GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/31 Dec) — “Unsaon ni pagtubag? (Literally: How do we reply to this?) So many sweeping assumptions. A simple basic research on his part will go a long way … but how to tell him that… I’m not sure I should do it.” This, Prof. Rudy B. Rodil said in his e-mail [...]

A vendor stocks up on fireworks for the new year revelry along J. R. Borja Street, Cagayan de Oro City on Dec. 29. Vendors said buyers now prefer Chinese-made firecrackers or imitations made in Bulacan than the traditional whistle bombs and triangulos. MindaNews photo by Froilan Gallardo

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/30 Dec) – It’s still very quiet in Southern Mindanao and other areas under the area of responsibility of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division as both the government and forces of the New People’s Army (NPA) faithfully followed the 19-day ceasefire for the Christmas holiday. “We have a zero incident since the start [...]

MUSUAN, Maramag, Bukidnon (MindaNews/30 Dec) — Central Mindanao University’s new president, Dr. Ma. Luisa Soliven, knew that the position she officially assumes on January 1, 2011 is controversial and dreaded. But the first woman president of the 9,000-student university said she finds courage in the support given by the CMU stakeholders who put her in [...]

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/30 Dec) – The city council approved in a special session on December 17 the general fund budget of the city government at P596.4 million, with the budgets for city health and agriculture offices getting substantial amounts. City councilors held a closed-door discussion before they approved the budget. Councilor Roland Deticio told MindaNews [...]

KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/30 Dec) – An Army soldier belonging to the 7th Infantry Battalion was killed and another was seriously injured after they were attacked by unidentified motorcycle-riding men while manning the checkpoint along the highway in Kabacan, North Cotabato, around 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Authorities identified the slain soldier as Cpl. Rey Osoteo and [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (December 30, 2010) – Cash gifts given to government workers at Christmas time is a “Thank you” gesture in the spirit of Christmas. It is expected, brings joy and boosts morale. It is never intended to leave some bitter taste or injustice. From the national level cash gifts are fixed sums equally [...]

DAKBAYAN SA DABAW (Disyembre 29) — Kardo: “Panahon man sa Pasko karon, Pre, likayan nako ang mosaway. Mga maayong butang ang akong makita karong panahona. Gagmayng butang, gagmayng kalipay.” Berto: “Milagro kanang dako, Pre.” Kardo: “Ang unsa, Pre, ang dili ko mosaway?” Berto: “Dili, ang makakita kag butang nga makalipay nimo. If I know…” Kardo: [...]

DAVAO CITY (December 29) — We woke up this morning and he was gone from his cage, the door flung wide open. Searching for him in the yard proved fruitless. Sage sagged against the cement block on the front porch, dejected. It was some time later before she said, “I’m trying to convince myself it’s [...]

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (December 29) — After her release from six years of captivity by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Green Party presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt reiterated her call for peace negotiations between the Bogota government and the rebels. She was abducted in February 2002 while campaigning for the presidency. In an [...]

Elements of Task Force Davao check passengers’ baggage before entering the Davao City bus terminal days before the New Year’s Eve celebration.  thousands of passengers have flocked to the bus terminal for trips to the provinces this Christmas season. MindaNews Photo by Keith Bacongco

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/29 December) — The University of the Philippines in Mindanao insisted it has not violated any biosafety requirement in pushing through with the field testing of Bt eggplant in an experimental lot within the UP Mindanao campus. Prof. Nilo B. Oponda, UP Mindanao chancellor officer-in-charge, admitted though that the school failed to post [...]

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/29 December) – Seemingly smarting from the media mileage the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) gained during its 42nd anniversary celebration on Sunday, the 4th Infantry Division dished out some statistics to show it had more field successes compared to the CPP’s armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA). Amid [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/29 December) – Police personnel in Region 12 or Southwestern Mindanao have started sealing their service firearms in compliance with a Philippine National Police (PNP) directive against the use or firing of guns during the upcoming New Year revelries. Chief Supt. Gil Meneses, Region 12 police director, said Wednesday police units in [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/29 December) – Police operatives in South Cotabato have seized more than P12,000 worth of banned firecrackers and fireworks as they intensified their crackdown against the use and selling of illegal pyrotechnics in the area during the last two days. Chief Insp. Carlos Hallado, deputy provincial director for operations of the South [...]

HOLIDAY RUSH Passengers line up to get their bus tickets  at the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) days before the New Year’s eve celebration. The Cagayan de Oro route has the most number of passengers this Christmas season.  Mindanews Photo by Ruby Thursday

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/28 December 2010) –  Government peace panel chair Marvic Leonen remains “optimistic that talks with the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) will resume in January” and hopes the MILF “can share that optimism” even as it posted on its website on December 25 that it has “completely ruled out any peace talks” with [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/28 December) — Soldiers also look forward to the resumption of peace talks between the government and the communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF) but it should take place under a ceasefire, the spokesperson of the 10th Infantry Division stationed in Camp Panacan here said. ”Peace is what we soldiers want,” said Lt. Col. [...]

SAN AGUSTIN, Surigao del Sur (MindaNews/28 December) — Frail and now in his sixties, Jorge Madlos has emerged as the new face of the communist-led armed movement in the Philippines following the extended absence of the popular Gregorio Rosal, aka Ka Roger. Madlos recently met with close to 100 Philippine and foreign journalists on the [...]

DAVAO CITY (December 28) — That’s what you should always tell yourself especially when you’re living a life with social networking sites here and there. With privacy, security, and personal information on the line, you should always take extra precautions when sharing things on Facebook and Twitter. More importantly, you should be more careful with [...]

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/28 December) – Nine persons who surrendered last week as New People’s Army rebels are actually members of an extortion gang operating in the city, police said. The “surrenderees” was led by a certain Brian Duhaylungsod, alias Ka Nilo, supposedly a leader of the Samahang Yunit Propaganda. They surrendered four high [...]

Members of the New People’s Army march during  the 42nd anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines somewhere in the Mt. Diwata Range in Surigao del Sur on Dec. 26. NPA is a armed wing of the CPP.  MindaNews photo by Froilan Gallardo

SAN AGUSTIN, Surigao del Sur (MindaNews/27 December) – The crowd of supporters chanted “peace” as the speaker standing on a makeshift stage asked if the National Democratic Front (NDF) should seek a political settlement with the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III to end Asia’s longest running communist-led armed struggle. “Peace with justice!” retorted [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/27 December) – Civilians will continue to bear the brunt of the armed conflict in Southern Mindanao unless the peace talks between the government and the communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF) will resume, a leader of the partylist group Bayan Muna said. Ariel Casilao, regional coordinator of Bayan Muna for Southern Mindanao, said [...]

SAN AGUSTIN, Surigao del Sur (MindaNews/27 December) — In a country where divorce and contraceptives are taboo because of the strong influence of the church in this predominantly Roman Catholic country, Philippine rebels are taking up the cudgels of people with different sexual preferences. Communist leader Jorge Madlos, aka Ka Oris, on Sunday said gays [...]

SAN AGUSTIN, Surigao del Sur (MindaNews/27 December) — With barely two kilometers and a hill separating a large column of communist rebels and a platoon of government soldiers, Asia’s longest running insurgency celebrated its 42nd founding anniversary before thousands of supporters and barely two months before the expected resumption of the peace negotiation between the [...]

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/27 December) – Central Mindanao University now has a woman as its president, the first in the 100-year-old institution which started as an agricultural school. The CMU board of regents elected Dr. Maria Luisa R. Soliven, currently vice president for academic affairs, as the 8th president of the university on December 14, according [...]

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/27 December) – Promoting consumer welfare and protection will form the core of Konsumanteng Kagay-anon Inc.’s plans to work for a more empowered consumers in Northern Mindanao in 2011. KKI plans to carry this out by mobilizing public and private support for consumer welfare and protection rights. It also identified the [...]

SAN AGUSTIN, Surigao del Sur (MindaNews/27 December) – The spokesperson of the National Democratic Front (NDF) in Mindanao on Sunday gave assurance that all their guerilla units will abide by the outcome of the Front’s peace negotiations with the government.

CPP ANNIVERSARY. Surigao del Sur- A young recruit of the New People’s Army performs during a cultural presentation of the 42nd anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines somewhere in the Mt. Diwata Range in Surigao del Sur on Dec. 26. The chairs of the peace panels of the  government and the National Democratic [...]

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/26 December) — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has doused hopes expressed by the Philippine government the stalled peace talks will resume by January 2011, with the rebel group saying it would not be possible without first resolving the issue of facilitator. In an article posted Sunday in luwaran.com, MILF chief peace [...]

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/26 December)—The first of the two-tranche daily wage hike for workers in the private sector in Southwestern Mindanao is now officially in effect, top regional Labor department officials said. Ma. Gloria A. Tango, Department of Labor and Employment regional chief, said the second of the two-tiered minimum salary adjustment shall be on April [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/25 December) –  It was another “Silent Night, Holy Night”  as December 24 crossed over to December 25 this year, the 10th since the ban on the use and sale of firecrackers and other pyrotechnics was first implemented here in 2001. The ten-year old ban has not only saved hundreds of lives (zero [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/25 December) – A blast ripped off a portion of the roof of a Catholic chapel inside Camp Asturias, the Philippine National Police camp in Jolo, Sulu at around 7:15 a.m. today (Christmas Day), injuring six parishioners in the choir area “slightly.” The chapel is located a few steps from the main gate’s [...]

KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/25 December) — Two motorcycle-riding men gunned down the son of a former vice-mayor of  Datu Paglas town in Maguindanao, at around 9 a.m. on December 24, in neighboring Tulunan, North Cotabato. Insp. Marlon Sylvestre, chief of Datu Paglas Police, identified the victim as Rasul Datang, son of former Datu Paglas vice-mayor Datucan [...]

KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/25 December) — Bomb experts defused on Friday an improvised explosive recovered from a bus terminal in Kabacan, North Cotabato. Athough no one was hurt, the discovery of the bomb triggered panic among passengers of the Rural Transit Bus Company. Supt. Joseph Semillano, chief of Kabacan PNP, said the improvised explosive device (IED) [...]

A firefighter inspects one of the business establishments destroyed by fire Christmas morning in Bajada, Davao City.Fire investigators have yet to determine the cause of fire that started in an advertising company. MindaNews Photo by Keith Bacongco

(e-mailed afternoon of December 22 by Rene Estremera, UP Min’s public relations officer) This statement is issued by UP Mindanao to present its side on the December 17 and 18, 2010 incident wherein the Officer in Charge of the City Agriculturist Office of Davao City implemented the Cease and Desist Order of the City Mayor [...]

McALLEN, TEXAS (MindaNews/23 December) – A Mexican-American boxing promoter Edmundo Lozano of the Imperial Ed Promotions in South Texas who sued Manny Pacquiao for  $1.8 million for  alleged breach of contract, wants an out-of-court settlement as his gift this Christmas. And he is asking it from the world’s best pound for pound boxer. Edmundo Lozano [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/24 December) – The University of the Philippines in Mindanao (UPMin) is field testing Bt eggplant “to see if it can be a viable alternative to our commercial, pesticide-ridden eggplants” and not because it is working for multinational corporations, UPMin said in a statement. “What UP Mindanao is doing right now is just [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/24 December) —Mayor Sara Duterte is standing pat on her earlier stand against the coal-fired power plant in the city but it would be the city council, not the city chief executive, who will have the final say on the project, she said. The City Council is chaired by the vice mayor, Rodrigo [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/24 December) — Invited to come down from the hills to visit their families on Christmas day, the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in Paquibato city instead asked Mayor Sara Duterte and her father, vice mayor Rodrigo Duterte, to go to the hills and join them in the celebration of the 42nd year [...]

Since firecrackers have been banned in Davao City since 2001, residents will welcome Christmas and the New Year with toy horns, or “torotot.” MindaNews photo by Keith Bacongco

ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews/24 December) — I have been traveling these past weeks and I am amazed at how, across Mindanao, Christmas lights have created magical places, filling children with wonder and awe! Fortunately, it is safe to travel at night in most of these places so the sojourner is better able to appreciate how these [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/23 December) — Then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo used to regale the country through the media with assurances that the signing of the GRP-MILF final peace agreement was at hand. Between June 30, 2004 — the first such date — and June 30, 2010, she had set a number of dates. By June [...]

KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/23 December) – Cash gifts ranging from P2,000 to P35,000 each were released to the city government’s 1,500 workers on Thursday. Regular and casual employees numbering 620 received P35,000 each as cash gift, on top of the 13th month pay they received last month. Job order employees received P2,000 each as cash gift [...]

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/23 December) — The Japanese government has extended around P8.5 million to boost micro-entrepreneurship in South Cotabato, a leader of a non-government organization, said. Belen S. Fecundo, executive director of the South Cotabato Foundation, Inc., said the recently released Japanese grant would be used to expand its micro-credit program. Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura [...]

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/23 December) — The City Tourism Board has proposed a P5-million initial fund to develop this “city in the forest” as a tourism destination, Erlow Talatala, member of the board and public relations officer of the Northern Mindanao Tourism Council (NMTC) said. Talatala told MindaNews Mayor Ignacio W. Zubiri has endorsed the proposal [...]

COTABATO CITY (MindaNews/23 December) —  Security has been tightened in Shariff Aguak town following the explosion of an improvised bomb Wednesday morning inside a culvert at the front gate of an employee of the local civil registrar. No one was hurt by the explosion but the gate was totally damaged. The improvised explosive device (IED) [...]

Fireworks vendor Gazel Saripada prepares her display at a stall in Kidapawan City early morning today (Dec. 21). It is legal to sell fireworks in Kidapawan, but firecrackers are prohibited. MindaNews photo by Geonarri Solmerano