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| 21 JULY 2008 - - |
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| 21 JULY 2008 - - |
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| PGMA cancels visit to rubber plantation town due to bad weather, reschedules trip |
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MAKILALA, North Cotabato – Heavy rains forced this morning the cancellation
of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s visit to this town which boasts of
one of the biggest rubber plantations in North Cotabato. The President was scheduled to arrive here from General Santos City to meet with local residents and officials, and visit the rubber plantation of the Platinum Rubber Development Inc. at Sitio del Asuncion in Barangay Poblacion. But after two attempts to take off with the President aboard, the pilot of the presidential helicopter gave up, saying it was impossible to proceed to Makilala because of bad weather conditions, North Cotabato Gov. Jesus N. Sacdalan said. “Humihingi po ng paumanhin si Presidente dahil sa kabiguan niyang makapunta rito,” Governor Sacdalan told local officials, residents, and rubber stakeholders who waited for the arrival of the President at the Platinum Rubber Development plantation. “Masyadong malakas ang ulan at zero visibility ang General Santos City kaya nag-decide ang mga piloto ng presidential chopper na huwag ng ituloy ang pagpunta rito ng Presidente,” he said. “Pero huwag kayong malungkot dahil bibisita pa rin dito si Presidente,”Sacdalan said. He informed his constituents that the President has rescheduled her visit Makilala late next month or Sept. 1, the founding anniversary of Kidapawan City. Despite the failure of the President to arrive here, the program of activities for the occasion was held as planned. Jake Sandique, owner of the Platinum rubber plantation, briefed the Kidapawan media, local leaders, and residents on the status of the rubber industry in the province. |
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| PGMA to bring cheers to typhoon Frank victims in Cotabato City Tuesday |
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COTABATO CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will bring cheers and
gifts to some 500 victims of flooding due to the onslaught of tphoon Frank
on Region 12 or South Central Region. The President, who will be visiting the province of Shariff Kabunsuan and Cotabato City on Tuesday will inspect the Notre Dame Village Elementary School in Rosary Heights 8, this city, where 506 persons whose houses were submerged in water due to flooding caused by heavy rains brought by typhoon Frank and the heavy siltation of the Rio (River) Grande de Mindanao were housed in tents. The President shall bring with her a team of doctors and dentists to check on the health condition of the flood victims. The President will also be bringing with her food packs, boxes of medicine and other goodies. Earlier in the day, the President will be given a briefing on the extent of damage caused by typhoon Frank on the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao and Region 12 during the National Anti-Poverty Commission Cabinet-Regional Disaster Coordinating Council -ARMM meeting at the 6ID Headquarters in Shariff Kabunsuan province. It is expected that the President will approve the proposed Comprehensive Rio Grande Flood Control System. The heavy siltation on Rio Grande de Mindanao (Grand River of Mindanao) last June 21 caused heavy flooding in Cotabato City and neighboring areas. About 62 hectares of the river were covered with water hyacinths or water lilies. Volunteer groups that included civic organizations such as the Rotary and Karancho, the church, the military and the police, and the local government units did a bayanihan act to remove the water lilies from the river. These volunteers will also get the chance to meet the President when she inspects the Delta Bridge also on Tuesday afternoon. |
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| PGMA inspects backyard Jatropha farm in GenSan City |
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GENERAL SANTOS CITY - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inspected today a
backyard or community-based jatropha plantation here to showcase the
potential of jatropha as the foremost feedstock for biodiesel under the
government's alternative fuels program. The President arrived 10 a.m. in Sitio Lanton, Barangay Apopong here at the plantation of the family of Datu Sabel Utap, a partner grower of the Philippine National Oil Company-Alternative Fuels Corporation (PNOC AFC) which was mandated to accelerate the utilization and commercialization of alternative fuels in the country. Welcoming the President were some 300 farmer/growers and local officials led by City Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr., City Lone District Rep. Darlene Antonino and Barangay Apopong Chairman Ruel Pacquiao, younger brother of people's champ Manny pacquiao. The President was briefed by PNOC AFC Chairman Renato Velasco on the status of jatropha production in the SocSKSarGen area. She was informed that some 411 hectares were already planted to jatropha in SocSKSarGen; 140.57 hectares in GenSan; 238.36 hectares in Sarangani; 17 hectares in South Cotabato and 15 hectares in Sultan Kudarat. Jatropha planters now earn some P35 per kilo of jatropha seeds in the sub-region which can still open up hundreds of thousands of non-agricultural lands for jatropha production. |
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| PGMA comes to the rescue of 49,138 typhoon Frank victims in Region 12 |
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POLOMOLOK, South Cotabato – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directed today
government agencies to sustain the ongoing relief operations and hasten
rehabilitation efforts to ease the plight of the 49,138 families in Region
12 adversely affected by Typhoon Frank last month. The President issued her directive as she presided over the Regional Disaster Coordinating Councils (RDCC) 12 meeting at noon today at the Kalsangi Clubhouse of Dole Philippines here in Polomolok. Dureza said the President directed that rehabilitation be also focused on agricultural areas "particularly in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat, the rice granary of the region which has some 5,000 hectares of ricelands.” Dureza said a task force would also be created with the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) as member for a collective and consolidated effort for the rehabilitation of affected areas in Mindanao. Among those present were the governors, congressmen, mayors and other regional officials in the region. Also present during the meeting were National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Chairman and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Presidential Assistant for the Peace Process ret. General Hermogenes Esperon, Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Alexander Yano and Press Secretary Jesus Dureza. RDCC 12 chairman Chief Supt.Felizardo Serapio Jr. reported that many typhoon victims remain in evacuation centers while floodings still persist in several areas such as Cotabato City; Misayap, North Cotabato; Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat and some parts of North Cotabato. Serapio said the President ordered the clearing of the massive amount of water hyacinths (lilies) and the facilitation of the dredging and other engineering works to clear waterways, catchbasins and major water tributaries to stop the flooding in the region. Serapio reported that the total damage to infrastructure, agriculture, livestock and private properties amounted to P2.483 billion, affecting 49,138 families or some 245,675 individuals. Since the aftermath of the typhoon, the President has been conducting relief distribution and RDCC meetings in affected provinces to ensure the delivery of needed services and ease the plight of the typhoon victims. |
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| Dureza urges oil companies to keep public, gov't posted on rationale for price hikes |
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Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said Sunday it is incumbent upon the oil
industry players to explain to the government and to the public -- in the
language ordinary people can understand -- the rationale for any increase in
oil prices to avoid confusion and discord. At a press conference yesterday, Dureza said Malacanang is just as interested as the people to know the compelling reasons behind every oil price increase because, like it or not, the government, specifically the Arroyo administration, is blamed every time the price of fuel goes up. “They (oil companies) have to relay to the public, explain to us in government (the rationale for any price hike) because rightly or wrongly, maski ano ang sabihin mo ang sinisisi ay ang gobyerno, which should not be the case,” Dureza said. He added that any oil price adjustment in the future should be explained early by the oil industry in the “language of the masa, not in the technical language of experts in the industry.” It was Dureza who announced yesterday the decision of Filipinas Shell and Petron Corp., two of the country’s three biggest oil industrial players, to roll back their diesel fuel prices by one-half to P1.50 per liter following an urgent appeal by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the price cutback. Shell and Petron raised the pump price of diesel fuel by P3 Saturday, pushing the price of diesel to almost P59 per liter, the highest-ever for the commodity in the local market. The President had directed Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes to convey to the officials of the two oil firms her appeal for a price rollback. Dureza said that even with the price rollback, “there is still a need (for the oil industry) to continuously explain to the public why they have to increase.” |
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| Statement of Press Secretary Jesus Dureza Re: Asean Charter Ratification |
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The Senate has the sole prerogative to act on it in the manner it deems fit. Although we wish it can be acted upon expeditiously, the Senate makes that determination. |
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| PGMA to witness turnover of nine newly built classrooms to city government of Lapu-Lapu City on Wednesday |
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LAPU-LAPU CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will witness the turnover
of the Deed of Donation of nine newly-built classrooms to Lapu-Lapu City
when she visits this city on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. The new classrooms form part of the 21 classrooms donated by philanthropist Ramon Chiu to the Gun-ob High School, one of the numerous institutions of learning in Central Visayas that have benefited from the efforts of Mr. Chiu. Upon her arrival, the President will cut the ribbon and unveil the marker of the nine classrooms formally opening them to the public. Aside from the classrooms, a covered court is also included in the turnover ceremonies, effectively turning Gun-ob High School into a "complete high school.” Gun-ob National High School traces its roots to 1996 when it was first opened as a night high school with only four teachers and a handful of students. In 2002, Ramon Chiu visited the office of the barangay captain and offered to build an 11-classroom building provided the local government provides school building site. After only a year of construction, the new Gun-ob High School was completed and opened its doors to enrollees for school year 2003-2004. From an initial enrollment of 573 students with 14 teachers, Gun-ob High School enrollees swelled to 748 in school year 2004-2005 and increased further to 816 in 2005-2006. Seeing that the increasing student-classroom ratio in Gun-ob High School was getting out of hand, Chiu again offered to build an additional nine classrooms. And the rest, as they say, is history. Today, there are 1,427 students and 28 teachers in Gun-ob High School enjoying the school's excellent atmosphere that has become highly conducive to learning. |
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| Palace welcomes positive survey result in Mindanao |
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Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said today that Malacanang “welcomes the
positive result of the survey showing that Mindanao has improved
significantly from 16 down to 12.3.” “This clearly shows that the government efforts yielded positive results inspite of challenges of peace and security that afflict Mindanao,” Dureza said. Dureza, however, admitted that “there’s still a lot of work to be done by the government in Visayas and Mindanao.” But, he said, “President Arroyo will continue to work hard to improve the lot of the most poor and vulnerable.” In another development, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the “Senate has the sole prerogative to act” on the ratification of the proposed Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Charter “in the manner it deems fit.” “Although we wish it can be acted upon expeditiously, the Senate makes that determination,” Dureza said. |
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