|
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Local execs deny JI presence in Sarangani
By Aquiles Zonio
GLAN, Sarangani -- The three mayors of a growth corridor denied the presence of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in their respective areas.
Mayor Enrique Yap Jr. of Glan town in Sarangani told reporters that since the creation of the Jose Abad Santos-Glan-Sarangani Cooperation Triangle (JAGS-CT), strict monitoring of illegal aliens especially coming from Indonesia has been adopted.
Yap, who is also the president of the cooperation triangle, said that Jose Abad Santos and Sarangani towns in Davao Del Sur, as well as Glan town in Sarangani Province used to be the entry point for Indonesians.
However, Yap said that when the cooperation triangle was established two years ago, there has been strong intelligence monitoring and coordination among the three neighboring towns.
According to Yap, JAGS-CT was established mainly for economic reasons.
Located at the southern-most tip of the country, the three towns need more than three-day travel time to bring their products either to Visayas or Luzon.
Travel distance from here to Indonesia and vice versa is just about a three-hour boat ride.
Hence, JAGS-CT opened up trade relations with Indonesia's furthest northern provinces like Gurontalo and Sangir-Talaud.
The first shipment of goods between JAGS-CT and Sangir-Talaud is scheduled this coming December.
Dureza came over here late last week to grace the culmination activities of a three-day trade fair and friendship games between JAGS-CT and Indonesia.
Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) report showed that about 2,000 Indonesians residing in the towns of Jose Abad Santos, Glan and Sarangani have been issued alien registration certificate since the creation of the cooperation triangle.
BID put up satellite office in Glan two years ago to legalize the stay of Indonesians who have been residing in the area for years.
BID estimates that 3,000 to 4,000 Indonesians are living in JAGS-CT.
Mayor Jerry Cawa of Sarangani town as well as mayor Alex Wangkay (aka Zander Khan) of Jose Abad Santos in Davao Del Sur gave an assurance that there are no JI elements in their town.
(October 17, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
