A 6

The Sunday Times

news

SUNDAY

May 2, 2010

Suspects in Sarangani mayor’s ambush try ordered released

BY ISAGANI P. PALMA CORRESPONDENT

G

ENERAL SANTOS CITY: The Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Sarangani has ordered Friday,

the release of five arrested suspects who were earlier implicated in the alleged April 25 ambush try of Mayor Enrique Yap Jr. in Glan town.

Fiscal Kayugenn Mato Kuda Jr. has directed the local police to release suspects Freddie Merndez, Ronald Elorde, Alfredo Macabacyao, Jimmy Mier and Renante Bangka, all of this city, after finding out that the arrest has been done illegally. Kuda Jr. stressed the release order after ruling it out that the arrest of

Brunei observes ceasefire in Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY: Brunei has deployed six of its soldiers to serve as cease- fire observers in the southern Phil- ippines where Muslim rebels are currently negotiating peace with Manila. The Radio Television Brunei re- ported that the six soldiers are part of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and they will join the 6th Group of the International Monitor- ing Team to Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination in Mindanao. It said the soldiers, the sixth con- tingent of Brunei, is led by Major Pengiran Hamdiah bin Pengiran Haji Hashim. They left Brunei for Mindanao on Friday. “As in the previous duty, the six

RBAF International Monitoring Team personnel will form one mo- bile team and will be located at Cotabato City. The group will be re- sponsible in observing and monitor- ing the implementation of cessation of hostilities, as well as the socio-eco- nomic development aspects of agree- ments signed between the govern- ment of the Republic of the Philip- pines and the MILF,” the report said. The 60-man International Moni-

toring Team is composed of Malay- sia, Libya, Brunei, Japan and Nor- way. It is tasked to monitor the im- plementation of truce between gov- ernment and MILF forces. In 2008, Malaysia disgruntled

over the slow progress of the peace talks, recalled about two dozen truce observers and blamed Manila for the stalled talks.

Filipino and rebel peace nego- tiators have recently signed sev- eral agreements ahead of general elections on May 10, but a major accord that would end decades of secessionist war in the restive southern region of Mindanao is still uncertain.

Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF’s chief peace negotiator, said the agree- ments will provide administrative support to the Bangsamoro Lead- ership and Management Institute, the ceasefire committees; the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group and a mechanism to return the internally displaced persons.

He said peace negotiators also agreed on the civilian protection component of the International Monitoring Team and the Philip- pines campaign to ban landmines. The MILF, however, said the fate of the interim agreement is still not settled, even if the peace panels agreed on some common areas which are yet to be discussed in their next meeting this month. Malaysia is currently facilitating the peace talks which President Gloria Arroyo opened in 2001 in an effort to end bloody fighting in Mindanao. But Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF’s deputy for political affairs, said a peace deal with Arroyo, who is to step down next month when her term ends, is unlikely. “We have no more time to con- tinue the peace talks and the peace negotiators are trying to reach an interim agreement so we may pre- serve the gains of the talks. We just hope the next president will con- tinue the peace process. We are for peace,” Jaafar said.

the suspects was unlawfully executed, contrary to the provisions of Section 5, Rule 113 of the Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure. Kuda said the suspects were ar- rested without actually committing the act complained of or immedi- ately thereafter. Police earlier charged the suspects

with violation of the election gun ban after they were allegedly caught with an M-16 Armalite rifle and a cal.-45 pistol inside their Toyota service van vehicle. Defense lawyer Orlado Salatandre

Jr., during preliminary examination of the evidence and case at hand, opined that the process of the arrest was in- admissible. “The arrest was made be- fore the policemen went through the van, where they found the rifle under a seat and the pistol in one of the boots of the suspects. Under the law, a warrantless arrest may only be re- sorted to if the suspects were caught in actual possession of the firearms after a body search,” Salantedra told reporters, adding that the arresting policemen have even failed to cite in their affidavits, that they saw the sus- pects inside the van when they got hold of the firearms.

Mothers’ clinic

When asked during some clarificatory questions raised by the defense, Police Insp. Jude Marklon del Carmen, Glan police station chief, said he did not mention it in his sworn statement to make his af- fidavit short and simple. Reports stressed del Carmen led the raid after Yap reported that the suspects had tried to waylay his convoy following a political a rally of the Lakas-Kampi CMD-Sarro held in Sitio Tamparan, Barangay Pangyan, Glan town.

Salatandre said the arresting of- ficers could even be held civilly, ad- ministratively and criminally liable. He said his clients also wanted to file charges against the apprehend- ing officers before the Ombudsman due to unlawful arrest, illegal search and arbitrary detention.

worldinbrief

■ Barack Obama

■ WASHINGTON, D.C.: The southern US states of Alabama and Mississippi on

imminent threat of an oil slick approaching their coastlines. Oil from a giant Gulf of Mexico slick began washing onto Louisiana shores Friday (Saturday in Manila), threaten- ing an environmental calamity, as President Barack Obama called for a “thorough review” of the disaster.

AFP

■ WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Barack Obama on Friday (Saturday in Manila) declared the US economy was “in a much better place” than a year

ago, as new growth figures spurred hopes of a solid recovery.

■ WASHINGTON, D.C.: Top US military officials urged Congress Friday (Saturday in Manila)

not to lift or ease a ban on gays serving openly in the armed forces until they have a strategy to address “concerns” about the move among troops.US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the chairman of the US Joints Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, said in a letter to the House Armed Services Committee that they “strongly oppose” any change to the prohibition for now.

AFP

AFP ■ Robert Gates

■ WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Barack Obama declared the US economy was “in a much better place” than a year ago, as new growth figures spurred

hopes of a solid recovery.

AFP

■ TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Saturday offered an apology to victims of mercury poisoning more than 50 years after the

country’s worst industrial pollution disaster hit the fishing town of Minamata. AFP

■ ATHENS: The Greek prime minister urged his country to accept unpopular spending cuts as the price to pay for an international debt bailout, as trades

unions geared up for rallies Saturday to protest the plan.

■ IMJINGAK, South Korea: Activists on Saturday let loose 10 giant balloons filled

with radios, DVDs money and leaflets into North Korea in defiance of threats from Pyongyang. Around 200 people, mostly defectors, gathered at a public park in Imjingak near the North-South border to release the balloons, which carried slogans such as “Abolish gulags” and “Down with Kim Jong-Il’s Dictatorship.”

AFP ■ Kim Jong-Il

“Buntis Baby Bank,” clean toilets and malunggay recipe campaign boost maternal and child health in the remote town of Cajidiocan in Romblon province. Mothers who go to rural banks are assigned with piggy banks where they can “drop” amount every time they visit. “Withdrawals” from the piggy bank can be made by the mother when she avails of proper facilities, discouraging deliveries at home.

Calabarzon offered jobs on Labor Day

CALAMBA CITY, Laguna: With no increase

on workers’ wages, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) is offering instead at least 15,000 job vacancies in celebration of the Labor Day. The simultaneous job fair will take place at eight SM outlets in the re- gion during mall hours on Saturday. As of Friday, the labor department said 225 local companies and 27 overseas employers have agreed to

partake in the job fair.

DOLE regional director Ricardo Martinez in a press conference said most of the job openings are for SM consignees and business process outsourcing companies. He said during previous years, around 2,000 job seekers trooped to each site of the job fair, with at least 150 immediately hired the same day. This year’s job fair also targets

workers in Laguna and Rizal that have been affected by the string of

typhoons late last year, said Martinez.

Calabarzon, considered an indus- trial hub closest to Metro Manila, has about four million workers em- ployed in the economic zones alone. Despite the global financial cri- sis and the calamities in the past two years, Martinez said the unemploy- ment rate in the region had gone down from 10.5 percent in 2008 to 9.5 percent by end of 2009.

ROSELLE R. AQUINO

JICA turns halal lab building to ARMM

COTABATO CITY: The Japan Industrial Cooperative Agency (JICA) has turned over recently a newly-con- structed building that would house the integrated regional standards and testing laboratory building for the halal industry development hub of the Autonomous Region in Mus- lim Mindanao (ARMM), which have gained further momentum, accord- ing to a regional government spokes- man on Saturday.

“The country’s halal industry devel- opment hub have gained further mo- mentum following the completion here of the integrated regional stand- ards and testing laboratory building funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency,” ARMM spokes- man Ali Macabalang said.

Masafumi Nagaishi, senior repre-

sentative of JICA Philippine Office, assisted by ARMM Social Fund Project (ASFP) Manager Nasser Sinarimbo turned over the building to the ARMM’s Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in a formal cer-

emony inside the autonomous gov- ernment’s compound here in this city. The modern building, funded with P5.7-million by the JICA through the ASFP, took a little over a year to complete at a time all con- cerned government agencies and sectors in ARMM have been urged by acting Regional Gov. Ansaruddin Alonto Adiong to beef up efforts in promoting ARMM as the national hub of the Macabalang said.

halal industry,

It has been designed to cater to the testing and analytical needs of other industries and research concerns in the region, according to DOST-ARMM Sec- retary Fradzkhan Ilaji, who thanked the JICA and the ASFP for constructing the facility for his department. Specifically, Ilaji said, the build-

ing would be a “big support” to the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certifica- tion Board, Inc. (MMHCBI) in its halal certification of products. Ilaji said his office would source out fund for the acquisition of labo-

ratory equipment to put the facility into operation. The building’s completion was a “first step” in realizing the goal of the region to have a recognized and cred- ible halal certification body and to be the center of halal development in the country, said acting Governor Adiong of ARMM in a message read for him by Regional Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo at the turn-over ceremony.

Nagaishi, for his part, commended the ASFP for its “satisfactory imple- mentation of JICA-funded projects including the laboratory building to help spur the development of local industries in the region.

A similar “satisfactory” rating has been accorded the ASFP in the im- plementation of other projects funded by the World Bank, which had provided some $33.6-million fund for previous projects in ARMM and is evaluating approval of an- other loan to the region worth $30- million.

Knights of Columbus launches anti poll fraud drive

AL JACINTO

CABANATUAN CITY: Back to back with its massive voters education campaign an organization of Catholic men launched on Friday a drive against vote-buying and any form of poll fraud for the forth- coming May 10 elections. Dr. Reynaldo Odulio, a former dis- trict deputy of the Knights of Columbus (KofC), said the campaign is part of the organization’s patriotic duties. “It is our patriotic duty to lead our people to the right path this election and fight fraud,” Odulio said. The drive was launched during the testimonial dinner given to Odulio by members of the Knights of Columbus from various councils in Nueva Ecija

and adjoining provinces at Plaza Leticia here. Chief Supt. Cacdac, Cen- tral Luzon police director, was also present during the occasion. Several priests from the Dioceses of Cabanatuan and San Jose City were also present. To kick off the event, t-shirts

inscripted with “hindi ko ipinagbibili

ang boto ko,” were distributed to all

the participants. “Mahal ko ang Pilipinas, Mahal ko ang Pamilya ko,”

it also stressed. The KofC, an organization of Catholic men that was founded in New Haven Connecticut by young priest, Father Michael McGivney in

1882, embraces the virtues of char- ity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. It works with the Catholic Church. Armand Galang, Grand Knight of

Padre Crisostomo Council 6000 here, noted that the KofC was among the first organizations to launch voters’ education campaign to make sure people would not be disenfranchised in the light of the first automated elections. “Our councils have been con- ducting VECs, in coordination with the Commission on Elections since last year to at least minimize if not to totally avoid errors,” the grand knight said.

■ KUWAIT CITY: Security agencies in Kuwait have busted a spy cell working for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, feeding

information on Kuwaiti and US targets, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

AFP

■ BANGKOK: Thailand’s security forces and rival protest groups must end violent attacks in the country’s increasingly deadly political conflict,

a leading rights group said Saturday.

■ TAIPEI: Taiwanese human rights groups on Saturday accused the government of “recklessly” carrying out four executions in one night

despite their calls to abolish the death penalty.

AFP AFP

■ NEW YORK CITY: Antony Lake, a former US national security adviser, formally took over as executive director of the UN Children’s

Fund (Unicef) Saturday (Sunday in Manila), pledging to uphold the rights of children everywhere.

■ MOSCOW: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday stunned observers by proposing

between Russia’s Gazprom, the world’s largest gas firm and Ukrainian state gas company Naftogaz.

AFP

AFP

AFP

■ TOKYO: Hundreds of people swarmed Tokyo’s Kabukiza, the celebrated home

of traditional kabuki drama, as it closed its doors Friday to be demolished and rebuilt into a high- rise tower.

AFP

■ SHANGHAI: Tens of thousands of people flooded through the gates of the World Expo in Shanghai on Saturday, the first day of a six-month

event seen as a showcase of China’s growing economic might.

AFP

■ KATHMANDU, Nepal: Tens of thousands of Maoists massed in the streets of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu on Saturday for a huge protest to

force the embattled government to quit.

■ Vladimir Putin

AFP

■ HANOI: A senior Vietnamese Buddhist monk, previously detained in an alleged plot to finance disorder against the communist regime, is in

custody again, the spokesman for his banned church said late Friday. AFP

■ BEIJING: China has set up a special task force focused on beefing up school security, state media said Saturday, after three violent campus

attacks against young children in as many days this week.

AFP

■ BEIJING: The number of Internet users in China, already the largest in the world, has surpassed 400 million and accounts for almost a third of

the country’s population, state media reported Saturday.

AFP JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

■ YANGON: Except the yet announcement of a date for holding a multiparty general election this year, the first in two decades, Myanmar is speeding up

its election preparatory process especially after the water festival.

■ MINGORA, Pakistan: A bomb blast at a busy market place in Pakistan’s insurgency-hit Swat valley killed at least four people and injured six

others Saturday morning, police sources said.

■ SYDNEY: The creators of an Australian comedy video showing a black sportsman as a spear-holding tribesman who talks in clicks have

apologized and pulled it from YouTube.

XINHUA

XINHUA

AFP

■ NEW DELHI: The US embassy in India warned Saturday of possible “imminent” militant attacks in New Delhi as it heightened the threat

security awareness level for its citizens in the capital.

AFP ARMAND M. GALANG

■ KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s national oil firm Petronas said Saturday it is in talks with Brunei to jointly develop two oil areas off Borneo

after the neighbors settled a border dispute.

AFP Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20