DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/27 February) – The Commission on Elections’ website, www.comelec.gov.ph , has an icon on the right column (Online Precinct Finder) that you click on to find your voting precinct anywhere in the country (am not sure if it includes data for those registered abroad).

The anguish brought by the recent violence that rocked Maguindanao has somewhat subsided as seen on the faces of civilians trying to live normal lives now. But the surrounding countryside is displaying worrying signs. Leaves and grasses are slowly turning yellowish due to the extreme heat brought by El Niño to the province. A creek [...]

DAVAO CITY (MAAS/19 Feb) – MAAS members slammed President Arroyo’s plan to create an independent task force to evaluate claims whether aerial spray should be banned or not. Liezl Bacalso, a MAAS member from Sirib in Calinan District, questioned the logic behind the decision since there were already previous studies conducted by government experts on [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/19 February) — The Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panels have postponed to March their February 18 to 19 meeting in Kuala Lumpur to review the drafts on the

DAVAO CITY (Katribu/18 Feb) — Katribu Partylist, an Indigenous People’s sectoral party, kicked off its pro-Davaoeno, pro-Lumad campaign mantra with a motorcade – float parade which passed through the city’s major thoroughfares leading to People’s Park today. “This is Katribu’s post-Valentine event which promotes love for our culture and our heritage. This is also in [...]

Gabriela Women’s Party expressed today grave concern on the reported power crisis badly hitting Mindanao. Power failure in the island on election day would mean failure of the procedure. Malacañang allies in the House of the Representatives have proposed granting Gloria Macapagal Arroyo emergency powers based on this alarming report. “We fear that Mindanao, where [...]

Health groups today slammed the military’s malicious statement regarding some of the health worker-trainees’ capacity to learn health skills with regard to their educational attainment. Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato, spokesperson of the Armed Forces’ 2nd Infantry Division said in an interview that the trainees’ profiles revealed that some of them reached only elementary and high [...]

Manila – February 18, 2010 – Since the law’s passage in 1991, some analysts have questioned whether the landmark Local Government Code that decentralized powers and devolved services from the national government has made significant impact at the local level. The Asia Foundation, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), launched [...]

BARANGAY BULIOK, Pagalungan, Maguindanao (MindaNews / February 12) -  The rubble, the bullet-riddled walls, the bomb craters have remained. And though not visible, the wounds of war have yet to heal for thousands of residnents who were forced to leave their homes when government forces bombarded this village during the Eid’l Adha congregational prayer on [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/4 Feb) – Police authorities here are drawing up stringent security measures in preparation for the city’s 71st foundation anniversary celebration and Kalilangan Festival 2010 slated later this month. Senior Supt. Marcelo Pintac, city police director, said Thursday they initially launched an assessment on the city’s security situation and crime incidence to [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/4 Feb) – The city government here has collected some P69 million from business taxes and other related payments during the four-week operations of its one-stop action center for business renewal and registration in the city. City Treasurer Rodilon Lacap said such collection mainly came from payments made by more than 6,200 [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/03 February) – At least 16 Bangsamoro civil society organizations and networks passed a resolution Tuesday calling on ARMM Acting Governor Ansaruddin Alonto Adiong to “retain and sustain” Bai Nariman “Ina” Abdullah Ambolodto “as vice governor concurrent acting governor of the province of Maguindanao.” In a two-page resolution, leaders of the Bangsamoro CSOs [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/01 February) – Civil society representatives are worried over reports that Acting Maguindanao Governor Bai Nariman “Ina” Ambolodto will be replaced by a traditional politician soon. Earlier, on January 28,  Local Governments Undersecretary Marius Corpus told reporters at the DILG in Quezon City that “as part of overall efforts by the government to [...]