MORE NEWS, BAGUIO CITY

SM Baguio mall toy store robbed

BAGUIO CITY – Unidentified men took away toy items worth P346,000 from the Toy Kingdom here at the SM mall.

The robbers broke into the toy store on Sept. 15 despite tight security.

Police said an improvised key might have been used by the robbers in entering the establishment. A scene-of-the-crime police team found no sign of forcible entry.

Records at the Baguio City Police Office said the complainant in the case was Ma. Aurora Rodriguez Collado, 26, single, of 39 Valenzuela St., Barangay Salud Mitra, Baguio.

Reported to have been stolen in the shop were four units of Game Boy Micro, two units of MD Station Lite, four units of Bubble Plaster, six units of Game Boy Advance, and one Value Pack with a total value of P316, 089.25.

Also stolen were one GP 2000 handheld radio and one GP 308 handheld radio transceivers worth more than P30,000. These were taken from the Eagle Matrics Security Agency, whose guards were posted in the place. -- Dexter See


21,000 Cordi seniors awaiting GMA’s P500

BAGUIO CITY -- Some 21,000 senior citizens in the Cordillera are still awaiting the release of the promised, one-time P500 subsidy from President Arroyo.

The number of the prospective beneficiaries of the subsidy is still expected to increase in the coming days as more senior citizens are submitting their registration papers with local officials.
Social workers in the different local government units called on barangay officials to fast-track the submission of the names of the qualified senior citizens so that they could process the release of the subsidy.

So far, there are 21,636 senior citizens region-wide who were awaiting the release of the one-time P500 subsidy from the national government’s Katas ng VAT program.

The office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Cordillera said beneficiaries of the program are poor, old people (60 years old and above) who have no definite source of income and are not receiving any pension from the government or private companies.

The Cordillera DSWD office called on barangays officials in the region who have responded to the survey conducted by the agency to facilitate the submission of the list of qualified senior citizens who are qualified to receive the subsidy. The list of qualified beneficiaries will be subject to validation to prevent alleged misrepresentation.

The "Katas ng VAT" program has been devised by the national government as one of the approaches to mitigate the negative impact of the rising cost of basic commodities. A previous survey conducted by concerned government agencies showed there are 44,875 senior citizens in the different parts of the Cordillera, but the number is expected to increase once the final list of the elderly folk is submitted by the barangays.

The leaders of senior citizens associations in the region lauded the one-time subsidy, saying that although the amount is not much, it could go a long way in helping the senior citizens who do not have sources of income.

Meanwhile, the leaders appealed to the concerned government agencies to help them in their campaign for the strict compliance by various companies and establishments with the law granting 20 percent discount to senior citizens.

They noted many establishments ignore the law and refuse to grant the required discount. These establishments include drugstores, restaurants, and public utility vehicles. At the same time, they expressed support for a bill in Congress granting an increase in the discount for senior folk from 20 percent to 32 percent.

They complained that the 20 percent discount is eaten up by the 12 percent value added tax, resulting in only an eight percent discount. – Dexter A See


Muslims from war-torn Mindanao flock to Baguio
By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – Thousands of Muslims displaced by the war in Mindanao are seeking refuge in this mountain resort city and nearby towns of Benguet.

This was confirmed by local Muslim leaders who said they have been experiencing a drastic increase in the arrival of Maranaos in this city the past several weeks.

Many of their brothers here are Maranaos who are doing business and are considered peace-loving people, they said.

While there will be more Muslims arriving in the city, the local Muslim groups are not worried about being eased out in their merchandise trade and are accommodating them because their
Muslim brothers have relatives here with whom they can stay. Contrary to perception of many people that the peace and order situation in this city would be adversely affected by the influx of displaced Muslims, their leaders here assured that there will be no peace-and-order problem caused by the refugees because Muslims are peace-loving people.

Many Muslims have started abandoning their villages in Mindanao because of the shooting war between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the government. Most of the displaced folk want peaceful life, the leaders said.

Muslim leaders said there is no cause for alarm because Baguio is a peaceful place and the Muslims want a peaceful life.

Their brothers in Mindanao are flocking to peaceful places to enable them to live normal life and make a living, they said. However, they expect a sudden surge in unemployment due to the influx of Muslims in the city. But they consider their Maranao brothers as survivors who would not give up their search for legitimate sources of livelihood to feed their families.

They said the hostilities in Mindanao are now worsening, resulting in the displacement of thousands of people from their villages and causing mass migration to other parts of the country like Baguio City.

With the influx of Muslims in the city, the Muslim community organized the Cordillera Region Muslim Organization to provide avenues for social, economic, educational and spiritual development of the members of the various communities. The group would also instill the value of understanding among the Muslims as well as those of other religions.

The noticeable increase in the Muslim population in the city has prompted the police force to issue a warning to the public to be vigilant about the alleged existence of several vigilante groups which might cause friction between the local Muslims and Christians.