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07 AUGUST 2003 |
| Statement of the President : Due process guarantee |
There is no need to play the game of hide and seek for propaganda mileage. We are not a nation of barbarians. Senator Honasan will be protected by the very Constitution he allegedly wanted to destroy. This government is strong enough to guarantee due process for everyone, weak or strong. This will be observed in all institutional hearings and investigations. The courts are ready to receive evidence. The independent commission has assured a speedy pace of work. The Senate is determined to assiduously seek legislative solutions. As a nation, we shall consolidate and tie up all the executive, legislative and judicial actions that will bear upon this threat, and resolve it once and for all. |
| Statement of the President : Marcos ill-gotten wealth |
We will turn the misdeeds of the past into the seeds of hope for the future. The money that we have recovered will be applied to the continuing quest of social justice. I will return to the people what belongs to them. We must never again allow plunder to stalk our nation. Let us move on towards a strong Republic that truly lives in the fountain of the people. |
| Statement of the President : Terror threats |
Terror does not knock before it strikes. This event could have happened anytime and anywhere in the region. We must not be distracted and apply our full attention to this renewed threat. Once more, I must stress that our best defense lies in the vigilance of each and every citizen. We have stepped up intelligence gathering and sharing of information with our neighboring countries. The hunt for terrorists must involve all communities and territories across borders. |
| Statement of the President : Asean finance ministers |
I thank the ASEAN finance ministers for their confidence in our national stability. I assured them that "business continues as usual" in the Philippines despite the Makati crisis. Our economy is stabilizing and bouncing back, as uncertainty turns to confidence. Our resiliency must reinforce the continuity of vital policies and programs. We must reset our sights on the battle against terrorism and poverty. |
| Statement of the President: Oakwood probe |
I am for total justice based on due process. The secondary aim of the mutineers if they did not succeed in toppling the Government is to weaken the national leadership. We shall prove them wrong. We shall seek the maximum penalty for those who planned, led and executed this misadventure. The people cry out for full retribution among the leaders, although we are prepared to deal with those who are proven to have been simply deceived or misled, with greater understanding. The wheels of justice will not stop until it has disposed of the full breadth of this conspiracy. Once and for all, we are resolved to end military adventurism and its root causes. |
| Palace okays appearance of mutiny leaders, gov't officials in Senate inquiry |
Malacaņang today approved the request of Senate President Franklin Drilon for the appearance in the ongoing Senate probe of the Makati mutiny of Cabinet officials, military and police authorities as well as the leaders of the mutiny who are now detained at Camp Aguinaldo. In his letter to Drilon dated Aug. 7, 2003, Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo said the Office of the President is in "full support" of the Senate inquiry into the July 27 incident. Romulo, however, said that because of the ongoing intelligence operations related to the Makati incident, the hearing of the Senate Committee of the Whole with the above officials and the mutineers as resource persons should be conducted in an executive session and not open to the public. Romulo said this is in accord with Section 22, Article VI of the Constitution that requires the holding of an executive or closed-door session whenever the security of the state and public interest are at stake. On the advice of National Security Adviser J. Roilo Golez and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Romulo also requested for the deferment of the proposed executive session from Friday (August 8) to Thursday (August 14). Romulo also suggested that the Senate and the House of Representatives conduct a joint hearing of the incident "in the interest of minimizing security risks and saving precious time and effort that may also be used by government to stamp out remaining national security threats and pursue cases arising from the July 27 incident." He said the deferment by one week of the executive hearing would give both houses of Congress enough time to coordinate with each other so that future congressional hearings and inquiries on the July 27 incident be conducted jointly by both chambers. |
| Cimatu says Oakwood mutineers to face consequences of their acts |
Ambassador Roy Cimatu today erased all doubts about what was discussed and agreed upon between his negotiating team and soldier-mutineers in the Oakwood Hotel saga last July 27, saying the matter on civil court proceedings was never talked about. "They (mutineers) recognized that the core group (five principals) would face all the consequences of their acts," Cimatu said in a press briefing in Malacanang. "There was no discussion on civil court proceedings and, therefore, no agreements was reached on this matter," he said. "Ang usapan namin narinig ng lahat (Everybody heard what we discussed). This fact can be answered by any (member) of the negotiating team," he added. Cimatu clarified the details of the negotiations, stressing that agreements made were the following: -- That the soldiers involved in the mutiny would "return to barracks" and would be taken into custody by their major service commanders; -- That an investigation would start and they would undergo the process in accordance with the Articles of War; and -- Their demands and complaints would be endorsed to the national leadership. Cimatu said he is leaving it to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to explain the issue on the filing of criminal charges against all the mutineers. He reasoned that there was no discussion on civil court proceedings during the negotiations and that, being a non-lawyer, he could not delve on the subject. He said the general court martial, which is about to start, is a way of enforcing what was agreed upon. "I think they are brave enough to face the consequences of their acts," he said. "I hope and pray that justice will be done and their complaints and demands be addressed," he added. He said he would try to see to it that agreements would be followed before going back to the Middle East. |
| GMA orders PNP, AFP to beef up security |
Although there is no specific threat that can be seen, the government is not taking anything for granted in its efforts to counter terrorism. This was the overall assessment in today’s Command Conference on Countering Terrorism presided over by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at Malacaņang’s State Dining Room. With the Oakwood mutiny behind it and the case now in the hands of the law, the government is shifting its attention to countering terrorism in the light of the Aug. 5 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta. Saying it is a national concern, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo instructed today the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to adjust their preparations and to coordinate closely with local executives in Metro Manila, including the Blue Guards or private security groups, on how to better protect establishments. She asked the PNP to beef up security in the country’s commercial centers, hotels and embassies to avert potential strikes by terrorists, particularly the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which claimed responsibility for the Indonesian car bomb explosion. "Countering terrorism should now be our priority in the light of the Indonesian incident," the President said. "We need to harness all our resources, including the Blue Guards and the barangay tanods, to avert possible strikes by these elements." She said target hardening or the beefing up of security in areas like the Ayala Center, Greenbelt, Alabang and Greenbelt is necessary to deter potential terrorist acts. She also instructed PNP chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. to post photos of wanted terrorists all over commercial centers and malls to make the people vigilant and aware of the threats being posed by these elements. During the conference, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director General Cesar P. Garcia, Jr. briefed the President on the terrorism situation in the country. Ebdane said the PNP is now monitoring several elements as part of their pre-emptive action and intelligence buildup. A three-tiered defense system, he said, is now in place to protect commercial areas and improve post-blast and scene of the crime investigation. Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Narciso Abaya said they are closely watching several JI communites in Sultan Kudarat and hope to confine them there. National Capital Region Police Office chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco said that while there is no imminent threat yet of the JI here in Manila, he has already met with officials of both the MRT and LRT on how to best secure their facilities to prevent a repeat of the Dec. 30 bombing which was attributed to escaped JI member Fathur Roman al-Ghozi. |
| Cimatu to lay security groundwork for RP non-combat mission to Iraq |
Ambassador Roy Cimatu would soon leave for the Middle East to assess peace and order conditions in Iraq before the Philippines sends off its 500-man peacekeeping and medical contingent in the area. Cimatu, head of the Middle East Preparedness Team (MEPT), said he had to come up with an "on-the-ground assessment," and thus should leave ahead of the contingent’s first batch set to go to Iraq mid-August. "Because while we have some intelligence report or information coming from media (on Iraq), I believe that is not enough. I have to go there personally and make a general assessment of the situation," he said. He added he was duty bound to keep the Philippine contingent out of harm’s way, as what he had done at the height of the US-led attack in Iraq. He said the contingent’s mission could push through if the chances of casualty are very low. Cimatu said coordination has been made with the United States to fly the contingent in a military aircraft to neighboring Kuwait. "These are only tentative. It’s not yet final," he said. The Philippine contingent is part of the Multi-National Division (MND), an international peacekeeping force from member countries of the Coalition of the Willing. Cimatu said the MND would provide some subsidies during the stay of the contingent in Iraq. He said the Philippines will play a unique role compared to the other participating countries by sending non-combatants. "This unique role is more on the civil-military cooperation battalion. Meaning, they will perform a civil-military job compared to other countries that will be contributing combatants," he stressed. Cimatu also brushed aside the text messages circulating that he has resigned as head of the MEPT. "That is not correct. I’m still special envoy to the Middle East," he said. |
| Palace says land reform beneficiaries to benefit from frozen Marcos funds |
Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye today said the bulk of the P38-billion Marcos ill-gotten wealth to be turned over to the government by the Swiss banks would be used to uplift the welfare of land reform beneficiaries. During a briefing in Malacanang, Bunye said the President has instructed Agrarian Reform Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan to use part of the funds for the construction of farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities, schools in land reform areas, as well as the inclusion of the land reform beneficiaries in the PhilHealth program. "These are some of the plans of the President as far as the disposition of the money that will be turned over to us by the Swiss banks," he said. He said the President also ordered that P8 billion of the amount be placed in escrow to compensate human rights victims during the Marcos years. Right now, he said the Marcos family has filed a motion for reconsideration on the Supreme Court ruling on the frozen assets. "So, technically even if the money has been turned over to us, until there is final resolution by the Supreme Court, we cannot yet touch the money," he said. Bunye said there would be a full accounting of the fund that has been invested in high-grade securities once it would be transferred to the government. |
| GMA cites role of I.C.T. war against poverty, terrorism |
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today cited the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) not only in the fight against poverty but also in the war against terrorism. In her speech at the Second National Conference on eLearning at the Manila Hotel, the President said there is a need to use all the tools of the century to fight terrorism, including ICT, to bring knowledge and education to remote and poorest areas that usually bred recruits for terrorism. The President said that bringing education to the depressed areas is a preemptive way to stop the recruitment of terrorists and the spread of insurgency in the countryside. She said her administration is expanding its distance- learning program by using mobile vans and other electronic equipment to provide basic education and special training courses to isolated and remote areas in the country. "This is a leap-frog solution to the lack of teachers in the remote areas," the President said. Through ICT, the President said, the Strong Republic school program of the government could now reach the remotest and the most-neglected barangays. The President said the root cause of insurgency and the breeding ground of terrorism can be traced, one way or the other, to the gap between the rich and the poor. "This is where distance learning comes in," she said. According to the President, television would be the primary medium to deliver distance-learning programs to their intended audience in the rural areas. She said she has already directed concerned government agencies to implement the Strong Republic school program in at least 400 remote barangays in the country where there are no regular schools and teachers. These barangays, the President said, are also likely to be considered "insurgency critical." The eLearning conference, organized by the Information Technology and E-Commerce Council (ITECC), was aimed at bringing together educators interested in exploring the potentials of using new technologies in education and training. |
| GMA does a 'Darna' |
Awed by the spectacular array of acrobatic stunts and aerial movements of the stage version of the great Filipino comic classic Darna, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo daringly wore Darna’s headdress as she went up stage to congratulate the cast of the ballet musical and posed for souvenir photographs with them. President Arroyo, upon her arrival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, was welcomed by 1,222 elementary students from 14 elementary schools from all over Metro Manila. The President in her opening remarks encouraged the children to learn English well so they could have jobs when they get out of school. "But I’m happy that we all have the chance to watch Darna, a great Filipino classic," she said. She described Darna as a strong woman who fought for the betterment of society. She urged the children to be inspired to work for the betterment of society when they become adults. The President thanked the Ballet Philippines and the Cultural Center of the Philippines for staging Darna as she called for support for this kind of cultural endeavor. "Culture is a responsibility of civil society for a strong republic," she said. The President was seated beside 11-year-old student Jhobelle Maneja. She watched the musical all throughout and applauded several times in appreciation of some candid and comical portions of the show. Maneja is a Grade Five pupil from Silangan Elementary School in Taguig. Darna is a special presentation of Ballet Philippines. Comic book illustrator and storyteller Mars Ravelo created the character of Darna over 50 years ago. The dance musical uses a mixture of pop music, indigenous beats, techno dance sounds and movie inspired themes. It also showcased a spectacular array of acrobatic stunts and aerial movements that made the flying scenes almost true-to-life. The cast is composed of Christine Crame who played Darna, movie actress Chin-Chin Gutierrez as Valentina, Claro Rambuyon as Ding, Mica Bernas as Narda, Myra Beltran as Lola and JM Rodriguez as DJ Dalang. |
