Community Invest in children’s future, plant trees –

ZAMSURECO I
Sep 2, 2016

RAMON MAGSAYSAY, Zamboanga, del Sur, Council (MSEAC) members in barangay

Sept. 2 (PIA) – At least 2,500 narra and Switch here.
mahogany seedlings were planted by
The tree planting activity was one of the
employees of the Zamboanga del Sur
highlights of the 40th founding
Electric I Electric Cooperative, Inc.
anniversary of the electric cooperative held
(ZAMSURECO-I), Board of Directors, and
recently.
Multi-Sectoral Electrification Advisory

ZAMSURECO-I General Manager/Chief Executive Officer Jose Raul A. Saniel said he considered
the tree planting activity as the most important
part of the week-long event saying that climate
change has a direct impact on human life and
natural ecosystems.

"The best time to plant trees was 20 years ago.

The second best time is now," Saniel declared
quoting an old Chinese proverb. Climate change
is strongly affecting many communities, in some
cases, threatening their cultural survival, according to GM Saniel.

“It damages lives and property, destroys our ecosystems due to people’s relentless assault on
our beloved Mother Earth,” he added.

“The problem is on us human beings. We keep on cutting down trees because we look at the
tree as a commodity and its obvious
monetary value. We do not think of
the consequence that cutting a tree
contributes to global warming,”
Saniel said.

“We co-exist, we could not live

without trees,” Saniel stated as he
emphasized that trees produce most
of the oxygen that humans and
wildlife breathe.

The good manager said the people of

ZAMSURECO-I has invested for the
future so that our children, children
and the generations yet to come can
breathe and enjoy the fresh air we
now experience.

Saniel said tree planting has become

an institutionalized activity of
ZAMSURECO-I.
(ALT/GCC/PIA9/Zamboanga del Sur).
Zamboanga del Sur Palaro athlete banks on arnis to
reach college
Published April 15, 2016

Family first. This arnis athlete from Zamboanga del Sur is working hard to stay with her sports academy
scholarship so she could someday help her family. After her family lost their money, Palarong Pambansa
athlete Nikki Gelbolingo is working hard as an arnis scholar to finish school and alleviate them from
poverty.

Legazpi City, Philippines –
Nikki Gelbolingo, 16, is
taking Arnis seriously so
she can stay in school.
Palarong Pambansa first-
timer Gelbolingo lives in
Molave, Zamboanga Del
Sur where she studies in a
sports academy sponsored
and supported by the
Zamboanga Governor.
Already in Grade 11, she
wants to finish school so
she can help alleviate her
family from poverty.
Gelbolingo's family went
through a big challenge
when her father became ill
with tuberculosis. All of
their money was allocated
for his hospitalization and
medication, and they
utlimately lost him in
2014. They've been
heavily in debt since then.
Gelbolingo is the 6th child
out of 8. Her mother does
laundry for their neighbors
as Gelbolingo works as
well. After the two eldest
kids graduate, Gelbolingo's
mother struggled with the
financial needs for the
education of her 6 other
children and some were
force to stop school.
Studying is everything
“Para sa akin, importante
talaga na makapag-aral,
makapag-college para sa
pamilya ko,” she said. (For
me, it is very important to
study, to attend to college
for my family.)
She is doing her best in
arnis to earn a scholarship
for college. For her,
studying is her key to
success so that her mother
won’t have to work
anymore. She wants to
help her siblings continue
their studies so that they
can have a better life, too.
As an arnis athlete,
Gelbolingo has made
many sacrifices such as
maintaining the right
weight for competing. She
jogs every day and
endures the heat.
Last year’s Batang Pinoy
National was her first
break in the sport as she
won a gold medal in
combat on top of two
silver medals.
Despite the hardships (It’s really hard if you have
she's going through, not studied. You should
Gelbolingo dreams of finish school. I work so
becoming a professional that I could study. I hope
arnis athlete someday, that they won’t neglect
and of course to graduate themselves and they'll
from college at the same study well.)
time.
“Mag pasalamat sa Diyos
“Mahirap po ang hindi kasi binigyan tayo ng
makapag-aral dapat po talent natin, at wag dapat
makatapos, ako natin sasayangin ang
nagtatrabaho para opportunity,” she
makapag-aral. Sana wag added. (We should be
nila pababayaan ang sarili thankful to God because
nila at mag-aral ng He gave us talent, we
mabuti,” Gelbolingo should not waste the
shared her advice to co- opportunity).
student athletes.
  Editorial page
Six more months
From authoritarian states to liberal societies
and advanced economies, drug abuse is a
problem. The demand for substances that alter
mind and mood has been around for centuries,
along with those who feed the demand.
The best that governments can aim for is to
significantly curb both supply and demand
and prevent the drug menace from fueling
corruption, dirty politics and a culture of
violence.
President Duterte need not worry too much
about being taken to task for failing to
deliver on his campaign promise of stopping
the drug menace and criminality within
three to six months of assuming power.
Even the man he considers as the most
“brilliant” Philippine president, Ferdinand
Marcos, failed to stop the menace, with all
the extraordinary, absolute powers the
dictator enjoyed, and despite the execution
of a heroin trafficker in the early days of
martial rule.
What President Duterte can do with six
more months of a relentless war on drugs is
to institutionalize a tough response to the
menace. This means zeroing in on the
traffickers, with special focus on those in
government as well as dealers of party
drugs whose main clients are youths.
Institutionalizing the war on drugs also
means fighting the menace on other fronts,
to ensure that no one gets to enjoy drug
profits. The President must urge his
congressional allies to pass laws against
racketeering, with special focus on drug
trafficking, illegal gambling, smuggling and
human trafficking.
The drug war must be closely coordinated
with the money-laundering police,
monetary authorities and revenue agencies
so that all assets derived from the illegal
trade are confiscated by the state. Drug
dealers and their relatives must not be
allowed to enjoy illegally amassed wealth.
And while the judiciary is an independent
branch of government, it is possible for the
executive to coordinate with those in
charge of the administration of justice so
that adjudication of drug-related cases
including killings can be expedited.
Suppliers feed the demand, and drug abuse
is a social problem. More rehabilitation
centers must be built for those hooked on
drugs. Whether the President needs six
more months or six years, the admonition
still rings true, to save the user and jail the
pusher.
Vigilante killings must stop, and those that
have been perpetrated must be
investigated and justice rendered. Such
killings taint legitimate anti-drug operations
by law enforcers, eroding the credibility of
any war on drugs.
  Opinion page
“OUR CHILDREN DESERVE A HEALTHY START
Childhood obesity in our
country has more than
tripled in the past 30 years.
Today, one in six children in
our country is obese. Being
overweight or obese puts
kids at risk for high blood
pressure, diabetes, heart
disease, and other diseases
we normally see in adults.
Forget for a moment about
the billions of dollars in
additional annual taxpayer
health care costs due to
childhood obesity according
to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention, nearly $150
billion annually. What’s truly
inconceivable is that, for the
first time in history, our
children could have shorter
life expectancies than we do.
To put it plainly, this is
unacceptable. As parents
and as citizens, we make it a
point of pride to be able to
say that our children will
have a better life than we do.
And as the grown-ups in this
community, we can’t afford
to be complacent about the
health and wellbeing of our
children. We need to stand
up and do what we can
EVERYTHING we can to
reverse this alarming trend.
Nationally, there’s a
consensus that America can
and must reverse the
childhood obesity epidemic
within a generation, and in
our city, we should be at
least that ambitious. And we
already have the knowledge,
the tools and the capacity to
do it. While we can’t turn
the tide on this
epidemic overnight, we do
know what works childhood
obesity isn’t an incurable
disease. Experts agree that
balanced diet, regular
physical activity and
education are key elements
to the solution. We can set
our children on a path
toward a lifetime of good
health helping them make
smart choices about what
eat, and how much
exercise they get.
We need to help our kids
stay healthy by encouraging
them to get active. We need
to reduce their time in front
of the TV or computer
screen. We need to get
them moving, through
everyday activities, like
taking a walk or helping out
with yard work. Most
importantly, we need to set
an example for our kids by
eating healthy and
getting active with them. No
matter what we say, our kids
will notice and emulate what
we do. I don’t mean to
suggest that these goals are
the easiest in the world to
achieve and there are
barriers, within
families, schools and
communities, to achieving
these goals. It’s going to
take a concerted, committed,
community-wide effort for us
to safeguard the health of
our children. And the
investment won’t be
insignificant. But I tend to
believe and I’m sure you’ll
agree that no investment in
our children can ever be
too much. They’re both our
legacy and our responsibility.
“Your lives will be better
than ours” it’s the unspoken
promise that our parents
made to us, that their
parents made to them it’s
the promise each generation
has made to the next,
throughout history. We owe
it to our children, to ensure
that they live longer,
healthier, and stronger than
us. More importantly, we
owe it to ourselves. Can we
really be content being the
first generation in history
that failed to deliver on that
promise? Our children
deserve a healthy start and
neither our ability, nor our
responsibility, to give it to
them is in question.
  Letter to the editor

Dear Editor,

I am very concerned about the global issue of childhood obesity. Are we doing enough
in society and is our government doing anything to help with this global epidemic? So what are
we going to do about this growing concern?

In 2010, a global study by the World Health Organization identified 42 million children
under the age of five as obese. Obese children have an increased chance of staying that way
into adulthood. That study, including 63 countries, also showed 60 per cent of men and 50 per
cent of women were either overweight or obese. The WHO states people with extra weight
take a huge toll on health care and risk factors include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke,
cancer, sleep apnea and other chronic illnesses.

We live in an environment that promotes obesity with countries filled with fast-food
restaurants that promote saturated fat, cheap junk food, and electronic technologies that keep
people sedentary. So what are we going to do about the children, the innocent children
influenced by their parents, society, school and friends?

The obvious route is to increase their intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains,
decrease fat and sugar consumption and increase physical activity. We need to have societal
involvement and political commitment and collaboration of private and public stakeholders.
Improving dietary habits is an individual and societal problem. We need to help make healthier
diet options affordable and accessible. The role of the school is essential to help promote
healthy diets and physical activity. We need a tool provided at the national level in order to
make sure that obesity is worked on. People must have knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and skills
to help make informed decisions and practice healthy behaviours.

The role of the parent is a very important one. Not only must we provide healthy food
and promote exercise, we also must be a role model ourselves. We must eat healthy, cook
healthy and remain active to maintain a healthy weight. We must encourage activity at home;
encourage walking to and from activities and decrease computers, TV and games usage.

Sincerely ;
Eguana, Ariel
 Leterary

Some Clouds
Now that I've unplugged the phone,

no one can reach me-

At least for this one afternoon

they will have to get by without my advice

or opinion.

Now nobody else is going to call

& ask in a tentative voice

if I haven't yet heard that she's dead,

that woman I once loved-

nothing but ashes scattered over a city

that barely itself any longer exists.

Yes, thank you, I've heard.

It had been too lovely a morning.

That in itself should have warned me.

The sun lit up the tangerines

& the blazing poinsettias

like so many candles.

For one afternoon they will have to forgive me.

I am busy watching things happen again

that happened a long time ago.

as I lean back in Josephine's lawnchair

under a sky of incredible blue,

broken - if that is the word for it -

by a few billowing clouds,

all white & unspeakably lovely,
drifting out of one nothingness into another.
  Email

By Admin

In: 2015 Community News

01 Sep 2015

Hits: 487

By Gideon C. Corgue

RAMON MAGSAYSAY,
Zamboanga del Sur, Sept. 1
(PIA) – Officers and
employees of Zamboanga del
Sur Electric Cooperative, Inc.
(ZAMSURECO-I) embarked
on a tree-planting activity
recently to show love and
concern for the environment
by planting some 1,200
mahogany seedlings at Area I – Sub-office compound in Barangay Switch, this municipality.

In his message, Mr. Jose Raul A. Saniel, ZAMSURECO-I general manager and chief executive officer,
encouraged employees of the electric cooperative to support environmental advocacy by taking care of
the environment because the world is now experiencing global warming…

“The world has experienced extreme weather

conditions such as more intense and long droughts,
floodingin areas that were never flooded before in
history due to climate change.” Saniel added.

He said global warming not only affects our country

but the people as well.

The chief executive officer believes that planting

more trees will be the most viable solution to the
problem. “Planting more trees is the best solution to global warming because it will help reduce carbon
emissions and purify the air,” he added.

“By planting trees, we invest for the future, and it is the most important investment for our mother
earth,” Saniel stressed. He underscored the significance and benefits of planting
a tree.

“Aside from the fact that it produces oxygen and removes carbon dioxide and
contaminants from the air, the trees have many other social, economic, and
environmental benefits,” he explained.

Saniel said the 1,200 mahogany seedlings they planted may seem very small in
number but when these “plants will all grow, it will help save mankind.”

“We are not only planting trees but we are protecting them so that it will grow and survive for the
generations to come,” Saniel concluded. (ALT/GCC/PIA-Zamboanga del Sur)
P6-M worth of weapons seized from alleged Abu Sayyaf 'supplier'

ABS-CBN News

Posted at Sep 27 2016 11:34 AM

Share

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Suspect is defeated vice gubernatorial bet in Sulu

View image on Twitter

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DZMM TeleRadyo @DZMMTeleRadyo

Naarestong vice gubernatorial candidate ng Sulu, itinuturong supplier umano ng baril at bala sa
ASGpic.twitter.com/qyQRxHqpvV | @dzmmPatrol44

8:57 AM - 27 Sep 2016

11 Retweet

55 likes

MANILA - Police confiscated some P6 million worth of high-powered firearms, explosives, and
ammunition from a suspected arms supplier of political warlords and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General Ronald dela Rosa on Tuesday identified the
suspect as Unding Kenneth Isa, who was defeated in Sulu's vice gubernatorial race last May.

A cache of M-23 grenade launchers, M-16 rifles and some 1,000 bullets were seized from Isa and three
other men at a house in Barangay West Crame on Saturday.

"The contraband will be used in the alleged strengthening of the ASG's armaments in their fight against
the government's forces in Sulu and Basilan, as well as the intensification of their kidnapping and
bombing operations," Dela Rosa said.
The PNP chief also revealed that most of the ammunition confiscated from the suspects were traced
back to the government arsenal.

"We suspect na mayroon talaga silang contact from the government arsenal dahil paano nakakalabas
itong bala na ito kung wala silang contact [We suspect they have a contact from the government arsenal
because how could they have gotten the bullets otherwise]?" Dela Rosa said.

Follow

DZMM TeleRadyo @DZMMTeleRadyo

Sangkaterbang bala, matataas na kalibre ng baril at pampasabog, nasamsam ng PNP-CIDG sa San Juan
|@dzmmPatrol44

7:42 AM - 27 Sep 2016

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Police, however, were still verifying the source of the confiscated explosives and firearms.
Isa has also refused to identify his clients from the government out of fear for the safety of his family in
Sulu, according to Superintendent Roel Obusan, acting director of the Criminal Investigation and
Detection Group (CIDG).

The three other suspects were identified as Hja Rismidona Isa, Aljamer Akarab Mandih, and Hurbin Alhi
Sahibu.

The group was supposed to smuggle the weapons out of Manila via a roll-on/roll-off vessel, Dela Rosa
mentioned.

-- With a report from Henry Atuelan, DZMM

3 ASG members nabbed in Zamboanga

Raiza Dapilin, ABS-CBN News

Posted at Sep 10 2016 09:57 AM

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ZAMBOANGA CITY – Three suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) were arrested by the
police here on Friday, after a concerned citizen informed law enforcers of an unidentified person
carrying firearms in Barangay Pasonanca.

In a press statement, the Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM) named the three suspected ASG
members as Jamar Musa Maing, 41; Ahmad Lawisan, 33; and Omar Tandih, 36; supposedly of the
notorious Ajang-ajang Group, which has been held responsible for killings of law enforcers, particularly
soldiers and policemen, in Jolo, Sulu. They are also blamed for other crimes in the area.

Recovered from the three suspects were two fragmentation grenades, a .38-caliber revolver with six live
rounds of ammunition, and two cellular phones.

Authorities said the vigilance demonstrated by concerned residents in reporting suspicious activity likely
helped thwart possible atrocities planned by the group.

The arrest of the three came at the height of an intense military offensive against the ASG in Sulu, and
the implementation of a full alert status in neighboring cities like Zamboanga City.

The Zamboanga City Police Office has been implementing a 24/7 check points and choke points for the
past few days, and have increased the visibility of soldiers and policemen in populated areas and places
of convergence such as local parks.

Abu Sayyaf owns up to Davao blast, warns of more attacks

RJ Rosalado, ABS-CBN News

Posted at Sep 03 2016 08:21 AM | Updated as of Sep 03 2016 08:54 AM

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Police investigators inspect the area of a market where an explosion happened in Davao City. Lean Daval
Jr., Reuters

ZAMBOANGA CITY (1st UPDATE) - The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has claimed responsibility for the blast in
Davao City which left 14 dead and more than 60 wounded on Friday evening.

READ: Davao blast death toll rises to 14; 67 others hurt

ASG spokesperson Abu Rami said the Davao attack is a "call for unity to all mujahideen in the country"
amid the all-out offensive of the military against the group.

Rami said that the attack in Davao City is not part of a tactic to divert the attention of government forces
who have been pursuing the bandits in Sulu and Basilan.

He warned that similar attacks should be expected in the coming days.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this week ordered intensified operations to finish off the 400-strong
terror group, following the death of 15 soldiers in a clash in Patikul, Sulu.

After the explosion in Davao, Duterte also declared a "state of lawlessness," where he will "invite
uniformed personnel to run the country."

READ: Duterte declares 'state of lawlessness'

The military and the Philippine National Police earlier dismissed circulating text messages about an
imminent attack.
Abu Sayyaf. (RADYO INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Abu Sayyaf will not wait for soldiers to assault its
positions in Sulu and will initiate clashes with the military while rallying Tausugs to
supports its “jihad.”
Abu Sayyaf spokesperson Alhabsi Misaya said in text messages on Thursday, that “by
September 1, the Abu Sayyaf and soldiers of (President Rodrigo) Duterte will test
each other in a liberation.”
Misaya, who is under Radulan Sahiron, called the looming battles with government
soldiers “the last war of Patikul to the finish.”
“If they are given courage, this war is more fierce than in Zamboanga,” Misaya wrote
in one of the text messages that were also sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
He said that if soldiers would not attack them, they would “initiate the attack against
soldiers of Duterte.”
“The Abu Sayyaf is ready with its more than 1000 forces, to do a jihad,” he added.
Lieutenant General Mayoralgo dela Cruz, the chief of the Western Mindanao
Command based here, said he also got hold of a similar text message.
But he said that the military has always treated any information from the Abu Sayyaf
with a grain of salt.
“This message is part of their warfare, whether true or not, we have prepared for it,”
he said, adding that he doubted Misaya’s figure of 1,000 Abu Sayyaf combatants as
the bandits’ numbered only between 200 and 250.
Dela Cruz added the military would be glad to see Abu Sayyaf attacking. “It’s better
to be this way, so that we will no longer be hunting them.”
“(A)nd I even suggest that they look for a place (where the battle would take place) so
it will no longer be difficult for us to locate them,” Dela Cruz added.
While not specifying the number of troops currently in Sulu, Dela Cruz said more war
logistics have been sent to the island-province.
The military now maintains two brigades of soldiers – or the equivalent of six
battalions – in Sulu.
Dela Cruz said the Abu Sayyaf has been recruiting new members.
“The Abu Sayyaf is recruiting members and they can easily convince drug addicts to
join them, just give them shabu and some pocket money. These (drugs and pocket
money) entice them to join Abu Sayyaf,” he said.
Dela Cruz said soldiers had told their superiors of bandits with amazing stamina and
aggression, even when wounded.

Army Scout Rangers hoist the Philippine flag after gaining control of
one of the defensive positions of Abu Sayyaf in Basilan. The military
offensives against the terror group continue. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
“Even when they were seriously wounded, they continued getting closer to the troops.
They kept on advancing even if they were hit,” he said.
Dela Cruz also said soldiers had repeatedly found “drug paraphernalia” in the Abu
Sayyaf camps they had overrun.
“It’s an indication that these bandits are into drugs,” he said.
Since Aug. 26, more than 50 persons – 15 of them soldiers – have been killed in the
Sulu clashes.
The Abu Sayyaf has lost 36 of its men, Dela Cruz said.
SPO2 Almuzrine Sabdani, a Patikul town police officer, said the recent spate of Abu
Sayyaf’s retaliatory attacks showed they have suffered heavy losses.
“They have been retaliating,” he said, adding that the clashes have spread to the
barangays (villages) of Bakung, Maligay, Tugas, Latih and Bungkaong.
Vice Gov. Haroun Al Rashid Lucman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao said about 2,766 families have been displaced in four Patikul barangays
alone.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/811993/abu-sayyaf-to-bring-fight-to-afp-

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