ICC Dispatch - Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Iligan City hosts 1st National Summit of ICT Councils

ICC Iligan, Nov. 25 – City Mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz of Iligan expressed his gratitude to the practitioners and stakeholders in the field of information technology who responded to the invitation and bringing them together to the 1st Information Communication Technology (ICT) Councils/Foundations/Organizations Summit here in this city.

Addressing the participants to the 2-day Summit which opened today-November 25 and until tomorrow, Mayor Cruz said that he hopes to have this undertaking a fruitful and rewarding experience to all, a welcome sign for the growth of the ICT industry in general and maximize its benefits and improve the lives and the systems that govern the conduct of the lives of the people.

Cruz admitted that he may not be as computer savvy as the participants may have been, but through some movies he has come to know awesome power of computers that dramatically changing our way of life and have made us worth smarter and of course faster.

Supervasive is the use of ICT, that it has swoon a genre of computer of science fiction movies, and computer animated films, added Cruz

The concept of open source has given rise to such concerns as: reliability, fewer infections, hardware independence, choice of programs, upgrade putting, interoperability, community not customers, and easy on the professor.

Mayor Cruz extended his deep appreciation to the prime movers of this first ever Summit particularly the Iligan Information Communication and Technology Council (IICTC) chaired by Dr. Emmanuel M. Lagare, and the resource speakers and guests who have unselfishly contributed their time, knowledge, experiences, and resources, and to the participants from the different regions in our country. (LVG/PIA Iligan)


Sexual abuses forbidden even in war—Col De Leon

Iligan City (25 November). “Sexual violence is outlawed in the Armed Forces of the Philippines even in times of war or armed conflict.”

This was the message of Col Benito de Leon, Commander of 104th Infantry Brigade, speaking during the “Observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women” held in the city by the Gender Equality Network for Peace (GEN4PEACE) in cooperation with the Civil Society Organization (CSO) Forum for Peace and the British Embassy.

The activity was organized in consonance with UN Security Council Resolution No. 1820 covering the issues on rape and sexual violence in conflict situations.

Adopting the theme “Women, Peace, and Security: Issues of Rape and other Forms of Sexual Abuse in Times of War,” the consultation was attended by the delegates from the 13 NGO-member groups of the CSO Forum with its President Jane Bernardo, and participated in by the military and police. Ms Anita Sescon, the Commissioner of the Mindanao Commission on Women Forum provided the inputs for the UN Resolution. On the other hand, Atty Florante Ursua of the Commission on Human Rights spoke on the responsibility of the government to prevent human rights violations.

In responding to concerns that women have been portrayed as a booty of war and that the incidence of sexual molestations were high during times of armed conflicts, Col de Leon explained that the notion of war booties were things of the past long gone by.

As societies became more civil, laws and norms were adopted to forbid this practice, he adds.

Further, De Leon says, the military aside from the existing criminal laws enforces the punitive Articles of War governing the conduct of military personnel.

Furthermore, the officer clarified that other measures are in place to ensure that members of the military observe the prohibitions as provided in our legal system including the adoption of the AFP Code of Ethics outlining the professional conduct, the inclusion of all these as discussion points in military education courses, and the regular conduct of troop information. Accordingly, commanders at all levels have to see that these are all observed and enforced.

“All abuses or violations of the law, including rape or violence on women, committed by any military personnel at any given time especially during times of conflict will not be tolerated by the AFP,” the army commander underscored.


PC/Supt Felizardo Serapio, Jr. heads the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in ARMM, Regions IX and XII

ICC Cotabato City (25 November) - In a move to further strengthen and intensify government’s campaign to eliminate criminal and lawless activities in Mindanao, the Phillipiine National Police (PNP) headquarters has created the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (DIPO).

PC/Supt. Felizardo Serapio, Jr. has been named to head the newly created office which covers the police regional offices in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Regions IX and XII.

PNP-ARMM Deputy Regional Director for Administration PS/Supt. Faisal Umpa revealed that the DIPO would ensure more efficient and effective coordination, supervision and control of police operations in said areas.

Aside from police operations, the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations would likewise be involved in matters pertaining to law enforcement, counter-insurgency and disaster management, Umpa said.

Umpa said, this new development would have significant impact to PNP’s continuous drive against lawlessness particularly in the campaign against loose firearms.

He noted that the campaign against loose firearms in the ARMM particularly in the island provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan is gaining grounds.

Through police checkpoints, the official said, more than 70 assorted firearms have been confiscated to this date. (pbc/PIA Cot City)


Young Mindanao leaders discuss “Moro problem” with Japanese

ICC Cotabato City (25 November) – Young leaders from Mindanao, including an election reform advocate from Cotabato City, completed on Monday a five-day seminar tour in Japan.

Salic Ibrahim, chair of the Citizens Coalition for Electoral Reforms (Citizens CARE), said the seminar focused on peace and development issues in Southern Philippines.

Ibrahim was one of the seven young Mindanao leaders invited by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines to join the training.

Other well-known personalities who joined the seminar tour were Mike Pasigan and Mohajerin Ali, panel members of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Julie Maliga of the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), Elisa Calimag of the Office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process (OPPAP), Karlo Nograles of the Office of the Hause Speaker in the Congress. Hanafi Ibrahim, Secretary to the Governor of Sarangani province.

“One of the issues raised during the seminar was about the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD),” said Ibrahim.

The document has fallen ‘victim’ to the kind of politics existing in the Philippines, Ibrahim quoted one of their speakers.

“An order from the Supreme Court halted the signing of such agreement, which it later declared’ null and void,” he said.

For Ibrahim, government with a president committed to peace can help solve a decade-old conflict in Mindanao.

One professor there said the collapse of the MOA-AD cannot be simply attributed to the inability of a “weak” or “lame duck” president but was blamed on the country’s political maneuvering. (MCD/PIA Cotabato City)


Cotabato City population increased to 259,123 eyes for a separate congressional district

ICC Cotabato City (25 November) –The population of Cotabato City has finally reached its required number and even more than what it is required of it to quality for a separate congressional seat.

Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema disclosed through a local media report that based on the latest result of the population census obtained from the National Census and Statistics Office, the city population has now reached to 259,123 more than its expected number of population.

The city’s local government has been trying all these years to have its own separate congressional district from what is now the lone district of Shariff Kabunsuan with Cotabato City.

Sema said, having a separate congressional district, will have positive impact on the city’s development as it further hastens the growth of the city’s business community.

A formal communication has already been sent to Shariff Kabunsuan with Cotabato City Congressman Didagen “Digs” Dilangalen regarding the matter, the report added. (CLC/PIA Cotabato City)


DA-MRDP focuses on Natural Resource Management

ICC Cotabato City (25 November) – The Department of Agriculture – Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA-MRDP) in collaboration with Natural Resource Management (NRM) conducted a four (4) day Feasibility Study and Planning Workshop recently in Cotabato City.

NRM aims to enhance awareness of local government officials on the effects f destructive upland and coastal resources exploitation and the need for collective management and protection of these resources.

This will improve peoples organization’s capacity for sound NRM planning, sustainable development principles, and methodology in assessing local policies, strategies, and programs and projects.

More than forty participants comprising of the officials and representatives from eight (8) enrolled barangays in Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan.

These barangays include Barangay Bakak, Awang, Dinaig Proper, Tapian, Linek Mompong, Labungan and Kusiong underwent extensive workshop MRDP conducted by NRM Specialist for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Mr. Ulysses R. Triambulo.

NRM focuses on providing holistic development concepts and orientation on the importance of MRDP-NRM Program as an approach for sustainable integrated area development,Sub-watershed Area Site Situational Analysis and Introduction to NRM Watershed Area Defined (Different Ecosystems). (Joven Mark T. Mapait/PIA Cot City)



DTI enjoins businessmen to sell quality products to consumers

ICC GENERAL SANTOS CITY (25 November)---- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) here ordered business establishments to sell only quality products to their consumers.

DTI assured the public that it considers their safety to be of paramount important than that of profits.

“Kinahanglang ipanigurong de-kalidad ang produkto nga ilang gibaligya alang usab sa kasiguruhan sa mga kunsumedures,” Atty. Ramon Dosejo Jr of the DTI said.

The DTI, Dosejo said has been tightly monitoring food products including non-food based products to ensure that these have passed the quality standard required.

The recent “melamine scare,” according to the DTI paved the way for government agents to step up to the highest level its market monitoring.

The DTI admitted that there are lots of faked or sub-standard products being sold nowadays that are being patronized by people especially the poor.

Dosejo believed that despite the ICC mark which certifies the product’s quality and originality, there are still plenty of substandard and faked products that are proliferating in the market.

One of the non-food based products that DTI monitors is Christmas lights which are very saleable this season, he said.

The DTI warned unscrupulous businessmen that they would be dealt with accordingly once they were caught violating the Consumer Act of 1992 which protects the interest of the consumer against deceptive sales and practices. (PIA SarGen)