Monday, November 30, 2015

Bangsa Moro Party launches crusade


Moro Party take-offs crusade. OFFICIALS of the Bangsa Moro 
Party (BMP) pose during a press conference held at Klub 
Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan on November 26, 2015. 
From left to right: Atty. J Ricardo H. Moreño,  Director for 
Media Services; Judge Casan-Ali Limbona,  Vice-Chairman 
for National and Internal Affairs; Datu Mengka M. Alim,  
Chairman for Region ll; Sultan Punduma Sani , Vice chairman 
for political affairs; Sultan Firdausi I.Y. Abbas, Ph.D., 
Chairman Executive Council; Atty. Ombra T. Jainal, 
Executive  Vice- Chairman; Assemblyman Ali Montaha Babao 
Vice-Chairman for International Affairs; Abdullah Nur Benito, 
Vice-Chairman for Security and Special Services and 
Atty. Dalidig A. Sumndad, Vice-Chairman for Legal Affairs. 
(Photo supplied) 
MANILA, Philippines (BEN BALCE/Golden Journal) - The Bangsa Moro Party (BMP) has launched its crusade to vigilantly and vigorously participate in the coming Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao elections pursuant to Resolution No. 1337 passed by the BMP's Executive Council on Nov. 20, 2015.

The BMP was established in 1985 by the Conference of the Bangsa Moro Islamic Organization’s (CBMIO), composed of fifty-eight (58) Moro Organizations as the political arm of the Bangsa Moro revolutionary struggle of which the Chairman of the Bangsa Moro Party Executive Council, Sultan Firdausi I. Y. Abbas, Ph.D. was the CBMIO Secretary-General.

The BMP looks at the 2016 polls as the opportunity for the Bangsa Moro to freely choose the leaders they can trust and depend on, according to Abbas. 

“This elections unlike the previous ones which were actually selections and not elections will be held simultaneously with the national elections. The incumbent president is outgoing and the administration will have to concentrate on the candidacy of senator Mar Roxas who is tailing in the surveys. Today, malacañang’s tentacles will not be as formidable as in the past. Its machinery to rig the ARMM elections will not be as strong and overwhelming. Their candidate has to fend for himself. Man to man our candidate is far stronger.” Executive Vice –Chairman Atty. Ombra T. Jainal who hails from Sulu said.

The Resolution points out that, “The ARMM governors since President Corazon Aquino have failed to institutionalized the aspiration, sentiments and goals of the Bangsa Moro for a progressive economic future, and protect and develop their cultural and patrimonial heritage;

The leaders of the ARMM through the years have failed to implement the provisions of the organic acts 6734 and 9054;

Those who assumed office of ARMM regional governor miserably failed to deliver the basic needs to the people, protect their health, their livelihood and their security, and have been consistently puppets of Malacañang;

The BMP in its program of government believe that the ARMM must be dignified, honorable and honest and can be realized if these virtues become mandatory in the character of the men and women who exercise authority, especially and primarily the regional governor.

“The time has come to now install a man with integrity, competence and courage as regional governor,” said Abbas who is also the Sultan of Lanao del Sur.

Integrity to command the respect of his peers and those in Manila; Competence to be able to draw up a program and a paradigm to usher in peace and development in the region; courage to say no to those who intrude into the business of the ARMM for their own interests and no to the powers that be who want to stifle and control the autonomous government.”

Based on the Resolution 1337, the party declared its support for Vice Governor Sakur M. Tan of Sulu as the Regional ARMM Governor.

Sultan Abbas stated that the traits necessary for efficient, competent and successful leadership in the ARMM are succinctly in the character of Vice-Governor Sakur M. Tan- a man who will not kow-tow to Malacañang, who will stand strong and firm on his principles and will not betray the trust of the Bangsa Moro.

The BMP Executive Council in it declaration of support acknowledged that through the years Governor Tan  has struggled and fought to have his place under the sun, to protect and help his people and raise his area to a satisfactory economic level despite the turmoil, stood brave and unyielding to terrorist demands and surviving an explosion triggered by terrorists.

Sulu through the decades has always been difficult to govern and administer but Governor Tan succeeded for he has in his heart the welfare of all his constituents and listens to all who come to him for as he says “Everyone has something to say, some idea to contribute and it is a duty to listen not just as governor, but as a Muslim.”

The Chairman of the Executive Council also pointed out that the MNLF wings of Nurullagi Misuari and Mayor Mus Sema of Cotabato City are united in their political pursuit to make the ARMM truly autonomous and the instrument to develop the moro areas and raise the level of the economic and social conditions of the Bangsa Moro under the BMP banner and  there are even MILF officers who are with the BMP because the ARMM elections is a separate issue from the BBL.

The other executive officers other than Sultan Abbas and Atty. Jainal, who was former Solicitor-General of the ARMM are: Atty. Omar S. Sema, Secretary General, scion of the Sema Clan of  Cotabato City,  Sultan Punduma Sani, Vice-Chairman for Political Affairs , the Incumbent Vice-Chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front-MNLF, Sultan of Guimba, Lanao del Sur, Lt. General in the Bangsa Moro Army, member of the Top 90, and former Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government, ARMM, Atty. Dalidig A. Sumndad, Vice-Chairman for Legal Affairs, Former President of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Marawi City Chapter and Deputy General Counsel, Assemblyman Datu Ali Montaha Babao, Vice-Chairman for International Affairs, Incumbent Floor Leader of the Bangsa Moro National Parliament MNLF, former Assemblyman of the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development, SPCPD,  Judge Casan-Ali Limbona, Vice-Chairman for National and Internal Affairs, Former Judge, Shairah District Court, Abdullah Nur Benito, Vice-Chairman for Security and Special Services, former member of the MNLF Central Committee and  Johaira R. Conding, Vice-Chairperson for Women Affairs, of the Rashid, Dimaporo and Conding Clans of the Lanao Provinces and Marawi City.

The regional chairmen are Dr. Naguib A. Munder, Asnawi Sinsuat Limbona, Datu Mengka M. Alim, Abdulkadir M. Yahya, Jr., Habib Andang Hashim, Abdelnasser Hadjiula and Ali Montaha M. Babao, Jr., Regions I to Vll respectively.

Home Ben balce's channel/YouTube

1 hurt as rebels attack tribal village in Bukidnon

Lt. Col. Lennon G. BABILONIA
CAGAYAN de Oro City (BEN BALCE/Golden Journal) - A villager was wounded as armed men believed to be members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) assaulted a tribal village in Cabanglasan, Bukidnon, the military reported Wednesday last week.

Capt. Norman Tagros, spokesperson of the Army’s 8th Infantry Battalion based here, identified the wounded as Angelo "Loyloy" Yanggahon, a member of the Umayamnon tribe, who sustained a gunshot wound in his right arm.

Tagros said that Yanggahon has been undergoing treatment in the Bukidnon Provincial Hospital in Malaybalay City. The victim is now in stable condition, Tagros said.

He said that the NPA rebels believed to belong to the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee fired their guns indiscriminately toward the tribal village of Miaray, in Mandahican, Cabanglasan, Bukidnon Monday evening.

Tagros said that the terrified Lumads of the Umayamnon tribe fled toward the outskirts of the tribal village as the tribe’s cultural guards known “Baganis” could do nothing but witnessed the unfolding terror.

Tagros said that the local authorities are still determining the number of evacuees who have fled to the town proper as the military mounted a combat operation in the area.

In a statement, Lt. Col. Lennon G. Babilonia, commanding officer of the army’s 8IB, accused the NPA rebels of atrocities committed against the tribal communities in the borders of Bukidnon and Agusan Del Sur.

He said that the military is investigating into the motive of the NPA in attacking the tribal communities in Northern Mindanao.

“We assure our people, especially our Lumad brothers, that the military will bring the perpetrators of these atrocities to justice while continuing the service to secure the tribal communities,” Babilonia said. (With PNA)

Home Ben balce's channel/YouTube

NGCP says power supply in Mindanao remains bleak

THE National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) admitted that
the grid operator failed to resolve right-of-way issues due to landowner’s 

excessive demand of payment. NGCP even said transmission lines become 
non-operational because some landowners are preventing the NGCP from 
properly maintaining the power lines, then Mindanao will continue to be 
plagued by power interruptions in the future. (BB)
CAGAYAN De Oro City (BEN BALCE/Golden Journal) - Until the power transmission lines are secured, the entry of new power players would not improve the energy situation in Mindanao, a firm tasked to transmit power in Mindanao.

Beth Ladaga, who heads the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) Regional Corporate and Public Affairs said that the energy situation will not improve if there are no transmission lines to deliver the new capacity to the distribution utilities and household consumers.

Ladaga was referring to various transmission lines that crossed along farm lots in Lanao Del Sur that have remained vulnerable due to trees planted by landowners who want payment at exorbitant rates.

She cited the case of a certain Balao Pundag who has planted 1,500 trees along the right of way of the NGCP’s transmission lines that threatens the Agus 2 – Kibawe 138kV line.

Ladaga said the NGCP has been negotiating with Pundag for the past 16 months in the hope the maintenance crew could enter the lot area and clear the trees that poses danger to the power transmission lines.

The NGCP has expressed the willingness to pay PHP77,750 for the 1,500 trees in its prevailing market and assessed value. However, Pundag wants a PHP478,650 payment for the trees, the NGCP said.

Ladaga said the NGCP has to stick to a standard valuation of property, which is based on verifiable sources such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and government financial institutions.

“It is sad to think that for years, both the government and private sectors have been working together to invite power stakeholders to build new sources of energy in Mindanao in order to address the island’s power deficiency,” she said.

She that the NGCP has been working to ensure that the facilities necessary to connect these plants to the grid are already in place by the time these power plants are ready to operate.

However, if our transmission lines become non-operational because some landowners are preventing the NGCP from properly maintaining the power lines, then Mindanao will continue to be plagued by power interruptions in the future, Ladaga said.(With PNA) 

Home Ben balce's channel/YouTube