Due to high cases of crimes happening in the country Department of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales suggested that wearing of camouflage uniforms by civilians should not be allowed. It was observed that the people engage in criminal acts are not really police officers, Philippine Army’s soldiers or PNP’s policemen! Reports from the policemen and investigation team said that many suspects are wearing these kind of uniforms to fool people and eventually do their hidden desires. We usually don’t wonder if uniformed men have guns with them.Of course we’ll think that they’re from the authorities! Wearing such can contribute to the success of their wicked plans. In security agencies many guards had lost their armaments.

Last Monday the C-130 of  Philippine Airforce or AFP sank in Davao Gulf. There were nine total people who rode with it but now they found out that there were 2 additional uniformed passengers. The two were in their uniforms and the authorities are still searching who are those people.

Read the news:

•  C-130 Goes Down Near Davao City,9 Feared Dead
• No Possible Survival in Davao C-130 Crash

Gonzales  strongly suggested with the implementation of rules with regards to unlawful manufacture, distribution and wearing of the said uniforms. Well he’s right. This can endanger the lives of people as a whole. If military uniforms are abused  we don’t know who’s to blame with the rising crimes in the country. A monitoring will be done to catch and punish  people who will not follow these rules. Imprisonment and specific amount of fines will be ask from all violators (Php100,000-200,000).

In Marantao, Lanao del Norte the operation of Philippine army is still on going.Tanks are now based in fron of the City Hall. The kidnapped and death of one of the members of peace panel added to the conflict between the Muslim people particularly the MILF and Philippine Army. There are also canons used by the latter in their combat.

It was reported that many schools had canceled their classes because of the threats and on going battles in North Cotabato. Students have to stop reporting to their schools since it’s dangerous for them to roam around. Few days ago, my classmate in college who’s living in Lanao sent me a message through SMS. She’s my fellow teacher and she’s asking for our prayers because the MILF was attacking their place where the school is located! I felt sad about their situation. Pity for the residents because every time this terror happens they have to evacuate their homes and go to evacuation centers. Some of them claimed that they’re used to it. Others are still afraid of gun shots, bomb explosions and their endless struggles.

Last August 18 the town of Kolambugan in Lanao del Norte had been attacked by armed people. A mosque served as their refuge. The minister and the people are angry because according to them ,Koran or Qur’an (Holy Scripture of Muslims) is not teaching their fellow Moros to steal, kill and abuse people.

The most pitiful in the current event are the poor victims. They’re the ones who are much affected.Good news to all Filipinos because one of the most wanted criminals in the country in the person of Commander Jakiri was finally arrested. He was alleged to kidnap a Korean National few years ago.

As of today, 2 most wanted in the country are now being hunt by the authorities; Commander Umbra Kato and Commander Ameril Umbra. They’re the pointed individuals who are responsible for the conflict in Central Mindanao. Posters and leaflets are now scattered in Midsayap.

Davao belongs to Mindanao.I am thankful that we don’t have such difficulties in living our daily life. I am hoping that those problems in some part of Mindanao specially in North Cotabato, Sulu and nearby places will finally put to an end. May our president do more actions with regards to it. I know they’re doing their part. Perhaps it’s not just enough stop this struggles.

Read related news:

Central Mindanao towns tense after Moro rebel raids

Malacañang:Situation in Central Mindanao manageable

The success of this year’s Kadayawan festival is a living proof that the people living in Davao City are united! The events catered for all Dabawenyos is one way of reuniting the people to come up with best output to show. With the active leaders in Davao spearheaded by our city mayor Hon Rodrigo Duterte all of us enjoyed the festival of all festivals! The visitors and goers of the city were probably amazed with out floral display yesterday! I hope that I was wrong of thinking that they leave my city without bringing any fruits!

The programs, pageants, parade and all the activities during Kadayawan are the signs that we are living in a peaceful city. That Davao is not a place for battle between the Philippine army and my fellow Dabawenyo.

I am satisfied with Kadayawan 2008 of Davao. I recognized the efforts made by every single person including those people who swept the streets of Davao after the celebration. The cooperation of everybody shows that the constituents of Davao City respect their leaders.

God job for all Dabawenyos for a another meaningful celebration!!!

This month, a new typhoon is hitting the country. It’s called typhoon Karen. In the Northern part of Luzon, it leaves marks to the lives of people. When I first visited Region 1-Ilocos Region, the weather was really bad. We were having our tour. I can remember that we went to Pangasinan, La  Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte before we proceeded to Baguio City. This region is very prone to weather disturbances. We passed the bridge in Ilocos and the water was really furious! Staring at it in the window of the bus, I felt a bit scary thinking what if the bridge will give up!The bridge was well-constructed though.

Now, typhoon Karen is destroying the rice fields and few houses in Laoag. One man was reported dead after being carried away by the strong current of the river. Laoag is now under the state of calamity.It’s one problem of the provinces. Their means of livelihood is being destroyed already and they’re not yet able to make use of it.

A landslide happened also in Benguet. There are specific roads that are closed for public vehicles since it’s dangerous to pass through it. I remember when we passed the Kennon Road we witnessed a small van covered with mud and stones! The vehicle was owned by a family and they were about to visit Baguio. Good thing that nobody was hurt in their family during the accident.

In Bagong Silangan, Quezon City, the GAWAD KALINGA Village Foundation was also damaged! One of the houses was totally destroyed. The residences are having flood! The water is entering their homes!While in Metro Manila, classes were suspended due to typhoon Karen which has an international code name “Nori” which means a small parrot.

We are lucky here in Davao. It’s very seldom that we experience typhoon. I’m praying that the Kadayawan 2008 Festival in the city will not be ruined by bad weather condition just like what’s happening right now in certain parts of the country. May all have fun and enjoy the things that Davao can offer them.

The signing of MOA ( Memorandum of Agreement) between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF and the government was postponed due to the restraining order from the court. It took years for both parties to name those statements written on the said agreement. PGMA said that his leaning to federalism. Lately, a war in North Cotabato arised. Now, the congress are having the idea of taking the Charter Change (cha-cha).It’s uneasy to do it! That would mean changing a lot of our governing laws in Philippine Constitution like taxation, foreign affairs, police and military condition etc. It’s like revision of the entire constitution.They have to do structural changes also and it has no limit. We know that the congress is the law-making body in the political structure of the country. They can amend extension of terms of a certain position which is not good!!!

All of us specially our city Mayor Rodrigo Duterte don’t want to have and live in a trouble land. We all want peace. The amendments of Philippine Constitution may result to many conflicts.

Talking about the Bangsamoro Judirical Entity or BJE, not all Muslims do agree with it. In other words, they’re not united. Some of them are ok with that proposition. However, there are also among them who disagree/oppose to that agreement. They themselves are not having one goal to pursue.

Well, I don’t exactly know the details on what are the steps done by the proposers.Personally speaking, I think they should look after the interest of the majority. There should be public consultation. It’s better if they’re transparent so it is participated by all members of the community.How can they decide if they want to have it or not if they didn’t know the specific details on that said agreement, right? People might be confused and fooled!

According to our Mayor, it’s best to move a little backward and think about the proposal. Both sides ( Moros and the government) should analyze it as well as its effects. They have to talk/discuss about the said issue. Both should think on the interest of all.

It’s hard to hear news that certain households in Mindanao were bombed and not hitting the people who are really the target enemy! It hurts that innocent people are the victims of ruthless minds.

I heard our mayor when he said that he both value the Muslims and Christians. He has Moro grandchildren and he wants that Moros and Christians will be united always. He added that he’s ok with the changes in the constitution as long as it’s fair for all the constituents in the Philippines. As long as its not tolerating one’s culture or religion then he’ll go for it. He wants transparency to the public also so that we can come up with good decision.

He’s right. If the law maker wanted to do some revision we should know about it. The mass has the right to know what’s going on and the changes that the authority wanted to do. The public is part of the society. Therefore, transparency should be done to avoid conflicts and bloody fight.

Each one of us would love to relax after having a stressful day. We work hard everyday to feed our family. We of course want to give the best of life that we can offer to our love ones. That’s why we can think on having a vacation or an escapade for the entire family during holidays and summer.

For those people who travel more often miles credit cards are perfect for them. Getting one will not just meet their needs but they are getting more bonuses out of it! Every time they buy something they collect points. That points will be gathered then and in certain point in time, they can get rewards! Cool rewards like travel chances! Isn’t it great!? You can go anywhere without spending much because you have it as a bonus!

As of today, fuels continue to increase day by day. We can’t help it. We have cars so we really have to purchase it. We can save more if we have gasoline credit cards. We can also earn points and in exchange of those points is the product which is gasoline. If we have extra gasoline you can take your family into farther and lovelier place that they’ll sure enjoy.

For most people number 8 is a lucky number. August 08, 2008 is believe to be a VERY LUCKY NUMBER!!! The Chinese people believe that it’s a good start of Beijing Olympics. The 29th Olympics was officialy opened at exactly 8pm in Beijing, China. For them, the lucky number 8 means wealth and fortune!

Many couple make used of today’s lucky day. In Sydney, Australia many couples got married! They set their covenant to their partners on the day of 888.

Lucky babies were also delivered on the same day by their mothers in hospitals around the world. Mothers believe that their offspring will defibitely have a good life because the children were born on a lucky date! A date having a good combination of numbers in the calendar that happens very seldom!

Well, personally speaking 888 babies and couples will have  good life if they’re able to live a just life. If they’ll live the kind of life which is full of arrogance, greed, jelousy and other negative attributes, they’ll probably won’t be lucky with their lives. Living a good life means being kind to others. Success is define as using your abilities/talents, following your heart and being good to your fellows.

Be true to yourself and to everybody. In the long run, you’ll find yourself happy. contented and fulfilled. We define our own future. We make our own destiny. Perhaps number can give meaning but our perceptions, actions and dispositions in life will totally mold the kind of person we are.

This coming Monday August 11, 2008 will be the election day for Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao or ARMM. For the past few years of elections, cheating was really observed. Teachers who volunteered to serve during the election period were threatened. The worst thing that can happen to them is being kidnapped or killed. Moreover, ballot boxes were unable to arrive on time or election in a certain voting precint was moved/cancelled. People were afraid of the bad things that can happen to them and they were not risking their lives. In addition, vote buying is also prevalent. Thus, the result in Mindanao is sometimes unreliabe.

To avoid such negative things to happen again Senator Richard Gordon, author of automation in election had thought about this propossal to ease the problem in Mindanao during election. This year’s election in ARMM will be computerized. However, an I.T. expert  in the person of Vince Dizon said that deception can be high tech also since public counting wil not happen anymore!!! There are advantages and disadvantages of using automated machines during election. To retired General Gudani of Lanao, the best thing to do is to stand with their vote and don’t engage themselves in “vote buying”.

The PNP and AFP are getting ready for next week’s election. Unwanted things can happen. Mindanao is known as a battlefield in the Philippines specifically in Cotabato, Sulu and Taw-tawi. Twelve thousand (12,000) troops will be sent to ARMM to achive clean and peaceful election.

Commission on Election or COMELEC is sure that more voters will exercise their right of suffrage. Three (3) Batallions will be deployed/scattered in the area to secure the safety of all the people while voting is going on.

May God bless the election for new leaders in Mindanao Regions.

While I was watching the national news on Philippine tv, Piñol and Esperon’s issue caught my attention. It’s been 3 or 4 days that I haven’t seen news/any tv shows. These past few days I’d been busy with my work and in our house. Some members of the family came to visit the country again.

Years ago I already heard about BJE-Bangsamoro Juridical Entity. This is the claim of the Muslim people in Mindanao. They’re asking for the 700 more barangays to be added to ARMM- Autonomous Region is Muslim Mindanao. Lately, the Cotabato was under threat on their normal living and freedom. So, North Cotabato Vice Mayor Manny Piñol asked for an assistance coming from Armed Forces of the Philippines or AFP. However, a statement coming from the former Brigade Commander stirred up Piñol’s annoyance. According to him, the appointed Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon said that he’s not gonna risk the lives of his soldiers to answer the call of Piñol. On the other hand, Esperon said that Piñol was asking for bullets to be given to them which will serve as an additional shield for their safety and security. Esperon didn’t allow it because it was againts the law. He added that he’ll not  leave his position unless PGMA will tell him to do so.

The statement of Hermogenes Esperon to Piñol caused some of our politicians to call for Esperon’s resignation. Some of them are Sen. Ping Lacson, Biason and Chiz Escudero. To them, what Esperon did was a violation. It’s his duty to protect the people of the state but he failed to do it because of his words to Piñol. That it’s his role to defend the Filipinos whether from Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao!That event led the idea of taking out the members of peace panel which is compose of  Esperon, Jesus Dureza and Garcia.

Listening to Esperon’s side, he said that he’s not giving up Mindanao. According to him, it’s not true that he doesn’t want to help our fellow Filipinos who live in a dangerous place. In fact, he’d been given 7 assignments in Mindanao and he’s still willing to help them. On the contrary, some people are not convinced with it and they’re still trying to figure out the real thing.

The agreement between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was put on the table. That certain agreement is about the specific teritories of MILF. Teritorial bounderies of Muslims is stated in the arrangement. The ancestral domain that the Muslims are after should be signed by the government. The people want to know if PMGA already signed it and the rest of the statements which are included. Malacañang is firm that they’re not giving away Mindanao under the governance of Muslims.Furthermore, many congressionals think that a debate and consultation about the agreement should be done. It’s necessary to do it because it can affect the republic as a whole.

Few years ago I heard that some Mindanaoans are willing to have our own government. They want Mindanao to become a separate state in the Philippines. It would mean having our own governemnt and business transactions with nearby countries.

What do you think about this proposition?Will Mindanao can be independent?

In the Philippines, families usually experience shortage. Filipino families are used to borrowing money. Most number of the  families don’t have enough income to support the needs of each member. Borrowing money from “Bombay” ( people from India) is prevalent in my country. The Bombays also deal and sell mats, carpets and other household accessories and appliances but of course interest is expected.In certain villages in my country, people really rely on the amount of money lend by Indian people to them.

If we run out of money, we are looking for someone whom we can borrow and pay that person back if we have enough.Nowadays, an alternative way was introduced. It’s goal is to make money and at the same time help the people. We all know that jewelries can be pawned. If we need an emergency money, we can hurriedly go to pawnshops, just have your jewels and precious stones ready and presto! You’ll have cash on hand!

Certain pawnshops around the country are now opened. The pawnshop are accepting cellphones, laptops, digicams, ipods and other technological gadgets. They’ll just ask for the receipt of an item and a photocopy of valid I.D. Some of them only have 1% everyday interest.

This kind of transaction is very fast and if you want to have instant money for special purposes like tuition fess for your kids, medical support for someone in the family who’s ailing or for paying bills which are due and your money is not yet at hand, you can have this as an alternative way!

Pawnshops that accept cellphones, laptops etc have no credit investigation  so it’s convenient for consumer. You don’t have to worry about other things just like what you usually have in borrowing cash. In addition, they also have buy-back-option. In other words, you can buy/own  again your pawned units/objects if it’s already for lease. Furthermore, they’re also accepting collateral and necessary documents like for your cars if you’re badly needing cash.

This is an alternative way to owe money but of course the businessmen are also thinking about their profits. Remember, owe only an amount of money that you know you can pay at the right time. Don’t borrow/spend  money which is more than your income. If you’re unable to pay your debt that will reflect on you as a whole.