Jalosjos to run governor of Zambo Sur By: RIC CLET and MARIZ REVALES

The brother of former Congressman Romeo Jalosjos is determined to run for the highest position in the province of Zamboang del Sur for 2013 election. Mayor Dominador  Jalosjos, Jr is schedule to visit Pagadian City tomorrow (March 18,2012) for the Liberal Party (LP) and Alliance of Parties for Progress (APP) Coalition Oath taking ceremony of new set of officers in the province. Former Congressman Jalosjos is also expected in the event. The younger brother of Nonong has announced his political plan for Zamboanga del Sur in Jong Cadion's program over dxKP Ronda,Frontline Mindanao in Pagadian City recently. Jalosjos disclosed that he will run for governor in the province with a cause to change the political landscape in the province. He said that the province of Zamboanga del Sur needs a political facelift in terms of peace and order.        The plan was supported by the jalosjos family. The law says, a person who wants to run for public office should have a one year residency. It was learned, that Mayor Doming has some properties and a house in Pagadian City where the provincial government is located. Meanwhile, an earlier press conference, Governor Antonio Cerilles denied the allegation that the Jalosjos will be running for any public office in Zamboanga del sur and Nonong is a gentleman. A reliable source has said that the two has a cold war during the last election. It was also reported that another Jalosjos is expected to run for mayor in Dumalinao town. Mayor Ace Cerilles, the son of Gov.Antonio is the incumbent mayor and  the president of the League of Municipalities,Zamboanga del Sur chapter. In the province of Zamboanga Sibugay,the incumbent governor is another son of Nonong, Governor Rommel Jalosjos.     Mayor Doming in his last term, served the town of Dapitan City for three terms and leaves a legacies for him to be remembered and loved by his constituents. In his term Dapitan City is known for a zero criminality rate where he tapped notorious characters wherein he was discouraged by his town officials. In his present administration, Jalosjos geared towards on the promotion of tourism and sports. Dapitan hosted the recent Zamboanga Peninsula Regional Athletic Meet where he distributed one sack of rice, P50,000.00 and a whole cow meat for every delegations. City administrator, Ale Marlou Dagpin disclosed that in the coming months various national and international sports will be held at the Shrine city.

Maranao Judge wants killer of a Chinese Filipino arrested

by:    MARIZ REVALES    Malabang,Lanao del Sur-  Presiding Judge Rasad G. Balindong of the Regional Trial Court of Lanao del Sur, 12th Judicial Region, Branch 12 of Malabang has issued a  warrant of arrest on March 8, 2012 in a criminal case number 0090-12 for the immediate arrest of  Alrashid Kibad Solaiman  Abdul aka "Sulo',  18 years old,  a suspect for a murder of a Chinese –Filipino businessman, who was shot dead  here recently. In a belated military report,  that on February 28, 2012 at around 3:00 in the afternoon while  Victoriano Ong alias Vic ,63 years old was about to close his store in Barangay Chinatown   when Abdul suddenly appeared and shot the victim several times. Ong sustained four gunshot wound in the chest causing his instantaneously death. Lt.Col Ceasar Marlon M. Yadao, INF (GSC) PA, Commanding Officer of the 51st Infantry (Fuerte Uno) Battalion of the First Infantry ( Tabak) Division said that prior to the killing of the victim, Abdul demanded an amount from the Ong which he refused to  give. Yadao through his Civil Military Officer, 1Lt Ronald E. Dacaw (INF) PA in their press release stated that the victim used a .45 caliber pistol based on the empty shells found in the crime scene. Ong known as a Filipino-Chinese businessman of Malabang since 1960's, a known to both Muslims and Christians to be a very good person especially to Maranaos. He is also a church leader in Malabang, the Our Lady of Peace of Good Voyage. Ong sometimes acts as a mediator in solving family feuds or "rido". (RIC CLET)

DepEd Regional Athletic Meet Set

§  By: RIC CLET and MARIZ REVALES §  March 10, 2012 DAPITAN CITY, Zamboanga del Norte –   The Department of Education (DepEd-9) Region 9 Director Walter O. Albos has announced that the 2012 Western Mindanao Regional Athletic Association (WMRAA) is scheduled to kick off  in this Shrine City on March 11, 2012.  The week- long athletic meet will be participate by more than 1,500 public and private elementary and secondary school athletes  and their coaches from the schools divisions of Zamboanga del Norte ,Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, Pagadian City, Dipolog City, Dapitan City, Zamboanga City and Isabela City of Basilan. The regional physical education and school sports (PESS) supervisor Abdurajik Kanni said. "The  athletes will compete in various events, including track and field, basketball, volleyball, lawn tennis, table tennis, swimming, gymnastics, and chess for boys, girls, and men, as well as the Little League Baseball, sepak takraw, and boxing", Kanni disclosed.  He added that the venue of the last year's Palarong Pambansa  is the same venue where all the major events will be played at the local P100 million 10-hectare sports complex of the Jose Rizal Memorial State University (JRMSU). In another development,the Dapitan Shrine Volunteer Probation Aide Association (VPAA) has been voted the "most outstanding" of its kind in Western Mindanao during the recent Regional Volunteer Probation Aide convention in Zamboanga City.  It was learned from Mayor Dominador Jalosjos Jr. that Dapitan Shrine, VPA president Margarito Pacilan and members Grace Bulagao and Felisa Gahuman were also chosen as the outstanding VPAs for the Dapitan City Parole and Probation Office (PPO) with Dapitan Shrine Field Training Laboratory who was also cited for its exemplary contribution to the PPO in the region.

Why Sendong was so devastating

By:  ECOWEB

 The areas on the shores of river Mandulog and Iligan River have been transformed into deserts of mud. Where houses were standing wall to wall before and Christmas lights were illuminating the windows, only the foundations are left behind.  Cars are now hanging in treetops, where the powerful waters have left them behind, debris, scrap metal and huge logs are cluttering the shores.

The logs are also one of the reasons for this tragedy to happen. Sendong sent an immense amount of water down that night of December 16 to 17, 2011. In less than 12 hours, the amount of water which usually falls within one month – that is 181 millimeters of rain – was released to the area. It fell on pineapple plantations, which cannot absorb the water, and since the land upstream is used for mining and logging, the soil was already weakened and bore no resistance to the masses of water.

The river upstream was also clogged with logs, which were waiting to be transported down the river once strong rains let the river swell. But the water came so fast and so much, that some of the logs were forming a natural barrier to the flow and when they eventually gave way, the water gushed with full force downstream, leading to the devastation we are now witnessing in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City and adjacent municipalities. The floating logs crushed into houses and other constructions, forcing them to topple over or crumble down. People were hit by them, crushed or buried underneath.

The state-run Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said it had warned authorities in the area last year about the need to relocate families living along riverbanks that swelled after one month's worth of rainfall fell over the course of one weekend. On December 17, the tide was also high, giving the water less possibilities to escape once it hit the shore.

Now the logs are lying on the shore along Lanao del Norte and on the river banks. EcoWEB negotiated with the city government in the person of Mayor Lawrence L. Cruz that they will be used for the construction of core shelters and relocation housing. It is the victims of the flood who shall benefit now from the wood, which has been cut greedily upstream, ignoring the risks this entails for the people living along the watershed.

Sendong officially exited the Philippines on December 18 (Sunday), 10PM, via Puerto Princesa City in Palawan Province. Areas affected by Sendong, however, remain fraught with problems related to water supplies, power availability, transport movement, and health.

Neither Iligan nor Cagayan have been prepared for this kind of disaster, since the area was always presumed to be “typhoon free” and people were nursing a feeling of false safety. For many dwellers, this was the first flood and they had no plans on how to evacuate and warn each other. In other areas of the Philippines where flooding occurs more often, people are already prepared, having floating devices in their house for the case of emergency.

It is now the task of the city government in cooperation with civil society to step up their disaster preparedness, to come up with contingency plans and disaster risk reduction measures to avoid another disaster like this to happen.

Just in May 2010, then President Gloria M. signed the Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, which would reorganize the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), among other things.

The law acknowledged that there was a need to “adopt a disaster risk reduction and management approach that is holistic, comprehensive, integrated, and proactive in lessening the socio-economic and environmental impacts of disasters including climate change, and promote the involvement and participation of all sectors and all stakeholders concerned, at all levels, especially the local community.”

“This Act provides for the development of policies and plans and the implementation of actions and measures pertaining to all aspects of disaster risk reduction and management, including good governance, risk assessment and early warning, knowledge building and awareness raising, reducing underlying risk factors, and preparedness for effective response and early recovery,” according to the law.

What also changed is that the former calamity fund appropriated under the annual General Appropriations Act would is now known as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund and it can be used for disaster risk reduction or mitigation, prevention and preparedness activities such as but not limited to training of personnel, procurement of equipment, and capital expenditures. Unfortunately not all cities and municipalities have already made use of these funds for disaster preparedness measures. It still often is only used when disaster struck – when it is too late.

But having a law is not enough if it is not properly implemented. The civil society organizations are willing to support the government in their efforts in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction.