BAUNGON, Bukidnon (MindaNews/30 July) — After disappearing from public view for several weeks, former election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano told a press conference in his farm here Saturday afternoon that Malacanang had tried to convince him to testify that the Presidential election in 2004 was rigged to favor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Garcillano said Malacanang officials led by [...]

MAKATI CITY (MindaNews/30 July) – Government is eyeing a mini-Marshall Plan for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to implement the reform roadmap for the 21-month period — from noon of September 30, 2011 to noon of June 30, 2013 – when the region will be administered by caretakers appointed by President Benigno Simeon [...]

MAKATI CITY (MindaNews/30 July) — The number of applicants for appointment to the major posts that would be vacated in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) by noon of September 30 is rising but Local Governments Secretary Jesse Robredo said he does not know if people would still volunteer to work for ARMM if [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/30 July) — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)’s Central Committee today urged government to “temporarily suspend the operations of foreign companies set to conduct off-shore and on-shore oil and gas explorations in areas/territories covered by the Bangsamoro Ancestral Domain” and asked all private firms “not to allow themselves to be accomplices in [...]

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanews/30 July) – Government forces have captured the Abu Sayyaf camp in Sitio Tubig Magtuh, Barangay Panglayahan, Patikul, Sulu where seven Marines were killed Thursday, two of them reportedly beheaded. In a statement, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III warned the perpetrators: “Mark my words: to those of you who perpetrated this atrocity, know [...]

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/30 July) — A tilapia fishkill hit scenic Lake Sebu town, South Cotabato’s summer getaway, affecting 13 metric tons of tilapia from 56 fish cages, worth P1.2 million. Citing a report from the Department of Agriculture-Region 12, Benito Ramos, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the fishkill [...]

GRAND KANDULI. The earlier announcement was State of the Province Address  but Friday’s even turned out to be a Grand Kanduli n celebration of what Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu claimed were achievements of his 13-month administration and to welcome Ramadan. MindaNews photo by Carolyn O. Arguillas | Read Story

HELLO GARCI. Former Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano gestures after surfacing in his farm in Baungon Bukidnon province on Saturday, July 30,2011. He left his farm a couple of days ago after a Malacanang official claimed Garcillano sent feelers he would testify against former Presisdent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He denied sending feelers and reiterated he has nothing [...]

DRIFTWOOD. A fisherman puts a piece of driftwood in his banca in Barangay Lumbocan in Butuan City. He sells the wood at 70 centavos a kilo to supplement his meager income. Wood processing plants nearby buy these wood to fire their huge boilers. MindaNews photo by Erwin Mascarina

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/29 July) — Plenary action on requests to amend the controversial environment code that bans open-pit mining may drag longer as members of the South Cotabato Sangguniang Panlalawigan “are not rushing their judgement.” “There’s no sense of urgency,” Vice Gov. Elmo Tolosa, SP presiding officer, said early this week when sought on the [...]

AMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/28 July) – Seven Marines were killed while 21 others were wounded in an encounter against suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits early Thursday in the hinterlands of Sulu, a military official disclosed. Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, Western Mindanao Command spokesperson, said the firefight erupted around 4:30 a.m. Thursday in Patikul town. Cabangbang said troops [...]

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/29 July) – Members of the local business community warned they may close shop for a day or two and stage a rally if Mayor Leandro Jose Catarata fails to address unabated criminality in the city. “We are law-abiding citizens but we are dismayed. We are in the process of showing our protest,” [...]

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/29 July) – It’s been a month since the flood that hit five barangays here, and the victims particularly those in Arroyo Compound, Barangay Matina Crossing have rebuilt their houses and are trying to slowly get back on their feet. The Arroyo Compound was the worst-hit community along the riverbank of Talomo River [...]

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/29 July) — Second district Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez has refused to comment on the rivalry between City Mayor Vicente Emano and Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno that has finally come out in the open. Rumored to be a political ally of Moreno who has announced plans to run for city [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (29 July) – While, as reported in media, the bishops were “happy” and the Senate hearing ended in conciliatory mood, the “Pajero 7” two-week drama generated inappropriateness, improprieties and challenges involving all actors that should not be swept under the rug.

QUEZON CITY (MindaNews/29 July) — Of all the names being given to the current unrest in the Middle East, one of the most interesting is the “Arab Spring.”  It is a phrase that evokes optimism and youth—quite fitting, given the importance of young citizens in the uprisings.  However, to the reader familiar with the history [...]

LONG WAIT. Recipients of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program form lines to get their ATM cards outside the LandBank branch in Malaybalay City. MindaNews photo by Walter Balane

BOOK LOVER. A shopper browses the shelves of a BookSale branch in Davao City. MindaNews Photo by Keith Bacongco

ALABEL, Sarangani (MindaNews/28 July)  — The national government is seeking the help of Brunei in to penetrate the lucrative halal global market which is currently valued at  $3 trillion, a Cabinet official said. Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo said the Export Development Council (EDC) recently discussed with President Benigno C. Aquino III ways to develop the [...]

MALAYBALAY CITY (28 July) – Efraim Genuino, former chair of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, tried to explain the whooping P1 billion the state-run firm spent on coffee reportedly served to casino players during the whole term of the Arroyo administration. Divide the figure by nine years, and the quotient is still eye-popping – P100 [...]

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/28 July) — A Saudi Arabian company plans to invest in Southwestern Mindanao in the field of agriculture while a Japanese aid agency showed interest to help in the livestock sector, Agriculture regional director Amalia Datukan, said. Datukan said the East Asia Development and Agricultural Investment Co. is eyeing a joint agriculture venture [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/28 July) —  Health authorities here confirmed Thursday another death from dengue hemorrhagic fever, bringing to seven the number of fatalities in the city due to the mosquito-borne disease since January. Dr. Corazon Rodaje, malaria and dengue coordinator of the City Integrated Health Services Office, said a six year-old boy from Barangay [...]

MARCH FOR LIFE. A seminarian raises a small flag carrying the message demanding a stop to extra-judicial killings in Davao City, on Wednesday, July 27, 2011, in a rally attended by around 2,000 people from the Church, academe and NGOs. The International Human Rights Watch and a United Nations report in 2009 alleged that then [...]

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/27 July) — Most of the children who became victims of trafficking in Northern Mindanao or Region 10 came from Bukidnon, Ma. Salome Ujano, national coordinator of the Philippines Against Child Trafficking said Monday. Ujano was here for signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between PACT, the Child Protection Unit Network, the provincial [...]

SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews/27 July) – The regional director of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples has ordered an investigation into a supposed dialogue among Mamanwas in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte where the tribe members were instead told to vote on the entry of a mining firm, allegedly at the behest of an employee from the [...]

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/27 July) – Armed men seized six persons in a village in Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay onTuesday morning, but released the hostages on the same day after a negotiation, a police official today said. Abducted were, Anabelle Luchavez, 31, Kennymarie Dalagan, 24, Bader Luchavez, 26, Enriqueta Perjes, 45, and two minors, including a 5-year-old [...]

ALABEL, Sarangani (MindaNews/27 July) –Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo urged small and medium enterprises on Wednesday to target the export market in a bid to increase their contribution to the country’s economy. Addressing around 200 participants to the SOCCSKSARGEN SME Caravan at the municipal gymnasium here, Domingo stressed that SMEs remain a dominant force in the [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/27 July) – The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, the national government’s flagship anti-poverty initiative, has benefited 138,724 poor residents in Region 12 or Southwestern Mindanao in the last three years. Bai Zorahayda Taha, Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 12 director said Wednesday the program has continually expanded since [...]

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/26 July) – City Mayor Celso Lobregat has refused to rate President Aquino’s first year in office saying the period is just for the setting of direction the government would take in line with its “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap” commitment during the campaign. “I think it is the thrust of this government [...]

Workers prepare lumpia wrappers for sale at P40 for every 100 pieces in Agdao Market, Davao City. MindaNews Photo by Keith Bacongco

BEAUTIFICATION. Taking advantage of fine weather, workers trim the pine trees along the major streets in Kidapawan City. MindaNews photo by Geonarri Solmerano

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/27 July) – In his second State of the Nation Address President Benigno S. Aquino III made it appear that he has gained a headway in the fight against corruption, the supposed cornerstone of his administration. He sought maximum effect by citing transactions entered into by the previous administration where huge sums were [...]

NEVER FUN Farmers in President Roxas, North Cotabato prepare rice seedlings for planting. It takes about three months for rice to be harvested. Rice is one of the major products of President Roxas. MindaNews Photo by Ruby Thursday More

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/26 July) — The presence of foreign-backed Sagittarius Mines, Inc. has caused a boundary dispute between South Cotabato and Davao del Sur, an official confirmed on Tuesday. South Cotabato Vice Governor Elmo Tolosa said that members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of both provinces have been trying to thresh out the conflict triggered by [...]

SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews/26 July) — City Mayor Ernesto T. Matugas and 14 other persons are facing new graft cases filed by the mayor’s staunch critics in connection with his hiring of consultants and contractual employees. Radio “block-timers” Jamar D. Gavino and Rey O. Culbo and businessman Bernardo A. Pecho have accused Matugas of violating, among [...]

MARAWI CITY (MindaNews/26 July) — Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency together with elements from the 103rd Brigade and 65th Infantry Battalion seized P700,000 worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Padian, Marawi City last Friday. Aside from the shabu that was packed in 200 sachets weighing100 grams each, [...]

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/26 July) — Delegates to an assembly of indigenous peoples expressed dismay at their being not mentioned in the second State of the Nation Address of President Benigno S. Aquino III during the joint session of Congress on Monday. They also lamented that Aquino did not say a thing about the peace process [...]

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/26 July) — President Benigno S. Aquino III has given more importance to the country’s war preparedness than giving assistance to farmers, Napoleon Merida Jr., chair of the Panaw Sumilao Multipurpose Cooperative, said. Merida lamented Aquino’s silence on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program-Extension with Reforms and his unclear plans on support services for [...]

BUTUAN CITY  (MindaNews/25 July) — Unlike last year when he was emphatic about government’s peace efforts, President Benigno Simeon Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) today was silent on the progress or the lack of it  — of  its peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the National Democratic Front (NDF). [...]

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/25 July) – President Benigno S. Aquino III’s second State of the Nation Address dwelt heavily on his government’s campaign to go after allegedly anomalous transactions especially those committed under the previous administration. Aquino said they have uncovered many anomalies in financial transactions committed under the previous administration. He particularly cited the practices [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/25 July) – The Aquino administration may not have done much in terms of implementating socio-economic programs and infrastructure during the last 12 months but it has made up for all the slack with its “no-nonsense” reforms and transformation in national governance, South Cotabato 2nd District Rep. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said. Reacting to [...]

NO DEMOLITION. Members of militant urban poor groups raise placards as they march through the main streets in Davao City on Monday, July 25, 2011, as President Benigno Aquino delivered his State of the Nation Address in Congress. MindaNews photo by Ruby Thursday More

MILITANT RANT. Activists shout slogans against President Benigno Aquino III during the protest rally in Cagayan de Oro on Monday, July 25, 2011. MindaNews photo by Erwin Mascarinas

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/25 July) – President Benigno S. Aquino III said the postponement of the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was intended to ensure fairer elections as well as enable the region to “experience the benefits of good governance”. In his second State of the Nation delivered this afternoon before the joint [...]

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/25 July) — Militants in Southwestern Mindanao castigated President Benigno S. Aquino III as he delivered Monday his second State of the Nation Address, saying workers “have not felt economic relief” a year after he assumed office. “There have been no concrete reforms made under the one-year Aquino administration. For instance, workers’ salaries [...]

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/25 July) — Foreign-backed Sagittarius Mines, Inc., operator of the controversial Tampakan copper-gold project, has entered the crucial phase of deciding whether it would bring the venture into commercial stream, a mining executive declared on Monday. In its 2nd quarter report, Australian firm Indophil Resources NL noted that Sagittarius Mines will make the [...]

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/25 July) – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geosciences Bureau has rejected the application filed by Rigid Aggregates and Mining Corporation for a mineral production sharing agreement. RAMC’s application to extract zinc, lead, copper and other minerals covers an area of 1,336.5 hectares in two adjoining barangays, namely Baluno [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/25 July) – Health authorities in South Cotabato province are looking at possible insecticide contamination as behind the massive food poisoning in a remote village in Lake Sebu town last week that triggered a gastroenteritis outbreak. Dr. Rogelio Aturdido Jr., South Cotabato provincial health officer, said they sent samples of the suspected [...]

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/25 July) – Some 2,800 households in Region 12 or Southwestern Mindanao are set to receive anti-dengue Ovicidal /Larvicidal (OL) mosquito traps as local governments and concerned government agencies move to contain the rising incidence of the deadly dengue fever in the region. Jane Ventura, health education officer of the Department of [...]

GETTING WET. A worker gets wet working on a nursery of oil palm seedlings in Nueva Vida in Mlang town in North Cotabato. MindaNews photo by Ruby Thursday More