by anyajulia | Nov 24, 2009 | Headlines, Major Events, National News
Forty-six persons were confirmed killed when heavily armed men waylaid the group on their way to the local Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Maguindanao. The group were composed of supporters of Buluan Vice Mayor Toto Mangudadatu and Mangudadatu Vice Mayor Eden Mangudadatu, as well as journalists.
It was around 10:30 a.m. when they were blocked at a checkpoint manned by some 100 Maguindanao police personnel and armed civilian volunteers allegedly led by Datu Unsay town mayor Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Information Office chief Lt. Col. Romero Brawner confirmed that as of yesterday afternoon, ground troops had recovered 21 bodies – 13 women and eight men – from the massacre site in Barangay Saniag, Ampatuan town.
Toto Mangudadatu, who was not with the convoy, is reportedly eyeing the gubernatorial seat in the May 2010 elections and had asked his wife to file his COC.
The Mangudadatu clan is known to have a long-running feud with the family of Maguindanao’s incumbent Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., who police said is known to have his own private army.
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by anyajulia | Nov 23, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
BOHOL Provincial Police Office (BPPO) accounted a total of 1096 fire-arms in its drives since August to September to top all the regional police offices in the implementation of the National Firearms Control Program (NFCP) or Bilang Boga, data from the Central Visayas Regional Police Office revealed.
Meanwhile Cebu Provincial Police Office beat BPPO in active anti-illegal firearms interdiction operations or operation Kontra Boga net when it accounted for 433 in the last four months of operations.
Operations Bilang Boga and Kontra Boga are active police operations to account and recover the estimated forty nine thousand one hundred thirty six loose firearms in line with the NFCP.
It also brought down the final gun registration and licensing amnesty to advance the government’s desire to get loose firearms which often end up being used in criminal activities.
The number for BPPO was 25.90 percent of the estimated 4,232 loose firearms from threat groups and criminal elements or those basically un-renewed in the last years, explains PInspector John Gano, Camp Dagohoy Information Officer.
While topping the charts in Bilang Boga operations, or accounting for the loose firearms, Bohol garnered third place in the operation Kontra Boga or the anti-loose fire-arms interdiction operations
BPPO police operatives only accounted 44 firearms during the same period.
BPPO contended with Cebu Provincial Police Office, Cebu City Police Office, Lapulapu City Police Office, Mandaue City Police Office, Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office and Siquijor Provincial Police Office.
Over the achievement, outgoing police director PSsupt Edgardo Ingking said he was just happy that his men delivered and seriously cascaded the national gun amnesty campaign in their areas.
Ranking next to Bohol in Bilang Boga Operation is Siquijor Provincial Police Station, the province with the least criminality ratio in Central Visayas.
Siquijor scored seventy two firearms, all of them unrenewed in the last years over the estimated three hundred thirty seven loose fire arms in the island
In Central Visayas, Cebu Province has the most number of loose firearms at 14,143, followed by Cebu City at 13,585.
However, Cebu City and Cebu Provincial Offices only managed to score 15.27 and a measly 3.79 percent respectively.
For operation Bilang Boga, following Bohol and Siquijor are Cebu City Police Office, Manadue City Police Office, Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office, Cebu Provincial Police Office and Lapulapu City Police Office.
In Kontra Boga, tailing Cebu Provincial Police Office is Cebu City Police Office, Bohol Provincial Police Office, Siquijor Provincial Police Office, Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office while both Lapulapu City and Mandaue City Police offices score even at sixth. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Nov 20, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
FOR their key roles in advancing nutrition consciousness and elevating the health conditions of Boholanos, nutrition advocates get the lime light this December 9, 2009 as attentions is drawn to the annual awarding ceremonies at the Jjs Seafoods Restaurant.
Provincial Nutrition Council Chairman Governor Erico Aumentado bares this during the recent council meeting held at the Capitol last week.
Governor Aumentado, who has been equally concerned about the nutrition condition of Bohol’s young generation also shared his serious commitment of helping the government eradicate all forms of deprivation including that of hunger in line with the national Accelerated anti-Hunger Mitigation Program (AHMP).
In the country’s last quarter of 2008 hunger incidence survey, from a record high 4.3 million families, hunger incidence drastically dipped to 2.9 million families after the government initiated serious mitigation programs.
Now engaging communities to participate in the efforts to carve a chunk of the poverty and hunger incidences, the Council, through the governor said the awardees have complemented the national and provincial government efforts, and it should be recognized.
With Bohol bagging the Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN) in the last consecutive years, nutrition advocates in the council believe that the awarding further motivates the people to do some more in line with the agenda.
Leading this year’s nutrition awardees are ten of Bohol towns who have been topping the list of best performing municipal nutrition councils.
They are Tubigon, Garcia Hernandez, Panglao, Mabini, Catigbian, Trinidad, San Miguel, Antequera, Ubay and Candijay.
Towns which have consistently maintained their nutrition programs are Talibon, Inabanga and Getafe, according to the PNC.
Top three barangay nutrition councils of Bohol are Dorol, Balilihan (Bohol I), Soom Trinidad, (Bohol II) and Concepcion Mabini (Bohol III).
Also getting the award is National Nutrition Awardee for Best Barangay Nutrition Scholar and Inabangnon Virginia Centinales. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Nov 20, 2009 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
CATIGBIAN town puts in another innovation worth replicating by local government units: a socialized health service incorporated in a local system called the yellow card.
By passing Municipal Ordinance Number 6, series of 2009, the town has also successfully institutionalized a program that has become prime tool for some local chief executives who want a sole credit making it appear that he is using his own money to aid his constituents.
We need to put up a measure that would stop future leaders from appointing his political supporters as beneficiaries, all to the disadvantage of those seriously needing the help, Mayor Roberto Salinas stressed.
The Yellow Card Ordinance is our humble way of providing the best health care and at the same time sustain the operations of the new Municipal Health Center and Lying in Clinic, Salinas said.
But considering that we have indigent constituents who would also need to avail of its offered basic medical and health services, we need to identify who these people that the town’s meager health aid fund can help, the retired navy captain now steering an agricultural town to its loftiest development record explained.
Even if out 1,151 indigents of the town can availed of the PhilHealth Out-patient benefit package while some 4,094 households can avail of the free medical services while enrolled in the government socialized medical benefit program, there is a rather huge need to serve those who still could not avail of the same benefits, he claimed.
He said the yellow card ordinance defines those indigents and issue to the household head the card which makes him and his dependents eligible for the socialized services at the local rural health center.
Card holders and dependents can avail of free or discounted services including consultations, medicines, laboratory diagnostics and ambulance services, the ordinance showed.
The ordinance also puts up a body that would identify the beneficiaries according to an inset established criteria or categorization, validation and enrolment or registration until all poor beneficiaries can be hopefully covered, the mayor continued.
According to the measure, criteria for availment would be based on annual household income over dependents and compared to the annual subsistence threshold of P6,000 or more but lesser than the pegged national poverty threshold of P9,000 per annum.
The ordinance also puts up a validating mechanism based on housing, source of income, education and landholding. (PIA)
by anyajulia | Nov 20, 2009 | Headlines, National News
The Department of Education (DepEd) renews partnership with the Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc., sealing an agreement which will benefit more public high school teachers and students by making educational TV programs available through cable, satellite, and the internet.
Since 1999, the Knowledge Channel has provided and installed satellite infrastructure and cable TV facilities to 2,000 public high schools nationwide to deliver educational TV materials to help improve the academic performance of public school students in English, Math and Science.
Under the new partnership, another 4,000 public high schools stand to benefit which includes a teacher training program on TV-assisted instruction. The agreement is spearheaded by the Adopt-A-School Program, DepEd’s link to the private sector. (PIA)
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