68TH ARAW NG DABAW
MESSAGE FROM THE CITY MAYOR

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has authorized a new reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Zulkifli bin Hir (a.k.a. Marwan), a terrorist believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines. Zulkifli bin Hir has been added to most-wanted list of the Rewards for Justice program, administered by the Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

Zulkifli bin Hir is a Malaysian citizen born in 1966 in Muar, Johor. An engineer trained in the United States, he allegedly heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization and is a member of Jemaah Islamiyah’s central command. He has been present in the Philippines since August 2003, where he is believed to have conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf Group. His younger brother, Taufik bin Abdul Halim, a.k.a. Dany, was involved in the 2001 Jakarta Atrium Mall bombing, and currently is in detention in Indonesia.

Anyone with information on Zulkifli bin Hir, or on any past or planned act of international terrorism against United States persons or property anywhere in the world, is urged to contact the Rewards for Justice program:

Internet: www.rewardsforjustice.net

Hotline: 1-800-US-REWARDS (1-800-877-3927)

Mail: Rewards for Justice, Washington, DC 20522-0303

In the Philippines, anyone with information on Zulkifli bin Hir, or any other terrorist, is encouraged to contact the Anti-Terrorist Task Force by calling 117, (02) 528-9832, or (02) 928-5778, or contact the U.S. Embassy in Manila at (02) 526-9832/9833/9834 or send a text message to 0918-948-6412.

The identity of all individuals providing information will remain strictly confidential.

Since its inception, Rewards for Justice has paid more than $62 million to more than 40 people who have provided credible information that has brought terrorists to justice or prevented acts of international terrorism. Established by the 1984 Act to Combat International Terrorism, the program is administered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

A unique photographic exhibition on the late 19 th century and early 20 th life of North American Indians is being displayed in Davao from April 16-29 on a special program sponsored by the U.S. Embassy.

“Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian” features 60 photographs that celebrate the native peoples of North America, and their history and culture. The exhibit illustrates the broad and extraordinary diversity among the indigenous peoples of North America, and will be on display on the 2 nd floor of the South Gallery of SM City Davao beginning Monday, April 16.

Famed photographer and ethnographer Edward S. Curtis lived at the turn of the 20 th century, and took more than 45,000 pictures of Native Americans between 1900 and 1930 – the most comprehensive photo-ethnographic record of the North American Indians ever created.

The U.S. Department of State arranged for the traveling exhibit through the partnership of Christopher Cardozo of the Cardozo Fine Arts Museum of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 60 prints in the exhibit were chosen from Mr. Cardozo’s personal collection of more than 4,000 vintage Curtis prints, and are representative of the diverse cultural and geographic regions in which Curtis photographed.

The “Sacred Legacy” exhibit, which will travel throughout Asia, celebrates the culture and society of indigenous populations, and include educational information about key figures, events, and customs in various North American Indian societies in the early 1900s. The exhibit is traveling in the Philippines through Manila, Davao, and Baguio.

The U.S. Embassy would like to thank SM Malls for their partnership and assistance in this unique event.

About 30 US Mission employees and locally hired staff served as COMELEC- accredited foreign observers for the August 8 Autonomous Region In Muslim Mindanao elections. Small teams were dispatched to Basilan Island, Marawi City, Cotabato City, and Sultan Kudarat Municipality to observe the polling, ballot tallying, and final canvassing of the votes. Throughout the exercise the Embassy stressed the need for a free, fair, and credible election, and that US observers were present to inject confidence into the process.

A successful and popular series of Study USA events were held in September throughout the Philippines, including fairs in Davao and Manila. Representatives from such prestigious American learning institutions such as the University of San Francisco and Wichita State University discussed their academic programs and provided counseling sessions on undergraduate (bachelors degree), graduate (Masters, PhD, etc.) and technical programs. Representatives from the Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF) were also available to students for counseling. PAEF is the premier organization in the Philippines dedicated to advancing international education and exchange between the United States of America and the Philippines.

In conjunction with the Study USA fairs, the Virtual Consulate Davao and the U.S. Commercial Service Manila hosted an interactive live student visa chat. Representatives from USF, WSU and PAEF as well as Vice Consuls from the visa section were available to answer questions about studying in the U.S. and the student visa process. (click here to go to the chat archives)

Study USA 2005 is an annual event hosted by the U.S. Commercial Service that is aimed at providing information on educational opportunities in the United States. The recent staging of the Study USA events proved once more that the United States is still the preferred destination of Philippine students who wish to study abroad.

Information about University of San Francisco (http://www.usfca.edu/)
Information about Wichita State University (http://www.wichita.edu/international)

On October 18, Chargé d’Affaires Jones and his wife Catherine welcomed many special guests to the Iftar Dinner held at the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence. Ramadan is a special month of the year when over one billion Muslims around the world focus on spiritual growth, contemplation, and charitable deeds. In the United States, an estimated seven million Muslim-Americans joined in celebrating Ramadan, and in holding their own Iftar dinners. During his remarks, Chargé d’Affaires Jones thanked the Filipino Muslim leaders for their altruism and dedication in helping the U.S. fulfill its commitment to assist the Philippines in expanding development and improving opportunities for all Filipinos. The Chargé noted how fortunate the U.S. was to have such partners, particularly in Mindanao, where USAID focuses around sixty percent of its assistance to the Philippines. “As I look around, I see so many of our Filipino partners here who work with us to help build long-term peace and prosperity in the Philippines - from our government counterparts, to representatives of the military, our friends in the private sector, and important figures from the religious, NGO and academic communities. As we come together as a community tonight, I think it is fitting that we reflect during this period of Ramadan to renew our commitment to expanding development and improving opportunities for all Filipinos.” The Chargé closed his remarks by sharing President Bush’s Ramadan greetings to Muslims around the world.

On Friday, October 21, U.S. Embassy Manila held another successful outreach program at the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City.
Representatives from American Citizen Services, Immigrant Visa Services, Department of Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and the Social Security Administration spent the morning assisting American and Filipino citizens with passport, notarial, immigration and benefit matters. Over one hundred and fifteen customers availed themselves of these services. Following the outreach, Embassy officials hosted an Appreciation Luncheon for Davao wardens.
The outreaches, which take place all across the Philippines, are an innovative option to bring Embassy services to the people instead of having people travel to Manila. Embassy personnel provide assistance, information and aid to citizens needing to avail of the many services normally provided at the Embassy. The next outreach in Davao is tentatively scheduled to take place in April 2006. Please check the website periodically for more information.

On Nov. 7, James Kunder, USAID’s Assistant Administrator for Asia and the Near East accompanied Chargé d’Affaires Paul Jones and USAID Mission Director Jon Lindborg to Davao City to meet with local business and government leaders, including Secretary Jesus Dureza. The Chargé d’Affaires and the USAID officials were also briefed on the current activities and accomplishments of the Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) project before their tour of some of these projects the following day.

Join the U.S. Department of State for a live Internet chat featuring Kareema Dauod speaking on life in America as a Muslim woman and her efforts to help create a dialogue and foster understanding between Americans and Muslims worldwide.

"Language and one-on-one engagement play a powerful role in bridging cultures," said Ms. Dauod, who is fluent in Arabic, upon her return to the U.S. following a trip to the Middle East and Turkey as a citizen ambassador accompanying Under Secretary Karen Hughes on a listening tour of the region. Because of her background - Arab-German-American and Muslim - Ms. Dauod is in a unique position to discuss the American experience from a variety of angles.

During the Internet chat, she will respond to questions on her life as a Muslim-American and her recent experiences reaching out to young Muslims around the world. The online discussion will be held at 11:00 p.m. Thursday, March 30 local Philippine time (10:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, March 30).

To register or for more information, visit USINFO’s Web site at http://usinfo.state.gov/usinfo/USINFO
/Products/Webchats
/dauod_03_30_2006.html.

The U.S. Embassy’s Virtual Consulate Davao is hosting a live Internet chat on Monday, March 13 at 9:00 a.m. to discuss the U.S. government's 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The chat will feature special guests Commissioner Dominador Calamba of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and Dr. Alymie Simbulan, Executive Director of PhilRights, a Filipino human rights organization, along with a U.S. Embassy Political Officer.

During this live Internet chat, registered participants can discuss and ask questions about the 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and human rights issues in general. These reports, which are required annually by the U.S. Congress, cover internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights. This year’s reports will be released in Washington, D.C. at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8 (midnight on Thursday, March 9, Manila time). The Philippines section of the report will be available on March 9 on the U.S. Embassy's homepage at http://philippines.usembassy.gov/. The text of the full report will be available at http://www.state.gov/.

The U.S. Virtual Consulate Davao and the U.S. Embassy Manila will host a live chat on the topic of Fiancé(e) Visas on February 8, 2006 from 9:00am to 10:00am (8:00pm-9:00pm Feb. 7, 2006 EST). Through this interactive chat, staff from the Immigrant Visa Unit and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will be available to answer the participants' questions on the K1 visa process. While questions about specific cases cannot be addressed we are prepared to discuss the full range of issues, regulations and timelines affecting K-1 visa applicants.

For more information about the K1 petition process please visit: http://manila.usembassy.gov/
wwwh3204.html and http://uscis.gov/
graphics/howdoi/fiance.htm.

Later in the afternoon, the U.S. State Department officials visited the Visayan Forum Foundation Halfway House, which is funded through a U.S. government grant. They were impressed by the Visayan Forum Foundation's dedication and hard work. During the visit they were able to witness the VFF staff in operation as they intercepted traffickers and rescued several children who were about to be trafficked to Manila. They observed the process as the VFF staff counseled the potential victims and arranged for the safe return to their parents. Maness and Eterno commended the good work of all Davaoans: public officials, NGO and business leaders, and concerned citizens -- who are working to end modern-day slavery.