TIMRA Reports

COTABATO CITY --- Members of the Marines and the Philippine Coast Guard rescued Tuesday in the territorial waters of Tawi-Tawi a group of Vietnamese fishermen whose boat went adrift after its skipper broke a leg and an arm in an accident onboard.

The fishermen, who could hardly communicate in English, were immediately brought for medication to the command post of the 6^th Marine Battalion in Turtle Islands in Tawi-Tawi in the Bangsamoro region, near the island Sabah state in Malaysia.

MATI CITY  - Three weeks after I made a drive along the Pacific Rim Highway passing through the provinces of Davao Oriental and Surigao del Sur, I returned to Mati City yesterday to fulfil a promise made to Muslim Kalagan fishermen to provide them small boats for fishing.

The local government organized the "Jamaa," the religious leaders of the 8,000 Kalagan families, into several groups to facilitate the release of assistance provided by the national government under President Rody Duterte.

GEN. SANTOS CITY - Operatives from Police Regional Office 12 (PRO12), Tulunan MPS, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency  (PDEA North Cotabato) and members of 39^th IB arrested two  suspects including a High Value Target (HVT) who turns out to be a member of the Philippine Army in a buy-bust operation at Barangay New Bunawan, Tulunan, Cotabato on October, 24, 2019, at 2:55PM.

ZAMBOANGA CITY - While conducting combat operation, elements of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-7 discovered a Marijuana plantation in Barangay Masjid Punjungan, Kalingalang Caluang, Sulu on Wednesday, October 23.

The 1,800 square meters marijuana plantation that has an estimated cost of 3.6 million, is located within the residential area of a certain Adzhar Jumaidim Mundoc.

TACURONG CITY  – Unidentified gunmen shot dead here a construction engineer and wounded three others on Tuesday night.

Lt. Colonel Rey Egos, Tacurong City police chief, identified the slain victim as civil Engr. Joel Bastareche, a resident of Barangay Poblacion here.  He was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital.

Injured were Bastareche’s companions Abang Suizo and Alvin Monahan, 35, both of Barangay Buenaflor and  Romeo Jayme, 57, a tricycle driver.

COTABATO CITY – At least P3.4 million worth of suspected shabu were seized from a big time drug peddler during joint law enforcement operation in Malabang, Lanao del Sur on Wednesday afternoon.

Director Juvenal Azurin of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-BARMM) identified the arrested peddler as Mohammad Timan alias “Orak,” a resident of Paridi-Kalimudan, Madalum, Lanao del Sur.

ZAMBOANGA CITY - The 9th Combined Philippine Navy (PN)-Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Maritime Training Activity-Philippines (MTA-P) officially kicked-off with the arrival of Her Majesty’s Australian Ship (HMAS) Ararat at the Ensign Majini Pier of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao in Naval Station Romulo Espaldon, Bagong Calarian, this city earlier today (October 14, 2019).

MINDANAO INDEPENDENT PRESS COUNCIL STATEMENT

We, the members and officers of the Mindanao Independent Press Council, condemns in the strongest sense of the word the attempt on the life of Pat Lucero Pacquiao, the current information officer of the province of Davao del Norte, and a commentator and station manager for the RP-FM ang Radyo ng Masa which he also owns.

MALAYBALAY, Bukidnon - Another Catholic bishop has barred “healing priest” Fr. Fernando Suarez from doing his activities in his diocese in central Mindanao.

Bishop Jose Cabantan of Malaybalay disclosed that Suarez had been conducting healing masses without the necessary permit from his diocese.

“We ask their group to secure a ‘celebret’ or an endorsement from his bishop so we can allow him to celebrate Mass and do healing. But we have not received it,” he said.

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Government troops seized smuggled cigarettes from a commercial vessel at Zamboanga City International Pier on October 6.

The smuggled cigarettes were seized from MV Mary Joy 1 by elements of Task Force Zamboanga, Philippine Coast Guard, and Task Force Aduana in a law enforcement operation at Zamboanga wharf at 4:30am on Sunday.

Various brands of cigarettes that were concealed in cartons of fruits and fish were seized by the troops.

MV Mary Joy is a passenger vessel from Jolo, Sulu.