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Archive for the ‘Mindanao’ Category

At a quarter before 10p.m., the Zone 1 neighborhood in Kalasungay, a hillside village in suburban Malaybalay City was like poetry in slow motion.
The distant barking of the dogs joined the symphony of the evening choir of insects and the rhythmic touch of the wind to the leaves of the Marang. There was no other [...]

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That Bukidnon is a peaceful province is now a myth.
One cannot play blind to the kind of stories we hear from both the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the New Peoples Army about gaining strength against each other.
Both camps, even with disproportionate advantages, have brought the battlefield from the mountains to the media.
The news [...]

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Water is inarguably Bukidnon’s most important agricultural resource.
It is a cause of wonder, however, why the sloppy process of acquiring water permits have escaped the pruning attention of local governments.
There were doubts raised by many over the years on the questionable process of acquiring water rights permits.
But over the years, too, local governments and [...]

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It was a bit awkward for me and Omar, a reserved Maguindanaoan who tried to be informative, as we took a peek at the wedding of a couple from two big Maguindanaoan families in Cotabato City.
We were looking through the window from our side of the conference hall— we looked like kids wanting to gate [...]

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MindaNews checked the records of the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (Joint CCCH)  and found that the number of skirmishes between the governent and MILF forces has steadily gone down from 698 in 2002 to 569 in 2003, a year of war; to 16 in 2004, the year  the IMT came to [...]

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Pamogon Store
Stall No. 04
Pikit Public Market
For coffee drinkers, a natural choice for a stop over in between Cotabato and Davao cities aside from rest room visits and road side meals, is the Pikit Public Market.
Aside from it being a vibrant and busy market place, it offers Pikit’s famous Pamogon ”excelsa” coffee.
We scoured for that ‘aromatic’ redemption and found it for sale in many [...]

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He willingly accepted our “invitation” for a courtesy call posed as a quick stop over. D.A., a known and even vocal advocate and leader of Lumads in Mindanao received us warmly in his humble shed-reception hall-meeting place made of bamboo. It was despite our short notice. 
My colleague J.J. and DA knew each other for quite [...]

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Technology has whipped the way we work, allowing us many conveniences and sometimes inconvenience, too.
I’m wrapping up a training workshop for kids on Basic Reporting here in Davao City. The two weeks engagement gave me a chance to relive my four years here in Mindanao’s most populated city.
Oh its not vain, not really.
Because it also [...]

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Malaysia’s decision to cease sending a peace monitoring team to Mindanao when the current team’s mandate ends in September, is due to non-progress in peace talks between the Philippines Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said this as quoted by Bernama.com.
He said in order for a [...]

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“Suburbs are commonly defined as residential areas on the outskirts of a city or large town. Most modern suburbs are commuter towns with many single-family homes. Many suburbs have some degree of political autonomy and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods.”
I enjoyed attending a village social gathering last Saturday. It was a [...]

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I can’t delay this. Perhaps there is no other time.
I have due respect for the competent people at Reuters, but I have to raise this one.
Reading the news below have disturbed me as a resident in Mindanao and as a citizen relating to many decent Muslims everyday.
There is clearly bias here and stereotype —working to [...]

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Measuring my rice has been the tease at home — something that has caused me ‘hunger’. When you are carrying heavier load than you should, you know what I mean.
I did try to eat less of it every time I remember; most of the time I failed.
So when the rice shortage news was carried in [...]

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