Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Statement Of H.E. Iyad Ameen Madani Secretary General of the Organization Of Islamic Cooperation at the 41st Session of The Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers Session of Exploring Areas of Islamic Cooperation
Statement Of H.E. Iyad Ameen Madani Secretary General of the Organization Of Islamic Cooperation at the 41st Session of The Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers Session of Exploring Areas of Islamic Cooperation
Date: 18/06/2014 - View in: Arabic | French
In the Name of Allah, The All-Merciful, The All-Compassionate
And Peace and Blessings of Allah be on the Seal of Prophets and Messengers and on All Prophets
Your Royal Highness Prince Saud Al Faisal
Foreign Minister of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the Conference
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegations;
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;
Assalamu Alaykum warahmatulahi wabarakatuh,
It is an honor and privilege for me to address the opening session of the Forty-First Session of the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers. At the outset, I would like to express the thanks and gratitude of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting this meeting, for the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to all participating delegations, and for the possibilities and facilities allocated for holding this meeting. Our deep thanks and gratitude also go to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdulah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, for his continuous and comprehensive patronage to the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation and its objectives and march. While we congratulate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for assuming the chairmanship of the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers for the coming year, we should note the sincere and dedicated efforts exerted by the Republic of Guinea throughout its chairmanship of the bygone session of the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers and the support and participation witnessed by the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation from H.E. Mr. Lounceny Fall, the Guinean foreign minister.
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In spite of the short span between the last session of the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers held in Conakry last December, and the commencement to prepare for the present session, and its previous preparatory meetings, the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation has stepped up towards the embodiment of the joint visions of Member States and the goals adopted by the Summit meetings and the sessions of your august body. The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation has not also stood idle in front of the developments that have taken place in the domains of its work and responsibilities.
During the period since the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers in Conakry, the Secretary General visited more than twenty Member States in order to exchange views, listen to assessment, and have a first-hand experience of the realities on the ground. These included visits to some conflict zones, such as Mali, the West Bank, Bangladesh and Nigeria.
At the political plane, the Executive Ministerial Committee formed of the chair, deputy chair and rapporteur of both the Summit and the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers, was invited for an open-ended meeting to approve the mechanism for addressing the entrenched crisis in the Central African Republic. Following its meeting, Dr. Sheikh Tijani Gadio, a prominent politician and former Senegalese foreign minister, was instated as the Special Representative of the Secretary General to the Central African Republic. Moreover, a ministerial delegation conducted a field visit that included the Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, and Chad. This was followed by a visit of a delegation from the alliance of humanitarian organizations to the region under the umbrella of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss the mechanism required for the continuation of humanitarian aid initiated by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation inside and outside that stricken country. The General Secretariat has been exerting efforts to convince all political leaders there to execute an instrument that denounces violence to be the prelude for a political dialogue that leads to the formation of a national unity government under which security can prevail and the displaced can return to their homes before the elections can be held. This is because holding the elections in the midst of forced displacement, fighting and human rights violations is rather meaningless.
The Secretary General has also appointed H.E. Mr. Hamid Albar, former Malaysian foreign minister, as his Special Representative in the case of the Muslim minority in Myanmar. We hope that his inherent knowledge of Myanmar, his awareness of the sensitivities that surround addressing that crisis by the countries of that region, including some of Member States, and his personal knowledge of the leaders of Myanmar would enable the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to have a more feasible and impactful movement that contributes to the achievement of social peace for all the components of society in Myanmar. We also hope that our efforts include holding dialogue platforms between Muslim scholars and thinkers and their Buddhist counterparts to emphasize the historical commonalities and similar values.
The General Secretariat has been following up the crisis in northern Mali. It has been a witness to the Ouagadougou Agreement that crystallized a road map that begins with presidential and parliamentary elections in Mali followed by a round of negotiations between the new government and opposition factions, a matter the General Secretariat has been working on, pursuing and following up to commence. It is to be noted that in doing this, the General Secretariat recognizes the diversity and disagreement that divide the opposition factions as well as the priorities of the new Malian government. The General Secretariat also acknowledges that the crisis in northern Mali is contextually an integral part of the events unfolding in the Sahel region and some countries in North Africa as well as the different perspectives of the influential countries in the region on how to end that conflict. However, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation believes that this dispute should be resolved politically and developmentally along with the security perspective. H.E. Mr. Djibril Bassole, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso, is the Special Representative of the Secretary General to northern Mali and the Sahel countries. We are pleased to have among us today H.E. Dhabai Ould Sidi Mohamed, Minister of National Reconciliation and former foreign minister of Mali, as head of the Malian delegation at this meeting.
In this regard, I would like to thank His Royal Highness for giving the opportunity for these three special envoys to brief this august meeting later.
The Secretary General visited the capital of Nigeria, and the city of Maiduguri, Bornu State in the north-east of the country to gauge the political, geographical and societal realities of Boko Haram Movement. The General Secretariat is convinced that combating this separatist movement that adopts violence, intimidation and murder, should start by denying its assumed Islamic identity as most of its victims are Muslims. It destroys mosques and killed one of the historical princes in northern Nigeria. It should also be deprived its support resources while spending more towards greater national development in those areas of Nigeria. The Member States should also support Nigeria in its security and economic confrontation of Boko Haram and the environment from which it emerged. It is to be noted that the technical, logistical and material potentialities that movement show urge us to mediate on its support resources and empowerment and the reason behind that.
The other crisis and conflict areas in Member States remain challenging. The people of Kashmir are still deprived of the right to self-determination. We hope that the political leadership that emerged from the recent parliamentary elections in India will not increase their hardship and the obstacles placed in front of their fundamental right to determine their fate.
The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian occupation for about a quarter of Azerbaijan is still at a standstill. The General Secretariat looks forward to have a contribution in relaunching the standstill situation when Azerbaijan considers that appropriate. We call on all Member States to support the inherent rights of Azerbaijan in this conflict.
The political and security repercussions in Libya, Iraq and Syria haunt us deeply. Perhaps, the deliberations of this meeting would crystallize a collective stand and an agreed political approach to make the Organization of Islamic Cooperation platform and a strong springboard to advocate that approach, especially that most countries related to these repercussions are Member States. The Muslim World and Member States in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are the closest and most able to address the conflicts and confrontations inside their territory.
The Palestinian Cause, the reality of Al-Quds Ash-Sharif, the suffering of the Maqdisites, and the risks that face Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third of the three mosques for which it is prescribed to travel for the purpose of worship, remain at the heart of the meetings of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. I have nothing to add to what H.E. President Mahmoud Abbas mentioned in his statement except an assertion that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation works to its full potential and across all its organs and channels to serve this core issue. The General Secretariat believes that the current pivotal juncture of the Palestinian Cause requires us to add new means in addressing this conflict to the efforts exerted by Member States in the service of this Cause at the international, regional and national levels. These may include legal follow-up of Israel through a professional legal arm able to prepare well-documented files on Israeli aggressions, violations, and notorious record of its officials and leaders to be presented to the International Criminal Court and to complete the “apartheid state” profile so that the international community deals with it on that basis. The General Secretariat also calls for opening the door and encouraging Muslims to visit Al-Quds Ash-Sharif in thousands and ten thousands and pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque to prove its status in the hearts and conscience of the Ummah, document the right of Muslims in Al-Quds Ash-Sharif and the Al- Aqsa Mosque, confirm the status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Islamic identity, and to support Al-Quds Ash-Sharif and the Maqdisites.
Another conflict area is southern Philippines where the Bangsamoro Muslim people are still struggling to prove their identity and confirm their history and rights. In the light of the agreement signed recently between Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Philippine government under the auspices of Malaysia in the presence and witness of some Member States, and opposed by all factions of Moro National Liberation Front, and the fact that the declared texts of the new agreement do not mention or build explicitly on Tripoli and Jakarta Agreements of 1976 and 1997 respectively - being the two conventions which establish the position of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation towards that conflict - the General Secretariat has spared no effort to bring the two fronts together. They actually met a few days ago and reached a memorandum of understanding which we hope will be the basis for bridging the gap between them and establishing a united national front that follows up the implementation of the new agreement and links it to the previous agreements overlooked by the Philippine government. In this context, the support of the rapprochement of both fronts and legal follow up of the implementation of the new agreement and the compliance of the Philippine government to its text and soul is unavoidable if we want Bangsamoro Muslim people in the Philippines to obtain their most basic rights.
On the other hand, the General Secretariat monitors and follows up the recent developments in the Crimea and hopes that they do not affect the rights of the Tatar Muslims there whether politically, culturally or religiously. It calls Russia to reassure them about their future and full rights as citizens and that the experience of intimidation and forced displacement under the Soviet Russia will not be repeated under Federal Russia. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also hopes that the Russian position in supporting the right of the Russians in the Crimea to decide their political future would make Russia reconsider its position towards the independence of Kosovo and not to be an obstacle before the right of the people of Kosovo to self-determination and declaration of their independence and state in the same vein, principle and moral values. I call on all Member States to recognize the Republic of Kosovo which has been recognized already by more than one hundred countries in the world and whose legitimacy has been acknowledged by many international organizations, especially since the Russian position in the Crimea removes any embarrassment as regards supporting the independence of Kosovo, which we hope to be a full-fledged member at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation soon.
The efforts of the General Secretariat in implementing and following up the resolutions of the Summit and the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers go on in full swing in all the other files: Yemen, Sudan, Guinea, Niger, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Comoros, and the Muslim peoples in Cyprus and Bosnia.
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
One of the primary concerns of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is to address the phenomenon of terrorism, religious and sectarian extremism, the rights of Muslim minorities outside the Muslim World, and concepts of human rights, and rights of women and children and religious practice as all of these concepts have been codified in major international conventions and declarations on whose basis countries are judged, condemned, classified and sanctioned.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemns terrorism wherever it is and confirms, as in all international agreements and resolutions in this regard, that terrorism has no religion, nationality, doctrine, color, or race. It is rather a phenomenon that should be combated and addressed wherever it is and whatever its source may be. Accordingly, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation rejects and condemns any attempt to render terrorism equivalent to Islam, a religion espoused by more than two billion people throughout the world. The General Secretariat notes with deep surprise and condemnation the emerging trend of abusing Islam and Muslims on part of some European leaders and calls upon them to reflect internally before accusing Islam of racism, Nazism and committing massacres against others. If some of these leaders have chosen to fall into the arms of the apartheid regime represented by the current Israeli government, it is their business, choice and decision provided that they do not shove Islam and Muslims into their passion of Israeli Zionist extremism. The General Secretariat has demanded the President of the Czech Republic to apologize for his statements in which he described the region from northern Africa to Indonesia where Muslims mainly live as a haven for hatred, enmity and malice for the march of development and humanity and dubbed Muslims as Nazis and racist.
The General Secretariat calls for a unified stand by Member States to confront the sectarian division which has emerged in more than one place causing bloodshed, confrontation and violence between the brothers in Islam who forget that Islam came in one book revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and established one civilization that was the nucleus of the human civilization we live today. Sectarian disagreement, dispute and fighting is not only a betrayal of the message, major principles and noble purposes of Islam being the message sent for all human beings and the final religion that is valid for every time and place, but also a surrender to all these forces that were launched and encouraged to classify Muslims doctrinally. Those who encourage and exploit doctrines for consolidation of political influence not only serve the plans set to discredit, weaken and disintegrate Islam from within, but also work in an arena where all lose and none wins.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also follows up the affairs of Muslim minorities around the world, whether those formed from immigrants throughout Europe, those who converted to Islam within their homelands, or those that have found themselves a part of major political configurations with followers of other beliefs and races. As we all know, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as per the Islamic perception down the history, invites all to open up, coexist and engage in the reconstruction of the universe. Islam does not call for religion to be a substitute for citizenship as it does not find a contradiction or dissonance between both of them. However, at the same time, Muslims, wherever they are, have religious, cultural, linguistic and social rights which we should all refuse to be subject to abuse, marginalization, exclusion, obliteration or violation.
Combating terrorism, facing sectarian fighting, responding to attacks that abuse Islam, and defending the rights of Muslim minorities, make it imperative on the Muslim world, the Ummah and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to have our contemporary objective concepts, and conscious and thoughtful profound discourse of the essence of man and his human rights and the attributes of good governance.
The conferences of the Islamic Summit and the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers have established a number of means and mechanisms, such as the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Islamophobia Observatory, the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, and the Unit for Mediation, Peace and Security and issued various declarations on human rights and rights of women and children in Islam among others to enable the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to realize its role in these fields. The last Extraordinary Summit held in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in 1433 AH (2012 AD) unanimously adopted the proposal of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, on the establishment of a “center for dialogue among Islamic schools of thought” to reach a common understanding. All these instruments and methods need to be further asserted, well positioned and provided with independence to realize the purposes for which they were established.
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
The tasks and responsibilities of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as enshrined by its Charter, formed by the resolutions of the Summit and the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers, and as defined in its Ten-Year Program of Action, do not address the political affair as is, but in terms of its components, effects, determinants and economic, scientific, social and cultural backgrounds; hence the directions and goals of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in all these dimensions.
On the economic level, the Islamic Bank for Development continues to discharge its leading role in supporting economic development and infrastructure projects and in supporting the social facilities required to achieve sustainable development in Member States. The General Secretariat has been working closely with the Bank leadership, namely H.E Dr. Ahmed Mohamad Ali, to whom all vow respect, consideration and admiration, in order to achieve wider microfinance coverage. This endeavor, conducted in coordination with countries with extensive experience, aims at developing a practical, transparent and flexible model for microfinance transactions. These operations include not only extending loans but also providing assistance in small projects development, the assessment of the nature of their markets and the provision of necessary training and capacity building. These loans will circulate as blood in the veins of society, dynamize it and create hope, optimism, stability and serenity amongst people, thus making them more attached to social peace. These small loans are also an efficient means to reduce unemployment, poverty and women exclusion. Furthermore, we work with the Bank on developing a joint strategy among Member States, producing similar products, such as cotton, in order to achieve a form of complemtarity, exchange expertise and increase the impact and results.
Besides, the General Secretariat is pushing forward the idea of creating joint investment and production companies among Member States on the model of multinational companies, that hopefully will be able to compete in investing natural and human resources and protecting the resources of some countries from the pure foreign monopoly that constitutes in some instances another facet of former direct colonial influence. The General Secretariat seeks to develop a clearer framework in the field of halal foodstuffs standards that will allow the adoption and issuance of certificates in accordance with OIC standards and rules for halal foodstuffs, and help provide this important and profitable field with a regulatory environment.
On another hand, the economic activity requires that we adopt the agreed upon tools, means and channels and start using them, in order to encourage intraregional trade exchange, increase public-private partnership, with a view to reducing poverty, encouraging the use of resources and building capacities.
On the humanitarian level, we are working to strengthen our humanitarian activities in the Islamic World, and to mobilize capabilities to increase relief aid aimed at deprived countries and areas. This stems from the spirit of Islamic solidarity and aims to benefit all Muslims in Member and non-Member States. In order to fulfill our part in this area, we await the special funds within the OIC that work in humanitarian and development areas to do their part. However, these special funds are weighed down permanently by insufficient budgets; hence their impact on the ground in crises areas is negligible. And with the constantly growing challenges faced by the Member States on the humanitarian and development fronts, we should reconsider the role of these funds. This shall be possible by authorizing us to reorganize the mechanisms applied by the OIC in the humanitarian and development area, and to submit our vision in this regard to the next meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers.
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies,
Brothers and Sisters,
Many of the political challenges faced by the Member States are at heart associated with requirements for knowledge, culture and innovation. Discussions over energy, environment, defense, water, desertification, agriculture, and industry cannot be fathomed without a solid scientific and technological basis, and in the absence of the ability to be innovative and use up-to-date technology, otherwise we will be forced to follow others. The General Secretariat works to revive cooperation between Member States, in accordance with resolutions adopted by the Summit and the Council of Foreign Ministers, and to open new horizons for this cooperation. We look forward with great interest to the Islamic Summit on Science and Technology, to be held in Pakistan in the near future. And we hope that the General Secretariat will have the opportunity to engage in coordination efforts for this summit with the relevant parties.
It is not possible to talk about technology, science, and knowledge without referring to modern and proficient educational institutions. The resolutions adopted by the Summit to establish universities in Uganda, Niger, and Bangladesh were groundbreaking and farsighted. Today, these universities have become science lighthouses and prominent, effective models of the association between Islam and science and knowledge, given the honorable task they are entrusted with in the area of academic and scientific training, and providing guidance to the youth who are the future and hope of all our countries.
These three universities need urgent support until the the completion of the Waqf project to support their academic and administrative activities, such as to catch up with other world universities and meet today's requirements. We would like to express our thanks and appreciation to all those who provided support and assistance to these universities. This contributed to major achievements, including the increase of the number of students, the introduction of new academic programmes and the diversification of academic disciplines, knowing that these universities provide services to all neighbouring countries. We are confident that such support from all countries and institutions, not exceeding US$20 million, will continue for the next five years.
When we talk today's world, dominated as it is by science, technology and innovation, we should mention the field of cyberspace, which we need to protect from anyone who is bent on using it to their own advantage through top level domain names with an Islamic identity such as '.islam' and '.halal' as well as any other new names that may crop up in the future. The use of such names, which may prove to be sensitive from the religious point of view, are being discussed at the level of the internet governing body, ICANN. We are currently in the process of forming an expert team from member countries to follow up this important issue.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to conclude my speech by talking about culture. Societies express their humanity and identity, mankind, society and life through a cultural, literary, artistic, innovative and traditional expressions. Each society has its own face, voice and story and we are all ultimately the result of some culture. Our traits are shaped by our own cultural output, and our knowledge of the other is determined by our mutual cultural exchange. This is exactly the reason why the General Secretariat is constantly seeking through all means possible to promote innovation, facilitate cultural exchange and support all forms of cultural products which draws on and protects identity. We are collaborating with the Islamic Development Bank to set up a fund for cultural activities of innovative youth. We are also deepening and expanding the fields of cultural exchange among member countries and strengthen our common Islamic culture and civilization. Such common heritage grows stronger thanks to its diversity, richness and innovation that know no boundary.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The result of common action within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is a low hanging fruit, ready for the picking. The way to pick that fruit comes through your confidence in this organisation, your belief in its objectives and your actions to inject warmth and vitality in its veins.
May Allah guide us to that which pleases him.
Peace be upon the Prophet Mohamed and all prophets and messengers.
Assalamu Alaikom Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.
Date: 18/06/2014 - View in: Arabic | French
In the Name of Allah, The All-Merciful, The All-Compassionate
And Peace and Blessings of Allah be on the Seal of Prophets and Messengers and on All Prophets
Your Royal Highness Prince Saud Al Faisal
Foreign Minister of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the Conference
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegations;
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;
Assalamu Alaykum warahmatulahi wabarakatuh,
It is an honor and privilege for me to address the opening session of the Forty-First Session of the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers. At the outset, I would like to express the thanks and gratitude of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting this meeting, for the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to all participating delegations, and for the possibilities and facilities allocated for holding this meeting. Our deep thanks and gratitude also go to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdulah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, for his continuous and comprehensive patronage to the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation and its objectives and march. While we congratulate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for assuming the chairmanship of the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers for the coming year, we should note the sincere and dedicated efforts exerted by the Republic of Guinea throughout its chairmanship of the bygone session of the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers and the support and participation witnessed by the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation from H.E. Mr. Lounceny Fall, the Guinean foreign minister.
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In spite of the short span between the last session of the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers held in Conakry last December, and the commencement to prepare for the present session, and its previous preparatory meetings, the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation has stepped up towards the embodiment of the joint visions of Member States and the goals adopted by the Summit meetings and the sessions of your august body. The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation has not also stood idle in front of the developments that have taken place in the domains of its work and responsibilities.
During the period since the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers in Conakry, the Secretary General visited more than twenty Member States in order to exchange views, listen to assessment, and have a first-hand experience of the realities on the ground. These included visits to some conflict zones, such as Mali, the West Bank, Bangladesh and Nigeria.
At the political plane, the Executive Ministerial Committee formed of the chair, deputy chair and rapporteur of both the Summit and the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers, was invited for an open-ended meeting to approve the mechanism for addressing the entrenched crisis in the Central African Republic. Following its meeting, Dr. Sheikh Tijani Gadio, a prominent politician and former Senegalese foreign minister, was instated as the Special Representative of the Secretary General to the Central African Republic. Moreover, a ministerial delegation conducted a field visit that included the Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, and Chad. This was followed by a visit of a delegation from the alliance of humanitarian organizations to the region under the umbrella of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss the mechanism required for the continuation of humanitarian aid initiated by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation inside and outside that stricken country. The General Secretariat has been exerting efforts to convince all political leaders there to execute an instrument that denounces violence to be the prelude for a political dialogue that leads to the formation of a national unity government under which security can prevail and the displaced can return to their homes before the elections can be held. This is because holding the elections in the midst of forced displacement, fighting and human rights violations is rather meaningless.
The Secretary General has also appointed H.E. Mr. Hamid Albar, former Malaysian foreign minister, as his Special Representative in the case of the Muslim minority in Myanmar. We hope that his inherent knowledge of Myanmar, his awareness of the sensitivities that surround addressing that crisis by the countries of that region, including some of Member States, and his personal knowledge of the leaders of Myanmar would enable the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to have a more feasible and impactful movement that contributes to the achievement of social peace for all the components of society in Myanmar. We also hope that our efforts include holding dialogue platforms between Muslim scholars and thinkers and their Buddhist counterparts to emphasize the historical commonalities and similar values.
The General Secretariat has been following up the crisis in northern Mali. It has been a witness to the Ouagadougou Agreement that crystallized a road map that begins with presidential and parliamentary elections in Mali followed by a round of negotiations between the new government and opposition factions, a matter the General Secretariat has been working on, pursuing and following up to commence. It is to be noted that in doing this, the General Secretariat recognizes the diversity and disagreement that divide the opposition factions as well as the priorities of the new Malian government. The General Secretariat also acknowledges that the crisis in northern Mali is contextually an integral part of the events unfolding in the Sahel region and some countries in North Africa as well as the different perspectives of the influential countries in the region on how to end that conflict. However, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation believes that this dispute should be resolved politically and developmentally along with the security perspective. H.E. Mr. Djibril Bassole, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso, is the Special Representative of the Secretary General to northern Mali and the Sahel countries. We are pleased to have among us today H.E. Dhabai Ould Sidi Mohamed, Minister of National Reconciliation and former foreign minister of Mali, as head of the Malian delegation at this meeting.
In this regard, I would like to thank His Royal Highness for giving the opportunity for these three special envoys to brief this august meeting later.
The Secretary General visited the capital of Nigeria, and the city of Maiduguri, Bornu State in the north-east of the country to gauge the political, geographical and societal realities of Boko Haram Movement. The General Secretariat is convinced that combating this separatist movement that adopts violence, intimidation and murder, should start by denying its assumed Islamic identity as most of its victims are Muslims. It destroys mosques and killed one of the historical princes in northern Nigeria. It should also be deprived its support resources while spending more towards greater national development in those areas of Nigeria. The Member States should also support Nigeria in its security and economic confrontation of Boko Haram and the environment from which it emerged. It is to be noted that the technical, logistical and material potentialities that movement show urge us to mediate on its support resources and empowerment and the reason behind that.
The other crisis and conflict areas in Member States remain challenging. The people of Kashmir are still deprived of the right to self-determination. We hope that the political leadership that emerged from the recent parliamentary elections in India will not increase their hardship and the obstacles placed in front of their fundamental right to determine their fate.
The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian occupation for about a quarter of Azerbaijan is still at a standstill. The General Secretariat looks forward to have a contribution in relaunching the standstill situation when Azerbaijan considers that appropriate. We call on all Member States to support the inherent rights of Azerbaijan in this conflict.
The political and security repercussions in Libya, Iraq and Syria haunt us deeply. Perhaps, the deliberations of this meeting would crystallize a collective stand and an agreed political approach to make the Organization of Islamic Cooperation platform and a strong springboard to advocate that approach, especially that most countries related to these repercussions are Member States. The Muslim World and Member States in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are the closest and most able to address the conflicts and confrontations inside their territory.
The Palestinian Cause, the reality of Al-Quds Ash-Sharif, the suffering of the Maqdisites, and the risks that face Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third of the three mosques for which it is prescribed to travel for the purpose of worship, remain at the heart of the meetings of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. I have nothing to add to what H.E. President Mahmoud Abbas mentioned in his statement except an assertion that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation works to its full potential and across all its organs and channels to serve this core issue. The General Secretariat believes that the current pivotal juncture of the Palestinian Cause requires us to add new means in addressing this conflict to the efforts exerted by Member States in the service of this Cause at the international, regional and national levels. These may include legal follow-up of Israel through a professional legal arm able to prepare well-documented files on Israeli aggressions, violations, and notorious record of its officials and leaders to be presented to the International Criminal Court and to complete the “apartheid state” profile so that the international community deals with it on that basis. The General Secretariat also calls for opening the door and encouraging Muslims to visit Al-Quds Ash-Sharif in thousands and ten thousands and pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque to prove its status in the hearts and conscience of the Ummah, document the right of Muslims in Al-Quds Ash-Sharif and the Al- Aqsa Mosque, confirm the status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Islamic identity, and to support Al-Quds Ash-Sharif and the Maqdisites.
Another conflict area is southern Philippines where the Bangsamoro Muslim people are still struggling to prove their identity and confirm their history and rights. In the light of the agreement signed recently between Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Philippine government under the auspices of Malaysia in the presence and witness of some Member States, and opposed by all factions of Moro National Liberation Front, and the fact that the declared texts of the new agreement do not mention or build explicitly on Tripoli and Jakarta Agreements of 1976 and 1997 respectively - being the two conventions which establish the position of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation towards that conflict - the General Secretariat has spared no effort to bring the two fronts together. They actually met a few days ago and reached a memorandum of understanding which we hope will be the basis for bridging the gap between them and establishing a united national front that follows up the implementation of the new agreement and links it to the previous agreements overlooked by the Philippine government. In this context, the support of the rapprochement of both fronts and legal follow up of the implementation of the new agreement and the compliance of the Philippine government to its text and soul is unavoidable if we want Bangsamoro Muslim people in the Philippines to obtain their most basic rights.
On the other hand, the General Secretariat monitors and follows up the recent developments in the Crimea and hopes that they do not affect the rights of the Tatar Muslims there whether politically, culturally or religiously. It calls Russia to reassure them about their future and full rights as citizens and that the experience of intimidation and forced displacement under the Soviet Russia will not be repeated under Federal Russia. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also hopes that the Russian position in supporting the right of the Russians in the Crimea to decide their political future would make Russia reconsider its position towards the independence of Kosovo and not to be an obstacle before the right of the people of Kosovo to self-determination and declaration of their independence and state in the same vein, principle and moral values. I call on all Member States to recognize the Republic of Kosovo which has been recognized already by more than one hundred countries in the world and whose legitimacy has been acknowledged by many international organizations, especially since the Russian position in the Crimea removes any embarrassment as regards supporting the independence of Kosovo, which we hope to be a full-fledged member at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation soon.
The efforts of the General Secretariat in implementing and following up the resolutions of the Summit and the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers go on in full swing in all the other files: Yemen, Sudan, Guinea, Niger, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Comoros, and the Muslim peoples in Cyprus and Bosnia.
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
One of the primary concerns of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is to address the phenomenon of terrorism, religious and sectarian extremism, the rights of Muslim minorities outside the Muslim World, and concepts of human rights, and rights of women and children and religious practice as all of these concepts have been codified in major international conventions and declarations on whose basis countries are judged, condemned, classified and sanctioned.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemns terrorism wherever it is and confirms, as in all international agreements and resolutions in this regard, that terrorism has no religion, nationality, doctrine, color, or race. It is rather a phenomenon that should be combated and addressed wherever it is and whatever its source may be. Accordingly, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation rejects and condemns any attempt to render terrorism equivalent to Islam, a religion espoused by more than two billion people throughout the world. The General Secretariat notes with deep surprise and condemnation the emerging trend of abusing Islam and Muslims on part of some European leaders and calls upon them to reflect internally before accusing Islam of racism, Nazism and committing massacres against others. If some of these leaders have chosen to fall into the arms of the apartheid regime represented by the current Israeli government, it is their business, choice and decision provided that they do not shove Islam and Muslims into their passion of Israeli Zionist extremism. The General Secretariat has demanded the President of the Czech Republic to apologize for his statements in which he described the region from northern Africa to Indonesia where Muslims mainly live as a haven for hatred, enmity and malice for the march of development and humanity and dubbed Muslims as Nazis and racist.
The General Secretariat calls for a unified stand by Member States to confront the sectarian division which has emerged in more than one place causing bloodshed, confrontation and violence between the brothers in Islam who forget that Islam came in one book revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and established one civilization that was the nucleus of the human civilization we live today. Sectarian disagreement, dispute and fighting is not only a betrayal of the message, major principles and noble purposes of Islam being the message sent for all human beings and the final religion that is valid for every time and place, but also a surrender to all these forces that were launched and encouraged to classify Muslims doctrinally. Those who encourage and exploit doctrines for consolidation of political influence not only serve the plans set to discredit, weaken and disintegrate Islam from within, but also work in an arena where all lose and none wins.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also follows up the affairs of Muslim minorities around the world, whether those formed from immigrants throughout Europe, those who converted to Islam within their homelands, or those that have found themselves a part of major political configurations with followers of other beliefs and races. As we all know, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as per the Islamic perception down the history, invites all to open up, coexist and engage in the reconstruction of the universe. Islam does not call for religion to be a substitute for citizenship as it does not find a contradiction or dissonance between both of them. However, at the same time, Muslims, wherever they are, have religious, cultural, linguistic and social rights which we should all refuse to be subject to abuse, marginalization, exclusion, obliteration or violation.
Combating terrorism, facing sectarian fighting, responding to attacks that abuse Islam, and defending the rights of Muslim minorities, make it imperative on the Muslim world, the Ummah and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to have our contemporary objective concepts, and conscious and thoughtful profound discourse of the essence of man and his human rights and the attributes of good governance.
The conferences of the Islamic Summit and the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers have established a number of means and mechanisms, such as the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Islamophobia Observatory, the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, and the Unit for Mediation, Peace and Security and issued various declarations on human rights and rights of women and children in Islam among others to enable the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to realize its role in these fields. The last Extraordinary Summit held in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in 1433 AH (2012 AD) unanimously adopted the proposal of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, on the establishment of a “center for dialogue among Islamic schools of thought” to reach a common understanding. All these instruments and methods need to be further asserted, well positioned and provided with independence to realize the purposes for which they were established.
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
The tasks and responsibilities of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as enshrined by its Charter, formed by the resolutions of the Summit and the Islamic Council of Foreign Ministers, and as defined in its Ten-Year Program of Action, do not address the political affair as is, but in terms of its components, effects, determinants and economic, scientific, social and cultural backgrounds; hence the directions and goals of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in all these dimensions.
On the economic level, the Islamic Bank for Development continues to discharge its leading role in supporting economic development and infrastructure projects and in supporting the social facilities required to achieve sustainable development in Member States. The General Secretariat has been working closely with the Bank leadership, namely H.E Dr. Ahmed Mohamad Ali, to whom all vow respect, consideration and admiration, in order to achieve wider microfinance coverage. This endeavor, conducted in coordination with countries with extensive experience, aims at developing a practical, transparent and flexible model for microfinance transactions. These operations include not only extending loans but also providing assistance in small projects development, the assessment of the nature of their markets and the provision of necessary training and capacity building. These loans will circulate as blood in the veins of society, dynamize it and create hope, optimism, stability and serenity amongst people, thus making them more attached to social peace. These small loans are also an efficient means to reduce unemployment, poverty and women exclusion. Furthermore, we work with the Bank on developing a joint strategy among Member States, producing similar products, such as cotton, in order to achieve a form of complemtarity, exchange expertise and increase the impact and results.
Besides, the General Secretariat is pushing forward the idea of creating joint investment and production companies among Member States on the model of multinational companies, that hopefully will be able to compete in investing natural and human resources and protecting the resources of some countries from the pure foreign monopoly that constitutes in some instances another facet of former direct colonial influence. The General Secretariat seeks to develop a clearer framework in the field of halal foodstuffs standards that will allow the adoption and issuance of certificates in accordance with OIC standards and rules for halal foodstuffs, and help provide this important and profitable field with a regulatory environment.
On another hand, the economic activity requires that we adopt the agreed upon tools, means and channels and start using them, in order to encourage intraregional trade exchange, increase public-private partnership, with a view to reducing poverty, encouraging the use of resources and building capacities.
On the humanitarian level, we are working to strengthen our humanitarian activities in the Islamic World, and to mobilize capabilities to increase relief aid aimed at deprived countries and areas. This stems from the spirit of Islamic solidarity and aims to benefit all Muslims in Member and non-Member States. In order to fulfill our part in this area, we await the special funds within the OIC that work in humanitarian and development areas to do their part. However, these special funds are weighed down permanently by insufficient budgets; hence their impact on the ground in crises areas is negligible. And with the constantly growing challenges faced by the Member States on the humanitarian and development fronts, we should reconsider the role of these funds. This shall be possible by authorizing us to reorganize the mechanisms applied by the OIC in the humanitarian and development area, and to submit our vision in this regard to the next meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers.
Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies,
Brothers and Sisters,
Many of the political challenges faced by the Member States are at heart associated with requirements for knowledge, culture and innovation. Discussions over energy, environment, defense, water, desertification, agriculture, and industry cannot be fathomed without a solid scientific and technological basis, and in the absence of the ability to be innovative and use up-to-date technology, otherwise we will be forced to follow others. The General Secretariat works to revive cooperation between Member States, in accordance with resolutions adopted by the Summit and the Council of Foreign Ministers, and to open new horizons for this cooperation. We look forward with great interest to the Islamic Summit on Science and Technology, to be held in Pakistan in the near future. And we hope that the General Secretariat will have the opportunity to engage in coordination efforts for this summit with the relevant parties.
It is not possible to talk about technology, science, and knowledge without referring to modern and proficient educational institutions. The resolutions adopted by the Summit to establish universities in Uganda, Niger, and Bangladesh were groundbreaking and farsighted. Today, these universities have become science lighthouses and prominent, effective models of the association between Islam and science and knowledge, given the honorable task they are entrusted with in the area of academic and scientific training, and providing guidance to the youth who are the future and hope of all our countries.
These three universities need urgent support until the the completion of the Waqf project to support their academic and administrative activities, such as to catch up with other world universities and meet today's requirements. We would like to express our thanks and appreciation to all those who provided support and assistance to these universities. This contributed to major achievements, including the increase of the number of students, the introduction of new academic programmes and the diversification of academic disciplines, knowing that these universities provide services to all neighbouring countries. We are confident that such support from all countries and institutions, not exceeding US$20 million, will continue for the next five years.
When we talk today's world, dominated as it is by science, technology and innovation, we should mention the field of cyberspace, which we need to protect from anyone who is bent on using it to their own advantage through top level domain names with an Islamic identity such as '.islam' and '.halal' as well as any other new names that may crop up in the future. The use of such names, which may prove to be sensitive from the religious point of view, are being discussed at the level of the internet governing body, ICANN. We are currently in the process of forming an expert team from member countries to follow up this important issue.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to conclude my speech by talking about culture. Societies express their humanity and identity, mankind, society and life through a cultural, literary, artistic, innovative and traditional expressions. Each society has its own face, voice and story and we are all ultimately the result of some culture. Our traits are shaped by our own cultural output, and our knowledge of the other is determined by our mutual cultural exchange. This is exactly the reason why the General Secretariat is constantly seeking through all means possible to promote innovation, facilitate cultural exchange and support all forms of cultural products which draws on and protects identity. We are collaborating with the Islamic Development Bank to set up a fund for cultural activities of innovative youth. We are also deepening and expanding the fields of cultural exchange among member countries and strengthen our common Islamic culture and civilization. Such common heritage grows stronger thanks to its diversity, richness and innovation that know no boundary.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The result of common action within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is a low hanging fruit, ready for the picking. The way to pick that fruit comes through your confidence in this organisation, your belief in its objectives and your actions to inject warmth and vitality in its veins.
May Allah guide us to that which pleases him.
Peace be upon the Prophet Mohamed and all prophets and messengers.
Assalamu Alaikom Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Apply for a Job in Armm
Armm has new vacant positions. Apply now! I assure you, this is not the Armm that you knew from experience. This one gives power to the underprivileged but deserving public servants. No need for backers, recommendations, and padulas. All you need are: your self, PDS and five valid 2x2 recent photos, no more, no less. As for Sulu, new preliminary assessment will happen next week for the vacant positions listed inthis link. I'd been there last April, and was chosen. So, I know. Please stay alert for announcement. Just get your papers ready. Here's the Link for the vacant positions: http://rpspb.armm.gov.ph/2014/06/vacancies-as-of-june-6-2014.html?spref=bl
Monday, June 16, 2014
ARMM PSPB: Vacancies as of June 6, 2014
Armm has new vacant positions. Apply now! I assure you, this is not the Armm that you knew from experience. This one gives power to the underprivileged but deserving public servants. No need for backers, recommendations, and padulas. All you need are: your self, PDS and five valid 2x2 recent photos, no more, no less. As for Sulu, new preliminary assessment will happen next week for the vacant positions listed in this link. I'd been there last April, and was chosen. So, I know. Please stay alert for announcement. Just get your papers ready. The Link:
ARMM PSPB: Vacancies as of June 6, 2014
ARMM PSPB: Vacancies as of June 6, 2014
The Life of the Model Student
After graduation from High School, the guy was in limbo. Just like any ordinary guy next door, he was confused on what course to take in College.
He sought the advice of Sir Hann Jannaral, one of his favorite teachers in High School. Since Sir Hann was an English Major, Sir Hann told the young man to take up AB English as a matter of course.
It was Sir Hann that firstly saw potential in our guy. Sir Hann expected that our guy would have a great future in store for him, either as a teacher or a statesman. Since seeing the enthusiastic and fragile young man among the innocent students of Skate section, the third section of the first year in MSU-Sulu, Sir Hann already developed an affection towards the young man.
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| Sir Hann and Labliner Staffers |
And so because of sheer determination, our future "hesitant lawyer" jumped to first section by the second year, and he had maintained it until fourth year, graduating 1st honorable mention of batch 1997. Sir Hann specially mentored the young man in his third year and fourth year, getting specially close with him, until the young man no longer talked in Bahasa Sug, but only in English!
But did he take the advice of his mentor to take up AB English? Maybe he would, but our "hesitant lawyer" already had a full DOST scholarhip at his disposal. AB English was anything but supported under the program.
Still undecided, the young man took the pre-university program of the DOST. In that program, the DOST scholars were given free lectures on Math and Physics, and Science and Technology for a few months so that the scholars could best prepare for difficult life in college.
And so, our guy, Meltino Sibulan, the "hesitant lawyer," decided that Computer Engineering should be his best choice among DOST supported courses.
But his reverie of being a Computer Engineer was cut short by the teacher who boomed at him: "Why not buy yourself a computer and practice at home?"
And so "Ulong", as he was fondly called by family and friends, went home, enrolled at MSU-Sulu, and took up BS Math, a supported program under DOST program in 1997. And after receiving his first allowance from the DOST, he bought -- guess what? -- a second-hand IBM 386 computer in 1998!
It should go without saying that the partly-used computer frequently crashed. Bringing it to Zamboanga City for repair many times, he was able to finally understand the secrets of computer repair. And, of course, some of those crashes were actually self-administered. Ulong was learning and applying the tricks of computer repair on his own computer at home!
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| Mr Sibulan as 2nd Honorable mention in MSU Lab High '97 |
***
Back to the present, I asked him: "When was the exact moment of your life that you see yourself as a lawyer?"
"I saw myself as a lawyer only during the time that I was able to recite like a lawyer during our law classes in MSU-Marawi. I was able to stand the full hour recitation, which only few law students in MSU can do."
Uh-oh! From BS Math at MSU-Sulu to Bachelor of Laws in MSU-Marawi? I asked him: "Did you plan for it, to become a lawyer?"
"No, I did not plan to be a lawyer. It just happened."
***
From 1997-2001, in MSU-Sulu, Mr Sibulan, a BS Math student, achieved a lot compared to perhaps any other MSU-Sulu students. Among the many awards and distinction he was bestowed on his graduation day were 1) the "Leadership Award," being the president of the Supreme Student Government; and 2) the "Journalism Award," being the editor-in-chief of the Hangadhulat Publication, the school paper of MSU-Sulu.
The nemesis of Mr Sibulan in College and the only senator who won from the opposition party of Mhel, admitted recently: "Meltino is the best president of the SSG, ever! He was extreme, active, and prolific. He had many meaningful projects than all SSG president's combined."
But when they were in college, the feisty lady recalled how she put thorns after thorns on Mr Sibulan's paths. By the influence of the Dean on Student Affairs, which was also the adviser of the student government in MSU-Sulu, the lady accused Meltino of being corrupt, and thus unfitting to be the president. She filed impeachment charges against Meltino.
"I know I can't really win against Meltino," the lady said. "I was a fool to listen to some teachers' accusations against Mhel. I knew all along that Mhel is a good guy."
And to prove Mhel's innocence, Mhel brought P18,000 worth of receipts to the chancellor. He claimed that it was the amount of personal money that he had used while doing his duties and responsibilities as President of the SSG. He used his own money because the admin was not releasing funds to the student government.
His being a student activist did not play well with the school administration. Most did not like it.
So, despite winning a landslide victory, Mhel had assumed his last term as President of the SSG after taking a late Oath of Office last February 2001, barely two months before graduation. He was able to use only a meager sum of P60,000 from the students funds for his projects, and doing it overtime just to finish them before graduation. The other P120,000 that was intended for other meaningful projects was not used. The admin kept it for the next school year.
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| Meltino Sibulan and Batchmate in College Graduation 2001 |
These challenges and frustrations had really become the motivating factor for Mhel to become a lawyer, his frustration that he could not do anything to defend himself; and that everybody was against him that time while being fully aware that he was not doing anything wrong. He was only trying to put the MSU students' interest on top of everything, frequently being verbally abused by the admins.
With a confused mind, he unexpectedly bumped into Ms Jennylinda Nandu (now an executive secretary of the DILG-Armm regional secretary) at the MSU-Sulu gate. Remembering that she was about to take up law in Marawi City, she asked her about the requirements of the Bachelor of Laws, which he immediately complied with.
"I told my parents about my plans," recounted Mhel, "But they did not agree with me. They told me to look for a job. I have to support my siblings, they said."
With the burning passion and determination in his heart to become a lawyer, he refused to follow his parents' advice. He escaped to MSU-Marawi using only the funds which he successfully reimbursed from the MSU-Sulu SSG funds: P11,000, part of the P18,000 worth of receipts he showed to the chancellor.
But he still did not know what to do, what was expected of him as a law student. The books given to him, he just put in the corner, and stared at them in disbelief: "How can I possibly memorise all of these?"
So the first day of class was a shock. One by one, the students were called up to recite on what they had learned so far. And Jennylinda Nandu was her classmate. Luckily she had consumed the whole hour, thus Mhel and the other students were freed from worry. But it challenged Mhel, of course.
So, the competitive Mhel wanted to do more but he didn't know where to start.
"After class, I ran to the Masjid (mosque) in MSU-Marawi, and say the Sambahayang Hajat," he recalled. "Though I didn't know the exact Niyat to utter, I only wanted to ask Allah for something. For anything."
And he was given Taufiq. That was the time that he appreciated the wisdom of the first commandment of Allah in the Holy Qur'an: Iqra! He read, read and read, until he got addicted to reading.
Mr Dahams, his friend in Marawi, said: "Nobody could distract Mhel from reading, even my friends' loud cacophony of friendly jostling and laughters. But after he was done reading, he would join the fun and enjoy our company."
So when the time came that Mhel was called to recite, he was able to utilize the full hour, his ideas were still unstoppable. "I was surprised when all of my classmates congratulated me. I was happy."
In MSU-Marawi, there were six students (Bennyamin Musahari, Meltino Sibulan, Radzmel Sibulan, Marghani Sabaani, Abdulaziz Kairan, Salimar Sali, and Alhabir Dahamban) sharing the same quarter. And all of them, looked at Mhel as a guardian, brother, and friend. He solved most of their problems: homework, school, financial, name it. They shared the same food (mostly noodles, sardines, and soy sauce), the same house, the same source of amusement.
"Siya sayan (hi Atty Mhel) in nagpasulig kamu," said Mr Dahams.
And so, to further support his growing budgetary requirement while in the Law School at MSU-Marawi, he applied at CHED which was accepted by the second application. The computer acumen he learned while in personal tutorial with himself also brought dividends. He had become widely known at the MSU-Marawi as a computer expert, earning few thousands of pesos for each successful repair. Not only that, he was also hired as secretary to the Dean's office, earning him P5,000 monthly more.
In 2005, he finished law, passing the Bar a few months later. He is now practicing law at Sibulan Law Office, Martires Street, Jolo, Sulu, while also doing part time as teachers in various schools in and out of Sulu!
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| The graduate and the few, the proud Lab High in MSU-Marawi in 2005 |
His greatest dream now is to have a Law School in MSU-Sulu, and become a high official* (see note below) thereat so that he can try to influence a lot of Tausug to take up Law, and make the Tausug people law conscious.
He had this mantra in college: "Ignorance of the law excuses no one."
Well, for Attorney Meltino Sibulan, "Failure is not an excuse!" Of course, it shall happen, because Attorney Sibulan think of it. In shaa Allah, it will become a reality!
As a footnote: Sometime in 2005 while reviewing for Bar, he was tested by a friend in Manila if indeed Mhel was not "Bading". Indeed, his friend Madz was definitely convinced. Mhel's reason that time amid the open temptation, "I will not use any woman who is not yet my wife." :D
At 33 years old, Attorney Meltino Sibulan is still a bachelor.
Hear! Hear!
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| Atty Mhel and Friend Madz during Graduation in High School. |
Minor correction: I have misquoted Atty Mhel when he said that he wanted to become high official in the soon-to-be-established MSU-Sulu Law College. First, he is a person that will always refuse to be employed by the Philippine Government. MSU-Sulu is a public school, thus a Government-run school. He clarified that he just want to be "instrumental" in the strengthening of the consciousness towards Law of the Tausug people, and if being one of the professors of the MSU-Sulu Law School, he can do a difference, then he will accept the challenge.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
EWave Blogs: Lessons from the Life of a Hesitant Lawyer
EWave Blogs: Lessons from the Life of a Hesitant Lawyer: After graduation from High School, the guy was in limbo. Just like any ordinary guy next door, he was confused on what course to take in Co...
Testimonial:
Nurmina S. Musa Sarail: "so inpiring....sana mataud pa gumuwa bata sug like him"
Testimonial:
Nurmina S. Musa Sarail: "so inpiring....sana mataud pa gumuwa bata sug like him"
EWave Blogs: Lessons from the Life of a Hesitant Lawyer
EWave Blogs: Lessons from the Life of a Hesitant Lawyer: After graduation from High School, the guy was in limbo. Just like any ordinary guy next door, he was confused on what course to take in Co...
Testimonial:
Nurmina S. Musa Sarail: "so inpiring....sana mataud pa gumuwa bata sug like him"
Testimonial:
Nurmina S. Musa Sarail: "so inpiring....sana mataud pa gumuwa bata sug like him"
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Pagtunang Tunang Sin Mga Usug Taga Asawa
Bismillaahi Wassalaato Wassalaamu ala Rasuwlillaah..
Bihayaun bissarahun natu' in hambuk mawdu' amuin ma-hang magkatackle ha mga patumtum sagawa mattan tuod jimajatu..
amuna in:
Muna muna, pasawahun namu' in maksud sin post ine..
Magmaaf man tuod ha way kyuddan..
Bukun ine asupaya dihilan sakit in mga kaasawahan.. atawa dihilan chance in kaasawahan maghuna' huna' pa mga kabanahan nla.. sagawa' in ine ha pagmuhot muhot namu' magsuggest solution ha problema ine..
Sabab, mabaya' ktanyu iban sin dh, tanto tanto in parkala ine jimajatu.. bukun ine halucinations namu' hadja.. nah ha sakainu ine dh natu' inu inuhun, masi masi in ummat alawm kahalubiluhan..
Balikan namu' bukun ta ine sabbutun asupaya magcreate troubles between married couples, sagawa dihilan ta solution, mura murahan magmumfaat..
Tumtumun ta in PAGTUNANG TUNANG HARAM in hukuman nya, kumuddan naka ha subul/budjang atawa ha taga asawa..
Nah byadien kaengat ta in usug (bana) awn tyatapuk nya (awn tunang tunang)?
.
Mga alaamat sin awn tyatapuk:
* dh na pagbuta-nan in cp dyara madto mari sampay pa cr awn wakto
* dh pagpaulinan in cp nya
* bang kumatingug in cp magtoy lumungkahad kawaun
* hyuhulid sampay matog in cp, awn wakto ibutang pa asawm u-an
* dh idihil in password sn fb/ym, etc
* awn keypad code/password in cp
* apabila pasaran kw umulin sn cp nya, empty isab in inbox/sent items nya
Ha bihaine na dagbus sin pagjaga nya sin celfon nya, tanto tanto way pagduwa ruwa in usug yan awn tyatapuk nya..
Karna' bukun mahunit in pasaran mu in celfon mu duun ha kabutang nya, bukun mahunit in idihil mu in passwords mu ha taeban mu.. bang bukun da maksud awn tyatapuk mu..
.
Ikaw asawa, ha bihayni na in kyasasaksian mu ha bana mu, ayaw na kaw magbuta bisu.. ayaw pasari in bana mu ha bihan hantang.. tanto in sya na-sasasat sin Shaytan..
engata apabila mattan nagtunang tunang sya, in sya nagdurusa.. in sya nagmama'cyat pa Allaah!
.
unu in hinangun apabila jumatu kaymu in bihaine?
muna muna, da-ha magminnu minnu in bana mu in a nice way..
buntula sya baytae sin kyasasakupan mu kanya..
sarta' nasi-hati sya bilang tymanghud mu ha Agama..
die ha ine subay in babae maisug tumindug ha kasabunnalan..
ayaw paunaha in emotions mu (pagdugal/pagselos mu) karna' in problema ha bana mu nakalanggal sya shara' sin Agama..
patumtumi sya arakala nalupa hadja sya..
sarta' baytae, "bang kaw mabaya' umasawa, anytime suportahan ta kaw, sah in pangayuun ku kaymu ayaw da-ha magtxt txt/ magcol col/ magchat chat in babae way mu pa kyakawinan, luba' luba' na ayaw da-ha magktah ktah.."
karna' bukun hadja in bana mu nagmama'cyat pa Allaah, sagawa unti' unti' kyakange' nya in ngan nya.. maisturi sya taga asawa, nagti txt txt/ nagko col col iban kabudjangan.. maraw hadja bang way kabagayan sin budjang yaun dh sya ipangisturi..
ampa tanto tanto in usug awn kyababayaan dugaeng (ha dan haram) tanto mapinda sya pa anak asawa nya amuin halal kanya..
mapansin mu na lang daran na hadja sya dyudugalan, daran na hadja nagbubunges, dh na pagkatyu' tyuan.. halos amura in kakitaan nya ha asawa nya (halal kanya) in kapintasan katan.. mali na sadja ha pangatod nya in asawa nya..
dba, tanto halubilu?
nah ikaw asawa, in hikatabang mu ha bana mu kanungnungan bukun mu isab da-hun magbuget..
Sagawa patumtumi.. tindug kaw ha kasabunnalan..
.
Kaengatan mu bang mayta' magtapuk tapuk in kabanahan?
Daen da isab ka-toh kaasawahan.. pag istriktuhan ta sila landu'.. apabila sila sumukat asawa magtoy magmatay kta..
Landu' ta sila pag-istriktuhan.. sagawa way sab kimuddan in pag istriktu ta..
In kta subay in pag istriktuhan ta in hinang ma'cyat!
Tumtuma in pagganap asawa bukun sya ma'cyat asupaya ipagmatay mu landu'! sagawa in pagtunang tunang nla in hinang ma'cyat salaggu' laggu'!
Tindug kaw ha kasabunnalan ya kaw Asawa..
Bihayaun bissarahun natu' in hambuk mawdu' amuin ma-hang magkatackle ha mga patumtum sagawa mattan tuod jimajatu..
amuna in:
((Pagtunang Tunang Sin Mga Usug Taga Asawa))
by Umm YusaiyrMuna muna, pasawahun namu' in maksud sin post ine..
Magmaaf man tuod ha way kyuddan..
Bukun ine asupaya dihilan sakit in mga kaasawahan.. atawa dihilan chance in kaasawahan maghuna' huna' pa mga kabanahan nla.. sagawa' in ine ha pagmuhot muhot namu' magsuggest solution ha problema ine..
Sabab, mabaya' ktanyu iban sin dh, tanto tanto in parkala ine jimajatu.. bukun ine halucinations namu' hadja.. nah ha sakainu ine dh natu' inu inuhun, masi masi in ummat alawm kahalubiluhan..
Balikan namu' bukun ta ine sabbutun asupaya magcreate troubles between married couples, sagawa dihilan ta solution, mura murahan magmumfaat..
Tumtumun ta in PAGTUNANG TUNANG HARAM in hukuman nya, kumuddan naka ha subul/budjang atawa ha taga asawa..
Nah byadien kaengat ta in usug (bana) awn tyatapuk nya (awn tunang tunang)?
.
Mga alaamat sin awn tyatapuk:
* dh na pagbuta-nan in cp dyara madto mari sampay pa cr awn wakto
* dh pagpaulinan in cp nya
* bang kumatingug in cp magtoy lumungkahad kawaun
* hyuhulid sampay matog in cp, awn wakto ibutang pa asawm u-an
* dh idihil in password sn fb/ym, etc
* awn keypad code/password in cp
* apabila pasaran kw umulin sn cp nya, empty isab in inbox/sent items nya
Ha bihaine na dagbus sin pagjaga nya sin celfon nya, tanto tanto way pagduwa ruwa in usug yan awn tyatapuk nya..
Karna' bukun mahunit in pasaran mu in celfon mu duun ha kabutang nya, bukun mahunit in idihil mu in passwords mu ha taeban mu.. bang bukun da maksud awn tyatapuk mu..
.
Ikaw asawa, ha bihayni na in kyasasaksian mu ha bana mu, ayaw na kaw magbuta bisu.. ayaw pasari in bana mu ha bihan hantang.. tanto in sya na-sasasat sin Shaytan..
engata apabila mattan nagtunang tunang sya, in sya nagdurusa.. in sya nagmama'cyat pa Allaah!
.
unu in hinangun apabila jumatu kaymu in bihaine?
muna muna, da-ha magminnu minnu in bana mu in a nice way..
buntula sya baytae sin kyasasakupan mu kanya..
sarta' nasi-hati sya bilang tymanghud mu ha Agama..
die ha ine subay in babae maisug tumindug ha kasabunnalan..
ayaw paunaha in emotions mu (pagdugal/pagselos mu) karna' in problema ha bana mu nakalanggal sya shara' sin Agama..
patumtumi sya arakala nalupa hadja sya..
sarta' baytae, "bang kaw mabaya' umasawa, anytime suportahan ta kaw, sah in pangayuun ku kaymu ayaw da-ha magtxt txt/ magcol col/ magchat chat in babae way mu pa kyakawinan, luba' luba' na ayaw da-ha magktah ktah.."
karna' bukun hadja in bana mu nagmama'cyat pa Allaah, sagawa unti' unti' kyakange' nya in ngan nya.. maisturi sya taga asawa, nagti txt txt/ nagko col col iban kabudjangan.. maraw hadja bang way kabagayan sin budjang yaun dh sya ipangisturi..
ampa tanto tanto in usug awn kyababayaan dugaeng (ha dan haram) tanto mapinda sya pa anak asawa nya amuin halal kanya..
mapansin mu na lang daran na hadja sya dyudugalan, daran na hadja nagbubunges, dh na pagkatyu' tyuan.. halos amura in kakitaan nya ha asawa nya (halal kanya) in kapintasan katan.. mali na sadja ha pangatod nya in asawa nya..
dba, tanto halubilu?
nah ikaw asawa, in hikatabang mu ha bana mu kanungnungan bukun mu isab da-hun magbuget..
Sagawa patumtumi.. tindug kaw ha kasabunnalan..
.
Kaengatan mu bang mayta' magtapuk tapuk in kabanahan?
Daen da isab ka-toh kaasawahan.. pag istriktuhan ta sila landu'.. apabila sila sumukat asawa magtoy magmatay kta..
Landu' ta sila pag-istriktuhan.. sagawa way sab kimuddan in pag istriktu ta..
In kta subay in pag istriktuhan ta in hinang ma'cyat!
Tumtuma in pagganap asawa bukun sya ma'cyat asupaya ipagmatay mu landu'! sagawa in pagtunang tunang nla in hinang ma'cyat salaggu' laggu'!
Tindug kaw ha kasabunnalan ya kaw Asawa..
17 years of DepEd ARMM accrued Debts to GSIS, to be settled
Celebration of Independence in Armm more meaningful
written by JKThis years celebration of independence in the ARMM will be unique and more meaningful. Not only because it could be the last celebration under the ARG but also because there is a different kind of freedom and independence that we are going to celebrate beginning today.
Since 1997, less than 10 years from the establishment of the ARMM and barely a year since the signing of The Final Peace Agreement between GPH and the MNLF, DepEd-ARMM started to remiss in remitting both the personal contribution and the government share of the teachers to the GSIS. Due to the large bureaucracy that deped-armm has, its total amount of monthly remittance was already tempting or enticing for the covetous and corrupt heads of the agency. Unknown to the public, remittances of contributions and loan repayments no longer reached the GSIS. Teachers' application for loan were denied, retiring teachers were made to repay for the loan that has long been deducted from their monthly salary by Deped, some retired teachers received lesser or no pension at all. Salaries were delayed and in one instance was never actually paid. It was the dark age of Deped-ARMM. These situations even reached the halls of congress.
For 17 long years, this account of deped-armm hangs like the sword of Damocles over every head of every retiring teacher. It makes retiring stressful rather than something that every government employee anticipates after a long service in government, something they are looking forward to be able to pay off their debts, have their son marry or in most cases pay their way to a pilgrimage to Mecca.
I still can vividly remember my friend's wife, a provisional teacher who joined the teachers' rally in Jolo sometime in 2001. The teachers were complaining about their loan benefits with the GSIS. I was there on invitation from the municipal government of Jolo to convince the teachers to get back to work. Retired teachers also joined the younger ones, among them was my friend's wife. I explained among others that the fine prints allow GSIS to deduct payments from their retirement benefit. I also told them that they should report back to work when ordered by the superintendent. I advise them to demand from the regional government and deped-armm the immediate settlement of the gsis obligations. The teachers went back to work as directed by the superintendent but no action was taken by the ARG.
Three years ago, my friend's wife died and the benefits received by her family was lesser than they expected. The superintendent that issues a return to work order retired a few years after that incident about 300,000.00 poorer than she expected.
Today, however, we are all gathered here by the generosity of the GSIS and the government under the Administration of President Benigno S. Aquino lll and the determination of my administration in making sure that every living, dead and retired teachers received what is due them from the gsis. We are here to bury the mother of all ghosts in the ARMM, placed it in its final resting place without the possibility of resurrection. The long wait, the series of sitting together and our repeated announcement of this settlement on various occasions is finally over.
Today, we have freed our teachers, in service as well as those who already retired, from the uncertainty of the full entitlement of their retirement benefit.
(note: full text was taken from an FB post)
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Notre Dame Enrollees decrease this SY 2014-2015
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| Notre Dame of Jolo for Boys Kasulutan |
The school administrators of the Notre Dame of Jolo for Boys-Kasulutan (NDJFBK) and the Notre Dame of Jolo for Girls (NDJFG) find both of their students' population significantly dropping this School Year.
Brother Eugene Pius, the administrator of the NDJFBK, notices at least 10 percent decrease. Even though the Notre Dame is still accepting entrants, the administrator believes that it would not affect the percentage.
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| Brother Eugene Pius |
Concurrent to the decrease of the enrollees is the increase of the transferees to other schools outside Sulu.
The administrator attributes this sad situation to the spate of kidnappings. The private schools are having a feeling that the government is not supporting them.
“Some of our students belong to the average family, or maybe more than the average, so probably they have money to pay, so they are subjected to kidnappings,” said Brother Eugene Pius.
Aside from the threats of kidnapping, Brother Eugene Pius sees two other reasons why transferees are increasing: 1) no fee in the public schools, and 2) the decision of the anxious parents.
Because of the increase of transferees, “the morale of the school has to go down. . . . And even the school feels sometimes that it is also subjected to threats,” said Brother Pius.
“And we cannot do much about it because these outside forces, and we do not know who are they, are probably not directly threatening the school but the parents of the students of the school, so naturally, to save their life, they have to transfer (their wards) to other place.”
“And we cannot do much about it because these outside forces, and we do not know who are they, are probably not directly threatening the school but the parents of the students of the school, so naturally, to save their life, they have to transfer (their wards) to other place.”
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| A classroom in NDJFB |
Brother Pius definitely feels helpless about it, “We feel we do not get support from the government officials.”
As an intervention measure, the Notre Dame hired additional securities for the school to secure the students while inside the premises.
“We have to have securities, otherwise the students would be endangered,” said Brother Pius.
The Notre Dame of Jolo for Boys is catering to Grade 7 to 12 in the province of Sulu. The teaching is good, the school supplies and equipment are considerably complete. The only problem perhaps is the peace and order situation.
"My advice is for the government officials to really function, and do their responsibility (in ensuring peace and stability in the province of Sulu)," said Brother Pius.
Enrollees also plummet in the NDJFG, a private and exclusive school for girls in Sulu. It is now down to 800 from 900 students last 2013.
Run by the vicariate of the OMI, the Notre Dame of Jolo for Girls while an exclusive school for high school students, also caters to boys and girls from Grade 1 to 6.
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| Notre Dame of Jolo For Girls complete with school amenities |
Notre Dame of Jolo for Girls
Run by the vicariate of the OMI, the Notre Dame of Jolo for Girls while an exclusive school for high school students, also caters to boys and girls from Grade 1 to 6.
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| Parents and their children |
A son of Dra Farah Jajurie Intimani, together with two other pupils of the NDJFG were kidnapped recently, and release a few days later. The three pupils did not return to the school after abduction.
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| Notre Dame of Jolo for Girls's picturesque school compound |
The school, enclosed in high walls with military and blue guards, looks very safe for students. The school has complete amenities with sprawling buildings to boot. They have their own working school laboratory, which some schools in Sulu lack. The pupils of grade school are free to play after class.
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| Military Guard inside the NDJFG campus |
Some of the students share their experiences during the first days of classes.
Ms Amaani Abdulkhabir and Ms Fairuz Albani, and their friends, all students of NDJFG, said that the school is very strict. They are not allowed to display colored hair, and they need to be neat-looking all the time.
Ms Abdulkhabir said: “Masaya naman sa ngayon. Medyo natatakot din dahil sa mayroong nakikidnap, pero hatid-sundo naman kami. Satisfied naman kami sa paaralan in terms of security.”
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| Student Ms Abdulkhabir and classmates after class |
The students are now wary on the tricycle drivers because of the threat of kidnapping outside the campus. But within the campus, they are feeling safe and secure. They have security guards and blue guards who protect them round the clock. Additionally, military men are there also for the protections of the three sisters who are teachers and administrators of the NDJFG.
Mommy Susan (not her real name), the mother of two students in NDJFG, said she transferred her daughters to Zamboanga City because of the volatile situations in Sulu.
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| Mommy Susan |
“For peace of mind, kasi during the time of February and March, the peak of kidnapping, natakot kami, kasi wala ng pinipili that time. Hindi natin alam, baka ma-timing ang mga bata papuntang eskwela o pauwi, baka makuha nila, kaya nag-decide na lang kami na i-transfer sila,” said Mommy Susan.
The school administrations of NDJFG agreed but said that they had little choices because they were so afraid.
“Di kami pwede mag-prayer rally, mag-rally, mag-ano. Wala, we resort only to prayer and take careful steps, kasi takot ba talaga. Wala kami magawa kundi magdasal, and advice our students and all of us na careful lang, kamaya always,” said Miss Agripina Dime, senior teacher of the NDJFG.
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| Miss Agripina Dime |
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
The New Thrill: Adventure Tourism!
Just sharing this news from the The Star Online Malaysia to my Filipino friends.
Semporna kidnap: We ate a lot of fried chicken on Jolo island, says Filipina worker
Semporna kidnap: We ate a lot of fried chicken on Jolo island, says Filipina worker
by ruben sario
KOTA KINABALU: A Filipina hotel worker has revealed that kidnappers ensured she and Gao Huayun were well fed during their two months in captivity on Jolo island in the Philippines, and even gave the Chinese tourist "special food" on her birthday.
"Most of the time we were fed fried chicken the Abu Sayyaf bought from a food store somewhere. Masarap din! (it was quite tasty)," forty-year-old Marcy Dayawan said.
When Gao celebrated her birthday on April 8, Dayawan said the kidnappers even bought "special food" from town.
Soon after returning home to her native Midsayap town in North Cotobato in Mindanao island, Marcy told Philippines media that Gao cried when they went their separate ways after arriving in Kuala Lumpur from Sabah.
She said she and Gao were held by a group of gunmen led by an Alhabsi Misaya, in the jungles of Indanan on Jolo island.
"They called their leader Misaya and sometimes Maas (elder)," she said.
Dayawan said while in captivity, she served as Gao's caretaker, attending to her needs at the gunmen's mountainous hideout.
Marcy said the gunmen did not harm them in any way, but were constantly guarded by two armed men.
She said the gunmen also allowed Gao to call her family in Shanghai and she had to translate the conversation to the gunmen.
Gao and Dayawan survived almost two months of captivity in the mountainous jungle hideout of Jolo island in the southern Philippines.
Dayawan was working at the Singamata Reef Resort near Semporna, where Shanghai native Gao Huayun was staying on April 2, when five gunmen abducted them and spirited them to Jolo island using high-powered speedboats.
The two women were eventually released on May 30 to Malaysian security officials.
Malaysian and Philippines officials have both said no ransom was paid for the women's release.
KOTA KINABALU: A Filipina hotel worker has revealed that kidnappers ensured she and Gao Huayun were well fed during their two months in captivity on Jolo island in the Philippines, and even gave the Chinese tourist "special food" on her birthday.
"Most of the time we were fed fried chicken the Abu Sayyaf bought from a food store somewhere. Masarap din! (it was quite tasty)," forty-year-old Marcy Dayawan said.
When Gao celebrated her birthday on April 8, Dayawan said the kidnappers even bought "special food" from town.
Soon after returning home to her native Midsayap town in North Cotobato in Mindanao island, Marcy told Philippines media that Gao cried when they went their separate ways after arriving in Kuala Lumpur from Sabah.
She said she and Gao were held by a group of gunmen led by an Alhabsi Misaya, in the jungles of Indanan on Jolo island.
"They called their leader Misaya and sometimes Maas (elder)," she said.
Dayawan said while in captivity, she served as Gao's caretaker, attending to her needs at the gunmen's mountainous hideout.
Marcy said the gunmen did not harm them in any way, but were constantly guarded by two armed men.
She said the gunmen also allowed Gao to call her family in Shanghai and she had to translate the conversation to the gunmen.
Gao and Dayawan survived almost two months of captivity in the mountainous jungle hideout of Jolo island in the southern Philippines.
Dayawan was working at the Singamata Reef Resort near Semporna, where Shanghai native Gao Huayun was staying on April 2, when five gunmen abducted them and spirited them to Jolo island using high-powered speedboats.
The two women were eventually released on May 30 to Malaysian security officials.
Malaysian and Philippines officials have both said no ransom was paid for the women's release.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Justice Secretary De Lima has illicit affair video??
Palace dissuades Cam from baring alleged De Lima sex video at CA hearing
June 7, 2014 12:16pm
Tags: Leila de Lima
Malacañang on Saturday sought to dissuade whistleblowers' association president Sandra Cam from releasing supposed sex videos of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima if the Commission on Appointment confirms her appointment.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte asked Cam not to use the CA as a venue for “whatever ax it is you have to personally grind” against de Lima.
“Kung hindi natin makuha ang gusto, siguro huwag gawing venue ang CA para ituloy pa whatever ax it is you have to personally grind against Sec. De Lima,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.
The CA is to hold another confirmation hearing for de Lima on June 11.
Earlier reports quoted Cam as saying she received four cuts of De Lima’s supposed sex videos with her driver and bodyguard.
Last Wednesday, Cam had opposed de Lima's confirmation, claiming the secretary had “illicit affairs.”
For now, Valte said it is “prudent” not to respond to “threats like this.”
Besides, she said what should be tackled at the CA is the appointee's capacity to do his or her job. —Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News
Tags: Leila de Lima
June 7, 2014 12:16pm
Tags: Leila de Lima
Malacañang on Saturday sought to dissuade whistleblowers' association president Sandra Cam from releasing supposed sex videos of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima if the Commission on Appointment confirms her appointment.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte asked Cam not to use the CA as a venue for “whatever ax it is you have to personally grind” against de Lima.
“Kung hindi natin makuha ang gusto, siguro huwag gawing venue ang CA para ituloy pa whatever ax it is you have to personally grind against Sec. De Lima,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio.
The CA is to hold another confirmation hearing for de Lima on June 11.
Earlier reports quoted Cam as saying she received four cuts of De Lima’s supposed sex videos with her driver and bodyguard.
Last Wednesday, Cam had opposed de Lima's confirmation, claiming the secretary had “illicit affairs.”
For now, Valte said it is “prudent” not to respond to “threats like this.”
Besides, she said what should be tackled at the CA is the appointee's capacity to do his or her job. —Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News
Tags: Leila de Lima
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| Justice Secretary. PDI Photos |
Sunday, June 8, 2014
The Challenge of Bangsamoro
The Challenge of Bangsamoro
June 4, 2014 at 2:55pm
Address: General Faculty Convocation, Ateneo de Davao University, June 2, 2014.
By Joel Tabora, SJ
June 4, 2014 at 2:55pm
Address: General Faculty Convocation, Ateneo de Davao University, June 2, 2014.
By Joel Tabora, SJ
Because of the historical moment, and the mandate that is ours as a Catholic, Jesuit and Filipino University at this juncture of history, I would like to focus on the Bangsamoro. Based on the Comprehensive Agreement Bangsamoro, the Transition Commission has drafted a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
Soon, the draft, reviewed by the Office of the President, shall be submitted to Congress. The BBL, if approved, will create the Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. With the Bangsamoro, we hope for peace. But how bright are our hopes in the Bangsamoro? And what is the role that we must play from within our university in order to brighten these hopes?
We are at a historical moment in the history of Mindanao – as the Filipino nation shall deliberate on whether to pass or not to pass the BBL. In this moment, we as a Catholic, Filipino and Jesuit university community must understand our role.
Soon, the draft, reviewed by the Office of the President, shall be submitted to Congress. The BBL, if approved, will create the Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. With the Bangsamoro, we hope for peace. But how bright are our hopes in the Bangsamoro? And what is the role that we must play from within our university in order to brighten these hopes?
We are at a historical moment in the history of Mindanao – as the Filipino nation shall deliberate on whether to pass or not to pass the BBL. In this moment, we as a Catholic, Filipino and Jesuit university community must understand our role.
Traumatized by kidnapping
There would be no Doctors, Nurses, Policemen, and all other professionals without the teachers, but then you might wonder why in the Panglima Mammah Elementary School in Indanan, Sulu they, who take good care of our children’s future, were harassed and attempted kidnapped?
THE SULU KRIS tried to understand why.
Background: Last March 10, 2014, a Teachers’ chartered Tamaraw was stopped along Tagbak, Indanan road, where the driver had to lay down his life to save our educators.
That is why since opening of classes in June 2, 2014, the Indanan Police daily escorted the teachers, who are residents of Jolo to report to Panglima Mammah Elementary School. THE SULU KRIS joined with them last June 6 to personally learn the teachers’ ordeal. The Police Vehicle stayed in front of the convoy and was too fast.
But even so, the teachers who personally experienced the near-death experience in Tagbak, Indanan, Sulu while being manhandled by the kidnappers are still suffering from mental stress and they are indeed traumatized, though it has been two months ago since the attack. THE SULU KRIS saw them convulsed and fidget when we crossed the kidnapping site in Indanan.
The teachers unanimously ask now for psycho-therapist or psychiatrists from the government to alleviate their symptoms. Our survivors have not recovered yet from the horrific experience that befell on them.
They are also amenable to the change of place of assignment, a transfer to another school, if it were offered to them.
Upon reaching the public school, THE SULU KRIS noticed immediately the presence of a Barangay Tanod armed with a long gun. The Sulu Kris learned that Barangay Tanods have been guarding the school premises since June 2.
The principal told THE SULU KRIS that it is not easy to grant the request for transfer of the teachers that is why she was now asking help from the government or any other agency to provide psychotherapists to the teachers.
The fearful Ma'am Sheng, one of the victims of the frustrated abduction, is still doing her best to teach her pupils despite the ordeal she experienced. Her classroom is full of educational materials. The pupils are all happy and agog to be present and learn something new. You won’t really see from their countenance that they are hiding anxiety and suffering from stress.
The Panglima Mammah Elementary School is a blessed school. Its learning materials and equipment are complete; its buildings in good condition; its school’s properties are many. There are already 390 enrollees as of June 6 which is still expected to rise since they are still accepting new enrollees.
THE SULU KRIS also see new classrooms and newly renovated ones. Their library is full of books and computers; the only missing is the peace and order on the roads leading to this school.
To ensure the safety of the teachers, Police Inspector Alradzmer Hadjail, the Chief of Police of Indanan Municipal Police Station has deployed five personnel in Km4 or Barangay Tagbak, the exact place where the kidnapping incident took place. They are also conducting an Operation “Hatid-Sundo” to the teachers of Panglima Mammah Elementary School.
“Iyong “Hatid Sundo,” ay maintain yan, sa umaga, sa hapon, at the same time we also conduct mobile patrol along the road. Nag-start ang "Hatid-Sundo" before opening of classes when the supervisor coordinated with us,” said Chief of Police Hadjail.
A dozen police details are under the “Hatid-Sundo” program to ensure that similar incident will not happen in the area and also to remove the fear in the hearts of the teachers, Chief Hadjail added.
But the Chief is not yet sure if the kidnappers were really from Indanan, or not.
The Chief of Police also promised that the PNP-Indanan is willing to serve the community 24/7. Their hotline is 09353697598.
The Barangay chairwoman of Barangay Tagbak, Hon. Darwisa Kadil, also acted to ensure the security of the Panglima Mammah Elementary School by deploying four Barangay Tanod that will guard the school round the clock. She made a visit to the school every day also, she said.
Mrs Ainal Jalaide, a grandmother of two school children in the school said that, she is already comfortable with the security of the school. She will also help in her capacity on how to help protect the teachers.
The school children in the School are not exuding fear also. They are constantly laughing and playing with each other while learning something new during the initial days of the classes.
The Principal of the school, Ms. Felomina Sappari is thankful to all the development in her school. All their requests to authorities were already granted, but she has one last request to the authorities that is not yet answered: to give her teachers professional psychiatrists so that the teachers will fully recover from their traumatic experience.
“The teachers are complaining to me almost daily,” said the principal. “they want to be completely de-stressed out, transferred or offered vacation leave.”
But the principal cannot decide yet on these things. She’s waiting for the actions of the Superintendent and the Armm DepEd administration regarding this.
One of the teachers, according to the principal, was so near the hero driver during the incident of kidnapping. She was soaked in blood, too, that time and was no longer expecting to have survived the attack.
“Hindi siya makatulog sa gabi dahil sa trauma,” said the Principal.
The principal is also asking for additional security for herself, as she had personally received two threat letters and several text messages within the short span of time.
THE SULU KRIS tried to understand why.
Background: Last March 10, 2014, a Teachers’ chartered Tamaraw was stopped along Tagbak, Indanan road, where the driver had to lay down his life to save our educators.
That is why since opening of classes in June 2, 2014, the Indanan Police daily escorted the teachers, who are residents of Jolo to report to Panglima Mammah Elementary School. THE SULU KRIS joined with them last June 6 to personally learn the teachers’ ordeal. The Police Vehicle stayed in front of the convoy and was too fast.
But even so, the teachers who personally experienced the near-death experience in Tagbak, Indanan, Sulu while being manhandled by the kidnappers are still suffering from mental stress and they are indeed traumatized, though it has been two months ago since the attack. THE SULU KRIS saw them convulsed and fidget when we crossed the kidnapping site in Indanan.
The teachers unanimously ask now for psycho-therapist or psychiatrists from the government to alleviate their symptoms. Our survivors have not recovered yet from the horrific experience that befell on them.
They are also amenable to the change of place of assignment, a transfer to another school, if it were offered to them.
Upon reaching the public school, THE SULU KRIS noticed immediately the presence of a Barangay Tanod armed with a long gun. The Sulu Kris learned that Barangay Tanods have been guarding the school premises since June 2.
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| BPAT guarding the school ground |
The principal told THE SULU KRIS that it is not easy to grant the request for transfer of the teachers that is why she was now asking help from the government or any other agency to provide psychotherapists to the teachers.
The fearful Ma'am Sheng, one of the victims of the frustrated abduction, is still doing her best to teach her pupils despite the ordeal she experienced. Her classroom is full of educational materials. The pupils are all happy and agog to be present and learn something new. You won’t really see from their countenance that they are hiding anxiety and suffering from stress.
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| Ma'am Sheng and her curious pupils |
THE SULU KRIS also see new classrooms and newly renovated ones. Their library is full of books and computers; the only missing is the peace and order on the roads leading to this school.
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| The Principal (extreme right) and some of the teachers of the PMES |
To ensure the safety of the teachers, Police Inspector Alradzmer Hadjail, the Chief of Police of Indanan Municipal Police Station has deployed five personnel in Km4 or Barangay Tagbak, the exact place where the kidnapping incident took place. They are also conducting an Operation “Hatid-Sundo” to the teachers of Panglima Mammah Elementary School.
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| PI Alradzmer Hadjail, Chief of Police of Indanan |
“Iyong “Hatid Sundo,” ay maintain yan, sa umaga, sa hapon, at the same time we also conduct mobile patrol along the road. Nag-start ang "Hatid-Sundo" before opening of classes when the supervisor coordinated with us,” said Chief of Police Hadjail.
A dozen police details are under the “Hatid-Sundo” program to ensure that similar incident will not happen in the area and also to remove the fear in the hearts of the teachers, Chief Hadjail added.
But the Chief is not yet sure if the kidnappers were really from Indanan, or not.
The Chief of Police also promised that the PNP-Indanan is willing to serve the community 24/7. Their hotline is 09353697598.
The Barangay chairwoman of Barangay Tagbak, Hon. Darwisa Kadil, also acted to ensure the security of the Panglima Mammah Elementary School by deploying four Barangay Tanod that will guard the school round the clock. She made a visit to the school every day also, she said.
Mrs Ainal Jalaide, a grandmother of two school children in the school said that, she is already comfortable with the security of the school. She will also help in her capacity on how to help protect the teachers.
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| Mrs Ainal Jalaide |
The school children in the School are not exuding fear also. They are constantly laughing and playing with each other while learning something new during the initial days of the classes.
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| Learning is playing |
The Principal of the school, Ms. Felomina Sappari is thankful to all the development in her school. All their requests to authorities were already granted, but she has one last request to the authorities that is not yet answered: to give her teachers professional psychiatrists so that the teachers will fully recover from their traumatic experience.
“The teachers are complaining to me almost daily,” said the principal. “they want to be completely de-stressed out, transferred or offered vacation leave.”
But the principal cannot decide yet on these things. She’s waiting for the actions of the Superintendent and the Armm DepEd administration regarding this.
One of the teachers, according to the principal, was so near the hero driver during the incident of kidnapping. She was soaked in blood, too, that time and was no longer expecting to have survived the attack.
“Hindi siya makatulog sa gabi dahil sa trauma,” said the Principal.
The principal is also asking for additional security for herself, as she had personally received two threat letters and several text messages within the short span of time.
On a positive note, the family of the hero driver has been given assistance by the local, provincial, and regional personalities.
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| ASEC John Magno, et al turning-over the Financial Assistance to the widow |
And still on a lighter note, and possible reflection assignment, THE SULU KRIS met this child who want to be MNLF when he grows up.
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| A child who wants to be MNLF after College! |
Other responses of the school children THE SULU KRIS met were also curious, and should be a challenge to educators, parents, and security sectors alike. One child dreams to become a doctor in order to touch on dead people. One child wants to be a Policeman in order to legally fire a gun.
These kids must have been living in an environment of death and guns.
The video of the chat:
These kids must have been living in an environment of death and guns.
The video of the chat:
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Armm is Better Now, Thanks to the Young and Reform-oriented Executives
Revisiting that failed experiment
By Mags Z. Maglana
The Point Being
Friday, June 6, 2014
IN FEBRUARY 2011, no less than the highest official of the land was quoted as having said that the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) was a “failed experiment in terms of the aspirations of the Filipino people to give justice to our Muslim brothers.” At that time, Malacañang was championing the postponement of the Armm elections originally scheduled for August of the same year and its synchronization with the national and local polls in 2013.
With the passage of RA 10153, the Armm election was postponed and Armm Regional Government (ARG) officers-in-charge were appointed headed by OIC Regional Governor Mujiv S. Hataman. The 2013 election results gave Governor Hataman the mandate to become a full-pledged chief executive of the ARG.
Around the same period of time, the peace process between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) accelerated with the formulation and approval of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and its annexes. The FAB, in turn, led to the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro or CAB and with it, the implementation of a transition process that includes a transitional government takeover of Armm by 2015.
During the course of the formulation of the FAB and annexes, I heard reference to the Armm-as-failed-experiment numerous times, a few of them from officials of the ARG past and present, that it sounded like it was an accepted truism.
One can understand why. After all, the Armm has been in existence for a quarter of a century now. Given what it was to overcome in terms of improving the living conditions of the population and demonstrating autonomy, good governance and inclusion, and given the resources provided to the region, the assessment that the ARG has not significantly delivered for most of the years it has been in operation would not be unfounded.
And yet, things have been changing in the ARG, and I am not just referring to the inevitable change in names and faces of the top management that inevitably happens with each new term.
There are many observable improvements in the day to day operations of the regional government.
Regional planning, programming and budgeting are more aligned and coherent; simply put, the declared priorities are those that get funded. This is a big change from past practices where the so-called agenda are not the same items reflected in the investment plans.
The focus on results goes beyond the use of metrics-focused performance management systems like the OPIF and SPMS; progress in implementation and achievement of targets is periodically reported through the Internet, mass media and other channels. Despite the short period of time, the ARG has tried to report against measurements like increase in investments and productivity. One can see a direct contrast with past practices of news releases featuring mostly ribbon-cutting, MOU-signing, other inaugural ceremonies and not much else.
The personnel hiring process, particularly in education which accounts for about 25,000 of the 35,000 workforce of the ARG, has demonstrated very dramatic shifts. The consistent use of policies and processes has helped move hiring away from its previous very politicized and patronage-oriented nature where appointments had to be bought at high prices.
And where in the past convergence of delivery of services by regional agencies was mostly at the discussion level, the ARG's record from 2013 to 2014 in actual provision of health, education, livelihood and peace through convergence and synergy has improved.
When asked what made these changes possible within a short period of time, a high official of the ARG attributed it to three factors: the crop of relatively young and reform-oriented executives, the leadership of the Regional Governor, and the timely reforms in national processes, as well as support from National Government.
These ARG executives and leaders are laboring with full knowledge that regardless of what they accomplish, they would still be considered part of a failed experiment. Much of what they have put in place that are reform and performance-oriented could still be undone or set aside when the Bangsamoro Government takes over. But they are offering very concrete gains and experiences and lessons that ought not to be ignored.
Another layer of the failed Armm experiment that need revisiting is that of local governance. Among the structural weaknesses of the current Armm is the relative non-involvement of local governments in service delivery, which became the role of the regional agencies. Where elsewhere LGUs were at the forefront of delivering or facilitating services to communities, in Armm LGUs played limited roles. This led to the unfortunate situation where in the face of growing and complex needs of citizens and stakeholders, Armm regional bodies had the mandate but insufficient resource, while LGUs had resources to invest but could point to fuzzy mandates as an excuse for not focusing on serving the social, economic, environmental, cultural and other requirements of their communities.
The thing about failed experiments is that on them often rest the stuff from which successes are made. The Armm failed experiment, particularly the episode from 2013 to 2015, has to be studied rather than ignored to derive lessons needed by the Bangsamoro peoples to move forward in the next phase of their continuing journey.
Email feedback to magszmaglana@gmail.com
The Point Being
Friday, June 6, 2014
IN FEBRUARY 2011, no less than the highest official of the land was quoted as having said that the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) was a “failed experiment in terms of the aspirations of the Filipino people to give justice to our Muslim brothers.” At that time, Malacañang was championing the postponement of the Armm elections originally scheduled for August of the same year and its synchronization with the national and local polls in 2013.
With the passage of RA 10153, the Armm election was postponed and Armm Regional Government (ARG) officers-in-charge were appointed headed by OIC Regional Governor Mujiv S. Hataman. The 2013 election results gave Governor Hataman the mandate to become a full-pledged chief executive of the ARG.
Around the same period of time, the peace process between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) accelerated with the formulation and approval of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and its annexes. The FAB, in turn, led to the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro or CAB and with it, the implementation of a transition process that includes a transitional government takeover of Armm by 2015.
During the course of the formulation of the FAB and annexes, I heard reference to the Armm-as-failed-experiment numerous times, a few of them from officials of the ARG past and present, that it sounded like it was an accepted truism.
One can understand why. After all, the Armm has been in existence for a quarter of a century now. Given what it was to overcome in terms of improving the living conditions of the population and demonstrating autonomy, good governance and inclusion, and given the resources provided to the region, the assessment that the ARG has not significantly delivered for most of the years it has been in operation would not be unfounded.
And yet, things have been changing in the ARG, and I am not just referring to the inevitable change in names and faces of the top management that inevitably happens with each new term.
There are many observable improvements in the day to day operations of the regional government.
Regional planning, programming and budgeting are more aligned and coherent; simply put, the declared priorities are those that get funded. This is a big change from past practices where the so-called agenda are not the same items reflected in the investment plans.
The focus on results goes beyond the use of metrics-focused performance management systems like the OPIF and SPMS; progress in implementation and achievement of targets is periodically reported through the Internet, mass media and other channels. Despite the short period of time, the ARG has tried to report against measurements like increase in investments and productivity. One can see a direct contrast with past practices of news releases featuring mostly ribbon-cutting, MOU-signing, other inaugural ceremonies and not much else.
The personnel hiring process, particularly in education which accounts for about 25,000 of the 35,000 workforce of the ARG, has demonstrated very dramatic shifts. The consistent use of policies and processes has helped move hiring away from its previous very politicized and patronage-oriented nature where appointments had to be bought at high prices.
And where in the past convergence of delivery of services by regional agencies was mostly at the discussion level, the ARG's record from 2013 to 2014 in actual provision of health, education, livelihood and peace through convergence and synergy has improved.
When asked what made these changes possible within a short period of time, a high official of the ARG attributed it to three factors: the crop of relatively young and reform-oriented executives, the leadership of the Regional Governor, and the timely reforms in national processes, as well as support from National Government.
These ARG executives and leaders are laboring with full knowledge that regardless of what they accomplish, they would still be considered part of a failed experiment. Much of what they have put in place that are reform and performance-oriented could still be undone or set aside when the Bangsamoro Government takes over. But they are offering very concrete gains and experiences and lessons that ought not to be ignored.
Another layer of the failed Armm experiment that need revisiting is that of local governance. Among the structural weaknesses of the current Armm is the relative non-involvement of local governments in service delivery, which became the role of the regional agencies. Where elsewhere LGUs were at the forefront of delivering or facilitating services to communities, in Armm LGUs played limited roles. This led to the unfortunate situation where in the face of growing and complex needs of citizens and stakeholders, Armm regional bodies had the mandate but insufficient resource, while LGUs had resources to invest but could point to fuzzy mandates as an excuse for not focusing on serving the social, economic, environmental, cultural and other requirements of their communities.
The thing about failed experiments is that on them often rest the stuff from which successes are made. The Armm failed experiment, particularly the episode from 2013 to 2015, has to be studied rather than ignored to derive lessons needed by the Bangsamoro peoples to move forward in the next phase of their continuing journey.
Email feedback to magszmaglana@gmail.com
Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on June 07, 2014.
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