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| 05 FEBRUARY 2007 | ||
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| 05 FEBRUARY 2007 | ||
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye |
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is pleased with the peaceful resolution of this incident and praises both the AFP and the MNLF for their sense of restraint. She finds the concensus to hold tripartite talks in March this year to be reasonable and she has instructed Secretary Dureza to coordinate with the Cabinet to start implementation of the immediately doable provisions of the 1996 agreement even ahead of the scheduled tripartite meet. The President remains committed to achieving a comprehensive peace which takes into account the following:
She is determined to use all measures necessary to attain our goals of national security, political stability and economic growth. These she intends to achieve through peace, development, interfaith dialogue and international cooperation. |
| Businessmen from China's eastern region express intent to invest in RP |
| Twenty-two businessmen from China's eastern
region led by Shanghai Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce Chairman Hui Wing Mau called
on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacanang today and expressed their group's
intention to invest in the Philippines. The businessmen are engaged in various fields of manufacturing, information technology, outdoor lighting, agriculture, infrastructure and tourism. They are in the country to attend the Philippines-China Investment Forum which will be held tomorrow. Special Envoy to the People's Republic of China Carlos Chan said the members of the group have signified their interest to expand their investments from China to the Philippines in the field of tourism, mining, property development and infrastructure. "They (Chinese businessmen) want to develop and invest heavily in the construction of several industrial parks here in the Philippines," Chan said. The group cited the hospitality, friendliness and world-renowned hard- working trait of the Filipino people for their decision to invest in the Philippines. They also mentioned the favorable weather conditions in the country as another factor in their decision to invest here. Among those present during the group's call were Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Peter Favila, Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. president Francis Chua, and DTI Commercial Counselor Jorge Judan. |
| PGMA to DENR: Draft Pres'l proclamation for disposition of land in favor of Barangay 829, Zone 90 in Manila |
| President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
directed today the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to draft a
Presidential Proclamation (PP) for the disposition of a tract of land owned by DENR and
the Philippine National Railways (PNR) in favor of the residents of Barangay 829, Zone 90
in Paco, Manila. The President made the directive to DENR-National Capital Region Director Corazon Davis during her informal interaction with officials and residents of the barangay this morning. Davis said that the draft PP, which would be undertaken by government agencies led by the DENR, PNR, Presidential Security Group (PSG) and the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), would come up with the "appropriate scheme for the actual disposition (of said lot) to the actual occupants." Davis explained that this scheme would include the development plan already prepared by Malacaņang, road network preparedness and other topics to ensure that all legal angles are covered. The tract of land, which has remained idle for some time, traverses laterally said barangay, according to PNR General Manager Jose Ma. Sarasola II. The barangay has already filed a petition to the PNR and DENR to transfer said land, measuring some 8,162.59 square meters, to its residents but a PP is needed to make the transfer final and executory. During her informal interaction, the President awarded a permit to operate a Tindahan Natin convenience store to Gloria Marin Argana, a resident of the barangay since 1958. The Tindahan Natin is a project of President Arroyo through the Department of Social Welfare and Development which provides basic goods such as: coffee, sugar, rice and instant noodles at lower than grocery prices. The President also presented Barangay 829 chairman Cesar Cansino with 120 Technical Education and Skills Development Authority(TESDA) Training for Work Scholarships. The scholarships cover training modules in Shielded Metal Arc Welding (50) worth P10,000 each, Call Center Agents (50) worth P5,000 each and Slaughterhouse Operation (20) worth P5,000 each. |
| PGMA orders Dureza to implement immediately doable provisions of 1996 GRP-MNLF Agreement |
| Pleased with the peaceful
resolution of the Panamao, Sulu incident, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered today
Presidential Adviser for Peace Process Jesus Dureza to coordinate with the Cabinet on the
"implementation of the immediately doable provisions" of the 1996 peace
agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Press Secretary and concurrent Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye said the President wanted the doable provisions to be implemented even before the holding of the tripartite talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, next month. "She finds the consensus to hold tripartite talks in March this year to be reasonable and she has instructed Secretary Dureza to coordinate with the Cabinet to start implementation of the immediately doable provisions of the 1996 agreement even ahead of the scheduled tripartite meet," Bunye said in a statement. The Press Secretary also said that the President praised the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the MNLF "for their sense of restraint" as she vowed to work harder in achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace in Mindanao. "The President is pleased with the peaceful resolution of this incident and praises both the AFP and the MNLF for their sense of restraint," Bunye said. He added that the President is determined to attain her goals of national security, political stability and economic growth through peace, development, interfaith dialogue and international cooperation. In seeking lasting peace with the MNLF, the President has taken into account five factors, namely: the full implementation of the 1996 GRP-MNLF agreement; the resolution of Nur Misuari's case which is a judicial case; the operationalization of a diplomatic modus vivendi with the Organization of Islamic Conference(OIC); the dovetailing of the GRP-MNLF peace talks, and the consolidation of the fight against terror. The MNLF released Sunday afternoon Brig. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino, Undersecretary for the Peace Process Ramon Santos and about 20 companions after two nights of an extended stay at an MNLF Camp at Mt. Bitan-ag in Sulu. Secretary Dureza described the "holding" of Dolorfino's group as "a serious crisis situation so I handled it on a crisis mode." Nevertheless, he said that any situation, whether pleasant or unpleasant, would be "sources of lessons learned that need a lot of assessment." "We should not let this incident lessen our confidence but next time, there would be more precautionary measures," he said in a press briefing in Malacanang this morning. "We would not look back. We would rather talk on how to move forward," he added. Dureza made an assurance that the ongoing government projects in the area would continue. The GRP-MNLF Final Peace Agreement was signed on Sept. 2, 1996. It was considered a "milestone" in the implementation of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement and the ending of 24 years of war in Mindanao. |
| PGMA confident Pinoys will start reaping fruits of her economic reforms |
| President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
expressed confidence today the public will start reaping the fruits of her tough economic
reforms with the passage of the 2007 national budget last week which guarantees increased
allocation for infrastructure, social services and other essential programs. In a round table discussion in Malacanang this afternoon, the President said the fund earmarked for infrastructure and other economic and social services increased by some P90 billion this year, attributed largely to the tax and economic reforms that resulted to the decline in the country's budget deficit from P210 billion in 2002 to only P60 billion as of last year. Under the P1.126 trillion 2007
budget, infrastructure allocation increased by P75 billion, while health and education
also increased" Dito natin nakikita ang biyaya sa taumbayan kung nakatutok ang
Kongreso sa pagpasa ng batas na isinusulong natin para sa kagalingan at kaunlaran ng bansa
(This is where we see how Congress can help make the public benefit from the efficient
passage of laws)," the President said. |
