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| 14 AUGUST 2007 | ||
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| 14 AUGUST 2007 | ||
| President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Opening Statement during the National Security Council (NSC) meeting, Aguinaldo State Dining Room, Malacañang, August 14, 2007 |
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We already have a quorum. So I’d like to call
this National Security Council meeting in order. I’ve called for this meeting of the National Security Council to brief our leaders on Basilan and Sulu, and to consult them on our unrelenting efforts to forge lasting peace with justice, harmony and security for all Mindanaoans and the rest of the Filipino people. These efforts shall include protection of civilians in battle zones, strict adherence to ceasefire parameters, harnessing of all sectors and international support for peace and development initiatives, and fast-tracking of projects and programs for infrastructure, health, housing, livelihood, farming and fisheries upgrading, and Muslim education and culture in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. It’s imperative that we all work together without selfish politicking to preserve the peace we have achieved so far and to advance it toward a final agreement and the massive development that will follow. We ask the Lord God for His blessing on our collective efforts to accomplish His plan for peace, justice and progress in our land. So I’d like to ask our new secretary of National Defense, Gilbert Teodoro, to lead the opening prayer. |
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye: Highlights of National Security Council meeting |
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The leadership of both houses of Congress as
well as local leaders of Basilan and Sulu were present. Among those who
attended were Senate President Manny Villar, House Speaker Jose de Venecia,
Senators Aquilino Pimentel, Richard Gordon, Juan Ponce Enrile, Francisco
Pangilinan, Rodolfo Biazon, and Gregorio Honasan. 1) There is broad support for the President's affirmation of the prime importance of preserving the ceasefire and advancing the peace process, which resumes on Aug. 22 in Malaysia. 2) The Department of National Defense/Armed Forces of the Philippines (DND/AFP) gave a cogent and comprehensive briefing, and further details would be provided after an ongoing investigation is concluded. 3) The AFP has deployed ample forces to secure Basilan and Sulu, while undertaking limited punitive and police operations. 4) The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) is evacuating affected communities, with relief supplies pre-positioned near evacuation centers. 5) The NSC acknowledged the need for more intensive development efforts and affirmative action for Muslim communities, to settle the conflicts in Mindanao. 6) The NSC supported the plan for local peace assemblies through which the national government shall support peace initiatives of local chief executives. NSC acknowledged the highly successful experience of Bohol province. |
| Statement of Cabinet Secretary Ricardo L. Saludo: National Security Council backs peace efforts |
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The National Security Council (NSC) expressed
support for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s affirmation of the prime
importance of preserving the ceasefire and advancing the peace process, even
as the security forces seek out the perpetrators of atrocities and terrorist
attacks in Basilan and Sulu. The NSC meeting included the President, the Vice President, leaders and key members of Congress, selected Cabinet members, as well as the governors and congressmen of Basilan and Sulu. After the council meeting, the National Economic and Development Authority-Cabinet Group approved the construction of elevated U-turns to relieve traffic at the Kalayaan Avenue-C-5 junction. The NEDA-Cabinet Group also gave the nod for measures to address the high turnover in key airport personnel. Senators Edgardo Angara and Richard Gordon, among others, concurred with the President’s general order for controlled military operations to minimize civilian casualties and strictly comply with ceasefire guidelines. Senator Angara also urged affirmative action for Muslim Filipinos to address the roots of conflict in Mindanao. The NSC lauded the government’s plan to hold local peace assemblies in support of peace initiatives by local govenrment leaders, to forge peace with threat elements at the municipal, provincial and regional levels. Sen. Aquilino Pimentel urged that the local peace efforts also be undertaken in Mindanao. The first local peace assembly will be held in Bohol on Aug. 23-24, with the President and the Cabinet joining leaders and stakeholders from across Region 7. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. assured the council that the military has deployed large forces to secure Basilan and Sulu, with ample logistic support. |
| PGMA convenes National Security Council on Basilan, Sulu conflict |
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President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo convened today
the National Security Council (NSC) to brief members from both Houses of
Congress and Executive department officials on the situation in Sulu and
Basilan and to consult them on ongoing government efforts to forge a lasting
peace with justice, harmony and security in Mindanao. In a statement issued after the meeting, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said the NSC expressed broad support for the President’s reiteration of the prime importance of preserving the Mindanao ceasefire and pushing ahead with the peace process. The Mindanao peace talks under the auspices of Malaysia will resume on Aug. 22 in Malaysia. The President stressed that under the current situation in Sulu and Basilan, foremost among the government’s concerns are the “protection of civilians in battle zones, strict adherence to ceasefire parameters, harnessing of all sectors and international support for peace and development initiatives, and fast-tracking of projects and programs for infrastructure, health, housing, livelihood, farming and fisheries upgrading, and Muslim education and culture in the ARMM.” She added it is “imperative that we all work together without selfish politicking to preserve the peace and we have achieved so far and to advance it toward a final agreement and the massive development that will follow.” The Senate and House members of the NSC were assured that the AFP has deployed enough forces to secure the two provinces while undertaking calibrated punitive and police operations. The Department of National Defense (DND) and AFP provided the NSC a “cogent and comprehensive briefing.” After both agencies wind up the ongoing investigation of the conflict, further details would be provided. Bunye also said that the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) is evacuating residents of affected communities to places away from the area of conflict and adequate relief supplies are pre-positioned in the evacuation centers. The NSC acknowledged the need for increased development efforts and affirmative action for Muslim communities to settle the conflict, he added. The council also expressed full support for the “plan for local peace assemblies through which the national government shall support peace initiatives of local chief executives.” Also present during the NSC meeting were Vice President Noli de Castro, Senate President Manny Villar, House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Gregorio Honasan, Francisco Pangilinan, Aquilino Pimentel, Edgardo Angara, Rodolfo Biazon and Richard Gordon. The Cabinet was represented by Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, while the military was represented by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon and several AFP generals, including the deputy chief of staff for logistics, Vice Admiral Ludovico Franco. In an interview after the NSC meeting, Esperon said that in compliance with the President’s instruction, the AFP is sending an engineering brigade to Basilan as part of its “social component and affirmative action” to be implemented once “we are able to stabilize the situation.” The AFP had earlier dispatched an engineering brigade to Sulu to undertake civic action and development programs. Esperon described the situation in the two provinces as “stabilized but critical,” adding that “we can hold major cities, business is ongoing and the people can go about with their lives.” Esperon pointed out that the military is “a very small component” of the solution to peace in Mindanao. He explained that the troops being sent to Mindanao are “not for offensive but for stability and for enforcing the gun ban” which had been in effect earlier but was somehow “relaxed and some people conveniently forgot about it.” |
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye |
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Highlights of the NDCC-CABINET LEVEL
Meeting Science and Technology Undersecretary Graciano Yumul Jr. gave briefing on the weather situation and the need for continued cloud-seeding operations. National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Executive Director Gen. Glen Rabonza described the shift of NDCC paradigm from relief operations to risk management, the latter including proactive disaster measures such as prepositioning supplies in threatened areas. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Highlights of the NEDA-CABINET GROUP Meeting The National Economic and Development Authority presented plans for upgrading the Diosdado Macapagal Airport from the present one million passengers capacity per year to double. The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) presented engineering plans for traffic improvement on E. delos Santos Avenue (EDSA). The Air Transportation Office (ATO) presented plans for critical personnel retention among air traffic controllers. |
