MANILA, Philippines — Over 5,200 Filipino pilgrims have registered with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) to perform the five-day hajj, Islam’s pilgrimage, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, tentatively starting on November 4. Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam.

Every adult Muslim is obliged to complete one pilgrimage if he or she is financially and physically capable. NCMF Secretary Bai Omera D. Dianalan Lucman urged all pilgrims to coordinate closely with the NCMF to ensure their smooth and hassle-free journey to Islam’s holy land. As of September 9, cut-off for registration, the NCMF said 5,200 pilgrims have already registered. (Edd Usman)

Hermosa fest

ZAMBOANGA CITY (PIA) – The city is in its festive mood as preparations for the grandest festival here – “2011 Zamboanga Hermosa Festival” – is now being undertaken.

The month-long festivity is in honor of the city’s patron saint Nuestra Señora La Virgen Del Pilar, whose feast day is on October 12.

City Mayor Celso Lobregat convened concerned offices and agencies of the government, including the police and the military, to look into the details with regards to the various activities lined up for the celebration.

Fishery support

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PNA) – The remote coastal town of Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat is seeking the help of the Republic of Korea to support the growth of the local fishing industry, an official said.

Ambutong Pautong, Region 12 office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BAFR-12) assistant director, said the Kalamansig government has proposed to the South Korean Embassy the funding of a wharf and cold storage facilities.

“The local government unit wanted to develop a fish port complex that includes cold storage and processing facilities,” he said in a phone interview.

Dev't funding

PAGADIAN CITY – Mindanao will be getting a “hefty” share of budget for tourism development this year as its socio-economic planning agency announced that its advocacy for an increased budget has finally paid off.

“I am happy to report that in our recent meeting with the Tourism Infrastructure Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) Board, Mindanao got a hefty share of 35 percent from the P448.84-million TIEZA priority infrastructure projects this year,” said Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Luwalhati Antonino at the 20th Mindanao Business Conference (MinBizCon) held here recently.

Antonino said that the Zamboanga Peninsula got two of the 29 approved tourism projects in Mindanao. (Mick Basa)

Rice assistance

TUBOD, Lanao del Norte – The continuing rice assistance to Muslims in Lanao del Norte now reaches to 2,332 sacks, which were distributed to 634 local mosques located at various areas in the province. The provincial government said the project for some 170,000 Muslims in the province is in line with the recently concluded Holy Month of Ramadan.

Aside from rice assistance, the provincial government also distributed fruit dates in the various towns of the province. “This assistance is a great help to us, especially the needy,” said Hadji Ali Ansao, an owner of a mosque in Malungao, this town. (Mike Crismundo)