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17 SEPTEMBER 2003 |
| Statement of the President : Bush visit |
Our strategic partnership with the United States in fighting terrorism and poverty has the overwhelming support of the majority of our people. The surveys reflect this unequivocally. President Bush is highly respected and appreciated by Filipinos in our country and in the United States. We have forged a genuinely mutual relationship that transcends the colonial ties of the past. President Bush has gone out of his way to help our veterans get more benefits, and in facilitating Filipinos’ remittances to the Philippines. He is very sensitive to our national interest and Constitutional prerogatives in the conduct of joint military training exercises. I look forward to a warm, rousing welcome of President Bush by the Filipino people. |
| Statement of the President : Employment |
I am confident that more jobs have been restored in the agricultural sector as the El Nino has abated. We are also determined to strike up more investments in the industrial and services sectors as economic activities pick up towards yearend. More jobs are a result of sound economic fundamentals as much as political security and confidence. We have to shake off the syndrome of destabilization and excessive politicking to get investments on track. The incessant atmosphere of controversy and putting-each-other-down must give way to focus and a sense of national purpose to rev up the economy and drive down crime and terrorism. We are consolidating the nation but we must do so at a faster pace. |
| Statement of the President : Conduct of public servants |
I encourage all departments and agencies to undertake an awareness campaign on the need for upright conduct among public servants in and out of office. Working on a good image for the government does not stop after office hours. People judge the government through work performance as much as the habits of its workers. The symptoms of corruption and profligacy are seen mostly outside of the office than in it – in the lifestyle and personal conduct of officials and employee. |
| First half budget deficit is P24-B below target ceiling |
The January to July budget deficit is P24 billion below the programmed ceiling for the period, allowing the government to boost August spending to spur economic growth, particularly in rural areas. In a statement, Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho said the budget gap for the first seven months of the year hit P95.4 billion, against a ceiling of P110 billion. With revenue collections expected to remain on track, the government felt it could use up part of the deficit cushion built up till July and still come in comfortably within the programmed ceiling of P202 billion for all of 2003. "We are making use of some of that P24 billion headroom to pay obligations, including construction work in the countryside. This will spur growth, especially in agricultural areas hit by El Nino," Camacho said. Camacho said that the August deficit is actually good news. This shows that the government is spending for growth while maintaining solid fiscal management. He said that government tax collection in August was stronger than anticipated, offsetting an unexpected shortfall in the collection of the Bureau of Customs (BoC). The Bureau of Treasury (BTr) also surpassed its revenue goal for the period. The Finance and Budget departments are still computing revenue collection and expenditures, but Camacho expects the August shortfall to exceed the P8.1 billion target ceiling. However, the January to August deficit will still be well below the P127.1 billion limits for the period. Camacho said that the government opted to pay some P11 billion worth of accounts payable that accumulated during the first half of the year to its suppliers and service providers. "We could afford to be cautious and calibrated in our spending because of the headroom we have created in the first seven months," Camacho said. He said that the government is capable of reining in the budget deficit and achieve its growth target for this year, especially since interest and inflation rates remain low. "Our economy is resilient enough to survive the global economic slowdown, with efforts being focused on sustainable growth through domestic demand," Camacho explained. He expressed confidence that that the government will meet its 2003 budget deficit target of P202 billion, or about 4.7 percent of the country’s projected gross domestic product (GDP). |
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye |
| Re Desire to Go Abroad If one out of four wants to go abroad, it is still positive sign because three out of four want to stay in the country. And that’s an overwhelming majority. Our laws guarantee freedom of locomotion and this contributes to the desire of some to try their fortunes elsewhere. Those in the countryside want to go to the city. Those in the city want to go abroad. And those abroad want to come home. Re Senator Pimentel’s Suggestion to Crack Down on Spoofs That was a welcome gesture from Senator Pimentel coming as it does from a respected member of the opposition. But still the President would not consider any move that could possibly be interpreted as a suppression of the freedom of expression. |
| GMA receives Kalinga-Apayao twins separated in Taiwan |
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today thanked the Lord for the successful surgery separating the Kalinga-Apayao Siamese twins Lea and Rachel Awel in a Taiwan hospital last June. "Praise God," the President said when the twins’ parents, Andy and Marietta, accompanied by the Tzu Chi Foundation volunteers, called on her this afternoon in Malacanang. The parents also thanked the President for providing them support before they left for Taiwan for the operation. The President gave the parents $1,000 in financial assistance. The President instructed Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to make sure that the needs of the Awel twins, aside from the support being given by the Tzu Chi Foundation, will be provided for by the DSWD. According to Soliman, the Tzu Chi Foundation-Philippines expressed interest to help the Awel twins after they saw the Awel twins and their parents at the Philippine Children Medical Center seeking medical help. After tests at the Chinese General Hospital showed the twins could be operated on, they were brought to Taiwan. On June 28, 2003, the Siamese twins were separated successfully. Soliman said that the Tzu Chi Foundation continues to help the Awel family to make sure that the twins stay healthy and get the proper medication and therapy. "We will also be working with them to make sure that the twins will have a bright future," Soliman said. "At least, the twins will have to stay in Manila for six months," she added. Tzu Chi Foundation, Philippines was established in 1994. The foundation has already conducted a total of 42 medical, dental, eye and surgical mission from the northernmost Aparri to the southern tip of General Santos City in Mindanao. |
| Shake off excessive politicking, GMA tells people anew |
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today called on the nation to shake off the syndrome of destabilization and excessive politicking to get investments on track and create more jobs for the people. In a press statement, the President said the "incessant atmosphere of controversy and putting-each-other-down" must give way to focus and a sense of national purpose to rev up the economy and drive down crime and terrorism. "I am confident that more jobs have been restored in the agricultural sector as the El Nino has abated," the President said. "We are also determined to strike up more investments in the industrial and service sectors as economic activities pick up towards yearend." She noted that more jobs are a result of sound economic fundamentals as much as political security and confidence. "We are consolidating the nation but we must do so at a faster pace," she stressed. Presidential Deputy Spokesman and Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo clarified in a press briefing that the excessive politicking attributed to by the President refers to the period after July. "Any improvements in the employment picture for the rest of the year according to the President may be retarded by excessive politics and may as well affect business confidence and the economy," Saludo said. He expressed the hope that the employment picture will indeed improve and that the political atmosphere gets more focused on the elections "rather than on other ways of conducting politics." Saludo said that the private sector would continue to be the main engine of growth, adding that the additional spending of government is meant to offset or exceed the stimulus coming from the private sector. "We would like to think that a lot of the government spending in the rural sector would be used to pay off liabilities to construction companies and private sector company that will themselves be providing employment to the rural sector, not the government," he explained. |
| AFP unequivocably behind GMA, says Gen. Abaya |
The entire Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is unequivocably behind the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as AFP chief, Gen. Narciso Abaya today denied media reports claiming that he was collaborating with some retired AFP generals in a supposed plan to pressure the President to resign. "I deny that, whatever is written there. That is not true. I don’t know who wrote that. I wish whoever wrote that would give some proof," Abaya said when asked to comment on a report that he was supporting the alleged call of the 647-strong Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO) for the President to step down. Abaya gave the reaction to newsmen after the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Department of National Defense (DND) held this morning in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. The President, in her capacity as acting DND secretary, presided over the meeting. Abaya said that so as not to confuse the people, the media should first verify their story before having them published. "I appeal to the media to please do not write something that is not verified," he said. Retired Brig. Gen. Ernesto Gidaya, AGFO president, also strongly denied that their group is pressuring the President to resign. "In fact, we are behind the President," he said. On the issue of graft and corruption, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye, in his regular press briefing in Malacanang, said that this problem has been the focus of the President’s attention since day one of her administration. Bunye said that programs are already being put in place "with regards to procurement, disbursements and the authorities for payments" to avoid questionable transactions in the government. Abaya also described as "rumor mongering" the report that he had obtained a visa for his whole family before the July 27 Oakwood mutiny in Makati City. He said he obtained a visa only for himself and Mrs. Abaya because they were invited to go to the United States. "I was supposed to go to the States on July 31 because I was invited by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, as his visitor and I should have a whole day with him at the Pentagon on August 7," Abaya said. Although Mrs. Abaya was also invited as guest of Mrs. Myers, he said he decided to postpone the trip to a later date because of the Oakwood incident. Abaya also said that the military is hot on the trail of confessed international terrorist Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi who is believed to be in hiding in the Zamboanga area. "The AFP is pressing the search and arrest and neutralization of Al-Ghozi," Abaya said. In a joint command conference with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the AFP last week, the President directed the AFP to help the PNP in solving high-profile crimes, including the arrest of Al-Ghozi who escaped from Camp Crame last July. Abaya said intelligence reports indicate that Al-Ghozi could be hiding in the Tungawan area between the boundaries of Zamboanga City and Sibugay province. Although the pinpointed area is thickly forested, Abaya is optimistic that government authorities would be able to recapture Al-Ghozi even before the state visit of US President George W. Bush next month. |
| Bush visit won't influence local politics, says Palace |
Malacaņang today said that local political events are not influenced by the visit of any foreign head of state. Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye emphasized this in a press briefing today as he debunked claims by certain quarters that the visit of US President George W. Bush on October 18 will have a bearing on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s decision whether to run in next year’s presidential polls or not. "We conduct our politics independently of any other government or any other outside group," said Bunye to quash speculations that the Bush visit has something to do with the meeting of the ruling Lakas-NUCD party on October 7. "These two events are unrelated," Bunye explained. "The Lakas will be conducting its own procedures so let’s just wait to find out what will happen after said meeting." Bunye clarified that the holding of the meeting is something that is left to the directorate of the ruling party and has nothing to do with the fact that it will fall on the day the President will be in the Asean Summit in Bali, Indonesia. He also set aside claims that the Lakas is set to choose between the President and Ambassador Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco for the party’s standard-bearer, saying this is something that will have to be discussed in the actual meeting. |
