Public told to join hands to help flood victims

KORONADAL CITY -- Archdiocese of Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo has urged for continuing unity and donations to ease the plight of tens of thousands of flood victims in Cotabato City.

In a Filipino-written public appeal printed June 25 at the Oblates of Mary Immaculate-owned The Mindanao Cross, a weekly community paper based in Cotabato City, the religious leader also appealed to stop the finger-pointing as to who should be blamed on the massive flooding that submerged most of the city in the past two weeks.

Scion of wealthy trader wanted for murder nabbed

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Team (CIDT) in North Cotabato arrested the son of a mall owner who was wanted for murder.

Inspector Edwin Lacostales, chief of the CIDT-North Cotabato, identified the suspect as Roberto Celis Jr., who was accused of killing on August 2008 the son of a retired police officer.

Military, police challenge human rights group to present evidence

THE military and police on Monday challenged a church-based human rights group to present evidence that proves them as top perpetrators of torture in Mindanao.

The Mindanao office of the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) reported in a press forum Friday that of the nine reported cases of torture this year, six were allegedly committed by the military while another one was committed by police.

Mayor approves IRR of organic farming ordinance

DAVAO City Government is all set for the total implementation of organic farming in the city.

Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte signed last week the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of City Ordinance 0384-10, otherwise known as the Organic Agriculture Ordinance of Davao City.

Human rights official says he was quoted out of context

AN OFFICIAL of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) vehemently denied having said the police and military are maintaining secret "safehouses" that they use to house captive felons for interrogation.

Lawyer Alberto Sipaco Jr., chief of the CHR-Davao Region, told reporters in a hastily-called press conference at the Chicco de Café along Roxas Ave., that an article published in Sun.Star Davao quoted him out of context.

Illegal logging blamed for Marilog landslide

THE illegal cutting of trees in Davao City's upland areas and the over utilization of wood charcoal have been blamed for the landslides that have adversely affected a total of 380 hectares of upland rice farms in Barangay Gumitan, Marilog District last week.

Leonardo Avila III, officer in charge of the City Agriculture Office (CAO), said they are still determining the exact amount of damage in Marilog, which is among the agricultural districts of Davao City.

Bomb explodes in North Cotabato

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- An improvised bomb exploded Monday on a national highway near a government building in Amas village here, the local police reported.

Police said the bomb exploded in front of the Commission on Audit (COA) building. The blast site is adjacent to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) building.

Duterte cautions human rights' commission on rally vs killings

DAVAO CITY Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte supports to the indignation rally spearheaded by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Davao Region, but cautioned the agency from being used by other human rights groups that aim to criticize the government.

In his television program Sunday, Duterte said that although he also wants a stop in the killings in the city, the CHR must first clarify what constitutes a summary killing.

Davao vice mayor plans China visit to discuss Spratlys issue

DAVAO CITY Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is planning to visit China to appeal for an understanding from the powerful nation over the disputed Spratly Islands, which is being claimed by several Asian countries.

In his TV program on Sunday, Duterte said that since the city has an existing sisterhood pact with Nanning in China, he will make his appeal before the Nanning officials first, hoping it would reach the central government of China.

No jail for jaywalkers, just lecture, Davao official says

DAVAO City Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte expressed opposition to sending arrested jaywalkers to jail.

Duterte on Sunday said he has no problem with the strict implementation of the city's Anti-Jaywalking Ordinance, but he does not want violators jailed because jaywalking is just a minor offense.

Developers told to follow city's drainage system

DAVAO City Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte said the City Council will make sure housing developers will follow the city's urban drainage system before their property development project's permit application will be granted by the legislative body.

Explosions rock Ampatuan mansion

DAVAO CITY -- Two suspects threw grenades at a mansion owned by a relative of a powerful clan in Maguindanao province whose members are suspects in the killing of 57 people.

The provincial police reported the grenades were lobbed early morning Saturday at a mansion owned by Datu Unsay town councilor Datu Pandag Ampatuan in Barangay Poblacion, Sharif Aguak town.

Cops, military are top perpetrators of torture: human rights' group

DESPITE The passage of the Anti-Torture Law in 2009, military and the police have allegedly remained the top perpetrators of torture in Mindanao, a church-based human rights group claimed Friday.

Rita Melecio, Mindanao team leader of the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), told reporters in Friday's Kapihan sa PIA that of the nine reported cases of torture this year, six were allegedly committed by the military while another one was committed by police.

Illegally-cut logs seized

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Authorities confiscated at least 300 board feet of allegedly illegally-sliced timber in M’lang town in North Cotabato around 11 a.m., Friday.

Inspector Edwin Lacostales, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in North Cotabato, said at least six persons, including owners of chainsaws, were caught cutting Dao trees at Barangay Katipunan, M'lang.

2 Pantukan villages landslide-prone

ALMOST all sitios of two barangays in Pantukan are landslide-prone, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Davao Region said.

Cops, Human rights office fail in solving crimes

THE police and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) itself have failed in solving the crimes in the city, an official of the agency said.

Lawyer Alberto Sipaco Jr., CHR in Davao Region chief, said the police and other sectors of the community must work hand in hand to counter the culture of violence in Davao City.

Rebels violate sanctuary agreement: Rabat

MATI CITY – The attack of a policeman inside a bus terminal in this coastal city recently by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) is a clear affront of the sanctuary agreement, the mayor said. Mati City Mayor Michelle Rabat said her father, the late mayor Francisco Rabat, had an understanding with the rebels to spare Mati from rebel atrocities and they could safely stay in Mati in return. She said she just continued that understanding with rebels upon her assumption four years ago. Mayor Rabat said the police and military knows this and respected it.

Arroyo to Aquino: Look into Mindanao River basin project

DAVAO CITY -- Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo urged the Aquino administration to look into the Mindanao River basin program, the project that was initially carried out during her term, to address flood problems in Cotabato City.

Apart from the floods caused by the erratic weather, the water level in Cotabato villages remains high because of the water hyacinths clogging the Rio Grande de Mindanao, the second largest river in the country.

Health agency: North Cotabato is 'filaria-free'

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Despite the flooding in North Cotabato during the past years, the province still registered a zero incidence of filariasis.

Poll body urged to continue preparing for Armm elections

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- A party-list group and an electoral watchdog in Mindanao have urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to continue preparing for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) elections this August.

The call came despite the passage of the law postponing the August 8 elections.

Security agency exec sued for poking gun on 3 teeners

CHARGES have been filed against an operations manager of a security agency accused of abusing three teenagers.

Charged with three counts of violation of section 10(a) of Republic Act 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, was Carlito Healon, 45, operations manager of Isla Security Agency, resident of Panacan Relocation.

City donates P2-M worth of goods to flood victims

THE City Government of Davao is donating P2 million worth of goods for the thousands of flood victims in North Cotabato.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte said the city's donation will be coursed through the Army Division in Cotabato and will be directly distributed to the affected residents.

Party-list official received P50,000 from mining firm: report

A BAYAN Muna party-list official was accused of extorting money from miners in Compostela Valley.

In an interview with Radyo Arangkada News Team on Thursday, miners accused Bayan Muna party-list national vice president Joel Virador of receiving money from a big mining company.

8-hour communication line glitch takes toll on BPO

FOR eight hours on Thursday, Internet and communication lines were disrupted, adversely affecting the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms in Davao City.

Mae Marie S. Feria, administrative manager of Callbox Inc., one of 18 BPO firms in the city, told Sun.Star Davao in a phone interview that the connection glitch adversely decreased their productivity.

Police, military 'still maintain safehouses'

POLICE and military authorities in Davao Region continue to maintain "secret safehouses" where they detain and torture suspected criminals, an official of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said Friday.

Lawyer Alberto Sipaco Jr., CHR-Davao chief, said the military and police conducted interrogations in the safehouses before they subject these suspected criminals to "torture".

Rally vs killings won't single out Dutertes

THE massive indignation rally organized by the regional office of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Davao City on July 1 to denounce extrajudicial killings is not targeting the Dutertes.

CHR-Davao Director Alberto Sipaco dismissed perceptions that Mayor Sara Duterte and Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte are being singled out by the planned protest against rampant summary executions in the city.

Ex-justice chief sues man for malicious e-mail

A MAN stand accused for publicly sending a malicious message to an official e-mail address of a national fraternity against a former Justice secretary.

Charged was Luis Cladio Garcia, member of Alpha Phi Omega (APO), after prosecutor Faizal Padate found probable cause to hold him for court trial based on the accounts of former Justice secretary Silvestre H. Bello.

Mayor's nephew, 2 others arrested for drug pushing

KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Police here arrested in a buy-bust operation Wednesday night 24-year-old Ian Sayson Gantuangco, a relative of the chief executive of the city, and two other suspected couriers.

Inspector Rolando Dillera, chief of the investigation division of the Kidapawan City police, led the arrest of Gantuangco, his 23-year-old live-in partner Sheryl Baroy Iscab, and Michael Faelma, 24, all residents of this city.

Police, military condemn cop, pal slay

THE police and military condemned the killing of a police officer and his civilian companion at a checkpoint allegedly set up by New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Monkayo town, Compostela Valley, early Thursday.

Senior Superintendent Jorge E. Corpuz, deputy regional director for administration of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Davao, said the killing was a clear manifestation of how ruthless the killers are.

Heightened alert in Davao amid travel warning

IN THE wake of the latest United States travel advisory on Mindanao, the police and military assured the safety and security of the Dabawenyos.

Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) chief, Lieutenant General Arthur Tabaquero, said the military and police will continuously work hand in hand in securing the entire Davao region, particularly Davao City.