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| 28 MARCH 2008 | . | |
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| 28 MARCH 2008 | . | |
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Mindanao bishops tell PGMA: Church and State working together good for the people |
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BUTUAN CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo met with Catholic bishops
in Mindanao at the Almont Inland Resort here yesterday afternoon to discuss
and come up with solutions to various issues affecting the country. In a rare occasion where the separation of Church and State was set aside for the meantime, a "healthy dialogue" between leaders of the Church and the top official of the nation came up with a "common resolution" that it would be in the best interest of the people if both entities work together. "A very healthy dialogue between the leaders of the Church and leaders of government (came up with) a common resolution that it will be really very effective if both will work together to serve the people," Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Director General Cerge Remonde said in an interview. "The meeting is a reaffirmation of the excellent relations between the State and the Church," Remonde said, adding that the consensus reached during the two-hour gathering clearly showed that the majority of clergymen supported the President. He bewailed media reports sensationalizing the purported "division" within the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). "Many bishops are already complaining that media is making it appear that the CBCP is divided," Remonde said, stressing that the five bishops frequently criticizing the Arroyo administration are not representatives of the CBCP's position on a particular issue. "There are only five bishops who are against the Arroyo administration. But five against (the other) 100-plus (members of the CBCP) is not a division," Remonde added. Other topics discussed during the closed-door meeting included the bishops’ concerns on mining, corruption, support for agrarian reform communities (ARCs) and the continued threat from insurgents. Among those present at the meeting were Bishops Juan de Dios Pueblos of Butuan, Antonieto Cabahug of Surigao, Nerio Odchimar of Tandag, Honesto Pacana of Malaybalay, Auxiliary Bishop Zacarias Jimenez of Butuan, Archbishop Antonio Ledesma of Cagayan de Oro and Archbishop Emeritus Carmelo Morelos. |
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| PGMA brings ‘Serbisyo Muna Caravan’ to Surigao Norte |
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MALIMONO, Surigao del Norte - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo brought here
today her “Serbisyo Muna Caravan” of keeping the government closer to the
people, especially the poor, through the delivery of social services
including medical and dental assistance. The President arrived at the Malimono Central Elementary School (MCES) here shortly before noon from Butuan City where she stayed overnight for a series of meetings with local officials on various issues including food security, government services and peace and order. "Daghan salamat sa imong pagtanggap sa ako. Matagal ko ng gustong bisitahin ang inyong munisipalidad. Kadaghang tulong nadala ng gobyerno para sa inyo," the President told the local residents in the Visayan dialect. Among her welcomers were Surigao del Norte Gov. Robert Ace Barbers and Malimono Mayor Teodoro Sinaca, Jr., Surigao del Norte Congressmen Guillermo Romarate Jr. and Francisco Matugas, Surigao del Norte police provincial director S/Supt. Antonio Paguirigan, and 402nd Army brigade commander, Brig. Gen. Dante Fernandez. From the MCES, the President proceeded to the Malimono Cultural Center in Barangay Poblacion for the awarding of government assistance to the people here. More than 5,000 residents and their local leaders and other guests, who had waited for the President, broke into a prolonged applause when she arrived at the cultural center. She first awarded 20 "Buntis Kits" for pregnant women of the municipality, and three certificates to operate "Botika ng Barangay." The certificates were received by Barangay Captain Dionisio Sinaca. Clad in a blue stripe polo, the President also turned over to Mayor Sinaca 40 "Galing Mekaniko” and "Galing Masahista” Kits and 25 Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Training for Work Scholarship certificate/vouchers for the beneficiaries of the program in the municipality of Malimono. During the awarding rites, she also handed out 61 out of 619 PhilHealth cards distributed to the residents of the municipality. She also distributed several assorted vegetable seeds and 20 bags of hybrid corn seeds and 155 knapsack sprayers through Mayor Sinaca in support of the hunger mitigation program of the President. The President likewise issued a check for P1.75 million to Sinaca for the construction of a farm to market road in Malimono. Another check of P147,000 from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) was turned over to the municipality as part of the training component for the province's livelihood program. The DOLE is holding jobs fair in Malimono as part of the program of the activities during the President’s visit here. The Chief Executive also handed out cash assistance of P1,400 per month from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to 10 beneficiaries of the "Ahon Pamilyang Pilipino" program, while the National Food Authority (NFA) set aside 480 sacks of rice for the "Day Care Foods for School" assistance program for the local residents. The President also distributed 50 of the 5,000 food packs containing four kilos of rice, five canned sardines and six noodles. |
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| Cebu united behind PGMA – Governor Garcia |
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MANDAUE CITY – They did it during the May 2004 presidential elections, and
now Cebuanos are joining hands again in a show of solidarity as “One Cebu”
in their support for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “Cebu stands united, Cebu stands as one” behind the President, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia declared, as she asserted that the officialdom of Cebu province is solidly behind the Arroyo leadership. Copies of the resolutions of support were presented to the President by the leaders of six different organizations to the President upon her arrival at the Summit Hall of the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City where Cebu local government officials are holding a general assembly. The President arrived here around noontime from Surigao del Norte where she spearheaded the latest foray of her “Serbisyo Muna Caravan” this morning. The resolutions of support were presented by top officials of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL), Sangguniang Kabataan Federation Cebu Chapter, Association of Barangay Captains (ABC), Vice Mayors League, League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)-Cebu Chapter, and the Provincial Board Member Leagues of the Philippines-Cebu Chapter. The leaders of the organizations vowed to support the President as they called on her to pursue what she has started to improve the country’s economy. Members of the councilors league said they had “come up with the unanimous decision of supporting the President in her battle against her accuses in order for the economic progress she had started will be finished by the end of her term.” They stressed that the rule of law as embodied in the 1987 Philippine Constitution should be followed in order to resolve the political crisis and the bickering that are confined to “imperial Metro Manila.” The recent political crisis that beset the administration has greatly affected the country’s economy, they added. Governor Garcia said the Cebu officials were merely giving voice to the sentiments of their constituents, noting that several officials, private and non-political groups around the nation have also expressed their strong support for the President. “In the light that we may call, yet, again, another political convulsion in the nation’s history, the Cebuano still support and stand behind the President,” Garcia said. Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral and Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Director General Secretary Cerge Remonde accompanied the President in her visit here. Aside from Governor Garcia, the other government officials present were 2nd District Representative Pablo Garcia, 6th District Representative Nerissa Soon-Ruiz, Cebu Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez, all the city and municipal mayors in the province, barangay captains, councilors and provincial board members. |
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| PGMA to keynote 11th Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is set to regale investors from
Asia-Pacific including Australia and Japan about the Philippines as a valued
investors’ destination when she flies to Hong Kong on Sunday to address the
11th Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference (AIC) which will run from
March 31 to April 3. The AIC recently unveiled its “strong lineup of speakers to celebrate a decade of the Asian Investment Conference” and identified President Arroyo as one of three keynote speakers to the investment forum. The future of the US dollar will be the focus of the discussion. President Arroyo shall also talk about the “emerging opportunities for investors and the measures being taken by the Philippines to attract more inward investment,” according to the AIC which revealed that the keynote speakers confirmed to address the conference are President Arroyo; Jesse Wang Jianxi, Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer, China Investment Corporation; and Steve Hanke, Professor of Applied Economics of John Hopkins University. "This is our 11th year of hosting the Asian Investment Conference. To reflect this special milestone, we have put together an excellent lineup of keynote speakers, all of whom are experts in their field. Together, they represent the majority of industries and markets that are the focus of the investing community today," said Kai Nargolwala, chief executive officer of Credit Suisse, Asia-Pacific. “Key policy and decision makers from China, the Philippines and Vietnam will speak at the region's premier private sector investment event, joining an expected 1,500 investors and almost 300 of the leading companies in the Asia-Pacific region,” added the AIC. The 2008 Credit Suisse AIC will be held at the Island Shangri-La Hotel and the Conrad International Hotel in Hong Kong. President Arroyo’s speech will be delivered on Day One, Monday, March 31, which will be kicked off by a debate on the future of the US dollar. “The currency experts will then be followed by the second keynote of the day, delivered by Her Excellency the President of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who will speak on the emerging opportunities for investors and the measures being taken by the Philippines to attract more inward investment.” “As usual, the AIC will feature a range of its popular panel sessions, this year focusing on the outlook for China property, the resurgent Philippine economy, Vietnam's much-anticipated privatization pipeline, as well as a host of panels examining ‘green’ industries, such as water, solar and biofuels,” added the AIC. AIC sponsor Credit Suisse is one of the world's leading banks, providing its clients with private banking, investment banking and asset management services worldwide; and offering advisory services, comprehensive solutions and innovative products to companies, institutional clients and high-net-worth private clients globally, as well as retail clients in Switzerland. Active in over 50 countries and employs approximately 48,000 people, Credit Suisse's parent company, Credit Suisse Group, is a leading global financial services company headquartered in Zurich. “In its Investment Banking business, Credit Suisse offers securities products and financial advisory services to users and suppliers of capital around the world. Operating in 57 locations across 30 countries, Credit Suisse is active across the full spectrum of financial services products including debt and equity underwriting, sales and trading, mergers and acquisitions, investment research, and correspondent and prime brokerage services,” revealed the AIC. |
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| PGMA regales Cebu officials with positive developments of country’s economy |
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MANDAUE CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regaled today officials of
Cebu province with the positive developments in the country’s economy that
even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has acknowledged and lauded. The President cited the IMF’s positive commentary on the Philippine economy in her speech this afternoon before the general assembly of local government officials of Cebu province at the Summit Hall of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) here. “Just this month, the IMF lauded our economic growth, the reduction in our budget deficit, low inflation and the improvement in investor confidence,” she said in her impromptu speech. The IMF has also cited the administration’s efforts to sustain economic growth through the implementation of tough reforms, which have won for the country the recognition as the second best-performing economy in the Southeast Asian region. The President said IMF’s view of the Philippine economy was “very positive” considering that the world agency closely tracks the economic performance of all countries in the world. She said she strongly believes that the IMF based its positive analysis of the economy on the Philippines record 7.3 percent economic growth last year, the biggest in more than 30 years; the millions of jobs created under her leadership, and the investment confidence shown by foreign investors. The Philippines has also been cited as the “offshore destination of the year” while the International Data Corporation has touted the country as the top global outsourcing destination after India. “2008 holds real promise for a different reason. Not only do we expect continued strong growth, but as a result of our total economic overhaul, we are well-positioned to weather a global economic slowdown which, unfortunately, will affect all of us,” she added. The President said she will continue to focus on improving the economy and ensuring that in the remaining two years of her term the ordinary Filipinos will feel the fruits of the reform measures she has implemented even at the cost of her popularity as the leader of the country. “My last two years will be dedicated to one objective: invest, invest and invest some more in the nation,” she said. |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Speech at the
Galing Pook Awardees of Cebu City White Gold House, Cebu City March 28, 2008 |
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• Gapahalipay ako sa mga Lupong Tagapamayapa Volunteers nga maoy nagpadaog
sa Cebu City sa Galing Pook Awards tungod sa programang Strengthening the
Justice System in the Grassroots. • Gia-abi-abi ko sab si Mayor Tommy Osmena kay gihatag niya ang dungog sa mga volunteers kay matud pa niya, sila ang tinuod nga mida-og, ang “real and deserving winners.” • Alang kanako, kamong tanan ang midaog: ang otso syentos ka volunteers nga gasiguro nga dili maolayi ang pagdala ug hustisya sa barangay ug maoy nakatipig alang sa gobyerno ug milyones nga gastuhon unta sa mga korte; si Mayor Tommy Osmena kansang paghatag ug credit sa sa iyang katawhan gapakita sa iyang matuud nga pagka-lider; ug ang syudad sa Sugbo nga gapadayon sa pag-uswag tungod kay maayo ang serbisyong gidawat sa mga Sugbuhanon gikan sa ilang mga opisyales. Ang ika-upat nga midaog mao ang good governance sa mga lokal nga pamunuan kay aduna sila’y maayong role model sa Cebu City. • Ang ubang LGU’s mahimong mosunod sa mga paagi ninyo dinhi sa Cebu City. Makalipay nga 72% sa mga kasong gidala sa inyong mga barangay ang nasolbad sa pakigsabot. Sa tibuok nasod, kamo ra ang barangay mediation group nga gihatagan us saktong training. Ug ang trabaho sa mga volunteers gisuportahan gayod sa lokal nga pamunuan, sa pagpanguna ni Mayor Tommy Osmena nga maoy mihatag sa matag volunteer ug dagdag nga P1,000 nga allowance kada bulan. Unta sundon sa ubang LGUs sa nasod ang mga gihimo sa mga volunteers dinhi. • Daghang mga syudad ug lungsod naga-hesitate nga adoptohon ang gihimo dinhi tungod kay dili sila kulang ang ilang kwarta. Aduna’y solusyon ni-ini. Tingali, kadtong mga interesadong LGU’s makahangyo kang Mayor Osmena kung mahimong patabangon ang iyang kwarenta’y syete ka accredited trainors aron mo-extend ang mga representante sa ubang LGUs, ug ang pondong gamiton sa training mogikan sa 20% sa ilang IRA nga angay gamiton para sa mga development projects, labi na gayod kay gipadak-an ug maayo ang IRA karong tuig-a. • Ang gipadak-ang IRA ug ang gipadak-ang national budget gikan sa tough choices we have made on boosting revenues, cracking down on tax cheats, bringing reform to our revenue collection and modernizing our banking and financial sector. • 2007 was the best year for the Philippine economy in over 30 years. Economic growth was 7.3 percent; a million new jobs were created; and foreign investments have been strong. We have been cited by London as the “offshore destination of the year” and by the International Data Corporation as the top global outsourcing destination after India. Kusog kaayo ang industriya sa BPO tungod sa mga call centers nga na-a sa syudad sa Cebu. • Just this month, the International Monetary Fund lauded our economic growth, the reduction in our budget deficit, low inflation and the improvement in investor confidence. • 2008 holds real promise for a different reason. Not only do we expect continued strong growth, but as a result of our total economic overhaul, we are well-positioned to weather a global economic slowdown which, unfortunately, will affect all of us. • Our strengthened economic fortunes come none too soon, for there are clouds on the economic horizon that we must guard against. The global economy is facing significant challenges. The slowing of the economies in North America and Europe is top of mind in our calculations to protect our own economy. To that end, we have developed a program that includes: first, to ensure a surge in investments in people and infrastructure; second, to ensure that we continue to pursue anti-corruption initiatives and to cut red tape; and third, to blunt the rise in the cost of energy and rice by providing targeted relief to the poorest amongst us who suffer the most from the high global price of energy and rice. • 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. So while our macroeconomics are strong, the benefits are still working their way down more slowly than we want to lift up our citizens who live and work payday to payday. We need a strong middle class to become a strong modern nation. We are working to soften the blow from the current global economic challenges to those working hardest to make it to the middle class. • The best thing we can do in the short term is to provide responsible, targeted relief to those most in need. The best thing we can do for the remainder of my term until I step down in 2010 is to stay focused on further economic reforms while providing peace, order and stability. My last two years will be dedicated to one objective: invest, invest and invest some more in the nation. • Ang Syudad sa Cebu naa’g maayong pagpamuno tungod kay ang inyong mga programa gapatipig ug pondo samtang paspas ug maayo ang gihatod nga mga serbisyo sa katawhan. • Ang atong mga Lupong Tagapamayapa volunteers dinhi daghan ug nahimo aron paspas ang paghatod sa hustisya sa mga pobre sa syudad sa Cebu. Tingali, pinaagi kang Mayor Tommy, mahimo ninyong padak-an kining inyong pagtabang sa mga kabos kun motabang kamo sa pagbantay sa presyo. Siguruhon nato nga ang presyo sa mga labing kinahanglanong palaliton dili molapas sa presyo sa listahan sa DTI, ug siguruhon sab nato nga kanunay nga dunay ibaligyang bugas sa mga pobreng barangay dinhi sa syudad. • Ang mga Lupong Tagapamayapa volunteers, kauban ang inyong Mayor, mao ang garbo sa pamunuan sa syudad sa Sugbo. Gasalig ako nga sa mga mosunod nga adlaw mas daghan pa ang inyong himuon aron labaw pan’g ma-ila ang iyong pagpromote sa Katarungang Pambarangay. • Daghan salamat sa gipakita ninyong maayong example. |
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| Poorest of the poor town in Surigao Del Norte gets special attention from PGMA |
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MALIMONO, Surigao del Norte – Touched by their warm reception, President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed today to transform this 5th class municipality
into a progressive town of Surigao del Norte province. "Daghang salamat sa imong pagtanggap sa ako. Matagal ko nang gustong bisitahin ang inyong munisipalidad na nabibilang sa kategoryang 5th class municipality," the President told the more than 5,000 local residents. In an impromptu message she delivered after the awarding portion of the caravan for the delivery of social services that included medical and dental clinics held at the Cultural Center in Barangay Poblacion here, the President said she traveled all the way from Manila to bring them government assistance. As the President turned over a check worth P1.75 million to Malimono Mayor Teodoro Sinaca Jr. for the construction of the Malimono farm-to-market road, the crowd enthusiastically clapped their hands to show their appreciation. "Daghang salamat sa imo ang pumalakpak ng inabot ko itong check na ito para sa inyong farm-to-market road," she said. She said that she had instructed Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral to extend to them the "Conditional Cash Transfer" scheme of her administration where some 1,000 Malimono poor family-beneficiaries would get P1,400 monthly cash assistance each from the DSWD’s "Ahon Pamilyang Pilipino” program. "Ito ay makatutulong kahit paano sa araw-araw na gastusin ninyo lalo doon sa mga may nag-aaral na mga anak," the President said. She said she had ordered Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-CARAGA Regional Director Romeo Momo to start the repair of the two bridges damaged by previous typhoons with funds to be extracted from the calamity funds of the local government. She also ordered the DPWH to fast-track the repair of the Carrascal road that connects Surigao del Norte with Surigao del Sur. She said that previous to her visit, agencies concerned had briefed her on the status and condition of the Malimono municipality, prompting her to visit this place. She promised that more government assistance are forthcoming. ""Ito ang magiging daan upang mapadali ang pagiging progresibo ng Malimono, to become a progressive municipality," she said. |
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| RP tightening guard against ill effects of global economic slowdown—PGMA |
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CEBU CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assured the nation today that
her administration would continue to improve the country’s economic fortune
as the global economy faces significant challenges that threaten to spread
its viruses to developing countries, like the Philippines. Noting the slowdown of economies in North America and Europe, the President assured the Filipino people that being the leader of the land, and as an economist, her first concern and priority is to “protect our own economy.” “The slowing down of economies in North America and Europe is top of mind in our efforts to protect our economy,” the President said in a speech she delivered during the Galing Pook Awards presentation to the City of Cebu at the White Gold House shortly after she attended the General Assembly of the Local Government Officials of the province at the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City. To be able to disinfect the country from the virus, the President said her administration has developed an antidote to ensure a surge in investments in people and infrastructure; to pursue anti-corruption initiatives; to cut red tape, and to blunt the rise in the costs of energy and rice by providing relief and assistance to the poorest of the poor who suffer the most from these global economic challenges. She said being a price-sensitive nation, these global forces have threatened and put more strain especially to the poor when prices of basic commodities like rice and fuel continue soaring up. Another alternative short-term solution to lessen the impact of the current global economic challenges is to prepare the middle class to comprise a strong modern nation. “We are working to soften the blow from the current global economic challenges to those working hardest to make it to the middle class,” she said, adding that the best thing that the government can do now is to provide responsible, targeted relief to those most in need. “The best thing we can do for the remainder of my term until I step down in 2010 is to stay focused on further economic reforms while providing peace, order and stability,” the President stressed. During the program, the President handed over a plaque and P100,000 cash prize to the Lupong Tagapamayapa members for winning the Galing Pook Awards 2007 for its outstanding local governance program entitled “Strengthening of the Justice System in the Grassroots.” The President asked Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena to share the outstanding achievement of the 800 strong Lupon ng Barangay members from 80 barangays in the city to other cities and municipalities not only in Cebu province but all over the country. She said that the other local government units could replicate the Cebu City program for the Lupon ng Barangay by providing training and seminars to other interested municipalities and cities. The city of Cebu is among the winners of the Galing Pook Awards 2007 for outstanding Local Government Program entitled “Strengthening of the Justice System in the Grassroots” of the Liga ng mga Lupong Tagapamayapa. The program is the first in the country with a pool of accredited trainors to handle mediation, conciliation and arbitration. Due to the successful program, Osmena said that the city government saved millions of pesos in litigation expenses after the Lupong Tagapamayapa resolved the cases that they handled in the barangay level. It also served as a big help to the city government to de-clog the cases filed in courts. |
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| PGMA names Peralta as Sandiganbayan presiding justice |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed today Associate Justice Diosdado
M. Peralta as the presiding justice of the Sandiganbayan. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita immediately transmitted Peralta’s appointment paper to Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno. In his letter to Chief Justice Puno, the Executive Secretary said Peralta was “nominated by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) in its letter dated March 10, 2008.” |
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