Lanao del Sur, Philipppines

Wao, Lanao del Sur: Philippine National Police (PNP) Deputy Director Gen. Jesus A. Verzosa on Wednesday lauded Gawad Kalinga for building a 30-unit housing project for former Muslim rebels in the province of Lanao del Sur.

“Gawad Kalinga’s generosity has reached our brothers in Wao, Lanao del Sur. This is a big step towards the government’s peace-building efforts in Mindanao,” Verzosa, the chairman of the PNP Housing Board, said in a statement.

Verzosa said police and military personnel helped in the construction of other Gawad Kalinga housing projects in Mindanao.

Last year, Gawad Kalinga also built housing projects in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao; Camp Abubakar, Shariff Kabunsuan; and Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte.

Manila Times 

BALINDONG, Lanao del Sur – Amid the persistence of high food prices, the World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations’ food assistance arm, announced on Monday that it would continue its food-for-education project in Mindanao for the incoming school year.

“It’s even more important today for the WFP to provide the food assistance,” Valerie Guarnieri, WFP Country Director for the Philippines, told a gathering of parents and teachers in Lilud-Raya village here.

But Guarnieri said the WFP would be cutting back on the number of beneficiaries for school year 2008-2009 owing to the pressure of high food prices on its resources.

The program procures rice in the international market the prices of which have gone up by 40 to 60 percent, she explained.

From 40 percent, food supplies will now account for 60 percent of WFP’s operations in the country, she further noted. By Ryan Rosauro

INQUIRER.net

The Commission on Elections on Wednesday chose Avante International Technology to automate elections in the five remaining provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In a press briefing, COMELEC Chairman Jose Melo said Avante will provide Optical Mark Reader (OMR) machines for the August 11 elections in Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Shariff Kabunsuan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

The COMELEC earlier granted the poll automation contract for Maguindanao to Smartmatic-SAHI joint venture, which is supplying direct recording electronic (DRE) technology for the elections.

“Yes, we are ready to automate and we will automate! Full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes!” Melo told reporters.

Melo told the suppliers to ensure a good job in automating the elections in the ARMM. “Let’s do a good job out of the automation project. Your failure is our failure and failure of the Filipino people,” he said.

ABS-CBN News

AFTER much delay, the Commission on Elections yesterday assured that it is all systems go for the planned automation of the August 11 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.In an interview, Comelec Chairman Jose Melo said the ARMM poll automation will finally push through.

“It’s all systems go for the automation of the ARMM elections in August. We will be able to make it,” he told Tonight.

Melo said the automation will be conducted on four out of the six provinces of the ARMM.

The ARMM provinces where the elections will be automated are Maguindanao, Basilan, Shariff Kabunsuan and Lanao Del Sur. Sulu and Tawi-Tawi will undergo manual voting because of geographical limitations.

“The voting in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi will remain manual kasi watak-watak kaya mahirap i-automate,” he said, namely Smartmatic Sahi Joint Venture, Active Business Solutions, and Abante.By: Lee Ann P. Ducusin

Journal Online