ARMM Northern Mindanao Davao Manila Zamboanga Peninsula

Founded 2006 mindanaoexaminer.com P10/RM1Zamboanga City, Philippines

MindanaoDaily

Oct. 22-28, 2012

TRIBES DEMAND HALT TOMINING IN ZAMBOANGA

The Subanen leaders areclaiming some 23,800 hect-ares of lands in the town ofBayog where several miningcompanies and small scaleminers are operating. It alsosought the assistance of Am-nesty International to bringtheir cause to the authorities.

The group held a newsconference simultaneously inPagadian, Davao and also inZamboanga City where triballeader Timuay BasilioPromon represented the3,000-strong Council ofPigsalabukan Guhom deBayog.ANCESTRAL DOMAIN

“Our present ancestraldomain claim in Bayog is justa fragment of our originalhomeland which has beenslowly grabbed from us. Sixyears after we applied for atitle of our ancestral domain(with the National Commis-sion on Indigenous Peoples),our application has neverreach to the first stage be-cause of various conflictsamong us leaders that wereinstigated by groups whowanted to control us and ourdomain like mining compa-nies protected by their fully-armed guards.”

“Until such time that wehave full control of our an-cestral domain, our commu-

nities will be condemned toperpetual conflict and un-peace and there will be moreJordans to become innocentvictims of human rights vio-lations,” Council ofPigsalabukan Guhom deBayog said in a statement,referring to the 12-year oldson of Timuay LocenioManda, who was killed in anambush in Bayog town lastmonth.

AMBUSHManda was heading to

school to bring his son whengunmen attacked them. Twoof the 5 attackers, were ar-rested days later. “In my ef-fort to assert our rights andto protect our people and an-cestral domain, my belovedson was sacrificed. It is verypainful and I thirst for jus-tice,” he said. “I vow to con-tinue my struggle in order notto make my son's death invain. I need your support inthis most trying time of mylife as a father and a leader.”

Promon said authoritieshave not release any detailsof the investigation into theboy’s killing and the attempton the life of Manda.

“We are victims here, theSubanen people. We were atpeace, but the entry of min-ing companies in the provincehas divided the Subanen now.

All we want is to exercise ourrights and live in peace,” hesaid during a guest appear-ance over the Mindanao Ex-aminer Tele-Radyo.

APPEALHe also appealed to

President Benigno Aquino tolook into their plight. “We areappealing to PresidentAquino to help us.”

He said at least 38 min-ers had been killed over thepast years – either by hired

guns or mining-related inci-dents which were mostly un-reported in the media.

Promon group said: “ThePGB is appealing to all thosewho wanted to mine in ourancestral domain – individual,groups and corporations – totemporarily stop operatingand withdraw your armedgroups to give peace a chancein our community, to lessenthe fear of our women andchildren because of your in-timidating firearms, and sothat conflict between triballeaders inside our communitywill be resolved.”

“(Our) appeal does notnecessarily mean that we op-pose mining activities but weare asking some time so thatwe can process the titling ofour ancestral domain until weare given the Certificate ofAncestral Domain Title, (and)our Indigenous Political Struc-ture is confirmed, and our An-cestral Domain SustainableDevelopment and ProtectionPlan is crafted.”

The Amnesty Interna-tional appealed to the govern-ment to give attention to theplight of indigenous peoples.

“The indigenous peoplesare the most neglected by thegovernment. We, in the Am-nesty International, want thegovernment to ensure that therights of all, especially the in-digenous peoples, whoserights are often violated,”Francis Marcial, of the Am-nesty International Philip-

pines, said during the sameinterview.

SETTING RECORDSTRAIGHT

In a separate statementsent to the regional newspa-per Mindanao Examiner,Manda said he is against allillegal activities, includingmining.

“I believe that mining isillegal if it did not follow theprocess set by our laws. Ourlaws on mining and the Indig-enous Peoples Rights Actclearly state that our consentas indigenous peoples is re-quired in all projects that willaffect us and our ancestraldomains. So this means thatall those who entered our an-cestral territories without ourconsent are all illegal, even ifthey have sacks of papers toshow that they are legal.”

“I strongly oppose theentry of people and companieswho want to exploit the natu-ral resources in our ancestralterritories who do not respectour traditional laws and pro-cesses. If because of this as-sertion I am viewed as an anti-mining leader, so be it. But Iwant to make it clear that theissue I am struggling for is notabout mining, but our rightsas Indigenous Peoples,”Manda said.

He appealed to the NCIPto help their community in re-solving the conflict amongtribal leaders to prevent fur-ther chaos, and to fast trackthe issuance of the title of

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A group of Subanen tribal leadershave called on the Aquino government to temporarily haltall mining operations in Zamboanga del Sur province inthe southern Philippines until Manila acts on their legalclaims over a vast tract of ancestral lands.

their ancestral domain.Even to fellow Subanen

natives, Manda said: “I alsoappeal to you, my fellowSubanen who worked in min-ing companies, to respect theprocesses within our commu-nity and help explain to com-pany owners and foreign in-vestors on how to secure con-sent based on our culture andtraditions. I also appeal to youto help resolve the conflictbetween the tribal leaders in-stead of taking only the sideof the leaders who favour yourintentions. Favoring them, es-pecially if they are the minor-ity only fuels additional con-flict in our community.”

PROBEThe House of Represen-

tatives said it would investi-gate Manda’s ambush, but thetribal leader also wanted aprobe on mining and issuesaffecting them.

“I was informed that theCongress and the Senate haveplanned to conduct investiga-tions about the ambush. I amhappy about such moves, andI am asking that not only themining issue shall be investi-gated, but other issues as wellthat happen inside our ances-tral domain. We are the oneswhose rights are violated, andwhose lands are exploited,thus, we believe that we shallbe the ones to be given im-portance in whatever investi-gations that will be con-ducted,” he said. (MindanaoExaminer)

Amnesty International-Philippines Board Member Francis Marcial poses with Subanen triballeader Timuay Basilio Promon and his son during a courtesy call on the Mindanao ExaminerNewspaper and Television in Zamboanga City.

Illegal mining activities in Balabag, Bayog town in Zamboanga del Sur Province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Oct. 22-28, 20122 The Mindanao Examiner

Philippines, MILF rebels sign peace pact

President Benigno Aquino III with Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak and Organization of Islamic Cooperation Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanogluduring the signing of the Framework Agreement in Manila on Monday, October 15, 2012. Also in the photo are Moro Islamic Liberation Front chairman Murad Ebrahim, Presidential PeaceAdviser Teresita Deles, Philippine peace negotiator Marvic Leonen and his MILF counterpart Mohagher Iqbal. (Photo by Benhur Arcayan)

The two sides signeda historic pact just recentlyand the deal is seen as ahuge step towards endingdecades of bloody fightingthat had killed tens of

thousands of civilians inMindanao.

Organization ofIslamic CooperationS e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a lEkmeleddin Ihsanoglu and

Malaysian Pr imeMinister Dato Sri MohdNajib Bin Tun AbdulRazak witnessed thesigning of the peace pactwith President BenignoAquino in thePresidential Palace.

MILF deputy andchief of the peace panel,Mohagher Iqbal, and hisPhilippine counterpartMarvic Leonen signed

the FrameworkAgreement whichout l ines the generalfeatures of the politicalsettlement between thetwo sides.

Manila said the pactdefines the structureand powers of the newB a n g s a m o r oautonomous entity thatwi l l replace theexisting Autonomous

MILF dedma lamang sabanta ni Nur Misuari

Si Moro National Liberation Front leader Nur Misuari ng makipagkita ito kay BangsamoroIslamic Freedom Movement chairman Sheik Ameril Umra Kato sa Camp Al-Farouk saMaguindanao province nuong November 2011. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY –Binalewala lamang ngMoro Islamic LiberationFront ang banta ni NurMisuai , l ider ng isangpaskyon ng Moro NationalLiberation Front, sa bantani tong posiblengmagkaroon ng kaguluhansa Mindanao dahi l sapagbuo ng Bangsamoro.

Ang Bangsamoro angsiyang magiging kapalit ngAutonomous Region inMuslim Mindanao at ilang

lugar pa sa Lanao delNorte at North Cotabatoang mapapabilang ditokung tuluyangmagkakaroon ng peace ac-cord sa pagi tan ngpamahalaang Aquino atMILF.

“Maingay lang itong siMisuari dahil ang amingipinaglalaban ay ang tunayna karapatan ng mga Mus-l im sa bansa , a t h indilamang ang isang tribotulad ng Tausug na siyang

grupo nitong si Nur kundiang buong Bangsamoropeople,” ani CommanderBlack Jack, ng MILF sapahayag nito sa MindanaoExaminer.

Hindi naman agadmakunan ng pahayag siMILF chief ta in MuradEbrahim ukol sa aksyon nagagawin ng MILF sakalingmagkaroon ng kagukluhansa Mindanao. Matagal ngtutol si Misuari sa peacetalks ng pamahalaan saMILF, na ngayon aysiyang pinakamalakinggrupo ng mga rebeldengMuslim sa bansa.

I lang beses na r inbinatikos ni Misuari angnaturang peace talks atkatunayan ay nakipag-alyansa pa i to sabreakaway group niAmeri l Umra Kato natumiwalag sa MILF dahilsa naudlot na Musl imhomeland deal sapamahalaan.

Ngunit binatikos rinng mga rebeldeng MILF siMisuari at sinabing bigoi to sa kanyangpanunungkulan noon saARMM bilang gobernadordahil nalunod umano ito sakapangyarihan.

Ilang rin umano itongtumakbo sa Sulu provincebilang gobernador, ngunitlagi naman kulelat.

Naghain na naman siMisuar i ng kanyangkandidatura bi langgobernador sa ARMM sadarat ing na hala lan.(Mindanao Examiner)

MANILA – Nations around the world areclosely watching the Philippine peace talks withthe country’s largest Muslim rebel group, theMoro Islamic Liberation Front, following thesigning of a pact that would create theBangsamoro autonomous region in Mindanao.

Region in Musl imMindanao composed ofBasilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Surand Maguindanaoprovinces, includingthe cities of Lamitanand Marawi.

I t sa id theFramework Agreementalso sets the principles,processes andmechanisms for the

t ransi t ion unt i l theregular e lec t ion in2016 for the newB a n g s a m o r oautonomous politicalentity. And it paves theway forward to the justresolut ion of thehis tor ica l d ividebetween the Filipinogovernment and theMuslims. (MindanaoExaminer)

Oct. 22-28, 2012 The Mindanao Examiner 3Ailing OFW in SaudiArabia needs help

Photos released by OFW Join Force-Migrante andMigrante-Middle East to the Mindanao Examiner show theailing Armando Gozum outside a mosque in Al-Khobar inSaudi Arabia.

MANILA – A Filipinoworker, who ran awayfrom his employer inSaudi Arabia due to un-fair labor practice, is nowsuffering from renal dis-ease and needs an imme-diate medical attention,the OFW Join Force-Migrante reported.

It said the ailing Fili-pino, Armando Gozum,37, had jumped from oneto another to be able tosurvive since fleeing fromhis employer in 2007 un-til he became sick, ac-cording to OFW JoinForce-Migrante chairmanSonny Rivera and JulesRagas.

Rivera, in a report toMigrante-Middle East,said Gozum, who is a na-tive of Tarlac province,has been sleeping outsidea mosque in Al-Khobar.His plight was reported byfellow Filipino workers tothe Migrante.

John LeonardMonterona, regional coor-dinator of the Migrante-Middle East, said Rivera’sgroup dispatched a team inAl-Khobar and located thesick Filipino sleeping on abench outside the mosque.

“The OJF-Migrantequick reaction team foundOFW Gozum sleeping ona bench alongside amosque in Al-Khobar.Gozum informed our col-league that he is sufferingfrom kidney failure,”Monterona said.

Gozum also toldMigrante that he soughtassistance from PhilippineAmbassador EzzadinTago, but got no help.

“For sure, Ambassa-dor Tago has his own ver-sion of the story. But weare inclined to believe sto-ries of our fellow OFWson their deplorable condi-tions rather than the lies ofPhilippine Embassy andlabor officials who are try-ing to cover up their ownineptitude and would noteven mind lifting a hand tohelp the distressed andabused OFWs,”Monterona said.

Monterona urged thePhilippines to look into theplight of Gozum and fixhis papers so he can returnhome to his family.

“On our part, we willask Overseas WorkersWelfare AdministratorCarmelita Dimzon to pro-vide airfare ticket forOFW Gozum while await-ing his travel documentsand issuance of exit clear-ance. We will work for hismedication and repatria-tion,” Monterona said.

Mundo ng mga musmos sa ZamboangaZAMBOANGA CITY -Ganito ang mga batang ito satuwing sasapit ang takip-silim sa lungsod ngZamboanga sa Mindanao athalos hindi alintana ang sakitna makukuha ng kanilangmunting katawan mula samaruming basurahan.

“Ganito po angginagawa namin gabi-gabi.Naghahanap po kami ng mgaplastic o anumang maaaringibenta. Tumutulong po kami

sa aming mga magulang atmahirap lang po kami,” aning isang bata.

Kasama nito ang ibapang mga musmos na tilawalang paki-alam samundong ginagalawanhabang nagkakalkal sabasurahan. “Hindi na kaminagaaral dahil wala namankaming pera, mahirap langkami,” wika pa ng isa.

Kasama ng mga bata sabasurahan ang mga

naglipanang hayup - daga,kuting at aso - na mistulangmga musmos sa kalye nanaghahanap rin ng kanilangpagkain sa bawa’t gabingdumaraan.

“Kawawa naman yunpusang maliit at nakapikit payun mata niya, pero iniwanna siya dito sa tambakan,”sabi pa ng isang batangbabae, ngunit hindi namannito makita ang sarilingkalagayan at ng kapwa bata

PAGADIAN CITY - Presi-dent Benigno Aquino IIIshould sign into law a billcriminalizing enforced disap-pearances in the Philippines,Human Rights Watch said.

The Philippine Congresspassed the bill - the Anti-En-forced or Involuntary Disap-pearance Act of 2012 - onOctober 16, and sent it to thepresident for signature.

The law, if enacted,would be the first tocriminalize enforced disap-pearances in Asia, HumanRights Watch said. It woulddemonstrate the Philippinegovernment’s commitment toaddress human rights abusessuch as the abduction andkilling by the security forcesof activists, environmental-ists, and journalists.

“Enforced disappear-ances, often involving tortureand extrajudicial killings,have been a blot on the Phil-ippines’ human rights recordsince the Ferdinand Marcosdictatorship,” Brad Adams,Asia director at HumanRights Watch, said in a state-ment sent to the regionalnewspaper Mindanao Exam-iner.

He said: “To this day, ac-tivists are still being abductedby the authorities and ‘disap-peared.’ This law would be animportant step towards end-ing these abuses.”

The Anti-Enforced or In-voluntary Disappearance Actof 2012 reflects recommen-dations long made by domes-tic human rights organiza-tions. It defines an enforcedor involuntary disappearanceas “the arrest, detention, ab-duction or any other form ofdeprivation of liberty com-mitted by agents of the Stateor by persons or groups ofpersons acting with the au-thorization, support or acqui-escence of the State, followedby a refusal to acknowledgethe deprivation of liberty orby concealment of the fate orwhereabouts of the disap-peared person, which placessuch person outside the pro-tection of the law.” This defi-nition is derived from inter-national human rights stan-

dards.The act penalizes viola-

tors with a life sentence ordecades in prison. It also pro-hibits amnesty for violatorsand declares that the govern-ment cannot suspend the laweven in times of war or pub-lic emergency. It states thatthe commanding or superiorofficer of the unit or person-nel implicated in an enforceddisappearance case is just asliable as the person whophysically carries out thecrime.

Crucially, the act alsomakes the “order of battle” –a document prepared by themilitary identifying allegedthreats and enemies – illegal,stating that “it cannot be in-voked as a justifying or ex-empting circumstance.” Un-der the act, any person whoreceives an “order of battle”from their superiors “shallhave the right to disobey it.”

Many victims of en-forced disappearances andextrajudicial killings havebeen listed or said to havebeen listed in such “orders ofbattle.”The Anti-Enforced orInvoluntary DisappearanceAct of 2012 also deems un-lawful secret detention facili-ties and directs the govern-ment to make a full inventoryof all detention facilities in

the Philippines.It orders the government

to create a registry of everydetainee, complete with allrelevant details includingwho visited the detainee andhow long the visit lasted.

The act also mandatesand authorizes the govern-mental Commission on Hu-man Rights “to conduct regu-lar, independent, unan-nounced and unrestricted vis-its to or inspection of allplaces of detention and con-finement.”

It allocates 10 millionpesos (approximatelyUS$250,000) to the commis-sion, which will be taskedwith the initial implementa-tion of the law. Human rightsorganizations are likewiseencouraged to draft theimplementing rules and regu-lations along with the Depart-ment of Justice.

Enforced disappearanceswere rampant during the dic-tatorship of PresidentFerdinand Marcos, when themilitary and police routinelyrounded up activists and sus-pected communist supportersand rebels. The practice didnot end with Marcos’s ousterin 1986. Many enforced dis-appearances occurred duringthe administration of Presi-dent Gloria Arroyo. At least

11 activists have “disap-peared” since Aquino tookoffice in 2010, according tolocal rights groups, thoughthere are no allegations thatthe Aquino administrationhas direct responsibility.

Human Rights Watch de-tailed some of these cases inits 2010 report, “No JusticeJust Adds to the Pain,” andin a video released earlier thisyear in which family mem-bers of the disappeared callon the president to live up tohis promises of justice.

Human Rights Watchurged Aquino to sign the In-ternational Convention forthe Protection of All Personsfrom Enforced Disappear-ance and transmit it to theSenate for prompt ratifica-tion.

In Asia, only Japan hassigned and ratified the Con-vention, placing Asia behindother regions of the world.

“Congress has done agreat job in taking the initia-tive to pass a law on enforceddisappearances,” Adamssaid.

“President Aquino canshow his administration’scommitment to ending thisblack chapter of Philippinehistory. He can also assumea role as a regional leader onhuman rights.”

sa bawa’t oras at gabi nakanilang ginugugol sapagkakalkal sa basurahan.

Hindi naman mabatidagad kung bakit pinapayaganng kanilang mga magulangang ganitong gawain at angbanta sa kalusugan at buhayng mga musmos salansangan ng Zamboanga,ngunit ilan lamang ang mgatanawing ito sa malakinglungsod. (Mindanao Exam-iner)

Human rights group urges PNoy shouldsign landmark Disappearances Law

Oct. 22-28, 20124 The Mindanao Examiner

The Mindanao Examiner Newspaper/Business Week/MindanaoDaily

is published weekly/daily in Zamboanga City and Cagayan de Oro City inMindanao, Philippines.

The Mindanao Examiner Televisionis broadcast in Skycable 54 in Zamboanga; Lupah Sug Cable

in Sulu province and Basilan Cable in Basilan province.Our business and editorial offices are located at Units 15,

3rd Floor, Fair Land Bldg., Nuñez St., Zamboanga CityPhone & fax: +63 62 9925480

Mobile: +63 9152756606

URL: mindanaoexaminer.comE-mail: mindanaoexaminer@gmail.com

The Mindanao Examiner

NEWS/ADVERTISING OFFICES

Mark Navales Giovanni SolmeranoARMM Eastern Mindanao

Merlyn Manos Geonarri SolmeranoIligan City Southern Mindanao

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS:

Lanao ProvincesAsa Madale

Zamboanga Sibugay/Zamboanga del Sur/Zamboanga del NorteEly Dumaboc

CaliforniaJohn Shinn III

REGIONAL PARTNERSMindanao DailyBusiness Week

Gregorri LeañoJoanna Valerie Wee

Video Editor

Web MasterMindanao Examiner Productions

Media, Film and Television Productions

Maritess FernandezPublisher/Executive Producer (On Leave)

Al JacintoEditor-in-Chief/Producer (OIC)

Media hail SC order stopping implementation of controversial cyber crime law

DAVAO CITY – The Phil-ippines Supreme Court hasstopped the implementationof the controversial“Cybercrime Law” follow-ing several petitions by me-dia groups and human rightsorganizations for a tempo-rary restraining order.

“Efforts to stop theimplementation of RepublicAct 101075, otherwiseknown as the CybercrimePrevention Act of 2012,gave fruit as the SupremeCourt finally decided to fa-vor several petitions for atemporary restraining orderon the said law,” said Jerry

Yap, national chairman ofthe group called Alab ngMamamahayag, a party-listaspirant.

PETITIONSHe said the petitions

were filed before the Su-preme Court along with pro-test actions by variousgroups denouncing the in-clusion of libel and otherprovision in the law whichaccording to most are uncon-stitutional and infringes inthe freedom of the press andof expression among otherinalienable rights.

Yap expressed relief forthe reprieve, saying that this

could pave the way for muchneeded amendments in thelaw. He said the inclusion oflibel in the Cybercrime Lawshould be declared null andvoid because based on thelist of crimes punishable un-der Republic Act 101075;the nature of libel is outsidethe nature of the enumeratedsubject crimes under the law.

“One big disparity be-tween libel and cybercrimesis that the former is commit-ted by means of publicationor making it known to thepublic while the latter is per-petrated by acts that are innature hidden. Acts consti-tuting any of the cybercrimesare done secretly as in steal-ing password, computerhacking or gaining accessinto computer systems ordata, stealing PIN codes ofcomputer data, banks ac-counts and other records forprofit. “

“On the other hand, li-bel cannot be committed se-cretly since it has to be madepublicly and one element ofsuch a crime is that it has tobe publicized through printor broadcast media,” Yapsaid.

HUMAN RIGHTSWATCH

Brad Adams, Asia direc-tor at Human Rights Watch,also praised the SupremeCourt for halting the imple-mentation of the CybercrimeLaw.

“We commend the Phil-ippines Supreme Court forissuing a temporary restrain-ing order against theCybercrime Prevention Act.The court should now go fur-ther by striking down thisseriously flawed law,” hesaid in a separate statementsent to the regional newspa-per Mindanao Examiner.

“Congress, if it stillwants to have a law govern-ing online activity, shouldensure that such a law willnot infringe on civil liberties,human rights, the Constitu-tion and the Philippines’sobligations under interna-tional law. All provisions inPhilippine law that allow for

imprisonment for peacefulexpression should be re-pealed. Congress should alsoensure that any discussion onproposed laws be done in atransparent manner,” Adamssaid.

MEDIA PROTESTCONTINUE

Members of the mediawatchdog National Union ofJournalists of the Philippinesin Davao City also staged arally to dramatize their pro-test against the CybercrimeLaw.

“Once again, the powersthat be are gagging our fun-damental freedoms of speech,expression and the press thistime with the CybercrimePrevention Act. Even with theprotests and petitions to theSupreme Court fromnetizens, journalists and civilsociety against this Act, theAquino administration insiststhat this Act will pursueonline criminal acts and notattack our freedom,” theNUJP said in a statement.

It said the law essentiallywould tend to give liberty forthe powerful to tag the free-dom of citizens speaking outtheir opinions and viewsonline as a criminal act. “Itbasically says that peoplewho post online criticisms onpublic officials or on institu-tions and anyone who agreeon such comments will facethe consequences. The conse-quences in this case are a li-bel suit, a jail term, and hav-ing one’s website or onlineaccounts pulled down by au-thorities,” it said.

NUJP said with theCybercrime Act, those inpower can silence their crit-ics by slapping them withonline libel. Just like politi-cians using libel against jour-nalists, they can and will usethis Act to attack citizens.“This only reflects an admin-istration that does not toler-ate dissent. It also enforcesthe reality that repression,which is happening with thedeprivation of our right to so-cial services, housing andeducation, is happening to usonline. It shows that Aquinois now the bully as he defieshis boss, the people.”

“Thus, the right to ex-

press our criticisms becomesvital more than ever. Media,traditional and new ones,serve as the outline of thepeoples’ assertion of theirrights. As the SupremeCourt sits en banc today, wedemand that our petitionsare heard; we assert that nolaw should be made to stiflesuch freedom. As we see aniron-fist rule coming, weface this by coming out onthe streets, on media andonline with the urgent callto defy it,” it said.

OFWs, RIGHTSGROUPS JOIN FIGHT

The Filipino migrants’rights group, Migrante-Middle East, which is ac-tively involved in protest-ing the implementation ofthe controversial law toprotect overseas Filipinoworkers from the harshprovis ion of theCybercrime PreventionAct, also lauded the HighCour t ’s dec i s ion , bu tvowed to continue for therepeal of the Republic Act101075.

“We congratulate alloverseas Filipino workersonline and onsite, whohave joined our fight ver-sus the Cybercrime Law,as the Supreme Court to-day issued a TemporaryRestraining Order haltingthe implementation of thelaw for the time being.But we vow to continueour f i gh t un t i l t heCybercrime Law is de-clared unconstitutional,”sa id John Leona rdMonterona, Migrante’sr eg iona l coo rd ina to r.(Mindanao Examiner)

Members of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines in Davao City march along Davao City’s main routes down-town to express their opposition to the Cybercrime Prevention Act. Gagged but marching with clenched fists, the media unionmembers vowed to fearlessly deliver news to the people. (Photo by Medel Hernani courtesy of davaotoday.com)

Oct. 22-28, 2012 5The Mindanao Examiner

Oct. 22-28, 20126 The Mindanao Examiner

Oct. 22-28, 2012 7The Mindanao Examiner

Zamboanga court disqualifiesmayoralty aspirant convicted of rapeZAMBOANGA CITY– A local court hasdisqualified a formerlawmaker, who wasconvicted of statutoryrape , in running inZamboanga Ci ty inthe May 2013 elec-tions.

M u n i c i p a l Tr i a lCour t Judge NancyCuaresma, in a 16-page resolution, saidRomeo Jalosjos, Sr., -who is running for them a y o r a l t y p o s t i nZ a m b o a n g a C i t y -cannot exercise theright of suffrage orthe right to vote be-cause he is disquali-fied.

“ J a l o s j o s i s n o tqualified to and can-not vote or be votedupon in any nationalor local elections un-til his perpetual abso-lute disqualification sare expressly remitted

A policeman stands guard in downtown Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay province. Ipil is fast be-coming a trading area in Zamboanga Peninsula. It is a first class municipality headed byMayor Eldwin Alibutdan, whose peace and development efforts are largely credited for theprogress of Ipil. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

The municipality of Sindangan in Zamboanga del Norte province. Sindangan was created onDecember 22, 1936 by virtue of Executive Order 97 signed by then President Manuel L. Quezon.Formerly an isolated barrio of the municipality of Katipunan, Sindangan is now among thetop revenue generating municipalities of the province of Zamboanga Del Norte, according tothe National Statistical Coordination Board. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Hindi alintana ng isang parak na ito sa Zamboanga City angpagmamatyag sa kanya ng ibang mga motorista at publikodahil sa paglabag nito sa batas-trapiko habang nagmamanehong kanyang motorsiklo na walang plaka at wala rin itong suotna helmet. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Hustisya sa pinatay na mganatibo sa South Cotabato

DAVAO CITY – Hustisyaang hiling ngayon ng mganatibo sa Midnanaomatapos na mapatay ngmga sundalo ang isangpamilyang B’laan sa SouthCotabato.Napatay diumano ngmilitar ang isang ina atdalawang anak nitomatapos na lusubin ng mgasundalo ang bahay ng mgabiktima sa bayan ngTampakan sa SouthCotabato.

Ayon sa ulat na ipinasang Alyansa Tigil Mina saAbante ay kinilala nito angmga biktima na si JuvyCapion, 27, at anak na PopCapion, 13, at JohnCapion, 8. Sugatan at nasakritikal na kondisyonnaman ang kanilang ama nasi Daquil Capion.

Pawang mgamiyembro ng B’laan tribeang mag-anak at matagalng tumutuligsa sa miningoperations sa kanilang an-cestral domain sa BongMal.

Ibinintang ng ATM sa27th Infantry Battalion napinamumunuan ni Lt. Col.Alexis Bravo, ang naturangpamamaslang.

Agad itong kinondenang ATM at ng PhilippineAlliance of Human RightsAdvocates.

“We denounce thisgross violation of humanrights and unnecessary lossof lives and call on the gov-ernment and the Commis-sion on Human Rights toimmediately investigatethese killings and bring theperpetrators to justice. Wecall on the Aquiino admin-istration to also pull-out themilitary not only inTampakan, but in all min-ing-affected communities,”ani Max de Mesa, chair-man ng Philippine Allianceof Human Rights Advo-cates sa pahayag nito saAbante.

Sinabi naman ni JaybeeGarganera, ang ATM na-tional coordinator, na angpamilyang Capion ay angsiyang nagtatanggol sa

ancestral domain ng mganatibo sa lugar.

“We strongly condemnthis barbaric and treacher-ous act of the military,against Daguil and his fam-ily,” wika pa ni Garganera.“He is a B’laan warriortasked by his clan to pro-tect the ancestral domains.In this case, the most obvi-ous threat against their do-main right now is theTampakan Mining Projectof SMI.”

May minahan ang SMIsa naturang bayan, ngunithindi naman mabatid kungano ang nagbunsod samilitar na atakihin ang mgainosenteng sibilyan.

Hindi rin nagbigay ngpahayag ang 10th InfantryDivision ukol sapamamaslang at magingang tagapagsalita ng 27thInfantry Battalion na si Lt.Bethuel Barber ay hindi rinsinasagot ang tawag ngAbante sa kanyang cellphone. Wala rin pahayag siBravo ukol sa mga bintanglaban sa kanyang unit.(Mindanao Examiner)

and restored by par-don,” the judge said.

The aging politicalk i n g p i n , w h o w a sconvicted in 1997 forraping an 11-year oldgirl, was able to reg-ister with the Com-mission on Electionsin Zamboanga City,but this was opposedby CongresswomanM a r i a I s a b e l l eS a l a z a r o n t h eg r o u n d s t h a t t h eformer poli t ician isdisqualified to regis-t e r a s a n e w v o t e rhere because of hisconviction.

Jalosjos, who wasconvic ted wi th twocounts o f s t a tu to ryrape and six counts ofacts of lasciviousness,insisted his right tosuffrage, adding hehad served his sen-tence.

But Salazar said

Jalosjos who was sen-tenced to suffer “re-clusion perpetua” and“reclusion temporal”for each count of hiscrimes, is not quali-fied to run. The pen-a l t y f o r r e c l u s i o np e r p e t u a s h a l l b efrom 20 years, whilereclusion temporal isfrom 12 years . AndSalazar said Jalosjoswas granted a merecommutation of sen-tence by then Presi-dent Gloria Arroyo in2007 which resultedin the reduction of hisoriginal sentence.

Of f i c i a l r eco rdswi th the Bureau ofC o r r e c t i o n s a l s os h o w t h a t J a l o s j o swas discharged fromthe National BilibidPrison only on March18, 2009, less thanthe 5-year period pre-s c r i b e d u n d e r t h e

Voter ’s RegistrationA c t , a c c o r d i n g t oSalazar.

The Election Reg-istration Board alsoru led in f avor o fSalazar, who is alsogunning for the may-o ra l ty pos t i nZamboanga.

“The decision ofthe Honorable Courtserves to strengthenour faith in our justicesystem. With this, wewill continue our ad-vocacy of protectingthe electoral systemfrom unqualif ied orineligible voters andcand ida te s a l ike ,whose participation inthe e l ec t ion wou ldon ly se rve to des -ecrate and insult thee lec to ra l sys t emwhose sanc t i t y weseek to p re se rve , ”Sa laza r s a id .(Mindanao Examiner)

Oct. 22-28, 20128 The Mindanao Examiner

Mindanao Examiner Central Mindanao Bureau Chief speaks during his Mindanao ExaminerTele-Radyo program aired over Mindanao Examiner TV Channel 54 in Zamboanga City andMindanao Examienr TV Channel 63 in Pagadian City. (Photo by Alvin Lardizabal)

Defy Repression of NewMedia - NUJP

ONCE AGAIN, the powers that be are gag-ging our fundamental freedoms of speech, ex-pression and the press this time with theCybercrime Prevention Act.

Even with the protests and petitions tothe Supreme Court from netizens, journal-ists and civil society against this Act, theAquino administration insists that this Actwill pursue online criminal acts and not at-tack our freedom.

But the problem with such argument isthat it insists on a law that essentially wouldtend to give liberty for the powerful to tagthe freedom of citizens speaking out theiropinions and views online as a criminal act.

It basically says that people who postonline criticisms on public officials or on in-stitutions and anyone who agree on such com-ments will face the consequences. The con-sequences in this case are a libel suit, a jailterm, and having one’s website or online ac-counts pulled down by authorities.

The Cybercrime Prevention Act thus pre-vents people from speaking out.

The essence of democracy is having citi-zens speak out their views on political andsocial issues. With that, the people have takento new media, the Internet, as a venue to ad-dress basic problems and realities. This isseen this with recent online criticisms on theAquino administration’s failure and brand-ing such as “Noynoying”. Such criticism is

not a personal attack, but reflects the people’sfrustrations of inaction amidst spiraling prices,unemployment, floods, plunder of our naturalresources and more.

But with the Cybercrime Act, those inpower can silence their critics by slappingthem with online libel. Just like politiciansusing libel against journalists, they canand will use this Act to attack citizens.

This only reflects an administrationthat does not tolerate dissent. It also en-forces the reality that repression, which ishappening with the deprivation of ourright to social services, housing and edu-cation, is happening to us online.

It shows that Aquino is now the bullyas he defies his boss, the people.

Thus, the right to express our criti-cisms becomes vital more than ever. Me-dia, traditional and new ones, serve as theoutline of the peoples’ assertion of theirrights. As the Supreme Court sits en banctoday, we demand that our petitions areheard; we assert that no law should bemade to stifle such freedom!

As we see an iron-fist rule coming, weface this by coming out on the streets, onmedia and online with the urgent call todefy it. Junk the Cybercrime PreventionAct of 2012! Don’t criminalize criticism!Defend our freedom of expression, speechand the press! Resist tyranny! (NUJP)

Pass Alternative Minerals Management BillMANILA - Various groupshave called on Philippinelawmakers to pass the Alter-native Minerals ManagementBill and repeal the MiningAct of 1995.

Lawmakers TeddyBrawner Baguilat, CarlosPadilla, Kaka Bag-ao,Walden Bello, RufusRodriguez, and Erin Tañadaare also supporting the calls.

“I call on my fellow leg-islators to urgently pass thealternative minerals manage-ment bill that would repealthe Mining Act of 1995,”Baguilat said in a statementsent to the regional newspa-per Mindanao Examiner.

“It is time to correct thehistorical injustices commit-ted against indigenouspeoples and give due justiceto their struggles. We shouldthrow away our long stand-ing colonial framework inmineral extraction and insti-tute a rational needs-basedmineral governance thatwould cater to our sustainabledevelopment,” he added.

Baguilat’s statement fol-lowing a caravan participatedby some 2,000 AMMB sup-porters from communities inMetro Manila who joined the350-strong leaders of indig-enous communities, farmers,

fisher folks and church lead-ers.

The caravan, whichstarted on October 14 fromNueva Vizcaya, culminated atthe House of Representatives,to call on legislators to passthe AMMB.

Carmen Ananayo, whobelongs to an indigenous tribefrom Nueva Vizcaya, said thatthe passage of AMMB is pro-women because with mining,violence in affected commu-nities escalates and the indig-enous women are the first to

become victims of this aggres-sion.

Apart from the passage ofAMMB, the contingent alsourged Congress to revoke theFTAAs of OceanaGold Phil-ippines Inc. for the DidipioGold and Copper Project, andSMI/Xstrata, for theTampakan Copper Gold Min-ing Project, and moratoriumon all large-scale mining op-erations in the country.

FTAA refers to Financialor Technical AssistanceAgreement.

‘Top 12’ sa Zambopolitics, malakas pa rin!

SecuritSecuritSecuritSecuritSecurity up in Ty up in Ty up in Ty up in Ty up in TacurongacurongacurongacurongacurongKIDAPAWAN CITY –Government forces tight-ened security in TacuringCity follwoing a recentbomb explosion.Policesaid there were nocasualties in the explosion.

But the blast raisedfears that Muslim rebels op-posed to a peace deal signedrecently by Manila with therival Moro Islamic Libera-tion Front may be linked tothe attack.

The explosive was leftnear a branch of the LandBank of the Philippines, al-though police would not saywho the target of the bomb-ing was or whether it is con-nected to the peace deal.

Police said the blast lefta small crater at the site. Noindividual or group claimedresponsibility for the latestbombing, but it clearlyshowed a dangerous breachin the local security and howvulnerable Tacurong is toterrorist attacks.

President BenignoAquino signed the Frame-work Agreement with theMILF that would replacethe existing five-provinceAutonomous Region inMuslim Mindanao withBangsamoro which literallymeans Muslim Nation.TheMoro National LiberationFront, which signed a peaceaccord with Manila in Sep-

tember 1996, is opposingthe government’s peace dealwith the MILF, saying itviolates the previous agree-ment.

MNLF leaders alsowarned that theBangsamoro deal wouldspark unrest and could trig-ger new hostilities inMindanao.

Manila shrugged off thethreats and said the peacedeal - supported by the Or-ganization of Islamic Coop-eration, Malaysia, theUnited States, Japan, UnitedKingdom, among others -would benefit some 4 mil-lion Muslims in the country.(Mindanao Examiner)

ZAMBOANGA CITY –Nangunguna pa rin samga informal surveys siZamboanga City Con-gresswoman Mar iaIsabelle ‘Beng’ Climaco-Salazar laban sa mgapuli t ikong sasabak sapagka-a lka lde d i to ,ngunit hati naman angpulso ng publiko sa mgakasalukuyang opisyal namul ing tumatakbo sahalalan.

S i Sa lazar aykabilang sa part idongLibera l n i PangulongBenigno Aquino at siyar in House DeputySpeaker for Mindanao.Kilala i to sa kanyangpagiging matulungin atsa ibat-ibang advocaciesna may kinalaman samga kababa ihan a tkabataan.

Malaking suporta rinang t ina tanggap n i tomula sa ibat-ibang sektorsa Zamboanga City dahilsa kanyang mga accom-pl i shments a tnaipanukalang batas.

Makakabangga n iSalazar sa pagka-alkaldesi Zamboanga City Con-gressman Erico ‘Erbie’Fabian at ex-Zamboangade l Nor te Romeo‘Nonong’ Jalosjos, Sr.Ngunit parehong nasabuntot ng surveys sinaFabian at Jalosjos.

Mahina r in umanoang line-up ni Fabian at

ha los h ind i n i tonapunuan ang kanyangpar t ido a t s i Ja los josnaman ay hinahabol ngkanyang nakaraan a tngayon ay malaking isyui to sa mga taga-Zamboanga City.

Isang convicted childrap is t s i Ja los jos a tmahabang panahon anginilagi nito sa bilangguanat ibinasura rin ng Com-mission on Elections angkanyang voter’s registra-tion sa Zamboanga dahilna r in sa i syu nglegalidad nito. Umapelanaman sa kor te s iJa los jos , nguni tibinasura rin ito ng Mu-nicipal Trial Court.

I syu r in angpagtatatag nito ng politi-ca l dynas ty saZamboanga Peninsuladahil lahat ng lalawigannito – Zamboanga delSur, ZamboangaSibugay, Zamboanga delNor te , a t ZamboangaCity – ay nais mailagaysa i la l im ng kanyangkontrol.

Matunog rin sa mgaunofficial surveys angmasipag at magaling nasi Counci lor Rommel‘Meng’ Agan, na anaknaman ng da t ingZamboanga City MayorVitaliano Agan. Pasokrin sa surveys sina Coun-c i lors Melchor ‘Mel’Sadain at Cesar ‘Jawo’

J imenez a t da t ingZamboanga City ViceMayor Mannix Dalipe.

Malakas rin si dat-ing Catho l ic p r ies tCrisanto dela Cruz, nangayon ay tumatakbobilang congressman saZamboanga Ci ty a tkilala ito bilang isangpilantropo na siyangnasa l ikod ngtagumpay ng NuevoZamboanga College atLantaka Hotel.

Maging si Coun-cilor Gerky Valesco,na s iyang akt ibo samga iba't-ibang tour-i sm campaign saZamboanga Ci ty aynangunguna rin sa mgasurveys at tumatakboito sa ilalim ng LiberalParty ni Salazar.

Pasok rin sa sur-veys ang civic leaderna si Councilors MyraAbubakar, Eduardo‘Eddie ’ Saavedra ,Percival Ramos, LuisBie l I I I a t Migue l‘Mike’ Alavar.

Ang mga nabanggitay ang pinakamalakassa mga kasalukuyangtumatakbo at pasok sa“Top 12” base na rin sakanilang mga nagingaccomplishments a tganda ngpanunungkulan.(MindanaoExaminer)

Oct. 22-28, 2012 9The Mindanao Examiner

Migrante frowns on newhike in government feesMANILA – A Filipinomigrant’s rights groupfeared that a hike in gov-ernment fees and otherdocumentations wouldhave a huge impact onFilipinos who are work-ing abroad.

President BenignoAquino signed the Ad-ministrative Order No.31 which took effect thismonth. The rationaliza-tion of fees aims to pro-vide improved servicesof various governmentagencies.

Migran te -MiddleEast said the governmentis imposing unreason-able increases in govern-ment fees without con-sidering its effect on or-dinary Filipino workerswho are sacrificingabroad to send moneyback home to support

their family.“The Aquino admin-

istration should stop us-ing ‘effective govern-ment services’ as a reasonor guise in order to im-pose unjustified and un-necessary governmentfees and charges to itsown people, includingoverseas Filipino work-ers and their families,”said John LeonardMonterona, the group’sregional coordinator.

He said Aquino’s Ad-ministrative Order No.31 is anti-OFW. “We,OFWs and our depen-dents are already bleed-ing dry from unnecessarygovernment fees andcharges impose to us,”Monterona said.

He said OFWs arenow being charged asmuch as P30,000 for

documentation neededfor deployment formali-ties and this is on top ofthe placement feeequivalent to one monthsalary.

OFWs, he said, hasalso to pay documentsneeded for abroad suchas authentication of birthcertificate, National Bu-reau of Investigationclearance, authenticationof school credentials,passport application orrenewal, community taxcertificates, and fees col-lected by the PhilippineOverseas EmploymentAdministration, HomeDevelopment MutualFund, Philippine HealthInsurance, and OverseasWorkers Welfare Admin-istration among others.

“President Aquino isso insensitive to the eco-nomic hardship of OFWsand their families, andthe millions of ordinaryFilipino workers and theurban poor. We call onour fellow OFWs andfamilies to join our cam-paign calling for thescrapping of Aquino’santi-OFW and anti-people AdministrativeOrder No. 31,”Monterona said.

A motorist passes on an asphalted road in Zamboanga Del Sur province in Western Mindanao.Many national roads and highways from Zamboanga City to Zamboanga Sibugay andZamboanga del Norte provinces in Western Mindanao had been asphalted by the Departmentof Public Works and Highways even though they are in good condition, but leaves dilapidatedroads unattended in the region. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Oxfam, Dakila promote ‘brown’rice in the Philippines

While the Philippines used tobe Asia’s rice bowl, the coun-try has become one of the big-gest importer of rice in 2010,according to Oxfam Interna-tional, and one solution it saidthat may help the Philippinesbecome rice self-sufficient isif Filipinos switch their eat-ing habits from white rice toorganic brown rice.

“Brown Rice can becomethe hero to our rice problem,but only if we help it becomesone. This is because BrownRice has less wastage in themilling process, which meansthere will be an increased pro-duction. At the same time, wehelp our local farmers,” NoelCabangon, Brown Rice advo-cate and Dakila Vice Presi-dent, said in a statement sentto the regional newspaperMindanao Examiner.

While some people haveswitched to brown rice, oth-

ers believe it is too expensive.The price of brown rice rangesfrom P45 per kilo in the prov-inces to P90 per kilo in thecity.

However, a study pub-lished by the Department ofAgriculture – Philippine RiceResearch Institute (Rice Sci-ence for Decision Makers Vol.2 No. 3) showed that that Ifall Filipinos would eat brownrice for breakfast, lunch, anddinner just once a month, thecountry’s rice importationwould shrink by an average of50,000 metric tons per year,valued at US$20.32 million(or P812.81 million pesos)savings yearly.

“Given the fact that alarge number of families inthe country are below the pov-erty line, the consumption ofbrown rice can ensure thatevery member of the family isprovided with the necessary

nutrients they need eventhough their diet is largelydependent on rice,” Cabangonsaid.

According to a researchconducted by Oxfam, the mill-ing recovery of brown rice is10% higher, which can leadto additional sacks of rice thatcan be leveled with theamount of rice we import.This means that the countrywould have the capability ofproducing enough amounts ofrice that would prevent usfrom importing from others.

Under OxfamInternational’s Grow cam-paign, and in partnership withthe artist collective, Dakila,the Brown Rice campaignaims to revive brown or “un-polished” rice back to theregular diet of the Filipino andpromote sustainable agricul-ture and climate mitigation.

ARMM Northern Mindanao Davao Manila Zamboanga Peninsula

Founded 2006 mindanaoexaminer.com P10/RM1Zamboanga City, Philippines Oct. 22-28, 2012

Makikita sa larawan ito na ipinasa sa Mindanao Examiner ng Sulu provincial government sina MNLF chairman Nur Misuariat Sulu Governor Sakur Tan sa kanilang one-on-one meeting sa Zamboanga City. Sinabi ni Misuari na hindi sila mangugulo saMindanao dahil lamang sa Bangsamoro autonomous region na siyang papalit sa Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Si Misuari - na lumagdang peace agreement sapamahalaang Ramos nuongSeptember 1996 - ay nagbigayng kanyang 'palabra-de-honor' sa one-on-one meetingnito kay Sulu Gov. Sakur Tansa Zamboanga City.

Inaayawan ni Misuariang Bangsamoro autonomousregion ng pamahalaan saMILF dahil ang ARMM napapalitan nito ay produkto ng1996 peace accord.Kinabibilangan ng ARMMang lalawigan ng Basilan,Sulu, Tawi-Tawi,Maguindanao at Lanao prov-inces, gayun rin ang lungsodng Marawi at Lamitan, atilang lugar sa Lanao del Norteat North Cotabato.

Naunang lumabas sa mgapahayagan at radyo ang bantani Misuari na magkakaroonng kaguluhan sa Mindanaokung tuluyang mabasura angARMM.

“I was misunderstood.What I said was the frame-work (of the peace deal) mightbe a recipe for a crisis whichmay include war,” ani Misuarisa kanyang paliwanag kayTan.

Nakipagpulong si Tankay Misuari matapos namabalitaanan ang banta nitoat sa pagiikot ng mga MNLFcommanders sa Sulu na agadnaman nitong pinaliwanaganukol sa peace process ngpamahalaan sa MILF.

Ilang ulit na itinanggi niMisuari kay Tan ang mgabalitang mangugulo ang

MNLF sa Mindanao.“If I want hostilities to

resume, why would I an-nounce it? A person who un-derstands war knows that theelement of surprise is veryimportant; I would have keptsilent if that was what my in-tention. In fact, I am runningfor ARMM governor thiscoming May 2013 polls. I ama politician now, we only wantwhat is good for our people,”sabi pa ni Misuari kay Tan.

Ayon kay Tan aynapakiusapan na nito angMNLF na suportahan nalamang ang peace processupang sumulong na angkapayapaan sa Mindanao.

“MNLF commanders aremaking their rounds in someparts of Sulu and I was ableto talk to them and sinabi kona pagbigyan nila tayo tungosa kapayapaan. I also sentword to my brother ChairmanNur Misuari and one of thesedays mag-uusap kami.Ipinarating ko sa kanya namaging mahinahon, saganitong paraan we can re-solve any misunderstandingand have genuine peace inSulu and the whole ofMindanao.”

“I have made my appealto everybody to keep theircool. Walang mangyayari saatin kung tayo ay babalik nanaman sa nakaraan, kawawaang mg tao dito sa Sulu at sabuong Mindanao,” wika niTan. Maging mga civil soci-ety at religious groups saARMM ay pumanig na rin

kay Tan sa pagsulong ngkapayapaan sa Mindanao.

“We cannot sacrificeagain the people ofMindanao; they have alreadysuffered so much. I told the(MNLF) commanders that thegovernment is sincere in pur-suing peace in the region; andthat their role as leaders of theMNLF is very important inthe achievement of this goal,as leaders they should set theexample,” ani Tan.

“Walang repormangmangyayari kung angkapayapaan ay hindi natinpagbibigyan. I will not sup-port and allow anything thatis not pro-people at handaakong makiusap at pigilanang kahit sinong grupo namagsisimula ng gulo dito saSulu at Mindanao.”

Maging ang mga ARMMgovernors are suportado rinang peace pact ng pamahalaansa MILF ay ayon kay Tan ayayaw na nila ng kaguluhan saSulu at Mindanao.

“Jolo and other populatedareas of Sulu are always thefirst to feel the brunt of warfrom the MNLF. We must re-call that Sulu was the centerof the MNLF uprising in1969 and Jolo was totallyburned down in 1974 duringthe fiercest battle between theMNLF and the military underthe Marcos Administration.We have done so much tobring progress and stabilityback to Sulu and I can’t al-low that to happen again,’’sabi ni Tan.

Sinigurado ni Tan kayMisuari na tapat ang

Pangulong Benigno Aquinosa hangarin nitongkapayaapan sa Mindanao.

“An information cam-paign on the FrameworkAgreement will be mobilizedso that our citizenry will un-derstand what this agreementis all about and decide com-petently for themselves if theywant this to be part of the fu-ture of the BangsamoroPeople,” sabi pa ni Tan kayMisuari, ngunit duda pa rinang dating rebelde at sinabiniutong maraming kasunduanng pamahalaan sa MNLF anghindi natupad.

“In fact, claims that theMNLF was consulted on thismatter were untrue. I will nottell a lie to say we were neverconsulted,” Misuari told Tan,referring to the new

Bangsamoro region of theMILF, which broke away withthe MNLF in 1978. “I feel in-sulted about the governmententering into an agreementwith such a small group,” aniMisuari kay Tan.

Subalit ayon kay Tan ayiba na ang pamahalaanngayon at katahimikan angmithiin ngayon ni Aquino sabuong bansa. “What is im-portant to me is the constitu-tionality of the agreement andits potential to attract invest-ments in the region to spureconomic growth by resolvingthe question of providing aclimate of good governance inthe scheme of things,” sabi pani Tan kay Misuari nanangako naman na hindimangugulo sa Mindanao.(Mindanao Examiner)

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Matapos na magbanta sa posiblengkaguluhan sa Mindanao dahil lamang sa peace pact ngpamahalaang Aquino sa Moro Islamic Liberation Front aybinawi naman ito ngayon ni Nur Misuari, ang leader ngkaribal na Moro National Liberation Front.