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Zamboanga City setsgrand market sale

Sulu Governor DistributesHealth Cards, Praises Jolo

Officials On Anniversary Day

Video of Mamasapanoclash shows gunmanfinishing off wounded

SAF

P863-M new projects up inTawi-Tawi

Jordan says it has bombedISIL 56 times in three days

Denying the Bangsamoro oftheir right to self-

determination means denyingpeacePAGE 2 PAGE 6PAGE 3 PAGE 3 PAGE 5 PAGE 7

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Peace rally in Marawi City in Lanao del Surprovince.(Photo courtesy of Najib Zacaria)

Feb. 16-22, 20152 The Mindanao Examiner

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MARAMARAMARAMARAMARAWI CITWI CITWI CITWI CITWI CITY - MY - MY - MY - MY - Muslims in the southeruslims in the southeruslims in the southeruslims in the southeruslims in the southern Pn Pn Pn Pn Philippines havhilippines havhilippines havhilippines havhilippines haveeeeeappealed to lawmakers to immediately pass a prappealed to lawmakers to immediately pass a prappealed to lawmakers to immediately pass a prappealed to lawmakers to immediately pass a prappealed to lawmakers to immediately pass a proposedoposedoposedoposedoposeddrdrdrdrdraft law in Caft law in Caft law in Caft law in Caft law in Congrongrongrongrongress that would cress that would cress that would cress that would cress that would create a new autonomyeate a new autonomyeate a new autonomyeate a new autonomyeate a new autonomyfor them in Mfor them in Mfor them in Mfor them in Mfor them in Mindanaoindanaoindanaoindanaoindanao.....

Peace rally in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province. (Photoscourtesy of Najib Zacaria)

‘DONT GIVE UP ON THE BBL’

The appeal was alsoechoed by various civil soci-ety groups and peace advo-cates, and even PresidentAquino himself followingdeadly clashes inMaguindanao province be-tween police commandosand armed members of theMoro Islamic LiberationFront which signed a peaceaccord with the governmentlast year.

Just last week, thou-sands of Muslims and Chris-tians supporting the peaceprocess held a huge rally inMarawi City in Lanao del Surprovince and also called forthe passage of theBangsamoro Basic Law.

They also gathered cashdonations for a campaigndubbed as “Peso forBangsamoro Injustices.” The

Zamboanga City sets grand market saleA WEEK-LONG market saledubbed as “Grandioso Ventadel Mercado” is expected todraw a huge crowd inZamboanga City in south-ern Philippines as part of thelocal government’s celebra-tion of the 78th Charter Dayhere.

The event, which willrun from February 19 to 26,would be held at the historicPlaza Pershing in downtownZamboanga.

Angelique Go, head ofthe Zamboanga City Invest-ment Promotion Division,said the Grandioso Venta delMercado, which literallymeans “Grand Market Sale,”is primarily aimed at reach-ing out to the 98 villages herein an effort to showcase theirown products that wouldalso be presented at anotherinternational event dubbed“City of Charm” in Septem-

ber this year.“The Grandioso Venta

del Mercado will transformthe historic Plaza Pershinginto a market place by daywhere a wide array of agri-fishery products like fruits,vegetables and noveltyitems including native deli-cacies will be on sale.”

“By night, the plaza cummarket will offer dining anddrinking with matching mu-sical entertainment by localbands and performers, filmviewings and many more.Thus, Plaza Pershing will bea place where everybody cansee, buy, eat, drink and enjoywhatever products, foodsand drinks on display,” shesaid in a statement sent to theregional newspaperMindanao Examiner.

Officials also an-nounced the annual searchfor the Local Achievers

Award, one of the main high-lights during the celebrationof Dia de Zamboanga onFebruary 26.

Shiela Covarrubias, aspokeswoman for the localgovernment, said the awardaims to confer honor andprestige to Zamboangueñoswho have attained excep-tional achievements and vic-tories in various fields ofendeavours, the search cov-ers the fields on sports, cul-ture and arts, public service,city government service,community service, invest-ment promotion, tourism-oriented establishment andthe highest award - Orgullode Zamboanga Primiar.

She said deadline for thesubmission of nominationsis on February 16. Nomina-tion forms are also availableat City Hall. (Mindanao Ex-aminer)

peaceful rally also coincidedwith the Bangsamoro Na-tional Day of Mourning andPrayer for those who per-ished in the war and violencein the restive region.

Those who attended therally also carried streamerssupporting peace inMindanao, but what stoodout from the rest were plac-ards that showed the hornedpicture of former Presidentand now Manila Mayor Jo-seph Estrada, who has re-peatedly urged the Aquinogovernment to finish off theMILF and terrorists it is alleg-edly coddling.

Similar rallies were alsoheld simultaneously in vari-ous parts of southern Philip-pines and in Manila. But inZamboanga City, securityforces stopped a convoy of

vehicles carrying peace ad-vocates campaigning for theBBL.

Dr. Abdulmanan Gayak,National Chairman of theMindanao Alliance forPeace, said some 100 ve-hicles were stopped by sol-diers manning a road blockat the boundary ofZamboanga City andZamboanga Sibugay prov-ince.

He said the peace advo-cates were supposed to holda rally in Zamboanga City.“Our group was stopped atthe checkpoint and not al-lowed in Zamboanga Citywhere are supposed to holda peaceful rally and talkedabout the Bangsamoro BasicLaw and its importance tothe peace process. But theMayor of Zamboanga (MariaIsabelle Salazar) did not al-low us. She did not give us thepermit to hold the peacefulrally in Zamboanga,” he told

the regional newspaperMindanao Examiner.

Salazar said the rally hadno permit. The City Councilalso supported Salazar'sstand.

“The City Governmentof Zamboanga implementsthe legal mandate of no per-mit, no rally/caravan withinthe territorial jurisdiction ofthe city. This is in response tothe planned caravan inZamboanga City of a groupof civil society organizationssupporting the BangsamoroBasic Law. The public is ad-vised to stay calm but remainvigilant. Our police and mili-tary forces as well as the lo-cal government are on top ofthe situation. We are firm inour resolve to ensure the se-curity, peace and order andtranquillity of the city,” shesaid.

Troops in trucks and twoarmored vehicles were alsospotted in downtownZamboanga and some stu-dents were sent home bytheir teachers, saying, the cityis in red alert status.

The local police chiefAngelito Casimiro did notgive a statement, but anarmy spokesman, CaptainFranco Suelto, said the con-voy, which came from theprovince of Lanao del Norte,was stopped at the village ofLicomo in Zamboanga City.

“As far as we know maypermission naman sa CCCHyun activity at saka walanaman baril yung mga MILF,

pero wala silang rally permitsa Zamboanga,” Suelto said.

CCCH refers to the Coor-dinating Committee on theCessation of Hostilities of thegovernment and Moro Is-lamic Liberation Frontwhich signed a peace deallast year.

In Basilan province,Gayak said some 3,000 Mus-lims and peace advocatesalso held a pro-BBL rally inIsabela City. He said thepeace rally was part of a na-tionwide campaign by MAPand other civil societygroups.

Aquino signed the BBLonly last year after a long de-lay and revision and submit-ted to Congress for ratifica-tion before it can be decidedon a plebiscite in Muslim ar-eas in southern Philippinesthat would make up the newBangsamoro autonomousregion and replace the cur-rent Autonomous Region inMuslim Mindanao that hassuffered from decades of

poverty, corruption, andconflict.

But the House of Repre-sentatives suspended theBBL after deadly fightingerupted between policecommandos and MILFmembers in Maguindanao’sMamasapano town on Janu-ary 25 in what the govern-ment and leaders of theformer rebel group claimedwas a mis-encounter. Thecommandos were in a secretoperation deep inside theMILF territory that killed Ma-laysian bomber Zulkifli binHir. Police said 44 comman-dos and at least 250 MILFand members of theBangsamoro Islamic Free-dom Fighters were also slainin the clashes. Police andmilitary said the MILF wascoddling Zulkifli, also knownas Marwan, but the formerrebel group strongly deniedthis. The fate of the BBL nowlies in the hands of mostlyChristian lawmakers.(Mindanao Examiner)

Feb. 16-22, 2015 3The Mindanao Examiner

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P42-M DAR projects go toZamboanga Norte town

MOA signing in Manukan town in Zamboanga del Norte province in Western Mindanao.

ZAMBOANGA DELNORTE - The Departmentof Agrarian Reformthrough the Agrarian Re-form Communities Project2 - Performance-BasedGrant System has signed aTripartite Memorandumof Agreement with the De-partment of Finance-Mu-nicipal DevelopmentFund Office and the mu-nicipal government ofManukan in Zamboangadel Norte province insouthern Philippines, offi-cials said.

Maria SocorroReambonanza, a spokes-

woman for the DAR re-gional office in WesternMindanao, said the DAR-ARCP2-PBGS involvedtwo sub-projects amount-ing to over P42 million, in-cluding the more thanP14-million concreting of2.5 kilometer longLingatongan-Meses farm-to-market road project,and the P27.7-millionconcreting of 4 kilometerGupot farm-to-marketroad.

“The project aims toassist the national govern-ment to promote sustain-able development and

help achieve a more rapidreduction in poverty. Thisis in consonance withDAR’s thrust to continu-ally deliver intensive sup-port services to agrarianreform beneficiaries andother farmers in the agrar-ian reform community,”she said.

She said the MOA wassigned by Manukan MayorEnriquita Winters, Mu-nicipal Treasurer LolitaPioquinto and DAR- Pro-vincial Agrarian ReformProgram Officer II MohDassan Adju. (MindanaoExaminer)

Sulu Governor Distributes Health Cards, Praises Jolo Officials On Anniversary Day

Sulu Governor Totoh Tan with Jolo municipal officials during the celebration of the 104thAnniversary of the town on Wednesday, February 11, 2015. (Photos by Franzie Sali)

GOVERNOR Totoh Tan ledthe distribution of Philip-pine Health Insurancecards to senior citizens inthe southern Filipino prov-ince of Sulu.

Tan said all senior citi-zens are now automaticallyprimary member ofPhilHealth and would alsoenjoy the benefits and privi-leges offered by PhilippineHealth Insurance Corpora-tion.

The recent distributionof health cards coincidedwith the 104th Anniversaryof the municipality of Jolo,the capital of Sulu, whereTan was the guest of honor.

Tan also inspectedJolo's newly-built and hugesocial hall where anniver-sary festivities for the Sulu'spremiere town is beingheld.

Jolo Mayor HussinAmin thanked the governor

for his continued support tothe development of thetown. Amin, who also gavehis executive report in a cer-emony held at the Jolo Live-lihood Training Center.

Tan also praised theleadership of Amin and hisvice mayor Edsir Tan andother members of the mu-nicipal council and villagechieftains for their supportto the provincial leadership.(Franzie Sali)

Feb. 16-22, 20154 The Mindanao Examiner

New video clip of Mamasapano clash showsgunman finishing off wounded SAF commando

MAGUINDANAO – A pur-ported cell phone video ofsuspected armed Moro Is-lamic Liberation Frontmembers finishing offwounded police comman-dos has emerged onFacebook and showed gun-men stripping off the deadof their combat gears assporadic gun fires can beheard on the background.

The six-minute clipwas uploaded in severalFacebook accounts andwent viral and provoked adeluge of angry publiccomments. It can be ac-cessed on this URL: https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m /video.php?v=835624783175219&set=vr.835624783175219&type=2&theater

The video, believed re-corded from a cell phone byone of the attackers,showed only his hand hold-ing a .45-caliber pistol andshooting several times awounded commando - hispatch and uniform identi-fied him as a member of the

elite Special Action Force ofthe Philippine National Po-lice – until he was dead.

The unidentified gun-man then went on to stripother dead commandos oftheir combat equipmentand gear as he shouted“Allahu Akbar” or God isgreat.

The clip also showedother gunmen as they tookturns in stripping morefallen commandos of theirweapons and uniforms andthey too shouted “AllahuAkbar” as they ran towardsthe river bank where thesound of automatic gunfireintensified and slowlyfaded after several minutes.

The area was believedto be where the village ofTukanalipao inM a g u i n d a n a o ’ sMamasapano town where44 commandos had diedfighting the MILF on Janu-ary 25.

The elite police unitwas in a secret mission tocapture Malaysian bomber

Zulkifli bin Hir, also knownas Marwan, in his hideoutdeep inside the MILF terri-tory, but eventually killedhim after he shot andwounded two commandos.

The team was headingback to rejoin over 300other commandos de-ployed outside the villagewhen MILF forces attackedthem, sparking a daylongbattle that also left 18former rebels dead. TheMILF signed a peace dealwith the Aquino govern-ment last year and the re-cent fighting is now threat-ening not only the peaceprocess, but the presidencyof Aquino as public outcryfor his weak leadershipcontinues to mount.

The video, shared byZaldy Balds Suson on hisFacebook page, drew angrycomments from those whohave watched the clip. Itwas unknown how Susongot hold of the clip, butother Facebook accountsalso posted the same video.

Screen shot from the purported video of suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front gunmanfinishing off a wounded Special Action Force commando in Mamasapano town in Maguindanaoprovince. (Mindanao Examiner)

NAGTIPON-TIPON noonnakaraang linggo sa ibat-ibang protest centers ang mgaorganisasyong pangkabataanna pinamumunuan ngAnakbayan para ipanawaganna magbitiw na si PangulongBenigno Aquino sa pwesto,matapos na maungkat angkanyang papel sa nangyari samadugong operasyon saMamasapano.

“Sa pagpapakatuta niyasa US hindi lang ang buhay ng44 Special Action Force (com-mandos) ng Philippine Na-tional Police ang ipinahamakniya, pati ang buhay ng 7 nasibilyan at kabuhayan ng mgaiba pang sibiliyan nananinirahan saMamasapano,” ani VencerCrisostomo, PambansangTagapangulo ng Anakbayan,sa pahayag na ipinadala saMindanao Examiner regionalnewspaper.

“Sagad na ang pasensyang mamamayan at patong-patong narin ang kasalanannitong si Aquino kaya dapatlang na umalis na siya sapwesto kung may natitira pasiyang kahihiyan sa katawan,”dagdag pa ni Crisostomo.

Naglunsad ang mgakabataan ng mga kilos-protesta sa PolytechnicUnioversity of the Philippines,

Aquino dapat magbitiw na rin sa pwestoUniversity of the PhilippinesDiliman, UP Manila, Univer-sity of Santo Tomas, Universityof Manila, San Beda College,at Freedom Park sa BatasanHills, sa Quezon City.Nagkaroon din ng mga kilosprotesta sa Pampanga, LosBanos, Baguio, at Legazpi.Kasama ang ibat-ibang sector,tumungo ang mga kabataansa Mendiola para pakinganang pahayag ni Aquino ukol saengkwentro sa Mamasapanoat para doon ipagpatuloy angprotesta.

Mariing kinokondena ngmga nag pro-protesta angsabwatan ng US at ni Aquinosa operasyong Wolverine nanaglalayon na mahuli siAbdulbasit Usman at ZulkipliBin Hir alias Marwan, nanaging sanhi ng pagkamatayng 7 na sibilyan, 44 SAF, 18MILF, 5 BIFF, at naging sanhidin ng pagkasira ngkabuhayan ng mgananinirahan sa Mamasapano.Ayon sa report ng The ManilaTimes nagsilbing escort ngmga tropang Amerikano ang44 na SAF na napatay, at angmismong humarang sa AFPreinforcement ay si Aquinodahil ayaw niyang teknikal namalabag ang ceasefire sapagitan ng GPH at MILF.

Ayon kay Crisostomo: “Sa

labis na pagsunod ni Aquinosa dikta ng US ipinahamakniya ang buhay ng 7 nasibilyan, 44 SAF, 18 MILF, at 5BIFF. Sapat na tong basehanpara umalis na sa pwesto tongsi Aquino at dapat dinpanagutin ang US na nag diktang palpak na planong ito.”

Ang mga kabataankasama ang ibat-ibang sektorng lipunan ay sabay-sabaynang umaalma sa pamahalaanni Aquino, kasabay nito angpatuloy na panawagan para sahustisya at agarang pagalis niAquino sa pwesto atpagpapanagot sa US sa papelnito sa engkwentro saMamasapano.

“Hinhikayat namin lahatna suportahan ang panawaganpara sa tunay na hustisya parasa mga biktima ng operasyonsa Mamasapano, at angpanawagan na dapatpanagutin si Aquino at ang US.Dapat nang umalis si Aquinosa pwesto at kasabay nitonararapat na rin na umalis naang mga tropang amerikano saPilipinas,” aniCrisostomo.Kamakalawalamang ay nagbitiw sa kanyangposisyon si Police DirectorGeneral Alan Purisima dahil samadugong resulta ngoperasyon ng SAF. (MindanaoExaminer)

“And you say you wantpeace? You don’t even re-spect humans and youdon’t act like humans. Nowonder your place is likehell,” wrote Son Retamalliv.

WinYeon Nam said:“Putashet talga oh! Sana sasusunod na bumagyo, Jan samga bwisit na lungga ngmga yan! Tamaan pa sana

ng kidlat. Mga dimonyo.”Vincent Lee Rana Ben-

gal said the wounded com-mando who was finished offby the gunman in the videowas believed PO2 AmmanEsmula. “If hindi akonagkakamali at kung totooito na sa Mamasapanoparang si PO2 AmmanEsmula ito,” he said.

But other reports said itwas PO1 Joseph Sagonoy.

“Grabe naman to! Sabisa (Senate) hearing (Tues-day on Mamasapano clash)nila hindi daw malapitanang barilan ng SAF bakit savideo na to may pinatay ng.45-pistol,” asked CaranthirCalaelen Celebrindal.(Mindanao Examiner)

A Moro Islamic Liberation Front sniper, clad on a camouflage ghillie suit, aims an MILF-made Barrett M82A1 rifle during a training exercise. This is one of the firearms used by theMILF in a deadly clash with police commandos on January 25, 2015 in Maguindanao'sMamasapano town. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales)

The Mindanao Examiner 5Feb. 16-22, 2015

Death of Bishop Benjamin de Jesus remembered

Sulu Governor Totoh Tan leads officials in commemorating the 18th anniversary of Bishop Benjamin de Jesus' death in Jolo town. Sulu Bishop Angelito Lampon welcomed Governor Tan andother officials. (Photos by Franzie Sali)

SULU – Government offi-cials and religious lead-ers and representativesfrom various sectors inthe southern Philippineprovince of Sulu com-memorated the 18thdeath anniversary ofBishop Benjamin deJesus.

Governor Totoh Tanand Vice Governor SakurTan led provincial andmunicipal officials in the

commemoration held atthe Notre Dame of JoloCollege. Both officials re-membered the bishop asa “man of peace, mercyand compassion.”

Sulu Bishop AngelitoLampon welcomed Gov-ernor Tan and other offi-cials. Bishop Lamponalso led the mass duringthe commemoration. Lo-cals also held a peacemarch in Jolo town.

Bishop De Jesus waskilled by a lone AbuSayyaf assassin outsidethe Cathedral in Jolotown in 1997, a fewmonths short of his 57thbirthday.

Governor Tan, in hisspeech before a hugecrowd of people whojoined the solemn event,called the assassinationas a “dastardly act” andsaid the death of the

bishop adds to the press-ing need to search forpeace and an end tosenseless killings in Suluand other parts of thecountry.

“It is indeed difficultto comprehend and un-derstand on how a manwho in his entire life isadvocating love, peaceand harmony could sud-denly die a violent death.Si Bishop Ben ay hindinag-iisa sa hanay ng mganilalang na sa hangarinmakapagbunsod ngkatahimikan atpagmamahalan ay siyapang nabawian ng buhaysa madugongpamamaraan,” he said.

Governor Tan likenedthe bishop’s peace mis-sion as that of IndiraGandhi and MartinLuther King.

“Si Gandhi, ang amang India, ay kilala saadbokasya niya ng non-violence o hindipaggamit ng dahas sapakikibaka niya upangmabigyan ng dangal atkalayaan ang India, ayganoon din ang sinapitsa kamay ng isang assas-sin. Si Reverend MartinLuther King na ama ngCivil Liberties sa Amerikaay humantong din samadugong kamatayan,”he said.

He said as a man of

God, the bishop knewthat the battle betweengood and evil is never-ending and in everybattle there are alwaysthose who are offered assacrifices for the com-mon good.

“Sulu is indeed fortu-nate that a man of BishopBen’s stature walked on itssoil and served the peoplein the name of love andbrotherhood, bridgingthe different faiths in har-monious relationships.He was one of the manylambs offered in sacrificein the altar of love, peace,harmony and goodwill,”Governor Tan said.(Franzie Sali)

P863-M new projects up in Tawi-TawiCOTABATO CITY – TheBoard of Investments in theMuslim autonomous re-gion in southern Philip-pines said two investmentprojects worth some P863million are expected to beapproved after it passedtechnical and other proce-dures required by laws.

Lawyer Ishak Mastura,Chairman of the RegionalBoard of Investments, saidthe projects – both in Tawi-Tawi province - are ex-pected to be approved bythe Board of Governors.

He said the Manage-ment Committee has en-dorsed the projects and arenow up for deliberationsand final decision by theBoard of Governors.

Mastura said the twininvestments - P741.8 mil-lion nickel-ore miningproject of Chan C Mining,Inc. and the P121.25 millionpetroleum depot project ofTawi-Tawian PetroleumTrading Corp. - are both lo-cated in Panglima Sugalatown.

He said the miningproject aims to produce 1million metric tons per yearwhile the depot projectwould have a capacity of 7.6million liters.

Mastura said they arealso currently processinginvestment projects inMaguindanao provinceand among them are oilpalm and banana planta-tions, as well as invest-

ments that seek additionalcapacity in renewable en-ergy, particularly biomasspower plants.

He said a potentialmulti-billion peso logisticscenter in the Port of Pollocin Maguindanao’s Parangtown has likewise beenproposed to the regionalgovernment by investorsand is now being facilitatedby the Regional Board ofInvestments together withport authorities.

He said Maguindanaoin central Mindanao re-mains the top destinationfor investors in the Muslimregion and followed closelyby Tawi-Tawi in the SuluArchipelago. (MindanaoExaminer)

MANILA - Labor activistshave criticized the Depart-ment of Trade and Indus-try for its total failure toimplement substantialprice-cuts on basic com-modities as the decrease inthe prices of petroleumproducts seemed to havelost steam after droppingto its lowest levels in fiveand a half years.

Citing news accountsover the weekend that re-ported that industry play-ers are expecting a P2 in-crease per liter in pumpprices this week after thethe Dubai crude, which isAsian market’s benchmark,marked a 14% cost in-crease to $52 per barrelfrom $45.50 per barrel onaverage last month.

“Hindi pa man kaminakikinabang sa pagbabang presyo ng langis mulapa nung isang taon aymagtataas na ulit,” said GieRelova of the Bukluran ngManggagawang Pilipino(BMP).

Relova called the DTI“toothless” for what heclaimed was gross negli-gence of its mandate toprotect consumers, asproof of its abandonment

Oil price hike looms againand bias towards manufac-turers and traders despitethe huge drop in prices ofpetroleum products sincethe late last year.

As of February 3, theEnergy departmentwebsite posted that on av-erage, gasoline retail pricesstood at P37.60 per liter,this after a 60% drop in oilprices in the internationalmarket since June of lastyear.

“It is inexcusable thatthe DTI could only boast ofa mere P0.35 centavo toP1.75 decrease in the retailprices of milk, sardines,coffee, noodles and soapdetergents when the effectsof the oil price cut shouldhave been universal sinceall industries rely on oil fortheir products to reach themarketplace,” Relovaclaimed.

He explained that: “Pe-troleum being an essentialcommodity that bears asignificant weight on theproduction costs of allother products has beensignificantly reduced andis on the verge of increas-ing again and yet the DTIis contented with a medio-cre 30 centavo cut in only

a number of products.”Relova described the

minuscule price decreasesas “crumbs falling from thegrand banquet of the lordsof commerce and industryonly to be taken back at thefirst instance of market in-stability”.

He said they lamentedthat despite the price dropof petroleum products,only jeepney fares wererolled back, insisting thatairfare, passenger ship andtrain fares should have alsobeen significantly re-duced.

They clamored thatworkers and the poor arein dire need of an eco-nomic relief more thanever since their wages haveremain dormant and de-prived of basic social ser-vices. “With the increase ofthe LRT (Light RailwayTransit) and MRT (MetroRail Transit) fares, in-creases in SSS (Social Se-curity System) andPhilhealth (PhilippineHealth Insurance) contri-butions last year, we areviolently being pusheddown below the povertyline.”

Relova likewise called

out on the officials of theEnergy departments toclosely monitor abusive oiland gas corporations aswell as retailers who are tooeager to hike pump-pricesas the market remains jit-

tery and prices volatile.“This gross ineptitude

of the Aquino governmentonly goes on to show thatits rabid pursuit of neo-lib-eral policies, not only thederegulation of the oil in-

dustry but of the entireeconomy has legitimizedthe place of private sectorprofit over and above inter-ests of the poor majority,”he said. (Mindanao Exam-iner)

Feb. 16-22, 20156 The Mindanao Examiner - FOREIGN NEWS

Jordan says it has bombedISIL 56 times in three days

JORDAN has conducted56 raids in three days ofairstrikes targeting astronghold of the IslamicState of Iraq and the Le-vant (ISIL) group, thecountry's air force com-mander has said.

The countrylaunched the bombingraids on the Syrian city ofRaqqa, an ISIL strong-hold, after ISIL releasedthe killing of a Jordanianpilot held hostage by thegroup.

"We achieved whatwe aimed at. We de-stroyed logistics centres,

arms depots and targetedhideouts of their fight-ers," General Mansoural-Jbour, the head of theJordanian airforce said.

Jbour said that 20percent of the total sor-ties against the armedgroup made by the US-led coaltion had beenconducted by Jordan.

The sorties have ledto the "degrading" ofnearly 20 percent of thegroups' capabilities, hesaid.

"We are determinedto wipe them from theface of the Earth."

ISIL recently releaseda video showing themburning the Jordanian pi-lot, Moaz al-Kassasbeh,to death while he wastrapped in a cage.

In comments pub-lished, Hussein al-Majali,Jordan's interior minis-ter, told the state-run al-Rai newspaper that hiscountry would go afterISIL fighters "whereverthey are".

The heightened con-frontation has raisedconcerns about possibleISIL attacks in Jordan. (AlJazeera)

3 students shot to death inapartment near UNC Chapel Hill

A 46-YEAR-OLD man hasbeen charged with murderin the shooting deaths ofthree students in an apart-ment near the University ofNorth Carolina at ChapelHill campus.

Police said "an ongoingneighbor dispute over park-ing" may have been a factorin the shootings Tuesdayevening.

The suspect, CraigStephen Hicks, turned him-self in to police later in thenight and is being held inthe Durham County Jailwithout bond. He was coop-erating with investigators,police said Wednesdaymorning.

"Our investigators areexploring what could havemotivated Mr. Hicks to com-mit such a senseless andtragic act. We understandthe concerns about the pos-sibility that this was hate-motivated and we will ex-haust every lead to deter-mine if that is the case," saidChapel Hill Police ChiefChris Blue.

But given the victims'religion -- they were Mus-lims -- and comments thealleged shooter apparentlyleft on a Facebook page,many social media userswondered what role, if any,the victims' faith played.

The victims were DeahShaddy Barakat, 23, Yusor

Mohammad, 21, and RazanMohammad Abu-Salha, 19.

Barakat wasMohammad's husband;Abu-Salha was her sister, theschool said.

Barakat was a second-year student at the UNCSchool of Dentistry, whowas raising money on afundraising siteto providedental care to Syrian refu-gees in Turkey.

He had been marriedfor just over a month toYusor Mohammad, whowas planning to begin herdental studies at UNC in thefall, according to the school.

Abu-Salha was a studentat North Carolina State Uni-versity in Raleigh.

All three were shot in thehead, sources told CNN affili-ate WRAL.

The condominium ishome to many universitystudents. Tuesday night,friends and family membersgathered, crying or comfort-ing each other, as they waitedfor word from officers.

"It's been hours. Just tellme if he's alive," one mancried out.

An officer tried to calmhim down. "Give us moretime," he said.

Student Kristen Bolingtold CNN affiliate WNCN shewas at home studying anddidn't hear anything.

"It's kind of just turned

the neighborhood upsidedown," she said.

The hashtag#chapelhillshooting and#MuslimLivesMatter quicklyshot to the top of Twitter'strending topic early Wednes-day morning, with manyposting what they said werephotos of the victims.

Hicks is being held onthree counts of first-degreemurder.

In one post widelyshared online, Hicks, whoclaimed he is an atheist, al-legedly wrote: "When itcomes to insults, your reli-gion started this, not me. Ifyour religion kept its bigmouth shut, so would I."

CNN couldn't indepen-dently confirm the authen-ticity of the post or hisFacebook page.

UNC Chancellor CarolFolt is expected to issue astatement sometimeWednesday.

"We are sensitive to theimpact an incident of thisnature has on campus and inthe community," the schoolsaid. "We understand youwant to know the facts asquickly as possible. At thesame time, we must respectthe job our Chapel Hill policehave as they investigate thiscrime." (By Saeed Ahmed.CNN's Tina Burnside, RickMartin and Melodi Smithcontributed to this report.)

IS militants

The Mindanao Examiner - OPINION 7Feb. 16-22, 2015

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Letters to the Editor: Denying the Bangsamoro of theirright to self-determination means denying peace

Dear Editor,

SANLAKAS fully supportsall progressively prin-cipled and meaningfulsolutions to achieve last-ing peace for Mindanaodirectly related to theBangsamoro Question.Any such measures aimedat resolving this nationalquestion must be basedon concretely attainingreal social justice for theoppressed Bangsamoronation. Achieving this willbe a strategic answer to acenturies-old dilemmathat has haunted the Phil-ippine State.

SANLAKAS expressesits sincerest condolencesand heartfelt sympathiesto all the families andloved ones of the protago-nists who lost their lives inMindanao’s latest, butavoidable carnage.

The Bangsamoropeople have long sufferedgross and untold historicinjustices since the US oc-cupation and at the handsof the Philippine State ledby its elite. As a result, nota few Bangsamoro havetaken up arms to resistand fight back. And theydo so to shape their ownnational future as a na-tion. In this regard, there-fore, it is now totally im-perative that the histori-cally-oppressed peoples

of the Bangsamoro home-land be allowed to collec-tively express, and torightfully determine theirown national aspirationsas a free and sovereignpeople.

SANLAKAS believesthat for peace to beachieved in Mindanao,the Bangsamoro people’sright to self-determina-tion must be respectedand recognized. Theirstruggle is no differentfrom our nation’s struggleunder centuries of colo-nial subjugation, againstthe tyranny of the Span-ish, American and Japa-nese colonizers. Thus,Filipinos should be in thebest position to under-stand that there can be nogenuine peace if there isno social justice, thatpeace would remain anelusive ideal when entirenations and oppressedethno-cultural communi-ties are deprived of theirright to determine theirown destinies. We, there-fore, cannot becomecolonizers of theBangsamoro people byrefusing and denyingthem what previous gen-erations of Filipinossteadfastly fought anddied for, that is – the rightto self-determination.

However, the currentnational political situa-

tion is one that is sharplyalarming. It starkly re-flects the direct outcomeof the Battle inMamasapano. Rabid warproponents and right-wing tendencies are al-ready exploiting the situ-ation for maximum explo-sive effect upon the Fili-pino national psyche totrigger yet another terri-bly devastating ‘All-outWar’ against theBangsamoro nation.

In recent public pro-nouncements by these re-actionary spoilers of theongoing peace processbetween the Governmentof the Philippines (GPH)and the MILF, they nowwant the so-calledBangsamoro Basic Law(BBL), the lynchpin in-strument for an accept-able peace earlier ap-proved by the MILF’s Cen-tral Committee, to bejunked. While they earliercriticized the GPH-MILFpeace process, specifi-cally the BBL, on consti-tutional grounds, theynow want it totallyscrapped in reaction tothe unfortunate loss ofthe 44 SAF troops.AMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICA’S DA’S DA’S DA’S DA’S DAGGER INGGER INGGER INGGER INGGER IN

MINDANAMINDANAMINDANAMINDANAMINDANAOOOOOYet amidst all this

confused tension, the in-terventionist maneuversand ploys of the US per-sist. America’s openly ex-pressed role in the Philip-pines is to directly assistPhilippine state securityforces in the latter’s fightagainst international ter-rorism, as clearly wit-nessed in the aftermath ofthe Mamasapano Battle.On this front,Washington’s intrusion isfundamentally linked toits geo-strategic agendato secure and dominateaccess to Asia’s vast andfast-growing regionaleconomic markets via po-litical-security means.This is chiefly aimed atthe current survival ofAmerica’s own capitalist-imperialist system afterthe near-collapse of WallStreet on September 15,2008, plus the global capi-talist system’s ensuing cri-sis. Thus, it is centrally fo-cused on pre-positioning

US military forces acrossbases within the region toprotect American profitsand interests, but underthe pretext of fighting in-ternational terrorism incollaboration with itspuppet states.

In this setting, Ameri-can strategic interests in-tend to transformMindanao, including theBangsamoro homeland,into a forward projectionbase akin to a globally-ex-tended dagger. This‘American dagger’ will beaimed (externally) at itstop regional rival, China;although its real inten-tions of doing so will behidden from public view.Yet at the same time, it willalso be targeted (inter-nally) on “internationalterrorist targets”, as re-peatedly stated in public.This latter justification isnow used to veil America’sprimary covert intentionsin order for it to useMindanao as a major baseof operations for its flank-ing maneuvers againstBeijing. Through this ap-proach, the US canreadily take full advan-tage of its relations withboth the Aquino regimeand the MILF and thus, bein a position to exploitgreater political leverageand economic gains fromboth. For as long asAmerican imperialism’sregional scheme tocounter China is secured,the outcome of the Philip-pine State’s peace processwith the Bangsamorowould not matter much tothe US.

For now, America’spresence in our countrystill reflects its post-9/11‘Global War of Terror’legacy. It is precisely thismilitarist aspect of USimperialism’s aggressiveworldwide thrust whichthe Aquino regime has ea-gerly invited and con-sciously welcomed ontoPhilippine soil. And it isMindanao which has al-ready become a majorbattleground for USimperialism’s unfoldingshadow war throughoutthe area. Alas, our countryis now reaping whatMalacañang has so ear-

nestly sowed.THE SANLTHE SANLTHE SANLTHE SANLTHE SANLAKASAKASAKASAKASAKASSTSTSTSTSTANDPOINTANDPOINTANDPOINTANDPOINTANDPOINT

Another war is defi-nitely not in the interests ofboth the Filipino andBangsamoro workingclasses and poor masseswho will stand to suffer themost. We must shudder atthe thought of mothers los-ing their sons and daugh-ters, of families torn apart,of homes deserted, of com-munities displaced andrazed to the ground as aconsequence of yet an-other reactionary war.

Hence, SANLAKAS ap-peals upon all democraticand peace-loving peoplesto join it in undertaking acollective national standfor genuine peace con-cerning the Bangsamoronation. SANLAKAS nowcalls upon the Filipinomasses to urgently de-mand for, and to advancethe following positions:

• The Bangsamoronation’s right to self-deter-mination must be fully re-spected and recognized asa democratic principle. Itspursuit and outcome mustbe plainly upheld andclearly accepted by thePhilippine State and itsmajority Filipino nation.

• As the Head of State,President Noynoy Aquino,as well as ranking officialsof the Philippine NationalPolice (PNP) who master-minded Oplan Wolverine,must take full responsibil-ity and accept total ac-countability for theircriminal negligence. ThePresident cannot pass theblame for an operation ex-ecuted under the auspicesof his Office. Command re-sponsibility dictates ac-countability.

• The current frame-work objectives of theGPH-MILF Peace Processmust be allowed to reach ajust conclusion by bothsignatory parties; and allreactionary spoilers to thepeace process must be re-sisted and stopped.

• The peace process inMindanao must be broad-ened to greatly encompassand include other politicalfactions/formations whoare not presently involvedin the GPH-MILF Peace

Process in recognition oftheir right to self-determi-nation. In this new multi-front peace process con-text, the general masses ofthe Bangsamoro nationmust also be recognized,encouraged and allowed toactively and directly par-ticipate in the negotiationsproper in order to helpbring about deeper andenhanced solutions to theBangsamoro Question.

• The dual-faced char-acter and dangerous inten-tions of US imperialism,both inside the Philippinesand in its lingering engage-ment with the MILF, mustbe totally unmasked andexposed before the Filipinoand Bangsamoro peoples.This is very necessary sothat both sides can bothlearn to build confidenceas peace partners together.

• All US military forcesin the Philippines, espe-cially those operating inMindanao, must rightaway be expelled from thecountry; and relatedly, allbilateral defense agree-ments and war instru-ments between Manilaand Washington shouldpromptly be abrogated. Ef-fectively, we must pursuean independent and pro-gressive foreign policy –one which will not com-promise the sovereignty ofthe peoples within thePhilippine State.

• The establishment ofa multi-stakeholder ‘Inde-pendent People’s Commis-sion of Inquiry’ must im-mediately be undertaken.Its role shall be to ferret outthe truth as to what reallyhappened before, duringand after the January 25,2015 Battle in Mamaspano.This is needed in order toestablish and assign offi-cial accountability on theappropriate governmentand PNP officials (asidefrom Aquino himself ), andto settle the issue publiclyonce and for all. TheCommission’s mandate,scope and functions shallbe parallel to the officialinvestigations being pur-sued by various govern-ment bodies. Governmentinvestigations must resultin actual prosecution ofthose responsible.

Dr. Willie T. Ong

Payo para sa OFW at sa lahat Ni Dr. Willie T. Ong

MAY mga payo ako para sa mga OFWs.Dahil malayo sila sa kanilang pamilya,kailangan ay doble ang kanilang pag-iingatlaban sa sakit, lalo na sa sakit sa puso.

1. Kumain ng “red foods” para sa pusotulad ng strawberry, pulang mansanas (redapple), pulang pakwan (red watermelon),kamatis at pulang ubas (red grapes). Maymga taglay itong kemikal na maganda saating puso.

2. Kumain din ng “heart friendly” foodstulad ng oatmeal na pampababa ngkolesterol. Ang taba ng isda, berdeng gulayat dark chocolate ay may benepisyo din sapuso.

3. Mag-ehersisyo ng madalas. Kung mabigat ang iyongtrabaho, ang paglalakad at gawaing bahay ay puwedengsapat na ehersisyo para sa iyo.

4. Matulog ng 7 hanggang 8 oras. Magpahinga ng sapatpara lumakas ang ating katawan.

5. Magkaroon ng mga kaibigan. Makipagkuwentuhansa kapwa Pilipino na makikilala mo.

6. Umiwas sa pag-inom ng alak at puwede ito magdulotng sakit. Huwag gawing libangan ang alak.

7. Umiwas din sa paninigarilyo at pagpupuyat. Baka

lalo lang manghina ang iyong katawan.8. Magbasa ng paborito mong libro.

Piliin mo ang mga masasayang libro o in-spirational books.

9. Magkaroon ng mga libangan o hob-bies na puwede magpasaya sa inyo.

10. Manood ng comedy shows sainternet, TV o DVD. Ang pagtawa aynagbibigay ng endorphins o happy hor-mones sa ating katawan.

11. Magbasa ng mga health tips paramakaiwas sa mga sakit.

12. Gamitin ang internet para magingmaalam sa mga nangyayari sa Pilipinas.

13. Magpa-check up sa doktor kahit isang beses bawattaon. Inumin at magbaon ng maintenance mong gamotkung kinakailangan.

14. Huwag baliwalain ang mga sintomas nanararamdaman. Magpatingin sa inyong doktor.

15. Magdasal at magtiwala sa Panginoon na aalagaanka niya at ang iyong pamilya.

At kapag ika’y nakaipon na, puwedeng mag-desisyonna bumalik na sa bansa at dito na lang manirahan. Gustonatin na kayo’y malakas at malusog sa pagbalik sa atingbayan. God bless po.

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ARMM Southern Mindanao Davao Western Mindanao Cebu Manila

Solon wants probe into delay ofMactan-Cebu airport terminal

ebu Rep. GeraldAnthony Gullas Jr.said they wouldinvestigate theC

long delay in constructionof a new world-class termi-nal at Mactan-Cebu Inter-national Airport.

Gullas, also the HouseAssistant Majority Leader,said there is a need for an in-quiry into the almost year-long delay and he wants theproblem resolved.

“The setback is unac-ceptable. We want the prob-lem resolved right away. Wewill seek a congressional in-vestigation,” Gullas said,adding the existing terminalwas designed for 4.5 millionpassengers every year, butalready serves 7.2 million.

“We’re also concernedthat due to the delay in theproject, passengers goingthrough the MCIA mighteventually be penalized byhigher user charges, such asterminal fees. We don’t seehow the new MCIA terminalcan be completed by Febru-ary 2018, as initially sched-uled, if construction willstart only by early 2016,” hesaid in a statement sent to

Cebu Examiner.The groundbreaking for

the new terminal was origi-nally set in January, but hassince been deferred by atleast another 10 months.

But GMR-MegawideCebu Airport Corp., the pri-vate firm obligated to put upthe new terminal, hasblamed the Philippine AirForce for the snag, saying,the PAF has 17 structures inthe middle of the site wherethe new terminal is sup-posed to be built.

After two failed publicbiddings, the P678-million,300-day contract to demol-ish, replicate and transferthe PAF structures to thenearby Mactan BenitoEbuen Airbase was given toprivate contractors only lastmonth.

The Department ofTransportation and Com-munications awarded toGMR-Megawide in April2014 the multibillion-pesoMCIA Passenger TerminalRehabilitation, Expansionand Operation Public-Pri-vate Partnership Project.

Under the 25-year con-cession, GMR-Megawide is

required to build in 36months a new terminal ca-pable of handling eight mil-lion international passen-gers every year. The firm isalso expected to enlargeand modernize the existingterminal, which will beconverted into a com-pletely domestic flights-only station capable ofhandling another 4.5 mil-lion passengers every year.GMR-Megawide is spend-ing P17.52-billion for theproject, on top of the P14.4-billion premium it paid tothe national governmentfor the concession. It willrun both the new and exist-ing terminals for up to 25years to recoup its invest-ment and earn a profit.

Gullas said he is count-ing on the project to helpdrive national economicand jobs growth in the yearsahead through increasedtrade and tourism. “In par-ticular, we see the new fa-cilities firing up travel andleisure-related industriesthroughout CentralVisayas, a key internationaltourism hub,” he said.(Cebu Examiner)

Palasyo mohatag ug dugang pundo alang sapagpalambo sa public education programs

DepEd mi duso sa online journalismng buhatan sa De-partment of Edu-c a t i o nmipahigayon ugA

nationwide training sa mgaschool paper advisers ugcampus journalism coordi-nators agi ugpagpangandam sa himoonnga 2015 National SchoolsPress Conference.

Gawas sa konsepto sabasic journalism, ang mgapartisipante gibansay usabsa Online Journalism ug Sci-ence Writing nga bag-ohaylang nalakip na sa himoongNSPC competition catego-ries.

Si Education SecretaryArmin Luisitro mipaambit saka importansya sa digitalcommunication compo-nents sa Campus JournalismProgram. Midugang siLuisitro nga himoon kiniaron mapalambo ang 21stcentury skills sa mgamagtutudlo ug pinaagi niini

mapaambit nila ang ilangkahibalo ngadto sa mgaestudyanteng Pilipino aronmahibalo ug ma bansay silasa media literacy.

Gitumong sa nationalTraining of Trainers on Cam-pus Journalism ang paghatag ug kasinatian sa mgaschool paper advisers bahinsa mga modernong pamaagisa campus journalism ugdigital communications me-dia aron mo uswag ang ilangjournalistic skills lakip naang eskwelahan sapagpahigayon niini sa ilangschool paper managementug editorial techniques.

Gawas sa online jour-nalism gi bansay usab sila saEditorial Cartooning, CopyWriting, Feature Writing,News Writing, Sports Writingug Photojournalism sa mgaresource speakers nila.

Ipahigayon ang NSPCkarong tuiga sa Taguig City saAbril 6 hangtud 10 nga

gadala sa tema: ”Empower-ing Resilient CommunitiesThrough Campus Journal-ism.”

Sa pagtak-op sagihimong in-school jour-nalism ug English languageprograms, ang NSPCpadayon nga mopaambitsa mga dugang pa ngapagtulun-aron ma giyahanang mga estudyante ngagustong mokuha sakursong journalism.Gitumong nga mapaambitsa mga estudyante angdugang kahibalo unsa kamahinungdanon ang jour-nalism aron magamit salain-laing pamaagipagpadayag sa mga panghuna-huna mahitungod saadvocacy on social con-sciousness, ug ang pagpaila sa gitawag ug respon-sible “journalism throughfair and ethical use of massand social media”. (MBCN,LPP)

2 traffic men fired over extort allegationwo Mandauetraffic enforcersaccused of extor-tion by a for-T

eigner and his Filipinacompanion have beenfired from their jobs after athorough investigation or-dered by Mayor JonasCortes.

Cortes’ order came af-ter a video of the allegedextortion was uploaded on

social media and drew pub-lic criticism. The duo, iden-tified by the local govern-ment as Arman Gallardoand Gringo Pinados, hadflagged down the foreignerand the woman who weretravelling on a motorcycleand apprehended them forignoring a U-Turn sign onOuano Avenue.

The two men were ter-minated on February 10 in

an order signed by City Ad-ministrator and lawyerJames Abadia.

One of the men wascaught on the video confis-cating the driver’s license ofthe foreigner, but failed to is-sue him a traffic citationticket. The foreigner waslater ordered by the duo toget inside their patrol carand later alighted. (CebuExaminer)

ANG MALAKANYANGmi anunsyo nga dugangpundo ang gitaganaalang sa pagpalapad samga programa sa De-partment of Educationaron mapalambo angkalidad sa edukasyon sanasud.

Namahayag si Presi-dential Communica-tions Operations OfficerSecretary Herminio

Coloma, Jr. nga mokabatsa P10-billion anggitagana alang sapagkuha ug dugang39,000 ka bag-ongmagtutudlo ug 1,500 kanon-teaching positionsalang sa mga publikongeskwelahan.

Miingon ni Colomanga ang Department ofBudget and Managementmo tagana usab ug laing

P3.5 billion nga ipalit ugdugang textbooks ugteaching materials.

Aduna nay P54-bil-lion nga gihatag alang sapagtukod ug 31,728 kabag-ong classrooms ugang pag reconstruct salaing 9,500 classroomslakip na ang pagtukod ug13,586 ka water and sani-tation facilities, 455 tech-nical-vocational labora-

Mandaue LGBTs welcomesupport on proposed code

arious LGBTgroups havewelcomed thesupport of the

(Mandaue News Service)

Vlocal council in the pro-posed ordinance provid-ing a comprehensive codeso-called people of di-verse sexual orientationand gender identities.

The City Council ofMandaue has passed – on1st reading – the proposedordinance which is alsothe first outside the met-ropolitan Manila.

Council member andlawyer Nenita Layese,who heads the Committeeon Women, Children andFamily, said her proposed

law upholds and recog-nizes the rights and welfareof LGBT or Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgendergroup.

The proposed ordi-nance was drafted by a lo-cal organization of gaysand an advocacy groupcalled Manpride orMandaue’s Pride led by law-yer Regal Oliva.

“This is the first outsideMetro Manila and it willhelp curb the spread of HIVand at the same time in-volved the group in achiev-ing the City’s vision,” Olivasaid.

HIV refers to the hu-man immunodeficiency vi-

rus that causes the acquiredimmunodeficiency syn-drome, a condition inwhich progressive failure ofthe immune system allowslife-threatening infectionsand cancers to thrive.

Nanette Bowler, ad-viser of Manpride, wel-comed the support of theCity Council on the pro-posed ordinance. “This is avery welcome develop-ment,” she said, adding,their group has ever sincevoluntarily contributedtheir time and talent for thebenefit not only of theLGBT community, but thepublic as well. (Cebu Exam-iner, MNS)

tories ug 1.3 million ngaclassroom seats.

Miingon si Colomanga ang computerizationprogram sa DepEd,pundohan usab ug P8.5billion nga ipalit ug24,000 ka informationand communicationstechnology package ugmulti-media laboratoriesalang sa mga estudyante

sa mga public highschools ug laing com-puter laboratories nga ba-sic multimedia equip-ment alang sa mgaelementarya.

Nahibal-an nga usaang DepEd sa mgaahensya sa gobyerno nganahatagan ug dako ngapundo sa 2015 nationalbudget sa kantidad nga

P367.1-billion, taas kiniug 19% kung I kumpara sa2014 budget nga P309.5-billion, matud ni Coloma.

Gipatas-an usab angbadget sa tanang statecolleges ug universities satibook nasud karongtuiga sa kantidad ngaP44-billion kumpara sami aging tuig nga P38-bil-lion. (MBCN, LPP)