Bravery of 5 Bulacan rescuers lives on: Marcos

 By Azer Parrocha 

HEROES. The five rescuers who perished in the line of duty in Bulacan. Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. extended prayers to their families and vowed to remember their courage and bravery. (Photo from Sen. Joel Villanueva's social media page)

MANILA – President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Tuesday night paid tribute to the five rescue workers who died in the line of duty in Bulacan province during the onslaught of Typhoon Karding (Noru).

“I am deeply saddened to hear that we lost five good men to Typhoon Karding yesterday [Monday],” Marcos said in his official Facebook account.

He also extended prayers to their families and vowed to remember their courage and bravery.

“Our prayers go to the families of George Agustin, Troy Justin Agustin, Marby Bartolome, Narciso Calayag Jr., and Jerson Resurreccion. Their courage and bravery will live on in our memory,” he added.

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, in a separate Facebook post, also honored the five rescuers for their "heroic" sacrifices and extended sympathy to the families, friends, and colleagues.

“Hindi matatawaran ang kanilang ipinakitang sakripisyo na kahit sariling buhay nila ay handang ialay para masagip ang ilan nating mga kababayan na nangangailangan ng tulong. Ang buong bansa ay nagbibigay-pugay sa kanilang kabayanihan (The sacrifice they have shown is priceless, they were ready to risk their own lives to save some of our countrymen who need help. The whole country pays tribute to their heroism),” she said.

On Monday, the provincial government of Bulacan also honored the rescue personnel of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) of Bulacan and dubbed them as heroes.

“Sa ngalan ng Pamahalaang Panlalawigan ng Bulacan at ng ating mga kababayan, ang inyong abang lingkod ay lubos na nakikiramay sa mga pamilyang naulila ng ating mga magigiting na rescue workers na nasawi habang tumutupad ng tungkuling mailigtas ang ating mga kababayan sa gitna ng hagupit ng bagyong Karding (In the name of Bulacan provincial government and our fellow Bulacan natives, I am sending my condolences to the families of our gallant rescue workers, who died while in the line of duty to save people during the onslaught of Typhoon Karding),” said Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando on Facebook.

“Sila ay kumakatawan sa lahat ng pinakamabubuting katangian ng tunay na Bulakenyo. Ang kaligtasan ng publiko ay higit sa isang trabaho lamang…ito ay isang panawagan ng paglilingkod (They embody the best qualities of true Bulacan natives. Public safety is more than just a job, it’s a call to serve),” he added.

The provincial government has also assured families of the victims of help to defray the costs of the burial as well as the immediate release of their insurance benefits.

Earlier, Bulacan 6th district Representative Salvador Pleyto Sr. filed a resolution expressing the “profound sympathy and sincerest condolences” of the House of Representatives over the death of the five rescuers.

Senators have also paid tribute to the five rescuers in separate resolutions filed by Senators Lito Lapid, Robin Padilla, Bong Revilla Jr., and Joel Villanueva.

Bulacan, Quezon, and Nueva Ecija provinces were among the areas hardest hit by the typhoon which brought heavy rains and winds.

Local authorities said the five rescue workers died after a flash flood swept them while in San Miguel town in Bulacan.

The bodies of the rescuers were later retrieved in the town. (PNA)

 

Countdown to Masskara Festival set midnight of Sept. 30

 By Nanette Guadalquiver 

 

FESTIVAL SPONSORS. Masskara Festival director Pinky Mirano-Ocampo (center) with executives of San Miguel Brewery Inc., SM Prime Holdings Inc., Megaworld Corp., and AB Leisure Exponent Inc.’s Bingo Plus, major sponsors of the 43rd Masskara Festival, after the signing of the sponsorship deals at Scarborough Seafoods restaurant in Bacolod City on Tuesday (Sept. 27, 2022). Mirano-Ocampo said it is "all systems go” for the three-week festivities. (PNA photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver)

BACOLOD CITY – City officials and residents here will usher in the staging of the 43rd Masskara Festival during the countdown at the Bacolod City Government Center grounds at midnight of Sept. 30.

This year’s edition of the world-renowned “festival of many faces” is poised to be the grandest in the “City of Smiles” as it returns two years after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It’s all systems go,” festival director Pinky Mirano-Ocampo said in a statement on Wednesday.

Ahead of the official opening on Oct. 1, the Bacolod Yuhum Foundation Inc., headed by Mirano-Ocampo, forged agreements on Tuesday with San Miguel Brewery Inc., SM Prime Holdings Inc., Megaworld Corp., and AB Leisure Exponent Inc.’s Bingo Plus, the major sponsors of the three-week festival, which will run until Oct. 23.

She said they have also tapped minor sponsors to meet the needed funding for the entire festivity expected to draw at least 200,000 revelers.

The city government has also provided financial assistance to the barangays participating in the street and arena dance competition as well as in the Electric Masskara float parade and dance-off contest, she added.

Mirano-Ocampo said they have started to set up the food and exhibit stalls in both the Government Center and the Bacolod Public Plaza.

Aside from these two areas, the Masskara Festival 2022 sites also include the Baywalk at the Reclamation Area, Megaworld’s The Upper East, Lacson Strip, SMX Convention Center, Paglaum Stadium, Panaad Park and Stadium, and the University of St. La Salle Coliseum.

Mirano-Ocampo said their team is coordinating with the Bacolod City Police Office, the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to ensure the safety and security of revelers.

“Since we are still in a pandemic, we encourage everyone to take heed of the health protocols by using face masks, at the very least, in enclosed spaces and very crowded places,” she added.

The Masskara Festival 2022 is themed “Balik Yuhum”, which translates to smile again or bring back the smile, a reference to Bacolod’s tagline as the “City of Smiles”. (PNA)

 

4 Bangsamoro lawmakers file bills reorganizing, creating, renaming BARMM ministries

 COTABATO CITY — Several Bangsamoro lawmakers filed bills that would reorganize, create, and rename ministries in the region.

Proposed measures introduced on first reading on Tuesday, September 26, include reorganizing the Ministries of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) and Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) as well as creating the Ministries of Technical Education and Skills Development;  Energy; Tourism; Fisheries and Aquatic Resources; Agrarian Reform; and Bangsamoro Commission on Higher Education.
 
It was filed by MPs Amilbahar Mawallil, Laisa Alamia, Rasol Mitmug Jr., and Suharto Ambolodto.
 
Co-authors of the bills are MPs Baintan Ampatuan, Don Mustapha Loong, and Rasul Ismael.
 
Parliament Bill (PB) No. 18 seeks to structurally and functionally reorganize the MBHTE.
 
Under the proposed measure, a Ministry of Education will be created to better serve the region's basic education sector.
 
With the proposed measure on the reorganization of MBHTE, a Ministry of Technical Education and Skills Development will be created under PB No. 17 that will provide policy direction for technical education and skills training.
 
The Bangsamoro Commission on Higher Education, a separate and independent regional commission focusing on higher education, is also proposed in PB No. 16.
 
Another proposed bill seeks to reorganize MAFAR to focus on the specific needs of the agricultural sector.
 
"The reorganization and creation of a separate ministry will institutionalize a workforce that is solely dedicated to the management of the region’s agricultural resources," said MP Mawallil.
 
Under PB No. 15, MAFAR will be renamed as the Ministry of Agriculture.
 
PB No. 11 seeks to create the Ministry of Agrarian Reform, a principal agency mandated to assist the Bangsamoro government in the implementation of the agrarian reform law, programs, and projects.
 
While PB No. 12 proposes to establish a Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, which will serve as the lead agency in charge of the rational and sustainable development, improvement, management, protection, and conservation of the Bangsamoro region's fisheries and aquatic resources.
 
Measures which seek to create Ministries of Energy and Tourism were also filed.
 
The Ministry of Energy, as proposed under PB No. 14, is an entity that will prepare, integrate, coordinate, supervise, and control all plans, programs, projects, and activities of the Bangsamoro government related to energy exploration, development, utilization, distribution, and conservation.
 
PB No. 13 seeks to create a Ministry of Tourism, responsible for encouraging, promoting, and developing tourism as a major socio-economic activity to generate revenues and employment.
 
Meanwhile, said lawmakers also filed bills that would constitute the Bangsamoro Electoral Code and protect the rights of internally displaced persons of the Bangsamoro region. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)

 

 

Kin of Murdered Couple See Hope, Fear Reprisals

One of the relatives pointed to the abandoned residence of the Ligawan family where the couple's tomb was buried inside their residence compound in Sinakulay, President Quirino town in Sultan Kudarat. (Photo by Mark Navales)

Sultan Kudarat – After more than a decade of waiting in silence, the relatives of the victims are finally seeing a glimpse of justice and are relieved from pain but fears of possible retaliation remained after authorities arrested on September 14, 2022, in Davao City. One of the alleged suspects in a double murder case belonged to an influential clan in Maguindanao.

Last week, policemen detained Khadafe “Toy” Mangudadatu, the mayor of Pandag, Maguindanao, while inside a hotel in Davao City over his alleged involvement in the killing of couple Abdullah and Lala Ligawan on Oct. 17, 2010 in the village of Sinakulay here.

Judge Samina Sampaco Macabando Usman of the Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat Regional Trial Court Branch 20 issued the arrest warrant for two counts of murder against Khadafe, Police are also hunting three other suspects – Zajid Mangudadatu, Tunggal Usop and Mamayang Amino – in connection to the murder charges who signed the arrest warrant on September 9, recommended no bail for Mangudadatu and all the accused.

In an exclusive interview, one of the brothers of the victims expressed his gratitude and conveyed his reaction on Saturday, September 17, alias Redman, said they were thankful to Allah for hearing their prayers when the arrest of Toy Mangudadatu came out.

“I’ve waited for several years for this moment to happen. The karma hit them. I am very happy that someone will now pay for what happened,” he said.

“I am not afraid. I just wanted the truth to come out,” he added, citing possible incidents that may happen in connection with the case.

Accordingly, after the killing happened, Ligawan said his brother’s five children have been separated from each other and abandoned their house in the village of Sinakulay.

 “The case dragged on for 12 years. We were not noticed before because we just came from an ordinary family. Now, Masayang masaya na kami, nahuli na ang may kasalanan, managot ang dapat managot.” he said.

In a separate interview, another relative named Bai of late Lala, said while they welcomed the development she worried for their safety.

“I am happy that justice was served. I am giving everything to Allah,” she said.   

We tried to get the side of the Mangudadatu’s over the issue but there was no response. Earlier, the family had claimed that the murder was politically motivated and instigated by the camp of former Sultan Kudarat Gov. Teng Mangudadatu whose wife Bai Mariam is the incumbent governor of Maguindanao.

Police Lt.Col. Bernard Lao, regional director of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, told reporters the mayor of Pandag have long been under surveillance before he was cornered at the Mandaya Hotel in Davao City on September 10.

Lao assured the public there will be no special treatment for the mayor who is facing

non-bailable charges.

“The pronouncement earlier that he surrendered, well that’s their claim. But he should have turned himself into authorities at the police station,” he said.

Mangudadatu was rushed to hospital following his arrest, complaining of chest pains and difficulty in breathing. But the results of the series of medical tests were all normal, according to Capt. Richard Ebero, medical officer of the Medical officer ng Regional Medical and Dental Unit Region 11.

The Mangudadatu family was known globally following an incident year’s back the Maguindanao massacre, which was considered the worst political violence in the country.