Paul replies to NPA threat

From my inbox, here’s Paul Dominguez’s reply to the New People’s Army death sentence issued on the anniversary of the revolutionary group last March 29:

“I was surprised to receive information that the Valentin Palamine Command of the New People’s Army has issued a threat against my person and accused me of being involved in “deceit, coercion and murder” due to my involvement in the exploration phase of the Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) project in Tampakan, South Cotabato.

The allegations being made against me are all the more disconcerting since I resigned from SMI as president on April 1, 2007 when Xstrata exercised its option to acquire a majority stake of SMI and took over the management of the company.

For the record, the accusations being made against me are totally unfounded and without basis in truth and in fact.

It is not true that I caused the militarization of Tampakan during my tenure as SMI president or that the exploration activities conducted by SMI dispossessed communities of their land and livelihood. On the contrary, the investments being made by SMI have created opportunities for the Tampakan residents and have the full support of all the lumad tribal councils, the barangay councils and the municipalities presently involved with the project. These facts are easily verifiable.

The principal focus of the management team during my tenure as SMI President was to undertake social development and environmental programs to precisely ensure that the host communities would be the first to benefit from the investments being undertaken in Tampakan. These programs were well received by the community and enabled the company to carry out its exploration activities without any major security-related incidents.

In fact, several of these community-based programs received awards and accolades from both local and foreign entities. The Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association (PMSEA) honored SMI as the recipient of its highest award - the Presidential Mining Industry Environmental Award (PMIEA) in December, 2006 in recognition of the company’s programs and projects for environmental protection and development of the host and neighboring communities. PMSEA also honored the company with a Special Award for the Best Mining Forest Program.

Under my watch, SMI initiated community development activities in education, capacity building and health, with special focus on the indigenous communities in whose lands the mine may eventually operate. As a result of these education initiatives, over 8000 school children in Tampakan, Colombio and Kiblawan continue to receive scholarship grants and financial assistance. In addition, several of these innovative development programs were recognized as model projects by our national officials as well as visiting international dignitaries.

In a visit to Tampakan in 2006, Tanzanian Mining Minister Lau Masha lauded the project, saying that he would encourage mining investors in Tanzania to “learn from Tampakan” and would push for the adoption of SMI’s best practices in Tanzania ’s mining projects. Among the innovative programs that Minister Masha wanted to replicate in Tanzania was the SMI Competence Center which undertakes skills development and adult literacy programs for the host communities to enable them to be the first to be gainfully employed by the project. This unique program was given the National Kabalikat Award for Industry by Tesda in 2007.

During my tenure, SMI also encouraged the three municipalities presently involved in the project to form an alliance to accelerate growth and development and jointly address whatever issues that may emerge in the course of development of the mining project. This initiative referred to as the KITACO Growth Area ensures that all sectors within the three municipalities of Kiblawan, Tampakan and Columbio which are in three separate provinces are consulted at all times thus assuring full project transparency.

Over the last four decades, I have been involved in both government and private sector initiatives to bring about peace and development in Mindanao . My term as presidential assistant for Mindanao during the Ramos administration was characterized by significant economic growth and infrastructure development in the island as well as more cooperation with our neighbors in ASEAN.

Today, I continue to be involved in several private sector and civic organizations whose objectives are to promote peace and development, poverty alleviation and sustainable development particularly in Mindanao . I remain steadfast in my commitment to help accelerate the development of Mindanao .”

Defiant diplomat

The ink on the most recent US travel warning to the country’s troubled south had hardly dried up when no less than its top official here defied it.

Ambassador Kristie Kenney went last weekend into the “lion’s den.” Thus, she became the first US top official to ever visit Moro separatists at its stronghold in Shariff Kabunsuan in Mindanao.

The visit was “private” yet the diplomat urged leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, blamed for many violent incidents in the south, to resume peace talks with the Manila government.

Her visit proves that it is safe to travel to even the most “feared areas” in the Moro heartland.

I say those officials at the US State Department issuing travel advisories should go back to their drawing boards. Their envoy here is one of the frequent travelers to Mindanao.

Incidentally, this Indonesian consul feels safer in Davao and Mindanao than in Jakarta, Los Angeles or New York.

Nogie

The House leadership shake up is finally over. Our district rep Boy Nograles is the new Speaker.

He is the first Davaoeno and first Mindanaoan to hold the post, the fourth highest in government.

He brings to Congress Davao’s legacy of having topnotch congressional leaders such as Maeng Veloso of the pre-martial law era who served as assistant (deputy) speaker and Nonoy Garcia of the 1980-90s who was assistant majority leader and assistant speaker. We can also count in Artemio Loyola and Nilo Maskarino, veterans of the City Council, who were elevated to Congress. Both of them oftentimes were asked to temporarily preside sessions of Congress.

Nogie also earlier got the highest post for a Davaoeno as majority leader.

A little known session in the House during the time of Elias Lopez also made him “speaker.” Nothing to do with very few members of congress in attendance, those present, exasperated by the lack of quorum, declared the house leadership vacant. Joker Arroyo, now senator, moved to nominate Elias Lopez, also a former city mayor of Davao, to the post and was unanimously chosen as new “speaker.” The proceeding was, however, unofficial.

Ousted JVD’s valedictory address was a rehash of many issues widely publicly known already. He sounded more of a sourgrape than a whistleblower.

While his “moral revolution” was a good message, the messenger, however, an epitome of trapo (traditional politics), the cause of many woes in the country, was totally the wrong guy to call for it.

(8:47 a.m.)

(Note: still no net service in the house)

Ecozone in Mt. Apo?

With direct foreign investments down 16% during the first half of the year, the national government is devising new schemes to attract more business.

This particular idea is absurd.

Upon arrival in Davao City from the APEC Summit Down Under yesterday, the President signed an Executive Order declaring geothermal areas in the country as “special economic zones.” Through this, government expects to attract power-intensive industries like, prominently mentioned was electronics, but I personally suspect, mining.

One of these geothermal areas is Mt. Apo, which is a sacred place; far from any airport and seaport, not to count the peace and order problem.

Who would locate in such a place?

Moreover, this EO runs counter to environmental laws, preservation of lumad culture and in conflict with ancentral domain claims by cultural communities in the area.

Malacanang should rethink this strategy. The day the EO was signed in Davao, the Mayor of Kidapawan was invited to attend a seminar in Yosemite Park in California on natural park conservation and the Regional Development Council of Southern Mindanao affirming its resolution for the preservation of Mt. Apo Protected Areas (Mindanao Daily Mirror).

Here is a clear case of the right hand of government not knowing what the left hand is doing.

(7:37 a.m.)

GIs no fair game in Mindanao

It has been over four years since American special forces have been in many hot spots in Mindanao. And no casualty!?

I am intrigued by the writings of the chairwrecker here and here about the US involvement in Mindanao.

In other troubled areas, American troops are fair game. But not in Mindanao!

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying I want the GIs to be killed. I am curious why they are not being targetted by militants.

I remember Michael Meiring. He is the American who was spirited out of a Davao hospital after accidentally blowing himself up at his hotel room. He is the reason over the long-running spat between our Mayor and the US Embassy. Among the items he left behind at the scene was his identification card of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

So, which side really are the Americans in the war in Mindanao?

Related post - A new kind of US base in Mindanao

(8:35 a.m.)

Culture of peace

This move is long overdue.

Given the culture of violence in our society, peace education among our children in school is a must.

AFRIM where I sit as board member since the 1980s has piloted peace education in several schools in Davao City.

A consortium of government and civil society groups are now mainstreaming peace education to help build a culture of peace in Mindanao.

While my friend Congressman Vince Garcia of the city’s 2nd district wants to promote peace building through our society’s basic unit - the family.

(6:08 a.m.)

Federalism

I support new moves for a federal set up in the country to partly help solve the so-called “Mindanao problem.”

A federal state for our Muslims in the south would definitely be a much better solution than the regional autonomy, contained in the GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement, or the proposed ancestral domain areas now being contemplated under the GRP-MILF Talks.

But the whole trouble with this proposal is the need to amend the Constitution, which is still being opposed by majority of our countrymen.

In the last Charter change express, the federalism bait was used to catch a wider support for both the ConCom and the People’s Initiative. Unfortunately, people saw that it was mere cover for the real intent to shift to a parliamentary form of government.

Many sectors are concerned that tinkering with the Charter could open many changes in it that could include issues on military bases, patrimony, etc. (7:22 a.m.)

A new kind of US military base

The presence of US military troops in parts of Mindanao since 2002 may have created a new kind of military base, according to this story. This definitely is contrary to our Constitution.

Here is a must read to better understand the deepening involvement of the US in Mindanao. My friend Nathan Quimpo, who is now based in Tsukuba University in Japan writes that “unless Washington grapples fully with the southern Philippines’ complexities …the US could find itself sucked into the muck.”

(4:14 a.m.)

Food congress

I will represent Mayor Rody Duterte at the opening today of the two-day 6th Mindanao Food Congress at the Royal Mandaya Hotel.

Timed for the Kadayawan Festival in the city to celebrate the good harvest, the Congress would gather stakeholders from all over the region to push further the vision of Mindanao as the country’s food basket.

At its launching several months back, I also represented our Mayor and I recall sharing to our media colleagues my thoughts about the congress. I remember telling them the need to focus the congress in helping solve hunger and poverty rather than highlighting the export potentials of the food industry in the island.

It is truly ironic that in spite of the bounty of food in Mindanao, hunger and poverty incidences continue to rise.

Several bigwigs from Manila, including Senator Ed Angara and Secretary of Agriculture Arthur Yap, are coming to listen to policy proposals from Mindanao food producers. I hope addressing hunger would be one of them. (6:01 a.m.)