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| 06 NOVEMBER 2007 | ||
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| 06 NOVEMBER 2007 | ||
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PGMA's Speech at the Dinner Reception for Delegates to
the Cities Alliance-Public Policy Forum Malacañang's Rizal Hall November 05, 2007 |
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• Welcome! This meeting comes at a time when the
nation is moving and the people are more concerned about taking advantage of
our economic progress than the backsliding of political protest. People
deserve peace, order and stability. We have been through many upheavals and
the people deserve a stable government and economic progress. With the help
of our officials here tonight, that is what they are getting now. • We like to think that even the opposition are committed to the public good and like us, that they want to find common ground to move the nation forward. We have made huge strides with our economy, including 27 quarters of growth, a surge in investments, 6 million new jobs, a strong peso and the best stock market in a generation. We are confident that politicians, especially the city officials here with us tonight, want to continue with the gains and not stop the progress. • Our economy has reached a new level of maturity and stability with some of the strongest macroeconomic fundamentals in 20 years. Six years ago, no one thought we could get more revenues, cut down on tax cheats, strengthen the peso and move the stock market. And no one thought we could bring our budget deficit down, pre-pay lower our debts and raise employment, but we have. • The national agenda is focused on creating good paying jobs, stable prices and bringing the benefits of a strong economy to every single Filipino. It is a pro-poor, pro-growth, pro-modernization agenda. We have moved the nation forward on the strength of our partnership with city mayors and other local government executives who form the backbone of our government. • The cities of the world are a force to reckon with in our respective countries’ march to a better future. • Cities are also at the forefront of international diplomacy, representing the hubs of excellence that reach out across the seas to other lands. • We are among the most rapidly urbanizing countries in East Asia. This is a double edged challenge. While rapid urbanization drives high economic growth, it can also aggravate poverty and social inequalities. • Rapid urbanization provides an opportunity to use economic of scale to fuel economic growth and thereby create the conditions for the provision of improved infrastructure, service delivery and jobs. • On the other hand, it creates the challenge of how to provide decent and secure housing, food and livelihood for the mounting numbers of poor families. • Our economic reforms are the frontline in our campaign to reduce poverty. Economic reforms have created the environment in which businesses feel confident to expand and employ more people. More jobs means less poverty. These reforms have also generated the additional revenues needed to invest in services that help poor people such as health insurance subsidies for indigent families and food for school programs. Education is also very important in our efforts to reduce poverty, which is why we are investing additional value added tax revenues in better school buildings, new textbooks and teaching materials, and training programs for teachers and school administrators. It was encouraging to see the recent report released by the United Nations on our Millennium Development Goals, which recognized the progress the Philippines has made in reaching key targets on infant mortality, gender parity in education, reduction of the prevalence of tuberculosis and HIV, reducing poverty and improving urban sanitation. • In a world of rapid urbanization, cities play an indispensable role in laying the foundations of laws, ordinances and regulations; working with and coordinating stakeholders and sectors; and leveraging investments to provide jobs. • We have several local government units worth visiting who have demonstrated that a pro-active stance in improving the conditions of the urban poor can yield significant results. • The local governments and the national government, represented in the Philippines by the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council or HUDCC headed by our very devoted Vice President de Castro, team up to accelerate affordable and sustainable financing for local slum-upgrading programs, adopt an effective regulatory and institutional framework, and provide incentives for private sector and NGO participation. • We believe in the “Hernando de Soto” formula for property reform. We have carried out our socialized housing program, which has been commended by the United Nations, based on his principles. We aim to continue to harness the principles to expand his ideas whether it is through private market forces alone, or in combination with government initiatives. Either way, we must continue to liberate our poor to take possession of assets that they can use to gain a foothold and create genuine wealth for themselves. • Over the last six years, almost 200,000 families on more than 25,000 hectares have benefited from our more than 100 urban land reform proclamations where we proclaim a piece of land as available for security of tenure for those who are living there. The Vice President de Castro’s HUDCC and National Housing Authority have awarded certificates of lot allotment “de Soto”-style to more than 10,000 families in the first half of this year, bringing the total since the start of our administration six years ago to almost 30,000 families. During our administration, we have loaned out more than P4 billion for a community mortgage program whereby 85,000 family-beneficiaries 700 housing sites are able to buy the land from the owner of the land that they are squatting on. So, they are no longer squatters and the owner gets paid for the land that wouldn’t be used; otherwise it's hard to eject thousands of people living on your land. • The idea of “cities without slums” is an ideal framework to address urbanization. • The success of the City Development Strategies program, funded by the Cities Alliances and implemented by the League of Cities strengthens our belief in the power of the global system to alleviate poverty and modernize nations. That does not mean we believe that countries like the Philippines are ready to compete head-to-head today in every sector, but it does mean that we need not be afraid of globalization. • I understand that the program has already been implemented in the majority of our cities, with measurable success, and that it is among the most successful in the world. Congratulations! • We hope that you will continue to work with us. |
| President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Opening Statement at the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) and Export Development Council (EDC) Meeting, Malacañang's Heroes Hall, November 6, 2007 |
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Mga kababayan, sa paglapit ng langis sa presyong
sandaang dolyar bawat bariles, kailangan kumilos ang bansa, lalo na ang mga
liderato ng pamahalaan at ekonomiya, upang mabawasan ang hampas sa tao ng
krudo, gasolina at LPG. Pinakamalakas ang tama ng pagtaas ng presyo sa mga
mababa ang kinikita at hindi makahabol sa pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin. Sa ganitong panahon, hindi katawad-tawad ang pag-aaksaya ng panahon sa pamumulitika samantalang nakabinbin ang mga panukalang kailangan upang mabawasan ang gastos ng pamilyang Pilipino at dagdagan ang kita at hanapbuhay. Kaya naman hinihiling natin sa Kongreso na agad ipasa ang batas para sa Murang Gamot, at ang amyenda sa Electric Power Industry Reform Act na makababawas ng singil sa koryente. Hindi rin dapat mahuli ang budget para sa susunod na taon, upang agad makinabang ang sambayanan sa mga proyekto para sa maralita, lalo na ang patubig, farm to market roads, pabahay at pagamot. Para rin tutukan ang problema ng langis, bilihin at hanapbuhay, pinulong natin ngayon ang National Competitiveness Council, Export Development Council at mga labor federation. Babalangkas tayo ng mga aksyon upang maagapan ang pagtaas ng presyo ng petrolyo, at lalong mapalakas ang productivity. Sa pagtaas ng productivity, mas makalalaban ang Pilipino sa dayuhang mga produkto dito at sa ibayong dagat, at hindi gaanong tataas ang presyo ng bilihing gawa sa ating bansa. Bukod sa productivity at presyo, kailangan ding magsulong ng mga panukala, programa at proyekto upang maihatid sa karaniwang Pilipino ang mga biyaya ng lumalagong ekonomiya. Kabalikat ng kalakal at industriya ang manggagawang Pilipino sa pagsulong ng kaunlaran, at marapat lamang na magtamasa din sila ng mga bunga ng pagod nating lahat. Bibigyan din ito ng pansin ngayon, at sa iba pang pulong ng mga organisasyong ito, na aking inaatasang magpulong bawat buwan upang subaybayan, isulong at dagdagan pa ang mga inisyatibo upang ipaabot sa masang Pilipino ang mga biyaya ng ating lumalakas na ekonomiya. Unti-unti nang umaabot sa karaniwang tao ang pag-angat sa ibang bahagi ng lipunan. Ayon sa poverty survey na inilabas kahapon, bumaba na ang porsyento ng nagsasabing mahirap sila mula noong unang bahagi ng 2006. Isang dahilan ang mga reporma sa buwis na nagpalakas ng piso at investment, at nagdagdag sa pondong pangkaunlaran. Ito rin ang rerepasuhin sa BIR command conference ngayong hapon. Hindi na tayo dapat mag-aksaya ng panahon at pagod sa mga bagay na malayo sa mga pangunahing pangangailangan at pasanin ng sambayanan: presyo, trabaho at benepisyo. Pagtulungan na nating lahat ito – ang gobyerno, Kongreso, negosyo at manggagawa – sa ikabubuti ng taong bayan. Maraming salamat. |
| PGMA gets kudos from farmers for increasing gov't palay rice subsidy |
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More and more farmers from the countryside have
expressed their gratitude to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for
increasing the government’s buying price of palay from P10 to P11 per kilo
effective last Oct. 15. The Provincial Farmers’ Action Council (PFAC) of Abra thanked the President for the increase that would mean an additional income for farmers nationwide of P50 per 50-kilo bag of palay. In their resolution, the farmers’ group from Abra said the increase would go a long way particularly with the increasing cost of production inputs aside from the occurrence of calamities such as typhoons and the recent dry spell. “We the Provincial Farmers’ Action Council of Abra and in behalf of farmers in the province sincerely express our gratitude to Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the said increase as this would greatly help our farmers,” their resolution read. Earlier, leaders of farmers’ groups in Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Cagayan, and North Cotabato also expressed their gratitude to the President for increasing the National Food Authority’s (NFA) buying price of palay. In their resolutions, the farmers’ groups pointed out that the increase in the buying price of palay would increase their income and improve their livelihood. Thousands of Filipino farming families depend on rice production as the principal source of income. The President acted on the requests of farmers all over the country for government intervention to increase the NFA’s buying price of palay to enable them to cope with increased farming costs and uplift their lives. Aside from thanking the President, the farmers’ groups in the countryside also expressed their support to the government’s hunger mitigation program as well as for other support programs of the Department of Agriculture (DA) intended to uplift the plight of the farmers and their families. |
| Improved economy fueling gov't efforts to provide better social services to poor |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said last
night that sustained by strong economic fundamentals, the country’s fiscal
condition continues to improve, thus enabling her administration the needed
leverage to fight poverty through the provision of essential social services
including decent housing for the poor. In her speech during the dinner reception Monday in Malacañang that kicked off the three-day Cities Alliance-Public Policy Forum to be held at the Crown Plaza Galleria Manila in Quezon City, the President said the holding of the forum came at the time when the Philippines is “moving forward and the people are more concerned about taking advantage of our economic progress rather than the backsliding of political protest.” Among those present were city chief executives led by League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) president Jerry Trenas of Iloilo City, congressmen, members of the diplomatic corps, officials from international partner institutions, and delegates to the three-day forum. The forum, with the theme, “Leveraging Resources for Livable Cities” is co-sponsored by the Cities Alliance, World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), UN Habitat and the LCP. “People deserve peace, order and stability. We have been through many upheavals and the people deserve a stable government and economic progress. With the help of our officials here tonight, that is what they are getting now,” she said. “We like to think that even the opposition are committed to the public good and like us, that they want to find common ground to move the nation forward,” she added. The President pointed out that with some of the strongest macro-economic fundamentals in 20 years, the Philippines has achieved 27 quarters of growth, a strong peso and vibrant stock market, attracted big ticket investments that helped create six million jobs, trimmed down its huge budget deficit, and is now on the verge of totally paying off its foreign debts. “The national agenda is focused on creating good paying jobs, stable prices and bringing the benefits of a strong economy to every single Filipino. It is a pro-poor, pro-growth, pro-modernization agenda. We have moved the nation forward on the strength of our partnership with city mayors and other local government executives who form the backbone of our government,” she said. The President said economic reforms have created a conducive environment for job-creating investments and businesses and generated the additional revenues that helped fund health insurance subsidies and other healthcare services, improved education, livelihood and housing programs for the poor. She also congratulated Vice President Noli de Castro, members of the House of Representatives, and the entire housing sector for their achievements during the past several years which have greatly helped in improving the plight of the country’s poor urban dwellers. Over the last six years, the President said almost 200,000 families on more than 25,000 hectares of land have benefited from more than 100 urban land reform proclamations that provided security of tenure for urban slum dwellers. In the first half of this year alone, certificates of lot allotment were awarded to more than 10,000 families, bringing the total to almost 30,000 families since the start of her administration. The President said that more than P4 billion under the community mortgage program were loaned to 85,000 family beneficiaries to buy the land they were previously squatting on. The President said the success of the City Development Strategy (CDS) program, funded by the Cities Alliances and implemented by the League of Cities “strengthens our belief in the power of the global system to alleviate poverty and modernize nations.” She cited the forum as a rich opportunity to share knowledge and resources among the Cities Alliance members and development partners to address urbanization, transform slums into livable communities, and make the urban poor become more fulfilled and productive members of society. The Cities Alliance is a global coalition of cities and their development partners committed to scaling up successful approaches to urban poverty reduction through the matching of grants in support of the city development strategies (CDS), Cities Alliance matches grants in accordance with its “Cities without Slums” action plan including promoting secure tenure, access to shelter financing, and other policies to help cities prevent the growth of new slums. In its 2007 annual report, the Cities Alliance noted that 65 cities in the Philippines have completed their CDS and are now among the best run in the country. The Cities Alliance added that the CDS programs are being designed to involve all 118 cities in the country which would make the Philippines the first country to achieve total coverage. During the three-day forum, delegates will visit housing projects in Muntinlupa and Marikina Cities, and the relocation site for the affected families of the rail project in Cabuyao, Laguna. The resolutions raised from the forum to be called the Manila Declaration would be presented by Vice President de Castro and the LCP to the World Bank and UN Habitat. |
| PGMA calls for unity, end to politicking amid steep oil prices in world market |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called on the
people today to unite, put an end to politicking and join hands in
mitigating the impact of steep prices of oil in the world market to further
improve the lives of the people. The President also said she convened the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) and the Export Development Council (EDC) to discuss measures to soften the impact of surging oil prices on industries and enhance productivity for the country to be globally competitive. “In these times, wasting time on politicking instead of passing legislation to ease spending of Filipino families and enable them to earn more is unforgivable,” the President said in her opening statement at the meeting held at Malacañang’s Heroes Hall. The President, alarmed by the surging prices of oil in the world market, has ordered concerned agencies to put in place a host of measures to ease its impact on Filipinos. “The government has to move to lessen the impact of rising oil prices in the world market on the people,” the President said. The President called anew on Congress to focus on passing key legislations such as the Cheaper Medicine Bill and the Amendment to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) to pave the way for cheaper power rates. The President also wanted the 2008 budget bill passed so that funds would be available for key projects. The President pointed out that the meeting with exporters, labor federations, and the competitiveness council was convened to come up with measures to mitigate the impact of rising oil prices on the Filipinos and enhance productivity so Filipino products would be more competitive in the world market and that this would prevent the rise in prices of local products. Oil prices in the world market could reach $100 per barrel by December, the Department of Energy said. |
| President elated over SWS survey on self-rated poverty incidence |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed
elation today over the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey on self-rated
poverty incidence which showed that fewer families rated themselves as poor
this year compared to last year. The President, in her opening statement at the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) and Export Development Council (EDC) meeting in Malacañang this morning, said the survey results reflected that the benefits of a growing economy are now trickling down to the grassroots. “The common people are now feeling the benefits of a growing economy. The implementation of the much needed tax reforms contributed to the strengthening of the peso and increase in investments,” the President said. The Third Quarter 2007 SWS survey found that self-rated poverty has been at the "relatively low range" of 47 to 53 percent since September 2006. It ranged between 55 and 59 percent from December 2005 to June 2006. The President said it is time to focus more
on concerns that would improve the lives of the people. |
| PGMA cites urgency of strengthening programs on English proficiency |
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Citing education as the foundation of
sustainable global competitiveness, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
underscored today the need to further strengthen programs on English
proficiency to improve the country’s human resources. English is regarded as the international language of business and that the Philippines is the second most favored investments destinations for call centers and business process outsourcing, next to India, in the Asian region, due to its English-speaking workforce. The President noted that the government has “achieved much” in Mathematics and Science but still needs further improvement in English proficiency. “We have to put more emphasis in English and we really have to start by training our teachers,” she said. The President has pushed for the increase in proficiency in English, Math and Science for the Philippines to be globally competitive by 2010, thus the creation of the National Competitiveness Council (NCC), a public-private task force on competitiveness, through the issuance of Executive Order 571 on Oct. 5, 2006. Human resource competitiveness is one of the six items in the Action Agenda of the NCC. The other items include management expertise in specific public offices, financing to micro and small and medium enterprises, upgrading of infrastructure, reduced transaction costs and improved transaction flows, and reduced energy costs and security of supply. The NCC aims to make the Philippines one of the top ranking in international surveys, make total investments at record level, and new export services to generate $15 billion a year by 2010. |
| PGMA orders crackdown on 'colorum' vehicles, 'kotong' to avert fare hike |
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In a move to head off an impending increase in
transportation fares amid the skyrocketing prices of oil in the world
market, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered today an immediate stop to
extortion activities victimizing jeepney drivers, the implementation of a
unified or single traffic violation ticketing system and the resolution of
the problem of colorum vehicles. The President’s directives were issued to the Departments of Energy (DOE), Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). The transport sector has said that if their three conditions – elimination of “kotong,” implementation of a unified/single traffic violation ticketing system and an end to the problem of colorum (no franchise) vehicles – they would forego any fare increase. Metro Manila jeepney drivers have filed a P1.50 fare increase with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to compensate for the increase of oil prices. They added that they would seek another fare increase in the event of further hikes in oil prices. The transport sector said the minimum jeepney fare could increase further to P11.50 depending on the oil price situation. The President directed Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes to coordinate closely with DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno in the creation of an anti-“Kotong Task Force.” She also instructed MMDA chair Bayani Fernando and Environment Secretary Lito Atienza to work out a single traffic ticketing system with local government units (LGUs) in response to the request of the transport sector. The President said she would attend the next meeting of the MMDA and Metro Manila mayors to see for herself if her directives were implemented “to prevent a fare increase.” |
| PGMA cites important role of LGUs in nation-building |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cited on
Monday the important role that cities and other local government units (LGUs)
play in nation- building in a rapidly urbanizing world. In her speech during the dinner reception in Malacañang to kick off the three-day Cities Alliance-Public Policy Forum, the President said the forum was being held at a time when the Philippines is now enjoying its strongest macro-economic fundamentals in 20 years. The Philippines, which joined the Cities Alliance recently, is hosting the forum with the theme, “Leveraging Resources for Livable Cities.” Sponsored jointly by the Cities Alliance, World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), UN Habitat and the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), the forum is being held at the Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila in Quezon City. With strong support of the LGUs, the Philippines has achieved 27 quarters of growth, a strong peso and vibrant stock market, attracted big ticket investments that helped create six million jobs, trimmed down its huge budget deficit, and is now on the verge of totally paying off its foreign debts, the President said. “The national agenda is focused on creating good paying jobs, stable prices and bringing the benefits of a strong economy to every single Filipino. It is a pro-poor, pro-growth, pro-modernization agenda. We have moved the nation forward on the strength of our partnership with city mayors and other local government executives who form the backbone of our government,” she added. The President said that cities not only in the Philippines but around the world are a force to reckon with in any country’s march to a better future. “Cities are also at the forefront on international diplomacy, representing the hubs of excellence that reach out across the seas to other lands,” she said. In a world of rapid urbanization, the President said that cities play an important role in laying the foundations of laws and regulations, working and coordinating with various stakeholders and sectors, and leveraging investments to provide jobs. “We have several local government units worth visiting who have demonstrated that a pro-active stance in improving the conditions of the urban poor can yield significant results,” the President said. In tandem with the cities and other LGUs, the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), headed by Vice President Noli de Castro, has accelerated affordable and sustainable financing for local slum-upgrading programs, adopted and effective regulatory and institutional framework, and provided incentives for private sector participation, she said, adding: “We believe in the “Hernando de Soto” formula for property reform. We have carried out our socialized housing program, which has been commended by the United Nations, based on his principles. We aim to continue to harness the principles to expand his ideas whether it is through private market forces alone, or in combination with government initiatives. Either way, we must continue to liberate our poor to take possession of assets that they can use to gain a foothold and create genuine wealth for themselves.” The President pointed out that over the last six years, almost 200,000 families on more than 25,000 hectares of land have benefited from more than 100 urban land reform proclamations that provided security of tenure for urban slum dwellers. In the first half of this year alone, she said, certificates of lot allotment were awarded to more than 10,000 families, bringing the total to almost 30,000 families since the start of her administration. The President said that more than P4 billion under the community mortgage program were loaned to 85,000 family beneficiaries to buy the land they were previously squatting on. “The success of the City Development Strategies program, funded by the Cities Alliances and implemented by the League of Cities strengthens our belief in the power of the global system to alleviate poverty and modernize nations. That does not mean we believe that countries like the Philippines are ready to compete head-to-head today in every sector, but it does not mean that we need not be afraid of globalization,” she said. She also cited the forum as a rich opportunity to share knowledge and resources among the Cities Alliance members and development partners to address urbanization, transform slums into livable communities, and make the urban poor become more fulfilled and productive members of society. “I understand that the (CDS) program has already been implemented in the majority or our cities, with measurable success, and that it is among the most successful in the world. Congratulations,” the President said. The Cities Alliance is a global coalition of cities and their development partners committed to scaling up successful approaches to urban poverty reduction through the matching of grants in support of the city development strategies (CDS). Cities Alliance matches grants in accordance with its “Cities without Slums” action plan including promoting secure tenure, access to shelter financing, and other policies to help cities prevent the growth of new slums. In its 2007 annual report, the Cities Alliance noted that 65 cities in the Philippines have completed their CDS and are now among the best run in the country. The Cities Alliance added that the CDS programs are being designed to involve all 118 cities in the country that would make the Philippines the first country to achieve total coverage. During the three-day forum, delegates will visit housing projects in Muntinlupa and Marikina Cities, and the relocation site for the affected families of the rail project in Cabuyao, Laguna. The resolutions adapted during the forum to be called the Manila Declaration will be presented by Vice President de Castro and the LCP to the World Bank and UN Habitat. |
| PGMA orders reforms in bad electric co-ops to mitigate impact of spiraling oil prices |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered today
concerned government agencies to mitigate the impact of spiraling prices of
oil in the world market on the industrial and commercial sector in a move to
clinch the Philippines’ goal of being globally competitive by 2010 and at
the same time increase productivity. Concerned with the sustainability of small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) which are considered the hardest hit by the steep oil prices, the President has instructed the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to initiate reforms on “bad” electric cooperatives especially in “high density areas.” At the same time, the President has instructed Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila to make representations with the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to include SMEs in the coverage of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Philippine Export Zone Authority (PEZA) and Meralco to give special power rates to locators in economic zones. Favila said the MOA would benefit the electronics industry the most. The MOA would be implemented this month afterwhich they have to reassess if it is effective. “We have to look for other measures if it doesn’t work…. Meralco has declared to assist the government on how to lower power cost,” Favila said. “Even non-PEZA locators are asking for the same arrangements so we have to discuss the request with Meralco,” he added. |
| Statement of Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo: Government confronts oil price hike |
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President Gloria Macapagagal-Arroyo firmed up
today measures to address the increase in oil prices. In a Cabinet meeting with the National Competitiveness Council and Export Development Council held at the Palace this morning, the Chief Executive tasked Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Angelo T. Reyes to oversee the implementation of the government measures in responding to the rapid increase of oil prices in the world market amidst the strengthening of the peso. Currently, there is an average increase of 60 percent on the price of oil in the world market. The domestic oil price increment is well below the global price due to the strengthening peso. The price of crude oil is expected to hit $100 a barrel in coming weeks until the end of December 2007. This could lead to an additional increase in gasoline price of P1.03 per liter up to P3.21 per liter this year. Secretary Reyes was proud to announce that local oil players are more cooperative in posting prices of crude oil. President Arroyo directed the DOE Secretary to coordinate with the Metro Manila Mayors Council headed by Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte to push for the unified/single traffic violation ticketing system with a case pending at the Supreme Court filed by the public transport sector. The government is also intensifying the campaign against “kotong” or graft among traffic enforcers. The President ordered Secretary Reyes to study the feasibility of forming a joint “anti-kotong” task force with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). The President also asked the DOE to push for the immediate passage of the bill on alternative and renewable sources of energy. |
