P200 MILLION STATE OF THE ART SPORTS COMPLEX IN ZAMBOANGA CITY NOW OPENS

Residents of Zamboanga City can once again enjoy sports and other recreational activities as Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar announced the completion of the 57,500-square meter sports complex rehabilitation project at Barangay Baliwasan, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte.

DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar, DPWH Assistant Secretary for Mindanao Operations Maximo L. Carvajal together with DPWH Region 9 Director Cayamombao D. Dia, Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar and other DPWH and Local Government Officials led the ceremonial opening of Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex which underwent rehabilitation after it was severely affected when it served as an evacuation center for more than 23,000 displaced families during the 2013 Zamboanga Siege.

Secretary Villar expressed his appreciation to the implementing office of DPWH-Region 9 for the completed project that will promote healthy living and active lifestyle, encourage Zamboanga City to host more local and national sports competitions with its world-class facilities and serve as a training ground and venue for Filipino athletes to enhance and showcase their skills in sports that will contribute to the country’s recognition on the world stage.

The P199.22-million worth project which started in 2016 involves the construction of the oval track, ball game courts, playing field, bleachers, toilet and shower and other facilities. It also includes general painting works for the entire building and roofs, replacement of lighting fixtures, installation of roll-up doors, upgrading of plumbing systems, construction of new septic vault and new gates along the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) and R.T. Lim Boulevard.

The state-of-the-art sports complex has been home to the 1992 Palarong Pambansa and served as the main venue of the National Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) Games in 2005 and Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) National Sports Olympics in 2007.

          The multi-purpose sports complex will once again be fully accessible to the general public starting February 26, 2019. (VerGarciaBlogs)

SAMIRA GUTOC A NAME THAT YOU CAN TRUST..

A BRIEF OF BACKGROUND OF SAMIRA GUTOC

By Ver M. Garcia (Blogger /News Editor) and Teddy Cho (Photo Journalist) 

 Samira Gutoc spearheading women's advocacy and

 fighting for women's right.

Education is the key to improve the socio-economic life

 of the people and Samira proves that she had what it

 takes. 

Election time on May 2019 is fast approaching and we need to complete our list of Senatorial candidate that we will vote this coming May election. Don't forget to include Madam Samira Gutoc Tomawis in your list of Senatorial aspirant.

Samira Gutoc Tomawis obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communication at the University of the Philippines, Diliman where she also earned her Master's Degree in International Studies before acquiring her law degree at the Arellano University School of Law. Another laurel in her hat was when she received her fellowship from the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies. An awardee of N-Peace Award for her unflinching effort in her advocacies in the Asia -Pacific region, granted by the United Nations Development Programme in 2018.She exhibited her outstanding leadership qualities during her stints as the first lady president of the UP Muslim Students Association and the Metro Manila based Muslim Youth and Students Alliance.

Samira Gutoc exposure to the Senatorial slate is her first but she has a very distinctive experience in Government service being a member of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao's legislative assembly in 2012 and was a member of the expanded Bangsamoro Transition Commission that crafted the Bangsamoro Organic Law(BOL). She was tasked to be a mediator and drafted the terms of the Bangsamoro Autonomy immediately after the 2014 Peace agreement between the Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). She's also a non-supporter of re-imposing the Death penalty in drug related crimes.

In a recent caucus, Senator Ralph Recto estimated that the implementation of the BOL will cost P109 billion in the first year, P369 billion in the first three years, and will reach P1.981 trillion for a period of 10 years.“Failure” to peg the costs of the BOL may risk the law of “becoming an unfunded mandate” the Senator warned. But, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno  some P100-billion allocation for BOL was not included in the proposed P3.757-trillion 2019 national budget.

An advocate of Peace and  Education which according to her starts with the primary level, where young children can learn  to accept other children, where they are taught that they can make a difference and learns to appreciate the Cultural/ ethnic biodiversity of our country.  "Cultural diversity" in our country, workplaces and schools increasingly consist of various cultural, racial, and ethnic groups. One can learn from each other,  first we must have the same level of understanding about each other in order to facilitate collaboration and cooperation. She's also a supporter of teachers for the barrios and quality education for the rural areas by making the teachers accessible in the rural areas and far flung regions. 

In conclusion, we need a representative from Mindanao that advocates peace, Mindanao Development, Youth protection and poverty alleviation.(VerGarciaBlogs)