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| 18 JANUARY 2008 | . | |
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| 18 JANUARY 2008 | . | |
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| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye |
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The President is extremely sad over the discovery of a fetus in the New
Executive Building. As a devout Catholic, a mother and a grandmother, she is against abortion and believes strongly in the sanctity of life. She has given instructions to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to intensify its community networking and outreach efforts to educate the public on the need to shun abortion as a health and moral hazard. Counseling efforts for unwed and teenage mothers will also be promoted and enhanced. |
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| Gov't to pursue strong foreign policy of global engagement -- PGMA |
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President Gloria Macapagal–Arroyo said today her
administration will continue to pursue its strong policy of global
engagement in 2008 as she thanked Philippine allies and development partners
whose support has catapulted the country to the ranks of fast-growing Asian
economies with strong finances, infrastructure and social programs. “Welcome to a peaceful and successful year in 2008,” the President greeted members of the diplomatic community, led by Papal Nuncio Joseph Edward Adams, dean of the diplomatic corps, during the traditional Vin D’ Honneur held this morning at the Rizal Hall of Malacanang. Also in attendance were members of Congress and the Cabinet. “We look forward to this year, as we are brimming with confidence in the resilience of our economy, hopeful for peace and security for our people here at home, and determined to continue to pursue a strong foreign policy abroad,” she said. “Please join me in a toast for a year of deeper international friendships and stronger hope for peace and progress in the Philippines and the whole world. Mabuhay!” the President said. She pointed out that for the Philippines to succeed, “we must aggressively engage the world.” “We need the world and we like to think that the world needs us; our hardworking people, our ideal geographic location and our reliability, as a friend and ally,” the President said. Among the countries she visited last year were the United States, China, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, India, Australia, Spain, the Vatican, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Kuwait and Africa. She said she visited these countries to forge security alliances and encouraged them to invest in the country. “We will continue it in 2008,” she stressed. In returning her toast, Papal Nuncio Adams said: ”Kindly bless this country. May 2008 bring you and the people prosperity, happiness and peace.” |
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| RP economy on path of sustained growth -- PGMA |
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Thanks to the tough choices made by the government to
enhance revenue, raise tax collections, and tight management of the budget,
the Philippines is now on a path of sustained economic growth, President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today. Another key factor in the transformation of the Philippine economy was the support of the country’s allies and development partners, she told the diplomatic community during the traditional Vin D’ Honneur held this morning in Malacanang. “We are grateful for the support of our allies and development partners for our reforms and investments, which has enabled the Philippines to join the ranks of fast-growing Asian economies with strong finances, infrastructure and social programs,“ the President said. She said substantial gains have been made in the country’s economy in 2007, the “year the Philippine economy turned around.” She said tax revenue collections are high, unemployment is at its lowest, investments increased, millions of new jobs have been created, the peso continues to be very strong and the target to balance the budget this year is almost becoming a reality. The President said these achievements were made possible through the implementation of tough fiscal and economic reforms. “We have been setting our sights on a modern Philippines, ready to join the ranks of First World nations,” the President said, adding that she would spare no effort to sustain those gains. With the economy on the upswing, the government’s anti-poverty program would be accelerated by 2015 in keeping with the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of which the Philippines is a signatory. “The eradication of poverty has always been the overriding goal of my presidency,” the President said. |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's
Speech during the 2008 Vin D'Honneur Rizal Hall, Malacanang January 18, 2008 |
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HIS EXCELLENCY, THE DEAN OF THE DIPLOMATIC
CORPS, PAPAL NUNCIO EDWARD ADAMS, WELCOME TO THE PHILIPPINES!; OTHER MEMBERS
OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS; VICE PRESIDENT DE CASTRO AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT; SENATE PRESIDENT VILLAR AND CONGRESSWOMAN VILLAR AND
THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE; CHIEF JUSTICE PUNO; ACTING SECRETARY
OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AMBASSADOR BENEDICTO, REPRESENTING SECRETARY ROMULO WHO
IS AWAY ON OFFICIAL BUSINESS AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PHILIPPINE FOREIGN
SERVICE; GUESTS; LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. WELCOME TO A PEACEFUL AND SUCCESSFUL YEAR IN 2008. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THIS YEAR, AS TOGETHER WITH 91 PERCENT OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE, WE'RE BRIMMING WITH CONFIDENCE IN THE RESILIENCE OF OUR ECONOMY, HOPEFUL FOR PEACE AND SECURITY FOR OUR PEOPLE HERE AT HOME AND ABROAD, AND DETERMINED TO CONTINUE TO PURSUE A STRONG FOREIGN POLICY ABROAD. 2007 WAS THE YEAR THE PHILIPPINE ECONOMY TURNED AROUND. THROUGH THE TOUGH CHOICES WE MADE TO ENHANCE REVENUE, RAISE TAX COLLECTIONS AND RUN A TIGHT BUDGET, WE ARE NOW ON A PATH TO SUSTAINED ECONOMIC GROWTH. WE HAVE THE HIGHEST GROWTH RATE IN A GENERATION, THE LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT, A SURGE IN INVESTMENTS, HIGH JOB CREATION, A BUDGET COMING INTO BALANCE, A STRONG PESO. WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF OUR ALLIES AND DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS FOR OUR REFORMS AND INVESTMENTS WHICH HAVE ENABLED THE PHILIPPINES TO JOIN THE RANKS OF FAST GROWING ASIAN ECONOMIES WITH STRONG FINANCES, INFRASTRUCTURE AND SOCIAL PROGRAMS. AS A RESULT OF OUR FOCUS AND DISCIPLINE, WE HAD BEEN ABLE TO TAKE THE HARD-EARNED REVENUE AND SAVINGS, AND PUT IT TO WORK FOR THE PEOPLE BY INVESTING IN EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE AND INFRASTRUCTURE. WE HAD BEEN SETTING OUR SIGHTS ON A MODERN PHILIPPINES READY FOR JOINING THE RANKS OF FIRST WORLD NATIONS. IN 2007, WE MADE A HUGE DOWNPAYMENT TOWARD THAT DAY. WE AIM TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP IT THAT WAY THROUGH THE DURATION OF MY TERM. FOR THE PHILIPPINES TO SUCCEED, WE MUST AGGRESSIVELY ENGAGE THE WORLD. WE CONTINUE THIS ENGAGEMENT IN 2007 AS WE HAVE DONE THROUGHOUT MY PRESIDENCY. WE WILL CONTINUE IT IN 2008. WE NEED THE WORLD AND WE LIKE TO THINK THE WORLD NEEDS US -- OUR HARD-WORKING PEOPLE, OUR IDEAL GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION AND OUR RELIABILITY AS A FRIEND AND ALLY. THE UNITED STATES, CHINA AND JAPAN, SINGAPORE, NEW ZEALAND, INDIA AND AUSTRALIA, SPAIN, THE VATICAN, ENGLAND, PORTUGAL AND FRANCE, KUWAIT AND AFRICA HAVE ALL BEEN PART OF OUR ITINERARY THIS PAST YEAR FORGING SECURITY ALLIANCES, ENCOURAGING INVESTMENTS, PROTECTING THE INTEREST OF OUR VALUED OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS. CLOSER TO HOME, SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST POLITICAL VIOLENCE. IN LESS THAN A YEAR, SINCE WE AUTHORIZED THE MELO COMMISSION AND FOLLOWED UP ITS RECOMMENDATIONS, WE HAVE SEEN AN 83 PERCENT DROP IN VIOLENCE AGAINST POLITICAL ACTIVISTS AND JOURNALISTS. WHILE WE ARE PLEASED WITH THE PROGRESS, WE WILL NOT BE SATISFIED UNTIL EVERY LAST INCIDENCE OF VIOLENCE HAS STOPPED, AND EVERY CRIMINAL PROSECUTED AND BEHIND BARS. WE MUST STOP THE LEGACY OF VIOLENCE AND START THE ERA OF POLITICAL HARMONY. WE TAKE PRIDE IN THE CONTINUED STRENGTH OF DEMOCRACY IN OUR COUNTRY, EVEN AS WE MAKE GAINS IN THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE PROMOTION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE. OF COURSE, LET ME BE REALISTIC: 2007 WAS NOT ALWAYS SMOOTH SAILING, NOT LEAST OF WHICH IN THE POLITICAL SECTOR. THE NOVEMBER COUP ATTEMPT FIZZLED, BUT IT STILL GAVE A BLACK EYE TO OUR NATION IN THE EYES OF THE WORLD. HALF OF OUR BATTLE IN THE PHILIPPINES IS TO OVERCOME THE SELF-INDULGENT POLITICAL THEATRICS THAT SEND THE WRONG MESSAGE TO THE WORLD. THE REALITY IS THAT WE HAVE BECOME A STRONGER, MORE STABLE NATION AS THESE TYPES OF POLITICAL SHENANIGANS FALL FLAT WITH THE PEOPLE. FILIPINOS ARE TIRED OF POLITICAL SIDESHOWS. THEY WANT PEACE, ORDER AND SECURITY AND A GOOD JOB AND A GOOD EDUCATION. IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA, WE HAD HOPED BY NOW TO HAVE A TRADE AGREEMENT SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED WITH JAPAN. WE REMAIN OPTIMISTIC THAT OUR SENATE WILL SEE THE WISDOM OF APPROVING THIS VITAL AGREEMENT. PERHAPS EVEN MORE PRESSING ARE THE ISSUES OF ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND THE PRICE OF FOREIGN OIL. WE ARE BOUND AND DETERMINED TO MOVE THE PHILIPPINES TOWARD ENERGY INDEPENDENCE BASED ON HEAVY INVESTMENTS IN BIOFUELS, GEOTHERMAL, WIND, SOLAR AND OTHER ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES. WE ARE EQUALLY DETERMINED THAT CONSERVATION MUST BE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE EQUATION. TO THAT END, WE ARE HOLDING A SERIES OF HIGH LEVEL MEETINGS THIS MONTH AND NEXT. OUT OF THESE MEETINGS WE WILL DEVELOP A BLUEPRINT, OR MORE APTLY A 'GREENPRINT' FOR THE ENERGY FUTURE OF OUR NATION. IN OUR QUEST FOR FIRST WORLD STATUS IN A GENERATION, WE WILL SAFEGUARD NOT JUST THE RIGHTS OF MAN BUT THOSE OF NATURE TOO, THROUGH MORE SUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS TO PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT AND ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE WHILE BUILDING A BETTER LIFE FOR OUR PEOPLE. THE POOREST AMONG US SUFFER THE MOST DUE TO THE HIGH PRICE OF GLOBAL OIL, SO ANY PROGRAM WE INITIATE WILL FOCUS NOT JUST ON ENERGY INDEPENDENCE IN THE LONG RUN, BUT TO RELIEVE THE PAIN OF ENERGY COST IN THE SHORT RUN. HOW THIS WILL BE CARRIED OUT IS AN OPEN QUESTION, BUT WE WILL DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO SHARE THE BURDEN AND RELIEVE THE POOR FROM BEARING THE BIGGEST BURDEN. THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE OVERRIDING GOAL OF MY PRESIDENCY. IN ITS LAST THREE YEARS, WE WILL BUILD A MOMENTUM IN KEY PROGRAM AREAS THAT WOULD MAKE THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS WELL WITHIN REACH BY 2015. FINALLY, LET ME TOUCH ON OUR PEACE EFFORTS IN MINDANAO. WE ARE CLOSE, YET SOMETIMES THE CLOSER WE GET, THE FARTHER THE DISTANCE SEEMS TO BE. WE ARE DETERMINED, AS WE HAVE SAID TO YOU BEFORE, THAT PEACE IN MINDANAO IS ONE OF THE MOST ESSENTIAL BUILDING BLOCKS THIS NATION CAN ACHIEVE TO SECURE ITS FUTURE. PEACE IS BETTER THAN CONFLICT. OUR ALLIANCES WITH YOU ARE ALSO INDISPENSABLE IN ADVANCING OUR PEACE EFFORTS, IN EXPANDING INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING AND INTERFAITH DIALOGUE, AND IN KEEPING TERRORISM IN CHECK. ONCE AGAIN, WE LOOK FORWARD TO ANOTHER YEAR WITH YOU AND WISH YOU EVERY SUCCESS. OUR DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN TO FRIENDS IN THIS ROOM. WE REMAIN HUMBLE ABOUT THE JOB WE DO EVERYDAY AND EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE ACHIEVE EVERY YEAR. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: PLEASE JOIN ME IN A TOAST FOR A YEAR OF DEEPER INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIPS AND STRONGER HOPE FOR PEACE AND PROGRESS IN THE PHILIPPINES AND THE WHOLE WORLD. MABUHAY! THANK YOU. |
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| PGMA remains hopeful on Senate okay of JPEPA |
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President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo expressed hope anew
today that the Senate would ratify the Japan-Philippines Economic
Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) without further delay. “We had hope by now to have a trade agreement signed, sealed and delivered with Japan. We remain optimistic that our Senate will see the wisdom of approving this vital agreement,” the President said in her message during the traditional Vin D’ Honneur in Malacanang this morning. The Senate has yet to ratify the trade agreement which would pave the way for Philippine agricultural products to gain access to the Japanese market, among other important concessions to be gained from the accord. The JPEPA was signed by the President and former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on the sidelines of the 6th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Helsinki, Finland in Sept. 2006. The agreement seeks to strengthen the economic cooperation between the two countries through increased cross-border flow of goods, people, investments and services. Citing the importance of the proposed accord, the President had pointed out that the JPEPA transcend mere market access as it “includes human resource development, financial services, information and technology, energy and environment, science and technology, transportation and infrastructure.” Under the agreement, Japan would also open up its
healthcare services market to Filipino nurses and caregivers. The other salient points of the JPEPA include the
following: |
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| PGMA reports 83% drop in political and journalist killings in less than a year |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today government
efforts to put a stop to the legacy of political violence achieved
significant progress last year after the creation of the Melo Commission. “Closer to home, significant progress has been made in our fight against political violence,” the President said during the traditional Vin D’ Honneur held in Malacanang this morning and attended by the diplomatic community led by the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Papal Nuncio Joseph Edward Adams. “In less than a year since we authorized the Melo Commission and followed up on its recommendations, we have seen an 83 percent drop in violence against political activists and journalists,” the President said. A report released Sunday by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that the Philippine National Police listed only seven such killings last year, compared with 41 in 2006. The department said this "underlines the Arroyo government's strong commitment to human rights and its firm resolve to put an end to these unexplained killings." In spite of the achievements, the President stressed that “we will not be satisfied until every last incidence of violence has stopped and every criminal prosecuted and put behind bars.” “We must stop the legacy of violence and start a new era of political harmony,” she added. The Melo Commission, a five-man team chaired by retired Justice Jose Melo, was created in August 2006 with the primary task of investigating extrajudicial killings. |
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| PGMA saddened by dumping of fetus |
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Malacanang said today President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
was “extremely” saddened by the discovery of a fetus in one of the ladies’
rooms of the New Executive Building (NEB) Thursday. “As a devout Catholic, a mother and a grandmother, she is against abortion and believes strongly in the sanctity of life,” Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said in a statement. Upon learning of the incident, the President directed the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to step up its community networking and outreach efforts to educate the public to shun abortion as a health and moral hazard. She also directed the DSWD to intensify and enhance its counseling efforts for unwed and teenage mothers, Bunye added. The fetus, about five to six months old, was discovered by a janitor shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday dumped in one of the toilet bowls of the ladies’ rest room at the ground floor of the NEB. The person who threw the plastic bag containing the fetus apparently intended to flush it down the drain, but it got stuck in the toilet bowl. The Homicide Division of the Manila Police District (MPD) is still conducting follow-up investigation in an effort to establish the identify of the person who left the fetus in the comfort room. |
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| PGMA visits top Quezon City Science HS; sets National Education Summit on Jan. 31 - Feb.1 |
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PGMA VISITS TOP QUEZON CITY SCIENCE HS; SETS NAT’L EDUCATION SUMMIT ON JAN. 31 – FEB. 1 The National Education Summit that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered during her year-end working visit in Baguio City last month has been scheduled to be held from Jan. 1 to Feb. 1 in Manila. This was revealed by Education Secretary Jesli Lapus who was on hand to attend President Arroyo’s visit to the Quezon City Science High School in Bago Bantay, Quezon City this afternoon. The summit -- which the President suggested during a conference with education officials and state and private university heads in Northern Luzon last Dec. 31 at The Mansion in Baguio City -- will tackle the entire educational system. It will also welcome suggestions from education stakeholders. The President, who was in a light brown pants and blouse ensemble, was warmly welcomed by the teachers and students who awaited her arrival by waving tiny flags from their classroom windows. Also on hand to meet the President during her visit to the Quezon City school were Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, Rep. Vincent Crisologo, Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista, and National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) head Supt. Geary Barias. Upon her arrival, the President immediately entered the I-Curie classroom where she viewed for some 20 minutes an English subject class of 34 students. The President then proceeded to the school’s conference room and met for some 40 minutes with the school administration, teachers, education supervisors, and Lapus who informed the media that Quezon City is the best-performing city in the English portion of the National Achievement Test (NAT). Lapus revealed that while the national average grade in the NAT English tests is 60 percent, QC’s average is 70 percent. He added that there has been a 35-percent drop in students’ English proficiency as measured by the NAT. ***** CRG/Aurora V. Alambra |
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