MANILA-To mark the International Day of the Disappeared, over 200 family members of around 170 people who went missing in the 2017 Marawi conflict gathered in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte on August 31 to urge Philippine authorities to provide answers on the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones.

The annual event also served as an opportunity for them to honor their missing relatives’ legacies and memories.

“The International Day of the Disappeared is a day for families of the missing to stand in solidarity with each other and remember their missing relatives,” said Johannes Bruwer, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in the Philippines, which organized the gathering.

“Those who went missing from the Marawi conflict seven years ago will never be forgotten. We will continue to support the families of the missing as they urge the authorities to provide them answers so they can finally find closure.”

The obligation to prevent people from going missing and to account for persons reported missing is enshrined in the Geneva Conventions, to which the Philippine government is a party. As such, the government is obligated to clarify the fate and whereabouts of those missing due to armed conflicts and other situations of violence.

During the commemoration in Iligan City, representatives of the families shared the challenges that they have faced.

Some of the families said they have not yet received compensation. They also mentioned the difficulty of obtaining certificates of presumptive death for their missing loved ones, which would enable them to address legal and administrative issues.

One of them, Amanda*, said: “When my brother went missing, my mother experienced so much heartache. Now, she’s skinny. My father could no longer do business since my brother was his partner.”

“It hurts to think that he’s gone. We don’t know his whereabouts. There’s no repayment for the disappearance of our loved one. The world could be given to us, but it still won’t be enough because we just want to see him,” she added.

The event also served as a way for the families of the missing to discuss their expectations from the authorities, including officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Marawi Compensation Board, the Public Attorney’s Office, the Philippine National Police Forensic Group, Marawi City mayor’s office, and the Lanao del Sur provincial government.

A similar gathering will happen on September 7 in Zamboanga City.

From 2017-2023, the ICRC has supported more than 200 families of the missing linked to the Marawi conflict through programs providing mental health and psychosocial support and livelihood initiatives, following the loss of their breadwinners. It also supports the Philippine National Police-Forensic Group in the collection of biological reference samples to identify human remains.(PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – The provincial government of Northern Samar, in partnership with the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), has planted 66,000 coconut seedlings across the province as part of its efforts to develop and strengthen the local coconut industry.

Engr. Reynato Dubongco, PCA provincial manager, the planting initiative supports Governor Edwin Ongchuan’s program to boost coconut production in Northern Samar.

“From June until now, we have already planted 66,000 coconut seedlings in the province.

These dwarf coconut varieties will help increase our coconut production in support of Gov.Ongchuan’s development program for the coconut industry in Northern Samar,” he said.

The province received a total allocation of 66,781 seedlings from the PCA, with some of these planted in Sitio Libas, Brgy Poblacion 8, Pambujan town.

This area will serve as a seed garden for the dwarf coconut variety, which is part of the PCA’s coconut hybridization program.

Dubongco noted that the existing tall coconut variety in the province produces only 33 nuts per year, but the newly planted dwarf variety is expected to more than double that yield.

These 66,000 seedlings are part of the 860,000 coconut seedlings allocated to Eastern Visayas, which in turn is part of the PCA’s target of planting 2 million seedlings nationwide.

According to 2022 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Northern Samar produced 261,000 metric tons of coconut.

PCA data also shows that Northern Samar ranks second in Eastern Visayas in terms of the number of coconut trees, with 15,389,364 trees, following Leyte, which has 16,688,777.

Northern Samar is also second to Leyte in terms of coconut-planted area, with 81,731 hectares, and second in total nut production, with 261,247 metric tons, trailing only Samar, which produced 298,318 metric tons.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – Some P277 million worth of shabu in a car was intercepted Thursday night near the port of Allen, Northern Samar, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported on Friday, Sept. 6.

The Northern Samar Provincial Police Office (NSPPO) said the seized illegal drugs wrapped in black plastic weighed 37 kilograms.

The Highway Patrol Team seized the illegal substance at a checkpoint in Jubasan village, just a few meters away from the town’s port, the region’s gateway to Luzon.

Police personnel manning the checkpoint flagged down the Toyota Avanza car as the driver was not wearing a seatbelt and failed to present proof of ownership and registration of the vehicle.

Upon searching, lawmen noticed the black package, which turned out to be containing shabu.

The operatives arrested the driver, alias Japeth, 44, of Sta. Cruz, Antipolo City; his companions alias Eman, also from the same village in Antipolo City, and alias Ruel, from Banday village in Malabang, Lanao Del Sur.

Col. Sonnie Omengan, NSPPO chief, said the illicit drugs came from Malabang, Lanao Del Sur, picked up in Tubod, Iligan City, and up for delivery to Baclaran in Metro Manila.

The 37 packs seized illegal drugs were turned over to the PNP provincial forensic unit for examination while the suspects were brought to the Allen municipal police station.

Omengan said the suspects will be charged with the violation of Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

He ordered an in-depth investigation for the possible identification of parties involved.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)