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20 MAY 2004 |
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye: Re Call for sobriety and prudence |
The people have faith in democracy and they are waiting for the count to be finished by the duly constituted institutions mandated to do it. We urge all our political leaders to follow the road of sobriety and prudence. After the elections, there is no more sense in rabid partisanship that can be transformed by underground plotters into destabilization. Our people are enlightened and responsible enough not to play into the hands of the enemies of democracy. Any plotters of destabilization must realize that they are isolated and cannot succeed. They must desist and allow constitutional and democratic processes to run their course. They are being closely watched by the authorities and must not cross the line of the law. |
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye: Re Transport fare |
The transport sector has suffered enough from the pressures brought by the series of oil price hikes. The government did all it can to hold off transport fare increases, but we have to bow to reality in a fair and reasonable manner. We, however, assure the public that the government agencies concerned are exerting all efforts to cushion the impact of the fare increase upon the lives of ordinary people, especially by alleviating its effects on the prices of basic commodities. |
| GMA designates DOT as lead agency to plan Independence Day 2004 celebration |
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the Department of Tourism (DOT) to immediately convene an inter-agency task force to plan and implement all programs, projects and activities for the celebration of Independence Day 2004 on June 12. The inter-agency task force will be chaired by Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan, with Executive Director Ludovico Badoy of the National Historical Institute and Education Secretary Edilberto de Jesus as vice-chairmen. Pagdanganan shall appoint other members as provided for by Administrative Order (AO) No. 99 issued by the President on May 17 to insure the appropriate commemoration of the heroism, patriotism and nationalism of our forefathers in the struggle for independence and to give Filipinos an occasion to unite and rally behind the government and the country’s institutions. AO No. 99 also enjoins all departments, bureaus, offices, national government agencies and local government units and government-owned and controlled corporations to give full support and cooperation to the Secretary of Tourism in the exercise of his responsibilities. All branches of government have also been enjoined to enlist the participation of private sector groups and non-government organizations so the 106th Philippine Independence Day celebration will be a show of unity and strength during these challenging times. The Pambansang Araw ng Watawat (Philippine National Flag Day) on May 28 will kick off the weeklong celebration. The raising of the national flag and wreath-laying ceremonies at the Rizal National Monument will be held at the Rizal Park on June 12 at about 7:00 a.m. The flag-raising will be replicated in places of national historical significance such as the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan; Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite; Mausoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolucion at the Manila North Cemetery; Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City; and Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine in San Juan, Metro Manila. All other cities and municipalities are enjoined to hold simultaneous and similar activities on the same time and day. All concerned government agencies and local government units will allocate the funds necessary to defray the expenses for the celebration. AO No. 99 also provides for the release of P10 million from the President’s contingent fund for the year. The Department of Budget and Management will determine sources for additional funds required. |
| Palace bares measures to ease impact of oil price hikes |
Malacaņang today bared specific government measures designed to ease the impact of the oil price hikes and the effects of the transport fare increases on the lives of ordinary people. Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye, in an interview with Radyo ng Bayan this morning, said that various government entities are working together to minimize the impact of oil price hikes, with the Department of Energy (DOE) as the lead agency. The DOE keeps close contact with local oil companies, Bunye said, to maintain the outlets in Metro Manila and nearby provinces where drivers/operators of public utility vehicles (PUV) can buy discounted diesel fuel. There are now 293 discounted outlets for diesel, Bunye said, adding that the DOE has been exploring ways to increase the number of gas stations selling diesel to PUV drivers/operators at a discount. Bunye said that the DOE is also looking for alternative sources of oil supply for the country, like Russia and other oil-producing countries in Asia. The Philippines gets the bulk of its oil supply from the Middle East. "Ang Department of Energy rin ay nag-e-explore ng mga bagong uri ng fuel, kabilang na rito iyong compress natural gas. Ang katunayan ay mayroon ng tatlong experimental process na gumagamit ng compress natural gas na pinatatakbo na ngayon ng Department of Energy. (DOE is also exploring the use of new kinds of fuels, including compress natural gas. Three experimental processes using compress natural are being tested by DOE)," he said. He said that the DOE is encouraging the public transport sector to convert its vehicles so that these would use compress natural gas instead of diesel. Compress natural gas is about half the cost of diesel, he said. To help maintain the prices of commodities, the Presidential Spokesman also said that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has been monitoring prices of goods in various markets of the country. In his statement, Bunye said that the government had done all it could to hold off transport fare increases, "but we have to bow to reality in a fair and reasonable manner." He noted that "transport sector has suffered enough from the pressures brought by the series of oil price hikes." |
| Palace urges political leaders to observe sobriety and prudence |
Malacaņang today called on the country’s political leaders today "to follow the road of sobriety and prudence" in as much as "there is no more sense in rabid partisanship" after the elections. Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said, in a statement released this morning, that rabid partisanship could be transformed into destabilization by "underground plotters." But at the same time, Bunye lauded the people for their "faith in democracy" as they patiently await for the count of votes in the May 10 elections to be finished by the duly constituted institutions mandated to do so. Meanwhile, Housing Secretary Michael Defensor, who acted as the presidential campaign spokesman, told a press briefing at Malacanang that he did not see anything wrong in allowing supporters of the opposition to hold rallies for as long as they are expressing legitimate grievance and are not violating any law. Defensor denied that the government had formed any military or police surveillance team to monitor movements of some opposition personalities. "There is also no such thing as wire tapping," he added. In his statement, Bunye noted that "our people are enlightened and responsible enough not to play into the hands of the enemies of democracy." "Any plotters of destabilization," he also pointed out, "must realize that they are isolated and cannot succeed." |
| Gov't new scheme for farmers: 'Plant now, pay later' |
Plant now, pay later. In its efforts to encourage the use of the high-yielding "Gloria" hybrid rice, the government is providing subsidy to farmers who use the new variety with the end goal of bringing down the price of the commodity in the market. Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said in a radio interview this morning that the government subsidy is complete from start to finish. "Alam naman natin na kapag dumadami ang supply ay may tendency na bumaba ang presyo (We all know that when there is more supply, the tendency is for prices to go down)," he said. Bunye said that aside from the existing subsidy for the price of the seedlings, there is also an assured farm gate price from the National Food Authority for those who would plant the hybrid rice. The "Gloria" rice variety has doubled the yield of farmers who have taken the government offer, resulting in increased rice production. It is now being propagated by the government in nearly all regions of the country. The Department of Agriculture expects that given the proper propagation, the program could lead to the country’s self-sufficiency in rice in a few years. Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo, meanwhile, has assured that typhoon "Dindo" did not affect much the rice crops in the affected areas since the regular planting season has yet to start. Instead, Bunye said, it was the abaca crops in the Bicol Region which got hit more by the typhoon. "Pero sinabi naman ni Secretary Lorenzo na marahil ay blessing in disguise na rin na ilang mga abaca crops, ito yung matatanda na at lumang crops ang tinamaan (But Secretary Lorenzo said it could have been a blessing in disguise since most of those affected were the old abaca plants)," he said. Lorenzo said that there is a need to plant new variety of abacas, which is higher-yielding. |
| Tourist arrivals post 25.7% growth in May |
Tourist arrivals in the country has increased at an all-time high of 25.7 percent in May based on the monthly statistics report from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), according to Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan. In a report to Malacaņang, Pagdanganan said that based on latest figures from NAIA, a 65.07-percent growth rate was noted in the May 13 visitor arrivals, with 5,071 tourists versus the 3,072 figure posted during the same period last year. Aggregate tourism arrivals in all ports of entry, including NAIA, showed that January attained a growth rate of 18.2 percent; February, 13.7 percent; March, 17 percent; April, 23 percent; and May 1-13, 25.7 percent. Records for the period from January to April 20, 2004 showed actual arrivals in NAIA while for the period from April 21 to May 13, 2004, estimates were based on BI data with the assumption that 50 percent of passengers are tourists, Pagdanganan said. "The increase in growth rate was attributed to the Ganda ng Pilipinas, Galing ng Pilipino (GP2) campaign of the department as part of its marketing efforts to boost the country in the international market," Pagdanganan said. He added that the political stability of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration would further boost the tourist arrivals in the country, which is expected to reach 2.5 million by the end of the year. He said that this figure is 14 percent higher than the 2.2 million arrivals in 1997, so far the highest record attained for visitor arrivals in the country. The official arrival and departure as well as shipping manifests, moreover, revealed that the month of March attained a growth rate of 23.9 percent out of the 194,507 tourists who arrived in the country this year as compared with the 157,036 visitors last year. Department of Tourism (DoT) sources said the tourist arrivals in three months generated an estimated tourism receipts of $502.08 million for the economy, marking a 24.02-percent increase from the $404.83-million revenue during the same period last year. Based on airport records, Cebu ranked first in growth rate with 33.50 percent, followed by Davao with 25.42 percent, and Manila with 14.9 percent in tourist arrivals for the month of March. On the other hand, seaport data revealed that Zamboanga topped in tourism arrivals, with growth rate of 84.38 percent, followed by Cebu with 67.37 percent and Subic, with 38.11 percent. According to tourist arrivals by target market, East Asia dominated arrivals in March 2004 with 82,691 or a 43.9 percent share of the total volume. The DoT also noted a double-digit increase in tourist arrivals from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. North America ranked second in March, attaining a volume of 48,548 or 22.9 percent share of the total. The US still dominated the tourist arrivals from North America with 42,929. The DoT noted that the Philippines also continues to receive more tourists coming from Southeast Asian neighbors such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. |
| Palace calls on KNP to bare sources of its quick count |
Malacaņang today scored the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) for falsely claiming victory in the just-concluded presidential election even as it dared the opposition party to reveal the sources of its own quick count to erase suspicions on the credibility of such exercise. This developed as Presidential Political Spokesman Michael Defensor said the opposition may continue its own quick count to dispel allegations that the administration is involved in election fraud or trending in the tabulation of the votes. Campaign Manager Gabriel Claudio of the ruling Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan para sa Kinabukasan (K-4) explained that since major political parties get their respective copies of the certificates of canvass (COCs), the opposition KNP should not have any problem divulging the source of its figures on the result of the elections. Claudio dared the KNP leaders to show solid proof that Fernando Poe, Jr. indeed, won the presidential derby, based on the party’s internal quick count. For its part, Claudio said the K-4 would be willing to share with the opposition camps result of its own quick count based on COCs gathered from the field. "While such monitoring has been intended as our own internal guide to validate or ascertain the results of the elections, we are now compelled, but privileged to share them with you," Claudio stressed. "By so doing, we intend to expose the KNP claim of victory as devoid of legal and factual basis, to say the least, or worse, utterly false, malicious and contemptuous or our electoral process," Claudio added. He also said since the close of the polls last May 10, the K-4 has been "careful not to make assertions about the results of such elections." "We have done so out of respect to the electoral process and the role of Comelec (Commission on Elections) and Congress in this matter," he said. Meanwhile, in a press briefing at the Palace, Defensor said the KNP has assured him that its standard-bearer has not claimed victory in the just-concluded presidential elections. Defensor, who is also housing secretary of the Macapagal-Arroyo Cabinet, said he talked to KNP spokesman Francis Escudero who clarified to him that Poe’s action of declaring his victory in the presidential contest is "internal for their group to boost their confidence going to the final canvassing." "He told me that there was no proclamation on the part of Mr. Poe and they’re not claiming victory in the last elections," Defensor said. Defensor said that it is Poe’s right to visit any part of the country, but should refrain from claiming victory in the May 10 presidential race. At the same time, Defensor said the Macapagal-Arroyo administration has not taken any legal action pertaining Poe’s self-proclamation in Mindanao. "The action being taken now is to prevent anyone from disrupting or sabotaging the canvassing or the counting of the votes," Defensor said. He even advised Poe to be responsible enough to wait for the final results of the counting to be undertaken by Congress in joint session. Defensor also said Poe should be reminded that as a political leader and as a presidential candidate, he should not agitate his supporters into taking drastic actions that might trigger "unpopular situations." In the same briefing, Defensor denied insinuations that the government is engaged in surveillance activities, including wire-tapping of opposition headquarters. He explained that if there is any close monitoring of activities of certain people or organization, it is being done by the law enforcement authorities on suspected elements of destabilization. During his press briefing at the K-4 headquarters in Makati City, Claudio said they have already tallied some 93 percent of the certificates of canvass (COCs) gathered from 106 areas in the country showing the President leading over Poe by more than a million votes. Claudio said that contrary to the claims of the KNP, the President is winning in Regions, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), CARAGA, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and in the overseas absentee votes; while Poe leads in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 12, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The K-4 quick count shows the President garnered 5,023,166 votes in Luzon; 4,090,519 in the Visayas; and 2,824,564 in Luzon. This is compared to Poe’s 6,638,844 votes in Luzon; 1,766,977 votes in the Visayas; and 2,533,474 votes in Mindanao. The K-4 count also shows that the President garnered 91,601 votes as against Poe’s 40,743 votes from the overseas absentee voting. Claudio said these figures show that the President has a tentative total of 12,029,850 votes as against Poe’s 10,980,038 votes for a difference of 1,049,812 votes. He said that the President’s lead of almost 900,000 votes in Cebu province alone is enough to erase Poe’s lead in 38 provinces that the KNP claimed they have won. |
| K-4 bares massive vote-buying and vote-shaving attempts by KNP |
The Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan para sa Kinabukasan (K-4) today revealed massive vote-buying and vote-shaving activities perpetrated by the main opposition coalition, the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) during the May 10 elections. But K-4 Campaign Manager Gabriel Claudio said because of the vigilance by K-4 lawyers and watchers these activities to discredit the political exercise were foiled. Claudio cited as example, the massive vote-buying of the KNP gubernatorial candidate in 21 municipalities in Eastern Samar. Reports reaching the K-4 headquarters said that this candidate spent a staggering P11 million to buy votes at |
