Soldiers for Education

ALABEL, Sarangani (August 25, 2011) – Soldiers from the 73rd Infantry Battalion unload workbooks donated by UnionBank of the Philippines Wednesday, August 24, at the Library Hub of Kawas Central Elementary School in Alabel. A total of 17,934 workbooks for all Grade 2 pupils of Sarangani, 347 teacher’s manuals and 239 teaching videos arrived. Schedule of distribution will be on September 5-7 to be facilitated by Quality Education for Sarangani Today. Peace and Development Teams  of 73IB will be leading the distribution in far-flung elementary schools of Sarangani.

KKK Program Kick-Off

Alabel,Sarangani Province (August 5, 2011).73IB joins the Province of Sarangani during the  kick-off ceremony of the Karunungan Kontra Kahirapan  (KKK) program at  the Provincial Capitol of Sarangani.  The program aims to reduce illiteracy and to promote proper education by distributing a total of 17,934 workbooks for all Grade 2 pupils of Sarangani, 347 teacher’s manuals and 239 teaching videos.

Through the leadership of LTC ESPUELAS,commander 73IB, all vehicles and majority of soldiers joins the said program.

73rd IB conducts humanitarian assistance in Sarangani Province

29 July, 2011 by 10cmobn10id

Sarangani Province - The members of Peace and Development Team (PDT) from 73rd Infantry Battalion brought change to the life of a family as they helped their hospitalization after 2 years of suffering.

Ruben Manangka (34), along with his wife Miriam (33) and daughter Charline (2), were airlifted from Sitio Datalnay, Upper Suyan, Malapatan, Sarangani Province at 8:45 this morning. They were brought to SOCSARGEN Hospital for check up and proper medication.

Base on medical report, Ruben Manangka had long been suffering with infected wounds which he got from farming. While his wife Miriam, suffered from myoma or a liver disease which resulted due to the swelling of abdomen and an edema, an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin. Their daughterCharline, has symptoms of protein- energy malnourish or marasmic kwashiorkor where some vital organs in her body are already affected.

Baby Charline was immediately diagnosed.

The Manangka family had been suffering their illness for 2 years due to lack of finances plus difficult means of transportation to their area. Sitio Datalnay is few kilometers away from the nearest barangay health office and can be reached only thru the aid of horses or on foot.

'Because of the remote location of Sitio Datalnay, government assistance seldom reaches there. But with our peace and development teams, we were able to bridge this gap.' Lt.Col. Adolf Espuelas, Commander of 73^rd IB, said adding that PDT is an essential tool in linking local government units and other organizations to extend help to the needy.

'This is part of the PDT's effort to augment help and they will continue to reach out and help the residents thru public and private partnership', Lt. Col. Espuelas said.

Miriam Manangka, with her husband Ruben and daughter Charline are being accompanied by Dr. Roel Cagape of Hearts and Brains Incorporated, an NGO, to proceed to SOCSARGEN hospital for their medical check up this morning.

73IB presents 15 surrenderess

GLAN, Sarangani (June 27, 2011) - Governor Migs Dominguez welcomes the 15 active bandits and former members of New People’s Army  who voluntarily surrendered last June 21 to Mayor Victor James Yap (2nd right seated) and 1Lt Rolly B. Destura of the 73rd Infantry Battalion  along with their high powered firearms as they are presented to media during a  press conference Monday, June 27.  Also in the panel are  police regional director PCSUPT Benjardi Mantele, Major Romasanta of 73rd IB  and  police provincial director Florendo Quidilla.

DLUMAY: A dream come true (by Dr. Roel Z. Cagape, MD)

Repost from http://tulongkosapasyentengpilipino.blog.com/glumay-a-dream-come-true/

Medical mission is my life. I have been to almost all remote areas in Sarangani Province and Gen. Santos City. In the 90’s frequent medical missions were conducted in Barangay Upper Suyan, in the municipality of Malapatan, Sarangani Province. Patients kept mentioning of Sitio Dlumay in the same barangay where their relatives reside who need medical attention. It is five hours walk from Upper Suyan proper. I asked the permission of the barangay leaders to allow me to go to sitio Dlumay. I also requested the church and tribal leaders to accompany me to sitio Dlumay. All of them denied my request for the same reason: rebel groups stay in Sitio Dlumay.
I have been to sitios in neighboring barangays much farther than Dlumay like sitio Banlas in barangay Kihan, sitios Kikong, Kiahe, Kitulag in barangay Kinam, sitio Mlangay in barangay Libi, sitio Tamlang Lefu in barangay Sapu, etc. Every time I go to these very remote areas I am always reminded of Dlumay.

The desire to go to  sitio Dlumay is eased up by going to far areas in other municipalities of Sarangani Province and Sultan Kudarat. I have been to sitio Biao, five hours walk from barangay Milbuk in Palembang, Sultan Kudarat; barangay Tudok in T’boli where we walk 18 hours from Kiamba, Sarangani Province; barangay Quitumbod, Davao del sur where we walk five hours from Glan, Sarangani Province and other remote areas to conduct medical mission.
More medical missions were conducted until I forget about Dlumay.

On May 10, 2011, about fifteen years later, I received a text message from a certain Maricel Salem of the Center for Lumad Advocacy and Services, Inc. (CLANS) who said that she got my cellphone number from a common friend. She requested me to conduct medical mission in sitio Dlumay, barangay Upper Suyan, Malapatan. The desire came back and it became an obsession. I told Maricel Salem that I am available on May 22-26 and I am very much willing to join them. She sent me an invitation to attend a press conference at Brokenshire College telling me that the schedule of the medical mission will be decided after the press conference. Together with the letter is a photocopy of their complaint and case filed with the Commission on Human Rights against the 73^rd Infantry Battalion particularly Sgt. Cabaobao, Lt. Roldan and Col. Espuelas  and their demand for the pull out of the military in Dlumay.

The complaint of CLANS centered on the alleged child abuse by the 73rd infantry battalion. CLANS claimed that a B’laan boy by the name of Cookey was put inside a sack and hanged for three hours on a tree that the boy defecated on his pants out of fear.


The 73^rd IB has been my partner for more than 3 years for the many medical missions in Sarangani Province. I know them very well that I was very surprised to read of the complaints. I called up Col. Espuelas, the battalion commander, and told him about the letter. He strongly denied the accusations.

To find out the truth myself, I decided to go to Dlumay, Upper Suyan to conduct medical mission and at the same time interview the people especially the concerned individuals mentioned in the complaints.

I learned that Maricel Salem and the CLANS established community projects in Dlumay. 
Military personnel from Alpha Company of the 73^rd Infantry Battalion also camped in the area. With this information, I believe that the sitio is safer now than before. So I decided to start my mission on May 23. The barangay captain of Upper Suyan offered horses to bring my medical and personal supplies from Daan Suyan, the end point of vehicles, to Upper Suyan and advised the people in Dlumay to bring horses to get the supplies from Upper Suyan.

It really was a difficult five-hour walk. Crossing rivers about 30 times. Passing through mud and slippery terrains. Climbing hills and mountains of about 60 degrees. Suffering the scorching heat of the sun and then suddenly it rained.

After four hours walk, I reached Sitio Datalnay where I met Cookey and his mother (see photo below). Cookey was the child who was allegedly put inside the sack and hanged in the tree for three hours. In B’laan dialect I asked the mother about the accusation. She denied it. She said she was with Cookey all the time and nothing of the sort happened.

 The following day during the medical mission in Dlumay, the mother of Cookey came for treatment of another child. She was interviewed again by a volunteer and the same response was given.

Cynical as I am, it came to my mind that maybe the military ordered the mother as to what to respond in case of an interview.

However, looking at Cookey hugging and doing “high-fives” with the military confirmed it all. The child showed no fear of the military which is very unlikely if he indeed experienced being put inside a sack and hanged by the military.


In the evening after the medical mission, I happened to talked with a certain Kasun, a community leader in Dlumay. I asked him what transpired when Maricel Salem was in the area for the project of CLANS. At the start of the project, he said, there was a good relationship between Maricel Salem and the military. Until  Jimmy Balbino and a certain Luntay were hired by Maricel Salem to work for the project. Jimmy and Luntay, Kasun added, are members of the New People’s Army (NPA).


This blog is all about Dlumay. A dream come true fifteen years later.

Every photo  has a story to tell.

The making of Ambulansyang de kabayo

  Patient on board the ambulansyang de kabayo

 Patient ready for transport to the hospital

 Soldier applying lotion to extract head lice from a child in Dlumay

 Bayanihan construction of temporary health center in Dlumay

 Child feeding in Dlumay by the 73rd IB

 Giving of candies and goodies to children in Dlumay by the 73rd IB

 

73IB Connects with the Religious Sector

04 June 2011, a momentous event in the camp grounds of 73IB happened when 80 members of faculty and staff of Notre Dame-Siena College of General Santos City visited the so called Fort Sarangani. The last phase of their  itinerary is to visit the camp and conduct team-building activities as part of their In-Service Training. The officers and men of 73IB received the sisters, teachers and non-teaching personnel of the school with boodle fight, hosted the team-building activities and a short tour around the camp. They also experienced tank-riding and rifle shooting to let them feel what a soldier’s life is.

Sisters of Notre Dame-Siena College excitedly ride the tank during  their visit. Tank-riding has been one of the tourist attractions to civilian visiting the camp. Aside from its free ride, tourists get to see an overview of Sarangani Bay while on top of the tank. An experience that would never be compared to any other military camps.

Together we can make it happen

TOGETHER WE MAKE IT HAPPEN :: MAITUM, Sarangani (May 19, 2011) – Partners, organizers, facilitators and officials headed by Mayor Elsie Perret (seated, 2nd left) pose for a photo ops after the the joint community orientation, launching and medical mission at barangay Pinol headed by the GRP-MILF International and Local Monitoring Teams (IMT-LMT)in partnership with the Provincial Government of Sarangani, municipalities of Maitum and Palimbang, 73rd Infantry Battalion, private doctors and nurses and facilitated by Kalinaw Sarangani dubbed as “Together we make it happen” at barangay Pinol Tuesday, May 16. (Ritchie Tongo/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

Medical and Dental Team

73RD INFANTRY BATTALION DENTAL SERVICE ::

MAITUM, Sarangani (May 19, 2011) – Members of 73rd Infantry Battalion medical team perform a dental operation as one of the services for the medical mission conducted at barangay Pinol Monday, May 16, spearheaded by GRP-MILF International and Local Monitoring Teams (IMT-LMT). Eighty-one beneficiaries availed of the free dental services and over 300 residents received other medical services. (Ritchie Tongo/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

Mangrove Planting

MANGROVE PLANTING VOLUNTEER :: GLAN, Sarangani (May 20, 2011) – PFC Harrold Sacramento of 73rd IB joins other volunteers in planting mangroves and coastal clean-up activity of Sarangani Energy Corporation in time for the Sarangani Bay Festival 2011 celebration Friday, May 20, in barangay Kapatan. (CocoySexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

73rd IB 2nd Place in the Sarangani Swim Across the Bay

THE SWIM ACROSS SARANGANI BAY 2011 COMPETITION :: GLAN, Sarangani  - The first-ever swim across Sarangani Bay was on May 18, 2006, the first Sarangani Bay Festival, which was participated in by six teams.

“Now the event is on its 6th year in celebration of the Sarangani Bay Festival,” organizer Nemrod Butil said.

The province will celebrate the Sarangani Bay Festival on May 19 to 21, with the swim-across-the-bay on the second day (May 20) from 5:00am.

Swim-across-the-bay is a relay competition with team members both professional and amateurs swimming a distance of 15 kilometers from Tinoto Point in Maasim to Tango village in Glan.

To qualify, swimmers must be 14 years old or above. This year’s swimmers are mostly from Davao, South Cotabato, Koronadal City, General Santos City, Polomolok and local swimmers from Siguel and Maasim.

“This year, a new team from Kiamba (Sarangani) will join,” Butil said.

The idea to conquer the bay by human prowess was a brainchild of then swim manager Guiseppe Chew.

Chew described the race as “the longest open ocean marathon swimming competition in the country and probably in Asia.”

In the Philippines, related swimming competitions have been staged in Guimaras Strait (approximately 5km.), the body of water separating Guimaras and Panay islands, and in Samal Strait (5km.), separating Samal Island and mainland Davao.

Sarangani Bay’s biodiversity is twice richer than Carigara Bay in Northern Leyte, Sogod Bay in Southern Leyte, Bais Bay in Negros and Illana Bay in Northwestern Mindanao.

Sarangani Bay has been the passage for trade, businesses and social contacts with the Philippines’ Southernmost tip and neighboring countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei for hundreds of years.

But in particular, the bay provided a safe route to Sangils of Northern Indonesia and established trade and social relations with the Blaan natives of Glan some five hundred years ago.

“Sarangani is as old as our very own race, Malay. When Ruy Lopez de Villalobos happened to reach this part of the ocean in their search for provision in 1543, his chroniclers wrote Sarangani to mean ‘This is our territory’ or ‘We stop here’ according to the Indonesian language,” Dr. Tranquilino Ruiz II said. Ruiz is a known local historian of Glan, Sarangani’s oldest town.

Among journalists who have been covering Sarangani Bay Festival, now becoming the biggest beach festival in Southern Philippines, the most challenging yet fulfilling event is covering the swim-across-the-bay from start to finish.

Prizes for this year’s swim are P50,000, P35,000, P25,000 for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes and trophies for major winners.
All teams finishers will receive P5,000 with medals. (Russtum G. Pelima/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

73rd IB Joins BRIGADA ESKWELA IN SARANGANI

Maasim, Sarangani – The nationwide Brigada Eskwela or the National Schools Maintenance Week has just started last 23 May 2011. Several schools in Sarangani had their own kick-off on the launching of the program. Together with the different stakeholders, volunteers and the soldiers of 73^rd IB the Department of Education family contribute their time, effort and manpower services, and even resources in ensuring the public school facilities are all set in preparation of the opening of classes.

In Maasim Central Elem School, soldiers of 73^rd IB participated the Brigada Eskwela through classroom repair and roof painting. Three school buildings were repainted.”Usually, during Brigada Eskwela we are in need of manpower to work on the repair of our classrooms. We are pleased that the soldiers from 73^rd IB volunteered to help us without reservations,” Mrs. Torcino said, principal of the school. The principal had requested the soldiers a week before the activity started.

Meanwhile, in Datu Bali Elementary School, in Brgy Tinoto, the construction of a classroom had just started with the effort of the soldiers who have carpentry skills. “This classroom is part of Bayanihan concept – Adopt a Clasroom Program,  wherein we are asking literally any construction materials to the people we know,” LTC Espuelas said, Commander of 73^rd IB. Many responded the call and donated several materials for the construction of the classroom.

“I am in deep gratitude to the soldiers of 73^rd IB for their initiative to materialize the classroom. I never thought they plan this bigtime to finish this PTA project,” Mrs Quintana said, principal of Datu Bali Elem School in Maasim.

Together with the Parents Teachers Association of the school, each parents in that school also donated one or two hollow blocks as their contribution for the classroom.

The commitment of the soldiers of 73^rd IB is not only limited in maintaining the classrooms through cleaning, repair and repainting but also helps in building more classrooms. As part and parcel of their job, this Brigada Eskwela is a regular activity of the unit in support to the Department of Education. (1LT SOMBONG)

Blood Letting Activities "Dugo ko, Buhay mo"

“Dugo Ko, Buhay Mo” – A JOINT BLOOD LETTING ACTIVITIY OF 73^RD IB, PNRC GENSAN 1205th CDC

07 May 2011, 73^rd IB, St Tampuan, Kamanga, Maasim -  A joint bloodletting activity of 73^rd IB, Philippine National Red Cross – Gen Santos City Chapter, and 1205^th CDC with the theme “ Dugo Ko, Buhay Mo” was held in 73^rd IB headquarters. This activity marked as one of the noblest act the Army can offer aside from guarding the land territories in maintaining peace and order in Sarangani Province.

2LT Marvin Rosal, the Executive officer of the 1205^th Community Development Center, 12 RCDG, ARESCOM, together with more or less 60 reservists from Bravo Company and Gen Santos City participated on the bloodletting activity.

“ The bulk of the soldier’s life today is more on humanitarian activities and blood donation is one of it,” Maj Romasanta said on his welcome remarks.  Ms. Estella Dolendres,CSR Blood Services of PNRC Gensan was thankful and in deep gratitude for the soldiers who donated blood and their willingness to offer a part of their lives for the welfare of others. “I am very much indebted to the soldiers of 73^rd IB and the reservist for their selfless love in this bloodletting activity. Many lives will be spared because of their volunteerism,” Ms Dolendres said on her message during the opening program.

“It is a great help and honor to the soldiers that they will be donating blood today. This humanitarian activity where the soldiers are doing now is one of the noble and brave act of service they could offer to the people,” LTC Espuelas said on his message during the opening the program.

A unit briefing was followed after the opening program while other volunteers piled up for registration. The briefing was presented by Lt Fernandez, operations officer of 73^rd IB which emphasized the culture of peace concept approach of the unit.

A total of 25 soldiers donated blood with at least 450cc/bag were collected during the activity.#