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| 16 FEBRUARY 2008 | . | |
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| 16 FEBRUARY 2008 | . | |
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| PGMA leads groundbreaking rites for P4-M, 2-storey Binalonan school building |
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BINALONAN, Pangasinan – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the
groundbreaking rites today for the construction of the additional
two-storey, four-classroom school building of the Binalonan South Central
School (BSCS) here. Education Secretary Jesli Lapus, Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino, 5th District Rep. Mark Cojuangco, Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico and Vice Mayor Ramon Guico III assisted the President as she lowered the time capsule of the school building project. The local residents and teachers expressed their sincere gratitude to the President through the banners and placards which they displayed upon arrival of the Chief Executive to lead the capsule-laying of the P4-million building in the 19,397-square meter compound of the BSCS. The construction of the additional school building which is expected to be finished this coming June, will address the classroom shortage at the Binalonan South Central School. BSCS is one of the nine public schools of Binalonan School District 2. To date, BSCS has 31 teaching and non-teaching personnel headed by District Supervisor Dr. Rosalinda J. Villamanca and Principal Lilibeth Daus. The school has a total of 700 enrollees this year from pre-school up to Grade VI. The additional four-classroom school building is part of the 10,000 classrooms targeted for construction by the Arroyo administration this year. It is also in line with the President’s battle cry of “Labanan ang Kahirapan, Isulong ang Karunungan” in the remaining two-and-a-half years of her presidency. The project is also part of her administration’s policy of increasing government spending on infrastructure facilities as a “springboard for further economic growth.” |
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| PAPI and former CBCP president call for media sobriety |
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The Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc. (PAPI) and the president
of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) during the time
of President Corazon Aquino have called on media to exercise sobriety in
their reportage. In a statement that he issued yesterday (Feb. 15), PAPI president Juan Dayang stressed, thus: “In our desire to bring information to the public, we should not play into the hands of those who seek to destabilize the duly constituted government and erode the people’s sacred faith in our democracy.” For his part, former CBCP president Archbishop Leonardo Legaspi -- now the archbishop of Nueva Caceres in the Bicol Region – clarified that the CBCP’s recent statement on “communal action” never called for mass action. Archbishop Legaspi, who was CBCP president during the late 1980s and the early 90s, lamented what he called the media’s “spin” on the CBCP’s statement in an interview over the Catholic Church’s Radio Veritas, according to the news section of the CBCP website. “… Legaspi has accused the media of giving a ‘spin’ on CBCP’s recent statement, saying that the term ‘communal action’ was wrongly taken as street protests and other ‘mass action,’” said the CBCP website news. “We never said that (calling for mass action) in the statement,” Legaspi stressed, adding that “the context of the statement is about the season of Lent, in which the Church is always calling for ‘moral revolution’ applying it to the country’s social situation now.” “The call of the pastoral letter is that it’s the time for us to change our mental framework… Let us also reflect on ourselves and the truth according to the essence of Lent. Let’s start the transformation within ourselves and this is needed for all of us to act. That is the meaning of communal action,” Legaspi said. The former CBCP president added that another context of the statement “refers to (the) finger pointing attitude of many people when something bad happens to the country.” On the other hand, PAPI’s Dayang noted that media sobriety could “help ease heated political debates and fortify the bonds of national unity, peace and progress.” “In these times of uncertainty, prudence dictates that we in the mass media take the side of caution and moderation so as not to exacerbate current tensions,” stressed Dayang. He added that “inaccuracy, sensationalism and speculation in reporting could lead to confusion and anarchy, and derail the country’s hard-earned social, political and economic gains.” Dayang urged his fellow media practitioners to instead play up and give “extra focus” on positive developments that abound in the news scene, “rather than cater to the whims and caprices of grandstanding and publicity-seeking politicians.” Dayang concluded, thus: “It is during these crucial and trying times that media face a litmus test of whether it can withstand the exacting demands for objectivity, fairness, and credibility.” |
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| PGMA eyes Binalonan as future investment and dev’t center in North Luzon |
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BINALONAN, Pangasinan – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assured residents
of this town that she would help them make Binalonan more attractive for
investment and development within the North Luzon Agri-Business Quadrangle. The President made the assurance in her speech at the inauguration this morning of the Binalonan Airfield owned and managed by Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico and family and on the occasion of the annual town fiesta. But the President was quick to add that before Binalonan could be made more attractive for investment and development, there is a need to improve its airport and seaport. As a first move, the President ordered the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and Air Transportation Office (ATO) to make feasibility studies so that the WCC Aeronautical College and its airfield can qualify to operate a cargo fleet. She assured the residents that ATO is prepared to give license to WCC or World City College so that their airfield can operate a cargo fleet to transport their agricultural produce to Metro Manila and nearby provinces soon. As of today, WCC is a registered and licensed flying airfield school only. The airfield was constructed to complement the operations of the WCC Aeronautical College and Aviation Company. The company operates Motors Flying School, Flight Attendants School and Binalonan Airfield. To date, the company has a fleet of 26 trainer airplanes engaged in the Southeast Asian aviation business such as charter flights, airport operation, airport handling services, accommodation, aircraft and parts sales, and community outreach, among others. Destined to become the newest architectural and tourist landmark in Binalonan, the airport of the WCC Aeronautical College is now the home of future pilots and aircraft mechanics from other Asian countries and the Middle East. WCC now has 176 student pilots from India (100 students), Nepal (26), China (20), Myanmar (10), Malaysia (10), Pakistan (3), Russia (2) and the Philippines (5). In a parallel move to further help the farmers of Binalonan, the President directed Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap to release the P100 million intended for the construction of downstream irrigation system from San Roque Dam down to the agricultural fields in San Manuel and Binalonan. She also ordered the DOTC and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to make a separate study to extend the Subic-Tarlac Expressway up to Rosario in La Union province. In addition, the President ordered Transportation Undersecretary Aneli Lontoc to make another study to extend the operation of the North Luzon Railways from Caloocan City to Malolos City in Bulacan to Dagupan City in Pangasinan. The President also assigned the DOTC and Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino, League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) president and Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico to draw a master plan and look for the best place for the construction of seaports in the province. After the inauguration of the airfield, the President inspected its facilities, including its hangar. |
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