IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay – The newly-created schools division of Zamboanga Sibugay in Western Mindanao deployed a total of 7l Islamic teachers (locally known as Asatidz) at the recent opening of School Year (SY) 2010-2011 in compliance with the Department of Education’s (DepEd’s) Madrasah Education program in various areas of the province.
Dr. Amelia Pulmano-Torralba, acting provincial schools superintendent, said the Madrasah mentors were assigned to elementary schools populated by Muslim pupils to handle the Islamic subjects of Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE).
Torralba said the two subjects are in addition to the basic education curriculum regular subjects of English, Science, Mathematics, Filipino, Makabayan, and Heograpiya, Kasaysayan at Sibika (HiKaSi) in compliance with an earlier DepEd directive integrating the Madrasah Education into public elementary schools inhabited by Muslim pupils not only in Mindanao but also in other regions, including Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Central Luzon.
The deployed Asatidz, Torralba said, earlier underwent appropriate DepEd live-in training-workshop and orientation in teaching ALIVE which was initiated by the agency through Education Undersecretary for Muslim Affairs Manaros Boransing.
According to Torralba, local Asatidz are paid regular honorarium by the education department plus financial assistance shared by concerned local government units (LGUs) in the Muslim-Christian province.
The local Islamic teachers in Zamboanga Sibugay were fielded in two batches with the first group totaling 20 and the second consisting of 51 tutors, Torralba said, adding that the Asatidz were specifically deployed in Muslim pupil-populated elementary schools in Ipil, Naga, Kabasalan, Titay, Alicia, Olutanga, Tungawan, Talusan, Roseller T. Lim, and Mabuhay.
Tubod, Lanao del Norte---The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) had denied the intervention of the Lanao del Norte Electric Cooperative Incorporated (LANECO) and the Misamis Oriental–I Rural Electric Service Cooperative Incorporated (MORESCO-I) during the 2ndpublic hearing of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)–Therma Marine Incorporated (TMI) on their application for approval of the Ancillary Services Procurement Agreement (ASPA) conducted in Manila on June 15, 2010 according to a top official of the electric cooperatives.
LANECO BOD President Reinario B. Bihag said that LANECO GM Resnol Torres sent Baroy BOD Benjamin R. Cabatic accompanied by their Legal Counsel, Atty. Florendo B. Opay who attended the 2nd public hearing at ERC Manila making intervention but was denied outright by the ERC because the regulatory period has already lapsed.
This was confirmed by MORESCO–I BOD Vice President Melvyn D. Eballe during the forum yesterday that GM Julie Real and BOD President Bernard R. Benavidez had sent them to attend the said hearing in ERC Manila last week.
This developed when in March 2010 NGCP and TMI submitted to the ERC their application for approval of the Ancillary Services Procurement Agreement (ASPA) with Prayer with Provisional Authority (PA) with separate applications of Power Barge 117 and Power Barge 118 on which the government energy regulating body had approved.
After getting the Provisional Authority (PA) NGCP–TMI billed electric cooperatives in Mindanao P335,717,087.96 for the ancillary services they delivered to electric cooperatives and other private power distribution utilities from February to April 2010 resulting for an increase of P90 per kilowatt hour or P400 to every consumers.
The said astronomical increase of electric bills caused a furor among electric consumers, electric cooperatives and other private power distribution utilities as complaints mounted on the high electric bills.
The astronomical ancillary rates galvanized electric cooperatives in action because even though the ancillary reserve charges are being pass-on to consumers, complains poured to them for the nearly 100% increase of their monthly electric bills.
Member–consumers are expecting to pay lesser electric bills because of the 8–hour brownout daily, discovered that they have to pay an increase of nearly 100% of their electric bills.
The consumers blamed electric cooperatives on the sharp 100% increase of their monthly electric bills, forcing electric cooperatives to seek remedial measures to avert the astronomical rates that are being saddled to member–consumers.
Meanwhile, after forum were being held by various Non–Government Organizations (NGOs) regarding the said astronomical ancillary charges at different areas in Mindanao and the latest was conducted by the People’s Forum on Power and Electricity at the Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Camaman-an, Cagayan de Oro yesterday, Friday, June 25, 2010, that was attended by electric cooperatives, private power distribution utilities, NGOs, government officials, media, religious groups including concern citizens.
According to one of the board of the Mindanao Electric Power Alliance (MEPA) David A. Tauli, that the ERC has issued a warning during the hearing on June 15, 2010 on the tri–media in Mindanao that they will be charged with sub–judici upon learning that the groups are now discussing the faulty ancillary services rates implemented by NGCP–TMI based on the Provisional Authority granted by the ERC.
Pagadian City - One person was killed while three were injured in yet another road accident, this time in the southern city of Pagadian.
Said the incident occurred along the North Diversion Road in Tiguma village where one of the vehicles' brakes failed.
Killed in the incident was one Joel Javier, a passenger of the Fuso Fighter truck (KEN-702) driven by Lito Badiang.
Badiang said he lost control of the the truck, which was delivering fish, after its brakes malfunctioned. The truck then crashed into an Elf truck.
Injured in the incident were the driver and two passengers of the other vehicle, an Isuzu Elf of the Pagadian City Water District. The passengers were identified as Henry Topia and Edgar Papa.
The incident was the latest in a series of road accidents involving failed brakes.
Last June 13, a tourist bus fell into a ravine in Cebu, killing 20 Iranians and a Filipino driver.
Late this week, a delivery truck carrying liquefied petroleum gas crashed after overtaking another truck in Cavite, killing at least nine people (RSJ-GMANews.TV )
Ozamis City- Being a senior Catholic Church official offers no immunity against a libel suit.
This was learned by Ozamis Archbishop Jesus Dosado after he was slapped with a P10-million libel suit regarding an article in the local diocesan paper.
Businesswoman Agnes Chiong sued Dosado and officials of the weekly diocesan newspaper for a story claiming she abused her household help.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the suit involved an article in the Malindang Herald News' issue for May 30 to June 5, where household helper Danila Damason was supposedly injured after Chiong allegedly beat her up.
An article on the CBCP news, said the news story was based on a complaint Damason filed with the city’s police station against Chiong.
Dosado is chairman of the board of the Malindang Herald News, a weekly publication of the local church of Misamis Occidental.
Charged together with Dosado were vice chairman of the board Msgr. Maximino Naron; editor-in-chief Fr. Sandy Cometa; and news editor Neptalie Batolenio.
In her affidavit-complaint, Chiong said the diocesan newspaper caused “to publish an article without regard for truth, propriety and fairness; indeed one of a scurrilous, injurious, defamatory and libelous which intention was nothing but to attack, ridicule, malign
her virtue as a person, as a mother, and as businesswoman."
Chiong asked for compensation amounting to P7 million for moral damages and P3 million for exemplary damages.
Counter-affidavits
But the diocesan paper’s editors also filed their counter-affidavits contesting Chiong’s allegations. “As an individual and priest, I always perform my office in this newspaper because I know that this is a means to an end the humanitarian goal to promote life," Cometa said.
"It is of my personal knowledge and information that the Malindang Herald has never been, ever since its existence, aiming at cutting remarks of any person. Its main objective is to publish the news happening within the jurisdiction, that is, the entire Ozamiz Archdionse," he added.
He added the news item citing police records as source showed the accuracy of the story. “When I read the news item upon its submission, I was confident that it has a basis since it was premised as to its source, the complaint was registered/made known after a helper was allegedly mauled by her employer," Cometa said.
Batolenio added other reporters who were with him at the police station also got the same news item. He said he did not know the parties involved in the incident but “since it involves the infliction of injuries by a woman employer [on] her employee," he found it worth reporting.
“With this circumstance, I can therefore state that these radio reporters who covered the said blotter, would broadcast it in their radio program and publish it also in their newspapers," Batolenio said.
“I tried to get the side of Agnes Grace Yap Chiong on the reported incident, it being my procedure as newscaster. I checked with the phone directory and called for an interview of Chiong but the other end, could be an employee/personnel replied that Mrs. Chiong was not around," Batolenio added. – (RJAB Jr/KBK, GMANews.TV )
A barangay chief and a policeman have been named respondents in the killing of a radio man from Davao Oriental last week, a local police official said Tuesday.
A complaint filed with the Davao Oriental Provincial Prosecutor’s Office on Monday tagged Barangay Old Macopa chairman Romeo Antoling and PO1 Dennis Lumikid for the killing of Desidario Camangyan in Manao town Monday last week, Senior Superintendent Jorge Corpus of Task Force Camangyan said.
Camangyan, the first of three media workers killed last week, was shot dead while hosting a singing contest in Barangay Old Macopa Monday.
Lumikid was charged with murder after witnesses positively identified him as the gunman who shot Camangyan, Corpus said. Antoling, meanwhile, was implicated in the case after he was seen talking with Lumikid prior to the incident.
Corpus likewise said that the killing of the broadcaster is "work-related" and "politically motivated."
"It has something to do with politics, illegal logging," he said in an interview with reporters on Tuesday.
He added that the court has yet to release an arrest warrant against the two suspects.
A day after Camangyan’s shooting, radio broadcaster Jovelito Agustin of dzJC Aksyon Radyo Laoag was ambushed in Laoag City in Ilocos Norte while on his way home. He died while receiving treatment.
Last Saturday, Nestor Bedolido of local newspaper Kastigador was shot dead in Digos City in Davao del Sur province — the third media worker to be killed in the country in a span of seven days.
International media groups have already expressed alarm and called for immediate action on the series of media killings in the country the past few days, which raises the number of journalists killed under the Arroyo administration to 104. - AC/RJAB Jr/KBK, GMANews.TV
