news The Manila Times SATURDAY BY THOM F. PICAÑA REPORTER


AGUIO CITY: The local government here allotted P6 million to light up the city’s central business district


of lights wrapped around the giant Christmas tree located at the foot of Session Road, which was lighted up Wednesday night to usher the city’s Christmas celebration.


area, including its tallest Christmas tree, a 43-feet Norwegian pine tree to spice up the city’s month-long Yuletide celebration.


City Councilor Elmer Datuin, chairman of this year Pascua in Baguio said that at least P2 million was used to purchase the LED lamps installed along Session road, Harrison Road, Magsaysay Avenue


Snow falls in Baguio


BAGUIO CITY: A Baguio city councilor on Friday said that tourists and residents will experience a winter wonderland in the country’s summer capital, as snow- flakes would fall on Session road. According to City Councilor Elmer Datuin, Chairman of Tourism Com- mittee, the shower of artificial snow- flakes will be done by using six ma- chines along Session Road. Datuin said that the 18-day “Snow


Show” would start today. He added that the residents and visitors must be ready to wear their winter clothes for the Christmas event. Besides the newest tourist attrac- tion, Datuin said that the city gov- ernment has also lined up several activities that would kick off this year’s holiday celebration. The councilor added that tourists and residents are so excited on the upcoming events of the city govern- ment, specially the snow shower. He said the event has been pro- posed for the past few years by the city local government, but did not happen because of some issues. Six snow machines will be in- stalled along Porta Vaga. The snow shower will start at 6:30 p.m. and would last for 5 minutes. At least P400,000 was allotted to sustain the 18-day snow fall at Ses- sion Road, said Leticia Clemente, Baguio City budget officer. According to her, the snow show is one of the treat of the city government to the community. She added that everyone is invited to attend the said activity. MARGIELYN N. ODASCO AND ARIANNE SINONG


and Abanao Street, while P3 mil- lion was also used to buy latest lighting system for the new facade around the Baguio City Hall. Moreover, substantial funds were also used to purchase of 82 stands


The Department of Energy also pitched in by donating 154 LED lamps to light up Burnham lake, Wright Park in Pacdal and the premises of the Presidential Man- sion to help Baguio gain back its ti- tle—the City of Lights. On Wednesday, Mayor Mauricio Domogan along with Rep. Bernardo Vergara of Baguio City, some local officials and the resi- dents of this city witnessed the si- multaneous lighting up of the


D e cember 4, 2010


A 7


Baguio City lights up for Christmas season B


city’s latest Christmas lights. Domogan cited foreign and do- mestic tourists wanting to spend their Yuletide break in the city will surely experience new attractions and will love to visit the country’s Summer Capital considering that the lighting will be available throughout the year.


Multi-colored lights can now be seen blinking around the city’s central business district area which got the attention of numer- ous residents that helped bring back the pristine beauty of this mountain resort city. During daytime, tourists will also witness the heavily decorated


streets, which used over 2,000 lan- terns produced by the inmates of the Baguio City jail to help them in their livelihood activities.


Domogan considers the invest- ment of the city government in the lighting up of the city’s cen- tral business district area as part of the commitment of local offi- cials to bring back the vibrance of the city’s tourism industry, which suffered a slump over the past sev- eral years.


The local chief executive assured proper maintenance of the city’s lighting facilities so that people will keep coming to the city and help in sustaining its robust eco-


nomic growth. The city will also showcase im-


proved parks with the abundance of flowers planted around center is- lands, as well as along roads lead- ing to the tourist spots around the city and nearby areas. For his part, Datuin enumerates some of the highlights of the Pascua in Baguio namely, the Lan- tern Parade of the Saint Louis University, the Snowflakes fall at the upper Session Road, the sing- ing Christmas tree, the photo- walk, Choral group singing con- test, and the various mini-con- certs in the city for the whole month of December.


Sayyaf hijacks Malaysian boat off Sabah regionsinbrief


ZAMBOANGA CITY: Suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels hijacked a Malaysian freight boat and stole fuel and navigation equipment before escaping off Sabah near the Philippine border, reports said on Friday. Reports said at least six rebels on a speedboat fired automatic weapons before boarding the vessel transport- ing fuel and lumber off Lahad Datu town. There were no reports of casualties on the boat’s six crew members, mostly Indonesian, but the weekend attack sparked renewed fears of Abu Sayyaf activity in the oil- rich Malaysian state, which is also being claimed by the Philippines. The Free Malaysia Today also


reported that the police are investigat- ing the attack and that the crew


quoted the rebels as saying they were members of the Abu Sayyaf. The vessel, owned by Syarikat One Up Sdn Bhd, was heading to Sandakan when the attack occurred. “Boasting that they are members of


the notorious Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, the group armed with two M16 rifles and four semi automatic hand guns fired a warning shot into the air before letting loose a fusillade of shots at the tug boat when it did not stop. The skipper of the tug boat finally stopped when bullets started whizzing by the crew and hit the tug boat’s engines and propellers,” it said. It also added the gunmen carted cash and cell phones of crew and also took a global positioning system, seven thousand liters of diesel, six batteries


and several cooking gas cylinders. Just early this year, gunmen with alleged connections to the Abu Sayyaf group kidnapped two Malaysian seaweed farmers and have demanded 2 million ringgits in exchange for their safe release. The duo—Tsen Vui Chung, 42, and his cousin Lai Wing Chau, 33—were seized in February from their farm in the island of Pulau Sebangkit in Sabah and were taken to Tawi-Tawi province in the southern Philippines. The Abu Sayyaf also had kidnapped 21 mostly Western holidaymakers in Sabah’s resort island of Sipadan in 2001. The hostages were then ransomed off to Libya, which negotiated for their release, for millions of dollars.


AL JACINTO No ‘hot meat’ in Cavite – veterinarian


TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Cavite: The chief veterinarian of Cavite province de- nied reports that Cavite is one of the sources of “hot meat” being trans- ported or sold in Metro Manila. According to Dr. Dominador Borja, chief veterinarian that there was no botcha or “hot meat” com- ing from Cavite. Botcha is the term being used to refer to hot meat, rot- ten meat or double dead meat, which were allegedly being trans- ported from meat and poultry rais- ers in Bulacan, Laguna, Batangas and other neighboring provinces.


Borja said that there are about 2,000 members of the Cavite Live- stock, Poultry Association, Feeds Inc. (CALIFAI), which includes backyard piggery and poultry rais- ers in Cavite. The CALIFTAI members are sell- ing their meat products in different leading Supermarkets, such as Robinson Supermart, Puregold, and other public markets, which guar- antee the quality of their products. Borja added that dead pigs and poultry which died of diseases are being destroyed or being buried


ARMM confers special awards to best performing stakeholders


COTABATO CITY: The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Social Fund Project (ASFP) conferred special awards recently in Davao City to some of the best performing stakeholders of com- munity development projects in the region. The project oversees the largest foreign loan-as- sisted projects in the Muslim autonomous region. Ali Macabalang, ARMM spokesman said the


awarding highlighted the culmination of a two- day convention intended to sustain the success of life-changing projects in almost a thousand impov- erished communities in the ARMM. ASFP Manager Nasser Sinarimbo said the awards


acknowledged the huge contribution of various stakeholders of the community development as- sistance component of the project and encouraged them to further help maximize the impact of ASFP. Macabalang said among of those awarded were the best performing people’s organizations and the most supportive local governments at the provin- cial and regional level. He said at the regional level, the Al Mubarak Sheikh Makhdum Association in Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi was awarded the most outstanding people’s organi- zations, while the municipal government of Lamitan, Basilan and the village governance of Samer in Butig, Lanao del Sur bagged the awards for most outstanding municipal local government and barangay local government, respectively. Meanwhile, according to Sinarimbo, 21 munici-


pal mayors from all over the region were in attend- ance, heading their respective delegations to mani- fest their support and gratitude to the autonomous regional government in its implementation of ASFP. Mayor Hussin Amin of Jolo said that the project has been instrumental in making them feel the existence and relevance of ARMM in the island


■ WARNINGS FROM A1 Australia lifts attack warnings


“We continue to receive credible reports indi- cating terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets in a variety of locations, includ- ing places frequented by foreigners,” the advi- sory added. On November 3, Australia sparked a row by warn- ing that terror attacks may be imminent in the Phil- ippine capital of Manila, saying it had received cred- ible evidence that violence was brewing. “Reliable reports indicate that terrorist attacks


may be imminent in Manila, including places frequented by foreigners such as large shopping malls and convention centers,” the November 3 warning said. Similar warnings were later issued by Britain,


Canada, France, the United States and New Zealand. Philippine President Benigno Aquino 3rd swiftly denounced the warnings, insisting that the information that triggered the advisories had not been verified. But Manila’s calls for the lifting of the advisories were initially ignored by the six governments.


Muslim rebels and bandits frequently carry out kidnappings for ransom in the Philippines’ vola- tile southern Mindanao. The Abu Sayyaf, blamed for the worst terrorist at- tacks in the country’s history, is the most infamous group that operates in Mindanao and is well-known for kidnapping foreigners as well as locals.


province of Sulu.


It can be recalled that Amin while serving as rep- resentative in the First Congressional District of Sulu once filed a bill seeking the abolition of ARMM during his term based on his perception that it was becoming irrelevant to the people in the region. The ASFP is on its seventh year of existence and


provides a vast array of interventions in different areas of development across ARMM. It is funded thru a loan package from the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). World Bank and JICA officials have officially rated projects implementation under the 11- month administration of acting Regional Gov. Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong of ARMM “satisfac- tory” in ceremonies marking their extension of their intervention in the region to more years with fresh financial packages of assistance. The success of ASFP is partly attributed to the use of community-driven development approach, which requires the direct involvement of commu- nity stakeholders in project conception, implemen- tation and maintenance, according to Sinarimbo. The maiden stakeholders’ convention in Davao


City, which culminated on Thursday, pursued the theme “Organisadong Mamamayan: Tulay sa Maunlad at Mapayapang Pamayanan” and was high- lighted by workshops, sports competition and a beauty pageant from among more than 400 partici- pants from across the Muslim autonomous region. Another unprecedented highlight of the activ-


ity was the maiden search for “Mutya ng ASFP” that saw Aisha Dimalna of Lanao del Sur-B besting seven candidates. However, based on the online poll that was con- ducted, Haysa Khayrazan won overwhelmingly the people’s choice category.


JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL


underground. This is to insure that these would not contaminate or af- flict other live animals.


He said that the National Meat Inspection Service are very strict in inspecting all the sources of meat in Cavite before they allowed to trans- port or sell the meat products in dif- ferent Supermarkets and public markets in Cavite.


Calipfai members said that there are


500,000 workers, such as butchers, delivery drivers, packers and helpers are benefiting from their association. ROGELIO LIMPIN


CITY GETS COMPOSTING MACHINE FOR GARBAGE BAGUIO CITY: Mayor Mauricio Domogan disclosed recently that the Environmental Recycling System (ERS) composting machine will be delivered right on schedule this month and will be operational when it is installed in the city. The local chief executive, although admitted that it was a bit delayed, he assured that by December 4, the composting machine will arrived in the country for delivery here. Technicians from Japan are also arriving this week to train personnel of the City Environment and Parks Management Office to insure hassle free and smooth operations. The composting machine or ERS is a garbage disposal technology from Japan pegged at P64 million each. The machine could process 48 tons of biodegradable waste on a daily basis and turn it into high-grade fertilizer.


THOM F. PICAÑA


LAGUNA, GANZU SIGN SISTERHOOD AGREEMENT LAGUNA: THE province of Laguna and the province of Ganzu, China through their respective officials, have signed and forged a sister province agreement with common objectives towards the promotion of their mutual benefit. Both provinces agreed to undertake the following programs and activities: official visits; economic cooperation; trade, commerce and investment partnerships; exchange in education, culture and arts; tourism; sectoral exchange programs; rare plants propagation and conservation; agriculture; ecology; local governance and other areas of mutual concern. Chinese Ambassador Jiahchao Liu, Secretary Hao Lu CPC Ganzu provincial committee, Gov. Jeorge Ejercito Estregan of Laguna and Mayor Maita Ejercito of Pagsanjan were present during the signing of agreement.


ROSELLE R. AQUINO


FOUR PERSONS KILLED IN ROAD MISHAP LEGAZPI CITY: Four persons were killed in a road mishap on Friday after a passenger bus plying from Metro Manila to Ormoc City crashed into an acacia tree along the Maharlika Highway in Bolo village, Matnog town in Sorsogon province. Senior Insp. Pelayo Samson, public information officer of the Philippine National Police regional command identified the fatalities as Mylene Caldoza, 22 of Jaro, Leyte; Julito Boracho, 42 and his 7-year-old son, of Caloocan City; and Jonalyn Maravillas of Calbayog City. Caldoza, Borocho and his 7-year-old son died instantly while Maravillas died while being taken to Irosin hospital, police official said. Police provincial director, Senior Supt. Hereberto Olitoquit, said the accident occurred at about 12:50 a.m. He said that the bus—PP Bus with plate number NOE 834—was over speeding and lost control as it swerved to the left side of the highway and crashed into an acacia tree along the road. Olitoquit said the bus driver—Juvert Ortega of Bacolod City—surrendered immedi- ately to the Matnog Police station.


RHAYDZ BARCIA


AFP


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