CPO implements “Kap Kap”; crime rate drops

by Jocelyn P. Alvarez

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Alarmed with the increasing number of shooting incidents in the city the past few weeks, the city government ordered the City Police Office (CPO) to strictly implement operation “kap kap .”

Operation “Kap kap” is one measure to strengthen police security in the city fallowing the series of shooting incidents here.

“City Mayor Celso Lobregat issued an Executive Order for the continuous implementation of gun ban in Zamboanga to boost peace and security, and operation Kap kap is one measure” Sheila Covarrubias, City Information Officer (IO) shared.

“Oplan Kap kap is a mobile and stationery checkpoints to monitor the proliferation of unlicensed firearms through the establishment of mobile check points and on the spot inspection in all establishments, the lady IO explained.

It can be recalled, Lobregat recently directed the City Police Director Col. Edwin de Ocampo to double its efforts in the implementation of the gun ban in the city.

The chief executive stressed that the police together with the military's Task Force Zamboanga should intensify the conduct of mobile and random checkpoints in a bid to thwart criminal incidents.

Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office 9 confirmed that the number of crimes involving the use of firearms has reduced fallowing the implementation of “kap kap.”

Police Regional Information Officer Supt. Felixberto Candado said “operation Kap-Kap is very effective as several unlicensed firearms were confiscated and cases have been filled against these “illegal” gun holders.” (PIA9-ZBST)

AFP joins 2011 Mindanao Week of Peace

ISABELA CITY, Basilan -– The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) joins 2011 Mindanao Peace of Week which was launched last week in Zamboanga City through a civic parade from Petit Barracks to Don Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Complex.

Troops from Western Mindanao Command, 530th Air Wing Division, Task Force Zamboanga and 4th CRG, CRSAFP marched in support to the desire of the Mindanaoans for peace together with the Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, various government agencies, non-government organizations, and local government units, among others.

Lt Colonel Gamal S Hayudini, Group Commander of the 4th Civil Relations Group, Civil Relations Service of the AFP said that the 2011 Mindanao Week of Peace is an effort worthy of laud from the headship of the Peace Advocate of Zamboanga through the Inter-Religious Solidarity Movement for Peace.

More so, the unity and participation shown by the people from the different walks of life, races, and religion in this Week for Peace is a manifestation of genuine will that Mindanaoans wants neither conflict nor war but Peace alone, he added.

The 2011 Mindanao Week of Peace is observed from 24 November to 01 December with different activities showcasing primarily on “Peace.” Other activities participated by the military are the art exhibit in Garden Orchid Hotel and Concert for Peace on 01 December at Paseo del Mar. (6CRGAFP/RVC/PIA9 ZBST)

Gov’t Information Officers urged to maximize info tech in governance communication

by Rene V. Carbayas

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Communication and information officers from government and non-government institutions were encouraged to become innovative and more creative in gaining knowledge on information technology to effectively inform the people on government activities.

At least a hundred communication and information officers converged in General Santos City for the 9th Congress of the Mindanao Communicators Network (MCN) coming from Regions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and ARMM with the theme: “Strengthening Governance Communication through the New Media”.

Speaking on behalf of the City Mayor Darlene Custodio, Councilor Elizabeth B. Bagonoc stressed that “technology has altered the landscape of communication and society.”

She said that the theme truly represents the need of the time and that the information communication technology, in all aspects, has provided vast opportunities that has increased affordability and productivity, thereby accelerates socio-economic development.

Recognizing its potentials, Bagonoc said the city has maximized the use of the technology and launched several websites of the city council, including that of 26 public high schools in General Santos City, claiming it to be the first in the country. This, she said, will provide people with the opportunity to get in touch with their leaders (including that of the mayor) on-line, anytime and anywhere.

“This will help ensure transparency and accountability in making government truly responsive to the people and exercise the highest standard of governance,” she said.

Regional Director Olivia T. Sudaria of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA)-XII said that it has been some 11 years since the Mindanao Communicators Network was organized in 2000 whose membership now extends to communication officers, public relations officers, etc. from the NGOs, private sectors, and the academe.

“The goal is simply excellence in governance communication with the vision to promote excellence in governance communication among members by creating a venue for learning, initiating, and conducting of learning activities for members,” Sudaria said.

She underscored that the MCN takes the role of developing and enhancing the knowledge and skills of government information officers, needed for promoting government programs to the general public and its partners.

She said the MCN serves as the umbrella organization that synchronizes local efforts and plans to that of national efforts and programs, particularly for Mindanao.

Through the years, the MCN has been supportive of the national advocacy programs for peace and development, socio-economic programs, and fight against corruption, among others with the Aquino III’s administration concept of “Daang Matuwid.”

The 9th MCN Congress is held from November 28 to 30 with the election of new set of officers. (PIA9-ZBST)

Basilan gears up for 2011 Mindanao Week of Peace celebration

by Rene V. Carbayas

ISABELA CITY, Basilan – Hundreds of peace-loving citizens of Basilan province are expected to participate on (Nov 24) launching program of the annual Mindanao Week of Peace (MWoP) 2011, highlighted by the civic parade involving multi-stakeholders.

In a series of meetings of key stakeholders for the 2011 celebration agreed to hold various activities at the duration of the week-long celebration and beyond. Aside from the launching program on the November 24, a peace conference, a tri-people youth peace forum and workshop, an inter-faith dialogue activity, poster-making contests, and a Rosary rally for peace and life will also be held.

The stakeholders who participated in these meetings agreed to organize themselves into the Basilan Alliance for Peace and Development as a movement to continue doing peace initiatives even after the MWoP observance.

A pre-MWop event kicked off Tuesday in Isabela City with the holding of the poster-making contest at the Querexeta Formation Center where some 22 participating schools fielded their best artist to depict this year’s theme. Announcement and awarding of winners will be done also tomorrow.

Miriam L. Suacito, Executive Director of the Nagdilaab Foundation Inc, also acts as the Secretariat for the alliance said that the annual celebration is the venue for events highlighting the promotion of a culture of peace in Mindanao, a resource-rich island of the southern Philippines stricken with occasional armed conflicts.

The Mindanao Week of Peace is a celebration that involves communities of inter-faith organizations, non-governmental organizations, peoples’ organizations, government agencies who are working and advocating and mainstreaming the Culture of Peace in the Southern Philippines through various peace activities.

Initiated in Zamboanga in 1997 by Peace Advocates of Zamboanga (PAZ), this activity has become a Mindanao-wide event as adopted by the Bishops-Ulama Conference (BUC). Since then, it is being commemorated annually from the last Thursday of November to the first Wednesday of December, also perpetuated in observance through Presidential Proclamation No. 127, Series of 2001. For each year, a theme is developed by the BUC every month of May or June. This year’s theme is “Common word between us and you: Love of God, Love of neighbor.”

In a statement, the Bishop-Ulama Conference said that the theme is the title of the historic and significant Letter of 138 Muslim scholars of the world to Pope Benedict XVI and the religious leaders of the Christian Churches worldwide sometime in 2007.

The BUC said that Christian and Muslim beliefs are called People of the Book, contents of which are believed to have been revealed by God/Allah Himself. “Because of this divine revelation, they have a common origin and a common destiny which they can only be achieved through a life based on "Love of God and Love of Neighbor", a core commandment to know and to obey.”

It further said that the conflicts, wars and animosities among and between Christians and Muslims in the global society today can be traced to the wrong understanding and/or violation of this commandment. For this reason, “we urgently appeal to all Christians and Muslims in this country, in Asia and in the world to renew their faith and life through a thorough study, reflection, and living out of this theme of the 2011 Mindanao Week of Peace”, the BUC stressed. (PIA9-ZBST)

ARMM requires recruitment agencies' accreditation

ISABELA CITY, Basilan -– Incumbent officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has urged all recruitment agencies serving ARMM areas to apply for an accreditation from regional authorities to legalize their operation in the region.

The Bureau of Public Information said ARMM’s Labor Secretary Myra M. Alih told concerned recruitment agencies that while they may have been accredited by the DOLE national office, they still need to get regional accreditation for their smooth activities in the autonomous region.

Alih said there are 60 recruitment agencies operating in the area of autonomy, but not one of them has applied yet for accreditation from the DOLE-ARMM.

“We have been tolerating their operations in the region without accreditation from us for twenty-two long years before we have decided to give directives to them,” Alih stressed.

Alih reported that last November 17, eighteen recruitment agencies conducted a jobs fair in Cotabato, receiving dozens of instant applications in their slots for registered nurses, midwives, civil engineers, welders and household workers alongside aerobics instructors and machine operators.

The jobs fair formed part of the highlights of the recent celebration of the 22nd ARMM foundation anniversary that started Nov. 14 and ended on Nov. 19.

The event offered limited slots for nurses, midwives and welders, while the slots for household works were unlimited.

At the a forum, ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo also urged recruitment firms to work together with the ARMM government in order to protect the interest of the recruits.

Sinarimbo said the current administration of Acting ARMM Governor Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong has initially established commercial and employment link with Malaysian authorities, who had assured to give preference to ARMM residents in the imminent hiring of 40,000 highly-paid plantation workers.

The potentials of ARMM’s jobseekers in the oil palm plantations exclude standing offer by the Malaysian government to accommodate unlimited number of household workers.

Sinarimbo said that such offers are a great opportunity for the ARMM constituents, citing it as a reason for the required close coordination between local recruiters and DOLE authorities in the autonomous region. (BPI-ARMM/RVC/PIA9-ZBST)

ARMM gov supports media benefit concert

ISABELA CITY, Basilan  -– While bracing for solemn commemoration of the 2nd anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre, trauma-stricken local journalists enjoyed a rare chance with Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Acting Governor Hooky A. Adiong joining them in singing for a cause last week.

ARMM Information Chief Ali Macabalang disclosed that Adiong, a musical enthusiast, whose 20-month reign in ARMM has developed a cordial rapport with various sectors including journalists, rendered four songs related to peace and amity-building at the “Media Sonata” sponsored by the local media last Nov 14 in conjunction with the 22nd foundation anniversary celebration of the autonomous region.

Lasting from more than five hours at the lobby of the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Center inside the ARMM complex in Cotabato City, the musical event was sponsored by local members of the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (UNJP) and Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) to raise funds for handicapped fellow journalists and other charity works.

The Maguindanao massacre which left 57 people killed including 32 media practitioners, will be in its second year anniversary today (November 23) and both visiting and resident-journalists will commemorate it right at its bloody site in Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

Fernandez said the benefit concert, which the Adiong administration co-sponsored, was “long overdue” in a region that is still reeling from the adversities of the massacre.

The proceeds of dinner concert “would be used to help members of the media needing medical assistance,” said Jeffrey Mendez, news writer of the Catholic-run dxMS radio station and over-all coordinator of the event.

ARMM cabinet officials and their families alongside officials of foreign donor institutions joined Acting Governor Adiong in gracing the event, which also saw almost a dozen of print, broadcast and social media practitioners showcasing their singing and dancing talents. (AGM/PIA9-ZBST)

Gov’t hospi acquires high end P13.5M TB diagnostic machine

by Jocelyn P. Alvarez

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 24 (PIA) - - State owned hospital-Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) now makes better if not best service when it comes to Tuberculosis (TB) detection and TB drug administration as it boasts of its newly acquired P13.5 Million TB diagnostic machine. 

The state of the art machine called GeneXpert MTB/RIF is capable of identifying bacteria causing Tuberculosis and can screen the sputum in just a matter of two hours and can give fast and accurate result.

The high end machine has the capability to detect whether the bacteria is resistant to first line of anti-TB drug-Rifampicin.

“Patients found to have Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) or those resistant to Rifampicin will immediately be given the second line of TB drugs,” explained Dr. Marcelino Medina, Head, Programmatic Management Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (PMDT), ZCMC.

Medina shared, the machine was acquired through Global Fund and is worth P13.5 Million. It is the first and the only in the entire Zamboanga Peninsula region.

Medina also assured that aside from the “high tech” TB diagnostic machine, ZCMC has complete and enough anti TB drugs which is given for free to patients.

Medina said the government spends so much money in the aid of TB patients and stressed that information dissemination, early detection and early treatment is needed to combat TB.(JPA/PIA-ZBST)

City to implement cadastral road project; to demolish urban poor houses

by Jocelyn P. Alvarez

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 24(PIA) - - The city government is set to implement its cadastral road project starting at the Tumaga bridge down the stretch of Cabato Road, affecting several urban poor houses situated near the Tumaga river bank.

Demolition order signed November 9 by City Engineer Luis Despalo ordered affected families to vacate the area as demolition of houses will be done on December 9, reason for the Pascua Gangoso , President, Aurora Village River Bank Urban Poor Association to appeal for extension as December is supposed to be a time for merry making due to  Christmas celebration.

The “pleas” of affected families were expressed when they peacefully trooped down the Office of Barangay Affairs Officer Mario Roca for assistance on what can be done on their request.

“Blue Christmas gayot kame ara Desyembre,” (it’s blue Christmas for us this December) Gangoso said.

Families affected in this demolition will not be left wandering as they will be resettled in government resettlement site

Meanwhile, Roca said the city government has ordered the demolition of several houses in many other barangays specifically those living near the river banks as it is not safe to settle near the river banks noting that several houses and even lives were lost in the past during continuous, heavy downpour when water level rise and washed away shanties.  (JPA/PIA-ZBST)

Capacity building training for parent leaders in Labangan and RM concluded

 by Gideon C. Corgue

PAGADIAN CITY,  November 23 (PIA) – The 3-day capacity building training for parent leaders (PLs)  of  Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Labangan and Ramon Magsaysay was already completed over the weekend.

Provincial link Envangeline Poquita said the training for the PLs of said munciplaities conducted on November 15-18 at  pringland Resort, here.

Poquita said the training was the last batch under set 4b municipalities.  

The training aimed at capacitating the  PLs as partners of municipal links (MLs) in the implementation of the program in the municipal level, Poquita explained.

The participants were equipped with the knowledge on the 3 systems, namely: the grievance, compliance and monitoring ,and update system,” 

Poquita admitted that with the large numbers of 4Ps beneficiaries in the province, MLs had the difficulty of supervising and monitoring the compliance of the beneficiaries on the conditionalities of the program. “The role of the PLs, is  indeed  very vital in the successful implementation of the program,” Poquita added.

However, the provincial link said there will be another set of training scheduled this year for  those PLs who were absent saying that they immediately replaced PLs who failed to attend said training.

It has been the policy of the agency to train the untrained PLs for them to effectively assist MLs in the implementation of the program, Poquita added.

To date, the total number of trained PLs reached to 3,419 where 1,081 of whom from 1^st district and 2,338 from the 2^nd district. (JPA/GCC/PIA9-Pagadian)  

Pag-Ibig Fund gives free LBP cash cards to 12,190 MPL applicants

by Gideon C. Corgue

PAGADIAN CITY, Nove 22 (PIA) – In line with its vision of providing an efficient and better service to its members, the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund Office in partnership with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) has launched its new electronic program nationwide dubbed “LandBank Instant Cash Card” (LCC) on November 14.

Pag-IBIG Fund housing loan and marketing division head Gregorio M. Luba Jr. said the program was designed to give convenience to its members by minimizing their long wait times in claiming their Multi-Purpose Loan at their office and also at the LBP.

Luba said the cash card is a debit card and also functions as ATM card and is accessible to any ATM nationwide affiliated with Expressnet, Megalink, and Bancnet member banks and POS accredited merchants.

The card has the following salient features: No opening deposit requirement; no maintaining balance; no specimen signature card; no interest; no dormancy period, aggregate monthly credits allowed is P100,000; card validity is active to 3 years; ATM limit of P50,000/a day; Point of Sale Limit of P20,000/ a day; no replacement fee; and reactivation fee is not required.

“It’s hassle free. Pag-IBIG members will no longer be anxious from waiting in the long queue at the time of their application and in withdrawing the loan proceeds at the bank,” Luba said saying that before, members had to wait for a couple of hours in applying loan and will experience the same inconvenience while encashing their checks.

Lubao said with the program, a member will only wait for 3-5 minutes in submitting the MPL application forms and subsequently, he will be issued cash card after his application will be approved. He will no longer go to the bank because the proceeds of his loan will be automatically deposited in his cash card.

Lubao said, 12,190 ICCs allocated for its members in the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Misamis Occidental, the area of coverage of the Pagadian branch office.

Lubao said the ICCs were offered free to its members as part of Pag-IBIG fund’s special promo. “The issuance will be done on a first-come, first-served basis because the registered total number of Pag-IBIG members is almost 70,000, Lubao reported.”

Lubao said the cash card is just part of the 1 million generated by the LBP. “The distribution of cash cards is a dry run to measure the effectiveness of the program,” Lubao said.

Meanwhile, assistant branch manager Beder F. Morandarte, Jr. said the LCC is one of the agency’s programs implemented this year which aimed to provide better customer service and promote cost savings. “We are now moving towards paperless transactions,” Morandarte announced.

Morandarte encouraged Pag-IBIG Fund members to register now as the first 12,190 LCCs to be distributed to members here shall be free of charge.

Interested members must bring an original and photocopy of two (2) valid identification (ID) cards with photo to avoid delay in the card distribution.

Morandarte said Pag-IBIG Fund’s Marketing and Enforcement Division can be reached at telephone numbers (062) 2141695 or at mobile phone numbers 09086477451 and 09152265163. (ALT/GCC/PIA9-Pagadian)

Kidnap victim rescued in Zamboanga City

PAGADIAN CITY, November 22 (PIA) -– After a month of captivity, Monaliza Kapa, 34 , and business woman of Pitogo, Zamboanga del Sur was rescued after she was released by her captors at the vicinity of Cawa-Cawa, Zamboanga City on Saturday at 11:30 am due to the pressures of law enforcement operations conducted by the military and PNP in the area.

Kapa’s released was the result of the joint effort of the 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division, commanded by Maj. Gen. Noel A. Coballes thru Col. Pedro C. Dulos, deputy commander of 102nd Infantry Brigade in coordination with Alimudin Bualan, of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) Team 3 and other government authorities based in Zamboanga City.

Subsequently, the kidnapped victim was brought to Headquarters 102nd Infantry Brigade in Brgy Sanito, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay for stress de-briefing prior her turn over to her family.

It can be recalled that Kapa was abducted by undetermined number of fully armed unknown lawless elements at her business establishment (Ice Plant) at Pitogo on October 18 at 6:25 pm and has not been located since then. The provincial government of Zamboangadel Sur immediately called all sectors to work hand-in-hand with the military and PNP authorities for the safe release of the victim.

For a job well-done, Coballes congratulated all agencies involved and other trusted emissaries for their untiring efforts and careful response to the situation which resulted to the safe release of the victim.

Coballes further directed his subordinate units to be more vigilant at all times to avert same incident and made close coordination with the PNP authorities in the area for the immediate neutralization of the abductors. (JPA/AFP/GCC/PIA9-Pagadian)

SMEs undergo orientation on technology’s upgrading program

by Gideon C. Corgue

PAGADIAN CITY, Nov. 21 (PIA) –- To provide information to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on the program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), an orientation on the upgrading program of technology was conducted by the DOST9 on Friday at Bay View Plaza Hotel here.

DOST9 asst. regional director Engr. Mahmud Kingking said the proram was designed by the agency to improve SMEs’ operational productivity and making science and technology as their ways of developing their their business.

Kingking said the agency is providing them technical support and funding assistance saying that they are some of their prospective beneficiaries on the agency’s programs.

“We are providing them funding assistance for the acquisition of processing facilities and technical consultancy to include the training or the workers as well as improving their facilities,” Kingking added.

He said they will teach SMEs on how to manage business and help them operate on their technologies by tapping the services of experts from the Research Development Institute of the agency.

Kingking said DOST has two programs, namely: the local grants-in-aid for the cooperatives, associations, and local government units and assistance for SMEs.

The SMEs’ assistance has no interest but payable within in 3 years so that the money that they borrowed can also be used for others, Kingking explained.

Kingking said DOST has provided already assistance to different SMEs in region 9 where their business have improved. “In their business they earned profit and at the same time, they have provided employment to unemployed persons,” Kingking added.

The SMEs who have not availed assistance can avail next year, Kingking assured.

The said activity is scheduled to be held next week the cities of Dipolog and Zamboanga and in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay. (JPA/GCC/PIA9-Pagadian)

Poor Bayog folks benefit from medical , dental outreach

by Bernadine Astillero-Gabawan

BAYOG, Zamboanga del Sur, Nov. 21(PIA) –- Poor folks of Bayog municipality received free medical dental services from the local government unit of Bayog.

The activity was in partnership with the Adventist Community Services of Salawagan, together with the Mindanao Sanitarium and Hospital Community Mission, Iligan City, Mountain View College Sanitarium and Hospital of Malaybalay, Bukidnon and the Zamboanga Peninsula Mission Health Ministries Department of Zamboanga City.

The recently conducted medical and dental health outreach was held at municipal gymnasium, this municipality.

The composite medical team offered their services for free with the following: medical consultation – 355, dental or tooth extraction – 145, circumcision – 32, Chinese medical services (acupuncture) – 3,000, mole removing – 500, bentosa (vacuum) healing with unspecified number of clients. The team also distributed free medicines and vitamins.

It can be recalled that during the first week of this month, all officials and rank and file employees of the LGU-Bayog underwent a general medical check up, a commitment made earlier by Mayor Leonardo Babasa, Jr. for his employees and constituents.

The medical team was composed of the Rural Health Unit of Bayog headed by Dr. Gretchen A. Dubrico, Ms Evelyn Navidad, RN- Health Education Services Director of the Mindanao Sanitarium Hospital, Dr. Edsel Regin Cabaluna with two registered pharmacists and nurses, Elder Han and Mary who performed the Chinese medical healing (acupuncture). The Mountain View College Sanitarium and Hospital sponsored the medicines, while Adventist Community Services of Salawagan handled the logistic services.

Moreover, the LGU is scheduled to conduct the same activity at Barangay Canoayan on November 24, 2011 to cater the residents of the three (3) more barangays – Canoayan, Bobuan ad Deporehan. (JPA/BAG/CAL/PIA9/ZamboSur)

DPWH hires Pantawid beneficiaries

PAGADIAN CITY, Nov. 21 (PIA) -– Nine (9) beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Zamboanga City were recently hired by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office IX Regional Director Teodulo R. Romo, Jr. disclosed.

Romo said the hiring was an offshoot of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by both national agencies in recognition of the need to converge efforts to alleviate the plight of the poorest of the poor.

Accordingly, the hired beneficiaries will be assigned in the maintenance department which is task to conduct maintenance works along the national roads in the city and shall received their wages according to the provisions in the MOA.

Meanwhile, Director Romo also revealed that collaborations are still going on with other national and local agencies to include the private organizations to explore possible employment for these beneficiaries with the end goal of augmenting their daily income and increasing their capability to carry out their roles as responsible parents and contributor to nation-building.(JPA/SMU-NZB/DSWD9/CAL/PIA9/ZamboSur)

City prepares for “Pascua na Zamboanga 2011”

by Jocelyn P. Alvarez

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Nov. 20 (PIA) - -It’s “all systems go” for the city initiated festivity dubbed “Pascua na Zamboanga 20011” (Christmas in Zamboanga), a two week festival aimed to spread Christmas cheers and spirit in the merry month of December.

City Information Officer (IO) Sheila Covarrubias said “the festival will kick off December 2 with the traditional lantern parade and the opening program that will be highlighted by the ceremonial switch on of lights in City Hall and Plaza Pershing and the Paseo del Mar Christmas landmarks.”

Covarrubias shared, “City Mayor Celso Lobregat will spearhead the over 2000 city officials and employees in the lantern parade that will reel off 5:30 pm of Dec. 2.”

The active lady IO said other activities during the two-week festivity include the best dressed santa caluse competition set on Dec. 8; Canciones de Zamboanga , a chorale competition set on December 9; while December 15-17 is set for Christmas Food Festival, an exhibit of all specialties and delicacies saved during Christmas season .

Covarrubias added “the entry evaluation of the best Christmas landmark competition will be held Dec. 12-16.”

“The Pascua na Zamboanga is one of the most celebrated festivals and celebrations in the city that makes the celebration of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ even more meaningful,” Covarrubias was quoted as saying. (JPA/PIA-ZBST)