Road Project in Mindanao, Philippines

A 15.3-kilometer provincial road section here, which traverses the towns of Buluan, Pandag, Paglat, and SK Pendatun, and connects with the national highway in Buluan Poblacion, has been completed and turned over to local authorities.

This makes it possible for residents of these remote communities, which lie along the fringes of the Liguasan Marsh, to now travel safely and efficiently to the main highway running from Makilala in North Cotabato to Tacurong City in Central Mindanao.

The upgraded road, consisting of all-weather gravel sections and concrete sections, is expected to significantly improve residents' access to markets, business centers, schools, hospitals and government services.

Travel time from SK Pendatun, the most remote of the four municipalities, has been reduced from one hour to approximately 20 minutes.

The completed infrastructure project was turned over on May 16 to the Maguindanao provincial government by Deputy Chief of Mission Leslie Bassett of the U.S. embassy in Manila, together with Reed Aeschliman of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

At the ceremony, Bassett praised the government leaders for their commitment to the project, and for helping to foster peace and development in this conflict-affected area of Mindanao.

Philippine government officials present included Secretary Luwalhati Antonino, Chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), Regional Governor Mujib Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Representative Simeon Datumanong (Maguindanao 2nd District) and Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu.

The US government-funded project was implemented by USAID's Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, in partnership with the provincial government.

The latter provided a counterpart contribution of about 26 percent of the total project cost, with support from the Maguindanao 2nd Congressional District Office.

The ceremonial turn-over took place alongside the Maguindanao Infrastructure Development Forum being held in Buluan, which focused on intensive efforts by the provincial government to implement vital infrastructure projects in the province.

The visiting officials later traveled to Tumbao, in the municipality of Mangudadatu, where the U.S. government turned over a boat landing on Lake Buluan completed in partnership with the municipality. The landing facility will help ensure regular water transport services for the residents.

To date, the US government, in partnership with the local governments, has built more than 1,450 infrastructure projects in Mindanao's conflict-affected areas through USAID's GEM Program which is implemented under the oversight of MinDA. These include larger-scale Regional Impact Projects, like the Buluan provincial road, designed to benefit people in multiple barangays or municipalities.

Bassett also met with a select group of young leaders who are alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs. Participants included those who studied in the United States under State Department scholarships, and alumni of USAID's Congressional Internship Program for Young Mindanao Leaders, which gave youths from Mindanao the opportunity to intern in the National Congress of the Philippines.

Road Project in Aurora, Philippines

The contractor of a 10-kilometer portion of the Baler-Casiguran Road has given assurance that it would complete the project in six months as scheduled.

Reynaldo Manalansan, Tokwing Construction Corporation (TCC) president, said the people of Aurora can look forward to good, quality roads once the infrastructure project is undertaken by his firm, a prominent but controversial "triple A" contractor.

TCC built the Buendia flyover, portions of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), a P115-million medical center and at least P330 million worth of big-ticket, foreign-assisted projects in Eastern Samar.

Last week, it won the bid for the concreting of a 10-kilometer portion of the Baler-Casiguran Road (BCR) after submitting a bid of P140 million in a bidding conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Central Luzon.

Its winning bid was considerably lower than the government-set cost of P170 million.

TCC edged out a contractor based in Cabanatuan City which submitted the second lowest bid.

Manalansan said they have already mobilized equipment and personnel to start construction work after DPWH regional director Antonio Molano issued the Notice to Proceed (NTP).

He said up to 80 Aurorans will be employed for the construction works that will last for six months and will also involve slope protection and rip-rap.

TCC, which has been in operation for 25 years, built the 15-kilometer Eastern Samar Road Project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency 10 years ago.

It also built the P160-million Penaranda Bridge in Nueva Ecija.

He said what would be built in Aurora would be similar to that in Eastern Samar which, he noted, remains a "role model" in terms of quality.

Governor Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said the provincial government will strictly monitor the progress of the project as this would impact on the infrastructure programs of the province.

Partnership of America and the Philippines

A high ranking official from Guam Army National Guard on Saturday disclosed that the United States of America and the Philippines have an existing partnership program to jumpstart development in Central Luzon.

Major General Benny Paulino, Guam adjutant general, said the friendship between the Philippines and their country started long before even during war period.

"We have worked together many times. Our friendship has already been tested by war in the past. Now, we will work together for development," Paulino told the residents and local officials here.

Earlier, a group of 10 soldiers from Guam Army National Guard's 1224th Engineer Support Company together with some members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spearheaded the construction of a school library in an elementary school in this town.

The library was built for the students of San Isidro Elementary School. It has a total of at least 750 students housed to some 19 classrooms.

Paulino led the turn over ceremony of the school library in a simple ceremony held over the weekend.

It was witnessed by the local officials, parents, school authorities, including the ranking officials from the AFP.

"In as much as I remained as the adjutant of the Guam Army National Guard, expect many more to come," Paulino assured the those who attended the ceremony.

They also provided sports equipment such as volleyball and badminton sets for the students.

It was learned that the school's badminton team is the town's current league champion.

The Guam Army National Guard and the AFP also conducted a joint medical and dental mission benefiting not less than 1,000 residents from various barangays in this town.

Filipino Bus Inspector Hit by Isuzu Wagon

A Bachelor Express bus inspector was killed by a speeding vehicle while crossing a national highway to transfer to another Bachelor bus on Thursday along National Highway in Barangay Kapatungan, Trento, Agusan del Sur.

Report from Trento Police Station to Police Regional Office-13 here identified the victim as Nilo Aguilar Vasquez, 45, married and resident of Poblacion, Rosario, Agusan del Sur.

Vasquez worked as a bus inspector of bus transportation giant Bachelor Express Inc.

Initial investigation conducted by Trento PNP showed that the victim alighted from a Bachelor bus from Davao City going towards Butuan City and suddenly crossed the national highway purposely to transfer to another bus traveling in the opposite direction when bumped hard by a speeding vehicle.

Vasquez died while on the way to Bunawan District Hospital for medical attention.

The driver of the Isuzu Wagon, identified as Louie Lucenara Villegas, 46, married, Sales and Promo Coordinator of Lakpuie Drug Inc. voluntarily surrendered to Trento police office. Police impounded Villegas' Isuzu Wagon.

Vasquez was a residing at Block 2, Lot 12, Phase 7, Doña Pilar Village, Sasa, Davao City.

Child-Labor-Free-Barangays

Over 100 barangay chairmen, sangguniang kabataan (SK) officials, and barangay social welfare and development officers from the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon participated in the campaign for 'Child-Labor-Free-Barangays' in the Calabarzon region.

The campaign, spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Regional Office IV-A, was launched at the Olivares Convention Center in this city on May 19, to minimize if not eradicate the incidence of child labor and illegal recruitment of minors in Southern Tagalog.

DOLE IV-A regional director Alex V. Avila, who was guest of honor and speaker, said that measures designed to prevent and eliminate child labor in the target barangays were undertaken with the full support of the community and their leaders in the region.

Avila said DOLE IVA, through its provincial offices, would actively coordinate with the local government units (LGUs) in formulating provincial, municipal and barangay development plans, ordinances, and resolutions that were essential in preventing and eliminating child labor in their respective communities.

DOLE Cavite Officer Edwin T. Hernandez, said the campaign involved a broad coalition that included local government units, non-government organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders in all Calabarzon provinces.

Hernandez said the stakeholders would be consulted and involved in planning and implementation, making them the major partners of various communities in the campaign for child-labor-free-barangays.

He cited the difficulty of parents in coping with finances as one of the reasons why their children were compelled to work to help their families..

Hernandez disclosed that DOLE's Integrated Livelihood Program, which includes "Kabuhayan Para sa Magulang ng Batang Manggagawa (KaSaMa)," which is a combination of training for income-generating activities and economic support, could serve an alternative in supporting the schooling of needy children, as well as support from LGUs and various service providers.

To support the DOLE's campaign, Barangay Chairman Bayani G. Jaro Jr. of Barangay 48-A Narra, Cavite City, presented a draft resolution on the protection of children in his area to ensure that the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC) shall actively perform their responsibilities.

Government of the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front

Civil society organizations (CSOs) in the south underlined the importance of their role in the peace negotiations between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as discussions are expected to get more difficult on the peace table.

"We need to be aware of the position of the two panels to keep pushing the talks further," Mary Ann Arnado, Secretary General of the Mindanao People's Caucus, said during a consultative meeting with GPH panel chair Marvic Leonen held in this district.

She said that MPC, a group of non-government groups in Mindanao, wanted to contribute in helping the GPH and the MILF find common grounds in the peace negotiations.

Glad that both sides have come up with the Decision Points on Principles, which they signed during the 27th formal exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur last April, Arnado noted that discussion of substantive issues are sensitive at this point.

Written in broad strokes, the GPH-MILF Decision Points on Principles contains 10 mutually identified common standpoints that serve as a framework for the final peace agreement.

With the development in the peace negotiations, the MPC, together with the Bishops-Ulama Conference, Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, International Alert and Mindanao Solidarity Network, has been convening various groups from civil society to hear updates from the respective peace panels of the government and the MILF "in order to plan together to support the parties on pushing further the negotiations toward the signing of a peace agreement."

Negotiations at its peak

Leonen, who met with Arnado as well as other members of the MPC, Mindanao Peace Weavers and Consortium of the Bangsamoro Civil Society, said that the peace negotiations with the MILF was at the "peak of its discussions" on political settlement.

The parties are set to discuss substantive issues in the next round of talks this May. This includes deliberating "details and particulars" on power-sharing, wealth-sharing between the national government and the envisioned new autonomous political entity, mode of defining its geographical area, transition and normalization mechanism.

"We move forward. It's clear where the peace talks are leading us—as laid out in the Decision Points on Principles," Leonen said.

However, he pointed out that while there is guarded optimism and due diligence, the next talks will be very difficult. "We are now at the heart of the negotiations on political settlement. Such political settlement needs continuous consultations with different sectors. This will go through a political process (in the different branches of government and in the national and local governments)," he said.

Gov't remains engaged

The panel chair also emphasized that the government will remain engaged in the peace talks. "It is important that we find a just and lasting solution to this problem in Mindanao," he said.

Philippine Government and MILF on Peace Talks

Government and Moro rebel negotiators are scheduled to meet anew before the month ends to iron out some of the thorny and substantive issues -power and wealth sharing in areas in Mindanao to be governed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Mohaqher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, said his panel and that of Lawyer Marvic Leonen are to meet again next week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to continue discussing the still unresolved issues that both sides had signed during its last meeting.

In its April 24 meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the GPH and MILF peace panel signed the "Decision Points on Principles as of April 2012," the first major agreement signed by both panels since the talks began in 1997.

"Wealth and power sharing are among thorny remaining issues being ironed out," Iqbal said.

He explained that power sharing is vital in the MILF's desire to run its own affairs through self-determination and self-rule.

The areas claimed by the MILF as its ancestral domain are rich in natural resources and both panels have agreed to come up with sharing of resources settlement.

The GPH-MILF peace process started in 1997 but gained momentum in 2003 with the entry of Malaysia as third party facilitator and the inclusion of other foreign countries in the government's efforts to settle the Mindanao armed conflict through negotiations.

Over the weekend in Zamboanga City, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles assured the public the government will not sign any final peace deal with MILF without making it public.

"No hidden agenda in the government's negotiations with the MILF or with any group, we will make public the document," Deles said.

Brigada Eskwela in Philippine City

A citywide caravan participated by various education stakeholders early Monday marked the start of the week-long "Brigada Eskwela" or the National Schools Maintenance Week of the Department of Education (DepEd) here.

Led by the Division of City Schools under Dr. Nelly Valerio, the caravan passed by major thoroughfares, various city districts and barangays to heighten public awareness and likewise solicit their support as DepEd prepares for the opening of classes in June 4.

Dr. Raymundo Lapating of the Division of Iloilo covering provincial schools said that each of the province's 42 municipalities and one component city has their own separate activities to commence the National Schools Maintenance Week.

The activity, now on its 5th year, gathered the support of private sectors, parents, teachers, barangay officials and other interested organization to ensure that schools are physically ready once classes start.

The school maintenance include among others the repair of classrooms, boards, chairs and tables and cleanup of the school vicinity.

Housing in Iloilo, Philippines

The National Housing Authority (NHA) has P12 million funds ready for the relocation of informal settlers that will be affected by the ongoing development project at the Batiano River.

NHA project manager Isagani Jalbuena said the fund will be used for the site development of the P1.2 hectare-lot identified by the local government unit (LGU) of Oton as relocation site.

Jalbuena said they will look into the possibility of including in the fund the house and lot components.

The Oton LGU has already identified some 86 informal settlers out of the initial 150 that will be affected by the project.

The Batiano River is connected to the Iloilo River which currently is being revived by the city government.

Supported by Senator Franklin Drilon, the Iloilo River Development Council, chaired by Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, has been amended to become Iloilo-Batiano River Development Council.

Initial phases of the development in Oton include the identification of informal settlers and dredging of the river, which are already ongoing.

Drilon, during the recent regular meeting of the council here, announced the availability of the notice of cash allocation (NCA) for the P6 million fund that will be used for the dredging activities at the Batiano River.

Of the amount, P5.7 million will be used for dredging activities of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and P380,000 for assistance to fish pen owners.

Already, the NIA has completed 80 percent of their dredging activities at the portions of Lambuyao Bridge to Batiano. Dredging is now being conducted at the Cagbang Bridge.

World Medical Relief Helps Philippine Province

The World Medical Relief (WMR) based in Detroit, Michigan has already agreed to help improve the health services in North Cotabato province.

In an interview here recently, Cotabato Governor Emmylou "Lala" J. Talino-Mendoza said that during her meeting in the U.S. last May 7 with WMR CEO and president George V. Samso, who welcomed and toured them in the headquarters, the latter has assured that they will be sending at least five 40-footer container vans containing medicines and other medical equipment before the end of this year.

She said Samso told her that the shipments are being prepared by the medical team to be delivered to Cotabato province before the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Mendoza said a medical mission is also being organized this year to provide free medical services to the people of North Cotabato and neighboring areas in Region 12.

"Cotabato province is in the process of upgrading our eight provincial hospitals and expanding bed capacity to cater and serve the people in this inter-health zone area," Mendoza said during her visit here.

However, she said one of the biggest challenges in this process is the lack of medical equipment and apparatus.