IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay --- Two similar bills pending in the Congress seeks “to initiate and administer research and development programs that will improve the quality and increase productivity of rubber” for the benefit of smallholder rubber producers and processors” by creating the Philippine Rubber Research Institute (PRRI).
Rep. Ann Hofer of the second congressional district, this province filed House Bill No. 2435 in a bid to improve the production of rubber in the country by creating the PRRI to promote the quality and increase the quantity of rubber production.
Sen. Loren Legarda also filed a similar bill, Senate Bill No. 1651.
In filing the bill, Hofer said the government should now help people from Mindanao on how to promote quality and increase quantity of rubber production.
Rubber, scientifically known as Hevea brasilienses, is grown in Mindanao being typhoon free.
In 1905, rubber tree seedlings were introduced in the country, almost at the same
time when Indonesia and Malaysia started their own rubber industries. According to the International Rubber Study Group, these countries are now among the leading rubber producers and exporters, together with Thailand and India.
Data from the Department of Agriculture (DA) revealed that there is great demand for rubber, as world consumption of rubber has been increasing. World production of natural rubber is projected to increase at 3-5% per year up to 2020, which is from 6.6 million tons in 2006 to 17.4 million tons in 2010 to 28.1 million in 2020.
However, the Philjppines is lagging behind its Asian neighbors in terms of
production and exportation of rubber. In 2004, the country’s rubber industry accounted for only 1.05 % of the world consumption.
The slow progress of the rubber industry is attributed to the low quality of rubber products, lack of planting materials for expansion and lack of investments for the establishment of bud wood garden and nurseries.
An increase in production would raise income opportunities for the people of Mindanao especially the poor families whose daily subsistence relied on rubber, Hofer stressed.
“This measure is vital and urgent in line with the government’s effort to upgrade the economy, modernize industry, and alleviate poverty for sustainable development,” Hofer said
The proposed measure aims to increase rubber productivity and further develop
and expand the Philippine rubber industry by creating the PRRI which shall propagate and promote the planting, maintenance and utilization of rubber trees.
It also seeks to provide access to quality rubber tree seedlings, modern production techniques, and other support: services, undertake training and other capacity-building programs for stakeholders in the rubber industry.
The development of the rubber industry requires focused programs and projects on research, training, and capability-building that requires an institution to oversee and implement these activities, Hofer said.
"Its creation in Sibugay is urgent not only because of the absence of a rubber institution in the country, but more important is because of the abundance of rubber trees in the said province," Hofer added.
She called for the immediate approval of her proposed bill saying the potential contribution of this promising industry in the province to national economy should not be underestimated.
"More importantly the need to create the PRRI is based from principles enshrined in the Constitution regarding the promotion of self-reliant industries; the encouragement of private enterprises; the generation of employment and livelihood opportunities for the poor; and the provision for training and education particularly in science and technology among others," Hofer said.
The PRRI with its rationally designed functions of initiating research both on policy and technology, of providing training and other support services is seen as a strong foundation on which a solid and competitive Philippine rubber industry will rise, Hofer said
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
General:Ceasefire violated in Zanorte
IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay --- An Army general denied reports that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is “busy deploying troops to strategic locations of Zamboanga del Norte” as par of the preparations when the peace talks will finally collapse.
Brigadier General Jovencio Magalso of the 102 Infantry Brigade based here labeled the reports as “not true”.
The reports published in Luwaran website said the Army soldiers dispatched to Zamboanga del Norte came from Jolo, Sulu were mainly composed of former combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Some 5,000 MNLF fighters were integrated into the AFP after the MNLF and government signed the 1996 GRP-MNLF Final Agreement.
“They are now packing up their things and in a day or two they would be shipped to Zamboanga del Norte, which is now considered a bastion of the MILF,” the Luwaran quoted un-named reporters in Jolo.
The MILF has a sizeable fighting force in Zamboanga del Norte, which is considered by the military as a threat once hostilities start in case the peace talks collapsed completely, a ranking official of Moro Islamic Liberation Front of Zamboanga Sibugay, who requested not to be named, said.
The peace talks between the government and the MILF was stalled again last month over the sensitive issue of territory.
The MILF accused Manila of reneging to its commitment after peace talks was stalled last month in Malaysia, which is brokering the negotiations.
Security analysts warned violence may erupt if the impasse is not resolved.
"There's danger that the ceasefire mechanism would be weakened the longer the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front take to resolve the impasse," Christopher Collier, an analyst at the Australian National University, told foreign correspondents in Manila.
"There have been changes in the tone and language from both sides," he said.
However, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said the "attitude of wanting to agree" between the two panels is still high and he is not over the present state of the talks.
"Di pa tapos ang usapan, yan ang status ng peace talks ngayon," Gonzales told the reporters in Davao City last week.
Gonzales said the "bias of both the government and the MILF is towards peace and not war."
"I don't think that war, as an option, is being discussed at all," he said.
The Arroyo administration pursued the peace negotiations with the MILF after the talks bogged down when former president Joseph Estrada ordered an all-out war against the group in 2000. The offensive led to the seizure of dozens of MILF camps, including their headquarters in Camp Abubakar.
In a text message, Magalso said “we are maintaining active defense by conducting security patrols and fired back at the enemy only when fired as we strictly observe the primacy of the peace process”.
Brigadier General Jovencio Magalso of the 102 Infantry Brigade based here labeled the reports as “not true”.
The reports published in Luwaran website said the Army soldiers dispatched to Zamboanga del Norte came from Jolo, Sulu were mainly composed of former combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Some 5,000 MNLF fighters were integrated into the AFP after the MNLF and government signed the 1996 GRP-MNLF Final Agreement.
“They are now packing up their things and in a day or two they would be shipped to Zamboanga del Norte, which is now considered a bastion of the MILF,” the Luwaran quoted un-named reporters in Jolo.
The MILF has a sizeable fighting force in Zamboanga del Norte, which is considered by the military as a threat once hostilities start in case the peace talks collapsed completely, a ranking official of Moro Islamic Liberation Front of Zamboanga Sibugay, who requested not to be named, said.
The peace talks between the government and the MILF was stalled again last month over the sensitive issue of territory.
The MILF accused Manila of reneging to its commitment after peace talks was stalled last month in Malaysia, which is brokering the negotiations.
Security analysts warned violence may erupt if the impasse is not resolved.
"There's danger that the ceasefire mechanism would be weakened the longer the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front take to resolve the impasse," Christopher Collier, an analyst at the Australian National University, told foreign correspondents in Manila.
"There have been changes in the tone and language from both sides," he said.
However, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said the "attitude of wanting to agree" between the two panels is still high and he is not over the present state of the talks.
"Di pa tapos ang usapan, yan ang status ng peace talks ngayon," Gonzales told the reporters in Davao City last week.
Gonzales said the "bias of both the government and the MILF is towards peace and not war."
"I don't think that war, as an option, is being discussed at all," he said.
The Arroyo administration pursued the peace negotiations with the MILF after the talks bogged down when former president Joseph Estrada ordered an all-out war against the group in 2000. The offensive led to the seizure of dozens of MILF camps, including their headquarters in Camp Abubakar.
In a text message, Magalso said “we are maintaining active defense by conducting security patrols and fired back at the enemy only when fired as we strictly observe the primacy of the peace process”.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Ceasefire violated, Magalso says
IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay --- Army Brigadier General Jovencio Magalso of 102 Infantry Brigade based here said a “written complaint will be filed before the Committee on Ceasefire and Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH)” for the violation of the ceasefire agreement against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
In a text message, Magalso said “a group identified with the MILF occupied an abandoned school house near their satellite camp” in Barangay Lakiki, Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte.
Sibuco town is one of the 13 towns of the 3rd Congressional District of Zamboanga del Norte under the jurisdiction of 102IB.
Police and military officials last week reported that a group of MILF rebels occupied a village of Lakiki in Sibuco town.
Army Colonel William Abao said the group, numbering about 17, occupied the abandoned school house at around 9 o’clock in the evening of January 9 but left the following morning.
Abao, the commanding officer of the 44th Infantry Battalion, described the situation after the incident as “normal and under control”.
They left peacefully after the village officials protested their presence, Abao said in a text message.
“Still, we view the act as a violation of the existing ceasefire agreement between the government and the rebel group,” Magalso asserted, adding that “we are bringing the incident to the attention of the CCCH”.
The ceasefire committees of the government and MILF panels are the ones overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
When asked if the same incident will have spill-over effect in neighboring areas like Zamboanga Sibugay, Magalso said: “Definitely not. That’s why we were telling the group that time to leave the area in order not to create fear and undue panic among the residents”.
Earlier, Magalso, who was one of the four senior military officers under the Western Mindanao Command promoted to one rank higher effective January 1, dismissed the incident as “mere show of force”.
“It is more about massing up of forces but there is nothing to fear because if they wanted something bad, these people will not be going to mass in an open area,” he said.
Magalso said the military could not move against the rebels because they were not threatening the safety of the civilians.
“What we can do is to file a written complaint before the proper body,” he said, referring to government-MILF ceasefire committees.
The peace talks between the government and the MILF was stalled again last month over the sensitive issue of territory.
The MILF accused Manila of reneging to its commitment after peace talks was stalled last month in Malaysia, which is brokering the negotiations.
Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, said the government panel earlier agreed on the scope of the Muslim ancestral domain, but reneged on the accord that will constitute a separate homeland for about 4 million Muslims and indigenous tribes in Mindanao.
The MILF said government negotiators headed by General Rodolfo Garcia completely disregarded the agreement on the ancestral domain and insisted again that the granting of homeland to Muslims in Mindanao would solely be through Constitutional process which the rebel group previously opposed.
“This stance of the GRP peace panel has virtually jeopardized the integrity of the peace process and to continue with the talks would virtually turn it into a circus,” Iqbal said.
Iqbal said government leaders opposed to the peace talks should be blamed for the break down in the negotiations.
Iqbal said government leaders opposed to the peace talks should be blamed for the break down in the negotiations.
The Sibuco incident is most likely to happen in situations where the peace talks failed, an MILF ranking official of Zamboanga Sibugay said in a text message.
“At the moment, the peace talk is stalled and its resumption is not yet certain so it is very normal that things like these will happen,” the MILF official, who asked not to be named because he is not in the position to talk to the media, ended.#
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Consult the lumad communities, IP rep says
IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay --- “Consult us first.”
This was the reaction of Wilfredo Sanggayan, the indigenous peoples’ (IP) representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of this province, to a published report that Mining firm Pacifica Inc. made a P50-million loan to Zam-Iron Mining Corp. for the latter’s exploration of metal deposits in the Zamboanga Peninsula in Mindanao.
Pacifica reportedly signed with Zam-Iron on Jan. 2 a loan agreement under which Zam-Iron will use the amount for exploration, development and use of its tenements on potential gold, silver and iron deposits in the towns of Kabasalan and Siay in Zamboanga Sibugay province, also referred to as Kabasalan Mining Rights, spanning 11,056.5 hectares.
The loan agreement gives Pacifica an option to buy 50 percent of all mineral output from the Kabasalan Mining Rights over five years.
It also provides that all Zam-Iron shareholders pledge their issued shares to secure the loan from Pacifica.
Represented by its president, Luisito Flores, Zam-Iron has filed exploration permit applications covering gold, silver and iron deposits for the Kabasalan Mining Rights.
Sanggayan, who earned the distinction to be the first IP representative to the provincial board by virtue of Republic Act 7381 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act, said Zam-Iron must respect “the universally respected rights of the indigenous peoples to a free and prior informed consent (FPIC)” before starting their explorations in Kabasalan and Siay towns.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples explicitly recognizes the principle of FPIC as their right to determine and develop priorities and strategies for the development or use of their lands, territories and other resources including the development and utilisation of surface and subsurface resources.
“We must warn Zam-Iron that the IPs in these areas have already started their ancestral domain claims last year,” Sanggayan said.
In Kabasalan alone, according to Sanggayan, the IPs had processed their claims for ancestral land covering some 22,000 hectares. The application is pending at the provincial office of the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
“We are not saying that we are against Zam-Iron or any other mining firms for that matter,” Sanggayan clarified, adding that “I am not totally against mining but let us ensure that we will do it responsibly”.
These mining companies must realized that the indigenous peoples have the right to say “no” to proposed development projects at any point during negotiations, he ended.#
This was the reaction of Wilfredo Sanggayan, the indigenous peoples’ (IP) representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of this province, to a published report that Mining firm Pacifica Inc. made a P50-million loan to Zam-Iron Mining Corp. for the latter’s exploration of metal deposits in the Zamboanga Peninsula in Mindanao.
Pacifica reportedly signed with Zam-Iron on Jan. 2 a loan agreement under which Zam-Iron will use the amount for exploration, development and use of its tenements on potential gold, silver and iron deposits in the towns of Kabasalan and Siay in Zamboanga Sibugay province, also referred to as Kabasalan Mining Rights, spanning 11,056.5 hectares.
The loan agreement gives Pacifica an option to buy 50 percent of all mineral output from the Kabasalan Mining Rights over five years.
It also provides that all Zam-Iron shareholders pledge their issued shares to secure the loan from Pacifica.
Represented by its president, Luisito Flores, Zam-Iron has filed exploration permit applications covering gold, silver and iron deposits for the Kabasalan Mining Rights.
Sanggayan, who earned the distinction to be the first IP representative to the provincial board by virtue of Republic Act 7381 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act, said Zam-Iron must respect “the universally respected rights of the indigenous peoples to a free and prior informed consent (FPIC)” before starting their explorations in Kabasalan and Siay towns.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples explicitly recognizes the principle of FPIC as their right to determine and develop priorities and strategies for the development or use of their lands, territories and other resources including the development and utilisation of surface and subsurface resources.
“We must warn Zam-Iron that the IPs in these areas have already started their ancestral domain claims last year,” Sanggayan said.
In Kabasalan alone, according to Sanggayan, the IPs had processed their claims for ancestral land covering some 22,000 hectares. The application is pending at the provincial office of the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
“We are not saying that we are against Zam-Iron or any other mining firms for that matter,” Sanggayan clarified, adding that “I am not totally against mining but let us ensure that we will do it responsibly”.
These mining companies must realized that the indigenous peoples have the right to say “no” to proposed development projects at any point during negotiations, he ended.#
New general vows to keep track 'marching order from the Commander-in-Chief'
IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay (07 Jan) --- To keep track the “marching order” from higher command to finish-off the “enemy of the state” and ensure its fulfillment before 2010 is on the priority list of the Army 102nd Brigade commander.
Fresh from being promoted, Brig. Gen. Jovencio Magalso in an exclusive interview said he is confident that “communist insurgency in his area of responsibility will be contained even before 2010.”
Magalso was one of the four senior military officials assigned at the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) area of jurisdiction, including Westmincom chief Major General Nelson Allaga, were promoted to the next higher rank.
They were among the 30 senior military officials in the country who have been promoted by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo effective January 1, 2008 on recommendation of the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
From the army colonel, Magalso is now a one-star or brigadier general following his promotion and that of the other senior military officials.
Other senior military officials assigned at Westmincom that were promoted to the next higher rank are 2nd Marine Brigade chief Cesario Atienza, and Army 103rd Infantry Brigade chief Raynard Javier.
Their promotion is based on the provisions of Republic Act 291 as amended and in conjunction with Republic Act 8186 as amended, and Republic Act 9188, increasing the percentage distribution of generals and flag officers in the AFP table of organization.
When asked if his promotion also carries bigger responsibility, the soft-spoken general said his responsibilities remain the same as he still commands the same unit as before.
“But if given the opportunity to serve in other capacity and bigger responsibilities I will rise to the challenge of serving the people,” Magalso stressed, hinting that it is possible he will be re-assigned to other units after his promotion.
In his tour of duty as the chief of 102nd Brigade, Magalso, who started his military career 31 years ago as an Army 2nd Lieutenant, said they effectively contained the lawless activities in his area of responsibility (AOR).
The AOR of the 102nd Brigade covers the whole of Zamboanga Sibugay, the Baganian Peninsula in Zamboanga del Sur, and part of the 3rd congressional district of Zamboanga del Norte.
“We have reduced the number of communist insurgents in the area,” Magalso, a son of a farmer, revealed.
On the Moro insurgency, Magalso said he is one of the advocates for the “primacy of the peace process by ensuring the effective cessation of hostilities” in his AOR.
“Our troops are on active defense when it comes to dealing with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels,” the newly-promoted general said.
Active defense means that the government troops conduct security patrols and “fired back only when fired”.
“We support the peace process as a means to solve the Mindanao problem,” Magalso concluded.#
Fresh from being promoted, Brig. Gen. Jovencio Magalso in an exclusive interview said he is confident that “communist insurgency in his area of responsibility will be contained even before 2010.”
Magalso was one of the four senior military officials assigned at the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) area of jurisdiction, including Westmincom chief Major General Nelson Allaga, were promoted to the next higher rank.
They were among the 30 senior military officials in the country who have been promoted by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo effective January 1, 2008 on recommendation of the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
From the army colonel, Magalso is now a one-star or brigadier general following his promotion and that of the other senior military officials.
Other senior military officials assigned at Westmincom that were promoted to the next higher rank are 2nd Marine Brigade chief Cesario Atienza, and Army 103rd Infantry Brigade chief Raynard Javier.
Their promotion is based on the provisions of Republic Act 291 as amended and in conjunction with Republic Act 8186 as amended, and Republic Act 9188, increasing the percentage distribution of generals and flag officers in the AFP table of organization.
When asked if his promotion also carries bigger responsibility, the soft-spoken general said his responsibilities remain the same as he still commands the same unit as before.
“But if given the opportunity to serve in other capacity and bigger responsibilities I will rise to the challenge of serving the people,” Magalso stressed, hinting that it is possible he will be re-assigned to other units after his promotion.
In his tour of duty as the chief of 102nd Brigade, Magalso, who started his military career 31 years ago as an Army 2nd Lieutenant, said they effectively contained the lawless activities in his area of responsibility (AOR).
The AOR of the 102nd Brigade covers the whole of Zamboanga Sibugay, the Baganian Peninsula in Zamboanga del Sur, and part of the 3rd congressional district of Zamboanga del Norte.
“We have reduced the number of communist insurgents in the area,” Magalso, a son of a farmer, revealed.
On the Moro insurgency, Magalso said he is one of the advocates for the “primacy of the peace process by ensuring the effective cessation of hostilities” in his AOR.
“Our troops are on active defense when it comes to dealing with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels,” the newly-promoted general said.
Active defense means that the government troops conduct security patrols and “fired back only when fired”.
“We support the peace process as a means to solve the Mindanao problem,” Magalso concluded.#
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Sibugaynons to breathe fresher air
IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay (02 Jan) --- Sibugaynons will have fresher air, although smokers may grumble, once the provincial anti-smoking law will take effect.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed last year Ordinance No. 2007-239 “banning smoking in the designated areas in the province”.
Authored by Wilfredo L. Sanggayan, the indigenous peoples’ representative to the provincial board, the ordinance seeks to make the province friendly to non-smokers by declaring all government buildings and offices, schools, hospitals and clinics, and all enclosed public places with an area of less than 100 square meters as “absolutely smoke free”.
In an interview, Sanggayan said the ordinance was formulated due to the observation that “some smokers appear to be insensitive to the other people’s preferences by smoking even in public places.”
“We need to regulate smoking in the province by declaring some places as smoke-free,” Sanggayan, who earned the distinction as the first indigenous peoples representative to the provincial board, stressed.
Sanggayan is the first lumad representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan nationwide. Zamboanga Sibugay was also the first province throughout the country to have IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan as mandated by Republic Act 8371. Compostela Valley was the second.
Sanggayan clarified that “this is not new since there is a national law regulating the use of cigarettes enacted by the government in 2003”.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9211 in 2003, which is the first by any in the world that complies with World Health Organization (WHO) requirements.
Also known as the Tobacco Regulation Act, the law was in response to a call by WHO for governments to help control smoking.
Under the legislation, the government will strictly implement a smoking ban in all public places, including schools, recreational facilities and areas frequented by children as well as in hospitals, clinics, laboratories and restaurants, among others.
"The new law aims to protect the general public from inhaling smoke emitted by cigars, cigarettes and tobacco pipes, which can contribute to respiratory illnesses," Sanggayan said.
The ordinance also declared as “unlawful to smoke cigarette, cigar or pipe in public conveyances plying in the province”.
Offenders will be penalized with the following: Php500 for first-time offender; Php1,000 for second-time offenders; and Php2,000 or imprisonment of no more than six days or both at the discretion of the court.
In addition, the provincial government “may order the closure of a public place that violates the ordinance”.
He added that the implementing rules have been already formulated to serve as guide to implement the law.
"We hope to instill responsibility on smokers of tobacco products that every time they light a stick, they should be considerate of the people around them who helplessly breathe the smoke-polluted air," Sanggayan ended.#
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed last year Ordinance No. 2007-239 “banning smoking in the designated areas in the province”.
Authored by Wilfredo L. Sanggayan, the indigenous peoples’ representative to the provincial board, the ordinance seeks to make the province friendly to non-smokers by declaring all government buildings and offices, schools, hospitals and clinics, and all enclosed public places with an area of less than 100 square meters as “absolutely smoke free”.
In an interview, Sanggayan said the ordinance was formulated due to the observation that “some smokers appear to be insensitive to the other people’s preferences by smoking even in public places.”
“We need to regulate smoking in the province by declaring some places as smoke-free,” Sanggayan, who earned the distinction as the first indigenous peoples representative to the provincial board, stressed.
Sanggayan is the first lumad representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan nationwide. Zamboanga Sibugay was also the first province throughout the country to have IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan as mandated by Republic Act 8371. Compostela Valley was the second.
Sanggayan clarified that “this is not new since there is a national law regulating the use of cigarettes enacted by the government in 2003”.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9211 in 2003, which is the first by any in the world that complies with World Health Organization (WHO) requirements.
Also known as the Tobacco Regulation Act, the law was in response to a call by WHO for governments to help control smoking.
Under the legislation, the government will strictly implement a smoking ban in all public places, including schools, recreational facilities and areas frequented by children as well as in hospitals, clinics, laboratories and restaurants, among others.
"The new law aims to protect the general public from inhaling smoke emitted by cigars, cigarettes and tobacco pipes, which can contribute to respiratory illnesses," Sanggayan said.
The ordinance also declared as “unlawful to smoke cigarette, cigar or pipe in public conveyances plying in the province”.
Offenders will be penalized with the following: Php500 for first-time offender; Php1,000 for second-time offenders; and Php2,000 or imprisonment of no more than six days or both at the discretion of the court.
In addition, the provincial government “may order the closure of a public place that violates the ordinance”.
He added that the implementing rules have been already formulated to serve as guide to implement the law.
"We hope to instill responsibility on smokers of tobacco products that every time they light a stick, they should be considerate of the people around them who helplessly breathe the smoke-polluted air," Sanggayan ended.#
Monday, December 31, 2007
Year-ender: : Bossi kidnapping and local elections top Sibugay stories
AT THE START, 2007 appeared to be a peaceful year for Zamboanga Sibugay. It turned out to be eventful.
Everything went well even up to the rundown of May elections as the campaign trails were marked with traditional politics of “guns, goons, and gold”.
Two top stories hugged the headlines, domestically and internationally.
Dirty, dirty elections
Electoral frauds --- especially during the voting and counting of votes --- marred the conduct of 2007 local elections in the province.
In the capital town of Ipil, the “losing” mayoralty candidate filed an election protest before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) right after the proclamation of the winner.
Mayoralty candidate Jose Abalde together with his Vice Mayoraly candidate Susing Tiu asked the Comelec to annul the proclamation of Atty. Eldwin Alibutdan as new mayor saying there were widespread fraud and irregularities before and during the conduct of elections.
In their sworn statements, Abalde and Tiu alleged that Alibutdan cheated the elections through vote-buying, vote-padding and shaving, multiple registration of voters and use of flying voters.
However, the Comelec en banc junked the petition.
In its decision last August, the Comelec said the complaint lacks merits because it failed to establish that the Certificates of Canvass (CoC) were made under dubious circumstances. But it did not rule whether or not the allegations of massive vote-buying, vote-padding and –shaving, multiple registration of voters, and use of flying voters were true.
Province-wide, Partylist groups Bayan Muna (People First), Suara Bangsamoro, and Anak Pawis (Sons of Toiling Masses) included Zamboanga Sibugay in their petition before the Comelec as one of the provinces in Mindanao where elections failed due to massive frauds.
In Tungawan town, according to the petition, the total number of votes of Suara was reduced to 2,000 instead of 4,000. Other partylist groups that are identified with the Arroyo government like CoopNatcco and Movement Against Drugs (MAD) were favored by padding their votes, Bayan Muna and its allied groups alleged.
But again the Comelec junked the petition.
The same had happened during the conduct of barangay elections.
One barangay of Talusan town was included in the list of barangays nationwide where there was failure of elections after its town hall was bombed by unidentified suspects.
Bossi kidnapping
A month after the conduct of 2007 elections, Italian missionary Fr. Giancarlo Bossi, 57, was abducted by an armed group on his way to say mass in a remote village of Payao town.
The suspects were later identified by the military and police authorities as the rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The MILF, however, strongly denied that its members were behind the kidnapping of Fr. Bossi.
Bossi was released by his kidnappers in Karomatan town after successful negotiations and paying “board and lodging”. Police authorities later retracted their statements that a “certain amount” was being paid to the kidnappers in exchange for the release of the Italian priest.
No news is good news?
The illegal numbers game called locally as suertres and illegal drugs continue to be unabated. And corruption at all levels of government remains unchecked.
Killings and assassinations victimizing well-known personalities and as well as small people remains a problem. The most recent of which was the killing of former Ipil Councilor Nestor Natividad during the third quarter of the year. Natividad’s killing is still unsolved.
These were among the other events in Zambonga Sibugay eclipsed by the stories of Bossi and local elections for 2007.#
Everything went well even up to the rundown of May elections as the campaign trails were marked with traditional politics of “guns, goons, and gold”.
Two top stories hugged the headlines, domestically and internationally.
Dirty, dirty elections
Electoral frauds --- especially during the voting and counting of votes --- marred the conduct of 2007 local elections in the province.
In the capital town of Ipil, the “losing” mayoralty candidate filed an election protest before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) right after the proclamation of the winner.
Mayoralty candidate Jose Abalde together with his Vice Mayoraly candidate Susing Tiu asked the Comelec to annul the proclamation of Atty. Eldwin Alibutdan as new mayor saying there were widespread fraud and irregularities before and during the conduct of elections.
In their sworn statements, Abalde and Tiu alleged that Alibutdan cheated the elections through vote-buying, vote-padding and shaving, multiple registration of voters and use of flying voters.
However, the Comelec en banc junked the petition.
In its decision last August, the Comelec said the complaint lacks merits because it failed to establish that the Certificates of Canvass (CoC) were made under dubious circumstances. But it did not rule whether or not the allegations of massive vote-buying, vote-padding and –shaving, multiple registration of voters, and use of flying voters were true.
Province-wide, Partylist groups Bayan Muna (People First), Suara Bangsamoro, and Anak Pawis (Sons of Toiling Masses) included Zamboanga Sibugay in their petition before the Comelec as one of the provinces in Mindanao where elections failed due to massive frauds.
In Tungawan town, according to the petition, the total number of votes of Suara was reduced to 2,000 instead of 4,000. Other partylist groups that are identified with the Arroyo government like CoopNatcco and Movement Against Drugs (MAD) were favored by padding their votes, Bayan Muna and its allied groups alleged.
But again the Comelec junked the petition.
The same had happened during the conduct of barangay elections.
One barangay of Talusan town was included in the list of barangays nationwide where there was failure of elections after its town hall was bombed by unidentified suspects.
Bossi kidnapping
A month after the conduct of 2007 elections, Italian missionary Fr. Giancarlo Bossi, 57, was abducted by an armed group on his way to say mass in a remote village of Payao town.
The suspects were later identified by the military and police authorities as the rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The MILF, however, strongly denied that its members were behind the kidnapping of Fr. Bossi.
Bossi was released by his kidnappers in Karomatan town after successful negotiations and paying “board and lodging”. Police authorities later retracted their statements that a “certain amount” was being paid to the kidnappers in exchange for the release of the Italian priest.
No news is good news?
The illegal numbers game called locally as suertres and illegal drugs continue to be unabated. And corruption at all levels of government remains unchecked.
Killings and assassinations victimizing well-known personalities and as well as small people remains a problem. The most recent of which was the killing of former Ipil Councilor Nestor Natividad during the third quarter of the year. Natividad’s killing is still unsolved.
These were among the other events in Zambonga Sibugay eclipsed by the stories of Bossi and local elections for 2007.#
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Mayor adopts "bread,not gun" solution to security problem
TUNGAWAN, Zamboanga Sibugay --- “Bread not gun” will effectively solve the peace and order problem of the municipality.
This was stressed by Mayor Randy Climaco days after the local government was awarded a Level 2 certification for coastal resource management (CRM) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
DENR cited Tungawan for seriously implementing its 10-year CRM program, with technical assistance from the Philippine Environmental Governance (EcoGov) Project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Level 2 certification is given to an LGU with a multi-year CRM Plan, a biophysical assessment, active coastal law enforcement, annual CRM programming and budgeting, zoning, local legislation, registry/permit/licensing, and protected zones; and has started earning revenues from the plan.
No other LGU has done it in Mindanao, quite a feat for a low-key, fourth class municipality in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
The certification was received by newly-elected mayor and Councilor Arsenio Climaco, the previous mayor who championed the town’s CRM program, from DENR Region Technical Director Eduardo Bisguera Jr.
Since the adoption of its CRM Plan in 2004, Tungawan has been able to implement several major projects. These include the enforcement of the “no take” zone in the town’s marine protected area (MPA) for nearly three years now, biophysical monitoring of the MPA, registration of fisherfolk, issuance of fishing permits and licenses, and active enforcement of fishery laws.
To date, more than 40 apprehensions of illegal fishers have been made and close to P300,000 in fines have been collected.
To ensure public support and to sustain the gains, the local government continues to run a regular information, education and education (IEC) campaign at the barangay level.
In what he calls a major departure from the traditional solutions in solving peace and order problem, Mayor Randy Climaco said his “new administration will intensify the efforts of creating employment and livelihood opportunities” that will benefit the town’s poorest population.
“We will try to address income disparity among our people as a strategy to develop our municipality,” Climaco, in an interview said.
The local government, according to Climaco, has already earmarked funds for its cassava production, and support to rubber and seaweeds farmers.
“The next three years will be the time to recreate the image of the town as one of a conflict-torn area into a haven of peace and development,” Climaco stressed.
The town, in the past, was usually associated to kidnappings, extortions, and known to be haven of Moro rebels. When Italian missionary Giancarlo Bossi was kidnapped in Payao town last June 10, initial reports indicated that he was brought to Tungawan. However, the reports turned out to be inaccurate.
The local government will be serious in pursuing its development agenda based on the available natural resources, the mayor said.#
This was stressed by Mayor Randy Climaco days after the local government was awarded a Level 2 certification for coastal resource management (CRM) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
DENR cited Tungawan for seriously implementing its 10-year CRM program, with technical assistance from the Philippine Environmental Governance (EcoGov) Project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Level 2 certification is given to an LGU with a multi-year CRM Plan, a biophysical assessment, active coastal law enforcement, annual CRM programming and budgeting, zoning, local legislation, registry/permit/licensing, and protected zones; and has started earning revenues from the plan.
No other LGU has done it in Mindanao, quite a feat for a low-key, fourth class municipality in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
The certification was received by newly-elected mayor and Councilor Arsenio Climaco, the previous mayor who championed the town’s CRM program, from DENR Region Technical Director Eduardo Bisguera Jr.
Since the adoption of its CRM Plan in 2004, Tungawan has been able to implement several major projects. These include the enforcement of the “no take” zone in the town’s marine protected area (MPA) for nearly three years now, biophysical monitoring of the MPA, registration of fisherfolk, issuance of fishing permits and licenses, and active enforcement of fishery laws.
To date, more than 40 apprehensions of illegal fishers have been made and close to P300,000 in fines have been collected.
To ensure public support and to sustain the gains, the local government continues to run a regular information, education and education (IEC) campaign at the barangay level.
In what he calls a major departure from the traditional solutions in solving peace and order problem, Mayor Randy Climaco said his “new administration will intensify the efforts of creating employment and livelihood opportunities” that will benefit the town’s poorest population.
“We will try to address income disparity among our people as a strategy to develop our municipality,” Climaco, in an interview said.
The local government, according to Climaco, has already earmarked funds for its cassava production, and support to rubber and seaweeds farmers.
“The next three years will be the time to recreate the image of the town as one of a conflict-torn area into a haven of peace and development,” Climaco stressed.
The town, in the past, was usually associated to kidnappings, extortions, and known to be haven of Moro rebels. When Italian missionary Giancarlo Bossi was kidnapped in Payao town last June 10, initial reports indicated that he was brought to Tungawan. However, the reports turned out to be inaccurate.
The local government will be serious in pursuing its development agenda based on the available natural resources, the mayor said.#
Granting ancestral land as a tool for empowerment
KABASALAN, Zamboanga Sibugay (06 Dec) --- Granting the lumad’s legitimate claims for their ancestral domain in the province and elsewhere is an effective “tool for empowerment”.
Wilfredo Sanggayan, indigenous people representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the province, in an interview said the other way of looking at the several ancestral domain claims is to view it as a tool of empowering the indigenous peoples.
Sanggayan is the first lumad representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan nationwide. Zamboanga Sibugay was also the first province throughout the country to have IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the provincial legislative body. Compostela Valley was the second.
“By granting the indigenous peoples their legitimate claims for their ancestral domains is to allow them to manage and govern themselves,” Sanggayan explains.
Some 35 tribal leaders last week appealed to the concerned government agencies “to respect their legitimate claims of ancestral domain in this region.”
In an assembly held at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, these tribal leaders also slammed what they called government “discrimination” against the rights of the Subanons in the peninsula.
The tribal conference dubbed “Glumpuk Nog Kobogolalanan Sog Pigsungan Nog Nawan (Assembly of Tribal Traditional Leaders of Zamboanga Peninsula) is part of the roundup of activities for the Mindanao Week of Peace, which started on November 29 and ends on December 5.
Early this month, Subanons from the three villages of Zamboanga City staged protest actions before government centers here.
“Our ancestral land is our kingdom where we have the chance to self-governance,” Sanggayan said, adding that part of his priority initiatives as lumad representative to the provincial board is to undertake the titling of some 14 identified ancestral lands in Sibugay.
A seminar conducted by the provincial office of the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) here last December 4-6 was part of series of seminars enlightening the indigenous communities on their rights to ancestral domains and how to process its titling.
Margarita Baya, officer-in-charge of NCIP provincial office, said “we need to help the lumad in reclaiming their lands.”
“Gani, dili na yutang kabilin ang gusto nato bawi-on kundili yutang nabilin (In fact, it is no longer the ancestral land that we wanted but just a portion of that land),” Baya told this writer in jest.
There are four ancestral domain claims that are now pending at NCIP. These claims are from the towns of Siay, Naga, RT Lim, and Kabasalan comprising at least 80,000 hectares of land of the province.
Another priority initiative that will benefit the indigenous peoples in the province, according to Sanggayan, is the establishment of Sibugay Indigenous Peoples Economic Zone Cum Indigenous Park and Living Museum.
“But as of now, we are now working for the recognition of lumad representatives to the 14 local sanggunians of the province,” Sanggayan said.
Fourteen of the 16 towns of this province need lumad representatives to the local sanggunians as mandated by Republic Act 8371, also known as “The Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997”, according to Sanggayan.
RA 8371 mandates that “indigenous peoples shall be represented in all sanggunians at all levels whose representatives shall be selected in accordance with the customs and traditions of the indigenous people concerned.”
Signed into law on October 29, 1997 by then President Fidel Ramos, the IPRA underwent many years of legislative study and deliberation before it became a law. It is the result of various consultations, consolidated bills related to ancestral domains and lands, and international agreements on the recognition of land/domain rights of the IPs.
In general, the IPRA seeks to recognize, promote and protect the rights of the IPs. These include the Right to Ancestral Domain and Lands; Right to Self-Governance and Empowerment; Social Justice and Human Rights; and the Right to Cultural Integrity.
Sanggayan pointed out that 14 of the 16 towns of Sibugay are inhabited by indigenous peoples with the Subanen tribe as the largest group.
The Subanen numbered around 1.3 million as of 2000 census scattered mostly in the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Zamboanga City.
At present, according to Sanggayan, there are 11 local government units who had passed an ordinance recognizing the indigenous representatives to their respective sanggunians.
“But only seven of the 11 have formally accepted and installed an IP representative as a member of their local councils,” Sanggayan, who earned the distinction as the first IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan throughout the country, lamented.
”We will continue to reiterate our request to the different local government officials concerned concerning the representation of the indigenous people in the council as mandated by RA 8371,” Sanggayan told this writer, adding that “we are only asking what is due to us.”#
Wilfredo Sanggayan, indigenous people representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the province, in an interview said the other way of looking at the several ancestral domain claims is to view it as a tool of empowering the indigenous peoples.
Sanggayan is the first lumad representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan nationwide. Zamboanga Sibugay was also the first province throughout the country to have IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the provincial legislative body. Compostela Valley was the second.
“By granting the indigenous peoples their legitimate claims for their ancestral domains is to allow them to manage and govern themselves,” Sanggayan explains.
Some 35 tribal leaders last week appealed to the concerned government agencies “to respect their legitimate claims of ancestral domain in this region.”
In an assembly held at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, these tribal leaders also slammed what they called government “discrimination” against the rights of the Subanons in the peninsula.
The tribal conference dubbed “Glumpuk Nog Kobogolalanan Sog Pigsungan Nog Nawan (Assembly of Tribal Traditional Leaders of Zamboanga Peninsula) is part of the roundup of activities for the Mindanao Week of Peace, which started on November 29 and ends on December 5.
Early this month, Subanons from the three villages of Zamboanga City staged protest actions before government centers here.
“Our ancestral land is our kingdom where we have the chance to self-governance,” Sanggayan said, adding that part of his priority initiatives as lumad representative to the provincial board is to undertake the titling of some 14 identified ancestral lands in Sibugay.
A seminar conducted by the provincial office of the National Commission of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) here last December 4-6 was part of series of seminars enlightening the indigenous communities on their rights to ancestral domains and how to process its titling.
Margarita Baya, officer-in-charge of NCIP provincial office, said “we need to help the lumad in reclaiming their lands.”
“Gani, dili na yutang kabilin ang gusto nato bawi-on kundili yutang nabilin (In fact, it is no longer the ancestral land that we wanted but just a portion of that land),” Baya told this writer in jest.
There are four ancestral domain claims that are now pending at NCIP. These claims are from the towns of Siay, Naga, RT Lim, and Kabasalan comprising at least 80,000 hectares of land of the province.
Another priority initiative that will benefit the indigenous peoples in the province, according to Sanggayan, is the establishment of Sibugay Indigenous Peoples Economic Zone Cum Indigenous Park and Living Museum.
“But as of now, we are now working for the recognition of lumad representatives to the 14 local sanggunians of the province,” Sanggayan said.
Fourteen of the 16 towns of this province need lumad representatives to the local sanggunians as mandated by Republic Act 8371, also known as “The Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997”, according to Sanggayan.
RA 8371 mandates that “indigenous peoples shall be represented in all sanggunians at all levels whose representatives shall be selected in accordance with the customs and traditions of the indigenous people concerned.”
Signed into law on October 29, 1997 by then President Fidel Ramos, the IPRA underwent many years of legislative study and deliberation before it became a law. It is the result of various consultations, consolidated bills related to ancestral domains and lands, and international agreements on the recognition of land/domain rights of the IPs.
In general, the IPRA seeks to recognize, promote and protect the rights of the IPs. These include the Right to Ancestral Domain and Lands; Right to Self-Governance and Empowerment; Social Justice and Human Rights; and the Right to Cultural Integrity.
Sanggayan pointed out that 14 of the 16 towns of Sibugay are inhabited by indigenous peoples with the Subanen tribe as the largest group.
The Subanen numbered around 1.3 million as of 2000 census scattered mostly in the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Zamboanga City.
At present, according to Sanggayan, there are 11 local government units who had passed an ordinance recognizing the indigenous representatives to their respective sanggunians.
“But only seven of the 11 have formally accepted and installed an IP representative as a member of their local councils,” Sanggayan, who earned the distinction as the first IP representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan throughout the country, lamented.
”We will continue to reiterate our request to the different local government officials concerned concerning the representation of the indigenous people in the council as mandated by RA 8371,” Sanggayan told this writer, adding that “we are only asking what is due to us.”#
Natural family planning as “gestures of peace”
IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay---It is more than just a population management program. It is a gesture of peace and development for “the good of their families and the common good of the nation.”
This was, in essence, the underlying philosophy of the Natural Family Planning (NFP) program of the Prelature of Ipil that is now gaining headway especially among devout Catholics, according to a pastoral signed by Bishop Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J. in 2004 circulated throughout the 19 parishes of the prelature.
Ledesma, who is now the bishop of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro City, was the second bishop of Ipil prelature until March 2006.
“Some 1,300 couples in the prelature practice natural family planning method,” Marialuz Castillano, Family Life Apostolate coordinator of Ipil prelature, said.
Of the six methods officially endorsed by the Catholic church as natural method which do not contradict the moral doctrines of the Church on family planning, the SDM gained popularity and more acceptance among parishioners. Other methods are Basal Body Temperature (BBT), Billings Ovulation Method (BOM), Sympto-Thermal Method (STM), Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM), and Two-Day Method (TDM).
Records from the Office of the Family Life Apostolate of the Ipil prelature show that of all the NFP users prelature-wide, SDM users accounted for 68 percent or 982 couples; BOM, 23 percent or 337; LAM, 8 percent or 118; BBT, 1 percent or 14; and STM, 0 percent or 1.
Castillano notes that especially among grassroots communities, the SDM is widely accepted and practiced than the other NFP methods for the past five years. She adds that SDM’s popularity and acceptability among parishioners lies in its simplicity being not technical and clinical
However, the number of NFP users is still small compares to the number of couples in the prelature. It has reached out to only about a third of the total number of chapel communities in the area.
But the program is promising with more couples are drawn into NFP each year, Castillano told this writer.
SDM Method
SDM is a new calendar-based method of family planning developed by the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the United States.
Through this method, the “fertile window” of 12 days starting from the 8th to 19th days from the first menstruation day has been standard and is applicable only for women whose menstrual cycles range from 26 to 32 days. Population management experts estimated that three fourths of all women are within this cycle range.
To help women track the days of their menstrual cycle, IRH devised a necklace or cycle beads consisting of 32 colored beads representing the day of menstruation (red); the fertile days (white), and the infertile days (brown). The Prelature of Ipil, however, innovated these cycle beads and designed vertical beads with green beads to indicate fertile days.
It was first piloted in Bolivia, Peru, and the Philippines. Currently, SDM is introduced in countries like India, Turkey, and Egypt, and several countries in Africa and Latin America.
The pastoral experience in Ipil prelature indicates that NFP is a valid, and vital option for a growing number of couples.
Mainstreaming NFP: “Gestures of Peace”
The vision of the prelature, according to Bishop Antonio J. Ledesma in his paper “Mainstreaming Natural Family Planning in Ipil Prelature” dated June 2006, is to reach out to the majority of couples “who are looking for a family planning method that is effective, suited to their own circumstances and in consonance with the Church’s moral guidelines.”
At the CBCP Plenary Assembly in July 2003, a consensus vote was passed recognizing SDM as a method that “could be used by a diocese in its program of NFP”, provided it was not combined with contraceptives and it was not seen as part of the government’s total family planning program for population control.
It was then, according to Castillano, SDM has been included as an added option in the natural family planning program of the prelature’s Family Life Apostolate.
“There is much a need to mainstream NFP at present in order to reach out to as many couples as possible,” Castillano said, adding that during the term of Bishop Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J. there was an attempt to work closely with government agencies in promoting NFP.
Bishop Ledesma, according to Castillano, was very serious in promoting NFP during his time because he believed that NFP is a gesture of peace. In his paper entitled Natural Family Planning and SDM in the Local Church dated August 2004, Bishop Ledesma wrote that “couples adopting NFP methods, including SDM, are hopefully among those who these gestures of peace – and development – for the good of their families and the common good of the nation.”
Continuity
With Bishop Julius S. Tonel installed last September 11 as the new bishop of the prelature, clergies and church workers are confident that the NFP program will be aggressively pursued.
Fr. Laure Helar, the vicar general of the prelature, in an interview with this writer said that it is very certain that the new bishop will continue working for the promotion of NFP in the area.
“I am very confident that Bishop Tonel will aggressively promote and campaign for NFP just like what Bishop Ledesma did in his time,” Fr. Helar concluded
This was, in essence, the underlying philosophy of the Natural Family Planning (NFP) program of the Prelature of Ipil that is now gaining headway especially among devout Catholics, according to a pastoral signed by Bishop Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J. in 2004 circulated throughout the 19 parishes of the prelature.
Ledesma, who is now the bishop of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro City, was the second bishop of Ipil prelature until March 2006.
“Some 1,300 couples in the prelature practice natural family planning method,” Marialuz Castillano, Family Life Apostolate coordinator of Ipil prelature, said.
Of the six methods officially endorsed by the Catholic church as natural method which do not contradict the moral doctrines of the Church on family planning, the SDM gained popularity and more acceptance among parishioners. Other methods are Basal Body Temperature (BBT), Billings Ovulation Method (BOM), Sympto-Thermal Method (STM), Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM), and Two-Day Method (TDM).
Records from the Office of the Family Life Apostolate of the Ipil prelature show that of all the NFP users prelature-wide, SDM users accounted for 68 percent or 982 couples; BOM, 23 percent or 337; LAM, 8 percent or 118; BBT, 1 percent or 14; and STM, 0 percent or 1.
Castillano notes that especially among grassroots communities, the SDM is widely accepted and practiced than the other NFP methods for the past five years. She adds that SDM’s popularity and acceptability among parishioners lies in its simplicity being not technical and clinical
However, the number of NFP users is still small compares to the number of couples in the prelature. It has reached out to only about a third of the total number of chapel communities in the area.
But the program is promising with more couples are drawn into NFP each year, Castillano told this writer.
SDM Method
SDM is a new calendar-based method of family planning developed by the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the United States.
Through this method, the “fertile window” of 12 days starting from the 8th to 19th days from the first menstruation day has been standard and is applicable only for women whose menstrual cycles range from 26 to 32 days. Population management experts estimated that three fourths of all women are within this cycle range.
To help women track the days of their menstrual cycle, IRH devised a necklace or cycle beads consisting of 32 colored beads representing the day of menstruation (red); the fertile days (white), and the infertile days (brown). The Prelature of Ipil, however, innovated these cycle beads and designed vertical beads with green beads to indicate fertile days.
It was first piloted in Bolivia, Peru, and the Philippines. Currently, SDM is introduced in countries like India, Turkey, and Egypt, and several countries in Africa and Latin America.
The pastoral experience in Ipil prelature indicates that NFP is a valid, and vital option for a growing number of couples.
Mainstreaming NFP: “Gestures of Peace”
The vision of the prelature, according to Bishop Antonio J. Ledesma in his paper “Mainstreaming Natural Family Planning in Ipil Prelature” dated June 2006, is to reach out to the majority of couples “who are looking for a family planning method that is effective, suited to their own circumstances and in consonance with the Church’s moral guidelines.”
At the CBCP Plenary Assembly in July 2003, a consensus vote was passed recognizing SDM as a method that “could be used by a diocese in its program of NFP”, provided it was not combined with contraceptives and it was not seen as part of the government’s total family planning program for population control.
It was then, according to Castillano, SDM has been included as an added option in the natural family planning program of the prelature’s Family Life Apostolate.
“There is much a need to mainstream NFP at present in order to reach out to as many couples as possible,” Castillano said, adding that during the term of Bishop Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J. there was an attempt to work closely with government agencies in promoting NFP.
Bishop Ledesma, according to Castillano, was very serious in promoting NFP during his time because he believed that NFP is a gesture of peace. In his paper entitled Natural Family Planning and SDM in the Local Church dated August 2004, Bishop Ledesma wrote that “couples adopting NFP methods, including SDM, are hopefully among those who these gestures of peace – and development – for the good of their families and the common good of the nation.”
Continuity
With Bishop Julius S. Tonel installed last September 11 as the new bishop of the prelature, clergies and church workers are confident that the NFP program will be aggressively pursued.
Fr. Laure Helar, the vicar general of the prelature, in an interview with this writer said that it is very certain that the new bishop will continue working for the promotion of NFP in the area.
“I am very confident that Bishop Tonel will aggressively promote and campaign for NFP just like what Bishop Ledesma did in his time,” Fr. Helar concluded
Collectively protecting our bay
IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay---As I write this, two significant events are in the offing. One, the review of the Unified Fishery Ordinance of Zamboanga Sibugay by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and its subsequent adoption by the 13 coastal towns through its respective local councils, which is expected to be done before the year ends. And the other is the scheduled Cruising Sibugay: 2nd Coastal Resource Management Summit of the province which will run December 4-7, 2007.
The former is a result of a collective effort by the 13 local governments of Sibugay through the intervention of Philippine Environment Governance 2 Project (EcoGov 2). These 13 municipalities took the task of attempting to unify their efforts for the exercise of their rights and obligations, and declare their mutual respect to ensure a unified, integrated, judicious and wise utilization, protection, conservation and management of coastal and fishery resources.
While the latter provides a forum for greater cohesion between and among the 13 local governments along the coastal area of the province. The summit hopes to crystallize the need for collective efforts from the different stakeholders to pool and share resources in order to effectively protect the marine and fishery resources in Sibugay Bay and Dumanquillas Bay.
From the outset, it is tempting to believe that to protect a common marine and fishery resources that is shared by 13 towns is as easy as formulating and adopting a unified fishery ordinance. One municipal agriculturist was even confident that the days of the commercial fishing operators and illegal fishers of the province are over once the unified fishery ordinance will be enforced next year. There is widespread optimism, at least at the level of the people working or the government, on the effective management, utilization, and conservation of the provincial marine and aquatic resources by adopting the unified ordinance.
This optimism is not at all unfounded. The government agencies and law enforcers have all the reasons there is to believe that the unified fishery ordinance will finally solve the menace posed by illegal fishing and commercial fishing operators.
In an effort to unify the efforts of all local governments in the area, two national laws were used as venues for their coordination in coming up with this unified ordinance, namely: the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (RA 8550) and the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160).
RA 8550 allows the administration of the contiguous fishery resources in an integrated manner, which shall not be based on political subdivisions of municipal waters to facilitate a more efficient and effective management as a single resource systems. On the other hand, the LGC expressly provides that the legislative authority of the LGUs is restricted to their respective territorial jurisdictions.
Apparently, there is a conflict between RA 8550 and the LGC with respect to the authority and jurisdiction of LGUs to control contiguous fishery resources. The former provides for an integrated administration without reference to political subdivisions. While the latter provides for the extent of authority and territorial jurisdiction of each political subdivision.
This apparent conflict between the two laws was overcome with the concept of formulating a one-fits-all ordinance. Meaning, an ordinance that is the same both in form and substance will be separately adopted by the 13 local councils. In effect, according to some members of the Technical Working Group that drafted the unified ordinance, a unified implementation and enforcement will take place as the 13 local government units will implement the same ordinance.
According to a lawyer friend, the indubitable constitutionality and validity of the unified ordinance is beyond question. The intention is even more genuine.
However, experiences from other bay areas which have unified fishery ordinances tell us otherwise. Even at the start, the socio-political environment is heavily favoring the commercial fishing operators and other illegal fishers. It is highly doubtful if the mayors in the affected areas have the political will to go after the big fishing operators who happen to be their political backers and allies. Some of the politicians themselves are into big scale fishing whose fishing methods are not completely environment friendly.
The situation is not, however, totally hopeless. And this requires effort that goes beyond paper works and rhetoric. If we have to truly protect the provincial marine and aquatic resources, we need to go beyond enacting a unified fishery ordinance and conducting summits that are no more than just a talkshop. Maybe, we should start seeing the mayors themselves to sit and participate in the conduct of summit instead of just sending department heads and some employees occupying middle-level positions.
Protecting the province's 766 kilometers of coastline and waters that teem with marine resources, requires the involvement and participation of the people in the communities. And this will only happen if we can create an institutional mechanism e.g. a bay-wide alliance that will police its ranks and enforce the unified fishery code without fear or favor. Through which, it can become a venue for people’s participation in the implementation, enforcement, and monitoring.
Equally important is the strengthening of the different people’s organizations at the community level to serve both as an empowering platform and mobilizing popular support. Right now, the presence of viable people’s organizations in the area to become effective partners in the fight against illegal fishing is wanting. Nevertheless, the recent efforts undertaken by the 13 coastal local government units under the watch of EcoGov is a significant step towards collectively protecting the provincial bay that nurtures the life of the province. We are just hoping that everything will not only end up in the paper.
The former is a result of a collective effort by the 13 local governments of Sibugay through the intervention of Philippine Environment Governance 2 Project (EcoGov 2). These 13 municipalities took the task of attempting to unify their efforts for the exercise of their rights and obligations, and declare their mutual respect to ensure a unified, integrated, judicious and wise utilization, protection, conservation and management of coastal and fishery resources.
While the latter provides a forum for greater cohesion between and among the 13 local governments along the coastal area of the province. The summit hopes to crystallize the need for collective efforts from the different stakeholders to pool and share resources in order to effectively protect the marine and fishery resources in Sibugay Bay and Dumanquillas Bay.
From the outset, it is tempting to believe that to protect a common marine and fishery resources that is shared by 13 towns is as easy as formulating and adopting a unified fishery ordinance. One municipal agriculturist was even confident that the days of the commercial fishing operators and illegal fishers of the province are over once the unified fishery ordinance will be enforced next year. There is widespread optimism, at least at the level of the people working or the government, on the effective management, utilization, and conservation of the provincial marine and aquatic resources by adopting the unified ordinance.
This optimism is not at all unfounded. The government agencies and law enforcers have all the reasons there is to believe that the unified fishery ordinance will finally solve the menace posed by illegal fishing and commercial fishing operators.
In an effort to unify the efforts of all local governments in the area, two national laws were used as venues for their coordination in coming up with this unified ordinance, namely: the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (RA 8550) and the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160).
RA 8550 allows the administration of the contiguous fishery resources in an integrated manner, which shall not be based on political subdivisions of municipal waters to facilitate a more efficient and effective management as a single resource systems. On the other hand, the LGC expressly provides that the legislative authority of the LGUs is restricted to their respective territorial jurisdictions.
Apparently, there is a conflict between RA 8550 and the LGC with respect to the authority and jurisdiction of LGUs to control contiguous fishery resources. The former provides for an integrated administration without reference to political subdivisions. While the latter provides for the extent of authority and territorial jurisdiction of each political subdivision.
This apparent conflict between the two laws was overcome with the concept of formulating a one-fits-all ordinance. Meaning, an ordinance that is the same both in form and substance will be separately adopted by the 13 local councils. In effect, according to some members of the Technical Working Group that drafted the unified ordinance, a unified implementation and enforcement will take place as the 13 local government units will implement the same ordinance.
According to a lawyer friend, the indubitable constitutionality and validity of the unified ordinance is beyond question. The intention is even more genuine.
However, experiences from other bay areas which have unified fishery ordinances tell us otherwise. Even at the start, the socio-political environment is heavily favoring the commercial fishing operators and other illegal fishers. It is highly doubtful if the mayors in the affected areas have the political will to go after the big fishing operators who happen to be their political backers and allies. Some of the politicians themselves are into big scale fishing whose fishing methods are not completely environment friendly.
The situation is not, however, totally hopeless. And this requires effort that goes beyond paper works and rhetoric. If we have to truly protect the provincial marine and aquatic resources, we need to go beyond enacting a unified fishery ordinance and conducting summits that are no more than just a talkshop. Maybe, we should start seeing the mayors themselves to sit and participate in the conduct of summit instead of just sending department heads and some employees occupying middle-level positions.
Protecting the province's 766 kilometers of coastline and waters that teem with marine resources, requires the involvement and participation of the people in the communities. And this will only happen if we can create an institutional mechanism e.g. a bay-wide alliance that will police its ranks and enforce the unified fishery code without fear or favor. Through which, it can become a venue for people’s participation in the implementation, enforcement, and monitoring.
Equally important is the strengthening of the different people’s organizations at the community level to serve both as an empowering platform and mobilizing popular support. Right now, the presence of viable people’s organizations in the area to become effective partners in the fight against illegal fishing is wanting. Nevertheless, the recent efforts undertaken by the 13 coastal local government units under the watch of EcoGov is a significant step towards collectively protecting the provincial bay that nurtures the life of the province. We are just hoping that everything will not only end up in the paper.
"The Journey" continues, priest says
KABASALAN, Zamboanga Sibugay -- SamBuhay, The Journey is on! SamBuhay, a conjugation of Samba and Buhay (Faith and Life), will be staged on December 23, 2007, here. "After the success of last year's SamBuhay, The Concert, the sequel is definitely on with the staging of The Journey this month," Fr. Laure Helar, the parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes on this town, said in an interview.
Composed of parish workers, lay leaders, and laypersons, including those from the Moro community, SamBuhay is parish-based theater group originally intended to help raise funds for the construction of the P6-million Parish Formation Center.
"We started the group as an organization of local artists and talents in order to raise funds so that we can help in the construction of the formation center," Nep Peñaranda, one of the original members and parish worker, explains.
Peñaranda, who heads the parish ministry for the Basic Ecclesial Communities, said SamBuhay is "actually the brainchild of Fr. Helar."
"Before he was assigned here as parish priest, there were already loose groups who were into music and theater," Peñaranda said, adding "only in Fr. Helar's time that we were organized into one theater group with clear mission."
Fr. Helar was assigned as parish priest of the Kabasalan parish last year. He was previously assigned in Siay parish, some 15 kilometers northeast from here.
"He provides direction and inspiration for the group," Evelyn Monasterio, another original member of SamBuhay and head of the parish Social Action Ministry, said.
Fr. Helar, an amputee after losing both legs in a vehicular accident in 1988, as the parish priest serves as "force that discovers and unites local talents in the service of the church."
"We are very thankful of his coming into the parish," Monasterio said.
SamBuhay, The Journey will showcase original SamBuhay compositions with choreography in telling the audience that the journey of "life and faith never ends."
"Theater as a form of art is a very effective way of conveying the message to the audience," Fr. Helar said. Fr. Helar added by combining songs and choreography, the message is understood and retained by those who listen and watch.
The staging of SamBuhay, The Journey two days before Christmas is an opportunity to deliver "the message of hope in time of the coming of Christ," Fr. Helar ended.
Composed of parish workers, lay leaders, and laypersons, including those from the Moro community, SamBuhay is parish-based theater group originally intended to help raise funds for the construction of the P6-million Parish Formation Center.
"We started the group as an organization of local artists and talents in order to raise funds so that we can help in the construction of the formation center," Nep Peñaranda, one of the original members and parish worker, explains.
Peñaranda, who heads the parish ministry for the Basic Ecclesial Communities, said SamBuhay is "actually the brainchild of Fr. Helar."
"Before he was assigned here as parish priest, there were already loose groups who were into music and theater," Peñaranda said, adding "only in Fr. Helar's time that we were organized into one theater group with clear mission."
Fr. Helar was assigned as parish priest of the Kabasalan parish last year. He was previously assigned in Siay parish, some 15 kilometers northeast from here.
"He provides direction and inspiration for the group," Evelyn Monasterio, another original member of SamBuhay and head of the parish Social Action Ministry, said.
Fr. Helar, an amputee after losing both legs in a vehicular accident in 1988, as the parish priest serves as "force that discovers and unites local talents in the service of the church."
"We are very thankful of his coming into the parish," Monasterio said.
SamBuhay, The Journey will showcase original SamBuhay compositions with choreography in telling the audience that the journey of "life and faith never ends."
"Theater as a form of art is a very effective way of conveying the message to the audience," Fr. Helar said. Fr. Helar added by combining songs and choreography, the message is understood and retained by those who listen and watch.
The staging of SamBuhay, The Journey two days before Christmas is an opportunity to deliver "the message of hope in time of the coming of Christ," Fr. Helar ended.
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