ZAMBOANGA CITY—Tons of relief goods have arrived in Jolo, Sulu, from Manila for the thousands of evacuees who fled the fighting between government forces and al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf bandits.

Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan said the relief goods arrived on Monday on an Air Force C-130 “Hercules” plane and were unloaded at the airport of the capital town of Jolo.

Tan said the relief goods came from the Philippine National Red Cross, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).

Tan said the C-130 plane brought canned goods, noodles, rice, clothing and other goods needed by the 2,938 families or 12,372 persons from the 26 villages in Sulu.

The Basilan evacuees include 354 infants, 4,076 children, 2,935 adolescents and 7,344 adults.

Tan said that the NDCC has committed to ship 10,000 bags of rice and that the provincial government has already received 5,000 bags.

Marines stationed in Sulu helped the local social welfare office in unloading the relief goods from the C-130 cargo plane.  

DAVAO CITY—The conviction of former President Joseph Estrada on plunder charges could be the huge morale booster for the Courts, and even the entire justice system, in a country where the people are resigned to corruption as a twin of public service.

THE elaborate and tight security preparations taken by the government in relation to Wednesday’s sentencing of former President Joseph Estrada proved to be a useless undertaking and a waste of taxpayers’ money as not one of the scenarios factored in occurred or took place.

THE chief investigator in the Senate’s on-going investment scam inquiry found that strategic government agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Bureau of Investigation have been remiss in their duties to check the proliferation of pyramiding, Ponzi and related investment schemes.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Tons of relief goods have arrived in Jolo, Sulu, from Manila for the thousands of evacuees who fled the fighting between government forces and al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf bandits.

TWO U.S. warships arrived in Manila’s South Harbor on Wednesday and another will dock at the Port of Cebu on Thursday for goodwill activities, including donation of books and medical supplies to poor communities.

THE Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday affirmed a ruling of the Court of Appeals and the Ombudsman finding a former Education department undersecretary administratively liable in connection with the purchase of vehicles amounting to P21.5 million in 1998 without public bidding.