| 24 JULY 2006 | ||
| PGMA delivers longest and first interactive and high-tech SONA |
Very much unlike the usual State-of-the-Nation Address she delivered the past five years, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's 6th SONA before the joint opening of the third regular session of the 13th Congress this afternoon was the longest, interactive and high-tech. The President's one hour and 10 minutes address that elicited 167 applauses, with periodic loud and long ones,. was not just a simple speech but was made lively and animated by the use of powerpoint to illustrate and visualize before her audience the places she pointed for development in the regions. Her speech also became lively with the aid of the special appearances of some personalities that best personify the achievements of a growing economy such as a Cordillera People's Liberation Army (CPLA) returnee Ama Balunggay, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, the 23rd Southeast Asian Games medallists and Miss Tourism Queen International Justine Gabionza, among many others. The new style of the President in delivering her SONA broke the monotony of the past SONAs. The people could visualize and not just listen to the President's report on her accomplishments in the past five years and the job ahead to move the country forward. President Arroyo arrived at the Batasang Pambansa Complex at 3:50 this afternoon by land travel due to strong rains induced by typhoon "Glenda." Resplendent in a coral red terno with a fully beaded "panuelo" and accessorized with a bag and a pair of shoes of the same color, the President was like sunshine on a rainy day as she was all smiles when she arrived at the Batasang Pambansa’s rear entrance. Upon arrival, the President was accorded arrival honors by the House of Representatives Honor Guards. She was accompanied by newly-installed Armef Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon in trooping the line. The President was welcomed by the Congress welcoming committee led by newly-installed Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. and House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. She was ushered in to the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office where she was notified of Congress’ invitation for her to deliver her SONA before the joint opening of the third and final session of the 13th Congress. |
| PGMA cites 3 ordinary citizens in her SONA |
Aside from presenting her government’s various plans, programs and projects that she said will bring the Philippines to First World status, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also cited today three ordinary individuals whose life stories had made an impact on other people. The first to be mentioned by the President in her 6th State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) today was Ama Balunggay and his grandson Jacob of Kalinga province. Balunggay, a former member of the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army, was a recipient of land titles distributed by the President during one of her provincial sorties to the North last April. What touched the President’s heart was Balunggay’s remark when he received the land title from her. "This is not for me but for him," Balunggay told the Chief Executive pointing to his grandson Jacob. Next to be mentioned was former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Commander Aribari Samson. Samson, together with his family and hundreds of his men and their families were awarded housing units and livelihood assitance by the government with the help a United Nations housing program. The President said the housing units were put up in the Eleven Islands, a group of islands off the coast of Zamboanga City. Eleven islands also used to be known as "No Man’s Island" because of its notoriety as a stronghold of the MNLF and other lawless elements. "Thank you for giving peace a chance. Congratulations, Commander Samson," the President said. The President also thanked the international community, particularly the United States, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), European Union, Australia, Japan and "our ASEAN neighbors," for "helping us in our peace process." Also cited by the President was Opalyn dela Cruz, a technical support representative of ClientLogic Philippines, one of the country’s top call center companies. De la Cruz had told the President when Mrs. Arroyo visited ClientLogic at the Ortigas Center in Pasig, that because of her (President Arroyo’s) support for the Business Process Outsourcing sector, de la Cruz did not see any need to look for a job abroad to help her family. "I was so touched, Lyn by your comments. With structural reforms, we not only found jobs but kept families intact," the President said. She also made a special of successful Filipinos, including boxing hero Manny Pacquiao, international beauty titlist Precious Lara Quigaman, the members of the Philippine team who reaped gold medals in the recently concluded Southeast Asian Games and first ever Filipinos who reached the peak of Mt. Everest: Leo Oracion and Pastor Emata whom she said "had taken on the world and won." She challenged every Filipino to take on the "challenge of creating a new, peaceful, humane and competitive nation and prevail." |
| 2nd batch of 500 OFWs arriving from Lebanon this week - PGMA |
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today that another batch of 500 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is arriving from Beirut in the next four days as part of the government’s effort to insure their safety in the wake of the invasion by Israel of southern Lebanon. The President made the announcement in her 6th State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) this afternoon at the House of Representatives in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. In her speech, the President stressed that the safety of the OFWs in Lebanon is the highest priority of the government. On Sunday, the President personally welcomed the first batch of 232 Filipino workers from Lebanon upon their arrival at the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing (PAW) in Villamor Air Base, Pasay City. "Yesterday, we welcomed home the first batch of Filipinos evacuated from Lebanon. And another 500 is set to come home in the next four days," she said. Earlier, the President assured all Filipinos that the government is "doing everything in its power to ensure the safety of our compatriots still awaiting evacuation, as well as those who chose to stay behind in Lebanon." "I assure you all, I assure the nation that we are doing everything in our power to secure the safety of those who need to remain in Lebanon and those who wish to leave are being transported out in an orderly way," the President said. |
| President unveils massive investment program to spur countrywide progress |
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo unveiled today a massive investment program to sustain economic growth, spread progress to all areas of the country through the Mega-Region economic development strategy and propel the Philippines to the First World status. In her 6th State-of- the- Nation Address (SONA) delivered this afternoon before the joint session of the 13th Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, the President said through the tough fiscal reforms her administration has undertaken with the help of Congress, the government now has the means to implement the priority projects. "Now, we have the money to pay down our debt and to build the country," the President said, as she thanked Congress "who in the face of grave political consequences, championed and passed some of the most severe and critical fiscal reforms to save our economy." The President, using a graph presented through power point, stressed that the government has available funds for social inequity and stamp out economic disparity, fight terrorism and lawless violence, fight corruption and introduce much-needed constitutional and electoral changes. She also said that funds are now available to fund the Medium Term Public Investment Program (MTPIP), the third phase of which involves nationwide development through the Mega-Regions planning strategy. Much of the input of the MTPIP came from the regional development councils of the country’s 16 regions which have been grouped into four Mega-Regions, plus another region that cuts across the four Mega-Regions, to create an enlarged economic landscape based on the natural competitive advantage of the area. "Finally, Phase Three, to invest in the natural advantage and natural resources of each section of our nation so that when harnessed together, the major economic regions of the nation are larger than the sum of its parts," the President said. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said public investments should increase by 10 percent every year for the country to further enhance its investment attractiveness. This means, the President said, that the government would be investing P100 billion annually over the next five years in the five super-regions---North Luzon, Metro Luzon, Central Philippines, Mindanao and the Cyber Corridor. For the North Luzon Mega-Region to become the country’s agribusiness center in the north, she has lined up several vital infrastructure projects, including the rehabilitation of the Halsema Road and the upgrading of the Bagabag Airport, the construction of a new airport in Lallo, Cagayan and the upgrading of the Tabuk-Tuguegarao Road. Postharvest support will continue such as the cold chain and refrigerated trucks to deliver the harvest of farmers in the North Luzon Mega-Region to Metro Manila. The President also said that former President Fidel Ramos’ flagship project—the San Roque Multipurpose Dam will be expanded together with the Agno River Project and the Banaoang Irrigation Project. She said the government will also earmark P200 million a month for the construction and maintenance of small irrigation projects. She also underscored the need to improve the two airports in Batanes, and the upgrading of the airport in Poro, La Union to an international airport. The Metro Luzon Urban Beltway, the President said, "must be globally competitive urban, industrial and services center." The area produces more than half of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). She said for the country to be world class, the government must invest in five comprehensive strategies for global competitiveness , namely: -make food plentiful and affordable to keep our labor coast globally competitive; -reduce the cost of electricity to make our factories regionally competitive; -modernize infrastructure at least cost to efficiently transport goods and people; -mobilize, upgrade and disseminate knowledge and technology for productivity; -and, reduce red tape in all agencies to cut business cost. The President said the new public bidding process for infrastructure has been shortened to 45 days, and 26 days for supplies, thus cutting red tape markedly. But the "most prohibitive red tape is the Constitution," she pointed out as she renewed her strong pitch for charter change. To lower power cost, the government introduced last month the electricity spot market. For the vital road networks that would transform Metro Luzon into an urban beltway, the President said the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway will be connected to the Dingalan Port through Nueva Ecija and the Marikina –Infanta Road to the Port of Real to link the Metro Luzon Beltway and the west. Other vital road networks are: the South Expressway, which will be widened up to Calamba, Laguna; the MRT and LRT will be linked through Monumento and the LRT will be extended to Bacoor, Cavite; the Northrail will be extended to Clark in Pampanga and the Southrail to Lucena and on to Bicol. A roll-on-roll-off port system will be constructed to link Lucena, Quezon to Boac, Marinduque.. For Central Philippines, which has the competitive edge in tourism in its natural wonders and the extraordinary hospitality of its people, the President said the priority is tourism investments For Mindanao Mega-Region, the President is pushing for its development as the country’s agribusiness center in the south which must come hand-in-hand with the achievement of a final peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the success of the fight against poverty in the area. "If we harness the forces of good in our nation, the positive force at work here at home and those from abroad… we shall prevail in Mindanao with a peace agreement that brings freedom and hope to all Filipinos. With this peace, we will reap dividends in resources invested in agribusiness, not aggression, to build up, not tear down, the Philippine south." The President, with the help of local government executives through a series of consultative meetings, mapped out the development plans for each Mega-Region in a bid to spur development of the entire country and ensure that the benefits of a growing economy trickle down to the masses. |
| PGMA cites need for constitutional, electoral reforms |
With the Philippine economy growing for 22 consecutive quarters, the longest period in the last quarter--century, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the country now has the funds to fund constitutional and electoral reforms to speed up the country’s march to progress. "We now have the funds for constitutional and electoral changes," the President said in her State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) this afternoon. The President said "changing our outdated and outmoded Constitution, including our electoral process, would speed up processes and further empower and bring development to the people and the countryside." President Arroyo has said that Charter change is imperative, citing the people's initiative that has gathered more than eight million signatures. "We need Charter change in the light of strong economic indicators that have brought the country to the threshold of takeoff." "Our present political system," the President stressed, has only brought too much politicking and bickering. "For surely, there must be a better way to do politics, so that those who lose elections do not make the country pay for their frustrated ambitions. There must be a better way so that those who win the nation's mandate to govern can work without delay and whimsical obstruction. There must be a better way," the President said. |
