The Department of Agriculture (DA) hopes to be able to resume the Philippines’ fresh banana exports to Australia.

The DA welcomes a recommendation by the Australian quarantine agency to lift the two-year ban on Philippine bananas. The ban stemmed from a Biosecurity Australia (BA) policy for banana imports to pass through stringent regulations to protect the $291-million Australian banana industry.

"While we welcome this development, we will have to study very closely the implications of the recommendations contained in BA’s revised import risk analysis (IRA)," Agriculture Secretary Luis P. Lorenzo, Jr. said.

BA has given all stakeholders, including the Philippines, until April 23, 2004 to comment on the revised IRA. The quarantine agency, however, did not say when a final decision on lifting the ban would be taken.

"Our lawyers in Geneva, as well as industry, trade and policy experts, are now evaluating the possible implications of these proposed conditions for the entry of Philippine fresh banana exports to Australia," Lorenzo said.

The Philippines has been working for the resumption of exporting bananas to Australia, which consumes around 260,000 metric tons of bananas yearly.

The Australian banana market is estimated to be worth $50 million annually.

The DA said that Philippine growers offer much lower banana prices. The price of Australian Cavendish is roughly $7.50 per 13-kg box, while the Class-A Philippine Cavendish is exported, free on board, at only $2.60 per box.

Australian banana production is estimated at about 250,000 tons annually from 11,000 hectares of plantations. In comparison, Philippine banana production is 1.6 million metric tons annually from about 32,000 hectares located in the four Davao provinces and in South Cotabato.

The Philippine banana industry exported at least $320 million worth of bananas last year to Japan, South Korea, China, New Zealand and the Middle East.

In fairness to the Filipino people, I am for having all the Presidential candidates in a nationally televised debate over prime time.

The debate can be divided into three segments – economic, political and social programs.

We can each be given a brief time to speak, then be allowed to ask a few questions of each other before issuing short rebuttal statements.

Then we can answer questions from a media panel consisting of top tri-media personalities.

This is a chance for the Filipino people to know the truth about their candidates.

We can adopt a guideline that there will be no attacks against any candidate in the debate.

I do not want to, and I shall not, disparage anybody on account of his credential or qualifications.

Let the people judge us on what we say and not on what others say of us.

We enjoy a strategic relationship with the United States that is beneficial for both our countries and for the region.

This is a partnership for political and economic security in this part of the world as it is part of modernization of our armed forces and the sharing of technologies and tactics in the field.

We have gained much in training side by side with American troops and this has made our communities and facilities more secure.

Our people also benefit is terms of community development projects and we welcome the goodwill of the US armed forces.

This is part of our international connections that enhance our security and enable our people to focus on jobs and fighting crime and drugs.

We have been in the list of terrorist targets for sometime because of our open, uncompromising stand against domestic and global terrorism.

But it is a fact that we have not suffered any major terrorist attack for several months now.

This is a tribute to the comprehensiveness of our anti-terrorism program, the vigilance of our military and police forces and the close cooperation and solidarity of our communities.

These allegations about public funds being used in the administration campaign are obviously politically-motivated.

We will not dignify these issues, instead, we dare our accusers to substantiate their allegations through concrete pieces of evidence.

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) today stated that it is under normal operations serving the financial, technical and institutional development needs of the 119 electric cooperatives (Ecs) nationwide.

NEA acting administrator Edith Bueno pointed out that the passage of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) in June 2001 paved the way for the organizational restructuring of energy-related government agencies including NEA to create a much leaner but more responsive organizations/agencies under a deregulated power industry.

Specifically, Rule 33 Sections 3 (a) and (b) (ii) of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the EPIRA provides for the legal termination of NEA officials and employees and their entitlement of benefits or separation pay to one and one half (1 ½) month’s salary for every year of service in the government.

"All of the 700 employees separated were given their separation package which are higher than those under ordinary retirement laws," acting administrator Bueno said.

She added that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in December 5, 2003 approved the new NEA structure with 422 plantilla positions.

"Presently, the hiring process is being undertaken where the Civil Service Commission (CSC) rules are strictly being followed. Some 156 employees have been appointed to various positions, comprising the new workforce of NEA," she stressed.

Acting administrator Bueno, also explained that some government agencies, NEA included, are operating under the 2003 reenacted budget. NEA, however, is allowed to only utilize 15 percent of the reenacted budget following DBM’s strict disbursement procedures.

She added that the DBM has approved allocation of P450 million for rural electrification projects for this year to push the government’s program of providing electricity to all barangays nationwide. Some 524 barangays are lined up for energization for 2004 as identified by the respective cooperatives in their workplans on Barangay Energization.

In just 45 days, the "Patubig ni PGMA" project of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been able to provide potable water to 645,177 households in Metro Manila and the nearby provinces of Rizal and Cavite.

In launching yet another Patubig project this morning at Barangay North Fairview, Quezon City, President Macapagal-Arroyo assured some 4,000 families that they will get daily ration of clean drinking water from seven water tank trucks of Maynilad, free of charge.

The 4,000 new recipient households bring to 95,200 the total number of families that are now benefiting from the Patubig ni PGMA project in Quezon City.

"Clean drinking water is vital in everyday life; that’s why I brought here to your community my Patubig project to ensure your daily ration of potable water, free of charge; and this will be monitored by Barangay Captain Nestor Reyes," the President said.

Aside from solving their water woes, President Macapagal-Arroyo took time to find solutions to other needs raised by barangay residents during her visit.

She also directed Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Elisea Gozun to coordinate with Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., on possible distribution of land in the vicinity of La Mesa Dam. This is to resolve the present land dispute among residents in Barangay North Fairview.

President Macapagal-Arroyo also announced the holding of a meeting, to be attended by various groups in the barangay, to resolve their "right of way" dispute. Resolution of the row will clear the way for electricity and water line connections in their place.

Since the President initiated her Patubig ni PGMA program on December 31, 2003 in Barangay Payatas, QC, a status report submitted to Malacañang by the project area managers shows that it already reached 466,642 households in Metro Manila, 164,675 in Rizal Province and 13,860 families in Cavite.

Assisting President Macapagal-Arroyo in the project-launching this morning were Mayor Belmonte, North Fairview Barangay chairman Nestor Reyes and Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) administrator Orlando Hondrade.

Even before she could go full blast in her campaign, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has overtaken Fernando Poe Jr. in the latest survey conducted by Pulse Asia, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said today.

In two nationwide surveys conducted January and February this year by the prestigious firm, the President has pulled abreast of Poe in one and gained headway in another, indicating a tight race for the Presidency in the coming May polls.

After trailing Poe in previous polls, the President inched to within 1.2 percentage of the actor (33.4 to 34.6) in the first survey conducted Jan. 23 to Feb. 8 before surging ahead by a slim two-tenths percent (31.9 to 31.7) in the succeeding survey done Feb. 16-20.

In both surveys, too, Former Education Secretary Raul Roco is a distant third (16.2 and 19.1) while Senator Panfilo Lacson is fourth (10.7 and 8.3).

Bunye said Malacanang is still going over the survey results but nonetheless expressed elation that the President has finally gained a headway.

"We are still going over the survey results but what we can say is, the President has made headway and this is the stage where the President really has not yet began to fight," he said.

Both surveys made use of face-to-face interviews and involved a sample size of 1,800 adult respondents with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

The first survey asked respondents to choose whom they would vote for as president from a list containing the names of the six official presidential candidates.

In the second survey, respondents were asked to write down on a ballot the names of their chosen candidates as if to simulate the actual voting exercise.

The findings of the two surveys are nearly the same indicating a degree of robustness in the results.

It will be recalled that a tight race was also noted in the November survey of the firm with Roco then as the frontrunner with 30.6 percent of the votes. President Macapagal-Arroyo and Poe shared second place with 27.9 percent and 27.2 percent, respectively.

In the contest for the vice presidency, Senator Noli de Castro continues to enjoy a wide lead over his colleague and fellow candidate Sen. Loren Legarda, 62 percent to 53 percent respectively.

According to Pulse Asia, no religious, political, economic or any other form of partisanship has been allowed to influence the survey design, the findings generated by the actual surveys or the subsequent analyses of survey findings.

Prices of basic commodities remain stable despite the slight depreciation of the peso, according to Trade Secretary Cesar Purisima.

In his report to the cabinet in a meeting at Malacanang today, Purisima said that generally prices continue to be stable "although there is a slight upward pressure as a result of the continued depreciation of the peso, especially on items that are imported."

Purisima explained that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is coordinating with manufacturers and suppliers so that price increases would not be drastic.

"We have been advised by milk manufacturers that they might not be able to hold the line anymore on milk, because milk is 95 percent imported. We have been meeting with them so that price increases would be phased and not drastic," he said.

Purisima said that there continues to be an upward pressure on the price of pork and other meat products.

"On the price of pork, there is still continued pressure. In fact, pork products that we are monitoring, particularly pork liempo, is at P145 per kilo, and that is because of the demand pull, since consumers are still avoiding chicken," he said.

He said that it would be better if consumers start buying chicken to avoid any further upward pressure on the prices of other food prices.

Purisima said that chicken prices have gone down to as low as P84 per kilo.

"So our approach is to really try and convince our people not to panic because panic buying can lead to hoarding and speculation on prices of commodities," he said.

Purisima announced that the DTI will be launching the "Bantay Bilihin" Program on March 3 to ensure that prices of basic commodities, particularly prices of beef, pork and fish, would remain stable.

"The concept of "Bantay Bilihin" is to monitor prices of commodities as a way of ensuring that there be no overpricing," he said.

To prevent overpricing by retailers, he said, the program would require, among other things, the daily posting of suggested retail prices of basic commodities, including meat and fish products in wet and dry markets nationwide.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo leads the 18^th anniversary celebration of EDSA People Power 1 that paved the way to the ouster of a dictatorial regime and the restoration of democracy in the country.

The President is going to attend the flag-raising ceremony at the People Power Monument at EDSA, Pasig City, at 7:30 a.m. Former Presidents Corazon C. Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos will also be in attendance at the ceremony.

The three Presidents will also attend a Holy Mass at the Our Lady of EDSA Church at 12 noon. Before the mass, President Macapagal-Arroyo will sign into law, in a Malacanang ceremony, a bill declaring a Ninoy Aquino Day.

Mrs. Aquino assumed the presidency after President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who ruled the country by martial law from l972 to 1986, was toppled and forced to live in exile in Hawaii in the aftermath of the people power revolution. She was the widow of former Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino whose assassination in l983 intensified the struggle against the Marcos regime.

The EDSA People Power Commission has also lined up an activity dubbed as "People Power para sa Halalan," at the De La Salle University Greenhills, in San Juan. The program includes:

• Youth voters forum;

• Pledge for honest and peaceful elections; and

• Election caravan.

Another activity "People Power over Poverty: Rising from the Ashes," will be held at the BASECO compound in Tondo, Manila. President Macapagal-Arroyo will participate in this activity that starts at 2:00 P.M.

The President will also take part in the program "People Power Over Poverty: Rising from the Garbage," at the Smokey Mountain at 3 P.M.

A 40-day national prayer and fasting for peaceful and credible elections will be launched at the EDSA Shrine.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred the Order of Sikatuna on two outgoing ambassadors while accepting the credentials of two others in separate ceremonies today at the Palace.

The President conferred the Order of Sikatuna, with the rank of Datu, on Ambassadors Wang Chungui of the Peoples Republic of China (PROC) and Son Sang-Ha of the Republic of Korea in simple rites at Malacanang’s Ramos Room.

The Presidential citations were given to the two foreign dignitaries for their worthy and able representation during their tours of duty in promoting friendly and warm relations in the field of economic, political and cultural cooperation.

Ambassador Wang Chungui said that he learned a lot and was impressed by the Filipinos during his three and a half years of duty here. He told the President of the Chinese government’s continued support to the Philippines, especially in promoting economic cooperation between the two countries.

Ambassador Son Sang-Ha, who has been in the country for almost two and a half years, for his part told the President that "I will never forget the Philippines."

Immediately after the conferment, the President accepted the credentials of the ambassadors of the Republic of Gabon and the Sultanate of Oman in ceremonies held at the Rizal Hall.

Ambassador Emmanuel Izzoze Ngondet of the Republic of Gabon and Ambassador Sheikh Ghazi Bin Said Bin Abdullah Al-Bahar Al-Rawas of the Sultanate of Oman were accompanied by Undersecretary Rafael Segis of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the presentation of their credentials.

"I accept your credentials and I hope you will be successful during your tenure," the President told the ambassadors.

In commemoration of the 18^th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution tomorrow, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has added the late Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr., more popularly known as Ninoy, to the gallery of heroes at the Heroes Hall of Malacanang.

Aquino was assassinated Aug. 21, 1983 at the then Manila International Airport upon his return from Boston, triggering a wave of protest actions that led to the toppling of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 in what is now known as EDSA 1.

The airport has since been named after the late senator.

Ninoy will be included in the gallery that features the busts of heroes commissioned by the late President Diosdado Macapagal when he renamed Malacanang’s Social Hall into Heroes Hall.

The busts of heroes by National Artist for Sculpture Guillermo Tolentino feature Rajah Lakandula, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Jose Rizal, Apolinario Mabini, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel L. Quezon, Jose Abad Santos and Jose P. Laurel.