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| 19 MARCH 2008 | . | |
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| 19 MARCH 2008 | . | |
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| President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Lenten message |
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Muli tayong nakikiisa sa panalangin at pagninilay ng lahat ng Kristiyano sa
daigdig. Sa ating paggunita ng pasakit at pagkamatay ng ating Panginoong Hesus, marapat mangibabaw sa ating isip at damdamin ang kapwa nating naghihirap din gaya ni Kristo, dahil sa mga pagkakasala ng lipunan. May mga kababayan tayong nagdurusa ng karahasan, krimen, kagutuman, karamdaman, kamangmangan at kahirapan. Sa diwa ng Mahal na Araw, bilang isang lipunan, dapat natin silang kupkupin at pakainin, damitan at gamutin, papag-aralin at pagkalooban ng magandang kabuhayan at kinabukasan. We live in a time of great moral challenges. The issues we champion define our being. We count the fight for a strong economy to cut poverty dramatically, the fight for a clean environment and the fight for quality education, the highest imperatives of our time. Beyond policies and programs, our people want leaders that are God-fearing, pro-poor, unafraid to make tough decisions, hardworking and loyal to the people of the nation. These are the values we live by. These are the values we expect to be judged on when we meet our Maker. We will fight for the Economy, Education and the Environment. We will work to fix the corruption that still plagues our nation. Pagkalinga sa kapwa at pagbabagong-loob alang-alang sa Diyos – ito ang angkop at napapanahong dalangin at pagkabuong-loob. Manalangin tayo para sa patnubay ng langit sa ating paghahanap ng landas tungo sa pambansang pagkakaisa at pagbabago tungo sa kapayapaan at kaunlaran. Pagpalain nawa tayong lahat ng Panginoong Hesus. |
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| PGMA vows to lift Abra out of clutches of poverty |
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PENARRUBIA, Abra—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed today to ''lift
Abra out of the clutches of poverty'' as she personally delivered
government's enhanced social services to this 6th class municipality. In her brief impromptu message delivered mostly in the Ilokano dialect, the President said that Abra is one of the 10 poorest provinces in the country. ''We don't want to take any chances...we will extend all the support to uplift the lives of the people here,'' she said. The President promised to work closely with Abra's local officials led by Gov. Eustaquio Bersamin and Rep. Cecilia Luna to eradicate poverty in the province as she noted that 50.1 percent of the province's population were ranked as poor based on 2006 statistics. ''We want to bring it down and we look forward to the day many of you are no longer within the poverty line,'' the President said. The Chief Executive, accompanied by First Gentleman Jose Miguel T. Arroyo, arrived here aboard a Bell helicopter from Baguio City where the First Family is spending Holy Week. They proceeded to the Little Flower High School, where they distributed 5,000 grocery packs, 50 bags of rice and 27 certificates to operate Tindahan Natin to ease the impact on the poor of rising prices of prime commodities, especially rice. To enable the residents to augment their income from farming, the President also distributed 100 TESDA-PGMA Training for Work scholarships, 25 Masahista Ako and 25 Mekaniko Ako kits. At the same time, she distributed 1,000 one-kilo packs of rice under the Food-for-School program to preschoolers and daycare pupils. The program aims to address the problem of malnutrition, which has been cited as the cause of the incidence of drop-outs among grade school pupils. The President also distributed 510 Educational Service Contract vouchers and two certificates to operate a Botika ng Barangay each with P25,000 worth of medicines. In keeping with the government’s commitment to the UN Millennium Development Goal of lessening the incidence of maternal mortality, the President distributed “Buntis” kits that included vitamins and iron supplements for pregnant women. After the distribution of the goodies, she proceeded to the Bangued Central Market to check on the prices of basic commodities. She later expressed elation that prices in the market have remained stable. This town was the second stop of the President's Serbisyo Muna Caravan this Holy Week. The caravan first rolled into the plains of Malasiqui in Pangasinan yesterday. |
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| PGMA visits remote Abra town |
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PENARRUBIA, Abra—Close to 3,000 residents of this upland municipality and
nearby Bangued trooped this morning to the Little Flower High School here to
welcome President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. As early as 7 a.m., old and young alike, including mothers cradling babies in their arms, waited for the arrival of their special visitor, unmindful of the scorching heat of summer. When the President finally arrived at 10 a.m., everyone stood and cheered lustily. Accompanied by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and Education Secretary Jesli Lapus, the President was welcomed by the local folk with a rendition of the ''tadek,'' a Tingian tribal dance. Tingians are the dominant tribe in this place. The President also donned the traditional Tingian skirt, a white long- sleeved polo shirt. As gongs played and the dancers swayed, the President, together with Rep. Cecilia Luna of Abra’s lone district, and Penarrubia Mayor Geraldine Balbuena joined the tribal gig to the delight and wild cheers of the residents. Streamers proclaiming the residents' unwavering support for the President adorned the place. After handing out assorted goodies and other government interventions to improve the lives of the people here, the President thanked the residents for their warm welcome. ''I'm happy to be with you this Holy Week. I want to give you all my best greetings. Thank you for your unwavering support,” she said in Ilokano, the native dialect. She headed back to Baguio City but not before promising to return to Abra on April 10 for the Local Peace and Security Assembly and extend more basic services to the people in the area. |
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| PGMA declares Black Saturday a non-working day nationwide |
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Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita announced today that President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo has declared Black Saturday, March 22 as a special
non-working day nationwide with her issuance of
Proclamation No. 1471. Ermita said Black Saturday has been declared as a special day in the past and the issuance of the proclamation would enable the public to properly observe the cherished traditions of the Holy Week. During the Holy Week, Catholics usually troop to the provinces to commemorate the last days of Jesus Christ on earth with religious procession and crucifixion rites on Good Friday and early morning Easter rites on Sunday to celebrate His Resurrection. Other popular activities and religious rites include the centuries-old tradition of singing the “Mahal na Pasyon,” reenactment of the Last Supper, reflections on the Seven Last Words, doing the Stations of the Cross and “Visita Iglesia.” “Our people must be given the full and uninterrupted opportunity to ponder on the significance of the Holy Week and to properly observe its traditions with religious fervor, without prejudice to public interest,” the proclamation said. |
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| PGMA: ‘Cutting poverty dramatically one of highest imperatives of our time’ |
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THE MANSION, Baguio City – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today that
the three defining issues her administration is championing – strong economy
to cut poverty dramatically, clean environment and quality education –
constitute the “highest imperatives of our time.” In her nine-paragraph Lenten message, the President stressed that the three “E’s” she is pushing “define our being.” In underscoring her administration’s efforts to dramatically reduce poverty, the President called on the Filipino people not to forget this Holy Week the plight of their countrymen who are suffering because of the sins of society: “Sa ating paggunita ng pasakit at pagkamatay ng ating Panginoong Hesus, marapat mangibabaw sa ating isip at damdamin ang kapwa nating naghihirap din gaya ni Kristo, dahil sa mga pagkakasala ng lipunan. (In remembrance of the suffering and death of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, may our countrymen – who are suffering because of society’s sins -- be topmost in our minds and hearts).” “May mga kababayan tayong nagdurusa (dahil sa) karahasan, krimen, kagutuman, karamdaman, kamangmangan at kahirapan (We have countrymen who are suffering because of violence, crimes, hunger, sickness, ignorance and poverty),” she added. “Sa diwa ng Mahal na Araw, bilang isang lipunan, dapat natin silang kupkupin at pakainin, damitan at gamutin, papag-aralin at pagkalooban ng magandang kabuhayan at kinabukasan (In the spirit of the Lenten Season, as a society, let us succor them and provide them their basic needs – food, clothing, medicines, education, livelihood and a bright future),” the President continued. In joining the entire Christendom in prayer and self-introspection, the President said: “We will fight for the Economy, Education, and the Environment. We will work to fix the corruption that still plagues our nation. Pagkalinga sa kapwa at pagbabagong-loob alang-alang sa Diyos – ito and angkop at napapanahong dalangin at pagkabuong-loob (Sheltering our fellowmen and self-conversion in the name of God, the Father – these are our Holy Week wishes and resolutions).” She pointed out that “beyond policies and programs, our people want leaders that are God-fearing, pro-poor, unafraid to make tough decisions, hard working and loyal to the people of the nation. “These are the values we live by. These are the values we expect to be judged on when we meet our Maker.” She also exhorted every Filipino to pray for God’s guidance in their collective search for the correct path towards national unity and change towards peace and development. ”Manalangin tayo para sa patnubay ng langit sa ating paghahanap ng landas tungo sa pambansang pagkakaisa at pagbabago tungo sa kapayapaan at kaunlaran. Pagpalain nawa tayong lahat ng Panginoong Hesus,” she said. |
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| PGMA vows fight against corruption |
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BAGUIO CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed today to fix the
corruption that still plagues the country, along with her administration’s
fight for a strong economy, quality education and clean environment. In her Lenten message issued from the country’s summer capital where the First Family is spending the Holy Week, the President stressed that many Filipinos have fallen victims of violence, criminality, hunger, sickness, ignorance and hardships. In the spirit of Holy Week, and as one people, “dapat natin silang kupkupin at pakainin, damitan at gamutin, papag-aralin at pagkalooban ng magandang kabuhayan at kinabukasan,” she said. It was the second time in as many days that the President spoke about her administration’s efforts to stamp out corruption. In her address during the 103rd graduation rites of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Tuesday, she said this year’s PMA graduates would be the “fine pillars of a strong economy and a strong military free from corruption.” “We have placed mechanisms to fix the corruption that still plagues our nation, such as a Procurement Transparency Group, a partnership between government and civil society to make sure that biddings for projects will be above board,” she said in her PMA address. In her Lenten message, the President said, “We live in a time of great moral challenges. The issues we champion define our being,” referring to her administration’s push for a strong economy to reduce poverty dramatically, clean environment and quality education. She said she considers the three “E’s” as the “highest imperatives of our time.” The President said that Filipinos want their leaders to be God-fearing, hardworking, pro-poor, unafraid to make tough decisions, and loyal to the people. “These are the values we live by. These are the values we expect to be judged when we meet our Maker,” she said. The President pointed out that as she fights for the economy, education and the environment, she will also work to stamp out the corruption that still plagues the country. She called on the people to pray for divine guidance in their quest for national unity, reconciliation, peace and progress. |
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| Palace assures public of steady supply of rice to last up to next harvest |
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Malacañang assured the public today of a steady supply of rice even during
the three-month dry season, the peak of lean supply months in the country. In his report to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the National Food Authority (NFA) keeps sufficient supply of rice in its warehouses all over the country to last up to next harvest. He reported that as of March 10, 2008, the government has a total of 415.6 thousand metric tons (TMT) of rice good for 13 days supply. Of this volume, 287.7 TMT are in NFA warehouses, while 54.7 TMT are being unloaded and 75.2 TMT are in transit to different destinations around the country. Starting this month up to April, Yap said, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is expecting an additional 721.2 TMT of rice to arrive from contracted imports which will be good for 22 more days. Yap also noted that a total of 180,800 metric tons (MT) of rice has already arrived in the country and another shipment is expected to arrive within this month. The rice supply is part of the 422,702 mt of rice bidded on Dec. 21, 2007. He said the DA is expecting the arrival anytime now of 454,000 MT of rice which was approved in the Jan. 29, 2008 bidding. During another bidding last March 11, Yap said a total of 550,000 MT of rice was approved for importation. Its arrival is from March to May 2008. He said that to ensure food security, the government has implemented the following measures: strict management of NFA’s procurement and distribution program, implementation of a cross commodity production program, and strengthening of food logistics and distribution projects in all Barangay Food Terminals (BFT) and Tindahan Natin outlets. |
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| DA, NFA implement rice conservation program |
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The Department of Agriculture (DA), in partnership with the National Food
Authority (NFA), is implementing a nationwide rice conservation program as
part of the government’s hunger mitigation and food security program, DA
Secretary Arthur Yap said today. Yap made the announcement in a phone interview during the press briefing by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita this morning in Malacanang. Yap said teaching the value of rice conservation is imperative after a study made by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) showed that consumers in the Philippines waste some 25,000 sacks of rice everyday. He said rice conservation, along with improved rice production and its distribution, forms part of the country’s national food security program. The advocacy campaign aims to teach rice consumers to conserve rice starting from buying, storing, cooking and eating. Studies made by the DA’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) and the FNRI reveal every Filipino is wasting about 14 grams or about one spoon of rice everyday. With the country's population of some 88 million, at least 25,000 sacks of rice worth P30 million are being wasted daily. Aside from helping lessen the government's rice importation, the studies reveal that the total daily rice wastages, if conserved, could instead feed some 3.4 million people through the various government feeding programs. Rice conservation is also imperative with the current tightening of rice supply and production in the world market due to climate change, aside from the increasing demand for the staple food brought about by the growing population while lands for rice production remain the same if not slowly diminishing due to land conversion. According to the study, rice wastage or spoilage is commonly observed on used plates, food for pets and other domesticated animals, used pots and pans and cooking utensils, and other raw or cooked food products that family members failed to eat. As part of the advocacy campaign on rice conservation, the DA-NFA is also advising the use of brown rice which is more fibrous and nutritious as compared to well polished rice. Based on the studies by the Asia Rice Foundation, the complete milling and polishing process in converting brown rice to white rice destroys 15 percent of its protein, 85 percent of its fat, 90 percent of its calcium, 75 percent of its phosphorus, 80 percent of its thiamine, 70 percent of its riboflavin and 68 percent of its niacin contents. |
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| PGMA inspects ongoing preservation, renovation of century-old Teachers Camp |
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TEACHERS CAMP, Baguio City – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inspected
today (March 19, Holy Wednesday) the ongoing preservation and renovation
works for the century-old Teachers Camp which celebrates its 100th founding
anniversary on April 6, the day some 150 Thomasites first set up camp here
in 1908. The President, who was invited by Department of Education (Dep Ed) officials to grace the soft opening on April 6 of the month-long centennial celebration of the now Baguio Teachers Camp (BTC), advised DepEd to keep the rental rates competitive to generate more revenue. She made the suggestion upon learning that DepEd wants the Teachers Camp to become “income-generating and self-sustaining” when the P100-million makeover project is completed. The President toured the camp accompanied by Baguio City Rep. Mauricio Domogan (Lone District), Mayor Reynaldo Bautista, and Education Secretary Jesli Lapus. DepEd Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya, who gave a power-point briefing at the 53-year-old Abada Hall on the project, said that the “new” Teachers Camp would be “an ideal training and vacation haven for educators, students, government employees, and the public.” Dubbed by DepEd as “Our Home by the Clouds,” the facility will have “well-equipped training and conference venues amidst a pristine garden setting with a mountain ambiance that can’t be found anywhere else in the country.” Told that sometimes the Camp cannot accommodate all students attending DepEd seminars, the President urged DepEd officials to go back to the lodging origins of Teachers Camp when students pitched tents for the night, something that she said young students would love to experience. She also proposed that Teachers Camp should serve as the venue of national competitions for teachers instead of searches for outstanding students, as she pointed out that the Teachers Camp has always been for teachers first and foremost. The President also toured the nearby Benitez Hall, the Superintendent’s Quarters, and one of the 29 cottages within the camp – the Newton Gilbert Cottage named in honor of the Secretary of Public Instruction (March 1, 1909 – November 30, 1913). Undergoing preservation are the “heritage structures” in the camp, including the Roxas Hall (1937) which was used by pre-war cadets of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA). The Teachers Camp grand centennial celebration will be held on May 10, the end of the first Teachers Vacation Assembly held by the Thomasites, the American teachers who arrived in the Philippines in the early 20th century to instruct Filipinos on the English language and American culture. |
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| Fresh supply of rice forthcoming as dry crop harvest starts next week |
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Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap reported today to President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo that the country is assured of fresh supply of rice as the
dry crop harvest starts next week till May. Yap informed the President that according to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, about seven million metric tons of rice is expected to be harvested this summer, which is higher than the 6.74 million metric tons harvested in 2007. “Panahon na ng ani. This is the dry crop. Ang estimate natin for the first semester of the year, we are going to turn in from rice planted on the ground about 7 million metric tons. This is higher than the 6.74 million metric tons harvested in 2007. This local palay harvest will bolster our rice supply,” he said. He appealed to the members of the media not to engage in rice news speculation but rather look at the government rice production program. “We should not speculate on how far we could go. What’s happening right now is unprecedented. The last time we had rice problem was in 1995, but this is supposed to be different from that time in 1995 where the Philippines had rice supply problem. Today, internationally, rice supply is sufficient and locally too. We cannot speculate on the price of rice,” he stressed. He said the President has allocated P1.5 billion for the rice production support despite this year’s expected increase in rice harvest of almost 7 million metric tons of rice. He also said that the President had already ordered Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral to come out with the list of who would really need government assistance. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita echoed the statement of Secretary Yap, citing the National Food Authority (NFA) report that the agriculture sector recorded a 4.68 percent growth in 2007, while crop production for 2007 grew by 5.57 percent from 2006. He also cited that palay production for 2007 was at 16.24 million metric tons or a 5.96 percent rise from 2006, while corn production was 6.74 million metric tons, or an increase of 10.77 percent from 2006. “Increase in crop production for 2007 was due to the use of hybrid and high quality inbred seeds through the DA-GMA program, LGU interventions and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) of Central Luzon, Ilocos, MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao). At present there are 66,000 hectares of irrigation restoration,” Ermita said. He added that both the Programang Gulayan Para sa Masa and Fishery programs achieved 100 percent of their targets. The report also noted that coconut intercropping with corn in disaster-stricken areas reached almost 89 percent of its target by December 2007 and then almost 99.5 percent in February 2008. It also reiterated that the Philippines is not the only country which has had a stagnant rice production. Even major rice producing countries such as India, Indonesia and China had a stagnant rice production for 2007. “The Philippines is in fact one of the leading rice producers in Asia, reaching almost 130 cavans of rice per capita compared to India and Indonesia at almost 110 cavans of rice and China at almost 100 cavans of rice,” the report said. |
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