COTABATO CITY, Feb. 8 (PNA) – A Filipino-Chinese businessman who is running for the city council here was shot dead by still unidentified gunmen near his home here Monday morning, police said.

Two of his minor children were also wounded. Senior Insp. Wally Kasuyo, city police mobile group director, identified the victim as Joseph Kwan Datuwata, 42, of Barangay Rosary Heights 10.

Datuwata who is running under the party of mayoral candidate Bai Zeny Dilangalen, wife of Maguindanao 1st district Rep. Didagen Dilangalen, was about to leave his home with his two children when two men, armed with cal. 45 pistol opened fire at about 7 a.m.

Initial investigation disclosed that Datuwata chased his attackers until they reached the corner of TV Juliano Avenue and LR Sebastian Street where he traded shots with the attackers.

Kasuyo, quoting witnesses, said one of the attackers who used a motorcycle as getaway vehicle, was believed wounded. Datuwata was driving his pick-up vehicle (MBW-543) when he was shot.

Police found the victim’s vehicle at the corner of LR Sebastian and TV Juliano with Datuwata’s lifeless body was found.

Two hand guns were recovered inside the vehicle, Kasuyo said.

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Koronadal City (8 February) --The Commission on Election here declared they have achieved their objective to educate voters about the automated elections on May 10.

Candidates for the local election, representatives from the local government units, non-government organizations, civic and religious organizations, the media, and students from the host school attended the voter's education program on Friday, February 5, at the SMC Hall of the Notre Dame of Marbel University (NDMU).

Atty. Jay Gerada, acting provincial election supervisor, said the Comelec has mobilized its personnel down to the barangay level for voters to better understand the poll automation.

Atty. Gerada said that Comelec gives so much focus on voters' education because voters, the candidates and the Comelec "will have to undertake birth pains because the conduct of automated election will be the first time."

Ma. Dorothy D. Losa, acting election officer of Polomolok, South Cotabato anchored the discussions.

Among the highlights of the discussion were the special features of the 8.5 x 30 inches ballot: the barcodes, configuration to a specific precinct, blue and green ultraviolet inks, and the unseen 340 images on the ballot.

"With these, it's almost impossible to jeopardize the elections," Losa said.

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Malapatan, Sarangani (PIO Sarangani/PIA SarGen) -- Flood victims received from government on Thursday (February 4) five housing units worth P250,000 through the Neighborhood Association for Shelter Assistance (Nasa) in Juanicoville, Purok Diamalod, barangay Lun Padidu.

Lina Sotomil, community affairs officer III of the Municipal Social Welfare Development Office (MSWDO), said there will be another 45 housing units which are targeted to be completed before the first quarter of the year ends.

"This project, the Shelter Assistance Program, has a budget allocation of P2.5 million for 50 houses. The budget came from the regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)," she said.

The project is a joint program of the DSWD, Province of Sarangani, and the Municipality of Malapatan.

"The MOA signing (of the project) was in September 2009, while the construction started in November 27. DSWD purchased the materials for the construction of the houses while the municipal and provincial government served as counterparts," Sotomil explained.

She said DSWD came up with a list of the victims of typhoon Frank last year, who were identified to be the beneficiaries of the project.

She added that the provincial government has spent millions of pesos for the construction of a seawall in the area to protect the coastal residents, but has later realized to purchase a 7-hectare land that cost more than P5 million which now served as the resettlement area for the coastal residents.

South Cotabato and Sarangani Highly Vulnerable Areas
By Lilybeth G. Ison

MANILA, Feb. 6 (PNA) -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) and six of its attached agencies are carrying out assorted intervention measures that include optimizing water delivery to irrigation systems and deploying mobile animal diagnostic laboratories to ease the impact of the El Nino dry spell on the farm sector.

DA Undersecretary Bernie Fondevilla on Saturday said the measures would involve the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) as well as irrigators’ associations (IAs) in El Nino-affected areas.

Fondevilla said the mitigation measures were taken up during the latest meeting of the interagency task force that had been created by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to work on intervention programs for this latest dry spell, which is expected to last till July.

"Although the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) foresees the El Nino attack to be a moderate one, the weather bureau has projected that it will last longer this time until July," he said.

El Nino refers to the unusual warming of sea surface temperatures along the equatorial Pacific that is usually characterized by below-average rainfall, which leads to a dry spell.