Kalinga provincial capitol ransacked

Provincial Capitol employees of Kalinga were shocked when they came to office morning of July 14, 2011 as they saw everywhere a yellow line bearing "POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS". The provincial capitol was pillaged! The Landbank's ATM machine and the Provincial Treasury's Vault were smashed and destroyed. The perpetrators were not able to open the vaults and no cash amounts were taken. The tools used were left and obviously they are fresh from the hardware. The Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) have already finished investigating area.

Where were the guards on duty?

Here are some of the pictures provided by someone who saw the scene.

Other side of the story

There are two sides of a story. The recent hullaballoo over what happened noontime of June 7, 2011 at the DzRK Radyo ng bayan, Bualnao, Tabuk City, Kalinga is a disturbing one. It even caught the attention of Malacañang. The mainstream media issued left and right statements condemning the incident, particularly the alleged inappropriate action of Gov. Jocel C. Baac. The mainstream media have already said a lot the past few days about the story side of Mr. Jerome Tabanganay. Still, the governor was not given enough space to explain his side. This is acknowledged even by Malacañang hence, it directed the DILG to conduct an impartial and objective investigation.

In the name of fairness, below is the full text of the statement of explanation of Gov. Baac regarding the incident, which was read just this morning over Radyo Natin – Tabuk by no less than the Provincial Administrator, Grace Kidang-Flores.

STATEMENT OF EXPLANATION

At this very moment I assumed that you have heard already about the incident at the DZRK Radyo ng Bayan during the Agenda Program yesterday afternoon. That there is no truth that I intentionally hit Mr. Jerome Tabanganay with a microphone and that he suffered cuts and bruises on his face as reported by him. What happened was that his lips may have been accidentally hit when I got from behind the microphone in front of him for the purpose of stopping him for I could no longer endure his personal attack upon my person and the Kapehan body of which I am the chairman. His uncorrected act of irresponsible broadcasting and unfair way in handling the Agenda Program of the DZRK Radyo ng Bayan, Tabuk is already damaging to the image of the province which the provincial government is trying to uplift through its various development programs. It should be noted that the Provincial Government volunteered to shoulder the cost of repair of the transmitter tower of the DZRK previously destroyed by typhoon in order that the radio station will assist the provincial government in promoting its various programs especially our tourism program.

This irresponsible and unfair way of Mr. Tabanganay in handling the Agenda program and in his indiscriminate act of airing unverified text messages which are damaging in nature was already brought out during the Kapehan sa Kapitolyo last May 2, 2011. The Kapehan members suggested to the Manager that the Anchorman of the agenda program should verify first the veracity of the text messages and to give opportunity to his subjects to explain or give their side to a certain matter or issue before he will air and give comment.

That there were also suggestions to the Manager of DZRK that the Agenda program be abolished but the manager responded that he cannot do it for reason that the Agenda program is patterned after the national program of the Radyo ng Bayan. A member of the Kapehan suggested to the manager to change the anchorman. The manager answered that he requested Mr. Tabanganay to give way to other staff to anchor the Agenda program but the latter insisted that he will continue to be the anchorman. Nevertheless, he informed that if the Kapehan has a problem or question with the agenda program, they can request anytime for a recorded copy of the airings of the agenda program.

That despite the suggestions and comments brought to the manager of the radio ng bayan by the Kapehan body, Mr. Tabanganay continued his irresponsible broadcasting and unfair way of handling the agenda program and the worst on May 24, 2011, Mr. Tabanganay was even convincing the New People's Army (NPA) to open their cellphones so that they could talk relative to the apprehension of jueteng cobradors and so that he can submit the names of these cobradors. His act in acknowledging on air the authority and ability of the NPA to implement government duties and responsibilities has no good effect but only to cause our people to lose faith to the government and it will mislead our people to think that the NPAs are better than the elements of the Government. These should never countenance or tolerate, otherwise the government will lose its standing over its people.

That on June 7, 2011, he was again airing false information that Manager Baluyan of DZRK was scolded and insulted during the June 6, 2011 Kapehan sa Kapitolyo making it appear that the Kapehan is not a credible body.

There was no truth that I or the Kapehan body scolded or insulted Manager Basilio Baluyan of DZRK Radyo ng Bayan during the Kapehan at the Capitol last June 6, 2011 as repeatedly being announced by Mr. Tabanganay in the Agenda Program of the Radyo ng Bayan. What really happened during the Kapehan meeting during the review of the minutes of the May 2, 2011 Kapehan, Mr. Baluyan requested me as chairman of the Kapehan body that his statement on the said minutes be changed because that was not his statement and I replied that the request cannot be granted because it was really his statement but Mr. Baluyan was allowed to explain and correct his statement during the issues arising from the minutes portion because that is the most appropriate part of the meeting that he can explain what he really mean to say during the May Kapehan.

Perhaps there was a time during the course of the said Kapehan meeting that I raised my voice but it was purely for the purpose of emphasizing something important or crucial and not for the purpose of maligning a persons or any other purpose. Those who are present during that Kapehan meeting can attest to what really had happened.

The continued act of Mr. Tabanganay in acknowledging and encouraging the participation of the NPA to implement government duties and responsibilities and airing false information that makes it appear that the Kapehan which is composed by all the department heads of both the Local and National line agencies in the Province of Kalinga is not a credible body is a serious matter which really affects the peace and order situation of the province of which I am responsible being the governor of the province.

All these prompted me to go to the DZRK radio station on June 7, 2011 purposely to talked to Mr. Tabanganay of his irresponsible and unfair attitude and at the same time to talk to him so that he will be more circumspect and balanced in his reporting considering that there was no effort from the DZRK management to check Mr. Tabanganay despite the many complaints brought to the manager.

I do not have any intention to hurt Mr. Tabanganay in any way. My purpose was to sit down with him to answer the issues or text messages being attributed to me but upon entering the booth he arrogantly said “APAY?” which prompted me to get the Mic so that our conversation will not be aired live. He insisted and grabbed the other Mic to continue airing but I got hold of the same and then my companions came to usher me outside the booth.

Mr. Tabanganay should have inquired before hand from Manager Baluyan himself or any members of the Kapehan relative to the truthfulness of the said information or report so that he could have avoided broadcasting false and damaging statements.

I know that my presence in the Radyo Ng Bayan might have caused inconvenience to the people who were there but my purpose in going there was for the good of the Province and our people.

Rest assured that I will stand firm in my advocacy for good governance, true and balanced reporting and fair in bringing information to the people.

Thank you.

Peace be with you! Let us move on...

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Happy birthday to Kenji and Nicolle. God bless!

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When is enough?

A lesson to learn. Whether we are in the media, public office or whatever if we do not know our own boundaries chaos follows. Oh when will we ever learn...

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Kalinga governor attacks broadcaster - NUJP

MANILA, Philippines – The governor of Kalinga province allegedly attacked a commentator of a government-run radio station who was hosting his program Tuesday morning, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines reported.

An alert released by the NUJP qyuoted Regie Wacas, president of the Kalinga Media Club, as saying Jerome Tabanganay was five minutes from signing off his program “Agenda” over dzRK Radyo ng Bayan-Kalinga when Governor Jocel Baac allegedly barged into the announcer’s booth and hit the broadcaster in the lip with a microphone. Read more...

Fashioning the youth for peace-building

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Driven by the desire to educate the youth and eventually make them partners in peace advocacy, the Kailian Peace-building Institute (KPI) of the St Louis College of Bulanao conducted a three-day seminar on indigenous peace mechanism last May 4-6, 2011. The sessions were held in one of the spacious classrooms of SLCB.

The seminar zeroed-in the Bodong, which is a social institution and a system of governance between and among the Kalingas, established since time immemorial and has evolved through the years. Topics include the history and origin of the bodong; processes, rites and rituals in forging, restoring and as well as in sustaining the bodong; working principles on which the bodong is based; provisions of the Pagta (Law of the Bodong); factors that may have had influences in the bodong such as religion, education, commerce and technology, politics and governance, migration and marriage, peace and order, and the Indigenous Peoples Right Act (IPRA) - however these were presented in a succinct manner. How the bodong itself affected these phenomenon was briefly discussed as well.

This lecture-type seminar was attended initially by 34 youths coming from the different municipalities. An open-forum was allotted after presentation and discussion of each topic to give the participants an opportunity to ask questions and express their views and observations.

The group is composed of 18 males (52.9%) and 16 females (47%). Majority of the participants came from Tabuk, the capital town; although almost of them have Tinglayan origins (38.2%) followed by Balbalan (23.5%), Tanudan (14.7%), Pasil (5.8%), and 2.9% for each of the other municipalities.

Meanwhile, a quick survey was conducted to determine what they feel about regional autonomy for the Cordillera. It is believed that cultures in the Cordilleras will be further preserved and enhanced under the regional autonomy setup. There were three questions asked from the participants. They were asked whether or not they have heard before about Cordillera Regional Autonomy, and will they vote favorably or not if the third organic act will be presented to them for approval in a plebiscite. Lastly, they were asked to indicate their level of knowledge about Cordillera Regional Autonomy. In this instance however only 25 youths participated in the survey of which 44% (11) are males and 52% (13) are females. There was one who did not reveal his/her sex identity.

Of the 25 youths, 76% (19) said they have heard about the regional autonomy while 20% (5) did not. What is interesting to note is that these 20% are all females. For those who heard about it, according to them they got such information from the school, media, and “tsismis” or from acquaintances. Likewise, asked if they will vote favorably for the third organic act, 60% (15) said “Yes” while 4% (1) said “No”, and 36% (9) were undecided.

In terms of the level of knowledge, the respondents generally have a mean knowledge of 5.7 (based on a scale of 10) about the issue of the Cordillera regional autonomy. The 20% (5) youths who said earlier they have not heard about regional autonomy for the Cordillera are the same individuals who indicated they have zero knowledge about it, and these are all females.

Mercury problem in Kalinga

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Two non-government organizations (NGOs) are embarking on a three-year project to wean away the small-scale miners in the towns of Balbalan and Pasil in this province and in Jose Panganiban in Camarines Sur from dependence on mercury.

The local NGO Ban Toxics (Bantox) and Dialogos of Denmark both of which are involved in environmental protection declared that there is an immediate need to stop the usage of mercury in mining areas in the two provinces to avert disaster.

Medical doctors Rasmus Rasmussen and Marie Brasholt of the Dialogos said that it is already an established fact that mercury is being leaked into the Saltan, Pasil and Chico rivers by the small-scale miners operating there.

They said that what needs to be done now is to immediately stop the use of mercury because persisting with the practice not only put to risk the health and lives of the miners but also those of people in the path of the three rivers.

Ramussen told local mediamen who attended the briefing on the project titled “Reducing mercury pollution in small-scale gold mining in the Philippines 2011-2014” here on May 20 said that aside from inhalation during the process of amalgamation, people could also absorb the poisonous element by eating contaminated food and from a contaminated mother to her fetus.

“The symptoms of mercury poisoning can be as subtle as a fever or body ache, and yet it’s long term negative impact is so pronounced such as lower IQ in children, nerve damage, reproductive disorders, etc. that proper diagnosis is critical,” Rasmussen said.

Leoncio Naoy, a small-scale miner and member of the board of the Bantox, said that they included Kalinga after they were alerted of the mercury pollution in the province by a news item in two regional newspapers last March.

Written by Peter Balocnit of the Philippine Information Agency, the news article detailed the results of the water testing conducted by the Environmental Management Bureau and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Chico, Pasil and Saltan rivers.

According to the story, water samples from the three rivers tested positive of mercury contents ranging from .00 contents ranging from .00287 to .1231 microgram per cubic meter which exceeds the allowable limit of .002.

Asked what the findings of the DENR mean, Rasmussen said that it points to the fact that the toxic element is being released to the environment of the province.

Rasmussen said that conducting an independent testing of the mercury pollution in the province is not a part of their project because the findings of the DENR already suffices and furthermore, mercury testing and measurement is costly and difficult.

“What we will test is if the intervention is working,” Rasmussen said.

The objective of the two NGOs is to stop the small scale miners in the province from using mercury in extracting gold within three years.

They said that they will do this by opening the minds of the miners of the harmful effects of mercury and teaching them mercury-less gold processing particularly the application of borax in place of mercury.

Naoy said that one planned activity is to bring the local small-scale miners to Fidelisan, Sagada and other small scale mining areas in the region which have already discarded mercury from their gold mining technology.

Rasmussen, Brasholt and Naoy made it clear to local mediamen that the intent of the project is to eliminate mercury use and not to stop small-scale mining operations. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW

Above Photo: STOP MERCURY POLLUTION-- Medical doctors Marie Brasholt and Rasmus Rasmussen brief local media practitioners on the project of the Danish non-government organization Dialogos and Ban Toxics, a local non-government organization, aimed at reducing mercury pollution in small-scale mining areas in the country. The small-scale mining areas in Pasil and Balbalan towns in this province are covered by the project. **Photo by Estanislao Albano, Jr.

Supreme Court cityhood ruling on 16 towns welcomed

The ruling on the status of the 16 towns came while the SC was holding its summer sessions in Baguio City.

Reports showed that a majority of SC justices denied with finality the appeal of the LCP over the Feb. 15, 2011 decision of the SC declaring the cityhood laws of the 16 new cities as constitutional. Read more