science and popular consumer understanding on a variety of food and health topics.

Speaking at the meeting, Dr Peter Ben Embarek, Senior Scientist,Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses and Foodborne Diseases, World Health Organization (WHO), Switzerland said, “Consumers should not have to worry about health risks when they buy food. However if they do worry, then they should at least worry about the most important risks”.

“People often worry about aspects of food that don’t pose a threat totheir health, such as the addition of allowed food additives to processed products. But the number one health threat is the microbiological safety of foods” said Dr Peter Ben Embarek.

“It is estimated that 1.8 to 3.1 Billion people are infected each year by microbiological contamination of the food and water supply.” said Dr Peter Ben Embarek. “And many more cases of food poisoning go unreported” he added.

Other major food safety problems in Asia include the intentional contamination of foodstuffs such as the addition of prohibited substances to foods to mask poor quality or to extend the shelf life of foods that may be past their expiry date. According to Dr Peter Ben Embarek, up to half of all cases of illness or death from contaminated foods in some parts of Asia are due to intentional contamination.

Another recent food safety issue is avian flu (bird flu) but there appears to be widespread misinformation about the way in which this condition is contracted. The main risk is in those handling infected birds or eating uncooked chicken products like raw meat or raw eggs. “Properly processed and adequately cooked chicken products do not pose a significant risk to public health” said Dr Peter Ben Embarek.

“Consumers need clear, science based information and advice on food safety risks” said Helen Yu, Executive Director of AFIC. “Our research shows that many people are confused about food safety issues. The media can play an important role in providing the correct information”.

For more information on the AFIC research or food safety (including up-to-date information on BSE and bird flu as it relates to the safety of the food supply) log on to the AFIC website at www.afic.org or contact AFIC at info@afic.org. AFIC also has information and tips on keeping foods safe.

Background notes

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the following simple tips for keeping foods safe.

1. Keep clean – make sure your hands are washed before handling food or eating

2. Separate raw and cooked foods – make sure to keep raw and cooked foods separate. Cooking destroys most bacteria and bugs. If cooked food comes into contact with raw foods (for example, by using the same knives or chopping boards) it can become re-infected.

3. Cook food thoroughly.

4. Keep foods at safe temperatures. Make sure hot foods are piping hot and cold foods are kept cold. Keeping foods sitting at room temperatures for long periods of time can give bacteria the opportunity to multiple.

5. Use safe water and raw materials when cooking.

Roxas calls on government to junk Covington Contract

Senator Mar Roxas called on the government to publish in full the provisions of a $50-million six-month contract signed between the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. and a United States lobby firm known as Covington & Burling LLP.

“If true, this amount is even bigger than what we get from the US in military aid. If they can’t defend this in Plaza Miranda or any palengke in the country, then they should junk it altogether,” Roxas said.

Roxas, chairman of the Senate trade and commerce committee, noted that the contract is another example of wasteful and non-transparent spending of the people’s hard-earned money.

“What can Covington do that our own Philippine Embassy cannot accomplish? $50-million for a prominent US lobby firm is P2 billion worth of assistance to disadvantaged sectors like farmers, fishermen, distressed OFWs, malnourished children and many others,” he said.

“Tama ba na ang mga ganitong kontrata ang pinopondohan ng buwis ng bayan? Bakit sa ganitong mga transaksyon eh ang bilis nilang pumayag, pero sa mga panukala katulad ng zero VAT on oil ay ang bilis nilang humindi,”(Is it right that contracts like these should be funded by taxes from the people? Why do they quickly agree to transactions like this yet so quick to say No to proposals on Zero VAT on oil) he added.

“Glaring examples of such overpriced and needless foreign contracts are precisely why it’s better to let the people enjoy part of their money by suspending the EVAT on oil than let government decide on how such revenues should be allocated,” he explained.

He recalled that the failed Venable contract which was priced at P50 million drew a huge outcry from the people and members of Congress.

“I am familiar with the rates charged for normal trade access or information access. This amount is for something more, perhaps like getting the US Defense and Military establishment to soften resistance to a new strain of Martial Law,” he said.

“Paulit-ulit na lang ang mga ganitong uri ng pagkakamali kaya napakababa ng kredibilidad ng ating pamahalaan,”(Mistakes like these are repeatedly happening that causes the very low credibility of the administration) Roxas said.

The senator said that foreign contracts such as the Covington deal must go through public bidding and be imbued with transparency and accountability.

“Who is behind this contract and why? Who is ready to stand before the people and explain what this contract is all about and why $50-million of the people’s money should be spent on this rather than on school-feeding programs, better health services, and other priorities?” he said.

Based on news reports, Covington & LLP has been engaged to “promote the interests of the Republic of the Philippines with the US Congress and the US Government on a range of political, economic, and security issues” and other tasks.

The reported contract provides that "the term of the individual consultant shall be, at most, six months, renewable at the option of the appointing Head of the Procuring Entity," referring to Gaa. The consultant will "work closely with the Embassy of the Philippines in connection with the following tasks:"

· Promote the interests of the Philippines with the US Congress and the US government on a range of political, economic, and security issues.

· Support efforts that can result in increased US trade opportunities for the Philippines.

· Support efforts that can result in increased foreign direct investment from US companies.

· Support efforts to develop new initiatives or expand current programs that support the ability of the Philippine Armed Forces to strengthen capabilities in the areas of security and anti-terrorism.

· Work with Philippine government officials to promote increased levels of US Development Assistance to the Philippines.

· Ensure that members of the US Congress and government officials are regularly and accurately updated on developments in the Philippines to promote understanding of the importance and positive developments taking place in the country.

Fr. Bernad honored by three Jesuit Universities of Mindanao

By: Fr. Leo C. Pabayo, SJ

Jesuit scholar Fr. Miguel A. Bernad, professor emeritus of Xavier University and 90 years of age was conferred an honorary doctorate degree by 3 Mindanao universities in a joint academic convocation at Xavier University. The three universities were Ateneo de Davao University, Xavier University and Ateneo de Zamboanga. The joint convocation was held at Xavier University. Fr. Bernad was honored for his lifetime of service to church and country as a teacher, writer, literary critic, historian, journalist and editor.

The citation for the honorary doctorate described Fr. Bernad as “an apostle of truth, precise, well-researched, well written and communicated. It is a truth with quality uncompromised and communicated with great respect and care for the written word.”

Fr. Bernad was editor of the journal, Philippine Studies of Ateneo de Manila University. He founded the journal Kinaadman in Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro City where he worked at for the past thirty years.

The conferral of the honorary degree was done by the three presidents of the three universities, namely: Fr. Antonio Samson, SJ, of Ateneo de Davao University, Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, of Xavier University and Fr. Antonio Moreno, SJ, of Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

With Fr. Bernad on the stage, aside from the three presidents, were Fr. Daniel Huang, SJ, Fr. Provincial Superior of the Jesuits in the Philippines, the chairmen of the Board of Trustees of the three universities (Mr. Paul Dominguez of AdDU, Engr. Elpie Paras of XU and Atty. Arsenio Gonzalez of AdZU) and Archbishop Antonio Ledesma of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro who gave the invocation for the joint convocation.

The conferral of honor was attended by Dr. Eloisa Paderangga CHED Director for Region 10 and the heads and representatives from various universities and schools of Cagayan de Oro City, the various administrative personnel of the three universities, the faculty, staff and some students of Xavier University. The event was especially graced by the notable presence of the sisters and other relatives of Fr. Bernad as well as his brother Jesuits and friends from various parts of the country.

After the conferral of the degree, Fr. Bernad gave an inspiring lecture, entitled, “Four Centuries Of Jesuit Involvement in the Christianization and Development of Mindanao, 1596 -2007.”

Fr. Bernad was born in Ozamis where he had his elementary education. He went to the University of San Carlos, Cebu City for his high school after which he joined the Society of Jesus. He did his theological studies at Woodstock College, Maryland U.S.A. He received his doctorate in philosophy and history of education at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A. He also did special studies in Greek at Yale, Latin at Fordham University and Shakespearean Drama in England.

Fr. Bernad taught for many years at the Ateneo de Manila University before coming to Xavier University. He also taught at Silliman University, Taiwan National University and Tamkang College of Arts and Sciences in Taipei. Several years ago he was also conferred by Ateneo de Manila a doctorate degree, honoris causa, with a special citation from the University of the Philippines.

Fr. Bernad, at rostrum, gives an inspiring lecture on the “Four Centuries Of Jesuit Involvement in the Christianization and Development of Mindanao, 1596 -2007” as Fr. Antonio Samson,SJ, President of Ateneo de Davao University, Fr. Antonio Moreno, SJ, President of Ateneo de Zamboanga University and Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ, DD listen intently. Behind them are Engr. Elpidio Paras, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Xavier University. Behind the rostrum is Fr, Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, President of Xavier University.