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16 SEPTEMBER 2003 |
| Statement of the President : Cardinal Sin |
Cardinal Sin is a champion of Philippine democracy. He brought the church squarely behind the fight for human freedom and strengthened its role in the transformation of government, nation and people. He will be missed very much but we will always turn to him for his wise and endearing counsel on doing what is right and just. He may have retired but his leadership and guidance will live on. I join our people in welcoming His Eminence Gaudencio Rosales as the new Archbishop of Manila, whom I am confident will carry the torch of the faith, as a catalyst for positive change and as an instrument of good governance, just as ably and valiantly as his predecessor. |
| Statement of the President : WTO |
We must now ride the fresh tide of trade politics that is just and fair to the developing nations and takes into account the welfare of the great majority of the world’s peoples. The emergence of a new alliance of more than 20 developing countries can be considered a positive outcome of the Cancun summit. We shall continue to work with this alliance in order to defend and preserve the welfare and livelihood of our farmers, fisher folk and all those who struggle in the margins of our economy. We cannot have political security, both in the national and global sense, if we cannot ensure economic security at the grassroots. The developing countries must stick together to uphold this principle. |
| Statement of the President : President Bush Visit |
Maximum-security measures are set for President Bush’s visit. This is being handled jointly by Philippine and US authorities. But this visit goes beyond mere concerns over terrorism. It is about the mutuality of Philippine and US interests in peace, security and development—regionally and globally. President Bush and I will reaffirm our commitments to key programs that will push forward political and economic security in this part of the world. The Filipino people continue to benefit immensely—in terms of jobs, livelihood opportunities and public safety—from our strategic relationship with the United States. |
| GMA bids farewell to Cardinal Sin. Welcomes Bishop Rosales |
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today lauded Jaime Cardinal Sin on his retirement as Archbishop of Manila and welcomed his successor, Bishop Gaudencio Rosales of the Diocese of Lipa City (Batangas). In a statement on the change of leadership in the local Catholic Church hierarchy, the President hailed Cardinal Sin as a "champion of Philippine democracy." Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo said Cardinal Sin, who reached the retirement age of 75 years on August 31, "brought the church squarely behind the fight for human freedom and strengthened its role in the transformation of government, nation and people." "He may have retired but his leadership and guidance will live on," she said, adding that she will always turn to him for "his wise and endearing counsel on doing what is right and just." In welcoming 71-year-old Bishop Rosales, President Macapagal-Arroyo expressed confidence that he "will carry the torch of the faith, as a catalyst for positive change and as an instrument of good governance, just as ably and valiantly as his predecessor." Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said, in an interview with Radio ng Bayan, that Cardinal Sin acted like "a true shepherd" of the flock and a "true leader" of the people" at the critical juncture of the nation’s history. Bunye said that the Macapagal-Arroyo administration’s policy has always been to respect the church as an institution. "Palagay ko ay papatuloy naman na magiging maganda ang ugnayan ng simbahan at ng pamahalaan (I believe that good relations between the church and the government will continue)," he added. |
| GMA seeks implementation of universal health insurance |
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today directed the Department of Health (DoH) to implement a universal health insurance for some 30 million indigents throughout the country. At the Malacaņang meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit discussed the Philippine Health Sector Reform Agenda (HSRA). Dayrit said that Implementing such a plan under the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) "means health insurance coverage for about 30 million indigents." The President, who chairs the NEDA board, also called for improvement of the quality and accessibility of health care for the poor, particularly in the provision of public preventive facilities and rural health units (RHUs). At the same time, the Chief Executive instructed the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), along with the DoH, to make cheap medicines available to more hospitals nationwide and to reduce the cost of hospitalization for indigent patients. As one means of upgrading the quality of service in government hospitals, Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo suggested giving them financial autonomy. She said that the Philippine health system should be made more pro-poor, financially stable and less prone to partisan politics. In her state of the nation address at the 3rd Regular Session of the 12th Congress, the President said she wanted to be forceful in the field of health services, like the implementation of effective measures to fight the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). |
| Investor confidence remains strong -- Camacho |
Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho said today that the confidence of foreign investors in the Philippines remains strong despite distracting political events. "Foreign investors continue to be focused in our economic fundamentals," Camacho said, adding "they see the Philippines as the next round of opportunity when it comes to investing". Camacho, who recently visited Paris, London and Singapore expressed optimism that the Philippines’ investment climate will continue to improve in the coming months. "They (investors) continue to hold a positive view of the Philippines and expressed satisfaction over our economic numbers and ongoing fiscal and reform programs," Camacho said in a news briefing in Malacaņang. Foreign investors are very particular with the Philippines economic and business policies and are concerned on their continuity. "They want good governance, especially on policy reforms, under the present leadership, to continue," Camacho explained. He said that the financial market has normalized and continued to recover lost ground after the July 27 Oakwood incident. This is evidenced by the improving price of global bonds, he added. "We have noticed that the spreads of our bonds in the financial markets have begun to tighten, tighter than before the Oakwood incident," Camacho said. Camacho said that the continued weakness of the peso would probably persist because of pessimistic domestic sentiment brought about by too much politics. It can also be attributed to the dominance of local players in the currency markets, such as overseas Filipino workers, exporters and importers who were affected by the unfavorable political events. The upcoming state visit here of US President George W. Bush is expected to benefit the local financial market, he said. "President Bush’s state visit here in October would help boost investor confidence in our financial markets. Bush’s visit marks the turning point in RP-US relationship since the Americans pulled out and closed their military bases here in the country," Camacho said. Camacho said that investors believe the visit of President Bush and possibly the economic and military packages that he would be bringing with him will further spark business activities in the country. |
| Bush visit goes beyond concerns on terrorism -- GMA |
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said the visit next month of US President George W. Bush to Manila goes beyond the mere concerns over terrorism. In a statement, the President said that the visit "is about the mutuality of Philippine and US interests in peace, security and development – regionally and globally." The President said that during the eight-hour visit here of President Bush she would reaffirm with him their commitments to key programs that will push forward political and economic security in this part of the world. She said the Philippines continues to immensely benefit from the strategic partnership with the US in terms of jobs, livelihood opportunities and public safety. Hours after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the US, the President was one of the first leaders in the Asia-Pacific region who condemned the incident and sympathized with the American people. A day later, she expressed the Philippines full and unqualified support for the US in spearheading an international coalition against global terrorism. During her state visit in Washington last May, the US government pledged to give the Philippines a minimum of $356 million in defense and security assistance. Later in his press briefing in Malacanang, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the country should give importance to the Bush visit, the US being a strategic partner and ally of the Philippines. "He is a very important ally. We have very strategic partnership and a lot of Filipinos benefit from this strategic alliance with the United States. So we have to give the importance that this visit deserves," Bunye said. Aside from this, the US government has been continuously providing various forms of assistance, particularly grants from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Bunye said that Ambassador Victoriano Licaros, former spokesman of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), would be the principal spokesperson during the state visit. |
| GMA, Okinawa Governor Inamine discuss more direct Manila-Okinawa flights |
Plans to increase the number of commercial flights from Okinawa to Manila and vice versa were among the salient points discussed in today’s meeting between President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and visiting Okinawa Governor Keiichi Inamine. Saying Okinawa is much closer to Manila than Tokyo, Inamine said the route will take only two hours as compared to the five hours travel time from Tokyo to Manila. Part of Inamine’s working visit is the strengthening of the bilateral relations between Okinawa and Manila. While here, he intends to visit some of the 1,500 descendants from Okinawa who have been living in the Philippines since the 1940s. He is also scheduled to visit the Subic Bay Freeport tomorrow with Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon where he will be briefed on Subic’s conversion from a former military base of the United States into an economic zone. "I would like to see Subic and use this place as a significant reference for Okinawa’s future development and conversion," Inamine said. The Okinawa governor expressed gratitude to the International Container Transport Services, Inc (ICTSI) for its interest in participating in a public bidding for the establishment of a container terminal in Okinawa, Japan. He denied making any discussion with the President on the possible relocation of the United States military training to the Philippines. Present during the meeting, aside from Gordon, were Speaker Jose De Venecia, Jr., Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) chief Gabriel Claudio and ICTSI chairman Enrique T. Razon. Inamine was accompanied by Choel Yogi, Satoshi Sho and Lourdes Wakamiya. Inamine told the President how grateful he was for the very warm reception she extended to him. He also expressed appreciation for the strong relations between the Philippines and Japan. For her part, the President extended her admiration for the Governor of Okinawa and the Japanese government. "We are very happy to have you here and really appreciate your presence in our country," she told Inamine. |
