The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has predicted an oversupply of sugar next year and would have to export the excess to stabilize prices in the local market.

According to the SRA, the country would overshoot its targeted production of raw sugar by some 200,000 metric tons (MT), which must be shipped out to avoid a weakening of prices in the domestic market.

Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. hinted that failure to export the excess output would pull down local prices, resulting in potential losses for sugar farmers.

The target for the current crop year—September 2003 to August 2004—was 2.26 million MT, and 2.38 million MT in 2005.

The SRA estimates showed that domestic consumption would hit only 2.06 million MT in 2004 and 2.14 million MT in 2005.

The regulatory body has earmarked 80,000 MT or about four percent of local production for export to the world market. This volume is on top of the 137,000 MT that would be shipped to the United States under a quota allocation arrangement.

With the expected glut in sugar, the SRA has given the green light for holders of the "D" quedans to open negotiations with exporters.

SRA chief James Ledesma pointed out that the Philippine sugar industry has been experiencing continued growth over the past three crop years, principally due to the use of high-yielding varieties, modernized farming and more land areas planted to sugarcane.

Records showed that there are about 556,000 sugarcane farmers and 25,000 sugar mill workers in the country.

The figure means there are 18,224 visitors to the website a day, bolstering the contention that the OPS website is an effective communication link between the Macapagal-Arroyo administration and the people as well as the world.

The today.htm and photo.htm are the daily press and photo releases produced by the Presidential News Desk. The proc498.htm is the proclamation issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Nov. 10 this year , declaring November 26, Wednesday, as a special non-working day throughout the country in observance of the Eid-Ul-Fitre (Feast of Ramadhan).

The press and photo releases have 7,603 and 7,407 daily internet visitors respectively, while proc498.htm has 2,759 hits daily.

Aside from the local visitors, the three most active countries visiting the OPS site are the United States, with 27, 931 visitors; Japan, 829; and Singapore, 778.

Surfers from other countries such as Canada, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Australia, United Kingdom, and Germany, have also accessed the OPS website during the month of November.

In the first three quarters of 2003, the site had a total of 3,482,839 visitors or an average of 12,757 visitors per day.

The OPS website was developed to establish the free flow of communications between the Philippine government and its people through the dissemination of timely and relevant information.

Being the official source of news about the President and its satellite offices, the OPS website is relied upon by the international community, including foreign wire organizations, for news and information about the Philippines and the government.

The OPS website also caters to the international audience which consists of people from various sectors in the community of nations such as state officials, politicians, foreign correspondents, reporters, researchers, the academe and others who may have interest in the Philippines.

The OPS website consists of news and photo releases, and Balitang Malacaņang (in Pilipino) which is also produced and updated daily by the Presidential News Desk (PND); About Us, which shows the profile of the press secretary, mission and history of the OPS, OPS-Proper directory and its attached bureaus and agencies websites.

In featured websites, the visitor can get the profiles of Cabinet Secretaries, government and media directories, and PGMA’s speeches.

The government directory includes its key officials and websites of the executive, legislative, judiciary, constitutional commissions, state universities and colleges, and local government units particularly governors, vice governors, mayors, and vice mayors.

As additional feature, Internet visitors can also hear the replay of PGMA’s speeches through the website’s multi-media speeches section.

The media directory lists the latest addresses of major radio stations, television stations, tabloids, and broadsheets in the country.

The OPS website has been continuously hosting the featured websites from its bureaus and attached agencies: the Bureau of Communication Services (BCS); News and Information Bureau (NIB); National Printing Office; and Radio-TV Malacaņang (RTVM).

The counter measures of the government against kidnapping have been have been successful so that the year ended with a bang with the rescue of Gian Jethro Chua and the apprehension of the suspect, Malacanang said today.

The two-year-old kid has been returned to his parents and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo received him and his parents in Malacanang yesterday and they were most thankful for the help of the government led by the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said this morning in a radio interview.

Government counter measures against other crimes have also been successful like the checkpoints and chokepoints implementation, Bunye said. After it was proven successful in Metro Manila, the operations have been expanded to Regions 3 and 4.

It is most important that these counter measures be continued and the President is thankful to our citizens who are cooperating in this expanded campaign, not only against kidnapping but also against other organized crimes like drugs, Bunye said.

Tons of shabu have been confiscated and leaders of drug syndicates have been arrested thanks to the efforts of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Bunye said.

In the drive against terrorism which is worldwide, Bunye cited that the top terrorist group in the country, the Abu Sayyaf, has almost been totally dismantled with the killing or/and capture of its leaders. Commander Robot has been captured recently and is currently undergoing tactical interrogation by military authorities.

Government relief operations in Southern Leyte and Caraga, which were recently ravaged by floods and landslides, have shifted to providing medium and long-term solutions, Malacanang said today.

Based on reports President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo received from the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, immediate relief operations have been going well, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said this morning in a radio interview.

Thus, the relief operations are now geared to the medium and long-term solutions of the floods and landslides that frequently happen in the disaster areas.

Now we’re talking about relocation, the houses to which the disaster victims will transfer to because the places from which they came are now hardly habitable.

As an initial step, the President said Monday the government will build about 140 houses for the disaster victims in Southern Leyte.

The project would be funded by the NDCC, the military’s engineering brigade will provide man power and the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council will draw up the plans for the low-cost housing project, the President said Monday.

She said the project will cost the NDCC over a million to implement the project, using mostly bamboo and confiscated logs to save on expenses.

Now we’re talking about looking for permanent solutions to the floods and landslides that frequently ravage those areas, Bunye said.

Massive reforestation is needed in those areas, Bunye explained.

The government’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) gained added momentum over the past year pursuant to a commitment stated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her state of the nation address.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) reported that from January to December 2003, a total of 90,108 hectares were distributed to 64,467 farmer-beneficiaries. This brought the total agricultural lands distributed under the Macapagal-Arroyo administration to 306,091 hectares benefiting a total of 212,215 farmers.

Despite the 10 percent shortfall from the targeted 100,000 hectares, the DAR still viewed the one-year accomplishment as "remarkable" considering that implementation was persistently hampered by stiff resistance from the affected landowners. "Added to this is the budgetary constraint for landowners’ compensation which limits the area for compensation," the DAR said.

For 2003, an additional 25,030 hectares of landowners’ retained assets were also covered by DAR’s leasehold operation benefiting 10,286 leaseholders. Leasehold operation is designed to provide tenants security of tenure, greater share of the produce and higher income. "In absolute comparison, this accomplishment is commendable being the highest during the Macapagal-Arroyo administration," the DAR report stated.

As of end 2003, the government has so far placed a total of 1.55 million hectares under leasehold arrangement for the benefit of 1.13 million tenants.

President Macapagal-Arroyo has said that farm tenants "should become freemen who will share with dignity in the task of building the nation."

This year’s implementation started off strong with over 53,000 hectares distributed in January to June. DAR Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan said it was the first time that the government reached half of its target in the first semester, giving rise to expectations that they might even overshoot the target. 

The DAR’s optimism was even bolstered by a recent Supreme Court decision declaring P38 billion of Marcos wealth as ill-gotten. Under the CARP, recovered ill-gotten wealth of the late strongman and his alleged cronies would be used to pay landowners affected by the land reform program.

To speed up empowerment of the new landowners, the DAR has also shifted to high gear its support services using the Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) strategy, described as "area and beneficiary-focused development approach to optimize the allocation and use of limited resources.

The DAR intensified its intervention in the ARCs to increase farm production, improve household income and promote sustainable rural development. Such intervention consisted of infrastructure development, access to credit, training, extension services and community dynamics.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo surprised today residents of Barangay Payatas in Quezon City where she made a year-end visit to preside at an informal opening of a satellite project meant to bring potable water to the area.

Funded by the state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), the project was undertaken through the "Patubig ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo" program which seeks to deliver clean and safe water to some 40 blighted communities in Metro Manila.

In a press briefing following her ceremonial switch-on of the Payatas project, the President said the program was conceived following consultations last year with the concerned communities. She later proceeded to Empire Hilltop in Payatas 3 where she committed a separate water connection for its residents.

The President said combined elements of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, PAGCOR, the Manila Water Co. and Maynilad visited several the intended recipient-barangays of the project to determine what kind of water distribution facility were needed.

The President said 20 out of 40 communities surveyed complained about having no decent water supply system.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo also said she wanted her "Patubig" program to be completed by late February as the country commemorates the anniversary of the EDSA I and 2 People’s revolutions. It will benefit an estimated 6,000 households.

She pointed out that she chose PAGCOR to spearhead implementation of the program "because it is under the Office of the President and I can closely monitor the implementation."

PAGCOR information officer Edward King, who represented PAGCOR chairman Efraim Genuino, said they coordinated with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to speed up implementation of the projects.

"We even borrowed the MWSS water tanks which we installed in some areas," King said. In other areas, he said PAGCOR provided water purifying equipment which the residents could use as a livelihood project the proceeds of which they could use to develop their community.

King said 12 water purifying systems would be in place by January 20.