He used to be a staunch critic of the broadcast media, even padlocking radio stations in Valencia City during his two-term stint at city hall. But guess who is now a broadcaster himself — operating, programming, and going on-air in his own radio station.
Former Valencia City Mayor Jose M. Galario Jr. now operates DXVC, a new 1-kilowatt FM radio station broadcasting from Bagonta-as, Valencia City.
The station styles itself as a member of a network of radio stations owned by the Polytechnic Foundation of Cotabato and Asia, Inc. (PFCAI).
Aside from playing music, the station airs a commentary program hosted by Galario himself. He said its programming is not “scripted” and is determined to report the truth in the city.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro wants to approach peace with a “strong dose of practicality, pragmatism and political realism” as he questioned the approach of solving the root causes of conflict” because “has any society been able to solve the root causes of conflict?”
He told the 8th Mindanao Island Conference of the Provincial Board Members League of the Philippines on Wednesday night that the first lesson he learned in approaching the problem of peace and order is to do it with “the backing of some values and some idealism and with strong dose of practicality, pragmatism, and political realism”. Read More…
I just want to announce that I joined RP2010 The Election Watch Blog created recently by Davao blog icon Blogie Robillo.
Here’s what I got from the new blog’s “About” page:
The RP2010.com blog endeavors to be the poll watchdog for the Philippine Presidential Elections in the year 2010. As such, we, the bloggers behind it, commit to helping ensure clean and honest elections through non-partisan coverage of election-related news and commentary.
I like poll blogging. I think this blog is different, however, because it will not only be a venue for just ANY commentary. This one leans towards and focuses on advocacy for clean and honest elections.
(NEWS) “The future appears gloom and bleak,” Gov. Jose Ma. R. Zubiri told the provincial board Thursday citing that the debacle of economic difficulties is real and could not be ignored.
Zubiri has proposed a P1.06 billion-2009 budget to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan but vowed to keep budgetary controls and prioritization of expenditures amidst the treat of a global recession.
He cited that the country is beset with “serious global disorder” foretelling a “downfall in the global capital market that “will not spare the Philippine economy”.
“There is an eroding confidence in the US financial market and growing discontent on the so-called American model of capitalistic economic enterprises,” Zubiri said in his introduction. Read More…
It was a routine surf for news from places where I used to live. The order is always from the latest city, then backwards. So it was from Davao, then Quezon City-Antipolo, Iloilo, and then Cagayan de Oro.
But I was stuck in cyber Iloilo, particularly at Sun Star Iloilo’s website.
The headline reads like this as of 9:55p.m. of September 17: Police prepare transfer of ‘bad’ cops to Mindanao.
Bad cops to Mindanao? Our Mindanao is the country’s dump site? Read More…
Waking up to a broadcaster howling against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front one morning, I was tempted to turn the radio off.
The grain of his voice has pestered me in my space in that corner of the house.
“Maayo ng girahon sila kay gusto man diay nila og Independence!” Gusto pa gyod nila iapil ang tibuok Bukidnon aron mohimo sila og regional government!” (It’s good to go to war with them since they wanted independence. They also like to cover the whole Bukidnon in a bid to form a regional government!).
I was really forced to get on my feet even if I only had three hours of sleep yet and dialed the radio station. Read More…
According to this report by MindaNews’ Carolyn O. Arguillas, detained Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chair Nur Misuari, was not able to leave for Jeddah to attend the Tripartite Meeting of the MNLF, the government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Organization of Islamic Conference.
“Misuari was supposed to have left with his delegation and the Philippine delegation headed by Undersecretary Nabil Tan at 12:20 a.m. November 9 on board Emirates Flight EK 335, but was not allowed to leave for failing to submit a “sovereign guarantee” from Saudi Arabia that he would return to the Philippines immediately after the November 10 to 12 meeting in Jeddah,” the report said. Read the rest of the report on MindaNews.com.
The meeting, according to the report, would push through despite Misuari’s absence. The meetings, postponed several times since last year, was scheduled to review (and correct?) the implementation of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the MNLF and the government.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon and Philippine National Police chief Avelino Razon and three other military officials are respondents in the first petition for writ of amparo in Mindanao.
The petition was filed by Bebelita Bustamante of Paquibato district, whose only son, 21-year old Luicito, disappeared on October 27.
The other respondents are Major General Ernesto Boa of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division based in Davao City; Lt. Col. Alexander Ambal, chief of the division’s 73rd infantry batallion in Sto. Thomas, Davao del Norte, Col. Allan Luga, commander of Task Force Davao, a certain Noli Obat and seven John Does, or unidentified respondents.
The Karapatan human rights group, who accompanied Ms Bustamante at the Hall of Justice, said her son was reportedly taken by elements of Task Force Davao. Read the rest of the report on MindaNews.com.
Any time, any day.
Chief Justice Reynato Puno wants the public to know that any time or any day, relatives of missing persons can petition the judge for a writ of amparo, a measure intended to protect the missing person from becoming a victim of extrajudicial killings or a desaparecido (disappeared or victim of enforced disappearance).
The writ is enforceable anywhere in the country.
“We don’t compromise the life of the aggrieved party just because one feels sleepy,” Puno told members of the local judiciary, prosecutors, lawyers, the military and police officials, human rights groups and representatives from civil society at a forum at the University of Mindanao late Tuesday. Read the rest of the report on MindaNews.com.
The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting threw in their take on the recent noise at the Commission on Elections.
PPCRV saw something fishy in the alleged lack of transparency in the selection process with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s appointment of Iligan City judge Moslemen Macarambon, Sr. Read the MindaNews story here.
The poll watchdog making noise even from the start, say, in the appointment of commissioners is commendable. This is good rather than just deal with the problem only on election day.
I think the public clamor is more particular on the need to reform the selection process, instead of being so inhuman to dwell on the personal. Read More…
Juicy economic benefits await winners of Monday’s barangay elections, officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said.
Rodolfo Razul, DILG regional director for Southeastern Mindanao, said economic perks are among the drawing points why the number of candidates for the barangay polls has increased.
In 1991, when governance was devolved to the local government units down to the barangays, the honorarium of a barangay kagawad was P600 and the barangay chair, P1,000 per month at the lowest.
“Now, officials in Davao City’s upland barangays would receive at least P2,000 per kagawad and P3,000 per barangay chair,” Merilou Limbaro, DILG city director, told MindaNews.
In the more urbanized areas Limbaro said the honorarium could be at least P3,000 for kagawads and P5,000 for barangay chair.Read the rest of the report on MindaNews.com.
Police reported a generally peaceful election here, citing only one election-related violence as of midday.
But there was a “very” low voter turnout, prompting Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to say Dabwenos lack interest in their barangay government.
“It makes me sad because people do not realize the importance of the barangay elections. This unit of government plays a crucial role in the totality of governance,” Duterte told reporters before entering Precint 1245 – A of the Daniel R. Aguinaldo High School in Matina district by around 1:50 p.m. as the 21st voter out of 188 registered. Read the rest of the report on Mindanews.com.
ISTAMBAY SA MINDANAO 
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