Mindanao Examiner Newspaper

ARMM Northern Mindanao Davao Manila Zamboanga Peninsula

Founded 2006 mindanaoexaminer.com P10 Apr. 1-7, 2013FOR ADVERTISEMENTS, PLEASE CALL (062) 9925480

FOR SALEToyota

Innova GP595,000

Call 0917-7103642Zamboanga City

SAVING WARREN RODWELLkey Fkey Fkey Fkey Fkey Filipino negotiator behind the success-ilipino negotiator behind the success-ilipino negotiator behind the success-ilipino negotiator behind the success-ilipino negotiator behind the success-ful rful rful rful rful release of kidnapped an Aelease of kidnapped an Aelease of kidnapped an Aelease of kidnapped an Aelease of kidnapped an Austrustrustrustrustralianalianalianalianalianadvadvadvadvadventurenturenturenturenturer er er er er WWWWWarrarrarrarrarren Ren Ren Ren Ren Rodwodwodwodwodwell ell ell ell ell said he said he said he said he said he was awas awas awas awas avictim of arrvictim of arrvictim of arrvictim of arrvictim of arrogance and abuse bogance and abuse bogance and abuse bogance and abuse bogance and abuse by airpory airpory airpory airpory airportttttimmigrimmigrimmigrimmigrimmigration officials in Sation officials in Sation officials in Sation officials in Sation officials in Syyyyydneydneydneydneydney.....

Al Rasheed Sakkalahul,the deputy governor ofBasilan, who played a vitalrole in saving the life of the54-year old WarrenRodwell, remembers wellthe bitter memories whenin 2006, he was sent to Aus-tralia along with other gov-ernment officials, to attendan important event hostedby the League of Vice Gov-ernors of the Philippines.

There, at the SydneyAirport, he was whiskedaway by immigration offi-

KAKAMPI NG MASA, JV EJERCITO ESTRADA: San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito Estrada enjoysthe interaction with supporters at the UNA campaign rally in Koronadal City in South Cotabatoprovince in Mindanao. The southern Philippine region is a known bailiwick of the Estradas.

AAAAA

JV Ejercito Estrada grateful forbig jump in latest SWS survey

MANILA - United Na-t ional ist Al l iance(UNA) candidate SanJuan City Rep. JVEjercito Estrada ex-pressed his gratitudeto the public after heranked 3rd in theMarch Pre-Elect ionSur vey of the SocialWeather Stat ions(SWS).

The survey fieldedon March 15 to 17showed that JV EjercitoEstrada was one of thebiggest gainers amongsenatorial candidatesas he improved hisranking by six notches.He was favored by 48%of the respondents.

"Muli, salamat posa sambayanang Pi-l ipino sa patuloyninyong pagpapakitang suporta at tiwalasa akin. Sakal ingmapabilang sa Se-nado, gagawin ko angaking makakayaupang mapaginhawaang buhay ng mgaPil ipino," said JVEjercito Estrada.

The San Juan so-lon is consistently in-cluded in the top 10senatorial candidatespreferred by respon-dents in recent sur-veys conducted by theSWS, Pulse Asia, andStratPOLLS.

Basilan Vice Governor Al Rasheed Sakkalahul shows his prayerbeads as he narrates his sad experience from the hands ofAustralian immigration officials at Sydney Airport. (MindanaoExaminer Photo)cials after a search of his

luggage yielded a pack ofcigarettes. And worse, whenthey examined his passport,his Muslim name and theprovince where he camefrom had become an issue.Even the prayer beads thathe was bringing in hispocket were nearly seized.

He says his bags wereslashed with a knife, andlocks of his luggage de-stroyed in front of him by animmigration official as theysearched over his things.

“They were all brute. Itwas really degrading. Myperson and my dignity weretotally trampled upon bythose immigration people

at the Sydney Airport. It isreally difficult to forgetthose things and up to nowI can still feel the pain in myheart, but there is nothing Ican do now, but to move onand put those all embar-rassments behind me,”Sakkalahul tells the re-gional newspaper Min-danao Examiner.

Sakkalahul, who be-longs to a prominent fam-ily in the Muslim provinceof Basilan, says despite hissad experience at the hands

my best to help them andthank God that we suc-ceeded in bringing outRodwell safe and alive. Godhas rewarded us and heardour prayers,” Sakkalahulsays.

In January, the AbuSayyaf released a video ofRodwell surrounded bymasked gunmen as hepleaded for his life. In thatclip, one of Rodwell’s cap-tors read a statement: “To

the Australian government,in behalf of the majlisusShura of AlharakatulIslamiyya in southern Phil-ippines, we officially informyou that your citizen War-ren Rodwell is in our cus-tody and control since hewas abducted at Ipil,Sibugay Province,Mindanao Philippines lastDecember 5, 2011 and nowfacing Islamic sharee’ah, ifyou have concerned withyour men, we will give youa chance to save his life be-fore it’s too late, as soon aspossible time, otherwise hewill suffer unusual way ofdeath.”

In the last video,Rodwell was holding anewspaper dated January25 and his captors – oneholding a machine gun andthe two others brandishingautomatic rifles – stood byhis sides.

“To our brothers in Is-lam we would like to makeit clear that our activities likethis are not for personal in-terests or just to gain moneyfor personal use, let it beknown to everyone we areon war against the forces ofshaytan in the Philippines,its allies and supporters, andwhatever we gain from thiswar is to be used for our fu-ture operations and othernecessities,” the Abu Sayyafsaid. (Mindanao Examiner)

of the Australian immigra-tion people, never did hethought of ignoring thepleas of Rodwell’s Filipinowife, Miraflor Gutang, 28, tosave the life of the Sydneyman.

“I really never thoughtof that. The first thing thatcame to my mind is to savethe life of that Australianman being held by the AbuSayyaf. Rodwell’s wifesought my help and it is myduty and responsibility as agovernment official to help(Mira)Flor, and to saveWarren’s life, and all thesebecause of my great hu-manitarian concern,” hesays.

Sakkalahul says he ex-pected nothing in return forsaving the life of Rodwell. “Iam just happy that all theseproblems are now over andWarren is finally reunitedwith his family and lovedones,” he says.

Rodwell was kid-napped in December 2011from his seaside home inthe town of Ipil inZamboanga Sibugay Surprovince. And before dawnon Saturday, Abu Sayyafmilitants have freedRodwell in Pagadian City inthe neighboring province ofZamboanga del Sur.

“I have done my part,my duty and responsibilityas an elected official of theprovince. When the Filipinofamily of Rodwell soughtmy help three weeks ago, Itold them that I will try all

Filipino Army Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang puts up a photo of Abu Sayyaf terroristcommander Puruji Indama, who is linked to the kidnapping of Australian adventurer WarrenRodwell, who was freed last week in Pagadian City after his Filipino wife Mirafor Gutang paidP4 million ransom. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Apr. 1-7, 20132 The Mindanao Examiner

Members of a task force handling Sabah refugees assists Filipinos who arrive Sulu province from the eastern Malaysian state. (Photos courtesy of Sulu Area Command Council)

160 Filipinos who escaped Sabah rescued at seaSULU – A Philippine Navypatrol boat rescued morethan 160 Filipinos afterspending four days drift-ing at sea on a woodenboat that escaped the vio-lence in Sabah where Ma-laysian security forces arefighting armed membersof the Sultanate of Sulu,officials said.

Officials said theboat’s engine broke downin rough seas between thesouthern Philippine prov-inces of Tawi-Tawi andSulu.

The passengers,mostly Muslims from thePhilippines, had escapedfrom the eastern Malay-sian state fearing a mas-sive crackdown on Filipi-nos is underway, saidFazlur-Rahman Abdulla,head of the Sulu Area Co-ordinating Council andmember of a special gov-ernment task force onSabah refugees.

“We only learnedabout their plight after re-ceiving information fromanother vessel which also

escaped the violence inSabah. As soon as we gotthe information and re-layed this to the Philip-pine Navy and the Philip-pine Air Force, a searchand rescue operation wasmounted and we have re-covered all of them,” hetold the regional newspa-per Mindanao Examiner.

He said a military he-licopter first spotted thevessel and dropped foodand water for the passen-gers until the patrol boatarrived late on Thursday

and rescued all aboardthe stricken boat.

Fazlur said the refu-gees, 104 adults and 57children, were taken to aprocessing center on or-ders from Sulu GovernorSakur Tan, head of the cri-sis management commit-tee, and provided themfood and shelter; and thata medical team also ex-amined the children andthe elderly. He said thePhilippine Red Cross andother government agen-cies helped in the pro-

cessing of the refugees.He said dozens of

refugees also arrived boboat in the town ofParang also in Sulu prov-ince after fleeing Sabah.Most of the refuges arenatives of Basilan prov-ince.

Fazlur said the refu-gees at first would not getoff the boat after seeinguniformed policemenguarding the pier for fearthey would be arrested,but all eventually agreedto disembark after offi-

cials explained to themthat the policemen werepart of security in thearea.

Malaysia is battling arag-tag army of loyal fol-lowers of Sulu SultanJamalul Kiram wholanded in February inLahad Datu town inSabah to exert their de-termination and histori-cal rights over the island,which is also beingclaimed by KualaLumpur. (Mindanao Ex-aminer)

DSWD mopalapad sa ilangtabang sa Sabah returneesPAGADIAN CITY - Ang Depart-ment of Social Welfare and De-velopment (DSWD) inabagansa Department of Foreign Af-fairs (DFA), Bureau of Immigra-tion (BI) ug Department of La-bor and Employment (DOLE)mo-establisar ug sa ka one-stop-shop processing center saTaganak, Tawi-Tawi aronpagpasayon sa paghatag ug le-gal nga dokumento sa mga un-documented nga mga Pilipino,pamahayag ni DSWD SecretaryCorazon Juliano-Soliman.

“Kini makahatag kase-gurohan nga sila dili mga illegalentrants ug makadawat usabsila sa legal nga pag-empleyokon ugaling mobalik sila saSabah,” gipasabot ni Soliman..Sukad niadtong Marso 17, sumatotal sa 1,026 ka mga pamilyagilangkoban sa 2,818 ka mgatawo gikan sa Sabah angnahidangat sa Tawi-Tawi ugSulu. Sa total nga returnees, 450ka mga pamilya uban sa 1,162ka mga tawo ang niabot sa Tawi-Tawi samtang 576 ka mgapamilya uban sa 1,656 ka mgatawo ang nahidangat sa Sulu.Silang tanan gihatagan ug mgapagkaon ug transportasyonaron ihatod sila sa ilang tagsa-tagsa nga panimalay.

Si Soliman mitaho ngalima ka mga evacuation centersang gibutang sa Sulu ug Tawi-Tawi sukad nagsugod angkagubot ug nagpabilin kining

bukas aron sa pagdawat ugmohatag counseling ug debrief-ing sa ubang mga Pilipino ngamobalik dinhi. Kapin sa P7.6milyon nga bili sa mga reliefgoods ang gipadala sa DSWDaron dugangan ang kina-hanglanon sa kagamhananglokal sa Sulu ug Tawi-Tawi.

Sa Tawi-Tawi, ang mgagipadala nga relief goodsmikabat sa 1,500 sakong NFAnga bugas, 575 karton sasardinas, 80 ka mga karton samineral water, 285 karton sacorned beef, 232 karton sa gatas,ug 1,500 family food packs. SaSulu, 1,150 sako sa NFA ngabugas, 575 karton sa sardinas,81 nga karton sa mineral water,300 nga karton sa corned beef,232 karton sa gatas, ug 1,500-family food packs.

Alang sa mga Pilipino kinsadili na gusto mobalik sa Sabah,ang DSWD uban sa tabang sakagamhanang probinsyal saTawi-Tawi ug Sulu, mohatag ugcore shelter kanila. Ang DSWDmaoy mohatag sa pondo sapagtukod sa mga yuta ngamahimong gamiton.

Sa susamang higayon, angcash for work program angigaimplementar aronmotabang sa mga mibakwitnga Pilipino. Alang sa mediumterm, panginabuhian angihatag usab niadtong dili namobalik sa Sabah. (Claro A.Lanipa)

The Mindanao Examiner 3Apr. 1-7, 2013

Sayyafs free Malaysian fish merchantafter 17 months in captivity

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Sus-pected Abu Sayyaf mili-tants have freed a Malay-sian fish merchant theyseized 17 months ago inTawi-Tawi province in thesouthern Philippines, re-ports said.

The 48-year old PangChoon Pong, a native ofSandakan in Sabah Island,has returned to his family,the Malaysia’s onlinenewspaper The Star said.

Malaysian officials ne-gotiated for Pang’s safe re-lease in Sulu provincewhere he was taken follow-ing his kidnapping in Oc-tober 5, 2011 in Tawi-Tawiprovince.

Sabah Chief MinisterDatuk Seri Musa Amansaid the release was se-cured through careful andtireless negotiations withthe kidnappers. “Weempathise with the familyand the trauma they musthave gone through. Assuch we decided to inter-vene and assist in securingPang's release,” he said.

The report quoted theChief Minister as sayingthat the family shouldthank Malaysian PrimeMinister Datuk Seri NajibTun Razak for his concernover the plight of Pang andhis family.

“As you can see theleaders of the day are thosewho listen and reach out tothe people regardless ofrace and religious back-

ground,” he said.Following his release,

Pang was flown to KualaLumpur before heading toKota Kinabalu on Thurs-day, where he reunitedwith his family members atthe Chief Minister's officialSeri Gaya residence.

“I am very thankful toPrime Minister Datuk SeriNajib Tun Razak, our ChiefMinister and all the leaderswho helped reunite mewith my family,” Pang said,adding “I have been awayfor so long and am justhappy to see my family.”

The report said amongthose who welcomed Pangat Seri Gaya were DeputyChief Minister Datuk YeeMoh Chai, Industrial De-velopment Minister DatukRaymond Tan and Assis-tant Minister in the ChiefMinister's Department,Datuk Edward Khoo, aswell as Kota Kinabalu Chi-nese Chamber of Com-merce President, DatukMichael Lui.

Pang was seized by fivegunmen in the village ofLarap on Sitangkai Island.The Philippine militaryalso linked Pang’s Filipinotrading partner to the kid-napping.

Senior SuperintendentAntonio Freyra, the Sulupolice chief, said the AbuSayyaf is still holding aJapanese treasure hunter,Toshio Ito, 66, since 2010and was last reported to

have been helping therebel group in cookingfood for them and freelymoves around.

He said aside from theJapanese, the Abu Sayyaf isalso holding Jordanianjournalist Baker Atyani, 43,who went to Sulu provincealong with two Filipino as-sistants in June 2012 to se-cretly film the Abu Sayyaffor a documentary on AlArabiya News Channel.The Filipinos were bothfreed this year.

Prior to his detention,Atyani has had previouslytravelled to the province insecrecy to interview terror-ist leaders, the Philippinemilitary said.

The military has previ-ously said it would arrestAtyani for espionageshould he be released bythe Abu Sayyaf. Atyani hadalso clandestinely inter-viewed Al-Qaeda leaderOsama bin Laden beforethe 9/11 attacks in theUnited States.

Freyra said two Euro-pean wildlife photogra-phers Ewold Horn, 52,from Holland; and LorenzoVinciguerre, 47, from Swit-zerland, kidnapped in Feb-ruary 2012 in Tawi-Tawiprovince had been broughtto Sulu. Police in Tawi-Tawisaid the duo was allegedlyseized by members of theMoro National LiberationFront. (Mindanao Exam-iner)

JUST SAY

NO!

Twister kills 10 in Southern PhilippinesCOTABATO CITY – Ten peoplewere killed – six of them chil-dren - and two other minorsare missing, after their pumpboat was hit by a twister in themiddle of the Lingusan Marshin the southern Philippineprovince of Maguindanao,police said.

Police said the victimsjust came from a prayer for adeparted relative in the village

of Tugal and heading homewhen the powerful tornadoswooped down on them.

“They are in the middle ofthe marsh when the powerfultornado struck,” saidMaguindanao police chiefRodelio Jocson.

He said six other people,inclduing the boat operator,survived the tragedy. Thetown’s mayor, Alan Angas, led

villagers in rescuing the vic-tims and retrieving the dead.

Those killed were KudtogPanonggo, 63; Seno Blah, 40;Baikung Kudtog, 30; FaridaKudtog, 28; Paano Kudtog, 7;Montoki Kudtog, 9; BenzarMakakwa, 8; Amilod Kudtog,8; Datu Manaot Makakwa, 6;and Mary Jane Makakwa, 4.Still missing are Amer Kudtog,5, and Samer Kudtog, 3.

Police said those who sur-vived the tragedy are ErnieMotin, 30; Brando Nando, 20;Alaisa Saptola,42; SaudiKudtog, 7; Alaisa Kudtog, 5;and Normina Kudtog, 9.(Mindanao Examiner.Ferdinandh Cabrera)

A passenger plane descends in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. (MindanaoExaminer Photo)

Therma Marine ordered torefund excess payment to ZamboThe Aboitiz-ownedTherma Marine Inc. has torefund to the local powercooperative the amount ofP14, 252,557 following adecision by the EnergyRegulatory Commission,according to theZamboanga Chamber ofCommerce and IndustryFoundation Inc.

The decision wasbased on the differencebetween the final and theprovisionally approvedrate starting from theimplementation of provi-sional authority until theeffective implementation

of the final electricity ratefor Zamboanga City.

The Zamboanga CityElectric Cooperative pur-chased electricity in 2012from TMI, but it paid moreand the now has to be re-funded based on the finalelectric rate decided andapproved by ERC.

TMI may apply the re-fund or a portion of it toany outstanding obliga-tion Zamboanga City Elec-tric Cooperative and theremaining amount over aperiod of 12 months.

The interveners inthis case were the local

government, the Indus-trial Group of Zamboanga,the Employers’ Confed-eration of the Philippines(Zamboanga, Basilan,Sulu Tawi-Tawi chapter)and the ZamboangaChamber of Commerceand Industry Foundation,Inc.

The organizationswere represented by law-yers Bernardino Ferrer,Carl Andrew Rubio, EdgarLim, and Pedro RufoSoliven, of the ZamboangaChamber of Commerceand Industry Foundation,Inc. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP prRP prRP prRP prRP preeeeeparparparparpares fes fes fes fes for nor nor nor nor nururururursessessessessesdededededeploploploploployment in Geryment in Geryment in Geryment in Geryment in GermanmanmanmanmanyyyyyMANILA - The Philippines isnow preparing for the de-ployment of professionalFilipino nurses in Germany,the Department of ForeignAffairs told the MindanaoExaminer.

It said Filipino Ambas-sador to Germany MariaCleofe Natividad reportedon the preparations under-taken for the implementa-tion of the March 19 agree-ment between the Philip-pines and Germany that willfacilitate the placement ofhealth care professionals.

The accord was signedby Philippine Overseas Em-ployment AdministrationAdministrator Hans LeoCacdac and MonikaVarnhagen, of the GermanFederal EmploymentAgency.

With the signing of theagreement, active recruit-ment of Filipino nurses willcommence. The deploy-ment process would involvethe following steps - the se-lection of qualified nurses;the successful completion ofbasic German language

course in Manila; the atten-dance of a seminar on pro-fessional practices and onGerman culture; the match-ing of potential nursing em-ployers in Germany. Andfurthermore, languagetraining and adaptationprocess will take place inGerman hospitals.

The Philippine Em-bassy, POEA , and the Fed-eral Employment Agencywill work closely to ensurethe successful deploymentof the first batch of Filipinonurses this year.

Apr. 1-7, 20134 The Mindanao Examiner

The Mindanao Examiner Newspaper/Business Week/MindanaoDaily

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

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

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

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

Mobile: +63 9152756606

URL: mindanaoexaminer.comE-mail: [email protected]

The Mindanao Examiner

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS:

Lanao ProvincesAsa Madale

Zamboanga Sibugay/Zamboanga del Sur/Zamboanga del NorteEly Dumaboc

REGIONAL PARTNERSMindanao DailyBusiness Week

Gregorri LeañoJoanna Valerie Wee

Video Editor

Web MasterMindanao Examiner Productions

Media, Film and Television Productions

Maritess FernandezPublisher/Executive Producer (On Leave)

Al JacintoEditor-in-Chief/Producer (OIC)

NEWS/ADVERTISING OFFICES

Mark Navales Giovanni SolmeranoARMM Eastern Mindanao

Merlyn Manos Geonarri SolmeranoIligan City Southern Mindanao

Pilar Gina FernandoSales

Journalist awarded P6M in damagesMANILA - The Court of Ap-peals has ordered Japan’slargest commercial televi-sion network to reinstate aFilipino news producerand pay her millions of pe-sos in back wages anddamages for illegally ter-minating her after she wasdiagnosed with cancerfour years ago.

The CA’s EighthDvision ruled that Tokyo-based Fuji Television Net-work Inc. (Fuji TV) shouldreinstate veteran journalistArlene Samson-Espirituand pay her P6.5 million inbackwages, moral and ex-emplary damages, after athree-year legal battle.

The appeals court hasalso junked the motion forreconsideration filed byFuji TV.

Fuji TV Manila bureauchief Yoshiko Aoki alleg-edly forced Espiritu to re-sign immediately afterfinding out that the newsproducer had lung cancer.

The CA, however,found that the act of forc-ing Espiritu to resign wastantamount to illegal dis-missal.

“Since Fuji did not ob-serve due process in sever-

ing the employment ofEspiritu, We hold that shewas illegally dismissed,” itstated in its decision.

In a 16-page decisionpenned by Associate Jus-tice Edwin Sorongon, theappellate court rebukedFuji TV and the NationalLabor Relations Commis-sion (NLRC).

The decision stated,“Under Philippine disabil-ity laws, cancer patientsare considered disabledpersons who have the rightto equal opportunity foremployment and their dis-missal or termination fromwork due to their illnessalone is discrimination ofemployment.”

Reversing the earlierdecision of the NLRC, thecourt said that Espiritu hasbecome a regular em-ployee of Fuji with respectto the activities for whichshe was employed andhaving continuously ren-dered services which aredeemed necessary and de-sirable to the usual busi-ness of the television net-work.

The court also orderedFuji to pay complainant-appellant backwages com-

puted from the date of herillegal dismissal until thecourt issued its final deci-sion.

The CA also ruled thatEspiritu is entitled to theaward of moral and exem-plary damages.

“Award of moral andexemplary damages for anillegally dismissed em-ployee is proper where theemployee had been ha-rassed and arbitrarily ter-minated by the employer,”the decision stated.

Espiritu, for her part,said, “What was importantwas hope and knowingthat I still mattered, that Ican still do things,” shesaid.

“I was expecting Fuji tobe my hope. But Fuji didnot give me that hope,”Espiritu added.

Espiritu works afreelance reporter and pro-ducer. She had workedwith international newsorganizations such asCNN, Al Jazeera English,Asahi Shimbun, YomiuriShimbun and TV Asahi.She also does media andpublic relations con-sultancies. (Jomar Canlas -The Manila Times)

An apartment which doubles as a shop selling Chinese decors occupies this sidewalk in thevillage of Tumaga in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Chinese shop occupies Zambo sidewalkZAMBOANGA CITY - Anapartment, converted intoa shop selling Chinese de-cors, has occupied thissidewalk in the village ofTumaga in ZamboangaCity in the southern Philip-pines.

But despite this vulgarand illegal use of the side-walk being a public do-main, government au-thorities fail to act on thisglaring violation of the law.

It was not immediatelyknown whether the shop

has a government permit,but it also doubles as a"feng shui" center wherecustomers pay a certainamount of money to a pur-ported seer or fortune tellerto know about their future.(Mindanao Examiner)

Fishing boat sinks, 33 rescued off Sulu provinceMORE THAN TWOdozen fishermen wererescued after their boatcapsized and sank offthe southern Filipinoprovince of Sulu, theCoast Guard said

Lt. Jomark Angue,the local Coast Guardcommander, said 33fishermen were rescuedover the weekend, but 2others remain missing.“Chief Engineer RenatoVillalobos and oiler

Ireneo Buhayan are stillmissing,” he told the re-gional newspaperMindanao Examiner.

He said the boat, FBUni-18, tilted on its sidedue to uneven distribu-tion of its weight whilehauling off its catch andcapsized and eventuallysank.

“The survivors wererescued by their sisterships and efforts havebeen made to find their

two missing colleaguesyielded negative re-sults,” Angue said, add-ing those rescued weretaken to ZamboangaCity.

He said one of theboat’s Master FishermanRenato Castaneda waswounded in his right legand rushed to hospital.

Angue said the 18-year old boat, owned byYL Fishing Corporation,left Zamboanga on Feb-ruary 21 for a fishing ex-pedition off Sulu. Hesaid the boat had 5 crewmembers and 29 fisher-men. (Mindanao Exam-iner)

ZNCP annual induction,oath taking nagmalamposonDIPOLOG CITY - Malipayongnapahigayon sa Zamboangadel Norte Press Club (ZNPC)ang ika- 48TH Annual Induc-tion ug Oath-Taking Ceremo-nies didto sa Top Plaza Hotelning dakbayan.

Ang nasangpit ngakalihokan ang gitambongansa mga miyembro ugopisyales sa ZNPC sapagpangulo ni RosemarieMiranda, diin lakip usab ngamisalmot sa maongkalihokan ang mga pamilyasa mga miyembro sa ZNPC,ug uban pang mga bisitasama nila Bureau of Jail Man-agement and Penelogy Gen.Diogracias Tapayan, retiredambassador McArthurCarsino, Presiding JudgeMCTC-Piñan Pio Velasco,mga opisyales sa Kapisananng mga Broadkaster ngPilipinas gikan pa sakaulohan Manila, KBP Chair-man Jet Opilac ( dxAA Man-ager ) ug ang pinasidunggan

dinapit ug mamumulongmao si Education Superin-tendent City Schools Divisionning dakbayan mao si Dr.Victorina Perez.

Nasayran nga ang mganapiling bag-ong opisyales saZNPC alang na sa tuig 2013nga nanumpa atubangan samga nanambong ug ni In-ducting Officer Pio Velascomao sila

President, RosemarieMiranda; Vice-President,Eduardo Dela Cerna; Secre-tary, Vicente Carreon; Trea-surer, Crispin Garcia; Auditor,Roberto Pinsoy. Ang mgaBoard of Directors - Atty. Pe-ter Co, Rhey Davie Magdayao,Atty. James Cyril Ruiz,Maynard Baes, SamuelAmatong, Edwin Bation,Franklin Gumapon, ElmerRazo, Czarito Zamora, ugRuben Enoy

Dugang nasayran ngamipabati sa iyangpagpasalamat si Miranda sa

mga miyembro ug sa mgaopisyales sa pagpili usabpagbalik kaniya sa ikaupatnga higayon isip Presidentesa nasangpit ngakahugpungan sa Prensapinaagi sa ilang gihatag ngasuporta aron mamahimongpang magmalambuon angZNPC. Lakip usab ngagipasalamatan niini ang mgasponsors sama sa TVI Re-source Development (Phils.)Inc., U.S. Embassy, Depart-ment of Agriculture, NationalGrid Corp. of the Philippines,Zamboanga del Norte Elec-tric Cooperative, Vice MayorSenen Angeles ug sakagamhanang lokal ilawomsa pagdumala ni MayorEvelyn Uy ug mganamunuan sa Department ofEducation sa gigahin nilangtabang ug suporta atol sapagpahigayon sa ZNPC saCampus Journalism Work-shop miaging tuig dinhi salalawigan.

Apr. 1-7, 2013 5The Mindanao Examiner

Apr. 1-7, 20136 The Mindanao Examiner

Apr. 1-7, 2013 7The Mindanao Examiner

Mindanao Examiner Tele-Radyo is a Commentary & Opinion Show (news talk) broad-cast in Mindanao Examiner TV in Pagadian City (KISMET Cable TV & Pagadian CityCable TV Channel 63).For block time, booking or guesting, advertisements and spon-sorship, please call our Zamboanga Studio on telephone number (062) 9925480 andmobile number (0926) 1401713 or email us at [email protected].

Japan, Philippines sign2 yen loan projects

MANILA - Japanese Am-bassador Toshinao Urabeand Philippines ForeignAffairs Secretary Albert delRosario have signed andexchanged notes on twoyen loan projects.

The projects are theCapacity Enhancement ofMass Transit Systems inMetro Manila worth aboutP18.56 billion, and theNew Bohol Airport Con-struction and SustainableEnvironment ProtectionProject which cost someP4.63 billion - and twogrant aid projects, namely,the Mini-Hydropower De-velopment Project inIfugao province amount-ing to P380.67 million; andMini-Hydropower Devel-opment Project in Isabelaprovince worth P62.66million.

The Capacity En-hancement of Mass Tran-sit Systems in Metro Ma-nila includes the develop-ment of the Light RailTransit (LRT) Line 1 SouthExtension and LRT Line 2East Extension projectswhile the New Bohol Air-port Project involves theconstruction of a new air-port in Panglao Island,

which is compliant withinternational standards.

Japanese ForeignMinister Fumio Kishidaearlier conveyed Tokyo'sdecision to extend yenloans to these projectsduring his visit to Manilaon January 10 this year.The projects will be imple-mented by the Depart-ment of Transportationand Communications.

The mini-hydropowerdevelopment projects inthe provinces of Ifugaoand Isabela are part of theDepartment of Energy’sprogram to develop re-newable energy resourcesfor energy sustainability,stability and security. Hy-dropower is an attractivealternative source of elec-tricity because of its mini-mal impact on the envi-ronment.

These official devel-opment assistanceprojects on infrastructuredevelopment form part ofthe economic pillar of thePhilippines-Japan Strate-gic Partnership.

Japan continues to bethe country’s top source ofofficial developmentloans.

Nagkalat ang mga street children sa Zamboanga City tulad ng mga ito na nakatambay lamang sa labas ng Mindpro Mall nakung saan ay doon sila namamalimos upang may ipambili ng pagkain sa kanilang pamilya. Maging ang mga pulubi aydumarami na rin dahil sa matinding kahirapan at kawalan ng tulong mula sa pamahalaan. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Gobyerno magpatuman ug “stop gap measure” aronmasulbad ang problema sa enerhiya sa Mindanao

DIPOLOG CITY - Ang De-partment of Energyn a k a t a k d a n gmopresentar ug hina-naling solusyon saproblema sa krisis saenerhiya sa Mindanaoaron matabangan angmga patigayon batok sakanunayng pagkawala sakuryente, matod pa niPresidente BenignoAquino III.

Una niini, gikatahonga nanawagan ang mganegosyante sa Mindanaokang Presidente Aquino

nga mogamit sa iyangemergency power aronmasulbad ang krisis saenerhiya sa rehiyon ngaposibling maka-apektar sadagan sa patigayon ug saumaabot nga eleksyon saMayo.

Sumala pa sa HepeEhikutibo, mipasalig angDOE nga dunaysupisyenteng supply satubig ang mga dagkongdam nga magsiguro ngadunay kuryente ilabi napanahon sa eleksyon.

Ang nag-unangproblema sa hydroelectricsystem mao ang siltationtungod kay ang mgabasura sa suba, pun-an pasa illegal logging nganakadaot sa mga water-shed areas maka-apektarug dako sa kapasidadpagsupply ug elektrisidad,

Sumala pa saPresidente, ang posiblinghinanaling solusyon mao

ang diesel-powered gen-erators, tungod kay sayonraman himoon ang diesel-powered plants sa mgabarges.

“ D u n a ynagkinahanglan ugaksyon sa kongreso- anghiniusang resolusyon,akong nasabtan ngamaghatag kanamo uggahum sa pagpalit niini.Ilalom sa EPIRALAW,(Electric Power In-dustry Reform Act) dili namahimong mopalit ugusab ang gobyerno uggenerating capacity,”patin-aw pa sa Presidente.

Duha ka paagi anggitumbok sa Presidente-Una mao ang pagpalit.Ikaduha mao ang pag-abang gikan niadtongdunay generating capac-ity aron masolusyonanang kakulangan sakuryente sa Mindanao,matod pa niya.

Ang gobyerno puwedeusab nga mohunong na uggamit ug elektrisidadgikan sa diesel-poweredplants tungod sa kamahalniini. Ang mga pribadongkompaniya magsugod naug prodyus ug baratongkuryente sa 2014 ngadtosa 2015 ug ang mga diesel-powered generatorsguyuron na ngadto sa mgamisyonaryong lugar okadtong gitawag ngaSmall Power UtilitiesGroup areas, matod pa saPresidente.

Matod pa saPresidente nga anggobyerno magpahamtangug penalidad ug multa anggobyerno niadtongmokuha ug sobra kay sagitugot alang kanila,matod pa sa Presidente.

Pananglitan, angdakbayan sa Zamboanganga tua sa tumoy sa tap-anan makakuha lang uggamayng kuryente tungodkay ang mga lugar ngaduol sa tap-anan dakoman kaayog nakuha ngaenerhiya.

Luoy kaayo angdakbayan sa Zamboanga,tungok halos mahurot nasa dili pa makaabot kanilaang kuryente, matod pa niPresidente Aquino.(Alfonso T. Ruda)

Identity: MistakenA Proposal by Christianne Mae C. Balili, Jose Gabriel A. Cabaron, Bensaud O. Degusman,Khalil B. Lajarato and Varellie C. Vargas - Xavier University College of Law - Zamboanga.THE IDEA OF mistaken identity is commonlyfound in the plot of various movies - the leadingactor is mistakenly identified by the police as thatelusive criminal, he gets arrested and tortured,he makes his escape in the most action-packedway possible, and in the end he captures the realcriminal who is then made to suffer the sanc-tions provided by law. This, however, is a far-fetched happy ending for mistaken identitycases.

More than ten years ago, on 20 August 2002,members of the religious group Jehovah’s Wit-nesses were kidnapped in Patikul, Sulu. Subse-quently, a group of twenty individuals were ar-rested from different areas in Mindanao for al-legedly participating in the commission of thesaid kidnapping. These twenty individuals werealleged to be members of the Abu Sayyaf Group(ASG), a notorious terrorist group operating inthe Philippines known for their kidnapping andextortion activities.

The arrestees vehemently denied any in-volvement in the kidnapping and being mem-bers of the ASG, maintaining that they were in-nocent and mere victims of mistaken identity.They also claimed to be victims of maltreatmentby the police officers while under custodial in-vestigation.

Eventually, only three out of the twentyarrestees were positively identified by the wit-nesses as having participated in the kidnapping.As for the rest of the seventeen, there was notenough evidence to prove their participation,much more their membership in the ASG. It waslater found out that they were all arrested bymistake. To make matters worse, it was proventhat they suffered physical and psychologicalabuse in the hands of the police while under cus-tody.

The aforementioned is a clear case of mis-carriage of justice. It forms part of the myriad ofboth solved and unsolved cases of arbitrary ar-rests and mistaken identity, proof of the bittertruth of the prevalence of injustice in the Philip-pine “justice system”. This case should clearlyexpose the existence of gaps and holes in the ad-ministration of justice in the Philippines, whichgaps and holes are prevalent in the area of ser-vicing of warrants of arrest and conducting cus-todial investigation.

This paper proposes specific proceduresaimed at the reduction, if not total elimination,of cases of mistaken identity leading to miscar-riage of justice in the servicing of warrants andconducting of custodial investigations. Theserecommend procedures are: (1) improvementsin the arrest procedures; and (2) creation of areal-time centralized database.IMPRIMPRIMPRIMPRIMPROOOOOVEMENTVEMENTVEMENTVEMENTVEMENTS IN S IN S IN S IN S IN THE ARREST PRTHE ARREST PRTHE ARREST PRTHE ARREST PRTHE ARREST PROCE-OCE-OCE-OCE-OCE-

DURESDURESDURESDURESDURESMajor improvements in the present proce-

dures of arrest being employed by the policeforce are also recommended.

The current procedures employed in mak-ing an arrest start with the filing of a complaintbefore a judge who decides whether or not toissue a warrant of arrest. The warrant of arrestcontains the name and description of the per-sons to be arrested. Members of the police forcethen serve the warrant/make the arrest. Mostof the time, the person arrested is presented tothe public through press releases and press con-ferences. The current procedures as outlinedabove involve areas which are susceptible toabuse constituting violation of due process andother infringement of the basic human rights ofthe arrestee, and result to miscarriage of justice.

The first area of flaw is the filing of the com-plaint which serves as basis for the issuance ofthe warrant of arrest by the judge. In cases in-volving kidnapping and other heinous crimes,for obvious reasons, the complaints are not filedby the victims themselves. A complainant otherthan the victim gives a verbal testimony to thepolice officer, and the latter prepared a writtencomplaint based on the verbal testimony.

The complainant then affixes his signatureon the complaint. Such a method may soil theintegrity of the complaint because the policeofficer can fabricate the contents of the writtencomplaint for his convenience and personal in-terest. He can even force the complainant to signthe fabricated complaint against the latter’s willand hide the fabrication from the judge. Thisflaw in the process can be cured by requiring oralstatements rather than written complaints to bepresented to the judge.

This will greatly improve the credibility andaccuracy of information received by the judge,which will be the basis for deciding whether toissue the warrant of arrest or not. The increasein the time and effort required in making the oralstatements will certainly be immaterial whencompared to the improved credibility and ac-curacy of the information/complaint.

The second flaw is the person of the arrest-ing officer. More often than not, police officersconduct their arrests alone or in a group with-out being accompanied by an independent wit-ness. This gives the police officers the opportu-nity to make arrests according to their own dis-

cretion and identify the arrestee based solely ontheir own understanding of the information inthe warrant. This unbridled discretion is evenmore pronounced when the warrants of arrestambiguous, vague or too general. Some ill-minded police officers may use such flaw to fur-ther their own interests and ulterior motives. Ar-bitrary arrests of innocent citizens may also bedone for mere publicity’s sake.

To cure such defect, it is highly recom-mended that the arresting officer be accompa-nied by representatives of the Department ofJustice, the Commission on Human Rights, andif possible, the witness or complainant. The rep-resentatives of the Department of Justice and theCommission on Human Rights shall ensure thatthe procedures employed for the arrest are inaccordance with that set forth in law and thatthe rights of the accused during the whole pro-cess are protected. The witness or complainantshould ensure the proper identification of thearrestee.

Another notable flaw is the publicizing ofarrests through the media. This publicity natu-rally tends to give a sense of credit and glory tothe arresting officers. While recognition of theefforts of police officers is not in itself bad, it maytend to unduly move them to make shortcuts inthe process to be able to make as many arrestsas they can; hence, violating due process and thebasic human rights of the arrestee. Such publicexposure to the media should be controlled, ifnot at all avoided. Every accused is presumed in-nocent until proven guilty. Arrestees should notbe subjected to public ridicule.

CREACREACREACREACREATION OF DATION OF DATION OF DATION OF DATION OF DATTTTTABASEABASEABASEABASEABASETwo centralized, real-time databases

should be created and maintained: one for theaccused and suspects, and the other for infor-mants and agents of the peace force. The impor-tance of this is emphasized in the cases of allegedterrorists who are at large.

The first database for accused and suspectsshall contain a list of all known terrorists groupsand their affiliates. It shall include informationsuch as the name, family background, educa-tional background, associations, etc., and iden-tification pictures of known terrorists – both ar-rested and at large in the national and interna-tional front.

Every arrest made on account of allegedterrorism will be entered into the database, suchupdate being real-time. The database will bemaintained by the Chief of Police of every pre-cinct and be regularly checked by representa-tives from the Department of National Defenseand the Department of Justice. Such databasewill also be made available and accessible forregular inspection by representatives of theCommission on Human Rights.

Maintenance and operation of such a da-tabase is for the purpose of ensuring that infor-mation regarding terrorists is updated and well-maintained. This will ensure that only those whoare identified as the proper subject of warrantsare arrested, and the innocent shall remain freefrom any arbitrary arrest. For example, informa-tion is received regarding an individual, X, whohas a name identical to that of an identified ter-rorist.

The arresting officer will check the databaseto confirm the identification of the individual. Ifit matches the identification of the individual asprovided in the database, then the latter shall bearrest. Otherwise, the arrest procedures will beheld in abeyance and the identity of the indi-vidual will have to be rechecked. Eventually, thewarrant of arrest will be cancelled when it isproven that such is a case of mistaken identity.

Another purpose of the database is to pro-vide information to the arresting officer on theidentities of the terrorists in the locality andnearby places. This is helpful as terrorists areknown to be transferring from one place to an-other. the police force to ensure an efficient andeffective administration of justice.

CCCCCONCLONCLONCLONCLONCLUSIONUSIONUSIONUSIONUSIONNo justice system is perfect. At the time be-

ing, the Philippine justice system may be in animperfect state. However, neither is it in a ter-minal state. The Philippine justice system isevolving and progressing towards becoming abetter and improved system of protection, notonly of the public and the victims, but equally ofthe arrestees and the accused.

As the English jurist William Blackstone inhis seminal work, Commentaries on the Lawsof England, say, "It is better that ten guilty per-sons escape than that one innocent suffer"1.With this principle in mind, we strongly believethat the improvements in the arrest proceedingsand the creation of real-time centralized data-bases, as discussed in the foregoing, will greatlyhelp pave the way towards that envisioned soci-ety of justice. Through the continuous supportand teamwork of the officials and members ofthe police force, the Executive Branch, the Leg-islative Branch, the Judicial Branch of the Gov-ernment and the public at large, such a majortransformation in the justice system is not im-possible and far-fetched.

Apr. 1-7, 20138 The Mindanao Examiner

KISMET CableChannel 63

Pagadian City

Malaysia captures 2 keyleaders of Sulu sultan in SabahZAMBOANGA CITY – Ma-laysian authorities havecaptured two importantmembers of the Sultanateof Sulu in separateoperations in LahadDatu town in Sabahwhere security forcesare pursuing thegroup.

Police said localvillagers have tippedoff authorities aboutthe two men – one alogistic officer andthe other a military strate-gist – who were part of a200 loyal followers of SuluSultan Jamalul Kiram.

Authorities said only50 of the original membersof the rag-tag army are be-ing pursued by troops be-cause many of them hadbeen either killed or cap-tured in fierce clashes inSabah, an island beingclaimed both by Malaysiaand the Sultanate of Sulu.

Malaysia said it killedmore than 60 of thesultan’s men and capturedover 300 people who were

either supporting or aid-ing the group of SultanJamalul, who sent hisbrother Raja MudaAgbimuddin to Sabah inFebruary to lead thegroup.

Police said many ofthose killed in the Malay-sian offensive were foundcarrying amulets or talis-man; others had mysticwords tattooed on theirbody believing it would

save them from death orgive them invincibilityand supernatural powers.

But police said manyof the sultan’s fight-ers were not saved bytheir belief in the su-pernatural and diedfrom mortar explo-sions and gunshotwounds.

Mysticism isconsidered taboo inMalaysia, but in theMuslim provinces in

the southern Philippines,many believed in talismanand amulets that suppos-edly give them supernatu-ral power or ability to beinvisible to enemies,among other folktales.

Authorities said RajaMuda Agbimuddin man-aged to escape the assaultin Sabah and has fled tothe southern Philippineprovince of Tawi-Tawi.(Mindanao Examiner)

Malaysia humirit ng DNA samples sa Pinas!Hindi umano ibibigay ngMalaysia ang mga bangkayng napaslang na miyembrong Sultanate of Sulu kungwalang maibibigay ng DNAsamples ang kanilang mgakaanak.

Napatay ng Malaysiansecurity forces anf 62 follow-ers ni Sulu Sultan JamalulKiram na kabilang sa 200ipinadala nito sa bayan ngLahad Datu nuongnakaraang buwan sapangunguna ng kapatidnitong si Raja MudaAgbimuddin upangpanindigan na pagaari hg

Sultanate of Sulu ang Sabah.Ang Sabah ay kabilang

ngayon sa 15 estado atteritoryo ng Malaysia, ngunitibinigay ito ng Brunei sa Sul-tan ng Sulu nuong 17th cen-tury bilang pabuya sapagtulong nito sa magapiang rebelyon doon.

Nais ngayon ni DeputyInspector-General of PoliceTan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar namailibing ang mga bangkaydahil sa hindi na rin itomagkasya sa mga mortuariesng pagamutan sa Sabah at sanakaambang peligro ng sakitna posibleng makuha sa mga

naagnas na bangkay.Tinatayang nasa 50 na

lamang umano angtagasunod ni Raja Mudadahil marami na sa mga itoang nadakip sa mganakalipas na araw at sahuling pahayag ng Malaysiaay mahigit na sa 300 ang bihanito at karamihan ay hinulidahil sa hinalangtumutulong ang mga ito saSultanate of Sulu.

Sampuang parak atsundalo rin ang nasawi sapanig ng Malaysia dahil sasagupaan. (Mindanao Exam-iner)

DPT immunizationgikatakdang

pahimoon karongbulan sa Abril

DIPOLOG CITY - Gikatakdangipahigayon ang Diphtheria-Pertusis-Tetanus immunizationkarong umaabot bulan sa Abrilning tuiga alang niadtong mgakabataan nga nagpangidaron ugupat katuig ug onse ka bulan.

Nasayran ning buhatan saimpormasyon gikan niDonabelle Velasco ang Coordina-tor of Expanded Program on Im-munization and Animal BiteTreatment Center sa City HealthOffice ning dakbayan sa Dipolog. Ang nasangpit nga kalihukanang magahatag ug prayoridadniadtong mga bata nga walanakahuman sa ilang DPT immu-nization sa dihang usa pa sila kapuya. Usa kini ka follow-upbooster dose diin door-to-doorang pagsebisyo niini alang sapagsiguro sa kalamposan ningmaong bakuna.

Nasayran usab nga samatag pagbakuna, duna’ygibana-banang vaccine failurenga mokabat sa 15 %, busa aronsa pagpahugot niini,gikinahanglan gayud nga angtanang bata nga duna’ypangidaron sa nasangpit saunahan ang mahatagan samaong serbisyo. Busa subayniini, gi-awhag karon ni Velascoang tanang ginikanan ngaandamon ang ilang mga anakaron mahatagan sa nasangpitnga pagpabakuna.

Subay sa maong kalihukan,gi-awhag usab sa inahan ningdakbayan Mayor Evelyn Uy angtanang mga ginikanan ngaduna’y mga gagmay’ng anak sapagsanong sa kalagdaan sabuhatan sa panglawas, aron ka-proteheran sa mga inahan angilang mga anak gikan sa mganagkalain-laing sakit ngaposibleng motumaw gumikan sakapakyas unya sa pagpahimulosning nasangpit nga bakuna.

9The Mindanao ExaminerApr. 1-7, 2013

Bihag na parak ng NPA palalayain naDAVAO CITY – Palalayainna umano ng New People'sArmy ang bihag nitongparak sa Compostela Valleyprovince matapos naumapela ang pamilya nitoat iba pang mga grupo saMindanao.

Bihag ng mga rebeldesi Police Officer 3 RubenMagno Nojapa, Jr.,matapos itong masakotenuong Marso 18 sa isangNPA checkpoint sa bayanng Nabunturan. Nakatakasnaman ang kasamangparak nitong si Senior Po-lice Officer 2 RandyMasambo.

Mismong ang NationalDemocratic Front, angtumatayong political wing

ng Communist Party of thePhilippines, ang naglabasng kautusan sa NPA napalayain na ang bihag.

“The release decisionwas based on purely hu-manitarian grounds in thewake of the appeal madeby Nojapa's family andpeace advocates that haveexpressed support for a ne-gotiated settlement withinthe bounds of interna-tional humanitarian law,”pahayag pa ni Rubi delMundo, ang tagapagsalitang NPA sa SouthernMindanao.

Inamin rin ni DelMundo na inimbestigahanng NPA ang parak upangmalaman kung

maypagkakasala ito sapubliko, ngunit walanaman nakita angrebeldeng grupo upangpahabain pa angpagkakabihag nito.

“After Nojapa's cap-ture, he was investigated bythe responsible organ ofthe NPA custodial forceand no sufficient evidencewas established to warranthis prosecution for seriouscrimes committed againstthe Filipino people and therevolutionary movement,”wika ni Del Mundo.

“The prisoner’s orderof release is an exercise ofthe political power and au-thority of the People’sDemocratic Government.It is in compliance with theNDFP’s long-standingpolicy of lenient treatmentof prisoners of war and itsDeclaration of Undertak-ing to Apply the Provisionsof the 1949 Geneva Con-ventions and Protocol Iand the ComprehensiveAgreement on Respect forHuman Rights and Inter-national HumanitarianLaw.”

Nanawagan rin si DelMundo sa militar na itigilang opensiba nito saCompostela Valley upangmatiyak ang kaligtasan ngbihag sa kanyang paglaya,ngunit tikom naman angbibig ng mga opisyal sapahayag ng NPA.(Mindanao Examiner)

Prague Film Festival exhibits Pinoy films,honors director Brillante Mendoza

MANILA - Five films fromthe Philippines have beenshown at the Prague In-ternational Film Festivalor FebioFest from March14 to 22.

The five films in-cluded Director JunLana’s Bwakaw, and fourfilms by Cannes Award-winning director BrillanteMendoza - Lola, Tirador,Captive, and Thy Womb -which were given a mara-thon showing at theCinestar Andel cinema.

Philippine Ambassa-dor to the Czech RepublicEvelyn Garcia said: “Theselection of the five films

exhibited in FebioFestwas record-breaking as itmarked the most numberof Filipino films exhibitedin the 20-year stint of thePrague film fest.”

“The film showingwas timely as we cel-ebrate this year the 40thanniversary of the estab-lishment of diplomatic re-lations between the Phil-ippines and the Czech Re-public,” she added.

Garcia said theFebioFest gave tribute toMendoza for his works.Other honorees includedPolish actor-directorJerzy Stuhr, British pro-

ducer Jeremy Thomas,Finnish director AkuLouhimies, Italian actorGiancarlo Giannini, Brit-ish director RichardLester, Austrian directorUlrich Seidl, and Czechactress Zdena Studen-ková.

FebioFest is the larg-est film festival in theCzech Republic. The fes-tival presents a widerange of contemporaryand retrospective sam-pling of high-qualityfilms including alterna-tive, film-school andamateur works to a di-verse viewing public.DaDaDaDaDavvvvvao Oriental solid behindao Oriental solid behindao Oriental solid behindao Oriental solid behindao Oriental solid behind

JV EjerJV EjerJV EjerJV EjerJV Ejercito Estrcito Estrcito Estrcito Estrcito EstradaadaadaadaadaMATI CITY - United Na-tionalist Alliance (UNA)senatorial candidate JVEjercito Estrada visitedMati City in Mindanao’sDavao Oriental provincewhere he was greeted andcheered by a huge crowd.

Supporters and resi-dents chanted EjercitoEstrada’s name as he mo-tored around here in one ofhis recent visit to the south-ern Philippines, a knownstronghold of the Estradas.

Ejercito Estrada, alawmaker from San JuanCity and son of formerPresident Joseph Estrada,converged in downtownMati along with otherUNA senatorial candi-dates where they gavetheir speeches. Local lead-ers led residents in wel-

coming Ejercito Estrada’sgroup.

The young solon is nota stranger to Davao Orien-tal province, particularlyin Mati, because his fatherextended concrete eco-nomic and financial sup-port to the city during theincumbency of the lateMayor Francisco Rabat.And in past Presidentialelections, Estrada alwaysgarnered overwhelmingvotes from the electorateof Davao Oriental.

Political analysts herestrongly believed thatEjercito Estrada will surelymake it to the Senate, oreven win the top spot inthe mid-term polls.Ejercito Estrada is widelypopular in Davao regionand was one of few politi-

cians who donated to thevictims of Typhoon Bophawhich devastatedMindanao last year.

Both father and soneven went to the provinceto hand over some P1.7million in cash and 200bundles of assortedclothes for the typhoonvictims though GovernorCorazon Malanyaon.

While in Mati City,Ejercito Estrada urged thepeople of Davao Orientalto work hard and help theprovincial and local gov-ernment efforts to bringback the glorious past ofthe province. The provinceis where the MountHamiguitan Range - aprobable World HeritageSite - is situated. (DolOñez)

UNA senatorial bet JV Ejercito Estrada is welcomed by a huge crowd in one of his campaignsorties. Ejercito Estrada is a son of former President Joseph Estrada.

ARMM Northern Mindanao Davao Manila Zamboanga Peninsula

Founded 2006 mindanaoexaminer.com P10 Apr. 1-7, 2013FOR ADVERTISEMENTS, PLEASE CALL (062) 9925480

This space isfor you.

Call us now!(062) 9925480

TERROR MONEY!

Basilan Vice Governor Al Rasheed Sakkalahul, left, and Australian Warren Rodwell during his captivity in this screen grabfrom the last video released by the Abu Sayyaf. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

inumpirinumpirinumpirinumpirinumpirma na ni Bma na ni Bma na ni Bma na ni Bma na ni Basilan asilan asilan asilan asilan VVVVVice Gice Gice Gice Gice GooooovvvvvererererernornornornornorAl RAl RAl RAl RAl Rasheed Sasheed Sasheed Sasheed Sasheed Sakkalahul na nagbayad ngakkalahul na nagbayad ngakkalahul na nagbayad ngakkalahul na nagbayad ngakkalahul na nagbayad ngP4 milyP4 milyP4 milyP4 milyP4 milyon ron ron ron ron ransom ang pamilyang Pinoansom ang pamilyang Pinoansom ang pamilyang Pinoansom ang pamilyang Pinoansom ang pamilyang Pinoyyyyyni Ani Ani Ani Ani Austrustrustrustrustralian advalian advalian advalian advalian adventurenturenturenturenturer er er er er WWWWWarrarrarrarrarren Ren Ren Ren Ren Rodwodwodwodwodwellellellellellkapalit ang kalayaan nitokapalit ang kalayaan nitokapalit ang kalayaan nitokapalit ang kalayaan nitokapalit ang kalayaan nito.....

Sinabi ni Sakkalahul,na siyang naging ne-gosyador sa paguusap sapagitan ng pamilya atAbu Sayyaf, ay galingumano ang salapi kayMiraflor Gutang, 28, nasiyang ibinigay ng babaeat kapatid nitong siRoger bilang kabayaransa paglaya ni Rodwell,54, nito nuong nakaraanglinggo sa Pagadian City.

“It was Rodwel l ’swife who really workedhard for this negotiationto succeed and theypaid four million pesosto the kidnappers,” ani

Sak-kalahul sa panayamng Mindanao Examiner.

Hindi naman ma-batid ni Sakkalahulkung saan gal ing angsalapi at katunayan ayP7 milyon ang unanghiling ng Abu Sayyaf atibinaba i to sa P6.5milyon hanggang samagkasundo sa P4milyon.

“Mahirap talaga angnegosasyon pero sa awang Diyos ay nalagpasanrin natin ito at tayo aynagtagumpay,” aniSakkalahul.

Sinabi pa ni Sakka-

lahul na inamin niyaang pagbabayad ng ran-som ni Gutang upangpawiin ang mga ba-litang nakinabang ito saransom.

“I don’t want to beaccused by anyone thatI benefitted from thisnegotiation that’s why Icame with this admis-

sion. My only mission isto save the l i fe ofRodwell by getting himout from the AbuSayyaf ,” wika pa niSakkalahul.

Handa rin naman siSakkalahul na lumabassa anumang imbes-t igasyon kung mag-patawag ang pama-

halaang Aquino o angbansang Australia dahilmay mahigit na no-ran-som policy ang da-lawang bansa.

“I am clean. My con-science is clean and Iswear to G od that Inever benef i ted anysingle centavo from thisnegotiation, and even in

the past where I also ne-gotiated for the safe re-lease of other kid-napped victims, I nevergot any money for myown. I cannot stomachdirty money and use thisto feed my family andGod is my witness,” sabipa ni Sakkalahul .(Mindanao Examiner)

K

Rep. JV Ejercito Estrada.

MANILA – Ipinagtanggolni UNA senatorial candi-date JV Ejercito Estradaang kanyang amang sidating Pangulong Joseph“Erap” Estrada sa mgapatutsada ni Senator ChizEscudero ukol sa kanyangkontrobersyal ateskandalosong relasyonsa mas batang si HeartEvangelista.

Ibinabato ni Escu-dero kay Erap ang mgabintang kung bakitdismayado ang mgamagulang ni Heart sakanyang relasyon sadalaga. Matatandaangnagpatawag ng press con-ference ang mgamagulang ni Heart attahasang tinuligsa ng mgaito ang naturangpakikipagrelasyon ngkanilang anak sa masmatandang si Escudero.

Sinabi pa ng ama atina ni Heart na sa tuwing

haharap sa kanila siEscudero ay palagi itonglasing o naka-inom athindi marunong mag-bigay ng respeto sa sarilinilang tahanan. Bi-nansagan pang aroganteng mga magulang ni Heartang pulitiko na umano'yna-brainwash na angdalaga.

Paulit-ulit naman nanakikiusap ang mgamagulang ng batangaktres sa matandang siEscudero na layuan angkanilang anak dahil walaumano itong kinabu-kasan sa kanya na hiwalaysa asawa.

Mariin naman iti-nanggi ni JV EjercitoEstrada na may kinalamanang kanyang ama sa mgabatikos na tinatanggap niEscudero mula sapamilyang Evangelista atsa mga fans ng aktres atkaibigan.

“President Erap isbusy with his own cam-paign in Manila. Wala sacharacter niya angpagiging bengador atnamemersonal. Alamnaman ng lahat yan, kahitmga taong-Simbahan atmga naging kabahagi ngEDSA 2 ay naka-kapagpatunay diyan,”wika pa ni JV EjercitoEstrada.

Dapat umanongtigilan na ni Escudero angpagbibintang kay Erap, natumatakbo sa mayoraltyrace sa Maynila. “Sanatigilan na ang katuturo niChiz sa aking ama bilangnasa likod ng paglalantadng tunay niyang pagkatao.Siya nga ang nang-iwan saNinong niya nuong 2010,kaya baka minumulto siyang ginawa niya sa akingama. Baka naman maynagawa siyang kasalanansa ibang tao. Bakit ba lagi

Chiz, tigilan mo na si Pangulong Erap: JV Ejercito Estradana lang siPangulong Erapang nakikitaniya,” himutok pani JV EjercitoEstrada.

Inaanak niErap sa kasal siEscudero atnaging guestcandidadate rinng United Na-tionalist Alliance,ngunit ang TeamPNoy naman angsinamahan nitosa kabila pa ngpagiging malapitnito kay Erap atBise Presidente JejomarBinay.

May balitang gi-nagamit lamang diumanoni Chiz ang kasikatan ngbatang aktres para sasariling political gains.

“Sa ganang akin, kunganuman ang problemangdumarating sa atin, baka

mas magandang sa halipna maghanap sa ibangkapawa ng matuturongmay sala eh mas mabutingtignan ang sarili attanungin kung saannagkamali. Holy Weekngayon, napa-kainam ngpagkakataon na ito paramag-reflect sa sarili at

humingi ng kapatawaransa Maykapal at sa atingkapwa,” sabi pa ni JVEjercito Estrada napatama naman kayEscudero. Bagsak namansi Escudero sa bagong sur-vey na lumabas dahil sanaturang eskandalo.(Mindanao Examiner)