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| 08 AUGUST 2007 | ||
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| 08 AUGUST 2007 | ||
| Budget for school-building programs raised to P3.9 billion |
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From an original budget of P2.9 billion, this
year’s allocation for school buildings has been raised to P3.9 billion, an
increase of almost 30 percent. The P1-billion budgetary hike is expected to boost significantly government efforts to address the school building shortage that has hounded the country’s educational system for ages. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo disclosed the budgetary increase during her community visit to Barangay Katipunan in District 1, Quezon City this morning for the launching of eSKWELA. An accreditation and equivalency program of the Bureau of Alternative Learning Center (BALC) of the Department of Education (DepEd), eSKWELA is open to elementary and high school dropouts who pass accreditation and equivalency examinations given every February. The President thanked Congress for the allocation, saying the additional outlay would greatly contribute to the government’s program to construct more classrooms, some of which would be provided with Internet connection, and also help raise the learning level of Filipino students. “Kaya ito ay inilulunsad natin ngayon ay dahil sa ang ating school building program ay dinagdagan -- from P2.9 billion to P3.9 billion. Thank you very much to Congress na pumayag sila na idagdag itong budget na ito,” she said. BALC Director Dr. Carolina Guevarra said that under the eSKWELA program, in cooperation with the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), students will be under the tutelage of mobile teachers and instructional managers. At the end of their learning program, students will receive certificates of completion signed by the DepEd secretary. Guevarra said four eSKWELA learning centers have already been established in Cebu; Cagayan de Oro; San Jose del Monte, Bulacan; and at the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) compound along Roces Ave. in Quezon City. During her community visit, the President held an informal interaction with officials of Barangays Paltok, Bungad, Veterans' Village, San Antonio and Katipunan. She also distributed PhilHealth cards, certificates to operate Tindahan Natin, and 125 TESDA scholarship vouchers each to the five barangays. Among those who welcomed the President were Quezon City 1st District Representative Vincent Crisologo, Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista, Barangay Chairmen Moises Villegas (Bungad), Gideo Gener (Veterans Village), Rodel Sotolombo (Paltok), Martin Dino (San Antonio), and Barangay Katipunan Chairperson Ma. Teresa Pobre. Accompanying the President were Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral, and DepEd Undersecretary Vilma Labrador. |
| Land Bank remits P1-B to national government |
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As part of its contribution to the government’s
fiscal consolidation and revenue generation efforts, the Land Bank of the
Philippines remitted today to the national government P1 billion in cash
dividends for its net income in the first semester of this year. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo received the P1 billion check from Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and LandBank President Gilda Pico during the 17th Gawad Awards rites marking the 44th anniversary of the LandBank at Malacañang’s Rizal Hall this afternoon. The President, in turn, gave the check to Secretary Teves who would turn it over to the Bureau of Treasury. During the 14-year period from 1993 to 2006, Land Bank has remitted to the national government a total of P15.5 billion in dividends. Land Bank is the government’s official depository bank. It does not receive budget allocations to finance its countryside development activities and instead uses its profits generated from its commercial banking operations to sustain its developmental initiatives in the countryside. Land Bank’s development initiatives include credit assistance to farmers and fisherfolk cooperatives, microenterprises and small and medium enterprises and institutional-building support for cooperatives. |
| PGMA honors outgoing Canadian ambassador with citation |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred
today the Order of Sikatuna with the Rank of Datu (Gold Distinction) on
outgoing Canadian Ambassador Peter Sutherland. “We’re going to miss you. You have a fruitful tour of duty in the Philippines and it seems you enjoyed your work here as well as your stay in the country,” the President told Ambassador Sutherland. Sutherland, for his part, thanked the President for the support and warm reception she and the government had tendered to him during his tour of duty in the Philippines. At a brief conferment rites held at Malacañang’s Music Room, the President presented to Sutherland the Presidential Sash, Badge, Star and the Presidential Plaque of Citation of the Order of Sikatuna. The Order of Sikatuna, established in 1953, is conferred by the President of the Philippines upon individuals, diplomats, officials and nationals of foreign states who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philippines. The order is usually given to individuals for their outstanding services in fostering, developing and strengthening relations between their country and the Philippines. Among the officials present during the ceremony was Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo. |
| PGMA confers order of golden heart on 2 heroines of May 14 polls in Batangas |
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President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo conferred
today the Order of the Golden Heart (posthumous), with the rank of officer,
on two heroines of the mid-term elections last May in Batangas. Conferred the Order of the Golden Heart were high school teacher Nellie Banaag and poll watcher Leticia Ramos, who perished in the fire that razed the Pinagbayanan Elementary School in Taysan, Batangas during the canvassing of votes cast in the May 14 elections. Five men, reportedly led by two policemen from the Regional Special Operations Team (RSOT), were accused of torching the school building which was used as an election precinct. Banaag was serving as an election monitoring officer, while Ramos was a poll watcher. The two victims were trapped inside the comfort room of the school clinic, a 4-foot X 4-foot cubicle, where they hid when they heard gunshots that preceded the burning of the building. In presenting the award, the President cited the victims’ courage and sacrifice in defending the sanctity of the ballot. The families of the two heroines received the award from the President. |
| President cites role of outstanding coops in RP's economic development |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led today the
giving of awards to outstanding agriculture and non-agri-based cooperatives
and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in recognition of their efforts to
spur economic development in the countryside, support for the
administration’s program to create six to 10 million jobs by 2010, and the
development of three million entrepreneurs. The President, assisted by Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and LandBank of the Philippines (LBP) President Gilda Pico, handed out the awards to the 2007 winners of the Gawad PITAK and the Gawad Entrepreneur. Now on its 17th year, the Gawad PITAK is awarded to outstanding LandBank-assisted cooperatives nationwide, while the Gawad Entrepreneur, now on its fourth year, is given to SMEs in recognition of exemplary performance and significant achievements, particularly in harnessing economic development in the rural areas. This year’s winners of the Gawad Entrepreneur award were: • Entrepreneur of the Year---Buddy’s Restaurant of Lucena City in Quezon province; • Most Outstanding SME (non-agri category)—Southern Mindanao Institute of Technology in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat; and, • Most Outstanding SME (Agri category) --- Sto. Nino Furniture and Sash Factory of Gamu, Isabela province. A Special Citation, the Bagong Bayani OFW Award, was given to Flor-San’s Handicrafts of Paete, Laguna. Each of the awardees received P250,000 in cash and a plaque of recognition. For the Gawad PITAK, agri-based category, the winners were given plaques of recognition and cash prizes in the form of fixed assets. They were: • 1st place- United Workers Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Isabela, Basilan, P500,000; • 2nd place- Masisit Dacal Livelihood Cooperative in Masisit, Sanchez Mira in Cagayan province, P400,000; • 3rd place- Cavite Farmers Feedmilling and Marketing Cooperative in Silang, Cavite, P300,000. Winners under the non-agri category were: • 1st place - Apung Monica de Minalin Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Minalin, Pampanga, P300,000; • 2nd place -- Ligas Kilusang Bayan sa Pagpapaunlad in Guiguinto, Bulacan, P250,000; • 3rd place -- La Castellana 1 Personnel Multi-Purpose Cooperative in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, P200,000. The grand winners in the search -- the Ginintuang Gawad PITAK -- were the St. Peter and Paul Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Hinunangan, Southern Leyte for the agri-based category, and the St. Jude Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Cotta, Lucena City for the non-agri-based category. Each of the two cooperatives received P1 million worth of fixed assets. The President has expanded her administration’s microfinancing program for the marginalized sectors in recognition of the vital role played by cooperatives in the economic development of the country and their efforts to improve the lives of the people in the countryside. |
| PGMA places PCGG under DOJ supervision |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has placed the
Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) under the administrative
supervision of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to further enhance government
efforts in the recovery of the ill-gotten wealth of former President
Ferdinand Marcos. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in a press briefing today the President’s directive was contained in Executive Order No. 643 which she signed last July 27 to strengthen existing measures for the recovery of the Marcos fortune. “There is nothing political in the transfer,” Ermita pointed out. “The President’s objective is simply to improve the agency’s task.” The PCGG, which is formerly under the Office of the President, is primarily tasked to recover and preserve the ill-gotten wealth, undertake sequestration and its preservation and investigate and file, through the Office of the Ombudsman, graft and corruption cases. Ermita said that effective immediately, the DOJ can undertake administrative supervision of the PCGG. The EO also tasked the Justice Secretary to issue the implementing rules and regulations for its effective implementation. In 1986, former President Corazon C. Aquino created the PCGG under Executive Order No. 1 following the successful overthrow of the Marcos dictatorship. Under EO No. 1, the PCGG was given authority to request and appeal to foreign governments to freeze and prevent the transfer, conveyance, encumbrance, concealment or liquidation of the Marcos ill-gotten wealth or properties found within its jurisdiction. |
| PGMA declares August 2007 as 'National Census Month' |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared
August 2007 as National Census Month by virtue of Proclamation No. 1346 she
signed last Aug. 2. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said today that under Proclamation No. 1346, the President has directed all departments and other government agencies, including government-owned or controlled corporations as well as local government units, to implement and execute the operational plans, directives and orders of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NCSB) through the National Statistics Office (NSO). “The national government’s thrust to decentralize functions to the local government units requires the need for an up-to-date and comprehensive data of the population at the local levels,” the proclamation said. It noted that the Local Government Code sets the population census counts as benchmarks for the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) and for the creation of new or the conversion to a higher level of local government units. It also cited Executive Order No. 121 known as the Reorganization Act of the Philippine Statistical System that declared the “NSO shall be the major statistical agency responsible for generating general-purpose statistics and for undertaking such censuses and surveys as may be designated by the NSCB.” Executive Order No. 352 entitled “Designation of Statistical Activities that will Generate Critical Data for Decision Making of the Government and the Private Sector issued on July 1, 1996 that designate the conduct of the Mid-Decade Census of Population (POPCEN) every 10 years by the NSO.” “The Mid-Decade Census of Population was not conducted in 2005 due to budget constraints in lieu of which the 2007 Census of Population was planned,” the proclamation said. |
| Santiago named Presidential Adviser; Coscolluella Heads Sugar Regulatory Body |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has appointed
former Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Narciso Y. Santiago Jr.
as Presidential Adviser for Region VI and Rafael L. Coscolluella as
administrator of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA). Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita announced the appointments of Santiago and Coscolluella, along with four others, in his weekly press briefing this afternoon in Malacanang. A former No. 2 man at DILG, Santiago is the husband of Sen. Miriam Santiago. Also appointed were Ruth Rana Padilla and Nilo L. Rosas as acting commissioners of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). A former director of the Department of Education (DepEd), Rosas is also a former president of the Philippine Normal University (PNU). Ermita said the President has also appointed Virgilio A. Montera as assistant secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), while Veniedo O. Reyes was named regional director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). |
| PGMA transfers Toll Body to DPWH |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued
Executive Order No. 644 transferring the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) from
the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to the Department
of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as an attached agency. In a press briefing today, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the order is designed to improve the operation of toll facilities by the private sector. He said the President signed EO 644 last July 30, three days after issuing EO 643 which transferred the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) from the Office of the President (OP) to the administrative supervision of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The TRB was created under Presidential Decree No. 112 to closely supervise and regulate the collection of toll fees for the use of certain public improvements and operation of toll facilities. The creation of the TRB is also an alternative source of financing to ensure the prosecution of infrastructure projects and complement the overall national development effort of the government. “Whereas, in keeping with the policy of the government of enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in the implementation of government programs, the realignment of the assigned responsibilities with respect to attached agencies of some Departments is imperative,” the document stated. The TRB is in-charge of the actual supervision and operation of all toll facilities in the country. |
| PGMA gives awards to top disaster coordinating councils and individuals |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led today the
recognition of the country’s outstanding disaster coordinating councils,
individuals and other major stakeholders for their valuable contribution in
the effective implementation of the government’s risk management programs
and projects. In simple rites held at Malacanang’s Rizal Hall this afternoon, the President, assisted by newly-installed Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Executive Officer Glen Rabonza, handed out the KALASAG (Kalamidad at Sakuna Labanan Sariling Galing ang Kaligtasan) plaques of recognition to the winners who showed heroism and exemplary achievements. The awardees were: For the Best Local Disaster Coordinating Councils -- The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) of La Union; PDCC of South Cotabato; City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC) of Olongapo City; CDCC of Bago City (component city); Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council of Labo, Camarines Norte (1st & 2nd class municipality); MDCC of Maragusan, Compostella Valley (1st &2nd class municipality); MDCC of Ponteverde, Negros Occidental (5th &6th class municipality); MDCC of Sibunag, Guimaras (5th & 6th class municipality), and the Barangay Disaster Coordinating Council of Carmen, Cagayan de Oro. The Leyte Center for Development Inc. of Palo, Leyte was recognized for its humanitarian assistance during the landslide in Guinsaugon, Southern Leyte. Iligan City’s Rescue 811, the Olongapo Rescue Team and the Baguio City Emergency Medical Service were also given recognition as Government Emergency Responders. Romeo Lanuza was the winner in the individual category for his heroic deed in rescuing Gretchen Gorospe, a young girl, from drowning. The GAWAD KALASAG Awards highlighted the National Disaster Consciousness Month (July) celebration with this year’s theme : “ Safe Ka Ba?: Programa Laban Sa Kalamidad Tungo sa Pag-unlad.” |
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye Re: Suspension of classes tomorrow |
| Per Executive Secretary (Eduardo Ermita), the following recommendation by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) has been approved: From Director Golez.....Satellite imageries show that we will have bad weather tomorrow (Thursday). We are recommending suspension of classes up to secondary level in the National Capital Region (NCR), Cavite, Pampanga, Rizal, Tarlac, Bulacan, La Union, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Zambales, Bataan, Benguet, and Mountain Province. |
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye |
| As of 645 p.m. today, the suspension of classes in tertiary level has been included as per recommendation of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chair Carlito Puno. |
