Some vendors in Agdao Market, Davao City brought TV sets to watch the Pacquiao-Marquez fight. At around 9am, some vendors are already glued on the TV watching the undercard fights. One of the meat vendors noted that the market goers flock in Agdao as early as 5am until 8am.
In the meat section, I also noticed that only few stocks of meat were left. The vendor said they only butchered one pig because they are afraid that they wont be able to sell all the pork by lunchtime.
Normally, from 5am to 9am is the busiest time every Sunday in Agdao market. But this morning, it was not an unsual Sunday in Agdao.
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/21 October) – Three of the 19 government soldiers slain in Basilan on Tuesday have been transported to their respective hometowns in Mindanao, with their comrades rendering military honors upon the arrival of their remains at the tarmac of the old Davao International Airport.
Aside from the 19 casualties, 14 other soldiers were wounded in the firefight in Al-Barka town.
Jennifer Mabalot, widow of Sgt. Bonfiacio Mabalot, told reporters that she was not blaming anyone for the death her husband and his comrades.
Mabalot, a mother of four the youngest of whom is nine-months old, said she has already accepted the death of her 34-year old husband since it was part of his job of as a soldier. Read More »
Every week, garbage pile up at a vacant lot in front of our house especially a day before or two days before the scheduled pick up day, which is every Thursdays.
Last week, garbage collectors left a pile of unsegregated garbage. I have no choice but to douse it with diesel and burn it to prevent flies from feasting on the biodegradable materials.
Since the implementation of the Waste Segregation Ordinance in the city, garbage collectors are leaving the biodegradable wastes in the vacant lot. Then we noticed the increase of flies in our surroundings.
In our case in Emily Homes, there should be a pick up point so that the residents would only dump their garbage in the designated area instead of leaving them anywhere.
The barangay officials should conduct a symposium among its constituents regarding this policy. It is not enough to simply announce it on radio or TV.
Since Cabantian is a home to many subdivisions, the barangay should visit these subdivisions and inform the residents. I’m sure this is not just a problem in Emily Homes, this is also a problem in other subdivisions.
Who is telling these people when and where to dump their garbages? It’s the garbage collectors! Is this already part of their job to inform the people?
Just this morning, a garbage collector lectured some residents that they should not leave their garbage anywhere. Instead, they should wait for the garbage truck to arrive since it is blowing its horn as a signal that the garbage truck is in the vicinity.
It’s not just the residents living near this vacant lot turned into a mini-dumpsite suffer this foul smell and pestering flies, it’s also the people passing by the street.
The barangay must deploy monitoring teams in subdivisions in coordination with the housing association presidents. I learned that the barangay has coordinated with the local purok leaders in the subdivisions to report violators. But it seems no one is monitoring the implementation of the policy.
Ang usa pud ka problema ani kay ang mga tag-balay, dili man nila ingnon pud ila katabang na hulaton ang truck. Karon, kinsa man pud masakpan kung naa na manakop, di ba ang katabang dili ang amo?
To Kapitan Joji Lumanog, our future city councilor, isn’t it hard to exert extra efforts to educate your constituents?
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/01 July) – Apparently incensed by the refusal of her request to delay the demolition of houses owned by informal settlers in a barangay here, Mayor Sara Duterte hit a court sheriff with a couple of punches in full view of residents and reporters.
Prior to it, a police officer and three others persons had been injured after the demolition this morning at Purok Soliman in Barangay Tomas Monteverde Sr. resulted in a scuffle when some residents offered resistance.
The violence prompted Duterte to punch court sheriff Abe Andres who was trying to enforce the demolition order on informal settlers in a 2,000-square meter land.
TV cameras were able to get footage of Duterte hitting Andres who just turned his back and tried to cover his face as the mayor’s aides tried to stop her.
Duterte admitted that she was unable to control her temper because the sheriff turned down her request to give her two hours before enforcing the demolition because she was still in Barangay Matina attending to the concerns of the flood victims.
“I have earlier requested the court that we will enforce the demolition order together because the residents will not follow any orders from the court except from the mayor,” she told reporters.
For humanitarian reasons, Duterte said she requested for the two-hour extension, or until 11a.m., so that she could still hold a dialogue with the residents before enforcing the demolition order. She added no violence could have ensued had the sheriff listened to her.
She, however, clarified that she did not order a stop to the demolition that would affect 220 families, but only wanted to have it enforced Read More »
On December 2009, while Ruby and I was on the road to Cagayan de Oro City with Kenny Nodalo and Jun of then Medco (now MinDA), Jun stopped at Calinan and offered a free ride to two teachers who had been waiting to hitch on passing vehicles — either private or government-owned.
We learned that many of them were actually waiting for any vehicle to offer them a free ride to Marilog district, where they teach in elementary and high schools.
On Monday, the first day of the school year, the teachers were on the road again and waiting for free ride.
MARILOG DISTRICT, Davao City (MindaNews/6 June) – Who says backpackers are the only good hitchhikers? Count the teachers assigned in this district who may have mastered the art of hitchhiking after all these years.
Public school teacher Marilyn Camarillo wakes up at 4 a.m. everyday to prepare her packed lunch, which she would bring to school.
Camarillo, who lives in barangay Maa, has to take a jeepney going to Ulas junction as early as 6 a.m. because she needs to catch the 7:30 a.m. flag ceremony at the Sto. Niño Elementary School at Barangay Datu Salumay in this district.
Although it would only take about an hour of jeepney or bus ride to reach her school in Marilog District, the 47-year-old teacher should be at the junction in Ulas before 6 a.m. to hitch a ride to get there. Marilog, located along the Davao-Bukidnon highway, is around 60 kilometers from the junction.
“As much as possible, we would opt for a free ride because we don’t have travel allowance and we are getting our fares from our own pockets,” Camarillo, who teaches grades three and four, told MindaNews.
This morning, Ruby and I attended the graduation rites of her younger sister at UP Mindanao-Mintal campus.
Since it’s also an opportunity to cover, we took several shots of some vendors on the sidelines for news dispatches.
As the program was about to start, we rushed back to the atrium of UP Mindanao. We were just few meters away.
But we were surprised to hear some faculty of the school told us that we, and even the parents, are not allowed to take pictures since the UP Mindanao has its own official photographer.
I told them that we will just take a photo of our graduate while she’s marching towards their designated area. But the ladies, including the guard, insisted that it is prohibited because they have an official photographer.
Wow, I didn’t know that there is such a policy like that in a state university like University of the Philippines! Read More »
DAVAO CITY — Two years after the killing of Rebelyn Pitao, the case seemed to have gathered dust since no witnesses have surfaced and her killers are still at large.
Pitao, daughter of New People’s Army (NPA) leader Leoncio Pitao a.k.a. Commander Parago, was abducted on her way home in Barangay (village) Bago in Davao City. The following day, her partially naked body was found in an irrigation ditch in Barangay San Isidro in Carmen, Davao Del Norte, about 50 kilometers north from this city.
While the government authorities are claiming that the case has not really progressed and the killers remained at large, her father admitted to have already killed three of the dozen suspects, all of them are military personnel according to the rebel leader.
But rights lawyer Carlos Zarate believes that the case of Pitao is not just a plain crime saying that it is more of a political issue given that the victim is a daughter of a revolutionary.
Zarate, along with his colleagues at the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers for Mindanao (UPLM), said that they are raising this issue before the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) peace panels. Read More »
Is this the sign of times? Sea water level rise is evident here at Sta. Ana wharf in Davao City. Experts blame the ice melt from arctic glaciers as the primary cause of sea water level rise.
Yes, it’s a fiesta! Not just hundreds but thousands of people coming from different walks of life flock everyday at the Peoples Park to watch evening shows. But many are eager to watch the newly installed P23-million interactive fountain from India.
Then a portion of San Pedro St, particularly in front San Pedro Cathedral is closed to traffic to pave way for the trade fair — herbs, organic products, borloloys and variety street foods.
And the kids’ favorite: free carousel ride at Rizal Park. The kids can have choice: wooden horse and elephant. At least, kids can get a ride for free even everyday — courtesy of the city government.
Of course, don’t miss the “ukay-ukay” galore that opens at about 6pm along Bolton St.
Finally, when you’re starving already, go back to San Pedro St, in front of the city hall, and pick your choice of street food! Merry Christmas!
"These images we have collected in the first 10 years of the new millennium, we would like to share with you. The photographs in this book offer a ringside view of Mindanao through the lens of MindaNews photographers."
Some vendors in Agdao Market, Davao City brought TV sets to watch the Pacquiao-Marquez fight. At around 9am, some vendors are already glued on the TV watching the undercard fights. One of the meat vendors noted that the market goers flock in Agdao as early as 5am until 8am.
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/21 October) – Three of the 19 government soldiers slain in Basilan on Tuesday have been transported to their respective hometowns in Mindanao, with their comrades rendering military honors upon the arrival of their remains at the tarmac of the old Davao International Airport.
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