Day: May 21, 2023

The Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces agreed Saturday to a seven-day ceasefire, Al Jazeera reported based on sources from the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry. Saudi-funded Al-Arabiya television reported that the agreement between the army and the paramilitary group will take effect in 48 hours. It includes allowing armed groups involved in the conflict to evacuate hospitals and facilitating the repair of facilities serving the public. The US State Department published joint statements signed by the Sudanese army and RSF on the short-term ceasefire and agreements. “In Jeddah, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces signed the first ceasefire since the conflict began. It is past time to silence the guns and allow unhindered humanitarian access. I implore both sides to uphold this agreement – the eyes of the world are watching,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted. At least 850 civilians have been killed and more than 3,300 injured in fighting between the army and the RSF since April 15, according to local medics. After the first face-to-face talks in Saudi Arabia, the army and the RSF signed a declaration of commitment to protect civilians in Sudan on May 11. Despite the agreement, clashes continued between the two military rivals, particularly in the capital of Khartoum. A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and the RSF about the paramilitary group’s integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan’s transition agreement with political groups. Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.” Sudan’s transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Four fighters of the Central Negros 1 (CN1) Front of the Communist New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in an encounter with government troopers in Barangay Trinidad, Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental on Sunday. Lt. Col. William Pesase, the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) commanding officer, told the Philippine News Agency in an interview that the four were among the heavily armed rebels who clashed with his men in Sitio Cambawgon, Barangay Trinidad before daybreak. Pesase said the Trinidad encounter was a result of pursuit operations following another clash with the NPA in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental on Saturday where five other rebels were killed. A cache of high-powered firearms, short arms, and other war materiel were likewise recovered by Army troops. One NPA member surrendered to authorities. Local police, Scene of Crime Operatives, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office personnel, and soldiers were on the way to retrieve the cadavers of the deceased rebels as of press time. No other details were made available yet due to poor network connectivity.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte continues to display all-around leadership with efforts for reforms in the education sector, peacebuilding and entrepreneurship. The Vice President was keynote speaker during Saturday night’s ‘Tambobong Indakan Festival’ in Malabon City, where she was introduced by Mayor Jeannie Sandoval. ‘Iniidolo ko si VP Sara dahil pinapahalagahan niya ang edukasyon ng ating mga kababayan. Bilang kalihim ng edukasyon, siya ay nangunguna sa laban upang tugunan ang mga hamon at kakulangan na maaari pang punan sa sistema ng edukasyon sa ating bansa (I admire VP Sara because she values education. As Secretary of Dducation, she is at forefront of the fight to address the challenges and gaps that can be filled in education system in our country),’ Sandoval said in her introduction speech. Sandoval was referring to the local peacebuilding efforts in Davao City called Peace 911 and livelihood program ‘Mag-Negosyo ‘Ta Day’ which were implemented during the Vice President’s term as mayor of Davao City, according to a news release of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) posted on the Facebook page of the Presidential Communications Office. ‘Iniidolo ko rin si VP Sara dahil nakikita niya ang kahalagahan ng kapayapaan at pagbibigay ng oportunidad sa kababaihan na magkaroon ng kabuhayan (I also admire VP Sara because she sees the importance of peace and giving women the opportunity to have a livelihood),’ Sandoval said in her introduction speech. In her speech, the Vice President pushed for quality education in combating social injustices and making the youth pillars of the country’s development. ‘Sa Department of Education naman po ay aming ginawa ang MATATAG agenda para sa Marcos administration. Ito po ay naglalayon na magbigay ng mga reporma sa basic education sector natin dito sa ating bansa sa loob ng anim na taon. Layunin natin lahat na makapagtaguyod ng isang bansang makabata at mga batang makabansa (In the DepEd, we made a firm agenda for the Marcos administration. This is intended to provide reforms in our basic education sector in our country within six years. We all aim to promote a country that is pro-youth and patriotic),’ Duterte said. ‘Nanawagan po ako sa inyong lahat dito sa Malabon na magtulungan po tayo na paniguraduhin na ang ating mga anak ay pumapasok sa paaralan at makatapos ng pag-aaral. Ilayo po natin sila sa mga kriminalidad, ilegal na droga, sa NPA, mga terorista dahil ito po ay makakasira sa kanilang kinabukasan (I am calling on all of you here in Malabon to ensure that our children go to school and finish their studies. Let’s keep them away from criminality, illegal drugs, the New People’s Army, terrorists because these will destroy their future),’ she said. Duterte introduced other programs of the OVP aimed at bringing government services closer to the people and enabling Filipinos nurture their entrepreneurial potentials so they would live in better conditions. She mentioned program that gives assistance to small and medium enterprises in the community level. ‘Meron po kaming Mag Negosyo ‘Ta Day kung saan nagbibigay kami ng PHP100,000 to PHP500,000 na perang tulong sa mga organisasyon ng kababaihan, ng LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning] o mga PWD na interesadong mag-negosyo (We have Mag Negosyo ‘Ta Day where we give PHP100,000 to PHP500,000 cash assistance to groups of women, LGBTQ, or persons with disability who are interested to go into business),’ she said. Duterte said the Peace 911 in the communities and PagbaBAGo campaigns for ‘family planning and responsible parenthood and importance of education.’ The festival was one of the highlights of Malabon’s 424th founding anniversary. The celebration also showcased dances depicting the culture and history of the city, and the opening of the ‘One Barangay, One Product’ exhibit.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Third-seed Christian Mendoza of Antipolo City was crowned champion in the GMG Youth Challenge Rapid Chess tournament held at Rockwell Business Center, Mandaluyong City over the weekend. Mendoza scored 6.5 points in the 7-round Swiss System format competition for players 15 years old and below. He received PHP5,000 in cash and a medal. “I knew that this was a tough tournament with all the players. I just tried to play my best and now I am really happy,” said the 15-year-old in an interview on Sunday. Mendoza, a Grade 10 student from Antipolo National High School, defeated Xian Aiken Cuartero (Calamba City, Laguna), Delia Marie Penaverde (Manila), Lira Placer (Angeles City, Pampanga), Jude Angelo Dableo (Manila), Allan Gabriel Hilario (Manila), and Woman National Master Jersey Marticio (Cabuyao City, Laguna); and split the points with National Master Oshrie James Reyes (Sta. Rita, Pampanga) in the seventh round of the tournament sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines. Jian Carlo Rivera (Rodriguez, Rizal), NM Al-Basher Buto (Cainta, Rizal), Hilario, Jeanne Marie Arcinue (Legaspi, Albay), and Reyes all scored 6.0 points, while top seed FM Christian Gian Karlo Arca (Dasmariñas, Cavite) and AIM Gabriel Ryan Paradero (Pasig City) registered 5.5 points.

Source: Philippines News Agency

A farmer in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental was shot and killed by suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) after he reportedly withdrew his support from the insurgency movement, a police official said on Sunday. The 47-year-old victim, Eduardo Antiquando Balansag, a resident of Sitio Mansalukon in Barangay Calupaan, was killed Saturday afternoon at his residence by four armed men who claimed to be NPA members. Lt. Col. Romeo Cubo, Guihulngan City police chief, told the Philippine News Agency that the suspects shouted ‘Mabuhay ang NPA (Long live the NPA)’ before they fled. Cubo said the strongest possible motive for the killing was that Balansag had refused to continue to support the group. ‘Information that we gathered from the ground showed that Balansag used to provide food to the armed rebels but had stopped recently,’ Cubo said in Cebuano. Balansag was working on his newly built house when the two suspects arrived and talked to him for about 40 minutes, police investigation showed. Two others arrived later but remained a short distance away. The duo who came earlier then drew their guns and fired at Balansag, who managed to run away but the two others blocked his path and shot him several times more, causing his instant death. The police recovered three pieces of empty shells of caliber .45; one empty shell of caliber 5.56mm; one live round of caliber .45; and a deformed slug of caliber .45.

Source: Philippines News Agency