March 06 2008

PGMA cites launching of 1st provincial mass housing project in Cavite

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has lauded the Cavite provincial government under Gov. Erineo Maliksi for launching the first provincial mass housing project in the country in support of the national government’s accelerated housing program.

The President made the statement during the groundbreaking rites Wednesday (March 5) for the construction of row and duplex-type of houses on a 53-hectare site in Barangay Pasong Kawayan, General Trias, Cavite.

Assisted by Vice President Noli de Castro and Gov. Maliksi, among others, the President laid the time capsule containing the blueprint of the project and some coins for luck.

The 53-hectare row and duplex-type housing project is dubbed as “Pamayanang Maliksi-Cavite Mass Housing Project” which is designed to benefit at least 8,673 Cavite families.

In her speech, President Arroyo encouraged all Cavitenos to avail themselves of low-interest rates housing loans from government agencies participating in the socialized housing program, like the Pag-IBIG or Home Development Mutual Fund, and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

“Iyong mga bibili ng bahay dito, puwedeng humiram sa Pag-IBIG, puwedeng humiram sa DBP para sa take-out dito sa bahay na ito, kasi iyon ang sistema pag pribadong sector ang nagtatayo ng pabahay,” the President said.

She stressed that with the impressive gains of the country’s economy, the government aims to spend P44 billion for mass housing, of which P8 billion will come from the national budget while P30 billion will come from Pag-IBIG that offers a lower interest rate.

She also said that Vice President De Castro, who is also the chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), informed her that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has loaned to the Philippines an Official Development Assistance (ODA) through the DBP that could be used for housing projects.

The President told the Cavitenos that although it is the private sector which would construct the housing units, it is the Cavite provincial government which bought the land for sale to qualified beneficiaries at a very affordable price.

“Dito, 500 pesos lamang, tapos around P1,300 iyong bahay, so P1,800 ang gastos ng pabahay dito. At ang daming puwedeng manirahan dito, walong libo, maging iyong mga dating squatters o iyong mga sundalo. Iyong mga pulis, puwede rin, kasi walong libo ang puwedeng pabahay dito,” she said.

“Itong bagong pabahay sa Cavite para sa mahigit walong libong pamilya mula sa iba’t-ibang sector, gaya ng sabi ko, dating squatters, mga guro, mga trabahador sa pabrika, mga pulis at sundalo. Lahat makikinabang sa pabahay na itinatayo kasi ito ay 50 hectares, na suwerte naman na sa napakasiksik na lugar sa Luzon urban beltway, ay nakahanap pa si Governor (Maliksi) ng mahigit 50 ektarya na pwedeng bilhin para sa taong bayan,” the President said.

“Kaya nagpapasalamat tayo kay Governor Maliksi sa patuloy niyang suporta sa pambansang layunin na matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng ating kababayan,” she added.

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SC proposal on Neri’s case a “wise compromise”---Fr. Aquino

The proposal of the Supreme Court (SC) to allow former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General Romulo Neri to testify at the Senate’s inquiry into the cancelled National Broadband Network (NBN)-ZTE project, but with the condition that the senators refrain from asking him three questions regarding his conversation with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was a “wise compromise” while awaiting the final decision of the High Tribunal on the matter.

Fr. Ranhilio Callangan Aquino, dean of the Graduate School of Law of the San Beda College, in an interview at national television station NBN-4’s “Boses” last night, said the SC’s proposal “would have allowed the hearings to go on while we await the judgment of the SC on the three questions.”

However, the Senate outrightly rejected the proposal, saying this would diminish the powers of the Senate to call any witness or resource person to an inquiry, or to ask certain questions.

Fr. Aquino stressed that the SC decision was “necessary so the leaps and bounds of the Executive Order 464 will be defined clearly.”

He said it is also unfortunate that the lawyers of persons invited to Senate inquiries could only advise their clients but “can’t speak” for their clients.

“You are practically helpless (at the Senate hearings),” he said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced the revocation of E.O 464 effective yesterday.

Neri agreed to resume his testimony before the Senate but would not answer questions regarding his conversations with the President after he told her about an alleged P200-million bribe offer by former Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos for the approval of the NBN-ZTE project.

He said this was “privileged communication” with the President.

Neri also asked the High Tribunal to stop the Senate from arresting him for refusing earlier to testify again in the Senate.

The SC would have to decide whether the Senate has the right to arrest uncooperative witnesses and if the questions that Neri refused to answer were covered by executive privilege.

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PGMA vows to step up efforts to address effects of climate change on RP

While stressing that climate change is beyond the control of the government, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today that her administration would continue "to take action" to protect the people from the effects of the increasing volatility of weather conditions affecting the country.

The President made the assurance during the sendoff this morning at the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing of the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City of relief goods and medical personnel to Borongan, Eastern Samar.

"Our country is prone to natural calamities like flooding, landslides and earthquakes. Lalo na ngayon dahil may climate change and global warming," she said

The President pointed out that even though the Philippines contributes less than one percent to the phenomenon of global warming, the effects of weather disturbances are more devastating because of the effect of a more heated earth.

"The Philippines is a climate taker rather than a climate maker. Ang contribution natin sa global warming ay less than one percent pero natatamaan tayo," the President said.

"So, while climate change is a global issue that’s largely outside the control of the government, we have nevertheless taken, and we continue to take, action to mitigate the pain of our people," she added.

The President said that among the top priorities of her administration to address climate change is through the protection of the environment and the strengthening of environment programs.

"Kaya ang proteksyon ng ating kapaligiran ay isa sa ating pinakamataas na priyoridad," she said.

Green Philippines Plan (GPP), the President pointed out, is a blueprint for mapping out the government’s environment and economic policies to allow sustainable development that will not be burdensome to the poor or erode the environment.

The GPP includes projects such as the Samar Island Protected Area, the Southern Leyte Eco-System and the Bicol River Basin project.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, who joined the President at the send- off ceremony, said that the Chief Executive had authorized the release of P200-million for the immediate repair and rehabilitation of all roads and school buildings in Regions 5 and 8, also known as the Central Visayas Eastern seaboard.

Eastern Samar and the Bicol region, particularly Naga City and Albay, suffer the brunt of the most weather disturbances that hit the country every year.

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San Beda’s law dean challenges Lozada to prove his allegations in court

“Lozada has said his piece, had his way and eventually enjoyed it. Now, let him face the proper forum to prove his allegations.”

Thus said Fr. Ranhilio Callangan Aquino, dean of the Graduate School of the San Beda College of Law, as he stressed that it is now time for the Senate’s National Broadband Network (NBN)-ZTE probe star witness Rodolfo Lozada Jr. to face the proper forum to prove his allegations.

At the same time, Fr. Aquino urged the people “to make up their minds” and look for the truth in the courts “before believing what Lozada is saying.”

“We should let him testify before the court and then, we can find out if he is really telling the truth,” Fr. Aquino said in an interview over national television station NBN-4’s “Boses” last night.

The San Beda Law dean also said another Senate witness, Dante Madriaga, and former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General Romulo Neri must also face the court “so that we can find out the truth.”

Stressing that he is as ardent as the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in finding out the truth, Fr. Aquino said the Senate investigations would not fulfill this goal, but only in the proper forum which is the Office of the Ombudsman.

“I’m not saying that what is happening in the Senate is not important, what I’m saying is that if we want to find out the truth, then, we should go to the court,” he said.

“Exposes are very easy to make, just ask for a privilege speech and then you can do it. But none of these exposes present evidence. These are only allegations. We should go to the proper court to find out the truth,” he added.

Fr. Aquino also said the rallies staged by the critics of the Arroyo administration in Metro Manila must not be interpreted as the sentiment of the entire country.

“What Imperial Manila wants does not necessarily mean that it is also the voice of the whole country,” he said.

“In fact, I’m not even sure if what is happening now is the pulse of Manila,” he stressed.

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Legal luminary clarifies issue on executive privilege

Despite her revocation of Executive Order (EO) 464, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo can still invoke executive privilege as “ordained in the Constitution,” a legal luminary said.

“If anyone thinks this is illegal, then they can go to the Supreme Court (SC) and let the SC decide,” said Fr. Ranhilio Callangan Aquino, dean of the Graduate School of Law of San Beda College, referring to the invocation of executive privilege.

In a televised interview on NBN 4’s “Boses” last night, Fr. Aquino said EO 464 only formalized what was “inscribed in the Constitution,” and that “executive privilege can be invoked by the President anytime.”

He pointed out that the executive privilege or the power (reserve power) claimed by the President and other members of the executive branch to resist certain interventions by the legislative and judicial branches of government is in accordance with the separation of powers doctrine.

He also hailed the President’s decision to lift EO 464, which was issued to ensure “observance of the principle of separation of powers, adherence to the rule on executive privilege and respect for the rights of public officials appearing in legislative inquiries in aid of legislation under the Constitution, and for other purposes.”

“The lifting of EO 464 only shows that the President has nothing to hide because she is willing to let her Cabinet officials go to the Senate and answer some questions there,” Aquino said.

He clarified though that EO 464 was not intended to prevent Cabinet members from attending Senate hearings but to seek the prior approval of the President before they attend any Senate inquiry.

Fr. Aquino, at the same time, said “we are fast becoming a nation of rumor mongerers…a nation distrustful of our institutions” which he noted is a sign of immaturity.

“We must strengthen our institutions so that we can resolve issues like this (NBN-ZTE deal) without putting our democracy at risk,” he stressed.

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PGMA leads sendoff of relief goods to flood-devastated Eastern Samar

Food, water, used clothing and medicines were airlifted this morning to Eastern Samar as part of a massive relief and rehabilitation efforts organized by the government for the flood-ravaged province.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the sendoff for the Hercules C-130 transport plane carrying the relief goods bound for Borongan, the capital of Eastern Samar

Called a “Caravan of Hope,” the relief effort for the stricken Eastern Visayas province was dubbed as one of the largest multi-agency disaster assistance operation.

Forty-four government agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) led by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), the Department of Health (DoH) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have pulled resources and manpower together to assist the victims of the massive flooding in the province.

Among the items included in the initial relief and rehab mission are 10,000 relief packs composed of assorted used clothing, blankets, mosquito nets, medicines and basic commodities such as rice, noodles, coffee and sugar.

Thirty-four medical personnel from the DOH accompanied the relief packs.

In Borongan, medical personnel from Manila will be augmented by other DOH doctors and nurses from the health department’s regional office in Tacloban City.

The President was joined at the sendoff ceremony by Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, League of Cities of the Philippines president Benhur Abalos and Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone.

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Women’s month remembrance: PGMA’s Cavite root is traced

Her father’s grandmother was a Cavitena “comadrona” (midwife) who would later assist her own daughter give birth to a future President of the Republic of the Philippines – Diosdado Macapagal.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo waxed historic Wednesday (March 5) in Cavite as she greeted the womenfolk a Happy Women’s Month, and enumerated the great women that the province had produced – before revealing to the Cavitenos that her great grandmother herself was also from their historic province.

“Pinuri na natin si Justice (Ameurfina) Herrera, si Senadora Helena Benitez, si Vicky Bataclan, yung mga kababaihan sa pamumuno ni Gobernadora at saka ni Mayora ng Dasmarinas. Yung mga kabataan at kababaihan sa pamumuno ng ating Mutya ng Kalayaan…

“Pero kung papayagan ho ninyo ako, hayaan niyong purihin ko rin ang isang Kabitenya, ito ay ang pangalan niya Escolastica Romero. Siya ay taga-Cavite City pero nag-asawa ng isang Kapampangan at naging Mrs. Macapagal. Siya ang lola ng aking tatay,” revealed the President.

Her “lola sa tuhod” – Escolastica Romero-Macapagal -- was “isang komadrona at isang Katikista o “Cathechism teacher” sa Catholic school. Siya ang nagpa-anak sa kanyang apo…”

“Dahil komadrona siya, siya ang nagbigay ng pangalang Diosdado -- bigay ng Diyos -- dahil very religious siya,” she added.

The President then narrated that it was also her great grandmother who would later help her grandson land a job with the Bureau of Lands through one Mr. Mills, a German, the husband of one of her midwifery patients.

This, because even as her father, then lawyer Diosdado Macapagal, had topped both the Civil Service Exams and the Bar Exams during his time, “kahit na Number One siya, hindi siya makahanap ng trabaho -- ganun din pala nung unang panahon.”

“Pero yung aking lola sa tuhod, si Escolastica Romero, dahil marami siyang mga pasyente bilang komadrona, merong isang pasyente siya na asawa ng isang nagngangalang Mr. Mills, isang mistesong Aleman na nagtatrabaho sa Bureau of Lands, siya ang kumuha sa aking tatay sa unang trabaho niya bilang civil servant.”

President Arroyo said her father’s difficult experience at finding and landing a job has always inspired her to ensure that Filipinos today would have a better time at locating jobs.

“Kaya kung naaalala ko iyon, yung kahirapan ng paghanap ng trabaho kahit na Number One sa Civil Service, at ang ating mga suliranin sa ekonomiya ngayon, talagang iniisip ko na, noon hanggang ngayon, isang malakas at lumalagong ekonomiya ang sinisikap nating ilikha upang tumulong tiyakin ang kapayapaan, katiwasayan at katatagan ng ating bansa.”

The President stressed, thus: “Ito ang dahilan sa ating nagiging maliksi yung pagbabangon natin araw-araw para magsikap at mag-focus parang laser beam upang ayusin ang ating ekonomiya.

“Gumawa tayo ng mahihirap at hindi popular na mga desisyon na iangat ang koleksyon ng pamahalaan at habulin ang mga nagdaya sa buwis upang makapuhunan tayo sa ating imprastraktura at ating taumbayan…” the President added.

President Arroyo was in Barangay Pasong Kawayan in General Trias, Cavite Wednesday for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Pamayanang Maliksi-Cavite Mass Housing Project, and the provincial kick-off ceremony for Women’s Month whose national theme is “CEDAW ng Bayan: Kayamanan ng Kababaihan.”

CEDAW is the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

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HSBC execs call on PGMA; vow to add 6 metro branches & new BPO centers

Two top executives of the Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) paid a courtesy call today on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacañang and vowed to continue investing in the country.

In town is the HSBC’s chief executive for the Asia-Pacific region, Alexander Flockhart who told Palace media that HSBC Philippines has a total of 9,000 personnel – 2,000 of them in the bank, and 7,000 of them in their BPO (business process outsourcing) centers.

President Arroyo -- who was wearing an avocado green pants ensemble with matching green open-toes heels – received Flockhart and HSBC Philippines president and CEO Mark Watkinson in Malacañang’s Music Room.

Flockhart said HSBC is very interested in the Arroyo administration’s development of BPOs, and that “if opportunities arise, we are happy to grow our bank in certain areas in the country.”

He added that he proposed to the President for the government to open up the banking sector to 100-percent foreign ownership to make banks more competitive.

The HSBC Asia-Pacific CEO also said he mentioned to the President about the “good growth in the tourism infrastructure and the generally positive outlook in agriculture.”

For his part, HSBC Philippines’ Watkinson said the bank is adding six more branches this year in Metro Manila, to bring the total to 30 branches.

Watkinson also announced that HSBC is into “great expansion” mode, and that it is soon opening a new BPO center along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City where some 3,000 people will be employed.

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Acer founder pays courtesy call on PGMA; discusses “bridging the digital divide” in RP

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo received in Malacanang the founder of Acer Corporation who paid a courtesy call on her this afternoon.

Dr. Stan Shih, who is a sitting governor of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), discussed with the President how the Philippines can bridge the digital divide, according to Antonio Basilio, Philippine representative to the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan.

Basilio explained that bridging of the digital divide is a standing goal among members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.

Acer has a major facility in Subic where it has been manufacturing and repairing laptops for the past 20 years, Basilio said.

He added that aside from making computers, Acer is also into making connectivity more affordable via both hardware and software development.

Also in the courtesy call were Ambassador Roberto Romulo, chair of the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development Inc.; and Ray Chua III, chair of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) of the Office of the President.

The CICT takes care of the country’s outsourcing industry, e-government projects, and human capital development.

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Completion of big-ticket infrastructure projects to boost PGMA’s goal of uplifting lives of Filipinos

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s goal of uplifting the lives of the ordinary Filipino is expected to receive a big boost with the implementation of vital infrastructure projects nationwide, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane said today.

Ebdane made the statement this afternoon during the taping of “The Cabinet Speaks,” a weekly television program hosted by Press Undersecretary Martin Crisostomo and Balita reporter Evelyn Quiroz over Channel 4.

He cited DPWH’s major accomplishments in the coffee table book entitled, “Stone and Steel,” a visual directory of over 2,000 roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects from 2001 to 2007.

Despite the high cost of acquiring road-right-of-way (RROW), Ebdane said the Arroyo administration has achieved unparalleled accomplishment in the infrastructure sector as well as in the implementation of reforms involving project administration and management.

These reforms include the establishment of a transparent bidding process through the Internet, and the Road Watch. The latter enables the private sector to ensure that minimum requirements in government project implementation are met.

Ebdane said more major infrastructure projects will be completed before the President’s term ends in 2010 since, unlike in previous years, government projects of the Arroyo administration are assured of adequate funding.

The President is pushing for massive investments in the infrastructure sector, especially in the completion of much-needed national highways, bridges, farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, among other facilities, to create more and better economic and job opportunities nationwide.

She has pointed out that infrastructure projects create more jobs aside from enticing businessmen to invest in the country.

Ebdane said that among the major ongoing infrastructure projects that will be completed before the end of 2009, or by the first quarter of 2010 at the latest, is the Halsema Highway which will connect Baguio City and the provinces of Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Kalinga, Apayao and Cagayan.

Also undergoing construction or rehabitation are the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway; South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) up to Calamba; Panay Circumferential Road, and the Zamboanga-Siocon-Sirawai Road.

Scheduled to be inaugurated early next month is the Tarlac-La Union Expressway in Luzon.

Other ongoing infrastructure projects include the Baler airport which is being transferred to Casiguran; Ilocos-Cervantes Road going to the Cordilleras; Zambales-Pampanga-Nueva Ecija Road to Dingalan, Aurora;

The Marikina-Infanta-Real Road Project; Mindoro-Panay Island Road Rhabilitation; and three big projects that would shorten travel between the northern and southern tips of Palawan.

Once these projects are completed by 2010, the President would surely achieve her objective of transforming the Philippines into a modern nation by investing heavily in vital infrastructure facilities, Ebdane said.

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President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Send-Off Speech Sagip-Tulong ni PGMA Caravan
Villamor Air Base, Pasay City
March 06, 2008

* Recent widespread flooding and heavy rains have severely damaged crops and infrastructure in several regions of the country, especially V and VIII.

* We thank everyone involved in this “Sagip-Tulong” Caravan for calamity victims in Samar, who will be in the eastern seaboard of Region VIII for one week and return to Manila via Region V.

* Nagpapasalamat din ako sa lahat ng ating mga kababayang nakiki-isa at nagpapalakas ng loob ng mga biktima ng kalamidad. Salamat at ipinakikita ninyo na patuloy ang diwa ng malasakit at bayanihang likas sa ating mga Pilipino.

* When I visited Eastern Samar last month, we brought goods for almost 35,000 people. Each victim municipality also received a share of the 500 kilos of seaweed seedstock worth P75 million to help the victims back on their feet.

* We have also ordered the line agencies to effect as soon as possible the rehabilitation of all the provinces on the Eastern Seaboard hit by the heavy rains, especially the repair of roads and other infrastructure needed to return normalcy.

* Our country is prone to natural calamities such as flooding, landslides and earthquakes, caused in large part by climate change and global warming. The Philippines is a climate taker rather than a climate maker because we are to be blamed for less than 1% of the total global gas emissions to the environment. While climate change is a global issue outside the control of government, we have nevertheless taken and will continue to take actions to mitigate the pain on our people.

* Protecting the environment is one of our top priorities. An example of our efforts to preserve the “Green Philippines” is our support for the Samar Island protected area, the Southern Leyte ecosystem and the Bicol River Basin. These are initiatives that seek to protect the fragile ecosystems in Central Philippines, as part of the responsibility of the Philippines to future generations.

* On a broader scale, we have also begun the Green Philippines Plan, a blueprint for mapping our environment and economic policies that will allow for sustainable development that does not fall on the backs of the poor or erode our environment. There is a cost to make the Green Philippines come to life. For instance, the enforcement against logging in the Samar Island protected area, the relocation of the Ginsaungon, Southern Leyte families to a new community and the P250 million budget this year for the Bicol River Basin. But the cost is greater without the plan and the investment in our people and our environment.

* Malakas at lumalagong ekonomiya ang sinisikap nating ilikha upang makatulong na tiyakin ang kapayapaan, katiwawayan at katatagan sa ating bansa. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit bumabangon tayo araw-araw para kumayod at mag-focus parang laser beam para ayusin ang ating ekonomiya. Gumawa tayo ng mahihirap at di popular na mga desisyong itaas ang buwis at hulihin ang mga nandadaya sa buwis para tayo ay makapuhunan sa ating imprastraktura at sa ating taong bayan.

* Kapag nagdadala tayo ng mga pamumuhunan gaya ng surfing tourism sa Guiuan, Eastern Samar, at lumilikha ng trabaho, may higit na matatag at predicable na buhay ang ating taong bayan. Sa higit ng mga pamumuhunan kasama ang higit na buwis na maaaring ipuhunan sa mga paaralan, kalsada at tulay gaya ng mga itinatayo natin muli sa Eastern Samar at Bicol pati na rin sa kalinga sa kalusugan, edukasyon at ang kapaligiran. Darating ang panahon na lahat ay makikinabang.

* Ganumpaman, batid nating kahit gaano gumaganda ang ibabaw ay kumakayod pa rin ang marami sa ating taong bayan. Batid na batid natin na maraming masisipag na tao ay nagtatrabaho araw-araw para lang maglagay ng pagkain sa kanilang mesa at magbigay ng sapat na shelter sa kanilang mga pamilya.

* Binibigyan natin ng pangunahing pansin ang mga naging biktima ng kalamidad.

* The government has responded quickly, digging into calamity funds and harnessing agencies to accelerate assistance to hard-hit communities and bring back normalcy.

* Malaki ang pasasalamat natin sa mga lokal na pamahalaang tumutulong upang maibsan ang paghihirap ng Samar, Leyte at Bicol. Salamat din sa iba pang LGUs na kumikilala sa pag-iral ng batas bilang susi sa kasaganaan.

* Sa lahat ng kabalikat sa caravang Eastern Seaboard, sa mga ibang patuloy na sumusuporta sa ating mga gawaing pang-kaunlaran at sa lahat ng mga Pilipinong patuloy na nagsisikap para sa kaunlaran at kapayapaan — maraming salamat!

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06 MARCH 2008		.