AFP-CentCom Chief condemns landmine attack
that killed soldier, wounded six others in Samar
by Fayette C. Riñen
CEBU CITY, July 26 (PIA) -- Armed Forces of the Philippines - Central Command Chief General Lt. Gen.Ralph Villanueva condemned the use of landmines that killed an army soldier and wounded six other soldiers in a landmine attack last Wednesday in Barangay Canligues and Concepcion, Paranas in Samar.
Villanueva criticized the ‘desperate act’ of the new people’s army (NPA) by using landmines. “Landmines indiscriminately planted in a provincial road pose a great danger to passing motorists and civilians in the area,” Villanueva said.
The fatality was identified as Staff Sergeant Martin Fabi, a member of the 34th Infantry Battalion under the 8th Infantry Division based in San Jorge, Samar. The six injured soldiers were Staff Sergeant Danilo Pepito, Staff Sergeant Tito Ortega, Staff Sergeant Beethoven Babon, and Private Cliff Jason Esquierdo of 34IB while two others were PFC Jayson Pepito and PFC Capagalan of 87IB.
Some sustained gunshot injuries while the others were wounded due to splinter of the improvised explosive device. The wounded soldiers were immediately confined at St. Paul Hospital, Tacloban City while Fabi’s remain was brought to Catbalogan City, a statement from CentCom said.
In a report provided by Lt. Col. Christopher Tampus, CentCom spokesperson, the troops from the 34IB and the 87IB were on board two military trucks when a landmine exploded.
One military truck was damaged due to the explosion while the other one was slightly damaged.
A firefight erupted between 20 suspected armed rebels and the troops.
Colonel Romeo Labador, 801st Brigade Commander said there was realignment of troops in their area because of the arrival of the 43rd Infantry Battalion from Mindanao.
“The movement of the troops is part of the realignment of our forces to new areas due to the arrival of an additional battalion in Samar,” he said.
Villanueva has already extended his condolences to the family of Fabi.
“We are doing good in Samar and Leyte areas. The strong partnership between the local government units and our forces has resulted to the surrender of 7 armed rebels and the surrender of 29 high and low powered firearms,” Villanueva disclosed. (PIA 7-Cebu)
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ALU-TUCP still hopeful in P-Noy’s 2nd year in office
By Eli C. Dalumpines
By Eli C. Dalumpines
CEBU CITY, July 26 (PIA) – An official of a Cebu-based labor group, the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Unions Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) said they are still willing to give President Benigno S. Aquino III a chance in his second year in office.
Joy lim, ALU-TUCP’s Education and Information Director, in a radio interview this morning, said they remain hopeful that the president will take notice of their plight despite his failure to include in his State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) yesterday a program for the workers.
According to Lim, they monitored President Aquino’s 55-minute speech hoping that they will hear some pronouncements for the labor sector but they were disappointed because they heard nothing that concerns the workers.
Instead, the president mentioned statistics on the decline of the unemployment rate in the country which the workers do not appreciate much since data can easily be manufactured, Lim said.
What the labor sector needed is an increase in their salaries to strengthen their purchasing power especially now that oil companies announced another round of increase in prices of oil, she stressed.
She lauded President Aquino though for reiterating his anti-corruption stanch in his second SONA. This just shows, she said, that he is serious in the campaign to rid the bureaucracy of bad elements.
There are similar comments were also aired by some business leaders and local government officials here.
In an earlier interview, Filomeno Lim of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCCI) here said the president seems to be dead serious in curbing corruption.
Lim, however, claimed that this campaign bore fruit as he observed that there is already a decrease of corruption incidence in the bureaucracy from top to bottom.
Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, meanwhile, commended President Aquino’s move to purge the government of corrupt officials but she raised apprehensions that some of the president’s men might compromise this campaign. (FCR/ECD/PIA 7-Cebu)
Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, meanwhile, commended President Aquino’s move to purge the government of corrupt officials but she raised apprehensions that some of the president’s men might compromise this campaign. (FCR/ECD/PIA 7-Cebu)
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P-Noy says more jobs for Pinoys today, unemployment down
By Fayette C. Riñen
‘C. Visayas also witness decline in unemployment, DOLE-7 says’
CEBU CITY, July 26 (PIA) – Just a year into office, President Benigno S. Aquino in his 2nd State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) yesterday afternoon boasted that more Filipinos today have jobs easing down unemployment rate.
“Our foremost pledge to the Filipino people was to create more jobs, and we have delivered. In April 2010, the unemployment rate was at 8%; in April 2011, it was at 7.2%,” Pres. Aquino reported which earned several applause in his almost an-hour speech.
The decline in unemployment is also seen in Central Visayas as just last week, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) here disclosed that unemployment rate decreased to 6.2 percent as of June, this year.
“More jobs are provided to the people and that in Cebu, more than 25,000 jobseekers landed employment due to our regular conduct of job fairs in partnership with the private sector and the local government units,” DOLE-7 Acting Director Exequiel Sarcauga said.
Since January, this year, the DOLE-7 undertook 47 job fairs which resulted to more job opportunities to the people.
Creation of jobs is a priority thrust of Pres. Aquino as Sarcauga said “our office is there to facilitate access for the provision of employment.”
Aquino said that despite the growing number of unemployed every year as the unemployed represent a moving target with fresh new graduates annually, “our results make our success evident as one million and four hundred thousand jobs were created last year.”
More jobs are readily available but the problem hinges on the job mismatch between job seekers and the job market, according to Aquino who cited the Philjobnet website that every month, 50,000 jobs are not filled.
“The number of jobs generated in our country can only grow from here. According to the Philjobnet website, every month there are 50,000 jobs that are not filled because the knowledge and skills of job seekers do not match the needs of the companies,” the President bared.
Aquino said he has directed the DOLE, the Commission on Higher Education, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Dep Ed to work together to address the problem.
“Curricula will be reviewed and analyzed to better direct them to industries that are in need of workers, and students will be guided so that they may choose courses that will arm them with the skills apt for vacant jobs,” Aquino said.
In Cebu, the TESDA is offering training courses on Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) to further enhance English proficiency, a critical criteria to help job hunters be employed in the call center industry.
Metro Cebu on the other hand, has listed 22 existing call centers employing over 20,000 employees as of the second quarter of last year. There are also 36 other non-voice BPOs that are operating here, this is reported.
The country has been ranked as one of the most attractive off-shoring destinations in the world due to cost competitiveness and more significantly, because Filipinos are highly trainable, English- proficient, and IT-enabled quality manpower. (PIA 7-Cebu)