News Roundup 01 December 2022
Dec 01, 2022 • 4 min Read
2 Dawlah Islamiya bomb-makers arrested in South Cotabato | PHILSTAR.COM – Two alleged bomb-makers of the Dawlah Islamiya terror group, long wanted for multiple murder, were arrested Wednesday in Polomolok, South Cotabato. Jerry Pandian, 44, and Yeb Salila, 18, reportedly belong to the Khatiba group in the Dawlah Islamiya, tagged in deadly bombings in central Mindanao in recent years. The duo was nabbed before dawn Wednesday in Purok 2 in Barangay Glamang in Polomolok, South Cotabato by combined personnel of units under the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and the Police Regional Office-12. Army and police intelligence officials confirmed Thursday that Pandian and Salila are experts in fabrication of improvised explosive devices using components easy to obtain, such as ammonium nitrate and potassium chlorate, which can be used as blasting powders for home-made bombs. They did not resist arrest when members of the Polomolok Municipal Police Station, agents from the South Cotabato Provincial Police and PRO-12 and soldiers arrived at their hideout in Barangay Glamang and showed them an arrest warrant for murder cases against them. The warrant for their arrest was issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 13 in Polomolok, South Cotabato.
Hontiveros urges border control, coordination with states to stop trafficking of Pinoys | PHILSTAR.COM – Amid her expose of a Chinese mafia’s trafficking operation targetting Filipinos, Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Thursday called on the national government to tighten border control mechanisms and coordinate with other governments to ensure the safety of overseas Filipino workers. In a statement sent to reporters, Hontiveros said that the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality would aim to hold accountable the individuals in the Bureau of Immigration and the Manila International Airport Authority found to be linked to the scam. She also called on other national government agencies to assist any OFWs reaching out to them. “Border control should be tightened here in the Philippines to make sure that we do not let our countrymen fall into the hands of syndicates,” Hontiveros said. The committee’s hearings have found that trafficked passengers were given a fake monthly pass stamped with the logo of the Manila International Airport Authority, which manages the terminals of the NAIA. At Tuesday’s hearing, Hontiveros and two survivors of the human trafficking operation also alleged that personnel of the Bureau of Immigration were involved in the scam and were responsible for the entry of the operation’s agents into the country. “Filipinos who have been trafficked to other countries to scam must be sent home first. Rapid coordination is needed with various government agencies, such as the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Migrant Workers, and the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration, as well as liaison with governments in other countries,” she said. The senator’s office unearthed the scheme last month after it found that unsuspecting OFWs looking for jobs abroad were promised a job in a call center as customer service representatives, or as data encoders but were kidnapped and then forced to scam foreigners. Rescued OFWs have also alleged that the Chinese syndicate is holding similar operations in Thailand, the Middle East and Myanmar. “Moving forward, there have to be clear transborder solutions. The Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia are bound by the ASEAN convention against trafficking in persons so there must be tighter coordination to suppress this crime,” Hontiveros said.
Carla Mae Telmo becomes Badjao community’s first registered nurse | INQUIRER.NET – A member of the Badjao community in Barangay Totolan in Dauis town, Bohol was among those who passed the nurse licensure examination (NLE) last November 2022. For Carla Mae Telmo, part of her success was due to being a Badjao and she wants to repay the community. Telmo, 22, is the first registered nurse in the Badjao community of Barangay Totolan. “I am very thankful to God who heard my prayers. This success is not only for me but also for my family and my Badjao tribe. I am very proud to be a Badjao,” she said. The Telmo family was overjoyed over Carla’s success. “I am very happy we have a nurse now. His father and I are happy that she passed the board. We thank the Lord for granting our prayers,” said Telmo’s mother Merlinda. Badjao tribe is an indigenous population whose culture and livelihood are tied to the sea. Mario Coham, the chieftain of the Badjao community, said the whole community was proud of Telmo’s achievement. “She serves as an inspiration to all Badjao kids here,” said the 62-year-old chieftain. Proud of her roots, Telmo said being a Badjao was the reason and bridge for her to study and qualify in various scholarships from the government and private sectors.
