 |
||
| 10 MARCH 2008 | . | |
|
|
||
| 10 MARCH 2008 | . | |
|
|
|
PGMA's Speech at the 4th
Mindanao Cooperative Summit Atrium, Lim Ket Kai Center, Cagayan de Oro City 10 March 2008 |
|
• Giabi-abi ko ang tanang mitambong dinhi sa Summit sa mga kooperatiba sa
Mindanao. • Magpahalipay sab kita kang Administrator Rosalinda Villaseca nga gasaulog sa iyang birthday karon. • Ang kooperatiba gapadaghan ug gapadako sa negosyo nga maoy gikanan sa mga bag-ong trabaho ug labaw pang pag-usbaw sa negosyo. Gipadayon sa gobyerno ang pagpakusog sa mga kooperatiba isip epektibong paagi aron mabuntog nato ang kapobrehon. Gapamatu-od sab kita nga ang kooperatiba maoy gapadako sa kabubut-ong pagboluntaryo ug gahatag sab sa matag tawo ug kumpiyansa sa kaugalingong paninguha. • Nalipay ako nga kahibalo ang mga taga-Mindanao sa pagka-epektibo sa kooperatiba. Ang paglampos sa mga kooperatiba dinhi gapakita kung unsay himuon aron managkuyog ang profit, innovation and competitiveness ug ang katuyuan nga social justice. Dunay hapit ka kooperatiba dinhi ug may labaw usa ka milyong miyembro. Sa matag napulo ka adults nga gapuyo sa Mindanao, usa ang miyembro sa kooperatiba. Maayo kini ng ratio, ug gahamdom ako nga modaghan pa kamo kay sa 100 best cooperatives sa nasod, traynta niini ani-a sa Mindanao. Gahandom sab ako nga kining traynta maka-apil sa mga labing dakong negosyo dinhi sa Mindanao. • Dako ug gitabang ang kooperatiba sa Mindanao sa pagpa-usbaw sa nasodnong ekonomiya, kay mi-abot sa hapit P25 billion niadtong tuig 2006 ang business volume dinhi, ug nakahatag kamo ug trabaho sa hapit 30,000 ka tawo. Nalipay sab ako nga saysenta porsyento sa inyong mga kooperatiba ana-a sa microlending, tungod kay kini usa sa labing importanteng programa sa pamunuan alang sa paglambo sa nasod ug pag-create ug mga trabaho. • Kahibalo ako sa inyong mga isyu, labi na ang mahitungod sa mga buhis. Ang mga matters nga naa sa korte magpadayon didto sa mga korte, labi na ang isyu sa kwalipikasyon sa mga kooperatiba. Samtang tungod kay aduna representante ang kooperatiba sa Kongreso, gatu-o ako nga daghan ang mosuporta sa mga balaod alang sa kaayuhan sa kooperatiba. • Gapasalamat ita sa pamilya ni Congresman Guillermo Cua nga representante sa NATCCO Party List sa ilang donasyong yuta aron patindugan sa co-op training center sa Mindanao. Naa ta kontribusyon aron matabangan kamo sa pagpatindog ining HRD center. • Tomorrow we will sign the budget passed by Congressman Cua and his colleagues in the legislature. It is a budget that reflects the will of the government to work together with Congress to invest in the people and keep the economy on a strong, stable path. • Tuyo sa atong mga paningkamot nga pakusgan ang mga kooperatiba aron motabang kamo kontra sa kapobrehon. • A strong and growing economy is the central pillar that we have labored to create to help guarantee peace, order and stability in our country. This is our motivation for getting up every day to work hard and focus like a laser beam to fix our economy. We have made tough and unpopular decisions to raise revenues and as we in the executive crack down on tax cheats so that we could invest in our physical infrastructure and in our people. • When we bring in investments including the cooperatives’ investments and create jobs, our people have a more stable and predictable life. And with more investments come more tax revenues that can be invested in schools, roads and bridges as well as healthcare, education and the environment. Over time, everyone will benefit. • Yet we are aware that no matter how much improvement there is at the top of the economic ladder, many of our people still struggle mightily. We are aware that many hardworking men and women especially in Mindanao work everyday just to put food on their table and provide adequate shelter for their families. • The high price of gasoline and everyday commodities hits our poor the hardest. While the high price of oil is a global issue outside the control of government, we have nevertheless taken and will continue to take actions to reduce the pain on our people of these high prices. We have cut tariffs. We have started providing targeted cash payments to the poorest of our poor to help them cope. We ask Congress to enact Consumer Bill of Rights to protect our citizens from price gouging, false advertising and other scams that prey on our people. • Cooperatives can do much to reduce the pain on our people of high prices through bulk buying of inputs and transportation services and joint marketing. I instruct CDA Mindanao to work with DA, DTI, DOTC so that the Mindanao cooperatives can do more of these activities. • We live in a time of great challenges. The issues we champion define our being. We count the fight for a strong economy to cut poverty, the fight for a clean environment and the fight for a quality education the highest imperatives of our time. • Cooperatives have helped bring positive and lasting change for the nation. Cooperatives have helped create some of the seven million in jobs and brought in some of the billions in new investment. Cooperatives have helped bring unemployment down and bring down the incidence of hunger. • Ang mga kooperatiba apil sa mga na-a sa unahan sa atong pagpamuhunan sa katawhan, sama sa edukasyon, serbisyo sa panglawas ug uban pang serbisyong labing kinahanglanon. • Mangayo ang gobyerno ug tabang sa mga kooperatiba aron magpadayon ang pagtubo sa negosyo kay kini ang nagpa-usbaw sa ekonomiya. • Ang mga kooperatiba sa Mindanao dako ug gitabang sa pag-usbaw sa atong nasod. Sa mosunod nga mga adlaw, magpatabang ako kaninyo aron mopaspas pa ang pag-uswag ug Mindanao, kay gipakita na ninyo nga dako ang inyong ikahatag sa atong pag-usbaw. • Gasalig ako nga ang mga kooperatiba dinhi magpadayon sa inyong role isip usa sa mga labing importanteng driver pag-uswag sa Mindanao. • Many things are left to be done. I plan on working hard with you the next two years to fulfill our Philippine Reform Agenda until the day I leave office in 2010. I will count on you as we fight for the Economy, Education and the Environment. I Will count on you as we work to fix the corruption that still plagues our nation. • I remain bullish on the cooperative movement, optimistic about the future of cooperatives and the future of our country. I am grateful for the privilege of serving Mindanao and the nation together with you. • Daghang salamat kaninyong tanan. |
|
|
| President hails coops' vital role in fight against poverty, hunger |
|
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo hailed today the
country's cooperatives as vital partners of her administration in the
implementation of poverty reduction programs. She said that at a time of great challenges, cooperatives have helped government in forging a strong economy by bringing in investments, cutting down the incidence of hunger and helping reduce the unemployment rate with the creation of seven million jobs in seven years. "Cooperatives have a very strong role to play in the fight for a strong economy. Coops have helped bring positive and lasting change for the nation," the President said. She said that at present, more than 4,200 cooperatives in Mindanao have a combined business resource of some P25 billion directly employing 30,000 people, and offering various economic opportunities to thousands more. The President said 20 of these organizations are among the top 100 cooperatives in the country supporting Mindanao's sustainable development and productivity. These cooperatives, she added, supply more than 40 percent of the country's food needs. With the help of cooperatives, the President said, a lot more can be done for the welfare of the Filipino such as the attainment of sustainable reforms and progress. "I plan on working hard with you the next two years to fulfill our Philippine Reform Agenda until the day I leave office in 2010. I will count on you as we fight for the Economy, the Education and the Environment. I will count on you as we work to fix the corruption that still plagues our nation," she said. In a manifesto of support, the Mindanao cooperatives thanked the President for advancing the cause of cooperatives and bringing economic development to Mindanao "which has seen its highest growth during President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration." The manifesto was signed by Partylist Rep. Guillermo Cua and the chairmen of the Regional Cooperative Development Councils (RCDCs) in Regions 9 to 12, and the CARAGA region. Before the President flew back to Manila, about 100 indigenous peoples presented to her a manifesto of support in the Higaonon dialect. In the manifesto, they also thanked the President for promoting the rights of the indigenous peoples (IPs), particularly in Mindanao. |
|
|
|
Speech of President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo at the LAKAS National Directorate
Assembly Manila Hotel Centennial Ballroom, March 10, 2008 |
|
• Thank you, Secretary Ermita, for your introduction. Ed Ermita has been
with Lakas since its founding and since the start of his own political
career. Thank you, Ed for your reliable and trustworthy work as the primus
inter pares of our Lakas-led Cabinet. • President Ramos, beloved chairman emeritus, thank you for your words of wisdom. Thank you for continuing to be the beacon of sobriety, unity and peace not only for our party but also for our country. Every single one party member in this hall finds great relevance and urgency in your challenge and admonition. • Speaker Boy Nograles, congratulations on your election as President of Lakas. With your leadership, CMD will be in very able and worthy hands. A bar topnotcher, a leader of Mindanao and now Speaker of the House, you have the qualities, experience and stature not only to uphold the lofty traditions of our party but also of our country. • Beloved partymates, thank you for being my steady allies. Thank you for sustaining our party’s eminent role in the life of the nation. • In the last elections, our party’s victory brought us thousands of Lakas officials, including three senators, 96 members of the House, 41 governors, 38 vice governors, 67 city mayors, 49 vice mayors, 605 municipal mayors, 495 vice mayors, and a slew of provincial board members and city and municipal councilors. • Now, the merger of Lakas with Kampi will combine the talents and resources of two great political parties into a powerhouse team of five senators, an absolute majority of the House with 143 representatives, 55 governors, 85 city mayors, 945 municipal mayors and over 7,000 vice governors, board members, vice mayors and councilors. • Together with our other coalition partners, our merged party can create the dominant support infrastructure that is a key to delivering the governance that our people expect and deserve. Our merged party will be a colossus that calls to mind Mahathir of Malaysia, whose decades-old dominant political machinery, supported by key business groups, provided the underpinning for Malaysia’s development. Similarly, a composite of Ramos, Arroyo, and our successor will mean a two-decade period, 1992 to 2016, interrupted only by 2-1/2 years of Estrada, a two-decade period of political leadership by our coalition. • With the Lakas-Kampi merger, our energies can be devoted to the strong and growing economy which is the central pillar our party has labored to create to help guarantee peace, order and stability in our country. This is our motivation for getting up everyday to work hard and focus like a laser beam to fix our economy. Our party has made tough and unpopular decisions to raise revenues and crack down on tax cheats so that we could invest in our physical infrastructure and in our people. • When we bring in investments and create jobs, our people have a more stable and predictable life. With more investments come more tax revenues that can be invested in schools, roads and bridges as well as health care, education and the environment. Over time, everyone will benefit. • Yet we are aware that no matter how much improvement there is at the top of the economic ladder, many of our people still struggle mightily. We are deeply aware that many hardworking men and women work everyday just to put food on their table and provide adequate shelter for their families. • The high price of gasoline and everyday commodities hits our poor the hardest. While the high price of oil and the high world price of rice are a global issue outside the control of any one government, we have nevertheless taken and must continue to take actions to reduce the pain on our people of these high prices. We have cut tariffs. We have started providing targeted cash payments to the poorest of our poor to help them cope. We are spending billions on seed support, irrigation, farm to market roads, no-frills agricultural cargo airports and roll-on, roll-off ferry systems for agricultural cargo to ensure food security. We have introduced in Congress an amendment to the EPIRA to protect our citizens from unreasonably high electric power rates. • We live in a time of great challenges. The issues we champion define our party. We count the fight for a strong economy to dramatically cut poverty, the fight for a clean environment and the fight for a quality education the highest imperatives of our time. These three issues – the three “E’s” of Economy, Environment and Education – are central to lifting our nation up and preparing the next generation of leaders, hopefully many of them from our party. • With our reinvigorated party’s leadership, and with our continuing unity, I remain bullish on our country, optimistic about our future and deeply committed to being a force for good. I am humbled at having the privilege of serving this nation not only as President of the Philippines but also as Chair of Lakas. • Let us work hard together for the good of the nation and for our party’s victory in 2010, when, by the mighty hand of Lakas and the blessings and support of the Filipino people, I shall pass on the torch of national leadership in a milieu of tranquility, justice, hope and economic well-being for our beloved countrymen. • Mabuhay ang LAKAS CMD!!! |
|
|
| President renews call for Congress approval of Consumer Bill of Rights |
|
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo renewed today her
call for Congress to approve the Consumer Bill of Rights to protect the
public from unscrupulous traders, price manipulations and unfair trade
practices. Congressional approval of the Consumer Bill of Rights will go a long way in easing the people’s burden arising from high prices and unfair practices, the President said in her address before some 3,000 participants of the 4th Mindanao Cooperative Summit this morning at the Lim Ket Kai Mall here. She said the government is also doing everything possible to lessen the impact on consumers of the current high prices of oil and prime commodities, including rice. "The high price of gasoline and everyday commodities hits our poor the hardest. While the high price of oil and now, the high price of rice in the world market due to global warming and therefore reduced production, is a global issue outside the control of government, we have nevertheless taken and will continue to take actions to reduce the pain on our people of these high prices,” the President said. She pointed out that as part of government initiatives to reduce the price of oil in the local market despite the continuing increase in the price of the commodity in the world market, the government has reduced the tariff on oil imports. "We have cut tariffs. We have started providing targeted cash payments to the poorest of our poor to help them cope. And we ask now Congress, Congressman Cua, Congressman Aquino, to help us enact a Consumer Bill of Rights to protect our citizens from price gouging, false advertising and other scams that prey on our people," the President said. The President has also ordered the National Food Authority (NFA) to help stop the reported irregularities involving the distribution of NFA rice, including the diversion of subsidized rice intended for the Tindahan Natin outlets to commercial markets. She said the reported diversion of NFA rice is “part of the culture of corruption that we still have to fight." "And so we have ordered the NFA to prudently and strictly manage the distribution of the subsidized rice packs. And the NFA has begun by putting its own house in order,” the President said. The NFA is going to file a criminal case against the provincial manager of the NFA in Misamis Oriental for “conniving with unscrupulous rice traders in diverting NFA rice intended for the needy and diverting it to the commercial market," she added. "In safeguarding our nation's food security, there are no sacred cows," the President pointed out, as she appealed to the cooperatives to help government in reducing the burden of high prices through the bulk buying, bulk marketing and bulk servicing of transportation services. "And I instruct CDA Mindanao to work with DA, the DTI, and DOTC so that Mindanao cooperatives can do more of bulk buying of inputs, bulk transport and bulk marketing to help everybody get some relief from high prices," she said. |
|
|
| PGMA signs into law P1.127-trillion nat'l budget for '08 tomorrow |
|
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will sign into law
in Malacañang tomorrow the P1.127-trillion General
Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2008. The President announced this before some 3,000 participants in the 4th Mindanao Cooperative Summit this morning at the Lim Ket Kai Mall here. Among those present were local officials led by Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Constantino Jaraula, Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, CDO Vice Mayor Vicente Emano, Agusan del Norte 1st District Rep. Jose Aquino II, and COOP-NATCO Partylist Rep. Guillermo Cua. "Tomorrow we will sign the budget passed by Congressman Cua, Congressman Aquino and their colleagues in the legislature. It is a budget that reflects the will of the government to work together with Congress to invest in the people and keep the economy on a strong, stable path," the President said. Earlier, the President had announced that 30 percent of the national budget would be allotted to Mindanao, particularly in infrastructure to further spur development in the south. With tomorrow's signing of the 2008 budget, the government is expecting to attain a zero budget deficit this year, a landmark development and first in so many decades which, the President said, would help guarantee peace and stability. Last year, the budget deficit was decreased to P63 billion that helped government to also lessen its debt to a manageable level. "A strong and growing economy is the central pillar that we have labored to create to help guarantee peace, order and stability in our country. This is our motivation for getting up everyday to work hard and focus like a laser beam to fix our economy," she said. The 2008 national capital outlay, which is P91 billion higher than the P1.136 trillion 2007 budget, includes funding for the Salary Standardization Law for some 1.1 million state workers. The share of economic services has been increased to 23.4 percent from 21 percent, social services to 30.06 percent from 28 percent, and defense to 5 percent from 4.7 percent. The government’s infrastructure spending this year is about P116 billion or 3.1 percent higher than the P94.6 billion in 2007. About 77.8 percent or P90.3 billion of the 2008 outlay for infrastructure will go to the Department of Public Works and Highways (P75.31 billion) and the Department of Transportation and Communications (P14.97 billion) to build the much needed highways, railways, ports, airports and other transport facilities that will link strategic areas and business centers crucial to trade and investments. “Our prudent approach to spending, involving expenditure rationalization and matching sources of revenues enabled us to grow our economy while keeping a tight rein on our deficit,” the President said. She said the budget will sustain major infrastructure projects in all so-called super regions, long demanded by local government units and regional development councils, industries and investors, and local communities. Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. has described the General Appropriations Act of 2008 as an outlay that will be totally supported by internal revenues as it reflects government confidence in a continued “economic upturn.” The budget is premised on revenues of P1.236 trillion—P1.108 trillion from taxes and P127 billion in non-tax revenues. Of the tax revenues, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will contribute P885 billion and the Bureau of Customs (BOC), P254 billion. The 2008 GAA has doubled its investment in housing to P7.6 billion and increased funds for economic services to P287 billion from P242 billion, social services to P368 billion from P320 billion, and defense to P61 billion from P53 billion. Topping the list of recipient agencies of the 2008 budget is the Department of Education with P146 billion, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways, P94.5 billion; National Defense, P56.1 billion; Interior and Local Government, P52.6 billion; Agriculture, P23.8 billion; Transportation and Communications, P22.3 billion; Health, P16.3 billion; Agrarian Reform, P13 billion; Judiciary P10.2 billion; and Foreign Affairs, P10.1 billion. |
|
|
| PGMA: Lakas-CMD-Kampi merger good for economy, stability |
|
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today the merger of the two dominant
administration party coalition partners – Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD)
and the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) – gives birth to a powerhouse
team of senators, congressmen and provincial leaders down to the municipal
level. In her speech keynoting the Lakas National Directorate Assembly at the Manila Hotel Centennial Ballroom this afternoon, the President said that with the merger, “our energies can be devoted to the strong and growing economy which is the central pillar our party has labored to create to help guarantee peace, order and stability in our country.” “This merger will combine the talents and resources of two great political parties into a powerhouse team of five senators, an absolute majority of the House with 143 Representatives. 55 governors, 85 city mayors, 945 municipal mayors and over 7,000 vice governors, board members, vice mayors and councilors,” she added. About 300 members of the expanded Lakas-CMD National Directorate attended the meeting to resolve matters concerning their party. “Today I endorse the merger of Lakas-CMD with Kampi,” the President said. She pointed out that together with the two parties’ coalition partners, “our merged party can create the dominant support infrastructure that is a key to delivery the governance that our people expect and deserve” as it girds for the 2010 elections. The President said that the merger calls to mind the leadership of Malaysia’s Mahathir “whose decades-old dominant political machinery, supported by key business groups, provided the underpinning for Malaysia’s development.” “Similarly, a composite of Ramos, Arroyo, and our successor will mean a two-decade period, 1992-2016, interrupted only by two and one-half years of Estrada, a two-decade period of political leadership by our coalition,” she added. The President stressed that the uplift of the lives of the Filipino people is what motivates her and her partymates to get up everyday “to work hard and focus like a laser beam to fix our economy.” She said the “tough and unpopular decisions to raise revenue and crack down on tax cheats” were made by her and her partymates so that more funds could be invested in “physical infrastructure and in our people.” “When we bring in investments and create jobs, our people have a more stable and predictable life. With more investments come more tax revenues that can be reinvested in schools, roads and bridges as well as health care, education and the environment,” the President said. “In time, everyone will benefit,” she said. The President also said that her government and partymates have taken steps to stem the effects of the rising prices of oil, rice and everyday commodities. “We have cut tariffs. We have started providing targeted cash payments to the poorest of our poor to help them cope. We are spending billions on seed support, irrigation, farm-to-market roads, no-frills agriculture cargo airports and roll-on-roll-off ferry systems to ensure food security,” the President said. She added that they have introduced an amendment to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001 “to protect our citizens from unreasonably high electric power rates.” |
|
|
| Poor households in Metro, Rizal & Cavite to get 20% discount in water rates |
|
Malacañang announced that starting today, March 10, 2008, the water tariff
of low-income households in Metro Manila and some parts of Cavite and Rizal
Provinces shall be reduced by 20 percent. “In keeping with the commitment of Manila Water Company Inc. (MWCI) for the East Zone and Maynilad Water Services Inc. (MWSI) for the West Zone to heed the pro-poor policy of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and in response to the request made by Government Corporate Counsel Alberto Agra, OIC-Chief Regulator of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System-Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO), MWCI and MWSI are voluntary causing the reduction in the current water rates,” the Palace announcement said. In the East Zone, instead of paying P88 per month, some 80,000 households or more than 700,000 people will only pay P71. Poor residents of Cubao, Marikina, Pasig, Taguig, San Juan, Mandaluyong, parts of Quezon City, Makati, Manila and Rizal Province would save P17. In the West Zone, the reduction would translate to a monthly water bill of P95.96 from the current rate of P116.46. Low-income consumers in Pasay, Navotas, Caloocan, Malabon, Valenzuela, Paranaque, parts of Quezon City and Makati City, Imus, Noveleta, Cavite City, Bacoor, Muntinlupa, Las Pinas and Manila would pay P20.50 less. This would benefit 150,000 households involving around 1,350,000 individuals who consume 10 cubic meters of water or less. Thus, a total of 230,000 households or some 1.51 million people will enjoy the water tariff cuts. MWSS, together with MWCI and MWSA is continually exploring other means of further reducing the water rates. Metro Manila residents could expect another round of water rate reduction in April as a consequence of a reduction in the Foreign Currency Differential Adjustment due to the continued strength of the peso against the US dollar. |
|
|
