"The Carmelite Code"

SEVERAL years before the publication of Dan Brown's thriller “The Da Vinci Code,” a group of nuns at the Carmelite Monastery in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines put up a mysterious sign that was never decoded. The sign showed an arrow that some Biblical archaeologists believed pointed to an underground vault that possibly contained the Holy Grail. The sign no longer exists today. Posing as cryptologist is Elson Elizaga. (Photo by CLARA MARIE ASUNCION Q. GONZALES ELIZAGA)

Sorry for the inconvenience...

THE YSALINA Bridge, also known as Carmen Bridge in Cagayan de Oro City will not be fully passable until next month because it will undergo a major facelift, reads a signboard placed near city hall. The City has started to experience worst traffic starting Sunday. (Photo by Cagayan de Oro Journal)

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Cardinal eyes legal suit vs 'The Da Vinci Code'

IN the latest Vatican broadside against "The Da Vinci Code," a leading cardinal says Christians should respond to the book and film with legal action because both offend Christ and the Church he founded.

Cardinal Francis Arinze, a Nigerian who was considered a candidate for pope last year, made his strong comments in a documentary called "The Da Vinci Code-A Masterful Deception."

Arinze's appeal came some 10 days after another Vatican cardinal called for a boycott of the film. Both cardinals asserted that other religions would never stand for offences against their beliefs and that Christians should get tough.

"Christians must not just sit back and say it is enough for us to forgive and to forget," Arinze said in the documentary made by Rome film maker Mario Biasetti for Rome Reports, a Catholic film agency specializing in religious affairs.

"Sometimes it is our duty to do something practical. So it is not I who will tell all Christians what to do but some know legal means which can be taken in order to get the other person to respect the rights of others," Arinze said.

"This is one of the fundamental human rights: that we should be respected, our religious beliefs respected, and our founder Jesus Christ respected," he said, without elaborating on what legal means he had in mind.

A transcript of the documentary, due to be screened in Rome later this month just before the release of the film version of the best-selling book at the Cannes Film Festival, was made available to Reuters.

The book, written by Dan Brown, has sold more than 40 million copies.

The novel is an international murder mystery centered on attempts to uncover a secret about the life of Christ that a clandestine society has tried to protect for centuries.

The central tenet of the book is that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children.

Blasphemy

"Those who blaspheme Christ and get away with it are exploiting the Christian readiness to forgive and to love even those who insult us. There are some other religions which if you insult their founder they will not be just talking. They will make it painfully clear to you," Arinze said.

This appeared to be a reference to protests by Muslims around the world over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.

Last month, another broadside against "The Da Vinci Code" was launched by Archbishop Angelo Amato, the number two official in the Vatican doctrinal office which was headed by Pope Benedict until his election last year.

Amato urged a boycott of the film and Arinze, like his fellow cardinal, also blasted the credibility of the book.

"'The Da Vinci Code' presents (Christianity) wrongly ... any film produced on the basis of that book is already in error from the word go, no matter how interesting it might appear," Arinze said.

Catholic group Opus Dei has told Sony Pictures that putting a disclaimer on the movie stressing it is a work of fiction would be a welcome show of respect toward the Church.

In the novel and film, Opus Dei is characterized as the latest in a series of secretive groups that worked over the centuries to obscure truths about Jesus Christ.

Opus Dei is a controversial conservative Church group whose members are mostly non-clerics and are urged to seek holiness in their everyday professional jobs and lives. It has rejected criticisms that it is secretive and elitist.

The movie, which is being released by Sony Pictures division Columbia Pictures, stars Tom Hanks. Sony Pictures is the media wing of Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp. (Vatican News)

Calls vs. Da Vinci useless: Advincula

COUNCILOR Reynaldo Advincula has shattered all hopes that the city council would reconsider its position on the upcoming showing of the controversial The Da Vinci Code in the city.

Advincula said calls made by the local Roman Catholic archdiocese and the Protestant-run Pilgrim Christian College for city hall to ban the film version of Dan Brown’s book were ‘‘useless.’’

“Granting that the city council reconsidered it (stand), can anyone stop the flow of pirated copies of the film into the city?” asked Advincula.

He said the issue now is on how authorities could prevent minors from buying the film’s pirated copies.

“The minors could have it for only P25 per copy. Even an ‘R-18’ rating would not bar minors seeing it,” said Advincula, adding that he has already bought a pirated copy of the controversial film at a public market.

He said the controversy sparked by the book and the film would make it easier for vendors to sell pirated copies.

“The Da Vinci is now the talk of the town... and it’s going to sell like ukay-ukay (used clothing),” Advincula said.

The responsibility, he said, now lies in the hands of citizens. He said parents should guide their children.
He also said law enforcers should use the law on piracy and seize pirated copies of the film.

Last Monday, the city council passed a resolution urging the movie and television Reguilatory and Complaints Board (MTRCB) to give the controversial film, The Da Vinci Code an "R" rating.

Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya has criticised the council saying he wanted the film banned in the city. He abstained from voting.

"I really wanted to help those who are appealing for reconsideration but I can't because of the parliamentary rules," said Nacaya.

Like Advincula, Nacaya said authorities should launch a crackdown on vendors selling pirated copies of the Da Vinci.

A Cogon public market vendor, Theresa Torres, said the Da Vinci Code is now available in pirated DVD copies and is being sold from P70 to P100 each. The pirated DVD includes three other films.

Torres said pirated copies were bought in large numbers and these were sold out in just two weeks.

Oro Quilter again wins kudos for RP in Int'l Quilt Show

(The author is a former chief of reporters/correspondents of ABS CBN Cagayan de Oro and a former manager of ABS CBN based in Iligan City. He contributes a twice weekly column "Hammer and Anvil" to the Mindanao Gold Star Daily newspaper, the largest community newspaper in Mindanao Mondays and Fridays. He is a member of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club, Inc. and has been a journalist for over 20 years covering the entire Northern Mindanao including in the cities of Marawi, Zamboanga and Cotabato in the Philippines.)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - (Mike Baños) A MULTI-AWARDED quilter from Gusa, Cagayan de Oro held high the Philippine flag by winning first prize in her category at the 2006 AQS Quilt Show & Contest held April 26-29, 2006 at the Paducah Expo Center in Paducah, Kentucky, U.S.A. which was dominated by entries from the U.S. and Japan.

Myrl Lehman Tapungot's entry, "Mystic Beauty II", won first prize in the Bed Quilts Category Group - Mettler(r) Imported by A&E, Inc. Second was Sagacious Sisters by Sagacious Sisters, Marysville, WA while third was Flower Symphony by Aki Ueda of Aichi, Japan.

Quilters from around the world, gathered as part of the 22nd Annual AQS Quilt Show & Contest Awards Presentation held Tuesday, April 25th at the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center, Paducah, Kentucky and webcast live on Quilters News Network. All 429 quilts were displayed at the annual quilt exhibition which brings over 35,000 quilters, collectors, enthusiasts and vendors to Paducah each spring, and has earned it the moniker "Quilt City USA."

Tapungot joined 428 other quilters in the annual contest. Now in its 22nd year, the competition offered $114,000 in total prize money. Her "Mystic Beauty II" quilt measures 89 inches wide by 89 inches long, and represents hundreds of hours of work. It will be featured in the Fall 2006 issue of American Quilter magazine, which will be in homes and on newsstand in early June, said the magazine’s executive editor Christine N. Brown in an email to Tapungot.

"We have been around for many years, and we have been winning awards for quite a while. We compete in the "group quilt" category, and as you might imagine it is harder for group quilts to compete with other quilts because they are done by several different hands, therefore different stitches," Tapungot wrote in a statement posted in her website http://www.mdeans.com/.

"But in order to offer large works to the general "quilt loving" public, we have to do our quilts as a group/team effort. Some of our quilts can easily take over a year of dedicated effort to complete. We pride ourselves in making quilts with near perfect, identical stitches, and even experts using magnifying glasses find it difficult or impossible to tell the difference"

"Mystic Beauty II" was chosen as a semi-finalist from a field of 806 quilts and compete against others within its category (Bed Quilts) . Three quilting authorities judged the elite group prior to the opening of the show. "Sedona Rose" by Sharon Schamber was awarded Best of Show and garnered the Hancock's of Paducah Best of Show award and a cash prize of $20,000. In addition, the quilt will become part of the permanent collection in the Museum of the American Quilter's Society.

AQS president, Meredith Schroeder said quilts are no longer relegated to serving as mere bed covers but have evolved into works of art, using fabric and thread as the medium. The quilts in this year's contest are from around the world and feature beautiful palettes of color. Entries arrived from 46 U.S. states and 12 other countries, including France, Israel, Korea and Australia.

There were fifteen categories in the judged contest and a special category for young quilters. The quilts include bed-size, large and small wall quilts and miniatures. Designs range from traditional Log Cabin, Mariner's Compass and New York Beauty to innovative designs using paint, threads and original designs.

Tapungot stressed that while she designs and directly supervises all the work done on her award winning quilts, it is a collective effort by M. Dean's House of Design, a small family business that started in 1984 in their residence at Villa Ernesto Subdivision in Gusa, Cagayan de Oro City.

"We employ some 150 handicraft people in the making of our beautiful quilts, all done by hand, to achieve that special look that can't be duplicated by any machine." Tapungot stressed. " This is a long, intricate process, because we do some of the finest stitching in the world. However, for maximum strength and accurate alignment, all of our piecing is done by machine."

As can be surmised from a multi-awarded craftsman, there is pride in their work, too. "We guarantee all of our quilts 100% ," Tapungot asserts with confidence. "If for any reason, you are not satisfied with the quilt you ordered, we will fix it, and if it can't be fixed, we will either replace it or cheerfully refund your money."

Although almost all of her quilters did not have any previous experience in quilting, M. Dean's established a family tradition among the quilters she employs who sometimes have three generations of their kin quilting together the award-winning designs in their homes.

"Many of our quilters' main source of income is farming, and quilting provides a valuable source of supplemental income between planting and harvesting," Tapungot explained. "Most of the quilting is done in the traditional way, in the employee's individual homes, providing scores of families in our area additional income and stability. This also affords the homemakers a chance to earn income while caring for their homes and families."

Tapungot is not bothered by the country's lack of a tradition in quilting, which was pioneered in Cagayan de Oro by another Filipino quilter from Carmen, Ellen K. Delgado and the Oro House of Patches.

"We have set up shop here off the beaten track and have grown independent of what is going on with the rest of the Quilt world. We offer original designs and methods few have the means or skill to do. We think you will agree that our Trapunto MAGIC is a complete departure from other more traditional Trapunto Quilting. We make lovely three (3) dimensional Quilts that will please the eye, the hand, as well as the heart. "

Tapungot and M. Dean's House of Design have won many awards over the years, the most significant of which include "Le Mariage d' Eryn", 1st Place in the Group Quilt category at the Houston International Quilt Festival held Nov 4-7, 2004 ("An amazing Trapunto quilt inspired by my lovely granddaughter and the hope that one day I will be there to see her wedding); " Enchanted Doorway II", 1st Place and Judges Choice award, Group Quilt Category, International Quilt Association's Quilt Festival at Houston, Texas held Oct. 21-24 1999; which again won 2nd Place, Group Quilt Category at the 17th Annual Quilt Show and Contest of the American Quilter's Society, Paducah, Kentucky, April 25-28, 2001;

“A Touch of the Heart” 2nd Place, Group Quilt Category (86"x110"), American Quilters Society held April, 1999 at Paducah, Kentucky (“A blend of Trapunto quilting using colored yarn, embroidery, and silk ribbon embroidery. 10 people worked on this quilt entirely by hand for 7 months!”); “Baltimore Album”, 1st Place Viewers Choice Award, 3rd Annual Quilt Show held in Mt. Angel Brewery, Mt. Angel, Oregon, February , 1999 ; “Rosie's Wedding”, 2nd Place, Group Quilt Category from the Houston International Quilt Festival held November 1996; and again 2nd Place, 3rd Annual Quilt Show in Mt. Angel Brewery, Mt. Angel, Oregon on February, 1999; “My Garden of Dreams”, GINGHER AWARD for "Excellence in hand Workmanship", Viewers' Choice Award, American Quilt Society in Paducah, Kentucky, awarded a $10, 000.00 dollar prize in April 1997 and now exhibited in the American Quilters Society Quilt Museum; “L' Art de Aimer”, 2nd Place, Group Quilt Category, Houston international Quilt Festival, November 1995, 85" x 105" (featured in an article: "Quilts: A World of Beauty" Journal of the International Quilt Association); "Purple Lilac Bouquet", 1st Place, Quilting in the Teton's Trapunto Category Viewers Choice Award 1993;

“Small Myomi”, 1st Place, Lampasas Quilt Extravaganza, Lampasas, Texas; "Texas Star", 1st Place, CPQG, Texas, appliqué wall hanging in 1993; and the multi-awarded “Rose Lilac Bouquet”, 1st place and Viewers Choice Award, Misty Mountain Quilters Guild, August 1993; 1st place , Wall Hangings 36" or less category, 22nd Annual Northwest Quilters Guild, March 1997; 1st place, Okefenokee Quilt Fest Ware CO Chapter, Georgia, Council on Child Abuse, 1992 and 1st place, Lane County Fair, Oregon 1997 (competing in the "Applique, trapunto and alphabet quilts" category).

Tapungot and M. Dean's House of Design also won many award in the annual "Miniatures From the Heart" contest sponsored by Miniature Quilts Magazine: “L' Art de Aimer”, 1st Place, Group Quilt (issue #30)1996 (size: 27.5 "x 28"); “Diamond Medallion", 3rd Place, Group Quilt (issue#24), 1995 (size: 8.75"x 10"0; "Yvonne's Flower Garden” 1st place, Group Quilt Category (issue#19), 1994; “Oprah's Quilt”, 1st place, Other Techniques Category, Judges Choice Award by Elsie Campbell (size: 29" square); "Akiko's Irish Chain", 1st Place, Group Quilt Category (issue#13) (size/type: 28" Square Trapunto/Irish Chain).

Perhaps the pride and philosophy which drive Tapungot and her wards are best expressed in the "The M.Deans People" credo posted on their website: "Welcome to the world of Dreamers and Doers. With her whimsical mind comes fantastic and magical images that delight the heart and the spirit. With their skillful hands, beautiful, tiny and perfectly matched stitches are meticulously sewn, and high-quality quilts are made. And together they create these wondrous, seemingly impossible quilts that one would want to keep forever as an heirloom, and a keepsake."
Mabuhay


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For the PARTICIPANTS of Peace and Conflict Journalim Training

Peace and Conflict Journalism Training 1
Eden Nature Park and Resort, Davao City
May 13-15, 2006 (live-in)

Dear jounalists,

First, (before I forget) please keep this mail for reference. =) Print it if possible.

SCHEDULE OF ARRIVAL
May 12, 2006 (Friday)
011:0AM - Arrival of Bacolod team to Davao airport and will proceed directly to Eden.
5:00PM - Arrival of participants.
May 13, 2006 (Saturday)
8:00AM - Arrival of Zamboanga & Sulu Group to Davao Airport and will proceed directly to Training venue.
7:30AM - Arrival of partipants.
_______________________

9:00AM sharp - official start
_______________________

TRAVEL INFO
Below is the schedule of VAN availability that will transport participants from Eden's Sales Office at Matina Town Square to the Resort.
CONTACT NUMBERS: Eden Sales Office - (082)299-1020 & (082)296-0791
May 12, 2006 (Friday)
4:00-5:00PM Assembly
5:10 DEPARTURE
5:30 Arrival (resort) -registration and dinner
May 13, 2006 (Saturday)
6:00-6:30 Assembly
6:45-Departure
7:30-Arrival (resort) -breakfast and registration

EDEN SALES OFFICE: (how to get there?)
IF, you are coming from the north, you may pass Quirino St then Bankerohan Bridge. Matina Town Square is only 100 meters away from the bridge and is on the right side.
IF, you are coming from the south, it is near NDCC Mall and is on the left side of the street.

You can also go to Eden Nature Park and Resort on your own. However, there is NO jeepney going up the resort only TAXI and MOTORCYCLE (not tricycle). I was informed one taxi from the City going up will cost the passenger P500 per trip. The motorcycle costs P70. Moreover, I'm afraid we cannot support travel expense if you go up on your own especially if its taxi. It would be best if you could take our vans reserved as transpo and which is, as mentioned above available at Eden's Sales Office at Matina Town Square in the city as scheduled. If you arrive earlier in Davao than the scheduled departure from the Sales Office, maybe, you can just roam a little and proceed to the assembly point when the time comes.

Also, if (for any reason) you would like to cancel your slot reservation, please let me know at least three (3) days before May 12, 2006 so that we can accommodate those whom we did not accept. At the moment, we are FULL already.

I attached in here again the CALL FOR APPLICATION and APPLICATION FORM for those who have not yet filled it up, please do. You may send it back via e-mail or fax at 034-7083638. Thanks much!

If you have any other questions in mind, please feel free to e-mail me or text at 09218286049.

All for now,
LEN

___________

NOTE: May 15, 2006 DEPARTURE SCHEDULE
5:30 AM departure of Zamboanga group (flight back to Zamboanga at 8:00AM)
9:00 AM departure of Bacolod Team (flight back to Bacolod at 11:00AM)
11:00 AM departure of other participants from the resort.

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We have additional info:

Eden Resort said that we should bring JACKETS. It is very cold up there daw. It's mini-baguio.

We have free access to the pool too (but there's no heater---so the water must be freezing!!) Anyway, just bring swim wear in case you plan to swim on break times.

And, its really best that you could be at the resort on Friday. So that it'll be easy for us all. Many thanks!

for peace,

LEN

___________________
FINAL LIST
(in alphabetical order)
1. Alino, Peng
2. Alipala, Julie
3. Alipio, Honeylyn
4. Arais, Aurell
5. Balce, Ben ----------CDO
6. Banos, Mike----------CDO
7. Bergado, Peterson
8. Calderon, Sylvia
9. Chung, Rudy
10. De Guzman, Rosa May
11. Del Rosario, Jambie
12. Dumingsel, Vivien
13. Gallardo, Froilan ------CDO
14. Garcia, Bong
15. Jacinto, Al
16. Jubelag, Joseph
17. Koh, Therence
18. Lao, Marina
19. Manar, Malu
20. Masong, Zeny
21. Maulana, Nash
22. Navales, Mark
23. Palma, Isagani
24. Pareno, Roel
25. Punzalan, Noel
26. Rebollido, Rommel
27. Rosauro, Ryan
28. Saceda, Charlie
29. Sampong, Jeffrey
30. Santos, Dennis
31. Sison, Mylene -----CDO
32. Sombrio, Sonny
33. Umel, Richel
34. Unson, John
35. Wee, Darwin

PLUS:
1. Rey Naranja - InWent
1. Antonia Koop - PECOJON
2. Ledrolen Manriquez
3. Rodesa Jayawon


Ledrolen

Ledrolen

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Oro health body intervenes to resolve conflict

THE city council’s committee on health chaired by councilor Simion Licayan (far left) and his co-committee members’ councilors Ian Mark Nacaya (1st left) and Reynaldo Advincula to work with both sides (warring parties) in a dispute in an attempt to help them reach an agreement.



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No "overcharging" pls!

Cagayan de Oro based Traffic Management Office (RTMO 10) regional chief Superintendent Felixberto Castillo (facing front) looks as an officer point to the billboard reminds taxi drivers of proper fare rate implementation to their passengers. (RTMO - 10 File)

Our Fight For Press Freedom Continues: NUJP

NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES
www.nujp.org
World Press Freedom Day 2006
OUR FIGHT FOR PRESS FREEDOM CONTINUES

We commemorate World Press Freedom Day today anguishing over the lack of genuine freedom of expression in our country and girding our loins to resist yet other attempts to muzzle the Philippine Press.

The statistics are grim enough: Seventy-six of our colleagues were lost to the ultimate form of censorship – murder – in the past two decades since the supposed restoration of democracy in the country in 1986.

Thirty-nine of the killings happened only in the past five years during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, making her administration the deadliest for Filipino journalists. Indeed, it was under the Arroyo administration that the country, in 2004, earned the ignominy of being the "most murderous place for journalists."

The killing of journalists is a glaring indictment of the Philippine government's commitment to freedom of the press and of expression. With the exception of three cases, none of our colleagues' murders has been solved and no perpetrator has been brought to justice.

All the while, the victims' families and the witnesses are being hounded, threatened and, at times, killed. As if the toll in the lives of journalists has not been enough, the Arroyo administration has distinguished itself as the only one since the Marcos dictatorship to have attempted and continues to attempt a wholesale clampdown on media.

That it failed with the declaration of Presidential Proclamation 1017 is a tribute to the fierce jealousy of the Philippine press that refused to be cowed into abdicating its calling to serve the people's right to know.

But more threats loom, from Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales' continued pronouncements of keeping news organizations and journalists under watch and threats of sedition charges, to colleagues' names cropping up on military orders of battle and watch lists, to the onerous provisions of the proposed anti-terrorism measure that would effectively criminalize the practice of journalism.

These are just threats from the government. There, too, are the threats to the integrity of our profession that stem from the ownership patterns of media that breed the often unjust and inhuman conditions our colleagues, especially in the provinces, have to toil under, conditions that make them prone to corruption and unethical conduct.

This, in turn, leads to the erosion of public trust in the media as harbingers of truth and the people's last resort against abuse. There can, indeed, be no press freedom when journalists continue to live in conditions of corruption, poverty and fear.

Today, as we observe World Press Freedom Day, we call on our colleagues to unite as never before to confront the continued threats to the untrammeled practice of our profession and demand total and unconditional respect for our rights and liberties.

We are not perfect, either as an institution or as individuals. But let us never allow this to be used to justify the killings and other assaults on our colleagues and the continued attempts to suppress us.

To do so can only bring more assaults and can contribute to the culture of impunity that has already cost us and our profession dearly. Let us take stock of ourselves and examine how we, individually and collectively, can contribute to improving the conditions in which we practice our profession.

Let us resolve never to allow a threat or assault on a colleague and the institution to go unchallenged. Let our dictum be: An assault on one is an assault on us all.We also call on the Filipino people, the public that we strive to honestly serve, to stand with us and jealously guard our freedom against all those who would threaten it.

For, more than the media, Press Freedom rightfully belongs to the people as an indispensable extension of their right to free expression and right to know.
NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES

105-A Scout Castor Street (near Morato Avenue) Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.:(+632) 4117768
Email: nujphil@gmail.com

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Cops link Bayan to Misor bus burning

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Cagayan Journal / 18 April) Police Monday linked the militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) to last week's burning of a Bagong Lipunan bus in Misamis Oriental.

The National Police's Regional Traffic Management Group said its officers have gathered documents that indicate that Bayan collaborated with the New People's Army (NPA) in the Holy Week offensive.

Bayan has been actively participating in anti-Arroyo protests in urban areas. Although left-leaning, the group is not known to openly involve itself in armed offensive operations.

Supt. Felixberto Castillo, TMG chief for northern Mindanao, said the suspected guerillas who pulled off the Salay attack distributed propaganda materials to passengers before they burned the bus.

The documents include the communist publication 'Ang Bayan' and an official statement released by the militant organization, allegedly bore the name "Bagong Alyansang Makabayan."

Castillo said copies of the propaganda materials were provided by passengers.

"We believe some members of the militant group were part of the burning of the bus that was perpetrated by local communist terrorists," said Castillo.

He said investigators have continued looking into the alleged participation of Bayan in the Salay bus burning and were building a strong case against the militant group.

The TMG has beefed up the security in Eastern Misamis Oriental and a number of towns in Bukidnon. Castillo said TMG has deployed its officers to keep an eye on highways to thwart off a possible repeat of the bus burnings in Misamis Oriental.

Police said rebels flagged down the bus driven by Dnnis Panisan on Wednesday morning, ordered passengers to step down and then torched the vehicle after briefly holding dozens of passengers' hostage in Salay, Misamis Oriental.

The ill-fated bus bore license plates KVJ-516 and body number 373.

They said the suspects boarded the bus near riverside 2 and at gunpoint, commandered the vehicle.

None of the passengers were hurt.

Police said the rebels carried out the attack, the second in Misamis Oriental in a month's time, after the bus company refused to pay "revolutionary taxes."

PRO 10 vow to intensify fight vs. illegal drugs in Normin

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Cagayan journal / April 12) Police Yesterday vowed to step up the government's anti-illegal drug campaign in Northern Mindanao and warned syndicates to stop their nefarious activities or end up in jails.

Senior Supt. Rolando T. Dela Vega, Northern Mindanao police spokesman, said the campaign against illegal drugs will continue as the PRO 10 regional director Chief Supt. Florante Baguio urged the public to help authorities fight the menace of society.

Dela Vega who is the former regional training supervisor at the Special Training Unit 10 said Baguio lauded the members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and other law enforcement groups for their dedication to their jobs that led to the confiscation of illegal drugs in the region.

The police recently destroyed some P30 million worth of confiscated chemicals and laboratory equipment used in the manufacture of shabu including separate raids and the uncovered drug laboratories in Misamis Oriental and Iligan City.

“The destruction of the illegal drug substance and laboratory equipment is part of the relentless effort by the PRO 10 to eradicate the distribution of illegal drugs in Northern Mindanao," Dela Vega said adding Baguio commended the good work of the law enforcers in the region.

Police report said burned chemicals were among those confiscated from a warehouse owned by businessman Stephen Gaisano in Cugman here, Lugait town in Misamis Oriental and Barangay Saray, Iligan City.

"The police destroyed almost 1, 300 kilos of chemical substance used as main ingredients in the manufacture of shabu, these are composed of black powder, white flakes and sodium hydroxide. And almost 3,000 bottles of acetone chloroform and other liquid chemicals," Dela Vega said.

He said the illegal chemicals could have supplied the entire region and destroy many lives had it was not confiscated by the police.

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The lost Gospel: The Quest of Judas Iscariot

THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS (Last Part)

The existence of the Gospel of Judas —as well as the Gospels of Mary, Thomas, Peter and 30 or so other Gnostic (literally "special knowledge") texts—has always been known, mostly through the words of the very man who condemned them as heresies. Saint Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyon in Roman Gaul, who lived from A.D. 130 to 200, declared in his "Adversus Haereses" [Against Heresies]: "They declare that Judas the traitor was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and that he alone, knowing the truth as no others did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal; by him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were thus thrown into confusion. . . . They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas."

Following Saint Irenaeus’s condemnation of all gospels save the four—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—that today compose the New Testament, nearly 2,000 years of ex-communications, bloody crusades and murderous inquisitions have all but erased nearly any traces of the 30 or so "heretical" gospels.

The scientists and scholars have verified the authenticity of the document and not the story it tells. Neither is the document the first lost gospel to be unearthed.

The Nag Hammadi Library, from which the Gospel of Thomas was part of, was discovered in Egypt in 1945. The Akhmim Codex, from which the Gospel of Mary was part of, was discovered also in Egypt in 1896. What these documents do shine light upon is the nature of the early Christians, before the gospels were codified as the New Testament and of how various groups in secret, fearing persecution, practiced Christianity in myriad ways.

Saint Irenaeus wrote the "Adversus Haerese" during the Age of Martyrs when Roman authorities tortured and murdered Christians for their faith. Experts explain that he reasoned: If people were dying for their faith, they had to clearly know what they were dying for.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are arguably the most narrative, most compelling and least contradictory. Experts agree they are also the four earliest to be written, from AD 65 to 95. Scholars agree that all the gospels were written anonymously; only later were these attributed to their alleged authors.

The other gospels labeled heretical and Gnostics were mostly written at a later period at around AD 100 to 200. They also tend to be much more philosophical and contain assertion contradictory to other gospels. The Gospel of Mary that portrays her as an apostle of equal stature challenges the patriarchal traditions of the church. The "Gospel of Judas" would have a traitor as the most enlightened apostle. In general, Gnostic beliefs—that enlightenment comes from in-depth knowledge, intimate catechisms and personal reflection—were troublesome to the orthodox church, which maintained the apostolic succession of bishops and the central authority of the church.

Even in the 21st century, most Christians still know little of church history—of the roots of the Reformation, of the atrocities during the Inquisitions or even of the recent debates on Vatican II reforms and laity empowerment through Basic Christian Communities. Adding to the confusion are such fictional novels as The Da Vindi Code and the reactionary tirades against them.

The "Gospel of Judas" may not rehabilitate the most hated man in history. But it may get us to know more about our faith. Watch it. Google it. Wikipedia it. Read it. That knowledge, despite all the sensationalism, may make one’s Holy Week the most meaningful and reflective yet. We have to know what we are living for.

The lost Gospel: The Quest of Judas Iscariot

The covers of the May 2006 National Geographic magazine and two National Geographic books, 'The Lost Gospel: The Quest for the Gospel of Judas Iscariot' and 'The Gospel of Judas,' an annotated translation of the text, are seen in this handout photo. Judas Iscariot, vilified as Christ's betrayer, acted at Jesus' request in turning him over to the authorities who crucified him, according to a 1,700-year-old copy of the 'Gospel of Judas' unveiled on April 6, 2006.

The ‘Gospel of Judas’

When Jesus had thus spoken, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus; so Simon Peter beckoned to him and said, "Tell us who it is of whom he speaks." So lying thus, close to the breast of Jesus, he said to him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."

The Gospel According to John

"You will be cursed by the other generations—and you will come to rule over them," Jesus tells Judas.

"Step away from the others and I shall tell you the mysteries of the kingdom," Jesus says to Judas, singling him out for special status. "Look, you have been told everything. Lift up your eyes and look at the cloud and the light within it and the stars surrounding it. The star that leads the way is your star."

Jesus tells Judas, "You will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me."

The Gospel According to Judas

Was Judas Iscariot, the most reviled man in history—whose very name has become synonymous with betrayal and greed—the only apostle to truly discern Jesus Christ and His one unwilling accomplice?

Is it an irrelevant heresy revealed to capitalize on the current fascination with the film and novel The Da Vinci Code as well as the advent of the Holy Week? Or is it an earth-shaking discovery that will rehabilitate the memory of Iscariot?

The story behind the "Gospel of Judas" is one of tomb raiders digging up caves in the Egyptian desert; of seductive, sweet-talking thieves looting looters; of clandestine meetings between scholars and a wily antiquities dealer in Switzerland; of a priceless treasure slowly crumbling in bank vault in Hicksville, New York; and of experts on ancient Coptic language, papyrus and carbon-dating coming together to stake their reputations on a possible hoax. It is the stuff of mystery thrillers and Hollywood blockbusters. But this is real.

After some 17 centuries, scientists and scholars have authenticated and deciphered the only known copy of the "Gospel of Judas." The National Geographic, which helped assemble the team of world-renowned experts to verify and deduce the artifacts, airs its television documentary.

JI plans bomb attacks in key cities

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Cagayan Journal / April 12) The suspected muslim terrorists, Jimaah Islamiya are planning to conduct bombing operation starting April 16, police reports said Tuesday

The Regional Intelligence and Detection Group based in Camp Alagar said the target areas are cities of Davao, General Santos Koronadal, Zamboanga and Makati.

Regional police director Chief Superintendent Florante Baguio said, he received reports an hour after a command conference in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.

:We're strengthening now our security in the region. Our policemen are now on alert and strenthening intelligence gathering for these terrorists to counter," Baguio said.

Baguio said a certain Jeya Ewal and six others were tasked to conduct the operation in Davao City.

He also said that a certain Siyah Muhar with seven members were tasked to operate in General Santos and Koronadal Cities and Abdul Muhamad and six others in Zamboanga and Basit Alharem together with six members were assigned in Makati City.

"They are all Indonesian citizens and have trainings here as what reported," Baguio said adding they are still conducting validation and intensify intelligence monitoring and initiate appropriate security measures for possible diversionary attacks," said Baguio.

Meanwhile, Army;s 4th Infantry Division commanding general Cardozo Luna ordered different local army battalion commanders in his area in Northern Mindanao to strengthen security in the region for the said terrorist attacks.

"We are now on continuous alert. We are also focusing on that intelligence report even the intesified operations against the NPA," Luna said.

Last month, a powerful bomb explosion ripped through a passenger bus in Digos City in Davao del Sur province. wounding at least 17 people.

"The rebels here in region 10 stepped attacks against us these past few weeks because some of their comrades killed," Luna said.

Baguio, Castillo raise alert level in North Minda

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (cagayan journal/11 April) - Northern Mindanao police head Chief Superintendent Florante Baguio Monday placed the entire region on heightened security alert under the 75-day summer security plan “Oplan-Bantay-Lakbay.”

In a command conference, Baguio instructed the directorate for operations to relay for immediate implementation the implementing guidelines of Oplan-Bantay to police provincial and city directors and heads of the PNP regional support units.

“This summer, all policemen should be alert and visible at all times. The threat on terrorism still there,” Baguio said.

Baguio said that the summer security plan of the PNP started nationwide a week ago.
“This plan is to coincide with closing of the school year when the most students are expected to flock home to the provinces for the Holy Week and summer vacation,” Baguio said.

Baguio said the 75-day security plan covers the last week of March until the second week of June when regular classes resume.

“We will deploy more men to air, sea and land transportation,” he said adding in anticipation of the heavy commuter and motorist traffic in the region.

As part of the security plan, police personnel will conduct security checks at air, sea ports and bus terminals to guard against criminals and terrorists who may take advantage of the holiday season.

“Police units will conduct patrol operations, particularly in beach resorts and tourism spots in region 10,” Baguio said.

Baguio also instructed his men to coordinate with the ships owners and personnel in a move to impose additional security measures at the seaports in cities of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Ozamis.


Meanwhile, regional traffic management chief police Supt. Felixberto Castillo said that elements of the PNP Regional Traffic Management Group would spearhead the road safety operation.

“ Our men will be deployed along national highways, primarily in the entire region,” Castillo said.

Castillo also said that police assistance centers will be established along the highways.

“These centers will serve as quick reaction points for security and medical assistance,” Castillo said adding that the centers would also the advance command post for traffic management and security operations.

Under Oplan Bantay-Lakbay, Castillo said all police assistance centers are linked with Patrol 117 and TXT PNP 2920 nationwide emergency hotlines.

Gov’t to act on plight of jailed Mindanao IPs

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (Cagayan Journal / 11 April) THE Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) has lauded the efforts of private organizations who recently released a study on the plight of at least 574 detained indigenous peoples (IPs), of whom 433 or more than 75.43 percent are in Mindanao.

The OPAPP, in coordination with the Mindanao Economic Development Council, has had a long-standing initiative on dialogues and consultations with IPs regarding the ancestral domain aspect of the peace negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The issues on ancestral domain – and on inter-tribal disputes and conflicts including those indirectly related to the IPs’ right to self-determination and non-discrimination – have figured prominently in a situation analysis on detained IPs in Mindanao and the rest of the country.

Private organizations led by the Ateneo de Manila Law School recently launched a 96-page “Situation Analysis of Indigenous Peoples in Detention: A Baseline Study” at the Ateneo Professional Schools building at the Rockwell Complex in Makati City.

The study, in partnership with the World Bank and the Assisi Development Foundation Inc. (ADFI), began with a training program for at least 17 field coordinators on May 17-19, 2004 at the Pearl Manila Hotel and continued with an evaluation and reporting seminar of the same field coordinators on Jan 7-9, 2005 in Davao City.

The Ateneo Human Rights Center Katutubo Desk and the Ateneo Legal Services Center with their “Free the Indigenous Peoples Legal Assistance Program” conducted the study with assistance from WB Development Innovation Marketplace–Panibagong Paraan and the ADFI under its chairman.

The 19-member group of field coordinators on March 27 launched their baseline study, which included an excerpt from a paper on the IPs’ quest for justice that ADFI Tabang Mindanaw emergency humanitarian and Pagtabangan BaSulTa (Basilan/Sulu/Tawi-tawi) program executive coordinator Merlie B. Mendoza earlier delivered at the United Nations Development Programme Asia Pacific Rights and Justice Network Regional Workshop on Nov. 19-21, 2003 at the Triton Hotel in Ahungulla, Sri Lanka.

Citing a 2003 NCIP primer on Mindanao, the Mendoza paper revealed that the entire Philippine archipelago has been home to around 12 million IPs from 110 various tribes or ethno-linguistic groups, or around 17 percent of the country’s then 71-million total population.
The paper also revealed that IPs are situated in at least 61 out of 78 provinces nationwide, with roughly 60 percent (or about 7.2 million) based in Mindanao, with the others scattered in the rest of the archipelago’s islands.

AHRC Executive Director Carlos P. Medina Jr. cited the provision of legal assistance to IPs through “alternative lawyering” and ultimately their empowerment through the use of the nation’s laws as instruments of truth and justice.

The country’s IPs, “particularly those living in marginalized areas and in places affected by armed conflicts, suffer from various forms of violations of their human rights,” Medina said.

“Regrettably, many of these violations go unpunished and attempts of IPs themselves to seek justice have oftentimes not only been futile but have led to further violations of their rights,” Medina added. “Indeed, for many IPs, justice is just a dream.”

Catholic church leaders prefer Cha-cha by way of Con-con

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (cagayan journal/10 April) Roman Catholic leaders prefer changes in the constitution by way of constitutional convention rather than a "people's initiative," a local church official said over the week end.

Monsignor Rey Monsanto, spokesperson of the Roman Catholic archdiocese in Cagayan de oro, said those pushing fo Charter change should seriously consider working for a constitutional convention (Con-con) to ensure that the people are represented.

Under a Con-con set-up, citizens would elect delegates to rewrite the Constitution. Another option would be to turn Congerss into a Contitutional Assembly, but Monsanto said Con-con would still be the "best" way.

"Such radical change from presidential to parliamentary form of government should be through a Con-con," said Monsanto.

"We are for a constitutional convention, not for a constituent assembly."

Monsanto said the Catholic church leaders agree that certain provisions of the 1987 Constitution need to be amended, but he said this should not be made through a signature campaign.

Oro archdiocese: Honest discussion needed

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (cagayan journal / April 10) THE local archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church Saturday called for a no-nonsense public discussion into the proposed Charter change, saying those who worked for the just-held signature drive merely asked people to sign without explaining what the campaign was all about.

"The archdiocese is not really against charter and it recognizes the efforts of the politicians who want constitutional reforms," said Monsignor Rey Monsanto, a chancellor and the spokesman of the local Catholic archdiocese. "We're only questioning the process... how it is being done."

He said the church wants a public discussion between the people and those initiating the move to change the Constitution so citizens would have a clear understanding of the pros and cons of shifting from a presidential to a parliamentary for of government.

Monsanto said this after Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops'Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), released a pastoral letter expressing alarm over the government's "haste" in pushing for Charter change.

Monsanto called on local politicians to be "fair" and square."

"There must be a widespread participation and transparency," asked Monsanto. "Is this truly a people's initiative or the initiative of self-serving politicians who want to stay in power? Monsanto said.

"Others would not understand of what they were signed, they signed it as they seen others signed it," said Monsanto.

Meanwhile, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) made a stronger message against moves to change the Constitution through the so-called "people initiative."

IFI Bishop Felixberto Calang said the people's initiative campaign is morally questionable.

Calang also called on citizens to be vigilant and not allow themeselves to be "deceived by those involved in the campaign."

"This needs further study. The people should noy be deceived by those who are giving gifts," said Calang, adding IFI is totally opposed to the campaign.

Religious leaders also expressed alarm over reports people were bribed into signing during the people's initiative campaign in the city.


Emano: CdO ready to host Int’l Whitewater Rafting tilt

THE city government is bracing arms for the upcoming 2007 International Whitewater Rafting competition slated to be held in Cagayan de Oro next year.

Mayor Vicente Emano said the international organizers of the competition has already finished evaluating the venue.

Emano said international water rafting director Mark Joffe visited the city last week and conducted ocular inspection of the Cagayan de Oro River particularly the stretches along Barangay Mambuaya and Sitio Cabula.

“They also made some inspection regarding the necessary accommodation, security and other concerns of the said activity,” Emano said.

The mayor said he gave the organizers assurance that the city has all the facility that can accommodate all the participants and guests during the competition, boosting the luxury and world class hotels that are ready to house them.

At least 40 teams consisting of about 500 competitors from all over the world are expected to participate in the event.

For his part, Joffe expressed optimism that the city will be chosen as the site for the world event over other contender cities in Japan and Mexico.

“The water [in the Cagayan de Oro river] is clear as crystal. I love the area because it is still clean,” he said.

Emano said he will coordinate with the police and the military to set up security measures during the event.