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| 21 AUGUST 2007 | ||
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| 21 AUGUST 2007 | ||
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye on Ninoy's Death Anniversary |
| President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led members of her Cabinet in a minute of silent prayer to commemorate the 24th death anniversary of former Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino |
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PGMA's Opening Statement during the National Security Council (NSC) Cabinet Group Meeting, Aguinaldo State Dining Room, Malacañang, 21 August 2007 |
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Mga minamahal kong kababayan: May mahalaga akong sasabihin sa inyo para sa mapayapa at maayos na buhay ng ating mga pamilya at pamayanan, at para sa kapayapaan at kaunlaran ng ating bansa. Sa ating panawagang magkaisa ang bayan sa pagsuporta sa ating mga kawal, ibig nating maging saksi at kapanalig ang pamunuan ng ating republika ng sandatahang lakas at ng pambansang kapulisan. Una, parangalan natin ang mga kawal na lumaban, nasawi at nasugatan sa Basilan at Sulu. Hindi dapat maaksaya ang kanilang pagtaya ng buhay. Hindi tayo aatras sa pakikibaka upang mabigyan ng katarungan ang ating mga marines at upang mabigyan ng kapayapaan at kaunlaran ang bayan. Nauunawaan natin ang mga ibig ihinto ang labanan, subalit dapat nating tandaan: na hindi magkakaroon ng seguridad ang bansa kung ni hindi natin mabibigyan ng hustisya ang mga sundalong nagtatanggol ng ating republika. Sa halip, lalong lalakas ang loob ng mga terorista kung hindi sila pagbabayarin sa kanilang paglapastangan sa ating mga bayaning kawal. Pangalawa, against terrorism, our principal weapon remains to be economic development, which we draw from the arsenal of democracy. Ongoing operations against rearguard actions of a despised and defeated group are meant to clear the path for these provinces journey to peace and progress which terror has delayed for so long. Pangatlo, hindi rin tayo hihinto sa ating paghahangad ng kasunduang pangkapayapaan sa Mindanao, na siyang maglulunsad ng malawakang pag-unlad sa mga pamayananag Muslim sa pagdagsa ng investment at pondong pangkaunlaran. Inaasahan natin na sa susunod na buwan magpapatuloy ang pulong pangkapayapaan ng ating pamahalaan at MILF sa Malaysia; at sa Huwebes, a beinte tres ng Agosto, idaraos ang unang Regional Peace Assembly sa Bohol, na uulitin sa ibang rehiyon. Ito ang suporta ng pamahalaan sa mga pagkilos ng mga pinunong lokal para sa kapayapaan. Pang-apat, sa pagwawagi ng ating mga kawal at pulis sa mga terorista sa Basilan at Sulu hindi malayong magtangka silang maghasik ng lagim sa ibang bahagi ng bansa, kaya naman inuutos natin sa ating pambansang kapulisan at sandatahang lakas na makipagtulungan sa mga gobyerno lokal at sa taong- bayan upang pagtibayin ang ating mga lungsod at pamayanan laban sa anumang pakana ng mga terorista. Pang-lima, sa ating pakikibaka sa mga kalabang nagbabanta sa ating kapayapaan at kaunlaran, pinakamahalagang magkaisa tayo at huwag mapadala sa mga naghahangad hati-hatiin ang hukbo at sambayanan sa bisa ng mga mapalinlang at walang katotohanang propaganda. Nahaharap sa ligalig ang tangi nating bansa. Huwag natin siyang isuko sa kalaban dahil lamang sa mapanira at makasariling pamumulitika. At panghuli, bukod sa terorismo, nagbabanta rin sa atin ang bagyo at baha sa ilang bahagi ng bansa, at kakulangan ng ulan sa ibang lugar. Kailangan ng ating bayan ngayon ang kabayanihan mula sa bawat Pilipino. Nananawagan ako sa lahat ng sektor at sa bawat mamamayan: huwag natin biguin ang ating inang Pilipinas. Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. |
| PGMA calls on Filipino people to rally behind troops, vows to pursue military action vs. terrorists |
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Calling on the Filipino people to close ranks
behind the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National
Police (PNP) battling the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu and Basilan, President Gloria
Mapacagal-Arroyo said today there will be no turning back in the ongoing
fight against the terrorists. In her opening statement during the National Security Council (NSC)-Cabinet Group meeting in Malacanang this morning, the President said, “Hindi tayo aatras sa pakikibaka upang mabigyan ng katarungan ang ating mga Marines at upang mabigyan ng kapayapaan at kaunlaran ang bayan.” The NSC-Cabinet Group meeting today was the second time in a week convened by the President to discuss developments in the ongoing military operations against the Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Basilan and Sulu. First, she said, “we have to honor the soldiers who fought, died or were wounded in Basilan and Sulu.” While she said that she understood the sentiments of those who have called for an immediate end to the fighting in Basilan and Sulu, the President pointed out that “we should bear in mind that the country will not be able to attain peace and prosperity if the government is not able to obtain justice for the soldiers who had fought and died in defense of the motherland.” Secondly, “against terrorism, our principal weapon remains to be economic development, which we draw from the arsenal of democracy. Ongoing operations against rearguard actions of a despised and defeated group are meant to clear the path for these provinces’ journey to peace and progress which terror has delayed for so long.” Thirdly, her administration will persist in its peace quest for a peaceful settlement of the Mindanao conflict, “na siyang maglulunsad ng malawakang pag-unlad sa mga pamayanang Muslim sa pagdagsa ng investment at pondong pangkaunlaran.” “Pang-apat, sa pagwawagi ng ating mga kawal at pulis sa mga terrorista sa Basilan at Sulu, hindi malayong magtangka silang maghasik ng lagim sa ibang bahagi ng bansa, kaya naman inuutos natin sa ating pambansang kapulisan at sandatahang lakas na makipagtulungan sa mga gobyerno lokal at sa taong-bayan upang pagtibayin ang ating mga lungsod at pamayanan laban sa anumang pakana ng mga terrorista,” she said. Fifth, the President stressed the urgency that the people unite, and not be affected by parties that seek to foment division among the ranks of the soldiers and the nation itself. “Nahaharap sa ligalig ang tangi nating bansa. Huwag natin siyang isuko sa kalaban dahil lamang sa mapanira at makasariling pamumulitika,” she said. Sixth and last, the President said terrorism is not the only enemy of the country at the moment, pointing to the typhoons and floods that have ravaged parts of the country, while other parts remain in a state of drought. “Kailangan ng ating bansa ngayon ang kabayanihan mula sa bawat Pilipino. Nananawagan ako sa lahat ng sector at sa bawat mamamayan – huwag nating biguin ang ating Inang Pilipinas.” The President said she remains hopeful that the GRP-MILF Peace Talks could resume next month in Malaysia, even as she announced the holding of the first-ever Regional Peace Assembly in Bohol on Thursday, Aug. 23. The Bohol regional peace assembly will be replicated in other regions, she said, adding that “ito ang suporta ng pamahalaan sa mga pagkilos ng mga pinunong lokal para sa kapayapaan.” Among those present during the NSC-Cabinet Group meeting were Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye, AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon and Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar Calderon. |
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Cyber
Education Project Satellite-based distance learning seen to boost RP's quality of education |
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The Philippine educational system is well on its
way to being globally competitive and the Filipino students’ performance at
par with the rest of the world with the implementation next year of the
Arroyo administration’s Cyber Education Project. “Our children cannot afford to wait any longer. We need to provide immediate solutions that can be felt not only by a few but by all Filipino children," Education Secretary Jesli Lapus stressed during the TV program “The Cabinet Speaks” hosted by Press Undersecretary for Broadcast Martin Antonio Crisostomo aired over NBN 4. Lapus said the accessibility of quality education to all Filipino youth nationwide, especially to those in remote barangays, could only be done with the use of technology that would enable the government to deliver high quality education to all students throughout the country. “Aside from it being the most exciting that will happen to the Philippine educational system since the Thomasites, it is, without a doubt, the best response to the challenges we face in the basic education sector today," Lapus said. The Cyber Ed Project uses satellite technology to provide an efficient and cost-effective solution to the need to deliver educational services to public elementary and secondary schools throughout the country. It links these schools to a nationwide network that provides 12 video channels, wireless wide area networking, local area networking and wireless Internet connectivity. A total of 37,794 schools or 90 percent of all public schools nationwide would be connected in the next three years. These schools would receive live broadcasts featuring lectures and presentations from master teachers as well as coursewares on demand and other valuable resource materials. "The real challenge in basic education lies
in narrowing the disparity between those who perform well and those who do
not," Lapus explained. "Those in the far-flung areas will benefit from this
technology since they will be given access to our best teachers and our best
resource materials." Lapus informed that the DepEd's Cyber Ed Project is based on China's E-Education Project which covers some 500,000 schools and universities. The Cyber Ed Project was the off-shoot of the ICT-based education agenda included in the economic cooperation agreement signed by the Philippines and China in June 2006 and it is undertaken with the Tsinghua University, China's premier technology university and one of the world's pioneers in distance education. Lapus also pointed out that technology in education has been an important part in DepEd's current reform efforts that included the PC's for Public Schools Program which provides computers to public schools nationwide and the implementation of technology-based initiatives in cooperation with various private sector partners such as Intel's Teach to the Future, Microsoft's Partners in Learning, Ayala Foundation's Gearing Up Internet Literacy and Access for Students (GILAS) and Knowledge Channel Foundation's Sineskwela. "Many schools have benefited from these innovative technology-based interventions. However, their impact remains limited by the sheer number of schools in the country. Cyber Ed is a comprehensive solution that will enable us to integrate these individual projects into one seamless program and provide access to millions of students, teachers and even out-of-school youth in the remote areas," he said. Lapus stressed that the Cyber Ed Project would also enhance the delivery capability of teachers in the classroom and should not be confused with computer training or non-classroom distance learning. Through the Cyber Ed Project, DepEd expects substantial improvement in student performance while its network would provide cost-effective teacher training to close to half a million public school teachers, enabling them to upgrade their capabilities using virtual teacher training modules. "We expect to save billions of pesos in expenses resulting from efficiency in communications, teacher training and in the management of the school system and of course, the huge economic value of an improved human capital in the country is obvious," he added. Some P5 billion was earmarked for the first phase of the project which will be operational early next year. "Integrating ICT in education is the order of the day. We need to implement it at the soonest possible time if only to catch up and be at par with the student performance of other countries,” he stressed. |
| GRP moves for rescheduling of talks with MILF |
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The government panel negotiating with the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has moved for the rescheduling of the peace
talks to hold further consultations with stakeholders and refine issues for
presentation during the 14th round of exploratory talks slated in Kuala
Lumpur. Government Peace Negotiating Panel Chairman Rodolfo Garcia said in a press briefing today that the consultations and dialogues with stakeholders would define the parameters involved in the incoming discussion in Malaysia, particularly on ancestral domain, the most contentious issue on the peace talks with the MILF. “On the government panel side, I will be able to go to Kuala Lumpur with a very clear set of proposals, therefore ensuring a better success of the 14th round of exploratory talks,” he said. Garcia pointed out that the territorial issue should be threshed out first before any talks on self determination could take place. The government panel, he said, would move for the rescheduling of the talks, originally set for resumption on Wednesday, between the first and second week of September before the onset of the Ramadan. Garcia apologized to the MILF panel for the late notification of the postponement. During the National Security Council-Cabinet Group meeting today, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has reiterated her earlier directive to prioritize humanitarian intervention and development assistance in Mindanao, including Basilan and Sulu. This, according to him, is in line with the President’s resolve to address the current needs of the affected residents and pursue all avenues to sustain the gains of the peace process in Mindanao. |
