Text, photo and video by JAKE SORIANO A civil society leader and peace advocate warned of a rise in cases of human trafficking among evacuees in Maguindanao, with the continuing conflict in the province. Amina Rasul, president of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID), made the comment during the launch of Friends of
Text and photo by JAKE SORIANO UPI, MAGUINDANAO — Free medicines and half a sack of rice have gone a long way in combatting deadly tuberculosis here. Alarmed at the high TB detection rates in Upi, the local government and the rural health center have resorted to rewarding cured patients, as well as those who
COTABATO City — Every municipality in Maguindanao is expected this year to have an office for persons with disabilities (PWDs), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) here said. The provincial board unanimously approved last month an ordinance directing local governments to create a Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) down to the municipal
By JAKE SORIANO UPI, Maguindanao–The local police here warned residents against accepting job offers to work as housekeepers in Marawi City due to reported cases of exploitation there. The Upi Police Station Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) said illegal recruiters and traffickers have been preying on poor women minors from the barrios. With the
Text by JAKE SORIANO; Photos by KAYE SORIANO UPI, Maguindanao—Drums beat loud and fast. A showcase of moves with the bilao and the indigenous basket biton for props, a splash of colors and folk rhythms thundering from the agong and the kulintang filled the streets of this town up in the mountains. Already on its 12th
By JONATHAN DE SANTOS THE widows wore red, and not the black of mourning. “This doesn’t mean we are happy,” they said. “This shows we are still brave.” The two were Cipriana Gatchalian and Ramonita Salaysay, both of whom lost their husbands in the infamous Maguindanao Massacre on November 23, 2009. Last Tuesday, they and
AMIEL MARK CAGAYAN, Reporter and Videographer ARTHA KIRA PAREDES, Writer UPI, Maguindanao—At the first hour of the first day of the general voters’ registration in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the indigenous Teduray of South Upi embarked on a journey to become voters. They came down from their homes up in the mountains,
AMIEL MARK CAGAYAN, Reporter and Videographer ARTHA KIRA PAREDES, Writer DATU PIANG, Maguindanao—For weeks now, parishioners of the church in Datu Piang, Maguindanao have been praying for a peaceful conduct of the general voters’ registrations, now on its last day in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The 300 or so Catholic families who
By FERDINANDH B. CABRERA, MindaNews and VERA Files COTABATO CITY — A seven-year old girl died and her mother was wounded in an explosion that occurred today in front of the house of former governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. in Barangay Timbangan, Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao. Killed was Agatha Sakal, who was with her mother
ARTHA KIRA PAREDES, Reporter AMIEL MARK CAGAYAN, Producer DATU SALIBO, Maguindanao— Heavy rains at the start of the voters’ registration in Datu Salibo, Maguindanao left the main road flooded for almost a week now. The intermittent downpour all throughout the day also caused the swelling of the Botalo River. As a result, houses in the vicinity