LETTERS

'Most hilarious story of the year’

“GMA flagship projects delayed due to lack of first-class cement.” This is the title of a story which appeared in your June 17-23 issue. Honestly, this is the most hilarious story of the year, I believe. Could you imagine? People of Mountain Province constructing their houses are not complaining of cement shortage?

Other contractors like R.S. Sepian Fastracking his concreting {project along Maba-ay Awawigan Section and Busa-Capinitan Section? They have abundance of Portland Cement. Mind you, the people of Mountain Province are not that dumb too not use Portland Cement in the construction of their houses.

Now, they use the media and other resources to project that there is cement shortage just to justify the suspension of the flagship projects of the President of the Republic of the Philippines?

Accordingly, one of the Dept. of Public Works and Highways defense is that the Department of Trade and Industry issued a certification that there is indeed cement shortage! Maybe, they also added in their defense, road right of way problems. This is pure baloney -- mockery of the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

The truth of the matter: the DPWH-CAR and the DPWH-MPDEO railroaded the bidding process and processing of the payment of the 15 percent advance payment to beat the election ban.

But bad luck befell them. Their pre-selected contractors did not religiously commence their projects upon payment of their 15 percent advance payment. Some contracts expired. Some are due to expire without any work commencing on the project. Obviously too, some projects incurred huge intolerable negative slippages which should have terminated the contracts.

But alas, the DPWH seems to see the people of Mountain Province as so dumb that they can easily manipulate them with grandiose reasoning.

Where does the DPWH go from here? Well that will depend on the sincerity of our government in its fight against graft and corruption. What was done to the flagship projects of the President is not only a mockery but plunder in the highest degree. This, so the people may know.

Juniper Dominguez
Sabangan, Mountain Province
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‘Little green book’ teaches how to plant

Planting trees is not as easy as planting any kind of tree seedling and getting photographed and videoed afterwards for the newspapers and television.

"Before anything else, know your tree," says a new 44-page publication, aptly titled The Little Green Book . "The tree must suit your community."

Subtitled "An Interview with the Cordillera's Environment," the new book by the non-government Cordillera Green Network or CGN cautions about what are now considered "invasive alien species," which may harm indigenous or endemic species.

"Indigenous species or those native to the place are the best," says the book. "Exotic or introduced species maybe good but they can possibly develop or bring in certain pests and diseases."

The small book was launched June 5 at the Victor Oteyza Community Art Space or VOCAS, top floor of La Azotea Building, along Baguio's Session Road, where local and international musical and literary talents converged in celebration of World Environment Day.

Back to back with the book launching was the opening of a month-long exhibit of 157 monkey clay masks made by local artists from Kibungan, Benguet during a pottery workshop there last May.

Supported by CGN, the pottery workshop was facilitated by former US Peace Corp volunteer and Fil-Am artist Reynaldo Pellos and Indonesian artist Nurdian 'Sasan' Ichsan.

The masks were made of special clay called linang and legleg , which Kibungan elders used to condition their hair before soap and shampoos were invented.

"Clay, a natural material closest to us, and the monkeys who were gone after our forests disappeared all remind and teach us to restore and preserve whatever is left of our environment," says Mariko Sorimachi Banasan, CGN director.

Besides the monkey masks exhibit dubbed "Where have all the Monkeys Gone?" are other artwork exhibits such as "Untitled Branch" by Ichsan, "On the Trail of the Lost Man-key" (a bamboo and photo installation by a team of artists led by Kawayan Thor Kalayaan de Guia), and "Meditation Monkey" (clay with drawing on wood board by Japanese artist Midori Hirota).

Also as part of World Environment Month, Tam-awan Village features other art workshops and exhibits, which all revolve around love of and passion for Nature through art.

Maurice Malanes
Baguio City
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Playing sipsip

“We will file appropriate criminal charges against the New Peoples Army terrorists who attacked our soldiers in Boliney on May 16, 2007 for violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIL) signed on March 16, 1998 in The Hague, Netherlands.”

This was the statement of Senior Supt. Alexander Pumecha, Abra Provincial Police Director when he condemned the barbaric act of the NPA terrorists.

The NPAs, he said, used landmines in their ambush operations which instantly killed six soldiers and one CAFGU along the road between Boliney and Manabo in Abra. “We would like to stress to the rebels, respect for human rights and respect for their fellow combatants,” Lt. Col. Francisco Millare, Deputy Commander of the 41st IB, Phil. Army also said. He added government troops have treated very humanely the body of Simeon Naogsan, Jr. alias Emong who died during an encounter in Sallapadan last year.

Millare said Naogsan was killed in the battlefield, his body was taken cared of with respect and was given a free casket. His body was turned over to his family properly. “We’re so sad that our soldiers have to be sacrificed and are getting killed just because we are duty-bound to protect the people,” Millare said.

Why do Pumecha and Millare sound like cry-babies? Millare is complaining that soldiers are being sacrificed and killed. Why did they become soldiers in the first place? That is what they are being paid for out of taxpayers’ money. Meanwhile, if Pumecha would file charges against the NPAs, where would they find them? If the two would instead devote their time to more constructive and effective ways of fighting criminals or winning back the rebels to the fold of the law, maybe they should instead initiate humanitarian programs instead of playing sipsip to the powers-that-be.

Johnny Wachiwaren
Resident beside the Chico River
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NPA: We upheld int’l conventions of war in Abra

The NPA's Agustin Begnalen Command strictly adhered to international conventions of war such as Protocols I and II of the 1946 Geneva Convention, and the CAHRIHL (Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Laws), jointly signed by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, in the conduct of battles initiated from May 13-16.

On May 15, the NPA captured four officers of the 77th IB at about 10:30 a.m. at a checkpoint set up by the NPA along the road between Sitio Villa Conchita, Barangay San Ramon, Manabo and Barangay Baoyan, Boliney.

The army officers captured earlier were identified as 2Lt. Jeron Labrador Etrone, CO of "C" Coy, Sgt. Restino Angoluan Alabon, Sgt. Alexander Salvador Paulo, and Cpl. Benigno Eugenio Soriano Jr. Seized from them were two cal. 45 pistols. All their personal belongings were given back to them, including the two motorcycles on which they rode.

They were accorded the rights of prisoners of war. After establishing that they had no blood debts and records of human rights violations, they were released to the barangay officials and elders at about 2 PM the day they were captured at Barangay Baoyan, Boliney. The turnover was witnessed by the community people. They soldiers signed a waiver stating the fact that they were treated well and accorded the rights and privileges of prisoners of war.

The NPA urged them to resign from the AFP or if not, they were enjoined to uphold the CARHRIHL signed by the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front in 1998. They thanked the NPA profusely upon their release.

They were not in possession of any ballots and election paraphernalia as claimed by the liar Lt. Col. Raul V. Bautista. The NPA did not release them in exchange for such fictitious ballots, but out of humanitarian reasons. Neither did the NPA use them as "shields in their withdrawal" because in the first place, there were no other enemy forces that time, and in the second place, the NPA does not use human shields, unlike the AFP. Lastly, the NPA did not withdraw, but remained in the area where the officers were captured which was exactly the same place where the 41 st IB was ambushed the next day.

Contrary to 41st IB statements, and as confirmed by the people in Boliney, the NPA did not take any "hostage" among the local people. Neither was the ambush meant to "stop the conduct of elections."

On May 16, at 5:30 a.m., the NPA used command-detonated landmines. International treaties of war prohibit the use of self-detonating explosives. So as to make sure that explosives will be detonated only against enemy troops and actual military targets, switches are triggered by well-trained and highly-disciplined Red fighters and commanders. The wounded and captured were treated humanely and were administered with the necessary first aid, before they were subsequently released.

These are in stark contrast to the extra-judicial killings, intimidations, illegal arrest, torture, killing of "hors-de-combat" (wounded in battle and rendered incapable of fighting), looting and destruction of properties systematically undertaken by the AFP in the conduct of military operations in pursuit of the Regime's Oplan Bantay Laya II.

The NPA conducted these punitive attacks against the 41st IB due to its fascist record, and not to sabotage the May 14 elections or to snatch ballots, as claimed by Army Spokesperson Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacaro. In fact, some elements of the 41st IB and the PNP render their services to the "highest-bidder" warlords in Abra. This is the reason why despite being under Comelec control since the start of the campaign period, election-related violence continued unabated in certain areas where there is a large concentration of 41 st IB troopers and PNP-PMG/RMG police personnel. As usual, the AFP tried to reverse its humiliating defeats by spouting lies against the NPA.

Ka Diego Wadagan
Spokesperson
Agustin Begnalen Command-
New People’s Army