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| 28 AUGUST 2007 | ||
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| 28 AUGUST 2007 | ||
| GRP-MILF 14th Exploratory Talks moved to Sept. |
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The 14th Exploratory Talks between the
government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will be held in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next month, Undersecretary Nabil Tan of the Office of
the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said today. No date yet has been set for the meeting. The government had moved for the postponement of the exploratory peace talks scheduled for Aug. 22, also in the Malaysian capital, in order to give retired Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, the new head of the government negotiating panel, enough time to consult the people directly affected by the conflict. Tan explained that the postponement of the Aug. 22 talks had nothing to do with the ongoing military operations against the Abu Sayyaf terrorists behind the recent ambuscades which resulted in the death of more than 20 soldiers. He pointed out that the Arroyo administration remains strongly committed to a peaceful and permanent solution of the decades-old conflict in Mindanao. “The postponement of the Aug. 22 talks in Kuala Lumpur has nothing to do with the skirmishes in Basilan and Sulu…the offensives were not against the MILF,” Tan told the TV program, “The Cabinet Speaks” which was hosted today by Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo and aired over NBN 4. “The new chair of the panel, retired Gen. Rodolfo Garcia needed more time for further consultations with all stakeholders so as to strengthen the base (of the negotiations).We have to consult all people, especially those directly involved,” Tan said. The military, which launched an offensive against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu and Basilan, has been under strict orders of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to respect the “ceasefire guidelines” with the MILF. The peace talks between the government and the MILF, which started on Jan. 7,1997, gained momentum only in 2003 with the participation of Malaysia as “third party mediator.” The two parties had forged a three-year ceasefire accord, although skirmishes have occasionally broken out between government troops and MILF forces. The Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) has been helping the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) enforce the ceasefire in Mindanao since 2003, but the peace negotiations between the two panels have been stalled over the ticklish issue of ancestral domain. In a related development, Nabil confirmed reports that plans are afoot for the review of the September 1996 peace agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). “(The review) was scheduled in mid-July in Jeddah, but the Indonesian foreign minister was not available then,” Nabil said. He added that although the Aug. 22 meeting was postponed, a Committee of Eight meets occasionally to assess the implementation of the 1996 GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement. The President has repeatedly declared that national security must be pursued alongside economic development to enable the country to attain a First World status by 2020. |
| PGMA calls on Filipinos to 'grow oil on soil' |
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TALAKAG, Bukidnon – “If you can’t drill for oil,
grow it on your soil.” It’s only a saying but President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has adopted this as her administration’s energy policy to free the country from being dependent on expensive imported crude oil. The government has discovered a “magic tree” in the name of jatropha curcas (locally known as tuba-tuba) and under her leadership and strong political will, the President is personally supervising the development of renewable energy in the country. In her “Pulong Bayan” held today at the Jatropha Demo and Seed Production Farm in Barangay Four here, the President called on all Filipinos, especially those from Bukidnon, to start cultivating native tuba-tuba as well as its foreign varieties to reduce the country’s oil import bill, increase the income of the farmers, and to produce clean fuel and cover the mountains with a carpet of green. This is the first time that the President of the Republic had visited this Bukidnon town, the first municipality in the province that has complied with the President‘s directive to cultivate jatropha in the open land as part of the agri-business drive of the government. “In jatropha, all of the above can be achieved because it rates high in the economic, environment, energy, employment scorecard we look for in a fuel. In this era of volatile oil prices, propagating jatropha preserves the forests from woodcutters who use wood for fuel,” the President said in her opening statement. It was noted that some six million households still use wood for cooking in their kitchen because of the high cost of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). This has resulted in the cutting of towering trees and destruction of forests, the President said. “It is a sad fact that costly LPG has made the country as a nation of woodcutters,” she said. “(But), the good news, however, is that cheap tuba-tuba or jatropha trees would transform us into a nation of tree planters.” Aside from being a replacement for crude oil, the national government is eyeing jatropha as remedy to resolve the country’s reforestation problem In order to do that, the President instructed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to relaunch and rebrand DENR Order 2005-05 as Project 727. “The sooner that “727” project can take off, the sooner that flora can reclaim barren areas, oil can gush from trees, and native fruits will displace imported apples on the Christmas shopping basket,” the President said. She also ordered the Department of Energy (DoE) to conduct a thorough study on how to convert biodiesel extracted from jatropha seeds into Liquified Processed Jatropha (LPJ) as substitute to expensive LPG. In response, Bukidnon Gov. Jose Maria Zubiri assured the President that in 2009 the province will start producing biodiesel from jatropha because some 500 hectares of land here are now planted to jatropha. Joining the President in the Pulong Bayan were Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Governor Zubiri, 1st District Representative Candido Pancrudo and Talakag Mayor Nestor Macapayag. |
| Land Bank allocates P10-B for govt's Jathropa program |
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TALAKAG, Bukidnon – The Land Bank of the
Philippines is allocating P10 billion for the cultivation and propagation of
jatropha as an alternative renewable energy source in Mindanao, particularly
in this province. Land Bank president Gilda Pico announced this today during the Pulong Bayan on Biofuels and Reforestation hosted by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the Jatropha Demo and Seed Production Farm in Barangay Four here. Pico informed local government officials led by Bukidnon Gov. Jose Maria Zubiri that the P10-billion allocation for jatropha propagation and plantation project is part of their full support to the President in her efforts to develop jatropha as the best source of renewable energy in the country. Department of Energy (DoE) Undersecretary Mar Salazar reported to the President that the agency has P75 million in funds for government’s reforestation and renewable energy programs. The fund, he said, is now ready for use in the propagation of biodiesel extracted from the jatropha seeds. In mid-2009, Salazar said, the DOE will build a jatropha biodiesel refinery at the industrial estate of Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation (PHIVIDEC) in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. Philippine National Oil Company-Alternative Fuels Corporation (AFC) chairman Rene Velasco also told the President that the PNOC-AFC has approved P1 billion to finance the program. Velasco informed the President that the PNOC-AFC has provided P20 million in financial assistance for the provincial government of Bukidnon to help them in the jatropha propagation. For his part, Governor Zubiri assured the President that in 2009, the province will start producing biodiesel from jatropha. As of now, Talakag has already 500 hectares of jatropha plantation. Among the partner organizations of Bukidnon in jatropha cultivation are the Tribal Communities Association of the Philippines, Region 10, Pahiron Council of Elderly, Lumbia Tribal Association, Kulago Farmers Association, and Canitoan Pagatpat Lumbia Landless Association. |
| GMA bares her vision for RP over next 3 years |
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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – She stated her vision
simply: “For the next three years what I want to do is to translate the
positive results of our economic reform into real benefits for our people.”
Thus, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said in an interview today over Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) and DZXL here, where she spent the last two days for a series of meetings with officials and residents in Cagayan de Oro City and nearby areas to discuss her administration’s plans and projects until 2010. In the interview conducted jointly by Eric Canoy, president of RMN, and DZXL senior reporter Ira Panganiban, the President said her remaining three years in office will see huge investments in human infrastructure, social services, the educational system and infrastructure facilities. She added that her administration will step up the crackdown on graft and corruption, bolster the campaign against terrorism and bring peace to Mindanao. The President said she will also increase investments in infrastructure projects like roads and communication facilities to encourage private investments which, in turn, create jobs for the people. The Chief Executive said she expects greater influx of foreign investors into the country in the years ahead, especially when the ongoing construction and rehabilitation of various national highways and communication facilities are completed. “Investments create jobs,” she said. The President said she has informed Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno of her plan to modernize the Mindanao Regional Hospital and make it the Kidney, Lung and Heart Center in Region 10. Similarly, the Davao Medical Center, the Bicol Regional Training and Hospital in Legazpi City, and the Vicente Sotto Memorial Hospital in Cebu City will be upgraded, she said, “so that the people in these areas don’t have to go Manila for specialty treatment.” The President led the 55th Founding Anniversary celebration of RMN and the inauguration and blessing of the new RMN-DXCC station building at the newly renovated ancestral homes of the Canoy family along Velez Street in front of the Misamis Oriental Capitol building. Before the interview, the President led the ribbon-cutting and unveiling of the marker of the new RMN 828 and DXVM 99.1 studios. Also present during the RMN anniversary celebration were Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Constantino Jaraula, RMN president Canoy and RMN vice presidents. The President was assisted by Butch and Charlie Canoy in the ribbon-cutting and unveiling rites. |
| Statement of the President Re: Joma Sison's Arrest |
| It's a giant step toward peace, a victory for justice and the rule of law |
