CAFGU kills commanding officer in Sadanga town in Mountain Province

By: Arthur L. Allad-iw, Northern Dispatch (Special to InterAksyon)
December 19, 2014 8:01 PM

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BAGUIO CITY - A member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) from the Saclit tribe of Sadanga, Mountain Province allegedly shot to death his commanding officer and then performed a "tomo," a ritual followed by his tribe when a warrior kills a person or an enemy.

According to a Sadanga police report, Antonio Cassiw Jr., a member of the Saclit tribe of Sadanga, shot to death his CO Sgt. Jerry C. Cuntapay, 46, using his official issue M14 rifle.

The report stated that the two arrived drunk and still continued with their drinking session at the 77 IB CAFGU battalion camp at Sitio Opokan, Poblacion, Sadanga between 9 pm to 10 pm on December 6, 2014, where the shooting occurred.

An altercation between the two then followed, after which Cassiw apparently proceeded to his guard post followed by Cuntapay. A shot rang out and the army officer's body was found by responding CAFGU men sprawled on the ground.

A medical report showed that Cuntapay was shot at the back of his head with bullet apparently exiting from his face.

Sadanga Mayor Gabino Ganggangan said that Cassiw, whom he confirmed to be from the Saclit tribe, is the subject of a manhunt by the town's policemen.

After performing the tomo, Cassiw fled, but barangay officials of Saclit turned over to the PNP the M14 rifle issued to Cassiw and the M16 Armalite rifle of Cuntapay, who has served the Philippine Army for 25 years.

A murder case was filed against Cassiw at the Regional Trial Court in Bontoc, Mountain Province based on testimonies of the other CAFGU soldiers and the "tomo" ritual that he had immediately performed after the killing.

An elder from Sadanga explained that "tomo" ritual is performed when someone kills a person. The killer is dressed in a warrior's attire during the ritual and members of his "ator" or indigenous circle also join in.

BSU to miss 2014 performance-based bonus

By: Arthur L. Allad-iw, Northern Dispatch (Special to InterAksyon)
December 19, 2014 7:43 PM

Photograph by Arthur L. Allad-iw, InterAksyon.com

InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

BAGUIO CITY – It is bad news for employees at Benguet State University (BSU), with its main campus in La Trinidad, Benguet, as the workers in all levels will not receive their performance-based bonus, or PBB.

The reason: The institution did not make the grade due to management and governance issues.

A document from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) cited the assessment result by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) that the disqualification was based on one of the five eligibility requirements on good governance conditions: The transparency seal.

The assessment stated that the institution only partially complied with the transparency seal.

Based on this shortcoming, which reflected less than satisfactory management functions, the 720 or so employees of BSU will not receive the bonus this year.

In 2012, when it qualified for the PBB, the employees enjoyed such a bonus, with each of the 720 employees receiving a flat-rate of P7,000 based on their internal agreement and regardless of their individual performance and rank.

Since they failed to live up to expectations this 2013, they will not receive the bonus this year.

Employees from the faculty and non-faculty rank and file were "broken hearted", as the amount from the PBB could have made their families happier this Christmas season.

Employees who requested anonymity claimed they did their part but management failed them.

Darlyn D. Tagarino, President of the faculty club association, summed up the sentiments of the rank and file employees. "Of course we felt disappointed. But there were valid reasons as pointed out by the IATF."

"We need to live with it, and the experience would make us better next time," she said in an interview.

BSU Vice-Pres. for Academic Affairs Dr. Percyveranda Lubrica claimed that the questioned posting of BSU's financial accomplishment on the web site was the reason for the school's PBB disqualification.

A letter of DBM Secretary Florencio Abad reminded BSU to publish its MFO Accounting Report CARD (MARC-1) and Management Accountability Report CARD (MARC-2) on its web site, which Lubrica acknowledged was one of the non-accomplished performance indicators.

On the other hand, Dr. Estrelita Daclan, VP for Administration and Finance, said that their main weakness was that they failed to put in one column in the worksheet pertaining to the budget for their targets.

"We missed 0.5 to obtain the passing score," she explained.

Regardless of the reasons, however, the employees said that their PBB disqualification boils down to a management issue that was out of their control.

PWDs need their Baguio Affairs Office

December 14, 2014 

By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — While celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities through a colorful parade on Monday, PWDs in this city called for the establishment of a law-mandated affairs office here.

Leaders of the PWD Federation on their wheel chairs lead the parade on December 8. Photo by Arthur L. Allad-iw

The Federation of Persons With Disabilities Baguio – Benguet chapter pointed out that Republic Act 10070 mandates the creation of the PWD Affairs Office (PDAO) in the province, city and municipality. It also institutionalizes the mechanisms to ensure programs and services for PWDs.

Antonio Damasco, afflicted by an ortho-related disability, said that the federation is laying down the criteria for the appropriate PWD who would be endorsed for the said office.

“The federation, in coordination with government offices, had a meeting on December 3 and among the PWDs representing their organizations are presently preparing for the criteria,” Damasco said in an interview.

The city’s office of the DSWD showed that there are 1,375 PWDs on its list. A 2011 data from the regional office of the DSWD showed that there 6,781 listed PWDs in the Cordillera. Excluded are those who failed to enlist themselves in this office. According to a census of the National Statistic Office, PWDs make up around 1.23 percent of the national population.

PWDs based in this city claimed that they suffer from double marginalization: facing their particular issues as PWDs and as consequences of being poor and marginalized.

Among their main concerns are problems on the education of special children, rehabilitation, accessibility to livelihood, and housing.

“This is aside from the everyday discrimination they encounter from “abled” persons,” said Daniel Padilan, who was amputated above both knees and now uses a wheel chair to facilitate his mobility.

Aside from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and RA 10070, various Philippine laws mandate respect for the rights of PWDs, such as the following:

Batasang Pambansa 344 requires buildings, institutions, establishments, and other public utilities to install facilities and other devices for PWDs.

Republic Act 7229 or the Magna Carta on the Rights of Person with Disabilities mandates the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of disabled persons and their integration into the mainstream of society. Even their political rights, like the right to vote, and civil rights are assured by this law.

RA 9442 mandates the 20 percent discount. It also calls for educational assistance and special commodities discount, and criminalizes public ridicule and vilification of PWDs.

These laws must be strictly observed by government for their realization, added a parent of a PWD. “

“But establishing a PDAO would help the local government in rendering services to the PWDs,” said Damasco.

The annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities started on December 3, 2007 and every year thereafter through the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/127. # 

Mountain Province elders recognize role of women in defense of land and peace

By: Arthur L. Allad-iw, InterAksyon.com
December 14, 2014 11:00 AM

Bontoc women. FILE PHOTO BY ARTHUR ALLAD-IW

InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

BAGUIO CITY – The amam-a (male elders) of Mountain Province have recognized the role of women elders in the defense of their ancestral homeland from corporate and state projects.

In strengthening their elders’ organization in the province, they instituted membership of women and programs that would give them greater role in the campaign for the defense of their land and community peace.

In the recent congress of the elders under the Movement for the Advancement of Inter-Tribal Unity and Development (Maitud) in the capital town of Bontoc, they affirmed the role of elders, including women, for the defense of land and resources for future generations.

Elvira Taguba, from the Bontok ethnolinguistic group, explained this new achievement of their organizing had not only enlightened the male elders who dominated leadership. “They recognized the role of women during times that their homeland is threatened by large-scale projects and how these women elders took the cudgel for the protection of their communities.”

In an interview, Taguba explained the role of women who stopped the large-scale mining plan in Mainit, Bontoc and in the opposition of the World Bank-funded Chico River Hydro Energy project that would submerge ili (villages) in Bontoc and Kalinga.

She cited the leadership of Mother Petra Macliing of Bontoc who led the women in removing their clothes that drove mine spectators from Mainit.

Presently in the watershed areas of the Chico River in the boundaries of Ifugao-Mountain Province and Mountain Province-Kalinga, there are at least six applications for financial and technical assistance agreement (AFTA) mostly by foreign corporations, two applications for production and sharing agreements (PSA), and five exploration permit agreements (Expa), which is almost 49.92 percent of the total mine applications covering 1,111,995.4351 hectares based on records of the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Cordillera Autonomous Region.

“It is through the women, like Mother Macliing, that went to Bugnay, Tinglayan, Kalinga in the late 70s and early 80s to explain the consequences of the Chico River dam if allowed. Macliing Dulag, a pangat(peace pact holder) of Bugnay led the Kalinga in the anti-Chico Dam protest until he was killed by state soldiers in the 80s,” explained Taguba, who is a member of the secretariat of the Cordillera Elders Assembly where Maitud is a member.

In the elders’ congress, Anglican priest Fr. Pablo Buyagan urged the promotion of the value of life and all that sustains life.

“The defense of life, land, and resources is tantamount to our survival as people and communities. The destruction of our lands and resources would rob the future generations the means for survival,” added Fr. Buyagan.

As elders, both men and women, this is a great consciousness that made us live even today and it is our obligation to pass to the next generation. We need to actively participate in all aspects of local struggles in our communities to defend our resources against destruction, added Fr. Buyagan, who is from Kalinga.

The recent elders’ congress was held at the Bishop Longid Hall, ENDP Building, Bontoc, Mt. province and was participated in by almost 100 male and women elders from the various towns of the province.