Zamboanga City Government News Bits – April 20, 2015

The City Council today approved a resolution supporting the executive order issued by Mayor Beng Climaco enjoining the ZAMCELCO to implement the Interruptible Load Program Time of Use (ILP-TOU) as an immediate solution to the pressing power problem in the city. This, as Mayor Climaco thanked the participating companies and business establishments and the Council for the support. She likewise reiterated her call for Zamcelco to implement the scheme as soon as possible as this is the need of the City.

Some 700 people availed of free medical, dental and other front-line services during the Dia del Alcalde program in Upper Calarian today. Aside from City Government offices, other agencies, specifically the Philippine Marines that also offered free haircut services and civic groups sponsored the feeding program.

Mayor Beng Climaco has reiterated for the nth time that Zamboanga City is not at present and will never be in the future a part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) or any of its form, and to put up a Bangsamoro satellite office in the city is most likely not possible and will have to undergo a legal review by the local government unit. Climaco was reacting to a reporter’s query about her statement on the proposal discussed during the meeting last week between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Davao City, which was also attended by representatives of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC).

UNICEF-supported Participatory Video Training for adolescents who have not been previously part of any youth training. The 5-day training, which runs through April 20-24, gathers a total of 20 adolescents from Mampang transitory site who have Chavacano, Badjao and Tausug lineages. Mampang Barangay Chairman Leonard Aliangan generously provided the venue (at the barangay hall), and supported by the UNICEF Zamboanga Field Office. Facilitating the video training are resource persons from Ateneo de Zamboanga, Kids for Peace, HDES and the Melbourne/Australia-based Storycape. It is expected that the participants will be able to apply the skills in video and be able to do filming in different themes to tell their stories. The video outputs will be presented to the City Social Welfare Officer at the end of the training.

USAID-ENGAGE in partnership with the City Government is calling applicants for the 2^nd Peace Journalism Training and Internship Program which aims to build the capacities of collegiate writers and aspiring journalists in integrating Peace Journalism. The organizers are looking for 18 campus journalists. For queries and other details, send email to: ryanvictor_miranda@yahoo.com or personally visit the office USAID ENGAGE, 3^rd Floor, HC Marketing, Veterans Ave., Zamboanga City (in front of Dennis Hardware). Deadline is May 2, 2015.