Sci-tech week celebration

kicks off in Zamboanga

The three-day National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) regional celebration, along with the Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits (RICE), kicked-off Wednesday in this city.

The NSTW highlights the significant contributions of Science and Technology (S&T) to national development, and has become a platform for heralding S&T advocacy in the country.

On the other hand, RICE is a nationwide activity conducted in different regions to recognize the importance of Filipino inventors in the society and in national economic development.

DOST Sec. Fortunato Dela Peña, the events’ keynote speaker, said the NSTW and RICE are two of the many DOST’s platforms for informed exchanges on important S&T issues, developments, and locally developed technologies.

“They are our way of bringing science, technology, and innovation (STI) closer to the people,” Dela Peña said in his message.

He said the two activities are envisioned to serve as a venue where the public is informed of the recent developments and achievements in local science communities, while demonstrating to the public what an enjoyable and interesting field STI is.

Various activities have been lined up including technical sessions, techno-clinis, and exhibits form part of the three-day NSTW and RICE, which end on Friday, November 24.

“This regional celebration of the 2017 NSTW and RICE is our way of not only promoting our services and the different DOST-developed technologies that are ripe for adoption but also our way of celebrating the brilliance of our local scientists and researchers,” former DOST regional director and now Undersecretary for Regional Operations Brenda Nazareth-Manzano said.

“As an agent of the government, we take it upon ourselves the obligation to bring science, technology, and innovation closer to the people - and this is exactly what we are aiming to do through this three-day event,” DOST OIC-Regional Director Martin Wee said. (PNA)

2 Abu Sayyaf suspects

nabbed in Zamboanga 

Joint police and military operatives have arrested two alleged members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in a coastal village here, an official announced Wednesday.

Chief Insp. Helen Galvez, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) information officer, identified the arrested ASG members as Jalani Abirin alias “Master”, 50 and Said Omar alias “Tikboy”, 40. Both are natives of Buton, Mohammad Ajul, Basilan province.

Galvez said the lawmen served the two suspects their warrants of arrest around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Barangay Sangali in this city.

She said Abirin has three standing warrants of arrest for kidnapping and serious illegal detention, murder, and robbery with homicide issued by a court in Isabela City, Basilan.

She added that Omar has standing warrant of arrest for murder.

The court did not recommend any bail for their temporary liberty, she added. (PNA)

Mayor orders DEPED: probe

on DPLMHS’s freak accident

Mayor Beng Climaco has asked the Department of Education to thoroughly investigate the freak accident that killed a Grade 7 student of the Don Pablo Lorenzo Memorial High School inside the school gym Tuesday afternoon. 

At the same time, the mayor called on DEPED through City Schools Superintendent Dr. Romy Triambulo to address threats in campus and in the periphery to ensure safety of everyone. Reports of these threats should be submitted to the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) for immediate preventive measures.

The City Government through City caretaker and Vice Mayor Cesar Iturralde provided assistance to the fatality and the injured. The CDRRMO and the City Health Office responded to the incident as Police Station 7 personnel were also directed to conduct a thorough probe on the matter. 

Greyshen Kurt Balanto y Ibanez, 12 years old was killed after the basketball goal post collapsed on top of him inside the DPLMHS gym. His companion, 13 year old Jay Mark Gutierez y Mondijar sustained face injuries and was rushed to the Ciudad Medical for treatment. 

The two boys, along with their classmates went to the gym at lunch time to avail of free wifi and sat near the basketball goal post. Remitch Remigio, one of the classmates said, he saw the goal moving forward and immediately shouted at his two classmates to move away. However, his warnings were unheeded as the victims were using headsets. 

In his text message to Mayor Climaco, Triambulo described the incident as very unfortunate and expressed that preventive measures must be done in each school. He also thanked the mayor for the concern. (Sheila Covarrubias) (photos: Kathy Wee Sit/ CDRRMO-EMS/ Clint Senosa)

Gov. Camins-Ramos

road project underway

The concreting of the road that connects Gov. Camins to Gov. Ramos in Sta. Maria is ongoing in the amount of P45,634,607.90, according to Engr. Christopher Navarro, officer-in-charge of the City Engineer’s Office.

Engr. Navarro said the concreting of the four-lane road, measuring 734.65 linear meters in length and 16.20 meters in width, started July 11, 2017 with accomplishment status of 6.48% as of Oct. 15.

However, he said the construction, rehabilitation and improvement of the road project under Phase 1 amounting to P12,297,359.44, which started on Oct. 30, 2015, has been completed 100% as of April 20, 2016. It measures 195.07 linear meters long and 16.20 meters wide.

The total cost of the entire project is P57,931,967.34.

Meanwhile, Navarro said his office is also working on three more road opening projects designed to decongest vehicular traffic in the city of Zamboanga.

One of these projects is the ongoing demolition to pave the way for the Kasanyangan-Tetuan road worth P27 million.

He said the CEO is also negotiating with owners of the lots that will be affected by the opening of Vitaliano Agan (formerly Nuñez Extension) to Veterans Avenue.

Also under negotiation with land owners is the proposed road to connect Veterans Avenue (near Budgetwise) to Talon-Talon.-(Vic Larato) (photos: Kathy Wee Sit/ FILE)

Ombudsman dismisses

Musa case vs Climaco

*

The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed a complaint for abuse of authority, oppression and violation of Republic Act 6713 filed by the former Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) against Mayor Beng Climaco for insufficiency of evidence.

In a 7-page joint resolution penned by Randolph Cadiogan Jr., Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer III and approved by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales on October 19, 2017, the investigating body ruled that the evidence submitted by Ismael Musa, former IPMR, for  Ombudsman Case M-C-16-0244 for violation of Section 3 (e) and (f) of RA 3019 (anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act) and Ombudsman Case M-C- 16-0305 for abuse of authority, oppression and violation of RA 6713 (the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employee) has “failed” and is “sorely wanting”.

July 5, 2016 has submitted to the Ombudsman his affidavit of complaint alleging that he was removed as the IPMR to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) due to loss of confidence as stated in the Zamboanga City indigenous Peoples Council of Leaders resolution 8, series 2015 dated August 20, 2015. This resolution was affirmed with cancellation of his certificate of affirmation by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples – Regional Office 9 on January 26, 2016. Musa filed a motion for reconsideration (MFR) of the NCIP decision on February 10, 2016.

Musa claimed that the mayor furnished the offices of the Vice Mayor and Secretary to the SP copies of the NCIP decision with the instruction “for your information and appropriate action” while he has a pending motion for reconsideration while his MFR was pending.

Musa in his complaint pointed out that the instruction means that the mayor instructed the SP to remove him as IPMR stressing that the latter does not have the authority to order his removal as the IPMR. To this, the Ombudsman said it found no confluence of the essential elements necessary to hold the respondent-mayor liable for violation of section 3 (e) of RA 3019 as the “complainant failed to prove that the respondent acted with manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or gross inexcusable negligence or that she was impelled by corrupt motives in furnishing the offices of the Vice mayor and the Secretary to the SP copies of the NCIP-9 decision”.

The Ombudsman also ruled that the complainant erred when he interpreted the statement “for your information and appropriate action” written on the respondent’s letters as the order directing the SP to enforce the NCIP-9 decision and remove him emphasizing that the statement simply means that the offices of the vice mayor and the secretary to the SP may do whatever action they may deem proper upon receipt of the NCIP-9 decision.

Musa also averred that the mayor deprived him of the privileges accorded to an IPMR claiming that several travel requests were denied by the respondent for no valid reason adding that the latter neglected or refused to act on his request for immediate reinstatement.  To this, the Ombudsman disagreed stating that the complainant’s evidence does not show that his travel requests were arbitrarily denied. “It is basic in the rule of evidence that bare allegations, unsubstantiated by evidence, are not equivalent to proof. In short, mere allegations are not evidence.”

The ombudsman added “the complainant is reminded that he has the burden to prove his allegations by convincing evidence to warrant the indictment of respondent. In this case, complainant failed to discharge this burden.”

The Ombudsman likewise found nothing in the records that would give it any reasonable ground to believe that the respondent violated section 3 (f) of RA 3019. “Complainant failed to prove that respondent neglected or refused, without sufficient justification, to act on any matter pending before her for the purpose of favoring her own interest, or giving undue advantage in favor of any interested party, or discriminating against complainants.”

To prove its point, the Ombudsman cited the respondent’s reply to the complainant’s demand for reinstatement in her letter dated Feb. 23, 2016 whereby the respondent-mayor “sufficiently explained to the complainant that he should demand his reinstatement from the proper public official as she had nothing to do with his removal as IPMR.” “It bears stressing that the standard of culpability imposed by section 3 of RA 3019 is quite high, and in this case, is insufficiently quantified by the evidence presented by complainant,” the Ombudsman added.

In her counter-affidavit dated October 10, 2016, the mayor denied the charges claiming that she simply furnished a copy of the NCIP to the offices of the Vice mayor and the Secretary to the SP and that the statement “for your information and appropriate action” is merely a pro-forma statement written on almost all correspondence coming from her office. She averred that such acts do not make her liable of abuse of authority, oppression, violation of RA 6713 and violation of section 3 (e) of RA 3019 adding that there is no evidence that would show that she arbitrarily denied complainant’s travel requests.

The mayor also maintained in her counter-affidavit that she should not be held liable for violation of section 3 (f) of RA 3019 because she replied to complainant’s letter dated Feb. 22, 2016 via the letter dated Feb. 23, 2016 adding further that she is not authorized to grant complainant’s request for reinstatement as the IPMR for the SP of the city.  (City Hall press release)

 

Let us live with

integrity- Beng

*

Mayor Beng Climaco on Tuesday exhorted residents to live with integrity for love of Zamboanga just as what her late uncle, Mayor Cesar Cortez Climaco or CCC did in his lifetime.

Climaco said this as she led Zamboanguenos in commemorating Dia de Cesar marking the 33rd death anniversary of Cesar Climaco Tuesday in simple rites held at the Freedom Park in Abong-abong, Pasonanca.

“As mayor, it is our desire to live with integrity as what Mayor Cesar Climaco showed to us, until his death, he served the city with integrity,” the lady mayor said attended mostly by young people or the so-called millenials. “Ele ya dale su vida por amor del Ciudad and that is the greatest expression of love of any Zamboanueno and mayor.”

Meanwhile, the lady mayor thanked all sectors of the community that contributed and made the commemoration of the death anniversary of CCC possible.

The commemorative program themed “Cesar C. Climaco: The Relevance of his Pursuit and Mission to the Millenial Youth”, was preceded by a mass at the Lady of Purification Church in Sta. Maria. The night before, Mayor Climaco and relatives of the late mayor together with members of the JCI and other agencies spearheaded the wreath laying rite at CCC’s assassination site in Gov. Alvarez Street.

Highlight of the activity at the Freedom Park was the installation art where paper planes with people’s dreams and aspirations for Zamboanga City were written.

Youth city officials, who are part of the Rotary Club’s Leadership development program, also shared their views about the relevance and importance of the life and works of the late mayor to their generation.

The event was attended by the immediate family of CCC and representatives from all sectors of society.

The commemoration of Dia de Cesar continues until November 18. Today, Nov. 15 will be the groundbreaking ceremony for the Philippine Scouting Centennial Monument at the R.T. Lim Boulevard at 4pm and on Nov. 18 will be the Cesar Climaco Young Leaders Assembly at Centro Latino at 6pm. (Sheila Covarrubias)

 

City Agri continues relief

distribution to EC farmers

*

*

From the west coast, the City Agriculturist Office last week proceeded to the east coast to distribute relief goods to flood-stricken farmers as part of the assistance provided residents calamity victims.

The relief goods form part of the total 1,500 food packs donated by the Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the City Government. Additional food packs will be provided to cover all farmers affected by last week’s heavy rains and flash floods.

Other than the relief goods, other forms of assistance will also be provided based on the calamity program plan prepared by the City Agriculturist Office under Dr. Diosdado Palacat.

Areas covered in the distribituion in the east coast Thursday included Licomo, Tictapul, Vitali and Mangusu.

Two weeks ago, the distribution was done in the west coast specifically those affected in Labuan, Patalon, Sinubong, Talisayan, Pamucutan, La Paz, Tulungatung, Ayala, Maasin and Sinunuc.

Palacat also announced that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) had also turned over farm implements like seaweeds, squid jiggers, life vest, hook and line and gill net for 510 famers.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) also donated 700 sacks of corn seeds—650 sacks white corn seeds and 50 bags yellow corn seeds.

Palacat together with Councilor Jihan Edding who is the Chairperson of the Council committee on agriculture an personnel from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) spearheaded the distribution in coordination with the field officers and barangays.  (Sheila Covarrubias)

 

RPOC-9 reiterates call for

profiling foreign speakers

*

The Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) for Western Mindanao or Zamboanga Peninsula yesterday passed a resolution, reiterating an earlier appeal to the Bureau of Immigration and other agencies concerned to come up with the profiling of international speakers cum-resource persons coming to the city and other parts of the region.

The resolution authored by the RPOC-9 chair herself, Mayor Beng Climaco, came on the heels of reports that some foreign speakers would tend to propagate the ideology of violent terrorism in their speaking engagements.

Climaco cited the need to profile foreign speakers, regardless of the group they represent, and advise the host local government units about their coming and background data.

This, as she admitted that the local government units do not have the control over the arrival or entry of foreign speakers/dignitaries to the country as such is the function of the Bureau of Immigration and other national line agencies.

Early on, Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., commander of Western Mindanao Command, filed another resolution, calling for moderation and supervision of all madaris (plural of madrasah) or Arabic schools in the region.

Gen. Galvez stressed that it’s high time to tap the Sultanate system, the Ulama, the Imam and other Islamic religious leaders in supervising and monitoring the madaris against the teaching of violent terrorism.

Basically, madrasah teaches its students how to read and write Arabic being the language of their religion Islam, but Galvez lamented that some madaris are being used by terrorist groups like ISIS to recruit members in the hinterlands.

“Our intention to moderate the teachings in madrasah is to protect the integrity of the madrasah. Hence, we need to involve the Sultans, Ulama and Imam,” the general said even as he recognized the observation that those who have studied abroad mostly in the Middle East are usually the ones using madrasah as recruitment grounds for terror groups.-(Vic Larato)

 

Cops, probers undergo

training on drug cases

Members of the local police, investigators and other law enforcement agencies undergo a two-day enhancement training on handling drug cases in a bid to ensure successful implementation of the war on illegal drugs in the city. 

Initiated by the Zamboanga City Drug Abuse Council headed by Mayor Beng Climaco in partnership with the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), the Seminar on Anti-Illegal DrugsOperations and Investigation held from Nov. 20-21 seeks to enhance participants’ knowledge on the latest jurisprudence on drug cases and further improve skills and abilities of participants on the preparation of documents, affidavits and reports on drug related cases. 

The participants include police station commanders and investigators, personnel from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), City Legal office, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Liga ng mga Barangay. 

Mayor Climaco during the last meeting of the Anti-Drug Abuse Council expressed concern that a number of drug-related cases are dismissed due to technicalities on the part of the law enforcers. 

She said the enhancement training for law enforcers and all those involved in the anti-drug campaign is crucial in the implementation of the war on illegal drugs in the city. (Sheila Covarrubias) (photos: Clint Senosa/CDRRMO)

Humane Society Int’l

trains veterinarians

Officials from the Human Society International (HSI) are in the city to train City Government veterinarians and technical personnel on new trends in mass dog vaccination applications pilot testing the project in 20 selected barangays.

City Veterinarian Dr. Mario Ariola said the partnership between the HSI and the City Government through his office started in 2010 resulting in the training of city veterinarians with the quick spay and neuter procedures that paved way for the conduct of monthly spay and neuter program on dogs and cats.

This time, the HSI through Veterinarians Dr. Emmir Raymond Nono and Dr. Ephraim Bantug will train OCVET veterinarians and technical personnel on the use of two android mobile device applications, the dog population survey and mass dog vaccination applications.

The project will be pilot tested in 20 randomly selected barangays – 10 urban and 10 rural barangays, categorized according to human population density. The dog population survey is expected to wrap up November 21.

The selected barangays include Canelar, Camino Nuevo, Santo Niño, Baliwasan, SJ Cawa-Cawa, Zone 2, Tumaga, Putik, Tugbungan, Santa Catalina, Mampang, Salaan, Lanzones, Manicahan, Sangali, Sinunuc, Cawit, Baluno and Talisayan.

Dr. Arriola enjoins all barangay officials and the constituents to extend their cooperation and support to this endeavour. (O

Comelec expects increase of

6T new voters in Zamboanga

Election officials expect an increase of 6,000 new voters in this city once the registration of voters ends on November 30, this year.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) resumed the registration of voters on November 6 following the postponement of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to May 14, 2018.

The resumption of voter registration is pursuant to Comelec Resolution No. 10214, promulgated last October 24.

Lawyers Stephen Roy Cañete and Lerdo Matildo Jr., election officers for the first and second legislative districts, respectively, said they expect additional 3,000 new voters to register in each of their area of jurisdictions.

Cañete said his office has already served 1,264 individuals since November 6. Of the total figure, 1,007 are new regular voter registrants, 30 SK registrants while the remaining 227 have reactivated and corrected their registration data.

Matildo said they have already served 1,103 individuals since November 6. Of the total, 787 are regular voter registrants, 55 SK voters and the remaining 261 are reactivation and data correction of registration.

Reactivation refers to voters whose registration the Comelec has deactivated after they failed to vote for two consecutive elections.

Both Cañete and Matildo urged the public to register early to avoid the rush.

The local election offices are opened on Sundays and holidays to accommodate registration of voters.

District 1 covers 37 of this city’s 98 barangays with current registered voters of 226,452. The district has 76,740 SK registered voters.

District 2 covers the remaining 61 barangays with current registered voters of 213,208. There are 69,893 SK registered voters in the district. (PNA/R. G. Antonet Go)

Troops arrest 2

ranking NPA rebs

·                           

Joint military and police operatives have arrested two ranking leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, military officials said Monday.

Brig. Gen. Roseller Murillo, Army’s 1st Infantry Division commander, identified them as Leonardo Jacotin and Rosario Tabanao.

Murillo said they were arrested by virtue of serving warrants of arrest around 9:45 p.m. Saturday in Barangay Balangasan, Pagadian City.

The arrest of Jacotin and Tabanao came on the heels of the announcement of President Rodrigo Duterte to include the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) in the list of terrorists.

Murillo said Jacotin is the logistic chief and head of the Ordnance and Explosives of the NPA’s Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee (WMRPC) while Tabanao is an executive commission member of the WMRPC and a finance officer.

He said Jacotin and Tabanao have standing warrants of arrest for their involvement in large-scale extortion activities and dealing of firearms and explosives as well as series of murder cases.

He said the arresting team seized from the possession of the two a caliber .45 pistol with eight ammunition; 50 rounds of ammunition for AK-47 assault rifle; a grenade; 10 identification cards; and, 17 units of cellular phones.

He said they were turned over to the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for appropriate legal procedures.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief, said they will continue to collaborate with the police in the conduct of law enforcement operation to ensure defeat of the CPP-NFA-NDF here in Western Mindanao.

“The CPP/NPA terrorists have no place here in Western Mindanao. They extort money even from poor people and burn commercial establishments and construction equipment if their demands are not met,” Galvez said. (PNA)

DOST chief to grace science, technology week in Zambo

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Sec. Fortunato Dela Peña will keynote the 2017 National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) regional celebration in this city.

The NSTW regional celebration will be held back-to-back with the Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits (RICE) from November 22 to 24. 

DOST OIC-Regional Director Martin Wee on Monday said the twin events is also targeted at bridging the gap between the world of scientists and research buffs to reach every "Juan" across the country while promoting DOST’s programs and services.

Among the activities lined-up for the NSTW and RICE events include technology bazaars and exhibit, Science and Technology (S&T) Film Festival, technology fora and technical sessions on Intellectual Property Rights Protection, Science Journalism, Food Packaging and Labelling, Green Engineering and Health and Wellness.

Inventions and research projects of the qualified RICE entries will also be showcased.

Wee said this year’s S&T Week regional celebration, which is anchored on the theme “Science for the People,” will feature the department-developed technologies and inventions in line with its goal of bridging the world of the sciences to the Filipino communities.

Wee said that also to be featured are the DOST assisted food and non-food products as well as the different programs and services and interactive exhibits.

Other top DOST officials, including former DOST regional director and now Undersecretary for Regional Operations Brenda, are expected to join Dela Peña in gracing the event.

Wee said the event is open to all interested individuals such as S&T enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, students, researchers, inventors, innovators, professionals and the general public. (PNA)

Shanties demolished to pave

way for P27-M road project

The city government on Monday demolished 31 shanties to pave the way for the construction of PhP27 million road project aimed to help decongest traffic and spur development.

Cesar Jimenez Jr., Housing and Land Management Division (HLMD) chief, said the road with 1.5 kilometer stretch will link Barangay Tetuan to Barangay Kasanyangan.

Jimenez said the occupants of the shanties will be relocated at the city government-owned resettlement site in Barangay Tulungatung in this city’s west coast.

Jimenez said that 20 families have earlier relocated to Barangay Tulungatung.

He said the shanties should have been demolished in 2011 but the occupants were given enough time to voluntarily vacate the site hence, delayed the implementation of the road project.

He said the project implementation was further delayed by the Zamboanga siege that happened in September 2013.

There was no resistance from the shanty owners during the demolition on Monday since they were already given sufficient time to relocate.

Jimenez said the completion of the road project will help ease traffic along Veterans Avenue that serve as the main thoroughfare for east coast bound vehicles.

He said it will also spur development since the barangays of Tetuan and Kasanyangan are home to several business establishments. (PNA)

Troops rescue 5

fishing boat crew

Government security forces rescued five Filipino fishing boat crew seized more than a month ago by Abu Sayyaf bandits in the province of Sulu, military officials announced Monday.

Rescued were Vergel Arquino, 25; Jushua Ybanez, 23; Emo Fausto, 63; Junald Minalang, 24; and, Spriano Sordido, 53, all crew of F/B Danvil 8 owned by Danvil Yanoc of Pagadian City.

All except Arquino, who is from Davao City, are residents of Pagadian City, the capital of Zamboanga del Sur.

They were rescued off Sugbay Island, Languyan, Tawi-Tawi around 1:30 p.m. Friday but the rescue was only made public on November 20.

Abu Sayyaf bandits seized the five crewmen on October 14 when they sought shelter in the coast of Barangay Simbahan, Pangutaran, Sulu due to bad weather.

Brig. Gen. Custodio Parcon, Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi commander, said they took the opportunity to rescue the victims after learning the Abu Sayyaf captors were on the run brought about by the continuous military operations against them in the province.

The rescued fishing boat crew underwent medical examination upon arrival at the Naval Forces Western Mindanao headquarters in this city. (PNA)