Muslim leaders, Army, police unite vs terrorism, illegal drugs

Muslim religious leaders, police, military and provincial government officials stand united in the relentless fight against illegal drugs and terrorism on November 8.

3rd Infantry Division commandeer Major General Harold Cabreros led the joint covenant signing at Camp Major Jesus Jizmundo in Libas, Banga, Aklan. 

The covenant signing underscored the commitment and the need to strengthen collaborative initiatives with identified stakeholders to counter home-grown terrorism and illegal drugs, which are two issues that are major concerns under the new leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 

“It is high time to end the long and troublesome effect of terrorism and illegal drugs in the Province of Aklan. It is best to confront and prevent the proliferation of terrorism and illegal drugs down to the barangays,” the covenant stated.

Joining the covenant signing to express their commitment to end terrorism and illegal drugs were Muslim leaders of Boracay Muslim Association, Aklan Islamic Jama-ah Incorporated, Kalibo Islamic Jama-ah Incorporated; United Federation of Muslim Association of Western Visayas, Region VI and Noor Allah Village in Barangay Camanci in Numancia, Aklan.

Aklan police director Senior Superintendent John Mitchell Jamili, 12^th Infantry Battalion commanding officer Lt. Col. Leomar Jose Doctolero, Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Nemesio Neron, Kalibo police Chief Inspector Terence Paul Sta. Ana, Malay police Chief Inspector Mark Evan Salvo, Numancia police Senior Inspector Keenan Ruiz also attended the covenant signing. 

Lt. Col. Antonio Tumnog, executive officer of 12^th IB, said Muslim religious leaders in the region as far as the provinces of Antique and Iloilo also supported the activity.

After the covenant signing, the stakeholders joined in a boodle fight symbolizing unity and equality in the collective campaign against illegal drugs and terrorism. 

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

Aklan commemorates ‘Father of Aklan’ birth anniv

Aklan commemorates the 105th    birth anniversary of Congressman Godofredo Peralta Ramos on November 8, a special non-working holiday in the whole province of Aklan including Boracay Island by virtue of Proclamation No. 194. 

Ma. Anita Victoria Ramos-Antonino, youngest daughter of the late Congressman Ramos, led the thanksgiving mass at Saint John the Baptist Cathedral and the traditional wreath laying at the Father of Aklan’s monument in front of the Aklan Provincial Capitol building.

Aklan Vice Governor Reynaldo Quimpo, Kalibo mayor William Lachica, Kalibo vice mayor Madeline Regalado, former Kalibo mayor Johnny Dayang, Sangguniang Panlalawigan members Harry Sucgang, Emmanuel Soviet Russia Dela Cruz and Immanuel Sodusta also graced the event. 

Congressman Ramos is well remembered as the “Father of Aklan” who also served the country as a Justice of the Court of Appeals, Governor of Aklan and delegate of the Constitutional Convention.

Ramos-Antonino, also the Presidential Assistant for Western Visayas, recalled the contribution and sacrifices of Aklan’s illustrious son in the approval of the law separating Aklan as a distinct province from Capiz. 

She said Congressman Ramos (3^rd District of Capiz) persevered in Congress in the 1950s to create a separate province of Aklan. 

Congressman Ramos filed House Bill No. 334 on January 29, 1954 and favorably endorsed by the House Committee on Provincial and Municipal Government on its Committee Report No. 1228.

The Congress then approved on third reading the Ramos bill and forwarded to the Senate on May 16, 1955 for concurrence. On April 16, 1956, the bill passed the Senate without amendment and on April 25, 1956, then President Ramon Magsaysay approved and signed the bill into law as Republic Act No. 1414 

Ramos-Antonino added, “her father was loving, responsible, disciplinarian and down-to-earth, humble and simple man.” 

“He was the rock and pillar of our family.”

She also thanked local leaders and officials for celebrating the birth anniversary of her father in a simple yet in meaningful way. 

Other activities such as essay-writing contest and lecture on the life and works of Congressman Ramos were organized by Archbishop Gabriel M. Reyes Memorial Foundation, Inc. (AGMRMFI) in collaboration with the municipal government of Kalibo, Aklan Historical Society, provincial government of Aklan and Godofredo P. Ramos Memorial Foundation, Inc.

Congressman Ramos was born  on November 8, 1911, retired in government service on November 8, 1976 and died on July 17, 1977. 

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

25,000 Yolanda survivors still waiting for gov’t help, wants MC 24 scrap

Rise Up Aklan and militant groups in Aklan are appealing to the national government for funding assistance and rehabilitation for the remaining 25,000 Typhoon Yolanda victims. 

Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) ravaged large part of Visayas region on November 8, 2013 that affected more than 1,229,000 families with damaged homes. 

Three years after the devastation,  more than 19,000 households in Aklan are still waiting for the Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) and other cash for work assistance schemes of the national government, according to Rise Up Aklan coordinator Kim-Sin Tugna said.

“These families were deleted, omitted or replaced in the master list in the many validations conducted by government agencies due to patronage and anomalous implementation of ESA. At our end, more than 6,000 ESA-unserved victims were also documented by Rise Up Aklan or a combined 25,000 were still unable to receive ESA,” he added in an interview.

In a solidarity march held to commemorate the 3rd year anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda devastation in Aklan, some 4,000 survivors of Rise Up Aklan converged at The Aklan Trade Hall at Goding Ramos Park for a forum-interaction with Social Welfare and Development Assistant Secretary Hope Hervilla and regional director Rebecca Geamala. 

Rise Up Aklan, a member organization of a broad alliance of Yolanda survivors in Western Visayas under Kusog sang Pumuluyo, also signed a petition urging President Rodrigo Duterte and Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo to scrap Memorandum Circular No 24.

“MC 24 was formulated very far from the context of the actual plight of Yolanda victims...it was discriminating and an injustice. We are also calling the attention of Taguiwalo to reconstitute the original list of beneficiaries and to investigate the past administration with regards to the proper accounting, management and utilization of Yolanda funds and make them accountable,” the petition stated. 

As of November 17, 2013 list, there were 55,168  partially damaged houses and 32,088 totally damaged houses or 87,256 houses affected by Typhoon Yolanda in the province of Aklan.

However, in the Office of the Presidential Assistance for Recovery and Reconstruction (OPARR) counter-report, the number of houses totally and partially damaged was reduced to 77,337.

Tugna said, “MC 24 was issued by the national government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development to calm down the frustration of beneficiaries of the promised ESA.”

“It turned out MC 24 was the worst nightmare for majority of marginalized Typhoon victims who were intentionally disqualified by certain laws and MC 24. They were delisted, but, not all victims living in the danger zones and those included in the new master list of ESA recipients were indigents under MC 24,” he stressed.

Rise Up Aklan data showed P1.229-billion ESA were released through the LGUs for 24,242 families with totally damaged houses and 48,644 families with partially damaged houses in 17 towns of Aklan. 

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

12 Boracay ‘lady boys’ involved in pot session, buy-bust nabbed

Gorna, Manikin, Scarlet, Casey, Maxine, Diana, Cathy, Opyong. Sounds familiar, while you are strolling in the beach front of Boracay Island?

They were part of the twelve ‘lady boys’ who were arrested in an anti-drug operation on November 6 in Barangay Balabag. 

Charged for violations of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 were residents of Cebu City, General Santos City and the provinces of Aklan and Cebu. The suspects were staying in a resort in Barangay Balabag during the police operation.

Police Officer 2 Juno Gregorio, case investigator of Boracay Tourist Assistance Center (BTAC),  said Mark Galicia alias Manikin, 23, from New Washington, Aklan sold sachets of shabu to a poseur buyer in a resort at around 8:45 p.m. During the buy-bust operation, the policemen also saw eleven other ‘lady boys’ having a pot session inside their rented room. 

Police identified the gay suspects as Alvin  Tampos alias Bortamay, 23, from Mandaue City, Cebu; Rafael Ybanez alias Diana, 30, from Mualbual, Cebu; Kim Gador Delicano alias Gorna, 25, from Punta Prinsesa, Cebu City; Jestoni Tonic alias Scarlet, 26, from General Santos City and Harlie Verano, 26, from Guadalupe, Cebu City.

Also arrested from Aklan were Ronelio Sollano alias Cathy, 20, from Poblacion, Ibajay; Michael Dave Salcedo alias Ashley, 24, from Purok 1, C. Laserna Street, Kalibo; John Barry Camua alias Opyong, 22, from Ochando, New Washington; Hilmar Celestino alias Marie, 30, from Rizal Street, Poblacion, Kalibo; Aldwin Kirk Abello alias Maxine, 30, from Acevedo Street, Kalibo; and John Aldrin Francisco alias Cassey, 22, Rizal Street, Poblacion, Kalibo.

Galicia is facing charges for violation of Section 5 (pushing of illegal drugs) and Section 6 (maintenance of a drug den). The 11 other suspects will be charged with violations of Section 11 (possession of illegal drugs) and 7 (visitors of a drug den). 

In a phone interview, Gregorio also clarified that Galicia did not fled from the police operatives during the buy-bust operation.

“All of them were inside their rented room and were spotted having a pot session. They were all arrested,” he added.  

Recovered inside the room were drug paraphernalia and 20 sachets of suspected shabu.  Police also seized the P2,000 marked money from Galicia. 

The suspects were temporarily detained at BTAC lock-up cell pending formal inquest proceedings in Aklan Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Kalibo, Aklan. 

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

Koreans, Chinese visitors top Boracay arrivals

A total of 739,960 international visitors for the first 10 months this year visited Boracay Island, up by 16.61 percent compared to 634,539 for the same period in 2015. 

The tourist numbers has been driven by Korean and Chinese visitor arrivals in the island, off the northern end of the province of Aklan.

Koreans remained the main source market with 36.23-share of visitors or 268,099, surging by 11 percent from 241,516 last year.

By end of October this year, 244,422 Chinese tourists visited the island, a 64-percent rise over the same period. Taiwan visitors came in third with 50,338. Inbound visitors from Malaysia also posted 22,905 arrivals followed by travelers from United States with 19,080. 

These top five visitor-generating markets in the span of 10 months accounted for 81.74 percent of the total foreigners. 

Latest visitor arrivals data from Malay Municipal Tourism Office for October alone, there were 118,682 tourists in Boracay. Domestic tourists in the month of October also registered 58,368 compared to 43,954 last year.

From January to October, Boracay Island continues its popularity as the world best island destination with 1,466,746 tourist arrivals, higher than 12.24-percent than the 1,306,799 arrivals recorded for the same period last year.

The tourism agency, for 2016, has set a target of 1.7-million arrivals. 

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL