ZAMBOANGA CITY - The European Union-Trade Related Assistance (EU-TRA) have chosen this city as one of the four venues for its intensified campaign on fishery good hygiene practices and sanitation. This was announced by officials of the EU-TRA at the culmination of their two-day campaign and information drive held at the Mega Fishing Corporation Compound aimed to help realize the agency's vision to ensure fair, free, and safe trade of fishery products in this part of the country. City Mayor Celso L. Lobregat thanked the EUTRA for choosing this city as one of the four venues for its intensified campaign. Lobregat said that there are about nine factories of canned sardines which will directly benefit from various opportunities given by the EU-TRA. EU-accredited companies should maintain the proper practices of hygiene and sanitation from catching fish in sea to boarding of fishery products to fishing vessels, and to the fish landing port. Compliance is strictly monitored by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, according to Director Ahadulla Sajili of BFAR in this city. (Nonoy Lacson) Cotabato scribes get army escorts COTABATO CITY - Amid expressed threats from unknown quarters, journalists in this city have been offered security escorts by the military-backed Task Group HOPE for their freewheeling coverage of Monday's elections in villages under the jurisdiction of the Army's 6th Infantry Division (ID). Task Group HOPE (honest, orderly, and peaceful elections), chaired by 6th ID Deputy Division Commander Brig. Gen. Ariel Bernardo, arranged with the Bureau of Public Information (BPI) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in the provision of security escorts for journalists worried of their safety in the coverage of Monday's electoral exercises. "Arrangements for the provision of escorts have been made with the BPI.
Please convey the information to concerned journalists," Col. Prudencio Asto, 6th ID public affairs chief, told the Manila Bulletin in a text message Sunday night. Asto and BPI officials have not given names of media practitioners who availed of Army troop-escorts, saying only that the Task Group HOPE "meant business" in helping secure the peaceful conduct of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections and the coverage of journalists. (Ali Macabalang) Zamboanga LTO posts hike in collection
