 |
||
| 25 MARCH 2008 | . | |
|
|
||
| 25 MARCH 2008 | . | |
|
|
|
Pahayag ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo |
|
Nalulungkot tayo, ang sambayanang Pilipino, sa karamdaman ni dating Pangulo
Aquino. Siya ang nanguna sa ating bansa sa mapayapang pagbabago. Ipinalalangin natin ang paggaling niya at ang katatagan ng kanyang pamilya. |
|
|
| PGMA orders all-out drive vs. rice hoarders; NFA warehouses watched |
|
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directed today Agriculture Secretary
Arthur Yap to go all-out against rice hoarders to ensure that cheap
government rice end up on the tables of the intended consumers – the
country’s poor. First on the list of the presidential directive is to place NFA warehouses under close watch to stop any hanky-panky in the buildup and distribution of the government-subsidized staple food. The President made the announcement during the meeting of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-Cabinet Group with the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) this morning in Malacanang. Earlier last week, the President also ordered Yap and Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila to crack down on rice hoarders and unscrupulous traders diverting the low-priced NFA rice to the commercial market. “The Secretary of Agriculture is staking out all NFA warehouses so he can follow the big 10-wheeler trucks and see where they are bringing rice. He is investigating all warehouses, watching them, re-licensing them. He shall hit the hoarders,” the President said. At the same time, she also appealed to rice traders to refrain from unnecessarily jacking up prices particularly of food products not affected by the tightening rice supply and high oil prices in the world market. “We conduct this Cabinet and rice council meeting to strengthen measures that would ensure that we have enough food supply. Hinihiling natin sa mga tindero na huwag magtaas ng presyo dahil lamang may nagsasabing may krisis,” the President said. Yap informed the President that while there is no rice shortage, factors affecting the current price of the commodity include the high fuel prices, lower global production due to climate change, rising demand due to overpopulation, and the 150 percent increase in the price of fertilizers. The President stressed that containing high prices should be a collective effort, even as she thanked the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), Maynilad and Manila Water Services, for lowering their rates to life-line consumers. The President also thanked the transport sector for ending their strike last March 12 as well as shelving their demand for a fare hike that could further fuel price increase of basic commodities. The one-day strike ended after the President issued Executive Order 712 implementing a single-ticketing system. |
|
|
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye: On Supreme Court decision |
| We respect the decision of the Supreme Court. We hope that, looking forward, the Senate and the Executive can work out mutually acceptable rules on appearances in Senate inquiries in aid of legislation, which will guarantee the rights of resource persons and parties affected by congressional hearings, as stipulated by the Constitution. |
|
|
|
PGMA bats for govt-civil society alliance to combat corruption, smuggling, tax fraud |
|
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo underscored today the need for a broad
government-civil society partnership in combating smuggling, corruption and
tax evasion focusing on the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal
Revenue (BIR). To be patterned after the Procurement Transparency Group (PTG), the government-civil society alliance will “monitor collection efforts, gather lifestyle and corruption information, and follow up major evasion or smuggling cases, the latter in close coordination with the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group,” she said. The President made the announcement during the meeting of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-Cabinet Group with the National Price Coordinating Council (NPC) this morning in Malacanang. She said she has signed a letter of instructions to the Department of Finance (DOF), BIR and BOC to come up with the framework of the alliance. The PTG-like body in the BOC will be called Ports Transparency Alliance (PORTAL), and the Partnership for a Transparent and Efficient Revenue Service (PARTNERS) for the BIR. She said the PORTAL program, which will have a strong civil society oversight component, is for immediate implementation to stop smuggling, red tape, and other forms of corruption in the BOC. The President said the mode of partnership for PORTAL would be defined by a Framework of Cooperation to Undermine Smuggling or FOCUS which would define the duties and responsibilities of the BOC and the partner trade, businessmen, church, civil society groups which would monitor a particular smuggling-prone commodity like oil (which shall be called OilWatch) and foodstuffs (under AgriWatch). “The idea is to build on these institutional linkages but give them a shot in the arm by expanding membership to include churchmen, fair trade advocates, and proponents of trade facilitation or anti-red tape,” she said. The President said, however, the alliance will operate in such a way that it “won’t disrupt the main job of raising revenues which might be disrupted if excessive oversight powers are delegated to the private sector. Selection of outside lifestyle checkers shall be done carefully to avert witchhunt.” The PORTAL will also help deter smuggling from the demand side by asking the public to boycott smuggled products. “When the buying stops, the smuggling does, too,” she said. Under the BIR’s PARTNERS, the President said the civil society would be democratically represented in taxation to encourage the public to obediently pay their tax dues. “We count on our civil society partners to help us remind our people that taxes are the membership dues of citizens. In return, taxes paid shall be rebated in the form of public services. The citizens will get their rebates in kind, in terms of new infrastructure, peace and order, and education for all,” the President said. She said the formation of the PTG-like bodies would help government attain its P1.236 trillion revenue target for this year. Of the target, the President said the BIR is projected to collect P845 billion; the BOC P254 billion; the Bureau of Treasury P57 billion; and other offices P80 billion, P30 billion of which would come from the government privatization program. |
|
|
|
Statement of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
at the Nat’l Economic & Development
Authority-Cabinet Group Meeting Heroes’ Hall, Malacañang March 25, 2008 |
|
Nalulungkot tayo, ang sambayanang Pilipino, sa karamdaman ni dating
Pangulong Aquino. Siya ang nanguna sa ating bansa sa mapayapang pagbabago.
Ipinananalangin natin ang paggaling niya at ang katatagan ng kanyang pamilya. Mga kababayan, matapos ang dalangin at sakrispisyo ng Mahal na Araw, kailangang bumalik agad tayong lahat sa trabaho. Ngayong umaga, magpupulong ang National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-Cabinet Group kasama ang National Price Coordinating Council upang lalong paigtingin ang mga pagkilos mula pa noong isang taon upang mabawasan ang pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin. The global economy is facing significant challenges. These global forces are putting more strain on our working poor as prices for commodities like rice and fuel increase. We are a price-sensitive nation. Kaya naman pinulong natin agad and Gabinete at Price Council para sa anumang aksiyong kailangan pa upang maging laging sapat ang pagkain. Hinihiling natin sa mga tindero na huwag magtaas ng presyo dahil lamang may nagsasabing may krisis. The Secretary of Agriculture is staking out all National Food Authority (NFA) warehouses so he can follow the big 10-wheeler trucks and see where they are bringing rice. He is investigating all warehouses, watching them, re-licensing them. He shall hit the hoarders. Patuloy ang iba pa nating pagkilos upang pigilin ang pagtaas ng gastusin. Nagpapasalamat tayo sa Manila Water, Maynilad at Meralco sa pagsunod sa aking panawagan na bawasan ang singil sa mahihirap na pamilya. At nagagalak tayo sa paghinto ng welga at taas-pasahe ng pampublikong sasakyan, matapos nating iutos na huwag paulit-ulit na tikitan ang mga tsuper. Dapat magtulungan tayong lahat laban sa pagmahal ng bilihin. Magpupulong din mamaya ang National Security Cabinet Group, Bureau of Customs at Bureau of Internal Revenue upang pataasin ang koleksyon ng buwis at sugpuin ang smuggling. Our revenue target for this year is P1.236 trillion broken down as follows: BIR P845 billion, BOC P254 billion, Treasury P57 billion, and other offices P80 billion, P30 billion of which is privatization. We recently signed a letter of instructions to the Department of Finance, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs to propose a government-civil society body similar to the Procurement Transparency Group, to monitor collection efforts, gather lifestyle and corruption information, and follow up major evasion or smuggling cases, the latter in close coordination with the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group. The PTG version in Customs shall be called PORTAL or Ports Transparency Alliance. The mode for partnership shall be defined by a Framework of Cooperation to Undermine Smuggling or FOCUS which will define the duties and responsibilities of the Bureau of Customs and the partner trade, businessmen, church, civil society groups which will monitor a particular smuggling-prone commodity like oil (which shall be called OilWatch) and foodstuffs (under AgriWatch) The alliance should follow product lines as there exists a bilateral anti-smuggling relationship between the BOC and the likes of Philippine Sugar Commission (Philsucom) and the Governor Joe Zubiri-led Sugar Alliance on sugar; tile manufacturers on ceramics; a petrochemical alliance on resins; Philippine Cement Corp. (Philcemcor) on cement. The idea is to build on these institutional linkages but give them a shot in the arm by expanding membership to include churchmen, fair trade advocates, and proponents of trade facilitation anti-red tape. These Alliances shall be federated into the overarching PORTAL without, however, losing the independence and the initiative of the anti-smuggling compact of the BOC and trade associations. What is important is to provide civil society a peephole into Customs operations but in a way that won’t disrupt the main job of raising revenues which might be disrupted if excessive oversight powers are delegated to the private sector. Selection of outside lifestyle checkers shall be done carefully to avert witchhunt. PORTAL shall also undertake downstream activities by plugging smuggling from the demand side, by asking consumers to boycott smuggled goods. “When the buying stops, the smuggling does, too”. This shall dovetail with the Buy Philippine-Made Campaign by domestic manufacturers. PORTAL shall highlight technology-aided revenue enhancement measures, such as X-ray and computerization, and other interventions that reduce personal contacts in transactions which in turn give discretionary powers to revenue officers. The PORTAL program is for immediate implementation. The PTG-like formation for BIR shall be called Partnership for a Transparent and Efficient Revenue Service or PARTNERS, a name that captures our vision for a principle and productive collaboration between the government and those that provide the lifeblood for its operations. If we believe that taxation without representations is tyranny, we likewise believe that citizen representation in taxation is also a democratic ideal. We count on our civil society partners to help us remind our people that taxes are the membership dues of citizens. In return, taxes paid shall be rebated in the form of publics services. The citizens will get their rebates in kind, in terms of new infrastructure, peace and order, and education for all. But this can only proceed from voluntary tax obedience, which we encourage by ensuring that every one pays their share as fixed by laws and not by men. Ito ang landas na ating lalakarin sa mga taong darating. Tututukan natin and mga programang pang-imprastraktura at pang-masa, at hindi magpapalihis sa pamumulitika. Samantala, kikilos and mga institusyon ng hustisya--ang Ombudsman, ang Kagawaran ng Katarungan, at ang mga hukuman-upang siyasatin at hatulan ang mga paratang ayon sa katibayan at bantay ng taong bayan. Sa ganitong paraan matatamo natin ang kaunlaran, kapayapaan katotohanan at katarungan sa ating bayan. Maraming salamat at mabuhay ang sambayanang Pilipino. |
|
|
| PGMA expresses sadness over Cory’s illness; joins nation in praying for ex-President’s full recovery |
|
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo joined today the nation in praying for the
speedy recovery of former President Corazon Aquino who is afflicted with
colon cancer. “Ipinananalangin natin ang paggaling niya at katatagan ng kanyang pamilya,” the President said in a statement. The President also expressed sadness over the ill-stricken former Philippine leader. “Nalulungkot tayo, ang sambayanang Pilipino, sa karamdaman ni dating Pangulong Aquino,” the President said. She described Aquino as the icon of Philippine democracy who led the changes towards the nation’s peaceful transformation. “Siya ang nanguna sa ating bansa sa mapayapang pagbabago,” President Arroyo said. The 75-year-old Aquino’s illness was announced on national television by her Senator-son Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and TV host & film actress-daughter Kris Aquino who said that chemotherapy sessions for the former President start today with a continuous mild dose. |
|
|
| Palace allays fears of rice-rationing; slight increase in the staple’s prices explained |
|
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap assured the people today that there would
be no rice rationing as the National Food Authority (NFA) is bringing in
enough supply that would be complemented by the summer harvest season. Yap, however, said that while rice is commercially available nationwide, its price is increasing due to the hike in the prices of fuel and fertilizers compounded by the effects of overpopulation and climate change on world’s rice production. This was the gist of Yap’s report to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Cabinet members, and representatives from the food sector during the meeting of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-Cabinet Group with the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) this morning in Malacanang. Yap told the meeting that fuel prices have increased, the prices of fertilizers have gone up by 150 percent, and climate change affected world production with the winter blizzard in China last December, and the flooding and pest outbreaks in Vietnam. He said this is the reason why the price of rice is rising even as the NFA is bringing in enough supply and the country’s harvest is increasing. At present, Yap said that regular milled commercial rice has an average price of P27 per kilo which steadily moved up from last year’s average of P22 per kilo. Yap told the President that the NFA’s rice buffer stock would be fortified by the incoming contracted volume of 1.1 million metric tons (MTs) from the US and Vietnam, and the estimated seven million MTs from the summer harvest season. “Madame President, I would like to inform you that last night the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has increased our credit commodity program to $75 million,” Yap said. “From the US, we have 100,000 metric tons coming in. I am waiting for the final confirmation of the Vietnamese government on the one million metric tons that they have set aside for us.” Yap said the summer harvest would begin this April, May and June. “And our harvest is going to be seven million metric tons which will be higher than last year’s harvest of 6.7 million metric tons,” Yap said. To address the problem on food production, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has encouraged the public to conserve rice, and the government, with its new found resources, is continuously supporting irrigation projects and the national seed program which were not carried out in the past. |
|
|
| Millennium Challenge Corp. grant is free and not a U.S. loan to RP, says Teves |
|
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant to the Philippines is free
and not a loan package from the United States. Finance Secretary Margarito Teves stressed this as he clarified reports circulated after the announcement of the MCC Board on March 11 on the selection of the Philippines as “Compact Eligible,” that the grant is another US loan to the country. “The MCC grant is free, libre, and not a loan. The grant is not in a form of cash but in form of projects or programs,” Teves said at the taping today of “The Cabinet Speaks” at the New Executive Building (NEB) Briefing Room hosted by Press Undersecretary Martin Crisostomo and co-hosted by Radyo ng Bayan (RNB) senior reporter Marie Pena Ruiz. Teves, who is also the chairman of the MCC grant proposal team earlier created by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, said a group from the MCC based in Washington, D.C. is scheduled to visit the country next month or early May to check the project proposal of the Philippine government for funding under the MCC assistance program. The MCC announced on March 11, 2008 that the MCC Board has selected the Philippines as “Compact Eligible.” Teves said the MCC grant proposal team is now consulting with different government agencies, citizens, non-government organizations (NGOs) and private sector representatives to pinpoint priority projects that would be submitted to the MCC for a grant proposal for a five-year program to reduce poverty through sustainable growth. Teves said that once the proposed project is finalized by the different sectors of society, they will submit it to the President for approval and later on it will be forwarded to the MCC. He also assured the public that even though the grant has been approved by the MCC, the Philippine government would continue to implement and improve its measures on anti-corruption campaign. “Our role is to comply with our commitment to improve our fight against corruption,” Teves added. When asked on how the Filipinos can benefit from that particular MCC assistance, Teves said the money collected from the ongoing programs such as Run After Tax Evaders (RATES), Run After The Smugglers (RATS), and Revenue Integration Protection Service (RIPS) will be diverted into social, infrastructures and health services projects. Teves said the Department of Finance (DOF) has achieved a lot of success in its work to combat corruption and improve revenue collection through the RATE, RATS, and RIPS programs. Aside from these, the Office of the Ombudsman has also contributed a lot in its campaign against erring and corrupt officials while the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) raised as a world-class model its project on the government’s procurement reform program. |
|
|
