MARAWI CITY, Philippines (PIA) – The leadership of the Army’s 65th Infantry Battalion pursued the conduct of the Barangay Peace and Order Council for Barangay Dimalna, this city, recently.

Discussed during the meeting were the Armed Forces’ Bayanihan, Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ environmental management, and Philippine National Police’s Barangay Defense System.

Heading the troops was Major Dhoc K. Equing, the executive officer of 65th Infantry Battalion. The village officials expressed their support to the Army’s programs and thanked them for their effort.

Health summit

DIPOLOG CITY (PIA) – The Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Zamboanga del Norte is slated to hold a provincial health summit here next week. Health leaders from both public and private sectors in the province have been invited to attend the gathering with the theme “Achieving Millennium Development Goals through Universal Health Care Approach.”

PHO officer Eduardo Luayon said Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona and former Health Secretary Jaime Galvez Tan of the Health Futures Foundation will also be joining the activity.

ARMM farmers

COTABATO CITY – A total of 249 landless farmers from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) got their own lands after receiving certificates of land ownership awards (CLOAs) entitling them to an average of 3.5 hectares each.

The CLOAs were issued by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and distributed by ARMM acting Governor Ansaruddin Alonto Adiong to the recipients from Buldon, Maguindanao, in a ceremony Thursday here, highlighting the recent celebration of the region’s 22nd foundation anniversary, DAR Regional Secretary Camid Gandamra said.

 The distributed CLOAs covered 742 hectares, which Gandamra considered the biggest volume ever given to ARMM landless farmer-residents. (Ali Macabalang)

Forest drive

BUTUAN CITY – In a unified move, local government leaders pledged to lead their respective constituents to plant at least 10 tree seedlings each every year over the next six years in the Caraga Region to attain its target in support to the national government’s Greening Program (NGP).

The governors, congressmen, mayors, officials from all line agencies of the government, and non-government organizations and people’s organization leaders, also made their assurance following their concern over the effects of global warming and climate change. With close to a population of two million, Caraga Region has a total forest area of 1,331,491 hectares as of 2008. (Mike Crismundo)

Elders' fund

COTABATO CITY – More than 400 senior citizens from three municipalities in Maguindanao received their social pension this week from the Autonomous Regional government in time for the 38th anniversary celebration of the Maguindanao province.

Social Welfare acting Secretary Hadja Pombaen Karon-Kader said the elderly beneficiaries from the towns of Buluan, Pandag, and Mangudadatu received P500 each for their basic needs like medicines. There are 6,074 beneficiaries of social pension across the autonomous region – where 1,698 of whom are from the province of Maguindanao, she said. (Ali Macabalang)