Cotabato
parliament, police and Army officials met Tuesday and agreed to cooperate in restoring law and order in troubled areas in Cotabato’s Pikit and Aleosan
towns. Galvez, former AFP chief of staff, had served as 6th Infantry Division commander, covering central Mindanao
provinces,
RESIDENTS of 63 villages in North Cotabato can now look forward to the day that they formally belong to a particular locality
More than three years after voting to become part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), residents of 63 villages in six towns of Cotabato province can now look forward to the day that they formally belong to a particular locality.
On Tuesday, BARMM Interim Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (BARMM) led cabinet and parliament members in filing bills that will create eight distinct and independent municipalities in the region’s Special Geographic Area (SGA).
Sheila De La Cruz, head of the BTA Public Information, Publication and Media Relations Division, said Chief Minister Ebrahim was accompanied by some of the members of his “official family” and backed by majority Members of the Parliament (MPs) in submitting the proposal.
Up to this day, the 63 villages are collectively referred to as the
RELATIVES and kins of two board passers are rejoicing for their achievements, not only here but at the national level.
Silipon Dagadas, Jr., a member of Indigenous Peoples tribe of Dulangan Manobo was a graduate of Bachelor in Secondary Education major in Biological Science and landed at 6th spot of the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) secondary level.
Dagadas, a resident of Barangay Renibon, Pigcawayan, North Cotabato garnered a passing rate of P93.20 percent.
At rank 7 was Jimmy Escañan of Midsayap, North Cotabato who also earned a passing rate of 93.20 percent. He took the LET elementary level.
“Our parents and everybody in the clan are celebrating, rejoicing,” Dagadas said in the vernacular.
Dagadas and Escañan are both graduates of Southern Christian College of Midsayap in Misayap, North Cotabato.
Dagadas’ family was even more blissful of his achievement despite his physical disabilities that put him at disadvantage situation over
BARMM’s “special geographic area.”
Voters in these areas chose to be under the autonomous region during the Feb. 6, 2019 plebiscite that ratified the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
In the 2019 midterm polls, they still voted for local officials in their respective mother towns of Aleosan, Carmen, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pikit and Pigcawayan.
But in this year’s general elections last May, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) barred them from casting their votes for local officials as they
THE military is expecting the surrender in 2023 of no fewer than a hundred more New People’s Army guerillas from across central Mindanao.
Brigade and Battalion commanders under the Army’s 6th Infantry Division said Tuesday they have been receiving surrender feelers from NPAs in South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat provinces, for them an indication that more from the group are to return to the fold of law soon.
Units of 6th ID had secured via backchannel efforts, along with local
officials, the surrender of 154 NPAs from January to December 15, 2022.
The latest to bolt from the NPA in central Mindanao were 36 members from the towns of Maitum, Maasim and Kiamba all in Sarangani.
They pledged allegiance to the government before 6th ID commander, Major Gen. Roy Galido, and Gov. Ruel Pacquiao during a simple rite last December 15 at the headquarters of the 38th Infantry Battalion in Maasim.
Galido said Pacquiao, chairperson of the Sarangani
Christmas is a very important day to all of us Christians. We celebrate the birth of our Saviour, the Christ, who was long foretold by the prophets. He came in order to free humanity from all kinds of enslavement that makes life miserable to all.
He came to liberate humanity from the pangs of death and sufferings and injustices which are already prevalent from time immemorial until now due sin. Sin has destroyed the kind of life that God has planned for all of us, a life where peace and harmony, love and understanding, respect and equality, justice and unity should always reign.
The celebration of Christmas brings us back to that great vision of God for us all. And hopefully through this celebration, we are being reconnected and renewed to Jesus, the Emmanuel, God is with us. Let us not forget that He is the center of the celebration.
May the joy and peace that we feel within us during this Christmas remain with us always. And may the light which Jesus brings illumine our minds in all that we aspire to do. May His light always shine in our deeds.
HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A GRACE-FLLED YEAR 2023
Galvez, Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, Bangsamoro Local Government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo, members of the regional before he got to the helm of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity. Galvez told reporters, while BTATHE Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) on Tuesday approved the Bangsamoro Expenditure Program for 2023 amounting to a whooping PHP85.3 billion that prioritized education, health, infrastructure and social services.
The proposed budget was contained in BTA Bill No. 54 that was approved on third and final reading Tuesday afternoon with 44 affirmative votes with no zero vote and no abstention.
Prior to budget approval, the Committee on Finance, Budget, and Management deliberated the proposed budgets of all the ministries and agencies since it was filed in September.
"The BTA Committee on Finance, Budget, and Management (CFBM) truly underwent marathon hearings and scrutinized the proposed budgets of all ministries and offices to ensure that the budget
is for the Bangsamoro people," CFBM Chair MP Eduard Guerra, said.
"Following this approval, we will move forward with the implementation of all projects and programs in the provinces of the region, including the Special Geographic Area," he added.
The budget increased to P85.3 billion in 2023 from P79.8 billion in 2022.
The Bangsamoro Government allocated P70.1 billion for all of the ministries, agencies, and offices, while P15.2 billion is allotted for Special Purpose Funds.
The top 10 ministries and offices
with the biggest budget allocation are as follows: Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (PHP27.2 billion); Ministry of Public Works (PHP16.4 B); Office of the Chief Minister (PHP5.9 B); Ministry of Health (PHP5.8 B); Bangsamoro Transition Authority (PHP3.9 billion); Ministry of Social Services (PHP3.07 B); Ministry of Interior and Local Government (PHP2.04 B); Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (PHP1.5 billion; Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (PHP666 million) and Ministry of Transportation and Communications (PHP539 M) EOF
KORONADAL CITY — Erratic weather conditions the past few weeks have threatened massive fish kill in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, the biggest supplier of fresh water “tilapia,” officials said.
“So far about 10 fish cages have been affected by the fish kill,” said Lake Warden Rudy Muyco who also said this is the second time this year that the lake suffered fish kills.
“Cage operators hurriedly harvested tilapia to spare it from fish kill and to recover investments,” Muyco said over DXOM Radyo Bida Koronadal.
He said low supply of oxygen in the lake due to climate change could have triggered the fish kill.
Lake Sebu, South Cotabato’s eco-cultural tourist destination and summer capital, is known for “tilapia” that also serve as the primary source of livelihood of
inland fishermen in town.
Engr. Siegfred Flaviano, head of the South Cotabato Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) said in an interview that continuous rains across the province had resulted in the decreased dissolved oxygen level in the lake, triggering fish kills.
Commonly known as “kamahong” among the locals, fish kill had been a regular occurrence for the past years, especially when torrential rains affect the forests surrounding the lake and water that eventually flowed down to the inland body of water.
Muyco said the Lake Sebu LGU is still assessing and evaluating the cost of damages of the “kamahong” to fish cage operators.
In April this year, the fish kill affected about 700 fish cages owned by 40 operators. EOF
OFFICIALS and personnel of the 1st Marine Brigade based in Barira Maguindanao, and its two battalions were saddened about last Sunday's murder here of a companion, Staff Sgt. Rodolfo Magno.
Col. Eric Macaambac, commanding officer of the 1st Marine Brigade, said Wednesday they are hoping that police can identify his killers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of law.
"His death made us so sad. May he get justice for such a brutal death in the hands of assassins,"
Macaambac said.
Two men shot Magno dead in a daring attack here on Sunday morning.
Major John Vincent Bravo, chief of the Police Precinct 1, and his subordinates are together trying to determine the exact identities of the culprits.
Magno died from bullet wounds in the head and upper left arm.
Magno was in his Toyota Vios car, parked along the Moreno Drive in Dapdap area here, waiting for his wife who was buying something
at a roadside stall, when two men approached and shot him with .45 caliber pistols.
Witnesses told reporters Magno’s assailants had escaped even before responding barangay tanods and policemen could reach the scene.
Magno was rushed to a hospital where attending physicians declared him dead on arrival.
Probers from the Police Precinct 1 found three spent .45 caliber ammunition shells at the scene. JFU
AN official of the Bangsamoro region on Thursday lauded the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for renewing its commitment to help manage the region’s displacement due to both natural and man-made calamities.
Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo, head of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRCR) and Corazon Lagamayo, head of UNHCR Cotabato field office, along with the agency’s multifunctional team paid a visit to the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) on Tuesday for their exit call and to discuss possible collaborations for the incoming year 2023.
Ms Gallardo conveyed her agency’s strategic direction in the coming year.
The following were presented: UNHCR's
protection activities in Mindanao by Ms. Racmah Abdula; BARMM Displacement Trend by Bienvenido Dagpin; Durable Solution Action Planning Workshop Update by Dervin Villarosa; Protection Strategy Update by Lindsey Atienza; and UNHCR's Call for Action by Lagamayo. Following their brief presentations, the UNHCR expressed gratitude to the MILG for its strong belief in and support for their mandate.
Lawyer Naguib G. Sinarimbo, BARMM minister of the Interior and Local Government (MILG), also expressed his gratitude and support to the UNHCR delegation, saying, “I thank the UNHCR for all their services in the region and we agree to continue to partner despite the closing of their office in Cotabato City.” EOF
THOUSANDS flock around the Lamitan City Hall every night since last week to watch the threedimension Christmas decorations and lights that adorn the building.
It is something first in the 30-year history of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and in the fledging Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, established only in 2019.
Lamitan City is in Basilan province whose territory also covers Isabela City and 11 other municipalities.
Thousands of local residents watch at nighttime the threedimension, or shifting images, of the decorations in their city hall, a project of Mayor Roderick Furigay, supported by officials of the more than 40 barangays under his jurisdiction.
Furigay said this week their commemoration of the 2022 Yuletide Season shall be meaningful owing to their local government unit's having received recently two special awards from different government entities.
The Lamitan City LGU got a 2022 Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) award, its fifth in recent years, from the office of Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr.
The award was premised on efficient handling of funds, good
Tuesday night in Cotabato City.
Major Amil Andungan Jr, Cotabato City Police Station 2 chief, said Palao, a member of Teduray tribe and resident of South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur, was sitting at the back of a Suzuki mini-van.
She and two companions were for home to San Pablo Village when shot by one of two men riding tandem on motorbike along Teodoro V. Juliano Avenue, Barangay Rosary Heights XI, Cotabato City at about 5:30 p.m.
Palao is the head of ancestral
domain division of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs (MIPA).
Her companions, Jimmy Benito, also from South Upi and Nurudin Zacaria, a resident of San Pablo Village in the same barangay were unharmed.
Member of Parliament Froilyn Tenorio Mendoza of Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) has strongly condemned the attack against Palao.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this vicious attack on IP women. Many women’s
lives were lost and are deprived of these attacks on women and are unacceptable under any circumstances,” she said in a statement.
Mendoza said her office is deeply concerned about the repeated attacks on women’s in this context of fear and violence.
“When an IP woman is under attack and become targets, not only their lives are shattered but the future of the IP children,” she said.
She called for greater efforts to protect all women in
peace, security and environmental protection efforts and pro-poor activities of recipient local government units.
The Lamitan City LGU also received last November the Gawad Kalasag Seal of Excellence from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, or NDRRMC.
The grant of the Gawad Kalasag Seal of Excellence to deserving municipal, city and provincial governments is an annual activity of the NDRRMC.
The NDRRMC is composed of representatives from various line agencies, including the Department of National Defense and from the office of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
The NDRRMC only grants the Gawad Kalasag Seal of Excellence to LGUs with well-organized calamity and disasterresponse and mitigation programs.
“We would not have received these two special citations if not for the extensive community support for all of our LGU’s activities and public service thrusts,” Furigay said Monday.
Furigay said he is thankful to the Army units under the 101st Infantry Brigade and the personnel of the Lamitan City Police Office and the Basilan Provincial Police Office for securing Lamitan City for residents to have a peaceful Yuletide Season. JFU
the Bangsamoro “against these senseless acts.”
Both Mendoza and Palao are known IP women defenders and have been promoting the rights and wellbeing of every women and their important role in nation building.
She also appealed to her colleagues in the BTA to support calls for justice and focusing special effort on reaching speedy justice for this senseless act.
MIPA Minister Melanio Ulama also condemned the attack.
said.
“We continue our investigation, we are still facing a black wall at this time,” Major Andungan said in a radio interview. EOF
were no longer part of the political constituency of the six towns. This disenfranchised close to 100,000 voters.
The Cotabato provincial government turned over supervision of the 63 villages to the BARMM in November 2019. However, it took until December 2020 for the Department of the Interior and Local Government to transfer supervision of these villages and of Cotabato City, which also voted to be part of the BARMM.
The proposed municipalities would be named Pahamudin, Kadayangan, Kabalukan, Northern Kabacan, Kapalawan, Malmar, Tugunan and Ligawasan.
Once passed by parliament, the eight measures creating the new towns will be subjected to a plebiscite in the respective proposed municipalities, to be conducted and supervised by the Comelec through the Bangsamoro Electoral Office should the BARMM’s electoral code is firmed up soon.
When ratified in a plebiscite, the proposed measures provide that the chief minister will appoint the first mayor, vice mayor
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late PRAXEDES A. NADELA, who died intestate on January 14, 1985 at Central Katingawan, Midsayap, Cotabato, a parcel of land Lot No. 2446-A, Csd-12001353-D, covered by OCT No. P-48151, situated at Bo. of Lower Katingawan, Midsayap, Cotabato, containing an area of 40,000 sq. mts., more or less is subject of deed of extrajudicial settlement of estate with simultaneous sale before Notary Public Roland D. Jungco as per Doc. No. 22; Page No. 05; Book No. IX; Series of 2022.
MC: Dec. 24, 31, 2022 & Jan. 7, 2023
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late MILA ARELLANO-QUIMQUE, who died on December 20, 2018 at Rangayen, Alamada, Cotabato, a parcel of land Lot No. 3, GSS-12000263-D, covered by OCT No. CO-11745, situated in Bo. Rangayen, Alamada, Cotabato, containing an area of 61,177 sq. mts., more or less is subject of extrajudicial settlement with partition of estate before Notary Public Noel A. Gretare, CPA as per Doc. No. 499; Page No. 101; Book No. XCII; Series of 2022.
MC: Dec. 24, 31, 2022 & Jan. 7, 2023
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late IRENE MASECAMPO AMOR, who died intestate on September 22, 2022 in Cotabato City, Bank deposit accounts with Landbank of the Pilippines (LBP)-Cotabato Branch with Account No. 0371-2130-40 and Banco de Oro (BDO)- Cotabato Branch with Account No. 003340056700, both in Cotabato City are subject of extrajudicial settlement of estate with waiver of real rights and interests before Notary Public Atty. Johari P. Casan as per Doc. No. 291; Page No. 58; Book No. XVIII; Series of 2022.
MC: Dec. 24, 31, 2022 & Jan. 7, 2023
and eight members of the Sangguniang Bayan of the new municipalities.
The Bangsamoro government will also appropriate and provide financial assistance for the administration and operation of the new municipalities.
Last September, member of parliament Baintan Adil-Ampatuan filed a measure seeking to organize the 63 villages into the Hashim Salamat
municipality in honor of the late Moro revolutionary.
In all, the 63 villages comprise some 215,433 people, based on the 2020 census.
The 63 villages remain under the supervision and control of the Philippine National Police in North Cotabato while efforts are underway to finalize their integration into the area of operation of the Bangsamoro police regional office.
In compliance with the publication requirements and pursuant to OCRG Memorandum Circular No. 2013-1, Guidelines in the implementation of the Administrative Order No. 1 series of 2012 (IRR on R.A. 10172), Notice is hereby served to the public that Evangeline Fresnido Padios has filed with this office a petition for change of day of birth from April 17, 1983 to April 10, 1983 in the certificate of live birth of Evangelin Francisco Fresnido who was born on April 17, 1983 at Midsayap, Cotabato and whose parents are Fernando F. Fresnido and Norafe M. Francisco.
Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his/her written opposition with this office of Municipal Civil Registrar, Midsayap, Cotabato.
(Sgd.) NORAH B. CABUGWASON Municipal Civil Registrar MC: Dec. 24 & 31, 2022
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late CONCORDIO A. NADELA, who died intestate on August 21, 2015 at Katingawan, Midsayap, Cotabato, a parcel of land Lot No. 2430B, Csd-124709-005538-D, covered by OCT No. P-58949, situated at Bo. Katingawan, Midsayap, Cotabato, containing an area of 18,762 sq. mts., more or less is subject of deed of extrajudicial settlement of estate before Notary Public Roland D. Jungco as per Doc. No. 19; Page No. 04; Book No. IX; Series of 2022.
MC: Dec. 24, 31, 2022 & Jan. 7, 2023
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late ERNESTO C. CAPILITAN, who died on December 5, 2021 at Rangayen, Alamada, Cotabato, a parcel of land Lot 8, GSS-12000263-D, covered by OCT No. CO-11747, situated in Bo. Rangayen, Alamada, Cotabato, containing an area of 68,694 sq. mts., more or less is subject of extrajudicial partition with settlement of estate with deed of sale before Notary Public Noel A. Gretare, CPA as per Doc. No. 500; Page No. 101; Book No. XCII; Series of 2022.
MC: Dec. 24, 31, 2022 & Jan. 7, 2023
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late ANDING MUSA, who died intestate on April 24, 2001 in Cotabato City, a parcel of land covered by TCT No. T-8515, situated at Bo. Lugay-Lugay, Cotabato City, containing an area of 3,910 sq. mts., more or less is subject of extrajudicial settlement of estate with simultaneous deed of sale of a portion of land before Notary Public Atty. Amira S. Pagayao, CPA as per Doc. No. 14; Page No. 3; Book No. XIII; Series of 2022.
MC: Dec. 24, 31, 2022 & Jan. 7, 2023
SPECIAL PROC. NO. 2022-1589
TRISTAN JAY PASANTING, Petitioner, -versus-
CIVIL REGISTRY OF PARANG, MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE AND ARMANDO PASANTING, Respondent. x—————————————x ORDER
A verified petition was file by petitioner, assisted by counsel, praying that after due proceedings, judgment be rendered in favor of the petitioner by ordering the Civil Registry of Parang, Maguindanao Del Norte to correct the entries in the Certificate of Live Birth of Tristan Jay Badilla with Civil Registry Number 98-1164 as follows:
a.correcting Entry Number 1, by changing his surname from Badilla to Pasanting; and entering his middle name as Badilla; and b.correcting Entry Number 13, by changing his father’s first name from Precioso to Armando.
Finding the petition to be sufficient in form and substance, let this case be set for hearing on February 17, 2023 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning.
Let this Order be published in a newspaper edited and of general circulation in the City of Cotabato and Province of Maguindanao, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks prior to the date of hearing at the expense of the petitioner.
SO ORDERED.
Cotabato City, Philippines, this 13th day of December, 2022.
(Sgd.) KASAN K. ABDULRAKMAN Acting Presiding Judge MC: Dec. 24, 31, 2022 & Jan. 7, 2023
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late KALIPA PANDITA and GINO PANDITA, who both died in Kadingilan, Pikit, Cotabato on March 15, 2007 and February 12, 2016, respectively, a parcel of land Cadastral Lot 194, PLS- 134, covered by Tax Declaration of Registry of Deeds of North Cotabato, situated in Bo. Kadingilan, Pikit, Cotabato, containing an area of 12.00000 hectares, more or less is subject of extrajudicial settlement with deed of absolute sale before Notary Public Atty. Nasiff Brian O. Meditar as per Doc. No. 36; Page No. 08; Book No. XX; Series of 2022.
MC: Dec. 24, 31, 2022 & Jan. 7, 2023
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late Spouses AVELINO CARIÑO and EVELYN GALACGACCARIÑO, who died on August 6, 1994 and June 17, 2016, in Kidapawan City & Hawaii, USA, respectively, a parcel of land Lot 3253-G, Psd-12000354, covered by TCT No. T-63872, situated in Bo. Midpapan (now Midpapan 2), Pigcawayan, Cotabato, containing an area of 13,667 sq. mts., more or less is subject of extrajudicial settlement of estate with simultaneous deed of absolute sale before Notary Public Atty. Nasiff Brian O. Meditar as per Doc. No. 170; Page No. 34; Book No. X; Series of 2021.
MC: Dec. 24, 31, 2022 & Jan. 7, 2023
“We condemn the treacherous killing of against Jocelyn Palao,” Ulama said, adding that Palao had been an active and supportive member of the IP communities and had been advocating for the protection and promotion of IP rights over ancestral domain claims.
“We call upon the concerned government agencies to conduct a speedy probe and bring into the bar of justice the perpetrators,” he
Ayon kay Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, pangulo ng social action at development arm ng Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, “Hindi ito ang tamang panahon para lumikha ng sovereign wealth fund lalo na at walang surplus o sobrang pondo na pwedeng ilaan dito. Higit sa lahat, hindi pa sapat ang tugon ng ating gobyerno pagdating sa epekto ng COVID-19 pandemic, krisis sa ating edukasyon, at sa mataas ng presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin sa merkado.”
Ipinasa ng House of Representatives sa ikatlo at huling pagbasa ang panukalang batas na magtatatag sa sovereign wealth fund nitong Disyembre 15, makalipas lamang ang 18 araw mula nang ito ay isinumite sa komite noong Nobyembre 28 at sa mismong araw na ito ay na-certify as urgent ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
“Maraming mga ekonomista na ang nagsabi na mali ang timing ng SWF at di ito ang dapat na pokus ng pamahalaan, hindi natin kakayanin na mawalan ng salapi na dapat ay para sa basic social services at pension ng mga mamamayan,” dagdag pa ni Bishop Bagaforo.
Ayon naman kay Caritas Philippines executive director Fr. Antonio Labiao, Jr., mapanganib din na hindi saklaw ng maraming batas ang SWF. “Walang regulatory restrictions, masyadong risky and vulnerable to corruption. Hindi rin
sigurado na kikita agad ito, yung chance na pumalpak ito ay napakalaki and we can’t afford it ngayon na napakalaki ng ating fiscal deficit at national debt.”
Ayon sa Bureau of Treasury, ang national outstanding debt ng Pilipinas ay pumalo na sa PHP 13.641 trillion nitong Oktubre 2022. Dagdag pa dito ang 8% na inflation ngayong Nobyemenre 2022, pinakamataas sa loob ng 14 na taon. Samantala, ayon sa Philippine Statistics Authority 19.99 million ng mga Pilipino, o 18.1% ng populasyon, ay nabubuhay nang mababa sa poverty threshold noong 2021. Ito ay malamang na lumala pa ngayong 2022 sa pagtaas ng presyo ng basic commodities.
“The question is do we really need a separate investment fund when our financial institutions are earning on their own with their individual investments? SWF objectives are not very clear; investing in infrastructure for one is already being done by other government agencies.
What value does it add that is not present with current strategies?” ani Fr. Labiao. “Maybe they should use Congress’ pork barrel at yung confidential funds na naibigay sa ilang ahensiya imbes na ang pondo ng BSP, Landbank at DBP na pwedeng gamitin para sa mga development projects sa kanayunan if they insist on pursuing this." Caritas Philippines
And lived among us (John 1:1-14). This is the opening chapter of the gospel of John which we read on this Christmas day. This contains the truth of Christmas. This is the mystery of the Incarnation, a mystery that is not understandable by reason alone. That God who is so powerful, so perfect, so transcendent would become in the infant Jesus so helpless, so limited, and so near and present to us, is only graspable by faith. On the other hand an all-powerful God can do the impossible, including becoming a human being in the flesh. We can therefore say that Jesus is the human face of God. Jesus would reveal to us who God is. This truth is most difficult to accept for others who believe in the absolute Otherness and Transcendence of God. This however is a central belief among Christians that God joined the human condition to the point of blood, sweat, and tears.
The essential question is “Why?” Why did God send us Jesus the Word/Son ? God has a message to communicate , as the letter to the Hebrews says, “ God has spoken, in the past, to our ancestors in many different ways, although never completely; but in our times, he has spoken definitively to us, through his Son.” (Heb, 1:1). The reason is “ God so loved the world” (John 3:16). It is all about love, for love, and through love that Jesus became one of us. God so loved humanity that God wanted to show us the way out of darkness, of despair, of purposelessness
and of sinfulness. Jesus being the Light would show us the way. In His own life He would show love for the lost and the least. He would bring healing and forgiveness. He would offer us the promise of a new life with God. Jesus brought salvation, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
This is the deep theology behind the sparkles, songs, and festivities. This is why we sing, “Feliz Navidad,” and “Kasadya niining taknaa.” This is why we proclaim, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” This is why we sing with Jose Mari Chan, “Let’s sing Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday, this season may we never forget the love we have for Jesus.” Christmas is all about Jesus coming among us. Amidst all the noise and festivities, let us take the time to just sit there before the “Belen” or the Christmas crib. Let the simple scene speak to us about the truth of Christmas. I am glad to share that once I had the privilege to go to Bethlehem and join a pilgrimage to the place where Jesus was born, over which was built the Church of the Nativity. Because of constructions over the centuries, the pilgrim can only touch the ground by kneeling over the hole around which is the Silver star marking the original place. It was a solemn moment for us. Most were in tears as we sang Silent Night in October, seven years ago. The experience remains among my fondest memories. A Blessed Christmas to everyone.
Mass During the Night: Readings: Lect., S&S, no. 14, p. 55; BG, p. 32 Mass at Dawn: Readings:Lect., S&S, no. 15, p. 59; BG, p. 34 Mass During the Day: Readings: Lect., S&S, no. 16, p. 61; BG, p. 35
Mon
Readings: no. 696, p. 64 or p. 612; BG, p. 666
1st Reading: Acts 6.8-10; 7.54-59
Gospel: Matthew 10.17-22
Readings: no. 697, p. 66 or p. 614
1st Reading: 1 John 1.1-4 Gospel: John 20.2-8
Readings: no. 698, p. 68 or p. 616
1st Reading: 1 John 1.5 - 2.2 Gospel: Matthew 2.13-18
Readings: no. 202, p. 70
1st Reading: 1 John 2.3-11 Gospel: Luke 2.22-35
Readings: Lect., S&S,no. 17, p. 66; BG, p. 38
1st Reading: Sirach 3.2-6, 12-14
2nd Reading: Colossians 3.12-21(or shorter) Gospel: Matthew 2.13-15, 19-23
Readings: no. 204, p. 74
1st Reading: 1 John 2.18-21 Gospel: John 1.1-18
“that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
loved to listen to the song of Jose Marie Chan entitled “Christmas In Our Hearts” which reflected the prayer of every Christian in relation to the Christmas season. As the song goes: “Let’s sing Merry Christmas, and a happy holiday, this season may we never forget the love we have for Jesus. Let him be the one to guide us, as another new year starts, and may the spirit of Christmas be always in our hearts.
This is written in our hearts, especially among the Oblate Missionaries, who came to spread the word of Jesus. Since the time the Oblates came to this region, Christmas is one occasion which is replayed every year, and has given the chance for Christians to grow nearer to God.
I can recall during my childhood days, we were tasked not only to go caroling to raise funds by the RVM sisters, but we were busy working on lanterns (parols) which made the schools and homes more attune to the celebrations of the season. Surprisingly, we look forward to these activities which until now have a bearing on what Christmas means to us.
With the commercialization of the Christmas season, children look forward to the gifts they will receive underneath the tree. This is one symbol of the season which remains in the heart of Christians –Christmas trees, Santa Clause, Christmas parties. Fortunately, there is a return to the old traditional celebration of Christmas, which focuses on the Nativity of Christ. Every church and home is encouraged to have a Belen (short of Bethlehem) where Christ was born, and instead of the western concepts, the celebration is scaled down to Advent, the Misa de Gallo, and finally the Midnight Mass and its Noche Buena. All these traditional practices focuses on the birth of Jesus Christ and the Holy Family.
With the coming of the BARMM, some practices have also evolved. In Cotabato City, Carolers make sure that they are knocking on a Christian residence before they start their caroling. Fortunately, the new administration is taking efforts to integrate both Muslim and Christian practices for the month of December. With the first year of BARMM, all these have not been sorted yet, but everyone is hopeful that there will eventually be acceptable arrangements where we Christians can continue with our much loved traditions on Christmas time. MC
Earlythis week, news broke out about the death of Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, on December 16 in the Netherlands where he has lived in self-exile for decades. Sison’s death in a hospital in Utrecht, was announced by a spokesman for the party, Marco Balbuena. He said Sison had been hospitalized for two weeks but gave no cause of death. Sison was 83.
In a statement he issued following the announcement of Sison’s death, former president Rodrigo R. Duterte acknowledged the historical legacy left by Sison, saying that the CPP founder and leader’s death “marks the end of an era” of armed struggle. Duterte expressed hope that the communist leader’s death will pave the way for “the end of insurgencies in the Philippines and the revolutionary movement that he has founded as well.”
Secretary Carlito Galvez, who continues to hold the position he had under Duterte as Presidential Adviser On Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, expressed a similar hope that Sison’s death “will also put an end to the local communist armed conflict that claimed the lives of so many Filipinos and pushed back development in the countryside.”
As it has always done in the past with the death of every known leader of the party and it’s armed wing, the New People’s Army which Sison co-established with Bernabe Buscayno in 1968 three months following the founding of the CPP, the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are saying that Sison’s demise will help to further weaken the CPP-NPA and eventually bring an end to the movement.
There is no doubt that Joma, as Sison is commonly referred to, was a very important cog in the decades-long communist insurgency in the Philippines. Contacted via Facebook Messenger chat by a leading business daily, Temario C. Rivera, who heads the Center for People Empowerment in Governance, had reportedly this to say about Joma: “From the time he led the founding of the new communist party in 1968 and NPA in 1969, Jose Ma. Sison was the unrivalled strategist and tactician of the revolutionary movement in the country.” Mr. Rivera was likewise cited in the report as saying that one of Sison’s original contributions to revolutionary theory and practice was his analysis of waging a peoples’ war in an archipelago, looking at the combination of centralized leadership and decentralized commands in pursuing the armed struggle.
Carlos C. Bautista caloyb@gmail.com
It is expected that Sison’s death would push back the communist insurgency further away from its avowed goals. Many believe it would be hard for the party to find a replacement for Sison. But find one, they definitely will as they have proven time and again. The movement and the insurgency wouldn’t have lasted for decades if it were based on a single person alone instead of an ideology that is fueled continuously by existing socio-economic conditions.
All the decades under Sison’s leadership and its experiences have no doubt given the party a template on how to deal with setbacks, big or small. They have proven their mettle, so to say. So while we hope with everybody else who does that Sison’s death will indeed lead to the end of the communist insurgency in the Philippines and “open the window for peace,” we should not lose sight of the fact that entrenched poverty in this country is key to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army’s continuing presence. Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said before the AFP years ago that “NPA is living in a fertile environment… The main reason why they were created 50 years ago -- feudalism, bureaucratic-capitalism, and imperialism -- is still here.”
This is acknowledged in EO 70 “Institutionalizing the Whole-Of-Nation Approach in Attaining Inclusive and Sustainable Peace, Creating a National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, and Directing the Adoption of a National Peace Framework” issued by then President Duterte in 2018. It acknowledges that “insurgencies, internal disturbances and tensions, and other armed conflicts and threats are not only military and security concerns, but are symptomatic of broader social, economic and historical problems, such as poverty, historical injustice, social inequality, and lack of inclusivity, among others.”
MC
officials laid cornerstones on Monday for the construction of a public market building and four barangay hall buildings in Buldon, Maguindanao del Norte where armed conflict began in 1969.
Senior Minister Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) then a young dissident, this time led the ground-breaking ceremonies for the infrastructure projects together with regional interior and local government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo.
They were hosted and joined in by Mayor Phamia Manalao and Vice-Mayor Abolais Manalao in the ceremonies that signalled continuity of government development programs long stalled by armed conflict.
Development of conflict-affected areas formed part of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed in 2014 which the succeeding administrations of former President Rodrigo Duterte and now President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have upheld.
Sinarimbo says the projects—a public market building and four two-storey barangay hall buildings— were a part of BARMM’s program on strengthening local governance starting from the region’s village level and up.
He says the projects under this program are funded by the Office of Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Al-Hadj Murad Ebrahim, and are implemented by the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG).
“By this, we will be providing the village-level governance with appropriate barangay hall buildings, so they can improve on their level of delivery of services for the locals,” Sinarimbo says.
It was in Buldon where the first firefight occurred in 1969 that led to the formation and evolution of the Moro fronts. Armed young Moros, fresh from foreign training in a Malaysian territory, fought government constabulary troops backed by armed militias clad in military uniform.
Magsaysay Settlement
Buldon formed part of President Ramon Magsaysay’s vast (1955) Edcor Settlement Proclamations to address agrarian issues in the north left unresolved by the administration of President Elpidio Quirino. As Quirino’s
Nash B. Maulana nash.penlight@gmail.com
defense secretary, Magsaysay managed the agrarian uprising in Central Luzon by resettling leftist elements and their families first to Western Visayas. Many of them were armed members of the leftist Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon (Hukbalahap). In one of the provinces in Panay, the remnants of the World War II Hukbalahap established their recruitment and military training ground they called a “Stalin University.”
The “promised land” that was the Edcor Settlement in Mindanao (now comprised of at least four municipalities) was the final destination of the expedition—where a convergence of four families of constabulary members around one family of a Hukbalahap member, had been “experimented.” The settlement areas were an “experimental ground” in which a government agrarian program hosts former enemies to coexist as one community, according to UP Prof. Arnold Molina Azurin.
Resistance by the early armed Moro group against the final wave of the exodus—composed mostly of younger recruits from the Visayas—actually sparked the armed conflict in Central and Northern Mindanao in 1969.
Some government officials had reportedly armed the younger leftists’ recruits from Western Visayas, effectively turning them into rightist militias beef-up the agrarian program and to fight Moro-occupants of the lands covered by the Magsaysay settlement proclamations. Some were clad in constabulary uniform, including a unit whose records purportedly did not exist in the established ranks of the Philippine military—but were powerful enough even to harass politicians or their relatives.
hinking A loud
The death of Joma, the end of an era, the end of armed struggle?
BARMM brings development to improve village LGUs, trading in Buldon
THAToften times we ask: What lies ahead? Or something melodious like: Do you know where you’re going to?
For in life, we were told to brace-up, as to expect the unexpected that boils down to reality that nothing in this world in permanent except change. That like a spinning wheel, what goes up must come down for us not to lose hope if we have faith and love in our hearts.
It pays to remain steadfast in our faith with the LORD, our only hope in the midst of threats and uncertainties. He is our strength, refuge and sanctuary, the Almighty who can do all things except one. We have a God who cannot lie.
To the obedient and God-fearing people of God, His promise is not to forsake or leave them even unto the end of the age. Pestilences, wars, soaring prices, hunger, and other difficulties in life may come and go, but our infinite God remains the same to save all those who love Him and His only begotten Son.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Faith is the key to salvation from total damnation, for without faith it is impossible to please the LORD our God. For whoever comes to Him must believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:1-7).
Long before Christ was manifested in the flesh He was with the heavenly Father. “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, Behold I have come in the volume of the book, it is written of Me to do Your will, O God” (Hebrews 10:5-7).
And for this reason, Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant thru His death on the cross for the redemption of human transgressions that those who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For it is appointed for men to die once and after this the judgment that the Father has appointed a day for His
Son’s return to judge both the living and the dead (Hebrews 9:15-22; Acts 17:31).
The LORD reminding us to stand in the ways and seek for the old paths where the good way is, and walk in it (Jeremiah 6:16). For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and many go in by it. But narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are very few who find it (Matthew 7:13-14).
While still alive, whatever our hands find to do, let’s do it with all our might. For there is no work, device, knowledge or wisdom in the grave where we are going (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
On friends and media colleagues who are embroiled in libel cases, don’t be enraged or panicky for freedom of the press and expression among broadcasters is not absolute. The freedom to malign, ridicule or debase someone’s reputation carries with it responsibility to prove before the judiciary the absence of malice or ill-will. That it was meant to promote truth, goodwill, integrity and harmonious coexistence.
Reminds us of few libel cases we had in the past that took the courts to decide w/ finality after four years of deliberations. Assigned magistrates altogether bowed out to an accused devoid of pride and arrogance that we in the Fourth Estate are sacred cows or untouchables. We refused to be interviewed by media peers for it would be sub judice as we hold-on to being lowly and calm, trusting God and no one else.
The reason why world peace remains elusive is because of our human frailties in pride, envy and greed that we become ungodly, disrespectful and arrogant to become lovers of self and money. Look around, and this is what most of us are –conceited!
And God’s timely reminder to all and sundry that whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for Godsake will find it (Matthew 16:25).
When it comes to eating, many of us have developed habits. Some are good (“I always eat fruit as a dessert”), and some are not so good (“I always have a sugary drink after work as a reward”). Even if you’ve had the same eating pattern for years, it’s not too late to make improvements.
Making sudden, radical changes, such as eating nothing but cabbage soup, can lead to short term weight loss. However, such radical changes are neither healthy nor a good idea and won’t be successful in the long run. Permanently improving your eating habits requires a thoughtful approach in which you reflect, replace, and reinforce.
• REFLECT on all of your specific eating habits, both bad and good; and, your common triggers for unhealthy eating.
• REPLACE your unhealthy eating habits with healthier ones.
REINFORCE your new, healthier eating habits. Reflect:
Create a list of your eating and drinking habits. Keep a food and beverage diary for a few days. Write down everything you eat and drink, including sugary drinks and alcohol. Write down the time of day you ate or drank the item. This will help you uncover your habits. For example, you might discover that you always seek a sweet snack to get you through the mid-afternoon energy slump. Use this diary [PDF-105KB] to help. It’s good to note how you were feeling when you decided to eat, especially if you were eating when not hungry. Were you tired? Stressed out?
o Eating while standing up (may lead to eating mindlessly or too quickly)
o Always eating dessert
o Skipping meals (or maybe just breakfast)
• Look at the unhealthy eating habits you’ve highlighted. Be sure you’ve identified all the triggers that cause you to engage in those habits. Identify a few you’d like to work on improving first. Don’t forget to pat yourself on the back for the things you’re doing right. Maybe you usually eat fruit for dessert, or you drink low-fat or fat-free milk. These are good habits! Recognizing your successes will help encourage you to make more changes.
• Create a list of “cues” by reviewing your food diary to become more aware of when and where you’re “triggered” to eat for reasons other than hunger. Note how you are typically feeling at those times. Often an environmental “cue”, or a particular emotional state, is what encourages eating for non-hunger reasons. Common triggers for eating when not hungry are:
o Opening up the cabinet and seeing your favorite snack food.
o Sitting at home watching television.
o Before or after a stressful meeting or situation at work.
o Coming home after work and having no idea what’s for dinner.
o Having someone offer you a dish they made “just for you!”
o Walking past a candy dish on the counter.
o Sitting in the break room beside the vending machine.
o Seeing a plate of doughnuts at the morning staff meeting.
o Swinging through your favorite drive-through every morning.
o Feeling bored or tired and thinking food might offer a pick-me-up.
Ithas been years since we last saw each other, our new Tourism Undersecretary, former Governor of Soroptimist International of the Philippines Region, Madam Myra Villarosa Abubakar. Our days with SIPR were very memorable as our meetings were held in various places in the Philippines like Baguio City, Tagaytay, Laoag City. Road trips were peppered with stops for street food and markets; female group that we were, our evenings were endless exchanges of just about everything and anything but our days were for reviewing, reconsidering , projecting how and where SIPR is going over a period of time. The bond we shared is irreplaceable beyond time and distance. And so, the Bangsa Moro celebration is a blessed respite from our busy schedule.
Tall, towering over people around her at 5’10, an honest to goodness head turner, coupled with a welcoming smile, and a warmth to melt the coldest of hearts such are the winning qualities of my friend Myra. This is the third time she attempted to contact me on her visit to the city upon the invitation of Mayor Bruce Matabalao. Finally, we got to spend time for lunch with the hubby, Robert.
I wonder whether it is within the scope of my work to relate the sad experience of the DOT Usec. Myra. In the course of our conversation, she was quite disappointed that she was met at the airport by a driver only. Please keep in mind that she was here to represent no less than the Secretary of Tourism, Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia Frasco, not just for herself. She was rushed directly to the Fashion Show, sans food nor snacks. Mayor Bruce came to the rescue bringing her barbeque from the bbq stand at midnight after the show, only because she was famished by then.
For a stranger in the City, she was left without a chaperone, or call it companion in the hotel which to her was quite unsettling. She had to brace the door with the table and chair for fear of the unknown, even if her room was on the second floor of the hotel. Again it’s none of my business, why put the
bedroom doors directly before the parking lot? I guess, I am used to passing through a lobby, and nobody knows what room I am in. These being said, I rest my case.
In August of 2021, Pres. Rodrigo Duterte promote DOT Assistant Secretary for Mindanao Myra Paz ValderrosaAbubakar as DOT Undersecretary. A threetermer City Coubcilor in Zamboanga , Myra comes from an illustrious political family in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Her last term in the City Council and Vice-President for Miindanao of the Philippine Councilors League was cut abruptly when she was appointed regional director for the DOTRegion IX, and eventually promoted DOT Assistant Secretary for Mindanao. As Asec for Mindanao, she had oversight function over 5 DOT Regional Offices, unifying the Regions and created her flagship project, the Colors of Mindanao.
Born in Zamboanga City to lawyer Jose Miguel Valderrosa and Paz Gonzales Esquivel, a pharmacist. Her grandfather Nicasiio Siason Valderrosa was the chartered Mayor of Zamboanga City from 1936 to 1939, who was later appointed second Filipino Mayor of Baguio City before finally becoming Chartered Mayor of Basilan until 1953.
Usec. Abubakar is a grandmother of one (so far) by her only daughter. She is married to former Jolo, Sulu Mayor Rashdi Ngo Abubakar. Welcome to our “City of Cultural Charms” and the spelling of the name of the woven muslim material is INAWL.
• Highlight the habits on your list that may be leading you to overeat. Common eating habits that can lead to weight gain are:
o Eating too fast
o Always cleaning your plate
Parents and the elderly must nurture the young the existence of the Supreme Being that their fear of Him is the beginning of genuine wisdom which is not of this world. This is the most ideal initiative in molding kids if you want them to become respectful and law-abiding citizens. MC MC
o Eating when not hungry
Circle the “cues” on your list that you face on a daily or weekly basis. While the Thanksgiving holiday may be a trigger to overeat, for now focus on cues you face more often. Eventually you want a plan for as many eating cues as you can.
leader is one on knows the way, goes the way, and leads the way.”—John Maxwell
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those that empower others.”—Bill Gates
“Every good leader is part manager and every good manager is part leader.”—Condoleezza Rice
In every class on organization and management, human resource management, and related subjects, whether at the undergraduate level or the graduate school, there is always comparisons made of leaders and managers. These types of discourse usually center on the characteristics that distinguish one from the other or if a leader or manager (perhaps associated with the trait theory of management) or which one is more suited to a certain type of situation (or the contingency theory of management).
We can also look at the leader versus manager debate from the perspective of the type of organization that a person is selected to run.
Basically, the biggest question in the leader versus manager debate, is it better to be known as a leader or a manager? A corollary question to this is, does the head of a unit or organization had to be either a leader or a manager? Can he is she not be both ?
To be able to answer these questions, let us try to determine first the traditional distinctions or characteristics ascribed to leaders and managers.
First, the title leader is more associated with less formality than a manager. People do not need a formal appointment or title to be considered a leader while managers are almost always clothed with some legal title or designation.
Another common distinction between a leader and a manager is the supposed higher capacity of the former to take risks and decisive actions. Managers are said to be more deliberate, analytical, and processoriented with their decision-making, thus, the reputed slowness in taking a stand and action.
Third since leaders are more decisive, they are seen as more assertive gives less space for followers or subordinates to provide inputs before a certain course of action is decided and taken. Managers, on the other hand, are seen as more consultative and give opportunity to their subordinates to state their views on the matters to be decided upon or the question to be resolved.
There are some popular figures that would illustrate the leader versus manager typology. Among the American president, Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan would probably fall on the “leader” type while Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama are seen as managers. During his presidency, Donald Trump was known to make decisions sans consultation of against the advice of his cabinet members and other officials. Both Clinton and Obama
President John Kennedy had a short-lived tenure as the head of the US government but the impact of his presidency is considerable with initiatives such as the space program and the US Peace Corps that deploys US citizens in less developed countries to help make the situation of people better. He combines the traits of being a visionary and decisiveness (leader) and was comfortable working with and listens to technocrats and experts.
Nearer to the Philippines, people heading the Singaporean government are known not only for their being visionaries but also for making decisions and designing programs and projects in a deliberate and consultative manner.
Happy Christmas!
“AAR ket d R iven Danny Buenbrazo danny_buenbrazo@yahoo.com
in Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao del Norte Wednesday, that their dialogue at the Cotabato provincial capitol in Kidapawan City was fruitful owing to the strong assurance of support from participants to efforts of maintaining law and order in troubled barangays in Pikit and Aleosan.
The forum was jointly facilitated by Galvez, Mendoza and the government of the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao via its Ministry of the Interior and Local Government.
Galvez said he is thankful to Mendoza and Sinarimbo for their continuing support to peace and security programs of municipal executives, the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade and the police in “security challenged” barangays in Pikit and Aleosan, grouped together as BARMM’s Special Geographic
provincial peace and order council, helped convince the 36 NPAs to yield to the 38th IB and turn their firearms in.
Personnel of different 6th ID units had killed 21 NPAs in encounters in different towns from between January to early December this year.
More than 30 of the 154 NPAs who surrendered the past 11 months were wellversed in fabrication of IEDs using easy to obtain components and either ammonium nitrate, or potassium chlorate, as blasting powders.
A number of them had also confessed to reporters their involvement in the collection of monthly “protection money” from merchants and farmers in hinterland towns.
“It was with the help of local government units in our AOR (area of responsibility) that the 6th ID had worked out the surrender of more than a hundred NPAs for this year alone,” Galido said.
Galido said he and his subordinate-officers are now looking forward to the surrender of no less than a
In compliance with Section 5 of R.A. No. 9048, notice is hereby served to the public that Arsenio E. Sarmiento has filed with this office a petition for change of first name from Arsenio Hector to Arsenio in the birth certificate of Arsenio Hector E. Sarmiento, who was born on September 19, 1956 at Cotabato City and whose parents are Ampelo R. Sarmiento and Maria M. Ebreo.
Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his/her written opposition with this office.
(Sgd.) EDRES A. SAMAMAAsst.
hundred NPAs in central Mindanao in 2023.
Galido said he is certain that it was the good treatment the 6th ID extended to NPAs reintroduced to mainstream communities in recent months that helped convince the rebels now planning to surrender that the division is sincere in dealing with enemies of state wishing to reform for good.
The 6th ID had also worked out the surrender in batches since 2017 of 416 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and its allies, the equally notorious Dawlah Islamiya and Al-khobar.
Area, or SGA.
The MILG-BARMM has barangay hall projects in the 63 SGA barangays, meant to establish strong semblance of government in the local communities, where voters voted in favor of the inclusion of their villages in the Bangsamoro core territory during a plebiscite in 2019.
“We can see how the BARMM leadership, through its local government ministry, the
Cotabato provincial governor and municipal officials are doing their best to solve these problems,” Galvez said.
More than 40 people perished in the spate of unending gun attacks since 2021 in isolated barangays in Pikit and Aleosan.
Five members of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit and three others, two of them barangay tanods, got killed in gunfights last December 9 in Barangay Tapudoc, Aleosan,
other examinees.
“I have to admit that the road to this achieve was not an easy one,” Dagadas said in his social media account.
“I am suffering from Congenital Amblyopia, more known as “lazy eye,” Dagadas said. “Even reading glasses or contact lens are now helping so I have to endure this.”
Coming from a poor farmer family in the mountains of Pigcawayan did not prevent Dagadas from pursuing his education and become a teacher someday.
Having physical disabilities should not prevent anyone from pursuing education. “It
CONLUCK PAWNSHOP MAIN
CONLUCK DON RUFINO BRANCH CONLUCK PAWNSHOP BRANCH 4 & CONLUCK PAWNSHOP PLAZA
Cotabato City
ay nagpapatalastas na mayroon silang Subasta ng mga hindi natutubos na mga sanla. Ang mga ito ay isinangla magmula Nobyembre hanggang Disyembre 2021 . Ang Subasta ay sa Disyembre 31, 2022 sa ganap na ika 8:00 ng umaga hanggang ika 4:00 ng hapon sa nasabing lugar. MC:Dec. 17 & 24, 2022
corner Bonifacio and Don Rufino Alonzo Sts., Cotabato City
Ang Sultan Pawnshop ay nagpapatalastas na mayroon silang Subasta ng mga hindi natutubos na mga sangla. Ang mga ito ay isinangla noong Mayo 2022. Ang subasta ay sa Enero 2, 2023 sa ganap na ika-8:00 ng mga umaga hanggang ika-4:30 ng hapon sa nasabing lugar.
MC:Dec. 17 & 24, 2022
Don Rufino Alonzo & Don Tomas Martinez Sts, Cot. City
Notice for Auction
All unredeemed articles pledged on May 2022 will be auctioned on January 2, 2023 at 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Please come before January 2, 2023 for renewal or redemption.
should serve as inspiration that despite the disabilities one can achieve feat like me,” he added.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and Board for Professional Teachers (BPT), 49,783 elementary teacher-examinees from 91,468 takes have made it or 54.43 percent passing rate.
Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late RUDY I. INOCENCIO who died intestate on December 12, 2017, an undivided share portion of Lot 291-0-2, Ped-06035177, covered by TCT No. T-24853, containing an area of 1,567 sq. mts., more or less in Brgy. Pook, Kalibo, Aklan is subject of deed of extrajudicial settlement /adjudication of estate before Notary Public Mimbalawag T. Mangutara Jr., CPA as per Doc. No. 176; Page No. 36; Book No. LXVIII; Series of 2022.
MC: Dec. 17, 24 & 31, 2022
where there is deep-seated animosity between non-Moro militiamen and Moro villagers.
Major Gen. Roy Galido, 6th ID chief, and three members of the Bangsamoro parliament, MPs Dr. Kadil Sinolinding, Jr., Kellie Antao and Datu Jambo Matalam, separately suggested, during their dialogue in Kidapawan City, that crosssection cooperation will boost police and military peacekeeping missions in Pikit and Aleosan.
A total of 139,534 takers for the LET secondary level have successfully passed the board exam out of 71,080 or a passing rate of 50.94 percent. EOF
Agencia de Oro Pawnshop Inc. Main, Agencia de Oro Pawnshop Inc. Roman Vilo Branch, SK Pendatun Branch, Mabini Branch, ORC Branch, Agencia de Oro Pawnshop Inc. Branch I, II, III, IV in Parang Branch, Carmen Branch, Pikit 1 and Pikit 2 Branch, Agencia de Oro Pawnshop Inc. Dalican 1, Dalican 2, Shariff Aguak Branch of Cotabato City, Parang North Cotabato, Datu Odin Sinsuat and Shariff Aguak announce the Auction Sale of all unredeemed pledges contracted Disyembre 1-30, 2021 at 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. at Agencia de Oro Pawnshop Inc. Main 4J Bldg. Corner Jose Lim Sr., and Don Roman Vilo St. Cotabato City. Auction sale will be on Disyembre 28, 2022.
Agencia de Oro Pawnshop Inc. Main, Agencia de OroPawnshop Inc. Roman Vilo Branch, SK Pendatun Branch, Mabini Branch, ORC Branch, Agencia de Oro Pawnshop Inc. Branch I, II, III, IV sa Parang Branch, Carmen Branch, Pikit 1 and Pikit 2 Branch, Agencia de Oro Pawnshop Inc. Dalican 1, Dalican 2, Shariff Aguak Branch of Cotabato City, Parang North Cotabato, Datu Odin Sinsuat and Shariff Aguak ay nagpapatalastas na mayroon silang Subasta ng mga hindi natutubos na mga sangla. Ang mga ito ay isinangla noong Disyembre 1-30, 2021 sa alas 8:00 ng umaga hanggang alas 4:00 ng hapon sa Agencia de Oro - Jose Lim Branch, corner Jose Lim Sr, and Don Roman Vilo St., Cotabato City sa Disyembre 28, 2022. MC:Dec. 17 & 24, 2022
A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT(MOA), approved and reiterated by an Order of the Court on November 9, 1987, entered by and between PERFECTO P. DE CASTRO,JR. and JUAN B. GUTIERREZ, both of Cotabato City, providing among others, to wit:
“ Paragraph No. 6
That as to Lot 5-K of the project of partition which contains 30,000 sq. m. the supposed Share of the heirs of Gliceria Goco Papa(deceased) and Remedios Goco(deceased) 1/10 or3,000 sq. m. shall go to Perfecto de Castro and ANGELI DE CASTRO YAP heirs of Cresenciana Goco Papa while the other 3,000 sq. m. shall go to Roderico Roque or his heirs who are the Only heirs of Remedios Goco. “
City Civil RegistrarOIC- City Civil Registrar
Notice is hereby given that the late RASOL S. RAGUIA who died on October 29, 2022 at Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, left three (3) Bank Accounts: Savings Account No. 102660349769 - BDO Makakua Branch; Savings Account No. 405160141385 – PNB Cotabato City-Makakua Branch and Savings Account No. 3-074-351760 – Metrobank Makakua Branch are subject of extrajudicial settlement of estate with waiver before Notary Public Atty. Mark Esmael R. Nor, CPA as per Doc. No. 405; Page No. 80; Book No. IV; Series of 2022.
MC: Dec. 17, 24 & 31, 2022
Patalastas ng Subasta Lahat ng sangla noong Mayo 2022 ay ipagbibili ng Subasta sa Enero 2, 2023 sa ganap na ika-8:30 ng umaga hanggang ika-4:30 ng hapon. Kung maari ay pumunta bago ang Enero 2, 2023 para sa pagbayad ng tubo o pagtubos.
MC:Dec. 17 & 24, 2022
In compliance with R.A. 10172, notice is hereby served to the public that Julivie J. Gantuangco has filed with this office a petition for change of sex from Male to Female in the birth certificate of Julivie D. Josol, who was born on July 8, 1988 at Kidapawan, Cotabato and whose parents are Nelson R. Josol and Lunelita C. Dayanan.
Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his/her written opposition with this office.
(Sgd.) MERCEDES P. TOLENTINO Acting City Civil Registrar MC: Dec. 17 & 24, 2022
In compliance with the publication requirement and pursuant to OCRG Memorandum Circular No. 2013-1 Guidelines in the implementation of the Administrative Order No. 1 series of 2012 (IRR on R.A. 10172), notice is hereby served to the public that Eman Daguit Ayao has filed with this office a petition for correction of sex/ gender from Male to Female in the certificate of live birth of Eman Daguit Ayao, who was born on March 27, 2001 at Bugawas, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao and whose parents are Eddie Abdullah Ayao and Wardah Daguit Salez.
Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his/her written opposition with this office.
(Sgd.) PRINCESS ESNAIRA M. NUR Municipal Civil Registrar MC: Dec. 17 & 24, 2022
Any sale/transaction made and executed by ANGELI DE CASTRO YAP which may be more than her Share and Pefecto de Castro of 3,000 sq. m. of Lot 5-K is in violation of the aforementioned MOA and therefore NULL AND VOID.
MC: Dec. 10, 17 & 24, 2022
In compliance with the publication requirement and pursuant to OCRG Memorandum Circular No. 2013-1 Guidelines in the implementation of the Administrative Order No. 1 series of 2012 (IRR on R.A. 10172), notice is hereby served to the public that Enrico Jr. Y. Selibio has filed with this office a petition for correction of child’s date of birth from June 17, 1971 to May 17, 1971 in the certificate of live birth of Enrico Jr. Y. Silibio who was born on June 17, 1971 at Magpet, Cotabato and whose parents are Enrico Sr. Sapalo Silibio and Pilar Barrientos Yap. Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his/her written opposition with this office not later than January 3, 2023.
(Sgd.) CHONA M. PROVIDA, MPA Municipal Civil Registrar MC: Dec. 17 & 24, 2022
In compliance with Section 5 of R.A. 9048, a notice is hereby served to the public that Sahara I Macacua has filed with this office, a petition for change of first name from Sittie Zaiba to Sahara in the birth certificate of Sitie Zaiba Intang Macacua who was born on January 26, 1983 at Parang, Maguindanao and whose parents are Kusain Macacua and Intan Ambuludto.
Any person adversely affected by the said petition may file his written opposition with this office not later than December 22, 2022.
(Sgd.) KARIM O. OMAR, MPA Municipal Civil Registrar MC: Dec. 17 & 24, 2022
In compliance with the publication requirement and pursuant to OCRG Memorandum Circular No. 2013-1 Guidelines in the implementation of the Administrative Order No. 1 series of 2012 (IRR on R.A. 10172), notice is hereby served to the public that Godofredo Jr. O. Valenzuela has filed with this office a petition for correction of date of birth from February 15, 1977 to January 27, 1977 in the certificate of live birth of Godofredo Jr. O. Valenzuela at Pacao, Alamada, Cotabato and whose parents are Godofredo C. Valenzuela and Angelita C. Ofngol.
Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his/her written opposition with this office not later than December 27, 2022.
(Sgd.) MA. LENY B. BUENAFE Municipal Civil Registrar MC: Dec. 17 & 24, 2022
Moro people in Mindanao have commemorated and reenacted the arrival of Islam in Mindanao more than 500 years ago through the Shariff Kabunsuan Festival’s “Guinakit” fluvial parade.
“This is a celebration of Bangsamoro identity,” Minister Ahod Balawag “Kagi Murad” Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said of the colorful fluvial procession commemorating the arrival of Shariff Kabunsuan via the Rio Grande de Mindanao here.
Colorful fleets decorated with colorful, glaring garlands and boarded by Islamic missionaries sailed along the rivers in Barangay Kalanganan 2 honoring the arrival of Arab missionary to Mindanao.
It was the first time that Minister Ebrahim, a rebel leader turned head of a new political entity in the island created as a result of the 10 year Mindanao peace process with Manila, personally witnessed the celebration and it was the first time the grand event was jointly participated by the Cotabato City and BARMM governments.
“I am very happy that after the struggle of the Bangsamoro, I am here with you celebrating this most important celebration of our generations,” Minister Ebrahim said during the opening program of the culminating activity.
“This creative and meaningful ceremony is a symbol of the past journey and adventure of those who lived before us and left civilized and progressive communities and rich cultures that we take pride in and cherish until now,” he said.
“This day is the most important day for the Bangsamoro people as it marks the formation of our identity
MEMBERS of the New People’s Army in Mindanao are virtually unaffected by the demise of Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison.
The 83-year-old Sison died from an illness on December 16, 2022 in The Netherlands.
“He did not seem a leader of the CPP for a long time. He was detached from the group he founded and was not connected to us in the NPA for decades,” an Ilonggo NPA commander in an upland town in South Cotabato province told reporters via text message.
He was reached by reporters for comment with the help of local officials in T’boli town in South Cotabato and two tribal datus in the area.
The source, whose group is operating in the hinterlands in T’boli, Surallah and Lake Sebu towns in South Cotabato, said he and his men, in fact, had sent surrender feelers to Army units in South Cotabato.
“The NPA shall soon be dead. The death of Mr. Sison is the last nail that would seal the CPP’s coffin,” he said.
More than 200 NPAs have surrendered in batches to units of 6th ID in the past 16 months, achieved through the efforts of Army officials, local executives and peace advocacy groups supporting the division’s peace programs in central Mindanao.
“I did not feel he (Sison) was a leader of the CPP since I joined the NPA in 1987,” a commander, who belongs to South Cotabato’s T’boli tribe, said.
Three former NPA commanders who surrendered early this year to the 6th ID separately said they never regarded Sison as CPP’s figurehead while they were still operating, as NPAs, at the upland border of South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces.
“His demise has no effect at all on rebel groups in Mindanao under the CPP,” one of the three former NPA commanders, Andig Munsido, told reporters. JFU
as Bangsamoro in this part of the country. Without the coming of Shariff Kabunsuan, Bangsamoro will never exist,” said Minister Ebrahim as the crowd applauded.
In his speech, Cotabato City Mayor Bruce Matabalao also stressed the message of peace and unity despite diversity.
“More than the display of this colorful bancas (motorboat),” Matabalao said. “This celebration symbolizes strong Islamic faith in Mindanao at the same time respecting and living side by side with peoples of various faiths, culture and tradition,” Matabalao said in the vernacular.
"May we be reminded that other than faith, it is the message of peace and unity among those who shared the same that this festival wants us to share and remember that Cotabato City, being the crown jewel of BARMM, and for all,” he added.
This year’s theme was: “One Heritage, One Culture, Endless Possibilities.”
The festival was the time of the year when Bangsamoro people are gathered together to witness the annual spectacle remembering the arrival of Islam in Mindanao.
It showcased beautiful arts, rich culture and tradition, mouth-watering local cuisine, and amazing people of the Bangsamoro region.
A “Grand Pagana” (thanksgiving) at the Cotabato City hall hosted by Mayor Matabalao ended the five-day festival. EOF
THE local police, the Army's 602nd Brigade and local officials are still trying to put a closure to last week's grenade attack that rocked the premises of the Carmen Municipal Police Station in Carmen town in Cotabato province.
Two men riding a motorcycle together set off a grenade near the entrance to the municipal police station, causing panic among residents.
Major Gen. Galido, 6th Infantry Division commander, told Mindanao Cross Wednesday that brigade officials are helping the local police determine if the two men were members of a local terrorist group.
He said the suspects could, also
GEN. SANTOS CITY - A big group of New People’s Army guerillas, 13 of them experts in fabrication of home-made bombs, surrendered in Sarangani province last December 15, reports from the military and the office of Gov. Ruel Pacquiapo said.
The NPAs from Sarangani’s adjoining Maasim, Kiamba ang Maitum towns turned in assault rifles, shotguns, pistols and improvised explosive devices.
They renounced their NPA membership before Army Major Gen.
possibly, be plain criminals or have a grudge with members of the Carmen municipal police.
The Carmen municipal police had earlier said no one was hurt in the explosion but the bombing sent people in the surroundings running for their lives.
Probers are still trying to identify the bombers, who immediately sped away after one of them hurled the fragmentation grenade near the entrance to the police station.
Intelligence agents from the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade based in Barangay Kibenes, Carmen are helping the local police locate the culprits. JFU
Roy Galido, 6th Infantry Division commander, Gov. Pacquiao and other local executives during a simple rite at the headquarters of the Army’s 38th Infantry Battalion in Maasim.
“Credit for their surrender should go to the provincial government of Sarangani and the local officials in the towns where they operated as NPAs,” Galido said.
He said the 36 NPAs agreed to surrender through the backchannel intercession of Pacquiao, who is chairman of the Sarangani provincial
peace and order council, the mayors of three towns and Army officials.
More than a hundred NPAs have surrendered in batches to units of 6th ID in central Mindanao since January 2022.
Galido said the 36 NPAs who yielded to the 38th IB shall be jointly reintroduced to mainstream communities by the office of Pacquiao and 6th ID with the help of government line agencies.
The NPA is known for venting ire on members who have surrendered and their relatives. JFU
No clues on police station bombing yet