August 10 2007

PGMA calls for continuing, stronger cooperation between RP and Vietnam

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday night called for continuing and stronger cooperation between the Philippines and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam “in local, regional and global affairs” in the wake of the challenges posed by rapid globalization.

The President made the statement during the state dinner she hosted at the Rizal Hall of Malacañang in honor of Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung who arrived in Manila Thursday afternoon for a two-day official visit.

“Like Vietnam, the Philippines believes in strong global engagement for our country and our people…We must be open to the world and peoples and places other than our own,” the Chief Executive said.

“That is what the 21st century will be about. That is why the UN, ASEAN, APEC and WTO play a large role for both Vietnam and the Philippines – they are among the most important bridges we can build and cross together. You want Vietnam, and we want the Philippines to actively engage in local, regional and global affairs because that is the future,” the President added.

“Our two countries are neighbors separated only by the stretch of water called the South China Sea. Across this sea we are building bridges of trade and investments, maritime and ocean cooperation, culture, tourism, security and energy,” President Arroyo stressed, noting the existing strong partnership between Vietnam and the Philippines in the past 31 years of their diplomatic relations since July 1976.

She said that in this part of the region, the biggest bridge that would bind relations in the South China Sea would be the Tripartite Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking among China, Vietnam and the Philippines that was signed in Malacañang on March 14, 2005.

The President noted that the joint seismic undertaking to assess the potential of petroleum development is a breakthrough in implementing the provisions of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China that turned the South China Sea into an area of cooperation rather than an area of conflict.

“The data-gathering and analysis are expected to finish next year, but already the initial results are promising. We should now explore the possible next steps. This will be the biggest bridge that will bind our 30-year bonds,” the President said.

The Philippines and Vietnam are among the 10 ASEAN members.

Aside from being a diplomatic breakthrough for peace and security in the region, the joint seismic undertaking was also a breakthrough for the Philippines’ energy independence program and in providing more energy supply for the region.

In her toast remarks, the President also congratulated the reelection of Prime Minister Dung less than a month ago, the reelection of Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet, and the reappointment of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem.

Thanking his host, Prime Minister Dung said his country is satisfied that bilateral relations between the Philippines and Vietnam have developed in more recent years.

The Prime Minister said he is strongly convinced that the Philippines can achieve greater economic development under President Arroyo.

Among those present during the official banquet were former President Fidel V. Ramos, Vice President Noli de Castro, Senate President Manuel Villar, House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Cabinet members and other government officials, businessmen, and members of the diplomatic corps.

TOP

Tiny pest takes spotlight in RP-Vietnam bilaterals

Believe it or not, a tiny pest stole the limelight in the bilateral talks between the Philippines and Vietnam in Malacañang Thursday evening.

The pest, which has been wreaking havoc on the country’s coconut industry, is called Brontispa Longissima Gestro or more popularly known as the hispine beetle.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said Vietnam is willing to help the Philippines get rid of the pest which has already affected more than 700 hectares of coconut plantation in the country.

“Vietnam is going to assist the Philippines in eradicating this Brontispa virus,” he said in an interview following the bilateral meeting in Malacañang.

Vietnam’s assistance was pledged during the meeting of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung who arrived in Manila Thursday afternoon for a two-day official visit.

Yap said the hispine beetle has already critically affected the productivity of the country’s $760-million coconut industry.
The pest is believed to have been brought to the Philippines two years ago through the importation of ornamental plants from other countries.
Infestation, Yap noted, has already spread in different areas of the country wherein both larvae and adults of the beetle feed on the leaves of coconut trees and other palm species.

Yap said Vietnam has successfully cultured a natural predator against the pest and its assistance would be the subject of a Joint Sectoral Working Group on Agriculture of the two countries.

During the bilaterals, the Philippines and Vietnam also agreed to broaden cooperation in fisheries and related technology as both are coastal maritime countries which share common waters.

Yap said Vietnam also pledged its support for the country’s nominee to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

The Philippines, in return, would support Vietnam’s bid to become a member of the United Nations Security Council.

TOP

PGMA takes direct hand in Customs revenue collections drive

To ensure that revenue collections would be back on track in the second half of the year, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presided over the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Revenue Command Conference held today at the Port of Manila Building to personally assess the revenue collection performance and find ways to recover the shortfall in collection in the first semester of the year.

The President congratulated the BOC for exceeding its target of P19.9 billion for July by P1.2 billion but stressed the need to further improve the collection of duties and taxes to make up for the agency’s lackluster performance during the first six months of 2007.

“Congratulations for meeting the target for July. Now, we have to find out how we could recover the shortfall from January to June,” the President said.

The President noted that the Port of Manila and the Manila International Container Port (MICP) generate huge transaction volumes that they are vital to the revenue target, thus a need for “closer scrutiny.”

Saying that the assessment on the BOC performance would be “superficial” without the section by section review of the performance of the two ports, the President ordered the chief appraisers and principal examiners of the Port of Manila and the MICP to report to her a “section by section dissection of the revenue output of the two ports” instead of the usual reports of the revenue collectors.

“Because together, the Port of Manila and the MICP are expected to raise 55 centavos for every one peso to be collected by the (Bureau of) Customs,” the President explained.

The POM and MICP, according to the President, make up 10 percent of the total national revenue (of BOC).

“The transaction volumes on these two ports are so huge that a mere section in the Port of Manila is the equivalent of most ports outside the National Capital Region,” the President said.

The meeting between the President and the BOC officials led by Commissioner Napoleon Morales lasted for about two hours. Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and Trade Secretary Peter Favila were also present.

Morales reported that nine of the 15 ports surpassed their individual monthly targets, namely: Ports of San Fernando (P8M surplus); Manila (P201 M); MICP (P62M); Ninoy Aquino International Airport (P10M); Davao (P31M); Cebu (P4M); and Legazpi (P200,000 surplus).

He said these collections offset the shortfall of the other six ports, namely: Ports of Batangas, Subic, Iloilo, Tacloban, Surigao and Zamboanga.

Secretary Teves expressed confidence the BOC would be able to meet its target collection of P228 billion in revenues this year as the bureau is now strictly implementing the revenue enhancement measures discussed in Malacañang last month.

These measures include: updating of the valuation database coupled with strict implementation of proper declaration and classification of goods to improve collection efficiency, and collecting from the traditional sources of the post entry audit, auction, bonds and Run After the Smugglers (RATS) cases.

The container X-ray machines operational in eight ports, one of which was inspected and tested by the President after the command conference, are expected to improve collections as it eliminates technical smuggling like misdeclaration, misclassification and undervaluation of shipments.

TOP

NDCP confers honorary membership on PGMA

The National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) conferred on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today the title honorary alumnae during its 44th anniversary celebration at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City.

The NDCP, the country’s sole institution in security administration, presented the award to the President for her "political will and strategic vision" in steering the country towards achieving national development and progress.

As honorary member, the President will be adopted by the Masters in National Security Administration (MNSA) Regular Class 41 (RC 41) and automatically becomes a member of the NDCP Alumni Association Inc. (NDCPAAI).

President Arroyo received the award from retired Lt. Gen. Samuel Bagasin, chairman of the honorary membership committee of the NDCPAAI, assisted by NDCP president Commodore Carlos Agustin, and NDCP past president Congressman Rodolfo Plaza.

She then presented the Diosdado Macapagal Gawad Katiwasayan award for four distinguished NDCP alumni – Sen. Loren Legarda (MNSA, RC 27), Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim (MNSA, RC 15), National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales (MNSA, RC 34), and the late Sen. Robert Z. Barbers

Senator Legarda personally received her award from the President. The awards for Gonzales, Lim, and Barbers were received by National Security Council Assistant Secretary Rodney Jagalino, Brig. Gen. Rodulfo Diaz, and Mrs. Virginia Smith Barbers, respectively.

The NDCP was created by the President's father, the late President Diosdado Macapagal on Aug. 12, 1963 by virtue of Executive Order No. 44, envisioning it to be the key educational institution for training the country's sectoral leaders in various aspects of national security management.

To date, the mission of the NDCP is to prepare and develop potential leaders, civilian officials of the different branches of the government and selected executives from the private sector for more effective participation in national security policy formulation and conduct of strategic researches and special studies as bases for national policies.

Among those present during the occasion were Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr.

TOP



10 AUGUST 2007