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Sulu legislators to getstate-of-the-art edifice

he constructionof a state-of-the-art building thatwould serve as of-T

fices and session hall formembers of the provinciallegislators in Sulu has be-gan following the groundbreaking ceremony inPatikul town.

Vice Governor SakurTan led the ground break-ing ceremony witnessed bylocal government officialsand legislators. The newbuilding is a project of Gov-ernor Toto Tan and fundingfor the construction of theP12-million edifice comesfrom the provincial govern-ment.

Provincial Engineer

Abdurasad Baih said thebuilding will have a modernarchitecture that boasts ahuge plenary hall and com-plete facility for the lawmak-ers and Vice Governor Tan,who serves as the presidingofficer of the SanguniangPanlalawigan.

He said the elevated edi-fice will have its own securitycameras, lighting and cool-ing system and emergencypower in case of blackout,and telephony and Internetservices, among others. “Thisbuilding will be one of itskind in Sulu and is very con-ducive to the kind of workthat its occupants – our leg-islators and Vice GovernorTan – do every time they

meet and I am sure that thelegacy of Governor Toto Tanwill have an impact to the fu-ture of Sulu,” he said.

He said the constructionof the building would takeabout 8 months.

Vice Governor Tan saidthis would be the first timesince the Sulu ProvincialCapitol Building in Patikultown was erected 46 yearsago that legislators wouldhave their own edifice. “Weare happy with the projectand this is only a part andparcel of the peace and de-velopment efforts and infra-structure projects of Gover-nor Totoh Tan,” he said. (Ahl-franzie Salinas)

SSSSSee photos on page 4ee photos on page 4ee photos on page 4ee photos on page 4ee photos on page 4

Sulu Vice Governor Sakur Tan leads the ground breaking ceremony recently for a P12-millionedifice that will serve as the new Sanguniang Panlalawigan building in Patikul town. (Photosby Ahl-franzie Salinas)

Ameril Umra Kato (Mindanao Examiner Photo – MarkNavales)

ihadists have vowedto continue the fightfor Muslim indepen-dence in southern

Philippines despite thedeath of their leader,Ustadz Ameril Umra Kato.

Kato, one of thecountry’s most wantedrebel leader, has reportedlydied following a massiveheart attack last week inMaguindanao province inthe restive Muslim autono-mous region.

“We will continue thefight for self-determina-tion and freedom of theBangsamoro and eventu-ally an independent Is-lamic state. We will not re-lent in our quest for inde-pendence,” Gani Saligan, acommander of theBangsamoro Islamic Free-dom Fighters, told the re-gional newspaperMindanao Examiner.

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or the past several months, Zamboanga City hasbeen suffering from severe power curtailment – asmuch as 6 hours a day and at worst, 8 hours or more.And local electric cooperative officials quickly

The Zamboanga CityElectric Cooperative said itneeds at least 80 megawattsof electricity and in previousstatements, GeorgeLedesma, manager of thelocal electric cooperative,said they were only receiv-ing the power from NationalGrid Corporation of thePhilippines.

Ledesma said PowerSector Assets and LiabilitiesManagement Corporationis only giving Zamboanga –a highly urbanized city andone of the largest in the Phil-

ippines – 42 megawatts, and18 megawatts more fromTherma Marine Inc., of theAboitiz Power Corp. andfrom Mapalad Power Corp.

The NGCP has previ-ously blamed the low waterlevel and routine mainte-nance in hydro-powerplants in Mindanao as theculprit for the lack of powersupply in the region. Andwith this problem, bigpower producers take ad-vantage of the situation andoffer alternative, but expen-sive solutions – diesel-fed

power barges and dirtycoal-fired power plants – toprovide more electricitysupply.

The long hours ofblackout are affecting notonly many business estab-lishments, but also hun-dreds of thousands ofhouseholds here and thereis no tangible solution insight, not until 2016 whenthe 100-megawatt coal-fired power plant of theAlsons Power Holdings be-gins operations in the vil-lage of Talisayan. But vil-lagers have been opposingthe establishment of thecoal-fired power plant inthe village due to the seri-ous health hazards thispose to humans and ani-mals.

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Fblamed the lack of electricity to the dry season and mainte-nance shutdown of hydro and coal-fired power plants inMindanao for the power crisis in Zamboanga and the rest ofMindanao.

BIFF vows to pursueIslamic state in Mindanao

J

Apr. 20-26, 20152 The Mindanao Examiner

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Davao, Zamboanga signMOA for sisterhood pact

DAVAO CITY – MayorRodrigo Duterte, of DavaoCity, and Maria IsabelleSalazar, mayor ofZamboanga City, havesigned an agreement thatwould forge a sisterhoodpact between the two citiesin southern Philippines.

Salazar led an officialdelegation to Davao re-cently and both mayorssigned a memorandum ofagreement which serves asthe initial step towards theforging of the sisterhoodpact.

The visiting officialswere also briefed onDavao City’s governance

and ordinances, and thelocal business andeconomy here, includingits emergency facility andsecurity.

“We thank MayorRodrigo Duterte for host-ing us and the members ofthe City Council in the ini-tiation of a SisterhoodAgreement between thecities of Zamboanga andDavao. This is a first steptowards a shared progressand development of bothcities,” Salazar said in astatement sent to the re-gional newspaperMindanao Examiner.

She said the proposed

new Central CommandCenter in Zamboanga willbe patterned after Davao’s911 integrated operationcenters. The training of thepersonnel in Davao,which was sponsored byDuterte’s office, was led byZamboangueno ManuelJaldon, who heads theCentral 911.

Salazar also met withsome investors in Davao.

The proposed sister-hood agreement betweenZamboanga and DavaoCity is pursuant to a reso-lution approved by theZamboanga City Council.(Mindanao Examiner)

SUPPORT PEACEIN MINDANAO

Korean, German join mass weddingGENERAL SANTOS CITY –It is indeed a love storymade in heaven for twoforeigners who traveled tothe southern Philippines tomarry their Filipino girl-friends in a mass weddingheld recently in GeneralSantos City.

South Korean WoosikShin, 40; married EfrelitaEspadilla; and SebastianGeyer, 22; from Germany,married Regine Canton.They joined three otherFilipino couples AlverBaldiviso and Rachel AnaAguillas; Rameses Borresand Junabeth Sangil; andKent Anating and Sheena

Marie Ablay in the wed-ding ceremony officiatedby local mayor RonnelRivera at the City Hall.

The mayor said he wasdelighted with the wed-ding of the couples since itwas his first time to offici-ate such “racially diversemass wedding.”

“This just goes to showthat love knows no racialboundaries; lahat tayobasta nagkaka-intindihanpwedeng magmahalan,”Rivera said.

Woosik Shin, 40 yearsold from Korea was amongthe couples, giddy with ex-citement as he held his

newly wedded wife hand.Geyer said he met his

Filipina bride through so-cial media and decided totie the knot two years intotheir relationship. Most ofthe couples are already inlong standing relation-ships, but lacked the op-portunity to get married.

Before the civil wed-ding, the couples wereasked to undergo marriagecounselling at the CityPopulation ManagementOffice. The foreigner andFilipino couples were alsoasked to attend a specialcounselling. (GilliHimbing)

Office Space For RentZamboanga CityFor more inquiriesCall: 0929-2189937

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CCCCContinued frontinued frontinued frontinued frontinued from page 1om page 1om page 1om page 1om page 1But Alsons have not

started building its facilityand cited many reasons forthe alarming delay – fromthe failed rebellion in 2013to the P900-million en-hancement program itwanted fromtheZamboanga City Elec-tric Cooperative – in theconstruction of the 100megawatt coal-fired powerplant, although it finishedanother coal-fired powerplant in Sarangani prov-ince.

Mindanao has been hitby repeated power crises inthe past and nothing hasbeen done by the govern-ment except to promote theuse of coal-fired powerplants – but this too, comeswith a price and that trans-lates to huge electric billsand environmental pollu-tions.

The same problem oc-curred in 2013 when the re-gion suffered to as much as14 hours of blackout.

And the ZamboangaChamber of Commerce andIndustry said the acutepower shortage has affectedmany business establish-ments here – big and small– and continues to threatenthe vibrant economy.

“Sixty hours of powerinterruptions last March isbad for business. It increasesour cost of operation anddecreased the productivityof everyone, public and pri-vate offices. Even small busi-nesses like Internet shops,beauty parlors and restau-rants. No power, no busi-ness,” Edwin To, president ofthe local business chamber,told the regional newspaperMindanao Examiner.

He said business own-ers who can afford the use ofpower generators were alsocomplaining because itadds up to the cost of run-ning their establishment.“For those with generator,power costs are double. TheZamboanga City ElectricCooperative charges P8 perkilowatt hour while dieselgenerator is P18-P20 perkilowatt hour. Even if youhave a generator, it’s notcheap to operate,” To said.

He also said that the en-try of big business establish-ments in Zamboanga citywill further affect the currentpower situation if the localelectric cooperative cannotprovide additional supplyinto the grid. “And thismeans more and longerpower interruptions.Zamboanga chamber is al-ways concern with the wel-fare of the entire city. We seeit in a macro-perspective.We oversee the interest ofthe businesses and thepeople in the community,”To said.

At least 3 new malls arebeing constructed inZamboanga – City Mall,Yubenco and KCC Mall deZamboanga – aside fromother smaller shops and es-tablishments.

The Department of En-ergy said the acute powershortage is expected to im-prove by 2017, and in themeantime, To said theAquino government shouldpush for the so-called Inter-ruptible Load Program or

BLACKOUT!ILP.

“In the meantime, thegovernment should push forthe ILP implementing rulesand regulations and make itattractive for commercialestablishments with excesspower to join. Manage thedemand side and advise us-ers to conserve energy,” saidTo, who is also the presidentof Budgetwise supermarket,one of the biggest inZamboanga; and the chair-man of the modern CiudadMedical Zamboanga.

According to the RetailElectricity Suppliers Asso-ciation, ILP – a program es-tablished by the Depart-ment of Energy and the En-ergy Regulatory Commis-sion aims to help mitigatethe energy supply deficiencyin the country until new ca-pacities become availableon the grid.

Companies withstand-by generation ca-pacities who participate inthe ILP will be compen-sated under this programshould they use their owngenerating facilities duringinstances of power supplydeficit.

But companies thatwill participate in the ILPwill be asked by the distri-bution utility to “de-load”for particular hours in aday when the power supplyin the grid will not beenough for the power de-

mand. “De-loading” willmean having to run its em-bedded stand-by genera-tion sets to provide for itsown electricity require-ments.

For Pedro Rufo Soliven,regional governor of thePhilippine Chamber ofCommerce and Industry forWestern Mindanao, saideverybody must do theirshare in helping the govern-ment find a solution to theacute power crisis.

Soliven, former presi-dent of the Zamboanga cityChamber of Commerce andIndustry, said: “We wouldlike to be part of the solu-tion and we are workinghand-in-hand with theZamboanga City ElectricCooperative and the Localgovernment of Zamboangaand look for solution to ad-dress this problem of powercurtailment.”

“And we are also look-ing for short term and longterm solutions on how wecan really solve immedi-ately the lack of electricitysupply in the city and beable really to come up withsomething to address the(power) demand of thecity.”

The costs of the powershortage to the businessesand Zamboanga City’seconomy is not readilyavailable. (With a reportfrom Christina Diabordo)

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Sulu Vice Governor Sakur Tan leads the ground breaking ceremony recently for a P12-million edifice that will serve as the new Sanguniang Panlalawigan building in Patikul town. (Photos byAhl-franzie Salinas)

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Sulu legislators to get state-of-the-art edifice

Nasaan na si Mayor?PAGADIAN CITY – Tikompa rin ang bibig ngpamilya ng dinukot namayor ng bayan ng Nagasa Zamboanga Sibugayprovince habang patuloynaman ang paghahanapng pulisya at militar sabiktima.

Pinasok ng mgaarmado ang bahay niMayor Gemma Adananoon nitong buwanlamang at kinaladkadpalabas hanggang satabing ilog ng naturangbayan. Inginuso ng

pulisya ang isangbreakaway group ng MoroIslamic Liberation Frontna siyang nasa likod ngkrimen.

Hindi naman mabatidngayon kung saan dinalasi Adana – sa Sulu, Basilano Central Mindanao –ngunit hawak na ng Anti-Kidnapping Task Groupng Philippine National Po-lice ang naturang kaso.

Bukod kay Adana,bihag pa rin ng mga kid-nappers ang isang bata atteenager na kanilang

dinukot noon Marso 31 sabayan ng Pitogo saZamboanga del Sur.Pinatay naman ng mgakidnapper ang 3-anyos nasi Zynielle Jay Garban nakasamahan ng mgabiktimang sina LedegieTomarong, 17; at Ace JayGarban, 3.

Hinila ng mga kidnap-pers ang tatlong biktimamatapos na mabigo angmga itong dukutin angisang negosyante sanasabing lugar.(Mindanao Examiner)

Ameril Umra Kato. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Mark Navales)

CCCCContinued frontinued frontinued frontinued frontinued from page 1om page 1om page 1om page 1om page 1News of Kato’s death

broke out after villagers inGuindulungan town re-ported the tragic end for theformer commander of theMoro Islamic LiberationFront, who led a series ofdeadly attacks in Mindanaoin 2008 after peace talks withthe Filipino governmentfailed.

Kato, who suffered astroke in 2011, split with theMILF after accusing itsleader Murad Ebrahim ofabandoning their strugglefor independence and be-traying the rebel group whenhe agreed to a secret meetingcalled by President BenignoAquino in Japan in August ofthe same year.

“Murad corrupted therights of the Bangsamoro

BIFF vows to pursueIslamic state in Mindanao

people,” Kato had said fol-lowing that meeting in To-kyo. The 6th Infantry Divi-sion said it has no reportabout the news of Kato’sdeath, although it orderedcommanders to verify theinformation.

“Wala pa kaming officialreport (on the death ofKato),” Capt. Jo-annPetinglay, an army spokes-woman told the regionalnewspaper Mindanao Ex-aminer.

A little known jihadist,Sheik Mohidin Animbang,has been said to have takenover Kato’s leadership. Au-thorities have linked therebel group to JemaahIslamiya and al-Qaeda, in-cluding a rag-tag army ofmilitants fighting for the Is-lamization of Mindanao. The

military said Kato’s grouphad coddled Malaysianbomber Zulkifli bin Hir,tagged as among those be-hind the 2002 Bali bombings.

Zulkifli was killed in apolice raid in January thisyear in Maguindanao’sMamasapano town that alsoleft 44 commandos dead af-ter BIFF and MILF rebelsambushed them on theirway out in Tukanalipao vil-lage.

Kato’s group vowed todisrupt the peace talks be-tween the MILF and theAquino government andpursue an independentMuslim state in Mindanao,home to some four millionMuslims in a region of about18 million, mostly Christianinhabitants. (Mindanao Ex-aminer)

The Mindanao Examiner 5Apr. 20-26, 2015

Apr. 20-26, 20156 The Mindanao Examiner - FOREIGN

Need for a lifeline? Utilize social networkingsites to seek help, urges MigranteMANILA – Need for a lifeline?Utilize social networkingsites to seek for assistance, amigrant rights group adviceto distress and maltreatedFilipino migrant workersabroad.

“Tapping social net-working sites to seek helpand convey the concerns ofmigrant workers who werevictim of abuses and mal-treatment is a best antidotefor government criminal ne-glect and failure to provide

Man undergoing head transplant could experience something‘a lot worse than death’, says neurological expertA 30-year-old Russian manValery Spiridonov volun-teered to become the firstperson in the world to un-dergo a complete headtransplant. Literally his entirehead. On a different body.

The operation will becarried out by Italian sur-

geon Dr Sergio Canavero, inwhat he expects to be a 36-hour procedure involving150 doctors and nurses.

A Werdnig-Hoffman dis-ease sufferer with rapidly de-clining health, Spiridonov iswilling to take a punt on thisvery experimental surgery

and you can’t really blamehim, but while he is preparedfor the possibility that thebody will reject his head andhe will die, his fate could beconsiderably worse thandeath.

“I would not wish this onanyone,” said Dr Hunt Batjer,

president elect of the Ameri-can Association for Neuro-logical Surgeons.

“I would not allow any-one to do it to me as there area lot of things worse thandeath.”

The problem is, fusing ahead with a separate body(including spinal cord, jugu-lar vein etc) could result in ahitherto never experiencedlevel and quality of insanity.

Arthur Caplan, directorof medical ethics at New YorkUniversity’s Langone Medi-cal Centre, who described DrCanavero as “nuts”, believesthat the bodies of head trans-plant patients “would end upbeing overwhelmed with dif-ferent pathways and chem-istry than they are used toand they’d go crazy.”

A head transplant wasperformed on a monkey 45

years ago in 1970. It lived, butonly for eight days, with thebody rejecting the new headand the monkey being leftunable to breathe and un-able to move because the spi-nal cord of the head andbody were not connectedproperly.

Dr Canavero hopes tocomplete the operation in2017. (By ChristopherHooton)

onsite assistance.”“We have concrete vic-

tories staging our campaignin social media sites comple-mented by actual mass mo-bilizations such was the caseof then Saudi OFW-on-death-row Rogelio Lanuza,among several others,” JohnLeonard Monterona, re-gional coordinator ofMigrante-Middle East (M-ME), said in a statement sentto the regional newspaperMindanao Examiner.

He added that many mi-grant workers especiallyhousehold service workers(HSWs) in the Middle Eastshould maintain discretely aspare personal mobilephone with an access to so-cial networking sites. “Thiswill serve as their lifelineamid dilly-dally assistancefrom the concerned Philip-pine embassy and labor andwelfare officials,” he said.

Monterona observedthat HSWs in the Middle Eastwere deprived by their em-ployers of their right to havean access to their families astheir mobile phones wereconfiscated. “This right hasbeen grossly violated by em-ployers,” he said, citing a re-cent case of an overseas Fili-pino household serviceworker Abby Luna – based inBahrain – who alleged thatshe was raped by the son ofher employer.

Luna, in a post on herFacebook account, appealedto netizens to bring her caseto the attention on the Phil-ippine embassy and was im-mediately rescued by au-thorities.

“I’ve got several per-sonal messages too regard-ing Ms. Luna’s FB appeal.Some have called to get myattention. And yes because ofthe overwhelming attentionshe got, Ms. Luna was imme-diately saved by the con-cerned PH embassy and la-bor officials in Bahrain,”Monterona said.

Monterona claimed thatwithout overwhelming at-tention from netizens whoshared Luna’s appeal, thePhilippine embassy and la-bor officials may say – as theynormally do – “Hey back off,rescuing OFW is a no, no inthe Middle East. It is not al-lowed” an excuse repeatedlyheard from embassy and la-

bor-welfare officials.Right after she was res-

cued, Luna issued a briefstatement in her FB accountthanking all the people whohelped her and eventuallyrescued from her employer’shouse. She has filed a caseagainst her attacker.

“The family of abusedOFWs should do their part.They should actively seekassistance from genuine mi-grant rights group and ad-vocates,” Monterona said.

Monterona also lam-basted the Philippine em-bassy officials in Kuwait andin Saudi Arabia as he ac-cused them of negligenceand their failure to provideprompt assistance to dis-tress and stranded OFWsthere.

“We have endorsed nu-merous cases of distress andabused OFWs in Kuwait.Until now, we have not re-ceived evenacknowledgement from ourembassy and labor-welfareofficials,” Monterona said.

He said the Philippineembassy in Saudi Arabiawould only reply to OFWcases referred to themthrough an email auto reply.

“We knew that there aremore than 100 male distressand stranded OFWs inRiyadh temporarily stayingat a villa, while there aremore than 50 plus at awomen shelter or BahayKalinga. They have beencrying and pleading for theirrepatriation 3 months, 6months, some more than ayear ago. No one at the Phil-ippine embassy hears themand not even (President)Benigno Aquino himselfand his foreign affairs andlabor honchos – all arecriminally negligent,”Monterona said.(Mindanao Examiner)

Stranded OFWs living in harshcondition in Saudi ArabiaMIGRANT rights groupMigrante-Middle East hasexpressed alarm over the sadand deplorable state ofstranded Filipino workersnow living in a crampedshelter in Riyadh City inSaudi Arabia.

John LeonardMonterona, Migrante’s re-gional coordinator, said heand his team has recently vis-ited the distress workers andwas shocked to see their poorliving condition. He said theFilipinos, estimated ataround 120, also had littlesupply of food.

“Wondering how it islike to be living in a villa or alodging house in SaudiArabia during summer whenthe temperature rangesabout 48 to 52 degrees Cel-sius at its peak? How about ifactually some of the tenants,who are distress andstranded OFWs, are not liv-ing inside the villa, but in anempty swimming pool withonly tarpaulin serving astheir roof? Would you survivefor a couple of months orthree or even a year insidethat villa?” Monterona askedafter inspecting the area.

Monterona said most ofthe Filipinos there were vic-tims of labor malpracticessuch as non-payment ofsalaries, illegal salary deduc-tions, no Iqama or residencepermit provided by their em-ployer, and others had beenabandoned by their employ-ers for various reasons.

“They’re like sardines incans. The only difference isthat sardines in cans are usu-ally stored in an appropriateplace such as storeroom, se-cured. And the strandedOFWs are just left underharsh environment. We re-ally need to get first-hand in-formation about the condi-tion of the stranded OFWsinside that villa. We havebeen receiving complaintsfrom the stranded fewmonths ago.”

“Wala man lang silangbed foams. Ang ginagamitnila ay karton lang panlapatng kanilang katawan labansa lamig o init ng semento ngswimming pool,”Monterona narrated. He saidthe limited supply of food isthreatening the health of theFilipinos in the shelter.

“Even the food dona-tions coming from variousOFW groups are not distrib-uted evenly among them.May alegasyon na nawawalaang mga eto at hindinaibibigay sa mga strandedOFWs,” Monterona claimed.“We want this investigated.And of course, we are expect-ing the end result is improve-ment of the situation of thestranded OFWs at the half-way shelter.” He said morethan 50 women, some ofthem with children, are alsoin Bahay Kalinga in Riyadh.Monterona said the Philip-pine government should im-mediately act on the prob-lems. He said some 1.2 mil-

lion OFWs are working inSaudi Arabia.

“The Department ofForeign Affairs, the Depart-ment of Labor and Em-ployment, the OverseasWorkers Welfare Adminis-tration, the Philippine Sen-ate and House of Repre-sentatives committee onlabor and overseas workersaffairs, and even the Officeof the President shouldconduct an investigationnot only on the deplorablecondition of OFWs inSaudi Arabia, but as well asseriously work for theirswift and mass repatria-tion,” he said.There was noimmediate statement fromthe Filipino governmentabout the report made byMigrante. (Mindanao Ex-aminer)

Dried up swimming pool converted into temporary shelter for distress and stranded Filipinoworkers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Mindanao Examiner 7Apr. 20-26, 2015

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DAVAO CITY – With the aimto cut down the risingyouth unemployment inthe country, the Depart-ment of Labor and Em-ployment is set to roll out aprogram that will enhanceemployability of the youth.

It is set to launch thisyear JobStart Philippinesidentifying local govern-ments of Davao City andTagum City as among thesecond wave of pilot sitesfor the program.

“The program aims tohelp young Filipinojobseekers, 18 to 24 yearsold with less than one yearor no work experience, atleast high school graduatewho is not currently work-ing or enrolled in school ortraining and is seeking fora job; to get a head start intheir career by creating op-portunities to enhancetheir technical skill and de-velop their life skill,” saidBureau of Local employ-ment Director Domique R.Tutay during the JobStartOrientation in Davao City.

“This also aims to in-crease employment cre-ation and reduce povertyas it will help young adultsto have the right skills thatwould fit a job and can leadthem in finding their per-manent wage jobs,” sheadded.

According to a surveyon Youth School-To-Work(STW ) Transition con-

DOLE’s JobStart Philippines toimprove youth employability

ducted by Asian Develop-ment Bank (ADB), it takesa college graduate 1 year tofind a first job and up to 2years to find a regular jobwhile it takes a high schoolleaver up to 3 years to finda first job and 4 years tofind a regular wage job. Thesignificant factors that in-fluence the length andquality of the STW transi-tion include the limited so-cial networks and inad-equate life skills includingjob search behavior.

“Unemployment inthe country can be largelyattributed to mismatchesbetween demand and sup-ply of labor, and big part ofthe unemployed popula-tion is consists of youngeducated workers with ahigh youth NEET (not inemployment, educationand training) rate of24.3%”, Tutay said.

“The JobStart Philip-pines pilot provided lifeskills training focusing onattitudes to work andworkplace environment,job hunting skills and net-working, personal and in-terpersonal skills, andhealth and financial man-agement,” said RegionalDirector Joffrey M. Suyao.

JobStart Philippinesalso funded technical skillstraining of up to 3 monthswith competencies andsubjects as nominated bythe employer, can be tech-

nically specific or genericor can be a mix of compe-tencies, provided by aTESDA-registered trainingprovider, or another em-ployer designated trainer,or employer training pro-gram, Suyao explained.

In the first wave of pilotimplementation, four insti-tutionalized Public Em-ployment Service Offices(PESOs) for this program:NCR (Quezon City andTaguig), Region IV-A (Gen-eral Trias City), and RegionIII (San Fernando City). In2015, DOLE is looking for-ward for 14 PESOs, includ-ing the four pilots, to carrythe JobStart Philippinesprogram with a target of3,200 beneficiaries.

In a response duringthe orientation in TagumCity, Mayor Allan Rellonsaid: “We are ready for theJobStart Philippines pro-gram because we have al-ready implemented someof its requirements like sup-port PESO, data bankingand enough personnelcomplement.”

DOLE is in partnershipwith Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB) and the Gov-ernment of Canada for thisprogram. JobStart Philip-pines program is also partof the Technical AssistanceProgram on EmploymentFacilitation for InclusiveGrowth (EFIG). (Sherwin B.Manual)

Career Headstart. Dominique R. Tutay (right), Director of Bureau of Local Employment explainshow the JobStart Philippines could give a good headstart for the career of the youth in thecountry. With her is DOLE 11 Regional Director Joffrey M. Suyao. (Photo by Sherwin B.Manual)

Suspek sa pagpataysa ARMM official timbog

COTABATO CITY — Hawakna ng pulisya ngayon angpangunahing suspek sapagpatay sa isang opisyalng Autonomous Region inMuslim Mindanao.

Ayon sa pulisya,nadakip ang suspek sakanyang hideout saCotabato City na kung saanrin nito diumano pinatay siNorodin Manalao, ang Ex-ecutive Director ng Re-gional Reconciliation and

Reunification Commission,nitong buwan lamang.

Napatay si Manalaohabang hinihintay nito angasawa mula sapamamalengke.

Hinahanap pa umanoang isang suspek nanagsilbing lookout sanasabing krimen. Hindiinilabas ng pulisya angpangalan ng dalawangsuspek dahil sai s i n a s a g a w a n g

interogasyon sa triggerman. Ngunit ayon sa ibangsources ay Nasser diumanoang pangalan ng nadakipna lalaki.

Nasa kustodiya na rinito ng Criminal Investiga-tion and Detection Groupsa Cotabato City. Naisumanong malaman ngpulisya ang motibo at kungsino ang utak o nag-utos napatayin si Manalao.(Mindanao Examiner)

Davao's Southshield Football Club Takes3rd Place in 11th Del Monte Football Cup

BUKIDNON - The deci-sion of Southshield Foot-ball Club to join the pres-tigious 11th Del MonteFootball Cup in ManoloFortich town inBukidnon province hasbeen rewarded after win-

ning 3rd place – not onlyonce, but two trophies inthe national tournament.

The team, who aremostly made up of stu-dents from SouthpointSchool in Davao City’sMaa village, returned

home proud and fulfilled.The under nine and un-der 11 divisions ofSouthshield FC won tro-phies in the soccer tour-nament participated bysome 200 teams acrossthe country.

The under nine divi-sion of Southshield FCbeat Higala Football Clubof Cagayan de Oro City ina thrilling 3-1 penaltyshoot-out. SouthshieldFC players MarianoAbella, Rhryan Jamisola-Dordas and defenderCharles Kenn Chiuscored the decisive pen-alty goals for the team intheir heart-poundingwin.

The under 11 divisionof Southshield FC fortheir won their trophywithout any sweat aftertheir supposed opponentwas disqualified afterone of its players was dis-covered to be overage.

The three coaches ofSouthshield namely GregNapuran, JunardPinonggan and AngeloJohn Adana were elatedsince their daily practiceyielded positive results.

Some of the membersof the Southshield soccerteam that competed inBukidnon are BobBenedict Braceros, KarlSumampong, CharlesKenn Chiu, Zyk Lopez,Rhyan Gabrielle JamisolaDordas, Kristoff Madrid,Devon Kierulf, AdrianElarmo, Rhian Mendoza,Aaron Pelonio, Jian Mat-thew Goyonan, JoseNuenay, Mariano Abella,Jared Distancia, LuizDigman, RaymondPahuyo, John Morales,Earl Sison, HendrichDenilla, SimoneGuerrero, Karlos Donado,James Gamite, KevinSayon and Jan PritzLlubit.

Members and coaches of Southshield Football Club are all smiles after their team won 2 thirdplace trophies in the recently concluded 11th Del Monte Football Cup in Manolo Fortich,Bukidnon.

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Jesus Miracle Crusade International Ministrybrings praises, words of God in Cebu concert

“““““Do not be ashamed. PDo not be ashamed. PDo not be ashamed. PDo not be ashamed. PDo not be ashamed. Prrrrroclaim yoclaim yoclaim yoclaim yoclaim yourself and stand in what yourself and stand in what yourself and stand in what yourself and stand in what yourself and stand in what youououououbelievbelievbelievbelievbelieve in as Chre in as Chre in as Chre in as Chre in as Christians!” – this was the message that ristians!” – this was the message that ristians!” – this was the message that ristians!” – this was the message that ristians!” – this was the message that reveveveveverbererbererbererbererber-----ated as hundrated as hundrated as hundrated as hundrated as hundreds of greds of greds of greds of greds of graduating students fraduating students fraduating students fraduating students fraduating students from om om om om TTTTTalisay City Nalisay City Nalisay City Nalisay City Nalisay City Na-a-a-a-a-tional Htional Htional Htional Htional High School sang in joigh School sang in joigh School sang in joigh School sang in joigh School sang in joyyyyyous music that gavous music that gavous music that gavous music that gavous music that gave pre pre pre pre praise to Gaise to Gaise to Gaise to Gaise to Godododododin a concerin a concerin a concerin a concerin a concert bt bt bt bt by the Jy the Jy the Jy the Jy the Jesus Mesus Mesus Mesus Mesus Miririririracle acle acle acle acle YYYYYouth Couth Couth Couth Couth Crrrrrusade dubbed usade dubbed usade dubbed usade dubbed usade dubbed “““““HHHHHold-old-old-old-old-ing Ning Ning Ning Ning Nothing Bothing Bothing Bothing Bothing Back.ack.ack.ack.ack.”””””

“Sin is growing and in-creasing today, but the Biblesays that we must go out andtell about who Jesus Christ is,”Luke Smith, a Minister of theJesus Miracle Crusade Interna-tional Ministry Youth Crusade,said at the side line after theconcert held recently at thegrounds of Talisay City NationalHigh School.

Smith said it is important toreach out to the youth, espe-cially in this generation, wherethey are barraged with infor-mation, influences – both goodand bad – as well as the chal-lenge of being heard and be ac-cepted.

“They are hungry (for God),but they don’t know how to ex-press it,” Smith, who is the son-in-law of the self-styled Evan-gelist Wilde Estrada Almeda,leader of the 2-million strongJesus Miracle Crusade Interna-tional Ministry, and one of themost influential and respectedin the Philippines.

“We have started these twoyears ago because we want toreach out to the youth,” AnnaLiza Almeda-Smith, theEvangelist’s daughter who isnow based in the United States.

The Smith couple said theywill be spending more time inthe country to fulfil their spiri-

tual obligation -and part of thisobligation is their sincere com-mitment to launch a series ofconcerts all over the country“anytime where people want usto go.”

MUSIC FOR THE SOULSmith said the advent of

technology and the rise of socialmedia gave the youth of today“access to the world”.

“Social media is everything.In Biblical times, if they wouldhave our technology now they(Christ and his disciples) wouldhave reached more,” he said.ThePhilippines has ranked among

the top 3 countries globally forbeing active social media usersand a large chunk of this are theteenagers and middle-age youngprofessionals, who incidentallyare reported to distance spiritualand religious activities.

It is in this light that Smithunderscored the importance ofbeing spiritually strong while atthe same time accepting thepower of the social media to in-fluence a larger part of the popu-lation. “Social media can be usedfor good or bad,” he said.

It is also in the same situationthat music will be Jesus MiracleYouth Crusade’s way to reach outto the youth. Almeda-Smith, whogrew up with the Ministry as oneof its triumvirate of singing sis-ters that included elder sisterRachel Almeda-Esguerra and

younger sister Leah Almeda-Mallari, said it has been her life-long dream to have a concert andshare the words of God throughmusic.

“Young people are very im-pressionable. To be able to reachout to them we must listen tothem,” Smith said. “What we cando is take the sound that they likebut put words that has the voiceof God and put in their heartsthat I can do all things in Christ,”the Minister added.

Smith said that if music willbe able to influence the youthand allow them to express whatis in their hearts “and give themhope” and instill in them “a mes-sage that I am a friend of God”will be a mission fulfilled.

“Knowing that we are relat-ing with them…even if we influ-

ence just one (out of the hun-dreds that are out there), then itis worth all,” the Preacher said.

Many of those in the con-cert were so touched by theemotional preaching of theSmith couple that they brokedown and cried and joined inpraising God and His words.Many of them also joined theJesus Miracle Crusade Interna-tional Ministry and vowed tospread the words of God inCebu.

The Jesus Miracle YouthCrusade has already scheduledseries of concerts in the City ofNaga, in Cebu province and thecities of Cagayan de Oro andDavao in May and June. It alsoheld a concert recently inBaguio City. (With a report fromthe Cebu Examiner)

Couple Luke Smith and Anna Liza Almeda-Smith, daughter of the self-styled Evangelist Wilde Estrada Almeda, leader of the 2-million strong Jesus Miracle Crusade International Ministry,during a recent concert in Cebu province - dubbed “Holding Nothing Back” – attended by hundreds of graduating students from Talisay City National High School.